Warm and genuine nods towards xTRESTWHOx and NaanContributor. Without them, this story would be so much less.

30th of Sun's Dusk

Sundas was a quiet day in Rorickstead, with everyone either taking a big, long rest or going to the tiny temple to pray. Yang essentially had the Frostfruit Inn's bathing room all to herself, but she wasn't as relaxed as she wanted to be. Prey was scarce last night, so she ended up mostly just frustrated with only a couple of skinny rabbits in her belly. Her thoughts also kept circling back around to the message Weiss had sent her. Ruby had already confirmed sending a letter to the Dawnguard through an express courier – she even said she saw him leave, riding out on a leaner-than-normal horse – yet Yang couldn't help but feel a little antsy about it.

To try and get her mind off of things, she had messaged Blake and talked with her a few minutes. Apparently, the Faunus' heist went off pretty well, and she was heading back with the info even now. She was also close to where the Dwemer researcher that Isran wanted was at, so she offered to let the woman know about the job.

However, talking to Blake only helped a little bit. At the very least, she was able to draw her concentration away from the vampire situation and towards another upcoming event.

'Just a little over two weeks,' Yang thought, looking at her scroll's calendar and seeing the reminder. 'Maybe I could get her a new sword. Don't think Ruby can work with ebony yet. I know I can't. Might have to order the parts. Weiss might not like us dipping so far into the coffers, but it's her birthday! They only come once a year.'

As Yang thought up plans, she finally took herself out of the bath and started drying off, mostly using her half-improvised drying spell while patting her limbs down with a towel. Once she was adequately done, she started getting dressed while checking her scroll and reading over the current situation again. She frowned and sighed before setting it down. A knock then resounded on the door.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"Just me," Anum-La called back, her voice a higher pitch than normal. "But this is a little urgent. There's a…black dragon flying around outside."

Yang froze for half a second, then scrambled towards the door, ripping it open so fast the wood creaked from the sudden stop. "What?!"

"Big, black dragon! I almost thought it was the size of the town when I first saw it! It's been flying nearby while everyone's screaming their heads off."

"Crap! Let's go!" Yang rushed over to her room and grabbed Fiery Kain and her crossbow, pausing only to grab her quiver of bolts before rushing out of the inn. Once the outside air hit her skin, she became momentarily aware that she was clad only in a sleeveless undershirt and shorts, but banished the thought when she saw the massive dragon circling around the nearby hill, his sharp-edged scales filling up a fair chunk of the sky wherever he flew.

"Uh, so he's not doing-" Rumarin began before Alduin roared to the heavens. "…Almost not doing anything," he said with a wince while rubbing his left ear.

"That's the dragon that destroyed Helgen," Yang told him while loading her crossbow with one of the Dwemer-made bolts she'd scrounged up from Mzulft. She took aim, but found the angle to be too steep, and so started running for the gentle incline up the hill he was circling. When she did, she saw the dragon grave at the top and felt her breath hitch. Yngvarr had come out at about that time, along with a now armed Anum-La, and they both saw her heading up to where the black dragon had begun hovering.

"Nahagliiv, ziil gro dovah ulse! Slen Tiid Vo!"

Like before, the stone atop the grave shattered and the dragon's bones burst from the ground, fire running across its frame and fading away to reveal renewed flesh. His scales were primarily orange with black going from his belly and marbling into his side. The dragon roared and then looked up at Alduin in awe.

"Alduin, thuri!"

"Nahagliiv, ti-" Alduin's words were cut off as a bronze-colored bolt bounced off of his skull with a clang, going wide over him after veering off. The two dragons looked over and saw Yang with her teeth clenched and her crossbow being set aside for her axe.

"Meyus joor," Alduin growled. "Is that you, friend of Dovahkiin? Do you think a mere mortal stands a chance against the Crown Jewel of Bormahu?"

"Dovahkiin?" Nahagliiv muttered. "There is another?"

"I'm more than her friend, you overgrown lizard!" Yang called out as she hefted her axe. "Now come down here so I can cut your head off!"

Alduin simply laughed at her before looking back to the much smaller, but still fairly titanic dragon. "Nahagliiv, destroy this petulant annoyance for your lord!" The dragon seemed to bow his head as Alduin began flying away. Yang made to chase after him, but stopped when she realized he was going way too fast. Even if he wasn't he flew straight over a tall mountain towards the Reach, so there was no way she could scale or go around it and still keep up with him. Nahagliiv then began to take wing. Yang readied herself to dodge whatever attack came first, but a spectral arrow flew through the air and hit his neck. The dragon's attention was immediately stolen as he banked away and looked towards Rumarin.

"Why did I do that?" the elf muttered before drawing another bound arrow. "Why am I still doing this?"

"Aim for the wings!" Yngvarr called over as he took out Silverblur and charged up the hill. Anum-La jumped up the side with agile leaps from rock to rock. Yang ran as Nahagliiv reared back his head, snatching up her crossbow as she did. A fireball exploded behind her, and the dragon spat out two more before banking down and going after her. She turned and quickly loaded a bolt and fired it at the dragon's face, hitting the tip of his nose and eliciting a roar of pain. As he went over her and turned to try again, another arrow sank into his right knee.

