Chapter 2: Fear the Dead
"This is the fabled Fort Dawnguard?" Alessia muttered as a stone tower came into view over the trees. Jasa shook the dust from her mane and snorted as if she was less than impressed also. The place looked as though a slight breeze could send the walls collapsing to the ground. The forest had claimed a vast majority of the outer edges. And what was left of the fort barricade was rotted away. It was an absolute ruin.
The journey had been a long one. And one fret with dangers. What with the vampires out in force and one monstrosity after another, the trip took far longer than she'd hoped. Longer than either she or Jasa liked really. She wanted this mess with the vampires dealt with quickly, though she feared that was wishful thinking. Talos only knew what mischief those bastards were really up to.
Lucia hadn't taken long to recover. Between Arcadia's potions and Ysolda's culinary miracles the girl couldn't have remained ill had she tried. Lars Battle-Born and Mila Valentina, Lucia's two best friends, visited every day bringing flowers and a new book they read to her for hours on end. Within a week, Lucia was begging to go outside and play with her friends. Even Braith, the Whiterun bully, seemed a little happy to have Lucia return to their games.
Lydia, however, hadn't been quite as lucky. The sanguinare vampiris clung to the woman like vines to a tree. But Arcadia was stubborn and the housecarl eventually recovered. Alessia had promised to report to the Dawnguard the moment Lucia was well, but refused to leave until she knew Lydia was going to survive. For the first few days the woman refused to speak to her liege. At last the silence broke when Lydia begged forgiveness.
Surprised, Alessia asked, "For what am I to forgive?"
"I am your housecarl. I am to protect you and all that you own with my life. I failed in my duty. I-"
"Lydia had you not been there many more would have been killed." Alessia interrupted. "You risked your own life so that others might live. I can ask no more than that."
Alessia smiled at the memory of Lucia and Lydia waving goodbye as Jasa bore her away. It made her both happy and sad. Both sweet and sour. But it was a memory, one of many, that would give her small moments of joy in the coming weeks. For sure they were going to be trying ones.
"Hello!" A man shouted. Jasa shied a little at his approach, calming as Alessia stroked the mare's long neck. "Oh, forgive me. I didn't mean to startle him."
"Her."
"Huh? I'm sorry. What?"
"Her. You didn't mean to startle her." Alessia corrected.
The man bent over and glanced at Jasa's underside for a moment. Reddening quite impressively the man then straightened and coughed slightly. "Oh, yes. I see."
What a strange person, Alessia thought, a little speechless. Jasa swished her tail and snorted, insulted.
A long, silent moment passed before she asked, "Might I help you with something?"
"Um, yes. My name is Agmaer. And I am… well, very lost." The man wrung his hands nervously. "You wouldn't by chance know the way to Dayspring Canyon, would you?"
"Fort Dawnguard?" Alessia pointed towards the crumbling towers. "That way. I'm traveling there myself."
"Ah, then not so lost after all." Agmaer's gaze followed her outstretched hand. "Then I shall accompany you. Never know when those vampires might attack a traveler on the road."
Alessia made a noncommittal response mostly not as to appear rude, though she had very little interest in speaking with the man. However, she was interested in what business the man had with the Dawnguard. Certainly not a fighter. The man had the demeanor of a farmer. His clothes were surely dirty enough.
Fearful that it might unwittingly spark another strange outburst, she decided to take the risk and speak. "So, what brings you here?"
"I was approached by an orc named Durak. Do you know him?" With a nod from Alessia, the man continued. "He explained the seriousness of the vampire situation and told me to come. Pa didn't think I should, but I want… Oh, I don't know… I just didn't want to live my whole life on the farm."
Ha! Farmer! I knew it, Alessia thought to herself while trying to hide a smile.
"Alright, I will admit… I am very nervous. I've never even seen a vampire before. The most experience I have in a fight is keeping the wolves from eating our goats. Isran may not even want me." Seeming to realized he was rambling, Agmaer looked Alessia up and down. "And what about you? You look a dangerous sort of woman."
Alessia did look quite formidable. Her armor was designed and crafted by herself. Modeled after the Nightingale Armor she had been given during her time with the Thieves Guild, though darker and specifically made to accommodate times when transforming into a large furry animal. The thread she used was enchanted, an experimental enchantment, that triggered banishment of the thread when it sensed the magic involved in transformation and a summoning that allowed the stitches to reform themselves. A trick she had learned quite my mistake and which promised to save her many hours of frustration repairing the damage done to the armor once her wolf was done shredding it. As far as weapons, Alessia carried a simple sword of plain steel, a dagger hidden in her sleeve, and the Nightingale Bow given to her by Karliah. She had never been able to replicate its power, and so settled for it being her weapon of choice.
