"So, Atreus...tell me a little bit about yourself." Ysmir said as they approached Dayspring Canyon, making Atreus roll his eyes lightly and shake his head. "What part of 'I'm not interested in making friends' didn't you understand...?" He asked in a dull, irritated tone as the man studied him curiously, a bit caught off guard by his response.
"I meant no disrespect...just wanted to get to know you a little bit since it looks like we maybe working together." Ysmir suggests calmly only to earn a rather cold glare from Atreus, who looked like he was steadily growing impatient with the man's attempts to learn anything about him.
"Look, all you need to know about me is that I'm not someone you want to be associated with for any reason...friend, foe or otherwise; I'm not here looking for a fleeting sense of 'brotherhood' or to satisfy some 'noble desire' to save the world or anything like that...I'm just here because whatever these vampires are up to gives me another excuse to spill rivers of blood without consequence." Atreus states coldly, making Ysmir study him quietly for a moment before giving him a light nod in understanding.
"Very well...although, if you'll forgive my bold observation, something tells me that you're better than that. Regardless of your reasons for seeking out the Dawnguard, you consciously made the decision to join their ranks and fight against the vampires; surely that means there's a part of you that wants to protect others, doesn't it...?" Ysmir explains with a light shrug, making Atreus grow silent and shake his head, although deep down he knew the man was right to some extent, but he didn't care to acknowledge it.
When they reached the cavern leading into Dayspring Canyon, Atreus stopped and turned his attention to Ysmir again as he took a brief breath. "Well, this is the place...the fort's supposed to be in this canyon; if you need to take care of anything before we go in, let me know now, because I'm not going to sit here and wait while you screw around." He said in a dull tone, earning a light chuckle from Ysmir despite noting the obvious distaste in his tone as he strolled passed Atreus and approached the entrance.
"Don't worry, I took care of my business before making the journey here...let's go." Ysmir assured him before strolling into the cavern with Atreus following behind him until they emerged out of the crevice and into the surprisingly serene and peaceful canyon hidden on the other side.
Ysmir studied the canyon for a moment and found himself quite impressed with the Danwguard's choice in hiding place before looking back to Atreus, raising his eyebrow curiously when he noticed that the seemingly bitter young man's demeanor had softened significantly as his ice blue eyes scanned the area with a noticeable contentment.
Before he even realized what had happened, Atreus found himself a bit mesmerized by the beauty and serenity that this secluded canyon held and almost lost himself in the sight completely; he always had a soft spot when it came to nature, something he had developed as a child and was always encouraged by his mother, so he felt like he could spare a moment and drop his guard long enough to just savor the sight.
"Atreus...?" Ysmir called out in a curious tone, snapping him out of his apparent trance and making him shake his head lightly before retaking his reserve and marching forward like nothing even happened. "We should keep moving..." He said simply, the sudden change in demeanor heightening Ysmir's curiosity significantly before he just shook it off for the time being and followed him down the path.
As they made their way around the path, they noticed a young man who clearly had the appearance and demeanor of a farm boy with a simple axe strapped to his side pacing along the path like he was trying to work up the nerve to approach the fort, which made Atreus roll his eyes lightly. "Are you kidding me...? This runt won't last ten minutes against a vampire..." He said dully, making Ysmir's gaze shoot to him for a moment.
"Who knows, maybe there's more to him than meets the eye..." He suggested with a shrug, earning an unamused chuckle from Atreus as he shook his head, although part of him couldn't help being a bit amused by the rather ironic observation considering he had been in a similar position himself before learning that he was the child of a Giant and a God.
"I doubt it...he hasn't even made it to the fort and he's already shaking in his boots." He retorts, which made Ysmir look between him and the farm boy for a moment before shrugging again.
"Good point...maybe he'll end up proving himself in time, though." Ysmir said simply, although Atreus didn't comment further as he knew it really wasn't his place to say whether or not the rather skittish man really had what it took to be a warrior. As the two clearly seasoned warriors approached, the farm boy jumped in surprise before collecting himself again and giving them a light nod in greeting.
