Hello, this will be the first story that I'll publish. This being a side story to the main one I have conjuring up in my head. Before that this story was inspired by fanart, of where Overwatch and Dark Souls were combined. So I'll obviously be taken no credit for ideas that aren't my own. Please leave reviews and hope you enjoy.

Lets get on with it.


I awoke with a start, my eyes flew open to witness the grey around me. I was in a grave, but a slit of sunlight showed that I was not in the ground. I heaved and the stone lid moved a fraction, again and again I repeated this process until the lid fell off.

The light soaked in, it showed me covered in ash, it covered the clothing that I was covered in. A series of red clothes that provided minimal protection. Groaning as I lifted myself, the ash fell down and I witnessed the area around me.

The Untended Graves, I recognised it when I had to accompany the Queen of Lothric here. She had a deep fascination with the Undead, leaving gifts in some graves in hopes one of them would rise and take to the legend. What it entailed was long forgotten.

But I had turned Undead, I sighed in frustration but I knew of an artifact that could help me. But first I would have to get to a painted world.

I left the grave eventually, and went to the graves where I remembered some treasures were stored. Most had been taken by the time I got their, but a managed to find a smattering of Souls, and my old Sellswords which had been worn by the years gone past, I would need to find a blacksmith which could repair them.

I explored the area, a few Hollow stragglers were here, but I dispatched them with ease there long gone minds to feeble to conceive what was happening to them. One had a Estus Flask, another a Ashen Estus Flask. How they had got these must meant that they had great luck, but they were better used in my hands. I saw a break in the rocks to the right of me, it was drenched in water but I pushed on. Coming out the other side, I saw why this area had no Hollows.

I slumbering Crystal Lizard was at the far corner, I grinned. It seemed to be guarding a few items as I saw the faint glow of souls being hidden away from me. I snuck around, the lizards blue hide reflected the little light that was here so it was difficult to be close to the creature. But eventually I knew this would be pointless, there was no getting the Souls without waking the lizard. So I moved to its head, got a throwing knife out of my pocket and rammed it into its eye socket.

It roared in pained. Blinded, confused, and in pain it swiped it appendages, one of them managed to knock me back. Hearing my grunt it regained focused and launched a Crystal Breath Attack. It took in litres of air and threw its head forward. What came out was a mist, I was confused but then I saw that when it touched the ground it would turn into spikes that could impale me. I ran to its flank and rolled underneath its belly, my sword scraping the underside of the creature. It barely noticed that it luminescent blood was gushing onto the floor. It reared up and slammed its body onto the floor, I rolled away just for the spikes to just miss me. I ran immediately back in and thrust my sword into the underside of its head. It was killed instantly.

The now lifeless corpse lost it natural bright hue and descended to just a bland colour. I rummaged around the back to see the souls it was hiding. A few thousands, I groaned. All that and for this, it was waste. But I began skinning the lizard, getting a dozen scales or so and went of.

I went back the way I came. I walked for a few minutes and to the right was a fissure in the rocks and light poured in. I stepped through it, wary of another encounter only to find it being a cliff with a long way down. And just to the right of that was Lothric.

I saw its magnitude once again, how it loomed over everything else even close to it. You could hear the very faint roar of a dragon. I couldn't wait to get back home. So immediately set on the clear path. Just above a hill lay a bonfire. A meek flame, but it provided the guidance and warmth that I needed to guide my journey. All flasks were topped up, and fatigue was washed away. I set on my journey once more.

I pillaged around, Hollows littered the path but none landed a hit. I reached an archway, it's battered stone turned to a sand colour, the former pristine lost. I wandered in, I saw Gundyr.

He was broken, defeated. I had know him in his prime, I knew him when he turned Undead, I knew him when he became trapped in an never ending cycle of the Shrine. The Flame had taken his Humanity away, he could only be set free if defeated by Undead linked to the Lords. I hoped to bring him one step further to his freedom. I came in close. The battered armour, the scratched Halberd, and the iconic helm pleaded to be unchained. I removed the blackened coiled sword from him and stepped away.

The battle had begun.

(Gundyr's Theme Starts to play)

He rose slowly, systematic in his steps. Black tendrils of the Abyss crawled out of his back then stalled as he started to walk towards me. There was no grace in these steps, only Soul forced to relive the same encounter over and over.

He charged and leapt overhead, Halberd aiming to cut me in half. I rolled to the side and performed the signature move any Mercenary with Sellswords would perform. Using them in conjunction I did three combos that cut deep into his side.

He barely felt it.

But the tendrils grew more, encompassing more of his back. He swung his Halberd in a semi-circle, trying to force me away. I ducked underneath and using the same combo, cut deeper into him. I recoiled as he bent over in pain and let out an earth shattering cry. The tendrils had come out in full force and enveloped the top half of his body. It was serpentine in nature, and it had eyes that glowed red as the setting sun. The Gundyr I knew was no longer here, what replaced him was a creature of the Abyss.

