It had been a great surprise, to finally leave his home. No more darkness, no more monochrome colors. He could see things now, as they were meant to be. And these people standing in front of him looked more interesting than before. Even as they entered his home he could not see what colors they were made of, but now these new shades of red, green, brown and gray struck his eyes and filled his vision. He soon regained focus on the humans who stood below him.
Who might you all be? Wanderers? I mean you no harm, so please lay down your weapons, for I do not wish to harm you.
He was no longer in his home, and he must now respect those around him as they respected him. The people that stand in front of him all look at one another, confused, yet sheathe or stow away their arms. A hesitant lady keeps her slingshot drawn, holding a combination of rock and Firesalt. She was scared, and the Sovereign knew this expression anywhere. Without color, sound, or vision, he could feel fear. And it was one he truly despised. It was uneasy, anxious, and off-putting.
You have nothing to fear, madam. I come to you now, asking for respect and direction in this new domain.
He bowed down low, on one knee, completely vulnerable. The woman eventually put her slingshot away in a knapsack, letting out a sigh of relief and breathing heavily to calm her nerves. As he rose they both made eye contact, and she was angry. The woman spited him, and vexation made her face red. He must have done something to harm her indirectly, such as killing someone she loved. That was the only thought he had, as no other way could really be feasible. Either way, he had no focus on this issue. What's done is done, and he will not look back on it. A deeper, male voice speaks to him from another direction.
"So… you're the Dark Sovereign. Never thought we'd see you, let alone out of your Zone."
He gives the man a hearty chuckle and rises, his horned head scraping the roof above, making him tilt his body slightly. The wanderers would take a couple steps back, fearful yet in awe of his size. His body took up the entire hallway's width, and with his head scratching the bricks on the roof he had to be crouching by at least two feet. Their leader, though, the man talking to the Sovereign, showed no fear and held his ground.
Yes, that would be I. What would your names be?
"I'm Carlos. My other teammates are Hilda, Jack, and Yolanda, the one that's pissed off at you." He crosses his arms, and the Sovereign puts his behind his back. "You said you needed direction?"
Yes, I am unfamiliar with this dimension and do not know where to go-
Down a hall to their left, howls and roars echo down the brick passageways. The wandering group raises their arms and gets ready for a fight, and the Sovereign does the same. His long greatsword rings out harmonically, the black onyx shining in the light. Hounds begin to fill the hall, and the group takes cover behind the Sovereign's massive figure. He nods at them and walks into the corridor, shoving his blade through multiple Hounds. Others tried to bite or scratch him, but his armor protected him from their claws. He grabs the face of one with a free hand, and it whines and screams, clawing and flailing, trying to get away.
The other Hounds run, seeing the Sovereign as a threat, and he turns around, tossing the Hound he had grabbed in front of the group. Its face was completely covered in black crystals, and it still twitched as it lay on the floor. Its face hissed and cracked, almost as if the Sovereign's hands were made of fire. The Sovereign himself sheathed his blade, looking at the wanderers.
We are not safe here. Where is the nearest exit?
Carlos would look down the halls before seeing a familiar marking. "This way!"
Other beasts within the corridors began to wake, with grumbles, roars, or curious chirps. The Sovereign follows behind, stretching his massive greatsword to defend the wanderers. They see an elevator and the four wanderers get inside, however the Sovereign could not fit.
This is quite the predicament. How do you suppose I meet with you again?
Carlos would look around, trying to see if he could find another way for the Sovereign to leave Level 3 and get back to safety. Level 4 is where they were going, and Carlos looks up at the Sovereign.
"Can you follow us in a smaller form? Is there any way you can shrink or get smaller?"
The Sovereign would have heard him, but other hostile entities were being kept at bay while they talked. He held off Wretches and Clumps with relative ease, blood splattering the walls he separated. Soon, the Sovereign thought of something. It was somewhat risky, but he had no time to conjure a weapon or item like he did in the past for Kazuo. He ripped off his crown from the air it sat on and tossed it to Carlos. Carlos caught it, knowing that the Sovereign wouldn't hurt them with crystal, and he looked back at the being.
Go to wherever you wish. I will follow.
Carlos nodded, and looked at Jack to press the button to Level 4. He did so, and the doors closed.
Calming music filled the elevator as they looked at the crown Carlos held. It was heavy, easily twenty pounds, but at the same time had this… feeling to it. Carlos felt like three pairs of hands were helping him lift the crown and keep it from falling. The gemstones within the crown hummed softly, all four of them glowing white to his eyes.
"It's surprising he trusted us so quickly with that," said Jack. "That's his most prized possession."
"I know. It caught me off guard too, hah. Almost dropped the bloody thing when I caught it, the weight surprised me."
