I went about finding the door mechanism. It was a simple pull chain hidden in the tower.

Continuing on through the gate, I crept through Nordic catacombs filled with downed draugr. Braziers and candles of all sorts were lit, making it difficult to stray along in the shadows.

I passed through some antechamber, another gate already flung open leading deeper into the ruins. I could smell death somewhere ahead, much more foul and putrid than normal. I eventually discovered the source toward the end of the crypt; a pair of giant frostbite spiders sat over two corpses, vampires I assumed. They seemed to pay me no mind as I passed, and I was content to live and let live.

There was a short tunnel, deliberately carved out of the crypt. At its end, there was another gate. It was opened by a lever. Beyond it, the architecture of Dimhollow changed dramatically. There were no crudely carved walls or statues to old Nedic paragons. Instead, a pair of gargoyle statues sat atop a smooth stone wall on either side of a large wooden door.

I took some caution, approaching slowly, watching the statues. Strangely, as I approached the door, an intense feeling of dread filled my chest. The hair on my nape stood on end, my stomach twisted into knots, and the feeling only intensified as I pressed my palm to the door.

This was illusion magic, particularly powerful illusion magic.I muttered a Word under my breath. The feeling of dread did not vanish completely, but dulled enough to allow me to crack open the door and slip through.

The door led out onto a balcony, adorned with more gargoyle statues. A gate leading further in was raised; as I crept closer, the balcony opened into a yawning cavern. A series of stairs led below, eventually leading to the centerpiece of the entire place; some gigantic circular structure capped with archways.

There came a grunt from somewhere within. I continued to creep forward, out onto the top of the stairs, and peered over the stone banister. Below me were four figures; a man, shirtless and bound upon his knees; another circling around him, with red magick crackling along their hands. There was a woman standing some distance away, watching the whole affair, and beside her was some bandit or brigand. Probably a thrall.

The kneeling man coughed and spat upon the floor. "I'll never tell you anything, vampire," he said. "My oath to Stendarr is stronger than any suffering you can inflict on me."

The vampire laughed, pausing in his stride. "I believe you, Vigilant. And I don't even think you know what you've found here." He outstretched a hand toward the downed Vigilant, the magick in his hand flaring up the length of his arm. The magick lashed out toward the man, gripping him, and he screamed. "Go and meet your beloved Stendarr." When the vampire lowered his hand, the man slumped forward. He turned and began to walk toward the center structure with his company shortly behind him.

"Are you sure that was wise, Lokil? He still might have told us something."

"The Vigilant knew nothing. He served his purpose in leading us to this place."

I began to creep down the first set of stairs, fingers reaching to my quiver, all the while my eyes never left the backs of the trio.

"But we haven't gotten anywhere ourselves with..."

"Harkon entrusted us to bring back his prize," Lokil continued. "And we will not leave without it. Vingalmo and Orthjolf will make way for me after this, and I will take my place as Harkon's successor. Of this, I am certain."

"Yes, of course, and do not forget who brought you news of the Vigilants' discovery."

"I never forget who my friends are. Or my enemies. Your loyalty will be greatly rewarded."

I had made my way down to the man by the time the vampires came to the center structure. After one last look to affirm that I had not been spotted, I checked him for any signs of life, but found none. Something stuck out from beneath his body. I lifted him enough to remove it; it appeared to be a journal. I leafed through some of the pages, scanning but not really reading the words, before stowing it away. Isran would want to see it, if nothing else.

"What exactly is this thing?" I heard the woman say. My attention snapped back up and I crept close to the edge of the platform. The trio were gathered around the center of the structure, where a pedestal was seated.

"I can't say. I don't even think Harkon knows." He walked a full rotation around the pedestal. "Whatever it is, it contains the scroll. A vessel, of sorts."

"Then how do we open it?"

I stopped upon a rock ledge. From here, I could easily see the device in the center of the platform. The larger of the two vampires, Lokil, examined the device in the center of the platform. He then gestured toward the thrall, and he walked closer to him.

Lokil said, "Would you be so kind as to press that button?"

The thrall turned his head toward the device and without hesitation placed his palm upon it. He crumpled around it in an instant, a guttural, inhuman noise reverberating across the cavern. It was difficult to see what had happened, but the smell of blood immediately tinged the air.

A sigh. "Well, that just won't do at all." Lokil pulled the thrall to his feet. He dragged him toward the edge of the platform and dumped him over the edge into the water below. He looked back at his partner. "I thought you said that man was of noble blood."

I crept ever closer, stepping upon the bridge that connected the platform.

The other vampire began backing away from her senior as he advanced toward her. "He was! I looked through all the residents of Dawnstar and Winterhold, he was the only one to be found!"

