"Cura, please talk to me, my friend!" Inigo pleaded to his deathly silent friend as they trekked through the forests of the Rift.
The silence she maintained since having been banished from the castle was deafening.
Shadows cast over her disheartened face, but Inigo could see beyond the darkness of the world and into Cura's own darkness.
"I am most concerned for you, my friend." Inigo expressed. "Maybe a nap and a snack can help you, yes?"
"There's too much to deal with..." Cura finally spoke. "Just too much..." Her tone was weary and beaten down.
"Well, maybe that is more of a reason why you need a nap and a snack!" Inigo stated, trying to be friendly. "Then the world will not seem so overwhelming!"
Cura turned around and glared at him. "The Vampires have an Elder Scroll. Keeper Carcette is one of them. Serana is a Volkihar vampire." Her eyes seemed to only see through her steadfast ally, however. "It can't be more dire than this!"
Inigo paused in shock. "Wait... your leader is alive?" It made sense; after all, they did not find her corpse inside the ruins of the Hall of the Vigilant.
"She's not alive! She's undead... and she lost her left eye!" Cura choked up. "Worse still, she's a member of the Volkihar court! Did you miss that part?"
"So? Let her drive them crazy instead." Inigo joked. "Maybe she will turn into the Olaf One-Eye for Vampires instead of dragons, heheh!"
His joke did not resonate with the distressed Breton. She had many worries of her own now.
"I... can't do this." Cura shuddered. "If we have to fight the vampires, I will have to kill her... or watch the others do it. I...I can't do that."
"So what side are you on, then?" Inigo was confused by the implications in her speech.
"I don't know, Inigo." Cura said. "I just don't know anymore. I feel so lost... it seems that every time I think things are getting better, I get hit with nastier surprises... and Stendarr continues to hide his face from me."
Inigo shook his head. "Maybe it is in these bad events that he reveals his face, like a bad waterfall you poke your head through."
"What are you talking about?" Cura raised an eyebrow. It made no sense to her at all.
"Maybe you are experiencing his mercy through the bad." Inigo elaborated further. "Perhaps things are this bad, but S'rendarr is preventing them from getting worse! He is above you, blocking the waterfall from completely sweeping you away."
Cura scratched her chin, and then shook her head. "I don't want to be at the mercy of this 'waterfall'. I want to redirect the flow of it-send it somewhere else!"
"Then you need to step out from under it." Inigo told her. "Take a nap, and eat a snack. Believe me, it works!" He tapped his chest for emphasis.
Cura sighed. She barely had any energy to argue to begin with. "Okay, okay. Let's go to Stendarr's Beacon, and I'll rest inside."
Inigo nodded enthusiastically and the pair continued up the Rift mountainside. It was best they kept to higher ground, as Cura was in no condition for another battle.
Under the cover of the early morning shade and travelling at supernatural speed, Stalf, Salonia and Carcette flew over the mountains and forests of Skyrim. They began their voyage at the castle and found themselves passing the Pale.
Carcette saw the smoke of the Hall of the Vigilant still slowly rising over the small mountains and swiftly landed there before it. It was not long now until sunrise; she was beginning to weigh her options. This seemed the perfect place to do so.
This place was old and rickety, but she had many memories there. For two decades she kept it running, and kept the Shrine alive.
And now she was accompanied by the very ones who demolished it. As much as she's been fighting the urge to kill them both up until this point, she knew this moment was not the right one.
"Why are we stopping here?" Salonia demanded to know. "This place is gone. Get over it already. You have a new master."
Carcette did not take kindly to that remark. "Harkon placed me above the two of you. I suppose it is kind of poetic that we would look upon my birthplace." She walked past the Blue Mountain flower lain upon the steps and headed inside. "This was where Keeper Carcette died." She stated it as if it were a fact as she walked past the bodies strewn about the floor.
Stalf swayed to the side with his arms crossed. "Well, you did fight well, for a mortal. I'll give you that. Why are we here?"
