(A/N WOW it is hard to make these boss fights have the same impact in reading as they do in game. This might be a bit of struggle when it comes to the boss fights. Let me know if I did an alright job with Gundyr, or if this is something I need to work on.)
Bellena looked behind her, seeing the several dead hollows behind her. For the most part, she hadn't needed to do much more than block one strike then retaliate. Still, it hadn't been the worst she had been through, considering she had legitimately died. At least, if the darksign on her arm was true, and not some trick. The lack of hollowing was what caused her suspicion. She had to get to the bottom of this, and the only way forward...
Looking back in front of her, she observed the stairwell in front of her, seemingly etched from the stone around the graves. What caught her attention, however, was the massive man in the center of the circular area the stairs lead to. In the middle of what looked like an arena flooded by rainfall, a man in armor rested on his knees, impaled by a massive blade. As she slowly walked down the stairs into the arena, Bellena noticed something familiar about the figure. This was only furthered when she noticed the peculiar halberd implanted in the ground beside him. As a knight, she had been able to browse the history of warriors and knighthood throughout the ages, and she recalled seeing a picture of that particular halberd.
Upon reaching the man, Bellena sheathed her sword, the weight of the blade shifting to her left hip. She carefully observed the man in front of her. His eyes were dead and lifeless, though that might have been a side effect of the massive helmet the warrior was wearing. The armor itself seemed to almost resemble a type of stone. Gently, she reached out and touched the man's arm, and was surprised to feel a cold chill run up her spine as she did. The armor was even colder than her. Pulling her hand away, Bellena slowly walked behind the static man, which she was starting to think may have just been a statue. Once she got a view of it's back, however, those suspicions melted away. On the man's back was some kind of moving black energy. It almost seemed like the energy was a living creature as it sapped away at the man, perhaps that was why the man no longer moved? In any case, it filled with a deep sense of unease.
Looking back to the front of the man again, she took a closer inspection on the sword running the man through. The sword spiraled as it moved towards it's tip,and the middle of the blade was where it penetrated the man in the abdomen. That's when it hit her. This was no ordinary man, this was the champion of old, Iudex Gundyr. Bellena backed up slightly as she took in Gundyr's frame. Gundyr was a master warrior, she remembered that from her studies. He had bested countless warriors, gaining in fame as his list of victories grew. It was when only a lone swordsmen who ended his record by binding him with a coiled sword, did his legends stop. But that's exactly what he was... A legend, right? Looking past him, Bellena could see a massive door covered by vines, much too large for her long sword to cut through. Looking back to Gundyr, she again took notice of his massive halberd, and considered whether it could cut through the vines.
She paused for a moment. Was it really a good idea to wake this warrior of old? After all, things laid to rest were often better left that way, lest madness slowly rot their mind. Could she really do that to him? It was just wrong to condemn someone to that. As she had these thoughts, the bells from before began to ring again, almost as if it were calling out to her. She looked back to the door, knowing without a doubt that the ringing was coming from beyond. The bell was a call for her, she could feel it. Besides, what else could she do? The only thing behind her was the cemetery, and there was nothing for her back there. Realizing that this was her only option, Bellena took firm hold of the coiled sword, and began to pull.
With all her strength, Bellena grunted as the sword began to give way. As the sword slipped out of Gundyr, Bellena stepped back, a gentle splash reaching her ears as her feet went into the water. With another powerful pull, the blade fell free of Gundyr, and Bellena dropped the blade to the ground. Slowly she backed away, slightly raising her shield as the man let out a low, deep groan. Gundyr slowly rose, placing one hand on the ground as the other reached out for his halberd. As his hand grabbed the handle, he slowly looked up, his once dead eyes flashing red a moment. Gundyr let out a deep, menacing growl as his gaze became fixed on Bellena, his grip tightening around his weapon.
Quickly, Bellena drew her sword and backed away, her shield at the ready. She knew what was coming. She would have to fight Gundyr, worse yet, she would have to win. Gundyr slowly rose, pulling his weapon from the ground as his massive size cast a shadow over the arena. Bellena breathed slowly, waiting for the warrior to make his move.
Suddenly, the man sprung into action, lifting his halberd over his head. Prepared, Bellena dodged to the right as the weapon came crashing down, spraying water and mud in all directions. Quickly, she thrust her weapon forward, the blade burrowing into Gundyr's leg before she quickly drew it back, and leapt back just in time to avoid a sideways swipe of Gundyr's halberd. The giant warrior seemed unfazed by this, as he slowly walked around the arena, as if Bellena hadn't struck him at all. Her breathing becoming quick, Bellena too circled the arena, awaiting the champion to make his move.
