Chapter 37: Victory over Tainted Flames
Erik blinked, opening his eyes to find he was standing in front of the bonfire that lay before the throne room. The young Undead winced as he reached up and felt where the king's swords had removed his head. He suppressed a shiver and hurried up the stairs to return to the fight. He couldn't leave the others alone with the Ivory King.
"Are you alright, Erik?" Nadalia asked in worry as she saw the chef run up back to the pit.
"I'm fine, the Ivory King just beheaded me," he said, waving a hand dismissively as he returned to the Bed of Chaos.
Preparing to jump back down into the hole, Erik had time to formulate a plan. It was clear that the Ivory King was strong, abnormally so. If that was the true power of one of the three Legendary Kings of Drangleic, Erik was glad that Ichorous Earth which had taken over the Old Iron King had been so easily brought down by ranged attacks. He did not want to imagine facing the iron loving monarch in his prime or in melee combat.
Not to mention there was that strange, bent blade that healed wounds as easily as it dealt them. Something like that was almost unfair in Erik's opinion. But this was Drangleic, and if things were fair there would be no Curse.
In order to defeat the Ivory King strategy was needed. Ideas flashed through his mind as he tried to think of a way to defeat the king of Eleum Loyce. His speed was the real threat. He could move fast enough to dodge most of the Undead's attacks, and his sword skill let him deal lots of damage in a short amount of time. Slowing him down was vital.
To that end, Erik crafted a devious plot, which hinged on two things; Mytha's skill with Sorcery and King Ivar's love for Alsanna.
Seconds later Erik emerged from the hole and fell towards the platform. Below, he could see Raime had recovered and Mytha was busy blasting the Ivory King with spells. The Ivory Knight had apparently transmuted into ice to seal off the Chaos portal while the chef had perished.
Taking a deep breath, Erik channeled as much of his Cryomancy as he could into his blade and raised it over his head while he fell. Above him trailed a massive sword of ice, attached to his own.
"Head's up!" Erik shouted, moments before he slammed down into the floor and swung his sword down. The miniature glacier crashed into the Ivory King who barely had time to raise his weapons in defense. Erik didn't waste time to look at the damage he had done, choosing to run over to the glowing pile of souls that stood where he'd died earlier.
Absorbing his lost souls Erik turned to Mytha and beckoned her over.
"I have a plan!" He declared. A raised eyebrow was her only response but she hurried over none the less.
"It better be a good one. This bastard is quick and hits as hard as Castor," the queen of Alken griped. In the background Raime took advantage of the disoriented king to try and keep him distracted. He would buy his comrades time to form their scheme.
"You want me to WHAT?!" Mytha screeched, eyes wide with shock. Erik just nodded, peering out at the battle of titans nearby.
"You saw how the Ivory King reacted when he first stepped in and heard Alsanna's voice. He might be Hollow, but he still has attachments to her. This plan is crazy, I'll admit, but do you really think we can beat him in a straight-up, fair, match?"
"You have a point," Mytha growled, before sighing and accepting the crazy plan.
"If this doesn't work, I'm telling Lucatiel and Chloanne," the queen vowed, readying her spear-catalyst. "And if it does, you owe me some quality time together."
"But you won't tell them?" Erik asked, slightly dreading what exactly 'quality time' meant for the taller woman.
"Oh no, I'll still tell them, but I'll make it sound like a brilliant plan instead of the cockamamie one it really is," Mytha stated, before the blue glow of Sorcery filled the area briefly.
"Ivar, what are you doing? Please stop!" The voice of Alsanna suddenly called out, and the Ivory King froze mid-combat. His unexpected stop meant that Raime's blade fell upon him and soon the ruler of Eleum Loyce jumped away, trailing glowing orange ichor from his wounds.
The crowned head of the Ivory King snapped towards the source of the voice, only for him to stagger in shock at what he saw.
Alsanna stood there before him, frail and timid, hands clasped together in front of her while her long black hair shrouded her features. Still clad in her thin silk dress, she made a beautiful sight for sore eyes, and the king staggered forward.
"Al…sanna…" He groaned out, withered throat calling out the name of his lover.
