Flynn

RL48 - 26 VIG - 13 MND - 20 END - 25 STR - 14 DEX - 12 INT - 10 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL48 - 14 VIG - 15 MND - 11 END - 12 STR - 23 DEX - 9 INT - 34 FTH - 9 ARC

Resa

"So…do you still want to explore around here?"

"I…yeah, I mean…" I stumbled, trying to find my words. "They're just ants, we've…dealt with worse.

Flynn sighed, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Yes…but when we faced worse, we weren't worse too. We'll circle back to that tunnel. The water's flowing into it, anyways. It's worth our time to see where the water's coming from, and then follow it down."

"Yeah let's do that please." The words leaped from my mouth faster than I thought. My heart was beating fast in my chest…we'd seen our fair share of insects before…these shouldn't be getting to me as bad as they were, and yet there was no other solution.

"Here." Flynn adjusted the lantern at his hip, letting it give off a warm glow. "It's light enough down here, but a little more won't hurt. I'll lead the way…just don't stray too far away. There might be horse sized fish as well - "

"Flynn!" I gave him a playful punch in the ribs, only serving to hurt my knuckles…his armor was dense.

"You know I'm joking. Now come on." He ventured down to the water's edge, staying as far away from the clutch of ants as he could. They didn't seem to pay us much mind quite yet. We turned right, stepping into the water and beginning to trudge upstream, but it was readily apparent that we wouldn't get very far. A towering waterfall plummeted down in three stages, filling the narrow ravine completely. Advancing as far as we could, Flynn tried to hoist me onto his shoulders and let me see what was beyond, but it was no use.

"Well…it was worth a try, right?"

"Yeah. This is…north, I think. I can't remember what was up that way. Let's head back and…consider going through that tunnel."

As we walked back, I missed a lone figure, expertly concealed against the rock ceiling. It wasn't until Flynn walked closer that the lantern illuminated patterned stripes of white and red, connected to six haired legs and a bulbous, antennaed head. As soon as the light touched the creature it leaped from its perch, crashing down to the ground below. Pincers the size of my torso lunged at Flynn, latching onto his arm and clamping down so hard I could hear the metal crunch.

And all the while I stood there paralyzed, fear completely wracking my body.

Flynn managed to fend it off - after the ant reared back for another bite he managed to bring his shield up, stuffing it between the ant's pincers. He simply disengaged his grip on it, keeping the ant's jaw occupied while he lunged forward with his sword. One swipe took off one leg, and then another - unable to stay upright it toppled over, and then it was a swift strike to the center of the head that left the creature twitching in horrific agony for two seconds until its limbs finally went still.

As he wiped his blade clean of the ant's innards, he looked towards me. "Resa, sister. You know I love you, but…if we're going to venture further, you're going to need to get past this."

I nodded, my nerves still firing, adrenaline still flooding my senses, my ears still ringing. "Yeah, I just…it caught me by surprise, that's all. If I'd seen it coming, I would have…yeah."

I heard Flynn sigh as he sheathed his blade and set down his shield. To my surprise he actually took off his helmet, cradling it under his arm. There looking at me was my brother - a warm, comforting expression across his features. "Resa…you're allowed to be scared. I'm not asking you not to be. I'm not really even asking you to be brave, if you're not ready for that. I'm saying that I have your back…and that I need you to have mine. I'll walk first, I'll draw their attention, I'll - " He clenched his hand and flexed his bicep, managing to reverse the crunching on his armor somewhat. "I'll have some armor for Hewg to repair when we're done down here, probably. I juqst need my sister to be the badass that I know she can be. Can I count on that?"

I nodded, half smiling as I couldn't bear to meet his gaze, glancing down at the ground. For as much as I gave him a hard time…sometimes, I didn't deserve Flynn. "Yeah. I can do that."

"Alright." Flynn put his helmet back on, getting it situated. "There were five ants out there…I'll handle four of them. You've got the fifth." We headed back out into the open, the five aforementioned ants still hanging precariously from the wall.

One ant…just one. Mentally, I was preparing myself for it - for the pincers, the legs, the antennae, the - I stopped…the more I thought, the more it made me freeze up. It was an enemy…I'd slain hundreds, if not thousands, since waking up in Lordran. This one just happened to look…a little different.

Flynn approached, not slowing his course. As he got closer, one descended from its perch, and then another. Two more followed, a lone fifth remaining stuck to the wall. Valiantly, Flynn charged forwards, engaging all of them head on with a broad swing of his halberd, forcing them to respect his formidable reach. I could take on any one of those four…they were distracted…it would be so easy.

