97 IT LIVES...well kinda

[AN]: Just as a warning, there is some really questionable science going on here. Just pretend it all makes sense, this is a magic world after all.

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"So Knight Paladin Gelebor, you really don't think the Falmer, sorry, the Betrayed can be cured?"

The ancient snow elf sadly shook his head as him and Rictus were sitting outside the main entrance of Auri-El's inner sanctum sharing a small meal as the sun set. This wasn't the first time they had met, but it was the first time this had come up.

"I am afraid they are well beyond a cure at this point. It isn't some disease or plague which ravaged my species. Yes, the dwarves stole their sight, but it took many generations for them to devolve into what they are now."

Rictus looked at him in curiosity while replying.

"You don't believe there is any hope for them then?"

Gelebor collected his thoughts before speaking.

"Perhaps they'll never return to their former appearance, but over the centuries, I have noticed a marked rise in their intellect. Maybe one day, a line of communication could be opened with them, maybe then they could know peace. That they were not always malignant…they were once a proud and prosperous race. That is part of the reason I will continue to hold my vigil. I hope to see the day such a thing happens while also maintaining hope more of my kind will find their way here."

Rictus nodded in understanding and was genuinely impressed by the conviction in the paladin's words.

"That is a very noble sentiment. Just out of curiosity, if there were some abandoned falmer babies who looked markedly different than normal, say pale skin and non-clouded eyes, and just so happened to live near here, would you teach them and help look after them?"

An intense glare was leveled at Rictus.

"Explain."

Rictus nodded and waved towards one of his guards standing further back. It didn't long before he returned escorting an Altmer woman caring two bundles in her arms. Once she got near, Gelebor couldn't help standing and hesitantly moving towards her. Seeing the babies, he let out a gasp of shock as he muttered under his breath.

"…They look so similar to infant snow elves…"

The man reverently held out his arms in an unspoken request. Carefully, the two sleeping babies were placed into his arms as he stared at them with tears falling down his face. After staring at them in silence for a few minutes, he looked at Rictus in question. Knowing what he wanted to ask, Rictus began explaining.

"Before you get your hopes up too much, I have no way of knowing how exactly these two compare with the Falmer. If I had to hazard a guess, they fall somewhere between a falmer and a snow elf, hopefully more like yourself. I also have no way of knowing how many more there will be since the mother of these two is no longer with us. No idea who the father was. Maybe by being raised with us, they will turn out different than their progenitors. They already look so different which gives me a lot of hope. Only time will tell though. Regardless, I do believe this is a step in the right direction."

Gelebor sobered up a little after the explanation, but he couldn't hide the hope and wonder in his eyes. Just seeing the physical changes in them gave him confidence things could turn around for his race. Maybe not now, maybe not with these two, but sooner than he had ever imagined.

Rictus left the man there with the children and caretaker. He couldn't imagine the thoughts going through his head right now. Believing you were the last member of your entire species could not be an easy thing, especially if the deformed remnants of your people surrounded you with constant reminders of how far they had fallen. Letting him see the children would hopefully help alleviate his burden, if only for a little while. Kids were magical like that, especially these.

Sure, experimenting on pregnant falmer may not be the most ethical of things. Yes, he would probably have some lingering nightmares and question his morality late at night, but that was just something Rictus would learn to live with. If his acts uplifted a broken and cursed race, then he would count the costs worthwhile.

Working on recreating the falmer had been an unexpected boon since Rictus didn't think he would have time for it. He thought he would have spent all his time on the minotaurs, but his experiments had finished much faster than expected.

While he was working, Moira had gotten Domiarza, the leader of the Dreadhorn tribe, to bring them some water. She had then made a joke about him being their waterboy. That had made Rictus chuckle as he suddenly remembered an old movie he had watched long ago about a waterboy turned football star which explained that alligators are so ornery because they have an enlarged medulla oblongata. That had gotten him thinking and made him pay special attention to more minute differences in the brains of the minotaurs. This was where the Aetherial crown had come in handy yet again. He studied and ran a scan on Domiarza's brain while actively working on another's. It was this process which produced their first success.

