You'll find out.

IT COULD BE MALAN! BLARRRGH!

That's just creepy

Did he jump out if his story and into yours to give you more nightmares


I bet it's Movarth

GAAAAH! All that and we never found out what really happened that traumatized her? URK! Great Write!

SSSShhh!!...She'll tell us in a minute!!... ...

*Scared*...

Blimey...Either it's Nosferatu or Richard o'Brien...I'm not sure who'd be the scarier watcher really!!...

Excellent chapter...Nicely done...

Looking forward - I think - to whatever's coming next...

*Continues to be scared*...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Wait, her family weren't all abusive people who gave Kayla a hard time due to the fact that she's adopted it. That's...you...we...bwha? You can't just subvert a cliche like that!

Anyway, that was both interesting and rather creepy. I wonder who this mysterious visitor is, and what exactly happened with him, Nisse/Kayla and her sisters...

So, a dark secret is being revealed from Kayla’s past. This was very well done and fascinating to read.

I loved little Kayla with her dirt, flowers and bugs! A natural alchemist if ever there was one. And I can imagine the challenges to a youngster carrying the magic that her race both cursed and blessed her with. Much more so when those raising her are round ears who lack the ability to guide and focus her talents.

"Silence, you disgusting knife-ear!"
What a cutting comment for the little Altmer to hear. ( )

Nits:
’I opened my palm and, which much concentration, a white orb of light emitted from it.’
You want 'with' instead of 'which', of course.

‘Onmund stared at me for a moment. He shook his head, looking away from me. After a moment, he looks back, his expression slightly harder.’
I’d recommend changing ‘looks’ to ‘looked’ to avoid tense hopping.

Sorry for the short comment, it was almost 3 am and I wasn't very prolific, lol. All three chapters were great. The first two chapters were so connected that they could have stood alone and been combined into one - Excellent Write!

That third chapter really could have waited till your next post in a few days, which since it was only about 700 words would have given you room to add to it and complete the scene.

The reason I say that is that it brings up a mystery that is wholly intriguing - in adding it to an already large post, neither you or the reader can give it the full measure of attention it could have in a stand-alone post.

All that said, you have a very good story going here, and your writing is excellent! I am loving this story!

Had I done it in two parts, one post would have been too large and the other too short. That second post is what took up all of the room. I tried splitting it, but there was no break.

I'll do better next chapter though, I promise!

At least you weren't stuck with writers block all week



Onmund wants to improve and it looks like they're going to make up. Yay!

Also I loved Sam. He really knows how to make himself the center of the scene.

And now we have a flashback. Though I already think I know what is going to happen in the end, it will be interesting to watch it unfold. I wonder if the youngest sister is born under the tower. In Morrowind and Oblivion it gave a detection spell.

It works fine for me to have the scenes split up, since I tend to go back and read them together. It might take me a while to have enough time to read it that way, but I like to get the flow of the story as you intend it in the writing. This way folks can read it however they like. It helps a lot that you said at the beginning how many posts would be in the next part, so we wouldn’t wonder if we were going to be left hanging or if there was more of the scene coming right up.

I absolutely loved the scene in the dark with the sisters. Very sweet and also frightening and creepy. I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Onmund, but like he said: Keep going.

Asta creeped me out a little. This part about her childhood was very interesting, and the joke about the bees at the end was great! She was a timid little elf.

A man watches them sleep? I bet he’s invisible when the little sister wakes her up. Like Grits, I loved the scene in the dark.

Sorry for the delay, y'all. This week has been... interesting. I've let up on writing to focus on other things, and try to limit my days writing to only on my days off, but haven't had one in about a week. Then the thing with my boss happened, I'm having personal issues, and it all adds up. But this story is a great release for me, and I appreciate the support I get from y'all. I mean it. The encouragement is wonderful. I've never been one to show my writing off, but I find I like people reading my stuff, giving me pointers, and seeing myself how I can improve.

@ jack, don't count on anything just yet, lol. Remember, Kayla lied to Onmund about her past the whole time they knew each other. This is like your wife turning to you and going "By the way, I'm in the witness protection program, and have been since before we met."

Grits and KC, that was my most favorite part to write, besides the scene with Old Bear. I don't get to write creepy things too often, and this is great to stretch and test my creep-factor muscles :]

Where we are: Kayla is revealing more about her past as Onmund listens.


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



Asta seemed better in the morning, if not a bit shaken. While Eeva went with Da to tend his shop, buying and selling whatever goods they could sell, I asked for her to help me search for the pearl. We looked anywhere we could think of. We didn't find it.

"Maybe she has it in her pocket?" Asta suggested.

I shrugged. "I guess so. Where else is it gonna be?"

Asta was silent for a moment while I looked. "Nisse?"

"Yes?" I continued to look under Eeva's bed. I checked the straw again.

"What's a vampire?"

"I don't know." I stood up and brushed the dirt off my knees, looking at her. "Why?"

"That's what he says he is."

"Who?"

"The bald man who comes in at night."

