Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Chatter!/

"..."

The two continued to argue for a while, and amidst their confusion, Dale 'sneakily' left.

He felt that it would be better to leave them and let them figure out their feelings for now.

It had been a few days since the survivors joined Resko, but if Tina and Refandora were having such a talk now, then there might've been a reason.

Whatever it was, he didn't want to intervene, and it was clear Tina was a bit shaken by the encounter, as she didn't stop him from leaving despite likely noticing it.

It would be best to leave any discussions, such as subjects related to the Ritual and his future for another time.

His studies and inquiries would have to wait for another time.

As such, he moved on, as there was only one place left he really wished to cross out of his list for today…

The Church.

…

"Huff..."

/Push.../

/Creak…/

Pushing the large wooden double doors, the first thing Dale noticed once he entered the Church was its emptiness.

There was no one here, which was strange, even if the door was locked, there should've been a guard keeping watch over the entrance to the Catacombs.

Even if they had reformed the place, making the windows more robust, cleaning the ground, repairing broken columns, and so on, it didn't mean the church was unbreachable, it was a church, not a fortress.

Dale was one of the few who had a key, but by this time, there should've been some people praying… Or at least a few players using the Church's features.

From the looks of it, whoever was keeping watch had likely left for a little while, causing Dale to sigh.

He turned around and locked the Church doors, making sure no one would come in after him.

Meanwhile, he looked at the pews and the Altar, remembering something:

'Thinking about it, I may need to use those as well…'

'I have many Skills, even a few extra Slots empty, it's time to clean them up and sort them out.'

'I'm in dire need of some Active Skills, albeit I've been thinking if they're even necessary.'

'It would be best to rely on my abilities rather than on Skills... But having something could save me...'

"I'll think about this later…" He mumbled to himself as he walked to the end of the Church

Usually, this would be the time David would initiate a conversation from his usual spot, but he wasn't here, not that he was worried.

Dale already knew David was with Erile, the Saintess… Likely being carried around with his smug smile as always.

The problem was that he didn't know where she was either…

He walked around for a moment and eventually found a note by the Altar, funny enough, it was directed at him.

Its contents were simple, in case he read it, he was supposed to find them on the fifth floor of the Catacombs.

"The Fifth… Just what do they want down there?" Dale asked out loud with a frown as he pulled a lever on the side

'Also, why did she write "them"? Is she including David in this? But that would be too blatantly obvious…'

'Is someone with her?'

With that in his mind, that was no more need to hesitate, he placed the note in his inventory and moved to the side of the Altar.

/Crunk… Pull… Poof.../

"Cough… This place still smells a bit awful… But it's better than before, a lot less dusty asa well."

'No matter how much you clean this place, after decades of corruption, I imagine some of the smell just got trapped in the stone.' .

'Well… It smells like a Cript, that's for sure.'

...

/Step... Light.../

Dale went down the stairs and into the first floor, noticing how much it had changed.

Candles were everywhere, lighting up the path into the distance.

The doors were still a bit broken due to how much they had rotted, but they looked somewhat upright.

The walls were still stained, but not as much, and the ground was the same.

Slowly, this place was recovering its old appearance.

'It seems Erile is acting as a janitor and cleaning the Catacombs on her own… Poor thing.'

'Does she think she's obliged to do it?... Well… Not like a Saintess can do much for now, aside from being a Spiritual Pillar for the common folk.'

'Nonetheless, it must be tough given her situation, she must be under a lot of pressure… And if lighting up candles and cleaning the floor helps her cope with the situation, then so be it.'

'Though it doesn't change how we need people to fill the ranks of the Church… If I could add them to my plans…'

Thinking about using the Chuch for profit… Once he realized what he was thinking, Dale shook his head with an awkward expression.,

The Church would have its place in the infrastructure he was planning to build, but for now, it needed time to stabilize.

It was non-functional as it only had one member, but given the Survivors, Dale expected at least a few of them to qualify as members of this place.

Regardless, he moved on across the floors, deeper, into a place he hadn't stepped in quite some time…

The Fifth Floor.

…

/Step…/

"..."

'As I thought.'

The entrance to the central room of the floor was still the same as ever, albeit with less Miasma all around.

He could now walk without fear as the ground was dry and solid, albeit it still seemed somewhat wet.

There were candles all around, and they were quite new, likely lit up by Erile as she went down.

The doors were also a bit open, it was clear someone was inside.

The biggest surprise so far, however, was the fact he hadn't met with a single skeleton or monster...

He became a bit afraid that the Catacombs were slowly losing their value as a Hidden Dungeon, but then again, the players now had many other options to choose from.

So it would be best to keep far from the prying eyes of the players.

Let them find their own places to farm and grind.

/Echo…/

Dale's steps echoed in the halls as he walked inside the room, and he immediately saw two figures standing in front of a stone coffin atop a platform.

