I have sat here for so long.
It has been years since I last had fresh air. The small, square window far above my head does nothing to bring relief from the scent brought to me by the damp mold covering my little cell. Pieces of rotten wood are scattered around the slimy floor which gives me splinters whenever I muster the strength to rise and pace back and forth in the tiny space.
I am luckier than the others though. The curse drove them mad long ago. Those who bear the dreaded Dark Sign will all go mad eventually. For with this mysterious brand, comes a curse. The Undead Curse which has driven fear and sorrow throughout the entirety of the kingdoms. We are damned to be reborn for the rest of our miserable lives without the peace of death. To become less and less sane with each passing day and life. To lose more of our Humanity until all that is left to be seen is an empty shell without purpose or emotion. To go hollow.
A heavy thud draws me from my depressing musings. My decomposing body is only able to react slowly; I raise my head and crack open my dry eyelids to see that the body of one of the guards has been tossed down into my cell. A shuffling movement causes me to raise my head further to discover the source of the sound. Leaning over to look down into the dreary room, is a knight. He looks strangely familiar somehow.
A roar echoes throughout the prison, shaking its solid foundations. The knight looks up quickly, giving me one last look before sprinting away.
I turn my attention from the window and focus on the body deposited. It lies there, seemingly without life. I crawl over towards it to examine it. He was the one who always patrolled up and down the hallway my cell was at the end of. Dangling his keys, mockingly, in front of all the prisoners whether they were sane or otherwise.
His keys.
The thought causes me to gasp, sounding like two rusty bits of metal rubbing together. Could the knight really have . . .?
My leathery hands begin to search his body without result. I pull the cowhide satchel he carried from his side and hear the sound of tinkling iron. I turn it upside down, shaking it, and out tumbles the set of keys he always carried, along with some sort of black fragment. By the gods. With renewed strength, I move towards the door and shove all of the keys into the lock, trying every single one. Click.
I watch on with amazement as the door swings open for the first time in six years. Down the hallway are the hollows that were once inmates, but I pay no mind to them. I creak forward and relish the feeling of freedom that came with walking so far after so long. Pocketing the small black item, I now recognize as the precious Humanity, I feel a rush of exuberance.
At the end of the hall is a room leading off to a circular space with a ladder attached to the side. It was likely the base of a tower. I move to ascend the ladder before stopping. I look back at the horrible place I sat in for all these years. It was enraging to think of all the time I spent in there, pacing back and forth. What a waste of my life, I thought. I turned back towards the ladder and began to climb. Halfway up it occurred to me, I was undead. I have plenty of lives to spare.
I continued at a steady speed out into a courtyard that was likely the center of the prison. Sitting in the middle of the featureless area was a Bonfire. It was a fantastic coincidence, with my newfound Humanity. I knew all about the uses of them with soul reinforcement, the ability of an undead to enhance their abilities and physical attributes, among them. They were also the only places that undead can be reborn from. I rushed forward and thrust my hand over the sword stabbed into the ashes and a warm flame was brought to life, emitting a pleasant glow.
I reached into my pocket where the sprite was located and slowly took it out. Humanity was precious because it could only be found within other humans, with some possessing more than others depending on how pure their souls were. But how to use it?
Putting it in the flame had no effect, I only succeeded in scorching my fingers. Waving it around like a torch did no good either. I tried squeezing it and it seemed to have some effect. I squeezed harder and the black sprite burst into fragments. I froze for a moment terrified that I did something wrong, before the pieces in the air flew forward within my chest.
It was pure joy. The elating feeling of my sanity returning in full, and my skin and body returning to its former rippled physique. I began to remember things. My previous life returned itself to me along with the rest of my mind. I was a knight of Astora. My name, Cedric! I remembered my friends and family and the many years of training right up until knighthood. And the day my Dark Sign was discovered.
With newfound confidence I strode towards the large set of double doors on the far side of the courtyard. The bravado was back in my gait as my steel boots, knight's boots, clanged on the stairs.
I was ready for whatever challenges presented to me.
With a hand on each door, I gave a mighty shove. The rusted doors creaked open slowly and with great difficulty. I realized that despite gaining much more muscle mass with my hollowing reversed, the years wasted away in the Undead Asylum took their toll on me.
Pushing through the doors I found myself in a large square room with excessive amounts of rubble strewn across the ground. Looking up to see where the mess came from, a sight like no other greeted me.
The Asylum Demon. The monstrosity I remember glimpsing whilst being dragged into the front gates the day I was brought here. It was just as hideous as memory told; just as fear inducing as well. There was no way I could fight the beast without a proper weapon. Its ferocious looking hammer would smash me into a bloody smear. Or it could simply stomp on me. Either way, I would not succeed.
