Chapter 2: Dimhollow Crypt
When there were no more tears left to cry Yazir stood up and grabbed his crossbow. I swear by Stendarr's light, I'll kill whoever did this! None escape the Vigil! With his heart now hardened with a cold rage, Yazir found himself focused once more. He finished searching the ruins and noticed that Brothers Adalvald, and Tolan were both missing. Perhaps they pursued the attackers, Yazir thought. He stalked outside looking for tracks, anything that would help him find where his brothers might have gone.
In the pale whiteness of the fallen snow that layered the ground, Yazir saw the dark bodies of several dead death hounds. He continued searching and found several dead vampires in the vicinity as well. The fiends! He thought furiously. Okay, where would vampires have attacked the Hall from? After a few moments of thinking, he remembered the last conversation he'd had with Keeper Carcette before he had departed for Whiterun. The leader of the Vigilants had confided to him that she had suspicions that vampires had been gathering in Dimhollow Crypt, just up the mountain from the Hall. She had planned to send a team of Vigilants to investigate once Yazir had returned.
Did I do this? He thought. Had I returned when I was supposed to, perhaps I could have saved some of them…
No. There was no time for guilt now. Not until the vampires were dead. Yazir decided that Adalvald and Tolan must have pursued the vampires to Dimhollow. They would need his help to avenge the fallen. Yazir grabbed what supplies he could and mounted his horse, spurring it on towards Dimhollow Crypt.
*
A cold chill permeated Dimhollow. Yazir knew it was cold because every time he exhaled, he could see the frost from his breath. Yet despite the obvious cold, Yazir felt nothing. Though he'd had a moment of weakness when he had first entered the crypt upon seeing Brother Tolan's body lying close to the entrance, he knew Stendarr's light was protecting him, even from the cold. The redguard continued his trek further into the depths of the crypt, slowing only to slay whatever vampire, death hound or skeleton was in the room, with little regard for his own safety.
As he progressed through the crypt, he finally found himself on a balcony at the edge of a very large cavern. He grabbed a spell tome that was sitting nearby on a pedestal, and crept to the edge of the balcony to peer over. Like most Vigiliants, Yazir was skilled in protective and healing magic, but he had made it a goal of his a while back to learn more offensive magic as well. He made a mental note to read the scroll after he had left the cave.
From below his perch on the balcony, he heard a couple of vampires speaking to each other. "--wouldn't have told us anything anyways." He heard one of them say. In the darkness he saw them walking away towards a large dais in the center of the cavern. He made his way down quietly and came upon the fresh corpse of Brother Andalvald. Yazir swore silently once more. He was too late again. Yazir crept from shadow to shadow as he approached the large dais. The vampires appeared to be protecting something in the center of the room. He needed to remove the vampires so he could get a closer look. The Vigilant counted a total of two vampires and a thrall. He aimed his crossbow carefully, and fired. His bolt flew true, and struck one of the vampires in the heart. His partner turned towards the sound and hissed.
Yazir reloaded his crossbow. There was enough distance for him to get off one more shot. By the time the redguard had a fresh bolt loaded the vampire was nearly upon him. Yazir raised it once more and fired. The vampire went down gasping for air. Yazir finished it off by taking off its head before disposing of the clueless thrall in the same fashion. He made his way to the stone pedestal in the center of the room.
*
Yazir had finally figured out the puzzle of the pedestal. He had just gotten the last of the stone goblets into position when the whole dais glowed with bright purple light. His hand itched from where the damn pedestal had stabbed him, but thankfully a quick healing spell had set him right. The redguard watched as the moment of truth finally arrived. The floor had opened to reveal that the pedestal was much larger than it originally appeared. Yazir examined it carefully. Maybe there's some sort of weapon in here, he thought. He opened the lid, and–a woman came tumbling out.
The Vigilant's instincts took hold and he stepped back, leveling his crossbow at the stranger. She slowly rose to her feet. Her hair was dark as midnight, and pulled back into tight braids. Her skin was paler than milk, and her lips were redder than his old Hammerfell garb. She was very beautiful, and Yazir knew that any other man in his position would have found themselves distracted by the way her breasts heaved with each heavy breath the woman took, as she desperately gasped in the air around her. But her beauty held no charm for the Vigilant, for it was her eyes that caught his attention. Bright blue, and glowing. She was a vampire.
Yazir took aim, and prepared to deliver a killing blow to the monster's heart. Once she was dead, he could claim the elder scroll on her back. No monster should ever possess such a relic, he thought. "Wait!" She exclaimed. Yazir was not one for mercy against such creatures so he was prepared to ignore her, but then he felt something strange. He felt the hand of Stendarr intervening, influencing him to stay his own hand. Yazir lowered his crossbow a few inches. "Speak!" He said harshly. "And pray to Stendarr, I find them worthy of my time!"
The woman looked at him with pleading eyes. "You're a vampire hunter right?" She asked. Yazir didn't move a muscle. "What do you think?" He asked softly. The woman nodded. "Look, these vampires were after me for a reason. If they knew where I was then it's even worse than you think. If you want to stop them, I need your help getting home." Yazir glared into the woman's eyes, and to his surprise, saw only the truth there. He felt Stendarr influencing him once more. "Lead the way," he said.