Jump Chain Gothic 7 - Skyrim 1 - Dawnguard
Part 9
Fort Dawnguard.
The trip back to Fort Dawnguard had gone without any sort of problems, as while there were no shortage of bandits and monsters around there wasn't much they could do someone who drove around in a tank.
I had re-entered Fort Dawnguard while very much looking forward to cleaning up and resting after my latest mission. I'd also taken the time to recover the ring of Pure Mixtures on the way back to the fortress, and while I felt a little bad for not giving it to that old woman in Dawnstar, I knew that Morgana would get more use of it.
Thankfully Isran had granted us some time to get some sleep before the Moth Priest took a look at the Elder Scroll. There had not been away of telling when a warm bed would be available to me again so I'd taken the chance to get a solid eight hours of sleep while I could. As a Force User I could keep going for days without sleep, but I was more worn out than normal.
While at the fort Serana stayed close to me as much as possible, as clearly she didn't trust Isran nor the rest of the Dawnguard for that matter. In turn they avoided her at all cost. A few of them even acted as she wasn't even there.
That had made it tricky to fall asleep last night, as she'd been in the room with me, but I had somehow managed to close my eyes even while a vampire was in the room. It helped a lot that Cameron had been there to keep an eye on the vamp.
While we'd made up Morgana had still slept in a different room than me, and had spent most of the night performing alchemy experiments. Not that I blamed here as there was a lot of stuff for her to study.
Now I was in Irsan's study, standing around while waiting for the Moth Priest to do this thing
"I'm impressed you could find a Moth Priest so quickly" the leader of the Dawnguard said.
Isran had a strange way of making people feel as though they were being reprimanded when he was actually complimenting them.
"Is everything ready?" I asked.
Isran nodded.
"For the reading? Yes" he told me "Just let the old man know when you're ready".
I looked over at Dexion who smiled at me as he finished mentally preparing himself to read the scroll.
"Did these guys treat you okay?" I asked.
Dexion's smile became less cheery.
"It's not exactly the hospitality I'm used to" he told me "but your friend Isran has seen to my needs well enough. And might I add, this is a remarkable fortress. I have colleagues back home that would love to study this place in detail".
Since I wasn't planning on staying any longer in this reality than I needed to as the dragons might still end this world I wasn't going to concern myself with the Dawnguard's future any more than I had to, even if I somehow ended up in charge. So if someone got around to studying this place or not, it was none of my business.
"Are you prepared to read the scroll?" I asked.
His smile let me know he was before he said anything
"Oh, most certainly!" the old man answered "Let me find out what secrets the scroll can tell us"
Serana reached out and handed Dexion the Elder Scroll. Dexion held the scroll at arms length and glanced around the room. He was nervous, as he should be. Reading the scroll, it would cost him something of that I was sure. Most likely his eyesight.
"If everyone could please be quiet." Dexion requested, "I need to concentrate".
He unrolled the scroll and began describing what he saw.
"I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon!" Dexion exclaimed. "It is Auriel's Bow!
With a glance Serana indicated to me she too knew about the bow. I also did, and since I wasn't surprised to hear it mentioned in the scroll I didn't react.
"Now a voice whispers, saying 'Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise'" Dexion said, his voice rather chilling.
There was no mistaking what that meant or whom the scroll was talking about.
"In an age of strife, when the dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night will be as one" the priest then said.
The dragon part made it clear that Harkon was going to act soon as this was an age of dragons, however we still didn't know exactly what his plan was. Even I only knew that it involved using a magic bow and Serana's blood, and that this would somehow blot out the sun, I really wished that I'd played through the DLC more than one. Even my enhanced memory had trouble recalling events in a video game that I'd last played decades ago.
"The voice fades and it's words begin to… shimmer and distort" Dexion whispered.
By the sounds of things he was straining to hear whatever it was the scroll was telling him.
"But wait, there is more here" he then said. "The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, and it is recorded in another scroll".
Dexion paused for a moment.
"Yes, I see it now. It speaks of the potency of ancient blood" Dexion informed us.
