Light Flashes in the Darkness

by bexaday

Yuri has accomplished so much in such a short lifetime,and as the Dargonborn this isn't unexpected. The killings of townspeople must be stopped and Yuri takes it upon herself to do so, but in doing this she finds a connection to a Vampire Lord in Dimhollow Crypt that could drag her Light into the Darkness as it will challenge herself and her emotions, more than she thought possible

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Into Dimhollow Crypt

A/N: Her we go again with another chapter. I feel now I can full break into the story now, but thank you to the people who followed and favourited this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Elder Scrolls series

Yuri POV

I can feel that presence again, gently probing around me and I know this is what woke me up. My eyes open and they squint in reflex to sun rays lighting up the cave, I groan as my body creaks from the trek in the snow and that's when I feel it again, weaker this time but it is still there and my walls around my mind go up and it slowly fades away. I frown as I back away my gear as I get ready to enter the Crypt. Whatever this consciousness is it is coming from inside the Crypt, I can feel it. I sigh as I fasten my quiver on my back and I sling my bow on my back before attaching my short sword on my belt.

Isran told me that vampires have been gathering at this Crypt for a while and they have bee causing quite the stir, in fact I wouldn't be involved if they weren't causing such a commotion. I sigh as I pull on my boots and fasten them as I reach out with my mind and see if I can find that presence and I come up empty handed, a drop of disappoint touches me as I find nothing, I know that that presence wasn't malicious, it was purely curious and a part of me wonders whether what the vampires are trying to find isn't what they expect it to be. I tie the fastenings on my Nightingale armour before venturing outside and I cover my eyes as I look up to see how far the entrance is and instead of seeing the big entrance like those on the Barrows, it is literally a simple cave entrance, which means that it is deep underground, a chill goes down my back, I was never good at being deep in the earth, let alone surrounded by vampires, I shake my head at the craziness of the situation as I begin the walk towards the entrance as I chew on some dried meat that I packed before leaving Whiterun.

I crouch down as I see movement at the entrance and my hand instinctively towards my bow as I slowly remove it from my back as I grab an arrow from my quiver and I notch it as I watch the black shape move slightly and that's when I hear people talking,

"I don't understand why we have to stand on guard, it isn't like any of those Vigilantes are going to find us, they are all dead" One mutters and I can see him shift his weight from one foot to the other,

"We stand guard because we have been told to, we shouldn't question the masters orders" The female says but I cannot see her, which means I cannot predict what she is going to do because I don't need her running into the cave and alerting other vampires, I bite the inside of my cheek and I glance down to my bow which glows with the fire enchantment runes, it is a risk I am going to have to take if I want to get into the cave, besides I am sure I can stop her in time. I pull back the arrow and the string goes taunt and I let it fly into the vampire's chest. I hear the sick thunk of the arrow hitting its mark and I watch as he erupts into flames and is nothing more than a pile of ashes. With the vampire gone I can see the other vampire clearly and she is stood there stunned at the sight before her, I grab another arrow from my quiver and I fire it at her, and just as her glowing red eyes meet mine the arrow goes straight into her skull, splitting the skull and pieces of brain splatter against the cave wall as the arrow pierces straight through to the other side of her skull and she explodes into flames and is nothing more than ash in the wind before her body even hits the ground. I slowly sneak over to their ashes and gather some of them before proceeding into the cave and it takes a sharp downwards walkway, lit only by the occasional cluster of glowing mushrooms and the odd torch which is burning in the sconces. I take a deep breath as a shiver goes down my spine as I go deep into the ground in search for whatever these vampires are looking for. I take my last breath of fresh Skyrim air and enter the depths of the Crypt.

This is similar to a lot of the other caverns in Skyrim, it starts within a cavern but eventually there is an opening to an actual building that has fallen into ruin, which is normally teeming with Draugr. I turn slightly as I hear faint footfalls to my right and I can barely make out the silhouette of a vampire as they stand behind a gate next to the corpse of a dead Frostbite Spider and I can hear them rambling and it makes no sense, it is disjointed and clearly this vampire is overwhelmed with bloodlust, in some cases I actually feel sorry for these creatures, because they were once people and because of this disease they have been reduced to something that waits in the dark with not a shred of humanity left let alone they person they used to be. I pull another arrow from my quiver and it flies straight into the heart of this vampire and he collapses into himself and I can see the burn beginning and spreading faster than I could imagine, a low moan comes from the dying creature and to end its suffering I add two more arrows into the pitiful creature before me as it slowly dies. I open the doors by pulling the lever beside me and they swing open to something that is much older than anywhere else I have been, the walls are faded and I can just about make out a faint pattern that used to adorn this corridor.

