Chapter 38: The Forgotten Vale
After a day's travel, the Party finally arrived at the entrance to Darkfall Cave, which would lead them to the Forgotten Vale. Supposedly. They weren't entirely certain.
"Should we know who our host is?" Serana asked.
"I only saw him for a moment while I was reading the Scrolls... he appeared to be of Elven lineage, and seemed to be sitting on a throne in a room covered in ice," Solaire said.
Patches scratched his chin at that. "What kind of an Elf?"
"He did not look like any other Elf I knew of. He was most certainly not an Altmer, Dunmer, or even Bosmer…"
Subaru's eyes slowly widened, but not enough for the others to notice.
"Well... let's not keep him waiting," Emilia said.
Siegmeyer nodded at that. "Indeed. Let us make haste!"
The group made their way through the cave, having to deal with Spiders and oversized bugs as if they were nothing. During the middle of their expedition, Emilia walked up to Subaru.
"Is everything okay?" the amethyst-eyed girl asked. "You seem... tense."
Subaru clicked his tongue. "Nothing gets by you, huh?"
Emilia asked again, "What's bothering you?"
"Nothing, just some paranoia," the Japanese man said.
The Dragonborn shifted at that. "Paranoia? Why?"
"Well, I don't think it's him, but my brain keeps giving me the idea that our "host" is someone I know…" The Great Sage explained.
"Do... you know any other Life Elves beside me and... Satella?"
"Mmm… a couple."
"If it is who you think... is it a bad thing?" the silver-haired girl asked.
"For the others?" Subaru shook his head. "No, not at all."
Emilia could see what he was implying. "Just... you?"
Subaru gulped. "Yeah… just me."
"Well, don't worry. We won't let them hurt you." Emilia refused to let any harm befall Subaru.
Subaru smiled at that. "Heh. I appreciate the gesture."
Subaru was reluctant to share the name of the Elf he was thinking of. The Great Sage was sure the Elf was gone. Satella said she watched it happen... but there was always that nagging feeling in the back of his mind... What if he –
"Hey, guys," Serana called out to the others. "We got something."
"What is it?" Oscar asked.
Serana pointed up ahead, to some kind of... Elven Shrine. Not only that, but they weren't alone. There was an Elven man wearing ancient Elven armor.
"How valuable do you think it is?"
Erik glared at the bald man. "Seriously, Patches?"
"What? It's old and shiny!"
"Solaire, is this the Elf you saw in the Scroll?" Serana asked.
Solaire took a second before answering, "I believe so, yes."
"Come forward, adventurers. You have nothing to fear from me."
The party jumped a bit in surprise that the Elf spoke with clear knowledge of their presence.
"I… guess it couldn't hurt?" Erik shrugged.
The party approached the Elf, who bowed in respect.
"Greetings. I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor. Welcome to the Great Chantry of Auri-El." The elf introduced himself
"Uhh… Aela, what's a chantry?" Erik asked.
"It's similar to a Church or Altar, usually for prayer to one of the Divines."
"So, it's just a synonym?"
While Aela nodded to Erik's questions, Gelebor continued for the others. "I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. I assume you have many questions."
"You are correct about that," Siegmeyer said.
Solaire stepped up first. "I saw you awaiting us in a throne room of ice, and yet, you are here... in a cave?"
Gelebor was a bit confused at first before he understood what the knight was talking about. "My apologies, but I am afraid there is a misunderstanding."
The party was confused by this, so the Elf elaborated. "The one you foresaw was not me, but rather my Brother, Vyrthur. The Arch-Curate of Auri-El."
"A curate?" J'zargo asked.
"Or rather, former Arch-Curate. It is for this reason that I wish to ask you... to kill Vyrthur."
Emilia gasped. "Kill your brother?!"
Before the party could say anything, Gelebor explained further. "I understand that what I am asking may seem horrendous, but I do not make this request out of a place of hate."
Subaru grimaced. "He's gone Hollow, hasn't he?"
Gelebor shook his head as he explained. "No. I assure you, we are not Undead. Snow Elves have great lifespans, but we are not immortal."
"Then what happened?" Patches asked.
"The kinship between us is gone. I don't understand what he's become, but he's no longer the brother I once knew. It was the Betrayed, the twisted creatures you would call the Falmer... they did something to him, I just don't know why Auri-El would allow this to happen."
The others could hear Sieglinde whisper an "Oh, no…" at that.
"They swarmed the Chantry and began to slaughter everyone without pause or remorse... few escaped alive, myself included."
"And the others?" Siegmeyer asked.
"The others are hiding out in a remote spot of our Sanctuary. However, Auri-El guided me here for a reason, and now I know why. I was to wait for you."
"Executioners for hire…" Serana realized.
Gelebor bowed to ask for their help. "I beg you... please assist me. I am not strong enough to stop Vyrthur, and I know that there is no hope to turn him to a different path. So please... I ask you to put my brother out of his misery."
Patches thought it over. "Hmm… What's in it for us?"
Aela elbowed Patches hard.
