Queens Notice Board: I'm always surprised about all the positive feedback I get for this story. It always warms my heart. I really enjoy writing this silly little piece. And as always, hope it at least puts a smile on your face. As always, enjoy!
DARK(ish) SOULS
Souvenir of Reprisal
Bob struggled to wonder how a city like Anor Londo could carry the moniker "Lost". All anyone had to do was peer over the mountain close to Sen's and it'd be impossible to miss. He supposed it made all the more mysterious and awe inspiring for it to be called the Lost City. It definitely took his breath away, so much so that ten whole minutes was wasted with him and Stacy just staring out at the orange stone metropolis basked in the perpetual setting afteroon sunlight.
'Woah. Stace can you believe this…?'
'This is…how can this place be real?' She stammered, a mix of fear and excitement in her soft features.
Somewhat surprisingly, Solaire hardly shared their enthusiasm. He'd taken one quick glance at the mythical city and quickly shrugged it off. It seemed to Bob like the attitude a resident might have towards the slack-jawed tourists in himself and Stacy.
Stacy, ever his mirror, asked Solaire what his deal was. 'Sol? Are you seeing this place? Why d'you look so…dim?'
Bob hoped that awful pun had been an accident. Solaire blinked quizically at the question, taken off-guard for a rare moment. His reply was full of uncertainty and doubt, two traits that sounded completely alien coming from the man known as the Warrior of Sunlight.
'I'm not too certain of that, Fair Stacy.' He murmured, sparing another glance over the stone railings and across the city proper. 'For a reason I cannot understand, my heart is growing heavy with melancholy and nostalgia.'
Stacy tilted her head. 'Huh? You saying you've been to this place before?'
Solaire fixed her with a bemused stare.
'Perhaps, Stacy.' He replied, sullen and downcast. 'Perhaps I've forgotten something…'
Bob was no master of social etiquette, but even he knew when to temporarily let go of things. In an attempt to change the mood, he ushered his friends onward with every bit of shaky bravado he could manage.
'Let's go check this place out! Who knows what kind of treasure we'll find?'
He channeled Solaire with his body language and felt a bit of geniune contentment when he saw them both nod in approval and move in step with him. Whatever was troubling Solaire was doing nobody any favours. And all besides, that clearly wasn't the time or place to pry.
Anor Londo turned out to be a pretty easy place to navigate at first. After all their adventuring in dank, dark, and putrid smelling areas, it was a refreshing pace to travel through a region that was well-lit and spacey.
Their first real hurdle came in the form of the hulking armored giants standing guard in several places as they travelled. Bob had initially thought the things were statues, but Solaire cautiously warned him to be more attentive of their movements. The things were definitely shifting very slightly as they posed.
Though the giants weren't attacking outright, Bob felt it was no time to push their luck and get any closer than they needed to. Especially in regards to the silent pair at the end of a spacious room guarding some treasure chests.
Bob gulped as they passed another ominously silent giant standing precariously beside a large doorway. They were pretty close, but thankfully not close enough for it to decide to attack. It did however trace their movements with its head. The fact that it didn't have a visible face was unnerving, as was the size of its peerlesly decorated halberd at its side. There was no way his already dented knight shield would be able to block that, Bob grumbled to himself.
Things were going quite well when they managed to find their first bonfire down a small corridor's flight of steps. Bob immediately noticed the bronze-armored warrior leaning against the far wall when they entered the bonfire room. The person hardly reacted to their prescence save for a short glance when they initially entered. Stacy, ever the ambassador, was already yapping away at the strange figure.
'That armor set is badass! Where'd you buy that?'
The warrior actually chuckled at that. A soft and feminine tone revebrated throughout the small room.
'Stace! Relax will you.' Bob hissed at her and tried to make a less rude impression. 'Ah, sorry about that ma'am. I hope we're not disturbing you. We didn't know there was someone at this bonfire already.'
The warrior shook her head calmly. 'No apologies are necessary. The girl seems young and curious. And no, you have not disturbed me. I am the Keeper of this flame, after all. I am bound to tend the fire here for weary travellers, providing whatever small solace I can in this Lost City.'
'Oh, okay.' Stacy replied simply. 'So…where did you buy that armor?'
Another small laugh. 'I am afraid my raiment was a gift from my master. I highly doubt it can be purchased anywhere.'
'Ah, that's too bad.' Stacy huffed and sat down on the floor, leaning against the same wall with her legs splayed out lazily. 'My name's Stacy, by the way. Nice to meet you.'
