A New Offer

The banging was relentless. At first I thought it was just in my head as I felt my brain pounding behind my eyes, swallowing to prevent the bile in my stomach rising any further. But as it continued I very slowly started to wake up and realised the cacophony of nose was coming from downstairs.

"Lydia!" I called out but there was no response. I called her name again. Silence again, except for the continuous banging. "By Talos, where is she?" I muttered to myself as I swung my legs out of the bed, got to my feet and almost collapsed to the floor as my head continued to pound. I leaned against the wall for a few seconds, taking in deep breaths, until I felt some sort of equilibrium. Happy that I wasn't about to collapse or throw up, I staggered down the stairs and towards the door, throwing it open and shielding my eyes from the bright light. I expected to see one of my Companions or perhaps even Delphine. Instead, an orc was waiting for me dressed in some strange armour. "By Oblivion, man, don't you know what time it is?"

"I believe it would be approaching midday."

I blinked again before stepping forward and looked up to see the sun high in the sky. "Oh…"

"Long night?"

"Something like that," I replied, stepping back behind the threshold and finally taking a look at the man, or now I realised, orc, standing before me, dressed armour I'd never seen before, "Can I help you with something?"

"Perhaps. But I do need to speak with you, Ragnar of Chorrol."

Now I fixed him with a stare. "How do you know who I am?"

The orc laughed. "Oh, come now, Ragnar. You're already very well-known across many cities of Skyrim. Thane of Whiterun. Member of the Circle of Companions. And the Last Dragonborn."

I suddenly felt very exposed and unarmed. 'And how does this person know where I live?' I did my best to stay calm. "You know who I am. And you are?"

The orc bowed slightly. "My name is Durak. And I certainly mean you no harm, Ragnar. I merely come to you with an offer."

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows. "What sort of offer?"

"If you allow me to come in, I can tell you all about it. And, if it makes you feel any better," He took the great-sword from his back and offered it, "You can take this while I'm in your home."

"No, that won't be necessary," I replied as I took a step back and gestured. "Come on in." He nodded his thanks as he walked by and took a seat on one of the chairs next to the fire. "Can I get you something before you tell me about your offer?"

"Got any ale or mead?"

"Sure." I kept plenty of bottles in a nearby cupboard so grabbed one for him. I would normally have joined in, but after the night before, there was no way I could have had a bottle and kept it down. Durak took a sip of the mead before he settled back. "So, what's your offer?"

"First, a question. Have you ever heard of the Dawnguard?" I shook my head. "Figured. I'll put this simply. We're an order of vampire hunters and we're looking for new recruits. We're looking for the best warriors in Skyrim to serve in our order. My leader, Isran, sent me out specifically to find the Dragonborn. That is what led me to your door."

"I'm honoured that you'd consider me for joining your cause."

"Have you noticed or been personally involved in defending against any vampire attacks?"

"Personally, no. But I did return to Whiterun in the aftermath of such an attack. It was… ghastly."

"There have been other attacks across Skyrim. Villages, towns and cities are all under threat until the menace is dealt with."

"The situation is that bad?"

"It is and will only get worse unless we do something about it. We need to find the source of this vampire menace and end it. But we need numbers. And we need your help."

"As I said, I'm honoured that you would approach me to help but you are aware I have the dragon crisis to worry about let alone certain events affecting the Companions at the moment?"

"We understand. But, even if your time with us was limited, we believe you would help turn the tide against these vampires."

I sat back and ran a hand through my thick hair before I stroked my beard and thought about the offer. Honestly, I was tempted to simply turn it down flat. I was waiting for news from Delphine and as soon as she sent a message, I'd have to focus on that. Until then, I was more worried about the Silver Hand and their impact on the Companions. But if vampires were rising as a menace across Skyrim, could I really sit back and do nothing about it?

"Where are your headquarters?"

"Fort Dawnguard. If you head to Riften and then look for Dayspring Canyon, a path will lead you to the fort. Is this a sign that you will accept the offer?"

"I do but there is a proviso. I can't come at the moment. There are other things I need to take care of first. However, as soon as I have nothing on my plate, I will head to Ford Dawnguard at once and see what it is your leader…" I trailed off and looked at him for help.

