Following Isran’s orders, we set out to find the recruits needed for the Dawnguard. First on the list was Gunmar, who was reportedly hunting bears in the woods near Ivarstead.
'Finally found him...'
I knew his general location was somewhere in the Rift, but finding him without a quest marker was a massive pain in the ass.
'If only Choi Ha-neul were here.'
Unlike me, she actually triggers the main quests. If she had been with us, we probably would’ve had a nice, glowing arrow leading us straight to him.
Anyway, I took a quick look at Gunmar. He had a larger build than mine, clad in scale armor and wielding an Orcish axe. He looked every bit the seasoned hunter.
"Isran sent me. He says he needs your help."
"Isran? That stubborn mule is asking for help? Now I’ve seen everything."
Gunmar, who clearly knew Isran from the old days, looked dumbfounded by the message. Honestly, every time I hear dialogue like this, I get more curious about just how terrible Isran’s personality used to be.
"The vampire threat is growing by the day. The Dawnguard needs your skills."
When Gunmar gave a lukewarm response, I doubled down on the persuasion. My Speech skill is pretty high; I was confident I could flip him.
"Vampires? Is it really that bad?"
"It is. They even had an Elder Scroll in their possession."
"!!"
At the mention of the Elder Scroll, Gunmar’s eyes widened before he quickly composed himself.
"Look, I get the situation, but I’m tracking a bear right now. The damage it's done to local farmers and travelers is beyond words."
"You still haven't caught it?"
I remembered running into him briefly once before, and he had been tracking a bear even then.
"Still? Ah, right. I remember seeing you in the woods a while back."
Gunmar reacted as if the memory had finally clicked.
"That one I caught ages ago. But there are plenty of other bears in these woods."
"Then we shall assist you," Lydia spoke up.
"I’d appreciate that. Once that bear is dealt with, I’ll consider helping Isran."
"Do you know where it is?"
Gunmar pulled a map from his vest and pointed to a specific spot.
"I've been tracking it for days. It's almost certainly hiding in this cave."
"Then let's go kill it."
After about twenty minutes of hiking, a cave appeared on the mountainside.
"It looks... dangerous," Meriden Eloise whispered, hesitating. It was no wonder she was nervous; the entrance was decorated with bones—god knows if they were human or animal—and crusted with dark, dried blood.
"King Fang."
"King Fang?" Lydia asked, prompting Gunmar to explain.
"That’s the nickname for the beast that’s been terrorizing the Rift lately. Not long ago, it completely destroyed a large merchant caravan."
'What a cheesy name...'
Gunmar also added that the bounty on King Fang was quite substantial.
"Right, I’ll lead the way. Let’s head in."
Following Gunmar, we walked into the pitch-black cavern.
"Can't see a damn thing in here."
It was genuinely ink-black. We couldn't even tell how large the cave was or what the terrain looked like.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, yellow eyes gleamed eerily in the darkness, and a massive paw swung toward Gunmar.
Thanks to a hunter's instinct honed over years, Gunmar managed to dodge the blow.
"There it is!"
As the bear emerged, Meriden Eloise conjured a ball of light, illuminating the area. The bear turned its head, blinded by the sudden brightness.
Lydia and Gunmar didn't miss the opening. While Lydia blocked the bear's swipes, Gunmar unleashed a barrage of attacks. In seconds, the bear was reduced to a bloody heap.
Looking down at the fallen beast, Gunmar remarked, "Magic? Your companion is quite capable! Though, this one is smaller than I expected..."
"Behind you!"
At Lydia’s shout, Gunmar spun around, but the ambush was too fast.
"Gah!"
Struck by a shadow from the darkness, Gunmar tumbled forward. Behind him stood a Grizzly Bear nearly 1.5 times the size of the Cave Bear we had just killed, glaring at us with murderous intent.
'Is that thing the one they call King Fang?'
"ROAAARRR!"
The Grizzly reared up on its hind legs to intimidate us. I calmly aimed my Bound Bow at the beast’s right eye and let fly.
—Thwip! Shuck!
"GRAAAUGH!"
My Archery skill must have improved, because I was now a dead shot at this range.
With an arrow buried in its eye, the bear clawed at the wound, letting out a pained roar. Seizing the moment, Lydia lunged forward and drove her sword straight between the bear's eyes.
The beast died instantly.
'Lydia’s gotten a lot better too, hasn't she?'
Good gear helped, sure, but she was consistently growing alongside me and Choi Ha-neul.
"Phew, finally got it."
Gunmar spoke softly after receiving a healing spell from Meriden Eloise.
