Both Viconia and I stood in shock, staring at the middle-aged Breton as he rose from his bow. At first glance there was nothing about him that revealed him as a vampire hunter. His armour was sturdy, but commonplace among many within the guild. His clothes were well-worn and his weapons, while slightly unusual wouldn't have rated a second glance from anyone. A thick coat of brigandine armour, studded with rivets locking the underlying steel plates under the leather outer surface protected his torso. Thick and unyielding, the bevor and collar arrangement of metal and softened leather covered every scrap of flesh from his jaw to his collarbone, and was the sturdiest piece of his equipment. It was a piece of armour that wouldn't have appeared out of place on an armoured knight wearing a sallet or burgonet helm, but other than a simple padded coif of thick leather he was almost bareheaded.
Both forearms were covered with solid steel vambraces, heavily battered from much close combat fighting and a pair of swords clung to both hips. One was a common steel rapier and the other an exquisitely forged longsword inlaid with silver. No shield or other protection was carried, but over his shoulder and attached to the travelling bag slung over his back was a shortened crossbow with pull-crank for rapid reloading and a quiver full of bolts.
I did note that he was armed for more than just the usual assortment of foes that a member of the Guild or a travelling adventurer might face. Pouches filled with various bottles and other items were clad around his waist in similar fashion to my own, and a bandolier of knives were arrayed up his chest with their hilts pointing down on an angle for quick drawing. The thin leaf shapes of their blades and the loops in the end of the hilts revealed them to be throwing daggers of considerable make, especially with the gleaming hint of silver making itself visible inside the scabbards. A chain of silvery metal was rolled up neatly alongside his rapier and I could somehow tell through my enhanced senses that a handful of the tiny bottles within easy grip were filled with a manner of powders and ingredients that were various poisons mixed with silver shavings.
He detected the sudden wariness from the both of us, his well experienced eyes seeing my sudden nervousness and the way that Viconia had instinctively dropped her hand to the hilt of Dragonbane at his announcement. Eyes narrowing for the moment he stopped in place, flashed a winning smile through a heavily waxed moustache before raising both hands again to allay our obvious concern.
"Please, don't be too worried. I may kill for coin on occasion but unless either of you are of the undead you have nothing to fear."
Carefully I returned the smile, Viconia staring at him dangerously while removing her hand from where it had begun tightening around the hilt of her sword. At that very moment I was thankful that we had been practicing outdoors in the sun otherwise our reactions may have been a little too suspicious for him if we had been indoors in the shadows.
His smile was rakish and disarming, with his natural charisma being almost as deadly as the swords on his hips. "I get this sort of reaction wherever I travel. Comes with the job description I'm afraid."
"I'm Kaius." I said simply, thumping my fist against my armoured breastplate while Viconia continued staring at him.
"Viconia DeVir." She added, not making any movement, friendly or otherwise.
For a moment he seemed to be deep in thought, before clapping his hands together and briskly shaking my hand. "By Arkay, the heroes of Kvatch? I had heard you had joined the Guild but I never actually expected to encounter you in my travels."
"We're here for a few more days at least, until we're called elsewhere, or the contracts dry up."
"Excellent. Here I was concerned about having to spend my time here in terrible company and even worse surroundings. But now at least I have found myself granted exceptional luck." His smile was contagious and I found myself returning it honestly. "I don't suppose it is too much to join you for dinner or for a glass or two of wine? In my travels I had managed to procure a bottle of Shadowbanish Wine and I fear it is a beast I am incapable of slaying on my own."
Viconia's expression was impassive but she gave me a mild shrug when I looked over to her. Whatever moment we had pass between us had been snuffed out with this Hunter's arrival and I doubted that it or something similar would appear for the days to come.
With our introductions over after a brief chat the three of us went about our separate ways for the following hours. Viconia and I went to the chapterhouse's bath and showers, revelling in the cold water sluicing through the city's plumbing that allowed us to wash off the various collection of sweat, grime and blood from our training. Threnodir went about the process of finding a bunk to sleep for the night, unloading what few items he had carried with him in a collection of saddlebags and making himself comfortable and settled in for his short stay. After the few short hours of cleaning ourselves and preforming basic maintenance on our equipment the three of us ended up spending the evening together, telling stories and swapping tales of our exploits. Threnodir was highly accomplished, an expert with sword and crossbow and had made it his mission in life to hunt vampires.
Appearing little more than a powdered dandy in his doublet and finely made silken trousers and riding boots he was nonetheless a match for many in the Blades in both skill and ability. Experienced fighting creatures faster, stronger and tougher than normal mortals he had the scars to prove it and from the look of some of the scars that covered his arms and face I knew that he had also been a duellist back in faraway Highrock. Every aspect of his persona had been tailored specifically to hunt the creatures of the darkness and shadows, from the silver inlaid longsword, to the pouches and bottles containing everything from silver flakes to scrolls of banishment and a crossbow small enough to reload quickly but powerful enough to fire quickly and still punch through armour.
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We told him stories of Kvatch, and our more recent encounter with the Minotaurs of Nonunaglo to which he was thoroughly impressed. He told us of the times he had hunted vampire covens in nearly every corner of Tamriel, from the far north of Skyrim on the borders of the sea of ghosts to the more magically adept beasts within the jewelled cities of the Summerset Isles. There was little land in Tamriel that had not left dirt clinging to his boots and I knew that it was men like him that would be my greatest of enemies if my true nature was discovered.
