CHAPTER 32:
OF FRENZY AND FANATICISM
Harry stared at the thing claiming to be Shabriri. He'd heard of the name when Ranni and Melina had discussed the history of the Great Caravan with him. And anyone who claimed to be that damned monster was insane, or worse.
Shabriri was once a high-ranking priest within the Golden Order, the head of the Inquisition before Rykard had even been born. However, he was also a secret adherent to the Frenzied Flame, and the Three Fingers who served them, which resided deep beneath Leyndell, as was his lover Hyetta. Yet for some reason, he had denounced the Great Caravan as heretics, as worshippers of the very destructive Outer God he himself worshipped in secret.
In their desperation, as many were entombed alive deep under Leyndell, they called upon the Frenzied Flame to help with their retribution. And the Flame of Frenzy answered, infecting each and every one of their kind with the Flame of Frenzy. The Great Caravan was already shunned enough, spurned by Grace as they were early in Marika's reign…but now, the survivors of the purge were forced to be itinerant wanderers forevermore.
Shabriri was caught rather swiftly, his slander soon revealed. But he was singularly unrepentant. Indeed, he seemed delighted at the chaos he had caused. He had been sentenced to have his eyes plucked out (not before witnessing Hyetta being burned at the stake, though), and then imprisoned in a cell deep beneath Leyndell. But he didn't mind. He said he had achieved all he intended to, that chaos was taking the world, and one day, it would cleanse it until all was one again.
The man himself was slain when a member of the Great Caravan, seeking revenge, broke into his cell and burned him with his own Flame of Frenzy attacks. But ever since, there had been people popping up over the centuries, claiming to be Shabriri. Either they were insane (not a possibility easily discounted), or, as some claimed, Shabriri was actually an immortal spirit, one who hopped from body to body.
All of this went through his mind swiftly, before he and Hermione had their wands out. Rennala held up a hand. "Hold!" Glaring at the man claiming to be Shabriri, she said, "And why doth thou claim to be such a man?"
"Because I am he," Rogier said simply, or rather, the thing inhabiting him did. "But we are not here to speak of me. We are here to speak of you, would-be Elden Lord, and your Maiden." At this, he looked pointedly at Harry.
Melina appeared in a flurry of light, glaring coldly at Rogier, or rather, Shabriri. "And what, pray tell, do you have to say of me?"
"…Ahhh…such a pretty young thing she is…" Shabriri said. "A fair maiden indeed…what a cruel sacrifice to make."
"…Sacrifice?" Hermione asked.
"Ohh…you mean you don't know?" Shabriri asked. "Oh, but she didn't know either. Poor thing."
"Silence, demon," Melina snapped, uncharacteristically aggressive. "You were the one who led Vyke astray, did you not?"
"I? I did nothing of the sort. Well, save for telling Vyke the truth, whereas the Greater Will and the Two Fingers have been leading the Tarnished astray. Vyke didn't believe me too…until he reached Leyndell, scouting ahead before he claimed the Great Runes…and found his way into the Erdtree barred…barred by thorns erected by the Greater Will…and your father Radagon. His magic rune has a most distinctive pattern. You can see for yourself when you reach Leyndell." He giggled. "He was told by his Maiden there was another way…to take her to the Mountaintops of the Giants, and to the Forge filled with flame there, their forge…and the Maiden would make herself kindling, to set the very Erdtree aflame, and thus burn the thorns away." Shabriri shook his head, clicking his tongue. "What a cruel thing to do…for the ascendancy to Elden Lord to require the sacrifice of a Maiden."
Harry stared at Shabriri in shock. True, he shouldn't be believing a word this creature was saying, and yet, given the expressions of horrified realisation that Godwyn, Ranni, Rennala and Melina were sharing, there was an element of truth in what he was saying. Shabriri then filled the silence. "Oh, but there is a way. You may spare the poor girl, and singe your own flesh instead. If you are prepared to show your resolve and attain your Lordship through righteous hardship, then heed the words of I…Shabriri."
"Let me guess," Harry said stepping over to him. "You want me to seek out the Three Fingers, claim the Flame of Frenzy, and use that to burn the Erdtree and the thorns blocking it?" As Shabriri's smile grew just a little wider, Harry said, "I have two words for you: Fuck no."
"Oh? Even knowing that such a path would spare the girl?" Shabriri asked.
