Hello people and welcome back to Skyrim: Darkblade Chronicles. Alright Sheldon, you say you're doing things for the good of Skyrim, now put your septims where your Shouts come from.
Anything and everything that happens in the dark, is done out of fear being being cast into the light. Ironically that fear itself is one of those elements that live in the dark, and it is no coincidence that the common fear of the dark itself is directly connected to such wisdom. The greatest question is whether or not the secrets that live in the shadows belong there, or deserve to be cast into the light of day.
It is no secret that a bounty of knowledge, wisdom, and by extension, power can be obtained by whatever is discovered. But is such an event worth staining the impact preserved by the shadows? Can the people involved and affected, as well as that which is kept from them find common ground? Ignorance on such matters can be justified by the potential damage done, or the benefactors that could be erased by learning of that which is being hidden at great personal pain on behalf of the ones who bare their secrets.
There is a reason Namira's followers do not take well to the light...
When they exited the entrance to Dayspring Canyon, Sheldon led Serana down the road to Riften...and they saw a trio of Thalmor approaching from the bridge.
"How many Thalmor are in Skyrim?" Serana asked.
"I told you, they're actively searching for me now." Sheldon said.
"Well, I say we fight them this time." Serana said, then Sheldon looked at her, then at the Thalmor.
"As you wish." Sheldon said, then the mage surged lightning into his hands, and the two glass armor-covered soldiers behind him drew their glass swords.
"There's the upstart!" The mage yelled.
"Now you die!" A soldier yelled, then the mage summoned a storm atronach in front of the two soldiers.
"Oh please..." Serana said casually as she channeled blood magic into her hands, then she released an orb of blood magic, and it staggered the atronach, and the two Thalmor soldiers as Sheldon stood where he was and watched.
"What the...!?" A soldier exclaimed.
"She's a vampire!" The mage yelled.
"In board daylight? Impossible!" The second soldier said seriously.
"Don't be so certain..." Sheldon said simply, then the atronach raised its arms, and cast a lightning bolt at Sheldon, but Spellbreaker lived up to its name. The other two Thalmor soldiers cast a stream of fire at Sheldon from their off hands, but Spellbreaker still held firm. Serana also hid behind Sheldon lest the flames harm her vulnerable flesh.
"On your knees worms!" A Thalmor yelled, and the atronach cast a lightning bolt that pushed Sheldon back an inch, and the mage behind them smiled at the display of power.
"That is enough, let me finish them." He said as he channeled fire into his hands, then the Thalmor soldiers stopped casting fire. They then moved to the sides as the fireball between the mage's hands grew half as large as he was. The fire surrounding Sheldon and Serana was slowly absorbed by Spellbreaker, and the Thalmor soldiers watched with widened eyes.
"It's that shield!" A soldier said seriously.
"It won't save them from this." The mage said, then he threw his fireball at Sheldon...and it immediately grew twice as big as Sheldon.
"Fo Krah diin!" Sheldon yelled, and a massive discharge of frost enveloped the equally massive fireball, and it was snuffed out.
"What?! Impossible!" The mage yelled, then Sheldon materialized Chillrend.
"Wuld Nah Kest!" He yelled, then he was propelled into the trio of Thalmor, and rammed the mage to the ground. The two soldiers were staggered by the intense wind, but a loud cracking sound signaled that the mage's bones were crushed. He then rolled along the ground, and spat up blood when he stopped.
"Damn..." Serana whispered, then the soldiers looked at the mage, each other, then Sheldon.
"How...dare you...!" A soldier growled.
"Do you know who we are?!" The other solider asked seriously, then Sheldon looked at them.
"I should ask you that." He said casually.
"You are no one!" The soldier yelled as he braced his sword to thrust...then Serana hit him with an icy spear, and even though it shattered against the Thalmor's armor, he was still staggered.
"Stay out of this undead filth!" The other soldier exclaimed as he readied a fire spell in his off-hand...then Sheldon cut it off, and the Thalmor grabbed and looked at his bleeding stump in horror.
"Thus to all that follow the path of a coward." Sheldon said seriously, then the other Thalmor ran away...but Sheldon materialized his ebony crossbow, and shot the fleeing Thalmor in the back with a single bolt, and his lifeless target fell to the ground.
"What about him?" Serana asked as she pointed at the Thalmor that was missing a hand.
