After the final battle in the Soul Cairn, the three of them and Serana left that desolate realm and returned to the Dawnguard fortress.
Although the Moth Priest had gone blind from his previous forced reading of the Elder Scroll, under his guidance, the group utilized the energy of Ancestor Moths in Ancestor Glade to finally reveal the location of Auriel's Bow. What followed was a grueling exploration. They had to reach Darkfall Cave and claim the bow before Harkon's vampires could get their hands on it.
They infiltrated deep caverns, slew powerful foes, navigated layer upon layer of secret passages, and eventually reached a place known as the Forgotten Vale. There, they filled the basins of several altars with water to open the massive gates leading to the Inner Sanctum. Deep within the sanctum lay the Chapel of Auriel.
But this once-sacred place was now shrouded in ice and death. Numerous Falmer and grotesque Chaurus creatures stood as frozen statues throughout the chapel's main hall. On the final throne sat a vampire named Arch-Curate Vyrthur.
It turned out that Vyrthur was originally the Arch-Curate of Auriel. After being infected and turning into a vampire, he felt abandoned by his god. In his resentment, he fabricated the prophecy stating that corrupting Auriel's Bow with the blood of a "Daughter of Coldharbour" would end the tyranny of the sun. His true goal was to lure a Daughter of Coldharbour to him, believing their blood held the key to curing his curse. This rumor had driven Harkon to madness and forced Valerica to hide in the Soul Cairn, sealing away her daughter, Serana.
However, Serana informed the group that Vyrthur was a pure megalomaniac and that their blood wouldn't actually serve that purpose. Naturally, a fight broke out.
Shadowbreaker was the first to charge. As one of Uther the Lightbringer's lieutenants in the Order of the Silver Hand, the Paladin felt this wretched vampire was unworthy of a name so similar to his mentor and friend. Vyrthur ignored his rage and waved a hand, shattering the ice surrounding the creatures in the hall. Suddenly, waves of Falmer and Chaurus, awakened from centuries of slumber, surged forward.
The two Paladins slashed through the front lines while Serana cast magic from the rear. Wayne, acting like a human Maxim machine gun, rapidly pulled the string of the Zephyr bow. Arrows flew out in a constant stream, picking off enemies attempting to flank Arator and Shadowbreaker.
Watching this, Vereesa felt her fingers itch with the urge to join the fray and fight alongside them. After repelling the hordes, the long journey reached its climax. Although Vyrthur summoned a massive Frost Atronach, the four of them coordinated perfectly to cut him down on the balcony overlooking the Forgotten Vale.
Gelebor, the Knight-Paladin who had requested their help, summoned the Shrine of Auriel. Inside was the artifact itself—Auriel's Bow, a divine weapon imbued with solar energy created by the god of light. As Wayne claimed it, Gelebor told him he could also bless ordinary elven arrows into "Sunhallowed Elven Arrows."
Vereesa's eyes were fixed on the screen. The group rejoiced as the mission concluded. Some returned to town while others prepared for the next step. Wayne then disbanded the party and linked his channel directly to Vereesa's. He notched a Sunhallowed arrow and fired at a distant cliff. When the tip struck the rock, a circle of brilliant solar light erupted with a loud bang.
The true shock came next. Wayne aimed the bow directly at the sun from a clearing in the valley and fired a full-draw shot. The arrow vanished into the sky, and moments later, the sunlight intensified violently. Dense rains of light began to strike the ground all around Wayne.
"Well, Lady Ranger, would you like to try this bow?"
Vereesa's heart yearned for it, but her protective instincts kept her from showing it. She asked coldly, "How do I start?"
Wayne helped her enter The Elder Scrolls V. Though she had watched for a long time, a new player still had to start as a prisoner facing execution. The sequence played out until the Black Dragon turned Helgen into a sea of fire. Despite the spectacle, Vereesa's mind remained on that bow.
Wayne then pulled her into his private session, skipping the intro and appearing outside Riverwood. "Here, this should feel familiar."
He handed Auriel's Bow to her. Vereesa took it carefully, her grip tightening. Instantly, a warm surge of magical energy flowed through her body. Wayne hadn't lied; this was indeed a great and holy magical power, like the sun itself! Though this bow didn't belong to her, and she wasn't the heir to Thas'dorah, she had held her family's artifact before. While their shapes differed, the magical essence felt almost identical.
