Chapter Eighteen: The Lich King
~BlackRoseRaven
The Chancellor led them through a series of intricate, gorgeously-carved passages: the deeper they went, the more beautiful they became, although Blueblood couldn't help but shiver at the fact that in spite of the statues, the tapestries, the beautiful lanterns and marble ceilings... it all felt like they were just heading deeper and deeper into a tomb.
That feeling only grew worse when they approached a set of massive concrete doors, which were guarded by a pair of heavily-armored knights with axes. They both bowed their heads to the Chancellor when he approached before the robed unicorn suddenly spun around, glaring at the two ponies as Sleipnir cocked his head curiously and Blueblood hid behind the enormous stallion. “You will present yourselves properly to the Lich King. You will be respectful, and you will not make demands of him. You will follow all rules of decorum that are given to you, and you will obey his word as law. Do I make myself clear?”
“Oh, aye. But I cannot make any promises all the same, my friend. For thou sees, I am most excitable and rather bad at listening. I shall certainly try my best to keep all thou hast given me to do in mind, but... such things have never been very easy for me.” Sleipnir admitted, and the Chancellor gave him a sour, moody look before the earth pony added brightly: “But Blue has much more experience with such diplomacy than I! Aye, Blue, perhaps thou should speak to the Lich King for us!”
Blueblood only gave a strangled laugh at this, and Sleipnir huffed before looking over his shoulder, grumbling: “Oh, fie on thee. Here I am, attempting to give thee a fair share of our work, and now of all times thou refuses it. But fine, very well. I shall meet thy Lich King with all the politeness I can muster in mine body.”
“I do hope that is much more than I've seen so far.” the Chancellor said moodily, and then he turned towards the doors, raising his staff calmly as both it and his eyes glowed.
The enormous concrete slabs both rumbled, then slowly began to slide apart, Blueblood staring in awe... awe, that quickly turned to horror as Sleipnir cheerfully tromped forwards and almost knocked the Chancellor sprawling as he brushed past, heading fearlessly into the polished room beyond without waiting to be announced.
All Blueblood could do was stare, then wince and hurry after the earth pony as Sleipnir looked back and forth through the pillared throne room, whistling at its magnificence: every inch of it seemed almost to shine, reflecting the light of the torches that danced with ever-burning, magical flame. On either side of the throne room were long benches, stacked like bleachers and filled with spirits and magnificently-dressed undead, who all stared curiously towards the interloper.
Sleipnir only smiled warmly, walking down the red carpet in the center of the room until he stopped on a slightly-raised section of flooring that sat in front of a raised dais. His eyes roved up respectfully to the figure that sat in an immense throne of crystal and gold: a unicorn with a bladed horn and gemstone-green eyes, his hooves tented in front of himself and beautiful, kingly robes flowing around his body, his long white mane spilling out from beneath the gorgeous golden crown he wore and his coat a pale, flaxen blond. An amulet hung from his neck, inset with a beautiful red gemstone: a blood ruby, if Sleipnir's sharp eyes could be trusted.
“Hail to thee! I am Sleipnir, and 'tis a pleasure to make the acquaintance of thyself and thy court!” Sleipnir said in a friendly voice, nodding firmly before he paused and reached back behind him, and Blueblood yelped as he was yanked forwards and set firmly down beside the stallion. “This is my partner in adventuring, Blue. We did not mean to trespass into thy lands, and first of all I wish to apologize if my presence caused any alarm. But I wish for thee to know that I have come only for a certain type of rare crystal. Seeing that this is all thy magnificent kingdom, however, 'tis only fair that we do business, and I wish offer up what I can in trade and tribute.”
The Lich King gave a quiet laugh, and then he bowed his head politely before replying in a charming, sonorous voice: “Sleipnir, is it? My, that's quite a strange aura you have about you... and so charming! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance...”
He paused for a moment as his Chancellor stormed into the hall to take his place grumpily by the throne, and then the Lich King continued pleasantly: “I suppose that I have not been introduced by name, however: it is Auros. It grows dreadful, being referred to so often as the 'Lich King;' it's not as if I need a reminder of what I am, do I?”
The Lich King chuckled quietly, and then he sat back as Sleipnir replied kindly: “I am sure thy subjects mean their best for thee. Thou hast clearly organized thy kingdom quite well, after all, and they seem a strong and hardy lot. I was most impressed by the craft and structure of the tunnel systems... and of course, 'tis very pleasant to see they work so peacefully and well together.”
“Oh, yes. We are ever-expanding our borders... trying to bring a bit more room and cheer to this rather dismal place. It's dreary, having to live under the ground... but so few ponies are like yourself, Sleipnir. Embracing of us, rather than afraid of us.” the Lich King said easily, even as his eyes flicked measuringly towards Blueblood, studying him intently. “I have a duty to try and keep my subjects safe and happy, after all.”
“Aye, and thou art a fine jarl for recognizing it.” Sleipnir said agreeably, and then he smiled as he looked back and forth at the benches filled with the curious dead. “I see many lords and ladies, but I have only seen a few knights and warriors... although I know, of course, that the members of thy court are all likely quite powerful in their own regards, and require little to defend them. Still, I must admit that I am curious: where are all thy defenders?”
“We have little need for them.” The Lich King smiled, as if particularly pleased about something as he sat back in his throne. “Your sharp eyes did not deceive you, Sleipnir. There are few warriors or soldiers here: only a smattering, and more for the sake of appearances than anything else. A few guards to open doors and defend crucial areas, but as for the rest... well, even my meanest citizen is quite capable of defending himself.
