-1The Jaws of Oblivion

Epilogue - The Last Laugh

The campfire provided a kind of warmth that he had been seeking for so long. Everything was finally in its place, and he finally felt at peace with himself. Aldric rubbed his hands together and placed them above the fire, enjoying the heat coming off of the flames.

It had been two days since the Oblivion Crisis had ended and he was currently taking up shelter in the Ayleid ruin Vilverin just outside of the entrance to the Imperial Prison Sewers. The bodies of the bandits he had killed were scattered about the first floor of the ruin, their blood already dry. Yet events from the previous two days were still as crystal-clear as they had been two days prior.

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Aldric assumed that the Oblivion Gates that had opened throughout the city were gone, because Imperial Battlemage Ocato rushed into the Temple of the One moments after what had transpired.

"Martin! Where is he?!" he asked with worried.

All Aldric could do was point to the massive stone statue of Akatosh that sat in the center of the Temple and watch the High Elf's expression change from worry to mild shock.

"So he…sacrificed himself for the greater good…he will truly be remembered as the greatest Emperor of all time, despite his short reign."

Caius approached the pair from his position. "Hey, has anybody seen Uvani?"

The three looked around the room, but saw no sign of Uvani Lloros, Nerevar-Reborn. It was as though he had simply disappeared.

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The fact that Uvani had disappeared was mildly off-putting, but understandable in the grand scheme of things. After seeing the true power of the Nine at work, any belief he must've held about the Tribunal Temple must've been shattered.

Then again, what little belief he did harbor must've been destroyed long ago when Almalexia had gone mad. Vivec was all that was left of the Tribunal. Uvani's reasons for the sudden departure were his own, and Aldric doubted that he would ever see the Nerevarine ever again. However, that wasn't all that was on his mind. He closed his eyes to think as he continued holding his hands above the fire.

During the Crisis, while venturing about the various cities, he had heard various rumors floating around about the other provinces in Tamriel, most of which wasn't positive. A group of mages was leading a boycott of Imperial goods in the Altmer land of Summerset Isle; Daedra worship had also become increasingly prevalent, a fact made more disturbing when one considered that the Oblivion Crisis had effected other provinces as well. Another rumor was that Vivec had vanished--the city, not the person, and also that Ald'ruhn had been overrun by Daedra.

But despite those grim rumors, the reports Caius had been receiving since the end of the Crisis suggested that the Empire had faired well against the Daedric invasion rather well. Aldric was thankful that Hammerfell, and especially Rihad, were still in one piece. But it was a mild feeling of relief at best, as he had nothing to go home to. He had been born unknown, raised unknown, and in his mind, was still unknown. Ocato had christened him the "Champion of Cyrodiil", something he had liked at first but soon grew tired of quickly when people kept bombarding him with questions.

Aldric was a humble man, and while he had admired his fellow countrymen and women for taking up the path of the sword, he had only taken up the same path because he had to. It hadn't been his choice to follow the path he had taken; the Nine had shoved him on the path. It was Fate, and looking back, he wondered what would've been different. The "what if's" kept building up until he shook his head and told him to stop--it was pointless to argue with himself.

The Redguard had found peace and quiet within Vilverin…that is, after clearing it of bandits. It had been his home for two days now, and the quiet of the Ayleid ruin (save for the occasional shimmer of one of the crystal chandeliers) made him rest easy. Yet still, he couldn't cope with the loss of life. He was very much alone--no parents, only one friend, and no wife. That realization, which had occurred to him soon after the Oblivion Crisis ended, left him depressed.

With a start, Aldric jerked his eyes open. He swore he thought he had heard a crash nearby. He slowly leaned his head upward and noticed that one of the Welkynd stones had been knocked from its pedestal. Then he saw a blur of movement in the shadows; it moved with such speed that Aldric couldn't tell what it was.

As he went for his ebony long-sword that lay up against a crate with his ebony shield, the blur charged at him and sped through the spot where he had just been sitting. Aldric pivoted on his heel and turned to face where the figure had gone, and was surprised to have his long-sword knocked out of his hand and thrown across the room.

