A/N: And here's the next chapter! Somewhat of a shorter chapter, but also a shorter quest. Also yes, I'm fairly sure that at least one of the Silver Hand in Driftshade Refuge is a Vampire.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Elder Scrolls series, only my original ideas.

Chapter 25: Purity of Revenge

Shouts-at-Sun's POV

Vilkas and I left Whiterun, heading north towards our destination: the Silver Hand's main camp, the ruined fort known as Driftshade Refuge. There, we would most likely find the stolen fragments of Wuuthrad. Our journey was fairly uneventful, other than dodging a giants' camp, running into some Ice Wraiths near a shrine to Talos, and also fighting a pair of Frostbite Spiders.

Eventually, we reached Driftshade Refuge. From the outside, it looked to be a fairly small fort. The external section was guarded by a pair of Silver Hand. One of them, the archer on the roof, fell to a single Ice Spike. The other guard was quickly slain by Vilkas' blade. After that, we enter the seeming small fort.

We descended the stairs, and wound our way through the first couple passages. I quickly worked out that this place was larger than it appeared, and extended well beyond its surface exposure. Soon enough, we arrived at the first major chamber. Here, Vilkas and I encountered a couple of Silver Hand, and quickly disposed of them. Once the chamber was clear, I checked the exits. The route directly across from our entrance was locked from the other side, so we went down the passage to the left instead.

This path took us through several small rooms before we came to a larger split-level chamber. Here, Vilkas and I were assaulted by a pair of orcish Silver Hand members. Once we defeated them, we descended to the chamber's lower level. I popped the lock on the treasure chest in the nearby nook, finding nothing more than a couple of potions, a handful of gold… and a lockpick. I still don't see the point for people to put their lockpicks in locked chests.

In any case, we continued down the next passage. We soon came to a small side chamber: the sleeping quarters. Inside, we found a single groggy guard, who quickly fell to a combination of my Ice Spike spell and a stab with my tail-blade. After this, Vilkas and I moved deeper into Driftshade Refuge, soon reaching a door labeled 'cellar access'. Seeing no other way to progress, we entered the cellar.

The first section of the cellar turned out to be a storeroom full of barrels, along with a large pile of firewood. Curiosity got the better of me, so I opened one of the barrels. I was immediately hit with the odor of fermentation. The contents of the barrel obviously had a very strong alcohol content. After this, we continued further down the path, soon coming to a swinging wall trap that was triggered by a pressure plate on the floor. Vilkas and I carefully skirted around the pressure plate, and entered the next room. As soon as we entered, we were attacked by a small group of Silver Hand. We fought them off with a combination of our varied abilities, and then searched the room.

The room was dominated by large still. It seems the Silver Hand had their own distillery down here! This was probably how they funded their group. From here, the only way we could see to go forwards was through a natural cave. In this chamber, I spotted pair of cages: one containing a dead horse, while the other was holding a living werewolf. Given what I knew about the Silver Hand, the werewolf made sense… the horse not so much.

Knowing there likely were more Silver Hand up ahead, I took the risk and freed the werewolf. It immediately ran off into the next chamber, providing a surprise for the Silver Hand. Vilkas and I followed after werewolf, and arrived in a chamber with a large hearth. The werewolf had taken out a couple of the Silver Hand before falling, leaving us with two more Silver Hand to deal with. Vilkas quickly ran one through with his sword, leaving only one for me to fight. I rush towards my foe, ducking under his wild swing. I then stabbed my foe with both Frostblade and my tail simultaneously. My foe fell, but as he did, his body began to crumble into dust! I then realized that his upper incisors we unusually prominent. There was only one conclusion…

"Vilkas," I asked, "do you know whether the Silver Hand has a stance on vampires?"

"No why?" said Vilkas, as he turned towards me.

He then saw what why I'd asked.

"Oh, that's why," said Vilkas.

Not sure what else to do, I scooped up a portion of vampire dust. Vilkas and I then moved up the stairs, returning to the upper level of Driftshade Refuge.

We moved up the stairs quietly, and came upon a small group of Silver Hand gathered around a table. I took careful aim and struck down the nearest one with an Ice Spike. Vilkas and I then rushed in and struck the remaining enemies down. We then searched the chamber. Over in one corner, there was a large chest and some blacksmith's equipment. More importantly, on the table to Silver Hand had been gathered around were the stolen fragments of Wuuthrad! I gathered them up fragments and placed them into my pack. After checking the chest and collecting a decent amount of gold, Vilkas and I went down the hallway leading back towards the entrance. I unbarred the door, and we went back up the stairs and left Driftshade Refuge. We'd done it: we'd defeated the Silver Hand and recovered the priceless artifacts they'd stolen.

There was only one thing left for us to do now. We set off down the road, back to Whiterun.

A/N: and there we go! Next time: Glory of the Dead. See you then!