We're back! Now that I've already set my things up with my other novel and my exams are long done, expect chapters to return to their usual release date of at least once per week.
I'll probably release a few more this week though, stay tuned.
Peace!
7K words.
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/Step…/
Like everywhere in the mountains, the cave's entrance was rocky and cold. Ice and snow covered its mouth, with sharp ledges of white marks piercing inside under the frigid winds blowing at the backs.
Before them, a long corridor with an uneven path led deeper into the unknown, Philip could faintly hear something rattling at its end, but the stiff wind was unrelenting… It was enough to make his face hurt. Even with his helmet, Skyrim's unforgiving weather brushed past his body like shark knives… and this was considering his thick blood resistant to the cold.
The thick coating of his armor helped mitigate the cold, but it was clear Uvrik wouldn't last long without adequate protection, having made his charge in nothing but his ordinary working clothes.
'The rattling stopped... and those things were supposed to be pretty loud…'
/Roaar…/
The echoes of the Troll's struggle outside grew stronger. It was best if they hurried, else they might meet with the necromancer's reinforcements.
The way forward was pretty uncomplicated. They didn't meet any obstacles, reaching its end amidst a pile of unassuming rocks and plants growing on the cavern's walls.
He took some of the moss on the wall through the system, but the rest he ignored as he followed the bearded lumberjack inside.
...
/Chattering…/
With their stride, they soon arrived at their destination, a large room with a small hole in the ceiling, letting light come inside from amidst its cracks.
The cavern's design was rather simple. It was an open hole of considerable size. They were currently on the top section of the room, as the path they took led not at its foot, an overlook with an uneven and narrow path that spiraled down onto the lower floor.
'That must be it.'
Below them on the 'first floor' were numerous dead bodies, mostly of people, humans most likely, but there were also animal bodies such as bears and boars piled up amidst the carcasses.
From the teeth of the humanoid skeletons, Philip recognized other species, such as orcs and potentially even elves scattered in the remains.
Tucked in the cavern's corner, he saw several wooden carts full of miscellaneous stuff, and a bit more. Overall, the cavern wasn't decorated in the slightest, as it seemed things had been moved around in a hurry without the intention of staying long.
'It seems the Necromancer has captured several wagons… and the people that were likely in them. That might explain the skeletons, as I had originally believed he sourced his corpses at the local graveward.'
Philip looked at the corner and saw a makeshift bed and table, his gaze falling on top of the Unique table next to it…, 'An Enchanting table… I need it.'
'Would it go inside my inventory though?… No matter, I'll get it either way.'
/Splat…/
Silver kept looking around, specifically at the pile of corpses where he could see a skeleton with several tools butchering each corpse one by one down to their bloody bones… it gave him a sense of unease and disgust, but he held it all in.
'I guess that's where those bodies came from… He used the people he captured to make his soldiers. I remember hearing the guard talk about bandits and missing people… Is this it?'
'Perhaps there were no bandits at all… or if there were, things ended up mixing. I wouldn't be surprised if the necromancer made use of the bandits to enact its plan and capture more people. Perhaps even the bandits succumbed to it in the end.'
What mattered to him, however, stood on the other side of the room, far from the butchering table. In another corner of the room, he saw a cage full of people. Survivors!
'How many people are here? A few dozen if we count those outside… with these people…'
Deeming their numbers plus the number of skeletons outside, it was clear whoever was behind this wasn't interested in lying low. It didn't take much for one to understand that if so many people disappeared right next to one of the major strongholds of the province, an investigative force would act soon.
/Whispers…/
Next to the cage was a robed person, whispering curses and chanting words in a low tone before a makeshift stone altar stained heavily with blood, it looked like a fountain as it had a small pool at the very top with a Soul Gem floating in it.
/Bloop…/
The blood boiled as bubbles kept rising from the small pool… as if something slumbered underneath it.
'How brutal! No wonder Necromancy is seen badly…'
He looked around once more, confirming the situation, 'So… a few skeletons that don't even have weapons patrolling and the Necromancer itself… He doesn't seem to have accomplices… but better consider the contrary.'
'Necromancy is considered to be within the Conjuration School of magic, the art of summoning beings from beyond this world… he would never be alone.'
'However, I'm worried. A Necromancer shouldn't be able to control this many undead. Is he exceptionally strong or is this the result of some unusual artifact? Perhaps it is his research itself that is noteworthy?'