Once more Raime took advantage of the Ivory King's distraction and struck him with his swords, creating deep wounds on his back.
Ivar spun around to face his attacker but Alsanna's voice called out to him again and he turned back to face his beloved.
"Please, stop," she begged. The Ivory King raised his right hand, still clutching his sword, but hesitated. Raime attacked once more and the ancient monarch prepared to retaliate…
"Ivar I said stop! Look at me!" The authority in the voice of the High Priestess forced the Ivory King to turn to look fully at the Child of Fear…
Only for his head to snap back and his right hand to drop his straight sword and cover his helmet's visor.
Why? Because Alsanna had gripped the edges of her risqué-dress and thrown it open, flashing her chest to the entire Bed of Chaos and the Ivory King.
A shrill shriek of pure embarrassment echoed forth as the real Alsanna was forced to watch her double show off in front of her lover.
But that moment of distraction was enough. Erik darted forward and jammed his Loyce Straight Sword into the Ivory King's stomach and forced as much of his Cryomancy as he could into the monarch. Instantly a veritable wall of enchanted ice erupted forth and trapped his lower body as well as his right arm and sword inside.
"Erik! We are beginning to tear Ivar's soul out right now! Prepare the Lost Sinner's Soul!" Nadalia's voice cut in over Alsanna's screeches of disgrace.
The chef nodded and held out his right hand, conjuring up the soul in question and prepared to slap the glowing blob of spiritual energy into the Ivory King's chest.
There was a terrible howling from the trapped king accompanied by an explosion from the surrounding Chaos. Lava frothed and splashed up against the edges of the platform as the Bed reacted to the burst of Dark magic.
The Ivory King tried to escape, but Raime rushed up and pressed down on his shoulders while Erik continued to pump Cryomancy into the ice to keep him trapped.
With agonizing slowness a large golden hued soul started to poke out of the armored torso of the king. After a few moments of thrashing it popped out of the man's body, followed by a geyser of pure white regular souls. The golden one zoomed up into the ceiling and through the hole towards the two Sisters.
As soon as it was out Erik smashed the rune inscribed shard of life into Ivar's chest and with a scream of agony the Lost Sinner's soul sunk into his body. He struggled for a bit before falling limp. Erik waited for a moment before leaving his sword in the man's body and stepping back, giving a respectful bow to the defeated monarch.
Once they were sure the Ivory King was beaten the image of Alsanna on the platform faded, revealed a red faced Mytha. Her use of the Chameleon Sorcery had allowed her to imitate Alsanna's form and voice for a bit, which gave enough time for the plan to work. The shock of seeing his beloved once more, coupled with flashing her chest, had been enough to weakened Ivar just enough.
Of course, the spell only changed one's shape, they had to do all the actions themselves which meant Mytha had still been forced to reveal herself for the plan to work, and in between glowing red with embarrassment and pride at winning, she was scheming terrible things to befall the chef in the near future.
"We did it!" Erik cheered. Before he could celebrate any more the ground began to shake, and enormous pillars of ice began to explode into existence all around the area. Spreading out from the last remaining piece of Izalith frozen energy spilled forth, entrapping the searing lava and Chaos within. It seemed impossible for ice to win over fire, but there it was, happening before their eyes.
Of course, the ice was creeping up along the platform as well, and given how it subsumed the Bed of Chaos it would like freeze the Undead where they stood. And based on how much power was being thrown around it was up in the air whether or not the Bonfires would reclaim and save them.
"Quick, run this way! We'll pull you out!" Nadalia called out, and a beam of white light fell from the hole and illuminated the ground. Raime and Mytha dashed off instantly, with Erik only a few steps behind.
However, his escape was cut short when the Ivory King's hand shot out and grabbed onto the chef's arm, halting him in his tracks.
"Erik!" Mytha screamed.
"No! Go on without me!" Erik shouted. "I'll be fine, you need to leave right now!"
"But…"
"Go!"
With trembling form Mytha nodded and ran into the light, trusting in the chef to follow. Once she was gone along with the knight, Erik turned back to Ivar.
