Dragon's Dogma: The Devourer

By: Ser Savan

Dedicated to all of the Dragon's Dogma folk on Tumblr, well met friends!

Note: Take care you aren't soaked in spoilers! (There may be occasional spoilers)

Outline: This story follows on from the 'true' conclusion to Dragon's Dogma but just before the Godsbane Blade incident. This is a continuation of the life of the Arisen once the mantle of 'Seneschal' has been accepted.

Notes: I will be referring to the main character as the "Arisen", despite the compelling arguments for a named character or a more apt title I think this is the one that suits the 'Arisen' character best. The Arisen is a female sorcerer and her Pawn is a male ranger called Nier, there may be class changes in the future. Also, this was actually started before Dark Arisen was released, therefore, the expansion has not been factored in to the Arisen's journey.

Chapter 2: Beautiful Lies

She knew she was dreaming, there was no other explanation for the warm sunlight on her skin, the roar of the ocean in her ears, the smell of salt tickling at her nose. It was all a lie, or at least a fond memory. She was aware that she should smell nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. Her thoughts drifted back to life in Cassadis; she recalled a simple happiness, albeit a boring one. There had been a blissful ignorance in life there and an appreciable simplicity. Gran Soren had been a place of 'legend' to her and yet she had, without realising it, become a legend herself. It was a role she never hungered for beyond the occasional day dream, yet she had pursued that path regardless. Dwelling upon her circumstances generated a single question; why? Why had she pursued the Dragon? Why had she fought so hard and furiously?

"You hunted the dragon because you felt incomplete, rather, you were incomplete. What is a human, after all, without a heart? Without that beating tether to mortality, is a human truly 'alive'?"

A voice filled her head and invaded her thoughts; it was a voice that resonated within her, but was not her own. She knew that voice well, a voice that she had dwelled on for a while, a voice that she had wanted to hear, a voice that made her very being jolt with shock. That voice belonged to only one man!

Her eyes flew open and she sat up "Savan?!"

"There is no need to shout, Arisen. I am here."

True to his word, the young man in his surcoat, impressive greaves and faded red mantle was stood over her. His blue eyes bore an unreadable expression as she stared back at him.

"Sorry… I…" she was suddenly consumed with a variety of questions, "What's going on? Where am I? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be dead? Where's Nier?"

Nier. Instantly she looked around for sign of her pawn and, in doing so, took in her immediate surroundings. She was sat on a beach, not just any beach; these were the shores of Cassadis. The sand beneath her hands was grainy and real. The salt was pungent, heavy, in the air. The sea roared familiarly in her ears as it rolled back and forth before her eyes. This was Cassadis.

"Hold a moment," Savan sighed, with exasperation one might lavish on an excitable child, "Have you naught but impulsiveness? I suppose that much is clear by virtue of your being here in this damned place," he laughed, more to himself than to her, "Still… It ne'er occurred to me to attack that damnable throne. Not once."

"Oh… The throne," previous events flooded back to her, "Yes… I stabbed it with the Godsbane Blade…"

"You did, indeed, and in doing so you have escaped from the centre of our world." he held a gauntlet swathed hand out to her.

She accepted it and was pulled up on to her feet, "I felt trapped. I don't even know why I attacked it other than I thought that the throne was like a chain around my neck, no matter where I ran in that hall I always came back to it…"

"It is, aye," he nodded, "The stony cage that holds all Stewards of the World prisoner and demands nothing but absolute servitude. When the Seneschal before me died, he looked so blissfully pleased with his 'death'… it was something which I failed to understand until I had been chained to that very seat."

"… Yes… yes it is!" She felt a strong sense of kinship with Savan as he spoke. She understood what he was saying, she understood the meaning of his words and he understood hers in turn. They had shared in the life sentence that was the office of the Seneschal, but something felt surreal about the entire conversation, "Um… are we 'free' now?" it seemed like a simple question, however, Savan's expression told her the answer was anything but.

"Nay. T'would seem either I was deceived or I was mistaken… There is no 'true death', or, I have not found it yet, at least… And, from what little I've pieced together, such a 'death' is not what I hoped it would be…"

Once more she felt like she understood nothing "… What?"

