[A/N]: Hey guys, this is the tenth chapter, and I'm absolutely pumped about this! :D I just want to thank you all for the follows, favorites and reviews, it truly does mean something to me!

This chapter is a bit longer, but I know you have all been waiting for this... so here we go...

[DISCLAIMER]: I don't own the Elder Scrolls Series, though I frequently wish I did, these characters are Bethseda's work not mine. I'm just giving them the credit they deserve. But Arela and Enden are my characters and belong to me.

~Paramore, Misery Business

Whoa, it was never my intention to brag
To steal it all away from you now.
But God does it feel so good,
'Cause I got 'em where I want 'em now.
And if you could then you know you would.
'Cause God it just feels so...
It just feels so good.

Night was draped over the thick golden forest of the Rift. After days of slow meandering down long paths and roads, Arela had settled outside the rickety broken down shack that concealed the entrance to Redwater Den.

Picking a hill that slightly overlooked the encampment, Arela could scout around and observe the Den. She still wasn't sure how to enter. Should she rush in with a bombardment of arrows? Or should she sneak in, with her stealthy Nightingale boots?

This was not Arela's first time visiting this dangerous drug dealer's heaven.

Tonilia and Delvin had persuaded Arela to visit it once before, convincing her that the drug trade was quite lucrative and would help the Guild gain some much needed coin.

At the time, Arela had just gained her position as Guild Master and sadly had no experience at telling older members off. She never could stand the way Mercer had shut down at such great ideas that could have made the Guild heaps of coin, so Arela had kept her mind open to new ideas.

When Arela had first entered that Skooma Den a few years ago the security had been pitiful, but what had been appalling was the condition of the Den.

The floors had been slippery, as it was covered in vomit and all matters of bile. Arela swore that her nostrils had been damaged and burned from the stench of the place. The wafting scent of piss, skooma, vomit and death had inhabited the basement room. It had been so overpowering, it had caused her thoughts to become clouded and her vision distorted. The only thing that had kept her standing was she didn't want to pass out on the vile floor. Waking up in other people's byproducts would not be a flattering moment.

After seeing the drug users with pale skin, sunken in eyes, missing teeth and barely coherent, Arela hadn't been able to force herself to talk to the drug runners. She had just left, and vowed to Delvin and Tonilia that her Guild would never get involved in such a putrid trade.

Arela shivered at the memory. The thought of returning back to Redwater Den left goosebumps on her ghostly skin. She just wanted to get this over with, and have Harkon off her back. Arela wished Serana was here to help her, this task was going to be challenging.

She already missed Serana, her bright eyes, the natural smiles and of course her sadistic sense of humor.

Arela smirked, what would Cynric think of her if he knew she was friends with Serana, a young and beautiful vampire. Oh, it intrigued Arela to see what would happen if Serana and Arela visited the Guild.

Arela sat down and tossed her knapsack next to her, quickly taking inventory of her belongings: the Blood Stone Chalice, Guild boots – Arela never went anywhere without a spare pair – health and stamina potions, extra arrows, a dagger and at the bottom was Cynric's letter.

Arela picked it up slowly and examined it once more. Should she open it or not?

She was torn at first, but the situation dawned on her. She was about to enter a den of drug lords, vampires and who knows what else. She could die within the next hour, so why not hear Cynric's possible last words to her.

She ripped open the letter without hesitation, and read his words as if she was starving for them.

Hey Arela, you should back to the Guild sometime. I miss you, and for the record I think your a good Guildmaster, so I'm sorry about what I said.

Yours Truly,

Cynric Endell

She felt a pang of disappointment and a small amount of delight. She had expected something more extravagant, but the words 'Yours Truly' made her heart skip around in her chest.

The letter reflected Cynric so much, he was often blunt in his words, not quite an articulate writer. No matter how much she wanted too, Arela wasn't planning to fawn over his letter. She had work to do, so she tucked it back into her backpack.

Arela started to swiftly pack, slipping some ebony daggers onto her belt for some quick defense. She gave Chillrend its special place in the leather holster that was close to her side.

She rearranged things in her bag, readying for her descent into Redwater Den. She gave the bag one last glance before forcing herself to get up.

As she stood up, Arela swore she heard a twig break behind her. All her senses started to explode as she whipped around just in time to see a shadowy silhouette from behind a tree.