This place hasn't seen sunlight in thousands of years, the hairs on the back of my head stand up as I slowly make my down the corridor, those doors hadn't been open since the had been locked and I can tell because my footprints are visible from the dust on the floor, although my footprints are light and shallow from experience of not wanting to be detected. I pull the hood up on my armour and I let the armour help to cloak me and help me melt into the shadows. It feels like it takes an age before I reach the end of the corridor and I cannot help but gasp as I take in the view in front of me. I am currently stood on top of a ancient tower and I look down and I can see a thin bridge that looks like it could barely withstand the weight of a child let alone a fully grown person and under the bridge is a black depth which ripples from the faint light which pours in through the crakes in the ceiling meaning it can only be water. The bridge leads onto an island in the middle of the chamber and it has various braziers on and something in the middle but I cannot see it from where I am currently squatting. I go to stand when I hear voices.

"Lokil, you have no idea what is in there, you have no idea what you are going to unleash" A gruff voice says and I reach the corner of the tower and I can see a man who has been stripped down to his undergarments on his knees and covered in dirt, he is stood before two vampires and the hair on my neck stands up painfully as I look at the male vampire, there is so much power coming from him, he is different. I warily make my way closer to them to hear more of their conversation. The male vampire laughes,

"Adalvald, it is you that has no idea of the power within there, and to think you have only made it this far to die. Atleast you will die knowing the vampires won" Lokil says and his hand moves so fast I barely see it and then blood is spurting from Adalvald's neck and I can see his eyes go wide and they flicker around in panic as life slowly drains out of them and I take a small step forward and his eyes meet mine and I freeze up, by the Gods don't let the vampires notice. I can see the fear in his eyes, he doesn't want to die. I send a prayer to the Eight to grant this man some peace in Soverngarde as he falls back limp with blood still pumping heavily out of the vein in his neck.

"Now let us open this coffin, Harkon will be so pleased we-" he starts but he doesn't finish it as my arrow pierces through his neck, with all the rage I could have mustered, I pulled back my bowstring as far as I could and let it fly, his death was cruel and inhumane, nobody deserves that.

Blood bursts out of the gaping wound my arrow made and he gurgles before I fire two more arrows into his body and he recoils before hitting the ground as his flesh begins to blacken and he shakes. His female companion roars before charging at me and I drop my bow and I draw my short sword and I dodge her blow and my blade sings as it cuts through the bone and sinew of her neck muscles and spine and her head goes flying and her body drops with a thump on the ground and I smile and I run back and grab my bow and I load an arrow as I hear feet staggering to stand up and I swing round and the vampire is so close so that the tip of my arrow is pushing against his Lokils' chest. My eyes go wide in shock and my eyes lock onto his and his face is warped by rage and on instinct I let the arrow fly and he staggers back as more flames dance along his flesh, burning as they go. Lokil hisses in pain and his orange eyes burn themselves into my memory, fear passes through me and I take a deep breath and drop my bow and pull out my dagger from my boot and I run at the vampire, Lokil snarls and his white teeth glisten in the weak light and he fires magic at me but I dodge his ice blast and I twist to the right as I dodge a ice spike but I take a deep breath as pain goes through me as it managed to clip my side, tearing at my armour. I am sure if I hadn't of had my armour it would be more than a simple cut. I keep the momentum up and I swing the dagger and the vampire dodges but my other hand forms a fist and I let the momentum carry it as it crashes into the side of the vampires face and it stuns him long enough for me to stab my dagger into his gut and he doubles over as I yank out the blade before driving it through the back of his skull. Lokil lets out a cry which is ended as my blade entered his skull. Lokils' body slumps to one side and I kick him off the bridge and I breathe deeply as only now am I aware of my laboured breaths. I place the dagger back in my boot as I sit down as my limbs are heavy with fatigue and they burn slightly.