"I've killed a few vampires of late." The said, trying to keep things light.
"Oh, then Isran will definitely want you. Do you mind if we walk up together?" Agmaer asked a little sheepishly. "I would prefer not to… um, not to be alone when talking with Isran for the first time."
Smiling, Alessia nodded and nudged Jasa into a slow pace that Agmaer could keep. As they came closer to the gates, there was a strange clack noise followed by the familiar sound of an arrow striking wood. Durak stood a short distance away from a large tree stump with an unusual metal sideways bow in his hands. The orc loaded the sideways bow with a very short arrow, braced it against his side, then fired. The short arrow shot from the bow and hit the stump with far greater power than that of a normal bow and arrow. Finally, Durak noticed the two watching and turned to face them with a shit eating grin on his ugly mug.
"So, you decided to show after all." He all but growled. His attention fell on Agmaer. "And who's this? One of your Companions?"
"I am Agmaer, Sir. Remember? The farm outside of-"
"Oh, yeah. I remember you. How's your father?" Durak smiled wickedly. "He still of a mind to chop my head off?"
"Um, that depends on whether or not I survive, Sir." Agmaer finally seemed to absorb Durak's earlier question. "Uh, Companion?"
Durak laughed. Heartily. "Didn't know you was traveling with the Harbinger, did you kid?"
"H-Harbinger!" Agmaer stammered and stared in awe at Alessia. "Wait? Does that also mean you're the…?"
Alessia sighed and tried not to glare at the orc who all but rolled on the ground in laughter. Obviously, Agmaer was one of the ones who'd heard the irritating rumors floating around about the Harbinger's true identity. "Yes. I am the Dragonborn. And I would prefer not to announce it to everyone, if you don't mind."
"Yes, Sir! Or Ma'am! My Lady?" Agmaer stammered.
Alessia shook her head and nudged Jasa onward. "Durak, you're an ass."
And again, that booming laughter followed the two as they approached the main gate.
The guard motioned for them to go inside after they had stated their business. Alessia dismounted and gave Jasa free reign to do as she pleased. The horse simply trotted off towards a small clearing most likely to graze while she waited for her master's call.
The inside of the fort was just as bad as the outside. Dust, cobwebs, mold and rot. The place stunk of rotten things almost to the point that Alessia couldn't bear it. She'd been in draugr infested catacombs that smelt better. A quick glance at Agmaer told her that the stench didn't bother him at all. She sighed internally. Sometimes being a werewolf… well stunk.
The echos of a heated argument reached her ears. Obviously loud enough that her companion heard it also. Two men stood shouting in the next room. The one with his back turned to them set off a little alarm in the back of Alessia's brain. He was a Vigilant. A militant order of priests that followed the teachings of Stendarr, the Divine of Mercy and Justice. Normally, the Vigilants of Stendarr tended to focus on evil beings that preyed upon innocents. Namely vampires, witches, Daedra and the occasional feral or rogue werewolf.
What her pack had achieved was rare. Were-creatures tended to be solitary beasts, preferring to keep out of society all together. For the best in most cases since the call of the beast was so strong. Accidents happened and innocence died. And to someone with a gentle heart, sometimes the stress was simply too much and they went rogue. Feral wolves were dangerous. Out of control and very hard to kill. These were the monsters that the Vigilant hunted. The Circle, the Companion leadership and werewolf members, kept each other in check, used their curse to aid others, and kept their secret well. Alessia had been the first mortal turned in many, many years and that wasn't by hers or by any of the Circle's choice.
Needless to say, Alessia was wary of the robed man arguing with who she believed to be the infamous Isran. The man looked intimidating. Even for her. He was big. A Redguard by the look of him. And he was angry.
"I distinctly remember Keeper Carcette telling me that the fort was a dusty old ruin that wasn't worth the time or manpower to restore. And now you're, what, crawling to the Dawnguard for safety?" Isran growled. "I told you, Tolan. I am done with the Vigilants."
"Keeper Carcette is dead, Isran! They are all dead!" The other man, Tolan, shouted. "The vampires attacked the Hall of the Vigilant!"
Isran harrumphed. "And I'm supposed to care?"
"They are looking for something, Isran. Something buried in that crypt just that side of the mountain." Tolan grew quiet, glaring at Isran when the Redguard said nothing. "If you're not going to do something, I guess I'm on my own."
