Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

There is a saying in my hometown, "If you look at the mountain, you will die." It means that the distance between the two mountains may seem very close, but in fact, the mountain road is rugged and difficult to walk, and it takes a lot of time and effort to walk. We are facing this situation now. The north bank of the Kas River is a large hill with coniferous forests. It is not steep, but there are many uphill roads. It is difficult to tell the direction in the dense forest, and we dare not completely trust the big black bear. Agis and Hayu took turns to climb the tree to observe the situation nearby. Helgi was relaxed and comfortable. She did not use magic to communicate with the black bear. However, along the way, dried meat and wild fruits were put into the big mouth at a constant price. The black bear ate happily and became more docile and considerate. When encountering difficult sections, it would even carry the little girl on its back. Although Agis was envious, he was too timid to go over anyway.

We wandered around in the mountains until the sun was setting. The black bear finally stopped, nudged Helgi with its big head, and pushed the little girl, causing her to stagger.

"Brother Bear said that this is the edge of his territory. We just need to climb over the mountain ahead and we will find the road built by humans."

"Then let's work harder and get to the official road before dark. It's not safe to spend the night in the woods."

Helgi scoffed at my worries, but then she felt her backpack, which was mostly deflated, and she also felt that it would be difficult for us to gain the friendship of another "big bear". The black bear staggered and disappeared into the dense forest. Helgi took advantage of the spell and arranged for Miko to catch some small animals to serve as her spies. However, the king of this place had just inspected the area, so how could there be a cute little guy who was looking for death? Miko went around in circles and returned empty-handed. Instead, when Aigis was trying to take bird eggs from a tree, he was attacked by the parent birds protecting the nest, which gave Helgi useful information.

"It says there's a huge stone statue in the mountains on the other side of the official road. That might be the place we're looking for. If we fly over there, we'll get there in less than half a day."

If you fly over...

The bird dropped a pile of poop on Agis's head and flapped its wings back to the nest. The depressed little cat bared her teeth fiercely, and under Helgi's murderous gaze, she gave up the idea of ​​climbing the tree to seek revenge. Since none of us could fly, we had to walk obediently. The black bear devoured a lot of supplies, which just reduced our load. The group finally arrived near the official road when night fell. Hayou found a cave in the leeward area, and after confirming that there was no big brother bear and little brother snake in it, we stayed there for the night.

On the north side of the official road, the trees were sparser, but the mountains became steeper and steeper. The vines we removed from the rafts were also put to use. In many places, Hayu and Agis climbed up first, then fixed the vines and let them hang down. Helgi and I tied the supplies and the tiger brothers and sisters pulled them up. Although this took more time, it was safer to travel light. Miko and Barbas were agile and did not need us to worry at all. If we were not worried about Helgi, they would have thrown these stupid humans aside long ago.

After climbing over this hill, we can also see the top of the Meridia statue. Everyone's spirits were lifted, and after a short rest, they quickened their pace and continued on their way. After walking for about another hour on the mountain road, the remains of man-made buildings gradually increased. This area seems to be a human settlement in ancient times, and it was quite large, but it has long been abandoned. Rammed earth foundations can be seen everywhere, but the houses on top, which were probably made of wood, have disappeared. These former houses are distributed along a severely weathered stone staircase. The further up the mountain you go, the larger the foundation. I speculate that the ancient Nords who lived here had a relatively clear hierarchy, and people with higher status had larger houses, which were located closer to the top of the mountain.

The steps were cut into pieces by weeds and trees. At the end of the steps was a square stone building, with a simple and heavy style, obviously not from the Fourth Age. A statue of a goddess in a wide robe and large sleeves stood on it. She had a serious expression, with her hands resting on her chest, as if she was praying to the sun, and a pair of huge wings embracing her body. At the feet of the goddess, two life-size statues of priests stood facing each other, holding their palms together. The height of the two priests was not even as high as the knees of the goddess statue. It is conceivable that such a magnificent building shocked us so much that the Dragon Language Wall not far away from it could not attract anyone's attention. Helgi stood at the foot of the stone steps for more than ten minutes before jogging to catch up.