Arela instinctively grasped her bow and notched an arrow into place with one unconscious motion.

"I know you're there, so come out with your hands up and I won't shoot you through the face with an arrow." Arela hissed, trying to keep her voice low, so not everyone in the whole Rift would hear her.

There was no response; the silence dragged out for a few seconds and the night made it impossible to guess who it was.

"Oh, damn those sticks." A women in dark robes walked out, her bright red eyes illuminating the darkness. Arela automatically recognized her.

"Serana, is that you? What in the name of the Shivering Isles are you doing wandering around in the woods?" Arela said, lowering her bow.

"Did you really expect me to stay in that castle another minute longer?" Serana challenged. "I hate it there."

"Serana, you need to go back now, this place is too dangerous for you. If you got hurt here I don't think I could forgive myself." Arela warned Serana, but Arela found it too difficult to become enraged at the young and enthusiastic vampire.

Serana smiled, "I can fight, you know? You've seen it before, I'm a necromancer, and a good one too."

"Yeah, I know, but this place is disgusting. I'm telling you to turn around to protect your health."

Serana ignored Arela's comment and strutted right past her, making her way down the hill toward Redwater Den. "Oh, really? Let me be the judge of that." Serana said with a slightly defiant tone.

Arela rolled her eyes, and threw her Nightingale bow back over her shoulder. She quietly picked up her knapsack and trudged right behind Serana's heels. Arela could sense this was going to be one long trip...

Serana and Arela had pushed their way through the Den; dealing with drug addicts, drug dealers and now finally they were starting to encounter vampires. Arela had forged ahead of Serana, simply because she had been able to sneak past the maze of traps in the previous catacomb.

Lightly pressing up against the wall, Arela could hear angry voices resonating in the cave ahead.

"We need to be careful, I have heard rumors. The Volkihar vampires are getting restless." The voice had an old scratchy tone. He must be an ancient vampire. Maybe even a few thousand years old or even possibly older than Harkon and Serana.

"We don't need to worry about them Venarus. I can hardly believe that they consider themselves the imperial authority of all the vampires in Skyrim." A young women snidely remarked.

"I had the pleasure of living with them for a few hundred years." The older vampire with the wispy replied. "I left, the leader Lord Harkon nearly drove me insane. He was always so demanding and he had his favorites. I was terrified I might become one, they never lived too long..."

The young vampire ask, "Why? Did he kill them?"

Venarus hesitated for a second before he spoke again. "No, he never did anything himself. The court politics usually kill them. If members got jealous, that was the end of you. Often the two advisers Orthjolf and Vingalmo would make them their pets and Harkon would usually order them to be killed. Harkon was a black heart... He had no compassion and loyalty was everything to him."

The old vampire paused. "I think Harkon had killed forty of his 'favorites' over the few hundred years I lived there. When he took an interest in my skill I knew I had to leave, so I fled to the Summerset Isles in hopes of leaving the past behind me."

Arela couldn't help but wonder, was she Harkon's new favorite? It was something that could be possible; after hearing that speech she prayed to Nocturnal that Harkon didn't value her. Though after he discovered that she was the Dovahkiin it was improbable that Harkon didn't believe she was a weapon he could use to keep the court members in line.

Arela despised the thought of turning into a tool. She wasn't going to let Harkon manipulate her. Harkon may be the leader of the Volkihar vampires but without Arela his power was limited, all she needed was some leverage over him and his control over the court would slip through his fingers like sand.

Arela had plenty of time to think about defying Harkon later, currently she needed to shake Harkon from her thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

She had to find a good vantage point where she could shower the leader Venarus and his followers with arrows. Arela swore Nocturnal was on her side as she slid in the chamber and saw a ledge with only one skeleton guarding it. Arela knew she could take him out with ease.

Arela silently removed her dagger from the holster in her boot; she hugged the shadows as she made her way up the incline to the rocky and jagged outlook.

Arela crept up behind the skeleton, and she quickly stabbed the dagger through the back of its skull. The sickening crack of breaking bone shook the air, alerting the vampires of Arela's presences.

"What was that?" A young female vampire said as she rose from the table below Arela. Before she could utter another word, Arela's arrow pierced her throat, which silenced her forever. She pulled out an arrow ready for her second shot, but she stopped.