“Besides, there are no foes here to fight: that is the entire point of this kingdom, tucked peacefully away beneath a barren tundra upon which ponies no longer dare to tread. I have built a charitable and prosperous community here... one that I hope, in time, will truly become worthy of the title of 'kingdom,' which I know is far too proud a name for our modest little village at the moment.” the Lich King continued pleasantly, gesturing slowly with one hoof. “But come. You said you had business with me, yes?”
Sleipnir nodded, replying easily: “Aye, that is correct. I would ask to take a look at thy stores of crystal, if it would be possible: I need crystals of the highest and purest quality for a project of great magnitude I am in the process of working on. 'Tis old magic.”
“Old magic?” The Lich King visibly perked up at this, leaning forwards as his eyes gleamed with interest. “You'll excuse me, but even with that strange aura you have about you, I can't begin to imagine that an earth pony could be suitably versed in the ancient forms of magic... unless, of course, you're speaking of crafting and runic arts...”
The enormous earth pony shrugged modestly, and then he replied equably: “'Tis an amalgamation of things, really. But thou could say that I grew up with very talented siblings: I am better versed in most forms of magic than many, in spite of the fact that I cannot cast such spells myself without the aid of a wand.”
The Lich King rubbed thoughtfully at the underside of his muzzle, asking curiously: “A wand? But surely such things are only myth: in all the years I've spent alive, I have never once met an earth pony capable of using magic, no matter what kind of amplifier he held...”
Sleipnir, however, simply smiled and shrugged again, saying cheerfully: “Well, I am from a much further place than many of the ponies thou has seen, that is all. The knowledge I have is a little different, that is all... perhaps that is the source of my true advantage.”
Auros sat back in his throne, looking meditative as he tapped his hooves together a few times before finally nodding and saying thoughtfully: “You require crystal... and I have a great thirst for knowledge, my friend. I fear there is a rather difficult obstacle that stands in the way of us both, however, as eager as I am for us to exchange treasure and tribute...”
Sleipnir tilted his head curiously, asking with interest: “Oh? I must admit I am rather curious as to what that could be, Auros. 'Tis not as if thy people have not been perfectly friendly and helpful.”
“You will refer to him as King Auros or Lord Auros!” snapped the Chancellor, raising his staff and shaking it angrily.
“Well, alright. Most of thy citizenry have been perfectly friendly and helpful, Auros.” Sleipnir corrected, with a gleam of mischief in his eye.
The Chancellor glowered furiously, but the Lich King sat back in his throne with an entertained smile, clapping his front hooves together as he said kindly: “Oh, do not worry. Poor Sageworm only tends to be a little bit excitable, that is all. But he is invaluable to my council. We all need someone who knows the rules and laws inside out, don't we?”
Sleipnir, to Blueblood's surprise, nodded in agreement. “Oh aye. So long as that pony does not have to be me, of course. But mine eldest sister was the same way, and she always made the finest of leaders. 'Tis not at all humble of me, but I like to think that she and I tempered each other well. But then, again, I must ask: what is the problem?”
The Lich King looked at Sleipnir thoughtfully for a few seconds, slowly becoming more serious before he finally gave a hesitant nod. “Yes, I suppose that... it won't do any harm to tell you.”
All the same, he was quiet for another moment, judging and measuring Sleipnir with his gaze before he said quietly: “Every kingdom has its dissidents. Even my kingdom: for all those you have seen are not slaves or servants, but they have free will, minds of their own. It can make them more difficult to work with at times, oh certainly, but I like to think that I have acquired some wisdom over the years, and their freedom is part of what I deem wise.”
“Aye, 'tis, and truly, thy wisdom shows, Auros.” Sleipnir agreed warmly, bowing his head politely for a moment before he looked up with a smile. “From the first, when I saw one of your citizens looking at us with surprise, I knew that 'twas fellow ponies we were dealing with. Not mindless beasts or abominations, but only people and ponies. It gladdened my heart.”
Auros looked pleased at this, sitting back in his throne before Sleipnir asked candidly: “But I suspect that as thou gave all the gift of freedom, some have taken it for granted, or given thee only spite in return, is this so?”
“That is... close enough to the truth, yes.” the Lich King replied delicately, and then he sighed a little, gesturing off to the side vaguely. “Only a few weeks ago, there was a... I suppose you would call it an uprising of sorts. It did not last very long, and nor was it very violent. But it did cause some damage to the eastern bloc before we were able to contain the rioters. Unfortunately, they chose to seal off one of the checkpoints, a... a safety structure of sorts that acts like a tunnel between areas, heavily fortified to protect my citizens in the event of a cave-in. The area they sealed themselves in is a deeper section of the mine, where the largest veins of crystal are accessed and raw materials are stored.”
Sleipnir nodded thoughtfully, and Blueblood hesitated before he asked uncertainly: “Why haven't you tried to drive them out, then? It all sounds very valuable...”
The Chancellor grumbled something about impertinence, but the Lich King smiled, raising a soothing hoof to the blue-robed unicorn. “No, that is a fair question. But you are mortal, are you not? Mortals, with their short lives, have no patience and have to act hastily to ensure they get anything done... but I and my subjects are not limited by time. No, while the dissidents have their... time out... I would much rather see the rest of my kingdom worked on, and there are still plenty of raw materials to be mined as we hollow out these caverns. And I am certain that in time, some of them would come to reflect upon the error of their ways, and they would return to me, to make their apologies and face judgment.”
