Chapter 2

We only had to travel for three days on foot before we reached our destination. I didn't speak to Sulyvahn much but he sure loved speaking to me. He confessed that he was a sorcerer who felt like he didn't quite belong in the Way of the White. It was agreed that stigmas against anyone shouldn't be tolerated in the order. If the individual was willing to use their skills for the greater good, it shouldn't matter if they chose to throw rocks, fire, or super evil forbidden darkness from their hands. Right?

I twiddled my recently acquired sapphire ring around my fingers as we walked across a long, elegant bridge. I decided to make the ring my memento of Petra since I didn't have anything else to remind me of her. Sulyvahn was telling me about all of the customs and courtesies that were expected of Irithyll's people and visitors. I nodded my head, ignoring every word he said.

When I entered the Boreal Valley the first thing I noticed wasn't Irithyll's unique architecture nor the buildings that seemed to reach the sky itself, it was the temperature. The valley felt significantly warmer than the nameless monastery where I hailed from, but it wasn't. The body simply feels temperate, perhaps due to some kind of enchantment. Even the snow was different; powdery and plentiful. The opposite of the icy pebbles that I was accustomed to.

"-which is why you need to be careful. Do I make myself clear?" Sulyvahn lectured as I decided to finally tune in.

Without turning to him I nodded my head. I could feel his warm smile and friendly gaze stalk my face as I admired the city. I took my mind off of the foreign temperature of the valley and scanned through all of the different kinds of people. The Irithyillians hid their pale skin under all sorts of clothes, normally covering themselves from head to toe. Their dark eyes felt out of place among the golden contours of their jewelry and the brilliant coloration of their clothes. Aside from the city's inhabitants there were also travelers of many different lands. I spotted tabards that bore the draconian symbol of Lothric and smelt the Carthus Rouge that the people of the desert were trading to veteran soldiers of the retired Undead Legion.

When we finally overcame the bridge we were greeted with an unexpected kindness in one of the town's many plazas. I couldn't help but notice the people's fanatical love for Sulyvahn. But then again he was a very charismatic person. With a wave of his hand the crowd cleared and two knights covered from head to toe in frigid looking plate mail approached us. The armor was identical to that of the outrider knight's, without the deformities that were present on the monastery's assailant.

"An Outrider Knight of ours attacked this holy man's monastery." Sulyvahn spoke in a commanding tone. "Find the deserter in our annals and delete him. We will dishonor his name."

Before we departed from the monastery we inspected the Outrider Knight's corpse to see if we could find any clues as to why it attacked us. Sulyvahn found a black ring around one of creature's fingers and deduced that it was the source of the man's corruption.

The sorcerer pulled the ring out of his pocket and admired it for a moment. I sensed a dark power emanating from the small artifact, but I was unfamiliar with its origin. Before I could speculate my thoughts were interrupted by the departure of one of the knights who left to do his master's bidding.

Sulyvahn's eyes widened as if he had an epiphany. "Jeigh, go to the library. You will find ample research for your quest. I must take this to the city's cathedral immediately."

He gestured towards the remaining guard, who turned and nodded to me. I got the gist of what was going on and turned to Sulyvahn before I was escorted to the library. I was a surprised by how well he treated me when I had been so cruel a couple of days earlier.

"Thanks Sulyvahn… and I apologize for doubting you." I stated as I slid the sapphire ring onto my finger and showed it to him.

He gave me a wink. "No need to apologize, I would have met the offer with equal skepticism."

Without saying a word the guard led me through the brick laden streets of the quiet city. I couldn't help but run my hand along the protruding stone designs that littered almost every building, which were all bathed in the light of the crescent moon. The lack of sun wasn't uncommon this far north, in fact we only got a month's worth of sun a year back at the monastery. Lamps with arcane candles illuminated the surrounding arched infrastructure ensuring that it one would never lose vision during a blizzard.

We eventually got to the library after navigating through the urban city. We walked for so long that my feet began to hurt, though that could have been because of the stone floor that I wasn't accustomed to. The knight parked himself in front of the building for a couple of moments before suddenly departing. I found the behavior of these sentries to be extremely odd, it was as if they were golems awaiting their master's command. A smile found its way to my lips as I scoffed at the ludicrous idea.

