Chapter 13.
"Are you serious? It really tastes like water?" I didn't know that the walk through the canyon was actually Niik looking for something to sink his teeth into until it happened, when he had drained the grizzly dry it seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally ask what blood tastes like to a vampire. "And is that all blood or just bear?"
"Yes and no. Blood doesn't have just one taste for me. While human I acquired tastes for many foods and drinks. So blood often adopts the flavour we crave at the time. In this intense because of the sun roasting me earlier, the part of me that still thinks it's human wanted water"
"Thats so cool. Alright so, what did I taste like? Wait! No, don't tell me" I don't know if I'd like the answer. If it's too delicious sounding I might be too scared to be around him ever again. Like honey, or lemon glazing. If I had to choose between having another me around or eating a lemon version of me, I'd pick the food me anytime, though, would that still be cannibalism?
Didn't matter, because he was going to tell me anyway.
"Well just before the Dragon stole it from me, my eyes were set on a deer. All I could think about was a hot bowl of venison stew… actually, I could go for some more" Niik smiled warmly as he spoke and put an arm over my shoulder pulling me close.
"That does sound good" I nervously ducked away before he pulled me in. He just laughed so I knew he was only messing. "So wait, does real human food taste like blood to you now? Because I've made you glasses of blood'n wine so whats the deal with that?"
"Oh, all those times blood tasted like wine. But it won't leave me jiggered on it's own now will it?"
Under my giggling, I started to hear the sound of someone sharpening his silver dagger as we drew near the fort.
I only saw him when Niik did. He gave us both a dirty look before returning his focus to his blade.
Sour looks and feeling like I don't belong here just felt like being at the Academy, so I was pretty used to it.
Once inside Niik wanted to observe the Dawnguard's training methods. They weren't too happy about it, especially Isran. But he agreed that the recruits could use some practice.
While the all boys got their asses systematically kicked I sat on this sides catching up on my journals. Not much to fill in as most of the day was travailing, so once I was done with that there was nothing else to do but explore some of the fort.
From outside I saw some lookouts on battlements, so I was kinda wanting to see the view from up top.
It was easy enough to find the stairs but once I go to the second floor I was a little bit turned around. And soon found myself overpowered by the stench of rotting meat, carcasses as Niik put it. It annoyed me that these people wanted to be taken as serious professionals yet they keep such a stench in their home so I decided to investigate.
Following the stink I walked along a sort of interior balcony that over looked the main foyer of the fortress. On the opposite side was a doorway. Before even pulling on the handles, I could tell already that the smell was coming from the other side.
I almost didn't want to look, but curiosity was overpowering me so I opened the doors and and took a few steps inside. However it didn't take me long to realise that I wasn't supposed to be in there so just as quickly I reversed.
"Oh I'm so sorry" I quickly I backtracked to the stairs now more set on finding my way to the battlements to see the view from the top.
But when I got up there I was met with a securely locked door. Presumably to keep vampires out, so I doubt I'd be able to open it without help of a guard, and Niik did say I should get aquatinted so back down I went looking for someone to help me.
I didn't find anyone until returning to the training room where Niik appeared to be bare knuckle boxing with an Orc.
Taking full advantage of his agility, Niik would side step all of the incoming hits with so much ease that it clearly enraged the Orc.
He then leaped over the Orc's grab and the dark cape of Niik's armour fluttered open as he gently came down on a chair with his foot up on the back rest.
There was an air of arrogance even before he did the bow.
The Dawnguard had a way to go, he didn't need to rub it in. I looked to the stands and saw Isran siting in the back away form all the hurt and bruised trainees. He wasn't alone though, next to him was a man in a blue robe. Even while watching the trainees get lose, the pair seemed to be the only ones with any look of confidence about them.
"Throw a punch you coward!" Roared the Orc at Niik, suddenly bringing my attention back to the fight.
"Thats not how vampires do battle" Niik said under his breath as he leaned forward until the chair tipped back letting him step off on to the floor. He held out his hands, like he was mockingly showing how open his stance was, almost daring the Orc to approach.
Taking the bait, the Orc charged forward throwing his fist out for his opponent's face. Niik tilted his head to the side letting the arm go right past until his mouth was lined up with the Orc's bicep, at which point the Orc shrieked in pain as blood poured to the ground while he desperately trying to pry his arm free like a bear in a trap.
Niik soon let go with his jaws, but his hand remained locked to the Orc's arm. Isran looked ready to rush in and attempt to chop Niik's head off, but the blue robbed man held him back. I guessed he was a mage of some kind because he recognised Niik performing a healing spell on the Orc's wound. I skill I only knew of from my time in the college dorms.
Once the healing was done, Niik noticed me in the back and came over to talk to me.
