Chapter 40: Sunken City and Dragon
"So Nito truly spoke with you?" Alsanna inquired, fascinated by Erik's words. The chef nodded stiffly.
"Yeah. His words were vague though. Yet I feel as if I know who this 'Thrice Born Witch' is. Strange. Anyways, how was your side trip? Find what you needed?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Some group of blithering idiots broke the Shadow Altar's seal and tried to get into the Abyss!" Nadalia groaned, her complaints echoing off the walls.
"With Barnabas we were able to drive off the interlopers and fix the seal, but he claims that other Altars were damaged and this cult is tenacious, if nothing else."
"It still amazes me that the legendary Darklurker is your brother. But at the same time it makes so much sense," Benhart said.
"Are you ready?" Nadalia asked after a moment. They group was now in front of the collection of inscribed Titanite slabs and the snake-altar that was almost identical to the ones from below Alken.
"Yes. Let's go," Erik griped, shifting from foot to foot.
"Are you sure?"
"I do not like being underground," Erik hissed and Nadalia raised her hands in surrender.
"Fine, fine! Let's do this then."
Approaching the bizarre artifact had caused deep purple flames to burst to life inside the depths of the bowl, yet instead of heat a sapping chill filled the area.
"That's new. I don't remember the other idols freezing the area," Erik noted, while the Sisters frowned.
"These Warp Altars are connected to us in a way. If this is the result of Elana's than I fear for her sanity and safety," Alsanna said softly, a note of worry in her voice.
"We have no time to lose. Quick, let us go!" Nadalia cried, and held out her hands. The flames from the bowl spilled out and engulfed the quartet, and with a sadly familiar lurching sensation they were ripped through time and space.
After feeling like they had fallen and flown at the same time the group was spat out inside a circular room, the bowl-altar surrounded by a ring of those memorable humanoid tombstone. The door at the end of the room was made of black iron and petrified wood, though it still showed the same three figures on the door as the one in Brume Tower. Beast, Lord, and Mage.
"Those symbols are an old representation of three of the four bearers of the first Lord Souls," Nadalia explained as they approached.
"The beast represented Nito, First of the Dead who held the Soul of Death, as corpses were forbidden from being displayed in artwork depicting the gods. The lord is Gwyn, King of Sunlight, who reigned over the Soul of Light and sundered the Ancient Stone Dragons. And lastly, the Witch of Izalith, the grandmother of Pyromancy, wielder of the Soul of Life, and eventually the Mother of Demons and Chaos."
The souls of King, Witch, and Nito inside Erik throbbed in pleasure at being remembered while the Dragon scoffed.
"Amazing…" Benhart whispered, awed at seeing the ancient depictions of such powerful beings. The first gods were less than a myth, forgotten by the world.
"But what of your father?" Erik asked, turning to the pair of sisters. "Wasn't he also one who claimed a Lord Soul?"
"Our father, Manus, was indeed the bearer of a soul," Nadalia admitted. "And it was his powers that allowed mankind to return to some semblance of life. His moniker of 'Primeval Man' is true, after all. He willingly sacrificed his own god-like powers to restore Humanity to the world."
"He slumbered after that, drained. He was never interested in ruling, either, and left that up to his fellow Lord Soul bearers. But greedy men woke him and tried to steal his powers, even though he had little left to give. The actions of the ancient fools of Oolacile caused the fragment of the Dark Soul he retained to run rampant and gave birth to the Abyss, much in the same way that the Witch of Izalith birthed Chaos."
"So, how were you born, then?" Erik asked, curious.
"An impossible love. In his madness, only one being dared to show him compassion and soothe his sick, broken soul. Dusk, princess of Oolacile," Alsanna said, before she bowed her head respectfully at the name.
"The exact nature of our birth is a shameful one, but like many things, we once had a human origin. To be precise, we had a human mother who bore quintets conceived from a sorrowful union." Alsanna's voice faltered and she looked down at the floor in shame.
