(I always thought that the Vampire Lord form was a complete let down. Don't forget to leave a review and follow me on twitter. Handle is JonClay14)
Theryl stared at the stony facade of Castle Volkihar as the little boat made its way across the icy waters. Serana sat next to him, her hood pulled up to shield her from the sun. Pure blooded vampires weren't as weak to the sun, Theryl had learned. Serana could travel by the light of day without sustaining damage, though she was by no means happy about it. Chuckles wore a mean scowl as he manned the oars. Serana had spent a few days travelling through Skyrim with the strange duo and she was still confused as to the true nature of their relationship.
They fought. Oh yes, they fought. Twice the duo had come to blows. And at the end of each battle Theryl had snapped his fingers, recalling Chuckles from Dagon's plane of Oblivion, and the two continued on as usual. Chuckles griped and moaned, yet he always did what Theryl asked without hesitation. The daedra even went so far as to take care of his master during his drunken escapades.
"So," Theryl said. The dragonborn was leaning over the side of the boat, trailing his fingers through the water. "That's where you grew up?"
Serana's memories came flooding back. She thought of the all the times she had spent traipsing through Castle Volkihar with both her mother and father, before the two had drifted so far apart, and tears began to fall. No words came when she opened her mouth to reply, so Theryl had to make do with a simple nod.
"Seems too spooky," Theryl said. "Doesn't suit you."
"Excuse me?" Serana spared Theryl a wry glance.
The dragonborn shrugged. "Big old castle like this? Nah. Doesn't suit you. You seem more like a girl who would've grown up in a mansion in the woods. Conversing with the spriggans and making friends with the wildlife and all that stuff."
Strangely, Serana found herself annoyed by his words."What kind of dainty princess do you think I am?"
"A cute one."
Serana shook her head and continued as if she hadn't heard his compliment. "For the hundredth time: I am a vampire. The halls of that castle is home to horrors the likes of which a mortal such as yourself, however strong you may be, cannot imagine."
"You'd be surprised at the horrors I can imagine," Theryl said. He leaned forward, pulling his hand out of the water, and looked Serana right in her red eyes.
"Go on then," Theryl said. "Since you're such a lean, mean, killing machine, let's have your magic number."
Serana sat back against the grainy hull. "Magic number? What are you talking about?"
"It is the amount of individuals you've had intercourse with," Chuckles said. "The masters number, for example is one hundred and-"
"Not that magic number, Chuckles!" Theryl aimed a kick at the dremora's armored shin. "I'm referring to the number of people you've killed. Come on. Let's have it."
"You've had sex with more than a hundred people?" Serana said.
Theryl blushed. "We're not talking about sex right now, we're talking about murder. Come on. Magic number. Let's have it."
Serana let out a low whistle. "And you honestly expect a dainty maiden such as myself to lay with such a nasty slut? For shame, good sir. Shame."
"Magic. Number."
"I don't know," Serana said. "I've never bothered to keep track. You expect me to believe that you have?"
"The master has lain waste to approximately four thousand eight hundred and sixty seven sentient beings," Chuckles said in a bored drawl. "Since he had me start keeping count, at least."
Serana was dumbfounded. She regarded Theryl with wide eyes. "That's impossible," she said.
"The civil war contributed a lot to that number," Theryl said. "Chuckles and I took over entire fortresses and cities in our own. It was intense."
The boat hit the stony shores that surrounded Castle Volkihar. Serana's attention shifted once more to her childhood memories. How many thousands of years, she wondered, had it been since she'd been inside her home? Was the castle even her home anymore?
Theryl jumped out of the boat, stones crunching under his strong boots. He stood with his hands on his hips and took a deep breath.
"Well alright then," he said. "Let's go meet your pops."
Chuckles followed his master onto the shore, and finally Serana made her way to solid ground with her precious Elder Scroll clutched in her arms.
The trio made their way across the stone bridge towards the castle's gate. There were four gargoyles adorning the bridge, two on either side. Theryl rolled his eyes as he walked past.
"I'll bet you anything that these things are going to come alive and attack me at some point in the near future," Theryl shook his head. "Bloody nords are always so obvious."
Serana ignored him. She found herself standing before the gates. The vampire didn't have to wait long before her presence was recognized.