Everything just kind of fell into place after that point. Seeing one of the minotaurs not mindlessly attacking them after being bopped on the nose made Domiarza bellow in victory. It may not sound like it was a big deal, but every other time they did something similar, the minotaur would show signs of aggression right before they attacked. This one had actually surveyed the room and understood the difference in power. Domiarza wasted no time at all professing his undying loyalty and gathering some of the more loyal minotaurs for the same procedure. Rictus had thought that was a little premature, but the chieftain would not be denied. Thankfully, everything worked out well though which was a slight miracle in and of itself.

Riding the high of success, Rictus had quickly moved on to working on the falmer. It was during those experiments, he realized how different the minotaur problem was with the falmer one. He couldn't simply make a couple little changes to the brain or body and expect to be done. That was evident after restoring the eyesight of one of them who then promptly used its claws to rip out its own eyeballs. Sensory overload was a real threat.

Rictus was a little disappointed, but the realization this would not be a quick fix finally sunk in. No suddenly altering every falmer into a snow elf and having them blindingly loyal and forever grateful for him while proclaiming him as their savior. It was a bit of a stretch, but a man could dream. Instead, he focused on a more generational approach. Babies were already going through an extreme amount of stimulation after birth and were much better at adapting and adjusting than an adult.

Another unexpected boon was the fact there were some auxiliary members of the Restored who were pregnant, a couple being Altmer which was really beneficial since they were the most similar to snow elves in Rictus's opinion. Combining that information with the physical scans of Gelebor should hopefully be enough for now. It may not be exactly what Rictus had imagined when he thought of uplifting the falmer, but it was a major step in the right direction, at least he hoped it was. Thankfully, the two he presented to Gelebor were the prototypes, so he hadn't been mindlessly slaughtering children. Just their parents.

Rictus stopped thinking and worrying about that though as he flew through the sky while making his way to the new headquarters of the Restored. A lot of work had been done in a short amount of time on it that was for sure. His people had been working around the clock getting as much of it does as possible as their operations in the Vale grew.

A smile lit Rictus's face as he could see the outer areas of their new citadel taking shape before his eyes. They had chosen the mountains near the lake as the location for the new base. It offered easy access to water and a plethora of natural resources. This also placed it on the opposite side of the Vale from Auri-El's sanctum, just in case. The citadel was a truly massive structure, stretching from the bottom of the mountain to its peak. Rooms and homes were being carved straight into the mountain like Markarth while the excavated materials would be used for furthering the outer fortifications and structures. Rictus couldn't wait for it to be completed. Someone had called it their Lost Sanctuary, and the term had stuck as everyone now was calling the citadel the Lost Sanctuary. Rictus thought the name was a good one and pretty fitting for them, so he was just went with it. Much better than White River Watch.

He landed near the top of Lost Sanctuary at an overlook with a commanding view of the Vale. This had apparently been one of the top priorities of the building teams since everyone knew of his practice of resting at the overlook at their old base. He definitely wasn't complaining.

The sun had just fallen behind the mountains and bathed the land in a quickly dimming twilight. More could have been done, but Rictus decided some rest from the rapid experiments would do him some good since tomorrow he would join back up with Mirajane at Whiterun. They had a dragon to capture.

A cold wind blew making him shiver for just a moment. Before he could overthink or worry about the future, a tray of piping hot sweet rolls was placed before him.

"Ah, thank you Minos. That was great timing."

Rictus nodded thankfully at the hulking minotaur who bowed before him. His eyes were draw to the large scar right where Minos's heart was located, or at least where it had been located originally. Rictus felt a little pride as he looked at one of his crowning achievements of fleshly alterations. While not quite as tall as a giant, Minos was not far off. Bulging muscles covered him as well as a thick, magic resistant hide. The dragon bone armor was just a nice bonus as was the battle ax, which was bigger than Rictus, strapped to his back. His eyes glowed a blood red while his fur also contained a reddish tint. He was the newest member of Rictus's personal guard, but Rictus hoped he would not be the last.

"Blood for the Blood God."

