---
The journey was going to last 2-3 days. The first day was already over, and now the Dragonborn, along with Uthgerd and Jenassa, were at their camp.
"I didn't think traveling would be so difficult. Though I've been on expeditions before and have some experience."
At the same time, John ate the sandwiches he had prepared in advance. Jenassa and Uthgerd, meanwhile, made do with dried meat and water.
"So, what exactly are we looking for in Bleak Falls Barrow?" the Dunmer asked.
"We need to retrieve an artifact. It should be there, and we'll find it," John replied with clear confidence in his words.
"I see," Jenassa said dryly.
Uthgerd didn't talk much. John understood this; he appreciated that she didn't interfere where she wasn't needed. The young man hadn't paid the full amount of gold meant for them in advance. He had given each woman exactly 250 gold. Moreover, John had made good money on potions. He bought recipes and followed instructions, as well as Farengar's advice, and sought counsel from Arcadia. She was a middle-aged Imperial woman who sold potions in her shop.
Through trial and error, the Dragonborn had managed to master alchemy. Plus, he had good intuition.
John called Jenassa and Uthgerd to mount their horses.
---
### 2 Days Later
The group finally reached Bleak Falls Barrow. Or rather, the mountain on which the ruins stood. The horses calmly climbed the pre-worn path. They weren't carrying much baggage, as most of their food had already been eaten.
Their tracks were quickly covered by the fresh, endless snow.
*Whoosh!*
The wind blew fiercely. The higher the team ascended the mountain, the stronger the wind became, and the snow fell more heavily. Finally, they stopped.
The group stood before Bleak Falls Barrow (or precisely, 400 meters from it). The massive stone structure was awe-inspiring.
"Wow!" Uthgerd exclaimed.
"Tell me about it. Seeing it up close is something else," John added.
Jenassa chose to remain silent. She had seen much in her time. Well, she looked about 30. It was unknown how old she truly was. Maybe actually 30, or maybe 100. Who knew.
"Hold on," Jenassa said. She narrowed her red eyes. "There are some people there. About 10 of them. What do you say, John?"
"I was just—"
"What's there to think about!? To battle! There aren't many of them!" Uthgerd shouted.
"Damn Nord!" the Dunmer shouted back.
"What did you say?" Uthgerd, in her heavy armor, slowly approached Jenassa. A quarrel was brewing.
"Damn it. I really should have gathered a different team. But what could I do!? These two mercenaries are good at what they do. The other mercenaries don't have as much experience, and many people specifically recommended these two. To hell with it."
John mentally slapped himself.
"Calm down, mercenaries. Your main task is to protect me and listen to me. We'll likely be fighting side-by-side on this outing. And so, we need trust. It's essential. Therefore, I advise you not to quarrel now."
"Hmph," Jenassa merely grunted and turned her head towards John.
"Kgh." Uthgerd also turned her attention to John.
John was right. A senseless quarrel would not help anything; it would only complicate the situation. Both women understood this. He had hired them because he trusted them. He thought they were quite competent.
"Uthgerd," John began. "You shouldn't blindly rush into battle without thinking of others. Moreover, you haven't even heard my strategy yet. That's highly incompetent on your part."
Uthgerd listened to John with a resolute face. She knew she had acted too hastily.
"I... I understand. It won't happen again."
"I hope not." John narrowed his eyes. "Alright, I have a plan."
---
### Bandits at the Entrance to Bleak Falls Barrow
Two men in their fur clothing patrolled and made sure no one entered the area (the others were also doing this, two stood by the iron gates).
"Listen, Krangard," a blonde man with a grim look asked.
"What?" Krangard replied.
"How long do we have to wait for this Dunmer? He claimed he'd find treasure and share it with us, but that freak hasn't come out of the ruins yet. Maybe he tricked us?"
"Nonsense. He's a trusted bandit."
"I don't think so."
"If he tricks us, we'll slice him up right away and take that golden claw. It'll be a kind of compensation for us."
The two thugs stopped chatting. The other bandits also surveyed the surroundings. But the snow prevented them from seeing anything clearly {I'm not sure what I wrote here}.
And then... A ball of light appeared out of nowhere and flew towards them. The light illuminated the surroundings.
"Enemy!" one of the criminals shouted.
Everyone immediately tensed. It was a mage. Mages were formidable opponents. Not only could they cast various spells, but they were also strategists (experienced mages could be quite terrifying).
The enemies watched the spell with anticipation. What would happen?
When the magical light reached their group, it exploded in a blinding flash.
*Pewwww!*
"Damn it! I can't see!" Krangard exclaimed.
Unfortunately, the others were also blinded.
"Charge!" the man in leather armor shouted to the two mercenaries.
The Nord in steel plate armor quickly reached the enemies and slashed with her two-handed sword. Blood splattered, staining the snow red.
On the other side, the Dunmer in light armor was right behind her. With two blades, she performed graceful movements and easily killed the bandits, as if making light strokes and showcasing her art.