Gundyr sprinted forward and reared back his halberd, and Bellena raised her shield, ready to block the strike. As the blade made contact with her shield, she was carried off her feet, slamming into the stone of the arena, winding her. As she groaned and brought her hand to her head, she looked up, only to see Gundyr rushing towards her once again. Quickly she rolled out of his way as his halberd once again found the water beside her. Gundyr immediately recovered and raised his weapon over his head once more. Surprised by this, Bellena quickly rolled towards Gundyr, and not a moment too soon, as the halberd crushed the ground below her. Recovering from her roll, Bellena swiped left with her blade, quickly followed by a thrust into his leg. Before she could dodge, Gundyr took hold of Bellena, raising her high into the air.
Fear took hold of Bellena as Gundyr raised her to face him, his eyes once again dead and black. She attepted to scream, but before the sound could leave her, she felt a deep, horrid pain in her stomach. Looking down, she saw that Gundyr had impaled her, blood flowing down her stomach as Gundyr once again raised his halberd over his head. Strength slowly left Bellena's body as Gundyr rose her over his head, and threw her across the arena. Bellena skipped across the ground and splashed into the water, quickly turning crimson from her blood.
Groaning in pain, Bellena weakly rose up to her knees as she reached for an Estus Flask, and shakily brought it to her lips. Shaking, she reared her head back and allowed the drink to fall past her lips, causing a soothing balm to take over her body, causing her strength to return to her. Raising to her feet, Bellena watched as Gundyr charged forward once again. However, this time, she charged back, rose her weapon to her side, and thrust forward. The blade impeded itself into his chest, causing the warrior to stumble and fall to his knees. Roaring in anger, Bellena retracted her blade and drove it into his head, causing blood to gush out of him. Quickly, she backstepped and rose her shield once more as Gundyr stumbled slightly, and rose slowly. How had that not finished him off? Breathing slowly, Bellena steadied herself as Gundyr reached out his empty hand. She was clearly too far away for him to grab her again, so what was he...
This thought was interrupted when Gundyr suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream as the black energy from before began to engulf his entire body. Surprised by this, Bellena backed away and lowered her shield in fright. The energy suddenly multiplied in size, sprouting massive arms and a mishapen head with glowing red eyes, letting out another inhuman screech. Stumbling slightly, Bellena rose her shield once more as the the creature launched itself forward with one hand and swiped at her with the other, only missing by a hair as Bellena desperately dodged to the left. Quickly, she thrust her weapon forward, stabbing the energy that had overtaken Gundyr. The blade seemed to become lodged in the creature, as Bellena struggled to pull it free. Just as the blade came free, the creature shrieked and swatted her away, sending her flying and slamming her against the wall once more, igniting a sharp pain as she crashed into the ground. Shaking her head, she looked back up as Gundyr, or, whatever this thing was now, rose up on it's arm and lifted up to attack her once more. Quickly, Bellena dived out of the way, the creature crashing down where she had been. Backing away once more, Bellena quickly took another drink of her Estus Flask, once again restoring her strength.
The creature charged towards her again, only this time, she was ready. Planting her feet firmly into the ground, she rose her sword into the air as the creature plunged towards her. As the creature landed, the sword plunged into it's center, causing the black energy to seep out of the beast. Screeching once again, the creature fell back, stunned by this attack. Seeing her window, Bellena began to two hand her weapon, and slashed the beast several times before it could recover, causing the beast to stumble once more. Backing away, Bellena raised her sword, taking a defensive stance as the creature backed away.
Slowly, the black energy faded, the red eyes dying out as Gundyr's frame came back into view. As the black energy fully dissipated, the frame of Gundyr fell to it's knees, crumbling as his halberd fell from his hands. Bellena allowed herself to relax as the champion fell dead, his body crashing into the water around the arena. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bellena sheathed her weapon once more, before noticing that where Gundyr had originally rested, was a bonfire. Walking towards it, she noticed the coldness she felt within herself fade away, as if it had never existed. Pleased, she walked towards the bonfire and reached out her hand, only to pause.
Her hand was suddenly flowing with a light glow, almost as if there were embers along her arm. Looking down, Bellena noticed that these "embers" seemed to cover her body in various locations, such as her chest, and even down to her legs. Was this another effect of the darksign? If so, why hadn't she read anything about this? Just what had happened to her exactly? She had so many questions... Sighing, she reached out and ignited the bonfire in the same fashion she had before, hoping that answers were awaiting her beyond the door.