Alright ladies and gentlemen, a bit of a note here before we start the chapter. First off, I would like to apologize to the amount of time this chapter has taken. It wasn't hard to write, but this last week had been hella busy for me with college, finding a job, and of course the dreaded Valentines day. The next chapter should not take as long, but with life being a bitch I will make no promises I cannot keep. That out of the way, time to reply to some comments!
To the first Anon Guest: This is actually not a self insert. Rufio is OC, and sometimes similarities do bleed through but I have been taking great pains to keep him from just being an in story version of me. Also, glad that you are enjoying it.
To the second Guest and Abyss Phantom: Whats with the Smough hate? Hes a tough bastard, but hes not an outright dick. I will concede on the serpents though. Fuck those guys.
To Ressan: It was never really specified either way, and I am of course taking creative liberties while writing this. The chapter ahead will show you, things are not the same as in the game, much to Rufio's disappointment.
To JPVE: Your a cheeky one aint ya? My end word goal is about 250,000 words, or more. Chapter number will vary, but none will go below 8.5k words. The best estimate will be around thirty chapters, but that is indeed a loose estimate. Also, that is a very good prediction, but what if he never has to fight them? HMMMM? WHAT THEN? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! Joking aside most likely.
To my third and final guest: You are a smart cookie, and thus would deserve a cookie if I had any idea who you were. That was one of the few things that had been giving me some trouble, but I have a plan. Even if they are dead and gone, Tarkus and Beatrice will still have a part to play in this story.
And to the rest of my reviewers (All 2 of them) Thank you for reviewing.
Well thats enough of me wasting yalls time. Ill see you at the end of the chapter! This is Addiccus Phinch presenting you with the third chapter in the Dark Souls fanfiction "Soul of a Hero" Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Soul of a Proud Knight
Undead had no need for sleep, but the night still passed with frightening quickness. It was so easy for one to lose themselves in their thoughts, that we became like living statues. Maybe that is why purposeless individuals so easily became hollow. When your left alone in a timeless place, unable to die, forced simply to think...madness is never far. The rain in the asylum saved me, but how long would it have sufficed? What would have been left of me is Oscar never came?
When dawn came, it broke me out of my reverie. It was like the shattering of glass, so sudden and jarring. It took me several moments to collect myself and thoughts after the impact of the sun's light. False sun? Was the burning orb in the sky Gwyndolin's illusion or the actual sun? It felt real enough to me.
Maybe an hour after dawn, Oscar and I were ready to begin our challenge in the form of the Undead Burg. He, garbed in his knight armor and bearing quality shield and sword, appeared to be ready to take on Gwyn himself. I on the other hand, in my shitty armor and ratty clothes, armed with a simply shield and decent sword, looked like I was ready to get absolutely fucking destroyed by anything with a blade and two brain cells to rub together.
At least I was human though, which meant I was faster and stronger than almost any hollow we should encounter in the burg. Certain exceptions being the Black Knight I was hoping wouldn't be present, and Havel who I was going to make sure we avoided like the goddamn bubonic plague. And then there was the fucking Tauros demon, and the Helkite drake as well.
The more I thought about our challenges, the more my confidence dwindled away. I began to recall the lovely slogan on the back of the case of Dark Souls.
'Prepare to Die'
As Oscar and I climbed up the steps leading to the aqueduct I couldn't help but to mumble to myself.
"Couldn't have sent me to motherfucking Skyrim, could you? You big damn sauron wannabe. Couldn't make me a damn dovahkiin and let me fuck shit up by shouting. Noooo, that would have been to difficult, right? Next time I see you i'm going to get a freakin huge ass paper airplane and fuck your shit up I swear..."
Oscar heard me I think, but if he did he didn't say anything. I think he was begging to think that either I was eccentric, or that my time in the asylum had scrambled my eggs a bit more than was first let on. I would honestly say a bit of both. Becoming human again defiantly had a part in it. Everything was so...dull when I was hollowed. Even my emotions had been dimmed. Returning to normal made me inclined to express myself, even if expressing myself was limited to angry mutterings.
There were no hollows upon the hill, a fact to which I had no complaints in the least. The less fighting we did now, the more energy we would have when struggling to stay alive. The people of firelink, now so few, must have cleared out the hollows when they had greater numbers. I peered over the cliff face to look the abyss miles below, and was given an inkling to how they solved the pesky resurrection problem too.
The aqueduct itself was damp, dark and moldy. An unpleasant combination that had us grimacing. We attempted to keep ourselves to the sides of the tunnel to try and avoid the disgusting water but the walls were to slippery and the edges too narrow. So Oscar and I were forced to walk the entire way to the burg ankle-deep in gross ass water.
Upon exiting the tunnel I was hit with my first view of the undead burg, and I didn't like what I saw. The game had truly kept you on a linear path in comparison to the fucking maze laid out before me.
The burg, despite some obvious similarities, had apparently been through some crazy shit. Buildings were smashed, burnt, and overall fucked up to a surprising degree. Here and there the remains of great fires smoldered. The air itself was thick with ash and dust, and inhaling burned. It looked like a war had taken place.
Also, it was bigger. A lot bigger than I remembered. Now the size of an actual town, and not just a convoluted level. Getting through it now would be hell.
"What the fuck happened?" I asked aloud. This was not how the Undead Burg was supposed to be. Not even close.
"I do not know Rufio, surely hollows could not have caused this much mindless devastation. This town has been truly laid to waste, what was left of it anyhow."
Oscar's voice was muted in awe of the destruction.
I seriously was at a loss for what could have happened, and that worried me. Whatever I thought I knew about what should have been was quickly proving useless, and fast. Still, some things had to be the same. People, demons, and items may have moved about but bonfires should be where they were in the game. And to our luck there was a bonfire in undead burg, the one underneath the bridge. I couldn't see it from where we stood, but I had a general grasp of where it was from our location. I knew it would be in our best interest t head there first.
But now I was faced with the question how to get us there without letting Oscar know that I knew where the bonfire was. The solution was simple enough. I would take point. But first, I would need to convince him to let me lead.
"Alright Oscar, let's do this. If you will, Let me take lead. I'm less encumbered than you and that helmet of yours makes it harder for you to see. I should be able to spot any danger easily, and move out of the way quick enough for you to kick its ass."