Stacy smiled up at the woman cheerfully, who regarded her with a slight tip of her helmet. Bob was a little confused at first as to why Stacy was so insistent to talk to the stranger. He realized it was probably relaxing for her to speak to someone of her own gender.
'You truly are a curious child, aren't you? I am sorry, but I have reason enough to keep to myself. My role in this world doesn't lend itself to meeting others.'
Stacy just raised an eyebrow at the cold response, but remained otherwise undaunted in her efforts to converse with the other woman.
'Aww, c'mon. Not even your name?' Stacy did that trademark cheeky grin of hers.
'Arcadia.'
The room fell into complete silence, save for the dull hum of the bonfire. It hadn't been the woman who had spoke, but Solaire. Having been standing quietly to one side for a while, his sudden entry to the conversation surprised everyone, especially, it seemed, the strange woman herself.
She moved off the wall and uncrossed her arms, staring at Solaire. Her stance was stiff, limbs tensed and ready, on the very edge of combat.
'Who are you?' She demanded sharply, fingers at twitch length from the handle of her rapier and dagger.
Solaire stood his ground, unperturbed, but standing in a way that told he had no will to fight the woman.
'I am Solaire of Astora.' He answered simply. Did he know her? Why was she so threatened that Solaire had known her name? Bob wanted to ask him what was going on, but the tense air didn't subside a fraction, and his queries died in his throat.
'Solaire? I've never heard of you. Now tell me, how do you know my name?'
The situation was a thread away from getting violent. Stacy was whipping her gaze back and forth from Solaire and the woman known as Arcadia, afraid and apologetic.
Solaire didn't answer right away. He even looked to Bob for something, expecting some kind of answer from him. He had no clue what Solaire expected of him, but in the end he replied to the woman curtly.
'I do not know. I saw you. I saw this place. Something is amiss in my heart and soul.'
What was he talking about? More déjà vu or something?
After a stifling minute of silence, the woman relaxed a little and resumed her position on the wall, but her scrutinizing glare remained fixed on the Warrior of Sunlight.
'You speak the truth.' She said finally. '…I am sorry my reaction was so…forward. But I had reason to think of you as a threat.'
The tense atmosphere diminished enough for Stacy to dare a meek query. Bob wasn't entirely concerned what Arcadia's business was, but he did relish the spare time to rest in the eerie glow of the bonfire.
'M-ms Arcadia—is it okay to call you that?'
The armored woman merely shrugged. 'I suppose there's no harm in doing so.'
'Ok, is this really Anor Londo? I thought this place was a myth.'
Bob was curious of that too, and listened in on the conversation as he sat near the bonfire with Solaire joining him; taking a knee quietly.
'Do you not believe your eyes? This is indeed Anor Londo. The City of the Gods and former residence of the Lord of Sunlight, Gwyn.'
'Wow. So then, what's your place here? You mentioned you're a Firekeeper, but do you work for anyone?'
Arcadia didn't answer, and Bob had to interject.
'Stace, it's really none of our business, and she clearly has her reasons to keep it to herself. Leave her alone will you?'
'I concur.' Solaire agreed, that familiar cheerful pep in his voice back in full force. 'Fair Stacy, I think it best to proceed onward and leave the Lady to her duties.'
Bob stood up from the bonfire at those words; all his nagging injuries and general exhaustion having vanished under the bonfires afterglow.
'Sol's right. Let's go Stace.'
Stacy agreed, following Solaire as he lifted himself off the marble floor and led the way to the exit of the cramped sanctuary. Bob and Solaire nodded politely at Arcadia as they left, but Stacy took it a little further and hugged the bemused woman quickly before waving goodbye.
'See you around!'
'…Farewell.'
=][=
Anor Londo proved to be more than a showcase for the Giants with a hilariously short aggro range. Several more enemy types jumped into the fray as the trio journeyed forward. First, there was a lone gargoyle clambering about on one of the long bridgeways, the same type that they'd previously run into atop the Parish. With their increased stats and experience, they utterly destroyed the creature with an onrush of attacks that stunlocked the helpless beast into oblivion. To finish it, Solaire had ripped off it's tail axe and cleaved its head in two with a single flawless motion.
Of a slightly greater threat were the strange white-clothed ninja's arrayed around a giant cathedral area. They popped out of sneaky angles and put up a good fight. Unfortunately for them, they forgot the golden rule that dual-wielding weapons was incredibly stupid. All Bob had to do was block their fancy combination attacks and counter easily, cutting down one after the other as his cohorts did the same. Eventually the large area was cleared, leaving them to peruse the collossal and bland painting on the far wall.
