They continued through the forest, and there was a palpable sense of watching and waiting. By the time an hour or so had passed, the forest was almost totally dark, but for the slivers of moonlight that managed to penetrate the canopy. Without the full moon above, they would have been walking in total darkness, or been forced to use a lantern, which would surely betray their position to anyone--or anything--waiting for them. Up ahead the trees thinned out into a clearing with an altar and some crumbling stone henges. Ralof headed forward, but Lendri held out an arm to stop him, and he reluctantly hung back while the elf looked the place over. The Nord noticed then that there seemed to be a body sprawled in the tall grass, and the altar was streaked with blood. As they watched, a shadowy shape detached from the darkness beneath the arch of the henge--a man in a black robe. Even at such a distance, his eyes flared red: a vampire. It looked like he had been an Orc in life. Ralof immediately tensed to fight, hand going to the haft of his axe. A hand gripped his then, and he glanced to the side to see Lendri staring at him, dead serious, shaking head in a stern warning for silence. I didn't even say victory or Sovngarde, Ralof wanted to say, but contented himself with grinning at the thought that they were basically holding hands in a moonlit forest, like a couple of stupid lovers or something.
Lendri freed the Nord's hand after a few moments, when he felt reasonably certain that there were no misplaced heroics looming on the horizon. The vampire was roving the clearing, occasionally pausing to lie in wait in the darkness. It's probably a trap. He's waiting for prey. Shooting him down was the work of a moment. The vampire practically crumbled, his body slipping bonelessly to the ground. Lendri waited a moment, to see if the death brought any reaction, and when it didn't, he gestured for Ralof to follow and darted across the clearing.
"That must've took a quarter of an hour," Ralof commented, once they were safe in the cover of the trees on the other side.
"Keep your voice down," Lendri whispered.
"It's going to take all night to make it out of here at this rate."
The elf seemed about to reply, but broke off immediately as something rustled in the distance off to the right. Silently they continued down the path.
Some time later, Lendri stopped, listening, eyes shut. Inwardly he could sense Ralof behind him, and the energy of the trees and animals all around, and something else, something wrong. Outwardly he could hear the Nord's breathing (Gods, he even *breathes* loud) a sigh of breeze, and the sound of sackcloth scraping against a pine branch. The animals were ominously silent.
Re: Part 2 (finally continued)
Lendri freed the Nord's hand after a few moments, when he felt reasonably certain that there were no misplaced heroics looming on the horizon. The vampire was roving the clearing, occasionally pausing to lie in wait in the darkness. It's probably a trap. He's waiting for prey. Shooting him down was the work of a moment. The vampire practically crumbled, his body slipping bonelessly to the ground. Lendri waited a moment, to see if the death brought any reaction, and when it didn't, he gestured for Ralof to follow and darted across the clearing.
"That must've took a quarter of an hour," Ralof commented, once they were safe in the cover of the trees on the other side.
"Keep your voice down," Lendri whispered.
"It's going to take all night to make it out of here at this rate."
The elf seemed about to reply, but broke off immediately as something rustled in the distance off to the right. Silently they continued down the path.
Some time later, Lendri stopped, listening, eyes shut. Inwardly he could sense Ralof behind him, and the energy of the trees and animals all around, and something else, something wrong. Outwardly he could hear the Nord's breathing (Gods, he even *breathes* loud) a sigh of breeze, and the sound of sackcloth scraping against a pine branch. The animals were ominously silent.