After the dragon was dealt with, the Companions stood around the dragon, staring at its skeleton. After a moment of shock silence,
Alea spoke,
"I still don't get why a dragonknight, Hircine knows what that is, is able to absorb dragon souls." She turned to Kodlak who shrugged
Kodlak was still upset at the way Aela and her brothers treated the Argonian who had tried to fell the dragon all by himself without
proper equipment; Kodlak had to give the Argonian credit for trying. The harbinger thought it was Aela and her brothers who were in
the wrong and not that 'stupid lizard' as Aela had come to rrefer him as. Aela put her foot on the dead dragon's jaw and turned to
the harbinger,
"Kodlak, you have to understand, we found the dragon and he felt it necessary to kill the dragon himself when it was ours to kill."
She said adamant in her rage
Kodlak looked at her with utter contempt,
"Aela, you know that's not true, you just want to put that Argonian down for some unknown reason."
Aela scoffed at this,
"I do not, he was just in our territory, that's all."
Kodlak gave Aela that owlish stare he would often give her in her youth,
"Young lady, you and both know that is not true."
Alea sighed and leapt of the dragon's jaw and stop and inch from Kodlak's face,
"Okay, Okay, Hircine be forgiven if you have to rip my head off," She growled at him, "I just wish Hasir would go back to where he
came from and leave that which he does not understand well enough alone."
Kodlak smiled at Aela and told her to at least give Hasir a chance, in the end she might grow to like him and find him an invaluable
asset to the companions. She shrugged this off and said they had to get to Glenmoril Coven in order to recover the totems that the
Silver hand stole.
Aela mounted up on her horse, closely followed by Farkas, Vilkas and lastly, Kodlak. Their horses turned in the direction of the cave
and were off, kick up dust, rocks and dirt as they galloped hard to the coven with lay a few miles to the north. Aela saw Vilkas and
Farkas ahead of her, smirked to herself and called out to them,
"Hey knuckleheads, how about some fun?" The brothers slowed a bit to listen to her proposal, "Let's have a race, first one to
Glenmoril coven gets a big bag of gold. They agreed and put in one hundred gold each. Aela took the coin purses and placed them in
her bag.
Vilkas and Farkas eyed her warily,
"How do we you are being honest?" They asked. She told them that if they win they can divide up the gold amongst themselves.
Seeing delight in them squabbling, she stuck out her tongue and sped off towards Glenmoril coven. Outraged, they sped off after
her.
They sped off to the far northwest of Skrim and spotted Aela a few feet in front of them. She turned back to them,
"Farkas, Vilkas, I can barely see a few inches in front of my face, the blizzard that had started just as we set out from Morthal is
getting worse." She smirked jokingly at them
Vilkas closed his eyes while he shook his head threatening to make red show hereself,
"Aela, er, I think the adrenaline is fogging your judgement, I see no blizzard." His stomach growled, "I, however, am getting
hungry so why down why pull off her and make camp." He gestured to the nearby camp with a fire still burning.
The three horses galloped in the direction of the camp where the nords dismounted and gave the horses food and water. Aela went
to work taking out some venison for the three of them and took a small wood pan out as well. She held the pan over the fire until
the chops were cooked to her liking. Once she was satisfied, she divided the three chops among three wooden plates and handed
two of them to her brothers. and poured three cups full of water from her water skin and handed two of them to the male nords.
Miles away, Hasir sped onward to the city of Whiterun, he had to see if Inigo was alright. He got to the Whiterun stables by early
afternoon and dismounted his reptilian steed and advanced to the main gates on foot. He pushed the doors and entered. Once
inside, he ran toward the temple at the middle of the second ring of the city and, panting heavily, pounded on the temple door,
"Hasir, thanks the divines that you're here, Inigo was asking about you, please come in." She said beckoning him inside
Hasir ran over to Inigo and embraced him into a bearhug. Inigo smiled at this reunion of friends separated by what seemed like
planes of Obivion,
"My friend, aren't you a sight of sore eyes." He said in joyful sobs
Hasir released him and asked him how he felt. He said he was a little sore but fine overall,
"My friend, I felt my soul sucked into the soul gem but after that I knew nothing, that is until I woke up inside a metal body
surrounded by some other metal beings, they were getting their bone outfitted in gold as well as strengthening them tenfold. I was
so scared, well my soul was, and soon it was my turn to see my body undergo the gilding process. It was incredible painful, I felt like
I was going to die." He turned his feline head to look Hasir in the eyes, "then the process was completed, days passed, maybe
years... I-I was not certain but all I knew that I was not myself in a huge empty mansion." He took a steadying breath, That was
until you came and helped my soul return to my body.
