The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into A Return To Undermountain P1

The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into A Return To Undermountain P1

     Iriisii and Reaper start down into the cave mouth, down into the warren of tunnels, where lies the 'Keep of the First Ones'. And inside of that dark place, lies a locked and 'void metal' sealed 'Dwemer Lockbox', transported there for one sole purpose. To serve as the final and permanent prison for the 'Man of Glass'. 

      What he truly is, demon, devil, monster, all these names and more fit him. But no one, perhaps even himself, knows his true origins, or what abomination spawned him. All Iriisii knows is that with the help of Geralt of Rivia, and Letho of Gulet, Witchers of the 'School of the Wolf' and 'School of the Viper', she and they were able to bring the 'Man of Glass' down in combat, and she then caused his soul to be split and drawn between two demon inhabited blades.

     The blades, she later came to learn, were forged by Arioch, Lord of the Courts of Chaos, whom she later came to meet, helped him save the Courts and his people from enslavement and death by the Tcho Tcho people of the Plateau of Leng, that unholy place having a reflection of itself in Vaermina's Oblivion Realm of Quagmire. And now it looks like Arioch just might in the near future become family, when her half-dragon daughter Aleytys, catches sight of him and decides she wants him as hers.

     After splitting his soul into halves, which each blade imprisoning one half, and the demon inside each blade, engaging in perpetual battle with the half soul of the 'Man Of Glass'. She laid both blades and the body within the Dwemer Lockbox, filled the inside with ingots of 'void metal'. Which would shield the inside from any magic entering or leaving. Locking the 'box' with no key existing any longer, for it could only be opened with the blood of one of the Dwemer race, and they disappeared over two thousand years ago. She went on to cover the entire outer surface in 'void metal' using Dragonfire to weld the seams together.

     The area surrounding the lockbox was then mined with explosives made by the Dwarven race that lived on this world. Completely unrelated to the Dwemer of Nirn, who were also sometimes mislabeled as Dwarves. For the Dwemer are a subrace of Elves, who also are not related to any other 'Elven' race living within the Realms.

     She intended for the explosives to be a last line of defense, triggering if anyone approached the lockbox and bring the entire mountain down on top of them. Now she thinks she should have triggered them as she and her companions activated a portal they found further on and left by that means.

    But now she has a different goal, stop those who came to release the 'Man of Glass' and save the life of the Naiad girl, whose feet she had earlier placed on the 'Path of the Witcher'. For the young naiad girl wanted to follow in Iriisii's footsteps, yet Iriisii knew she would never be able to follow as she wanted to, because she lacked the means to 'Ascend' with her. And so she convinced her to take up the 'Witcher' trade and hunt monsters that threatened the people of this world.

     Now she wonders if that was in truth the right decision that she made. Reaper listens as she recounts all that happened so that he understands the gravity of what they must do. For even if it means allowing the Naiad to die, the "Man of Glass' must not escape. For many, many more would suffer and die before he could be brought to heel once more. 

     Reaper having gone through not only the training she has given him, but the philosophy that she follows, that guides her actions and her decisions, understands what drives her almost better than she does. For his intellect is still a part of the 'Krang' and he has all of its capabilities at his disposal.

     "We will stop them, and we will save this girl's life. We are much more now than when you first encountered him. And you know more of what lies here than they do."

     "What do you feel still lies here?"

     "You mentioned 'lower vampires', enough to carpet the floor, walls, and ceiling when you first came. It is very probable that they returned and bred more. You have the ability, inherited from Dettlaff to call and control them. They are one more weapon you can call against what we face ahead."

     "You really think so?"

     "Yes, I do. Just because you have not been in a situation where you could test it or find out does not mean it is not so. You and he are so much closer than when you first began your relationship. You have nearly every skill and power he possesses, and he has also inherited much from you that he has yet to realize. When he does, the High Council of the Vampires will truly have something to fear then, not mere stories used to frighten the lower orders into submission."

     "You have done much better than I anticipated, I will look forward with great interest to see how you develop."

     They approach halfway down and find their first body. As they examine it, neither is certain of exactly what it is, but a few things can be ascertained. It is some form of demon, its body structure, claws, teeth, point that out. It appears that it ran afoul of a group of lower vampires, due to the distinct lack of blood. Perhaps a laggard that fell too far behind and thus easy prey.

     This makes Iriisii want to make the attempt to see if she can exercise control over the lower vampires. They could prove a useful distraction in that case. They continue onward. Seeing some vampire bodies says that they let their hunger get the better of them, attacking not lone individuals but tried the tail end of the group, who turned and made them regret the decision with their losses.