Then he marched from the room, shoving past Alessia and Agmaer and slamming his way through the door. Isran just stared after the man and muttered something foul. It took a moment but he finally seemed to notice that he and Tolan had had an audience.
"You two, come here." Alessia and Agmaer obeyed and once she stood before Isran she saw just how big the guy really was. At least a head taller than she. "Who are you?"
"Agmaer, Sir."
"Ah, yes. The farmer boy. Durak told me about you." Isran turned to Alessia. "So I guess that would make you the Harbinger. Durak told me about you too. So? Don't think the vampires command your full company of Companions, huh?"
She tried. She really did, but something about him rubbed Alessia the wrong way. "Apparently neither do you. Otherwise you wouldn't have let that Vigilant go face them on his own."
"Ha! Well, look at the mouth on this one." Isran sneered. "Alright then, recruit, how about you follow him and figure out what those vampires are trying to dig up. Save him if you can, but don't start playing hero and getting yourself killed. I'm not taking the blame if another Harbinger gets killed for being a fool."
The two stared at one another, waiting for the other to break eye contact first. Poor Agmaer just stood there, his head going back and forth between the two. Tension rose and Alessia just didn't give a damn. No one spoke of Kodlak in that way. No one. Especially not this self righteous son of a…
"What about you kid?" Isran turned his back on Alessia and spoke to Agmaer. "What can you do?"
Ignoring the rest of the conversation, Alessia turned on her heel and set to catching up with Vigilant Tolan. She could only hope to reach him before he did something foolish.
Alessia loved snow. It smelt clean and crisp. And it was beautiful. At least it was in much smaller quantity. A blizzard, on the other hand, was not beautiful. It was in fact a pain in the frozen ass. The icy droplets stung her eyes and blinded her sense of smell which made tracking impossible. Even worse, it destroyed any and all chances of catching up with Vigilant Tolan.
Poor Jasa marched on determinedly up the mountain. Alessia might have dismounted and carried on as a wolf long ago, but with the Hall of the Vigilant so recently attacked she thought it unwise. Priests who were not present during the attack would be on high alert and spoiling for a fight. Last thing she wanted was to run into one of them, or even Vigilant Tolan for that matter, and be forced into a conflict.
She had seen the cave once before in her travels, but had never had cause to enter such a place. At the moment though the snow was making the opening fairly difficult to locate. It was only by sheer luck that her eyes noticed the small flicker of firelight on the cliffs above. Perhaps she had finally caught up to Tolan. The cliff was treacherous in the best of weather, but now she didn't dare risk the trek mounted. Jasa snorted with relief as Alessia dismounted and led the horse to a small sheltering recess in the rocks. It wasn't perfect, but adequate for the time being.
Scaling the cliff side was a task, but doable when she took her time. Halfway up she thanked the gods that she'd always preferred light armor. Even with her lycanthropic strength, she couldn't imagine having climb in heavy iron or steel armor. Once at the top she found that the source of firelight she had seen from below was the dying light of a fallen torch. Maybe dropped by Tolan? Bow in hand, Alessia entered the darkness of the cave.
The place smelt musty and damp, and slightly of bat droppings. The normal for a cave with running water, which she could plainly hear, that allowed the growth and decay of plants, moss and fungus. She followed the narrow pathway for only a few yards before it opened into a larger room. A waterfall roared just to the right of the opening, leaving a precarious ledge to the left.
Looking further inward she noticed movement on the far side of the cavern. Three figures, two humanoids and one canine, stood huddled together conversing. It was difficult to make out the conversation over the waterfall but she managed well enough to get the gist. Tolan was dead.
Alessia notched an arrow and took aim at the furthest target from her. The vampire was facing in her direction so he wouldn't need to take the time to turn around like his fellow would. That bought her the valuable fraction of a second she would need to notch another arrow.
Breathe in. Breathe out. And… release.
The arrow struck the vampire in the throat with a satisfying thwap. Also satisfying was the gak that came from the vampire as he went down. The second vampire, a female, spun around with a hiss. The second arrow took her dead center of the chest. The Death Hound was quicker leaving Alessia no time to even draw an arrow. As the undead, cold beast lunged she sidestepped and slammed the bow into the back of its skull. It staggered giving her enough time to draw her hidden dagger and plunge it deep into the side of hound's neck. Threat taken care of, Alessia ran to a clump of bodies just this side of the entrance to another corridor. Another two vampires, both missing their heads, and the body of Vigilant Tolan.
"Damn…" Alessia cursed, loudly though she wished she hadn't. "Damn you, Isran."
