When Dead Fights the Undead

Dear Kousei,

I know it's queer that I'll be writing to you just when we are traveling together. I could have expressed these thoughts to you by word of mouth, but I find myself hesitating to do so. I can see that your mood is not quite at its best these days, and I figured that I may have something to do with it. For one, I've somehow understood that you are generally a man of few words. But as we journeyed to Dimhollow to carry out Isran's orders, I noticed that there was an unusual coldness to the way you fought. 

I was quite impressed the first time I saw you do this.



I did not think much of it when you went and lopped the head off of the first hostile figure we encountered. In fact, I was quite happy with the thought that I have such a capable warrior by my side on what may be a dangerous mission. But after a few kills, I began to have the impression that you're beheading enemies to vent out some inner frustration. After all, you know I do the same with Mudcrabs when I need some anger management.



...okay, is this the fifth person you've beheaded today? Or is it the sixth?

Nonetheless, I kept my thoughts to myself to prevent our partnership from being jeopardized. Not before we have even started on the quest. I was pitifully thankful that whatever ill-feeling you have towards me did not hinder us from working together effectively. You like to confront enemies head on, and I was there to help you take them down from afar, hidden in whatever cover I can find to conceal my presence. 

Death from the shadows.

On a side note, even Vampires are not too fond of Draugr, are they? We encountered an instance of a Vampire being harassed by one, and of course, we decided not to show any partiality for either faction. We just sent both of them to Oblivion, leaving no combatants behind to trouble the world of the living.
 

Taking advantage of the Vampire versus Draugr moment.

As we ventured deeper into Dimhollow, the more curious the setting became. Vampires, Draugr, and Skeletons were expected, yes. Wanting to utilize my skills in stealth for our benefit, I volunteered to do initial reconnaissance of every new part of the crypt we had to enter. You agreed with nothing but a little nod. Your coldness was really beginning to bother me by then, but still I kept silent. There were undead waiting to be killed.

 

You know by instinct that something will rise out of those waters.

We had gone quite a distance inside the cave when Frostbite Spiders also began to make an appearance. Or at least corpses of them. The Vampires were there long before us, and they were killing their own share of the creatures. They were not done with the task, though. We were close to entering the heart of the crypt when we encountered a Vampire fighting one of the Spiders. The arachnid wasn't quite dead, and it distracted me from the Vampire's own blows before you stepped in.    



Even the undead were not spared from your blows.

There was a closed door at the end of that room with the spider, and upon entering it, we overheard a not-so-happy conversation between one of the Vampires and a Vigilant of Stendarr they were apparently torturing. The poor prisoner was killed before we can even take a look at what was happening. The least we can do was to fulfill the purpose of our mission: to find out what it was the Vampires were seeking in Dimhollow.



That is quite an impressive structure.

There were two more vampires standing between us and our goal, but they were just minor setbacks. We wasted no time crossing the bridge and into the heart of Dimhollow Crypt.  



Those braziers must be there for a reason.

I was inspecting one of the unlit braziers when I heard you exclaim in pain. To my horror, I saw that the button mechanism of the crypt had driven a spike right through your palm. Despite your assurances that you're alright, I did not find it amusing at all. You could have lost the use of your right hand because of that injury, and I know how badly you depend on that in battle.

 

By the Divines, it got through Dwarven armor!

After a bit of work involving pushing lots of braziers around, we were treated to a display of surreal lights as the entire structure of the platform shifted and revealed a stone monolith where the deadly button used to be. You wanted to activate the monolith yourself, but I put my foot down. If there are more spikes coming from that thing, at least I still have two uninjured hands to take them.

  

Ready, get set...

Well, lo and behold! The monolith yielded not a spike, but an entire mysterious woman... a mysterious Vampire woman carrying an Elder Scroll, no less. That girl, Serana as she calls herself, seems friendly enough. But Kousei, you know as well as I that one does not carry around Elder Scrolls and not have a secret to tell. I am not entirely sure if it was wise of us to not send word to Isran about this matter straightaway, but I chose not to contest your decision to help Serana get back home. I am not as cruel as you probably think I am; I somehow feel pity for her too. So now we are four (or five, if you count my canine companion Meeko) in our little group: you, me, Lydia, and Serana. I admire your patience, Kousei. I know you are used to traveling alone, and having quite a lot of people in tow may be taxing your energies in more ways than one.



Well, I'm glad I was the one who opened the crypt.

