“Grand Duke, the test subjects are ready for the experiment.”
Looking up from the smashed disarray of what had once been his study, Seath massaged his temples and rose.
“My thanks to thee, channeler. Let us hope these present us better results than before.” The white drake lamented as he descended down through his archives to the dungeon that had been set up to hold his quarry. How ironic that originally he’d seen the vast underground area as a waste of space and planned to turn it into a lecture center where he, or other sorcerers could teach successive generations of students. Now he thanked Gwyn again for giving him a castle with such a practical design. The levels upon levels of barred cells could hold an endless number of captured humans for his needs, and with so much rock and masonry above it was guaranteed no one would be able to hear any of the work that went on down here, nor could his test subjects hope for escape with all the added security.
Seath approached the cell at the bottom of the dungeon, his failing eyes picking out two cowering blobs of white and gold. Gwynevere’s handmaidens clung to each other in desperation as the drake approached them, their robes baring several tears and their skin besmirched by bruises from the channelers violently hauling them back to the archives. Seath felt they had still perhaps been too gentle.
“I trust mine accommodations are to thine liking? The channelers were kind enough to lodge thee in the biggest cell.” The drake queried coldly as he picked up the crystal catalyst lying on a nearby table.
“Muh-My lord, please my lord, let us go! We have done naught to displease thee surely! Her Highness Gwynevere will be worrying herself sick about our absence!” One of the two maidens cried. Seath felt his body grow simultaneously hotter with rage, and colder with apathy for the plight of these two pathetic cretins.
“Would she? The word around Anor Londo would suggest otherwise.” The drake mused as he tested his catalyst. “The covenant of her brother tells of her seeking to depart with the other gods. To travel to distant lands and marry one of another pantheon. Flann, I believe he is dubbed, a flame god to suit the warmth of her sunlight. A fitting union, woulds’t thou not agree?” He scowled. The maidens drew further back, feeling very small and vulnerable in the vast area of their prison.
“My lord…this is not as thou believes! The fires, despite all of Lord Gwyn’s efforts, still fade, Lordran’s time is coming to an end. She seeks only the promise of a better future!” One of them protested, then promptly gasped as Seath turned and spewed a rage fuelled crystal breath at her.
“A better future. How amusing. T’was a time I remembered she sought the same with me. So strong was her passion that we forge a new age together, then at the first sign of resistance she did falter…magnificently.” He replied his muzzle mere inches from the bars. “Try did I to convince her that her motives were not wrong, that we could still succeed if given more time and with more discretion. She feared the wrath of her family too much.”
The maidens backed away as they felt the cold, crystalline breath upon their skin. Even though Seath’s eyes moved lazily, not really focusing on them, or anything, the sheer hatred in them still pierced their souls with pinpoint accuracy.
“Tell me, humans, was thine action in handing over my child to Smough done of loyalty to thine princess, or fear for the wrath of our Great Lord? Had I put up more of a fight, wouldst thou have joined me in arms or merely aided in bringing me down?” He asked darkly.
“We…we are sworn to serve the will of her Highness. Against such numbers what chance would we have had?” One of them asked. Seath snarled and smashed his catalyst against the bars, causing more crystal to break out over their metal construction.
“Dost thou know how many of my own kindred I slew without aid? Didst thou believe the Everlasting Dragons all fell to Gwyn’s lightning or the Witch’s flames? Protect thee I could have done but thou still sought the way of least resistance!” He roared. The prison shook with the force of his voice. Seath pulled back and narrowed his eyes as a thought occurred to him. “Then again such could have been thine plan from the beginning.”
Both handmaidens gasped in fright as the dragon regarded them with a new fire of loathing.
“Gwyndolin could not have known of our intent so easily. Separate himself from us did he with many a year ago. His only means of knowing when and where to send his father's men would have had to come from a source inside our own trusted circle.” The dragon calmly and coldly mused.
“Wha…What? Grand Duke what madness is this you speak of?” One of the maidens cried, clinging to her fellow human tightly as the dragon grabbed the door to their cell and tore it open.
“Tis only the madness of eyes that have now been opened to the greater truth, to now see that despite all mine loyal service to Gwyn there are still those amidst his court who would wish for my joining my brethren and bother him no more!”
The dragon entered the cell, his catalyst glowing with a new twisted spell. The maidens retreated as far back as they could, stopping only when they encountered the impassable face of the back wall.
“T’was it Havel the Rock that instilled treachery in thee? Velka’s pardoners? The priests of the Way of the White? Who gave thee quarter to betray thine superiors that was too good to resist? For what manner of coin didst thou sell thine souls!?” He demanded.
