Glancing back at Serana who was talking in hushed tones with Escher, Nathan felt bad for her. He didn't want to believe that a parent would do that to their kid, but he understood that not everyone in this world was a saint. Serana's mother drew his attention back to herself, upon saying curtly. "Look, Dawnguard. If Harkon obtains Auriel's bow and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. In his eyes... She'd be dying for the good of all vampires. I love my daughter. I won't put her in danger. So, take my advice. Go home." Shaking his head subtly, he told her honestly. "I can't. I would love to do just that. But I have my own reasons for doing this. I won't let anything happen to Serana. I wouldn't have gotten this far without her. I can't just walk away though." Serana's mother crossed her arms over her chest, sneering out to him with narrowed eyes. "Oh? And how do you plan on completing the prophecy without the death of my daughter?" Locking eyes with her, he seriously stated out. "I told you. I plan to kill him and take his place." Serana's mother huffed loudly, shifting her weight to her hip as she bluntly retorted. "If you believe you can accomplish that, then you're a bigger fool than I originally suspected."

Unfolding her arms, she tossed them up and snapped out. "Don't you think I weighed that option before I enacted my plans? Harkon isn't just any vampire. He's Molag Bol's Champion! The strongest vampire alive! What makes YOU think you can even scratch him?! You'll get yourself and my daughter killed." Turning away from him a bit, she added darkly as her eyes glinted a soft gold. "You care nothing for Serana or our plight. So, stop pretending that you do. You see the Tyranny of the Sun as your deification. And like Harkon, you won't hesitate to destroy anything that stands in your path. Whether or not you've become one of us, you're still a vampire hunter at heart. We're abominations in your mind. Evil creatures to be destroyed!" Nathan lost his composure and a chuckle burst from him. The outburst prompted her to face him with a disgusted look, but he brushed it off and crossed his own arms as he light chuckled out. "My deification? Lady, while I would LOVE to be able to walk around without getting blinded or weakened by the sun... I would miss it. The only deification that I want comes from my work that I spread through every tavern across Skyrim. And the best parties are at night. If there is only night, then it loses that luster. Why would I do that to myself? That is a career killer."

Her jaw dropped open, and he quickly added as he shrugged out with his most charming smile. "True, I'm not a fan of Vampires after what they did to my family... but I'm coming to the appeal of it. Being able to party and play for eternity has its appeal. And I didn't WANT to kill Harkon. I was TOLD to kill him by Molag Bol himself. So, I'm pretty sure that if HE is taking time from his busy life of torturing things to pester me about this... Then it is a pretty fucking big deal to him. And he's fucking desperate to pick me in the first place. So... I really don't need you telling me what you think my motives are. I'm only here for your Elder Scroll that Serana says you have. She believes in what I'm doing and that is all that matters. So, about that scroll-?" Serana's mother tensed, stepping aside to call out to Serana in disbelief. "Serana?! This stranger may call himself a vampire, but he aligns himself with those that would hunt you down and slay you like an animal. Yet, you trust this man? You expect ME to trust this man?! He knows nothing of our struggle! How could you do this?!" Serana strolled back up to the barrier, placing her hands on her hips as she snapped back at her. "This 'stranger' has done more for me in the brief time that I've known him, than you've done in centuries!"

Nathan couldn't help taking a nervously step back from them. He'd seen enough women fight over him to know when things were going to get ugly. Even with a magical barrier between them, he didn't want to risk getting caught up in the crossfire. Serana's mother raised her hands, flexing her fingers like she wanted to strangle her daughter as she hissed out angrily. "How dare you! I gave up everything I care about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!" Escher inched up behind Nate, resting his arms on his shoulder as he whispered teasingly. "You sure do have a way with women." Nathan bit his lower lip with embarrassment. Serana tossed up her own hands, stating back to her mom sternly. "Yes, he's a fanatic. Yes, he's changed. But he's still my father! Why can't you understand how that makes me feel?" A stern desperation filled the voice of Serana's mother, when she paced a little in front of the barrier and said loudly. "Oh, Serana... When will you open your eyes?! Don't YOU understand? The moment your father discovers our role in the prophecy, that he needs our blood, we'd be in terrible danger!"

