Chapter 39: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold
"EL MINYA!"
Subaru took initiative and launched a barrage of Minya crystals, which crystallized and exploded a good portion of the Falmer legion.
"UL GOA!"
While Emilia blasted the rest of them with her fire, the others scattered. The mages stuck together, while the fighters ran towards the farther away Falmer, away from the magical blast zone, and struck them.
The Frost Atronach began to charge towards the Party, only to get blocked by Seigmeyer.
"You shall not pass!" Siegmeyer roared.
The ice golem began punching at the onion knight's armor, while the other melee fighters jumped the Frost Atronach.
"Emilia! J'Zargo! Triple Fire attack?" Subaru asked.
The Khajiit grinned at that. "No further need for convincing!"
"Everyone! Get back!" Emilia shouted to the others.
The other mages got behind the trio, while the others ran and hugged the walls.
"INCINERATE!" J'zargo used a powerful Incinerate Spell, which launched a massive stream of Fire which covered the Frost Atronach, but it was still holding on.
"GREAT CHAOS FIREBALL!" Subaru unleashed a Great Chaos Fireball, which hit the Frost Atronach, while leaving lava all over the floor around their foe.
Finally, Emilia prepared a spell she had been working on. She held her hands close together and began to gather Fire and heat into a singular point, before unleashing the condensed flames into a single attack.
"AL GOA!"
After launching the attack. The flames were so hot, that the ice around her became steam, and the Frost Atronach began screaming in pain, despite it not having a mouth.
Erik used Huma to attempt to protect the others from the heat, but it was not easy in the slightest. Serana had to continuously use her own frost magic to attempt to counter the heat on herself.
Everyone felt the sensation of their lungs both drowning and burning simultaneously, the sensation so agonizing, it was as if lasting for an eternity. But then… it ended.
All the Falmer and the Frost Atronach were dead, with the only enemy left standing was Vyrthur, who was shocked at the display of raw power.
"So... this is the power of a Dragonborn..."
"Are you sufficiently intimidated?" Emilia asked.
"No... I won't let you ruin centuries of preparation!" Vyrthur summons dozens of El Huma ice spikes and launches them towards the Party.
Those who don't dodge simply let the ice bounce off of their heavy armor.
"Lightning Spear!" Solaire launched two lightning bolts towards the Snow Elf, who pulled out a strange Elven Shield which... absorbed the lightning?!
"Huh. Don't see that everyday," Patches deadpanned.
Vyrthur laughed at the attempt. "You fools! Auriel's Bow wasn't the only weapon Auri-El gifted Nirn. Behold the Auriel's Shield, capable of absorbing the force of any attack!"
"Oh, right. The shield…" Solaire couldn't help but be a bit embarrassed he forgot about that.
"Then let's find its limit!" Subaru snarled, readying his magic.
"Does it have a limit?" Sieglinde asked, not sure if this was a good idea.
"Everything has a limit," The Khajit was confident as always.
That got Erik motivated. "Then let's hit it hard! EL HUMA!"
"EL DONA!"
"GREAT HEAVY SOUL ARROW!"
"ELEMENTAL BLAST!"
"SPEAR TOSS!"
"AL FULA!"
"AL HUMA!"
Everyone that could use magic fired and their attacks connected to the Shield, with every hit being absorbed by the Shield. However, it showed no signs of cracking.
Vyrthur continued to laugh like a maniac. "How ignorant! There is no limit to how much energy Auriel's Shield can absorb! However, the interesting part is what you can do with the power."
Before the others could react, the Snow Elf focused the energy in the shield, then…
BOOOOOM!
With a single push, Auriel's Shield unleashed a massive shockwave of energy that sent everyone back against the wall. Half of the Throne room was destroyed, allowing the Snow Elf to fall back to the balcony.
"Uhh… did that shield do all that…?" Aela groaned as she got back up on her feet.
"I... think so?" Subaru guessed.
"How do we beat him now?" Solaire asked.
Serana growled at the situation. "There's eleven of us and one of him! We have him outnumbered and outpowered!"
Subaru grimaced as an idea came to mind. "I have a plan."
Emilia looked to her friend. "What kind of plan?"
Instantly, Subaru bolted from the rest of the group, his hands flailing in the air.
"HEY, LOOK AT ME, I'M A TARGET!"
Vyrthur turned his attention towards the black-haired Undead, as he focused all his attention and effort on pummeling the screaming, yet oddly fast, lunatic.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"WAAAAAHHH!"
Emilia just held a blank expression. "I... don't know what I expected."
"Hurry!" Serana shouted to the others. "While he's distracted!"
"We need a way to take that Shield from him!" Aela yelled.
Patches saluted the others. "I'm on it!"