"What do you need, King Ivar?"
The Ivory King released Erik and reached up, grabbing his crown from his head and passing it to the Monarch Candidate. He then also reached for his helix sword and gave it to the chef, before he grabbed his collar and pulled Erik close.
"Save the world… and save Alsanna…Aldia seeks the daughters of Manus…" he whispered to the chef from Lindelt. All around them the ice encroached closer.
He then lifted Erik with his one good arm and hurled the scrawnier male towards the escape route. Erik fell into the light and was sent rocketing into the air, zooming up to safety, even as he watched the ice surround and engulf the Ivory King, who simply stared up at the ceiling as everything faded to white.
"Umph!" Erik grunted as he was thrown onto his ass outside of the entrance to the Bed of Chaos and winced at the impact. He stood up none the less and was instantly swept up into a hug by a relieved Mytha. From the side Raime gave the chef a silent thumbs up.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Mytha scolded, cuddling Erik into her chest.
"I make no promises," Erik said cheekily, before he was crushed even tighter in the queen's arms.
"Come on, little man. We should see the Sisters and find out what happens next," Mytha declared, carrying Erik back into the throne room. A chuckling Raime trailed behind, his amusement only growing as Erik tried to gesture for help from the stoic knight. None came, and soon the trio made their way back into the throne room to meet with Nadalia and Alsanna. In between them trapped in a cage of purple fire the golden soul of the king hung suspended.
"I'm glad you are safe," Nadalia said, weariness in her voice.
"Did you have to use my appearance like that?" Alsanna demanded, a glare being shot at the chef and queen below her. In spite of her exhaustion, she still managed to convey her lack of satisfaction.
"Apologies, but it was the only thing I could think of that would help her. His love for you was clearly strong to have lasted centuries battling Demons," Erik said softly.
"I see Ivar entrusted his crown to you," the Child of Fear said, sorrow tinging her words as she stared down at the elegant white headpiece the Ivory King had left behind.
"Yes. And I promise, I will be sure to treat it with the respect it deserves, as well as his sword," Erik vowed.
"The Ivory Crown slowly heals the wearer, restoring flesh and body. As for the sword, I created it as well. That is the sword of Eleum Loyce, crafted from my own essence along with the crown. It can heal those it strikes as well as deal devastating damage," Alsanna explained. "I give them both to you in hopes that it shall be able to aide you complete your mission, oh Monarch Candidate."
"Thank you," Erik said with reverence, bowing. Well, trying to, as he was still clutched tight in Mytha's grip.
"If that is all, I need to return to Majula and ensure every one of my survival," the chef announced.
"Oh no you don't!" Mytha protested, looking down at Erik with a fierce light in her eyes.
"You still have to make it up to me for that stunt you made me pull down in the Bed," the queen declared.
"What do you mean?" Erik whimpered. His worries only grew when he saw Mytha lick her lips in a disturbingly arousing way.
"You'll see. Oh, you'll see!" With a mad cackle, Mytha carried off Erik into the depths of the cathedral, kicking a door open to reveal an opulent bedroom.
"Wait, what are you going to do in my room?!" Alsanna cried, realizing where they were headed with a red face.
"Something I've been waiting to do for over six hundred years," Mytha growled sensually. She tossed the chef onto the massive king sized bed. There was a 'Pompf!' as the young man hit the thick yet soft mattress.
"Wha-what are we going to do on the bed, Mytha?" Erik choked out, staring up at the much taller women as she loomed over him with a hungry expression. She said nothing, and just slammed the door shut behind her.
Nadalia shared a look with her sister as the pair vanished into the bedroom.
"So, want to swap stories about our respective lovers?"
"What? Nadalia!" Alsanna exclaimed.
"Oh come on! Was Ivar as fast in the sheets as he was in battle?"
"Nadalia!"
"What? I'm just curious! I mean, Castor could go for hours with that ungodly stamina of his!"
"Nadalia!"
The Child of Loneliness laughed uproariously as her sister ran away, blushing a vivid crimson.
"Come on! We have to do something while we wait for those two to finish! Let's have some family bonding talk!"
"Nadalia!"