Tye hated grocery trips.
This is insane, he complained, helping Lord draut pull a crate of bread on a cart. Locals, including the rchant who sold them the food in the first place, stopped to look at the undead horse with a mix of contempt and curiosity. Useless, worse than useless.
I am discovering a new side of you, Walter, draut mused, showing no sha in this thankless task.
I should be researching or having homunculi carry these crates, Tye made his displeasure known. Cant we teleport them to the citadel?
You spellcasters are all the sa, believing you can magic away all your problems. draut shook his head in displeasure. I understand that you may hate getting these groceries, but you lose more than you think when you stay holed up in an ivory tower.
Black tower, Tye corrected, earning a light tap on the back of his head. Ouch.
Didnt your father ever take you on such trips? draut asked, moving to the drivers seat.
No, Tye replied, as he moved on the carts back with the crates. My father thought I would be better off reading, studying, and leaving the village for the city. Said I would struggle less than he did.
Ah, the knight paused. Your father was wise.
You never speak of your family, Lord draut, Tye said, unable to restrain his curiosity. Is true that you are the kings bas
A re glance from the black knight shut him up.
I was adopted, Lord draut said, full of bitterness, as he ordered the horse to walk through the citys street. My father, whoever he may be, abandoned as a baby in the woods to die. I was an inconvenience, but he didnt have the guts to do the deed himself.
I Tye blustered. Im sorry, I
No, no, you could not know, draut said with a warr voice, before sighing. I am not outspoken about where I co from, so there are rumors abound. Im afraid the real tale is that I was lucky to be born at all.
But you didnt die in the woods, the Pale Serpent apprentice pointed out.
I was adopted by three witches, believe it or not. Not the friendly kind, I can tell you that; they ruled over local villages around their forest with an iron fist, cursing those who did not pay them their due. Their power was such that they had the first night of any new groom.
Sounds like nobles, Tye deadpanned.
This made the knight laugh, although a dark kind of laughter. I loved and hated them in equal asure, he admitted. They had big plans for , but they made the mistake of letting do their errands to the nearest city when they needed rare materials. One ti, I was busy negotiating with a rchant when I saw her, surrounded by guards.
Her?
A woman. The most beautiful woman I had ever t; and quite a few lasses had tried to ask out. She was the daughter of a Jarl, so kind of warrior princess. Or at least, she appeared like that to . I asked the rchant where she was going, and he said that her father held a swordplay tournant for her birthday.
Tye thought it sounded a little too good to be a true story, but Lord draut never lied, and the knights eyes brightened as he spoke.
The witches thralls had trained in all kinds of weapons, and I used the funds I should have spent on magical regents to buy so cheap armor too big for , and a blade of the anest steel. I entered the tourney as a naless knight, and I demolished my first opponent. When the maiden asked for my na, I demanded her favor in return. She granted it.
You won the tourney next? Tye asked, knowing where the tale was going.
Oh no, draut laughed, surprising the apprentice. I made it to the final round and faced a Royal Knight twice my age. I was tough, but there is only so much you can do as a talented boy against soone with twenty more levels. Imagine his face when he removed my helt and realized a teenager, barely past fourteen, had defeated half a dozen warriors.
And then?
The Royal Knight squired on the spot, and the maiden insisted to have for dinner.
And then? Tye asked, more and more curious. Did you marry her?
Its its a tale for another day. draut turned around and patted Tye on the head. Only if you follow on the next trip.
Tye groaned, but couldnt help but smile.
Tye banished the mories as he flew towards the steep side of a mountain cliff in [Ghostform]. Returning to the Logres region so long after his orders demise made him feel nostalgic, but the fog of undeath obscured his souvenirs.
He had traveled far and wide towards the location indicated on drauts map, reaching the tall mountains of the west. No wonder none had found the Tomb of the Fianna before; anyone without flight would have been unable to cross these rock formations.
Dark, stormy clouds obscured the sight above, raining hail and thunder on the mortal world, carried by a freezing wind. A natural stone platform rose from the mountainside, two imnse stone doors carved inside; they seed to have been recently excavated by magic.
An old friend was waiting for him at the entrance. Perhaps he had been for hours.
As the tales said, he had beco a [Death Knight], a skeleton in charbroiled armor expelling heat and the flicker of flas. He carried the symbol of Calamity Surtr on his chest plate and had traded his old claymore for a fiery replica of the legendary weapon [Laevatein]. The blade which Surtr would use to set the cosmos ablaze during Ragnarok.