"There is something I need to check for, in our vault downstairs." Carcette recalled the Staff of Ruunvald. If she could use it to control these two fools, then perhaps she could make them attack the court-Salonia attack Orthjolf and Stalf attack Vingalmo. It would send the court spiralling into chaos and accusations as the two big leaders would point the finger at one another, assuming it was them who sent their underlings to carry out the deed. They would surely be dead, so who would be able to confess or warn them of her?
In that confusion she could buy the Vigil, the Dawnguard, and Cura more time to act.
Before they had left the castle, she'd already written a letter addressed to Brother Adalvald with important details concerning the Bloodstone Chalice and how to proceed. Now, she needed to find a Courier discreetly to hand it to.
Perhaps growing up in High Rock let her learn the ways of subterfuge and political meandering.
"You're wasting our time. Lord Harkon will hear of this!" Stalf snorted and was met with no response.
Carcette walked amongst the ruins of her beloved Hall of the Vigilant, a ghost amidst the ashes of the comfortable home she left behind.
Sadness filled her chest when she walked past her ruined bed chamber, buried under the roof. It was a damned shame.
All of these men and women who lay in the soot around her were once her allies; men and women with steadfast faith and hearts geared towards justice.
Ambitious men and women who sought a world free of dark corruption.
Honest, hardworking and true, to the bitter end of their lives.
She hadn't known many of their names by heart, but she knew them by their actions and by their works.
Their killers would not go unpunished. The suffering the Daedra cause will not go unpunished.
Carcette noticed the broken Shrine of Stendarr, split asunder on the floor. Asad state to be in, for a shrine.
She bent down and touched the drinking horn of Stendarr and placed it back on the split table. It deserved more respect than to be broken and lying in blood on the floor.
The fact that Carcette could touch it both concerned her and gave her hope. It either meant her prayers as Keeper were meaningless as evil could touch the Shrine, or it meant that Stendarr hadn't turned his face from her after all.
Were they wrong after all? The Keepers, with their wisdom, wrong? Could Vampires be saved?
A small, amused smile found its way onto her face. Maybe Cura was the wisest among them, opening her mind to possibilities.
She launched the heavy debris out of her way and descended the stairs into the basement.
The place was scorched beyond reason on its western half, and a burnt vampire's corpse lay mangled against the wall. That fire was concentrated in one direction, with great force.
Cura, she presumed. She must have come here. The blue flower on the front steps suddenly made sense. Carcette always loved the Blue Mountain Flowers, and she knew that. It was a sweet gesture, even if it was unfounded, as she lived.
She noticed Moric Sidrey lying on the ground, with closed eyes. His skin was deathly pale and gray and his hands were positioned on his chest peacefully.
Carcette went down on one knee and touched Moric's hands. "Moric, I'm sorry for how I've treated you. You've done so much more for our cause than we realized. I will see your death avenged, I swear it." When she placed a hand on him, she nudged him and caused something to slip out of his satchel.
A journal of some kind.
She decided to see what it was about, looking to the last entry.
"Day 82,
Skyrim Vigil of Stendarr; the Pale
Something cold has been lingering in the air lately, and every fiber of my being is telling me that it would be best if I just left.
I could not do it again.
When I left the last time, I was certain that Carcette would have had an easy time getting it into ship-shape; that I was unneeded here.
And, I would say she has. I will admit, we settled on an unorthodox location for a base of operations, but that was where the idea to leave came to me. I thought it would be best if we could spread our influence to multiple corners of the Province. Then we would sandwich the Daedric abominations within their own borders.
But after much time and with limited success, I now realize that Skyrim itself is a whole other beast to be slain. Gathering resources, bypassing war fronts, and making buildings without the Jarl's sway could be nigh impossible in the harsh weather and climates of the natural and political sort.
'Skyrim may be east of our homeland,' Carcette's words, 'but it is biometically different to the Iliac Bay.' rung true. I hadn't considered the prospect.
