Chapter Two
Valund rose early and began preparing himself for the day's adventure. He pulled on his jerkin and trousers and belted his axe to his belt. He had never needed another weapon or tool. As he stepped outside to pack up his tent, he realized that he was the first one awake. He smiled as he started to take down his tent.
The old man thought that he could order them all around, and yet he wasn't even awake when they were supposed to be leaving soon. It was just another example of typical Imperial hypocrisy. They claimed that they would protect the people, and yet they threw Skyrim to the damn Thalmor.
Valund spat in disgust. He was only here for the old man's money, and the glory. If there truly was a great artifact to be had, he wanted his name to be one of the ones spoken when the tale of their exploit was shared. He continued working and had his tent completely taken down by the time Lucidius finally crawled out of his tent.
"We actually leaving this morning, old man? Or are we going to waste more time?" Valund asked mockingly.
"We're breaking camp now, Valund, though I see you've already gotten a head start on that count."
"Of course I have. You always rise at dawn while in the wilds. Guess you're getting a little old for this, eh, Imperial?" Valund sneered at Lucidius.
"Not too old, just pacing myself. We have a lot of work ahead of us."
The others started coming out of their tents. Valund stood back and watched with an amused grin on his face. The Argonian girl, Muz-Ra, he had seen wandering around Winterhold often. She was always trying to offer her services as a healer to anyone who wandered through town. She was an earnest young woman, but naïve. He couldn't believe that the Imperial had actually agreed to bring her along.
It didn't take long until they were ready to move. Valund could see the Khajiit, Ja'Rakko, or something like that, giving the old man a nasty look. It seemed odd, since Valund had gotten the distinct impression that the two older men were friends from the Legion. He watched the two old soldiers for a while, noting how they tried to avoid each other for a while, but ultimately fell into working side by side. It was then that Valund knew how well the two men knew each other, if even a fight couldn't keep them from falling into line with each other.
They finally left the campsite almost a full hour after Valund had risen. He led the way, following a game trail that he knew led to the cave they were looking for. One thing he couldn't figure out was why the old man thought something was there. He had taken cover in that selfsame cave many times to get through a particularly bad storm, and had never noticed anything special about it.
They entered almost immediately upon arriving. Once they did, both the old man and the cat seemed to stiffen up, as if they were expecting something to come up out of nowhere. Valund had been too busy laughing to himself at the two men that he didn't notice a dark shadow detach from the wall and stop him.
"Well, what have we here?" a feminine voice asked, "A whole group of people, simply walking into my arms." The shadow resolved itself into a young woman clothed in a cloak as black as the deepest midnight. Her features were soft, if a little pale for Valund's taste. Her hair was the same color as her cloak and fell to her shoulders. He couldn't deny that she was absolutely striking. The only completely unnerving feature about her was her eyes. They glowed red, as if with some inner fire.
"Lay off them, Ladia," Lucidius said, walking up to the front of the group, "You know that they're here with me."
"Of course I do. I'm simply having fun, Lucidius." The woman, Ladia, flashed a smile at the old man, the kind that Valund knew meant that he wouldn't stand a chance trying to get her. But he also noticed something disturbing in her smile; her canines were much longer than a normal person's should be.
"Step back, creature," the cat hissed, "Your kind are evil!"
"Ah, Jo'Rakha. I see that Lucidius hasn't managed to curb your bias of me," Ladia drawled. Now that Valund thought about it, her speech seemed archaic, and the cat's comment had seemed a bit off.
"Lay off, Jo!" Lucidius snapped, "She's here under my protection now! And that goes for everyone! I won't have anyone flying off and doing something stupid because you can't control your prejudices!"
"What prejudices?" Valund asked. He was surprised to hear his own voice, "What is happening here?"
The woman, Ladia, let out a laugh. It was a pure, golden sound. "So you haven't told them, Lucidius? I shouldn't be surprised. You have always tried to avoid conflict. For those of you who haven't figured it out, I'm a vampire. I was turned over five hundred years ago, so I have had a lot of time to hone my skills as a hunter of the night."
