Darksiders 2: In life and in death

III

.

.

.

After finishing the unexpected conversation with the ghost, Death made his way up the stone stairway and into the makeshift forge. Inside are two people: one is a large man, hammering away at the anvil. The other was a woman with Auburn hair.

"Alya, I presume?" He asks.

"Maker's beard, the rumours are true! A Horseman in the Forge Lands! Yes, the name's Alya and that's my brother, Valus," she said while introducing herself and her brother who is still working away. "We are the keepers of this forge. Tho' I reckon that means less now than once it did."

"This is a Maker's Forge?"

"Nay. The Maker's Forge is lost to us. Silenced by the hands of Corruption. But in its depths, we once crafted the Dark Towers of Hell and the Cities of Heaven."

"And now you make...trinkets?"

"And you – one of the four – now seek the aid of the makers? I guess we have all fallen from high places." She says, almost slightly mocking the Horseman.

"I came here seeking the tree, and your Elder speaks of fire. What is it?"

"Aye, the Fire of the Mountain – the Stonefather's blood – it once flowed into our forge as did the tears. Both imbued our craft with incredible power. The Heart and the Soul of Stone. But Corruption has taken them, and now our forge is silent."

"Why does this concern me?"

"The way to the tree is lost, barred by Corruption. You can no more leave this place than we, and our ghostly guest. Restore our forge, and the tree can be reached."

"I don't follow your reasoning." Says Death, as he feels slightly annoyed that he has to run errands. Being told what to do by the council is one, being ordered by someone else is another.

"We are Makers, not warriors – but we are not without our weapons. Before the Forge was lost, we crafted a mighty creature of soul and stone...a colossus to fight this Corruption. But, to awaken him requires a Maker's Key – and we need our Forge to craft one. Will you help us?"

The Horseman remains silent for a short while. No matter what he chooses, the path to the tree will still be blocked. It annoyed him greatly that his mission to save War might have to be put on hold for a while, but if he wished to prove his brother's innocence, he must help the Makers with their forge. And only then, his path to the tree will be opened.

"What is this... Cauldron?" Asked Death.

"A temple built in the shadow of Stonefather's Peak. There the Fire of the Mountain was harnessed and passed into our forge. Ride East of town, ride through the Charred Pass and towards the cinder peak of the Stonefather. There you will find the Cauldron."

Deciding that the Horseman has all the information that he needs, he leaves the small forge and makes his way down the stone steps. As he did he noticed that the ghost was slowly approaching him.

"Hello, Death was it? I take it that your talk with Alya went well?" She asked.

"I'll leave that for you to decide. And where did you float off to?"

"My apologies for that, I just wished to speak with Elder Eideard about something."

"Eideard?"

"Yes, the Elder that found you in the clearing. But enough with the small talk, there's that you should meet with first before you set off to reclaim the fire. Speaking of which, Eideard wishes to see you before you head out."

"And where is the Elder?"

"Waiting by the entrance. Come along now, we can't have him waiting for us." She said while floating away and with Death following shortly behind her.

"Ghost, I have to learn your name. What do they call you?"

"All in due time Horseman. I'll save the answers to your questions once we leave the Tri-Stone."

"We?"

The ghost remained silent, knowing full well that she had said too much already. The silence never bothered Death before. But in a situation such as this, he would demand answers. However, he can be patient when he wishes to be, and the ghost did say she'll start answering once they leave.

.

.

.

(Will this come across as boring? Probably yes😅
But was it important to the story? Yeah😅
Any chapters that will involve conversation will just be a bit shorter. If I could not include it I would, but I can't. Otherwise, it won't make sense.)