The Count lost any mask that he may have been hiding his true emotions behind, gaping at me with astonishment as I underwent the changes and revealed my true nature to him.

  "What..." Opening and closing his mouth like a fish his shock seemed absolute. "That's impossible..."

  Both our attentions were drawn away from each other to the sounds coming from the kitchen doorway. With a flash of will my features relaxed just as the door opened and the richly dressed muscular form of an orc entered, carrying a large silver platter with a single bottle of vintage wine resting on top. We remained silent as the orc butler filled our glasses, receiving our individual thanks even though he seemed oblivious or was ignoring the hostile atmosphere within the room. Without even a word or simple acknowledgement of our gratitude he simply filled our glasses with the expensive wine and then left through the same door into the kitchen.

  "So..." Count Hassildor muttered to himself, sitting back into his chair with narrowed eyes. "After all this time the Order has finally succeeded in creating a day-walker."

  "I'm afraid I don't follow you..."

  "Don't think you can deny it from me Sir Desin. The Vampyrum Order has been trying for centuries to breed out our kind's weakness to sunlight and in you they finally succeeded. Although I'm not sure whether I'm impressed at the success, or irritated at the breaking of our treaty."

  "I'm not part of any Order, at least not one of vampires."

  "Really? Then just which vampire clan do you belong to?"

  "None. I don't belong to anyone, and other than yourself all the other vampires I have encountered are now dead."

  If he identified the implied threat in my words he chose to ignore it, instead continuing to tap his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "So who was your sire?"

  "No idea. He died well before I turned. Shortly after biting me in fact."

  "Ah. I see." Slowly leaning forward, I couldn't help but notice how his vampiric side had come much closer to the surface. "So how did you accomplish what countless vampires since the dawn of time had sought to achieve? A spell? Some form of boon from a daedric prince perhaps? Maybe even meddling with an Elder Scroll?"

  "Nothing like that, at least I don't think so." His expression remained one of wary interest and he motioned for me to continue. "I was infected a few weeks before the Siege of Kvatch and the curse took hold as Viconia and I entered the oblivion gate. I fully turned when I killed a Dremora and drank its blood."

  Count Hassildor wore an expression that I can only describe as the level of utmost horror, one that slowly changed and faded as the beast within him came fully to the surface. "By the Nine and all that is holy... Do you have any idea what you have done? Of what kind of threat you singlehandedly pose to Tamriel and Nirn itself?"

  "I think I do actually." My reply was straightforward and cut him off in mid breath. "I am dangerous... I know this without any doubt."

  "What kind of Dremora did you feed from?"

  I shrugged. "I don't know."

  "Describe it."

  Sitting carefully in my chair I looked up at the ceiling and tried to remember. "It was larger than the others, taller and broader, a leader of some kind."

  The Count's eyes narrowed. "Horns? Were they small and stumpy, or large and pointed?"

  "Large, curved forward like a bull's but still close to the skull. The points were maybe, three or four centimetres apart..."

  He saw my shrug and nodded, lips still tightly pursed. "A Markynaz, possibly even Valkynaz although I find that highly unlikely."

  "Is that a bad thing?"

  The silence that fell between us was overwhelming and all I could hear was the rap-tap-tap of his fingers on his chair. "You consumed the blood... the soul essence of a creature of oblivion. Not only that, the very creature you consumed was among the highest strata of Dremora society; equivalent to a duke or a count. Even with your limited experience in such matters, surely you would have noticed the difference between members in their society?"

  "The strongest ones' rule."

  There was another nod from the vampire count. "And you took its strength and made it your own. Did you drain it?"

  The memory of bone breaking under my fists came to mind and I shook my head. "No."

  "Hmmm... so there's a very, very pissed off daedra somewhere in the Deadlands."

  "He was very dead after I had finished."

  "You are a fool then." the Count's tone was very harsh, and the eyes were blazing with anger. "Unless you drained it of every drop of blood, it will eventually regenerate and return. This is one of the any reasons why the current daedric invasion is so much of a threat. Although... I would argue that you are almost as much of a threat as this crisis is."

  "My lord..."

  He raised his hand and cut me off in mid breath. "You can't apologise for what you have done but at least I am aware of the situation and can account for it. I hope you realise that the safest option for myself and every mortal being would be to kill you. How many others know the truth?"

  "Only Viconia." My moment of hesitation was not lost on him and I considered the various consequences of answering his question. "Everyone else is dead."

  "Good. Do try to keep it that way. The more who know of your ability to withstand the sun the more dangerous it will become. Vampires across the world and throughout history have sought out that single ability and if they were to either discover your existence or the nature of how you accomplished it there's no telling what damage will be caused. If you were to be discovered, you would find yourself beset by enemies no matter where you try to hide. Daedra worshippers, necromancers, mages, kings, sorcerers, and even daedra would want to capture you and dead or alive it would not matter. They would experiment upon you, try to replicate you and try to discover the source of the power that you have consumed."

  Carefully he took a sip of wine. "Other than surviving sunlight, has this feeding unlocked any other powers or abilities?"

