Chapter 44: Training Montage and Fate Revealed
"Now, take deep breaths. Feel the temperature around you. Pyromancy and Cryomancy are two sides of the same coin; manipulation of heat. Where the fire of Pyromancy devours and moves, the ice of Cryomancy is the opposite. It is cessation of movement. Can you feel it? The power to make the world immobile?"
"Yes, I can."
"Good. Now, try to shape the ice like you would a Pyromancy."
Erik complied, carefully drawing wisps of icy mist towards him. They pooled in his left palm, turning into tiny chunks of frozen water which grew until it was a fist sized snowball.
His teacher nodded, impressed. "Very good. You have an instinctive grasp of ice that most Cryomancers of old would have killed for."
Alsanna, former High Priestess of Eleum Loyce watched over her newest student. The chef from Lindelt had come to her for advice on how to control his cold powers. He knew he needed an edge over the threats he would soon face. Be it the beings that guarded the Throne of Want, or Aldia and Nashdra, Erik wanted to be able to stand against them somehow. The Child of Fear agreed.
For a week since the raid and dismantling of the Brotherhood of Blood, Erik eagerly trained in the Giant's Woods, alternating between the Daughters of Dark for control of his two types of spells, and Vengarl and Benhart for mastery of the sword. While the two knights were used to larger weapons, they still had plenty of pointers for the chef. Stances, guards, and more were beaten into him hour after hour.
"Good. Now, for the final test of the day, perform the spell Shrouding Mist," Alsanna instructed. Erik nodded, and the cold air around him warped and spilled out. Soon, there was a blanket of thick fog that surrounded the chef. The magic within it was similar to the Fog Gates that powerful souls could call forth. Weak spells and attacks would be absorbed harmlessly into it and negated while foes would stumble about blind and slowly succumb to the stamina draining cold.
"Amazing! You've progressive to the level of a Knight of Loyce in under a month! Few save Ivar have ever achieved such a feat!" Alsanna declared, and the chef smiled proudly as he dispelled the mist.
It felt right, natural. As if he knew what to do before he even did it. The young cook often felt that way about his swordplay as well. As if he had done it all before, long ago…
"Thank you, it wouldn't have been possible without you," Erik said humbly. The raven haired woman shook her head.
"Talent played a large part in your progress. But I feel we should return to Majula now. We shall plan on our path of assault on Drangleic Castle soon." A vicious smile creeped onto the Child of Fear's face and Erik shivered.
"You're really not happy with Nashandra, are you?"
"No, I am not. Nashandra was always greedy and craving power, but after all the trials and hardships our family went through I'd thought she had come to understand how foolish an idea it was to oppose the powers that be." Alsanna sighed.
A Hollow stumbled out of the trees, making the Undead and Dark Spawn look over. Alsanna grinned, stepping over to the poor mindless being.
"Watch closely, Erik. This technique I am about to show you is one reason why Cryomancy and Eleum Loyce were so respected, and feared, in the magical community." The Daughter of Dark stepped up and held out her hand. The Hollow, spotting her, lumbered forward with a broken sword in hand. It barely made it five steps before it suddenly transformed into an icy statue, frost and ice covering it instantly.
"Whoa!" Erik jumped in surprise and Alsanna nodded at her handiwork. Then, in her outstretched hand, a Fireball appeared, which she tossed at the frozen Hollow. It exploded, shards of chilled meat flying everywhere.
"That was Flash Freeze, one of the most deadly and powerful Cryomancies. It steals the body heat and warmth from a target, turning them into an icicle instantly. Then, the heat that was stolen can be shaped into a Fireball and used to deal even more damage." Alsanna turned to the chef with a smug look.
"An instant kill spell for most living creatures and dangerous for all else. If you can master that spell, you will be unstoppable. Combined with your impossible Luck, Drangleic will bow to you."
"Uh, sure," Erik said, still stunned by the display. The pair returned to Majula as the sun was starting to dip.
"I'll go see what ingredients Melentia and Magerold managed to scrounge up. Hopefully they caught some birds or fish this time. I like soup and stew as much as the next fellow, but real meat would be lovely," Erik said as the town gate came into view.
"Before you head off to make dinner, I need to speak with you," Alsanna said, stopping the chef. He turned to face the one-eyed woman who folded her arms.
"You've been avoiding the Firekeeper this past week. Why?"
"Ah. That. I just… saw some things in a memory recently. And I'm not sure how to talk to her about it."
"Oh?" Alsanna tilted her head, curious. "What would make you so nervous about the girl?"
"It's about her parents."
The Child of Fear winced. "That would be something hard to bring up. I can tell she's not a human, or at least, not a natural one. She was made."
"By Aldia," Erik spat. His disgust was for the demented duke who had damned her, not the poor young woman with mismatched eyes.