"Manus, our father, kidnapped and violated the one person who showed him kindness," Nadalia spat, causing her Undead companions to tremble. "And yet somehow she still forgave him and willingly carried his children. But the power of the Abyss rotted her from the inside out. Princess Dusk gave birth to five stillborn children, four girls and a single boy, and then died."
"From the corpses of that union we rose. Wrath, Fear, Loneliness, Want, and Duty. We embody Manus' splintered, ruined existence while also representing the final spark of Love he ever knew."
"It was many years before we fully formed coherent thoughts and developed souls of our own. One cannot fully explain us, for we are impossible existences."
Silence filled the chamber, before Alsanna waved her hand in front of the ignored gate and the doors creaked open at her command. A wet stink filled their nostrils, which was a nice change from the wretched scent from the Black Gulch. It was still odd though, a mix of mold and salt water that suffused the air.
"We need to go. There is much to do." Everyone nodded at Alsanna's words and the group proceeded forward.
The corridor beyond was ruined, twisted and buckled walls leading into the darkness. It was unsettling as the shadows seemed to wriggle when the Sisters of Dark approached.
"This area used to belong to the noble's compound," Nadalia said, a frown on her face. "I am honestly surprised to see so much of it still intact. Elana must have used a lot of power to try and keep the city afloat as long as possible."
"Come on, let's get moving," Erik suggested, hurrying down the halls. His unease at being in such a place was growing. He did not want to stay underground any longer.
Benhart shared a look with the Sisters before shrugging and following after the man he'd sworn to serve. It was slightly amusing to see the normally upbeat young man acting afraid of something so mundane as the underground.
The path turned from ruined building interior to rough, raw stone. It twisted and turned, a few extremely rotted remains and skeletons littered a few of the areas. It was all very disturbing, and did not make Erik's nerves any less frayed.
After a few minutes though the group emerged from the depths of the cramped tunnel and into an impossibly wide and cavernous space. What was even more impossible were the numerous intact structures that littered the area.
"The royal complex and the religious domain… they're still standing!" Nadalia exclaimed, staring out at the surprisingly preserved remains of Shulva.
"Amazing! Elana's powers protected the city to this extent! I don't believe it!" Alsanna praised.
Wow," was all Erik could say, his fears overwhelmed by awe at the sight of this legendary city. Benhart was in a similar state and he bowed his head slightly in reverence.
"Come, I think we can make our way across this way," Erik said, noticing a bonfire's glow in the distance. With a happy smile he all but skipped down the narrow ledge towards that most precious of healing spots.
"ERIK! Get down!" Alsanna screamed, and the chef blinked before he was thrown to the ground by a sudden gust of wind.
"What the hell?!" He cried, staring up at what had thrown him to the ground.
It was a dragon. An honest to gods' dragon! Its body was covered in stony scales while a massive lance pierced its chest. It glared balefully down at the Undead and the Children of Dark and snorted, spewing flames into the air before rising and darted off deeper into the ruined city.
"No… Sinh has awoken?" Nadalia whispered, terrified. Alsanna was shivering in fear, clutching the hem of her sister's dress as a pitiable whimper escaped her.
"Was that an actual dragon?" Benhart gasped in shock.
"One of the last of them. Only a handful of the most powerful escaped the purge committed by Gwyn. They remained hidden, only appearing once in a while to ravage the land in vengeance. Sinh appeared in the last Cycle, close to the end, but was defeated and sealed by the one who… well, who was the previous Monarch Candidate," Nadalia revealed, catching herself at the last minute with a glance at the still prone Erik.
The chef's Lord Souls were screaming at him, demanding the death of the dragon and he could hear nothing else.
Erik shook his head, clearing their influence from his mind. He was stunned and afraid of the sheer primal power that dragon had radiated, and was trying to recollect his nerves.
"So, what do we do?" Erik asked with a sigh as he stood back up and dusted his pants off.
"We definitely need to find Elana now. She was the one keeping Sinh asleep. She'll have a way to deal with him."
"Alright, where would she be?"
"Deeper in the city, likely near the center. That is where her residence stood."
