Chapter 23

It was midmorning when the volunteers for clearing out the vampire nest left Morthal, and frankly I was concerned. In true nord fashion even the townsfolk joining us all seemed passingly familiar with a sword or an ax, but only a handful had anything resembling proper armor. Many of them looked like they were relying on thick cloth instead of leather, hide, or metal. Certainly good enough for the occasional wild animal or thief, not so much for what I was expecting in the nest.

But there was nothing I could really do about it either. These people were going to defend their homes and families, they weren’t going to just give up because an outsider told them it would be dangerous.

For their sake, I hoped the nest wasn’t too dangerous.

Of course a lot of that required us actually finding the nest. Alva’s journal was pretty helpful there. Before her transformation, the woman had been pretty through exploring the marshes and detailing the ‘romantic’ encounter she would have there with the one destined to take her away from Morthal. The level of detail she went into managed to narrow down the location for the locals enough that we had a starting point.

From there it was just a matter of carefully inspecting the landscape for where the nest could be hiding.

As one of the few people there with actual tracking experience, I was scouting ahead of the group for any sign of the Vampires.

It was exactly as hard as I was expecting. There weren’t any existing trails or landmarks leading up to their front door or anything so I was forced to hunt for game trails or any signs of disturbances. Broken reeds, trampled down grass, discarded items, signs of groups passing through, anything like that.

Eventually, my diligence was rewarded. A small trail that looked regularly used by a few people eventually led to a cave entrance in the middle of nowhere. At first glance it looked like the kind of place you would find a bear or perhaps a troll, but as I got closer I noticed a particular smell lingering around the entrance. It wasn’t the foul stench of a troll or the musk of an animal. It was the rich coppery smell of blood. And there must have been a lot of it spilled recently for the smell to be so obvious.

I think I found the lair.

-o-

It was almost dusk by the time everyone managed to follow me back to the lair and I sincerely hoped we weren’t relying on a stealth attack, the Nords made enough noise trekking through the wilderness to wake the dead. But that wasn’t the issue I was most concerned with.

No, the biggest challenge now was the fact that our small army of fifty or so volunteers had been wandering around the wilderness for most of the day by now and the battle fervor they had worked themselves into had long passed, which meant they were starting to realize what descending into a vampire lair truly meant.

“We should surround the entrance and wait for morning.” One of the men suggested. “The bloodsuckers inside will be awake soon. We should wait so we have the advantage.”

“Why even go inside? A large enough fire could smoke them out.” Another suggested to some approval.

Now that their blood was no longer boiling, the Nords were hesitating from taking that one final step into the dark where monsters lurked. And I couldn’t completely fault them. Many of the volunteers were townsfolk or guards that would have dealt with bandits or thieves at most. But unfortunately for them, we couldn’t afford to wait.

“The leeches will most likely be aware of us soon, if they aren’t already.” I raised my voice loud enough to address everyone present. “And they aren’t going to just cower in their cave waiting for us to kill them at our leisure. They will attempt to escape, whether by killing us all in the dead of night or by slipping away through another exit in their lair. We can’t afford to give them the time to plan their actions through.”

“Thalin is right.” Erikur didn’t hesitate to back me up. “We have the advantage! This Movarth and his ilk might be damned creatures of the night, but they are unprepared for us. Unprepared for the sons and daughters of Morthal here to smite them!”

That injected a bit of fire into everyone, but not enough that they were just going to charge into the cave at his order.

Erikur recognised that.

“We have no idea what lies in wait for us once we head inside, but we also must consider the vampires trying to cowardly sneak away in the confusion. Everyone not joining us in the attack should set up a guard here to make sure nothing escapes once we go in.”

That put many of our tag-a-longs at ease. Now they had a way out of fighting without looking like an idiot or a coward now that the fighting was just minutes away.

Not that everyone felt the same.

“They may be cowards, but I’m not.” Thonnir said, angrily sweeping a hand over the group. “I’ll go with you.” The man had been furious ever since the discovery of his wife being turned into a vampire. That hatred was now on full display and was the final tipping point for many in the group. Battlecrys and prayers to the gods broke out as the townsfolk whipped themselves back into a frenzy.

“I’d say you got them motivated.” I commented to Erikur and turned towards the cave. “Now to deal with them…”

-o-

“Keep together and focus on defense first!” I shouted as I plunged my longsword into the chest of a vampiric Thrall. “Work together and bring them down one by one!”

I was doing my best to direct the Nords. But Nords being, well, Nords meant that most of my attempts fell of deaf ears as one of them decided to run ahead now and then in some near suicidal expression of glory seeking. Especially now that Erikur had gotten some of them so riled up that they were more berserkers than random citizens at the moment.

“We’ll deal with the vampires, everyone else handle the Thralls!” Erikur added from the front of the group. He and Jordis were mostly the ones to blame for a person or two running off on their own. The Thane and sword-maiden were an effective team, and they were constantly moving forward despite the lesser vampires targeting them.

