The cursed blood., Chapter 1: The celebration. Options

[jack cloudy]

Alright, this is my next fan fic. Know that I don't have the whole storyline thought out yet, so it might become a bit messy.

Also, it takes place approximately 2 years after the events of Oasis.


The cursed blood.

Chapter 1: The Celebration.

Seas around Vvardenfell.

Slowly, the ship drifted amongst the waves. The only sign of life were the torches burning on the bow and stern. Or was that all? No. At the bow one man stood, gazing at the sky. He was old, with long flowing hair as white as snow. He stood there like a statue, only moving on his heels to compensate for the boat’s movements.

A High Elf opened the door and looked over the deck. There was the man he’d been looking for. He took a quick glance at the sky and sighed. Then, he moved over to join the old man.

,,In a few nights, the moons will be full again.” He said. The Old man remained silent. Finally, after two long minutes, he spoke.
,,You know I don’t fear the servants of the moon.”
The High Elf touched an amulet hanging around his neck, lost in deep thought. The amulet was beautifully crafted and looked just like the moon.

,,I know, how could I forget? I was merely speaking to myself.”
,,Yes, so I noticed. We should reach the island before the moon is full. It has been a long time. Perhaps you should join the hunt once more.” The old man said.

,,I will think about it. We are drinking a bottle of whine below deck. If you like you may join us.” With those words, the High Elf left.

The old man however, remained behind. He didn’t go downstairs and instead waited till he saw the land appear on the horizon. The land had called him and he realized he had much to do with only little time. He smiled at the thought. It had been many years since he had last worried about not having enough time at his disposal.
,,So we’ll meet again, old friend.” He muttered and finally joined the people below deck.

Venim Manor.
The room looked as if a tornado had passed through it. Actually, that was exactly what had happened, with the only difference that the tornado was made out of two people rather than wind. One of the two was a Redguard who wielded her sword with precision, making sure that not a single movement was wasted. Her opponent, was different. Much younger, the Dunmer girl fought with the enthusiasm and unlimited stamina of youth.

The two went back and forth as their swords clashed over and over. In the end, the Dunmer girl got the upper hand and forced the Redguard against the wall. She smiled as she prepared to land the final blow. Her sword hit the wall instead of the Redguard who had dove around the blade and was now behind the Dunmer. Instead of feeling her sword hit the Redguard, the Dunmer felt the tip of a sword on her own neck.

,,Not bad, mylady. For a moment, I really thought I had much work to do. Most mainland people aren’t very experienced.” The Redguard said and smiled.
,,Admit it, you were worried that you were going to lose for a moment.” The Dunmer replied.
,,Now don’t go too far with your pride. Your technique still needs a lot of work and it will take a while before I can truly call you a warrior.”
The Redguard took the two swords and returned them to their weaponrack, after putting the rack back in the position it stood in before it was knocked over.

There was a polite knock on the door and after a few seconds, a Dunmer entered the room.
,,Tsk, are you busy again.” The man said and shook his head.
,,I know I can’t stop you from doing this, Jana. But please, don’t go challenging people to duels in the middle of the night. You two are keeping everyone awake with all that noise.”
The man continued with a smile that took the sharpness out of his words. He then turned to the Redguard.

,,So Neminda, how is she?”
,,Not too bad, but not too good either.” The Redguard responded. She didn’t knew what to think. Maybe it was stupid for her to have gone along with the idea of the young Dunmer, but that enthusiasm was simply contagious.

Athus Mirhtri had recently arrived from the mainland and taken residence in Venim manor. He was a high-ranking member of House Redoran but also a man who didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the house. The biggest problem that most people had with him was the fact that despite being in a House that demanded of its members that they knew how to fight, he’d never held a weapon in his entire life.

,,I see. Could you, teach her a few tricks perhaps? That should keep her satisfied and out of trouble. But not before the sun rises.” Athus turned around to leave.
,,By the way, your dress for the celebration just arrived. You might try it on to see if it fits. But first, go take a bad.” He said and walked out.

[jack cloudy]

Tsk, young people just haven't seen true wisdom.
It isn't the size of the muscles that counts, it is the knowledge.
As they say, brains beat brawn. And mister Aureus has had plenty of time to stock up on knowledge and uber spells of doom. So, Taillus is pretty much toast unless Molag Bal comes along with all his daedra. And even then it will be pretty close.
Anyway, an update.