"It wouldn't. Given the way Melina speaks of it, it'd probably cause the apocalypse or something," Harry said. "I'm here to save the world, not burn it down!"
"You would be saving it!" Shabriri laughed. "Saving it from all that divides and distinguishes, the curses that afflict all under the Golden Order! You fight for equality! All shall be equal with the Flame of Frenzy burning away all differences!"
"We shalt find another way," Ranni said coldly. "I hath heard enough from the man who hath provoked such discord, caused so many lives to be ruined."
"Ahhh, such hypocrisy coming from you, Ranni," Shabriri said, his smirk becoming vicious. "Your actions on the Night of Black Knives only proves that you are unsuited to be Empyrean, just a pathetic little chit of a girl wading neck-deep in the blood of friend and foe alike. You and I are the same, provoking chaos for our benefit, save that I am at least honest with myself. Ahhh, may Chaos take the world! MAY CHAOS TAKE THE…"
And suddenly, Shabriri choked, as Melina leapt forward, drawing her dagger, and opening up his throat, blood spraying through the air. "Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, demon," she snarled.
Shabriri merely coughed up blood, and smirked once more, crimson dribbling from his lips. "…Shabriri is Chaos Incarnate. You can…no more kill me…fair maiden…than you can…snuff out…the Flame…of Frenzy…itself. Ahhh…may Chaos…take…the world…" And then, he went limp, with a last gurgle.
After a moment, Hermione asked, "Do you think he was telling the truth? About the Erdtree having entry into it blocked?"
"…Shabriri was known for telling lies of all kinds," Godwyn said quietly. "I was only young when his words condemned the Great Caravan. Those were outrageous lies with no hint of truth, save that many in the Great Caravan were discontented with the Golden Order. However, many lies have elements of truth. I would not be surprised if he told the truth in that much if nothing else. Radagon always was a spiteful fanatic. Preventing any Tarnished from becoming Elden Lord would be in character, even if it meant letting the world crumble."
"…So that is why Vyke sought out the Flame of Frenzy," Melina said quietly. "Learning that, and Shabriri's manipulations…"
"We'll find another way," Harry said grimly, interrupting her musings. As the others looked to him, he said, "I'm bloody well done with good people being forced to sacrifice their lives like this. We're not going to even touch the Flame of Frenzy. Like I said before, Melina, the only reason I'd want to know where it is is so I can bury it for good. That bastard only said that to try and push us into unleashing it! But neither am I going to let you sacrifice yourself, not until we try every other way we can. We have things Vyke did not. We have three of the best minds in this world standing in this room, the library and facilities of Raya Lucaria, and other resources, resources Vyke may not have had access to. We are going to do everything we can to ensure nobody has to sacrifice themselves to get past whatever the hell Radagon and the Greater Will has put between us and our goal."
Melina, after a moment's pause, gave him a sad smile. "…I knew Torrent chose well when he chose you, Harry. But…if it comes down to it…I will give myself willingly."
"Perhaps," Ranni said. "But we will endeavour to exhaust all other avenues of inquiry first. And one thing we must determine is if Shabriri was telling the truth, about ingress into the Erdtree being blocked. Godwyn is correct, Radagon is indeed spiteful enough to do such a thing, even if it meant calamity." Ranni looked to Harry. "Tis past time for thee to head to Leyndell, to see the truth of the matter for thine own self. As for me…" She pulled the Fingerslayer Blade from out of her robes. "I hath dallied long enough. I hath scried the location of my Two Fingers. It lurks somewhere along the Ainsel River."
"…Ranni, you sure you don't need my help?" Harry asked.
"…I hope not," the demigoddess witch said solemnly. "We will make arrangements for if I doth need thine assistance."
Harry looked at his watch, having adjusted it to the time of the Lands Between. "…It's early afternoon now," he said. "If I push it, I can get to Leyndell in a few hours at most by broomstick, I hope. I could cut out some time if I use the Shard of Grace in Volcano Manor, but I'm not sure I want to talk with Tanith or her underlings at the moment. Once I'm done assessing the situation and confirming whether Shabriri was telling the truth, then I think we can get some answers." He looked to Ranni. "And please don't leave for Ainsel River before we say goodbye."
"Of course not," Ranni said quietly.
