Hello,
Thought it would be a little bit of fun to write a Souls fic for writing practice and to get a further grasp on my own characters.
I obviously don't own any of the souls characters etc. or the brief mentioning of the 40k universe (And the subsequent 'TTS' reference i make with it), nor do I own the name of the fictional town Nekomi.
I do hope you enjoy the mess below.
To start this tale, I suppose I should first tell you who I am. Well, my name is Johannes-Friedrich von Bayer or John, as I am more commonly called. Now I'm fully aware that name is rather German, but I'm not. You may also be wondering why I bring up Germany, when I'm starting a story about Drangleic.
Well, I started writing down my memories and adventures, many many years into the future, a long time after the universe in which Drangleic presided burned.
To be incredibly specific the year was 1999 when I started to write all this down. I had found myself the owner of a student accommodation in Japan, in a town called Nekomi, not that that really matters at the moment. It wasn't really the most exhilarating of jobs, and thus I started to write and that is what you are to read.
I should also probably mention, I'm God…for fuck's sake that sounds so pretentious, but please just bear with it...actually, that also throws into question why I'm called John...Why the fuck did they call me that?
…
Oh, sorry. I'll get on with it, shall I.
The Land of the Undying-Drangleic
Old Imperial Calendar- Year 5037
Roughly 10 or so years after the Erebayan-Reaper war, and about 500 after I had woken up full after creating existence, everything was going rather well. As well as it could be. The Empire was expanding across the Void, as well as across the standard Zero-verse or at least this is what I was told at the time.
In this time I was introduced to several of the meany races of the universe. Well, I was taught about them, I wouldn't actually meet them all until one particular week, which I will get to shortly.
The most common of these races were humans, the human body is what we Erebayans use for our puppet bodies, easier to blend in etc.
Anyhoo, some of the Erebayan nobles decided to take me out and show me one of the planets, where they liked to have fun.
They were trying to curry favour with me, being God and sort of the Emperor of my people...
(Hello, future John here, I'm not that God-Emperor. I did work with him though, had the misfortune of raising one of his sons. I'll let you figure out which one. I'd also like to state that my hair is a damn side more fabulous than his ever was, or he and Fulgrim could ever dream of achieving. That is all.)
We doing what we nobles did best back then, get stupidly drunk, and that we did for an entire week straight. Yep, you read that right, an entire week of boozing. For this I am thankful I'm not human, as my liver can withstand the amount of abuse needed to get an Erebayan drunk.
Physically impossible for me to have liver failure, but the hangovers, Christ...it would kill you humans; but again, more on that later.
So, myself and the nobles were moving from one of the public houses to another, and I got myself lost.
I, being stupidly drunk, wandered...alright, stumbled for a few hours, trying to find the cunts. I must say the ability to walk through my memories, has revealed that the area I was walking through as stunningly beautiful. Some may have called it spooky or haunted, but in both my drunken and sober mind, it was gorgeous. Though, my drunken state sort of detracted from it all.
I do sometimes envy you none-Erebayans, not being able to walk through your own minds, to watch your memories back, somewhat like the human VHS. Though saying that, there are something's that not even I as a God, wish to look back on. Part of the Erebayan curse, I suppose.
Eventually, I came across a rather shabby looking shack. I only went inside cos' I thought there was going to be more beer.
Spoilers, but there wasn't.
What was inside the hut or should I say who, was an old, blind crone.
The crone was sat behind a spinning wheel, cackling to herself madly. You know, as old crones tend to do.
The old bat stopped cackling for a moment to ask a question. Whether or not I had lost something, or if I was looking for someone I had forgotten.
I had lost my 'friends' and yes, I was looking for them. Thus, I believe you'll be able to guess my answer.
Your answer being wrong, for at the time I was not thinking about having lost something or someone.
So, I just shook my head and asked if she had any drink on her, as I was a trifle thirsty. This being a lie, I just liked my drink and still do for that matter.
I was offered a pathetic amount of brandy, which I downed in one go.
The crone then informed me that if I wished to find whatever I was looking for, (she mentioned fame and glory, I assumed more alcohol), I was to keep on walking the path I had been on.
"Where do I walk to?" I enquired.
"You walk to the ancient, ruined gatehouse at the end of the great lake. You find the gatehouse, and you will find what you're looking for," The last part she cackled ominously.
Again, I was drunk and did not notice.
Though, I did slowly back away from the crone and out of that damned hut. No drink, so I had lost interest.
The path I was supposed to go on, was well enough defined and didn't branch off once, so I didn't lose my way. Drunk me though has an affinity for getting lost, and doing stupid shit. There was this one time in 38, myself and a few actual friends got bladdered. To cut the story short, I nicked off with one of the experimental Heinkel 100 fighters. I didn't crash the bugger, but it was still a stupid thing to do. Got a right bollocking off Göring and a certain infamous Austrian, who I found myself adopted by, but that really is a story for another time.