Rictus let out a defeated sigh as he rubbed his face. So, Minos was not the smartest. That happens when your heart is ripped out in a dark ritual while simultaneously being transformed into a blood vampire. There is bound to be some weird brain damage after all that. Why those was the only words Minos could speak was a bit of a mystery though. Rictus blamed Sanguine.

"Something to work on for the next ones I suppose. Right now though, I need some rest before the big day tomorrow."

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-Northern Skyrim, not far from Solitude. (Valerica POV)

She listened as her daughter animatedly talked with the improper one about some aspect of archery. They had been training and talking about little else their entire journey, and it was grating on Valerica's nerves. Why her daughter would choose such a crude weapon over the deeper mysteries of magic just didn't make sense in her mind. Sure, Alucard could do some visually impressive things, but in the end, it was just shooting someone with a sharp stick. Not much could be taught beyond that, while she had spent lifetimes accumulating arcane knowledge beyond what most mortals could comprehend. Serana should have been hanging on her every word trying to divine some powerful knowledge and thanking her every step of the way. Instead, she talked with some silly new blood who didn't even understand the basics of being a vampire lord. They were even sitting on the same undead horse for Oblivion's sake!

Valerica didn't say anything though. She had done enough damage to her relationship with Serana in the past and had promised she would do better, even if that meant holding back her harsh comments and assumptions. Living for so long had at least taught her patience if nothing else. So far, their relationship had flourished into more than Valerica could have ever hoped for. She would do anything not to mess it up once again.

They continued along their path towards Solitude at a steady pace as the sun was setting. They were headed that way since Alucard had some contacts there who he thought could help them find Harkon. Valerica wasn't so sure, but she didn't say anything as the trip distracted Serana from her negative thoughts about Harkon and that stupid prophecy.

Something didn't feel right. Valerica looked around as she tried figuring out what had her so tense. Only her daughter's companion constant prattle could be heard over the ominous silence. That made her stop. It was too quiet.

"What's wrong mother?"

Valerica could feel something familiar just on the edges of her senses. It was faint but growing fast.

"Serana…you need to hurry and leave. Right now."

Serana just looked at her in confusion though.

"What are you talking about?"

Valerica had no time to explain though as she moved closer to her daughter.

"There is no time. Go as fast as you can right now. Alucard, make sure she gets to Solitude safely. Find Rictus as soon as you get there. I will rejoin you as soon as I can."

She reached out and softly caressed her daughter's face.

"You make me so proud. I love you."

Serana looked conflicted, but Valerica didn't give them time to answer as she cast a turn undead spell at their mounts. Alucard's skeletal horse reared back before bolting down the road, Serana calling out to her the entire way. Valerica smiled slightly as she noted the determined way Alucard sat. Apparently, he had felt something was off as well. Maybe he wasn't completely useless after all.

"You can come out now. No use hiding in that shadow. I can sense your master approaching."

A figure covered in dark red and black armor stepped from the shadows of a tree.

"It is not my master who approaches. My Mistress will be most displeased you discovered me though. Still a lot I can improve on it seems. I am not looking forward to the punishments."

Valerica was trying to understand exactly what the figure was talking about when something else drew her attention. A swarm of bats flew through the air before congregating further down the road. Another figure nonchalantly strutting towards her.

"Why Valerica, it has been some time has it not?"

Anger welled up in her as she glared at the person before her.

"Harkon."

He stood there so confident and sure of himself; it disgusted her. The worst part was, even after all this time, she still felt something for the man she once cared for. Looking at him though, she knew that person was only a figment of her imagination. She could see it in the way his eyes looked at her.

"Where is the Bow? Don't try and lie. I know it has been retrieved."

She didn't say anything as she glared at him. Nothing he could do would get her to betray Serana. The hooded figure from before spoke up.

"I do believe the other woman has the bow. They have gone ahead towards Solitude. We could probably catch them if we hurry."

Harkon didn't avert his gaze from her for a moment though.

"Long did I look for you. I swore that if I found you, then I would put your head upon a spike."

He stabbed a blood red spear into the ground as a vicious and cruel smile appeared on the face of the man she once loved.

"You should have stayed hidden Valerica."

