I looked at Isran with a quirked eyebrow.* The man just scolded me for failing, and after that, he sends me on another quest.*I thought.
" What do you need me to do?"
The man began to smile, the first time I have ever seen that happen. He strikes me as a man that doesn't smile often.
" I need you to recruit two people. Sorine Jurard and Gunmar."
I got curious and decided to ask him why them.
" What's so special about them ?"
Isran paced around a bit as he swung his battleaxe a few times.* Dangerous.* I thought.
" Sorine Jurard is an expert crossbow maker interested in dwarven technology. She will be able to increase the firepower of the crossbows greatly. And enhance them a lot, that will be needed now that the enemy has the upper hand." He said, and I immediately felt guilty again, he continued." And Gunmar is a strange fellow. He served with me and the vigilant's. That man, for some reason, can tame trolls and makes impressive armor for them. He truly is a mad scientist, hahaha." Isran began to laugh as he spoke of the man.
*Well, that sounds like a job I can't fuck up... Just a simple recruiting mission.* I thought.
" Well, where do I find these people?"
"Well, you could probably find Sorine close to Darkfall cave in the reach. I got a letter from her that she was investigating a dwemer ruin there. As for Gunmar, that man can be anywhere... He never stuck to a place in particular; you would do best if you asked innkeepers or guards if they have seen a man with a troll companion." Isran said.
I frowned.* Well, great, that narrows it down a lot for him...*
" Well, I will be off then Isran, it may take a while for me to find Gunmar... Maybe a week or two." I said, As I already loathed going on a wild goose chase for the man.
I left the Castle, and on my way out of the canyon, I saw that a few soldiers were working on constructing a wooden palisade to protect the castle entrance.*smart.* I thought to myself as I waved them goodbye.
I decided to go to Ivarstead first. From there, I would continue my journey to Falkreath and, from there, towards the reach. That journey would cover the Eastern part of Skyrim and narrow the search for Gunmar a lot while still going towards the presumed location of Sorine.
It took me two days to reach Ivarstead. Upon reaching the small town, I was alarmed by a sound that shocked me to the core.
A dragon roared loudly, and I instantly scanned the sky for a sign of the beast. It was flying towards the town. All the instincts in my body told me to run the opposite way, but something in my blood began to boil as I felt the unnerving urge to rise to its challenge.
I began to sprint towards the town as the dragon had already begun its attack. It swooped down on the village, breathing fire upon it. I could make out arrows flying towards it. The town's guards were firing at it.
I readied my crossbow as I came closer. The dragon swooped down again. I aimed at its neck and shot.
It connected, the dragon roared as it spiraled down, landing on the ground leaving a small crater. I sprinted towards it but froze as it spoke.
"Dovakhin, I was looking for you. Let me test your thu'mé." It said as it breathed fire at me.
But this time, it didn't sound like a roar but as words ancient in a language unknown to me, but still, something felt familiar. **Yol toor shul** I barely rolled to the side, evading the ball of flames flying towards me.
Now on my knees, I readied my crossbow aiming at its head, and shot. The bolt flew towards the dragon, but it smacked the bolt away with its wing.
The dragon stomped towards me, spewing fire as he came closer.
" Fuck... I need to get closer to slay it." I said to myself as I hid behind a rock. I felt the vibration in the ground and knew it was right on top of me.
I jumped out of hiding, trying to swing Nightbane at its head. But it opened its jaws and bit into my sword. I could feel the metal beginning to crack. "Shit!" I yelled as I grabbed my knife and plunged it into the dragon's eye.
It roared out in pain. As it let Nightbane go, the dragon then tried biting me, but I stuck Nightbane straight through his jaw.
The weight of the dragon's head made me let go of Nightbane as it fell down.
* What I made it out of this without injuries!* I thought to myself as I began to feel all over my body.
I looked over towards the dragon, which was beginning to disintegrate. The same weird thing happened as in Whiterun. I seemed to consume its power.
The townspeople began to gather around me, chanting their thanks. And telling me, I was a hero. I just simply nodded as I made my way towards the town's inn.
Coming into the inn, I was once again cheered on.
" Thank you," I said as I moved towards the innkeeper.