Serana scoffed loudly, hissing back in return. "So, to protect me, YOU decided to shut me away from everything I cared about?! Leaving me to be discovered by Vampire Hunters centuries later! You never asked me if hiding me in that old castle was the best course of action. You just expect me to follow you blindly into everything! Even when you knew what becoming a daughter of Coldharbour meant I would have to do with him! Your religion! Your rules!" Escher inched behind Nathan more, whispering discreetly. "Should have brought a snack..." Nathan chuckled quietly, taking a swig of his normal wine before offering it to Escher. Smiling, Escher accepted, while Serana continued bitterly. "Both of you were obsessed with your own paths! Your motivations might have been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you both! Not once do either of you ask me how I feel about any of this! You just drag me around and use me to hurt the other!" Tears of blood brimmed Serana's eyes, her voice breaking as she struggled to add in. "I want us to be a family again... But I don't know if we can ever have that again. Maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness... Maybe it isn't for us. For our kind..."

Sniffling, she wiped a tear of blood across her cheek, forcing out in a tiny hopeful voice. "But we have to stop him. Before he goes too far. And to do that, we need the Elder Scroll." Serana's mother exhaled heavily, bowing her head as he softly uttered out. "I'm sorry, Serana. I didn't know... I didn't see... I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us for too long. Forgive me. If you want the Elder Scroll... It's yours. I'll trust your judgement." Serana's mother directed her attention back to Nate, prompting him to straighten himself up. Lowering her eyes to his feet, she told him a little reluctantly. "Your intentions are still somewhat unclear to me. But for Serana's sake... I'll assist you in any way that I can." Nodding to her, he asked her a bit more casual in the hopes of getting an answer this time. "Do you have the Elder Scroll with you?" Her eyes rose to meet his before she told him a bit stoically. "Yes. I've kept it safely secured here ever since I was imprisoned." Serana gasped as Nathan blurted out with concern. "Imprisoned?"

Serana's mother nodded, gesturing to the barrier as she informed them. "When I entered the Soul Cairn, I had intended to strike a bargain with the Ideal Masters, the custodians of this place. I requested refuge here and in exchange, I would provide the Ideal Masters the souls that they craved." Serana's mother exhaled loudly as she hugged herself, muttering out dryly. "If I had foreseen the value they placed on my own soul, I would never have come here. They managed to trick me... The Ideal Masters unleashed their Keepers and sent them to destroy me. Fortunately, I was able to hold them at bay, and retreated into these ruins. However... since the Keepers weren't able to claim my soul, they had their minions construct a barrier that I'd never be able to breach. Thus... I became trapped." Serana put a hand on the barrier, causing it to ripple with purple static but it appeared to be solid, staring her mother down, she uttered out in a pained tone. "You've been imprisoned here for all this time?" Serana's mother rolled her eyes, shrugging out dismissively. "Time has very little meaning to me. Consequently, it has little meaning to the Ideal Masters as well. I suppose you could call this the ultimate waiting game. Each watching the other to see which will give in."

Serana hugged herself now, almost mimicking her mother as she asked hopefully. "How do we go about getting you out?" Serana's mother smirked, before informing her sweetly. "You need to locate the tallest of the rocky spires that surround these ruins. At their bases, the barrier's energy is being drawn from unfortunate souls that have been exiled here. Destroy the Keepers that are tending them, and it should bring the barrier down. Then I can give you the Scroll." Nathan nodded, whirling around to leave, but Escher grabbed his arm to stop him as she added promptly. "One more word of warning." Groaning softly, Nathan grumbled out to himself with disheartenment. "Of course there is more..." Escher chuckled lightly, while Serana's mother continued without acknowledging their comments. "There is a dragon here that calls itself, Durnehviir, roaming the Cairn. Be wary of him. The Ideal Masters have charged him with overseeing the three Keepers. He will undoubtably intervene if you're perceived as a threat. He is technically unkillable... since he is already dead. So, try not to draw his attention." Both Serana and Escher looked directly at Nathan. Nathan gawked at them, huffing out defensively. "Don't look at me like that. Why would you even think that I'd drawn his attention!"