Bob approached it carefully and stroked his hand over the canvas.
'Nothing here. Let's go back to that revolving bridge again.' Bob suggested, already walking back the way they came. Solaire followed him but Stacy stood her ground, gazing up at the painting with a puzzled expression.
'Fair Stacy. We should continue onward. There doesn't seem to be anything here.'
Stacy didn't hear him. In fact, she looked completely spaced out as she craned her neck upward at the painting, walking towards it with slow unnatural steps.
'Stace? What're you doing?' Bob asked her curiously.
She didn't answer him either. Just as Bob was about to repeat his concern, Stacy reached towards the painting…and was instantly sucked into it. Stacy shrieked in shock as she was cleaned off her feet and headfirst into the piece of art.
'HOLY F—!'
'My word!'
Bob and Solaire acted quickly and each grabbed hold of one of her feet and pulled frantically as some invisible force tried to shuck her inside the canvas with incredible force.
Despite having her entire torso phased through it, they could still hear her panicked shouts.
'AIEE! Pull me out! Pull me out! D-don't look up my robe!'
'Don't-!' Bob grunted. '—flatter yourself!'
'Forgive my wandering gaze, Fair Stacy!'
The force dead-set on warping Stacy inside suddenly grew in power explosively. The force was so abrupt that both Solaire and Bob went airborne with her, still holding her flailing ankles.
Reality warped before their very eyes as they tumbled through a maelstrom of nothingness. First there was blackness, then tiny flecks of white whipped by on every side until there was a literal blizzard of the stuff twisitng around them. Harsh, freezing cold numbed Bob's body, all the more unpleasant considering Anor Londo's decent spring temperature, that and he didn't know which way was up.
Then as quickly as it had come, it was over. Bob expected to land on his face again, but felt serious vertigo when he realized he was inexplicably standing on his own two shaky feet , on a rickety bridge in the middle of an expansive snowy wasteland. He couldn't really move for a while, as he was still in mild shock. With a trembling hand gripping the ropey handrails, he looked at his two companions. Stacy was much the same as he was, scared out of her mind with that glazed, petrified look in her eye.
'What…' She mumbled to no one in particular.
Solaire still somehow kept his composure, only looking slightly perplexed at the sudden shift in their surroundings.
'Well, that was odd.' He mused and glanced backwards across the narrow wooden bridge. 'Hm, it seems we cannot simply go back the way we came. The bridge is badly damaged.'
Stacy grunted hoarsely and slapped the sides of her face a few times. 'Urgh. What the hell. Just what. The HELL.'
'Seriously. That was the last thing I thought would happen.' Bob added, feeling his equilibrium return gradually. 'Stace. What happened to you back there?!'
Bob didn't mean to come off so brash, but Stacy didn't seem to notice or care.
'I know it sounds like some retarded plot device out of some crappy fantasy story…but the painting was literally calling out to me. I swear, I heard it say "Hey, you've got something I want. Get over here." Bloody hell.'
'Nice. Real nice.' Bob groaned in annoyance. 'Way to get us off track.'
'Off track?' Stacy snapped back with a darkened scowl. 'We don't even know why we came to Anor Londo in the first place. How can we be off track?'
Solaire interrupted their little squabble by stepping between them.
'My friends. Nothing is to be gained by pointless bickering.' Solaire lectured seriously. 'Regardless of the circumstances, we must press onward. There is sure to be a way out of this place.'
Bod and Stacy shared a sheepish look. There was no arguing with the man, after all they hadn't gotten that far by complaining every step of the way.
'Right, Sol. I'm sorry.' Stacy apologized.
'Yeah. That's why you're the boss.'
With that out of the way, they braved the frozen wasteland slowly and carefully. The small hills of snow and decaying trees opened up to a strange fort-like area inhabited by a few hollow zombies. They were easily dealt with when not using their stupidly annoying running attack. Of the zombies, some were sporting giant pulsating sacks of flesh where their torsos would be. They were a little harder to deal with, as cutting the aforementioned fashion statement would spew a cloud of toxin gas in their general direction.
Luckily, they'd kept their distance when finding out this fact, and Solaire helpfully suggested that they beat the corrupted hollows to death with their bare hands to prevent the gas from pouring out.