Thankfully, it seemed to be waiting for me to make the first move. I checked my surroundings and looked for options on escape. On the left side of the room was an open door that was much too small for the bulky demon to fit through. I braced myself for a sprint, because something told me it would not let me simply walk by.
1…2…3
I took off as fast as my cumbersome armor would allow. The demon let out a wall shaking bellow, and leapt down from its perch, landing so close that I almost lost my balance and fell; a surely fatal act. I lunged at the last second feeling the wind as it swung its mighty hammer towards me. A small set of stairs awaited my arrival beyond the door and took me down and beyond the monster's reach. It growled in frustration and swung its hammer again smashing the wall and making the ground tremble violently. But I was long gone by the time it could figure anything out. I rounded the corner and took to running down a narrow hallway.
An arrow pierced my shoulder plate before I could take ten steps.
I let out a small cry of surprise and slight pain, then dived through a side door into a small room off to the left. I was blinded by my success against the Asylum Demon and paid the price for it. A quick look around the corner revealed that there was an archer waiting for me to show my face again. He was hollow by the looks of it, but that didn't stop him from using the bow he wielded. I yanked the arrow from my shoulder plate with a small wince. Thankfully only the tip of the arrow passed through or my left arm would have been all but useless until I could get it properly healed.
I slumped downwards to assess my latest problem and slid against something that sounded like metal. Casting my gaze downwards, my heart soared at the sight that was beheld. A Shield! And quite solid if appearances meant anything. My hand went down to snatch it up and I quickly slid my arm into the straps. Perfect.
Breathing deeply, I prepared myself for the second speed assessment of the day. A moment later and the air was filled with the sounds of the furiously fast pace I set to get to the hollow before he could do any damage. An arrow collided with my shield and was hardly felt. I peeked over the flat rim to see that the archer was jogging away. No doubt to gain a better leverage point. A guard's body was lying on the ground; possibly the one the hollow acquired the bow from. The standard issue broadsword was lying still in his sheathe. I swooped by pulling the weapon from its scabbard and in one swift motion, plunged it into the retreating undead's back.
My breathing was slightly heavy as I stood there with the adrenaline just starting to leave my body. Holding the sword brought back great memories. I felt powerful and in control for the very first time today. With a familiar weapon in my hand, many more options of escape were apparent to me. Even killing the Asylum Demon suddenly seemed possible.
With the blood no longer pumping wildly through my body and with a clear head, I pressed forward prepared to hack away any opponent so foolish as to attack an Elite Knight of Astora. Nothing within these wretched walls could stand before a trained warrior such as myself.
A white wall of fog awaited my approach up a set of stairs. I stopped momentarily to examine the strange phenomenon. It seemed incredibly dense and I was unable to see anything past the cloudy substance. Pulling off my armored gauntlet, I reach forward to push my way past. It was much more solid than expected but proved to be no barrier capable of stalling my advance.
On the other side of the wall I was met with the sight of a barred door, much like the door of the cells undead were kept in. It was somewhat off its hinges but was blocked by a pile of bricks inconveniently making it unable to be trespassed. Looking to the left showed that I was a single story from the ground and able to view the courtyard from a higher point. Strapping my gauntlet back into place, I moved forward around the broken door and walked down a short passage to another set of stairs. Squinting at the darkness that obscured the top of the staircase, my sharp eyes picked out a dull glint of metal. Curious, I took several steps forward to analyze the discovery further. Then I realized it was moving forward. Fast.
I rolled to the side down some other descending stairs but still heard the rush of air as the large ball of solid metal flew past me and crashed into the wall. A hollow followed in pursuit and jumped down to take advantage of my current state of imbalance. I raised my sword to point it straight upward just in time for the undead's unprotected body to impale itself upon the sharp length of steel.
Raising myself from the ground, my gaze swept up the stairs to check for signs of more hollows. Finding none, I started upward in order to search for the object that very nearly collided with me. It had driven a large hole into the wall by smashing through the already fragile brickwork. Swiftly entering with my sword raised, my sights quickly set upon a still figure in Elite Astoran Knight armor lying on a pile of fallen bricks that seemingly fell in from the roof. The gap let through small amount of sunlight that cast and eerie shine on the unmoving figure. Cautiously, I stepped forward.
"You're no hollow, are you?"
I jumped backward with a startled yelp. The knight whom I thought was dead was still alive, if barely.
"No," I whispered, using my voice for what felt like the first time of my life. "I am still quite human".
He gave a weak nod. "I am glad my sacrifice was not without reason".
I realized now, this was the man who set me free!
"It was you who dropped down the corpse with the key on it, wasn't it?" I questioned although I already was sure of the answer.