"If you assist me, then I will allow you to take Auriel's Bow for your own." Gelebor knew that the bow was the reason they were here, so it only seemed natural to allow them to have the bow in exchange for his request.
"Then you've got yourself a deal," Subaru said.
"My thanks. Please, follow me."
Gelebor led the Party to the Shrine, and after using a spell, the Shrine raised up allowing it to be entered.
"Is he in there?" Emilia asked.
"No. You will need to make your way through Darkfall Passage to the Wayshrine on the other side of the cave. Once there, you will need this."
Gelebor walks into the wayshrine and pulls out... an Elven Jug?
"Is there booze in there?" Patches asked, excited.
"This is an Initiate's Ewer. You will need to take the sacred water from each Wayshrine in the Forgotten Vale to open the Temple of Auri-El."
"That's a lot of words I don't know," Erik said.
"So, one of us has to take that... Ewer, and run around the place looking for these shrines to find the water we need to open it?" Aela asked.
J'zargo grumbled at that. "Sounds tedious."
Gelebor nodded, understanding it was not simple. "I know how it sounds, but if there was another way, I'd have done it long ago. The only way to get to my Brother is by following in the Initiate's footsteps and traveling from wayshrine to wayshrine, just as they did."
Oscar sighed. "Guess we have no choice, then."
"Alright then, who's gonna carry the Pitcher?" Subaru asked.
"It doesn't seem too heavy," Siegmeyer said.
"But you will have to carry around a bunch of Water, and it is not light," J'zargo said.
"I can take it if he gets tired," Solaire offered.
"Alright, Seigmeyer and Solaire will carry the Pitcher," Subaru said.
Serana nodded. "Then let's get going."
After getting ready, the Party entered Darkfall Passage... and it lived up to its name because it was dark. Like, only each other's silhouettes were visible.
"Does anyone have dark vision?" Sieglinde asked.
Emilia smiles at that, eager to show off the progress of her magic. "We'll do you one better."
Emilia, Subaru, and J'zargo each used their Fire or Light based spells to light up the environment. They had to admit, the scenery was… nice. Pleasant, even.
"Much better," the female onion knight said. "Thank you."
"Okay, let's keep vigilant," Subaru said as he determined the party's positions. "Me and Emilia will be in the front, Erik and Sieglinde behind us. Oscar and Aela will guard Seigmeyer or Solaire depending on who's carrying the pitcher, and J'zargo, Patches, and Serana will keep watch from the back."
Serana nodded along to that. "Sounds like a plan to me."
The Party made their way through Darkfall Passage, dealing with Falmer and whatever else was dumb enough to get in their way. It took a while, but the Party managed to find the wayshrine.
However, to their collective surprise, there was a ghost standing beside the wayshrine.
"What the hell…?"
The ghost immediately took notice of them, but did not attack. "Welcome, Initiate. This is the Wayshrine of Illumination. Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with his enlightenment?"
Hearing this, the party decided it would be best to roll with it.
Subaru decided to take one for the team. "Uhhh… yes?"
"Then behold Auri-El's gift, my child. May it light your path as you seek tranquility within the Inner Sanctum."
The Ghost cast the same spell Gelebor used earlier, which caused the wayshrine to rise. Seigmeyer took the water from the shrine, and the party prepared to move onto the next wayshrine.
"That was weird." Patches said.
"This is one of… how many?" Erik asked.
"He said one of five. So, we need to find the other four," Solaire said.
Siegmeyer pushed onward. "Then let's not delay!"
After gathering the water into the Ewer, the Party made their way through the portal in the wayshrine, teleporting them to the Forgotten Vale.
"Huh. Interesting scenery," Patches said.
"It's... beautiful!" Emilia exclaimed. "It looks so mystical and mysterious!"
Subaru had to agree. "Nice "Winter Wonderland" vibes."
"Come on, let's keep looking for those wayshrines," Serana said.
Sieglinde nodded. "Right."
The Party makes their way through the Forgotten Vale, taking in the beauty of the environment. It wasn't long before they came across one of the wayshrines on their right with another ghost standing next to it.
Patches smirked. "Who ya gonna call?" That earned him an elbow to the side.
"Welcome, Initiate," the second ghost greeted them. "This is the Wayshrine of Sight. Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with his enlightenment?"
Subaru decided to take one for the team. "Uhhh… yes?"
"Then behold Auri-El's gift, my child. May it speed your journey to the Inner Sanctum."
"Thank you…?" Emilia said.
The Ghost raised the wayshrine which followed. Seigmeyer took the water from the shrine, and the party moved on to the next wayshrine.
Emilia asked her friends. "Do all the wayshrines have Ghosts guarding them?"
"Doubt it." Serana said.
A little more walking later, and, the Vampire Princess was proven wrong, as they came across another wayshrine with another ghost.
Erik decided to have some fun with it. "Ghost of the well, what is thy wisdom?"
"You've reached the Wayshrine of Learning, Initiate. Are you prepared to honor the Mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with his enlightenment?"
