Chapter Text
Chapter 25: The Exiled Vampire Princess
A few hours later, Isran calls for a small team for a task. Specifically, a small team consisting of Subaru, Emilia, Oscar, and Solaire, who were now hanging around in his office.
"You summoned us, sir?" the Vampire-hunting knight asked.
Isran nodded, and explained the current situation to the impromptu team. "Yes, we got word that a large group of Vampires have taken over some ruins in Dimhollow Crypt."
"Sounds spooky," Subaru joked, in a serious tone. "And important."
"Quite. The Vigilants of Stendarr, an organization dedicated to hunting Daedra Worshippers and beings such as Vampires, attempted to deal with them. Only one of their members made it out alive."
"Are they here with us now?" Solaire asked, concerned for the individual in question.
Isran nodded. "Yes. He's resting in one of our guest rooms while your friend, Erik, is healing him. From what he told us before he passed out, the Vampires seemed like they were looking for something. Something important, and I want to know what it is."
"Great, a mysterious MacGuffin," the Japanese man groaned.
"We need you four to infiltrate the crypt and see what it is these Vampires are looking for."
The silver-haired half-elf nodded. "Understood. When do we leave?"
Isran narrowed his eyes. "Immediately."
On the outskirts of the Dimhollow Crypt… the view was kinda depressing.
Seriously, aside from the constant snow, the clouds were totally gray, and there didn't seem to be much civilization out here, aside from the occasional stone pillar popping out of the ice.
At least they had afewthings resembling art.
"Kinda suspicious this place is next to a statue of a four-armed Satan," Subaru said, pointing to a Shrine which depicted a four arm devil figure sitting on a throne on a nearby cliffside.
Solaire spat in disgust. "Filthy devil worshippers."
Oscar recognized the statue. "Mehrunes Dagon. Daedric Prince of Destruction. They say he was behind the Oblivion Crisis two hundred years ago in Tamriel."
"Charming fellow," the nasty-eyed Undead said sarcastically.
Emilia shivered at the mention of the Eldritch Deities. "I think Erik said he and Molag Bal are the most Evil of the Daedric gods... it's horrible that such evil beings can exist."
Oscar shook his head and sighed. "That, unfortunately, is reality."
Subaru sighed. "Well, let's get inside and see about this Vampire problem."
One sneaky entrance later and after dispatching of a pair of Vampires and demon dogs, the group make their way into Dimhollow Crypt, which was better than outside.
There were actual signs of architecture, between the bridges, torches all around to keep the place lit, and stairs, it was a nice change of pace from having to avoid getting snow on the inside of their boots. Now, instead of survival, they were playing the stealth mission.
"Sneak, sneak, sneaky sneak…" Emilia whispered.
Oscar just looked confused at… whatever Emilia was doing. "What is she doing?"
"Something from her childhood," Subaru answered.
"Sneaky sneak sneak," the half-elf continued.
Solaire could barely handle the adorableness. "Oh dear, my heart's melting."
"Just try to keep her quiet. Vampires have enhanced senses for a reason." Subaru nodded at Oscar's advice.
As it turned out, the majority of their expedition was… suspiciously easy.
While it was true that slaying Vampires wasn't an easy feat, for these experienced adventurers, it was only a matter of coordination and timing. But as they kept going from room to room, the adrenaline began to die down, and the act of monster slaying became monotonous.
The group continued to dispatch Vampires over and over again… until they came upon a large room with a platform that resembled some kind of cathedral.
"Why do I hear boss music?" Subaru asked.
Another Vampire came from the other side of the room, and stood in front of the group.
Vampire scoffed at seeing Humans."Pathetic Mortals. Who are you to dare interrupt the mission of your superiors?"
"Oursuperiors?" the sun-loving knight asked.
"Vampires are at the top of the food chain. We, who have overcome the bounds of mortality, have no limits to our strength. We don't even have to use that pathetic Dark Sign to do it."
"But you morons still need SPF 50 to survive anywhere near the sunlight," Suabru quipped.
Emilia gave the black-haired Undead a funny look. "S... p... What?"
"I don't know what he's talking about," Oscar spoke.
Vampires merely laughed at the idea of "that" rumor. "Ha! You fools actually believe that superstition?! The Sun may be our eternal enemy, but it cannot kill us!"