A short, skinny man, obviously a vampire as well, came to greet her. "You've made a wrong turn, friend. Leave at once."
Serana did not move, choosing instead to remain rooted in place, an odd smile on her face. The older vampire came closer to the gate, perhaps meaning to chase her away, and gasped.
"Lady Serana?" He exclaimed. "My goodness you've returned to us at last! OPEN THE GATES! EVERYONE! REJOICE! LADY SERANA HAS RETURNED TO US AT LAST!"
"Now that's what I'd call a warm welcome," Theryl said. He placed his hand on Serana's shoulder and squeezed.
"Don't look so tense. Everything will be alright. I'm sure of it."
"Maybe you shouldn't be here," Serana said. "I'm not sure how father will react to a mortal violating his inner sanctum. Chuckles may give him pause, but at the end of the day you're prey."
A strange warm feeling washed over Theryl as he processed her words.
"You're really worried about me, aren't you?" He clapped her on the back, causing Serana to utter a surprised yelp. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Besides, I've got Chuckles watching my back. Ain't that right, Chuckles?"
The daedra yawned, obviously bored. "As always, master."
The gates opened and the trio stepped into the main hall without hesitation. As soon as the doors were opened Theryl found himself hit by the scent of death and decay. The main hall had a high ceiling and was dimly lit. There were several tables on either side surrounded by vampires of all shapes and species. The source of the noxious odor was the many fresh, bleeding corpses that lay atop the tables.
Serana stared at Theryl out of the corner of her eye, curious to see his reaction. The dragonborn raised his eyebrows and nodded appreciatively.
"Looks like we're just in time for lunch," Theryl said.
Serana clicked her teeth and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. If it was anyone else she would have chalked it up to bravado or shock. Theryl was different, though. All it took was a few days in his company for her to be completely sure that his reaction was honest. The sight of the macabre meal that lay before him sincerely caused him no discomfort.
Serana had no time to consider her own feelings, to think and reflect on the faces that lay before her. Some were new. Most were old. The oldest face of the bunch immediately commanded her attention.
"Serana!"
Lord Volkihar was an ancient nord vampire whose red eyes glowed with power. He wore an ancient set of armor constructed of flowing, bone-like plates. He approached his daughter with arms wide open.
"At long last my daughter has returned home!"
He closed the distance between he and his daughter with a series of wide strides, ignoring the presence of both Theryl and Chuckles who were content to observe in silence.
"No doubt you have finally recovered from the poison injected into you by your traitor of a mother," Lord Volkihar said.
Serana shook her head. All signs of life had been sucked out of her. It was as if, in her father's arms, she had gone back to being a meek little girl.
"This is the first time you've seen your daughter in thousands of years and the first thing you do is insult mother. Why do you have to be like this?"
Lord Volkihar ignored his daughter's words and turned his attention to Theryl for the first time that day.
"Ah. A mortal. How ironic that my precious daughter, the most important thing in my world, would someday be returned to me by a mere..." He appraised Theryl, taking in every inch of Theryl's stout frame. "Appetizer. Though I suppose that there must be more to you than meets the eye for you to summon command one of Lord Dagon's servants."
Chuckles spared the vampire a glance before turning away to stare straight forward, eyes looking at nothing.
"Surely this must be a shock," Lord Volkihar said, motioning towards the gory scene behind him, "to realize that you've walked head first into such a brutal scene."
All eyes were in the room were fixated on Theryl, hungry not for his blood, but for his reaction.
"Nah," Theryl shrugged. "This isn't actually the first time I've seen a group sitting around a table ready to feast on man flesh. It was a whole thing a while ago. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that the priesthood of Namira gets up to some weird stuff."
"I see," Lord Volkihar said. "You are indeed a seasoned adventurer. Well, then I believe that I have just the reward in mind for you. I give you the opportunity to join our fold, mortal."
There was a hushed silence. Theryl made eye contact with Chuckles who shrugged. Lord Volkihar raised both palms and began collecting energy in his palms. Violent red essence pooled in his hands and then there was a blinding flash of light. When Theryl's vision recovered he found that Lord Volkihar had undergone a drastic change.
"Behold, mortal! The true form a pure blooded vampire lord!"