  "Other than how strong and fast I am I'm uncertain what is 'natural' and what is because of my feeding. I have wrestled a young minotaur and ripped werewolves apart with my bare hands but I also have other abilities."

  "Such as?"

  "I can turn my body, and whatever I may be holding and wearing into a flock of bats or into mist. I'm able to hide in darkness and become invisible that way but I've seen others, yourself included who can do this. I have not heard of or found any record of vampires who can transform into something else like I can."

  There was a strange expression cross the Count's features, one totally different to his previous anger and instead he suddenly seemed merely curious. "You may not, but I have heard of such things."

  Count Hassildor's butler once again entered the room, this time carrying a pair of steaming plates containing our meals. My mouth watered with the smell of roasted lamb and the food's appearance made it appear as though it was worth as much as the clothes I wore.

  He looked up as his Orc butler handed him his meal, nodding his thanks without hiding his vampiric side in the slightest. It was at that point that I realised that many of his servants would've known of his condition and instead of fear there was loyalty to the Count. He was so totally unlike any other vampires I had encountered or even heard of. Cultured, refined and almost entirely in control of his darker side, it was the way that he had accepted the curse that had made him monstrously powerful.

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  "Many vampires as you are not doubt aware, are little more than mindless animals who have given in to their instincts. These monsters need to be exterminated in one way or another. There are those who have managed to keep some form of mental coherence, and have over time evolved into their very own distinct bloodlines."

  I lifted my silver eating utensils, suddenly thankful that I chose to wear gloves as the metal would undoubtedly burned my flesh without them. Even as I slowly cut up the steaming meal in front of me and put the first delicious pieces into my mouth I noticed how the Count also protected his hands with silken gloves.

  "The vampire species or race as some describe it is mostly made up of slavering creatures who have reverted to their base instincts and exist for nothing more than to feed on the blood of the living. Because of their numbers these are the ones most frequently encountered and as a result are where all the myths and legends have originated from. Allergies to silver are commonplace and highly accurate, but many of the other legends such as being unable to cross flowing bodies of water or enter homes without the prior consent of the occupants are total nonsense. Other so called 'facts' such as being able to ward off a vampire with one's faith in the divines are much more hit-and-miss."

  "This I can believe." I said between mouthfuls. "Viconia and I are currently in Skingrad because we are searching for the Relics of Pelinal Whitestrake. That said, I feel somewhat uncomfortable entering chapels or other holy places."

  "Exactly" He replied, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of lamb. "The clans, tribes, families or broods of vampires are as varied as their natures. The Vampires of House Serentin for example are permanently trapped in their bestial forms and cannot change back to human at all but their skills in combat are second to none. The Krillatri clan is known to have existed in the deep deserts of Elsweyr and were little more than scavengers feeding on beasts and the poisoned blood of the long dead. There are dozens, if not more bloodlines ranging from the Volkihar vampires with their transformation abilities and natural inclination towards frost and ice magicka, to the Bonsamu vampires of Valenwood who are completely indistinguishable from other wood elves unless you see them by the light of a candle. Your abilities to transform yourself sounds like the blending of the transformation abilities of the Volkihar tribe, and the Keerilth clan ability to turn into mist. An interesting combination to be sure and one I would be interested to find out how it was managed in the first place."

  "What is the Vampyrum Order?"

  The scowl he wore didn't go unnoticed to me. "The Order are a collection of vampires who exist within Cyrodiil within the upper levels of society. Unlike many others of our kind they are able to hide within plain sight, and when fully fed they can pass themselves off as fully human. Discounting the weakness to sunlight and silver of course. They survive by hiding in the cities and towns throughout the Empire, and you would be surprised how many barons, lords and other politicians are members of the Order."

  "Are you a member?"

  He shook his head, popping another slice of roast meat into his mouth and chewing carefully. "No. Although my sire was one of them, I reacted a similar way to being turned to yourself. The order tried to establish a greater hold over southern Cyrodiil by bringing me into their undead ranks." The dark smile he had was enough to chill the blood. "After the first decade they learned that it had been a mistake and not to enter any lands under my control. Similarly, I learned just how embedded they are into Imperial society and how impossible it was to burn them from the Empire."

  "Sounds like a conspiracy."

  "You'd think so, but it simply narrows down to the fact that all Vampires, no matter our beginnings or choices in life are consumed by the thirst for power and control. It manifests itself physically in the drinking of blood, but the simple fact is that drinking blood is power. To take someone into your arms, whether it be willingly or not and then take from them a part of what they are is the curse's purpose. We drink their blood and rape their flesh but we also consume souls."

  "Before," I asked him directly and while looking at him as he sipped at his wine. "when you spoke of my curse and how drinking from the daedra had made me a threat to Tamriel, what exactly did you mean..."

  Scowling again, he placed his glass down gently despite the tremor that ran through his arms. "As you have obviously discovered for yourself, a vampire grows more powerful with age and depending on who he or she feeds upon. If a vampire continuously feeds upon the weak, the sickly and the infirm then their mind slowly rots and their body grows corrupt until they reach the point of madness where they drink not of the blood, but feed upon the body. For others who feed upon the strong, the able and the magically adept, then those vampires take a small measure of their host's power and imbue themselves with it. The blood nourishes us physically and we can survive wounds that would kill mortals dozens of times over by the mere act of drinking, but what some don't understand is that we also absorb a bit of who or what we feed from. The more powerful vampires, some of which who are centuries old have never given in to their animal sides for specifically this reason and this reason alone when some many hundreds have gone mad. Your feeding upon a Dremora has made your own blood unique, and infinitely corruptible if you were to sire others of your kind."