It was an encouraging sight and it made our small army eager to try emulating them, but enthusiasm and daring were poor replacements for training and proper gear. Most of the ones that tried copying them ended up needing rescue or wound up injured. At least when they didn’t simply die. I had seen three rush out only to get killed from the side when they passed a previously unseen enemy and I’m sure more had fallen elsewhere.

I thrust my left hand out and poured a torrent of flames into one of the small tunnels branching off the main cavern we had found ourselves in to both kill the vampire I saw hiding in the shadows and prevent a couple of idiots from rushing headfirst into it followed by an exploding fireball. I was pleasantly surprised when three more flaming leeches ran out of the crevice and were quickly hacked to pieces.

It was good to see, but not something I could afford to slow down for. We needed to find the master vampire in this mess and kill him before he could slip away. If he did, this entire thing would just start up again once we left.

“Thalin, this way! We have the bastard!” Erikur’s voice rang out above the sounds of combat even as I stabbed another thrall through the heart.

I turned just in time to see my companions heading towards another tunnel on the other end of the cavern. When did they get over there?! There were nearly a dozen thralls, skeletons, and other undead in the cavern!

I didn’t have time to think about it though. There was a master vampire and gods know what else just up ahead, I couldn’t leave them to take that on by themselves. I was running to join up with them before they made it too far. The rest of the Nords would simply need to take care of themselves until we made it back.

-o-

When I caught up to Erikur and Jordis I was greeted by an unusual sight.

Unlike the previous ‘room’ which had been mostly left as a natural cave, this new area was partially floored with wood planks and furniture. Some of which looked pretty high quality, which looked incredibly out of place next to the dirt covered cave floor that still was very evident.

The master vampire, Movarth, had apparently decided his lair being invaded by a small army was less important than finishing his meal as he sat at the head of a long table sipping on a goblet filled with a red substance while two more vampires stood behind him.

“So you are the ones who invaded my lair? Unfortunate. I was hoping it would be someone capable of withstanding my frustration for a while. Do you have any idea how many years of planning you have ruined?” the vampiric Imperial asked us as he tossed his cup away. “And who does it end up being? Some half-wit mercenaries.”

“I’ll have you know I am a proud Thane of Solitude, vampire.” Erikur bristled. “And this is the last day you draw breath.”

“I’ve heard that particular speech far too many times to count. Yet, here I remain.” Movarth replied in a bored drawl.

I stepped forward before Erikur could get more riled up, a spell already forming in my off hand. “I’ll deal with him. You both focus on the two in the back.”

“You won’t need help?” Jordis asked, but she was already eyeing up the vampire closest to her.

I released my spell and a wave of magicka washed over me, giving my skin a dull gray shine. “I should be okay for a bit. But Movath was one of the best hand-to-hand instructors in the Fighter’s Guild and an excellent vampire hunter before he was turned.”

“Oh? You recognize me then?”

“Movarth Piquine, unless you just happen to share his name. You’re rather infamous for wiping out several vampire clans only to be tricked and turned into one yourself.” I replied.

He scowled and shoved the table aside with one hand. “Of course it's that oblivion damned book. Just for that I’m going to enjoy killing you.”

Before I could reply, the room burst into activity.

Moving at some unseen signal, the two vampires behind Movarth went on the attack. One of them shot an Ice Spike that was blocked by Jordis’ shield while the other tried to coat Erikur in a sheet of Frost. Both Nords were barely inconvenienced by the sudden cold and continued to rush closer before I was forced to ignore what they were doing in order to deal with Movarth.

In a word, everything about him was brutal.

The way he aimed for my eyes or joints, each attack looking to disable or cripple me in some way. The way he would scratch at my forearms after every block, looking to make me bleed even a little. The way he didn’t hesitate to throw whatever object he could get his hands on in my face in order to trip me up even a little.

All those points were both brutal and savage, yet the vampire didn’t wildly lose control over himself in a way that would let me take advantage of it. In fact, if it wasn’t for my Ironflesh spell giving my skin the same durability as steel my arms would be bloody ribbons. Movarth had torn the light leather bracers I normally wore to shreds.

“Feh, Ironflesh huh?” The leech spat, taking some time to reassess his approach after I managed to stab him through a shoulder. “It’s not often I find a mage capable of it, let alone one able to keep up with me up close.”

“That’s what happens when you hide out in a cave.” I replied glibly while slashing at him. I knew he wasn’t seriously trying to start a conversation. He was buying time to regenerate his shoulder wound. In the same moment I threw a spell where I thought he would dodge, but instead of dodging away Movarth lunged towards me. Thanks to that, the black edge of my longsword bit deeply into him but didn’t hit anything vital.

I cursed as he tackled the both of us to the floor and fought to keep him from getting a hand around my throat.