The man looked at me and smiled. " Thank you, stranger!" He said, pleased. " Here is a free beer for you and a free meal if you want it."
" Thanks, I appreciate that, but I came here for another reason. I am looking for a man with an unusual companion... He walks around with an armored troll. Have you seen him by any chance?" I asked the innkeeper.
The man seemed to ponder for a while. Then, after thinking for a while, he responded.
" Ah yes! I have seen this man, and he came through town not that long ago. He was hunting a bear, he told me. I pointed him to the cave across the bridge. Maybe you can find him there."
* What luck, if Gunmar is still there, I don't have to search half of Skyrim for him.*
I gulped down my beer, thanked the man, and moved towards the cave.
Upon reaching the cave, I saw a lot of blood before the entrance, and I hastily made my way into the cave. And heard the sound of a bear roaring. What I saw a few meters in front of me intrigued me.
An armored frost troll was fighting a bear as a man circled the beasts fighting.
" Come on, Alice, kill the damned beast! I didn't train you so hard for nothing!" The man yelled in a hoarse Nord accent. I decided to watch the fight.
The troll was holding the bear down as it punched the bear's skull with its armored gauntlet. The bear, in turn, bit down on the troll's leg. The beast roared as it stuck its wrist blade in the bear's neck, killing it.
I clapped my hands as I moved closer. The man turned around, raising his weapon at me.
" That was quite the show, and you don't see that often," I said as I smiled at the man.
Gunmar looked at me, confused. " Who are you?" The tall brown-haired Nord asked me. His blue eyes looked at me, cautious.
I once again smiled as I sheathed my weapon. " I am not here to fight Gunmar, and I came to recruit you and dear Alice here."
The man looked even more confused. I, in turn, immensely enjoyed being the mysterious messenger. So I decided to dedicate a little bit more time to this role.
" Your expertise is needed, Gunmar, and it is of grave importance that you follow me!" I continued in my most sincere voice, barely containing my laughter as I never seemed to stay serious.
" Wait... Who needs me? What do you need from me?"
I decided to get to the point as I noticed the man getting annoyed.
" Isran is raising the Dawn guard to fight the rising vampire threat in Skyrim."
The man seemed taken back by my words as he looked at me seriously.
" Vampires, huh? If Isran asked for me, he is really desperate, And even more important, the threat is real."
" So you will come with me to dayspring canyon?"
The man looked at me stoically.
" No." That was his simple answer.
I looked at him, confused.
" Why not ?"
"Isran is a fool and an egotistical asshole, and I will be joining the empire sooner than him!" Gunmar told me, his voice full of spite.
I raised my eyebrow at him as I scoffed.
" Coward..."
Gunmar looked at me furiously.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
I raised my eyebrow again as I looked him dead in the eye with a fire glowing in my eyes.
" You heard me, Gunmar. You are a coward and a pitiful one at that," I said, calm and composed.
Gunmar threw his big two-handed axe on the cave floor. And charged at me furiously.
I dodged his fist as I swiftly swept him off his feet. Gunmar made contact with the hard bedrock floor, and a loud thud filled the otherwise silent cave.
" A coward and a weakling. You couldn't even lift a finger against a vampire without your troll," I said as I turned my back on him and proceeded toward the exit of the cave.
" WAIT, MILKDRINKER! I will show you how many vampires I can kill. Then, I will join your stupid Dawn guard and show your milk-drinking ass who is boss!"
I stopped right in my tracks as a broad smile crossed my face.
' Thought a proud Nord like him couldn't resist a challenge.'
I turned around and helped the downed Nord up to his feet as he smacked me across the face.
" That's for fighting dirty Imperial !" He barked as he grabbed his axe and walked with me out of the cave.
"Gunmar, do you know the way towards dayspring canyon?"
The man looked at me and smirked.
" Who do you think I am? Of course, I can. I am the best tracker in all of Skyrim. So don't you worry about me!" The man said proudly.
I smiled a little.
" Good! I have other people to find. See you at fort Dawn guard." I said as I walked in the opposite direction as Gunmar did.
The way towards The Reach was relatively uneventful. It took me about five days to reach the last known location of Sorine. And apart from some bandits who thought a fully armored traveler was easy pickings, nothing really worth mentioning happened.