As the necromancer landed on the platform, switching from his [Ghostform] to his human shape, Tyes mind-reading hit a wall. A powerful defense shielded the other undeads thoughts from intrusions; although the necromancer could speak normally while polymorphed into a human, it surprised him.
The only force that could credibly resist a Calamitys Perk... was another Calamitys influence.
You are dead too, Tye spoke up first.
I was. But like a phoenix, I rose from my pyres ashes. For the flas of vengeance within burned brighter than any mortal fire. The [Death Knight] looked at the [Calamity] dead in the eyes, two dead n standing. It has been many decades, my friend.
It felt like a lifeti ago.
draut...
Nidhogg.
Tye imdiately frowned. Tye. Walter Tye.
The [Death Knight] marked a short pause as if a little surprised by the answer. Silence stretched for a few seconds before the warrior regained his composure.
Its good to see you, draut said, patting his old friend on the back. It was ant to feel warm, even without the unnatural heat, but his words felt like the embers of sothing long gone. I apologize for the trouble my mothers caused you. They acted against my wishes, while I was busy infiltrating my old knightly order.
It is fine; I had a few uppity minions of my own, Tye replied. Did you kill him? Calvert?
No. I waited for the right opportunity as Lancelot, but it never ca. He was extrely paranoid, drinking his own ad to avoid being poisoned and always being surrounded by Royal Knights. I might have prevailed if I sacrificed my cover, but I thought I could afford to be patient. The knight shook his head, clearly disappointed. My spies told he left the capital before the news of the Royal Familys demise reached him.
Which implied the archmage had learned of it as the events in Lyonesse took place.
Co in, draut invited his old friend inside the tomb. After I spoke about finding this place for so long, you deserve a visit.
The Tomb of the Fianna. Tye rembered the stories, as he eagerly walked with his old friend inside. When the Vanir and the Aesir hadnt ford a unified pantheon, two human kingdoms fought for domination of Midgard. The Kingdom of Avalon, who served the Aesir; and Ulaid, who honored the Vanir. Their sworn protectors were the Fianna, a legendary band of ten high-level warriors.
Seventy to seventy-three, draut replied, as they walked inside a long, ancient stone corridor. Great warriors, sacrificed before they could reach greater heights.
How do you know their levels?
Because I raised them, the knight replied casually. I sought this place while alive for the artifacts left behind, but undeath broadened my horizon.
The [Death Knight] led his old friend to an underground crypt; one much smaller than the mausoleum beneath Lyonesse. Ten golden sarcophagi ford a circle round a central pillar holding the ceiling, each with the runic symbol of the Fianna carved into them. Statues of the Vanir oversaw the tombs, but soone defaced and desecrated them; in the darkness, only drauts embers provided so asure of light.
While the sarcophagi were closed, Walter could sense the undead life within them. These ancient warriors brimd with magical energies, frozen in a state of suspended animation until their new master would allow them to rise.
Charisma check failed! Your [Undead Mastery] could not overco [draut]s.
If Tyes Perk could affect them, then at least one of them was an undead and could sohow see the [Deathlord] even while sealed.
In their last battle, draut explained, touching one of the sarcophagi with his fingers, the Fianna fought to the last man against the Royal Knights and were defeated. Avalon absorbed Ulaid, and Aesir and Vanir unified into a single pantheon. To honor their fallen champions, Ulaids last knights built a tomb for them, burying their corpses alongside their legendary weapons. They slumbered in the darkness until I arrived.
The original souls...
They died fighting for the Vanir, draut said. Even if I had raised them through conventional ans, they would have opposed and looked for any opportunity to regain their freedom. Better to take away their mind and replace it with discipline.
To forcefully raise these undead while suppressing their free-will to such a degree... the magic needed was beyond what a [Death Knight] could ever achieve.
You earned the blessings of the Calamities, Tye realized.
All of them, except you, draut replied, neither proud nor ashad. That was why the witches raised . To prepare for the destiny I was born to fulfill.
You want to march on Avalon. That was the only reason Tye could see to raise these warriors. draut, have you forgotten our goal? We exist to end death, not to serve it. We have better things to do than indulge in pointless bloodshed.
I havent forgotten, draut replied, a bit annoyed that Tye doubted his dedication to the cause. But we cannot fulfill our goal in a world where our destroyers live. Even with the royal family gone, another lineage may erge to replace it.
