A pīṭha is the bhūmi called Joyous, / And an auxiliary pīṭha, the bhūmi called Stainless. / A kṣetra should be known as the bhūmi Shining, / And an auxiliary kṣetra as Blazing Wisdom. / A chandoha should be known as the bhūmi Revealed, / And an auxiliary chandoha as Difficult to Conquer, / A melāpaka as the bhūmi Far Gone, / And an auxiliary melāpaka as Immovable. / A charnel ground is the bhūmi Excellent Wisdom, / And an auxiliary charnel ground, Cloud of Dharma. / The 'barbarous' language of the yoginī / Thus depicts the bhūmis of the ten perfections.
…
"Fully collected, he should meditate merging with the essence, / Unwavering and untroubled. / Phenomena are preceded by the mind; / They are purified by mind and have the swiftness of thought. / "It is through the mind, with its king-like grace, / That one speaks and acts. / Thus, with everything being the nature of mind, / The wise one knows that he is born from mind. / "The yogin should recite the mantra as he likes, / Keeping his attention on his heart, / For it is not the principal natures (tattva) that / Constitute the cause, but the seed syllables. / "Since the seed syllables comprise cause and effect, / The principal natures should not be viewed as such. / The five syllables to be visualized are / The fivefold experience of existence, of form, and so forth. / "As he is carried around everywhere, / He should place these syllables in the central channel. / Thus the syllables of gnosis and cognition should be placed / At the roots of the three channels that always need to be blocked. / "When he longs for experiences of saṃsāra, / He should join these syllables, in mental recitation, / With the 'sound' (long ū) and the 'drop' (anunāsika) , / Without, however, saying them aloud. / "He will definitively and perpetually / Come to abide, together with the buddhas, / In the state that is always subtle and stainless, / And where gnosis and cognition merge.
"With its presence as gnosis, cognition may / Then be observed in its progression toward perfect awakening. / The first sign to be observed / For all practitioners is the form of a bright flame. / "The second sign revealed / Is sparkling dust resembling fireflies — / It will be seen as circular shapes of white powder / Formed throughout the ten directions. / "The third sign observed by practitioners / Is the disappearance of afflictions. / The fourth one to be revealed / Is the experience of the pleasures of gods from the desire realm. / "The fifth sign mentally perceived / Is the experience of the delights of the form realm, / The sixth is the pleasures of the formless realm, / And the seventh is those experienced by the buddhas. / "With the arrival of the eighth sign, practitioners / Can experience at will the fruition that is the goal of awakening.
- Sampuṭodbhavaḥ (Emergence from Sampuṭa) (Vajrayana School)
"Say, kid…" Yura slowly turned his head towards Millicent, "You've been around Altus- heard any word of a warrior by the name of Eleonora?"
"Why do you ask?" Millicent said from the back of Torrent's saddle.
Yura grimaced- "I've tracked her to Altus. Her and I have unfinished business, you could say. It's a score I'd rather settle sooner than later- but I imagine not as soon as I'd like, considering we're leaving for now."
Millicent nodded. "Well, I didn't catch her name, considering she was ravenously lunging at me- but I suspect I might know who you're referring to. Would she happen to be of the draconic temperament?"
Yura gained a hopeful grin- "Sounds like her, alright. Now then… you know where she is?"
She shrugged. "Well, she moves around a fair amount- in search of strong foes, I'd guess. I'd seen her in a village up north- the whole place was in a ruin. Whether that was because of her or the Godskin she'd been fighting up there, I couldn't say."
Yura sighed- "Things can't ever be easy, can they? Granted, she was never the type to stay in one place…" Yura looked up wistfully- "She was always reckless… never thought she was stupid enough to start wolfing down dragon hearts and join the Lord of Blood, though. I guess people surprise you, for better or worse."
"...It's that personal, then? My condolences," Millicent spoke softly.
"Ah, it's a time long gone." Yura waved her off. "You get as old as I do- you start clinging to memories from decades ago thinkin' they were yesterday. Sentimentality has no place here-" he looked down at his sword at his side, "-especially considering what I must do."
"Well then." Rogier tried to cut through the somber mood that had enveloped all of them. "...Should we stay and try to find her?"