He wasn't done just yet, but he was close.
"My vision darkens," he was now saying "And I see no more".
He sounded as if he was sad that the reading had ended.
"To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other scroll" we were then told.
That was when I noticed that reading the scroll already seemed to have taxed the priest. He looked pale and very tired.
"I must rest now. The reading has made me weary" Dexion said with a sigh.
At least we had an idea of what to do next. Although I had no idea where to look for an Elder Scroll. Actually that wasn't true I knew where there was an Elder Scrolls, but that was the one the Dragonborn would go after.
I dimly recalled something to do with the Soul Carin, but that was all I had on the subject. I really should have added more to the files back when I'd been in the Mass Effect verse, but to be fair I had detailed information on hundreds of settings.
"Come on old man, let's get you to bed" Isran said, with surprisingly kindness.
As the Dawnguard leader lead the priest out of the room, I turned to look at Serana.
"Something on your mind?" I asked.
She nodded
"Dexion said we needed another Elder Scroll. I think I know where we can start looking" Serana told me.
I was glad to her that, but also a little confused.
"Why didn't you say something earlier?" I wondered.
I soon got an answer.
"Half the people in this fortress would just soon kill me as talk to me" she pointed out "You didn't even invite me into your bed last night. I did everything short of throwing myself at you, and you have your weird metal girl watching me".
I didn't know what to say at this point. Clearly Serana knew that I had a very open marriage. Jump Chan must have given her the full upload.
"You know I've been without company for centuries" the vampire was now saying "A woman has needs".
She sighed before speaking again.
"I've gotten more affection from my father, than anyone else since I woke up, and that's saying something" she then said.
Sensing an opportunity to direct the conversation away from matters of sex I grasped it.
"What is it between you two?" I inquired "I get that you don't like your father, but I think there's more going on between you than a difference of opinion".
My own father than been absent for almost my entire life, but I knew enough about the relationships between fathers and children to know that Harkon was not going to get a Number One Dad mug anytime soon.
"Ever since he decided to make that prophecy his calling in life, we have kind of drifted apart" Serana said "I don't think he even sees me as his daughter anymore. I'm just a means to an end for him".
I was now having sympathetic feelings towards her. I didn't like it as she was a vampire, and for all my alterations I was still basically human, and to a vampire a human was walking, talking meal.
"Anyways, we need to find my mother, Valerica" the female vampire was now saying "She'll definitely know where it is. And if we're lucky, she'll have it with her".
I now had a question.
"Do you know where your mother went?" I asked.
Serana seemed unsure.
"The last time I saw her, she said that she'd go somewhere safe… somewhere that my father would never search. Other than that, she wouldn't tell me anything" she reported "But the way she said it 'someplace he would never search', It was cryptic, yet I think it was a clue".
She then went on to say more.
"But I can't imagine a single place that my father would avoid looking" Serana said with a shrug "Or at least send his lackeys to search".
A smile crossed my face when I figured it out. I only vague memories of the DLC, but it was enough.
"She's at your father's castle" I told the vampire "Hiding right under his nose. He'd never both looking in his own house".
Serana's eyes widened
"There's a courtyard in the castle. I used to help her tend the garden there. All the ingredients for our potions came from there. She used to say that my father couldn't stand the place" the vamp said "I don't think she's there, but she might have left a trail for me to follow".
Hopefully my few memories of the game were correct. Finding her mother did involve a sundial and a garden I was sure.
"They aren't going to let me walk in through the front door" I pointed out "Not that I would be stupid enough to try".
Serana snorted in amusement.
"True" she agreed "But I know a way we can get to the courtyard without causing an alarm. There's an unused inlet on the northern side of the island that was used by the previous owners to bring supplies into the castle. An old escape tunnel from the castle exits out there. I think that's our way in".
Sneaking into places was something I could do.
"I'll need to gather a few things and then we'll be off" I decided as we made our way back to the room I'd slept in last night "Hold on we don't have to swim, do we?"
The vampire was amused.
"Yes we will" she told me.