He frowned, 'This situation is scaling into something beyond my expectations… but I'm already here; there's no point turning my back now.'
Philip looked at Uvrik and he nodded, no more words were needed.
/Clack…/
He took out his bow and aimed, Uvrik followed suit and aimed his own bow as well.
"Phew…"
'This has to end quickly, otherwise the people might end up dragged into this.'
/FWOOSH!/
The arrows were released, flying towards the Necromancer's head and tight, respectively!
/Splurge!/
"?!"
However, in a turn of events, the necromancer moved his hand and blocked the arrow with his palm, letting it pierce it instead of his head!
/Whisper whisper…/
He, however, did not stop whispering… not even wincing in pain. His profaned ritual continued, the blood pool grew more and more restless…
"Dammit!" Uvrik exclaimed as he rushed down
Throwing his bow to the side, he jumped down like a true warrior! May this old man's knees not give in…
/FWOOSH!/
/FWOOSH!/
/FWOOSH!/
Philip, on the other hand, remained still as he drew several more arrows, aiming at the Necromancer's legs and arms, successfully piercing all of them and making him fall onto the ground!
From the beginning, he had never aimed at the head, knowing full well things rarely ended swiftly, so he instead chose to make things easier for himself.
/Crack!/
/SHUAA!!/
Because of this, the necromancer lost his rhythm and stopped whispering, making the Soul Gem crack and break, releasing a pure blue gas into the air that quickly dissipated!
The wave of air brushed past everyone, pushing Uvrik and all the captives back as Philip covered his eyes from the dust storm. This revealed the necromancer's face, a middle-aged man with caved-in cheekbones and a pale complexion.
"... It… failed." The man said in a twisted tone as disbelief fell on his face
The makeshift altar that was bubbling with blood grew quiet... He turned around, showing his hideous face to them as he raised his lips in anger, displaying his wrath as his blood-stained eyes fell upon them!
(Image)
"!"
Uvrik immediately realized who it was… or better put, what it was! "It's a Vampire!" he exclaimed as his eyes sharpened and his grip over his weapon tightened
/Bzzz…/
/Clack!/
As he ran forward, the vampire raised his hands, dark light gathering around it!
/FWOOSH!/
Another arrow pierced the air, but it halted in the air!
"No more of these petty annoyances." The vampire said as he looked at the side
"Tsk." Philip mumbled as he saw his arrows hitting an invisible wall
'Time for Plan B!' He thought as he threw his bow down
"GUAAAAAHH!!"
/CLANG!/
Uvrik tried to destroy the barrier with a mighty swing powered by his nordic scream, but his mace just bounced off as the air rippled with crackling magic waves!
"Dammed magic!" He exclaimed frustrated as he felt his hands go numb from the aftershock
"Brute Nord, your simple ways have no place here. Die with your ignorance and become my sustenance from your transgression!" The vampire exclaimed with a small smile as he raised his left hand
However, while a smile formed outside, inside, the vampire's thoughts were cold and calculated… 'Bags of meat have come to me on their own at a rather unfortunate timing.'
'I have yet to reign in that Troll, and I have used most of my supply to keep it at bay as I finish my ritual, but now, it failed. My caution was my undoing, or rather, it was my haste. I took far more materials than needed for the ritual when I should've bided my time.'
/ZAP!/
A dark lightning bolt was hurled from his hand, carving an irregular path on the ground as it slid across the air!
"!"
/Crack!/
Uvrik jumped back as he raised his shield, but he was sent flying back as the bolt hit his shield, splintering it as sparks flew around him!
"Someone will have to pay." The Necromancer said angrily as his hands started glowing red
He pointed his free right hand to the cage…
"Dammit, no!" Uvrik screamed as he tried to rise from the ground, but his body protested amidst the crackling energy
"STOP!" Philip exclaimed loudly as he jumped from the upper ground
/Tremble!/
With a might cry, the cavern shook slightly, and the vampire took a step back in surprise, his eyes growing absentminded as his mind blanked.
[War Cry has affected the target]
[Vampire now flees!]
The vampire stepped back, growing to the other side of the cavern as it ran past its skeletons.
"Dont stay there, give chase!" Philip screamed as he ran after the vampire
'I have no idea how long War Cry will last! Not in this situation…'
The Vampire ran beyond the Altar, putting his back against the stone wall, his eyes full of fear… Ironic, the hunter became the prey.
Uvrik spat as he regained control of his body, "Urg… I hate magic."
'But these old bones can still move!'
