The team has expanded! NaanContributor is now working directy with me and xTRESWHOx on the story!

Btw, if you haven't checked it out yet, take a look at Dragon Rose Chibi for some laughs and giggles.

"I bet I could fix it right up, given enough time," Ruby boasted as they walked into Whiterun. The four of them had spent the previous night at the Lunar Forge, and while no one could deny the stars were beautiful, Ruby ended up spending most of her time on the Forge itself. She even crafted a few steel weapons, intending to sell them to Belethor. In fact, Lydia and Valdimar were heading over to him at this very moment, and Ruby watched as the two housecarls entered his shop. She wondered what price they would get this time against the money-minded merchant.

"The best smiths in Skyrim have looked at that thing and can't get it working," Yang argued, breaking Ruby from her Weiss-like state.

"Yeah, but I'll be a fresh perspective. Maybe we could get some Khajiit to help. They know a lot about the moons and stuff."

"Not sure that's how it works, little sis." Yang smirked and ruffled Ruby's hair. She angrily pushed her hands away and moved to retort, only to spot a familiar greatsword behind Yang's back.

"Oh look, it's Zora," Ruby pointed out. "I'm going to go talk for a bit. You good?"

"Yeah," Yang answered as she accepted Ruby's quick subject change. "I need to talk to Kodlak for a bit, let him know about the mission and stuff."

"All right. I'll meet you at the house for supper. Lydia's been trying out this cookbook written by some guy who calls himself 'The Gourmet', but most of the stuff needs a full kitchen to pull off. But it is so worth it..." At the thought of The Gourmet's recipe for sweet rolls, Ruby began to drool, but quickly recomposed herself. Yang merely laughed.

"Well then, have Lydia save me some! If some food can get you to do that in public, I have to try it."

Ruby smiled and nodded. As Yang went up to Jorrvaskr, Ruby walked over to Zora, who was looking at the selection of fruits and vegetables at Carlotta's stall.

"Hey Zora!" Ruby's high pitched voice caused Zora to turn around in confusion. Once her eyes rested on Ruby's, she smiled.

"Ah, if it isn't the little Ruby, all dressed up in the scales of dragons." She began to wag her finger. "You know, try as you might, you're too adorable to be frightening."

"Ah, come on!" Ruby stomped her feet and pouted. "I'm not trying to be scary. Qahpeyt's just really good armor. Heck, I've blocked swords with my arms! Couldn't do that before." In the back of her mind, she even wondered how well Qahpeyt would stack against bullets, but pushed it away for the time being. There weren't any bullets left to test it against, anyway, save her last she was holding onto for a rainy day.

"I won't argue its effectiveness. I'm just saying that most people would probably mistake you for a child in a costume. In which case, that's a clear advantage. You can kill them while they're giggling."

"Nah, I prefer to swing my scythe around and scare them away like that. By the way, I got an upgrade." Ruby took Crescent Rose from her back and unfolded it, scaring several passers-by.

"Whoa, hey, little red," Carlotta said, getting Ruby's attention. "Can you do that a little further away from my stall?"

"…Sorry, ma'am," Ruby sheepishly apologized as she and Zora walked a few steps away. Zora observed the new blade of Crescent Rose and hummed in appreciation.

"Ebony. Very nice. You always go for the best, hey? No simple leather armor or orichalcum blades, only the finest dragon hides and god's blood weapons. How'd you get this, anyway?"

"Well, I rescued a Minotaur blacksmith, and he owed me a favor. Then I fought a draugr lord thing when I went to stop Potema from reviving herself, and he had a ebony scythe. My baby got cracked during the fight, and I needed a new blade, so I figured 'why not?' And now Crescent Rose has ebony blades." Zora went silent for a few moments, as well as a few bystanders who couldn't help but overhear. Finally, Zora spoke up.

"Gods above, so it really is true!" Zora exclaimed. "You really go on the craziest and deadliest of adventures. Don't do anything by halves, yeah?"

"It's mostly coincidences." Ruby folded her scythe back and then set it behind her. "Exciting stuff can happen to anyone if they look for it. My sister went and saved a town from evil vampires while I was fighting Potema's revenant." Ruby hummed. "Hey, speaking of which, I never did ask what your sister's up to. Uh, not trying to be nosy or anything. Just, I was thinking about my sister, which reminded me of your sister…"

"No, no, it's understandable. We don't see each other too much. She…doesn't come to Riverwood too often." Zora shrugged. "But she sends a letter now and then, just to let me know she's alive. She can take care of herself, but that does not mean I don't worry."

"Oh, well where does she live?"

"Oh, I think she moves around. She can't really live in the city. She's kind of a witch."

Zora's nonchalant reveal caused Ruby to raise an eyebrow. "Was that an expression or… I mean, how did that happen?"

The Breton tapped her chin. "Hm, it is hard to say. She's always been a bit different, and good with magic." Zora reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't want to say she was born a witch, but at the very least, she's not your typical mage."

"Well, as long as she's not doing evil stuff." Ruby shrugged and shook her head. "When was the last time you guys spoke, anyway?"

"Eh, two years? Three? I am very poor with time." Zora shrugged with a small smirk. "As for her last letter, well, that…has been a very long while. Too long. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm quite worried. Maybe I should go down to Riverwood to check?"

"Well, I'm heading down to Falkreath soon. You can come with, if you want," Ruby offered, receiving a smile in return.

"Aw, thank you. You're such a sweet girl. Never lose that innocence. Unless it's to the right man, but be sure about it."

"Ew!" Ruby blew a raspberry at Zora, who laughed at her expense. "You're worse than Yang!"

"Oh, I was only joking. Honestly though, thank you for the offer. Let me know when you're ready to go. A week, maybe?"

"A few days at the most. I kinda don't stay in one place for very long. Actually, I think the longest I've stayed anywhere in Skyrim was a week while training with the Greybeards." Ruby scratched the side of her head. "Geez, I have, like, three houses if you count Weiss', two of which are mansions, but I'm livin' like a hobo."

"So, with the vampires dead, Hroggar was freed, along with that woman, who turned out to be a career hunter," Yang finished.

"Gods above, that's quite the tale!" Kodlak exclaimed. "A whole nest of vampires, waiting to invade a town! If we hadn't sent you, they could have taken control of Morthal, and we'd have been none the wiser."

"Why Morthal, though? There are other, wealthier provinces than Hjaalmarch," Yang wondered aloud, mostly to herself. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a soft cough. A quick look confirmed it to be from Vilkas.

"Morthal might be small, but outside of the marshes are some of the most fertile grounds in the province," Vilkas stated. "Not nearly as big as Whiterun Hold's fields, but with richer soil. Then there's the malachite mine at Dunparwall, and the summer route to Haafingar. Those vampires would have had control over all of it, with the smallest population to watch over."

"Meaning they'd have control over the province's rich resources and few people to enthrall. Less risk," Yang finished, with Vilkas nodded in agreement.

"We can only guess at all their plans, but, in the end, they were stopped." Kodlak nodded at their youngest member. "Well done, Yang. You've done us proud."

"I'm a little worried about this Dawnguard though," Aela brought up. "I'll admit, vampires are becoming a bit emboldened as of late, but we all know how history likes to repeat itself. This time the shadow chasers seem to be a bit more organized."

"And better equipped," Yang added. "Durak had special anti-vampire weaponry and armor. Silver Hands might have silver weapons, but they aren't enchanting them half the time. He said something about his axe being 'rune-forged'. Any idea what that is?"

"Rune-forging is an old technique, stretching back to the days of Atmora," Kodlak explained as he began to stroke his beard. "It fell out of use with the rise of modern enchanting, but there are still practitioners of the craft, often doing it out of tradition. They may have contracted one of them to make their weapons."

"What'd modern enchanting have that runes don't?" Yang asked, genuinely curious.

"It's easier, for one." Kodlak nodded at that and then leaned back. "And cheaper, too. Much easier to fill a Soul Gem and use it to bond a spell to a weapon. Rune-forging has to be done during the smithing process, which is a very delicate procedure. Less of a magical skill and more a smithing skill. Coupled with the fact that a good enchantment can be stronger than most runes, it's little wonder why the practice died out."

"Huh, sounds like everyone made the right call in switching. Wonder why Durak used them?"

"Likely because of their versatility." At Yang's raised eyebrow, Kodlak continued. "Runes are, especially in the beginning, more potent than enchantments, but the end result for both relies on the skill of the crafter. However, only one enchantment can be placed, usually. Master Enchanters can place two with great effort, but once an enchantment is made, another cannot be added. Rune-forging has no such limit. Some items of legend have had five or more effects. Each one diminishes the power of the others, but again, the more skill the craftsman puts into it, the more power, so it can offset. Once more, runes don't run dry. Once a rune is on, the weapon permanently has the effect until the item is destroyed. There is no need to recharge using Soul Gems."

"How come you guys don't use them, then? Seems like they'd be right up your alley?"

"Eorlund knows a bit about them, but he never delved too deeply into the craft. He said it wasn't that he didn't want to know, but the time put into runes was time taken away from the blade's edge."

"All this talk about vampires and weapon making is making me hungry," Farkas complained just before his stomach audibly growled. "Sorry, Kodlak, but I've gotta go grab a bite or I'm gonna start eating this table." The others all nodded, and Kodlak did as well.

"Well, we're done here anyways," the Harbinger declared. "I'll write up a letter to this Isran. It'd be best if we were on friendly terms. Also, by that gleam in your eye, I'm guessing you think we ought to order a few vampire killing tools."

Yang smirked and rubbed her neck. "You got me. I just figured we ought to have them in case we need them. Those vampires weren't too tough, but I've got no idea how tough they can get. I had a Turn Undead axe on me, and that might have made the battle way easier. As fast as that guy was, I could keep up, but someone else, some less gifted than us, might have more than a bit of trouble with something like that." Yang's eyes briefly narrowed. She was going to bring it up again with Weiss and Blake next time they talked. Just as soon as it appeared, Yang went back to her cheery self.

"Good point. I'll be sure to mention that in my letter. Well then, let's go and see what's been made for supper." As the Circle members began to leave, Yang reached out and patted Kodlak's shoulder, catching his attention.

"Hey, can I ask for a little…'off-time'?" she asked. "Ruby just went through a bunch of stuff and me and her haven't had much time-" Kodlak raised his hand and stopped her.

"Yang, you needn't ask for some time for yourself and your family." Kodlak chuckled a little. "Just let us know so we don't end up slotting you for a very important task in the meantime. Go ahead and spend some time with her. Family's always important."

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to 'sir' at me, Yang."

"Sure there is. I respect you, and that's a way of showing respect."

He chuckled. "All right then."

With the waning crescent moons shining overhead, Ruby swung her scythe around her body then twirled with an uppercut. As her cloak came to a stop, she felt as though someone was watching her and looked to three of the Whiterun guard looking directly at her.

