Chains of Corruption Pt. 02

Priscilla sighs and says, "We're tracking down the man who did this to you, do you know where he went?"

Ariadne shakes her head and says, "No, the last thing I remember is that man... eating Lord Hakon."

Priscilla puts her hand on Ariadne's shoulder and says, "Do you have somewhere to go? You can stay with..."

Ariadne suddenly stands up and says, "No, please... just leave."

You look to Ariadne as she walks away and say, "I'm sorry we weren't here when he needed us, but I promise, we will avenge him."

Ariadne glances back towards you but says nothing before she takes off into the air and flies away. You sit in the snow for a few minutes and wonder how many of these men there are, and how powerful they must be to kill Hakon so easily. You get up and survey the area, hoping for any trace of where the man in black went. The constant snowfall has covered the wreckage of Hakon's home and you walk around back and look into the distance.

The last time you were here, you came by foot and the clouds prevented you from seeing beyond the mountain. This time however, the airship cleared away the clouds as it landed and you gaze into the frozen landscape to the north. The mountains surround a vast, almost circular area about a hundred feet below.

"What's down there?" You ask.

Priscilla walks to the edge of the cliff and says, "Nothing as far as I'm aware, although I've never seen it this clearly before. The shape of it seems highly unnatural, do you think it's worth a look?"

You shrug and say, "We have nothing else to go on right now, I guess it couldn't hurt."

You board the Valkyria and ask Sid to fly down into the crater. He is hesitant but quickly agrees when Astrid says he's wasting her time. The ship lifts off and slowly begins it's descent as the snow continues its unending rain. A few minutes later, the Valkyria touches down and you make your way out into the snow.

Your armor makes you sink into the deep snow and you trudge your way further. C.C. is already shivering in her skimpy attire, but Priscilla seems to be having the hardest time with the cold temperatures. Although she doesn't complain, Priscilla has her arms folded over her breasts and walks at a brisk pace, probably trying to keep herself warm.

As you press on, you come to a snow covered hill and climb to the top. The snowfall is relentless and as you scour the icy landscape, you take a step and quickly sink into the snow. You are buried up to your ribs and as you try to climb out, you sink deeper.

Suddenly, the snow beneath you gives way and you kick your feet around but can't feel anything below. You feel more of the snow around you shifting as Priscilla and Astrid try to pull you out. They each grab an arm, but they too begin sinking as they try to free you. Priscilla loses her footing and falls into the growing hole, now hanging as she holds onto you. Astrid is pulled off balance and she falls head first into the hole after you and Priscilla. Under the snow, there is a large room and you land hard on the cold, stone floor.

"Hey are you alright?" C.C. yells from above.

"Yeah, I think so." You reply.

"What's down there?" Kira asks trying to peer into the darkness.

"Come see for yourself." You say as you look around.

C.C. grabs Mara and gently floats down with Kira close behind. It's hard to see with only a small amount of light shining through the hole in the ceiling, but Kira quickly lights up the room with her magic. Large shelves filled with books line the walls and form rows throughout the room. Most of the shelves are broken and knocked down, but this room reminds you of a library, although some of the walls are missing with densely packed snow replacing them.

"Remarkable, I had no idea something like this was buried under all this snow." Priscilla says as she carefully takes a book from one of the shelves.

"So, there was a city or something way out here?" You think aloud.

"How strange, these books appear to be written in a different language." Priscilla says as she returns the book to the shelf.

You grab a book from a nearby shelf and open it. It's still a little difficult for you to read things in this world, but Priscilla is right, these letters are completely different and you can't make sense of them. You set the book down and continue exploring until you hear Mara say something under her breath. Mara seems to be reading one of the books and puts her hand to her mouth as she pours over the information. Her expression is a mixture of horror and sadness.

"What's wrong?" You ask.

Mara looks to you with tears in her eyes and says, "This was part of Rydell."

"Rydell? Hmm, it doesn't sound familiar. Do you remember anything about this place Mara?" Priscilla asks.

Mara slowly nods while reading from another book and she says, "This is where the last humans held out against the monsters."

Priscilla looks surprised and says, "What? When was this?"

