"Dracar, I need to tell you something..." Serana's word's sounded troubled. I pondered for a while as to what it was that was troubling the female vampire. Then, I locked eyes with her and saw that she seemed to have trouble speaking her mind.
"You know you can tell me anything," I said as I tried reassuring the female vampire. Serana looked at me with a small smile as the orange hue of a candle flickering on the end table lit up the side of her face. "I might know where one of the elder scrolls maybe." She said as she lowered her eyes to look at the ground, I looked at her confused, but before I could reply, she continued.
"Well... I haven't been entirely honest with you, Dracar... As too why I was locked up." She said in a soft low tone. I looked at her with a questioning gaze wondering what it could be that she didn't tell me. We have been traveling together for a few weeks now and have had a considerable amount of conversations.
"Well, as you might know, I was locked up in that coffin for a reason. My mother and my father were at odds because my father had taken wind of a weird prophecy... It was because of that reason I was locked up with that elder scroll I carried. My mother at the time was acting suspicious and weird, and she just wouldn't want to say to me what was wrong. Only now do I realize why she did that... It was so my father couldn't get his hands on the elder scroll, and I believe my mother has another one. I began to think of that theory when I noticed that my mother wasn't present when I returned to the castle." She explained.
"Well, do you have any idea where we could find your mother?" I asked her, intrigued.
"Yeah, that is the hard part. I have no clue as to where my mother would have gone." Serana replied as she scratched the back of her head.
"Maybe she hid in your father's castle, hahaha," I jokingly replied Serana. However, didn't laugh with me. Instead, she gave me a shocked expression as her eyes lit up excitedly.
"That is a good suggestion, Dracar! My mother spent a lot of time in her study. If we can look for clues there, we will probably find out her whereabouts." Serana said once again with excitement evident in her voice.
"So you are implying that we should knock on the castle doors and search for your mother? I don't think Harkon will let us walk in there unscathed..." I replied, grimacing at the thought of seeing Harkon again. Dragons terrified me immensely but that horrendous form Harkon took on truly petrified me with fear. It made my blood run cold just thinking about it.
"No, we won't go through the front door. There is a small port to the side of the castle which we can use. We haven't used that dockyard since we took over the castle from its former occupants. So it should be mostly safe to enter that way besides I used to spend a lot of time down there, so I know my way ." Serana replied as reminiscent of her time as a kid playing in the undercroft of the castle.
A shiver ran down my spine at her mention of former occupants. * I don't want to know what Harkon might have done to them.* I thought, grimacing at the horrendous fate that likely befell the poor residents of that castle.
"So what do you suggest should we go there after we delivered the Horn to the greybeards?" I asked Serana.
She nodded as she looked at me with a bit of a pleading gaze.
"It's certainly worthwhile to check it out, don't you think? Where else are we going to find clues the location of an elder scroll."
*Well, she had a point there it might be worth our time to check it out. The only thing that scares me is that we might run into Harkon. And I don't know if I am strong enough to face him...*
"We can do that, but the fact that we might run into your father scares me shitless..." I admitted as my voice began to crack. Serana looked at me with a reassuring smile.
"I don't think my father will expect us there, so the risk will be minimal," Serana replied as she softened her expression.
"Good cause I don't think either you or me are ready to take on your father..."
Serana nodded as a saddened expression formed on her face.
I pondered for a while on something to say to her about the likely fact. That the confrontation with her father probably wouldn't end well for one of the two. I couldn't find the right words, so I decided to hold my tongue.
After waking up the following day, we made sure to leave early in the morning, thanking Hroggi and Derngeir for their hospitality. And after a few hours of riding, Ivarstead came into view. I sighed in relief as my behind was sore because of the long ride on the horse. I groaned loudly as I got off my horse and tied it down next to the inn. After that, we proceeded to make the long climb up the mountain. Apart from a few wolves, the journey up there wasn't that significant.
High Hrothgar finally came into view as I breathe out a sigh of relief.
"Finally, we made it..." I said as I was catching my breath. Serana Chuckled as she nudged me softly. "Come on, we are almost there just a few more feet."
After opening the massive doors of High Hrothgar, we were met by Arngeir. The elderly Nord male smiled warmly as he looked at us.
