//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The God of Death // by TenebrisScholar //------------------------------// Eventually the sun started to rise and Alric decided he had walked far enough. He’d been walking all night. They had to be miles from the dead village by now. This was as good a place as any to make a residence for himself while he was stuck in this world. He would have liked to get permission from whatever king or lord owned the land before making his home so there wouldn’t be any disputes over land or some such nonsense but so be it. If there was a problem, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it “Little ones, it is time to wake.” He said, shaking the fillies in his arms gently. They both groaned and grumbled. “Come now. I understand you didn’t get as much sleep as you should have during the night, but the sun has risen. It is time to awaken.” Alric told them. Luna grumbled and stubbornly kept her eyes closed. It wasn’t long before she started snoring again. Celestia yawned and groggily opened her eyes. She looked up at him in confusion then surprise then sadness. “O-oh… It… It wasn’t a bad dream…?” She asked, distraught. Alric shook his head. “Sadly not… It was all quite real. And with your sister still struggling to awaken, let me just say, I am most impressed. You kept your composure well despite the tragic circumstance. You are quite strong for one so young.” Celestia sniffled and tears started rolling down her face. Alric could tell she was barely managing to stop herself from crying and waking her sister up. “Shh… It’ll be alright, child. The times may indeed be dark, however you still have your sister. And whilst you are within my care, I guarantee nothing shall happen to either of you. You shan’t lose anyone else, I swear it…” He tightened his arm around her a bit. She nuzzled her face into his chest, still trying not to cry too loudly. “I shall inform your sister in as gentle terms as possible what happened to your parents after you both have breakfast. So you needn’t hold back your tears much longer. However, I need to make a temporary shelter so that I might fix your breakfast for you. It shouldn’t be long.” Alric told her. He then knelt down and set her on the ground. “Luna, wake up. I realize it's early, but I need to set you down.” Alric said a bit louder this time, shaking her a little more to make her wake up. She whined and reluctantly opened her eyes. “Huh…? Where are we…?” She yawned. “Quite a long ways away from your village. Since the sun has risen, I have decided to stop here and make a shelter so that I might fix breakfast for you and your sister.” “Sleepy…” Luna muttered. Alric smiled at her. “You’ll have a chance to nap after I have finished. I simply need you to stay awake for a few minutes so that I may work.” “Okay…” She sighed groggily. Alric set her down next to Celestia who was still managing to stay strong for her younger sister. He then stood up and drew his tin crystallization catalyst. He preferred the power and precision this catalyst offered him over normal catalysts, even if it drained him more to use it. At least when it came to general use and crystal sorceries. He had other catalysts that were better with other forms of sorcery. Holding the catalyst in one hand he summoned his pyromancy flame with the other. With a massive stream of fire that made the fillies squeak in surprise and fear, he melted a large patch of snow revealing the ground underneath. He looked back at them and dispelled his pyromancy flame. He gave them an apologetic smile. “My sincerest apologies, little ones. I did not intend to startle you. I should have warned you I was going to cast such a spell. I simply needed to clear out a space to lay a proper foundation and that was the quickest and simplest way to do so. Just so you are not caught off guard again, next I am going to create a thick floor of crystal as well as walls and a roof. Nothing to be afraid of, I assure you.” He then looked at the clear patch of ground and raised his catalyst. Using the same magic as Seath used to create the crystal caverns behind the archives, Alric covered the ground in a solid slab of opaque blue crystal creating the foundation. He then stepped up onto the foundation and started constructing what he decided was going to be a guest house rather than his permanent residence. The girls watched from outside with their blankets still wrapped around them to keep them warm as he worked. He started with the outside walls, making them a foot thick so they could be good insulation in their own right without needing anything else done to them. Though he did have ideas for enchantments to make the building immune to the cold of the Windigos. He didn’t want his charges dying simply because a visitor got angry for whatever