"Is that enough?" I asked, glancing at the pile of carcasses.
"The woods are vast, and there will always be more bears. But this should stop the worst of the attacks for a while."
Gunmar pulled out one of the Grizzly’s fangs. When I asked why, he explained it was proof of the kill to claim the bounty.
"I should thank you for the help."
"Don't mention it."
"By the way, where should I go?"
At Gunmar’s question, I told him to head to Fort Dawnguard.
"I figured as much. He’s been working on that place for years. I’ll see you there."
I gave Gunmar a small wave as he left, and then we set out for our next target.
Unlike Gunmar, Sorine Jurard’s location was always fixed. I used my meta-knowledge to find her quickly. As expected, she was wandering around, stressing out over lost items.
"Hey, you there! Adventurers!" she called out as we approached.
"Are you Sorine Jurard?"
"What? Have we met?"
"Isran sent me to find you."
At the mention of Isran, Sorine looked surprised and fired back with a question.
"Isran? No way. Last time we spoke, he told me he didn't need my help with anything."
"I don't know the details of what happened back then, but right now, he's up against powerful vampires."
Sorine hesitated at the mention of vampires.
"Hmm..."
It was clear there had been some serious friction between the two.
"What happened? Did you two have a big falling out or something?"
"Well... something like that."
I really wonder what the hell Isran did in his past to have social standing this abysmal.
"Anyway, what's the vampires' goal?"
"Well, that is..."
I knew Harkon’s goal was to use Auriel's Bow to blot out the sun and overcome their only weakness, but it would have been unnatural for me to know that right now, so I feigned ignorance.
"I don't know for certain. But they were in possession of an Elder Scroll."
"F-For real?!"
Sorine’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"If that’s the case, I can’t just ignore it. But there’s something I need help with first."
She was about to ask me to find a Dwemer gyro. If this were just the game, I wouldn’t mind, but I didn't have the luxury of time to waste on such trivial errands right now. I moved to persuade her.
"We don't have time for that. We need to leave immediately."
"But my research..."
I quickly signaled Meriden Eloise and Lydia with a look, and they caught on, joining in the persuasion.
"Um... Miss! We’re in a real hurry. Could you maybe find it later?"
"Indeed. The vampires are growing stronger by the minute."
"Ugh... fine, alright."
Faced with the three of us badgering her, she finally relented and followed us.
When we opened the gates of Fort Dawnguard, Gunmar was already there, waiting for us with his arms crossed.
"About time you showed up. I thought my neck was going to snap from looking for you."
Strangely, all the portcullises leading from the main hall to the various wings were shut tight.
"Huh? Why are the ways blocked?" Sorine asked.
"Don't ask me," Gunmar grumbled. "He said he wouldn't open them until you lot arrived. Honestly, if I knew I was going to be treated like an outsider, I wouldn’t have come."
Just then, Isran appeared on the second-floor balcony.
"The gang’s all here. Good work rounding up these two."
"Isran. Cut the crap and just—"
Gunmar was cut off as a blinding white light descended from the ceiling.
"What are you doing?!" Sorine shouted in alarm.
"Relax. I'm just making sure neither of you are bloodsuckers."
The white light faded after a few seconds, and the iron portcullises were finally raised.
"I assume you've already been told what we're up against."
"Vampires, right?"
"Yes. But these aren't the bottom-feeders you’ve fought before. They’re on an entirely different level."
"So, what’s the plan?" Gunmar asked.
"Gunmar, I want you to train a few trolls and get them armored up. Sorine, there’s a workspace for weapon development. I want you to start working on that improved crossbow you've been tinkering with. And..."
Isran hesitated for a brief second before continuing.
"Welcome to the Dawnguard. For now, get settled in and get to know the other members."
"A welcome greeting? Not like you at all, Isran. I guess you've actually changed a bit."
With their assignments given, the two headed toward the workshop Isran pointed out. Isran then gestured for me to come up to the second floor.
'Phew, this is exhausting. I guess it’s finally time to meet Serana.'
Dealing with Ancano at the College and then diving straight into these Dawnguard quests without a break had left me physically and mentally drained.
I headed up to the second floor with Meriden Eloise and Lydia. Once there, Isran brought up the subject of Serana.
"While you were out recruiting, that vampire you mentioned showed up."
'As expected.'
"I have her captured in the interrogation room. Since you're already acquainted, go talk to her yourself."
'Wait... captured?'
Something about Isran’s phrasing felt very wrong.
I tried to brush it off as a meaningless worry, but when I opened the door to the interrogation room and saw Serana, I was absolutely horrified.
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