Valund heard several sharp intakes of breath, including his own. The old man, the career soldier, knew a vampire on a first-name basis? And he was apparently bedding the damn thing? It simply couldn't be true.
"By the Eight," Muz-Ra swore. Valund could tell by that simple statement that the silly young girl was a devout chapelgoer, and that she thought the creature before her was the symbol of pure evil. He could also tell that she wouldn't do a damn thing about it, because she was a coward.
"Oh, by the Eight above!" Arbell practically squeaked in joy, "A real, live vampire! There is so much you can tell me! Are you actually considered undead? Do you have any special powers, beyond the obvious, of course, that we don't know about?"
Ladia turned on the Breton. "Ah, a necromancer, I see. You keep interesting company now, Lucidius. Should I be worried?"
"Of course not," the old man said, stepping towards the vampire, "Arbell, ahem, offered her services, and was rather insistent. It would have been a matter of paying her not to join us."
"I see. As for your questions, Arbell, why would I reveal the secrets of my kind? That doesn't seem particularly smart to me," Ladia said, "But I will say that there is more to us than the legends tell."
"Legends are worth little," Nachael claimed. It must have been the first time that Valund had heard the Redguard's voice. It was deep and thick, fairly typical of most of the Redguards he had met. "All that matters are our experiences."
"Well spoken!" Ladia exclaimed, once again letting out that golden laugh.
"It was not meant to support you, creature. I have slain enough of your kind to know your weaknesses." He slid his longsword partway out of its sheath.
Lucidius turned on the man. "Sheath your sword, mercenary! Ladia is part of this expedition!"
Reluctantly, the Redguard sheathed his blade. "You are lucky that you have bought my loyalty, Lucidius. Normally, my honor would demand that this creature fall."
"Mercenaries as well, Lucidius? I'm surprised at you," Ladia said, smiling wildly. Valund could tell that she was enjoying the exchange.
"Sometimes we are all forced to do things we would rather not," Lucidius said, "but Nachael is an honorable man. I know I can trust him. But, to the rest of you, I hope that you will all treat Ladia with the respect of a fellow member of our group. I don't want to have to deal with a problem later on."
"Are you sure about this, Lucidius?" Muz-Ra asked, a slight waver in her voice, "Her kind are not known for their kindness."
"They are not all the same, just as not all Argonians are rebels and not all Khajiit eat moon sugar," Lucidius responded, sending a pointed look in the cat's direction.
Jo'Rakha glared back. "I will be polite only because you ask it of me, my old friend. I would sooner send an arrow through her heart than trust her however."
"Always so eloquent, Jo'Rakha. I am pleased that you were never given a command in the Legion. You would surely have gotten them all killed with your tongue," Ladia smiled.
Jo'Rakha hissed and stepped forward, pulling out his dagger, his ears folding against his skull in rage.
"Peace, Jo'Rakha! And you as well, Ladia! Just as I expect everyone to treat you with respect, I expect you to do the same to them!" Lucidius snapped.
"I can be friendly," Ladia answered, "So long as I am not expecting a knife in the back."
Jo'Rakha slowly sheathed his dagger. "You have my cooperation."
Ladia turned back to Lucidius. "I delved a short distance into the cave last night and took care of a few bandits who had set up camp deeper within. We shouldn't run into any problems for a while. I can lead you down at least that far."
The old man nodded. "Good. Take point with Valund. He knows this area quite well."
Valund nodded and stepped towards the woman, no, the vampire. "That I do. I've hunted these hills for years. I know every nook and cranny, every tree and boulder."
"Impressive, but do you know the depths as well?" the vampire asked as she started to walk, forcing everyone else to follow.
"What do you mean? I know everything there is to know around here! I've even explored this cave!" Valund retorted.
"You have? Then you know exactly how to get to this treasure that Lucidius is after?" Everyone focused their attention on Valund at that point.
"No, I don't. I know how to get deep into this cave, but it's a dead end. He must know something that I don't, which is why I signed on."