"Guys," she whined, "I didn't come out here for an audience!"

"Uh, sorry," one of them went before rubbing his neck. "Just…trying to figure out how you do it like that."

"Like what?" Ruby cocked her head in confusion.

"The twirly-whirly with that massive beast of a scythe," the female guard to his right answered. "You remind me of those Redguard warriors with the curved swords."

"You mean a scimitar?"

"Aren't those the horsemen from Valenwood?" the man on the left asked.

"You're thinking of Centaurs," the middle one answered

"The special Imperial guards?"

"Sentinels," the woman huffed.

Ruby laughed at the scene, a little glad that she wasn't the only one who had trouble with words, and then she heard a scream hit her ears. Looking over to a nearby farm covered in the darkness of twilight, she quickly ran towards it with the guards right behind her. She took a ready stance as she slowed down, and then saw the likely perpetrators. Two men and a woman were dressed in red, segmented leather and had deathly pale complexions, while three men were wearing ragged iron armor and holding dead looks in their eyes. Two of the dead-eyed men dragged out a woman and child while one of the pale men held a man by his hair, his face bloodied. Ruby focused and saw fangs in his grin. Quickly, she pulled out her scroll and hit the speed dial.

"Yang! We've got vampires attacking the farm past the stables!"

"Be right there!" she heard as she hung up.

"Stop right there!" she yelled as she went back to charging into the fray. The head vampire looked at her and laughed.

"Take care of the little one, my children! I'll get to work here." Suddenly he stabbed a dagger into the man's neck. The family screamed in anguish and horror as the lifeless body fell to the ground, a pool of red blood staining the yellow grass.

"No!" Ruby screamed as she met one of the thralls. She ducked under his lifeless swing and then smacked the top of her head into his chin. Enough to daze him, the thrall was sent stumbling back. The female vampire sent out a red beam of magic and Ruby jumped out of the way of it before bringing her scythe over and up. The vampire tried to dodge, but Ruby pulled just enough to hook her arm and remove it just below the elbow.

As the female screamed in pain, a pair of arrows were knocked out of the air by her male counterpart as the guards fired on them. Ruby heard a spell cast and then looked back to see that the vampire was raising his victim as a zombie. The wife and child were crying in sorrow, and he was beginning to turn his attention to them. Ruby's eyes turned into slits, and she growled.

"Get away from them! Wuld Nah!" Ruby dashed through the distance then pushed her Semblance at the end, shoulder-checking her foe at the very end of it. The vampire was sent flying off to the side, and then a previously unseen creature jumped at Ruby with its jaws open wide. She knocked it aside with the back of Crescent Rose then got a good look at it. It looked like what one would imagine a dog might if they had been roasted over a fire and overcooked. The beast got back to its paws, but an arrow hit one of its eyes, killing it. Ruby then turned as she heard metal sliding out of a sheath, then swung around and pulled, slicing through the bellies of the two thralls that had let go of their prisoners to sneak up on her. The zombiefied man began to attack her, but she kicked him away and looked to the two civilians.

"Come on! We've got to go!" Ruby ordered, using her scythe to parry a downward swing from a gardening hoe. She then kicked the zombie farmer away.

"Papa!" the little girl, maybe only five years old, cried. Her mother picked her up and began to tote her while following Ruby, but then something dark flashed by them and skidded to a halt in front of them, revealing the head vampire. The mother and child screamed, while Ruby readied Crescent Rose.

"That hurt, you little skank!" he hissed before spitting to the side. Something white flew out with the bloody spit, and it looked to Ruby like a broken fang. "Now, you're going to hurt!" Ruby readied herself as he curled his fingers and arms, but was surprised when his entire body seemed to become covered in a layer of blood. His shape seemed to change to something more amorphous, then the bloody layer seemed to explode out, revealing a creature with his face, but with blue-gray skin reminiscent of a corpse, large claws and clawed feet, and a pair of short wings above his shoulders. Despite their small size, he flapped them once and began to hover above the ground. A red ball began to form in his left hand as he chuckled in a deeper voice.

"Now, face my TRUE power!" he shouted as he unleashed the spell. Ruby quickly realized it wasn't aimed at her. Instead it was aimed right at the family. Without hesitation, she jumped forward in front of it, taking the full brunt of the attack and being knocked to the ground. The force of the impact made her skid to a stop, a small trench forming behind her. Slightly dazed, Ruby could feel the bruise forming on her chest, but ignored it and propped herself off her back with her elbows. The woman looked on in horror as the beastly vampire turned his attention back to her, and Ruby growled as she looked up.

"Fus Ro Dah!" she Shouted, knocking him away by several feet. She heard a groan and looked back to see the zombiefied man coming at his still living family. "I'm sorry! Yol!" The corpse was set alight and collapsed as it burned to ash, stumbling and breaking the woman out of her horrified trance.

Ruby jumped back to her feet as the woman began running again. The other thrall had been felled by the guards, but the other vampire male was knocking them around and the woman had gone over to the corpse and used magic to raise it back.

As the girl went to assist them, something hit the ground in front of her before swirling up in black and red energies. She jumped back and a creature with claws, horns, and wings emerged and roared.

"Gargoyle, kill her!" the head vampire commanded. The gargoyle then leaped at Ruby, clawing at her. She blocked the beast then turned and struck out. Her scythe hit its body, but rather than flesh, it felt as though the whole thing was made of stone. Her arms felt jarred, but she managed to pull back and then make a downward pull and swing up, catching its claw before she leaped over it and yanked. The hand went flying, but it was hard cutting through that thin part. She tried to jump towards the vampire, but the gargoyle had leaped at her again, forcing her to dodge it and then be hit by another red blast. She went flying back and heard a scream. She took a moment to look and saw one of the guards being savaged by two of the thralls turned into zombies. Five more guards were headed to where they were, and she could see Lydia and Valdimar among them, but the vampires were already turning everything around and seemed confident against the everyday men and women.

Ruby stepped back as the gargoyle attacked her and the vampire threw another magic blast. He laughed at her distress and began charging up something in his other hand.

"Yes! Your corpse will make a fine-" A golden blur crashed into him, interrupting his bragging and smashing him through a waist-high stone wall. The golden-furred werewolf growled and then roared to the heavens as he tried to pick himself up. The other vampires were surprised, but went back to their own battle. Ruby felt elated at seeing her sister, even in a different form.

"Ya- You!" she caught herself in time.

"Filthy beast," the vampire groaned as he stood up and brushed dust from his chest.

"I was thinking the same thing," Yang growled out in her deeper, but still feminine voice. "Bring it, bat boy!"

Hissing, the vampire lunged for her and the two began exchanging blows with their claws. Free of one problem, Ruby refocused on the gargoyle still chasing her. She turned Crescent Rose around in her hands and began to swing the scythe backwards, smashing the blunt end against the stony thing. Pieces began flying off with every hit, slowly chipping the beast away. After several rapid strikes, Ruby managed to break off an arm. She turned and leapt, then brought her scythe down on its head, smashing it down to the ground and cracking its face all over. Not quite thinking, Ruby brought up a foot and slammed it down with a shout, shattering its stone skull and shaking the ground. With that, she quickly sheathed Crescent Rose then drew Dawnbreaker. She sped towards the nearest zombie and impaled it through the back. The undead groaned, then exploded, the holy energy going out and hitting the other zombies and vampires. One zombie burst into flame before slowly crumbling away while the other two seemed to turn to run in fear. Taking advantage of the situation, Lydia lopped the head off of one while the more distant and closing in guards loosed arrows into the back of the other. It still stood, although wobbly, until an icicle, courtesy of Valdimar, skewered its head, felling it. Stricken by holy magic and seeing their plan fall apart, the male vampire looked at Ruby with bared teeth while the female seemed ready to make a run for it.

"Stupid girl!" he shouted as he ran at her with a steel axe. Ruby blocked his chop then twisted. She sliced up, leaving a burning cut all the way up his arm. As he cried out in pain, she thrusted forward, barely missing him as he spun out of the way. He swung from the side, but Ruby dashed forward in a burst of rose petals then turned back.

"Su!" she Shouted before charging back at him. Dawnbreaker swung through the air rapidly, carving apart his arms before he could get a chance to block. As he stood and cried out in pain, Ruby spun and, with all her might, brought her sword around and sliced through his middle with a shout. As his top half fell bereft of arms one way, his waist and legs fell over to the other.

As Ruby battled the small army of the dead, Yang squared off with what her sense of smell told her was a vampire, but eyes told her was something even more nightmarish. He went to claw at her face, but she blocked him then brought her other arm up, clawing across his chest and sending him back. She retaliated with bared fangs, but just before she could sink her teeth in, he disappeared into a cloud of bats, one of which was caught in her jaws, while the rest went behind her and reformed into the whole vampire.

'Not fair,' she thought as she turned back and brought a set of claws around with the full momentum. He blocked, but his feet slid back with the force. His other claws came up and smacked her in the face. Yang stumbled a bit, and then ducked under another swing before jumping forward between his legs. She kicked back, knocking him off balance long enough to turn around and double claw his back, leaving eight red gouges crisscrossing each other over his spine. He jumped up and began hovering as he turned and threw a ball of magic, but Yang pushed through it and jumped up at him with her right arm outstretched and already swinging downward, hitting him full force and throwing them both across the way and into the side of a windmill. As stone buckled beneath the force of her jump, she reached back and went to slam a claw into his face. He managed to dodge it, letting Yang smash her hand through the stonework. He kicked her off and brought himself higher, but Yang climbed back up and jumped off the wall and at him, digging her claws into his sides and biting down on his shoulder. The vampire roared out as they both fell to the ground and rolled. They kicked off one another and Yang saw him look at the battle happening nearby. Yang dared to glance and looked just in time to see Ruby bisecting one of the vampires with her sword, burning piles around them. She grinned, but then jumped out of the way by pure instinct.

The vampire scoffed as his claws hit only dirt and Yang bared her teeth. The two charged each other and began grappling, both trying to rip the other into pieces. Yang came out the most successful in this, as the vampire had yet to even break through her Aura and begin damaging her directly. Her foe seemed to realize he was losing and tried to push away, but Yang grabbed on and held him in place. He tried to push her incoming maw away, but the werewolf settled with biting down on his arm, flipping him onto his back, and ripping what she could away. Flesh and sinew was shredded, ruining his arm and eliciting a agonized scream. He converted into a cloud of bats that flew away several feet, but Yang was already on them this time. He reappeared, just as injured as before, and Yang pounced, grasping his throat in her jaws and then clamping down. She ripped away, tearing apart his neck and letting him fall to the ground. The vampire gurgled and struggled, but in the end succumbed. His body seemed to melt into blood, revealing beastly bones and a black heart, but then those too dissolved into ashes.

