Re: Level 100 Farmer

Chapter 286 - Zagan's Thoughts III

"Then this personage shall lay before you the events of the Fourth Darkening, one in which he was yet herald of Greed," said Zagan. "First, there was Ijiras of En Vexelann, or that which you know as the never-ending storm of the Northwastes."

"Demons live even in the Northwastes?" said Li.

"Three centers do we demons inhabit. En Arkennan, the center of chaos – that is where the seven swarms originate. En Vexelann – the center of the eternal storm. And En Okeas – center of the watery depths that has now been warped into the sealed Abyss."

"I see."

Seeing that Li had no further questions, Zagan continued. "Ijiras was mighty indeed, rising to the top of the storm, feasting upon the strongest of demons of frost and wind and lightning until finally, she found herself bored of the challenge of En Vexelann. She left her home and came to En Arkennan, challenging all leaders of the seven swarms and finding herself triumphant. 

With that, Ijiras invoked the Rite of the Swarm, and none other than she was better for it. She embodied the principle of the Rite and of demonkind perfectly. Strength, she sought above all else, devouring and destroying all in pursuit of ultimate power.

Ijiras named her seven heralds, with this personage and Pride continuing our duties as heralds as we had since the Third Darkening."

"You were not challenged for the title?" asked Li.

"Of course, we were. 

But among the swarm of Greed, this personage is one unnaturally suited to battle. The demons of Greed are those that which deal in trickery and pacts. In magic and thought do we indulge ourselves in, but this personage, ever since he was but a mere hellhound, has always been close to the primal savagery of battle, of bloodletting by flame and tooth and claw, and as such, has remained undefeated.

Pride, my old friend, is one similar, though his might comes from a dedication to swordsmanship paralleled by none. As is fitting for one who was once human."

"Human?" asked Li, a little surprised. Though he did remember that the herald of Lust in the Fourth Darkening was also originally human as Zagan once said. 

"An Easterner just as your human vessel shows," said Zagan. "He had pursued a 'dao' or 'way' as he called it, of swordsmanship his whole life, and he had become a man of legend in his home. A sword saint, as was called.

But he grew tired of his home and left, marking his way through the continent of Eldenia, challenging all that it had to offer, and then to the Hinterlands, then to En Arkennan where he willingly became a demon to freely traverse the cursed lands fatal to mortals.

All in the pursuit of his way."

"He must have been extraordinarily powerful," said Li, knowing from his interaction with Lady Zhen that the eastern continent was significantly stronger than the average in Eldenia. If Pride was a man who had risen to the top of that continent and become even stronger as a demon, inheriting the special powers of a demon sin, he very well may have been equal to a level 100 character.

"A wonder he did not become the Burning One himself," noted Li. 

"His duel with Ijiras ended when he conceded, satisfied with her strength even when he could have fought to a much bloodier end. For he rejected all titles of authority. In sheer might, he may have grasped the title of Burning One, but it was his path to take. 

Even as a herald, he did not exercise any control over the swarm of Pride, allowing their traditions of knighthood and warrior spirit continue on without any interference, though this personage imagined that those values resonated with him well."

"The way you speak of him – you seem to hold great respect for him," said Li. 

"This personage respects those that adhere to principle, even if it they be not his own. Hence, tolerating the aged mortal of yours. Pride was much the same."

"And you are telling me with all this firepower, a Burning One, a herald nearly equal to her in power, and seven swarms of demons, that they could not take out the Eldenian continent?"

"A weakness of adhering to principle," said Zagan.  "Ijiras did not command. She simply went forth, leading a charge wherein she sought out strong opponents to destroy, to freeze their souls to add to her collection. She cared not of what forces she lost nor what they did, and that was true for all other swarms.

Wrath charged forwards with his packs with nothing resembling strategy. Envy and his ilk only ever cared of stealing and taking. Gluttony lived only to feast and feast. 

Lust sought a subtler method of conquest, one more suited to what she had learned in her time as a human seductress. She and her swarm charmed those that practiced magic, gaining their secrets and devising a Rot capable of suppressing the forest Guardians and spirits who would have challenged us thoroughly.

This personage too committed himself and his swarm to something more than the brute fight, for the demons of Greed have never been ones to revel truly in the thick of battle. We went north, seeking to sway the hearts of the mortals there and steal away the Purgatorio that felled the Burning One of the Third Darkening.

Alas, we found no victory."

"Did the elves repel your forces?"

Zagan shook his head. "Little did they oppose us. We moved from west to east through continent, and the elves reside in the farthest eastern part of northern Eldenia. But between the elves and our forces were the beastmen and the club tribes."

"No dragons?"