Hasir blushed and the beet-red hue left his face as quick as it had come. He told Inigo he had something he had to do and he will be
back soon. He smiled slyly at him as he walked to the temple door,
"Try not to do do anything stupid, ok?" He asked as he closed the door behind him
Hasir was about halfway down the steps to the Market District when he heard Inigo shout from behind him,
"My friend, WAIT!" He yelled, waving his hands wildly above his head
The Argonian groaned and beckoned the khajitt to joiin him; together they walked down to the main gates and navigated their way
down the serpentine path to the Whiterun stables. Hasir mounted onto his reptilian steed,
My friend, are you sure you want to be doing that? Get away from it, please." He asked on his knees begging him
Hasir told the shocked khajiit to mount up and follow him, Inigo did as he was asked and the two made their way to a location only
Hasir knew. They rode until they got to Morthal; where Inigo gasped in delight as he beheld an illusion he was sure he had seen
before,
"My friend, that was the same mountainous illusion I saw in my unconscious mind as my soul was being transferred to the metal
body." He said as his tail rose up and down. Hasir told him to quite reminiscing and keep going. Inigo turn his steed around and
asked where they were going. Hasir said they were going to Glenmoril Coven, "Glenmoril Coven? Why in all the realms of Oblivion
are we going there?" He told him that Hircine's totems had been stolen and it was his test from Hircine himself to retrieve the
totems; if he did that, he told Inigo, then Hircine would recognize him as pack alpha and, with some luck, maybe convince Aela and
the rest of the companions that he deserved to be a full fledged companion as opposed to a whelp.
Aela, the harbinger and her brothers sat on the logs positioned around the orange tongues of flame in the middle and stared into
them as if in a trance. They had over engorged themselves of venison which, even for them was too much. After a couple of
minutes, Aela got up, strench and went into the big tent that was graciously left for them.
Kodlak turned to her, a curious expression creeping over his face,
"Aela, you're not going hunt? On a beautiful night like this, you always go off for a hunt or a run through the forest after you finish
your meal back in Jorrvaskr, is something wrong?" He asked, his eyebrow creeping ever higher on his forehead
Aela turned back to him as she pulled back the flap on the tent and sighed,
"I...just have a lot of things on my mind, that's all, what's it to you anyway?" She asked
Kodlak shrugged and said he was just wondering. Aela was about to go inside to get some sleep when she heard the clattering of
hooves and...feet of some other creature, Aela guess it was a reptile of some kind, on cobblestone. Just from the direction of the
sound, she could tell they were heading straight for this camp. Vilkas, Farkas and Kodlak heard it too ass they also stood up.
Hasir and Inigo came over the crest of the hill and sighed happily as they saw a camp with a fire still burning. The went closer to the
camp as tthey were both tired and hungry. Hasir's face hardened as did the Companions when each other's faces met. Hasir
dismounted his steed and sk what the Companions were doing here, he had found the campsite and has claimed it as theirs.
Aela stood defiantly with her arms folded across her chest and tongue sticking out at him,
"Too bad, we found this campsite first, so finders keepers." She said in her blissfully ignorant way
Vilkas caught a scent that neither belonged to the Companions nor Hasir or Inigo,
"Aela, we do not 'own' this campsite, bandits are coming this way and I expect they are hoping to find this campsite deserted when
they get back," He look positively frightened, "what are we going to do?" He asked her in desperation
Aela turned to him and scoffed,
"So, they can go and find another one because this one is ours." She growled at her brother who backed up a bit
Inigo interjected and said he doesn't think it works that way; they cannot just find anotherr campsite because the bandits did, in
fact, find it first. Aela turned towardd the khajiit and gave him a scathing look but she saw truth in those pumpin-like eyes. After a
short internal battle with her, she ordered the Companions to pack up and continue to Glenmoril Coven. Everyone heeded her orders,
packed up and mounted onto their horses; all except for Kodlak who was staring at Aela; his owlish gaze seemed to intensify
through the firelight,
"Young lady, you do not give the orders here, I do, I trust you will remember that!" He threatened as he and Aela mounted their
horses and followed the others led by Haisr and Inigo out of the camp as they continued northwest to the cave.
This time, however, Hasir stayed back with Inigo and let Kodlak's steed take charge as he knew these trails better than anyone and
could get there alot fast than if it was an inept Argonian leading the way. Aela rode past Hasir, eyeing him scathingly, Hasir did not
know why but Inigo quickly filled that hole,
"My friend, I think Aela is a little hot around the collar about you wanted to join the Companions. She probably wants the guild to
retain its nord bloodline but I don't think she knows the Companions of Jorrvask are made up of all different race, er, barring
Argonians and Khajiit, that is were we fit in, I think."
Inigo sat back in his saddle, letting a tear run down his furry cheek,
"That will be a history day for both of our homelands if we break the sterotype that our races, yours and mine, are meant to be
slaves and can do nothing with our pitiful lives." He looked sidelong at Hasir, who was running alongside his frantically galloping
horse, keeping very good pace too.
