Jul

Lucius

I stared up at the statue of Auri-El, in this sculpture taking the form of a huge, bronze – or perhaps a gold that had been worn down – snow elf; a large, regal crown of spikes grew from his skull in the shape of a sun's beams. Auri-El, god of the Sun. Or Akatosh, dragon of Time. Regardless of the name, this was a carving of the being who had decided – for some reason – to grant the Dragon's Blood to the diametric opposites of Thera and myself. "Good job," I mumbled dryly as the huge metal form ponderously turned towards the temple door. Sunlight began to filter through a huge crystal located in a large, metallic sun held above Auri-El by almost organic pillars jutting from his shoulders. A steady beam of light soon rocketed from the sun and a steady beam of light flowed into another diamond receptacle, Magickally being collected in order to open the door.

The door opened slowly, the sound of choir ringing out as it did. It almost sounded as if the gods were enjoying themselves with this. The door was massive and comprised entirely of marble of the purest white; a huge, engraved sun made of gold split down the middle as it opened, revealing...

Ice. The atrium beyond the entrance were filled nearly to the brim with ice. It coated the walls, covered every square inch of the ground, and stuck out from pillars, floor, and ceiling in stalactites and stalagmites that looked like they could pierce my Daedric armor. "Gelebor was right... The Falmer attack: it was destructive. Imagine what must have been lost here. Millennia of a history untouched and pure. If Gelebor is any indication, they would have despised your kind."

Thera snarled from beside me as we walked into the temple, shoulder to shoulder. Serana stood at my shoulder and slightly behind. "Well they were defeated by humans; any who fall so easily do not deserve an alliance with the Thalmor."

"Hmph... the same Thalmor who lost to Tiber Septim while I was asleep?" Serana pointed out, earning another growl from Thera. "Or, do you mean some other 'Supreme Elven Empire of the Thalmor?'"

"Remind me, who defeated whom in the Great War?" the Bitch retorted. My turn to growl. "And of course, there's always the inevitable tie breaker."

I stopped and waited for Thera to turn so we would glare into each other's eyes. "I doubt the Thalmor want what you are trying to accomplish here," I growled. "You will not be part of their war with the Empire."

"Ha! What Empire?" she retorted. "My sources say that Cyrodiil's currently divided between Khajit bandits, your vaunted 'Generals' playing the part of cruel warlord, and the Synod pretending they've got the Amulet of Kings."

I narrowed my eyes. "We both know where that is," I hissed. I turned my attention from her and began to look around at the temple. There were signs that Vyrthur had done his fair share of damage to the attacking Falmer during the battle; the Frost had frozen dozens of Falmer and their pet Chaurus solid. "Wow, that makes my Frost skills look like child play."

I grunted when I examined one of the Falmer. It was holding something in its frozen vice of a grip, clutching at... "What is that?" I asked, leaning in. I jumped back just as a claw of one of the Falmer snapped towards my face, frozen nails like blades. My weapon was already drawn as I hit the ground, blade rushing around to decapitate the creature as it came closer. "They're still alive!"

The atrium erupted into chaos, the Frost around many of the frozen Falmer shattering and erupting outwards. I deflected the incoming blow of the nearest with my sword, its arm shattering against the edge of my blade. Its frozen blood did not pour from its veins, the red liquid having long since turned to ice within its veins. The creature did not stop or hesitate in its continued assault, almost as if it did not feel the pain of its wound. Worse still, its jagged arm was sharp enough to kill, and its much thicker bone seemed durable enough to go toe to toe – or edge to edge, rather – with my own sword.

"I thought these things were dead!" Thera snarled as her fist punched through the skull of one of the incoming enemy.

"Well, it's always been theorized that a strong enough Frost spell could halt the aging process and allow one to survive for decades without food or air," I supplied, dodging a slash of bloody ice to blast the creature with flames. It heated too fast, its head exploding outward and onto my armor. Yet another stain. "Our presence – or rather, mine and that of the sun streaming in – could have been just enough to thaw them from their slumber at the point of their last thought. And, being Falmer, their last thought was of murdering anything that isn't Falmer." I caught the incoming wrist of another Falmer before sending a current of Sparks down its body to kill it.

"I don't care," the Bitch responded curtly, decapitating another. "Theory isn't important, just tell us what we actually need to know."

As I was about to snap at her again, Serana said, "Sadly, she's right. Save it for your next paper as the Archmage – wouldn't want anyone stealing from you."