"Take that, you bastard!" Rumarin taunted him. The dragon growled and started gliding towards him. Yang readied another bolt and held her breath as she aimed just ahead of his wing. The Dwemer bolt was launched, and hit near the 'wrist' of the left wing. Feeling pain lance up from the wound, Nahagliiv was forced to the ground where he tried to shake it loose and then bit at it. Yngvarr rushed him, giving out a great battlecry as his axe came around and chopped deep into the base of the dragon's neck. Nahagliiv roared and jumped to the side, turning and swiping at the Nord with his tail. Yngvarr managed to duck it the first time, but as it swung back while scraping the ground he was swept up and knocked aside. Anum-La then came in, and Nahagliiv pulled his wing away and started backing away from the quick Argonian and her blade in almost a tiptoe manner. Yang came at him from the other side and swung Fiery Kain with a leap right into his back. The dragon screeched and threw himself up and rolled. Anum-La had to jump out of the way, but Yang was smashed into the ground under several tons of dragon before he rolled off of her and got back to his feet.

"Owwww…" she groaned as she pulled herself out of the woman-shaped hole her impact had made. Luckily, her Aura had been full this time around and taken it all. Yang took a breath then jumped up to her feet. Yngvarr was back in the fight, but Nahagliiv had caught his axe in his mouth and tried to pull it out of his hand, only for the old Nord to keep his grip and then start punching the dragon's nose with his meaty fist. Rumarin summoned up a pair of bound blades and tried to cut at the right leg, but Nahagliiv tossed Yngvarr away before fast walking away from the attack. The Nord went flying for several meters before hitting a tree, making Yang wince in sympathetic pain. Nahagliiv got close to her but was still looking back at Rumarin, so she ran forward and reared back a fist, pouring the recent impact into the blow with her Semblance. Her punch came as the dragon turned his head, and her fist smashed into his jaw, throwing it back around and causing his front half to rise off of the ground slightly. As he tried to steady himself, Yang slipped under him and punched up into his stomach with a jump.

The dragon let out a high-pitched sound and dropped, Yang getting out from under him just in time. She turned back with the intention of retrieving her axe from his back, but his head came to meet her in a snap that she jumped back from.

"Fus Ro Dah!" he Shouted, throwing her back and into a boulder, partially shattering it. As she picked herself up, his tail then caught Rumarin and launched the elf back into Rorickstead's streets.

"Ru!" Yang yelled as she looked over to his landing spot. The Altmer weakly lifted up an arm to wave it, letting her know he was alive, and Yang turned back in time to see Anum-La having gone for his neck, quickly slashing her sword about in a way that almost looked random, but Yang could tell had purpose. Nahagliiv did his best to keep his neck out of her reach, but then his attention was taken by a loud roar from behind.

A gray-furred werebear barreled out of the trees and smashed into the dragon's side, knocking him over by several meters. Yngvarr stood up and roared before running at Nahagliiv again. His claws came down and tore through scales and flesh, shredding the dragon's left leg. Nahagliiv Shouted again, words that Yang couldn't quite hear, but knocked Yngvarr back a little. The werebear made to attack again, but green, red, and blue energies began flowing from him and into the dragon, who cackled as some of his wounds began to close.

"Die, mortals! Know your place in the afterlife!"

His jaws came towards the old Nord, but Anum-La's sword was suddenly thrusted up between two of his top teeth. He wrenched himself away and tried to shake it loose, but it seemed stuck in place. Anum-La tried to lift Yang's axe from where it had fallen, but before she could even try swinging it a wing smacked her up into the air and down the hill. Nahagliiv managed to pull out the sword with his wing talon, but the moment he had his mouth freed a furry, yellow blur slammed into the top of his head, slamming the bottom of his jaw into the ground. The golden werewolf roared and started smashing her paws into his skull. Nahaliiv roared and tried to shake her loose, but she simply sank her claws into the sides of his face and held on. Seeing as he wasn't dislodging her, he moved over and suddenly slammed the top of his head, and Yang, into a large boulder. Her grip loosened with the impact, and she slid off as he picked his head up. The dragon growled and went to snap her up, but was suddenly jerked back. Nahagliiv looked to his tail and saw the weakened Yngvarr, Bjarni, and even Toggle all with a grip on it, doing their best to drag him back.

"Damn you beasts!" He took in a breath and released it as a fan of flames, which the three had to run back from. Toggle picked up speed as he turned, then rushed at the dragon's side. Nahagliiv saw him coming, but didn't see Yngvarr as his massive paws gripped his leg and dragged it out from under him, Bjarni helping his master by grabbing one the massive talons and pulling at it. Toggle rammed into his side after he dropped, but the dragon still managed to head-butt the boar and kicked both bear and werebear from his side. As he picked himself up and roared, a howl rang out to challenge him, and he looked forward to see Yang coming at him on all fours, fire rushing around her like a canid pyre. Her right claw swung up from below and smashed into his chin, knocking his head into the air. She jumped up and brought around her left, bashing it to the side. As she fell back to earth, her feet connected with his chest and knocked him back into the air and over, onto his back. Nahagliiv tried to regain his bearings, but as he looked above, he saw a flaming gold meteor crashing down on him. Yang smashed down against his chest and slammed her claws into him with the force of her jump. The dragon's breath was driven from his lungs, and her claws dug in. Rib bones thicker than most arms were yanked apart and cracked under pressure before her claws thrusted in and pulled up the beating organ beneath. Her jaws clamped down and began ripping it apart and gulping it down hungrily.