Inigo was so focused on Hasir that he failed to see a rock in the path that his horse was traversing; the horse pitched him head over
tail to land feet from his steed, kicking up dust where he fell. Hasir sniggered as he spurred his steed on to help the fallen Khajiit,
"Inigo, next time, pay less attention to me and more attention on where we are going." The khajiit apologized and sprayed Hasir
with dirt, the Argonian hissed playfully, scooped a handful of dirt in his clawes and tossed it at Inigo; the dust and dirt caught Inigo
full in the face. The khajiit coughed and returned fire.
Kodlak heard nothing but silence broken only by Hasir and Inigo's childish antics,
"By the divines, Hasir, Inigo," He yelled back as the circle members had also stopped to look. Hasir and the khajiit did not seemed to
hear because they were too busy throwing dirt in each other's face.
He yelled again, this time, Hasir and Inigo look up,
You two are acting like a couple of idiots."
Hasir smiled at the harbinger as did Inigo,
"That's because we are idiots, yep not a single brain between the pair of us." He grinned adding to Kodlak's frusttration
Kodlak let out a long groan,
"Tell me something I don't know." Iningo was about to open his mouth when Kodak put up a finger to silence the khajiit, who closed
he mouth, "I was being retoricle, now Inigo you get on your horse and Hasir, get on your, er, whatever that is," he said, gesturing to
the lizard," and follow me." He looked threateningly from one to the other, "and I better not hear any more foolish antics between
you to until when reach our destination, are we clear?" Both Hasir and Inigo nodded. Kodlak resumed leading the pack, and Inigo
toward the cave.
Around late morning, The horses and the lizard-horse came to a halt outside a cave entrance; Kodlak told Hasir as it was his test to
prove himself to Hircine he should go first,
"Er, harbinger, I already did prove myself to Hircine, many times." The harbinger sighed and said that this time, though he was to be
considered for full companion staus if he, and he alone, retrieved the totems and brought them back safely.
A woman wearing black mage's robes ran at them, shouting insults a them. Hasir said he would hopefully diffuse the situation,
"Listen ady, we justt want to go inside to, er, explore, you can grant us that at least, can't you?" Hasir asked, spiky brows furrowed
The unamed witch said she did not believe him and her fingers lit up like the sky during a thunderstorm,
"Hey, easy lady, we are just her to explore, like I said." He screamed between her barrage of obscenites and spurts of her
lightning magic
Inigo dismounted his steed and walked up to him, smiling,
"My friend, I didn't know you were a lightning attractor, got any metal we don't know about?" He asked, smirking
Haisr turned around and hissed at him, causing Inigo to backtrack a little,
"Inigo, now is not the time for your antics, can't you see I am this close to becoming a fried Saxhleel?" He said, holding his thumb
and forefinger an inch apart. Inigo apologized, readied An arrow and loose it straight into the woman's eye; the woman screamed as
the arrow pierced her brain and fell to the ground.
Inigo grinned at the furious-looking Argonian,
"What? No praise for my quick thinking or my archery skills? Also, are Argonians tails supposed to be on fire?"
Hasir turned around and saw that his tail was indeed on fire. He frantically started patting his tail to try to put the fire out. He tried
stopping, dropping a rolling but the only made the fire burn hotter. Inigo took Hasir tail and submerged it into a nearby lake; the
Argonian hissed softly as the water not only soothed his burning tail but also cooled his temper somewhat. He turned to the
companions and wordlessly asked if any of them had seen that, they said nothing but stood there sniggering. Hasir hissed at them,
they stopped and followed him into the cave; Inigo followed soon after.
Hasir and his companions stood inside a narrow entrywa that bent slightly right with torches lining the rock walls. The Argonian
removed one of the torches for in bracket and went into the main area of the caves. He could see doorways-three on the upper level
of the cave and two on the lower level. It was that moment that Kodlak barked his orders to the Argonian, the Companions and the
khajiit,
"Hasir, you take the middle door on the upper level, Inigo, the door to the east," Inigo asked him about him and the companions, He
said he will take the left-most door on the upper level, Aela will take the eastern door on the lower level, Vilkas the eastern lower
lever door and he will take the upper right door.
The all set to the tasks appointed to them; each taking their appointed door. Farkas and Vilkas found a glenmoril witch in the areas
they were tasked with searching but no totems. Kodlak fared no better; defeated, he trudged back to the main room again and saw
what he had missed: An altar tucked far in the corner of the cave with the totems layed very carefully on it. As he neared it however,
three figures came out of the shadows; no sonner did they raise their weapons when a shadowy figure dropped from the ceiling
and, with impressive skill slit their throats before they could work out who attacked them.
Kodlak was stunned; he did not know anyone of any of the Tamrielic races who could not only move like that but strike with such
accuracy and ferocity. Kodlak approached the figure who was crouching over her last kill like a cat who caught a bird and was
presenting it to its owner. It proved harder than he thought because of how little light there was in the cave. The figure, however had
none of the handicaps that Kodlak had when it came to seeing in the dark.
