Chapter 23: Darkest Before Dawn
The day after the reveal of Subaru's past and motivations, the group decided to rest up a bit and gather themselves before heading out.
"How are you holding up?" Patches asked.
Subaru stayed silent a few seconds, still processing what happened yesterday. "...Good, actually. Better than I've felt in a long time."
Patches raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"
"Yeah... it's not an instant fix... but it's a start."
"Glad you're opening up, at least," Patches said.
"Thanks... for pulling me back here," Subaru said, with a soft smile on his face.
Patches shrugged. "Ehh, what are friends for?"
Subaru snorted a bit. "Eh, the term's a bit loose when it comes to you."
Patches tsked in annoyance. "Screw you, but also, fair."
With a yawn, Emilia exited her bedroom, and greeted her friend. "How are you feeling, Subaru?"
"I feel like I should be asking that to you." Subaru responded.
"It's... still a lot to process, but I'm okay," Emilia answered honestly.
"How are the other knuckleheads?" the bald thieving Undead asked.
"They're varying, but they're all eager to help."
Subaru sighed in relief. "That's a weight off my shoulders."
Emilia's face shifted into a serious expression. "Subaru... no matter what happens, I want you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure Pandora pays for everything she's done."
"Then you better keep increasing it," he said.
Emilia nodded. "I will... I have more motivation than anyone to keep training... Alduin, Pandora, the First Flame... I... no, we will stop this. All of it."
"Ever the optimist, I see," Patches joked a bit.
"Let's focus on one thing at a time," Subaru said. "Alduin's the most immediate threat, so we need something that will turn the tides in our favor."
"Do you have anything in mind?" Emilia asked.
Subaru thought for a minute, about anything that could shift the tide in their favor. "Well, if we didn't have to worry about the covenant Lugnica has with Volcanica, and guarding Satella, I could get Volc, Shaula, and Reid to come over to help us out."
Emilia did a double-take. "I'm sorry… what?"
"What?"
"Reid Astrea is… alive?"
"Yeah, I originally intended to create a construct of him from his memories or bind his soul to the Watchtower after he died, but it turns out he became an Undead to stay alive and make sure Pandora dies. He's been guarding the Watchtower along with Volc and Shaula."
Emilia asked, "Should we… tell the others?"
"I'll tell them later. It's not relevant right now."
The Half-Elf nodded. "Not relevant… right."
Subaru then stood up and stretched his limbs. "Anyways, we better head up to the Greybeards. Maybe they know something that can help us."
Emilia nodded. "All right, Mr. Co-Leader."
Subaru looked back at her. "Co-Leader?"
"I know I'm supposed to be the leader of the group, but I feel like, as the Great Sage, you kind of have seniority here," Emilia explained.
Subaru chuckled a bit. "I'll take it."
Later, on the road…
"- and Minerva had to literally punch my shattered body back to perfect health."
Subaru was currently indulging the group of his adventures, or misadventures, he had with his old friends. Specifically the Witches of Sin.
"No way!" Erik laughed. "That's insane!"
"Yep, she was the best healer in history... if only she didn't accidentally cause all those natural disasters…" the Japanese man chuckled.
"Still, she sounded nice," Sieglinde said.
"Yeah, Minerva, along with Typhon, was the nicest Witch, but she had a bit of a temper."
"Given that she had the title of "Wrath," it seems a bit fitting," the redheaded Aela said.
Subaru nodded along to what the werewolf said. "Yep, and then there's Echidna…"
"I remember you mentioning her," Solaire said.
Subaru sighed as he recalled that Witch. "Yep, She's the Witch of Greed, and is easily one of, if not the smartest person I've ever met. She devoted her life to the pursuit of knowledge, and mastered nearly every spell in Primal, Soul, and Universal Magic."
J'zargo sighed. "Shame she died, eh?"
"Yeah, Hector, the bastard, attacked the Sanctuary and mortally wounded Echidna," he growled.
Patches sighed, "Poor Ryuzu…"
Emilia raised an eyebrow. "Who's Ryuzu?"
"A pink-haired Half-Elf that was an assistant of Echidna. She sacrificed herself to save the Sanctuary when Hector attacked. I've also been looking for a way to restore her too... with little success." Subaru explained with some sadness.
