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A Thousand Year Voyage (Elden Ring-ASOIAF) by pemmil

A Song of Ice and Fire & Elden Ring Xover Rated: T, English, Humor & Adventure, Words: 203k+, Favs: 754, Follows: 951, Published: Jul 15, 2024 Updated: Sep 5

365Chapter 3: Monsters at the gates

Monsters were not real.

Byren was no older than six years old when his Ma shared that simple truth with him.

She told him that after he had gone with friends to the temple of the fire god located in the deepest dregs of Oldtown only to return in tears, crying about the shadows moving on their own and the ghostly laughter coming from behind the temple's columns.

At first, his Ma scolded him. The temple had a bad reputation, which is why adults often forbade their children from going there. Although Byren could not have been aware of it at the time, the temple belonged to the cultists from across the sea, whose ghoulish beliefs caused justified distrust from the city's inhabitants, who feared that the bloody rituals and the fanatical fire worship conducted there would incur the wrath of the seven. In truth, the temple would have been destroyed a long time ago by some angry mob, had it not been for dark rumours about the magic used by the fire priests.

The children, of course, did not know all that, so the parents' warnings only had the opposite effect on them. They would frequently go to the temple in secret, to prove their courage to their peers. It sounded rather silly, but children were like that.

Although his Ma was upset by Byren's disobedience, seeing his panic she sat down with him on the bed and began to calm him down. It was then that she revealed to him a powerful truth that stayed with him for years to come.

Monsters were not real.

It was with him when he and many of his friends decided to join the Oldtown garrison in an attempt to escape poverty, and it was with him when his Ma died from the flux. When rumours began to spread around the city about the dark rituals performed in secret by lord Hightower and the demons summoned to do his bidding, Byren knew not to trust them. After all, monsters were not real.

And then suddenly they were.

It all began last night, when a mysterious ship arrived in Oldtown, bringing chaos and destruction to the city's harbour. Byren was not in the city when that happened, being on patrol outside the walls, but according to Pol's story, the ship was bigger than a mountain and full of untold horrors. Byren didn't believe it at first, of course, his ma's words still very much alive in his heart. A ship, no matter how big, continued to be a ship. While he saw the devastated harbour and knew that the new arrival definitely meant trouble, he didn't believe the rumours already spreading around the garrison that the ship's arrival foreshadowed some great calamity, a punishment to be inflicted on Oldtown by the Seven in response to Lord Hightower's sins.

Byren's opinion changed the very next morning, however, when the tolling of bells and panicked shouts filled the city walls, luring him out of one of the watchtowers located on the walls. As he ran out of the building to see what was going on, alarmed by the noise, from beyond the walls he saw an image straight out of his worst nightmares.

The army of darkness, sent perhaps by the Stranger himself, was currently marching on the city, their sickening forms clearly visible in the morning light. The horde consisted of all manner of monsters and, all of them differing in size and shape, their visages akin to the septones' tales of the abominations awaiting sinners in the seven hells.

The monsters that stood out most from the demonic legion were the lumbering monoliths walking at the front, easily towering over the other invaders. Although as a child Byren had heard legends of giants that supposedly still lived beyond the wall, these tales did not do the approaching behemoths justice. These monsters measured twenty-five feet in size, their flesh grey and desiccated. Although they had no bellies, a detail that chilled Byren to the core, the giants moved with unstoppable certainty and strength, each of their steps throwing clouds of dust into the air. Each of these monstrosities carried giant pillars of pure stone in their massive hands, no doubt destined to serve as instruments of death against the city's defenders.

While they were smaller than the giants walking in front, the host of beasts following them, a horrific blend of humans and animals alike, also attracted attention. Some of them looked almost human, if one did not count their misshapen shapes and the grey fur covering them, but that impression would quickly turn into horror, as a keen gaze could see the unnatural bird-like wings sprouting from the backs of these beasts, suggesting they could rise into the air at any moment to attack the defenders from above.

The remaining beasts in the approaching army looked even worse. For while they did not have wings like their smaller brethren, they were nine-foot-tall mountains of muscle and red fur, whose long teeth and glowing red eyes were visible even from the city walls. Each of these filthy creatures carried tools and objects of unknown origin in their hands, such as twisted blades that glowed with an unsettling radiance, clearly suggesting what their intentions toward the city were.

