After making their way out of Dayspring Canyon, Atreus and Ysmir made their way to Riften and started asking around to see if anyone had seen any sign of a man named Gunmar, but so far, it seemed like no one knew anything about the man or his location; which proved to be a bit frustrating for both men as it told them just how difficult tracking him down would actually be.
"You know, you'd think somebody with Gunmar's reputation would be a lot easier to find..." Atreus said dully as he and Ysmir made their way out of the city, earning a light shrug from the Dragonborn. "Maybe he doesn't frequent the cities as much as we do...either that, or he doesn't want to be found." Ysmir suggested simply, earning a light shrug from Atreus.
"True, but still...as much as he apparently does for the locals, how would he collect his reward if he didn't visit the cities on a regular basis...and even then, how would anybody be able to miss him?" Atreus suggested, his tone still noticeably dull as Ysmir thought on the observation for a moment.
"Good point...kind of hard to miss a 'big brute of a Nord', even in Skyrim...unless he possesses a lot more guile than his supposedly brutish size would suggest." Ysmir said in a simple, but curious tone as they approached the stables while Atreus thought on his comrade's observation.
"Can't really argue with that...I guess you'd have to be damned stealthy when you deal with animals on a regular basis." Atreus said simply before they made their way to the carriage driver in the hopes that maybe he had seen Gunmar during his travels.
"Can I help you?" The man asked curiously as he turned his attention to the two men, making Ysmir step forward. "Have you seen a man named Gunmar lately...? Big brute of a Nord, fascination with animals, most likely dressed like a mercenary?" Ysmir asked simply, making the carriage driver think for a moment before giving the Dragonborn a light shrug.
"I've seen a man matching that description recently...never caught his name, so I can't guarantee that he's the one you're looking for, but last I heard, he was headed towards Ivarstead…" The carriage driver explained simply as Atreus studied him for a moment in order to figure out if he was lying or not before Ysmir gave him a content nod.
"Sounds like a good start, at least...thank you for letting us know." Ysmir said in a content tone, earning a light nod from the carriage driver. "You're most welcome, Dragonborn...I wish the two of you the best of luck in your search." The man said simply as both Ysmir and Atreus gave him a nod before making their way down the path leading away from Riften and heading in the direction of Ivarstead.
Upon arriving in the humble hamlet situated at the foot of the Throat of the World, Atreus and Ysmir didn't waste any time in asking about Gunmar's whereabouts and were soon directed to a cave on the other side of the bridge and situated on the path leading right at the fork separating this path from the one leading up the seven thousand steps to High Hrothgar.
"Well, that's convenient..." Atreus said with a shrug as he and Ysmir made their way to the bridge and casually strolled across it. Once they were on the other side, Atreus looked to the left at the stone steps leading up the side of the mountain before looking back to Ysmir. "You walked up all of these steps...?" He asked curiously, making the Dragonborn look back to him the glancing at the steps before giving Atreus a light nod in confirmation.
"Aye, but I think folks kind of overestimate how many steps there really are...but, I haven't counted them or even met anybody who has, so I don't know." Ysmir said with a shrug, earning an amused chuckle from Atreus.
"Yeah, can't really say I blame you...maybe it just feels like seven thousand and somebody decided that was just the best thing to call them..." Atreus suggested simply, making Ysmir laugh lightly and nod in agreement. "I can definitely understand the sentiment...it didn't give me too much trouble, but it's a damn good climb." He said with a chuckle as he continued down the path leading to the cave Gunmar was supposedly investigating with Atreus close behind him.
When they reached the cave, the two men noticed a big, brutish Nord with red hair and a thick beard wearing a similar suit of armor to Ysmir's choice of attire, but with what looked to be a goat's pelt draped over the left pauldron with a war axe in his hand standing at the mouth of the lair.
"I think we found him." Atreus said in a rather casual tone as he and Ysmir approached the man, who looked back at them as soon as he realized that someone was at his back, which caused him to study the two warriors with curiosity and caution as they approached.
"Gunmar?" Ysmir asked curiously when he and Atreus were close enough to speak with him without having to raise their voices, only for the big brute of a man to raise his left arm to stop them from going any further, although it was more a gesture of warning than one of threat.
"You there, hold fast! I've tracked this damned bear for weeks; I'll not let it claim anymore victims." Gunmar said in a quick tone, his accent being very thick and distinguished compared to other Nords, thicker than Ysmir's even, but the Dragonborn's accent held traces of his knowledge and prowess with the draconic tongue whenever he spoke while Gunmar's was simply a much thicker Nordic dialect.
