I don't own Rosario + Vampire or Dark Souls
Chapter 3
"Now come Aono san. We must make haste to leave this place." Godrick announced, taking off like a bullet down the halls.
"Hey wait up! I can't run that fast!" Tsukune shouted into the dark corridor. He could barely see a few feet in front of his face.
"Strange, you can't see in the dark. Most undead can, though I suppose everyone is different." Tsukune couldn't even see Godrick. A bright flame burst into life close to Tsukune's face. "Follow me then, Aono san. I'll try to get you out of here alive, and not hollowed." Godrick whispered that last bit to himself before waving his flame slowly around.
Tsukune started to get a sense of space as he caught bits and pieces of their surroundings. He was very appreciative of this man who showed him so much compassion in this time of need. But he still refused to trust him. He didn't think this man had it out for him, but something was certainly not right.
'What had he whispered...? Something about being hollowed?' Tsukune's thoughts were running wild, when he ran into Godrick. The man has stopped with no warning, not even a small signal in body language.
"You hear that?" Godrick spun around on the balls of his feet, swiveling his whole body in a perfect circle. The flame he so gently carried in his hand was in Tsukune's face for few seconds. Tsukune felt his eyebrows beginning to singe just as he pulled the flame back around.
Tsukune brought his hand to his ear, perking them up as he did so. Nothing but the sound of his heavy breathing. "No, there's nothing to hear." He replied skeptically.
"No fool, listen. You can hear it! A humanoid sound. Screaming, crying, wailing, something of that helpless nature. I can't depict it clearly, but it's somewhere around here. We'll have to check the cells one by one, and whatever you do, don't pay attention to the hollows." Godrick's tone went back to that familiar one of forewarning.
"What do you mean when you say that? What is a hollow?" Tsukune asked, expecting an answer for once.
"You'll find out soon enough Aono san, you'll find out soon enough." Godrick paused, as if to question his own thoughts. "We'll need to split up."
"Split up?" Tsukune tried to hide all the apprehension and fear building inside him. 'He's going to leave me for dead. All because I'm a weak human. Maybe Moka deserves better than me after all. She deserves more than just a human.'
"Yes Aono san, I'll take the this upper floor, you continue searching down here." Godrick motioned to the stairs and the seemingly endless hallway. "Just be sure to check all the cells and we'll meet at the top of these stairs. Yell if you get into trouble." With that, Godrick ascended the stairs in a quick fashion, leaving Tsukune to stand alone in the dark.
Tsukune didn't notice it at first, but his eyes were starting to adjust to this perpetual darkness. Once he felt comfortable with his vision, he began to look inside the cells. Every single one he passed was empty. 'Just like the rest of this terrible place.' He thought bitterly. 'Not a single person, animal, or "hollow" in any one of these cells. I suppose that's good though.'
He was nearing the end of the hallway, the very last cell quickly becoming larger and larger in his field of view. Before he even approached it, he knew something was wrong. His gut told him to walk up cautiously and he listened. He tiptoed towards the old bars, holding his breath. He had to force himself to bring his face close to the bars. He peered inside slowly, then realized what was off.
Tsukune had been pressing himself to the cell door inadvertently, and the door was slowly opening. 'This cell was already open?! Someone was he...' He was viciously ripped from his thoughts and thrusted back into reality. He felt cold, jagged steel slicing unevenly into the flesh of his calf muscle. The blade didn't bite deep enough to be fatal, but it was extremely painful. Tsukune forced himself to turn around and face this aggressive enemy.
He found himself staring into dead, soulless eyes. Decaying flesh, rotting innards, and the stench of death invaded his nostrils. He had to force himself to look away from the face. A bony hand was gripping a pathetic blade. It was made out of a rusty metal, presumably iron or steel, though it looked to be the shattered remains of a once great sword. Tsukune forced himself to look back up.
The thing's mouth looked to be in a permanent contortion of pain. It lacked most parts of the nose, having only a tiny amount of flesh covering the nostrils. He also couldn't discern any ears of the creature, then finally it hit him.
'This thing is going to kill me!' Tsukune had been subconsciously backing himself into the cell, not realizing it until now. He missed a step, falling to the ground as the hollow advanced on him. It raised its foul blade over its head, preparing a death stroke.
Tsukune pulled his arms above his head and shut his eyes. This was his last, weak attempt to protect his head from cold metal. But the blow never landed, he was never killed.
When Tsukune dared to open his eyes again, he was left facing Godrick, who was offering him his hand once more. "Get up Aono san. Get up and shake it off." Godrick's tone was the furthest thing from gentle. It was more of a command than advice. When he didn't take Godrick's hand right away, Godrick hauled him to his feet.
Godrick then ripped a hatchet out of the thing's back, take a second to wipe off the blade. "That was a hollow, and I killed it. You better get used to it."
Tsukune was feeling like how he was before. He just wanted to leave Yokai Academy and go to a normal school. He payed no heed to Moka's feelings, until he realized the error of his ways. 'But that was different right? Moka didn't kill people, and this isn't Moka. This is a madman, and you are in hell.'
The next leg of their adventure was a blur, as Tsukune forced it out of his mind as much as possible. Godrick murdering hollows with a hatchet and fire, himself being too weak and cowardly to help at all, and then they would continue. Finally, they found themselves outside, facing a sword protruding out of a bile of bones.
"Finally." Godrick breathed a hearty sigh of relief. "Come Aono san, the gods have shown mercy on us with this blessing." He went to stand by it, and motioned Tsukune to follow. "See this, it's a bonfire, but this one hasn't been lit in quite sometime."
"What so special about a bonfire?" Tsukune asked, his voice empty and cold. He was still numbing himself to this terrible, new world.
"A bonfire is a place where all may seek respite in this land. You just have to coax the flames out." Godrick replied, bringing his hand to the pommel. As soon as his first finger touched it, a tiny yet warming flame spewed out of the bones. "Come sit, Aono san. It would be unbecoming of us not to rest at a bonfire." Godrick told Tsukune, dropping to a relaxed sitting position.
Tsukune followed suit, but his movements were mechanical and stiff. "So what now?" He inquired quietly.
"We're almost out."
ZenIaidoka
