Arven frowned to himself, one hand idly rubbing over the fresh scar on his forearm. It was faint and he knew it'd heal within a day or two, so the scar itself didn't bother him. Even though he knew it was the right thing to do, he just didn't feel comfortable with helping a vampire feed. It was better than the alternative and that brought him some comfort, but the warrior couldn't remove the gut feeling telling him it was wrong.
Serana reached out and pushed him lightly on the arm. "Arven, are you alright?"
The two were walking side by side. It was a few hours before dawn and they were getting much closer to their destination.
He nodded in response, looking over to her. "You seem a bit different."
Serana shrugged. "No one's at their best when they're starving."
Arven shook his head. "No, you're… I don't know how to say it. Intimidating?"
Serana frowned. She almost seemed slightly hurt.
"You find me intimidating?" She asked.
"No, of course not. You just seem more… powerful? You almost remind me of your father."
Serana deadpanned. "You really know how to flatter a woman, don't you?" Her voice was almost seeping with a sarcastic venom.
"No, no I didn't mean it like that." Arven sighed.
"It's fine, I understand what you're getting at," Serana replied. She flexed her hand, forming a fist over and over again. "I think it's you."
Arven blinked. "I… I don't follow."
"Well, vampires get their strength from blood, right?"
"Ah." It clicked. Of course his blood would have some kind of effect on her, it was the entire reason for his own strength.
"I don't think I've ever felt this good. At first, even the taste was- "
"You don't need to describe the taste," Arven interrupted. "Please."
"Sorry. I thought it was different, that I was just really hungry but this… energy, hasn't left me since."
Arven didn't know how to feel about it. It wasn't a bad thing, he knew that. It just made his skin crawl.
"I could probably get addicted to you, Arven," Serana said with a sly smile.
Arven was glad he had his helmet on as his cheeks turned red. He knew she was toying with him, but that didn't lessen the effect of her words.
"You're a bad person," he said.
Serana laughed. "Oh please."
"I know what you're talking about though. I'm pretty sure it's the same feeling as when I kill one of those things."
"I thought you hated that?"
Arven nodded. "I do. I hate it because it makes me feel like I'm becoming more like them, though. That's what makes me feel sick. The strength though… it does feel good."
"Just how much stronger are you now?" Serana asked. There was an almost childish curiosity behind her eyes, the deep yellow irises that stood out in the dim light of the moon.
"I've… never really thought about it," Arven said. "When I fought my first dragon, I was out for a week because of my injuries. They didn't think I'd fully heal. I'd basically lost all movement in one of my legs."
As he spoke, he could almost feel a ghostly chill running through his left leg, directly where the beast had bitten straight through his flesh with one of its fangs.
"Now, I'm rarely out for more than a day," he continued. "My armour feels like I'm just wearing regular clothing, my sword is almost like waving around a stick."
"Doesn't really sound like the worst thing in the world, if you ask me."
Arven grimaced underneath his helmet. "I suppose. Still not strong enough, though."
"Don't tell me you are power hungry. You're not the type, I can tell," Serana replied. She was staring at him, studying him as he spoke. It made him feel a little bit uneasy, but not enough that he'd say anything.
"No, but… I'm still weaker than some dragons, physically. I know I'm not as strong as Harkon and I'm pretty confident you could beat me easily."
"Really? You've never seemed afraid to take me on. Don't think I've forgotten that you had your sword out chasing me before."
"Didn't mean I thought I'd win, but I wasn't going to do nothing."
Serana let a soft smile come to her lips. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you're the Dragonborn."
As soon as she said it Arven tensed up, but Serana quickly placed her hand on his shoulder. He was calmed almost instantly. While he definitely hated the idea of being under the effects of her magic, this was one exception.
"Is this revenge for comparing you to your father?"
Serana chuckled. "No, I mean it. That kind of power could've gone to some terrible people. People who'd use it to control others, or rule over them. You, though. You just seem to want to help people."
She smiled at him again, the infuriating kind of smile that left him lost for words. "I really admire that, Arven."
The Imperial let out a deep breath. "You're far too kind to be a vampire, you realise that yeah?"
Serana frowned before shoving him. "You ass."
Arven grinned to himself beneath his helmet. "Still, I'm far from the strongest thing around. Not sure how much I can do against a master mage, either."
