Jul
Lucius
Serana had been incredibly quiet since... well, since what had happened. We had walked along in relative silence, both of us kind of, just, coming to terms with exactly what this all meant for us. The empty night, with our only illumination being a candlelight spell I had cast, was rather beautiful. It had to be one of the few times I hadn't been assaulted on the road by an animal or bandit or dragon. It was, actually for once, peaceful. I read the map carefully, occasionally casting a Clairvoyance spell to make sure we were on the right road. "We should be getting close," I said, my voice cutting through the silence, the suddenness of it even making me flinch a little bit. I rolled up the map and pulled my bag around, putting the paper inside it. "The fort is on the other side of the hill."
"Hm," Serana replied quietly. I heard her blade whisper out of its sheathe.
Seeing as I was going to be fighting on the side of an army of Vampires, rather than just the clever Serana who would know not to get in the way of the sunlight explosion, I had switched out – temporarily at least – Dawnbreaker for a sword I had recently crafted from ebony and dragon bone. I drew it out and rested it on my shoulder, draping my wrist over the hilt to keep it steady. "Serana, there's something we should talk about real quick," I said, releasing a deep sigh.
"What about?" she asked. Her voice seemed normal, as if she had only been quiet because I had been.
"You know we're going to have to kill your father, right?" I asked, perhaps a little more callously than I had meant.
Serana looked down. "Luc, I made my peace with that when my mother locked me in a coffin Divines know how long ago," she replied after a moment's pause. There was another short pause and then continued to speak. "Dad's not much of a father, so there's not a lot of love lost. Besides, it's either that or let him kill me."
"I know, but – but there is Magick that continues whether we want it to or not," I explained. I turned to look up the hill and towards the fort, my armor clinking as I did. "When people are connected to each other they can't help but stay connected. You hate him, but you used to love him. It just changed, little by little."
"I know," Serana supplied.
"I just... I just want you to be prepared for it because... because if it could happen with your father, it could happen with me. Yeah, you hate him. I get that. But you still love him, just a little," I explained. I sighed and shrugged. "But I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge if it comes down to it. " I took another step towards the fort. "But before we focus on our ax to grind, we have an ax to find."
Fahiil
Thera
I crouched near the wall of the cavern, absently wiping blood from the stone floor and placing the blood-soaked finger above my open maw. Some dripped into my mouth and I was given a jolt of blood half-tainted with the blood of Lamae Beolfag. The entire room smelled like blood and bile and death. The shredded skin of dozens of dead humans was present all around, the only remains of the first cattle used in the creation of an army of Vampires.
All told, the remains of the feeding were even less than what I had left when I turned. Whereas I had left whole bodies, maybe a decapitated moronic human here or there, these had Vampires had left nothing but scraps and shreds. I had a feeling that they would be picking bones out of their teeth for months, if they were lucky.
"How many Vampires does Lamae need?" I asked myself as I began to rummage through the chests of gold and other things. Lamae had apparently been holding on to one of the Vampiric artifacts for herself, though why I had no idea. This woman had nothing but contempt in her heart – or rather where it had been eons before – for the Vampires who had come after her. I had been sure that this same disgust was transferred to the artifacts crafted by any Vampires. But no –she desired our weapons, if only to deny us what was ours.
No, perhaps not. Lamae considered Harkon and his underlings far below her notice. Whereas Lucius' desires and goals were laughably clear, there were so many unanswered questions about the First Vampire that I had yet to even learn to ask.
"The Mistress wondered when you would come," a woman's voice uttered from behind me. I smiled to myself and stood up, drawing my twin blades as I did.
"I would have hated to make her wait," I replied as I turned, raising my Daedric swords to the right side of my face, parallel both to one another and to the stone floor. The woman was a redhead human, a Nord. She looked... oddly familiar. "Though she could have just invited me."
