Reveiws.

kilgaxe

Somehow I get the feeling that you liked the idea for this story.

Jump Chain Gothic 7 - Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard

Part 2

Fort Dawnguard. Skyrim.

One moment I'd been inside the Cosmic Warehouse and now I was inside the base of the Dawnguard. Morgana, Cameron, my new companion, and I were waiting to meet someone I knew, and the waiting gave me a chance to check myself over, then to look around.

To start with I opened myself up to the Force in order to get a better sense of what was going on around me, not just close by, all the life in this entire reality was connected together by the Force.

My Magical Sensitivity Perk was giving me a feeling of magic going on all over the place, hardly surprising given the world I'd come to, there were so many supernatural things going on around here, so I ignored that and focused on the Force.

It was a concern to me that the darkside seemed strong here. Not as strong as it had been back in the Star Wars galaxy before I'd started putting things right, but the balance was a bit off to put it simply. Another way to say it would be that the land was in turmoil.

This could easily be explained by the fact that there was both a dragon and a vampire crisis going on right now as well as a nasty civil war. All those deaths, all that suffering made the dark side stronger.

I might have to do more than deal with the vampires while here. The Dragonborn could handle the World-Eater, however I may have to deal with the civil war. Killing Ulfric Stormcloak and the other rebel leaders could sort the war out, or their death might make the other rebels fight harder.

It was hard to tell what the outcome of me killing the rebel leaders would actually be, and while the Force might show me a vision of that outcome I couldn't depend on it, so I'd have to trust my own judgement.

Not that this was a big issue. I'd navigated the course of the future for entire galaxies, keeping one little world from becoming even more messed up wouldn't be a challenge to someone of my experience as long as I didn't allow my overconfidence to blind me.

No single world was that important to someone like me, but since this realm did have knowledge and power I wished to exploit for my own benefit, the least I could do in return was help it out a bit.

Thinking on it, I realised that it made sense to deal with the vampires first, and then to let the Force guide me when it came to other matters, or just to use my own good judgement. Slaying Harkon and preventing the sun going out would serve life, and that meant the Force would support me in my goal.

At least in theory. Even after spending more than ten years in the Star Wars universe I didn't fully understand the Force or what it wanted for me and from me. This didn't upset me as even Yoda, who'd been a Jedi for centuries, didn't fully understand the Force.

More locally I sensed worry, and dread, yet there was a feeling of hope as well. I suspected that the arrival of so many potential recruits had at least partly lifted the spirits of the few here who'd been willing to take the fight to the vampires.

After that I inspected myself. I'd not known what sort of gear a starter mage would have. I'd wondered if I might end up in robes, however that hadn't happened. I was still wearing the set of chain mail that was made up of trinium/titanium alloy.

I also had on my life support belt, which meant that not only was I protected by an environmental shield, I also had kinetic barriers to keep me safe. These might not be much help against magic, but with the Force I should be able to dodge such attacks.

As for weapons I did have my lightsaber on my person, however that would remain hidden away in expanded pouch as even in the Star Wars galaxy they were very noticeable weapons, and right now I didn't need that kind of attention. Hence why I wasn't carrying any sort of pistol or rifle.

Caliburn, my magical sword, which could kill anything up a minor god, and also enhanced my fighting skills, was secure in a scabbard at my belt. I'd not used this sword much as it was a weapon to be respected and not soiled with the blood of minor foes, that would be less of an issue in this reality as this world was full of very dangerous and sometimes magical creatures.

As a backup weapon I had my omni-tool, which could fabricate a blade if needs be, and of course I carried a dagger, that was just common sense in a world like this. Still I felt as if I was somewhat lacking in terms of weaponry.

Not that this was much of a concern as I still had all my powers, and a few new ones. I could conjure up a sword if needs be, or even a fearsome familiar to do battle at my side. Plus I could kill people with my telekinetic powers, which was always useful talent to have in such dangerous realities.

Next I checked out my companions. I'd been expecting to see Cameron dressed as a maid, like she had been in Merlin verse, so it was somewhat of a surprise to see that she wearing leather armour and was carrying a sword. I suspected that she'd obtained from Jump Chain some of the cheapest gear in order to help her blend in.