Beside her, the river gurgled and a chilly wind blew from the mountains, but the sunlight was bright and the town was peaceful. Vereesa's heart was a whirlpool of emotions. She never expected to rediscover the afterglow of a prosperous Quel'Thalas in such a place.
After a long silence, she smiled faintly and returned the bow to Wayne. "Tell me, what is your purpose? You lured me here step by step, even using insults to pique my curiosity. It wasn't just to show me a bow."
Wayne replied, "The Lady Ranger is indeed sharp. A young man's tricks cannot escape your keen eyes."
"Flattery won't change my opinion of you," Vereesa said.
"I don't care how you see me, Lady. But there is something I must change."
"Oh? Speak then. I still have the patience to listen."
Wayne smiled, licking his dry lips. "I need your help to save someone."
Vereesa sneered. "What right do you have to negotiate? Because you let me touch a bow, I should become your mercenary? Young man, this isn't cleverness—it's a delusion."
Wayne had expected this. "There is an exchange, of course. My offer is good enough." He remained calm. "I know many things. Things from the past, the present, and even the future."
His next words struck Vereesa like a thunderbolt. She had wondered why Wayne mentioned the "sun" and showed her Auriel's Bow. She couldn't believe a twenty-year-old human male could know the seven-thousand-year history of the Windrunner family and use it to bait her. But Wayne's blunt words forced her to believe.
She narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying? Is that name something you're fit to speak?"
Wayne continued, "In the sixth year of the Dark Portal, your sister Alleria Windrunner led the Alliance Expedition into Outland. Since then, there has been no word of her fate. But I know where she is."
Vereesa lunged forward, striking Wayne's arm to seize Auriel's Bow. She backstepped rapidly, notched an arrow, and aimed it at Wayne's head. "If you say another word, I will end you here!"
Wayne showed no fear. "Lady, this is my world. You cannot win against me here."
Vereesa remembered she was in a game. Even if she killed him, it was just a meaningless death in a simulation. She reached to pull off her glasses in the real world, intending to draw the daggers at her waist.
However, a long-forgotten fear gripped the veteran ranger. As she removed the glasses, she realized she was still standing in the exact world she had seen on the screen! The mountain wind, the flowing water, the peaceful town—but she and Wayne were no longer in their game gear; they were in their real-world forms!
"What have you done to me?!" She drew her daggers and lunged at Wayne, intending to subdue him to return to reality. But before her blades could touch him, a roar that shook the heavens erupted from Wayne's mouth:
"FUS RO DAH!"
The Unrelenting Force shout blasted her back over ten meters! Landing hard, Vereesa was terrified. She never imagined this young man possessed such an unknown and powerful force.
Wayne cleared his throat. "Lady, can we talk calmly now? I told you, this is my world. No one can win against me here—not even an ancient dragon. And don't worry, the others are still there. In their eyes, you and I are still sitting in our seats, wearing glasses and playing the game."
Vereesa knew brute force wouldn't work. She began looking for a way out while listening to him. "I will not allow a single word to defile the Windrunners. You know who I am. Even if you trap me for a moment, you cannot stop the wrath of Dalaran and the High Elves."
Wayne waved his hand. "You worry too much. I am here for a partnership. I want you to stay in Stormwind for a while longer. Use your strength to save a hero who is destined to die in a coming riot."
Vereesa grew more confused. She rubbed her eyes, but the glasses were already gone. "A coming riot? Are you a Bronze Dragon?"
Wayne shook his head. "I'm just an ordinary human net cafe owner. I brought you here to hide from the Bronze Dragons, so they won't monitor our conversation. The person I want to save is a hero loyal to the Alliance, someone who would go through fire for Azeroth. He will return to Stormwind soon. I need you to protect him in the throne room of Stormwind Keep so he doesn't die under... under the enemy's attack."
If Vereesa were still a child, she would have slapped herself to wake up. This was too absurd. "Setting aside whether I believe you, as a representative of Dalaran and the Silver Covenant, I cannot interfere in Stormwind's internal affairs. Furthermore, you want me to draw weapons in the throne room in front of Varian? Is your goal to save someone or to start a war?"
Wayne realized he couldn't hold back anymore. "The one who will try to kill that hero... is a Black Dragon."
Vereesa looked at him with utter disbelief. In her eyes, Wayne was surely the greatest madman in the world!