Chapter IV: Dimhollow (Part 1)

"Here we are sir, the Lord Stone, just as you asked." The gruff Nord goatherder informs me while pointing at a stone platform in the distance.

"You have my thanks, Eskel." I summon a pouch of septims and toss it his way "Safe travels."

He swiftly pockets the money and nods "Kyne guide your path." He offers his blessing as he walks away.

As the man finally disappears from our sight Nightshade speaks up "Our destination is near, yes?"

"Some ways east." I answer as I start walking, we had once again left our horses in a nearby village and hired the goatherder to guide us up the steep mountain "My sight tells me we will be there in about an hour."

She remains silent and simply enjoys the cold winds as we walk.

Naturally, the silence is broken not long after by the overly enthusiastic and overly curious Alor "If you don't mind me asking sir," It was becoming his catchphrase at this point "Why did we let the so-called Vigilant go on his own?"

Who was he- oh "Tolan, right?"

His stare was so broken I could have sworn all of his respect for me was lost instantly if not for the headshake that followed it "Just the one, my lord."

I simply shrug "His order and my people generally do not like each other due to the Dunmer worship of Daedra. I am known to be in 'cahoots' with two Daedra specifically and while they are not considered malicious the Vigilants of Stendarr generally swing first and ask questions later when it comes to this."

The rapid scribbling stops a moment later.

Before Alor can continue his questioning I raise a finger "You will make sure to hide those notes and encrypt them if you wish to avoid my annoyance."

He stares blankly for a moment before understanding my reasoning and nodding rapidly "Of course, my lord. I am not foolish enough to spread your information around."

"Good. Now ask your burning questions, we are getting close." I wave him on.

"Right." He refocuses on his notes "My guess is you are going to allow the Vigilant to batter the vampires for us and thus be rid of two enemies for no cost to yourself?"

"You partly right in thinking that." I tilt my head for a moment while organizing my thoughts "While the Vigilants are an annoyance to me they are not evil nor antagonistic in their intentions, they act aggressively because fearing the Daedra is just plain old good sense. I simply do not find the motivation to exert myself to save the man if he would otherwise die on his own. Besides, we are likely to find something he really doesn't like inside and I don't want to waste time knocking him out when we do."

"So all of this is one happy little coincidence then?" Alor raises both his eyebrows but I note the light tone of amusement in his voice.

"But of course" I drawl, equally amused "Who am I to deny the gifts of the world?"

We turn silent after that, the Falmer enjoying the cold way too much to keep pestering me. Eventually, my sight informs me that we are close and soon we find ourselves standing before a stone passage leading deeper into the mountain.

Before we stepped inside I decided to check my progress over the last couple of months, things were about to get wild every little bit of strength would count.

[Str: 26 => 29]

[Dex: 28 => 30]

[Vit: 40 => 46]

[Mind: 52 => 53]

[Mag: 1000 => 1020]

[Destruction Master: +Siege Magic]

All that backbreaking training was definitely paying off, even if I did it mostly for stress relief...

Something told me, however, that if I didn't 'unlock' myself last year my progress would have been less than pitiful. My respect for those who achieved superhuman strength in their lives without my ever-evolving crutches was growing by the minute.

'The time for such idle thoughts has long since passed.' I mentally chide myself and with a deep breath, my entire demeanor shifts as I take my combat stance, the Staff of Magnus appears in my left hand while my magnificent new blade offers its caress in my right.

As I step through the passage, long since freed of stale air, I chuckle at the thought that suddenly strikes me: I wasn't about to be stuck in a cave with a bunch of overpowered vampires... oh no no no, they were about to be stuck in a cave with me!

(General POV)

"You will fall bea-! UGH!" Vigilant Tolan recoils in pain as five vampiric claws embed themselves around his heart and moments later rip it out.

The vampire that had slain him sneers derisively "The idiot Vigilants don't seem to have gotten our message."

His compatriot kicks a pile of violet dust next to her feet "Even so, the fool simply charged at us without any plan. He could at least have had the decency to take us seriously before he died like any other prey."

The male vampire chuckles ominously "He did fight well at the very least. Jeron and Bresoth were not his match."

"The two fools deserved their fate." The female kicks the vampire ash again "Mere fledglings have no right being that full of themselves."

"Ah but my dear, were you not the same a century ago?" The man asks teasingly.

She scoffs "And I learned my lesson, now stop defending their weakness, we both know you enjoyed watching them turn to dust."