Kodlak used the stone all as a guide as he felt his was to the mysterious figure; when he got closer, he saw she was wearingg an
outfit that was unknown to him. He had never seen an outfit like that sold in any of Whiterun's shop nor elsewhere in Skyrim. The
figure, sensing his presence, sheathed her scimitar and approached,
"Greetings friend, forgive my...intrusion, but those men, they were here to kill you yes?" She looked him over cautiously with her
amber eyes, "No need to worry any longer, Affraji had killed them for you."
Kodlak gasped; how could she possibly had known? Was she in league with the forsworn or something much darker? In response,
Kodlak grinned weakly,
"Thank you, but, erm, I do have one question, well two questions actually, the first, who are you? The second is why did you kill
those forsworn?"
The khajiit's eyes narrowed as if deciding whether to kill him and steal his valuables,
"This one's name in Affraji, she is an...adventurer of dicerning tastes, you might say. She hails from the tiny island of Kenarthi's
Roost. She came to Skyrim to kill theives and murders and steal from them if possible." She said in a thick Elsweyrian accent, her
tail twiitching seductively behind her.
Kodlak's eyes widened in fright and unsheathed his word, ready for a fight if worse came to worse,
"You're a pirate? I've heard tale of Khenarthi's Roost, whole island is teaming with pirates and all kinds of n'er-do-wells."
Affraji hissed as if the word dealt an emotional blow and walking slowly towards the harbinger, who took a defensive stance,
"Pirate is such a strong word, Affraji prefers to refer to herself as a liberator of that which has wrongfully been obtained; that and
she wants to find her parents' killers."
Kodlak just stared at her, momentarily lost for words,
"Affraji is the granddaughter of the most feared Argonian pirate, Red Brammen. He was not only a pirate but a shadowscale as
well." She gestured to the dead forsworn, "She is certain that the forsworn are in a fued with Red about something she does not
know about; maybe that is why her parnets were killed." She shrug and snuck upstair to find the rest of the 'filthy bastard' as she
calls them."
Inigo's voice rang out from above the chamber the harbinger was in,
"Mr. Nord, you have to come see this, I may have found something that may pertain to the totems."
Kodlak huffed loudly and ran up the mossy stone slope to the raised walkway that spanned the entirety of the cavern's left wall to
the middle upper room,
"By the divines I may be getting to old for this," He said, out of breath, "yes, Inigo, what have you found?" He asked as he lent on
the left rock wall of the rocky doorway
Inigo huffed loudly and gesture to the arch-like portal with aylied patterns running down the sides,
"Why ask me, you have eyes don't you?" He asked incredulously
Kodlak scolded Inigo for his harsh tone of voice. The harbinger walked into the room with actually led deep into the earth; he gasped
as he stood into a huge subterranian cavern with paths leading away in each of the compass directions, arching over some
underground rivers that led off to the southern part of the cave, and ending in several raised earthen platforms shrouded in
darkness. Kodlak could hear endless water that dripped from the stalactites hanging above him in multiple rows; he could smell
some trace of magic some lost dead aylieds may have left behind. It was then that he found it; the portal that Inigo spoke of.
Inigo smiled at the harbinger and approached him; he was about to open his mouth to explain how this portal worked when it dawn
on him that he did not have a clue how Aylied magic even worked. He just told the harbinger that he guessed this is how the being
whom he guessed the nords below worships came from.
A being in a white armor with many bright blue crystal set into the armor set forward. Inigo and the harbinger guess this being had
come from behind the apparently broken portal,
"Greeting to you nord and khajiit, I am Casarind. As you can no doubt see, this portal is one of the last remaining relics created by
my people." He walked over to the portal and stared up at the top of the portal, "We had to shut some portals down both in the
other world as well as the one here because of the dangers they may pose to beings on Tamriel."
Both Inigo and Kodlak cocked their heads at the elf as if processing his words,
"Other world? Do you mean like Oblivion or Aetherius?" Inigo asked
Casarind shook his head, disturbing him beautiful head of long silvery white hair,
"No nothing like that, Oblivion and Aetherius are trivial compared to the world I speak of.
Kodlak tried to understand this but failed; he had no idea what other world Casarind was talking about,
Okay, what is this 'ther wolrd' and what is the threat?" He said wanting straight answers
Casarind sighed and explain that in the other world there is a beast of such terrible power that he had to deactivate the portal to
prevent him from wreaking havoc on this world as well. Koldak just stared at him; he had no idea what this load of kwama dung was
even talking about. Kodlak sighed heavily and strode toward the Aylied,
"Look 'aylied' better start talking now or," He unseathed his sword, pressing it against Casarind's chest, "we'll have problems,
understood?"
The Ayleid nodded nervously and took a steading breath,
"Y-yes, erm, in the other world there is a werewolf called Faolchu whom the forsworn of this land seem to worship. He, er, is helping
Molag Bal with draining the life from this land and its inhabitants."
Kodlak pressed his sword against the aylied's chest, drawing a small amount of blood,
"Yeah and why in Oblivion should I believe you?" He threatened, "I have my companions down there and with a single word, they
can be up here in a flash."
