Chapter 10 - Can't Swing A Cat Without Hitting A Quest


It took all the willpower Jaune and Yang could muster, in the face of so many hungry gazes, to fight down their fight-or-flight instincts. It helped that they didn't exactly have a choice besides standing their ground; the front door was too far behind, and they'd be swarmed if they showed any signs of weakness.

Fortunately, before anything could happen, Serana spoke up quickly in defense of the pair: "These are my saviors, the ones who freed me."

Serana's father nodded at the two humans, and declared: "For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude. Now, step forward."

Yang and Jaune exchanged a look, and Serana nodded at them in encouragement. Yang stepped forward first, ignoring the disappointment emanating from the court of vampires around them, and stared the crowd down. Jaune followed swiftly after, refusing to let her face them alone.

The head vampire looked them over, and announced: "Well, well, well... Yang Xiao-Long, Whiterun's newest Thane and the rumored Dragonborn. And Jaune Arc, her crusader Housecarl. I must admit, this is a surprise; the last my court heard of you two, Windhelm had just kicked you out..."

If Jaune wasn't preoccupied in not losing a staring contest with a herd of Goliaths, he'd have groaned in exasperation at the remark. He hadn't meant to harm the drunkard, but the fool had ignored his warnings and broken his arms punching his Aura! And how was he supposed to know that the guy harassing elves at two in the morning had been the brother of the Rebellion's general?! He'd just seen a bully, and stepped in...

"Well, what do we care about what the chattel think?" Serana's father asked rhetorically, approval coloring his tone, and Jaune shuddered. It was like watching something pretending to be human; sure, it might know intellectually what to say, but the emotions, the intent, the tone... everything was just off. In front of him, Yang's jaw hardened, but before she could speak, the vampire continued: "I am Harkon, lord of this court. By now, my daughter will have told you what we are."

"You're vampires." It wasn't a question.

"Not just vampires. We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim." Harkon boasted, his hand sweeping around the hall grandiosely. Yang gave Jaune a quick side glance out of the corner of her eye, as the court preened and sneered, reminding him that they were only here, without backup, on an island with the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim, because of him. "For centuries we lived here, far from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most."

Yang could guess they weren't getting the full story. Not that Harkon's body language or tone betrayed anything; she just didn't trust the objectivity of an arrogant narcissistic immortal undead. Jaune saw Yang's arms tense subtly, and let his hand fall to his sheath as casually as he could, as he quietly asked her: "What happens now?"

He hadn't known just how sharp the vampire lord's hearing was, but apparently Harkon thought the question was directed at him, and he answered: "You have done me a great service, and now you must be rewarded. There is but one gift I can give that is equal in value to the Elder Scroll and my daughter. I offer you my blood. Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again."

As Jaune expected, Yang barely gave it a thought, and asked without hesitation: "And if we refuse your gift?"

Harkon was less pleased with her reply, and his voice echoed throughout the hall as he decreed: "Then you will be prey, like all mortals. I will spare your lives this once, but you will be banished from this hall."

Jaune allowed himself to relax as much as he could without melting into a puddle of sheer relief. Sure, they would have rejected being turned into bloodthirsty monsters of the night on principle alone (also because they didn't want to be anywhere near the hall when the court eventually found out that Yang and Jaune had killed the group of vampires who'd initially tried to retrieve Serana), but at least they wouldn't have to fight their way out of the hall in a suicidal last-ditch effort, based on how things were going

Harkon was displeased that his warning lacked the intended reaction, and he asked: "Perhaps you still need convincing?"

The hall seemed to darken, as the shadows wrapped themselves around his body. Harkon doubled over, shaking, and Jaune was reminded of nature documentaries (and sci-fi horror movies), of an egg hatching, or a parasite bursting free of its host. Finally, after a few moments, the cocoon burst open in a wave of shadows and red mists, and revealing a large, grey, winged bat-like humanoid.

"Behold! The power!" The creature boomed, in Harkon's voice, and the castle rumbled as it spread it's wings wide and gathered magic into it's claws. "This is the power that I offer! Now, make your choice!"

