Chapter 35: Old Friends in the Frost
It was Zallen that ended up being Erik's steed for the trip up the mountain. The chef found the whole thing unpleasant. The shaking and wobbling as the beasts zoomed up the stairs endured with gritted teeth. The fur felt strange beneath him, like thick ink that undulated, and Erik knew he was going have to clean up the Darkness that stuck to him when he got off.
It was fast though, he couldn't deny that. Less than ten minutes had gone by since he had straddled the giant cat before he was nearing the summit.
From the looks of things, the gates of Eleum Loyce had been sealed by some sort of magical ice based on the way it twisted and grew. This strange crystal-like formation was elsewhere, plugging up entrances to the fortress-city and allowing no entry.
Unless you were a massive tiger, of course. Zallen, and Lud who followed timidly behind, had dashed up and around before coming to rest in a courtyard that was swallowed by ice and patrolled by Hollows. The Undead flinched back when they saw the Pets of the King and wisely kept their distance. Even mindless they could sense it was best to avoid such monsters. That and ingrained loyalty reminded them of their king and his love for the giant cats.
"You… approaching Eleum Loyce…" A weak voice suddenly spilled out over the ruins of the city, and Erik looked around in surprise while the tigers relaxed upon hearing the voice.
"Turn back… The old Chaos hungers still…" There was a long pause, as well as a sudden feeling of confusion that filled the air.
"You… who are you? How did you enter the city without my notice?"
"Um, hello? Can you hear me?" Erik shouted, his voice echoing slightly. "I mean, I don't want to just be shouting into the wind like a crazy person if this doesn't work."
"…I can. Now answer me."
"I rode this big lug up here, is how," Erik said, patting the side of Zallen who purred a bit.
"Zallen? And Lud? What is… how…?"
"I sort of ran into them while I was wandering about after being sucked into a Bonfire by accident," Erik elaborated. "I then smacked Lud around a bit with some frozen Lapine meat and a ladle and made them give me a lift."
"…What?"
"By the way, would your name happen to be Alsanna, by any chance?" Erik asked, looking around at the scenery as he spoke. It was odd conversing with someone when he couldn't see them, or even know where they were.
"How do you know my name? Who are you?" The woman cried, utterly perplexed.
"My name is Erik Potts, chef of Lindelt at your service!" The Undead cook called out, giving an exaggerated bow from the back of Zallen.
"Erik Potts?" There was suddenly the sound of a scuffle on the side of the ethereal voice, as if someone was jostling her.
"What is it? Stop shaking me you mad woman! …Sister, stop laughing and help me! …Will you knock it off, I'm still connected with the outside world, and you're embarrassing me! …No, he cannot hear you! Stop shouting in my ear, you, you, meanie!"
Erik coughed awkwardly and even the two tigers seemed amused, soft huffs coming from the pair of them as they listened.
"Look, Erik was it? Just come to the Grand Cathedral near the center of the city! Aava will let you through, and Zallen and Lud should know the way!" At once the sound died, and whatever connection had been there was cut. Confused, Erik only had a few seconds to look bewildered before the duo of black tigers took off, bounding over the roofs of the snowed in city heading for the massive church in the center.
After a wild ride the tigers leapt onto a long causeway lined with elegant statues. At the end of the path atop the doorway was another massive cat, this one purest white and winking in and out of visibility in the driving snow that blanketed the area.
The tiger gave a huff in greeting to her siblings, and Erik was given a sharp, appraising stare before snorting and lying back down.
Erik had to hop off the back of his mount, as the door was human sized. In thanks he removed two chunks of meat and tossed them to Zallen and Lud in thanks.
"Be good," he ordered sternly, and he heard who he assumed was Aava giving a purring laugh as her brothers obeyed, plopping down onto the walkway.
Inside, the path led him to a beautiful, massive structure that could rival the cathedrals of Lindelt any day. Passing through he found a bonfire waiting at the foot of a set of stairs that led up to a sealed door. An audience hall, perhaps? Or the main place of worship?
He didn't know, but felt immense relief when the mystical flames washed over him and took away the aches and chills.
"That hit the spot," Erik sighed in bliss, before walking up the steps to stand before the doors. He began to push them open, when they suddenly flung themselves open and he stumbled a bit, running face first into some very familiar cleavage.
"ERIK!" Arms wrapped around him and the chef found himself crushed into the ample bosom of Mytha as she picked him up and spun him around in greeting.