The night began to fall in The Reach, and I decided to make camp and search for Sorine tomorrow.
I opened my backpack and got my flint and steel, and lit a few logs which I gathered on fire.
After that, I grabbed a rabbit I caught earlier today and stuck it on a sharp stick. As I hold it above the flames, my eyes gazed into the night sky—a beautiful green aurora formed above me as I looked at Nirns two moons. I always found the wilderness calming and beautiful.
The warm crackle of the fire was the only sound heard apart from Skyrim's wildlife.
As I filled my stomach with the rabbit, I decided it was time to sleep. As I rested my head on my backpack and pulled my cloak over me, I felt sleep take me as my eyes felt heavy.
* "Dracar! Where are you?" A female voice made me look up from my meal. " I am right here, honey," I replied.
My eyes focused on the doorway as a woman with auburn hair walked through it. Her hazel eyes met mine, and a bright smile came across her face.
" There you are. I have been looking for you everywhere. I thought you left us again without saying goodbye."
I smiled as I looked at her and got up from my chair. Then, making my way towards the woman, I opened my arms and embraced her warm and lovingly.
" I would never do that, my love. How was your trip to the capital? Did you get our children in a good school?"
I said as I softly caressed her back.
She shuddered at the feeling and snuggled deeper in my arms. A muffled yes came out of her mouth. She then looked up at me and cupped my face in her hands.
" I love you so much." She said as she softly kissed me.
But then she suddenly stopped, and I heard a horrifying gurgle come from her mouth.
I backed away slightly as I saw blood coming out of her mouth. I was horrified and screamed loudly.
Behind her stood a hooded figure with red glowing eyes staring at me. With a sword sticking out of my wife's chest.
I reached for my weapon, but there was nothing in my hilt. Then the figure took off his hood. What I saw was me with glazed blood-red eyes.
The figure then pointed the finger at me, and with a hoarse dark voice, he spoke.
** This is all your doing! You killed them... YOU.** I fell backward*
And with that, I sprung upward, tears flowing down my cheeks. As I tried regaining my surroundings, I looked around and saw that I was where I was last night. The sun started to come up over the mountains giving light to the mountainous landscape of The Reach.
" Fuck." I muttered under my breath as I slowly got up. The bitter dream still haunting my mind. Finally, I decided it was best to get to my destination to keep my mind off it.
Two hours passed, and I finally found my way to the last known location of Sorine. I looked around and saw that I was in a valley. Across from me, a small river flowed, and above the river banks were some ancient dwemer ruins. What looked to be the figure of a female was busy with some kind of altar.
I slowly made my way across the river and up the banks. As I looked to the side of me, I saw a large pouch with dwemer artifacts.
And I heard the woman above me curse loudly.
" Those fucking mudcrab assholes! When I find them, I will blow them up with a bolt!"
I slowly made my way up towards her position and spoke up.
" Hey, is your name Sorine Jurard by any chance?"
The woman looked up and immediately fired the crossbow she was holding at me. I could barely dodge the bolt as I fell down.
" WHOA WHOA WHOA! What the hell!"
I screamed as I rolled backward a bit.
The woman aimed her crossbow at me again as she glared at me.
" Who are you? And how did you find me?"
I slowly got up with my arms raised in the air.
" My name is Dracar, and I have come to recruit you, Isran. Send me," I said as I tried my hardest not to get reshot at.
" Hmm, Isran, huh? What does the man want with me ?"
She replied as she still had her crossbow aimed straight at my head.
I pointed at the crossbow and spoke up.
" Could you please lower that? See, I have my arms in the air. I don't want to hurt you."
I said as I broke a swear at the woman's aggressive stature towards me.
The woman narrowed her eyes at me again but lowered her weapon.
" Fine! But if you try anything funny, I will kill you. It's hard for a woman alone in the wilderness, you know."
" Somehow, I doubt anyone has the guts to come at you. But back to the point, Isran is recruiting people to fight the growing vampire threat. And he sent me to find you."
I said as I could finally relax a bit.
The woman seemed to ponder a little, and then she shook her head violently.