“And how would thou judge them?” Sleipnir asked with interest.
The Lich King only smiled pleasantly, however, bowing his head as he gestured out with both hooves and said charmingly: “Well, we all make mistakes, do we not? No one was hurt, not more than a few broken bones anyway... and I'm certain you must know how little that means to many of my friends. Easily repaired. As long as they apologize in earnest, all fences are easily mended still. After all, they're really nothing but... upset children to me. And a child who recognizes his wrongdoing should be rewarded, not punished.”
Sleipnir smiled, but Blueblood felt a strange shiver at the Lich King's magnanimosity. He was too generous, too charming, too... nice. Blue honestly couldn't even imagine his Auntie Celestia just letting an uprising slide without punishing those involved somehow, even if it would just be a stern lecture on what they'd done wrong...
But Sleipnir went along with it, bowing his head and saying courteously: “'Tis truly a great act of kindness upon thy part, Auros. Aye, I see why all here must respect thee as their king. Thou art a fine leader of this peaceful place.”
The Lich King smiled pleasantly, and then Sleipnir said in a gentle but insistent voice: “However, I also fear that I require these materials quite badly. I hope dearly not to leave here empty-hooved, for as thou hast said, mortals' lives are short, and things must be done with haste. Perhaps thou and I can come to an agreement, however: if thou has other crystals available and there is work to be done, I would be happy to do it, or share what else I could in trade.”
“Oh, but that's just it, Sleipnir, there are no other stores of crystal, not of the type you're looking for, at least.” the Lich King replied with a shake of his head. “The rest of the crystals are already being put to use, or are in the process of being reshaped...”
The Lich King paused, then said in a slow voice: “Of course, there is something you could possibly do, but... I would feel unfair asking it. Still, if your need is very great, I also can't see how I couldn't at least put forwards this possible suggestion...”
Sleipnir cocked his head curiously as Blueblood felt a distinct sinking feeling in his gut, before Auros leaned forwards and tented his hooves, saying solemnly: “I do not desire to put the lives of my subjects at risk, so you must promise me you will not use more force than is necessary in this endeavor, but if you were to say... act as my hoof, and go to the eastern bloc, to speak with these rioters and perhaps bring them to their senses, I would be in your debt. And if you were able to apprehend those in charge, well. All the crystals in this cavern would not be enough to repay you.”
Sleipnir smiled benevolently at this, saluting easily and saying warmly: “'Tis an honor to do the work of a noble jarl such as thyself, and I have been told often that while I am not very tactful, I am very good at making friends. So I shall be more than happy to oblige. Thou needs not give up thy wares for this meager task, though: when I return with news of the dissidents, then we shall do business.”
“You are truly a noble stallion, Sleipnir. If only there were more ponies like you on the surface world, myself and my kind would not have to build this safe underground kingdom.” the Lich King said kindly, gesturing towards the stallion. “Chancellor Sageworm, please attend to our new friends. See that they are given all that they require for this task.”
Sageworm grumbled under his breath, then he gave a tired sigh and nodded grumpily. “As you command, my lord. Sleipnir, Blue, if you will follow me, please. The Lich King has spoken.”
“Aye, he has, but I have yet to say farewell to him.” Sleipnir said positively, and then he smiled up at the Lich King, who was looking down at the earth pony with entertainment from his throne. “Fare thee well, Auros. I shall speak with thee before the morn breaks, mark my words.”
Auros chuckled, then he rose a hoof and said kindly: “Fare well, Sir Sleipnir, and companion Blue. I have nothing but faith in both of you for this endeavor.”
The Chancellor sighed again in exasperation as he strode towards the doors, staff floating along beside him, and Sleipnir and Blue both bowed to the Lich King before turning and following the blue-robed unicorn out.
The moment the doors began to close, the Chancellor glared over his shoulder at them, growling: “Now listen, the both of you. There is a certain decorum and etiquette expected in this place. You are not permitted to explore willy-nilly as you please, any more than you are allowed to go above or beyond the directives of the Lich King. I will have an escort bring you to the eastern bloc, and once there, you will do whatever you have to in order to deal with the dissidents. Speak with them, capture them, eradicate them, I do not care. Just take care of the problem, understood?”
Sleipnir only looked kindly down at the Chancellor before he said gently: “We shall do what must be done, 'tis all. But I must admit that I am curious, friend: why is it that thou seems so nervous?”
Sageworm's glowing eyes widened slightly, and then he spun quickly away, growling under his breath before he slammed the butt of his staff several times against the ground, shouting: “Lock! Shock! Barrel! I know you're there!”
There was an awkward silence for a moment before one, two, three skeletons poked their heads anxiously out from around the corner, looking lamely at the Chancellor before he gestured grumpily over his shoulder with his staff at Sleipnir. “Take this idiot to the eastern bloc, then stand outside and wait for him, since you apparently have nothing better to do.”
“Well, uh. The trolley is broken, and the minecart at the entrance has to be reset, so I really don't have anything to do.” Lock said lamely.
“There's no one for the greeting committee to greet! Well, apart from these two, but they're mortals and all and... you know. That's weird, even for us.” Shock whined.
“I got thrown out of work.” Barrel finished, before he winced as his mask flopped down over his face, and Blue couldn't help but give a short laugh at the sight of it: the thin white wood was badly painted to look like a smiling skeleton's skull... which was precisely what Barrel was anyway.
Chancellor Sageworm slowly lowered his face into a hoof, looking pained before he said moodily: “Just do as I have asked.”