"You fledgling idiot." There came a choked noise. The female vampire began to lift off the floor, her hands clawing toward her collar. I craned my head; Lokil was standing several feet from her still, an arm outstretched and fingers curled. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" She did not, could not respond save for a strangled noise. "You brought me some bumbling fool's hired arm." His fingers clenched. A sickening cracking noise sounded and it made my skin crawl. "I will have to remind Lord Harkon that I work best alone."

He sent the fledgling vampire flying, I realized too slowly, directly where I was perched. It careened into me before I could react, shoving me backwards into the railing. I couldn't suppress a grunt, the wind knocked from my lungs. Then there was a sharp pain in my mouth, in my head, but I willed myself to remain still, my eyes fixed on the elder vampire. To my relief, he did not move.

Then I tasted blood.

He looked around, nose raised. He took a few paces, his back turned away from me. I pushed the broken vampire off me and scrambled to upright myself. I slunk along the darkest parts of the bridge, matching my footfalls to his.

My mouth was filling with fluid. It burned my tongue. The taste of metal was so thick and sickening in the way it stuck to the back of my throat.I dared not swallow, nor to let it flow freely from my mouth for fear of the trail it would leave behind, nevermind its scent.

"I know you are here, Vigilant," Lokil stated, his words compounded against the cavern. I finally crossed the threshold of the bridge, onto the central platform. My eyes were trained on his back. "Did you come here to avenge your brethren?"

My chest squeezed. I choked down the urge to cough, clamping a hand over my mouth instead. My stomach was turning.

"You're injured, dear Vigilant," he continued. "I can smell you, so it's no use hiding."

My brows creased. If he can already smell me, then…

I raised an arm to my face, burying it within the crook of my arm, lips parted, and allowed the blood to drain into my sleeve.

I remained like this, arm raised, as I inched toward Lokil. My other hand reached for my sword.

"You only delay the inevitable," he said, his voice nearly shouting now. "You face one of the most powerful beings to ever step foot in this place. You cannot possibly escape this."

I smiled into my sleeve despite myself. I made my first step out of the darkness. My eyes were fixed to his back. My fingers tightened around the grip of my sword. If I could get one hit, one clean swing in before he had a chance to turn—

"You Vigilants are usually the brave sort."

I was just a step away. I raised my sword. It began its arc down without me realizing I was doing it. In the next breath, I was no longer looking at the back of the vampire I had just witnessed murder a man and one of his own. Instead, I was looking into his face, then to his hand which held my blade, its metal biting into his flesh.

"Stendarr's puppets don't hide," he said. "They're too stupid to do anything but rush to their deaths."

He pushed me away and I went flying. I stumbled, flailing, struggling for purchase until slamming face first into the middle pedestal. A surge of warmth flooded my nose, across my cheeks. I felt blood dripping over my lips, but I could barely feel any of whatever pain registered.

I ran into a problem when trying to right myself; I couldn't. Despite my best efforts, I only managed to make it halfway to my feet before being awkwardly stuck with my arms still slung across or around the pedestal. My hand, my whole arm was numb. Frustrated, I dragged myself up one last time, and this time I saw why I could not move. My hand was impaled upon the spiked device in the middle of the pedestal.

I heard the clattering of metal, my sword no doubt, and then a long inhale from Lokil.

"Your blood is very potent," he said. "I have had the great pleasure of smelling it one other time eons ago, before this place even had a name." I heard his steps behind me. "I did not expect to meet one of the dragon blood again."

"Do you live on an island?" He laughed. I spat blood. "Alduin returned. He raised dragons from the fucking ground all over Skyrim. Did you miss all of that?"

"Oh, I'm well aware the World Eater made his return. It was only a matter of time, after all, being written in the Scrolls. My Lord kept us sequestered from the world while the threads of fate took hold. I'd like to thank you, Dragonborn." One of his hands clamped around my wrist, pushing my palm down upon the spike. He grabbed my hair with the other, and my head yanked backwards. My mouth opened, but no sound that I could distinguish escaped. "It is because of your victory that I am here."

He lifted me up almost completely onto my feet. Pain was beginning to register again, spreading like fire from the crown of my head down to the soles of my feet. I almost couldn't breathe.

"Do you see this pedestal?" I looked down to my hand, still impaled upon the spike. My skin was an angry shade of many colors. My hand was tingling. I tried flexing my fingers but the pain was too immense. "Somewhere below this thing, hidden in the rock, is an Elder Scroll. Contained within it are the words to change your pathetic world, to make it one where my kind can thrive. My poor underlings kept bringing me insufficient offerings to open it, but you," Lokil hoisted me completely upright. The pain was nearly unbearable, and there was no suppressing a yelp.

