Just a quick explanation to everyone...again. I'm only doing this for now because of essence of time and because I kinda screwed everyone over with scheduling because I thought volume 2's first episode would be released a few hours after the RWBY panel at RTX. So I pulled up some stuff on my iPad that I already had done, that being the skyrim story, which I thought would be good if I blended it in with Dante's past. As it already goes, editing for the last chapter is already in the proccess and almost done, so please, if you can, endure it for another chapter, because afterwords (I thought of another concept), once done with skyrim, in case there's still some time left before the release of volume 2, I have something planned. If not, then three days or so after volume 2 is released, the next chapter will go back directly into the main storyline again, leaving Origins alone until volume 2 is over. Again, sorry for the inconvenience and in the future, I will figure something out better if I ever do this again. Thank you for your time and please enjoy.
Chapter 36: Kindred Judgement
"Okay. So we're here. Now what?" Asked Dante.
"I guess we follow the path."
"But there are paths like everywhere. This is gonna take forever." Said Dante rubbing his head.
"Are you okay?"
"Um...yeah...just a little headache. Hurts a little, but I'll be okay. I hope."
For some reason, Serana didn't like his answer. But she nonetheless took his word for it.
"So..." Dante said, "Did your parents and you get along well before you turned into vampires?"
She looked at him. She was honestly surprised that he actually cared about her past, considering she was less important than he was. It didn't matter to Dante. They were both equal people in his eyes. They weren't different at all just because he's actually immortal and she's a vampire. That's what she liked about Dante. He was kind and caring towards everyone. Except for those who'd attack him, which, either way, is a terrible idea. And he could be indefinitely trusted.
"We did. It's just the power got to both of them really. Except my mother wasn't evil. She just wanted knowledge above all else. And my father... well my father was still the same but there were no arguments. But once all this happened, it just...shattered. Nothing was left. What about you? Oh! I'm sorry...I forgot that-"
"No no. That's all right. I just..."
"Well... Where are they now, if you were to guess?"
Dante looked away.
"If I were to guess, they were good people. And I miss them."
She then looked away.
"I'm sorry Dante."
He then looked at her again.
"Like I said, it's fine really. I'll eventually find out who my parents are and what happened to them. Besides, it was about time to talk about something anyway. All this walking without talking was getting bori- fuck me!"
Dante summoned his sword and lashed out in front of him.
"Ooooohhhhh shit that scared me!"
"What happened? What did you see?"
"You didn't see it?!"
"See what?"
"The ghost!"
Serana looked around, seeing multiple ghosts walking across the sands of the Carin.
"You do realize this is a realm full of ghosts don't you?"
"This wasn't just your average ghost here!"
"What made it so different?"
"It was white!"
"So?"
"So?! Look at all the other ones!"
Serana looked around, noticing a distinct difference.
"You're right. They're all purple. But I don't see the white ghost."
"What?! How?! He's right there!"
Serana looked at where Dante was pointing to see nothing.
"No ones there."
"He's right there!"
"No one is there!"
"How do you not see the fucking white-?!"
Serana had slapped Dante across the face, who only looked back past her towards the location of the ghost. Nothing was present.
"ghost over there..."
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Are you sure? I'll slap you again if-"
"No no no! I'm fine! Really!" Damn she can hit!
"Well I don't want to seem rude, but we should keep moving."
"Sure...let's uh..."
Dante looked back, seeing the white ghost from before. It was faceless, and wore white robes that matched its ghastly appearance. He wanted to Darkstep towards it and kill it, even attempt to kill it, but he decided against the idea.
"lets go." Calm down. It's just a figment of my imagination. Right? Oh shit. This is not good. Wait...since when have I been afraid of almost anything? It's a fucking ghost! Big deal! And if it's actually real, fuck that thing! It couldn't possibly do shit to me. Maybe? I don't fucking know at this point. Why do I keep saying fuck? What the fuck?! Oh shut up and walk!
The destroyed buildings seemed to get larger with each couple of yards Serana and Dante covered.
"Man...is it just me? Or is it getting harder to breath?"
"I'm fine. You're having a hard time breathing?"
"Yeah...nothing major but..."
Dante stopped dead in his tracks, staring directly ahead of him
"The ghost again?"
Dante only nodded as Serana sighed.
"Look, nothing's there. If it is, then its just your imagination."
"I...I don't know Serana it's just- holy shit it's walking this way!"
The apparition floated towards Dante, which caused the teen to slowly step back while summoning his sword.
"Step back!"
The specter only came closer.
"Step the fuck back!"
Dante struck at it, only for it to disappear and reappear behind the teen, who turned to find its ghostly hands grabbing his face. He struggled, grabbing its wrists while trying to push it off him.
"Dante, what's going on with you?!"
"Can't you see...this bitch...grabbing my face?!"
"What?! No! You're just grabbing your face!"
"What?!"
The ghost suddenly started to fade away as Dante saw his gauntleted hands grabbing his face. He took his hands away from his face and looked at them to see some bloodstains. From what Serana saw, Dante had dug the claws of his gaunlets into the skin of his face and dragged, making all sorts of jagged formations on his face until they healed within the next second.
"W-what happened? Did I-? Did I..?"
"We're leaving."
"What?"
"We're leaving!"
"Uh, no! We've come all this way! We're not leaving until we get that scroll! I don't care if I'm freaking out or not!"
"And let you hurt yourself?! Not even!"
"Just look at me! See my face?! The wounds are gone! I'm fine! We're moving on!"
Serana grabbed his arm before he could walk further.
"I just...I just don't think it's okay for you to get hurt because of my situations."