"Isran."

"Yes, I'll see what Isran has to say. Unfortunately, that is the best I can do at the moment."

Durak drained the bottle of mead and then nodded. "Very well, I'll report back to Isran and let him know what you said. He's a patient man so we'll keep recruiting where we can but we'll certainly wait for your arrival."

I got to my feet and walked the orc to the door. "Of course. I simply don't know how long the other issues will take to resolve. I have a feeling it won't be easy."

Durak shook his head. "First dragons. Now vampires. What next?"

"I dread to think."

I shook hands with Durak, closing the door behind me as I took my seat back near the fire. I'd barely been alone for five minutes when the door opened and Lydia walked in, holding a basket that appeared to be full of food. "My thane, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"I'm surprised you're up. You came home very late this morning."

"It's been a long and difficult couple of nights that necessitated the Companions needing to consume a lot of alcohol to deal with it all."

She placed the basket on the table behind me before taking a seat next to me and actually grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I heard about Skjor. I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Thanks. But how did you hear?"

She let go of my hand and made a gesture outside. "Everyone knows. It's talk to the town. A Companion murdered by a group of mercenaries."

I shrugged. "It's not that simple but that's about the crux of the matter."

"How…" She trailed off.

"How did it happen?" She nodded. "I don't wish to speak ill of the dead, but he made a mistake. He went into a mission alone and paid the ultimate price. But it was still murder in the end."

"So what are the Companions going to do about it?"

All I could do was shrug. "I have no idea. We know the organisation that is responsible. But now we have to find them. Then we will deal with them."

"Sounds like this could get bloody. And what about the dragons?"

"They're the first priority. But I'm waiting to hear from Delphine. For now, I'll help the Companions where I can."

Lydia offered to make me a very late breakfast, or perhaps a slightly early lunch. No matter what the meal was called, I gratefully accepted the offer and soon gorged myself on at least two plates of food as I was absolutely ravenous. I headed upstairs and found my armour scattered across my bedroom floor. 'I sometimes wonder why I don't just sleep at Jorrvaskr.' I spent some time cleaning and polishing it before I dressed myself, and feeling slightly more human than when I woke up, I was ready to face the rest of the day.

"Who was your visitor?" Lydia asked once I'd returned downstairs.

"How'd you know about that?"

"Ysolda mentioned that she saw some orc at the door earlier on."

"Oh… Ever heard of the Dawnguard?"

"I have in passing. They're vampire hunters, right?"

"Correct. Based in some fort near Riften."

"They've had recruiters wander the town looking for people want to join up. Is that who the orc is with?"

I nodded. "Personal invitation for the Dragonborn to join them."

"What was your response?"

"I said I'd have to think about it. Would you be interested in joining?" I noticed the hesitancy and subsequent lack of reply. "Lydia, if you don't want to, you don't have to."

"I can handle a lot of things, my thane. But vampires," she shuddered, "I'd like to stick to fighting bandits or wild animals, and if not fighting, just keeping this little house in order. There's a chance of death in battle in most things but not a chance of ending up undead when fighting vampires."

"I'm sure I'll be one of many when I join up so, when I eventually travel over there, you can stay here and keep the house safe." I stretched out the last kinks before heading to the door. "I'm heading up to Jorrvaskr. After what's happened, I think Aela was putting together a plan regarding our next step. Or that's what I vaguely remember from our conversation last night."

"Stay safe, my thane."

I wished for some sort of eye protection as I closed the door behind me, squinting in the bright light as I did feel the onset of another headache. 'I hope the Companions don't want me to go and fight today.' I slowly walked up the hill towards the market outside the Bannered Mare, hearing the sizzle of meat as Anoriath cooked something he'd no doubt killed recently, my mouth watering at the prospect of biting into a juicy bit of meat.

Jorrvaskr was unusually quiet when I walked through the front doors. Little surprise considering recent events. Farkas and Vilkas were sat at the row of table surrounding the fire, looking up as I entered. There wasn't much conversation between us and I was left with the distinct impression that they were disappointed I had undertaken the ritual. That only solidified my opinion that if a cure was found, they would take it as I assumed Kodlak would too.

