241 Chapter XLV: A Cavernous Showdown
(Reyvin's POV)
'That is a lot of n'wahs' Scorch whistles in my mind.
'And their power is nothing to scoff at' I comment idly, mentally going over my stock of potions and tossing a couple of them to passing Dawnguards.
Isran stops barking orders for a moment and asks "What can you see?"
I focus harder on my sight and my lips thin slightly "Over a hundred approaching at full speed, many of them respectably powerful. It would seem that we were expected."
Isran immediately rounds on Serana, though he manages to keep himself from acting too aggressively "Do you have something to do with this?" He asks grimly.
Before Serana can deliver her probably scathing retort Mephys interrupts with a giggle "Ah, what sweet paranoia" She licks her lips "Please do let it take over, I would love to see you humiliated."
He grunts out a couple of rather unkind words but thinks better of pressing the issue in our current situation and instead looks at me "Control your servants Dagoth." And walks off toward his men.
"Don't worry, she knows not to act up" I quip, earning myself a pout from Mephys.
"Do you think Harkon suspects our involvement?" I ask Serana.
She nods with a deep frown "Without a doubt. He is nowhere near as foolish enough to miss my betrayal by now."
"Unsurprising" I sigh "One does not live as long as he did by being an idiot."
"For all his pride he knows not to draw attention or act without caution" Serana agrees with a mix of irritation and firmly ingrained fear.
"Any idea on who he might have sent?" I ask as I position my shades around the entrance while summoning several Dwemer crossbow spheres alongside Gatecrasher and commanding them to take the high ground where possible. Mephys had already disappeared alongside Dexion, best make sure that the reason we were even here didn't get chopped up in the fighting.
She spends a brief moment thinking about "Fura Bloodmouth" She says with quite a bit of certainty "His prized bloodhound, and a rather powerful warrior. Thankfully she has no care for anything except fighting but that also makes her especially dangerous in close quarters."
"Great, another ridiculously fast beast." I groan "Why can't it be a mage? I haven't had a proper duel in ages."
'Careful what you wish for pops'
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It took them only a minute to close in and notice the scattered corpses and vampire ash, at which point they sped up and barged into the cave, completely uncaring about more traps and other hazards.
'Well she did say Harkon's servant was a bloodhound' I shrug lazily and toss what remained of a cigar.
A moment later a figure wearing red Volkihar styled plate armor and wielding a massive moonstone axe rushes into the chamber, more vampires following after her and a figure clad in black and gold robes slinking in behind them.
'The fucking Thalmor' I grouse and focus all of my sight on the extra baggage.
'Sheesh, that is a lot of Magicka.' Scorch whistles.
Just as she is about to wordlessly attack, Fura notices Serana and stops in her tracks, her servants following suit. "Lady Serana" The bloodhound greets as politely as a beast can "Your father has invited you back home."
"And you can shove that invitation down his throat" Serana retorts without even looking at her, though from the slight twitch in her hand I could tell the response took a lot of courage.
"I am afraid that wasn't a request. I was told to bring you in, you don't need your legs for that." Fura smiles gleefully, her eyes snapping to me and then to her Thalmor companion "Mortal, deal with the mage."
"You do not command me, beast." A very pleasant female voice retorts with all the disdain one might expect from Thalmor nobility.
"Yet you will do so anyways." Fura offers her a bloodthirsty grin and looks back to me, a slight brush against my mind that I easily shrug off telling me just how uncaring she was about anything other than battle "Where is the priest?" She asks, likely only to get it off her list.
"Dead." I respond with the full force of Mephala's blessing, causing the vampire to pause in frustration.
"Can you deal with the bloodhound?" I quietly ask Serana.
Her response is filled with a surprising amount of excitement, and an understandable amount of bloodthirst "Oh, you can leave her to me."
I nod and flick my hand, the Staff of Magnus materializing and immediately drawing a covetous stare from the shrouded Thalmor "Well then, dear guests." I raise my free hand invitingly "Shall we?"
They do not get the time to answer as Gatecrasher launches an explosive bolt straight into their loose formation, the discharge of blinding crimson light followed by dozens of crossbows firing.
Many of the vampires in my line of sight manage to evade the attack, but that was just part of my plan as over a dozen of the poor idiots find themselves standing in front of me, just as I take in a deep breath... and shout "YOOOOL-"
(Celann, Dawnguard Veteran POV)
"TOR SHUUUUUUUUL" The cave shakes as dragonfire engulfs the central chamber, sending most of the lucky vampires running into the side paths and straight into our sight.
"Take them down!" I order my squad as we loose bolt after bolt from our repeating crossbows, the silver ammunition working wonders against the filthy creatures.
A couple noticed our position and started rushing us but Tingvar managed to toss a firebomb in their path, blocking them off long enough for us to cut them down.
"Reloading!" Another of my brothers voices and we move in to cover him, more and more vampires shielded by a pack of death hounds start advancing on our position, only our enchanted shields protecting us from the ice shards they threw our way.
It did not take me long to realize that our position would not hold as our ammo was limited, and we could not reach the steel spheres in time to resupply, and just as the last of our bolts was spent and the vampires were about to fall upon us and cut us down the nearby shadows shimmered like a wave, spouting forth warriors seemingly made of darkness and holding back the vampires just long enough for us to retreat to another position.