"Do what you will." Sheldon said seriously, then he walked toward the crippled mage as he used a healing spell on himself, and Serana approached the Thalmor.
"No...no wait! Please don't!" The Thalmor soldier exclaimed, then Serana took the soldier's blade, and the soldier screamed in terror before Serana cut off his head.
"You...wretched insects...!" The mage growled, then Sheldon materialized Chillrend and stabbed the mage through the heart.
"So much for the great and mighty Thalmor..." Serana said casually.
"They are not to be taken lightly Serana. That fire spell this mage used was a Forbidden Sun, which is among the strongest fire spells in existence." Sheldon said.
"You mean the one you cancelled out with Frost Breath? Well thick lot of good it did him." Serana said.
"While I do appreciate your faith in my abilities, this battle showed why fighting the Thalmor is more time-consuming than I'm comfortable with." Sheldon said.
"Maybe so, but it was also...kind of fun." Serana said.
"I suppose...it was..." Sheldon trailed off.
"Even their 'holier-then-you' attitude made this fun. In fact...they're about as full of themselves as most vampires, and that's quite a feat." Serana said.
"That is also true..." Sheldon said.
"Oh well, let's take their stuff and move on, shall we?" Serana said.
"Yes..." Sheldon breathed out, then he took the resist magic potion, elven dagger, and small pouch of septims from the Thalmor mage, the glass swords from the two soldiers, and they left the corpses on the bridge.
Sheldon then led Serana up the hill slope, until they reached a fork in the beaten path, and Sheldon pointed to the right.
"Wait, I want to take point this time." Serana said.
"Alright." Sheldon said simply, then Serana walked ahead of Sheldon...and the two female bandits at the entrance to the doors in the distance stopped leaning on the wall and drew their bows.
"You pick a bad time to get lost friend." A bandit said as she notched an arrow, then Serana launched an icy spear at her. The bandit dodged the icy spear, loosed her arrow, and Serana dodged it as well, then she rolled to the side as the second bandit loosed another arrow. Serana then launched an orb of blood magic, and even though the bandits dodged it, the explosion still sucked life out of them. The bandits then loosed two more arrows at Serana, and she dodged one, but the other grazed her face.
"Dammit!" Serana yelled as she covered her face.
"I can't wait to count out your coin..." A bandit said as she notched another arrow, then Serana cast a lightning bolt at the bandit. She recoiled from the impact, and her arrow missed Serana so egregiously that she didn't even have to move out of the way. The other bandit moved back, shot another arrow at Serana, and she ducked under it. She then cast another orb of blood magic at the bandits, and hit one of them directly. The bandit collapsed to her knees, then the other shot another arrow at Serana...and hit her in the lower chest.
Serana then pulled the arrow out, launched another orb of blood magic at the distant bandit, and the orb hit the wall behind her. The explosion drew the bandit's life force out of her, and Serana's wound healed as the bandit feel to the ground. The bandit on her knees struggled to stand up, then Serana launched an icy spear through the bandit's chest, and even pinned her to the wall.
Sheldon then approached Serana and looked over the carnage.
"Impressive." Sheldon breathed out.
"And I'm just getting started too." Serana said.
"You were holding back?" Sheldon asked.
"No, but I can feel alot of power flowing through me thanks to the blood you gave me, and what better way to flex it than by showing these outlaws a thing or two?" Serana said.
"I agree." Sheldon said, then he approached the bandit with an icy spear in her chest, took her steel dagger, and the large pouch of septims she had. He then went to the other bandit, and took her iron dagger, and septim pouch. Serana then approached the door, and Sheldon followed her...
When they went inside, they went down the sloped path between the earth walls on the sides, and when they got to the table at the bottom, Sheldon grabbed the three red apples, and the iron dagger.
"Stay on your guard." Serana said, then Sheldon stopped her.
"Laas..." Sheldon whispered, then he looked ahead.
"How many?" Serana asked.
"Seven...three are asleep." Sheldon said, then Serana smirked.
"Easy pickings..." She trailed off, then she slowly and silently approached the large column ahead of them. She inhaled deeply and slowly through her nose as she approached the open space, and saw a bandit leaning against the wall. She then drew her elven dagger, stabbed the bandit in the throat with it, used her other hand to cover his mouth, then Serana sucked the blood out of the bandit through his wound.
Sheldon remained where he was and passively watched Serana use the bandit to sustain herself, then Sheldon looked at the other three awaken bandits as they took care of some weapons, coin, or use the pot to cook with.
