Chapter 15: Secrets That Lie Below
"Are we there yet…?" Erik asked, trying to regain his breath.
"We're searching for illusionary walls in all the local cave systems, we don't exactly have a set destination in mind," Subaru said nonchalantly.
Patches snorted. "That, and our only guide is a literal bi-"
Suddenly, a dagger flies from the front and digs itself right into his throat.
"You had that one coming," Siegmeyer said.
Patches choked as he nodded, "Fair... enough… " Was all he could say before he crumbled to ash.
Solaire groaned. "Where was the last bonfire?"
Subaru looked around. "About... two miles back."
Erik looked behind him and asked, "Do we have to go back for him?"
"He'll catch up," Aela simply said.
Subaru signed, as he entered another cave system. "All right, I guess we can start looking in that cave system over there…"
The group approached the cave, before stopping at the entrance.
"Smell anything, Aela?" Erik asked.
Alea sniffed around, with her face twisting in confusion. "I smell tree roots… and fungus?"
"Does that mean anything to you guys?"
"Well, a fungus, I can understand being here, but tree roots? That's sus," Subaru said.
Soaire nodded in agreement. "Indeed, tree roots don't grow in caves…"
Suddenly, the head of Patches popped out of the wall.
Erik jumped back and screamed, "WHAT THE FUCK!?" in a high-pitched scream.
Patches laughed at the reaction. "Hey, look, I'm Lemillion! Plus Ultra, or whatever!"
Subaru looked at Patches and back at where the last bonfire was. "How the hell did you catch up so quickly?!"
"I didn't!" the bald man said. "I just respawned at the bonfire that is, fun fact, right below us!"
"There's one below us?"
Patches shrugged. "I don't make the rules."
"Alright then, lead on," Subaru simply said. He was getting too old for this.
Patches sunk his head back in, as everyone else followed. They passed through the false wall, and found… massive tree roots.
Subaru let out a low whistle. "Looks like someone's trying to break my record."
"What record do you speak of?" Solaire asked.
"You ever heard of Flugel's Tree?"
"What about it?" the werewolf asked, not sure where he was going with this.
Subaru simply pointed his thumb at himself, while giving a knowing look.
Erik's mind suddenly clicked as began to realize what Subaru was implying. "Wait a minute…"
"Took two hundred years to get it that tall."
"You grew that tree?!" Siegmeyer shouted.
Subaru smirks in pride. "Damn straight."
"Talk about good parenting," Patches said.
Aela groaned. "Back to the matter at hand…"
Erik observed how the roots reached to the other side. "We can use the roots as a bridge…"
Subaru nodded. "Alright, just you and Aela, be careful. Unlike the rest of us, you two don't have a respawn button."
The group proceeded to move carefully through the roots, using them as bridges and slides, making their way to the bottom.
"LOOK MOM! NO HANDS!" Patches yelled, sliding down one of the roots with hands in the air.
"COWABUNGA, DUDE!" Subaru shouted, jumping down from root to root, like platforms.
"ONION CANNONBALL!" Seigmeyer yelled, performing a Cannonball maneuver on a lower root… only for his armor and weight to cave in the root somewhat and get him stuck.
WOMP!
"Uhh… a little help?" Luckily, Subaru and Patches stepped in to pry the onion knight loose.
"Ugh… men," the werewolf groaned.
Erik chuckled at the sight. "I guess Immortality does that to you…"
After getting Seigmeyer unstuck, the others made their way down while Solaire scouted ahead a bit and found something… strange.
The Sun Knight stared in confusion as he relayed the information to the others. "My friends, I believe I have found… fungus people?"
Erik did a double-take on that. "Say wha?"
Down on the floor level, several white-and-brown bipedal fungi were standing around. The other members of the party joined Solaire as Subaru step forward, hoping to make this encounter peaceful
"Uh... We come in peace?" Subaru asked.
One of the bigger fungi responded with a punch to the face, sending Subaru flying.
BAM!
Subaru got up off the root, and proclaimed angrily, "Then it's war!"
The party proceeded to fight the mushroom men… if it could be considered that. It mostly consisted of avoiding their punches that gave them ragdoll physics.
Eventually, Aela got fed up to the point she transformed into her Werewolf form, and started ripping the fungus people to shreds.
"Okay, new plan!" Subaru announced, getting up from the last punch. "While she's buying us breathing room, we run for the entrance!"
The group make their way to the entrance, as the fungus people begin to flee in terror at Aela's rampage.
Solaire grabbed the bald man's shoulder, and let out a low growl. "Patches…?"
Patches, meanwhile, gulped. "Yeah?"