I ran in close before it had a time to notice me, I placed all the firebombs that I had found in what remained of his armour and ran as far away as I could. It noticed me to late. The fire covered the body and it screeched in pain, like a beast with an arrow in its leg. It kicked and kicked, but eventually the fire it was weak to killed it.

(Gundry's Theme Ends)

I stood there panting, trying to catch my breath. While the fight wasn't difficult, the emotional strain had made me hesitate on moves. But I saw the bonfire, I had set Gundyr free. I sat leant over and lit the kindling, then made my way over to the the huge double doors to progress on my journey. I strained against the heavy doors, opening them just enough for me to slip past by.

I saw the shrine. Firelink Shrine, the stories did it to much justice. It was greyed, battered, and devoid of life. I made my way towards it, the journey without interruption. It left me to contemplate what I would have to accomplish, linking the Fire.

But before I could contemplate I walked through the archway that signalled my arrival.

(Firelink Theme Starts)

It was cold, it showed no companionship to me or its inhabitants.

Five thrones decorated the majority of my view. They were cracked, but in them was a red glow, it showed them to be Thrones of Lords. I looked down, a large bonfire area was there, I instinctively grabbed the place where I put the Coiled Sword. It guided me towards the area, the pull becoming stronger as I moved closer. When I did reach it I placed the Sword where it wanted to be, thrusting it into the ground.

Fire spurted out, a localised blaze. It was filled with a warmth indescribable, it warmth worked its way into me. It showed that this was home, and nowhere else was. The rest of the occupants seemed to stand or sit taller, there actions more prominent. They felt what I was feeling as well.

'Hello Ashen One, the Bell tolls so the Flame requires your Soul.' the voice came from behind me. It was a woman, she had white hair in a braid, wearing dark robes, and silverware that covered her eyes. She had to be the Firekeeper.

'Ashen One? I thought I was just Undead, am I not?' I replied.

'You are born from the ashes of previous Undead who failed to link the Flame. They have coalesced to revive you to perform this duty.' she spoke in a way that sounded mechanical.

'Can I Hollow?'

'Yes… just you take longer to lose your sanity.' she hesitated to answer. I swore in my home language, I would need to Kings Necklace. King Oberon had found it off an Undead that had truly died, it was a crystal crown that gave him his immortality and death.. But he smelted it into a necklace for convenience. It was carried by the Priestess that looked after the Princes.

'Can I strengthen my soul?'

'Yes, the more Souls you hold the more you can better your own Soul.'

'Good.' I knelt by her and raised my hand. By the time she started saying her telling I was in trance.

The darkness consumed me, I felt like I was floating. Then a light, I recognised it even though I had never seen it before. My Soul. It split into section, each corresponding to a specific part of me. My strength, dexterity, vitality, and so on. I went straight to dexterity and endurance, knowing how I fought already. I knew what to disregard, and what I could get naturally. Luckily I had a high enough intelligence and faith for the spells and miracles I used during my time alive. I just needed to get Lothric.

I collapsed my soul, forming it into a single unit, placed back into my body and I was thrust back into the world. I was about to head to the Bonfire to continue my progress but I heard the iconic hammer against an anvil. I spied a tunnel and at the end of it was a man, to far away to discern any features. I walked towards him.

'I have been this Shrines handmaiden for centuries, tied to existence as much as the Firekeeper. So I've seen your ilk before, and a pray that your confidence isn't misplaced.' said the frail woman I hadn't seen, voice hoarse that hadn't drank in a long time. 'What do you mean confident?'

'I see the way you walk, and hold yourself. Back straight, self-assured, maybe a warrior in your past life. Or something more. But that concerns me none, don't stray to far from your duties and you'll be fine by me. And as I said I'm the handma-'

'I know what you do handmaid, I'll bring you umbral ash if I find any.' she smirked, she signalled that she had nothing else to say.

The hammering became quiet as I approached. He was an old man. Rugged, silver shaggy hair that reached his lower back, and a smile that welcomed all. 'Hello, I'm your local blacksmith, call me Andre. You need anything I'll do it for y'. But as y' see, I have shit coal. You find me mor', and I can do much for y'.' his dialect along with accent made it hard to grasp his way of speaking. But I had dealt with his people before. 'I need this fixed.' a toothy grin told me that he would do it gladly. And after wandering round a bit and watching Andre work. Soon later he handed back my Sellswords, I tried a few casual swings, they were better than they I had got them. I grinned and said my thanks. Going back to the Bonfire I sat down and looked to the brightest possible light in the fire that had bloomed around me. Once I had found it I stepped forward.

I heard a chuckle 'I know you Black Hand,' his voice went softer 'the Undead Legion will not take lightly to your intrusion upon your journey.' the last syllable barely a whisper.


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