I said to him, placing my hand upon his shoulder. He seemed rather uneased by the burgs state, and I hoped the gesture might help him. As well as help to reinforce my words.
It did, or rather, my speaking did. As he shook off whatever feelings he might have hand and commented on my plan.
"As always Rufio, your plans are eloquent in their simplicity." A dry humor resonated from his tone. "At least this one doesn't have me jumping of a ledge onto the back of an angry demon."
"Hey, I had to jump on the demon too, And I had to do it while it was looking dead at me! Did you see how close I was to its face? It could have kissed me!"
Was my indignant response. Oscar took it in stride, with a comeback already prepared.
"Yes yes, i'm sure you would have enjoyed every moment of it too. At least you didn't have to get behind the damn beast. By the Gods the stench! If it a flatulated I likely would have been driven hollow on the spot by the smell alone. Much less the force of the wind such a creature would create!"
I grinned and patted him on the back. It seemed that in this world, as in my original, the best way for a man to calm his nerves was to crack fart jokes and make light of the efforts of his compatriots. Plus, I had to admit, he won that round.
"You have a point my friend, now let's get on with it. The sooner we get through the burg, the sooner we can ring the bell, and the sooner we can get the hell out of here."
"Then let us make haste, but we should move slowly. Who knows how strong these building still are, or where any hollows may be lying in wait. If this was truly a home for undead, there have must be some around."
Which was another thing that bothered me, where were all the hollow soldiers? The burg should literally have been crawling with them. Still, no signs were evident. Everything about this place just screamed of hidden danger. Either they all were in hiding, or something had arrived before we had and proceeded to fuck shit up. Neither one was good for our health, to be certain.
We had to start moving though, and since I had so eagerly claimed leadership, I was the one who had to take the first steps into the hellish burg.
"Here we go."
It was nerve-wracking, sneaking through the burg as we did. Every creaky floorboard had us freezing in place and listening intently. Every once in a while a crash would echo in the distance, causing our breath to hitch and alerting us that we indeed were not alone. something was out there. something that wrecked the burg and its inhabitants. something that drug away their CORPSES.
Oscar and I had found evidence of struggle. Recent Struggle. Bloodstains covered entire rooms, deep gouges marred walls. Broken weapons and armor scattered about, as if the fallen had been stripped before being drug off to god knows where. It was deeply disconcerting.
We pushed on, despite the fears we both were carrying. While the burg was larger, the general layout was the same, and I was navigating well enough that I could at last see the tower and the bridge that lead to the parish. The tower where I wasn't so sure the Taurus demon still kept residence. Some of the marks we had seen had to have been made by something bigger than your average motherfucker, and the Taurus demon sure fit the bill. There was also the Capra demon and its dogs to worry about, but they likely prowled the lower streets, and not the upper buildings and bridges that we stalked through.
It was maybe half an hour in, that I needed to regain my bearings. Oscar pointed out a building that was not very far, with a small tower as its roof. It seemed our best bet, and so we marked it as our destination. On our way there, we encountered our first hollows.
It wasn't a large group, three strong, and I wasn't very worried. I could take on one easily enough, and I was sure Oscar could handle the other two with greater ease. We hadn't been noticed yet, as the hollows had just ambled out of a building with surprising quickness and had not yet taken the time to look around. Oscar and I brandished our weapons, and we were about to charge in, hoping to catch the hollows unawares.
The moment we began our charge, one of the hollows turned to face us with its glowing red eyes and blank expression. It's already open mouth opened even wider, in order to warn its fellows, but was silenced instantly by a gigantic club that nearly cleaved it in twain. We stopped our charge to witness what had happened. A small cloud of dust and ash had risen from the force of the hit, and we could only see shadows.
And in those shadows was a hulking figure, large and bulky yet unmistakably human. From the ground and the now deceased hollow, it pulled free its massive club with frightening quickness. Two other shadows, the two hollows, charged it swinging their own weapons. From what I could see, they did land blows, but the great figure was unfazed and swung its mighty club in a great arc sending the two hollows flying free from the cloud with a sickening crunch. One impacted a nearby building and splattered gore in a small radius around it. The other skidded across the ground, leaving a large red streak and bits of broken flesh before coming to a stop.
"We should run." I said in a hurried whisper. A cold dread had taken hold of me. I knew who that was. I knew and I knew that if he caught sight of us we were doomed. No if, and's, or buts about it.
"But he might be an ally." Oscar whispered back, but adjusted his stance to run at a moments notice. "He killed those hollows, perhaps he would be willing to assist us? We could use such strength in fighting whatever decimated the burg."
I had the feeling that we were looking right at what had decimated the burg, at least partially. But before I could voice those concerns, the smoke had sufficiently dissipated for the figure in question to come into full view. And the rest of my hope sufficiently dissipated so that I was almost in tears.
Standing before us, In all his glory was Havel the Rock. archbishop of the Way of White, and personal friend of Gwyn himself. His stone armor covered him from head to toe, in a sort of gray sarcophagus that would let no harm come to him. His great shield was upon his back, and over his shoulder was slung his dragons tooth. A mighty weapon that, while stupidly heavy, Havel wielded with disturbing ease. He stood, motionless, and while I couldn't see his eyes I knew that he was staring straight at us.
I also knew, without seeing his eyes, that he was completely and irrevocably hollow. It wasn't just by my foreknowledge. It was in his stance, the way he brandished his weapon. In the fact he was as still as a statue, watching us. Waiting for us to make the first move. Like a fucking predator, measuring the strength and fight of his prey. It made sense now, why the hollows had ran out of the building. They were running from him. Just as I was about to.
"RUN!"
I hit Oscar before charging away to spur him into to action. We needed to get away as soon as we could. Oscar took the hint, and began his own run as well. Despite the greater wight he was carrying, he caught up to me without a hitch. We had ran for maybe ten seconds before a bloodcurling howl was released by Havel, followed by the unmistakable thumps of him giving chase.
"fuckfuckfuckFuckFuckFuckFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!" I shouted in increasingly greater volume, mirroring the clanking steps of Havel. How in the nine burning circles of high school was he catching up on us? I had no clue how he could move so fast in such heavy armor, but he was doing it like a pro, easily matching and going beyond our current pace. If he started ninja-flipping after us I was going to die on the spot. And not willingly either.
"He's going to catch up to us Rufio! We wont be able to get away!" Oscar shouted. He was sounding out of breath, which didn't surprise me as I was already huffing and puffing like no tomorrow. Neither one of us could keep this up for very long, unlike the imminent death behind us who seemed to not understand the concept of 'stamina'. Oscar was right, if we didn't do something, we were fucked.
So I did the first thing that came to mind. The moment we rounded a corner, I threw myself against the wall and pulled Oscar down as well. To keep him from shouting I placed my hand against his helmet. While I knew it wouldn't stop him from making noise, he should understand the gesture. He did, and kept silent.
A moment passed in tense silence, as we listened to the clanking of Havel growing louder and louder. Then he rounded the corner, and to my immense relief kept running in a straight line. Heading in the direction we would have run if we still had been running. We kept out eyes glued to his back until he had disappeared from sight around another corner down the path. I mouthed a silent 'thank you' to the sky, before helping Oscar up.
Now, even more slowly and cautiously than before, we began walking back to the tower we had spied earlier. Passing by the mashed hollows was a queasy experience, as it was rather clear to us we almost shared the same fate. We did find one more unmolested hollow on the way to the tower. That hollow quickly found itself sufficiently murdered by the time we were through. It wasn't nearly as quick as the manner in which Havel dispatched his foes, but it was just as brutal. We were taking no chances with Havel being alerted by anything.
That line of thought left us at an awkward position, as the building we were to use to gather our bearings had a locked door. A large splintered locked door, with rusty hinges. A large splintered locked door, with rusty hinges, which creaked when given the slightest push.
"We should be able to break it down, if we struck it together."
Was my excellent suggestion. Save for the one minor flaw which Oscar wasted no time in pointing out.
"Yes, it should be easily accomplished. But that brute might hear us, for this task will not be accomplished quietly."
"Havel. His name is Havel." I corrected. As close as I was, I could see Oscars eyes grow wide through the slit of his helmet.
"Surely you don't mean to say that the hollow juggernaut we encountered earlier was the legendary Archbishop Havel?" His voice was incredulous, and I nodded.
"It was. He became hollow some time ago, and was locked within the bridge tower to keep him from harming others."
Right after the words left my mouth I knew I had made a mistake. because as soon as I finished talking, Oscar stopped right before speaking and took on a thoughtful expression. I became real worried that he might have caught on to my foreknowledge. But it seems that the times I had revealed it were isolated enough, as he shook his head clear and went back to the matter at hand, causing me great relief. I still had no idea how to explain myself other than 'mysterious dreams', which would work if it wasn't for the fact undead didn't sleep.
"Knowing who he is doesn't help us much, it only keys us in to just how dangerous our pursuer actually is. As if we didn't have a good idea of that already. It does raise one question. If Havel was indeed locked beneath the tower, how did he get free? One hollow, no matter how powerful could not have wreaked this much hell. Somthing had to have let him out, being directly or indirectly."
"Shit, I hadn't even thought of that. So not only do we need to worry about Havel, but whatever might have set him free. If we are lucky, whatever did was murdered by him rather promptly, but considering our luck so far..."
I trailed off, to have Oscar finish my sentence.
"...We shouldn't assume so. Either way, we wont get very far if we have no idea where we are going. Perhaps if we smash the door down and get up to the roof quick enough, he wont find us by the time he comes to investigate?" His hopeful suggestion was kinda moot, as we had to break down the door regardless. Either way, no more stalling.
"We can only hope. Are you ready Oscar?" I asked him, as I braced myself to slam into the door.
"As ready as I can be Rufio." Was his reply as he did the same.
"Alright then. On three. One. Two. Three!"
On my third count we threw our weight as hard as possible into the feeble door. It didn't exactly explode, per say, but there wasn't much left of it but scattered planks and splinters. It obviously was more rotten than we thought, and didn't need nearly the amount of force we had put into it to get through. Oscar and I had to pull ourselves off of the floor, as without any real force to counteract our charge we hit the ground pretty hard.
The room we found ourselves in wasn't very large, and had little in it aside from a tabel, a few shelves lined with homey odds and ends, and a fireplace with a large iron kettle. At the end of the room was a ladder, which was our ticket to the top. As we stepped through the room we heard Havel's howl in the distance.
He had heard us.
The ladder didn't take long to scale, and we were at the towers summit in seconds. From there, I managed to spy again the bridge we needed to cross, and its tower underneath which housed the wonderful bonfire. A sight for sore eyes if there ever was one. Following the bridge to the tower where Havel had previously been imprisoned, I finally got a glimpse of what had set him free. Unfortunately for us, it wasnt dead. And even more unfortunately for us, It was the Helkite Drake.
It was nestled right in front of the tower, its large scaly body resting upon what was the remains of a burning building. Now little more than a smoldering bed for the dragon wannabe. Its red skin was magnified from the handful of flames that still burned on, and its great spikes made it seem as if it was almost part of the flames itself. It was a kinda of poetic way for the universe to tell me to go fuck myself.
"So not only do we have a madman with the strength of a dragon, but we have an actual damn dragon to deal with as well. The gods are not smiling upon us today."
I could only nod dumbly at Oscars statement, at this point just depressed as all hell. I would have asked out loud if things could get any worse, but I knew better than to even tempt the fates with that one. Hell, thinking it was bad enough.
There was some good news from our scouting trip. I spied the structure that housed the bonfire, and its surrounding building. They were a familiar sight, being the undead burg I knew well. If we could make it there, we would be safe. Relatively. But we would need to avoid Havel.
"Have you sufficiently gotten your bearings Rufio? It wouldn't be good for us to remain here much longer."
Oscar had been facing the opposite direction that I had been gazing, standing keeping an eye out for our mad pursuer. Once he knew he had my attention, he pointed down to a moving figure that heading in our direction. It was unmistakably Havel.
"I'm good Oscar. Lets go."