Emilia's brain was working overtime trying to understand that. "Then why is it your eternal enemy?"
"It weakens them, prevents them from healing and recovering," Oscar explained.
Subaru nodded in understanding. "Okay, so classic Dracula lore."
"Enough of this! Soon, this will no longer matter! The Tyranny of the Sun is almost upon us, and your kind will forever suffer in darkness!"
Suddenly, the Vampire begins convulsing and emitting a black mist, and before finally bursting out in a new transformation. It was larger, had greenish skin, and a pair of almost fleshless wings on its back.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
"Aaaaand there's the ominous Latin chanting," Subaru groaned. "Guess it's time for us to fight."
The transformed Vampire conjured a red orb of energy, and hurled it at the group.
"SCATTER!!!" Solaire shouted.
The group managed to jump out of the way in time, before they began their offensive.
"EL HUMA!"
"LIGHTNING SPEAR!"
"WRATH OF THE GODS!"
"AL FULA!"
The Vampire suddenly dispersed into a swarm of Bats, dodging the attacks, before reappearing behind the group and launching another Blood Bomb. The group managed to dodge the attack, and threw a second volley of magic at the monster.
The Vampire dispersed again, before reappearing behind Solaire and grabbing him by the leg, before throwing him against one of the pillars.
"SOLAIRE, NO!" Subaru shouted to his friend.
Oscar shouted out, "We need Fire!"
"On it!" Emilia shouted, as she extended her hand out. "UL GOA!"
Emilia conjures multiple fire orbs and hurls them at the Vampire, who vanishes once again.
"Wow! That must have been some training to get to Ul Goa!"
Emilia smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, Subaru!"
The Vampire reappears behind Emilia, ready to stab her with its claws. Luckily, Oscar rushed forward, slamming the vampire with his sword and shield.
The Vampire's left hand begins to glow orange, as it telekinetically pushes Oscar off it and slams him against another pillar.
"Oh, come on!" Subaru shouted. "That's cheating!"
Using its telekinesis, the Vampire grabs hold of Subaru, and throws him at Emilia.
WHAM!
Emilia groaned in pain, as she could feel Subaru on top of her. As she shook her head, and looked towards Subaru, her face turned red. "Ehh?! Subaru! Your face! It's on my —"
Yes, indeed. Subaru's face landed right between Emilia's chest.
"MMMPH!!! Umm… nice proportions? They're just like Satella's."
Emilia's face became even brighter than before. "SUBARU!!!"
"Right! Sorry!" the former Great Sage apologized. "Wrong time!"
The Vampire approached them, prepared to finish them off, before...
"AL FULA!!!"
The Vampire suddenly stopped moving, as the top half of its body began to slide off the bottom half, revealing it had been cut in half.
Subaru was shocked to see that kind of finisher. "Whoa… Oscar…?"
Oscar walked over to them, holding his right arm. "I'll be fine... better than him."
Emilia sighed in relief. "Yeah… oh no! Solaire!"
The bucket-helmeted knight got up, nursing his head. "Ugh... I'm alright…"
Subaru smiled. "Yeah, you're too tough to die to a punk like him. That guy was a pushover."
"That... was a Vampire Lord…" Everyone looked at Oscar. "According to our findings, they're the most powerful variant of Vampire there is."
"And we still killed the loser!" Subaru proved his point.
Oscar gave that to his fellow undead. "Barely, but still, that is a victory."
"Indeed!" the sun-loving knight said. "Shall we head back?"
Oscar shook his head. "No. We came to find out what the Vampires came here for... and something tells me it has something to do with this room."
"Maybe there's some treasure here," Subaru suggested.
"How about this thing in the middle?" Emilia pointed to a small hexagon pillar in the middle of the room.
Subaru walked over to it and examined it for anything, but it was smooth all over. Noticed the top of it was round like a button, the undead decided to press it.
"AH! sh*t!" Subaru winced as a spike ran right through his palm before he pulled it out.
"Subaru!" Emilia ran up to her friend and began to use a Healing Hands spell to heal the wound.
"Thanks." Subaru thanked the half-elf, who smiled in return.
Solaire and Oscar quickly joined them and the Sun Knight spoke first. "What just happened."
"Damn booby traps." Before Subaru could say anything else, the small created an ethereal, purple flame-like energy which moved through lines throughout the floor.
