I rember watching Sybille butcher everything in front of her with such graceful ease that it would look more like a shadow moving around a bunch of armored pigs, I also rember being rather impressed at the ti.
My current vampiric companion made all that seem like the movents of a newborn child as she barrelled through the reanimated dead as if they weren't even there, rembering spell after spell as the fight went on. She seed to prefer a mix of shadow magic, electromancy, and blood magic though she kept shifting through all of the schools sans restoration in an attempt to rember what she could actually do.
Soon, my Falr followers had no more reason to fight as all the remaining Draugr were hogged by the rampaging vampire, and not long after all that was left in the chamber were a trio of elves and a very relaxed looking bloodsucker.
Serana remained utterly silent as we looted the whole place of its ancient coinage and weapons, the pile growing ever larger as the industrious Falr kept bringing literally anything of value to their newfound hoard.
As was their right, of course, they were the ones fighting so they got to loot the whole place.
"Anything you want off the pile, or do you want to just give you the value in modern currency?" I ask the silent vampire.
A mont of relief passes in her expression as she quickly nods "Money, please."
I toss her a bag of about 500 septims "That should be your cut without all the processing costs, consider it a welcoming gift." I offer flippantly.
"Aren't you generous." She weighs the bag before tossing it sowhere under her cloak and looks toward the exit "Are we finished here?" she asks with an inflection of impatience.
"Should be." I shrug and wave for the Falr to get a move on, both of them imdiately packing their loot and falling in behind us "Right, we are done now."
Instead of responding, Serana powerwalks, or more aptly power-stalks toward the exit, forcing us to jog after her. As we exit the tomb we see her looking into the distance, breathing in the warm sumr dusk air with an air of nostalgia and longing.
She takes one last deep breath "I really needed that." She mutters and turns to us "Thank you for getting out of there, truly."
"That is really ssed up to hear with context" I mumble quietly "It was my pleasure." I say a bit more loudly "Now that we are out of all the dreadful tomb air, might I formally invite you to visit my manor in Winterhold as a guest while you get your bearings?"
And there it is, the mont of truth. She knows she can attempt to flee at this point and probably even manage to evade , but I have at the sa ti been patient and polite while offering her many of the things she would reasonably want in her situation making that choice a fair bit harder.
The fact that I was also seemingly open about my goals was of course a very big plus with how she was previously treated by her own family.
As expected, good sense eventually wins out... even though she has to practically force herself to say the words "Very well. I will trust you, lead the way."
And so I do. Our descent is rather peaceful, though lacking in silence as Alor wasted no ti in grilling Serana for all the information he could get out of her. The young Falr didn't even bother having a goal with his questions and rely trying to satisfy his curiosity.
I did have to intervene at one point due to the young r coming a bit close to questioning her about the whole 'Daughter of Coldharbour' thing and I did not want to have to watch him get splattered across the dirt due to foolishly asking her to recount the manner in which she was... killed. Yeah, calling it that is probably better for my sanity.
We reached the village below the mountain soti before midnight and promptly deciding to waste no more ti galivanting around the province I teleported us and our mounts back to Winterhold, the comforts of my ho imdiately enthralling the newest addition to my little team.
So much so in fact that she didn't even notice leaving her alone in the library as a very dour Davos inford of so unfortunate developnts.
I quietly enter my study and see Davos talking with a masked individual, one of my agents I quickly co to learn.
"So four out of seven targets were taken out?" Davos asks seriously while crossing off a quartet of nas on a scroll.
"Correct Serjo." The agent, codena Fox if mory serves, nods "The rest are in areas too crowded to make it seem like an accident so we refrained from attempting it."
"Good." Davos says reassuringly "We do not need them getting martyred, better that the superstitious insurgents think their gods are against them instead."
"I take it the little rebellion is moving along as predicted?" I choose this mont to join the conversation.
The agent imdiately offers a deep wordless bow while Davos rely waves "Hey boss, good to have you hack." Fox gives his superior what I can only describe as a look so incredulous it bypassed his mask, but my right hand r simply ignored it and got on with his report "The gatherings have been growing in size for a couple of days now and they plan on making a move soon."
He points to the list atop the table "We managed to eliminate a couple of the ringleaders but those were mostly the rchants and rabble rousers, the ones who managed to evade us are a Priest of Talos, what we presu is a Stormcloak agent and one of the local guard veterans." 'Better not be one of Tolfdir's' I pray inwardly "And which guard is it?"
Davos mulls the question over for but a mont and then speaks "I think you have already t him, he goes by Thorgrim."
"That is..." I trail off before settling on "Unsurprising."
"Yes, while he is known to have aided you against the late Lord Moabain, he is also known for his barely hidden disdain for elves and magic." Davos lists off with growing disgust "A stereotypical Stormcloak if there ever was one."