I could swim, but I really didn't want to if I could avoid as the water in Skyrim was freezing cold. Also Cameron couldn't swim, so I would have to use my powers to levitate her, or maybe I could leave in the warehouse, and recover her once we inside the castle and could find a door. She might be able to climb out of the water like before, but there was no need for that if it could be avoided.
(Line Break)
Harkon's Castle. Skyrim.
I gingerly moved into the water and grimaced as the cold penetrated my skin. From behind me I heard Serana giggle, she found my discomfort to amusing for some reason, and to make thing worse she wasn't effected by the cold.
Forestwind and Cameron weren't here as I'd put Cameron into stasis inside the warehouse, and Forestwind was off on a mission to gather alchemy supplies. Which wasn't as important as this quest, but since we'd be entering the Soul Carin I didn't think it was a good idea to take the Bosmor with me. Besides I could look after myself.
When we got out of the water I saw a few roaming skeletons, some sort of zombie guard, but they weren't very effective so I figured they'd been placed here a while ago, and then forgotten about. Serana dispatched them quickly and reanimated the skeletons before I'd finished drying myself off with the towels I'd replicated just this morning.
"Nicely done" I praised.
I then quickly took my armour out of my bag and put it back on. Serana disapproved of this judging by her expression, she clearly been without sex for a good long while if a nearly naked half frozen man was a thrill to look at.
Not long after we got inside the castle I heard a guttural growl echoed through the tunnel, and soon a vampire leaped out at us. The vampire had a mace which it used to shatter the skeletons in short order.
Then it came after us. Serana moved quickly to one side, dodging a lunging attack. She continued to dance around the vampire's attacks until she saw an opening. Then she drove a knife, that she'd picked up somewhere along the way, into the vampire's heart. Unlike a living being, the vampire did not bleed to death, rather it began dissipating into ash.
"I thought we came this way so we wouldn't trip any alarms" I said "or run into anyone".
Senara smirked.
"Trust me if my father knew we were here we'd already have been captured" she said.
Rather than exchange any more words the two of us continued to creep through the cobweb filled hallways. Along the way we dispatched a few zombies and skeletons, but there was no real resistance.
I soon realised that the creatures we'd encountered were not in fact guards, they were actually the dregs of the vampire society. The undead things down here had been abandoned long ago, left to rot until we destroyed them.
Finally, we came upon a barren courtyard, and I noticed how disheartened Serana looked at this discovery.
"Oh no…" she said quietly "What happened to this place?".
It had been neglected for some time judging by the state of the place. Serana stared silently, unable to say or do anything. I guess that this place had really set into perspective just how long she had been gone.
"This was my mother's garden" the vamp said "She would have hated to see it like this,"
What had my attention was the massive sundial that was set in the stone floor. It was a little tarnished and some of the hour markers were missing.
As I looked at the hour markers more closely, I could see each of them reflected the waning and waxing of the moon. Which made sense as vampires didn't like sunlight, so a normal sundial would be useless to them. Which I figured made this some sort of moon dial.
"Something's wrong with the moon dial" my vampire ally said, confirming that I'd named the object correctly "Some of the crests are missing and the dial is askew. I didn't even know the crests could be removed".
Serana stared at it a moment, and I could tell that she was deep in thought.
"Maybe my mother's trying to tell us something?" the living dead girl mused.
What that could be I didn't exactly know, my memories of all this were hazy as ever, but I was sure that this object was the key.
"Let's start by finding the pieces" I suggested "then we can try solving the puzzle".
Serana looked at me and nodded, before she started looking around.
It didn't take us long to find the pieces and once all of them were placed, Serana began twisting them in place. Finally something stirred. The moon dial began to move on its axis and stairs were revealed.
"A passageway. I should have expected nothing less," Serana said, while shaking her head in amusement.
Quickly we made our way down the stairs and soon we ended up moving through what remained of a dining hall filled with gargoyles and skeletons. The skeletons were all sitting at the table. Only they didn't remain sitting for long.
I had no trouble breaking the skeletons apart with my mental powers, I blasted them against the walls, the floor and sometimes the ceiling.