"If you had not been invited, why would you be here?" the woman asked. She wasn't wearing any armor, merely a red dress. The only item she wore that seemed out of the ordinary was an arcane amulet draped around her throat. She caught my glance and laughed. "Oh you like it? My Mistress gifted it to me, a weapon with which I can claim you for her."
"She wants me? I must have made a more powerful first impression than I had thought," I responded. I growled. "Give me the amulet -"
"And you'll kill me quickly?" the woman asked mockingly. She laughed, clutching at her gut. "You cannot defeat one of the Mistress' children!"
"I've killed enough of your siblings to know that isn't true," I retorted, lowering my swords and sheathing them. "For none of you have true power." I took a step towards the woman, my skin becoming slick with blood and melting around me. "Watch the strength of a real Vampire!" I shrieked in rage and my skin exploded outward, reforming into the gray of my true form.
"Then let us fight as True Vampires," the woman replied. She fell to her knees, a shudder running through her form. Her bones shattered as she fell and her skin soon became coated in her blood. I floated towards her, my claws ready for what was coming.
The woman surged upwards, her skin dissolving into a visage much like mine. "Let us fight like dark gods!" I growled, rushing forward to claw the woman to shreds.
Jul
Lucius
I batted away the blade that rushed towards my head, spinning and backhanding the thrall that was about to do me in. "Alvor, you don't have to do this!" I screamed as I slashed through the chest of another thrall in the mass of bodies threatening to smother me in steel and blood. I looked up at the Vampire staring down at me, his red eyes hollow despite the dark grin plastered to his face. I knew that there had to be some part of the blacksmith left in the burnt husk of his mind. "Alvor, it's me! Hadvar is looking for you!"
"I don't care!" the blacksmith shouted, swiping his hand to the side. He was wearing a set of heavy ebony armor with a matching shield on his left arm. In his right hand he held an ax, one that I knew was the weapon that Serana and I were hunting. He grinned even wider, looking like a maniac. "I'll kill you all!"
I grit my teeth and decapitated another Thrall, my sword burning through his flesh to kill him. What had happened to Alvor in the short few months since I had last seen him. True, he had been taken by Lamae Bal, but how could the man that once had helped me find a home for Meeko be so... bloodthirsty? "Snap out of it!" Serana shouted. My eyes widened as she jumped in front of me, shoving a Thrall who was about to bisect me into the blade of his ally. "Focus!"
I nodded and burnt one of the Thralls rushing at her to cinders, drawing a sarcastic if good natured eye roll from the woman. I slammed my gauntlet into another sword before channeling a wall of frost from one hand and freezing a group of them solid. "How many of these people were your friends, Alvor!?" I shouted, slashing through the throat of another Thrall. "Talos save them and you, but how have you let yourself become this!?"
"The Mistress promises power!" Alvor screamed. He jumped from his perch above and slammed into me. I was sent tumbling but soon got back to my feet. I rushed towards Alvor, screaming, and slashed through the chests of Thralls that got too close. "She promised Sigrid, then me, and soon Dorthe!"
"Your own daughter!? Where is she? I can save her!" I begged, deflecting the blow of the Dawnguard ax – for this close I could see the carvings and it was indeed the artifact I was hunting – and landing a punch on Alvor's gut. He merely turned to mist around my blow and reappeared behind me. I barely turned in time to block the blow, the ax grinding against my dragonbone blade and creating a shower of fiery sparks. "Fus Ro!"
Alvor spat in surprise as he stumbled backwards, many of the remaining Thralls losing their balance as well. "I won't let Lamae take her!" I assured him, rushing forward to slash his arm off, only for another Thrall to jump in my path and take the blow instead. The bisected form of the human woman fell apart before me as I sprinted through, sending a quick prayer for her behind me. "I can save your daughter, Alvor, just tell me where she is!"
"She is hiding from us!" Alvor growled, throwing another Thrall and me and rushing behind the slave. The Thrall's body was soon pinned to the wall, a large spike of Frost sent by Serana protruding from his side.
"I will find her and protect her," I said, blocking a blow from a Thrall before slashing out.
