1.
In the labyrinth that was the undead asylum, the only sounds that could be heard were the squeaking of rats and the incessant rattling of iron gates. Occasionally an undead would let out a wailing, agonizing moan, but the days were mostly drowned in the stench of rot and depressive, homeless thoughts of the past.
A swarm of flies buzzing near a corpse that shared the same cell with this fresh undead prisoner made her turn her face away and huddle herself closer to the moldy, damp wall for space. When they found out about the darksign on her, she was immediately pulled away from her home and sent to this god-forsaken place to await the end of the world.
Such was her fate.
The hungry, yellow eyes of tiny rats around her only grew in number as days and weeks blurred in her mind. She had stopped counting long ago. Now, the rats waited for her last breath so they could feast on her like how they did the one across her.
They were cunning little animals and she knew what they wanted. The humanity that she possessed was worth thousands of souls at a time like this. Humanity gave her vigor, as well as preventing her from decaying and withering away like the rest of the undead. However, even with such a prize in her possession, she dared not think how long she could stand against this environment; her body may last, but her sanity will break.
Wearily she sought solace in the sunlight showering on her from a hole on the roof above. She knew not how the hole came to be, but was grateful regardless for its existence. Sunlight lifted her spirit whenever she felt in need, but she was still a trapped bird.
The clouds gathered up when suddenly a dark shadow blocked her vision. She startled and shifted her position slightly when a heavy weight dropped from the hole and smashed into the ground in front of her; a dead body, completely hollowed. She had to hold her arms up defensively at the roof, but when the shock had settled she found herself staring at a knight who looked back at her, speechless, and gave her a little nod. She immediately recognized the shape of the helmet; it was a knight of Astora, her homeland. Their exchange was short as the knight pulled himself away from the hole and vanished from her sight.
When she mustered up the strength and will to examine the body she found a key. It was old and rusted over, but the size of it seemed just fit for the door to the cell.
Without hesitation, she pushed it into the keyhole and gasped in relief as she felt the door swing open with a gentle turn of the key. Freedom, at last.
She began making her way down the torch-lit corridor in search for an exit when she realized that many others had been released too. Most of them weren't as fortunate as she was, judging by their hollowed looks, and they seemed to be struggling with retaining their sanity as they held their heads in torment and wandered aimlessly around the perimeter. There was no aggression for the moment, but she did not let down her guard.
A hollow came up to her and grabbed her by her bare arm in a pleading motion as it tried to pull her backwards, but she knocked herself free from its grasp and continued onward. She kept herself alarmed and searched for anything she could wear, since all she had on her was a tattered dress that looked like it would turn to dust at any time.
At the end of the corridor she came upon a flight of stairs leading up. When she ascended to the top she found herself in a room with a hollow sitting in the middle of a pool of shallow water.
"Never leave…" The hollow spoke in a ghosty voice, "Never leave…" It repeated the words on and on.
As she was about to leave the poor thing alone, the hollow turned to her and spoke in a loud, paranoid voice. "It will kill you! You will die! You can never leave…"
She looked back at it with a concerned expression as she continued walking. Now there was a ladder instead of stairs in front of her. The voice of the hollow echoed in this small, cylinder chamber as she made her way up the ladder before it died out with the rest of the hollowed moans.
A fresh breath of air greeted her as she climbed out of that dungeon. She passed a doorway and found herself in a courtyard. Before her were what looked like an iron, twisted sword stuck in a pile of ashes. She approached the pile carefully because she could hear a distant heavy footstep coming from somewhere above her.
To her surprise, the pile of ashes began reacting to her presence as sparks of fire jumped out of the ashes. Curiously she lifted her hand above the coiled sword, and instantly a flame rose from the ashes. It burnt brightly, and a strange comfort enveloped her entire being. The warmth was pleasing on her exposed skin, but she wanted freedom more. After a few seconds of lingering around the bonfire, she left to explore the courtyard with caution.
The search proved fruitless as all the gates were either shut tight or completely destroyed by fallen debris. She turned her attention to the large wooden door in the center of the courtyard and contemplated whether she should try for it or not, but what other options were there?