reason and attracted those spectral death beasts. Those abominations would have been hunted to utter extinction back in his world. Either by the Gods during or after the war with the dragons, or by kings who grew tired of their villages and cities being frozen. All because the tax man came to collect and there just so happened to be a bad harvest that year so the peasants got angry and their anger and hatred attracted the beasts. The Windigos were simply antithetical to how men and gods functioned and they would have died for it. A few might have been kept as pets by eccentric gods or kings, or as exhibits and test subjects within the halls of the College of Vinheim. However, those would be the very last of their kind. Not nearly enough to repopulate, let alone cause serious destruction on any scale. Regardless, that was all hypothetical and of no real consequence as they didn’t exist in his world. The thick outer walls would help retain heat in these arctic temperatures as long as the Windigos didn’t come. He would make extra preparations later for that potential threat, but it wasn’t something he needed to worry about right this second. In some of the walls he made thick panes of invisible crystal, much like the invisible pillars of crystal he had to walk across in the caverns. This provided an excellent view of the outside, and since the panes were almost as thick as the opaque parts of the walls, heat would not escape through them. He moved on to making the inner walls, creating rooms and doors. The doors were thick and heavy being made of crystal but they were the best he could do on short notice without taking time to make them from wood. He made a large sitting room with a fireplace, then a kitchen, a pantry, a storage room, and a study on the opposite side of the fireplace so that it would be heated by the thick crystal being warmed by the fire on the other side. Then he made stairs and worked on the upper floors. He made a couple bedrooms around the chimney so they too would be heated. The bedrooms were large enough to have multiple beds and hold several people at once since this was supposed to be a guest house. He also made a second smaller chimney for the crystal oven in the kitchen but he didn’t bother doing anything special with it since it wouldn’t be quite as useful for heating. Finally he made the roof. Shards of Crystal were sheared off as the slabs of the walls and roof rubbed against each other leaving broken pieces and crystal dust all over the place. He was going to have to clean that up so the fillies wouldn’t cut themselves on sharp bits of crystal but he could do that later. He went back downstairs and found the girls already inside and looking around a mix of awe and curiosity in their eyes. He walked over to the fireplace and started putting wooden clubs he had taken from corpses inside, which he subsequently lit on fire with a simple pyromancy. The clubs were the best firewood he had and he did have hundreds of them due to the bad habit of hoarding he developed early in his unlife due to paranoia he had developed after losing his weapons in battle on several occasions. He’d long since gotten over that particular issue but hadn’t bothered to clear out most of the useless junk from his bottomless box. “I take it you have not witnessed crystal sorceries like this before?” He asked them as he started the fire, already knowing the answer. Of course they hadn’t. Sorcery wasn’t something most common folk ever saw. Crystal sorcery even less so. Sorcery was something only the rich and highly educated learned, or those fortunate enough to be born into a family within the Dragon School of Vinheim as he had been. And crystal sorcery in particular was something Seath the Scaleless had invented. And Alric had stolen everything Seath had ever written after Big Hat Logan went mad after fulfilling his purpose and Alric had finally slain the great albino dragon. So the only ones who knew Seath’s crystal sorcery were himself and the handful of people he had taught. Celestia shook her head. “Uh-uh. Daddy was really good at magic but even he couldn’t make a house out of nothing.” “I wanna make pretty crystals! Can you teach me, please?” Luna requested excitedly. “Perhaps, little one. Crystal sorcery is quite advanced but I may consider it, should you have the talent and patience for it… Your father was able to use magic? He was a sorcerer?” Alric asked, surprised. A sorcerer living as a commoner? That was practically unheard of. The skills of a sorcerer were incredibly valuable so they would almost always end up in the military or in the courts of kings and nobility. Celestia shook her head. “Daddy wasn’t a wizard like you. He was really strong though! He had the strongest magic in our village! He even got an invitation from the city to join