Escaping death again?

A young man with a fair body build; not too fat, not too thin, is climbing up a snowy mountain. His chink eyes could barely see through the Blizzard. 'Oh what a timing!' He thought to himself.

Good thing his wearing something long and warm which covers his handsome face. He has a sharp nose, and perfectly shaped lips. His hair is a bit messy but he can comb it easily with his hand.

His not too tall, his not too short, his height is just on average.

This person is none other than, Madi. The young man who is on a quest to recover poor Lucan Valerius' dragon claw.

As he braces himself and pass through the Blizzard, he hears numerous growls nearby. 'Oh just great, how in bloody hell am I going to fight in a cold blizzard.' He thought to himself.

He wasted his time complaining to himself, he didn't get to prepare himself for combat.

Growl~

Two wolves attacked him at the same time. Madi managed to dodge one wolf, however, the other bit him in his right shoulder.

"Ahhk!" 'Fuck! Good heavens!' Madi didn't even waited another second and immediately casted his Flames spell.

He killed one wolf.

Madi's shoulder is bleeding, and the electrifying pain lingers as the combat goes on. The remaining wolf attacked him and bit him in his left arm. Madi instantly killed the wolf as he casted flames from both hands.

"Aghh, oh god!" Madi cries out of pain. He tucked his right arm to his satchel as he lies down on the snowy ground. His hand gets into contact on a cold solid object. He immediately brought it out, opened the cap and drank the red liquid.

Madi's wounds immediately healed, and pain was immediately relieved.

'Whew, glad the pain is gone.'

Madi got up once again. 'At least I got to fight beasts instead of humans.' Madi thought to himself. He wants to avoid man to man contact, because his morals prevent him from protecting himself from human hostiles.

As Madi passes by the watch tower, Madi noticed it was occupied. Madi ignored and tried to walk pass them, with the thought they will let him pass, however. An arrow struck his left leg.

"Argh!" Madi fell down on the snowy grounds once again. He pulled out the arrow, and blood started to gush out of his leg. "Fuck!" 'Dang it hurts!'

"Never should have come here!" a bandit holding a massive, two-handed sword said as he approaches Madi. The bandit is wearing a fur armor.

Madi's left hand accumulates a green essence and casted a self-healing spell.

"Come on!" the bandit approaching Madi said as he become closer and closer to Madi. Madi's wounds instantly healed.

Madi started to Shiver, this is what Madi wants to avoid, he feels sorry for the bandits, he doesn't want to kill another human. But it's either him or them. Good thing he had magic to use as a way to defend himself without having him to swing a blade or fire an arrow in order to kill.

With his magic, Madi cleared the watch tower, and looted them. Madi found a hunting bow and switched it with his long bow.

Madi, despite the fact that he was still shivering carried on. Madi is still not used to killing another human being.

Upon reaching the ruins, Madi noticed that the courtyard of Bleak falls barrow was occupied. Madi doesn't want to kill more bandits, so he decided to sneak pass them, he can't fight the guards while still in shock from the fight earlier.

Madi used his bow to distract the guards.

Madi fired an arrow to make a sound. The guards all went to where the Madi's arrow hits, and Madi sneaks to the entrance and managed to enter Bleak falls barrow

Madi was welcomed by the big entrance hall which was in ruins and filled with corpse of big rats, and, on the deeper part of the hall, he noticed another entrance which is closely guarded by two more bandits.

Madi hid behind a pillar and observed.

There's no way past them if he's going to sneak. And, the only way to pass through them is… 'I have to take them down.'

Gulp~

Madi swallowed his dry saliva and equipped his bow.

The two bandits are chatting with each other. One bandit is a man, wearing hide armor, the other one is a woman wearing fur armor. Madi decided to take down the woman first.

As Madi aimed his bow, his body began to tremble. Calm down damn it! Madi accidentally let go of the bow's string, the shot luckily hit the woman on her throat.

"Ahk!" the woman cried as she was holding her throat.