"What exactly was her position in the city? A High Priestess like Alsanna?" Erik inquired as the group walked on, slashing apart the corroded Hollows stained with poison as they appeared.
"No, she was the ruler. Her rank was queen, which fit well with her moniker," Alsanna said softly, trailing behind the two male Undead as they cleared the path.
"Ol' Elly's nickname was 'The Squalid Queen.' Not the kindest, and she despised it. She envisioned herself as a warrior-maiden of sorts and being known as 'squalid' really insulted her," Nadalia explained when the chef and knight gave her a confused look.
"So, who was the king?" Benhart asked, sending a pulsing blue shockwave at a pair of archers, sending them toppling to their deaths. Erik then activated the various platforms the Sisters pointed out and they hopped around into the ruins.
"He was a brave knight, the person who vanquished Sinh, and the only man she ever truly loved," Nadalia said, eyes downcast as bitter memories resurfaced.
"Elana was born of our father's Wrath, like I am his Loneliness and Alsanna his Fear. This meant that she not only has a vicious temper but she drives those around her into a berserker state. She could not be near people lest they go mad and start trying to kill her and each other."
"That's awful!" Erik said, Benhart nodding in sympathy.
"In order to control her rage she traveled the world acting like an angel of vengeance, battling monsters and cruel despots. Never in one place for very long. But during the last Cycle she met an Undead knight. She never told us how exactly it happened, but she fell in love with him, and he with her. And somehow his soul was strong enough to resist her natural powers."
"A beautiful story. But from the mood around you two it does not end happily," Benhart guessed and the Sisters nodded.
"Shulva fell when Sinh awoke, and the lovers were scattered. Elana forced her husband to flee while she stayed behind to keep the dragon sealed."
"Wait, I thought her husband was from the last time the First Flame dimmed. How was he still alive if the Curse was broken?"
Realizing they'd spoken too much the pair of Dark Children clammed up, falling silent and refusing to talk. The chef groaned in annoyance. Great, yet more secrets!
It was a long, and morbidly silent trip through Shulva after that. Neither sister spoke up much except to give directions or warnings, and with only Hollows and strange insects it was hardly filled with the most stimulating battles.
The hardest part was progressing over the crumbling walkways and paths of the legendary Sanctum City. One misstep led to a painful death at the bottom of a ravine, and Erik had already fallen to his death once in his adventure and had no interest in going through that again. As such his steps were slow but sure.
The only exciting things that happened was that Sinh returned when they were trying to cross a bridge towards the central region where the palace resided. The dragon spat gouts of flames in an attempt to burn away the quartet but only managed to incinerate a group of Hollows who tried to block their path.
"For an ancient beast of terror it has incredibly bad aim," Erik mused while panting under the cover of the balcony on the other side of the bridge.
"It's probably sleepy from being woken up," Nadalia argued as Alsanna waved her hand again to force the lowered portal to rise.
"So, should we be worried about it coming back?" Benhart inquired, panting the heaviest of the team. Sprinting in heavy armor was not a great way to travel.
"Once we get inside the palace we should be safe. I can still feel Elana's powers lingering inside, so it should be enough to repel Sinh. For now."
"How optimistic, Nadalia. You're a real bundle of joy," Erik snarked, causing Alsanna to giggle and Benhart to chuckle. The Embodiment of Loneliness huffed a bit before joining in on the laughter.
After restoring their spirits the group descended into the depths of the ruined palace, pushing back Undead, both Hollows and terrifying ghosts. The latter was easily vanquished as their existence was sustained by some form of Dark magic and Nadalia and Alsanna dispelled it, returning them to death.
The strangest part was when Erik stumbled across an odd onion shaped helmet.
"What on Drangleic is a knight's helm from Catarina doing here?" The Lindelt native inquired, showing it off to the group.
"The kingdom of Onion Knights is the oldest in the world. It has existed since the days of the First Flame. It's no surprise that some of their relics are scattered about everywhere."