"Brother, the goddess is speaking again!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the two cats, two dogs and I, a total of five pairs of eyes, all focused on Helgi, staring at the little girl until she felt embarrassed.

"She...she asked me to place the beacon in the priest's hand."

We have a special bag for Meridia's beacon. The stone is not heavy, but it is very hard. Aigis once used it to break a deer leg bone. Although the beacon was unharmed, the little cat girl was severely reprimanded by Hayou.

Helgi held the beacon and carefully placed it between the arms of the priest statue. A dazzling light flashed, and the little girl disappeared. Hayu and Agis were horrified, and Miko barked anxiously. But Babas was calm, as if he had expected this. Like me, he looked up at the bright ball of light in the sky that was as dazzling as a second sun.

"Locke, come with me."

Babas took me away from the tiger brother and sister, staring at my face with interest, but did not speak. It meant very clearly that I was too calm in the face of the sudden vision, as if I knew exactly what was going to happen, just like it.

Of course I know, because in the game, I was the one who was invited by Meridia to heaven to talk.

"Master Barbas, what is the matter?"

The dog and I looked at each other for several minutes, but in the end it didn't ask anything, just gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I'm thinking, me and Will, we might both be wrong."

I didn't answer. If I had a choice, I would rather respect ghosts and gods and stay away from them. Unfortunately, in this alien world, gods and demons are neither the imagination of fools, nor the sophistry of cunning people, nor are they tools for those with ulterior motives to seize power. They are real existences. So, what kind of existence are they? What is their purpose in intervening in the mortal world? I feel that there is a vague answer in my heart, but it is difficult to express it clearly in words.

"It may be dangerous in this temple. You must promise me that you will keep Helgi safe at all costs."

Seeing me nod, Barbas wagged his tail in satisfaction.

"Let's go. Helgi is back."

The little girl was sitting on the ground in front of the statue, stroking Miko's neck with one hand and gently pressing her chest with the other.

"Ah! Brother, guess where I went?"

I pointed to the sky. Helgi nodded excitedly.

"Yes! You saw it all, didn't you? It was so exciting! I was in the sky and could see the mountains in the south and the sea in the north. There were several big ships in the sea! It's a pity that the mountains are too high and blocked the Sheya Ridge..."

"So, Helgi, the goddess didn't take you to heaven just to enjoy the scenery, did she?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes. The goddess said that we should go into her temple and kill a necromancer named Mokran."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Hayou jumped up and punched the air twice.

"Wait! Hayou, take this."

I gave the Khajiit the longbow I had seized from Movarth's lair, and gave him half of my own arrows.

"We don't know the strength of this necromancer, so don't take it lightly. Don't get close to him before you know the situation. I can summon ice elements to contain him. Helgi, tell Miko to stay with you to prevent the enemy from making a sneak attack. Hayou, you protect Aigis. We will split into three groups. Barbas and I will scout the way ahead, and the two of you will keep your distance to avoid being wiped out by the enemy."

We hurriedly moved the rubble blocking the temple entrance. The iron door was pushed open with a creaking sound, and a foul odor of decay hit us in the face. Everyone covered their mouths and noses and stepped back, and only came back when the smell had almost gone away. Babas and I entered first and walked through the wide and deep corridor.

This temple, like the Howling Bastion in Falkreath, was built by hollowing out the mountain, but its scale is much larger. The ancient Nords seemed to like this kind of cave life very much, which is probably related to the mountainous terrain of Skyrim. It may be that they gradually began to live in houses after the farming technology matured. The space inside the temple is very large. This must be the place where the indigenous people held religious ceremonies. I can imagine the scene at that time. Hundreds of believers, led by the priests, sang hymns praising the goddess in unison, praying that the warm sunshine would dispel evil and bring a good harvest and happiness.

Now, however, I would occasionally find rotting corpses abandoned on the ground, their stench filling the once sacred space as if it had substance. Ghosts like black mist wandered around, acting as guards. Unlike in the game, my bow and arrows did not cause any damage to them. The arrows simply passed through the ghosts' bodies without even changing their trajectory.