He offered her a reassuring smile, "When I became Seneschal, the man I killed indicated that he was going to be 'free' from the worldly order… that he was going to 'die'. I assumed that this was how the cycle worked: The Arisen is born, the Dragon is slain, the Seneschal changes hands and the former Seneschal is granted the ultimate gift for their loyalty, complete and 'true' death."

"Right… so, that's not it?"

"No. T'would seem we are all deceived," he folded his arms and tapped a finger against the elbow of one of his gauntlets, "Or at the least we misunderstood the machinations of these many worlds and the higher denizens that rule them."

"Higher…? There are creatures above the Seneschal?" she knew her eyes were wide as her brow pushed upwards. Of course it made sense for there to be some sort of 'overseer' or 'main Seneschal', but she had considered that each world was a 'bubble' in itself with the Seneschal as 'ruler'. The only thing, she thought, that might connect the many 'world bubbles' was the Rift and, therefore, the pawns.

"Aye. Something beyond my ken controls this place.. this… odd world as it now appears. When I arrived here it looked like Viete, my hometown… Now, suddenly, 'tis your home. This place is as much a lie as the 'true' death I mentioned. 'Tis an illusion and I've yet to meet the illusionist. So far, I have found no way to break the illusion…-"

"Then let's search together!" She strode across the sand towards the town "There must be something we can do…"

"My. How suddenly determined you've become… Well, I suppose you're still 'young', Milady."

She looked back at Savan and saw him giving her a semblance of a grin; he seemed truly bemused by the sudden burst of enthusiasm. She, herself, was surprised at her sudden zeal. What had changed to rouse her to arms? A short while ago she was keen to 'escape' her duties and find peace. She returned his smile and offered the only explanation she could think of, "I suppose I cannot help but enjoy uncovering the unknown?" It seemed as good a reason as any.

"'Tis a fair enough desire, Milady, and one I share… Very well, mayhaps on the way we might locate our Pawns."

"Oh yes! … Nier." Guilt flashed through her, she had forgotten for a brief moment that he was missing. She walked forward with even more determination as two immediate tasks burned in her mind; find Nier and shatter this 'illusion' that Savan had spoken of.

The town was faithfully recreated around her to such an extent that she believed she truly was back in Cassadis. It was a welcomed feeling to be in the midst of the town, to smell the fresh produce and the sea near by. Following her ascension to the office of Seneschal, she had only been able to engage with the world as an ethereal 'ghost'. However, even the faithful illusion was filled with errors and the most glaring one was that the town was devoid of life. Not a single soul, save for Savan and herself, walked the simple streets. She pushed a few doors open and found homes vacant, and well maintained, but devoid of residents. The town itself seemed to have been pulled straight from her memories. However, without the people, who had given those memories colour and life, the comforting feeling of being 'home' drained away and was displaced by a cold tension.

What was the purpose of this recreation? Savan had indicated that until she arrived it had been like his hometown. Why did this place change? Based on what? Who was the master illusionist?

The Arisen suspected that she would at least have the answer to her very last question if either of them were ever going to escape this place. As she searched the houses her mind started to adjust to that of the adventurer she had been previously. She searched methodically for things that would be useful; curatives, food, a lantern, oil and, most importantly, weapons. Holding a staff in hand instantly calmed her edginess and filled her with a nostalgic feeling.

"What is this place?" Savan entered and looked around at the array of items.

"Well, it used to be the local shop…" she murmured, "But without a shop keeper, or customers, I guess it's just stuff."

Savan picked up a sword and ran his hand along the blade, as if testing it, he then picked up a shield and patted it to see how durable it was, "These seem solid enough. I've a feeling that we'll need them…" He also took a lantern and a few basic supplies.

"Funny… I feel the same."

They left the store with a modest selection of the wares and stood in silence for a few moments. The Arisen looked at Savan, she still had many questions she wanted to ask him but it seemed like this wasn't the best time to ask them. He glanced at her and chuckled.

"You seem like you're dying to question me…"

"Oh? You could tell?"

"Aye. You're quite the easy read, Arisen… I see that same curious glint in your eye that you held after our battle."

"I Um… I do have questions, yes, but… I figure now is not the time."

"Perhaps you've the right of it. Let's focus on the task at hand. Right now the biggest question is 'where to look'?" he scanned the town.

She bit her lip and searched for any oddities in the landscape, "Perhaps we should start at the chapel and work our way down?"

"As good an idea as any… let's go," He turned away from her and started to walk up the hill towards the chapel, "So, tell me, how did you find life as Seneschal?"