I found Aela in her quarters, leaning over her table, arms spread wide as she looked over a large map of Skyrim. I joined in alongside her, noticing a number of journals and paper with notes written on them. It wasn't hard to guess what it was all about.

"How's the head?"

"I'm fine, Aela. How are you?"

"I'm working so it means I can focus on something. Focusing on something means I don't have to think about anything else. Trust me, I'm not going to break down and cry. You should know me well enough by now. Vilkas and Farkas have been walking on eggshells around me this morning because they think I'm about to snap."

"Are you?"

She looked at me and smirked. "Not at you or anyone here. But the Silver Hand..."

I gestured at everything on the table. "Okay, so what have you got so far?"

"I've got enough to know what step we should take next. The journals I have don't have the location of their headquarters, which is unfortunate, as I'd be tempted to attack that."

"Would be suicide, though."

She nodded as she continued to look at the map. "Agreed. So we have to whittle down their operations and force them out into the open. The funny thing is, they're not just after us. This journal," she pointed to a red-covered book, "Suggests they are forcing their way into Skyrim as a new mercenary group. But their end goal is clearly the end of the Companions."

"The one thing I have wondered is how they found out about the beast blood. Anything here about that?"

"Not specifically but it's an open secret around Whiterun. People know, they just don't say anything. Not because they're afraid. Well, not all of them. It's our business and they keep their noses out of it."

I couldn't help raise my eyebrows at that one. "Really? So Lydia…"

"She knows, Ragnar."

"Oh…" 'I'll have to ask and see if she's honest with me.' "Okay, what's our next step?"

She pointed at the map. "They have an outpost here. We're going to hit there. Tonight. Are you in?"

"Absolutely." I looked at where she was pointing. 'Close by. Good.'

"We'll leave after the sun sets. Prepare yourself, Ragnar. This is going to get bloody."

*****

I spent the rest of the afternoon finally taking Lydia up on her offer of teaching me how to use magic. Apparently everyone is capable of using magic, even in their daily lives, with next to no training. I was sceptical to say the least but Lydia was adamant that she could teach me the basics. So, to keep her happy, I went along with it.

She disappeared up to her room for five minutes and returned downstairs carrying a bunch of tomes and one or two potion bottles. Placing them on the floor in front of her, she handed me one of the books.

"We'll start with healing spells."

"Okay." I knew I sounded unsure.

"Magic is all in the mind, my thane. Once you know the spell, it's simply about summoning the magic that already lies deep within you, in a metaphorical sense at least, and then on your ability to focus. You simply have to control the magic with your mind and you'll be amazed at what you'll be able to do." I opened the book and started to read as she continued to explain. "You don't have to read the spell out loud when you learn it nor if you cast it again. But once you know it and have cast it once, your mind will adapt and you'll only have to think of the part which will cause the spell to actually work."

I held up my left hand. "And it'll come out of here?"

"Or your other hand. It's all about focus."

"And what's in those potions bottles?"

"As you've never used magic before, I thought we should give you a little boost." She picked up one of the blue bottles. "This is known as a 'Potion of Magicka'. It will help get the magic flowing within you." She then picked up the other one. "This is called a 'Draught of Magicka' and will give you a particular boost when you want to learn harder spells. I think this will help you summon the magic within, even more than normal. Once you've cast a few spells, your body will adapt and you shouldn't need either of them anymore."

"Alright, let's give it a go."

I had no idea how it was supposed to all work but I drank the potions, both of which tasted horrendous, almost gagging on the second bottle, then I simply focused on what I had read and did as Lydia instructed. 'Think positive. It will work. I guess that should help, right?' I placed the book down beside my chair and then focused on the required words.

And then it actually worked. A blinding yellow light appeared out of my left hand and the headache that had been bothering me all day disappeared in an instant. I kept the spell going and felt all the aches and pains I'd picked up ever since first arriving in Skyrim go away. I know I looked at Lydia, eyes wide with surprise and mouth agape, as she started to giggle away to herself.

"Is it working, my thane?"