     Iriisii sends out her senses and feels a large number of varied species of vampires far ahead. From the emotions they are displaying, they are staying well back from the group they are tracking, having learned their lesson earlier. She decides to wait until they are closer, before attempting to 'touch' them. Perhaps soon she can attempt to see through one's eyes and get a look at how many are in the group and if they are all the same type or if they are varied.

     She also remembers about something else that may be hunting in these halls and keeps her senses sharp in case it decides to show up.

     "What is it that may be down here that has you concerned?"

     "Something I have deliberately not mentioned. It is the kind of thing once mentioned, that can never again be forgotten, no matter how much you want to."

     "I understand, but if there is a chance we could encounter it, should I not know about it?"

     "As long as you never say that I did not warn you about such knowledge."

     "I will hold my tongue, I know sometimes knowledge for its own sake is not sufficient reason to possess it. But waiting until we actually encounter whatever it is, would likely be too late."

     "Very well, you give a strong but reasonable argument. It is called a 'Fly-The-Light', it is not native to this world, someone summoned it here. How long ago, I have no idea, or even if the one responsible knew what was being summoned.

     It comes from a world called "Yuggoth on the Rim". And yes, I have been there, but only saw a very small portion. I found the 'Lost Legion' there, where they had been rescued and transported to a garden of a being who lives there. He created a "Time Vault" for them to sleep within until their 'Death Curse' could be fulfilled. I will give you the rest of their story later.

     The 'Fly-The-Light' is completely amorphous, having no bone structure, merely flesh, which is supremely light sensitive. It moves by shifting its internal flesh in whatever direction it wishes to go and initiates a 'rolling' motion. Its preferred method of attack is to 'roll' over its victim, forming mouths equipped with fang-like teeth on the flesh coming into contact as it rolls over, thus stripping the flesh from the bones and consuming it. It is fast enough at stripping and consuming the flesh that it can accomplish this without stopping its movement.

     The best weapon is a bright light, practically any source will do, the brighter the better. It will cause it strong pain, and if the light is strong enough, it will actually work to dissolve its flesh."

     "I begin to see, I think I do not want to know what book you found this information in."

     "I agree, if I could forget what I learned from that blasphemous volume, I would not hesitate. Some people think that the Daedric Lord Hermaeus Mora had a role to play in the writing of it. They are wrong, not even he has the depth of corruption required to conceive of what is locked within its pages. And I have met the man who wrote it, he confirms what I have said. If ever should a man called, 'Abdul Alhazred', ever desire to speak with you, turn and run, run as fast as you can in any direction as long as it is away from him.

     If in the upcoming fight, you hear a scream unlike any before, back away from it, quickly. I will try and lure it, such that it sates itself upon our enemies. If you must attack it, do not stop until it is dead. You will know that when its body begins to melt and dissolve into a noxious mist."

     "I will remember what you have said."

     "Attack it only to defend yourself, me, or the naiad girl, for no other reason."

     "I understand"

     They continue onward, Iriisii examining each body they run across to determine 'cause of death', Reaper does not need to be told she is looking for signs of a 'Fly-The-Light' being the attacker, and from the way she told the story about it, he accurately assesses that there are far worse things out there as well.

     They keep going, seeing body after body, the lower vampires are making a good accounting of themselves, but still losing many of their numbers. Then they hear sounds ahead and they slow down, carefully moving to avoid making any sounds of their own. The voices are guttural, almost growls more than speech, but she can, with help from her ancestral memories, make sense of what is being said.

     There is definitely a 'Fly-The-Light' still down here. They mention it, even though they have not seen it. They seem to be able to detect it from the patterns of the lower vampire groups' movements, how they seem to avoid specific areas, sometimes even going well out of the way to avoid some places. She uses battle gestures to pass this information on to Reaper.

     Try as she might, she cannot detect if there is another higher vampire here. While she cannot think why there would be, you never know what else might be here that might interest them. She motions for them to stop, that she is going to try and 'ride' one of the lower ones to use its eyes to see what is going on.

     She sits kneeling with her back to the tunnel wall, supporting and protecting her from that way. She consults with her 'Beast' on which one would be easiest to join with and not 'tip her hand'.

     'You definitely want to try a 'Katakan', an elder one if there is one out there. The ones lower on the scale are more animalistic and thus will sense your presence, try to force you out, if it cannot and its fellows sense you, they may attack simply because of how different you feel to their senses. An 'Elder Katakan' is about as intelligent as a young child, up to a young teenager, willful but can be reasoned with if you are careful. If you can find one, bring me with you to talk to it. It will respond better if it can sense the relationship between us.'