"So Dracar and Serana, you both have returned from your quest. Did you find the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller?" Arngeir spoke up as he looked at us with an expecting expression.
I held up the old Horn and smiled at the elderly Nord. Then, handing it over to him, he grabbed the Horn eagerly. After that, he notioned us to follow him.
"Now our grandmaster would like to see you... I would like to ask you to keep an open mind." Arngeir told us as we followed him out to the courtyard in the back. A raging snowstorm was refraining access from a path that led up the mountain. Master Arngeir turned toward us with a bright smile on his face.
"I will let you learn a new shout from me." He said as he notioned me to step forward. I did just that, and to my surprise, he shouted at the ground, which imprinted the same ancient symbols in the ground as I embedded found on the dragon stones.
I felt the meaning of the words flow into me as I gazed upon them. Then, the same swirling Magicka appeared when I absorbed a dragon's soul poured from Arngeir into me after that transpired. The elderly man pointed towards the raging snowstorm.
"Try it out." He said.
I turned my head towards the raging snowstorm.
**LOK VAH KOOR**
I shouted, and to my surprise, the snowstorm slowly dissipated into nothingness. I was dumbfounded and slightly amazed by this.
*damn, the ancient Nords must have been very powerful with powers like this.* I thought to myself as I couldn't help but thank the divines that I wasn't born in that era. One hulking draugr who could shout was terrible enough to imagine a band of bandits who could shout would be terrifying. Now that would make adventuring much more threatening.
"That is a beneficial power, Dracar, might stop us from getting wet on a rainy day," Serana said as she was just as amazed as me. I chuckled as flashes of Serana soaked flashed through my mind.
"Or I shout up a little storm just to follow you around when you are annoying again," I replied with a smirk on my face. This earned me a slap on the shoulder from Serana. "Ass"
After we had our little fun, we made our way up the path. I had to use the power a few more times, but it wasn't like the fus ro dah shout that completely drained me, so I was okay.
Once up there, we were greeted with a dragon altar. I raised my eyebrow at that as I was scanning for the Greybeards leader. We were alerted, however, to the sound of large wings moving air. My heart rate spiked as my dragon blood began to rise.
"Dragon! How can one find us this high?!" I complained as I had my eyes fixed on the skies, searching for the origin of the sound.
"I don't know. Dracar must be your terrible luck." Serana remarked as she readied a lightning spell.
My eyes went wide as a huge shadow darkened the surrounding area. I braced myself for the incoming dragon as I hid behind my shield. For the incoming inferno, which never came instead, I glanced over at the colossal dragon, which now was perked up on the word wall.
The dragon looked different from the rest. His scales were battered and riddled with scars. From the looks of him, he seemed to be ancient. *Has this dragon been alive for centuries?* I thought to myself.
"Drem Yol Lok. Greetings, wunduniik. I am Paarthurnax. Who are you? What brings you to my strunmah…my mountain"
I was dumbfounded this dragon was actually starting a conversation with me. Highly peculiar typically about now, I would be engulfed with flames or something like that.
"Uhm, hello... I am seeking for the leader of the Greybeards."
"Ah then, you must be the Dovahkiin I have been expecting you. Do you come here for tinvaak? It's been too long since I have shared conversations with a fellow Dovah." Paarthurnax replied as he came down from his pedestal. He made his way over to me as he studied me intently.
"Yes, that I am. How did you know? As for my reason to come here, I would like to learn from you."I replied to the menacing appearance that stood before me.
"Patience Dovahkiin, it is tradition when two of the dovah meet they taste each other's thu'me," Paarthurnax replied.
I looked at the dragon with a confused expression on my face. Then the realization hit me he wanted me to shout at him.
"I only know three shouts, and I can't even understand the language of the Dovah. The words feel familiar, but the meaning is lost to me." I replied, feeling a bit ashamed that as a Dragonborn, I only knew three shouts. Proper once, yes, but I am severely lacking. You could say I am even at a disadvantage against dragons. Constantly reacting, never acting.
Paarthurnax seemed to be patient with me as what he said next perplexed me a bit.
"I could teach you how to breathe fire as the Dovah do. You might not have wings, but the dragon blood in you flows strong." Paarthurnax said.
