Chapter 154 Dawnguard’s Hidden Weapon

After escorting Astrid safely back home, Alex did not linger.

The moment he stepped outside, he lifted himself into the air with his telekinesis and shot toward the sky. The cold wind rushed against his face, but his expression did not waver. His eyes were sharp, filled with a firm and almost frightening determination.

This time, he had no intention of holding back.

He was not flying merely to give a simple report to the Dawnguard. In his heart, Alex had already made his decision. If the vampires were truly planning something dangerous—if they intended to threaten his home, his wife, his child, and the world around them—then he would use everything he currently had to wipe them out.

No hesitation.

No mercy.

Not this time.

By the time Fort Dawnguard came into view, the heavy stone fortress stood silently beneath the pale sky, its walls surrounded by the cold, rugged mountains. Alex descended quickly, landing inside the fort with a controlled but forceful motion. The moment his feet touched the ground, he headed straight inside.

He did not waste time greeting anyone.

His eyes scanned the fortress until he finally found Isran.

“Isran,” Alex called out firmly. “I need to report something.”

Isran immediately turned his head toward him. His brows furrowed the moment he saw Alex’s expression. The usual roughness in Isran’s face remained, but his eyes sharpened with concern.

“So?” Isran asked, his voice low and serious. “What happened over there?”

Alex stopped in front of him. For a brief moment, he said nothing. His jaw tightened slightly, and his hands clenched at his sides as he thought back to what he had seen in Dimhollow Cave.

Then he spoke.

“It’s bad.”

Isran’s gaze narrowed.

Alex looked him straight in the eye.

“They have an Elder Scroll.”

For a second, the air between them seemed to freeze.

Isran’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“What!?”

His voice echoed through the stone hall, drawing the attention of several nearby Dawnguard soldiers.

Alex took a slow breath, then began explaining everything from the beginning. He told Isran about the journey to Dimhollow Cave, the number of vampires they encountered, and how deeply those creatures had been investigating the ancient ruins. He described the strange mechanisms inside the crypt, the hidden chamber, and the sealed stone coffin they found at the center of it all.

Then his voice grew heavier.

“And inside that coffin… we found a vampire. Not an ordinary one.”

Isran’s expression stiffened.

Alex continued.

“She was a Daughter of Coldharbour. She had been sealed there for a very long time… and she was carrying the Elder Scroll.”

The moment those words left Alex’s mouth, Isran’s face darkened.

Shock slowly turned into anger.

His eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed into a hard line. The muscles in his jaw tightened as he stared at Alex, as if trying to control the irritation rising inside him.

“So,” Isran said slowly, his voice rough and dangerous, “you helped a vampire?”

Alex remained silent for a moment.

He could feel Isran’s sharp gaze pressing against him, heavy with suspicion and anger. The stone hall around them suddenly felt colder, as if the air itself had tightened.

Isran stepped closer, his boots scraping faintly against the floor. His expression grew darker, and his voice dropped into a colder, more dangerous tone.

“A vampire who had just awakened from some ancient sleep…” Isran said slowly, each word filled with disbelief, “and one carrying an Elder Scroll?”

Alex did not answer immediately.

For a brief moment, he lowered his eyes, as if weighing how much he should say. Then he finally lifted his gaze back to Isran and nodded.

“That’s right.”

Isran’s jaw tightened.

Alex continued in a steady voice.

“And at the time, she asked us to escort her back to her people. In the end… that led us straight to where the vampires are hiding.”

The anger in Isran’s eyes did not disappear, but something else slowly appeared beneath it.

Curiosity.

His brows furrowed deeper as he studied Alex’s face.

“You found the source?” Isran asked, his voice still rough but now more focused. “The place where those packs of beasts are hiding?”

Alex nodded calmly.

“Yes. That’s right.”

On the outside, Alex remained composed.

But inside, his thoughts were far more complicated.

Truthfully, Alex had known about that place for a long time. He had known where the Volkihar vampires were hiding even before this expedition. But he had never told Isran, the Dawnguard, or anyone else.

It was not because he trusted the vampires.

It was because he feared what the Dawnguard might do with that information.

