Author Note

The next seven chapters cover that what happened to Slayer Gothic while he was stuck in Skyrim. I already wrote about what happens just after he returns. Hopefully that won't be confusing.

You have found our fortress.
You have returned my daughter.
But what is it you seek?
Is it to be one of us?
To make the darkness your own?
To feast on the souls of the living...and the dead?
Or are you with them?
The Dawnguard.
They think they can stop us.
But we will find them.
The Elder Scrolls will be mine.
And the tyranny of the sun shall end.

Slayer Gothic 2 - Dawnguard

Part 1

This was not what I had thought would happen. I'd taken the Sigal Stone and I had escaped the Deadlands, but I was not back in Sunnydale. Instead I was standing somewhere a lot colder than California and more wild too.

"You here to join the Dawnguard too?" someone asked me.

I turned around and saw a young man who was tall, and somewhat muscular. The clothes he wore looked primitive as did the axe he was carrying. I had no idea how long he d been standing there, but since he didn't t seem surprised to see me I guessed that he hadn't seen me appear out of a portal.

"Err, hello" I replied.

It was clear that I wasn't where I was suppose to be. I figured that I was somewhere in the world of Elder Scrolls, however I couldn't t narrow it down any further than that. I did know that the Dawnguard were vampire hunters, but further details escaped me. My head was full of information about the Elder Scrolls world, however actually being in this world was more than a little overwhelming.

"Truth is I'm a little nervous" the local man was now saying "I've never done anything like this before. I hope you don't mind if I walk up with you".

Since I was still confused about what was going on I did t say anything. Also I was wondering what had happened to my shotgun I felt a little defenceless without it. Thankfully I still had a pistol safely tucked away inside my coat, and my sword as well as stakes.

"I'm Agmaer by the way" the native then said.

That was I figured out some of what was happening. Agmaer had to be a Nord, he was human and tall, also the land around us was cold and snowy, which suggested I was in Skyrim.

"That's a fancy blade you have there" Agmaer commented "Are you Gothic, or that just the name of your weapon?".

I didn't take long to answer that question. Mostly because I was too distracted to give him a proper reply.

"Yeah sure" I replied.

I was sure that Agmaer was talking simply for the sake of it, but I didn't mind.

"What is that you re holding?" was the next query.

I looked down and realised that I was still holding that Sigal Stone, this was good because I wanted to keep this magical item, it could prove invaluable in my efforts to get home.

"Its a... treasure" I said "I'm an adventurer. I found this treasure" .

Truthfully I didn't really know what a Sigal Stone was. I had a theory, but I might be wrong.

"You're an Imperial" the Nord stated "That explains the fancy clothes".

That was as good an explanation as any for the stuff I was wearing. I figured that I had to look really out of place.

"Yeah" was all I had to say on the subject.

Agmaer accepted that I was Imperial who happened to be an adventurer who dressed strangely. The human ability to rationalise the strangeness of the existence apparently wasn't limited to those living on Earth.

"Here" the Nord went on to say "You can have my pouch. I ll pick up a new one later" .

The young man took a leather pouch off his belt and opened. I got the sense that he wanted me to place the Sigal Stone inside it, however there couldn't possibly be enough room inside the thing for the item. Yet when he urged me further to place the magical item inside the pouch it fitted inside with plenty of room to spare.

"A Pouch of Holding" I muttered.

That was a standard piece of equipment for an adventurer. It allowed a person such as myself to carry around a lot of loot without having to lug around lots of bags.

"Thank you" I said to Agmaer as I attached the pouch to my belt "I'll find away to repay you. I promise".

I was sure I had something on my person of equal or greater value.

"Just don't tell Isran I was too afraid to meet him by myself" the Nord requested "Not the best first impression for a new vampire hunter".

Without any further talking Agmaer and I made our way to Fort Dawnguard, the castle was a solid structure carved in the side of the mountains. The stone was still firm and tough, it would take a lot to siege on this place I figured. Not that I was an expert on siege warfare.

