Chapter 6: A Trip and a Metal Giant
"Finally out of the sewer! Ugh, I'm going to reek for days!" Erik griped as he emerged from the dark and dank tunnel, basking in the setting sun and crisp ocean breeze. He'd had to slog through the viscous sludge of the small cistern that had overflowed and backed up ages ago, leaving everything below his waist wet and gooey.
He shivered, partly from the memories, and partly from the cool wind chilling him. Looking around, he found himself on a worn down platform that led across broken and crumbling stone bridges and towers. A few of the towers were fairly intact, while a large cathedral rose in the distance, only the upper levels high and dry from the flooding around it. Below him, faintly visible in the blue tinted waters, were the sunken ruins of countless buildings and monuments.
Erik smiled as he beheld the scene. Heide, the Kingdom of Flames! On Drangleic, many nations had risen and fallen. Olaphais was one, the oldest based on surviving records. There had been Alken and Venn, both large and mighty nations, though in the time of the Old Iron King Alken finally conquered their ancient foe. The mysterious Shulva, of which little was known, other than their worship of Dragons. Then there was Heide, not as old as Olaphais, but older than Alken and Venn. It was a famous land, known for its lightning wielding knights and dreaded wyvern mounted Dragonriders. But ages past a great cataclysm sheared off a great chunk of Drangleic's coast, drowning much of the kingdom and supposedly sinking Shulva beneath the earth as well. Now, all that was left of Heide were these crumbling towers and a semi-submerged church.
It mattered little to Erik. He was just awed to be in a place so old and legendary as Heide. Maybe if he'd had a different life, a historian is what he'd have become.
Walking across the bridge, Erik spotted the telltale glimmer of fire on a small outcropping a bit away. A bonfire, perhaps? Odd to see one out here, but whoever set them up probably didn't mind where they put them so long as they were standing and somehow on fire.
Wandering over, the chef froze in place as he noticed a large, towering figure in tarnished greenish-blue armor standing close by. Swallowing a lump of fear, Erik watched in growing horror as the helmeted head turned slowly to stare at him. With a grinding of rusted metal on metal, it stomped over to him, wielding a massive sword and shield also made of the same materials as the all enclosing armor.
As the massive enemy began to move, so too did Erik, the chef bolting for the staircase that would hopefully lead to a bonfire. He did not know how they worked, or if it would even protect him. All he knew was he did not want to be near that armored monstrosity!
Down the stair he went, the simple bonfire looking pale and insignificant this close to the vast ocean. But it was a point of safety for him and the crunch of gravel spurred the chef onwards, though he spared a look back to see the giant knight clunking its way down the stairs. At that, Erik paused. Stairs…
Pivoting on one foot, Erik turned and brought a fire bomb into his hands, poised to toss it. The foe didn't even react, just continuing to move forward. Erik hurled the explosive with all his strength, watching and praying as it arced in the air, only to fall a few inches short of the massive bulk coming closer. And yet he smirked in triumph none the less.
If the animate suit of armor had a mind, it might have wondered why the foe looked so confident despite being weak, or perhaps it might have sneered in pity at the pathetic toss of the bomb. It did not. It could not. And then, there was a burst of flames at its feet.
The shockwave unleashed from the blast was strong, much more so than its tiny appearance might have alluded to. The Old Knight Golem reared back from the detonation, the fire scorching its leg plates and the pressure of the explosion stumbling it. On open ground, this would not be a problem. On salt-water slick stairs that were also fairly crumbling and smaller than the giant's feet? That single moment of lost balance spelt doom for the larger than life warrior, and it toppled over the edge with a grinding moan of surprise, plunging many stories down until it smashed against the stones and ocean below.
A rush of souls flew up to Erik, surprising him for a moment. Had it been a mortal being once? He didn't know, but somehow doubted it. He knew that a person's soul was linked in some ways to their size. The larger the essence of life energy, the larger the mortal frame grew in order to accommodate it. It was why skilled knights, brilliant sorcerers, revered clerics, and mighty kings were often larger than their servants and subjects. Nowadays though most did not exceed eight feet. The age of titans like King Vendrik and his Royal Aegis were over. And that rusty knight had been a little shorter than a Giant by a few feet, though not as wide or bulky. Not even Vendrick, tall has he had been said to be, was as big as a Giant.
A construct of sorts? He knew that such things were possible. House Osteria of Lindelt was protected by a number of enchanted marble statues, and tales of the living dolls of Alken and Venn were common. Perhaps Heide had been the first to invent it? Or copied it from elsewhere? They must have been talented indeed to have them last so long. Erik shrugged, and made his way to the bonfire, watching mesmerized as the dull embers roared to life as he approached. He sat down in front of it, warming and drying himself. Dusk was falling, and the chef didn't feel like risking his neck in the dark, especially with a sheer drop just waiting to happen.
He proceeded to make a fishing pole out of a wooden rod, some string, and a hook and lure set he removed from his pack. Casting it into the ocean over and over, he caught a fairly good haul for his dinner; a pair of Silver Scale Trout and a fat Shallow Sea Bass. Cooked by the bonfire, seasoned with some dried thyme, rosemary, and basil, the fish made an excellent meal. He knew he did not truly need to eat as an Undead. But he still felt the pangs of hunger, and the parched throat of thirst. A bitter annoyance to some, but Erik was glad he could still taste and enjoy a well-made meal. It let him retain a spark of brightness in his now dreary life.
As the sun dipped almost completely behind the horizon, a crunch entered Erik's ears, and he turned to face the sound. What he saw made him frown. The Old Knight Golem was clambering up the side of the cliff it had fallen from, salt water pouring in rivers through the cracks in its armor. The armor itself looked completely intact for the most part and Erik frowned. Whatever it was, it was tenacious. He stood up and stretched. Well, better go kill it then!
Aiming carefully at the hulking warrior moving slowly but with surprising ease up the side of the cliff, Erik let loose a single throwing knife, watching as it clanged pitifully off the armored joints of the behemoth. He frowned again. That didn't work! And he just wasted a whole knife! The moment the tiny bladed projectile struck it, the armored defender paused, and turned its head to stare up at Erik with empty sockets. The chef screamed in fear as it began to climb up faster and towards him! In panic he grabbed a fire bomb and hurled it downwards, shouting in joy as it smashed open on the armored head, spilling blazing flames all over it, cracking the solid metal and blackening the helm and the upper part of the torso with the blast. And yet it did not let go of the cliff! Instead it just uttered a mechanical screech and climbed up even faster. With a cry of fear, Erik did the only sensible thing; he threw the Shallow Sea Bass' skeleton down onto the Old Knight Golem. That made it pause in confusion. It reached up to remove the offending object that lodged into the visor of the helmet, letting go of the cliff with its left hand to do so. There was an echoing crack as the armored knight's weight was no longer evenly distributed, and with the Cliffside weakened from the fire bomb it gave way under its fingers, toppling the metal behemoth back to the water below. It cried out in annoyance before it was silenced by a "Crunch!"
Peering over the edge, Erik saw it was fully impaled on a stone jutting upwards. It lay there, still, as souls rushed up to fill the chef again. He blinked, then smiled at his victory.
"HA! Is that all you got? Sucks to be you!" Erik taunted. A groan from below made Erik leap back in fear as the Old Knight Golem thrashed about a bit on the spur of rock, but found itself unable to escape. Erik sighed in relief.
"OK, no more taunting fate and the gods. Got it!" He mumbled, wandering back to the bonfire and his pack. Removing a thick woolen blanket from its depths, the weary cook nestled down into a slight crevasse in the wall, where he curled up into it, wrapped himself in his blanket, and let Quella take him into her realm.