Chapter 44: Tour of the Crib and the Monument of Failures

"Hmm… guess I can't suntan." Subaru grumbled to himself. Standing up from where he was laying down, he stared at the cloudy sky. "Damn Gustekan weather."

It wasn't exactly all surf n' turf, sadly.

J'zargo nodded. "Yes... not at all like my homeland of Elsweyr."

"What's that place like?" Sieglinde asked.

"A vast desert littered with badlands and savannas in the north, and tropical jungles and rainforests in the south," the cat-like demi-human said, reminiscing of his homeland.

"Vast deserts? At least there will never be a shortage of litter boxes," Patches chuckled.

J'zargo looked perplexed at that. "What is a... "Litter box"?"

Subaru sighed. "Patches…"

Patches: What? He should know!

Subaru just facepalmed. "Fine. Don't blame me when he kills you."

"It's basically a box used on Earth for cats to shit in." The Undead grinned while waiting to see the Khajiit's reaction. J'zargo, in return, just held a carefully blank face before he narrowed the eyes on his face and prepared the magic in his hand.

Emilia could feel the power from where she was. "Patches... you might wanna start running."

While Patches ran away, J'zargo was currently trying to light the Undead on fire. Or slash him with air. Or crush him with rocks. Or fill him with icicles. Whatever did the job.

"Huh," Serana said, watching from a distance. "This is… oddly relaxing."

"Yeah. If you can ignore the explosions," Sigelinde joked.

"Hmm… I'm somewhat bored," Siegmeyer said, laying down on the grass.

"Anyone have any ideas for what to do?" Emilia asked.

Erik raised his hand, and suggested, "Fishing?"

Serana shook her head. "Might be a good idea for you guys, but not for us girls."

Seiglinde agreed with that. "Be honest, aside from catching fish, how fun is it?"

"We could still have conversations," Oscar argued.

Emilia shrugged at that. "Well, that's something people do all the time. Sure, we want to relax, but we also want to have fun while on our break."

"Doubt nightclubs have been invented yet. Same with amusement parks," Subaru said, somewhat disappointed.

"Well, the world has been through a lot since I went under," Serana said. "So, there's got to be some of you that have been to some cool places."

"Perhaps a tour of my country?" Solaire suggested.

"Astora?" Emilia asked, curious to see the country.

"No, no! Catarina is far superior!" Siegmeyer said.

"You tell 'em, Father!" Sieglinde cheered.

Oscar then spoke up. "No, Astora is the better nation!"

J'zargo, wiping his hands clean after coming back from beating up Patches, joined in on the conversation. "Clearly, you have never been to Elsweyr."

"And none of you have been to Japan," Subaru said. "Cherry blossoms are the best…"

"Well, unless your portals can take us there, we can't be the judge of that," Aela said.

"Portals…? Hey…" Patches snapped his fingers. "I have an idea!"

"What?" Erik asked the bald man.

"Subaru! The Watchtower!"

The nasty-eyed Undead stared at his friend as if he said something crazy. "I'm sorry, Patches... What?"

"You know, your Watchtower!"

"Yeah, I heard you. But... seriously?!" the tracksuit-wearing Undead shouted. "You want me to bring them there?! I haven't had guests in centuries!"

"So, what? Is it filthy?" the bald thief asked.

"Well, no…" the Japanese man said. "Shaula keeps the place spotless…"

"What's that about spotless?" Erik asked, as the others came over.

"It's to give Shaula something to do besides just keeping guard."

Aela did a double-take at that. "Wait, Shaula? As in, the Shaula?"

"Yep. I thought it answered this earlier when I revealed my past," Subaru said.

"But to use them as your maid…"

"Yeah, yeah. It makes me feel like a piece of shit, but given that I had no idea what Pandora would do, I was paranoid and made sure she would guard the Watchtower."

"All by herself?" Emilia asked in shock.

"Well, Volcanica and Reid keep her company, and I make sure to visit once a week."

"Or at least try," Patches said.

Subaru, meanwhile, grumbled under his breath.

"You should probably go see her," Serana said.

"Yeah!" Emilia exclaimed. "A trip to the Pleiades Watchtower would be amazing!"

Subaru scratched the back of his head. "Ehh… I don't know…"

"Please...?" Emilia asked, utilizing her infamous "puppy eyes" against Subaru.

"Rrrrr…" Subaru tried his best to resist, but failed. "FINE."

"YES!" Erik whooped. "This is gonna be amazing!"

