"...why not?"

"Because what I'm here to do is find a way to kill dragons, I can worry about being rich and famous and whatever else it is you guys want out of the treasure after I've made sure the country has not been reduced to a pile of flames."

"You think you can kill a dragon?" asks the one who hasn't spoken so far, sounding sceptical.

"I think I'll have to," he doesn't say.

"Not me, personally. But if you've seen the dragon that came from Helgen," which he's betting they did, they believed him very quickly and the woman from Riverwood mentioned it flew in this direction, "you know we'll need every advantage we can get."

"Fine. But we will kill you if you steal our treasure."

Talos's hairy balls, these people.

Onmund and Erandur join him and into the ruins they go. One of the bandits (because they most certainly are that) accompanies them so they won't be attacked on sight by the bandits that were already inside.

"How did you come across this magic claw?"

"Seems like it was sitting around some guy's place. Family heirloom or some shit. We were hired by the guy who stole it, actually, says he's been researching these ruins for a while and trying to find this claw."

Bandits, thieves, Erandur is really uncomfortable working with these people.

"And what is this treasure?"

"I don't actually know," she admits. "Arven said it was enough for all of us to live out the rest of our days in comfort, and it's, you know, ancient Nordic ruins, those gotta have big treasures, right?"

Deep philosophers, these people are not.

Onwards, then.

While there aren't any draugar this side of the presumably-magical barrier that's unlocked by the presumably-magical claw, there are still other dangers. The architectural structure is mostly stable—anything that was going to crumble has already crumbled—but there are still traps waiting for the unwary and other creatures that have made these ruins their lair.

To wit: a horse-sized spider. Judging by the spiderweb sacs hanging from the ceiling, attached to the walls, and lying on the ground, said spider is very thoroughly carnivorous and has trapped more than one sapient.

One of them is still alive, though. "Harknir? Bjorn?" he calls from where he's attached to the wall. "Please, you have to help me! I, I know I ran ahead with the Claw, but—"

    "Oh, shut the fuck up, Arvel," their escort says, drawing her bow.

...it's just a giant spider. It can burn.

...well that wasn't terrifying at all. She's starting to reconsider her ability to kill these people.

    "Is it dead? Is it over?" asks Arvel.

"Yes. Where's the Claw?"

    "I, I have it on me."

"So what was that about running ahead with the Claw?"

"...who are you? Girna, who was that?"

    "Someone who isn't here to steal the treasure—unlike, apparently, you. Where are Harknir and Bjorn?"

"I, ah, well, you see..."

    "You lost them somewhere in the ruins."

"I wouldn't say I lost them, precisely..."

This is not doing anything to convince Erandur that these bandits aren't completely untrustworthy.

"So, which pocket has the Claw?" Girna asks conversationally. "Left? Right? Back?"

    "I, I'll give you it as soon as you help me—"

"You will tell me where it is if you want me to help you. I'm not letting you lose me the same way you did Harknir and Bjorn, you coward."

    He whimpers.

"You don't need to worry about that." Ruby summons a Dremora to guard the door they came in from, and nods at Onmund...

...who summons a Frost Atronach to guard the other door.

Girna frowns in consternation at the... you know... magic... but they sound a lot more trustworthy than this guy. She grabs a knife and starts cutting him free.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you—" And the thought of fleeing clearly crosses his mind, from the way he immediately looks at both exits and looks incredibly dismayed to see the summoned Daedra.

    "The Claw, Arvel."

"R-right." He doesn't have much of a choice, does he. He reaches into a satchel attached to his belt and grabs the Golden Claw. It's probably not made of gold but it is some sort of yellowish metal. There are etchings and symbols engraved into its "body" and three pointed claws with more carvings emerge from one end of it.

The Golden Claw

"Right, then! Why don't you lead the way?" Ruby asks cheerfully.

Onmund's Atronach obligingly steps out of the way.

"...okay." This is so not going according to plan.