Vampires

-maybe add a comment about undead being resistant to frost damage but not the piercing damage of an ice spike

[maybe add some pictures of green bound weapons and wings from mods]

The Hall was in chaos. Death hounds continued jumping through the windows as the Vigilantes valiantly defended their base. Besides the first initial casualty, everyone else was doing just fine. 6 defeated death hounds littered the ground. Unfortunately, there were still quite a few of them outside waiting.

Dante took a step away from one of the windows and quickly moved closer to Rictus as he addressed him.

"How many more?"

Rictus spared a glance outside with a combination of detect undead and magic. He let out a grunt after seeing their opposition.

"Exact numbers are unclear. The main forces are just arriving. 7 death hounds still outside. Maybe a dozen living enemies, thralls most likely. 4 unknown beasts. Less than a dozen vampires. 2 strong ones and one extremely strong one."

Dante winced as he heard the vampire forces. The rest of the fighters also seemed discouraged as they overheard the opposition's numbers. Nearly 3 attackers for every defender were not the best of odds. These were not normal enemies either. Vampires on average were stronger than a normal person in almost every way. They were stronger, faster, and better at magic. Some could have lived for hundreds of years, giving them more experience than an average man. The Vigilants were better equipped to face the threat, but it would still be tough for the weaker members here.

Thralls were also a problem. They were so brainwashed that they would gladly die for their masters. Feeling no fear and hardly any pain at all only made them more dangerous. They would step in front of attacks, especially restoration magics, so that their masters' would not come to harm. With more death hounds and 4 other beasts, the Vigilantes were not feeling very hopeful.

Their hope was further dowsed as flames impacted the building. The thatch roofing was slowly but surely catching on fire. Seems their enemies would smoke them out instead of trying to breach the building.

A determined expression appeared on Dante's face after seeing his fellow brothers and sisters deflate in defeat. Bright golden light started emanating from his body as he moved to the door. Soothing restoring magic flowed across the room as a golden sword began humming in his hand. The defenders stood a little straighter as they felt stronger than ever before while the couple of remaining death hounds started whimpering as their flesh sizzled from the light. Dante stood before the door while giving everyone a lingering look.

"I will hold them back. You all make a run for it. Tell Morrigan I am sorry."

He resolutely turned to the door as he prepared to charge and distract the enemies. Tears filled many of the Vigilantes' eyes as they stared as his broad and dependable back. They would never forget his sacrifice.

SMACK!

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. We will kill these bastards just like we have any other enemy unfortunate enough to face us."

The fatalistic mood was completely destroyed as Dante rubbed the back of his head from where Rictus had smacked him. His arguments died on his lips as Rictus steeped around him while patting his shoulder. Rictus didn't even spare him a look as he whispered words of encouragement.

"Once more unto the breach my friend."

Unseen magical force burst from Rictus's hand as the door and part of the wall exploded outward. Shrapnel impaled the few death hounds and thralls who had started crowding the entrance. Metal spikes shot from Rictus as he waded into the stunned enemies. His metal arm moved without even a thought as it shot out like a whip and stabbed into enemies. Large ice spikes followed as Illia made her presence known.

Some would not think to use ice against the undead since they are resistant to cold. They are not however, resistant to giant spikes piercing their bodies.

A yell quickly followed as Dante and the other Vigilantes charged into the surprised enemies with religious fervor. Seeing a non-Vigilant valiantly fighting their sworn enemies urged them on as much as any inspiring speech. They clashed into the undead forces trying to even the odds as fast as they could.

The vampire forces were not caught off guard for long. Soon, they began swarming their opponents and putting their numbers and skills to use. Large stone walls shot up from the ground and divided their forces before their counterattack could change the tides of battle. Rictus had raised up the walls in an effort to separate the stronger vampires from their forces. They had been staying towards the back directing instead of leading, and he would make them pay for that decision.

4 gargoyles had been standing by the elder vampires acting as a sort of honor guards. They had been the things Rictus had not recognized from earlier. Walls would not keep the vampires or their pets from the fight, but it would delay them. Every second counted in such a chaotic fight.

Rictus found himself in the middle of the chaos with Illia at his side while Miruma defended them incase anything got to close. Without sparing them a glance, he channeled his telekinesis while calling out to Illia.

"Pull!"

As he said the words, a thrall was tossed into the air. Ice magic swirled in Illia's hands as ice spikes shot out and impaled the falling enemy. More enemies were being tossed into the air before turning into pincushions. This was just one example of the attack patterns practiced by Rictus and his guards. It was very effective on weaker enemies in confusing battles like this since it reduced collateral damage. He would focus on tossing enemies into the air. Illia would focus on shooting them down. Miruma would focus on protecting them.

6 more enemies died from their attacks in quick succession as the odds grew ever in their favor. A quick lull gave Rictus a moment to survey the battle. All the death hounds now lay dead. Only a few thralls remained, and they were engaged against Vigilant Tolan and another Vigilant. Adalvald was kneeling over the body of a wounded Vigilant while healing a bloody gash on their side.