Argonia, next day

,,The same dream as always, won’t I ever get a different dream? Silvery mountains are getting old.” Jana muttered next day while she stood in front of the mirror. Her attempts at using make-up to make her look younger had turned out to be a disaster.
,,Now you’re up early.”
Jana turned around to see Luper standing in the doorway with an irritating big grin on his face.
,,Never heard of knocking?” She snapped back.

Surprisingly, the man’s grin could actually become even bigger, which it now did.
,,Nah, after nearly getting killed for knocking several times, I learned to just barge in with a sword in one hand and a fireball in the other. Besides, I wanted to test out your response. Well, you’re pathetic.”
,,Hey! That’s not nice, you know!” Jana was really frustrated. For a hero, Luper sure knew how to annoy people.
,,Come outside when you’re finished with the paint.” Luper was gone before she could respond with a particularly nasty insult.

Skyrim

The snow muffled the sound of his landing, but he had no doubts that he was already spotted. In front of him, the flanks of a silver mountain ascended up into the clouds that had blocked the sun for as long as he could remember. It was the first time he had seen the mountain outside his dreams since many years. He cast a life detection spell and saw the familiar purple hue enveloping the flanks of flowing silver. He frowned and drew one of his katanas. The same flowing material and the same response to the detection spell graced the blade of his sword.

,,Living steel. That I haven’t realized this sooner.” He muttered in amazement, without bothering to remember the official name of the material, which was much longer and more descriptive. He shook his head. This was no time to wonder why a mountain made of a material that wasn’t supposed to even exist on Nirn could be found in Skyrim.
Two vampires appeared in the opening with large spears in their hands.
,,I have returned. You shall either let me pass, or you shall try to resist me and seal your fate. Either way, I shall speak with your master.” The old man told them.

The man looked up when a vampire entered his room, followed by several more.
,,Aureus. So, you’ve come back. How long has it been?” He said with an evil smile.
,,Roughly 2500 years. I am not here to talk about the old days. I come here for more important matters.” Aureus responded with a dead serious face.
The man waved at one of his servants who came forward with a glass filled with a red substance.
,,I suppose this is because my men wrecked your lovely sanctuary? Are you thirsty, some wine?”

,,Don’t play the fool with me, Gerinj. I may have grown old, but I have not become rusty. If you believe that you can feed me blood without me noticing, you are mistaken. Besides, I am already well fed. Your men have attacked my sanctuary and have slain its inhabitants. We had an agreement. You wouldn’t bother me and I would let your people live.”
Gerinj laughed.
,,I believe it is you who broke our little agreement. Didn’t you help a little Dunmer slay part of my clan 400 years back?”
,,I only created his sword. I had no knowledge at the time that Athus would hunt down you. Speaking of Athus, what have you done with him?”

Gerinj laughed again.
,,Just some poetic justice. He’s still under the command of my first lieutenant. I’ll wait till the blessing of my blood has fully manifested itself before releasing his mind. The vampire hunter who becomes that which he hunts. Amusing, isn’t it?”
Aureus wasn’t laughing.
,,Your sense of humour is as horrible as ever. So you have cursed him with the blood. I agreed that I wouldn’t attack your men, but I never spoke of you.” Aureus said as his face stretched across his skull and his eyes turned white.

Gerinj bared his teeth.
,,Oh, you had to purge your blood. So you believe you need all of the abilities I gave you as a vampire to win? I granted you immortality, I deserve some gratitude. You are foolish, Aureus. With every passing day, we’ve grown stronger. Yes, you are more powerful than any mortal man, but I am the oldest. Every day I have worked to transcend my limits. You are nothing but a miserable bug and I shall crush you as one. Making the most skilled mage on the continent the first member of my clan has been a mistake.” He said and laughed again.

,,Tell me something, Areus. I see that you bear two katanas. Then why did I hear that you only use one?” He continued, calmer now.
,,I prefer to save that one for special occasions. Like now.” Aureus responded as he drew his weapon.
,,You are the oldest, but I have travelled the most.” He said and raised his blade.

The smile had disappeared on Gerinj’s face. He didn’t like to be confronted with something he didn’t recognize. Aureus’ katana was the strangest weapon he’d ever seen. It didn’t even look real. It seemed as if light itself had decided to become solid to form a ghostly blade.
,,What is that thing?” He muttered to himself and shut up when he noticed that he’d shown a weakness.
,,This sword is me. So it is two against one. Are you still so sure about your self?” Aureus responded with a thin smile.