Nathan hefted a sigh, before moving back to Dumbuk's body. Kneeling, he touched Dumbuk's wrist and internally tried to talk himself out of trying to resurrect him. He'd promised Dumbuk that he wouldn't. Serana inched a little closer to him, pleading softly. "Please? You must help me." Nathan numbly looked over his shoulder, retorting a little defensively. "I don't think I should. Solitude is in the opposite direction to where I'm headed." Serana hugged herself, asking hopefully. "Please. I'm sure we can work something out. I'm... I'm trying to save your kind." Nathan rose to his feet, pointing at Dumbuk as he said a bit darkly. "You call that saving my kind? You just killed one of my friends." Serana hugged herself more tightly, guiltily rushing out. "That was an accident! I haven't fed in a few years! My body acted on need. Please?!" Nathan pointed a stern finger at her, retorting dryly. "Give me one good reason not to kill you and take the scroll! Or better yet, drag your ass back to the Dawnguard to let them deal with you!" Serana didn't rise to his threats, she just looked him in the eyes with her innocent ones, replying in a serene voice. "Because if my fears are correct... I'm your only hope for this world's salvation. And no matter how strong the Dawnguard thinks they are. They have no idea what is coming."

Nathan snorted, sarcastically muttering out. "Tell me something that I don't know. Everyone is trying to end the world right now. Why should I give a fuck about vampires trying to get in on the action?" Serana lifted her chin a little higher, before telling him bluntly. "Do you like your free will, Mortal?" She moved closer to him, her eyes glinting a soft gold. Nathan felt his body tense up, but he couldn't move. His heart raced as she inched menacingly closer to him, her fangs slowly extending out as she parted her lips. Stopping to stand in front of him, she told him in a commanding voice. "Kneel." Nathan tried to resist, but even with his Breton blood to resist magic, his body dropped obediently to his knees. She cupped his face, tilting his head back to keep his eyes on her. Bringing her lips over his, she told him in a calm and pleasant tone of voice. "If we win this war, Mortal. You'll fall into a nightmare that you'll NEVER wake up from. Any will you think you have, will be nothing more than an illusion. Your kind will be cattle. We'll breed you. We'll kill you. We'll control EVERYTHING about your lives." Serana brushed a thumb over his lips, adding a little distracted now. "We will outlive you. Generation after generation. Your children will never know a world without us. You will never have families. You'll all be separated. Mothers from babies. Husbands from wives. You will eat when we tell you and live the way we tell you."

Serana's fangs retracted, and she forced herself to step back from him, upon finishing in a cool tone. "Is that not reason enough?" Nathan felt the spell lift off him but stayed where he was as he asked curiously. "Don't you want that? Sounds like a vampires paradise." Serana hugged herself again, her confident demeanor changing to a docile one as she replied grimly. "If history has taught us anything... It is that kingdoms rise and fall. With all that control, people become corrupt. They start to feel untouchable. And often break apart from the inside. My family only talked about this 'vampire utopia' and it tore us apart. Imagine it on a full scale. Entire covens at war. Those in power well fed... while others starve on scraps. We'd seal our own extinction." Nathan finally got off his knees, dusting himself off as he told her. "Sounds like a normal day for us, Mortals. But I see your point." Groaning to himself, he mumbled under his breath. "Dumbuk's ghost is going to haunt me for this..." Beckoning to her, he said more clearly. "Come on. I'll take you to Solitude." Serana perked up a little surprised as she said. "You're going to help me? What changed your mind?"

Nate looked over his shoulder and was about to say Escher's name, but he stopped himself. Instead, he told her with a heavy heart. "It's just... You remind me of someone. That's all." Nathan looked over at where they had come from, then looked off to the other side of the rounded platform. There was another bridge that led off to somewhere else. As much as he wanted to go back the way they came, he knew it would be a long walk. Pointing to the bridge he hadn't gone to, he informed her swiftly. "Let's go this way." Serana pointed to Dumbuk's body, asking curiously. "Aren't you going to say anything? I thought the Dawnguard always prayed for their dead?" Nathan stopped short, slowly turning around as he told her honestly. "I'm not a Dawnguard. He was. I don't pray to the gods. Besides, Dumbuk doesn't need me to help him. He's a fighter. And even in death. He'll keep fighting for what he believes in. No prayer from me is going to change that." Nathan whirled around, crossing the bridge now as he added flatly. "I hate leaving him in this fucking place... but I can't carry him. For all I know, he might like it here. The original Dawnguard are buried here, after all."