Ah, Bhoriane. Not a day goes by that I don't miss your luscious vineyards and rolling green hills. You are the shining pearl of the Iliac.
I still remember the day I first met Carcette, on that cold Autumn's eve. Eyes stained with tears and burning with determination to join the Vigil of Stendarr, outside the Sacred Light of Stendarr. Without hesitation, I could see that she would make a great Daedra huntress, and her devotion to Stendarr was steadfast and unyielding. We could ask for nothing more in an initiate.
After all that, we've all managed to build something rather nice in Skyrim.
I hope that someday Keeper Carcette can find it in her heart to overlook my rush to ambition, and forgive me for leaving her without consort. Then, we can all work together at building a brighter future for not only the Vigil, but for this Province, as well.
I think it looks quite nice, with the white hills all around.
- M. Sidrey, 23rd of Morningstar, 4E202"
Carcette felt nostalgic as he took her on a trip to an age long past. Back in that time, she never would gave thought she would one day be standing over Moric's dead body, as a vampire. Thankfully, she was not the vampire responsible for his demise.
He truly did not deserve the treatment he got. And more still, he did not deserve to die in such a horrific manner.
Sadness welled up within the former Keeper's chest, but she stood firm in her convictions. She gently lifted him from the floor and brought him to Cura's old bedroom, now abandoned for good. She laid him on the bed and laid him out in a resting position, to offer the Breton some dignity until she could find a way to organize a proper burial for them all.
The Vault.
She approached the large metal box and found that it had been opened already.
The Staff was gone, with her scheme along with it.
Stalf and Salonia eventually came inside and she met them at the top of the stairs. "What were you doing down there?" Salonia demanded.
"I was looking at the damages. Old habit." Carcette shrugged it off. "You really did a number on the Hall."
"Not that it was difficult to tear apart an old shack and kill a troupe of simpletons." Stalf sneered. "Let's take shelter before the sun rises." He noticed that in the east, the sky was brightening.
Carcette's stalling cost them an hour or so of travel time, and the sun would have them at a great disadvantage.
Salonia looked at the Hall. "I guess we could stay in the basement until tonight..."
Being weaker vampires, turned by Vingalmo and Orthjolf, the pair would be burned by the sunlight.
Carcette was fortunate enough to have Harkon's blood directly, and thus was only weakened by the sun, rather than scorched.
She waited until the other two settled in and pretended to join them, until an hour or so of tranquility passed and she discreetly snuck out. She knew she only had a short window before one may awaken and discover her missing, so she made the minutes count, hurrying to the Dawnstar Estate, just southeast of the city.
It made for decent rest when Windpwak Inn was too would often stop by there. Couriers, as well.
Carcette rushed past the Carriage driver in the lot, and entered by the front door. The inside was spacious, and nervous guests laughed and enjoyed the meals prepared.
She hoped that nobody would realize what she was, and attempted to avoid revealing her teeth.
Immediately, she spotted a courier with a satchel on his hip, readying to make his rounds, and she flagged him down.
"Yes?" he asked her. "Got a delivery to make, can't keep the person waiting."
"Here are 30 septims, if you make my letter priority." Carcette swiftly handed him the letter to Adalvald in one hand and a bag of coins in the other. "An old friend of mine. He needs to see this."
"I suppose she can wait another day." The Courier shrugged as he accepted the offer. Quickly, he left the Estate and entered the carriage. "To the Rift."
Carcette smiled and nodded. Good, now that the deed was done, all they had to do was wait to be sabotaged.
She would throw those bumbling fools to the wolves.
Eventually Cura and Inigo arrived at the Fort and headed inside. Vigilant Tolan was already there, explaining the current events to the Vigilants there, with Adalvald by his side, and neither noticed Cura enter.
The interior was warm, and dark. Subterranean in nature, with ice seeping in nearer to the entrance.
Stone stairs curved along the natural walls and torch sconces dimly lit portions of the area.
Immediately, Cura and Inigo spotted the barracks, picked a couple of beds, and Cura collapsed in hers.