Emilia nodded, trusting Patches' proficiency at stealing. "Alright then! Keep his attention on us!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
While Subaru was still distracting Vyrthur with his antics, Patches disappeared, appearing behind the Snow Elf.
"Hey, what ya looking at?"
"Huh?! WHAT THE —?!"
SLASH!
Before Vyrthur could react, Patches stabbed Vyrthur through his arm, and ripped Auriel's Shield off it before throwing it to the others with Oscar catching the Shield.
Oscar gave the bald thief a thumbs-up. "Much appreciated!"
"It's over Vyrthur!" Serana shouted. "Give us the bow!"
"N… NEVER!"
Vyrthur attempted to launch another attack, but Emilia quickly restrained him with Ice.
"Okay, let's try this again," Emilia said, her voice now cold.
"How dare you! I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El! I had the ears of a God!"
"No, just those of an Elf," the nasty-eyed Undead corrected him.
"Until the "Betrayed" corrupted you or whatever. We heard the sob story already."
Surprisingly, instead of getting more enraged, Vyrthur gave a chuckle at what Serana said.
"What do you find so humorous?" Oscar asked.
"Gelebor and his followers are easily manipulated fools. Look into my eyes, Daughter of Coldharbor. You tell me what I am."
Serana did so, and saw that Vyrthur's eyes... were similar to her own. Black with glowing orange irises… "You're… just like me."
Vyrthur nodded. "A Vampire, yes. The moment I was infected by my own initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me! I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter the cost!"
"Then why haven't you done it already?" The Sun Knight asked.
"Auri-El himself was beyond my reach. No known method on Nirn or Oblivion would allow me to reach him. Even then, I recognize I stand no chance against a God. However, his influence on our world could be affected. All I needed was Auriel's Bow which I already had in my possession... and the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour."
It was right then and there that everyone realized what Vyrthur was talking about.
Aela growled, "Don't. You. Dare."
Serana's eyes widened in horror "It... it was you? You created the Prophecy?!"
Vyrthur smiled. "Aye."
Serana's body began to shake in a storm of emotions. Almost every bad thing that happened in her life... Her Father's obsession with the Tyranny of the Sun, her Mother's desire to stop him, being sealed away in that tomb for centuries... all of it... because of this very Elf.
"Serana…?" Erik called out to his friend. "Are you alright…?"
Serana did not answer. Instead, she immediately transformed into her Vampire Lord form and ripped Vyrthur out of the ice, holding him by the neck. The others stepped back in fear and worry as it was clear Serana had reached her breaking point.
"IT'S! ALL! YOUR! FAULT!"
As Serana was about to sink her claws into the Elf, she felt her arm behind being held back, unable to move. Turning around, she saw that it was Solaire holding her back.
"WHY...?" Serana tried to understand why Solaire stopped her.
"Because you're better than this."
"IT'S ALL HIS FAULT! MY FATHER! MY MOTHER! EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY WAS BECAUSE OF HIS PETTY DESIRE FOR REVENGE!"
"I know. But killing him won't revert any of this. It'll just bloody your hands."
"OUR HANDS ARE ALREADY BLOODIED! WHY SHOULD HE LIVE?! AFTER ALL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING HE CAUSED?!"
"Because killing him would be too easy. It'd be a quick way out for him. He needs to face justice for what he did."
Oscar stepped forward to assure Serana. "The Dawnguard will put him on trial. Serana... he will suffer for what he's done to you."
"Please… don't sink to his level," Solaire begged of her.
Serana was silent for a few moments... before letting Vyrthur go. The Vampire Princess turned back to her human form and began to cry from the stress she was under. The Sun Knight brought her into a hug which she reciprocated.
"It's alright… He won't ever hurt you again. No one will… I promise you that."
Before Vyrthur could try crawling away, Emilia quickly froze his entire body, putting him into suspended animation.
"You're not going anywhere, scumbag," she hissed.
"Oscar, make sure Isran takes real good care of this sack of filth," Subaru ordered him.
The knight bowed his head a bit. "It will be my pleasure, Subaru-sama."
PING!
Suddenly, a Wayshrine on the balcony opened itself, and out stepped Gelebor.
"Ah, I see that the deed is done?"
"Were you behind that the whole time?" Erik asked, looking at Gelebor and the wayshrine.
Gelebor shook his head. "No, this Wayshrine was locked by Vyrthur's magic. With him no longer alive or able to keep it under his power, the Wayshrine was opened to me."
"So it's like a bonfire," Patches said.
"That is one way of looking at it. What of Vyrthur?"
"Still alive. We're taking him with us," Aela said, pointing to Vyrthur's frozen body.
"Turns out, he was actually a Vampire, so the Dawnguard is gonna deal with him." Erik explained what was actually going on.