Also now that I'd seen some of the landscape I was sure that I was in Skyrim, and I was also sure that this was around the time of the Dragonborn because I was pretty sure I'd just seen a dragon fly by. Thankfully it had been very high up and heading away from the fortress. In fact Agmaer didn't even notice the creature.

"That must be it, Fort Dawnguard! Agmaer said "It's a bigger than I expected".

As we got closer to the fort we could see the beginning of a wooden barricade, clearly these Dawnguard people were preparing for an attack. Although none of them seemed to be doing that right now.

"Where is everybody? the Nord wondered "This place looks deserted".

When we walked into the yard of the Fort we saw a couple of the Dawnguard training with their crossbows, the only attention they paid us was to point in the direction of the main door. I however did take the time to study these men.

They all wore light armour that was either grey or brown, which was smart as vampires were attracted to bright colours. Also crossbows were effective weapons against the bloodsuckers, but they were a pain to reload so it was best to have another weapon with you when using a crossbow. These warriors didn t have any stakes as far as I could see, they did at least have swords. This made more sense when I remember that the vamps in this world could be slain using normal weapons, it just took more effort than shooting them in the heart.

"New recruits?" someone said once Agmaer and I were standing in front of the main door "My name is Celann, I'm an officer of the Dawnguard".

Now I was wishing that I had played this DLC more than once. I was starting to remember the plot, which involved some crazy vampire lord trying to blot out the sun, sadly the finer details were lost to time.

"Isran will decide if you've got what it takes" Celann then said "Go on in, he's right inside".

Celann, who was a Breton if I guessed correctly, gestured towards the large wooden doors. I nodded in acknowledgement and went inside, leaving Agmaer behind to stare in astonishment at the fort and at Celann.

The inside of the fort was enormous, sadly it was desperate need of some renovating and cleaning, the cobwebs spanned the entire ceiling and were practically covering the walls. Tattered banners bearing the symbol of the Dawnguard were hanging from the second and third levels and unopened crates were scattered everywhere. It was obvious that this place had been abandoned in the past and was now being reclaimed.

I was surprised to see a Vigilant of Stendarr standing in the centre and talking to a tall Redguard, presumably the Isran guy I was looking for. I slowly approached the two men, but I kept my distance so as to not interrupt their conversation.

"Why are you here, Tolan?" the man I assumed to be Isran was saying "The Vigilantes and I finished with each other a long time ago?".

From what I knew the Vigilantes of Stendarr were a militant order in the priesthood of Stendarr, the Divine of Mercy. The group was founded after the Oblivion Crisis as an effort to combat the Daedra. The Vigilantes also tried to root out vampires, werewolves, witches, and any other creatures that preyed upon mortals. They were somewhat like myself in that respect, only they weren't supernaturally empowered warriors.

"You know why I'm here, the Vigilantes are under attack everywhere!" the man in the robes replied "The vampires are much more dangerous than we believed".

Hearing that made me wonder if I had appeared not to far from this fort by the design of some higher power. It made sense as I was a Vampire Slayer and these guys had undead they needed dealing with.

If this was the case then I figured that if I dealt with bloodsuckers the PTBs, or whatever it was who had sent me, should send me home. I could try to find another way back, however the only beings I knew of who could do such a thing were the Daedric Princes and I didn t want to get involved with them even if another version of me was one of them. After all it was one of them who hadn t gotten me into this situation in the first place.

Also the College of Winterhold was an option, however I had no how to get there from here and also I didn t know if they could send me home even with a Sigal Stone to help. Still it might take them weeks, or even longer, to come up with a method of getting me back to Sunnydale.

My best option was to quickly deal with these troublesome vampires, which was something I had a lot of experience doing, and then if a way home didn t present itself, then I would risk approaching the Princes for a portal home.

I would have preferred to go right back so that I had could help Buffy and the others deal with the Master, sadly that wasn't an option. I couldn't just click my heels and say; there's no place like home.