"How have they endured for so long?" Erik asked. He'd known Catarina was old, ancient even, and remained as one of the most influential nations in the world, but to hear it was older than even these two women? That was insane!
"No idea. It's one of the few things we don't know and no one ever may figure out," Nadalia admitted, her sister bobbing her head in agreement.
Erik and Benhart sweat dropped before the chef shrugged and stuffed the surprisingly pristine helmet into his Bottomless Box as a souvenir.
He would never admit it, but he had once dreamed of owning an entire set of the famous 'Onion Armor.' As had his father, and his grandfather… Erik blinked. Maybe it was a chef thing to want to wear food themed armor.
Deeper they went into the palace, before running into a creepy sorceress who hurled orbs of black magic at them. She was standing in front of a round door that rotated with a switch on the floor. After bringing her and the swarm of Hollows down and moving through narrow corridors with yet more foes and a most painful spike trap, a floor covered in spikes, and a room full of Dark corrupted corpses, the team found themselves in a deep pit patrolled by hideous deformed lizard-tadpole monsters.
"What is with the size of this place?" Erik gasped. The Dragon Sanctum was many times larger than the Lightning Palace and they'd gotten lost several times.
"When we find Elana, we can ask her. Seriously, was there really a need for this much space?" Nadalia griped.
"Where are we now?" Benhart asked, looking around at the area they now were in.
"I'm not sure. I think this is a natural cave that formed and Elana's palace just sunk into it with the rest of the city," Alsanna mused.
After a bit more they came across yet another palace structure which caused a chorus of groans from the travelers.
"What the fuck Elana?! Who the hell needs so many massive palaces?!" Alsanna screeched, slamming her fist onto the wall and shattering it. Her blow shook something loose somewhere and a bridge began to rise from the water.
"I think your sister has issues other than anger management. This is just… disturbed," Erik muttered as they traveled into the massive building.
"I can feel Elana's soul now. It's closer, but something feels wrong. It's too raw and emotional," Nadalia stated.
"Then let's hurry."
Tramping through yet another impossibly large maze-like building Erik and the rest were at the edges of their nerves upon arriving at Elana's fog gate.
"I am going to pound her into the ground for this whole runaround," Alsanna promised, a scary look in her eyes. Everyone else gave annoyed nods. If nothing else she deserved a beating for the insane layout of her city.
After slipping off his enchanted chest and tucking it into a corner for safe keeping he led the group through the fog gate. They soon found themselves in a wide ceremonial room, with a giant mural of a dragon, and a tall, regal woman with her back to them.
"Huh! Visitors… you are not deserving of the mire…" the woman whispered, turning to them. Erik took a step back in surprise and Benhart winced. Elana looked to have been made of rotten roots and flesh, with a dress growing out of her.
"She's in her true form, that's not good," Nadalia muttered, causing the Undead to stare from her to their opponent, and the Squalid Queen to turn to her sisters and look with glazed eyes that slowly focused.
"Nadalia… Alsanna… What are you doing here?"
"We're here to rescue you. Although it seems we may need to vanquish Sinh first," Alsanna said, raising her hands to her sister in peace. All her rage had fled her upon meeting her sister for the first time in centuries and seeing the state she was in.
"You're too late… where were you when He died… where were you when Shulva perished?! I have endured for an eternity lost and alone! HOW DARE YOU COME BEFORE ME NOW?!" Elana screamed, and a giant gnarled glaive rose from a cloud of black mist into her hands.
"Elana! Please stop this!" Alsanna pleaded.
"Ally, we have to fight her," Nadalia said softly. She then turned to the Undead who had come with them.
"Erik, Benhart, you need to stay back. She is too powerful for you to handle. Let us deal with her," the Embodiment of Loneliness begged.
Before Erik could reply, the mural exploded into a thousand pieces, revealing a massive dragon.
"Sinh!" Everyone scrambled back as blocks of stone crashed around them.
"NO! You will not take anything more from me! Stay away from my sisters!" Elana howled as the gimlet gaze of the survivor of Gwyn's purge turned to the three Children of Dark. Her fury changed targets from her family to the vile beast that had appeared before her. In response Sinh roared an arrogant challenge.
