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Private What Lurks in the Dark

Salthar smiled at the Khajiit woman. "I'm touched by your concern, my dear girl, but your friend is a mere mortal, whereas I am a vampire lord. A single creature does not overly worry me." He neglected to mention the group of vampires waiting for him just outside the town. There was no need for him to reveal all his secrets. Heading out in to the grey daylight, he avoided the larger groups of people, not wishing to attract any attention from guards or civilians. Several vampires, five wearing the ebony armour of his coven, and two wearing dark grey robes, with red designs in them.


The eldest looking man, a Breton mage with steel grey hair, and the leader of the expedition nodded, holding out the reins of an already saddled black furred mare. Accepting the reins, the lord mounted, and lead the group of vigilant vampires keeping a sharp watch on the surrounding forest. Although they were confident, deadly killers, each and every one of them, they too were uneasy. As Salthar had discovered on the previous two trips through the forest, the disquieting effects of the gloom worked on the undead as well.



The trip was considerably faster on horseback than it was on foot, and they arrived at the bandit camp in only half an hour. To Salthar's surprise, the bodies in the cave seemed to have been dragged out and buried. Small dirt graves had been erected, and the Altmer vampire guessed that the mysterious wood elf had done so. "An impressive feat" he murmured, dismounting and motioning for his fellows to copy him. The ebony armed and armoured vampires immediately set up a perimeter, searching for any approaching threats. The two mages approached the graves, casting several spells.


An hour passed before the mages concluded their castings. Once they did, both approached Salthar. "Well?" Inquired the vampire, more than a little interested in the answer. "The bodies have not been disturbed, my lord" suspecting as much, Salthar nodded and dismissed the group. "I'll make my own way back to Falkreath. Send some of the others to retrieve the horse from the stables" The others bowed, and he remounted, setting off towards Falkreath at a near gallop, while the others headed up, into the mountains, towards the Bloodlet Throne. 'If these things aren't undead...what are they?' He wondered. By the description, he'd thought perhaps a very bold ghoul, but Falkreaths' graveyard hadn't been disturbed, and neither had the bodies at the cave.Strange.
 
Julius jumped off his stool when he heard the unearthly howl from outside. He was surprised, but remembered to draw his sword and not drop it. He faced the door , expecting some monster from Oblivion to come charging in and kill all of them. What really happened, was the door opened, and the Altmer woman, he thought she was called Aliah, walked in with the other imperial, Elizabeth. Soon after, the Khajjiit woman came in and told the rest of them that a creature (probably the one that had been outside, in the street) and that the Lost elf, guy had gone after it. 'He's much braver than me then, if its looks like what they're saying it looks like' Julius thought sheathing his sword.
 
The Lost was catching up to the foul creature, it's stench filled the air as he tore through the brush making almost no sound as he did. Suddenly, in the rain and gloom ahead, he saw it. The Lost managed to catch up with the thing and used a shoulder tackle to stop it's mad dash. The force of the blow sent the foul thing flying a few feet where it crashed into the ground. The Lost drew his twin blades and began to spin them, for the creature was alread rising from the ground nearby. And it did not sound happy.

It turned to face him, letting loose a shriek that rang with primal and unnatural fury. It rushed him, slicing at him with its claws. As he dodged, The Lost got a good glimpse of it's face. It was human or mer once, from the appearance. A decomposing zombie that had grown strong enough to break the bonds of it's master? Doubtful. A messy vampire kill resulting in a ghoul? Perhaps. Or something more? Possible. The Lost continued to dodge the thing's swipes, but it was unnaturally fast. One of the blows glanced his cheek leaving a small cut. The thing started to move even faster at the sight and smell of blood. He figured it was time to end this.

With a dual slash across the chest, the thing gurgled and fell to the dirt. Whatever the creature was, it wasn't much of a threat one on one. But it's speed and ferocity make it dangerous. Putrid blood splattered the ground and soaked the beast's filthy clothes. Blood? So it is not an undead creature. Interesting. Just to make sure it was well and truly dead, The Lost stood over it readying a heartstrike. Suddenly it jumped up, sending The Lost to the ground as it swept his feet, and disappeared over the edge of a nearby cliff. By the time he went and looked over the edge it was long gone. If it was not undead, how did it survive his dual slash? That was more than enough to fell the strongest warrior.

The Lost pondered on the implications for a moment, but soon turned and made his way back towards Falkreath. He walked slowly through the gates and soon the inn, along with several other members of the high elf's party, was in sight.
 
Salthar rode alone back to Falkreath. Whatever that creature was, the vampire had decided it wasn't undead. He had no idea if the others had reached the same conclusions, but Salthar suspected it was, perhaps, some new form of monster. By it's description, maybe Falmer? Had they overcome their blindness, and braved the surface world at last? That was very unlikely, and to Salthar's knowledge, there were no easy ways to get to the surface of Skyrim near Falkreath.

