Gwynedd. Wales.

One of the easiest ways for someone who can travel the multiverse to obtain immortality was to obtain a Golden Apple from the world of Hercules/Xena. The Tree of Life, the source of the Golden Apples, is destroyed during Hercules' series, but it is possible that you'll get there before that event and can grab yourself an apple or even a few, or in my case half a dozen.

The Greek variety of the Golden Apples (the Norse gods had their own kind) grew from a very special tree which was stored in the Labyrinth of the Gods. This was a maze, full of mythical beings and traps, that was created by the Olympians to protect the Tree of Life

None of which mattered to me since I'd teleported myself directly to the base of the tree, grabbed a few apples and then just left. The walls of the strongest fortress, the best mystical defences, and no amount of magical creatures acting as guard dogs could stop me from taking what I wanted as I knew exactly where to go.

Callisto and Hercules had to traverse the Labyrinth of the Gods to collect the Apples. Hercules needed them to cure his poisoned friends and family. Callisto, who had done the poisoning, wanted to become immortal, as that was her only way to avoid getting stuck in one of the more unpleasant afterlives that dimension had to offer.

In that fictional setting, Immortals are beings who are immune to most physical damage, many forms of magic, diseases and most forms of mundane illness. However, some weapons can kill immortals and there are beings who could slay me even though I'd eaten one of the Golden Apples.

It was even possible for the most powerful of gods to empower a mortal so that he or she could slay lesser gods. A good reason to avoid eating Ambrosia as becoming a god could make you a target.

Immortals also possess eternal life and they are forever young. I shouldn't age another day (something I'd have to handle later if I kept living in this world) and I was glad that activating my Elder Blood had restored my body to something close to its prime. I didn't want to spend my eternal life looking anything other than my best.

Over in the world of Xena and Hercules, creatures are immortal but they lack many of the other supernatural powers of gods. It was possible to upgrade to full godhood via Ambrosia, but I'd decided against that as my ability to traverse the multiverse came from bloodline according to my great-uncle even though it was a dormant trait. As such, if I changed species I'd lose my ability to move from world to world.

Even if I obtained another means by which to travel I didn't think it would be worth it as I could lose that alternate method if I was depending on some sort of device and the gods of that world seemed to be rather petty creatures. I didn't want to become like them.

Besides, I would no longer be a wizard if I ate Ambrosia and there was another advantage of obtaining immortality via the apples. Since they were a type of fruit they had seeds, so I grow my own Tree of Life or even Trees of Life.

There are legends about such apples that mentioned that they didn't grant immortality forever and there are beings who can strip you of your immortality so it would be wise to have a renewable source. A source of immortality that I could even grant to others.

"Take very good care of these trees, Tippy" I ordered the House Elf.

I'd not consumed the seeds of the Golden Apple I'd eaten. Instead, I'd planted them inside one of the magically expanded greenhouses. When larger they could be moved outside, something that might take place decades from now depending on how fast the trees grew.

"Yes, Sir" the magical creature replied, "Tippy will take good care of special trees".

As I headed inside I once against tested my new power again by cutting myself with a knife. My blood did not spill and the wound didn't hurt, it vanished after a second. It seemed to heal at an incredible speed and I wondered if he had limits, if an immortal could be overwhelmed with injuries.

I would never be foolish enough to stand around and let people hurt me so as to find out, and I figured that spells like Fiendfyre might still be able to kill me because of how much damage they could do. Basilisk venom or something similar might also be able to end me.

Since I saw my immortality as a safety net, something I liked having, but wouldn't make use of unless I really had to, I wasn't going to let myself be hit by enemies just see what harm I could shrug off even if the results might be interesting to see.

I still had a few uneaten apples and I was curious about what the fruit could do. In theory, anything short of death should be curable if the person suffering eats even part of the apple. Only eating a whole one grants immortality.

Upon thinking I recalled that there were two magical people who were suffering from an illness of the mind that no magic could cure. Frank and Alice Longbottom, I'd like to feed them a bit of an apple each and see what happened.

When I'd given my big donation to St Mungo's I'd seen the Longbottoms and restoring them to sanity seemed like a suitable Christmas miracle. I could cut the apple into four segments and try to restore four people. No sense in having half a magic apple as it might spoil. Besides the more people who I tried fixing with an apple, the more the power of the apples would be tested.

