4E 173: Evening Star
A red, glistening sun was peering over the horizon, its early morning rays reflecting off the frozen ice as a ghostly wind howled through the air. A dozen well-armed men could be seen moving quietly across the ice, thick furs covering their leather armor and steel weapons, in the distance behind them The College of Winterhold balanced impossibly on the tip of a large rock desperately attached to the city by a ruined bridge. The men crossing the ice moved swiftly and silently, weapons drawn and scanning the landscape ahead of them, “See anything Shawk? A Breton with raven black hair asked.
“You’ll know the moment I do Duncan.” A bald muscular Nord draped in white bear furs said quietly.
Duncan crunched quietly ahead into the falling snow whilst Shawk dropped back to speak to a young handsome Nord, “Seden!” Shawk called into the wind.
The Nord smiled to his friend, he had sandy blonde hair cut down short and a small line of stubble layered over his rough face. “Starting to think this is a fool’s errand Shawk, there isn't a vampire dumb enough to try and survive out here.” Seden complained, he had a charming voice lined with coercion.
“These are Volkihar; they survive in these frozen waters...” Shawk began.
“…Have breath that can freeze a man, eyes that see in the dark, and can reach through the ice without breaking it,” Seden finished, “I've been studying vampires as much as any monster Shawk but it also says they only come out of hiding when they need to feed. If they’re reclusive we don’t have a chance of finding them!”
“There aren’t many confirmed facts on the Volkihar, we don’t know what’s true and what’s pure myth, you really think a vampire can breathe ice!” Shawk laughed.
“I don't know about vampires but Yvinter was once one of those monks that sit up the Throat of the world; Greybeards,” Seden gestured towards an old man walking with the dozen men, outfitted in leather and furs like the rest but without weapons, “His shouts can have any effect he wants, it wouldn't be hard for him to create ice!”
“So you think the Volkihar have the voice of dragons?” Shawk jested.
“I don’t care really, either way I’ll still put a sword in one of them when I see them!” Seden huffed.
The pair stepped back into formation and continued on until Duncan stopped the twelve men with a raise of his hand; he guided his small army onto a marooned island of snow and rocks and told them to set up camp. The twelve men got to work unstrapping their packs and getting out equipment, laying down furs and rugs on the snow, setting up twelve small hide tents, planting wooden stakes into the snow around the camp to provide some defense, setting up a large wood fire in the centre of the camp and finally erecting the large gazebo that would act as a briefing area and command post; in the space of thirty minutes there was now a fully active camp set up for the men.
Duncan called the men into the gazebo as soon as the camp was ready, “Hunters!” he yelled; silencing the excited men, “As you all know we've been receiving numerous complaints from the residence of Windhelm and Winterhold of a large clan of Volkihar vampires active in the area; murdering and raping many of the two holds inhabitants.” There were mutters of anger and disgust at this, “Let me continue men! As I was saying the townsfolk have asked us to step in because the armies in Cyrodiil fighting a war against the milk-drinking elves, You’re all veteran Witch Hunters so I expect nobody here doesn’t know the tales of the Volkihar but Yvinter will be coming around tonight to enchant your weapons with fire enchantments and answer any questions you have.” Yvinter smiled at Duncan, despite the Bretons’ youth he was a strong and popular leader, “You’re all required to stay in the camp but other than that do whatever you want until morning, Ra’Zargo will take first watch and the rest of the router is pinned up outside, goodnight men!” Duncan cleared out his men from the gazebo and collapsed into a thick wooden armchair, leadership was tiring.
Seden sat on a warm wolf fur in front of the big wood fire, the sound of the crackling wood and the floating embers were almost enchanting and Seden stared into the dancing orange light shutting himself out from the lively noise of his friends, his left hand twirled the grey wolf fur between his fingers; stroking the soft hairs whilst in his right hand he held an unopened bottle of Black Briar Reserve cocked to one side in his absent minded state. Seden thought about his past life, he’d been a pirate since he was little until he’d met the former Grandmaster of the Witch Hunters; Worak gro Atanb, the black Orc. He’d taken Seden under his arm and trained him along with Shawk, some said becoming a Witch Hunter was a punishment, a life of solitude, no friends outside the order and the possibility of death every day but Seden saw it as an honor.
“Seden you wet rug, you gonna stare at the fire all day ‘till it grows wings or have a drink!”
Seden looked up to see Shawk swaying above him his arm around a fellow Witch Hunter and a dumb smile on his face, he had an iron tankard in his free hand the was spilling its contents onto the floor. “Have some mead Seden; I thought you were a pirate… You’re not afraid are you?” Shawk challenged.
Seden couldn’t say no now, he had to prove he could drink any Witch Hunter under the table, he swung his black briar reserve up to meet his mouth and allowed his lips to rest on the rim for a moment, he savored the sweet taste of honey and allowed the aromas to waft up his nose, “C’mon Seden this isn’t wine to be sipped and savoured, this is mead!” Shawk jeered.