In addition to the described monsters, other horrors were also discernible in the hoze, such as bizarre, rounded entities resembling huge jars, as well as human-like silhouettes seemingly made of pure crystal, their unnatural bodies reflecting the incoming sunlight. It was even possible to spot humans in the approaching troops, though it was difficult to be sure, as their faces were covered by some bizarre stone masks.

Even though the approaching army was not large, numbering no more than a hundred strong, its ranks were sufficient to strike fear into the hearts of the defenders on the walls. Byren, like the rest of the soldiers, was too shocked by the monstrous regiment to react to the threat. Perhaps he would have continued to simply stand in one place until one of the approaching beasts devoured him, had it not been for a sudden yell coming from behind him that snapped everyone out of their terrified stupor.

"What in the bloody hells are you doing, you cock-sucking morons?! Can't you see that the enemy is at the gates?!" The voice shouted. Looking at its source, Byren saw Jon Bulwer, captain in charge of the city walls, walking up the stairs with a furious glare. The man was no longer of young age, grey hair long since coating his hair, but his long command of the city walls was a source of great respect among the soldiers. He was currently looking at them with fury, clearly disappointed by their lack of discipline and courage. "Monsters from the seven hells themselves are coming, but so what?! It's still your duty to defend Oldtown! Assume your positions and prepare to defend the city!"

"Harold and Robert, take your men and get as many ballistas ready as you can! Our priority is to thin out those giants in front! Roryn, you will command the archers! Gather as many as you can and line up along the wall! Then wait for the order to attack, unless any of the winged freaks decide to break the formation and attack from the air! The rest of you take up positions on the walls and prepare for the siege!" The captain growled, pointing to his individual sub-commanders and issuing orders. When he was greeted with silence, the soldiers shocked by his amazingly quick response to the threat, he growled. "What are you waiting for?! A pretty please?! Move!"

The soldiers didn't need more to get going. Though the fear was still present in their hearts, years of discipline pushed them to obey the order as quickly as possible.

The next few minutes were a whirlwind of activity, as people were running in all directions, preparing for the impending battle. Some brought weapons and armour for the defenders, others hurriedly boiled oil to pour on the besiegers, while yet others hurriedly adjusted the ballistae, trying their best to get it done before the battle. Byren himself was currently standing in line on the western flank, where Captain Bulwer awaited the monsters' attempt to climb the walls using the monoliths they carried. All around him he could hear the clacking of armour from nervous soldiers, terrified at the prospect of a battle, the first one for most of them, but Byren barely registered it, the outside sounds drowned out by the noise of his pounding heart.

It didn't take long for the monsters to approach the walls. Soon they were almost within range of the bows and ballistas, yet they did not seem to be very concerned. Despite the decreasing distance, they continued walking at the same pace as before, no sign of nervousness visible in their movements. Byren wasn't sure if this was due to the enormous confidence of the attackers or their limited intelligence not allowing them to comprehend the lurking danger, but one thing was certain.

The attackers were not planning to stop.

"It's time! Prepare the bows!" Captain Bulwer roared, looking fearlessly at the approaching horde with stony eyes. The soldiers obediently obeyed the order, getting into position and putting arrows on their chords, ready to barrage the enemy with a hail of arrows. When the army was a thousand feet from the walls, he shouted. "Draw your bows!"

The archers obediently carried out the task, each of them silently designating the enemy they planned to target. Some determined pragmatically that the ballistas would take care of the giants, so they aimed at beasts and constructs. Some aimed at humans, seeing them as easier targets. The rest, on the other hand, decided they didn't want to take any chances and aimed at the giants advancing in front of the army.

"Hold!" The captain shouted as the army approached eight hundred feet.

"Hold!" six hundred feet.

When the enemies advanced to within five hundred feet of the city, coming within effective range of the defenders' bows, and the captain raised his hand to order a concerted barrage...

"Stop! What the fuck are you doing, you damned idiots!" A powerful voice, filled with rage, rang out over the walls, startling all of the soldiers present. Some of the troops were so startled by the sudden shout that they almost released their arrows in surprise, only at the last moment stopping themselves from shooting prematurely. As all heads turned in the direction of the sound, their eyes fell upon Guard Commander Moryn Tyrell emerging from the stairs, his face contorted in a murderous snarl as he approached Byren's squad.