The maidens cowered under his looming shadow, the brilliant white of his body only serving to make the darkness of the prison greater.
“G-G-Grand Duke we assure thee, we told none of thine courtship with her Highness. Tis only blind dreams and false stories thou follows! Our souls remain clear of any sin!” They pleaded. Seath snorted another coating of crystal over the wall above them, rearing his head back and resuming his calm visage.
“A bold claim thou stakes. Very well, if thou shalt not confess then we will simply put it to the test in thine stead.” He bluntly mused before casting the force of his sorcery upon the screaming women.
An unknown amount of time later Seath was smashing his catalyst against one of his own mechanical projects, venting his fury upon gears and steel, both of which fell easily to pieces under his terrible might. Behind him two new creatures weakly dragged themselves into the furthest recesses of their cell. Their serpentine bodies proving worthless for much in the way of mobility, and the tentacles flailing wildly from their heads made it impossible to see anything, assuming they still had any eyes to see the world. Underneath the cacophony of rage fueled roars and harsh, metallic blows, a hopeless weeping could just be made out.
“Filth, as t’was suspected. Utter failures brought down by the weight of their crimes.” Seath muttered after deeming he’d run out of ways to break the pile of scrap in the middle of the prison. “Channelers, to me!”
Several of the six eyed sorcerers ran down the stairs at their master's command.
“What is thine bidding, Grand Duke?”
Seath looked to the sobbing pisacas.
“Send word among thine ranks. From all corners of the lands thou wilt bring me more test subjects. Females, young, capable, and at the cusp of child bearing age are thine priority, but others will also suffice. The means by which they are acquired matters not. Just bring them here with all speed!”
The channelers bowed without hesitance.
“We shall do as thee requests, Grand Duke.” They chanted while racing back up the stairs to the Archives. Dropping his catalyst on the ground, Seath folded his arms and sneered at what a waste of time this whole debacle had been.
“Thine failure to stand by my side shall hinder me not, Gwynevere. Thine spirit was weak, but mine remains strong. Until your father doth march up to my gate and demand cessation himself I shall strive to accomplish what we could not together.”
A low, sinister hum seemed to catch the drake’s attention. He looked up into the shadows of the ceiling and growled.
“And then shalt I see to it that not even time can keep me from my goals. What was denied by the vicissitudes of fate shalt be mine yet!” He swore while storming out of the prison.
Seath stood still as a statue, his back turned to the two ponies. He awaited their cries of horror, their declaration that he was truly the worst ever. Instead all he heard was a light and panicked breathing.
“S-Seath…you…you…” Twilight stuttered.
The dragon nodded mournfully.
“In my anger did I lash out at those I thought responsible, strove to make them deliver unto me what they had so cruelly snatched from my hands. My efforts were in vain. Indeed, as I didst collect subjects and experimented on them, it became clear my wrath had been misdirected too.”
Luna held her wings close by her side, lest she risk shaking the feathers off them in her trembles. Before them images of Seath doing all number of unspeakable things to humans were presented, followed by a sequence of the number of pisacas increasing exponentially as every attempt ended in failure.
“As the years increased so did the number of errors in my attempt to replicate the results of my time with Gwynevere. When no longer could the channelers deliver a sufficient number of humans did I strive to come up with newer and more efficient means of obtaining what I needed.”
An image of a crystal golem forcing a female into its body was played. Twilight pulled herself closer to Luna for safety.
“When at last I could face failure no more I sought to seed the world with more horrors, companions to the demons that were destroying all that Gwyn built.”
Images of hydras, the larger, more monstrous version of the Moonlight Butterfly, man-serpents, crystallized hollows, man-eater clams and possessed guardian armors materialized around Seath.
“Mine own survival had now been guaranteed by the power of the primordial crystal, I had nothing to fear from death, or fate, or indeed anything it seemed. Gwyn left to sacrifice himself to the flames with nary a care of how I acted in his absence. Gwyndolin sought to hinder me no further. The gods departed and gave no word on how abominable they thought my deeds. None of the land saw fit to do else besides let me continue to be as terrible as my brethren once were, and occasionally stage a pitiful attempt to sabotage mine efforts.” The white drake scowled. He sounded as ashamed of the public apathy as he did his own insanity. Luna shared the sentiment, though she held equal horror for having now seen the depths of Seath’s depravity.
“Is this the extent of thine sins?” She asked. The question was forced, and her voice betrayed her reluctance to hear the answer. Unfortunately, Seath no longer cared by this point.
“Nay pony, more remains still to this tale. Dost thou yearn for me to continue?” He replied while holding up his hands as if to summon another memory.
“No.”