     Iriisii pushes her senses out to where she feels the lower vampires are congregating. They are gathering out of the way of the group she has come down to find, yet still, keep them in sight. They seem to recognize them in some way but they do not approve of them being here. Something in their intent does not sit well with the lower vampires, thus their attempt to drive them off. She lets her senses roam, and she finds just what she is looking for, off to itself, further in the darkness of the shadows cast by the torches held by the group surrounding the sealed lockbox.

     As her mind approaches the Elder Katakan, it seems to take notice of her, looking around, trying to find her, and becoming agitated when it cannot. Iriisii brings 'Beast' out and the familiar feel of a higher vampires 'Beast' works to calm it down. They then slip into its mind, Iriisii holds herself quiet, letting 'Beast' take control of the situation. 'Beast' projects interest in the 'group' and also projects 'disapproval' for their presence here disrupting things and their activities around the lockbox.

     The Elder Katakan accepts Beast's premise for being there and wanting to see what is happening without letting themselves be seen, possibly alerting the group both are interested in. There are about ten remaining, all the same, basic type, thin, long arms, with sharply taloned fingers. Their heads are bald, with ears shaped for hearing hypersonic sounds. Iriisii thinks their eyes are new senses, with their primary one being their hearing, more sensitive for listening to echoes of very high pitched sounds rather than sounds of a lower more human range.

     They have enough intelligence to carry weapons and tools, so they are not brainless. But likely easily manipulated, if one was careful in what was said, easily guided in whatever direction the speaker wanted. If roused though, they would not be a match for either Reaper or Iriisii alone. Why did whoever sent them not use servants more experienced, unless...hmmm, this may have been all it had available. If the more experienced and intelligent, deserted for some reason, again supposition, but very likely under the possibilities, then whoever ruled these did something the upper class feared greatly enough to cause them to leave en masse.

     I am going to have to send someone to find these deserters and ask what happened. But for now, just why are these here and what do they intend. The lockbox cannot be opened without the proper key, and that has been missing for over two thousand years. These do not have the intelligence, experience, tools, really, they have no possible way to open it, so why are they here?

     She quietly 'tight channels' Beast, asking if she can overhear anything from the group as to why they are here, and what do they plan on doing?

     Beast asks the Elder if she can use its ears to listen in on what these intruders want. The Elder admits it wants to know as well, just as long as they do not intend to open or do anything to the box, it is willing to let them alone, for now. Beast accesses the Elders hearing and pipes it to Iriisii.

     "This has got to be it, it is the only thing here that is not rock."

     "But the 'Emperor' said it would be 'gold' in color, not this dull black."

     "Besides we cannot see how to open it. There is no keyhole anywhere."

     "What did he say for us to do if we could not open it?"

     "He did not say anything else but to open it and bring anything we find inside directly to him!"

     "If we do anything else, you know what will happen. He will string our guts into his next art project."

     "Maybe that girl we caught knows how to open it. She obviously lives here, she must know."

     "Idiot, she is a Witcher! She would rather die than help us. She lives to kill our kind."

     "What if we torture her, or hold her out as bait to the vampires, say we will give her to them if she doesn't help us?"

     "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, maybe they would leave us alone if we gave her to them."

     "You idiots need to think for a change. She is more valuable alive than dead, at least for now anyway. She may know a different way out, there is something else down here, something very bad. They know, and they go around it so as not to disturb it. If they do not want to disturb it, I do not want to disturb it. If you want to go and let it eat you, go ahead, maybe then it would let us leave."

     Iriisii's mind starts rolling madly, that 'Fly-The-Light' is keeping them trapped down here? Is it to feed the vampires for it to feed on, or for it to eat these things for itself? Either one is bad enough, but if something like that is actually gaining intelligence, that is extremely bad. But first things first, we have to deal with what kind of demon these things are, then get the girl out safely, once that is done I can talk to Nodens about what to do with the 'Fly-The-Light'.

     Iriisii lets Beast know what is going on, she concurs with Iriisii's decisions. Together they leave the Elder Katakan and return to her body, she informs Reaper of what she can by combat hand signals. Right now she does not want to risk taking more time than she has to take. She gets to her feet, calls her 'Armor of the Ages'. Once it is in place, she motions Reaper to follow close behind her.

     They walk out silently enough that even out in the open the demons take no notice of her. Sloppy, really sloppy, she thinks, even as she reaches a point close to the Elder Katakan. She sends a welcoming thought to it, to let it know she is not there to involve them in any way. If it keeps the rest in line, she will leave peacefully when her business is done.

     She then forms a floating seat in the air, and sits, before deciding to get the attention of the demons.

     "Do any of you really know what you are doing here?"

     The demons scramble to form a defensive position.

     "Really, do you think that has a chance of stopping me if I want to do you harm? After all, I walked over here, summoned this chair I am sitting on, and then got your attention because nobody even noticed I was here."