Next some gargoyles joined in with the fun. Serana's ranged magic dealt with them easily enough. When her mana started running low I finished the gargoyles off by using my telekinetic powers to hit with bits of the furniture.
After dealing with few more pesky skeletons and monsters, we found another smaller dining hall, as well as more gargoyles, and I was left wondering why this castle had so many dining rooms, but then I realised the servants, guards and nobility must have eaten separately.
At least all these doorways allowed me to enter the warehouse and recover Cameron. For this outing she'd decided to wear her Dawnguard armour, as I had, with an layer of Kull Warrior material under it, also like me.
As for weapons, she was carrying her enchanted blade, a Mass Effect pistol which used incendiary rounds, and her new crossbow. She explained that while vaporising our foes was effective there was an increased chance of friendly fire now that I spend some much time fighting with my lightsaber or sword while in confined spaces.
Which I didn't argue with as my defences might not prevent me from being vaporised. Plus we were going through power cells at an alarming rate, and we didn't have unlimited resources. Heat sinks were much easier to replicate.
Before long we entered through a raised and rusted iron gate, we found the ruins of what I would call a church. At the heart of it was a broken statue. This was an odd thing to find in a castle full of vampires as holy places made them uncomfortable.
Then I remember that Serana's family hadn't always been vampires and they hadn't always worshipped Molag Bal, at some point in the distant past they would have worshipped the Divines like most other people did.
Plus I remembered Serena mentioning that the castle had former residences. They must have been a powerful lot to create such a large fortress. I wondered if they had ways of building fortresses in this world that involved magic.
"Hold on was this a temple to Mara?" I asked.
Serana looked around the room and nodded, but said nothing on the topic. Not that she really needed to as the symbol of that goddess could be seen on the altar. I'd played Skyrim enough to know it when I saw it.
"There should be a switch somewhere" the vampire then told me.
I walked around the room, and soon found the switch, which I used to open up another hidden passage, this place seemed to have as many Hogwarts, in fact given how large this hidden part of the castle was it shouldn't have gone unnoticed by the people living in it, so I wouldn't be surprised if magic had been used to hide it. Perhaps magic had even made this section of the castle bigger inside than it was without.
The room that lay inside was some sort alchemist's lab. At the centre of the room was a metal device similar to the moon dial from the courtyard only much larger.
"Look at this place" the vamp at my side called out in wonder "This has to be it! I know she was deep into necromancy, but I had no idea she had a setup like this!".
Serana was marvelling at the room, which was filled with alchemy supplies both common and rare if I was any judge. Also there were also bookshelves along one of the corner walls that were completely filled with musty books.
What interested me was the mammoth skull that was mounted on one of the walls, it was bigger than the doors so I wondered how it had gotten into the room. I also wondered what had happened to the rest of skeleton. Then I decided that I really didn't want to know.
When I turned to glance at Serana I found that she was looking over the alchemy lab as well as the stocked shelves
"Look at all this," she said, sounding completely blown away "the potions I could make".
She then looked down at the circular design at the centre of the room.
"And what's this thing?" she asked herself "I'm not sure about this circle, but it's…something."
Then she faced me.
"Let's look around. There has to be something here that tells us where she's gone," Serana said, "My mother was meticulous about her research. If we can find her notes, there might be something that can tell where she has gone".
(Line Break)
Harkon's Castle. Skyrim.
"Gothic come see what I found" Serena requested.
I went over to the vampire and saw that she had found a collection of notes.
"My mother has gone to the Soul Cairn," Serana said ominously.
I couldn't recall much about it.
"What is the Soul Cairn?" I asked the vamp.
Rather than answer right away she reached into her pouch of holding and pulled out an empty soul gem, which she then held it out for me to look at.
"This is soul gem" she said "I assume you know what they are for".
I nodded to confirm that I did.
"Ever wonder where the souls inside these go after they're used?" Serana enquired.
