While the others gathered up the supplies that they needed, Nathan found a private room and unfurled the map that he'd drawn on. He needed to plan the route. Seeing how close it was to Solitude made him very tense. It was possible they could make it their first since there were a lot of caves around Solitude. All the Moth Priest had was the name. Not a location. Rolling up the map, Nathan scanned the darkness with his night vision and exhaled. He felt so different now. Bard. Dawnguard. Mage. Champion. The words felt heavy and distant. What was he anymore? The word 'Monster' wafted across his thoughts like a light breeze, causing him to growl a little. He felt strained being a part of so much. He couldn't imagine how Jack felt. Upon exciting the room, Nathan froze in the hallway as he overheard someone out by the dog pen whispering. "Isran, are you sure about this? We can't trust him. Power corrupts! He's a Bard! He doesn't know the first thing about being a double agent! He's playing us." Isran's gruff voice replied in a cool whisper. "I know, but what choice do we have. We aren't making progress fast enough. Might as well use him. As you said... He's just a Bard. A sacrifice to the greater cause."

For a moment Nathan didn't move or breathe. He was as still as a statue as he processed their words. Then after blinking, he finally moved away from the wall and made his way out to the front door. As he passed through the stone archway, Mark calmly told him from against the wall. "You wanna know the best part about being the sacrificial lamb?" Slowing to a stop, Nathan glanced over his shoulder with a blank expression. He was too numb to say anything, but his interest was piqued. Pushing off the wall, Mark walked slowly up to his side with his arms crossed firmly over his chest. Meeting his eyes, Mark to him seriously. "You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from your victory. Prove to them that you aren't a lamb being led to slaughter. You go willingly to devour the opponent." Mark uncrossed his arms, patting Nathan's shoulder comfortingly as he added. "Just a little wisdom from an old Pit Fighter. Trust me. I was just a blacksmiths son." Mark walked up to the door and pushed it open a crack, letting the fading light shine in over him when he looked back and said with a grin. "Coming Bard?" Nathan smirked, then followed him out into the fading golden sunlight.

As they headed down the path to join the others in the large open clearing by the lake, Nathan asked Mark discreetly. "How do you and Jack do it? All the pressure to... be something you don't feel like?" Mark lifted his chin, answering honestly. "Don't think about it. Focus on the task and what you want when it's all over. Everything else isn't important. Let them call you whatever they want. Let them expect things. Just don't lose who you are and where you came from. Because if they can... They will try and make you forget that." Nathan slowed to glance back at the castle, grumbling out. "Some Dawnguard I turned out to be, huh?" Mark stopped, chuckling back. "What are you talking about? Aren't you fighting to protect those in the day from those in the dark? Isn't that what a Dawnguard stands for?" Nathan let himself chuckle, while Mark added proudly. "You are who you choose to be, Nathan. Remember that. Come on. Let's go save the world." Nathan rolled his eyes but followed him. When they reached the clearing, Jack shrugged out curiously. "Ok. We're here and we have everything. So, what's this plan to get their quickly? Teleporting? Because I don't have the ingredients for that."

Nathan gestured for them to back up, blushing out to Jack. "No. I... I think you're going to like it. I made a friend of my own." Jack raised an eyebrow, watching Nathan turn to look up at the sky. Taking a deep calming breath to center himself, Nathan filled his lungs and Shouted up into the sky with enough magic to be heard. "DURNEHIIR!" From above them came a crackling of deep thunder and from a slight flash of lightning that cut the sky, the large form of Durnehviir soared through out like a dark cloud. Nathan raised a hand, letting out a sharp whistle that made Mark wince in pain. Durnehviir looked down from the sky, before circling them as he descended. Behind him, Jack gawked out. "You have a dragon of your own now?" Nathan winked back at him, then braced himself as Durnehviir landed heavily across the ground. Bits of soul husk dust shimmered off Durnehviir as he straightened himself up and asked proudly. "Qahnaarin? You wish to see me?" Nathan nodded, nicely asking in a hopeful voice. "Yes. I need a favor, my friend." Durnehviir's eyes observed the others before he replied a bit guarded. "With what exactly?"