the group that control the sun and moon! We were supposed to go there next month…” “So knowledge of magic was common in your village?” He asked. “All unicorns can do magic. Mommy and daddy even taught us some! Watch!” Luna said. She closed her eyes and her horn started glowing with dark blue energy. A similar energy enveloped a particularly large chunk of crystal that was on the ground and suddenly it started levitating up. Luna had a look of intense concentration on her face as if lifting that chunk of crystal was incredibly difficult. She then opened her eyes, the aura around her horn vanished, and the crystal clattered to the ground. She panted tiredly for a moment then smiled at him proudly as if what she’d just done was impressive. Alric smiled at her and nodded. “Ah, I see. Very impressive, little one. Very impressive indeed for one so young… So those horns on your head serve an actual purpose. They act sort of like a sorcerer’s catalyst. How fascinating. To be born with a part that allows you to cast magic naturally… I shall admit, I’m almost envious. However, I do have one more question. What did you mean when you said your father was invited to join the group that raises the sun? Is there not a god or gods who control the cycle of day and night?” Alric asked, curious. In his world Gwyn raised the sun. And after Gwyndolin was born, he controlled the moon. Gwynevere was supposed to take over managing the sun after Gwyn left to link the fire, but time was shattered and the cycle of day and night was forever destroyed. Celestia shook her head. “Nuh-uh… A bunch of unicorns in the city work together to raise and lower the sun and moon every day, just like pegasi control the weather, and Earth Ponies grow food. The unicorns who control the sun and moon work for King Bullion and Princess Platinum, and only the strongest unicorns get invited! Daddy was so happy when he got the letter…” He raised a hand to his chin. “Hm… So, this place has no equivalent deity to Gwyn or Gwyndolin. Fascinating… Regardless, it's time I start fixing your breakfast. Be careful with the shards of crystal on the ground, they’re quite sharp. I shall have to clean them up but I shall get around to that in a bit.” With that he turned and headed to the pantry where he started unloading the crates and barrels from his bottomless box. “Wow… How does all of that fit in that tiny box?” Luna asked, amazed. Alric glanced behind him and saw the fillies had followed him to the pantry. “This is my bottomless box. It is capable of storing nigh limitless quantities of just about anything. Even things quite a bit larger than the box itself can fit inside, within certain limits. Such boxes are said to be the ultimate symbols of avarice by certain individuals. However, I find it quite convenient for carrying all of my possessions with me.” He explained as he searched through the supplies. One of the crates was full of hay, another had potatoes, and others had other vegetables. A couple even had fruits. The last few had salt, flour, barley, and malt. “I am unfamiliar with any dishes involving hay. Humans can’t digest it as your kind can. So I’m afraid I must make something else. And do forgive me if I am not the best cook. I know the fundamentals but I haven’t needed to cook in a very very long time.” He told them as he started gathering some ingredients to make a simple dish. He set up in the kitchen. Having no cooking utensils as he had no need of them before now he had to make everything from the pot to the bowls and utensils with his crystal sorcery. Except the knife. He had plenty of knives and daggers. It was better than nothing. He had to clean the oven of crystal shards and dust but that was done quickly. Not wanting to clean the ashes that would be left over if he used more wooden clubs he then summoned his pyromancy flame and made a simple fire in the burner for the stove top. Using some snow from outside for water, he decided to make a potato stew. It was simple enough and it would fill them up so it would work. As he cooked, he noticed Celestia had laid out the blankets she and Luna had been bundled in and Luna laid down on them for a nap. While her little sister slept, Celestia started picking up the shards of crystal littering the ground with her magic and carrying them outside. She could only hold so many at once so she had to make multiple trips per-spot, but she was trying. Already doing chores without even needing to be asked? That was far more than he had expected from a six year old child. She was surprisingly diligent. Her parents must have raised her well. Or… Perhaps she had too much responsibility thrust upon her from a young age? Either would make sense. He would have to tread carefully in case it was the latter rather than the former. “Celestia, you needn’t carry the