Casarind told them how Faolchu is Molag Bals number one servant and said the only way to face off against him in the ''other world'
is to reactivate the portal and he said they will need to find diamond shaped blue stones around the carven. Kodlak nodded curtly
and asked what the tomtems of Hircine have to do with Faolchu coming back? Casarind said his didn't know but he guessed they
would be used either to assist in safe passage for the undead werewolf or they would help Molag Bal speed up the process of laying
the planet bare-both of nature and its inhabitants.
Kodlak and Inigo looked at each other confused. Out of the corner of his eye, Inigo saw the ayleid's eyes go from their normal shade
of cyan, flash bright orange for a second and return to their normal color once more. Kodlak eyed Inigo in fright,
"You look white as a ghost, what did you see?" He asked scrutinizing the khajiit. Inigo told the harbinger about how he saw
Casarind's eyes change for a split second.
Inigo stormed over, grabbed the ayleid by the collar of his armor and slammed him against the frame of the arched portal,
"Why exactly are you helping us vampire? Talk before your head parts ways from your body." He yelled through gritted teeth. The
scared elf struggled against the khajiit's strong grip.
Before Inigo's eyes the elf's face seemed to change, his eyes glowed like an intense sunset as his cheeks became more sallow and
his canine teeth elongated into fangs. Inigo yelped and backed away toward Kodlak, who looked bewildered,
"By the divines, Inigo, I thought you were mad, I had no idea he was a vampire, honestly I didn't." He said apologzing to the
shocked khajiit. They both advanced on the apparently starved Ayleid vampire.
Casarind lunged at the juicy nord approaching him and Inigo saw this and ran in front of Kodlak but the vampire tossed Inigo with
such force that he hit one of the supporting pillar of the cavern which shattered on impact.
Casarind wrapped himself in the shadows of the cavern and unheard footsteps disturbed the dust in the cavern as he reappeared
behind Kodlak and attempted to bite the harbinger's neck. The harbinger dodged this and Casarind truned into a fine mist and
followed his every move. When he materialized again, he bit down and drained Kodlak of most of his blood. Casarind forced the
paper white head against his chets, took of his white armor and tore open a hole in his skin and made the dying nord drink.
Inigo screamed as he ran toward the ayleid vampire, holding his silver sword and pressed it to Casarind's throat. The vampire bared
his fangs and flung the sword across the cavern. Casarind broken through Inigo's defenses and raked his claws across Inigo's chest.
The khajiit's gaze fell to his chest and gasped weakly as he saw a sanguine stain suffusing his furred armor. He stumbled and fell
against a pillar.
At tha moment, Hasir came down the ramp into the cavern; His eyes went wide as they darted from the hungry vampire to the fallen
nord to the dying khajiit,
"What in Oblivion is going on here?" He spluttered as his eyes fixed on the carnage. Hasir took out his slver sword, stormed over to
the vampires, hissed loudly, accused the Aylied for killing his friend and came close to severing the elf's when a thin plume of mist
enveloped the elf.
The elf easily slipped past the raging Argonian's sword like mist on the wind and reappeared behind the Argonian; unseen by Hasir,
the elf's eyes turned from the orange of a sunset to cool blue fame,
"Hasir, did you enjoy your time in Coldharbour?" The elf threathened, "I hope so becuase you will soon return."
Hasir gulped and turned around; seeing the flaming blue eyes, he smirked,
"Molag Bal...how pleasant of you to join us. What, Coldharbour not enough for you? Thought you could wreack havoc on the mortal
reaml of Mundus?"
Molg Bal's puppet let out a bellow of rage at being made of of. He faced Hasir and told him that he plans to suck the life out of Nirn
for having an Altmer vampire marry a lycanthropic Argonian. His face pulled back in a sneer as he told the insolent Argonian that the
ancestors of the Altmer, Dunmer and Argonian will pay for trying to mix the bloodlines-specifically mixing pure blood vampires with
mangy dogs.
Molag Bal smriked evilly as he eyed the absence of fear in the Argonian's eyes,
"I know how much you Argonians adore nature and place great importance on your anscetors as well as those dirt elves. So I that
maybe it's time to even the score by taking away the things you miserable insects desire most just as two of your distant cousins
destroyed the bloodline that I deemed to stay pure foreveer by mating my creations with that of the daedra some of your lot seem to
hold in such high regard."
Once Molag Bal left Casarind to think his own thoughts again, the blanked he elf and ran over to to the dying Khajiit that lent against
one of the support pillars. The Argonian cired out and sank to his knees,
"My friend...I-I don't want to die." The khajiit looked paler than Hasir had ever seen him. Hasir tried to reassure Inigo, but his voice
caught in his throat. The Argonian felt rage boil up inside him.
He stormed over to Casarind, "What have you done? He was my friend and you killed him!" He hissed angrily at the vampire.
Casarind's mouth curved into a malicious grin, "Foolish lizard, neither your friend or your harbinger are not dead, they may appear
to be so now but in a few short hours they will rise up as a member of the undead and, on the same token, Molag Bal's servants."
