5

Kvatch and Vampires, Of Truths and Lies

431, 3E

20, First Seed

Turdas

Finally! It's been a week and there's finally news of the vampire lord in the area. He's planning on breaking into the chapel tonight. He wants the bodies that are kept in the under chambers. There's only one problem, he knew the one that had me in a cage for a year. I didn't realize that the vampires had collected into factions. I would suspect them of keeping correspondence with one another, but the creation of factions wasn't even something I would have considered.

The Dawnguard has me here permanently until further notice, it seems to be the heart of operations. Which is nice, but also a bit of a pain. The Father seems to be trying to pull me into conversations to figure out what I do. I love talking to him, but I'd rather he not be in danger. He's sweet, sweeter than most of the men I've met here. Some of them were horrible to the women of this world.

Savlian had to give me a pardon when I decked a man in the face for putting his hands on me.

Being called a whore while an unknown man tries to grab you is not a fun way to spend supper. Granted, Savlian seemed impressed that I had broken the man's nose with a well-placed left hook. Naaman deserves a place among the gods, he was able to help me get this strong. I'd never thought that I would be able to break a man's nose, it's nice to know that I can protect myself against things other than Vampires.

The guards are keeping an eye on the man now, just in case he attacks another woman. He's more likely to call the Dark Brotherhood and hire an assassin to take me out. I wish him luck with that, I won't hesitate to defend myself. He's better off trying to kill someone I care about, that would be devastating.

Morgan was pulled from her writing by a pebble hitting her window. She turned towards it to make sure that she had heard correctly. She blinked when it happened again. She closed her journal and got up from the bed. She opened the window and easily caught the next pebble that was sent towards the window.

"Oh, hello, Father," She greeted the towns, favorite priest, "Need something?"

"Please, just Martin," He corrected her for the tenth time that week, he could see her grinning and felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards, "We're having a sermon, I just wanted to let you know."

"Thank you," She thanked him, "I might be there."

"Oh, might," He muttered to himself in a teasing manner.

He watched as she shook her head in amusement before ducking back inside, closing the window while she did. He stood there for a few seconds before heading back to the chapel, he felt that she had every right to know when they performed a service. She once referred to it as mass and had to explain that it meant the same thing as service. It was a religious meeting; she was just used to calling it mass.

He would never admit that he had asked her to elaborate just to make her turn pink in embarrassment, it was one of the few moments where he could get that particular reaction out of her.

Morgan watched as he headed back into the chapel and looked at the pebble in her hand. It was a little Romeo et Juliet for her liking. She felt her face heat up at that thought. Her father was right, she really was a hopeless romantic. Apparently, she got it from him. It made it easy to blame him, but she wouldn't.

It was just a bad family trait that seemed to plague her father's side. He was lucky enough to find her mother after his first marriage fell apart, it had been arranged and both sides agreed to end it. That was Adam's mother, and she hadn't wanted him. He had a reason for hating her, and she had trouble blaming her.

She used to be such a doormat, if he tried to say anything snide now he would end up with a broken nose. She was tired of being taken advantage of; she wasn't going to let it happen anymore. She knew that she had nothing to do with why their father remarried. She was going to move on from his unjustified anger.

She rolled the pebble in her hand as she thought. Her fingers could easily feel the divots in it from the weathering by rain and time. She paused as she ran a callous over it, it sent a tingle up her arm and she winced. She had rolled it the wrong way; she hated the pin's and needle's feeling that came from a nerve twitching.

She placed it down on the bedside table before moving to get dressed in a tunic and pants. She had a green tunic, they liked to call it a brocade doublet but that might be more for the feminine version she had seen in the storage, that was for males so it came with an undershirt that hid her figure. She looked at her pants, commonly known as the green silk garments, and quickly pulled them on. She went with her usual boots and looked around for anything else to bring.

