Here is the second chapter of the Undead Asylum arc. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
A hollow stood sullenly, mindlessly staring into space. Suddenly it heard a sound behind it, so it turned to face the threat with broken sword at the ready.
"Soul Arrow!" Kobeni shouted. The head of her staff glowed sky blue as a bolt of light shot out and struck the hollow. As the hollow staggered, Oscar of Astora ran forward and dispatched the undead creature with two quick slashes of his sword.
"That should do it," Oscar said as he sheathed his blade. "You've proven to be a natural with that catalyst, and you've gotten reasonably proficient with your battle axe. You learn very quickly, Kobeni." The young girl in question rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Yes, but I still think my sister would have been a better choice for all this. She's smart and athletic."
"As it may be, you were the one chosen for this quest. I believe you have great potential to become a powerful warrior in your own right."
"But I don't want to be a warrior," Kobeni complained. "I just want to settle down and have a normal family." Oscar shrugged.
"Who knows, maybe the skills you learn will come in handy later in your life. Now, it is time to teach you how to level up."
"Level up? Like in a videogame?"
"A what-game?"
"Never mind, it would take too long to explain," Kobeni said as she sat down near the bonfire. "So how do I do this?"
"When you are sitting at the bonfire, close your eyes. Shut out all of your senses. Once you have done so, you should see numbers and words in your mind. Those numbers and words represent your attributes. There should also be some numbers showing how many souls you need to level up."
"Okay," Kobeni said. "I think I've got it. It looks like I can level up three times. I'm going to increase my endurance twice and my strength once."
"Good. I do believe you are ready to face the Asylum Demon now."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes," the knight nodded once. "I have a plan that will turn the odds in our favor this time. Follow me."
The pair moved through the crumbling prison, dispatching hollows as they went. Kobeni was particularly adept at blocking and countering foes if they got too close for her to use magic. As they were walking up a stairway, a rumbling sound began. Without a word, Oscar picked up Kobeni and threw her to the side, causing her to fall about 15 feet. Kobeni got to her feet, shocked by this apparent betrayal, when she looked up and saw her teacher get flattened by a gigantic iron ball rolling down the stairway.
"OSCAR!" Kobeni screamed. She raced up the stairs to the fallen knight, quickly killing a hollow that opportunistically was trying to finish off Oscar. "Oscar, are you okay? Of course you aren't okay," Kobeni answered herself. "Oscar, can you hear me? Don't go into the light!" The knight shakily got to his feet.
"I will be fine, Kobeni," the knight answered as he pulled out a flask filled with a glowing orange liquid. "Now would be a good time for a lesson. This is an estus flask, an undead favorite. Drinking a mouthful of this will restore your vitality and help sustain you. With this, you need not eat or drink. A most useful item, as food is scarce here and at our destination, Lordran." At the mention of food, Kobeni's stomach rumbled. The knight laughed and pulled out another flask and gave it to the blushing girl. Kobeni gratefully tood a gulp of estus.
"Mmm! It's rich and sweet! Kind of like spiced honey, but not as thick." Kobeni paused. "This isn't going to make me gain weight, is it?" Oscar shook his head as Kobeni put her new estus flask in her schoolbag.
"No, it won't. I must say, you have the oddest concerns." The knight took a sip of estus and put the flask away. "Anyway, we are almost at our destination."
At the top of the stairs was another Fog Wall.
"Is this another dead-end?" Kobeni asked. The knight put his hand up to the Fog Wall.
"Not necessarily." Oscar applied pressure to the Fog Wall, and the fog dissapated. "You see, there are several kinds of fog walls. Some you can only pass through one way without defeating the creature that created it, others simply dissappate with a good push."
Kobeni and Oscar continued their journey. Several hollows later they came up to a third Fog Wall.
"Here we are," Oscar declared. "Kobeni, this Fog Wall will place us directly over the Asylum Demon. We will jump down and use our momentum to increase the damage of our weapons. Afterward, fight as you wish to. Ready?"