Yura shook his head. "Ah, don't bother. Okina's still the priority here. And if what you said is true, kid-" he turned to Millicent, "-that she really is going after strong foes- I suspect she'll make her way to us soon enough."
"I see," Wolf said with newfound caution, "...Is it possible she might ambush us while we make camp?"
Yura snorted- "I've known that woman to be many things- stealthy is not among them. Trust me- when she finds us, you'll know."
With those words, the four continued to ride atop Torrent- the yellow fields of Altus shone beneath them, Suddenly, Yura paused, a look of consideration upon his face.
"...Would you mind if we headed back through the cave we came here through one more time?" Yura asked, his words hesitant.
"Why?" Rogier asked.
"Well…" Yura began, "...as I'm sure you're aware of, a wyrm once called that place its home. Eleonora, as much as she's changed, is a dragon hunter through and through. Even if it's not a true dragon, I have no doubt she'd have pursued it once she learned of its existence. She might have passed by- it's worth a look, if nothing else."
"Let's go," Wolf replied.
And so, they took a short ride past the Great Lift and towards the much less impressive lift they rode in on- strangely, the lift platform was not at the top- rather, at the very bottom of the pit.
"Someone's been down there," Rogier stated the obvious. Nobody else spoke- they remained in quiet anticipation. Rogier pulled the lever, activating the pulley mechanism. The lift platform ominously rose from the depths below, beckoning them into the cavern once more. Yura went on first, and the three followed behind him. He stood on the plate in the center, and they all began to descend.
The lift unceremoniously came to a halt as they stood before the former wyrm's den- where the beast once rested, there laid a pile of deep crimson viscera in its place. Standing atop the mess of draconic meat there hunched an approximately human figure, scales and horned protrusions breaking through their clothes. They gorged themselves thoughtlessly on the meat below, primal urgency forcing their limbs into the bloody tissue below. Perhaps half of the beast remained- it was hard to say how long they were here, glutting themselves on the decaying wyrm.
"The heart…" The words were not spoken to anyone- the person had failed to notice the four approach behind them. Their voice was raspy- it had not been used in a long time. "...where is it?" They searched fruitlessly for the organ- confusion gave way to despondence gave way to rage- the figure started stabbing at the carcass below, desperate to reveal the pulsing heart below. No such thing came.
Yura was visibly stricken- his hand trembled by his sword. "To see you in such a state, Eleonora…" he forced the words out of his mouth. "I should have done this far earlier- I have done you a disservice, waiting this long." Resigning himself to what he was about to do, he drew forth Nagakiba.
The scaled woman turned back, shock becoming anger. "You…" she growled.
"Indeed," Yura sighed. "Me. Well then, I suppose this is finally goodbye." Yura turned to the three behind him- "You have helped me greatly, allowing me to come here- I ask now that you do not intervene. This is a matter that I must settle myself."
Wolf and Millicent nodded firmly. Rogier seemed worried, but ultimately followed the other two.
Slowly prying herself off of the wyrm's bloated body, Eleonora rose, spinning her twinblade with animalistic fervor. The three behind Yura didn't matter- only him. She charged- instead of using her blade, she swung a clawed arm at Yura- it barely missed, leaving a deep gash in the stone wall.
" Every time… I wish to grow stronger… you try to curtail me- you fear me, my power… I should have known…" She began to laugh, a sound more reminiscent of a baying growl.
"Clearly I did not try hard enough," Yura muttered quietly- an admonishment, both to her and himself. "...Tell me, Violet Bloody Finger- what do you know of Okina?" he questioned, dodging her twinblade all the while.
" Asking about Okina? I should've known you've always been with that traitor… to think I respected him…" Suddenly, she paused her relentless attack- her claws moved to her head, clawing at her skin. Desperately, she sloughed off her flesh, revealing the fresh scales underneath. Whatever humanity she had left was rapidly slipping. Her throat let out a deep roar, unsettling the four- despite his previous confidence, Yura found his arms shaking against his will.
As the maw of the half-dragon woman opened once more, a red mist filled the room, and blood began to seep from Yura- the other three narrowly escaping its radius. He was shaken and bleeding, but Yura had to see this through. He grabbed some dragonwound grease, slathering it on his sword. Eleonora was growing fast- she was already approaching the size of the slain wyrm, and it was clear that her growth would not stop there. Yura had to end this immediately.