She looked around for something to pull her hair back. Finding a silk ribbon, also green, she quickly tied it back to get it out of her eyes. She headed out of the inn, the keeper giving her a wide grin, and towards the chapel. She could see people heading into the building, she had a feeling it was going to be packed. She would make sure to sit in the back where she would be out of the way. She didn't really have to worry about hearing the sermon.

She closed her eyes as she sat on the pew. The murmur of people talking was a bit much for her, she brought a hand up to rub at her temples and used a small healing spell to get some relief. It helped, but she knew it would get better once the sermon started. She really hated large crowds, she used to go to functions with more people but now it brought her headaches.

The Fort dining hall was quieter than the chapel. That was saying something since Anudhel, and Colin, could be little oblivion raisers when they wanted to be. Watching Naaman throw a dagger at the two when a roasted sheep blew up had been a highlight of her month. The reason behind that was because it wasn't her for once.

"Septim for your thoughts," A familiar voice asked.

"Septim to get rid of a headache more like it," She grumbled.

A chuckle came from the owner of the voice and she gave a small glare towards the owner. Savlian Matius had seen the Dawnguard sitting at the back of the chapel with her head down. If he didn't know what he did about her, then he would have thought she was praying…or had fallen asleep.

"You're here because Martin informed you of this," He said with a slight sigh, "You could learn to be more transparent."

"I'm also curious about the chapel and religious practices," She refuted with a slight frown, "They sound different compared to the ones I'm used to."

"Stendarr or Mara?" He questioned.

"Akatosh," She replied, and narrowed her eyes at him when he made a face, "Why does that surprise you?"

"Most of your order are followers of Stendarr and you seem kind enough to follow Mara," He explained, "The chief deity, do you know his command?"

"Serve and obey your Emperor. Study the covenants. Worship the Nine, do your duty, and heed the commands of the saints and priests," She quoted, she then titled her head, "He was also the Dragon God of Time, Skyrim has some interesting books held within it that are hard to find."

The two went quiet as the priest finally showed up and held their hands up. The dull murmur from the crowd stopped and everyone waited for them to begin the mass. A grey eye moved from side to side before pausing on a group of people. She focused on them for a few seconds.

"Shit." The curse came from between gritted teeth.

"Finally found your target." Savlian was a smart man and had immediately figured out why she had cursed.

"That large group towards the Mara shrine," She murmured to him as a priest went down the middle of the pews and blessed those sitting there, "A whole group of vampires…if they're here now that means they're ready to strike…I'll keep watch tonight and apprehend them if they make a move."

He nodded in understanding and they both closed their eyes to accept the priest blessing. A warmth washed over Morgan and she paused when a voice whispered in her ear. Her lips parted and she focused on what it was saying.

"Soon, my child, you will be able to test your mettle."

It was the voice that had informed her when she first appeared in Tamriel that she was too early. She opened her eyes as it finally clicked. That prayer was for Akatosh, so it was fair to say that voice could belong to the Chief Deity. Well, it was nice to know that she wasn't crazy. She just had a direct line to a God she had to pay for through nightmares, didn't she? She couldn't help but be annoyed at that realization, a part of would rather have normal dreams and not have a direct line.

As her Gran would say "shit in one hand and wish in the other". It seems as though she really needed to start following that saying, well not literally. She needed to relax with how angry she was at the world or hide it better. Being bitter was going to ruin her eventually.

"I didn't think you'd actually come," Martin's voice quietly said behind her.

"I was curious, it was interesting," She replied in a volume just as quiet, a smile on her face.

Savlian rolled his eyes at the two. They both could learn to be more transparent. Honestly, if the other people of Kvatch weren't as oblivious to others they would have noticed that something was going on between their favorite priest and their least favorite visitor. They were way too happy to see one another.

"Still here for work?" Martin asked.

"Yes, I think the guild master might extend my visit," She admitted, "I need to send a report to him anyway."

Martin noticed the look in her eye. It was like steel; she was ready for a fight. He still didn't know what she did or what guild she was a part of. It brought him endless frustration, and he was running out of guilds. Her smile when he guessed something close to what she did was uplifting and he felt like he was close.