Hasir gaped at him and said waspishly that Inigo would not rise up as one of Molag Bal's servant because he knew him. Casarind
sighed and said anyone who gets scratched by a vampire is doomed to become a vampire no matter how pure his soul may be. Hasir
sighed and his tail drooped lamely behind him as he walked over to the khajiit, who was trying to staunch his bleeding. He knelt
down, removed Inigo's armor and a golden glow lit up Hasir's hand which he had placed over Inigo's wound. Hasir growled in
frustration as even though the wound did stitch itself up, the khajiit still stayed in his sleep-like trance.
A figure approached Ingo and knelt on his left side. Hasir looked up,
"Er, hi, I don't think we've been introduced, I'm Hasir and you are?" He asked, cocking his head in wonder
The khajiit told the Argonian her name and asked if Inigo was going to be alright. The Argonian sighed and said that with a vampire
attack as bad as this one, he might never wake up; in the strange instance that he does, he would have to treated right away or risk
turning into a creature of the night in three days time.
Hasir cocked his head a second time and asked the khajiit why she was so concerned for Inigo. She mulled this over for a couple
minutes, She looked around the cavern for any excuse not to look at her friend's immovable corpse,
"Well, to tell you the truth, Affraji is his mate." She said, smiling weakly as Hasir got to his feet
As he did so, Inigo opened his eyes and groaned as he struggled to get to his feet, he failed and stumpled; falling against the pillar
once more,
"What did the vampire do to me?" He asked raspily as he looked from Hasir to Affraji. The Argonian smiled and told Inigo that the
aylied vampire passed on his curse to him and the harbinger. Upon hearing this Inigo's face became red as the fires on the sky forge,
"What? Divines damn it, I knew that vampire was lying when he said he wanted to help us."
Hasir and Affraji gasped as the blue khajiit slipped back into unconsciousness. Hasir told Affraji to tend to Inigo as he went over and
did the same for Kodlak. He found no such wound on Kodlak except for two puncture marks on his neck. Hasir had to think, fast, as
one wrong decision could spell death for one or both of them.
Hasir slung the harbinger over his shoulder and Affaji did the smame with Inigo and they both left the cavern and returned to the
lower level where they both told the two brothers gathered in the main lower room what they had seen. The nord brothers gasped
with horror as they hung onto every word that theArgonian and Khajiit told them.
Vilkas and Farkas understood and left the carven. Hasir hheard the clattering of hooves on the cobblestone road as he guessed they
were going to fetch Bjorlam to borrow his cart. Hasir and Afrraji sat down on the rocky floor with their backs against the ramp and
laid their burdens against the ramp leading up to the second level of the cavern. It well into the night when he heard a carriage pull
up outside the cavern. Affraji picked up the indigo khajiit, slung him over her shoulder and was about to leave when Hasir stopped
her,
"The totems!" He said as he slapped his head. He ran to the long wooden table that lay in the corner of the cavern and quickly swept all
three of them into his bag. He returned to Affraji, picked up the harbinger, left the cavern and loaded their cargo onto the back of
Bjorlam's cart.
Bjorlam asked if they were all set, they both nodded and the horse sped on to Whiterun,
"What happened to those two," He asked, gesturing to the two unconscious forms crammed in the back, "Had too much to drink,
haven't they? Boy, they need to lay of the mead." He said, chuckling. The Argonian shook his head and said they were retrieving
something from the cavern when out of nowhere the khajiit and nord were attacked by a vampire.
Bjorlam frowned,
"Vampires, here? How odds, still with dragons once again soaring the skies, I guess anything go, eh?" He said smiled at Hasir. The
Argonian asked the carriage driver how he heard about their pridicament, "Vilkas and Farkas, they told me, they seemed pretty scared
too, otherwise I would have just laughed it off." Vilkas gave him a dirty look. Bjorlam's face reddened as he apologized.
When the carriage came to a halt outside the stables, Hasir and Affraji got out, hefted their burdens and walked up to the main city.
Concerned, Hasir turned back and asked how much a trip like that would cost,
"Don't worry about it, if the roles were reversed and I was unconsiousness, slumped in the back like a piece of luggage, I am sure you
would do the same for me."
Hasir smiled and followed Affraji inside the city. Once inside, they made their way up to the Temple of Kynareth. By now, Danica, saw
Hasir as a regular so she didn't say anything, she just let him pass. Once Affraji and Hasir put their living baggage on the beds she
had pointed out, Danica asked them how the khajiit and harbinger came to be like this,
"While we we in Glenmoril Cavern we were attacked by a vampire named Casarind, he was the cause of them looking...like this." He
gesutred toward the two being laying on the stone beds. Danica said she had seen this once before and hurried out of the temple to
go see Arcadia.