There was no place to bury the man, but something had to be done. She tore a large patch of cloth from the robes of a nearby dead vampire and at least covered Tolan's face after laying him out and centering his Stendarr Amulet on his chest. Alessia wasn't very religious, but she prayed regardless.
"May your soul find its way to the Hall of your Father's in Sovngarde. Your fight is over. Be at peace."
Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
The heartbeat echoed in the black. A sound she had not heard in so, so long. The woman with eyes of ice and hair of night moved through an even darker world. Coming closer. Ever closer.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Her heart like thunder in her ears. Her breath caught at the mere thought of the racing blood. So long. So, so long in the dark. Alone in the dark. Alone in the dark.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Alessia hated spiders. She hated the legs. She hated the eyes. She hated the hair. She especially hated the gooey, sticky, smelly, spider ichor. And even more than the legs and the eyes and the hair and the ichor, she hated big spiders. Really big spiders. So the thing guarding her path forward had to die. Die quickly. Die painfully. Just plain die. And die it did. With at least a dozen arrows and maybe a hundred stab wounds. And maybe one or two more for good measure.
"Ugh!" She grunted as she yanked her sword free of the disgusting thing. She shivered a little, glad no one was around to see the all powerful Dragonborn squirm. "I really need someone around to squish my spiders for me…"
The next room was small, but opened up into another massive chamber with old columns forming a circle in the center. The doorway was bared and the lever to open it seemed rigged somehow. The strange marking on the stone floor told her that much at least. Perhaps a tripwire somewhere…
"I'll never tell you anything, vampire! My oath to Stendarr is stronger than any suffering you can inflict upon me!"
The shout startled Alessia. So much so she almost dropped the pick she was using to examine the trap mechanism. Another Vigilant? Alive? By the sound of it, not for much longer. She had to hurry if there was any hope of saving this one.
"I believe you, Vigilant." A silky smooth, calm voice answered. "And I don't think you even know what you've found here."
Shit! Hurry! Hurry!
"So go…"
Snap! The mechanism clicked over and Alessia threw the lever to open the gate. Already she had an arrow notched and ready to fly.
"Meet your beloved Stendarr."
Too late. Alessia got to the railing just as the vampire's blade pierced the bound, kneeling and completely helpless Vigilant's chest. No point in losing her element of surprise now. Damn it.
"Are you sure that was wise, Lokil?" The female next to him asked. "He still might have told us something. We haven't gotten anywhere ourselves with-"
The stairs led down to a platform in which the two vampires and one of their thralls were standing. As they talked, they began walking towards the bridge that connected that platform to the center circle. There was a spot up high enough and shrouded in enough shadow to use to take the three out. Hopefully before they could determine where the shots were coming from. Silently, she scurried down one flight of stairs and to her chosen post. At that point, Lokil and his two companions were about a third of the way over the bridge.
"He knew nothing." Lokil hissed. "He served his purpose by leading us to this place. Now it is up to us to bring Harkon the prize. And we will not return without it. Vingalmo and Orthjolf will-"
T'chi. Schhwaff. Thwak!
Arrow number one in the back of the thrall.
"What the-" The female vampire spun to face the falling thrall.
T'chi. Schhwaff. Thwak!
The second arrow hit the female between the eyes.
"Blast!" Lokil shouted, then vanished.
Shit! I hate when they do that, Alessia thought as she focused on the moving displacement of space that was quickly making its way towards her hiding spot. It wasn't impossible to hit a vampire who'd cast an invisibility spell, just very difficult. However to miss would be to give her spot away. She put her bow away and quietly drew her sword while she stepped behind a stone pillar.
She focused on her hearing. Listening carefully to Lokil's footsteps and heavy breathing as he came closer. Then the footsteps stopped and everything grew very quiet and still. Instinct suddenly screamed for Alessia to duck. Long ago she had learned to listen to that inner voice and she obeyed. An instant later a loud clang and a spark exploded where her head had been only a moment before.
Alessia rolled and came up with a quick horizontal slash, catching Lokil's… Thigh? Hip?
The wound was enough to break the vampire's concentration, and his spell faltered. As he came to view he did not look happy. He hissed, "You bitch!"
No… definitely not happy. Alessia smiled wickedly and settled into a defensive pose.
"I'll gut you like a fish! You sack of shi…"
And that was enough of that. Alessia struck, forcing Lokil to either block or move backwards. He parried the blow, and attempted a slash. Missed. Tried a lunge. Missed again. It was obvious the vampire was proficient with a sword, and unexpectedly fast. The two exchanged blows, each dodging or catching the other's attack. A draw every time.