     "If you do not want to harm us then why are you here?"

     "Because you chose to trespass where I had laid a forbidding. You came here to open that lockbox and take what I put there and locked up."

     "We came because our Dark Emperor sent us."

     "Ah yes, the Dark Emperor, you can go back and inform him that he stands no chance against me. His coalition is broken because the Dark Paladin serves me. And besides, that lockbox cannot be opened."

     "Why not, it is a lockbox, all lockboxes have keys."

     "Indeed it does, but the key to this one was lost in the mists of time about two thousand years ago. There is no way to retrieve it because the ones who made it are no more. That was precisely why I chose to use it so that it could never be accidentally or deliberately opened again. Magic cannot be used to open it, and the metal it is made of is impervious to anything known today. In fact, I am very surprised you have not set off the explosives that ring this chamber. They are set to bring this mountain down on whoever trips them."

     "What are we supposed to do? If we go back empty-handed, we are better off buried under this mountain rather than what the Dark Emperor will do to us."

     "That puts us in a quandary, doesn't it? For I cannot allow what is inside to be released. I would see it destroyed first, and its contents with it. I offer you your lives, such as they are. I am sure there are places in this world where you can live, away from the Dark Emperor's scrutiny. If you desire and ask politely, I could find one for you."

     "Why would you do this for us? We stand on opposite sides."

     "Now that is not quite correct. I stand for the 'Balance', both 'Light' and 'Dark'. I will not step against 'Good' or 'Evil' should they respect me and my position by standing aside. But if they decide to obstruct me, then I will utterly decimate them. I will repeat my offer and then you will need to make your choice.

     I offer you your lives and transport you to a world where you can live without fear of the Dark Emperor finding you. That also means getting away from the 'Fly-The-Light' that has been preventing you from already leaving. Why does it want you to stay, I wonder. I can only think of two things, either to feed you to the lower vampires patrolling the shadows as I speak, if it wants them to get you, it is so that it can feed on them."

     "And the other thing?"

     "It wants you for itself. I think that would likely be the worst choice of the two, don't you?"

     "How do we know you mean what you say, that you will not just dump us into a volcano somewhere and be done with us?"

     "I can give you a 'binding vow', if that will appease you."

     "How?"

     "I am the 'Mother of Dragons', any vow I speak in Dovahzul will be binding upon me."

     The more intelligent one turns to his fellows to poll them and get an answer. There seems to be a little heated argument growing between the majority and a few die-hards still loyal to the Dark Emperor. As the intelligent one turns back to give Iriisii their answer, a knife flashes out of the shadows and slices across his throat.

     Iriisii sends Reaper to stand over the Naiad and protect her, while she deals with the assassin. The lower vampires have all left the area for safer places in case this activity draws the 'Fly-The-Light'. The demons scatter as Iriisii feels where the assassin is moving toward. Just as she readies herself to take him, she hears what she had hoped not to. The eerie, soul-shivering scream of a 'Fly-The-Light' hunting, as it bursts into the large chamber they are all in.

     She immediately goes for the greater threat, stalking that white amorphous mass of flesh, mouths full of fanged teeth emerging all over its body in anticipation of a large meal. Reaper stands between the Naiad and the 'Fly-The-Light', the Naiad crouching behind him, a dagger in her hand, determined to sell her life dearly if it came to that. She feels she should know this woman warrior hunting the monster as it is hunting her, but she just cannot make the connection just yet.

     Iriisii's katana produces a pulse of white light that runs from tang to tip and then repeats again and again. Her silvery armor begins reacting to the monster, glowing with power, strong enough that the 'Fly-The-Lights' flesh starts to smoke. The pain enrages it, increasing its hunger, its desire to feed. The assassin is still quietly moving in the shadows, wrapping them around her shrouded form, moving closer to her target.

     In the space of just barely two seconds all is over, the monster leaps as Iriisii pushes herself with force straight at it, sliding underneath, her katana raised as she slices it open from one end to the other. Its flesh already liquifying as it dies even before hitting the chamber floor. The assassin strikes even as Reaper senses its attack and turns with his scythe to block.

     The Naiad Witcher moves from Reapers block just as the assassin throws a poisoned star blade, embedding it in her gut. The assassin then disengages and runs for the tunnel going back to the surface. Iriisii shouts, "Tiid Klo Ul", time slows to a tenth of normal speed, her katana morphs into a chain-weighted at both ends. Iriisii spins it a few times then releases just as the shout expires, the chain speeds across and wraps around the assassin delivering a strong jolt of lightning. Her muscles contract, causing her to fall, losing all forward momentum as Iriisii casts greater telekinesis, pulling the assassin back inside the chamber.