Atreus stifled an amused chuckle when the man warned them about the bear before he approached, even towering over the brute of a Nord before him who stood just short of his chin. "We can handle bears easily, Gunmar...but, we can worry about that later; my friend and I are here on business." He explained with a simple, but somewhat witty tone before Gunmar raised his eyebrow lightly and studied Atreus curiously for a moment before turning his attention to Ysmir.
"Alright, I'm listening..." Gunmar said simply, his eyes still moving between the two men for a moment as Ysmir stepped forward and took a light breath before speaking. "Isran sent us...he needs your help." He said simply, making Gunmar look between the two men like they had each literally grown a second head, had wings growing out of their backs or tendrils creeping out of their eyes; if not a combination of all three things.
"Isran? Needing someone else's help...? Never thought I'd hear that." Gunmar said in a calm, but noticeably surprised tone as he studied the two men for a moment before shaking his head lightly. "I'm afraid he's a few years too late...I've moved on, have more important business to attend to; besides, he can handle anything alone, he assured me so himself. What could he possibly need my help with?" He added, making Atreus snicker in amusement when he heard how Isran personally assured this man that he could handle anything alone and how ironic it was that he was the one practically begging him for help now.
"Why do I feel like that claim's going to bite him in the ass with a vengeance before this is all over...?" Atreus said with a highly amused wit lacing his tone that made it difficult for Ysmir to keep a straight face before he finally elbowed his companion in the side and shook his head, causing Atreus to roll his eyes as a subtle smirk played across his lips.
Ysmir cleared his throat and managed to collect himself enough to answer Gunmar's question. "We're up against vampires." He said after a moment, still holding back a chuckle as he tried to ignore Atreus' sarcastic observation long enough to fill Gunmar in on the details concerning the vampire menace.
"Vampires? That...well, that might change things; tell me more about what's going on." Gunmar inquired in a curious and noticeably concerned, cautious tone as Ysmir opened his mouth to answer him until Atreus beat him to the punch. "Oh, they're just openly butchering people, kidnapping priests who think they're monster hunters and playing with an Elder Scroll." He answered in a sarcastically dull tone before Ysmir shook his head lightly while Gunmar studied them both with a newfound sense of urgency slipping through his reserve.
"By the Eight..." The brutish looking Nord gasped with a noticeable shock as Atreus fought the urge to roll his eyes when the man mentioned the Gods, something that both men noticed and while Ysmir had grown used to it, Gunmar was noticeably confused by the young man's apparent disgust with the comment; however, he simply wrote it off as Atreus being a Talos worshipper who was bitter over the banning of his worship.
"All right, look...I'll consider it, but I can't just leave this bear here to prey on innocent people; once it's dealt with, then perhaps I'll see what Isran expects of me." Gunmar said simply, making Ysmir give a light nod in understanding. "We'll help you deal with the bear; anything to help out. Ready, A...?" He started before looking to Atreus only to learn that he had seemingly vanished, which made both men look around for him until they noticed the young man already strolling into the cave mouth without hesitation only to vanish once more within the shadows shrouding the lair from the outside world.
This made the two men look between each other for a moment as a perplexed expression found its way onto Gunmar's face. "Where did Isran find him...?" He asked in a curious, but noticeably surprised and confused tone only for Ysmir to give the man a light chuckle. "Funny, Isran asked me the same thing earlier." He said in a noticeably amused tone, making Gunmar raise his eyebrow lightly before shrugging it off and approaching the cave with the Dragonborn following his every step.
After entering the cave and catching up to Atreus, Ysmir and Gunmar would learn that the bear who had been attacking people was a family of three bears, which made Gunmar look between the creatures with concern as he knew as well as anyone else that three bears holed up this close to a village wasn't something that could be left unchecked.
Upon realizing that the bears hadn't noticed them yet, Gunmar quietly made his way behind a nearby rock and crouched down while Ysmir crouched and crept forward to where he was positioned between Gunmar and Atreus, who was casually leaned against the natural archway leading into the heart of the cave with his bow drawn and an arrow at the ready.
"Looks like we get our pick of the lot." Atreus said with a simple, but low tone so that he wouldn't disturb the beasts, earning a light nod from Ysmir as the three men watched the bears closely so they could find a good opening to strike.
