"A new recruit, eh Durak?"
The Breton held his torch up with a rustle of his Dawnguard lamellar. Much like Durak's axe, this man's axe seemed to shimmer in the flickering light. He scratched his beard with his gloved hands.
"A skilled one, too. Found him holding off a lesser vampire with nary a crossbow nor silver blade." Durak replied as he turned to look at me. "You should meet Isran. He'll like you."
I'm not going to lie, hearing Durak say that makes me feel much cooler than I really am. Plus, he wasn't there for the whole fight. I had my back against the wall and I was this close to turning into a meal.
"Aye. If you say he's good, Durak, then that's saying more than enough." The Breton said. "I'm Celann. Vampire hunter. What's your name?"
"Josh. Uh…battlemage." I said.
I guess if you carry a weapon and use magic at the same time, you're a battle mage. I think. Maybe…a battle summoner? Oh, who knows. As long as it gets the job done.
"Well met, Josh. Head on inside, Isran is waiting." Celann said, tilting his head towards the door behind him.
I walked up the steps and turned to give a quick nod to Durak, who was already walking off in the opposite direction by the time I did.
I pushed the doors open with a creak, and came into the entrance chamber. A faint light shone in from the ceiling. It illuminated the dim, dusty interior. There were crates, barrels and all sorts of equipment scattered around along the walls. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and corners, and dusty banners waved slightly with the flow of air through the now-open doorway. A big man in darkened Dawnguard lamellar stood at the centre, arms folded and confronting a balding man in robes who was short on breath.
That's definitely Isran and Tolan. No doubt about it.
"And now you've stirred up the vampires against you, you come begging for my pardon?" Isran said, his deep voice reverberating throughout the hall.
"Isran. Carcette is dead. The Hall of Vigilants…everyone. Dead. You were right, we were wrong. Isn't that enough for you?" Tolan sputtered. He clenched his shaky fists and looked down to his feet.
Jeez. You know, hearing and seeing things in the flesh makes you feel way more than just staring at a screen. This guy has been through a lot.
Isran puffed out a sigh, shooting a quick glance at me as I quietly stepped in.
"Yes, well… I never wanted any of this to happen. I tried to warn all of you." Isran said, letting his arms hang at his sides. He put his hand on Tolan's shoulder. "I am sorry, you know."
There was a small moment of silence as Tolan took a few deep breaths. Isran let go of his shoulder, and turned to me.
"New recruit?" Isran said, eyeing my potions and longsword.
"Yeah. Durak said I was Dawnguard material." I replied.
Now that. That was definitely a shameless boast.
"Oh? And what made him think that?" Isran asked, looking me up and down.
"We killed a vampire together."
"What, just one vampire? Pureblood or tainted?" Isran replied.
Jeez, this guy asks a lot of questions. I don't think he trusts my words. Also was it a pureblood? I have no clue.
"I don't know. He was very fast and sent me flying with just one shove." I said, patting the bloodied hole in my gambeson.
"It. It sent you flying with a shove. They are abominations, boy." Isran hissed, slowly walking towards me with the rustle of his lamellar plates. "If what you're saying is true, then you are Dawnguard material."
"Was it a pureblood?" I asked.
"Yes. The regular 'tainted' vampires are as strong as anyone else. Purebloods are the scum who threaten our world." Isran said. He gestured to Tolan, who was looking at me. "The Hall of the Vigilants were wiped out by servants of the purebloods.
"Sheesh. Sorry to hear that." I said, looking to Tolan.
Tolan winced and his eyebrows creased as he slowly nodded.
Isran stared intently for a moment before crossing his arms.
"Alright. What's your name?" Isran said, his authority coursing through the sound of his voice.
"Joshua."
"Where are you from?" Isran asked.
Ah, shit. I can't go with the Hammerfell lie here. Isran is from Hammerfell. No doubt he'll start bombarding me with more questions and find my lie.
"Helgen." I replied.