Mara closes the book and says, "Before most of the city was taken to another world, and before Alissi was invaded... I mean Cyldell."

"Cyldell has never been invaded. Are you sure you mean Cyldell?" Priscilla says even more confused than before.

Mara holds her head and blood drips from her nose before she says, "I think so, I remember the ocean."

You wipe the blood away from her nose and say, "It's alright. That guy isn't here, so maybe we should get going."

"Ok, stand back." C.C. says as she floats off the ground.

C.C. gathers a small amount of black fire in her hand and throws it toward the ceiling. The potent magic quickly burns through the ancient structure and the snow falling from above douses the flames. The opening is much larger now and it will be easy to escape. Priscilla puts Mara on her back and jumps back up to the surface and you carefully channel energy into your legs and follow her. Once everyone is out, you lead the way back to the Valkyria and head up to the bridge.

"Sid, can you take us to Valen City." You ask.

He nods and says, "Sure, did you find anything?"

You shake your head and say, "Nothing that will help us find that man."

You head back to your room as the ship takes off and sit for a few minutes before thinking, 'What the hell is happening?' You try to push the negative thoughts out of your mind as the ship races through the skies. You sigh and wonder what you should do next when Priscilla opens the door with a worried look on her face.

"You should come and see this." Priscilla says and you follow her out onto the deck.

As Valen City approaches, you can see a plume of smoke rising into the air from far beyond the city walls.

"It that coming from the wasteland?" You ask.

"It appears so, and I would suspect the men we're after are there as well." Priscilla replies.

You make your way to the bridge and approach Captain Sid.

"Something is happening to the south, we need to check it out." You say.

Sid looks out the window towards the smoke and says, "Alright, but I'm gonna bring her down before we get close, don't wanna end up like that ship from Cyldell."

You nod and say, "That's fine, just let us off and then stay back and keep everyone safe." You pause and then say, "I think I'm going to leave Gwen behind, it's just too dangerous for her. I need you to protect her for me, please she's... very important to me."

Sid puts his hand on your shoulder and says, "Say no more, everyone on this ship would lay down their lives before letting any harm come to her. She'll be safe with us, I give you my word."

You smile and say, "Thanks."

Sid nods and then reaches around the side of his seat and hands you a small silver coin.

"That's a beacon, just press right here in the center, and it'll send a signal to the bridge. Use it when you're all done and we'll come scoop you up." Sid says with a smile.

You put the coin in your pocket and thank Sid before returning to the deck as the ship passes over Valen City. At this speed, it doesn't take long before you cross into the wasteland. The plume of smoke grows larger and the ship descends until it is about twenty feet from the ground. The Valkyria slows and comes to a stop as your group heads outside.

You quickly rush toward the smoke as the ship lifts into the air behind you. 'At least Gwen won't be in danger this time, but I still need to keep myself focused.' You think as you approach the source of the smoke.

"Look it's him!" Kira says as she points out someone wearing a black cloak.

The man calmly walks as several demons attack him, but they are killed without him lifting a finger. Their magic seems to reflect off of him and retarget the caster, as the man continues his slow advance and the demons fall dead around him.

"This isn't the one we saw before. Damn it, how many of them are there?" Astrid says angrily.

"He appears to be able to reflect magical energy, which might make this difficult for us." Priscilla adds.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing. I don't care if they're demons, I'm not going to watch them get slaughtered like this." You say as you take off toward the man.

Your friends are close behind and soon the man notices you and stops before turning to face you. His mask is different than the others, a calm, almost serene expression sculpted into the golden metal.

"What number are you supposed to be, and what the hell does it even mean?" Astrid asks as she steps forward.

He takes his time and looks over your group, seemingly ignoring Astrid. His inspection ends when he notices Mara and he begins walking toward her.

You, Priscilla, and Astrid form a wall in front of her and the man stops as he looks at you three. His gaze is drawn back to Mara as C.C. and Kira stick close to her side.

True to his expression, then man's voice is eerily calm as he says, "So you are still alive, if you can call hiding behind these mortals living."

Mara remains silent, although she seems to recognize him and you ask, "Who are you?"