I questioned him on his harsh training methods with the new recruits, to which he simply said, "I gave them a taste of fighting a real vampire, so in turn I got a taste of them"
In addition to making me giggle, it felt nice to know my humour was rubbing off on him.
"Well I've never fought a real vampire. How would you train me?"
"Same as them of corse" He leaned against the pillar with his eyes shut and arms cross, clearly intent of showing over confidence. Even so, after seeing what happened to the Orc I decided not to tempt fate with him looking an open target. "Good girl" He chucked.
"Oh what, can you read minds too?"
"If they're predictable, yes"
For that I tried to slap him with the back of my wrist but I only ended up getting his open palm as he caught my arm miles off target.
"Come on, it's time for your training anyway" He said with a small grin while starting to walk me away to the main foyer of the fort.
I took a curious glance up to the balcony I walked along. It seemed so long ago some how, but it was of course just a few minutes.
"Niik…" I whispered deep in thought.
"Don't worry. I won't bite you"
"no, Niik. I think, something's up- wrong, Something's wrong up there"
He followed my stare before questioning the smell again, thinking that was what I was talking about.
"yes, Yes! I was looking for the cause and… I went in a room, I apologised, and then just walked out of it"
"So?" He asked.
"Why did I apologise to a room?"
His attention started to show as I began to remember things vaguely. Then he asked me to show him the way up.
When I found myself once again outside the smelly door, I felt uncertain but Niik gave some sense of security at least.
With a handle each, we pulled the door open and I saw chains attached to the ceiling that suspending animal rib cages with strands of flesh still clinging on by a thread.
That explained the smell, but what caught my attention more was seeing her sitting in the darkness like before. She noticed us too of course, but instead of just putting her book down like she had last time she shot to her feet with terror in her eyes.
"How did you find me?" She demanded readying herself for a fight and in the same moment, Niik put himself between me and her. "doesn't matter" She continued."I wont let you have me"
It hit me. I waked in on a woman reading and I apologised for interrupting just before she mind controlled me right back out. She's a vampire, but why is she here? And why reading a book and not killing or spying on the Dawnguard?
My weapons are down stairs anyway and She's also unarmed but I don't think that matters to vampires. As for Niik, his sword appeared on command, making me wish all the more that I'd learned those damn spells.
The woman vampire cast out her hand, from which launched a translucent projectile straight for Niik's heart.
His sword shattered her first attack like glass, but the followup lightning bolt was too quick for him to block.
His skin glowed white as the energy streamed through his being, yet he held back any sound of feeling pain.
With no other way of helping, I ducked low and tried to make my way around hoping that I'd be harder to see in contrast to the bright flashing attack.
The vampire was too focused on Niik to see me come. I might be putting myself under the guillotine, but I can't do nothing either.
I tackled the vampire from under her out stretched arm and knocked her onto the floor. All my training on how to restrain someone proved as useful as a baby field mouse fighting off a tarantula. In seconds I went from having her on the floor to being pinned back against a wall with her locking my shoulders in place.
Her eyes were on mine to begin with, but then she glanced down to my neck, she bared her teeth and her jaw slowly opened as she prepared to kill.
Her head came in to bite but she stopped herself just as a silver edged sword appeared in the space between her mouth and my neck. Had she continued forward she'd have decapitated herself or at least be left with a burnt scar.
Though Niik at the same time could swung the blade to ensure her demise, so why not?
Again he stood between us with me tucked in at the wall. He held his arm out this time to stop me trying anything for a second time.
"Serana" He growled to her. "Stop this now, or I will kill you"
She shook her head, both of her hands lit up again as she prepared more magic.
"You wouldn't dare..." She growled.
The two of them got ready to clash again, but the room suddenly filled with a blinding light and all I could hear was the pair of them shrieking and hissing in pain.
The light subsided and in it's place stood the blue robbed man and Isran standing at his side with a crossbow in hand.
"What was that?" I asked helping Niik back up, but he was too breathless to answer.
"Sun flair" Answered he old man. "Not as potent as the real sun"
"But it worked. And thats all I care about" Isran added.
My attention was drawn back to the vampier Serana, she was panting heavily keeping her eyes fixed on us. But she didn't seem up for another fight.
"Before you two catch your breaths and start fighting again, maybe use this time to talk it out?" Starting to sound like my old teachers. Hopefully vampires are better listeners than I was. "You spared her life at Dimhollow, Niik. You trusted her once remember?"
"And how did that turn out?" He answered back. "Does Isran know what befell his men, I wonder?"
Serana's face darkened at Niik's words before looking to the Dawnguard leader.
"Three dead and one turned, she told me"
"Oh three now is it?" Niik asked turning to Serana. "I only saw one man eat his friend before your father turned him, so remind me what happened to the two you left at Dragon Bridge"
"That was not me!" Serana started rising to her feet with Niik mirroring her movements. "That Banning creature told my father where to find them. He even volunteered to retrieve them alive but…"
Isran looked furious as he relived the story.