" I won't go anywhere until I have my damn dwemer gyroscopes!"
She said as she began to look around again.
I reached for the pouch I had just picked up and grabbed one of the strange artifacts.
" You mean these?"
Sorine looked at me with a hint of child-like glee glowing in her grey eyes.
" You found them! Where were they?" She said ecstatically as she ran over to me and grabbed the gyro out of my hand.
I smiled a little and happily gave the pouch to her.
"They were laying just over there on the river bank," I said as I pointed over to where I found the pouch.
She looked up at me with a smile on her face.
" You know these dwemer gyros will help Isran a lot. Now I can modify my crossbows even more ! Now you mentioned a vampire threat. What's that all about?"
I looked at her in all seriousness as I spoke up.
" Vampires are attacking from everywhere, killing innocents, and they even killed most vigilants of stendar posted in Skyrim."
I said as I lowered my eyes at the thought of brother Tolan.
" That sounds awful. Fine, I will join Isran. Where do I need to go?"
" Isran is stationed at an old castle situated in dayspring canyon. I could accompany you if you want." I told her.
She looked up at me and smiled but shook her head.
" I still have some research I need to do here; you can go on ahead; I will find my way there."
I nodded as I left Sorine at the dwemer ruins. And proceeded to make the long journey back towards Isran.
The journey back took me longer than expected as I took a few wrong turns here and there, which resulted in me coming into contact with more bandits than I felt comfortable with.
After two long weeks of traveling, I finally arrived at the cave entrance of dayspring canyon. Once I passed through the cave and made my way along the road towards the Castle. My thoughts were of a warm bath and finally sleeping in a nice warm bed.
Don't get me wrong, I love sleeping outdoors, but it leaves me with aching muscles. And because of the wrong turns I made along the way, and I didn't encounter any inns.
After a few minutes, I encountered the newly build palisade wall. Dawnguard soldiers patrolled the wall. A smile crossed my face. At least now, the vampires need to come with some force if they want to breach the gate.
I made my way towards the gate, and the soldiers aimed their crossbows at me.
" Who are you? State your business here." The soldier spoke up.
I laughed a little but then decided it was best to tell them as a warning shot was fired next to me.
" My name is Dracar, and I have just come back from recruiting Sorine Jurard and Gunmar."
The soldiers looked at each other, laughed a little, and then nodded.
" You can enter. But Isran isn't happy with you, hahaha." They said as they laughed.
'Weird guys.' I thought as I made my way up to the castle gate.
Once there, I saw Sorine and Gunmar standing there as well. They both nodded at me, and Gunmar glared at me a little.
'Probably still mad I kicked his ass.' I thought.
The three of us made our way into the Castle but were stopped in the central meeting hall. Iron gates fell down all the entryways further into the Castle. And I saw Isran standing on the upper level.
His deep authoritarian voice spoke up.
" Hold there!"
He told us as a bright blinding light surrounded us.
" Ah good, none of you are infected by the disease," Isran said.
Isran then turned his attention towards Gunmar and Sorine.
" Gunmar, I have prepared a big enough section for you to train your trolls in the dungeon of the Castle. And for you, Sorine, I have prepared a laboratory for your experiments."
They both nodded as two soldiers led them into the Castle. The Isran pointed his attention towards me.
" As for you, you got a lot of explaining to do as to what a vampire is doing here!" He boulders.
' A vampire, what the heck is he talking about?' I thought, but then it snapped, Serana.
I made my way up towards where Isran was. And as I walked into a torture room, I saw Isran and Serana standing next to each other, both glaring at each other.
I was dumbstruck as I looked at Serana. She just looked at me as stoic as ever, her glowing red eyes inspecting my every move.
Serana was the first to speak up. As she looked at me
" Okay, you probably didn't expect me here, but if you give me the chance to explain. Maybe I can help you." She said in an almost pleading tone.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
" You got a lot of nerve coming here after I trusted YOU!" I yelled at her.
She flinched at my reaction, but it was fleeting. As she quickly regained her stoic appearance.
" Idiot." She said spitefully as she glared back at me.
I looked at her furiously as I drew nightbane and pushed the blade against her throat.
" WHAT DID YOU CALL ME LEECH!" I yelled.