"It's fine! I can heal and I literally feel almost no pain whatsoever! Sure, if you stabbed me, I'd know you did because it would feel like if I got hit with a pillow or something soft like that!"
"It just seems wrong! I know you can take all that damage, but it feels inhumane!"
"Who cares if it's inhumane or not? As long as the jobs done, everything is gonna be alright!"
"But-!"
"No buts! We leave now!"
Serana still kept hold of his arm.
"Please...just...just-"
"Listen, I'm fine. For now. I just want to go and get this done before I go crazy again and try to kill myself, even if it's not possible."
"A-alright..."
She let go of his arm as he walked on the path once again, this time Serana following close behind.
After ten minutes of walking, Dante and Serana saw a large castle in sight. They both could see large beams of energy hitting three of the circular annexes of the castle from different distances. Dante grabbed his head, the headache worsening.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Let me do a quick scan of the place."
The teen took a deep breath, then cleared his mind as he focused on the presences. Only nothing showed up.
What...the...hell? Why can't I pick up on anything? Sure they're all dead, but they should still show up! No...it's not because of that... The scan didn't work at all! What the hell is going on?! This never happens!
"Are you alright?"
"No I'm fine...it's just...I can't scan anythings presence. It's like...its not working or something like that."
"And your presence scanner usually works all the time?"
"Basically... I have a hunch she's in the tower. So we should hit that first."
They both then quickly dashed towards what seemed to be the entrance, but Dante soon hit something invisible and bounced back in the sands while Serana slowed before she hit the barrier like her friend, practically touching it.
"Motherfu-!"
"Dante, are you alright?"
He quickly got up from the ground and brushed himself off.
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
That was an unexpected kick in the ass...ugh...why do I feel a little weaker all of the sudden? Damn it's getting harder to breath...
He should have seen if their was barrier or not. He then saw someone approaching from the darkness. It was someone dressed almost like Serana.
Is that her-?
"Mother?!"
"Serana? Is that you?"
"Yes it's me. What's going on?"
"Serana why are you here? First of all how did you get loose?"
"He saved me mother. And we're here for some information on an Elder Scroll."
"An Elder Scroll? Why? Has Harkon found a way to understand the prophecy?"
"We know of the prophecy and-"
"You brought a stranger here? Are you out of your mind?!"
"You don't-"
"You! Come forward! I would speak with you!" Serana's mother said pointing at Dante.
He approached closer to the barrier, partially intimidated.
"So how has it come to that a vampire hunter is accompanying my daughter? What makes you think you can travel with Serana under the guise of a protector in an effort to hunt me down?"
"First off, I saved her from your prison. Second, I've been keeping her safe from not only my faction, risking my life in the process, but also her father. If anything, I've been doing your job."
"This comes from someone who murders vampire for a trade. I find it hard to find your intentions noble. Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from recovering the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you."
"Don't you mean that you sacrificed Serana for your own selfish mission against your husband? Aren't you the one who put her in that prison just to protect an Elder Scroll?"
"You think I'd have the audacity to place my own daughter inside a tomb just for the protection of an Elder Scroll? The scroll is merely a means to an end. The key to 'The Tyranny of the Sun'...is Serana herself."
Say what?! She can't possibly mean-!
"What are you getting at?" Asked Dante, still a bit confused.
"When I fled castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The Scroll you found with Serana probably explained the Arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow. The second scroll declares that 'the blood of the Daughter of Coldharbour will blind the eye of the dragon."
"And this is relevant how?"
"We were human once, worshippers of Molag Bal. Tradition dictated that females be offered up on his day to undergo a trial. Those who survived, came out as a pure blooded vampire, thus creating the myth of The Daughters of Coldharbour."
"And Serana took part of this?"
"It was expected of her. Just as it was expected of me. Being selected as an offering is an honor. She wouldn't have dared turned her back on that."
"So the prophecy needs her blood in order to be complete..."
"Now you're beginning to understand why I took the other scroll as far away from her as possible."
"That's it? That was your master plan to 'save' Serana?!"
"If Harkon was able to obtain Auriel's Bow, and Serana's blood used to taint the weapon, the prophecy would be complete."
"I'm fully capable of stopping him!"
"And how do you exactly plan on stopping him?"
Dante only came to one and only one conclusion. He'd do what he does best.
"I'll kill Harkon if I have to!"
"If you believe that, then you're a bigger fool than I already suspected. Don't you think I considered that option before I enacted my plan?"
"And look how that turned out."
"You care nothing for Serana or our plight. Whether or not you're helping her, you're still a vampire hunter at heart. You're here because we're abominations in your mind."
"Shut up..."
"Even creatures that need to be destroyed."
"Shut the hell up! You don't know jack shit if you're telling me this! You think I'm some wild animal who'd kill on sight?! You're wrong! That's it! You think I'm just some dumb fucking animal who'd kill anything and everything I can get my hands on right?! I'd rather die than kill senselessly! Especially someone who's my friend!"
Serana's mother has stepped back a bit, hissing at Dante's words before turning to her daughter.
"Serana, he who aligns himself with those sworn to hunt our kind asks of me to entrust you to him."
"Dante has done more to help me in the short time I've known him more than you have over the centuries!"
"How dare you! I've given up everything I've ever cared for in order to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!"
"Yes, he's a fanatic. And yes, he's changed. Why can't you understand how any of this makes me feel?"
"Oh Serana...if only you opened your eyes...the moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, you'll be in terrible danger."
"So you're best option of protecting me was shutting me away from everything I cared about?! You never asked how it would make me feel! You just did it blindly without giving it a second thought! You two had different plans, different paths. But in the end, I'm nothing but just a pawn to you two. I want to be a family again. But I don't think we deserve that happiness. Maybe it isn't for us."