Yang howled into the night sky above her defeated opponent's remains, and then her ears caught the sound of feet running away. The last of the vampires was heading for the hills, some arrows chasing and missing her. With the instinct of the hunt and the high of besting a worthy foe flowing through her, Yang took off after the one-armed vampire without a second thought. Her jaws clamped onto the woman's side and bit through, destroying ribs and organs within a second. The vampire screamed in pain and fear, but she was dead by the time she hit the ground. Seeing as it didn't dissolve, the werewolf began to devour its kill, only to stop at the rancid and ashy taste. She spat the corpse out and went to bite up some grass, but stopped as she heard the stomping of metal boots and pulling of a bowstring.

"Wait!" she heard her sister's voice call out. Her ears flickered up and she turned around to see Ruby watching and the guards all behind her in different states of readiness. One's knees were shaking, and a guard next to him looked over at him. Yang recognized the guard immediately, and cocked her head.

"Hey, Hrolfjar, is that the one?" a guard asked, cautious amusement filling his voice. The other man, Hrolfjar, apparently, said nothing. This only seemed to encourage the guard further, and now he broke out into a full smile. "Then go say hello."

"Shut…up…" The guard replied through chattering teeth. Yang cocked her head again. Why was he scared of her? She didn't hurt him. She had licked him actually. Maybe he needed another one to let it sink in. That would be a sign of friendship and calm everyone down.

'No! NO!' Yang screamed at herself internally, but it was too late. She began to walk up to the shivering guard, and the others immediately went silent and still. A few took slow, cautious steps back, leaving Hrolfjar's by himself and at the mercy of the beast. The man stared at the yellow werewolf with wide, fearful eyes, only for a pink tongue to sweep over his face a few times. The werewolf then stepped back and cocked her head again, and the guard finally fainted.

"...yep, that's the one," the first guard replied after a moment.

Yang, still slightly confused, turned to look at Ruby's expression. It wasn't one of fear or disappointment, but more of surprise. Yang's ears went back a moment as she whimpered, then she turned and charged towards the nearby forest. After a moment, she began tracking the scent of a wild hog, hoping to wash the rotten taste of vampire out of her mouth and focus on something else for a while.

"Poor Hrolfjar's never going to live it down now," Lydia said as she took a seat at the table. "First he gets the rumor about him having a werewolf lover after telling people about his encounter, then, when it's finally died down, everyone witnessed…that." She waved her free hand around while nursing a bottle of mead in the other.

"I'm surprised you knew," Ruby directed at Valdimar.

"Your sister explained her…secret fairly early on," Valdimar spoke softly, carefully picking his words. "I have no problem with it. Used to know a very cultured man who was traveling all over Tamriel. A kind fellow, if a bit air-brained and unthinking, despite being in a thinking profession. Turned out to be a werebear. I think he was trying to find out more about them at the time. No idea what happened to him. Last I heard he was at Solstheim."

"You know, I'm starting to think people in general would be okay with it if they knew," Yang went through a mouthful of poached eggs. She swallowed and began forking up more. "I mean, there's a book that's basically a how-to on being a productive member of society while having Lycanthropy. Even if it's not for everyone, look at me."

"A fiery, furry, undead-slaying beast of beauty!" Ruby hammed up, earning a chuckle from the older man and her sister. Lydia just smiled and shook her head.

"Speaking of undead though, this vampire problem is getting way out of hand." Yang ate up some more of her eggs and looked up in thought. "Going by the bits I've been told, that was a vampire lord. A pure vampire with a purposefully made lineage. He, and every vampire before him in his line, accepted vampirism from another vampire lord, stretching back to a Daughter of Coldharbour."

"A daughter of what?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow. Yang lightly chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry. Durak gave me a basic rundown. The first vampires were made by that evil Daedric Prince guy, Molag Bal, when he did…horrible things to young women." Her body winced and shook. No elaboration was needed, and Ruby paled while Lydia and Valdimar morosely nodded. "They died and came back as vampire lords, and they turned other people into vampire lords, or spread their strain's disease through biting, which turns people into lesser vampires. Except for, like, one strain, all of them came from that."

Ruby hummed at that. "So those guys had to have always known. Still, I gotta agree that the vampires are becoming a bit of a problem. It's not like they can't live peacefully, either. I mean, look at Weiss and those Duskfall guys. They're vampires, but they aren't going around killing people." Ruby paused. "I mean, Weiss kind of is, but... Never mind. Point is, I'm betting there's something emboldening them. Something beyond the dragons returning…" She suddenly slammed a fist on the table. "What if it's one of those Daughters?!"

"I think all the Daughters of Coldharbour are long gone," Valdimar stated.

"People thought the same about Movarth, then he showed back up," Yang pointed out.

"Even if they are, what's stopping Molag Bal from turning someone into another one?" Lydia pointed out, a distant nightmare from youth playing in the back of her mind.

"The Dragon Barrier…" The Nordic battlemage then rubbed his beard. "Although, it is not absolute. You may be onto something here."

Yang went to speak, only to feel her scroll vibrate. She took it out of her pocket, and smiled once she saw it was Weiss calling. "Well, speak of the daedra. Hey, Weiss is calling, sis." Ruby suddenly zipped around, leaving rose petals in her wake. "Okay, then. Was going to ask to be excused, but…"

Yang answered the call and was prepared to beat Ruby to greeting their teammate, but both sisters paused when they saw Weiss' tear-stained, fray-haired visage.

"Yang," she choked out before sniffling and then rubbing her eyes. "Ruby. You… It's bad. It's really bad," she whimpered out.

"Weiss, take a breath," Ruby advised. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

"No. No, it's not. It- It's Blake. She…took a bad hit." The heiress sniffed again, as Yang suddenly went as stiff as wood. Ruby gasped and covered her mouth, and both their housecarls stopped everything they were doing. "All the Restoration experts and masters are watching over her, Collette especially, but everything sounds touch and go. Her… Everything between her sternum and belly button…" She sobbed a moment, barely stopping herself.

"How…?" Yang finally got out.

"The woman after M'rissi, Isael, hit her with a lightning spell, but that one bolt…held more voltage than her Aura could handle. I don't even know… I don't know how she did it."

"Weiss," Ruby got out gently, "it'll be okay. Stay strong." The heiress winced, but nodded. "Listen, we're not there, but you are. You need to watch over Blake for us. Let us know if anything changes." The young leader looked over at her sister's near-catatonic face and then gripped her shoulder with a reaffirming squeeze. "It's okay, you guys," she said to both. "Blake's strong. She can make it."

"Yes," Weiss barely got out before she seemed to be wracked by quiet sobs. "I'll keep you… I'll let you know."

Yang managed to nod, then slowly reached over and pressed the hang-up button. As she closed her scroll and began to stand, everyone stayed silent lest they say the wrong thing. The young woman headed towards the door, pulling it open and walking through almost robotically.

"I'm going out," she said in a dead tone.

Jaws clamped down on the deer's neck, snapping its vertebrae. The beast immediately began ripping away, gobbling up meat as it clawed and bit, doing as much damage to the corpse as it could as it ate.

"You're not going to get much in your belly like that."

Yang paused and turned around to see the grey-furred form of Kodlak. The older werewolf soundlessly walked over to her as Yang's ears and snout drooped.

"That's not really…"

"Ruby came by and told me what happened," he explained before sitting near her. "I am sorry, Yang. I understand how it must feel right now."

"Can you really?" she groaned out as she left the side of the carcass to go drink from a stream. Kodlak silently followed

"Yang, I'm an old warrior. I've lost many friends growing up, and even more growing old. I've seen loved ones hurt and slain. One was quite recent, if you remember."

The girl stopped lapping up water and looked up and back at her mentor. The memory of seeing Skjor dead came back to her, as well as Aela's reaction upon discovering him. She recalled how sorrowful all of the Companions had been when they couldn't even return the body, just a few bones to give to the Temple of Arkay. Kodlak had held strong the whole time, but Skjor had been a pupil to him, maybe even like a son. If his grief wasn't seen, it wasn't because it didn't exist. It was because the pain had become familiar.

"Kodlak, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, pup. Your heart is still young and tender. I'm not asking you to harden it to the suffering of the world, but learn to expect and accept it for what it is. The ones we love and care for may one day leave us, but they aren't always gone." The older werewolf walked over to her and pointed a claw to her chest. "A part of them will always be with you. The lessons they taught and shared, and the care they showed you, it can never be fully banished from your being. What was once a part of them, they gave to you, and now they are within you, your memories, and your heart. The greatest thing you can do is to live a life that gives what they gave you to others, and who they were will persist."

For a long moment, the two stood silent by the stream, then Yang lowered her head and leaned forward, resting her head against her elder's chest. Kodlak let out a soft laugh and patted her shoulder.

"It will be all right, Yang. Blake is still alive, and if there's one thing I remember about Collette, she's tenacious. Skittish sometimes, but never willing to back down. If she's seeing to your friend, she won't rest until she's healed."

"Thank you," the young woman mumbled before backing up. "I just can't help but worry."

"Worrying is fine, but don't let it run your life." The older werewolf began stretching his legs. "Now, I feel like some wild goat, and I smell some nearby. Mind hunting with this old wolf?"

"Yeah. Promise I won't be so messy."

After coming back from her impromptu hunt, Yang kept her scroll within sight at all times, usually leaving it face-up on a table. Even as she was working on some slight armor improvements, she kept glancing towards the device. Eorlund took notice, but Ruby explained what was going on while the two hammered out some swords. He understood immediately and offered condolences. Apparently, his family went through the same thing recently. His son, Thorald, was lost in the war, and it hit the Grey-Manes hard, but his wife, Fralia, took it the hardest. She'd apparently convinced herself that Thorald was still alive and merely captured, and that the Battle-Borns had something to do with it. At this point, he'd stopped trying to convince her otherwise. After a while, just when Yang was beginning to feel like she was getting somewhere, she saw the light blink on her scroll while it shook. She hurried over and picked it up before opening it to see a new message.

I just got word from Riane. She said they've been able to repair everything internal, and now they're working on purifying her blood from all the toxins that may have been released from her damaged intestines. She's not quite stable, but they're saying she has a far better chance now than before.

Yang sighed in relief and set the phone back down. Ruby walked over and peeked at the message really quick.

"Well that's good. I told you Blake would make it."

"Yeah, I know." Yang slightly smiled and went back over to her table, with Ruby right behind her.

"So what are you doing?"

"Working on an idea I had. Turning…" She paused and looked around before concluding that no one who wasn't supposed to know was in any kind of earshot. "Turning into a werewolf without undressing first will tear the clothes someone's wearing apart, unless they have something five sizes too large on in the first place."

"Or stretchy stuff."

