While delving through their Xbox video clips, a player by the name of Vlestaticus found an old and amusing Skyrim clip of an assassination attempt gone wrong. Doing what any good and upright Skyrim character would do, Vlestaticus proceeded to turn the tables on their would-be killer.
However, after having flipped the scenario to one in their favor, the unexpected happened. It would appear that the hired assassin hid dark and powerful magic as events immediately went south for the poor player. In the old video clip that was uploaded to the Skyrim subreddit, viewers can see a surprise encounter turn into an even more surprising spectacle.
As the stealthy Tabaxi assassin attacks, Vlestaticus immediately makes use of their Vampiric Mind Blast. Vampiric Mind Blast is a spell meant to focus the vampire's mind and channel their remaining stamina into an attack that incapacitates foes for a moment. At the cost of draining all of the vampire's stamina, any foes within a 12'-20' radius will be paralyzed for 1-4 seconds, dependent on level. With the assailant on the ground, the vampiric hero quickly goes to work with their trusty ax. However, after a few well-placed swipes, things go awry.
The player is abruptly hurled away and through the sky. Ominous music creeps in as discordant drum beats play. This hero of Skyrim turns into something that only Lovecraft himself could imagine. "Cosmic Horror" seems an appropriate term as the player's body undergoes a transformation, not unlike a creature from Bloodborne. Disfigured, stretched, and mutilated gray limbs claw out across the screen. A multitude of colorless heads fills in the void as the abomination grows. The bizarre and humorous scene plays out for only a few moments before a loading screen appears.
Skyrim is no stranger to bugs, and the same can be said of most games. Despite best efforts, things can slip past QA. Ever since the game's release in 2011, various bugs have persisted. Skyrim bugs range from game-breaking to humorous and have been the subject of many a meme. And players being flung through the sky thanks to encounters with NPCs is nothing new. When Skyrim first launched there were multiple videos of players encountering giants early on and being knocked into the air at an alarming rate. However, in this case, the bug in question is one of eldritch horror. Vlestaticus doesn't recall where their character wound up after that, and maybe that's for the best.
Skyrim is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.