The doors opened while they talked, and soon they stepped out into the comforting… well, slightly comforting halls of Level 4. They all breathed a sigh of relief and sat down outside the elevator, finding some space for themselves after they let another search party enter their elevator. The crown then suddenly rose from Carlos' hands, hovering in the air. Everyone around him quickly stepped back, but watched in an almost hypnotizing awe as it stay there in the air.
The Sovereign had been holding off these beings for long enough, and he had hoped that the crown had reached its destination. He slammed his hand on the ground in a fist, shouting:
ENOUGH!
And from this, a wave of crystals shot up from the ground, impaling all who stand in the hall in front of him. He breathed heavily, not having combat like that before. He was surprisingly good at it.
Hah… I must have some of Kilian's heart of fire.
He looked at his handiwork, satisfied with the results. The beings that were impaled thrashed to get free, unintentionally harming themselves more in the process. And suddenly, a feeling overcame him. Voices were beckoning him. Not his, yet another's. Voices he had not heard before, and he thought back to how he left his home.
He shoved his sword into the ground, two feet of the blade embedding within the stone, and smoke erupted from the small chasm he had made. It surrounded him, and the last thing those horrid entities saw were his white eyes before he was no longer there. The smoke cleared, and with it the formations of gems holding them in place. They shattered and almost disintegrated, with vicious Hounds and enraged Skin-Stealers thrashing about with their newly injured arms.
Now, within Level 4, a loud crushing sound was heard from below them, and from the ground below the crystal a massive blade shot up from the floor. It embedded itself in the roof of the level, and crystals began to make a large hole that led to darkness. From this pit came smoke, and with the smoke came the Sovereign's massive clawed hand. It gripped the edge of the portal, and another with it. Soon came the Sovereign, heaving himself out of the hole and standing at full height. He slowly pulled his sword from the roof and sheathed it carefully. His crown lay itself atop his head, with the four gemstones emitting a single prolonged strobe of pure light.
"Now that's how you make an entrance," said Hilda. The Sovereign simply chuckled.
The people around him quickly took solace behind walls, and as he looked at them they turned away their gaze. He now knew that these people were deathly scared of him, and some even went to their knees to show respect as to not be sliced in half or suffer the fate of being grasped.
"p-please! We mean you no harm, Dark Sovereign!" said one, and others followed suit. They held their hands in prayer above their head, and the Sovereign… well, he went to a knee. He bowed to the people, putting a fist on his chest.
Nonsense. I should be the one bowing to you, miss, for you are not in my home; I am in yours. You all should take no fear in me, as now I ask you for your humble respect and hospitality.
People around him were taken aback, yet they nodded in understanding. It wasn't hard to comprehend to them, and with his welcoming demeanor and calm persona, they trusted him quickly. They rose from their knees and thanked him, welcoming him, and asking him to rise as well. Soon he did so, internally smiling (as he had no face or mouth to use as of yet) at the people around him.
The wanderers he accompanied were berated with questions of how they did this, but they were too tired to answer most of them. They saw a vending machine near them, and they sighed with great relief as they ran towards it. The Sovereign followed, taking large strides to meet them at the machine. He tilted his head, wondering what it was. When Yolanda pressed a button, she immediately disappeared. The Sovereign's eyes widened with surprise.
"It's weird, yeah. We all get confused when we first get here. This is… basically teleportation to another place," Carlos stated.
I see. And this… device, where does it lead?
"To probably one of the best places in this hellhole." Carlos presses a button and disappears too, with Jack and Hilda following soon after. The Sovereign does the same, pressing a button carefully with his large clawed finger. He is soon teleported too, no-clipping to Level 6.1.
The Sovereign opens his eyes, seeing the new environment. A bar, filled with people and entities alike, and of all places he was in a corner. One of the gems on his crown, the amethyst, glowed brightly, giving him a large feeling of anxiety. He pushed to ignore it, but he felt like he had pushed someone away doing so. The gem calms itself, going back to its normal luminosity.
He sees Carlos and his crew sitting down at a booth, and they wave him over, He goes to them, being careful of other people around him, and sits down on the floor beside their table. There wasn't really a throne around to hold him, much less a chair.
"Time to eat!" said Jack, as one of the Facelings came over to take their order. Jack gets a large cheeseburger, Yolanda orders a hot dog, Carlos requests a medium rare steak, and Hilda asks for a simple Caesar salad. The waiter looks at the Sovereign, seeing if he will get anything.
"Have you had to eat before?" asked Hilda. They all could obviously see that he had no mouth, and it's not like many entities in the Backrooms had to eat to sustain themselves.
I have, once, but I do not need to eat. Regardless, I do not know of what food you gorge upon.
Jack perks up. "Get him what I'm getting," he says to the waiter. The waiter nods, and Carlos gets them all drinks that they regularly get, and asking for a simple glass of beer for the Sovereign, and water as a backup should he not like it. The waiter nods once more and walks off, putting the order in the kitchen.