We descended down the tower in short order, and managed to get away before Havel arrived. Further prolonging our lifespans as vertebrates. We had only missed him by a hair though, as we heard his clanking enter the area just as we left.
After travelling for a bit we had stepped into a mostly intact building to rest our bones for a moment, when we came across someone I was not expecting to see. He was sitting down at a table, wiping a a cloth across a shining curved blade. Clothed in rags and body decayed, he appeared to be one of the hollowed. He looked up to us with surprised as we entered, his glowing red eyes wide. Oscar and I lifted our swords and moved in for the kill, but the hollow raised his arms in a pacifying gesture and cried out.
"Wait!"
We stopped mid-stride surprised to hear him speak, and then lowered our blades. If he was capable of speech then he certainly wasnt hollow. Neither one of sheathed the swords though. Just because he wasn't hollow didn't mean he was friendly.
"Step away from the table, and from the sword."
I wasn't shouting, but I made sure my voice was loud enough that he got the message. The undead seemed unhappy, and sent a longing glance at his blade, but obeyed. While I kept my eyes on the undead, Oscar moved to the blade.
"This is a marvelous blade, I never seen one like it."
The closer Oscar got, the more anxious the undead seemed to be. I watched him intently, waiting to see if he made a move on Oscar and the sword. He didn't, but right before Oscar could lay his mit upon the hilt the undead shouted out with anger and what seemed to be fear?
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH YULIA!"
Oscar stopped, his hand inches from the sword.
"Yulia?" He asked, perplexed.
"Yes, my Yulia! Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on her!"
The undead was very agitated, and I had no doubt that if Oscar so much as placed his pinkie on the blade the undead would attack. I hoped Oscar would pick up on the mood of the undead, and he did. He looked dead at the undead, right into his red unblinking eyes, and began to slowly creep his hand to the blade.
I couldn't believe what he was doing, purposefully antagonizing the Undead. Almost goading him to attack. The hell was wrong with him?
"Oscar."
He halted at the sound of my voice, before looking to me. The Undead was livid at this point, and If our swords were not drawn he would have already attacked.
"Yes, Rufio?"
Oscars voice was laced with something I hadn't known to come from him. A certain cruel slickness. The kind of voice a kid uses right before he tears the wings off of a butterfly. It wasn't at all what I expected, and helped to solidify I theory I was forming.
"Oscar, quit tormenting the poor soul and leave 'Yulia' alone. We don't need to be making enemies, we have enough things trying to kill us as it is."
He hesitated a moment, sending one last glance at the sword which I now guessed to be the Uchigatana, before withdrawing his hand and backing away. The undeads eyes followed him for every step, growing visibly relived with each iota of distance. Oscar stood back and I finally returned my blade to its scabbard. Oscar didn't do the same, but I paid it no mind. I knew this fellow, and when I first saw the state of the burg I didn't think he would still be kicking. It was the Undead Merchant, the first one you meet. The one most people killed just to take the very sword lying upon the table. He was a bit of an odd ball, no doubt, but he wasn't hostile until provoked. I just hoped we hadent provoked him.
"We apologize for barging in on you like this, and for threatening you." I said, turning on my charm.
"My companion and I, we have been running through the burg all day. Fighting off all manner of hollows, and running from one in particular we found to be beyond ourselves. We chose this house for a brief rest, and upon entering confused you for one of the many hollows infesting the undead burg. It was our mistake truly." I gave a little bow at the end to accent just how 'truly' sorry I was. Oscar didn't bow, but he did tilt his head in what could have been construed as an apology.
I waved my hand over to the uchigatana and took a step back, as If allowing him passage to his blade. I wasnt actually in the way, but body language was just important in conveying a message as the actual words.
"Please, take your Yulia."
The merchant looked us both over, deciding whether or not to trust us. I gave my most disarming smile, trying to sway him in our favor. He bought it, and finally smiled back in a toothy way, or should I say less toothy way as most of his teeth were missing. Whether it was from being undead, or from some other cause I did not know.
"Well now, I'm glad you didn't touch her! She would have bitten off all of your fingers, she would have. It's good to see a couple of fellows with their wits about them hmm, cause your the only ones who will buy from me! Nee Hee Hee Hee Hee."
The Undead Merchant laughed his shrill laugh, and returned to his seat. His hand immediately began caressing the uchigatana and a serene look came about him.
"Buy?" asked with false curiosity before seating myself across from the merchant, keeping my hands well clear of his 'Yulia'. Oscar took a seat near the door, and watched on impassively. He might have still been irritated from me stopping him, but that was his issue. He needed to get those dark impulses under control before he hurt someone.
"Yes, me and Yulia here. We are merchants, the only ones in the burg! Save for the fact their aren't many customers coming through these parts. Only a scarce few haven't gone and lost their minds yet. Still, its rather nice around here. The hollows don't mind an old twig like me, and there is plenty of 'merchandise' to acquire!"
He laughed again in his admittedly irritating way, and I nodded my head knowingly.
"What kind of merchandise do you have? This burg may be a haven for you, but it is sufficiently more hostile to my companion and I. We might have need to equip ourselves from your wares, if your willing to trade?" I noticed his pile of supplies off in the corner. We could find use in some of what the merchant sold, with such tasks ahead.
"I only trade in souls!" Exclaimed the merchant, almost angrily. His hand tightened around his blade, and I was amazed that it didn't seem to cut him. I expected such an answer, and gave a smile.
"Of course my friend, everyone does now days. If you will let us browse your wares, ill discuss things with my companion and we shall work out a deal hmm?"
The merchant looked a bit hesitant, but then agreed.
"Alright, but i'm watching you two! Don't think you can frisk anything off me, otherwise Yulia will have your head!"
"Fair enough," I said as I removed myself from the table. "We wouldn't dream of robbing an honest merchant."
"Good." Was the final word from the merchant, to which I smiled before heading back to where Oscar sat.
While he was sitting he had taken the liberty of lifting up his visor, and had a less than favorable look aimed at the merchant. As I approached he spoke his mind, non too quietly either.
"If he is an honest merchant, then im a knight of Carim in disguise."
Was Oscars scornful remark, and I cracked a genuine grin. I wondered if he even knew about Lautrec, or rather if Carim Knights just had a bad reputation.