"Ah, please excuse me," She quietly told the two, "I really need to get started on that report."

"See you around, kid," Savlian said to her and she sent him a look at the nickname.

Martin gave her a smile and she returned it before leaving the chapel. As soon as she stepped out into the sunlight her expression changed into something cold. She needed to get ready. She remembered everything from her training, if they were sitting in the chapel then they were prepared to move forward with their plans.

She headed into the inn and gave the keeper a smile before heading up the stairs. She entered her room and locked the door behind her. She quickly went to her bag and searched for a spare piece of parchment and some wax. It was quick work for her to write a report to Nasolg-Gra and call for a messenger hawk. It had been sent to her a while ago so she could send the report. She tied it to the hawk's leg and sent it off to her boss.

Morgan looked at the sun and estimated the time and decided on a nap before getting ready. She needed the rest if she wanted to be at her best for the upcoming battle. She closed her eyes and let the dreams take over once again. She was slowly getting disenchanted by them, the dark dragon with the red eyes had stopped appearing to her a while ago. The dark-green mass of tentacles and eyes was beginning to show up instead.

She woke up in the late afternoon and looked around as she tried to get her bearings. She brought a hand up and ran it down her face before rubbing the sleep from her eye. She got up from the bed and changed into her armor. She caught sight of herself in the mirror that stood next to the wardrobe. She hadn't really taken the chance to examine how she looked. She removed her eyepatch and looked at her reflection through a heightened sense.

Her face was hidden by her hair, but she could see the orange peeking through the dark strands. She was pale, paler than she had been, and the dark uniform of the Dawnguard made it more apparent. She touched the scar that went across her vampiric eye and sighed quietly. It was rough against her calloused fingers and she quickly put the eyepatch back on.

She grabbed her sword, crossbow, and bolts and headed out of her room. The keeper seemed surprised to see her in uniform for once and gave a nod of understanding. She headed out of the inn and moved to stand in the shadows, hiding in an area where she could see. She wouldn't be seen by anyone.

She knelt eventually, readying her crossbow for when she went in. She kept her eyes on the chapel but would look around the area every so often. She had been waiting for four hours before something happened. A group of three vampires walked through the city gates and walked towards the chapel. She stood up and rested her crossbow on her shoulder.

"This is where the fun begins," She muttered.

She slowly walked towards the building and waited a few minutes to walk in. She blinked when she realized that there had been a priest on duty. She inwardly cursed and prayed to Akatosh that it hadn't been Martin. She made a face.

Why would she even ask, she knew her luck.

She shook her head and followed the path that they went, the items littering the floor made it obvious. She went into the undercroft and felt ice forming on her skin. She realized that one of the vampires was a destruction master. She stepped to the side when a ball of fire was sent her way.

"I thought I smelt one of your kind here." A voice rang out and she felt sweat go down the side of her face.

"Smelt huh? You lot were so obvious it hurts," She informed them with a slight frown.

It was quiet for a few seconds before she heard a soft sigh. She made a face; they definitely have Martin. She unsheathed her sword enough that she could see behind her as she hid behind a column. Martin had his hands bound and didn't look too pleased with being captured by a group of vampires.

She was forced from her hiding spot when sparks were sent her way. She gathered light in her hand and flicked it towards the vampires. Vampires Bane hit one of them and she could smell the burning flesh and dust as it finished them off. She went behind another column and a hiss traveled through the air.

"Coward."

"Not really, knowing one's strength and playing into them is a strategy, not cowardice," She huffed, "It's quite astonishing how often those two get mixed up."

She could almost hear the lead vampires' eyes roll. She smiled to herself and quickly moved around the column and sent a bolt towards the remaining lacky. It went right between the eyes and was a quick death. She started to move towards the lead vampire and watched as the woman began to panic.

"I'll kill the priest," The Vampire threatened.

"No you won't," She sighed, and she motioned towards the vampire's hand, it was starting to turn into dust, "Enchantments are pretty handy, I'm horrible at them yet lucked into a good one."