"The others haven't spotted us..." Sheldon whispered, then Serana stopped feeding, then she licked her mouth clean.
"Oh well..." She breathed out, then she channeled blood magic into her hands, and it grew stronger with each passing second. She eventually released it at the three bandits, and two sleeping bandits. All of them were engulfed in the surge of blood magic, and their life forces flowed into Serana at an alarming pace. The two sleeping bandits were dead within seconds, but the three awake bandits survived.
Serana then ran toward them at twice her usual speed, then cut all of their throats open, and sucked the blood out of the most muscular bandit.
"The chief is waking." Sheldon said as he pointed up the curved, earthen walkway lined with planks.
"You can take that one." Serana said, then she continued to suck the blood out of the bandits' neck.
"Who's there?" The bandit chief asked seriously as he approached the campfire, then Sheldon materialized his ebony crossbow, and shot a bolt at the bandit chief. The bolt hit the chief in the neck, and he fell down dead as Sheldon de-materialized his crossbow. Sheldon then approached the chief, and took his Nordic shield, orcish dagger, steel sword, and pouch with over two hundred septims.
He then vaporized the body, and took the rest of the chief's Nordic armor, and went to the chief's sleeping area. He ignored the cabinet full of tankards and skulls, took the cabbages and carrots from the two nearby sacks, and looked into the chest. He then heard the obvious metallic sound of a trap being set off, then he moved back as a spiked iron ball-on-a-chain swung at him from the side.
When he looked inside the chest, he found an amethyst, almost two-hundred septims, an elven warhammer with a strong magicka damage enchantment, an ebony dagger, an iron sword, a scroll of mayhem...and a scroll with a series of symbols on it.
"Serana? I found it." Sheldon said as he approached Serana with the scroll in his hand as Serana stopped feeding on one of the bandits.
"Alright, at least we know the plans were here." She said, then she cleaned her mouth with a nearby cloth.
"Are you satisfied?" Sheldon asked.
"Yeah...that should get me by for a while." Serana said, then Sheldon stared at her.
"Good..." He said simply, then he gathered the mushrooms in the area, as well as the salt piles, and various vegetables in the barrels. Serana took the two wine bottles on the table next to the tanning rake, lifted and lowered them several times, then set them down. She also found a weak poison on top of the large crate on the table.
"These wine bottles are still full..." Serana said.
"That is also good." Sheldon said as he approached the pot, and removed his mask.
"Whatever they were cooking smells pretty good." Serana said.
"It's vegetable soup..." Sheldon said.
"Well...ours now." Serana said.
"It's not finished." Sheldon said simply.
"Alright, it will be ours then." Serana said, then Sheldon went to the back wall, and pulled a chain on the side.
"This cave also has a torture chamber..." He said as a stone panel rose into the wall above it, and a tunnel with a downward slope was revealed.
"A...torture chamber...in a mine?" Serana asked seriously.
"Apparently so, the last time I was here, I was asked to find a man who left to find more lumber, and his wife believed he was unfaithful to her. As it turned out...he was captured by the outlaws living here, and was butchered." Sheldon said, then Serana sighed.
"Damn..." She whispered.
"Precisely what I said at the time. Needless to say, the outlaws were slaughtered before I even found the man. Thanks to Clairvoyance, I knew he was here, and that these outlaws were...unkind to him...so I treated them the way I treat everyone else who makes Skyrim harder to live in." Sheldon said.
"And now here we are at the scene of the crime, with another gang, and a mission to help the Dawnguard." Serana said.
"Yes...we are..." Sheldon trailed off.
"Now let's see what goods are down there, if there are any." Serana said.
"Likely there are..." Sheldon said simply, then he led Serana down the slope until they entered the room...and Serana looked around with wide eyes. The walls were drenched in blood, as were the scattered bones in the corners, on the small cabinet next to them. There was even a small circular wooden outcropping with a blood-covered axe embedded in it.
"Sheesh..." Serana groaned, then Sheldon looked at the cabinet, and grabbed the large red bottle, and the spell tome.
"A strong poison...and a novice flame spell..." He trailed off.
"Yep, definitely a torture chamber." Serana said casually as Sheldon put the tome and poison in his satchel.
"Now let's take the soup to the Dawnguard." Sheldon said.