Jaune could see the fear and surprise creep into Yang's eyes, and that terrified him. Yang hadn't been scared when she'd jumped unto the dragon's head, and she hadn't been scared when she'd charged into the vampires in the tomb. But this... this was beyond anything they'd expected.

But Jaune had faced down sudden disaster, overwhelming power, and hopeless situations before. He was used to being terrified, being scared out of his wits. Taking a step forward, he stared the creature in its eyes, and firmly answered: "We refuse. We don't want to become vampires."

Gasps rose from the crowd, and Serana's face was filled with worry, but Jaune stood resolutely in front of Yang, refusing to break eye contact.

"Does he speak for both of you?" The creature asked, voice dangerously calm and quiet.

"He does, so stop asking." Yang replied in a steady voice, stepping forward as well, and side by side they glared at it.

For a moment, none dared breathe (not that the vampires needed to), and a small voice at the back of Jaune's head wondered if Harkon would go back on his word, and strike them down for such blatant defiance.

"So be it." The moment finally passed, as the creature conceded. But they could tell the slight would never be forgiven or forgotten, when it declared: "You are prey, like all mortals. I banish you!"

Harkon waved his hand at the pair, and a black orb flew towards the pair before they could react.

As darkness engulfed Jaune and Yang, they instinctively flinched, and swiftly reached for their weapons. As quickly as it'd begun, however, the darkness faded away, revealing to the pair that their surroundings had changed. Where they'd been in a regal and sinister court mere moments earlier, they found themselves standing alone on a simple wooden pier, facing the quietly lapping waves, the same pier they'd left hours before, in search of the vampires' island.

Jaune regained his voice first: "... please don't say it."

"Say what?" Yang asked, voice unusually high-pitched.

"Don't say it." Jaune groaned, still trying to process just what he'd seen.

"I wasn't about to say anything." Yang's tone was unnaturally full of levity, and Jaune winced. "I certainly wasn't about to mention that your naivety gave the vampires exactly what they wanted, or that the situation is far worse than any worst-case scenarios!"

"... I'm sure it's not that bad..." Jaune weakly tried to defend himself.

"You're right, Vomit Boy! It's not "that bad", oh no. It's much worse." Yang shot back. "The vampires have an Elder Scroll."

"What is an Elder Scroll, anyway?" Jaune asked, scarcely comprehending the severity of the situation. Sure, he knew it couldn't be good, but he didn't know whether this was a "Nora's out of pancakes" emergency, a "Nora's found the caffeine" crisis, or a "Breach/Vytal Festival" disaster.

Yang fixed him with a look, and explaining: "Elder Scrolls are... nobody really knows what they are, but they're weird and powerful artifacts..."

"How weird and powerful?"

"Weird in that, every time the Moth Priests, the cult dedicated to studying the Elder Scrolls, tries to count them or write down their location, they tend to vanish, multiply, or disappear without any rhyme or reason. And powerful in that their simplest use is as a reflection of every possible past and future. Most go mad trying to read them, but I think the vampires don't have to worry too much about that one."

"That... doesn't sound that bad..." Jaune admitted. "I mean sure, it sounds really bad, but I was expecting something more like a spell that could blow up a continent."

Yang sighed, and gave him the example she'd been given, when the subject had come up in her youth: "Vomit Boy, I'm probably understating it when I say "every possible past and future". If they wanted to find the future where they, I don't know, took over the world or something, they could do that!"

Jaune blanched, as Yang's words hammered the implications into him. If they could read the scroll, use it in the way she'd described, they'd be unstoppable in achieving their goals! And while Jaune didn't know what their goals were, he doubted it was anything good for him or the people of Skyrim. In a trembling voice, he yelped: "What do we do?! We have to stop them!"

"We can't just row to the island and ask for the scroll." Yang retorted, only half-jokingly. Honestly, it had about as much chance of working as a direct assault by the pair, and would have probably been less dangerous to boot. And sneaking in was right out; a small boat might be able to make it to shore without raising any alarms thanks to the fog the Sea of Ghosts was so infamous for (if it didn't get lost itself or crash against the rocks), but she doubted even the legendary Grey Fox could evade the supernatural senses of the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim.