The bandit was surprised when his colleague was killed right in front of him, Madi took this chance to take another shot, Madi holds his breath to stabilize his aim, and shot another arrow. Finally killing them both.

"I'm sorry." Madi muttered, "I'm sorry." Madi keeps muttering and shivered badly. Madi sat down, trying to calm himself down, but, he passed out instead.

"Doc, one patient didn't make it." A faint voice was heard.

'Who was that?'

"There are only 6 patients left."

'6 patients? Hello?'

"Okay, focus on the other 5. This one here is already in a good condition."

"Let's just hope he finds out the… before he gets killed i…"

'Can't they hear me? Hello?!'

Madi gasped and woke up. He finds himself lying on the cold ground. Although he feels rested and calm now.

"Ughh!" Madi grunted 'Another dream, but a dream that seems to be real.'

"I'm still not into hurting another human being." Madi said, his resolve to avoid man to man combat became stronger.

Madi stood up and scanned the entrance hall. He found a chest, and the bodies of the bandits he killed earlier. He looted the corpse and the chests and goes deeper on Bleak falls barrow.

This time, Madi is sneaking. As he sneaks through the stairway which leads down, he noticed big cobwebs, and assumed that the place is really old for cobwebs to accumulate that big.

There's also a bad stench from something rotten. Madi don't know where the smell came from until he stepped on something soft and sticky. He looks down on his feet and saw what it was. It was a huge rat's corpse; the rat is as big as a cat.

"What the hell is this?" Madi asked, Madi have no idea that the creature is called a Skeever. Of course, Madi doesn't know what it's called since he never played this video game before.

Madi then suddenly remembers his pet cat who used to chase down rats. "I'm sure my boy Oli will hunt these if he finds one." Madi then remembers his younger sister who gets mad when his pet cat brings home a rat.

'I'm sure Kyra will be pissed off if Oli brings home a rat this big.' Madi thought to himself. 'I wonder where my sister is right now? I hope she's okay, and I hope she's not inside this game too.'

"I hope this is all just a dream." Madi said and took a deep breath. 'Well, wishing will not get me anywhere.'

Madi continue to explore.

Madi then arrived at a doorway that leads to a room. From the doorway, Madi can see the interior of the room. It is spacious, and on the other side is an iron gate. Right in front of the gate is a lever which Madi assumes will open the iron gate. Madi couldn't get in. Because the room is already occupied.

A bandit wearing fur armor approaches the lever.

Madi quietly hid and observed the bandit.

"I am not going to wait while Arvel runs off with that golden claw!" The bandit said, "I want my share from that claw!" he added.

The bandit then pulled the lever, instead of the iron gate opening, numerous arrows shot through him coming from the holes in the walls.

'Holy molly.' Madi thought to himself as the bandit gasped out of pain.

"Ahkk!" Why did he die that instant? Madi went in after the arrows halted. He investigated the body of the bandit. Madi found out that the arrows are poisoned.

'So he died because of the poison, damn.' Madi scanned the room and tried to figure out why the gate didn't open. 'This lever supposed to open the iron gate. Why?'

As Madi investigated the room, he saw rotating pillars with three different symbols in each face; bird, snake, and fish.

'Hmm… these pillars got to have to do something. Maybe I need to find the correct symbol sequence?'

Madi keep on investigating the room, 'But what's the right sequence?'

Madi then saw two stones with engraved symbols in it. The first one has bird symbol engraved on it. The second one has a snake symbol. And… 'where's the third?' The stone which has the third symbol seems to have fallen down.

Madi searched and found out that the bandits body lying near the lever is blocking it.

Madi shoved the body away, and incidentally pushed the lever.

'Oh god!' Madi immediately jumped out of the room. He barely dodged the rain of arrows, but two arrows struck his right leg.

Madi can feel the poison running through his body. Madi immediately casted a healing spell, however, the poison keeps lingering.

"Arghh!" Madi cried out of pain. Despite the fact that Madi is healing himself, he can still the poison lingering.