"Urk!" Was all the Undead cook could say in response.
"Mytha, dear, if you're not careful you might smother the poor lad," a pleasant voice called out, prompting Erik's freedom. He was placed gently to the floor and he took in some precious air.
"Good to see you too," Erik gasped, patting the forearm of the taller queen in greeting as he got his breath back.
Indeed, the towering woman before him, currently dressed in decidedly modest furs and coats that still somehow made her look sensual, was the former Queen of Alken.
Behind her, up near a massive balcony that overlooked a wide audience hall, were two familiar figures and a brand new one.
Raime was unmistakable, his gargantuan form still crackling with black energy. Plus, the size of him and his weapons was more than distinct. The ancient knight gave a stiff nod in greeting towards the chef.
Next to the former Left Hand of Vendrick was Nadalia, her black hair elegant and smooth yet still acting like a veil across her face. She too wore fur robes and other apparel for the deepest cold of Eleum Loyce.
The final figure and newest individual was almost identical to Nadalia. Pale, almost translucent skin with raven black hair shrouding her appearance. Unlike her sister though this woman wore a thin silk dress, more akin to negligee than anything a person might wear outside a bedroom, while a delicate silver circlet was placed atop her head.
This woman was on her knees before a tall, elegant throne, hands clasped in prayer as she looked down upon Erik and Mytha.
"Greetings, Undead. I am Alsanna. My sister and her… companion have told me much about you," the kneeling woman said, her voice carrying across the room despite it being less than a whisper.
Mytha smiled and waved up at the people on the balcony which made Erik chuckle and wave as well.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Alsanna. I'm afraid I know very little about you in turn, but perhaps that could be rectified in the future."
"You politeness is a breath of fresh air, Erik Potts. Not to disparage my current guests but I do prefer a modicum of decency in my court," Alsanna said, her words conveying a hint of relief that the cook was not like the former queen at all.
"You know you love it, Alsanna! I mean, why else would you wear something so daring?" Mytha teased, leering up at the Child of Dark.
"This is the garb of the High Priestess! It is regal and ceremonial…!" Alsanna cried while her sister laughed.
"If I'm not mistaken, you were the first and only High Priestess of Eleum Loyce. If you'd really wanted to change outfits, you could have done so any time in the millennia of your reign," Nadalia said, joining in on the teasing.
"Sister, please!" Alsanna whimpered, curling up slightly where she knelt.
As the laughter faded, Erik smiled, glad to see familiar faces in this place. Something nibbled at the back of his mind somewhat though, and he frowned, turning to Mytha.
"How did you get to Eleum Loyce so quickly?" Erik asked, bringing up something that had been bothering him a bit, and Mytha's smile became a puzzled frown.
"What do you mean?"
"This place is miles away from Brume Tower. It should have taken you, Nadalia, and Raime at least a few weeks to get here, maybe a whole month depending on road conditions," Erik explained, and the former Queen of Alken tilted her head.
"Of course it did. Why would you think it didn't?"
"Because I just saw you less than a week ago!" Erik said.
The two Daughters of Darkness shared a knowing look while Mytha became concerned.
"Erik, it's been three months since we last met," Nadalia said sadly.
"What? No, it was… I couldn't have been wandering in the snow that long!" Erik protested.
"The Bonfires are not as tied to the flow of reality as you might think," Alsanna said softly. "Plus, Drangleic has always been more 'flexible' with matters of space and time. The past flows alongside the future, and intersects the present."
"You've been thrown weeks into the future, it seems," Nadalia finished, and Mytha wrapped the despondent young man in a hug.
"But, but, then, my comrades must think I am dead! I have to head back to Majula!" Erik cried, starting to struggle in the queen's grip.
"Calm yourself, Erik Potts. A few more hours won't change much." Erik stopped thrashing and looked to Alsanna in confusion.
"What do you mean? Do you need my help with something?"
An uncomfortable silence fell on the group. Even Raime shifted awkwardly.
"It seems the damage done here was more severe than I thought," Nadalia admitted sadly. "The Bed of Chaos has been active for a long time and even with myself here now the combined efforts of two Children of Dark cannot hold it back for much longer."
"What my sister says is true," Alsanna agreed. "When Sa… I mean the one you know as the Lost Sinner tried to awaken Chaos as a substitute for the First Flame she undid millennia of seals. Seals which I had spent generations building and maintaining. I should have known the reincarnation of the Witch of Izalith would have a stronger connection to the Bed than a normal being… Suddenly, all my work was becoming undone, and I had to find a stopgap. The best I could come up with was to simply freeze everything to keep the tainted flames from creeping out."
