บท 96: Farmin' Souls

The road leading north into Dawnstar was slick with dew in the early morning, and Rayya and I both threw on some cloaks to ward off the nipping breeze that blew down into Whiterun.

According to the words of Kodlak, the bandits were holed up in an abandoned cottage just off of the road, where they stored their loot and resided for the time being; most likely, they would get one last haul of goods before moving somewhere else to sell it all off, likely going down to Riften for the 'fences'.

Or perhaps Solitude, since there were quite a few merchants dealing in not so clean goods waiting at the East Empire Trading Company's docks.

Either way it didn't make a difference, as they were still located inside of this cottage, and they wouldn't live long enough to make it to any of the many places to sell illegally obtained goods in Skyrim.

Humming a soft tune as we walked, I enjoyed the nice scenery of the early morning tundra as we made our way towards the cottage that some merchants had reported.

Rayya had her scimitar and shield ready to be wielded, while my axe and dagger rested comfortably on my hip, waiting to be used.

However, I decided to give my spells a try instead this go around, wanting to understand what exactly Glacial Magic looked like against an enemy, whilst also deepening my understanding of my Wards and Flesh spells.

How potent would my Wards be now that I had that perk?

Could I block a blade, hammer, or arrow with reliable ease now?

After all, I had managed to shift the formula of the spell from being entirely focused on deflecting magicka to being a mixture of a Ward and Flesh spell.

So, as we saw the wooden cottage nestled into a small copse of trees, I grinned as I strode forwards, Rayya in front of me, her shield raised as a precaution.

Since we had decided to use the unsuspecting bandits for our more... darker desires, we would avoid killing whichever one caught our fancy, but the rest would become more souls for me to use for my Realm of Revelry.

How?

I reverse engineered the Soul Trap spell from the Soul Trap enchantment and can now cast the Soul Trap spell for 100 Magicka, granting me the ability to place a 'Soul Trap' on a person and siphon their soul when they die within 30 seconds.

Ideally I would be able to cast this as an AoE spell, so that I could conserve more magicka and be more efficient with my time and energy.

But, for now, I would individually cast it on each person inside, using it three times before popping a Magicka potion and regenerating it all back.

Since I had the potions, and Septims to do so, I would try my hardest to get even a modicum of their souls trapped inside the loose Soul Gems I have on me.

Every small bit helps...

Standing on the balcony of the cottage were two bandits, their hide armor and furry cloaks protecting them from the elements as they stood guard.

Both men had their swords resting beside them while they gripped their bows, constantly looking from side to side as they swept the area for any people.

Considering we weren't hiding ourselves, the two men shouted a warning to their comrades inside the cottage as they nocked an arrow, shooting towards us.

Rayya shifted to be more in line with me, putting her shield between us, and grunted as she tilted the steel disc to the side and deflected the first of two arrows.

Placing my hands on the broad of her back, I cast Ironflesh on her, giving her reddish brown skin a silvery sheen, before I pulled back and cast that on myself as well.

With my thrall now armored and prepared, I sent her forwards as I summoned a shield for myself, the thick silvery magicka disc appearing on my left forearm.

The translucent, silvery threads of magicka created an impenetrable shield for me to use, its capabilities made apparent when the arrow shot my way shattered on impact, splintering into shards and dropping to the ground.

Throwing a purple sphere towards the two men, I winced slightly as I felt my magicka drain completely.

Letting out a sharp laugh, I kept the shield raised as I took a magicka potion from my inventory, drinking down the blue liquid and replenishing the lost energy.

Switching from Soul Trap to Glacial Magic, I summoned a spear made from the freezing ice and threw it towards the archers, impaling one in the throat.

[Soul Trap success... calculating... 33% effective; Common Soul Gem filled]

A smile tugged at my lips, and I readied another lance just in case, though Rayya proved her worth before I had the chance.

Slapping another arrow out of the air, the Redguard jabbed forwards with the rounded edge of her shield and crushed the mans windpipe, following that lethal blow with a swift thrust to the chest, piercing his heart.

[Soul Trap failed]

Taking a step back, Rayya stared at the door as it swung open, revealing armored figures that stormed out with battlecries.

Seeing the five people rushing towards us, Rayya and I nodded to one another as we began the real battle, slicing into the five men.

Using the lance I had already made, I raised the shield and blocked a sword swing, grinning in satisfaction as the blade became lodged in the silvery magicka before stabbing forwards, sinking my lance into the mans stomach.

He let out a sharp cry of pain as the frigid lance entered his body, and I grinned as frost spread over his armor.

Twisting the sharp, jagged head, I wrenched the blade free moment later, a spray of blood and chunks of flesh flying through the air between us.

Kicking at the opened wound, I sent him sprawling towards the ground, only to grunt as something slammed into my side.

Wincing at the bruised skin and cracked ribs I just earned, I clicked my tongue as I straightened up despite the pain, staring into the helmeted eyes of a Nord bandit.

His blue eyes were dilated as he stared shakily at his Steel Mace, the heavy steel head slightly bent and warped from where he had hit my body.

"Ah, that fuckin' hurt! Really? Hah..."

Shaking my head, I raised my spear and blocked the downswing of his mace, the ice shattering around us.

A triumphant gleam entered his eyes at that, only to widen as I clenched my fist, the shards reforming in my hand, but this time in the shape of a club.

Raising it, I grinned at him as I slammed it into his wrist, shattering the bones and eliciting a bloodcurdling scream, which was only amplified as I slammed the club into his shoulder, dislocating it.

With him down, I let the club levitate before us as I placed Soul Trap on his body, before grabbing the club and smashing it against his head, caving in the Steel Helmet he wore.

Blood and chunks of his skull painted the snowy ground red, while the man let out a groan as he died, making me grin more.

[Soul Trap success... calculating... 5% effective; Petty Soul Gem filled]

With two down, I looked towards Rayya, who was slitting the throat of the last man standing, his head lolling off to the side as her scimitar sliced through the muscles and tendons with ease.

"Well, let's hope someones inside?"