Why then, did my legs refuse to move?

Flynn was forced into a wall, the four creatures able to overpower his reach by sheer numbers, He thrust the halberd forward to fend them off, following up by smashing the head into one while he thrust the pommel into another, each strike cleanly caving in their heads. With only two left, the odds were back in his favor. As one lunged forward he backstepped, raising the halberd up high before stepping up once again, dropping the weighty blade and cleaving off its side. The fourth managed to lunge in and land a metal-squealing crunch on his forearm but Flynn kicked at it, forcing it backwards until he was able to execute it as well.

I looked back up at the one that remained…it had to be mine. Internally my stomach was doing somersaults at the thought of it drawing closer, of it clamping those pincers around my arm and ripping it clean off, of - "Flynn…I know I have to kill it, but…can you keep it busy?"

"Sure, Resa…but I'm not drawing my weapons." He set his halberd down, then unbuckled his greatsword's scabbard from his back. "If we're going into this tunnel, you've got to overcome your nerves." Flynn stepped forward with his shield raised, his blade arm empty. Soon, that fifth ant descended and lunged at him…I had to act. For him.

My legs moved, not because they wanted to, but because I forced them to. My ears were ringing so badly I scarcely heard anything else, but that didn't matter…Flynn was right, I needed to get past whatever was getting to me. It took a while, but I drew closer to the ant, my blades now within striking distance of it. It either hadn't noticed me yet, or still decided Flynn was the larger threat which…was fair. I took a deep breath, focused my mind only on the ant directly ahead of me…and then, swung.

Immediately, it turned its attention towards me.

"No get back no!" I swung wildly with my katana and scimitar as all that mental preparation was lost in a fraction of a second, panic gripping my body and I went on autopilot in a flurry of steel. And yet, despite that, when I regained control of myself the ant's head was slashed into practically a dozen pieces, and its lifeless body sat on the ground.

My breathing still rapid, I looked to Flynn, forcing an uncomfortable smile. "That, uh…counts, right?"

"It, well…" My brother sighed, shaking his head. "Yes, I suppose it does. We're likely heading into their tunnel system now, and these were the outer watchers. They're going to be roaming around in there, and we're going to get ambushed." He emphasized that word specifically, then continued. "You just shredded one into ribbons…and I can contest that they haven't proved much of a threat. Once you get over the fact that they look like, well…what they look like, you'll be fine."

He turned around and picked up his weapons, then returned. Again, a comforting hand was placed on my shoulder. "Now, I'm ready to head on in. If you're not, please tell me now…you're the one that wanted to come down here, after all. I'm doing this for you. If you'd rather be elsewhere, well then let's go elsewhere."

I shook my head. "No…I'll get over this. Let's keep going."

"Alright. I'll lead. Stay close."

I followed after him, cursing myself internally. I'd completely lost control…against an ant. I had to be better than this or I was simply going to be putting Flynn in jeopardy.

We continued down the tunnel, my limbs momentarily locking as an ant scuttled out of one tunnel and down another, but didn't seem to take notice of us. I willed myself into movement, only for an ant to leap at us from an alcove on the side. I managed to keep my panic internal - a quick slash at its abdomen happened out of pure reflex before I gained control of myself, my heartbeat rapidly accelerating to an unhealthy level. I focused for a second, trying to calm myself - the ant lunged at me and I shielded myself with my scimitar, though its pincers still nicked my hand.

Breathe Resa, breathe…you can do this. As the ant lunged at me again I sidestepped, taking my scimitar and thrusting it blindly towards it. I felt the blade sink into something…but I didn't quite want to know what. As I felt that blade begin to tug towards the ground though, I relinquished and managed to turn my head around. It was dead…for all I know Flynn had killed it, but I'd helped. I stood there in silence just coming to terms with it…Flynn was right, they weren't that scary. Compared to dragons or giants or gods…I could kill an ant.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah…I just don't like the legs…or the head…or the eyes. But I don't like getting my arm ripped off either. Let's keep going."

"If you say so."

We pressed forward, continuing down the tunnel. Further down, Flynn's light illuminated another clutch of them that were clinging to the ceiling, seemingly waiting in ambush. They dropped down as a group, scuttling towards us to surround us at all sides. Again, I fought through the nerves - but with so many, it was impossible to fight them off entirely. By the time Flynn had slain three I'd barely managed to lay a scratch on one. I managed to take it down, but just the one…by the time it was dead, the entire rest of the pack was slain by Flynn's blade. Still, I shook it off…progress wasn't always fast.