The being that stood before Theryl had blueish skin, red and black eyes, and strange wing-like appendages that stuck out of its back. Volkihar's armor had disappeared completely. The being had a bare chest and an embroidered loin cloth.
Theryl returned Lord Volkihar's earlier look of appraisal.
"What in the name of Meridia's glowing gash are you supposed to be?"
A storm of shocked murmurs ran through the crowd. Serana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Chuckles's leer transformed into a wide grin.
"Such a pity, though it had to be expected that a mortal would never be able to appreciate a form of such majesty."
"Majesty. Yeah, right," Theryl said. "At least werewolves are good looking. Women see a werewolf and go 'Oh look at the sexy wolf man with his soft fur and bulging muscles.' How am I supposed to impress women with an ugly snout like that?"
Lord Volkihar's eyes widened and his chest swole as he prepared to strike at Theryl.
"Please forgive him, father," Serana said quickly. "He doesn't know what he's saying. Please."
Lord Volkihar heard Serana's words. The powerful tension created by Theryl's words slipped away as the castle's Lord regained his composure.
"Very well. I shall pretend to have never heard your words, mortal. Though you would be wise to avoid further insulting my pride."
The vampire lord puffed up his chest. "Speak then. If it is not power you desire, then what else may I give you as a reward? Will it be gold and jewels or a weapon worthy of the greatest warriors?"
Theryl stroked his beard, running his index finger through the rough, brown hair. He turned to Chuckles, who shrugged, then he faced Serana and an idea popped into his head as he ran his eyes over her pointed chin and lithe figure.
"Anything I want?"
"Anything," Lord Volkihar said.
"Okay then," Theryl said, turning his full attention back to the vampire lord. "I want to marry your daughter."
The vampires throughout the room erupted in a storm of angry outbursts. They got to their feet, slamming their fists on the table and demanded Theryl's head. Chuckles began to laugh, a vulgar sound that rose above the angry din.
Serana's mouth hung limply open, her shoulders were slumped, and she was at a complete loss for words.
"Excuse me?" Lord Volkihar cocked his head, not daring to believe Theryl's audacity.
"You heard me," Theryl crossed his arms and gave the lord a wide grin. "That's the reward I've chosen. I want to have your daughter's hand in marriage. If she'll have me, of course."
"I think it's time for you to leave," Lord Volkihar began collecting energy in his palms. "Before I break my promise to my precious daughter and expose your entrails to the disgusting sun."
He thrust out his palm and, before Theryl could respond, he and Chuckles were surrounded by a brilliant red aura. When he opened his eyes he found himself standing on the shores outside Castle Volkihar.
"Whoa," Theryl said. "A teleportation spell? Now that's impressive."
Chuckles was doubled over with his hand on his knees. The dremora's body shook with laughter.
"Oh, master. You never fail to entertain. I can say with absolute certainty that there no other mortal would have the audacity to insult a vampire lord and then proceed to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage."
Chuckles straightened up and let out a contented sigh.
"We're going to kill them now, right?"
Theryl retrieved his trusty canteen from his robes and gulped its contents down eagerly. He emptied the last few drops onto his tongue.
"Out of rum again? Geez. I need to keep better track of this."
"Master," Chuckles called. "We're going to kill them now, right?"
Theryl stretched his arms above his head. "And why would I do that?"
"Why must we play these insipid games?" Chuckles shouted in exasperation. "Summon your army of atronachs, use your storm call, unsheathe Dawnbreaker, and show those bloodsuckers the meaning of true power!"
"Can't use Storm Call," Theryl said. "The jarls get so annoying when I do that. Something about 'too much collateral damage' and it 'disrupts Skyrim's delicate ecosystem' or something like that."
Chuckles sighed. "Very well. What will we be doing next if not killing vampires?"
"Well first I've got to find some more giants. Have to replenish my booze supply at once. And then..."
"And then?"
"And then we wait. That vampire lord was a dreadful disappointment. He's nothing more than a proud coward, hiding his presence from the very beings he considers to be prey. I want to see how this prophecy plays out. I still have faith in the Elder Scroll's ability to provide me with a challenge."
Theryl made his way to the boat and sat down. He motioned towards the oars.
"Well, come on. Let's go."