"I know who her mother is. I saw her die. And everything else is… too miserable to mention. But I feel like she should know. She deserve to be aware of where she came from."
"Do what you think is best, young one. But do it soon. We march on the castle on the morrow, so make your peace with your lover now rather than later."
Erik blushed red at the blunt words of his teacher and his shook his head vehemently.
"No! It's not like that!"
"Then is it Mytha you crave? I can see why, she does have ample 'assets,'" Alsanna said, taking on a teasing tone. She'd recently joined Nadalia and the former Queen of Alken in making the boy blush with embarrassment. It was quite fun.
Erik shook his head even harder. "Mytha is a friend! That's all!"
"Of course she is. And all the other young women you've charmed are 'just friends' as well?"
"Um, yes? Lucatiel, Chloanne, and Lidia are just friends and companions!"
Beneath her dark bangs Alsanna rolled her eye. This poor boy.
"My earlier point still stand. Speak to the Emerald Herald before we leave. That is an order from your mentor."
Erik bowed his head in compliance before heading down the hill toward the town. He had dinner for a dozen to make, after all.
\\~~~/
"Miss Herald, may I speak with you?"
Shanalotte looked over at the young man who'd approached her boulder. In his hands were two bowls of warm stew. She bit her lip before nodding in agreement. All the other dinners Erik had tried to keep his distance for some reason. Now, it looked like he had worked up courage or had been forced to do this. Probably both, knowing the chef.
Erik sat down on the boulder next to her, and the Firekeeper shifted as his proximity to her. Instead of talking, though, he just handed her the bowl and the two spent the next half hour eating in silence.
Once the stew was consumed from both bowls the silence got to the Emerald Herald and she finally spoke.
"You have something you wish to say to me?"
"Yeah, I do." Erik took a deep breath and looked at her in the eyes.
"I want to know if you know who your parents were."
A frown marred her face and she snorted.
"My past is not a pleasant place, Erik Potts. You don't want to know of it."
"I know who your mother was. I know that Aldia did something terrible to you." A jolt ran through Shanalotte at that and she shot to her feet, bowl falling with a clatter.
"What did you say?"
"I encountered an insane woman tainted by Chaos on the path to the Brightstone Cove. I tried to save her mind and form, but she was too far gone. I failed. Yet she forgave me, and offered up her soul willingly. Inside it, I saw something… I saw you, as a baby, being taken from the poor woman by Aldia."
A slap rang through Majula and Erik fell off the boulder with a bright red mark on his cheek. The Emerald Herald's eyes were full of anger and tears and she trembled.
"How dare you? How dare you?! I grew up knowing nothing but pain and loneliness, and here you are telling me about a family I can never know?!"
"I-I just…"
"My earliest memory is being strapped to a stone slab by white robed men in golden masks and then forced to watched as fire was shoved into my body and soul. From the moment I could walk I was confined to a cell. My first words were 'stop hurting me!' And through it all, there was Aldia, whispering lies and foul truths into my ears. When I escaped I vowed I would foil whatever plans he had, and took up the position as the Last Firekeeper."
Shannalotte turned away from the chef. "Be gone from my sight."
Erik stood up, a crazy thought running through his mind. Behind him, he was aware that the other inhabitants, from cowardly Gilligan to haughty Elana, was watching this.
"No. I won't go away."
"Do you know how I was saved from becoming a sacrificial doll for Aldia's mad plan to take control of the First Flame?"
Erik shook his head, despite knowing she could not see it.
"I was freed by Shalquoir, who broke into his manor and hidden base alongside a woman in brass armor. Shalquoir had always been with me as a child, sneaking in to talk to me and teach me of the outside world. But when Aldia and Nashandra finished building their tainted altar, their Throne of Want, and were preparing to sacrifice me, she broke me out, aided by a mysterious knightess. After that, I don't remember much, but I recall the escape was foiled."
She took a deep breath, her trembling growing worse.
"I remember being dragged by my hair into a hidden throne room by Aldia himself and seeing the queen of Drangleic smiling like a mad woman at me. He told me that it was time to fulfill my destiny. I, who had been born from the Witch of Izalith's reincarnation and then implanted into the womb of her reborn daughter, was to become a living Human Effigy to allow the two of them to take command of the First Flame. I was to usurp the powers of all other Firekeepers, becoming the sole caretaker of the First Flame."
"He forced me to sit on a throne carved out of the corpse of the King of Giants, and I felt such pain! Fire tried to consume me, to remake me, but I was broken. Twisted. The divine power could not use me as a conduit. Aldia then attempted to syphon the power, but I resisted. I-I set him on fire." A cruel smile broke across Shanalotte's face as she remember that moment.