Ironflesh made me more durable but I still needed to breathe.

“Spellswords always think armor spells make them unbeatable up close.” Movarth snarled, a gruesome smile on his face as he clawed at my face. I was forced to drop my sword and grab his wrist when he pinned my other arm and went for my eyes again. “But those don’t protect against everything!”

His hands glowed red and my eyes went wide as I felt my vitality drain away. I distantly heard my companions shouting my name in the background.

I bucked my hips and threw myself to a side to break his concentration. At the same time I risked releasing his hand to grab one of the daggers off my belt. Movarth was already moving to cover his vitals, his experience as a Fighter’s Guild instructor clearly still sharp. But I wasn’t trying to kill him with a dagger, I was trying to get him off me.

The Master Vampire howled in agony as I plunged the blade down into his side. I grinned as I felt the metal scrape over bone and knew I had gotten a lucky hit to his hip joint. That should slow him down a good bit. Movarth practically threw himself off me before I could start savaging the wound but even as I rushed to pull myself off the floor I could tell he was already planning his next attack.

Something I needed to do as well.

He was better in hand-to-hand then I was and my sword had been knocked away during the last struggle. I had no illusions about searching for it without my enemy making me pay for taking my eyes off him. I also wasn’t expecting to do much with just a dagger though…

My eyes drifted slightly away to where my earlier spell had landed harmlessly.

That could work, I just needed to get him over there…

Frost formed around my fingertips as I threw Ice Spike after Ice Spike at the vampire and then switching up to Frostbite when he started using the debris around us to block or hide behind. With no idea where my companions were throwing wider area, untargeted spells would be a disaster, so I focused on trying to pin Movarth down further by either slowing him or taking out his other leg.

Not that he was making it easy.

I had to duck out of the way of a broken chair leg as I continued herding the bloodsucker where I wanted him to go. Just a little further and–

A sharp impact to my back broke my concentration and I couldn’t help but yelp at the unexpected blow and look back at the source.

I saw the vampire Jordis had been fighting staring at me with an ugly snarl on its face and the remains of an ice spell swirling around its hand even though focusing on me allowed Jordis to stab it through the heart.

Movarth must have ordered it to prioritize his survival above its own!

Already guessing the master vampire was moving away from my trap after my brief lapse in focus I wasted no time aiming at the floor where my previously hidden Lightning Rune trap laid and manually triggered it with a lightning bolt.

Sure enough Movarth had been moving to attack while my back was turned but that didn’t mean he was completely safe. Even just being on the edge of the explosion of magically created electricity was enough to burn the bloodsucker. Enough to make him stumble.

And that slight mistake gave me plenty of time to prepare another spell.

Ice swirled and hardened into a sharp point. Ironically, I was going to use the same spell that almost allowed Movarth to get the drop on me. The difference was, Movarth didn’t have a spell to blunt the damage…or so I thought.

Instead of tearing through his thigh like I was expecting, the spike only penetrated a few inches. Still enough to ruin Movarth’s ability to even walk, but not enough to fully immobilize him like I planned. Something he proved when he collided with my legs and tackled me to the ground, again.

“Surprised? Oakflesh might not be as good as yours but every bit helps!” Movarth hissed despite me pushing against his throat with a forearm. At this point I was doing everything I could to prevent him from biting me even if it strained the wound on my back.

“Anyone ever tell you your breath is rancid?” I spat back.

Annoyingly he laughed. “Only the ones about to become lunch!”

And that was the moment the edge of Jordis’s wooden shield caught him in the nose. Part of me wanted to laugh at the irony of both our companions interfering when it looked like one of us was about to win, but a much greater part was focused on punishing the opening he gave me.

Instead of pushing the vampire off of me, I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him closer as hard as I could. The sound of his nose crunching as it hit my forehead was incredibly satisfying. It was even better the second time.

Too bad Movarth decided against allowing me a third.

The vampire blindly threw himself off me in a fatal mistake.

Blinking past the blood dripping into my eyes I wrenched my second dagger out of its sheath and pounced on him. Our eyes met briefly and I gave him a feral smile. “Looks like you bit off more than you could chew!” I crowed, and then drove the dagger into his eye socket.

Giving it a twist for good measure, I fell off my defeated enemy and looked around.

Just like I saw earlier, Jordis had managed to kill her opponent with a stab and was unharmed. Erikur had also managed to defeat his vampire, but had picked up a couple wounds in the process. From further down the way we came I could already see some of the people from Morthal filtering into the chamber.

I guess that meant they had finished up the last of the Thralls.

The nest was cleared and the battle was over.

“ ‘Looks like you bit off more than you could chew’?” Erikur asked incredulously as Jordis moved to help him with his injuries. “Was that the best you could think of?”

Wordlessly, I pulled the remains of my bracers off my arm and threw them at the Nord.

He had no right complaining about a one-liner given his over-the-top personality.

None at all!