Recognizing this, he steeled himself, trying to steady his limbs. With a deep breath, he rose into the air into a familiar position, Eleonora slowly moving back in caution- it was not far back enough. With a single fluid motion, a series of cuts appeared in the air, leaving numerous gashes on the wyrm's scaled flesh. It would usually just be enough to partially damage her, but with the dragonwound grease- it was near fatal. As soon as he completed that motion- Yura collapsed, his energy spent and his limbs giving out.
"I'll need you to finish the job, kid." Yura said, a faint expression of melancholy on his face.
Wolf slowly approached the wounded wyrm, her scaled face still half-resembling that of a human's. With a breath, he drew the Mortal Blade, and stabbed directly into the hate-filled heart below.
"I'm sorry," Yura spoke, barely holding back tears, "that I could not stop you from taking this path- that I did not see the peril you put yourself in… before it was too late."
A deep growling sigh reverberated- her life was fading. But for these few moments, her hatred had died, and only Eleonora remained. "Foolish old man," she began with a strange fondness, "I had thought you wiser than to live other's lives for them. I made the choices I made, in spite of your warnings… I lived with my choices, and now I shall die with them." Eleonora's eyes fought to remain open. "I'm sorry that my last battle with you couldn't be with my blade… then again, I guess I needed to give you some chance of winning, hm?" She cackled loudly, until even her lungs failed her, and life abandoned her eyes.
Yura slowly shook his head- "An arrogant kid until the very end…" He gave a small, pained smile. "...there's the Eleonora I knew."
Millicent slowly walked up to Yura, but paused, seeing him stand over Eleonora's body. Yura waved her forward.
"Go on, kid," Yura said, "I know what you're going to ask, but ask it anyway."
"...That move you used on her… you learned the Waterfowl Dance?" Millicent asked.
"Only the first form," Yura said, "And even that was enough to exhaust these old muscles. I overheard a bit of you teaching the kid, and tried some of it out myself- I may not be quite as skilled as him, but don't discount me as a novice, hm?" Yura gave her a tiny grin, despite the sadness still visible on his face- even through his hat.
"Well, learning it in such a short time is still quite impressive," Millicent commented, trying to cheer him up.
Yura nodded. "Thanks, kid. Give me a few more minutes here- I'll be ready to leave soon." He gazed down at Eleonora, his expression vacant.
Rogier grumbled- "So we need to make it all the way through Leyndell just to get there in the first place?"
"You were unaware of the location of the Great Lift of Rold?" Millicent asked surprisedly.
"Like that's a surprise," Rogier scoffed. "It was made to seal forbidden places away- they don't go around telling everyone where it is."
Millicent sighed. "In any case, it's not all the way through Leyndell- we should be able to get there not too far from the entrance. We'll cut through- hopefully before the Omen King even knows we're there.
"Eh, I'm sure we can handle it." Rogier said without any worry. "It won't be the first demigod we've killed- and besides, I've got some experience dealing with Omens myself." He turned to Wolf and Yura- "Ah, right, I don't think I ever told you- before it was razed to the ground, Stormveil actually had an Omen guarding the place- Margit, I think the name was. So, I run from the bastard and start launching some sorceries at him hoping to kill him before he kills me, and sure enough- eventually, the bastard just disintegrates. I didn't know Omens did that when they died."
"They generally don't," Millicent said skeptically. "...And the name of your Omen is incredibly similar to Morgott."
"Yeah, well," Rogier shrugged, "Maybe Omens have similar names- or maybe this Margit just wanted to be like the Omen King, so he named himself something similar. I don't know. Point is, I'm sure we could handle Morgott."
"I'd rather not, though," Millicent said worriedly.
"Agreed," Yura nodded. "I have no business with the Omen King- I intend to keep it that way."
"Just like we had no business with Rykard?" Rogier said wryly.
"Well… we'll see what happens," Yura grumbled. "Now then- we need to deal with the matter of getting to Leyndell to begin with."
"Entering the capital is actually rather simple," Millicent said encouragingly. "Not easy- but simple. The entrance is hard to miss."
Rogier blanched, turning eastward towards the intimidating stone steps that led into Leyndell's outskirts. "Ah- that entrance. Are you sure there isn't some other place to enter? A back door of some kind? Something that isn't armed and defended to the teeth?"
