Two reuploads at once? Maybe I'm finally getting this whole deal closer to being finished. Anyway, as I said the last time this was uploaded, this was more of a fun/filler chapter.

Oh, and one thing I figured I should let you all know. I play a heavily modded Skyrim, so some details may not match up with your Skyrim. For example, my vampire mods give vampires crimson red eyes. Another one (one of my favorites) changes Serana's appearance and gives her, among other things, longer black hair with no braids. If anyone is curious which mods I use, just let me know.

Enjoy.

"Okay everyone, listen up." Hastrel sighed, his usual facemask missing so he could be heard clearly, as he addressed the assembled two dozen Dawnguard recruits before him. "Due to a lack of available veterans, Durak has asked me to impart some real-world wisdom on you."

Serana watched the whole spectacle with no shortage of amusement from her seat. The training exercise took place in the main yard, but thankfully for Serana, she was able to find a decent shaded spot to observe.

Serana didn't actually have to be here for this, she wasn't requested like Hastrel. But the vampiress didn't have anything better to do. Not to mention staying close to Hastrel alleviated some of the Dawnguard's fears. They must be assuming Hastrel was keeping Serana on a… tight leash, one could say. This worked for her, nobody had to try to kill anybody.

It helped that Hastrel was the closest thing to a friend Serana had in this new world she woke up to. Although the word 'friend' may be a little generous, the man had been nothing but kind and, dare she say, caring, this whole time. The people Serana could rely on could be counted on one hand, with many fingers left to spare.

"Now before we start, I need a volunteer." Hastrel clapped his hands together once, the sound attracting Serana's attention.

Nobody volunteered.

"Fine, Agmaer, you're up." Hastrel pointed to the blonde Nord out front.

"Uh… why me?"

"Because I remember your name, and you were foolish enough to stand out front. Get over here." Hastrel rolled his eyes. "Stand right there."

"Here?" Agmaer did as he was told and stood where Hastrel said.

"Yes, now first lesson is that vampires will not always be armed." Hastrel drew his sword and drove it point first into the dirt at his feet. "But even an unarmed vampire is still highly dangerous. Now Agmaer, you're a hunter of the Dawnguard with full loadout, you've disarmed me and have me cut off from any help. Show me what you would do."

"I would umm…" Agmaer unsheathed an imaginary sword.

"Okay, now what?" Hastrel's voice was flat, already disapproving.

Next Agmaer charged Hastrel, intent to run him through way too obvious. Hastrel easily dodged the pseudo-thrust, wrapped his arm and around Agmaer's sword arm and jerked up. Before Agmaer could react, Hastrel seized him by the neck with one hand and spun them around so the younger man was facing away, Hastrel then landed a kick to the back of his knee.

The end result was Agmaer kneeling, sword arm pinned at a horrible angle, and Hastrel with a firm grip on his throat. All it would take would be an inch or two of movement and Hastrel could break Agmaer's arm, easily his neck too if Hastrel were an actual vampire.

"See that?" Hastrel turned his gaze to the rest of the recruits, some having gone white from shock, some still trying to process what they had just seen. "I'm not even a vampire and look what I did. From here I can shatter bone, drain him dry, or whatever else I desire." Hastrel looked down at his captive. "Either way, congratulations Agmaer, you're dead."

Nobody was more shocked than Agmaer himself at how quickly he was taken down. His eyes looked like he was still trying to comprehend just what happened.

"Now, what did Agmaer here do wrong?" Hastrel released the boy and helped him back to his feet, but stopped him from returning to the others with a hand on his shoulder.

"He wasn't fast enough?"

"Should have gone for your legs?"

"Swung harder?"

Many of the recruits tried to answer, but one look at Hastrel's frown made it quite clear they were all terribly wrong. Hastrel didn't answer at first, instead letting the others try everything they could think of. Many more attempts later, they still hadn't come up with whatever it was Hastrel wanted to hear.

Serana rolled her eyes, unable to stand it anymore. "He should have shot you with his crossbow, or called for backup."

In the time it took Serana to blink, two dozen pairs of eyes, and more than a few glares, were leveled in her direction. Her answer definitely not a welcome one.

Hastrel on the other hand… was laughing like a madman.

"See that everyone?" Hastrel indicated Serana with a hand. "Our local vampire knowns more about vampire hunting than the lot of you put together! That's just pitiful, but this is exactly why we are here. Yes, that is exactly what Agmaer should have done. Never get close if you can avoid it. Definitely not this early in your training."