But going back to my purpose in writing this letter to you, I have gotten to thinking that I may have offended you greatly when I joined the female Riften guard in teasing you prior to us joining the Dawnguard. Who was I to make fun of your armor when they do you such a great service in battle? Furthermore, I had no right. I do intend to don full armor once I have attained enough skill to apply the right Enchantments to them, but it is as plain as day that my current defenses are nowhere near as up to par as yours. I would have had a much harder time clearing Dimhollow Crypt if you were not with me. I am therefore giving you one of the Grand Soul Gems I have in my inventory as a token of my peace. I know it will not change the fact that I hurt you, but know that a Grand Soul Gem means as much to me as much as the rare Nirnroot means to you. Perhaps, by giving one to you, things will get better between us soon.

It's yours to do what you will.

Your good friend,

Kiya

The Red Moon Over Fort Dawnguard

At last, Kousei and I finally made it to Fort Dawnguard after so many delays! I'll admit I factored quite a lot in those delays because I traveled from the northern parts of Skyrim -- there were just too many chances of wolves, bandits, or dragons showing up to fight while en route. I do not know if Kousei suspected what I have been up to in Winterhold, but if he did, he did not mention it. I am well aware that Redguards are not too fond of magic, as are many Nords. He has so far not shown any disapproval of me leaning towards the class of mages, but I am not too sure it's the right time to tell him yet. It wouldn't do to prematurely awaken the dragon from the grave.

Hmmm... I don't really know what to say. Did the armor do something to your height, Kousei?

I was very thankful that Kousei didn't insist we stop by in Riften beforehand, although we did meet near its gates, at the stables. He doesn't know yet about my activities in Riften, and he might as well find them quite unsavory. I wouldn't put it past one of the shopkeepers to let it slip to him that his Imperial friend had been keeping contact with some figures in Riften's Ratway.

On the more humorous side, though, one of Riften's female guards and I had an unusual rapport regarding his armor. I myself am utilizing a Dwarven helm at the moment, but does the armor craft of Dwemer really have detrimental effects on its user's height? I swear, Kousei didn't look that short before. I wanted to keep my thoughts to myself, but I guess a giggle left my mouth before I could get a hold of myself.

The guard must have never felt so tall in her life.

Kidding aside, I was glad to see him again. It was early in the morning when we set out for Fort Dawnguard, but it was already nighttime when we managed to find the entrance in the mountain. I was seriously considering trekking up the slope just to reach the marker shown on the map, but thankfully, Kousei was able to find the proper path.

I nearly missed that crevice.

I'm pretty sure Dayspring Canyon is wondrous to behold by day, but it has its own charm when viewed by night. I mean, Kousei and I took a little break to catch the Luna Moths and Torchbugs that hovered in the scene for the sake of our Alchemy. And let's face it, waterfalls like these are beautiful no matter what time of the day. These views make me so proud of my adopted land, no doubt about that.

Dayspring Canyon at night.

As for Fort Dawnguard, I guess it's just our luck that one of the moons was shining red overhead when we reached it. Kousei was probably thinking the same thing as I -- it looks more like a lair of vampires than the headquarters of those who seek to exterminate them.

Are you sure we didn't hold the map upside down?

Thankfully, our misgivings were proven wrong. Never judge a fort by its looks.

"How sweet, a pair of lovers joining the Dawnguard together." You want an arrow in the knee, infidel?

We were allowed inside after we made it clear that we wanted to sign ourselves up into this vampire hunting business. Turns out Isran, the leader of the Dawnguard, is a Redguard like Kousei. I wonder if that will come out as an advantage for him in the end. Come to think of it, I have never asked Kousei what it was like in Hammerfell. I wonder if he misses it.

Are we interrupting?

Kousei and I didn't say much, but we implied from Isran's words that he was once a Vigilant of Stendarr, and that he left their order due to some irreconcilable differences. He does seem genuinely sorry for the cruel fate that befell his previous colleagues. He wouldn't have gone out of his way to reform the Dawnguard if that wasn't the case.

Wow, an assignment right after joining?

I was a bit surprised that Isran immediately tasked Kousei and me to investigate Dimhollow Crypt. Nonetheless, I'm quite impressed. They do mean business here in the Dawnguard, and are not afraid to show it. I am still at two minds about using the crossbow I was given, though. I have been using the bow and arrow all this time, so my learning curve may not be as steep as I imagine. But I am partial to stealth, and the new weapon's noise admittedly bothers me. I have given the crossbow to Lydia along with its corresponding bolts, thinking she'll be able to appreciate it more than me.

Kousei and I will go to Dimhollow Crypt soon. He's been pretty quiet, but it's in his nature to say a few words, so I don't think it's too unusual. I'm looking forward to fighting alongside him.

- Kiya