Without another word, I saw the familiar magical swirls exiting the dragon as a tempest. They swirled around me. Filling me with knowledge of ancient words which meaning has been lost in the sands of time. I felt the power of these words flowed into me like a vortex. Dragon blood began to boil.
The dragon distracted me from the powerful feeling as it spoke to me.
"Now Dovahkiin as tradition let us engage in tinvaak, as per tradition the eldest will speak first. Now hear my thu'me." Paarthurnax said, his voice filled with extase
**yoll**
My eyes widened in shock as a blast of fire spewed out from the dragon's jaws. I was surprised, however, as the fire didn't seem to burn me. Instead, it just felt warm, just like being engulfed in the warm water of a bath.
"So Dovahkiin now you tasted my thu'me. Now let me taste yours. I am eager for tinvaak." The dragon replied excitedly.
*well, here goes, let's test out this dragon breath.*
I focused my energy, and for some reason, I felt excited as the familiar feeling of my dragon blood boil filled my being. The overwhelming power waiting to be released and heard by the world.
** yoll toor shul **
A small burst of flames exited my mouth, but it soon expanded into a massive inferno. Shooting towards the dragon, I was afraid that I overdid it. As the flames connected with Paarthurnax snow around the dragon melted, he was engulfed in a deep mist. To my surprise, as the smoke faded, the dragon seemed to be unscathed. He began to laugh loudly as he stretched his wings and took flight roaring.
After a while, he came back down and perched himself on top of the dragon altar.
"Ah, Dovahkiin, your thu'me is strong! I look forward to seeing your progress. But now the pleasantries are over. What did you want from me?" The dragon asked me.
"I am seeking for an elder scroll. Might you know where one is located?"
The dragon seemed to ponder for a while, pacing around the mountain. Each step he took shook the ground and as I inspected him. Although I was still dumbfounded by the utter size of these creatures, the fact I managed to kill a few was still something strange to me.
"Alas, Dovahkiin, I do not know the location of one of the kel an elder scroll. Why do you seek for these objects?" He asked me. "Do you perhaps seek for a way to destroy my brother?"
I was confused about his remark.
"What do you mean, your brother?"
The dragon looked at me intently as he spoke.
"I am speaking of the world eater, the black dragon, Alduin. Whatever other reason would you need a kel for?" Paarthurnax, in turn, asked with confusion evident in his speech.
"Can you elaborate? I know the dragon's seed death and destruction, but why do I have to stop your brother?" I asked him, still confused. I knew that dragons returning was terrible, but a world eater sounded more menacing than the vampire threat.
"If my brother isn't stopped, he will bring forth the end of this world. First, he will destroy the afterlife to fuel his power. And after that, he will eat the world, ending this cycle of life. Paving the way for a new world to take its place. This is his destiny, and it's yours to try and stop him, Dovahkiin." Paarthurnax replied, his speech stoic but with a hint of urgency.
My skin turned white at the thought of fighting that dragon. How does anyone expect me to defeat that humongous monster? It made short work of a town in just under an hour. How am I supposed to slay that? Anxiety filled my entire being as my fate seemed to doom me worse and worse every passing day. Finally, I glanced over at Serana which looked at me with an understanding gaze as she closed the distance between us.
"Hh-how am I supposed to beat that..." I replied weakly.
Serana rubbed her hand over my shoulder in a comforting manner. " I know you can do this, Dracar. I have seen you in action. No one is as powerful and steadfast as you. If anyone can do it, it is you!" She replied to my pleading
The dragon came closer to me as his eyes met mine.
"Dovahkiin, do you understand how your powers work? With every of the dovah, you fell by your sword, you absorb its essence. Its live force, we dragons are eternal beings, but only you and Alduin are capable of truly killing one. You are the only one that can defeat my brother. So grow stronger!" It encouraged me.
The explanation of how my power worked seemed to make sense. Every time I killed a dragon, I could feel myself growing stronger.
I once again glanced over to Serana which was looking at me with a reassuring gaze. " you can do it, Dracar, I believe in you. Remember two adventures against the world."
This seemed to fill me with a feeling of determination I didn't know I had. I straightened my back and stood up proudly.
