Author's notes: Finally I could get to the fun part. I honestly really love this chapter and I feel it's where the story starts to pick up. I hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing! And yes, this chapter is partially based off of the first instance of me dying in my actual playthrough. I've never once missed that jump again despite doing the same thing every time.
Chapter 4 – The World of Souls! I can't keep carrying you like this forever, you know?!
20th of Rain's Hand
Forest of Fallen Giants
Few people still remember what exactly it was King Vendrick did to anger the imposing giants, but the aftermath of the war they waged had its own monument in the Forest of Fallen Giants. Though their kind is long extinct, each and every tree lining the valleys and rivers leading up to and surrounding the long abandoned Cardinal Tower grew from the corpse of one of these great beings. If one could look past that, the Forest was serene, yet foreboding. Verdant and lush plant life covered the landscape as a shallow, crystal clear river eroded the soil as it flowed down into a cavern; a rare sight in the otherwise decaying kingdom. The skies were beset by gray rainclouds and many crows circled overhead, patiently waiting to prey on the corpse of anyone brave or dumb enough to venture into its confines. However, not every human who died here remained that way, as Vendrick's soldiers were loyal to the bitter end. Even in undeath, they clung to their duty to guard the Tower with their lives…
The hollow infantry that shuffled throughout the valley at the Forest's entrance quickly took notice to Knight LoveGame and his protector and assailed them with great haste. LoveGame drew his broadsword and struck them down one by one. Their cheap, rusted, standard-issue armor did little to repel LoveGame's well-tempered blade. He twirled it in his hand in an attempt to look stylish and emulate Ilia's movement, but fumbled with it a bit before sheathing it.
"Not bad, knight. It seems you aren't completely worthless." remarked Ilia. She began to size up LoveGame, taking particular interest in the shield he now brandished in his left hand. It was wrought of black metal and bore a lustrous silver image of an eagle. "Going back to buy that shield from Maughlin was a good call, honestly."
"…Yeah! Where I come from, we weren't issued a shield, so I told myself that I knew I'd find a nice one here… it's all about instinct!" replied the knight with a thumbs up. His speech was now a bit muffled by a helmet he'd acquired off of the first hollow soldier he killed. It was a full face helm with a prominent crest, fitting well with his falconer armor. Although slightly chipped and decayed, it was still fully functional.
"…though I can't help but question your choice in head gear. Why didn't you just by a helmet from Maughlin while you were there?" Ilia inquired, slightly confused.
"Because this one looks cooler, Ilia! Have you never heard of fashion souls? Those were all open-face helmets, and it's important that I conceal my identity! Plus, that guy sounded awfully similar to the Geico Gecko. Didn't wanna stick around too long, if you know what I mean." LoveGame said as he lightly elbowed his companion.
"…No, I really don't. Whatever keeps you satisfied, I suppose…" she sighed. "So, let's review. To reach Vendrick, we have to confront the four Great Ones and obtain their souls. Only then will the path to Drangleic Castle be clear to us."
"Right, I totally got all that! …but what are we doing here?" pondered the knight.
"Cardinal Tower is up ahead. It was the site of the final battle between humanity and the giants. We should at least clear the place out for supplies before we go anywhere else. The only real threats here are the remainder of Vendrick's royal army. Let's get going!"
The duo continued forging a path through the river valley and climbed a ladder that lead to a clearing broken by a large tree in the middle. Resting against it was a large, imposing knight in extravagant-looking white-and-gold armor. LoveGame noticed him, but not the group of hollow infantry including a few archers perched on the rock wall surrounding the clearing. He approached the knight and called over to Ilia as the soldiers take notice of her. "Hey, this guy might know where to go! We should ask him for directions!"
"Kinda busy, if you didn't notice!" Ilia shouted back angrily as she parried one of the soldiers' swings and riposted with her own sword while swiftly dodging the rest of the group.
"Hi, I'm LoveGame, and that's Ilia. I bet you have some inside info on where we could get our hands on some of those great souls!" LoveGame said to the white knight, leaning towards him as Ilia continued to fight behind him. The armored figure didn't answer him, or even acknowledge his presence for that matter. "Helloooo? Anyone awake in that tin can? What's up with that weird helmet?" LoveGame questioned the man, noting the shape of his helm, which had arrows sticking out of it.
