The ruins of what was once a thriving mining town were now utterly filled with spiders that devoured the innards of men and used them as vessels. Yet not one of them approached Lex. Now clearly agitated by Safiya's actions, by Velka's presence, and by his unexplained appearance in Drangleic, he was beginning to have trouble controlling the Chaos within himself. The spiders were barely intelligent, but even they could feel the weight of his soul bearing upon them. Safiya followed closely, less now because he was leading the way and more because she wanted to be within striking distance.

They entered the ducal palace and climbed into the central room. What had once been many rooms over several storeys was now a single spider's den, web thick as stone linking the ruined floors. He descended through the strands utterly without fear, dropping straight to the bottom on a vine. The fog gate boiled away at his touch. The wet cave floor beyond was paved with human remains, and the spiders crawled across the walls.

Only, on looking up, it wasn't a cave so much as a platform jutting out into a canyon. The sky was black, and a canopy of webs held a massive body between the canyon walls like a ceiling. The enormous muzzle of a petrified dragon hung just over the edge of the platform. Atop the beast was an equally-large spider, which hissed and lunged down to confront the intruder.

"SEATH!" Lex exploded, his voice a bass blast that nearly shook the smaller spiders from the walls.

The enormous spider skittered from side to side, observing him. Safiya held her sword at the ready, glancing back and forth between them.

"YOU HAVE A HELL OF A LOT TO ANSWER FOR!"

The Chaos cleric clutched his gold-hemmed black talisman so tightly that his hand shook. It almost wasn't noticeable, considering the spell he was casting.

I was born on Olympus

To my father, a son

I was raised by the demons

Trained to reign as the One

God of Thunder

And Rock and Roll

The spell you're under

Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul

Ultimately, Gwyn's soul was determined to be too valuable to spend frivolously. With Lex's knowledge that Straid and Ornifex could give it different forms than the giant blacksmith, Gwyndolin and Quelaag had decided to wait until the newly-anointed Archivists had learned all they could about it. This meant that Lex needed to acquire Sunlight Spear through alternate means. It was simply not possible to duplicate the most refined art of the Lord of Sunlight by observing Quelaav's sunfire. He was, however, able to forge a lance of jagged thunder that screamed and smoked with the madness of Chaos.

The enormous spider instinctively recoiled from the thing. Its current body was vulnerable to fire, but its spirit's memories of the ancient Dragonslayers were powerful. As a spell that embodied both, the Chaos Spear was a thing of terror. Yet despite the spider's all-consuming fear, it leaned in for a closer look even as it retreated. Its mandibles chattered and hissed, but spiders weren't capable of making complex vocalizations.

As Lex raised the bolt threateningly, the fog covering the exit shuddered and admitted a human form. In strode Duke Tseldora himself, clad in dirty finery, his long hair matted. It was clear to anyone from his green skin and blank eyes that he was nearly hollow, if not all the way. He took a long, ragged breath as he spoke.

"Whooooooooooooooooooo are you?"

"Prophet Lex, Chosen Undead and Lord of Izalith! When we last spoke, you gave the Dark Lord Beatrice the Primordial Crystal!"

The hollow's head lolled.

"Yyyyyyyyyyou are mistaken. The Chosen Undead destroyed that Crystal. Izalith was destroyed long before his coming, aaaaaaas was the so-called Dark Lord."

Lex's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, god. So that's what it is. I'm not in the future. I'm in a parallel timeline. Quelaag can't hear me because this Quelaag is dead."

Furious but lacking a target for his anger, he launched the spear sidelong. It struck the canyon wall with an electric wub, causing a small rockslide.

"Alright, then, Seath! Let's trade! You tell me what you know about the power to cross between worlds, and I'll tell you about a world where the First Flame never died!"

Storytime again. Safiya relaxed but kept her sword in one hand. The Duke's hollowed face cracked an absent smile.

"Aaaaaan interesting tale, I'm certain, but hardly comparable in vaaaaaalue to such precious knowledge."

"You don't know anything, do you?" Lex said seriously. "The Velka of the last world I was in used it to take me from my own world! Someone has used it to bring me here now! Who has that power?"

"Whooooooo indeed. I am afraid that even I have little information on such an obscure rite. Truly, I had thooooought it merely hypothetical. I was not aware that dear Velka had developed it, much less put it to use."