Oscar was actually eager to visit the infamous Pleiades Watchtower. "I concur wholeheartedly!"

"Indeed. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us," Solaire keeping his excitement in check.

J'zargo grinned in eagerness. "Then let us enjoy it."

"Alright then... get ready," Subaru sighed. "We'll head out in an hour."

"""RIGHT!"""

An hour later, the Party got their stuff together and said their goodbyes to the Dawnguard. The Stormcloaks were heading back to Windhelm with Subaru and Emilia parting ways with Ralof again. Aela said her goodbyes to her fellow Companions and Shield Brothers.

Standing out in the open fields of the Rift, the southeast region of Gusteko that looked like an autumn forest all year round. It was just a few miles away from the Dawnguard's base, perfect for Subaru to do something he didn't want anyone to see, as he did a quick headcount.

"Alright, ready to go?" Subaru asked his comrades.

Emilia nodded vigorously. "Yes! I am so excited!"

Subaru nodded. "Aight, let's do this. AL SHAMAK!"

Subaru opened a portal of darkness, and everyone stepped through to the interior of the Pleiades Watchtower. It looked… oddly empty, for being such a massive space. The walls were round, as if the bricks around them were designed to be smooth, and the lighting was dim.

As everyone looked around, Subaru braced himself for –

"MAAASTERRR!"

WHAM!

…that. As Subaru expected, he was rammed into by his adopted daughter.

Subaru groaned from his newfound spot on the floor. "Hey, Shaula…"

"You're back!" Shaula hugged her adoptive father. "And you… uh…"

The brown-haired woman looked up, to see the visitors who were now in her tower. The visitors, meanwhile, were able to get a good look at Shaula herself. While her clothing was scarce, they could see that the colors and patterns were the same as Subaru's outfit, indicating that they were both from the same affiliation. Despite how old she was, she managed to hide her age just like Subaru, albeit through different means. She still retained her youth, not even looking over her early twenties, her hair braided in the style of those whose age she was mimicking.

Looking up from her father, Shaula looked up to see Emilia and the others, while the newcomers noticed how odd Shaula's eyes appeared. But that was a question for later. Right now…

"Oh, you must be Shaula!" Emilia said, extending her hand. "It's an honor to meet you!"

Shaula was stunned at the half-elf and got off Subaru to get a good look at her. "M… Mom…?"

"...Eh?" Emilia clearly wasn't expecting that response.

"Shaula, no. That's not Satella, she just looks like her. This… this is Emilia." Subaru explained, as he got off the floor to hold his little girl. He knew this talk was gonna suck.

Shaula looked over at Subaru, confused. "Does Mom have a sister?"

"No, they aren't related one bit." Subaru shook his head before pausing a bit. "At least, I don't think so."

"Uh-huh." Shaula seemed to take the news… oddly well. "And who are the others?"

"New friends/comrades of mine. Guys, please introduce yourselves to Shaula."

"Greetings, Shaula-sama. I am Solaire of Astora. A pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Erik the Slayer of Rorikstead! Nice to meet ya!"

"Aela of the Companions of Whiterun."

"I'm Siegmeyer of Catarina," the onion knight said, bowing.

"I am Seiglinde, Seigmeyer's daughter. Also of Catarina."

"I'm Serana Volkihar. A Vampire. Hi."

"J'zargo of Elsweyr. Future Master of Magic."

"And I am Oscar of Astora. Knight and a member of the Dawnguard."

Shaula nodded. "Wow... that's a lot of names."

"Then it's a good thing you already know me! No need to memorize my name!"

Shaula gave Patches a deadpan look. "I'd still like to forget it. Yep!"

"Ack!" Patches feigned having a heart attack. "Right through my heart!"

Solaire couldn't help but take notice of Shaula's attire… or rather, lack thereof. "Subaru, I must ask... why is Shaula dressed in such... little clothing?"

Subaru groaned. "Blame her creator."

"Creator? Is she… not human?" Aela asked.

"Nah, Shaula is a Great Mabeast, a creation of Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony."

"""WHAT?!"""

"Yep. Contrary to popular belief, Satella didn't create the Mabeasts."

Serana nodded along. "Oh yeah, you did mention that…"

"Yeah, I could ask Shaula to change her outfit, but she seems happy with it."

"Yeah, but Master won't let me go out like this!" Shaula complained.

"For good reason! Do you know how many lecherous creeps there are out there?!"