Further in the cave was actually a well-illuminated chamber - but with each step that got closer my sense of smell was assailed by rotting flesh and bones. The chamber was free of any ants, save for one in the corner - and yet, the sight disgusted me more than anything else. Bodies were piled up in heaping mounds, some fully decayed into skeletons, others with flesh still wrapped tight around their bones. A cloud of flies so dense that they produced a drone blanketed the entire area, feasting upon whatever was brought here. I kept moving, not wanting to linger on the horrific sight - it wasn't until we were well beyond it that I even wanted to speak.

"What…was that?"

"We may not be the only ones that venture down here. That…might be what happened to the rest."

"Just lying in a pile?"

Flynn shrugged. "I have the same information you do, sister. It's barbaric by our standards, sure, but…they're ants. We're in their territory."

"Well then let's get out of it." We kept walking down the tunnel until it opened up into a much larger cavern. Inside it was something that most certainly didn't belong to the ant colony - ghostly statues along a sort of dam, a gate along a staircase illuminated by a silvery light being the only way to reach the top. I saw a towering doorway on the opposite end of the walkway, leading deeper in. There were no ants in here…which either meant they hadn't expanded this far yet, or something had kicked them out. I hoped it was the former…unless that something was friendly.

"That's…interesting. I assume given the only legs here are yours and my own, you want to see what's up there?"

"That wasn't nice!" I gave him a nudge, frowning. "I was…starting to get over it." Then, in a much quieter voice, "but yeah, we can see what's ahead…"

"You were getting over it…and I'm proud of you for it."

Flynn continued forwards, but something caught my eye by a rock pillar in the middle of the water. We'd collected them earlier, back when we were in the catacombs…a lilting flower with white bulbs along it. I plucked it, returning to Flynn. "These must just grow underground then…have you figured out what you could use them for?"

"No…nothing yet. I can go back and ask Kale, if we have time...he said he had recipes to sell me. The fact that they only grow underground has to make them worth something."

"Well…maybe there's more up ahead then. Let's find out." I ascended the stairs, walking beneath an archway with two heavily robed statues on either side. The bridge atop the dam was empty save for more robed statues. At the end was the door, while beyond it was a small stone hollow with a grace flickering inside. I hurriedly rushed over and activated it - anything to give us a point past where the ants were. I returned to the door, looking inside - another elevator.

"Alright then…even further down we go." Flynn and I stepped inside, activating the stone button in the center. Compared to our first descent, this one was far more reasonable - only a few seconds, and we'd reached the base.

It opened up to a massive cavern teeming with personality. Once more, a thankful beam of light illuminated most of the center - a center filled with walls and pillars. In its prime, it had to be a place of worship…to the left and right were towering stone statues, one of a man, the other I couldn't tell…it's top half had been shorn off. The man didn't look like any of the statues or paintings we'd seen up above. Did that mean that this civilization pre-dated the Two Fingers and Golden Order? That would explain why it was already in collapse…but it made me want to know so much more. Near the back of the chamber was the outer wall of some building, seemingly carved into the rock itself. Out front were sconces with normal fire within them - not the ghastly flame we'd seen outside.

Amongst the ground of the cavern were perhaps a dozen creatures, maybe more, all rather similar in shape. They looked to be golems of some sort, their bodies made of stone, or perhaps clay. In one hand, some held a sharp spear with an odd, faintly glowing tip. Others held a much smaller dagger as well as a bola slung over their back. There was a large pack patrolling the river water flowing from the dam behind us, but the vast majority were simply milling about

"Well…at least it's not ants, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. They haven't noticed us quite yet…but I don't think sneaking by is going to work. Let's try to section them off and take them out individually."

Flynn nodded, beginning his journey into the cavern. Only a few were near us at the moment…an easy first target. I rushed them, slashing one in the leg, and again in the arm. Their bodies didn't react to being struck like flesh and blood - my blade simply sunk in and pulled out without any indication that I'd wounded them at all. However, after a couple more swings it seemed to struggle to maintain its composure, its entire body falling to the ground as it fell apart. By the time it hit the ground, it was little more than a pile of mud.

"That's…interesting." I dodged one of the spears, a very deliberate thrust that was easy to see coming. All of their movements were slow and deliberate, in fact…it was hard to be struck by them unintentionally, unless we were completely surrounded. We fought through the first pack, and then another and another as we pushed our way towards the building wall near the back. Once there we went through a dimly lit hallway before emerging into an even larger cavern on the other side.

