HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group (2) - Chapter 41 (Patreon)

Chapter 41 - Astoria!

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this!”

“Can you imagine the looks on their faces when we come back?” Not a death flag at all.

“You keep talking as if you’re sure we’ll find something useful in here,” the lone Nord among the spirits remarked calmly.

I liked that guy. He seemed to be the only grounded person in the entire group. Maybe it was just the Nord way?

“Given the history of this place, it’s more than likely that some power still remains here.”

“Enchanted weapons, tomes of ancient knowledge, Shalidor’s secrets themselves—who knows what we could find!” the younger Savos exclaimed excitedly.

Maybe those weren’t actually their spirits, but rather memories enchanted into the torc? They didn’t react to our presence at all. My Magic Power Eye told me they were made of magic, all of them using the same kind, and there was a slight connection between them and the torc. I really needed to get that spell from the Archmage.

If that was really how it worked, I could repurpose it into something like holograms. And that could turn into a very profitable business.

“And what if... What if there are things guarding this place?”

“Against six College-trained mages? I think we’ll be fine.”

“Well, pride comes before a fall,” Daphne commented dryly as we watched the spirits vanish into nothingness.

Tracey nodded. “They’re a bit generic, aren’t they?”

“They kind of are. But then again, what are you supposed to say before entering one of the oldest ruins in the world?”

“Maybe something like what you do? Come up with a strategy and establish a formation. Or aren’t they mages from the College? Shouldn’t they have done some research beforehand? At the very least, they could have exchanged some information. All we heard was that this place was connected to Shalidor. Beyond that, they didn’t even have an idea what they were looking for. They could literally have picked any other ruin if all they wanted was enchanted weapons.” Tracey shrugged, making a pretty good point.

Daphne gave a small nod.

“She’s right. They put themselves in danger without having a clear plan or even the slightest idea of what they wanted to find in here. Going in search of treasure without a proper objective is foolish.” Her cool grey eyes followed the last traces of the spirits as they disappeared. “I wonder how Savos Aren even became the Archmage with such a careless attitude. Look where it got the others.”

“And you’re not saying that just because they seem to act like typical Gryffindors?” I chuckled at her attitude toward people who had already died because of their own stupidity. “And you have to admit, the Archmage has some cunning. Not only was he the only one among them who had an idea about this place, bringing some living shields along with him, but he was also the only one who made it out alive. If that doesn’t scream Slytherin, then I don’t know what does.”

“Eh, but I’m a Slytherin, and he’s nothing like me!” Astoria chimed in.

“How you ended up in Slytherin is beyond me,” Daphne grumbled in annoyance, though I could see the mischief lurking in Astoria’s eyes.

She was probably the most Slytherin of all of us. Her mask was perfect, and almost nobody suspected a thing, yet she always managed to get what she wanted. I was the only one who knew the true nature of that little gremlin, mostly because I had practically grown up with her.

Strangely enough, Daphne couldn’t see through her own sister. She honestly believed that the only reason Astoria had ended up in Slytherin was that the Sorting Hat had decided it was too much of a pain to put her anywhere else and deal with a bunch of angry Purebloods.

“The Sorting Hat wanted me to remain your problem?” the younger girl asked innocently.

“I guess so,” Daphne replied dryly.

“Anyway, I can’t wait to see what’s so special about this place! Those spirits have made me even more curious!” Astoria announced excitedly, already heading farther into the ruin.

Daphne was the only one who immediately grabbed her by the clothes.

“Astoria... Did you forget something?”

“No?”

“The formation?” Tracey helpfully added.

“Right, that.”

Daphne slowly turned her head toward her younger sister.

“Astoria.”

“Yes?”

“If you put yourself or anyone else in danger because—and let me quote you here—you wanted ‘to see what’s so special about this place,’ I will be very disappointed.”

“Don’t worry, Daph! I’ll make sure that whatever kills me is at least worth the trouble. Maybe a Dragon? With how many of those Al made us fight it’s possible!”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about...” Daphne sighed, some of the tension showing through the cracks in her usually cool and aloof facade. As always, her composure crumbled whenever her younger sister was involved. “You stay in the center. No wandering off!”