Gunmar watched the bears for a moment before turning his attention to Atreus and Ysmir. "So, how do we want to do this...I assume we're each more than capable of killing one by ourselves, but how do we want to separate them...?" He asked in a low, curious tone as Atreus gave a light, nonchalant shrug in response.
"I can distract them so you and Ysmir have a good opening to get in, pick your prey and take them out...just strafe along the wall, wait for my signal and watch yourselves; don't want you getting caught in the crossfire." He explained in an almost casual tone, making both Ysmir and Gunmar watch him curiously with their eyebrows raised before shrugging the young man's apparent casual nature as they started creeping through the shadows along the wall like they were asked.
When they were in a safer and more strategic position, Atreus raised his bow, pulling the arrow back the entire time, took a breath then prepared to loose it as he imbued the projectile with his intended choice of magic. "Úlfr Hlaup!" He cried before loosing a light-laced arrow at the trio of bears, causing it to explode into a pack of spectral wolves formed from the same light imbued into the arrow that lunged at the bears, each one exploding on impact and filling the cave with light that seemed to disorient and stun the bears and would have stunned the three warriors if they hadn't been fast enough to think about covering their eyes.
As the bears groaned in discomfort and pain during their attempts to get their senses back, Atreus, Ysmir and Gunmar charged forward, each one picking a bear then attacking while the beasts blindly swiped at them with furious roars, although each man proved victorious as their weapons cleaved their way through the bears' thick skulls.
When the beasts fell, the three men pulled their weapons from the fresh carcasses before Gunmar turned his attention to Atreus and Ysmir. "Don't know how well I would have been able to handle that by myself, you have my thanks." He began, earning a light nod from both men as they each collected themselves. "You've helped me, so I suppose the least I can do is see what Isran wants...he's still at that fort near Stendarr's Beacon, I assume?" He explained, making Ysmir raise his eyebrow a bit before giving a brief nod.
"You know the place, then?" He asked simply before Gunmar gave him a brief nod in confirmation. "I do...if Isran's anything, he's stubborn...he's been working on the place for years, now, never lets anyone in; his own little fortress." He answered before letting out a brief sigh then looking to the men again. "Well, I guess I'll get to see what he's been up to all this time...I'll meet you there." He said simply before turning to leave the cave, which led the Dragonborn to turn his attention to Atreus just in time to see the young man place his hand on one of the beast's forehead and lower his head for a few moments then turning away as he placed Leviathan on his back.
"Atreus?" Ysmir called out to the man only to be met with silence as the Dragonborn's comrade turned his icy gaze to him, a noticeable solemnness to his gaze as he strolled forward. "You alright, boy?" He asked again with noticeable concern, his eyes not leaving Atreus as he gave a brief shrug and seemed to quietly contemplate something, his eyes remaining forward the whole time.
"They didn't want to resort to attacking these people...desperation for food and shelter led them here when winter settled in completely; they thought it would be their best chance, even with the threat of retaliation." Atreus said in a dull tone, making Ysmir study him curiously before averting his gaze to the now dead bears then looking back to him with a steadily growing curiosity.
"You have a way with animals, don't you...?" Ysmir asked, his intrigue and curiosity lining his tone with every word as while there were many mages in the land who had learned to charm animals and even communicate to some extent, the level of talent Atreus displayed in this field was especially rare, for a mortal who wasn't gifted with some form of divine power, at least.
"I can get an idea of what they're thinking, yeah...it's complicated." Atreus said in a simple, but still noticeably dull tone with his eyes locked on the path ahead and his pace showing no signs of slowing as Ysmir kept studying him for a few moments as he thought on his response. Even though the Dragonborn knew that there was more to this man than he let on or even cared to talk about, he couldn't help noticing certain patterns, talents and overall capabilities that told him the man's nature most likely went deeper than he originally considered.
"When did you realize you had this talent...?" Ysmir asked simply in the hopes of maybe narrowing down where his extraordinary talents and prowess came from, although considering how closed off Atreus was, he had a feeling he wouldn't receive the answers he was hoping for. Atreus took a few moments to consider whether or not he actually wanted to answer the question considering it made him think back to his youth, when he first learned that he was a God and how excited he was upon hearing the revelation; it all seemed so ironic now that he had grown and realized what his father meant when he told him how life as a God could be one of anguish and tragedy, a curse that often seemed to inflict those of divine blood in some form.
