It wasn't long before another obstacle appeared in Lucian's path.
Several Nox Swordstress stood guard at the upper reaches of the staircase.
They wandered mechanically back and forth across the steps, as though endlessly repeating duties assigned long ago.
The moment they noticed Lucian, they drew their weapons and advanced.
These Nox Swordstress had clearly lost their minds long ago.
Since the destruction of Nokstella, they had remained here, frozen in place by habit and duty.
The Nightfolk were known for their long lifespans, but even they had limits.
The fall of the Nox civilization predated the very birth of the Erdtree's age.
Other descendants of the Eternal Cities had escaped and spread throughout the Lands Between.
But those who remained here had chosen to keep watch over the ruins, dying alongside Nokstella itself.
Seeing that these Swordstress carried nothing worth salvaging, Lucian shook his head.
Since they possessed no awareness, there was no point trying to speak with them.
A burst of flame answered them instead.
The Nox Swordstress were reduced to ash almost instantly.
With the guardians gone, Lucian continued onward.
Eventually, the seemingly endless staircase came to an end.
Unfortunately, he hadn't found much of value along the way.
Though the staircase connected numerous buildings, only a handful contained anything useful.
Most were little more than ruined shells filled with scattered corpses.
Compared to the ruins outside, they weren't much different, only somewhat better preserved.
The thought was strangely saddening.
At the top stood a platform resembling a grand skybridge.
Towering statues of Nox Clergy lined both sides.
The bridge connected to an even larger and more magnificent structure beyond.
It reminded Lucian of the church-like building within Nokron's Night's Sacred Ground.
Compared to the surrounding architecture, its importance was obvious at a glance.
This, undoubtedly, led toward Nokstella's true heart.
If his memory was correct, the Moon of Nokstella should be somewhere inside.
The Tear Chalice Asimi needed was probably there as well.
The exact location didn't matter much.
Once they got close enough, Asimi would be able to sense it.
After finding the chalice's vicinity, she could locate it herself.
As for the Moon of Nokstella, Lucian planned to examine its effects before deciding whether to keep it.
Previously, he had recovered a key from the Cuckoos.
That key had opened Nokron's hidden basement, where he found both Selinsax and Sif.
The black gemstone embedded within that key had originated from the Black Moon and functioned much like a talisman.
Items such as Memory Stones and the Moon of Nokstella, which increased spell slots in the game, had manifested differently in reality.
Instead, they enhanced thought speed and accelerated spellcasting.
If the Moon of Nokstella provided similar benefits, it wouldn't be particularly valuable to Lucian.
Magic remained only one option among his many abilities, far from the most important.
In that case, he'd rather give it to Ranni.
As the moon that once illuminated the Eternal City, it might prove useful to her.
The various moons of the Lands Between seemed deeply connected. Their powers might overlap in ways he didn't yet understand.
Suddenly, Lucian lowered his head in thought.
Come to think of it...
He had never really given Melina anything meaningful.
If he was going to give Ranni a gift, then whatever he gave Melina should be of equal significance.
Favoritism would only create problems.
Maybe Erdtree's Favor +2 would work?
Not only was it an important Erdtree talisman, but according to its description, it had once been personally bestowed by Queen Marika herself.
Melina would probably appreciate something like that.
Unfortunately, obtaining it wasn't exactly easy at the moment.
...Well, that decision could wait.
Whether he would even give the Moon of Nokstella to Ranni remained undecided.
If its attributes were strong enough, he might simply keep it for himself.
Though a legendary talisman seemed to be waiting just ahead, Lucian didn't immediately continue toward it.
Instead, he turned around and headed for the final building behind him.
At its entrance stood an imp statue, maintaining a magical seal over a closed doorway.
Lucian withdrew a Stonesword Key and inserted it into the statue's forehead.
The seal dissolved.
The chamber beyond opened once more.
Inside was a room filled with coffins.
Several sarcophagi stood neatly arranged in rows.
The heavy metal coffins were engraved with distinctive Nox motifs and appeared remarkably luxurious.
At the center of the room rested a much larger coffin.
It dwarfed the others and occupied a significant portion of the chamber.