Oscar looked confused at this flames. "Is this some kind of trap?"
"No… I think it's some kind of puzzle." Subaru gave his two cents to it. Suddenly, Subaru's curiosity got the better of him. "Hmm… I'm gonna touch it."
Surprisingly, nothing happened when Subaru touched it. It was like the flames were not even there.
"Hmm. Maybe it has something to do with the big candles?" Emilia points to various stone objects around the platform.
Solaire took a closer look. "Hmm… maybe one's a lever?"
Subaru walked up to one of them, trying to find a secret switch or something, but his weight leaning on the object caused it to move to a different spot. However, the violet flame had begun to spread in a line to another stone candle, but just stopping short of it.
"Should something happen?" Solaire asked.
Emilia really had to think for a moment before coming to an idea. "Hang on…"
Emilia walks up to another similar object and pushes the candle to the flame, causing it to ignite as well, and causing the flame to spread in another line to another candle before stopping short again.
Emilia's eyes widened. "I get it, we have to ignite all the candles."
The other three nodded, as they ignited each and every candle in the room.
Suddenly, the platform began to shake, as a hexagonal pillar rose out of the center.
"A hidden idol…?" Subaru wondered.
Solarie approached the pillar, before one of the sides slid down, revealing a woman wearing a red and black outfit. The woman fell down, but Solaire caught her before she hit the ground.
As the knight held her, he asked, "Are you all right, Miss…?"
"Uhh... Thanks... just give me a minute…" the strange woman said.
The woman got back up and opened her eyes, revealing them to be black and glowing orange, which caused Oscar to immediately pull out his sword, and point it at her.
SHING!
"Oscar! What the hell?!" Subaru shouted.
"Look at her eyes!" the knight shouted. "She's a vampire!"
"Wait!" Emilia said. "She might not be bad!"
Subaru agreed with Emilia. "She's right, let's hold off until we know for sure!"
Oscar stayed still, grumbling, but didn't attack.
"Thanks for holding off your friend," the vampiric woman said, still on edge as she just woke up after who knows how long.
"Hey, it's what decent people do," Subaru said.
"Anyways, my name's Serana. Nice to meet you... most of you."
Emilia gave Serana a shaky smile. "Nice to meet you, too, I guess."
Serana softly nodded. "Sorry, I was expecting someone... more like me."
"A blood-sucking parasite?" Oscar asked rudely
Serana didn't back down. "Bite me."
"I believe that's your thing."
Moving the conversation elsewhere, Solaire asked, "What were you doing in there?"
"Yeah, we're taking a nap, or something?" the Chosen Undead joked.
"You could call it that... What year is it?" Serana asked Subaru.
"Well, given that no one has established a world calendar yet, I'd say, four hundred years after the Great Calamity, and three years before the First Flame dies out once more."
"The First Flame is dying out... that's not good, but I don't know what the Great Calamity is…"
"A being by the name of the Witch of Envy attempted to devour the entire world," Oscar explained. "She was sealed away by the Divine Dragon, Sword Saint, and Great Sage."
Serana cringed at that. "Yikes. Sounds nasty."
Subaru, Emilia, and Solaire look at each other with mild discomfort.
Oscar got to the point. "So, why were you in the coffin?"
"I'm... not sure, my memories are a bit fuzzy... and I'm not sure I can trust you, especially after you just tried to stab me," the orange-eyed Vampire answered.
Oscar narrowed his eyes. "Do you hunger for blood?"
"I've got a good handle on it, Steely." Serana answered back with some sass.
"Then you'll be safe," Oscar said, putting away his sword. "For now."
"Charming."
"Well, I'm Subaru, that's Emilia, Solaire, and Oscar," the black-haired Undead said.
Serena gave them a courtesy bow. "Pleased to meet you, weirdos."
Emilia noticed something Serana was carrying. "Um... what's with that thing on your back?" Emilia points to a Golden Scroll on Serana's back.
"Looks like our MacGuffin," the nasty-eyed Sage said.
"That is an Elder Scroll, and it's mine," Serana said, as she gripped her possession tightly. "Try to touch it, and you're gonna lose some fingers."
Subaru held up his hands. "I'm not touching it, I guess."
"Good. Anyways, I need to get out of here and back home... but I don't think I can make it on my own. I don't suppose you would mind lending a hand."
