ANOR LONDO
Smough wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his meaty hand. Even without the fatsuit, he was a behemoth of a man, a demigod as broad as a giant, if quite a bit shorter. Now that he'd eaten the last of the Silver Knights and tied up that pesky immortal Fire Keeper, the city of the gods was his and his alone – at least until Velka got back. In the meantime, he would do whatever he pleased with it. What that meant was ignoring Ornstein's constant preaching about decorum and boarding up all the damned broken windows, because those cathedrals got entirely too drafty for his tastes.
Holding a reasonably-sized hammer for the first time in centuries, he was hard at work repairing the damage of that last fight in the grand hall. It had been a simple enough manner to send some of the Darkmoon Blades down to Darkroot for wood. They stayed out of sight when he didn't need them, though he occasionally heard that Easterner orgasming over a new sword, and the one in the tophat had mad fits of laughter. Still, he was finally able to relax, for which he was long overdue after working side by side with the very embodiment of duty and honor for several hundred years. He had stopped for a moment to take a sip from a chalice made from the skulls of previous Chosen Undead, when he noticed a ripple through his wine.
A moment later, and the whole building shook as a tremendous gust of wind swept over it. A deafening roar rattled the broken glass. Smough quickly looked out one of the unpatched holes and found himself looking into the glaring eye of a dragon.
"WHILE THE LION IS AWAY, THE RATS WILL PLAYETH, I SEE."
Havel's enormous arm swept through the glass and stone like water, taking out an enormous swathe of wall as he grabbed the traitor.
"UNFORTUNATELY FOR THEE, SERPENTS LIKEWISE ENJOYETH THE TASTE OF RODENT."
The dragon took a deep breath and unleashed a torrent of white smoke. It rolled over the demigod's unarmored body, stripping away the flesh until there was nothing remaining but pitted bones. He cast the body to the darkened streets below and climbed to the top of the keep, each step cracking the marble with the strength of his grip.
"MARCHEST FORTH, MY CHILDREN! PURGEST THIS CITY OF THOSE WHO WORSHIPETH DARK! CLEANSEST THE HALLS OF THOSE WHO WOULD TURNETH THEE TO MINDLESS HOLLOWS AND TWISTED BEASTS IN THE WRETCHED AGE OF MAN!"
A ramshackle army of Undead swarmed into the city, through the passage or over the walls, some walking and others flying. All were in various stages of metamorphosis between humanoid shape and Havel's draconic transformation. Stone scales scavenged from the fallen studded their flesh, draining it of life but granting a soulless strength. Some were so far gone that they'd abandoned armor and weapons entirely, scaling the impenetrable walls of the city with their claws and half-grown wings.
"Mmm. As if the Age of Gods were any better. Too much of sound and fury. I'd prefer the madness of life to be quiet as the grave, if you don't mind."
Bones crunched and ground below as something slunk through the shadowy streets.
"SHOWEST THYSELF, THAT I MIGHT SHOW THEE THINE ERROR!"
"No."
"THOU MOCKEST ME?!"
"Yes."
As the swiftest of the dragon Covenant reached the rotating bridge, a shadow darted up and into the pale light of the Darkmoon. The Black Dragon swept several Undead to their deaths and belched his black flame down the road to bowl over several more before jumping back down into the pitch-black streets below. By now, the Blades of the Darkmoon were rallying to mount a defense. The Stone Dragon snorted and bounded after the last of his ancient enemies while his servants charged the other way, up the enormous staircase. Below, the abandoned city exploded as the enormous stone juggernaut plowed through buildings in pursuit of his enemy.
Kalameet's streamlined, lithe body made slipping through the streets a simple matter. He kept his wings pinned to his sides as he flowed over and around the buildings, ducking through narrow side streets and vanishing around corners. For Havel, who was much larger and unused to moving in his dragon form, each step crushed an irreplaceable piece of the lost city. He barely fit on the main roads as it was, and he kept relaxing his wings unconsciously, cleaving the roofs off buildings on either side of him.
"How long have I wished to destroy Anor Londo. A shame you'll beat me to it."
Havel responded with a roar so powerful that it shattered the windows of half the buildings still standing. The shockwave shook the Black Dragon from his latest perch, causing him to instinctively take to the air. Catching sight of his foe at last, the Stone Dragon thundered forward and hurled his enormous weight through the air like a catapult. Kalameet quickly contorted his body in the air and slipped away, but Havel grabbed the end of his long, sinuous tail and dragged him along. As the Rock touched down, he threw himself forward, slamming the other dragon overhead into the pavement like his trusty hammer.
Kalameet bounced, then curled about to face the bishop, focusing his one red eye on him intensely. The horrible whine of his psychic might singed the back of Havel's mind as even his impossibly heavy body was lifted effortlessly into the air. The Stone Dragon fought to move, to unleash his breath attack, but he was utterly paralyzed by the telekinetic force.