"Oh, hey there! You're here to join the Dawnguard, too?" He asked in a noticeably excited, but nervous tone before Ysmir gave a light nod in confirmation while Atreus just kept walking. "Aye, lad...we're here to join the Dawnguard." Ysmir said simply, making the rather skittish young man relax a little bit.
"Oh good...truth is, I'm a little nervous..." He started before Atreus let out a dull chuckle in response. "That's an understatement..." He said in a dull, yet sarcastic tone, making Ysmir look to him for a moment, but the farm boy just shook it off.
"Do...you mind if I walk up with you...?" The farm boy asked, earning a light shrug from Ysmir while Atreus just rolled his eyes irritably. "I don't mind, but my friend might...he's not overly fond of people." Ysmir answered, making the man look to Atreus for a moment.
"Oh, don't worry...I won't bother him, if that helps." He assured them quickly, making Ysmir look between him and Atreus before giving a light nod then strolling forward with the farm boy in tow, which made Atreus narrow his eyes lightly as he strolled ahead of them. "Oh great, another tagalong..." He muttered to himself without missing a step or slowing down.
The trio continued along the path, with Atreus staying far enough ahead of Ysmir and the farm boy where he wouldn't have to listen to the skittish man's attempts at conversation while Ysmir just allowed him to vent and ease his nerves as much as he could; it didn't take long for them to reach the fort itself and while the farm boy was clearly amazed by the structure, Atreus didn't seem impressed.
"Wow...it's bigger than I expected." The farm boy states in sheer amazement, earning a light nod in agreement from Ysmir while Atreus just shook his head lightly and kept walking. "Aye, it's quite a sight." He said simply before looking to Atreus, who looked like he was just doing everything in his power to ignore the conversation. "Not impressed, I take it...?" The man asked curiously, making him shrug lightly.
"I've seen better..." Atreus answered dully, making the two men study him curiously as they started catching up to him, although he didn't make any effort to slow down for them and just scanned the area with a noticeable indifference. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the place is abandoned..." He said simply, which made his traveling companions look around and realize that the fort did indeed look completely deserted and even completely run down.
"Maybe they've recently started renovating and felt like they were far enough along to begin actively recruiting new members...?" Ysmir suggested simply, earning a light shrug from Atreus as the farm boy just listened to them for a moment.
"Either that or desperation drove them to start recruiting before they could actually finish everything." He said simply, making Ysmir think on the observation for a moment before giving a light nod in agreement. "Aye, that makes sense..." He said simply as they made their way up the hill and started approaching the entrance to the fort itself before noticing a man with red hair, a rather thick beard and a fair complexion guarding it.
Upon noticing the trio, the man studied each of them curiously upon their approach, although his eyes lingered on Atreus for a moment when he noticed that the somewhat rugged young man seemed to sport a sense of experience that would far exceed someone his age; however this observation was mostly due to the man being completely oblivious to the fact Atreus was significantly older than he looked.
"Ah, new recruits! Isran will want to speak with you, go on inside." The man said with a tone that held the authority of a seasoned military officer, which actually seemed to impress Atreus a little bit and made him give the man a content nod as he, Ysmir and the farm boy passed him by and entered the fort.
"I'll let you two go first, if that's okay." The farm boy said as they strolled into the fort, making Ysmir give him a light nod in understanding. "You might want to do something about your nerves while you're at it...vampires won't wait on you to collect yourself when you're in the field." Atreus said in a simple tone, making the young man gulp nervously before giving a brief nod.
"That's fair...thanks for the advice." He said, although Atreus didn't respond as he and Ysmir approached two men standing in the middle of the main hall. "Why are you here, Tolan? The Vigilants and I were finished with each other a long time ago." The gruff, dark skinned man, who Atreus and Ysmir assumed was Isran asked the other, who was significantly paler, was dressed in robes and wore steel plate gauntlets and boots.
"You know why I'm here! The Vigilants are under attack everywhere...the vampires are much more dangerous than we believed." Tolan retorts in an urgent, almost desperate tone as Atreus rolled his eyes when he heard his explanation.