"Everyone deserves its Serana." Said Dante.
"Thank you Dante. Either way, we have to stop him before her goes too far. And to do that, we need the Elder Scroll."
Serana's mother turned away for a moment, signifying she was ashamed of her own actions.
"I'm sorry Serana...I didn't know. I didn't see... My hatred towards your father has blinded my actions and decisions. If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours. However..."
She turned her attention from Serana back to Dante.
"Your intentions are still unclear to me. But for Serana's sake, I will assist you in any way I can."
"Thank you. But what about this barrier?"
"Fortunately, you're in a position to deactivate the barrier from your side."
"What do I have to do?"
Serana's mother looked around and pointed behind Dante.
"See those three towers over there?"
Dante turned to look.
Ah. Now I understand what has to be done.
"I see. So those three towers act as the power conduits keeping the barrier up..."
"Exactly. The only way to shut them off is to defeat one boneyard keeper in each of the towers. But be warned. They are more than adequately skilled. One more word of warning. There's a dragon named Durhenviir that roams the Soul Carin. Be wary of him. He oversees the keepers and will intervene if you are seen as a threat."
"Thank you. We'll head-" before Dante could finish he fell to the ground on one knee, trying to take deep breathes.
Both his hands were on the floor. He felt sickish, and at the same time, actual pain, like his life was slipping away.
"Dante what's wrong?!"
"This place is effecting him greatly...how did he enter in the first place?"
"Just as he is now! He didn't do a partial soul gem transfer or become one of us!"
"But that's impossible...no human can enter and survive for so long...unless...if you are immortal like I think you are. What else has happened to him?"
"He was hallucinating earlier and kinda went crazy for a little while! What's happening to him?!"
"From what I've determined, Dante is an unusual type of immortal. He has human attributes, but yet he has some sort of different attributes all together. His human ones are his greatest attributes but are being effected as we speak, weakening him gradually. What else has happenned to him?"
"He wasn't able to use one of his powers before we got here!"
"I see...the Carin is not only effecting his mind and body, but his powers as well...you must quickly turn off these towers! It is unknown to me if this realm may or may not kill you, but it can still do permanent damage to you and make you gradually lose your powers! Hurry!"
"Serana... Step back..."
She did exactly what he requested while Dante's body was then covered with black energy before a massive explosion of the energy shot up into the sky in a large column. He had transformed into his darker selfs form with skin as black as the energy oozing from him, along with round, red, circlular eyes, leaving his white hair to be the only thing not black.
"Dante? What happened to you?"
"This is my other selfs form...it boosts my other attributes exponentially...but...I think it only bought me some time...from what I can guess. I can still feel myself...slipping away..." He replied in a distorted voice breathing heavily.
"Then go."
Dante nodded and Serana approached him. He took her into his arms and leapt into the air.
Dante...
You...again?
That's funny. If you don't want to be powerless in the next twenty minutes, or die for that matter, wanna be in three places at once?
What? Is such...a thing...possible?
Use your energy. Split it into two of yourselves and send them off in opposite directions. That way you have time to get to all the towers and get back. But be warned. These shadows are only half as strong as you are while drawing from your power as well.
In other words...the more copies of myself...that I make...the weaker I get...
Yes...as soon as the copies return to you, you'll be back to full strength instantly. But in your case...it'll only give you a bit more time back.
So if I...use this ability...I'll shorten my time...great... So one way or the other... both choices I'm thinking about right now...will maybe kill me a lot quicker...
Good luck Dante...
The voice was gone. A black flash occurred over Dante and he soon found himself looking at two more of himself flying next to him. He suddenly felt a lot weaker, but needed to act fast.
I hope this works...
He sent off both of his copies into the directions of the other towers while Dante went down the middle. His tower was strange. The teen could see a large portion of the tower floating in the air with a purple beam of energy being produced. Dante flew upwards towards the tower and then found himself being assaulted with lighting bolts and arrows of black flame. He dodged each one, but they soon coordinated all of their attack power at one spot on Dante. The teen used his energy to form a wall to block all of their attacks and flew right were they were perched. The teen then materialized his sword and discharged an energy wave upon the undead force as he landed on the platform and put Serana down, then used his own sight to track his copies. The first keeper had been successfully killed. He went to his other copy and looked. Same result.
It's all up to me now...
Dante and Serana ran up the stairs as quick as they could and since two of them weren't human, they were running incredibly fast up the stairs and soon reached their enemy. The keeper sat in a stone throne, dressed in armor that looked like bone. Specifically dragon bone. It was a skeletal creature. It's hollowed out eyes started to glow red as dark energy started to emit from the armor, making the skull look like it was on fire. It then arose from its throne and unsheathed its dragon bone sword and picked up its large shield, roaring as dark energy erupted from its body.
"Tch! I don't...have time for...this bullshit!"
Skeletons like before started to arise from bone piles and the beam from the tower started to fluctuate. The keeper pointed his blade towards the two as the bone men dashed at them, but Dante simply slashed at them once, releasing a deadly wave of air that sliced and tore the bone men to pieces. The keeper only watched Dante before it twirled its sword around and then banged it shield.
Dante simply pointed his sword at the keeper, saying, "Let's dance...bone-daddy!"
"Seriously?" Asked Serana.
"As I've told...others before you...I'm not good at insults." He said while groaning a bit.
Dante then dashed at his foe with a slash, only for his attack to be blocked, then followed up with a retaliating strike. Instead of getting hit, Dante Darkstepped above the keeper and stabbed down onto its shoulder. The keeper stabbed its blade in the ground and grabbed Dante, then tossed the teen. Dante simply made an air recovery by flipping and started to stand in the air. He then charged his blade with black energy and kept it charged so his strikes would do more damage as he brutally began tenderizing the creature and it's shield. The keeper eventually copied Dante's strategy and did the same, making the teen weaker and weaker with each strike.