With that in mind, I headed off to the hospital. To enter those premises, one simply had to step through the window of what appears to be a condemned department store called Purge and Dowse, Ltd. The window acted as a magical gateway to the main building, much like the barrier at King's Cross Station which led to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

I assumed that there was a muggle-repelling ward on the window so as to stop some random person on the street from simply leaning on the window and falling into the magical hospital.

During my tour, I'd been told that the hospital ended up located where it is because no one could find a better place to house it. Everywhere in Diagon Alley was too small, and space-expanding charms have their limits. Someone came up with the idea to build it underground like the Ministry of Magic, but it was decided that going underground was too unhealthy.

Eventually, a normal Muggle building was purchased in London so that patients could come and go while fitting in with the crowds. Not that they always did if the Quidditch World Cup was anything to go by. Lucky for the magical peoples, the mundanes of this world seemed to be very talented when it came to rationalising the strange things that they saw.

Although the hospital was meant for the magical community only, Muggles are admitted when they fall prey to magical attacks, at least according to what I'd been told. I assumed that the non-magical humans had their memories removed before being sent home.

Also according to information gathered during my tour, there were strict guidelines concerning what gifts are allowed into the hospital, for the safety of the patients. This did not concern me however as I was going to bypass any searches.

My destination was The Janus Thickey Ward which was located on the fourth floor here at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The ward was named for Janus Thickey, a wizard who faked his own death so he could go and live with the landlady of a nearby pub. Why anyone would name anything after someone like that I had no idea. Magical humans seemed to be insane a lot of the time.

The door was locked, to prevent the patients from wandering about in the dark I assumed, but the door to the ward was opened easily enough by a simple unlocking spell. Security was a bit of a joke here in the magical world, something I'd made a mental note of more than once.

This ward housed residents whose minds had been permanently affected by spells in ways that left them unable to live a normal life and they would be considered mentally ill in the Muggle world.

Which meant it was very important that I not wake anyone up. If they did awaken they might freak out and alert the staff. I had no desire to stun anyone here as these people had been through enough already. Hence why I hadn't teleported directly into the room.

I found Mr and Mrs Longbottom in a pair of beds that were next to each other. I didn't need to wake them as I knew that would simply eat any food placed in their mouths. So I fed them a segment of Golden Apple each.

Once I was sure that they weren't going to have fits or any other negative reaction, I made my out of the room and re-locked the door behind me. I was sure that if they recovered that the magical newspaper would let me know.

I knew of a couple of other patients in similar states and they too would simply eat anything put into their mouths. Once that was done I teleported myself away. I would find out the results later.

Sigil. The Outlands.

The Forgotten Realms was much more than a single world, it was, in fact, a collection of dimensions or planes as they were known here. One of these dimensions was called the Outlands. At the very centre of the Outlands, was an infinitely tall Spire that shoots up into the sky, around the top of which could be found the city of Sigil, the place I was walking in right now.

While the centre of this plane of existence was called true neutral, in terms of moral alignment which was a very important thing in this part of the multiverse, it wasn't so towards its edges.

At the border between the Outlands and some other planes of existence in this part of existence, places called gate-towns exist, so named for the portals to the nearby planes they are built around.

These gate-towns take on many of the characteristics as well as the morality of the plane they have a gate to, and when the balance shifts and they become enough like that plane, they slip into it. So if a gate-town near one of the hells became too corrupt it would be dragged into that hell. This made some sense when you understood how important moral alignment was here.

This was why Sigil remained truly neutral as doing so keeps it stable in a place where the laws that govern other realities simply didn't apply, and since I didn't fully understand those rules, I didn't want to mess with the balance of power here or be noticed by the cities ruler. As such I would do my best to stay out of sight and not involve myself in any local power struggles.

The sole ruler of Sigil was the mysterious and terrifying, Lady of Pain. She rarely if ever communicated with her citizens and punished any who crossed her path or attempted to worship her by flaying them to death or turning them to stone, making the denizens of her city very wary of drawing her attention.

Leaving every day running of the city up to her citizens, the Lady only interfered when the stability of Sigil was in jeopardy. She kept the higher powers (deities and such) who would take advantage of the city's unique location and its many portals, endanger its neutrality, out of the city, she would destroy, or maybe just drive off, any who wandered in.