By the time Yang got a hold of herself, Nahagliiv was completely still, his heart was gone, and she was licking her bloodied paws. She paused in her cleaning, and looked back at the dragon corpse with surprise.

"Did I do that?" she asked aloud.

"You did. It was quite amazing, actually," Yngvarr told her while walking over to the corpse. "Thank goodness you killed him, though. He hit me with some sort of draining power. I could feel it leeching away my life. It stopped with his death."

"Oh, yeah, good thing." As Yang nodded, Bjarni walked up to the corpse and sniffed at the blood that had run all the way down to the ground. He then looked over at the two werebeasts as though asking for permission.

"It's good, boy," Yngvarr said to him. "Take a bite if you want." Bjarni happily chuffed and started clawing off some of the scales to get at the meat below. Toggle trundled up and started eating as well, not caring whether some scales were in his way or not.

"By the Hist! So that's what it looks like," Anum-La breathed out as she returned to the top of the hill, observing the two beastly forms. "With claws like that, I'm sure glad you're on my side!"

"Can someone get me a healer?" they heard from the village, all of them looking down to see Rumarin having flipped himself onto his back. "Barring that, can someone break my neck? Everything hurts right now." Some people started slowly coming out of their homes, and Yang and Yngvarr ducked down.

"Hey, after you get Rumarin some healing potions," Yang started instructing the Argonian, "grab some of our spare clothes and meet us at the creek in…that direction. Just, uh, tell them we're doing a Companion post-victory ritual or something." After making sure Anum-La saw which way they were going, the two slunk off into the nearby woods and started running toward the rendezvous point. Some villagers had climbed up the hill and were now looking at the dead dragon with awe.

"So what do we do with it?" a young man asked. A little girl then poked his leg and pointed towards the bear and boar eating bits of dragon.

A mudcrab was settling into the river's current, trying to pry open its newest prize. When it succeeded, all it found inside were useless metal objects, none of which were good for eating. As its simple brain, unable to process disappointment, began thinking of eating the bag itself, something knocked against its side and started grabbing its almost worthless items. Rather than know it wasn't worth fighting over, instinct told the crab to attack this rival, but its claws only clamped more metal. Other claws came forward, one grasping its main left claw and the other its shoulder. With a tug, its arm came off, then something kicked it back.

Knowing defeat, the mudcrab scuttled away backwards. Its foe then gathered everything back into the bag and started walking out of the river. On the bank at the bend, Sorine Jurard watched with wonder as Blake guided the Dwarven spider to them. Backpack set the knapsack down, and then went still, awaiting further direction.

"That was simply amazing!" the Breton exclaimed, Beatrice and Urzub clapping from their little camp. "You led it right in and right back out! Oh, I definitely need to see if I can pry out how that young man made this beauty!"

"Good luck with that. Honestly, going by his notes, he just got lucky. He couldn't even figure out the eyepiece." Blake knelt down and Backpack took its place on her shoulders. "The most important part is the resonating crystal. Just have to figure out how to attune it, I think. Anyways, about Isran and the Dawnguard?"

"I'll head there. If the vampires really got an Elder Scroll… Well, I don't know what they can do with one, but it can't be good."

"So long and fair well, oh wonder-filled researcher!" Beatrice waved to her as she grabbed her pack and started heading towards Markarth.

"You two don't get yourselves killed," Sorine warned them as she walked away. Blake watched her for a moment, then turned back to the two.

"So, you guys just live here?" she asked them.

"Certainly, dear guest. Here is where our hearts lay, and thus this is our home. After all, it's such a place of importance, where our lives were changed evermore by the crossed threads of fate."

Blake nodded, wishing that the Reachwoman would just take off the Amulet of Articulation she apparently found while almost drowning in the river. She turned a simple explanation of how she and Urzub met into a whole tale worthy of at least a novel's first chapter. It wasn't really a problem, but Blake didn't want to hear a five-thousand word essay on someone's thoughts on drowning while trying to guide a Dwarven spider through the very same river to find a bag that blended in with the sediment.

The Mogo's Mead tale gave her some ideas, though. And a rare amulet like that could get someone past certain roadblocks no amount of lockpicking skill could breach, a very intriguing concept. Still, they were thoughts for later.

"Well, I'll try to come back here someday. Hopefully, we can have a little more time to talk next time, but I've got a lot on my plate."

"Then take care. Hopefully, upon your next visit we'll have just as wondrous of a feast as what we are about to partake in."

Blake looked at the skeever being spit roasted over the fire and held back a grimace.

"One can only hope. Have a good day." Blake started heading east towards Solitude, part of her wishing that she had her horse with her. When she was far enough, she took her scroll out and looked through the messages. Weiss had warned them of Harkon's next plan, but Blake wasn't sure what it was about. The Direnni clan was fairly powerful, but they didn't have the same reach and resources that they once enjoyed. In fact, Harkon could probably get more out of kidnapping any sort of Thane from one of the nearby Holds. Erikur came to mind, as he owned a few businesses in Solitude, a fair chunk of farmland, and several houses and stores.

