//------------------------------// // 34: The Volkihar Vampires // Story: Sunset's Adventure in Skyrim // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// "So, if you don't mind me asking, but why are the draugr following us?" Sunset knew that their latest companion, the woman known as Serana, was going to ask about the force of draugr that was marching behind their group sooner or later. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to explain herself once more, but she also knew that Serana was going to constantly ask questions about the alliance. She waited for the perfect opportunity to tell her everything, which eventually presented itself in the form of a massive chamber that was filled with stairs that circled a flaming pit. She expected to find a bunch of skeletons that wanted her and her friends dead, but as the group looked around she continued to find nothing up draugr waiting for them, all of them standing at attention as if waiting for a command. One of them, sitting in what appeared to be a throne of sorts, was definitely another Deathlord, but as Sunset approached it the creature got onto its feet and stared at her, like the previous one had done. "Greetings, Warlord," the Deathlord said, though Sunset took notice that the creature took extra care to address her by a title that was different than 'Dragonborn', "We have been waiting your arrival, as you have no doubt noticed. I assumed that you wish for us to venture to where Lord's Morokei and Krosis reside, but I would like to have your orders before jumping to conclusions." Sunset had to admit it to herself, but the more the undead draugr continued to show that they were allied with her the more worried she was that Morokei was getting annoyed with her never coming to him. "Yes, you are correct," Sunset replied, looking the undead in the eyes, hoping that she looked like the 'Warlord' that he had called her, "Morokei and Krosis are waiting at Labyrinthian, with the rest of the Dragon Priests that have awoken. I assume that you know where Labyrinthian is located?" "Yes Warlord," the Deathlord answered, bowing his head respectfully, "Shall I sound the horn and begin the march?" "You may proceed," Sunset told the undead, not really knowing if the horn it was referring to would actually work after all this time. The Deathlord nodded and pulled out what appeared to be an ivory horn, with an interesting design inscribed around the top, before lifting it to its mouth and blowing a long single note. The other draugr that were in the chamber, excluding the ones that were following the group, got onto their feet and began to gather their weapons and armor. Soon the two groups of draugr were one massive force of warriors, though they opened the back entrance to the crypt and moved out into what Sunset assumed was the hillside near Morthal. She was somewhat thankful that Jarl Ravencrone had moved her citizens into Fellglow Keep, as it would prevent them from seeing a mass of draugr walking down the road to Labyrinthian. She also noticed a Word Wall near the back entrance, so while she waited for the draugr to leave the area she walked up to the wall and allowed the Word of Power, GAAN, to be added to her ever growing collection of Words. "None of this has actually answered my question," Serana stated, turning to Fiona for a moment, "Why are the draugr so eager to follow her like they are her personal servants? And why did that Deathlord called her 'Konahrik'?" "Sunset is, technically, the last Living Dragon Priest," Fiona sighed as she replied, wondering how many more times that phrase was going to be repeated in the future, "or, as she prefers to be called, Priestess. She also prefers to be called Archmage, as she is the leader of the College of Winterhold... which I guess we'll have to change the name to the College of Fellglow." "Wait, she's a Dragon Priest?!" Serana exclaimed, turning her head to look at Sunset, who was staring at the wall as she wondered what the newest Word meant, "Doesn't that mean that she's awakening her masters, so that they can declare total war on the rest of Skyrim? Why would you want to follow someone whose planning on slaughtering the people of this region and then enslaving whoever survived?" "She's not trying to destroy Skyrim," Bjorn informed the woman, wondering if his instincts were correct about her being a vampire, "she's trying to save the entire world from being destroyed by a dremora called Tirek. He's already sunk Winterhold into the Sea of Ghosts, flattened the Thalmor Embassy into the ground, raised an army of Forsworn to slaughter everyone in Whiterun, and forced the ground to swallow the town of Falkreath. If he's not stopped soon then there's not going to be anything in Skyrim, much less Nirn, left for anyone to live in and fight over." "I have absolutely no idea what your talking about," Serana stated, allowing the look of confusion on her face to speak volumes, "It looks like I'm going to have to get well acquainted with what's happened in the last couple hundred years before I'm going to have any idea what's happening." Fiona chuckled as Serana, and the rest of her group, save for Sunset, turned and looked at her for a moment, wondering what she was thought was funny. She held up a hand and tapped the side of her head for a moment, indicating that she would enjoy taking on the challenge that Serana was presenting her. "I will gladly tell you about everything you may have missed," Fiona told the woman, a smile appearing on her face, "and what I cannot fill in I'm sure that there are volumes written on everything else. Trust