"A Nord - but how did you get here?" Lydia asked, still pinned under Borick.
"Listen, there's no time to explain. What I can tell you right now is that we need to kill whatever that was in order to move on," explained Borick. He stood up, allowing Lydia to move, again.
The familiar rumbling sound of the creature reverberated through the terrain. None of the three were sure of it's exact location, but they knew it was close, preparing to strike, once more.
Borick broke the uneasy silence.
"Before we can be rid of that creature, we need to get inside of it."
Lydia glanced at him with a look of great suspicion. "Why would we do that? You saw it for yourself, it'll kill us and eat us whole."
"Like I said before, I can't explain it to you in a dire situation such as this. You just have to trust me."
Borick attempted to put a hand on Lydia's shoulder, to which she pulled away from him. He understood that his sudden entry into the fray would give little reason to the woman and the pony to trust him, but in order for the three of them to make it out alive, their trust was what he needed.
"I understand that you don't trust me, and frankly, I don't blame you. However, if you two want to make it out of here with your hides intact, you're going to have to believe me when I say that in order to kill it, we have to get inside of it."
Just as Lydia was about to retort, the beast burst from the sand, the burn from before still prominent on it's slimy exterior. It let loose another cry like that of a furious banshee. The worm slithered out of the sand completely and reared up on the back of it's tail.
Drawing her sword, Lydia shot a confident look at Borick. "No need. I'll kill it, myself."
Lydia darted toward the worm, yelling as fiercely as she could in hopes of at least slightly intimidating the beast. Her mind raced and her heart pounded a deafening beat as she drew nearer to her target.
How am I supposed to kill this thing? she thought.
It was then that she noticed the tail. If she could be launched into the air and bring down her sword on the worm's neck, she could effectively slice it in half. Of course, this wasn't a complete certainty, but it was the best shot she had.
Before the worm could lash out, Lydia leaped onto it's tail and drove her sword though it's surprisingly thick hide. The monster shrieked in agony and flicked it's tail into the air, launching Lydia skyward. At the peak of her flight, Lydia could tell that she was at least twice the worm's height. She gripped her sword with both hands and brought it above her head as she descended.
"You will perish this day, foul creature!" she shouted.
The two sounds heard next in a savage duet were the sounds of the worm screaming in pain and Lydia's blade slicing through the worm's skin. Though the cut was not entirely clean, the blade managed to slice all the way through and hinder Lydia's fall enough so that she hit the ground with a thud instead of a series of cracks.
Due to the massive amounts of adrenaline pumping through her veins, Lydia felt barely any pain from the impact, though she knew that a health potion would do her good. Returning to her feet, she removed a health potion from the knapsack and downed it in a single gulp. She looked at the slain beast laying in the sand and started to laugh.
"You see?" asked Lydia, walking back over to Borick, "I killed it without your ridiculous idea. This was my victory! You had nothing to do with it!"
"Um...Miss Lydia..." said Pip, looking behind Lydia and backing away slowly, "I don't think you should have done that."
"Pardon?" Lydia asked.
"I d-d-don't think you should have done that," he repeated, his face turning whiter than it already was.
Borick pointed behind Lydia, causing her to turn around. What she saw made her blood run cold and her heart nearly stop.
The two halves of the worm were growing, the cut ends reforming into their lost counterparts. In what seemed to be no time at all, each half had formed into a full worm the same size as the original. Then, much to Lydia's confusion, one of the worms bit down on the other's tail. As it kept biting further forward, it became painfully clear what the feasting worm was doing.
It's...eating the other one, thought Lydia.
Once the worm had consumed it's duplicate, it started growing larger until it was twice it's original size. A low, hoarse growl came from it's mouth, chilling Lydia and Pip to the bone.
"How are we supposed to stop it now?" asked Pip.
Borick sighed. "Did you two not read the plaque?"
This caught Lydia off-guard. How did he know about the plaque? "What about the plaque? How do you know about it?" she asked.
"It said that every enemy has a weakness, and that you have to make them suffer for it. That's the key to defeating this worm," replied Borick.