He tried shaking the knight, poking him, and playing with his tattered white cape, all with no response. "Y'know, ignoring someone isn't very nice." LoveGame said. He continued to poke the white knight with his broadsword. Unable to steady his hand, LoveGame accidentally poked the sword into a slit in his helm, killing him. The strange knight faded away into ashes, leaving behind only his sword.
LoveGame picked it up, curiously gleaning over its sleek, straight design and white metal construction. He put away his broadsword and swung the knight's blade around a bit, getting a feel for its weight and shape. He noticed that a light trail of sparks followed each swing. "Yeah, this is much better! I'm movin' up in the world! Check this out, Ilia! I'll come help you with those-"
By the time he'd made it over to her, she'd already slain all the infantry including the archers. "…Yeah, those…" he said, disappointed. "Anyway, check out this sweet loot I just found and definitely didn't take from a guy I didn't accidentally kill!"
"That's great, LoveGame…" replied Ilia, angered and exhausted as she snatched the estus flask from LoveGame's belt and took a sip. "Can we go now?"
"Sure!" agreed LoveGame as the duo ascended yet another ladder leading to a tall, mostly-intact building with a large metal double door.
"Cardinal tower… even now, it's truly something to behold." Remarked Ilia as LoveGame pushed the two doors open. Inside was another bonfire, much to the relief of the pair. They sheathed their weapons and sat down by it for a moment, embracing its warmth.
"…You're stupid, through and through. You know that, right?" said Ilia as she dusted herself off.
LoveGame simply sighed and looked downward. He paused a bit, then asked, "Hey…uhh, Ilia? Who are you, anyways? Y'know, where are you from and all that?"
Still sounding a bit angry with her friend, she took a deep breath, hesitated for a bit, and said "…Tamriel. I wasn't raised around many humans. As far back as my memory goes, I was raised by and around Argonians. The Hist people."
"Argonians?" inquired LoveGame.
"Imagine a human-shaped dinosaur. Scales, tails, teeth, the whole package."
"Whoa! Your place had all kinds then, I guess." said the knight as he shifted his body into a more comforting position.
"Yeah. They were always so… attuned with the spirit of nature, you could say. My master was a powerful wizard called Xoxar. He rescued me from a Tavern that had been set ablaze when I was an infant. Hell, he was the one who tasked me with protecting you." She laughed softly. "If I knew what I was in for, I might've thought twice." She paused for a moment. "What about you? I'm sure you've got an… interesting story, to say the least."
"Come now, don't give me too much credit. You sound like you've been through a lot more than I imagined." LoveGame also paused before telling his tale. "I lived by myself in the Wes'Sv'Urginian kingdom. I attained knighthood as early as I could because I wanted to make a name for myself and serve King DSP-"
Ilia laughed and interjected, "Hold on a minute, DSP? That incompetent ruler who blames all his mistakes on everything but himself? I'm surprised he still holds his throne!"
"Yeah, I admit he wasn't the brightest soul… but he treated his subjects all right and meant well. There was nothing he could do! We were a humble and peaceful kingdom though, so I wasn't sent into real combat much. And, well, here I am. Come to think of it, I don't remember why I originally came here. That seems to be a trend in Drangleic…"
As the knight finished talking, he pushed himself to his feet and dusted off. "We… should get going. The inner chambers of the Tower are just down there" said LoveGame, pointing to a ladder partially surrounded by destroyed stone, creating a larger hole with a view to some doorways. "According to this ancient tome I found, something down there has a key we need." He said, flipping through the pages of an unknown tome.
"Wait, what tome?" Ilia gave a confused stare.
"The Dark Souls II strategy guide! See?" LoveGame held the book up to Ilia, who snatched it from his grip and tossed it into the bonfire, much to his surprise and disappointment.
"Oh, LoveGame... Tsk."
