The Black Bridge
It's a unique structure that only existed to connect the two islands of the Kingdom of Sevallia together.
Tall enough to accommodate even the largest of warships underneath its arches, wide enough to allow the passage of several caravans transporting goods, strong enough to withstand even natural disasters
That was the Black Bridge.
Of course, now it's abandoned and nothing but the undead roamed atop the structure, but in the past before the world was stuck in an infinitely regressing time locked in a month and way back when the Malaise didn't even exist.
This very same black bridge was the symbol of the Kingdom.
It symbolized one of the three stripes belonging to the Sevallian Seal..
But if Cherry's words are to be believed, the Black Bridge actually existed long before the establishment of the kingdom.
Way before the Black castle was formed by the founder of Sevallia, way before the island was discovered actually
An ancient remnant of a world long past
Built by the hands of a race who called themselves the Master Builders this bridge was nothing more than one of the countless structures left behind by their disappearance all over the world
Formed of materials unobtainable in this realm, the Bridge had withstood the passage of time even with the disappearance of their creators.
Characterized by the fact that they were immortal structures unable to be broken without special tools, these ancient ruins were home to secrets that the average man was unable to see
It was their legacy.
It was proof of their existence.
And now although I took my first step onto this legacy from ancient times, it certainly wouldn't be the last as evidenced by the numerous upturned carriages littered across its side.
'If nothing, those Master Builders knew what they were doing'
Admiring the black bridge, the gigantic bridge of stone connecting the two islands extended off into the distance.
It was like the pyramids in Egypt, Giza.
So inhumanely large that you would have to wonder if aliens made them
And if Cherry was to be trusted, those Master builders might've been super powered aliens like the Saiyans, just specializing in a different route.
But I wasn't here to admire the creations of an alien race similar to the primate based aliens that could get stronger just by shouting loudly.
I was here to find clues to this disaster known as the Malaise and its resulting calamity in the form of a regressed month.
'I should probably find nicknames for these two events.'
Observing the stone structure, the black stone railings blocked any easy attempts of leaping straight off the bridge.
And a simple experiment involving me tossing a rock over the bridge showed that not far off from the railings, the invisible all consuming void lingered.
It just showed how special this bridge was for it to be unaffected by that all consuming void.
'I wonder why this annihilating invisible void even exists though.'
Another question notching itself down into my mind, my footsteps brought me past the confines of the Ramparts.
Tall clearly different stone structures merged into the bridge seamlessly, only differentiated by the black and grey stone work.
Staring at the golden sun hanging in the sky, I tore my gaze away from the light dripping like wax in the air, the clouds filterings its harsh brightness.
"...Why hello there."
Slinking towards the side of the bridge where the upturned corpse of a carriage rested, I crawled into its wooden and cloth interior and stared at the being roaming across the Bridge.
If you were wondering why there was the upturned corpse of a carriage, then you would have to ask a certain being.
If you didn't die immediately from greeting it of course.
With an absurdly large frame just slightly bigger than the Carriage I rested in, this being was a giant.
With an absurdly large upper body compared to its lower counterpart, the inverted triangle shaped body slumped forwards, the two blades embedded into its long arms nearly dragging across the stones.
Yes, just like the Sweeper and that dual wielding red armored zombie I encountered in the promenade of the condemned.
'I should probably find out what it's official name is.'
Bearing the same armaments to the two undead I had a bit of trouble dealing with, this gigantic being was clothed in all greys.
Large spikes driven into its backs like large stakes, an orange light glowed from three locations.
It's blades.
It's Eyes
And finally the hole in its stomach that vaguely revealed its organs barely held in by the
Despite being killed by this disease, it seemed that the disease was just as effective in keeping its host alive.
Of course the prerequisite for this was being turned into a puppet, but at the least, when you became a puppet, you retain most of your humanity.
If you saw humanity as retaining a human body that is.
In my case, the being I saw in front of me was the farthest thing there was from human.
Orange eyes glowing from beneath the helmet, the one who guards this prison, the Black Bridge Watcher, the Fallen Captain of the Iron Guard, the Prison Warden, the Executioner stood before me bearing many names
However, there was a peculiar name that Cherry called him that she claimed was the first one he ever gained.
The Concierge.
'Concierge my ass.'
Cursing Cherry's poor naming sense, it was hard to accept that a Concierge that took care of an apartment was in any ways similar to this gigantic man who could tear apart said apartment.
'He really lives up to someone who was a captain though.'
Instinctively I could tell using my accumulated knowledge of this world and my experiences as a war veteran.
This Concierge was much stronger than all of the elites I had encountered so far.
It's not for nothing that there was another specification made specifically for beings of the Concierge's stature.
Boss monsters.
If normal monsters could be likened to a knife, Elite Monsters could be likened to a bullet, and a boss monster?
Well we call such things the backline destroyer
In other words
A Ballistic missile
And said ballistic missile spotted me.
'Well shit.'
Instantly rolling out of the broken down carriage, a column of flame sprouted out from beneath where I previously was, turning the carriage into nothing more than scraps of wood and cloth fluttering in the air
I guess I now know why this Black Bridge has so many overturned and scorched carriages.
---
Golden light shone through the colored glass panes like melted wax.
Sinking into the soft white stone, although pieces of gold littered the abode, reflecting the light off of the walls and all over the interior, it was hard to see it as something decadent
A sense of purity emanated from within the room as snakes hissed their sonata, coiling over each other like some sort of Gordian Knot.
Two giant statues bearing the motifs of snakes stood at the sides of this hall, their heads glowing blue as the gems embedded in their eyes glimmered underneath the sunlight.
And basking in the center of this room filled to the brim with snakes galore was a woman in blues, white and gold.
Sitting in prayer, snakes coiled all over their lower body, soaking up the golden light that fell onto her body.
But seemingly unaware, or perhaps uncaring of the fact that snakes of all colors were coiled up around her waist, the woman's hands were clasped in prayer.
Mouth moving silently, her eyes were contained underneath a blindfold as they held a snake shaped symbol in her hands as her mouth continued to mouth in prayer.
Then suddenly she shivered.
The snakes in the already quiet hall instantly stopped their movements.
Tongues still in the motion of tasting the air, bodies still coiled around each other in uncomfortable positions, blood red eyes like rubies staring at the woman who sat underneath the sunlight.
It was uncanny.
Only the sounds of the woman's breath could be barely heard as the blue gems in the statues eyes glimmered a tad brighter.
"...I accept your oracle Mother Goddess of Life."
Body shaking, the woman's head bowed towards the sunlight as all of the snakes finally regained their motion, the light in the statues eyes dimming.
Hands carefully tucking away the snake shaped symbol into her bosom, her figure, hidden by the generous folds of white and red cloth clung to her body as she rose up from underneath the snakes.
But instead of a human body lying underneath the pile of snakes like her upper body had suggested, a large red body covered in snake scales writhed out from underneath the pile.
White hood lined with gold falling onto her shoulders, the woman with her arms splayed out besides her tightened the blindfold around her eyes as her hair began to writhe slowly.
Then many eyes opened within the white hall
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