"Filthy bloodsucker, got no business bein' here." The voice was low, so much so that Serana only caught it thanks to her vampiric hearing. She just shrugged it off, not the first time she was the focus of such comments here in Fort Dawnguard.

Hastrel evidently didn't share Serana's views.

"Ah, it would seem we have our next volunteer. Step forward." Hastrel pushed Agmaer back to rejoin his fellows while waving another over, but this one didn't step out. "Alright, everyone point him out, or I'll make you all suffer before we're done."

The crowd instantly parted to reveal another Nord, but unlike Agmaer, this one was older, and a lot more muscular. It took four of his fellow recruits shoving him to get him to move. But he moved with a confidence born from arrogance, Serana had seen that plenty of times before.

"First of all, don't be so quick to sell out your own." Hastrel scolded the whole group. "When fighting something always tougher than you, you need to be able to trust the people at your side. Now what's your name?"

"Rikar." The burly Nord wasn't quite the size of Gunmar, but could certainly give the larger man a run for his septims if needed. "Proud son of Skyrim."

Serana and Hastrel both rolled their eyes in almost perfect unison.

"Alright then Rikar, same drill." Hastrel spoke as Rikar took his time taking his spot. "Now, you've got the size and strength many here don't have so this will be a little different. This time, I've been both disarmed and injured, you have only lost your weapons. We're separated from our teams. You can finish me off with your bare hands if you react quick enough to get the drop on me. Come at me."

Rikar didn't answer with words, instead bellowing out a warcry and charging while screaming at the top of his lungs.

Hastrel made no move to dodge or avoid the attack. He waited until Rikar was in range then landed a swift kick right between Rikar's legs, a move nobody had seen coming. Due to his size, Rikar was unable to stop his momentum. Hastrel sidestepped the charge after the hit, making Rikar faceplant right into the dirt.

Serana would have expected such advanced speed and reflexes in a vampire, but not from a mortal like Hastrel, dragonborn or not.

"Another valuable lesson to take away." Hastrel turned to face the recruits. "If you will not open with a cheap shot, always expect your enemy to. Things like honor and fairness exist only in stories and ballads. You must take every advantage, defeat your enemy and protect your comrades, worry about the rest later."

While Hastrel spoke, Rikar recovered enough to regain his footing. He was obviously still in a lot of pain, but was making his way over to Hastrel, his intentions quite clear. Serana pondered warning Hastrel, but decided against it. He didn't need her help.

"Oh, and another lesson for you all." Hastrel smiled and, without looking, kicked out behind himself like a horse. His boot driving into Rikar's gut, sending him back down yet again. "If you're going to sneak up on somebody, make sure they can't see your shadow."

"Maybe you should take up a career teaching." Serana smirked. "You seemed to have enjoyed it."

"Yeah." Hastrel drawled through a spoonful of stew. "I enjoyed it as much as that time I rode a troll off a cliff, but I have to give the edge to the troll. Those recruits were not quite as whiney, and I didn't have to get stabby."

"You could have stabbed people." Serana shrugged. "You did beat that Rikar up quite a bit."

It was Hastrel's turn to shrug. "Had it coming."

"Oh?"

"Absolutely."

"Care to elaborate, Hastrel?"

"He was being rude and impolite." Hastrel swirled his spoon around his stew. "And I didn't feel like tolerating any of it. The others would have gotten the same treatment, but they were smart enough to keep it low-key."

"What, because of what he said about me?" It was honestly the only thing Serana could think of that Rikar had done. She, and Hastrel too, hadn't even noticed him before then.

"Sure, why not." Hastrel didn't meet Serana's eyes, choosing to focus on his food.

"You do realize I get that from everyone here right?" Serana used her thumb to point to the other tables around them. Most were occupied, and what few were not glaring in Serana's direction were whispering back and forth most like about her as well. "I could care less."

Mortal and vampire were often the focus of attention within the Dawnguard mess hall. Serana meant it when she said she could care less. Their comments and stares meant nothing, no, meant less than nothing as far as she was concerned.

"There are certain things I can't stand." Hastrel looked up, spoon waving at Serana and eyes alight with a fire Serana hadn't seen before. "And bad behavior is one of them. Besides, you've done nothing to deserve it."

"I am a vampire, in case you missed that."

"Kinda hard to miss, Serana. But it doesn't matter. Until you do something that warrants it, they should treat you with at least a tiny bit of respect. You're siding with them against your own family and they want to treat you like a plague? The gall." Hastrel snarled under his breath.