"And now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it?" Isran asked "I remember Carcette repeatedly telling me that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and man power to repair".

I took a moment to study this Isran, he was a powerfully built Redguard who carried a heavy looking warhammer. Like the others he also wore Dawnguard armour, only it was darker that was others had on.

"Carcette is dead" the man called Tolan went on to say "The Hall of the Vigilantes is gone, they're all dead. "You were right we were wrong, isn't that enough for you?".

Even from where I was standing I could see Isran's face go from stern to sympathetic.

"I never wanted any of this to happen" the Redguard replied "I tried to warn all of you .

There was a lot awkwardness between the two men, which was most likely why they decided to turn their attention to me rather than keep talking to each other

"So who are you?" Isran enquired "And what do you want?"

That was not the most friendly of welcomes I'd gotten.

"I hear you're looking for vampire hunters" was my answer.

While I knew I must look very strange to these men I was an experienced warrior. They would see that in me just as I saw it in them.

"You heard right" Isran replied "I'm glad word is finally starting to get around. But that means that it won't be long before the vampires start to take notice as well".

The vampires in this realm could be very organised I recalled, and some of them were clever enough to blend in with their prey in a way the vampires of Buffy's world rarely did. This meant they could have agents reporting information to them

"You have any experience in fighting vampires?", Isran asked

I could tell that he was sizing me up. No doubt picturing me in Dawnguard armour while wondering how well I'd handle a crossbow.

"I've came across more than a few in time" I told the Redguard "I'm still breathing and they are just piles of dust".

Isran seemed impressed, but it was hard to tell as this was a man who kept his feelings in check.

"I can tell you're more qualified than some of the other recruits" the leader of the Dawnguard went on to say "Which is good because I need someone out in the field, taking the fight to the damn vampires, while we're getting the fort back in shape".

Isran then gestured at the Vigilant

"Earlier Tolan was telling me about some cave that the Vigilantes were poking around in" I was then informed "They seemed to think it was somehow related to the recent vampire attacks".

Isran then turned to face the Vigilant

"Tolan tell him about the place" he ordered "Dimhollow, wasn't it?".

Tolan was a tall and slender man who had many years of life behind him and not than many ahead. Although his appearance didn't match that of the typical nord, that didn't mean he wasn't formidable in battle. Plus as a Vigilant he would know a few handy spells, of that I was quiet sure.

"Dimhollow Crypt" the old man told me "Brother Adalvald was sure it held some long lost artifact of some kind, something important to the vampires. We didn't listen to him anymore than we did Isran. He was at the Hall, when it was attacked..."

Isran spoke up in order to cover up the fact that Tolan was having trouble speaking.

"That's good enough for me" the Redguard said "Go see what the vampires were looking for at this Dimhollow Crypt. With any luck, they'll still be there poking around and if they have dug up whatever it was they were looking for then you might find some clues that will tell us what got them so interested in that place".

Tolan spoke next

"I'll escort you Dimhollow" he said "If there's danger you shouldn t face it alone, and perhaps I ll have a chance to avenge my fallen comrades"

I was surprised that Isran, who looked to be a sensible man, was giving a stranger such an important job. While I was pondering that Isran walked over to one of the nearby crates and took out a crossbow,

"Here, you should take one of these" he told me "Good for taking out those fiends before they get in close".

Isran walked over and gave me the weapon. It was a crossbow, but it was made out of dwarven metal rather than wood. Despite that difference it operated the same way as the crossbows I'd used before.

"Help yourself to whatever gear we've got laying around" the Redguard offered "Report back to me when you're done".

Then Isran turned around and started looking over some maps he had lying on a table, and that made it clear me that it was time to leave. As I headed for the door the leader of the Dawnguard spoke again.

"Oh I almost forgot" he said ""Welcome to the Dawnguard".

(Line Break)

Tolan and I had already paid a visit to the Hall of the Vigilantes, or what was left of it, and this allowed me to see first hand what the vampires of this world were capable of doing. It hadn't been pretty, there had been corpses all over the place. Clearly the vamps had massacred the Vigilantes in an overwhelming attack before going on to sack the place. Then at some point a fire had spread and that had finished off the Hall.