After a moment's thought, Lucian concluded that this must be where the Night Maiden and Swordstress Puppets had originally been placed.
After a brief hesitation, he pushed the lid aside.
As the heavy coffin opened, two motionless figures came into view.
A Night Maiden.
A Nox Swordstress.
The pair lay silently within.
Ancient puppets crafted in the Eternal City itself.
The sister puppets, the Nightmaiden and the Swordstress, who had willingly accepted their transformation.
They were outsiders with cold silver blood, warriors who wielded the Nox civilization's distinctive flowing weapons.
Their skin gleamed with a smooth silver sheen.
The portions of their faces visible beneath their veils were delicate and beautiful.
They looked almost alive.
Their beauty had been preserved at a single moment in time, untouched by the passage of centuries.
Yet the absence of breath and heartbeat served as a constant reminder that they had long since died.
The two lay side by side within the cold coffin.
Their bodies rested close together.
Between them, their hands remained clasped tightly.
The relationship between them was obvious.
Perhaps that bond was the reason they had been allowed to become puppets together, and why they had been granted a unique coffin of their own.
After all, within Nox society, a Night Maiden and a Nox Swordstress occupied vastly different social standings.
Night Maidens belonged among the highest-ranking clergy.
Swordstresses served as guards and attendants.
Lucian stored the two puppets inside his spatial disk.
Judging by their age, these were likely among the earliest successful applications of puppet-making technology.
Seluvis would never understand something like this.
He couldn't comprehend why anyone would willingly become a puppet.
He lacked the ability to inspire that kind of devotion.
Instead, he relied on deception and drugging his victims, turning them into puppets solely to satisfy his twisted desires.
As a result, his creations felt nothing but hatred toward him.
Even after becoming puppets and losing their consciousness, their souls still sought revenge whenever control slipped.
The fact that Seluvis never realized this, that his puppets hated him utterly, was pathetic in its own way.
Perhaps Seluvis understood this as well. He simply refused to face the fact that every puppet he cherished despised him.
After storing the two puppets away, Lucian chose not to open any of the other coffins.
Aside from this unique pair of sisters, there was no guarantee the other coffins contained puppets at all.
Besides, collecting so many puppets served little purpose. Lucian was only interested in preserving this unusual set.
Leaving the chamber, he made his way to the edge of the structure.
The roar of a waterfall echoed from outside.
This building marked the outermost boundary of Nokstella.
Beyond it lay a tremendous drop, descending into a completely different region below.
Standing at the cliff's edge, Lucian could clearly see the gigantic skeleton seated upon an enormous throne.
Below was the lower course of the Ainsel River, home to Nokstella's Dragonkin Soldier.
As an achievement boss, the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella was notoriously difficult to locate.
It wasn't tied to any questline and could only be discovered by thoroughly exploring the underground regions beneath Liurnia.
To reach it, players first had to traverse tunnels infested with giant ants.
Even after making it through the nest, a lengthy journey remained, and it was easy to lose one's way.
Back during his first playthrough, finding this place had been quite an ordeal.
Fortunately, Lucian could now skip all of that.
He stepped off the cliff and dropped into the pool below.
Scattered throughout the water were the remains of numerous Cuckoo soldiers.
Their armor and equipment lay broken and scattered, suggesting a violent struggle had taken place.
It was difficult to imagine what they had encountered here.
Alongside the more recent remains were countless bones belonging to the ancient people of Nokstella.
The skeletal remains seemed fused together, countless hands stretching toward the colossal skeleton as though seeking salvation.
The giant skeleton sat upon its throne, worshipped by all around it, yet it too had long since succumbed to the passage of time.
Impressive as the sight was, it was not what Lucian had come for.
The moment he arrived, the guardian of this place awakened.
Across the water, a massive figure emerged from a cavern in the cliffside.
Raising its head high, it crawled from its lair and roared toward the false night sky.
ROAR—!
The thunderous cry seemed to signal the beginning of battle.
The Dragonkin Soldier leapt forward.
With a howl of rushing wind, it descended like a meteor, landing between Lucian and the colossal skeleton.
BOOM!
Its tremendous weight sent waves surging across the pool.
Dropping to all fours, the Dragonkin Soldier opened its jaws toward Lucian and unleashed another deafening roar.
