Hello, Journal. Steve the Khajiit again. I’m still recovering from my first day in Skyrim, so my account of that day is broken up by many naps and snacks, my apologies. So, where was I? Ah, yes. I was about to take out my newly purloined dagger and join the fray that Hadvar had created with his own hubris and righteous indignation. But as I took out the dagger, I noticed that it was not a very good one. It was a simple iron dagger, only slightly better than if I used my claws. As I briefly contemplated this, Hadvar had cut down two of the Stormcloaks and had run across the bridge to deal with two more. So I provided backup by checking the two bodies to make sure they were really most sincerely dead. They were. Sadly, they had nothing on them that I wanted. I was hoping for a bow and arrow.
So I clambered down the side of the bridge to the other end of a small ravine where Hadvar was taking out two archers, and by the time I’d gotten there, he had killed them as well. Yeah, I definitely owed him a fruit basket after this. And hey, bonus! Now I had a bow and arrows, like I’d always wanted. (Well, maybe not always.)
Hadvar was impatient to keep going, as if it were my fault that he’d killed them so quickly or something. I don’t think he fully appreciated the sense of leisurely, methodical pacing I brought to the table. Besides, Khajiit don’t immediately come when you call, everyone knows that. Wait, I mean, that’s an unfounded rumor, only partly based in truth.
“Looks like the way out’s up ahead, come on!” Hadvar had a knack for being optimistic about the obvious. If we had stumbled upon a loaf of bread, he’d have happily shouted, “Looks like something we can eat! Hurry up and swallow it!” I’m not sure why this bothered me, but it did. I think I might have just been bitter that an hour earlier he was sending me to my death, however apologetically.
For that matter, I wasn’t convinced that he wasn’t still sending me to my death, albeit in a more roundabout manner. However, the trail of bodies he was leaving behind proved to me that if he had wanted me dead, I’d be dead already. So I strapped on my new bow and arrow quiver and glumly followed him.
No sooner had we walked across the next bridge, when the tunnel we’d been in collapsed right behind us, causing me to choke on the gravelly dust. “No going back that way,” said Hadvar the Obvious. “I guess we’re lucky that didn’t come down on top of us.” Always seeing the wine bottle as half full, that one. Or as he might say, “I guess we’re lucky that stale wine didn’t have poison in it.”
And then he said, “I’m sure the others will find another way out.” What others? To the best of my knowledge it was just me, Hadvar, and an endless supply of Stormcloaks who’d been hiding in the keep during the executions. The only other person we’d seen was the Torturer, and he was more than happy to stay within the Keep, even after I stole all his stuff. Perhaps he thought General Tullius was in here somewhere, but last I’d seen of him was near the gate, and his prospects looked grim to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were Imperial Jerky by now. Which is a tough way to go.
We ran down a few more tunnels, and I looted some skeletons, one of which ironically had a healing potion right next to him (or her. It’s difficult to tell.) Then the tunnel opened up into a vast room filled cobwebs and what I assume are egg sacs, though I didn’t want to get close enough to check. No sooner had this registered in my brain, when a bunch of gigantic spiders dropped down from the cave ceiling and started attacking us!
I was so glad I’d gotten a bow and arrow at this point. I was trying to be stealthy, but Hadvar shoved me into the light, costing me my element of surprise. I took a couple out with arrows, and he killed the rest with his sword. It was almost before I’d had time to realize I’d wet myself. Hadvar jolted me out of my thoughts by calling out, “We’d best stick together down here.” It would be hard not to, with all those webs everywhere. Sidenote: Did you know that giant spiders can spit venom? I did not know this.
As we entered another path, he said “This looks like the way.” I’m not sure how he knew what “the way” looked like, or if he was just being optimistic again, but I remained silent as ever. Hopefully my feline glower was enough to show my dubiousness.
The passage once again opened up into a larger cavern, this time a bear den. For once, Hadvar didn’t want to fight, and I agreed with him. We opted to be stealthy, which is always my preferred method. Glad to know the Imperials weren’t rounding up bears and executing them. Or at least Hadvar wasn’t.
But then he hands me a bow and asks me if I feel lucky, and that I might take her by surprise. Wait, I thought we were agreed on stealth? Also, did he not see me firing arrows at the spiders mere moments ago? Perhaps not, as he was busy getting up close and personal with his sword. Oh well, I guess it was good to have a backup. You never know when one might break, right?
Putting the bow away, I crouched down, summoning all of my stealthy ability to sneak through the cave shadows, silently making my way past the bear. I could already feel my stealth skills improving as I did so. We were most of the way past the bear when Hadvar stage-whispered, “Easy does it now.” I’d have told him to shut up, but then I would’ve been as bad as he was.
Finally we made it all the way past, though not so far that I didn’t wince when Hadvar said in a normal voice “That was close!” And then he ran off, so I uncrouched and went after him, only to immediately stumble into a pile of bones, from which arose such a clatter. Fortunately the bear didn’t spring from her bed to see what was the matter. But I crouched down again and remained silent and still for a few seconds, just for good measure.
As we rounded the corner, we saw sunlight up ahead! Hadvar echoed my own thoughts when he said, “I was starting to wonder if we were ever going to make it!” And finally we made it outside, to fresh air, chirping birds, blowing wind, and a giant dragon swooping right over our heads and roaring angrily.
I was definitely going to need to throw out these trousers and get a new pair at the next village.
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