Dark Souls: Life after the Linking
Classification – Comedy, Tragedy, Romance, Adventure, Action
Rating – MA15+ (Strong Violence, Coarse Language, Adult Themes, Sexual References)
"Speaking normally"
Internal Thoughts
Infused Blade speaking
Following the footsteps of the Chosen Undead, Alistair rings the bells and collects the Lord Souls, places them in the Lordvessel and links the Flame…but what happens if instead of becoming ash…he wakes up in a pile of it after the Flame is linked?
I don't own the Dark Souls Series or any of the characters mentioned but my own OC.
A Dark Souls Story.
He stood over a defeated Gwyn, watching him smile sadly and fade to ash. He closed his eyes, and the metallic smell of the Lord of Cinders blood filled his nostrils. Even though the corpse was gone, the blood that dripped off his sword and was flickered on his armour remained. He knelt, giving respect to the man that had kept the Flame burning all this time. Filled with purpose, he opened his eyes and paced over to the bonfire, letting his them rest on the coiled sword, and letting the soft, warm glow of the fire warm his soul. He took a moment to look down at his gear. His silver sword, once regal and spotless, now filthy and covered with grime. His black knight shield was the exact same. The armour he wore, once a picture of perfection, now splattered with blood. He noticed beside him that there was a puddle of some sort. Must be the rain…he looked up and almost broke into a laugh.
Ha! There is a roof! He took a moment though, to stare at the man who was reflected in this lonely puddle, the brown eyes that were once filled with wonder as he traveled became grim and determined, his face had become set in a scowl for some reason, then he realized that it was like that because something always tried to kill him…violently. His silver hair that reached down to his shoulders stood out against the darkness of the Kiln, somewhere along his journey he had lost his helm, the one he found after he fell down a hole in the Catacombs. As he was staring, his mind drifted to the people that had supported his journey, from the mad shopkeeper in the Undead Burg to the frail FireKeeper Quelaan just before the Demon Ruins, just thinking about her brought a small smile to his face. He looked behind him, and took in the scenery one last time. The towering stone columns, and the remnants of weapons lying broken on the floor. He thought he spotted a black halberd lying broken in twain somewhere in the distance.
Aw, I liked that halberd…served me well. He took one final breath, his mind going back to the people who had supported him and endured this trial by his side. Smiling to himself, he knelt before the Flame and linked the Fire, ushering a new age, one of prosperity. The Flames crossed the small gap between his hand and the coiled sword, crept up his arm and engulfed his body, spreading and consuming everything in its path. The few Black Knights, guardians of the Kiln, were engulfed by the Flame, yet seemingly remaining untouched by it, as their armour already charred by it. The flames didn't burn, they brought him a sense of completion. He laughed to himself and let the flames wash over him, bringing his journey to an end. He felt no lingering emotion, felt no regrets. He felt fulfilled. Everything started to darken, his vision growing darker at the edges, and he finally let go.
Chapter 1: Awakening
The Flames burned endlessly. Driving away the Dark with ease. The Knight knew that his job was now over. But something was…wrong. He felt something on his back. His mind started to race. He had read a few books within the Dukes Archives and one of them was titled Conspiracies of the First Flame. He read it because it had a shiny cover. During his reading, he saw that there were a few occasions where the Chosen Undead did not perish with the kindling of the Flame. But those were amongst the rarest of rare. The most common was certain death and consummation into the Fire. That was the ending he was aiming for. Um…where is my death by fire? He went to turn his head but found it was buried in the dirt in front of him. So, he pushed himself up. With that, the ashes which once burdened his back slid off and fell towards the ground which, mind you, was still burning. As he stood to face what would be a charred Kiln, the only thing he saw was fire. The place was still burning. Even though he wasn't exactly on fire himself, the sensation of being in a room that was supposed to be your grave, while it was on fire, sent the young Knight into a state of panic. He started to hyperventilate, his heart beating at one thousand beats a second, he started feeling cold. He knew he was going into shock. So, he went with it. So, he screamed. Then he promptly blacked out.
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The next thing he saw was more dirt. He then realised that he was in fact being dragged through the dirt by his feet. He pushed up slightly with his hands and his "rescuer" let go. He landed face first in the dirt, and unfortunately, his mouth was wide open. After spitting out all the dirt which managed to make its way into his mouth, Alistair turned to face his saviour. In front of him stood a tall man, wearing what looked like ragged beggar's clothes, but if one looked carefully, they would notice that underneath the rags lay golden armour. The same went for his legs and arms, dirty rags covering intricate golden armour. His face however, was half covered, all you could see were his eyes. On his head lay what looked to be a strange feathered crown. In his left hand, though, was a massive sword…spear…sword spear…weapon, that looked relatively sharp, and could be very painful. The massive man then turned away from him, and started walking away as if he didn't do a damn thing and that he really didn't want to be there. Before he left though, he turned back to face the man he saved. "Thank you, for saving Father. It was about time that He rested." Alistair just gaped like a fish before closing his mouth and nodding in understanding.