The shelves inside were very well organized. Books were separated into different categories and further divided alphabetically. Unfortunately the hall beyond the library's common room wasn't wide at all, in fact its width only supported the shoulder width of two grown men. Fortunately what the building lacked in width it made up for in its length. The hall was so long that I couldn't even see the end.

I put all of my speculation about the dark ring and the outrider knights aside as I dove into the endless trove of knowledge. Hours passed without me even realizing, and before long I was the only customer in the library. The head librarian trusted that I wouldn't steal anything thanks to my holy attire and left me alone to browse freely. But then I found the tale of Solaire of Astora I immediately became addicted to it and stuffed it into my pack, betraying the librarian's trust.

Another book that garnered my attention simply had an inscription of an orange flame on its leather cover. I found it peculiar that this book was also locked. I swiveled my head to the left and right looking for any stragglers before I started to try and pry it open.

"I'm here alone." I said out loud. "Nothing to worry about."

"What are you doing?" A voice ambushed me from behind.

I turned around and flinched at the sight of a witch. Indeed, a witch. Raven black hair, pale skin, dark eyes, and the stereotypical witch garb. Fortunately her face didn't match the description of any of the ones I'd read about in stories. It was thin, wart-free, and attractive. I took a step back and she seemed to lean forward, her curious eyes still locked onto mine. We both paused for a moment.

"Uh… I was just going home, miss." I mumbled. "I'll be lea-"

"Liar." She squinted at me. "You're a herald. Why are you here?"

She was very analytical, whoever she was. I felt like she was reading me like an open book, which was fairly ironic considering the circumstances. I tried to reach out and sense her power, but that turned out to be a huge mistake. I felt like something was pulling my soul out of my body. One moment I was in the library and the next everything was gone. I mean everything. I looked down to see what I was standing on, but it turns out I was standing on nothing. My body was visible, which was odd considering everything else was pitch black.

It didn't take too long for the feelings, thoughts, and emotions to find me. I was lonely and sad. It felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest. It hurt, and when the pain reached its climax my new reality found it appropriate to torture me with voices. I heard whispers, laughing, and yelling all at once. I thought about screaming but my pride wouldn't let me. I curled into a ball, shut my eyes, and covered my ears.

I don't know how long I was incapacitated, but eventually I came to my senses. The library was still void of life with the exception of the witch and me, but a couple of things were different. Both of us were on our knees, basically collapsed over each other in a very close embrace.

"You wet yourself." She whispered.

I sighed. "Yup, looks like I did. Why are we hugging?"

"Shhhhh." she replied. "Your soul is warm."

"I'm pretty sure that's just the piss." I answered.

Not only did this stranger make me urinate myself, but she was also apparently eating my soul. Half of me wanted to push her away and find a new pair of pants. The other half actually enjoyed this. Though trivial to most, this was a big deal for me as this was the first time that I had ever been hugged. The Way of the White demonstrated their love through tough discipline, I never knew my father, and my mother was never around when I lived with her. Even Petra chose other ways to show her affection like telling stories or getting me extra food from the kitchens.

I broke the awkward silence that resulted after my joke. "What happened just now?"

"You found the Abyss." she finally loosened her grip so I lifted her off of me.

Yup, that's all I needed to hear to be done with this conversation. I nodded my head and placed the locked book into my pack. Then I adjusted my soiled pants a little before beginning a brisk walk towards the entrance. This was truly the scariest thing I'd ever experienced, and definitely much more fear inducing than combat. Before I exited I faced the book hall one last time. The woman was still there, but something had changed. She was smiling.

After that experience I made my way to a nearby inn where I was able to stay in a room for free. A couple of patrons turned their heads as I passed by. I figured it was because of two things: my attire and the faint scent of piss. When I got to the room I was offered a well deserved sense of solace. As I closed the door I couldn't help but being thankful for my solitude, as this was the first time in days that I wasn't surrounded by people.