The old vampire named Venarus smiled at her from a throne in the middle of the cave. "Well, well, speak of the devil. It's a Volkihar vampire. Are you doing Harkon's bidding?"

"I wouldn't call it bidding, I'm just here to do a job." Arela lied, she didn't want to be labeled as a pawn because Harkon had nothing over her.

Venarus scoffed. "You can't lie to me, Harkon only uses his court members as pets. I was with the Volkihar for a few centuries. I was able to shake them before I was forced to become Harkon's bitch, but I see you have filled the position for me."

Arela hissed, "Shut up! I'm only here to fill the Blood Stone Chalice, so get out of my way!"

He looked purely shocked at her declaration. "What did you say?"

"I'm here to fill the Blood Stone Chalice." Arela yelled. Was he deaf or dumb, or did he forget how to use his legs?

Arela pulled an arrow back in her bow. "I'll give you one last warning, move or you're died!"

"I've been looking for the Blood Stone Chalice for five hundred years and this whole time Harkon had it? But now it's here..." The old vampire looked pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah, now leave or I kill will you!" Arela declared.

In a blur of motion, Venarus was gone. Arela knew vampires were fast, but how was it even possible, or was he gifted she wondered.

She kept her arrow ready to fire, but she closed her eyes. Arela let her ears take over; sensitive hearing was a godsend.

She allowed her keen ears to stretch out over the whole chamber, picking up the sounds of the red water trickling down the drain, and the whispers of a breeze that entered through a small hole in the ceiling of the cave.

Then a dark voice rang out of the shadows. "Lord Harkon must have mentioned that some of the Volkihar have rare abilities... I was lucky enough to inherit one. My speed is unmatched by any vampire."

Arela's eyes snapped open just in time to see Venarus jump at her from the ceiling of the cave; his eyes were blood thirsty.

"I need that Blood Stone Chalice and I'm going to take it from your dead body!"

Arela hardly had time to react as he crashed into her. She felt her head smack on the rock wall behind her and her body was pinned to the ground. Venarus landed on Arela, forcing the remaining air in her lungs out.

Arela throw her arm up toward Venarus's trachea, as his teeth ravenously tried to sink into her neck. She was able to push him away with just enough force that he flew off, leaving Arela time to quickly grab the small daedric dagger out of her boot.

Venarus had regained his vigor and lunged at her neck. As he did so Arela stabbed her dagger into his chest. His own momentum driving the dagger deeper into his body.

Venarus gasped in shock, as his blood spilled all over Arela's Nightingale armour. Her hands were wet from his blood slithering down the hilt and her grip on the weapon nearly slipped. His blood was colder than ice, even her frost resistant fingers were becoming numb.

"No! This can't be possible! You're a new blood–" He croaked out as he grabbed Arela's hands that were placed on the hilt of the dagger. Venarus's eyes were glazed with pain and he knew this was the end for him.

"Let me warn you, new blood. You're not safe around Harkon, he has a powerful gift, I know it. It's something you won't be able to outrun, new blood. So get out of the Volkihar clan while you still can–" Venarus whispered before his body went limp. His cryptic words rang in her brain.

What did he know about Harkon that she didn't? What was that supposed to mean? Was Harkon really that powerful? Arela had just assumed Harkon had been waving around his inflated ego, but if Venarus was right, how safe was Castle Volkihar?

Arela pushed Venarus off her, and there was a loud thud as his body hit the floor. Out of Venarus's pocket fell a key. Arela slowly picked it up and examined it.

"Hey, are you there, Serana?" Arela shouted out.

"Yeah, I'll be there is a second..." Serana stumbled into the chamber, but quickly regained her footing. "Damn traps, sorry about falling behind, I'm not quite as agile as a thief, I guess."

Serana shot Arela a weird look as she watched blood drip down her body, but then she noticed Venarus. "What happened to you, you're covered in blood?"

"It's a long story." Arela said bluntly. Arela's nerves were frazzled, she could hardly hold her dagger as she slipped it back in her boot. Trying to walk in a straight line, Arela made her way down the rocky ledge.

Below the outlook was a Nordic styled door, Arela started to make her way to the only door and with her adrenalin shaken hands she jammed the key into the keyhole, she wad surprised that it was a match.

