Skyrim: Became Dovahkiin

---

### In the Castle. Somewhere on the Outskirts of Skyrim

A Nord man in a black robe and a red cloak stood on the balcony. He was about 185 cm tall. A thick beard adorned his face. His glowing yellow eyes gazed into the distance.

A goblet of red liquid rested on the stone railing. There was a grand feast in the castle; people were reveling and talking about the good life. But the man was not as cheerful as he seemed.

"And where is she... I've waited so long for this. And all my plans were ruined by my beloved wife. Truly, one should only trust oneself." His low, rough voice spread through the air. A faint wind slightly muffled his speech.

His eyes flashed with yellow light. A grimace of anger formed on his face. His hands trembled, and he swung.

Thud

Part of the balcony was broken by his powerful blow. Debris from the building fell directly into the ocean.

"All that's left for me is to wait until she's found, and then proceed with the prophecy."

The anger disappeared as quickly as it arose. The Nord sighed and picked up the goblet. With one movement, the goblet was emptied.

"Ah. The blood of the current prisoners is still better than in the past."

Harkon licked his lips and slowly walked into the hall towards his minions.

---

### John's Group

"Take that to the face!" Uthgerd's cry rang out in battle.

Her iron-gauntleted fist landed on the bandit leader's face. The blow broke his jaw in two places. The energy of the impact spread through the bone tissue, creating tension in certain areas. It seemed the energy overcame the jaw's strength.

Thump

The leader fell to the ground and showed no signs of life. The light in his once-living eyes extinguished. Blood flowed from his wounds, creating bloody mud next to his corpse.

"You're quite good in a fight," Lydia noted.

"Of course, I am. I once even beat an opponent in the Companions' entrance exams." A hint of sadness flickered in her eyes.

"Wow. That's really cool. You must have been in the Companions."

"It doesn't matter."

Uthgerd waved her hand dismissively and walked into the stone tower. The clanking of her armor was audible as she moved. There were two towers near the main road. It seemed the local bandits robbed passing travelers.

Tap tap

A tall man emerged from the tower entrance. His iron armor covered most of his body. His face was obscured by a horned helmet. Dark eyes stared straight ahead. His beard was trimmed, revealing a sharp chin.

"All slain," the Dovahkiin said in a low tone.

His strong hands took a bag of loot. He placed all the goods near the horses. It seemed these bandits had made a good living from their plundering. Unfortunately for them, this venture was their last.

John looked at the horizon. The sun was slowly setting, and night would soon fall. The surrounding temperature dropped, and coolness filled the air.

"We should spend the night here," the dark elf said.

"You're right. We should settle here for a while."

John nodded and unloaded the unnecessary baggage from the horses. The animals merely snorted. His hand ran along the horse's neck to calm it.

Tap tap

John and his team ascended to the upper floor. It had a simple-looking room. An ordinary bed to the left of the entrance. A chest near the bed. Several chairs, a table, and a wardrobe. A nightstand was opposite the wardrobe.

"Not bad," John whispered.

Jenassa went to the upper floor to check the surroundings. Just in case more bandits came. Uthgerd, meanwhile, went outside to stretch. Sometimes John wondered if she ever got tired. Lydia sat on the bed and sighed. She seemed a little tired. Her dark hair fell across her face, covering part of it.

John, meanwhile, sat at the table and began counting his money and evaluating all the loot. His eyes scanned the weapons, jewels, and septims in the pouch.

First was a bow. It was enchanted with frost damage. It looked like a mediocre hunting bow, but it was actually quite a useful weapon. He should study it on a soul gem. Maybe next time, he would be able to enchant the right item in the future.

Next were necklaces. A silver necklace with a sapphire inside. Various patterns were etched onto its surface. The item itself looked pleasing and reflected a dull light. The full value of this item was approximately 500-700 gold. Plus its excellent quality with beautiful patterns.

And that wasn't the end. Many items were examined and roughly estimated in a certain order.

Lydia watched the proceedings intently. Her eyes followed the young man's every move.

"You're so serious about going through and evaluating things. Why bother so much?" An eyebrow on her beautiful face rose a few centimeters.

"Hmm. You know... Isn't it obvious that this will help me with merchants? After all, so-called appraisal will potentially multiply my capital. Consequently, I'll be able to buy better equipment, potions, scrolls."

"I understand, but you shouldn't get too carried away with it." A smile appeared on her face. "You seem too focused on profit."

"Maybe so." John tore his gaze from the loot and looked at Lydia. "Though an extra septim in my pocket never hurts."