Right anyway, a few hours later I found myself at this ruined gatehouse. It was quite the marvellous piece of ruined architecture, but that's just me.
The admiration of the ruins didn't last long. Thousands of fireflies lit up around me.
Blinded and disorientated, I managed to walk slap bang into the lake or at least it would have been the lake, if not for the great bloody hole that had opened up in it.
It was one of those things you would expect out of a cartoon, except I wasn't holding a little sign saying 'Oh fuck!'.
Thinking back on it now, around the hole was a sort of vortex/whirlpool and I do believe that the whole thing looked like a dark-sign, but as they don't exist any more, I don't suppose it matters.
I fell into the endless black. I think you humans would find it a trifle terrifying, but to me it was like being back before I had created reality.
An endless nothingness, something so gentle and warm. Something you will never know.
It was strange, for even though I was falling, I found myself lulled to sleep by the gentle dark that enveloped me.
If only I could have stayed that way.
When I awoke, I found myself to be in a stand of sorts. I would say it was something like a bandstand, even though such bands at the time didn't exist.
The stand itself was within a grassy clearing, surrounded by gargantuan trees and rock formations, that told me that I was partially underground.
Only a little light trickled through the cracks in the rock face, so the area was bathed in a sort of perpetual twilight. Something, that is revisited later when I get to the crumbling city of the gods, Anor Londo.
I attempted to stand, which proved to be a horrible mistake, as the feeling of nausea flooded my entire body. I collapsed to the floor in a heep, my sword jabbing awkwardly into my side.
It was at this point, the memories of the week prior came to me. I mean, at the time, I had no recollection of how I had gotten to my current location. Something about fireflies etc. but nothing else.
The big thing that was troubling me was the headache, which would have killed a lesser man.
This was my first hangover, and although I can't die, I believed I was.
The other thing that was floating around my head, was the need for answers.
I forced myself to my feet and through a small gap in the thicket, surrounding the clearing, I made my way.
On the other side was another clearing, the dead grass filled with cobalt like creatures, around which piles of human bones were littered.
A cobalt crawled past my leg, not really phased by me. They were ugly little thing, with a set of viscous teeth that would tear through flesh with ease.
I was happy they they didn't care.
Past this clearing was a crack, in a wall of rock, which I also made my way through.
I was faced with garden, and a shabbily kept garden at that. Everything in it was half rotted, now worthless.
The main thing that caught my attention though, was a house.
This house was built into one of these trees, which I would late find to have been Arch-trees.
My first though was, this place must be one of those quaint themed pubs, one that I had been told about. I was sort of in my 'Student phase'.
The lights in the windows and the smell of the fire within, were not helping the situation. I could have probably curled up and died happily in front of the fireplace, but alas it wouldn't be so.
I entered, hopes of it being a pub dashed into oblivion, finding even more crones and a younger handmaiden.
Only two of them even bothered to look at me, the eldest of the crones and the handmaiden.
A smile spread across the elder crone's lips, "What did that old dear tell you, heh? That you would find what it was, you were seeking here. Well, I'm afraid you will only find death, as you will die over and over. Your memories already starting to fade, do you even recall your own name?"
What in the name of god was this bint talking about?
Memories fading and do I know my own bloody name!
Fucking senile, this old bat was.
I almost lost my 'cool', as the yanks might say.
"Firstly Madame, my name is Johannes-Friedrich von Bayer, the current ruler of the Erebayan Empire and her people. I am in this strange land, as the old hag said my friends may have been here. Wherever here is? And just what the hell are you on about fading memories."
I suddenly felt queasy, my world blurred. I latched onto the closest thing to me, so I wouldn't fall embarrassingly.
The thing I had latched onto was the young maid, asking now if I was alright.
Which of course I wasn't, the hangover kicking in fully.
"I just had a little to much to drink, my dear."
Soon enough the feeling passed again.
The old crone spoke again, "You are hollowing obviously. You will eventually lose your soul, young undead."
She laughed, and handed me this strange black thing. I was informed that it was a human effigy.
"Yes...look deeply at it. That's right, it's you."
I dropped the thing and crushed it beneath my booted heel.
"What good is a human effigy, for one such as myself," I growled, promptly responding by revealing my pure-born form, which was a bad idea.
The effects of the hangover being multiplies around 300%, so I returned to the more presentable human body.
The sickness lessened, but I was still feeling pretty ill.
"Mental note," I started muttering to myself, "Don't phase into pure-born body, when on the back end of an alcohol induced spree."