He ran forward with his mace in both hands, building momentum…
/SNAP!/
/CRACK!/
"!!"
A potent bolt of lightning suddenly hit the ground, cracking the stone before him and halting Philip's charge.
/Fwoosh!/
'S-Shit!' Philip exclaimed as he swung his sword to the side, clashing against the vampire's secondary spell
The zooming gray orb of rumbling energy, akin to a compressed storm, was hurled into the ceiling, caving in the ice and sending large chunks down onto the ground as Philip heard the stones above fracture.
If it were to hit a man… It wouldn't have been pretty.
'Magic…' Philip stared at the unfamiliar sight… All of this was part of a living, breathing world, with many mysteries unbeknownst to him, 'I can't say I'm not interested.'
"Stay away!" The vampire exclaimed fearfully as he showed everyone his fangs
His hands glowed with the untapped power it hid inside its body…
/FWOOSH!/
/Pierce!/
An arrow suddenly passed next to Uvrik's head, piercing the vampire's neck!
"Gu-ha!"
"Ata boy!!"
/SWING!/
/SPLAT!/
The vampire suddenly lost the ability to breathe, not that he needed to, but it was pretty distracting!
/SPLAT!/
/SPLAT!/
Taking this as an opportunity, Uvrik approached the vile creature from its right side and pummeled its head with his mace, again and again.
"HAD ENOUGH?!"
/SPLAT!/
/SPLAT!/
"THIS OLD MAN STILL HAS IT!!"
/SPLAT!/
/SPLAT!/
Uvrik kept pummeling the vampire, each strike stronger than the last until it fell to the ground where he kept striking it until his mace went straight through its skull into the solid ground below.
/CLANG!/
All of this happened in just a few moments, so fast even the raised dead barely had time to react before they fell to the ground, lifeless as the threads of magic that bound their bodies together dissipated.
"Ptche! A vampire may be immortal, but their heads still cave in like any other." Uvrik exclaimed as he swiped some of the blood off his beard
"It's not over yet, old man; drink this for now."
Philip, however, did not let his guard down as he approached Uvrik, and using his sword, he cut off the vampire's mangled head, making sure it wouldn't come to bite them anytime soon.
He didn't want to try his luck. Who knows if the vampire still had the strength to bite them? With even the slightest touch, they could end up contracting vampirism.
"Huff… hah… huff… Hahaha!" Uvrik laughed heartily after he drank the potion
He was tired, hurt, and overall pretty beaten; this was the most action he had had in years combined! And this made him laugh uncontrollably…
"It wasn't long, but what a tale to tell! Just what I needed to freshen these monotonous days." He said as he turned to face Philip after calming down
"It was."
'A Nord is still one in old age…
"That said… we can enjoy this later. For now, let's go back before something happens." Philip said as he crouched near the vampire
'I don't want to wait for trouble to come; the quicker I leave this place and return to the alchemy table, the faster I'll level up and grow stronger.'
'There's much left to do still. I can think about enjoying this world once I rid myself of this contract.'
He quickly looted the vampire. Gold, a few gems, several ingredients, a key, a single Orchish dagger, and a few more things, like a strange powder and his fangs.
He didn't take the vampire's clothes though, especially his enchanted robe yet, as that might raise some suspicion… But he would as there was no way Philip would abandon something like it.
According to its description, the robe possessed an enchantment that granted it a +105% Magicka Regeneration, so how could he abandon such a beauty to the cold ground?
Aside from that, what took his attention were the few books he had with him… a simple book with a leather cover, and another one with the School of Conjuration's symbol, also known as the insignia of Oblivion.
[Nameless Diary]
'This might explain what the vampire was trying to do… as for this… could this be…'
[Soul Trap Spell book x1]
'A rather decent find!'
"… Get those guys out of the cage before they start complaining." Philip muttered as he pointed backward, giving a small key to Uvrik
"Oh! I was about to ask if you found it… I'm not that good with lock picks, so I was about to burst the cage open."
The cage being made out of solid wood; it was unlikely it would resist a few well place strikes… it was more of a way for the vampire to keep his prey in one place than anything else.
After all, who would try to escape while he was there?
…
As this happened, Philip explored his surroundings. Ignoring the Necromancer, the skeletons, the other bodies lying around, and the altar, he went to the side where he had seen the makeshift bed and table, full of things on top of it.