The trio of skeletons hurriedly saluted, and Sleipnir smiled amusedly before striding past the Chancellor, saying easily: “Fear not, my friends. I shan't cause thee too much trouble and 'twill be pleasant to have such nice company on the walk. Right, Blue?”
“Uh. Sure.” Blueblood said awkwardly, looking uncertainly at the skeletons: sure, they weren't all that threatening, but he still didn't quite exactly why Sleipnir was treating them so... naturally. Because they were anything but natural.
He bit his lip uneasily, but then followed quickly after the enormous earth pony as the trio of skeletons stumbled around and hurried down the tunnel. And as always, Sleipnir started to ramble, starting up the weirdest, most natural conversation with the skeletons that Blueblood had ever heard...
This whole place was starting to drive him crazy, though: and now what, they were supposed to be acting like... messenger colts or assassins, just so they could get their hooves on a bit of crystal? Blueblood shivered and only hoped that it was worth it, because more and more, this whole sprawling underground city was feeling just like one giant tomb... and Heaven, did he ever hate tombs.
It was a twenty minute walk before they finally reached a large set of double doors in the wall, which had been marked off by several signs and chained shut. Blueblood looked uneasily at these chains, biting his lip worriedly: you didn't have to be a genius to know someone outside of the tunnels had done that, not inside.
Lock, Shock, and Barrel were all standing nervously on one side of the large armored doors, the three trading worried looks before Lock finally said apprehensively: “I don't... know if you really want to go in there, dude...”
“Yeah, there's... well... there's something wrong with those guys. They're not like the rest of us. They remind me of our old boss.” Shock added after a moment.
Barrel nodded fervently in agreement. “And our old boss was even nastier than the Lich King. N-Not... n-not that the Lich King is ever mean or anything!”
The trio of skeletons all winced and looked wildly back and forth, but Sleipnir only smiled kindly before he agreed: “Aye, Auros seems like a very pleasant, charming stallion. So I am eager to do well here, and hopefully earn thy lord's favor. He seems to have the best interests of all of thee in mind, after all.”
The trio of skeletons all laughed bitterly at this, looking between each other like Sleipnir had just told some kind of sick joke, and the earth pony cocked his head before asking curiously: “What is this? Why, Auros seemed most personable when I spoke to him. But I suppose ill rumors must plague even the kindest of benefactors...”
“You could say that.” Lock mumbled, and then he winced when Shock smacked him as Barrel only looked embarrassedly away. “What? It's true. I'm not saying anything that isn't true or even really talking about the Lich King at all.”
“Aye, 'tis best not to speak ill of our noble lords, especially when they are so kind.” Sleipnir agreed with a nod and a smile, but then he asked carefully: “All the same, however, I must admit that I cannot help but indulge in gossip like a filly, and if there are any rumors concerning those upon high, well... I would be most interested in hearing them.”
The trio of skeletons looked at each other, then quickly huddled, mumbling between themselves as Blue stared for a moment at Sleipnir, admittedly caught off guard by his guile. And a moment later, Shock hesitantly poked her head up from the group as the other skeletons lowered their own, the mare skeleton peering back and forth before she rose a hoof and whispered: “Well, rumor has it that the high guard herded all of the dissenters into the eastern bloc and sealed them in for a reason... there's something evil in there. Something else that You Know Who created just to deal with anyone who disagreed with him...”
Sleipnir nodded thoughtfully as Blueblood winced immediately, looking fearfully at the door before the earth pony smiled and said easily: “But 'tis only a rumor, aye? And rumors are silly things we should not pay attention to... unless we find some truth behind them.”
Sleipnir paused, then asked curiously: “Tell me, where did all of thee come from? Wert thou created by the Lich King or wert thou all drawn here? 'Tis important for me to know so I can better deal with these 'dissenters,' as it were.”
“Uh...” Lock traded dumb looks with his fellow skeletons, and then he finally said hesitantly: “Well, I guess it's about half and half, really. The uh... the 'quieter' ones were all made by the Lich King. But then there's the rest of us, who were born outside the deathless kingdom but got dragged here one way or another...”
“Sometimes literally.” Barrel added bluntly, and then he winced when Shock shoved him and shushed him hurriedly.
Sleipnir smiled at this, nodding a few times before he said kindly: “Thy help has been invaluable already. Thou hast my thanks, from the bottom of my heart. Now, Blue, prepare thyself. I fear that whatever awaits us within may not be as receptive to our presence as I had first hoped.”
Blueblood grimaced, but then he drew his silver sword, shivering a little as he strode quickly up behind Sleipnir as the earth pony headed to the doors to start unwinding the chain from around the handles, the unicorn muttering: “Listen, we don't have to do this... I'll... I'll write a letter to Auntie to let her know about this place and to ask if the Magic Academy has these crystals in stock... they must, they do all sorts of experiments there-”
“Nay, nay. This is our journey together, and I shan't be deterred. Besides, we cannot run from danger, Blue: we had this conversation already, did we not?” Sleipnir asked gently, and the younger stallion gritted his teeth before Sleipnir gave a kind smile. “So come. Let us venture onwards. Besides, I have never been one to leave behind those in need.”
“Those... those in need? They're skeletons!” Blueblood said disbelievingly, gesturing towards Lock, Shock, and Barrel as the trio of undead looked dumbly up... and then the unicorn winced as Sleipnir turned one of his rare looks of disapproval on the stallion.
