Murphy's Law

Chapter 76

"Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow?" the Arch-Curate taunted. "You've done exactly as I predicted- and brought a pure-blooded vampire right to me."

Balthazar hunched under his friends' bewildered stares. "Pure-blooded?" Sirius echoed. "But that would mean-"

"Which, I'm sorry to say, means your usefulness is at an end!"

The frozen Falmer surrounding them came to life and attacked the group. They were swiftly cut back down with blade and fire, but there didn't seem to be an end to them. More and more swarmed into the Chapel in attempt to take out the four intruders.

"No!" Vyrthur howled in rage when the four showed no signs of slowing down. "I won't let you ruin centuries of preparations!"

"Surrender and give us the bow!" Sirius demanded.

"Death first!"

"Look out!" May gasped as Vyrthur raised his hands, and the floor began to tremble under their feet. "He's bringing down the ceiling!"

"To me!" the Knight shouted, lifting his shield above his head. It was just big enough to cover all four of them. Sirius and Balthazar scrambled close, letting Alastar and Mayhem use their heavier armor to help protect them. Chunks of the roof crashed down around them, several smashing into the shield, and Balthazar lent his own strength to hold it up when Alastar's arms began to shake. Finally it ended, and Alastar lowered his shield. Balthazar helped Sirius back to his feet. Upon making certain his friends were alright, the vampire chased the snow elf up onto the balcony at the far end of the courtyard outside.

"Enough, Vyrthur. Give us the bow!"

"How dare you," Vyrthur hissed. "I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, boy! I had the ears of a god!"

"Until the Betrayed corrupted you. We already heard this story."

"Gelebor and his kind are easily manipulated fools," Vyrthur snarled. "Look into my eyes. You tell me what I am."

Balthazar's eyes widened and he took a step back in shock. "You- you're a vampire?! But Auriel should have protected you!"

"The moment I was infected by one of my own initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me. I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter the cost."

"You want to take revenge on a god?" Sirius scoffed as they finally joined Balthazar on the balcony.

"Auri-El himself may have been beyond my reach, but his influence on our world wasn't. All I needed was the blood of a vampire and his own weapon, Auriel's Bow."

"You created that prophecy?" Balthazar realized.

"A prophecy that lacked a single, final ingredient- the blood of a pure vampire. The blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour." Vyrthur narrowed his eyes. "Or Son, as it were. No matter, you're here."

Balthazar hissed and grabbed Vyrthur, lifting him off the ground in his anger. "You were waiting all this time for someone with my blood to come along. Well too bad for you, I intend on keeping it!" Vyrthur let out an inarticulate sound of rage and forced Balthazar to release him with a spell, summoning a frost atronach once he was on his own feet again. While Balthazar recovered, the others leapt into action, Sirius and May taking on the atronach, and Alastar going after Vyrthur himself.

The fight was over almost as soon as it began. Sirius was quick to check on Balthazar after the atronach shattered. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," the vampire murmured. "It blinded me more than anything."

"At least he's been taken care of," May sighed. "And we should finally have Auriel's Bow." The four of them turned at the sound of a Wayshrine rising out of the ground in the middle of the courtyard. Gelebor stepped out of it and looked up at them.

"So the deed has been done," the paladin murmured. He closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh. "The restoration of this Wayshrine means that Vyrthur must be dead and the Betrayed no longer have control over him."

"The Betrayed weren't to blame," Alastar said as they descended the steps to join him.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"He was a vampire," Balthazar answered. "He controlled them."

"A vampire?" Gelebor echoed, momentarily stunned. "I see. That would explain much. Deep inside, it brings me joy that the Betrayed weren't to blame for what happened here."

"Why?"

"Because that means there's still hope that they might one day shed their hatred and learn to believe in Auri-El once again. It's been a long time since I felt that way and it's been long overdue. My thanks, to all of you."

"Oh, well, you know, just doing what needed to be done," Sirius said.

Gelebor shook his head. "You risked everything to get Auri-El's Bow, and in turn, you've restored the Chantry. I can't think of more deserving champions to carry it than you." Inside the Wayshrine, the bow rested on a pedestal.

"You should be the one to take it," Alastar told May. "You're the best with a bow out of all of us." She quirked a grin at him and stepped inside, picking up the weapon.

"It's beautiful," she said. "I've never seen its like."

"Its craftsmanship has no equal anywhere within Tamriel and possibly beyond," Gelebor confirmed.

"What will happen to you, now?" Balthazar asked.

"Even with Vyrthur gone and the Inner Sanctum destroyed, my duty as a Knight-Paladin of Auri-El remains. I've been sworn to protect this vale and everything it represents until I die."

"And the Chantry?"

Gelebor was silent for a moment. "...While it would fill me with joy to see the Chantry back to its former glory, that time has long since passed. Now that my brother's dead, it's quite possible I'm the last of our kind."

Sirius looked stricken, but May only smiled. "Possibly, yes, but it's also possible there are others hidden out there, like you were here. And there's me, too."

"I did wonder," Gelebor admitted. "You do look so familiar."

"Mother's never stopped searching for more." Sirius looked between the two of them, and lifted a brow in askance at May. "I'll explain later," she said.

"The portal inside this Wayshrine will lead you back to where we first met," Gelebor explained. "Though you cannot leave the way you came in, there is another exit. I believe you may have passed a camp on your way to the Chantry, where a few unfortunate souls decided to settle. The spiders have likely covered it well with their webs but there is a tunnel that leads back to the outside."

"We know the camp," Alastar said, nodding. "Thank you for your help."

"One more thing before you go." Gelebor shrugged off a quiver he had slung across his back, and handed it to May. "These are Sunhallowed arrows. The bow draws its power from 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. These arrows produce a much more spectacular effect- causing bursts of sunlight to envelop your foes. The sunbursts would certainly hurt anything, but is especially devastating to the undead. Unfortunately it takes some time to properly bless arrows, so these are all I have to offer. Use them wisely."

"Of course," May said, taking the quiver. She turned to Balthazar. "Are you ready?"

"As much as I can be," he said. "Let's go."