"Oh really? What was your first clue...?" Atreus said sarcastically, making the two men look to him for a moment before shaking the comment off for the time being and going back to their conversation while Ysmir stifled a light chuckle.
"And now that you've stirred the vampires against you, you come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it? I remember Keeper Carcette telling me repeatedly that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin that wasn't worth the expense and manpower to repair." Isran said in a stern and somewhat bitter tone, making Atreus shrug lightly while Tolan just shook his head.
"Carcette is dead, Isran. The Hall of the Vigilants...everyone...they're all dead. You were right, we were wrong...isn't that enough for you?" Tolan said in a remorseful tone as Isran's eyes wavered for a brief moment, although he didn't drop his reserve. "Yes, well...I never wanted any of this to happen. I tried to warn all of you...I am sorry, you know." Isran said, his tone while still gruff and stoic seemed to sport a genuine sympathy for the man's loss.
Once he was finished, he and Tolan turned their attention to Atreus and Ysmir as Isran himself took a breath before addressing them. "So, who are you...what do you want?" Isran asked in a simple, but seemingly impatient tone.
"Oh, nothing...we were just out for a little night time walk, stumbled into your Canyon hideout and thought we'd have a look around; why the hell do you think we're here? We heard you're looking for vampire hunters..." Atreus answered in a dull, but still incredibly sarcastic tone before earning a glare from Isran, although despite his apparent irritation with the younger man's sarcasm, he did seem to admire his wit to some extent.
"You heard right...I'm glad word's finally getting around, but that only means it won't be long before the vampires start to notice as well; although, if your blade is anywhere near as sharp as your tongue, I'd hate to be one of them..." Isran said simply as a subtle smirk tugged at Atreus' lips while Ysmir looked between them. "Trust me, sir...he can handle vampires, we both can; just tell us how we can help and we'll get right on it." Ysmir assured simply, making Isran give them a content nod.
"I need someone out in the field taking the fight to the damn vampires while we're getting the fort back into shape...Tolan was telling me about some cave the Vigilants were poking around in; seemed to think it was related to the recent attacks." Isran explained before turning his attention back to Tolan.
"Tell them about, what was it...'Dimhollow'?" Isran said quickly, making Tolan nod in confirmation before looking to Atreus and Ysmir. "Yes, that's it. Dimhollow Crypt...Brother Adalvald was sure it held some long lost vampire artifact of some kind...we didn't believe him anymore than we did Isran. He was at the hall when it was attacked..." Tolan explained, his tone dropping a bit at the end as Atreus shook his head lightly.
"So, one of your friends finds something connected to vampires in a place called 'Dimhollow Crypt', you believe he's crazy despite not seeing it for yourself and your entire order gets slaughtered because of that; and on top of that, the very man who found this 'artifact' is missing in action..." Atreus suggested in a simple, dull and somewhat disappointed tone before letting out a light, irritated sigh.
"Did you even once consider that this 'artifact' could be some ancient vampire who could potentially provide them with some advantage that would make it easier to actively conquer Skyrim...? I mean, 'Dimhollow Crypt' isn't exactly the most subtle name for some long lost cave that's hiding a relic that vampires are obviously attracted to..." He finished in a blunt tone, making Tolan, Isran and Ysmir look to him curiously then look between each other for a moment.
"All the more reason to check it out and see what's in there, I think...I trust the two of you can handle that...?" Isran suggested simply, making Ysmir give him a light nod in confirmation.
"Aye, we'll look into it...Vigilant Tolan, care to mark the crypt on my map?" Ysmir said, making Tolan give a light nod as he pulled out a map while Atreus just waited patiently for the priest to provide them with directions to the cave; he was pretty irritated by the fact he was still going to have to travel with someone else, but he knew he'd have to deal with it at least for the time being.
"Your best way of getting there is going to what's left of our hall and following the path leading along the side of the mountains there; it will take you straight to the entrance." Tolan explained as he marked the exact location on Ysmir's map before Isran passed a crossbow and a quiver of bolts to him.
