Hall of the Vigilant

"Wake up. It is time to get going if we are to make it to the meeting on time."

Rictus slowly got out of bed at the continued nagging while giving Miruma the stink eye.

"Ugh…I shouldn't have stayed up so late."

He hadn't actually gone to bed till just a couple hours ago. The excitement of creating new variations of the dragonscale spell had kept him up all night. A small smile adorned his face as he continued with his morning routine. 'Totally worth it though. Lack of materials will be the biggest limiting factor with this. Hopefully Mirajane will defeat lots more dragons soon so we can get their remains.'

Soon a greenish glow surrounded him as he perked up. The variation of the spell Equilibrium was very useful after late nights. Normally, it would transfer health or stamina into magic power, but this had been easily reversed. Using some of his mana could now regenerate his stamina. It was no substitute for real sleep and rest, but it could keep him going far beyond a normal person.

"Ah better than any kind of coffee."

The glow faded as Rictus stood completely ready to face the day. He still wore his dark green outfit enchanted by Morrigan with Vokun strapped onto one hip and his grimoire on the other. The leather vambrace on his right arm was now reinforced with ebony rods which he could easily manipulate. A thick leather belt wrapped around his waist hid the mana stones embedded into it. The bandoleer around his chest also had smaller mana stones hidden along it while the outside had metal studs which could be manipulated in a pinch. For ease of travel, he stored his new great axe made of ebony and adorned with mana stones inside his storage.

The dark outfit combined with his large frame and rugged bearded face gave him quite the intimidating aura, at least in his own opinion. The new additions of ebony armor and weapons had come as payment from the East Empire Company for all his help. They also gave him a great price when buying more of the metal which had been used for some of the elite Restored members' weapons and armor. He had initially wanted to change the equipment from ebony to deadric at the forge under the college but decided against it. Despite loving the way it looked, the image it gives off would not be well received by the general public. Maybe once they had a few extra sets of ebony weapons and armor he would change them to daedric and have them as the equipment for a secret enforcement squad or something.

"Alright Miruma. Go gather Illia. It is time to get going."

She gave a quick bow as she left to follow his orders. While she was gone, Rictus ate a quick meal as he made his way towards the Nexus. The Nexus was what he started calling the area where all the teleport glyphs were set up. The area had some of the highest security they could provide with defensive runes and armed patrols guarding the area. This place allowed them to quickly travel all across Skyrim in the blink of an eye. Without it, there was no way they could have expanded as quickly as they did.

He stopped in front of a large desk near the edge of the room. A cute Breton woman stood behind it with a look of intense concentration while going through a large ledger.

"Excuse me. I have a couple deliveries which I want taken care of immediately."

The woman did not even bother looking up at him before responding.

"Like I told the person before, you can't just walk up here and demand something get done instantly. There are rules and regulations in place. Go back to the mail room and leave your request with them. If it is important, they will send it to me."

An exasperated sigh came from her as she noticed him not moving from his spot from her peripheral.

"I said leave me alo…."

She finally looked up and grew pale when she recognized who she was talking to. Her mouth started moving but no words came out.

"I have a delivery I would like taken care of immediately."

The woman bobbed her head mutely as Rictus laid three books on the counter.

"Take this book and deliver it to Ma'randru-jo. It is a new spell I want him to learn. These other two books should be delivered to Riften. The dragonborn should still be there since I haven't received word otherwise. I bet her and her companions are still in the Ratways or about to leave them. Make sure the books and this note is delivered to her personally."

The woman gained some confidence as she realized she wasn't about to get in trouble for ignoring their leader.

"Of course, sir. I will get these sent out within the next 10 minutes."

He thanked her and moved on to the teleporter designated for Dawnstar where Miruma and Illia were already waiting on him. The books being delivered were ones he had just created last night. Two of them were the dragonhide spell since there were a few extra heart scales left. The second book he sent to Mirajane was one he had just created last night. It was a little sad he wouldn't be there to see her face when she realized what the spell could do.

After quick nod to his two companions and guards, they were teleported to the base in Dawnstar. The room they arrived in was square with 4 armed guards at each corner of the room. Small holes could barely be seen along the walls and ceiling where more attacks could come from. There was no evidence someone could highjack their way into their teleportation network, but no reason to take any chances.

Steep steps lead them from the basement and into the building proper. The Dawnstar base was a large walled stone mansion which they got permission to build after helping the town recover from a severe dragon attack. It was located on the west side of town overlooking the docks. They had easy access to both the docks and the main road entering the town. Before leaving the building, Rictus stopped before the man stationed behind the front desk.

"Prepare an extra patrol. I want them making their way towards the Hall of the Vigilant as soon as they are prepared."

The man gave him a salute before hastily scrawling a note down. Illia quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Expecting trouble, are we?"

"Not really, but I prefer to be prepared. I am expecting vampires to attack the Hall, but I don't know the exact timing behind it. It would be really inconvenient if it already happened or happened while we were there."

He froze for a moment before knocking on the wooden table.

"I hope I haven't jinxed us."

Miruma gave him a confused look.

"Wouldn't you know if you cast a spell on us?"