Defenseless, she looked around her feet and found a sizable rock to hold in case anything happens. With both hands she pushed the doors open with all her might, but what happened immediately after was not what she expected at all.
Inside the doors was a large, rectangular open area filled with debris and bricks and pots. The structure seemed to have broken down quite a bit, but everything else seemed irrelevant when a giant, demonic creature dropped down from the rooftop and began growling at her.
The monster was enormous and held a heavy war mace the size of a stone pillar. It looked like it could easily shatter her bones with a single hit. There wasn't much option left for her but to look for an escape, because if she fought she would surely die.
The demon swung its mace at her and shattered a few pots and the stone pillar she was running behind. Everything crumbled to her feet as she darted her eyes towards the demon to see what it would do for its second attack as she prepared the feeble rock in her hand. A second blow was aimed directly at her, top-down style, as she just barely escaped the crushing, but not without bruising her knees as she dashed and jumped. Given the little time she had, she clumsily threw the rock at the demon's head before hurrying herself towards a doorway nearby. The demon was momentarily distracted by the projectile as she managed to get into the doorway and flip a contraction that sealed the gate shut behind her, leaving her safe from the harassment of that demon, for now.
The demon let out an unsatisfied growl as its heavy footsteps resumed. She had to lean against the wall, after putting some distance between her and the gate, and take a break from the encounter. Her heart raced and adrenaline pumped through her veins, but it wasn't over yet. Instead of questioning herself what that creature was, she steeled herself once more and pressed on with the heavy thought that she might not make it out here alive.
In the room next to a narrow hallway ahead, she finally found a broken shield that could be used for some protection, but it would never stand a chance against that demon's mace. Still, it was better than nothing.
The shield soon proved useful as she used it to take down an archer that had gone hollow. A strong blow to its head was enough to knock it out completely. She wasn't born a fighter, but she has had her fair share of training in her distant homeland of Astora.
It was her dream to become an elite knight in life, but the picture she had imagined wasn't quite a girl in tattered dress and a flimsy wooden shield. Her thoughts turned back to the mysterious knight who freed her earlier and wondered if he was still around, trying to find a way out, too.
At any rate, she must push through the difficulties in front of her alone, but it would be a lot easier, now that she looted some leftover arrows from the late archer. Archery wasn't her forte, so as ridiculous as it might have been, she relied on the arrows for melee combat for the moment.
When she cleared the path and found herself up on the second floor of this building, she heard a weak moan and found herself staring directly at the knight in Astoran armor on the otherside of a collapsed cell door.
"Hey! Are you alright?" She asked, to which the knight only turned to look at her. His arm was resting on his stomach, but from this distance she couldn't make out whether he was injured or just resting.
"There's… no way in here. Just go." He answered, the pain he was suffering evident in his voice.
"Hang on in there, I will find a way." She insisted and circled around the outer wall. There was no way she'd leave a fellow Astoran to die, much less her savior.
Disappointingly, there was indeed no way into the cell he rested in, other than the collapsed door seen earlier. She put her hand on the stone wall and felt around it for moving parts, but after surveying she concluded that any attempt of trying to break the wall would be foolish, at least with her pathetic arsenal.
If she could "borrow" the giant mace the demon had, perhaps she'd stand a chance at helping him out.
But how did he get in there in the first place? He was on the roof….
She was still in search for a plausible solution when something was released behind her and moved down the stairs towards her. The sound of stones cracking caused her to turn back just in time to move herself out of the way of a rolling iron ball. She held her shield up as a hollow charged down immediately after to attack her. It used a broken sword hilt to slash at her feverishly, but her precise stabs with the arrow proved more efficient in combat as she fell the hollow with just a few well-placed thrusts.
Remembering the iron ball, she turned to see a hole in the wall behind her. Quickly she stepped into the secluded cell and brought herself near the fallen knight.
His head hung low as she approached him, but immediately rose his sword in defense when she came close, only to relax when he saw it was her.
"Oh, you. You're no hollow, hm?" His joked lightly, and she could tell he smiled.
"The ball surprised me, to be honest, but I was lucky." She replied and knelt down beside him to silently check his body for blood and wounds.