He completely ignores you, his gaze still trained on Mara as he says, "No matter how broken your mind may be, surely you remember the time we spent together? I have such fond memories of you, or should I say, both of you."

Mara seems confused and doesn't know how to respond but Priscilla asks, "What are you?"

The man turns his head to Priscilla but says nothing, staring at her for a moment before looking at Mara once again. Astrid isn't used to being ignored like this and you can see the anger on her face.

"C.C., you and Kira can only fight with magic so you're not going to be any help right now. Get her away from here." Astrid says as she reaches out and grabs the man's shoulder.

The man looks to her before quickly stabbing his fingers into her stomach. You draw your sword in a flash and strike, but the man moves faster than you can see and your sword hits the ground. Astrid gets to her feet and although you can see blood, her wound doesn't seem serious.

He softly laughs and says, "You believe you can kill me?"

You smile and say, "It's kind of dangerous for me to use magic right now, so if I can't use it against you, that works for me."

"I see, then I suppose I should thank you. Your energy will serve us well as we consume this world, and your sacrifice deserves a courtesy. You wished to know my name, but I do not have one. We are merely fragments of his greater will, I was the sixth to be separated from him." He says without emotion.

"From who? Stop playing these fucking games and give us a straight answer!" Astrid yells.

Sixth raises his hand and calmly says, "Nero dwells within us all."

Suddenly a massive bolt of lightning strikes in front of you. Your senses alerted you in time for you to evade, but as the magic impacts the ground, it sends an electric shockwave rippling across the dirt. The unexpected tactic hits you and Astrid, but Priscilla managed to get just out of range. Your body tenses up and you fall to the ground, seeing Astrid in the same condition.

The two of you struggle to get to your feet as Priscilla waves her glowing hand and then charges toward Sixth. He remains motionless as she moves around to his side and leaps in for an attack, but suddenly he snaps his head toward her. Priscilla is caught by the neck and Sixth slams her into the ground. You and Astrid rush to her aid but Sixth drags her through the brittle terrain as he spins around and throws her towards Astrid.

Astrid catches Priscilla as you approach and swing hard, but again Sixth easily evades. You swing and miss again as Sixth quickly reshapes his arm into a blade. He slashes your stomach and even with the enchantments, your armor is torn like paper. You tried to back away and avoided a lethal blow, but blood begins slowly dripping down the plates of your armor. Sixth doesn't waste a second and his arm reforms as he blasts you with fire magic.

As you feel the heat searing into your flesh, your energy forms a barrier as you remember Astrid teaching you aboard Farah's airship. It shields you from the heat, but the force sends you tumbling across the ground. Astrid and Priscilla help you to your feet as Sixth begins walking toward you. You take the lead as the three of you begin attacking in unison.

Priscilla throws a knife as your blade crashes against Sixth's. Three on one is a disadvantage at this point, as your attacks could easily hit your allies. Slowly, you begin to fall into a rhythm and you time your strikes between Priscilla's knives and Astrid's claws. Sixth blocks your sword and then kicks you aside and Astrid takes your place without missing a beat. One after another, Sixth sends your friends flying and you charge him again.

You trade blows with him and although Fourth seemed stronger, Sixth's speed makes it hard to keep up. Sixth evades your slash and his blade cuts deep into your arm. The pain makes you back away but Sixth presses forward and kicks you away again.

"We have to cooperate, he's too powerful to fight alone." Priscilla says as she helps you up.

"I can keep him busy, you two just wait for an opening." Astrid replies.

Astrid's claws lengthen as she runs toward Sixth and his arm takes the form of a blade once again. You and Priscilla slowly move to either side as Astrid and Sixth clash. You see Astrid is giving everything she's got and yet Sixth hasn't so much as taken a step back. You decide to intervene before she is overwhelmed and Priscilla follows your lead.

You reach him first and he immediately changes his stance and fends off both you and Astrid without taking a single hit. Priscilla stabs Sixth in the back, but he quickly backs off and you continue the assault without a moment's rest. The three of you move as one, and after one attack lands it is immediately followed by another. Surprisingly, Sixth is able to defend himself against all three of you for a few exhausting minutes, but eventually Astrid lands a vicious blow against his golden mask.