Sigil's very existence and purpose were a mystery. Some were of the opinion that it had been built by a deposed duke of the Nine Hells, others suggested that it was the byproduct of an insane god's dream, and some even speculated that it had been put together by scattered bits of the Outer Planes shortly after their creation. Another line of reasoning posited that Sigil was a prison for the Lady of Pain herself.

I had no idea of the truth and I got the impression that I would be happier if I remained ignorant as this plane of existence was already rather overwhelming. It didn't make sense and Sigil shouldn't work, yet it did.

The city was crowded with buildings that squeezed over each other and despite the sheer size of the place, everything seem cramped. New buildings, courtyards, and streets were constantly being built, changing the city's landscape and turning old structures into underground crypts.

Sigil's architecture was marked by its iron spikes and bladed fences, serving both as protection against intruders and as a stylistic choice. Stone gargoyles were also typical decorations.

Thanks to my research I knew that Sigil was divided into six wards. Although the boundary between wards was not clearly marked on the city's streets or maps, it was usually easy to identify where you were by the type of business conducted there. Counter-clockwise around the ring, the wards of Sigil were the following:

The Lady's Ward
The richest and most exclusive section of the city, home to the elites of society and of its government.

Market Ward
The main location for purchasing goods and services. It was famous for offering items from numerous planes and worlds. Trade was regulated by the Mutual Trade Association,

Guildhall Ward
Usually counted as part of the Market Ward. Home to the traders, craftsmen, artisans, guild members and other members of the middle class

Clerk's Ward
An affluent district, home to most of the city's lower-rung bureaucrats and middlemen.

Hive Ward
The slum and the ghetto, home to the poor unwanted dregs of the city. A grim and poor place, full of thieves, pawnbrokers, secret slave markets and the insane. There are even gladiatorial pits. I would avoid going there at all costs.

Lower Ward
An industrial district, clogged up with the smoke from the foundries and
from the portals to the Lower Planes

Since Sigil was a prime destination for travellers as well as a centre of trade throughout the local multiverse, the merchants here accepted the standard currency from anywhere on the planes. Most shops and stalls tended to be concentrated within the Great Bazaar in the Market Ward, but there were numerous street markets throughout the city that operated part-time. Day markets traded mostly in food and housewares, whereas night markets offered a much larger variety.

The city did not produce any usable natural resources and had to import even the most basic items, such as food and raw materials. In order to survive, the city capitalized on its most important asset: its sheer amount of portals and the fact that it was one of the most frequent stops for adventures going anywhere in the multiverse.

For that reason, the first priority of any business within Sigil was to accommodate its visitors' various tastes during their stay. There was an enormous assortment of inns and taverns that catered for just about anyone. Such places were usually highly specialized and each tended to evoke the atmosphere of a single location.

With this large flux of travellers often looking to trade their wares, Sigil was famous for being the place where anything could be found for sale. Goods from several worlds in the Prime Material plane, such as bronze wood from Oerth or Fire Wine from Toril were available there, as well as exotic items from all other planes, so it was common for travellers to look for those goods in Sigil rather than going to their sources.

The city also offered a vast array of services supporting traders, travellers, and residents alike. Many people offered their services as bodyguards, mercenaries, and bill collectors. Why anyone would foul themselves by taking on such a hated profession I had no idea.

Many wizards also set up shop in the city, taking advantage of the variety of items that passed through. Sigil was famous for its magic item production. However, prices were considerably high for such items, and their sellers often only kept small businesses that could be difficult to track down unless you knew who to ask about them.

There were a number of magical items that I'd come here to acquire such as an Instant Fortress, as well as a way of remaining hidden from scrying magic. I had a feeling that before I was done here I'd have quite the inventory.

As for finding the right supplier that's why I would need the service of a guide. These Touts were unofficial city guides and was highly recommended that anyone new to Sigil employed a guide, lest they are taken advantage of due to their nativity or simply mugged soon after arriving.

Since there is no central agency or any regulation of the profession, such guides could be little better than the crooks they were supposed to protect people from, either serving to persuade a traveller to the side of their faction or simply robbing their 'customer' once their backs were turned.

I wasn't too worried about my physical safety. It was doubtful that any common crooks carried weapons that could really harm me, and I could teleport out of danger, but I'd rather avoid being robbed and have to start my shopping all over again.

Sigil. The Outlands.

After a long day, as much as that term applied in this reality, of shopping I'd settled in at Imel's Happy Tongue, an inn and tavern known for its periodic menu specials that featured food from all the planes. I was staying here despite the danger because some magical items require what is called attunement which requires you to rest while in contact with the magical item.