He saw several pieces of flesh, most likely human, and cutlery… nothing interesting. Vampires were cannibals, after all; they wouldn't mind eating the flesh of their own species if it came down to it.
He ignored those things… despite them all being materials, Philip felt it wouldn't be right to grab several dozen kilograms worth of "meat" in front of these people.
Philip wasn't doing this because he was a good guy or because he was against eating it… he wasn't disgusted by those organs, he had seen plenty already. What mattered was that he wasn't so desperate as to taste them just to get a few meager bits of experience in Alchemy…
He had a bottom line, and eating human flesh was pretty far below it… regardless, he had no space for it all even if he wanted to use them for Alchemy.
Each item in his inventory weighed on him in reality. Several bodies' worth of "meat" would weigh on him just the same, even with his strengthened stats.
"At least eight hearts… if we disregard what the Vampire probably ate… this is almost a small village worth of people."
He kept looking around, and soon enough, with a sneaky smile, he found what he was looking for.
With a sneak smile, he started to collect his loot.
{Petty Soul Gem x13 has been added to your inventory}
{Lesser Soul Gem x7 has been added to your inventory}
{Common Soul Gem x2 has been added to your inventory}
{Greater Soul Gem Fragment x8 has been added to your inventory}
{Half Black Soul Gem x1 has been added to your inventory}
From what he remembered, given he had little knowledge of them from Eddy's memories aside from a few mentions and trades… Soul Gems are morpholiths used in the process of binding souls using magic.
A morpholith is plainly just a type of mineral. Common morpholiths such as soul gems can be found within nature.
These gems are used to enchant and charge magical items, animate undead or artificial constructs, or cast powerful destructive spells.
Some of the gems were filled with souls, but not all, 'These won't be useful for now, but that won't be the case later… maybe once I start playing around with magic. I wasn't intending to given the time, but given how fast I raised my Alchemy level, maybe if I do the same with Conjuration or any other school, I can grow skilled enough to void the contract.'
'There's something else too, what is this…'
Before Philip had the time to think it over, someone called him, "Young man!" Uvrik exclaimed from behind him.
Philip turned around, looking at the small crowd that was now moving around the place, letting out happy tears, cries, and wails that they were now free... and that some of their friends were now gone.
Philip gave them a quiet nod of acknowledgement "How many?"
"It's tragic… Only nine, according to them, initially, they should've been at least forty… and that's not counting the people the vampire took before and while they were here. They said others would appear from time to time, and that it had not been for that, they wouldn't be around anymore."
His words also carried a hint of accusation. There was a possibility the survivors from the captured caravan pushed the newcomers down to be sacrificed before them. It wasn't entirely their fault, but he couldn't help but be upset.
Regardless, Uvrik shook his head. Now wasn't the time to grieve over the dead… Philip thought the same.
"It's a shame..."
'Forty aside from everyone else he took in between… from the looks of it, the total might even reach a hundred, but most of them are outside. The vampire was dead set on the Troll then… But I can't help but question his decision of sending his already thin forces outside his territory.'
'Was he still seeking out more sacrifices despite already taking so many? How greedy… to think a single Master Vampire could control so many, perhaps not at once, but a dozen or two might be within his means.'
'I'm grateful most of these skeletons were bare-handed though. No matter how sluggish they are, if they were armored, things would've been dire.'
But one question remained, perhaps the most important of them all, "Is she here?"
'If the lady died, I guess I'll have to say goodbye to my money and my alchemy table… maybe the necromancer has something stashed away but I'd rather not go through the hassle.'
"Yes, the lass is right over there… albeit her lover…"
Philip looked inside the cage to see a young woman kneeling on the ground, holding onto a dying and pale man.
Without saying much more, he approached her and asked, "What happened to him?"
"Ah!"
She was startled, but upon seeing Philip, the one who took down the vampire, she calmed slightly. Her body was trembling as her reddened eyes welled with dried tears.
Everything seemed to spook her, but right now, nothing mattered more to her than the man in her lap.
"I was sent here by your Grandfather. Take a deep breath and tell me what the problem is."
"Grandfather?... I… It's all my fault!!"
She looked at the man in pain and said in a trembling tone, "To be honest, I… didn't come here to collect herbs… I simply wanted to… m-meet him and now… It's all my fault!!"
"…"
"He… he was hurt by the undead trying to protect me before and after we were captured… and for the past two hours, he has been bleeding non-stop… I… I don't know what to do!!"
Philip kneeled next to her as he took a potion from his inventory, trying not to attract too much attention as he did so, "... I see. You're in luck then."