Lucky for her I could upgrade her stuff fairly easily. Even some decent chain mail would go along way, and I highly doubted that her sword was anything other than sturdy steel. I could do so much better, and would do when given the chance.

Morgana was the same as she'd been before, her body protected the same way mine was, well not totally, she was now carrying a staff. That special magic draining one no doubt. It was a powerful weapon in its own right.

She also carried Clarent, which in mythology was King Arthur's sword of peace. It was also known as the Coward's Blade, as it was in some stories the sword Mordred stole and later used to kill King Arthur.

This version of that sword had been empowered by the fire of the white dragon, known as Aithusa, who I had helped bring into Merlin's world. I got the sense that Clarent wasn't the equal of Excalibur or Caliburn, but it was still a powerful weapon.

Allnel Forestwind, the companion I'd created, or had played a major role in the creation of at least, was dressed in her Nightingale armour and she was carrying the enchanted sword I'd armed her with. She also carried a bow with a quiver full of arrows.

When she turned and smiled at me I knew that Jump Chan had done some fine work. I'd desired an adorable looking Bosmer as a companion and guide to this world, which I didn't know everything about, and I'd been provided with what I desired.

The elf was short, but not more so than Tali, she had blond hair that was held back with a pony tail, a petite figure, red lips, and a pair of green eyes that made me think of the leaves on the trees. What little I could see of her skin was pale and clear.

She wasn't carrying the steel sword, leather armour or steel dagger I'd equipped her with during the setup, perhaps they'd been transferred to Cameron, or maybe they were in a pouch of holding, which might be a thing here. It hardly mattered as such equipment was easily created or I could buy stuff from the locals.

My R2 droid should have followed me here as well, but before starting the Jump I'd given him orders to stay in the Warehouse for now as I'd worried that his presence would freak out the locals.

Once they'd gotten to trust us a bit I'd begin to tell my fellow Dawnguard members about how powerful I really was, and what I could offer the organisation. Assuming that I had the time to get to know them. It really depended on how busy I became.

For now I wanted to look around some more, and I found that the inside of the fort was enormous, sadly it was desperate need of some renovating and cleaning, the cobwebs spanned the entire ceiling and were practically covering the walls.

Tattered banners bearing the symbol of the Dawnguard were hanging from the second and third levels, and unopened crates were scattered everywhere. It was obvious that this place had been abandoned in the past and was now being reclaimed.

I was not surprised to see a Vigilant of Stendarr enter the fortress and begin talking to a tall Redguard, presumably the Isran guy I was suppose to be talking orders from until the vampire crisis was over and done with.

While I kept my distance so as to not interrupt their conversation, I could hear everything they had to say thanks to the power of Force Listening. I'd not used this ability much, now just seemed like a good time to practice it.

"Why are you here, Tolan?" the man whom I assumed to be Isran was saying "The Vigilantes and I finished with each other a long time ago?".

From what I knew the Vigilantes of Stendarr were a militant order in the priesthood of Stendarr, the Divine of Mercy. The Divines were the gods who ruled over this world and looked out for its races. Despite a lot of crap this realm of existence hadn't become a total nightmare dimension so I guessed they were doing something right.

If I recalled correctly the Vigilantes were founded after the Oblivion Crisis as an effort to combat the Daedra, who often plagued the mortal world. The Vigilantes also tried to root out vampires, werewolves, witches, and any other creatures that preyed upon people. Hopefully they didn't go after regular magic users as that could include me and my wife, which would not end well for them.

"You know why I'm here, the Vigilantes are under attack everywhere!" the man in the robes replied "The vampires are much more dangerous than we believed".

Part of me was glad to hear this as it meant I might face some worthy foes in the near future. I wanted to take some weapons as trophies, for the Asgard Armoury I planned to have installed in my Cosmic Warehouse.

"And now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it?" Isran asked "I remember Carcette repeatedly telling me that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and man power to repair".

I took a moment to study this Isran person, he was a powerfully built Redguard who carried a heavy looking warhammer. Like the others already at work here, he also wore Dawnguard armour, only it was darker than what the others had on.