"Yeah, but Tamriel hasn't quite invented elastic waistbands yet." Yang smiled before placing another armor piece onto the table. "Transforming will also tear off armor. Eorlund makes all the Circle's armor so that it comes off easy and can be repaired pretty easily as well, but I'm trying to make something that expands to fit. I'm going off the old lessons in fold-frames, but we don't have the same kind of gear for making them like back at Signal."

"Oh, like what you did with Ember Celica. But since we're not back home, you're having to make almost every piece from scratch," Ruby guessed while picking up a thin piece of steel. "Bet that's taking some effort."

"It is, but I think I've just about got something good." Yang lifted up and pulled on the armor, then reach over and unhooked straps near her shoulders and sides. Ruby watched as it expanded similar to the last time, only now rather than the two halves of the armor being connected by only four thin pieces of metal and leather, they were connected with extending, slotted bars set side by side. Ruby looked over it all and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, that'll work for back to front, but what about width?"

Yang looked around herself and sighed. "Knew I was missing something." As the elder sister took off the armor and pushed it back into place, Ruby looked over the extending pieces.

"I think you'll have to give up on it having solid sides if you want it to work. The whole thing will have to be sectional. Also, what about when you shrink back down?"

"I figured once I got the expansion part down, I'd install a pull cord type thing. If I have to replace the back and front with expanding segments… Wait, what about an interwoven metal link with spring connections?"

"That could work, actually. It might be hard to do on a macro scale, though." Like a lightbulb turning on, Yang's head shot up and she smiled brightly.

"Scale! Yeah! I'll need strong interlocks to keep it from being broken, but sections of scalemail ought to help that out a bit." Yang looked over her work so far and toyed with the connecting pieces for a moment. "Something a bit tougher than steel, but not too hard to find."

"Maybe we could get some Dwemer metal?" Ruby suggested

"Yeah, but we'd have to go through their ruins to get enough. Also, that stuff's hard to make into new shapes. We need something we can work with."

"You could always go learn orichalcum," Eorlund said from beside them, going through a box for sword hilts. The two girls turned to look at him, thinking he might further explain. "Orichalcum has a wider range than steel. You can forge it hard or flexible depending on how you temper it, but, like I said, you'll have to learn it from an orc."

"So where do we find an orc smith to show us that?" Yang asked him.

"I learned from a forgewife in Dushnikh Yal. That's way over in the Reach, though. You two were saying you were heading south to Falkreath?" Yang and Ruby nodded. "Well, I don't know of any orcish places there, but there is a stronghold in the southwest of the Rift, along the mountain range. There's also Narzulbur, east of Kynesgrove. The last one I know of in Skyrim is Mor Khazgar, on the northern end of the border between High Rock and Hjaalmarch, but I've heard rumors of one more in Eastmarch somewhere. You might be able to convince them to teach you, but orcs don't trust just anyone. Don't be disappointed if they turn you away. If they give you a chance, though, take it like it's your last. It just might be."

"Well, I did want to learn how to work orichalcum," Ruby mused. "Maybe we can stop by that orc place on our way back from Falkreath?"

"We'll look into it, Yang said to him with a nod. "Hopefully it works out."

As the group readied for the trip to go further south, Yang checked her scroll for any more messages.

Things are looking better. Collette said she's almost certain that Blake's going to pull through. She still has to keep healing her, but there's extensive scarring on her belly where she was hit. Riane mentioned that her reproductive system wasn't hit. I didn't ask, but she seemed to think it was worth mentioning.

Yang breathed out a sigh and went back to making sure Lucky Day's saddle was on securely but not too tight.

"So you ended up getting a housecarl as well," Zora pointed out as she walked over. "You young girls make me feel like I've been sitting around."

"Weren't you captured by, like, a dozen different necromancers at some point?"

"Yes, but I do that more for fun. I've had the key to the cages in that place for years now. None of them have bothered to change the locks once. It's almost like the easy setup is a trap for them."

"Oh," Yang intoned slowly as she realized what Zora meant. "Clever."

"Alright, down to Riverwood first!" Ruby announced as she climbed into the saddle. Zora walked over to her while winking at Valdimar, who seemed confused by the action, then climbed up behind Ruby, the small woman and small teenager not making for too much weight for the horse. As they began riding, Yang's housecarl pulled a little closer to her.

"Does she ever wash the warpaint off?" he asked quietly.

"That's…not warpaint," Yang slowly pointed out, but judging by the expression on his face, he was still confused.

"A tattoo? A hand over her mouth of all things?"

"Vald, it's a burn scar," Yang explained. His eyebrows rose and then he squinted.

"Oh, I feel just terrible now."

"Eh, don't worry too much. She seems to let everything roll off her back."

"And I wonder if I'll ever brighten up my weather, whenever I'm in New Cydonia. And I know you won't remember memories in ember, lighting up New Cydonia in my mind,~" Zora and Ruby both sang as they rode into the town, Ruby strumming along her lute's strings while Zora kept beat by clapping. Yang was actually surprised by how quickly she was able to learn the new songs Ruby was teaching her on the way. Valdimar seemed positively entertained, while Lydia was just used to it.

As they pulled into town, Ruby and Zora went to the Sleeping Giant, hoping to find something from Joselyn. Sven was off in a corner, singing Ragnar the Red. Embry was sloppily drinking in a stool, and Orgnar was cleaning a glass back behind the bar.

Zora went right over to the man, ignoring a few stares from some non-local patrons, Ruby right behind her.

"Orgnar, have you heard anything about Joselyn?" she asked, but the man kept cleaning dishes. He did slow to a crawl, however, which perked the girl's interest.

"Yeah," the man got out slowly, "I've seen your sister. Walking out the door, at least."

"Really? You know she doesn't like to be seen in Riverwood. Why did she come?"

"Don't know, but some of the Jarl's men came by and left this bounty letter. Rogue wizards, down in Falkreath."

Orgnar handed the letter over to Zora, who quickly looked over its contents.

"Do… Do you think they found her? I'm starting to get worried." The woman looked over to Ruby, and the two walked away from the bar and to a more isolated part of the inn. "This is grave news, little gem. Bounty hunters will not spare a known witch. If my sister has fled to Falkreath, she may try to cross the border."

"She might get through safely, if she goes that way. I think the Empire is more concerned about things going through the Rift's side."

"That might be, but the Jerall Mountains are not an easy climb, especially traveling alone. She might have been turned back. We should hurry to Falkreath," Zora suggested as she gestured. "I want to check the barrack's jails. If by chance she was caught and yielded, we might be able to save her."

"Okay, we'll head out first thing in the morning, I promise. I'll let the others know. We just need to get some good rest tonight."

"Thank you, Ruby. Come, we can go get everyone settled." Ruby wondered where Zora was headed as she led her out of the inn, and nearly smacked her head as they headed towards a small house closer to the foot of the nearby mountains.

"Oh, I almost forgot you live here," she muttered.

"The walls are still standing," Valdimar observed as Yang pushed open the gate to Helgen. They had debated going through the village ruins on their way to Falkreath. It was, after all, the fastest route, but it held bad memories of when they first arrived in Skyrim. All the death and destruction, and the first time they met Alduin. Zora understood their dilemma, and even said that she didn't mind taking a different path. In the end, though, Ruby and Yang decided it was time and that they were ready. Inside, he looked side to side at the burnt buildings and rubble. "Still a few places left up. The fort and tower are in decent condition too."

"You think people could resettle Helgen?" Ruby asked him as she rode into the ruins and slightly winced. She could still smell the burns.

"It looks like they already have," Zora pointed out as a group of men and women came out from around a corner. The five pulled their horses to a stop as weapons were drawn, dented swords and axes and old hammers readied. Bows were aimed, but not yet pulled back as a Nordic man with an odd complexion walked forward.

"All right," he called out to them, "you know how this goes. Give us your goods or get skewered." He was certainly acting all high and mighty, expecting his newfound victims to cower before him and his crew. He was shocked with they instead ignored him and turned to talk among themselves.

"His teeth look pretty big," Ruby pointed out, drawing confusion from the bandits. The leader began to rub his bottom teeth at the insinuations, while the other bandits looked at them in a familiar light.

"Just the bottoms," Yang explained. "He's probably part Orsimer." At this the bandit began to sputter.

"Orsimer and humans can have kids?" Ruby asked before he could get a word in.

"Pretty much any kind of elf and any kind of human can interbreed," Valdimar explained as he started to gesture. "It's very common in High Rock. In fact, just about every Breton has elvish heritage. Sometimes you'll see Bretons with sharper ears than normal. Several noble families even plan when to have heirs marry Altmer in order to breed more magical talent into the bloodline, but still stay predominantly human."

"Whoa, that's a little extreme!" Yang exclaimed. Finally, the bandit leader had enough.

"Hey!" he yelled at them. "I said, give us your gold and goods, or else!"

"Or else what?"

"Are you daft? We'll kill you!" He looked incredulous as he waved his weapon at them.

"No, you won't," Ruby argued. "Have you guys been living under a rock or something?"

At the bandit's angry but questioning look, Ruby sighed. "I'm the Dragonborn."

"Yeah, right," one of the bandits scoffed. "And I'm Martin Septim's grandchild. The Dragonborn's supposed to be a powerful warrior, not a milk-drinking little girl."

Ruby said nothing. Instead, she had Chocolate Hooves walk forward then turn around. Several of the bandits took ready stances or drew their bows, but when Ruby took in a deep breath some of the bandits relaxed.

"Fus! Ro Dah!" Ruby Shouted, putting just enough power behind her Thu'um to send all of them backwards by over a dozen feet. The leader yelped as he rolled, came upon his feet, and then fell back dizzily. As some of the bandits started picking themselves up, they cowered when they saw Ruby riding towards them.

"You guys should really find something else to do," she suggested, but to the bandits it was more an order. "If I come back and you're still here trying to rob people instead of something productive, it'll be fire instead of force."

The group rode through Helgen and emerged from the other side, the bandits only daring to move once they were clear of the town.

It was near dusk when the group finally came up to Falkreath. As they walked into the town, Yang looked up towards a hill covered in grave markers and saw a couple grieving at the head of a group, a tanned Nord with his arm over a coppery Imperial woman's shoulders. An Altmer in priest robes was speaking to them, though she couldn't hear the words. A whiff of something hit her nose and she took in a deeper sniff, catching the wolfish scent that had become familiar to her, only this one wasn't one that she had put a face to.

'Werewolf?' she thought to herself, wondering exactly what was going on. As Ruby and Zora headed towards the barracks, she looked back up to the funeral. She decided to walk towards the procession, waiting just outside of it until the crowd began to disperse. When the priest walked away and only the couple remained, Yang walked over slowly. She looked at the freshly dug grave just before them and felt her teeth clench. The grave was small, shorter than either of the people standing before it. When she came near, she could smell the scents of freshly turned soil, carved wood, and embalming fluid. But just beneath them were the scent of old blood and a werewolf.