Truthfully I hadn't spent much time thinking about such things. I tried not to as I knew that the souls captured didn't end up in nice afterlife. Which was why I'd only captured vampires souls as I knew that they ended up in Cold Harbour, and that was a basically Hell, so sending them to a different Hell didn't bother me.
"Basically when a soul gem is used to enchant something the soul is transferred to the Soul Carin and in exchange you get an enchanted object" it was explained.
I understood.
"So your mother went to the place that souls go to when someone uses a soul gem" I summarised "but she went there physically".
Serana nodded.
"We need to gather some ingredients" the vamp went on to say "It appears my mother was able to create a portal to the Soul Cairn. I should have foreseen this, she was also so obsessed with the place"
She paused for a moment and then grimaced.
"From what I understand, the Soul Cairn is a terrible place" she was now saying "My mother went there to escape my father and to protect me. Gothic, I can't ask you to follow me there".
I didn't see the big deal. Besides how bad could the Soul Cairn be?
(Line Break)
The Soul Cairn.
There was a cold wind that seemed to be blowing through my body more than around it, but that didn't trouble me nearly as much as how the place looked. The swirling purple sky was filled with clouds that were unnatural in my view. The ground was little better as this place was lifeless.
Out in the distance looked to be a vast ruined city, but it was hard to tell due to all the haze. Purplish light flowed from the towers to the sky. I could even make out what looked like large fragments of rock floating in the air.
While we had only just crossed into the Soul Cairn I already questioning this decision. I was now starting to feel weaker as if something was leeching my strength, but I didn't let that stop me from doing what we'd come here to do.
I decided not to reach for the Force as I didn't think it would exist here, and I didn't want to know what that absence felt like. I didn't my best to shut down all but the normal senses a human had in order to better deal with the effect this place had on me.
"Are you alright" Serena asked me.
I only nodded in reply.
"Why is it I don't believe you?" she then asked "I know something is wrong. Talk to me".
I explained the problem and for a moment I thought that Cameron would drag me out of this place, but she took no action, she didn't seem affected at all. I wondered if that meant she was a soulless thing.
Rather than talk about that I looked around and saw what I guessed to be a path.
"Let's just get going" I said "The sooner we find your mother the better",
As we travelled I saw a few of the lost souls that wandered the Soul Cairn. None of them bothered us, which was good because right now I was in no state to fight.
"What are you going to say to her?" I asked Serana, more to distract myself than anything else "Your mother I mean. She did lock you away for centuries. I'd super pissed if anyone did that to me".
Serana stopped walking.
"I don't know" she admitted "I've been trying to think of what to say. When she put me in that tomb she promised it wouldn't be for long. She told me that she would figure out a way to stop my father".
Serana sighed before speaking again.
"I guess we will just have to see what happens" she then said.
(Line Break)
The Soul Cairn.
When we found her mother Serana she seemed happy, or at least excited to see her again.
"Mother!" she shouted.
Serana ran to the top of the stairs and placed her hands against the glowing barrier, which was all that stood between her and her mother.
"Mother!" Serana shouted again.
I then saw an older vampire walk out of the shadows and up to the barrier.
"It can't be, Serana?" the vamp said "Is it really you? I can't believe it".
My presence was totally ignored, as was Cameron, but she normally went unnoticed as she tried to be unseen, and I noticed that Valerica didn't appear as happy to see her daughter.
I wondered that Serana felt at seeing her mother for the first time in what could be thousands of years. I might have been tempted to use my power of Force Empathy to find out if we'd been somewhere else.
"Serana" the older vampire said "What are you doing here? Where is your father?".
Valerica's tone told me what she had no love for Harkon, not that anyone should.
"He doesn't know we're here" Serana answered "and I don't have time to explain".
She was right about that. I was feeling weak, if we stayed here I was sure I could die. Or maybe I'd end back in my home universe. This place fed on souls, and I didn't know how that would work with me. I'd rather not find out.
"I must have failed" Valerica said as she looked away from Serana "Harkon must have found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"
Not as far as I knew.
"No, Mother, you got this all wrong." Serana replied "We're here to stop him, to make everything right."
That was when the older vamp seemed to notice me for the first time.