"Well, what if we try a naval blockade or something?" Jaune suggested, trying to remember what he could of Doctor Oobleck's history lessons. "Does Skyrim have a navy?"

Yang briefly thought about it, but quickly rejected the idea: "Skyrim doesn't have a navy; it... used to be protected by the Imperial Navy, but even if there wasn't an ongoing rebellion, the Sea of Ghosts is too dangerous for a fleet to navigate. Even the legendary Ysgramor lost many men, during the Return."

"... what about the guards?" Jaune was getting desperate, grasping at straws.

Yang humored him by making a show of pondering for a second: "Hmmm... nope. We could report it to them, sure, but we have no proof, and even if they believed us... you saw the fortress and the creatures that hold court within it. The most they'd be able to do is prepare for a vampire attack, not stop whatever plans they have."

"The Companions?"

"That's... honestly not a bad idea. They'd relish the fight, to be sure..." Yang conceded, before shaking her head, as they began the journey back to civilization. They'd passed by Solitude the day before, but between her record at Helgen, being in the company of a vampire, and wanting to deliver Serana to her location (and be free of her presence) as fast as possible, they'd decided to bypass the city. After what she'd just been through, though? Even a prison cell sounded nice and comfortable. "Once again, though, the problem is that there just isn't enough of them."

"Who else can we call?" Jaune asked, as they reached a dirt road. "I mean, I don't think Skyrim's just got an order of vampire slayers lying around... right?"

"By the Divines, I wish." Yang laughed, only slightly hysterically. The joke was horrible, but she just couldn't help herself. Then her mood grew somber, as she remembered just how they'd discovered this entire conspiracy: "Truth be told, the only other group I can think of that might help, would've been the Vigilants of Stendarr. But... well..."

"I guess that must have been why they were attacked first." Jaune theorized, as the dirt path gave way to a stone pavement.

"Perhaps..." Yang murmured in agreement, before peering ahead. The sight of torches this close to Solitude gave her comfort, and she said: "Come on, I see some guards ahead."

"I thought you said it'd be useless."

"They deserve some warning anyway, if only so they can make preparations to protect the city."

"Travelers." The guards acknowledged the pair with a nod as they approached, and Yang let loose a sigh of relief. By the looks of things, Hadvar had gotten back to Solitude, and put a good word in for her. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"We came across a nest of vampires." Yang dropped the bombshell so casually, the guards could only stare at her, trying to process what she'd just said. Behind her, Jaune groaned into his palm, wondering if there were any Yang Xiao-Longs that had ever heard of concepts like "delicacy" and "tact".

"Vampires? Are you sure?" To his credit, the guard they were talking to did seem to take their claims seriously.

"They had fangs and were drinking a person's blood." Yang said drily, remembering the feasting court. Technically, she wasn't lying yet. "They're either vampires or a crazy cannibal cult."

The patrol looked at each other nervously, hands reaching for the comfort of their weapons. The guard captain leading them cleared his throat and looked sternly at them, reasserting discipline among his squad, before looking back at the pair of blondes in front of him. Certainly, they looked like they'd been in a scrap; either they were telling the truth, or they'd lost an argument with a very angry cave troll. And the report was concerning enough that they couldn't help but take it seriously; it would have been too dangerous to assume that there weren't any vampires. Needing details, he pressed them: "Where were they? And what were they doing?"

"They were somewhere along the coast to the north... we saw them boarding a boat, though..." Still technically not a lie; they could indeed confirm that a vampire had taken a boat to Castle Volkihar recently. The fact that they'd been the ones to bring Serana there was conveniently left out by Yang, though.

"We'll pass the message to the Jarl." The guard nodded at the pair, before following up with: "But in return, could you do us a favor?"

Yang's suspicions flared up, but Jaune's ears had perked up first, and he responded: "Sure! What do you need?"