Serana remained calm as she softly pushed the blade away with one finger.
" If you haven't realized it yet, I saved you back there, asshole. If it weren't for me, you would have died right there and then! And if you would have looked further than your blind hatred, right now, you would have noticed the elder scroll! So I am risking my life here..." She yelled back at me.
I snapped out of my rage and saw the elder scroll hanging on her shoulders. I backed down a bit but didn't sheet nightbane.
Then Isran spoke up.
" Are you going to let yourself be charmed again, boy?"
Serena glared at him.
" You both are fools, and this Castle prohibits me from using my powers. But, Dracar, please, I am risking everything here, my life, my family. So please Dracar, why would I come here? Why would I have soothed you back in Morthal if I wasn't sincere." She said the last part almost in a whisper.
But the remark didn't go unnoticed by Isran.
" You shared an intimate moment with this vile creature!" He yelled as he unsheathed his Warhammer. Swinging it in the direction of Serana, but I stopped it with nightbane and my hand. The force of the impact made my hands tingle with pain.
" Stop Isran, and she does speak the truth even though I still don't get her intentions. She did rescue me, and she never tried to hurt me. At least consciously." I told the raging man, which has gotten even angrier at me for stopping him.
Serana then spoke up.
" I know you two don't trust me but let me prove myself..." She said as she sighed.
Isran looked at me and sheathed his weapon again.
"It is your choice, Dracar, and your responsibility. Of course, I would say kill her and take the scroll, but I will let you take that decision."
I looked at Serana which looked at me hopefully with those glowing red eyes.
I sighed.
" Fine.. you can prove yourself, but if I suspect any betrayal, I will kill you."
Isran didn't look pleased and sighed.
" Fine, Dracar, I hope you know what you are doing. As for you, you are an asset, nothing more, nothing less. And if I catch you feeding, I will put you down, remember that vermin."
Serana didn't look impressed, and she began to smile at me. A strange sensation came over me, but I nudged it back.
" Happy fellow that Isran must be fun at party's." She remarked.
" He has been through a lot at the hands of your kind Serana. But, unfortunately, the fate of his family isn't that different from mine." I told her with remorse evident in my voice.
She looked at me with sadness in her eyes, which surprised me every time.
" I am sorry, Dracar.. for that and for what happened at my father's Castle. I never meant to hurt you like that. I trust you, and I hope you will begin to trust me too."
I looked down at the ground.
" You had my trust.."
She looked hurt at that answer, but she didn't say anything.
" Now come, let's get some sleep. I had an exhausting journey." I said as I led her to my quarters.
Once in my quarters, I lit the fireplace and let the warmth of it warm my aching muscles. My gaze turned towards Serana as she was inspecting the room.
" Uhm Dracar, there is only one bed.." she said with a slight blush on her face.
I realized this only now as I looked around the room.
" Fuck... You are right." I scratched the back of my head as I was thinking of a solution to this.
" I will sleep on the ground. You go on the bed." I said as I began to grab a few blankets.
Serana grabbed my hands. I tensed up at her cold hands touching me.
" There is no need for you to sleep on the ground. The bed is big enough for both of us.." She said softly.
I blushed a little at that and laid the blankets back on the bed.
I undressed first and felt relieved to finally have the heavy Dawnguard armor off as I quickly made my way into the bed.
Serana stood in front of the bed for a moment.
" What's wrong? I won't bite you." I said as I smiled at her.
She began to laugh a little, and it almost sounded like a giggle.
It is strange she almost seemed human to me as she got in the bed. Once we both got comfortable in our respective spots. Serana was the first to break the awkward silence as we had both played in the bed for a while.
" Dracar."
I turned towards her and was met with her glowing red eyes.
" Yes, what is it?"
She smiled at me.
" Thank you for trusting me; I know this is hard for you. But, I won't betray you, I promise you.." She said softly.
" You still have to earn that Serana, and I only stuck up for you because you never seemed to want to harm me."
Her eyes lowered a bit at that remark. And I noticed it.
'By the divines, what am I thinking laying in bed with a vampire.'
