A/N: To state the obvious, this story contains spoilers for Dawnguard. There. Have fun reading, now.

Chapter Two

Fort Dawnguard rested on the edge of the world, or it felt like it after Diana emerged from the pass. Any farther south, and she would cross into Cyrodill. The tunnel had opened out into a valley surrounded by high-reaching peaks. Birch trees dominated the landscape, and Diana thought she heard the roar of a waterfall in the distance. She shook her head and pulled out the letter. The map indicated a path would lie just ahead. She refolded it and stored it back in her pack, taking a deep breath. It was better to be out in the fresh air, at least. Caves were so stifling, especially when traveling in a full suite of armor.

She took off down the slope into dayspring canyon. As she walked along, she discovered that not only one waterfall lay ahead, but a whole cliff-face of them. The scene would have been beautiful if it were not for the reason she traveled there. Not too far from the waterfalls, the footpath started up. A young man stood at the end of the road, looking around nervously. He started down one fork in the path, then stopped and backed up. Diana shook her head. "You lost?" she cried out.

The man jumped and looked up. "Oh, hey there," he said. "You here to join the Dawnguard too?"

She nodded and pointed down the correct path. "That's where they are, in case you're wondering." She set off and the man followed.

"Truth is, I'm a little nervous." He looked down at her dragonbone sword. "I've never done anything like this before." Diana had to hold back a chuckle. The boy could not be more green. Not only did he lack armor, his sole weapon was a woodcutter's axe hanging from his belt, most likely taken from the farm he had just fled. "I hope you don't mind if I walk up with you." Diana shrugged in response. She doubted the boy would change his actions no matter her answer. He looked around, craning his neck for a glance at the fort. "My name is Agmaer, by the way."

"Diana," she replied.

The boy still looked jumpy as they walked. He kept glancing into the trees and staring off into the brush as if a vampire might leap out of hiding. "Hey, uh, don't tell Isran I was afraid to meet him by myself," he said. "Not the best first impression for a new vampire hunter, I guess."

Diana frowned and picked up her pace a little. The boy's naive attitude did not sit well with her. Durak had said they were recruiting elite warriors, not farmer's hands. "I think this Isran would respect you more for admitting your fears."

"Oh." The boy fell silent, and for a moment Diana hoped that it would remain that way. "You've probably killed lots of vampires, huh?"

Diana smiled despite her irritation. "No, actually." She had rarely encountered them, and when she did, she found starved, feral creatures or cultist followings. Still, she did not enjoy the mindset "vampire hunter" this Isran was cultivating. It encouraged people to look down upon all of those touched by daedric magic, such as the werewolves of the Companions.

The boy plowed on in the conversation. "Well, I'm sure Isran will sign you right up. Not sure he'll take me. I hope so."

Diana did not respond to this, and thankfully the boy stayed quiet. Then, they rounded one last corner and the cliffs fell away to reveal a towering fortress, larger than any Diana had seen in all of Skyrim. The multiple keeps rose above the surrounding pines, dwarfing even some of the mountain peaks. It was possibly larger than Dragonsreach. She whistled.

The boy laughed. "It's bigger than I expected too," he said.

"I wonder if they're serious about this whole vampire killing." Diana noted the defensible positions and courtyard walls. Anything that tried to enter the canyon would have to make its way through a volley of arrows first.

As they traveled up the path, Diana expected to see recruits like Agmaer camped out by the dozens, but there were none. Perhaps Isran really is selectively recruiting, she thought.

The boy kicked at a loose rock along the path. "This place looks deserted."

They walked farther along the path and Diana saw someone standing at the archery range. The orc, Durak, lowered his crossbow and turned to watch them. "They're here," Diana muttered.

Beyond the archery range started the great stone walkway up to the fortress entrance. As they mounted the first steps, Agmaer said, "I guess this is it. Wish me luck."

Diana smiled. The boy would need more than luck, but she did not fault him for trying. It took bravery to barge into an order of vampire hunters with no training. Her distant manner only acted to misplace her worry for the boy. He would end up dead, more than likely. Part of the reason Diana worked so hard with the Companions was to make sure young men and women with no training could stay home. Her efforts were of little use when they put themselves at risk anyways.

A sentry waited at the top of the stairs. He nodded at them and called out, "New recruits?"

Diana shook her head and pulled the letter from her pouch. "I was requested," she said.

The man raised his brow. "Harbinger," he said. The boy glanced at her with widened eyes. "Please, Isran awaits you inside."