As short while later, a knock sounded on the door, Hasir went to answer it and saw Danica standing there holding two vials of cure
disease vials. She closed the door, hurried over to Inigo's table and gave one to Affraji telling her not to waste a drop and administer
it Immediately lest he rise up a vampire. the cheetah-like khajiit nodded. Danica went over to Hasir and repeated what she had
advised Affraji to do.
Hasir calmy uncorked the bottle and emptied it into Kodlak's open mouth, check the harbinger's eyes every so often for any sign of
the potion not working; to his relief, though, it started to work instantly. Danica sighed in relief as she saw at least one of Arcadia's
potions works; the female khajiit on the other hand, was having trouble as her hand shook awfully when trying to get Inigo to open
his mouth to administer hers,
"Having a little trouble aren't we khajiit?" Affraji turned and shrieked, breaking the vial in the process as she smiled shamefully at
the Imperial and then looked at the mess she made, "Affraji is sorry, please let her get a rag and clean it up." Danica scowled at her,
scolding the khajiit for spoiling a perfectly good potion.
Danica wanted to wring Affraji by the neck because she was certain the khajiit did not know what she had done,
"Affraji, you now Arcadia does not have limitless supplies, I doubt she can make another one, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Affraji frowned at her letting her head and tail hang limp,
"Affraji apologizes but she was thinking of what if her feline friend does not wake?" Danica grabbed her by the ear and led her to a
corner of the temple, "Do you want Molag Bal to grew stronger because that is what will happen if he gains followers
because he already thinks mortals are idiots, do you want to give him that satisfaction?" She hissed, scowling at her
Danica said she will get a mop to clean the mess up. Affaji said she will do it as it was her mess,
"No let Affraji clean it up, it was her mess." Danica smiled and handed her the mop. Afrraji was about to start when Danica went into the
back room and emerged holding a broom and dustpa. Danica came over and offered the to Affraji.
Affraji took the bromm and dustpan while giving Danica a confused look,
"What does Affraji need these for?" She asked with looking oover the two items
Danica rolled her eyes and groaned,
"You need to sweep before you mop, I thought you knew that." She said, dumbstruck
Affraji nodded and set to work cleaning up the glass remnants of the shattered potion bottles and then she mopped up the potion. While
she was doing this, Danica stood there watching her like a hawk. She smiled as Affraji even replaced the mop, bucket, broom and dustpan
back where Danican had gotten in from. Danica signd she will let Affraji sit there on Inigo's bed and pray that he doesn't awaken
as a blood sucker. While Affraji sat there, she spent much of the night feeling sorry for herself as she watch the Imperial clean up the
mess that the khajiit had made. Her eyelids began to droop and she fell across Inigo's body fast asleep. When she awoke the next
morning she went down to the potion sho with a sense of purpose, asked Arcadia if she has any more cure disease potions; the
potions mistress said she did not expect a shipment for a couple days. Affraji was feeling more and more dishearted. She walked to
the stables, took her horse to potion shops across Skyrim, asking if they had any in stock; they said something silimar as the potions
mistress. One, however, pointed her in the direction of the hall of the vigilants.
As she neared the place where the hall was supposed to be, she smelled the acrid scent of smoke rising of a wooden ruin,,
"Oh Jone and Jode, this one is too late, the hall is already aflame. her mare trotted back to Whiterun with the heartbroken khajiit,
fortune smiled upon her on the second night, when she enountered a man cloaked in dark robes along the rode back to Witherun,
"I hear you have a serious predicament, care to talk about it?" Affraji shook her head and galloped away from the strange man a fast
as possibe. The man, however ran after her. It took him mere minutes to catch up with her.
When he had finally caught up with her, he wrenched her off her horse and held her inches of the ground. The poor khajiit had
underestimated this threat as she asked him if he would let her down,
"Why would I let you down? I haven't had a juicy khajiit female before, I wonder how they taste." He said darkly as his eyes glowed
red and he bore his fangs. The khajiit screamed and struggled to get free but it was impossible with the Imperial's grip, "Give up
child, you cannot hope to best the abilities of Lord Harkon." He grinned, blood dripping from his fangs as water from a stalactite. The
khajiit froze as Lord Harkon used his powerful gaze on her, "Be a good kitty and show me where this new vampire of Molag Bal is
located, hmm?" She mounted her horse and led the vampire lord to the city.
Lydia and the other guards saw this threat and attacked; with a wave of his hand, Lydia and the guard fell into a deep slumber
letting them pass. He employed the same trick on any guard within the town that was foolish enough to attack him or his enthralled
khajiit.
As the sun peaked over the mountains, the unlikely duo made it to the temple door; Harkon threw the door wide and glided toward
the slab were Inigo lay. His eyes fluttered open and before he could speak, Harkon bit into his neck and savored the sweet sanguine
liquid. Affraji eyes became focused again as her mind broke free of his enthrallment spell,
"Excuse me sir, who are you and what are you doing to this one's feline friend?" She asked, shocked
Harkon finished drinking and turned to her,
"What I've dome, my suculent litte khajiit, was infuse your friend with my blood. It will purge the filth from his veins and as such
he will not have to hide from the sun but instead, walk freely as a mortal would in the beacon of light." He said, a slight sneer
spreading across his paper white face. "With my blood in him, he will have an easier time resisting Molag Bal's pull."