"Carcette is dead" the man called Tolan went on to say "The Hall of the Vigilantes is gone, they're all dead. "You were right, we were wrong, isn't that enough for you?".

Even from where I was standing I could see Isran's face go from stern to sympathetic.

"I never wanted any of this to happen" the Redguard replied "I tried to warn all of you .

There was a lot awkwardness between the two men, I didn't need Force Empathy to sense it, which was most likely why they decided to turn their attention to us newcomers rather than keep talking to each other

"So who are you?" Isran wished to know "And what do you want?"

This was not the most friendly of welcomes I'd gotten. Nor was it the coldest either.

"I hear you're looking for vampire hunters" was my answer.

While I knew that my group must look very strange to these men, despite our efforts to blend in, I was an experienced warrior. They would see that in me just as I saw it in them. Besides they didn't have the luxury of turning people away. The vampires were trying to end the world, that was most certainly an all hands on deck situation.

"You heard right" Isran replied "I'm glad word is finally starting to get around. But that means that it won't be long before the vampires start to take notice as well".

The vampires in this realm could be very organised I recalled, and some of them were clever enough to blend in with their prey, and could mind control people to an extent. This meant they could have many agents all reporting information to them

"You have any experience in fighting vampires?", Isran asked

I could tell that he was sizing me up. No doubt picturing me in Dawnguard armour while wondering how well I'd handle a crossbow.

"Just the one vampire" I admitted "but I've fought a lot of other things".

Isran seemed impressed as I informed him about some of the fights I'd been, only telling him about the battles in the Merlin verse, but it was hard to tell as this was a man who kept his feelings in check, and I didn't feel the need to use the Force to sense his true emotions.

"I can tell you're more qualified than some of the other recruits" the leader of the Dawnguard went on to say "Which is good because I need someone out in the field, taking the fight to the damn vampires, while we're getting the fort back in shape".

Isran then gestured at the Vigilant he'd clearly been closer to in times past.

"Recently Tolan told me about some cave that the Vigilantes were poking around in" I was then informed "They seemed to think it was somehow related to the recent vampire attacks".

Isran then turned to face the Vigilant

"Tolan tell him about the place" he ordered "Dimhollow, wasn't it?".

Upon further inspection I found that Tolan was a tall and slender man who had many years of life behind him and not than many ahead. Although his appearance didn't match that of the typical Nord, that didn't mean he wasn't formidable in battle even with this advancing years.

Plus as a Vigilant he might know a few handy spells, of that I was quiet sure once I sensed him as he registered to magical senses. Guess they only saw those that used what they considered to be dark magic as witches.

"Dimhollow Crypt" the old man told me "Brother Adalvald was sure that it held some long lost artefact of some kind, something very important to the vampires. We didn't listen to him anymore than we did Isran. He was at the Hall, when it was attacked..."

Isran spoke in order to cover up the fact that Tolan was having trouble speaking. I could tell that the lose of his comrades was deeply hurting Tolan. Alas while I could heal all sorts of physical damage, there were some pains I couldn't so easily mend.

"That's good enough for me" the Redguard said "All of you go and see what the vampires were looking for at this Dimhollow Crypt. With any luck, they'll still be there poking around and if they have dug up whatever it was they were looking for then you might find some clues that will tell us what got them so interested in that place".

Sounded like a plan to me.

"I'd like to leave my wife here" I told Isran "She can help you set up, the rest of us will go to this Dimhollow place".

Hopefully my new wood elf companion knew the way. Only that turned out not to be a concern as Tolan offered to be the guide.

"I'll escort you Dimhollow" he said "If there's danger you shouldn't face it alone, and perhaps I ll have a chance to avenge my fallen comrades".

While it would be useful to probe Tolan for more information I had been hoping for my group to be sent off alone as then we could use the Mako. I'd need some time in my workshop before I could fix up some probes to send out and start mapping this world.

Also I was surprised that Isran, who looked to be a sensible man, was giving total strangers such an important job. While I was pondering that Isran walked over to one of the nearby crates and took out a crossbow.

"Here, you should take one of these" he told me "Good for taking out those fiends before they get in close".