"You seem to know a bit of magic, couldn't you just work on that?"
Arven shook his head. "I'm terrible at magic."
"Uh, you seem to know at least some. Your conjuration is pretty decent, at least, and you're not a half-bad healer."
Arven raised a hand, waving his gauntlet around. "Enchanted gloves. Without these my conjuration is… not good."
"Really? That's, pretty surprising honestly."
Arven shrugged. "I can fight and I can yell, but that's about it."
"Can you show me?"
Arven blinked beneath his helmet. "Show you… what, exactly?"
"Your conjuration magic, without your gauntlets."
"Sure, but… why?"
"I'm curious."
Arven rolled his eyes. It didn't hurt, and it killed a bit more time so he didn't really mind. Undoing the straps on one of his gauntlets he slid it off, hanging it from his belt as he wriggled his fingers. Concentrating on letting the magicka flow to his fingers after a few moments a ball of ethereal magic was running around his exposed hand. It started to form a shape, extending out into a sword. It was working but at a much, much slower pace than it had when he was fighting the dragon.
The shadows extended, tendrils reaching out into the air to form a solid shape as the mist-like substance took on a more rigid form. By the time it was finished he was gripping the handle of a shadowy weapon. It was a sword, but it wasn't very sharp. Almost useless against something with armour, or scales.
Serana reached out and ran her finger over the blade, pursing her lips as she realised just how dull the "metal" was.
"Just how strong is that enchantment?" She asked.
"Pretty strong. One of the mages at the college owed me a favour. It does the job." After Serana had finished inspecting the weapon Arven dropped it. As soon as it hit the floor it dissipated into a fine mist.
"And your restoration magic, is that the same?"
"No, I'm actually not half bad at that.
Serana tilted her head to the side. "I thought you were terrible at magic?"
"Well, I am. Restoration is just an exception. I've been using it since I was a kid."
Serana didn't respond, but she kept looking at Arven as if waiting for him to continue. He sighed, relenting.
"My parents were priests who travelled around Cryodiil, mainly just helping people. They were both healers, it's how they met. I got a lot of exposure to injured soldiers and people from a young age, and I wanted to help." As Arven spoke, his hand started to glow with a gentle golden light. It soothed him.
"I was pretty bad, and I could tell they were frustrated with how slow I picked it up, but they tried not to show it. Even though I was terrible, I really wanted to help. They often worked themselves to the point of exhaustion trying to help people. Eventually I was good enough to treat minor wounds, and it grew from there."
Letting the glow dissipate from his hand Arven placed his glove back on, tightening the straps to lock it in place while they continued to work. "I'm far from a master, but I'm good enough. It's the only magic I can really do without any help though."
"Can you heal undead?"
Arven hesitated, thinking. "No. I never learned." It was a sensible question, especially if he was going to keep travelling with Serana. Arven just never thought he'd need it.
"Didn't think you'd ever be in a position to use it?" Serana asked.
Arven nodded.
"That's alright. What about wards?"
"You're awfully inquisitive tonight."
Serana raised her hand, letting sparks fly between her fingers. "Well, vampires are pretty good at destruction magic. Generally."
Arven cringed. He knew that, but wards weren't his strong point. "I can cast them, but… they're not the best. I generally either shout or try to kill them before they can kill me."
"You really should practise wards." Serana replied.
"I can, but I don't think it'll do much good."
Serana just stared at him with an obviously unimpressed look.
"What? I've got you to protect me, after all," Arven responded. He tried his best to imitate Serana's teasing tone. He didn't do the best job, but it worked even if he didn't realise it.
Serana felt herself blush, if only a little bit. She hadn't done that in decades. It was slightly embarrassing, and she immediately decided for some payback. Stepping out in front of Arven, she placed a hand on his chest to stop him before moving some twenty paces back. She didn't so much walk as just glide, covering the distance in a second.
"Serana…?"
"Try to get close to me," she said.
"I don't follow."
"I'm going to convince you to practise your wards, so you don't get blown up. Try to get close to me." Without any more discussion she raised a single hand, hovering an inch off of the floor with her feet dangling. A sharp sickle of ice appeared between her fingers before she threw it directly at Arven's feet. It shattered half a second later, sending sharp small icicles flying in every direction.