The only other explanation in her mind was that he wanted something magically-based from them. On top of being a merchant clan, they had more than a few historical figures of magical talent. There was no telling what sort of artifacts the family had hidden away, or how important this person was to them and what they were willing to give for their safety.

Blake hoped the Dawnguard could get the person to safety. She thought about going in herself, but that could expose them to too many risks, including Weiss' cover getting blown. She sighed and shook her head before trying to peer through the mist that had slowly gathered around her.

"Sorry, but I don't like to leave the castle," the vampire explained with a shrug. "I'm more of a…homemaker type."

"Yes, I thought so. Thank you for your time." As the vampire left, Weiss brushed back her hair. She had been looking for decent members to take for her mission, but 'decent' vampires in the Volkihar clan were in short supply. One of Natha's 'little ones' had been volunteered, an Altmer with enough muscle to out-bench most Nords. Orthjolf hated that (and said Altmer's existence on principle), so he insisted on showing Weiss his wide array of personal followers. She ended up taking one unassuming looking Nord to keep the man quiet. Then Vilgalmo shoved his forward, and to keep the peace, she chose a Breton who had a good bit of talent in Restoration magic. A rather odd trait for a vampire, but she had apparently been a Lady of Dibella in life. She stated that she still worshipped the Goddess, but Weiss could tell something different was going on in her new approach to 'worship'. She managed to get a hold of some other vampire whose race she couldn't even tell through his deformed features, but he was apparently skilled at the blade by everyone else's word.

Unfortunately, she couldn't take Serana with her, that idea being shot down before it was even mentioned. Harkon wanted her close for a time longer, acting out the part of a doting and protective father. Of course, he was a hammy actor. Giledie she wouldn't even consider taking. The poor girl didn't even know how to fight, as Weiss discovered when trying to teach her some basics only to knock her onto her back twice and disarm her more easily than a child several times. She was a farmer's daughter who anticipated a life of being a farmer's wife. Unless she happened to catch a bachelor Noble's eye, then she might have lived a much cushier existence. Being turned into a vampire one day didn't change her into a killing machine.

Weiss wondered if her current crop wasn't good enough as it was when a smiling face came into her periphery. The Nordic vampire chuckled then offered out his hand.

"Heard about your mission. I want in."

"What can you do?" she asked wearily, tired of asking people that today.

"I can rip a man in half with my bare hands," he boasted while flexing his fingers before her. "Want me to show you? There's bound to be a couple thralls ready to throw out."

"That won't be necessary, thank you." She rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Very well, but make sure you're ready to leave tomorrow. Name?"

"Niege. Some call me Sword-Breaker. Don't think it rings quite enough though, ya'know."

"Niege," she wrote on her list before reading it to herself. 'Ocaduroncarinmarco, Teres, Zoeyvyra Aulya, Curle Crux, Niege Sword-Breaker.' "Thank you, then. Now, get ready."

"Hehe, can't wait," he mumbled as he walked away. Weiss watched him with suspicion as she told herself to keep an eye on him. Sighing, she returned to her room and set her items down on a nightstand. Gilly was in there, but rather than trying to learn a new spell or meticulously cleaning like normal, she was speaking to a thrall about something.

"So, uh, oh! There's M-miss Weiss. Weiss th-th-this is K-k-k-kri, Lord Harkon's…servant he's sending."

"Yes, our Lord is sending me and some others to help and secure a few different objectives at the same time," the thrall explained to Weiss with a smile. "It's going to be quite glorious."

"I'm sure it is. What exactly are you doing separate from us?"

The thrall's smile disappeared and his pupils dilated. "I cannot tell you that." His eyes returned to normal and he blinked before smirking. "Sorry, but it's a secret. It's very important to the success of your mission though, so trust us." Weiss was pretty sure she could never trust any of them, but nodded anyways. "Have you managed to find some volunteers?"

"Yes, here." She took the list and handed it over to him. "I've told each of them to be ready by tomorrow. I'm assuming you'll let Lord Harkon know who I'm taking?"

"Oh yes. I'll be going to inform him immediately. Don't worry about readying supplies outside of your personals, they're being prepared as we speak. With that, ladies." He bowed and headed out of the room. Weiss shut the door and cast a Muffle Room almost reflexively before sitting down and then flopping back on her bed.

"Are you…all right?"

"I interviewed over fifty vampires, trying to find any who weren't overly murderous or otherwise criminal, yet still powerful enough to actually be of use. I had to bend my own rules for two of them, and the last one I picked I didn't even bother with."

"Are they really all that b-b-" the girl stopped and cleared her throat, "bad?"

"Not…all of them," Weiss admitted. "But even the best of them are a little apathetic to anyone outside of the clan. They want to 'take care' of the thralls in that they want them to have decent living conditions rather than substandard. Their ideas of who can be accepted and who shouldn't also range. It's difficult to explain, but…they're not all bad."

"What about, um, Harkon?"

"Oh, he's horrible." Weiss recalled how he so casually admitted to murdering thousands of 'innocents' as though reciting a recipe, then thought about his daily attitude. He was like a darker, eviler parody of her own father. At least with Jaques Schnee she could see him being against the idea of being directly responsible for so many people's deaths. Indirectly, well that was just the cruel reality of life. It wasn't like he pushed people into narrow mining shafts or unguarded machinery. Harkon however, from what she heard, once ate babies of every race to see what they tasted like.