"Sir!" Captain Bulwer saluted, turning immediately to face his superior officer. Despite the dramatic situation they were in, the man was a pillar of calm and confidence, ready to outline the situation. "Reporting the enemy army approaching..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Sir Tyrell interrupted, for some reason not bothered by the incoming demonic host. The Captain blinked in shock upon hearing these words, but the Commander refused to give him a chance to understand the situation, continuing screaming at the man. "Do you understand what you almost did?! These are residents of the ship that arrived yesterday, who were sent to make repairs in the harbour! Workers! You almost sabotaged our relations with a foreign power, you moron!"

'What, workers?! Sir, they are monsters crawling straight out of the seven hells! We can't just let something like that enter the city!" The captain argued, his words perfectly rational in Byren's opinion, but his remark was ignored by the furious commandant.

"I wouldn't even care if they were out of fourteen hells!" Tyrell shouted "You are all to disarm immediately and open the gate!"

"but sir..." Tried the captain, desperately attempting to reason with his superior for one last time. After all, what sir Tyrell was saying sounded like madness of the highest degree. Letting monsters into a city, a place where their wives and children were? Madness.

"I'm not going to repeat myself! You are lucky that I was able to reach you in time! Do you know what would have happened if Lord Hadwyn were to see the corpses of his people scattered on the road?!" The nobleman shouted, pointing his finger in the direction of an unknown man, who was currently sitting on the steps leading up to the watchtower, some distance away from the group. The man was dressed in exquisite armour, most likely worth more than all of Byren's possessions, and at his belt there was an intricately crafted golden sword, seemingly composed of metal snakes or vines curled around each other. The man's face was currently hidden from view, as he was currently covering it with his hands, creating a puzzling air of defeat around him.

"...Please do not blame yourself, Sir Moryn. It's my fault for not informing everyone about the identity of the workers beforehand. I almost caused an incident...again." After saying that, the man let out a hollow, humourless laugh, and the soldiers could hear a murmur coming from the man's covered face, seemingly not directed at anyone in particular. "...You were right after all, Lord Godfrey. A crown really is warranted with strength...heh."

"...Anyway..." Sir Tyrell continued, clearly trying to ignore the deranged muttering coming from the man. It took him a moment to embrace himself, but eventually a stern, imperious scowl once again dawned on his face. "You are to open the gate immediately and escort our new guests to the harbour, so they can, unbothered, make repairs. Understood?"

"...Yes, sir." The captain muttered after a moment of silence, though one could see from his face what he really thought of this order. As the commander walked away from them, going to check on the condition of the 'guest' sitting on the steps, the captain turned to the soldiers with a sour look on his face. "What are you waiting for?! Open the damn gates!"

Unwilling to enrage the already furious captain even further, the soldiers quickly began preparations to let the 'guests' into the city.

The clatter of chains and the grinding of metal scraping against stone filled the surroundings as the mighty gate of Oldtown was slowly lifted to welcome the monsters besieging the city, the sad sound reflecting the mood of the soldiers. The invaders, on the other hand, seemed to be in good spirits as they waited patiently for the gates to be raised, either oblivious or dismissive to the attack that had almost been inflicted upon them.

Soon the gates opened in earnest and the monstrous army began to pour into the city.

As the first gruesome silhouette emerged from under the gate, a grey giant struggling to fit through the gateway, Byren felt the sting of impotence in his heart. For many years he had dutifully defended the city walls against dangers, only to now willingly allow them into the city. He felt like a night watchman guarding the wall, who was forced to watch helplessly as the wildlings, let in by the crazed Lord Commander, crossed the gates of Castle Black unchallenged.

The feeling was, to put it mildly, unpleasant.

The monsters that had arrived in the city earlier that day, beasts with sharp teeth and fangs, mountains of flesh and claws as big as bears...were currently repairing the harbour, just as Sir Tyrell had assured them. While people initially all had doubts about the creatures' competence, it soon became apparent that these doubts were entirely unwarranted. It was clear that the workers were carrying out the repairs with great skill, using the tools they possessed with great precision and utilising their inhuman strength to perform tasks far beyond the capabilities of human craftsmen.