Solaire and Stacy excelled at his, naturally. The former utilizing his Astoran wrestling and the latter brawling with all the grace of a one legged barbarian tripping on an overdose of purple moss.
Eventually, they made enough headway through the fortress to come to a long, eerie looking bridge with the still corpse of another undead dragon in the distance; blocking the path.
'Gee. This looks familiar.' Bob remarked sarcastically. That world really wasn't giving them any credit.
'No way we're falling for that. Time for another plan?' Stacy suggested as they huddled together by the stairs.
'An obvious trap, of course. Perhaps you two will allow me the initiative here?'
Bob and Stacy had no time to reply when Solaire broke the huddle and sprinted across the bridge, heading right for the undead dragon. He closed the distance in a flash and the dragon predictably roared to life, only to have its moldy skull pierced by a pair of lightning bolts thrown by Solaire in mid-sprint. The spears of light pronged out from its stunned face, until Solaire charged forward and dropkicked the tips of his magic projectiles with perfect accuracy; puncturing them into the monsters head and supercharging the force of Solaire's attack. Naturally, this caused the creatures entire head to explode shortly after the impact, and soon after the rest of its decaying body rolled off to the side and fell unceremouniously from the bridge.
The dragon's pair of legs were still there, but all they did was act as a macabre archway leading the way forward.
'Shall we, my friends?' He motioned forward without a trace of smugness in his jolly voice.
=][=
They'd made it to another fog gate, most likely leading to the boss of that area and hopefully the way out of that painted world.
Though Solaire was prone to random acts of reckless heroics, he still understood when times called for a well-laid plan. They huddled again and bounced a few ideas back and forth.
'Right. If it's a small demon, Bob'll get him in a full nelson while I punch him in the liver a hundred times!'
'If the creature is large, I'll weaken it's defenses with my glorious bolts of lightning!'
'Maybe we should just all attack at once? We'll beat the shit out of whatever disgusting thing rears its ugly face!'
They joined their hands in the centre.
'On three! One, two, three, SUNLIGHT!' Stacy cheered.
With vigour and bravery in their hearts, the trio moved through the fog gate...and did nothing.
Bob was getting used to being taken by surprise, but there still things in that crazy world that stopped his momentum dead in its tracks.
The demon, if it even was that, was beautiful. And not in the sultry double-standard way that Quelaag was. She was inhumanly tall, easily double of a normal human, with a frock weaved out of white silk with a snowy silvery sheen. Long, wavy hair of the same colour framed an elegant and soft face with skin so pale that it rivalled the thick pillows of snow at her bare feet.
Her eyes were a bright emeral green, crowned by a strange formation that seemed to be eyebrows composed of some thin coral, almost like horns. In her hands was a giant scythe, poised for combat but held so evenly as to invoke no true animosity.
Was it partly human? A trick of the senses made to dishearten men like himself from fighting? If that were the case, then it was definitely working. Still, whatever she was, she wasn't attacking them, or doing anything of note save watching them placidly.
Bob wasn't alone in his hesitation. Neither Solaire or Stacy had moved from the entrance of the fog gate. The fog itself didn't dissipate, so there was no doubt that they'd entered a boss room.
'Sol, uhh, what do we do?' Bob asked nervously. The Warrior of Sunlight looked to him for a moment but couldn't offer any suggestions.
'I do not know, Young Bob. I was not prepared for a sight like this.'
Bob turned to Stacy then, but she was just gazing at the woman, mesmerized by her otherwordly appearance.
'She's so beautiful…' Stacy whispered, more to herself than anything.
Without any other options, the trio approached the mysterious woman with Solaire taking the lead, motioning to Bob and Stacy behind him to keep their weapons sheathed.
When they were close enough, the woman spoke, her tone dulled and melancholy, but still irrecovably human.
'Who art thou all? One of us thou art not. If thou has misstepped into this world, then plunge down from the plank and hurry home. If thee all seekest I, then thine desires shall be requited not.'
Bob had a bit of a hard time understanding her Olde Lordran speech, but he understood the gist of what she'd said.
'Wait…you want us to jump off that cliff over there? Is that really the only way back?' Stacy asked incredously. 'You realise how insane that sounds, don't you?'
The woman regarded Stacy with the same emotionless expression.
'Thou must returneth whence thou came. This land is peaceful, it's inhabitants kind, but thou dost not belong. I beg of thee, plunge down from the plank and hurry home.'
'Peaceful? Do you know how many things tried to kill us on the way here?' Bob said quickly, stepping to Stacy's side. 'And frankly, telling us to jump off a cliff really isn't helping your little story there.'