"My, how droll. You lesser things always thought the dragons mindless brutes. Funny indeed that the human to join our number is exactly that."
As he dropped Havel, Kalameet unleashed a torrent of black flame. The fire rushed over the Stone Dragon, covering him in inky Darkness before at last, the other dragon paused to catch his breath.
"IS THAT ALL?"
Forgetting for a moment that he was a quadrupedal lizard, Havel rose up on his hind legs and punched the Black Dragon in the snout, knocking Kalameet to the ground. He lost his balance and fell back into a sitting position quickly, but he didn't stop, leaning forward over his fallen foe and continuing to pummel him.
"He's riiiiiight, you know."
An all-too-familiar sound like the chirping of cicadas echoed in the back of the dragons' minds.
"Personal matters aside, I'm vvvvvvery interested in how you managed to change youssself and all these Undead into such forms, dear bishop. Myyyyy attempt produced only the maaaanserpents. While they are useful, they aaaare hardly dragons."
"So the betrayer makes his appearance at last!"
"TRAITOR!"
"It's good to knooooow I am loved. But I willlll Havel you know, bishop – I had no haaaand in these foolish plots of Velka's. Asiiiide from framing you, of course. I got caught anyway, soooo I suppose that was for naught in the ennnnnd."
Seath hovered over the fight, his insectile wings buzzing with a high-pitched whine as they strained to keep his crystal-covered body aloft.
"GWYN TRUSTED YOU! YOU BETRAYED HIM TIME AND AGAIN, YET HE SHIELDED YOU FROM MY WRATH AT EVERY TURN! NO MORE!"
Havel twisted his body and stomped Kalameet one last time as he launched himself through the air toward the Scaleless. Though the Paledrake's tiny, flickering wings suggested agility, his reaction speed was exceedingly poor. The pair of dragons tumbled through the air before destroying several city blocks in their tangled landing. The Stone Dragon snapped at the other's throat, but the mutant's meaty tentacles wrung about his neck. As they struggled, the Black Dragon took to the air and blazed past them, bathing them in black flame before vanishing into the darkened ruins.
"Should you not ffffocus on the gods' longtime enemy?"
"AREN'T I?"
Seath writhed as the cold Dark ate away at him while Havel seemed unperturbed as even the end of his broken horn sizzled.
"THE DRAGON OF CALAMITY HATH SURVIVED BY FLEEING ALWAYS. HE WATH NOT PROVOKED FOR FEAR OF THE LOSSES. WHAT LOSS CAN THERE BEETH IN THIS LOST CITY? MY FOLLOWERS ARE ABOMINATIONS; I CARE NOT FOR THEIR LIVES. YOU.
YOU ARE THE GREATER DANGER. GWYN DARED NOT TRULY PROVOKE YOUR IRE, EVEN WHEN YOU MADE A MONSTER OF HIS YOUNGEST. I CANNOT KILL YOU YET, BUT I CAN BREAK YOU, AND THIS WRETCHED FORM WILL ALLOWETH ME TO DO SO AS MANY TIMES NEED BE DONE!"
Seath's half-formed legs were powerful, but even the Rock's neck was mighty. He ripped free and lunged forward just as the Paledrake exhaled a blast of sorcerous energy. The power of magic was nothing to the Stone Dragon, and a curse of stone was less than that. Still, the blast was overpoweringly brilliant at point-blank range, and as the larger dragon flinched, Seath lashed his tentacles and slipped free. Havel blindly unleashed his own breath, tracing a line of destruction across what few buildings were left standing nearby.
The Black Dragon tried to hide amidst the rubble as he fled, but each time, Seath's eyeless soul sight located him. A strange pursuit began: Seath chasing Kalameet and Havel chasing Seath. While the Scaleless was obviously the weakest link, he made up for it with cleverness, directing Havel's beams into Kalameet and causing the former to create new paths through the ruins or block off others. When the dust cleared, the three found themselves in a roughly circular arena.
"Like puppets," Seath giggled with his cicada-laugh.
"I merely allowed myself to be entrapped. That pursuit had grown so tiresome. Do you truly believe I cannot destroy you both?"
"AS IF EITHER OF YOU COULDST BEST ME IN A FAIR FIGHT."
So they said, but not one moved. Kalameet's head bobbed back and forth as he looked toward one and then the other with his singular leering eye. Seath seemed perfectly relaxed, able to observe the flow of souls animating both their bodies. Havel maintained a stoney countenance, glancing either direction without turning his head.
"Is this a staring contest, gentlemen?" Kalameet chided. "I believe I'm certain to win, and certain one of you loses by default."
