Chapter One-A living nightmare.
'A small girl hides in a cupboard, her blue eyes wide with fear, unable to move or make a sound, unable to cry out for her mother or father who now lay dead on the floor coated in blood. She had witnessed the slaughter through a small crack in the wood. Her father had placed her in the cupboard just minutes ago, he told her to stay quiet no matter what then closed the doors. As he stepped away from the cupboard a large figure appeared in the door way to the little old shack. As the figure enters she hears her mother's pleas and her father's threats. Pyromancies where ignited but they did not reach the figure in time. With one swing of an oversized hammer her father now lay on the floor, a circle of blood splatters patterned around him, the flame in his hand depleting. Her mother let out a blood curdling scream, tears stream down her face as she backs away. With another swing of the oversized hammer, she flies across the small room, landing in a bloody heap next to her husband, blood pooling around her head. The large figure walks further into the small shack, ensuring both victims were dead. The small girl was frightened; a monster had just killed her parents. She will remember his armour, she will remember his oversized hammer and she will most certainly remember what he has done.'
I awake in a panic sitting up quickly, a cold sweat on my skin. My breathing rapid and fast. My black hair a mess hangs in front of my face. Another nightmare, another distant memory coming back to haunt me. It seems you can't escape nightmares when your awake or sleeping, especially when you've lived in one your whole life. I swing my feet over the edge of the small straw bed pushing my black locks away from my face as I do. My blue eyes where strained and tired as though I did not sleep that night. I get up from the bed and walk over to the corner of the room and begin fixing my leather armour into place. My leather armour is not like the usual sets found around this area, it's much lighter and imbued with a light metal to protect the most vital areas and holds some concealed weapons for emergencies. After fixing the last piece of amour into its place I grab my hand axe, attaching it to my hip. I pull my hair up into a pony tail letting the shorter locks fall in to place.
After collecting a couple of fire bombs from my small stash I leave the small home heading for the town centre. I've lived in this town since I was found alone in the great swamps as a child. I was saved by an old traveling trader who lived in this town, he brought me to his wife, having no children of her own she happily took me in. when I became old enough to train to fight, the old trader took me on as a pupil, he taught me pyromancies and how to use axes, swords, knives, bows and spears. How to use certain plants to stop bleeding and poison and how to use a shield, although I tend not to use one. Unfortunately his wife passed away about five years ago, she was old and frail, not fit for this world. I haven't seen the old trader who saved me since he last set off on his travels just before his wife's death, I assumed he had died.
Now I help the town's folk when they need supplies or a sword for hire, or if an undead stumbles to close to town. I never usually ask for pay, but they give me trinkets and various treasures they've come across and they insist on me taking them. One woman baked me pie once for clearing out the rats in her basement. I got a hand axe from an old blacksmith who had lost the key to his work shop, when I had found his key and brought it back to him, he made the axe for me. I guess it's like my job now; I try to keep the town as safe as it can be helping people when they need help and in return I get a place to live and free food. I'm happy to help the people; it brings happiness into this dark world.
As the town centre starts to come into view, I notice that most of the town folk are gathered around. I notice the blacksmiths wife stood outside her house and head over to her. She notices me as I start to walk over to her and gives me a small wave.
"Good morning" she says with a sweet smile.
"Morning, what's everyone doing out here?" I ask returning her smile.
"Have you not heard? There's meant to be a couple of knights passing through town today, heading to an old church or something nearby." She says.
"What's so exciting about knights? Plenty other knights have walked through this town and no one gathered like this?" I say rather confused by the situation.
"Aye, but those other knights where not dragon slayers" she says.
"What like from the order?" I say.
"Yes from the order, there apparently two of the best, got really fancy armour too, that's why my foolish husband has ran off somewhere for a better view." She says with a chuckle.
"Well it definitely sounds worth the look" I say with interest.
"Just make sure you don't run off with them, don't know what most folks would do without you" she says jokingly.
"Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere soon. Anyway I'm going to go take a look at these dragon slayers, I'll be seeing you" I say with a smile and begin to walk off.
"Stay safe now" she says with a slightly worried look on her face.
I begin to walk through the people who have gathered about, I spot the blacksmith and walk over to him.
"Mind if I stand with you?" I ask him, not wanting to be rude and just stand next to him without speaking.
"Of course not, come to see the dragon slayers?" he asks with a gruff smile.
"Yes, I was just speaking to your wife about them" I say. As I finish the sentence everybody goes quiet. The old blacksmith turns his gaze to the road leading into the city, I follow his gaze. Two figures can be seen in the distance, one was tall and thin carrying a long weapon and it appeared to be a spear of some sort. The other was large in mass carrying a large blunt weapon; it appeared to be an oversized hammer…
As the figures started getting closer I could see their armour, the thin one wore a gold coloured amour, and his helmet appeared to be of a lion or fox. He seemed to have an odd aura about him, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. The big one wore a slightly duller set of armour, it was thick and heavy, and his helmet seemed to be a face with a bald head. My blood went thin; it's the monster that slaughtered my parents. I found myself unable to take my eyes off them. Anger ran through my veins, it felt like they were burning out of my skin. It was defiantly him; I remember that amour and hammer as if I had been around it my whole life.
"Are you ok dear?" the blacksmith spoke with concern; he can probably see the anger in my eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine. Who are they?" I ask trying to edge the anger to the back of my mind; I try to focus on the golden knight hoping it will distract me.
"Ah well, the big guys Executioner Smough, he's known-"he says but I interrupt.
"N-no…. I mean the other guy" I say quickly not wanting to hear more about that monster.
"Erm, oh right that's Dragon Slayer Ornstein, That spear of his is a master piece, it's infused with lightning, I've heard a lot of stories about him, and apparently he's an honourable knight." He says speaking with passion.
"Honourable, what do you mean?" I say. How can an honourable knight consort with…well that beast of a man?
"Taken an interest have we Liz? You're not running off on us now are you?" he says while laughing.
"What no way!" I exclaim. Then it hit me, an idea….an idea of revenge.
"Say, how do you become a knight?" I ask him. He gives me a questionable look.
"Well you'd have to go to Anor Londo and speak with the order yourself, they will probably put you to the test, if successful they will award you a low rank, then you'd have to work yourself up the ranks. Why the sudden interest? You appear to live comfortably here?" He says. This catches me off guard and I find myself struggling to answer.
"W-well, I don't like living comfortably. I feel I need a challenge" I quickly say hoping it will cease his questions.
"And a challenge it will be" he simply says.
My attention is drawn back to the knights; they were right in front of me now, both walking silently towards the destination. Ornstein's armour seems to sparkle in the sunlight while Smough's is dull and worn. The sight of him brings my thoughts back to my plan to join the knights. My plan is to join the order, start working close to them, then destroy that monster and he will know why. Just a simple plan that is probably not going to be simple, it will take a long time and a lot of planning and training, but it will be done.