The group fled through collapsing streets, Lili's small hand clamped in Gilgamesh's. Corpses littered the path—Imperial and Stormcloak alike, their flesh blackened and bubbling. Edla moved like a wraith ahead of them, her blade freezing stray arrows mid-air.
**Lyssia** (whimpering) "Mama… Papa…"
**Gilgamesh:** (gruffly) "Eyes forward, rabbit. Dead parents can't save you."
**SYSTEM:** *Quest Updated – "Innocence Amidst Flames"
– Protect Lyssia(Penalty if failed: -1000 Karma)
– Current HP: 72/100 (Bleeding: -2 HP/sec)*
At the keep's entrance, **Ralof** and **Hadvar** stood at a stalemate, blades drawn.
**Ralof:** "This way, brother! The Stormcloaks will shelter us!"
**Hadvar:** "Don't listen to him, citizen! The Empire will protect you!"
Gilgamesh glanced down at Lyssia, then at Hadvar. Disgust twisted his features.
**Gilgamesh:** (to Hadvar) "Protect her? You'd trade her for a potion." He turned to Ralof. "Lead the way, *patriot*."
**SYSTEM:** *Faction Chosen: Stormcloaks.
Imperial Reputation: Hated (-50).*
**Edla** snorted, falling into step behind him. "Sentimentality will bury you."
**Gilgamesh:** (grinning) "And your ice queen routine's getting stale, Princess
The heavy oak door of Helgen Keep slammed shut behind them, muffling Alduin's roars. Torchlight flickered across damp stone walls, casting jagged shadows over the ragged group. **Ralof** leaned against a barrel, wiping soot from his axe. "Rest here. Catch your breath. We'll need our strength."
**Gilgamesh** slumped against the wall, golden eyes scanning the dim corridor. Beside him, **Lyssia**—the ash-streaked girl with singed braids—clutched his hand like a lifeline. Her doll, half-burned, trembled in her grip.
**Edla** stood apart, her frost-edged blade gleaming unnaturally clean. "Rest is a luxury," she muttered, silver eyes narrowing at the echoes of Imperial shouts deeper in the keep.
Gilgamesh ignored her, focusing on the translucent system interface only he could see:
---
### **System Interface**
**Name:** Gilgamesh
**Job:** Anti-Hero (Gamer)
**Level:** 3 (1,400/3,000 EXP)
**Stats:**
– Strength: 12 (Axe Mastery +5%)
– Stamina: 15 (Broken Ribs: -10% speed)
– Magicka: 8 (Thu'um Affinity +20%)
**Skyrim Skill Trees:**
– *One-Handed*: Novice (Level 5)
– *Sneak*: Novice (Level 2)
– *Destruction*: Novice (Level 1)
– *Voice*: Unrelenting Force (Fus – 15% mastery)
**Active Quests:**
1. **Survive Helgen**
- *Reward*: Level Up
- *Penalty*: Death
2. **Protect Lyssia**
- *Reward*: Skill – *Health Insurance* (Passive HP regen +2%/sec)
- *Penalty*: Lyssia's Death (-1,000 Karma)
---
### **Silent Calculations**
Lyssia's grip tightened as Gilgamesh's gaze flickered between Ralof and Edla. *Pathetic*, he thought. *A child clinging to a killer. A Stormcloak fool. And an ice queen who'd freeze her own heart for a copper.*
**Edla** caught his stare, her blade humming. "Problem?"
"Just admiring the decor," he drawled, nodding at the bloodstained torture rack nearby.
Ralof tossed him a waterskin. "Save the wit. We move soon."
Lyssia's whisper cut through the damp air. "Mister… will the monster follow us?"
Gilgamesh smirked. "Nah. Dragons hate cellars. Too cramped for their ego."
**SYSTEM:** *Lyssia's Trust +5% (Total: 60%).*
The respite ended too soon. Ralof led them deeper into the keep's bowels, where Imperial soldiers lurked in the shadows.
**Imperial Soldier:** "Traitors! The Empire will hang you all!"
**Gilgamesh** lunged, his axe crunching into the man's chest. Blood sprayed, but Lyssia saw none of it—Edla had yanked her aside, blade already piercing a second soldier's throat. The corpse froze mid-scream, as it hit the floor.