I shook my head at her. "There is no bald man. UGH!" I crossed my arms. "How am I supposed to give back the pearl Eeva stole if we can't find it?" I sat down on Eeva's bed with my arms still crossed.

Asta sat next to me. "You're probably right," she murmured. We sat there in silence for a few moments. She suddenly brightened.

"Wanna play hide-and-seek?"

"You only want to play because you're good at it!"

Asta's shoulders sagged. "I'm not good at any other game."

"Fiiiiine," I drew the word out in mock irritation. "We can play." Asta smiled a small, pleased smile. We ran outside , blowing Ma a kiss before running through the door. I hid first, and Asta used our porch as home base. After counting to ten, she turned around and sought me out.

She quickly found me and tagged me. I tickled her sides and ran to the porch to count. I sought her out after counting to ten. I looked for a good hour before finding her. She was perched on our roof, giggling like crazy.

"I found you!" I declared. She giggled again.

"You have to come get me!"

"Are you thick? I can't climb that high!"

"It doesn't count unless you tag me!"

I scowled, and searched the perimeter of our house for a foothold. I saw a stack of barrels around the back. I shakily climbed on one and pulled myself up. I unsteadily tried to balance myself on the barrel, causing the one under me to rock and hit the other barrels next to it.

Asta laughed as I toppled over with the barrels. I hissed in pain and glanced at my knee. A top layer of skin was scraped off, and in the small wound were a few large splinters.

"ASTA! I got hurt! That means the game stops!" I called out. She peeked over the roof.

"It's a scratch. Doesn't count!"

I grunted at her furiously. "I have splinters!"

She slid down the roof, her small hands gripping the edge of the roof before dropping almost delicately onto the dirt. She bounced backwards and fell on her rear-end. She primly stood up, her black curls bouncing as she dusted herself off. She peered at my knee for a moment.

"It's not that bad. Ma can pull the splinters out ad we can keep playing."

"Fiiiine." I said irritably. I touched her arm.

"Tag, you're it!"

"No fair!" Asta whined.

"You said I was okay!"

Asta pouted. "Fine, but you better hide good. Don't hide behind me like you did last week."

She ran around the house and I quickly thought of where I could hide. The scrape on my knee burned when I stood up, but the pain quickly subsided, even as I ran towards the large barn at the very edge of town. I slid under a large pile of hay in the furthest corner of the barn, farthest away from the door, and waited.

I woke up after dark, and heard a shuffling noise at the far end. A murmur of voices hit my ears, and I was awake completely. Ma had told me that sometimes, the young men and women liked to go to the barns and do things I wasn't ready to know about just yet. Curious, I watched and listened intently.

Two figures clung to each other. The moon was already high. Ma's going to kill me, I thought. Curiousity kept me planted where I was, under the hay, out of sight. Their faces were close together and they were...

I covered my mouth and stifled a giggle. They're kissing! I thought. I had seen kissing before. What was so bad about the barn that Ma didn't want me to see?

The taller form leaned over and nuzzled the smaller one's neck. She moaned and giggled, which quickly turned into a gasp of pain.

"Stop," she said. "That hur-"

The man opened his mouth and bit down. I heard something that sounded like fabric ripping. The woman no longer spoke, but gargled, her throat gone. Her body spasmed in the man's arms as the life poured out of her and the man lapped it up hungrily. The sickening smell of iron filled the air as I gasped, and the man wrenched his head towards my direction. I covered my mouth as my heart beat furiously.

Please don't find me, please don't find me...

Every muscle in my body tightened as the man sniffed the air. The blood around his mouth and down his neck contrasted with his pale skin. The black hair on his head was matted down with gore and dirt, and the front of his tattered robe was soaked in the young woman's blood. I pressed my thighs together to stop the flow of urine that threatened to spring from me.

The man looked almost straight into my eyes.

"I hear a pitter-patter!" He said in a soft, playful voice. He jumped closer. "What could it be?"

He took another leap towards me. "A kitten?" Another leap. "A puppy?" Another leap, and he was next to the pile of hay I was in. He inhaled deeply.

"Or maybe a naughty child." He reached into the haystack and pulled me by my smock out of the haystack. The urine I so desperately held in released itself as I began to sob. The man wrapped a hand around my throat and lifted me off the ground, pinning me against the barn wall. I kicked uselessly, my hands trying to pry his hand from my throat. The only noise I could manage was a strangled squeak. I kicked one of my shoes off.

The man leaned in and grinned at me. My eyes opened wide in horror at the long fangs. I flailed even more. His breath, cool on my face, reeked of blood and decay. His breath went in and out in wheezes.

I felt a numbness creep up my neck as he poured magick into me. My legs ceased to kick, and my arms dropped to my sides. He let me down, and I stood there, numbly looking foward at nothing.

Run, I told my body. RUN. But nothing happened.

That was the last thing I remembered.

WOO HOO! You ratcheted up the tension in this one! Holy Cow, and a cliffhanger! Now what? Urk! Awesome Write!

Gracias

You have a lot of unexpected things happening in your story, I LOVE that!