The man looked up to her and saw her armor.

"Greetings, Companion," he offered somberly. "I wish I could offer you a warmer greeting, but not right now. Not today."

"Companion?" The woman looked over to her and looked her up and down, only her eyes seemed to settle on the axes on her back and belt. "You and your guild…you bring criminals to justice, don't you?"

"Indara, please. Go take a seat," the man suggested. The woman went to say something, but stopped herself and nodded, her voice seeming to get choked up when she went to speak again. As she left the Nord let go of a long sigh.

"What happened?" Yang asked, hoping she wasn't crossing any lines.

"Our little girl was…murdered," the man got out, and Yang's breath hitched. "She hadn't even reached her tenth winter."

"Murdered?" Yang muttered while she looked at the gravestone, seeing the name 'Lavinia Corpselight' etched upon it, her year of birth being one-ninety-three of the Fourth Era.

"She was…" he went on before pausing. "He ripped her apart. Like a sabrecat tears a deer. We…barely found enough of her to bury."

Yang had to forcibly halt a growl in her throat. However, she couldn't stop the enraged look upon her face.

"Who did this?"

"Sinding. He came through as a laborer. He seemed a decent man. He's stewing in the prison's pit while we figure out what to do withhim, if you've got the stomach to look at him." He looked back at his daughter's grave. "What could drive a man to do something like this?"

Ruby walked down into the jails with Zora right behind her after explaining to a guard that they just wanted to see if anyone they knew was in the cells. Zora looked into each of the cells one by one, while Ruby stood off to the side, waiting.

"A visitor!" she heard someone say excitedly next to her, and she turned to see a man leaning against a wall. "Don't mind me though. Just think of me as dust on the wall."

"That's too bad. I was hoping to ask you something."

"Well, milady, I can answer questions if you'd like. Can't say I'm a font of knowledge, of course, no matter how much mother argues my intelligence is higher than most."

"So what are you in for?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was framed? I guess it wouldn't matter much if you did, unless you're the new captain of the guard." He laughed a little at that. "No, I'm just your average horse thief. I suppose my presence here proves I, uh, ain't a good one."

"Well, even the best of us stumble a bit every now and then," Ruby joked.

"You're too kind, milady. Of course, if we're being completely honest, I may have stumbled on purpose, right into the guard's arms."

"I meant the thieving stuff, but what did you do that for?"

"It was fear, plain and simple. I was at the Sleeping Giant when I got approached by two shifty folk with hoods covering their eyes. The first one sits beside me and orders a drink, while the other stands in a corner. He goes, "I hear you're the man to see about a horse." I tell him, "Sure milord, I am." He tells me he needs two, one for him, one for his sweetheart. I'm guessing a Breton girl, by the size of her." At this point in the story, Zora had come close and began listening in as well. Ruby also grew curious about the coincidence.

"Was there anything…distinctive about this girl?"

"Well, she made me real nervous, always whipping her head around to see if anyone was looking. But it was her hands that caught my eye. She had calluses tough as a goat hide, and all the dirt in Skyrim under those fingernails. She wasn't built like no adventurer, and she wasn't some college mage living in the city either, if you catch my meaning. I think she was a witch."

Ruby figured that was a harsh generalization to make of someone, but she looked back to Zora to see her nod at her.

"Okay, so you think those two were on the run?"

"Yes milady. I figured that's why they needed me, since I used to work the stable for the Ashwoods near Helgen. Except the gate was too heavily guarded. Falkreath was off the main road, but safer for a witch, I take it."

"And you agreed to steal the horses?"

"Well, truth is, I was so sore at the Ashwoods I probably would've stolen the horses for free. But that's no way to make a living." Ruby raised an eyebrow at that, thinking that stealing horses wasn't a good way to make a living either. "I told the boy I only needed one other rider. The girl could wait for us at Peak Shade Tower, and I'd collect the rest of my fee there. Except, when the job was done, it wasn't the boy waiting for me at the clearing. It was the witch." Ruby wanted to roll her eyes, but resisted. "The whole ride west I had that witch at my back, with all kinds of bad thoughts running around my head. I don't know what it was that set me off. Maybe it was just the wind. But I laid my heels into that horse and rode as hard as I could into the city. Didn't take long for the guards to figure out the horse wasn't mine, but by Ysmir's beard, at least I'm still alive."

"Wait," Zora requested of the man. "This mage's name… Was it Joselyn?"

"As a matter of fact, milady," he answered as he rubbed his chin, "I think it was. You're not acquainted with her, are you?"

"She's my sister."

At that the imprisoned man seemed to almost stumble in place.

"Oh, uh, pardon my language, milady." He gave off a nervous laugh as he rubbed his neck "I… If it's any consolation, I'm sure she made it to Cyrodiil."

"Somehow I doubt that," a nasally voice said from behind the two, causing them to whip around in surprise and see an old woman wearing black robes. "My girls were waiting for her there for quite some time. Evidently the snowstorm brought her back, and with it, my property." Zora began to glare at the woman, which only earned her disdain. "Now don't give me that look girl. I don't care whether your sister lives or dies. Meaning, I'm more than willing to let her live, if it saves me the trouble of dealing with you. I simply want what is rightfully mine."

"And what is that, exactly?" Zora asked, masking the venom in her voice.

"Girl, this is hardly the place to talk of such things. Come to the graveyard after dark. At least the dead share no secrets."

As the woman left and headed up the stairs, going by Yang on her way down, Zora turned to Ruby.

"I don't like this one bit. Joselyn would not steal."

"Well, a creepy old witch is not the best source of information."

Zora's hard expression softened as she laughed at that. "Right. Leave it to my little hero to put things into perspective. Yes, we should only trust her as far as we can throw her, and my arms are quite tired."

"Hey guys, what's with the sour old lady?" Yang asked as she walked over to them.

"Oh, just some witch who may know a useful thing or two."

"Lydia and Valdimar getting our rooms?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, but I came down here to…" The blonde paused as she sniffed, then turned her head and walked over to a cell at the other end of the prison. Rather than a door, this cell had raising spikes cutting it off from the rest of the room. The three looked in and saw a man sitting at one side of a water filled basin of a room with an open ceiling. Ruby smelled something that faintly reminded her of a wet dog, then realized that Yang was picking up on the scent even more.

"You!" Yang angrily called out to the man, who looked up at them with bags under his eyes. He stood up and walked closer, and Ruby could hear her sister growling before her lips curled back and her eyes turned red.

"What is it? Have you come to gawk at the monster?"

"They told me what you did." Yang growled at the prisoner. "They don't know, but I can smell it on you."

The man looked Yang over a moment and then sniffed the air.

"I see… Then, maybe you could understand, at least…"

Yang's hands slammed against the bars, rattling them as a more bestial growl rolled out from her throat.

"Understand!?" she screamed. "You killed a child! Tore her apart!" The jail was quiet, and not a sound was heard

"Zora," Ruby whispered to the frightened Breton, "head upstairs. Please." The woman looked at the two sisters questioningly, then wisely began to back away before heading up the stairs. The horse thief at the other end looked out from his cell in curiosity, but a glare from Ruby made him go back.

"Believe me, it wasn't anyt'ing I ever intended to do," the man explained sorrowfully. "I just…lost control."

"Oh, you lost control. Well, that explains everything." Yang pounded the bars again. "How did you let yourself just lose control like that, Sinding? If you can't control yourself then you should have known better than to be in a populated area!"

"I t'ought I could. I was wrong. That little girl is dead because of that mistake, but it's all because of this blasted ring." He showed them his hand, and on one finger was a silvery ring with a wolf's head shape on it.

"A ring?" Ruby examined.

"This is the Ring of Hircine. I was told it could let me control my transformations. Perhaps it used to, but I'll never know. Hircine didn't care for my taking it, and t'rew a curse on it. I put it on…and the changes just came to me. I could never guess when. It would…be at the worst times. Like…with the little girl."

Yang took in a deep breath as she gripped the bars hard, then released it and let them go. There were noticeable indents left where her fingers gripped the steel.

"So you took the ring because you couldn't control yourself?" Ruby asked him.

"I may look like a man, but I still feel the animal inside of me, as strong as ever." Sinding walked towards the bars and rested his arm on them.

"And you attacked a little girl?" Yang bit out, anger still lacing her voice. Sinding looked down in shame.

"I had just come into Falkreath. T'ey needed some help working the mill, and I t'ought it would be somet'ing safe. Somet'ing I could do. When I saw the little girl, I was just… I could feel it coming on. I could taste the… I needed to hunt. But this pitiful, limited body wasn't meant for hunting. Slow. No claws. Weak, mashing teeth for chewing cud. I held in my rage as long as I could but it boiled inside of me." He held his arms out, as though holding something between his hands. "She looked so fragile. Helpless prey. And then…" He shook his head and began to claw at his hair a moment before his arms went limp at his side.

"I… I feel terrible about what happened. About what I did. Maybe it'd just be best for everyone if I was gone. But I don't want to just…give up, and roll on my back like an old dog."

"Why didn't you leave before then? Before you had a chance to harm her or anyone else?" Yang demanded to know. The man had no answer, and she shook her head in disappointment, then continued. "If the ring made it harder to control yourself, then why didn't you get rid of it?"

"I wanted to, but the curse… I can't take it off." Cautiously, he held out his hand. Yang looked at the ring on his middle finger then reached through the bars and grasped it. For a moment the ring didn't even budge, then it slipped off easily. Sinding fell back into the pit with a splash while Yang looked at her hand. Rather than in her palm, the ring had somehow slipped itself onto her ring finger.

"What the…" She tried to pull it off, only to find that it was completely stuck. She even went so far as to put the finger in her mouth and try to pry it off with her teeth.

"The ring! It…passed to you." He seemed astonished, not to mention relieved.

"How?" Yang asked, ceasing her attempts to liberate her finger.

"I don't know, but I've an idea. That ring is Hircine's, t'rough and t'rough. If you're a werewolf, then maybe he'd prefer it be yours."

"I don't need a ring for control! I already have good control!" Yang protested, and Ruby put her hand on Yang's shoulder.

"Yang, calm down!" Ruby tried, only for Yang to turn to her with her teeth bared, causing Ruby to jump back. A second after, she stopped, and had a horrified expression on her face.

"No, no, no! There must be a way to get this thing off!"

"I've tried, but the only way I could see is to commune with Hircine directly."

"Well, how, exactly, do I do that?" Yang asked.

" T'ere's a way to gain his audience. I've been looking for it, myself. It's why I came to Falkreath in the first place. There's a majestic and huge white stag roaming these lands. It's said that Hircine will commune with whoever slays it. I tracked it to these woods, but then I had my…accident with the child."