Sieglinde spoke up. "Y-yes?"
"Auri-El bless you, child. For you are a step closer to the Inner Sanctum and everlasting wisdom."
Once again, the ghost did the spell, raised the shrine, and they took the water.
"Will this be an ongoing thing?" Aela groaned.
"It would seem so," Solaire said.
"Greaaat." The Werewolf groaned.
After two more wayshrines, the party finally made it to the Inner Sanctum of Auri-El.
"Please tell me that was the last one…" Oscar begged the others.
Subaru nodded. "It looks like we're here."
"Finally," Patches groaned.
"You know, I just realized... I don't know who Auri-El is," Sieglinde said, getting everyone else's attention. "I assume he's an Elven God, right?"
Siegmeyer looked over at the others. "Subaru? Erik? Any takers?"
Subaru decided to be the knowledge dispenser this time around. "Well, you're not wrong about that. Auri-El is the Elven interpretation of Akatosh. Kinda like how many mythologies on Earth had different names and such for gods who fulfilled similar roles."
"The more you know…" Patches memed.
"Okay, so... how do we open the door?" Emilia asked.
Erik took a guess. "With a key?"
Solaire investigated the door to try and find a way to open it... however, that was when he looked down and saw...
Indents? In stone?
The indents were smooth with very few cracks, as if they had been intentionally carved in there. It was then when he noticed a larged, sun-shaped indent in front of the door. Solaire look back, seeing an empty fountain with a hole at the bottom of it at an indent in the floor which lead to the sun indent, giving him an idea.
"Solaire?" Subaru called out to him.
"I have an idea. Siegmeyer, can you hand me the Ewer?"
The onion knight nodded. "But of course."
Solaire was handed the Ewer, and the Party was surprised when he began to slowly pour the water out into the empty fountain. The water traveled from the fountain to the indent in the floor, traveling through it until it filled up the sun indent... and with a slow creak, it began to open up.
"Oh, it was a key," Erik realized.
"Seriously!? We dragged all the way across this just to dump it out?!" Serana griped.
Aela shrugged. "I mean, if it works…"
"Well, let's not keep the Arch Priest or whatever waiting," Subaru walked in first.
The party quietly nodded, and walked in.
The first thing the group noticed was the entire Sanctum was covered in ice. There were even frozen Falmer everywhere, but they didn't know if they were dead... or alive.
"Just like Elior Forest…" Emilia was getting flashbacks of her time in Elior after she had woken up. Luckily, Subaru put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"You okay?"
"I'll... I'll be fine."
The Japanese man gave her a calming look. "You sure?"
Emilia softly smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be strong."
"Alright, just checking."
"Let's make our way through slowly. We don't want to accidentally wake these guys up... if they're still alive, that is." Seigmeyer stated.
Patches gave his thumbs-up. "Gotcha. Don't touch the glass."
The Party carefully made their way through the Sanctum, making sure to avoid rousing any of the Falmer, from moving slowly to… doing like Patches, and standing on their tippy-toes.
"Do you see the big boss anywhere?" Aela asked.
Emilia quickly used Aura Whisper, and saw a single red aura on the other side of the Sanctum.
"Vyrthur's on the other side of the Sanctum... but he's just... sitting down," Emilia said.
"And I don't blame him. Imagine having to stay standing for centuries."
Patches grinned like a madman. "Then let's go say "Hello"."
Solaire nodded. "We're right behind you."
The Party made their way to Vyrthur, where he was sitting on a throne of ice. The Snow elf observed the ones who entered his dominion, and smiled when his eyes landed on one of them in particular. "Ah... at last, the missing piece finally arrives."
"Were you expecting us?" Subaru asked.
Vrythur smiled. "Indeed. I've been waiting for this very moment for centuries."
"The moment you died?" Patches asked.
"The moment... where my revenge is at hand!"
KRAK!
With the clapping of his hands, Vyrthur summoned a large Frost Atronach from above, and unleashed the Falmer frozen in the walls, who were ready to attack the party.
"Oh… not good," Erik said.
Author's Note: Yep, we've got evil Elves. I know that usually isn't a common thing in Re: Zero (or any isekai anime, or even fantasy anime in general) but Skyrim doesn't play by those rules! (Just look at the Aldmeri Dominion.)
(So, we're finally at Vyrthur. Players of Skyrim will know what this guy's deal is, but for those who don't know, it will be revealed in next week's chapter. Also, sorry if we kinda flew through the Forgotten Vale. It would have just been walking around and seeing sights.) And once again, it's that part of the end segment… the comments!
5queso: If suffering builds character, then I am a shell of a man. Well, yeah, Emilia's cooking is kind of the inverse of Shion's. (I got the inspiration from Meliodas from SDS. Despite his food looking good, it apparently tastes like crap.) Hope your curry was good!
Kifhjoofff: Mi amigo, Subaru y Satella son nuestro barco especializado.
Anyways, back to the regular old shilling…
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Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!
- Ernalore & Infinite the Celestian