Arven jumped back immediately, his greaves getting scratched from the shards. He opened his mouth to tell Serana to stop but found himself dodging to the side as another icicle flew past.
Gods damn it, can't I ever have a quiet night?
Drawing his shield from his back he raised it in front of his body and hunched over, covering most of his figure with the barrier. He then started to run forward, occasionally planting his feet into the ground and using his legs to launch himself from one side to the other.
Serana let a playful grin come to her lips as she continued to throw ice at the warrior. It was entirely effortless for her, but they'd be deadly against a normal person.
After a few seconds the floor was covered in ice around the pair and Arven had closed almost the entire distance while his shield was practically hailed on. The force behind the impacts of the ice was sending jarring vibrations up his arm, but it wasn't enough to stop him.
Just as he got close enough to strike if he had his sword out, Serana held both her palms outwards towards him and send a blizzard towards the man. Thousands of tiny shards flew from her fingers as strong winds buffeted him backwards, his feet dragging in the ground as he lost all the progress he had made.
"Now, if you had a good ward this would be useless against you!" Serana called out over the sounds of howling winds. It was a good thing that they were still at least half an hour away from any town, or someone would easily hear all the commotion.
Alright, I'll show you.
"Fus!"
The blizzard parted for Arven as he surged forward, lowering his shield while reaching out with his free hand to grab for Serana as she rushed up towards him. In the blink of an eye she was within reach, but just as he went to close his hand around the collar of her clothing she disappeared into a dark, fine mist.
A moment later and Serana had re-appeared behind him with lightning crackling around her hand, aimed directly at Arven's back. There was no way the Imperial could respond in time, and as he turned around, he saw a childish, cocky smile on Serana's face.
The lightning turned into a flame and she shot a small burst directly to Arven's backside. The flames heated his armour in an instant, singing the skin underneath.
Arven yelped. He jumped, holding his behind in one hand.
Serana couldn't help herself. She laughed like a child. The sound would've been music to Arven's ears, if it hadn't been directed at him.
"Oh, hilarious,' he said as he tried to retain some dignity, turning to face her.
"It really, really is!" She replied as she continued to laugh. Despite her age, the woman still acted like a kid at times. Arven almost admired that in a way.
"Alright, alright. That's enough," he said as he placed his shield on his back once more. Serana just continued to laugh. He let out a sigh, then he whispered.
"Tiid."
For a few moments time around him stood eerily still. It was if he was staring at a perfect statue. The sensation of slowing time to a crawl still made Arven feel strange, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to abuse his power just to mess with Serana a tiny bit.
Taking a few strides forward he stopped when his nose was barely an inch away from Serana's. Then, time resumed. The expression on Serana's face went from one of delight and joy to pure shock in a second. Her laughter cut short, and she hiccupped while scrambling back. Then, she hiccupped again.
"How did you d-hic, that?" She asked while covering her mouth.
Arven tried not to laugh. He succeeded in a way, but just ended up snorting.
"Oh, come on, that's not funn-hic!"
Suddenly, Arven failed in his attempt not to laugh. It was the first time he'd properly laughed in a long, long time. It felt good.
Serana grumbled to herself, trying to keep her mouth shut while her entire body jumped ever so slightly every time she hiccupped. Despite her frustration, she liked watching Arven laugh. It was the most open he had been with his emotions, aside from his outburst about her feeding.
You ass, Serana thought with a gentle smile.
Serana stopped hiccupping shortly afterwards, much to Arven's disappointment. They continued to walk towards Dragon Bridge as the moonlight began to fade with the sun barely beginning to peak over the horizon. As they walked Arven was idly practicing wards in his left hand. He hadn't told Serana, but he took that 'demonstration' to heart. On and off again he summoned a ward projecting from his left hand, starting off with something small and weak before putting more and more magicka into it until it became too concentrated for him to handle.
The Imperial repeated that over and over as they walked. His magicka reserves were drained slightly as a result but not enough to significantly disadvantage him if he needed it. The spell did take some concentration though, which was why he took a few steps past Serana without noticing it as she stopped dead in her tracks.
He turned to face her. "Serana?"
She was looking straight ahead. The road curved around to the left however Arven knew it eventually turned back to continue on to their destination. A rough guess figured that Serana was staring directly through to the main bridge that carried them to the town.
"Blood."