Harry said his own goodbyes, before taking the broomstick to Leyndell, taking an instrument Rennala had given him. It was a long journey, going up a mountain, and layered in charms to avoid detection, along with using the Invisibility Cloak. Once he had reached Altus Plateau, he began activating Shards of Lost Grace. In the meantime, he tried hard not to think on what Shabriri had claimed…and what it meant for Melina.
Soon, he was flying over the outer walls of Leyndell. He had to admit, the damage done to it by the Shattering and earlier conflicts aside, it was a beautiful and magnificent city. And the Erdtree shone with a brilliant golden light.
But he still felt ill at ease. This was the site of the Golden Order, of the Greater Will's power and dominance. So much suffering had been visited upon the world from here. And even then, he saw the broken or crumbling buildings, a reminder that its glory was faded.
And it was far from invincible either. A massive spear, like a double-helix, stood in the middle of the city. Gransax's Bolt, a weapon wielded by a Dragon that led an attack on Leyndell. Gransax would die in the assault, but the Dragons, while defeated, later joined the Golden Order, Godwyn being one of those who persuaded them.
He found a Shard of Lost Grace close to the Erdtree, in what could have been the boudoir of someone. Melina, who materialised, looked around. "…Queen Marika's chambers," she said solemnly. "So familiar…my mother's boudoir…"
Harry nodded. "Come on. I don't want to linger."
Melina nodded in her turn, but vanished in her usual flurry of light. Harry reapplied the various stealth charms, before mounting the broomstick, and flying over a fence into a courtyard that sat at the foot of the Erdtree. A number of thrones were arranged around a larger throne, but he flew over them, and towards a gap in the Erdtree's trunk, heading down a passage at the head of some stairs, before landing, examining what had to be a door leading further into the Erdtree.
Just as Shabriri had claimed, thorns blocked their passage. And the diamond weave pattern reminded Harry of the pattern behind Radagon's statue back in Raya Lucaria. Harry reached out to touch the thorns carefully…only to wince in pain. He felt like something had taken notice, and was glaring at him. He just glared straight back.
He began using every detection and analysis charm and spell he could think of. The thorns were tough, tough enough to withstand most spells he could think of, from this world or from Magical Britain. He then used Rennala's instrument, and it took and recorded readings, before he pocketed it.
But then, he heard footsteps behind him. He whirled to see the hulking form of Margit…no, Morgott coming up the stairs. "Whither art thou, intruder?"
Harry wasn't sure what Morgott intended to do, but he needed to buy time. He Apparated down to the courtyard. The Omen whirled to look down at him as he shucked off the Invisibility Cloak. "It's been a while, Margit…or should I say, Morgott?"
"…Harry…that was the name my agents hath given me for thee…am I correct?" the Omen growled, following him slowly down the stairs, his staff punctuating each step.
Harry nodded. "So we're actually introduced. I came to confirm a rather nasty rumour, that the Erdtree is blocking access to everyone. Unfortunately, that rumour is true."
"As is the one that claims that thou hath two Great Runes," Morgott said. "I knew thou did slay Godrick, but to think, thou hath claimed General Radahn's Great Rune. The Greater Will notified me of that when it sensed thine presence. So, what business doth thou hath with these thrones?"
"Nothing, yet. I didn't come here to fight you yet, Morgott," Harry said. "I just came here to find out if it was true…that Radagon and the Greater Will don't want anyone rocking the boat."
"The boat hath already been rocked and capsized," Morgott said with a sneer, "thanks in no small part to my…siblings." He began looking at the thrones, glaring at one. "Godrick the 'Golden'…a pathetic waste of his grandsire's blood, and the son of a traitor." Looking at a pair of thrones, he actually smiled wistfully, even sadly. "…The twin prodigies, Malenia and Miquella…who squandered their potential in well-intentioned heresy…" Another throne caught his gaze. "…General Radahn, who guarded us from the stars, and yet, he desired more than his station allowed…" Another throne, he glared at. "…Praetor Rykard," he snarled. "From one of the true faithful to the worst of heretics!"
Harry looked to the last throne. "…I'm guessing that one is either Godwyn's or Ranni's."
"…Yes…Lunar Princess Ranni…the one who murdered Godwyn the Golden, spurning the Two Fingers' generosity in pursuit of her own ambitions…oh yes, I am aware of her survival now, thanks to the Greater Will," Morgott said, his tone solemn, shaking his head sadly. "All of them…wilful traitors all!"
"And what of Mohg?" Harry asked archly. "I noticed you didn't add your brother to the list. Or are you buddy-buddy with him? Especially given what he may be doing to Miquella?"