*Even if all the odds seem to be stacked against me. I have to do this; I owe it to them.* I thought to myself as flashes of my deceased family passed through my mind.
"I will do it. I will stop Alduin!" My voice was filled with determination.
"Good Dovahkiin, sadly, I can't help you to find the kel, but I can help you make your thu'me stronger," Paarthurnax replied.
"I would like that," I said.
The next few hours I spent with Paarthurnax meditating on the meaning of the words of power. After that was done, Serana and I said our goodbyes to the dragon and renewed our search for the scrolls with newfound vigor and determination. I made sure to make a mental note to find as many shouts as possible as I needed every edge I could get to fight Alduin. But, of course, it also couldn't hurt to know a few more shouts for our inevitable fight with harkon.
Serana and I made sure to pass by Arngeir to ask him for any locations as to where to find new shouts. He marked a few sites on my map, and we resumed our journey.
After coming down from High Hrothgar, we found ourselves back in Ivarstead. It was late in the afternoon, and we decided it was best to go to the inn to discuss our plan of action.
" I am sick of only reacting. I think it's time we took the initiative," I told Serana with spite in my voice. She nodded, understanding the need to control the situation. She had a troubled look on her face, however.
"This new information from Paarthurnax complicates the situation severely Dracar. We already were on a time race against my father. Now we have to stop a freaking dragon from eating the world as well. We need a clear plan of action." She said as she rubbed her temple.
I pondered on this for a while, knowing full well she was right, but then something sprung through my mind.
"What, you seem to look excited?" She said as she quirked her eyebrow at my devious smile.
"Hear me out, your father needs the three elder scrolls just as much as we do right."
She nodded at this remark but still looked at me confused. " so?"
"Well, if he doesn't have all the scrolls, he can't fulfill the prophecy. We already own one, and it's safely stashed in castle dawnguard. Even your father would be a fool to attack a place invested with vampire hunters. And a castle that inhibits his power. So if we just find the rest of the scrolls and defeat Alduin, we can then deal with your father." I spoke triumphantly.
"That is smart of you, Dracar. You are forgetting only a tiny little detail. We only have one scroll! And no idea where to find the others." She replied stoically.
"Well, firstly, we should investigate your mother's whereabouts if we are lucky she either has the scroll or knows where it is," I told her.
Serana seemed to be reassured by that.
"And the other scroll, what about that one?" She asked me.
"Well, we could go to the college of winterhold if anybody has any clues as to where to start it is them. I really believe we can find the scrolls we make a strong team Serana. " I said as my words seemed to fluster the vampire a bit. Her cheeks began to glow a subtle red as she looked at me intently.
"I am glad you found me, Dracar," Serana replied softly. " Now, let's get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."
Fire engulfed me as I planted my shield in the cold ground. The hulking figure of a dragon stood before me, spewing its fiery inferno at me.
Serana fired ice bolt after ice bolt at the beast from her cover behind a rock.
The dragon closed in on me, its gaping mouth inching ever closer as it bit down on my shield, riping it from my grasp.
I stook nightbane up in defiance piercing the dragon's jaw. It roared out in pain as it tried to take flight.
"Oh no, you don't!" Serana screamed, conjuring up a massive ball of lightning. Shooting it at the dragon's side, the dragon was blasted sideways into a Rockwall as it connected.
"Dracar, finish it now! My Magicka is drained." She yelled at me.
I bolted towards the dragon evading its attempts to bite me. Its last effort of deviance was quickly brought to naught by my sword burrowing deeply in its skull.
After killing it, I made my way over to the word wall, letting the shout's meaning flow into my being. As at the same time, I was filled by the essence of the dragon's soul.
Serana made her way over to me.
"Well, that was easy." She said, smiling at me.
"Well, only because of you remind me never to make you pissed a lightning attack like that would eviscerate a person. So what even was that?" I said while shivers ran down my spine at the thought of a raging Serana attacking me.
"A girl never reveals all her secrets, Dracar." She purred as she winked at me.
My heart fluttered a bit at her playful flirting. After that, I began to grow a lot more attached to her. Everything about her just was exciting, exhilarating even. There never was a dull moment.