Yang looked at the ring balefully and then back up at Sinding. She let loose a deep growl, and Ruby was certain she saw fur sprout along her face like mutton chops for a moment, only to recede.

"You're sure that'll work?"

"Almost certainly. Seek out the beast. He wanders these woods. Bring him down and…well, the Lord of the Hunt should smile on you." He began to back away, letting the dim moonlight cover him. "I wish you luck, but I should leave here while I still have my skin."

"What are you-?"

Both girls watched as reddish brown fur sprouted out of the man's body as his shape changed to that of a werewolf. Yang's eyes widened when she realized the lycanthrope was much bigger than almost any other she had seen save for Farkas. The beast let loose a short roar before jumping up and grasping the edges of the wall. The girls heard guards running down and moved out of the way as they went up to the cage, looking up the pit to see Sinding as he topped the cell.

"By the gods," one muttered before making the symbol of dragon wings over his chest. The others immediately ran back outside, yelling about an escaped werewolf.

Yang looked at the ring on her finger and felt the beast within her raging about. She definitely had a grip on it, though she could see how someone might have had their will overtaken by something like this. It didn't excuse him, though. It just explained it.

'A wild werewolf on the loose, a cursed ring stuck to me,' she thought before looking over to where her sister and Zora were talking about having to go up to someplace called The Bloodlet Throne, where apparently Zora's sister was trapped within a crystal. 'A witch, who can't say one nice thing about anyone, leading us to a den of vampires.' She picked up her scroll, only to see that no new messages had come. 'And no news.'

She put the device away as Lydia came up to where she was sitting.

"Are you all right?"

"Not really. I've got a mess of problems, and the one I want to fix the most I can't even help with." She folded her arms and then looked up at the waning moons. Secunda was nearly gone, but Masser still had a fair amount of crescent left.

"When my father was dying," Lydia began, "he used to stay up most of the night, groaning in pain. He wouldn't be able to fall asleep until well past midnight." Yang looked over to the housecarl, who was still watching over her charge as Ruby and Zora tried to get through Marigoth's near-constant barrage of insults in order to get the information that they needed. "I tried all kinds of things. I'd buy medicines. I would make some herbal drinks. Nothing ever really helped. Eventually, I would just stay by his side and talk him through it, just let him know I was there." She shook her head at that. "When he finally did pass, he looked more peaceful than he had in over a year. It wasn't until I felt how cold he was that I realized that it wasn't because of a good night's sleep."

Yang sighed. "Thanks for trying, but I don't know how that's supposed to help me."

"All I'm saying is, there's nothing we can do sometimes. Sometimes a disease can't be cured, and we have to just do our best. Sometimes we don't have the skills to heal others, and so we have to trust those who do. Whether you're here with us, or up in Winterhold sitting right next to her, whatever happens will happen, and there's no changing that."

For a long moment, the two stood in silence. Yang nodded and looked out over the town.

"It's not gonna stop me from worrying."

"I know. Just don't let it control you."

A moment later, Yang felt her scroll vibrate. She took it out and opened it to see a new message from Weiss.

Onmund just said Blake's woken up. I'm going to go see her. Will call you in a moment.

Yang almost cried out, but caught herself as tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes. She suddenly spun around and threw her arms around Lydia's neck. The housecarl stood stiff for a moment, then awkwardly hugged her back and patted her shoulder.

"…There, there."

"You know, I take it back. If anyone's a mannequin it's your stiff of a bodyguard," Marigoth grated as the group went uphill. Lydia just rolled her eyes while everyone else internally sighed. So far, the only one she hadn't insulted was Valdimar, and no one was quite sure why he was spared her biting abuses. Lydia personally thought it was either fear or attraction, possibly both. She could definitely understand both. "Are you even leading us the right way, child?" she suddenly shot at Ruby.

"Wait, shouldn't you be leading us there?" Yang asked.

"I've never been there. I just gave your little sister the directions my girls gave me."

Everyone turned to look at Ruby, who bashfully looked away while pushing the tips of her fingers together.

"I thought I had it this time," she bemoaned.

"Ruby, you know how terrible you are with directions." Yang sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I know, but I tried really hard this time! I went over the directions three times, even though trench-face over here kept talking about how dumb I was, then I went to the Jarl's loghouse and double-checked with the Legion's cartographer, and studied the path for close to an hour."

"Well, we are on the right mountain," Lydia pointed out.

"As opposed to what? The ones leading to Orsinium?" Marigoth griped. Yang growled, but Ruby stopped her.

"Well, maybe someone can help us out. There's a house right ahead," Ruby pointed out while gesturing toward a small wooden house just a little higher than them, sitting right next to a waterfall. She walked along the small stream fed by the falls, leading up to the house with the procession just behind her. However, she stopped dead when she came level with where the house was. Everyone else caught up to her and saw it as well. What they thought was smoke from a small fire turned out to be a pair of smoldering corpses, blackened beyond recognition and still hot in places. Ruby walked over to them and looked them over, but there was nothing that could be told other than that the two had been cowering in fear at the time of their deaths.

"Well, someone hasn't had a good day," Marigoth observed. Yang walked up and looked into the house, which had been mostly spared from whatever had burned the people, save for some scorching on the side. She saw a note on a table and picked it up to read it. After taking a sniff of the air, she nodded grimly.

"Dragon," she told the others while handing the note over to Lydia, who then passed it to Zora after reading it.

"He thought it would leave them alone if they left it alone. Apparently, the dragon did not feel the same way."

"All the more reason for us to get out of here then," the witch argued, but Ruby had already taken the note and then looked further up the mountain. She started walking, and everyone followed after her, though Marigoth did so begrudgingly. "Don't tell me you're seriously planning to look for the damned thing!"

"I know where it is," Ruby said with confidence.

"And what? You going to whack it with that box of yours?"

In response, Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and fully unfolded the scythe, causing the witch to stumble back with a yelp.

"Don't call her a box." As she placed the weapon back, the group came upon a set of ancient steps that reminded a few of them of the steps around ancient ruins and even those leading up to High Hrothgar. These instead led past an ancient stone arch and then to the mouth of a cave, which Ruby stepped into fearlessly, not even pausing as she cast a Candlelight spell. Immediately they could all see piles of bones and skeletons decorating the place. Yang took a sniff of the air and gagged.

"Troll ahead," she warned.

Ruby went ahead and readied Crescent Rose, then, recalling their time at the Labyrinthian, she set the weapon to its warscythe mode, the blade pointed parallel to the staff. As they went around a corner, they saw a large, blue and white troll gnawing the flesh off of a bone. As it took notice of them, Ruby dashed forward and sliced her scythe across its belly. As the troll backed up and roared in pain, she turned and brought her weapon around, chopping into its mouth and slinging its face around. As it turned back towards her with its jaw hanging loosely on one side, a fireball came up and smashed into the creature, sending it across the cavern while immolating it. Ruby turned to look back at Marigoth, who was still wearing her ever-present sneer.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Nothing," Ruby responded as she continued on, exiting the cave onto a snowy mountainside. As she dispelled her candlelight, several goats walked up to look at the humans passing through before going back down the mountain. More stairs led from the cave, letting the group know that the placement of the others had been no accident, and this time they led to a clear area where on the far end a curved in wall stood with ancient writing upon its surface, and a dragon perched upon it, seemingly asleep. The dragon was mostly green with a blue underbelly and a single, large horn on its nose.

"Dragon!" Ruby shouted out, frightening everyone with the sudden outburst. Both Marigoth and Valdimar seemed nervous, while Zora was watching the dragon with wide eyes. The creature shifted and looked up before growling.

"Bah! You trespass, mortals! How did you come upon this place?"

"I saw those people you killed! The ones just on the other side of the mountain!" Ruby called out without a shred of fear.

The dragon shook his head and shifted his footing. "They became too bothersome. Too close to hofkiini, and now you are too knowledgeable. I must destroy you all. Krosis."

"You aren't sorry. Not yet. Nunon fen kos!"

The dragon's neck arched back as he looked at Ruby in surprise. "You…are Dovahkiin?" For a moment, he nervously shifted his feet, but then his eyes narrowed. "But you cannot yet be too powerful. Yes, this may be a perfect opportunity." He stood up and spread his wings out. "Dovahkiin, you face Krahfaassik! Luv ahrk oblaan!" The dragon leaped up and took to the air. As he began to turn around, a block of ice and ball of fire flew from the hands of the battlemage and witch, both exploding against him as they impacted. The dragon roared out and then looked down at the group of fighters as though second guessing himself.

"Fo Krah Diin!" he Shouted at the mages. Both summoned up magical wards to block his breath attack, but both were pushed to the limit. A pair of arrows flew out and hit his cheek, cutting off his Shout and making him look to see Lydia and Zora with a pair of bows taking aim. However, the mages were already back on the offensive as well. He turned mid-air to dodge another Hailstone, but Marigoth's fireball then exploded against his face, sending him careening back down.

"Hit the deck!" Ruby yelled as she and Yang jumped out of the way. The dragon's forward momentum caused his crash to keep pushing him forward, digging a trench in the mountain's frozen ground. As he began to pick himself up, Yang took out her axe and charged towards his head.

"Take this!" she screamed before bringing the dwarven axe down on his neck behind the skull. He hissed out as his flesh was split and tried to drag himself away from the woman. "Not so tough against people who can fight back, huh?"

"N- niid! I was only protecting myself!"

"From what? A couple of farmers? A set of hunters?" Yang asked and ripped the axe from the serpentine neck. Krahfaassik, rather than attack, attempted to back away.

"Your soul is as your name, Krahfaassik," Ruby growled out as she approached. "I can already see it in your eyes. You're the one who feels fear, skulking in the dark, cold to the suffering of others. You were afraid they'd inform people of how to get to where you hide, but I only came up here because of them." Ruby spun her scythe and held it behind her before getting into a runner's crouch, her pupils turning to slits. "Luv ahrk oblaan!"

The dragon seemed to back away in fear as the humans closed in on it. He looked about and then unleashed a fiery breath at them before taking off towards the mountain behind the wall. He started clawing up the mountain diagonally, heading towards the top. Ruby immediately sped after him, catching up within a second and then hooking her scythe under his throat. As the dragon looked at her in fear, another fireball exploded against his back and Ruby clamped on before turning.

"Wuld Nah!" she Shouted, shooting forward and dragging him off the cliffside while cutting into his neck. He smashed against the ground again, this time with Ruby stabbing her scythe into his shoulder.

"Yang, left flank! Lydia, jump pad! Zora, the roof!"

Dazed, the dragon went to pick himself up, only to feel Yang chopping into his left leg, severing muscles and tendons. As he tried to turn, Ruby twisted Crescent Rose, causing further pain in his right shoulder. He roared out in agony, and Zora stabbed forward with Lydia giving her a boost from her shield held at an angle. Her sword pierced into the roof of his mouth by several inches. He pulled away, but the blade was lodged in and was yanked from Zora's grasp, preventing him from closing his mouth.

