MWM Chapter 464

After entering Jurgen Windcaller’s tomb and making his way down a corridor lined with ancient Nordic murals, Leo soon heard the dragon shouts of draugr and the curses of necromancers echoing from deep within the crypt.

It was clear that, like many other ancient tombs, this one was also guarded by a large number of draugr.

From what he had read in the books, nearly every ancient tomb in Tamriel contained draugr guardians. However, it was different from what he had initially assumed. In the *Bleak Falls Barrow*, he had thought that the traps inside were meant to deter intruders, much like the traps in the grand tombs of princes and nobles from his past life, designed to kill grave robbers.

But in reality, most of the traps in these ancient tombs were not to stop people from entering—they were to keep the draugr from escaping. The real tomb guardians were the draugr themselves, not the mechanisms.

“Ugh, these necromancers were all wiped out.”  

Leo found himself somewhat disappointed as he encountered the corpses of the six necromancers who had already entered the tomb ahead of him.

As well as a group of draugr lords wielding ancient Nordic greatswords, ready to cut him down.

It was unclear if these necromancers were just weak or if the draugr guarding Jurgen Windcaller’s tomb were simply too strong.

It was probably a mix of both.

Most of the rogue necromancers in Skyrim lacked any proper training, which explained their weakness. Otherwise, the modern Nords wouldn’t look down on them so much, considering they couldn’t even wield the Dragon Shouts.

And Jurgen Windcaller’s tomb certainly did house powerful draugr.

At the end of *Bleak Falls Barrow*, the most formidable draugr lord had the ability to use a dragon shout, but here, many of the draugr were capable of using shouts.

“Fus…”  

As the draugr came at him with swords, axes, spells, and dragon shouts, Leo thought about unleashing his second-tier *Unrelenting Force* shout to obliterate them all.

But he reconsidered, realizing that if he used it, the entire tomb might collapse.

This was the tomb of the founder of the Greybeards, after all. It would be disrespectful to destroy it while retrieving the horn.

Instead, he chose not to use his dragon shout and opted for a different approach. He cast mass paralysis spells and unlocking spells, casually walking deeper into the tomb as the draugr were frozen in place.

The draugr, after about an hour, would eventually regain their mobility, allowing them to continue guarding the tomb.

“A Word Wall!”  

When he reached a vast chamber deeper inside the tomb, Leo discovered a Word Wall similar to the one in *Bleak Falls Barrow*, though the carvings on this one were different.

As Leo approached, his soul resonated with the wall, and a new shout entered his mind.

*Become Ethereal*, a shout that touches the void, altering one’s form into a state where they can neither take damage nor deal it—a purely ethereal existence.

“This is some great luck!”  

After gaining the new shout, Leo continued further, eventually reaching the main chamber where Jurgen Windcaller’s sarcophagus lay.

The sarcophagus was similar to those of other ancient Nords but with noticeable modifications. Its lid was inscribed with many magical runes, with four dragon heads positioned at each corner for protection. In the middle was a large metallic hand, which once held the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller.

However, the horn was missing, leaving only a note in its place. Judging by the dust covering the note, it had been gone for at least two weeks.

“Seems someone beat me to it.”  

Frowning, Leo opened the note.

“Dragonborn:  

I need to speak with you. It’s urgent.  

Meet me in the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood.  

Your friend.”  

“So, they were after me all along.”  

Upon seeing that the person who took the horn had specifically left a message for him, Leo realized this was no coincidence.

Someone had anticipated that the Greybeards would send him to retrieve the horn, taking it ahead of time to ensure a meeting with him.

“Well, let’s see who this person is and what they’re up to.”  

With a thought, Leo instantly used *Apparition* to teleport to the banks of the river in Riverwood.

Not far away, a slender young woman in a long dress was swinging an enchanted Nordic axe at a school of fish leaping from the river, seemingly honing her combat skills.

It was none other than Camilla, the sister of the Riverwood trader, who dreamed of becoming an adventurer.

Perhaps growing tired from training, Camilla sheathed the axe at her waist and prepared to head home.

“Long time no see, Camilla. How’s the axe?”  

A familiar voice rang out behind her, and when she turned, a look of surprise and delight spread across her face.

“Long time no see! I absolutely love it!”  

She instantly recognized him as the handsome young adventurer who had helped retrieve the golden claw stolen by bandits from her brother’s shop a month ago. He had also gifted her an enchanted axe.

“Are you back in Riverwood on another quest?”  

“Sort of. A friend asked me to meet them at the Sleeping Giant Inn.”

The two chatted casually as they made their way into town.

“Sir, Dragonborn!”  

A soldier patrolling the village immediately stopped and saluted when he saw Leo.

To protect the town from dragon attacks, Balgruuf had dispatched guards to Riverwood, and the soldier was one of those who had come from Whiterun, having survived the battle against the dragon. He recognized Leo from that day.

Leo returned the greeting with a smile.

“Dragonborn? Sir, are you the legendary dragon slayer, the famed Golden Dragonborn?”  

Camilla exclaimed in shock.

There weren’t many Dragonborns in Whiterun, and she had heard of most of them, all older men. Leo had only arrived in Skyrim a month ago, so he couldn’t have been one of them.

But now there was a new Dragonborn—a young hero who had slain a dragon threatening Whiterun just a month ago. According to legend, he wore a suit of golden armor, was incredibly handsome, and had felled the dragon with a single arrow.

Since then, he had become a figure of admiration for many young women across Whiterun and Skyrim.

“Golden Dragonborn? Uh… I guess that’s me.”  

Leo hesitated for a moment before nodding in confirmation.

At the same time, a group of strange cultists wearing eerie masks and odd clothing were asking the townspeople questions. Hearing Camilla’s excited exclamations, the cultists froze, then started making their way toward Leo and Camilla.

“Damn false Dragonborn! We’ve finally found you!”  

(End of Chapter)

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