The Heros' awakening
"Dammit Dreth, why the hell did we agree to do this?" A man spoke, wrapped in leather armor, wielding a blooded steel sword from a fallen drauger. Frost escaping his lips, cool mist flowing thru the snowy mountain air. "We've lost two guys already trying to get up here, and now we are going to go in this dark and damp cave that's full of… who knows what?"
"Quiet Amon." A high elf, clad in damaged and cut elven armor, standing at an entrance to a wide cave mouth while about to address the other three members of his traveling party. "The map that old man gave us leads here, and when there are enemies like this, that means there's treasure." The high elf was catching his breath after the short fight they had with the old sword wielding corpses that were attacking them just, moments ago.
"See, that's the issue I have Dreth." Amon sheathed his blade before taking a few slow steps closer to the tall high elf. "Why would a random old man in a dark cloak give a bunch of mercenaries a treasure map? It doesn't make any sense" before the high elf could answer or respond, a loud shambling shriek echoed out of the entrance to the cave, forcing the group to turn in a small panic.
The bickering between the two men stopped, and the party of five, a high elf, a Breton woman and three Nords, all looked at each other in anticipation. The group had their reservations about coming here, and now their resolve has worn away even more. Regardless of this, Dreth and his company did not want to miss out on an opportunity to score big.
"Well…" the woman who wore a set of banded iron armor started to open her mouth to speak. "I really hope this trip is worth it. I have a cat at home that I need to get back to." A feeling of anxiety was hidden in her words, for she knew something was wrong the moment they crossed south of Helgen.
"Fine, you big babies. I guess I'll go in ahead." Dreth, with a pang of frustration, strode past Amon and the woman who stood by. He drew out his tarnished elven blade from its dilapidated sheath, ready to duel with anything that he came across his path. The cave tunnel went on for almost one-quarter mile deep until it came into a clearing. Sun light poked thru cracks, and a small rushing water fall cascaded one the far end of the open cavern.
"So…" Amon looked around the open cavern, searching for the treasure the old man had promised. "Dreth, I don't see anything that resembles any value. Are you sure this is the right place?" Amon, with a look of confusion, peered around all the corners of the open cave, trying to find any clue as to this treasure they were promised.
As soon as the group was ready to give up the search and head back toward the caves entrance, the woman in the group pointed out a shining object in the middle of the small lake where the waterfall spewed its blue liquid.
"There! I see something in the water, just below the falls." A vibe of surprise and excitement in her voice.
The group of mercs rushed over the waters' edge, hoping to get a glimpse of this shining object the woman saw. The object was a long broad sword, its blade embedded deep into the floor of the lakes' soft bed. Dreth ordered the woman to go, and to retrieve the sword. He wished that it might bring some value to the gang.
The woman, not wanted to upset her leader, did as she was told, and proceeded to enter the large pond. She submerged herself in its warm clear water, and plunged down to grab a steady grip onto the weapons' hilt. She pulled with all her might, and with a stubborn metallic whine, the blade broke free of the sediment below. The woman came back onto dry land, and gave the large sword to Dreth for inspection.
"I don't understand." Dreth spoke while examining the rusted steel blade that was handed to him. "is this that treasure the old man spoke of? What a waste of time." just before he was to discard the mondane piece of steel entirely, Amon pointed something out.
"Um…" Amon, trying to gather his sense. "Where did that blood come from at the end of the blade?" Dreth looked down toward the tip of the rusted two-hand sword, and sure enough to his surprise, thick red ichor ran down the tip.
Just as all the others in the group were intrigued with the red liquid on the blade, one of the men in the group heard a whisper coming from with the pond. The voice was serene, and beckoned him to come toward the middle of the falls. The man slowly inched his way into the water, and dove in toward the voice that rang within his mind. Just as soon as the man reached to where he believed the voice originated from, a feminine hand rushed out of the waters floor, and a pair of red eyes followed with them. Before the man could do anything, the hands grasped hold of his hair, pulling him more toward the bottom of the lake.
"Wait. Where's Braton? The Woman asked after seeing the hulking nord was no longer with the group. "This place isn't that big, so where could he have gone?" without anyone saying a word, her question was answered within moments.
The body of the man flew out of the water, and landed at Amons' feet, with two puncture wounds on the nape of his neck. The man was dead, and blood ran profusely out of the two holes. Amon looked down at the dead man that laid before him, and back toward the water. Watching as a womanly figure creeping her way thru the moving tide of light blue to reach the shore. She was a Nord who had long jet black hair, broad shoulders and she was naked with water running down her body.
The rest of the group was dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. The woman came up to the female group member first, asking her in this methodic tone "you were the one to pull that cursed blade from within me?" with a soft and gentle touch, the woman placed her hand on the mercenaries head, and a black orb surrounded her hand. The power seemed to envelope her into a trance, and forced the female mercenary to slip into unconsciousness.
"There we go." The woman from the pond muttered as the other female dropped to the wet floor. "Now, It has been too long since I've last fed." The womans' eyes peered up from the ground, displaying a pair of bright red orbs for eyes, and a pair of threatening fangs protruding from her upper lip s of her mouth.
"Vampire!" Amon shouted out as he drew his steel blade, and he rushed in to strike a crushing blow to the fiend that stood before him, only to be met with a sudden halt in his advance. The man looked down to see the womans' arm half deep in his chest with bright red blood oozing out of the sides. Before Amon could even register what was happening, the woman removed her hand, and sunk her fangs dee into the bulk of his neck with such virility.
"All of us must attack at once." Dreth commanded, still reeling from what had just happened, with spit and slime escaping his mouth. "The fiend dies today."
With sheer swiftness, the woman tore off the arm of one of the other men, and separated the head of the other. As if the two were nothing to the creature, the woman stood in front of Dreth with a wicked smile and spoke with blood still gushing from her mouth.
"My dear elf, pray to Talos you gather strength because I sure as Marunes, I will tear you asunder." The womans' voice rose to where it echoes throughout the cavern and into the wilderness beyond. Within moments, Dreth and the woman exchanged blows for what seemed like a few minutes with the woman sinking her hands deep in the shoulder of the high elf.
Just as the woman drained the blood from the high elf and separated his head from his body, her eyes began to slowly dull and wither to a like red, and her malicious grin was replaced with a tinge of regret and confusion. She acted as if she was waking from a long nightmare, and in her panic as to what she had just done, she screamed out. She frantically looked around for any article of clothing, and could only find a pair of ragged cloths that wasn't stained with blood.
The woman looked around at the carnage she brought upon the group of travelers, and she knew she had to leave. She moved with a quickness toward the entrance to the cave and the outside, and once she finally made it outside, the power of the sun halted her advance. She grew week and frail, but she knew she had to find a way to get as far away from that place as she could.
The pale woman ran for an hour before coming cross a group of soldiers clad in fur armor that were camped up in the hill side south of Helgen, a city that is closest to the border between Skyrim and Bruma.
"Please…" The woman was so weak from the short travel in the blaring sun, she nearly collapsed in front of the encampment. "Help me." Her blood feeling like it is boiling, and her energy nonexistent, her legs gave out before anyone could reach her. Right before she lost consciousness, she heard one of the fur and scale clad soldiers speak "King Ulfric sir, we need to get moving…"