“Aye, they are. They are also people, as much as thou or I, and feel as clearly as thou or I do.” Sleipnir replied pointedly, and the prince awkwardly dropped his head, nodding lamely before Sleipnir sighed and reached up, squeezing his shoulder gently. “Would thou say that Invidia is any less a person these days than I or thou?”
“Well... no.” Blueblood admitted after a moment, shaking his head before he opened his mouth to complain how that was different... but after a few seconds, he simply nodded awkwardly as he realized that no, maybe it wasn't so different after all, really.
He finally gave a lame smile, and Sleipnir smiled warmly back before he said gently: “Good. Now then, 'tis time for us to work.”
With that, he yanked the chain free from the doors and tossed it aside before grasping the handles and tearing them open... then immediately scowled at what he saw, eyes darkening as Blueblood winced back and dropped his sword in front of himself almost like a shield.
The tunnel beyond was lined with both broken bones and pieces of rotting corpse, and Sleipnir grimaced as he stepped slowly into the passage before narrowing his eyes at the doors on the other side. They had been torn open by some tremendous force, one hanging halfway off its hinge, and the earth pony shook his head slowly before he murmured: “There is something wicked here.”
Blueblood only gave a short laugh at this, and then he shivered a little before nervously following after Sleipnir as the earth pony strode carefully down the tunnel. The prince did his best to keep his eyes forwards, breathing slowly and trying to swallow his fear as they strode slowly through this passageway filled with the dead, following carefully in Sleipnir's wake.
They were quiet as they approached the other side of the tunnel, and the enormous earth pony halted here for a moment to inspect the broken doors, studying them with interest before he rubbed a hoof slowly along a large set of claw marks. He studied these for a few moments as Blueblood looked uncomfortably at the earth pony, and then Sleipnir nodded and muttered: “'Tis quite large, whatever it is. We had best keep our eyes open.”
Blueblood nodded nervously, and then Sleipnir turned his attention ahead and strode onwards, looking back and forth with a frown. This set of caverns was far less elaborate than the ones they had seen so far, and while the main supports were all in place, there were still plenty of missing secondary supports, and the walls all looked raw, marked by tools only in a few rare places.
Sleipnir paused curiously at one side of the room, leaning down and studying a broken pickaxe intently for a few moments. Blueblood stopped behind him, nervously trying to peer over the stallion's shoulder, and the earth pony paused before slowly turning his eyes back to the unicorn, asking finally: “Aye? What is it?”
“I was about to ask you the same question.” Blueblood said after a moment, shifting awkwardly, and Sleipnir smiled at him before the unicorn dropped his head and muttered: “I don't like this. And I have no idea what you're doing.”
“I am merely looking at things. 'Tis about all I can do at the moment, after all.” Sleipnir said blandly, and Blueblood gave the earth pony a tired look. “Well, I do not see any beasts to smite nor ponies to reprimand nor anything else. Be on watch, Blue, but... there is no need for... for all this.”
Sleipnir gesticulated wildly with his hooves, and Blueblood scowled at him as he dropped his sword to a looser position at his side, saying irritably: “All this? Sleipnir, even you aren't stupid enough to believe that the Lich King-”
“Is anything but true to his word, aye.” Sleipnir said empathetically, glaring pointedly down at the unicorn, and Blueblood blinked before the earth pony said mildly: “Aye, it would not do to upset our gracious host, would it? Or to speak ill of him in his own kingdom. Nay, let us simply be about this task he has set for us and then return to him.”
Blueblood looked nervously back and forth, wondering uneasily if they were being watched and he just couldn't detect it. He decided the best course of action for now was just to nod his agreement, before he cleared his throat and asked apprehensively: “So did you... figure anything out?”
“Oh, nay, not much.” Sleipnir said mildly as he straightened and started onwards, and Blueblood sighed tiredly but recognized he simply wasn't going to get anything useful out of Sleipnir at this point. So he only followed along grumpily, keeping his eyes up as his silver sword gleamed at his side, as if reflecting his emotions.
They walked onwards through the twisting, curving passages, moving deeper through the tunnel system as Sleipnir grimaced a bit at how narrow it was becoming: but just as he began to feel claustrophobic from how tight the walls had closed in around them, the passage started to widen out again before they found themselves standing at a large fork.
Sleipnir frowned at this, looking back and forth as Blueblood hesitantly strode towards the right tunnel, looking down it before he said nervously: “There's no light this way...”
“Aye, and the torches are few and far between down this passage as well.” Sleipnir frowned a little, and then he gestured quickly at Blueblood. “Thou shall have to try and use Invidia's light spell again. Keep the bauble of light ahead of us on the path, light not ourselves but the road ahead. I do not trust the shadows between the torches.”
The prince grimaced a little, but then he gave a short nod before taking a slow breath and concentrating. His horn lit up with a bright glow that created a spotlight around them, but after a moment, a small white ball of light slowly lifted itself free from his horn and floated eerily ahead of them, casting a bright enough radiance around itself to light up the passage all around it.
Blueblood managed to halt it about ten feet away, where it floated quietly at the edge of his control. He closed his eyes for a moment as he continued to concentrate, keeping the sphere of light alive and glowing before he relaxed little-by-little, mumbling: “There. Ridiculous...”
“Oh, fear not. It has only been a few months, and 'tis quite a strange spell. I am only glad thou art able to cast it at all.” Sleipnir said positively, and Blueblood nodded hesitantly after a moment before the enormous earth pony lowered his head and said in a quieter voice: “But keep thy magic low and stealthy, if thou can.”