"That explains the magical ice," Erik mused. "And are the strange blizzards also a result of your powers?"
"Indeed. Sadly, my essence has suffused the snow and storms for so long I am as much a part of Eleum Loyce as I am here. Much like how my dear sister Nadalia was fused with the ash and soot of Brume Tower. It has also caused terrible mutations among the wildlife and the Hollows. The Dark is not meant to permeate the world so intimately."
"Yeah, those damn reindeer were a bother and a half to deal with," Erik grumbled.
"I'm so sorry," Alsanna apologized, bowing her head deeply. "I have inconvenienced you."
"'Inconvenienced' is a tame word for it," Erik said, trying not to sound bitter. "Regardless, I assume you need my help with something?"
"Indeed. You see, before I cast the blizzard, my dear Ivar descended into the Bed of Chaos with his loyal soldiers, leaving only a handful behind to guard me and the city. He hoped he could be like the old King of Sunlight and drive back the Chaos and allow me time to create a new set of seals. But it was not possible. Where the King of Sunlight was a god infused with the First Flame's blessing and his legion of charred knights were demigods the Ivory King was far more human and his soldiers mortal. He could not muster the power to fully abolish the Chaos."
"And yet even now he continues to fight, though he has Hollowed and his men too have become blackened by the fires of Chaos. But, there is a way to create a barrier which will halt the spread of the Bed's influence."
"What is it?" Erik asked, leaning in. He couldn't help but feel excited, and souls within him trembled in glee at the hopes of stemming the tide of corruption.
"The Soul of the Lost Sinner will be used as a sacrifice," Alsanna explained, a note of sadness in her voice. "As she was the one who broke the seals and contracted Chaos it will be her soul to feed the ritual and seal the Bed for a while."
"We would normally not even consider such an act, as her soul would have been used for the ceremony to revive the First Flame," Nadalia spoke up, arms folded. "But you have obtained the original Lord Soul of the Witch of Izalith somehow, and that will be far superior as fuel when the times comes."
Erik nodded and winced as the name of the Old Witch stirred it somewhat, making the souls of the King and Dragon rumble as well.
"What do I have to do? Just give you her soul?" Erik inquired. At this, a pained expression crossed Mytha's face.
"Not entirely. I mean, yes, you will need to do that, but you'll have to sacrifice her soul by fusing it with that of the Ivory King. So, you'll need to confront him. Which means fighting him. In the Bed of Chaos. Along with his legion of the damned."
The look of sheer disbelief Erik shot Mytha and then the Daughters of Dark would have been amusing if the situation were not so terrible.
"You want me to fight and kill the Ivory King amidst the seething energies of the source of all Demons?"
"Not kill him!" Alsanna protested. "Just weaken him enough so the Soul of the Lost Sinner can be implanted inside him, which should cause a chain reaction that will cause him and all his knights to be filled with a portion of my sister and I's power due to the ritual. Then the power will cause the Bed to be sealed within enchanted ice for a few thousand years or so. Simple!"
Again, the incredulous look the chef of Lindelt gave everyone would have been hilarious in any other circumstance.
"…Because that is so much better," Erik snarked, massaging his forehead. "Just… give me a bit to think this over, alright? This was all a bit unexpected."
"I understand. But please, try to make up your mind in 24 hours or so. The window of opportunity for the ritual is fast approaching," Alsanna pleaded, and Erik sighed.
"Just out of curiosity, if you hadn't been able to find me and get the Lost Sinner's Soul before the deadline, what would the plan have been?"
"Sacrifice ourselves to create a massive tomb of ice that would isolate this place from the rest of the world for centuries to come," Nadalia stated calmly.
"We're immortal and would eventually regenerate our bodies as the seal weakened, but it would take time, and without us to stabilize the balance between our other siblings there's a chance the Abyss would crawl up while we held back Chaos. One evil for another, I'm afraid. Though the immediate threat of the Bed is enough to justify our actions."
Erik sighed again, even deeper this time, before turning to Mytha.
"Do you have any normal beds or places to sleep? It's been a while and I think I could use a nice long nap."
"Of course! But you have to tell me about what you've been up to since we last saw each other!"
Erik's smile became forced as he recalled the fate of her step-son and his lover.
"I'm afraid I have some terrible news. You see, I found Carlyle…"