The Scoundrel Archer and the Golden Claw

Although I have pretty much pissed off the entire country of Skyrim with the agreement made with Alduin to make the climate a tropical one, my reputation and cover from the Thieves Guild as procurer of rare artifacts has spread. I've been harassed by Lucan Valerius to come and see him at his shop, needing my services to recover a stolen treasure of his...

Danariel, Selene and I made our way to The Riverwood Trader, mainly because I grew weary of the constant messages sent to Riverwood Keep on a daily basis. I was willing to hear him out; maybe THAT would get him to leave me alone.

Once inside, I saw immediate relief wash over poor Lucan's face. Once I got him to stop thanking me for coming to see him, I was able to ascertain the details of his plight. Apparently, thieves (not of my guild) had broken into his shop and stolen his ornament, a golden dragon claw. He was the superstitious type, convinced that the claw brought him good fortune in his business. I didn't bother to tell the fool that it was, most likely, his beautiful sister Camilla that was bringing customers in, if only to steal a glance at her. But, ignorance is bliss, they say.

Neither Selene nor Danariel were pleased with Camilla's presence, however. Probably because Lucan offered his blessing for me to take his lovely sister's hand in marriage if I were to retrieve his lucky ornament. Wouldn't THAT be the cat's ass...

I could feel the daggers from both my companions as they took turns glaring at the back of my head, while the other initiated a samurai's staredown on poor Camilla. I informed Lucan that no arranged marriage would be necessary; I knew he was desperate, and honestly knew that he would continue irritating me any time he knew that I was at Riverwood Keep. So to save everyone further torment, I agreed to assist him in retrieving the golden claw. When Camilla wanted to guide me to where the thieves had holed up, Lucan, Selene, and Danariel all three had a mild conniption. I politely informed Camilla that Danariel was a sufficient tracker, and she would lead us to the proper location.

I was pleased to be on our way; the tension in Lucan's shop was thicker than dragon hide, and for once, I was innocent of the cause. We made progress up the path, and I discovered Mr. Alduin had decided to change a bit of the wild life when he held up his end of the bargain.

Raptors? Really? As if dragons weren't enough...

Fortunately for me, these raptors were not immune to arrows through the heart. Danariel wanted to take the time to field dress the beast, until I explained to her that she could recover whatever in Oblivion she wanted to recover from it on the way back.

We approached the massive Bleak Falls Barrow, taking the stealthier route and using the land to our advantage. I advanced from their blind side, while Danariel and Selene drew their attention to the main stair.

Needless to say, Mr. Nord wasn't pleased to make my acquaintance...

I didn't waste time to ask him what irked him so; all I would have gotten in response was "gurgle, gurgle", after I'd punctured his lungs with a few quick shots.

His fellow sentry had been alerted to his war cry as he'd drawn his hammer in an attempt to greet me properly. Said fellow sentry decided to engage in a battle of bows with me, which he had no clue that he was outmatched before he nocked the first arrow...

After disposing of the rabble outside the doors, we entered into the barrow itself. The Nord thief in which had been posted just inside was apparently one of the more daft of the band. Don't leap at an archer...I mean, seriously. Intelligent and/or battle hardened individuals would have taken cover.

Not this idiot...the divines rest his soul...

Creeping further into the barrow, I began to understand exactly WHY these thieves were not members of my guild. Carelessness, lack of planning, and sheer stupidity was rampant in the ones encountered so far. I intended to have a long and serious talk with Lucan about the security of his business establishment once I returned.

The next Nord I encountered never heard my approach. I could have taken him out with a single shot, but I don't know, I AM a scoundrel, but I prefer to have my opponent facing me when I send them to the afterlife. So what did I do? I released a loud and harrowing shriek, just to freak him out. The look of surprise on his face was priceless...

The odor that came from the midsection of his armor, however, was far less amusing to me as I retrieved my arrow from his lifeless body.

Deeper into the barrow, I noticed the spider webs had grown larger and were thicker in consistency. I personally have no problems with spiders, but Selene, I could tell, was quite unnerved.

And rightly so, when I discovered the source of these webs...

This thing made Shelob look like a hatch-ling. Oh well, it could be worse, it could have been a massive snake. If that had been the case, then the ladies would have been the ones fighting, while I returned to Lucan with the sad news that his precious ornament had been lost forever.

Several rolls, dodges, and shots in quick succession from both Danariel and I kept us from being poisoned or wrapped in a cocoon for a midnight snack. Once the monstrous spider was destroyed, Danariel began harvesting the poison from its fluid sacs. I escorted Selene around the carcass, talking to her softly to keep her mind focused on me and ignoring the physical embodiment of her greatest nightmare.

Once around the monster, what do I hear?

Well well...another deranged would-be thief. Caught in a web, no less. Begging me to get him down, telling me he has the claw, and better yet, his notes gathered about the significance of this trinket.

He bargained for his freedom, offering to share in the treasures and power that the golden claw would unlock. I knew he was lying through his teeth, but I decided to take him up on his "agreement" nevertheless.