"And the rest of this stuff." Serana said.
"Right." Sheldon said, then they left the torture chamber...and Sheldon looked at the glowing mushrooms growing over the stream. He then picked them, materialized two pickaxes, and mined the two corundum ores underneath them as Serana took the vegetable soup. Sheldon then climbed onto the rocky platform in the center of the room. He then found and picked a bounty of mushrooms as Serana waited on the bottom floor with her arms folded.
"Can we go now?" She asked casually, then Sheldon jumped to the bottom, took the soup from Serana, ed her out of the mine...and picked every mushroom along the way.
When they went through the doors, they ran the way they came, then Sheldon stopped and looked further up the hill...
"Two trolls are up there." He said, then Serana looked and saw a single troll jumping, waving its arms, and roaring.
"Where'd you come from?!" Serana asked seriously, then Sheldon charged at the troll...and a second troll lumbered toward him from the side. Serana launched a barrage of icy spears at each trolls, but they shattered against the trolls' bodies. Sheldon then impaled one of them through the chest, and the other troll swung its fist at him. Sheldon ducked under the troll's wild swing, then he spun to the side, slashed the troll's side, then sliced its head open with Chillrend.
Serana then approached as Sheldon replaced Chillrend with a dragonbone dagger.
"Pick those flowers, I'll harvest the troll's fat." Sheldon said, then Serana looked at the nearby pond, and especially the purple flowers between it, and the dead trolls.
"O.k." Serana said simply, then she picked the flowers as Sheldon craved open the trolls, and extracted several ponds of their fat.
When they were done, they went back down the hill, and ran through Dayspring Canyon once again, past the new fortifications, and saw Vori shooting her crossbow at the same tree stomp Duras shot at when Sheldon first came to Fort Dawnguard.
"Welcome back Dragonborn...and friend." Vori said.
"That crossbow you're using is about to get an upgrade." Serana said casually as Sheldon materialized the dwemer scroll, then Vori widened her eyes.
"Well then...don't keep Sorine waiting." She said seriously, then Serana smirked and followed Sheldon to the entrance of Fort Dawnguard.
When they entered, they went to the kitchen, and they saw Isran and Celann talking to one another as Agmaer sat at the table with a mug of ale.
"Welcome back Dragonborn...and Serana." He said as Celann and Isran looked at the duo.
"It's good to be back." Serana said.
"Do you have it?" Isran asked casually as he folded his arms, then Sheldon held up the dwemer scroll.
"Alright, Sorine and Gunmar are still in the cave doign their thing." Celann said as he pointed at the cavern entrance with his thumb.
"Very well then." Sheldon said simply, then he led Serana to the cavern.
"Wait, Dragonborn?" Agmaer asked, then Sheldon looked at Agmaer.
"What is it?" Sheldon asked.
"You promised you would train me..." Agmaer said.
"Once I give Sorine this scroll, meet me in the other cavern." Sheldon said, then Agmaer smiled.
"I'm on it." He said, then he stood up, and left the kitchen as Sheldon and Serana went to the cavern as Isran watched them.
When they entered, Sorine was there on the forge hammering some metal.
"We have the schematic." Sheldon said as he gave the scroll to Sorine.
"You're back and alive to boot, fantastic." She said seriously.
"Of course we are." Sheldon said, then Sorine looked over the scroll.
"Hmmm...I see, clever dwarves. With a similar technique and a little tinkering I should be able to improve the capabilities of our crossbows.' She said.
"Excellent." Sheldon said, then Sorine took a moment to think.
"I often wonder where we'd be if the Dwemer were still around. Ah well, we'll have to manage with the scraps we find." She said.
"You would likely think less of them if you knew what they're guilty of." Sheldon said.
"You mean the Falmer? Yeah, I've heard the dwemer turned them into the savages they are now, but I don't know how or why." Sorine said.
"It makes little difference, but whatever they are now, they have given little reason to show them mercy." Sheldon said.
"Let me guess, you've treated them like you treated the frostbites?" Serana asked.
"Of course I did." Sheldon said.
"You've dealt with the frostbite population in the Rift? That explains alot..." Sorine said.
"The Falmer, and the chauruses for that matter, got exactly what was coming to them." Sheldon said.
"You don't have to tell me; frostbites give me the creeps...and I know I'm not alone either." Sorine said.
"We found one in Haemar's Shame too." Serana said.