Since I didn't yet know if attunement was possible outside of the Forgotten Realms multiverse I had to stay here in one of the nicer inns in the city. I was less likely to be robbed or assaulted here as the inn had security and a good reputation according to some of the people who I'd questioned.

So far I'd been able to avoid violence by hiring bodyguards and guides. It might seem as if that was foolish as they could try to steal from me, but any group that did that would soon get a bad reputation that would prevent anyone from doing business with them.

Of course, there were gangs of pickpockets and muggers about, but if they'd targeted me at any point they'd backed off before striking due to my guards. No sense in coming after me if there was weaker prey around I guessed and the guards were getting paid for easy work.

It was one of the Lady's laws that helped to keep visitors safe. Any action which harms the city of Sigil either directly or indirectly will be considered a direct attack against the Lady herself and punished appropriately by either death or being exiled to something called a maze. Since the Lady can deal with deities lesser beings would be no trouble for her.

Sigil was totally dependent on imports and managed by the Merchants Guild that sought to make plenty of profit, therefore only so much crime could be tolerated or people would simply stop coming to Sigil and the city would simply stop functioning.

This city did have law enforcement and a government so it wasn't as uncivilized as some might think it to be and the city catered to tourists so it was mostly the inhabitants of the city attacking each other that caused problems.

Despite knowing this I kept my hands close to my weapons as I was no fool. Not that it had been easy to keep an eye out for trouble while exploring just a few of the many stores here in Sigil. I'd walked until my feet ached and I doubted that I'd seen more than a tiny fraction of what was on offer.

Then there were the different races. Elves, many kinds of humans, dwarfs, halflings, gnomes, some sort of lizard people, folks who looked like human/animal hybrids, part demons, and orcs, I even saw a trio of Mind Flayers who I wisely avoided.

Before coming to this city I'd studied protective enchantments before coming to this reality and while the few spells I'd researched wouldn't stop an attack they should keep low-level thieves away.

Muggle-repelling charms are useless in the Outlands because everyone here is a bit magical, but there were spells to hide you from hostiles that I might have gotten right. Hopefully, they wouldn't be tested while I was here as they are a tricky bit of magic and above my skill level.

My inventory had grown greatly and it was good to have the time to take stock. My pouch of holding was filled with gold bars, coins minted by the goblins of Gringotts, and currency from around the Forgotten Realms multiverse that were made of different metals.

At this rate, I was going to need far more than my Gringotts vaults and Grimmauld Place to store my wealth as well as my other treasures. I really should look into getting myself a castle or some other form of fortress.

Gun
Longclaw
Pouch of Holding
Maple Wand
Thestral-hide coat
Dragonhide Boots and Belt

Instant Fortress
Everlasting Rations
Goggles of Night
Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location
Ring of Mind Shielding
Ring of Feather Falling
Wand of Fireballs
Wand of Firebolts
Wand of Lightning Bolts
Wand of Magic Detection
Wand of Magic Missiles
Wand Of Web
Wand of Entangle
Boots of the Winterlands
Earing of Comprehend Languages

Aside from a few accessories meant to protect me from attacks I'd gotten some wands. Unlike my maple wand, these ones only contained a single spell that could be cast a number of times before the item needed to recharge and if their power was expended, they can crumble to ash.

That might make it seem as if they weren't very useful, but given my limited magical education and the fact that I could lose my maple wand, it seemed a good idea to have some backup wands for battles. Even if they didn't recharge when in different universes I had other weapons to fall back on and could always buy more.

One of the coolest things I'd been able to purchase was an Instant Fortress. Since I had to spend months in some dangerous worlds in order to be able to use that world's magic it had seemed wise to find a mobile home of some kind and the fortress would do nicely.

The fortress was far from invulnerable it was very sturdy. Unless you had magical weapons that can weaken defences or siege weapons you weren't going to be able to break in. The windows were a weak spot, but I could add some magical enchantments of my own.

In terms of size the fortress was about as long as a shipping container, but square in shape so it was much wider than a shipper container and tall enough to have a second floor. As such it was okay for an adventuring party to sleep or to serve as the mobile home of a wizard.

I'd even gotten myself some gear for spending time in Skyrim. Okay so it was a special pair of boots meant for a very cold climate, but at least I was preparing and I did have muggle-made cold-weather gear from back when I'd recovered Umbridge's frozen corpse.