As Diana tugged at the large, oak door, the boy scrambled to help her. "Harbinger," he said. "I am so sorry. I should have been more respectful. Please forgive me for-"

"Can we please pretend you never heard that?" Diana asked. The boy might have replied, but two people argued inside the keep. Diana shut the door as quietly as she could and stood at the sidelines. The two men took no notice of them as they yelled at one another.

A Vigilant of Stendarr stood in the center of a circular, sun-flooded hall. He spoke with another man - Isran, he called him - retelling of a loss inflicted by the vampires. It sounded like petty bickering until the Vigilant said, "They're all dead, Isran. The hall destroyed. You were right and we were wrong. Is that not enough?"

This declaration caught Diana's attention. If the Vigilants of Stendarr had been wiped out, the vampires were a far greater threat than she imagined. "I never wanted any of this to happen," said Isran. Such comforting words. She did not imagine she would get along with this Isran. Without so much as a clap on the shoulder, Isran walked away from the vigilant and right up to Diana. "So who are you?" he asked. "What do you want?"

She studied the man for a moment. He was a tall redguard, bald save for the large beard he sported. He carried himself like a warrior. "I am answering your summons." She tossed the letter at him. Isran did not bother to unfold it.

"So, the proud Harbinger finally honors us with her presence. Feel like killing some vampires?" He gestured at the hall they stood in. Cobwebs hung from the walls. The tapestries were threadbare. In all honesty, the inside of the keep appeared to be in shambles. "We are hardly rebuilt as it is. I don't blame you for wanting to sit in the warmth of Jorrvaskr."

"I'm here to save lives," said Diana. She had to push down the overwhelming urge to shred the man's throat. It would be so easy. She only needed to shift. "If you can't think of a way I can do that, I'll leave."

"Would you hold for just one moment?" He furrowed his brow. "Damn it, we need someone out in the field, taking the fight to the vampires while I rebuild here. Isn't that what the Companions do?"

Diana sighed and removed her helmet. She shook out her hair. "So you had me come all the way to the Fort just to send me out again?"

Isran smiled. It made him look maniacal. "Had to see how dedicated you were." Oh, she was going to enjoy this. He turned and walked back to the center of the room where the vigilant still stood. "Tolan was telling me about a cave the vigilants tracked some vampires to. What did you call it? Dimhollow?"

The vigilant, Tolan, nodded and turned to face Diana. "That's the place," he said. "Dimhollow Crypt. Brother Adalvold was sure it held some kind of long lost vampire artifact of some kind."

Diana rolled her eyes. "How convenient."

"None of us are so sure either," said Tolan. "But there are certainly a lot of the monsters-" She tried not to flinch at the use of the word monster. "-hiding out in there." He pulled a folded map from his satchel and handed it to her. "This should show you the way."

"Well." Isran walked over to a crate. He picked up something, she could not exactly see what, and turned it over. "You have your orders. I'll see you upon your return from Dimhollow Crypt." Diana nodded, but before she could turn and leave, Isran tossed whatever he held at her. She caught the heavy object and realized it was a crossbow. "You'll need that," he said, then tossed her a sleeve of bolts for it. Before he could laden her with any more things, Diana left the fortress and started on her journey for Dimhollow Crypt.

At Dimhollow Crypt

Diana crouched behind the balcony railing as she listened to the vampires argue. They walked into the center of the cavern, a strange, circular platform, and talked about their next move. From what she had gathered so far, the central platform guarded a treasure, Adalvold had died rather than tell them how to operate it, and they took orders from someone named Harkon. Great.

At first, she had considered the crossbow a nuisance more than anything else, but now, perched atop a stone ledge in a dimly-lit cavern, it seemed the perfect tool for what she needed to do. The vampires had stopped talking and explored the platform. She could not have them actually get what they slaughtered a whole order of warriors for, so she intervened.

She loaded a steel bolt in the device and balanced it on the crumbling railing, targeting one of their thralls first, someone who would go down with one shot. She pulled the trigger and the bolt flew across the cavern. No sooner had it embedded itself in the target did the thrall slump over and die. She loaded another bolt.

The other vampires immediately noticed their fallen comrade and took off in search of the intruder. Diana took aim again and felled the other thrall. She shouldered the crossbow in exchange for her sword and shield and waited at the top of the ledge. The vampires would find her soon enough.

