Chapter 18: Blood and Roses
"I'm much too old for this," Lakyus groaned, her greaves squelching against the slime-covered floor of the sewer. Wrinkles deepened on the former Adamantite adventurer's wizened face, her lips set in a grimace of distaste. When her eyes fell on the petite figure beside her, Lakyus bit back an envious sigh.
Several feet to Lakyus's right, Evileye strode along with her characteristically nonchalant demeanor. The vampire's several lifetimes of experience and supernatural senses allowed her to ignore almost all unpleasant sensory stimuli. Lakyus, on the other hand, had lost much of her adventurous spirit over the long years of retirement. Navigating through unfamiliar, often distasteful areas was one element of her past career she did not miss.
"I feel the same," Evileye replied, "but it can't be helped. The Resistance agents were clear—these subterranean tunnels are the only way to safely infiltrate Castle Raevan. Besides, this isn't so bad. Remember that time we had to wade through a swamp while a bunch of demihuman shamans summoned flesh-eating swarms of insects at us?"
"How could I forget?" chuckled Lakyus. "Tia cast [Busting Flame Column] to burn off the bugs swarming Gagaran, but she accidentally ignited the swamp's gas vapors. It set off an explosion that took out the enemy shamans and half the foliage in the area. It's a miracle we didn't blow ourselves up right then and there."
Lakyus smiled inwardly at the memory. That was one of their earlier adventures, and the lot of them had been completely dumbstruck by the massive chain reaction of explosions. Well, all of them except...
Lakyus slid a glance at Evileye, who was trudging along behind her to the right.
"Now that I think about it... that wasn't a miracle, was it?"
The vampire shrugged. "I might or might not have preemptively cast a silent incantation to prevent an explosion in our vicinity. You guys were still learning; I figured I'd let you see firsthand the potential devastation wrought by recklessly using abilities or spells in unfamiliar environments."
Lakyus sighed, her eyes sparkling with a hint of nostalgia. Hazy memories of her time with Blue Rose—laughing, goofing around while risking their lives on the job—surfaced in her mind, clouded as they were with time and age. "Those were... better days."
Over the course of her youth, Lakyus had encountered countless suitors, from nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom before its destruction to distinguished adventurers and powerful merchants. She had even been contacted by the Theocracy, who offered to pair her with a proper "match" to extend her bloodline's strength into the next generation.
But none of it ever interested Lakyus. What she loved most was adventuring as part of a team. She could never imagine herself settling down with some would-be partner, trading away her sword and armor for a mundane life of raising a family. She imagined the rest of her team felt similarly... at least for a time.
The nostalgic glimmer in Lakyus's eyes faded as darker thoughts entered her mind, the brilliant emerald of her irises dimming into a murkier shade of ominous green. Silence, raw and uncomfortable, fell between the two former members of Blue Rose, punctuated only by the squelching sound of their footsteps against the sewer floor.
The awkward air persisted. It was not for a lack of words—there were so many things Lakyus wanted to scream at her old friend, so many thoughts and emotions she had buried over the decades—but she could not muster the will to speak. It was as if something had broken between them, and a single word could shatter the fragile bonds that remained.
"I'm... sorry I wasn't there."
If Lakyus felt anything upon hearing Evileye's sudden response, her face did not show it. Her eyes retained that dull and distant color, her wrinkled face an impassive mask as she continued her steady stride.
That's right... you weren't there...
When the Sorcerer Kingdom crumbled one hundred years ago, the world fell to chaos. As ruthless as Ainz Ooal Gown had been, no one could deny the hegemonic presence of his nation. The Sorcerer Kingdom's influence reached far and wide—its trade networks, manned by tireless undead servants, and its magical innovations were unparalleled. The stability and security it afforded neighboring nations came crashing down in a matter of weeks with the fall of Ainz Ooal Gown and his direct vassals.
While the most violent adherents of the Sorcerer Kingdom were few, Ainz Ooal Gown had carved his presence irrevocably into the hearts and minds of the masses. Countless civilians bought into the "peace and stability"—whatever that meant for a nation capable of wholesale slaughter—that his tyrannical rule provided.
After the Slane Theocracy's triumph and the rise of Supreme Chancellor Zesshi Zetsumei, a second, invisible war raged to reclaim the crucible of moral authority from the omnipresent memory of the Sorcerer King. Decades of propaganda and socialization by the Theocracy and the temples were required to reorient perceptions of the Sorcerer Kingdom toward a more objective light.