Arven frowned. "How far away?"
"Not too far. It's fresh." Without waiting any longer, she burst out into a run, looking behind to make sure Arven followed. He did and the two of them ran off the path, directly through the forest. Arven stuck behind Serana most of the way with the forest being too dark for him to properly see and the last thing he wanted was to trip on a root or stone like a fool.
After a few more minutes they burst out onto the road once more, following it for a couple hundred meters until they came upon the source of the blood, with Dragon Bridge visible slightly further down the road. A cart had been overturned with the corpses of Imperial soldiers sprawled along the floor with one or two non-uniformed bodies. Even the horse dragging the carriage had been slain.
Arven walked over to one of the soldiers, only to stop when he realized just how badly the man had been attacked. His arm had been torn off, along with a chunk of flesh in his neck. The sight made him feel ill.
"Vampires. Not really a surprise, I guess," said Serana as she crouched over one of the other bodies. She seemed visibly angry. Not just upset, but pissed.
Arven sighed softly to himself. He knew it wasn't his fault but a part of him felt incredibly guilty for not arriving an hour earlier.
If I wasn't so busy sleeping in and befriending a damn Vampire, I would've gotten here on time.
He shook his head at the thought. It was wrong and he knew it, but the voice was still as present as ever.
Looking back at Serana he saw the woman opening a bloodied note, scanning over it briefly.
"Forebear's holdout, they've got the Moth Priest. Do you know it?" She asked as she crumpled the paper and stood back up.
Arven nodded. "I know of it." Without another word he started to jog off, following tracks made by a man who was being dragged with his feet bound together. His guilt surged as he was leaving corpses to rot underneath the rising sun, but he ignored it.
I'll come back. First, I have to make sure no one else dies.
"Looks like they're in a hurry, they haven't exactly been subtle about this all," Arven said.
"A lot of the vampires I know are cocky, this doesn't really surprise me."
Arven grunted to himself. It was strange. Some vampires he had dealt with had been incredibly cautious and clever. They lived among society for decades, not causing a commotion until they had one small slip up. Others didn't care, and seemed to thrive on their reputation.
"Why wouldn't they bring the priest back to the Castle straight away? Surely that'd be safer," Arven asked.
"Might be too dangerous. I don't know much about these priests, but they can probably defend themselves. A trip that long with an uncooperative hostage wouldn't be fun."
Arven nodded in response. It didn't take long for them to reach the entrance to the holdout. It looked like nothing more than an entrance to any ordinary cave. The only thing that made it different was a fresh set of footprints leading into it. He looked back to Serana who just nodded to signal that she was ready, and Arven stepped foot into the cave.
It quickly became almost pitch black, making it near impossible to move at anything faster than a crawl. For Arven, at least. Serana was fine. Before long the sound of rushing water came to greet the warrior's ears, something which he was thankful for. At least he wouldn't need to worry about the sound of his footsteps.
Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a small vial filled with an off-green liquid. He'd had it for a while now, but he was told by an alchemist that it shouldn't expire any time soon. After drinking it down and struggling not to let a sour expression form on his face from the taste of it, light slowly began to trickle into his surroundings. Considering how Vampire's seemed to love hiding in dark places it just made sense to always have a potion of night eye readily available.
The narrow path soon opened up into a large, wide cavern. It was large enough that the ruins of a large fort could be seen taking up the majority of the area. It was large enough to house a small barracks, if needed.
Who in their right mind would build a fort inside of a cave?
Between the two of them and the fort was a stream of running water with a bridge off to their side. Not only that, but Death Hounds. Far too many Death Hounds for Arven's liking.
By far the most prominent item in the cavern however was a shield of magicka surrounding what seemed to be runes, positioned in the middle of the fort. Just as the Imperial was struggling to figure out what it was, a voice started to echo around them, bouncing off the walls and roof of the cave.
"The more you fight me, the more you will suffer, mortal," said the voice.
"I will resist you, monster. I must!" Said another, replying in a defiant tone.
Arven turned to Serana. "That'll be our Moth Priest," he said in a hushed whisper.
Serana reached out to grab his shoulder. Arven looked down at her hand, but he didn't pull back. "I know that voice," she said. "Malkus. He's old, be careful."
Arven nodded. "Not a Vampire Lord, though?" He asked
Serana shook her head.