Just wait. -laughs maniacally while rubbing hands together-

Damn, that was creepy! And there's one hell of a cliffhanger as well; leaves me wondering how Kayla/Nisse actually gets out of this predicament alive, considering it's a single kid against a vampire, of all things.

I've already gotten the next chapter written up. I HAVEN'T SLEPT. INSPIRATION!!!

This vampire is terrifying

I'm going to start sleeping with a wooden stake now

Aaaand d'you know what the really scary thing is?...







Aaaargh!!...This is not the vampire you're looking for!!!... ...

Oh my absolute giddy aunts (and I do actually have one of them...) that was excellent...The juxtaposition twixt childish game and evil-bitey-chew-slurp-git is truly fantastically done...

I loved the way she went into the barn...And then woke up...*Applauds*...

Fantastic job...

Always looking forward to more...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds most heartily*...

-wink wink- Sure isn't!

I don't know if it was temporary insanity or what, but the next chapter was finished at 6 this morning my time. And you were so right! I got sick of looking at the unfinished chapter and just WROTE. Thanks for the advice :]

Maybe he grabbed a wig to enhance his seduction skill.

I hope he isn't setting her up as a scapegoat, though. Uncle true son of Skyrim would take the bait in a heartbeat. Then again, I don't want her to end up as his desert either. Oh dear, this flashback won't have an happy ending I'm afraid.

"Fiiiiine," I drew the word out in mock irritation.’
"Fiiiine." I said irritably.’
I see Kayla is learning, at a young age, to harness the power of the ‘F’ word! I expect someday she will master the ‘tersely clipped’ variant and become a formidable force of feminine fineness! Here, let me repost something I wrote some time ago -



As for the story, might we be witnessing the birth of a vampire hunter?

I was wondering when you were going to read, Acadian!

"Fine" is my favorite word to let people know I'm angry. That and "Okay." followed by a blank look. It confuses the hell out of all men XD

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Where we are: Continuing with Kayla's story.




Onmund's face flickered between anger and pity.

"Was anything you've told me true?" he spat. His green eyes were hard, and I looked down in shame.

"Onmund, you will understand why I hid this. At least I hope you will."

I reached over and touched his hand lightly. Peeling the layers off of my past was difficult. The raw sadness I had left suppressed began to bubble up, manifesting itself in the form of tears. My stomach lurched at the thought of the sound of that woman's flesh ripping. What shamed me greater was I didn't even remember her name.

I continued, my voice shaking.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-===-=-=-=-=-=---

"Is she alright?" I heard my mother's worried voice through the fogginess. My head pounded, and my throat was dry. I was hot. I moaned, crying out for my mother. I felt her cool hand on my forehead, and heard her murmur.

"It's alright, my child, Ma's here."

"I don't feel good, Mama."

I couldn't open my eyes, nor do more than speak. My voice was hoarse. I tried to speak again, but I coughed instead.

"You got very lucky, little one," I heard a familiar voice. "I don't know how you got away from whatever animal attacked that girl with just a small bite, but you got lucky."

When Albert mentioned the bite, I began to whimper. A vision of a diseased mouth placing its lips on my tender shoulder and ripping at the flesh flashed into my head. The bloodied grin of the vampire chewing my own flesh in front of me and swallowing it was enough to drive me mad. I wanted to warn my Ma, warn Da, leave with Eeva and Asta and never return.

"Skeever," I rasped. No! That was wrong! Why did I say that?

Suddenly, a burst of light broke upon my face, and I cried out. Ma held me down as I writhed away from the light, bawling. I heard a man's voice speak, his words rushed.

"I got the ingredients you need. Why such a large supply?"

After a moment, the voice asked, "Gods! Is she infected with-"

"Brain rot. I'm afraid so," Albert interrupted. "Fever, sensitivity to light, and memory loss. Poor child can't remember what happened to her."

The light ceased, and I laid on the bed, panting with tears rolling down my cheeks. Ma tried to sooth me. My shoulder throbbed, and my throat was really dry.

"Thirsty," I gasped. "Mama, water!"

Cool water dripped into my mouth, and I leaned up hungrily. I drank until my belly sloshed. I coughed, vomitting up the water.

"What is wrong with her? I've never seen Brain Rot this terrible!"

My mother's panicked voice broke my heart. I wanted to sit in her lap and feel the comfort of her soft arms. I could only cry that I was thirsty.

"You may want to leave," Albert said.

"I am NOT leaving my child!" My mother replied angrily.

"Madam, you have two other children who need you. Let us take care of the worst one right now."

The other man pushed my mother out the door. The light hit me again, and I screamed in pain. I heard the door bolt shut, and I panted in relief. Sweat soaked through my clothes into the bedsheets.

"How bad is she?" The other man asked.

"She's almost there, Talon. We need to cure her before she gets any worse." I heard the clink of bottles. "Hand me that bottle over there. No, not that one, the thicker one. Now hold her down."