Harry's snark was interrupted when Morgott slammed his staff into the ground. "Doth not ever mention that vile abhorrence in my presence ever again!" Morgott snarled. "Mohg doth not deserve any place here!"
"And do you?" Harry asked.
"…No," Morgott said quietly. "My cursed blood should preclude that. But someone must rule, in the absence of others." His eyes looked over to Harry, and his gaze softened. "In my reckoning, thou were akin to all thine kind…pillagers emboldened by the flames of ambition. And yet…'tis duty burning in thine eyes, not ambition."
"…Duty," Harry said flatly, feeling anger well up inside of him. "…Tell me something, Morgott. Is it your duty to persecute your own kind, the Omens, or anyone else not blessed by Grace, regardless of how good they are?" As Morgott opened his mouth to answer, Harry continued, "Is it your duty to stop the people who might be able to fix this from doing so?" He then fixed Morgott with a glare. "And is it your duty to sit on your arse and let the world crumble, just because the Greater Will doesn't want things to change for the better?" He scoffed. "You have a bloody weird idea of what constitutes duty. And what happens when things go to absolute shit, huh? When there's nobody and nowhere to rule anymore? Hail Omen King Morgott…King of Nothing(1)."
"And what of thee?" Morgott retorted. "What would thou accomplish in my place, Lowly Tarnished?"
"I dunno. But I would hope more than you." Harry sighed. "I'm not here to fight you, Morgott, at least not yet. I was just coming to see if the Erdtree was really sealed shut. I have a lot of stuff to deal with before we come here. I'm trying to put the Lands Between to rights. And if I can find him, maybe that will include putting paid to your twin. Not because he's an Omen. As long as they don't try to hurt me or others, I don't care if they've been born like that. No, it's because he's a vile piece of shit who has it coming." Harry looked to Morgott. "…As for you…when I come back…please don't get in my way."
"And thou would help Ranni in her ambitions, knowing what she hath done?" Morgott said coldly.
"…Yes. It took me a long time to trust her, but…I believe in what she is doing. I think she's a good person forced to do terrible things. Besides…did your precious Greater Will tell you what Radagon did to Rennala? Cursing her, driving her insane?" Harry shook his head. "Never mind. Oh, and before I go…I actually come from another world. Unfortunately, some people from there, nasty sorts, followed me, coming after me and my daughter. You'd best keep an eye out for them."
"…Why warn me?" Morgott asked. "If they took me by surprise, if they slew me, thou wouldst hath an easier time reaching thine goal."
"…I dunno. To be honest, you're not much different from them, persecuting everything that doesn't fit into your precious little paradigm," Harry said quietly. "But…you at least have some small sense of honour and decency."
Morgott considered him carefully, before nodding. "…Then go. But our third meeting shalt not be so peaceful, Harry Potter," Morgott said. "Let us see then whether thou hath the conviction to shore up thine words…"
CHAPTER 32 ANNOTATIONS:
Shabriri has tried and failed to sow discord amongst the heroes, and Harry has had another encounter with Morgott. Next chapter…Ranni finally takes on her destiny…
Review-answering time! Wall1114: Funny you should mention that. Zullie the Witch has a video on the Cleanrot Knights called The Last of Them, presumably a nod to The Last of Us. Indeed, the mesh of the branch-like growths peeking out from their armour is actually dubbed 'Cordyceps' in the files, according to her. She even brings up The Last of Us and its infected while discussing this.
That being said, it's implied in the lore, and something I have decided on for this fic, that the Preserving Boluses, the items that can undo Scarlet Rot buildup, only does so in a freshly infected person. In enemies already infected by the Rot, it does fuck all. And given that it is a manifestation of an Outer God, more than maybe a few truckloads of these Boluses are needed for it. VaatiVidya's analysis suggests that Malenia's mentor teamed up with a water fairy, and diverted underground rivers to contain the Rot, as flowing waters are anathema to it, a theme continued from Sekiro, apparently…
1. This is my tribute to a similar line from the final episode of the Doctor Who story The Hand of Fear, where Eldrad, the would-be tyrant of Kastria, learned that his people deliberately allowed themselves to die off in case Eldrad returned. The King of Kastria, Rokon, taunts Eldrad with a video recording with the following line: "I salute you from the dead! Hail Eldrad! King…of Nothing."