"Hmmm, then don't claim to know everything. It is our hubris that most often defeats us. That's one of the reasons many powerful vampire lords have ended up dead. They become convinced that nothing is more powerful than they, but are ultimately proven wrong. It is why I keep to the shadows."
Valund shook his head. This thing hadn't been among them for more than ten minutes, and she had already tried to put him down. He followed her sullenly as she led them deeper underground, his hand resting on the haft of his axe.
As they neared the bottom of the cavern, or at least what Valund thought was the bottom, the smell of blood became strong. In the last chamber, there were bodies strewn about as if tossed by a great wind. Most had deep wounds, either in their chests or on the neck, the only exception being one man who looked to have had the life drained from his body. Valund heard a sharp intake of breath from the back of the group, and knew instinctively that it had come from the young Argonian.
They entered the chamber and Arbell, the pale Breton girl wearing chainmail and walking with the aid of a staff, which he thought odd for one as young as her, let out an excited shout. She promptly ran over to one of the bodies and started to examine it closely, immediately giving away that she didn't need to staff to walk.
Valund watched in horror as she started to size up the corpse. She pulled out a journal from her pack and started writing rapidly. It was then that Valund realized what she was. He had heard the vampire mention it, of course, but they were known for their lies. "What is with you and the dead, old man? You have a thing for it?"
Lucidius sighed. "Arbell insisted on joining us and would not take no for an answer. In complete honesty, I would rather have someone along with her knowledge and skill with a blade than to have to do without. As for Ladia, well, I don't think anyone can tell her what to do."
"You have that right, my love," Ladia replied, her voice like silk. Valund noticed Jo'Rakha wince at the term. "So do you know where we are to go from here?"
"I believe so," Lucidius answered, pulling out a battered journal. He opened it up and started to read. "The accounts I found claimed that there was a portal hidden down here that would lead to the ancient city of Aszlechtand. I'm guessing it must be beneath the ice."
"Wait, we're looking for a dwarven city?" Valund protested, "I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into, old man. Those things are simply crawling with danger!"
"Look around you, Valund," Lucidius pointed out, "And tell me what you see. There is a reason I chose the people I did to join me. I know what I am doing. I have served the Empire for long enough to know when I am walking into danger."
Valund did as he was bid, even if the request had been rhetorical. As the old man had said, everyone in the group, with the exception of Muz-Ra, looked to be a seasoned and skilled warrior. "So if we need to get to this portal, how are we getting through the ice?"
Lucidius turned to Muz-Ra and Arbell. "I know the both of you have skills in destruction magic. Is there any way you can melt the ice?"
Arbell laughed. "Of course I can. I wasn't one of the Legion's best spellswords for no reason, you know." That comment turned Valund's head. She had been in the Legion? He could understand the cat and the old man. Hell, the old man still wore his armor, and the cat's pack was embroidered with the Legion's banner, but Arbell wore only simple chainmail. Nothing of what she carried showed any sign of having been associated with the Legion at all.
"I can help as well," Muz-Ra claimed, stepping forward to stand beside the Breton.
Lucidius nodded and looked into his journal, often glancing around the room. After a few minutes of tense silence he looked up and stared directly at one of the walls that was completely encased in ice. "That one."
The two mages nodded and stepped forward, motioning everyone to get behind them. They took a moment to ready themselves, then cast their spells, throwing thick cones of flame into the wall. The blast back of heat pulled the air from Valund's lungs, forcing him to cough and wheeze as he struggled for breath. By the time he could finally breathe again, the two mages had successfully melted enough of the snow and ice to reveal enough of a large dwarven door that they would be able to push it aside and get through.
"Well done!" Lucidius exclaimed, stepping forward, "Jo, help me with this!" The two old soldiers approached the opening and leaned their weight against it. As they pushed, the door slowly ground open. They forced it far enough apart for everyone to squeeze through, then stood back, panting, their breath forming small clouds in the cold air.
Valund watched the portal warily. An odd smell was coming from within. He couldn't place what it was, but it simply didn't feel natural. No matter what the old man said, he couldn't be prepared to face what they would find down there.