Madi's healing spell halted, but the poison is still lingering. 'Fuck, I run out of magicka?!' Madi brought out all of his potion. He drank the red ones first while the poison is still lingering.

"Ughh" this fucking poison.

Madi ran out of health potion, and he is slowly losing consciousness. No, this can't be. He tried to cast healing spell, however, he's out of magicka. 'Hahaha, I'm going to die just because I ran out of magicka? Damn… if only I have a few ounces of…'

Madi realized that he has a few magicka potion.

Madi's vision starts to slowly go black. Madi drank magicka potion while lying down. He then casted a healing spell.

He immediately recovered and healed. The poison finally stops lingering in his body. 'That was fucking close.'

Madi couldn't stop himself from breathing fast. He barely escaped the rain of arrow, and, he once again escaped death.

Finally, Madi can see the final symbol engraved in the stone. It has a snake symbol.

'Bird, Snake, Snake.'

Madi rotated the pillars and followed the right sequence of the symbols. He pulled the lever and the iron gate opened.

As Madi enters the gate, he saw a stone table with a chest beside it. He went near it and looted. He found a Health Potion, Thief book, Lesser soul gem on the table. He found a Garnet, Gold coins, Petty soul gem and Stamina Potion on the chest.

After Madi put all the items in his satchel, he went to the wooden spiral staircase which leads down the bleak falls barrow. I have a bad feeling about this, this place keeps on leading me below.

As Madi went down the spiral staircase. He hears numerous squeaking sound. 'What the heck is that?'

Madi reached the end of the staircase. Where two Skeevers are guarding the staircase's exit, oh shoot! Before Madi could hide, they sensed Madi's presence and attacked him. They bit, Madi's hand accumulated a fiery essence. When he was about to cast his Flame Spell 'Oh wait! This is a wooden staircase.'

Madi accumulated electric essence in his right hand and killed the Skeevers with his Spark spell.

Madi brought out one of his health potion. As soon as he drank it, his wounds instantly healed.

'When will these end man.' He complained to himself. 'I can feel every attack; the sensations are all real. Being bitten, being poisoned.'

Sigh~

Madi can only sigh for his current situation. He can't do anything about it anyway, so he just continues to go in further. 'I needed to know more, and I needed money to sustain myself in this world.'

As he goes deeper on Bleak falls barrow. He saw a room filled with cobwebs. Madi noticed that the volume of the cobwebs becomes heavier. At the center of the room Madi saw a table with a scroll and vial.

Madi took the scroll and opened it. It was a scroll that allows him to cast a fireball. 'Nice' Madi thought and took the vial inside his satchel.

Madi continue to go deeper on the room. As he takes a step, the cobwebs are as if making a cracking sound. Perhaps, you can say that it's the sound of the cobwebs being crashed by Madi's foot.

"Is... is someone coming?" a man asked from a room. 'Shoot, there's someone here?' Madi then started to sneak and avoid stepping on cobwebs.

"Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling?" The man asked in a fearful voice.

Madi stays quiet and silently approached the door that leads to that room.

"I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!" He ran ahead? Madi asked to himself. Since the man said he needs help, Madi stopped sneaking and started to sprint towards the entrance to the room.

However, the room is covered with massive amount of cobwebs. Madi easily cleared it with his flame spell.

Fwooshh~

The cobwebs were disintegrated by the flames that came out of Madi's hands.

"What? Who are you?" a bandit being tangled by cobwebs asked as he saw Madi emerged from the door.

"Who are you?!" Madi asked in return.

"Oh, never mind. Cut me down before that thing gets us!" the bandit shouted at Madi.

"Wait, what 'thing'?" before the bandit could answer. The sleeping 'Thing' woke up.

A giant spider appeared from above and let out a loud screech.

Screech~

The spider pounced at Madi.

"No. Not again. Help!" the bandit cried out loud as he watches the spider pounced and get over Madi.