Arela and Serana took a few steps in and looked around. This cave was different with rocky pillars and stalactites dripping from the ceiling. The cave walls were tainted a light red color and in the center was a geyser of crimson water.

So this was the bloodspring that Garan had referred to. He had mentioned that the blood of a powerful vampire need to be added to it.

Serana frowned, "There it is. Which means this adventure is nearing its end."

"Don't worry Serana, I'm sure there will be plenty more. Your father definitely won't be letting us have much of a break." Arela exclaimed and Serana's spirit seemed to darken a bit at the mention of her father. But Arela went back to surveying the cave.

From the look of it Venarus had been feeding vampires to the spring for a while. White limbs were floating in the red pools of water. Some rib cages were bobbing near the fountain, and Arela couldn't help but judge the sanity of the vampires that lived here.

Arela quickly pulled the Chalice from her satchel and filled it to the brim with red water. The only problem now was how was she going to get the filled Chalice back to Castle Volkihar, without all the blood water spilling out?

A sly smile formed on Arela's face as she pulled out her old pair of Thieves Guild boots. Dumping the contents into the boots and buckled them shut, Arela smiled. Those boots held out water, so she figured they could hold water in too.

"Very clever." Serana said with astonishment laced in her words.

"I thought so too." Arela was so happy to be done with this damn mission.

Arela stuffed the Blood Stone Chalice and boots back into her satchel and made her way toward the opposite end of the room, where two carved arch ways were located. Nordic chamber always had exits on the opposite side of a chamber.

As they made their way over, Arela picked up on the sound of footsteps.

Stalf and Salonia stalked up from beneath the archways, their eyes filled with poison and pure greed.

Salonia smiled wickedly. "It's really too bad, you know. The little... Accident you had here. It was completely unexpected." Her voice sounded like a predator stalking her prey.

"Yeah, too bad. Lord Harkon's new favorite, dead so soon after joining the family." Stalf chimed in cooly.

"Wait I'm Lord Harkon's favorite?!" Arela panic rising her voice. "I can't be!"

"Oh, yes, of course, after that little stunt with Feran, displaying to us that you are the Dragonborn."

"Oh, yes, Arela. We are going to kill you, but the worst part is Lady Serana gets to watch us rip you limb from limb." Salonia crackled.

"I will be fighting to the death with Arela." Serana interjected, her tone nothing more than a snarl.

"Lady Serana, you choose the wrong side, we will be winning this fight." Salionia's word brought Arela back to reality. Her eyes were cold, and they were entirety fixated on Arela.

There was going to be a fight. There was no doubt in Arela's mind, Stalf and Salonia were on a path of vengeance and the only end they saw was her dead. She dropped her knapsack into the red water and slipped her Nightingale bow off her back; waiting for the sign that they were ready to engage in combat.

"Now, where were we... Oh yes, how lucky was I to be able to return the Chalice to Vingalmo, so he could make sure Harkon gets it back." Salonia stated.

Stalf looked at her utterly shocked. "Wait, what? That's not what we agreed. We were going to take it back together." Stalf sneered.

Salonia rolled her eyes, "Idiot. You didn't really think I would let you walk out of here alive either, did you? Vingalmo wants all three of you dead."

"Well, that's just fine, Orthjolf told me to finish off anyone that got in the way." Stalf replied with a hurt tone.

"Oh, are your feelings hurt because I love Vingalmo? Our friendship was nothing to me." Salonia smirked with an expression as cold as ice.

Stalf growled, "I never liked you anyways, Hestla was always better than you!"

"Sure, bury your pain." Salonia spat, she was definitely hurt by that comment, no matter how much she denied it.

"I'm not hurt at all! You will be the one in pain!" Stalf screamed in fury as he conjured out flames that danced in his palms.

Without hesitation Arela grasped an arrow from her quiver and aimed. But Serana stepped in front of her, cutting off Arela's shot.

Serana summoned two icy spears and shot them directly at Stalf.

The spears were too slow, giving Stalf time to step aside as the ice crashed on the wall behind. Stalf left no time for Serana to recover, quickly shooting out two fireball in Serana's direction. But Serana threw up a ward to block them.

Serana had been right, she was a good mage, shooting spells left and right; locked in an epic battle with Stalf.