He let out a shuttering breath. "Yes, it was, and I have regrettably failed in my mission due to my unfortunate fate." The knight paused. "But perhaps you can keep the torch lit."
"How so?"
"There is an old saying in my family, "Thou who art undead, art chosen, in thine exodus of the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of ancient lords, when thy ringeth the Bell of Awakening, thy fate shalt be known."
I pondered his words carefully. "Your words sound prophetic to my ears."
He gave a weak laugh. "Indeed. It is known as the Fate of the Undead, and is surely the path that you will set forth towards upon your exodus of this prison."
My eyes widened slightly. "Me? What about you, fellow knight?"
"Didn't you hear? I'm done for I'm afraid, the damned beast landed one too many blows upon me."
I took off my helmet and looked at him closely. He looked worse for wear than I first realized. His armor was torn and dented, even ripped off in some places by the looks of it. Several jagged holes in his breastplate leaked a steady amount of blood. Grimacing, I had to acknowledge that he would not survive long in his current condition. In his current condition.
"Are you undead as well?"
He tilted his head to the side confusingly. "Of course, why do you ask?"
"Do you know the power of Bonfires?" I inquired.
"Yes, they allow the refilling of Estus, which I have a certain lack of," he said whilst reaching into his side satchel and pulling out an empty flask.
I smiled. "Well my friend, you are in luck as there happens to be a Bonfire not fifty yards from where we now sit."
He gasped. "Truly? How could I have missed it?"
Nodding sympathetically, I replied, "I'm sure you were somewhat preoccupied with our resident monstrosity."
The knight chuckled. "Of course I was, now could you possibly aid me in walking to it?"
"Yes." I strapped my helm back into place and slung his arm over my shoulder, lifting him up.
He let out a small grunt of pain. We removed ourselves from the water filled room and out to the set of stairs heading downward into the courtyard.
A sigh of relief escaped my newly acquainted friend's visor as his eyes set upon the blazing flames in the center of the area. "So the gods have not truly abandoned me after all."
I set him down by the Bonfire and took the Estus Flask from his satchel again. My hand went out above the fire and a warm, comforting feeling went through my body. The flask grew slightly heavier, signaling it was filled, and I quickly brought the lip of the container to the knight's who had removed his helmet.
Gulping down the sweet smelling drink, his body visibly cured. The wounds stopped shedding blood, he sat up straighter, and his breathing became steady and strong.
I took the time to examine his features while he fully recovered. He had a defined face, with light blond hair and similarly light blue eyes. A sharp nose and jaw completed the look of an Astoran noble, and I was very sure he was one, what with his extravagantly decorated shield crest and obviously well crafted armor. His sword, a fine weapon that was better designed than my simple broadsword, was radiating a glow that was visible even in the daylight. It was most likely a divine weapon; further evidence of his noble background.
Observing him brought a question to my mind I had not yet wondered before.
"What is your name?"
My voice appeared to snap him out of his thoughts. He lifted his chin proudly before answering in a well spoken tone. "I am Sir Oscar of Astora, a knight belonging to the great House of the Dragon."
Suspicions were confirmed, he was of noble blood. "I too hail from Astora, and I too am a knight of the realm, though belonging to no house."
His face brightened, apparently heartened at the presence of another man from his own kingdom. Holding out his hand for shaking he asked, "And you? What is your name?"
I grasped his hand firmly and struggled with my memories for a moment before replying. "My name, before I became branded with the Dark Sign, was Sir Cedric of Terrihil." For one terror filled second I could not remember the name I was born with. It shook me.
Oscar lifted himself up with new strength within his limbs. "Well Sir Cedric, I thank you for restoring me to life," he announced. And with a small grin he added, "I will return the favor by making sure you leave this wretched place with yours."
Grinning as well, I stood and began walking back towards the staircase again. He followed close behind and with both our swords drawn, we moved up along until we reached the location at which the ball of iron was sent down. A rusty door barred the way, but was sent off its hinges with a single kick near the handle. Behind it was a passage way that we followed, ready for attacks from any direction.
After turning a corner my fellow knight and I came upon a clearing that was bare of any sign of life. We stalked forward cautiously and noticed an opening leading to the left. A broken sword was visible without having to look around the edge of the wall. Gesturing towards Oscar, I moved in a wide semi circle in front of the wielder of the weapon.
A ragged hollow stood there breathing heavily. It let out a strangled cry upon noticing me and rushed towards me with its broken hilt raised high. Stabbing his sword through his neck before the hollow could move more than a few steps past the wall, was Oscar. Quickly withdrawing his shining blade, he stepped back just in time to avoid an arrow that sailed past him and deflected off my shield. Behind where slain opponent once stood, were two more hollows, one of which possessed a bow that was already drawn back to release the next shot. It was broken against my shield by the impact.