The vampires telling her that didn't even sound like they were half joking.

"He's beyond a doubt evil."

"…Ow," Rumarin groaned for the hundredth time. Yang just shook her head and leaned back in her chair as Jouane continued to go over his limbs with healing magic.

"Well, that's about as well as I can do for now," the elder Breton told him while stopping. "You just need to rest while the regeneration potion finishes up."

"That's good," Yang said. "How ya feeling, Roomie?"

"Ow," he answered, getting a chuckle from the girl. Sissel then came in and handed Yang and Jouane a drink each while going up to Rumarin's side.

"So you fought the dragon? Was it scary?"

"Quite. I might have soiled myself had I not just done so. Then it decided to slap me and broke most of my bones."

"That must have hurt. Do you feel better now?"

"Well, I feel like I have less broken bones than unbroken now, so yes."

"That's good. I hope you get better soon."

"Stop being nice. And cute. It makes it hard to feel bad," the elf faux complained, earning a laugh from the girl. As Jouane stepped into the inn's main hall, Anum-La and Yngvvarr walked in, the Argonian taking a seat near Yang and the Nord standing by Rumarin.

"How is it?"

"They just broke the news. I have only three hours to live unless a prince kisses me. Since the closest one of those is in either Wayrest or the Imperial City, I'm pretty much doomed. Well, all of my belongings go to the big Nord. All three of them."

"Jo said he'll be up by tomorrow," Yang explained. "How are you, Anum? You got thrown almost as far as he did."

"I'd say I'm made of tougher stuff, but that should be obvious to anyone not blind."

"Come now, I'm already wounded. Are you really going to jab at me like this?"

"Mostly though, it's 'cause I'm a Saxhleel. We lizards heal a good bit faster and better than you humans and elves. Reminds me, I once knew another Argonian who lost his tail and an arm. He grew them both back, but it took a few months, and it was awkward for him the entire time. For a while, he had a hand the size of that little one's," she indicated Sissel. "He called it his 'baby hand', and would fool around picking things up with it and pretending it was some great effort, or using it to touch people. It was funny at first, but got old after a few days."

"I just got reminded of a movie," Yang muttered before wincing at an unbidden image coming to mind. "Ew…"

"The villagers have decided to rebury the dragon once they've cut some meat off," Yngvarr explained. "Might not do any good, should the big one come back."

"Yeah, that was…Alduin. I thought he was in Morrowind, but then he came here? Then he went west? What is that guy's pattern anyways?" She groaned and leaned forward, putting her elbows to her knees. Sissel sat on a stool near her and mimicked the stance. "And yeah, if he comes back he could just bring Nahagliiv back to life. My sister has to be the one to permanently stop them."

"Oh good, we'll get her over here then," Rumarin decided.

"She's in Winterhold," she reminded him. "And she's fairly certain she has to actually fight them to permanently kill them."

"Well, not right now, obviously."

"I had a dream about a dragon," Sissel spoke up. Yang smiled to her, showing genuine interest. "But he was a good dragon. He was old and grey, but not scary at all. I don't remember what he said, but it was very nice. It reminded me of my grandfather's voice."

"Well, I hope we meet a dragon like that," Yang said, and Sissel smiled. "Sounds much nicer than the ones that keep trying to eat villages."

"Ah, Sissel," Jouane said as he poked his head in. "Your father's coming. Best make yourself scarce."

"Uh oh! Bye everyone! Good luck adventuring!" As the girl dashed out of the room and then the back door of the inn, Rumarin laughed a little before wincing.

"She's a good girl. Probably doomed now. How old is she, fifteen?"

"Ten this past spring," Jouane answered.

"Ah, right, I forget how quickly you humans grow. Almost like dogs. Or was it cats? Griffins?"

"Hey, welcome Lemkil," Mralki greeted the man as he walked in and up to the bar, going past the group's room as he did. "How is everything?"

"Terrible, that's how it is. I spend every day tending to the fields and what do my daughters do? Nothing! Complain and caterwaul! Sleep and eat! Useless!"

"Forget I asked. Stew?"

"Yes."

"I'm not saying it's my business," Erik inserted from the side, "but I have to ask. Why are you so cruel to your little girls?"

"You're right, it's none of your business. How about you keep your nose out of it?"

"You keep on like you are, you'll end up with two daughters who hate you."

"Hah! And what would a witless oaf like you know about raising children?"

Yang felt her blood heating up and took a deep breath while Jouane looked on sadly.

"Too bad the Dark Brotherhood is gone," Rumarin muttered. "Not that I'm saying I want someone murdered… No wait, that is what I'm saying."

"Words like that do no one any good, young man," Jouane admonished him with a shake of his head. "Rest well now. I have to head out and check on some things."

After the healer left, Yang looked over to her companions, seeing a tight frown even through Yngvarr's beard, and a grimace in Anum-La's eyes.

"We're still heading to Falkreath, right?"

"Kinda have to, Roomie."

"Right. Well, maybe there's something down there… I'll have to look around. Ugh, work."

"Yeah, work."

The next day found the group heading south again. Rumarin only complained about his rear feeling sore a handful of times, and only one of those seemed to not be a joke. Dusk was coming upon them fast when they crossed from plains to woodlands, but luckily Northkeep was just within the naturally made border.