Not everything I'd wanted to buy was now mine. It isn't always as simple as trading some gold. I'd gone to a tattoo parlour and discovered that any attempts to mark my skin were undone by the power that would prevent me from dying a mortal death.

I didn't know if this would work for piercings as well and that would be something I could test one day. I already had a piercing so I was able to purchase an earring that allowed me to speak and talk in any language I could hear. It was a magical version of Star Trek's universal translator.

People in Sigil didn't seem to require any help with translating. That was either another oddity about this place or some awesomely powerful wizard just kept casting a Comprehend Languages spell over the city.

Before heading off to Skyrim, the land I had chosen to spend at least a few months in so I could start using that dimension's magic I would need to return to the Wizarding World to let my tutors and girlfriend know that I would be gone for several months.

I planned to return to the Wizarding World after spending months in Skyrim so that I could spend time researching and practising more wand magic. Hopefully, I would simply be able to rehire my tutors, but keeping things going with Tonks could be a different matter.

Those were concerns for the future. For now, I needed to rest so as to complete the attunement and tomorrow I needed to go some more shopping as there were things I still wanted to buy here before I moved on.

Dimhollow Crypt. Skyrim.

The entrance to Dimhollow Crypt was in the snowy north of Skyrim, up in the mountains. It was tough terrain and far more rugged than I was used to. Lucky for me I didn't need to even try making my way there on foot as I'd teleported into this world and appeared directly at the entrance.

This was good because even with my special coat that was enchanted to keep me warm, thanks to some charms it was cold here. I couldn't freeze to death, but it was still damn uncomfortable.

I felt ready to begin my adventures in the world of the Elder Scrolls. I'd researched wand spells that could be useful, shopped for adventurer's gear in the city of Sigil, and put together an impressive inventory, at least as far as I was concerned.

My intention was to study the local magic during my time in this world and to collect some useful relics. The artefacts could wait as I needed to study magic first. I fully intended for my wands to become mere tools that could be useful but not a necessity as a wizard. I wanted to be able to shoot lightning bolts from my fingertips and hold fire in the palm of many hands.

If past experience was anything to go by it would be weeks before I could start to cast even the most simple of spells that the native mages use. As such getting into the College of Winterhold any time soon seemed unlikely as that centre of learning is known to require more than tuition fees in order to get you enrolled.

Therefore I decided to acquire the services of a tutor as I had done before. My choice was Serana Volkihar the somewhat friendly vampire. Not only was she skilled in the use of spells she learned alchemy from her mother if memory served.

In return for her services, I would offer her shelter and a chance to explore other worlds. Given her family drama, I could well imagine that she'd want to leave this world and I could aid with that. I might even be able to help her with that family drama.

First things first, I needed to make contact with Serana and then make my offer. If she didn't take it I would have to look elsewhere, and while I did have other options I'd prefer Serana as a travelling companion. Even her vampiric nature was much of a concern. If she wanted to be immortal without the blood-drinking then that could be arranged.

I'd considered teleporting myself directly to her resting place, but I needed to get used to fighting and I needed to test my capabilities. Going up against a few vampires would normally be rather foolish for someone at my skill level, but I couldn't be killed by mortal means and if I was captured I would teleport away.

Despite my immortality, I'd spent a fortune on a mithril chainshirt much like one worn by Frodo in the Lord the Rings movies. It could be worn under my clothing, and it felt comfortable despite it being made of metal.

Since there were weapons that can kill immortals it seemed wise to wear some armour as those special weapons still had to wound an immortal in order to work. I theorised that my immortality could be overwhelmed if I was injured enough so some protection for my body seemed wise.

"These Vigilantes don't know when to give up," I heard a voice say as I moved through the underground space "I thought burning down their precious Hall and desecrating their shrine would send enough of a message".

I was able to sneak closer to the sound of the voices without being detected. Vampires have enhanced senses; however, they only work if people with enhanced senses are bothering to pay attention. These creatures were overconfident.

For a moment I wondered why the Dragonborn wasn't here. Perhaps they hadn't joined the Dawnguard in this version of events. They could be busy elsewhere, or even trapped in Apocrypha. Perhaps I would find out.

"To come here alone. A fool like the rest of them" another voice said.