"Ah, that I did." The man chuckles darkly and proceeds to feast on the heart still in his hand.

The woman suddenly stiffens "Wait, did you hear that?"

Her companion narrows his eyes "Bertha, I swear to Bal if this is another one of your-" He suddenly stops talking and throws himself away with supernatural speed, leaving his compatriot to get utterly disintegrated by a massive blast of solar magic.

He doesn't get the chance to check what is happening as lesser blasts of sunlight start hitting his position. He winces in discomfort as he forces himself deeper into the shadows, the magical barrage stopping not long after.

"Did we get the filth, my lord?" A youthful voice that could easily pass as that of a singer asks as he emerges from the stone outcropping hiding the passage into the cave.

Whoever he was questioning doesn't deign him with an answer and merely steps into the cave with the bravado only those of true power hold.

The vampire, now crawling on the ceiling nearly hisses in pain as his eyes snap to the sword that the masked elf held, his every instinct screaming at him to run as far as he can and hide inside a hole for the following millennium. Yet his inborn loyalty for his sire compels him to do everything in his power to strike down the filthy mortal that came to interfere with Lord Harkon's plans.

Decision made he whimpers inwardly at his most likely fate and decides to try a risky maneuver and take one of the lesser magi as hostage. His eyes snap to the tall and pale elf that spoke previously and faster than the eye can see he turns into a swarm of bats and launches himself forward.

Yet just as he is about to connect to the pale elf, the shadows surrounding him twist and the masked leader of the invading party appears, his baleful sword pointing lazily at the mass of bats.

As the swarm connects with the blade a loud crack whips at everyone's ears and Reyvin finds himself covered in a bunch of vampire dust, his enemy ended in an instant.

(Reyvin's POV:)

"Well..." I trail off as my robe automatically scrapes off the vampire ash "That was bloody anticlimactic."

Alor chuckles while once more scribbling something down "Well what did you expect would happen when a vampire was touched by your artifact?"

"It is one thing to know it and another entirely to see it." I quip back, my jovial mood disappears and I once more turn serious "Now quickly search the place so that we may proceed."

They both snap to it while I keep my clairvoyance running at 100%, I wasn't about to allow my mistakes to repeat if I could help it. The road ahead was a set of winding tomb sections constructed in such a manner to make whoever attempted to breach the place lose themselves within the labyrinth of passages.

No doubt the doing of Lady Valerica.

The vampires had obviously already found their way through the place but they did not search it entirely, and now it was going to cost them...

I extend my senses outward and feel the large colony of frostbite spiders nesting in a cavern connected to the tomb complex. Every. Single. Spider. immediately snaps to attention as my mind brushes against their own...

And now hundreds of the massive things are bounding down on my foes.

"Hehehe." I cannot help but giggle at how exhausted the bloodsuckers will be by the time we reach them, truly I am as devious as the one that gifted me command over the disgusting hairy insects.

"What amuses you so, master?" Nightshade steps up beside me.

I smirk "Oh nothing, just pests eating at each other."

I stalk onwards, completely ignoring my now grumbling vassal.

As I walk down the chambers following the one at the entrance I cannot help but notice the utterly unique architecture within this specific complex. Everything looks more jagged and brutal, with the usual dragon motifs replaced with those of a far more sinister nature.

Once again, likely Valerica's doing. Even if advertising the fact it was of Volkihar design was utterly foolish but then again, who am I to judge the ancient hag?

Wouldn't that make Serana a hag as well though? Hmm....

"Master pay attention for Auri-El's sake!" Nightshade practically screeches at me as she destroys another batch of skeletons.

"Hm? Did you say something?" I mutter and retract my sword from the gut of a very young-looking, very loudly screaming vampire.

"Kindly stop admiring the architecture and help us out?" Nightshade pleads.

"Fine, fine!" I grouse overdramatically "Ruin my fun, why don't you."

"My lord!" Alor shouts from in front of us.

I sigh "What is it this time, Alor?"

He gives me a very confused look "Weren't we going to kill vampires?"

"Yeeees...." I wave for him to get on with it.

He tilts his head in utter confusion "Then why is there a horde of massive spiders currently suffocating them in front of us?"

I say nothing and merely smirk.

"Ah!" His eyes glint in surprise "As expected of my master!"

This is going to become a thing, isn't it?

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Stones for the stone throne!

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