The pair of friends descended the ladder, which lead to the large inner chamber of the former military fort. It remained largely intact, owing to its skillful construction of stone and iron from the Iron Keep. The two sides of the main room were connected by bridges, and there were many doors leading to different parts of the tower. Far below laid a natural cavern where columns of fire rose from holes in the floor and giant flame salamanders dwelt. The traveling duo looked down, sure that if the fall did not kill them, the cave's residents surely would.
Ilia tried most of the doors, but none gave way. "Well, you were right about one thing- this place is locked up tight. We'll need a key if we're going to get anywhere." Her voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Wait, I just remembered! I wanna go back!" LoveGame said, already making his way back to the ladder.
"What is it now?" said an annoyed Ilia, following not too far behind.
"I saw some loot on that edifice I could see from the tower!" He said, running until they reached a large natural wall. Its top was flat enough to walk on, but it was too steep to scale. LoveGame gauged the distance from the edge of the tower and crouched.
"Do you have a death wish?! You're not really going to jump that! You won't get enough horizontal momentum in that heavy armor, dumbass!" Ilia shouted.
LoveGame tensed himself up to leap. "Ilia, let me teach you something. You don't get anywhere in life holding back. Haven't you ever heard that fortune favors the bold? I'll show you how a real knight does it!"
He walked back and ran off the side of the tower before making a bound at the very edge. He soared far enough to reach the rock, but his feet slipped at the very edge, causing him to plummet down into the river valley. The knight slammed into the ground with a thud, screamed out in agony, and succumbed to death almost immediately after.
Ilia was speechless for a moment. She dropped her weapon and shield and collapsed to the ground, shaking. "LoveGame, no! You big idiot… Now what am I gonna tell X-"
She was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. She gripped her weapon and jolted up in surprise to see who it was.
That surprise only doubled when she was greeted by LoveGame, who had fallen to his demise only moments ago. His body had a sickly green tone to it and appeared heavily injured, but this new appearance was short lived. He reached into his bag and shoved a human effigy into his chest, instantly regaining his former human appearance.
"Boy, let me tell ya," he began as he took a bite of his calorie-mate, "I knew my first death would feel… weird, I guess, but I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to this feeling.
Ilia struggled to fully take in the events she'd just witnessed. She shakily stuttered out, "B-but you just… I saw you- how the hell are you.. you know… not dead?"
"Oh, did I not tell you?" replied LoveGame in a casual tone as he continued to chew. "It's part of the undead curse. I can't really die, per se. Well, I can. Buuuut, I come back. See, bonfires retain some of my soul essence when I rest at them. They're kept burning by the bones of other dead heroes rather than wood and the like, so I'm kinda bound to them as long as I'm bound to the curse. It's simple, really. The whole 'journey without rest' means I can't even rest in peace! Crazy, huh?"
Ilia replayed in her mind the memory of LoveGame's death and noted how strange it was that he left no trace of death behind. His body, armor, weapons… everything just faded into ash and blew away. "…Of course, now I've seen it for myself! The true nature of the undead curse…"
"Yup. I guess it does have a few upsides, huh Ilia?"
"Look, I don't want to kill your morale, but don't think you're completely off the hook. I read about this; those branded with the Darksign will go hollow if they experience death too many times. They'll lose their mind and become just like those things we've been killing like animals. You got lucky this time, but promise you'll be more careful from now on! I don't want you losing what sanity you still have."
"Promise!" yelled LoveGame from a distance as he already made his second attempt and leapt off the tower once more. Ilia put her head in her hands in utter disbelief, but LoveGame flawlessly landed the jump this time around. As he bent down to collect his prize, absorbing a soul into his body and placing some throwing knives neatly in a row on his belt, he thought out loud. "See? I did the same thing as I did last time, why didn't it work before? Where's the consistency in this world, man?"
Ilia rolled her eyes. "Really? You're just now asking this? I think some of your… exalted leader might've rubbed off on you. Can we go back yet?"
LoveGame carefully made his way back to Ilia, and together they ventured back to the inner chamber. The sole pathway not impeded by a locked door lead out to the ramparts overlooking what was once the soldiers' quarters. All that remained of them now was the skeletal framework and bits of the roof, where undead archers perched eternally, waiting for something to shoot at.