"What…is that?" I ignored everything else in the room due to the sight of something hanging from the ceiling far on the opposite side. It looked to be some sort of creature, but unlike anything I'd seen before. A long strand of white orbs hung from the ceiling, descending an incredibly long distance down to the tops of some ruins. Four large, thin pieces floated around its middle - perhaps wings? I could see what looked like arms near the bottom held upwards, as well as a large pair of pincers at the very base. Whatever it was, it was hanging from the ceiling…but even then, I had no clue what I was looking at.

"Something dangerous…and clearly, very unfamiliar. Be on your guard." Flynn held up his shield, stepping out into the massive arena. Almost immediately, a purple aura began to surround the strange creature, and my brother froze - simply waiting, and watching. A second passed by as a slow drone grew in pitch, the creature raising its head up. As the pitch grew higher, rocks began to lift up from the ground and hover in the air…as if being commanded.

The pitch broke, the creature's face shifting to stare right at us - was its face a skull? I didn't have time to contemplate it as all of those rocks began flying towards us in a sort of meteor shower. Flynn raised up his shield and I quickly ducked behind him as he took the brunt of the strikes. Eventually it came to an end and he let his guard down - but only momentarily. Another purple glow began to build from the back of the room. My eyes scanned the terrain in front of us, looking for an answer. A staircase was not far ahead, littered with a host of dead bodies that clearly suffered a fate that might await us. Beyond that though was a small ledge - one we could hide behind if we needed to.

"Follow me." I darted forward, pushing my legs to go as fast as I could. I realized I wasn't going to make it in time, though…time for some improvisation. I ducked behind one of the four large sconces along the stairs, pressing my back against it as I heard the sound of rocks flying towards me. Several crashed into the sconce but didn't manage to break it. Flynn had managed to make it to the sconce on the other side of the stairs and so we waited out in tandem until the sounds of the attack came to an end. During the intermission, we rushed forward once again, easily making it to the ledge.

Unfortunately, a small group of clay men were waiting for us there - as the sound of flying rocks broke out again, we were stuck pinned to the wall to avoid danger. The group didn't seem to pay any mind to the rock shower though, assailing us anyways. Flynn held them off with his shield while we were trapped - avoiding their strikes wouldn't work when that avoidance might mean taking a rock to the back. Once the shower stopped though I reached for my seal, laying down a strip of lightning to catch the pack - we needed to be quick if we wanted to hold our position. As the lightning struck, several of them were riddled with pocks and erupted on the spot, leaving just a few left. Flynn managed to cut down one before another wave of rocks hit - and this time, the clay men weren't so lucky. One rock plowed directly through its chest, leaving a gaping hole as it fell to the ground.

"Where to now?" I looked at Flynn, struggling to talk over the sounds of rocks crashing into the ground.

"I saw a fire near the back. Someone might be trapped here?"

I nodded. "Let's go."

As soon as the rocks ceased, we went. More clay men blocked our way but I liberally summoned lightning to help carve a path through, using the gaps in the creature's intermittent barrage to their fullest. We reached another staircase, forced to duck behind it as a wave of rocks fired once more. We climbed up it, seeing a large ceiling supported by several pillars up ahead. We were running out of time though - the creature was practically right above us, and the pillars were still a ways away."

"Duck and cover!" Flynn held up his shield and I slid to a defensive crouch behind him just as the rocks began to fall. They battered his shield from above but didn't manage to break his guard. Several more crashed into the ground and splintered only an arm's reach from me - but at least for the moment, we were safe. Once it broke, we safely made it under the structure, and into the room behind it.

To our surprise, the fire came from…a merchant. This one had constructed a tent out of wood and leaves, perhaps carried down from the surface. "Oh…is that a customer? It's been so very long."

"What are you doing down here, it's…well, dangerous for one, and seldom-traveled for two."

"It's one of the only places to find the remnants of gravity magic. I can offer you some for a price."

Flynn shook his head. "I think we're alright. Do you want a way back to the surface? It would be tough but…we could escort you back."