"I thought you'd perished. Thank goodness." He let out a sigh and tried to sit up a bit, only to be discouraged by the punishment of pain. "I'm done for, I'm afraid…" he told her as he bit back a moan.
"What's your name?" She asked him gently, brows furrowing in empathy as she watched his suffering helplessly.
"I am Oscar of Astora." He answered weakly, "I too, was sent here after turning undead. I was able to escape, but now…" his voice trailed off into a cough which he tried to suppress. "Damned demon got the best of me."
After taking a look at where he was, it would appear that Oscar had fallen through the roof into this place, which would explain the lack of a conventional entrance.
He paused for a moment before asking back, "You?"
"I am Aelis of Astora." She smiled at him and continued, "I was to become a knight before I turned undead."
"Well, from one knight to another… I must look like a terrible example right now." He chuckled but was quickly interrupted by coughing.
"Listen, I wish to ask something of you… as a fellow Astoran, hear me out, will you?" Oscar let out a sigh of relief as she nodded. There was a melancholy in his voice and she simply couldn't refuse.
"Regrettably, I have failed in my mission… but perhaps youcan keep the torch lit. There is an old saying in my family… Thou who art undead, art chosen. In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of Ancient Lords. When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening, the fate of the Undead thou shalt know." He recited the passage in his deep and smooth voice effortlessly, as if it had been his creed for life.
Aelis silently repeated his words and tried to interpret the passage in between his captivating voice, but she was as clueless as a newborn. She understood what tasks he wanted to do, however, but she couldn't help thinking he was passing on a great responsibility onto her shoulders.
"Well, now you know… and I can die with hope in my heart." He finished and reached for a strange bottle filled with some kind of orange liquid, but before he could he was interrupted by Aelis.
"Wait!"
Aelis remembered that humanity might be able to help mend one's body as she carefully took out a small pouch she had been hiding in her under garment near her waist. Her movement was gentle as Oscar watched in bewilderment, only to turn his gaze away as her hands lifted the skirt that threatened to fall off her body at any moment. She opened the pouch and held in her palm a dark, writhing being that glowed white.
"Take this, Oscar. It will save you." She beckoned.
Oscar stared at the thing in her palm for a few seconds before politely shaking his head, "I…cannot. It belongs to you."
"And I am offering it to you to save your life."
"My insides are damaged, Aelis… I don't know how long I will last, in which case it would be wise to keep it for yourself." Oscar insisted despite her stubbornness.
"You freed me so at least I won't have to rot in that cell anymore." Aelis said pleadingly, "This is the least I can do for you, even if just to ease the pain."
"Besides, if it does prove more potent, we could band together and defeat that demon who did this to you." She added hopefully, because she really didn't look forward to the prospect of fighting that monstrosity alone.
"I…I suppose you have a fair point." He looked to her and saw that her resolve hadn't faltered, so he took the humanity from her and said, "Thank you." as he tightened his fist and crushed the little thing. The humanity dissolved into a bundle of individual souls and separated as the swarm of souls surrounded his body, finally becoming one with his being. The knight let out a long, elated sigh as his body relaxed, for the pain was no longer.
Aelis watched him with content, glad that she was helpful. "We must help each other if we wish to survive this."
Oscar nodded in agreement as he kept his gaze on the woman before him, still in consideration of what she had done for him.
"You might not realize how gracious your gift was." He sat up and proceeded to stand up and sheath his long sword, at the same time he brought out the orange bottle he was reaching for earlier.
"The rats knew, and I caught on eventually. Why do you think I hid it under my skirt?" She mused at him as he was speechless, perhaps embarrassed by the glimpses of her body that he had seen. "What is that?" she asked as her attention focused on that bottle he held.
"This is an Estus flask, an undead favorite." He explained as he delivered it into her hands. The flask radiated warmth, very much similar to the bonfire that she felt in the courtyard. "It recovers our strength and boosts our spirits. I was going to pass it to you as a parting gift, but now that you've saved my life, not just my body, but my soul as well… I have even less reason to withhold it from you."