Damn it... My strengths starting to fade... I'm not gonna last much longer if this keeps going... Need to end this...
After parrying the keepers attack, Dante hit its shield incredibly hard that it splintered into pieces while pushing back the Keeper, but it still maintained its stance. The keeper plunged its sword in the ground and started to roar. A circle of dark energy started form around the keeper and the energy soon began to overrun its body, forming bat like wings that sprouted from its back. When the dark energy passed, it was revealed that the white bone armor the creature wore had become completely black along with its blade. It grabbed its sword and flew towards Dante. All Dante did was back up into the air and clash with the keeper. Watching it all Serana was worried. She couldn't cast any spells to help Dante because they'd only end up missing or harming him accidentally. Dante and the undead keeper continued clashing, but then moved past each other for a few seconds. They both then turned around and released massive amounts of energy when they charged each other and let their blades collide. Dante leaned inwards towards the keeper as the the keeper did the same. For a moment, the keeper seemed to be pushing back Dante, but Dante soon mustered all the strength within him and began overpowering the keeper and eventually ended the clash, destroying the keepers blade. Dante then slashed the keeper upwards sending him flying in the air, followed by Dante Darkstepping higher than the keeper and then stabbed it through the chest area.
As they were heading towards the ground, Dante charged energy in his blade, then shouted, "Howling...Dark!" releasing a massive wave of energy that decimated the keeper before they both hit the ground.
Large amounts of sand and dust covered the area as the purple beam of energy disappeared from the tower and someone was arising from the smoke. It was Dante, who flew towards Serana, who then jumped off the tower as Dante grabbed her and started to fly back to the castle. Along the way, Dante's copies came back to him and suddenly Dante felt a little better, but the effects of the Soul Carin were still present. His vision started to darken slightly, telling Dante he only had a few minutes left. They finally reached the castle after a minute or so and saw the barrier had been turned off. Dante let go of Serana as he crashed into the ground, skidding in the sand as he held his chest.
Not much...time...
"Mother! The Elder Scroll!"
She signaled for them to follow her inside of the entrance. Dante stumbled up and followed the two inside, staggering, but suddenly stopped with them. He heard an all too familiar roar...
"Durenvhiir..." Said Serana's mother.
Dante soon stumbled in front of the mother and daughter and waited, looking into the air to find a dragon, with parts of its flesh missing and some bones revealed, swooping down to catch him. Dante simply charged his left hand with his black energy and punched the dragon, sending it into the ground, then grabbed the creature by its tail and tossed into the air after spinning it around three times. The white haired teen then jumped into the air after the undead dragon and punched it about thirty times before punching him once more, sending the dragon flying even higher. After Dante and the dragon had landed, the creature rose to its feet and started to breath purple fire towards Dante. The teen simply Darkstepped above Durenvhiir and let gravity do the rest as he fell on the dragon blade first. He then stabbed Durenvhiir in the head multiple times, then placed his hand on his long swords guard.
"Howling...Dark!"
Large amounts of Dante's energy flowed from his blade and disintegrated Durenvhiir, leaving nothing left of the dragon. Dante fell from the air and hit he ground hard, trying to get up but couldn't. Serana ran to him and helped raise him up as well as putting his arm around her.
"Dante?" Said Serana's mother.
All he could do at this point was look at her.
"If I give you this scroll I want you to promise to me you will keep my daughter safe. No matter what. Even if it costs your life."
He simply nodded, then weakly rose his hand and shook hers.
"It's...a promise...I intend...to keep."
She then let go and handed Dante the Elder Scroll.
"Dante, do you think you can take us back?"
"Expect... A bumpy ride."
He then handed Serana the Elder Scroll and then took her into his arms.
"Goodbye mother."
"Goodbye and take care. I will return to Skyrim once Harkon is dead."
After moving outside, Dante could see something forming on a crumbled building. Durenvhiir's body was reforming itself and had been complete after a few seconds. Dante didn't have much fight left in him and at this point he wasn't sure if he'd make it. He tried to Darkstep behind the dragon so he could quickly fly away, but couldn't.
Damn...it...no...choice...
The teen raised his sword up in the air, weakly saying, "Howling... Dark!"
He lashed out at the dragon with his blade, but no energy wave came forth.
Fuck...I...I can't...
"Do not be afraid. I have come back for speech."
"What do you...want from me?"
"I came to congratulate you... Dohvakiin."
"You know...who I am?"
"Yes. And I know that you have slain Alduin. Even word reaches the dead in different realms Dohvakiin."
Typical...
"So...what are you...here for?"
"I offer you the ability to summon me back in Tamriel or in any other world, wherever you may be. I have long dreamt of leaving the Carin for sometime. But since I am in service here I cannot leave unless summoned."
The dragon then formed letters into the ground for Dante to read. It was only Durenvhiir's name. He had only needed to shout his name to summon him.
"Good luck to you Dohvakiin. May I lead you out? It can be said that this place has effected you greatly."
"That'd be...preferable."
Durenvhiir lowered his head as Dante and Serana climbed on it's back, then lead them off to the portal. They reached the portal within a small amount of time as Dante and Serana got off the dragons back as Serana dragged the teen towards the portal.
"H...hurry..." Said Dante in a weak, distorted voice.
"I'm...trying! You're heavier than you...look!"