I felt the covers lift off of me, and the relief of the warmth was quickly replaced by chills and the pressure of strong arms sitting me up. Talon leaned me against his chest. I breathed in the scent of his shirt, wondering if it posessed the same comforting quality of Da's scent. It didn't.

"Da," I moaned. "Ma." Talon sat on the bed and sat me in his lap, facing away from him. he stretched my legs out in front of me and crossed his own legs over mine before holding my arms at my sides with one arm and my head on his shoulder with the other.

"I got her."

My eyes snapped open when the bandage was peeled off of my right shoulder. I started to wiggle, and Talon gripped me harder, and Albert's wrinkled face was pursed in concentration as he mixed a dark green paste in a bowl.

"Don't wiggle," he chastised. I continued anyways.

"Why does everyone wiggle?" Talon asked. Albert began to slather the paste on the infected would on my shoulder.

"No! No!" I cried, and wiggled even more.

"The disease wants to preserve itself." Albert replied as I grunted and growled at him. I knew that I needed to be cured, but the rage that I felt at him trying to cure me was blind. I wanted to attack both of them and...

And what?

Albert put a fresh bandage on my arm and stood up. He grabbed a potion from a nearby table and uncorked the lid. Talon continued to hold me as I struggled.

"I'm going to give you something to take the pain stop, and the sickness go away. You'll go to sleep, and when you wake up, everything will be fine."

I clamped my mouth shut. Albert pinched my nose closed until I opened my mouth to gasp for air. That's when he poured the liquid down my throat. I struggled against it, but Talon's grip was firm. I began to feel drowsy.

Albert leaned down, eye level with me. "Who attacked you, Nisse?"

My eyes drooped. "Man. Teeth. Bit me." I focused on Albert's eyes. "Eeva took your pearl. I tried...couldn't find it. Sorry, Old Bear." My eyelids drooped as the potion took effect. My head dropped to my chest, and my body sagged.

I heard nothing for a moment, until Talon spoke.

"Can we save the others?"

It was a few moments until Albert spoke.

"No."

I began to doze off.

"How many children are sick?" Talon asked.

"All of them."

I fell asleep.

WHAT DID THAT VAMPIRE DO TO ALL THE KIDS?!

That son of a.....

This story is really starting to get interesting. Can't wait for more.

Great Job

"STARTING to?"

That's it. Get out.

XD

Starting to get more action packed! It was interesting from the start, but it seems the main plot is starting to. I've along!

Mhmm. Mhmm. SURE. XD

Fine, don't believe me. I'll just leave

GOODBYE.

:]

You know you're my buddy XD

How the karking hells did she get away?!!...

*Does best Admiral Ackbar* It's a trap!!... ...

So, it seems Albert wasn't quite the creep I thought he was...Well...Certainly at the moment he seems to be good...

Methinks he knows what's going on anyways... ...



Really can't be easy for him hearing this...



Blasted Vampire glamouring... ...

Excellent writing!!...Glad you're all on track again... ...

And this final one...



Aaaargh!!!... ....

Truly brilliant stuff...Loving it!!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

In due time, my pretties, in due time... -evil laugh-

GAAAAAH!



This whole chapter was chilling! Urk! Awesome Write!



*

Very neat, seeing this from the disoriented young victim's perspective. mALX is right, chilling indeed!

The hey pile! I remember that from earlier. I am so tense something is going to happen!

What a gruesome sight. He found her!

The magic (I presume) that is keeping her from telling everyone what happened was a wonderful touch. Very creepy that she can remember, but can’t tell.

I think Albert knows what it really is… So cool that the disease actually tries to preserve itself. Chilling.

Gah! They are all infected?

I feel like my writing is declining in substance and worth, sooo... I don't know. I'll keep on trying to improve. I appreciate the comments, everyone! <3

Where we are: Kayla is continuing the story of her past.










Thumpthumpthump, thumpthumpthump.

There was a brief pause as the footsteps ceased. They were light and quick, not heavy like an adult's. I sobbed quietly as I waited for them to subside. Every night, at the same time, I heard the same searching footsteps. Every night, I heard Asta call for me.

Thumpthumpthump, thumpthumpthump.

"Nisse? I miss you, Nisse! Old Bear is back! He says I'm all better."

Thumpthumpthump, thumpthumpthump.

I heard a crash, then a cry. I jumped up and readied myself for whatever was to come. No other sound came though. I had heard the footsteps four times, and every time, Asta would try to coax me out. I had long ago found the lock and latched the trap-door shut against Asta's desperate arms. I slumped back against the wall, my breathing heavy.

I was getting ill, being trapped in the dark with my own filth. I had been too terrified to venture out after Asta attacked me, and had been waiting for the rescue Albert had promised. I occupied my time by practicing summoning a flame faster. When the footsteps came, I stopped all movement and huddled on the filthied bedroll in the corner.

Sometimes Eeva came with Asta. Sometimes one of my cousins would, or another town kid. But never Ma or Da, or Uncle Njal, or any other adult. And never Old Bear.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded. That wasn't Asta's footsteps. Or the other kids'. I heard the bed being dragged from over the trap-door and began to whimper. The door rattled, and I heard a curse.