Aelis looked at the flask then back at him quizzically as he spoke. "But… if you had this, why didn't you use it?"
"The Estus may mend one's body, but it cannot help the soul. I was slipping… I knew it wouldn't save me from hollowing." Oscar put his hand around hers and let her clutch the flask, he then covered her fingers with his other hand to make sure she knew that the flask was hers to keep. "It was your humanity which prevented that horrible fate, so I thank you, truly."
There was a hint of blush that went across Aelis' cheeks as he said those sincere words. He wasn't a terrible example of a knight at all. Oscar was generous, brave, painfully honest, and most importantly, compassionate.
She withdrew her hand from his and planted a small kiss on the side of his helmet in response. "You're welcome, but our troubles have yet to conclude." She said as she carefully tied the Estus flask to her waist with the help of the leather strips that served as a belt.
"Yes. The asylum demon would prove a formidable foe. It also has in its possession the key to the main gate, which would lead us to freedom." Oscar said solemnly. "Unfortunately, there is no way to get to the roof from where we are, and the height would only kill us on impact, should we try to escape without using the main gate."
Aelis listened and added, "Then we would fight our way out, it seems."
The two then got out of the cell and ascended up the stairs which the iron ball rolled off of only to be met with a locked gate. Oscar reached for a key hung from his waist and opened the door like magic as Aelis watched with an amused expression.
"Just what key don't you have?"
The knight shrugged and said with a hearty laugh, "Well, I believe you know the answer to that one."
They walked forward and found more debris and a balcony from which they could spot the road just outside the main gate leading up to a hill. There were ruins all over the hillside, yet they could see nothing beyond where the road ended.
Before the two could exchange their observations, a guttural groan came from their flank as a dagger holding hollow rushed towards Oscar.
"Watch out!" Aelis yelled and readied herself for counter attack. As Oscar blocked the hollow's initial strike, it recoiled from the impact against Oscar's sturdy shield and that gave Aelis the chance to land a critical strike with her arrow, straight through the side of hollow's head and out from the other.
Aelis was trying hard to pull the arrow out, but the poor thing snapped from excessive force and left Aelis weaponless for the moment. She spotted the dagger in the fallen hollow's hand and bent down to reach for it when Oscar stepped next to her to block what would have been an arrow in her back for her.
After she readied herself to fight again, Oscar had already taken care of the archer who shoot the cold arrow at her with his straight sword. He plunged it deep into the hollow's gut and turned it before pulling it out. Blood splashed onto the ground as the hollow lay dead with a thud, its petty souls claimed by Oscar. The knight then turned to shield bash the last hollow hard on its head and sent it to the ground, unconscious.
"What I wouldn't give to have a sword like yours." Aelis sighed and relaxed her posture again as the combat concluded. "A proper shield, too, for that matter."
Oscar glanced at his weapons before replying, "Ah. These were given to me when I graduated as an elite knight, so I'm afraid they hold far too much sentimental value for me to part with. I'm sorry." He sheathed his sword.
Aelis let out a helpless giggle at his words, seeing that he had actually considered parting with his weapons. "Oh, I was only jesting. Of course I wouldn't dare think of taking them away from you; you've earned them through knighthood. And I have yet to prove myself worthy."
"Well from what I've seen thus far, you have showed promising talent. I'm certain that before long, you would be proud amongst the rank of elite knights." He encouraged.
She was reassured by his words and looked at him gratefully. To have the encouragement from an elite knight meant the world to her. "Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot to me." They exchanged a long look before Aelis continued forward, but Oscar pulled her back with a hush.
Aelis looked back to him, confused, but he only pointed at the broken platform to their left then pointed downwards.
Following his instructions, she caught a glimpse of the giant body of the asylum demon she met earlier, still patrolling the large area beneath them with its terrorizing weapon. Aelis turned to him and whispered loud enough for him to hear, "We'll find a way to get below." as she sneaked her way to the doorway on the other side.
Once inside the room, she found a pair of glowing eyes staring at her as she held up her wooden shield. The eyes moved and from the shadows came an armored hollow with a shield and sword. It looked to be a soldier or knight once. Aelis saw her chance to obtain a full set of protection and readied herself for combat.