With that, he left. With nothing left to do, Alistair finally stood and dusted himself off. None of the Black Knights in the vicinity had a quarrel with him anymore, so they just let him be, and went back to the Flame which they so zealously guarded. Alistair made his way through the barren sands of the Kiln, stopping only when he saw something shining in the distance. Turns out that it was an armour set that he already collected whilst travelling. After climbing a set of wisp plagued stairs (which was absolutely creepy) he was met by a face only a mother could love, King-seeker Frampt. The giant "primordial serpent" took a curious glance at him as he walked through the giant archway that marked both the entrance and exit to the Kiln, yet, it wasn't supposed to be used as an exit. Frampt did a double take when Alistair stepped up to greet him. "What?! How?! The Flame should have consumed you! Did you not Link the Flame?" Alistair deadpanned as Frampt ranted. "Um…Frampt? What's going on?" he questioned.
"Quiet! I'm trying to think!"
"Oh…okay…could you take me up though? It's dark and creepy down here…" Now it was Frampts turn to deadpan. Has this man truly linked the Flame? I can see the burns and the charred armour, but that could have been done by Gwynn himself…he cast those thoughts aside as he looked at the young knight, who was eagerly awaiting to leave, not wanting to be anywhere remotely close to that stairway again. "Very well…I shall return you to the surface. Prepare yourself." Alistair did not prepare himself. Not one bit. The serpent leaned down towards him and literally ate him. After a minute or so (felt like hours for the weary soul inside) Frampt spat him out at Firelink Shrine, the place where his journey truly started. Where he gathered with the friends he made along the way. He made his way down to the bonfire after Frampt told him that he would think about this revelation and to return soon. Arriving, he found that the bonfire burnt even brighter. Confused, he made his way down the stairs on the right, stopping in front of the resident Firekeeper, one whose name he could never remember for the life of him. He stopped when he reached the small cell she usually resided in, to her it was a form of penance as she was "unworthy".
He looked down at her ragged form, a small smile once again noticeable on his face. She had been a source of solace for the weary Undead, always there to listen to his ramblings and even give him some sort of advice. The only other person he could really talk to was the Firekeeper of Anor Londo, but she was one to only listen, allowing him to rest and tell his story so far. As he stood there with a smile, Anastacia took notice of his presence. To her, he was a constant, someone who would always come back, no matter how many times he died…she lost count after about 100, and she constantly berated him for his lack of self-preservation. On more than one occasion in a dungeon did he perish and decide to return to Firelink to replenish his life saving Estus Flask and somehow "feed" his unwanted spoils to Frampt. She let out a cute giggle before Alistair realised she was watching him. "Oh, my lady! Forgive me for not paying more attention to you!" He bowed his head and apologised, causing Anastacia to once again giggle. "Oh you, do not fret, as I only just noticed your presence. What brings you to Firelink this time?" All she got was a sheepish laugh. After almost a minute without answering, he finally caved and gave a proper answer. "Well m'lady, you see, I linked the Fire- "She practically screamed out, which startled the young warrior. "YOU WHAT!? LINKED THE FIRE!? WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE THEN!?" Alistair was a little shocked at her sudden outburst that he took a step back. "Ana? Why? I thought you liked me!" Anastacia let out a small gasp, covering her mouth with her hand as she realised the implications of what she said, and she reached through the bars which separated her from him. "No! Please forgive me!"
Alistair walked over to her and took her hand, giving it a little squeeze to solidify the point that he wasn't going to leave her any time soon. After holding her hand for what he assumed to be the required amount of time, he let go and sat down in front of her, motioning for her to scoot a little closer to the bars. After she joined him on the soft ground, he looked directly into her eyes, smiled and pulled out a small ukulele, he gently started strumming some random chords. He spoke without looking at her, but his words sounded much heavier than anything she's ever heard him say. "Look, Ana, I don't know why I wasn't consumed by the First Flame, but whatever the reason, it must be important, as they wouldn't need me of all people," he looked at her, his eyes filled with such sadness "I can do nothing but play a part in this tale." He reached through the bars and gently cupped her cheek in his hand, taking care to not hurt her with Ornsteins glove. His armour clinked and shifted as he pulled away and stood, shifting the position of his katana, the Uchigatana, on his hip. He turned to walk away, but before he did, he turned his head back, smiled and said, "give me the word and I'll break those bars, and I'll take you far away from here. The Fire is linked, there is no need for you to be a Firekeeper now." She smiled sadly, knowing this wasn't the first time that he made that offer. She gripped the bars tightly and lowered her head, she did so for two reasons, one – so he couldn't see the blush rising across her cheeks and two – so he couldn't see the tears fall from her eyes.