Serana jogged up to him, then stopped abruptly to say a bit startled. "What?!" Nathan turned to ask why that upset her, but somewhere on the other side of the bridge, a loud sharp roar rang out through the tomb. Nathan flinched, dropping down into a crouch. Serana's eyes went to the source of the noise, informing him coolly. "Gargoyle." Nathan shifted to look around the bridge railing. At the top of a balcony that they hadn't even reached yet, there was a large figure roaming in the dark among tumbling rubble and disturbed dirt. The Gargoyle snorted, then hopped up onto the carved stone banister. The brazier that was nestled by the wall suddenly flared to life as the Gargoyle's saliva hit the coals, illuminating his body in a frightening yellow glow. The Gargoyle was seven foot tall with large bat wings. Its eyes were made of bright rubies, and it bore long horns on its head like a demon. As it snarled at them, it showed off a mouth of canines that were big enough to be sharp tusks. Its long sharp talons pierced into the stone of the banister like a hot knife through butter and its whole body had a rustic stone appearance. Every time it stood still; Nathan's mind tricked him into thinking it wasn't alive. Seeing its ribcage move like it was breathing was menacing. He couldn't hear it breathing, which made him wonder if it was alive in the normal sense of the word.

Whenever the Gargoyle moved, its body made soft crackling noises similar to two rocks being tapped together. Nathan turned his head slightly to ask over his shoulder without looking away from the Gargoyle. "Serana? You can control that thing... right?" Serana moved up beside him, her body tense, when she answered. "Um... I never mastered that. Do you have an enchanted weapon?" Nathan rolled his eyes, unsheathing Dawnbreaker. Serana flinched away from him as the golden sword glinted with sunlight. Upon the banister, the Gargoyle let out a screech and took flight, shattering the banister railing beneath it. Nathan rolled out away from the bridge and Serana dashed with inhuman speed to a spot before the brazier that was flat and open enough to fight on. The Gargoyle swooped over the bridge, then rolled in the air to adjust its course to come back at them. Nathan really didn't want to get within arms reach of the creature with his sword. So, raising a hand, he hit it with his paralysis spell. The Gargoyle tried to dodge the ball of green light, but its large wing caught it. The Gargoyle yelped as its wings stopped flapping, causing them to go still and become as heavy as stone. The Gargoyle fell from the sky, slamming into the dirt to slide a foot or two.

The fall had broken the fingers off one of its hands, but it was still alive. Serana raised her hands, her fingers starting to mist with magic. Extending out a hand, she shot thick shards of ice at the Gargoyle with one hand. The Gargoyle let out deep throaty growls in response. Every magical shard pierced the Gargoyle's stony hide as if it was leathery flesh. Nathan waited for her to pause, then rushed in to impale his sword between the shoulder blades of the Gargoyle. The blade was met with no resistance. Piercing cleaning and quickly. The Gargoyle's body jerked like the paralysis spell had broken, then it crumbled into piles of rocks. Nathan lifted his sword to look at it with a newfound appreciation. It would not have been that easy had he not had an enchanted sword. Serana lowered her hands, chuckling out a little nervously. "Well... At least I know you can handle yourself in a fight. You handled that well. The humans I used to know would have pissed their pants to face a Gargoyle like that." Nathan was about to sheath his sword, until the light glinted off two little stones at his feet. Crouching, he picked one up and grinned to himself. The Gargoyle's ruby eyes had fallen out. Picking them up, he stashed them into his pocket.

Serana moved up the nearby stairs, touching the bat nose of another stationary stone Gargoyle as she told him sadly. "Such misunderstood creatures... I feel bad for them." Nathan followed her, huffing out. "I doubt it would have shown you as much sympathy." Serana turned to face him at the top of the steps, telling him a little defensively. "That's not the point. Our nature as people is to understand why a creature does what they do. I'd like to believe we were meant to take care of this world as caretakers. Not its dictators." Nathan didn't have anything snarky to say in response. Allowing her to continue in a warm voice as she cupped the face of the Gargoyle statue. "Take these poor creatures for example. Created by Stonemasons that forged them from their hatred. A creature meant to protect us from evil forces... forced to do the bidding of evil people. Would you not say that is unfair to them?" Nathan straightened up, telling her in passing in a smooth tone of voice. "It is about as unfair as you killing my friend because your primal nature told you too."  Serana stood very still and unblinking. Then from behind him, she asked softly. "You are never going to forgive me for that, are you?" Taking a deep breath, Nathan walked only a few steps away before stopping to say honestly. "I don't know. I can't think of a reason to right now."