"You should take this...best thing for taking those fiends down before they get too close." He said simply before Ysmir accepted the weapon with a content nod; he went to pass one to Atreus, but he shook his head lightly.
"Let someone else use that...I prefer my own weapons." Atreus said simply, making Isran study him for a moment and even eye the weapons he had on his back before giving him a light shrug. "Suit yourself." He said dully as he watched the young man turn to leave. "I'll meet you both at Dimhollow...it's the least I can do to avenge my fallen comrades." Tolan said simply, making Isran look to him and shake his head lightly.
"Tolan, I don't think that's a good idea...you Vigilants were never trained for..." He started before Tolan interrupted him. "I know what you think of us! You think we're soft, that we're cowards...you think our deaths proved our weakness!" He argues as Atreus gave a light shrug in response.
"Actually, I think it does prove your weakness...going by what you've told us and how easily the vampires butchered your comrades and captured the one man in your order who actually suspected trouble, you're better off staying out of our way." He said in a blunt tone, making Tolan glare at him before approaching and stubbornly meeting his gaze. "I'm going to Dimhollow Crypt. Perhaps I can be of some small assistance to you." Tolan said in a stubborn tone, making Atreus roll his eyes at the idea before speaking again.
"The only assistance you'd be able to give us is if we use you as bait; and I highly doubt that Isran or my friend here would appreciate that idea. Do yourself a favor and sit this one out...you're not being brave by marching into a battle you clearly can't win, you're just being stupid." He states in a blunt, almost cold tone, although Tolan didn't show any signs of relenting and just walked off so that he could make his way to Dimhollow Crypt.
"Damn fool..." Atreus grumbled irritably as he looked between Ysmir and Isran for a moment. "Looks like we're heading out..." He said dully as he and Ysmir turned to leave before Isran gave them a light nod. "May Stendarr preserve you." He said simply, making Atreus clench his fist and shake his head.
"Leave your Gods out of this, Isran...they're not going to want any part of what's about to happen." He snapped in a cold, but somewhat reserved tone, although Isran chose not to respond to the comment.
"You there, boy! Stop skulking in the shadows and step up here; what's your name?" Isran called out, catching the farm boy's attention and almost making him cringe with the authority in his tone while Atreus stopped long enough to watch the exchange.
"I'm, uh...my name's Agmaer, sir." The farm boy, Agmaer answered nervously, making Isran narrow his eyes a bit. "Do I look like a 'sir' to you, boy? I'm not a soldier and you're not joining the army." He clarified sternly, making Agmaer give a reluctant nod in understanding.
"Yes si...Isran." Agmaer answered, his tone still a bit shaky thanks to his nerves. "Didn't I tell you to step forward? Hmm...Farm boy, huh? What's your weapon?" Isran asked as Agmaer approached, raising his eyebrow for a moment. "Uh, my weapon? I...mostly just use my pa's axe...when wolves are attacking the goats or something." He answered, earning a rather amused chuckle from Isran.
"'My pa's axe'...Stendarr preserve us. Don't worry, I think we can make a Dawnguard out of you...here, take this crossbow and let's see how you shoot." He said as he passed the crossbow that Atreus declined to Agmaer, making the farm boy study the weapon for a moment.
"Uh, crossbow? I've never..." Agmaer started hesitantly before Isran interrupted. "Yes, a crossbow...best thing for killing vampires...just take a few shots at those crates over there; and watch the recoil, it takes awhile to get used to." Isran told him as Agmaer loaded a bolt into the weapon, took aim and started firing at the crate.
Atreus watched the scene quietly and found himself thinking back to when he was a boy and the training his father subjected him to, which made his demeanor soften again when the memories played through his head again, although it was almost like he was seeing it all play out in front of him as he watched Isran tutor Agmaer.
"Atreus...you coming?" Ysmir called out to him, pulling him out of his memories again as he watched the scene a little longer. "Yeah..." He said simply as he regained his reserve, turned away from the scene and strolled out of the fort without another word.
After leaving Fort Dawnguard and making their way back to Riften, Atreus and Ysmir made a stop at the latter's home within the city, an estate known as 'Honeyside' so that they could regroup and figure out the fastest way to Dimhollow Crypt.