It was also evident that the whole process had been carefully planned from the start: first, the beast-like men used the tools they had brought with them to remove damaged sections of pavement in order to make room for new materials. The powerful pickaxes in their hands crushed even the largest debris, while the blue-lit blades, spinning under the influence of some invisible force, quickly dealt with all kinds of irregularities and protruding lumps.

After that was done, the grey giants would insert monoliths of pure marble into the space created, arranging them in even rows. Although the pillars seemed to weigh more than a hundred stones, the giants carried them with astonishing ease, lifting one pillar after another without the slightest whimper.

Once the materials were in place, the humans who were part of the group, dressed in long, dark robes and grey, face-like stone masks, began their work. They would wave the metal sticks they were holding towards the stones, the glow emanating from which illuminated the entire area. At first Byren was almost amused by these actions, but the laughter soon turned to horror when, under the influence of these bizarre rituals, the stones began to change shape, fusing together and forming a single entity.

Once the pavement was repaired, the most bizarre members of the group took the place of the humans: huge jars and living crystals started carving something on the flat surface of the pavement, decorating the marble floor of the harbour with a variety of images and shapes.

Most alarmingly, once the newcomers had finished working on the damaged part of the harbour, without hesitation they began to renovate the remaining pavement as well, as if not pleased with the glaring difference in quality between them. For a moment, Byren wondered if he and the other soldiers guarding the group should have stopped them, but it soon became apparent that none of the men in the squad were eager to do anything about it.

It soon became apparent that the soldiers' job was merely to stop onlookers of all kinds, who, having overcome their initial fear, began to gather in the harbour to marvel at the monstrous workers. Women, men and children gawked openly at the labouring creatures, each reacting differently to the sight. Some looked fascinated, others horrified, but it was clear that for each one of them, seeing the monsters in the harbour was a special moment that they did not want to miss.

The sun was already beginning to set when the wave of onlookers finally began to thin out, and the soldiers in the harbour had the opportunity to gather into a larger group to discuss the situation with each other.

"...They're really working." Pol, one of the younger soldiers in the squad, said in disbelief. It was hard to blame him for his incredulity. Byren himself, despite watching the monsters for several hours already, was still half-convinced that the whole thing was some kind of dream from which he would wake up shortly.

"...they sure are." Tomen granted, his voice quiet. The aging soldier looked at the working creatures with a difficult to gauge gaze, his thoughts hidden from the other soldiers. Was he amazed? Horrified? It was impossible to tell.

"It's crazy, you know? All these monsters look like, well, monsters, and they act like people." Lucas said, his voice full of excitement. Out of all of the soldiers gathered, he was the most positive about the entire situation, looking at the workers with barely contained glee. "You think they can talk? Like, introduce themselves and shit"

"...Let's not get carried away. They're still monsters, no?" Byren stated, somewhat disturbed by Lucas' claim. It was clear that the creatures were somehow magical and smart enough to use tools, but it was still not the same as talking. Even the dragons that once lived in Westeros couldn't do that, and they were about as magical as you could get.

Exactly, it's probably these strange masked people who are in charge of everything. All these monsters just carry stones and destroy the pavement. These people, on the other hand, use...m-magic." Pol paused after saying that, clearly disturbed by his own words. It was a clear admission that the newcomers were capable of magic, something that should have been impossible according to the sept's teachings. He then shook his head, however, aware that he was getting off topic. "Anyway, septon Gerold said that the seven created humans as special, right? That they were made to rule the world and all that. Like, if monsters could talk, they'd probably get together and do the same thing, no?"

"...You know, it's nice to discuss it and all, but we can just, you know, find out." Tomen said slowly, pointing a finger at the giant sitting some distance from them. This creature, unlike the others, did not seem busy at the moment, instead watching the other monsters in silence. "We can go to that giant and ask him something. If we ask him a question and he answers, I think he's smart, right?"

"...That makes...some sense." Byren admitted after a moment, realising that this truly was the easiest way to find out. Still, he had some reservations about it. "But what if it decides to eat us? I don't think we'd stand a chance if it decided to do that..."

"No, no, I don't think it would do that, right?" Lucas asked uncertainly. "Sir Tyrell told us that these monsters were safe. And they've been docile so far. They haven't attacked anyone or anything like that..."

The men glanced at each other.