"I will gouge out his eyes when I find him. Cut out his tongue and pour liquid hot silver down his neck, then watch him roast in the sun until the ash settles under his bones"
"thats graphic" I mumbled to myself. Whatever Serana told him, it must have been worse than what happened the first two.
Niik was the first to break the short silence.
"Isran. Your men are not ready for this. And although I don't fully understand why you let her in, thats your business not mine, but I'm not investing time into this unless I think it's got a chance in oblivion at winning"
"As far as humans are concerned, Oblivion may be preferable to what awaits them if my father succeeds" Serana announced. "You say you were at Dimhollow, how much do you know of the prophecy?"
"Not a thing"
"Well to summarise, my father has been obsessing over finding away to plunge the wold into darkness-"
"well colour me shocked" Everyone started looking at me. "oh, did I say that out loud? sorry, I'll shut up now"
"Can you be more specific?" Niik asked turning to Serana.
"He wants to put out the Sun. Nirn will literally become a world of darkness and Vampires will have total dominance"
"um, sorry again" I felt really self conscious now thanks to my last embarrassing outburst but I felt I needed to ask this. "I don't know how far astrological studies has come in Skyrim but, does your father know the sun does a little more for the planet than just painting the sky blue every day?"
"At this point I don't think he cares. He consider's himself immortal and that the sun is the only thing between him and his perfect world" Serana sighed.
"You seemed rather keen to return to him before. So why the sudden change of heart?"
"When I got home for the first time in years, the very first thing he asked was if I had his damn scroll… And I know what you're thinking, but I'm not doing this out of spite or to get daddy's attention. I'm doing this because a man like him can never be allowed the power he wants"
Niik stared at her for a moment. When she realised he was trying to see falsehoods in her words she stared back at him with the same uncut focus as he.
"Is there no way for us to move forward other than two vampires having a staring contest?" I asked.
"I agree, this is a waste of our time" Isran stated. "I don't completely trust either of you on your word alone. So how about this. Both of you go that vampire nest, kill the vermin, free the captives and maybe we'll learn to trust each other"
Niik turned to me. If he was wanting an opinion, I didn't have one for him. Probably in big trouble with the academy as it is for having the influence over his choices I already do.
"We'll let the horse rest for a while. You should get some sleep too before we go"
I nodded in agreement, partly dreading where my bunk might be in this disgusting place. Might actually ask to borrow his coffin this time.
"Why wait?" Asked Serana. "The sun sets in a few hours and we can be back before dawn with just the two of us. If you're so concerned for this human then she'd be safest here anyway"
"This human has a name" Niik spat in my defence. "fuck if I know what it is, but she has one"
Serana took a step back from him. Probably just as whiplashed as everyone else by the sudden sarkiness of his tone.
"She could use the experience, even watching a real vampire battle will do her good. Plus those held within the den won't make it to Riften by themselves so we'll need the wagon"
"Thats a good point"
Even Isran seemed impressed by Niik's thinking.
"Alright. If you three can play nice, I'll continue trying to make soldiers out of farm boys and runaway bandits" Isran and the man in blue robes left us alone, at quite a pace too.
Which reminded me about the stink in the room with us.
"Please tell me we're not sleeping in here" I groaned walking to the door for a breath.
"Humans have always theorised with using bad smells to make vampires refrain from drinking their blood. In the old days I'm told they used garlic. In these modern times it seems they use rotten corpses instead" Serana explained.
"Yeah… so modern" I muttered. I was leaning against a metal railing overlooking the main foyer again. Isran walked out below me, looking up and smirking at my seasick expression I bet.
"Serana apologises for almost killing you" Niik told me as he stood on the left of me. I turned to see Serana learning against the wall behind us.
"So why are you here then?" She asked.
"Hmm" Niik mumbled. "Record, go get comfortable. I'll decided if this one is safe to be around"
"Okay" I gave Serana a last look before walking off to find a less smelly place to lie down. Part of me wondered if the pecking order was going to change at all. I felt sure that much like the food chain I'd probably be below any new vampires than join the pact, but I was more curious about who's taking charge between Arch Mage Niik and Princess Dracula.
Recorder's Note: Hey YOU! Am I not good enough? Why do we need more women over the Protag?
Author's Note: Record, I literally can't do a Dawnguard fanfic without including Serana. It's like a cardinal sin or something.
Recorder's Note: Yeah, well... Why did you make me get beat up so easy?
Author's Note: Because she's a vampire?
Recorder's Note: Well if you don't start writing me better, I'm gonna expose your Mod history to the public. Then everyone will know what a perv you are ]:)
Author's Note: ... One day. When you least expect it. An eagle will drop a turd on your head. Mark my words, Record.