'To think the time would come so soon.'
"P-Pardon… is that?! P-Please!"
"Shhh… calm down."
He placed the potion on the man's throat, forcing him to drink it all, "That will do." He said as he got up.
'Let me see just how strong such a potion actually is… a potion worth a small bag of pure gold. A second life.'
'The man himself doesn't look injured. He was probably stabbed, but it wasn't that deep. I could fix him, but with how much blood he lost, and the conditions too… the potion will have to do.'
The seconds passed, and the man's condition became better and better… while he still looked pale, his wound had stopped bleeding.
"Agh…"
"H-Hashiv!"
He was extremely weak before, barely even capable of talking, and his eyes unfocused, his expression pale… but he wasn't going to die today.
Slowly, he opened his dark eyes, "Urg… the pain… is gone…" Hashiv man said for the first time in a raspy and dried voice as he smacked his dry lips.
"Hashiv!!!" Abedi exclaimed in excitement as tears welled in her from deep down
Seeing this, Philip took a step aside, 'Not bad, so this is what a Full Health potion can do? All of his outer injures were healed, and maybe even the internal ones?… That said, his injuries weren't that complex, it remains to be seen what their limits truly are.'
He looked around. There were a few people hurt, but none as severely as Hashiv. He discreetly took three potions from his 'belt' before approaching one of them, "Here, I have some basic potions; share them among yourselves."
He turned to Uvrik as the peasants recovered…, "I'll stay behind."
"Hum? What do you mean, kid?" He asked with a frown as he rested on a barrel
"I'll give this place a clean and return as soon as I'm done…"
"That'll be dangerous, don't let your greed take over you. I know what you're thinking, but give it a break. You'll receive enough compensation from the Jarl soon enough, I'm sure of it."
Philip was adamant, "But it has to be done."
"... You're a brave man, but do not mix blind courage with greed." He replied as he turned around
He did not agree to it, but neither was he going to stop it. Philip was no child, and he wasn't his parent. Being as old as he was, he had seen enough. Whatever he wanted, he would leave him to his own devices.
"I'll lead them all back into the city and alert the Jarl. Vampires acting near the Hold isn't a good sign… this will require proper investigation."
"Be sure to return soon, we never know… maybe it had companions." He said as he walked away
"Aye…" Philip said with a nod as his ears suddenly twitched
'This sound…'
/ROAAARRR!/
""?!""
Everyone suddenly looked up to see a white beast! It was smeared with red blood… its own blood!
Uvrik grit his teeth, clenching his mace to the point his hands became red.
"By Talos' ax! It's the damned Troll again!"
/Fwoosh!/
As soon as he said that, Philip drew his bow…
/Thud…/
But it was ineffective; the Troll's fur was too thick; its skin was like that of a lizard, hard and rough… but twice as impervious.
/Fwoosh!/
He tried aiming for its eyes but… he missed, 'This bow is fucking terrible. I'm not some Elf with godly archery skills regardless of how good the bow in my hands is.'
'Things would've been different if I had even a tenth of my real body's senses…'
/ROAR!/
The Troll ran down the stairs like a gorilla galloping through the woods, making its way to them angrily as it displayed its massive teeth to them.
The people screamed as they ran to the opposite end of the cavern… "Hey, kid!" Philip exclaimed as he looked at Hashiv.
He threw the bow and arrows he had towards him as he drew his sword.
"Me?!"
"Who else?! They told me you were a hunter, so at the very least, keep that beast distracted!"
"I… s-shit I can do that much." He said with some determination as he held onto the bow
"Everyone else, retreat to the back of the cave! Wait for an opportunity to flee!" Uvrik said as he got into position
/Splurge…/
/THROW!/
While everyone prepared, Philip smeared his sword with an unknown dark concoction before throwing the rest of the bottle on the Troll's face.
/CRACK!/
/SNISS!/
/ROAR!/
The Troll cried painfully as its eyes burned from the poison, reaching out to its face with its right hand.
With a twisted smile, Philip dashed forward!
(Image)
/CRACK!/
The Troll swung its left arm sideways, trying to predict where Philip was based on the sound he was making. But it missed when Philip ducked, hitting the cavern's walls, shattering the stone with its immense might…
Its raw strength was unmatched!
/CUT!/
Philip took this chance to swing his sword with both his hands, aiming directly at his face!