Seden smiled to himself then cocking his head back he swigged the blue bottle back and gulped the thick mead down in a matter of seconds to the delight of his onlookers, a big cheer went up and he removed the bottle from his mouth, wiped his lips on the back of his hand and belched loudly. “That’s it Seden, now I heard someone brought a case of firebrand wine with them, how about we show these other milk drinkers how quickly you can get through the whole case!” Shawk boasted whilst dragging Seden away from the hypnotic fire.
. . .
Lights flooded into Shawk’s eyes as he awoke, he clasped a hand to his forehead and swore he could feel his brain pulsing like it would rip through his skull, “Shors’ blood, I’m never drinking again!” Shawk cursed as he clambered to his feet.
He swayed for a moment making sure he wouldn’t fall then stumbled out of the tent flaps and ran behind the tent, he was forced to bend double like a beggar whilst he threw up into the snow. Looking to his left he saw Seden lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, “C’mon you old fool wake up before the others see us like this, or we’ll never here the end of it!” Shawk pleaded as he shook Seden awake.
“My head!” Seden groaned as he dragged himself up.
“The washbasins on the other side of the camp, I don’t wanna get caught looking like this Seden!”
The two friends hobbled out from behind their tents to a volley of laughter and jeering, “Walked right past us you did Shawk, so eager to spill your guts!” A fellow Witch Hunter laughed.
Shawk and Seden groaned, in front of them all ten Witch Hunters were sat crying with laughter at the two drunks, “Thought you were a pirate Seden, didn’t you once say you were born with the inability to get drunk!” Another of Shawk’s comrades howled.
Shawk looked pleadinly at Duncan.
“Boys, I don’t care what state you’re in we need to be on the move in and hour!” Duncan commanded, hiding his smile.
The Witch Hunters got to their feet and began stripping the camp but they were still laughing about Shawk and Seden an hour later when they set off.
They may have acted like drunks and idiots the night before but the Witch Hunters were the best, they knew how to wield any weapon with master talent, they could track prey most hunters hadn’t even heard of and knew the weakness of every magical creature on Nirn, they are the deadliest force in all of Tamriel.
Shawk was thinking about his past as he continued across the ice in formation, he’d been born into a bandit clan, his mother was the clans working girl she’d get past along from one to the other; Shawk didn’t even know which of those scum was his father, nobody did. The clan had tried to rob a patrolling Witch Hunter and not a single bandit was standing when he was finished, that Witch Hunter was Worak the black orc and he’d taken Shawk under his wing after seeing the boy’s misery.
Shawk was snapped into reality by a petrified scream, he looked to his left and saw a hand reaching from the ice grasping tightly on to one of the Witch Hunters ankles, before anyone could react the man disappeared under the ice. The Hunters drew there weapons and formed a defensive position Shawk was pressed tight to another Hunter when the other man let out a startled gasp before disappearing into the ice, four more Witch Hunters disappear under the ice;dragged in horror to their death, it was just Seden, Shawk, Duncan, Yvinter, Ra’Zargo and an Imperial Shawk recognised as Sebastian still alive. Another hand reached out from the ice and wrapped around Shawk’s ankle, he saw the pale skin, the blood under the vampires dirty nails and the small scar running down the wrist, he prepared himself for the icy shock of the water but suddenly a ‘Flying Viper’ throwing knife struck the hand at the lower wrist spraying blood across the white ice. “Nice throw!” Shawk gasped looking to Seden.
“Eyes on the fight brother!” Seden warned.
Shawk looked up as fifteen vampires melted through the ice, they were all dressed in ancient robes of various grey shades, there skin was as white as the ice and they had glowing orange eyes, a few of the vampires had slits running down their mouths and blood dripping from their teeth. Seden unleashed three Flying Vipers at the vampires but they simply evaporated into a swarm of bats and reappeared in front of the Witch Hunters, Shawk swung his sword through the middle of one of the vampires then continued his assault cutting down another vampire, he looked to his left and saw Sebastian's head crash against the ice as his decapitated body was cradled by one of the monsters, Ra’Zargo the khajiit was fighting three vampires at once and after killing two of them the third overwhelmed him and tore out his throat, Shawk parried another blow from a rusty sword as he watched Seden pulling his blade from a vampire before falling to the ground as another vampire removed his claws from Seden's stomach, Shawk swung an offensive attack at his combatant desperate to help his friend, his blow was easily countered and he felt the cold pain of a knife slicing across his skull, he fell back in agony as the vampire dropped his knife and continued his assault using claws scratching at Shawks face painting lines of blood on his skin, Shawk collapsed onto the ice and looked up as the vampire loomed over him posing for the kill, just as he went to finish Shawk off there was a ear splitting roar “FUS-ROH..!"
The vampire attacking Shawk was thrown across the ice skidding along the slippery surface as he landed, Shawk strained to turn his head and see what had happened, he could just make out the blurry figure of Yvinter fall under the assault of three vampires, Shawk lay there unable to move and watched as the vampires turned to the last Witch Hunter standing, Duncan stood over the bodies of four vampires and prepared for the final assault, Shawk struggled to remain conscious but eventually the darkness enveloped him.
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nice bra