Twilight pulled herself from the security of Luna’s wing. Her eyes were tearing and her legs shaky, but unlike the moon princess she faced her teacher with a strange new strength.
“I’ve…seen enough for now. Just…answer me this, Seath: did you believe all of what you did, what you’ve shown us, was justified by what was done to you?” She asked. Her cheeks were wet but her face remained composed. As if to reward the lavender alicorn for her bravery, Seath turned around to face her.
“For years I did think my rage was just. The Everlasting Dragons cast me out as a pariah. Gwyn offered alliance and prosperity for both of us with one hand, and a dagger for my back with the other. Gwynevere sought my affection for only as long as it satisfied her. I had much to be angry at.” Seath sighed and covered his eyes with his hands. “But in the end, I know that too was only a lie to cover my own madness. With no restraint and no resistance my dark desires thrived as the flames do upon the sprites of humanity. I merely ceased to try and hold them at bay.”
Twilight nodded and wiped her eyes. “You told me a few days ago that if you had another choice, another less aggressive course of action, you’d have at least made the attempt to humor it. What prompted the change of heart after you did your best to ruin your own world?”
Seath’s features grew stoic, perhaps with just a tinge of disappointment that his student would fail to see the obvious answer to her query.
“Much of what drove me to madness in Lordran is absent from thine world, Twilight. In mine archives I was as much a puppet of greater forces as I was master of my own will. The primordial crystal sought to break my mind as often as it repaired my body. My failing eyes did twist and corrupt the messages in my books. My channelers lauded me for my perverse studies and gave me more resources and power so that I could continue such work. Even still I suspect fate did guide me towards its own ends as much as it let me choose to destroy all that I helped build!”
Seath paused to let the venom drip away from his voice.
“But here, thine own lands are far less feudal in regiment and the minds of thine subjects do not close themselves off so easily to that which they deem as dangerous or beneath their stature. With such drastically different influences mine eyes have been opened to see that which I tried so hard to turn my own blindness to for years.”
Seath summoned his glasses, as well as an image of Trixie.
“Thou dost not seek to let me do as I please. Nay, when I strayed from acceptable actions thou called me out and showed me how I erred. When thou faced thine own rival and nemesis thou turned the other cheek and sought to better her, rather than destroy her. As alike as thine soul is to mine, I cannot ignore the differences in how we apply our abilities. Nor can I decry thee a fool for showing understanding and kindness, where so many others have shown only distrust, and violence.” The dragon replied.
Summoning courage in all four of her hooves, Twilight stepped further from Luna and closer to Seath, her expression remaining cautious, but not afraid.
“Did you agree to take me on as your student because you see me as a chance to redeem yourself, or because you thought I could help you achieve your…ahem…goals?” She pointedly asked. Her eyes teared up again as Seath turned from her, his tendrils and wings wilting under the weight of his guilt.
“The potential thou possesses could be used in many a way, Twilight. I could fashion thee into a sorcerer more powerful even than I. I could rip the soul from thine flesh and use it to create a new primordial crystal. With thine library, thine ambition and what resides around thee, a whole new evolution of sorcery could be forged. What did I seek in teaching thee? All and none of the above.” He answered.
Twilight cocked her head.
“There is a saying among the undead, at least those who thought to study their hollowed brethren before they too fell to the curse of the Dark Sign: ‘Despite the futility, we work to accomplish our goals anyway. By fighting against the inevitable we derive meaning from meaninglessness.’ I ponder if such was why I strove to repeat my mistakes year after year, expecting a different result. I know it is at least partially why I now teach thee. “
Twilight’s ears rose ever so cautiously.
“Thine fellow princesses speak of an oncoming storm, one that I herald with my presence as I heralded the fall of the Everlasting Dragons. If such is to be visited upon thine land....I cannot say why, but I cannot let thee face it unprepared.”
Twilight sat herself down before the white dragon, her tears ceasing to fall, and her wings folding themselves neatly against her body. In spite of her face still being weighed by fear and concern, she seemed to have attained a new calmness as she drew in a breath.
“Princess Celestia has a saying of her own. Well, actually she’s got several from the many years of her reign, but this one sticks out the most to me. It’s the reason I always try to understand and accept first, rather than go the usual route of being cautious and keeping my distance.”
Seath raised his tendrils. “And that is?”
Another breath and Twilight rose to meet her teacher’s gaze.
“Mercy wins hearts and minds more than any sword does.” She replied while swallowing heavily. “I’ve repeated that to myself every time I’ve seen you do things that don’t sit well with me, and right now it’s the one thing that’s motivating me to try and see past the horrors you’ve revealed. What you did is…monstrous, twisted, and utterly deplorable…but still, it seems like you were provoked to do a lot of it. I don’t know if I can forgive you for that….but I can believe that whatever you were back in Lordran, that’s not who you are now.”