As he was talking, a few more vampires revealed themselves as well as a couple more figures wearing armor similar to the mysterious one.

"You are going to need more than this handful of people here to capture me."

Harkon only smiled condescendingly at her as more and more revealed themselves from the shadows. Valerica quickly lost count as the figures kept showing up and moving among the shadows. He had brought an army. She would not go quietly into the night though. A dark miasma rapidly spread around her as she glared hatefully at Harkon.

"Let's see how your minions fare against mine."

Undead figures rapidly rose in defense of their master from the darkness swirling around her. Harkon's smile only grew larger and more malicious.

"Excellent. I love a good hunt. The feeling of looking at a prey who knows there is no escape is simply intoxicating. Please put on a good show."

No more words were exchanged as the two sides clashed. Valerica stood resolute, commanding her forces like a master general. As soon as one of her minions fell, another rose to take its place. When they killed one of Harkon's minions, they too rose and joined her horde. Her eyes narrowed though while watching Harkon carve a path towards her without much trouble. With a wave of her hand, two flesh atronaches formed and charged him. With their bulk and resistances, they put up a much better fight.

As the minutes dragged on, Valerica couldn't help but feel hopeful at her situation. No sooner had that thought entered her mind then a tide of gargoyles burst from the ground around Harkon. They swarmed over her minions giving Harkon a clear pathway as he started slowly walking towards her. She wasn't quite done just yet though. A glowing blue stone found its way into her hand as she quickly drew from its power. Her mana shot back up as she silently thanked Rictus for the gifted mana stones.

A massive figure pulled itself out from a giant purple portal. Valerica smiled as she looked upon the body of a Keeper from the Soul Cairn. She had learned a few tricks during her stay there after all. The Keeper drew its massive dragonbone battle ax as it charged Harkon. Both rapidly exchanged blows in an intense showdown. After watching them for a moment, Valerica felt confident her summon could keep Harkon busy as she focused on the others around her. She wasn't sure how long she could keep going, but every second she stalled brought Serana closer to safety and further from here. Maybe she could even summon one more Keeper if she really pushed herself. Then that one could hold Harkon and the others back as she escaped.

Blinding pain shot through her chest as she lost concentration on her spell. Looking down, she saw long claws slowly retracting from chest. Valerica fell to the ground as she saw Harkon in his vampire lord form gloating down at her. Despite her grievous wound, Valerica couldn't help but smirk back up at him as she noticed his tattered appearance and a rapidly closing wound along his side.

"Goodbye Valerica."

Thoughts of her daughter filled Valerica's mind. Serana as a little girl skipping and giggling through her garden. The pride she felt as Serana cast her first spell. Reading her bedtime stories before bed. How confident she looked when she showed up in the Soul Cairn. The smiles they shared under the moonlight after spending so long locked away from the world and each other.

She couldn't help but smile despite her circumstances. Even if it hadn't been for long, the time traveling with her daughter was some of the happiest times of her life. Seeing the woman her daughter had grown to become made her proud beyond all measure. She wished she could have more time, but not every wish could come true, so she focused on the good memories they shared.

Those final thoughts put her at ease. A mocking laughter left her as she stared back at Harkon's battered appearance. Research had always been her priority, not fighting. If her hastily summoned minions could put up this much of a fight, she could rest assured knowing Harkon would never succeed. Afterall, there was someone more powerful than her that had already marked him for death. It was only a matter of time.

Valerica couldn't stop chuckling at that thought. This only angered Harkon more as he began shouting at her. She didn't hear him though. Valerica gave him a condescending look before activating a rune she had carved into her skin long ago. She would not give him the satisfaction of putting her head on a pike or using her blood for that damned prophecy.

She felt content that her last sight on this mortal plane was a shocked an enraged Harkon. The fact he would be joining her in death soon, and Serana could finally live her life freely made death's embrace all the sweeter.

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[AN]: Aww. Poor Valerica and Serana. At least we get an update on where Harkon is at though. Hopefully the experiments talked about weren't too bad. I wanted some snow elves right away, but thought that may be a little too dramatic, especially since Rictus already got him some Minotaur allies.