Alvor's eyes filled with thanks that didn't translate to the rest of his face. "Then you will do so alone!" his husk spat spitefully. I slashed out, the enchantment of my sword burning through some of the mist that he had become. I turned in desperation towards Serana. My heart was pounding, screaming at me as the red mist advanced on her. I could see the blood rushing from her throat, the death that was going to come.
"Run!" I shouted, too late. He reappeared above her, missing a leg.
"Die, you -"
His body flew backwards, a spike of ice protruding from his chest. As the blood began to flow from his body he looked over at me, his eyes a glassy blue. "If you find Dorthe... tell her Daddy loves her."
I closed my eyes, holding back my own tears. "I wouldn't dream otherwise," I said quietly as his soul was released from its cursed body. I looked up at him. "Talos guide you."
I was silent for a moment, then walked over to his corpse and pried the ax from his grip. "I'll get revenge for you, my friend," I promised before looping the ax through my belt. I turned to Serana, who was staring at the body of my friend.
"Quick thinking," I told her, sheathing my sword as well.
"Thanks. I told you I can take care of myself," she joked.
"Ah, yeah yeah yeah. Sure you can," I shot back, smiling. I let the grin fall from my face. "Serana..."
"Look, just calm down. I survived and we have the ax. Let's go," she said, turning.
"If you'll take this."
She turned around. I was holding my mother's cloak out, brow furrowed and eyes steely. "Luc..."
"Take it," I repeated, a command almost.
Serana sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" she asked.
"Nope," I responded.
"Even though I'm usually the one saving you from being stupid," she pointed out.
"Uh-huh," I replied.
"Well... then thank you," she said. She came close to me and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. "I'll take good care of it." She wrapped the cloak around her and I immediately felt more at ease. "Now can we go?"
"Well..." I began. I turned back to Alvor's body and was immediately sobered by everything. "Just let me..." I turned back to Serana and she smiled before holding up a shovel. I smiled back.
"I'm sure the mission can wait for a little while," Serana said, smiling softly.
Fahiil
Thera
My claws collided with the claws of my enemy, sparks flying from our clash. "I will rip your throat with my fangs!" I snarled at her, snapping my jaws at her face.
"Fall, you bitch!" she snarled back, whipping her wing around to decapitate me. I jumped backwards, flapping my wings to escape the oncoming death just in time. The woman shrieked, summoning a ball of blackened energy to her claw. "Fall before a true Lady of Darkness!" The spell exploded outward, summoning a blackened sphere from Oblivion and, with it, a pair of Gargoyles. So this was the power of the Amulet of Gargoyles – to summon two Gargoyles. It seemed paltry, but it would have to do.
Regardless, it was now a fight I could enjoy – three enemies it would actually take a little effort to skin. I shrieked and rushed forward, my claws landing a glancing blow against the first gargoyle. Its stony skin deflected the brunt of the attack, causing my claws to shriek against its rough exterior. I twisted around its counter and flew past the explosion of red energy that blossomed on the ground, launching my own blast of energy at the Vampiress attacking me. She raised a wall of Magick, causing the energy to go wide and crash harmlessly against a wall.
"You must realize this is hopeless, bitch!" my enemy shouted, launching another blast of energy right at me. I rushed past it, misting around the gargoyle flying towards me. When I reformed I drove my claw into its throat with as much force as I could muster, the fingers piercing it and tearing away its life. The creature disappeared in a flash of black, though I was already on its brother, tearing its arm off and cutting out the gargoyle's heart with its own arm.
"You must realize," I whispered as the second gargoyle disappeared, "that is hopeless, bitch."
I turned into a cloud of bats, appearing next to the other Vampiress. The knife-point tip of my wing was slowly pushing its way through the bitch's chest until, soon, her heart was torn from her chest, adorning my wing. "Enjoy Oblivion, weakling," I muttered as she returned to her human form, the amulet reappearing on her throat. I opened my maw and tore into her throat.