"Did you purposefully not tell us about the locals, just to watch us squirm?" he asked.
Patches stayed silent for a few seconds. "Would you believe me if I said I didn't run into them on the way up?"
"""""No."""""
Patches merely gave a shrug.
The group continued on, until it found… a sandy beach, where the water was dark, full of tall trees, and a green-colored sky.
"Why is there a sky underground?" Erik asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"It's probably the natural gasses in here coloring the ceiling of the cave system," the nasty-eyed Undead explained.
Aela catches up to the group, having returned to her human form.
"What did I miss?" the redhead asked.
"Questionable scenery, mostly," Siegmeyer said.
Aela just decided to ignore the comment.
"Let's walk alongside the beach," Solaire said.
The group then begin to walk alongside the beach, taking in the scenery and watching out for monsters.
Erik scratched his chin at the sight. "I wonder if this lake connects out to the Sea of Ghosts…"
"Are they close to one another?" Patches asked.
"Well, how far away are we from the ocean?"
"A good while away," Subaru answered. "Why?"
"Like I said, I'm just wondering," the boy said.
The gang continued to walk quietly, until something erupted out of the water.
Erik yelled as he jumped back. "Woah!"
Out of the water came a clam-like monster, the size of a man, and with multiple legs.
"The hell is that?!" Alea shouted.
"Man-eater shell!" Subaru quickly answered.
"A what?" The sandy-blonde boy asked.
"You see all those round things inside its mouth?" Subaru asked, pointing towards the monstrous shellfish. "Those are human skulls."
Erik blinked a few times before holding his hands out. "... Yeah, fuck that. El Huma!"
While the mages fired from a distance, Siegmeyer decided to tank the front attacks, which included withstanding a forward bash from the monster.
Patches whistled. "Wow, he didn't even budge."
Seigmeyer chuckled as he explained. "That's thanks to my Divine Protection of Unmoving! So long as my feet are planted firmly on the ground, I can't be moved!"
"Handy," Subaru said. "Now… EAT FLAMES!"
"Lightning Spear!" Solaire shouted.
The group kept attacking, until eventually, the creature stopped moving, and collapsed onto the ashen beach beneath it.
"We did it!" Patches cheered.
"Don't celebrate just yet!" Subaru warned them. "You remember what comes when prey dies?"
Patches assumed it was souls to consume. "Here comes the Money! Money money money money money money! Dollar dollar, dollar dollar!"
"No, you idiot!" he shouted, smacking the bald man upside the head. "PREDATORS!"
Patches deflated. "Oh…"
As if on cue, six black heads, followed by long necks, emerged from the water.
"""SKREEEEE!"""
"Hey, Patches! It's your Mother!" Erik laughed.
"OI, SCREW YOU!"
"Fucking run!" the Japanese man shouted.
The black Hydra roared at them, and as the group ran, it shot projectiles of water from its mouths towards the running people.
"I'll give us some cover, just keep running straight!" Then, Subaru shouted, "SHAMAK!"
Subaru blasted a big black cloud of darkness, disorienting the creature.
Erik screamed as he was blinded. "I can't see!"
Patches just yelled back, "Just run, momma's boy!"
"Where are we running to?!" It was Solarie's turn to yell.
"Far away from that thing!" Siegmeyer shouted.
The group makes it out of the black fog, and finds some trees to hide behind.
Alea sighed in relief. "Phew… I think we lost it."
Erik turned to his allies. "Now what?"
"Uhh… guys?" Subaru called out. "Behind us."
Patches turned around, and noticed what Subaru was referring to. "Huh?... Ah, shit…"
Sitting behind them was a large Dragon, with brown fur and crooked horns, with four bat-like wings decorating its back.
"Is... that a Dragon...?" Erik whispered.
"Not just any…" Subaru said. "It's an Arch-Dragon. The ones that Gwyn hunted down."
"Something tells me this isn't like the Dragons you've been fighting lately…" Alea said.
"They don't fight you, not unless you provoke them, or give them some reason to."
"So... we don't fight it and get out of here? Because Emilia isn't here to devour its soul."
"Once the black Hydra's gone, yeah."
Solaire noticed the Dragon wasn't moving. "Is it asleep?"
"No, it's definitely awake," Subaru said. "I saw it expanding its wings when I turned around. Plus, its eyes are open. It's just… staring at us."
"And... it won't attack us if we don't attack it?"
Subaru shook his head. "Nah. Chances are, we can even forge a covenant with the big guy."
Alea gave him a strange look. "Covenant?"
"Yeah, they're like a pact between a higher power and their followers, usually with some objective in mind." Subaru explained.