"Then we have nothing to worry about."
Stepping further out into the cavern, Arven and Serana stood on a raised platform. The only path towards the fort seemed to be down towards the bridge, following that over before approaching the entrance to the fort which was placed almost as far away from the bridge as possible.
Figures, whoever built this would want to make it easy to defend.
"Serana, do you know any silent magic?"
Serana tilted her head. "Not really. Destruction magic is great for showing off, not the opposite."
Arven sighed. "Alright, just… stay put for a moment."
Serana raised an eyebrow. "And who put you in charge of our little mission?" She said playfully, a grin on her lips. "I could easily just handle this myself, you know."
Arven opened his arms, signaling to the fort. "Be my guest."
The vampire paused. She seemed as if she was seriously considering it for a moment. "No, I don't think I will," she finally said as she sat down on the floor cross-legged. She looked to Arven with the excitement reminiscent of a child. "I want to see how you handle this. Don't worry, I'll help if you need it."
This is like a damn game to her.
"If we can sneak up on them it's safer for the priest. We make ourselves known too early and they might rush it and kill him by accident, or purposefully to keep us from getting to him," she continued with a more serious expression. "I can try, but I don't know if I can handle them all fast enough. It's best for the priest if you can get us closer."
Arven nodded, Serana's care helping to silence the voice of doubt in the back of his mind. Regardless, he extended a hand and let magicka swirl around his fingers once more. In the same manner as he always did, he ended up with an ethereal bow in his left hand while tendrils of purple smoke danced around his right, waiting to be formed into arrows. He looked out for as many of the hounds as he could find.
Five close by, more in the fort.
"Tiid."
As he did before, Arven slowed time. The hounds walked in a manner that seemed unnatural, their red glowing eyes sticking out like luminescent bugs in the darkness of the cavern. Easy targets.
One by one Arven drew his bow and fired off an arrow, each one striking the hounds as close to the heart as possible. He hit three of them dead-on, but the last two were slightly off. The first three dropped without a sound, but the last two ever so slowly began to react to the immense pain they now felt. Just as the shout was running out Arven fired off two more arrows, managing to successfully kill the final hounds just in time.
From his perspective it took a few seconds. For Serana, it was over within the blink of an eye. As the shout faded the warrior looked back to her with a satisfied grin beneath his helmet. Serana glared at him, instantly reminded of her bout of hiccups from before.
"Show off," she muttered to him.
Arven ignored her, instead looking back out to the fort. He hadn't been noticed just yet. It seemed as if all attention was on the vampire's captive.
"How much longer can you keep this up, Moth Priest? Your mind was strong, but you're exhausted from the struggle," called the voice from earlier. It seemed cocky. Arrogant. It infuriated Arven just listening to him.
Arven couldn't hear any response, but Serana did. She walked up to him. "We need to hurry," she said. "He's weaker than I thought."
Arven nodded. "Follow me. The moment they notice us, go straight up and try to stop them from whatever they're doing. I'll follow and clear the rest out."
Without waiting for a response Arven ran down the descent towards the bridge. He kept his bow summoned for the time being as he noticed more pairs of red eyes emerging from behind the walls of the cavern and large stalagmites along the floor. A pair of the hounds noticed him, deep growls coming from their decayed heads.
Before they could warn anyone though each had another arrow through the heart or head. They dropped instantly. Seconds later and Arven was running across the bridge. His plated boots let out a loud clang as they struck stone making him cringe but thankfully the river underneath dulled most of the sound.
Soon they were both running alongside the outer wall of the fort, sprinting towards the entrance. Further up two vampires were standing outside the entrance to the gate. Somehow they hadn't noticed Arven yet and he counted his blessings before moving to draw his bow once again.
Just as he was ready to shoot, he caught the sight of something in the corner of his vision. He came to a stop as fast as he could, his bow dissipating as he lost concentration while he ended up only feet away from a rune sketched into the ground. He managed to avoid it himself, but rocks and debris ended up being kicked from his boots, flying over the rune and disturbing it.
Shit!
Drawing his shield just in time he was deafened momentarily as the rune exploded, a pillar of fire shooting up into the air. Ears ringing, Arven stood up while drawing his sword to ready himself as the flames died down. The moment he did the two vampires he saw just before were upon him, one attacking with a hammer and the other with an axe.