"Be glad you're gorgeous," I growled, low, at Serana. She laughed, a high and pealing note that contrasted with my growl. She launched a fireball towards the Falmer, the resulting explosion causing a group of them to shatter from the sheer force, the shards of the dead flying outwards even further to kill more of their comrades. "And scary."

As I kicked the last of the surviving Chaurus into two, I turned to Thera and Serana. "We should continue," I said.

"Really?" Thera asked sarcastically. "I thought your plan would be sitting around here flirting with your whore."

"You know, I'd threaten to kill you because of that, but you we both know that isn't an option right now," I growled at her, my grip on my weapon tightening then loosening in exhaustion. Dealing with Thera was like dealing with Sanguine again – utterly exhausting, but so much less entertaining. I'd been sure to leave my near-miss marriage to a Hagraven out of the stories I'd told Serana...so embarrassing.

"Yes, likewise. You'd already be dead if I had my way," she responded.

"I would've just left you to the dragon's mercy," I retorted, quieting her. I raised a flame in my left hand, casting light before us with the added benefit of having a powerful attack at the ready. I sighed and took a step further into the shadows.

The battle through the temple was constant, but no big problem. The frozen Falmer were ancient; stiff with the chill and their age, they fell before the three of us in droves. They were waves crashing against us, but we were stalwart cliffs that deflected them with ease.

"I can feel something... bright not much further," Serana said as we neared the end of the temple. She frowned. "And something very... dark."

I nodded and cast a Sense Life spell, gazing through the double doors before us. "Dozens of frozen Falmer, maybe more," I grunted. On a whim, I cast another spell to see if any undead lay beyond. "And... a... a Vampire?"

"Guarding the Bow of the Sun?" Thera asked dryly. "Well, it's certainly expected. I'd bet it was the plan all along."

"Shut up, milk-drinker," I growled. I turned worriedly back to the door as my sense beyond it faded. "Maybe it wasn't only the Falmer that attacked Vyrthur. Or maybe our enemies have made their way here before us and lie in wait. We must be prepared for anything – blades out, Magick ready. Let's go." I shoved the doors before us open, and we stepped into the frozen unknown.

Fahiil

Thera

Far above us, sitting on a throne atop a veritable mountain of ice, was a snow elf. Vyrthur, the priest of his species – or at least the two fools that survived.

Gelebor had insisted that his brother was a kind man, a priest of the God-King of creation and known for his justice and mercy. From where I stood – a good twenty feet below him – you couldn't really tell. If anything, the look he was giving made it seem as if he thought he was an Altmer instead of the race that was so easily defeated by humans. "Did you really come here expecting to claim Auri El's bow?" he asked.

"Well, I was going to say yes, but how you're asking makes me wonder if I should," Lucius responded.

"Hmph. Human," he said. Agreed. "You did exactly as I had predicted in bringing your fetchin companions to me. Which, I'm sorry to say, means your usefulness is at an end."

"Do not dare to lump me in as one of his companions. He's just a human," I growled. "To follow him would make me a disgrace to all Mer."

Vyrthur seemed to laugh at this for a moment before continuing on, "Prepare to die." He waved his hand and the ice surrounding us fractured. I was the first of our group to respond, sidestepping the loud clattering of the Chaurus that attempted to bite through my legs. My sword flashed downward, shattering through its body and sending the frozen head clattering across the ice. I deflected the next bite from a frozen insect before slamming my boot through its skull and punting another into the air, where Lucius immediately roasted it.

He and I glared at each other. "Too bad we make a good team," he growled, eyes narrowed. He backhanded a Chaurus jumping up from behind him towards Serana, who unleashed a fireball that roasted the insect. He smiled as he looked over at Serana. It was going to be so nice to steal his happiness away just as he felt he could win.

Our attention was immediately drawn back up to Vyrthur. "An impressive display, truly, but a wasted effort. You delay nothing save your own deaths!" he roared, surging from his seat and raising his arms towards the ceiling. There was a dull blue glow around his form for a moment as Magicka surged from within him, gripping at the frozen ceiling of the cavernous room. While massive chunks of stone and ice collapsed from the ceiling, ice all around us shattered once again, accompanied by angry hissing and growls. The Falmer frozen in the room had been awakened. "Finish. Them!"