"You were so certain about being able to handle Morgott just a moment ago-" Millicent teased, "and now you're scared of a few soldiers?"
"We clearly have different definitions of 'a few'," Rogier grumbled. "I'd rather not get killed before I even enter the damn place."
Wolf looked up at the massive stone stair in consideration- "...If it came to it, we could probably take them all." He gazed upwards at the half-opened gate into the capital's outskirts- in front, two giant knights patrolled on even larger horses. "...But maybe we don't have to." He gazed at Torrent- "Maybe we could outrun them."
"Have you seen their horses?" Rogier asked incredulously. "Not to insult Torrent, but I doubt he could keep up, let alone outrun them."
"We'll attack them on horseback to slow them down," Wolf said. He turned to Millicent- "You know the path to the capital, right?" She nodded. "Good. You take the reins- Rogier and I will sit in the back and deal with whoever chases us."
Millicent nodded, taking a seat at the front of the saddle and looking behind her. "Is everyone ready? We'll be going as fast as possible on uphill terrain, so make sure you're all secure."
"Ready as I'll ever be to break into the most well-guarded place in the Lands Between," Yura groaned. "If it's any consolation, based on the fact that the soldiers here aren't all piles of gore, we can assume Okina hasn't been through here yet."
"Or he's found a different way through," Rogier suggested.
"Let me be positive for once, kid," Yura grumbled. He was about to say something more, but his words were cut off as Torrent began to rapidly gallop towards the steps of the outer wall. Giant stone statues towering above the gate looked down at them- this was the very heart of the Lands Between, and the grandiosity of the gate's design certainly seemed to suggest that. Still, there was little time to admire the decor, considering they were desperately running for their lives.
"They've got ballistas!" Rogier cried. "Evade, turn- do something!"
The sound of something flying through the air came from both sides- six heavy ballista bolts struck the ground, narrowly missing Torrent. Millicent leaned forward on the saddle, desperately swerving in an attempt to dodge any further volleys.
"Spearmen on the left!" Yura cried.
"I know, I know!" Millicent yelled. "We're almost at the gate- I think the Sentinels see us!"
Sure enough, the two giants clad in golden armor turned toward the intruders, halberds raised into the sky. In an instant, their weapons swung low to the ground- Torrent leapt up into the sky, the halberds barely missing his hooves. Their attacks avoided, Torrent continued to charge past them, and into the outskirts of Leyndell.
"Hard part's over," Millicent said determinedly. "Now we just need to lose them." She swerved to the north, continuing up the stone stairs to the city of Leyndell, weaving around the numerous footsoldiers. The half-opened gate behind them slammed open as the Sentinels gave chase. Wolf and Rogier turned backwards to face them- several rocks rose from the ground as Rogier launched an onslaught of gravity magic from afar, which were harmlessly batted away by the Sentinel's shield.
"Go for the horse's legs," Wolf called to Rogier, "We don't need to kill them, just stop them from chasing." As he spoke, one of the Sentinels gained on Torrent, preparing to launch another attack. Wolf swept his prosthetic arm forward- from a mechanism, dozens of pellets scattered through the air, exploding in a blinding and deafening display. Their horses reared- but the Sentinels had firm command over their steeds, and in a matter of moments, they were back on the chase.
"That will buy us some time," Wolf said assuredly. "I'll go for the one on the left- can you handle the one on the right?"
Rogier scoffed- "Do you know who you're talking to, my friend? Of course I can." With a roguish smile, Rogier raised his staff once more- the ground behind Torrent began to quake, and parts of the staircase began to break apart, knocking one of the horses off balance. On rough terrain and bearing the weight of an armored giant, the horse collapsed, exhausted.
Wolf nodded, impressed with Rogier's display- as Torrent rode on, the Sentinel was left in the dust. Now, only one remained- that one would be his job to deal with. Just as he launched a shuriken into the horse's leg, knocking the Sentinel off of their saddle, he heard a loud crash from the front of Torrent.
It resembled the gargoyle he had encountered in Caelid- this one, however, seemed far less friendly. Its axe struck the ground with terrifying strength, leaving a crater in its place. Wolf looked over the golem- it was primarily stone, but a discerning look revealed something more- various cracks and dents in the stone were replaced with a deep orange-black substance. It was almost certainly corpse wax, or something like it.