Brilliant arcs of lightning erupted across its body.
Energy gathered and intensified.
This was the Dragonkin's distinctive lightning, an icy blue current unlike any other.
As it roared, the accumulated power exploded outward, illuminating the darkness of Nokstella.
Four sharp bones burst from its back, extending outward amid the crackling lightning until they formed complete wings.
The shockwave hurled water into the air.
The pool froze beneath the frozen lightning, only to shatter an instant later.
The surrounding remains were swept away by the storm of wind and electricity.
Lucian watched the Dragonkin Soldier with surprise.
This one was significantly stronger than any Dragonkin he had encountered before.
The difference wasn't minor, it had clearly reached an entirely different level.
'Not bad.'
A creation of the Nox Dynasty, just as impressive as expected.
Originally, he had only come here to claim an achievement and replenish his remaining mod charges.
Yet this Dragonkin Soldier appeared remarkably complete.
Even the cavity in its abdomen had been restored, making it resemble a proper living creature.
Only its legs still seemed somewhat flawed, preventing it from standing fully upright.
Perhaps this was already close to the Dragonkin project's intended final form.
Looking at the winged giant crackling with frozen lightning, Lucian smiled.
This might actually be interesting.
If it still possessed any trace of awareness, perhaps he could take it with him afterward.
He drew the colossal weapon known simply as the Greatsword, a crude slab of iron-like steel.
Against an opponent this large, nothing felt more satisfying.
The Dragonkin Soldier spread its four damaged wings and launched itself into the air.
Their vast silhouette blotted out the starlight above Nokstella.
It didn't climb very high before diving straight toward Lucian, claws extended.
Lucian planted the Greatsword before him and met the charge head-on.
Claws collided with steel, producing a ringing metallic impact.
The Dragonkin's enormous mass and tremendous force crashed into him.
Lucian did not move an inch.
When an attack failed so completely, most creatures would hesitate.
They would feel confusion.
Doubt.
But none of those emotions appeared in the Dragonkin Soldier's fierce eyes.
It had been born as a weapon.
Such feelings were unnecessary.
No matter the circumstances, its purpose remained unchanged:
Protect the throne until it could no longer move.
With a powerful motion, Lucian swung his arms.
The Dragonkin Soldier's massive body was hurled skyward.
Using its wings, it twisted gracefully through the air and regained its balance.
Then two spears of frozen lightning formed in its hands.
They streaked downward toward Lucian.
He made no effort to dodge.
One sweep of the Greatsword unleashed a gale that shattered both spears before they could reach him.
The wind continued onward, slamming into the airborne Dragonkin and knocking it back to the ground.
Roaring in defiance, the Dragonkin lunged forward once more.
Facing the charging giant, Lucian rested the Greatsword on his shoulder.
He lowered his stance and gathered strength.
Then he slammed the blade downward, using the momentum to spin through the air.
The massive sword tore free from the ground and swung upward in a devastating arc.
The Dragonkin raised an arm to defend itself.
The impact immediately broke through its guard.
The tremendous force smashed into its head, leaving it dazed and unable to continue its charge.
A classic Greatsword dragon-stopper.
After landing the blow, Lucian felt immensely satisfied.
Resting the Greatsword on his shoulder, he walked toward the fallen Dragonkin Soldier.
Seeing him approach, the creature tried to reach for him.
But after taking such a heavy blow to the head, even that simple movement proved difficult.
Lucian was just about to attempt communication when another sound echoed through the sky.
Something large was approaching at tremendous speed.
Its wings beat rapidly as it drew closer.
Lucian looked up.
From beneath the cliffs of Nokstella, an enormous shape slowly emerged before both him and the Dragonkin Soldier.
A pale skeletal head with enormous jaws rose from the darkness.
Behind it stretched a long body that resembled a chain of stars drifting through the sky.
A fully matured Astel had arrived.
—
[T/N: Nightmaiden & Swordstress Puppets ]
An old puppet crafted in the Eternal City.
Use to summon the spirits of a nightmaiden and a swordstress.
These sisters, members of a cold-blooded race who wield flowing
weapons, became puppets of their own volition.