**SYSTEM:**
*+100 EXP (Imperial Soldier x2)
One-Handed Skill +10% (Level 6).*
**Edla:** (coldly) "Your sloppiness will get her killed."
**Gilgamesh:** "Says the woman using *parlor tricks*."
In a side chamber, skittering legs echoed. A frostbite spider dropped from the ceiling, fangs dripping venom.
**Ralof:** "Back! The poison—"
**Edla** moved faster. Her blade speared the spider's abdomen, ice spreading through its thorax until it resembled a grotesque sculpture. She kicked it aside, pristine steel unblemished.
**Lyssia:** (whispering) "It's… pretty."
**Gilgamesh:** (snorting) "Sure, rabbit. Let's decorate your room with frozen bugs."
**SYSTEM:**
*+50 EXP (Frostbite Spider)
The frostbite spider's carcass lay shattered behind them, its icy shards glinting in the torchlight. **Edla** wiped her blade, her voice colder than the frost clinging to its edge. "You hesitate too much. One day, it'll cost you."
**Gilgamesh** ignored her, golden eyes locked on the system interface only he could see. The *Spark* spell tome he'd looted from the torture chamber hummed in his hand, its pages intact—not crumbling to ash like Skyrim's usual magic scrolls.
**SYSTEM:**
*New Skill Acquired: "Spark" (Novice Destruction Spell).
World Analysis Update: Reality Coefficient 98.6% – "This is no game."*
Lyssia tugged his sleeve, her doll clutched tight. "M-mister… scary noises ahead."
He shoved the tome into his pack. "Stay close, rabbit."
The corridor opened into a cavern reeking of rot and iron. **Ralof** raised his torch, revealing a hulking frost troll crouched over a mangled Imperial soldier. The beast ripped the man's head free with a wet *crack*, jaws crunching bone as silver eyes glinted in the firelight.
**Ralof:** (gripping his axe) "By Shor…"
**Edla** stepped forward, blade humming. "Distract it. I'll strike its heart."
**Gilgamesh** grabbed her wrist. "You charge in, and *she* dies." He nodded to Lyssia, whose face had gone ghost-white.
**Edla:** (snarling) "Sentiment *again*?"
**SYSTEM:**
*Tactical Analysis – Frost Troll (Level 20).
Weakness: Fire (300% Damage).
Recommended Action: RUN (Survival Rate: 12%).*
Gilgamesh's gaze snapped to a nearby wine cart, bottles still intact. "New plan."
He snatched two bottles, hurling one into a corner. "Ralof—toss these at the troll. Edla—keep it still."
**Ralof:** "You're mad!"
**Gilgamesh:** (baring teeth) "Mad beats *dead*." Edla lunged, her blade slashing the troll's thigh. , slowing its charge. Ralof lobbed a bottle, shattering against its chest.
**Gilgamesh** raised his hand, Spark crackling at his fingertips. "Burn."
Flame erupted, engulfing the troll. It roared, swiping blindly as fire spread across wine-soaked fur.
**SYSTEM:**
*Frost Troll HP: 250/500 → 90/500 (Fire Damage).
Destruction Skill +15% (Level 2).*
The troll staggered, howling. Embers caught the wine cart, flames licking up the cave walls.
**Edla:** (hissing) "Your plan's burning the damn cave down!"
**Gilgamesh:** (grinning) "Called it *chaos insurance*." He grabbed Lyssia, sprinting for the exit. "MOVE!"
The group fled as the tunnel collapsed behind them, Alduin's distant roar mingling with the troll's death screams.
Outside, Gilgamesh slumped against a pine tree, Lyssia trembling at his side. His system flickered:
**SYSTEM:**
*Quest Complete: "Troll's Bane" – Reward: 1,200 EXP.
Level Up: 5 → 6.
New Perk: "Pyromaniac" (Fire spells +20% damage).
Lyssia's Trust +10% (Total: 80%).*
**Edla** stared at him, blade still clean. "You risked us all for a *spark*."
**Gilgamesh:** (voice low) "Risk's the only currency here. Get used to it."
Ralof clapped his shoulder, oblivious to the truth in those words. "To Riverwood. Now."
As they trudged downhill, Gilgamesh's grip tightened on the spell tome. *No respawns. No reloads. Just fire and frost.*