Plus, the disappearances in Skyrim were linked with the creature...somehow. He'd bet all of his wealth on it. The mysterious vanishings didn't have the ring of Falmer involvement either. Arriving at the city, he left his tired horse in the stable owner's capable hands, paying for a couple of days (the length of time it would take for another vampire to come retrieve the animal). Entering the inn, he noticed that the mysterious Bosmer had returned, and looked none too happy, despite his emotionless face. The vampire could tell by the almost imperceptible slump of the wood elfs' shoulders that indicated failure.

"I take it that your hunt for the beast was unsuccessful?" He inquired of the wood elf. To the others, he reported "I have re-visited the site of our battle against the bandits, and the dead villagers. None of the bodies were missing, and none of the corpses in Falkreaths' rather extensive graveyard have been disturbed" he paused, giving Aliah a meaningful glance, and deciding not to mention the dark magic that they'd spoken about. Although the watched, sinister, oppressive feeling still hung in the air, Salthar was fairly certain the magic used to execute that old man had simply been a means to an end.

"To summarize, I believe that this monster is some new type of creature that hasn't been discovered before. To my knowledge, it isn't undead, nor any type of race that is catalogued well...anywhere" the Altmer vampire was painfully aware that what the group knew wasn't a whole lot. It wasn't undead, and nobody knew its' origins. In that light, what the group knew was moved from 'not a lot', to 'painfully little'.
 
Averains' attention was drawn from the grizzly sight in front of him by an inhuman howl. The vampires' gaze scanned the forest around them, drawing Goldbrand and trying to identify the noise. It greatly disturbed the knight that he couldn't identify it, and that it seemed to be coming from the town area. Looking to his ranger companion, Torin, he remarked "That did not sound good. We should probably start heading back" the man turned and headed towards the walled town of Falkreath, worried about his companions at the inn.
 
Torin had been about to answer the mans' question as to what might have killed the deer, when he was cut off. By something that didn't sound even remotely human, and certainly wasn't native to the forest. In an instant, the experienced ranger had his back to the knights own armoured backside, surprisingly, trusting him to alert him of danger. "That did not sound good. We should probably start heading back" the vampire said, and Torin agreed wholeheartedly.

The woods were unfamiliar terrain, and that creature might have knowledge of the area. The ranger knew that they'd have better chances falling back to the town, a battleground of their choosing. "Let's go. I don't want the...whatever that was to get the drop on us". Keeping his weapon at the ready, he lead the way back to town, and the pair were admitted into the town by a pair of shaken looking guards. 'Perhaps the creature was here as well.It must be bold to come so close to human settlements'


They entered the inn, just in time to see the robed Thalmor vampire, Salthar, ending a report that seemed to entail that very creature. As much as the ranger disliked the vampire, he had to admit, the elfs' information was solid, although nobody seemed to be sure what the creature was.
 
Relaxing slightly now that the danger of whatever had been outside seemed to have passed, the sturdy Nord warrior listened to the description of the creature. 'At least if its' not undead, it will be easier to kill' the warrior thought to himself, passing a hand over his bald head. Apparently, it was fast enough to outrun the elf, and avoid the ranger and vampire. That didn't make Donath eager to come face to face with the thing.
 
Aliah took in the group, her keen elven eyes worried. 'How many will die to see this quest for answers to its' end? How many will remain unscarred?' She asked herself, and was afraid that she knew the answer. Few, and none. In her experience, missions to find a simple answer turned into suicide missions all too often. She didn't voice her concerns, mostly, because she didn't want to instill any more doubts in them.

If they were going to survive, they'd need to have a realistic view of their chances. Leaning against the wall, she glanced at the two youngest members of the group, and felt a pang of worry at her core. She didn't want to be responsible for the deaths of two young people, if-when, it came to that. It was almost as if the emergence of the creature was a sign..an ill omen. 'I'm being silly. A pity vampires can't get drunk...' she thought, although she was not one to consume copious amounts of alcohol in order to relax, her nerves were in need of soothing.
 
Averain leaned against the wooden wall of the inn, and sighed. He hadn't seen the creature, but if he was to judge by the shocked and repulsed looks on the faces of Aliah, the Khajiit, and the young Imperial woman, it was something rather horrible. Thinking of the corpse of the dead deer, and those rather vicious looking teeth marks, the knight shuddered to think of what the rest of the things body was like. Realizing he was clenching the hilt of Goldbrand a little too tightly, he released the hilt and flexed his fingers. The half Breton was no coward, but he hated fighting an unseen enemy.