"Hard," It was an honest answer, "Harder than I thought possible. Shortly after I 'freed' you, I was filled with questions I should have asked… Eternity is truly wearing …"

"Aye, 'tis a difficult mantle that all Seneschal bear, a heavy and unappreciated one. It took me a long while to understand what my predecessor meant when he said he 'hated' the never ending madness of playing caretaker…"

"Oh… What was your predecessor like?"

"He never once took those robes off… those golden robes that I initially disguised myself in. Aye… he never once revealed his face to me. Said it was as irrelevant as the cycle itself. Anyway, he was a bitter man, filled with disdain towards all living things and yet so duty bound to his role that he continued pressing on. Like most creatures, he did what he 'had' to do, not what he'd of 'liked' to do… At the time I thought him bitter, selfish, depraved. He spoke of humans as nothing more than baby 'chicks', constantly chirping for more and more and more… Now… Mayhap I understand him just a little better…"

"…" She looked at Savan's back, watching as his mantle swayed back and forth with every step. She was unsure how to answer, she still believed in helping others but she also understood some of the feelings Savan was conveying.

"… I never hated humans, nay… I wanted to rule them fairly. I wanted to rule all things fairly, I thought it was the 'proper' and 'right' thing for me to do. However, after the many ages of overseeing I started to dislike everything just that little bit more than I wanted to. I think all things are fickle, a contest between love and hate, but … to start to wish ill for no reason? I knew then that I was becoming like him. That I had to stop myself from becoming a monster…"

"How long were you Seneschal?"

He stopped walking and looked up to the sky, as if he were trying to recall a long-forgotten memory, "Hmm… how long..?" he shook his head and chuckled, "I would say at least 2'000 years? Probably closer to 3'000?"

"Whaat?!" she spluttered "Three… thousand…?"

"I believe so, although, decades blend into one another, then centuries follow suit, in the end it is all meaningless time…" he shrugged, "'Tis done with. I don't like to dwell on the past too much…"

She noticed something painful in his eyes, a slight wince, and instinctively she wanted to know what had occurred in his past that made him shun it "I see…"

"You'll not get that answer out of me, Milady." His tone echoed a sneer as he gave her a chilled glance.

"I… won't ask, then."

He nodded and began to walk away, indicating that their discussion was now over. They spoke little during the ascent up the light slope towards the chapel and as they climbed the flight of primitively carved stairs. Finally, they looked up at the holy house as they stood before it in silence.

Neither seemed keen to open the doors of the unassuming building, silently convinced that some great evil lurked within and would be unleashed if they did open the doors. The Arisen bit her lip and looked around the landscape that surrounded the chapel as she searched for any oddities. Nothing looked out of the ordinary; the same old gravestones, familiar knotty weeds, even the grass remained as unkempt as ever.

Once again, she was taken up with rash impulse and stepped forward, grabbing one of the door handles, with a grunt she yanked it open. The doors slowly followed her command and parted with a groan, both peered within. They were greeted by a perfectly normal chapel interior; an altar at the front, a small line of pews, and a font for washing hands and feet near the entrance. The Arisen took a few steps forward and breathed in the musky incensed air of the holy space. Then, she started to laugh. Savan tilted his head quizzically but her laughter was infectious and soon he was joining in her mirth.

"… I got so worked up," she giggled, "but it's just the same old church I remember…"

"I must admit, my heart was pounding for a while there. I expected something, a goblin or a large rat, at least."

"Me too!"

They left the chapel and looked back down the path they had travelled. Savan moved to head back down toward the town when the Arisen gripped his cloaked shoulder and stopped him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"… There." She pointed across the graveyard towards another door, a door that was slightly ajar.

"Hm?" Savan failed to see anything of note, "What of it? 'Tis just a door?"

"No.. it's wrong." She whispered, "That door is never ajar…"

"Never?"

"Never." There was a sense of finality in her tone that would not be contested.

"I see," Savan turned fully to face the door, "Then we have another lead." He started to walk towards it.

"Yeah." She followed after him, "It seems we do..."

Perhaps my username and my Tumblr give it away but... I'm a fan of Savan. Hence his inclusion in the story!

Chapter 3 will be along soon and with it will come a terrible battle against a foe that has been long extinct in the lands of Gransys...