"Come on Oscar, dont be like that. He might be unsavory, but his wares could be worth the while."
Oscar snorted, but stood.
"Yes, wares of high quality, robbed from corpses from here to Anor Londo itself. Yes, this is just what we are looking for."
I slapped his armored back good-naturedly, mindful of the watchful eyes of the merchant who never quit petting his sword.
"Hey, it might seem distasteful to you but I've been stuck wearing dead mans clothes and armor from the beginning! Even if it's still dead mens equipment, being able to buy it will be a welcome change from robbing the bodies myself."
"Your sense of humor is...odd my friend." Oscar shook his head,
"Odd humor, dashing looks. It's no wonder the ladies fall for me so easily. I am but a refreshing drink of water in an oasis of despair and dry tongues."
As if to prove my point, Oscar just dryly responded "Indeed."
The wares themselves were nothing particularly amazing, much like in the game. I didn't see in repair powder as the merchant sold, but I wasn't ever sure if it existed and I didn't feel like explaining myself if it didn't. I looked around for the bottomless box as well, but among the mess of crates and boxes such a task was impossible. I did find an entire freaking crate of firebombs, which made me smile like a kid at Christmas.
In the end, we had gathered a small assorted selection of items. A bag of firebombs, a bundle of arrows and quiver for me and my admittedly shitty bow skills. A shirt of chain mail to wear instead of the ratty hollow soldier armor I was currently rocking, and a pair of stronger leather gloves than what I wore. Ones that, you know, might actually save my hands if it came down to it instead of just keeping them from getting nippy.
Also, when I was sure neither Oscar nor the merchant was looking, I slipped a particular key into my pocket. I thought it might have been the residence key, one that would give us access to houses and buildings previously locked. Or so I hoped. It could have been the key to the outhouse. Id have no idea of knowing which until I tried.
The only thing Oscar selected was a small crate with a stone bowl and strange ingredients, and a satchel to carry it and our other selections in.
Merchandise in hand, we carried it back to where the Merchant sat. He was cradling Yulia in his lap now, and instructed us to lay the items upon the table so he could judge their worth. We did so, arranging them in a way it could be observed easily. The merchant looked it all over, his red eyes hawkish in their careful calculations.
After he was finished, he sat back with a smile on his face.
"Well lads, this is a very nice selection. All in all, it will cost you an even five thousand souls!"
Oscar narrowed his eyes, and I began to see the start of his anger flaring up again. but instead of trying to mediate it, I let it be. Time for price negotiations, and I could try to work the good cop bad cop routine on this guy, what with Oscar's temper.
"Five thousand souls for equipment stolen from the dead!? You must be out of your mind! Are you trying to rob the living too?"
Oscar voice was indignant, and I suppose I couldn't blame him. I didn't know what counted as a small, or large amount of souls. Well, I did game wise but we had been through that line of though already. somethings were just different. More...real I supposed.
"My equipment may be stolen, but that gives you no right to insult my prices!"
The Merchant exclaimed back,
"If you don't like the cost, feel free to find yourselves another merchant! Nee Hee Hee Hee Hee."
"Now now," I interjected, "Surely we can work out a deal of some sorts? You know there are no other merchants in the burg , but we know that we are the first customers you have had in a long time am I right?"
The Merchant shifted slightly in his seat, but answered.
"Well...maybe. The only other customer I've had in months was that crazy knight with the sun on his armor. A loony he was, but he paid good."
He took the time to glare at me with burning red eyes.
"Paid better than you are trying to at least."
I ignore his slight in favor of the new information. A loony with the sun on his armor? He could only have been talking about Solaire. Brolaire. Badass extraordinaire. The one motherfucker who could likely pull us out of any hairy situation, and still come out praisin' the sun. If he was near, we needed to find him. Helkite Drake? Deep fried dragon. Havel? Can'o'Whooped ass. Gargoyles? Bitch please, He would rip off their tails and beat them to death with'em.
Alright, maybe I was exaggerating but Havel proved to me just how actually powerful NPC's were in the flesh. Solaire had helped me through many a tough boss, his strength was legendary. Especially if the rumor about him was true...He could be the solution to everything.
But the merchant had said months. And while I wasn't very confident in his sense of time, it made me wonder just How long had it been since Solaire had passed through here? We might have missed him, and I didn't like that thought one bit. Not with Havel, Helkite, and the bell tower Gargoyles in our way.
But back to the task at hand.
"I'm not trying to cheat you, my friend. You are short on customers, we are short on souls. Is it so maddening to suggest we work something out?"
My tone was soft, and almost pleading. He needed to think that he had the power, that he controlled the deal. If he did, he would be so much more pliable. The moment he realized he was being manipulated, he would immediately become defensive and any bargain would be lost.
"So lets start off with...perhaps three thousand souls?"
It's hard to bargain when you don't actually know how much you have, or the actual value. Still, Oscars nod of approval let me know it was more along the lines of what he was willing to pay.
"Now that, is more reasonable." Was his remark, and he crossed his arms in a satisfied way.
The merchant, obviously didn't agree, and immediately refuted my offer.
"No, no that wont do, you're trying to rob me blind! Four thousand eight hundred, and that beyond fair."
I sighed, knowing how this was going to go and deciding the hasten the process.
"But what if we don't have that much? If you're so set on your price, you might find yourself not making any souls at all. Now, you got your fine wares at no cost to yourself, anything you make is profit, is it not? Meet me in the middle, four thousand even. What say you?"
Perhaps the merchant had been haggling me, and I wasn't as good of a negotiator as I thought, because he smiled real large and said "Deal!" before thrusting out his hand. Oscar shook his head in disgust, and I had the feeling I had gotten played.
Still, a deal was a deal. I reached out my hand to shake his, but the merchant stopped me with an odd look.
"What are you doing?" He asked me in his nasally voice..
"I'm shaking on the deal." was my reply, slightly confused from his ignorance of a handshake.
"I don't care to shake on it!" The merchant said with scorn. "I want the souls!"
I was reminded of when Oscar paid Petrus for the Rite of Humanity, and nearly slapped myself in stupidity. I rightfully assumed the position id seen before, placing my palm face down above his. I did it as slowly as possible, trying to stall until I figured out how to trade the souls, or if I even had any.