"Hmm." Lydia hummed and lay down on the bed.

John returned to examining the loot on the table. An iron candlestick stood in the corner of the table. Its soft light illuminated the table and the nearest meters of the room. In the dim light, several more sleeping mats could be seen in the corner. Exactly three sleeping mats.

Finished with the items, he pulled out several magic books, a special scroll, and strange schematics. After reviewing the schematics, he began reading the books.

He had read the previous books on his way to Whiterun. These were books bought from Farengar. Primarily, there were books on basic magic, destruction, restoration, and many others. John simply didn't take out the entire assortment from his bag.

Magic in the world of The Elder Scrolls doesn't come from nowhere. The light pouring from the Sun provides this very magic. It also doesn't just disappear but changes its form. In other words, it's like our physical world, but with added magic. And, of course, there are all sorts of gods, heroes, monsters, and so on.

After a while, Jenassa and Uthgerd arrived. The dark-skinned elf approached John and reported. There was no one in the vicinity who could pose a threat. But it was still necessary to leave someone on guard.

"Understood." The young hero nodded. "So. I'll take the first half of the night, and Lydia the second. Does anyone have any questions?"

"No," his companions said in turn.

"Excellent. Now you can sleep. I'll be on alert."

Everyone went to their places. Lydia lay on the bed; the others took the sleeping bags. John narrowed his eyes.

"Jenassa is the most useful member of the team. As soon as Lydia wakes up, I'll give her the bed. After all, she's the most experienced here in terms of... Hmm. Overall. Ha. And I still haven't asked her age."

With such strange thoughts, the young man descended to the very bottom of the tower. First, he should set traps around the tower. Just in case.

First, he dug a small pit. With alteration magic, he created solid stakes from the earth. Additionally, he froze the stakes. Using alteration magic, he created a small patch of grass on top. Now the pits were no longer visible.

The Dovahkiin meticulously worked on the traps. Noisy traps, dangerous traps, and others. Finishing with the traps after an hour, he returned to the tower and ascended to the observation deck. The sound of each step echoed off the tower walls. The damp smell of the building hit his nose.

Stepping onto the roof, he was met only by a sky filled with countless stars. Fresh and cool air filled his lungs, like a gentle stream enveloping every cell of his body. Each breath was like nature's morning awakening. And the bright stars only filled this night with sacred light.

From such an atmosphere, John sighed and sat on a chair. It seemed an archer had sat on this chair, but that didn't matter. John's beautiful eyes surveyed the surroundings. The faint light from the two moons softly fell on the ground. John could barely see.

One way or another, there was no one around. Quite peaceful. Heh. And he had been tense. His gaze shifted to the stars. In this life, as in his previous one, John never stopped admiring the starry sky. Looking at the stars, we look into the past. After all, their light only reached Earth years later.

Calmness. No noise. Nothing bothered John. Such an opportunity rarely presented itself. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands over his chest. All the thoughts swirling in his head dispersed.

This state... It resembled meditation. In the scroll from the caravan Khajiit, there was a little bit written about meditation (this scroll contained knowledge about Khajiit martial arts). How did it go again?

"Body and mind work together. The body can be developed to its limit, but the mind is not so easy to strengthen. This can be done through difficult trials, constant stress, and... meditation. The first two methods speak for themselves. Meditation, however, is extremely interesting. It is when the Khajiit's state is completely calm and nothing can shake him. Through meditation, it is possible to achieve something greater..."

In his consciousness, a world appeared. Nirn. Its high mountains, dense forests, large seas. The mortal plane resembled a circle. But here... A desire began to grow in his mind. A desire for power, authority, money.

In an instant, the calm shattered under the onslaught of restless desires. John's face changed. His eyes quickly opened.

"Hmph."

John clutched his head. These desires were hard to control. Like tiny parasites squirming in his head and chest. Memories were added to this.

With each passing second, a huge amount of information flowed into his brain. It was varied. From important events in Tamriel to useless facts about Nirn.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. His eyes began to redden, and his breathing became labored. It was as if the heat of the sun itself was in his lungs. And a severe pain pulsed in his head. It was unbearable.

John's body fell onto the stone floor. Only sounds of choking and attempts to scream came from him. His skin turned red.

Tap tap

Someone came to the roof. It was Lydia in her armor. Her gaze fell on John. She became worried. What was wrong with him?

"John!? John! What's wrong with you!?" She approached John and knelt beside him. Alarm was clearly visible in her blue eyes.