"Well, we were on the way to investigate a nearby cave, by order of the Jarl. It's probably nothing, but the nearby village has been complaining of strange noises and lights. Nowhere near as serious as a nest of vampires, of course, but we still need to do our job..."

"Sure, we'll check it out. Where is it?"

"Just follow the path up the mountain, and report your findings to the Jarl's steward when you're done."

"Vomit Boy..." Yang growled, in an exasperated tone, once all the guards were safely out of earshot.

"What?"

"Are you really going to make us do the guards' jobs?" Yang asked rhetorically, enviously picturing the patrol relaxing by a fireplace, having successfully shirked their duties off onto a man with far too little common sense.

"I mean... fair's fair, right?" Jaune asked, before wincing as a pointed look was the only response he was given. "Come on, what's wrong with helping the guards and a village?"

"Vomit Boy, we'll be checking out a cave for strange lights and noises. It'll probably just be poachers or a bunch of randy youths." Yang explained bluntly. "Compared to getting the horn, and figuring out what to do about the vampires and their Elder Scroll, it's nowhere near as important."

Jaune looked down, unable to refute her point. Part of the lessons Beacon had taught him about being a leader was prioritization, and looking at the big picture. His teammates could focus on what was in front of them, because it was meant to be his job to think about the consequences.

But at the same time, there wasn't anything else they could reasonably do here, and the people had asked for help. He was foolish, any questions about that had been answered when he'd gone up that tower, but he'd clung on to that dream, the ideal of heroism that his parents had imparted to him via bedtime stories. It'd been that motivation, living up to his family name and helping others, that had driven him to run away from Beacon, to endure everything Cardin had thrown at him, to endure being the worst student in Beacon. And now, when given the chance to help someone...

Jaune shook his head, and weakly tried: "I mean... it's just a short detour, right? We've already warned the city, and it wasn't like we were going to just find vampire hunters recruiting here, right?"

Yang fixed him with a look, before nodding in satisfaction when he squirmed. At least he knew he was being foolish, at least he'd thought things through this time, even if he decided to stick to his principles anyway. Perhaps there was a true Nord in him after all. She could certainly respect that, even if she'd give him grief for it. Looking away from him to hide her grin, she begin walking. When he didn't follow, she shouted at her confused friend: "Well, come on, Vomit Boy! What're you waiting for?!"

Jaune stared at her, speechless.

Yang didn't bother looking back; she could just picture his expression: "Hey, you already told the guards you'd do it. And-"

"And an Arc never goes back on his word." Jaune quoted with pride, as he always did. As he made to follow her, he quietly added: "Thanks, Yang."

"I'll just put it on your tab." Yang joked back. "Now, let's go walk around an empty cave for a few minutes."

-THE BLUE PALACE, THREE HOURS LATER-

"Ah, you must be the travelers who agreed to help Captain Aldis with the investigation." Falk Firebeard, Steward of the Jarl of Solitude Elisif the Fair, said, as he spotted the pair of blondes walk into the palace. He'd been given a rough description of their appearance by the overworked guards, along with their very-worrying report that a nest of vampires had been established; politeness was the bare minimum he could offer the two. "Thank you for your service, and for your warning about the vampires. Whatever they're planning, I can assure you, Solitude will be ready. Now, what did you find at Wolfskull Cave?"

"Some necromancers were attempting to summon and bind Potema." Yang said bluntly, once again deciding that delicacy was overrated.

She'd been expecting, at worst, a few youths or a pack of wolves, not a coven of necromancers and a small army of undead, and definitely not the sheer sinister... presence of the thing they'd summoned. The only reason she'd been able to withstand the energies being released had been because she'd faced down such raw malice and power before, when Harkon had discarded his human shell and revealed his true form, and the exertions of the day had left her all but drained.

"Potema herself?" The color drained from Falk's face at the name of the Wolf Queen, one of SKyrim's most notable and unambiguously evil necromancers. "Please tell me you stopped them."