The crones and maid were all looking at me in shock, which is understandable.
"What are you?" The elder crone asked.
I replied with a single word, "God."
I really do hate saying that, sounds like I'm right up my own arse. But saying that, standard Imperial practice is not to say I'm such and just pretend I'm human.
"As for being dead. I wasn't aware that a pure-born like me could die. My memories are not fading and I'm only here to find my friends, who evidently are not here."
Grabbing the closest stool, I took a seat.
"I'm lost, confused, hungover and just a little scared. There are none of my kind here, not that I know of, which means I'm alone. I see the way you look, 'how can this mess before me be god?'
To tell you the truth, I don't know."
All of a sudden, anger burst within me and I drew my blade.
"Tell me where the hell I am? Now!"
A threat would possible loosen the crone's tongue.
"Young man," She started, "I have lived a long enough life, not to be scared by some fool waving a sword in my face. My sisters likewise."
The look she gave me…
"Even if you are what you claim to be, I wouldn't explain a single thing. Now, please leave this place and do not return. You will find someone with more answers, a little ways from her," The crone's voice cold.
Of course threatening someone successfully, would end in me being kicked out the house.
The young maid pointed to the door, as I stopped by the elder crone and placed my hand on her own. Eyes widened, as she was allowed a brief look inside my mind.
"Forgive me, I forget myself," I didn't know what else to say, and released my hand, intent on leaving.
The crone's hand shot out and grabbed my arm, stopping me.
"I don't know what you are, but the one thing I can say is, you're not a god of this world. They have all been and gone. The Sunlight King in his far away land, has flickered into nought but darkness and the other gods abandoned these lands centuries ago. Maybe we need a god to help us end it all."
With that she let me go, and I not wanting to linger 'fucked off'.
Outside was a thicket, which was a little difficult to navigate through in my state, but I did and was greeted with the insides of another cavern.
The floor had eroded away on both sides, with a treacherous fall on each. I couldn't see a bottom, just black.
Just like home, before the birth of reality.
The path broke off several times, leading into the larger trees, I decided not to follow them just wanting to get out of the place.
One of the paths led to a small cove, around which crystal blue water lapped. The cove was inhabited by two foul looking ogres. I gave it a wide berth.
Eventually, I came to the end.
It seemed like someone had hacked their way through the rock-face, and the path took me a good fifteen minutes to get through, but the sight at the other side was worth it.
Sunlight poured through the exit, and a soothing sea breeze filled the air. Almost made me forget the hangover.
It was a very calming scene, in the rise above Majula.
Scrawled on the ground were messages, the main one being 'praise the sun', with a happy little sun caricature childishly drawn next to it.
I paid it little mind and dragged myself towards the ghost town.
Several buildings were built around a rather large hole, without a railing or any such object to stop someone from an unfortunate accident.
Most of the buildings were rundown, the exception being the large manor house at the rear, that looked like it was well looked after.
There were a few paths, all leading off into ruins and the like, and at the very edge of the town stood a monument. To what, I didn't know at the time.
I started to walk over to it when I noticed a dip in the land, before the cliff. A lone tree it's only feature and next to it, a person. The person the elder crone had mentioned.
As I approached, I found the person to be a young woman, bangs covering one eye in a similar manner to my own.
She muttered something to me, my memory of the interaction is a little fuzzy, I believe it was 'bearer, seek, seek, lest', or some such bollocks.
It was now of all places that the nausea hit me full force, and I vomited, somewhat violently.
I do believe that I may have hit the young woman…
There wasn't much else afterwards, as I passed out. There were breaks in my unconsciousness, I would wake for a few minutes, but I would blackout again.
There was a point when I woke and found myself in the sea below Majula, that was fun. After I crawled my way back up I collapsed once more, for the final time it seemed.
When I finally came to, I found myself to be dreadfully thirsty and more than a little hungry, but no more hangover...yay!
I slowly sat up, I had been sleeping by a bonfire near to where I first entered Majula.
Curled up next to me was this beautiful little cat, fast asleep and purring away. On a rock facing me was the woman I had briefly ran into.
She had a less than happy look on my face.
My first thought was to say hello, and find out what had happened.
No words, just a hacking cough that dislodged my lungs and scared the cat. The furry creature bolted awake and gave me that pissed off look. You know the one that only cats can do.
It was staring at me and then spoke…
"You could have warned me! I was quite happy there."
...There was a high chance I was still drunk, so passed the talking cat off as such.
Meanwhile, the young woman had placed down a small jar of water down beside me. I quickly downed it, the water never touched the sides.
After that I managed a 'sorry' and asked for how long I had been out.
"Three long days..."