"Not a problem when I can just Hell Snipe them," she said.

"That's called murder!"

"I certainly did not imagine the Great Shaula to be like... this."

Erik agreed with Siefmeyer on that. "Yeah, it's definitely a surprise."

"So, where is the Divine Dragon and First Sword Saint?" Aela asked.

"Someone call for me?"

In a single moment, Shaula's entire body froze up and she immediately ducked behind her master for cover. Everyone looks over to see a man with iconic red hair, half-dressed in an identically-colored kimono, an eyepatch, and the Dark Sign over his exposed chest.

This was Reid Astrea himself. The First Sword Saint.

Reid just grinned at seeing his old friend and even some new company with him. "Oi, Flugel. Finally back, omae?"

"Hey, Reid…" Even Subaru had to admit it was good to see his old friend after everything that just happened.

"Hm?" Reid looked over at the others. "Who are these little fish?"

"These are some friends I made over in Gusteko. Everyone, this is Reid. And he's the worst."

Reid just laughed in response. "Omae keep saying that!"

"Okay, maybe not as much as Patches."

"OH, COME ON!"

"Uh... Flugel? Why does one of them look like your girlfriend?" Reid asked, pointing towards Emilia.

"Lazy game design." That was the only response he got.

Reid gave the Great Sage a thumbs-up. "Ah, got it."

"Oh, he understands what you say!" Erik griped.

"You gotta be around him long enough," Patches explained.

Aela just groaned at that. "Greaaat."

Subaru then clapped his hands together and turned to the party. "So, who wants a tour?"

Like schoolchildren, everyone raised their hands, shouting, """ME!"""

"Alright, follow us." Subaru, Shaula, and Reid led the way.

A few floors up, and after having Subaru deal with some odd puzzle involving a white room and a floating black monolith, everyone had arrived at a massive library, easily much larger than any they had ever seen. It seemed like its shelves could reach up to the heavens themselves.

"Wow!" Emilia's eyes were sparkling. "What's this room?!"

"Welcome to the Taygeta Library, home to the Books of the Dead."

Erik looked a bit perplexed at that. "Books of the Dead?"

"When someone out in the real world dies, all their memories are formed into a book. Multiple if you die several times as an Undead, but they are kind of incomplete and wonky. Read it, and you live their entire life," Subaru explained as he gestured to the many books in the library.

"Wait…" Aela did a double-take at that. "Everyone that dies?

Subaru nodded in response. "Every sapient being on Nirn."

"How can this Library possibly be big enough to hold a book for everyone on Nirn?! And that's even counting future generations and everyone else who's already passed away!"

Subaru simply gave Erik a thumbs-up and said, "Pocket dimension."

Emilia didn't understand that terminology. "What's a... pocket dimension?"

"You know those alternate planes that exist? Think that, but smaller."

Solaire, meanwhile, was still admiring the architecture. "Incredible…"

"Yeah, it's either a pocket dimension, or the older generation disappears to make way for the newer one, sans a few celebrity books," Subaru said. "Kinda forgot which it was."

"Though, if you die outside of Nirn, then you don't get a book," Shaula said.

J'zargo nodded along to that logic. "Makes sense."

"Yeah…" Subaru said. "Well, any questions about the Library?"

"You mentioned that if we read a book, we would see that person's life. How does that even work?" Aela asked, trying to understand how such a phenomenon worked.

"Then you would experience their entire life from their birth to their death in a matter of seconds," the Great Sage explained. "It's not something a normal mind can handle."

Sieglinde snorted at that. "I bet."

"Why did you create this Library?" Emilia asked. "It just seems... morbid."

"It was per Echidna's request." Subaru said before sighing, "Though, she never got a chance to use it."

"The Witch of Greed?" Solaire asked.

Subaru nodded. "The very same."

"Okay... seems like a weird thing to ask for," Serana said.

"She's a weird woman."

Reid laughed at that. "Damn straight."

"Anyways, shall we go up?" Subaru made his way to the stairs.

Aela nodded. "Let's."

Several more floors up, along with a quick speedrun past Reid's place, the party had arrived at a floor which seemed to be an open area, if the odd sense of sunlight was anything to go off of. However, the clouds all around them were giving them a different sensation…

"... And this is Volcanica's lair. Top of the Watchtower," the nasty-eyed man said.

Siegmeyer was only half-paying attention, as he was looking more at the clouds, which were acting more as fog. It was surreal to think they were so high up. "It's so… cloudy…"

Emilia looked around for the Divine Dragon, but saw nothing but clouds. "So... where's Volcanica?"