"Is that so? Escaped that dragon, did you?"
"Yes. One of the few survivors."
Ralof's fading life and Gunjar's arrow-freckled body flashed through my mind.
I wonder how they're doing in Sovngarde. No doubt listening to the stories of their ancestors and drinking themselves away.
They were good guys.
"I see." Isran said. He took a few steps back and headed to an open crate in the corner of the room. "Welcome to the Dawnguard, Joshua. Take this."
With those last few words, he tossed a crossbow at me. I caught it, nearly stumbling back with the weight of it.
"Tolan. Tell him about, what was it, Dimhollow?" Isran said, crossing his arms.
"Yes. Dimhollow crypt. Brother Adalvald was sure it held some long lost vampire artifact of some kind." Tolan said, clearing his throat. His voice still wavered slightly, no doubt from holding back his emotions.
"That's good enough for me. Head over there and investigate, Josh." Isran butted in.
"By myself?" I replied.
No, surely not. I know that it was like that in the game…because it was a game. Going to a vampire-infested cave full of draugr and skeletons? By myself?
"No, I'm coming with you." Tolan said, straightening up.
"Tolan, I don't think that's a good idea. You lot were never trained for-"
"I know what you think of us, Isran. You think our deaths proved our weakness. Stendarr grant that you do not have to face the same test and be found wanting." Tolan said, walking to my side. "I'm going. Perhaps I can be of some small assistance to you."
There was silence.
Isran puffed out an agitated sigh before looking at me.
"Feel free to poke around the fort and take what you need. Just don't take everything." Isran said.
And with that, he walked off.
I talked with Tolan, and he agreed that we'd meet there in the coming days. Tolan set off, whilst I went to sleep in one of the many empty beds in the barracks after having some food with other members of the garrison.
Morning eventually came, and I went to have a poke around the fort for some gear. I took a few septims and got a replacement grey gambeson for my torn one. I also got a leather scale vest, some bolts, a small quiver, a health potion and another two-handed sword made of silver.
I am definitely cosplaying someone here.
After saying goodbyes, I set off to Riverwood to stop for the night. The journey was uneventful, apart from a fat skeever who tried to nibble at my horse's hoof.
I turned the skeever into lunch.
Eventually, I reached Riverwood by nightfall.
It was a dark night. The moon was hidden by the clouds, filling the sky and surroundings with naught but darkness.
I watched as a number of guards with torches ran around the village, ushering everyone into their homes. In the distance, there was a bellowing roar. The roar of a dragon.
"You there, traveller! A dragon is attacking the Western watchtower!" A guard shouted as he stormed up to me.
"A dragon?" I replied.
Of course. I completely forgot.
Wait, doesn't that mean Lana is fighting that dragon right now? Or did the dragon just attack?
Oh, gods no.
I yanked at the reins and my horse whinnied. With a thunder of hooves, Cat sped up into a full gallop along the road.
"Hey, wait! Do you have a death wish?" The guard yelled out, his voice becoming distant.
I need to get there. I can't imagine Lana fighting one of those things with such a small number of men. Not to mention what will happen to all of those souls in Whiterun if they fail. Heck, I don't even need more reasons. My comrade is in danger!
I continued riding through the dead silence of the night towards Whiterun. Air rushed by my face, gracing it with the night's chilling touch. Cat grunted and puffed as she transitioned into a slow gallop. I unhooked my travel bag, dropping my waterskin and food pack onto the floor behind to alleviate some weight.
"Come on, Cat. You can do it girl." I said.
Cat neighed, and we continued through and along the forest.
Whiterun came into view. The entire city was filled with lights, and guards with torches lined the entirety of the walls and towers. The Western watchtower was engulfed in a pool of bright flame, bellowing smoke into the darkness. Another gut wrenching roar sounded out from the sky. This time it was much closer.
Eventually, we made it to the path leading towards the Western watchtower.