For a while each of them waged an internal battle as to how to proceed, but in the end they all came to the same conclusion. As if pushed by an invisible force, the whole group moved towards the nearest of the strange, grey giants.

Unlike the other members of its race, the creature was not completely naked, wearing a bizarre, reflective helmet on its head. Though it was unclear what purpose it served, the bizarre cluster of mirrors on the giant's head seemed to be worth more than many a castle. The helmet covered the monster's hideous face, making the figure appear almost similar to an enormous man, if one did not count the macabre void where its stomach should have been.

The giant was not engaged in any work at the moment, apparently content to simply watch the work of the other 'workers' in silence. When he noticed a group of soldiers approaching it, however, it slowly turned its massive body towards them and stared at them through the gaps in its bizarre helmet.

While it was clear that either it was mindless or was waiting for the soldiers to speak up, it soon became clear that none of them were actually that eager to be the one to start a conversation with the potentially dangerous monster.

No longer united by a common goal, the group immediately turned on each other, pokes and pushes acting as a primitive form of electing a representative. Finally, after a long struggle, a consensus was made. Byren, who had been unwillingly elected as their representative, took a deep breath, swallowed and, with a shaky voice, asked the question that was troubling everyone.

"M-monster! I have a question for y-you! D-do you understand the words I am saying to y-you?" Byren asked in a breaking voice, his courage melting with every word in the face of the watchful behemoth. The giant itself didn't seem to care about the man's words, either not understanding them or not caring, merely observing the man in silence. Undeterred, Byren continued. "A-answer me! A-are you equal to humans, or a-are you just an animal capable of u-using simple tools?!"

After finishing speaking, Byren inwardly clenched his fist in triumph, relieved to have successfully asked the question. The rest of the group, too, seemed pleased with the tone of the question, nodding their heads in appreciation. The giant itself seemed to actually ponder over the query, rubbing its huge hand over its shiny mask and producing quiet murmurs.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a deep voice came out from under the mask.

"Well, that's actually a rather complex question, don't you think?" The giant finally answered, its voice deep and slow, each word possessing the force of a whirlwind. It leaned back, as if pondering what words to use to answer, staring at the clouds gliding over the city. "Can any of us really be regarded as anything superior to an animal? We pretend that our words and actions set us apart from the world around us, but in fact we continue to be ruled by the same motivations as wolves or sheep. For example, are you not a soldier serving this city? How is such behavior different from an animal protecting the herd from danger?"

"...eeee, what?" Replied a confused Byren, finding himself unable to understand the giant's 'answer'. He looked around at his companions, but none of them seemed to understand what the giant was saying as well, each of them twisting their faces in confusion.

"And can humans be designated as the primary measure of intelligence? What distinguishes them from other thinking races beyond their numbers and political importance?" The giant seemed to forget about the soldiers who were standing before him, seemingly falling into some deep contemplation. "Why not use the ancient dragons as a base? After all, they ruled the world before humans. In fact, it wouldn't change anything even if one were to choose the knights of Zamor or beastmen. Such a lofty query I have been given. Hmmm..."

Seeing that the giant was not going to answer them anytime soon, instead spouting more and more unintelligible words and noises, the soldiers moved away slowly, not wanting to risk jolting the giant out of its trance. Once they had moved a safe distance away, far from the still talking giant, they were finally able to voice their true thoughts about their 'conversation', if it could be called that at all, with the giant.

"...So." Lucas began.

"...so." continued Tomen.

For a moment there was silence in the group, as it seemed that none of the men knew how to put their thoughts into words.

"Okay, I'll be the one to say what we're all thinking. It's clear that these giants are not as smart as humans." Pol stated, breaking the lingering silence. He said it with certainty, as if he was merely stating an obvious truth. And he indeed was.

After all, how could one think otherwise? While these huge, gray giants were capable of making word-like sounds and pretending to hold a discussion, it was all just a sham. To be fair, they were still smarter than ordinary animals like cows and chickens, but this was evident from the mere fact that they could use simple tools. A conversation with a giant, however, proved that these creatures did not even come close to humans when it came to their intelligence.

It was blatantly obvious. After all, the giant they spoke with couldn't even answer a simple question, instead issuing a bunch of random, non-existent words.

Chapter 911 - 3