The room wasn't much but it was better than nothing. It consisted of a desk next to a window, a chair, and a bed. I propped open the window and then fetched a small ritual cup, some incense sticks, and a knife from my sack. I stabbed the blade into the wall, stripped down, hung my pants onto the hilt, and lit the sticks under the trousers. The smoke would serve two purposes: relaxation and the alleviation of the lingering odor that plagued my attire.

After reading more about Solaire's adventures I decided that it was time for work and fetched the locked book. I conjured my pyromancy flame right above the tip of my index finger and focused my willpower. I was trying to create a very small but scolding flame to heat the lock and the technique had to be precise. I crafted the small blade of flame and began to cut into the metal. It didn't produce any sparks, which means I wasn't making any progress.

The universe thought it would be an appropriate idea to interrupt me. My door flew open and a knight in ridiculous looking armor let himself in. This interrupted my focus and I lost control of the technique, resulting in a sizable explosion. I was able to contain the flame before it did any serious damage to the room or the knight. I blushed as I realized that once again, I had accidentally revealed my nude body to another man.

"Well." He confidently spoke. "I must have the wrong room. I, Siegward of Catarina, offer my sincerest apologies."

I covered myself with the book and yelled at the stranger. "First of all, you look like a giant onion! I was in the middle of very important work and because of you the book is rui-"

I realized what I was just about to say and instead looked at the book. It not only wasn't a pile of ash, but its inscriptions were glowing. It produced the sound of a spinning gear which came to a halt. The tome clicked and the lock opened.

"Open… the book is open?" I was dumbfounded. "Thank you?"

Siegward nodded. "You're welcome! If you need me I will be in the room next to your's!"

I opened the book and was met with instant disappointment. I couldn't read the language that it was written in. I debated going back to the library to try to see if I could decipher it, but then I remembered that the creep may have still been there. I remembered that earlier I had put on the ring gifted to me by Sulyvahn and I quickly took it off and put it on the desk. I stared at the thing in disbelief. Did it actually call others to aide me?

I decided to test it out with a clever plan.

A while later I was fully dressed and in the bar enjoying a free drink. It had gotten late and only a few men were left in the tavern. It was time to put my plan into action. I fished the ring out of my pack, slid it on, and waited. In no time I sensed the ring work its magic as the heavy steps of the knight of Catarina approached me. It worked. The damned ring wasn't a fake after all.

"You were thirsty as well? Let me buy you a drink!" he expressed, sitting in the stool next to me.

I smiled at him. "No need, Sir Siegward. Being a herald of The Way of the White, the kind bartender has agreed to supply my drinks free of charge. I'm Jeigh, by the way."

We briefly shook hands as he leaned closer to me. "A herald? Are you on a quest to link the fire, then? You know, the last time the fire was linked it took an entire legion of undead. I believe they were known as the Abyss Watchers."

I didn't know anything about the Watchers, save for the fact that they would level a city at the slightest sign of Abyssal corruption. This explained my the monster that I ran into earlier was allowed to operate freely in Irithyll, and why the city was still in one piece. I fully anticipated Siegward's reaction, as the linking of the fire was the primary mission for many other heralds and knights sent forth by the order. But there were a couple of differences between them and me, the primary eliminating factor being that I wasn't undead. A normal human didn't have the ability to sacrifice themselves to the First Flame and "rekindle the world." This implied that the prophecy given to me was different.

"No, at least I don't think so." I shook my head and slid the book towards him. "I seek a different flame, and maybe you can help me."

He touched the inscription on the cover and nodded. "I believe I know what you are looking for, friend. Legends speak of a profaned capital below Irithyll with ancient inhabitants and power."

I stroked my chin. "Yes, that sounds like it might be correct. But I wouldn't even know where to begin my search."

Siegward took my drink and poured the rest of it into the thin visor of his helmet. I was extremely impressed that he didn't make a mess. "Do not worry, Jeigh. Meet me by the base of the bridge in one hour. This will be my repentance for gazing upon your naked body. I shall lead you to the capital."

The bald bartender just huffed behind his beard while he stared at us.

"It's not what you think." I intervened.

"Whatever." He gruffed.