Isran walked over and gave me the weapon. It was a crossbow, but it was made out of dwarven metal I guessed rather than wood. Despite that difference it operated the same way as other crossbows, which I knew how to use thanks to my time in Merlin's world.

"Help yourself to whatever gear we've got laying around" the Redguard offered "Report back to me when you're done".

Then Isran turned around and started looking over some maps he had lying on a table, and that made it clear me that it was time to leave. As my group headed over to the crates to look for more stuff the leader of the Dawnguard spoke again.

"Oh I almost forgot" he said "Welcome to the Dawnguard".

(Line Break)

Dimhollow Crypt. Skyrim.

Tolan and my group had already paid a visit to the Hall of the Vigilantes, or what was left of it after the attack, and this had allowed me to see first hand what the vampires of this world were capable of doing.

It hadn't been pretty, there had been corpses all over the place. Clearly the vamps had massacred the Vigilantes in an overwhelming attack before going on to sack the place. Then at some point a fire had spread and that had finished off the Hall.

It was no wonder that Tolan had wanted revenge, alas he had never gotten it. The man looked as if he'd known he was going to die while recklessly charging into the crypt without the rest of us.

I'd only let him go because I'd known that I'd have to restrain him in order to stop him, and if he wanted to kill himself that was his business. Hopefully the vamps would capture him rather than kill him outright. That might give me the chance to save the man's stupid ass.

The entrance to Dimhollow was in the snowy north of Skyrim, up in the mountains. It was tough terrain and more rugged that I was used to. I'd spent far too much time being able to beam about while living in science fiction universes.

Thankfully I got to climb some rocky steps at the last part of the trip. Something that my feet were grateful for as my new boots, which were part of the Dawnguard armour I was wearing, were not as comfortable as what I normally wore.

While I'd swapped my advanced alloy chain mail for the Dawnguard armour I'd not compromised when it came to my other defences, and the black clothes that I wore under the armour were made form thick layers of Kull warrior material that I so often used.

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

While I was no ninja the Force could enhance many things, including stealth, so I was able to sneak closer to the sound of the voices without being detected. Cameron had no trouble sneaking about and my new wood elf companion was even quieter.

"These two are mine" I whispered.

Vampires had enhanced hearing, but that only helped if they were paying attention. Which these two soon to be piles of dust clearly were not.

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

I couldn't see much more than two figures who were standing next to each other while talking so I decided to get closer before striking. I couldn't actually sense them very well, they were somewhat like the Yuuzhan Vong, not part of the Force, but they weren't totally absent from it like those aliens. The feeling was a strange one.

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

I was now in range to fire a bolt from my new crossbow, but I had no intention of earning the title of vampire hunter just yet as the two human sized leeches were still speaking. They might say something that I wanted to overhear.

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

Slowly I moved a little closer, and I could sense that that Tolan was still alive. He was weak, he would need healing, but he'd not gotten his idiot self killed just yet.

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

One of the vampires turned his back to me, and this made for a very tempting target so I aimed my new crossbow. The bolt struck the vamp in the back and since it was enchanted the vampire burst into flames, instantly killing the overgrown leech.

"Forbærne Ácwele!"

Rather than reload, as that would talk too much time, I'd just used a spell to set the other vampire on fire. I pleased to see that fire was nearly as potent on these undead blood drinkers as it was in the game.

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

"Fan out" I ordered my companions "Watch my back".

First of all I healed Tolan, which took some effort as he'd been dying due to extreme blood loss, and then I put him into what was called a Jedi healing trance, a little something I'd picked up from one of my holocrons. It required a Force to put someone into the trance, but you didn't need the Force to benefit from the trance.

After that I reached into my pouch of holding and collected as much of the vampire dust as I could fit into the little bottles I was carrying inside the pouch. I'd prepared myself for this trip and I had a number of useful items in my pouch, including containers for alchemy ingredients.

If I remembered correctly vampire dust could be used to create potions of Cure Disease and Invisibly, not potions that I needed, but Morgana would have some fun figuring out the recipes for those potions.

Suddenly I heard a menacing snarl come from somewhere ahead. Without much in the way of warning, a black hound with jagged teeth and blood red eyes charged right at me. It was no normal dog, this was some sort of hellhound.