The Sovereign looks at Jack, and Jack smiles. "I think you'll like it. Besides, a cheeseburger is a good starting point, in my eyes."
I believe you. Thinking about it does sound… interesting.
Their drinks are all placed on the table, with three of them drinking alcohol and Hilda sipping on a glass of tea. The Sovereign looks at his hands, worried that the glass, and more importantly the drink inside, would turn immediately to crystal.
However, one of his crystals began to glow. It would be the turquoise one, and soft crunching came from his wrists. A thin layer of turquoise covered the palms of his hands and fingers, essentially creating a safety cover for his hands. He tilts his head in confused thankfulness, grasping the glass to test what had happened. It didn't turn to crystal. It didn't turn! He felt so astoundingly happy that, if he had a face, his grin would stretch from ear to ear! The others were surprised as well, and the Sovereign lifted the glass to drink.
To his surprise, it tasted quite nice. A bit strange, and slightly grotesque for a first taste, but it wasn't bad. A richer drink might be his fancy, though he wasn't going to reject what he was given. He takes a few more sips before putting the glass down, and looked at the group. They were a bit taken aback, and he soon realized why. His face felt different, and when he placed a hand upon his cheek he felt sharp lines in his head. He soon noticed that he had a jaw, with sharp teeth, and a tongue that was close to that of a snake's. It had been many, many years since he had a mouth, and it was a nice feeling to have, if weird.
"So… that's your mouth?" asked Carlos.
"A bit scary, to say the least," Yolanda responded.
I'm sorry if I did frighten you, I didn't mean to have this form unintentionally. I forgot what it looked like after all this time.
Their food soon arrived, placed in front of them with their respective orders. Jack and Hilda began eating immediately, with Carlos drinking more before cutting into his steak. The Sovereign looked down at the food presented before him, seeing that it was a good deal larger than Jacks, most likely to accommodate for his size. He picked it up, the turquoise lining still working, and bit into the burger. It tasted great, to be frank, and he loved it. Still keeping his composure he essentially devoured the food in just a few bites, drinking some water after.
Ah… thank you very much for the meal. That was a welcome experience.
Down the hall, an unknowing Kazuo Nishimura would be arriving in the Snackrooms to take a nice break. He had just finished getting emails from Xavier and editing around three hundred files. He definitely wanted a relaxing moment with some nice food, but his attention turned to the large black figure sitting on the floor. Kazuo's mouth almost hit the floor and his eyes opened wide.
"Sovereign, is that you?"
The Sovereign turned around and stood, happy to see Kazuo again. His mouth merged back into his face, and the whispers would also perk up in excitement.
Kazuo! Hi!
It's been a while!
It's good to see you again, buddy!
The same from me, my friend. It's great to see you.
The Sovereign would open his arms for an embrace, and Kazuo walked over to hug him. He wrapped his arms as best he could around the beast, and the Sovereign reciprocated the hug, dwarfing Kazuo with his size.
"How did you manage to leave?! I didn't know you could do this!"
Neither did I! One day I mustered as much power as I could, and suddenly I'm within… Level 3? Sorry, I'm still getting accustomed to your naming scheme.
"Well either way I'm happy to see you. It's good to know you're doing well."
And good to see that you're in good health! I see a few scars, though. Have you been safe as of late?
"Well, as safe as I can be. Although I'm an Assistant Database Manager, I still have to do runs like anyone else. It's dangerous, some of the places I go, but the blade you gave me really helps defend myself."
Well I'm glad to hear it. Have you been taking care of it?
Kazuo would reach to his side where a large blade sat in a sheathe and grab the hilt. With one swift movement, Kazuo would present a long katana made of black onyx crystals, carved to a razor sharp edge on one side.
"Hasn't chipped at all. Amazing forgery, if I do say so myself."
The Sovereign chuckles and pulls out his sword from his sheathe, the blade resembling a more dual-hilted German Zweihander. The Sovereign held both hilts and angled the sword in front of him, parallel to his body. Kazuo did the same, and he eyed his surroundings. Many people formed almost a ring, watching the two of them.
"You really wanna do this here?" Kazuo would have an almost cocky tone, but he knew that the Sovereign was much stronger than him.
I've always wanted a duel. Be sure not to drop your blade.
The Sovereign swings his sword at Kazuo, and immediately gets parried. Suffice to say, the Sovereign didn't have much technical prowess or knowledge of Zweihander techniques. It was Kilian who forged this blade for him, and even she was going on a limb.
"That all you got?!" Kazuo would swing with precision, going for his waist, but the Sovereign would use the same move that Kazuo used on him; the large sword that shouldn't have moved that fast snapped into place, blade tip down, with both swords grinding against each other.