“Because of...” Blueblood stopped himself, but then he shivered and nodded uneasily. He didn't think that his magic would be of any use to something like a Lich, but maybe it was better not to take chances and just listen to Sleipnir for now.
They slowly headed down the tunnel, walking side-by-side as Blue kept the sphere of light floating ahead of them, quietly lighting the way. He shivered every time the light passed over a fallen corpse or a mangled skeleton, however, and with the oppressive, rocky walls looming in around them and the growing sensation of being watched, it was making it harder and harder for Blue not to just turn tail and flee as fast as he could.
Except with his luck, he'd end up running face-first into whatever the hell was lurking down here... and worse yet, Sleipnir would never let him live it down if he did try to cut and run. Blueblood smiled a bit despite himself at this thought: it was amazing how his biggest worry had gone from dying horribly to Sleipnir thinking less of him.
The unicorn sighed a little... then frowned uneasily as they reached what looked like a dead end, the sphere of light floating silently in front of the rock wall at the end of the passage. Sleipnir's own eyes narrowed, darting back and forth before Blueblood muttered: “Wonderful. So I suppose that-”
Then he winced when one of Sleipnir's hooves clapped over his mouth, the unicorn blinking and staring over at Sleipnir before the earth pony mouthed silently: “Quiet.”
Blueblood frowned uneasily, but nodded as the hoof pulled away from his muzzle before Sleipnir carefully gestured towards the wall, then made a sharp quenching gesture with both his hooves. And Blueblood frowned uneasily before he nodded again, the ponies slipping apart and both pressing tightly into the wall on either side of the passage.
Blueblood took a breath before extinguishing his magic... and then he clapped both front hooves over his muzzle, eyes widening in horror and nearly dropping his sword as he saw something hideous glowing in the darkness, staring blindly down the tunnel. Phosphorescent drool dripped from its jaws as it sat almost perfectly still, but parts of its body glimmered as if it had absorbed the light that they had accidentally shone over this huge, hunchbacked thing.
Its enormous, bulbous eyes rolled in its skull before it shivered and moved, and Blueblood heard the sound of gravel and dust pattering down off its body before it lumbered slowly forwards, breathing hungrily in it and out. It stared back and forth, but it didn't seem to be able to see very well through the darkness, the creature making a strange, low mooing before it began to stride away.
It stopped in the light of a torch, and now Blueblood could actually see the freakish thing: its hide was stony and rock-like, and visibly changed to match its surroundings as it moved. It gurgled loudly as it leaned down for a moment, pawing slowly at the ground in front of it before it began to lumber calmly onwards, breath rumbling loudly in and out.
The creature soon waddled out of sight, and Blueblood shivered a little before Sleipnir said moodily: “Damnation. Poor, tormented beast.”
“What... what was that thing? Was that what killed everyone?” Blueblood asked uneasily, looking fearfully down the stone passage, and then he winced in surprise when he felt a hoof grasp his shoulder, looking up and barely making out Sleipnir's bright chestnut eyes in the darkness.
“Aye, 'twas. But the creature is a victim itself, although... all we can do for the beast now, is put it gently to sleep should the chance present itself.” Sleipnir said softly, and then he shook his head slowly. “We must be careful, though. The creature is awake now, and on patrol. 'Twill be much more alert now that we have accidentally roused it from its slumbers.”
Blue nodded hesitantly, and then he winced as he stumbled over something in the dark, shivering a little and trying his hardest not to look down or think about what that might have been as the stallions made their way back down the tunnel. “So what... what precisely was it, Sleipnir?”
“”Twas a flesh golem. Grafted together from the parts of many different living creatures, and likely all it knows is pain and servitude. 'Tis a sad and miserable thing...” Sleipnir shook his head briefly, looking down for a few moments before he said almost solemnly: “But 'twill be very dangerous, and very strong. We must not underestimate the power of the sad, forlorn creature.”
“You sound so...” Blueblood bit his lip, not quite knowing how to phrase it, and Sleipnir only gave a wry smile before he nodded slowly as they stepped into a pool of torchlight.
“Aye, I am.” he said finally, then he shook his head quickly before murmuring: “We must be prepared to deal with the poor beast all the same, though. I fear that it will not be able to show us the mercy that I desire to show it... and nor can we afford to be gentle at this juncture, much as that pains me to say.”
Blueblood nodded nervously, studying the earth pony uneasily before Sleipnir started forwards again, the unicorn following silently with his sword floating loosely at his side before he asked quietly: “So sometimes... it is a mercy to kill?”
“I wish it were not true. But aye, sometimes it is. But one must always be careful to tread a thin line and keep close watch upon thy hooves...” Sleipnir answered grimly, shaking his head slowly. “For at times 'tis very easy to go from peace-bringer to executioner. 'Tis very easy to say a pony is broken and beaten, and confuse an ailment that is difficult to mend with an ailment that cannot be cured. Just as it is sadly simple, my friend, to start dealing death to all thou encounters, and reason away that it is punishment for those who deserve it and freedom for those who suffer.”
Sleipnir stopped, then smiled over at Blue, saying quietly: “But we do not pass judgment upon others, Blue. That is neither our duty nor our job. Nay, what we do is protect others, defend ourselves... and give what peace and salvation we can to all.”
The young prince nodded uneasily, and then he blushed a bit as Sleipnir added gently: “And thou art letting thy sword hang loose again, Blue. Bring it up at the ready now.”