"I'll burn it- strike where it begins to melt," he called to Rogier.
"Uh, not to question your judgement…" Rogier said confusedly, "but I don't believe stone melts."
Wolf didn't reply- he was busy looking upwards at the patchwork golem, readying his arm. With a satisfying click, his prosthetic readied itself, and a devastating blast of flame struck the gargoyle in its side. Most of the fire harmlessly dissipated upon contact with the cold stone, but the wax on its side began to crackle and drip, releasing a foul odor.
Rogier swiveled his head towards the gargoyle's side- with the wax melted, the cracks in the stone had been exposed, revealing the golem's vulnerable center. With a motion of his staff, a stone stake rose from the ground, and stabbed itself right into the gargoyle's center, sticking out of the crack. The beast roared, but stubbornly remained intact.
Wolf readied his grappling hook, aiming directly for the jagged stone stake. With a steady throw, the hook hit its mark, and Wolf pulled himself upwards, mounting himself on the jagged piece of stone. He readied his prosthetic's axe- it was sharp, but the sheer weight of it lent it more to bashing than cutting. Putting all his strength into the motion, he hammered the axe into the head of the stake, driving it deeper into the gargoyle's center. It thrashed, desperately trying to rid itself of the shinobi, but Wolf clung on. He hammered the stake further still- he was running out of room to sit, with how much of the stake was now inside the gargoyle. The golem began to creak- its stone body would split apart with any more force. Holding the axe above his head, he dealt the final blow- the axe struck the stake, fully driving it into the gargoyle's chest.
A giant crack began to form down the golem's chest- the stone had begun to give. Its head grew still, as whatever force that animated it began to abandon its shell. Loosening his hook, Wolf jumped back on to Torrent, motioning Millicent forward. "Quick-" he called, "-go, before the Sentinels catch up."
Torrent began to gallop forward once more- once Wolf and Rogier had regained their breaths, Rogier spoke. "Good eye- I didn't even notice that other stuff on the golem. What was it, anyway? Wax?"
"Corpse wax," Wolf said.
"You're able to recognize corpse wax by just looking at it?" Rogier asked, both impressed and morbidly curious.
"I have experience with it." Wolf said without further context.
"...What exactly does that mean?" Rogier asked warily. Wolf gave him a small, secretive smile.
Rogier was now very unnerved. "...Seriously, friend- what does that mean?" Wolf did not reply.
"We should be nearing the city entrance soon," Millicent said. "Let's hope that nothing else tries to ambush u-"
"I see thee, little Tarnished…" A spiteful voice echoed out, seemingly reverberating from all around them, "Smould'ring with that wretched flame of ambition…"
They all looked around in panic- from behind them, a five-meter tall Omen had manifested, slowly approaching.
Rogier lit up in familiarity- "Hey, wait- that's Margit," he said. "Guess he didn't die, then."
Millicent sighed- "I had thought so. This Margit of yours- he was a projection of Morgott himself." She readied her sword, "This one is the same."
The four readied themselves to attack the projection- they charged forward, and within seconds, the Omen laid dead, slowly fading away into light.
"As a projection, it makes sense it only has a fraction of strength of the original…" Millicent said. "Let us hope that this projection was activated independently of Morgott- that he does not know we are here."
A short ride later, and they had arrived near the final barrier to Leyndell- standing in front of a narrow walkway into the capital, there stood another Sentinel- his armor bent and warped to resemble the wings of a dragon. Wolf had thought them far enough away to avoid notice, but suddenly, the Sentinel's gaze locked on to him. They slowly rode towards the four as they readied their weapons.
The Sentinel's horse slowed down as they approached. They seemed to assess the four- most specifically Wolf. "A Reedlander warrior clad in orange garb." The Sentinel stated." Lady Lansseax has spoken of you- she expresses her regrets that she could not come to greet you into Leyndell herself." The Sentinel slowly dismounted his horse, bowing respectfully to the four.
"You and your compatriots may freely enter Leyndell, as Lady Lansseax has proclaimed." The Sentinel took on a warning tone. "Just know that those not beholden to the Dragon Cult may not respect such a declaration."
Rogier bowed in return to the Sentinel, "My thanks, good knight, for allowing us through."