rubble all the way out. Simply gather it into a pile. As I lack cleaning implements to offer you, that should be a tad less effort on your part. I shall take care of the rest later.” Alric told her. “Alright.” She called back. If only he had a broom or a feather duster, he could just give her that and let her sweep instead. But he didn’t. He hadn’t had a proper home in tens of thousands of years if not longer, so why would he? Since he was going to have to research a way to return to his reality, he was going to be staying in one place for some time. So he would have to acquire cleaning implements or make them himself. He did have feathers he had collected to make fletchings for arrows, so he could use those to make a duster. One thing at a time, however. As he continued to cook he thought to himself. He would also have to study their horns and learn how they functioned. If he could replicate that effect in himself, perhaps turning his arms or hands into catalysts. That would be incredibly convenient. He could just cast sorceries with a flick of his wrist as he could with pyromancies. All he would need then would be to find a way to accomplish the same with talismans and he would have access to all three magics at a whim. Four, technically, if one counted abyssal magics as their own separate category. Of course he could just consume the Lord Souls to cast miracles without a talisman just as the Gods could. Even just one of the souls would work. But no. He needed to keep them separate from himself. If he ended up going hollow, he didn’t want to have assimilated one or more of the Lord Souls before his fall. Because if he did, he would become nigh unstoppable. He was already as powerful as a Lord. So if he had even one of the Lord Souls and went hollow it would be a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. The power of two or more lords in a singular being. He would be the most powerful creature to have ever existed and he would be an utter nightmare of a hollow. It was not something he was willing to risk. That was the exact reason why he hadn’t done so up until this point. He had merely borrowed their power while keeping them separate from himself. When he was finished cooking the stew he made a slab of crystal supported by four smaller pillars of crystal for something like a table the girls could sit at so they wouldn’t have to eat off the floor. He couldn’t make it too large as he didn’t know how chairs would work for them so all three of them would have to settle for sitting on the ground for now. The three of them sat down and had breakfast. Though he didn’t need to eat, Alric joined them to make them more comfortable as it would seem quite odd if he was the only one not eating. It was quite interesting watching the two fillies use telekinesis to use their spoons. Telekinesis was a fairly simple spell but most sorcerers favored their hands, not wanting to waste the mental resources on maintaining the spell. But for a species without hands it made sense that they would rely quite heavily on it. And as a result it seemed their kind had refined the magic to be significantly more efficient than the telekinetic spells he knew. It was almost as efficient for them as using hands was for a human. “I’ve never heard of humans before. Where are you from?” Luna asked. “You wish to hear of my homeland?” Alric inquired, as he took a bite of the potato stew. It was a little over cooked but it wasn’t bad for his first time attempting to cook in centuries. “Mhm… It used to be warmer here before the Windigos showed up. What’s it like where you’re from?”  “Hm… Well, to be honest I’ve been away from my homeland for so long I can’t remember much about it. As I told you both last night I am old. Very old. Far, far older than I look. It has been so very long that I can’t even remember the names or faces of my parents or my siblings… I spent most of my life traveling, searching for a cure for a curse cast upon my people. I can tell you all about so many different places. Lordran, Anor Londo, New Londo, the Ringed City, Thorolund, Astora, Carim, Lost Izalith, even ancient Oolacile. But my home… Vinheim…” He sighed and shook his head, the memories of his time in Vinheim far beyond his grasp.  