The Cult of the Deathless rose to prominence during this chaos, backed by the shadowy remnants of the Sorcerer Kingdom's elite. Over the decades, they entrenched themselves like a cancer, clinging to the darkness of the past. Meanwhile, criminal organizations and war bands—human and demi-human alike—cropped up as socio-economic institutions collapsed. Those were dark times indeed, where poverty, crime, and violence exploded amidst the vacuum left by Ainz Ooal Gown's downfall.
During these developments, the members of Blue Rose were highly active in stamping out savagery and injustice. While they did not ally directly with the Theocracy, Blue Rose played a key auxiliary role in establishing a new, tentative social order that rejected the Sorcerer Kingdom's evils.
Except for you, Evileye...
Lakyus had kept her resentment to herself for a very long time. Even when Evileye had barged into her home with two kids in tow just days ago, demanding shelter and support, she had cooperated without hesitation. But now, as she continued through the dark depths of the New Re-Estize sewer complex alongside the only other living member of Blue Rose, she could no longer keep the bitterness she felt from bubbling to the surface.
"Was Momon truly so important to you," Lakyus asked, her voice trembling with anger, "that you could cast us aside when the world was crumbling around us?"
Evileye jolted as if stabbed by an icy dagger. "Lakyus, I..."
"It was never the same after you went running off on your own, you know," Lakyus muttered. "You were our mage. Our formation was crippled without you. Do you know how many close calls we had?"
"Tia and Tira needed you. The Deathless knew we were vulnerable; they picked us off one at a time, and there was nothing we could do about it. Gagaran never said anything, but we all knew she was devastated by your absence. She took those sentiments to the grave."
Lakyus paused before speaking again. "I needed you."
The former adventurer's voice cracked slightly as she said the words, moisture gathering in her eyes. She blinked it away.
"I wasn't thinking at the time," Evileye replied quietly, her voice laden with sadness. "I... loved him. I thought that if I could just find him, everything would—"
"That's not the problem!"
Lakyus exploded before Evileye could finish, her furious voice echoing through the cramped, murky space.
"Why didn't you just come to us for help?! We could have searched for him as a team. We all knew how much he meant to you; we would have gladly helped you."
"I just thought—"
"No." Lakyus interrupted coldly. "You can't have it both ways. You were right the first time—you weren't thinking. More specifically, you weren't thinking about Blue Rose at all. You never even stopped to think about your FAMILY. And you still don't."
Evileye hastened her footsteps, frantically trying to reach out to her friend. "That's not tr—"
"I think we're here."
Lakyus stopped abruptly, almost causing the distracted Evileye to bump into her. The two of them now stood before a large, semicircular doorway. Its rusted steel frame dripped with dark water, and a faint, acrid smell seeped through the jagged hole in the metal bars, where someone had sawed off just enough for a person to fit through.
Lakyus smothered the mixture of anger and sadness on her face, putting on what she hoped was an expressionless mask as she turned to face the vampire.
"Well? What does the map say?"
Evileye gave Lakyus a long and complicated look. For a moment, it seemed as if she was on the verge of saying something. Instead, she withdrew a furled piece of parchment from her belt.
After leaving Tyris's place, the veteran Resistance member had led them to several acquaintances of his, and they had shared potential infiltration approaches into the Sovereign Duke's seat of power, Castle Raevan. According to them, the only way to enter the premises as outsiders undetected would be through the New Re-Estize sewer system.
There was just one problem. All the Resistance's attempts at infiltrating that area have thus far been unsuccessful, and anyone who tried venturing down there was never seen again.
Still, the Resistance managed to piece together a map for the rest of the Re-Estize Sewer Complex, with optimal routes laid out to reach Castle Raevan's vicinity. Clutched in Evileye's hand was the fruit of years of exploration, trial and error.
"Yeah, this should be the entrance that leads directly beneath the Castle premises." said Evileye before putting away the map. "But the map's routes end here. We'll have to figure out the way forward ourselves from now on."
Lakyus gave a grim nod in response. Turning back to look at the sawed off bars that marked the way, the former captain of Blue Rose lowered her slender frame and stepped through the opening in one swift motion. Evileye promptly followed, moving through the tight space with ease. Upon crossing to the other side, however, the vampire made a half-recoiling motion, doubling back to lean slightly against the stunted bars behind her.
Lakyus raised her eyebrows at her companion's sudden response. "What's the matter?"