"Wait," The vampire said before studying Morgan with a keen eye as the effect of the crossbow crawled up their arm, "So you're the freak that Hosind was telling us about."

"He's quite ignorant to be calling other's freaks," Morgan said in an unimpressed tone as she moved towards Martin and untied his hands.

He flinched when she neared him, and she barely reacted. It was a reaction that she was expecting when he realized what she did for a living. Her fingers made quick work of bindings and he rubbed at his wrists. She moved back and stood in front of the vampire.

"Appearing out of thin air, what kind of creature are you?" The woman questioned.

"I'm someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Morgan truthfully answered.

"More than once," The woman agreed, "Hosind was insane, even to our kind, what he did was against the law."

"I am aware."

"Of course, you are, I wouldn't have expected anything else from the Dawnguard…your guild guards the night until dawn."

Morgan stared at the vampire before pressing a finger to her forehead and finally finishing her off. She knelt and found the woman's orders and held them between her thumb and forefinger. She could feel eyes on her person and stood up to face Martin. He almost looked betrayed, she tried not to let the guilt show on her face.

"You hunt vampires." He bluntly stated.

"Yes," She confirmed.

"Hearing it confirmed made it worse," He muttered before turning towards her, "Why?"

"I was kept in a cage by one for over a year," She quietly said, "A whole year of the only sunlight I could see came from the mouth of a cave…I would rather no one else have to suffer through that."

He moved forward and she didn't stop him as he removed her eyepatch. She would never admit it, but she couldn't be angry at him. She thought of him as a close friend, even if he no longer did after he found out. She stared at him with different eyes.

He should be mad, he was, but he understood why she had remained silent about who she was. What that vampire had said obviously held truth, Morgan didn't refute anything that had been said. He was tempted to put the eyepatch back on but wanted her to keep eye contact with him. It was the best situation to find out when she lied.

"Why hide it? Why hide what guild you belonged to?" He quietly asked her.

"Those were my orders," She replied, "I was to stay in Kvatch and only reveal myself if vampires showed up, there was a chance that our information was wrong."

"Was anything you've ever said true?" He questioned.

"Everything was," She said with a slight frown, "I'm not in the habit of lying unless it keeps someone safe, I hunt vampires, Father."

"Martin," He corrected without thinking, "That's not fair, my lady."

"Morgan…oh, yeah I can see why you hate me calling you Father," She said as she gained a blank expression.

He smirked at that and was pleased to see that she was the same person. The same strange woman who spoke her mind and then would quickly explain what she meant. She had told him the truth and that had almost diminished his anger. She looked like she was waiting to put her eyepatch back on so she could get out of the undercroft.

"Are you leaving Kvatch?" He asked as he put her eyepatch back on her.

"I will be looking for the main group," She answered as they began to walk back to the main hall of the chapel, "I'll come back until I'm told to visit another city, or something happens to the Dawnguard."

"You think something might happen?" He seemed surprised by that.

"It's inevitable," She answered, "Vampire hunters that skulk around in plain sight yet you don't know when they're being truthful with you, one never knows if they are truly hunting vampires or normal people."

He had to agree with her. Eventually, the way that the Dawnguard handled their persons wasn't the best. He would have never thought that she was a vampire hunter by the way she acted. He held up a hand to get her attention.

"I believe you," He told her.

"I'm glad, Naaman think's I'm just being a pessimist about it," She admitted with a small smile.

He let out a sigh at that and she looked at him. She gave him an amused look before waving and heading out of the chapel. He waited for a few minutes before slouching. One of his friends was a vampire hunter and he had no right to judge. His young adult years had been filled with sex and drinking; he had been a follower of Sanguine. He only stopped because of his friend's deaths.

He stood up straight once again and decided that he would support her. He had an idea, hopefully, he was fast enough to get to her before she left. She was the kind of person that wouldn't delay, she wanted to be done with things and sleep.