I couldn't see much more than two figures that were standing next to each other while talking, so I decided to get closer before striking. My special goggles only transformed darkness into a dim light so I couldn't be sure that I would hit some rock formation if I attacked now.

"He fought well, I'll give him that" the first voice commented.

I was now in range to use one of my wands, but I had no intention of earning the title of vampire hunter just yet as the two human-sized leeches were still speaking. They might say something that I wanted to overhear.

"All this talk is making me thirsty," the second voice said "Perhaps another Vigilant will wander in".

Slowly I moved a little closer, and I could see that that the vampire's victim was still alive. He was weak, he would need healing, I might be able to help him. I normally didn't concern myself with such things because if I did all I'd ever do is spend my time helping people, yet I felt like making an exception.

"I wish the others would hurry up already" the first voice was now saying "I've got half a mind to return to the castle and tell Lord Harkon what a fool he's entrusted this mission to".

One of the vampires turned his back to me, and this made for a very tempting target so I aimed my wand of firebolts. The spell struck the vamp in the back and since they had a weakness to fire vampire burst into flames, instantly killing the overgrown leech.

I quickly used the wand to set the other vampire on fire, not waiting as vampires can move fast. Only he didn't turn to dust right away so I sent another ball of fire at him while he screamed in pain. This did the job rather nicely.

Once the leeches were dust I left the cover I'd been hiding in. Then I calmly began walking further into the cave.

I healed the dying human, which took some effort as he'd been dying due to extreme blood loss. Lucky for him I had a potion for that, several in fact having stocked up before leaving the Wizarding World behind. The rest was a simple matter of stopping the bleeding.

When I was sure he wouldn't die if I teleported him I visualised the Temple of Mara in Riften and teleported us both there before returning myself back here. The locals would think it a miracle and I would be able to feel good about myself for helping a stranger.

After that, I reached into my pouch of holding and collected as much of the vampire dust as I could fit into the little bottles I was carrying inside the pouch. They were meant to contain potion ingredients and keep them fresh with the aid of charms placed upon them.

I'd prepared myself well for this trip and I had a number of useful items in my pouch, including containers for alchemy ingredients. If I remembered correctly vampire dust could be used to create potions of invisibility as far as I could remember and I would have the chance to experiment later.

These vampires didn't turn everything to ash with them when they were slain. They left behind clothes that would be in a good state if I'd not set them on fire and even a few coins that I took. Shifting through ashes wasn't like looting a fresh corpse.

Suddenly I heard a menacing snarl come from somewhere ahead. Without much in the way of warning, a black hound with jagged teeth and blood-red eyes charged right at me. It was no normal dog; this was some sort of hellhound. Thankfully, these ones were quite visible unlike the ones in the Supernatural series.

From within my coat, I withdrew a shotgun, a little something I'd picked up from the zombie world that I visited when I wanted some bars of gold. I proved to be rather good at aiming despite my lack of experience with firearms outside of video games.

The dog thing yelped as it staggered back. I expanded three shells before the beast finally died. It was no ordinary animal, and it did not hunt alone.
Its mate or hunting partner, drawn to me by tall the noise, was soon wounded thanks to 12 gauge shells. The recoil had taken some getting used to when I'd been practising.

As hoped my shotgun had proven effective against the forces of darkness, just as the great warrior and saviour Ash Williams had shown us. While I didn't have a chainsaw, I did have a magic sword and that should meet with his approval.

With the way clear I moved deeper underground. Keeping an eye out for danger.

Dimhollow Crypt. Skyrim.

I soon found myself in a large cavern full of coffins. I found this to be understandably creepy, and I moved slowly through the room my shotgun ready to blast some evil dead. I really wished that I had a chainsaw right now, hopefully, my magic would make up for the lack of proper undead slaying tools.

Suddenly, the skeletons within the surrounding coffins started coming alive, or more accurately they became animate, some bursting out of the containers like a jack in a box, I haven't been scared of something doing that since I was a toddler.

Thankfully for me, they were fragile things just like in the game, as such they were easily defeated by the careful application of hot lead. The only downside was that the noise from all the fighting had attracted the attention of yet another vampire.

The fool came running right at me and the creature took a shot to the head. I watched as she turned to dust, the effect wasn't quite the same as some of the vampires I'd seen on TV, like those Blade the Daywalker or Buffy Summers faced.