"Well, that's one less we have to deal with..." Sorine groaned.
"How does the scroll I gave you help improve the crossbows?" Sheldon asked, then Sorine smirked.
"Here, let me show you how it's made. Assuming you have the smithing skills, you should be able to make this yourself at Gunmar's forge. Either way, I'll have some for sale soon." Sorine said.
"When I next see you, I want to make sure all of the crossbows are improved as such. Until then, I have a promise to keep with Agmaer." Sheldon said.
"Alright, give the kid my regards will you?" Sorine said casually as Sheldon and Serana left the cavern.
When they found Agmaer, he was wielding a shield, had an axe holstered on his hip, and carried a large metal helmet under his right arm.
"I'm ready Dragonborn." He said seriously.
"I can see that...now let us see what you were up to..." Sheldon trailed off, then Agmaer put his helmet on, and drew his axe as Sheldon materialized a steel sword. Serana leaned against the wall, and watched Sheldon walk to the opposite side of the arena. She then sniffed a few times, looked over her shoulder, and saw Isran and Celann. She then inhaled deeply as the sight of them, but their focus was on Sheldon and Agmaer...as was Serana's.
"I'm not going to hold back Dragonborn." Agmaer said.
"Good." Sheldon said simply, then Agmaer lunged at Sheldon with his axe brandished, and Sheldon side-stepped Agmaer's strike, and he stumbled forward.
"Damn! You're fast..." He said.
"That is the kind of speed you can expect from a greater vampire, one of many reasons fighting them alone is suicide." Sheldon said.
"What about lesser vampires?" Agmaer asked.
"Then you have a fighting chance." Sheldon said.
"Alright..." Agmaer said, then he lunged at Sheldon again, and Sheldon deflected Agmaer's axe, and swung at Agmaer several times. Agmaer blocked each swing with his shield, but the loud clang sounds made by Sheldon's sword each time he struck Agmaer's shield told everything they needed to. Agmaer struggled to keep his shield raised to protect him from Sheldon's relentless assault, and Sheldon eventually stopped, backed away, and looked over his now-dented sword.
"This is why I don't use regular weapons..." Sheldon breathed out, then Agmaer looked his shield over.
"My shield is alright all-things-considered." He said.
"But that is also one of the reason greater vampires don't use weapons...but they often don't have to. Their fists are often more than adequate." Sheldon said.
"By the Nine..." Agmaer breathed out as he looked away.
"Do not fear, I have methods that will be used to bolster the Dawnguard's equipment well beyond the norm." Sheldon said.
"From what you told me, we're going to need it." Agmaer said.
"But for now, show me what you can really do." Sheldon said as he threw his sword away, and materialized Spellbreaker, and Agmaer stared at him.
"You have to teach me how to do that..." Agmaer said seriously as he pointed his axe at Sheldon.
"Maybe..." Sheldon trailed off, then Agmaer held his shield out in front of him, and held his axe over his head. He then moved toward Sheldon, but Sheldon remained completely still. Agmaer then swung his axe at Sheldon, and Sheldon withstood each of Agmaer's strikes without difficulty. Spellbreaker wasn't even scratched, and Sheldon's arm didn't lower, or move back.
Agmaer then backed away and breathed harder than before.
"That is one tough shield you've got." He said seriously.
"I used every method I spoke of to keep it in top form. Even the dragons I've faced could not damage it beyond repair." Sheldon said.
"And you intend to do...whatever you did to our equipment? Wow..." Agmaer said seriously.
"I will do what I can, and what I must." Sheldon said.
"Alright...shall I continue?" Agmaer asked...then Sheldon de-materialized Spellbreaker.
"I will use my speed once again. Try to predict where I will go before you attack me, if you don't, your chance of connecting will be very low." Sheldon said.
"Sounds like a plan." Agmaer said, then he engaged Sheldon once again, and swung several times at diagonal angles. Sheldon leaned to the opposite side each time Agmaer swung at him, or side-stepped Agmaer's more powerful strikes. Agmaer tried to attack the areas in which Sheldon was moving toward, but even then, Sheldon was still able to move ahead. Serana in particular was as focused on Sheldon's movements as she was when she saw Sheldon fight in a life-or-death situation. Sheldon's speed and fluidity was no less than it was then, but of course, his aggression was nowhere near as intense.