The Sentinel shook their head. "There is no need for thanks. I am merely doing what was commanded of me." Their gaze turned firmly to Wolf- "Officially, our business here is concluded. But… may I make a personal request?"
"...That request being?" Wolf asked warily.
"I wish to see it." The Sentinel spoke with restrained eagerness.
"See what?" Wolf asked.
"The technique that impressed even Lady Lansseax- I wish to bear witness to it myself, should you permit such a thing." They clasped their hands in a pleading motion .
"Well, it only redirects lightning…" Wolf spoke, "I can't demonstrate it if there isn't any to begin with."
" That will be no problem." The Sentinel rose their club into the air, red sparks manifesting. Wolf felt his hair stand on end- he carefully assessed the electricity on his body, perfectly timing when the bolt would strike. He felt the charge around him build, and he jumped. A loud crack broke through the air as pulsing red lightning struck Wolf- repeating the motions he had done a thousand times before, Wolf redirected the lightning out from his blade, slicing harmlessly next to the Sentinel.
"...Magnificent." They said," Truly, I am honored to witness such a display. I understand why Lady Lansseax was in awe of such a thing."
"In awe?" Rogier asked, "She called it a 'novel technique.' She seemed impressed, but I wouldn't exactly call it awe."
"Yes, well…" The Sentinel began. "Lady Lansseax is often not very forthcoming with her emotions- as dragons often are not. She does not give idle praise- to permit you into Leyndell, it is clear that she highly values your skill." They paused for a moment, before hastily speaking." Please do not tell her I said any of that."
"Is that so?" Rogier had a small grin on his face. "Well, no need to worry- our lips are sealed."
And so, the four finally entered the grand city of Leyndell- even if they were only using it as a path to the Haligtree for now. Entering past the Sentinel, they made their way through the outer wall, avoiding the strange horn-wielding Envoys that dwelt there. Making their way down to the city itself, they fought their way past knights and perfumers. The intricate wood and stone buildings gave the place an otherworldly beauty- or at least, they would, if the place wasn't crawling with people who wanted them dead.
"The lift should be right through there," Millicent told them, pointing to a door guarded by an Erdtree Avatar. Fortunately, Wolf's fiery swordplay made quick work of the wooden creature, and they all made their way through, heading eastward out of the capital.
"Bit of a shame to come here only to leave," Yura admitted, "But I have to say- never thought I'd get a chance to see Malenia in person."
Millicent nodded. "I was beginning to doubt whether I would ever see her as well."
They continued eastward, the great clear sky slowly becoming a foggy grey- they were treading to a place that hadn't been trodden in ages. A great stone tower awaited them- in the center, a lift descended, bringing them into a snow-filled wasteland. From beyond the fog, a black gargoyle approached them, before slowly bowing down. Wolf sighed in relief- he didn't want to have to fight a second gargoyle today. With nowhere left to go but forward, they marched on, eventually arriving at the Great Lift's snow-coated steps.
"Here we are," Millicent said with satisfaction. "The Haligtree awaits us from here."
Wolf and Yura looked pleased- they were eager to better their swordsmanship by witnessing the greatest swordswoman in the Lands Between. Rogier had a radiant smile- as a scholar, he was ecstatic at the opportunity to witness a part of history unknown to all but a select few. Millicent had a look of hopeful determination- she would find her way to Malenia, and return what the demigod had so long ago abandoned.
"Well," Rogier called out, running up the steps on to the lift's platform, "...what are we waiting for?"
The three followed Rogier's lead, making their way up to the platform. Holding her hand over the lift, Millicent grabbed her blade and gently sliced into her palm. A few drops of blood splattered onto the platform below. The platform rumbled, recognizing the blood as that of Malenia's kin. The statues on the side of the lift began to turn, and the platform began to rise. They stood on the lift in anticipation until it slowly came to a stop. Slowly leaving the platform, they made their way into a giant stone room.
"We need to make our way outside," Millicent said. "Follow me."
The four made their way through the stone halls, narrowly avoiding the giant landsquid that fell from the ceiling, and arrived at a single stone doorway completely obscured by a thick, snowy fog. Rogier peeked his head out, and turned to look around the vast white expanse that laid before him.
"Welcome to the Consecrated Snowfield," Millicent called out, eager to be one step closer to her ultimate destination. "The Haligtree is just ahead."