Once I freed him from his webbed prison, he tried to run ahead while calling me a fool to trust that he would share anything with me. Well, apparently this enraged Selene, and before he could get out of sight, she hit him with a magical spell that encased his body in ice. Before I could nock an arrow to bury in his skull, Selene had reached him and drove her blade through his face.

He wasn't lying about being in possession of the claw and the notes, however. Selene was the magic expert of our group, so as Danariel and I took the lead, she studied the manuscript and learned of the history buried behind a Nordic puzzle door, which only the golden claw could unlock.

We reached the door without further incident, passing several of the buried dead in their final resting places. By then, Selene had figured out the solution to the puzzle door, and without risk to any of us, opened it as easy as picking the lock to The Riverwood Trader.

Once beyond the door, the barrow opened up into a massive roofless cavern. This accessibility to light, and the constant flowing water source from the cavern's falls allowed plant life to grow unhindered.

According to the notes, this cavern held a much sought after power: the knowledge to learn the Power of the Voice. Dragon Shouts, as they were commonly referred to among the citizens of Skyrim. As I approached the mound, I chuckled to myself at the thought of how the apparent leader of the haphazard thieves had possibly duped his men into believing there was a mountain of gold coin behind the puzzle door. Well, you say treasure to a common and unrefined thief, the only thing they hear is: gold, gems, riches beyond their wildest dreams.

I shook my head with a grin as I stepped up to the concave stone mound. One look at the draconic writing, and I felt the power of what had lain dormant for centuries surge through my body. At first I feared I had set off a trap that had avoided my keen eyes, but the tingling was not painful. In fact, it was more intoxicating than the strongest alcohol I had ever imbibed, minus the slurred speech and blurry vision.

The sound of stone shattering pulled me from my euphoria, and behind me, one of the dead had decided to awaken. Not just any undead, either. The H.U.I.C., apparently (Head Undead In Charge). And he was PISSED.

He blasted me with his own Dragon Shout, expecting to send me flying across the mound like a scarecrow in a tornado. Fortunately for me, the recent acquisition of the Nordic power granted me an immunity to his attack. I doubted, however, that it would also protect me from the massive horse-killer sword with which he was advancing.

So, arrows away!

The head shot sent him sprawling, and the blue light faded from the hollow sockets beneath the arrow's point of entry. Neither Danariel nor Selene had the opportunity to react before the fight was over, but luck was with me this time. The monster didn't even get the chance to swing his magical greatsword.

We commenced to pilfer through the sarcophagus and the foolishly unlocked chest beside it, discovering quite a bit of gold that covered an ancient stone tablet. Well, why not? I might trade the tablet to Lucan for an exchange of peace and quiet. I looked it over to ensure it didn't hold further locked away power, and it was disappointingly mundane, written in a language that I had no idea how to translate. But again, I'd con someone into taking it off my hands. I AM a procurer of rare goods, after all...

It hadn't hit early evening by the time we returned to Riverwood, and I made it a point to head straight for Lucan, in case he happened to hear from someone that I had made it back to town and began his harassment anew. When I walked through the door of The Riverwood Trader holding the golden claw, I feared Lucan was going to tackle me and shower me with kisses. Fortunately he restrained himself, but was overjoyed to have his claw back in his possession.

I did try to pawn the stone tablet off on Lucan, but he informed me that he had heard of a mage in nearby Whiterun who had been searching for such an artifact. Well, how about that: I actually did my job, and didn't even mean to. Huh.

To show me further gratitude (not to mention the hefty sum of gold in which we had agreed upon), Lucan gifted to me a peculiar magic ring. He explained to me that it would teleport me to an oasis of paradise, and could return me to whatever location from which I had departed at will.

Hmm... This would be useful.

My incredibly intuitive sense of the female creature informed me of Selene's continued discomfort of the arachnid encounter, and if this ring of teleportation worked as Lucan said it would, this would be the most ideal escape to assist in assuaging Selene's increased anxiety.

If the ring didn't work, I'd put an arrow in Lucan's pelvis, and he would spend the rest of his days having to squat to relieve himself.

To my delight, however, the ring DID work.

I found myself surrounded by comfortable blue water, palms dotting the tan colored sand banks and beautiful soft grass. Perfect for relaxation and therapy.

And Lucan couldn't get there to destroy that with any further catastrophic situations in which only I could remedy.

I returned to Riverwood with a thought, and gently took Selene's hand in mine. I whispered softly to her, urging her to trust me. She nodded softly, and with another thought, we were both waist deep in the waters of the oasis.

What happened next, I will let you imagine...

This was a longer entry into the Scoundrel Archer series. I got a little happy with the screenshots, but I hope you all enjoyed them. I appreciate you taking the time to read my post, and I look forward to bringing you more in the saga soon. Have a great day, and we will meet again next time...

Check out the music video made of this entry:
https://steemit.com/art/@tropicalwolf79/scoundrel-archer-music-video

Screenshots taken from Skyrim: Legendary Edition (modded, PC)
Story setting: The Elder Scrolls universe, created by Bethesda