"What now?" R'virr asked, wiping his mouth.
"We get out of here," I said, adjusting the pauldron.
"I'm not going up there!"
The scream came from the back. A balding merchant was shaking, eyes wide with terror. "Whatever is happening up there... it destroyed the tower! It ate the soldiers! It will kill us! All of us!"
The panic was infectious. The children started crying again, and the men holding weapons lowered them, looking at the ceiling as dust sifted down.
"QUIET!"
My voice boomed, echoing off the stone walls. The chatter died instantly. They turned to me, not because I looked heroic, but because I was loud.
"Panic kills faster than dragons," I said, stepping forward. I looked them in the eyes, one by one. "We are leaving. But we do it smart."
I walked over to a man who was wearing armor but holding nothing but his trembling hands. I shoved the Steel Swordinto his grip. Then I turned to the woman beside him and handed her the Steel Dagger.
"You two," I pointed. "Stay together. Watch each other's backs. I'm not losing anyone here."
They looked terrified, but the weight of the weapons seemed to ground them. They nodded.
"That goes for everyone!" I shouted, addressing the crowd. "We are all getting out of here alive. If you can fight, grab a weapon and get to the front. If you can't fight, stay behind the shield wall. If someone can't walk, you become their crutch. I am not leaving any man, woman, or child behind in this hellhole. Understood?"
For a second, there was silence. Then, the merchant nodded. The kids wiped their eyes. A cheer went up, ragged and desperate, but real.
"Let's move," I ordered.
We headed for the secret escape route through the torture chambers.
The next twenty minutes were a blur of violence and adrenaline.
In the game, escaping Helgen is a tutorial. In reality, it was a brawl. We swept through the torture room and into the natural caves, moving like a swarm. The narrow tunnels worked in our favor.
I didn't use the sword. I didn't need it.
My choice of racial aspects was paying off. The Khajiit aspect gave me a flat damage boost to unarmed combat, and the Orc aspect gave me the endurance to tank hits that would have dropped a normal human.
An Imperial soldier rounded the corner, raising a shield. I stepped inside his guard and punched him in the throat.
CRACK.
[-12 HP]
He gagged and dropped his guard. I followed up with a hook to the jaw that spun him around. He hit the floor, out cold.
"Keep moving!" R'virr roared, fighting beside me. He was a whirlwind of claws and martial arts, tearing through the guards like wet paper.
We reached the spider's lair. This was the test. Giant Frostbite Spiders, the size of large dogs, dropped from the ceiling, clicking and hissing.
The civilians screamed, but the fighters held the line.
"Aim for the eyes!" I yelled, grappling a spider that tried to lunge at the children. I felt its fangs scrape against my steel gauntlet. I roared, channeling the Orcish rage, and slammed my fist into its carapace. It shattered with a sickening crunch.
We pushed through, hacking through webs and chitin, until we felt a draft of fresh, cold air.
"The exit!" someone shouted.
"Wait!" I held up a hand, stopping the stampede.
I crept to the mouth of the cave, peering out into the gray light. The roar of fire and wind was fading. I looked up. Far in the distance, a black silhouette against the clouds was flying away toward the mountains.
Alduin was gone.
"Clear!" I shouted, stepping out into the snow. "Everyone out! Go!"
The refugees poured out of the cave, stumbling into the sunlight. Some fell to their knees, weeping. Others hugged each other, laughing hysterically. The air was cold and smelled of smoke from the burning town behind us, but it was fresh.
I stood there, chest heaving, watching the dragon disappear. A notification dinged softly in my ear, signaling the completion of the scenario, but I ignored it for a moment.
R'virr walked up beside me, limping slightly. He clapped a heavy hand on my armored shoulder.
"You were right, kitten," he rumbled, looking out at the bleak landscape of Skyrim. "We made it out alive."
He turned his yellow eyes toward me.
"But where to from here, my friend?"
I grinned. If you knew Skyrim, and I definitely did, you knew there was only one logical destination.
"Riverwood," I announced, turning to the group. "It's a small village down the mountain. They have a mill, food, and it's defensible. If anyone wants to go their own way, do it now. Otherwise, follow me."
The group murmured, looking at the dense forest with trepidation. They were free, but they were lost. Before anyone could move, the small boy from the dungeon tugged on my armored gauntlet.
"He... he didn't make it, did he?"
I looked down. I wanted to lie, to tell him the mage had escaped another way. But the blood on my gloves was probably answer enough.
I hung my head. "I'm afraid not. They killed him in his cell before I could get there. I'm sorry."
The boy's lip trembled, tears spilling over his dirty cheeks. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, sniffing loud and hard. He looked up at me, eyes red but strangely determined.
"I-I'll follow you to Riverwood," he stammered. "From there... maybe I can get to Whiterun. Find my aunt. You saved me. I trust you. If you think we can trust you, then I will too."
His words seemed to break the tension. The refugees nodded one by one. I was the one who got them out; I was the one they would follow.
"Alright," I said. "Let's move. Stay close."
The walk down the mountain took about ninety minutes. It wasn't a leisurely stroll. The path was steep, and the adrenaline was wearing off, leaving everyone exhausted. I took the point position, using the time to mentally devour the spell tomes I'd looted.
Ding.
[Skill Learned: Sparks (Novice Destruction)]
Channels electrical energy. Deals 8 shock damage per second to Health and Magicka. Cost: 16 MP/s.
[Skill Learned: Healing (Novice Restoration)]
Heals the caster for 10 points per second. Cost: 10 MP/s.
[Skill Learned: Healing Hands (Apprentice Restoration)]
Heals a target for 15 points per second. Cost: 22 MP/s.
"Useful," I muttered, feeling the knowledge settle into my neural pathways.