Chapter 14: The Town of Silgrad

After the trip…

After the trip the companions had just went through, they all agreed a rest was well deserved. They agreed to make way to a town not far from the coast called Silgrad. There, they would restock on supplies and perhaps stay and relax for a day. Their legs were tired, their eyes barely held open. But they continued on until they arrived.

They quickly realized they'd have been just as well of had they camped instead. Possibly better off. The town was ravaged. There were dead everywhere, and clear signs of a large struggle. Torn up soldiers in bonemold were strewn all over the street. Scorch marks and blood painted the walls and cobbled road black and scarlet. Several men had been cruelly impaled on pikes in whatever patches of ground there was. Galeven and Kataia took particular note that some corpses were in distinct armor, and had begun to deteriorate into ash.

As they surveyed the aftermath before them, Kataia spoke. "The vampires are in Morrowind."

They spent a minute more absorbing the ghastly image, then began to search for any survivors, or anything useful. As they searched, there was little noise. The sun was sinking, and the night was growing colder. After having effectively searched the whole of the town, they gathered at the tavern, the place surprisingly most intact. Eisida and Renmar started a small fire, and Oranzul went in the back to find some drinks. Galeven sat at the bar, head in hands. Kataia hid herself away upstairs.

As she shut the door behind her, she swung the small pack she wore from her shoulder. She opened it, and withdrew the Oghma Infinium. She eyed its cover, a patchwork of different materials and colors. She ran he hand over the spine, and found herself holding her breath. She sat herself down on the bed. Nervously, she opened the book.

…

It was night without question now. The doors and window shutters to the tavern had taken hits in the battle, and so it was impossible to keep out all the cold. The company, minus Kataia, sat huddled around the fire. They had been talking about their pasts and plans for the future. None of them were willing to bring up just how impossible their mission seemed, or what horror must have occurred to clear out all of Silgrad. They drank of sujamma and wine, and ate what little bread they had left in their packs.

An hour later, Galeven and Renmar had drifted off to sleep. Oranzul sat by the fire still, and Eisida was tossing and turning, trying to rest. Rather abruptly, the door to the tavern was flung open, and the fire was extinguished in a cold gust of air. Eisida stood, gripping her shield. Oranzul rose quickly with his hammer in hand. The other two, roused by the cold, began to stir. With their light out, it was difficult to discern what was now in the room with them. Faintly silhouetted by the moonlight, they saw a tall figure in dark grey armor. A black cloak was draped over him, hood raised. As the figure lifted its head to view the party, two glowing orange eyes opened.

The vampire lowered his hood, letting his silvery hair reflect the moon's glow. He grinned to them and bowed ever so slightly. "Ah. At last I have the honor of meeting the meddlers themselves. Greetings. I am Viantar Lorethius."

Galeven had rushed to the front of the group, Dawnbreaker and silver axe drawn and readied. "Monster… I would be right to assume you are responsible for the carnage this place went through?"

Viantar's smile faded. He began to pace along the bar, running his hand on the wood. "Your dedication to the justice of these people is admirable. Unfourtunately, misguided. If you want to avenge them, you'd be looking for my sister. I believe you've met briefly, no?"

He stopped, turning to them, and drew his sword from his hip. The ebony blade seemed to pulse with magic, and runes carved on its sides burned a dark red. "But of course to do that you'd have to leave here alive."

The party now all stood, weapons drawn and ready, eyeing Viantar as he stood waiting. "Well Vigilants? I'm waiting."

Galeven needed no further invitation. He threw himself forward, swinging down with his blade of fire. The attack was easily sidestepped by Viantar, who struck him with the pommel of his blade and sent him to the ground. An arrow whizzed by his head, sticking into the wall. Viantar once more stepped aside as Oranzul's hammer came down and cracked the floor. He struck with his blade this time, slashing at his side. As he turned, he was taken aback by the Nord woman charging in to hit him with her shield. He easily avoided the thing, but was stuck by her sword instead.

He reeled back, but stood quickly. The wound would be quick to heal. He had more dangerous opponents to worry about. He propelled himself into her now raised shield, and she was sent flying back across the tavern. She came crashing down into a set table. Another arrow struck the bar in front of him, and he turned to try and find the archer. As he did, Galeven let out a cry and brought his axe down. It struck, but even as Viantar burned and shouted in pain, he swiftly took a swing at Galeven's ankle. He fell, and Oranzul leapt over him with another powerful swing. Viantar glided effortlessly across the room, and grabbed ahold of Renmar, his bow falling to the ground.

Viantar chuckled as he threw the lizard into a wall with enough force to crack it. "You four are who they sent to stop Sirine's plans? The Vigil must be in shambles if this is all it has to offer." He parried another swipe from Dawnbreaker. He delivered a kick to Oranzul's leg, bringing him to a kneel, and then kneed him in the face. He then spun with his sword, glancing off Galeven's gauntlet.

He maneuvered to put a table between him and the more painful weapons, and took to further targeting Oranzul. This time, a swipe across his chest sent him spinning backward. He was distinctly perturbed when, in quite a surprising move, Galeven leapt over the table and onto him. The two toppled down, and Galeven held the silver axe up to his neck.

"See these fangs, vampire? Each comes from a vampire lord. If I can bring them down, I can bring you down." Even as he said this, Viantar began to rise, and ripped the axe from his hands. He kicked him back, and locked swords with him, grinning.

"Is that so? You've brought down vampire lords, have you? Then this must be excruciatingly boring for you. Allow me to meet your standards." Viantar pulled back, and made sure to put distance between himself and the party. He threw the axe into the floor, and removed his cloak in a flourish. He sheathed his sword, and then doubled over. His face seemed to be in sheer agony. Swirling shadows and a pulsating energy came over him, and the room grew even colder. He grew immensely in size.