By this point, Dante's vision began fading in and out, constantly trying to look back as he saw Serana drag him closer to the portal. Dante closed his eyes completely as he heard Serana roar with effort. All of a sudden, Dante felt like his body was flying, then felt something hard hit his back as he stopped. Slowly, Dante opened his red eyes to see they made their way out of the Soul Carin. Within the next few seconds, the teen slowly transformed back into his normal, human form.
"We made it."
"And with the third Elder Scroll. We did it."
He got up from the ground with some help from Serana, taking the Elder Scroll she handed him while slinging it on his back.
"It's time to go back and ask the Moth Priest about how to read the scrolls."
"Are you okay enough to move?"
"Yeah...I'm feeling just peachy...good enough to fly after five minutes if that's alright with you."
As they mad their way out of the lab, Serana asked Dante, "So Dante, what do you plan on doing once you're finished here?"
"Go home if I can. I miss my friends and I haven't had root-beer in forever."
"Root-beer?"
"I'll explain some other time."
Serana and Dante returned to Fort Dawnguard, only to hear disturbing news.
"So you've gone blind Dexion?"
"Unfortunately so. One does tend to go blind after reading an Elder Scroll multiple times."
"So what else can we do?"
"You could read the scrolls yourself, but you would need to undergo the trials of the Moth Priest."
"So how do we undergo the trials? Can you tell me how?"
"Yes. Here, you will need this indefinitely."
He handed Dante a small carving knife. It looked like it was specifically made for carving trees.
"You must travel to the Ancestor Glade west of Falkreath. You will come about a cave. Go inside and gather bark from a Canticle tree and have at least three swarms of moths follow you. Afterwords, you will have undergone the trials of the Moth Priest."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Good. Thanks for everything Dexion."
"The pleasure is all mine Dohvakiin."
The priest walked off towards the library, leaving Dante and Serana alone.
"It's time for us to go too."
After an hour of flying, followed by being covered in moths, they finally found a cave revealed to them through the scrolls. Dante closed his eyes and opened his senses. He could feel the presence of many things inside the cave. What he wanted to do is map out the cave as best as he could so he can Darkstep into the deep parts. He used his energy to form the wall and structures and figures of people. He found one figure particularly curious. It looked like an elf but he couldn't be sure. What was important was that Dante had actually managed to map out the cave.
It looks like the caves real endpoint is where the elf might be...
He sighed and then Darkstepped while holding Serana, soon finding himself behind a rock. Dante used his invisibility power and looked over the rock.
Is that an elf? It's skin is pale as snow. Same with the hair...
He was dressed in some sort of armor that was white and had gold etching. The elf looked over at the rock where Serana and Dante were hiding. Dante could see that the elf was looking directly at him.
"I know you are present behind that rock. Come. I mean you no harm."
Dante made himself visible again and stepped out with Serana.
"Who are you?"
"I am knight paladin Gelebor. I am the last of the snow elves."
Serana quickly interjected, "You're a Falmer?"
"I'd prefer snow elf. Falmer is the term given to our fallen kind. Or as most call them the corrupted ones."
"So what do you do here Gelebor?" Asked Dante.
"I guard the way shrine of Auri-El. In today's modern world I believe it to be pronounced as Auriel."
"By chance, do you happen to have Auriel's bow?"
"I do. But first I must ask you to do a task for me."
"What's that?"
The snow elf approached Dante directly and had his hands behind his back.
"You must kill my brother Vrythur. I believe he too has become one of the corrupted. Not in body, but in mind."
"Why didn't you kill him instead of us having to?"
"He is still my brother. Also, I cannot leave the wayshrine unguarded. Will you do this for me? I promise you I will keep to my word."
Dante thought for a moment.
I could do this task and waste time. Or take the bow by force. Nah. I want a good workout. Plus this guy seems nice. I wouldn't want to do something I regret.
"Fine. You have yourself deal."
"Excellent. You must travel the path of the pilgrim in order to reach my brothers location. It is also required to achieve the bow."
Okay. So I couldn't have taken it by force even if I wanted to.
The elf smiled, as if he read Dante's mind. He then raised his hand and golden energy surrounded his hand. As he pointed to a star jutting out of the ground, in the next second, a tall white structure jutted from the ground. Their were five mirrors. Only one showed a dark path.
"You must carry this initiates ewer and keep the water inside. You must gather water from the other four way shrines and you can access his location. Simple no?"
Dante took the ewer which was filled a fifth of the way.
"If only." He replied.
Serana followed Dante into the mirror and looked in awe as he did. It might have been very dark, but the illumination that was present was natural. And beautiful. He covered the ewer in energy and dematerialized it so he wouldn't spill any water, making fights easier if they were necessary. Dante opened his senses and tried to map the area again.
Ah...there they are.
Dante could see five shrines and Darkstepped to the end of the cave with Serana and exited. It wasn't sunlight, but it was some sort of light. Dante took Serana's hand and dashed into the air towards the closest shrine. He could see something strange from below. He saw purple deer with white spots which puzzled the teen greatly. He then laid eyes on the first shrine. A ghost could see them coming and opened up the shrine. Dante landed, drew water and took off again. He did this for all the shrines until he appeared at the last one. He drew water and a small glow flashed once. Dante turned to see a structure that wasn't there before. And it was huge.
This has to be Vyrthur's location.
Dante could see a small pillar in front of a gate as he poured some of the water into the pillars cup, making the gates open. The two companions quickly ran inside and could see the entire place frozen inside. Dante could see frozen Falmer and giant frozen bugs.
"So you have arrived. Excellent."
Where did that come from? Was that Vyrthur?
Dante came upon a large white door etched with gold. There was another pillar to the left side of the door. Dante poured what water was left in the pillars cup and set the ewer down. The door made large clicking sounds and it finally unlocked, swinging wide open as Dante saw more frozen Falmer, at least fifteen from the count. The teen slowly walked towards the figure in the throne.