If Isran had learned the location too early, he might have gathered his men and launched a direct assault without fully understanding the danger. And if that happened, they would not be marching toward victory.

They would be marching toward death.

Harkon was not an ordinary vampire. The Vampire Lords were not enemies the Dawnguard could defeat with courage alone. No matter how determined they were, reckless bravery would only get them slaughtered.

Alex took a quiet breath, then continued explaining what he had seen.

“Astrid and I didn’t start a fight when we escorted that vampire back,” he said. “We entered the castle quietly. We observed first.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as the memory returned to him.

“But the moment we stepped inside, we saw them.”

Isran remained silent, listening closely.

Alex’s voice grew heavier.

“Countless vampires. Not just a few scattered monsters hiding in caves or ruins. An entire clan. Organized. Confident. Powerful.”

He paused for a moment, then added,

“And they weren’t ordinary vampires.”

Isran’s expression hardened.

Alex looked him directly in the eye.

“They were ancient vampires. The kind that have lived far longer than normal mortals can even imagine.”

His face became more serious with every word.

“They’re called the Volkihar Clan. Ancient vampires with some of the purest bloodlines in existence.”

For a moment, Isran did not respond.

His eyes widened slightly, and his face slowly lost some of its usual hardness. The anger was still there, but now it was mixed with something rarer for a man like him.

Shock.

He lifted one hand and pressed it against his forehead, gripping his head as if the weight of the information had struck him all at once.

“Well, I’ll be damned…”

The words left his mouth in a low, stunned breath.

But before their conversation could continue, a sudden noise erupted from outside Fort Dawnguard.

At first, it was distant.

A shout.

Then the sharp clang of steel.

Then another voice screamed in alarm.

Both Alex and Isran immediately turned their heads toward the entrance.

A second later, the entire fortress seemed to come alive with panic. Heavy footsteps echoed through the stone corridors as Dawnguard soldiers rushed toward the courtyard. The sound of crossbows being loaded filled the air, followed by the furious screeching of something inhuman.

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

Isran’s expression instantly hardened.

Without needing anyone to explain, both of them understood.

Fort Dawnguard was under attack.

A pack of vampires had reached their headquarters.

Isran slowly turned his gaze toward Alex. His eyes were sharp, filled with suspicion and anger.

“You were followed by the vampires.”

Alex’s brows furrowed in confusion.

Somebody copied this chapter from and reposted it here; the author did not agree to that.

“Wait…” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I’m sure I didn’t bring them here.”

His voice was firm, but his mind immediately began racing.

(Did they see me flying? But I adjusted my telekinesis speed to move faster… I shouldn’t have been easy to track.)

For a brief moment, doubt flickered across his face.

Had he made a mistake?

Had he underestimated them?

Before he could think any further, another scream rang out from outside.

Isran clicked his tongue in frustration.

“No time to argue.”

He grabbed his weapon and rushed toward the entrance. Alex immediately followed after him, his expression turning serious.

The moment they stepped outside, the scene before them was already chaotic.

The courtyard of Fort Dawnguard had become a battlefield.

Dawnguard soldiers were fighting desperately against a group of vampires that had forced their way toward the fortress. Crossbow bolts flew through the air. Steel clashed against claws and blades. The cold mountain wind carried the smell of blood, dust, and burning torches.

Some of the vampires moved recklessly, hissing and lunging like wild beasts. Those ones were weaker, cut down quickly by trained Dawnguard soldiers.

But not all of them were easy prey.

Several vampires moved with terrifying speed, slipping through attacks with unnatural grace. Their eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, and their pale faces were twisted with cruel smiles. One of them struck a Dawnguard soldier hard enough to send him stumbling backward, while another used magic to push two defenders off balance.

The Dawnguard line began to waver.

Then one of the soldiers spotted Isran.

His face lit up with relief.

“Isran!” he shouted desperately. “They’ve found our headquarters!”

For a moment, Isran stood still, staring at the battlefield before him.

His jaw tightened.

His hands clenched around his weapon.

The news was bad—far worse than he wanted to admit. If the vampires had discovered Fort Dawnguard, then this was no longer just a hidden war. Their enemy had finally decided to strike directly at their heart.

But instead of showing fear, Isran took one firm step forward.