Before their eyes, a dragon raised a claw to do battle with a trio of women, two of whom were mutating and transforming into terrifying mockeries of human form.
"I must be cursed by more than just the Darksign because shit like this just should not happen!" Erik shouted as he ran and cowered behind Benhart without shame.
"I think I have to agree with you, young Erik," Benhart of Jugo said. Still, he raised his sword and prepared for battle. "But where else will I get a chance to battle a real dragon?!"
Erik sighed.
"Yeah, you have a point." He raised his Loyce Straight Sword in his left hand and pushed Cryomancy through it while the sword of Eleum Loyce was gripped in his right. It was time to do his duty. It was time to fight a gods damned monster again!
"Erik! If you are going to fight, operate as support! My sword can heal those it touches!" Alsanna ordered. The former High Priestess of the Frozen North had become a tall woman composed of shadows, a dress made of black mist wrapping around her and as much a part of her body as her flesh, which was now black and fading in and out of tangibility while a series of silk-like shrouds wrapped her up. She was Fear, the Daughter of Darkness who refused to be looked upon.
"Don't bother using your magic, either. Only Lightning can pierce the mystical defenses of a Stone Dragon's scales. Ice and fire will be useless," Nadalia cautioned. In her true form, she resembled one of her Ashen Idols, though much more human than the twisted ones from Brume Tower. A flickering orb of flames was imbedded where her heart would be, and the light spilled out as a cape of ash and soot fluttered in the heat she radiated. She was Loneliness, the Daughter of Darkness who could never know the comfort of others.
Elana offered no response and instead hurled herself at the elder dragon, pummeling it with her glaive while summoning countless skeletons that tried to dogpile the much larger monster.
With a brief nod the other two sisters lunged as well. Alsanna's weapon was a deceptively fragile looking long sword. It was almost a mirror copy of the Blade of Eleum Loyce with its twisted helix shape, but was made of ice. She began to strike at the monster's wings to cripple it, but the membranes were harder than diamonds and only tiny scratches appeared on the surface.
Nadalia's weapon was a large mace crossed with a Cleric's chime. It looked like black iron and had a melted, deformed appearance that promised unpleasant things. With a wave of her weapon black lightning jumped from it and slammed into Sinh's side. That caused a scream to escape the dragon's maw.
As for Benhart, he unleashed waves of Sorcery onto the elder being. Interestingly the dragon carried an amused gleam when it looked at the massive great sword. It seemed it knew just who had been used to make it, though its mood plummeted upon seeing Erik and it growled. There were four souls inside the chef that all dragons despised.
Erik chose to take the advice of his companions and ran around the battlefield healing his allies by striking them with the helix sword. Elana had tried to smack the Undead cook around but when she noticed it was healing and not hurting she let him go about his business. Still, the Squalid Queen had a curious look in her eyes when she observed the weak looking Undead.
No matter how many skeletons were summoned they were ruined in a heartbeat and the Squalid Queen chose not to summon any more. In addition the dragon's claws were sharp enough to rip through solid stone and so in no time flat the room had been expanded greatly by the removal of another wall and a large chunk of the roof. The only benefit the would-be dragon slayers possessed was that by now the membrane in the wings were torn to shreds, making it nigh impossible for it to flying off. That sadly wasn't much help when its body was unimaginable hard, its claws and fangs beyond sharp, and eerie green fiery breath hot enough to melt rocks.
"This isn't working! Its scales are too strong!" Nadalia griped, a frown on her face. Though it was hard to tell in her current form.
"The spear. We need to use the spear," Elana said, pointing at the rusty object impaling the dragon from above. "It was enchanted with Lightning magic long ago, and shouldn't take much to reactivate the old magic inside it!"
"Alright. How?" Alsanna demanded as she dodged a fire blast.
"I have an idea!" Erik declared, and ran over to his Bottomless Box and rummaging around in it before dashing to the ruler of fallen Shulva. "I need you to throw me into the air so I land on his back!"