"Like what the Divine Dragon has with Lugnica," the bald Undead of the group realized.
"Exactly, but that one's super big," Subaru said. "Volcanica has a whole nation in his covenant."
"So, who wants to make negotiations?" Aela asked, making everyone look at her.
"Negotiations on what?" Siegmeyer asked.
Aela gave him a confused look. "The covenant?"
"Now, hold up, this is a covenant," Subaru wanted everyone. "Doing such a thing requires commitment. You can't just join one willy-nilly!"
Aela hummed. "Sounds like you have experience."
Subaru coughed at that, and began to sweat a bit. "I, uh, I mean, I've seen them… from a distance… so, yeah, I know how they work…"
"Smooth, Subaru. Real smooth." Patches sighed, "So, should we make a covenant?"
Subaru, calm again, said, "Depends. We should probably see what exactly this guy's club entails."
Erik cleared his throat. "So... who's gonna talk to him?"
"All right, everyone look around the floor for a manual, or something."
Aela just gave an incredulous look. "What kind of Dragon would just leave a manual laying around?"
"The kind that don't speak human," the tracksuit-wearing Japanese man explained, looking around the ashen sand. "It's nothing short of a miracle that Volcanica and Seath can do it."
"So, it can't talk?"
Subaru shook his head at Erik's question. "None of our languages, it can't."
"What would the manual look like?" Siegmeyer asked. "I doubt it's gonna be a little book."
"If it's not that, try looking for a stone with words etched into it." Subaru said, looking around for said stone.
"You mean like that one?" Patches asked, pointing towards a stone monolith.
Subaru looked towards the massive rock. "Yeah, that works."
"Well? What does it say?" Erik asked.
"Hold on, I'm reading it," Subaru said. "Let's see… yada yada… welcomes and introductions… yada yada… dear patron… yada yada… donations… yada yada… aha! Here we are."
Patches sighed in annoyance. "Well, don't keep us in the dark, what's the juicy info?"
"Apparently, this covenant is called the "Path of the Dragon." By serving the Stone Dragon, Undead in this covenant are seeking to become Dragons themselves," he said.
"Seek to become Dragons? Like, they are transformed into Dragons, or become... something like what Emilia is?" the resident werewolf of the team asked.
"No, like, become literal Dragons. But hopefully with the ability to talk normally, maybe. Fifty-fifty chance." The Japanese undead explained.
"Wait, that's possible?!" Erik yelped. "You guys could probably be able to turn into Dragons?!"
"It probably comes with some sort of negatives, like losing your marbles," Patches said.
"Is there a way to ask what the catch is?" the onion knight asked.
"From like the big guy himself? Nah. There's probably something on the stone." Subaru explained, getting back to reading.
Erik just looked around, unsure what to do. "So... what should we do?"
"I'm checking…" Subaru said, looking around the back of the rock. "Oh. Ohhh…"
"What?" Aela crossed her arms.
"I found the requirements," Subaru said, in a deadpan voice.
"And? What are they?" Solaire asked.
"Basically, these guys invade other worlds for Dragon scales, something important to increase their power," the otherworlder said. "So, unless you wanna be a Dragon and are willing to steal, this place might not be for you. And the end transformation… ugh."
Upon hearing that, Patches remembered something. "Hang on…" The bald undead said before reaching into his pouch and pulling out three Dragon Scales. "You mean these kinds of scales?"
"Yeah, seven more of those, and you can get yourself some stronger pyromancies. It's a four-step program. The more scales, the stronger fire spells," Subaru said.
Patches shrugged as he put the scales back in his bag. "Well, I'll be sure to get some scales off future Dragons we kill."
"I mean, if you wanna end up looking like an uglier version of Libre, be my guest."
Erik was unfamiliar with that name. "Libre?"
"Libre Fermi, one of the leaders of the Demi-Human Alliance four decades ago. He was a snake-like demi-human, but due to the fact he had hind legs, he always looked more like a member of the Lizardfolk to me," the nasty-eyed Undead explained.
"Can the transformation be undone at will?" Aela asked.
"Nope, it's permanent. And frankly, very ugly," the nasty-eyed Undead answered honestly. "Just imagine the stone guy up there, but humanoid and with a tiny tail and wings."
Erik merely looked disappointed. "Well, that's... disappointing. Do you at least get stronger from it?"
"You do get a fire breath," Subaru said.
"Well, I don't think me and Erik would be able to utilize the transformation, even if we were willing. Myself even less so." Aela deduced.
Solaire thought about what she said. "I understand you, but Erik?"
"You did specify Undead earlier," the dirty blond said.