"So, you have arrived. And you've also brought a Daughter of Coldharbour. Excellent."
"What?"
"Don't you see by now boy? She's the key to all of this. She's the key to the prophecy. The key to my revenge on Auriel."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Leave her here and go. You've fulfilled your purpose."
"Can't do that. More importantly, I've come all this way..."
He then summoned his long sword and slashed downwards.
"I'm sure you have time to play a little, right Vyrthur?"
"Hahahahhaha! How easy it will be to subdue you!"
"Try it. Lets see how far you get against me."
Vyrthur raised his hand and pointed towards Dante. All the frozen figures came to life and gathered together. They encircled Dante and some jumped into the air. Dante slashed and hacked all the Falmer around him until he finally got to the last few. For the last remaining bit, Dante lashed out at the falmer, destroying their bodies with the sheer force of his strike. All Vrythur did was clap.
"Impressive display. But not enough."
He raised his hand and brought it down on Dante.
"Dante look out! He's trying to bring down the ceiling!"
It did fall but Dante simply slashed once, making the block cut into four pieces, then unleashed a small energy wave that hit Vyrthur.
"I tire of your efforts!"
He then was surrounded with large amounts of gold and red energy and disappeared. The entire chapel was rumbling as Dante could see a large portion of the ceiling loosening where Serana was. It then started to fall as Dante dashed as fast as he could towards her, pushing her out of the way. Serana tried to grab his hand as she was pushed out of the way but missed. The ceiling fell and Serana was safe. She got up and in panic, started tearing through the ruble to find Dante.
"Dante..."
A black, gauntleted hand bursted from the stone pile. Serana helped by clearing the ruble off of Dante as he poked his head out.
"This is ouch multiplied by a thousand if I were normal. Or I'd just be dead. Either way, I'm not."
"Are you alright Dante? Can you move?"
He just nodded.
"We have to deal with him still, lets go."
She helped Dante up as they both approached Vrythur, who held his side.
"I'm gonna be feeling little tingles for a couple more seconds because of that little roof stunt you pulled, which really pissed me off ass-clown. Ready to become minced meat?" Said Dante as he grabbed Vrythur by his armor, raising him in the air.
"You...cannot win...you...must not...win..."
"And why's that?"
"I...must...have my...revenge."
"Might as well ditch the efforts, because you can't touch a god. As much as you wish you could, it's never going to happen. So..."
Dante thought about tossing the snow elf over the ledge, but before he could, Vyrthur teleported behind Serana and trapped her in a magical field. Dante took a good look into his eyes.
Those eyes...
"You're a vampire aren't you? You weren't corrupted by the Falmer...you just accumulated vampirism. Auriel must have cursed you as well, right?"
"To think you would know...the hardship I endured during these long years... Surrender your weapon and you can leave, Or, I kill her now..."
Dante thought carefully what to do. One idea did come to mind. But it was down right crazy.
"Alright. I'll give you my weapon and go."
Serana was surprised. He was abandoning her? Dante summoned his sword and tossed it towards Vyrthur. He hesitated for a moment and only focused on Dante's blade, while the teen then Darkstepped towards Vrythur, punching him into a wall with great force. Serana was let go, but the barrier still held. Dante quickly grabbed his sword backhand style, then did three slashes which formed a triangle on the barrier, cutting it. The barriers triangle started to fall out as Dante quickly dashed towards Vyrthur, who's body was falling from the wall. The teen turned his back on Vyrthur as he pulled his sword past his face, giving off a shine, then stabbed Vyrthur in the chest and let his body fall further on his blade. Serana started to fall, which caused Dante to quickly pull his sword out from Vyrthur's chest, dropped his sword and caught Serana before she fell. Vyrthur simply fell to the ground, dead.
"You didn't think I'd abandon you did you?"
"I admit I was surprised at first, but then I saw you smile. At that point I knew you had a plan."
Dante looked at Vyrthur's body as he dematerialized his sword, while also giving his body a light tap with his foot to make sure he was actually dead. A white glowing flash happened behind Serana and Dante as a way shrine jutted out from the ground. Gelebor stepped through.
"So it is done. Thank you."
"He wasn't corrupted by the Falmer like you thought he was."
"Really? Then what happened to him?"
"He was a vampire."
"A vampire?!"
"Yeah. Done and done. All taken care of. Now, I don't mean to be rude..."
"Ah yes the bow. I have spoken with Auri-El. He has seen your heart and spirit and has deemed you worthy of his bow. Also as a token of my gratitude, I give you Sunhallowed Elven arrows. The constant power of the sun is contained within them."
"Perfect against a vampire no? But we need some elven arrows. Have any?"
Gelebor presented both of his hands and and two arrow containers appeared. He handed them to Dante who then dematerialized them. Gelebor then pointed his hand at the way shrine and the bow appeared, floating in the air. Dante extended his arm as the bow floated towards him. It was majestic in every way and shape.
The bow of a god...
Dante dematerialized the bow.
"Thanks Gelebor."
"No need to thank me, Dohvakiin."
"How did you-?"
"Word reaches even here. I do speak with Auri-El after all."
"Figures. Well then, this is goodbye."
"Just a moment. Let me transport you outside of the cave."
"Oh. Well that made my day a little bit easier."
Gelebor invited the two into the way shrine and made it teleport. They were outside in the next instant. Dante and Serana stepped out into the cold night. Gelebor simply nodded and as the shrine disappeared.
"Now we're almost there."
"Dante, you do realize he'd want to use the bow once we get there right?"