"I was a child...don't know how old I was when I actually realized it, though..." Atreus finally answered after a moment, making Ysmir give him a light nod in understanding as he caught up to him. "I guess now we need to find Sorine in the Reach..." He added after taking a moment to recollect his reserve, keeping his eyes forward and his pace steady as he spoke.
"Aye. It's going to be a long journey, though...the Reach is practically on the other side of Skyrim." Ysmir confirmed as they made their way out of the cave. "Our best bet maybe going around the mountains on foot to Whiterun, taking a carriage to Markarth from there then searching the wilds." He suggested simply, making Atreus think on the Dragonborn's words for a moment before finally giving a silent nod in agreement.
Atreus and Ysmir would reach Whiterun after dusk before paying the local carriage driver to Markarth so they could begin their search for Sorine in the Reach; for the most part, the journey itself seemed quite uneventful, but as soon as they crossed over into the Reach itself, something in the air seemed to change in a way that suggested danger could literally be around any corner.
"Guess it's always like this, huh?" Atreus suggested in a simple tone, making Ysmir look to him curiously after they spent this much of the journey in relative silence, which really didn't bother the Dragonborn as much as it did upon first meeting the man considering he was starting to figure out his habits and realized he had a lot on him he didn't care to talk about.
"What?" Ysmir asked, although considering he already knew the feeling that the Reach gave off, he more or less answered his own question, but at the same time, it was possible that he had grown more used to it than Atreus; or perhaps even Atreus could notice it more than anyone else given that he was clearly more gifted than he admitted to. Upon hearing his inquiry, Atreus simply motioned at the landscape surrounding them as a way of letting him know he was referring to the region.
"This place, the Reach...it seems like every time I come here, it feels off...it's like the land itself is..." Atreus paused briefly as he tried to think of the best way to describe what he felt from this place, mentally comparing it to a sickness or some form of infection born of a corrupt influence. Ysmir quickly picked up on what the man was trying to describe and gave a brief nod in understanding.
"Sickly? Corrupt? Plagued by darkness?" Ysmir suggested in the hopes of helping Atreus's explanation along, making him look to the Dragonborn again before giving a light nod in confirmation given how accurate the description was and the fact it let him know that his companion had noticed it, too.
"Exactly." He answered, earning another nod from the Dragonborn who studied the land around them for a few moments before speaking. "There was a lot of blood spilled here, plenty of dark rituals practiced and probably countless evil deeds performed...it all left its mark on the land in one form or another." Ysmir explained simply with Atreus listening intently as his icy blue eyes scanned the land around them as the night began to shroud it in its embrace.
"Hmm...might have to look into some of those stories sometime..." Atreus said with a brief shrug, causing Ysmir to study him briefly before a thought popped into his head. "I have some books telling these stories somewhere...if we pass by there, I'll let you borrow them." He said simply, making Atreus look to the man with a noticeable intrigue as he thought on the offer for a moment.
"Thanks." He said in a content and appreciative tone, making Ysmir give him a light nod in response as things started to grow silent again, causing both men to start looking around in order to make sure there wasn't any trouble close to them.
A few hours into the journey, the carriage started approaching a miner's home that was built just off of the road leading to Markarth, but upon closer inspection, Atreus and Ysmir noticed that the place was swarmed with men and women clad in furs that looked to be ragged from a lifetime in the wilds with the headpieces worn by the men being adorned with antlers and the women having a noticeable lack of coverage from their clothes.
"Forsworn..." Ysmir muttered under his breath before tapping the carriage driver on the shoulder to make him stop, causing the man to pull back on the reins then look back at the Dragonborn. "This is a good spot to drop us off...we'll be able to handle these guys and don't want to put you in any danger." He told the man simply, causing him to look back at the savage looking Reachmen then back at Atreus and Ysmir before giving a brief nod.
"Aye, that maybe a good idea...I wish you both the best of luck." He told them simply as the two men each gave him a nod then stepped down from the carriage and strolled around it while the driver started turning it around so he could find a safe place to rest for the night before heading back to Whiterun, part of him wondering in the back of his mind if leaving these men alone with a group of Forsworn ahead of them was really the best idea.
As the carriage left, Atreus and Ysmir studied the Forsworn from a distance to try and get a general idea of how many there were, their fighting style and their best strategy for taking them down; for the most part, it looked like there were at least five guarding the mine, with one of the men having his chest bare and an obvious hole where his heart should be, but in its place was what looked like a thorn covered flower.