It was after a few seconds of my hand hovering there nothing occurring, did both Oscar and the merchant realize what was going on. The merchant looked at me like I was an idiot, and the look Oscar gave me...wasn't much better.
"What are you a nitwit? You don't even know how to trade souls! Nee hee hee hee, quite a moron, isn't he Yulia?"
"Rufio, are you serious? Do you truly not know how to transfer souls?"
The way they were saying it mad me angry. It wasn't my damn fault I didn't know, I didn't even come from this place! I hated not knowing things, it made me feel like a fool. The reactions of those who considered it to be 'common knowledge' never helped that feeling.
But I didn't need to get angry here. I needed to remedy the situation, and make the trade. Plus, after getting onto Oscar, loosing my temper over something this stupid would make me a hypocrite.
"No Oscar, I don't." My voice was muffled as my head was placed in my hands to hide my embarrassment. I think he caught on, and he quickly changed his manner. He placed his hand on my shoulder in an attempt at consolation. It might have helped if the merchant across from me wasn't still laughing to himself and whispering to his katana.
"Its um, rather easy actually. I could show you if you'd like." Said Oscar
"That would be nice" I responded in my still muffled voice.
"Then close your eyes, and give me your hand."
I wanted to make a joke out of that, but given his conduct when we bathed Oscar might have taken actual offense. I held my tongue, and complied. Taking my hand in his own, Oscar did...something. I'm not sure how, but I felt a tugging of sorts. Slight, barely noticeable. If I hadn't closed my eyes I wouldn't have felt it. There was no way the tugging could have taken anything, it was not nearly strong enough. But that wasn't its purpose. The tugging made me aware of something I hadn't noticed previously. Its like when you flex a muscle you didn't know you could, alien, but a part of you.
"What is it?" I asked in wonder.
"That is the combined energy of your souls, all the ones you've collected. Though id wager most of them came from the demon we faced at the asylum. Now that you can feel it, you should be able to move it."
And he was right. Now that I knew it was there, manipulating it was a cinch. I was able to bring it to my palm, and marvel at it. Souls, in their raw form. glowing, white, and burning like fire. It did bring of questions of the existential sort, like was I actually holding the souls of living, thinking humans? Or was this simply energy, old life, harvested from the dead. And if it was the former, would I simply spend them like money? Or, even worse, devour them for soul reinforcement if such a thing was possible.
"Hey, hurry up! I haven't got all day."
The Merchant broke me from my musings, and I decided such things needed to be thought upon later. Re-obsorbing my hard earned souls, I returned my attention to the merchant, and placed my hand above his. I felt the tugging, demanding a certain volume of the souls. I split the required amount, which was the majority of all I had, and passed it through my palm in a series of small burning orbs.
In a minute, it was done. The merchant was much happier, and was joyfully whispering to his Yulia about how nice it was to have a decent sale. I felt a small measure of pride at completing my first transaction in Lordran, a measure tempered by the fact that the merchant might have got the better of me. Id need to stop underestimating people especially in future dealings. Of course, this merchant was more shady than just about every one but good ol "Trusty" patches, but that wasn't the point.
I donned my new chain mail, and tossed the old hollow armor to the side with relish. Damn thing was heavy, and it itched like you wouldn't believe. Plus it smelled like rusted ass. The quiver of arrows went over my shoulder, as did my bow. The sack of firebombs was tied to my belt, and I was beginning to feel like a badass. When I told Oscar as much, he simply gave me one of those looks I was beginning to get quite often. I'm not sure if he simply didn't understand me, or, he just decided not to comment.
We had made it. Like a shining symbol of hope, the bonfire glittered in our view. It rusted pole and burning estus looked more inviting than a swimming pool filled with coca-cola and populated by supermodels. Hot ones, not the anorexic basket cases with daddy issues. In other words, it looked both delicious and arousing at the same time. I wanted to be at it right that second, and if I thought estus could regenerate limbs I would have given my left hand to be there.
Instead, I could only look at it from afar hiding behind a fallen piece of building with Oscar. A sane man might ask, why in Gwyns name were we hiding behind a piece of rubble instead of running up to that bonfire and smearing its estus all over ourselves in a disturbing fashion. Well that would have to do with the Helkite Drake sleeping upon a building maybe twenty five yards away. Its great body heaving with every large breath, and out of its nostrils came air so hot that the area in front of its face was full of distortions.
This time there was no plan to be made, no clever way of skirting around the issue. We needed to sneak past the helkite drake and get to the bonfire without waking the lizard up. So that's what we would do.
Taking into account the small pile of charred corpses in front of the drake, we decided silence, and not speed was of the essence. That's what led us to be tiptoeing across the broiling ground barefoot. Boots in hand, we tried to move as quietly as possible. It was painful, as the stones were quite hot and the broken shards of brick cut into our soles. Somehow we managed to grit our teeth and bear through it.
Open entering the structure which housed the bonfire we immediately sat down and sipped some estus as we put our boots back on. Feet healed and boots returned to their proper place, we finally lit the bonfire. Finally had a safe place to rest before going on the the church. As Oscar lit it, I was reminded of one tiny little thing I had forgotten.
Bonfires were loud.
A loud 'whoosh' echoed in the chamber, followed by the humming that the bonfire produced. The room somehow amplified the sound, and unfortunately for us that sound had only one real exit. That exit being the way we just arrived, where the Helkite Drake was enjoying its nice little nap. Oscar swore softly, but I was quiet and listening. Hoping.
Outside I could hear a deep rumble, as well as a sliding-scratching sound of sharp scales against stone. The foundations of the burg groaned and cracked as the Helkite Drake woke from its slumber and began to move. I didn't. I just stood there, contemplating my existence and the fact that we actually woke up the fucking thing.
Oscar grabbed me roughly and began to drag me to the bonfire. I stumbled at the sudden motion, but he kept me from falling. I wasn't sure why exactly he was pulling me to the bonfire, but I didn't have a chance to ask as a mighty roar deafened us both. This was followed by heavy stomping that I couldn't hear but I felt, that also made walking more of a bitch.
