Chapter 796 - 796: The Main Story Ends, But It's Just the Beginning

In the days following the official release of "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim," posts about the game have flooded major VR gaming discussion forums, with countless players passionately debating its content.

Initially, the talk focused on unique quirks, like the chickens in Riverwood, guard dialogue, the still-unsolved mystery of dragon language activities, discussions about which builds were strong, and where to find hidden quests.

However, as players progressed and became more familiar with "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim's" background and lore, their attention gradually shifted back to the game's main storyline.

In Riverwood, a place that has brought many players to tears, they encountered Delphine in the inn. She and her companions were the legendary Blades, warriors who pledged loyalty to the Dragonborn.

After slaying a reanimated dragon in the wilderness, the next task for players was to infiltrate a Thalmor prison to investigate the cause of the dragon's appearance.

From Solitude to Riften and then to Markarth, the Dragonborn in the game traveled across Skyrim in their quest for the truth about the dragons, while also coming to understand the reason for their resurgence.

That reason was that the return of the dragons symbolized Alduin, the world-devourer, breaking free from his seal and returning to destroy the world once more. But because the protagonist was the Dragonborn, there was still hope.

However, in the game, Ben didn't feel that way at all.

If there was anyone in the game he disliked the most, besides the particularly annoying Thalmor mage who shouted, "You are just a dog, I am your master," upon first meeting him.

It was the duo of Blades warriors, especially the old man Esbern.

This wasn't because of the bug in the Riften under-city sewer that wouldn't open in his previous life. Compared to the many authentic bugs in "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim" from his past life, Nebula Games had perfectly eliminated them.

What truly made Ben find them incredibly irritating was this old man's behavior.

As the story progressed, the appearance of the ancient dragon Alduin led the Empire and the Stormcloaks, guided by the Greybeards, to gather together to temporarily sign a peace treaty. However, due to conflicting interests, General Tullius of the Empire and Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the Stormcloaks, found themselves at a stalemate during negotiations.

It was at this moment that Esbern stepped forward. His thunderous speech left Ben in awe, making him feel that this old man was more than just a simple quest giver; he was certainly a wise man.

It was reasonable that Delphine, who was so arrogant when running her inn, had a bad temper.

But in the subsequent quests, it became clear that Ben had overestimated them. Both of them were more infuriating than the other.

He had initially thought the Blades were loyal followers of the Dragonborn, especially considering how powerful they were depicted in some books. The legend of the Blades was upheld by the sacrifices of the truly brave Blades who had fallen in battle.

But these two, Ben seriously suspected the Thalmor had made a mistake. These two were clearly just cleaning toilets in the Blades.

Without him, the Dragonborn, could Sky Haven Temple be accessed? Without him, the Dragonborn, Esbern would have died in the ratway long ago, his corpse already rotting!

But at Throat of the World, these two forced Ben, controlling the Dragonborn, to kill the old dragon Paarthurnax. Although Paarthurnax carried many sins.

Once a servant of Alduin, he had scorched the earth with fire and killed countless people.

Yet, in the game, at least at this moment, Paarthurnax felt more like an elder guiding the Dragonborn. He also taught the player how to kill Alduin and how to counter a dragon's Thu'um: Dragonrend.

In contrast, these two toilet-cleaners from the Blades were much more annoying. Without killing the old dragon, they wouldn't even say a word.

Besides them, there was also Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the Stormcloaks. Like most players, Ben initially had a much higher opinion of the Stormcloaks than the Empire.

This was because, upon entering Helgen Keep, the female captain who was ready to behead him without question was completely unacceptable to him.

But as the game's plot progressed, especially after traveling to Windhelm and seeing more of Ulfric's story, Ben's view of this character completely changed.

While the Empire certainly had its flaws, the leader of the Stormcloaks was completely different from what he had imagined.

Initially, Ben thought this man was a rebel leader who was rising up against the Empire's oppression and its weak stance against the Thalmor, which led to humiliation and loss of land.

But in reality, this guy was a pure racist. According to the words of the Windhelm soldiers, all races other than Nords were considered inferior.

Just like Ben, as they wandered through Skyrim, experiencing its local customs and culture, the game offered too many memorable characters and events for players.

The game's increasing number of interesting aspects had also spawned many humorous memes within the player community.

Besides the guard's famous line: "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee."

And the Chicken God of Riverwood, there were also various distinctive characters within the game.

The leader of the Thieves Guild in Riften, the "honorable" Mercer whom players called out.

The only two members of the Blades, the "understanding" Delphine and the "witty" Esbern.

The Stormcloaks who firmly believed in "equality for all," and the "chaste maiden" Brynjolf who left behind many romantic tales.

Of course, there was also the "simple folk" of Markarth, which allowed players to experience what "good public order" meant in "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim."

These distinct characters and their traits, forming these memes, had become an indispensable part of "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim's" game culture.

Moreover, compared to previous games, players usually only played through the main story.

After completing the main storyline, unless the game had a multiplayer mode.

Most players would put the game away. Except for the occasional urge to play, they wouldn't revisit it.

This was true even for open-world games like "Red Dead Redemption."

The reason was simple: these games left players feeling that once the main story was finished, there was little left to hold their interest.

Aside from some completionists who had to achieve 100% game completion, many players simply lost interest after following the main story.

But "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim" was different.

The end of the main questline did not mean the Dragonborn's story was over.

There were countless quests waiting for players to complete throughout Skyrim.

And some of these quests were as substantial as the main questline, giving players the feeling that the end of the main story was just the beginning of the Dragonborn's life.

(End of this chapter)