“And no getting yourself killed,” I added as I activated my Foresight Eye.

I usually kept it deactivated to avoid becoming overly reliant on it, but Labyrinthian was a special case. Even if I had some idea of what to expect, this place was shrouded in so much mystery and lore that anything could go wrong.

This place was supposed to contain Glamoril, the Secret of Life. Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. Yet nobody had ever found it.

It hadn’t appeared in any of the games, either. It had only ever been mentioned in the lore.

“I won’t let anything kill you,” Ghislaine said to the younger girl with complete seriousness, breaking the tension by completely missing the crude joke.

———

“ASTORIA!”

“Now, seriously, Daph, do you have to blame me for everything? How was I supposed to know? It was a joke! And this is not the right time!” The younger girl cackled as she hid behind the Earth Barrier I had created to protect us from the Skeletal Dragon’s frost breath.

It didn’t seem like she was in any real danger. Or was she just insane?

It was a question I asked myself quite often, if I was being honest.

“You jinxed it!” Tracey joined Daphne in her scolding, firing blasting Curses from behind her own cover.

Yep, we weren’t even that deep into Labyrinthian yet, and we were already facing a Dragon. Not just any Dragon, either, but a terrifying undead Skeletal Dragon.

It was far more imposing in reality than it could ever have been in a game. Its enormous skeletal frame loomed before us, its ancient bones shrouded in a thick, black miasma that oozed from between its ribs and curled around its exposed spine. The dark mist drifted through the air like something alive, giving the creature an almost otherworldly presence.

Visually, it was absolutely incredible. Equal parts horrifying and awe-inspiring. It was one of those moments when you just had to stop and stare for a second, taking in how ridiculously cool and genuinely intimidating it looked.

Assuming it didn’t kill you, of course.

“Hey, but that one is an undead Dragon!” Astoria suddenly realized, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes. “I wonder...”

Yep, an undead one. It didn’t even have a Dragon Soul for me to absorb. It was more like an animated Inferius than an actual Dragon, though I suspected it contained a Daedric Essence, like most undead in Tamriel.

Necromancy in this world usually involved Daedric Essences as part of its craft, even when dealing with souls. Soul magic was a far more dangerous branch of the art, since souls had wills of their own and could actively fight back against whoever tried to control them.

Daedric Essences were essentially the Daedra’s equivalent of souls.

Most undead were simply possessed by lesser Daedra, making them easier for a mage to control.

But what exactly had Astoria realized?

I watched as the dark-haired bundle of trouble pointed her wand at the imposing skeletal remains of the Dragon and sent a flash of green light straight at it.

Nah, that couldn’t be...

Just how ridiculously talented was she? That was supposed to be an endgame perk at the very end of the Illusion perk tree!

Yet, to my utter astonishment, the Skeletal Dragon froze in place before turning around and heading toward the small horde of Skeletons I had been keeping in check.

Right before my eyes, the Dragon began tearing the Skeletal Horde apart.

Astoria had reached the Master of the Mind perk. Just how? How had she managed to reach a level where she could dominate the minds of the undead in a matter of days or weeks?

With the Dragon taking care of the smaller fry, which were far more numerous than I remembered from the game, I finally had enough room to charge up a massive, rotating Stone Cannon. The moment the Dragon had finished off the last few Skeletons that Ghislaine and Mom had been fighting, I unleashed it with a thunderous bang.

Without the slightest resistance, my Stone Cannon pierced straight through the Skeletal Dragon’s bones, shattering its entire frame.

“No, Skelli! My Lord of Death!” Astoria cried as she watched her mind-controlled undead puppet crumble to the ground. “You killed him! Wasn’t he amazing?”

I could only give her a disbelieving look. “Are you serious? How long could you even maintain that spell?”

She avoided looking me in the eye. “Long enough!”

“Sure...”

“Undead pet Dragon or not, I have to say that the three of you have improved tremendously!” Mom nodded approvingly. Not a single speck of dust marred her clothes. She had definitely enchanted them to stay pristine.

“I can’t think of many Hogwarts students who could remain so calm in front of a Dragon and actually fight it!” she added.

“Thanks, Mom, but the fact that we have to face a Dragon this early on is pretty worrying!” Tracey shot me a blaming look.