Yang remembered the mad dash she and Jaune had engaged in, once she heard just who they were summoning. The aura of malice had been almost tangible, as the spirit had raged against the wards they'd set up to bind her, but between her experience and Jaune's Aura, she'd been able to push through the mental assault and the undead army, before finally overpowering and massacring the necromancers.

Jaune had followed her lead, trusting her, even though she hadn't had time to explain, just like in the cave they'd found Serana in. She knew of his reluctance to kill, his distaste for violence; she'd comforted him during the journey from Windhelm to the Hall, when he'd been forced to kill an Orc Berserker who'd refused to stay down. While he'd been slowly growing to accept the unfortunate necessity of killing, he still shied away from it whenever possible. In the end, he'd been the one to destroy the ritual's circle, standing firm in the face of the escaping energies...

Yang shook her head, bringing herself out of her memories, and spared a glance for her quiet companion in the corner. He still didn't want to interact with Skyrim's upper society, even though she'd tried to reassure him that, as her Housecarl, a lot of gaffes would be overlooked. A beggar approached him, presumably to ask for change. Privately, Yang thanked the Divines; better that he be occupied with a simple act of charity, rather than stewing on the lives he'd been forced to take once again. Turning back to Falk, she decided to spare him the details: "We interrupted their ritual. It's done."

"You've done a larger service to the realm than you could possibly know. A resurrected Potema... I shudder at the thought." Falk told Yang as he pulled out a coin pouch with a thousand septims. He'd meant every word he'd said, a rarity for a politician. Even 500 years after her death, historians still talked in hushed tones about how Potema had plunged the Empire into Civil War, leading Skyrim against Cyrodiil, and especially how, when she'd been losing the fight, had made pacts with the daedra, and had necromancers resurrect her fallen enemies, to fight for her even in death.

"Anyone who know their history would, steward." Yang replied easily, having had the same reaction. Grabbing the proffered coin pouch, she made to leave, but Falk gripped her hand, pulled her in, and whispered: "Regarding the vampire nest... all of our men are busy with the war effort. But some of the guards have been talking... apparently, they're reforming the Dawnguard, a historical order of vampire hunters, in the old fort near Riften. If you could talk to them, convince them to clear it out..."

Yang hid her smile; this was exactly what she needed, and she wasn't used to things just working out like that. Instead, she asked: "Why the secrecy?"

"The walls have ears." Falk responded grimly. "Oh, I don't think they'd sell us out to vampires, of course, but I do have some enemies, who'd happily use any crisis and emergency to get rid of me."

She nodded in understanding, before flashing him a grin, and saying: "We'll talk payment after, alright?"

Before Falk could answer, Jaune approached the two, much to their surprise. To their even greater surprise, he was carrying what appeared to be a hip bone. All of that paled in comparison to the next words out of his mouth: "Hey, anyone know where the Pelagius Wing is?"

Falk and Yang both winced, but Yang found her voice first, and she hissed at him: "Jaune... why do you even know that name?"

"Well, this guy approached me just now, and asked if I could help him..." Jaune began innocently. "And he told me that his master has been on vacation for years in the Pelgaius Wing, and that his realm needed him."

The two natives of Tamriel exchanged a look. Falk finally answered, after a very pregnant pause: "That's impossible. That wing has been sealed for hundreds of years, and for good reason. They say the ghost of Pelagius the Mad still haunts it."

Jaune's eyes widened comically, and he began looking around, as if he'd spot the ectoplasmic remnant of the former Emperor.

"... maybe we should quickly search the wing? Just to be sure?" Yang suggested. "Potema and now Pelagius... hard to believe it's all coincidental..."

Falk sighed, and handed her a key and a handful of coins, before giving the pair strict instructions: "Do not bring anything out when you leave. Too many dark deeds transpired in those halls..."

The pair nodded their affirmations, and headed towards the indicated wing. As they unlocked the rusty door, Jaune asked: "... you sure we should be doing this? He said it could be haunted..."

"Well, didn't you give your word to the beggar that you'd help him?" Yang asked in a sickeningly-sweet voice. "And an Arc-"

"An Arc never goes back on his word." Jaune groaned. "Dang it, Yang!"