An ugly expression formed beneath Evileye's mask, her lips curling into a dark grimace as she tried to put her instincts into words.
"There is something wrong with the air in this place. I can just feel it. This reminds me of a place I once lived long…long ago. A place of death. Of harvest. There's a lot more to this area than some simple monster, I'm sure of it. We must be careful."
Lakyus nodded in wary acknowledgment. Their current differences aside, Evileye's supernatural senses had kept her out of death's reach more times than she could count. While the Resistance's warnings about the area had no doubt kept her on high alert, Evileye's sudden apprehension elevated her grasp of the potential danger to even greater heights.
With that, the two women continued trudging through the dark, almost identical looking passageways. While the Resistance had been unable to provide a map of this specific section of the New Re-Estize sewer system, they did manage to provide a conceptual route for them to navigate. With the help of [Mass Compass, and by following the general direction of the Resistance's route, the two of them should in theory make their way closer and closer to the underbelly of Castle Raevan.
And yet, while their trek through the sewers thus far had proven rather uneventful, Lakyus could not shake a growing sense of unease as they made their way deeper through the subterranean labyrinth. Lakyus was no stranger to infiltrating underground tunnels, having snuck into many a hideout or lair through such means in her adventurer days. However, the layout of their current surroundings held a logic that contradicted her prior experiences. The further in they went, the wider and more spacious the tunnels seemed to grow. Instead of the entangled, claustrophobic tunnels that she had come to expect, the sewers seemed to open up into larger and grander passageways.
This whole area was intentionally built this way…to let something pass through…but what exactly—
"Do…do you smell that?"
Evileye was the first to pose the question, but Lakyus knew all too well in that moment what the vampire was referring to as she felt the morbid stench enter her nostrils. The vile odor of blood and decay steadily began to permeate the air as they proceeded further, mixing with the familiarly rancid smell of the sewers to produce a symphony of abominable smells.
Lakyus stifled a gag, her eyes watering at the increasingly putrid atmosphere around her. Drawing on her extensive training, Lakyus forced herself to dull the more extreme edges of her senses, reining in her sense of smell to stave off the encroaching hints of nausea. Biting her tongue, the former adventurer nodded a quick response to Evileye's inquiry,
Seemingly undaunted by the unholy stench ahead, Evileye pressed forward, moving quickly through the murky passageway to round the corner in front of them. Lakyus followed in haste, gritting her teeth in preparation for action.
Yet no preparation could have prepared her for what lay before them.
The heavy air of the underground sewers clung to their skin as they stepped into the chamber, a room far larger than the narrow corridors they'd traversed. The flickering light of Evileye's [Continual Light] spell revealed a gruesome sight—a mass of corpses, haphazardly piled like forgotten refuse, their faces twisted in the final throes of death. Men, women and children of all shapes and sizes lay in a tangle of twisted limbs and shattered bodies, united in death under the rancid smell permeating under the air, an oppressive mix of blood, decay and stagnant water.
But the horrific desecration did not end there. The corpses, once human, were now bloated and misshapen, their faces frozen in expressions of agony, as if they had met their end in the throes of a nightmare. Black, viscous liquid oozed from their eyes and mouths, pooling in thick, tar-like puddles at their feet, the sinister sheen of it glistening under the light of Evileye's spell. The goo had a faint, nauseating gleam, almost as if it were alive, pulsing ever so slightly in the still air. Some of the bodies were contorted unnaturally, their limbs twisted in ways that spoke of unnatural violence, while others seemed to slump over one another like ragged dolls discarded by an unseen hand. The rancid odor of decay mingled with the foul, acrid scent of the black substance, making the air unbearable to breathe. It was as though the goo itself was some kind of infection, seeping from the very souls of the dead, spreading its horror into the chamber like a malignant curse.
Lakyus and Evileye stood transfixed under the abominable sight, staring in dreaded awe at the grotesque monument of death before them. There had to be thousands of corpses lying in the unholy mass, with countless more piled into ominous silhouettes lining the distant dark pathways leading out of the chamber.
Lakyus opened her mouth to speak, her mind struggling to come to terms with that gruesome reality as she mustered the will to translate her bewildered thoughts into words. However, just as she began to utter the first word, Evileye's hand shot towards Lakyus's mouth to stifle any incoming sound.
The vampire glanced at her in warning, her sanguine eyes flashing with a dangerous gleam as she locked gazes with Lakyus's own.
Lakyus immediately registered the dire warning in her companion's gaze.
We may not be alone here.