Escher tapped the underside of Nathan's chin with his index finger, purring out to him with a smug grin. "Because you draw everyone's attention, Dear. It's just how you are." Giving his cheek a kiss, Escher added teasingly by his ear. "You are a beautiful distraction." Nate narrowed his eyes on him but smirked out. "Should I just go introduce myself to him then?" Taking his wrist, Escher pulled him back down the steps of the ruins, telling him playfully. "Let's try and get the barrier down first. Then you can use the silver tongue of yours to distract him." Serana jogged up behind them, asking Escher curiously. "Do you know where to go?" Escher pointed to a high tower in the distance, answering confidently. "She said at the base of the highest towers. That looks to be one and it is the closest to us. We'll go there first and have a look around." Nate let Escher pull him along until they got closer to the tower. Withdrawing his normal short sword, he kept his eyes open for movement as they ventured into the little courtyard. As Escher withdrew his own sword, he asked them anxiously. "Did anyone happen to ask what these Keepers looked like? Cause that would be helpful."

Serana checked around the corner of a building, uttering out coolly. "Probably look like something big and undead." Nathan stopped in the center of courtyard, answering in great uneasy detail. "Big, yes. But undead is not how I'd describe them. More like. They're ten foot tall in thick heavy bone armor with bone weapons and... a smokey ghostly black form with glowing white eyes that are quite unsettling to look at." Escher looked at him, huffing out impressed. "Wow. Did you learn that at the college?" Nathan shook his head, staying very still as he rushed out. "No. It's creeping up behind you. Move!" Shoving Escher aside, Nathan ducked as the Keeper swung its large bone mace at them. Serana quickly jumped out into the courtyard, shooting an ice shard at the Keeper. The Keeper quickly lifted its thick bone shield, causing the ice shard to shatter upon it without leaving so much as a scratch on it. Rolling up onto his feet, Escher hissed aggressively and dashed forward to try taking out its long legs. Despite wearing such heavy armor, the Keeper moved fast, swinging the shield out to swat Escher off his feet. Escher flipped through the air but landed on all fours like a cat.

Taking advantage of its momentary distraction, Nathan dashed up to it and jumped into the air to kick both his feet into the chest plate as hard as he could. Without a sound, the Keeper lost his balance and fell back across the ground. Allowing Serana to get a few hits in with her ice shards to its ghostly face. Sitting up, it quickly blocked her icy attacks with its big shield. Nathan fell less gracefully to the ground with a light groan as he hit chest first. The Keeper had been heavier and more solid than he had anticipated. The Keeper rose up to a knee, then tried to slam the blunted point of his shield down on Nathan's legs. Spotting it out of the corner of his eye, Nathan rolled over and lifted his legs up as the shield came down where his legs had been. Exhaling the air from his lungs, Nathan pushed off the shield to preform a backward roll to get quickly back up onto his feet. The Keeper dragged his mace across the ground, his eyes locked on Nate as he raised the mace to try bringing down on him. Nathan dashed off to the right to avoid it but didn't have to. Escher ran in, leaping to grab the Keeper's gauntlet and used the momentum of the down swung to flip the Keeper over and back across the ground.

The Keeper hit the ground and Serana jumped onto his chest to blast his face with her strongest ice spike that dissipated his ghostly form and left nothing but empty armor. Running up to Escher, Nathan put a hand on him and asked a little worried. "You good?" Escher leaned forward to hold his knees, groaning out in slight pain. "Fuck, he's heavy... Why didn't you warn me?" Nathan chuckled, replying sarcastically. "Would you have believed that a ghostly guy like that was that heavy?" Escher laughed, slowly straightening up as he replied innocently. "No. But the warning would have been very much appreciated. What if I hadn't used his momentum? I would have looked silly tugging on his arm." Patting his back, Nate whispered over his shoulder lovingly. "I would have run in to help." Kissing his cheek, Nathan added playfully. "Oh, and by they way. Their heavy." Growling softly, Escher kicked Nathan lightly in the ass as he moved away from him. Serana hopped off the large chest of the Keeper, telling them in a more composed tone. "One down. Two to go." Escher shook his head and Nathan couldn't help slipping out innocently. "Three, if you count the dragon." They both shot him light glares. To Be Continued...