"Well, I am glad I have such a scary woman with me," I said as I emphasized the word scary.
"Excuse me, you misspoke mysterious and interesting!" Serana said with a fake angry tone.
"And beautiful." I blurted out without thinking. I mentally cursed myself for that uncontrolled outing.
Serana, however, was too lost in her thoughts to reply to me.
*He finds me beautiful?! Wow, I never expected him to be so upfront.* She thought to herself as a blush formed on her cheeks.
After taking a while to regain our breath, we continued our journey. But first, we had to find our horses which bolted after hearing the dragon roar.
* cursed animals always running away.* I thought to myself, frustrated at the fact we now had to look for our horses.
I was shaken out of my thoughts, however, at Serana speaking up.
" shouldn't we go find a new shield for you? This one has teeth marks and holes in it." She remarked, pointing at my battle battered shield.
"I suppose we could go to castle dawnguard first," I replied.
Serana sighed loudly.
"Ugh! Do we have to you know I hate the place?"
"Well, it's the only place I know off where they have a surplus of FREE fire repellent shields," I remarked, Serana seemed to understand, but her expression wasn't that of gratitude.
"Fine, but if Isran gives me one of his trademark sneers, I will drain him!" She said, irritated.
"Well, I wouldn't appreciate you sucking some other guy's blood. I thought what we had was special." I said with fake jealousy and a pouting expression.
Serana glared at me as she kicked her horse to go faster. "You, sir, are an asshole."
I just laughed loudly and urged my horse to go faster.
It didn't take that long to reach castle dawnguard. I quickly entered and grabbed myself some new supplies and heavy armor and a shield, and made my way back out. Serana had decided to stay outside as she wasn't in the mood, too, in her words. (socialize with brainless workers.)
It took us about half the day to reach the jetty. It had become dusk as we reached it. Once in there, I was the unlucky guy that needed to row again.
"How come you don't row, huh?" I remarked.
"Dracar, I am a lady. You wouldn't let me do hard labor now, wouldn't you? How unchivalrous from you." Her voice was filled with fake astoundment.
I looked at her with a quirked eyebrow, which earned me a beautiful innocent smile.
"Okay, princess."
It took a while, but with a bit of direction from Serana, we docked at the castle's west side. I was surprised at the sight of a giant cargo dock. However, that feeling soon left as we were greeted with a dozen undead skeletons firing arrows at the jetty.
"Are you fucking serious! Is everything in this castle either undead, dying, or trying to kill us!" I yelled as I held my shield up in front of Serana and me. But leaving enough room for her to shoot spells at the undead.
After Serana had dealt with the skeletons, we could safely Dock.
"You never told me about a secret way in," I spoke up.
Serana looked at me and smiled.
" I didn't think it was necessary to sneak into the castle. This dock was used by the former occupants to deliver food, and the crypts are filled with undead, so it isn't a walk in the park." Serana replied.
"Well, that makes sense. Do you know where to go?" I asked her.
"I actually spent a lot of time here when my parents were falling out with each other. I liked to escape from that reality, and these dungeons were silent and peaceful." She replied with a soft tone.
I felt anger welling up inside of me Serana is such a wonderful person. Yet, she was so abused by her parents. This seemed to make me even angrier, so I decided to talk to her.
"You must have been lonely here, with your parents engulfed in a stupid prophecy. Without friends or relatives supporting you..." I told her apologetic, feeling sorry for her fucked childhood.
"Sometimes it was quite lonely, but there were also good times. My mother and I tended a garden together. And we were actually quite close, also as a family, but then my father found that stupid prophecy, and everything went downhill from there." Serana replied with remorse in her voice. "I often wonder if we would have been a happy family if dad never found that prophecy. Luckily I had my books to keep me busy, and they provided an escape from all that family drama." She continued.
I felt sorry for her as my gaze softened as we made our way into the dungeon.
"Well, if this all hadn't happened, I might have never met you, Serana. Maybe it is stupid to say this, but I wish all vampires were like you. Before I met you, I would have never thought that a vampire could be understanding, compassionate, and a friend..." I replied with unrivaled honesty.
Serana looked at me. Her eyes glowed as she hugged me tightly.