Blue mumbled under his breath as he quickly shifted the sword up to a better position, looking lamely over at Sleipnir. The earth pony gave an approving nod, and Blueblood hated how much that had come to mean to him as the two continued forwards through the dimly-lit tunnels, the prince unable to stop himself from muttering: “Not that it really matters, though... I somehow doubt my sword is going to prove all that useful...”
“Now come, Blue, there is no need for that.” Sleipnir encouraged, reaching up and patting the stallion lightly on the shoulder. “Besides, what have I told thee in the past? That sword is to be wielded in protection and defense, not offense.”
Blueblood grumbled, but he didn't bother arguing as he only nodded grudgingly, and Sleipnir smiled at him before saying with a gesture ahead: “Now come, keep at the ready all the same. There may be other things in this place as well.”
The unicorn sighed tiredly, then he turned ahead with a grumble, he and Sleipnir continuing through the darkness until they reached the better-lit fork. Then both of them gazed off into the shadowy tunnel they had yet to travel down, and Blueblood bit his cheek before he asked hesitantly: “Sleipnir, this... creature. Why didn't it react to us right away?”
“I suspect 'twas in dormancy. A flesh golem must rest and recharge every so often, as I recall: like a golem, it has a power core, but like a living creature it is made of flesh and muscle, which can tire and ache.” Sleipnir replied, and then he shook his head briefly. “But this creature is strange. The fact it is capable of hiding itself so easily, and such strange eyes... it worries me.”
Blueblood made a bit of a face at this, and then he asked uncertainly: “So... what do I do? We couldn't see it in the dark until I shone the light over it...”
“Aye, thou shall have to cast a beam ahead of us, and we shall have to move very carefully. The creature seemed as blind as we were in the shadows, but it may merely have been in the process of waking up, or did not see us as either threat or enemy.” Sleipnir gritted his teeth. “Damnation. I do not like slaying idle beasts... but what must be done, must be done.”
Blueblood felt a strange pang in his own chest even as he focused on his simplified light spell, spreading a bright radiance around them as he asked uncertainly: “We're... we're really going to just go up to it and kill it, even if...”
“Aye. We are. The creature is in pain and this, unfortunately, also serves our own ends. Although I would much rather we were able to say we were doing this from purer motives.” Sleipnir muttered, and he and Blueblood fell in slow pace, making their way calmly forwards as the earth pony sighed a little, murmuring: “Sometimes, Blue, thou shall find thou art given a choice between two evils. There is always a third choice, of course, to walk away... but that is often an evil in and of itself. Just because thou turns thy back upon something... it does not mean those evils cease to exist.”
Blueblood nodded slowly, swallowing a little as they continued slowly down the tunnel. He shivered a little, careful to step over bodies and broken bones as he mumbled: “By Heaven... are... are you sure this thing killed all these people? It was certainly large but... it seemed so...”
“Gentle, aye. But a flesh golem is not truly alive, Blue, and that is the little solace I can give us both. It feels few things: pain, to make it aware of when it is in danger, and so crueler masters can chastise it roundly. Joy, which comes only when it performs the master's command and is praised for doing so. Anger, to give it strength when the tide turns against it.” Sleipnir shook his head slowly, murmuring: “It clearly is not out of control, so it must be obeying the last order of its master, still. To destroy all the living dead in this section of cavern.”
Blueblood frowned a little at this... then nodded hesitantly, muttering: “I see. But we're not dead, so... it might not target us.”
“Aye. That is mine one hope. And if 'tis true, we shall put it down swiftly and with as little pain as possible.” Sleipnir replied calmly, shaking his head again briefly before he suddenly halted, reaching up and gently catching the unicorn by the shoulder as he murmured: “Wait. Dim thy light.”
The unicorn winced a bit, then concentrated and did as he was asked, reducing the radiance until it was no more than a mere candle in the dark. For a moment, Blueblood was tempted to ask what was going on... and then he shivered a little as he realized he could hear a distinct, heavy breathing.
Heavy footsteps lumbered towards them, and Sleipnir swore under his breath before he slipped forwards, standing ready at the dim edge of the light before frowning uneasily as the sound seemed to echo all around them... and then the noises simply stopped. No breathing, no footfalls, only silence, and Sleipnir frowned uneasily as Blueblood looked nervously back and forth through the dim darkness...
And then the ivory unicorn's eyes widened slowly as he turned creakily to the side, trembling violently as he saw two bulbous, soulless eyes staring at him, reflecting the faint light back at the two stallions before Blueblood whimpered: “S-Sleipnir...”
“Aye, I see it...” the enormous earth pony muttered back, reaching up to settle a hoof on the stallion's shoulder before he slipped silently forwards, slow and careful. He flexed slightly as he lowered his head, licking his lips slowly as they stood in an awkward, uncomfortable stalemate.
The flesh golem gurgled, and the only thing that stopped Blueblood from cutting and running was the fact that Sleipnir was beside him, and the earth pony remained still. Then the ivory stallion looked slowly, disbelievingly towards the earth pony when he muttered: “Increase thy horn's light. Do it slowly, not quickly, to as bright as thou can make it.”
“Are you crazy?” Blueblood hissed, but when Sleipnir only looked at him pointedly, the stallion swore under his breath before he looked nervously back at the flesh golem. What else could he do but what Sleipnir had asked?
He breathed slowly in and out, then began to concentrate, the energy in his horn building little by little, and as it grew, so did the radiance. He trembled a little as light spilled over the construct, which had cloaked itself almost perfectly to match the stone around it, making it all-but-invisible in the rocky tunnel. But now that he was focusing on it, he could see almost a distinct outline around the creature...