Most of his life, he'd been in war, marching or riding into battle against an enemy that charged at you and made enough noise to be heard hours before they were seen. Fighting something that had boldly entered town, evaded defeat and capture by a vampiress and a dozen town guards, and evading Averain and Torin in the woods was no small feat. Clearly, this creature was cunning, and obviously dangerous. "We came across the corpse of a deer in the woods. Perhaps the creature has been here longer than we have. If so, I'd like very much to learn its' intent. Is it a scout, or is it a solo creature, operating alone?"
 
Torin nodded at his companions report. "One more point, if I may" the ranger interjected, stepping forwards. "The deer corpse we discovered...it seems to have decayed extremely quickly, whether from the dark...presence, or the beast itself caused this, I'm not sure" the ranger crossed his arms, taking in the faces of the few patrons in the room, wondering if they might have something to do with the creatures sudden arrival.

"Furthermore, I don't believe the beast showing up when it did was coincidence. If it was, why not just attack at random?" There was something else as well, that the ranger kept to himself. He suspected that the creature had been sent to draw them out, force their hand so to speak. 'Something is very suspicious about this. A creature that no one has ever seen before appears, just as our group has assembled to investigate these disappearances?' Torin glanced at the red haired elven woman, noticing a worried look in her eye. Making a mental note to speak with her later, he took a seat at one of the tables.
 
Aliah leaned away from the wall, determined to get away from her disturbing thoughts, and approached Salthar. The Altmer vampire stood near the door, looking rather unhappy about the groups lack of knowledge. "Up for a sparring match, Salthar?" She cocked her head and forced a smile. "Unless, of course, you're afraid?" She said, her eyes sparkling. She rested her hands on the hilts of her ebony weapons, and nodding towards the door.
 
Salthar, from his position near the door, grew more and more disturbed by the reports of his fellow vampire and the ranger. He was greatly relieved when he saw his fellow Altmer, Aliah, approaching with an expression that seemed to promise mischief. "Up for a sparring match, Salthar?" She asked, her eyes gleaming, although to the vampire, it seemed that her smile was more than a little bit forced. "Unless, of course, you're afraid?" she taunted. Salthar shrugged, smiling himself, and not in the least reluctant to test his companion.

Removing his robe, he draped it over a nearby chair, and headed outside, moving to the back of the inn, so none of the guards or townsfolk would witness the battle. Drawing his sword, he turned to Aliah, taking a ready position. Usually, the Altmer vampire would have no part in such a contest, but he found that he wanted to win. Although he preferred magic, he was no novice to the blade.
 
As The Lost came to a stop near the group, the male altmer vampire arrived as well. He seemed to unhappy with the results of whatever task he had come from. The Lost was embroiled in his own thoughts, expressionless face with glowing violet eyes staring away from the group. The vampire turned to face him.

"I take it that your hunt for the beast was unsuccessful?" He inquired of the wood elf. To the others, he reported "I have re-visited the site of our battle against the bandits, and the dead villagers. None of the bodies were missing, and none of the corpses in Falkreaths' rather extensive graveyard have been disturbed"

The vampire paused, giving Aliah a meaningful glance as The Lost turned back to the group practically ignoring his earlier question. Apparently they were concealing something. The Lost made a mental note to discover whatever they were hiding from the rest of the group. The vampire continued, "To summarize, I believe that this monster is some new type of creature that hasn't been discovered before. To my knowledge, it isn't undead, nor any type of race that is catalogued well...anywhere."

"Up for a sparring match, Salthar?" She asked the male vampire, changing topics almost too quickly, as if she was concealing something. It seemed that her smile was more than a little bit forced as well as the male vampire's as he nodded agreement. "Unless, of course, you're afraid?"

The Lost saw several members observing him, if only breifly. He must seem very strange to them. His monotone voice, expressionless nature, and mysteriousness. But he had felt emotion, less than an hour ago. It shouldn't have been possible with the mark upon his forehead. He made another mental note; to preform a ritual to strengthen the mark. It had to be weakening. That was the only explanation...wasn't it? He would wait until all went to sleep for the evening and he would go find a quiet place. As for their suspicion, they seemed to still view him with quite abit. But as it stood they had no way to doubt his story. He thought it had been an appropriate tale to tell them...at least for now. They didn't need to know his real mission.
 
Aliah shrugged out of her own leather coat, remaining in her fine red shirt, leather pants, and boots. Following her fellow vampire outside, drawing both of her swords as she did so. She'd fought the bandits, but they were about as talented as slugs. Fighting another vampire, an equal, might (would hopefully) take her mind off the cave, the missing people, and the creature.

She didn't waste anytime with formalities, as she stepped forward, both blades moving almost as if they were controlled by two separate people. She didn't go for the 'kill' right away, instead, slapping both of her blades against the ebony of her opponents weapon. As she suspected, the Altmer vampire was equally skilled with the blade as he was with his spells. As far as she could tell, the man wasn't even slightly worried about the fight.
 