/PIERCE!/
Philip's blade cut deep into the Troll's fingers and into its face, leaving a long gash on its forehead!
"ROAR!"
The beast wailed miserably as it lost several fingers at once.
While it rampaged, Silver rolled past it, giving way to someone else…
/BAM!/
Uvrik didn't stay still as he swung his mace down on the Troll's knees, making the beast fall.
/CRACK!/
Still unable to see, the Troll tried to smash his unhurt hand at Uvrik, but he had already left, this wasn't his first time hunting a Troll.
/CUT!/
Taking this chance, Philip jumped over the creature and onto its shoulders, slicing the Troll's third eye on its forehead!
/ROAR!/
The beast finally went berserk, flailing its arms around as it ran in a random direction…
/Fwoosh!/
/Fwoosh!/
Right at this moment, Hashiv started raining arrows on the Troll. Its movement pattern was far too simple for this experienced hunter. In this sense, he was better than Philip; his current body was too unaccustomed to these things, while Hashiv himself had a much better grasp of this bow's capabilities…
/FALL!/
Unable to see, the Troll slipped on the path, falling down the slope onto the hard ground below!
/Whimp…/
The Troll whimpered in pain as it fell on the ground. For such a large beast, its hurtful cries were quite pitiful…
But it wasn't over yet. Just because it had fallen to the ground, it didn't mean it was dead. It still had a lot of strength to spare, and its bleeding had even already stopped… It remained a threat for as long as its head remained attached.
"!"
'That mad uncle!'
"HAA!" Uvrik exclaimed loudly as he jumped onto the Troll's back from above! Hitting its head with his mace.
/CRACK!/
The unhealthy sound of bones breaking followed by Uvrik rolling on the ground like a sack of potatoes. With a last swing, Philip jumped down as well and pierced with his sword directly through the Troll's middle eye, slashing its brain and everything in between as he used his near inhuman strength from his stat boosts!
/Thud…/
As soon as the Troll fell, he took a defensive stance before grabbing his sword and piercing its head once more. With the rumbling of blood and flesh tearing, he finally cut its head off.
"Huff… one can never be too sure."
'all of this work to take down a single Troll... Sigh...'
He walked closer to the fallen Uvrik, checking his condition.
'Hum… he's okay, but the Troll hit him in the chest with its foot… This is what you get for being careless, he's going to be okay. Nords are sturdy, especially a trained one, but…'
Philip sneakily took a potion and fed it to him. He didn't mind wasting these potions like this; they were, after all, mainly fuel for his Alchemist Skill Level, and their total value didn't even equate to a few golden coins.
"Urg… my back… I'm not how I used to be…" Uvrik said as he was pulled from the ground
Philip rolled his eyes as he dragged the man from the ground, "Can you walk?"
"Of course I can; a few cracked bones will not… arg… stop me in my tracks. I've had worse… But I'm afraid I'm not of much use anymore."
"Very well..."
'It's too dangerous to have them go back like this…'
"Fine, gather everyone and have them go to the Caves entrance. I'll take a last look here and follow you all back to town. The rest we leave for the guards to clean."
"Good enough… for me." Uvrik replied in pain as Philip helped him stand
/Crack!/
"Ah! My back!"
"..."
'Time is merciless across all dimensions…'
…
Once everyone left the cave, Philip started his delayed work. He quickly went to the vampire and grabbed all of his clothing items except for his underwear; that would be disgusting.
{Ring of Fortify Conjuration}
{Vampiric Ring of Drain Health}
{Amulet of Fortify Conjuration}
'This guy surely was loaded... Hopefully, Enchantment isn't a complete hurdle of a task. From all I know, it's probably the most cost-effective art there is, and if I can enchant a few good pieces of equipment, I might make just enough to pay up for the fees… or maybe even reach some sort of deal to extend the time of the contract.'
'There must be a solution… I'm starting to feel burdened for having chosen this path. I should've just gone with being a wizard from Winterhold…'
Following suit, he looted all surrounding bodies for literally everything of value, coins, ingredients, and any piece of jewelry they had, leaving behind their remains for their families.
Shaking his head, he left their hearts and other "materials" on the table. There was no need to grab them; leave it to them to mourn… if they could figure out which body part belonged to whom…
"Skeletons… check… bodies… check… below the bed?"
'Aha!'