  With a questioning expression he looked at me intently, and I shook my head at his unasked question. "I haven't sired anyone, and have taken great effort not too."

  "Good." He replied with a little bit too much relief for my liking. "It is obvious that you have the inner strength to contain great power and to suppress the demon that has consumed your flesh but as with all vampires it is only a matter of time before the beast fully assumes control. In your case it may unlock something that may be nigh impossible to destroy, and if spread into lesser-willed beings the end result could be a plague of un-death throughout the land."

  The hollow and doom-laden prediction hung in the air for a moment, and I couldn't help but shiver at the thought of so many others like me, tainted like me but lacking the strength to keep the evil inside.

  "I have promised to fight the disease, and to use its power to help others." I said softly, and the Count looked up with an intrigued look upon his face. "To this end I do believe I am succeeding, as many of the things I have done these few short months would've been impossible for others. I will face evil with evil as I know that the great darkness in me is more than enough for the task."

  "Then our own goals are not so dissimilar." Swallowing the last of his meal, he leaned over slightly and picked up a small bell seated on a satin cushion near his plate. Its light ringing tones echoed through the room and were answered quickly by the muscular form of his green skinned butler.

  "Please fetch me the scroll for our guest." The Orc merely nodded once, as silent as ever and turned on his heel smartly and left the room.

  "He's rough around the edges." Count Hassildor stated simply as he lightly dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a silken napkin. "But he's a brilliant cook and devoutly loyal to me. Many of the other Counts and Countesses couldn't even comprehend having an Orc as a servant, but I have found Shum gro-Yarug to be the perfect butler."

  "He's obviously not your bodyguard." I said light heartedly.

  "First appearances are useful, and while I have no doubt that Shum has enough strength to pull an attacker's arms off I am quite capable of defending myself. I do however take great pride in the fact that I only hire the best for my county."

  The butler gro-Yarug returned very quickly, carrying a silver platter containing a single rolled up scroll upon it. It was much like the one that I had received inviting me to lunch, but just as before I had no clue of what it might contain.

  "My sources within the city have informed me how you and Madame DeVir have been scouring the city's records in search of the Priory of the Nine." With deft movements of his fingers he folded up his napkin once more, motioning for me to take the scroll. "I had intended on giving you this as payment for disposing of the 'vampire' within the city, but instead I wish you to have it as a token of our potential working relationship."

  I carefully picked up the scroll, ensuring that I had no grease or trace of food on my fingers before doing so. It was slightly larger than the lunch invite, but as I unrolled it I felt my stomach fill with butterflies as I saw what it contained. It was a map, beautifully drawn and with a single glance I saw how the priory was so clearly marked that even a cripple could've found it.

  Why are you giving me this?"

  He smiled with a face that was mostly human and barely containing any trace of the vampire. "Because our goals are very much alike, yet we are fighting the evils from two separate directions. While I am confined to fight within the darkness, constantly attacking our foes in a war of espionage... You are capable of taking the fight to them and attacking them on their own terms and succeeding. I pity what you are and what you may become, but despite all my misgivings I can see how your unusual circumstances can benefit the Empire as a whole."

  "Shum," He said, rising to his feet even as I moved to match his movements. "Please ensure that Hal-Liurz is informed that Master Desin is to have full and completely unrestricted access to myself at any hour. Day or night."

  His butler nodded once and left the room even as Count Hassildor walked over to me, hand extended once more. "When you first entered this room I considered you a potential enemy but despite our differences I would like to extend to you the offer of a personal alliance. We have much to offer one another and I believe that it would be foolish for either of us to remain neutral or even worse, have any trace of hostility."

  Glancing down at his offered hand for a moment I weighed my options and felt the leathery scroll in my gloved hand. He had offered me so much, and given what Viconia and I had been searching for a better part of the week for. There wasn't much that I could think that I could offer him, but the opportunity to gain such a valuable ally with a mutual hatred towards the vampires was not something to lightly toss aside. The personal allegiance to one of most politically powerful Counts of Cyrodiil was not something to refuse and so I took his hand in my own, shaking it with a grim smile across my face.

  "I will try to repay your trust, my lord."

  "I will never demand nor expect payment." He replied, baring his fangs in a true smile and releasing my hand after the firm handshake. "Every vampire you kill is one tiny step towards vengeance for what has occurred to you, myself and my wife."

  Nodding his head slightly at me, he gestured to the two filled wineglasses that his butler had left on the silver tray, picking them up and handing one to me. "Now, the first order of business is to call me Janus. We have far more in common than I was expecting when I sent you the invitation. Here's to a long, beneficial friendship."

  Our glasses chimed together and we each took a sip of the expensive wine. "To our friendship." I replied, relaxing my face and returning his fang filled smile with one of my own.