LIFE IN MORROWIND - DAY 5

Another day is over, and once again it has been marked by excitement and danger - and impressive accomplishments. There is no more reason for me to be scared of travelling on foot across the lands of Vvardenfell, as I know now that I can kill one of the most dangerous and aggressive specimens of the local fauna, the fabled Kagouti.

With the first light today, I have set out in the direction of the Shrine of the Fields of Kummu. Shortly after leaving the city gates, I met a fellow pilgrim, a local woman named Nevrasa Dralor. She was a bit scared of travelling in the wilds alone, and asked me if I could accompany her to the shrine. On my part, I was also rather relieved with having some company on the road, so we continued the journey together.

Despite our concerns, we reached the holy site safely a couple of hours later without meeting anything more dangerous than kwama foragers. Nevertheless, Nevrasa was very grateful and pressed me to take a reward of 100 coins. It felt rather undeserved, but she insisted and as for me... well, frankly, I needed all the gold I could get, as I have already spent most of my earlier earnings on a number of new spells, scrolls and potions. So I took her coins and went on to make my own donations at the shrine. To my great surprise, I felt an immediate effect as I placed my offering and read the inscription on the shrine. A great feeling of lightness and vigour engulfed me, it was almost impossible to stand still or even simply walk - running seemed so natural and effortless. Later I learned that the same effect could be achieved through the use of a Feather spell, and one could say that I became "addicted" to it, casting it often whenever I would be travelling anywhere on foot.

At that moment, though, I simply decided to use this unexpected lightness to explore the surrounding landscape a bit more. It was certainly the kind of landscape that invites exploration: the shimmering expanse of the lake Amaya stretched to the south, while to the north the land climbed steadily, and further in that direction I could see the barren slopes of the ashen grey hills, crowned by some ruined towers of fantastic shapes.

I decided to start by following the shore of the lake for some time, and very soon I came across a small farm house, surrounded by tended fields. I came up to the house and was just wondering if I should knock on the door and find out who lived there, when I noticed some movement among the trees at the foot of the hills on the northern side of the road. As I looked closer, I realised that there were two huge beasts there - they were not easy to spot, despite their huge size, because the colour of their skin blended well with the surrounding vegetation.

I knew this must be Kagouti, and my first thought was to get away from them as fast as possible. They certainly looked dangerous: their huge jaws with protruding tusks left no doubts that they would kill me in an instant if they could only reach me, and their frame indicated an ability to sprint very quickly. Clearly, I should be getting out of there - maybe even using an intervention spell. But I didn't.

What I did instead might seem very foolish, even suicidal, but in fact it wasn't quite as stupid. I had my Almsvi intervention scroll at the ready - I knew I could disappear in an instant. And I thought it was a good opportunity to test how tough these creatures really were. What if I'd meet them again, in a different situation, where rapid escape would not be an option? I should at least try to find out if I had a fighting chance against them. And, frankly, I just wanted to test my newly learnt spells.

I aimed carefully and completed the gesture, summoning a crackling ball of electricity and flinging it in the direction of one of the beasts. This was a spell I made with the help of Estirdalin back in Balmora: it could hit a target far away, engulfing it in a small thunderstorm for several seconds, dealing continuous damage. Perfect for hitting a distant enemy, and watching it die before it has a chance to reach you. In this case, however, I suspected this spell alone would not be enough: as soon as I saw it hitting the animal, I started another incanatation, summoning a skeletal minion to fight for me. Kagouti was already racing in my direction with frightening speed, but now my skeleton ran to meet it. I watched them fight, fingering the intervention scroll, but I never needed to use it. In a few seconds it was over, and the monster was lying dead in the grass. Luckily for me, the other creature did not even realise yet what happened to its mate, and I gave it no second chance. Another lightning ball sped through the air, another undead swordsman rushed forward. Soon the second Kagouti joined its dead partner, and I stood there, victorious and completely unharmed, even though my heart was racing and cold sweat was dripping from my forehead.

After a few minutes, as I regained my breath and my heart no longer acted as if it were trying to escape the confines of my chest, I went over to see if there was anything interesting to be found where a few minutes ago the two Kagouti walked. And indeed I discovered something - a notebook, or rather a journal which, as I discovered when looking through it quickly, was dedicated to Kagouti and their mating habits. This made me wonder what fate befell the author of the journal. I decided to look around further - and soon enough I noticed someone; luckily, someone alive.

It turned out to be wood elf named Thoronor and he was looking for his friend and colleague Edras. Apparently they had been too eager in their studies and got chased off by the same pair of Kagouti which I had just killed. They ran off in different directions, losing sight of each other. Thoronor was relieved to learn that Kagouti were gone, and together we quickly located his missing friend. They thanked me for getting them out of this dangerous situation, and gave an enchanted amulet as a reward.

On my part, I felt rather exhausted by then so I used the Almsvi intervention spell to get back to the safety of Balmora.

Once again, as another day comes to its close, I cannot help but wonder how far I have gone in such a short time. Only four days ago the thought that I would willingly confront such monsters - and would emerge victorious from the encounter - would appear to me as pure madness. And I ask myself, if I continue on this path, what else could be in store for me tomorrow?

PS. This time, I have no suitable screenshot from my own playthrough - I was too stressed to think about screenshots, so I use a generic Kagouti picture.