A large crack creeps across the golden mask as Sixth falls to his back, and the three of you pounce on him and attack like wild animals. Astrid and Priscilla rip and tear his flesh as they savagely dismember him. You slam your fists into Sixth as hard as you possibly can and even after his mask is in pieces and most of his body has been flattened into the ground, he begins to laugh softly.

His voice sounds ethereal and doesn't seem to come from his body as he says, "We will devour all of you."

His eerie laugh fades away and you take a few steps back before sitting down. You have little time to catch your breath though, as you suddenly see demons running out from a nearby cliff. There appears to be some kind of tunnel that leads underground and you stand up trying to get a better view.

"You think another one's in there?" Astrid asks still breathing heavily.

"Yeah." You reply as C.C. and Kira lead Mara back to your group.

"Mika, I don't know if it's safe out here. What should we do?" C.C. asks glancing at Mara.

You look to Mara and say, "We're gonna stick together. We can't stop now, something is down there, I can feel it."

Astrid walks over near the tunnel entrance and grabs a woman as she tries to flee. She drags the screaming woman over to your group and tosses her to the ground.

"Shut up! What the hell is going on down there?" Astrid asks the bewildered demon woman.

She quiets down and then says, " H-he... He's down there."

"He has a golden mask, right?" You ask as you kneel beside her.

The woman nods and Priscilla asks, "What is he doing in there?"

The demon finally recognizes you and she seems frightened until you say, "I'm not going to hurt you, you've done nothing wrong. That man killed innocent people and we're going to stop him."

She looks at you unconvinced and says, "You might have killed Iliya, but that monster can't be harmed."

"What is he doing in there?" Priscilla repeats her question, growing frustrated.

The woman looks at her and says, "Feeding. He consumes energy and makes copies of himself. They... he is the corruption."

"They're clones? It explains their similar appearance, but their powers vary wildly. Perhaps it depends on who he consumes?" Priscilla thinks aloud.

You sigh and say, "Alright, thanks for telling us what we needed to know." You help the woman to her feet and continue, "Get going. We'll try to save anyone left in there."

The woman gives you a surprised look and then takes off running as Astrid says, "You ready for another fight?"

You nod and walk closer to the tunnel, but you feel scared. More frightened than when you thought Iliya had killed your friends, and even more than when you passed out in the factory thinking you were going to die. You take a deep breath and your group stares into the tunnel for a moment, but before anyone makes a move, footsteps can be heard from inside.

Chapter 10 - Flesh Of Corruption

The air becomes heavy, making it hard to breathe as the footsteps grow closer. The severed head of a demon rolls out from the tunnel and dissolves into black slime as another cloaked man walks into the open. Something is different about this one though, his golden mask seems to move almost as if it's his real face. You watch his expression change as he breathes deeply and finally looks toward your group.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me." The man says with a smile.

His mere presence is somehow making you feel weak, like every ounce of power you have is nothing compared to his. Regardless, you muster your courage and take a step forward.

"Are you Nero? The one that sent those other..." You begin.

You didn't see him move, but suddenly Nero is standing in front of you gripping your neck tightly.

"How dare you speak my name human." Nero says as his pitch black eyes seem to stare through you.

He tosses you aside and you are sent flying across the ground. You tumble and finally come to a stop after crashing into a large rock, choking as you rise to your feet. You breathe heavily and try to calm your nerves as you run back towards the fight. Nero already has Priscilla by her throat and Astrid is struggling to get to her feet as you arrive. Before you can react, ice magic swirls around Priscilla and entombs her in a large crystal.

"Priscilla!" You yell as Astrid charges toward Nero.

Astrid lands a powerful blow against Nero's mask, but he takes the full impact without moving an inch. You heard a sickening crunch when Astrid attacked, but as she backs away you see her hand is badly broken. Once again, Nero instantly appears behind Astrid and grabs her by one of her horns. He smiles as he tears off one of Astrid's wings and she screams in pain. You rush toward her with your blade drawn and swing hard, but Nero appears behind you just before the attack lands. Still holding Astrid with one hand, Nero grabs your arm as you swing again.