I fired the crossbow again, having reloaded by now, and the dog thing yelped as it staggered back. Next I dropped my weapon and took out my sword. Which I slashed at the demon dog when it launched itself at me. The unnatural hound died when it met my blade.

The creature hadn't come along. There was a whole pack, but this made little difference as like me Allnel Forestwind, the wood elf, as well as protector Cameron, also had crossbows and blades they could use to finish off the other hellhounds.

"Nice work" I praised.

Cameron was as stoic as ever, but Allnel smiled upon hearing my words.

"Thanks, boss" she said.

On the way here we'd not had time to talk much and we'd not been alone, as I couldn't have talked about creating Allnel, not with a warrior monk listening in, but now we had a few moments.

"Are you okay with all of this?" I asked of her.

She smiled again.

"Sure thing boss" she replied "I was made for you, just tell me what you want me to do".

While she had real emotions, I could feel them, she wasn't that different from Cameron really, having been created for my benefit. I had mixed feelings about that, but given how many asari I'd made during the last Jump it was a little too late now to worry about that sort of thing.

Once I had recovered my crossbow, and had reloaded it for the second time, I turned to face Allnel.

"You'll need a pair of these" I told her.

Cameron could see in the dark just fine, and while I had the Force to guide me it would be better if I were able to see better. With this in mind I took out of my pouch two pairs of cool looking sunglasses.

Only they were really much more than that. They provided a heads up display, HUD for short, and they could be used as night-vision googles. As an added bonus they allowed me to talk to Cortana face to face, in a sense, without her projecting a hologram.

"My AI controls them" I explained to Allnel Forestwind "She'll make sure you can see. Assuming you understand what that means".

The wood elf seemed amused.

"Boss I know everything I need to know" the elf in the Nightingale armour told me "Don't worry about I'm ready and willing to serve".

Before she put the sunglasses on she winked at me in a flirty way. I didn't need to read her mind to know what she was thinking, but we could explore the more physical parts of our relationship later on.

We moved on and down one tunnel until I found a gate which blocked my path. I lifted it with my powers. Which allowed us all to progress further into the Crypt. We then soon found ourselves in a large cavern full of coffins. I found this to be creepy.

Suddenly, the skeletons within the surrounding coffins started coming alive, or more accurately they became animate, some bursting out of the containers like a jack in a box, and my danger sense gave me barely any warning. Like the vampires these undead creatures had very little presence within the Force.

Thankfully for me and my companions, they were fragile things just like in the game, that were easily defeated by our swords. The only downside was that the noise form all the fighting had attracted the attention of another vampire.

With a minor amount of telekinetic effort I drove my blade into the bloodsucker despite her being several meters away, and then I watched as she turned to dust, the effect wasn't the same as some of the vampires I'd seen on TV, like those Blade or Buffy faced.

It wasn't as loud or as quick, also when this vampire collapsed into ashes she left her clothes behind. She didn't appear to have been carrying anything that didn't turn to ashes, and I had no reason to take her outfit so I just gathered up some of the powered remains.

Hopefully there would be stuff worth talking further inside the crypt. So far this dungeon diving adventure hadn't gotten me any real loot.

Venturing on I passed through another gate, stopping to harvest some mushrooms, and we found that we were now in what looked like a burial chamber. All the coffins were open and this implied the use of more Nercomany, which was something I was already sick of at this point. The dead shouldn't get up and walk around, it was super creepy.

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

Without thought I sprang into action. Thanks to my Force Enhanced speed I was able to decapitate the first foe I met, which was a vampire, and I even avoid being killed by what looked to be an enchanted war-axe. Which I brought to my hand with telekinesis.

Then I had to use my super human speed again in order to avoid a draugr's magical frost attack. Cameron moved to intercept that undead creature and punished it for daring to try to harm me by trying to beat it even more dead.

Using my sword I slashed at the arm of the draugr and this arm was holding another axe, and the limb dropped to the ground. However being undead the zombie like thing wasn't bothered by having an arm removed. So I stabbed right through the thing's armour and into its lifeless heart, then I swung my new axe and decapitated the Draugr.