Aela smirked at what she heard. "You've kept busy for a long time, huh?"
"Yep... it wasn't easy, I'll tell you that."
"Any other jolly good adventures from the last four centuries?" Siegmeyer asked.
Subaru thought over it in feign ignorance. "Let me see…"
"Daphne's kaiju fiasco," Patches quickly said.
Subaru groaned. "Oh, don't remind me…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emilia asked.
Subaru indulged their curiosity. "I did tell you guys that Daphne is the one who created the Mabeasts, not Satella, right?"
Solaire nodded. "You did."
"Well... after sharing some ideas of fictional monsters from my world, Daphne had the idea to create her own versions of them."
Aela groaned, "Oh, gods, no."
Subaru held up his hands. "Don't worry, I took care of them before they became public knowledge."
As the team kept traveling, Subaru dispersed stories from the last four centuries to his friends for a long while. After a few more minutes of walking, Patches groaned in annoyance.
"How long 'til we get there?"
"Well, we're going on the other side of the mountain so it should be a bit faster," Subaru said, looking around the area.
"So, still a while, huh?" Solaire asked.
"Yep," Subaru said. "We gotta pass by Helgen on the way, so you'll see the damage up close."
That gained Siegmeyer's attention. "Damage?"
Emilia nodded. "This is where Alduin first attacked after being sent forward in time."
"Your would-be execution site?" Patches asked.
Emilia shivered as she recalled her near death experience." ... Yeah…"
"We honestly got lucky. A minute later and Emilia... I'm sure you get the picture…"
"Say no more," Aela said.
After walking by Helgen, the group saw the damage Alduin left up close.
"Wow. This place is a dump," Patches said.
While rude, Patches was correct. The towering castles of the town were in ruin, half-torn and collapsed, carriages and other items had been abandoned in the middle of the street, and houses that were stripped down to their wooden bones. Not a pleasant sight.
"J'zargo heard about the destruction of Helgen, but J'zargo expected more... "nothing left"-ness," the demi-human said.
"Is… is anyone still here?" Sieglinde asked.
Emilia speaks up. "I can check real quick, to make sure no one's scavenging other people's belongings."
Emilia closes her eyes, and let out a whisper.
"Las Yah Niir."
"Hey, Aela, which one is that, again?" Erik asked.
"I believe it was "Aura Whisper". It allows Emilia to detect anything living or undead in a certain radius," the werewolf whispered back.
"Oh. Is… is it working?" Erik asked.
Emilia used her new Aura vision to identify anyone hiding from them, before looking down and squinting her eyes. "Huh... I do see someone or... something underground."
"All right, we'll head back to the entrance and take a look around," Subaru said.
"Last time, we escaped with Ralof through the caves, so this might be in the underground base of Helgen," the amethyst-eyed girl said.
"Well… let's take a look, then," Siegmeyer said.
As everyone walked through the catacombs below, Subaru noticed he really didn't pay attention the first time around, but now he was noticing all the… odd details within these walls.
The group made their way into the base, there were also a bunch of animal heads hanging up on the wall, along with a banner representing the Dragon Symbol of Cyrodiil.
After walking through the underground part of the base. their way to what appeared to be a torture chamber room. At least, they thought it was a torture room. There were a bunch of massive cages around the dimly-lit area, so it definitely wasn't anything positive.
"HELLO? ANYONE HERE?" Patches shouted.
The group do hear someone moving around, but they can't see them.
"I got this, guys…" Subaru said to the others, before he shouted, "WHOEVER WISHES TO MURDER ME, SPEAK UP!"
Still no response.
"Huh, that usually works."
J'zargo looked to the Chosen Undead with pity. "You have a very depressing social life if you expect such a reaction, friend."
Subaru laughed at that. "Well, such is the life of an Undead."
SHING!
As soon as Subaru finished, he suddenly felt a blade poke the back of his neck.
"Move, and you're suddenly going to find it very hard to breathe," the newcomer said.
Everyone turned around to see a heavily-armored man, wearing blue-and-brown leather, a shield on his back, and holding Subaru from behind, with a sword at his throat.
"Ah, there's what I was waiting for," Subaru said, with a worrisome smile on his face.
"Subaru!" Emilia cried out, summoning two ice swords.