We moved forward side by side with our armaments raised to block any more incoming projectiles. The other hollow, this one with a dagger of some sort rushed at us swinging wildly, but was cut down efficiently with a single swipe of my broadsword, severing its head from shoulders.
Oscar rolled forward under the next arrow fired and thrust his weapon forward through the stomach of the archer. It fell to the ground with a small thump.
Neither of us was breathing heavily or showing in other signs of exertion.
To the left of where we fought the small skirmish was a door as large as the one I first walked through and met the Asylum Demon. Thinking for a moment, I came to the conclusion that this led back into the room of columns and rubble I sprinted through to get to safety.
Informing Oscar of my thoughts was the first thing I did.
His voice was concentrated when he spoke. "If you are indeed right, and I believe you are, we should be two stories above where the demon sits. At this point we could jump down upon him and bring our weapons down into his skull with great force."
I nodded my assent to his plan and we walked forward through the fog of the door, which he didn't seem interested about.
Looking down from the balcony we stepped on to, we were immediately greeted with the sight of the filthy monstrosity glaring up at us. It swiped at us with the menacing hammer it wielded though unable to reach us. A furious wail followed shortly afterward. Oscar took a quick step to the edge and gestured quickly for me to do so as well.
"One!" he yelled over the clamor. "Two! . . . Three!"
Both of us leapt in synch and fell down before plunging our swords deep into the flesh of the demon.
It bellowed in pain and we hurriedly pulled our weapons from its body before jumping down from it and retreating to a safe distance with Oscar on one side and myself on the other.
The Asylum Demon stumbled for a short minute, thrashing its arms about wildly and knocking over columns with its massive hammer. It focused on us, realizing we were the cause of its pain. The demon slid its hand down to the hilt of its weapon before spinning around with surprising agility towards Oscar.
"Watch out!" I shouted.
Oscar was ready and rolled out of the path of the heavy hunk of metal, but that didn't stop the impact from throwing him from his feet. Turning towards him, the hideous creature raised its arms for the killing blow, but stepped back when I drove my sword down to the crosspiece into its rear.
It roared in agony before using its small wings to lift itself up into the air, ready to smash down upon both Oscar and me. How the thing even managed to lift its sizable body from the ground is beyond thinking, but it did and was ready to come back down again.
Luckily, Oscar was back on his feet and already out of the way, whilst I performed a simple roll backwards to avoid the deadly crash that was sure to happen any moment now. And it did.
With a great SMASH, it collided with the flooring of the unstable room and creating several more ominous looking cracks. Both my fellow knight and I were thrown momentarily off balance, but rushed to quickly meet the Asylum Demon while it was in its unsteady state. We sliced and stabbed with our swords, creating a shining display of white and red reflections. A metallic smell filled the air as we continued to mince the demon into painful pieces. It fought back with weak movements, but had long since lost the strength to wield its unnaturally heavy hammer. It fell back to the ground, dead.
Oscar and I were breathing heavily from the exertion of swinging our weapons back and forth constantly for several minutes. But I held a firm sense of accomplishment within my chest, as I am sure the other knight did. The large amount of souls the demon once possessed were absorbed into us, with a feeling of exhilaration accompanying it.
"We did it," I said in between gulps of air.
Oscar nodded tiredly, too weary to respond. Motioning to the heavy set of metal doors that were located behind the Asylum Demon, he marched forward. Dutifully, I followed despite my wishes to take a short rest. With one of us pushing on each door, they opened steadily. Before us was a ridge with old and rotten stonework scattered across it. The area thinned out to a small perch jutting upwards. We walked towards it stopping at the edge. Looking around revealed nothing but the sea. So the stories of the Undead Asylum were not false. It was located on an island far out of the sight of land.
A rush of wings caught my attention. "What was that Oscar?"
He sounded relieved. "That, my friend, it our way out of this place."
I opened my mouth to ask what meaning his words carried but my words were halted by an ear-splitting caw. The sound of a crow.
Large talons wrapped around my chest along with Oscar's. I let out a yell of fright as we left from the ridge into open air. The sea rushed past below me and I felt slightly nauseous. Heights were never something I could conquer with a sword and shield, and no armor would stop bones from being broken by a high fall. Therefore I had always stayed clear of them, never venturing on to the towers of Castle Terrihil, nor the battlements of the walls, no matter how sturdy they were.
Knowing that something much less solid than twenty meters of stone separated me from the ocean stirred something awful in my stomach. I stole a glance over at Oscar to see that he had his arms spread, and was laughing loudly at what I suppose he thought was an exciting ride.
I closed my eyes and prayed for this to be a quick journey.