I easily sidestepped the clumsy blow of the blind, half-frozen, and half-dead Falmer's sword. I rolled my eyes. This was the best that Vyrthur could manage to set against me? The half-frozen carcasses of a Mer race that was already broken, useless, and weak? To take the Bow from him would be supremely easy, apparently. "You must think me weaker than a Skeever!" I snapped up at the Arch-Curate, twisting around the next blow and decapitating one of the Falmer. I kicked the body forward, tripping the one behind it before slamming my heel down on its skull. "You are a fool to underestimate a true Mer."

Vyrthur did not respond, instead gazing placidly down at the three of us doing battle with his slaves. I scoffed, deflecting one of the incoming swords with a half-hearted movement, easily redirecting the Falmer weapon into the body of one of its peers. "I'm insulted. Really," I growled, gripping the throat of the next Falmer to attack and crushing it with my unarmed hand – things this weak did not deserve the drawing my second blade. "Yol!" The bodies of multiple Falmer shattered from the intense heat of the flames, and many more were injured or killed by the jagged, icy shards of their brethren flying through the air.

Vyrthur growled. "Enough!" he shouted. Noises halfway between a groan and a roar erupted into being around me. Ice Atronachs.

"Finally! A fight worthy of me!" I shouted, drawing my second weapon and jumping over the freezing blow of the golem's fist. I landed on its arm and dashed upward, dragging my second blade down and disarming the creature at the shoulder. I began to fall with the arm, spinning through the air with my swords as I did. The weapons interrupted the Magick holding the creature together and it disappeared back into Oblivion. I stumbled forward as a blast of ice hit me in the back and I fell, rolling back up to my feet. One of the other two Atronachs had collided with me as Lucius had driven it back with a wall of flames. He unleashed a beam of concentrated lightning Magick and the creature disappeared instantly, taking some of the powerful attack with it. Lucius immediately turned as it died and tossed his Dragonbone weapon at the last Atronach fighting with Serana, the weapon burying itself into the creature up to the crossguard. His whore jumped onto the hilt of the weapon, burying her own weapon deep into the creature's... 'head,' I suppose, and sending the Daedra back to Oblivion.

"I see," Vyrthur growled, turning around. "I won't let any of you ruin my centuries of preparations..."

"Surrender!" Serana shouted up at him as she tossed Lucius' weapon back to my Jokaar.

Vyrthur turned, eyes wild and angry. "Death! First!" he screamed. He raised his arms once again and screamed in rage, pulling his arms down with a sudden burst of intense Magick that I was sure could be felt far away by most mages. The floor and ceiling rumbled dangerously and I fell, the wave of Magick holding me down. I was barely able to turn my head to see Lucius and Serana stuck against the ground as well. "I suppose I'll just have to take the blood from your frozen corpses!" The air shuddered, growing painfully hot, stone and ice suddenly raining down around us. I was thrown to the side as one crashed too close, sending me flying into the wall of the cavern. My superior Mer blood and Vampiric constitution keeping me awake despite the intense pain.

As sunlight began to shine into the cavern, I forced myself to my hands and knees. Apparently it had knocked me out for a moment. Just shows how powerful it was. "I see that blow took you out, hm?" Lucius asked, him and Serana standing above me. "What happened to your superior Mer strength and endurance?"

"Enough!" I snapped, stumbling up to my feet. I dusted myself off and collected my weapons.

"Let's go," Serana commanded, sprinting after the Snow Elf. I glanced at Lucius and he at me, both of us considering killing each other for a moment. Then we followed.

When we reached the top of the frozen steps and saw the elegant, sun-drenched balcony – sun... ugh – we saw Serana already standing a level above above Vyrthur. "... us the bow!"

"How... DARE you!?" the Snow Elf snapped back. "You dare demand me? I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, girl. I had the ears of a GOD!"

"Until the 'Betrayed' corrupted you," I supplied mockingly as I stopped next to Serana. "Yes. We've heard this pathetic story already. I for one... don't care."

"Gelebor and his kind – your kind – are easily manipulated fools," Vyrthur responded, a cruel ghost of a smile on his face. He stared up at us. "Look into my eyes. You tell me what I am."

"You're the Vampire I saw," Lucius growled. "How? Akat- Auri-El should have protected you."

"Ha! The moment that I was infected by one of my own Initiates, the Dragon turned his back on me," he said with a snarl. "I will have my revenge, price be damned."

"You want to take revenge... on a god?" Serana asked, half-disbelieving. "And you aren't delusional?"

"Fool! Auri-El himself may be beyond my reach, but his influence is not!" Vyrthur growled in reply, surging to his feet.