I stopped the spell and simply looked at my hand. "I can't believe it," I said quietly.

"And it wasn't that difficult, right?"

"No. Not really. It was pretty much just focus on the words and the mind, even without thinking, does the rest."

"Want to learn another one?"

"Yes," I stated enthusiastically.

"Very good. Considering some of the situations you get us into, I think learning some spells from the Destruction School may be the best thing."

"Destruction?"

"Flames, my thane. Fire and flames."

By the time I closed the door behind me, on my way to meet Aela at the stables, I'd learned two spells from the restoration school and three from the destruction school. I was still a complete novice, and sometimes the spell didn't come off as it appeared negativity and self-doubt affected one's ability to cast a spell, but otherwise it was a productive afternoon. I doubt I'd ever end up being a mage of any sort, and I'd always trust my hand to handle a sword or a bow than cast a spell, but it was a useful back up if I was ever in a tight spot.

Aela was already mounted on her horse and appeared eager to go as I mounted my own and, without a word, she dug her heels in her horse and led the way. We were heading to a place known as Redoran���s Retreat. I had no idea what to expect when we got there except that we were going to wipe out an entire Silver Hand outpost.

We rode without the aid of torchlight, only the faint light of the moon plus our own slightly advanced eyesight, thanks to our beast-blood, illuminating the way to our destination. We followed the road west until we reached Fort Greymoor. I saw no lights from within the thought, further evidence, if I needed any, that it was abandoned. We turned off the road and started north. It was a still night, barely any wind, the only noise provided by the insects that were still awake at this time of night.

After riding a few minutes or perhaps longer, time of no consequence when it is night, we saw the light of fires ahead in the distance.

"That is our destination," Aela stated, "They must have braziers outside the entrance to the cave."

"Strange they'd light it up like that."

"They probably do that for any couriers that are heading there. Or perhaps they have patrols out who need help returning home. But, no matter, at least it helps us at the same time."

A small gully fifty metres or so away from the cave was the perfect space to leave our horses, tying the reins to a nearby log to prevent them wandering off. Using the darkness for cover, we crouched and slowly made our way towards the entrance, stopping no more than ten metres away as one of the braziers illuminated one Silver Hand standing guard. Aela already had her bow in hand so simply lined him up and loosed, the arrow striking without a sound, the Silver Hand falling to the ground. We rushed forward and I dragged the body around a corner, hoping no-one would find it until we were done.

The entrance to the cave was even darker than outside, using a hand as guidance along the wall before we finally reached a larger area where we could see light ahead from more braziers and candles. We could hear and see something else.

"They have a dog," I whispered.

"So?"

"I can't kill a dog! Do you think we could distract it?"

"Unless you have some meat or a bone hidden somewhere on you, Ragnar, the dog has to be put down. Don't worry, I'll do it."

I couldn't watch as she stringed another arrow to her bow. I only heard the sound of her letting go of the arrow and then a quick yelp from the dog. I then heard a voice exclaim something in surprise and figured we may have woken another guard. Using the shadows for darkness, I crept up the Silver Hand, who approached the dead animal and didn't hear me at all as he soon felt the steel of my dagger slid across his throat. I managed to kill him quietly and gently laid his body down beside the dog.

We found another pathway deeper into the cave, moving forward carefully in the darkness, trying to keep our noise to an absolute minimum. The path ended at another large room, illuminated by a roaring fire off to our left. There were a trio of beds to our right with a small kitchen area in the middle. Two of the beds had bodies.

"Plan?" I whispered.

"Kill one. Question the other. Then kill them."

"Very well."

Watching the ground for any traps, we cautiously approached the sleeping bodies. In the light of the fire, Aela returned my look and nodded as I covered the mouth of the Silver Hand and stuck my dagger in, struggling against my hold for barely a few seconds before they stilled. The Silver Hand below Aela woke with a start before realising he had a dagger at his own throat. Aela grabbed him by the hair and dragged him out of bed before throwing him across the ground.

"Get in the chair," she ordered.