"I don't want to make any assumptions here. Even if the Velka of this world can use it, why would she summon me of all people? The Velka I knew was anal about keeping the 'correct' flow of events. Since my arrival, I've done nothing but disrupt that. I have Quel's reincarnation with me here instead of transposed into a sword or something."

Safiya was really getting tired of being reduced to someone's reincarnation. She sighed.

"Oooooooh? I have too many eyes now, so I had not noticed. Yes, I see. Her soul iiiiiis greatly diminished. What a loss, that the Flame returns weaker each time. Soooooon, it will be the end of all of us. Or so I had theorized.

Yooooou carry that same soul, from the other world you spoke of, correct? Iiiiiiiii do not care for the fate of that world, but of this one. Explain hooooooooow you kept the Flame lit, and I will do my utmost to track down the oh-so-elusive Raven-Haired Witch."

"Really? You don't care that your daughter got married recently? You'd already been killed, so in a bit of wicked irony, Ornstein took the role of 'father' for the ceremony."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat? That child was a weapon of untamed destruction! What mate could she haaaaaave possibly found?" The hollow snarled, "No. I won't let you baaaaiiiiiit me like that."

"I could tell you what Havel's up to. He sent a body double to his trial and hid in Ash Lake. He ended up turning into a stone dragon. You, he, and Kalameet had a Mexican standoff in Anor Londo."

"Yoooouuuu are a cruel one."

Duke Tseldora's body fell limp with resignation, like a puppet hanging on loose strings. The enormous spider tapped one of its feet anxiously.

"I suppose that is a requirement for the oooooooone who would devour the gods. I do not knoooow what became of that child of mine in this world. Iiiiiif nothing else, I am curious as to how you chaaaaanged your own world so that such an abomination would be weeeelcome. A possessor of Lifehunt would be the most dangerous and feared creature iiiin a world of renewed Flame."

"We briefly employed her as the gatekeeper of Izalith. After a while, though, it was pretty clear she had other interests. We parted amicably and still see each other at the Communion of Souls."

"Coooommunion?"

"Well, the gods in the rest of the world don't exactly want to give up their independence. The Lord of Dark Sun has been communicating with any who answer him. He's given the cooperative near-autonomy. Others, he's left alone. Those that continue to abuse their human worshipers?

We're building an army. The Communion of Souls represents the Flame in its entirety – the Gravelord, the Dark Sun, the Demon Queen, the First Keeper, and myself. We control the Kiln and the bonfires. The Undead Curse is broken in the outside world, but we can still harness it. If Flame represents the power of knowledge, imagine what we could do with a world united under an undivided Flame."

The spider and the hollow shuddered.

"Ooooooooh! The ambition of it! It remiiiiinds me of the Soul Hunt! You cannot imagine! Thaaaat time before the so-called Lords became the duuuuuuuuuullards they died as!

How long did I spy upon theeeee Kindling City of Ilyon! Nito the elder, Gwyn and his freedom fighters, Quel aaaaaand her homunculi, and most of all – Dyed Velka! Teeeeeell me, does your Communion lust for Flame like the woman whoooooo would hold it all herself? How will make uuuuuuse of your limitless Flame?"

"My original world had devices capable of accessing the information stored on each other. This formed a global network which contained all the information known to mankind. This was a world where Flame meant a chemical reaction. Imagine what I can do with that knowledge and the power of Chaos! My home nation once traveled to the moon! Izalith's empire will span the stars!"

The hollow was hyperventilating now.

"Yeeeees! Never settle for mere rule! Seek aaaalways to stoke your Flame, young Lord!"

"That is the way of Slaanesh! Always new experiences! The quest for perfection is never-ending!"

"Iiiiiiiii will serve your Izalith as once I served Gwyn's Londo! Do not disappoooooint me as he did!"

"Well, I might have a few things to say about your ethics."

"Truly an understatement…" Safiya mumbled, finally getting a word in.

"Iiiii will restrain myself so long as you can proviiiiide sufficient engagement in so-called 'ethical' fields."

"I don't guess I'm going to get any better from the guy who turned holy maidens into giant blue penis monsters."

"Aaaaaaah. I had forgotten about that experiment. It provided iiiinteresting data at the time."

Lex sighed.

"Speaking of huge dicks, what do you know about Aldia? As it turns out, he escaped the cycle of Flame altogether."