"Pin it down! Fo!"

A pair of frost spells and the Frost Breath of the Dragonborn hit his neck as Yang and Ruby shoved his head down. Ruby then jumped over and held her foot down on his bottom jaw, with the only action Krahfaassik had left being to move his left wing.

"Aa- aaz," he begged pitifully, struggling to speak with his mouth forced open. "Aaz. Gahvon."

"Ni aaz fah munax!" Ruby spat out. His eye began to open wide as Ruby took a deep breath.

"Fus! Ro! DAH!" she Shouted directly into his open maw, sustaining the last word as her foot pressed down. His left wing whipped around frantically as the top half of his head was pushed back and his right leg kicked up dirt, scrambling to pick him up, but before he could gain any purchase his head was forced back too far and suddenly lurched back with a sickening crack. His body went still, and then conflagrated before being absorbed by Ruby, who stood in place for a long moment before lifting her boot from out of the dead dragon's skull. She looked back at Marigoth, who was watching her with wariness and possibly more than a little fear. Silently, she walked towards the Word Wall and looked upon the Dovahzuul inscription, reading it to herself. As she did, the word Raan, animal, stood out to her.

"Rest well, Savirra," Ruby respectfully bowed as she took in the tale of the noble steed. She then walked back to the others, stopping right in front of Marigoth.

"Where is the place, again?"

The group finally came upon the old, abandoned Imperial fort a little ways into the afternoon. As they pushed through the door, Yang smelled the air and winced.

"Yep. Vampires. Also, a lot of corpses. A…lot of them," she got out before gulping, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Yang, are you all right? You look- Gah!" Ruby was suddenly wrapped into a hug before Yang started nuzzling her with her face. "Stop it!" she squeaked out. "Now's not a hugging time!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry, but…I-" Yang winced, and Ruby saw her canines all growing while the rest of her teeth went sharp. "Really…want out!"

"What in Oblivion are you doing?" Marigoth demanded after she walked in to see Yang holding Ruby in a crushing grip. The blonde let her sister go and turned towards the witch, who backed up as Yang's body began expanding.

"I'm…getting really tired of you!" the werewolf deeply growled out as her fur began to show up. Zora, who had been a little ahead, turned around and gasped, and then the two housecarls walked in.

"What's going on?" Valdimar asked before stopping as he took in the sight of Yang's transformation. He stared in morbid fascination as her limbs stretched, her bones cracked, snapped, and lengthened, and her muscles expanded dramatically. To him, it looked agonizing, but Yang seemed to power through it.

"I think it's that cursed ring," Ruby explained. "It's making Yang transform."

"Hey, who's up there?" a voice called out. Yang turned her attention to the voice just as her armor fell off and her underclothes were ripped away. She growled, and, the moment a pale-skinned woman came around a corner and looked up at the balcony they were on, she pounced.

"Yang!" Ruby objected, before recalling how she had smelled corpses on top of the scent of vampires. While she would have preferred waiting until guilt was proven, there was nothing she could do to stop her sister from mauling the vampire. As the others walked down, Yang hacked up what she had attempted to eat, and then started licking some moss as if to get the taste out of her mouth.

"Uh, little gem, has your sister…always been a werewolf?" Zora nervously asked.

"No, it's pretty recent," Ruby explained. "But she has been as long as we've known you."

"…Well, we certainly have our fair share of odd relatives, then."

"I'm pretty sure having a witch for a sister isn't quite the same as a werewolf sister." Yang suddenly started sniffing around, walking over to a fireplace and stopping right before a pair of statues. She growled at them, and then one suddenly burst out, revealing that it had been a gargoyle the whole time. The group scattered as it tackled Yang backwards and the two started grappling, then a trio ran out from further into the keep, two readying spells and one holding a sword. Valdimar and Zora both threw on magic armor before engaging, the housecarl hitting his foe with a blast of frost before going in swinging, while Zora went in with a heavy chop from her greatsword. Lydia blocked a firebolt with her shield, then Marigoth sent a bolt of lightning into the one that threw it. Valdimar smashed the head of his opponent into a wall while Zora skewered hers before tossing him off of her blade. Yang finally managed to stand and held up the gargoyle by its legs before tossing it over and slamming it into the ground. Ruby then came in and smashed its head with the blunt side of her scythe.

"Okay, that was a little crazy," Ruby admitted with a sigh. Yang, however, began sniffing around again. "Ugh, what now?"

"Faint scent," Yang got out. "Familiar. Vampire lord…from the other day."

"Wait, so this is where they came from?" Ruby looked forward, down the hallway that the vampires and their thrall had come from. "Okay then. Definitely evil. Let's go in and put a stop to this group."

"Strange though," Valdimar commented as they began, following after Yang as she led the way like a bloodhound. "The vampires have been mostly concentrated in the northwest."

"This could be their attempt at an expansion," Ruby guessed. "They might have sent a group here for a forward base, planning to move out from the north and the south. If they got a lot of Falkreath under their control, then they'd have one of the main routes to and from Cyrodiil."

"And a chance to get thralls and childers from the ranks of the Legion as they're coming in," Valdimar finished. "Diabolically clever."

"I'm not sure what you're worried about," Marigoth spoke up. "It's not like vampires will be able to keep control for very long if they do succeed in their endeavors. They never do."

"The problem is what happens while they're trying," Ruby pointed out. "They've already killed hundreds of people. Entire families, whole villages, just gone. If they keep going, Skyrim's going to be hurt far more than it already is. Maybe even all of Tamriel."

"Right. And you're the hero, so you have to save the day."

"You're damned right I do!" Ruby declared, surprising the witch. The group then came into a kitchen area, likely where their dead foes had come from. On two plates was a set of unfinished meals that mostly appeared to be uncooked meat soaked in blood. Past the kitchen things became predominantly more frozen. As they came into an open cavern, likely somewhere inside of the mountain, Zora looked up and nodded.

"Don't worry, Joselyn, I'm coming," she whispered.

"Do you think she can hear you? Of course you do. You're a fool!"

'I am so close to punching this witch in the face!' Ruby thought to herself, but remained in control.

Ruby saw two vampires stand up from a table, surprised to see the group coming in.

"Intruders!" one called out as she sent a ball of blue magic at something nearby, which turned out to be an Ohmes-raht Khajiit corpse. As the body became a zombie under the vampire's command, others began to appear from above. A couple of thralls began firing down arrows, while three more vampires and two thralls ran across a tightrope bridge and began heading down the ramps to the lower level. Ruby and Yang both jumped over and went up to meet the incoming forces while the others went to battle the two vampires and the zombie.

Ruby took a second jump, leaping over the five enemies, then twirled around and brought Crescent Rose in an arc that sliced one thrall in half. The other came at her as Yang smashed a vampire into the wall and then smacked another off the ramp into the icy floor below. As Ruby disarmed the last thrall, Yang bit down on the final vampire's head, ripping it off and then spitting it out to the side. Ruby blocked a punch and then kicked the man back. He was then caught by Yang, who bit down into his neck and began ripping into him.

"Yang! No eating people!" Ruby objected. Yang paused and then let the corpse fall to the ground below.

"Hey, watch it with the bodies!" Zora called up before an explosive fireball took out the two archers.

"My bad."

They pushed forward through the icy caves, stopping by a gated in section to quickly loot it. While mostly finding average coins, a few potions, and some scrolls, Ruby also came across a pair of boots with the name "Springheel Jak" carved into the leather on the side.

"These feel enchanted," she stated while handing them over to Valdimar.

"Hm, slowed fall, or something similar, as well as a slight speed boost," he observed.

"So you'd fall slower and run faster?"

"Basically. I'd test them before counting on them to help you outrun a wolf or jump off a cliff."

"Hehe, sure thing," Ruby said as she took them back and then stuffed them into her pack.

They went on, and came upon what looked like a small gladiatorial pit filled with bodies covered in bite marks. Several raised spike cages surrounded them, while a pair of vampires sat above, one looking like an older man while the other was a scantily clad young woman, holding onto his arm and caressing it.

"Look, master, a werewolf!"

"So it seems. This should be interesting." He pushed a lever and then the cages opened, letting out several death hounds. Yang caught one in her claws and immediately ripped it in half. The vampire shot out of his seat at that and then Yang jumped up and roared. The woman fled from her, but the master stood his ground as his form became covered in blood. He burst out into his vampire lord form and the two started battling while everyone else fought off the hounds. Ruby sliced through one and saw her housecarl and Yang's working together to bring down another, and so she jumped up to see if she could assist Yang in some way. Instead, she had to block the sword strike of the other vampire who then fired out her red magic. Ruby felt it draining at her Aura, and so she shoved her back and then kicked out. Ruby then rushed her and brought Crescent Rose around, hooking and slicing through her neck in one motion.

Yang was finding that the older looking vampire lord wasn't any weaker than the one at Whiterun. If anything, he was tougher, but she was still able to beat him around, and his hovering didn't do him half as much good in the enclosed space of a cave. Just as she brought him down and began scratching at his arms while he tried to fend her off, she felt something slowing her down and making her feel weaker. She noticed her arms getting shorter and her fur beginning to disappear. Just as she realized she was turning back, the master vampire grasped her by the throat and came back to his feet. He held her up as she shrunk back down, her feet dangling in the air. She was finding it hard to breath, and the vampire began to laugh as his eyes lecherously traveled up and down her form.

"Well, what a waste. You'd have made a lovely addition to our little family," he said as he lifted his other claw. "Too bad."

Suddenly a black blade sunk into his neck, causing him to drop Yang and fall to his feet. As he was dragged to his knees, his hands futilely reaching for the ebony blade, Yang saw Ruby behind him, pushing down with Crescent Rose impaled through his neck. The younger girl then placed a boot to his back and shoved through, severing his spine. Seconds later, the vampire lord melted away into blood and ash.

"Stay away from my sister," she spat. "Yang, are you okay?" Ruby asked in concern as she threw her cloak around her sister.

"Yeah. I just never turned back that quickly before. I was about to snap his elbow though. Was thinking about shoving his own arm down his throat." She laughed a bit before looking at her hand to see the Ring of Hircine still firmly on her finger. "This thing is just the worst. Rubes, if you see me about to eat someone's heart when this thing pushes me to change, please don't complain."

"Wait, what?" she asked in confusion as the rest of them came up the ramp, Valdimar taking off his pack and passing it to Yang. The blonde opened it up and pulled out a set of yellow clothes.

"Backups, yay!" she cheered sarcastically. "Thanks, Vald." The man nodded and looked away so that she could pull on her clothes, but Zora ended up getting a full view and looked down at herself with no small amount of grief.