Until Lokil made a mistake. He left himself too open after a failed downward swing. Alessia stuck, not with her blade, but with her boot. Throughout their deadly dance, Lokil had been favoring his right side. She slammed her foot into his knee. The bone snapped loudly, and the vampire wailed even louder. With one last powerful slash upwards, she caught him in the chest and sent him tumbling over the edge of the ravine. A splash echoed a few seconds after Lokil fell. A subterranean lake, only far too dark and deep to be seen.
"Rot in hell, you bastard." Alessia growled as she sheathed her sword.
Alessia unbound the unknown Vigilant and laid him out as she had Tolan. Again she cut a swath of cloth from the female vampire's robes and covered his face. Though she did not know the man, she still recited the same prayer as before. A deep sadness fell over her, almost stopping her from completing the words. There was no one here. No one left to save. No one left to protect. And she had no idea what it was the vampires were looking for.
Heavy hearted, she stood surprised when her foot kicked a tome she hadn't seen before. The thing was old, dusty and stained with blood. She picked it up and read aloud, "Notes on Dimhollow Crypt, Volume Three by Vigilant Adalvald."
She looked at the unknown Vigilant at her feet. Was he Adalvald?
It took only a moment to flip through the pages as it wasn't very long. This Adalvald had spent a lot of time exploring this cavern. Going even so far as to describe the oddity of the structures and statues around the center island. Alessia looked, really looked, at the circle of stones. And, yes, the did seem a bit out of place. Though she had no idea what a gargoyle was.
"Hmm…" She thought out loud. "This book might be the key to figuring out what the vampires were after."
Crossing the bridge she noticed the thrall still clinging to life. The shot must have paralyzed him somehow. Severed the spinal cord maybe.
"L-Lokil?" He struggled with the words. "Where is…?"
"Dead." Alessia answered.
"I'm S-Stormcloak…" He stammered, coughing up a little blood. And he was indeed wearing the rebellion's infamous colors. The civil war was long over. How long had this man been under Lokil's influence. "They… took me…"
"Easy now." She didn't regret shooting the man. Only sorry that Lokil had taken him in the first place. With great care she hushed the man and did her best to make him comfortable. Even with her healing powers, there was little she could do for the man. He was just too far gone.
"Please… my daughter…" The soldier gasped. "Sofie… Eastmarch. She's… alone. Please…"
He died. The sadness overtook her again and for a few moments she wept for the soldier. She prayed. Again. Only this time she added, "I will find the girl. When this vampire mess in done, I promise I will look for her."
The pillars all seemed to be stationed around one single pedestal in the very center of the circle, with a few smaller braziers set seemingly at random around them. Alessia read Adalvald's notes again, not seeing any mention of the center pedestal or the braziers. Looking at the thing, there didn't seem to be much going on with it. Except that there was a strange indent on the top, almost in the shape of a small hand print.
Without thinking, Alessia placed her hand on the indent and instantly regretted it. A spike shot up from the center of the indent, impaling her hand viciously. Her scream was drowned out by the sudden whoosh of magic in the air. Violet lights erupted from the floor. The coals in the braziers suddenly glowed with the same light.
Her hand throbbed painfully, but it was a simple work of a moment to stop the bleeding. She wasn't much for magic so closing the wound with a healing spell was only slightly within her ability. Her werewolf blood would take care of the rest in mere minutes.
"What is all this?" Her voice echoed as she took her first real look at one of the newly lit braziers.
Purple fire? Cautiously she passed her hand through the flames, surprised to find only cold. And from the brazier, set in the stone floor, was a path of the strange fire moving off towards yet another, unlit brazier. The flames didn't reach far enough to actually touch the brazier however. Experimentally, she pushed said unlit brazier a small way. It gave quite easy. In fact, the thing slid halfway down the circle towards the trail of violet fire. Once it connected, the brazier erupted into flame and another fiery trail branched off.
Ah… so that's the trick, Alessia thought as she continued shoving the carved rock around until the fire circled all the way around the circle.
As the last brazier slid into place, a great sound like a mountain falling echoed in the cave. The very ground shook as the stones beneath Alessia's feet moved. Then the stone rose up underneath the center pedestal, revealing a… well, she wasn't quite sure what it was. She approached slowly, placing each foot silently in front of the other. Before she could even touch the thing, a section split away and slid downward with a loud hiss. Her sword was instantly in her hand and she jumped back as…
A woman?