Asclepius last orders to were clear, Tye insisted. Not to waste ti seeking revenge, when it would be better spent completing the Great Work. Your forces would be better used against Hel's.
You are the spellcaster, I am a warrior. draut glanced away, his hands shaking around his swords poml. I failed to defend the Black Citadel because I lacked manpower. Not anymore. I shall form a great army, and march against Calot to burn it to the ground, making sure Avalon never recovers. Then, we shall herald the End Tis.
Herald the End Tis? Tye repeated. He didnt like where this discussion was going.
I know what is beneath Lyonesse, my friend, draut explained, his fiery gaze appraising his old student. One of the three great roots of Yggdrasil. Dig up the root, cast down the tree.
But if he collapsed the World Tree, the barriers between the Nine Realms would dissolve and...
You want to start Ragnarok. The necromancer couldnt believe what he heard. Have you gone mad? You want to intentionally kickstart the apocalypse?
Tye had gambled with fate, true, but Ragnarok was a possible side-effect of his grand plan, not the planned goal!
You would rather let the gods rule forever? draut replied angrily. After all they did to us?
We can upturn their control over mankind by spreading the Great Work, Tye argued. Immortality will disrupt their afterlife system. It may take centuries, but once people realize that they no longer need to worship them, Midgard will be free of their shackles.
How long until Odin sches against us again? the [Death Knight] argued. They will never stop hunting us, Walter. And even if you were right it would not be enough for . I refuse to share the cosmos with Odin and his ilk.
You would rather offer it to the Calamities?
No, draut replied, his voice dripping with fury and disgust. Apparently, he hated his new patrons as much as Odins brood. Both have to go, and Ragnarok will wipe the slate clean.
And what after? Tye argued. Midgard will go down in ashes!
While the gods and Calamities slaughter one another, and the cosmos is engulfed in flas, we undead shall endure the transition to the next world, draut continued calmly. When a new world is reborn from the ashes, and life begins anew, we shall spread undeath to it. The new universe will not be one ruled by gods and fiends, but the living dead. A pure world free of life and death. That was Asclepius true wish.
Tye no longer had blood, but if he did, it would have boiled at this mockery of his ntors vision. This is a twisted interpretation of it, nothing more!
Asclepius left journals. About who he was. Where he ca from. And the serpent god he worshiped. draut observed his friend closely, peering into his soul. Did you never wonder where our orders na ca from? Who created the first undead? What the murals in Nastronds cathedral truly represented? Don't you rember your previous life?"
"The fog of undeath makes it unclear to ," Tye admitted. His past life's mories were but a shadow. Vague flashes and the remains of pictures long consud by ti. He didn't care for them, and refused to let them dictate his future.
"The murals do not represent the future, Walter," draut explained, "They represent the past.
Tye froze, as sothing suddenly clicked. This is not the first ti these events have happened.
No.
The next world after Ragnarok, Tye realized, as he saw the murals pictures in another light. Not predictions, but records. The cycle already happened, more than once. Ti magic?
Not ti. draut shook his head. When Yggdrasil and the Nine Realms burn, a new world tree is reborn from the ashes. The souls of the dead reincarnate, to repeat the sa path they walked on in their previous life. There are always small divergences, but the great milestones stay the sa. Or rather, that was the case, until undead and Earthlanders appeared.
The gods tried to prevent Ragnarok, Tye assembled the puzzle. To kill my previous incarnation Nidhogg with Earthlanders, and prevent him from casting down the World Tree Yggdrasil.
draut nodded gravely. Long ago, in the first universe, there was a dragon. Maybe he always was the monster we know him to be; maybe he was a linnorm smarter than average for his kind. Whatever the case, he discovered a ghastly path to immortality. One that needed him to gnaw at the roots of Yggdrasil, and feast on the corpses of the gods themselves.
Every mural, in this endless chain.
How many tis?
How many tis?
Nidhogg endured across the cycles, feasting on the chaos; an immortal evil willing to undermine all creation so that he alone may survive, the [Death Knight] continued his tale. Each ti, he would cast down the world tree to feed on the carnage of Ragnarok. All to repeat the cycle; all to maintain his immortality. With each cycle, his knowledge of magic grew, until he realized he could raise the dead he fed on to serve him.
My [Sin-Eater] Perk forces to feed on sinful corpses Tye trailed in horror.
Undead beings count, draut confird. Salted at to feed a cruel dragons boundless appetite. That was why undead were made. Asclepius knew it, for he was one of Nastronds serpent priests.