"So, what brings you all the way to Skingrad?" Viconia asked after he finished a tale of how he had returned to Wayrest to hunt a creature posing as one of the Nobles in the city.
"No hunt this time I'm afraid. In my travels I have heard of a weapon of great power against the bloodsuckers and my research and contacts have led me to believe that it resides somewhere in County Skingrad, or possibly in nearby County Glenvar."
"A weapon?" I refilled our glasses with more of the rich ruby liquid that I struggled not to think of as blood. The Wine was of an excellent vintage and the bottle alone was worth a considerable amount of money.
Once more his trademark smile broke through and creased his goatee. "Have you ever heard of the tale of Maergalla and the Light of Dawn?"
Both of us looked blankly at the hunter and he laughed. "Not many have unfortunately. The ultimate vampire slayer and his magnificent blade has been lost to the ages. I'm hoping to find it and put it back into use slaying the fiends."
"What sort of weapon is it?" Viconia's eyes were suddenly light with interest as we listened to the hunter.
"A sword, easily the length of a claymore or zweihander but curved like an akaviri katana. It's is rumoured to be sharp enough to cut through anything but that isn't what interests me."
"What does then?" the wine seemed to be filling my veins now with the alcoholic buzz and I knew that he had been watching how I had only been sipping on the wine. So far it appeared that he believed that I mostly abstaining due to my martial nature rather than keeping up my guard.
"As the legends of the blade go, when it comes into contact with the corrupted blood of a vampire the blade shines as bright as the sun. In effect you cut one vampire with it, and all the others around it will be killed or at least wounded by the light."
"Sounds fanciful to me." Viconia's voice was filled with considerable scorn but she remained listening to him.
"That it does, but most of the research I have undertaken makes me believe that there is at least a tiny amount of truth in the old tales. Some of the writing state that the Light of Dawn was forged by Telvanni wizard-lords in the second era but I believe it was made by the ancient Ayleids before the Alessian rebellions. Either way, the creators had something of a vampire plague going through the land and needed great weapons to combat against them. Their greatest of metalsmiths came together, acquired an enormous piece of Skymetal and imbued it with the power of Great Welkynd Stones. As the tale goes it was forged only at day, held with spells so that only the light of the noonday sun touched the blade during its construction and quenched it in water infused with the essence of Varla Stones. Only the Nine knows the truth in the tales or accuracy but I have also found information that although other weapons of similar make were fashioned, this particular blade was the pinnacle of their arts and skills."
"They forged other weapons as well?"
"Oh yes my dear. A collection of similar swords were forged, but they were smaller in size due the lack of suitable skymetal available at the time. There are no hints of how many were made or even what they looked like, but I'd assume that they would look similar to other elven blades from that period in history. These other swords were to be the children of the dawn, and with them and the Light of Dawn they were able to save their lands from the undead menace."
"And here you find yourself, seeking this legendary sword?"
"Indeed. My... Contact... in the castle assures me that it is south east of here and I intent on finding it."
I raised my glass filled with ruby red wine. "A toast to your success then."
Viconia watched with interest as Threnodir and I clinked our glasses together before doing the same with hers. We continued talking through the early hours of the night and after we retired to our respective rooms I felt less on edge having such an individual resting a short distance down the hall. For over an hour I had quizzed him on his knowledge of vampiric lore, confirming most of what I had learned and learning a handful of techniques that would be of benefit if I faced any of my kind again.
When I asked him on whether vampires could exist in sunlight he outright denied the existence of such an ability, and no craft or enchantment was known or ever rumoured of throughout all his travels. The dozens of creatures had slew had never shown any affinity to sunlight and there wasn't even the slightest hint of such a thing being possible. It made me feel better in the fact that my secret would be easier to keep, but at the same time it worried me as I had no idea or clue of what sort of being I was or was becoming. This was a path that none before me had been known to travel and there was no telling what lay at the end of such a road.
Our time in Skingrad was coming to an end and other than another two days of roaming the streets and training between ourselves there was little more for us to do. Other members of the guild began to arrive the morning after Threnodir's arrival, the word of how poor some of the members were in ability and suitability having reached the ears of Modryn and Vilena. Soon the halls were beginning to feel full once more and not as abandoned as what they had the weeks previously. Within a day of the arrival of over a dozen other fighters, the few who had accompanied us to the village and failed to assist with the Minotaurs had completely vanished. Some had been forcibly relocated to other cities under more watchful eyes of guild seniors, while others had taken pages from Maglir's book and had openly deserted the guild and their responsibilities.
Threnodir stayed only a single night and until the late afternoon of the following day. While pleasant and charming he was not the sort of individual I wished to remain within close proximity. Although I was honestly saddened to see him bid his farewells I was also glad not to keep my guard up anymore. My discussions with him had proven fruitful in uncovering more of my own nature and working out better ways to keep myself hidden from society but he had been a clear reminder what fate awaited me if I was ever caught out.
Viconia and I returned to our usual routines and so did the noticeable distance that we placed between each other, both in a physical and emotional sense. While closer than what we had ever been and beginning to relax to the point of flirting and teasing each other from time to time there was still the obvious barriers between us that had regrown slightly since Threnodir had announced himself in the training yard.