me, you'll be glad when you hear everything I have to tell you." Sunset tapped her staff on the ground and gathered the attention of everyone around her, which Serana looked like she was annoyed that they had been interrupted. Sunset paid the woman no mind, knowing that she would be taking her back to her home before doing anything else that may help her stop whatever Revan was planning. "We'll be taking Serana back to her home first," Sunset told the rest of her group, where she turned to Tolan for a moment, "Tolan, I want you to head back to Isran and tell him that we may have found what Revan was looking for. He needs to be informed about this, but make sure you reach him. The rest of us will ensure that Serana reaches her home, in the off chance that Revan is working for Tirek and wants whatever secrets that may have been buried with you." "You think I'm withholding something?" Serana demanded, clearly annoyed that someone would accuse her of holding something back from those that had rescued her. "Revan might think so, and I don't want him getting his hands on whatever it is," Sunset replied, knowing that there was something important that the woman wasn't telling her, but put it at the back of her mind at the moment, "After all the work we put into gathering the fifteen Daedric Artifacts I don't want to give something important to Tirek... something that could, potentially, ruin everything I have been working towards." Sunset knew that Revan had some plan that he was working on, exactly like Tirek had when he was using Ancano to do his dirty work at the College of Winterhold. This time she was going to beat him to the punch and destroy whoever was following the vampire, before they destroyed something else or angered someone else. ------------------------------------- As it turned out getting out of the cave and finding the road had been the easy part, determining where Serana wanted to go, on the other hand, proved to be somewhat of a challenge. She continued to say that there was an island near Solitude that her family owned, and claimed that they still owned, but none of their maps actually had the location marked. Sunset determined that she was telling the truth and followed her instructions on how to reach the boat that could take them to the island to the letter. As they walked down the road that would take them to their destination Fiona continued to tell Serana about what she had missed over the last two to three eras. Sunset listened in every now and then, collecting bits and pieces that might aid them in their current venture, but in the end she was simply satisfying her curiosity. There was also the occasional wild animal that they passed, to which Serana readied her magic in case they came at them, but after a moment she realized that the wolf was just staring at them and allowing them to move on. As she canceled her magic she had the look of someone that was confused by what was happening around her, a look that Sunset was expecting to see a lot more often. "Why are the wildlife ignoring us like this?" Serana eventually asked, after seeing so many animals turn their heads and run away from the group. "You can thank Lord Hircine for that," Bjorn spoke up, beating everyone else to the punch on this one, "He's been keeping Sunset, and by effect the rest of us, alive so she can deal with the enemy she was called on to defeat. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Sunset isn't a denizen of this world... she's a denizen of a world that's different than ours and was called by Kynerath to deal with Tirek before he destroys Nirn completely." "Yes, I've been meaning to inquire about that," Serana said, pointing at Sunset's head, to where her horn rested, "I'm interested as to what that... thing... is on her forehead." "Its a unicorn's horn," Sunset replied, turning back to look at Serana for a moment, "I hail from the world of Equus, where I was originally born a unicorn. Tirek, on the other hand, is a demon that appeared as an old nord when he entered Nirn, but now he's recovering his power and, by effect, he's aging backwards. His very existence is a threat to this world, which is why I've been trying to gather people who see him for what he is and destroy those that freely follow him." "So he's a Daedric Prince that wants to end all of Nirn... like Mehrunes Dagon did according to Fiona," Serana commented, just as they rounded a corner and approached a fortress, with a large castle looming in the background, "and you're destroying his cult, like many people have done in the past." "He is NOT a Daedric Prince," Sunset snapped, turning to the woman for a moment, "He is a demon from the realm of Tartarus, whose sole purpose is to absorb the magic of those around him and then destroy whoever stands in his way, before beginning the end of the world. His plan on Nirn is to absorb the power of even one of the Daedric Princes, to which I have made sure that all of their artifacts are safely locked out in Oblivion, where the demon cannot touch them. Even now the Fellglow Alliance is searching for him, so that when we do find him we can launch a full scale attack against him and destroy him. I am well aware that such a fight might reshape the whole of Skyrim, but with all the damage that he's already caused to this province we have to try before he swallows it whole. People lost their homes when Tirek sunk both Winterhold and the town of Falkreath, while others lost their loved ones when he crushed the Thalmor Embassy. If Tirek is not stopped soon then there might not be anything of Skyrim left... something that I'm