Like Spook. The mummy had been found in Nastrond and was seen using [Priest] abilities right after Tye gained the ability to grant spells to his followers.
When the gods first summoned the Earthlanders, they attacked and sealed Nastrond in an attempt to prevent Nidhogg from starting Ragnarok, draut continued. In the end, they only delayed the inevitable. Asclepius escaped the citys destruction and turned to Lokis patronage next; both working together to alter destiny in their favor.
Lies, Tye defended his dead master. Asclepius would never worship a Calamity. You have been lied to.
I know this hurts, draut said, sounding apologetic. I told you Asclepius reaction when he learned your true na, Walter. He never intended to revive everyone; only his master. The Pale Serpents believed in a false cause.
You lie! Tye raised his voice, incensed. Asclepius was a visionary, who died for his ideals! Who died to protect us!
To protect you. draut pointed a finger at Tyes face. The Calamity you were destined to beco.
The necromancer refused to believe this nonsense. Tye could entertain the theory Ragnarok was a cycle, but that all he ever did was built on a lie? Impossible! What about Hel? the necromancer pestered the knight. How does she fit in this madness?
draut was a lot less confident about this part. Hel, I believe, is aware of the cycle; although I am unsure if she tries to disrupt it like Odin. She survives Ragnarok and shepherds souls into the next world, but her current actions make little sense to . No matter; we shall slay her in due ti.
On that at least, Tye agreed. The rest though...
You are the serpent that gnaws at the roots, Nidhogg. The one who shall usher Ragnarok and carry the dead into the next world. Dont you see the hand of destiny?
No, I do not, Tye replied coldly, refusing to play a role in this insanity.
While we can swim against its power, fate is an insidious force, trying to pull us back in our proper place, draut argued. Odin had Nidhogg slain to avert fate, only for the forever serpent to reincarnate into you. You were pulled back to Nastrond, back to the role you were ant to fill. You are not as free as you think you are, Walter.
Tye had to admit that this wasnt a coincidence, but he refused to fall into fatalism. Did the records ntion anything about immortality being discovered? Did they ntion Avalons destruction?
Avalon always falls, draut replied, before conceding one point, although the Records didnt predict this particular end, nor your involvent. Neither did they predict the undead plague you unleashed.
"What about Arthur?"
"He was to beco a mighty king and rule for thirty years, before dying in battle as a great king."
Then this ans the prophecies of Ragnarok can be proven wrong, Tye pointed out, "By killing Arthur before he could beco king, we made fate lie."
To a degree, destiny can be altered, the [Death Knight] agreed. But not enough to steer away the final end. Ragnarok is inevitable.
His fatalism got on Tyes nerves. You speak like all these fools saying death cannot be avoided and should be accepted. We proved ns death could be avoided; why should the worlds demise be any different?
Because I wish it not.
Why? Tye asked, flabbergasted.
In a world where everyone is immortal, the gods will live.
Tye froze, as for the first ti in the entire conversation, he noticed sothing in his old friends gaze. An intense madness, a glint of an unquenchable hatred smoldering within his empty skull.
He would never stop.
A fire didnt stop. It was either drenched or consud everything in its path until nothing remained.
Fates power is too entrenched in this current reality, draut said. The chain of events can no longer be broken, and even if we undead and Earthlanders can change things, destiny shall correct its course. But after Ragnarok, the slate is wiped clean, for a ti. Those who survive the transition will decide what cos next. This is the only mont when the chain can truly be broken, where the Age of Undeath that Asclepius foresaw can begin.
Assuming that there is a new world after Ragnarok, Tye replied, doubtful. The Calamities could get their lucky break and annihilate everything.
Much to the spellcasters horror, draut didnt even react in denial.
If he had lips, he may even have smiled.
To him, this scenario was an acceptable alternative.
You said the inquisition burnt you at the stake, Tye rasped, more and more on edge, as he realized what he was facing. Who raised you from the dead? Who brought you back, draut?
The [Death Knight] scoffed, the symbol of Surtr on his chest plate flashing brightly.
Which side are you on? Tye accused draut. Lokis? Surtrs?
No, the knight replied. Let the Calamities favor as they will, they will never earn my loyalty. They are fickle and cruel, as all gods are; let them burn in the inferno they started. Ultimately, they will all perish.
This is not what the brotherhood was built for, Tye insisted. We were to discover immortality for humanity. Whatever Asclepius original motives were, you must still believe in our dream.