"I am also glad I met you, Dracar. I never thought that I would deserve someone like you in my life." She whispered softly in my ear. I blushed slightly as I returned the hug.
We were too caught up in our intimate moment to realize we were being sneaked upon. As we left our embrace, I was tackled to the ground by a considerable force. I held my hands in front of my face as sharp claws clawed at my face.
" hehehehe BLOOD BLOOD GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD!" A crazed feral vampire screamed as she continued to pounce on me. Luckily for me, Serana quickly sprung into action lifting the raging vampire of me and stabbing her to death.
"Thanks!" I said as I stumbled back up my feet
"Maybe it is smart that we focus on the task at hand..." Serana remarked as she softly traced the fresh wounds on my face. "Wouldn't want your face to get battered up now, don't we."
"So my face is the only thing important to you now huh," I said playfully, then I proceeded to examine our surroundings.
We found ourselves in a damp, foul-smelling crypt. I could barely contain my rumbling stomach as I felt acid well up in my throat. The room was filled with decomposing corpses. As I looked at the sewer, water, which was supposed to be see-through, was littered with blood viscera and bones.
Black stained arches held up the ceiling as dim light from a few lit braziers filled the crypt with an eerie atmosphere. As my eyes scanned the room, I saw more than a few red eyes looking back at us as the former silent crypt filled with visceral growls.
The black hounds quickly closed in on Serana and me as saliva dripped down their vile jaws.
I rolled to the side to avoid being pounced upon by the black death hounds. These ones seemed to be bigger and more feral than the others we encountered must be because of the surplus of death corpses lying around the place.
However, I didn't have time to catch a breather as I was set upon by another vile beast. I planted nightbane between its jaws as the stench of death, and burning flesh filled my nostrils. I gagged but managed to stay focused, slicing its head open in two pieces. Pained howls left the beast's jaws as it burned by the enchantment on nightbane.
Serana had an easier time as she danced around the attacks of the vile dogs. Shooting firebolt after firebolt felling the beasts with elegance and grace.
After I took down my second death hound, the room was finally cleared of danger, and we made our way further into the crypt. I made sure to watch my every step as I was wary of traps. Who knows what intricate devices Harkon placed in these crypts.
We made our way up a small flight of stairs as we saw the lair of the feral vampire. It was riddled with bones that had fang marks embedded from a very desperate malnourished vampire.
"She must have been starving to stoop this low. She probably fell in bad graces with my dad and was banished down here to die. Still, I am impressed she made it this far, an incredible will to live." Serana remarked stoically as she picked up what looked like a journal. She then began to laugh as she was reading it.
"What is so funny?" I asked Serana, intrigued as to what was so funny.
"She thought she could take over the castle with these death hounds. It's actually regrettable to be cast down into such madness losing every conscious part of yourself." Serana remarked with a hint of melancholy in her voice. "I truly hope I will never have to face that fate..."
Serana seemed to not be her usual cheery self; ever since we entered the castle, her demeanor changed. She appeared to be more melancholic. One could almost say she was in a depressed state. So I decided to try and cheer her up with a quirky remark.
"At least you have me as your personal blood bank, so that will never happen."
Serana glanced over to me as her eyes had lost the glow that graced her beautiful red eyes a few minutes ago.
"You won't live forever, Dracar... sooner or later, I will be alone again." She said with a hint of remorse before she continued looking at me with hurt evident in her eyes. "That's the harsh truth of being a vampire. Everybody you care about either dies, or they live long enough to become evil..."
"Serana... I." I stuttered, but I couldn't finish my sentence as she cut me off.
"Just leave it, Dracar... I am doomed to a life of loneliness and betrayal. Just like you are doomed with your fate, we didn't choose this life, but we can't change our fates either." She said as her eyes met mine, empty of any emotion.
Something in me snapped at her, saying we couldn't change our fates. If there was one thing I hated, my life seemed to be dictated like an evil plan of the divines. I never asked to be a Dragonborn.
"That's bullshit, Serana, and you know it!" I spat out angrily, not at her but at her words. Serana didn't seem to be impressed by my comment as she just shrugged it off.
"It is the truth Dracar... You won't live forever. I will... as much as I would want us to be adventuring till the end of times, eventually, you too will leave me if you want it or not." She spoke softly as her voice cracked.
