Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 43: Stendar's Amulet

Cold and shaking.

Tolan slowly opened his eyes. He felt pain and weakness all over his body, and an indescribable weakness was echoing around him.

He remembered being atop Boneless Ridge, and how he and his companions were fighting a pureblood vampire said to be from Valhachi, a vampire clan whose whereabouts no one knew. Everything was going smoothly at first, but then the monster orchestrated a sinister secret ritual. And by the time he realized what was happening, everything had taken a turn for the worse...

Brand is dead.

Calvin also seemed to be mortally wounded.

From that uncontrolled ritual, abominable monsters emerged. And then...

"You're awake." A voice came from not far away.

A gentle, even a little childish, yet strangely steady and reliable voice.

He looked up and realized that he was lying on the side bunk of an open carriage. On the other side of the carriage, a black-haired young man wearing a cloak with iron armor plates under the cloak was putting down a book in his hands.

As the carriage was moving, the young man handed him a glass of water. He remembered this man. When they reached the Sangu Ridge, he had camped at the foot of the mountain with a caravan. But unlike before, he was as cautious as a hedgehog. And now...

He looked relaxed and nonchalant, which is what confidence comes from.

"How long have I slept..." Tolan took a sip of water, his voice dry and hoarse.

"Two days," the dark-haired young man replied calmly. "We've left Boneless Ridge and passed through the Misty Forest, where witches are said to roam. Lazard told me half an hour ago that we'd soon reach Kynar's Grove. We'll stay there for the night and arrive in Windhelm tomorrow."

"The monster on the mountain..."

"Dead. Your friend killed it, and I killed the Stitches that emerged from the ritual. But you were the only one who survived; your friends didn't make it. We buried them, as Nords do. And they, and your personal belongings..."

The young man raised his hand and pointed to the corner of the carriage. A large bundle lay there. Weapons and armor were buried with their owners, as per Nord tradition. But Tollan's chain mail, weapons, amulets, and the sacred spikes his companions had used to subdue vampires were enough to fill the bundle to the brim.

"Just leave it there and you can deal with it yourself."

Sadness washed over him. Although he had expected it, Tolland still felt a sharp pain in his heart and numbness in his hands and feet. He took a deep breath, struggled to stand up from his bunk, and bent down towards the black-haired young man.

He looked like a Brighton man.

"You saved my life and did the Vigilantes a great favor. I will definitely repay you."

The Brighton man just waved his hand casually.

"It's just a small favor... You Sentinels have done a lot in Skyrim. If you want to repay me, go kill more monsters and help the ordinary people of Skyrim. The world is getting worse, and someone has to stand up and help each other."

His tone was casual, but his words were serious. Tolland could clearly sense that the young man from Brighton in front of him really didn't expect anything in return.

What a noble sentiment!
He couldn't help but feel ashamed of his slightly offensive behavior at the camp at the foot of the mountain, but as a Nord who was used to doing things before talking, he would not show his emotions too much on his face.

"I understand." Tolland nodded muffledly. "But if there's anything you need me to do, I'll help."

"You Nords are always like that." He saw the black-haired young man across from him shake his head and laugh. "Well, I do need your help with something... You can tell I'm not from Skyrim. I don't know much about the local customs and practices there. So..."

"...Do vampires often cause trouble here?"

A bit awkward. Tollan's face flushed. With the truce between Cyrodiil and Summerset Isle now in place, Tamriel was indeed relatively peaceful. While monsters like vampires did appear in other provinces, their numbers were not numerous. For the most part, the monsters kept to themselves, their presence quite low.

Of course, this wouldn't be a big deal under normal circumstances. After all, Skyrim Province has always been a martial-minded place, where problems are fought with fists. However, considering that the questioner was a savior from a foreign land, he couldn't help but speak up, sharing some information that was originally not suitable for public disclosure, in order to save his hometown's image.

"It's not usually like this." Tolland thought for a moment. "But in recent days, a hidden, supposedly very ancient, clan of vampires has become active. They claim to be from 'Valhachi,' and they are indeed more powerful than ordinary vampires."

"Valhachi?"

"Yes, Valhachi," Tolan nodded. "The scholars among the Sentinels have researched the relevant information. The origin of this word... is very ancient. It's even said to date back to the First Age, the era of the Slave Queen Alessia. And the one we encountered at the top of Scattered Bone Ridge was actually just a minor figure among them, completely insignificant."

"So...what do these vampires want to do?"

"I don't know." The Sentinel sighed and shook his head. "Some of us speculate that they might have noticed the dire situation in Skyrim and wanted to create something to announce their presence. But I think they seem to be searching for something in Skyrim, and that something is quite important."

He only revealed this much; any more would compromise crucial intelligence within the Sentinels. The Sentinels had already confirmed that the vampires of Valkihar were indeed seeking something: a forgotten ancient monument. And that object was most likely northeast of Skyrim—Eastern Territory, Easthold Territory, White Territory—somewhere surrounded by mountains.

"I see..." The young man seemed to have noticed something and didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he changed the subject. "But, is the situation in Skyrim Province really that bad lately?"

Tolland breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"It's pretty bad." He raised his head and glanced outside the car. The outline of the village gradually appeared in the distance, but the Eastland guards wearing their iconic visor helmets had not yet appeared in sight.

"The conflict between Windhelm and Solitude is growing. Many lords have sided with one side and are now clashing with the other's subordinate factions. I've heard that an army of the bravest warriors, known as the Stormcloaks, is stalking the borderlands between the two factions. If Ulfric, Lord of Windhelm, doesn't go smoothly on his journey to Solitude to meet the High King... I'm afraid something terrible will happen."

He hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.

"I think there might be a war."

The black-haired young man paused.

"That's really bad... Thank you, I will be careful."

"You really chose a bad time to come to Skyrim, my friend." Tollan sighed, thinking for a moment, and took off an amulet from his chest - an amulet shaped like a horn. When it was taken off, he felt some of his strength weakened.

"Take this." The other party didn't want payment, but he certainly had an excuse. "Vampires from Valhach might be lurking in Windhelm as well. If you encounter them, please take this to the Sentinel's base in Windhelm. You'll be doing us a favor."

He tossed the amulet into the young man's hands.

..............................

Wu Chen took the amulet.

He knew, of course, that the amulet was actually a certificate. With it, he could go to the Sentinels' base in Windhelm to seek help, no matter what the reason. However, he had not expected that when he received it as a gift from Tolan, he felt a surge of power flowing through him.

The body becomes stronger and the energy becomes more abundant.

This was undoubtedly the protection bestowed upon the faithful by the Holy Spirit, Stendar. However, when he had previously collected the bodies of the fallen Sentinels and touched their relics and amulets, it had had no effect at all.

He raised his eyebrows and nodded solemnly.

"I understand," he said. "If I ever come across one, I'll definitely let you know."

(End of this chapter)