"Wait, how do you know tha-" Pip tried to say before Borick cut his sentence short.
"I told you both before that I can't explain it now. We have a much bigger problem on our hands. We need to get inside that thing if we are to kill it. Do you understand me?"
Despite his harshness of tone and the fact that she didn't want to take orders from this mysterious man she had just met, Lydia now knew that she had to listen to Borick if she wanted to get out with her life. With a sigh, she picked her sword up out of the sand and took her shield off of her back.
"I understand. What's our plan of attack?"
Borick reached under his cloak and pulled out a small vial containing a grayish liquid. "I assume you know that this is a paralysis poison, yes? I'm going to need you to give me your bow and arrows so I can hit the worm with it."
Lydia took the vial from Borick's hand and put away her sword and shield. She drew her bow and a single arrow before shaking her head at Borick. "How would I be sure that you wouldn't use it on me? No, I'm going to do it."
Taking the top off of the bottle, Lydia carefully lowered the head of the arrow into the poison. As it entered, a small hissing sound came from the liquid, followed by a film of bubbles floating to the top. She retracted the arrow and put the top back on the bottle.
"You sure you can do this?" asked Borick.
"I can handle myself with a bow, thank you," Lydia replied, slight irritation evident in her tone. She notched the arrow in the bowstring and drew it back.
This had better work, she thought.
Lydia exhaled and let go of the arrow. She watched in anticipation as it sailed towards the gargantuan beast. The faint sound of metal piercing flesh and the angered cry from the worm signaled that the arrow had hit its mark.
The monster turned to face the party, it's mouth seemingly contorted in rage. With little hesitation, it charged, sending waves of sand in opposite directions of it's body.
When it showed no sign of slowing down, Lydia took a step back. "Why isn't it stopping?!"
Borick stood where he was, planted directly in the worm's path. "It will work."
The worm continued it's approach, drawing dangerously near to the three adventurers. An ear-shattering roar bellowed from the creature, forcing Lydia and Pip back a bit.
"Borick, move!" exclaimed Lydia.
To Lydia's surprise, he didn't move; he stood there, unwavering and staring at what was sure to be his doom. She was about to run and push Borick out of the worm's destructive wake, when she noticed the worm start to stiffen. Though it was still headed straight for Borick, she could see a massive decrease in it's speed.
Soon, the beast came to a full stop only inches away from Borick, it's body as stiff as a board.
Pip and Lydia were dumbfounded; they both looked to each other, then to the worm, then to Borick. As the tension and adrenaline in their bodies began to die down, they slowly regained their composure enough to look like they hadn't just seen a massive worm stop inches from killing a man.
Borick reached to his shoulder and tore away his cloak. He wore a brown cuirass adorned with a blue sash, and his gloves and boots were crafted from animal fur the same color as his armor.
Lydia's eyes widened. Those colors could only mean one thing.
"You're a Stormcloak?!" she exclaimed, reaching for her sword.
Before she could draw her blade, Borick put out an arm, signaling for her to stop.
With a huff, Lydia obeyed.
Borick turned around to face Lydia and Pip; his expression was emotionless. "No, I'm not. This is just the only piece of armor I could get my hands on before coming here." He pulled up his hood, the black trim on the outside now visible to Lydia and Pip.
"So...we just go inside?" asked Pip.
Borick nodded. A ball of flame appeared in his left hand after he stepped over the worm's teeth and into it's mouth. The luminescence of the flame lit the hollow chasm ahead of him. "Well? What are you two waiting for? Let's get going."
Still wary of their new "ally," Lydia and Pip followed him.
The inside of the worm was as Lydia had suspected: soft, damp, and reeking of death and decay. She covered her nose with her left gauntlet and drew her sword with the other, preparing for any sort of danger she may encounter. Looking back, she noticed Pip taking steps much more tentative than her own; it was clear that he didn't enjoy walking bare-hoof on such an unfamiliar and unpleasant terrain.
Not sensing any sort of impending demise, Lydia felt that this was a good a time as any to finally get some information of of Borick.