His presence alone seemed to steady the soldiers nearby.

Then he raised his voice, loud enough to cut through the chaos.

“Everyone!”

The Dawnguard soldiers turned toward him, even as they continued fighting.

Isran’s eyes burned with fury.

“This is the moment we’ve prepared for!” he roared. “Protect our fortress! Stand your ground! And destroy those damn vampires!”

For a split second, silence almost seemed to fall over the defenders.

Then the Dawnguard soldiers roared back.

Their fear turned into anger.

Their hesitation turned into courage.

Crossbows were raised again. Swords tightened in their grips. Shields slammed forward as the soldiers pushed back against the vampires with renewed strength.

Alex watched the change for only a brief moment.

Without wasting another second, Alex raised one hand.

His expression turned cold.

The air around him trembled.

At first, the vampires did not understand what was happening. A few of them hissed and rushed toward him, their claws stretched forward, their pale faces twisted with hunger and arrogance.

Then Alex closed his fingers.

In an instant, an invisible force seized them.

“Gah—!?”

Several vampires were lifted off the ground at once, their bodies jerking violently as if caught by unseen chains. Their eyes widened in panic. They clawed at the empty air, trying to break free, but there was nothing for them to grab.

Alex’s gaze sharpened.

Then he swung his hand downward.

Boom!

The vampires were slammed into the stone courtyard with terrifying force. The impact cracked the ground beneath them, sending dust and broken pebbles flying in every direction. Before they could even scream, Alex lifted them again and crushed them down a second time.

This time, they did not move.

For a brief moment, the battlefield fell into stunned silence.

Even the Dawnguard soldiers stopped for half a breath, staring at the bodies lying lifeless on the ground.

One soldier swallowed hard.

“By the Divines…”

Another soldier tightened his grip around his crossbow, his fear slowly turning into excitement.

“We have him on our side…”

That realization spread through the defenders like fire.

The vampires were no longer the only monsters on the battlefield.

The Dawnguard had Alex.

“Push them back!” one of the soldiers shouted.

The others answered with a fierce roar.

Their morale surged at once.

Crossbows fired in rapid succession. Bolts tore through the air and struck several vampires in the chest and shoulders. The weaker ones screamed as they collapsed, their bodies burning under the enchanted bolts. Those who tried to dodge found themselves intercepted by Dawnguard axes and shields.

Isran fought at the front line like a man carved from iron.

His face was fierce, his eyes filled with hatred. Every swing of his weapon was heavy and brutal, aimed not just to wound but to end. When a vampire lunged at him from the side, Isran turned sharply, blocked the attack with his forearm guard, and drove his weapon straight into the creature’s chest.

“Die, you bloodsucking filth!”

The vampire shrieked before falling backward.

Alex moved differently.

He did not rush wildly into the fight. Instead, he stood in the middle of the chaos with frightening calm. His eyes moved from one enemy to another, reading the battlefield, choosing which threat needed to be eliminated first.

A vampire tried to leap onto a Dawnguard soldier from behind.

Alex flicked his finger.

The vampire was yanked sideways midair and smashed into the fortress wall with a sickening crack.

Another vampire raised both hands, gathering dark magic between its palms.

Alex turned his head.

Before the spell could be released, the vampire’s arms were forced apart by an invisible pressure. Its expression twisted in horror.

Then Alex clenched his fist.

The vampire was crushed to the ground.

“Don’t let them reach the gate!” Isran shouted.

The Dawnguard quickly formed a defensive line near the entrance. Shields locked together, crossbowmen moved behind them, and injured soldiers were pulled away before the vampires could finish them off.

But the vampires were relentless.

More of them rushed from the shadows outside the fort, their movements fast and savage. Some climbed the stone walls with clawed fingers. Others darted between the rocks, trying to flank the defenders.

One powerful vampire broke through the front line and sent two Dawnguard soldiers flying with a blast of blood-red magic.

Alex immediately noticed.

His eyes narrowed.

That one was stronger.

The vampire smiled cruelly, raising its hand toward a wounded soldier on the ground.

Before it could strike, Alex stepped forward.

The vampire’s body suddenly froze.

Its smile vanished.

