Chapter Text
Mara's eyes snapped open, her vision momentarily filled with nothing but bright crimson. It lasted for only a few seconds, the loud ringing in her ears slowly subsiding as color began leaking back into the world around her. She found herself lying flat in the dirt and mud, half of her body in a puddle of crimson-colored water. Above her lay a blanket of stars, shining brightly in the midnight sky. The sounds of rustling animals in the distant bushes could be heard, along with running water from a nearby stream. She was in the middle of nowhere, having awoken most unexpectedly, as most do not expect to awaken from death.
She was on a job, she remembered. One that promised her riches beyond her wildest dreams. She never had much money in her life, being born to a poor family. She didn’t blamed them, or hold any lasting animosity towards them because of it. No, she loved her parents and she would never change the circumstances of her birth. She simply wished to follow her dream, to become a better mage. She knew she had a natural talent for the arcane arts and wished to see it blossom, and what better place to go for that than the College of Winterhold.
Of course with a civil war raging across Skyrim the costs to reach Winterhold were beyond what her meager coinpurse usually held. It was because of this that she didn't hesitate to accept the assassination job.
A lord named Dupan hired her and a Khajiit named Inigo. The two were tasked with killing his brothers. With them gone he would inherit a great fortune, one he promised to share with the both of them. Evidently, Inigo did not wish to share that reward, as after the job was completed he didn't hesitate to shoot her in the back. Yet now, despite feeling his arrow pierce her skin, driving deep into her muscle and organs, she was very much alive.
Sitting up she reached around, feeling for the wound that should be there yet wasn't. How could this be? She knew restoration magic, but she hadn't the time to cast any sort of healing spell before the darkness took her.
Looking down at her hands she saw they were deathly pale. That was to be expected, considering the loss of blood and internal damage caused by an ebony arrow. Yet, when she felt the tear in her robes but the smoothness of her unpierced skin underneath, she found herself uncertain of what to think.
Slowly she stood, surprised yet again as she found she had the energy to actually walk, or even run if she wished. How did one respond this way after being shot in the back? After taking a few cautious steps it hit her, an intense hunger. It was different from the normal hunger she was used to. This was not what one felt when they desired food and drink. Try as she might she couldn't place her finger on exactly how.
She then realized she could smell her surroundings. The sweet scent of blood wading off of every living creature in close proximity. Closing her eyes and focusing she could hear it too. She could hear the beating of every heart, the flow of the crimson nectar through every vein. This was wholly unnatural, something she never felt before in her life. It should have terrified her, but instead, she found the concept of drinking that sweet nectar to be inviting, thrilling.
Why was she suddenly able to smell and hear the rush of blood? How was she able to heal from a clearly fatal wound, without the use of restoration magic? Why did she now feel an inexplicable hunger, a desire to devour the next living creature she came across?
It wasn’t hard to put the pieces of this puzzle together in her mind, now that she knew all the clues. Somehow, she became a vampire. She didn't recall ever being infected with Sanguinare Vampiris, yet here she stood, with the strong desire to drain something dry.
Had she contracted the infection without realizing it, or did something happen while she was unconscious from Inigo's attack? Could Inigo himself have been a vampire? Perhaps she was closer to one than she realized for some time, and that was how she caught the infection. Realizing she wouldn't receive answers to these burning questions she dropped the line of thought. Licking her lips, her tongue grazing her fangs, she found she was thankful for the sudden transformation, realizing she would now be dead were it not for her vampirism.
She considered it a blessing, something she knew most mortal’s abhorred. Was this line of reasoning due to her sudden vampirism? Did it cause her to enjoy it, to view things differently than she had before? Did it cause her darker instincts to rise to the surface, or was she the same person as before she died? Pushing these new questions aside as well she brought herself back to the present, eyes wandering in search of prey.
She let out a low growl, prepared to follow the sound of a nearby small heartbeat, that of a fox perhaps, or a rabbit. Suddenly she heard the sound of a snapping twig, her head snapping in that direction, the smell and sound of a much larger prey approaching. In the dark she spotted a figure, her eyes adjusting inhumanity fast to the surrounding shadows. She could see the woman clear as day now, wearing furs and reaching for an iron short sword on her hip. A bandit, perhaps looking for lost travelers who wandered into her territory.
Mara quickly reached for her own weapon, irritated to learn it was missing. Had Inigo stolen that too, in the hope of selling it for more gold? No matter, she would simply use a flame spell to defend herself if need be.
"Lost, little adventurer? Maybe I can help you," the bandit taunted, drawing her weapon with a grin, "perhaps if I were to lighten your load it would make travel much easier on you"
Petty threats, murder, cruelty. That's all these bandits ever offered, never once caring for the feelings or lives of those around them. Mara was not a woman to be pushed around, or intimidated by such lowly insects. She brought fire to her palm, stepping closer as the smell of the woman's blood flooded her nostrils. It brought a high Mara didn't expect. She felt excitement course through her veins, her brain yelling at her to devour this pathetic excuse for a living being.
Seeing the flame come to life in Mara's hand the bandit lunged toward her, sword raised as their eyes locked for just a moment. Suddenly, the bandit stopped, body frozen as she looked deeply into her eyes. Mara likewise stared back, surprised to see the bandit's previous threatening aura vanish in a moment's notice. She sheathed her sword, her eyes seeming to fill with confusion, terror, and then emptiness. She didn't know what happened, but it was rather amusing to watch. The bandit just stared at her with empty eyes, almost as if she were already dead.
"What are you doing?" Mara asked, stepping closer to the bandit. She squeezed her hand shut, causing the flame to die out. The bandit didn't flinch, instead continuing to stare, arms hanging casually by her side.
"Hm?" The bandit mumbled, shaking her head before whispering to herself, blinking rapidly, as if trying to clear it of fog.
"hard…to...think…" she struggled to say, her eyes looking alive again for a brief moment, filled with pure terror before they once again went empty.
How many of her victims shared that look as she laughed, begging for mercy only to be denied? Too many if Mara had to guess. It felt good to see such an insect squirming under her shoe, tasting her own medicine.
Did she consider herself a hypocrite? She did accept an assassination job and would do so again for the right coin. Could she really feel morally superior to these insects when she was also a murderer?
Yes, she could. She only murdered those who would hurt others, attack her first, or were part of a job. She didn't seek out the helpless, take joy in hurting someone innocent who begged her for mercy.
"Hard to think?" Mara repeated, her voice filled with contempt. Was she somehow doing this to the woman? How delightful. This must be the ability she heard some vampire possessed, Vampire’s Seduction she believed it was called. She stepped closer, grabbing the bandit's arms and pulling their bodies together. She'd never been this close to another woman before, not that she hadn't wanted to. The woman did have an outer beauty, and Mara found she enjoyed the warmth of their bodies' close proximity. However, no matter how beautiful the woman may look, inside she carried a great ugliness. Leaning closer she sniffed at her neck, her tongue coming out to lick across it. She couldn't hold it back anymore, viciously biting into her neck and drinking her fill of the woman's blood.
It tasted so sweet on her tongue, her senses going into overdrive as she continued to drain this woman's very life. She felt strength return to her, color returning to her skin. She felt stronger, as if she could lift a boulder or run a mile. Unlatching from the woman's neck she gave it another lick, stepping back as she took in her now pale victim.
“Give me your sword” She ordered, grinning as the bandit removed her weapon from her belt, offering it to her without question. Taking it Mara latched it to her hip, looking over the bandit once more before she turned to leave, looking to find a town or some form of shelter before the upcoming dawn.