Yet the hollow was unlike the others they have seen so far. It didn't just charge recklessly at her, but instead raised its shield and moved about, keeping a distance from her and watched her. Aelis realized that the souls on this hollow was so strong that even after hollowing, it still retained the ability for strategic combat.
So the duel began, or at least to Aelis it did, before Oscar came into the room and the sound of his sword unsheathing rang.
"Let me, Oscar." She requested while keeping her eyes at her opponent. "It's between me and this nameless soldier."
Realizing her resolve, Oscar respectfully put away his sword and watched the two in silence as the duel played out.
Aelis was the one to get impatient first as she kept the shield in front of her to thrust her dagger forward at the soldier in a taunting motion. The soldier kept his guard and followed her steps as she strafed around him. The two made a semicircle around each other before the soldier suddenly quick stepped to the side to strike a blow at her shoulder. Surprised by his agility, Aelis barely blocked the blow but her shield ate the impact and splintered. Repositioning herself she cursed the fact that her dagger was far too short to out poke the soldier's sword and if she wanted to wound him, she must change her tactics.
Another attack took place as the soldier utilized the advantage of his weapon to harass Aelis with another threatening blow from below. He aimed to strike her belly but Aelis moved her shield just in time to deflect the attack, saving her own skin for a second time. Throughout this, Oscar always had his hand on the handle of his sword, preparing to draw it should the situation take a step in the bad direction.
He had faith in her, of course, but the chivalry in him refused to see any harm done to Aelis.
The sparring soon came to an abrupt end as the confident hollow let down his guard for an over-head attack, only to watch Aelis drop her splintered shield and hold the dagger with both hands in a forward roll to dodge the attack. She pushed the dagger deep into the knight's body as she let go of it and stumbled backwards to see the lights in his eyes go out and his body fall to the floor.
Oscar moved his hand away from the sword and nodded at her in recognition. She took her time taking deep breathes before rising to her feet again to announce her victory at Oscar with a smile.
"I knew you had talent." He commented calmly. "And now you have a set of armor and weapons which would aid us in the coming battle."
Aelis was already in the process of stripping the dead and donning the armor. The pieces were rusted and dented in places, but they could still take some beating, unlike her dress. When she was done, she picked up the board sword and the equally rusty metal shield. She pulled the dagger out of the body and kept it for good measure.
"How do I look?" She asked jokingly after she finished.
It was difficult to tell how Oscar felt with his face obscured by the helmet, but from the tone of his voice Aelis figured he found her look amusing. "The best I had seen in quite a while." He answered honestly as he took in her bright blue eyes and hints of golden hair coming out beneath her new helmet.
"Let's go fight a demon, then."
There was no way to get downstairs to the courtyard from this room, so they turned around and began back-tracking. They took another brief pause at the platform overlooking the demon as the two watched the demon move. Distracted by a growl from the demon, they failed to hear the hollow that rose up behind them, which was the one that Oscar knocked unconscious earlier in fight. The hollow approached Aelis from behind and pushed itself onto her.
The sudden force knocked Aelis off her balance as she slipped off the edge of the platform and fell to the area below. She let out a short scream before she hit the demon's back and rolled off it to the floor. Oscar tensed up as he watched her fall and didn't think twice before drawing his sword and leaping off the platform to perform a plunge attack on the demon to distract it from Aelis.
He landed on the demon with his sword, making a solid connection and buried it hilt deep into the creatures flesh. The demon howled in agony and immediately shook its body violently to fling him off. Oscar used all his might to pull out the sword just before losing balance and roll landed safely on the ground nearby. He immediately looked for Aelis, whom he found moaning on the ground in pain and shock, and poised himself as he taunted the demon away from her.
"I'm not dead yet, you bastard." He said as he made a loud clang with his sword on his shield.
The demon recovered from the backstab and turned to face Oscar. It roared at him furiously as if recognized him as the one on the roof and swung its mace with murderous intention.