Not the longest I've been blackout drunk mind you, that would be about two weeks. Don't know why I'm bragging about it, but whatever.
"...you were in and out of conciseness and you have been nothing but trouble."
A light blush formed on my cheeks, though on my pale skin it looked like I was glowing.
"Trouble?" I swallowed.
The woman's eyes narrowed.
"Firstly, you turn up in such an abhorrent state, you then proceeded to vomit everywhere, including on me and then you pass out. After that, I was trying to make sure you didn't kill your self. By the way, did you enjoy your bath yesterday?"She sneered, "You really did try your best to end your own life, but here you are...alive."
She sighed and kicked up dirt.
"What are you doing here? There's no dark sign on your body, meaning you're not undead."
Colour me confused at the woman's words.
"What's a hollow and a dark sign for that matter?"
The woman groaned, "A hollow was someone afflicted by the undead curse, they die and resurrect. Every time they come back, they lose part of their soul, eventually hollowing, becoming mindless and attack anything. They are known by the dark sign which brands their bodies."
I blinked several times in response the her answer, "I'm sorry you've lost me again...souls?"
"You really don't have a clue about this place, do you?" Her brow furrowed, realising that I shouldn't be in the land of Drangleic.
I gave her the abridged version of who and what I was, as well as how I think I ended up in Drangleic.
She was a little reluctant, but began to explain to me the history of the land. How King Vendrick had sailed across the sea, to the land of the giants and a war ensued.
There was no victory, or so I gathered from the tale.
It seems shortly after the first of the undead appeared.
"At first I thought you had the sign on your left arm, but it's just ink and I didn't fine one anywhere else..."
It was a little difficult to tell with her hood casting a shadow on her face, but I could still see her cheeks dyed a subtle crimson. It hadn't escaped my notice that I was wrapped in a blanket, and my clothes were sat on another rock close by.
"Your clothes were filthy, I had to take them off. I promise I didn't look at anything inappropriate," She looked away from me briefly.
Back then I didn't really understand her embarrassment, I still wasn't really used to you humans or how your heads worked.
I just shrugged and stood, the blanket falling round my feet.
"What the hell are you doing?" The woman exclaimed, throwing a hands up to shield her eyes.
"What does it look like? I'm going to put my clothes back on," I thought that was obvious, most normal people don't walk around naked.
I quickly looked over the pile, everything was there, nothing had been stolen.
Firstly I pulled on my breeches, to save my new 'friend' from any further embarrassment and followed with my shirt, boots and sword belt.
Behind me the cat chuckled, amused by the way the girl in green was acting.
"You are interesting and with such a peculiar scent. Not human and not a lord."
It chuckled again.
I thought it rude to bring up the fact it was talking, so just agreed with her statement, then picked her up. Again, this was allow the creature the briefest look inside my mind.
"Ah, so that is what you are. My, my," It commented, and wriggled out of my grasp. The cat landed perfectly, looking up at me, "Another of my species happened across someone similar to you, long ago. A void-born wanderer, a deity."
That couldn't be the case, if another Erebayan had been on this planet they would have reported the goings on. So, my initial thoughts were that it was someone else, not an Erebayan.
"And you, quite the ancient being yourself, Miss Shalquoir. Now, I don't know what's happening but from what this dear fire-keeper and from your memories. Sorry, couldn't help but take a look, when you saw mine. That this world is stagnant and seeing as I'm here, I'll try and help. We'll call this my thank you, for watching over my drunken self."
I can't remember why I actually said I would help, though I think it was something to do with me not wanting to go back and to Emperor things like politics. It was a wise choice.
"So, which way do I go?" I asked the off pair, with the fire keeper pointing to a path, just below where I entered.
It never occurred to me to ask 'what an I supposed to be doing?', just to follow the path.
I turned on my heels and called over to the woman, "What do I call you then?"
The fire-keeper stood and pulled down her hood, "Shanalotte."
"Jonathan-Fredrick von Bayer, Emperor of the Erebayan people and God, at your service. Ma'am!" I made an exaggerated bow, then started to back away. I didn't make it that far, as my sword had become tangled in my legs during the bow, and I found myself flat on my arse.
I was a little more than sloppy back then, but then again for the five hundred years before this meeting I had done nothing but sit on a throne and learn the ways of the politician.
And for the four and a half thousand years before that, I was 'asleep' you could say. Bringing reality into being takes a lot out of you, and I had never meant to do it in the first place.
This and the week prior was the first time I had been properly introduced to humans, and I was thankful for those tedious language lessons. Though I still acted the fool before them.
Christ...so long ago...
Well, I suppose now it's time to talk about 'The Forest of Fallen Giant' and the tortured being below Cardinal Tower...