Something told the men there were most likely more, which made the Dragonborn inhale like he was getting ready to use a Thu'um while Atreus simply scanned the area more, noticing a emaciated, bird like, feminine figure accompanying the Forsworn.
"LAAS YAH NIR!" Ysmir spoke, however this shout came out as a whisper as the man's eyes gave off a brief red glimmer before he started scanning the area almost like he could see through the very rocks around them. "There's a few more on the other side of the bridge...four at most." He said simply as he turned his gaze back to Atreus, quickly noticing that his gaze was locked on something ahead of them, which caused him to follow his companion's gaze until he noticed the bird like creature.
"And a Hagraven…" Ysmir added simply with this revelation as Atreus quietly pulled his bow and notched an arrow, his eyes steadily scanning for a mark as Ysmir adjusted his position and quietly conjured the ethereal bow he used against the dragon, glancing to Atreus for a moment as he prepared to fire, giving the man a nod when he was ready.
"Þruma!" Atreus cried before loosing a lightning laced arrow and striking the Hagraven, causing the creature to convulse and writhe with pained shrieks as the lightning surged through her before the Forsworn warriors turned their attention to their attackers, the man with the barbed plant in his chest stepping forward first then drawing his sword.
"The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!" He cried before charging them and summoning a Fire Atronach to help cover him while his comrades followed him into the fray, zig zagging along the path in the hopes of catching the men off-guard and overwhelming them.
As the Reachmen charged, with one of them moving off to the side and pulling a bow to pelt them with arrows as the Flame Atronach cast firebolts at them, Atreus and Ysmir returned fire before eventually taking out the archer with an ethereal arrow gliding through the man's knee and bringing him down long enough for a solid arrow to sink into his skull, finishing him off.
Atreus kept firing at the Forsworn with almost lightning speed until he heard one let out a blood drunk battle cry, making him look in the direction it came from to see a Forsworn charging at him with his crudely made axes raised until he was close enough to his intended target; when the Reachman brought his axes down, Atreus stepped out of the way, cracked the man across the face with his bow with enough force to make him stumble backwards before using the bow to hook his ankle then swipe his legs out from under him, knocking him on his back as he replaced his bow on his back then pulled Leviathan in its place.
While the man tried to get back to his feet, Atreus raised the axe and brought the ice coated blade down on his neck, cleanly severing his head from his body as he turned in Ysmir's direction just in time to see the Dragonborn bash a third Forsworn with his shield enough to bring him to his knees then plunge his sword deep into his chest before pulling it out then turning his attention to the Forsworn leader and the Flame Atronach accompanying him.
Ysmir reared his head back with a deep breath like he was preparing to shout as his focus remained locked on the Forsworn leader and his summoned Flame Atronach. "FO KRAH DIIN!" He shouts as he exhales a torrent of frost that snuffed out the Flame Atronach and caused it to vanish in a fiery explosion that wounded it's summoner upon this defeat, causing the Reachman to fall to his knees when Ysmir's frost breath struck him.
As the brutish Reachman started getting back to his feet, Ysmir started marching to his opponent with his sword and shield raised so that he could prepare to engage him, bringing the blade down to strike when he was close enough before the Forsworn leader blocked it with his own weapon then used the momentum to get back to his feet and try to get a strike in on the Dragonborn until his own weapon clashed with his shield.
When the duel began, Atreus started making his way to Ysmir to try and help him take his opponent down before he noticed an ice spike gliding towards him out of the corner of his eye, which made him raise his shield long enough to make it shatter against the barrier; upon lowering it, he noticed the Hagraven rushing towards the skirmish, casting a fireball at the area to try and throw the men off-guard until he stepped out, raised his shield again to dissipate the projectile then lowering it again and throwing Leviathan at the decrepit creature.
The Hagraven used one of her clawed hands to knock the frost axe off of its path as Atreus charged, causing the creature to cast her magic at him again only for him to raise his shield again to block the projectiles then raising his right hand to call his axe back then bringing it down on the creature, making her shriek in pain when the weapon cleaved through her flesh; once she fell, Atreus pulled Leviathan from the Hagraven's corpse before turning his attention back to Ysmir and the Forsworn leader.