"She locked it!"

"Is she even alive?"

"The spell says she is."

The trap-door rattled one more time. I heard the wood breaking as someone strained on the other side. With a sudden tug, the lock gave away and the sound of several bodies hitting the ground, and the clang of metal rang in my ears. I ran behind a stack of barrels before they recovered.

"Nisse? Are you here?" An unfamiliar female voice called. The accent was not Nordic, but instead crisp and precise. I heard footsteps on the ladder descending slowly.

"Nisse?" The floor creaked. I loaded up my fire and let out a war-squeak and hurled the fire as hard as I could. Which wasn't very hard. The fireball fizzled before it ever reached any of the three people in the basement. A large, dark-haired Nord man with a large crooked nose laughed at the Khajiit male and Dunmer female.

"You two jumped at THAT?" He roared with laughter.

I panted before falling to my knees behind the barrel. The Khajiit knocked over the barrels and scooped me up, holding me like an infant. I let him scoop me up.

"We found her!" the Nord man hollered up the ladder.

I cringed. "Please," I whimpered. "Please don't bite me. It hurts."

The group exchanged looks. "My dear, no one here wants to hurt you," the Dunmer woman said gently. The Khajiit shifted me in his arms. The Nord gave me a pitied look. I began to cry.

"There's no one here," I sobbed. "Only the kids, and they want to eat me! Asta tries to get me to come out, but I won't! I can't find Ma and Da, and Old Bear never came back for me." I sniffled.

"Do you know where they went?" The Nord man asked gently.

I shook my head. I clung closer to the silent Khajiit for comfort moreso than warmth. "He left me a note on the door."

"Hey! Someone bring me the note on the front door!" The dunmer woman hollered.

"Please don't yell! They'll hear you!" I whimpered. The Khajiit chuckled warmly, the fur tickling my arms. His warm, almost raspy voice surprised me.

"Vampires do not come out in the daylight. At least, not these ones. Nisse is lucky."

"Vampire? What's that? Is that what happens in barns?" All three looked extremely confused.

"Ma said sometimes young people go into barns and do things I'm not supposed to know about. I didn't know they eated each other!" I wailed. "I'll never go into barns again!"

I was incredulous that the three could laugh at a time like this. Had I been on the ground, I would have stomped my foot.

"We will have a talk when we get back to the city," the Dunmer woman said, smiling gently. "But for now, you need to tell us everything that has happened, while we get you cleaned up."

They listened while I recounted my experience and changed into the clothes Albert had apparently stocked for me. The Dunmer woman introduced herself as Nedene, the Khajiit man as Ma'Dat, and the Nord man as Jon. As I told them about hearing Albert saying all of the children were infected, Nedene's eyes watered up. Before I could ask, Ma'Dat spoke up.

"All clean. Time to go."

I was holstered onto Ma'Dat's hip once we were up the ladder into the house, where a group of 6 people awaited us. I took a deep breath of fresh air and leaned my head on his shoulder, shielding my eyes from the harsh sun. The cool air nipped at the small bits of explosed flesh on my arms and neck while tossing my greasy auburn locks around my face.

"When we get to city, you wash," Ma'Dat whispered into my ear. I said nothing and allowed him to carry me to the carriage. Suddenly I perked up.

"Asta!" I cried. "What about Asta? And Ma? And Eeva? And Da?" I bolted from the seat and hopped over the carriage side clumsily. A Redguard male grabbed at my clothing, but I tore away from him.

"Grab her!" Jon shouted, but I was faster than them. I ran further into town, searching frantically for my Ma. All I found were pieces of the people I grew up with, pale and bloated, tongues lolling, flies laying eggs. The children of the town had made their homes in their old homes, the decaying bodies of their parents no longer offering the comfort of warmth, but the stench of death. They gnashed and grabbed at me, and I recoiled, begging them to remember me. My cousins had feasted upon the body of my uncle Njal, their pale skin betraying their condition while their open mouths hungered for my own flesh.

I ran into the forest, out of town, weeping. Weeping for my parents, my sisters, even my uncle. Weeping for the children who only wanted to grow up and become adventurers, wives, fathers, farmers, merchants.

But mostly, I wept for myself and how alone I was.



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



Onmund stopped me.

"You don't have to keep going, I get it." He grimaced. "Everyone... died."

I leaned forward, my hands on his shoulders.

"You DON'T get it, Onmund. They didn't just die, they were murdered." I gripped his shoulders tighter. "The children were turned, then allowed to slaughter their own parents! All because Movarth had some master plan that included an army of undead children! Something that, luckily failed."

I edged closer to him and looked him in the eye. "I know you have had trouble with your family, but imagine those little children-"

"Stop."

"No, imagine-"

"STOP."

"EATING their parents!"

Onmund covered his face.