Affraji looked at him perplexed,
"Does that mean he will have control over his own mind? Molag Bal will have a harder time penetrating it, yes?"
Harkon shrugged, something like that, yes," He laughed, "not only will his have his own mind, but his will have powers that will
prove invaluable to your quest." Affraji asked how he know what they were planning to do. Harkon spread his arms and said Molag
Bal has wanted to suck the life out of Nirn for ages and with the daedric lord upset with the union of vampires and werewolves way
back when, they have a common enemy.
Harkon smiled as Inigo awoke,
"Ahh, my litte feline bloodsucker, how are we feeling today?"
Inigo blinked a few times to make sure of where he was. He then shielded his eyes with his hand,
"It's a little bright, can someone please down down the brightness?" He said, confused at what was going on. Harkon said he will get
used to it and learn how to deal with it in the coming days, "... and why do I have these constant loud noises in my head?" He said
as he clamped his hand to his ears. Harkon explained that this too will take some getting used to as vampire lords like all vampires
have senses far enchanced past that of any mortal.
Harkon led Inigo out off the temple and into the city. He wanted to see if his blood actually did purge the filth of normal vampirism
from Inigo's bloodstream. Harkon stepped out of the curtain of shade that the temple's canopied roof created. Inigo saw that and
was eager to see if he was protected from the sun as well; he sstepped fully out of the shadow's protection and immediately, his fur
started to smoke. Harkon frowned and suggested the khajiit to transfrom in his 'vampire lord' form; as hard as Inigo tried, he could
not.
Harkon frowned at this and surmized that the vampire whose blood he gave to the khajiit was so powerful that vampire lord blood
had absolutely no effect on it,
"Well, at least you have greater power than when you were a mortal and...glowing eyes, that has to count for something." He said
as he had Inigo retreat into the shadows to see his glowing orange eyes.
Inigo frowned at Harkon's expression,
"Look, Harkon, I am greatfull for you 'saving' me from my fate but I would much rather live my life as a mortal rather than a
vampire who has to kill innocent animals or people and hide away from the sun."
Harkon scpffed at him and furrowed his brow,
"Are you sure, because if you regain your staus as a lowly mortal, you can never again gain my gift." The khajiit nodded. Harkon told
Inigo of a vampire scholar named Falion in Morthal that will purge the darkness from his blood. Inigo thanked Harkon for
understanding. The darkness seemed to bend around Harkon as he vanished.
Affraji, Kodlak and Hasir came out of the temple and stared at Inigo in disbelief; Inigo told them to step staring as he was getting
embarrased. Afrraji and Kodlak averted their eyes in disgust, but the Argonian kept staring,
"Inigo, why are you embarrased of this? It is awesome, I can finally have someone who matches my fighting skill." Hasir said
Inigo smiled wweakly at his friend's attempt at flattery,
"Thank you, but I already am efficient with a sword and bow, I do not want this and such I decided to journey to Morthal to rid
myself of this curse. It'ss more trouble that it's woth."
Hasir patted Inigo gingerly on the back and said if that's what he want, then he, Hasir, is right there with him. He reached into his
bag and gave the totems to Kodlak; the harbinger denied them and told Hasir it is his job and no one elses to return the totems to
Hircine,
"I was attacked by the vampire along with Inigo so I shall go to Morthal with him to meet this scholar of vampires, you go to
Whiteriver chapel." Hasir opened his mouth to argue, but Kodlak gave him his trademar owlish stare and the Argonian stowed the
totems back in his bag, went to the stables, got his lizard steed and sped off towards the chapel.
Inigo and Kodlak mounted up on their steeds and rode toward Morthal. Kodlak knew he had to get there fast because he did not
want to experience Inigo's first and, hopefully only night as a servant of Molag Bal. The horses left the city behind and turned up a
cobblestone road that ran from Whiterun to Morthal. The horses both galloped along at a steady speed; judging from this, Inigo
surmized they would enter Morthal well before the sun even crested the mountains in the horizon. Kodlak's ears worked overtime as
they listened for any disturbances along the road.
He heard some khajiit bandits approaching them on two elegant steend,
"Well, well, wht do we have here?" One banidit asked, "hey brother," He called behind him, "How about we kill these intruders and
see what we find on their dead bodies." He roared with laughter at his brother's unsheating his saber from his belt. The first bandit
did the same thing as they dismounted their horses.
Kodlak and Inigo mimicked the bandits and soon metal was clashing against metal. The blue khajiit drew his bow and fired; the
bandits fell as Inigo's arrows imbedded one after another into the bandits' chest. The bandits had no time to register what had
happened when their bodies thudded to the ground. With that done, the nord an khajiit mounted their steeds and headed towards
Morthal.
Replies