"Where exactly is your home?" Emilia asked.
"It's a castle just off the coast of Gusteko's northwest shore... at least, it should still be there."
Solaire looked down at the floor in response to that. "Sounds like a long trip."
Emilia did some more thinking and had an idea. "Actually, I can probably make it faster, but we need to be outside for it to work."
After getting back outside, the group make their way to a clearing.
Emilia cleared her throat before Shouting "OD AH VIING!!!"
After a few seconds, Odahviing comes down from the clouds and lands in front of the group.
"I sensed your call,Dovahkiin. For what purpose have you summoned me?"
Emilia couldn't help but look… embarrassed? "Sorry Odahviing, but we need you to help us get to a castle west of her. I was hoping you could… fly us there?"
Odahviing was silent for a few seconds before answering. "Very well,Dovahkiin, but please do not make this a common necessity."
Serana just stared at the mighty beast. "Okay… how did this happen? Dragons don't usually come when someone calls for them."
Subaru nodded. "Yeah, Emilia is the Dragonborn."
Serana just looked confused. "Dragonborn?"
This surprised Subaru as it should be very common knowledge. "You don't know about Dragonborns?"
All Subaru got was a headshake and a shrug from the Vampire.
"Basically, Emilia was born with the soul and blood of a Dragon and she can shout like them." Subaru quickly explained. Now that he thought about it, if Serana has been napping since before the Great Calamity, then she might not know about Dragonborns.
"And who are you?" Serana asked. "Her hype man?"
"The Chosen Undead."
Serana snorted in amusem*nt. "Ha! Good one."
Subaru merely kept a straight face.
"Oh my Od, you're serious," the vampiric woman's eyes widened as her voice conveyed the realization that he was being serious
Everyone was silent for a few seconds, before Oscar suddenly dropped to his knees, bowing before Subaru, as if he was meeting one of the gods themselves.
"Woah!" the nasty-eyed Undead yelped. "What's going on?!"
"YOU ARE THE CHOSEN UNDEAD?!" the knight shouted.
"Uh... yeah? We kinda had a whole conversation about it before you joined our group, so I guess it makes sense you didn't know…" Subaru said, scratching his head a bit.
"In my family, there was a prophecy… a man from beyond Nirn… would be the one to link the First Flame…" Oscar explained. "The Chosen Undead… it's you…?"
"Yeah... it's me," Subaru awkwardly answered
"Wait a minute… the question!" Solaire realized.
"What question?" Emilia didn't seem to remember.
"Remember when Oscar first attacked us?" the sun-loving knight reminded the others. "He kept asking where Subaru truly was from! He knew Subaru was lying!"
Subaru smacked his forehead. "Oh, that."
"My family has passed the prophecy down… to serve the Chosen Undead…" Oscar said, unsheathing his sword. "I am now yours to command, Subaru Natsuki."
"Uh... I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not one for servants," Subaru said.
Oscar looked up at his new master. "Am I not up to your standards, sir?"
"It's not that! I just don't want any servants, but I will have you for an ally."
Oscar jumped up, and stood tall. "I would be honored to join you!"
"Alright, just... Please don't kill Serana unless we're sure she's evil."
"You know I can hear you, right?" Serana asked, a bit annoyed.
"As you command, Sir Subaru!" Oscar said, with excitement.
"He sure got eager real quick," Emilia deadpanned.
"That's fanatic loyalty for ya," Subaru said. "Still not a fan of it, though."
After they all get on Odahviing, he flies them off to the castle Serana specified, landing at the entrance to the castle. If Subaru would have to give a name for the aesthetic, it would be "medieval Dracula vibes." It had all the things of a standard Dracula setting, the fog, scary birds, crumbling infrastructure, but instead of the castle looking like an eighteenth-century manor, it looked like a spookified version of every other castle currently loitering Gusteko.
But he was clearly gonna keep that comment to himself. He was a guest, after all.
Solaire waved towards Odahviing in thanks. "Thank you for the lift."
Odahviing nodded. "I shall wait until you decide to return."
Emilia bowed to the flying reptile. "Thank you, Odahviing."
The group walk up to the door of the castle, before Serana stops them.
Serana spoke up. "Wait up."
"Hm?" Subaru looked back at her. "What's up?"