The merchant shook his head. "No…it's a simple life down here. I find the occasional traveler like yourselves. Some make it…some don't." His eyes glanced over towards a pillar, a slumped over figure sitting at its base. "That one was making a map, if I recall. Don't believe they have a use for it anymore, so…"

"A map? Well…" It felt grim, plainly looting a deceased traveler, but if it helped us find a way out it would be worth it. The map was sitting in its lap, a long-dried quill in the other. I held it up, thinking of the journey we'd taken and where we'd gone as I tried to orient it. It was a task that proved difficult - but only because this map detailed far more than where we'd walked. It showed where the water flowed, leading all the way to the tiered waterfall we'd run into very early on in our exploration. More interestingly, it showed an entire city to our north. There were two possible ways to reach it - a path to the west, and one to the north. I recalled a ridge high up above us to the north as we were running in - that likely meant we only had one way forward.

I looked at the merchant, waving the map in my hand and nodding. "Thank you for pointing this out, I think it…should help us. Flynn, I have an idea on where we can try to explore. I assume you're not giving up down here just yet?"

"Not a chance."

"Alright…let's go then." We departed from the merchant's little hideaway, angling towards the west while still remaining beneath the pillared structure. Thankfully, an overhang followed by a relatively-unscathed wall gave us safe passage away from the towering creature behind us, giving us the cover we needed until we could slip over the ledge and down to the river water below. Ahead of us, a grace - I let out a sigh of relief. We wouldn't have to fight past that creature again should something happen further ahead. After a short rest at the grace, we continued on, following the flow of the river.

However, that relief was only temporary. First I smelled it, and then I saw it…another ant hive piled with desiccated bodies. My heart beat faster in my chest of its own volition as I tried to calm my nerves and just…focus. I'd killed one…I wasn't about to regress. According to the map, we were entering a final stretch of tunnels that led to the city to our north. I just needed to push through a little bit more, and then this would all be worth it.

As we drew closer to them one of their antennae twitched as the closest one spun around, three more following suit. I held my blade forward but took a step back as Flynn rushed forward and engaged all four with a sweeping entrance from his halberd, forcing them all back. My hand gripped my katana so tightly my knuckles lost feeling and turned white…but still, I lunged forward. The strike was stiff and barely carried the posture behind it to pierce the ant's chitin, my blade just barely thrusting in before I hastily retracted it. That single strike was enough to draw its ire, however, and soon I was staring at the beast head-on.

It lunged towards me and I dove out of the way, trying to nimbly roll but instead only managing to throw myself onto the ground. The ant turned towards me and dove down from above - I thrust my scimitar hand up and held the blade sideways, the ant's pincers getting caught on my blade. Still, as those pincers clamped down I could feel it crushing my hand as raw fear and instinct kicked in. I slashed crossways with my katana, slicing off one leg from each side before letting go of the captured blade and rolling to the side, getting back to my feet. I scrambled a couple paces back before spinning around, holding my remaining weapon with two hands, eyes narrowing in on the insect. As it lunged, so did I.

I felt a sharp pain dig into my shoulder, but only for a moment. When I looked, the ant's pincer was lodged there - but only because the entire blade of my katana was dug directly into its thorax. I hadn't been careful enough to avoid danger, but I wasn't going to let that burn me at the moment. As the ant slumped to the ground I pulled out my seal and quickly tended to my wounds - one of the few times I actually needed to use my healing miracles, I noted. By the time I'd mended my injured arm, Flynn had cut down all the remaining ants and quickly rushed over to my side. "Are you hurt?"

"Not…anymore. Just got careless, that's all. I assume you're alright?"

"Yeah…nothing I can't handle. Now…I know this might be an ask, but want to explore even deeper in?" He pointed towards a tunnel across the desiccated pile of corpses. "It feels like they're guarding entrance to that…makes me wonder what's back there."

I looked at the map, a bit quizzical. "Whatever's back there, it's uncharted. The path to the city follows the river, to the north. I suppose a quick detour wouldn't cause too much trouble."

I held my breath as I scaled the pile of bodies, wincing as I felt my feet sink and crunch into the corpses of people long, long forgotten. As we reached the top of the pile, I only saw more bodies continue into the small tunnel beyond. I thought about turning back - whatever was in there was clearly formidable. But perhaps it was that same morbid curiosity that kept me walking forward, stepping over yet more bodies until we were in the tunnel, climbing upwards.

Inside though, weren't ants…in fact, it was a creature we were familiar with, which only served to raise a host of questions. They were small lizard-like creatures with two massive eyes atop their head - though I knew from experience that they were simply a diversion, with normal eyes where one would expect. I also knew from experience that their breath was very, very noxious - capable of petrifying someone and permanently sapping their vitality. As such, multiples of them in a narrow corridor was just about the last place I'd ever want to be if I confronted one…and yet, here we were.