"Maybe next time, you won't accept every request that comes your way."

"How was I supposed to know that the Pelagius Wing was haunted and had been locked up for hundreds of years?! I thought he was just some eccentric noble!"

"You could have asked me!"

"... so, ghosts are real here, too?"

"You've fought dragons, vampires, skeletons, and draugr. Why should you be surprised that ghosts are real, too?" Yang asked him rhetorically, before remembering what she'd wanted to tell him. "By the way, speaking of vampires..."

"I know, I know, I messed up on that one too!"

"You did, but that's besides the point. The steward gave me some information; apparently, there's an order of vampire hunters gathering to the south."

"... that's... awfully convenient..." Jaune murmured. "What if it's a trap? A way to lure all aspiring vampire hunters together, before getting rid of them in one fell swoop?"

"That's... definitely a possibility." Yang had to remind herself that, for all his innocence, Vomit Boy certainly showed flashes of strategic and tactical brilliance. "But its also our best bet, in getting the Elder Scroll back from the vampires. I say we check it out, but be on our guard."

"What about the horn?" Jaune reminded her.

"The horn's not going anywhere, and if the vampires succeed in whatever they're planning on doing, a fake Dragonborn with delusions of grandeur will probably be the least of our problems." Yang pointed out (unaware of just how wrong she was on both counts). Then she grinned, and added: "Besides, this, coming from you?"

Jaune flushed, and defended himself: "Come on! The cave was supposed to be a simple investigation! Like this!"

"... that doesn't fill me with confidence, Vomit Boy."

"Oh, come on, we're still in the Palace, right?" Jaune asked. "It definitely can't be that bad..."

-THE MIND OF PELGAIUS III SEPTIM "THE MAD", FIVE MINUTES LATER-

"You can call me Ann Marie. But only if you're partial to being flayed alive and having an angry immortal skip rope with your entrails." The white-haired man in the well-tailored suit declared loudly at the pair, as they still tried to figure out where they were. Then his voice softened to a gentle whisper, and he instructed them: "If not... Then call me Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness. Charmed."

"Daedric Prince?!"

"Of Madness. You know, you remind me of myself at a young age. All I cared about was riding narwhales and sleeping in honeycombs and drinking babies' tears... Word of advice if you ride a Narwhale. Mind the pointy end."

"... Yang?"

"Yes, Vomit Boy?"

"What the hell is wrong with Skyrim?!"

"I don't know, Vomit Boy. I really don't know."


Author's Note: And we're back! Sorry this chapter took so long (at least compared to whatever the hell my upload schedule was in the past 3 weeks), but I've got work again, so there's no way I can maintain that writing frequency. And sorry if this chapter feels clunky; there's a lot of plot elements that are suddenly grinding. To be fair, this is pretty much what Skyrim's like; you can't walk twenty feet without tripping over a dozen plot hooks and quests.

Harkon's a lot less... charismatic, in this story, than would be expected of a vampire lord. But then again, he's spent easily 700 years in seclusion on an island treating mortals like cattle. Why would he be able to relate to the modern day mortal? Also, in the game he asks for the Dragonborn's name. Here, I'm changing it so that he can recognize them, if only because... well... they're an ancient clan of vampires. Intelligence gathering should be a survival reflex for them. And the Dragonborn isn't exactly a nobody.

And I use 700 years as the rough estimate of Serana's and Harkon's age because the last time Cyrodiil wasn't the heart of the Empire was in the ~400 years between the events of Elder Scrolls Online and Tiber Septim's rise to power (2E 582 - 2E 896. For reference, the Third Era lasted 433 years, and Skyrim is set in 4E 201). Of course, some generations would have had to pass after the Empire collapsed for people to forget that Cyrodiil had been the heart of the Empire. The next-oldest period of time* where Cyrodiil wasn't the heart of an Empire was before 1E 242 and the rise of Saint Alessia. For reference, the First Era lasted 2920 years, which would have made Harkon and Serana well over 4200 years old. Personally, I lean towards the former explanation, as Serana calls recognizes the province's name as Cyrodiil, rather than calling it by its name in the First Era of Cyrod.