Alex slowly lifted his hand, and the vampire rose into the air with it. The creature struggled violently, snarling and baring its fangs, but its body would not obey.

“You came to the wrong fortress,” Alex said coldly.

Then he hurled the vampire across the courtyard.

The creature crashed through a wooden barricade and slammed into a stone pillar. The impact shattered the wood around it and left the vampire motionless beneath the rubble.

The Dawnguard soldiers saw it.

Their fear disappeared completely.

“Forward!”

“Kill them all!”

“For the Dawnguard!”

The battle grew fiercer.

For hours, Fort Dawnguard became a storm of steel, bolts, magic, and blood. The courtyard was filled with the sounds of shouting soldiers, hissing vampires, clashing weapons, and Alex’s telekinetic force smashing enemies into stone, walls, and the hard ground.

Some Dawnguard soldiers were wounded badly. One man took a deep slash across his shoulder. Another was thrown down the steps and had to be dragged away by his comrades. Several others were burned by vampire magic or bitten before being rescued.

But every time the line began to break, Alex filled the gap.

When vampires tried to swarm one side, he swept them away with a wave of invisible force.

When one tried to flee into the shadows, he dragged it back and slammed it at Isran’s feet.

When a Dawnguard soldier was about to be killed, Alex pulled the enemy away just in time.

Slowly, the attackers began to lose momentum.

Their confidence turned into frustration.

Then frustration became fear.

The vampires had expected to find prey.

Instead, they had found a fortress guarded by warriors who refused to fall—and one man who could crush them without even touching them.

At last, as the sun began to shift across the sky and the shadows around the fort grew thinner, the remaining vampires realized they had lost.

A few tried to retreat.

Isran pointed toward them and roared,

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

Crossbows fired.

Alex raised both hands.

The fleeing vampires were seized by telekinesis and pulled back into the open. The Dawnguard finished them with bolts and blades.

Then, finally, silence returned.

The battle was over.

The courtyard of Fort Dawnguard was scarred and broken. Cracked stone, shattered wood, fallen weapons, and the bodies of vampires littered the ground. The air smelled of smoke, blood, and dust.

The Dawnguard soldiers stood among the ruins, breathing heavily. Some leaned on their weapons. Others helped the wounded sit down or carried them inside for treatment.

Several soldiers had suffered serious injuries.

But miraculously, no one had died.

Fort Dawnguard had survived.

Alex slowly lowered his hands. His breathing was steady, but his eyes remained sharp as he scanned the battlefield one last time, making sure no vampire was still moving.

Nearby, Isran looked over the damaged courtyard, then at his wounded soldiers.

His expression was grim.

But beneath that grimness, there was relief.

They had been attacked.

They had been found.

But they had not fallen.

Breathing heavily after the long and exhausting battle, Isran slowly walked toward Alex.

His armor was covered in dust and blood—not his own, but the blood of the vampires they had slain. His shoulders rose and fell with each rough breath, and for a moment, he simply stared at Alex in silence.

The courtyard was still filled with the aftermath of battle. Dawnguard soldiers were helping the wounded, dragging vampire corpses away from the entrance, and checking the walls for any remaining threats. The air was heavy with smoke, blood, and the fading tension of combat.

Isran finally stopped in front of Alex.

“You…” he said, pausing to catch his breath. “Huff… I didn’t expect you to be this strong.”

His voice carried a rare trace of disbelief. Isran was not the kind of man who praised others easily, but after seeing Alex crush vampires with invisible force and protect the fort almost single-handedly, even he could not deny what he had witnessed.

Alex only gave him a faint smile.

“It was nothing.”

Isran narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he did not believe that answer at all.

“Nothing, huh?”

He let out a short breath through his nose, then looked around the courtyard again. His gaze moved from the wounded soldiers to the broken stone, then back to Alex.

For a moment, his expression remained serious.

Then he suddenly seemed to notice something.

His brows furrowed.

“Ah…” Isran muttered. “I just realized.”

His eyes shifted around briefly, searching the area near Alex. Usually, whenever Alex appeared, Astrid was not far from his side. But this time, the Dragonborn was nowhere to be seen.

Isran turned back to him.

“Where’s your wife?”

Alex’s expression softened at the question.