“Are there any more surprises we should expect?” Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Please say yes!” Astoria chimed in, earning an annoyed look from the other two.

“There are more undead, but aside from our main target, the Dragon Priest, the Skeletal Dragon is pretty much the most exciting thing in here. Other than that, we’ll have to prove our magical skills by getting through some sealed doors.” I paused before adding, “At least, I hope that’s all there is.”

“You hope?”

“It’s hard to say how much of the game is reflected in reality. Several things in this world are different from what I remember from the games. Usually, everything is bigger, and there are always far more enemies.” I shrugged, not particularly worried. “As long as we don’t have to face any gods, we should be more than prepared for whatever comes our way.”

As we stepped out of the vast chamber, leaving behind the spot where we had fought the Skeletal Dragon, whose remains we had safely stored in our bags, we were greeted once again by the spirits of Savos Aren and his comrades. After all, Dragon Bones were Dragon Bones, and I wasn't about to leave such valuable materials lying around.

Unlike us, they had fled from the Skeletal Dragon like cowards and seemed far more shocked by its presence.

Maybe it really was dangerous? I guess you kind of lose your sense of danger when you spend your training sessions killing Dragons.

Or are a Devil and simply expect to face gods one day.

———

The rest of Labyrinthian was pretty much what I had expected. The caverns were mostly filled with Draugr and Skeletons, along with several sealed doors that could only be opened by casting specific spells.

One thing about this entire place was annoying, though. Somehow, the Dragon Priest Morokei could use the Staff of Magnus to drain our magic throughout the entire dungeon. I had no idea how he managed that, but I would figure it out once I got my own hands on the Staff.

Aside from having to chug a few Magicka Potions to replenish our drained reserves, we had no trouble handling the place. Ghislaine's Sword of Light, a technique that allowed her to cut down enemies at the speed of light, was simply too powerful for most Draugr and Skeletons to handle.

In these narrow tunnels, she barely needed our support unless there was enough room for more than one enemy to attack her at a time.

The girls had also grown considerably stronger. They no longer froze up in the face of adversity but instead managed to hold their own.

Tracey was shaping up to be a proper Fire Sorceress, while Daphne had focused on the element of Ice, fitting for her title at Hogwarts: Slytherin's Ice Princess.

As for Astoria, her mastery of Illusion Magic was shaping her into a true monster. She hadn't mastered the higher-level spells yet, but she had somehow figured out all kinds of tricks to exploit Illusion Magic, making her a far more dangerous wielder of the art than she had any right to be.

The girls even managed to solve most of the sealed doors Shalidor had left behind to test future Archmages almost entirely on their own. Having to cast a Fire spell and then an Ice spell to open a door wasn't exactly rocket science.

And honestly, that bothered me.

According to legend, Labyrinthian held Glamoril, the Secret of Life, hidden away by Shalidor himself. Yet even with my Magic Power Eye, I couldn't detect anything related to it.

No, there had to be another place, right?

We were heading toward the Dragon Priest Morokei, who had been bound to this place long before Shalidor was even born. Shalidor had only added his own contributions to Labyrinthian later, which meant there should be another section dedicated to his work.

But I hadn't found anything.

Then again, I vaguely remembered that Labyrinthian was divided into two parts or something along those lines. It was hard to tell what was true and what wasn't, considering how unreliable Bethesda's lore could be. Anything could change with the release of a future game.

Making our way through the depths of Labyrinthian, we eventually reached its inner section, where I also acquired the final part of the Slow Time Shout. It was the Thu'um I was most interested in, after all. Time manipulation was just that useful.

Further ahead, we finally arrived at the chamber where Morokei was sealed behind a magical barrier maintained by two bound specters. They were former comrades of Savos Aren, condemned to spend eternity sustaining that barrier.

And that was precisely why I had never fully trusted Savos Aren.

The man could be a real cunt.

“You are not my old friend Aren... Did you come to face your end as well?” Morokei the ancient Dragon Priest asked in a mocking voice still trapped.

On the face of one of the earliest Lich-like beings of the World was also the last Dragon Priest Mask I was lacking, and in his Hands was the Staff of Magnus.

[-- End of Chapter --]