---
John simply observed the battle between the two warrior women and the giant spider. He needed to assess their ability to work together. Well, at the very beginning, they performed quite well. Uthgerd was like a tank, while Jenassa attacked from a distance. But something went wrong.
*Thud!*
The woman was thrown away from the spider and hit the wall. Meanwhile, the monster bit the dark elf's shoulder. A scream followed.
"I didn't think they'd struggle with her for so long. They usually protect people from assassins and bandits; they don't often encounter spiders and such."
John sighed, pulled daggers from his pouches, and threw them at the monster.
*Whoosh, whoosh!*
The daggers accurately embedded themselves in its abdomen. The monster hissed and turned around. John was reflected in its small eyes. He was also wearing leather armor. The spider's mandibles twitched nervously.
*Hissing sound.*
The monster hissed and leaped towards John, but with less speed and force. It was clear that the battle with the mercenaries had weakened it, and furthermore, this arachnid had been wounded before.
*Woosh!*
John conjured an ice spell in his hand. Frost with shards of ice danced on his palm. An ice shard in his palm began to grow larger.
John channeled more magicka into the spell and fired.
*Whoosh!*
The ice spike accurately struck the center of its cephalothorax (spiders don't have a head, but a cephalothorax). The ice shard quickly entered and pierced through the cephalothorax, and the spell, having exited, embedded itself in the abdomen.
*Thud!*
By inertia, the monster crashed into the stone wall, splattering a good portion of the wall with its blood.
"How disgusting," John said with revulsion in his tone.
"I should have brought a giant slipper against spiders."
Uthgerd was just about to charge when John resolved the situation. Surprise, and nothing more, could be seen on her face. Shaking her head, Uthgerd ran to Jenassa.
On her armor, there were visible marks from the spider bite. There was no visible blood.
"How are you?" John also approached and asked Jenassa.
Thankfully, she was conscious and replied.
"I've been worse. It seems this spider broke my collarbone and a few ribs." Blood appeared on the elf's lips.
"We'll patch you up now." John took out several potions: a health potion and a stamina potion.
*Gulp, gulp.*
The Dunmer drank the two potions, and she felt better. The pain was gone, and with it, the discomfort. It's worth noting that many weak potions cannot create the same effect. With each potion, its effectiveness decreases by a few percent {I don't know how this is explained in Elder Scrolls lore}.
John was about to remove her armor, but he couldn't.
"Why are you taking off her armor?" Uthgerd asked with interest.
Jenassa was also confused. A few potions could help restore stamina. That was enough.
"I need to bandage you and heal you. I know how to do it properly. This way, you'll recover faster. We still have to go all the way."
"Um, okay," Jenassa replied.
After all, she hadn't completed the task yet. So it was quite reasonable for her to accept help from the client.
John carefully removed the breastplate of her leather armor. She wore light clothing underneath. He heard her breathing with difficulty. Her left collarbone was swollen and dark purple. The same sight was on her ribcage.
John tied a bandage in a sling shape around her shoulder. Then he used a healing spell.
*Ding!*
A yellow glow with floating particles formed in John's hand. A pleasant, melodic sound emanated from the spell.
The Dragonborn directed the spell at her collarbone. A soft light enveloped the injured area. The bruise lightened, and the swelling at the fracture site slightly decreased.
"Phew," Jenassa felt better.
After finishing healing the collarbone, he moved to the ribs. Three ribs were broken. John changed the spell. A rusty color emanated from his hand, and a small cube floated within his palm.
"Now I'll reset your ribs. It's going to hurt a bit."
He touched the bone with his fingers, his magic encircling the bone. With magic, he controlled the rib. Thus, he set the bone back in place.
"Uhm." Sweat beaded on the Dunmer's forehead.
Next, John did the same and healed the elf. He also healed Uthgerd.
---
Meanwhile, Arvel impatiently waited for them to heal.
"Finally. Free me."
"Not so fast. Where's the golden claw?"
"You know?" The Dunmer's eyes widened. "Yes, yes, I have it. I'll give it to you as soon as you free me."
"Hmm."
"To kill him or not to kill him? His actions were filled with criminality. Perhaps he had killed innocent people before. Who knows."
John shrugged. He drew his sword and chopped at the cobwebs Arvel was entangled in. Finally freeing the thief...
"Haha! You fool!"
Arvel quickly bolted. Even Usain Bolt would have envied such speed.
"Heyyyy!" Uthgerd shouted.
She was about to chase him. But John stopped her.
"Haste makes waste."
John went first, Uthgerd second, Jenassa third. Both mercenaries were battered, but John had not a scratch. They walked calmly when they heard a scream.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
The thief's scream echoed throughout the tomb. The mood in the group soured. Reaching the place of demise, he had been cut down by reanimated corpses. These were draugr. Their emaciated bodies could still rise and wield swords. Pale skin and disheveled hair spoke of their ancient deaths. A blue light glowed in the draugr's eyes.
"Alright. Now it's your task. Uthgerd and I will finish off these undead. And you, Jenassa, will help us from a distance. You had a staff, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did. Just a moment." She took out a staff in her right hand.
John threw two daggers at the draugr's head. Both daggers plunged into its forehead and neck. The draugr recoiled and staggered back.
"Raaaaah!"
Uthgerd approached and severed the undead's head. The body fell. As if a puppet's strings had been cut.
The noise awakened several more draugr. They muttered strange words.
---
### Several Hours Later
The group reached a strange puzzle. It was a sealed door with several animals carved on it. And in the center, there was the imprint of a claw.
"Finally," John said. He entered the correct combination and inserted the golden claw into the recess.
*Thump!*
The door began to lower. Beyond it, a corridor opened up.
"Impressive, John," Jenassa said.
"Well, the claw was a kind of key," John replied.
They quickly dealt with the remaining draugr. The corridor led to a cavern with a hole in the ceiling. Light fell upon a wall with strange symbols and a steel sarcophagus. Next to the sarcophagus lay an old chest. Climbing the steps, they reached the wall.
"Don't lower your guard."
The Word of Power, carved into the stone, beckoned to him. As he approached, the word permeated his mind. An energy, invisible to others, filled the Dragonborn's vision.
"You learned a Word of Power. Unrelenting Force has been added to your list of shouts."
He received a notification with this text.
*Boom!*
Someone had burst open the sarcophagus lid. A draugr with horns on its helmet emerged from it. It was a Draugr Overlord.
"Damn it!" Uthgerd exclaimed.
John pulled a spell scroll from his pocket. Immediately, a fireball formed in his hand.