Immediately I raised my seal, striking two of them with lightning while we still clung to the element of surprise. The lightning struck the two down immediately, giving Flynn the chance to rush forward with his sword and shield, stabbing one in the back as he bashed it with his shield, a follow-up swing promptly decapitating it. Now with only one left it finally managed to exhale that horrid, deadly breath, forcing us to back up and wait it out while the gasses dispersed. Once they did though, we quickly closed the gap and finished it off - finally, the tunnel was silent.

As we climbed to its end though, the stench of rotting corpses only got worse - despite the fact that the amount on the ground was dwindling. Once we reached the precipice though, it all made sense…

Spanning out before us was a cavern of monumental proportion, and far below its entire floor was covered in a layer of viscous, reddish-yellow liquid that absolutely reeked. Fumes wafted up from below that were pungent enough to make my eyes water and my throat burn. What once were trees were now trunks of pale-white wood…it seemed that whatever this liquid was, it sapped the life from everything it touched. On the far end of the cavern was another stone doorway carved into the wall, statues of that same bearded man sitting on either side. The ceiling of this cavern was also interesting - large crystals hung down from the back wall, serving to diffract the odd light coming up from below.

I took a few steps back, the burn on my throat so severe that I couldn't bear it any longer. "I…let's go."

"Agreed." Flynn covered his helmet as he broke out into a violent coughing fit, the two of us promptly retreating away from whatever we'd just seen, over the pile of carcasses and back into the river water.

"You know…if there's a demigod hiding down there, I think it'll be just fine." I too couldn't hold back the burning in my throat any longer, practically dry heaving over the river water as I expelled as much of the fumes from my lungs. "I don't ever want to go back there."

"Let's hope we never have to. Now come on, let's find that city…and hope that it's nowhere near that place."

"Agreed." After we'd sorted ourselves out we continued down the underground river. There were a few more ants left which Flynn managed to dispatch. After that, the tunnels cleared up - I plucked a few more strange plants along our way as we meandered through the tunnels, drawing closer and closer to the city's entrance. Soon, we were there. The tunnel's mouth widened, opening up into yet another massive cavern.

The first thing I noticed was the sky - or at least, what substituted as one. I wasn't sure if it was tiny bioluminescent life or some sort of crystal, but it illuminated the sky in a way that was eerily reminiscent of starlight. However, the particles floated through the air as well, giving the entire ceiling a sort of shimmering, mystical look that was incredibly enchanting.

However…that enchantment was in stark contrast to what lay below. Very gothic architecture dominated the back wall of the room, presumably the city we were searching for - a damn poured water down from up above, splashing into the ground and forming a slight mist that lightly obscured the ground. To its left was a massive throne, tall enough that it was practically a building - and in fact, it might be. Sitting upon it was a robed figure with a skeletal face, the figure adequately sized for such a massive seat. It appeared to be lifeless but I was still wary - there could be more to it than at first glance. Beneath the throne and all across the ground were humanoid-esque figures. Their faces were taller and more gaunt such that they had a very foreign appearance, but that played second fiddle to the fact that all of them, perhaps one hundred in total, were petrified - each one with a look of abject agony on their faces.

"Something…horrific happened here." I looked around, examining the stone figures. "These people died somehow…and it does not look like it was pleasant." My mind immediately went towards the large-eyed lizards. They were capable of something like this…but to this scale? Something greater had to be afoot.

Flynn looked around, examining everything as well. "They're all looking…up. But at what?"

I scanned the horizon - at first glance, I didn't see anything. I continued walking further inwards, following the flow of the river towards that strange skeletal giant…of everything in here, it was by and large the most suspicious. As I got even closer, I heard something moving from up above. My eyes instinctively went to the skull - but no, it still sat motionless. My vision then drifted further upwards, just in time to see something massive crashing down from the ceiling.

It looked like a sort of mummified dragon at first glance…though not like any dragon we'd ever seen. No wings to speak of, but instead two spindly, fleshy arms and legs wrapped in bandages. Its chest reminded me of the Stormveil trolls - a large gaping hole of nothingness connecting its upper and lower body. Its head was clearly draconic in nature with an extended snout, as well as hardened frills all around the edge of its face. On its back was some sort of cape colored black and red - a heraldry we hadn't seen yet.