I put my hand on his leg. "The disease does not allow for morality, Onmund. It does not allow for weakness, and it does not allow for emotions. When I was infected, I wanted to..." I gulped down the bile threatening to force its way up my throat. "I wanted to hurt the men trying to save me. And I didn't know why. I was a child, with no restraint. I wasn't mature at all. And Movarth-"

I cut off. After a moment of silence, I continued.

"Movarth knew that. He used to be a vampire hunter. Movarth Piquine," I sighed. "The man who wanted to hunt down every vampire. I admire that."

Onmund gave me a sharp look. "You're talking about the 'Immortal Blood' book, aren't you?"

I nodded, and he said, "Kayla, that book is fiction."

"No... No, it's not." I cast my eyes down. "That's another part of the story I haven't told you. Onmund, that group worshipped the daedric prince Meridia. Just as I do." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "When that group took me in, they let me in on a few secrets. A lot of them could get me in trouble with Meridia."

"Because she cares?" Onmund snorted.

It was my turn to give him a sharp look. "She cares enough to give me her sword. She cared enough to have Albert save me from becoming a vampire." I scratched the side of my neck absentmindedly. "I don't say anything about you worshipping Talos."

I instantly felt ashamed.

Onmund turned red. "Perhaps we need to take a break. Get some fresh air." He stood up and walked down the steps. "I'll be outside," he called over his shoulder.

I put my head in my hands. I cursed my temper out loud, and put on warmer clothes. I bolted out the door to find Onmund. as I searched, the wind nipped and bit at the exposed flesh around my face and neck. I looked around the outside of the house, finding nothing. Down the street, people from the Bannered Mare were trickling out. Most had their clothes on, where the rest seemed to be in such a daze that the guards had to escort them to their houses.

"Onmund?" I called quietly. No answer. I searched around the nearby houses, even around Adrienne's forge. Almost out of earshot, I heard a child's voice, and the familiar response of Onmund. I walked quietly toward the voices and stopped just before turning a corner and listened.

"How long have you been here, little girl?" Onmund asked.

"I just got here. I'm searching for someone. I've looked for so long, and I think I finally found her." A short silence followed, and then the girl said, "I'm so hungry. Can you feed me?"

I peeked around the corner, and lunged at Onmund, screaming at him to get away. A dirty child wearing tattered clothing and a feral look grasped my husband's shoulders. Her raven hair, which were pristine curls twenty-two years ago, stuck to her head with old gore and dirt. Mouth open, she tore into Onmund's neck before I coud reach her.

"Asta, NO!" I shrieked. Asta giggled as I ran to Onmund, trying to stave off the blood flow from his neck. Onmund gurgled, his eyes already glassy. His body convulsed in my arms. Asta fled.

"HELP! " I screamed. "SOMEBODY HELP!"

Onmund was gone long before the guards came.

HOLY CRAP! GAAAAAH! URK! *mALX faints in front of PC*


An hour passes


HOLY CRAP! GAAAAAH! URK! *mALX faints in front of PC*


An hour passes


HOLY CRAP! GAAAAAH! URK! *mALX faints in front of PC*


An hour passes


HOLY CRAP! GAAAAAH! URK! Totally AWESOME Write! Urk! GAAAAAAH! *mALX faints in front of PC*




*

I absolutely did not see that coming...

I mean, that ranks as one of the biggest jaw-dropping twists since the end of Acadian's book 1 of Buffy...(Shan't spoil it, but trust me...Jaw. Drop.)...

Fair dues...I shan't go into my vampire rant just now...But I think psycho vampire-children ranks pretty high on the list of things what do my head in... ...

Brilliant writing...As ever...Brilliant stuff...

Looking forward to what the hell is coming next... ...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

I told y'all. lol

Wow, Asta appears to be even worse company the rest of Skyrim's children.

What, you expected sincerity? From me? Hah!



Look, I liked the chapter, I just can't think of any constructive input; I'm just awful at this stuff.

Okay? Lol

Onmund? Onmund?! OOONMUUUND!!!!!!

Oh, it's on now. IT. IS. ON! You got in the way of a mending relationship, don't think you can get away with it! Even if you are her sister!


Ugh, and here I thought Skyrim's kids were bad enough when they weren't vampirized. I swear, the little brats are fully aware of their immortality and child-guard mind-control powers over everyone. They just know they can whine and gloat to everyone. Well, no more of that!

Pull yourself together, Kayla! It is time for vengeance. Nord-style!

You're right, it's SO on, lol

This chapter was scary! I loved it

ONMUND IS DEAD? NOOOOOO! I DIDN'T LIKE YOU BUT I NEVER WANTED YOU TO DIE

Hey KOB.

Asta says hi.

XD

OH MY F*CKING GOD! JESUS F*CKING CHRIST!

Hi Asta

And the loop finally closes. What a tale of horror!

Poor Kayla. Welcome to the club of widows.

And it’s not over yet, for Asta is still out there, probably along with other three foot terrors. Will Kayla accept a quest to destroy what was once her own sister? I do not envy her path.

Note from me: Thanks everyone for your encouraging words via postings and PMs. I have a WHOLE LOT of self-doubt, if you can't tell, but I'm determined! Determined to write things exactly as I see them in my head!