"I see…" After a few moments pondering this new knowledge, Gelebor composed himself. "Regardless, you have my eternal gratitude. For this, I present you with Auriel's Bow."
Using his magic, Gelebor used a spell to summon the Auriel's Bow inside the Wayshrine. The Party was able to look at the weapon in all its divine glory. The Party looked in awe at how… beautiful the bow was.
"Any takers?" Aela asked.
Emilia, Erik, Seigmeyer, Sieglinde, Serana, Oscar, and Patches were not archers and didn't want the bow, leaving Subaru, Aela, J'zargo, and Solaire.
"J'zargo wishes to continue using magic as his weapon. J'zargo has no need for a bow."
"I'm good," Subaru said, waving it off. "Solaire?"
"If Aela does not wish to take it." The Sun Knight looked to the Werewolf.
Aela took a second before answering. "Pretty, but too fancy for my taste. It's all yours, Solaire."
"Then... I shall wield this bow with honor and respect," Solaire said. The sun-loving knight then grabbed Auriel's Bow, and he couldn't lie. Holding such a divine weapon... it felt right.
"Vyrthur…" Gelebor looked at his frozen brother, who was frozen completely. "I am disappointed in what you have become, but I still care for you, nonetheless. I hope we can meet again in the next life."
"Okay, who wants to carry Frosty here back to base?" Subaru asked.
Patches grinned as he put up his hand. "One, two, three, not it!"
"I'll take it." Aela transformed into her Werewolf form and picked up the frozen statue.
J'zargo breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew. Glad this is over with."
Solaire turned to Gelebor and asked, "If I might ask, what can the Bow do? If it is as powerful as legends say, then it would be good to know how to bring out its full potential."
"It's a bow," Patches deadpanned. "You pull, and let go."
Gelebor began his explanation on how Auriel's Bow worked. "It's much more than that. The Bow draws power from the Aetherius itself, channeling it through the Sun. Therefore, when an arrow is loosed from the Bow, it produces a magical effect very similar to being burned by fire."
"Can it do anything else?" Oscar asked.
In response, Gelebor pulls out a quiver of special looking Elven arrows. "Yes, in fact. These are Sunhallowed Arrows. Designed specifically to be used with Auriel's Bow. When fired, they release a burst of sunlight that is especially harmful to undead."
"How many do we have?" Solaire asked.
"I have around seventy-two available for you. However, they will run out eventually," Gelebor then pull out a crafting recipe for Sunhallowed arrows. "Here is the recipe for crafting Sunhallowed arrows."
Solaire nodded as he took the recipe. "Thank you, Gelebor."
"So, that's it? You'll still be squatting here?" Subaru asked, wondering if he was gonna be hanging out here from now on.
The Snow Elf nodded. "Indeed, it is my duty after all."
"Can't you come with us?" Emilia was a bit sad to leave Gelebor here, but he shook his head.
"I cannot. I must begin repairing the Sanctum with my followers. Hopefully, we can restore it to its former glory."
"Well, good luck with that, I guess," Erik said.
Gelebo bowed to them and said his goodbyes. "Best of luck to you in your endeavors. May Auri-El guide you."
Solaire bowed in return. "Thank you, Gelebor-san."
Using Al Shamak, Subaru opened a portal back to Fort Dawnguard and the party walked through, feeling like they had finally completed their journey.
Oscar was the first one to step out of the portal. "Sir Isran, we have returned!"
…Only to have Andre greet them. "Wrong room, buddy."
Turns out, Subaru had teleported them to the Smithing room, but it was still their base.
Subaru gave the blacksmith a salute. "Hey, Andre."
Andre waved back. "Hey, boss."
"Where are the others?" Emilia asked.
"Courtyard or the main hall," Andre said.
Subaru began to walk out of the room. "You heard him guys and girls!"
Before they left… "Oi! Is Patches with ya?"
Patches tried, unconvincingly, to hide his presence and change his voice. "Uh, no! Patches isn't with us!"
"You have five seconds to get out,"
Patches was already gone in one.
In the main courtyard, Isran was overseeing the training of the Dawnguard members. However, a familiar voice called out to him, having him pause the lesson.
"Sir Isran! We have returned!" Oscar announced their presence to his leader, who turned to see them walking out of the Fort. That was unexpected.
"Ah, Oscar. Did you succeed?"
Oscar nodded. "We did! We've acquired Auriel's Bow and his Shield!"
Isran didn't see that coming. "His shield?"
Oscar pulls out the Auriel's Shield from behind him. "It's apparently capable of absorbing any and all attacks and releasing the accumulated energy in a powerful blast."
Isran nodded at that. "Fascinating. It should prove to be quite the advantage. And it is yours now?"
"We have not decided yet," Oscar admitted.
The old man nodded along. "I see… Still, a victory, regardless."
"Also, we've got a prisoner for you," Subaru added.