The Forsworn leader brought his sword down once again before it clashed with Ysmir's shield, causing the Dragonborn to use the shield to knock him to the side until he swung again, his blade clashing with Ysmir's, making him flick the blade to his right long enough to throw his opponent off balance and run it through him, causing the Reachman to start coughing up blood as the sword was ripped from his abdomen, causing his body to plummet to the ground.
After the Forsworn leader fell, Ysmir cleaned his blade and approached Atreus, who gave him an impressed and content nod before they turned their attention to the remaining Forsworn that awaited them on the other side of the bridge. "How do we want to deal with them...?" Atreus asked simply, making Ysmir study the Reachmen for a moment and noticing that two of the women seemed to have a distinct magical trace about them.
"Get their attention, we can at least send the two men running so we can focus on the mages..." Ysmir explained simply, making Atreus turn his attention to the group in front of them as he replaced his axe and pulled his bow again, notching an arrow then pulling it back and finding his mark. When he loosed the arrow, it glided through the air before biting into one of the Forsworn mage's abdomen, causing her to fall to her knees with a pained cry before the second mage prepared herself for combat while the two warriors pulled their weapons and charged the men.
When the Reachmen warriors charged, Ysmir inhaled and reared his head back as he prepared to shout. "ZUN HAAL VIIK!" His voice thundered through the air as the Thu'um struck the warriors and staggered them, even sending their weapons flying from their hands and into the river flowing under the bridge. As they got back to their feet, the Forsworn warriors looked to Atreus and Ysmir then down to where they had their weapons with a noticeable frustration at their sudden absence.
Despite still holding a raging desire to fight these trespassers on their land, the two Reachmen realized that they really didn't stand a chance against a man who could disarm them with nothing more than his voice or even get passed not only a Hagraven, but one of their Briarheart warriors, even if they still had their weapons.
With this reality sinking in, the warriors begrudgingly fell back and beckoned for their mages to follow them only for the two women to ignore them and focus their attention on Atreus and Ysmir as they made their way across the bridge, with the mage that Atreus shot having gotten back to her feet, removed his arrow and healed her wound before summoning a Frost Atronach that immediately came charging towards the men while both mages sent a consistent barrage of fire, frost and lightning spells in their direction.
Upon seeing the Frost Atronach charging them, Atreus drew his blades before charging to meet the walking chunk of ice in the middle as he swung them behind his back then brought them down under the construct's feet in a blast of fire, staggering it long enough for him to grip the chains controlling the weapons and swing them back up in a half circle to finish cutting it down. Once the Atronach was gone, Atreus looked to the mages to see one of them preparing to summon something else, which made him quickly switch out his blades for his bow and an arrow that he quickly notched and drew back while Ysmir circled around to flank them.
"Fálki lið!" He cried before loosing the arrow, which was laced with lightning from the previous incantation he uttered as it glided to it's mark, directly in between the Forsworn mages; once the arrow landed, it exploded with a burst of electricity that quickly manifested into a swarm of falcons that attacked then crashed into each mage with bursts of lightning, one for each bird.
As they writhed in pain from the merciless barrage of lightning that entangled them, Ysmir took this as an opportunity to march over and remove one's head before preparing to move onto the other, who looked like she was starting to recover a little as she tried to cast a firebolt at the Dragonborn only for him to step out of the way then run her through once she was back on her feet, killing her instantly.
Once the area was clear, Atreus caught up to Ysmir before both men started looking between the paths they had before them like they were trying to figure out which one was the best to take. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about leaving all the way from Markarth…" Atreus suggested, earning a light nod in agreement from Ysmir.
"Aye, true...now we just need to figure out where to look." He added, earning a brief nod from Atreus as he scanned the area in the hopes of finding some clue that would help provide them with their heading. Ysmir joined the man in his search before his gaze went to the path on the left, shortly followed by his companion's gaze. "We could try this way first...even if we don't find her down this path, it'll make it easier to expand the search from there." He suggested simply, making Atreus think on the idea for a moment before nodding again.
"Sounds like our best bet...let's move." Atreus said simply, walking forward as he replaced his bow on his back while Ysmir cleaned and sheathed his sword before catching up to him, both men kept their eyes open just in case there was another ambush or any wildlife waiting to take their chances against them.
After a few hours of searching, Atreus and Ysmir soon found Sorine standing on an island that was settled in the middle of a stream and bore signs of Dwemer civilization upon it grumbling to herself about some missing gyros. "She seems like an interesting one..." Atreus said simply, earning a light nod in agreement from Ysmir as the two men approached her.