"To be blessed with light weight, is to be cursed with a small size." Ruby patted her shoulder in sympathy, while Lydia shrugged.

"Not like they'd do you any good," Marigoth snapped.

"Far more good than anything would go for you."

Once Yang was dressed and wearing Ruby's looted Boots of Springheel Jak, which were only one size too large, they went in further, but found no resistance, likely the last of it being with the master vampire. They then exited out of the caverns and back into a room of stonework, where a large chest sat with a Soul Gem basket podium next to it. Ruby picked up the gem inside of it to see that it was no ordinary Soul Gem. It had energy within it, but not in the way that most Soul Gems did.

"Is that it?" Zora asked. "Is that the crystal?"

"Of course it's the crystal," Marigoth chastised her. "I didn't come all this way to watch you fools tangle with bloodsuckers."

"Bloody hag…" the scarred woman muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. It was my stomach grumbling. I think I might be getting hungry."

"Okay, skipping forward!" Ruby called out. "You said something about getting us inside the crystal to get Joselyn out?"

"Yes, but I can only send two of you. Any more and we risk the crystal shattering, which I don't want. You also don't want it either, as anyone within will end up dead. Maybe worse."

"Yeah, don't want that. Okay, Zora's going, definitely. You want me to go with you?"

"Of course. No offense to anyone in the room, mostly, but you are the one I trust the most, my gem."

"All right then, you both stand still," Marigoth announced as she concentrated on casting. "I'll use the old magic to send you both inside the crystal. As for what you'll find inside, it's anyone's guess. Young people are idiots. Children even more so."

"Wait, what?" Yang asked before Marigoth cast her spell.

Everything went black for a moment before the world came back, only this time Ruby wasn't inside of an old ruined fort, but out in a field in a valley, cotton growing all around, whiter than any she had ever seen before. Amazed, Ruby reached out and touched some of the white, fluffy material. It was softer than any fabric she'd ever felt before. Feeling a little giddy, she began picking a few pieces and held them up to her face before she saw Zora walking next to her.

"By…the gods…Joselyn?" Zora called out to a person that was before them. Ruby looked and saw a young girl, and quickly pocketed the cotton in her hands bashfully.

"Welcome to Zora's Field, sister," the little girl greeted.

"Joselyn…you made this for me?"

"Remember that time mother said it was too warm to go sledding? And I cried, and you cried, and then father got the idea to throw cotton all over the house instead? Then you said we should plant cotton all over the tundra, so that we'd never have a day without snow."

"I remember, sister," Zora answered slowly. "Every day."

"Well, here we are Zora. This is our home. We never have to leave. We never have to cry."

"Joselyn, I-"

"Come on, sis! Let's go play!" Joselyn then turned and ran off into the field, her hand brushing atop the cotton plants.

"What was she talking about?" Ruby asked as she eyed Joselyn. Zora's eyes went soft as she swam in old memories.

"It was so warm that winter," Zora said as Ruby walked over to her and Joselyn ran and giggled. "Riverwood didn't see an ounce of snow. It all seems so foolish now, when Skyrim is so cold. The truth is I never really cared much for snow. I love bright colors. I only pouted because it meant so much to her." Joselyn stopped and looked back at them, seeming to notice Ruby for the first time. "And maybe part of me wanted to be that sister again. The one who pretended to care about nothing, to protect the things that meant everything." Zora looked over to Ruby with a sad smile. "The day we met…I lied to you. I was on my way to the tundra, but it wasn't for Zora's Field. It was always for Joselyn.

"Now I know why she joined that coven. It was all for this. She wanted to be a child again. She wanted that feeling of home, but in a place where all the bad memories don't exist. Somewhere far away from Riverwood. This place… It's perfect…"

"Zora," Ruby began choking on her own words before she cleared her throat. "We can't stay here. It's not…" She looked out over the field and took a deep breath before releasing it, seeing the dragons flying around the pillar in her soul. She took another breath, and centered on something deeper.

"The real world hurts," she said plainly. "It hurts us all the time. Whenever we slip and scrape a knee. Whenever we push ourselves too hard and pull something. Whenever someone says something unkind. Whenever someone hits us." Zora reached up and touched her scar. "It all hurts, but it's also real. No one wants to hurt. Everything we do in life is to try and minimize our own pain, but sometimes it's not the pain others give us, but the pain we put ourselves through that's the worst of all." She looked out across the field at an increasingly panicking Joselyn.

"The idea for this came from a good place, but also a wounded one. Joselyn wants the best for you, but in trying to make an ideal world, she's cut herself off from everything. And maybe that means no one outside can ever hurt you, but that also means you'll miss everything. If there's only you and her in the world, then that's really it. And if it's only her… Dreams may be pleasant, but they're temporary, fleeting, and easily forgotten. You both remember that day, but it became special not just because of the cotton and your promise, but also the sadness you felt before it all ever happened."

Zora winced, a tear leaking from her eye. She began to walk forward, and stopped a few feet away from her sister.

"Joselyn…dear…I know at times I've been a bad sister. I should've been there for you when all I cared about was myself. And I know you're sorry about what happened that day. This field, this place… You want to go back to when all of our memories were beautiful." Zora took in a shaky breath at that. "But sister…we can't. As much as we treasure them, those days are gone, but so is every day we grew apart. I love you, Joselyn. Please, come home."

The child seemed to shake as she clenched her fists. "No! I'm not leaving! You're not leaving!" She began to float as fire formed around her. "You're not my real sister! You're someone else!"

She suddenly disappeared as flames began to sprout up, revealing fire atronachs, only with black handprints across their face similar to Zora's scar. The Breton quickly took out her sword while Ruby drew Crescent Rose. As most of them focused on Zora, she burst through the flames, a resolute look on her face as she went through unscathed before swinging for one of them. Ruby sliced through one, then jumped away, remembering what Weiss had warned her about concerning atronachs. As her opponent exploded, she went after another one and took it down. Zora fought furiously, but there seemed to be a sort of desperation to it. Recalling where they were, Ruby realized that Zora's sudden fireproof ability might have been the effect she was having on the world, and thus herself.

With the last one down, they heard a gate open and looked to see one had appeared at the far end of the field.

"Joselyn!" Zora cried out as she ran towards the structure while sheathing her blade. Ruby ran after her, tucking away her own weapon as she entered into what looked like the inside of an old building. At the end, Zora was leaned over the form of a woman in ragged clothing lying in the fetal position on top of an altar. The woman looked up and blinked.

"Zora?" she asked.

"Don't worry, sister. I'm here," Zora comforted the true form of Joselyn.

"I'm so sorry," she cried. Zora reached forward and brushed her hair back.

"Don't be." She smiled, and after a moment, so did Joselyn. The younger sister nodded, and slowly began to sit up.

"Thank you for… for coming to get me. Give me a moment… I can take us home. Our real home."

"All right." Zora nodded. "When you're ready."

Everything went black almost instantly, as though every possible light source had been cut off, and then Ruby's feet hit stone as the half-cave half-room came back.

"So does that mean they're all… Oh, hey!" Yang called out when she noticed their return.

"Joselyn, are you okay?" Zora asked her sister, who had reappeared in a black robe. "Can you walk?"

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"Are you sure, girl? Are you sure you're not better off crawling around like a newborn babe? Isn't that the life you prefer?"

"Oh. My. God! Read the room, Marigoth!" Yang shouted at the witch.

"Marigoth?" the mage asked in surprise as she started cowering behind her sister. "Zora, w- what's going on?"

"Don't worry, my foolish apprentice, your whetstone of a sister hasn't betrayed you. You're the only traitor here. All I want is what's mine."

"Suddenly, I'm feeling hungry for some goat roast…" Zora said while looking over at Ruby, who sighed, even as Yang silently begged to be let loose from behind the witch's back.

"Maybe later, Zora," Ruby said as she lifted up the crystal from the place she picked it up from last time. "Take it and get out of here. I don't want to ever see you again."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," she said as she took the crystal in hand. "I'll gladly take my leave of the lot of you. As for you, my foolish apprentice, be thankful you're alive. But if I ever see you again, you won't b-UrGK!"

The woman fell to her knees and clutched her belly after Ruby's fist left it. After a futile moment, warm bile erupted from her mouth, specks of blood visible among the sea of green.

"Maybe I should be a bit more clear," Ruby hissed out before she picked the witch up by her throat. "If you ever threaten anyone me or my friends care about, I will drag you up the nearest mountain and Shout you off the side. And that's if I happen to feel patient." She dropped the woman, who quickly found her footing and scurried away. "And If I do ever see you again, I'll make sure your face comes out matching a topographical map of High Rock." Without saying another word, Ruby turned around and left, the others not far behind. They could hear the whimpering of the witch grow fainter behind them until it finally disappeared.

"Nice hit, sis," Yang complimented Ruby.

"Thank you," Ruby replied, still fuming.

"Your friend is….scary," Joselyn whispered to Zora as they exited the fort together.

"Oh don't worry. The little gem will calm down in a moment."

After climbing back down the mountain to Falkreath, the group sought out different means of getting some much needed rest the next day. Yang was still on edge, between being worried about the next ring-induced transformation and Blake's health, and so gave Valdimar a set of orders to limit her and got herself some mead from Dead Man's Drink. Suddenly her scroll vibrated, and she took it out and smiled to see that the call was from Blake's scroll. She answered and smiled brightly when she saw her partner.

"You rang?"

"Hey, Yang. Sorry I didn't call earlier. We, uh, got sort of busy." Blake looked guilty. Yang supposed almost dying would do that to a person.

"The only kind of busy you better be is busy resting." When the Faunus didn't answer and looked away, Yang raised an eyebrow. "Blake?"

"Well, the good news is we saved M'rissi and Isael's come down with a bad case of death."

"While those are very good things, I'm going to assume that you went and put yourself in the line of fire for it, and that does not make me happy."

"Look, I'm totally healed up and everything. Collette herself gave me a clean bill of health. I still need some checkups to make sure everything's okay, but we're almost certain it's all behind me."

"It's not behind me. Just a couple days ago I was worried sick you could die at any moment." Yang paused. "Wait, hold on. You said that was the good news. What's the bad news?"

Blake went silent and began to fidget on screen. "Well, we….may have forgotten to…check for that information…while we were in the Thalmor Embassy."

Yang pressed the bottle to her head and sighed. "I can't believe you sometimes," she said before taking a big draught.

"One more for this hour," Valdimar reminded her as he flipped a page in his book.

"Yeah, yeah, I know Valdi."

Bah! - Wrath! (A way of expressing annoyance or anger)

Hofkiini - My home

Nunon fen kos! - But (you) will be!

Luv ahrk oblaan - Weep and then perish (Alternatively, Cry and die)

Aaz - Mercy

Gahvon - Surrender

Ni aaz fah munax! - No mercy for (the) cruel/merciless!