"Serana..." I tried to start to speak, but I wouldn't know what to say. I know she is right, so what is there to say. Listen, Serana, I want to be a vampire. I could never do that. But something inside me wanted to say it to her, and the strange thing was that that feeling would genuinely like it. So just to be with her, I shrugged the thought out of my mind, but it left me with an empty feeling in my heart.
We decided to drop the topic, well, at least for now. I wasn't done talking about this. But, like the things she said to me kept repeating in my head.
*by the divines woman... what have you done to me.* I thought to myself, gazing in the direction of the female vampire which was casually strolling through the dark corridors.
I had trouble seeing the way in front of me, so I asked Serena to cast a spell that would let me see a little. She conjured a small orb in her hand and shot it on my helmet. It shone just bright enough for me to see where I was walking. I quickly thanked her and proceeded to catch up with her.
After a while of walking through the dark dungeon corridors, a few death hounds and skeletons later. Finally, we had made it to a door that led into a vast inner courtyard. Death trees and withered flowers littered the grounds as rubble lay all over the place. Huge boulders and pieces of the walls of the castle lay spread over the ground.
In the middle of the courtyard stood a sun clock.
"Is that a sun clock? And what is this place? It looks devastated." I asked Serana, which was skulking around the place, looking through the rubble with an aura of sadness surrounding her.
Serana looked at me with a saddened expression.
"This is... no was the garden me and my mother tended too. It was a lot more- beautiful before I left. And that is actually a moon dial. " Her voice was filled with remorse as well as sadness.
"Well, it looks like someone fought ten dragons in this place... what could have happened?" I said as I looked around the devastated garden.
"My father. He probably trashed the place after my mother left him. Still, it's sad to see so much care and time was spent in this place. Well, nothing is forever... so let's find a clue as to where my mother could have gone." Serana said stoically as she continued her search for something among the rubble.
I watched the scene with a pang of hurt in my heart. It really broke my heart to see her like this. I closed in on her as I extended my hands towards her. As my arms grabbed hold of her, she flinched. But soon, she seemed to meltdown in my arms as she sobbed softly in my shoulder.
"Thank you..." She softly whispered as I caressed her hair softly.
I glanced over to the side and saw something glitter in my eye.
"What's that?" I said suddenly.
Serana looked up from our embrace into the general direction of where I was looking. Her eyes widened as she saw what it was as she bolted over to the shiny object.
"This is a moon disk! But what is it doing here? Why did my mom take it out of the moondial?" She asked, pondering what her mom's reasoning was.
"Maybe if we place it back, something will happen," I replied as Serana made her way over to the moon dial. Placing the disk in the corresponding position.
"Hmm, strange, nothing happens. But, hey, look, four more disks are missing. Quick, find them!" She said excitedly.
We soon had found the rest of the disks and placed them in their respective pads. A loud mechanism could be heard as the moondial began to turn counterclockwise. A stair leading down was revealed as we both looked at each other, baffled.
"Maybe your mother is hiding right under Harkon's nose," I remarked.
"Highly unlikely, my father would have skimmed every part of the castle by now. But we might find a clue as to where she is." She said excitingly before quickly heading down the spiral staircase.
We were greeted with a vast dining hall. *How big is this castle!?* I thought to myself, looking at the ruined state of this room. It seemed to be untouched for centuries. I took a glance across the room and noticed a dining table in the center. The sight sickened me a bit as there were skeletons seated in the chairs around the huge table.
"Okay, that is not okay! That gives me the creeps." I yelled. Serana then noticed me to be silent as to my horror. After that, the skeletons began to move.
"Great, now undead skeletons are imitating living human behavior," I remarked as I braced myself for battle. I yelped as an arrow just barely missed my face. Lucky for me, I was wearing my helmet.
"To damn close!" I yelled as I attacked the first skeletons that were charging me. The hall, once silent, was now filled with the sound of steel clashing with steel. And the eerie sound of bones shackles.
Serana and I made quick work of the skeletons as it took only one slash of my sword or one lightning bolt from Serana to (kill) them.
