Part III - Creatures In the Night

"No, it really is no trouble, sir. I'm just a stable boy running errands at the Imperial City anyway. It's a real pleasure to help out a fellow elf, especially a dark elf," the altmer named Tilmos says as Endar dismounts the beautiful brown Bay horse in front of Skingrad's Grateful Pass Stables.
The first thing Endar notices walking through Skingrad's enormous west gate is the huge walls on either side of him. The city is divided into two sections, north and south. Skingrad sports one of Cyrodiil's biggest castles, which is the only castle to lie outside of it's city's walls.
Two imperial men, who were armed with steel weaponry and bearing the mark of a red crescent moon on their chest plates walk up to Endar.
"Halt dunmer. We know why you come to Skingrad. We will escort you to the castle. The count would like to have a word with you immediately," says one of the guards as he walks in front of Endar, leading him through the city, out the East gate, and on towards the castle.
Skingrad's castle is huge, resting on the top of a hill outside of the city. The castle is a quarter the size of Skingrad itself.
The torches along the edges of the bridge leading to the castle's courtyard doors seem to light magically as the sun sets.
After walking through the castle doors, Endar follows a red carpet all the way to what seems like a dead end; a staircase to the left, and a few dining tables to the right. Endar really hasn't seen too many castles in his lifetime, but this one seems to lack a throne room. The room he stands in seems gloomy, and he can sense a presense.
An argonian walks up to him after walking down the staircase, "Greetings, Endar, the count has been expecting you. My name is Hal-Liurz, personal aide to Count Hassildor," the lizard like person says with a female voice. It's so hard to tell genders when it comes to argonians.
"Please have a seat and the count will be down as soon as he can," says Hal-Liurz as she turns around and walks up the stairs.
Hours pass as Endar patiently waits and he finally falls to sleep sitting at one of the dinner tables.

Endar opens his eyes, and sees a beautiful green plain on a huge island. He feels a peacefullness here. This is home. The prison, the Imperial city, Skingrad, it was all a dream. A beautiful elven woman runs up to Endar and throws her arms around him.
"Endar. Wake up! They took your wife," cries a familiar Khajiit without ears behind the woman. It's the man from the prison yard.

Endar opens his eyes again, his head down, sitting in a familiar wooden chair. He slams his fist down onto the table in Skingrad castle hard, realizing this is not a dream. He looks up to see a man in a beauitful black and gold coat standing next to him.
"I mean you no harm, i apologize if i startled you, i get that alot," the man says to him. This must be the count.
Endar stands quickly to show respect and Count Hassildor smiles, showing that he has two razor sharp fangs, making Endar take a step back out of fear.
"Again, sir, i mean you no harm. However, do not let the warden decieve you. He works for forces far more evil than you can understand. You will have to trust one of us, but i assure you, I will reward you greatly," the count says in a calm, relaxing voice. "Noone knows of my condition, and that's the way it should stay. However, certain said forces want my kind wiped out from the face of Cyrodiil. I cannot have this, as we bring a certain balance to the region. My kind stays away from you as long as the peace is kept. There is a vampire hunter named Eridor on his way to Bloodcrust Cavern to slay my kind hiding out in that cave. You are to stop him at all costs. If you are cought by the city guard, i cannot help you as to not expose my true identity. The cave is just southeast of this very castle, so be on your way. I trust you will make the right decision."
Feeling compelled to leave quickly out of the castle, Endar turns and quickly walks out, looking back only once at the count. Hassildor nods his head and Endar realizes that this man can be trusted.
A few minutes later, Endar walks up to a man standing outside of Bloodcrust Cavern's wooden door.
"Excuse me, you're a dark elf, you must be the one the Imperial warden sent us to help get rid of these virmin infesting this cave. I am Carsten," says the man, who carries a steel longsword in his hand. Endar then hears screaming coming from inside the cave. Carsten quickly turns to open the door and the door explodes open and a man jumps out through the splintered wood flying in every direction. The man seems to be driven by his thirst for blood and punches Carsten in the stomach, making him colapse to the ground. The man then pulls Carsten's limp body back into the cave, and Endar unsheaths his iron shortsword and follows slowly.
It's very dark inside the cavern and Endar hears hissing and voices all around him. It's too dark to safely walk so he stops in his tracks when he hears a voice from the darkness, "Welcome, Endar, we know why you are here."
Endar wonders how everyone knows what he's doing or where he's going.
Candles are lit within the cavern to reveal ten vampires standing around him and two imperial men bound in heavy ropes. the voice he heard just seconds ago speaks again, from behind him this time, "You are a great man of noble blood, and it would be unwise of you to take these stupid hunters' side. I alone could kill you before you even start swinging that toy you call a sword."
Endar feels a hand on his shoulder and breathing in his ear, "and i very much doubt you would like to become one of us. So, do the right thing and cut the throats of these men so we may have dinner tonight," he says as he chuckles and half of the other vampires laugh and the other half hiss.
Endar hesitates as he holds the tip of his sword up to Carsten's neck. "Come on, boy, kill him," yells the vampire now standing shoulder to shoulder next to Endar. The vampire smacks Endar in the face. "That doesn't feel too good does it? Now, kill him!"
"Enough," a familiar voice from behind endar shouts and the all the vampires in the cavern back up to the walls. The count walks around Endar and behind the tied up men. "I can sense you trust me, Endar, but i can still smell your fear. I know personally that destiny is a very fickle thing indeed. Mayhap it is your destiny to return home after your trials here, maybe it is not. Yes, i know about the place you call home. Rolling fields of green grass, enormous trees, and a very bright sun. I have been there myself, Endar, to visit the ruler of that island, Sheogorath. Mayhap it is not your destiny to return there, seeing as you were not born there. I know you do not remember this world, but you were born here and taken to the Shivering Isles as a boy, to protect you. You were thrown into that rat infested prison because the Legion fears you!" Hassildor lifts up the two hunters' heads by their hair, "These men fear you as well. Not only are you a dunmer, but you are also the child.. of a vampire."
Endar's eyes widen suddenly and he drops his sword and stares at the count.
"You, Endar, are not one of us, and I have no intention of changing that. However, I must know where your loyalties lie. Will you slay my kind here in this cavern," as he says this, the man who punched Endar hisses loudly and proclaims, "He would be dead before his hand touches his sword..." The count turns his head towards the vampire and his eyes turn jet black, "SILENCE," shouts the count in a deep, booming voice and the vampire backs away.
"...Or will you trust me and kill these men who work for a man who intends on handing you over to those evil forces that i mentioned before?"
The bound and gaged men in front of endar shake their heads in fear. Endar ponders his father's past and what effect it has on the future. Why should Endar be blamed for his father's past? Why should anyone but Endar decide his future? Endar stoops down, picks up his sword and quickly and unremorsely cuts Carsten's throat as his body falls dead on the ground. Endar puts the tip of his blade up to Eridor's throat and reaches down and rips off the gag in his mouth.
"You cannot escape the Legion! We will hunt you to the ends of this continent. You will be safe nowhere," cries Eridor as he strugles to get out of the ropes. a vampire kicks Eridor in the back of his neck. He cries out in pain as Endar's sword cuts accross his throat swiftly. Endar drops the sword onto the ground in front of Eridor's now dead body and glances at the count. Hassildor smiles, baring his fangs and nods his head once again.
Endar then slowly turns around and walks out of the cavern.