"Was clearer last time we were here," Patches complained.

"Heh," Subaru snorted. "Must be that ganja."

"Ganja?" Erik didn't know what that meant.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"So... are we going to meet Volcanica?" Emilia asked.

"Indeed thou are." A powerful and deep voice made its presence known.

The clouds cleared, revealing the enormous form of Volcanica. Unlike the Children of Akatosh, Volcanica held the form of a true dragon. His sky-blue scales contrast with his black armor. His two sets of wings stretched out and his horns acting as a crown. Finally, a Halo-like attachment was resting between his horns, as if proof of his own divine nature.

Solaire felt like he was about to fall on his knees. "By the gods…"

Erik, meanwhile, was gaping like a fish. "It's... it's actually him…"

"He looks so… regal…" Sieglinde couldn't help but look in awe at seeing the Divine Dragon in the flesh.

Even Serana was blown away with the majesty of the dragon. "Almost... Divine…"

Volcanica looked down to his old friend. "Flugel. Thou has returned."

Subaru nodded and gestured to the others. "Yep, and I brought friends."

Volcanica observed the newcomers. "A most interesting set of new companions… Pray tell they are not as psychotic as your last group of comrades…"

"Sounds about right," Serana deadpanned.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Sometimes he'll say things completely out of left field."

"A sign of age, perhaps?" Solaire asked.

Reid chuckled. "Oh, he's getting senile, alright."

Volcanica suddenly got a whiff of something… strange. "The scent of another Dragon is great in the air… A child of Akatosh."

Emilia then realized that the Divine Dragon must be picking up on her scent. "Oh! Do you mean me, perhaps?"

Volcanica eyes widen at the familiar face, mistaking her for another. "Satella…? How can this be?"

Emilia felt like slapping her own face. "Not this again…"

Subaru sighed as he explained again. "Volc, this is Emilia, not Satella. She's the current Dragonborn."

Volcanica couldn't help but draw parallels in this situation. "Thou has not gone to look for another fair maiden, has thee?"

Subaru's face went red in an instant. "It's not like that!"

"This one finds that difficult to believe. Time can lead to new bonds forming and –"

"VOLC!"

Patches snapped his fingers. "He's got ya there."

"SHUT UP!" It didn't take a genius to see Subaru was embarrassed.

Emilia just looked lost. "Are they… pairing us…?"

"Apparently so…" Shaula said.

J'zargo snickered and elbowed his student. "Is the idea not to your liking?"

Emilia blushed a bit as she tried to form a response. "Well... uhm…"

Aela gave the half-elf a blank look. "You can't be serious."

Reid sighed in nostalgia. "Ah, the good ol' Natsuki Rizz."

"I TOLD YOU THAT IN CONFIDENCE! BRO CONFIDENCE!" Subaru yelled out while Rein laughed like a hyena.

Volcanica even gave a good chuckle. "Thou has certainly not lost your charm at being most desirable to all manner of maidens."

"That's it, I'm going to the basement," the Japanese man said, needing some space as he turned around and opened a portal to the basement, walking through.

"Aw, wait, we're sorry…" Reid tried to reach out to his friend.

But before he could reach out to him, the portal closed.

"Aaaaand…. he's gone."

"Don't follow him," Patches warned the others. "Only Undead can go down there without dying."

"Actually, none of you follow him," Reid said, his voice serious.

"Why not? What's down there?" Serana asked.

"Satella's prison," Volcanica said as he looked at the floor, as if staring down at the seal itself.

Down in the basement… there was no light. No sunlight, no artificial light through either magic or technology… nothing. But despite that, Subaru could still see the Seal.

Subaru stared at the monument to his failures hiding down in the deepest part of his basement. The miasma may have been entering his nostrils, but grief and despair had driven him mad a long time ago. "Hey, Ella... it's been a while since I've been down here…"

Slowly, a shadow appeared before him. One with the silhouette of a woman, but with glowing purple eyes. It looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

But not to Subaru, it was still beautiful all the same.

"Congratulations are in order, I suppose."

"Heh," Subaru let out a mirthless laugh. "What for?"

"You managed to stop an eternal night, with help of course."

"Oh, that?" Subaru waved his hand. "That was nothing."

Satella gave a sigh of disappointment. "There you go again. Downplaying your accomplishments."