"BIG WORDS FROM A BIG BAT."
"One of us is not immortal, so hurrrrrry it along, you two."
At last, one of them moved. Havel started toward the Black Dragon, causing Kalameet to rear back and focus his telekinesis defensively. It was a feint, however, as the Stone Dragon twisted and lunged at Seath. His great claws tore into the defenseless ivory flesh as the Paledrake unleashed a blast of soul force. It blazed over Havel's shoulder and tore into the immobile Kalameet's wing, causing it to crust over with dull crystals.
With another roar that could be heard throughout the city, Havel at last put an end to his ancient foe, tearing the Scaleless' head from its body. He gave a snort of victory and quickly wheeled around to unleash his breath of white fog on the grounded Black Dragon. Kalameet crashed into a ruined building at the edge of the ring, rising unevenly on three legs.
"Hold on there, old enemy. I know I'm not in any position to ask a favor of you, but I must. You've beaten the real threat, haven't you? Killing me would mean total genocide. Now, I'm sure that you as a hero of Light and justice and truth and all that wouldn't commit such an act of-"
The Rock didn't wait for the Black Dragon to finish. Mistakes may have been made in the killing of other dragons. Killing these two was obvious. He crushed the fallen lizard's ribs, then grabbed him by the tail. With a spinning swing, he whipped the limp body overhead and into the debris with enough force to rip the tail from it.
As the Obsidian Greatsword clattered to the broken marble and the ruinous Dragon of Calamity at last dissolved into his animating souls, Havel turned to face the remains of the other ancient menace of Anor Londo. Surprisingly, even Seath's body was beginning to fade away, though it seemed he was forestalling the end through force of will.
"So this is death. Hhhhhow intriguing."
Havel frowned. After having been denied any direct confrontation with his archenemy for so long, he should have been elated at finally slaying the manipulative beast. But this distinctly felt like a loss.
"YOU COULDST HAVE ATTACKED ME. KALAMEET WOULDETH HAVE STRUCK FROM BEHIND. I AM CONFIDENT I WOULD HAVE EMERGED VICTORIOUS, BUT YOU ART NOT SO SHORTSIGHTED NOR SO VALOROUS AS TO GIVEST ME SUCH ADVANTAGE AS YOU DIDST."
"My dear bishop, you were allllways one step behind. I llllong regretted eliminating you. No othhhher dared challenge me. Our gaaaames must recess for a lifetime, I'mmmm afraid. I gave my crystal to wwwwonderful young lady.
So I'm afraid thiiiiis is the last of the too-proud dragons. Worry not, enemyyyy mine! I have created a soul for myselffffff. I will be reborn now eternally, annnn inextricable part of the cycle. Do look for me, dear Havel. IIIIII'm sure you'll find me after an atrocity or two!"
The severed head cracked a wicked grin and loosed its horrible laughter one last time as its component souls dispersed. Havel snarled and stomped where it had been a moment earlier before taking to the skies. His duel-crazed abomination army initially had difficulty with working cohesively, but there was nothing like the silent, mocking gestures of Velka's following to band men together. Some arbiter spirits were still invading, but many had grow tired of constant deaths, and those there in person had been slaughtered to the point of hollowing or driven out of the city.
Not that there was much of it left, the Stone Dragon noted as he looked down on the wreckage caused by his own battle. Still, the Great Lord's keep was mostly intact. That alone really mattered, that the seat of divine guidance was restored to its rightful owner in time for the lighting of the Flame. The bishop circled over the palace, gritting his teeth at the thought of it being occupied by a dragon, even if it was himself. At last, he alighted upon the short plaza before the great gates.
They'd been thrown open by the attackers, and the entry hall was full of hollowed corpses. What had caught his eye, however, had been a small black thing hiding behind the veneer beneath a broken window. He snorted, bowling over the crouching survivor. The small, pathetic man quickly hopped to his feet pretended as if nothing was wrong.
"Oh, uh, good day! You seem to be in charge now! You and all your dragon fellows! Children? Me, I love children, helped raise my sister while Mum was out working nights, if you catch my drift!
I'm terribly sorry for any harm I might have caused them! It was an honest mistake! You think you've finally found stable employment for yourself with a group of like-minded individuals, and suddenly you find out they're all part of a conspiracy to control the world from the shadows! I admit I have done you wrong, and I will do my damnedist to make it up to you! Now, it looks to me like you're going to need a lot of materials and labor to clean up this mess!
Don't you worry your pretty little head – or your giant, powerful, masculine dragon head of death and destruction, if you don't mind my saying! Normally, you'd be in quite the bind, but never fear – Trusty Patches is here! That's right – owner and founder of Patches' Marvelous Marble Masons! I'll have you right as rain within the decade! We just need to go over a few troublesome, minor little details…"