I reached for my pack, which was in the stool to my left but I almost lost my balance. I turned to see what was wrong and encountered empty stool. I cursed under my breath and spun towards the entrance of the tavern just in time to see a kid in ragged clothes leaving with my things.

"Protect the book, I'll meet up with you later!" I yelled as I ran for the door.

The streets were empty and I was able to follow the kid's small shoe prints in the snow. They led to a dark alley where not one, but three children were digging through my belongings. I illuminated the area with my ember and called to them.

"Return my things or I will incinerate you." I bluffed in my knightliest voice.

I channeled my soul into the flame and let it run wild. The ember expanded and enveloped my hand before a long fiery tail freely rose into the air. The flame licked the snow off a nearby brick wall as it chaotically flailed to and fro. Two of the three children were visibly shaken, but one of them rose to his feet and puffed his chest out. He looked to be on the verge of adolescence and appeared quite strong for his age.

"Liar." He called out. "You're a holy man. You wouldn't kill kids like us!"

I lowered the visor of my helmet so that the kids couldn't see my face. I cursed when I was behind my mask, my bluff had been called out two times in one day. First by the witch and now by this kid. Maybe I needed to just stop lying. I didn't let the midget deter me, I dragged the flame tail back into my hand and formed a very bright sphere. I eyed the fireball and purposely began to allow cinders to escape from the spell, a desperate attempt to intimidate the thieves.

"We're starving, and your twinkling titanite is going to get us enough money to feed us for the rest of our lives!" he yelled.

"Stealing from me is like stealing from the church." I arched my arm behind me as if I was going to throw the spell. "It will not be tolerated."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. This kid had bigger balls than Gwyn did during the Age of the Ancients. I tried to search for any sign of weakness or fear in his face but I didn't find what I was looking for. All I found was stalwart resolve. But then I realized that I didn't have to frighten the alpha of the pack. I threw the fireball above the group of thieves and detonated it. I purposely crafted the explosion to be large but weak, it definitely wasn't strong enough to burn flesh. The flames simply teased the bodies of the children and singed their clothes.

The child in the middle screamed. "Do something Horace!"

I readied another fireball. "I won't miss this time."

"Mel!" Horace hollered.

The girl behind Horace pulled out a small wand and pointed it right at me. She started to mutter an incantation, but I noticed that it was slow and choppy. Her hands were also shaking so much that the spell would have probably missed me. To be honest I was more worried that she would mess the spell up and hurt herself. The wand started to glow blue at its tip so I acted fast. I willed my ember away and yelled as loud as I could. Sure enough, she flinched and the spell dissipated.

"Anri take the titanite and run!" Horace commanded.

But Anri didn't run. The child picked up the sack and began to walk it over to me. Horace's jaw dropped and Mel collapsed to her knees and started crying. No one spoke a word as the kid returned my belongings. I dropped down to one knee and lifted my mask so that I could look the child in their eyes. To be honest I couldn't tell if the Anri was a boy or a girl.

"We're sorry, Mister." Anri handed me my things. "We're just really hungry."

I frowned and imagined how my life was before the order found me. "Let me buy you guys some food back at the tavern."

Horace barked at me. "Why would you help us? You're going to turn us into the guards!"

I slung the pack around my shoulder and walked away. "Suit yourself. I'm going to go eat."

I heard two pairs of feet follow me into the tavern. The common room was completely empty with the exception of the bartender who was cleaning the place up. I approached him with Anri and Mel in tow, set my pack down, and pulled out one twinkling titanite gem. I offered it to the man.

"Feed these kids and take this as your payment." I commanded.

The man nodded and took the gem. He went to lock the front doors of the tavern and Horace walked in. The innkeeper began to shoo the boy away but I yelled across the room. "Him too."

After the food was prepared we all sat at a table while the innkeeper added two more logs into the chimney before proceeding to leave. The children dined on steaks, potatoes, and veggies. I simply watched them, it felt nice being the good guy. But one random question still lingered on my mind.

"Anri…" I wondered out loud. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

Anri began to speak but Horace interrupted. "That's a dumb question, isn't it obvious?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I guess I just wasn't meant to know.