A palm to the face was his only reply as he made his way out of the door. Little differences in idioms really brought home the fact he was not from here. It was confusing how some idioms were similar between both worlds while others were not at all. Long periods of time with everyone understanding him would make little reminders like this all the more impactful.

Dawnstar was looking significantly better than it had right after the dragon attack. Most everything had been rebuilt by now. There were a few of the old wooden houses, but many were now made of stone. Being able to manipulate the earth and having subordinates who could as well, made construction projects a breeze. It was too bad only a select few seemed to have the right affinity and mindset for such spells. Changing the Restored from a mercenary company to a construction company would be kind of funny. Admittedly, they were already so much more than a simple mercenary company based off the many things they dabbled in, but no one cared about the little details like that.

The small garden located inside the compound was currently being tended to by a man and woman who were chatting amicably. When the two looked up, he was a little surprised at seeing familiar faces.

"Why hello you two. I didn't know you had joined the Restored Anska. And you are from the farm I stopped at. One of Brentus's kids. Afgar right?"

Afgar looked surprised at being remembered while Anska just nodded and smiled at him.

"I hit a wall while deciphering the full message on the scroll and decided to return here instead of camping in that dusty old tomb. The Restored were recruiting and offering free room and board. Some of the other mages and adventurers agreed to keep a look out for any other ancient text I could use as a reference."

He nodded at the explanation. He then turned to Afgar with a grin as he looked between the two of them. The young man's face started going red as he remembered what he had said all that time ago.

"I, uh, joined not long after Anska. We just so happen to both like growing sooo umm we were assigned to the garden here."

Rictus continued smiling at the flustered man. Anska started laughing at his predicament.

"No need to be so shy Af. Rictus won't care that we have the occasional roll in the hay."

Tomatoes would be jealous of the red Afgar turned after she said that.

"Ahh…umm…well…those weeds won't pull themselves."

He quickly left while everyone else shared a laugh at his expense. Anska looked at him fondly before bidding Rictus farewell.

"It was good seeing you again Rictus. Got to say I am impressed with how far you have climbed. I should probably get back to work. Wouldn't want to get in trouble with the boss."

She gave him a playful wink as she moved beside Afgar. Rictus chuckled as he left the two to their task. It was fun seeing some of the people he had interacted with early on. The time with Anska and the Companions felt like so long ago already even if it hadn't even been a year yet. He made a mental note to go visit the Companions again soon.

Nothing of note really happened after they left Dawnstar. Illia and Miruma both had horses while Rictus summoned Billy as a mount. It was cold and overcast, but the icy rain held off until they reached their destination.

The Hall of the Vigilant was only a couple hours outside of Dawnstar and in the shadow of some of the mountains which dotted the Pale. It was a large, sturdy, and well-made wooden structure. As the main base of operations for a prestigious order like the Vigilantes, it was a little underwhelming though. 'I guess they prefer function over presentation. Maybe most of their members are out traveling instead of staying here. It still standing implies the vampires have not attacked here yet.'

No one stopped them as they rode right up to the building. Only a teenage boy was outside chopping wood and wearing the same robes all the Vigilantes wore. He eyed them for a moment before turning back to his task. Maybe it was just because Rictus knew the place got destroyed in the game, but the lack of security made him a little paranoid.

A couple knocks was all it took before the door was thrown open revealing the smiling face of Dante.

"Welcome Rictus! I thought I had felt a familiar magical presence at the door. Good to see you again as well Miruma. Please do come in."

They entered a large open room filled with pews and hanging banners. A large table sat on the opposite side of the room and a few people were sitting on the pews talking or reading a book. Dante led them past everyone and into a room off the back of the building. When they entered, the 3 people sitting at the table stopped talking. They were all wearing the traditional garbs of the Vigilantes; a mage robe enchanted for restoration magics, steel boots, and steel gauntlets.

The lone female stood up and began introductions.

"Welcome to the Hall of the Vigilant. Stendarr's blessings upon you. I am Keeper Carcette and the leader of the Vigilant here in Skyrim. This is Brother Tolan and Brother Adalvald."

Keeper Carcette was a middle-aged Breton woman with shoulder length blond hair. She was a handsome woman with a kindly appearance. Something about her put one at ease. Tolan was a large Nord with balding hair and some seriously impressive mutton chops as facial hair. Adalvald was an older Nord who had an impressive physic despite the wrinkles denoting his age. He was fully bald except for the well-kept salt and pepper goatee.

Rictus gave them all a small bow before addressing them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Rictus, and these are my two guards, Illia and Miruma. I am a bit curious as to why I am here though."

Carcette and Tolan shared a look before she started speaking again.

"It was actually Dante and Adalvald who called for this meeting. They apparently have some news they wanted to share and thought you would be a good person to include in this meeting. I have nothing against you, but I personally don't think we should be involving someone outside our order. We are here to help people, not demand help from others."

Rictus picked up on Dante's exasperated sigh and Adalvald rolling his eyes. Seems they may have already had this discussion before. Dante gestured at him to sit while he moved to the head of the table near Adalvald.