Elana blinked slowly, staring at the obviously addled Undead. But a nostalgic glimmer enter her eyes and she nodded.
"Stand here," the regent demanded, pointing to the flat of her glaive. Swallowing his nerves Erik stood on the weapon and braced himself for the flight that was about to come. Weapons sheathed and a Radient Lifegem clutched in his teeth, the chef was ready to do something brilliantly mad.
"Launch!" She cried, and with inhuman strength Erik was shot off, making an elegant parabola as he plummeted onto the dragon. Sinh did not notice this until too late, as it had been busy toying with Benhart.
The chef let out a wheezing gasp when he smacked into the rigid scales, scraping his hands when he tried to rise. Up close the scales were like sharkskin, being rugged and jagged to bare flesh.
Inching his way up the dragon's back, Erik grabbed onto the spear haft that jutted through its body and reached with his other into his pouch on his waist and removed a handful of Lightning Urns and Golden Pine Resin.
"Take this!" With a shout, Erik slammed the collection of Lightning enchanted items onto the lance where it connected to the stony skin. The magic sparked brightly and reignited the dormant elements trapped inside the weapon, causing it to all but explode in a torrent of golden energy.
The backlash was so intense Erik was hurled off of the spines to slam heavily into the rubble below.
And yet it worked. There was even more Lightning power rushing through the trapped spear than it had had before, and it was strong enough to burn through Sinh's chest.
When it had been impaled before, the lance had just narrowly missed what passed for a heart in the stone entity. Now, the additional magic exploded outwards, tearing into its chest and ripping open an even great wound.
And yet the ancient creature was still alive. Sinh was thrashing about, the spear just digging in deeper, and it was trying to crawl away to heal.
"Not to today, beast! This is where you die!" With a battle cry, Benhart charged at the limping monster and ran up its tail and back, before jumping into the air by using the spear as a pole. He plunged downwards and drove the Bluemoon Great Sword straight down into Sinh's forehead.
The blade had been forged from the flesh and soul of a fallen Dragon God and infused with the essence of countless reincarnations. It carved through the skull of the dragon and went all the way out the bottom of its lower jaw.
A death rattle escaped its lungs and with a keening wail the monster collapsed, the life disappearing from its eyes. A soul the color of grey stone appeared in the air above Sinh's corpse before floating lazily towards Erik. In contrast to the other times it actually did not enter the chef as the rest had done, instead hovered around nearby. Erik decided to ignore it for now. His ribs and ass hurt like a dragon had fallen on him.
"I-I did. I actually did it. I killed a dragon! I am a true knight!" Benhart exclaimed, cheering in elation.
"Darn kill stealer," Erik joked, wincing at the pain that ran through his body as he tried to rise. To his and everyone else's surprise Elana stepped forward and held out a hand to help up the chef.
"Are you feeling better now, sister?" Alsanna asked, shrinking back down into her human form along with Nadalia. The Squalid Queen nodded, before transforming into a human as well. She looked much like her sisters but was more muscled and her hair was drawn back into braided ponytail.
"I am. I apologize, I was lost in my pain. It had been so long since my beloved died and I spent so long alone keeping Sinh trapped…"
"Hold on, you're saying Fa- I mean, your husband is dead?" Nadalia demanded, stepping forward.
"I thought you would have known. I felt it even down here. Did you not realize? It was about six hundred years ago," Elana said, confused.
"How did your husband live that long? Your sisters said he had been the Monarch Candidate in the last Cycle?" Erik asked.
Elana looked down at the young man in surprise.
"Didn't you know?"
"Know what?" Erik asked, tilting his head in confusion. Nearby the Embodiments of Fear and Loneliness tried to make discreet gestures towards their sister, but the Squalid Queen ignored them.
"My husband, who slew the Demon of the Sky, who threw down the Mad King of the Mire, who forged the Titan's Lance, who vanquished Sinh the Noxious Dragon, who ruled as King of Shulva, was none other than the God of Knights, Faraam."