Siegward exited his room and strolled down the stairs to the bar. He was holding the book, had a spiked shield latched onto his back, and rested the largest sword I'd ever seen on his shoulder. He nodded to me before exiting the tavern and disappearing into the night. I followed him to the entrance and ensured that the doors were shut and locked again. I attempted to return to the table but was interrupted by a knock at the entrance.

"Tavern's closed." I hollered.

A man answered back, his voice muffled by the door. "I believe you have my children in there, sir. Please return them."

I looked at all of the children and they all shook their heads.

"Don't let him in." Anri said.

I nodded. "Go up the stairs. My room is the first on the left."

"I grow tired of waiting." the voice outside said.

The children fled as the door blew open. Debris forced its way into the tavern and the fire in the chimney extinguished itself. The room began to get cold very fast, as if the enchantment surrounding the city didn't apply to me anymore.

"He who would steal from the almighty Aldrich come forth and face me. We shall discuss the terms of your surrender." the voice challenged.

I closed my armet as I turned towards the exit, willing my pyromancy flame to life. It tickled the air with anticipation. My fiery art is emotion, and right now I felt like I needed to kick this guy's ass because some kids were more afraid of him than they were of me. I strode up to the exit only to be met with a slow moving orb of magic. In fact, it was so slow that I decided to get a better look at the sorcery. The sphere consisted of what looked like small black sprites that emanated an azure glow.

I chuckled. The spell had enough kick to devour a door, but you'd never be able to hit a moving target with it. I jogged backwards into the bar and moved to the side so the spell could pass through. The only problem was that the thing turned. The spell began to seek me and only flew faster as it got closer. I figured that I wasn't going to take my chances with dodging and I quickly threw a nearby stool at the thing. The spell erupted and the seat shattered, sending wooden fragments flying across the tavern.

I couldn't avoid the explosion and I was impaled in my left shoulder by one of the splinters. I pulled the damned thing out of me, thanking Gwyn that it wasn't too long. There wasn't much bleeding but if the wound didn't get cleaned it would become infected. I stuffed part of my cloak into my mouth and bit down on it before I held my flame up to the gash. I let out a muffled groan as I cauterized myself.

I was tricked. The only discussion this bastard wanted to have with me was with my corpse. I wasn't going to walk outside expecting diplomacy again. I readied a spell in my hand and marched forth. Surprisingly another trap wasn't waiting for me and I faced my attacker.

Aldrich had curly, dark hair that hung off the side of his head perfectly. His face was lean and sharp, his suit made of the most expensive silk. He seemed like an entitled nobleman, in every sense. We weren't alone. A couple of pedestrians were randomly scattered around us, maintaining their distance. If they wanted a show, I'd give them one.

"A Herald?" He scoffed in disbelief. "Of the Way of The White?"

I nodded, my hand still dripping with flame. "Something doesn't smell right between you and those kids."

The man held his chin up. "Those kids are precious to me. I know people in high places, even the holy deacons of the Cathedral of the Deep. I can have you excommunicated."

I didn't take being threatened lightly, but if he did know the deacons then my position in the church may have actually been on the line. But even though the Cathedral of the Deep was our holy order's capital it had been out of contact with the rest of us for quite a while now. There were rumors that the Deep, the evil force that the bastion was built to protect the world against, had been set free. The rare consistency of Aldrich's spells seemed to confirm my suspicions, so I chose my next words with confidence.

"Fuck the deacons." I spat. I heard a couple of gasps from the crowd of onlookers.

Aldrich's lips curled into a maniacal smile. "Violence, then. Isn't that barbaric for a cleric such as yourself?"

"I'm not a cleric." I whispered as I threw the fireball.

At first I wasn't sure if my eyes were deceiving me or if my opponent actually did something. Light seemed to distort and bend in front of Aldrich, it actually hurt my eyes to look at what was happening. Before I realized that my spell had been reflected and was coming back towards me it was almost too late. I detonated the fireball in a similar manner to how I had done with the children. The flames produced a wide spread, dispersing the heat and barely singing my clothes.