"I will get down to it. We focus most, if not all, our efforts on fighting daedra. There are other threats which I believe need more attention. The biggest one is regarding vampires. They are often overlooked in our hunt for daedra, yet they are just as much of a threat if not more."

Carcette raised her hand as she couldn't help speaking up at this point.

"There is no concrete evidence for such a theory. Vampires have never been a big threat compared to the daedra. The Oblivion crisis showed us how destructive the daedra could be. If another cult like the Order of the Mythic Dawn came to power, it could have catastrophic consequences, especially in today's political climate. Our order was created to stop such things from happening again. Vampires are relatively tame in comparison."

Dante stared at her intently as he held back his exasperation.

"Just because a threat is not as serious, does not mean it isn't dangerous. Wolves kill people just like dragons kill people. Besides, Vampires were created through the influence of a daedric prince. The number of reported attacks and sightings have skyrocketed recently! If that does not qualify as a threat, then I don't know what would!"

Silence followed his words as him and Carcette continued staring at each other. Adalvald took this moment to reign back in the conversation.

"We know both of your positions on the matter already. Dante you are still under observation for leading the group to Japhet's Folly. It turned out to be the correct decision, but you abandoned your other obligations without warning anyone in the order. Carcette, I know you do not think the vampires are a threat comparable to the daedra, but they are still dangerous. This brings us to why you are here Rictus."

Everyone's eyes turned to him at this point.

"I recently discovered something in a cave system not far from here called Dimhollow Crypt. More investigation is required before some of my theories are taken seriously. Carcette does not believe the expedition requires extra Vigilantes. Dante would have come with me, but he must go back to Winterhold instead. He insisted I not go alone and recommended I take you with me. The fact you owed him a favor and would probably help for cheap was definitely a consideration."

Adalvald smiled after saying that last bit. Dimhollow crypt sounded very familiar to Rictus, but he could not for the life of him remember why. It had to do with some quest, but he didn't know which one had him escorting a Vigilant of Stendarr. Helping would remove the debt he owed to Dante though so that was a good enough reason right there.

"I will gladly assist you on your investigations. There is something else though. I know Keeper Carcette does not believe the severity of the vampire threat, but I have heard some disturbing rumors of late. While I have nothing concrete, there is a decent chance the Hall here will be the target of an attack. It makes sense too. Your organization is one of the few who are uniquely suited for fighting and killing vampires after all. Losing this base here would cripple your efforts in all of Skyrim. I personally think you should be prepared for an attack. At least have some kind of guard or watch. The boy outside cutting wood is not enough."

Everyone's faces grew grave at what was just said, even Carcette. Even if she disagreed with them about the threat level, the thought of losing the Hall was upsetting. It provided direction and a place of rest for all the Vigilantes across Skyrim. Having their headquarters destroyed would cripple their efforts. Tolan took this moment to speak his mind as well.

"Hearing it once is a happenstance, twice could just be a coincidence, but a third is a threat. I know we all dismissed Isran's warnings, but something should be done now. We would be unwise if we ignored warnings from him, Adalvald, Dante, and Rictus."

Keeper Carcette seemed like she was going to argue about it more before she simply nodded her head in agreement.

"I suppose you are correct. It will not harm us to be more prepared. The more I think about it the more I realize attacking us here would be a smart idea for any of our enemies. Besides a few of our members resting here, there is not any kind of defenses. We would not be prepared in the case of an attack. Tolan, I am placing you in charge of getting things set up here and pulling back a couple more Brothers and Sisters who can act as guards. Rotate them out so that no one stays here too long and gets complacent. More details can come later."

Once she was done speaking, everyone stood up from where they had been sitting. Rictus felt good for playing a role in them beefing up their defenses. Hopefully it would be enough for whenever they do get attacked. Carcette and Tolan left the room first while everyone else stayed behind. Adalvald turned back to Rictus with an excited look on his face.

"How long till you are ready to leave for the crypt? I am eager to get going."

Before he could respond, a sound distracted him. Barking and howls could be heard in the distance but getting progressively louder. It sounded like an entire pack of dogs were making their way to the building. Soon, a piercing scream ripped through the air causing everyone to rush out of the room. Out in the main area, Rictus saw everyone was on their feet and one man had made his way over to the window trying to find out what happened.

Shattered glass pelted the man as a large dark shape busted through the window landing atop him. Loud growling drowned out the man's screams as a huge hound creature ripped into his throat. The grotesque looking hound was pitch black, and its muscles could be seen due to the lack of skin covering the body. Long jagged teeth kept the monster from being able to fully close its mouth while glowing red eyes burned from its skull. Rictus couldn't help being a little disgusted seeing a death hound for the first time.

The Vigilantes in the room stood frozen as the dog slowly lifted its bloody mouth from the dead man. A golden blade pieced the beast, pinning it to the ground. Dante stood over the body, face radiating anger and religious fervor.

"Prepare yourselves Vigilantes. Do not fear for Stendarr guides us."

The Vigilantes took heart and let out a cheer, drawing their weapons and channeling their magics. Rictus simply stood there as a sigh escaped him.

"Seems I really did jinx myself."