The flesh golem swayed a little on the spot as it tilted its head slightly, and then it gave a long, moaning moo as its jaws fell open, revealing countless blocks of metal teeth. Blueblood shivered at the sight, then did his best to repress a whimper when the beast leaned slowly towards him, snuffling at his horn even as its eyes glowed strangely with the brightening light-
“Now quick, snuff out thy magic!” Sleipnir ordered, his voice low but sharp, and the flesh golem rose its head almost in confusion at the sound before Blueblood winced and his horn flashed before the light vanished completely.
They were left in absolute darkness, and the flesh golem gave a disconsolate, confused noise. But its body was glowing strangely again, as if it was covered in some kind of light-absorbing paint, and its eyes had a strange glow to them, like they refused to let go of the radiance they had seen.
Blueblood winced as he felt a hoof firmly push him to the side, stumbling quickly towards the edge of the tunnel before he whimpered as the golem's eyes seemed to trace after him, the creature giving more of a growl now. The prince began to shiver... and then he flinched as he heard a loud, wet smack, followed by a roar of rage, and then a sound of crashing.
Something huge swung narrowly past Blueblood, and the prince swore under his breath as he leapt to the side, breathing hard and flinging himself against the tunnel wall. But a moment later, something massive crashed firmly into the wall as Sleipnir gave a roar, and the flesh golem roared furiously back, Blueblood swearing and scrambling blindly away through the darkness as he looked over his shoulder, only seeing a glowing, phosphorescent shape darting through the shadows, to be smashed by some invisible aggressor...
Blueblood tripped over something and landed with a crunch on something else, swearing again under his breath as he scrambled for his hooves before looking fearfully up, breathing hard and trying to see through the dark as the two giants crashed and smashed and banged through the tunnel...
And then there was a horrible, wet sound, like sludge hitting the ground: silence followed this that felt fragile and dangerous as glass, Blueblood trembling and holding his breath until he whimpered when he heard a low moaning. But this was followed by the sound of meat on meat, and then a crackling before there was a single bright flash that made Blueblood flinch away.
But the light had imprinted a terrible image on the back of his eyelids, the prince trembling as he stumbled backwards and shivered, the profile of Sleipnir standing over a broken, beaten, torn-apart creature frozen in his mind. Blueblood breathed hard in and out, and then he flinched when something touched him before a voice said soothingly: “'Tis only I. 'Tis only I.”
“I... of course.” Blueblood said nervously, looking uneasily up at Sleipnir, breathing slowly in and out before he shivered a little despite himself, unable to stop from stepping back as he asked uneasily: “Are you... I mean, did you...”
“Aye, I killed it. 'Twas harder than I expected, 'twas... fierce. It ended up being... messy.” Sleipnir's words held a grimace, and then the enormous earth pony shook his head quickly before he murmured: “I apologize that thou had to see me in the rage, Blueblood. But we had little other choice, I fear, than to accomplish this task.”
“You keep saying that... are you trying to reassure me or yourself?” Blueblood asked before he could stop himself, and then he winced a bit as he thought he felt Sleipnir draw back a little. “I mean, I... I'm sorry.”
“I... nay. Thou has a fair point. Because aye, I am.” Sleipnir said honestly, and the unicorn gave a faint smile, the two looking at each other's shadowed shapes for a few moments before the earth pony sighed a little and dropped his head, barely visible in the blackness. “Very well, my friend. Let us return to the Lich King and tell him of our... 'great success.'”
Sleipnir laughed bitterly despite himself, shaking his head slowly, and Blueblood looked uncomfortably up at the earth pony before he said abruptly, not even knowing why: “I didn't see any kind of storeroom or anything... should... should we check the end of this tunnel for it?”
“Why? Any crystal we find is not yet ours to take. And furthermore, I know thou art more intelligent than that, young Blue. There is no storeroom here, and many of these raw veins are not pure crystal, but instead malachite and other gemstones.” Sleipnir said mildly, and Blueblood looked with surprise at the stallion, who the unicorn sensed only giving that same old smile of his in return as they began to slowly make their way through the dark tunnel and back towards the entrance to this bloc. “If thou could light the way, 'twould be most appreciated, Blue.”
“Oh, I. Of course.” Blueblood said awkwardly, and then he turned his eyes ahead, his horn lighting up and dispelling the shadows around him. He hesitated for a moment, biting his lip and tempted to look back over his shoulder at the corpse of the flesh golem... but instead, he settled for taking an uneasy look at Sleipnir, who only smiled at him with faint reassurance.
They slowly made their way back to the entrance of the tunnels without any real event, and found Lock, Shock and Barrel waiting for them apprehensively just inside the safety checkpoint. The skeletons seemed to stare as the two strode up in front of them, and then Sleipnir cleared his throat before he said finally: “We are ready to return to speak to the Lich King. 'Twould be nice of thee to escort us back to him.”
The trio of skeletons traded apprehensive looks, and then they finally nodded lamely before turning and quickly skittering onwards down the passage. Blueblood winced and looked nervously up at Sleipnir, but the earth pony only smiled faintly before he strode calmly in their wake, saying quietly: “Just keep moving forwards, my friend. This will all be over soon.”
The unicorn nodded hesitantly, then he turned his own eyes forwards with a sigh, only hoping that Sleipnir was right... and that this whole cruel charade would all be worthwhile.