" Don't get me wrong, and I appreciate the fact that you don't want to kill me. However, it's just really hard for me to trust vampires in general. And you seem to be sincere and almost human in the way you act."
She looked at me and smiled a little.
" I was human once Dracar. So, of course, I seem human. And I will do everything in my power to help you defeat my father."
There was a comfortable silence between us. Then, as we just stared at each other, my green eyes met her glowing reds.
* Fuck, what is she doing... I am so fucking confused! Why is she so kind?!* My mind was in shambles as this one woman slowly brought down everything I thought I knew about vampires.
She is so kind and caring it's not crazy that I am suspicious.
I cleared the lump that was in my throat.
"Let us go to sleep, shall we?"
She was a bit flustered by our intimate moment and then stuttered an "uhu."
We both fell into a peaceful slumber.
The next day I was the first one to wake up. I looked to the right of me to see that Serena was still asleep. She actually seemed relatively harmless while sleeping, almost cute.
Her black hair fell half over her face, and her mouth was slightly open, which showed her fangs. I grimaced at them. The events of yesterday almost made me forget she was a vampire. But the sight of her fangs brought me back to reality.
As I got out of bed, I heard her softly mumbling something.
" Where are you going? It is too early."
She groggily got up as she stretched herself. A strand of hair got in her mouth. And seeing her almost choke on it made me laugh. That earned me a glare from a very sleepy vampire.
" Owh, I get it. So you find choking people funny, huh? But, I wonder, would you still laugh if I put my hand around your neck, huh?"
As she tried lunging for me, she got stuck in the sheets and made a faceplant on the floor.
I nearly fell to the ground from laughing.
As she got up, she glared at me even more, but the sight of her forehead made me laugh even harder.
There was a significant red mark on there.
" HAHAHA, If you wanted to kiss the floor so bad, you should have asked its permission first. God so upfront!"
She glared even more, but there was a slight hint of amusement in her eyes.
" I will show you upfront." She said as she hissed at me.
I was still laughing at this point. " Owh, so scary."
At that point, the bedroom door opened violently, and a not-so amused Isran stood in the opening.
" What's all this ruckus, huh?!" The man snarled.
As he looked at the sight before him, he glared at us.
" This is no place for fun and games. We have a vampire threat to deal with. Caused by your father." The last part is directly directed to Serana.
All the amusement from a few minutes died down as the atmosphere turned dense with Serana's killer intent towards Isran and vice versa.
As the two proceeded to glare at each other, I decided it was best to deescalate the situation.
" So uh, is breakfast ready yet?"
Isran turned his attention towards me and nodded. " After you two are done, come to my study. I have a mission for you two."
With that, Isran left the room, and with him did some of the tension. Serana still looked pissed off as she quickly got out of the sheets and put the rest of her gear on.
" By the divines, I can't stand him!"
She snarled.
I patted her on the back. " You guys will grow on each other. I hope now let us get breakfast."
Serana just nodded as she stomped after me.
Breakfast wasn't entirely pleasant as nearly everyone there was giving Serana looks of distrust or hatred. I noticed it got quiet on her nerves and nudged her.
"Let us go to Isran and then get out of this place," I whispered in her ear.
She simply nodded. As she got up, everybody tensed up. Finally, she looked around the table and glared at its occupants.
" I'm here to help, just like all of you." She stated as she stormed off.
Everybody gave each other looks and then turned their attention towards me.
" I hope you know what you are doing, Dracar," Durak told me.
I quirked my eyebrow at him.
" She is right, you know. You should give her a chance. She is betraying everyone she once holds dear. And risking her life coming here." With that statement, I left the dining room. Hearing hushed whispering, but I didn't care about that.
I caught up with Serana and grabbed her arm. She looked at me, clearly distraught.
" This was a mistake." She retorted.
I looked at her and smiled a little.
" I know a guy in Riverwood who will happily give us a place to stay. We will only come back here when we need to. Does that sound okay to you?"
She nodded, and we proceeded towards Isran's quarters.
* So yeah, here it finally is, chapter five of the curse of cold harbor. I took a small break from writing because I didn't have a lot of time. Because I'm currently working hard to get my permanent contact at my work.
I hope you guys will enjoy it and give me some feedback its much appreciated.*