not going to let happen as long as I can still fight." Sunset and Serana stared at each other for a moment, where Sunset dared the woman to say something about Tirek being a Daedric Prince, before the woman sighed and nodded her understanding. Once that was done Sunset turned around and walked around the fortress, where she nodded to the Thalmor agents that were still stripping the area of any resources. The elves that noticed her bowed their heads respectfully before returning to their work, telling Sunset that Elenwen was making sure that they were well armed for when war came to them once more. She smiled when she spotted the boat that Serana had mentioned, which was much larger than she was expecting and could easily seat all of the group. As they climbed into the boat she also noticed that Serana was surprised by the size of the boat, which told her that the woman might not remember everything correctly. Once they were on the boat they set sail across the water, where Sunset, Fiona, and Serana stared at the looming castle as they approached it. As the boat docked and the group got off Sunset looked to the left of the dock and noticed another, and much smaller, boat, one that she assumed had to belong to Revan. As the group approached the main door of the castle Sunset spotted what appeared to be a doorman of some kind, though the moment the nord noticed them he opened the gate, though she couldn't help but notice that he was staring at Serana the entire time. When they entered the castle Sunset found an altmer, dressed up in gray colored suit of armor, waiting for them, though he appeared to be upset for a brief moment. "Who are you to dare step foot..." the elf started, but then he noticed Serana and immediately backed up, "Lady Serana... you've returned!" The elf then turned to the open room behind him and began to proclaim to everyone around that Serana had returned to them, to which Serana sighed and started to walk forward. Sunset held a hand up and walked in with her, though she could tell that Fiona was following her, keeping her eyes peeled for anyone that might not be allied with the lord of the castle. As they followed in Serana's footsteps Sunset took the opportunity to look around the room, finding bloodied bones, cups filled with blood, and bloodied rags scattered about the place. It didn't take her long to figure out what exactly these people were, which also revealed exactly what Serana was considering that she had been traveling with Fiona for some time. The entire castle was filled with vampires, something that Sunset had not been expecting when she had heard about all the vampire activity in the last few weeks. "My long-lost daughter returns at last." the man in the middle of the room said, who Sunset immediately assumed was the lord of the castle, "I trust you have my Elder Scroll?" "After all these years, that's the first thing you ask me?" Serana asked, clearly annoyed that the scroll would be more important than she was, "Yes, I have the scroll." "Of course I'm delighted to see you, my daughter." the man replied, annoyance flickering in his voice for a second or two, "Must I really say the words aloud? Ah, if only your traitor mother were here, I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike. Now tell me, who are these strangers that you have brought into our hall?" "These are my saviors," Serana answered, barely looking back to see who had followed her to meet her father, "they are the ones who freed me." "Ah, Fiona Nightblade, we meet again," the man commented, turning to Fiona for a moment, "I knew that you would eventually see the error of your ways and return to us, but it appears that you lost both Hel and Diasa in the time you have been gone. Though I see that you brought a new group of friends with you..." "Yes, I have returned to the castle after a hundred years of being gone," Fiona replied, sadness filling her voice as she was reminded of her sisters, "but not for whatever reason you think. There are much more serious matters that must be dealt with... which I will allow my friend to tell you all about." "Ah yes, my other guest," the man said, turning to Sunset for a moment, his eyes lingering on her forehead for a second before falling on her face, "For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude. Tell me, what is your name?" "I am Sunset Shimmer, Archmage of the College of Winterhold and Leader of the Fellglow Alliance," Sunset told the man, much to the awe of several of the vampires that sat in the chairs around them, "Who do I have the honor of addressing?" "I am Harkon, lord of this court." the man said, revealing him to be the Harkon that Sunset had heard little abut in the last few days, "So, you are the one that I heard so much chatter about these last few days. Gathering people into one area so they can go to war against a creature that sunk Winterhold. I must admit, I was expecting someone... more... than you to have the sway to create such a formidable force. Regardless I am sure that, by now, my daughter will have told you what we are." "She didn't have to say anything," Sunset replied, mildly annoyed that she found someone else that didn't believe in her abilities, "I could tell, just by looking around this room, that your vampires." "Not just vampires." Harkon told her, a grin appearing on his face as he moved to the right just a bit, "We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim. For centuries we lived here, far from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most. You have done me a great service, and now you must be rewarded. There is but one gift I can give that is equal in value to the Elder Scroll and my daughter. I offer you my blood. Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again." Before Sunset had the chance to tell him off for even offering the power of a vampire to her, which she would have refused seeing how she followed the teachings that Princess Celestia, the Dawnbringer in ancient Equestrian history, had given her, Harkon began to change before her very eyes. His clothes seemed to melt into a mass of blood, which reformed into a sash of some kind as his entire skin color turned dark gray and large bat wings tore free from his back. His face became distorted, becoming similar to a snarling beast that wanted to ambush its prey, as his hands and feet became similar to claws. "This is the power that I offer!" Harkon shouted, causing everyone around him to back up just a bit as he turned his gaze back to Sunset, "Now, make your choice!" Sunset opened her mouth to reject the offer, but then she saw the black robed form of a vampire appear on the balcony above the table that she assumed Harkon sat at. A light smile appeared on her face as she looked above Harkon, knowing that she'd be able to answer one of her questions at long last and, possibly, gain another ally. "Pardon me Lord Harkon, but someone else seems to have arrived in your court," Sunset said, respectfully bowing her head to the vampire lord before turning to the robed figure, "Is that you Revan?" The robed figure pulled back its hood and revealed the person underneath, showing Sunset that Revan was actually a young nord, likely twenty years old, with a scar cutting through his left eye and pitch black hair. Sunset knew that the vampire was old, thanks to everything that Fiona told her, but seeing him now made her wonder how much power he had. She knew he had to be powerful enough for Tirek to want to take an interest in him, so Revan had to be as powerful as Ancano was before she defeated him. "I see you've been following me," the vampire said, his hand reaching towards his belt and pulling out a small glass shard, a glass dagger Sunset realized, "and you have no doubt realized that I no longer care for this world. I tried to incite a war between all of Skyrim and the Forsworn, but then you came along and destroyed them all before they could accomplish their goal. I found dozens of people who had the potential to recover the Daedric Artifacts and delivered them into the service of my Master, until you came along and destroyed each and every one of them. You have been gathering allies to launch an all out war with my Master, so now I plan on depriving you of one of the greatest allies that you might be able to persuade to join your side." Before Sunset realized what he was talking about Revan approached Harkon's right side and spun around, driving the dagger into the vampire lord's chest with enough force to throw him backwards, smashing the table in half. Now that Revan's side was revealed, and his crime committed, Sunset extended her hand and threw her magic towards the vampire, but this time he slipped out of the way before she could reach him. She shouted at her friends and they got into action, training their weapons on the vampire as he ran towards the entrance, somehow bypassing the entire group as he made his way towards the gate. Sunset leapt up to her friends and charged forward, passing into the area before the castle door as she threw spells as Revan, blasting small holes into the ground as the vampire disappeared into the night. She stayed outside for a moment, wondering how he could have gotten away from her so easily, before sighing and returning to Harkon, who had reverted to his original form and was being treated by the other vampires. When Sunset approached him once more he held up a hand and the vampires backed up, though when he looked up at her she could see the anger and hatred in his eyes. "His poison is weak... not nearly strong enough to kill someone like me," Harkon growled, informing everyone that he wanted Revan dead without having to say a word, "I will consider an alliance with you, Archmage, but I require Revan's head as an offering." --------------------------------------- Tirek grinned as he emptied Meridia of the last of her power, to which he threw her into one of the prison cells and locked the door behind him. He could tell, even without a mirror, that he was getting much closer to what he looked like when he had his full power, but he was still far from done. He approached the open chest and stared into the container, letting his magic roll around as he reached for the second artifact that was recovered. "I call forth the Star of the Daedric Prince Azura," Tirek called out, watching a eight sided gemstone appear before his magic reached into Oblivion once more, "Come forth Azura, Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn." That was before a woman, this one wearing a flowing robe, appeared in his summoning circle, though she was still dazed from being ripped from her realm and brought to Nirn. Before she had a chance to do anything Tirek reached forward and choked her, just like he had done to the previous two Princes before this one. The moment she realized who was standing before her, having seen the demon from her visions, her eyes widened in terror, which only made Tirek grin even more as he begun the process and slowly took her power as well. He silently thanked Sunset Shimmer for doing all the hard work for him, as he could obtain his full power without her even realizing that she had, unintentionally, brought about the end of the world.