Soaked from the waist down from traversing the immense system that existed beneath Majula. He looked towards the top of the staircase to the sunlight that outshone the dim lights of the lit torches that lined the walls looming over the staircase. He headed to the top of the staircase to be bombarded with the rays of the setting sun. Blocking his eyes from the sun's intensity he glanced over the area. It was one of destroyed towers made into platforms and ruined buildings—topped off by sapphire roofs—surrounded by vast amounts of water expanding endlessly in all directions. A tower off in the distance reached towards the heavens, fire spewing from each window, overlooking all that wasn't submerged. Large knights of stone stood guard of the nothingness that existed all around. Clad in armor of the elite knights of the past, he stood in preparedness. His sword taken from the white knight in white had been upgraded by the few titanite shards thanks to the blacksmith back in Majula. He moved down the crumbling stone walkway and bolted for the stairs where the bonfire resided before the stone knight could reach him. He lit the bonfire and ran back up the stairs to face the knights.
As he approached the stone knights he realized just how large they really were. The knight in front of him looked like it multiple people of his size could fit within the knight that stood before him. To his surprise the large stone knights were slow but powerful. An odd amount of chivalry came from the knights with shields. They would greet him with a bow before unleashing an onslaught of slashes upon him. Each blow was usually reciprocated evenly until the man was able to evade under the slash and land the decisive blow to his enemy. Each enemy was just as tiring as the last with the exception of the knight with the hammer. Its attacks were faster and stronger. It punished every mistake the man made with impunity. Each death followed multiple broken bones. He rarely made the same mistake, yet each battle resulted in the same event: an agonizing feeling of defeat as the bones in his body shattered and he inevitably returned to the bonfire. After a few tries and the constant reminder of his own mortality and the gift of feeling every ounce of pain that comes with it, the man vanquished the stone knight with the hammer. The final type of knights wielded swords twice his own size. They proved to be the most taxing on his body. Constantly having to roll to evade and being knocked backwards at every blocked horizontal attack. But like the rest, it was vanquished and the man ended up on top. He decided to take the right at the circular ruined building with the numerous knights instead of the left. After defeating the knight with the ultra greatsword at the bottom of the stairs, he arrived at the white mist. He held a metal shield, rounded out as it reached its outer edges, on his left arm to assist him with what awaited him on the other end. He looked at it and let out a disparaging sigh. Pieces of metal was chipped away by the stone weapons being bashed against it.
He entered into an incredibly small arena with water inhabiting the spaces between the platform he stood on and the walls surrounding it. In its center was a knight in armor dyed crimson with patterns of gold. The crimson knight was of large build and stature. The knight held a shield in its left hand that mimicked its own height. In its right it held a halberd that was sculpted to throw. Without a word said between them the two rushed each other. The crimson knight's halberd kept him at a distance for most of their fight. Every time the man held his shield up to block an attack the crimson knight attacked his shield with perfect precision. But with every miss the crimson knight was punished with slash after slash until its armor began to chip. After a few barrages on both ends the two stopped; facing each other at opposite edges of the platform. Both stood with their shields readied in front of them. Neither moved, knowing full well that the next mistake would be the end. The man was panting heavily, but kept his shield up as well as he could. The crimson knight across from him showed no change in poise, yet remained still. More minutes passed with the two staring each other down. The crimson knight dashed forward into a thrust with his halberd. The man slid past the halberd with his shield and readied his sword only to be met with the knight's shield head on and pushed into the deep waters below. The force of his back smashing flat against the water pushed all the air out of his lungs and quickly filled them back with the water that now surrounded him. He watched as he sank deeper into the water with his vision tunneling until everything went black.
The man awoke at the nearest bonfire—at the bottom of the stairs before the first stone knight. With more humanity gone and therefore less caution in his mind, the man moved through the knights faster. By the time he reached the mist again he was more tired than the first. All of his estus flasks had been consumed and life gems took too long to work properly. He pushed through the white mist and there stood the crimson knight as if it were waiting for him and him alone. Without hesitation the two moved as they did at the end of their last fight: the crimson knight attacked with a thrust that the man slid around with the help of his shield. He moved under the outstretched halberd and sliced under the crimson knight's arm. He struck something other than the suit's outer shell: the chainmail underneath. The physical attack itself proved ineffective, but the man could see, if only for a split second, the lightening transfer from the sword to under the knight's armor. The crimson knight, without skipping a beat, swung round and bashed the man's chest in with the pole of his halberd. The man was thrown back in to the wall circling the small platform and dropped back down into the waters beneath.
The man opened his eyes finding himself resting at the bonfire at the bottom of the stairs. With memories dying away at every death he faced, the man sometimes believed his more pathetic attempts were mere dreams visiting him in his only moments of solace. He stood up and pulled out an effigy. He took a moment and mulled it over, weighing its importance after his numerous deaths since the last time. He placed it back with the rest of his inventory for safe keeping. With a strained groan similar to the rest of the undead that he had fought within the Forest of Fallen Giants, he returned back to the stone knights with reckless abandon. They moved so slowly it seemed like child's play to him now. Heavily telegraphed movements showed him exactly where they were going to strike. Each knight dropped in under six hits. He looked back at the fallen chunks of their armor that didn't seem to disappear. He turned back towards the mist and moved through it. Just as before the crimson knight stood in the center of the platform with shield ready and spear raised. The man held up his own shield which paled in comparison. The two moved toward each other until their shields touched against each other. They circled each other with their shields seemingly stuck together. First to strike would be at a disadvantage for the rest of the fight. The crimson knight moved first. Not with the spear, but with the shield, pushing against the man until he reached the edge of the platform. Between the final two pushes the man managed to roll around to the side of the knight. He kept his shield limp by his side, his arm numb from the shield bashing. He watched as the crimson knight turned to face him. Even though his attacks were quick and precise, his movement when it came to everything else was glacial at best. It would be easy to move around the knight, but anything past that was a gamble. He bolted towards the knight's shield and rolled under the knight's spear as it tried two strike and swung at its leg. Nothing. His sword bounced off like if he were to attack a wall. The man quickly rolled back before the knight was able to crash its shield down upon him. He replied with attacks of his own to the knight's chest. It staggered long enough for the man to back off. Regaining itself, it leaped forward, lifting from the ground and propelling itself towards him at unimaginable speeds, spear cocked, thrusting it in the man's direction. Sparks flew as the spear slid past the rounded off edges of his shield. With his all the man pushed himself forward and with sword tilted sideways, pushed it below the knight's helmet. It let out a groan slightly hidden behind gurgles. The chainmail had given way beneath the strength of the sword. The knight fell to its knees, shield and spear still clenched in both hands letting out one last groan before turning to the black dust and flying way in the wind. A large golden soul fell to his feet. He picked the soul up and ascended the stairs on the other end of the platform until he reached a new bonfire in need of kindling. He looked back across the path, across the waters to a cathedral standing dominantly above the water. Another large building, another large obstacle.