"I really hate walking skeletons corpses, Serana. They give me the creeps," I remarked as shivers ran down my spine. "Don't matter how much we fight them. I just can't get used to it."
Serana began to chuckle.
"Awh, come on, big baby, you kill dragons, and you are scared of a few reanimated bones and rotten bodies walking around," Serana said as she smiled deviously.
She had secretly reanimated one skeleton which was standing behind me. Tapping me on the shoulder, I turned around and fell to the ground. Serana began to laugh uncontrollably.
"Hahaha, your face! It was like, hahaha, you should have seen it, haha." She said, barely even able to speak between her laughter.
I glared at her. Secretly I felt happy, however, as Serana was smiling again.
"Boundaries, woman! Boundaries!" I yelled as I quickly killed the undead thing. Serana just seemed to be more amused by my actions.
"Awh, come don't kill Bjorn... Who is going to tell his wife that he won't make it home for dinner now." Serana said with mock horror as she held her hands in front of her mouth.
"You-are a menace to me and society, Serana," I remarked, barely able to contain a smile.
"I know you like me! Just admit it." She chirped cheerfully as she gave me a bright smile. I began to smile back at her as I pinched my fingers, trying to make the space between them as tiny as possible.
"Only this much."
Serana smirked at me as she gave me a wink.
"You know I can still sense when you are lying, Dracar. Your heartbeat betrays you." She said as she licked her lips seductively.
Heat rose to my face as a blush formed on my cheeks.
I decided it was best to keep going as the embarrassment was too much to handle right now. So we made our way up a few staircases and hallways. I grimaced every time I heard the familiar sound of bones shackling. We had fought our way through at least forty of those damn abominations of nature before finally arriving at a large room filled with those weird gargoyle statues.
"They are going to come to life as soon as we move into the room, aren't they," I said as I gritted my teeth.
Serana Chuckled at my reluctance to enter the room. "Probably, come on, mighty dragonslayer, you can handle them," Serana said as she entered the room.
I could already hear the stone statues rumble and sighed loudly, reluctantly drawing nightbane and bracing my shield. *here we go again...* I thought, as the stone sheath of the gargoyles burst, launching small pieces of stone around the ruined room.
Their loud shrieks filled the formerly silent room as they charged at us with ferocity. Serana was clearly at an advantage here as her lightning spells shot off huge pieces of their stone body. I, however, had it much more difficult I had trouble cutting through the hard stone with Nightbane. Being forced on the defensive, As the physical power of these creatures was immense.
I grimaced as I was fending off one of the creatures. Another quickly stepped in. Finally, I had quite enough of it and felt my dragon blood boil.
"ENOUGH!" I yelled.
Serana looked at me, shocked, as she tried to stop what was about to happen.
"Dracar! Not in here !" She yelled, but alas, it was too late.
I focused all my power on my being and let out a thunderous shout.
**FUS RO DAH**
The shockwave connected with the creatures shattering them into thousands of pieces. However, it made the very foundations of the room shake violently. Luckily for us, the pillars kept standing tall. Seeing what could have happened, I began to uncharacteristically thank the divine.
"What were you thinking you, idiot! The whole roof could have come crashing down! Really sometimes I wonder how you made it so far." Serana scolded me as if I was a little child. I chuckled nervously at the angry vampire scratching the back of my helmet.
"It worked, didn't it," I remarked, which seemed to make her madder as she shook her head and began to look for a way further.
"You are such an idiot, Dracar! really do you even use that head of yours?!" She replied angrily.
I decided it was best not to reply to that as I didn't want to get zapped.
We soon found a lever at the far side of the room just above a fireplace. It revealed a staircase leading upwards. Once there, Serana began to smile excitingly.
"This is my mother's study!"
So, guys, it's been a while. Sorry for my absence, but life has been quite busy. I am making ready to move out of my parent's house as I found a home! I am so excited!
Anyways I hope you liked this chapter. What do you think of this chapter and the apparently blooming romance between Serana and Dracar?
In the next chapter, will they find Serana's mother and how will Dracar deal with being in a realm filled with undead things. ( I Don't think he will be quite amused.
As always, please leave a reply or a vote. It keeps motivating me to do better and continue this story. So have a good day/night and till the next chapter.