"The dragons acted last in the Third Darkening, indeed being the reason for our demise, defeating our then Burning One. But having proven themselves, they no longer oppose us, seeing us beneath them." Zagan said this in a matter-of-fact tone, not at all seemingly having his pride hurt that the dragons considered them so. "But that is their choice, and one we respect for they have proven their might."

"I see. Then I find it interesting that the north was able to hold out against you. You must have had more heralds with you as well, and there would only be beastmen tribes left to fight you."

"Gluttony and Envy accompanied my swarm north," said Zagan. "Both desired the Purgatorio as well, coveting it as the rarest of symbols of power to steal away. But the opposition from the beastmen and the club tribes was far, far greater than expected. Truly, it was an age of heroes for them.

The king of the lupi and the three matriarchs of the pantherians, goldmanes, and tigrans united in unprecedented alliance never before seen since the First Darkening itself. This personage's swarm and Gluttony fought well, as well as his bloated, bumbling form could, and he managed to steal away the Nadir of the goldmanes, but against three more divine weapons forged by the three great gods, he fell.

Envy fell to the club tribes, for they too had united under a temporary alliance. Orcs, trolls, cyclopes, and goblins of all fought against Envy and his swarm, isolating them until an Elven weapon fell upon the battlefield, eviscerating all in brilliant nova.

And this personage was thus left with a swarm cut in half by losses and the Elven Purgatorio yet un-retrieved. Still, this personage thought he still had a chance. It would only take the right elf to corrupt and infest to break apart their fragile society.

But Ijiras, dazzled by the Shining One's strength, wished to duel him, and she fell to him, their fight leaving even the reaches of this world itself, into the dark of the starry skies. 

And thus, the Rite of the Swarm was broken."

"And Pride? He was a Burning One level fighter. How was he repelled if Sunstar was busy with Ijiras?" Li asked.

"Pride fought a mighty hero. A man named Sigmund the Indestructible," said Zagan.

"I recognize that name," said Li. He knew the name from a tale by Old Thane. Sigmund was the man that almost killed Old Thane when he was younger in the north. He had thought that Sigmund was going to be a one-off mention never relevant again, but here the name was. "But he was truly that powerful?"

Zagan nodded. "The hero was invulnerable to seemingly any kind of damage, and he adapted each time he fell, gaining speed, strength, flight – whatever it was necessary to keep him in the fight. Pride dueled the hero for eight days, and the wake of their battle left three cities razed to cratered rubble, but finally, Pride prevailed.

Yet, the injuries Pride sustained were far too much, and he retreated. His swarm, ever loyal to him, fell back with him."

Zagan continued, faster paced now, listing off the deaths of the remaining heralds like he was ticking names off a list.

"Wrath tore a warpath through the deep south but fell to the Moonreaver when he reached Enna.

Sloth fell in the Chattering Forest.

The circumstances of Lust's death this personage does not know, but she has certainly perished for her herald sin returned to En Arkennan in waiting for a new bearer."

"All that in a span of five years," said Li. "Though not close to being a long time in comparison to the other Darkenings, it is still enough. Five years to wreak havoc on mostly what must have been the north. I can begin to see how much devastation the beastmen tribes faced in trying to stop you all.

They must have suffered countless losses in a five year long conflict of that scale." 

"Were the Purgatorio to have been unleashed, that devastation may have been staunched," said Zagan.

"Is what I was thinking too," said Li. 

"But listening to the prattling of the mortals, this personage has begun to understand why the elves did not act. They wish for dominance, to rule over all, and they cannot rule that which is strong. They took the Fourth Darkening as a chance to vastly weaken the beastmen and club tribes, and now, those tribes lie under the yoke of the elves."

Zagan snorted. "The cruelty of demons, was it? It does pale in comparison to the machinations of mortals and their pettiness. Their willingness to abuse and sacrifice for their goals."

"Say that the Rite was successful, and you won. What would you all have done?" asked Li. 

"We would have had our fill of negative emotions," said Zagan. "Then, this personage imagines, many of us would have pulled back to En Arkennan where still our home lies and where we hold duty to guard the Abyss. 

The mortals are mistaken if they believe their entire existence in danger. Should they all perish, then we too would lose most delectable a meal. No, we would keep them alive."

"As slaves?" said Li. "Like cattle, essentially. If you see them as food, that is." 

"Hm." Zagan bared his teeth in something resembling a smile. "This personage knows some demons that would prefer such. But no, we would keep the mortals ruling among themselves, fighting with themselves, for fear and anger are treats, yes, but to crush the mortals under heel and slavery like chattel would mean they would lose the ability to produce even finer, more delicate meals such as greed and sloth and lust.

All those emotions are bred best organically among themselves, not from us."