Nathan unfolded the map and held it up as he told him. "We need to get here and fast. Can you take us?" Durnehviir lowered his head to squint at the map with one eye, before chuckling out deeply. "Fly across Skyrim with haste? Sounds like fun. If that is all, I am willing. Hop on, Qahnaarin. And... Dovahkiin." Nathan turned to see Jack bow to the dragon with respect. While the others carefully climbed on, Jack slowly approached and raised a hand to touch Durnehviir's large crusted over nose. Durnehviir puffed hot air over Jack, telling him coolly. "I'd greet to properly... but my flame is not what it used to be, and I must spare my energy for this flight. Forgive me, Dovahkiin." Jack uttered a soft word and power surged from him as light flames rippled over Durnehviir's nose. Durnehviir's lips curled into a grin, when he replied warmly. "It has been a long time since a Dovah has greeted me in such a way. Thank you." Nathan rubbed Durnehviir's neck, informing Jack proudly. "This is Durnehviir. He's a guardian in the Soul Cairn. He's normally trapped there, but I let him out for air lately." Durnehviir let out a deep throaty chuckle as he added. "A welcomed breath of fresh air. It's good to see the sky again."

After a pause, Durnehviir inhaled deeply, then asked Jack with an almost devilish smirk. "By the way. How is my old friend, Paarthurnax? Since I can smell him on you, I suspect alive and well?" Jack blushed, nodded as he answered. "Very much so. Like you, he is finally enjoying his flights through the skies again. He seems to get happier every time I see him." Durnehviir grinned with dreamy eyes as he said blissfully. "I'm glad. He always was so... held back as a hatchling. I'm glad the loss of his brother hasn't broken his spirit. I would so like to see him again... One day." Durnehviir glanced at Nathan for approval. Nathan shrugged, honestly telling him. "We can try. Right now, we've got to take care of something important." Durnehviir nodded, then lifted his head high. Nate let Jack climb on first, then dashed up and called out. "Alright, let's go! Show us what you've got!" Durnehviir let a loud laugh ripple over the trees as he told them smugly. "Hold on. Let's see if I still got it." Durnehviir spread out his holey wings, the exposed bones and soul husk dust popping as they stiffly stretched out and flexed. Snorted fumes, Durnehviir leapt into the air, and everyone gasped from the strong wind that pushed them down over his back.

His jump brought them over the trees and with a single flap of his wings, he cleared the mountains surrounding the valley. Leveling out over the mountains, Durnehviir let out a low rumble that made his body vibrate. Then flicking his tail and adjusting his wings, he shot forward like a knife cutting through the thin air. Nathan held on with ease and made sure the others were good since their strength wasn't at his level. Practically standing on Durnehviir's back, Nathan cheered loudly as Durnehviir steadily increased his speed. Below them was a blur of streaked colors. Within an hour, Durnehviir slowed his speed and began to circle as he descended. He was panting but had a bright smile on his face. They had only just made it to ground, when Durnehviir let out a deep pained growl. Before anyone could ask, his body rippled in shimmering purple light and he vanished, but he was still grinning. Jack looked a little worried, but Nathan told him comfortingly. "It's alright. I can only summon him for so long. Then his soul gets pulled back. He's happy." Jack shrugged, uneasily but told them all confidently. "Let's check the area and see-" Escher dashed away in a flash and came back to cut in. "Checked. That cave over there."

Jack blinked, raising an eyebrow to ask. "How do you know?" Escher shrugged, telling him openly. "I found a Hunter on the road and asked him about the caves here. He knew of all except this one. He'd never noticed it. Makes it a promising candidate." Mark snorted, hugging Jack closer as he shrugged out. "Alright then. After you." Nathan chuckled with the other vampires and headed toward a small narrow slit in the mountainside. It was incredibly hard to see since it blended so well into the natural shadows of the mountain, but Nate guessed that a vampire's keen eyesight made it a bit more obvious to them. Leading the way inside, Nathan flinched when Jack conjured a magical ball of light for himself and Mark to see inside. He had forgotten that they couldn't see in the dark. Shaking his head, he gestured for them to linger in the back and crept forward to spy things up ahead. The tunnel was long and winded like a snake deep into the mountain. The place smelled of mold, wet dirt, and stagnate warm air. They passed a waterfall that flowed down deep into the darkness below, prompting Escher to grumble out. "I'm uneasy, guys. A clean water source, warm air and deep tunnels... We should have run into something by now..."