Aelis' head was spinning from the fall but the heavy steps of the demon that shook the ground told her she should get moving. The hollow that assaulted her was flattened in a flash as the demon stampeded towards Oscar in fury. She hurried herself and got up so she could join Oscar in the attack.
The demon swung the mace left and right and knocked over and shattered many pots that laid around but Oscar was nimble enough to remain untouched. However, the demon was pushing him into a corner and Oscar realized that he had nowhere else to run safely. He then saw Aelis coming up behind the demon as she let out a battle cry and struck at the demon's feet. This momentarily disrupted the demon advance as it lifted its feet in annoyance to stomp, but Aelis dodged it easily.
Oscar made use of the precious time she bought him to close the distance between himself and the demon and left a deep gash in the demon's belly with a two-handed heavy slash. Putrid blood oozed out of the wound as the demon howled again and flapped its wings.
Aelis watched in amazement when the monster began to levitate; she didn't think those relatively small wings could lift such a huge body. Moments later she realized what the demon was about to do, but she was too close to it.
Oscar saw the shadow of the demon looming over her form and rushed to her to push her out of the way at a critical timing. They stared at each other's face before the demon followed up its attack with a quick swing of its mace that bashed Oscar out of her way, sending him flying towards the other end of the arena.
"Oscar!" She felt her heartbeat pause when Oscar remained motionless on the floor, but the demon was already upon her and she had no time to hesitate.
She saw the demon hold up the mace and knew that she would be crushed if she didn't move. Putting her thoughts of Oscar aside for the time being, she focused her entirety on the combat before her. Dashing away from the crushing blow, she found herself around and behind the demon. Once again she struck at its feet to weaken its movement and gain herself more edge, and watched the demon growl in frustration and attempt to grab her.
She made sure there was safe distance between them and Oscar before beginning her next round of assault as the demon turned to face her once more. Making quick shifts to the side, Aelis realized that as long as she could dodge the demon's close attacks, then she would eventually wear it out and slay it. She kept her eyes on the demon's head to check its orientation and spent the rest of her attention maintaining a good footing. She planned to cripple it slowly by attacking its feet repeatedly.
Having had enough of her pesting, the demon changed its attack and brought the mace down to the right side of its body and began to sweep it in a fan motion in front. Realizing that it would hit her, Aelis was forced to move to the left of the demon to avoid the blow, only to run straight into the demon's grasp waiting for her.
She frantically slashed her sword around, hoping to hurt the demon's hand, but it responded with such a tight squeeze that pushed all air out of her lungs, leaving her gasping and unable to breathe. She was lifted until she could stare into the demon's vicious eyes.
Just as she thought the end was upon her, the demon surprisingly loosened its grasp with a pained screech. She didn't know, but the dagger she had kept earlier pricked the demon hard as it tried to squeeze the life out of her. The demon was about to drop her when Aelis saw the opportunity and, with a kick against its palm, she flew out of the demons hand with a pointed sword and straight into one of its eyes.
She held onto the sword for dear life as she felt the demon shook in agony and shock. With her eyes closed she prayed that she won't die immediately.
The demon stood convulsing for a brief moment as a heavy stream of blood and what looked like tissue matter came out of its destroyed eye before everything stopped and the demon fell backwards onto the floor. Aelis was slammed against its disgusting skin and waited for a moment in case it wasn't fully dead. After making sure it was over, she stood up above it and pulled the broad sword out of its bloody eye socket and got off of the lump.
She hurried over to Oscar and dropped her weapon. Her heartbeat was loud enough to drum against her ears painfully but she did not care. Lifting his head up to rest on her lap she held back tears seeing the dreadful dent the demon's blow created on his helmet, afraid of what she would see should she take it off him.
"Oscar?" She asked with a trembling voice, but he did not respond.
Removing his helmet, she gulped when she saw his half-bloodied face. His blonde short hair was colored crimson by wet blood and his jaw was knocked out of place.
She moved her fingers to feel for his pulse and was relieved when there was a slight beat. She reached for the flask that hung on her waist and felt grateful that it survived the turmoil earlier as the orange liquid remain intact within.