I know people may have wanted him to be a paladin, or a knight, but the "Crusader" is an actual class in Oblivion, and to quote it's description, is "a combatant who wields the power of brute strength and medicinal knowledge. Cheating death after every fight, they rely on their keen knowledge of restoration to fight yet again". Close enough to Jaune, I'd say.

With regards to Jaune and the vampires... yes, Jaune would have had some difficulty, fighting vampires in the tomb. Most of their fights, in fact, would have been Jaune defending, intercepting, and distracting, while Yang went for the finishing blow. But, at the same time, all he has to work with is Yang's simple explanation that they're no longer human, and the knowledge that they destroyed the Hall of the Vigilants and killed it's inhabitants. And yes, I know about Sybille Stentor and Hern and Hert. The first is a sadistic mage who drinks the blood of prisoners whenever she gets really thirsty, and the latter pair prey on unwary travellers. Sad, that these are the closest thing to "friendly neighborhood vampires" in the base game...

Of course, getting to know Serana may have slowly changed his mind, as Serana helps humanize vampires to him... but Serana's only with them for a day, before they bring her to Castle Volkihar, and meet her father. And the less said about her father, the better.

Seriously, after seeing Harkon's transformation, I doubt Jaune's going to hesitate at all when fighting Volkihar vampires, if only because he's seen the monster under the man. Irrefutable proof, if need be, that their projection of humanity is a mere facade.

And Elder Scrolls... they're weird as hell, to be honest. They're literally-indestructable, probably sentient, Plot McGuffins that are confusing as hell, even in lore. The simplest answer given by the scholars (like the College's librarian and the Moth Priests, and the one that Yang would be most familiar with, growing up in Cyrodiil as a peasant and not being a scholar herself) is that they're reflections of all possible pasts and all possible futures; each reader sees a different answer, and yet all of it is true, including and especially the lies. That definition is confusing, but most people'd probably simplify it even further as knowledge (even if thats a massive over-simplification).

And that's not even getting into their more... fantastical uses, like shattering Time and causing dragon breaks (such as the Time Wound that Alduin went through), as well as how dragons call them fragments of creation that exist outside of time. But Yang hasn't met Septimus or Paarthurnax yet, so she wouldn't know that.

To clarify Yang respecting his foolishness; she's pleased that he's aware of the fact that his actions are foolish, and he's already taken reasonable precautions. She'd have a problem with naivety, with Jaune jumping headfirst into suicidal situations without thinking them through, just expecting that nothing would go wrong (the impression she had of him when he jumped into a bandit camp full of murderers without being prepared to kill, even in self-defense). But him thinking things through (especially when compared to trusting Serana and delivering the Elder Scroll to Harkon on a silver platter), knowing that they could backfire, and still choosing the unnecessarily hard path? She's a Nord; traditions and principles (though none we'd recognize as actual morals) over common sense are practically a stereotype!

And don't worry. I'll probably also gloss over the Mind of Madness quest... if only because my head's starting to hurt from all the insanity.

* - Of course, it's possible that he ruled during the Dragon Break known as the Middle Dawn, a ~1008 year period in the First Era, caused when a fanatical sect of the state religion tried to edit out aspects of Akatosh (the Chief Deity of the pantheon) that they didn't like, namely his connection to the Elven Time-God Auriel. It made time so unstable that, and I quote here, "(m)ore unorthodox accounts make claims that the sun had changed color, that people birthed their own parents, that gods walked amongst mortals, that the Empire spread its reaches into the stars, and even stating that Cyrodiil became an egg". Just to demonstrate just how utterly insane of a mindfuck it was, even the Elder Scrolls refuse to (or can't) look at it.

Edit 27/2/2021 - Editing a bit of Yang and Jaune's thoughts to better clarify it. God, do not write chapters while having a migraine from deep-diving into Elder Scrolls Lore...