The duo's journey through the outer ramparts was perilous, but short. They made quick work of the remnants of the hollowed army as LoveGame voiced his complaints on how 'cheap' archers and spear-wielders were. They passed a room full of ballistae, each one manned by a hollow soldier, but the shots missed the two and instead killed the other hollows in the room. After dodging a rain of firebombs and toppling a large soldier clad in tortoise-shaped armor, they made it back to the inner chamber, though on the opposite side this time. Realizing that one of the metal doors wasn't locked but only opened on one side, Ilia pulled it open to create a shortcut. Next to the door was a wooden lift that appeared to lead even further down, past the salamanders' cave.
"Whoa! Looks like we looped all the way around!" LoveGame directed Ilia's attention at the lift. "This is the only place we haven't been yet. Whatcha thinking?"
"It hardly looks stable…" sighed Ilia. "…but if I was going by that instinct, we'd hardly have made it this far. Ready?"
LoveGame crushed a lifegem in his fist, releasing its restorative properties. "Ready." He stated, dusting off his hands. The two friends stepped on the lift, activating the pressure plate, and metallic clinking and squeaking filled the room as it began to descend far past the cavern floor. It finally came to rest as they stepped off into a small, narrow cave. At its end was a luminous wall of white mist obscuring whatever was behind it. LoveGame and Ilia approached it and got a closer look.
"Yep, this ranks pretty high on my list of ominous things. And it's a pretty big list, I'll have you know. Either way… it's now or never!" The knight drew his new sword, raised his kiteshield, and placed his palm on the wall of mist, causing it to dissipate so he and his protector could pass through. LoveGame's heart pounded against his chest as the mist slowly cleared, revealing a mostly-empty, spacious cavern, effectively forming a dead end to the path that began back at the lift. In the very middle rested what appeared to be a single tree; tall, caked with mud, and long-dead.
"Ilia, look!" LoveGame's eye caught the glimmer of a metal key partially embedded into the tree's base. "Aww, yeah! This adventure will be over with in no time at this rate! Let's grab that key and- "
As he approached the tree, he was cut off as it suddenly started to move and groan. Upon closer inspection, its back was almost entirely embedded with swords and arrows.
"I didn't think it was possible…" said Ilia "…one of the giants is still alive!"
LoveGame ran back to Ilia's position and readied himself. The giant gave a low, loud roar as it awoke, pulled itself from the stone pillar on which it was impaled. It tossed aside the rest of the rubble and posed itself for battle.
"HEY! YOU!" shouted LoveGame as loud as he could, pointing his sword out in front of him, directly at his towering foe. "Yeah, you, big boy! Listen! You know, your face looks kinda like… like a donut!" he noted the unusual structure of the giant's face, which was little more than a gaping hole in the middle of its head. "Yeah, you heard me! What's up with that, anyway?! I don't think I like it very much! Therefore, I've decided I'm going to A) kick your ass, and B) take that key for myself! If you've got any objections, please do speak up from that donut you call a mouth, you big-"
Before LoveGame could continue his boast, the giant roared again and charged its entire massive body at the knight. He screamed in fear and covered his face with his arms as the gargantuan foe's footsteps shook the ground. Just before the giant's attack hit its mark, Ilia grabbed LoveGame by the collar of his armor and dragged him all the way across the room. "Just what was that grandstanding all about?! I should've known you weren't going to back any of that up!" she shouted to the knight.
The giant continued to attack LoveGame by punching and slapping with its long forearms and stomping the ground with its feet, ankles still dragging its broken shackles. Again and again, LoveGame threw his body to dodge the blows. "How long are you gonna keep evading, LoveGame?! You're a knight, aren't you?!" she shouted as the giant recovered from a missed full-body tackle.
"Well… yeah! But I've only really ever fought humans and animals! This thing is massive!" replied the knight between breaths.
Ilia sighed. "LoveGame, let me show you something." Ilia circled around the giant and slashed at its ankles, causing it to almost lose its balance. "See?! You might as well get used to taking down stuff like this now! It's only gonna get tougher, so you'd do well to stay ahead of the curve! And don't think I'm gonna keep saving your ass, got that?!"