I spotted a group of torches by the watchtower, spreading out around it as the fires began to die down. The group moved closer to the watchtower, and that's when I realised it.
That's Irileth's group. This is the part where the dragon comes out, isn't it? That means Lana is with them, right? Gods, let me get there in time.
Just then, Cat whinnied and stumbled. I lurched as I was thrown out of the stirrups.
The next thing I felt was the cold stone floor on my back, a few cracks and piercing pain. I yelled out as whatever bones I have in my back broke. Cat made some worrying noises as she scrambled about on the floor. I looked up at Cat, eyeing the tell-tale froth coming from her mouth.
"Cat! No!" I yelled out.
I reached down to my health potion and popped the cork off it. I took a gulp and immediately shouted out as the potion weaved my bones back together. Golden light rose up from my skin and my breath.
I spun on my back and scrambled over to Cat, who was still twitching and whinnying.
"Hey, girl. It'll be okay. Stay still." I sputtered through the pain.
I held up Cat's heavy head, and shoved the contents of the health potion into her mouth. Much to my relief, golden splinters and stars of restoration began to emanate from her body. The frothing gradually came to a halt. I watched as Cat's eyes began to drift closed.
"Just stay here. Sleep." I said, slowly putting down Cat's head.
She'll stay alive, right? Surely, I could get her to the stables. Wait, there's no time! That dragon can come any minute and god knows what will happen to Lana. I'm sorry Cat, but you'll have to stay put.
I stood up and began jogging in the direction of the watchtower, leaving the recovering horse behind. Another roar sounded out, this time from the South. It was deafeningly loud.
It's do or die.
The heat of the battle puckered my face as I gradually drew near. I began to hear shouts, the twang of bows and the beat of heavy footsteps. A bolt of lightning shot up from behind the hill in front of me, briefly illuminating the sharp features of the pale dragon in the dark sky.
It was like something out of a monster movie. The fire, the lights and the beast. I always loved cheesy CGI movies where it would just be giant monsters or explosions. They were fun to watch. The heat toasting my face and the rush of wind from giant beating wings proved it to be otherwise.
Just then, the dragon puffed up a big breath and shouted. Melting hot fire sprayed out from its mouth in the direction of the lightning bolt. I listened and watched in shock as I heard a few blood-curdling screams fade into the flames.
My stomach dropped to my knees and a certain…emptiness shot through my stomach.
"Lana!" I yelled out, running forward as the dragon ceased its fire and came to a landing.
I came over the hill, eyeing the flaming surroundings. There were browned corpses with shreds of burnt yellow cloth, molten steel and sizzling fat from the bodies. The scent of acrid smoke wafted through. The final flap of the dragons wings blew away the smoke, dousing some fires and revealing Lana.
She was knelt down on the floor with a protective ward raised. Her white and yellow robes were burnt and smouldering. Behind her was an unconscious guard and a wounded Irileth. I watched as she shakily dropped her ward, catching herself on the ground as her magicka disappeared from her. Her burnt white hair fell down along her face.
Suddenly, the dragon prepared to lunge at the wounded trio.
"Oh no you don't!" I yelled out, whipping out my crossbow with one hand.
I fired off a shot, slamming the bolt into the dragon's eye. The dragon roared, shaking its head about. I cast Oakflesh and drew my steel sword.
That shot couldn't have been better.
The next thing I knew, I was stood between Lana and the dragon, who was clearly angry about losing its eye. I downed the entire bottle of my strength potion. I tossed it aside and grinned, taking a defensive stance.
"You'll have to go through me first!" I yelled out at it, taunting it with a wave of my sword.
"J-Josh?" Lana said weakly from behind.
I felt my entire body get lighter, along with the weight of the sword. The potion's warmth began to seep into every fibre of my body, giving off a green hue from my oaken skin.
Honestly, as much as I feel power coursing through my veins, I am still afraid. This amalgamation of spikes and scales in front of me made my legs heavy. I may as well have ran away to save my own skin. That was me before, though. This is me now.