"So how has it come to pass that a vampire hunter is in the company of my daughter?" she demanded to know. "It pains me to think you'd travel with Serana under the guise of her protector in an effort to hunt me down".
That wasn't what was happening here.
"I freed Serana from the place you imprisoned her in" I pointed out "and I have no desire to slay you. I just want to stop Harkon".
My personal distaste for vampires didn't overpower my desire to protect this world, and myself.
"I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble" the older vampire replied "Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you".
She had more to say.
"You think I'd have the cruelty to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of her Elder Scroll alone?" the vampire asked before answering her own question "The scrolls are merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."
The older looking vampire had more to say.
"When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The scroll you found with Serana speaks of Auriel and his arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow. The second scroll declares that 'The Blood of Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon'"
The tale wasn't over yet.
"Like myself, Serana was a human. Once we worshipped the Divines, but we became devout followers of Lord Molag Bal" I was told "Tradition dictated that female worshippers be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do emerge as a pure-blooded vampire. We are called the 'Daughters of Coldharbour'".
I was not surprised to hear that. I already knew that Harkon needed the blood of a pure vampire, a daughter of Cold Harbour, a female vampire that had been created by Molog Bal. Serena was such vampire.
While my memory was fuzzy I assumed that the bow had to anointed with the blood of a pure female vampire or something like that so the weapon was tainted enough to put out the sun.
"The Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood" I summerised "the blood of a Daughter of Coldhabour. Which means Harkon would need to sacrifice his own child to complete his mad plans".
"Now you're beginning to see why I wanted to protect my daughter, and why I've kept the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible" Serana's mother said "If Harkon obtained Auriel's Bow and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. In his eyes, she'd be dying for the good of all vampires".
Some people really shouldn't be allowed to become parents. Harkon was an example of such a person.
"Well we can't let that happen" I stated.
The sun being bloated out would be the end off all life on Nirn. The planet would freeze, the plant life would die, then so would the animals. Including the smart ones like humans.
"And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?" Valerica wished to know.
I could think of a few ways. Killing Serana would do the job as she'd turn to ash, leaving no blood to be used in whatever ritual it was that would blot out the sun. Destroying the bow might also work. However there was a better way.
"Well we could kill Harkon" I suggested.
Valerica snorted.
"If you believe you can do that, then you're a bigger fool than I originally suspected" she said "Don't you think I weighed that option before I enacted my plans?"
I'd assumed she was a coward and had just run away. Of course she didn't know anything about my powers, my skills, or my weapons.
"I'm a Jumper" I told the older vampire "I have powers, skills and weapons that allow me to fight even the most powerful of foes and win. Besides I wasn't planning on doing it alone. There's a small army of vampire hunters I should be able to convince to aid me".
Valerica turned to her daughter.
"Serana?" she told.
The younger of the two vamps smiled at me before saying anything.
"He has power" she said "and there are other vampire hunters out there".
If needs be I'd blow up Harkon's entire castle, but that would be a last resort since I could never be sure that the master vampire was dead unless I saw him die.
"Killing Harkon sounds like a step in the right direction, but we still need your scroll" I said to the older vampire "Auriel's Bow can't be allowed to fall into his hand".
Valerica huffed.
"Hmph. You care nothing for Serana, or our plight. You're a vampire hunter" she said "We're abominations in your mind".
Well she wasn't wrong.
"I don't particularly care if you trust me" I replied
Valerica snarled at me.
"Why should I aid someone who would hunt me down like an animal?" Valerica demanded "How can I trust you with my daughter's safety".
Serena spoke next
"He's done more to help me so far than you have" she said to her mother.
Valerica was not happy to hear that.
"How dare you! I gave up everything I cared about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!" she yelled
The older vampire then made an effort to clam down.
"Oh Serana," Valerica said with a sigh. "The moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'll be in terrible danger".
My ally didn't seem to care about that.
"So to protect me, you decided to shut me away from everything I cared about?" she shot back. "You never asked me if hiding in that tomb was the best course of action, you just expected me to follow you blindly! Both of you were obsessed with your own paths. Your motivations might've been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you too!"