My feet left the ground, and my hand slipped from the spike. It was from here I could observe the device more closely. The top was carved with tiny canals, all leading down into some kind of self-contained basin. The entire top was thoroughly bathed in red.

"Perhaps your blood might yet be strong enough. And so I thank you again."

He turned and threw me across the platform. I landed, skidding along the stone before somehow coming to a stop just short of the water's edge. My vision was slightly warped when I gained my bearings, but I made out a shape that vaguely looked like my sword just out of my reach. Lokil was approaching me as I reached for it. Desperate, I slurred the Words for a flame breath, but only a sputter of fire left my lips.

Just as he was upon me, the ground shook, and he paused. It shook again, this time much more violently, and the ground beneath me bagan to give way. I felt like I was sliding, then stone jutted along my back. There came a rumbling and sound of shifting rock like I had never before heard. It all lasted no more than fifteen seconds after which all went silent.

When I looked back to Lokil, he was paying me no mind. Instead, his attention was fixated on the center of the platform. A massive stone monolith stood in the center for the platform.

Lokil seemed to forget my presence completely. He shambled over to the monolith. My vision was slowly returning. I fumbled along the floor, one hand rubbing my eyes, the other stretched out searching. My fingers passed along the hilt of my sword and I sighed with some relief. It was short-lived, however. When I tried to wrap my hand around the sword's hilt, pain shot through my hand, all the way up my arm. My sword-arm had been sullied. I wasn't as skilled wielding the sword with my other hand, but it had to suffice.

I rose to my feet. Lokil was clawing at the face of the monolith. I could hear his claws scraping against the stone; it sounded horrid. He was speaking in some language I had never heard before, banging his fists.

"I'm not going to let you take that thing," I barked. This drew his attention and his ire. When he whipped his head back around, his eyes were wide and wild, more beast than human. His face was contorted in the same manner as the vampire in Windhelm. "I don't know what in Oblivion you want with it, but it can't be good if it's some monster like you."

"Monster?" he repeated. His voice nearly made my skin crawl. It was deep, rumbling. Almost doubled. "Do not be a hero, Dragonborn. You have no idea what my lord ⸺"

There came a loud crack as one of the faces of the monolith gave way, sending up a cloud of dust as it gave way and slid into the floor. Lokil turned back around. There was a moment of silence as the vampire stepped forward.

"Is that you?" I heard him whisper. My brow creased. I took a few steps forward, sword at the ready. My tongue swiped across my teeth. "My lady, is that truly you? Lord Harkon did not⸺"

His body became rigid and his hands went to his front, to his throat. There was a loud crunching noise followed by a sputter. Lokil's arms fell to his sides; only a breath later, he was flung sideways, careening at an unfathomable speed across the cavern until his body hit a wall. I watched the spot he impacted in stunned silence. I could hear rock and rubble giving way, crashing into the water below.

A guttural sound pulled my eyes back to the monolith. I felt my heart drop into my stomach upon seeing the thing that now stood in Lokil's place.

It was a hulking beast, easily a foot or more taller than any man or mer I had ever seen. It stood digitigrade on three clawed toes. Its flesh was pale, almost gray, and pulled taut over its uncovered body. Two appendages extended from its back, what I assumed to be wings, but they lacked feathers or a membrane. Its arms were long, and at the end of each finger were talons as long as a lycan's claws.

And then there was its face.

It bore resemblance to Lokil and the other vampire's; gaunt, batlike, with long, pointed ears. It had a full mane of hair, a long ebon curtain. A pair of horns just above the brow curved backwards. The eyes were intense, angry hues of orange and red. This one's eyes, however, had something almost every vampire I had seen lacked. It had pupils.

When they locked with mine, I swear my blood turned to ice. If Lokil couldn't kill me, this thing surely could.

The thing let out a hellish noise; I could feel my skin prickle, my body beginning to change. My body and face warped, fur began to ripple across my skin. I roared back at the beast.

It took a step.

And then it crumpled to the floor.

I lay there half upright, staring at this mass of a thing, once again in stunned silence. My body began to revert, becoming human once more. A cloud of black veiled the beast, having seemingly come from the surrounding shadows themselves. After a while it began to disperse, rolling away like fog, until all that remained beneath was a body far smaller than what it covered.

I attempted to push myself to my feet, but found my limbs shaky. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to my knees. My head immediately began to swim. Pain and feeling returned to my body, scorching through my veins. I collapsed back to my hands and knees. My vision began to blur when I fixed my sight on the creature laying only a short distance away.

I crawled forward. The corners of my vision darkened. My elbows buckled and I collapsed fully to the stone. I remember nothing else.