The wolf and vampire slayer.
"You are brave. Bahlaan hokoron." A deep, hoarse and booming voice erupted from the dragons mouth.
"And you are cowardly." I retorted, my voice wavering. "You prey on those weaker than you. I will not allow it."
"Bah! Mey joor!" The dragon boomed.
With those few words, he lurched forward with a bite. I quickly thrusted my sword into the roof of its mouth, sending a spray of blood spilling out and not giving it the chance to tear me apart. The dragon grunted, twisting its head violently to the side and me along with it. I felt air flow past as I was tossed into the air, but not high or hard enough to hurt me as I landed square on my feet.
I thrust my hand down, tearing a hole in the fabric of reality itself. Immediately, Bob came pounding out of the portal towards the dragon. It jumped up, somehow clamping its giant teeth into the dragon's neck.
I took the opportunity to lunge forward, swinging my sword in a massive arc up at the dragon. My sword clanged as it struck. A large scale popped off its neck, flying off to the side somewhere unknown.
Suddenly, Bob came flying past and smashed into the ground like a meteor, dispersing into oblivion. I turned to see the Dragon's wide mouth coming towards me at an alarming rate.
There was a crack, and a bolt of lightning smashed into the side of the dragon's head. Blue light filled the surroundings as the dragon's entire body suddenly convulsed, its bite coming to a halt. I looked to see Irileth standing there, bleeding heavily from the head with her hand reached out at the dragon, sparks fading from her palm. She dropped down to her knees, grunting as she tried to stay conscious.
The dragon turned to Irileth and prepared to shout, exposing the meaty flesh from the scale I just removed. I gritted my teeth and lunged at it. There was a thud as the hilt of my sword pressed into my oaken flesh, the entire length of my sword sinking into the dragon's throat. I twisted it inside, feeling as the flesh mushed and tore. The dragon immediately stopped, with the rest of its body starting to convulse as the tip of the blade twisted in its spine. It tried to talk, but no words came through the hunk of steel that I thrust through its neck.
I yanked the blade out with a yell. A ridiculous amount of blood came flowing out, spattering the ashen grass black with blood. The dragon's head fell to the ground with a massive thud.
And with that, it was over.
The dragon's corpse began to sizzle and disperse, sending all manners of blue, purple and white towards Lana. Lana's eye's shot open and her jaw dropped as the dragon's soul forced its way into her.
The soul…magic eventually dispersed, and we were all left catching our breaths within a smouldering pit of dragon bones and burnt corpses. My skin gradually returned to normal as Oakflesh wore off. The moon came out from behind the clouds, illuminating the surroundings.
I looked over at Lana. She was sat there, gazing emptily at the corpses around her.
"Lana? Are you alright?" I said, sheathing my sword and moving to her. I knelt down beside her and shook her gently. "Hey."
Suddenly, the life returned to her eyes and she looked at me like she'd just been through Helgen all over again. She gripped at my vest and darted her eyes around, breathing heavily.
Well, to be fair. We did just narrowly escape with our lives against a dragon again. And lost…so many.
I looked around at the corpses, still smouldering with embers. Irileth was sat there, drinking what she had left of a health potion. The unconscious guard was still there, laying peacefully as if nothing had just happened.
I looked back down at Lana.
"Hey, look. It's okay. You'll be okay. You're safe now." I said, brushing away the burnt ends of her white hair from her face. "We won."
I watched as Lana's face twisted in all manners of relief, sadness and anxiety. Tears welled up in her eyes, which I finally saw up close for the first time. They were cerulean, shimmering in the growing light of the moon like a celestial body in the light of a star.
She shoved her face into my chest, and I pat her on the back softly.
"You did well."
We stayed there like that for what seemed to be forever. It was long enough that torchbugs began to return to the area, lighting up the area with their soft yellow lights as they floated around. The embers had long since gone out, and a soft breeze blew through. The acrid scent in my nose gradually changed to the lavender scent of Lana's hair.