Where we are: The beginning of REVEEEENGE!









Dawnbreaker sang as I freed it from its sheath. The feral vampire snarled, her yellow teeth dripping with saliva. Her dirty hair clung to her face with sweat and her own blood. We panted, she with exhaustion and I with fury. She leaned herself against the cave wall while I pressed Dawnbreaker to her throat.

"What have you heard about vampire children?" I snarled at her. The remnants of what once could have been a young Breton girl only looked at me hungrily. Dawnbreaker pulsed with an eager light.

"Answer me!" I screamed. The vampire slumped against the wall. "I don't know," she panted, trying to push herself up from the floor, but failing. "Only rumors. A dark-haired child with eyes of crimson and a heart of ice. Putting the Dark brotherhood to shame." She gulped a few times, still panting.

I stepped closer. "Then that's all I need from you."

"You're letting me go?"

"Not a chance."

With a swift kick to the head, I knocked the vampire flat on her back. She tried scrambling away, but I pressed the heel of my foot to her throat. Without a word, as she begged for mercy, I lit a firebolt in my hand and shot it into her open mouth. As she choked on the conjured molten rock, I watched it burn her skull from the inside out.

I scraped my boot off and headed out of the cave. I could hear Dawnbreaker's moan of disappointment in my head as I sheathed it. I had only begun my search, but I knew my next step. I knew someone who could help me.

The heat of the flames waved my hair in ripples across my face. I stood, silent, as the funeral pyre burned my husband. The flames made the shadows dance across the courtyard, and the moans and wails of various townsfolk filled the air.

I was silent.

Lydia gripped my arm, her eyes red, but her face unflinching. The stench of burnt hair and clothing filled the air, wafting through the town, staining it for days to come.

The trek back to Whiterun was lonely. But I was used to it. Memories threatened to spill from my head and manifest into tears. The chasm in my chest was now filled with a burning, white-hot rage. I dove into it gladly.

"Danica, you have to save him! Please!"

Anything to distract me.

"He's gone, Kayla. There's nothing I can do."

Anything to keep me fueled.

I clung to Onmund's body, covered in his blood, smearing it when I stroked his cheek with my thumb.

Anything to replace the ever-looming cloud above my head.

"Wake up, please wake up!" I sobbed.

I would rather have the searing pain of hate than the crushing weight of sadness.

I blinked my eyes against the reverie. The sun was coming up. I washed the blood from my face and arms, kneeling, keeping a watchful eye out for any danger.

I kept my eyes on Onmund's body, intent on watching the very last flame die out. To make sure he did not come back to me.

Lydia pulled me away by my arm, and I followed her. We walked back to my house, lonlier and colder than it was before. I sat at the desk in my room, quill poised over parchment. Lydia watched me from the chair across the room.

I looked up at her. "I'm selling the house."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What? You're selling the house? The ENTIRE house?"

"No, just the floorboards. Of COURSE the entire..." I shook my head. "I have someone I've been meaning to visit for a long time. An old friend from my childhood." I dipped the quill in ink again and began writing furiously. when I was finished, I waved the parchment around to dry the ink.

"I want you to come with me," I said to Lydia. She raised her eyebrows again, but this time in amusement.

"Where else am I going to go? Once you sell the house, I'll be stuck in the old quarters I used to have, or in the the inn. I'd much rather travel with you than stay in this town all of the time."

I nodded. "Good." I folded up the parchment and poured some hot wax in the center to seal it. "After I send the letter, we will begin preparing to leave."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Rorikstead. We leave in a week. We should get there a few days after the courier. Give him time to prepare."

"Who?"

"Ma'Dat."

"Who is Ma'Dat?" Lydia scrunched up her eyebrows. "That sounds like a Khajiit name."

I nodded. "It is."

Lydia still looked confused. "WHY are we heading to Rorikstead?"

"I need advice on how to kill my 9 year old sister."

Lydia's eyes looked like they were pop out of her head.

"Well, kill her AGAIN, I mean." I added. Lydia's face paled.

"Whoa, calm down! She's technically thirty. She's a vampire." Lydia's mouth slowly opened. A squeak escaped.

"You know what, Lydia? Go to bed. I'll explain later." I pushed her out the door, despite her sputtering protests. I closed the door behind her, and after a few moments, her footsteps thunked towards her room.

I continued the trek towards Whiterun after eating a few mouthfuls of bread and dried meat. I had gotten no information from the vampires nearby. Asta's influence was farther out. But they HAD heard of her. In spite of Onmund's death being a week in passing, there was no time to mourn. Action had to be taken.

Asta would pay. Very dearly.




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=





A week later, we arrived in Rorikstead shortly before dusk. I spotted Ma'Dat's small house on the edge of town, next to the city's open wall. Lydia and I shouldered our packs and headed towards the house. Ma'Dat opened his door, grinning in a way that only Khajiit could.

"Ma'Dat is pleased to see Nisse! It has been too long for this old Khajiit." I embraced Ma'Dat, his brown fur smelling much like it did twenty years ago. Comforting.