Serana swatted Escher's chest, snapping out quietly. "Hush! You want to jinx us?!" Nathan peeked around the next corner and froze. Farther up the next tunnel, he could see something unnaturally sitting in the way. It almost looked like a spiderweb, but it was actually the spider itself. Its legs were stretched up along the walls lazily, while its bulk rested on the floor. With every word that passed between Escher and Serana, the legs twitched like it could hear the vibrations through the walls of the cave. Leaned back, Nathan looked to Jack and Mark with wide eyes. Jack stopped moving, whispering softly. "What?" The others turned to face him and Nathan, whispered back very lightly. "Frostbite spider. Young." Escher shivered, hugging himself as he mumbled out to the others. "A fucking nest? How big?" Nathan shrugged, then pressed a finger to his lips. Slinking around the corner, Nathan flexed his fingers, Nathan got within better sight of it and threw a red ball of magic at it. The ball hit it, causing the spider to leap out toward him. It only managed to leap short of him and spit its venom at him, before Nathan dodged and drew its blood out into a blood red mist that flowed into his extended fangs.

The blood tasted awful, but it helped take the edge of his growing thirsty. The spider curled into a drained ball, before Nathan informed the others. "There is an egg sack. Be careful." Escher and Serana stepped over the webbing around the egg sack, but Jack snapped his fingers and ignited it hot flames that melted it down quickly. The eggs inside sizzling and popping like bear fat on a crackling fire. Meeting their questioning eyes, Jack mumbled out uneasily. "I'd rather just get rid of them now. Don't ask." Smirking, Nathan led them on through a tunnel that was coated in thick spiderwebbing to an old dusty wooden bridge. Serana huffed, leaning out to see the very steep fall to a pool of water as she told them anxiously. "I don't like the looks of this... Guys?" Escher carefully started across the bridge, telling them calmly. "Just stay on your guard. Walk slow." Serana followed behind Escher and Nate lingered in the back, letting Jack and Mark pass him. While they were looking forward and down, he made the mistake of looking up. Swallowing, he jerked his gaze down, when Jack asked him. "Nate? Are you coming?" Nathan nodded a bit shakily, trying not to scare them.

They crossed the bridge and Nathan eased out to follow, when Mark blurted out. "It's a fucking dead end." Escher ran his hands over the wall, stating out. "It can't be. Jack? Nate? You sense any magic? An illusion made?" Nathan stopped in the center of the bridge, answering uneasily. "No. Jack?" Jack ran his hand over a vein of moonstone ore and shook his head as he said openly. "Nothing. Seems like an old abandoned mine. Or the start of one... They didn't get far. Too much water, I guess. They might have been afraid of flooding." Soft chittering broke the silence, causing Escher to ask the others. "Did you hear that?" Mark was the only one to look up, his expression saying it all. When he looked down, Nate met his eyes but told the others calmly. "Guys. Let's go back. Maybe we missed something." Serena turned to face him, shrugging out. "What did we miss? There were no other turns." Mark gently took Jack's shoulders, guiding him toward the bridge as he told them. "Let's go and check anyway." Escher eyed both Nate and Mark, before asking suspiciously. "What's going on with you two?" Mark carefully pushed Jack toward Nathan, then beckoned to the others to get them to move onto the bridge as he told them firmly. "Tell you after. Let's go."

Escher and Serena moved out onto the bridge, when a closer sounding chitter got Serena to lookup. Hundreds of large spiders were clinging to the webbed ceiling. Some with wrapped up prey that they were feeding on that were... human sized. The frightening part was that some had taken notice of them and were easing down on threads toward them with hungry stares and outstretched hairy legs. Serena let out a scream that rocked the cave and Nathan yelled out. "DON'T!" The spiders above jerked to the loud vibrating sound, scuttling around the walls to reveal even more in hidden nooks. One of the propelling spiders couldn't wait and dropped onto the bridge behind Nathan. Nathan only had time to turn to look at it, before the wooden bridge snapped under the spider's weight. Serana and the others screamed as they fell through the air, catching glimpses of more spiders scuttling out from nooks along the tunnel they were falling through. The place was completely infested with frostbite spiders! To Be Continued...