"I love small towns," Rumarin said as he dismounted and stretched his limbs around. "None of that cooked garbage smell you get in the cities. Although, I guess that's more of a Cyrodiil problem."

"It's a nice little place," Yang agreed. The town itself was made inside of an old keep, Nordic-built going by the stonework. Inside were houses and shops, a marketplace right through the middle, and a smithy off to the side. Up on a hill that had eroded until it was pressed against the outside of the wall like an earthly ramp was a quaint chapel and a graveyard. As the four sought out an inn, Yang paused in her steps when she saw a Vigilant, looking a little muddied and worn, as though he'd been out looking for something. She started focusing on her sense of smell and looked back at the others. As they went over to Keeper's Inn, she caught a whiff of distant blood and looked towards the south. Yngvarr noticed and began smelling the air as well.

"Hm, seems we'll have to go look around tonight," he muttered.

"Sure looks like it."

"What? What is it you two are on about?" the elf asked them as Anum-La went forward to pay for their rooms.

"Just planning on a midnight stroll. Maybe finding a vampire."

"Oh, I see. Well, let me know how that goes. I'll be surrounded by furs, blankets, and hopefully dreams of cakes and sweets."

They agreed on that, and so the group set up for the day. But after night truly fell, Yang and Yngvarr went out, going just past the walls and by some guards who accepted their story of 'leaving something in the saddlebags'. One suggestively elbowed his friend, causing Yang to roll her eyes at their obliviousness.

The vampire was fairly easy to track down, having hunkered at some campsite near a stream. Yang was planning on talking to him, to see if he was anything close to reasonable, only to have to jump out of the way of a sword swing meant for her. He shouted in fury at missing, but didn't worry about it much longer as Yngvarr's axe came around. After that little debacle, Yang searched the camp to find that it wasn't even his, and then searched him for anything relevant.

"Huh, well, looks like this guy tried to build himself up a little posse recently," Yang said while looking through the now slain vampire's sloppily written journal. "Apparently some other vampires killed them off, though."

"They're probably the more careful sort," Yngvarr figured as he cleaned his axe blade. "Best to leave those alone, as it seems they're willing to clear the area to keep the peace. Smarter than normal. Might actually care about the town even. I've run into a few like that. Granger. Jarmack. Sybille." Yang perked her head up at the mention of a familiar sounding name, but just mentally, figuring it wasn't important at the moment.

"And we got the last of it. You know, I bet if people were willing, plenty of vampires would police themselves if it meant not being killed on sight." Yang closed the journal and leaned down next to the corpse before sighing. "Should have quit while you were ahead, buddy. Taking swings at heavily-armed warriors wasn't smart. Well, what do you think we should do with him?"

"We could probably tell that Vigilant we saw walking around town. He'll take care of it. Should also let the town know that whatever alchemist set up here is gone."

"Yeah. I can smell blood near the riverbank. He might have tossed the body in. Well, let's go see if we can't find it before heading back. I need my beauty sleep."

"If you say so." Yang playfully punched his shoulder at that, earning a laugh from the old Nord.

Weiss stepped out into the morning light, hearing the vampires behind her immediately hissing and complaining about it stinging them before pulling up hoods and throwing on cloaks. Weiss winced herself, and threw a hood over her head. The thralls, on the other hand, weren't bothered by its rays. Though for some of them it was less because they were mortal and more because they no longer had the mind to express discomfort. Weiss could only feel her stomach twist when she realized how utterly empty and void the mind-slaves were. Unlike those labeled as 'chattel', the mind-slaves lost everything, and she feared not even freeing them from their enthrallment would bring them back. They were just empty shells at the command of their masters, not even able to feed themselves without an order to do so. Kir would be leading them to whatever task they had, and Weiss hoped to keep as far away from them as possible.

"Good luck on your mission, my lady," the Watchman said as he bowed to the party. The half-dozen vampires and two dozen thralls then walked on to the docks and boarded several boats, some of the thralls taking oars as commanded.

"Do you have a plan of attack?" Zoeyvyra asked in interest.

"Mostly. We know she's a conjurer, so be prepared for additional foes to appear. I don't know what kind of guards she has stationed, but I won't be surprised if Daedra of some form or fashion are a part of it. Does anyone know how to banish or turn Daedra?"

"Have a dagger…" Curle Crux rumbled out. "Strong against Daedra. Banishes weaker types."

"That's good. Crux, take care of any Daedra that get summoned. Ocadur, Teres, you'll both be with me."

The Altmer and Nord nodded at that, neither one adding any words.

"Zoeyvyra, you hang back and hit enemies with magic at opportune times, and heal anyone who needs it."

"Of course."

"Hopefully, we can get in and capture her…without any incident." Weiss looked at the items she was given. She was given them and explained that they were similar to the slave gauntlets Dunmer used to use. They would prevent the woman they were after from being able to cast any magic outside of the simplest self-applied spells, and even those would take considerable effort to accomplish.

'I hope the Dawnguard have gotten her already.' The boats hit the shore, and the group began disembarking. They all immediately began heading east, slinking through the trees silently. Weiss almost found it eerie, how she was now technically a part of an army of monsters that people had nightmares about. The very procession she was a part of could have made cities panic if they knew about them.