With a devilish smile, he pulled a small stack of books from beneath the bed…
{Raise Skeleton Spell book}
{Reanimate Skeleton Spell book}
{Raise Zombie Spell book}
{Reanimate Corpse Spell book}
{Conjure Flesh Atronach Spell book}
{On Oblivion}
{The Doors of Oblivion}
One by one, he collected the small pile of books and stuffed them into his inventory. How odd is to think that his first collection of books about Magic would be on the most controversial of topics… Conjuration, something akin if not worse than what Dark Magic is back in Eden.
He finished his search by looking around the wagons on site. There were several of them filled with miscellaneous items. He took what he could, the most valuable things he could carry — gems, jewelry, gold, silver… even things like silk and other products he knew he could sell.
Not all of them, of course… if he took everything, then the survivors, even if thankful for him, would find it strange. Besides, it wasn't like he could take it, as even now, he was already feeling a little heavy.
'I wanted to grab more metal since its quite valuable… but I'll leave the rest here.'
"… This seems to be it."
'The Necromancer himself was quite loaded, with only a few hundred Septims on hand… perhaps this vampire was used to infiltrating cities to trade… this isn't that uncommon with so many capped individuals lurking around.'
'The true rewards were these books and the Soul Gems. If I can read them, I'll likely gain a few Skill levels worth of experience and perhaps a full level up or two.'
'With these, perhaps I could enchant the jewelry. This would raise their price exponentially… albeit I don't have nearly enough Soul Gems to do it all…'
"Well… if anyone comes to me and asks, I will not mind returning their belongings… it's not that big of a deal."
'Until then, I'll 'safekeep' them…'
With his search concluded, Philip approached the Altar, "I dont see anything special about it…"
He quickly took out the vampire's Diar. It was rather extensive, so he jumped to last pages pages to seek an answer…
…
/Five minutes later…/
"I think I see it now." Philip said as he closed the diary
'How… uneventful. All of this ritual… just to conjure a Flesh Atronach?'
He touched "Pretty much, this vampire was incapable of conjuring or making one on his own, so he tried to do it through a ritual."
'I remember quite a bit about them… I don't remember them being easy to make. It's explained now why he was so desperately going after others, a Flesh Atronach needs a lot of "base materials".'
'If that wasn't enough, to conjure it, he also needed a Black Soul Gem. But he couldn't get his hands on it, so he started researching the possibility of turning a normal Soul Gem into a Black one. Hence, the Half Black Soul gem and the Great Soul gem fragments I got.'
'Honestly speaking… this guy might as well be a genius. From what I remember, this isn't just a simple matter. Even if raw and extremely incomplete, the fact this random vampire somewhat succeeded in tainting a Soul Gem is proof enough he was onto something.'
"The only issue here… is the Spell Level."
'Adept is… meh.'
Philip felt disappointed. Had it been a Master Spell, things would've been different... but would a Master Spell be so easy to get?
"Sigh…"
'I shouldn't complain, reaching Adept mastery is already an impressive accomplishment in itself in this world. The number of decades necessary to do so is considerable…'
"Wizards are a force to be reckoned with, and none should be looked down on."
'If I have the chance, I wouldn't mind going to the College of Winterhold... just to see things with my own eyes.'
With a last look, Philip turned around, leaving the cave for good...
/FWOOSH!/
/SPLURT!/
"?!"
Out of nowhere, an arrow pierced his shoulder, and before Philip had the time to react, his body froze as he fell on the ground like a dead leaf.
'What?! Dammit! An ambush?!'
'My body feels like a rock... completely unresponsive...'
"This took longer than I would've desired."
"…"
Philip couldn't move his head, only his eyes, but since he had fallen with his back facing the ground, he could still see who it was.
It was a man with a hood and a mask, holding a bow with an iron dagger on his waist.
'A thief? Doesn't seem like it...'
"Remember me? Boss?"
"..."
'No...? Who the hell is this uncle?'
Philip went through all of his memories, and found nothing as expected...
Seeing this, the man scoffed slightly, "I forgot this paralyzes the whole body... But perhaps this will shed some light on your thoughts." He said as he pulled down his mask
He had a scar on his neck, and as soon as he saw it, Philip understood his situation... There were a few people Eddy was wary of, and there was a man whose description included having a nasty scar on his neck...
"It's me, Luric." He said with a small smile as he crouched next to him
"!"
Philip finally connected the dots, it became clear. Eddy's caravan, or rather, his father's, had twenty mercenaries acting as guards, and ten guards more directly under him.