Not at all. I'm quite the fast learner.
The Sovereign would push away and send Kazuo back a few feet before unleashing a barrage of attacks, all from different angles. Kazuo blocked as many as he could, but he could feel the Sovereign's strength through the sheer power of his strikes. He became worried that he might lose his grip and send his blade flying, but his fingers refused to budge, and his palms tightened like stone. He parried the Sovereign during one blow, sending the Sovereign's arm back and dashing to get a hit in.
The Sovereign acted fast, pulling off the brooch holding his mantle and sending it in Kazuo's face. Of course, Kazuo's aim would be off as the heavy cloth obscures his vision and his blade.
"Now that was dirty!" Kazuo would have a playful tone, chuckling as he said that. The Sovereign would laugh as well.
You do what you must to win! Now, again!
Kazuo nods and dashes towards the Sovereign, the beast's mantle fluttering off of Kazuo as he ran. The Sovereign waited, and waited, just in time for the perfect strike. He parried Kazuo's attack and grasped his throat. Kazuo, unsurprisingly, panicked, trying to get out of the Sovereign's grasp. He dropped his blade and thrashed at the beast's hand.
"Why are you touching me?! I thought- I thought this was a duel!"
The Sovereign simply chuckles.
You need not worry, my friend. I have a protective coating over my hands.
He sheathes his blade and raises his left hand, showing Kazuo the safe, turquoise color that now covered his palms and fingers. To say he breathed a sigh of relief would be an understatement, and he calmed his nerves as the Sovereign lowered him back to the ground.
You are a great fighter, Kazuo. At points I thought I would lose.
Kazuo smiles and gives a bow to the Sovereign. "And for someone who has hardly battled, you swing your blade with confidence. Kudos to you, my friend." The Sovereign also bows after reattaching his mantle, his armor shifting softly.
Thank you for teaching me new defensive and offensive maneuvers. I'm sure they'll be put to good use.
As he raises his crown glows, and subconsciously he knows what to do. He unsheathes his blade and stabs it into the ground, black smoke flying into the air.
I must go now. Home is beckoning me, and I cannot ignore it any longer.
"Ah, well until next time, Sovereign!" Kazuo would rise and give a hearty smile, and the Sovereign's mouth appears, returning the gaze Kazuo gave.
Until next time, my friend.
With the sound of a windstorm and a black column of smoke, the Sovereign slowly vanished, until his eyes only remained within the smoke. And then, he was gone. The Snackrooms then went back to its usual schedule, and Kazuo met with Carlos' group.
"So, how did you meet the Sovereign?" asked Carlos, both star-struck and curious about the relationship between Kazuo and the Sovereign.
"Well, funny enough, it started with an entity file..."
As the Sovereign returned to his domain, he sat on his throne with content. He now did not have to worry about loneliness. He did not have to fear killing by accident. He was…
…free, in a way.
He felt free from some more shackles that held him in Ornatum. His body began to rest, the crystals moving and shifting to let his body heal. He felt exhausted, and from meeting new friends, to fending off fiendish entities, to eating new food, drinking new liquids, and dueling his longest friend, the day began to end and the imaginary bells began to toll.
Yet, with all that he had done today, something felt off.
Something still felt like he had to return here; it's why he rushed to leave the Snackrooms so suddenly, after all. Something, or someone, was beckoning him back here, making him stay within the dark corners of Ornatum. While he pondered, his heart stopped. His body began to burn like lava, and his head felt as if he was about to explode.
He fell from his throne to his knees, letting out a mighty roar as he gripped his horned head in agony. His whispers began to panic, seeing if he was okay and leaving him temporarily to check the Dark Domain. One whisper came back as his roars turned to groans, and then those groans to pained whimpers. He felt ashamed, sobbing like this, as he had not done so in years, when his sisters died, but he was hurting. And it was awful.
Guys, there's a new place here!
What…? What do you mean? There… there isn't anything here… other than us.
Come, follow me! There's a new room!
The whisper, which was a faint, almost invisible white streak to the Sovereign's eyes, flew away and towards a random direction. The Sovereign struggles to get up but hastily pushes the wall, following this whisper before they disappeared. They were quite rowdy and didn't have the greatest attention span.
After around two miles of walking, the whisper returned back to the Sovereign.
See! I told you there was a new place!
The Sovereign's eyes widened, and his pain temporarily faded in the gaze of whatever this new place was. It was white, with crystals he had not seen before. One whisper quickly told him that it was quartz, and as usual, they couldn't really remember how they knew that.
What is… quartz doing here? Did I…
He had made a new zone. Like before, many millennia ago, when he had created his own home. But this was different. He didn't mean to make this. He didn't want anyone to be hurt by it, either.
I should contact Kazuo…
The Dark Collective - Tales from the Caverns
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