My dark-green eyes fluttered open, my body shivering as I came to. Blinking away the confusion, I pushed myself up from the cold ground, taking in my surroundings with wide-eyed wonder. Towering pine trees dusted with snow stretched as far as I could see, their branches swaying gently in the crisp mountain air. A winding stone path snaked through the forest ahead, disappearing into the distance.

I gazed up at the crystal-clear blue sky, then down at my arms - and did a double-take. My limbs were encased in what looked like medieval iron armor, biceps bulging impressively beneath the metal plating. I flexed experimentally, a grin spreading across my face as I admired my newly muscular physique.

Running my hands over my body, I realized I was fully decked out in armor from head to toe. My fingers brushed against a helmet adorned with curved horns on either side. "What the hell?" I muttered, thoroughly perplexed.

The biting cold nipped at my exposed skin, snapping me back to reality. "Where the fuck am I?" I wondered aloud, spinning in a slow circle. Behind me loomed a massive wooden gate set between two rocky outcrops. I rapped my knuckles against it halfheartedly, then tried shoving it open, but it didn't budge.

I leaned against the wooden gate as I tried to make sense of the situation. This was far too vivid and real to be a dream - I felt completely alert and aware of my surroundings. And my body...there's no way I could have bulked up like this overnight.

A crazy thought popped into my head - had I been isekai'd? It sounded ridiculous, but how else could I explain suddenly waking up in a strange world with a completely different body? I hadn't been hit by a truck or anything, but...

I became aware of a weight on my back and reached behind me, my hand closing around a leather-wrapped hilt. With a metallic scrape, I drew an enormous iron greatsword from its sheath. I gaped at how easily I could wield the massive blade - my new muscles definitely came in handy.

Another shiver ran through me as a gust of wind cut through the trees. I peered down the winding path, weighing my options. Stay put and freeze, or walk into the unknown?

I decided to follow the winding stone path, seeing no other option. The crunch of snow beneath my boots and the whisper of wind through the pines were my only companions as I trudged forward.

After a few minutes, I spotted a crumbling stone tower just off the path. Interested, I veered left, slogging through knee-deep snow. "Damn, this is harder than it looks," I muttered, my breath clouding in the frigid air.

Finally reaching the tower, I circled its base, hoping to find... well, anything really. At first glance, the ruin seemed picked clean. But as I kicked at a drift of snow, my foot struck something solid. Brushing away the powder revealed a small metal hatch.

"Hello, what's this?" I murmured, tugging it open. A rusty ladder descended into darkness. I hesitated, then shrugged. "Beats freezing out here."

I descended the rusty ladder, my armor clanking softly as I entered the dank underground chamber. The musty air hit my nostrils, thick with the scent of decay and something... wilder. Squinting in the gloom, I made out a few rotting beds along the walls and crumbling stone pillars stretching up to the low ceiling.

As my eyes adjusted, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Something wasn't right. A low, guttural growl emanated from the shadows, freezing me in my tracks. My heart pounded as a massive shape unfurled itself from the darkness.

Holy shit.

A werewolf, its muscles rippling beneath matted fur, rose to its full height - easily twice as tall as me. Yellowed fangs gleamed in the dim light as the beast's muzzle wrinkled in a snarl. Its howl shook dust from the ceiling and reverberated through my bones.

Time slowed to a crawl. The werewolf's haunches tensed, ready to pounce. My fingers scrabbled clumsily for my greatsword, but I was way too slow.

The beast lunged, impossibly fast. A huge paw slammed into my chest like a battering ram, sending me flying. I smashed into the stone wall with a sickening crunch, pain exploding through every nerve.

Dazed and gasping for breath, I crumpled to the floor. Through blurring vision, I saw the werewolf's slavering jaws descending. A desperate, futile plea formed in my mind as razor-sharp teeth clamped around my skull with terrifying force.

The last thing I heard was the wet crack of bone giving way before darkness claimed me.

oo0ooOoo0oo

My eyes snapped open, my lungs burning as I sucked in a ragged breath. The crystal-clear blue sky swam into focus above me, painfully bright. My head throbbed, memories crashing over me in nauseating waves.

The werewolf's feral eyes. Razor-sharp claws raking across my chest. The sickening crunch as its jaws clamped down on my skull.