She actually seemed a little surprised at Bob's words, furrowing her eyebrows/horns.
'…They sought your lives? That is…strange.'
'They speak the truth.' Solaire added, approaching her calmly. 'This land is far from peaceful. Which is why I am puzzled at your prescence. You have the demenour of a kind woman, a stark contrast to what I've witnessed thus far.'
She said nothing, and broke eye contact warily.
'But first, forgive us for this trespass unto your world. I, Solaire of Astora, and my companions Young Bob and Fair Stacy, are most gracious for the swift exit you have offered us.'
'…Yes.' She barely mouthed. Something was troubling her deeply, Bob thought curiously.
Solaire then turned to them.
'She is telling the truth. That fall will return us home.'
As crazy as it sounded, Bob and Stacy had no reason to start doubting Solaire's judgement. After all, they'd reached that strange world by being sucked into a painting. It only made sense that something as trifling as a fall would send them back.
'Allright, Sol.' Bob nodded.
'Hm, if you say so.'
They moved past the giant woman, with Bob and Stacy giving her a wider berth than their leader. She seemed to be completely ignoring them at that point, lost in her own pained thoughts.
As Solaire and Bob reached the supposed exit, Stacy paused and turned back to the woman, echoing the same movements that had gotten them in that situation in the first place.
'Stace, what're you doing this time?' Bob called out to her. She looked to him briefly and offered a knowing glare, walking back towards the scythe-wielding woman.
Stacy approached her steadily, pulling something from her pocket in the process and offering the small and grubby object she had fished out to her. Bob was shocked when the woman suddenly dropped her scythe and slowly reached for the object Stacy had in her hand, her green eyes awash with sudden emotion.
Bob moved on reflex but Solaire's sturdy hand moved to his chest and stopped him in place.
'Be still.' He said quietly, and watched the scene unfold.
The woman had taken the item Stacy had offered. Clutching it with adoring disbelief.
'W-where…did you come upon this…?' She actually stammered, gazing at Stacy with wide eyes.
Stacy was a little shaken at the sudden gamut of sentiment, but did her best to reply.
'I've been holding it for a while…' She explained slowly. 'I found it in one of the cells at the asylum. I'm not too sure why, but I felt it belonged to you. I guess my hunch was right…'
On closer inspection, Bob noticed the item in question was a moldy green doll of some kind. He could barely recall their escape from the Asylum, but he did manage to remember Stacy picking something up from that place as she described. What were the chances it'd belong to the giant woman?
Stacy, unsure of what to follow up with, awkwardly backpedalled away from the now silent woman, who was now clutching the doll so tight as if to never let go.
'Well, uhhh, just glad to help, I guess. I should be going now.' She stammered, and walked quickly towards Bob and Solaire.
'Don't ask, Ok?' She hissed and passed them hurriedly, and without even hesitating, did a running leap off the ledge.
Solaire laughed and followed after her, doing a kickass ninja flip before dissappearing from sight.
Bob wavered, of course, even as he peeked over the edge to see that they'd completely dissappeared from sight. He looked behind him at the woman and felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw the look of absolute serenity and joy in her teary face. She was gazing right at him too.
'Wugh!'
And of course he tripped, instantly cartwheeling horribly with the loose momentum, that image of her smile frozen in his mind.
=][=
And just like that, they were back. The sensation of falling, that merciless tug of gravity's will barely registered in Bob's mind and body. He was just there. Standing right outside the gigantic painting that acted as the portal to that strange, snowy world.
He felt a bit dizzy. Inter-dimensional travel seemed to have that effect on him. Like before, speaking aloud would probably be a good idea to regain his senses.
'Everyone here?' He asked blankly, staring forward at the smashed remains of the chandelier in the middle of the spacious room.
'Yeah, I'm Ok.'
'I am here as always, Young Bob.'
'As am I.'
Bob breathed a sigh of relief. They'd made it back safe and sound. He supposed it was time to continue exploring Anor Lo-
Wait…
The responses from his friends. One. Two. Three.
Three.
Bob looked to his side. Then up.
The giant, scythe-wielding demon woman in white was standing next to him, smiling serenely.
Bob and Stacy screamed. Solaire just laughed.
She cocked her head curiously.
'Art thou all right?'
Stacy collected herself and resumed to facepalm.
'What the hell is going on?' She grumbled.
You could almost see Solaire's bright smile through his bucket helmet.
'Jolly cooperation.'