Seath’s jaw dropped open as his student forced herself to stand and take another step closer to him.
“You speak of wanting to do terrible things to me, yet so far you haven’t, despite having multiple opportunities. Honestly I don’t think you ever will.”
The dragon looked at Twilight in dumb shock.
“I betrayed and slew my own kind! To this day I still hold no regret over the genocide I made possible! How can thou build such trust upon me?” He asked weakly. Twilight shrugged sadly.
“Discord committed many evils in the past as well, yet still we eventually accepted him back among ponykind and let him live a…normal-ish life. It really seems like the same is true for you. The only difference is this time I’ve been charged to prove myself worthy of being the Princess of Friendship, rather than let such duty be delegated to another.” Twilight finally closed the gap between her and Seath. As if to prove her trust was not misplaced, the dragon reached down and lifted her in his hands to where the two could stand eye to eye.
“E’en at my worst, thine faith in me remains absolute. How hath fate determined that only now I deserve such quarter? After all I hath done and lost?” The dragon asked, half to Twilight and half to himself. The lavender alicorn shrugged again and nuzzled against her teacher’s features.
“I don’t know, but I can offer you this: let me teach you as you teach me. I don’t know if I can do anything to help you heal from such a horrendous life…but at least let me try.” She whispered. Seath shut his eyes tighter as the wetness built up in them again. This time, however, he did not weep for the loss of happiness, but rather for the bliss of relief, to finally know he needn’t carry the burden of his sins alone any more.
Behind them Luna looked to the horrible images Seath had conjured and quietly banished them back into the recesses of the dragon’s mind. He’d shown her enough for her to know what to do now. It was time she took her leave and let the two rest peacefully, free of nightmares and past terrors.
***
Sunlight and the bustle of the palace welcoming in a new day slowly roused Twilight from her slumber. Yawning in a very unladylike manner, the alicorn rubbed her eyes and then murred softly as something big and smooth brushed back her mane. She beheld the fire was nothing more than ashes now, leaving the warmth she felt to instead be provided by Celestia’s sun, and Seath’s hand.
“Strange, when came the dawn in Anor Londo I did think the traditional greeting of ‘Good Morrow’ rang insincere. Though t’was a curious sensation to witness the rise of the sun, there was naught to suggest it boded well for the coming day.” Seath commented as he looked out the bay window. “Now, however, this dawn does seem to carry with it the promise of good tidings, of new beginnings.”
Twilight lay her head back down as Seath helped smooth back any stray hairs. Despite the size difference he was surprisingly nimble with his fingers. Twilight pondered if that was also a result of him having to use them to fill in for his near blindness.
“So long as we have an understanding, then yes I’d like to think the same. I meant what I said, Seath. Showing trust to others has almost always resulted in them showing trust in me. I just need you to promise me you’ll respect that.” She replied. Seath rested his head down beside her, setting his glasses back on his face so he could regard her in sharp definition.
“On that I can vow, my student. I know not what dangers may loom on the horizon, nor can I estimate what use I shall be in aiding to defend thee from them. But if thou intends to keep mine art in the mind of the public, to grant me peace that my legacy shall not be lost, then I owe thee my loyalty if nothing else.” He solemnly replied. Though her heart was heavy and her mind still torn on whether this was really the right choice, Twilight leaned forward and kissed Seath on the nose.
“I won’t abandon you like Gwynevere did. As your student and your friend I promise that in return.” She replied, right before feeling her tummy rumble in want of nourishment. “Now, however, I think we need to start the day right. Best not to pursue knowledge on an empty stomach!”
Seath again found the will to chuckle as the two rose and headed out of the library in search of breakfast.
***
The intrepid band of undead stood around the bonfire of Firelink Shrine, each of them regarding the flames with their own questions, doubts and bewilderment as Laurentius finished explaining his findings.
“A land inhabited predominantly by equestrians you say. Hmmm, sounds like a marvelously exotic place.” Siegmeyer commented.
“How interesting that its inhabitants seem exceptionally experienced with sorcery too. Could they have abducted Seath in hopes of learning his knowledge?” Griggs followed as he crouched before the fire.
“It would explain why he has apparently chosen to assist them rather than find his way back to Lordran. The scaleless beasts’ own ego and desire to pass on his findings is what allowed sorcery to become the art form it is now after all.” Logan quietly added from behind one of the walls.
Laurentius nodded as each of the undead added their own theory on his discovery; all but the most important of the gathered souls that is.