"Nisse?" Lydia asked. "Your name is Kayla, though." She gave me a confused look.

I sighed. "Nisse is my real name," I explained. "After my family died, I changed it." I kept it short and sweet. Apparently telling the whole tale caused the listener to die a horrible death.

"But to Kayla?" Ma'Dat asked. "It does not sound of Nords or of Elves."

"Exactly," I murmured. I grinned at Ma'Dat, hoping to change the subject. "How's Nedene?" I bumped my hip with his, waggling my eyebrows. "Have you two made it official yet?"

Ma'Dat sighed. "Ma'Dat has some bad news, Nisse. Nedene did not make it to Rorikstead with Ma'Dat."

"What?!" I felt tears threaten to spill over my lids. "What happened?"

"A bandit arrow hit her in the throat. She only knew how to heal others, and not herself." He sighed and shook his head. "She was only sixty."

Lydia sensed an uncomfortable situation coming, and set her bags lightly on the floor.

"Kayl- uh, Nisse..."

"Kayla."

"Kayla, I'm going to head to the inn."

"Say hi to Erik for me," I called over my shoulder. I sat down and put my head in my hands.

"Nedene is gone too? And what about Jon?"

"Jon is living in Ivarstead with his wife and 3 children. All boys."

I sighed in relief. "At least he is doing okay. Ma'Dat, something terrible happened."

"What is it, Nisse?"

I gulped. "Asta is back. She killed my husband." I felt torn between anger, hate, and sadness. Either way, tears did spill from my eyes this time. Ma'Dat's ears flattened against his head.

"The vampire-child survived? Did we not purge their sanctuary twenty years ago?"

I shook my head. "No. Movarth survived too, but I took care of him. But not before he took my child." I gripped the arms of the chair. I suddenly realized ow much I had lost. The woman who taught me how to swing a sword without chopping my own leg off, my child, my husband, my sisters, my parents...

Suddenly I felt very dizzy. What did I have left to fight for? Ma'Dat put a furred hand on my shoulder. His ears were laid back, but not as much as when he was angry. His tail, brown with a black tip, also laid low.

"Ma'Dat, there is something you should know as well. When I was recovering from the injuries Movarth dealt to me, Meridia appeared to me in my dream."

Ma'Dat's ears went straight up. "And what did beloved Meridia have to say to Nisse?"

"That..." I took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I cannot have a husband, nor a child. At least right now." I looked questioningly at him. "Why not?"

Ma'Dat sighed. "Nisse received the same dream we all did. When Ma'Dat and Nedene discovered the love between us, we received the dream on the same night. Only Jon, as far as we know, did not have the dream."

I grew angry. "And why not?" I spat. "What makes him so special?"

Ma'Dat patted my shoulder. "Jon lost his family, much like you did. But Ma'Dat thinks because of his age, his time for serving Meridia is almost over. Only when we fulfill our duties to Meridia do we-" He suddenly cut off and looked at my sword. Dawnbreaker's leather flap did not cover the entirety of the jewel shining from it.

"Is that..."

"Dawnbreaker? Yes. Meridia gifted it to me after I cleansed her shrine."

"That was you?" Ma'Dat's ears didn't know whether to lie flat or stay up. "This changes thing, Nisse. She has chosen you as her champion. THAT is why you cannot have a husband or child. Never has a purpose been so clear than that of her Champion."

I blinked at Ma'Dat. "So... what is my purpose?"

"That Ma'Dat does not know. You must travel back to the shrine of Meridia and seek her guide. Bring an offering."

I grimaced. "Undead flesh?"

Ma'Dat nodded. "There is none lying around, but there are plenty of necromancer lairs around the shrine." Ma'Dat's face held a snarl. "Filthy people, messing with the dead."

I nodded in agreement. "I will never understand that either." I decided to change the subject. "Have you set up shop here?"

Ma'Dat nodded. "Since Mralki's son met a beautiful elf who helped him get his start adventuring, I have been helping at the inn." A twinkle in the old Khajiit's eye appeared. "Erik is still quite taken with you."

I rolled my eyes. "Erik is still green, and needs some practice with his sword."

A dry chuckle escaped from Ma'Dat, and I realized the double-meaning behind what I said.

"Gods, no! That's not what I-!" I turned crimson, and swatted at Ma'Dat. "You mangy old cat! I'm going to go get a room at the inn."

As I stood up, Ma'Dat put a hand on my arm. "Lemkil is at the inn as well. His daughters have shown up with bruises on their faces. Erik has already told him to keep his fists to himself. Lemkil might be looking for a fight."

I shrugged. "Let him. Besides, Lydia is up there. She packs a mean punch as well." I winked at Ma'Dat. "But not as good as the elf who had a Khajiit trainer."

I slipped out of the door, keeping my pack close to me. A few buildings down was Frostfruit Inn, and the music was lively. A feeling of dread weighed in my gut. The last time I went to an inn, I was stripped naked by a sore-sucking conjurer. I opened the door anyways.