Indeed, as Lakyus focused her senses, she could feel a soft presence stirring in the darkness. Beyond the dark mass of twisted corpses, a subtle movement slowly rippled into existence like the shifting of shadows. The silence of the chamber grew oppressive in that very instant, as if the walls themselves held their breath, waiting for something—someone—to make the next move.
Finally, from the shadows beyond the unholy mass, something emerged. At first, it was a subtle twitch, a slight shudder that traveled through the piles of lifeless bodies like a ripple through still water. Then, with a crack of bones and a rasp of strained, unnatural breath, a cloaked figure emerged. Petite in stature, her silhouette was hunched and twisted, as if her bones had been cracked and reset at odd angles. The cloak she wore—tattered, dark, and stained with the same black goo that marred the corpses—hung loosely around her frail frame, as though it were little more than a shroud. Her limbs moved in jerking, erratic motions, like those of a marionette pulled by invisible strings. Her movements were disturbingly graceless, each step a contorted shuffle, as though her body were no longer her own, bound by some unseen force. The air seemed to grow colder around her, the very atmosphere pressing in as if recoiling from the twisted form that now rose from the pile of death.
The figure rose to stand atop the twisted heap of corpses. As she did, her head tilted unnervingly to one side, causing the cowl shrouding her face to fall away, revealing the woman's face. She had short blond hair that was tattered and unkempt, matted with a mixture of black ooze and dried blood, which framed a set of delicate features. What may have once been a pretty face had since become broken by countless years of torment, giving way to an uncanny mixture of beauty and horror. Her eyes, wide and unblinking, were the color of obsidian black, and contained no semblance of emotion or thought. Deep within the darkness of those stygian eyes however, was a hint of magenta, where a sliver of consciousness yearned for freedom. Within that sliver of consciousness kindled a cacophony of pure agony, hatred and desperation, locked seemingly in perpetual torment within that void-like prison.
The woman opened her mouth as if to scream, but no sound came out. Still, both Lakyus and Evileye could feel a bone chilling shudder course through their bodies. The sheer anguish of the woman penetrated the air despite having no voice to carry it.
Suddenly, the air crackled with tension as the cloaked figure lurched forward with an unsettling speed. Evileye's pupils glinted beneath her mask as she quickly murmured an incantation in response. A heartbeat later, the ground trembled before giant, jagged crystal spikes shot from the floor, their tips glistening like cold steel. They plunged toward the figure, aiming for her chest and limbs, but with a sudden, jerking movement, the petite figure danced between them—her movements too quick, too fluid to be real.
"Watch out!" Lakyus shouted, her voice sharp. She raised Kilneiram, the blade gleaming with dark energy, and surged forward. She swung in a wide arc, aiming for the figure's exposed side.
The figure's head tilted unnervingly, and in the same instant, she darted to the side with an almost mechanical grace. The sword sliced through air, missing its target by mere inches. Before Lakyus could even adjust her stance, the puppet-like figure was upon her. One stiletto slashed across her ribs, the sheer power of the blow penetrating through the enchanted plate armor. Lakyus gasped, stumbling back, but she was quick to recover.
"Evileye, cover me!" Lakyus shouted, barely able to catch her breath.
Evileye's eyes glowed with cold fire as she summoned another wave of crystal spikes, this time thrusting them from every direction. The figure's movements blurred as she danced and weaved, a blur of frenzied speed and grace. She spun under the first spike, twisted around the second, and with one fluid motion, flipped over the third. It was as if she was mocking the attack, evading it with a terrifying precision that defied logic.
"You can't escape forever," Evileye hissed, her voice cold and filled with menace. Her hands gestured again, and the ground beneath the figure shattered, sending shards of obsidian rock toward her in a sudden burst. But just as before, the figure responded with an impossible agility. She spun, twirling like a phantom in the night, and the shards missed, crashing into the walls with a deafening clatter.
Lakyus, now up on her feet again, charged forward, her sword raised high. Her blade flashed in a shadowy arc as she struck, aiming for the figure's neck. But the petite figure was faster—too fast. With a swift, unnatural movement, she parried the strike with one of her stilettos, the blade clanging against the pointed metal with an eerie m. The force of the clash sent a shockwave up Lakyus's arm, but before she could react, the figure was already diving for her, both stilettos raised in a deadly cross.
Lakyus barely managed to block one of the stilettos with her sword, but the second slashed across her shoulder, sending a spray of blood into the air. She staggered back, her face a mask of pain and determination.