Despite its somewhat rotted appearance, the creature crashed into the ground with a resoundingly solid note, water spraying up at all angles from the impact. I looked behind me to see Flynn holding his staff and halberd aloft, promptly empowering his blade for the apparent fight to come. I turned my attention back to the creature, keeping my hand tightly gripped on my seal. If there was one thing I remembered about the dragons of Lordran, it was that lightning was their bane. I only hoped that that was a universal fact of all dragons, everywhere…I was about to find out.

As Flynn charged forward I strafed around to the side, looking for the flank. I laid down a patch of lightning - given that this creature didn't have wings, I actually had a chance of striking it unlike our previous dragon encounter. A wide swath of electrically charged ground sprayed out before me, moments before a barrage of lightning struck down from skies unknown on the beast. Surprisingly, it seemed relatively unfazed, even as the electricity lingered on the water below. I paused, stowing my seal and grabbing my scimitar - perhaps it was a durable creature.

To the creature's front, Flynn charged in with all the power and might of an enraged ox, magically-empowered halberd slamming into the creature's arms. It swiped at him, but he simply held the blade up, the dragon's hands catching along the shaft. The creature was large, but slow…something my brother knew how to take full advantage of. His mighty swings slammed into the creature time and time again, asserting his dominance by force.

As usual, that aggression left me ample room to strike from the sides. I found that the creature's bandaged limbs could scarcely resist my sharpened blades, which left me even more confused. Perhaps this wasn't a true dragon…it certainly didn't look like one. It would explain why lightning had little effect against it…but still, I began to harbor doubts.

After a particularly nasty blow from Flynn the creature recoiled, standing still for a moment as it tucked its arms and legs in. I backed off, unsure what was happening. A column of silvery-blue light began to form around it, building in intensity. I rushed over to Flynn, ducking behind him as he held up his shield and fortified his position behind it…something was coming. Something big.

That column of light burst with enough strength to send us staggering back…and as it did, the dragon's physique completely changed. Four frayed, leathery wings sprouted from beneath its cape…perhaps incapable of flight now, but not in its prime. Moreso, however, a sort of crackling, chilled armor coated the dragon's wings, arms, and chest. Whatever exposed flesh it had was covered in it - it looked almost like ice at first, but there was more to it than that, I could tell.

That extra became immediately clear as the dragon held its hand up, a crackling bolt of silvery blue lightning forming in its hand. It slammed the bolt into the ground as a familiar effect spread out - electrically charged ground spreading out in a wave from the impact towards us. I looked at the ground, noticing an impending lightning strike forming directly on top of us. I grabbed Flynn and pulled him out of the way, just moments before the lightning rained down. Still, it lingered in the water, and it was…cold? I didn't understand it…and in the dragon's newly empowered state, I didn't have time to sit around and ponder.

Flynn approached tentatively, firing a barrage of glintstone stars at the creature as he closed his distance, keeping his shield aloft in his other hand. I spread out to the right, once again looking for the flank, taking a brief reprieve to drink from my crystal flask. I pulled out our spirit bell and summoned Aurelia as well - it had been a while since we'd let her roam free, and now seemed like the best time for some assistance.

Once my brother closed the distance, it was back to business as usual as his halberd struck the dragon once again. However, the dragon's new lightning-empowered strikes were far more dangerous - we were covered in river water, turning even a glancing blow from the dragon into a lingering crackling of lightning.

"Resa it's…freezing cold!" As The dragon's taloned hands slammed into Flynn's weapon, literal ice crystals began to form on his armor, as if the lightning itself was frozen. Still, I didn't try to wrap my mind around it. With Aurelia now serving as a temporary distraction I pulled out my seal and mended Flynn's wounds, letting him get back to the task at hand. We continued our assault. The strikes continued to land, carving away chunks of bandages and flesh as we fought against this unusual creature.

Then…it took to the air.

It was more of a hover, really…its wings weren't intact enough to let it stay aloft for long, but that hardly made a difference. It hung in the air for a second, lightning coiling around its arm as it narrowed its eyes at us, nosediving in our direction. I tried to roll out of the way…but there simply wasn't anywhere to go. The dragon's claw slammed into me as it scooped me up, dragging me along as it came to a thunderous stop in the water. All the while, this chilled lightning wracked my body, intense pains both hot and cold assailing me from nearly every angle. Once the dragon came to a stop I began to as well, my body tossing over itself several times through the water, eventually coming to rest with my head face-down in the river.