"Okay, now that we're safe - however long that may be - who are you and why are you here?" she asked.
"I told you: my name is Borick. As far as my reason for being here, I am simply in this land to do my mother's bidding," he answered, continuing his steady pace forward.
"Your mother? What does she want of you?" asked Lydia curiously.
"My business is none of yours, miss, and I suggest that it's kept that way."
"Could you at least tell me where you're headed?"
"I am going to the same place you're most likely going: the monastery. That is where I must go, and before you ask how I know about the monastery, my brothers and sisters have all been here before to attempt crossing through this valley. Each has gotten farther than the last, and I intend to succeed where my siblings have failed," Borick replied, growing increasingly impatient.
This Borick is a quite the man of mystery, thought Lydia, stroking her chin with her free hand. If she were to follow him to the monastery, she would need to know enough about him to be sure he wouldn't kill her in her sleep.
"So your mother wanted you and your siblings to seek Sagittarius?"
Borick chuckled lightly. "In a way, yes."
The stench of the worm's insides grew stronger as the party ventured further. Lydia was curious as to why they had been walking in one direction for so long. Surely the worm wasn't this long from the outside. Was it?
Before Lydia could ponder further, Borick stopped. Thinking that this was a sign for them to stop, as well, both Lydia and Pip remained where they were.
"This is the entrance to the stomach. In there we'll find what we need to move on to the next trial," said Borick, his tone flat and emotionless.
Pip stepped closer. "What are we looking for?"
"A gem buried among the corpses and stomach acid. In order to open the door to the next trial area, we need the gem from this worm."
Practically thousands of questions bounced around in Lydia's mind like rabbits, but for now, she thought it best not to ask and just follow what Borick said. He did seem to know what he was doing, so far.
Borick drew his dagger and tapped the floor of the chasm. Moments later, a small opening appeared, followed by a stench that could knock even the heartiest of men back.
Lydia's eyes watered and her stomach convulsed as the foul odor violated her senses. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Borick standing there, his expression was one of urgency.
"Come on, Lydia."
Pip wasn't faring much better than Lydia was. His muzzle was covered with his right hoof and violent coughs rocked his little body.
Suddenly, Lydia had an idea. She took off her knapsack, picked up Pip, and put him inside. Pip was coughing and convulsing to much to protest.
"Just hold on, Pip. We'll be out of here before you know it," Lydia assured. She returned to her feet, slung the knapsack onto her shoulders, and turned to Borick. "There's no time to waste, I guess."
Borick nodded and approached the opening. He gave a small salute to Lydia with his index and ring finger, cracked a smile, and jumped into the orifice.
In the short span of time that she knew him, that was the first time Lydia had ever seen him show any real emotion - let alone smile. Perhaps there was more to him than she previously thought.
Lydia exhaled in an attempt to relieve any sort of tension she felt while she looked into the blackness that could very well be her doom. She closed her eyes and tried to force herself to jump into the hole. Despite her asking the divines for the strength to move, she didn't budge.
Damn you, woman, move! exclaimed the voice of her Thane in her mind.
I...don't know if I can...
Do it you miserable excuse for a servant! his voice retorted.
Lydia grasped the sides of her head, gritting her teeth. As the verbal attack continued, she felt as though her head were being bashed in by a giant's club. Weak whimpers escaped from her mouth as the pain intensified.
Suddenly, a new sound cut into Lydia's thoughts: Pip coughing and taking ragged, shallow breaths. The voice of her Thane and the pain in her head were gone within an instant. Her mind switched gears so that there was only one priority: get Pip out alive.
With renewed vigor, Lydia leaped into the blackness.
It was only moments later that Lydia impacted with what she knew was a corpse, landing with a loud unf. As quick as she could, she returned to her feet. Upon standing, she heard her boots splashing in some sort of liquid. She opened her eyes, but due to the absence of Borick's fire, she couldn't see anything.
"I was wondering when you'd jump."