Cura was so exhausted that she slipped into unconsciousness the moment her head met the pillow.
Inigo took the liberty to hand the Artifacts they acquired from the ruined Hall over to the Vault Masters at the bottom of the Fortress.
He wondered how Cura felt about her new surroundings. This surely wasn't the home she was used to, but he hoped that it would help her feel safer once more.
Lately, he'd been concerned about her. She had surely changed since they headed into the Reach. Ever since Joile was killed, and then Lydia, and that other Vigilant, Cura hasn't been the same.
Inigo cautiously handed the Mace of Molag Bal lastly, and it was tightly secured in the new, large steel-plated Vault, which spanned half the height of the tall wall, emblazoned with the Chalice of Stendarr, hopefully to never see daylight again.
Hours passed well into the early day when Vigilant Tolan noticed Cura there. "Poor kid." He said as he reached into his satchel and placed a Potion of Health Regeneration on the end table beside her. "You're doing a good job, kid. Don't let it all beat you down." He continued on his way further down into the fortress.
Moric did a great job with the Fort. It was well-insulated against the elements and far more practical than the repurposed Inn they were formerly based in.
The day was well into noon and the Vigilants continued their daily tasks. Cura slowly began to awaken, and the kind Vigilant, Emma, brought her and Inigo some tomato soup.
This earned her a story from Inigo about the time he was booed off a stage when his joke about Mehrunes Dagon's Mythic Dawn cheerleader squad struck a wrong chord in New Kvatch.
"I've got a letter for you. It's private." a Courier approached Brother Adalvald as he was examining the Enforcer Armour he was given.
"A letter?" Brother Adalvald was surprised. "Who gave it to you?"
"I'm not sure... an intimidating one-eyed blonde woman. Says she's an old friend of yours." The Courier passed him the letter. "Looks like that's it. Got to go."
The courier ran through the mild snowstorm and Adalvald hurried inside, into the stone barracks to read the letter.
"Adalvald,
I have learned of a plot by the Vampires of Castle Volkihar to attempt to grow their might using the Bloodstone Chalice at Redwater Den.
I warn you as a friend; do not directly involve yourself in this, because that would place your life in jeopardy. You have already seen what vampires are capable of.
Send for Cura; she must know of this, as she most certainly is the cause for it. Tell nobody else but Cura and Tolan.
-C the Survivor"
It took some time for it to sink in, and left Adalvald astonished, just the same. The handwriting was unmistakable.
'C the Survivor'?
Keeper Carcette was alive?
She knew that they were alive? Why the discretion?
Perhaps there was a good reason for it.
Brother Adalvald stood there a minute and placed a finger on his chin. Could it really be?
He certainly had to show this to Tolan, and Cura, when she arrives.
He headed deeper inside the Fort in his search for Vigilant Tolan, and noticed Cura, Inigo, and Vigilant Emma talking.
When did they arrive? He was surprised that he missed that.
Cura was drinking the liquid of the soup when she saw Brother Adalvald approach.
Vigilant Emma left to procure some potions for them.
"Ah, it is the bald man!" Inigo pointed humorously. "The man whose head alone shined enough to kill the Vampires!"
The older man smirked and rolled his eyes.
He held out the letter as he came closer to them. "Cura, this will surely surprise and endear you!" Adalvald prefaced. "I just received a letter from Keeper Carcette! She's alive! I think she's trapped in Castle Volkihar."
Cura fell silent and turned to look at Inigo for support before explaining. She reluctantly began. "Brother Adalvald, the Keeper... she's one of them, now. A Vampire."
Brother Adalvald stared blankly at her as the words slowly registered, one by one.
"One of them...?" The prospect was terrifying. Surely she must be mistaken.
"I saw her in their castle... she looked awful. She's missing an eye, and paler than snow, with those long, horrible fangs..." Cura's voice broke as she fought back against the growing sadness that corroded her heart like acid.