"Mhm" I nod "I also had sothing of an altercation with him about so research notes we recovered a couple of years back. Him being so willingly ignorant and stubborn as to attack his own people is honestly not beyond my expectations." I clap my hands "Enough about the old codger, what about the other two?"
Davos pulls out a larger, more detailed scroll "The first is as I have said, a Priest of Talos leading the more vocal of the local devout from within the poorer parts of Winterhold." "Gods do I hate dealing with potential mobs." I comnt with so frustration "I am guessing they will try and take up the local guards while the rest actually do the deed?" "Just about." Davos nods "From what we have gathered the zealots will try and take the guard's focus with a seemingly peaceful protest while Thorgrim gathers his loyalists and leads Ulfric's strike team to take out Jarl Assur."
I silently walk next to the two rogues and slump into my cushy chair "Invite Captain Hjolmir
for an urgent eting and make sure that our newest guest doesn't wonder around while you
are at it."
"...What new guest?" Davos asks worriedly.
I wave him off whisper so only he can hear "Oh don't worry, it is just a Daughter of
Coldharbour."
His expression turns into a perfect deadpan "Of course, nothing weird about that, co Fox
we better get moving."
"Is anything wrong?" The confused agent asks.
"Move, you will thank later." Davos practically pushes him in front of him as they both
leave the room.
Scorch appears on my shoulder and chuckles "It is cute that he thinks he can save him."
"Oh Davos you sweet sumr child." I mutter with an evil grin and both of us burst into a fit of evil cackling that would no doubt get declared a dark lord if anyone heard it.
The eting with the Guard Captain of Winterhold took the entire evening, which was far faster than I expected if I was being perfectly honest. The descendant of Tolfdir spent hours questioning about anything and everything I knew about the upcoming rebellion.
His face when I inford him about Thorgrim's involvent in the whole thing looked as thunderous as so of my spells and the only thing that stopped him from smashing my table was informing him he would have to pay for it if he did.
It was a very expensive table.
We made a detailed plan of action, joined by Davos soti in the middle, and he left my manor just before midnight with purpose in his steps and fire in his eyes.
I put down my empty cup of coffee and let out a long sigh "Even after all that I still don't feel tired..." Though my annoyance at my lack of need for naps disappears as quickly as it appeared for an idea struck but a mont later "I do need to inform Isran about so of
the developnts..."
With a snap of my fingers I disappear from my study, unfortunately missing the delectable scene of Davos practically running away from an amused Serana.
I appear within a warm cave with a loud pop, imdiately followed loud girly shriek followed by a heated forge hamr flying at my face.
Naturally I stopped the thing with ease but whoever threw it at apparently didn't get the mo as they decided that a hamr didn't work a crossbow bolt would.
I had to block three before they hesitated.
"Kindly calm yourself, if I wanted to harm you there is quite literally nothing you could do
about it." I voice with an amused drawl.
"Who are you!?" The Breton woman asks with shaky hands and a shakier voice.
I do not get the ti to answer as the nearby door is slamd open and a good half dozen fully armored Dawnguard mbers rush into the room, though the mont that Isran's eyes land on he raises a hand to stop the others from committing suicide via mage.
"You." Isran practically growls.
"It is indeed I, and myself." I quip back "At your service."
"How did you get here?" He asks, apparently unamused by my introduction.
I shrug "Oh that, well I just marked one of the silver ingots with my sigil. You didn't expect
to ride across Skyrim every ti I wanted to talk to you, did you?"
He slowly palms his face, takes a deep breath, probably counts to ten, and finally asks "Why
not inform then?."
"Because I am as petty as I am powerful." I reply imdiately and point at him "And you were rather rude when we first t."
An excited girlish squeal of excitent interrupts whatever answer the tired ass looking Isran
was about to give as the woman who just shot at not once but thrice looks at with pure adoration "You are Court Mage Reyvin the Dwer expert?!" Her eyes practically glow. "...Yes?" I answer hesitantly.
"Oh by Zenithar, I have so many questions!" She grabs by the forearms and starts trying to
drag toward her blueprint table "I hear you have discovered the secrets of the animonculi, oh I can't believe this is happening!"
Dear dead fucking Dagoth is she a bloody fangirl?
I turn to Isran to ask him to help out but the amused smirk on his face informs of my fate and his following words practically seal it "Take your ti Sorine, I am sure the good Court Mage is too tired for serious work at this ti so we can convene in the morning." She nods so quickly I am genuinely surprised she didn't break her neck. "...All I've managed so far is the reload chanism, but I am sure soone of your skill could help create the perfect hunting tool..." She babbles faster than a child on a sugar high and
my dread grows with each passing mont.
Is this karma?
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