'Just get to the Pale and get back,' she told herself. 'Find the cabin. Search it. And when it turns up empty, volunteer whoever annoyed you the most to personally tell Harkon about it.'

Still, she couldn't get rid of the heavy feeling in her chest that something was going to go horribly wrong.

"Oh how I wish

"For soothing rain

"All I wish is to dream again

"Once and for all

"And all for once

"Nemo my name forevermore~"

"Uhm, my Thane, I don't mean to interrupt," Lydia spoke up as Ruby's strumming subsided for the moment, "but you never said where we're going."

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. I guess I was an autopilot. Well…first we should go to High Hrothgar. We haven't been there a while and I've got questions. I guess I should also ask about Delphine's stuff." Ruby nodded at that then set her lute aside. "After that, need to go to Kilkreath. If the Graybeards don't know, then he should know how a dragon joined Ilmaasi. He may also have more Magne-Ge magic I can use." Ruby looked to her left hand and began summoning a black orb within it before shifting it to white and then back.

"You think the Graybeards might know why a dragon joined him?"

"Well, they should know about dragons in general. Shouting is a dragon thing, and Arngeir has told me a lot about Alduin, and some things about dragons in general, though…he mostly showed me how to figure it out myself." Ruby hummed and rubbed her chin in thought. "But…I can't quite figure out what Biidurvul was talking about. Bormahu is Akatosh, I know. At least, when dragons say it. Bormah just means 'father' and the '-u' suffix is a first-person multiple possessive. Uh, that is, it means 'our'. So Bormahu equals 'Our Father' or Akatosh, the Father of Dragons. But he talked about 'uncoiling' him, and I don't know what that means."

"I…don't know what that could mean either."

"Well, it can't be a good thing, since Ilmaasi's goal is to end the world in order to 'save us'," Ruby groaned while making air quotes with her free hand. "Yeah. And either on the way or right after we see Seletar, we gotta talk to Capric. He's my last big dragon source before Delphine, but I sincerely doubt she knows what's going on there. She thought the Thalmor were behind the dragons at first."

"To be fair, we were going on almost nothing at the time."

"Still are. I have no idea where Alduin came from." Ruby let out a sigh and leaned back while bringing her lute back around. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I can just use whatever secret Shout Esbern was talking about and Alduin will be instantly defeated. Then all the dragons will behave and stop causing chaos." She raised her pick a moment before blinking. "Uh, where was I?"

"Um, I'm not sure."

"Ah well." She started up a slow tune, letting the notes hang hauntingly for a few repeats before tapping her thumb to the wood to add the beat.

"I hear music in the air tonight

"One familiar fading tune

"Something pulls at my infected soul

"I think I remember you.~"

"What a lovely day!" Yang exclaimed as they walked into the town, stretching herself in the sun.

"Yes. It was so lovely to have to kick a skeever aiming for my ankles," Rumarin complained. "Although, it did have a nice arch in its flight. Then Bjarni decided to go fetch it and share it with the pig."

"They've become beary good friends," Yang quipped with a huge smile. "And they don't ever let themselves get boared."

"Those were absolutely terrible. Well done."

"Please, don't ever do that again," grumbled the Argonian.

"H-hold on, you've got the wrong guy!" someone up ahead defended himself while waving his hands in front of a woman with Thalmor robes. "I… I never challenged you to a duel!"

"Not again," a guard groaned.

"I'll go inform the captain and the Jarl," another said before walking away.

"What's going on?" Yang asked.

"Looks like another idiot threatened Jerulith with a duel. This one's more cowardly than most, though."

"Huh…" Yang looked back to the two, now arguing about it in the street as passers-by either cleared the way or warned others to stay clear. "What's the rules on that?"

"Loose. Jarl Siddgeir finds it…humorous, so we aren't supposed to really stop them unless they're just outright murders. Jerulith is rather infamous about it at this point, thanks to the robes."

"W-wait!" the man objected as the Altmer readied herself. "You know who I work for! Please!"

His pleas didn't stop the woman from throwing the Fireball, which exploded and threw him through the air, where he went right by Yang and slammed into a tree. She gritted her teeth, knowing she didn't have to check to make sure he was dead with the way he was bent. She paused, then looked back to the elf.

"Wait…who did he work for…?" She walked up to the woman, who sneered as she saw her coming.

"If it's a duel you seek stranger, then I suggest you leave. I am not here to fulfill your desire for pain, or free you from your wretched existence. At least, not today." A smirk rose up after the last sentence.

"No, just want to talk. Jerulith, right?"

"Oh, so you already know me then. Well, I suppose with that out of the way, what'll it be? Vengeance for a loved one? Retribution for your country? Well you are too late. I'm no longer a Thalmor. The clothes are just that; clothes. I will not discard a perfectly adequate robe."

"Oh, so you're not with them anymore? That's why you're alone." Yang had been trying to find signs of the Thalmor's footsoldiers, but aside from a few very faint Altmer scents there wasn't anything suggesting there were any.

"Interesting. I was quite certain that this conversation would become gradually more belligerent, not less. Is it possible that there is one individual in this bull netch of a province that is capable of reason?"

"You were probably just unlucky. Anyways, what do you know about that guy? He said something about the person he worked for."

"Hm…now that I think about it, perhaps I have seen that muskrat of a beard before. He might have even recruited me to assassinate some hunters. Come to think of it, I might have even agreed to the contract. It sounds like something I would do. I'm almost sorry I terminated him."