The Lord Protector's Dragon Kiteshield only did so much to block the giant's increasingly heavy blows. She thought to herself, "There I go talking again… This… thing is nothing like Tamriel's giants… Heh, really, it's not like anything I've ever fought." Eventually she began to lose her poise, and the behemoth's arm knocked her down as she grunted in pain. LoveGame pushed himself to his feet again and watched his companion's every fluid movement as she engaged the giant.
He thought for a moment and said to himself, "Hmm… I think I get it now. She just keeps fighting… and right now, well, that honestly sounds kinda appealing!" He then spoke up as he charged at the giant. "Hang on, I'm coming!" He gripped his Heide knight sword with both hands and leapt as high as he could, bounded off of Ilia's shoulders, and slashed the giant directly in its head, causing it to roar in agony as it stumbled.
With labored breath, Ilia complimented the knight on his technique. "Heh… While I would've preferred it if you didn't…ugh… use me as a human springboard… that was incredible!" LoveGame looked back and flashed a thumbs-up.
Now heavily injured, the giant steeled itself to take a desperate measure. With its right arm, it gripped the shoulder of its left and began to pull hard, as it lowed in pain once more until it had rooted its limb from its body.
"No way!" exclaimed LoveGame, "He's gonna use his own arm as a weapon?!"
From across the room, the giant swung its lanky arm like a club toward Ilia. LoveGame barely managed to block it and growled, "I don't think so! I just made this new friend, see, and you aren't laying a hand on her, no matter how long that arm is! Yo, Ilia! Catch!" He tossed Ilia a few lifegems, which she didn't hesitate to crush.
With the last of his stamina, the knight pushed back the arm long enough to charge the giant again and deliver an upward strike to its leg as the lightning infused within the sword left a trail of light and sparks. LoveGame caught himself on the ground, landing on all fours. He looked back just in time to see the giant collapse to the cavern's floor, defeated at last. Its lifeless body began to crumble away until nothing was left, save for the key the heroes had been seeking.
LoveGame celebrated his first victory with a long swig from his estus before running up to grab the key, gleefully holding it above his head and shouting "Yyyyes! I did it! I took down the Last Giant! Hmm, I impress even myself sometimes…" Ilia stared daggers at her companion. "…okay, I guess you helped a little bit too. Like I said, it was nice to have someone to talk to…" she growled and prepared to draw her sword. "Kidding! Jeez, you Tamriel folk really don't have a sense of humor."
With the Soldier's Key in tow, the duo made their way out and back up the lift. Now that the rest of the tower's inner chamber was accessible, they were able to clear it out for any valuable supplies that remained, including the titanite needed to forge weapons taken from the body of a lizard that looked more like a large bug.
The last place to search was the outside area overlooked by the giant statue of a warrior, where the human-giant war reached its apex. During the decisive final battle, the statue's hand had broken off, leaving its massive stone sword sticking out of the side of the gaping hole it had created in the wall.
"That oughta do it!" said LoveGame, absorbing another lesser soul into his own and dusting his hands. "We should have enough to move on. Let's head back to Majula and get some prep work done. I think that Emerald lady I ignored can use all these souls I found to make me stronger. Cool, huh?"
As the two prepared for their return trip, Ilia spoke. "…LoveGame?" He turned and acknowledged her with a "Hmm?"
"You did all right back there, kid. Xoxar's faith in you wasn't for nothin'. Good job, I suppose."
"Hmm, well now! It's nice to finally get some recognition for all this hard work, y'know! I bet I could-"
"Look alive!" Ilia grabbed the knight as both of them hit the deck. Someone or something almost struck the back of LoveGame's head, their mace instead hitting the stone floor, leaving a large crack. The duo took to their feet and got a better look at their assailant, still heavily breathing from the missed attack. It was a man with a large white and blue robe, bright red smoke rolling out of the holes of his knight's helm. Surely this was the same man who eavesdropped on the duo from the roof of the Majula Mansion earlier. The white cape of his robe billowed in the wind as he readied himself for combat, and he spoke in that same low voice.
"So this really is him… At last, I've found you… Knight LoveGame of Wes'Sv'Urginiah!"