"You know my answer, but please, come back saf- "she didn't manage to finish as the bars that kept her from the world were violently ripped from the ground. Alistair finally caved and lost all reasoning. Even if she didn't come with him, he'd understand, his journey would most likely involve fighting giant demons and monsters, he wouldn't have her isolating herself in that blasted cage any longer! He stalked into the cave with a grim determination in his eyes. Anastacia let out a sharp gasp and crawled away, shielding her face from the flying dust, she looked over towards Alistair who was moving quickly. He stood in front of her and stared down. He had yet another sad smile on his face. "Hey, can you walk?" the question had caught her off guard. "What? No…its' been a while, why?" She asked only to get a grunt in response. He walked closer to her as she stared dumbly at the hole, only realising that he just ripped the basted things out of the ground himself. She felt something funny happening around her and started paying attention again, only to realise that she was now at least four feet off the ground being carried in a pair of strong arms. She looked up at who was carrying her and found herself face to face with Alistair, his eyes betraying the masked emotion in his voice. "I won't let you stay in that cell anymore, you understand that, right? Even if you don't come with me, that's fine, but that cell is no good for you! I can't sleep right thinking you're still in that cage." He started walking towards the bonfire. Other settlers in the areas rushed over to see what the hell just happened. As the first people arrived, the saw Alistair walking towards the warmth of the fire with a very red Firekeeper snug in his arms.
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Walking up the stairs, a catcall could be heard coming from a certain Pyromancer. He whispered to Ana to wrap her arms around his neck and hold on tight, which she complied. After she was secure, he proceeded to let go and give Laurentius a one fingered salute, and his target merely laughed and turned away. As he reached the fire, it started sparking, sending out small tongues of fire in every direction. He instinctively held Anastacia closer to himself, shielding her from this strange phenomenon. The small trails of fire started reaching out for her, and he started pulling back. A shout from Frampt caused him to stand still. "STOP! DON'T MOVE HER AWAY!" He prayed to the gods (whichever ones still existed) that he would be willing to fight all the dragons in the world if she was safe. The flames reached her, gently passing along her arm, before being absorbed into her, causing her to glow brightly. She let out a sharp scram as the Fire burned her from the inside. Alistair reached for his blade, but before he could draw, she stopped screaming and started breathing heavily.
She wrapped her arms around her body, relishing in the warmth that now radiated from her. A warmth that even Alistair started to feel. He was instinctively drawn to her warmth, wanting to bathe in it and never let it go. Frampts voice broke his little spiel. "Bring her to me Chosen Undead, I have found out what happened." Alistair complied, taking her towards the giant serpent. "Place her down there, the explanation is lengthy." Placing her on the broken pillar, he turned towards his journeys guide, and motioned for him to continue. "As you probably figured out, Fate has chosen you for another journey." Alistair let out a mirthless laugh. "Figured…"
"BUT! This journey isn't one you will undertake alone! You must gather allies!" This confused him, seeing as how he always worked alone out of fear that he could never bring his friends home. He nodded. "This journey is known as the Awakening. You must gather certain objects that would be important through history and imbue them with the power of your own Corrupted Lord Soul." This got Anastacia's attention. "Wait! You're saying that Alistair has a Lord Soul? A Corrupted one at that?' The serpent merely closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "That was implied. The linking of the Flame was the cause. You are now on par with the amount of power that Gwyn himself possessed when he was in your position. BUT do NOT think for a second that you are to replace him." Alistair could only stare off into the distance with a blank look on his face before something clicked and he turned towards Frampt. "But what about Ana? Why did the bonfire do that to her? And why am I so concerned about her safety and the fact that anyone who dares hurt, or even misplace a single strand of hair on her head would taste my blade?" Another sigh came from Frampt. "The Awakening. Not only was YOUR Lord Soul Awakened, but HERS as well. All the allies you will travel with will have a Lord Soul of their own."
Ana, meanwhile, had a blush building up quickly on her cheeks as she thought that they were at least now on a similar level of society. She shook her head to clear the thoughts that dared give her migraine. "But why awaken my Lord Soul? I am in no condition to travel!" She finished by motioning towards her legs. "You were a Firekeeper my dear, but now you are literally a walking Bonfire. He will NEED you on his journey, as you have awoken." Frampt continued his explanation of recent events, telling him that he needs to now go gather his remaining allies. The good part about his explanation though was that Frampt was kind enough to tell him who his companions would be. He had to go recruit a strange bunch of people. One – He had to find some way to find and bring back Quelana - A witch of Izaleth. Two – A certain Crossbreed that was somewhat infatuated with him. And three – Knight Artorias himself. Well, at least he knows where they are. Quelana is missing, in Izaleth; Pricilla is in Ariamis, just got to find a way to free her, and Artorias is dead. What a fine pickle he found himself in. A fine pickle indeed.