My stomach lurched. I rolled onto my side, retching violently into the snow. When the heaving finally subsided, I pushed myself up on trembling arms. My body felt wrong - too light, too whole. I patted myself down frantically, expecting to find gaping wounds, but my armor was intact. Not a scratch on me.

"What the fuck," I croaked, my voice raw.

Stumbling to my feet, I staggered back until I hit the wooden gate. I slumped against it, legs giving out as I slid to the ground. My chest heaved with panicked breaths as I stared unseeing into the forest before me.

The memory of bone splintering echoed in my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing the heels of my palms against them until starbursts exploded behind my eyelids. But the images wouldn't fade - they felt more real than the snow melting beneath me or the rough wood at my back.

"This can't be happening," I whispered. "This can't be real."

But the biting cold seeping through my armor and the scent of pine needles in the air told me otherwise. Wherever I was, whatever was happening - it was all too real.

I stood shakily, my body trembling from more than just the biting cold. The memory of razor-sharp fangs crushing my skull was still fresh, the phantom pain making me wince. I knew I had to move, to get somewhere safe, but the thought of encountering another monster made my stomach churn.

With a deep breath, I forced myself forward, following the winding stone path once more. As I passed the ruined tower, vivid flashbacks assaulted me - the werewolf's feral eyes, its hot breath on my face. I quickened my pace, heart pounding.

The howl of wolves in the distance sent a jolt of terror through me. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, willing the panic away, before pressing on.

Fatigue hit me like a wall, my limbs growing heavier with each step. It felt unnatural, how quickly my strength was sapped. Still, I pushed forward, one foot in front of the other.

The path narrowed, hemmed in by snow-covered slopes. My eyes widened as I stumbled upon a horrific scene - armored bodies strewn across the ground, one man stripped to his underwear. Before I could process the carnage, a gruff voice rang out.

"Back off! This is my treasure!"

My head snapped up to see a burly man in iron armor, wielding a massive battle-axe. I raised my hands placatingly. "I-I'm not here for trouble," I stammered.

The man's eyes narrowed. "I'm not kidding, I will hurt you! Leave now!"

"Okay, okay! I'm going!" I backed away, heart racing.

But the man's face twisted with rage. With a guttural roar, he charged, axe raised high.

I fumbled for my greatsword, but my fingers felt like lead. The world slowed as the axe arced towards me.

White-hot agony exploded across my midsection as the axe bit deep. I gasped, warm blood gushing over my hands as I clutched at the wound. The man yanked the axe free, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body.

I staggered, vision blurring. The axe whistled through the air once more. This time, I felt the sickening crunch as it cleaved into my neck.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

As darkness closed in, I heard a dismissive grunt. "Good enough."

Then, for the second time that day, my eyes snapped open to a crystal-clear blue sky. For a moment, I just lay there, chest heaving as the memories crashed over me in nauseating waves.

Eventually, I hauled myself to my feet, legs trembling beneath me. The world tilted dizzyingly as I started down the stone path again, each step feeling like I was wading through molasses. When a distant howl echoed through the trees, I flinched violently again, nearly losing my footing.

This time, as I neared that fateful bend in the path, I veered right, plunging into the deep snow. My breath came in ragged gasps as I forced my heavy limbs to keep moving, the powder swirling around my thighs.

After what felt minutes of trudging through snow, I stumbled upon a massive mound rising from the snow-covered ground. "Fuck me," I muttered, recognition dawning. A dragon burial mound - straight out of Skyrim, but so much more imposing in person.

I'd suspected I was in Skyrim, of course, but seeing it confirmed... A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. Was my ability to return from death some twisted version of loading a save? And if so...

Feeling slightly ridiculous, I thought 'Open menu' as clearly as I could. To my shock, a translucent interface materialized before my dark-green eyes. It was surreal, like something out of a video game, yet undeniably real. My hands trembled slightly as I navigated through the options, still shaken from my recent deaths.

First, I looked into the Magic tab, examining the Effects section. As I read through each entry, a chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold:

Nordic Fortitude: Your Nord blood reduces incoming frost damage by 50% and incoming shock damage by 25%.

Resist Frost: Your frost resistance improves your warmth by 25 points.

Stone of the Warrior: The Warrior strengthens those who bear his blessing. Damage with all weapons is increased by 10% and armor penetration with all weapons is increased by 10.

Temporary:

Ranged Damage Resistance: Your worn armor grants 240 additional armor rating against ranged attacks.