"Other people should be heroes, too. Like movie franchises: I can't keep coming back, someone new has to debut." Subaru knew he wouldn't be around forever, despite his immortality. One day, he would go Hollow, somehow be killed for good, or just retire to somewhere remote.

"But you won't let yourself stop until your mission is complete."

"Never."

Satella knew there was no convincing her Beloved. She had tried countless times for the last few centuries, but she always got the same answer.

Subaru cleared his throat before speaking again. "So… how's your day been?"

"Not bad, all things considered, but it's much better when you're here."

"Getting bored of my soap opera?" the Japanese man asked.

Satella gave him a soft smile. "I can never get bored of you."

"But you still enjoy seeing me? It's like those celebrity meet-ups with fans."

"Is it wrong for me to want to see the one I love?" the half-elf asked.

The nasty-eyed man shook his head. "No. Not at all."

"So... what's next for you?" the Witch of Envy asked.

"Honestly? I'm thinking of going solo again, searching for Pandora in Lugnica."

Satella frowned at that. "You want to leave your new friends behind?"

"No. But as long as I'm around… Pandora will target them. I can't risk it."

"What about Emilia? She also has her own grudge against Pandora."

"Yeah, but she's the Dragonborn. Gusteko… Alduin… that's her playground."

Satella thought otherwise. She knew her Beloved wanted to be the only one to put himself at risk. His own immortality certainly didn't make that any better. If only he could see what she did.

"Do you think... that may be the problem?" Satella asked, which confused the Great Sage.

"Problem?" Subaru repeated back at her.

"You've been doing it all alone this whole time, with only the occasional help from Patches, but there's only so much you can do, despite how strong you've become."

"What are you saying?"

"Do you remember what you told me... about one of your favorite manga? The one with all the heroes?

Subaru realized what series Satella was talking about. "My Hero Academia?"

"Yes, that one. You said that after the war against all the villains, Deku ran away from his friends because he was being targeted by All For One. So, to not put his friends at risk, he ran away to do everything himself," the amethyst-eyed woman said, remembering what she knew about that particular part in the story.

"Okay…?"

"You said how he ran himself ragged. Near the end, he was tired, starving, and barely able to put up a fight. I fear... that is what will happen to you," Satella confessed.

Subaru could see what she meant, but he didn't believe that applied to him. "But… I can't die."

Satella couldn't argue against that fact. "True... but you can burn yourself out. You can still get tired, you can still starve, and you can still weaken. I fear this is exactly what Pandora wants. To keep you going until you can only run on fumes…"

"That won't happen."

"How do you know?"

"It's been four hundred years. If it were to happen, it would have by now."

"Perhaps, but I feel like she's been waiting for something…"

"How so…?" Subaru asked.

"Ever since your last encounter... It made me feel like you shouldn't be alone against her anymore," the shadowy woman said, as she held her husband close.

"So, you're saying I should…?"

"If they want to, let them come with you," Subaru said.

Subaru nodded, seeing the logic in it. "I… I'll consider it."

"That's all I ask."

Subaru got up and prepared to leave. "Welp… I better get going."
Before Subaru could walk away, Satella grabbed onto his arm.

"Wait… can you stay… just for a little longer?" Satella's request pierced right through his heart. He couldn't deny such a request.
"Alright. Just a little longer." Satelle formed a mattress out of her shadows for the two of them to lay on. Despite being made of pure darkness, it was soft and warm, making it extra comfy. The two immortals just held each other for the first time in centuries with neither one wanting to let go.

"I love you, my beloved." Satella whispered to her love as she leaned into his embrace.

Subaru smiled and placed a kiss on her head. "I love you, too."

And in that darkness… Subaru fell asleep.

The most peaceful sleep he had in four hundred years.

Author's Note: (Welp, time to cry myself to sleep tonight.)

Yeah, I'm with Infinite on that one. I'm not in the mood to make any jokes. Maybe if it ended differently, but not now. Let's just skip ahead to the comments.

Ferrum Sanguis Pulvis Ignis: Can't argue with that logic.

5queso: With the way this cough is going, I'll probably be sick for the rest of my days. But congratulations on winning those ten dollars. At least one of us is winning in life…

Kifhjoofff: Oh, cuánta razón tienes en eso...

VinHD15: Glad to see you're caught up to speed, old friend.

Anyways, back to the regular old shilling…

I'm pretty sure as you all know now, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, /ErnaloreProf is the link.

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Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore & Infinite the Celestian