Cold…so cold. Whatever this lightning was, it carried a frigid, arctic quality to it that was wholly unnatural. I'd felt cold like this before - but against foes whose weapons were specifically empowered by frost, not lightning. This was an unnatural hybrid of the two, and I didn't even know how such a thing was possible. I rolled myself over, hand fumbling for my flask as I took a long drink from it. Even though my wounds were healed, the cold still persisted, making me feel sluggish and frail. I stood up, trying to shake off as much water as I could, but my clothes were hopelessly soaked at this point. I couldn't afford to take a hit like that again.

I turned around just in time to see the dragon slam another lightning spear into the ground. This time, my brother didn't quite manage to dodge it, a bolt of this frozen lightning striking him from above.

At the same time, Aurelia let out a jet at the dragon, doing what little she could to draw its attention - but with both Flynn and I in recovery, even that little bit was enough. The dragon turned its attention towards her, lunging forward and raising an empowered claw towards the jellyfish. The claw slammed down, causing the spirit to shudder. After a pulse of energy and the claw ripping backwards across the water, Aurelia began fading away. I needed to return to Roderika…we were facing tougher and tougher foes, and if we wanted our spirit allies to remain competitive, we would surely need her Tuning services. Still, Aurelia had given us the time we both needed to recover…it was time to retaliate.

I rushed forward, blades drawn as I managed to leap over a swipe from the dragon, landing several swipes at an exposed thigh once I landed. Flynn decided to swap to his sword and shield, the blade once again being empowered by magic before he engaged. He raised his shield up to catch a claw strike from the dragon, retaliating by swinging at the fist. We continued trading blows, both of us being extremely careful to avoid everything we could.

When the dragon launched itself into the air, though, we needed another plan. I scanned the ground - our fight had moved us both very close to the towering throne. I could tell that there was a space underneath it - perhaps one we could seek shelter in. "Follow me!" Flynn whipped around, saw me make a mad dash towards the throne, and followed suit.

We both narrowly managed to get inside before the dragon crashed down, its head hurtling through the large doorway, but its arms stuck outside. It gnashed its teeth at us, repositioning to get one arm through the door, desperately trying to claw at us, but it simply didn't have the angle. We assailed it with lightning and magic from the safety of the chamber…and soon, the dragon met its match. It wasn't an honorable death, but it was one earned nonetheless.

With the threat at hand taken care of, I actually took the chance to look at what was in this chamber. The only thing of note was a single chest - highly ornate, and given its placement likely symbolic in nature. I looked at Flynn. "Should we open it?"

"If I had to guess, that creature was guarding it…and we took it down. I think we've earned ourselves the right to open it."

"Fair enough…let's see then." I pushed the lid of the chest back, finding it to be incredibly heavy. Inside was…a plant. It looked like the plants we'd been picking down here…but this one looked fully matured. Rather than a cluster of smaller bulbs, this one had a singular large bulb that drooped down, pulling on the stem. I picked it up, turning it around in my hand - it looked to almost shimmer as well. Whatever it was…whatever these plants were…clearly they carried significant importance. I gave it to Flynn and we stowed it away for later use.

When I turned around and walked outside, I saw a peculiar sight. I thought all of the dragon had faded away when we killed it…but something remained. One finger, now perpetually pulsating lightning, stuck out from the ground. Its bandages were hanging loose…no, that wasn't right. The hand was practically the only part of it that wasn't bandaged. So, what then, did I see? I walked over, snatching the paper up and inspecting it.

It was a miracle…the miracle the dragon was using. Frozen Lightning Spear, aptly named. I'd need time to investigate it, learn just what I was reading…but it seemed that soon, I would have whatever strange power was being used down here.

As I pondered that, I looked to my left, up at the city far, far above. Despite coming all this way, it didn't look like there was a way up. The map showed an alternative way in, one that required coming in from the east, not the south…but we didn't have a way to do that just yet. That meant we'd be coming back later…part of me shuddered at the thought, but the rest was excited by the prospect. More ants…almost certainly more ants. But also a chance to explore the completely foreign world that existed, or exists, underground.

However, that was a journey for another day - one where we could find our way there, but also one where we were prepared for whatever awaited us. For now, we were long overdue for a return to the Roundtable Hold. I had the prayerbook to give to Brother Corhyn, as well as needing to check on Roderika and her progress with spirit tuning. We'd also found no shortage of smithing stones while underground - one of the advantages of being surrounded by rock, I suppose.

Our time beneath the Lands Between had been short, but memorable…and we'd emerge from it much stronger than when we entered.