"Iiiiii had heard rumors, but there are always rumors about maaaaad sorcerers and noblemen. I did not expect much of yet anooooother. Since you wouldn't be asking if you knew yourself, Iiiii will refrain from asking how such a thing is possible. Raaaaaather, why? What fool would seek to escape the cycle?

Nooooo thing in this existence is free. The Dark is a price we pay for theeeee Light. It is Flame which grants us ambition and the wiiiiiill to seek it. A life without Flame is not one worth living."

The prophet shook his head.

"I don't know either, but he's powerful for it. He's like a miniature Bed of Chaos, which doesn't entirely make sense since his area of study was dragon. The only connection to Chaos is Navlaan, who isn't developed very well either. It's like the Painted World all over again, except even less coherent.

More to the point, death is irrelevant to the smug bastard. He doesn't just heal himself like I do with my Chaos powers. He comes back like an Undead, but with no obvious reliance on a bonfire. Well… he could be trapped in the Throne, I guess. It wouldn't be surprising for someone like him to be using projections or bonfire warping."

"Iiiiiinteresting. I will inform you if I leeeeearn something about this Aldia."

"Nah. He's in your storeroom with the headless dude. Let's just go talk to him."

"Whaaat?"

"Believe me," Safiya said coldly, "you will grow accustomed to such behavior."

The spiders skittered away, back into their hiding places while the hollow Duke followed after the prophet. Lex approached the fog gate casually. After a moment it dispersed, as the boss was now an ally. They passed first through the Duke's study and then to a large room with a primal bonfire at the center. As Lex had mentioned, the headless body of an enormous hollow stood idle, a large rusted scimitar in either hand. The cleric raised his sword, but Safiya shook her head.

"Allow me, if you would. I need something to calm my nerves."

She flashed forward with an overhead stroke. The hollow, though blind, just barely caught the blade using the sheer mass of its own swords as a shield. It flailed with berserk fury, but the Sinner danced around the attacks and swept the legs out from under the corpse. With an air of finality, she drove her blade deep into its back, dispersing it into souls. The Duke applauded politely.

"Iiiiin truth, I had been saving that to examine, but I thiiiink I won't mind much, with all you have brought to my attention."

Lex approached the primal bonfire and extended a hand to the broken sword.

"Young hollow."

The bonfire exploded. Lex was sent hurtling back by the force but quickly caught himself in midair by throwing vines to the ceiling and floor. A gnarled tangle of burning tree roots in the shape of a human head rested where the bonfire had been.

"Aldia, you ham! You just have to make an entrance! Even Quelaag's not that showy!"

"I have heard much of what was said. Young hollow, do you believe yourself a true monarch? Others have thought the same. You have already seen their remains. Do you remain resolute in your choice?"

"Aldia, stop being a prick and give me the Ashen Mist Heart. I can probably connect the dimensions that way. I swear will suplex that stupid fake dragon if I have to."

"A shame, really. I will speak with you another time. Perhaps you will be more receptive once you have experienced greater hardship."

"Don't you run away from me! Safiya, use your bondage gear! Seath, crystallize his fat head! Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."

For a moment, it seemed as if the Dark-bending words would sap Aldia's strength as they had Safiya's. The abomination's burning red eyes met the Chaos Lord's own. With a shudder of his enormous body, the Scholar of the First Sin imploded, unleashing a wave of Dark Flame that sent the three sprawling. Lex and Safiya weren't harmed, but Duke Tseldora's body was incinerated in a flash. The everlasting dragon's hideous voice echoed faintly throughout the ruins, cursing his luck.

"Seath, can you not just stop haunting these ruins and haunt the Major League Gaming Sword instead? You don't really need the spiders to collect crap for you anymore, do you?"

"What manner of monster is this Seath anyway?" Safiya said cautiously.

"The only mortal dragon. Well, he was. He cheated his way to immortality, which is why he's currently haunting crap instead of being an unstoppable flying lizard."

They returned to the boss arena. Sure enough, an immensely-thick bronze shortsword hung from a stray strand of web that resembled the Primordial Crystal. About its blade hummed a blue-green field of solid light. Lex wrenched it free and strapped it to his back with a vine. The dragon's relic secured, he turned his eyes upward.

The countless maneating spiders still skittered about the canyon walls. Their progenitor, at last freed of the malevolent immortal's control, rested cautiously atop the petrified dragon. Her territory was being intruded upon, but the tiny creature still gave the impression of something much larger. The Demon King smirked.

"Here, Frejafrejafrejafreja! Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl?"