Then Brother Adalvald recalled what the Courier described to him: an intimidating one-eyed blonde woman who said she was an old friend of his. That was Keeper Carcette, then!
"Cura, I think you should read the letter." Brother Adalvald softly handed it to her. "It can mean one of two things: one, she's still the Carcette we know and love, and she's struggling against the darkness from within their ranks, or two, she has fully assimilated and is luring you into a trap."
"What is the Bloodstone Chalice, Brother Adalvald? What are they doing with it?" Cura's disheartened face inquired. She really just wanted to go back to sleep and forget the world existed.
"If legends hold true, there is a spring of magical, demonic fluid under Redwater Den." Adalvald recalled tales that he'd learned in Skyrim. "Goes back to the days of the Ancients. The Bloodstone Chalice transforms the sickly fluid into a power source for Vampires, especially if the liquid has been filled with the blood of a powerful Vampire."
"So then there's no reason to sacrifice me, I guess." Cura shrugged. "I'm no powerful Vampire. It would be a waste of time to kill me there." The Keeper is smarter than that. Maybe she wants her to stop them?
Cura slowly pulled her sore body off the bed. "Ooh..." she hissed as her right hamstring squealed at her beneath the flesh.
Her knee made a loud popping sound when she stood upright.
"Oh, dear... it sounds as though you've contracted Rockjoint." Vigilant Emma returned with a few healing potions for the group.
Indeed. Cura's right arm was locked in place as well, unable to flex. "Any Cura Disease potions, by any chance?" She asked as hollow pain settled into her bones and ligaments.
"So, Serana... she was a Volkihar Vampire." Brother Adalvald felt stupid. They really should have been better than that. "You'd better tell Isran. He must know of this!"
Inigo nodded. "I do not think he will be very happy about that."
Cura exhaled. "Okay, all right. I'll do it." She accepted a Cure Disease potion from Vigilant Emma and imbibed it as quickly as she could.
Coming down with Rockjoint? She really hadn't been taking care of herself these days.
Inigo was already doing his morning stretches, just raring to go.
After some travelling, they returned to Dayspring Canyon, and as they headed up the pathway they began to hear the sounds of fighting.
Isran, Durak and Celann were fighting off some powerful Vampires.
Cura and Inigo rushed to their aid, taking the fiends by surprise.
With mace and sword, the demons were vanquished, leaving Isran, Celann and Durak impressed.
"Nice shot." Celann remarked with a thumbs up.
"Look at this. I should've known it was only a matter of time before they found us. It's the price we pay for openly recruiting. We'll have to step up our defenses. I don't suppose you have some good news for me."
"Oh, I have news, but I wouldn't call it good." Cura's tone was uncertain. She knew that they had made a big mistake.
"Of course. Why did I suppose differently. Fine, tell me what you know." Isran exhaled in irritation, awaiting the bad news.
"The vampires were looking for a woman trapped in Dimhollow." Inigo explained. "Not a treasure like the Vigilants thought."
"A woman? Trapped in there? That doesn't make any sense. Who is she? More importantly, where is she?" Isran jumped to the point.
Cura placed a hand on her forehead, ashamed of her foolish endeavour. With a stretch of hesitation, she began. "She wanted to go home, so I took her to her castle."
Isran shook his head impatiently. "I'm waiting to hear what any of this means."
"She's the daughter of a powerful vampire lord." Inigo cut in. "Spooky, scary monsters!" He wiggled his fingers for effect.
Isran was unmoved by the humourous gesture, and instead called them both out on it. "And so you delivered her to them."
"Oh, it gets better." Inigo laughed while Cura buried her face in her hands. "They also have an Elder Scroll."
"They what?" Isran's eyes shot open wide. "And you didn't stop them? You didn't secure the scroll?"
Cura sighed in defeat. "I never got the chance."
"I suppose you're lucky you're not dead. Or worse, one of them." Isran paced the floor. "By the Divines, this couldn't get much worse. This is more than you and I can handle."