"Oscar, can you hear me? You must drink this." She elevated his head and raised the flask to his swollen, bloody lips. Carefully she poured its content into his mouth and watched as the bump in his throat moved. She paused for fear of choking him, then resumed to empty the remainder into him.
Afterwards, she put the flask away and simply held him in her arms. "I'm sorry… I was careless. I made this happen." She said gently as she caressed him, hoping that the Estus would take its effect on him.
Miraculously, his body began to glow. Aelis watched with pleasant surprise as his face began to clear up as blood was absorbed and fractured bones were mended. Within seconds, he looked like as if he were never hurt at all.
When she stared into his blue eyes for the first time, she had tears of joy in her own. His features fit surprisingly well with how she imagined he would look; masculine yet gentle details that reflected his personality. There were inner strength in his eyes, she could tell they belonged to a knight hardened by combat. Oscar was speechless for a moment before he asked her, "How bad do I look?" with that familiar, captivating voice of his.
Aelis held back a sound that was going to be an odd mixture of a giggle and a sob and answered, "Much better now."
And for the first time, she saw his smile. It was warmer than she thought, almost like a bonfire. She couldn't help herself as a rush of varying emotions took over her heart; at that moment, he was her savior, her mentor, her companion, and more. She leaned down and kissed him on his lips.
Feeling her lips upon his suddenly, Oscar responded by lifting himself up and meeting her kiss and deepening it as he held the back of her neck gently. Their kiss began as expression of joy but evolved into something more as they both felt the other's reluctance to stop here.
His positive response made her blush wildly and to make matters worse, he began taking the initiative. When he realized his hand was on her inner thigh, he broke their kiss and stared at her with concern.
"Aelis, I haven't done this in a long time."
"Nor have I, but I want you." She replied sincerely, and the look in her eyes confirmed her desire. "I want you, Oscar." She had felt attraction towards him when she first heard his voice, but such minor feelings were easily defeated in the face of survival hardship. Now however, as they were both released from the fear of death and imprisonment with the fall of the demon, they allowed themselves to open their hearts to one another and let the suppressed feelings roam free. The relief they both had when realizing the other felt the same only grew their passion.
Hesitating no more, Oscar began removing his gauntlets as he resumed kissing her and freed his hands first so he wouldn't scrape her skin in the process of undressing her. He let her nimble hands work their way around his armor pieces as he undid hers. With each piece that had to be removed overhead, they would reluctantly break their kiss briefly only to lock their lips again after. When she was only wearing her tattered skirt again, he slid his hand from her delicate neck to her collarbone, then to the form of her breast on the fabric. He only applied the slightest pressure when she felt lower body burn with want.
But he didn't stop there, as he deftly slid his hand into the now falling skirt and felt her soft breast in his palm. He got hard when her nipples responded to his touch and when he heard her quiet moan. Reciprocating his gestures, Aelis let her own hand feel its way into his pants and gasped into his kiss when she held his hardness warm in her hand. Oscar shivered when she touched him and moved his hips lightly to thrust into her hand, just to give her a hint of what's to come. His movement almost drove Aelis mad, she must have him now, must feel him inside her right now.
As if knowing her condition, Oscar slowly laid her down with one arm around her back as the other made its way down to her underwear. Aelis felt this and her body stiffened as she held back her breath to enjoy the small yet amazing sensations he brought her. When he caressed her through the underwear however, she felt her body respond in electric waves of excitement and even more lubrication beneath his touch. Her body was on fire, and the cold floor did not bother her one bit.
He kissed her long as he moved his fingers around the rim of her underwear and brushed against her sensitive parts teasingly. He groaned when he found out how much she wanted him by dipping a finger inside her.
"Oscar…" She said, almost a whimper.
"I'm coming, my love." He promised and drew his hand away to pull down her underwear and slide it off her slender legs. He stood up to remove his own pants quickly before eagerly returning to the warm aura around her body, letting her hold onto him as he positioned himself over her.
Staring down at her, Oscar was enthralled by how beautiful she looked, even more so with the knowledge that she just came out of a fight for the both of them, victorious. Her long golden hair, although tangled and covered in dirt and blood, was so endearing that he had a thought of cutting a little off to carry with him always.