"Last I checked, vampires are seen as a plague by most." Serana was almost rendered speechless, almost. "And an argument could be made for that."

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"Yup, vampires are about as much a plague as the Thalmor, Stormcloaks, or even the Empire. They're just another group of people, good apples, rotten apples." Hastrel brushed off Serana's words. "No race or group are bad to a person. It's a fact of life."

"And what about the Falmer?" Serana was left grasping for something to say to hide her… honestly, she wasn't sure how she felt. She had to come up with something to not look like a complete fool.

"We don't see them very often unless we're kicking down their front door and raiding their homes. Can't say if they're all bad or not. If I meet one who won't attack me on sight, then I'll happily not kill him."

Serana suddenly was reminded of their first meeting. Hastrel hadn't killed her on the same spot for that exact reason. What would have happened if it were anyone else who stumbled across her tomb, and found Serana in her weakened state?

Quite obvious what would have happened, Serana would be a rotting corpse still sitting in that cavern.

Serana began to mentally panic. She had nothing left to say, Hastrel's words had thrown her mind into complete disarray. And for some odd reason, she didn't want to lose face in front of Hastrel.

Hastrel had just turned his gaze back on Serana when the vampiress received help from the most unlikely of places.

"Oh, hey Hastrel. I'm… not interrupting, am I?" Agmaer appeared beside their table.

"Not at all!" Hastrel smiled up at the young Nord. "Pull up a crate and have a seat."

"I don't know…" Agmaer hesitated, eyes briefly running over Serana. Unlike many of the other Dawnguard, his look was not one of hatred or disgust, but merely caution and worry. It was a refreshing change.

"Nah." Hastrel seized Agmaer by the arm and pulled him down to the bench, almost spilling Agmaer's bowl in the process. "We got plenty of room here, besides, Serana doesn't bite. Well, not much anyway."

"Only when I'm hungry." Serana flashed a fang filled smile. Probably not the wisest course of action, but Serana couldn't help tease him a bit.

"Y… yeah." Agmaer paled at the sight but didn't run away. The boy had more courage than he knew.

"So, what brings you to our cozy corner of Fort Dawnguard?" Hastrel twirled his spoon around in his fingers, once more demonstrating his inhuman dexterity. "Can't be the food, I usually get better at inns.

"I was hoping, later of course, that you could maybe show me some of what you did earlier?" Agmaer, for the first time Serana had heard him speak, didn't stutter all that much. She briefly wondered if he had rehearsed this.

"Sure, why not." Serana had expected Hastrel to turn him down. He seemed to despise teaching, but maybe there was something about Agmaer he liked.

"Ask your question already." Serana snapped, not wanting to deal with the side looks from him anymore.

"W… what?" Agmaer obviously didn't want to, but he looked Serana in the eye. "Ask what?"

"You keep looking over here, yes I know you think I'm scary, but you want to ask something. It's the other reason you're here." Serana's eyes narrowed. "Now ask."

"Alright…" Agmaer gulped. "Hastrel?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you letting… her, follow you around?" Not the first time somebody called Serana 'it', but at least Agmaer wasn't outright trying to do it in front of her, unlike a certain bald redguard.

"Is that a trick question?" Hastrel chuckled. "She's good in a fight, pleasant company, and I don't meet many vampires who don't want to pick a fight. I'm fine keeping her around unless she doesn't want to anymore."

Hastrel said it all like it was the simplest things in the world, but Serana could only stare in disbelief. It was quite possibly some of the nicest things anyone had ever said about her. All of this coming from a mortal vampire hunter to boot.

If Serana had an actual heartbeat, this was probably the part where it would be skipping.

"You have no problem with her watching your back or not killing you in your sleep?" Agmaer was even more flabbergasted than Serana was. "I mean, you would be dead and not even know it."

"She hasn't killed me yet." Hastrel motioned to Serana with his head. "And she's had plenty of opportunities. So yes, I have no problem whatsoever."

Agmaer glanced from Hastrel to Serana and back and forth, almost as if thinking heavily on something. "If you're sure she's alright…" Agmaer hesitated.

"I am."

"Then welcome to Fort Dawnguard, Serana."

One last note for everyone, the chapter Meeting Dexion is going to be completely deleted when Guardian itself is finally erased. That means this will be the last chapter to be reuploaded. From here on out, all chapters will be new and from scratch. At least there will be more if I still have readers, so review to let me know you're still there.