"What? I was kind of expecting it," Subaru said, assuming that his joke stressed her out.
Everyone pulled out their weapons, but they were suddenly launched from their hands by a strong gust of wind.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you," the stranger said, his sword still at Subaru's throat.
Subaru didn't seem concerned. "Do it, I dare you. You won't."
Subaru suddenly shut up when he felt the blade pressing deep against his skin. "Give me a reason to prove you wrong."
Aela, meanwhile, demanded some answers. "Who are you, and what do you want?!"
"For now, you just call me Oscar of Astora," the man said. "That is all you need to know."
"Look, we don't want any trouble!" Erik said, his hands waving around in the universal "peace" sign. "We were just passing through!"
"Who are you and who do you work for?" Oscar asked. "What master do you serve?"
Subaru cleared his throat. "We're a group with no name, and we serve our lord and savior, Jesus Christ."
That caused Oscar to just look at Subaru with an expression that said "Are you serious?"
"You're gonna get the non-immortals killed," Patches hissed at Subaru.
Oscar, meanwhile, seems to have a different reaction. "Wait… how old are you?"
"I'm over four hundred, and Patches is even older than that," Subaru answered honestly.
Oscar, once again, asked another specific question. "From what land do you hail from?"
"Lugnica for me, Patches, and Emilia, the silver-haired girl." Subaru said, keeping his true place of origin underwraps. Unfortunately, it was in vain.
"I can sense you're lying," Oscar called him out.
Emilia spoke up. "Look, we merely wish to continue with our journey. We have no quarrel with you."
"Answer honestly, stranger," he growled.
Emilia started to get frustrated. "You want Honesty? Fine."
Emilia subtly gestures to Subaru to move out of the way. The Undead nodded, and managed to elbow the knight in the gut and get out of the way, but before the knight could act…
"FUS RO DAH!"
Oscar was blown back against the wall, while the others gathered they're weapons.
Oscar gasped. "That power... you are…"
Emilia nodded. "That's right, I'm the Dragonborn. So start talking."
"The rumors... they're true."
"What rumors?" Aela asked.
"There were rumors that the Dragonborn had returned, but I believed they were nothing more than murmurs of scared people in times such as this," Oscar said, getting back up.
"Well, as you can see, they're real." J'zargo chipped in.
Oscar nodded. "It appears so."
Sensing the hostility die down, Siegmeyer asked, "So… what master do you serve?"
"The Dawnguard. An old group of Vampire hunters being reformed after many years."
"And that's a cause for reformation?" Subaru asked, thinking it was a bit extreme.
"Vampires have become more active in recent years, preying on innocents and creating thralls of unwitting pawns," Oscar explained.
The others looked surprised and skeptical, and Erik spoke up. "Really? We haven't seen any Vampires."
Oscar scoffed at that. "You've been so caught up with your Dragon problem, that you've neglected other issues from monsters lurking in the shadows."
"Oh, no, I know all about monsters lurking in the shadows," Subaru corrected him. "It's just that they usually take the form of the Witch Cult, politicians, Witches or wannabe gods."
Nevertheless, Oscar continued. "Ever since Dragons began to reappear, Vampires have become more... bold. They're attacking people in broad daylight, something they haven't done before, and our informats claim they're "looking" for something. Whatever it is, they're desperate."
"And here I thought Carmilla was cool," Patches grumbled. "Guess she was the exception."
"Dude, she wasn't a Vampire," Subaru corrected.
"Really? She wasn't?" Patches asked.
"No, that was another Carmilla."
"Oh… that's stupid."
Oscar decided to cut. "I know I have no right to ask this, but if the Dragonborn were to help us, then we would be in your debt."
Aela thought it over. "Hmm… what's in it for us?"
"Weapons, armor, and you'll be paid properly for your assistance," Oscar answered.
Erik scratched his head. "Well, we are low on money…"
Speak for yourselves. Subaru thought, knowing just how much money he had back home.
Emilia looked to Subaru, who gave a small nod. "Alright, Oscar. We'll help."
Oscar smiled in turn. "Excellent. Glad to have you on board."
"Now what?" Subaru asked.
"I have a reliable tip on a nest of Vampires. Follow me, and we shall strike first, while we still have the advantage," Oscar said.
The group followed Oscar deeper into the underground base.