"Excuse me, Sorine…?" Ysmir addressed the Breton woman, causing her to look to the men with noticeable confusion in her eyes, but she seemed to ignore the fact they may have been here on some important business in exchange for her search.
"You haven't seen a sack of Dwarven gyros laying around, have you? I swear I left it right here...do you think mudcrabs might've taken it? I saw one the other day, wouldn't be surprised if it followed me here..." Sorine rambled, mostly to herself as Atreus and Ysmir studied her curiously, almost caught off-guard by the woman's demeanor before she looked to them again and shook her head. "Just look around, will you?"
Once they had a moment to collect themselves, Atreus and Ysmir looked to the woman again before the Dragonborn spoke up. "Isran sent us to find you...he needs your help." He said, making Sorine look between them with her eyebrow raised curiously as she thought on the request with her confusion returning a little.
"Isran? Wants me?" She asked in a wary tone, making both men give her a nod before she shook her head lightly. "No, you must be mistaken...he made it exceedingly clear the last time we spoke that he had no interest in my help, I find it hard to believe he's changed his mind; he said some very hurtful things before I left." She explained, letting out a brief sigh at the end before shaking her head again. "Anyway, I'm quite happy in my current pursuits...so, if you'll excuse me..." She finished before returning to her search while Atreus stifled a brief chuckle.
"Yeah, that sounds like Isran alright...I guess the vampire crusade for Skyrim was enough to change his mind about old grudges." He suggested in a way that seemed as though it was deliberately meant to catch her attention, peaking Sorine's interest and making her turn her attention back to the men with an increased curiosity in her eyes.
"Vampires? Really?" She asked, taking a few moments to think on this revelation as she studied the men, cutting her eyes to them after a moment. "Oh, and I suppose now he remembers that I proposed no less than three different scenarios that involved vampires overrunning the population." She said matter of factually as the two men just watched and listened to her for a moment before she took a moment to collect herself. "Well, what are they up to?"
"Did any of the scenarios you presented involve them messing with an Elder Scroll?" Atreus asked in a noticeably blunt tone, causing her to begin speaking up until his words actually sunk in and made her realize the true reality of the situation.
"I...well, that's actually something I never would've anticipated, interesting...I'm not sure what they'd be doing with one, but in this case Isran is probably correct in thinking it isn't good." Sorine said before relenting and looking back to them. "All right, if nothing else, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn more about what's going on so I can better defend myself; but, I'm not just going to abandon what I've been working on here, it's too useful. So, I either need to find the satchel those mudcrabs stole or I need another gyro from someplace...you wouldn't happen to have one, would you?" She explained, almost making Atreus let out a quiet, but frustrated sigh before Ysmir went digging around in his pack, pulling out one of the gyros Sorine was obsessing over.
"Here, take this one...if it'll help with what you're working on and get us moving, then you can have it" Ysmir said simply, making Sorine's eyes light up before accepting the gyro and giving the men a content and grateful nod.
"Thank you! It's not much, but this will help a great deal with some of the things I've been researching...now, where does Isran expect me to go?" Sorine said with a genuine curiosity in her tone when she inquired about Isran's intended meeting point, drawing Ysmir's gaze to her for a moment.
"We're meeting at Fort Dawnguard" He answered, making Sorine raise her eyebrow a bit before giving a brief nod in understanding. "Ah. Been working more on his secret hideout, has he? It'll be interesting to see how much progress he's made...I'll finish up here then head in that direction as soon as I can; see you there." She said simply before turning to collect her things while Ysmir and Atreus gave her a nod.
"See you there..." Ysmir said simply as the men turned on their heel and prepared to make the long journey back to Fort Dawnguard, their minds racing with what exactly they would end up facing when it came time to confront Harkon and secure the Elder Scroll, even considering whether or not Serana would still join her father's forces despite the obvious tensions between them...
Good fucking grief, this took WAY longer than I meant for it to. (As you all know by now.) Anyway, sorry for taking over a freaking year on this, had some real life things get in the way, throw my scheduling off and keep me from making any real progress on it until now.
But, now on the bright side, I think I've got my shit figured out to where I can at least make actual progress, so I will be posting updates again; they may not be at my original consistency and can't really promise they'll be all that fast, but they will be coming.
Hope this chapter lives up to y'all's expectations after the stupidly long wait and I'll see y'all in the next one...