Serana took a deep breath. "It's clear that you're not fond of Vampires, so... I wanted to ask that you keep hostility to a minimum. You don't want to mess with these guys."
"Pfft, what are they, endgame bosses?" Subaru jokingly asked.
"I… don't know what that is, but just follow my lead until you can safely leave." Serana took the lead.
"Very well, we'll trust you," Solaire said.
Serana leads the group inside, where a Vampire was staying on guard.
The Vampire began to speak before recognizing his fellow Vampire. "Halt! State you-! Princess Serana? Is it truly you?"
"Your eyes do not deceive you, Vingalmo." the supposed princess answered.
The Vampire's eyes, now named Vingalmo, went to the others accompanying her and gestured to them. "And these are...?"
"They are my guests, and they are not to be harmed," Serana said.
The guard bowed. "Understood, my lady."
Vingalmo walks to the balcony behind him and announces Serana's return. "Lord Harkon! Your Daughter, Serana, has returned!"
A male Vampire wearing similar clothing to Serana looked surprised to hear such a thing. "Serana? Here?"
"Indeed, my Lord. She has returned!"
"Send her in."
The Group walked down the stairs to a dining room... filled with Vampires and human corpses.
"Serana! It has truly been too long, and I see you have brought my Elder Scroll."
Serana kept her face even. "Hello, father."
Harkon's face shifted. "Come now, there is no need for disappointment."
"Really? After who knows how many years, the first thing you ask me about is the scroll?"
"Oof," Subaru whispered, earning an elbow to the stomach by Emilia.
"Of course I was concerned for you, must I need to say it aloud?" Harkon asked.
"Considering you never came for me? Yes. Entire centuries have passed."
Harkon chuckled a bit, in quite the unsettling way. "I did send my subjects searching for you, it's unfortunate that we were never able to find you until now."
"Yes. Truly. A tragedy," Serana said in a not-so-sincere tone.
"If your traitorous Mother were still here, I'd allow her to witness this reunion before I ripped her apart," Harkon casually said, as he kept sitting between the corpses.
"Jesus, talk about family drama," Subaru said, getting the Vampire Lord's attention.
Squinting his eyes, Harkon asked, "Who might these... individuals be?"
Serana quickly answered, "The kind folks who rescued me."
"I see, I must thank you for rescuing my Daughter and the Elder Scroll she carries. There is but one gift I can offer in exchange…" Harkon said, smiling to reveal his fangs.
Oscar immediately knew what that meant. "Uhh…"
Subaru tried to deflect. "Wow, that's…"
Solaire was simply trying to buy time. "A generous offer…"
Emilia meanwhile, had no idea what to say. "But, uhh…"
Harkon sniffs the air, and almost immediately felt disappointment. "Ah, I sense that three of you are already Undead, a shame. Not even our gift can remove the Dark Sign."
However, there was one who was still mortal, although her scent was… strange. "And what of you, young lady? I can sense something special about you... would you like a taste of Immortality?"
"Psst, Emilia-tan," Subaru whispered to her. "Don't take it."
Emilia decided to listen to the guy literally called "the Great Sage" on this one.
"Um... I appreciate the offer, but... I think I'll stick to just being a half-elf…"
"I see. How disappointing," Harkon said, with a frown that betrayed his annoyance. "I will allow you to leave unharmed just this once, but should we meet again, you will be prey."
"Gee, thanks, Jabba," Subaru said sarcastically. "You're a wonderful human being."
Soon, the group were allowed to leave, so they left the castle, got back on Odahviing once they were back out in the open, and headed back to base.
Author's Note: I will always take the chance to do a Star Wars reference.
(Well, everyone's favorite Vampire Princess companion is here! I bet some of you were waiting for Serana, and here she is! Yes, she will be joining the party. However, I will say that there is one more person to join. I won't say who, so you'll just have to wait.)
5queso: I actually don't remember writing any memes or puns from the last chapter. Anyways, the words "Pandora" and "brainwashing" will come back again, and yes, while it will be bad, it's not in any way you're expecting. Talk again in the next chapter!
Kifhjoofff:Una vez más, perdón por la falta de Vampiros en el último capítulo. Si te hace sentir mejor, hay mucha caza de vampiros en este, así que estamos bien.
As a special announcement, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out,/ErnaloreProfis the link.
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Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!
- Ernalore & Infinite the Celestian