It is impossible so long as Odin, Hel, and their cohorts draw breath.
It is possible. I have made progress. I completed the Great Work and abolished death. We shall spread undeath to Midgard, until fate itself becos distorted.
How long until the Aesirs hand sweeps you away? draut replied. The rot must be excised, so sothing better can rise.
No.
No, that was what he said to his followers, maybe even to the Calamities. But there was more to it. It was an excuse, to hide the ugly truth even to himself.
You are not at war with the gods, Tye realized. You are at war with life itself.
A heavy silence stretched between them.
I will not stand by this, Tye decided, his fingers ready to spellcast at a monts notice. If Cywyllog was there
Careful, my friend, draut warned, his skull catching fire.
She would tell you that this is madness! Tye protested, showing his old ntor the [Necromancers Stone]. If you have any nto, I can revive her; if not we can storm Helheim and recover her soul.
You think that is what this is all about? The [Death Knight] flared up, literally. His armor shone with the bright flas of Muspelheim itself. This is not just about her, Walter.
Then what is it about? Walter snarled angrily. Revenge?
I learned the gods greatest secret, Walter.
The necromancer paused.
The Aesir and the Vanir were not born gods. They beca so. draut slashed a statue of the Vanir with his blade in his fury, cutting the stone with swift accuracy. Once they were two clans of powerful creatures, who leveled up all the way to level 99, the true cap of mortal potential without being a Calamity. They received a reward of Yggdrasil, and beca godlike beings much like yourself; then they set out to keep anyone else from following in their footsteps.
The necromancers eyes widened in horror. You dont an
It is not simply to gather armies for Ragnarok, or make us worship them! draut thundered, They cull us, Walter! They cull us like sheep before we can reach the levels necessary to challenge their rule!
Tye wanted to say he was horrified, but truth be told, it didnt surprise him.
He had always wondered why the gods condemned undeath, when the undead could defeat the Calamities and alter fate just as much as Earthlanders. But now, it made sense; thanks to their immortality, undead kept leveling so long as they existed. If the gods allowed them to level unchecked, then so lich or vampire would inevitably hit level 99 and discover the truth. That would also explain practices like dragonslaying.
These bastards...
The more I delved into the dark secrets of this world, the more I grew to despise it, the [Death Knight] continued. I found other murals of previous universes long gone. So showing the fall of Calot. Do you know who I saw on these walls?
Tye already knew the answer. You.
, draut said, his voice dripping with venom. The Fall of Calot happened countless tis. Sotis, I was called Mordred. Sotis, Arthur was my son or my brother. I always killed him. I was bound to do all these awful things since the mont I was born, and Odin knew it! He who always whispered in my familys ears, raising us to worship him, and then casting us down in war to keep himself in power. He and his twisted kind have to die.
Even so, Tye said, ever the optimistic defender of eternal life. There are other ways. Let us take Midgard back, and then storm Asgards gates with the living and the dead. Anything but Ragnarok.
There is nothing else! draut snarled. You will fail to change anything!
I cannot fail, Tye shouted back, the tone rising between them. I dedicated my life to this! No one will ever die! Not even the world!
The [Death Knight] blazed brighter until the necromancer almost started taking [Fire] damage from the heat.
All pretense of friendship and sanity had been stripped away, revealing the monstrous inferno of pain, hate, and despair fueling him. A fla whose thirst would only be quenched by the destruction of everything the gods had built. draut was so obsessed with revenge against the gods who tornted him since he was born, that he would rather see creation burn than entertain another solution.
And the worst thing was, he may very well succeed. Walter himself had cleared the competition, defeating the heroes who may have been destined to stop him.
Could Tye fight draut here and now? While he was a Calamity, he hadn't reached level 100 and stagnated at 73. His forr friend was higher leveled, possessed the blessings of the Five Calamities, and he had the Fianna at his back.
Now was not the ti for a confrontation.
The necromancer didnt even want one.
I shall not budge from my path, Nidhogg, draut replied, calming himself and smoldering his flas. Out of respect for our kinship, I will let you go, and not force you to join my crusade. But do not stand in my way, or I shall retract that kindness.
You will strike down your own friend, as you did with your own kin? Tye asked venomously. I wont let you commit murder-suicide with all of reality.
It was good to see you again, my friend, but rember this. drauts eyes flickered with hellfire, his undead thralls whispering inside their containers. When the ti for us to et again cos: walk. Away.
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