"I know. But we'll be ready for him. I have a plan."
"What did you have in mind?"
"I'll give you the ability to dematerialize the bow, therefore giving you the actual bow. I'll use my energy to create a copy of the bow and if he asks for it I'll refuse. Once I have him in a tight spot you use the actual bow with the Sunhallowed arrows and boom, we have fried fish."
"That almost sounds like a great plan. But we need to be careful. My father is just as skilled in necromancy as my mother."
"That's why I have you. You deal with anything that's going to interfere with me and Harkon. Now lets get a move on. It's time we ended this."
He picked up Serana and they took off into the air.
Can he do it? Can he really defeat my father? He's defeated everyone that faced him. I have faith in him. I'm ready to face my fears.
Dante and Serana had an easy time getting back to the fort. Dante saw Isran and materialized Auriel's Bow, which amazed even him.
"The bow... You have Auriel's Bow! I've heard it described in tales, but I could never have imagined it's beauty."
"I need your help with storming Harkon's castle."
"Indeed. The day hasn't been won while Harkon still walks Tamriel. But what of Serana? Can she be trusted to lift a blade against her own kind? Her own family?"
"I already told you this once Isran. I trust her."
"I suppose that's as much as I can hope for. Let me address the Dawnguard, and then we'll be off. The men deserve to know that we've finally gained the upper hand. Everyone! Gather round! Come on then, we haven't got all day!"
The small army of the Dawnguard gathered in the main room after a minute or two, enabling Isran to start his speech.
"For too long we've allowed these vampires to poison the night and kill our people! Now, we finally have the means to strike back! We now have Auriel's Bow. The gods themselves have favored us and we must answer with action! The time has come to finally put an end to Harkon and his unholy prophecy! We will march on their lair and destroy those wretched abominations so they can no longer corrupt our world! This is our fight and this is our fate!"
The members cheered as they all filed outside. Istan then turned to Dante.
"It's time we take the fight to their door. Gather your things and rest well, my friend. We meet outside Castle Volkihar. We're done with this when none of them are left standing. Let's go."
"Actually, I have a plan for that."
The Danwguard army had walked towards Castle Volkihar's bridge and waited at Isran's command. They looked on to see a small army of vampires had gathered along with bunches of hell hounds and gargoyles at their side. The Dawnguard troops were intimidated, but nonetheless stood their ground.
"Steady men!" Said Isran.
The vampires snarls filled the air with fear before the leader of the vampire army shouted, "Kill them all!"
The vampires made their way across the bridge, closing in on the army.
"Steady!" Shouted Isran.
The army waited and waited as the undead advanced closer. Out of nowhere, Dante had appeared in front of the vampire army in a stream of black energy with a grin on his face. They stopped for a second, almost confused about what happened, which gave Dante the opportunity he needed.
"Howling Dark!"
The teen lashed out and unleashed a massive wave of black energy that decimated the miniature army of undead in a matter of seconds. Isran then approached Dante.
"That was your brilliant plan?!"
"Hey, they're dead, you're not. Either way, we should only meet a small amount of resistance inside the castle. But it will be their strongest vampires, so we need to be careful still. You and your army will take care of those guys while Serana and I slip through and go for Harkon. Sound good?"
"Do what you need to do."
Dante grinned devilishly as he kicked down the large castle doors and ran towards the cathedral with Serana. The two looked back as the Dawnguard swarmed the castle and began their real fight.
"Ready to go in?" Asked Dante.
Serana only gave him a nod, which told Dante a different story.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"I need to do this. That's why I'm going with you."
"Alright. But remember the plan. We can do this."
"I know."
Dante had kicked down the doors to the cathedral, which flew past Harkon, who stood at the blood altar.
"Lucy! I'm home!" Shouted Dante.
"Was that necessary?" Asked Serana.
"What's wrong with adding a little dramatic flair and a little joke?"
Serana only shook her head as Dante only shrugged his shoulders, then glance at Harkon. He had transformed into his vampire lord form.
"So, you've returned. Is your... pet keeping you entertained?"
"You know why we're here."
"Of course I do. You disappoint me, Serana. You've taken everything I provided for you and thrown it all away for this... pathetic being."
"Provided for me? Are you insane? You've destroyed our family. You've killed other vampires. All over some prophecy that we barely understand. No more. I'm done with you. You will not touch him."
"So, I see this dragon has fangs. Your voice drips with the venom of your mother's influence. How alike you've become."
"No...Because unlike her, I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore."
"And you..." he said turning to Dante.
"Yes?"
"It appears I have you to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before she'd return with hatred in her heart."
"Your kind is a blight on this world. No offense to you and any other good vampire." Said Dante turning to Serana.
"None taken." She replied.
"Yes, yes. Always the noble vampire hunter. And what happens when you've slain me? Is Valerica next? Is Serana?"
"I would never lay a hand on Serana. Besides, this is more than about killing vampires. The only vampire I'm here to kill, and will ever kill, is you." Said Dante pointing towards Harkon.
"Ah, of course. The prophecy. You've come here to stop me from taking Auriel's Bow and shrouding the world in darkness. It is interesting that you can set aside your morals when it suits you."
"Only when killing monsters like you."
"Hahahahahahaha! You assume you can kill me?! How delightful! For that, instead of killing you right now, I'll give you a single chance to turn over the bow to me. There will not be a second. To be truthful, I'm growing weary of speaking to you and my traitorous daughter."
Serana looked at Dante and he at her. He simply smiled, then winked while summoning the bow.
"You want this?"
Harkon extended his hand. Dante then took the bow and snapped it on his knee.
"Well too bad fugly."