Lucius growled. "The sun. You had the bow, but you needed a Pure Blood Vampire to fulfill the Tyranny of the sun," he noted angrily. He stepped forward, clutching at the Snow Elf's throat with rage filled eyes. "You wanted to kill Serana for... revenge? Maybe you were never followed Auri-El; you were always a monster!"

"Prophecy? Ha!" Vyrthur snapped. "I created it. It was long known that the corruption of the Bow would destroy the Sun. I had the bow; I was its guardian. But Daughters of Coldharbour? Rare beasts indeed. And yet you have led not one but two to me. The power of her blood, of a Pure Vampire."

"You waited all this time for someone like her?" Lucius asked. "Too bad. Let's see if your blood has any power to it!" He raised his weapon to stab through Vyrthur's chest.

But was suddenly thrown backwards by a gust of golden power. "Fool! Your pathetic powers are no match for the Magicks of a Falmer Arch-Curate! Perish!" he snapped, unleashing gusts of Sun-Magick. The energy burned my skin, sending Serana and me stumbling back and clutching at our faces. I fell from the upper floor, tumbling down into the shade from Vyrthur's Magick and into the forgiving arms of darkness.

"Ri Vaaz Zol!" Lucius' voice came, a wall of purple energy flying through the air and towards the wide eyed Vyrthur. The Arch-Curate screamed in pain as the energy hit him and fell to his knees. What Shout was that? Energy began to pour from Vyrthur's form, causing him to become a mere silhouette before us. "Surrender. Give us the bow, there is a cure out there. There are many stories about those who had been cured of Vampirism – the Nerevarine, the Hero of Kvatch. So many. Surrender."

The shadow looked up at Lucius. For a moment, I thought he would. Then... "I will claim my vengeance!" he screamed. Lucius shook his head and brought his blade down, decapitating the Snow Elf.

"I'm... so sorry," he mumbled at the body as the energy disappeared from Vyrthur's corpse. "But be glad I don't carry Black Soul Gems." The body of Vyrthur groaned, floating into the air. Lucius shook his head and brought his blade down again, causing the undead form to turn to ash.

There was a rumble and a pillar of stone, yet another wayshrine it appeared, erupted from the ground. There was a dull ding as the Magick within was activated and Gelebor appeared. "So it is done," he said, frowning sadly as he walked up to his brother's body. I stared, intrigued, at the armor they wore. It looked powerful and, even better, it was Mer. Gelebor held in a sob and walked back down to the wayshrine. "This must mean that the Betrayed no longer have sway over the temple."

"No. Not the Falmer," Lucius said. He finally looked up from Vyrthur's corpse and made his way down to where the rest of us stood. "Your brother – he was a Vampire. An angry one."

Gelebror snorted. "Hm... That does explain more than the Betrayed did, I suppose," he said sadly. Then he looked up, smiling. "No. This is a good thing. Perhaps, then, the Betrayed are not the monsters that they seem. They can become... more once again?"

Serana smiled. "With your guidance," she said kindly. Ugh, brown noser.

Gelebor smiled back. "Take the bow. Please. It is obvious it was always your Fate to receive it – Auri-El's will," Gelebor replied. He turned to the shrine, palm glowing, and smiled as the glow erupted from the center of the shrine.A bow appeared from the nothingness and the Snow Elf grabbed it. I smiled, reaching out for it, but he walked past me and handed it to Lucius. "Perhaps you are right, and I can help lead my fallen brethren back to the light of Auri-El."

"I doubt it," a familiar voice said from within the shrine. I froze, terrified, as a spike of ice flew out of the shrine and ran Gelebor through. Lucius caught the weakling's body and fell to his knees, holding Gelebor up and uselessly channeling healing Magick into the elf.

"Stay with me!" he shouted at Gelebor, wasting his energy.

"Promis me...you'll find a way," the Knight-Paladin begged. "Promise me I will not be the last of my kind to die..."

Lucius choked on his words. Finally, he made an unkeepable promise that only fools and the weakhearted make. "Of course," he said, letting the Magick in his hands die. He slowly lowered the Knight-Paladin to the ground and wrapped the Bow around his houlders. "Talos and Anu guide you."

Then my opposite's gaze drifted upward, filled with unabated hate. "Dwemer," he growled.

"One and only," she responded as she stepped out of the shrine, twin spheres of Magick in her hands. She smiled in a way that sent terrified shivers down my spine. "Now. How about coming with me, Luv?"