"A prisoner?"
PLOP!
Aela places down the frozen Vyrthur.
"Turns out, this is the guy that made the whole Prophecy of the Sun thing in the first place."
Despite keeping his composure, Isran was still quite shocked. "What?! Are you certain?"
Subaru nodded. "Yep. Apparently, he got turned into a vampire and wanted vengeance on his God for not saving him."
Isran needed a second to fully process that. "I'm going to need more information."
Subaru explained the whole situation to Isran, who listened carefully hearing what went down.
"I see... Well, we'll throw him in the dungeon until we're ready to make him pay for his crimes."
Subaru gave him his signature thumbs-up. "Glad to hear it."
"Tonight, we will feast! Tomorrow, we end this vampire madness once and for all!"
"""YEEEAAAHHH!"""
The Feast went by great. Most of the party was enjoying themselves, while Solaire and Oscar were being the responsible ones and made sure the artifacts were undamaged. Serana, however, was not participating in the event; she needed some time to herself.
"I thought the old man would have had a heart attack the way he was shouting!"
"Agreed, but he has a powerful set of lungs!" Aela said to Erik.
"Yeah, well, we beat the bad guy, and it wasn't someone from my past! I consider that an absolute win in my book!" Subaru said, as he nursed his pint.
"That's depressing…" Emilia said, but she still raised her cup.
"My life is basically depression! Well, that, mixed with the occasional high of copium…"
"Well, let's start making it better!" The half-elf declared, trying to lift his spirits.
Subaru didn't respond, as he just kept chugging the pint of ale he was drinking.
Serana was by herself outside. She needed to be alone after what happened today. She met the individual responsible for effectively ruining her life and her family. She wanted to kill him so bad... yet...
"Serana?"
The vampire turned to see Solaire walking up to her.
"How are you feeling?" the bucket-helmeted knight asked.
"I... I don't know." The Vampire princess admitted.
"Would you like to come to the celebration? The others are missing you." The Sun Knight offered.
Serana shook her head. "I... How am I supposed to feel? The one that ruined my life is chained downstairs and frozen in ice and... all I can think about is my Father and Mother..."
"Well, you aren't alone," the sun-loving knight said.
"Pretty hard not to," the Vampire said. "No offense, but can you even imagine how it feels? Having your entire life destroyed by someone and you can't do anything about it?"
"I… didn't have much of a life to begin with. But I know someone who did."
Serana looked at Solaire with a questioning look.
"Subaru… he lost everything he cared about, four hundred years ago. His friends, his lover… everything. And he's been stewing in his own misery for the last four hundred years. As has Emilia, for who knows how long that poor girl has been thawed out. It may not be the same thing, but some of us know what it's like to suffer."
Serana didn't know what to say, but Solaire continued.
"And to make matters worse... both of their suffering... was caused by the same person."
"A common enemy?" Serana asked.
"Aye," the blond man said, the helmet he was wearing nodding along. "That's all I can say without overstepping, but when they decide to tell you one day, you will understand."
"I see…"
"But, you are not alone Serana. We have all suffered pain and loss before. Yet, here we are, stronger than ever. Pain hurts and twists the heart... but it can also be a source of strength. Strength to be better. To be stronger. To be... kinder."
"And you, Solaire? What of your pain? How can you be so cheerful?" Serana asked, wanting to know how he managed to conquer his pain.
"I grew up with nothing. All I have known was the bare necessities to survive. I managed to be optimistic about it, praising and thanking Gwyn for providing for me and the ones I cared for... however, I learned that what I thought I knew about Gwyn was a lie. That... my life was a lie."
"And now?"
"Now... I have friends again. People who care for me. Subaru, Emilia, Seigmeyer... You. You all are my source of strength. Before, I feared going Hollow, but no longer. I am a better man now. I am whole," Solaire simply said what was in his heart.
Serana remained silent for a bit, before she leaned her head on Solaire's shoulder. Solaire was surprised, but made no move to remove her. They may be polar opposites, but Solaire did not care. As far as he was concerned... All was well.
Author's Notes: So, our good guys have defeated the elf that started it all, gotten themselves some new drip (or at least, some of them did), and they're gonna kill some Vampires! And who says we're not making any progress on this story?
(Yep, almost done with the Dawnguard Arc. All that's left now is to deal with Harkon and his vampire minions.) Now, I wonder if anyone is gonna bother to read the comments?
Sndi Krm: I'm not too sure who "killerman" is.
5queso: I haven't seen season three of The Seven Deadly Sins, and now, I'm kind of scared to. Glad you enjoyed your curry. And Evil Elves… those are called Drow.
ThranduiI Oropherion Redux: Go fuck yourself.
Kifhjoofff: Después de que nos ocupemos de los vampiros.
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