Shadari listened to the reports without really hearing them. She wasn't in shock, or anything like that. She was simply absorbing the information for later use. The others, those that hadn't yet been out and about, or seen the whatever-it-was, looked disturbed. Frightened, even. Not that she blamed them, because, even though she didn't seem too disturbed at the moment, she was going to have one hell of a nightmare come dusk. Sighing, she took an unoccupied table to herself, sitting, and crossing her legs, her tail slowly curling around one of the chair legs. Catching the serving girls eye, she motioned for a bottle of ale. She was going to need it.
 
Salthar stepped forwards, aiming an easy swing at the womans legs, although, as he'd expected, she easily parried the blow. The vampire let a smile come to his face, a genuine one this time. It had been nearly a century since he'd had someone not of his coven actually able to match him in combat. Despite the fact it was only a friendly duel, the Altmer vampire had never been one to stop halfway. He would win or lose completely. He stepped forward once again, this time his ebony blade slashing down at his opponents skull.
 
Aliah easily blocked the Thalmor vampires first volley of attacks with ease. She crossed her blades, stopping the powerful downward slash, but instead of pushing back, against him, she gave in, uncrossing the blades with a rasp, and stepping back, forcing Salthar to either lunge forward, into her trap, or, with massive effort, recover and fall back. Her blades dipped down, one to either side, ready to knife back up and strike at his legs, or under his arms, if he lunged.
 
"A devious trick!" He congratulated, falling back quickly and bringing his blade up in a defensive posture. Aliah's blades were pointed at the ground, but Salthar didn't fool himself into believin that he was fast enough to take advantage of it. He'd seen her fighting at the bandit camp, and the speed with which she'd moved. He wasw honestly surprised that she hadn't begun her spinning movements yet, and wondered if he could take advantage of that. He doubted it. Aliah was just as fast as he was, and probably better with the blade. No, scratch that, definitively better. 'I think I've been relying on my magic too much lately' he mused. He sliced low, aiming for her knee, hoping to force her on the defensive.
 
Noticing that his blade was aimed for her knee, she shifted slightly, turning her body, and tapping his own weapon so that it deflected harmlessly off to the side. She smiled at the failed attempt, and said in a mocking voice, "why, Salthar, I do believe that you're a little slow!" She stepped forward, pivoting on one foot, so that for half a second, her side was exposed for a blow, but then both blades were slashing towards the other vampire, who was forced to quickly step backwards.

The mud caused by the light rain that still fell made her dance both easier and harder. Easier, because with no hard surfaces for her boots to scuff on and create friction, she moved slightly faster. Harder, because she had to maintain slightly more control over her movements. Planting her other foot firmly, she spun again, the same direction she had previously. Then she abruptly reversed her momentum, aiming to end the fight quickly.
 
"You are all strange," said The Lost flatly without emotion. He was staring at the two vampires that had engaged in a duel seconds after discovering that a strange and powerful creature was lurking in these very woods. Are they blissfully ignorant? Doubtful. Are they trying to ignore the dire implications of the situation? Perhaps. A distraction from these events? Most likely. Do they know more than they have stated? Assuredly. He looked between them while there was a pause in their battle and continued. "There is a beast that none of us have ever encountered within the surrounding woods. It is most likely not the source of the disappearances and killings, but I do believe it is a symptom."

His eyes narrowed as he stared down the vampires with no emotion readable upon his face, remebering the look the male vampire had given the female. They were hiding something. There was no doubt in The Lost's mind. "I know the two of you are withholding certain information. What that information is, I do not know. But even if it seems trivial you should share it with us. My mission...for the child is important."

"How can you just suddenly drop a serious conversation, that has critical revelations, to suddenly duel one anotherbehind the inn?" He stared at them and began walking away saying, "When you finish your duel and when you are ready to address our quest, I will be awaiting with the others inside the inn. Perhaps I will rest and we will speak of these things upon the dawn. I understand I have no right to make demands as you, Aliah, are the de facto leader of this band. So forgive me if I overstep, but I feel...a darkness closing in and it's power only grows as we wait here doing nothing productive to our investigation."

The Lost made his way back to the street and headed inside the inn, a warm fire greeting him. He noticed the rest of the people who made up this group of...adventurers? Perhaps that was the right word, perhaps not. He made his way to the bar and sat a coinpurse on the counter. "A room, the furthest from the door. A meal, steamed mudcrab legs with a bowl of grilled leeks and rabbit legs. A drink, Stros M'kia Rum if you have it. Argonian Bloodwine if you don't."

The barkeep nodded slowly, a slightly stunned and confused look on his face from the strange mer's expressionless speech, and pointed to an avaliable room near the back. Without another word The Lost headed for his room. On his way he nodded slightly to the female khajiit, who's name he still did not know, as he passe. Showing her his respect for her earlier victory as well as gazing upon her emerald eyes once more. He turned away upon reaching his room and entered, closing the door silently behind himself.
 
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