Dante and Keeper Carcette were fighting back-to-back against 4 vampires while 3 already laid dead at their feet. Carcette maintained their defense with wards, and Dante would attack with his blade and spells. As Rictus watched, another vampire was quickly cut down after freezing up from a turn undead spell by Dante.

A crunching noise followed by gurgling quickly drew Rictus's attention. Blood pooled at the feet of a gargoyle who had eviscerated an unsuspecting Vigilant after jumping down from the wall. 3 more thuds happened in quick succession as the remaining gargoyles made it over the wall while carrying two more vampires. Screeching could be heard as a swarm of bats quickly flew over the wall. They rapidly made their way over towards Dante and Carcette.

While the 3 remaining vampires all attacked at once and distracted the two Vigilants, the majority of the bats moved behind Carcette as a couple got into her face. Bats flowed into each other as a figure took shape behind the distracted Keeper. Deformed wings wrapped around her as the spikes on them pierced through her robes. A grey gnarled hand with sharp nails roughly grabbed her head and pulled it to the side exposing her neck. She screamed out as long fangs entered her throat, quickly draining her of blood and life essence. The monster tore its head back brining a large chunk of meat with it as the screams suddenly stopped. Keeper Carcette fell lifelessly before the feet of the viciously smiling vampire lord.

The monster was intimidating. Rictus thought it was yet another thing the games did not do justice on. It was easily 7 foot tall and covered in muscles. Its greyish skin was on full display with only an elaborate loin cloth and fancy necklace covering it. Long pointed claws adorned the feet and hands. Sharply pointed ears framed its bat like face with squashed nose, long fangs, and eyes black as the abyss. An aura of death and malevolence permeated the air around it. Blue and red magic coalesced along its hands as it turned its full attention to Dante.

Before Rictus could assist, the other two elder vampires attacked him with simultaneous lightning bolts. His metal arm absorbed the hits while redirecting the electrical energies into the ground. Seems he would have to finish this fight before he could help anyone else out. Rictus put his full attention into battling the two vampiric mages while Illia and Miruma fought off the gargoyles.

Stone pillars rose from the ground as the vampires continued casting their lighting attacks. They relied heavily on their large mana pools to empower the attacks in an effort to overcome the stone pillars Rictus was raising. Pillars exploded into smaller shards as the lightning bolts impacted them. Unfortunately for the vampires, this just gave Rictus more ammunition.

The rocks froze in the air before being shot back at the two vampires. They cast a quick ward spell which partially blocked the many rocks flying their way but could not stop all of them. Realizing their disadvantage at range, the two vampires charged him while channeling a blood red spell which had to of been a vampiric drain. A quick dodge to the side made the spells miss, but the vampires just moved their hands while redirecting the constant stream of magic towards him. Scales began covering his body as Rictus cast dragonhide on himself.

After witnessing Tolfdir's ritual, some tests, and his greater understand of the spell and dragons in general, it was stronger than ever. This emboldened him as he abruptly turned to face his attackers. They had drawn their swords and were coming at him side by side. A smile crept on his face as he cast another spell before using telekinesis to launch himself as fast as possible between the two while ducking under their attacks. A sharp tug on his shoulders and cries of pain quickly followed as he came to a quick stop between two stone pillars.

Magic pulsed from him and into the pillars as the cries of pain quickly stopped. Looking at his handy work, Rictus marveled at the sight.

The two vampires had crashed into the stone pillars and almost made it all the way through them. Stone had encapsulated them while spikes dug into their bodies. Defeating an enemy this way was not that new. How he brought them over here with him was. A quick flex at his shoulders brought back the results of his newest spell.

Large nearly translucent green wings folded themselves up behind him while blood dripped from the large talons on each of them. These were the results of his late-night experimentations. Combining his knowledge and Tolfdir's notes had led to the creation of the new spell. He had at first tried making the spell exactly like the dragonhide, but it had failed miserably. Seems making true dragon wings was not that simple. He was hopeful more materials would find their way to him so he could do further experiments for that.

Instead, using a combination of alteration and conjuration magics had been the key. The wings were basically a heavily altered bound armor spell. The dragon wing basically served as the template for the spell and gave it shape and added strength. Whether the spell fell under alteration or conjuration was still up to debate. It was basically a conjuration spell tome created by using an alteration ritual. A large smile dominated his face as he admired his spell. 'Doesn't really matter what school it's from. I created it, and it is freaking awesome. Maybe I can eventually have my own dragon like form.'

With a thought, the wings disappeared as he surveyed the rest of the battle. Miruma was pulling her sword from a gargoyle while Illia was studying one encased in ice. The other two monsters lay dead at their feet, covered in a myriad of wounds.