The sky was clear of clouds, revealing the blue, purple and starry void above. An aurora of flickering green danced some distance away over the snowy mountains, and a shooting star passed overhead.
I looked over to see Irileth looking up to the sky as well. No doubt that she felt it too.
This silent relief of ours.
Soon, the peace was interrupted as another detachment arrived at the scene. Irileth got up and began to give orders in a quiet voice. I helped Lana up, and we tiredly went about to help the others collect the corpses and things such as helmets.
I was happy to see Cat, who had made her way to where we were. She had healed well after I left her to rest.
At Irileth's order, Lana and I made our way to Dragonsreach on horseback to inform the Jarl.
We slowly rode until we reached the gatehouse, where we dismounted and left Cat to rest in the stables whilst we continued on foot. The streets were completely empty, apart from the odd hush and murmurs coming through old windows.
Eventually we reached Dragonsreach, and were welcomed inside by the Jarl himself.
"So, what of the dragon?" Jarl Balgruuf said, his shoulders tense. He was dressed in steel plated armour, that of which was engraved with several Nordic designs.
"Dead, Jarl Balgruuf. Lost the whole detachment in the process." I replied.
The Jarl's face twisted and his eyes slowly widened. I saw a few of the surrounding guard's shoulders drop with the news.
"Irileth too?" Jarl Balgruuf said. His voice threatened to waver.
"She's alive. Injured, but still giving orders. They're collecting the dead and other remains." I said. "They'll be back soon."
Jarl Balgruuf's shoulders dropped, and he let out an unbefitting sigh.
"I'm glad to hear that she's safe, but the other men…" Jarl Balgruuf said, trailing off.
Proventus appeared atop the stairs, and began slowly making his way down. The wood creaked slightly with every step.
"My Jarl. I will make the necessary preparations for the feast and for the funeral. Just give the word." Proventus said.
"Yes, Proventus. Thank you." Jarl Balgruuf said. He placed his hands on his hips. I watched as his fists tightened into a ball, shaking slightly as he tried to hide them. The Jarl stared into space for a moment, before looking back to us. "I assume it was you three, including Irileth, who put the dragon down?"
"It was mainly Josh." Lana spoke, her voice shaking slightly from fatigue.
"It was?" I asked, looking over into Lana's blue eyes.
I didn't really take time to think what had fully happened. I had assumed they weakened it or at least damaged it somehow, and that I had just finished it off. Now that I think about it, there were almost no dents or damage to its scales.
Ah, right. Tougher than steel. I was lucky that I happened to knock the scale off completely with the power from the strength potion. Still, it can't be that it was all me.
The Jarl shot me a strange look, and then looked to Lana.
"We barely damaged it. The arrows bounced off, and our lightning and fire magic seemed to do nothing until it was weakened." Lana said. "Josh came in, smashed its scales off and killed it in a single strike."
"Two. Two strikes. I stabbed it in the mouth when you were recovering." I said.
This is not the time to tickle my ego. I still came too late to save the others. How many widows are there now because I came too late? I'm terrible at riding a horse and because I didn't bother to do proper cardio in my past life, others died for it. All of this time I spent sitting on my ass doing nothing caused this.
"I couldn't save everyone. I was too slow. Please do not treat me as a hero." I said, my voice wavering. I felt a certain void of regret within me tremble as I tried my best to keep my hands from shaking too much.
I felt a thud on my shoulder. Jarl Balgruuf looked at me sternly, almost as if he understood me completely. He gripped my shoulder slightly.
"How many lives would have been lost if you did not show up, Josh? You saved a city of thousands today. My city." Jarl Balgruuf said. He leaned in and talked quietly so as to not let others hear. "If you ever feel down, look at the smiles of those you saved. It always helped me."