It was no wonder that Tolan had wanted revenge, alas he had never gotten it. The man looked as if he'd known he was going to die while recklessly charging into the crypt without me. I d let him go because I'd known that I wouldn't be able to fight the vamps and keep him alive at the same time.

The entrance to Dimhollow was in the snowy north of Skyrim, up in the mountains. It was tough terrain, which made my hiking in Alaska seem easy in comparison. Thankfully I got to climb some rocky steps at the last part of the trip. Something was feet were grateful for as my new boots, which were part of the Dawnguard armour I was wearing, were not as comfortable as what I normally wore.

"These Vigilantes don't know when to give up" I heard a voice say "I thought burning down their precious Hall and desecrating their shrine would send enough of a message".

Slayers were natural ninjas so I was able to sneak closer to the sound of the voices without being detected.

"To come here alone. A fool like the rest of them" another voice said.

I couldn't see much more than two figures who were standing next to each other while talking so I decided to get closer before striking.

"He fought well, I'll give him that" the first voice commented.

I was now in range to fire a bolt from my new crossbow, but I had no intention of living up to my title of Vampire Slayer just yet as the two leeches were talking. They might say something that I wanted to overhear.

"All this talk is making me thirsty" the second voice said "Perhaps another Vigilant will wander in".

Slowly I moved a little closer.

"I wish the others would hurry up already" the first voice was now saying "I've got half a mind to return to the castle and tell Lord Harkon what a fool he's entrusted this mission to".

One of the vampires turned his back to me, and this made for a very tempting target so I aimed my new crossbow. The bolt struck the vamp in the back and since it was enchanted the vampire burst into flames, instantly killing the leech.

Rather than reload, as that would talk too much time, I used an Old One spell to set the other vampire on fire. I pleased to see that fire was nearly as potent on these undead blood drinkers as it was back on Earth.

Once the leeches were dust I reloaded and I left the cover I'd been hiding in. Then I calmly began walking further into the cave. Suddenly I heard a menacing snarl come from somewhere ahead. Without warning, a black hound with jagged teeth and blood red eyes charged at me.

I fired the crossbow again and the dog thing yelped as it staggered back. Next I dropped my weapon and took out my sword. Which I slashed at the demon dog when it launched itself at me. The unnatural hound died when it met my blade.

Once I had recovered my crossbow, and had reloaded it, I moved on and down one tunnel until I found a gate which blocked my path. I examined the surrounding area hoping to find a lever but I couldn't find one. So I backtracked and down another passage where I found the body of the Vigilant; Tolan. Which I left alone.

Upon finding the switch I used it and went back up the tunnel to find that I had opened the gate as hoped. Which allowed me to progress further into the Crypt. I then soon found myself in a large cavern full of coffins.

Suddenly, the skeletons within the surrounding coffins started coming alive. Thankfully for me they were fragile things just like in the game, that were easily shattered by a series of kicks and punches. The only downside was that the noise form all the fighting had attracted the attention of another vampire.

I drove my blade into the bloodsucker and then I watched as she turned to dust, the effect wasn't the same as with the vampire s back home. It wasn't as loud or as quick, also this vampire collapsed into ashes and left her clothes behind. The other two I had burned so they hadn t left much behind.

It was then that I recalled something about vampire dust being a potion ingredient, but I had no desire to collect any nor did I want to waste room in my pouch with women's clothing, so I left the room. Hopefully there would be stuff worth talking further inside the crypt.

Venturing on I passed through another gate and was now in what looked like a burial chamber. All the coffins were open and this implied the use of more Nercomany, which was something I was really sick of at this point. The dead shouldn't get up and walk around, it was super creepy.

I soon came across more foes. The vampires had indeed being messing with unnatural forces as there were draugr here, and unlike those the Dragonborn would encounter while looking for words that made up Shouts, these zombie like creatures seemed to be under the command of the vampires. This was made clear when one of the blood drinkers ordered the undead things to attack me.