Almost immediately Serana shot up into the air as mist trailed behind her. Her eyes were vibrant and sparks danced around her body before she shot off a powerful bolt of lightning in the direction of the magicka shield. Arven couldn't see over the walls but he trusted her to save the priest, allowing him to focus on his current fight.
He stepped back, dodging the initial swings of his attackers before stepping back in and stabbing with Dawnbreaker to pierce through the stomach of one of the vampires. However, while he expected a cry of pain or at least the sound of flesh being burnt, nothing came.
Not vampires, thralls!
The man he stabbed didn't even flinch, his mind under such a powerful spell that he was nothing more than an enslaved corpse to do his master's bidding. The two thralls continued to attack, both swinging from either side as if trying to attack Arven from either flank.
Unable to free Dawnbreaker in time Arven let the weapon go, raising his shield to block the hammer coming from his left while grabbing the hand of the other thrall, stopping the axe in place. While thralls were dangerous, they lacked the strength of their masters. Squeezing down as tightly as he could he managed to crush the wrist of one, forcing the axe to fall free from the thralls' grip.
The enslaved man pulled back, looking down at its disfigured hand with a blank expression while Arven turned to punch the other in the face. His gauntleted hand made direct contact, breaking the nose of the other thrall before the Imperial continued on to slam the rim of his shield into its mouth. He attacked with his shield again and again, continuing until the enslaved man dropped to the floor with a bloodied, mashed face.
By the time he had slain one, the other was upon him again. The thrall had no weapon and only one working hand but that didn't stop it as it swung wildly. Each of its fists rebounded off of Arven's shield, a sickening crack coming when the broken hand hit metal.
After each strike Arven shoved back with his shield, forcing the thrall further and further back until he made it stumble backwards. After pushing it off balance the Imperial lowered his shield and reached out, grasping his sword by the hilt to free it from the falling man. Two more steps forward and he rammed the blade into its skull, finishing it off.
Throughout the fight blasts of lightning continued to erupt above him on top of the fort, the occasional burst of energy flying well over his head. He trusted Serana to be fine but he still wanted to rush up there as quickly as he could.
After bursting through the front gates to the fort which had long since rotted away, Arven was immediately greeted by two arrows rushing to meet him. He'd assumed that everyone inside would've been distracted by Serana. He was wrong.
The first skimmed past his waist, rebounding off of the plate while the second buried itself into his left shoulder. The armour prevented it from piercing through his shoulder but it still sunk in deep enough to hurt. Gritting his teeth in pain he continued forward, running directly for the stairs. While the pain was distracting it wasn't fatal, however a secondary effect slowly began to make itself known. His vision faded, the darkness once more filling his eyes as the only sources of light came from the glow of the magicka shield on top of the fort and the blasts of lightning being shot off from Serana.
Damn, that potion shouldn't be running out yet!
Before he had more time to think, he needed to protect himself from any further volleys. Taking his helmet off Arven inhaled deeply before opening his jaw as widely as he could.
"Yol Toor Shul!"
Flames burst from his mouth, erupting in a blinding light that shot towards the two archers standing on top of the fort. Each one ducked for cover as the entire cavern was immediately illuminated, with two arrows heading towards Arven being burnt to a crisp within a second. The ground and even the stone around him caught fire providing some form of light as he continued on, rushing up the stairs with his sword drawn.
He quickly advanced upon the first vampire who managed to fire off one more arrow. Arven blocked it with his shield then bashed the vampire with a backhand, his shield knocking the bow free from the vampire's hand. His shoulder ached as he used it but Arven did his best to ignore it as he slashed out with Dawnbreaker, burying it deep into the vampire's neck. Instead of pushing the fresh corpse to the side he reached out to grab hold of the now dead vampire by the shirt, using it as a shield as he advanced forward. The other archer panicked, looking around for an avenue of escape. Unfortunately for her, one direction had Serana and the other had Arven.
Deciding to try her luck the vampire drew her sword and charged with a scream, aiming to pierce her blade through her comrade and directly into Arven's gut. The Imperial was one step ahead of her. Arven threw the body as he got close enough, launching it forward to try and knock the vampire down from the weight of it. The vampire was too quick. As Arven prepared to strike with Dawnbreaker the vampire ducked to the side, dodging the corpse while spinning to strike with her sword aimed directly at Arven's head.