A girl with a simple casual dress, irradiating a feeling of freshness and calmness, her long red hair swaying lightly in the air...

Would this be the feeling one would call… Holy?

She was holding a golden bust in her hand, right beneath her bosom as she closed her eyes for a silent prayer.

It was clearly very polished and well taken care of… And strangely enough, the statue's expression seemed… Happy?

As for the other one… It was a tall man with broad shoulders wearing a simple shirt that covered very little of his arms together with a pair of pants and shoes.

One he knew was Erile… But the other…

"... Kid? So you did come, looks like I doubted you for no reason, I apologize child." Sarferato said as he turned to Erile

"Eh? No! I never meant…"

/Tap…/

Sarferato cut Erile off by patting her head, turning around as he gave Dale a quiet and somber look.

"Come, take a proper look at this place, where giants slumber."

"Last time you were here, I heard it was quite frantic, take your time now to pay your respects..."

/Chuckle.../

"I believe they deserve it." He said with a light smile as he turned around to face the coffin again

"..."

Dale remained silent, walking to the podium where both of them stood.

To his side, he saw the cut on the ground where Caladbold previously rested, and in front of him, the tombstone once meant to house a Legend.

With the room now clearer than before, Dale got a closer look at the surroundings.

The walls were full of plaques with names written on them, several of them were rusty and corroded, from the engravings on the stone to the decorative objects around each tomb, even the metallic handles once used to pull the coffins out of the wall were left rusty and broken.

The Miasma left nothing unpunished.

There were around a hundred coffins spread around the room, but counting everything together, there were over three hundred coffins all around.

Albeit it seemed most were empty.

"... Twelve Corps, Sixteen generations on average, more in some cases… Over a hundred tombs… Defiled, broken." Sarferato suddenly said as he clenched his fist

"But this… Is what they would want. They chose to be here so they could continue with their duty in death so the living may focus on their future."

"These decorations are nothing but pleasantries for us to look at, to the dead, they mean little, at most mementos of a life they already left behind."

"Nonetheless… Seeing it like this… Rubs the wrong way in my old skin."

"The last time I was here… I was around thirty, my father brought me here so we could pay our respects to his own father and his father as well."

"And in a sense… I'm thankful that my father isn't here to see this… He would explode in anger by seeing grandfather's tombstone in this state." He said with a chuckle as he looked around

"I never thought I would be here again..."

"... If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Erile asked as she rubbed David's head

"He's right there." Sarferato replied as he pointed at a coffin on the wall

"Just a year before the Wall fell, we noticed a build-up in many areas South of the Wall."

"To prepare for the oncoming wave, we decided to break as many of those gatherings as we could, as it was much easier to deal with a localized and isolated enemy force than with an invading marching army."

"Unfortunately, this didn't make it any safer… He was struck in the neck by one of those beasts… And with their composition at the time, there was no way to save him without stopping and setting up a temporary camp, which they couldn't do, not there."

"You never stop beyond the wall, remember that kid."

"..."

'Beyond the wall, huh...'

/Silence.../

Sarferato remained silent for a while before continuing:

"... They said he kept his conscious for half of the entire journey back, almost half a day… Wishing only to… To…"

"Say Goodbye to his son."

""...""

"By the time he reached the wall, it was too late."

"... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have as…"

/Tap…/

Sarferato touched Erile's head again, shaking his head as he interrupted her.

"It's but an old story now, a past long forgotten by most… Those that still remember can be counted on one hand."

"Besides, what happened after isn't something I'm very proud to remember…" He said with a thin smile as he closed his eyes

"When I saw his body, I immediately jumped out of the wall and rushed outside, killing everything in my path for a few days on end…"

"After about four days… Or was it five suns? Nights? I don't quite remember…"

"Qrubin came to me to ask if I had calmed down, descending from the sky while trying to act cool and mysterious… So I punched him in the face! Hahahaha…"

"From then on… I don't remember, because he knocked me out with a spell. I woke up in the medical bay a few days later."

"... Death wasn't uncommon in the Corps, my father's death was an honorable one, he resisted its call for a long time… A feat worthy of a Legend."

"Above all, his body was recovered, a privilege... Some of these are empty you know?"

"It was the same for my grandfather, he died right in front of my father yet he raised me well, and I never knew of the grief in his heart until he left me also."

"So I vowed to do the same."

""...""

"Hum? What? Are you two curious about my mother? Well, that's another long story…" Sarferato said as he scratched his beard

"She was nurse you see, and my father was a warrior all too used in getting himself injured, you know how it usually starts…"

Sarferato began narrating a story as if nothing had happened.

It was clear to the two of them he was just trying to change the subject, but they went on with it, smiling slightly as they listened to the old man.

Here, at the doorstep to Hell, the two of them listened to stories of the past with smiles on their faces.

And time rolled by.

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