Eventually, Agmaer's axe grazed the side of Sheldon's helmet, and he struggled for a moment to regain his balance as Sheldon ran a finger over the part of his helmet Agmaer struck.
"Excellent." Sheldon said simply.
"How are you so fast with armor that bulky?" Agmaer asked.
"There is more to my armor than the materials from which it was made." Sheldon said, and Agmaer stared at him.
"O...k..." He trailed off.
"I trust you will take this to heart in the future?" Sheldon asked.
"Most certainly Dragonborn." Agmaer said.
"Good, because like I said, the kind of speed I demonstrated is common among vampires, and the greater ones are even faster." Sheldon said.
"By the Nine..." Agmaer whispered.
"Do not fear, there are still many edges which we can exploit." Sheldon said.
"Such as?" Agmaer asked.
"The same way me and Serana defeated the ones in Haemar's Shame. We ambushed some, misdirected others, and of course, used as much arcane boons as they had. All of which seized the night in our favor." Sheldon said.
"Alright...I hope we can work with that as well as you can." Agmaer said.
"As do I Agmaer..." Sheldon said seriously.
"That's going to be a feat and a half though." Serana said.
"Well, can you tell me more about this over dinner?" Agmaer asked.
"Very well, but our training will continue in the future." Sheldon said, then he left the area, and Agmaer followed him, with Serana in the back...and Isran watched them curiously.
When they reached the kitchen, Sheldon materialized a large bowl of vegetable soup.
"Where'd you get that?" Agmaer asked.
"The outlaws at Broken Helm Hollow were preparing this. After we killed them, we took this soup, along with the rest of their goods." Sheldon said.
"Is it good?" Agmaer asked, then Sheldon removed his mask, materialized a wooden spoon, put some soup into his mouth...then he set the soup down.
"It's incomplete." He said simply, then he put his mask on.
"Well, we can fix that..." Agmaer said, then Sheldon materialized a platter full of bread loaves.
"Some goat meat will be made this time." Sheldon said, then he set up another platter with goat legs on it, and Serana looked around.
"Where's everyone else?" She asked.
"They...they should be on the roof. I mean...there's plenty to look at there too." Agmaer said.
"The greenhouse?" Sheldon asked.
"And then some." Serana said.
"Right, all of that." Agmaer said.
"Well, they will come back for quite a feast." Sheldon said, then he prepared the goat legs with salt, and sauce, and Agmaer put some more wood in the fire.
"Serana? You want to go find them and-" Serana cuts Agmaer said.
"Not a chance." She said simply.
"She's right Agmaer. Isran's mistrust in her is far from unique." Sheldon said.
"Good point..." Agmaer groaned, then he watched Sheldon cover the last two goat legs with sauce, and he stuck them on the spit. Agmaer then started clanking the lever, and the fire cooked the meat on every side. Sheldon used a weak frost spell to cool the immediate area down, but it was only strong enough to effect Agmaer; the fire was still raging.
"Is this too cold?" Sheldon asked.
"No...thank you." Agmaer said.
"You are quite welcome." Sheldon said, then Serana looked around.
"Got anything for me to do?" She asked.
"Do you mind slicing a bowl of apples?" Sheldon asked, then Serana stared at him.
"Seriously...?" She asked casually.
"That's all there is to do at this point. There will be more, but not yet." Sheldon said, then Serana smirked, sighed, and looked around.
"Alright, hand them over." She said, then Sheldon materialized a metal bowl full of apples, and Serana drew her elver dagger. Agmaer continued to rotate the goat meat, and continued until Sheldon stopped him, and took the meat off the spit...regardless of the heat. Sheldon then put the meat on the platter, and cut open the loaves of bread, put cheese on them, and put them in the oven as Serana put some apples in the nearby bowl.
"Hey Dragonborn? You never said how you two cleared Haemar's Shame." Agmaer said.
"Yes I said, we ambushed them, overpowered them, misdirected them, or any of those things." Sheldon said as Serana cut another batch of apples.
"Oh...right..." Agmaer trailed off.
"We also dealt with some Thalmor before we got the plans for the better crossbows." Serana said.
"Really? Well, good on you both." Agmaer said.
"Sheldon wanted to put them down with stealth, but I wanted to see what they can do." Serana said.
"And?" Agmaer asked, and Serana stopped cutting an apple.
"Those guys are tough..." She said seriously.
"The Thalmor are sending their strongest mages and warriors to deal with me, and they've hired a multitude of assassins to kill me as well." Sheldon said.