Realizing he was about to go off and drag them down speaking of his own issues when they were already suffering from their own, he stopped himself. Instead he gave them a big smile. “So how about I tell you some stories of my travels instead? Perhaps the story of how I met my blood-sisters?” “Blood sisters? What’s that?” Luna asked, curiously. “Didn’t you just say you didn’t remember your family?” Celestia inquired, confused. “Well, their parents are not mine. I was not raised with them. I saved Quelaan from a terrible affliction and reunited her with her real sister Quelana. We each cut our palms and held each other's hands to mix our blood. Ceremonially declaring ourselves siblings through right of blood oath.” Alric explained, mimicking the cutting of his hand with his finger and then clasping his hands together to try and show them what he meant. They both seemed somewhat scared and disgusted by that. He smiled at them. “Hahaha! It’s not that bad, little ones. We had healing magics at our disposal and it was a symbol of our bond. You could say we were such close friends Quelana and Quelaan both agreed to accept me as their brother! But that explains very little. So please allow me to start from the beginning… Ah, but you need context for who Quelana and Quelaan are… So allow me to start with this.” He cleared his throat. “In the Age of Ancients, the world was unformed. Shrouded by fog… A land of Gray Crags, Arch Trees, and Everlasting Dragons… But then there was fire and with fire came disparity. Heat and cold, life and death, and of course light and dark… Then from the dark they came and found the souls of Lords within the flame. Nito, the First of the Dead and God of Death. The Witch of Izalith and her daughters of Chaos, the Goddess of Life. Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight and his faithful Knights, the God of Light. And the Furtive Pygmy, Manus the God of the Dark, so easily forgotten.” The girls were listening intently. He had their attention. Smiling he continued, “With the strength of Lords they challenged the dragons. Gwyn’s mighty bolts of lightning peeled apart their stone scales. The Witches weaved great fire storms. Nito unleashed a miasma of death and disease. And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own. And the dragons were no more.” “But… Mommy and Daddy told us the dragons live somewhere in the east in a volcano?” Luna asked, confused. “I believe I may be from a different world. I was sent to this world through arcane means, but that is another story. In my world, the dragons have been all but eradicated. Save a few that were strong, clever, or lucky enough to survive the war. Regardless, they aren’t quite relevant. My blood sisters are part of this story. They are two of the daughters of the Witch of Izalith. Quelana and Quelaan. Ancient goddesses who waged war against the evil everlasting dragons alongside their mother and other sisters.” He told them. “Your sisters are goddesses?” Celestia asked curiously. “Indeed. Daughters of the Witch of Izalith. Their flame sorceries are truly astonishing. Far different than any traditional sorcery as derived from the arcane works of Seath. Ah, but I digress. I was telling you the story of how I met them. Well, it all started when I was exploring a building in a land called Lordran, where I met a man by the name Laurentius. A bunch of cannibals had captured him and stuck him in a barrel! I slew the cannibals and freed him, of course. We became fast friends. He taught me the art of pyromancy.” Alric proceeded to explain how he eventually surpassed Laurentius, met Quelana, and became her apprentice. He of course left out how the Pyromancer went hollow. Then he explained the fall of Izalith and how the inhabitants were all turned into demons except for Quelana while Quelaag and Quelaan escaped only half corrupted. He skipped over how he slew Quelaag, simply saying she met an unfortunate end. He then explained how he met Quelaan and how she sacrificed her own wellbeing to help others who were suffering, so boundless was her kindness and generosity. Finally he explained how he joined her covenant and did everything within his power to ease her pain and prolong her life before he eventually cured her “It was then, after her sickness ailed her no more that she finally recognized that I was not her sister Quelaag. She was distraught when I informed her of the ill fate that befell Quelaag… But I managed to calm her by informing her that one of her sisters persisted, uncorrupted by the fires of chaos and with her sanity intact. It took quite a bit of persuasion on my part as Quelana was most reluctant but I managed to convince her to speak with Quelaan. And thus the two sisters separated by tragedy were once again reunited and their bond rekindled.” Alric finished his tale. “Yay!” Luna cheered happily. Even Celestia was smiling. Alric was glad. That was, of course, his goal. To cheer them up. “Though I acted altruistically without any intent or desire for a reward, I did indeed receive one. Perhaps the best I could have been given. A family. Though none of us held any romantic interest in each other and thus marriage was not even to be considered, we made a blood oath and solidified our bond as siblings. They accepted me as their brother as if I too had been born of the Witch of Izalith.” His smile grew and he leaned in a