They climbed the steps, calling out taunts in an effort to bait her. It would not work. She waited until the first vampire cautiously stepped up onto the balcony. She stepped up from her hiding place and ran forward. The vampire started casting a spell, but she ran her sword through his chest before he had even conjured armor. She pushed the body away with her foot and watched it slump over the side of the railing, falling down into the cavern depths. The remaining one cried out, a female. She sprinted up the steps at Diana, firing ice spikes with both hands. Diana dodged these easily enough and brought her sword around for another cut. The vampire sidestepped at the last minute and her blade only nicked the arm. She redoubled her attack and succeeded in slicing cleanly through her midsection. The vampire died with a groan and she sheathed her blade. Time to find whatever the vampires wanted.

The central platform was extremely odd, up close. Grooves had been cut into the floor in an intricate pattern and unlit stone braziers lay fitted into it, almost like a track. She walked across the stone floor cautiously. It was a seal of some kind, but to what she could not determine. An obelisk in the middle had a depression in the top, almost like something was missing from it. Diana approached it slowly and ran a hand over it, wondering if a lever had been knocked out of place.

Pain lanced through her as a spike shot up from out of the depression, straight through her gauntlet, impaling her hand. "By the gods!" she cried out. Her blood trickled over the stone, and she nearly sank to her feet in shock, but as quickly as it had impaled her, the spike retracted. Diana felt an odd warmth radiate from her hand and she held it up to the light. The armor remained punctured, but her hand was whole again. "This is not good," she muttered. A hum resonated through the cavern and a deep, purple light shot up from the ring surrounding the central obelisk. "Really not good." The whole thing stank of necromancy.

The light flickered. It traveled along the cut grooves, hitting one of the braziers and igniting it. It continued along the path, zigzagging and hitting every brazier before returning to the central ring. The floor underneath her shifted. The sound of stone rubbing against itself resonated through the cavern, and Diana took a staggering step back and fell over as the ground sank. She waited while the chamber lowered around the central obelisk, which turned out to be a rather large pillar. When the floor finally ceased to move, she stood and approached the pillar. Whatever the vampires had been seeking, it was in there. She brought a hand up to the cool stone surface . There had to be a handle or secret lever somewhere.

The stone shifted again. The face of the pillar dropped away. Diana's eyes widened in disbelief as a person slumped out of the cell, a woman. She stepped forward on shaky legs and Diana rushed forward to catch her before she fell to the ground. The woman fell into her arms and groaned. She felt the curves pressing into her, even through the layer of armor. Diana shook her head. There was no way she would think about that.

She helped the woman to her feet, noticing the low-cut bodice and old-fashioned cloak and pendant fastened around her neck. When she inhaled, she caught a peculiar scent, almost like rose water, yet it made her pulse quicken. No, still not going to think about that. Dark hair framed a delicate face with high cheekbones. She was lovely, to say the least. The woman blinked and looked up at Diana. She gasped and took a step back. The woman's eyes glowed the iridescent red of a vampire. She did not seem too thrilled to see Diana either. Her brow furrowed.

"Uh, where is..." Her gaze traveled over Diana's form, probably trying to decide if she were in danger. "Who sent you here?"

Well, that was odd. "Um, who were you expecting?" Diana could not think of how else to address the woman.

"I was expecting someone like me, at least," she said.

"Oh." What to say… should she kill her? No, this woman had not threatened her in any way. "And what do you mean by like you?" Yes, so full of tact.

The woman sighed. "Can't you tell just by looking at me? A vampire."

"Oh, of course, yes." She swallowed. Some urge tugged at her deep within. Something primal. She mentally pushed the inner beast aside. "And why exactly were you locked away?"

"It's a long story." The woman smiled. "And I'm supposing I've been out for a while, which would make it even longer." She chuckled at her own joke. When Diana did not do anything, she took a deep breath. "But if you help me get back home I might be able to fill you in."

Escort the mysterious vampire to her home? She knew Isran would rather kill the woman in an instant, but something about the choice did not sit well with her. No, she seemed different from the other vampires. If Diana slaughtered her without cause, she would be no different than the Silver Hand, the damned pack of werewolf hunters. "I suppose I could do that," she said.

The woman's smile widened. "Thank you so much."

Diana nodded. "It's no problem," she said. "My name is Diana, by the way."

"Serana." The woman inclined her head slightly, as if in greeting. "Let's find the way out of here before anything else. I'm tired of breathing such dense air."

Diana was already beginning to doubt her motives for helping Serana, and fearing what Isran may do to her if he discovered the truth. What she saw next drove all other worries from her mind, however. Serana turned to look for the cave exit. An elder scroll hung from her back, resting neatly in a sling.