Winds of Change Chapter 1

I looked around the large cavern I was in, it was massive with some old crumbling ruins in the center that reminded me somewhat of one of the old arenas. I crouched down and went to the edge of the balcony like area I was at and looked over to see a Vigilant of Stendarr being questioned by two vampires. I pulled out my crossbow and loaded it. I aimed as best as I could at the leader of the vampires in Dimhollow, a man named Lokil. Slowing down my breathing, I fired but just as my bolt hit the beast in the back of the neck and killed him, the Vigilant died.

I swore under my breath and drew my sword, an ebony longsword named Yol Do Bromen Dovah and ran down the steps two at a time as the other vampire and her thrall noticed me and rushed at me. I parried a blow from the female vampires steel war axe and slashed her stomach quickly before kicking her down and stabbing her in the heart. The thrall, enraged at his mistresses' death, rushed at me hungry for blood and blinded by rage. He swung his battle-axe at me and I dodged quickly before swinging my blade at him, hoping to end the fight quickly, I was wrong however as the brutish thrall blocked my attack with the shaft of his battle-axe and I stumbled. "By fucking Sheogorath," I thought, "this brute is smarter than I thought." He swung his axe at me again and I ducked before stabbing upward though his stomach and out his back with my sword. Once I was sure he was dead, I pulled my blade out of him and wiped the blood off of it on Lokil.

I looked at the body of the Vigilant and sent up a quick prayer to the Divines for him and found a book. "Notes on Dimhollow" I read to myself and I put it in my pack, deciding to keep it. I looked around and saw something in the center of the circle, some sort of pedestal. I walked over to it and out of curiosity I put my hand on it and cried out in pain as some sort of spike shot through my hand. When it went down, I yanked my hand away and cast a quick healing spell. I noticed then, that the grooves in the floors that had circular holes in along then at equal distances, were glowing an eerie purple glow. I pushed the braziers to the holes till I found out the combination and a stone monolith-like coffin slid out of the ground as the circle became more like the old arenas. I stepped back surprised at the sight of this, then stepped up to it and put my hand on it and it the thing opened revealing a stunning sleeping woman who opened her eyes, which were orange and red glowing hues. "Wait… orange and red? She's a bloody vampire" I thought as she stood up.

"Who are you?" she asked slowly and I looked at her, still shocked "I'm V-Vladimir Ebonfire" I said.

"I'm Serana," she said "who sent you?"

"A man named Isran" I said slowly

"Is he l-like me?" Serana asked

"Well… not really, he leads a group of vampire hunters known as the 'Dawnguard' and I'm one of them…" I said slowly "but I won't kill you, I only kill what tries to kill me first and since you haven't tried to kill me I won't attempt to kill you."

She nodded and sighed "I guess we should get out of here."

I nodded and looked around and noticed another bridge, I went over it and heard shattering.

"What in the name of-"I shouted but before I could finish the monster lunged at me and knocked me back. I got up and drew my crossbow and loaded it as quickly as I could and aimed at the beast and let the bolt fly. The bolt hit it in the shoulder and it staggered back, stunned. I took advantage of the momentary lapse in the things concentration to drive my sword through its head. I looked over and saw Serana shoot ice spikes through the other one finally killing it.

I looked at her, "what in the name of the Nine were those things?" I asked her slightly shocked and slightly irritated.

"Gargoyles," she said "magical constructs that vampires use to guard their lairs or artifacts and the like"

"Makes sense," I muttered "the Dwemer have their animunculi, though the Dwemer are well, extinct."

We walked up a ledge till we came to an old stone arch common to ancient Nordic ruins. I pushed open the door and held it open for her.

"Such a gentleman" she said sweetly but with a slightly sarcastic tone to her voice

I laughed and closed the door behind me and realized we were in pitch blackness as she cast a candlelight spell and drew her elven dagger. I drew my blade and walked behind her until we came to an area that reminded me exactly of the imperial arena in the Imperial City. There was a large fire pit with a grate over it in the center, burnt corpses littered the ground on the grate and several thrones with dead, well hopefully dead, draugr on them. I sighed and saw near some thrones on the far side of the room, a word wall. We walked down the path towards the area and heard the groaning, usually associated with the awakening of the draugr.

I groaned out loud, I absolutely hate draugr, they were stubborn as fuck and it pisses me off. I sighed and looked at Serana before drawing my sword and rolling my shoulder a few times and walked to the draugr. She followed and shot an ice spike towards one as I slashed it across the chest and then slammed my sword into its neck killing it. A Deathlord appeared and smacked Serana back. I glared at it and let my Thu'um loose on the draugr.

"Fus Ro Dah!" I shouted sending the draugr flying back. I ran over to Serana and hoped that she was alive. I noticed that she slightly breathing and I sighed, relieved that she was still alive. I killed the draugr one by one and picked her up and carried her out of the crypt after learning the word on the wall and walked down the path and found an overhang as it was dawn and I didn't want her turning to ash on me. I actually I cared about her, probably because she still seemed sane and still had a grasp on her humanity. Doesn't help that she's breathtakingly beautiful, I sighed and lit a fire and rolled out my bedroll and laid her on it. I pulled out some cold venison and rabbit haunches and heated them on a metal plate by the fire.