Arven tried to raise his shield but pain shot through his arm, the arrow still lodged in deep. He couldn't raise it in time and instead tried to pivot away from the blade. The metal caught his flesh, slicing through his cheek and the bridge of his nose, narrowly missing his eye by less than an inch. Not deep enough to cause permanent damage, but deep enough to hurt.
With a defiant growl he turned back and attacked with Dawnbreaker. The vampire managed to block the first strike, but Arven was too strong. He knocked her blade free from her hand and he struck again, this time severing her hand from her wrist. One more slice mimicked his injury in a more severe fashion, almost severing her nose while blinding her in one eye before he stabbed her cleanly through the skull.
Finally, the cavern fell silent, except for the sound of the Imperial struggling for breath. He looked around, only one eye open as the other was blinded by fresh blood. Serana stood some twenty meters away, next to the shield of magicka with a group of 5 or so corpses lying about her. Each one's body was singed or charred. Serana herself seemed entirely fine.
The Vampire Lord turned to Arven with a proud, confident smile, yet her expression changed in an instant as she noticed the blood on his face.
"Arven!" She called out as she ran to him. Serana reached up with both hands, cupping his face gently while avoiding the fresh gash. "What happened?" She seemed legitimately concerned.
Arven just blinked, smiling to her. "I got a little cut? No big deal."
"No big deal? You could've lost your head!"
Please, that's a gross exaggeration.
Suddenly, Serana stepped back, keeping her hands to herself as she looked away.
What was that- oh. Blood.
Arven planted Dawnbreaker into the ground and dropped his shield before removing his gauntlet from his right hand. A part of him was angry at Serana, but he couldn't blame her, really. After removing his gauntlet he started to work on the pauldron of his left shoulder. He first ripped the arrow out with a grunt of pain, then slowly removed his armour until his shoulder was bare.
"Oh god, you aren't stripping again are you?" Serana asked.
"Very funny." Arven placed his hand on his shoulder then let a gentle glow erupt from his hand. The restoration magic quickly sealed the wound, knitting flesh together. "I take it you didn't have any issues?"
Serana shook her head. "Malkus tried to negotiate. I wasn't in a talking mood." She motioned over her shoulder to a corpse that was in terrible shape. One of its legs had been blown off and the entire figure had been burnt to a crisp by lightning. Arven cringed.
She's a savage vampire. Nothing else.
He closed his eyes, fighting away the thoughts that came to mind. He had been just as brutal to the thralls, he reminded himself.
"Well, I'm glad you're alright." After fixing his shoulder he moved to his face. It took a minute but soon the wound had been sealed with only the faintest of scars left as a reminder. Serana walked up to him once more, getting close and peering intently at his skin. She was only a few inches away.
"Can I help you?" Arven asked.
"Just seeing how good your restoration is. I wasn't sure if that would leave a scar."
"Don't you have insane eyesight? Surely you could see that from where you were."
"Yeah, but this way makes you more uncomfortable," she said with a grin. "You're okay, though? You didn't get hurt anywhere else?"
Arven shook his head, causing Serana to smile. It was a strange feeling, having someone almost doting on him after a fight. Normally he'd be the one trying to find survivors, or treating the wounded. He wasn't sure how to feel.
"Anyway," he said. "Shall we talk to our priest?"
The two of them walked over to the magicka shield. Closer up, Arven could see a lone elderly man standing in the middle of the shield. Arven reached out with a finger and touched the shield only to be repelled instantly.
"Any idea how we get through?" He asked. Without responding Serana held up a strange stone, waving it in her hand before she walked over to a console-like device. After placing it in a socket, the shield disappeared.
"Just be careful approaching him," she called out.
Arven nodded, walking over towards the man. The priest was breathing heavily, head down. He didn't respond to Arven's approach.
"Friend, are you alright? My name is Arven, I'm with th- "
Arven was cut off immediately as the priest raised his head with a horrible growl. The priest charged, a dagger drawn and aimed directly for Arven's throat. The Imperial took half a step back and reached out to block the attack but the priest was suddenly stopped in his tracks, paralyzed.
Arven, blinked, confused. It wasn't until he looked past the priest that he saw Serana standing with an extended hand, her eyes glaring at the priest as she did something.
