Chapter 2857.3: Nidhogg's Nest (Part 3)
2857 Nidhogg's Nest (Part 3)
The only spells Lith could detect were the elemental sealing arrays and the various security measures in place.
"No need to apologize. It's on purpose." The corridor in front of Bodya formed a sharp turn right in less than ten meters yet he changed neither speed nor direction.
Everyone had just the time to brace themselves for impact, their warnings and curses still making their way to their lips when the wall in front of them became softer than jelly.
The new corridor they had just entered was not only perfectly lit, but also richly decorated. The surface of the ground was now rough and almost level, giving the guests the opportunity to make a stop if they wished.
The ceiling depicted a long fresco narrating Fenagar's history until one of his Emperor Beast spouses had given birth to the First Nidhogg and from there, the newborn species and its exploits were the sole protagonists of the mural.
On the walls were hung illustrations of the Nidhogg bloodline's most important achievements. Just like the paintings decorating the houses of the nobility of the Kingdom, each picture wasn't static.
It showed a short movie focused on the highlights of an event and the glory that the Nidhogg bloodline gained from it. To either side of each painting, there were alcoves hosting the statues of the main subject of the painting in both his human and Lesser form.
"There's no point making a path that anyone can follow when all the members of your family can make their own. The other corridor is just a diversion." Bodya smiled in pride at the amazement of his guests. "By the way, try to alternate between regular and Life Vision."
They did as suggested, discovering that the offspring of the Father of all Leviathans also favored less conventional forms of art.
Life Vision revealed that both paintings and statues had been enchanted to have a completely different appearance when observed with mystical senses.
The elemental flows they had imbued with made the paintings show a second clip while those swirling around the statues generated a harmless reproduction of each ancient Nidhogg's favorite spells.
The entire corridor had been decorated with magical runes that had no purpose but to narrate in the language of magic how each one of the events and people depicted had altered the course of the family bloodline.
It was a spectacle reserved solely for Awakened since impressing them was much harder than a short-lived human mage. To creatures like the Nidhoggs, accumulating riches and masterpieces was just a matter of time.
In their opinion, any species incapable of doing it despite the advantage of their longevity, deserved to go extinct. So while mere light revealed mere opulence, Life Vision gave the guests concrete proof of the skill and mastery over magic of their hosts.
It impressed even Lith, both in a good and bad way.
'On the one hand, I want to do something like this for the Verhen Mansion.' He shared his thoughts with Solus and Kamila, but kept Tista out of the loop to not upset her further.
'On the other hand, the level of pride and self-entitlement the various enchantments exude is something I have only seen in the lair of a Wyvern. Either Bodya is taking us on the route reserved for unwanted guests or this is the only route, which is even worse.'
'Yeah.' Solus nodded. 'It would mean that there are no wanted guests. The Nidhoggs look down on anyone who isn't one of their own.'
The corridor went on for a while and soon replicas of magical devices and Forgemastering wonders appeared alongside the pieces of regular art. Once again, light showed their physical form while Life Vision gave an idea of the capabilities of the original artifacts.
Whenever a Nidhogg achieved more than glory in battle, the fruits of their labor were displayed as well. It was the perfect method to flaunt one's creations without the risk of having their secrets stolen by Dragon Eyes or similar means.
The eyes of the babies went on and off non-stop, giggling like it was the best carnival ride ever.
Despite the sensation of being looked down upon, Lith appreciated the way the Nidhogg bloodline had chosen to recount their story and he decided to introduce it in Garlen as well.
The journey ended in a network of massive caves big enough for multiple lesser Leviathans to move comfortably no matter the form they chose. Yet the position of the pillars supporting the ceiling and the height of the cave were clearly intended to hinder other lesser Divine Beasts.
With its 15 meters (50') high ceiling, lesser or not a Divine Beast would have been forced to shrink to a size they had only briefly experienced during their development, making it awkward for them to fight and limiting their battle prowess.
The columns, instead, were close to each other to counter four-
legged creatures like Behemoths and Drakes, hindering the movement of their massive bodies and tails.
Nidhoggs, instead, would have no issue maneuvering around and wouldn't need much space since their serpentine forms would never stretch for the entirety of their length.
'Fuck me sideways.' The symphony of paranoia and contingency plans that filled the room made Lith feel at home and pissed Solus off big time. 'This is brilliant. The pillars are actually built to be easy to destroy and cause a cave-in.
'This way, the enemy gets trapped under tons of rock and a Nidhogg is free to swim around like a shark. I'm moved.'
'Yeah, this is somewhat worse than a Wyvern's lair.' Solus replied with a snarl. 'They just show off whereas the Nidhoggs turn out to be the kind of guys who welcome you with one hand and point a gun to your head with the other.'
There were just a few humanoid lizards in the cave but judging from the echoes coming from the side tunnels, more were coming.
<"Grandfather! It's so nice to see you again."> Bodya's Leviathantongue was rich with joy and emotion as he approached a Nidhogg in humanoid form.
<"Bodya, my boy. Where have you been these past few months and who are your friends? O still have my communication amulet, you know?"> The Grandfather looked like a bipedal lizard who had developed opposable thumbs.
His body was covered in brownish grey scales streaked yellow, orange, and blue all over. Several straight bone spikes came out of his forehead in a shape that reminded Lith of the frill of a triceratops.
He was wearing a full-body suit meant to protect him from high temperatures. It was made of red scales from another and older Nidhogg that left only the older Nidhogg's hands and head exposed.
A tail came out of the small of his back and it was way longer than a Dragon's.
'It's not supposed to be used like a third hand, but to wrap around and constrict a prey.' Kamila pointed out.
Solus was about to ask since when Kamila was an expert on the matter but then a few of Lith's shared memories popped out in her mind, making her blush.
<"Sorry for not contacting you lately, grandfather. Lots of things happened and I lost track of time."> Bodya replied.