Physical Exertion (Heavy Armor): You're not trained in using heavy armor, therefore wearing it will exhaust you quickly.

Exhaustion (Rested): You are feeling rested.

Exposure (Comfortable): You feel comfortable, and experience no adverse effects from the weather.

Hunger (Satisfied): You feel satisfied.

Thirst (Sated): You are feeling sated.

Slightly Dirty: You are slightly dirty, but still clean judging by the local standards.

I nodded slowly, processing the information. So I was a Nord... Even with the frost resistance, the biting cold still nipped at my exposed skin. I shuddered to think how much worse it would be without that innate protection. The Stone of the Warrior blessing seemed helpful, though I wasn't sure why it had been bestowed upon me.

The penalty for untrained heavy armor use worried me. I'd need to address that weakness quickly or find lighter protection. Memories of the werewolf's fangs and the bandit's axe flashed through my mind, making me wince.

Shaking off the dark thoughts, I checked the Powers section:

Tongue's Trance: You can enter a trance that allows you to use your Thu'um again and again in a rapid succession. However, this is extremely exhausting, and therefore lasts only shortly and can only be used once every day.

Interesting, but useless for now. I had no idea how to even begin using the Thu'um.

Moving to the Items tab, I was greeted by a lengthy inventory list:

Total Inventory [76/98]

Food

Apple Cabbage Stew [Weight 0.5 | Value 16]

Bread Load [Weight 0.2 | Value 5]

Village White Wine [Weight 1 | Value 7]

Waterskin (3/3) [Weight 2 | Value 15]

Misc

Coin Purse (500 Gold) [Weight 0.5]

Quiver [Weight 2]

Toolkit: Smith's [Weight 2 | Value 30]

Toolkit: Survivalist's [Weight 1 | Value 20]

Wooden Torch [Weight 0.5 | Value 4]

Ingredients

Potions

Potion of Restore Stamina (Crude) [Weight 2]

Weapons

Iron Greatsword [Weight 16 | Value 50]

Iron Sword [Weight 9 | Value 25]

Wooden Light Bow [Weight 5 | Value 50]

Arrow: Iron (20) [Weightless | Value 1]

Apparel

Iron Helmet [Weight 8 | Value 50]

Iron Cuirass [Weight 20 | Value 125]

Iron Gauntlets [Weight 6 | Value 38]

Iron Boots [Weight 6 | Value 38]

Iron Heavy Shield [Weight 10 | Value 63]

Cotton Mage Hood - Embellished [Weight 1 | Value 26]

Linen Stitched Boots [Weight 1 | Value 13]

Linen Tunic - Indigo and Green [Weight 2 | Value 21]

Scrolls

Books

Keys

I mentally willed the Iron Sword and Iron Heavy Shield to be equipped, feeling slightly more secure as the greatsword vanished from my back. The Survivalist's Toolkit interested me, but I decided to examine the Map first.

The map of Skyrim appeared before me, complete with icons for major holds and my current location. Zooming out revealed more land beyond Skyrim's borders, though it was obscured by fog. Perhaps I'd need to visit those areas to reveal them?

Turning to the Skills tab, I was presented with a panel of constellations:

Illusion 0

Conjuration 0

Destruction 0

Restoration 0

Alteration 0

Enchanting 0

Smithing 25

Heavy Armor 20

Block 20

Two-Handed 25

One-Handed 20

Marksman 15

Evasion 5

Sneak 0

Lockpicking 0

Pickpocket 0

Speech 0

Alchemy 0

Six available perk points at level 1 seemed generous. My attributes showed 120 Health, 120 Stamina, but only 80 Magicka. Better than the standard 100 across the board, at least.

I carefully examined each constellation, knowing these choices could mean life or death. Evasion seemed to be the Light Armor-equivalent, and the magic schools all had a similar novice perk, like Restoration's:

Novice Restoration: You've acquired two Restoration spells from the Novice tier. Novice spells cost 55% less magicka, and improve 1% per skill level.

Tempting, but survival came first. I focused on the Heavy Armor constellation:

Conditioning: After some basic training, stamina drain from wearing heavy armor is negated. Armor weight penalties are reduced.