Before Lydia could answer, a familiar light ignited and blanketed the area in a faint glow. She looked to where she landed and saw that it was the rotting body of a dead pony. Her eyes widened. Stifling a scream at the sight of the deceased animal, Lydia backed away towards the source of light. It wasn't long before she backed into something solid. She turned around, sword raised, ready to fight anything, only to find Borick.
"Let's find the gem," he said.
Lydia nodded. She waded over to the skeleton of what was certainly a human and looked around in the pool of stomach acid. Looking closer, she saw the right hand of the skeleton gripping something that gleamed in the faint light of Borick's flame. She brought the hand up for closer inspection and found a silver dagger. Taking the dagger from the hand, she noticed a small engraving on the blade. She read the message silently to herself:
The beast will only tolerate the enemy of werewolves.
Once the mound has been cut, the aspect of Hell shall ensure your victory.
What's that supposed to mean? Lydia thought.
When Lydia looked up, she noticed the left arm of the skeleton cradling something that looked like a grey lump of flesh that stood out among the greenish-brown stomach acid and floating corpses.
Wait a minute, she thought, "the beast will only tolerate silver."
Lydia took the dagger and carefully sliced open the mound. After a small accumulation of bile spilled out of the opening, she looked inside and gazed at the shard of diamond inside. She reached in, grabbed it, and held it up to the light.
Borick interrupted her thoughts. "Find anything? I know we could be down here for quite some time, so-"
He stopped when he turned and saw Lydia holding the gem, a wide smile on her face. He looked at the gem, then back to Lydia, then back to the gem. Bringing his free hand to his forehead, he sighed, though it was clear he was trying to hold back a chuckle.
"Women," he stated.
To both of their surprises, they suddenly burst into laughter.
Now not only had Lydia seen Borick smile, she now heard him laugh - two things she thought a man like him would be incapable of.
Once the humor of the moment finally ended, Lydia looked around the worm's stomach. "How are we supposed to leave and kill this thing, now?"
It was then that Borick noticed the silver dagger. "What does it say on there, Lydia?"
"'The aspect of Hell will ensure your victory.' Why?"
Putting his free hand to his chin, Borick pondered the possible meanings of the phrase. It wasn't long before he had an idea.
"Fire," he said, "the aspect of Hell is fire. Is this stomach acid flammable, perhaps?"
"I'm not sure, but it's the only shot we have," Lydia replied. She cringed as another violent cough from Pip shook the knapsack.
"Right. I have an idea: stab the side of the stomach with your sword. When the worm throws us back up, I shoot a fireball into it's mouth, and the fire will spread, killing it from the inside.
Lydia looked astonished. "That's...that's brilliant."
Chuckling lightly, Borick directed Lydia to the stomach wall. "Like the plaque said: every enemy has a weakness, and you have to make them suffer for it." Readying his fire spell, he looked over to Lydia. "Ready?"
Lydia nodded. Without any hesitation, she drove her sword into the lining of the worm's stomach. Hearing the agonized shrieks of the worm, Lydia ran to Borick who was standing under the opening to the throat.
All of a sudden, a tremendous force shot Lydia and Borick upward through the opening. As they zipped through the throat like a bullet, Borick managed to turn himself and shoot off his fireball just as they flew out of the worm's mouth.
When they both hit the ground with hard thuds, the last thing Lydia remembered seeing before she lost conscience was the worm engulfed in flames and burning to the sand.
"Miss Lydia? Miss Lydia, please wake up."
Lydia lazily opened her eyes to find a concerned-looking Pip standing in front of her face. When she saw this, she tried her best to get up off the sand and return to her feet.
"I'm glad you're alive, Pip," she said, putting a hand on Pip's tiny shoulder.
Soon, Borick began to stir. He returned to his feet and looked over to Pip and Lydia. "Well, let's move on to the second trial, shall we?"
The party walked up to the massive stone wall that separated the first trial from the second. In front of them stood a steel door with a small hole in the center.
Lydia knew what to do. She inserted the gem into the slot and removed it, causing the door to slowly open to the next trial area.
Lydia, Pip, and Borick walked out of the desert sands into the dense forest that awaited them.