"Okay, so the Hall of the Vigilants is roughly a few hours walk from Dawnstar...only problem is that it'll take us a few days for us to get to the city on foot, maybe three or four if we don't sleep; our best bet is probably taking the carriage to Dawnstar then continuing on foot from there." Ysmir suggested as Atreus listened quietly and studied the map for a moment, although he wasn't having much luck in finding a quicker path to the crypt that would keep them from depending on a carriage.
"Sounds like a real pain in the ass...but, if that's the quickest way for us to get there, I guess our hands are tied." Atreus said dully, making Ysmir give him a light shrug in response before taking a swig from a bottle of mead he had sitting beside his helmet.
"Skyrim's a dangerous place...you never know, we may run into trouble along the way and you'll get to kill something before we make it to Dimhollow." Ysmir suggests, making a subtle, content grin tug at Atreus' lips when the thought went through his mind.
"Speaking of which, where did you get your weapons...? I've never seen anything like them before." Ysmir asked curiously before Atreus narrowed his eyes a bit and shook his head. "You're better off not knowing..." He answered dully, making Ysmir raise his eyebrow curiously as he studied him for a moment.
"Not a story you care to tell, I take it...?" He asked, making Atreus let out a light sigh and grow quiet again as he thought on the cataclysm that destroyed Asgard, left his home realm of Midgard in chaos and cast him into this realm, which led to his taking a long swig from his own bottle of mead; when Ysmir noticed his response, he assumed that whatever stories surrounded his weapons brought back horrible or unpleasant memories that he didn't care to revisit.
"Sorry...didn't mean to bring up any...unpleasant memories." Ysmir said simply before Atreus shook his head lightly, his icy eyes still glued on the map. "Don't be...let's just say some stories are better left untold..." He said dully, making Ysmir give him a light nod in understanding as his silver eyes studied him a little more.
"Fair enough...but, I can tell they're special...and seem to hold some deep sentimental value for you...family heirlooms, maybe?" He suggested in a simple, curious tone, although Atreus didn't respond right away as he thought about his parents again; even though it had been a long time since he lost his family, it still wasn't an easy thing to cope with. Ysmir took his comrade's silence as confirmation and decided to leave the subject alone for the time being.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for your..." He started before Atreus raised his hand to stop him, shook his head lightly and met his gaze for a brief moment. "Don't..." He said simply, making Ysmir hesitate a little bit before just giving him a light nod and dropping the subject completely. "We should go...don't want the vampires beating us to whatever artifact's hidden in that crypt." Atreus said before downing the rest of his mead and rising from his chair, making Ysmir give a light nod in agreement before finishing his drink, replacing his helmet, collecting his map and standing.
"Aye...I agree." Ysmir said simply as they made their way out of his home and strolled to the gate, which Ysmir took as an opportunity to strap a rather ornate long sword that held a divine light in its hilt to his side as they left the city then approached the carriage driver situated by the stables.
"Where do you need to go?" The man asked as Ysmir and Atreus approached him. "Dawnstar." Ysmir answered before passing the man a coin purse that would cover the trip, earning a light nod in return. "Climb on back and we'll be off." The man said simply before the two warriors climbed into the carriage quietly, making the man snap the reigns and urge the steed bound to the cart forward so he could take them to their destination.
A few hours after crossing over into Eastmarch hold, the carriage took them passed Windhelm and as they continued along the path to Dawnstar, Ysmir caught Atreus intently studying something on his hip with a curious look in his eyes; after watching him for a moment, Ysmir figured it was the look of a man who recognized something specific and that his familiarity didn't inspire a pleasant sentiment. "Something caught your eye...?" Ysmir asked simply before Atreus gave him a light shrug in response.
"Just can't imagine how much you had to sacrifice to earn that..." Atreus said simply as he gestured to the exquisite long sword, which gave off a divine light that seemed to be emanating from the hilt itself and simply reflected along the length of the blade, adding to its divine appearance while showing off the quality of its craftsmanship.