"Yeah, go after a guy who can bring the dragons to their knees, smart." Agmaer said casually.
"The Thalmor mage used one of the strongest fire spells in existence." Sheldon said, then Agmaer widened his eyes.
"You're kidding me..." He said.
"I almost wish he was." Serana said.
"The good news is that there's no spell the Thalmor have that I don't know myself." Sheldon said.
"Well...there's some good news." Agmaer said.
"As for Haemar's Shame...there was also a frostbite spider preparing a nest there." Sheldon said.
"Persistent bastards aren't they?" Agmaer said seriously.
"Because of them, Skyrim has been no better off than if vampires and others under daedric influence were allowed to roam without consequence. I honestly don't know why such repugnant creatures even exist." Sheldon said.
"Yeesh, I know frostbites are not likeable creatures, in any way, but that was kind of harsh." Agmaer said.
"They're abominations; you can't even eat them, and they're a threat to everyone, and everything they encounter." Sheldon said, then Serana looked at him curiously.
"And now they're not getting another nest." Agmaer said.
"And as usual, I took the eggs I could grab, and burned away all the webs in sight." Sheldon said.
"O.k...I get burning their webs, but...why take their eggs?" Agmaer asked.
"For alchemy; if you combine a spider's egg with elves ear, or juniper berries, you can make a potion that bolsters one's prowess with a bow, or crossbow." Sheldon said.
"I like the sound of that." Agmaer said.
"As do I, and as fortune would have it, I have a bounty of all three ingredients." Sheldon said.
"Wow...new crossbows on top of potions that make someone better with a ranged weapon is going to be a nightmare for the vampires. I mean, the enemy one..." Agmaer said.
"I'm not insulted Agmaer...and I'd take those ingredients off your hands while you keep cooking." Serana said.
"Good idea." Sheldon said, then he materialized a bowl full of spider eggs, another bowl of juniper berries, and a third bowl full of elves ears. He then set the bowl of spider eggs on top of the bowl with juniper berries, and set that bowl on top of the bowl with elves ears. Serana then picked up the triple set, and carried them to the cavern.
"So...how do you deal with the Thalmor?" Agmaer asked.
"The same way we deal with the vampires at Haemar's Shame." Sheldon said.
"I meant, how do their styles compare to yours?" Agmaer asked.
"They don't, but to be precise...well, there are a good number of similarities between the way the Thalmor and the way vampires fight...although, vampires are obviously more powerful." Sheldon said.
"Yeah, centuries of experience tends to make someone pretty confident in their abilities I'd imagine." Agmaer said.
"The Thalmor, and by extension, vampires, are powerful but careless. They're so sure of their abilities that the idea of them being defeated often eludes them without difficulty. I've fought countless vampires and Thalmor that attacked me with either reckless abandon, with by hiding behind various forms of trickery. When it failed however, they folded like parchment and either fled the battle, or begged me for mercy...and recieved none." Sheldon said.
"Why am I not surprised...?" Agmaer asked casually.
"It's not as simple as getting past their tricks; there is a reason I adapted them into my own style. However, relying on them is anything but wise." Sheldon said.
"And yet vampires and the Thalmor do that all the time." Agmaer said.
"Yes...cowards often use the same tactics, if you can call them that." Sheldon said, then Agmaer raised his eyebrows.
"I assume Serana is not included in that statement?" He asked seriously.
"Of course she's not." Sheldon said, then Agmaer looked at the food.
"Well...let's keep at it shall we?" He said casually, then Sheldon materialized a loaf of bread, cut it in half, then put it in the oven.
Almost an hour later, the table was once again filled with platters of fruits, goat meat, bread with melted cheese, various ales and winds, as well as grilled salmon, potatoes which were either baked, mashed, or cooked in tallow. In the meantime, Serana brews dozens of potions, mostly for archery, but Sheldon later gave her giant toes, hanging moss, and bear claws, as well as vampire dust, over a hundred chaurus eggs...and even garlic. As repulsive as the garlic was to her, Serana pushed through her apprehension, and brewed that many more potions for the Dawnguard's future.
Now, Sheldon was consuming a goat leg, two loaves of bread with cheese, a bowl of sliced apples, and a plate of grilled leeks, and carrots, as well as a baked potato.
"Ah, food's ready." Sorine said as she and Gunmar entered the kitchen.