To split the power, Eddy's father, Jum, contracted with two different mercenary groups, while the rest was filled with freelance warriors… and Luric was part of the latter, a mercenary that has been working with them for a few years already, but his greed and self-centered mentality were noticed even before Jum died.
His criminal record was exactly what made Eddy wary of him, however, due to his years working with them and earning Jun's trust… or at least his respect, for Luric, despite his greed, was an extremely competent administrator.
It was usually the greediest who were the best at counting money… as such, of everyone that worked in the caravan, he was within the top three in influence, right next to the Guard Captain, Jum's right-hand man, and the General Administrator, Jum's left hand.
Seeing this, Philip's mind raced, 'I surely expected some sort of confrontation from the other members, but I didn't expect them to move within a day after I left the Inn.'
'Such direct means were beyond my expectations. Eddy was quite incompetent, but I doubt any of the other high-ranking members wanted his death! He was a child who had grown up with them for years and had lost his father. How could they condemn him to death for being unable to lead them weeks after?'
'I was ready to push back against leadership opposition, but this… he said poison, right?
"... expect me to..."
While Luric narrated his reason for doing all of this with a sick smile on his face, he bound Philip with a set of ropes. He was planning to torture him to get some information!
And Philip already had an idea why… although his narration said enough for his motives and goals…
"…"
'Does he not know of the people outside?... Hm… did they somehow pass by?… That can't be, he must've sneaked in or at least realized something was off.'
'To enter the cave, there are only so many paths after all… now then, enough thoughts, what should I do?'
Philip opened his inventory and saw that his paralysis would last for at least four more minutes. But that didn't matter as he had several antidotes ready; one of them was bound to work, at least reducing the time.
'I'm thankful I made several of these. One can never be too late…'
His eyes refocused as his gaze fell on Luric.
"… heh, ye thought you could hold on to such secrets like that? You have no allies, you idiot! Someone like you..."
But Philip once again ignored his stupid ramblings, 'His breath smells of alcohol. Is he under the influence?… I can see a bottle of mead at his waist. Did he drink as he waited? Or rather… did he come here drunk?'
Philip could already envision the situation… Ambitious Nord emboldened by praises and unable to let go of his true personality despite being given the chance to reform… now striking when the child of the man that once gave him a chance is weak and exposed.
He exhaled mentally, letting go of his ridiculous narrative, 'I know Nords drink whenever they feel like it, but don't tell me all of this was a spur of the moment drunk endeavor?… '
'Better end this quickly before he does something stupid… more so than he already did. If he finishes binding me, then things will get a bit complicated.'
'Above all… this arrow stuck in my shoulder hurts a shit ton.'
Philip opened his inventory and, with a decisive gaze, used his strongest antidote.
[Paralisys has been lifted]
"... like that, I'll..."
/FWOOSH!/
/SPLURT!/
In a swift motion, Philip kicked the man in the nuts before equipping a small knife and plunging it into his neck as he bent forward!
"Gu-Oh..."
The man didn't even have time to process what happened before he died.
{One-Handed 20 -> 21}
Following this notification, information fragments poured into his mind, and after a few seconds, Philip sat down on the ground and carefully pulled out the arrow, trying not to have it break inside his wound.
He took a few more potions straight through the System's interface. With it, his Health value quickly climbed back to what it was supposed to be.
'It seems potions work differently on me… or perhaps it's because I used them through the System. Either way, better for me.' He thought as he tapped his now pristine shoulder
He looked down at the now dead Luric and shook his head, "He might've been a good target to Soul Trap…"
With a sharp gaze and a few more items, Philip left the cave, not before throwing Luric's body onto a pile in the corner, this way, the blame would fall on the vampire instead of him.
Perhaps someone would notice that his death wasn't timely, but even if testimonies vary, with him being the only one aware of his death, who would complain?
Even if Luric had none waiting for his return, no matter what, murder wasn't well seen, and even if it was for self-defense, could he prove it?
Instead of going through the hassle of it all, it was best to believe it never happened to begin with.
With that, Philip left the cavern... not before harvesting all the herbs on the way.
"Oh… I almost forgot!!..."
He turned around and rushed inside the cavern again… 'Can't leave you behind... My beloved Enchanting Table.'
After some work lifting it up, '… It fits in my inventory. Great… my knees are under some strain, but it's nothing I can't deal with.'
'I've undergone far grueler training… Onwards!'
'My mission has only begun!'
…
.
.
.
Notes
We'll start seeing changes to this arc about now I imagine.