"The reason I came here was because of a tip regarding possible Vampires being seen in the remains of Helgen," the Vampire hunter said.
"And then when you saw us, you immediately assumed the worst," Subaru realized.
Oscar nodded. "My apologies for my hostile reaction, but I couldn't take the chance."
Patches shrugged. "It's cool, we'd have survived anyway."
Oscar raised an eyebrow. "Undead?"
Solaire nodded. "About half of us, yes."
Subaru looked at Oscar questioningly. "That won't be a problem, right?
"Rest assured, the Dawnguard has no issue with Undead. Hell, our leader is an Undead, as am I."
"Oh, that's nice to hear," Siegmeyer said.
They suddenly start hearing something in the distance and go to investigate. Coming up to a corner of a room, they find 3 human-like beings with black and orange glowing eyes, sharp teeth, and pale skin.
Oscar growled at the sight. "Vampires…"
Subaru smiled. "Cowabunga, my dudes."
Emilia, meanwhile, looked towards the Vampire hunter. "Oscar, any tips on fighting Vampires?"
"They're especially vulnerable to fire, so I suggest that," Oscar explained. "Contrastly, they have resistance to ice and frost."
"Time to git gud, Dragonborn," Patches said, causing Emilia to grumble in response.
"Patches, I need a distraction."
The bald Undead nodded, as he walked out into the open, and started dancing.
Oscar stared in confusion. "What... is he doing?"
Subaru smiled. "The Distraction Dance."
Surprisingly, the Vampires seemed unaffected by the dance, and started to attack Patches.
Patches suddenly stops dancing and jumps back. "OH SHIT!"
"All right, time to light 'em up." Subaru said as everyone jumped out.
"YOL TOR SHUL!"
Emilia unleashed a wave of Fire from her mouth, causing the Vampires to recoil back.
Subaru, meanwhile, used wide-ranged pyromancies to burn them all.
After a minute, the Vampires were successfully burned to ashes.
"Well, that was easy," Erik said.
"Vampires are easier to deal with when Fire is available. Isran will definitely want to hear of this," Oscar said, putting away his sword.
"I'm assuming Isran is your leader?" Aela asked.
"Indeed. With the Dragonborn, we may finally push back the Vampire threat once and for all. If you're willing to help us."
"Glad we could be of help," Emilia said.
"If there's anything you need to do, I suggest we do it now before heading to Fort Dawnguard."
"Still gotta head to High Hrothgar," Subaru said.
"Very well, I'll accompany you there," Oscar said.
Subaru nodded. "Then welcome to the party, I guess. In the meantime, we'll fill you in on what's going on with us."
After leaving Helgen, the group make their way back up to High Hrothgar.
Author's Note: One of the last members of the party has finally arrived!
Oscar of Astora is here! For those who have never played Dark Souls, he's the first NPC you meet, and tells you of the Chosen Undead's prophecy before dying, or you killing him. We've decided to give him a happier ending here. (Now, he's a member of the Dawnguard, and those of you that have played Skyrim know what that means.)
5queso: Yeah, we've been looking forward to all of the lore-heavy chapters, as I'm pretty sure neither of us are good with acting scenes. Subatu's backstory was lifted a bit from "Re: Start", and Pandora being an irredeemable monster is nothing new. I'm also glad you see the two options Subaru has been presented with: Subaru saves Satella, or he sacrifices himself to save the world. (Both interesting outcomes, but I guess you'll have to wait and see what ending we choose.) Hope you keep up with our next few chapters!
Kifhjoooff: Sí, Subaru y sus amigos salvarán a Satella o morirán en el intento.
SenSlice: Okay, so, I guess it might be true that those who are tossed into the First Flame don't die, but it still hurts to the point of them Hollowing, so it's still unpleasant. (It is said many times throughout media that there are "fates worse than death". Torture is a thing, after all.) Okay, so, Shaula's relationship with Subaru has always been wobbly depending on the story, and here is no exception. We've also got Sage lore, so I hope you're satisfied! (She's been a daughter, a little sister, and even a lover to Subaru depending on how others perceive her relationship with Subaru. So, the exact nature of their relationship is a bit uncertain, but Subaru does not have romantic feelings for Shaula.)
And now for the last bit of shilling…
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- Ernalore & Infinite the Celestian