Before him stood a man who's face was gaunt and the cheeks were sunken inward, who's skin was pale white, and who's red eyes glowed brightly.

"Remember me, little mortal?" the man said.

Aldric remembered exactly who it was the moment he saw his face: it was the vampire that had nearly ended his life back in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. He involuntarily scooted backward on his butt, managing to stand up facing the menace.

"I remember you," Aldric replied, trying not to let his fear show in his voice. "Tell me your name."

"Vicente Valtieri," the man replied. "Executioner for the Dark Brotherhood."

"Why are you here? I've already put up with enough bullshit," Aldric mused.

The Breton vampire cackled in a disembodied voice that was laced with evil. "Little mortal, if you think you have it rough, you don't know what its like to walk on the dark side of life.

"I've been a vampire for three-hundred fucking years, ever since my excursion deep into the Ashlands of Vvardenfell. I hunted in secret for one-hundred years until the Brotherhood found me. My life became only slightly better, however…I found a family in them. But you! You had to ruin everything!"

"Vicente, look at it like this," Aldric said, trying to reason with this dangerous man to avoid combat. "I had to do what I had to do. Falvis killed my father, the only father I ever had. My own mother was Dark Brotherhood. I have nobody."

"Don't you see it!" Vicente screamed at the ceiling, stretching his arms out as he did so. "Neither do I! It's irrelevant! My parents died young, and my Brothers and Sisters were the only thing that was close to family! And you killed them all, so now you will pay!"

With frightening speed, Vicente charged over toward Aldric and knocked him back against one of the various pillars in the room. To his horror, the Redguard found himself pinned down by the Breton vampire and no matter how much he strained he couldn't move.

That's when he started feeling the vampire bite into his neck, and the fear of vampires soon manifested and he began to sob loudly as the Breton dug deeper into his neck.

Then he remembered that he still had the ring that Irlav Jarol had given him! With all his might, Aldric concentrated on willing a Flame Tempest spell and placed his palm on the vampire's chest. The room soon became brighter as Vicente Valtieri jumped away from Aldric, screaming in a demonic disembodied voice as his flesh began to burn.

"You bastard!" Valtieri cursed as the skin on his face literally melted off of his bones. He began to disintegrate into a puddle of fleshy goop and the screaming began to die down.

Aldric, however, was in no need to celebrate. He felt his neck where he had been bitten and realized he was still bleeding. The shock of such a revelation caused him to collapse to his knees and the last thing he remembered seeing before passing out was Vicente Valtieri's half-melted head staring into his eyes. The last thought that ran through his head was: I hope I just die. Please, Talos, just let me die.

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Something's not right, a voice in his head thought alarmed as he began to stir. His head pounded heavily as though from a headache, then he screamed.

He recalled having a horrible nightmare of himself sleeping peacefully in bed, until a shadowy gaunt figure silently entered the room. The figure had leaned down and drove its fangs into him, and after a few moments, he had risen with blood dripping down his chin. Color had began to return to the vampire's face, the features filling out, and he recognize the face as his own. That was why he had screamed just a few seconds ago.

With panic, Aldric realized he was still alive--something that he had prayed to not happen. The bite wound on his neck was gone, but he felt…different. With the panic inside him steadily increasing, he quickly crawled on hands and knees toward his ebony shield.

He looked in the shiny, reflective side as though it were a mirror and his mouth dropped open.

His dark, chocolate skin had become slightly paler and his eyes now glowed red.

"No, no, no, no," he said with heavy disbelief. "This can't be…"

He opened his mouth and to his horror, he had started to grow fangs.

The Redguard rose until he was on his knees, screaming a long angry curse at the Nine because he was unable to accept what he had just seen. Aldric had become a vampire.

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Author's Note: Well, that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I had writing it. But this isn't the end of Aldric…there will be more to come soon enough. For now, that's all!