With that, Jarl Balgruuf leaned away and began to walk up the stairs. As soon as he reached the top, he beckoned for us to follow. We followed him up, and surprisingly came to the hall which was full of guardsmen and companions.
Jarl Balgruuf stretched his arms out with open palms, putting on a giant grin.
"The dragon is killed. Whiterun stands victorious!" Jarl Balgruuf yelled out.
Almost immediately, the room erupted into a roar of yells, shouts and cheers. Guardsmen embraced others, going wild with celebration. The cheer gradually changed to a Nordic chant. The ecstatic bellows of the crowd reverberated through my entire body, filling it with a new energy.
A few of the younger guardsmen ran out, yelling out the news and telling the residents that they could come out. Slowly but surely, the entirety of Whiterun erupted into celebrations outside.
I felt a familiar thud as Jarl Balgruuf placed his hand upon my shoulder.
"Come with me. I will show you something. Lana, you come too." Jarl Balgruuf said, gesturing to Lana as well.
He led us out of Dragonsreach, and a number of celebrating guards followed. We stopped on the stone stairs leading to the wind district.
I looked on in awe.
There were tens…no. Hundreds of people dancing around, celebrating and cheering around the grounds. They all had the widest of smiles and the energy of victory coursing through their veins. Even the children were madly celebrating, with cats and dogs thrown into the fray of merrymaking.
Jarl Balgruuf leant over to me.
"These people are alive because of you!" The Jarl said, his voice muffled under the cheers of the crowds.
Just then, I felt a pang of something throughout my heart. It wasn't a bad pang. Before I knew it, my vision became blurry as my eyes grew teary.
I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I've always been a perfectionist, and not even a perfect one at that. It always seemed to be that I'd direct the hate and dissatisfaction of perfectionism towards myself, never to others. Now, it's time for a change.
A warm embrace came around me from my side, accompanied by the scent of lavender and a flick of silver hair.
I looked down to see Lana looking up at me with soft eyes.
"It's okay." Lana said. "You did well."
Damn it Lana. My own words against me. I'm trying not to cry here.
I wiped at my teary eyes and patted Lana on the back before looking back out to the crowd.
Jarl Balgruuf stretched his arms out, and the cheers quieted down.
"Citizens of Whiterun! Tonight, we revel in our victory!" The Jarl bellowed, sending the crowd into a short roar. They quieted down again, and the Jarl spoke once more. "This pair here, along with Irileth, were the ones to defeat the dragon! Be kind to them, and show them Whiterun hospitality!"
The crowd roared once more, and began chanting something I didn't expect.
"Vampire slayer!" The crowd sounded out in unison. "Silver mage!"
Is that what I'm known as? Fair enough. I don't go around telling everyone my foreign sounding name anyways.
Eventually, we returned to Dragonsreach to prepare for a surprise midnight feast. The Jarl declared the day to be a national holiday for Whiterun Hold. The day that marks when a vampire slayer, a silver mage and the Jarl's retainer slew a dragon. A grand victory for Whiterun.
Calling the following feast big was an understatement. There was more food in the hall than I had ever seen in my entire life. Horker roasts, endless honey-nut treats and grilled vegetables. There were entire roasted hogs, grilled chicken and…horse meat? What? They better not have touched my Cat.
Merchants, tradesmen, guardsmen and thanes gathered for the celebration dressed in shimmering and fancy robes, whilst I just wore my gambeson and trousers with a pair of fluffy slippers. Lana and the Jarl adorned Whiterun-coloured robes. Irileth, however, stayed in her bulky leather armour.
As the mead started flowing, the night gradually began to fade into a blur. I remember dancing atop the tables arm-in-arm with a few of the guardsmen, shovelling copious amounts of sweet rolls into my gob and chatting about battle tactics with the garrison commander.
The last thing I remember was the scent of lavender before everything faded to black.
A/N: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. I released the next chapter a little earlier as a treat to you awesome peeps. Thanks for the support and don't be afraid to give any criticism and such; I appreciate any review.