Serana caught up to him as he reached a set of stone pillars before a wooden door, regaling to him grimly. "I understand. I'll try to be more careful with the things I say. I seem to be... a little out of practice." Nathan didn't respond. He just lit the brazier by the door to bathe the wooden door in warm light. The door was covered in cobwebs, but nothing looked rusted. Grabbing the bolt he unlocked it, while asking curiously. "Why were you so shocked that the Dawnguard was buried here?" Serana shuffled her feet, following him through the door as she told him. "I've heard stories about them. None of them good." Nathan conjured a ball of light to guide his way, huffing out. "From a Vampire's point of view, I guess they would be scary." Serana grabbed his arm to stop him just in the doorway to the next room. She stared into his eyes with her scared ones as she informed him. "Not just for Vampires. For everyone. They were... murderers. Liars. They killed just to kill things. Vampires. Werewolves. Daedra. Anything and anyone that was touched or communed with forces they didn't agree with... they destroyed them. For sport." Nathan leaned back against the wall, softly saying. "That isn't the version I was told. How do I know you are not making this up?"

Serana released his arm, truthfully answering. "You don't have to take my word for it. You'll have to decide for yourself. But the way I heard it. The Jarl of Riften had a son. During a battle over territory with Windhelm, His son's army was ambushed. He was bitten. Those that had survived the attack took the prince home. The healers proclaimed him dead and buried him. But the next night, he came back and killed half the staff. His father feared him but didn't have the heart to kill him. So, he built a castle for him in the mountains. A special castle. He hired his best warriors to build it to keep his son safe. These men were called the Dawnguard." Serana leaned back against the other wall across from him, continuing with pain in her eyes. "They were called that because they were meant to guard him while he slept. The prince told them what would protect them if he should ever lose control. And since the Jarl never visited his son... They took the liberty of making the castle a prison. The story goes... that they tortured the prince. Learned everything they could from him. And when he had nothing left... they starved him and turned him into a source of entertainment."

Nathan got goosebumps thinking about that. Serana exhaled heavily, tilting her head back as she finished off. "When the Jarl finally sent word to see his son... they told him that they had to put him down. That he was a monster that could not think rationally. In his grief, the Jarl disbanded them from his service. He wanted to slaughter them all... but how could he? They were the best fighters he had. No one in his Hold would touch them. The last I had heard of them; they were roaming the countryside as a band of mercenaries. Killing anyone and everyone they felt were... unnatural. Or associated with the unnatural. So, you tell me. Do they sound like people you want to honor?" Nathan shook his head, answering honestly under his breath. "No..." Serana brushed her hair off her shoulder, asking him in a sweeter voice. "I'm not the first vampire you've met, am I?" Nathan tensed, moving away into the room now. Serana followed at a distance, informing him gently. "I can smell it. You've been kissed by a vampire." Nathan turned guarded eyes on her, but she tapped her teeth with a nail before saying with a shrug. "The virus. It leaves the smell of death on the victim. Although, for a smell as strong as yours. You were close to turning... but haven't. You did something to stop it from spreading. So... willing or attacked?"

Nathan moved up the steps toward a lever, retorting defensively. "Sorry. I don't trust you enough to share that kind of personal information with you." Serana smirked, giggling out lightly. "I deserved that." Nathan grabbed the lever and pulled it over, causing a door behind him to open. Serana looked over the room, heading up toward him as she said mostly to herself. "This feels like the right way. It's familiar... but at the same time... it is so different." Nathan felt the hairs rise on his arm, prompting him to slowly unsheathe Dawnbreaker. The next room was not what he had expected at all. It was a massive chamber with rows of stone seating all around a deep square pit in the center. Within the square pit was an iron grate over a blazing fire so hot that the entire chamber felt warm. On the far side of the pit was a special balcony that held a set of throne chairs. However, only one of them was occupied with a tall and slender looking Draugr. To Be Continued...