"What the fuck are those things?!" One of the less experienced among us barks, panic clear in his voice.
"Flame-tongue's conjurations, now keep moving!" Drak, the massive orc in our unit shoves him forward, an immense explosion of golden fire behind us stopping any further debate as all of us hauled with all our strength.
(Isran's POV)
Another rabid beast lunges at me believing it can ignore my hammer, I prove it wrong by crushing its head and turning it into ash, a prayer to Stendarr on my mind as I channel even more Magicka into my sun cloak.
Bolts and scrollbound spells pepper the area around me, my men not yet being ready to face a vampire in melee combat, the fact made clear by the bisected young man laying to my right, his armor only slowing his death long enough for him to realize something was off.
More beasts attempt to climb the platform we were protecting, the massive dwarf ballista not allowing any of them to join the ruinous battle in the main chamber. The thought made me glance downwards and immediately focus back on what was in front of me.
'As if they would survive a single second down there' I suppress an involuntary shiver.
I feel a slight tug at my stamina, a beast attempting to drain my lifeforce no doubt. It takes me only a glance to follow the red shimmer of the spell to see where it was hiding and I lob a firebomb at its position, the short bout of screaming that followed brought a smile to my face.
The telltale sound of ice magic draws my eyes to my right just as a massive spike of ice lodges itself into the eyehole of another of my subordinates. Rage simmers in my heart at the death of another brave man as I harden my grip on my hammer and charge at the beasts, the three previously demoralized survivors quickly remembering their duty and showering the undead with even more bolts.
As the rabid beasts fell to my strikes one after another my resolution grew 'We could do this.'
(Serana's POV)
My mind is perfectly clear as I duck and evade another swing of Fura's axe, immediately showering the bloodthirsty maniac with overcharged sparks and forcing her back.
The clarity of mind which followed me ever since I was unbound from Molag Bal was at first disorienting, the hole in both mind and personality I experienced left me feeling without purpose or drive. Yet with each day I spent among those full of life and hope I felt as if my soul itself was slowly knitting itself back together.
I no longer felt my blood boil as it once did, my bestial instincts honed by an unclouded mind allowing me to easily evade and redirect the now all too slow attacks of my father's pet, each of her failed attacks earning her a gash she was forced to heal with her dwindling lifeforce.
Our clash continued, only stopped briefly when we both had to dodge stray spells coming from the magical duel happening nearby. The golden flames of Reyvin and his bird being potent enough to harm even us.
Claws and lightning clashed with steel as our battle continued, Fura growing more and more bloodied with every exchange yet her bloody smile widening every time she was hurt. No matter, she may be crazy and even enjoy the pains of battle but I would crush her like so many others.
Naturally the world had to prove me wrong almost immediately as I felt said lifeforce suddenly swell and rush into Fura's hands, her axe lashing out and striking my stomach with the force of a giant, my spine breaking like a twig.
The now starving Fura jumped atop me, barely leashing her desire to claw out my throat she went for my hands, attempting to rip them off and stop me from fighting back.
Yet even with all the pain, I was not panicked nor did I fear defeat for my mind was overwhelmed with an all encompassing need, something that all other vampires found outright revolting. I needed to bite the life out of her... and so I did.
Before she could even blink my fangs pierced her throat and the disgusting blood of Molag flowed down my throat, tasting of the sweetest nectar. My wounds healed in seconds, my spine connecting with a dull snap.
I stood up, my mind clearer than ever and my veins bursting with power.
(Reyvin's POV, start of the fight)
My throat burns only slightly as I force the hangers on apart from their leaders, Serana wasting no time in lunging at Fura and drawing her away from the Thalmor and myself.
"Now that the mooks are gone, care to introduce yourself?" I ask with fake politeness, my words suffused with Mephala's blessing.
The Thalmor studies me for a moment before smiling slightly "But of course, those of power should be respectful even as enemies."
'Yeah, right' Scorch rolls his eyes from his seat atop my shoulder.
"I am Lady Naerys" She proclaims proudly, a beautifully crafted staff of moonstone materializing into her hand "And you are Lord Dagoth" She smiles challengingly "A rather large thorn in our side."
"What an honor" I quip with false cheer "An entire empire feels threatened by little old me."
"There is no need to be crass" She tuts "One of your power should hold themselves to a higher standard."
"What is this, an etiquette lesson from an Altmer purist?" I visibly roll my eyes, irritating the 'prim and proper' lady more than I expected.
"Magic is a sacred thing." She insists "One who wields its might should not debase themselves."
"Magic is power" I drawl "And in the end that is all that matters." As I speak I send a mental nudge toward my rings, the mountain of Magicka contained within coming to the fore and causing the entire cave to shudder.
Much to my pleasant surprise Naerys doesn't back down "Then might will prove my words true." She flicks her hand and summons a dozen Aurorans, spell circles already forming all around her.
My eyes narrow at the presence of Meridia's Dremora, all levity leaving me as I summon my sword and growl, my voice tinged with the thu'um "I am going to fuck you up now."
She takes an instinctual step back, immediately stopping herself and frowning deeply at her own actions. And just like that all of her previous politeness disappears as she lets out a furious shriek, dozens of spells flying in my direction.
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