Serana wasn't finished yet.
"I want us to be a family again," she said softly. "But I don't know if we can ever have that. Maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us. But we have to stop him. Before he goes too far. And for that, we need the Elder Scroll".
Indeed we did.
"I'm sorry, Serana," Valerica said after a moment. "I didn't know... I didn't see. I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us for too long. Forgive me. If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours"
Finally we were getting somewhere.
"Do you have it with you?" I asked.
Asking that earned me a glare
"You, I still don't trust," the vampire woman stated. "But for Serana's sake, I'll help you. The scroll is secured here. It has been ever since I was imprisoned. Fortunately, you're on the outside, and can breach the barrier".
Nothing was ever simple. I knew we were going to have to end up fighting some monsters.
"How?" I asked.
This time I wasn't glared at.
"Locate the tallest of the rock spires surrounding the ruins," Valerica instructed. "At their bases, the energy is being drawn from unfortunate souls that have been exiled here. Destroy the Keepers that are tending them, and it should bring the barrier down".
I wasn't really up for a fight, but I had no choice. Hopefully my gun would be effective against these Keepers.
"All right. We'll be back soon" I said.
(Line Break)
The Soul Cairn.
It had taken a lot to take out the Keepers down. I couldn't be entirely sure how we'd managed it what with me being so much weaker than normal, but somehow we'd done it, and that was what mattered. Although to be fair having Cameron around was helping, she didn't seem to be effected by this place at all.
"You managed to destroy all three Keepers," Valerica praised when we return to her "Very impressive. Follow me, and I'll give you the scroll".
Valerica led us to a small alcove, where she unlocked a chest, and lifted out the scroll, which she then passed to her daughter.
"Now that you have this, it would be wise to be on your way," the elder vampire said.
Serana was shocked.
"You're staying here?" she asked.
I figured she had to since Harkon could sacrifice his wife or his daughter in his ritual.
"Serena I have no choice" the older vamp said with a sigh. "I'm a daughter of Coldharbour. If I return to Tamriel, that increase Harkon's likelihood of bringing the Tyranny of the Sun to fruition".
While there was time for a tearful goodbyes between mother and daughter we had to leave now as I could feel that an important part of me was slipping away. So I pointed out to Serana that she could return later if we defeated her father. My ally agreed to that and soon we had headed back to the portal.
(Line Break)
Harkon's Castle. Skyrim.
After leaving the Soul Cairn I must have collapsed because the next thing I knew I was lying on an old bed, which Serana was sitting on the end off.
"What happened?" I asked.
I had already guessed, but I wanted to be sure.
"You passed out once we had left the Soul Cairn" the vampire told me "You became suck, I was able to treat you by using some potions I made".
Given that I was immortal thanks to some powerful magic it was possible that I would not have actually died, but I could have become a soulless thing, which would be very scary.
I noted that Cameron was by the door, no doubt she'd been guarding me while I recovered.
"Lucky for you Mother found a way to keep everything fresh" Serana then told me.
While I thanked the vampire, she didn't seem to hear it.
"I wish she could have come with us," Serana said as I sat up.
For reason other than her being a vampire I was glad that Valerica hadn't come with us. One of which was that I would have tried to kill her at some point because she was a real bitch.
"I'm thinking that you should have stayed, just to prevent Harkon from ever getting his hands on either of you" I said.
Serana gave me a sad smile.
"It wouldn't stop him, you know" she said.
I figured she was right. There had to be other pure blood female vampires out there. Heck Harkon might just make one, if he'd been able to summon Bal before he could do so again.
"No, it probably wouldn't, but he hasn't found your mother yet" I pointed out "and it took him this long to even start tracking you down".
She didn't say anything, and since I was feeling stronger now so I figured it was time to leave this castle. The damage must not have been as bad Serana had feared since I was already able to stand u.
We had to find that bow, and kill a Vampire Lord, that was going to be a lot of work, but my whole life was often a lot of work. No rest for the Jumper.