Ivan Drakul (Re-done)

[TotalNuked]

The night ambience of Skyrim filled Ivan Drakul’s ears with enough noise to wake him from what he thought was a short coma. From his eyes, he could only see mixed blurs and a bright orange light, and from the heat it gave off, he assumed that it was possibly a campfire. Wondering about this, he tried sitting up from the rock that he rested against.

 

“Agh!” he winced slightly, grasping his right leg in pain.

 

“Your awake? Thought you’d never wake up, your leg was pretty messed up when I found you here,” said a voice close by.

 

Ivan’s vision cleared, and he noticed now a young man sitting by the fire, stoking it with a stick. The man looked to be in his twenties, at least, from his short beard around his cheeks and chin. His hair was a dark brown that dropped greasily down to his shoulders and was braided on the left side. This man appeared to be possibly, a Breton. He then looked at Ivan with concerned eyes and asked, “Who are you anyway, if you don’t mind me asking, and how did you end up here?”

 

The orange flames were the only thing Ivan was concentrated on at the moment, but he did reply to the man’s question respectfully. “Name’s Ivan Drakul. I came here for opportunity in trade, as well as adventure. My parents were merchants you see, and so I continued in their line of work.”

 

The man continued to study Ivan as he listened to him. “A pleasure to meet you then, Ivan,” he kindly replied. “I’m Knell. What I meant to ask you was, how did you get here (here is italicized)?”

 

Ivan smirked at the Breton, clearly he was impressed by his question. He tried to sit up, careful not to harm his injured leg anymore. Nonetheless, he gritted his teeth quietly in discomfort. With a slight grin he answered Knell’s question. “Like I said earlier, I came to Skyrim seeking opportunity and adventure, now that your Civil War has begun, as well as the crisis regarding the return of the Dragons,” Ivan began slowly, letting the words have time to sink in and have meaning. “With the Empire and these...Stormcloak rebels sharing bloodshed, their attentions are on the war...and not watching the roads, especially in the Reach, where there are the Forsworn to deal with.”

 

Knell listened intensively to Ivan, fully immersed in his explanation. “So you were ambushed by the Forsworn?,” was all he asked back.

 

“That is correct,” Ivan replied with a slight sigh. “Though I was saved, by a rather mysterious figure.”

 

Knell’s eyes widened a bit. “Any idea what this figure looked like?”

 

“Sure, I guess,” Ivan nodded. “Black robed, long dark-brown hair, wrinkled face... Oh and strange eyes. Black filled pupils with glowing red irises. Got any idea on what I’m talking about?”

 

The Breton nearly lost breath and almost skipped a heartbeat from hearing Ivan’s description. “You are certain this is what your ‘savior’ looked like?”

 

Ivan simply nodded in return.

 

Knell thought for a moment and then looked at Ivan’s neck. Two puncture marks lay still on his skin. His eyes grew wider then ever, he was afraid. Controlling himself, he finally replied to Ivan, “How do you feel at the moment, Ivan?”

 

Ivan looked at the Breton in confusion for a moment, but nevertheless he responded. “I’m lightheaded, more or less feverish...” His head then fell into his hands as he groaned in slight pain, “No, I take that back. I am having a rather painful headache. Think I should lie down and rest for the night?”

 

“No,” Knell replied as he shook his head. He knew what Ivan had, but he dare not verbally say it. “Feel your teeth, Ivan. Then tell me how you feel.”

 

Ivan simply grinned, almost in a wicked way. He could feel Knell’s heartbeat quicken from fear. Loud drums thundered, beat after beat. Ivan reveled in the new power he felt throughout his body. Two sharp fangs could be seen in his teeth as he gazed at Knell with his new glowing yellow eyes. “I feel better than I have in a lifetime,” he whispered.

 

The Breton quickly drew his sword as Ivan hissed as he took a nearby burning piece of wood from the fire. They both looked ready to make their moves. But to Ivan’s surprise, Knell did the unpredictable. His bones cracked and snapped as he reshaped him, dark fur sprouting from his skin and out his ears. His teeth fell from his mouth and newer, sharper, and bigger teeth replaced them. His eyes changed to a menacing wolfish glare as he growled loudly at the Vampire that was Ivan Drakul.

 

The young Vampire chuckled humorously. “So we have ourselves a Werewolf? Charming... I shall enjoy drinking your blood, Lycanthrope.” He charged at Knell with quick speed, but he was not fast enough. Knell quickly pinned him down to the ground and roared in his face. Ivan was certain of his defeat, Knell was to strong.

 

But when all hope was lost, Ivan was once again saved in the least expected timing. The shrieking sound of bats caught he and Knell’s attention as a shadowy figure appeared to them. It was of a man, that was not doubted. With similar glowing eyes to Ivan, the figure hissed and Knell whimpered loudly and released the young Vampire. He then ran away, into the dark forests.

 

“I see you take well to your new Gift, Ivan,” the stranger spoke.

 

Ivan glared at the robed stranger suspiciously. “Who are you, and what do you mean by ‘My New Gift’?”

 

The figure sighed loudly and shook his head. “Who I am is not your concern, child. For now, you may call me, Master,” he answered. “I have given you the Gift of Sanguinare Vampiris, and I see you have come to appreciate your transformation.”

 

Ivan felt his fangs, he was a Vampire now. “I see. So what now?”

 

“Now, you rest, allowing your new gift to fully set in,” the Elder Vampire grunted as he threw another log into the fire. “We awake in the morrow to test your strength against our kind’s most hated enemy: the Sun. It’s harsh tyranny has ruled our kind for millennia, and as a new fledgling, you must be exposed to it’s iron fist. Tomorrow, Ivan, you are not only being tested by the Sun, but by a greater power that you have yet to discover...our own Father and the Patron to our kind. He, shall see this through.”

 

The night of Frostfall 17th 4E 201 ended with a surprising turn of events, wouldn’t you agree?