"Stay down!" Lakyus gritted through her teeth, wincing as she forced her bleeding shoulder to move.
Evileye's patience had worn thin. She muttered another incantation, her hands moving like a blur.
[Triplet Magic: Crystal Dagger]
The ground around the figure rippled as massive crystals began to rise, their edges gleaming with the promise of destruction. With a snap of her fingers, the crystals exploded outward, a violent eruption of jagged stone aimed directly at the figure. It was an attack meant to end everything in one blow.
But the figure—her movements still unnervingly fluid—darted between the shards of crystal, her small form moving with a deadly grace that made it seem like she was part of the very air around them. She defied the attack with an eerie ease, her body contorting into impossible angles, her stilettos flashing as she parried a few of the crystals aside.
Evileye's eyes narrowed. "This won't end until you're gone, I promise you that."
The figure staggered for the first time, her head lolling to one side as though she were struggling to maintain control. But then, with another voiceless cry, she surged forward, faster than either Evileye or Lakyus could react. Her stilettos found Lakyus again, the first one sinking deep into her abdomen. The force of the strike left Lakyus gasping, her sword dropping from her hand as she fell to her knees.
Evileye's blood ran cold. She was fast, too fast—what was this thing?
"Lakyus!" Evileye shouted, the desperation in her voice like a raw edge of steel. Her hands clenched into fists as she chanted: [Maximize Magic: Shard Buck Shots]
The chamber shuddered as giant shards of crystal erupted out of thin air, piercing the air with a deafening roar. The figure, still seemingly unbothered by the attacks that should have pulverized her, twisted impossibly as she danced through the chaos, avoiding the lethal shards with that same terrifying grace. But this time, Evileye was ready.
[Maximize Magic: Crystal Explosion]
With a wave of her hand, the crystals exploded, the force of the blast creating an enormous shockwave. The figure's body was flung back violently, her petite form crashing into the far wall, her stilettos falling to the ground with an almost mournful clang.
For a moment, there was silence.
The two former members of Blue Rose stared at the figure's limp body with bated breath. Lakyus's clutched at her wounds, warily preparing a spell to heal herself.
Is it over…?
For a moment, there was silence. The wreckage of the chamber lay still, the echo of shattered crystals and twisted bodies hanging in the air like a grim omen. But then, the figure stirred.
Like a grotesque puppet pulled by frayed strings, the figure pushed herself up from the rubble, her limbs bent at unnatural angles. She stood again, black ooze dripping from her petite figure, her stilettos gleaming with a malevolent sheen.
Evileye's blood ran cold as she saw the figure rise once more, defying death with that same unsettling, jerking grace. "We can't keep doing this," she muttered, her voice laced with dread. The realization hit her hard—the creature before them wasn't human anymore, not truly. It was something else, something that wouldn't stop until it had torn them both apart.
Lakyus, panting heavily, eyes wide with a mix of fear and resolve, met Evileye's gaze. "We can't kill her. Not like this."
Evileye's mind raced, searching for an escape. The crystals that had once offered a moment of hope now seemed like a cage, the very walls closing in around them as the figure slowly began to move forward again.
Lakyus, wounded and bleeding, took a step back. "We need to—"
But she didn't need to finish her sentence. Evileye had already turned, already pulling her toward the nearest exit with a quick, frantic motion. "Move! Now!"
The two women bolted, running toward the narrow passage that led deeper into the sewer tunnels. Behind them, the figure followed, her footsteps unnervingly quiet, her small form a blur in the dim torchlight.
In a frantic attempt to buy time, Evileye glanced backwards and mustered a quick spell: [Crystal Wall]. The ground beneath them cracked, and a massive crystal wall emerged between them and their relentless pursuer.
"She's… she's still coming!" Lakyus gasped, desperately using the brief reprieve to quickly mend her wounds with a spell. The respite would not last long however. The crystal wall began to shudder under the relentless blow of the creature, threatening to shatter into splinters at any moment.
"We're not safe!" Evileye shouted, her heart pounding in her chest. She forced more speed into her legs, dragging Lakyus along, their breaths ragged as they rounded the corner and plunged deeper into the labyrinthine sewers.
There would be no stopping the nightmare they'd encountered—not unless they could find a way to eliminate the source of its power. Something or someone had to be animating it somehow; fueling its relentless onslaught. They needed to find the mastermind behind the twisted creature and the even darker reality hidden within these subterranean depths. Only then could they stand some chance at survival.