"Then, King Vendrick broke in and confronted his wife and brother and did battle. In the confusion I snuck out, and Shalquoir found me wandering about in the bowels of Castle Drangleic, covered in burns and near dead from my experiences."
"So do not speak to me of my past. I don't care if I have a mother, or a father. I live now to undo the damage Aldia did. But I am weak. My brief moment of connection with the First Flame turned me into a Firekeeper and bound me. I cannot stray far from any bonfire, and was made immortal so I might task others with rekindling the First Flame."
Silence fell upon the audience as the Emerald Herald finished her tale. A few sniffles came from the crowd and Shanalotte continued to tremble with repressed emotions.
"I didn't care about finding the Lord Souls when I started my journey," Erik admitted, speaking up in the stillness following her confession.
"I just wanted to explore and meet new people and see new placed and cook new foods. Yet Drangleic had other plans for me. I stumbled into situations where I had no choice but to fight, and somehow I became the Monarch Candidate. Now? Now I am going to reignite the First Flame and stick my blade up Aldia's non-existent ass for everything he has done. You think you are the only person he has hurt? That you are the only person deserving pity?"
Shanalotte spun around to confront the chef but her words died on her tongue as she stared at Erik. Something was happening with the young man.
White flames had begun to pour off his frame and his left hand which held his Fire Seeds had turned into a golden blaze. Erik didn't seem to notice this, but the rest of Majula had if their gasps of shock were anything to go by.
"Aldia and Nashandra stole the children of the Giants and tore them apart, creating Golems and causing the Gigantomachy. The mad duke murdered hundreds of innocent people to make his abominations. I saw him stitch twins together so they could become a two-headed sailor of his slave barge. I saw the results of his research all across Drangleic and fought them as well. I might not know what Aldia did personally, but I have seen his handiwork. You are nothing special."
Shanalotte turned red with fury, but Erik ignored her, stepping closer, the strange white flames growing stronger. Now shapes could be seen within them.
A dragon, a skeleton, a king, a witch. The latter caused the Emerald Herald to gasp as she observed their eyes: one purple, the other brown.
"Your tale of woe is one amongst millions. You have suffered, but so what? Everyone here has done so as well!" Erik waved his hand at the crowd of people behind them. They all remained stock still however, stunned by the towering figures that could be seen inside Erik's fire.
"I do not care about linking the flame. Or at least, not at first. But now, I have seen the truth, and I know that this is the path I must take. I did not want to save the world. But now I must. And I'll do so, if only to spite that bastard of a duke."
Erik snorted, and his flames twisted and writhed. And a fifth figure appeared within them. A man, so much smaller than the four god-like beings from before, yet he carried might unlike theirs. The chef's voice was joined with a second, and the words echoed with unfathomable age.
"I am not a hero. I am not some amazing figure of legend. I am a normal man who has found themselves trapped in unusual circumstances. But you want to know something, Miss Firekeeper? I will not give up. I will not bow to the whims of fate. I shall light the First Flame for one reason; everyone else would simply abuse it."
Without warning the white flames exploded off of Erik, enveloping the town and its inhabitants. Yet no one screamed. Instead, they all stared slack jawed as they watched the ruined buildings suddenly repair themselves.
Someone did let out a surprised voice, though, when they all noticed Lenigrast's green skin turn back to normal, and his massive wound vanish.
But Erik ignored it all, staring deep into Shanalotte's eyes. He took another step forward, and grabbed her shoulders.
"I am going to do something stupid now."
"Wha…"
Shanalotte was cut off as the chef drew her into a kiss. Muffled shouts of surprise came from her, and he released shortly after, but the damage was done. The Emerald Herald was now a stuttering, blushing mess who refused to look at Erik.
"What was that for?" She tried to sound strong and angry, but it came out weak. Her strong will and distant tone were gone, leaving only a surprised young woman.
"That was a promise," Erik declared. "I will not let you sink any further into self-pity. If I survive this mess, if I manage to defeat Aldia and light the First Flame, I will come back for you. And I will show you how amazing the world truly is when you're free."
Erik then strode away, the flames around him and the town vanished as he retreated to his tent for the evening. Everyone parted around him, slack jawed. Only once he was inside his dwelling did anyone dare to make a sound.
"Holy flaming shit. That was one of the manliest things I have ever seen. And I once saw my darling Faraam kill an Ogre with his bare fists while shirtless."
"Indeed, sister."
"Not enough tongue action. Could have been longer too. I'll have to give him lessons on how to properly make love to a woman later."
"I am not nearly drunk enough for this. Anyone got any Siegbrau left?"
"Oh, my~!"
Unseen by anyone else, Shanalotte reached up to her lips and stroked them absentmindedly with a far off look in her eyes. She then reached into her dress and removed a brown a white feather, clasping it close to her chest. In a blaze of white light, she vanished.