It wasn't as loud or as quick, also when this vampire collapsed into ashes she left her clothes behind. She didn't appear to have been carrying anything of value and I had no reason to take her outfit so I just gathered up some of the powered remains as if nothing else the dust might be worth something in trade.

Hopefully, there would be stuff worth taking somewhere further inside the crypt. So far this dungeon-diving adventure hadn't gotten me any real loot. Real adventuring in Skyrim was proving to be disappointing, but this was my first time.

Venturing on I passed through another gate, stopping to harvest some strange-looking mushrooms, and after that, I found myself in what looked like a burial chamber.

All the coffins were open and this implied the use of more Nercomany, which was something I was already sick of at this point. The dead shouldn't get up and walk around, it was super creepy.

I soon came across more foes. The vampires had indeed been messing with unnatural forces as there were draugr here, and unlike those, the Dragonborn would encounter while looking for the Words that made up Shouts, these zombie-like creatures seemed to be under the command of the vampires. This was made clear when one of the blood drinkers ordered the undead things to attack.

This group of undead proved to be tougher than the skeletons I'd faced earlier. They only staggered back when I hit them and I was forced to fall back on my wands as I teleported around to give myself some room. Magical bolts of lightning and a fire-making spell from my maple wand proved to be effective.

At some point, I should seek out a trainer and get some tips on using my sword as my magical attacks were ranged and while I could teleport around a battlefield I was no Ciri. I couldn't just keep disappearing and then reappearing as she did. It drained me.

I would need to learn to fight with Longclaw. A weapon I felt sure would be effective against the undead since it had been when Jon Snow had fought Wights and White Walkers.

Now I faced the last still-standing foe, a vampire who tried to use magic to drain my life force, but before it could do any real harm I stunned it with my maple wand and then set the blood drinker on fire with my next spell.

Immortality or not it seemed wise to take a Cure Disease potion later and to test that my healing factor was still working. No sense in taking chances and becoming a vampire.

Soon after all that fighting, I found a filled soul gem and an arcane enchanter. Judging by the state of both the gem and the funky-looking table the vampires must have brought this stuff with them.

While I had plenty of room on my person for the soul gem I couldn't fit the table in my pouch of holding or expanded bags. I would have to come back for it once I was set up somewhere. Not much of a chore given that I could teleport.

In the next part, there was a waterfall and what looked like graves on either side of a path. It was super strange to see graves in a place like this, where I was from people were buried in cemeteries on the surface, which made it a lot easier for grieving people to visit their departed loved ones.

I had no idea why the people here had gotten into the habit of interring the dead in such hard-to-reach places. Granted it might make it harder for Necromancers to acquire corpses, but if that was the reason then why not just cremate the dead?

"You're mine, mortal!" a vampire bellowed.

That yell broke my trail of thought and the walking leech who dared to bother me paid with its non-life when I hit him with a body-binding curse and then set him on fire. This got me even more vampire ash for potion-making later on.

Moving on again I soon came across two gargoyle statues that were quite eerie, though their eyes were stone it felt as if they stared into my very soul.

A few steps into this area let us know that there were people here as I could hear their voices and I used stealth as I wanted to know if the vampire were talking about anything I wanted to know.

All this sneaking about was proving to be easier than imagined. I half expected to find the words: your sneak skill has increased, to pass my field of vision, but they never did.

Before long I found myself on the ledge of a balcony and I peeked over the edge. This area was well-lit thanks to some torches so I could see two vampires who were talking to someone who seemed to be a prisoner.

Their captive had clearly been tortured; the bruises being evidenced enough of this. The man was wearing but a pair of rags and was kneeling before the vampires like a dog.

"I believe you Vigilant" a vampire was saying "Now go to your beloved Stendarr".

Before the monster could kill the human I fired off another body-binding spell. The spell wouldn't hold for long, but it would do its job. The second proved to be faster than expected. He knocked my wand out of my hand and grabbed me.

That was his mistake as I teleported us both outside into the daylight. The vampire let go of me and tried to cover his eyes as he ran for cover. The sunlight was fatal, but it hurt the creature and even I was blinded for a moment before I teleported back.

The Vigilant was passed out and I used a few healing spells on him that I'd researched before coming here as well as a potion to help him recover. I made a mental note to restock as soon as possible.

I didn't take him to the temple as I'd teleported a lot today and it wearing me out. Besides miracles stop being special if they happen too often. Plus I still hadn't found Serana, her prison had to be done here somewhere.