Celann massaged his forehead to calm himself. "It's outrageous. Next thing you'll tell me is that Mehrunes Dagon is marching through Solitude."
"Keeper Carcette is alive." Cura informed Isran hesitantly.
"She is?" Isran was surprised. He always knew Carcette was a stubborn sort, but not once did he think she'd manage to get through a predicament like that. "Crazy woman. How did she survive a vampire onslaught? Is she at the Beacon?"
"She's a Vampire." Cura confessed. "I saw her at the Castle... I don't... I don't know what to do..."
Isran would discover it at some point anyways, but Cura was hoping to soften the blows.
"..."
Silence rested in the courtyard before Isran began to fret. "Just great. Carcette is a vampire and the rest of those reckless fools are going to follow their leader to their graves. This isn't going to work."
"So you're just going to give up?" Cura was concerned.
"When did I say that? We just need... we need help." Isran placed a hand under his chin in thought.
"We have to do something." Cura tried to drag it on.
"If they're bold enough to attack us here, then this may be bigger than I thought. I have good men here, but... There are people I've met and worked with over the years. We need their skills, their talents, if we're going to survive this." Isran stated.
"Ah, I have a good few in mind." Celann stated. "Sorine and Gunmar would be a good start, I think."
"If we can find them, we might have a chance." Durak imposed.
"Where can we find the people we need?" Cura asked.
"Right to the point, aren't you. I like that. Not like those fools in the order. We should keep it small. Too many people, and we'll draw unwanted attention to ourselves." Isran stated at Durak as he said this. "I agree. We'll want Sorine Jurard. Breton girl, whip-smart and good with tinkering. Fascination with the Dwemer. Weapons in particular. Last I knew, she was out in the Reach, convinced she was about to find the biggest dwarven ruins yet."
"A smart Breton girl? You already have one of those." Cura winked and smirked lightheartedly, causing both Inigo and Celann to chuckle.
"Don't throw yourself flowers." Isran was unamused. "Smart is not the first word that comes to mind when I think of you."
"Then what does?" Cura felt a little insulted. She placed her hands on her hips.
"'Hasty.'" Isran said plainly.
Inigo began to laugh. "The look on your face is priceless, my friend!" He pointed to Cura's pursed lips and flared nostrils.
"I hope Sorine will help us." Celann stated.
"Might need a little convincing, but she should." Isran assured him. "Next, Gunmar. Big brute of a Nord, hates vampires almost as much as I do. Got it into his head years back that his experience with animals would help. Trolls in particular, from what I hear. Last I knew he was out scouring Skyrim for more beasts to tame." He turned to Cura. "Ms. Smart, bring the two of them back here, and we can get started on coming up with a plan."
"Sure, but I have another matter to attend to beforehand. In Redwater Den."
"What business could you possibly have in that old, rotted sinkhole?" Isran really needed to know what was more important than readying for battle.
"Just read this." Cura handed over the letter from C the Survivor.
"Hmm... this... this is really bad news." Isran stated. "It has the stink of a trap all over it, but if it is true, it can't afford to go uninvestigated. Fine, make this your priority." He handed the letter back to her and then faced Celann and Durak. "Don't make yourselves pretty. Go out and find Sorine and Gunmar, and maybe we can do something about this mess. The farm boy, Dark Elf, the new recruits and myself will hold down the fort."
Celann and Durak nodded and quickly began their trek down the path.
Cura and Inigo readied themselves for the Redwater Den, as well. They postulated on what could await them within.
"Vampires, surely." Cura stated.
"And probably lots and lots of Frostbite Spiders! I hope so!" Inigo roused excitedly. "They are so much fun to squish!"
Cura stopped in her tracks and ruminated for a moment. "I could swear I've heard you say that before..."
"No, my friend. I am sure I just came up with it now!" Inigo denied, leaving Cura lost in thought as she tried to recall every day of their quest until her brain gave up.
"Fine, I'll take your word for it." Cura shrugged as she resumed following her map into the winding woods.