Two minutes passed. All the enemies lay dead, surrendered to eternal sleep. It seemed nothing troubled them anymore. Fresh snow had already covered all the blood spilled in this battle.
"Good work," John said, giving a thumbs-up.
"Yeah." "Mm-hm." {This implies they both responded at the same time.}
"Alright, if you're not tired, we'll continue."
"Okay," Jenassa calmly replied.
"Excellent!" Uthgerd craved more battles. "I hope the next fight will be more fun."
Quickly wiping the blood from their weapons, they entered the ancient Nord structure.
---
### Inside Bleak Falls Barrow
John, Jenassa, and Uthgerd saw the bodies of bandits. It seemed some of them had died from skeevers.
"Quiet. I'll check," John whispered.
Both nodded. The Dragonborn quietly circled the corpses and approached the campfire. He hid behind a stone pillar. A man and a woman were talking by the fire.
"What do we do? Arvel went in first with the golden claw. What if he—"
"Don't worry so much. If the Dunmer wants to go first, let him. It's easier for us."
"But—"
"Enough about this. We'll follow him later and see what he found."
A very interesting dialogue. Just like in the game. John simply didn't care. He pretended he had gone to scout.
John turned away and showed two fingers. Meaning there were only two opponents.
"Excellent!" Uthgerd shouted.
Jenassa reacted normally to the Nord's shout. After all, outside, John had allowed Uthgerd to fight head-on against a small number of opponents.
"What!?" The bandit immediately stood up. He noticed two figures at the entrance. One in full heavy armor, the other in light. "I wouldn't come any closer."
"Oh, really?" Uthgerd replied with a smile.
The Nord immediately charged and leaped high. The female bandit, meanwhile, pulled a bow from her back and shot at Uthgerd.
*Whoosh!* The arrow was heading for her head, but Uthgerd turned her head, and the arrow flew past.
The bandit immediately swung and tried to slash her opponent, but Uthgerd's steel boot, which struck her head, prevented her.
*Thump!* And the bandit was disoriented. Just as the archer reached for another arrow, Uthgerd immediately threw her two-handed sword. The sword precisely hit her left lung.
*Penetration sound.* The sword pierced her body, pinning her to a nearby pillar.
*Cough, cough.* The archer struggled to breathe and coughed up blood.
John didn't like unnecessary violence. Of course, he had killed with fire, but that was for survival.
Uthgerd approached and pulled out her sword. She beheaded the archer without hesitation.
"Alright. Let's check the chest," John noticed a chest.
He quickly opened the chest with a lockpick. Inside were a hundred gold coins, 3 gems, and several potions. Not bad.
"Let's go."
John and his companions continued on.
---
### Meanwhile, the Dunmer in the Cobwebs
"Shor's beard. I rushed ahead and got caught in the webs of a giant spider. I hope someone helps me. Maybe the other bandits will come to my aid. Still, I've been here for a long time now."
Shriveled corpses were wrapped in cobwebs and hung from the walls. They reminded Arvel that death was breathing down his neck.
The spider was on the ceiling. It slept after having eaten its fill.
---
### John's Group
They quickly moved through corridors, rooms, and puzzles. The small number of bandits didn't slow them down for even a second. Along the way, John collected small soul gems and precious stones. There were no gold Septims. Because in the time of dragons, there was no Tiber Septim.
Finally, they reached the cobwebbed room. Jenassa quickly cut through the webs blocking the entrance.
Upon entering the chamber, they were greeted by the Dunmer's scream.
"Oh no, she's coming down! Help me!!!"
A huge spider descended from the ceiling and scanned its new victims with a predatory gaze. Many hairy legs, many eyes. Saliva dripped from the spider's fangs, falling onto the floor. A disgusting sight.
John decided to leave this job to the two mercenaries.
Uthgerd immediately drew her sword and lunged at the spider. Jenassa, meanwhile, shot arrows at the spider from a distance.
Uthgerd swung her sword, severing one of the spider's legs.
*Hiss!*
The enormous arachnid didn't like this and spat venom. The spit accurately hit Uthgerd, but almost nothing got through her armor.
*Whoosh!*
An arrow hit one of the spider's many eyes. It became even angrier. It grabbed Uthgerd's leg with its fangs and threw her at Jenassa.
"Oh, hell," Uthgerd muttered mid-flight.
The Dunmer noticed this and easily dodged the projectile named Uthgerd.
*Thump!* She hit her head against the wall a little.
The spider quickly approached the dark elf. She, in turn, released several arrows, dropped her bow, and drew two swords. Upon clashing, the Dunmer swiftly wielded her swords and cut off the spider's legs, simultaneously slashing the enemy's eyes.
The spider was surprised by such speed. Pain instantly filled its body. It tried to bite again, but failed. Then, almost instantly, it jumped on Jenassa and bit her shoulder.
The dark elf didn't react quickly enough to dodge that move. The spider pinned the Dunmer to the wall and began to chew on her arm.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Jenassa's scream sobered Uthgerd. It was as if a clear cry had emerged amidst a loud clang. Uthgerd ran to help, but...