He was able to catch up with her as she easily pulled herself onto the back of a horse. She gave it a gentle smile and patted her hand against its neck. She looked up and her expression turned into surprise as he walked up to her. She wasn't used to someone seeing her off, her father was the last person to do that back when he dropped her off at her dorm for her last quarter of University.

"Did something happen?" She asked him.

"I'm here to wish you luck," He informed her, "And the blessings of Akatosh for your safe return."

He watched as she digested that information. Her cheeks slowly turned a bright pink before settling on red. He had never seen someone get that embarrassed by a prayer for a safe return. It had to be different where she was from, and he'd have to make sure that she got used to it. He would do it every time she went off on a mission, whether it be for her guild or out of pure boredom.

"Thank you, Martin." She quietly told him, a small smile growing on her face.

He smiled back and stepped back. She clicked her tongue and her horse took off in a gallop. He didn't even know where she was going, but he had a feeling she would be back soon. He was usually right about such things.

Beldaburo, an Alyeid ruin. Morgan felt annoyed as she easily shot down a conjured skeleton that guarded the entrance. Alyeid ruins were notorious for being large and confusing. She didn't know what she was expecting from a group of old vampires, they had to be around from the time that Alyeids were, that made them 2E at the earliest. That was when vampires typically came about.

She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and removed the eyepatch before running into the ruins. The air inside was damp and cold. Her hair began to stick to her skin as the moisture began to collect on it. She needed to make this job a in an out one. It was required.

Her footsteps echoed off the walls, barely even muffled by the moisture, and she held her crossbow at the ready. She could see in the dark, it was easy to move through the sprawling tunnels. She brushed a hand across a nearby wall and looked down at her gloves. The tips of her fingers were stained black from the grime that covered the stone.

She heard groaning next to her and shot a bolt in the direction it came from. A desecrated corpse fell to the ground as she reloaded. Zombies and Skeletons were the norms when it came to these types of ruins, necromancers and conjurors liked to use them for practice. There had to be one in the group of Vampires, knowing how this world worked there might be both.

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed since she had first entered the ruins. There was no sunlight, and she didn't really have a watch. There was no way to tell, she would just have to ask when she made it back to Kvatch. How long was she gone for, Savlian would be far too entertained if she asked him. She made a mental note not to ask him when she got back. She was better off asking Martin.

He wouldn't make fun of her for not knowing.

She ducked down as a dagger came towards her. She reached into the air, grabbed it, and returned it to the thrower, it became embedded in their throat. A dust cloud appeared from the thrower and she hurried onwards. She found the vampires at last.

She felt as though she was slowly entering the John Wick style of fighting. She frowned slightly; she would kill for an all-black suit. She wasn't the biggest fan of the medieval style dress she was forced into, though she did love her armor dearly. She was going to have to learn how to sew and take measurements if she wanted a black suit and tie. Shoes were easy to make; her boots hadn't taken long to craft, and it was a similar process.

She rolled out of the way of a fireball sent her way and sent a bolt towards the sender. She reloaded and started to move through the camp the vamps set up. She saw a few light blue stones on the ground and stooped down to pocket them before continuing her way.

"Where is she?" A voice hissed as she snuck around.

"No one asks how she is, always where," She muttered to herself.

She shot a vampire down as they passed by and looked at their sword. It was better than her iron sword. She held onto the new sword and grasped it with both of her hands and threw it at another vampire. She felt her muscles protest at such action and rolled her shoulders to ignore the pain.

It took her a long time to take down the vampires until she reached the leader. They stared one another down. She moved to the side to dodge the swipe of a sword. The sword caught her right cheek and went across her face. She glared at the leader as blood began to travel down her face. It went all the way down until her lower jaw on the left side.

"Now we can identify you," The Leader said.

He didn't get to say anything else when an overpowered Vampires Bane hit him in the center of the face. She ungloved her left hand and wiped away some of the blood on her face. She even spat some of it out with a look of disgust. She picked up a larger bluestone and tossed it into her bag. They didn't have any orders with them, so she really didn't know what they were after.