Without thought I sprang into action. Thanks to my Slayer speed I was able to decapitate the vampire and even avoid being killed by what looked to be an ebony war-axe. Then I had to use my super human speed again in order to avoid a Draugr's magical frost attack

Using my sword I slashed at the arm of the Draugr and the arm holding the axe, and the limb dropped to the ground. However being undead the zombie like thing wasn't bothered by having an arm removed. So I stabbed right through the things armour and into its lifeless heart, then I swung my weapon again and decapitated the Draugr.

Then I faced the vampire, who tried to use magic to drain my life force, but before it could that I used my favourite Old One spell to set on fire.

Now that I had a moment I decided to put my sword away in its scabbard so that I could use the ebony war-axe. I also placed the crossbow, which I left on the ground before charging into battle, into the pouch of holding. If there were more Draugr around then the axe would serve me better than a sword as stabbing zombies with my kanatana didn't seem to have much effect. Also I was better with a pistol than with a crossbow, and in underground tunnels a pistol was a better choice in weapon. However I had no way of getting my hands on more ammo so I decided not to use the gun right now.

Not long after changing weapons I found myself in another large cavern, which would have been pitch black if not for the few braziers illuminating the area.

There was a water fall and what looked like graves on either side of a path. It strange to see graves in a place like this, where I was from people were buried in cemeteries on the surface, which made it a lot easier for grieving people to visit buried loves ones. I had no idea why the people here had gotten into the habit of interring the dead in such hard to reach places.

"You're mine mortal!" a vampire bellowed.

That yell broke my trail of thought and the leech who dared to bother me paid with its non-life when I set on fire with an Old One Spell. Doing so was a little draining so I decided to hold back on the magic for a while.

"Just once I'd like to met a supernatural being that doesn t want to kill me I muttered to myself as I ventured further into the crypt "Its always undead monsters who want to eat me or slimy demons who also want to eat me. I never met any nice people these days .

Not long after I stopped talking to myself I came across two gargoyle statues that were quite eerie, though their eyes were stone it felt as if they stared into my very soul.

A few steps into this area and I heard voices so I sneaked the rest of the way. I found myself on the ledge of a balcony and I peeked over the edge to see two vampires who were talking to someone who seemed to be a prisoner.

Their captive had clearly been tortured, the bruises being evidence enough of this. The man was wearing but a pair of rags and was kneeling before the vampires like a dog.

"I believe you Vigilant" a vampire was saying "Now go to your beloved Stendarr".

The vampire then slit the holy man's throat open with his claw like hands, and kicked the lifeless corpse to the ground. Not for the first time I felt angry about the fact that once again humans were prey for monsters such as these, but I repressed it and focused on the big picture.

I was still certain that I had to end the vampire menace before a way home would be presented to me and that meant stopping the big bad and his plans, not avenging every lost life.

"Did you hear something?" a vampire commented.

My new weapon, an ebony war-axe, was a moment later was bashing the skull of one of the vampires. I'd dropped down to the ground, using the fall from the balconey to my advantage. The second vampire, who I had spotted just before leaping, was so surprised by what had just happened that he was helpless to prevent me from driving the axe into his chest. Next I took out a stake and rammed the bit of sharpened wood into the chest of one of the blood drinkers, they like the others had before, slowly turned to dust. However I didn't end the other one as I struck me then that I could get some information.

I slapped the vampire and when it woke up I demanded to know what it and its kind were doing in this place.

"Do what you wish to me, mortal. I shall not betray Clan Volkihar!" the vampire promised.

I had no expertise in torture, and no time to learn right now as there could be many more vampires around.

"Okay then" I said while staking the vamp.

I'd have to find the information I required elsewhere, but at least now I knew something I was up against a group of vampires known as Clan Volkihar, and from what I'd heard earlier their leader was called Harkon. I figured that I'd have to slay him before this was all over.