Ysmir raised his eyebrow lightly when he heard the comment before glancing down at the sword for a moment. "Excuse me...?" He asked curiously as he returned his gaze to Atreus before noticing the young man give a light shrug, he assumed that Ysmir must not have realized that he noticed him strapping the weapon to his belt on their way out of Riften despite his best efforts to do so when his back was turned.
"That sword you strapped to your side on our way out of Riften...only way you could have gotten your hands on a blade like that would be if you made a deal with a God..." Atreus points out, making Ysmir study him for a moment before uttering a light chuckle when he realized just how observant his comrade was.
"Nothing gets passed you, does it...? It doesn't really matter where it came from, though...just thought it'd be useful when we made it to the crypt and start running into trouble; it comes in handy when dealing with the undead." Ysmir explained simply as Atreus just listened quietly, although there was still that part of him that couldn't help wondering exactly how steep a price Ysmir had paid to receive it.
It didn't matter to Atreus what these Gods represented, light, darkness, good or evil, in his eyes, they weren't any better than the Aesir or even the Olympians that his father told him stories about when it came to their corruption and hubris.
"I guess as long as it helps us out in the crypt...just watch yourself when you deal with the Gods, any of them...they may act like they mean well in everything they do, but they'll betray you the first chance they get..." Atreus warned in a calm, but distinctly serious tone that suggested he had personal experience in dealing with such things, which only heightened Ysmir's curiosity about the young man and made him wonder what led him to this point in life.
"I'll...keep that in mind..." Ysmir said simply even though he knew to maintain caution when dealing with the Daedric Princes specifically, something in Atreus' words did intrigue him and started making the wheels in his head turn concerning the subject as a whole; he of course believed that the Divines had solely good intentions, but hearing this from Atreus did further peak his curiosity.
"Any particular reason why you're on bad terms with the Gods, though...?" Ysmir asked curiously before he noticed Atreus tense up for a moment and do it best to just ignore the question, which confirmed that whatever it was reminded the young man of something truly terrible.
"Doesn't matter..." Atreus said in a dull tone as he kept his eyes on the landscape around them, which made Ysmir give him a light shrug in response. "Seems like it matters to you..." He suggested simply, although Atreus just remained silent as he started reliving the same memories that had haunted him for the past fifty years once more while he kept his focus on the rather serene, but dangerous environment that Skyrim was known for.
Ysmir watched him for a moment as he watched the world go by and figured that he was using the sights as a means of distracting himself from whatever demons marched around in his mind, although he couldn't really blame him for it considering that sometimes it was all a man could do after seeing so much bloodshed and carnage in their lifetime.
"Fine, I'll quit bugging you about it...but, whatever it is and whatever pain it's caused you...holding it back won't make any of it go away; if anything it'll only make it worse in the end...trust me, I've seen what suppressing that level of pain can do to even the strongest warriors...it's never good." Ysmir said calmly in the hopes of maybe coaxing Atreus into at least telling him a little bit about his past so that it might ease his suffering a little, but Atreus didn't move or speak anymore and Ysmir just let out a quiet sigh.
"Just know that if you need to talk about it, you have someone to talk to...you have a good heart, boy...don't let it go to waste, not like that." Ysmir said simply only to be met with silence again, although he could tell that Atreus had at least acknowledged what he told him even if he was still doing his best to ignore the subject entirely.
After a moment, Ysmir just leaned back in his seat and started looking around himself as things between the two warriors went quiet with the only commotion being the consistent creaking of the carriage wheels turning coupled with the crunching of the rocks beneath them, which was usually followed by an occasional wolf's howl far off in the distance...
Okay, so this one's still kind of a 'dull filler' chapter compared to the previous version, but I felt like the conversation about 'Dawnbreaker' would make for a decent fit at the end of this chapter, so I moved it up and figured I'd flesh it out a little more (Not much, just a little.). Not really much else to say about the chapter other than that.
Anyway, here's Chapter 2, hope it's as enjoyable as the first chapter even though there isn't as much action in this one and now, nobody has to wait on Chapter 3.
Enjoy...