“Whichever the case may be, it is clear we can only hope to gain answers by traveling to this new world. Fortunately it seems one of us is very keen to do just that.” He looked to the Chosen Undead as she finished dressing herself in a familiar set of bronze armor fashioned in the likeness of a lion. “Might I presume by your donning of Dragonslayer Ornstein’s own set that you intend to acquire Seath and the Bed of Chaos’ Lord Souls as originally intended?”
The female husk tested the weight of the armor and then dipped her head as if to ask what else she was supposed to do. The news that her original target was now in unknown lands, with a bunch of ponies of all things, had given her pause for thought, not to mention more questions. However, she couldn’t let that get in the way of her quest. If she didn’t get the Lord Souls back to Lordran then she was essentially dooming everything and everyone.
“Very well. I should warn you then that I only have a sparse amount of information as to what you might encounter when you get there. If you have any other matters to take care of while here, you might want to do so before you leave.” Laurentius continued. The Chosen Undead nodded and gestured she needed to depart from the shrine. “Okay then. Please hurry back. I’ll go prepare the Lordvessel for your journey.”
“Also, before you go, please take this with you.” Siegmeyer handed the husk a white soapstone. “I’m sure you’ll do fine on your own there, but just in case you need a bit of help, feel free to summon me or our fellow brave warriors to your aid!”
Gripping the soapstone tightly, the Chosen Undead nodded her thanks. Truthfully she had the strangest sensation she should’ve come across such a valuable item much earlier on in her quest, making her ponder why none of the numerous chests and bodies she’d looted had contained anything of the sort. Deciding to just be grateful she had it now, she stored it in her pack then stepped into the bonfire and was whisked away to parts unknown.
***
A grey, deathly silence hung above the lake, as it always had since time began. The water remained still and lifeless around the banks of the ashen beach, and the arch trees continued their neverending task of holding the great fog canopy at bay.
Out of the bonfire the Chosen Undead strode, her soul feeling just slightly more relieved to see this part of Lordran was still the same as she’d left it. Of everywhere it stood as the oldest and lowest level of the region, and had remained unaltered by all of the great events that had shaped the world above. If anything were to have disturbed this eternal vista then all truly was lost, as much for Lordran as for the lake’s most significant occupant.
Four huge, leathery wings parted to reveal a sight that by rights should not still exist. It stood upon its four massive legs in cruel mockery of the legends, its stone scales an insult to the gods’ great power and its silent, pointed face a chilling reminder of what had once claimed dominion over all.
It was a Stone Dragon, possibly the last of the Everlasting Dragons that had once ruled the lands. Here it resided in hiding, in the one remaining realm of its territory. Its existence was known only to those brave enough or foolish enough to seek out what lay beneath even the lowest slums of Blighttown, below the Great Swamp, and below the Demon Ruins.
Kneeling before the majestic beast, the Chosen Undead lifted up her hands in prayer to its eternal being. She’d found it after following a tip from a very eccentric merchant, the so-called Domhnall of Zena. Originally her objective had simply been to investigate the claim that a coterie of undead served it in order to be taught the ways of the dragon. Upon discovering this to be fact, and more importantly the reasons behind why any would wish to serve an ancient menace, she’d then agreed to train under it as well. Much like Laurentius’ teachings in pyromancy, it was a move that had paid off greatly during the more treacherous parts of her journey.
The dragon glowered at the miniscule warrior before it, seemingly angered by some previous wrong she’d committed. The Chosen Undead nodded her guilt and reached into her pack, pulling out a tightly wrapped bundle that Marvellous Chester had mercifully missed during his search of her belongings. She untied it and spread its contents on the sand before her: dragon scales, at least 30 of them, culled from a long and arduous period of hunting amidst Lordran’s perilous regions. Gathering them had cost her her life far too many times, but as the stone drake’s expression changed she knew the sacrifice was worthwhile. The dragon placed a great claw upon her head, silently bestowing its blessing and its forgiveness as the scales vanished from sight. She felt a new energy merge with her soul, another reward for her loyalty as an apostle. Good, she needed all the help she could get for the next part of her quest.
As if sensing her troubled thoughts, the dragon peered silently down at the husk, asking in unspoken words what was wrong. She replied with a heavy slump on the sands, the action telling the drake all it needed to know. It nodded in understanding, and the claw was now at the undead’s side, giving her the assurance that she was prepared to face this new challenge, no matter what.
Raising her arms again, the Chosen Undead ended their meeting with another prayer, swearing she would do the right thing once she got to the pony world.
She only wished she could still be certain as to what ‘the right thing’ was at this point….