Whatever she did seemed to work though. The priests' eyes suddenly cleared up and Serana let him go, the man stumbling to the floor while coughing.
"That… wasn't me," he said in between ragged breaths. "I could see through my eyes, but I could not control my actions."
Arven stepped forward and extended a hand. The priest caught it, using it to pull himself up. After standing the elderly man turned to face Serana.
"Thank you for breaking that foul vampire's hold over me," he said.
"Are you alright? They didn't injure you?" Arven asked.
"I'm quite alright, thanks to you both. Dexion Evicus is my name. I'm a Moth Priest of the White Gold Tower." The priest extended his hand and Arven took it as Serana walked back over to them both.
"I'm Arven, and this is Serana."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. These vampires claimed they had some purpose in store for me, but they wouldn't say what. Probably holding me for ransom, the fools."
Serana laughed at that.
"I know why the needed you," Arven said. "We need you for the same purpose."
The priest perked up. "Oh, you do? Alright then! No more mysteries."
"I'm… We're, members of the Dawnguard, and we need you to read an Elder Scroll."
The priest's eyes widened instantly. "You have an Elder Scroll? Remarkable! If my knowledge of history serves me, I recall that the Dawnguard was an ancient order of vampire hunters." As he said that, he looked over to Serana. He was obviously confused.
Serana just shrugged.
"Well, I will be happy to assist you with your Elder Scroll. Just tell me where I need to go."
"Do you know of Stendarr's Beacon?" Arven asked.
"That I do."
"We're at Fort Dawnguard, it's close by."
"Very well. I'll hurry on my way there before more of those vampires turn up."
The priest nodded his thanks once more before turning back to the entrance of the cave.
"Hang on, you can travel with us if you'd like," Arven said. "We'd be happy to escort you."
The priest just shook his head. "That's quite alright. I appreciate the sentiment, however there are some things I wish to take care of on the way. I'll be at your Fort as quickly as I am able."
With that, the priest set off, leaving Serana and Arven standing in the ruins of the fort surrounded by corpses of vampires.
"Do we have to go back to the Fort?" Serana asked.
"Yes…" Arven replied. Serana let out a groan.
She's acting like a damn teenager.
"I can't stand that place. Its wards make me feel awful, and everyone there gives me the most uncomfortable looks."
"I can't begin to imagine why."
"Hey, do you want to take a quick break before we head off?" She asked. Serana had turned back to him, studying his face.
"I'm fine Serana, thank you."
"Are you sure? You did just get stabbed in the face." She had gotten closer to him again her brow furrowed as she looked him over.
"Just a scratch."
Serana sighed. "A scratch, huh?" She shook her head, turning to the entrance of the cavern after she was satisfied that the Imperial was alright. "Just be more careful next time, okay? You had me worried. It's a bit of a shock seeing you with blood all over your face."
With that Serana began to walk back, heading towards the staircase to descend from the top of the fort. Meanwhile, Arven stood with a tight feeling in his chest. He didn't know what to say. She seemed to be sincere in her worry for him, something which confused the man greatly.
He let out a deep breath.
Out of all the things to be concerned about now, this isn't one of them.
Jogging for a moment to catch back up to Serana he walked along her side as they excited the cave, emerging back out into the open. The sun had finally breached the horizon, the light of dawn bathing over him. To his side Serana already had her hood on, recoiling from the direct sunlight.
"I'm going to clean up the ambush. Those soldiers don't deserve to be left out there," Arven said. "You should go on towards Dragon Bridge and rent an inn. I'll catch up and we can get some rest, then head out at dusk again.
Serana turned to him. "I'll help. My kind did that, I want to do what I can to help," she responded. "If you don't mind, of course."
"I'd really appreciate that, thank you."
She looked back to him, giving him a brilliant smile that made his heart stop. No matter anyone's opinion of her, no sane person could deny her beauty.
"You're very welcome, Arven."
Hello again! Back with another chapter. Apologies again for the delay, unfortunately I don't have as much time to work on this as I'd like to. I'll keep working away at it though, it may just be longer in between updates. I made this chapter slightly longer to hopefully compensate for the delay though. I hope you all like it!
Once again thank you for any feedback, follows or favourites. I greatly enjoy hearing everything you all have to say!