Whatever he did it was gone and in its place all I could see was that stupid smile. I began to channel another technique but then stopped. Something was wrong. I looked around and didn't see anyone in the streets, not a single soul. I glanced behind me and saw why. I spotted a Black Hand of the royal family of Lothric. His presence inspired confidence, his chest out and hands resting on one of his dual blades. I was able to recognize him because… well, everyone knew about the Black Hands. Their dark coated uniforms, wide brimmed hats, and dual wielding fighting styles were renowned throughout all of the lands. Assassination, massacre, political threats; they did it all. Did I mention that there were only three of them? This particular Hand didn't look too happy, either. I crept to the side so that I could face both of the men.

"Yall are makin' lots of noise out here." the Hand turned his head, chewed on something, then spat. "Woke me up."

Aldrich wasn't smiling anymore. I didn't know whether to be happy that the smirk was wiped off his face or if I should have been worried for my life. I really didn't feel like being decapitated so I decided not to make any sudden movements or channel any spells.

"This is interesting indeed…" proclaimed Aldrich. "What's a Black Hand doing this far north?"

The man spat onto the floor again. "None of your business, rich boy."

I kept my mouth shut until the Hand look directly at me. "And you?" he muttered.

I cleared my throat. "Oh you know, saving the world." I joked.

"Heh." he half-smiled and tipped his hat. "I'm Gotthard, pleased to make your acquaintance. Damned shame I have to kill you."

"What?" I exclaimed. "What did I ever do you to?"

"Like I said." he sniffed. "Woke me up."

The sorcerer continued to exchange glares between the Hand and me. A swarm of those dark blue sprites swarmed both of his hands and that damned smile returned to his face, this time accompanied by a pair of crazy eyes. I tapped into my ember and a great flame expanded into my hand. The final contender simply crossed his arms and wrapped his hands around the hilts of his swords.

The wind blew a flurry of snow down the street as I held my breath. None of us moved, I was certain that we were all waiting for someone else to make the first play. The air eventually stilled and we all acted at the exact same time. Two throwing knives appeared in Gotthard's hands and he threw them at me before sprinting towards Aldrich. I spun around, dodging the attack while I unleashed my spell at the both of them. The sorcerer countered us both my directing his attack at the incoming fireball. The result was an explosion with enough force to send us all flying.

I clumsily crash landed on my side, sending snow everywhere as I slid on my cape. Gotthard landed on both legs with finesse before launching himself into the air and tumbling towards me. Aldrich's back slammed into a lamp post before he collapsed to his hands and knees. While he was in the air the Hand skillfully threw a knife at the sorcerer's exposed neck before he attempted to slash his swords at mine. I held up my ember and allowed it to combust with great strength, throwing the airborne man to the side and sending him into a violent roll down the street.

Aldrich unwittingly recoiled his head and made a choking noise as the knife collided with his shoulder. Blood spurted out of the wound but his focus wasn't interrupted. He vomited a floating river of scarlet insects that hovered towards Gotthard and I. I turned my head in disgust as I torched the sorcerer's spell with one of my own. I turned to see how the Hand would avoid the attack but he was still on the floor. I cursed under my breath. If I threw one of my fireballs the spell wouldn't reach Gotthard in time without completely incinerating him.

I had to be creative. I mirrored the same emotions I felt when the children had stolen my things and shaped a sizable ember with a long tail. I held my hand out and slowly rotated my arm, observing as the flame shaped itself into a thick, molten whip. Aldrich noticed what I was trying to do and launched two orbs from his hands, one heading towards me and the other to Gotthard.

The whip began to recoil, my focus was breaking because of the new threat. I sighed and decided to be the good guy again. My resolve bolstered as I chose to sacrifice myself and save Gotthard. My spell swirled towards the Hand faster than ever, surrounded the dark sphere heading towards him, and then directed the resulting reaction towards the swarm of insects. All of the threats facing the Hand had been consumed, and I expected Aldrich's spell to devour me at any moment.

"Enough!" resounded a loud, familiar voice.

I was slammed back onto the ground by a sudden blast and I began to lose consciousness. My head was facing towards where the Hand was. My vision began to fade but my eyes didn't deceive me.

Gotthard was gone.