Kay(jiit) Sarah Sara: Part 7 - The Golden Claw
Author’s note: Even without picking up everything I find, I hit my, admittedly reduced, carry weight limit before getting halfway through Bleak Falls Barrow. No wonder my assassin is always overloaded. Doesn’t help that I’m running a mod where even septims have weight.
- Atsie Newt
Tirdas, 19th of Last Seed
This one is curious.
No sooner had this one cut the Dunmer loose, the thief sprinted deeper into the barrow, declaring that he would never share the treasure. Intrigued by the claw and irritated by the Dunmer’s lack of gratitude, Khajiit gave chase. Racing through the catacombs, Kay skidded to a halt at the cries of fear and pain echoing back along the corridor. In his haste, the thief had disturbed the dead.
With no intention to die on a rusty old blade, this one hurled flames towards the undead before skipping back out of the reach of its ancient weapon. More undead were rising from their eternal sleep as Kay dodged, retreating back along the corridor while engulfing the undead warriors in flame. One by one they fell until, breathless and shaking, Khajiit was stood amidst the charred wreckage of the undead.
Retrieving the golden claw from the Dunmer thief’s corpse, this one flicked through his journal for a clue as to how it worked.
If the thief’s writings were to be believed, somewhere up ahead was a door with a lock that only the claw could open. It was likely the Dragonstone lay beyond that door. Tucking the claw into this one’s pack, Kay crept around the spike trap, gingerly testing for pressure plates that might send the metal grid swinging around and into Khajiit’s body, only to discover more traps ahead.
With careful timing and precise movements, Kay slipped between the pendulums and their sharp blades while muttering the words of a healing spell to ward off any cuts and scrapes. Emerging on the other side unscathed, this one took a moment to still her racing heart before pressing on.
Emerging into a natural cavern, this one spied more undead, a solitary warrior patrolling the path to the lower levels of the barrow.
As Khajiit vanquished the undead warrior, Kay noticed that the effort required to conjure fire was less taxing. Being able to sustain the gout of fire longer would make dealing with the zombie warriors easier, yes? Even so, this one did not like the look of the battleaxe wielded by the undead warrior Khajiit discovered guarding the door to the lower levels. Creeping forwards, Kay got as close as she dared and waited for the moment to strike.
Even with the element of surprise, this one struggled to take down the undead warrior. More resilient than the zombies Khajiit faced earlier, it took all of Kay’s magicka to defeat the door guardian.
Between the bandits and the undead, this one was beginning to feel the jarl’s favour was not worth the trouble. Bruised and battered, this one trudged through the catacombs, the mystery of the golden claw driving Khajiit onwards through more undead.
Arriving at the door, the relief Kay felt was overwhelming. Eager to grab the Dragonstone and leave, this one studied the door, wondering how it worked. What was it that the thief’s journal said? Something about the solution being in the palm of your hands, yes?
Taking the artefact from Khajiit’s pack, Kay inspected the claw. The positioning of the talons lined up perfectly with the three holes in the door, but the symbols did not match. Within the palm of the claw there was a bear, a moth and what looked like a mummified body, but the order was different to the markings on the door. The question was, which way did they go. There was only one way to find out.
Deciding that the pattern followed the sequence on the claw, rather than mirroring it, this one turned the dials until they matched the claw. Inserting the talons into the holes, Kay tensed at the click of a latch. Remembering the rain of poisoned darts that struck the bandit when he pulled the lever with the wrong sequence in place, Khajiit skipped back from the door, but this one’s caution was unnecessary. With a slow rumble, the door slid open, revealing the passage beyond.
Climbing the steps, Kay sighed as she emerged into a cavern. Disturbed by the sound, a swarm of bats descended from the roof, fluttering around Khajiit’s head in their haste to escape along the corridor. Having come this far, there was no sense in turning back emptyhanded. Aware of curiosity’s reputation for killing the cat, Khajiit shifted the weight of her pack on her shoulders and stepped forwards.
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