"R-ready," Kobeni gulped. Kobeni and Oscar passed through the Fog Wall onto a small ledge. Upon hearing the pair pass through the Fog Wall, the Asylum Demon looked up to see Oscar leaping down directly onto its face. The knight stabbed the demon right betwenn its eyes, and the creature howled in pain. Oscar lept to the floor.
"Your turn!"
Steeling herself, Kobeni leaped off the ledge. Unfortunately, the Asylum Demon was ready for her, and smashed her with its hammer. Kobeni was sent flying into some vases at the side of the room.
"Ugh, figures," Kobeni groaned as she got to her feet. Kobeni lept sideways, narrowly escaping the Asylum Demon's hammer.
"Kobeni, are you alright?" Oscar asked as he deftly dodged the Asylum Demon's attempt to sit on him.
"I'll be okay," Kobeni answered as she pulled out her estus flask and downed a gulp. Feeling better, the young girl grabbed her sorcerer's catalyst and prepared a spell. "Take this!" she shouted. "Soul Arrow!" The bolt of light struck the Asylum Demon, causing the beast to stagger. Seizing his chance, Oscar dashed forward and landed a furious combo. The demon responded by taking to the air and dropping down, shaking the entire arena.
"Keep it up, Kobeni!" Oscar shouted as he recovered from the quake. Kobeni nodded and continued her magical assault, ducking between the pillars and launching Soul Arrow after Soul Arrow.
The frustrated demon let out a roar, and began focusing its attacks on Kobeni. It quickly cornered the girl, and Kobeni raised her Spider Shield in defense. Suddenly the demon rotated, smashing its hammer into Oscar, who had been sneaking up behind it. The knight was thrown across the room, slamming into the wall. When the knight landed, he dissolved into a myriad of white souls.
"NO!" Kobeni gathered her courage and struck the Asylum Demon with all her might. Her battle axe buried itself deep into the demon's flesh, causing the creature to roar in pain. The Asylum Demon staggered, fell to its knees, and dissolved into souls.
Kobeni stood in a daze. What do I do now? she asked herself. Then she heard a voice.
"Kobeni, over here!" It was Oscar. The knight retracted the protective grating from earlier and walked through the arch toward Kobeni. "Good work on finishing off the Asylum Demon," the knight congratulated her.
"But, but, you DIED! I saw you!"
"Undead reconstitute at the last bonfire they rested at, remember?"
"Oh. Right," Kobeni muttered. "I still can't get used to this world."
"Anyway, that demon should have dropped a key." Oscar looked around, and picked up a rather large key from where the Asylum Demon had fallen. "Always check where your foe has fallen. You might find valuable items to aid you on your quest. Now, to send you off to Lordran." Oscar placed the key in the lock of the large double doors below the ledge where they had entered. "Follow me."
Kobeni followed Oscar up to the edge of a precipice. Oscar considered the landscape for a moment, then spoke.
"There is an old saying in my family: 'Thou who art Undead art chosen. In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of Ancient Lords. When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening, the fate of the Undead thou shalt know.' I know not if this will help you in your quest, but I hope it will provide some guidence. And take this." Oscar fished out a black blob surrounded by souls. "This is a humanity. Use it at the bonfire if you die. It will prevent you from going hollow. If you have extra humanity, you can use it to increase the power of the bonfires, giving you more doses of estus to use."
"Thank you for everything, Oscar," Kobeni said after a moment. "By the way," she added. "How does anyone even get here? Everywhere I look is a bottomless chasm."
Suddenly an enormous crow appeared, snatched Kobeni up, and carried her off.
"That's Snuggly the Crow," Oscar of Astora shouted. "She will take you to Firelink Shrine!" But Kobeni couldn't hear. She was too busy screaming.
And that's the end of part one of the Undead Asylum arc. Will there be a part two? Who knows? The important thing is that Kobeni's quest as the Chosen Undead has started in earnest. Next up is Firelink Shrine and Undead Burg. How much longer will Kobeni's luck hold out? Find out next chapter. If you liked what you read, PLEASE leave a review.