"You're all heart," Yang deadpanned.

"I will be whatever I want to be. That is my right as one of the First Children. It is the other races that must adapt to our whims."

Yang wanted to argue, or even just give Rumarin a silly order, knowing that the other High Elf would follow it just for kicks. But she needed information first, and so held it in for now.

"Well, did he tell you anything? Mention an Honorable Eight? Or a bard named Bodan?"

"As a matter of fact, he did mention a bard by that name. Here. Take this. I certainly have no need of it."

Jerulith handed Yang a piece of paper from one of her pockets and started walking away. The blonde unfolded it and began reading over its contents.

Jerulith,

The business with the hunters will not be necessary, as our contact Sevaris has been killed. However, the Baron would like your assistance in another matter. A Redguard by the name of Bodan has been inquiring about the murder of his fellow company men.

While the Baron is well-acquainted with this company, he is not responsible for their recent demise. Nevertheless, he cannot have this bard poking around in his business, and asks that such behavior be put to an end.

I have already dispatched a band of sellswords to do away with him and his company members, but should they fail, I hope we can come to an agreement. Price is no object.

In the meantime, to maintain my cover, I will pester you at the inn tomorrow night. It is merely an act, so I beg you, please do not take offense to what I say.

Sincerely,

Florentus Ivenucci.

Yang handed the letter over to Anum-La while looking over at the man's body, now being carried off by the guards.

"Well, that's one way to turn down a contract."

"If what this note says is true," the Argonian woman began, "then Bodan may get some exercise yet. Although by the looks of it, he's not the only one." She drew her sword and readied herself, the others following her cue and looking to where she had turned. "Sellswords, friends. Five by my count."

"Who wants two, then?" Rumarin asked as his sword appeared at his waist and his bow in his hands.

Two Orc men, a Nord man and woman, and a Redguard woman archer all came up from around the back of the nearby inn. Yang elected to fight bare-handed and caught the first Orc's sword hand as he swung at her, then kneed up into his gut before twisting his arm around and throwing him over her shoulder. Yngvarr met the other Orc with a greatsword, knocking him back and into the porch's railing. Anum-La ducked down and rushed the mace-wielding woman, quickly slicing with her sword and cutting her opponent's arm deeply. Rumarin took aim and loosed a few bound arrows at the archer, forcing her into cover. Yang shoulder-checked the Nord man and slammed him into a wall. He tried to bring up his axe, but her fist came around into his nose and left an indention into the wood with the force of the blow, causing him to fall slack to the ground. Yngvarr took an arm off of his foe, while Anum-La had beaten hers to the ground. Finally, the guards rushed up and looked around the scene.

"All right! Stop! What's going on here?!"

"Folks trying to murder us," Yang explained while dragging over the unconscious man and dropping him at the guard's feet. "We didn't like that."

"Well, the last one ran off," Rumarin added, dispelling his weapons. "Victory is ours! I always wanted to say that."

The other three chuckled at that while Yang looked over at the guards. "Well, you gonna arrest these guys?"

"And how do we know you ruffians didn't start it?" another guard asked her. Rather than answer, Yang took out her scroll and called up Ruby, putting the call on speaker.

"Hey, Yang. What's up?" Ruby asked, and the hold guards tensed as they recognized the visage of their newest Thane.

"Ruby, you're Thane of Falkreath, right?"

"Yeah."

"Some guards aren't doing their jobs," Yang declared with a pointed and unamused stare. Said guards then took a fearful step back.

"Wait, Thane Ruby Rose? Isn't she a dragon slayer?"

"I heard she was the Dragonborn?"

"What's she doing in a tiny box? Ow!"

"Don't be an idiot!"

"Wait, wait, we're taking them off to prison right now. Just making sure there's no foul play here." The lead guard grabbed the Nord sellsword and started dragging him away. Others began pulling along the rest of the attempted murderers, the one-armed Orc being led along while gripping his severed stump, promises of a healing potion pushing him forward. The four then regathered down another street.

"Well, we better check on Bodan," Anum-La decided. "If these sellswords are any indication, he's going to have a lot of corpses to burn tonight."

"You aren't worried about the assassin?"

"I am, and I'm not. It's different when we're all working together. I get that old feeling…like the Gods and the Hist are on our side. In any case, let's get back to Morthal. If this Baron isn't responsible, maybe Bodan knows who is."

"Yeah, we'll-" Yang heard a twang in the air and shot her hand up to catch a steel-tipped arrow before it hit her face. She turned to look and see the archer had circled back around, now wearing a horrified expression. As she turned to run, Yang summoned up a ball of fire, pouring more magicka into it than she had before, and threw it. The Fireball exploded, sending the archer careening and screaming through the air, and catching many of the townspeople's attention. The Redguard then landed on the inn's roof while her smoldering bow went the opposite way, and Yang turned back to her friends.

"Let's head back up there, then. Hopefully, they haven't unsaddled the animals yet."

"You know, I didn't expect us to figure it all out this quickly," Rumarin pointed out while looking up at the groaning, smoking woman on the tiles and following the group back out. "I assumed it would take a while to sniff it all out, figuratively and literally. Expectations: subverted."

1st of Evening Star