The Silver Hand did as she requested as Aela sat across the table from him. I stood behind him, simply to intimidate. I doubt I'd have to do anything except kill him in the end. But even while doing this, my mind was in turmoil. 'I know Skjor was murdered, but is this any better? Where is the honour?'

Did the Silver Hand prove co-operative? No, he did not. Aela asked numerous questions about their organisation, what they knew about the Companions and, the most important question, how did they find out about the beast-blood. The Silver Hand simply laughed in our faces, stated he knew he was going to die and that he would take pleasure in knowing that we would all soon die, no matter how hard we fought in reply. Eventually Aela tired of his attitude and looked at me.

"You want to die with honour?" I asked.

"I will die with more honour than you no matter how you do it."

"Aela, I'm willing to give him a fighting chance. What do you say?" She shrugged. "Very well." I looked around for a weapon to give him and eventually noticed the rack of weapons. I grabbed a sword and laid it on the table in front of him. I unsheathed my sword and handed my dagger to Aela. "Let's see if your actions match your words. It will only be you and me. Aela, give your word that you will not involve yourself."

"You have it, Ragnar."

Aela moved towards the exit, leaving the entire room available for the Silver Hand and I to face off. He twirled the sword in his right hand a couple of times as I simply watched his movements, trying to judge how able he was. 'And at least this is slightly more honourable.' I didn't have to wait long for him to attack, his sword moving incredibly fast and I knew he was a trained swordsman and perhaps not some ordinary bandit or mercenary. 'Finally, a good fight!' I weaved and parried his strokes but he had a fine demeanour in addition his skill with the sword. This was not going to be an easy fight.

I continued to parry, judging his ability and his movements, not leaving myself open to be cut but trying to give him enough self-confidence that he'd soon make a mistake. I started to answer his parries with attacks of my own, deft movements that would cause concern but I wasn't looking to press home any advantage. Or, at least, not yet.

"You're being cocky, Ragnar. Kill him and be done with it."

"I'll kill her once I'm done with you," the Silver Hand threatened.

I didn't both retorting, instead simply pressing home an attack, swipe, swipe, thrust, quickly parrying his own attack before going on the front foot again, forcing the Silver Hand back one, two then three steps, closer and closer to the fire. He tried to respond and press forward but I managed to keep him in position and I knew he was now getting uncomfortable, no doubt feeling heat build-up in his legs. I was hoping this would cause a mistake.

It did. The pain must have become unbearable as he roared and charged forward, swinging wildly. I parried one of his wild swings and hit him in the face with my fist, causing him to stagger back. I then swung my sword hard and knocked the sword out of his hand. The Silver Hand knew all was over and collapsed to his knees.

"Will you offer me a good death?" he asked.

I looked at Aela and I was surprised that she nodded.

I gave the Silver Hand a clean death.

We searched the room for information, Aela spending a few minutes at the table, looking over a number of journals. I searched the rest of the room and found something strange in a chest, carrying it across to my companion.

"What's this?"

She looked at it and gasped. "I don't believe it…" she whispered.

"What?"

"It's a Totem of Hircine. I'm sure of it."

"Okay, you're going to have to explain what that is," I stated as I placed the totem on the table.

She picked up the object and turned it slowly in her hand. "It is what I said it is, Ragnar. It's a totem. Skjor was investigating them as he'd found evidence of their existence as he looked into the acquirement of daedra artefacts."

"Daedra artefacts?" I asked, unable to hide my surprise.

"Only in regard to Hircine, Ragnar. Despite our allegiance to Hricine, we're not a cult of daedra worshipping lunatics. But I'll take this back to the Underforge and investigate further as I know there are at least two more."

Aela finished up her investigation into Silver Hand operations and we exited the cave. Using one of the torches we'd found in the cave to help us, we eventually found our horses and made our way back to Whiterun. Once stabled, we split up as we walked past Breezehome.

"Thanks for your help, Ragnar."

"Thanks aren't necessary. The Silver Hand must end."

"They must. I'll look into information we found and let you know our next move. No matter what, the Silver Hand will pay for what they did."

As I closed the door behind me and headed straight to bed, I had a feeling we were practically at war with the Silver Hand. I wondered when the blood-letting was going to end.