This was critical. Without it, I'd be too exhausted to even draw a weapon. I invested one point, then immediately took the next perk:

Relentless Onslaught: You can sprint in heavy armor at no stamina penalty. Armor weight penalties are further reduced. Sprinting in a full set of heavy armor allows you to deflect 80% of all incoming melee damage.

The ability to block so much damage while sprinting could be a lifesaver. Four perk points remained.

Next, I examined One-Handed, as it seemed more versatile than Two-Handed for now:

Weapon Mastery (0/2): Diligent practice bolsters the damage and ease of your one-handed and unarmed attacks. [Damage x 1.2, -50% weapon weight penalties]

Martial Arts: You're a passionate pugilist. Unarmed power attacks deal 30 more damage and cost 66% less stamina.

I took the first rank of Weapon Mastery, but held off on Martial Arts. Punching a werewolf seemed like a terrible idea. Wtihout the first rank of Weapon Mastery, I was probably going to absolutely suck at combat, so it was critical for my survival. And the next rank looked promising as well.

Weapon Mastery (1/2): Improved fighting techniques bolster the damage and ease of your one-handed and unarmed attacks. [Damage x 1.4, -50% weapon weight penalties]

But I decided to save it for later, instead investing in the next One-Handed perk.

Penetrating Strikes: One-Handed power attacks are easier to execute, and further penetrate enemy armor. [-50% power attack stamina cost, +5 armor penetration]

This would help against armored foes and conserve precious stamina. Two perk points left.

I knew I needed at least one point in Restoration for healing, because I didn't want to win a fight only to die of blood loss or something like that and be reset back to the past. But first, I checked the Marksman constellation.

Ranged Combat Training: Basic ranged training enhances damage with bows and crossbows. [Damage x 1.2, -50% weapon weight penalties, ammunition grants armor penetration]

Having a ranged option seemed crucial, so I invested a point. Finally, I took:

Novice Restoration: You've acquired two Restoration spells from the Novice tier. Novice spells cost 55% less magicka, and improve 1% per skill level.

A new panel popped up.

Please select up to 2 spells:

1. Arcane Ward (Rank 1)

2. Healing Aura on Self

3. Healing Aura on Target

The choice was clear. Healing others seemed useless when I was alone in the wilderness. I needed to protect myself from magic and heal my own wounds. I selected the first two options, hoping they'd give me a fighting chance in this new world.

I dismissed the menu and gripped my sword, feeling its weight in my hand. As I gave it an experimental swing, something strange happened - my body moved with a fluid grace I'd never possessed before. It wasn't like I suddenly became a master swordsman, but there was a certain... familiarity to the motions. Basic forms and stances flowed through my muscles as if I'd practiced them a hundred times. Weird, but definitely useful.

I closed my eyes and reached for that new knowledge tickling at the edges of my mind. I lifted my hand, focusing on the idea of "Healing Aura on Self." Nothing happened. Frowning, I pulled up the Magic tab again, and my jaw dropped.

"Three hundred and nineteen magicka?!" I spluttered. "For a novice spell?"

The Arcane Ward wasn't much better at 106 magicka per second. Something niggled at the back of my mind - a perk I'd seen earlier. Digging through the Heavy Armor constellation, I found what I was looking for. It was one of the perks available next, though it required a skill level of 25, and I was currently sitting at 20.

Combat Casting: Your concentration is less affected by heavy armor, reducing penalties for Novice and Apprentice spells.

"Ah," I muttered, a lightbulb going off. "Let's test this theory."

I quickly swapped my iron armor for the linen clothes in my inventory. The biting cold immediately assaulted me, but I grit my teeth and checked the Magic tab again.

"Well, I'll be damned," I breathed.

Healing Aura on Self now cost a much more reasonable 72 magicka, while Arcane Ward dropped to 24 per second. Still pricey, considering my measly 80 magicka pool, but at least castable.

I scanned the spell descriptions, impressed despite myself. Healing Aura would last for a whopping 20 minutes, slowly restoring health the whole time. And Arcane Ward? A magical shield against both physical and spell damage could be a lifesaver.

Healing Aura on Self:

The recipient is surrounded by an aura that slowly restores health for 1200 seconds.

Arcane Ward (Rank 1):

The caster creates a protective shield that negates a moderate amount of physical damage and negates up to 20 points of spell damage.

Shivering, I hurriedly equipped my armor again. "Note to self," I muttered, teeth chattering. "Work on that Combat Casting perk ASAP."