Then I faced the last still standing foe, a vampire who tried to use magic to drain my life force, but before it could do any real harm an arrow appeared in it's chest. Allnel Forestwind was a damn good shot, I was very glad that I'd given the archery perk.

Now that I had a moment I decided to put my sword away in its scabbard so that I could switch to my lightsaber, I also placed the crossbow, which I'd left on the ground before charging into battle, into the pouch of holding.

Then I took the time to put away the axes which had caught my eye. The one in my hand had some sort of nasty looking enchantment on it, and the other was a black metal thing that the Draugr used in the game.

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

"Shame there's no door" I said to the two female companions of mine "I'd love to have my own arcane enchanter".

Maybe I'd find one in another dungeon close to a door. I could have Cameron carry it for me, but this was one of those time when I needed her to play her role of bodyguard. I could lug it around with my mind powers, only if I lost focus it would drop and break.

"Boss, you can by one of these off any decent mage" Allnel Forestwind informed me "Few people ever bother because soul gems are so expensive and most people couldn't fill them".

Well that made sense, and it would be easier just to order the best money could buy when I got round to visiting the College of Winterhold, which would be sooner or later. No way I would leave this world without checking out that place.

"For now I'll give enchanting a go" I told my sidekicks for this adventure.

Arcane enchanters allowed a person to both disenchant items that they already had in order to learn their enchantments and to create newly enchanted items using the enchantments that the person already knew.

Knowing this made me wonder how exactly this whole enchantment thing got started if the only way to learn how to enchant something was to remove an existing enchantment. At some point in the past there must have been no enchanted items for anyone to copy.

My new memories, which involved learning about conjuration magic for the most part, told me that sigil stones, those things that somehow allowed for Oblivion Gates had been around for a long time, and that they could be used to create enchanted items.

If there were any other ways then they'd only be known to Master Enchanters who would have no desire to share their knowledge with a novice like me. Although a master at conjuration might teach me a few tricks.

To disenchant an item, all that was necessary was the item that you wished to learn the enchantment from. That was the quick way of learning an enchantment, and the knowledge of how to do it stuck in the mind I discovered. I didn't think I'd be able to forget the information.

Having destroyed the vampire's steel axe, which had been enchanted with some sort of absorb health effect I used the soul gem to place that enchantment on the zombie's axe if only to discover how such a thing could be done.

It turned out to be rather simple once you had the right knowledge, and I placed the now enchanted axe in my pouch, my intention was let Morgana have a go at this whole enchanting thing later now.

Not long after enchanting my first weapons I found myself in another large cavern, which would have been pitch black if not for the few braziers illuminating the area. Not that this mattered as I could see in the dark just fine.

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

I had no idea why the people here had gotten into the habit of interring the dead in such hard to reach places. Then I remembered the zombies things they had in this reality and suddenly these burial methods made a lot more sense. Although cremating the dead would have been wiser.

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

That yell broke my trail of thought and the walking leech who dared to bother me paid with its non-life when I telekinetic threw my sword at the monster. Like before when it began turning to ash I brought the weapon back to my hand.

"What does he need us for?" I heard Allnel Forestwind ask Cameron.

Her answer made me laugh.

"Blowjobs" Cameron said.

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

A few steps into this area let us know that there people here as we could hear their voices, so we all sneaked the rest of the way. All this sneaking about was proving to be easier than imagined. I half expected to find the words: your sneak skill has increased, to pass my field of vision, but they never did.

Before long I found myself on the ledge of a balcony and I peeked over the edge to see two vampires who were talking to someone who seemed to be a prisoner. Their captive had clearly been tortured, the bruises being evidence enough of this. The man was wearing but a pair of rags and was kneeling before the vampires like a dog.

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

Before the monster could kill the human I reached out and pinned the arm up in the air.

"That one is mine" I said "Kill the other vampires".

I reached into my pouch of holding and took out the black star soul gem. It was time to harvest my first soul. Hopefully this wasn't the sort of thing that would corrupt me.

Once I had the soul I'd go deeper underground and try to find that vampire chick Serena. She was bound to be around here somewhere, and she was the key to this whole mess. With that in mind I would order Cameron and Allnel Forestwind, not to harm her no matter what she did.