Harkon roared and released shock waves of energy that knocked Serana off her feet and made Dante cover up. He opened up and found Harkon upon him. Dante blocked but felt himself fly on contact. Harkon smashed the teen into the ground, but Dante kicked Harkon in the face, sending him off him only to see the vampire dashing towards him. Dante knew blocking would making him fly again. But before he could think of anything else, Harkon grabbed Dante and tossed him into a pillar near Serana. The white haired teen arose from the ruble to see Harkon's hands overflow with blue energy. The energy then separated into salvos and hit the bone piles scattered across the room that caused the bones to arrange themselves together and formed large amounts of skeletons in the room. Dante helped Serana up, who summoned lighting in her left hand and fire in her right, who then shot out gouts of the two at the skeletons. Harkon then shot a red orb of energy from his palm that went for Serana, but Dante jumped in front of her and took the hit. It wasn't painful at all, but Dante felt incredibly weak, like his life was drained from that orb. He saw it now. His right hand was the one that shot the orb and his left held the necromantic powers. At least he knew more of what he was dealing with. Dante transformed into his shadowy form and dashed at Harkon full speed, who used his claw to clash with Dante's blade, creating sparks all around them. The teen manage to push Harkon back and slashed down on his chest. Harkon recovered instantly and shot out multiple orbs. Dante slashed all of them in rapid movements and discharged an energy wave. Little did Harkon know that Dante had Darkstepped behind him and discharged another energy wave. Harkon blocked both waves, but found that Dante had kicked him in the back straight into a third energy wave. Both of them were hit.
Dante fell from the smoke and rolled towards Serana as Harkon roared while rising into the air, summoning hundreds of arrows of bone around Dante and Serana. Serana simply stepped back a bit, but not Dante. He readied his sword and got into a low stance. Harkon then motioned his hands for the blades to fall. Dante had jumped into the air and began slashing rapidly all around him, parrying each bone that came his way. He kept going faster and faster and faster as the bones came faster. The final amount of arrows started to descend and Dante twirled around, letting his blade knock off each one. He then took a knee for a moment and looked up to be blasted in the face with another red orb. Serana looked up to find her father ready to grab Serana. Dante jumped and grabbed Harkon's left hand and cut it off. Harkon used his right hand and stabbed Dante through the stomach, reaching all the way to his back, grabbing Dante's spine. The teen was scared for a moment, thinking it was over if the vampire broke his spine. However hard he tried though, Harkon wasn't able to.
"Having troubles?" Asked Dante with a grin on his face As blood trickled down his mouth.
Harkon growled and decided to toss him instead, but Dante quickly grabbed Harkon as he tossed him, resulting both of them to fly into the wall. Serana summoned Auriel's bow and summoned an arrow, drawing it back while waiting for Harkon to come out of the dust. Harkon then rose into the air once more and Serana released her arrow. The arrow hit Harkon in his chest and exploded rays of suns from impact. The white haired teen smashed through the rubble that covered him and stabbed Harkon in the back, then pulled out his sword form Harkon's back as he Darkstepped towards Serana, who handed Dante the bow as Dante summoned an arrow. Harkon cast a shield of his own blood, thinking it would protect him from the arrow. Dante held his breath and focused some of his black energy into the bow and arrow, then released. The arrow flew through the air and penetrated Harkon's shield, hitting Harkon directly in the heart. The rays of sunlight exploded from the impact area and Harkon's body turned into large amounts of bats that flew everywhere around the room, then came together to form Harkon's body in front of the blood spring. The pale, monstrous form of Harkon started to emit a red fire all around his body.
"No... Serana... your own father..."
The rest of Harkon burst into flames and disappeared, revealing only Harkon's red bones. The bones then turned into a pile of red ash and fell to the floor while a sword also dropped from the deforming skeleton. It was a katana from what Dante could tell. Dante limped towards the ash pile and grabbed the sword. It was a darkened, crimson blade with a guard composed of four serrated angles. Dante could feel the magic and evil within the sword.
"Finally...it's over." said Serana tearfully.
"Yeah... Are you okay?"
"Not really. I know we just ended a major threat and all but, he was still my father in a way. The better question is if you're okay."
"I'll live. But damn was it weird when he grabbed my spine."
He shuddered at the thought of someone touching his spine, then winced as he got down on one knee and presented Harkon's sword.
"I believe this belongs to you."
Serana slowly reached out but soon pulled away her hand.
"I can't Dante. I...I still feel some of his evil within that sword."
Dante looked at her with surprise.
So she felt it too...
"So you felt it too?"
"You mean you also..."
"I did. That's why I wanted to give it to you. To see what you wanted to do with it."
Dante rose from the ground as he and Serana walked towards the exit of the broken cathedral. They opened the door and found all of the vampires of the castle either dead or in the process of being killed.
"I assume Harkon's dead then." Said Isran walking towards them.
"I... I suppose this is difficult for you."
"I think my father really died a long time ago. This was just... the end of of something else. I did what needed to be done. Nothing more."
"I think perhaps... I think you did more than that. You have my thanks."
He then turned his attention back to Dante.
"So, the beast is destroyed. Not only that, but Auriel's Bow is in safe hands. The Dawnguard will now be dedicated to safeguarding it, making sure that prophecy will never come to pass. You've served Skyrim well. Even with these vampires gone, the fight isn't completely over. Once we're settled back in at the fort, there will be more work to do. We'd be honored to have you join us."
"That's a maybe. I wanna see if I can go back home first. If not, I'll see about it."
Isran walked off, leaving Serana and Dante alone.
"So...now that that's done with, what now?" Asked Serana.
"Wanna go into Solitude to see what kind of trouble we can get into?" Asked Dante.
"Gladly."