bit. “So, little ones, heed this well. Even in times where all seems lost, never give up hope. For just as with Quelaan’s sickness, there is always a solution. Quelaan inspired me with her kindness and generosity, and thus I strove to emulate her and cure her illness by any means necessary with no thought of a reward anywhere within my mind. I merely knew I could not allow such a virtuous being to suffer so. And so too should you strive to be like her. For with those two key virtues, kindness and generosity, you shall always be able to find friends and those who shall love and cherish you forevermore. Just as Eingyi and Kirk the Knight of Thorns love and cherish Quelaan.” “Um… Could you tell us another story? I really want to hear more about Quelaan.” Celestia requested shyly. “Of course! I’d be more than happy to! But you two have hardly touched your stew since I started telling my story. It’s gotten cold. Worry not, I can warm it for you quite easily, but I wouldn’t want it getting cold again. So let’s make a deal, shall we? I shall tell you more tales of Quelaan and you shall finish your breakfast. What say you?” Alric offered, Both Celestia and Luna nodded enthusiastically. “Delightful! Oh, but what story to tell… Perhaps something a bit more humorous? Ah! I know. How about I tell you the story of the time I accidentally walked in on Quelaan and Kirk having a romantic moment and ended up being chased halfway across the swamp? Oh she was quite cross with me. Ended up hanging me in a web for what must have been three days! Hahaha!” They continued to talk until after the fillies had finished their breakfast. Then Alric prepared himself, knowing it was time. He waited until after he finished the next story he was telling them “So… Little ones, now that you have warmth, shelter, and food in your bellies I believe it’s time. Celestia, you saw the truth last night as you looked when I had asked you to shut your eyes.” Celestia slumped a bit and her eyes started welling with tears. Luna noticed this and looked at her older sister in confusion. “Sissy? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Alric paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. “Luna, you were a very good child and kept your eyes closed so you did not have to see it. So I will tell you now, my reason for asking you to close your eyes was a deception, and I sincerely apologize for my lie. However, know that my reason for lying was ultimately to protect you. Now that you are safe, I will be honest with you. Last night when I came to your village, everyone else in your village had already frozen to death. You two were the only survivors. I told you to keep your eyes closed so that you would not have to see the frozen corpses.” Luna’s eyes started to widen. She looked at Alric then at Celestia who had started crying. “Wh-what…? B-but… Mommy… Daddy… Where are mommy and daddy…?” “They were by your side when I found you. Both were already dead. There was nothing I could do. I was able to save you two only because the blankets piled upon you had kept you alive long enough for me to arrive. It is practically a miracle you two survived.” He explained. Luna shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes. “N-no! You… You’re lying! You big meanie! You said mommy and daddy left! Where are they?!” The filly demanded. “No. I only told you that they were gone, child. That they were in a better place. Celestia asked me if they went to get help, and I said no. I lied about why I wanted you to close your eyes as I didn’t want you to have to see the corpses, but I never lied about them being alive.” “No! Give them back! Give Mommy and Daddy back!” Luna shouted, throwing her now empty bowl at him. He let it hit him. He barely felt it. He reached across the table and grabbed the crying filly. She thrashed in his grip and screamed and cried. Then he pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. “I’m sorry, little one. But they are gone. I’m so sorry…” Luna continued to thrash and yell in his grip, not wanting to believe him. Holding Luna in a hug with one arm, Alric looked over at Celestia and held open his other arm for her offering her a hug as well. Celestia, knowing the truth, walked around the table of her own volition and accepted the embrace, crying into Alric’s robe. The chosen undead held the two distressed fillies for a long while. Whispering to them and trying to comfort them. Eventually Luna’s anger and denial started to calm down and she just started crying. He continued to hold them until Luna had cried herself to sleep and Celestia eventually started to calm down and regain her composure. At that point Alric laid Luna’s sleeping form down on the blankets she had been napping on and started cleaning while Celestia laid down cuddled up with her little sister.