The drake was coming, with steady large steps that claimed it would be upon us soon. Oscar in truth was leading me past the bonfire, and to the steps that were our only chance of escape. We needed to get up those stairs, and climb past its broken segment. If we got through quick enough, the Drake wouldn't be able to roast us alive in our unofficial oven.
Well, that's what would have happened if the drake had snaked its head in through the front like I thought it would have. No, instead it pulled an Alduin-esque move and clawed a hole in the side in which it stuck its head in.
If you didn't think there was much of a difference between dragons and drakes, this ugly motherfucker would prove you wrong. It just looked ugly. It was so asymmetrical that death the kid would have cried, which I almost did. Its burning eyes locked with mine, expressing just how much it wanted us to become kentucky fried undead. It was one mean, ugly son of a bitch. And its breath was lethal.
We turned the fuck around and sprinted to the exit like bats out of hell. An accurate simile, because the moment we turned tail the Helkite drake opened its terrifying maw and unleashed the inferno upon us. Fire nipped at my heels and singed the hair on the back of my head as I tore out of the structure and into the sunlight.
I would have kept running straight and been toasted had Oscar not slammed into me and knocked us both to the ground. A torrent of fire flowed past the point where I used to be running, but my thoughts were more focused upon the ground that was roughly introduced to my face. It knocked me silly for a moment, and Oscar had to drag me further away from the danger.
My ears were ringing, and it was only after it faded that I was able hear Oscar shouting. I wasn't sure what he was saying, but his actions told me all I needed to know. We had to fucking run. I looked back to the tower where the drake had nearly fried us to see that the drake hadn't taken too kindly to us escaping. The tower was nearly demolished, as was any trace of the bonfire it once housed. Only fire and death remained, as well as the Helkite drake even if it was a good summary of those two things.
I was curious as to how that would affect the structure of that bridge, but that curiosity was overcome by a strong desire to live. We would cross that bridge when we came to it. Pun intended. For now, running back the way we originally had come was the most important thing.
There were some issues with that plan. Havel being one of them, as he was back in this direction. Another was the lack of good places to hide. As soon as the drake took to the skies it would be upon us nigh instantaneously. Any building we could take refuge in was decidedly not drake-proofed. Even the ones made completely from stone would only become ovens once bathed in the flames. The moment it flew, we died.
But it didn't take to the air. It actually chased after us on foot, clawing its way over structures and crashing though weaker ones. It made no sense why it didn't just fly, until I saw its wing.
The bone between its shoulder and the rest of the wing, for lack of better terms the drakes bicep, was smashed. It was bent at visible angle, that even with my obviously shitty knowledge of drake anatomy I knew wasn't supposed to look like that. It had healed over, apparently being an older wound but it was clear, its wing had been broken. It didn't fly after us because the overgrown gecko couldn't.
Joyous discovery's like that are only joyous for so long though, when the object in question repeatedly breathes fire at you and you have to avoid getting cooked by ducking around yet another corner in the maze of the burg. This couldn't go on forever. The drake was indeed gaining on us. And of course, you know what they say. If you can't run, fight like your crazy. Okay, maybe that's not an actual saying but you get the picture. So I did the craziest thing I could think of. I turned and ran towards the drake.
I think Oscar shouted my name, but it was hard to tell over my battle cry. I didn't charge with my sword drawn, nor my shield raised. Instead I held in my hand the sack of firebombs and was spinning it around and around to build up momentum. If I could make sense of its fucked up face, I would have been able to tell if it was surprised or not. It wouldn't have made much of a difference, but it would have given me some satisfaction.
It did do the one gesture I had counted on, which was a wide yawn; the prelude to its fire breath. I had never been the best at throwing shit, but ill be damned if I didn't sink that sack right into the drakes open mouth.
"CHOKE ON IT BITCH!"
I screamed as the drake proceeded to do just that. Its trap snapped shut, and it threw its head back and forth like it was dancing. Then came the boom, I could actually see the breast of the drake bulge out before thick black smoke began to leak from between its teeth. It made a sound halfway between a burp and a moan, and looked as if it would fall.
I was ecstatic that it had worked, and was nearly jumping in place. Yet, the drake didn't fall. It just began shaking its head back and forth. Any giddiness I had faded piece by excruciating peace as the drake began to regain its senses. While I knew it was useless, I drew my longsword and shield before getting even closer.
I was going to try and slit its throat, or saw through it as would the case more likely be. The firebombs didn't work, and we had nothing in our arsenal effective for fighting this monster long range. This was my last resort before dying in a generally painful fashion, either being eaten or burnt to a cinder.
The scales on the Helkite drakes neck were sharper, and reminded me of a bearded dragon. Not Shen-Long but the actual lizard. The kind that existed in the world that I used to exist. I wondered if they lived in Lordran, or if this spiky abomination was the closest thing I was going to get. Its odd what you think of as your plunging a sword into a drakes neck, and even more odd what you think of as you succeed and find your mouth filled with drake blood.
Drake blood that was nearly boiling hot and seared my mouth and tongue. The small part that was swallowed burned like fire all the way down, and if my mouth wasn't full I would have cried out in pain. In my distraction and the drakes now frenzied movements, the hilt of my sword was torn from my hand. My shield that I held in my left hand saved my life, because in its motions the drake swatted me with its wing.
I was saved from being torn in half by the shield, but my arm wasn't so lucky. The pain in my throat and mouth was now amplified by my newly broken arm. It also happened to be, that the broken arm was the one I landed on when I hit the stones and rolled. The adrenaline rush I had experienced since the beginning of the encounter muted some of the pain, but not all. My vision was swimming and I was afraid I would black out from a mix of both the impact and the pain.
I finished rolling to a stop, and I had a nice view of the sky while upon my back. It was a pleasant shade of blue, filled with puffy white clouds and the smoke of the burg. The contrast was most enjoyable, and it was a nice thing to see as I began to close my eyes.
Then came lightning.
A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, bright gold and crackling. Now when I say tore across the sky, I mean to say shot across my vision not even five feet away and made my hair stand on end. Including the eyebrows. My eyes stopped wanting to shut after that, and instead were quite intent on finding out where the fuck the lightning originated.