He turned just in time to see a bruised and battered Dante decapitating the vampire lord with a golden sword. After landing the finishing blow, he collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Tolan and Adalvald were also both sitting on the ground and leaning upon one another to keep upright. The other Vigilantes had unfortunately all perished in the fighting.

Thankfully, all the enemies had been defeated as well so there was no danger presently. Rictus and his guards made their way over to the downed men to make sure they were alright. Dante saw them approaching and let his body relax further as he closed his eyes.

"That was my first time fighting a vampire lord. Monster was stronger than I anticipated. Much more challenging than that giant undead I fought at Japhet's Folly."

He opened his eyes as he stared right at Rictus, gratitude easy to be seen.

"Thank you. I don't think we would have won without you."

A small smile appeared on Rictus's face as he sat down on a conjured stone chair.

"That's what friends are for."

They rested there for a moment while catching their breath. While they were waiting, a group of mounted Restored showed up too late to help in the fighting. A group of bandits had attacked them which had delayed them getting there in time for the fight. Rictus got them to set up a perimeter around the Hall and keep an eye on things. Eventually, the remaining Vigilantes grouped up with him and discussed their next course of action. Tolan took the opportunity to speak first.

"Keeper Carcette's death is a tragedy. It will be a huge blow to our operations here in Skyrim. She kept up with everything and everyone for us. I am not entirely sure what will happen now without her. Thankfully, the building is not too badly damaged, and hopefully, we should be able to recover her notes."

The followers of Stendarr had a moment of silence before Dante spoke.

"Us three are now the leading members of the Vigilantes in terms of seniority or power. We cannot stay idle after the vampires revealed themselves in such a way."

Adalvald looked over the other two before voicing his thoughts as the most senior member.

"I agree. Something must be done. The Hall is no longer the sanctuary we thought. Our other brothers and sisters must be warned of the danger. If the vampires attacked us here, there is no doubt they will attack those moving throughout the land. We will need a place to gather and plan our next steps. Stendarr's Beacon is more a watchtower than a fort, so I do think it the best option. I can only think of one place we would have the safety to regroup and recover."

He shared a look with Tolan who let out a sigh after a moment.

"I will make my way south and talk with Isran. Despite our disagreements, I am sure he will see the necessity. There may have to be some concessions though."

The Vigilants discussed a few more details before Rictus chimed in with an offer.

"I think I can help get the word out to your people. The Restored can inform any and all Vigilants they come across of the dangers, where to go, and what has happened here. One less thing for the three of you to worry about. If you are all agreeable, I will get some of my Restored to settle down here and make it another outpost for us. Any traveling Vigilant who does not receive the message will most likely come through here at one point, and we can inform them of where to go. In the case of your talks with Isran not working, you will have a secondary location as long as you don't mind sharing the space."

A short moment passed before they all nodded their heads while Adalvald spoke.

"We will agree to all this and thank you for all your help. We are more than willing to compensate you for your help. It may not seem like it, but we have amassed quite a bit of wealth over the years while purging the evil from this land. Part of it will be given to you for carrying the messages and more will be added if you make the area around here defensible while creating a place for traveling Vigilantes to rest."

Rictus agreed to the terms before shaking on it. The location of the Hall may not be the best, but there were some things which made it worth it. It was close to their base in Dawnstar and right along one of the major roads leading to the city. Being up against the mountain allowed them to burrow into it for more space and resources. A few ruins were near the location which would give their more adventurous members easy to reach targets. Additionally, there was supposed to be a large Dwemer ruin called Mzinchaleft very close to here. If the stories he had heard were true, it had an inoperable lift which allowed direct access to Blackreach that no one had been able to use in quite some time. All these things combined made it an acceptable location, especially since they would be getting paid to make it into a new base.

After covering all their immediate plans, the group decided to head to bed. Once morning came each of the Vigilantes would depart on their own mission. Tolan would go talk with Isran. Dante would go back to Winterhold to work out a deal for enchanted weapons and armor. Being the lover of the archmage would definitely help there. Adalvald would go investigate Dimhollow Crypt with Rictus since it was more important than ever to know as much about their enemy as they could.

Failing to kill everyone here and destroy the base would prove to be a major blunder by the vampires. Word would travel quickly to the scattered Vigilants. They would no longer be easy victims to surprise attacks by vampires. Having united leadership from Tolan, Adalvald, and Dante would ensure they had purpose and a plan. Keeper Carcette's death would make her a martyr while acting as a rallying cry for the remaining members. They would show why no cult or daedric influences had risen to prominence in the last 200 years since the founding of their order. The Vigilants' watch was over, and now the Crusader's blade would purge the lands.

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[AN]: I wonder how things will change in the vampire-dawnguard conflict now that the Vigilants are not out of the game. A holy war and a civil war? Sounds chaotic.

Also….

Finally reached 200,000 words! Woohoo! Did not ever think to see the day where I would write this much for a story I randomly thought of one day. I want to thank all of you for reading along and giving me ideas for the story. Without all the input, I doubt I would have written this much.