Arela turned to Salonia who was gripping an iron battleaxe, deliberately stalking around her in a leisure pace.

"You may think you're strong little Dragonborn, but you haven't been a vampire long enough to beat me."

"I've killed dragons before, Salonia. Do you really think you stand a chance against me?" Arela thundered, letting her thu'um run wild with her words.

"Well, let's see who's right, shall we?" Salonia charged straight for Arela. There was little time to react as Arela threw down her bow and withdrew Chillred just in time to block Salonia's first strike.

The blow contained so much power Arela stumbled backwards, but regained her footing just in time to block another relentless attack.

The attacks continued in a timely rhythm; patiently Arela waited for an opening. Salonia used her brute force often, trying to cause Arela to lose her footing. Soon Arela's patients was rewarded, she saw Salonia swing her battle axe high in the air to try and gain more momentum. Without hesitation Arela smacked her Nightingale boot straight into Salonia's stomach knocking the wind right out of her.

Salonia backed up ten feet while charging sparks in her palm, preparing to release a lightning strike.

Arela grabbed one of the daggers on her belt, and without another thought seized her opportunity to catch Salonia off guard. With as much force as Arela could muster, she threw the dagger, and was pleased the moment it found its mark in Salonia's left shoulder.

Salonia shrieked and gripped her shoulder in agony, crumpling down to her knees. "You dumb bitch!" Salonia howled.

Not wanting her to recover, Arela ran forward plunging Chillrend right through her heart.

"Go to Oblivion, Salonia. That's where you belong." Arela sneered kicking Salonia in the chest to withdraw her sword from her body.

Arela smiled as Salonia fell stiffly onto the ground with a deafening thud.

"No!" Stalf shouted; Arela turned to him and could have sworn she witnessed tears rise in his eyes, but the look didn't last long, because he turned to Arela with an ominous glare.

Serana had been locked in battle with him, but had become distracted with the commotion of Salonia's death.

Stalf took advantage of that by smashing his fist of charged lightning squarely into Serana's chest.

Serana was launched backwards, and smashed her skull on the side of a stalactite. Arela watched in horror as Serana laid there still and motionless, her breath was ragged as if she was choking.

Stalf ignored Serana, summoning flames in his hands once again and set them blazing after Arela.

Left with no choice, she rolled behind a small rock pillar as hot flares smashed directly into her arm. Arela moaned in pain as she rolled into the sand behind the pillar. Fireballs reigned down on her from either side of the rocky support.

The rock in front of her was slammed into by and inferno of fire turning the stone into molten chunks of rock. Arela was absolutely trapped like a rat there was no where to go, and there was no back up.

There was only one way out of this... a distraction. Arela ripped the broached pins off her Nightingale cape. It was painful taking it off knowing she to serve up her cape for a distraction. She could hear Stalf's footsteps closing in on her through the raging sound of fire.

Arela tossed her cape to the right side, and Stalf ate the bait instantly, as he conjured up a fiery storm that blasted the cape to shreds.

Arela appeared from the left side of the of the stone pillar, like a sabre cat stalking prey. "Good-bye, Stalf." Arela muttered before sucking in a huge intake of air.

"FUS RO DAH!"

A snapping noise blocked the sound of the thunderous roar, as Stalf's neck and spine shattered from the blow. His body sailed through the cave feebly, as he was smashed against the wall, cracking the rest of his bones.

But Arela didn't care, she rushed over, grabbed her backpack that was covered in red water.

She knelt before Serana. Arela noticed Serana's labored breaths which meant she was still alive.

But through Serana's neat black hair, her head was bleeding, as thick crimson blood trickled from a gushing wound on the back of her skull.

Arela searched her bag and pulled out two health potions. Ripping off the cap, Arela poured the contents down Serana's throat, but Serana was still unresponsive, just laying there in silence. Her eye were twitching back in forth under her eyelids, as if searching for Arela in her unconscious state.

Panic rose in Arela; she didn't have much skill in the art of restoration, just some basic healing from Marcurio. Serana needed medical attention, the kind Arela couldn't perform. Arela picked Serana up and threw her over her shoulder, rushing her out of the cave.

"I have to get you back to Castle Volkihar. Now..." Arela whisper in dread.