As I regain my breath I pick up on that presence which I had been searching for and I probe it slightly and before I can make a connection to it, it fades away and I can sense its agitation at this. I stand up and I wince as the adrenaline begins to wear off and I can feel the cut from the ice spike and I fear it is worse than I thought. I take in a deep breath and pain prickles from the cut, I would heal it myself but I am too tired from the fight so it will have to wait. I walk over the bridge and strangely enough it doesn't give way and only now do I fully see what this island contains. It looks like some kind of summoning area, the floor has grooves cut into it with five braziers which are linked by three circles which band around these braizers. In the middle is this button, I approach cautiously when I feel that presence again and this time it is a lot stronger, I can feel it under my feet, dragging me towards the button. I frown, why should I do what this presence wants me to do? It could be anything. My gut is guiding me towards the button, but I don't see anything that will harm me here, I see no traps or anything.

I shrug and I place my right hand on the button and press and that's when blinding pain goes through my hand and I crouch over my hand as I look at the large spike in my hand and I cry out in pain. I try to yank my hand off it but the pain increases and I grit my teeth and a bead of sweat trickles through my hairline and that's when the spike disappears. The cavern shakes as a purple flame appears in one of the braziers. I clench my hand and I look down at it and there is no sign of there being a spike through it. By the Gods what is this?! I turn my hand over and the only sign is a faint band of a scar from the outline of the spike. I sigh as I watch the purple flame glow on the outer ring, I then look to the brazier and back to the flames when I feel the presence again, this time it is urging me to push the brazier and I comply without thinking, despite all my internal alarm bells going off, I carry out what the presence asks of me until all the braziers are lit.

As I push the last brazier into place the cavern shakes as the circle descends into steps and a coffin of some kind appears in the middle, where the pedestal was. I slowly walk towards it and when nothing emerges I slide back the cover only to find a person. I blink is surprise and that's when it registers that they are falling. I manage to grab them before they hit the ground. Golden eyes meet mine and they blink rapidly, like someone who has been woken up from a long sleep. Then that's when I feel it, that presence, it was her! My eyes glance over her and I struck by how… beautiful she is, her skin is pale as snow and her hair is dark, darker than any I have ever seen, and it seems to make her skin glow even more, her features are fine and are truly beautiful to look at and my heart jumps into my throat. The mysterious woman clears her throat and I blink rapidly as I regain my senses,

"I am sorry, I was a bit surprised" I manage to say over the lump in my throat and I try to calm the heat which is rushing to my face, the mysterious woman smirks slightly,

"You can imagine my surprise too, I didn't expect someone like you to be the one to wake me up" She says and her voice carries an accent which is familiar but unknown to me at the same time and her voice is smooth and calm and I find it unnerving, I manage to look at her properly in the eyes when it dawns on me.

"Someone like me? Does that mean you're…" I trail off, is it rude to ask someone if they are a vampire? I don't know what to say or do around this new person, I mean vampire.

"Yes, I am a vampire, I thought it was going to be someone of my own kind to awake me but I am just thankful someone woke me properly" She says with a frown,

"Properly? Have you been awake for the entire time that you have been in there?" I ask and she shrugs,

"Not until recently, I have felt a presence that was enough to awaken me, which must be you" She says and I can hear the curiosity in her tone and I smile slightly,

"I have been sensing you too, my name is Yuri" I say as my gut knots and my hands feel clammy, something about this mysterious woman is different to other vampires, there is not so much darkness there, I can feel it.

"Well Yuri, you have my thanks for freeing me, my name is Serena by the way" I smile as I mule over the name in my mind, committing it to memory.

"So Serena, how long were you in there?" I ask as I shift slightly to stop my armour rubbing against the wound the ice spike caused. Serena frowns,

" I have no idea, tell me who is Skyrims' High King?"

"It will be Queen Eislif when the war ends" I say and she looks shocked,

"War? What war?"

"The Jarl of Windhelm, Ulfiric Stormcloack leads a rebellion against the Empire for the White-Gold Concordat" I say slowly as Serena's eyes go wide at this new knowledge.

"Empire? When was there an Empire,?" My eyes go wide with shock; she is definitely older than she looks. "It looks like I was in there longer than I thought, look if you take me to my family's home, I can get my bearings and I am sure my father will reward you, they aren't the type to move round so they are probably still in the same place" Serena says and I can detect the bitterness in her voice and caring swirls inside of me but I crush it, I have only just met her, it would be rude to start asking about something so personal, I give her a sympathetic look.

"So where are we going?" I ask and her golden eyes bore into mine and my insides tighten under her gaze.

"To Castle Volkihar, its off the coast of Solitude"

A/N: here is another chapter, let me know what you think and whatnot, oh and thank you for reading – Bexaday