"Yes, although not all of it." Sheldon said.
"What could be left?" Gunmar asked as he and Sorine sat down, then Sheldon stood up.
"Agmaer? I'll get back with you for the mudcrab stew, but now, I must see to Serana." Sheldon said.
"Alright, see you then." Agmaer said as Sheldon entered the cavern, and he saw Serana sitting on a barrel.
"You owe me big time Sheldon. That garlic was a nightmare for my nose...and the rest of me." She said seriously.
"I will repay my debt tenfold before long." Sheldon said.
"Well, you can start by telling me when we're going to have Dexion read that...Kel." Serana said, then Sheldon stared at her.
"I...was not expecting you to call it that. But to answer your question, we will do so when Dexion is ready." Sheldon said.
"Great, so while he's cooped up in the top floor, we're down here slaving away." Serana said casually.
"We do what we must." Sheldon said simply.
"Right...when don't we?" Serana said, then Sheldon looked over the potions, and used Clairvoyance.
"I must say I am impressed...each of these potions are even better than they would be if I had brewed them." He said seriously.
"I told you, I can do alchemy in my sleep." Serana said.
"Serana...it shows." Sheldon said, then Serana looked at the forge.
"So what now?" She asked.
"Is there more metal to work with?" Sheldon asked.
"Is guess do, Sorine and Gunmar left quite a few toys to play with." Serana said as Sheldon looked over the various dwemer relics, gears, gyros, and levers.
"These will be quite useful in the future..." Sheldon trailed off.
"What about the crossbows?" Serana asked, then Sheldon looked over the wooden crossbows on the desk.
"The arms on them have been reinforced with corundum...a clever innovation indeed." Sheldon said.
"How?" Serana asked.
"Because that means they can punch through armor..." Sheldon said seriously, then Serana widened her eyes.
"Damn...no wonder Sorine wanted those plans for fiercely." She said.
"Indeed...and these are only one of the plans the dwemer had in store. One must wonder if they had a hand in the design of my ebony crossbow?" Sheldon said.
"Who knows?" Serana said, then Sheldon continued to look over the crossbows, then he turned his attention to the forge, the workbench, and the grindstone.
"It seems Sorine and Gunmar ran out of corundum..." He trailed off.
"Well, good thing we've got plenty to spare...right?" Serana asked casually.
"Of course..." Sheldon groaned, then he walked to the smelter, and materialized dozens of corundum ore. Serana then watched him shovel the ore into the smelter, and ingots of the orange metal were formed in the mold at the smelter's bottom. Serana then walked toward the smelter, waited for Sheldon to form enough of them, and cooled them off with her own frost magic when each of them were ready.
She then carried the ingots to the further-away table when there was enough of them, and they repeated the process until the table was full.
Afterwards, they went to work reinforcing the crossbows as much as they could, and Sheldon even took the time to make more crossbows.
"I think we've done plenty at this point." Serana said seriously.
"I agree...there's more crossbows here then there are members of the Dawnguard." Sheldon said.
"Plus I think Agmaer is still waiting for you in the kitchen." Serana said.
"Right..." Sheldon said simply, then he left the caverns, and Agmaer was busy stirring the pot.
"Oh, Dragonborn? I figured I was make some clam chowder to go with the feast as well." He said.
"That will work nicely..." Sheldon said, as he approached the kettle.
"I haven't touched the mudcrab dish you have in mind." Agmaer said.
"Just as well you didn't; this is one of the most labor-intensive meals I know." Sheldon said.
"Well, tell me the word and I'll do what I can." Agmaer said, then Sheldon materialized an assortment of mudcrab legs, and claws.
"For now...we just cook." He said, then he used magic to light a fire under the kettle.
Well, we finally had a fight with the Thalmor...and a pretty extreme one to boot. Also, Serana took the lead for once...which frankly she's owed quite a bit of. I mean, she's not just beloved because of her loyalty, although good luck holding that against her. She also steamrolled the bandits, but...would you expect less from a suped-up vampiress with mods, and the "pure" version of vampirism? I wouldn't...
Also...that sparring match with Agmaer is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what training he's going to go through. There's no chance I'm giving details until the time is right, but until then...well, either keep reading, or don't. I never twisted anyone's arm into reading this, I'm not going to start now, even if I knew how to.
That being said, please remember to Rate, Review, and Share...and stay tuned of course.