I went to lift my head, but instead found myself being lifted up by my armpits. My legs dangled in front of me as I was being dragged to safety. My savior was Oscar, as I could tell by his voice. I couldn't hear everything he was saying, but I caught the gist of it.
"Stupid...fool...charging in...firebombs...idiot...drake...knight."
...knight?
And from the right raced past both of us a figure in odd armor. A bucket helm protected his head, adorned with a scarlet feather. a white tunic coated his torso and hid the plate underneath. What appeared to be either grass or green fur covered his shoulders, and his legs were contained in metal. His hands were bare. In one he held a shield painted brightly with an icon of the sun, and the other was raised to the heavens, lightning itself in its palm.
It was him. Salvation incarnate. At least he was to Oscar and I considering out current predicament. I couldn't speak due to the burns, but I mouthed his name with elation. Solaire. If I could stand and if there wasn't an angry bleeding drake stomping about, I would have fanboyed the fuck out.
It didn't help that my inner fanboy only found fuel for his fire as I watched what I could while Oscar drug me away. Solaire, I assume finding his lightning spear sufficiently charged, hurled that sombitch like he was a pro quarterback. It sunk deep into the drake neck before dissipating and leaving a large oozing hole. Further up on the neck was a similar wound, the leftovers from the first bolt.
The Drake roared in pain, or moved as if it was doing such. It seems the firebombs I forced it to ingest had rendered it mute. Soliare didn't miss a beat, and drew his sunlight straightsword from its scabbard before plunging it halfway into the base of the drakes neck. He didn't stop there, but instead kept running. His blade leaving a bleeding rift as Solarie ran underneath the beast and wounded it from below.
When he reached the tail he tore his sword free and with a graceful flourish cleaved the appendage from the drake which began to erupt into white motes before fading. Now off balance, the drake stumbled and landed forward onto its stomach and the gaping wound.
Oscar had stopped dragging me, also in awe at what was occurring. It seemed neither one of us were in danger, Solaire had effectively handicapped our opponent in less than a minute and he wasn't done yet. While quick, there was a certain casualness in his motions as Solaire walked around from the rear of the beast and cut both the tendons in its meaty leg and tough wing. It wasn't carelessness, but a relaxation that shows when someone is doing something they are at home with. Solaire was a man at home in combat. Motherfucker probably knew death on a first name basis.
The final blow was swift and clean. Solaire had made his way around the drake before coming to its long neck and prone head. He wasted no time, didn't place his hand upon the dying beast to comfort it, didn't shout triumphantly and praise the sun. He simply sunk his straight sword into the back of the beasts head, and ended its life.
The Helkite Drake had been slain.
Oscar and I stared, that's all we could do. I knew I was quite a few levels below Oscar, but Solaire was obviously in a tier all of his own. Seeing him slay the drake was both mind-blowing impressive and crippling humbling. Sure I had gotten in a blow, and my fire bombs helped, but for the most part Solaire had single-handedly murdered the fuck out of it.
As we watched Solaire free his blade from the drakes corpse, Oscar laid me upon the ground and fumbled about until he found his estus flask. He took a knee, and held up my head with one hand before pouring estus into my waiting mouth. Lovely, healing heat entered my throat before spreading to the rest of me. My throat and mouth were near instantly restored, and my arm was repaired in short order. I closed my mouth after feeling my arm healed, deciding that saving the estus was more prudent that healing the rest of my minor aches and pains. I doubted the bonfire had survived the drakes earlier outburst, so we had no place to refill the flask.
Oscar pulled the flask back and stowed it away as I got up. In front of the cooling Drake corpse was Solaire, who had begun a slow walk to where we stood. I wasn't scared but I would be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated.
No when I say slow walk, I meant walk. Nothing about his steps were hurried, or showed any inclination of hurrying. He had all the time in the world, and knew it too. That's not to say that he was wasting it, as every step appeared to be measured. A steady pace, a simple gait that was leading him to us.
"Hes testing us."
Oscars whisper threw me, until I caught onto his meaning. The slow walk was allowing Solaire to get an Idea of...something. I wasn't sure what it was, but Oscar was right. His pace was much more calculated than I thought. I went to stand, and Oscar tried to help but I pushed him off telling him I didn't need assistance. I might have been a Lie, but If Solaire was measuring us, it wasn't in my best interest to appear weak.
Oscar and I stood side by side, and faced off against the approaching warrior of sunlight. The knight gave nothing away from neither his body language, nor his face that was hidden from view by the bucket helmet he wore. I was able to tell though through his armor that he was fucking ripped. His broad shoulders supported two beastly arms, with biceps bulging from the chain mail and forearms like Iron. It seemed like all day was not upper body day for him, no sir. As his thighs were just as muscular. It wasn't the overbearing muscle of a body builder, but the solid thick muscle of practicality.
He stopped about ten feet from us, and reached to his head. He removed his helmet, and I was given my first glimpse of the face of Knight Solaire of Astora...
Im actually getting kind of pissed that the fanfiction editor deletes the chapter break lines I put in and forces me to use its line if I want to show a separation. Its not a big deal, but right now its irking the shit out of me.
Anyway WELCOME TO THE END OF THE CHAPTER. Things are getting interesting, no? Havel is out an about, the Hekite drake has just bit the dust, and Solaire has entered into the picture. It can only get better from here. Well, better for me as a writer and you as the readers. For Rufio and Oscar, shits gonna get even crazier.
Like last time, would you kindly leave a review before leaving? The reviews motivate me to write more, as it gives me a direct connection with my readers. I get to see what your thoughts and feelings are on this drivel I call literature, and perhaps learn from it to better improve my style in the future. To everyone who does review, yall are awesomesauce on a plate of awesome. To all my readers, yall are still awesome, just slightly less than the others. Also, one last thing on reviews. If your a guest and decided to review, just come up with a name and stick to it. Itll make it easier for me to respond in the next chapters authors note if I have something to call you other than "Guest Number (Insert random number here)." Allright, my bitching and praising is done.
NEXT TIME ON SOUL OF A HERO: The word of a knight, can he be trusted? Has Havel given up the chase? Will the gargoyles be the death of Rufio? OH SHIT VELKA KNOWS.
All this and more in chapter 4: Book of the Guilty