He lowered his head to kiss her ear and her neck as he teased her with his tip resting against her wet entrance. She bit back a moan and closed her eyes, muttering his name pleadingly still. Oscar had also reached the limit of his patience, as he placed a hand beneath her lower back and bucked her body against his and pushed himself slowly and gently inside her.
"Ah…" she moaned in satisfaction as he filled her up slowly and wrapped her legs around his waist, encouraging him to go deeper. Oscar also let out an exhilarating sigh as he felt her tightness around him, and sank himself even further into her. His movement began to quicken, when he felt her walls tighten up in response. She was so wet and warm and it took a great deal of will for Oscar to hold himself back.
Their sweet release of desire soon turned lustful when she began moaning his name out loud and begging him for more. She could feel a small flow of fluid running down her skin with each of his thrust. He gladly obliged her wishes and hurled her onto his laps and spread her legs apart as he fucked her sitting. She held onto his strong shoulders and lost herself in the rush of pleasure every time her thigh slapped against his, and each time he brought her down on his length she felt him deeper and harder than the last.
"Oscar… I…" Her words trailed off, unable to focus on thoughts, but her expression told the tale. Oscar knew she was close, and he was, too. Their bodies intertwined as Aelis arched her back so that she could feel as much of his body as possible, allowing her to rub her clit against his skin for even more stimulation. Seeing that she needed a little help to cross her limit, Oscar began planting butterfly kisses on her neck and gently coaxed her with the voice she loved so much while keeping up his pace and meeting her every desire.
"Come with me, Aelis… Be mine, because I am yours."
Then he felt her moan out loud, her walls contracted and squeezed his length with an overwhelming sensation that pushed him towards release too, as he moaned with her and cummed deep inside her. Her hands clutched him tightly and all muscles on her body tensed up as she came on top of him. Aelis continued to rock herself against him as waves after waves of pleasure threatened to knock her out purely from how good it felt to have him inside her as he pulsed and filled her with his love.
When both of them rode out the ecstasy, Oscar caught her with his arm and lowered her head so she could rest on his shoulder and held her tightly. For a moment, neither of them realized that it was over and both were still panting from the rapture.
"Oscar." She mewled at him.
He helped her lift herself off him and continued holding her in his arms, eyes watching her fondly and hand caressing her slightly damp face. He said nothing and waited for her to go on.
When she parted her lips again, she confessed to him, "I think I am in love with you." Despite having just orgasmed, she looked very calm and serious when she uttered those words.
Oscar, smiling back at her confession, replied, "And I love you, too." He gave her another sweet kiss and watched her expression brighten up. "You have saved my life and my soul more than once on this day."
Aelis chuckled and turned her head to look over at their scattered armor pieces and weaponry before turning her gaze back at him again. "And you have mine, Oscar."
A new found bond strengthened their connection as they laced their fingers together and enjoyed one another's warmth. They rested like this for however long they wished before getting up and getting dressed again. They went over to the cold and stiff body of the demon and looted the key to the main gate as they set themselves free.
After a short walk, they arrived at the end of the road on a hill. There was nothing save for an extraordinarily large bird's nest in front of them. Aelis went forward and examined it curiously, but suddenly the wind around her changed and something appeared from beneath the cliff.
An enormous raven flew up and stretched open its talons at her as it grabbed her swiftly. Panicking, Aelis looked back at Oscar and yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Oscar!" She watched him beneath her, uncertain if the bird would drop her or not.
He waved back at her, and she saw on his face a complicated expression.
"We will meet again, Aelis!" He yelled back as the raven began departing from him, "I will be there, I promise!"
The raven flapped its wings and went higher and higher, until a gale carried it away towards a distant land, the land of ancient lords, so that she may begin her quest as an undead.
Watching the raven take her away broke his heart, for he did not know if they would meet again in the near future.
Because they are amidst strange beings, in a strange land.The flow of time itself is convoluted; with heroes centuries old phasing in and out.The very fabric wavers, and relations shift and obscure.
There's no telling how much longer her world and his will remain in contact, but he knew deep in his heart that they will meet again.