"Yohoo, the Cloud Piercing Arrow can't kill the ghost. It's a bit surprising, isn't it?"

I ignored Barbas's sarcasm, raised my hand and summoned the fire element, and the ghost was immediately ignited.

"Everyone get down!"

The pungent smell penetrated my nostrils, and I immediately realized the danger and shouted to warn the people behind me. Babas rushed to Helgi without hesitation and protected the little girl under himself. I was lifted up by the shock wave of the explosion and rolled to the end of the team.

Fortunately, the others lay down in time after my reminder and were not seriously injured. Only the hair of the tiger brother and sister and Miko was burnt, and they looked a little embarrassed. Unfortunately, I felt like I had blown up a giant temple. The stench of corpses spread, making the already unpleasant air in the temple even more unbearable. Hayou and Aigis had sensitive noses. The two cats frowned as soon as they entered the door. At this moment, they could no longer hold on and vomited against the wall. This brought new challenges to everyone's sense of smell.

I struggled to get up and asked everyone to retreat to the upper room.

"Brother, can you promise me that you won't play like this next time?"

Helgi moved over, holding his nose, and began to check my injuries. At this time, my mind was full of how to get a ghost to study. This big baby is not so powerful in the game. It is just an ordinary minion. A knife, axe, bow and arrow can kill them. After death, they just turn into a pool of black mud. But I clearly smelled a smell similar to rotten eggs just now.

So, this is a moving cloud of hydrogen sulfide?

In any case, this stuff is poisonous. Whether it is inhaled or comes into contact with the eyes, it will cause serious harm. I must first take everyone to a safe place and then discuss the next plan.

"Aigis, did you see that pedestal in the middle of the room with the round stone on top?"

The little cat girl nodded weakly, obviously not yet fully recovered from the blow she just received.

"How confident are you that you can activate that thing without alerting the ghosts?"

"Kid, you'd better understand that these ghosts are probably controlled by the necromancer. If you are lazy and try to avoid them, they will probably rush over from behind us in the decisive battle."

"I know, Master Barbas. But is it possible that if we kill the wizard quickly, these ghost things will disappear on their own?"

Babas looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

"Did you hit your head just now?"

I did get hit, and I still feel a little dizzy, but I really want to get a ghost to study. Even if I can't take it away now, I hope to keep it and catch it again when I have the chance. Who doesn't want a small pet that is immune to physical damage, can move, and can explode? I told everyone about my plan, and as expected, everyone opposed it.

"Well, since you all don't agree with my plan, I have to think of another way. Or, should we give up for now and look for another opportunity later?"

Helgi and Babas expressed their strong opposition, while Hayu and Agis remained silent, so I had to express my reasoning.

"I have a guess, which may not be correct. This thing is probably afraid of water. So, Hayou, go in and find another ghost and pour water on it to try."

I handed the water bag to Hayou, but the tiger man did not reach out to take it.

"Why should I go?"

"Helgi and I are not light enough, and Barbas and Miko don't have hands. If you don't go, I'll have to let Agis go."

The little cat girl showed a horrified expression, and Hayou asked unwillingly: "Is there no other way?"

"Yes. We'll blow them up one by one, just like we did before."

This time, everyone shook their heads to show that they disagreed. Miko looked at everyone and shook his head at me. Hayou sighed and took the water bag helplessly.

"I can go, but I have a condition. Lord Locke, please promise me that if anything happens to me, you must pay to send Lachlan and Aigis back to Elsweyr."

"Not really, not really. How can I let anything happen to you? How about this, Babas, you go in with Hayou. If anything unexpected happens, you must rescue him."

After hearing what I said, Hayou knew that he could not escape this disaster anyway. He shook his ears, said something to Agis in a strange and gentle language, then grabbed the water bag, as determined as Jing Ke by the Yishui River.

"gone."

Ajith's eyes turned red, and she stared at her cousin's back. For a moment, I thought she would go up to stop Hayou, but she didn't move in the end.