As the last part of his grizzly transformation, tattered wings burst from his back. He rose from the floor, floating in the air. His hands were wickedly clawed, his ears even more pointed than they had been. His flowing silver hair ran over his skin, now a sickly grey. His legs seemed misshapen and wrong; all of his muscles seemed to have grown.

Galeven watched in a mix of disgust, terror, and fascination. When it was concluded, he and Oranzul had both effectively been brought to the ground in sheer fright and shock. The monster cackled, and called out. "Well, vampire hunter? Surely this is more to your taste. Or, could it be?" He flew over, sinking to the ground and pushing Galeven down beneath his clawed foot. "You've never fought a proper Vampire Lord. Only those power-mad fools who manage to accrue a meagre portion of our true power."

Galeven, though taken aback, recognized an opportunity. He swung in desperation with Dawnbreaker. His terror only grew when the beast caught it in its clawed hand. Viantar's already contorted face became scrunched in pain. He ripped the sword from Galeven's hand, and tossed it across the room. "What poor manners. Surely you wouldn't intend to interrupt now, would you?"

He shuddered as another attack came, this one from Oranzul. The massive blow from the hammer only shook him, however. He rose from Galeven, who gasped for breath as the weight left his lungs. Viantar glared at Oranzul, and sent a bolt of lightning through him.

Viantar glanced back and forth between the two of them. He seemed almost bored, when an arrow stuck into his shoulder. His face once more convulsed, and he actually let out a cry. He tore the arrow out of his back, and spun around. "What in Oblivion?!" He was given no chance to say more, as Eisida slashed wildly at him with her sword. He took several strikes before he could stop her, holding her in place and throwing her with his magic. He scanned the room for the lizard, and just as he found him, another arrow hit him square in the chest.

Being entirely fed up with this unusual pain these arrows inflicted, he decided the archer would do to restore his well-being. He lifted a clawed hand toward him. Renmar clutched at his chest, glowing faintly as Viantar's hand drew energy from him. The other three coughed and writhed in pain, unable to rise to fight. Despite his suffering, Oranzul dragged himself toward his hammer, only to have it pulled away and into the hand of Viantar. He looked them over, seemingly in pity. Suddenly, his eyes became questioning, and his gaze shifted from one to another.

"How peculiar. I could have sworn the scouts had reported five Vigilants. Did that interception group manage to do one of you in?" None of them said anything, either unwilling or unable to answer. "Well, no matter. I suppose I shall be merciful, and reunite you with your compatriot. Say your last farewells morta-AAAAHHH!" He shrieked in pain, suddenly being blasted by a torrent of fire. He dropped the hammer and ceased his hold on Renmar. As the blast continued, he screamed and desperately rushed to escape it. He scrambled out through the door and into the street.

…

Kataia drifted through everything. That's the only way she could describe it, everything. Every tale, recipe, truth, lie, spell, word, image. Anything and everything ever known or forgotten. It was a sea of knowledge, one that buffeted her on her journey. As this happened, a voice spoke. It was almost alien, like no voice ever would be. Its pronunciation was perfect, but its tone was all wrong and it paused in unusual places.

"Ah, dear Redguard. You seek to learn. I welcome those who possess such a drive. I wish to aid you in this effort. But you will owe me a favor one day, in exchange for such powerful knowledge." The voice ceased, and she continued drifting.

It spoke up again after what seemed like hours, but then everything seemed to be moving so slowly. "I see within you a locked away, potent power. You would have been incredibly powerful, had you been educated. No no, do allow me." As the voice concluded, the sea parted, and a stream of knowledge dedicated to the arcane drilled into her mind. It was painful, but every second she learned some facet of magical history, some interesting use for alteration or restoration, a spell, a tome.

It was some time before she was released from the book's trance. She slammed it shut, and sat breathing heavily for a moment. She reflected briefly. Sure enough, it seemed she possessed the mind of a well-educated mage. She was still unsure whether or not she would be able to conjure up the magic she had seen in her mind. Suddenly, she heard a cry of pain. It sounded far deeper than any of her companions' voices though. She slowly opened the door, and began creeping down the steps.

…

Viantar stood outside, now having reverted to his normal form. Even with his healing, the fire had injured him badly. He stood gritting his teeth in pain, redrawing his sword before he turned back around. What he saw displeased him to no end. The Vigilants had all regained their footing. What's more, the fifth had joined them, hands burning with a magic fire. Each had weapon in hand, and a newly determined look in their eyes.

For a moment, Viantar stood dumbfounded; astonished that these five had even come close to defeating him. He chose his next move very cautiously. He sheathed his sword, and raised his hands slightly.

"Very well Vigilants. I realize when I am beat. You can rest easy tonight. Nurse those wounds. If you had trouble with me, after all, just wait until you meet my sister." Having gathered enough energy, he took to the air as a swarm of bats, and disappeared into the night.

End Chapter 14

Subsequent chapters will be added upon their completion & revision. All critique & feedback is encouraged.

Author's note: Merry Christmas everyone! My little period of having trouble with this setting is over. Hope anyone interested wasn't deterred by the little hiatus I put this on, I was just drained writing nothing but fantasy for so long. Now that I've got some other projects going, I can maintain a healthy balance of fantasy and other genres. Also hope you enjoy seeing Viantar kick some serious ass this chapter. And if you like Viantar, look forward to Chapter 15. Also, I will be going back through this story upon its completion and fixing all the errors, especially in those early chapters.