“Ah… I wanted her to stay safe at home,” he said quietly. “So I’m taking her place in the vampire extermination.”

He paused for a moment.

Then his voice became gentler.

“Besides… she’s pregnant.”

Isran’s eyes changed slightly.

Alex lowered his gaze. The faint smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a gloomy expression. His hand slowly curled into a fist at his side, and his shoulders became heavier, as if the weight he had been hiding finally returned.

“I shouldn’t have let her go out and face danger in the first place,” Alex said in a low voice. “She’s carrying our child… and I still let her walk into places filled with vampires, traps, and death.”

His jaw tightened.

“I should be the one carrying that burden. Not her.”

For a moment, Isran said nothing.

He simply looked at Alex.

The harshness in his face eased slightly. Isran was a man hardened by loss, hatred, and years of fighting monsters. But even someone like him could recognize the look in Alex’s eyes.

It was not fear.

It was responsibility.

It was the guilt of a husband who loved his wife too deeply to keep pretending that danger was acceptable.

Isran stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Alex’s shoulder.

“Good,” he said.

Alex looked up at him.

Isran’s voice was still rough, but there was a rare sincerity in it.

“That’s what a husband should do. I know a Nord’s pride often lies on the battlefield. They live for honor, glory, and a good fight.”

He paused, then tightened his grip slightly on Alex’s shoulder.

“But for a father, pride means something different. A father’s responsibility is to protect his family. To make sure his wife and child have a safe place to return to.”

Alex stared at Isran for a moment.

Then his tense expression slowly softened.

A faint smile returned to his face.

“Thank you, Isran.”

Isran pulled his hand away and gave a small grunt, as if embarrassed by the sudden serious moment.

“Hmph. Don’t get sentimental on me.”

Alex let out a quiet chuckle.

For a brief moment, the heavy mood between them eased.

But it did not last long.

Isran glanced toward the damaged gate and the bloodstained courtyard. His expression hardened again as reality settled back over him.

The vampires had found Fort Dawnguard.

That changed everything.

Isran cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

His voice returned to its usual firm, commanding tone.

“Since the vampires have already reached this place, we need more reinforcements.”

Alex immediately became serious again.

Isran folded his arms, thinking for a moment before continuing.

“Alex, I want you to recruit an old friend of ours. His name is Gunmar.”

Alex tilted his head slightly.

“Gunmar?”

Isran nodded.

“He used to work as a blacksmith here. Tough man. Stubborn as a mountain, but reliable. If we can bring him back, the Dawnguard will be stronger.”

Then Isran’s expression shifted slightly. A rough, amused smile appeared on his face.

“And he has a strange talent.”

Alex blinked.

“What kind of talent?”

Isran let out a dry laugh.

“He can befriend savage creatures. Trolls, especially.”

Alex raised his eyebrows.

“Trolls?”

“That’s right,” Isran said. “Most people see a troll and think of a monster that wants to tear their arms off. Gunmar looks at one and thinks, ‘That could be useful.’”

Isran shook his head, half annoyed and half entertained by the memory.

“The mad bastard even came up with the idea of making armor for them. Imagine it—trolls covered in metal plates, charging into battle like living siege weapons.”

He let out a rough laugh.

“Hahaha… absolutely insane.”

Despite the grim situation, Alex could not help but smile a little.

“That does sound crazy.”

“It is,” Isran replied. “But crazy can be useful when vampires are knocking on our door.”

Alex nodded, his expression becoming firm again.

“Alright. I’ll go find him.”

Isran looked at him seriously.

“Good. Bring him back. We’re going to need every capable hand we can get.”

Alex gave one final nod.

“I’ll head out first.”

Then he stepped away from Isran and looked toward the open sky beyond the fortress walls. His expression sharpened once more, and his body slowly began to rise from the ground.

Invisible force wrapped around him.

Dust stirred beneath his feet.

Several Dawnguard soldiers nearby stopped what they were doing and looked up in surprise as Alex lifted himself higher into the air using telekinesis.

Isran watched silently from below, his cloak shifting in the cold wind.

Alex glanced down one last time.

Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he flew away from Fort Dawnguard, cutting through the sky toward his next mission.