"I was just reading what was written," Subaru said.
"I, personally, do not see the appeal of such a form," Solaire said.
"Surprising literally no one," the bald Undead mumbled to himself.
"What about you Patches?" Siegmeyer asked. "Might give you some actual use."
Patches thought about it for a second. "Ehhh… sounds like too much work."
"You sure you don't wanna breathe fire?" Erik asked. "It may help you punish the greedy."
Patches knew Erik was playing him, but he wasn't wrong. "Hmm… if I come across any more Dragon scales, then maybe."
Aela snorted a bit. "Well, considering Emilia needs to kill Dragons to get stronger, then that will be inevitable."
"Like I said, I'll think about it," the bald thief thought about it.
"So... that's a no on the covenant for now?" Erik asked everyone else.
"We can come back later, if we want," Subaru said, standing up.
Erik called out to the stone Dragon. "Sorry, Mister Dragon, that's a "No" for now."
The Stone Dragon said nothing, as it remained silent.
"Huh, not much of a talker," the onion knight joked.
"Okay, the black Hydra should be gone by now, we should probably go," Subaru said.
"Yeah, let's get out of here... actually, why did we come down here in the first place?"
"Supposed untold riches," Siegmeyer answered Patches.
Patches groaned. "Well, the only thing we found was Stony over here."
The Stone Dragon didn't say anything, as it kept staring off into space.
"Well, it's been a few days since we dropped off Emilia at Winterhold," Erik said. "Maybe we should go check up on her?"
"Good idea, Erik. Let's go," Subaru told everyone else.
Patches sighed at their wasted time. "Well, let's go get our Dragonborn."
RUMBLE…
"Eh?" Subaru muttered as he and the rest of the group turned around to see the Stone Dragon… moving? It leaned down towards them with clear focus.
"Faal Dovahkiin lost daal?" the brown-furred Dragon spoke.
Subaru, and the others, looked confused. "Uhh… say again?"
"Waan faal Dovahkiin lost daal, ruz faal Lein Naakin, Alduin, lost bo. Nii los oblaan do pah."
"It's… Dovahzul." The group turned to Solaire. "The language of all Dragon-kind. The Greybeards taught me some of it."
"So, you can understand what it's saying?" Patches asked.
"Unfortunately, no." Solaire shook his head. "However, "Dovahkiin" is the Draconic word for Dragonborn, so it must have something to do with Emilia."
"Because of course it does," Subaru grumbled.
Patches chuckled a bit. "Oh, no need to get jealous, Subaru. You're technically already an anime protagonist."
"Shut it."
Erik looked towards everyone else. "Should we be… writing this down?"
"If anyone can translate it, it would be the Greybeards," Solaire suggested.
Alea grabbed her journal from her pack. "I'm writing it down."
"Koviriis tiid hi lost vahlut. Oblaan los lov. Oblaan los nigh," the Dragon spoke.
"Maybe he's just hurling expletives?" Patches said.
"Something tells me that isn't the case," Subaru said, having a bad feeling about what the Dragon was saying.
"Well, thanks for... whatever that was," Erik thanked the Dragon.
The Stone Dragon said nothing more, as it kept watching the group… closely.
"Riiiiight… that's not totally creepy at all," Subaru said. "Let's head back to the Greybeards…"
"Good call, old chap," Siegmeyer said.
And so, the group head back to the surface, and make their way back up to the surface.
Authors' Notes: Those mushrooms pack quite the punch, huh?
For those of you wondering, this entire side-quest was just a visit to the Lake of Ash, a level in the first Dark Souls game. Also, the giant brown Dragon located at the bottom of the lake is one of my almost-favorite creatures within the franchise. (We also had him speak Dovahzul, which may be explained later on.) Anyways, comment time!
5queso: Yep, the last chapter was all about Emilia, this one is about Subaru and the rest of our cast (but mostly Subaru). When it comes to Subaru, I think that the College will be respectful of him, but ask him nicely to not use his magic around them. (Yeah, I think that is the most likely possibility.)
SenSlice: The reason Soul Magic is frowned upon is because of how a person accesses it in this continuity. Also, necromancy is always usually persecuted against. (Yeah, plus in this continuity, Soul Gems have been outlawed across both Tamriel and Ali'rasi) And as for what happened to Puck; he died fighting Melakuera, we already established that.
Kfhjoofff: I mean, there are Elves in Winterhold, so Emilia isn't that much of an outsider. And yes, Capella and her crew are hanging around in Gusteko, we'll see her soon.
And now, for the last bit of shilling…
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Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!
- Ernalore & Infinite the Celestian