Honestly I expected more people to be surprised protag called Lucatiel babe in the last chapter but y'all were so chill.
I'm not though! ! ! BECAUSE WE HIT FIFTY REVIEWS. Look at that shit, I busted out the caps lock I'm so excited. Like... I never thought this would be so popular! It just started as me crushing on Lucatiel and now we're here! I'm so pours of myself and you guys and I'm just ! ! ! thank you all so much. I would put a heart here but ffnet doesn't like less than symbols.
...
So writing/editing this chap was an adventure. I feel scandalous.
I sorta like it though, and I've definitely got room to improve!
! ! ! WARNING AGAIN FOR THIS CHAP for an injury, and whatnot I mean its Dark Souls. And you're hardcore af.
Do I have to put a warning for kisses? ? ? probably not, right? Whatever. There be kissin ahead. I hope you're hyped as I am.
You end up trading your damaged top for the tattered set's tank top. You figure you're less likely to damage it if there's less to damage in the first place. You do keep the necklace on though, mostly because you think it's made of bone and that's sort of badass.
Lucatiel is waiting for you next to the bonfire, leaning against the banister. You stop when you notice her missing hat. You're almost startled by the fact she's still in full armor, but it is Lucatiel. She seems impervious to extreme temperatures.
"What's up?" You ask her curiously.
"I'm too hot." She explains, smiling as she takes in your outfit change.
"You got that right." You answer immediately. Honestly, you can't help yourself. She makes it too easy.
She simply raises an eyebrow. "I feel as if I'm missing something."
"You are." You say lightly, wondering if she'd let you rebraid her hair. It's messy after being squashed by her hat for so long. You also have the strangest desire to remain close to her. Not even in a sexual way just... Close. You like being near her, and god knows its much too hot for snuggling. "May I?" You finally ask, brushing the strays out of her face.
"If you explain why I'm correct in calling myself hot. I assume you don't mean my temperature." She smiles, moving to sit down on the steps.
You sit down a step above her and undo the long braid, noting that she ties it with a purple ribbon. Finger combing her hair out, you marvel how silky it is and explain, "Hot is slang for attractive where I come from. So you're like calling yourself sexy. Which, admittedly, is a valid statement."
"I see." Laughing, her shoulders start to shake and you know she's trying not to move for your benefit. "And what is the definition of slang?"
You shrug, "Shortened language or something like that. I forget sometimes that even after hanging with me for so long you don't get all my linguistic quirks." You begin the task of separating her hair into three (arguably) even parts.
"Hanging with?" She repeats, proving your point.
"Shush," You mock order.
She laughs and the two of you fall into a comfortable silence while you finish her braid. You're actually rather proud of how it turns out, and you tie it with a flourish. "Done!" Standing up, you glance at the sky almost instinctively to see how long it took. The sky is (unsurprisingly) unchanged. Drangleic is so fuckin weird.
Lucatiel also gets to her feet, stretching out. "Are we ready to proceed then?" She asks.
You nod, "I guess. We've got the smelter demon and the Old Iron King. Then we're done with this path. Unless I wanna try out the brume tower, but that's a little intimidating at this point." Your notes made it abundantly clear that you're supposed to wait until just before Nashandra to even attempt the DLC areas. And that you'll probably die many times even then.
"I will be grateful to be out of this heat." Lucatiel huffs. Your lips tilt up when she inspects her hair. "Thank you." She finally decides, glancing back to you. You note that she's nearly the same height as you now, thanks to the steps. Jeez, she is so tall!
"Y-" You begin to say 'you're welcome', only to be silenced by Lucatiel pulling you into a kiss. She seems to have a thing for grabbing whatever shirt you're wearing. You don't mind though, especially when her lips are pressing against yours, all soft and warm and Lucatiel.
She pulls away with a smirk, while you can't manage anything aside from a starry eyed stare. Oh, goodness gracious, you think. You're going to have a lot to tell Rosabeth when you return.
"We really must be going." She laughs.
You nod, trying to shake the kiss off. It doesn't actually work, but at least you tried. "You know, for someone so adverse to being complimented, you're awfully forward." You say as you begin walking over the bridge.
"You're welcome to seek recompense." She responds flippantly.
It takes you a second to remember what 'recompense' means, and even longer to realize she's trying to say you're welcome to kiss her in return. "Lucatiel!" You scold, your blush hotter than the lava surrounding you.
The Alonne knights interrupt before she can fire off an assuredly sassy reply. You take the one on the right, managing to parry him and nearly one hit him with a dagger riposte. You should really upgrade said weapon a little more...
Lucatiel steals the final blow with a single slash, smiling at your rather irritated expression. Rude. You roll your eyes and saunter over to open the heavy iron doors.
One step inside and your hatred of the Iron Keep skyrockets. It's even hotter inside the building. Probably because they've got decorative flamethrowers and no windows that allow for wind.
You mutter words that would make a sailor wince, flicking a throwing knife at the nearest Alonne to get its attention. You have to admit their sword techniques are pretty cool looking, despite your general irritation with the heat. Lucatiel brushes past the two of you while you try to land another parry, heading over the the second.
One miss and a partial parry that nearly snaps your wrist later, yours is down for the count. You grin when it's body disappears and leaves behind the gauntlets. Maybe you'll farm for the rest of the set, just for fun.
Lucatiel meets you at the doorway on the right, smiling ever so adorably. She should forgo her hat/mask more often.
You enter a short hallway, finding a staircase and a small alcove with a merchant sitting criss cross within. Oh yeah! I remember you! You think, smiling at him. "Hey."
"What? Who're you?" He responds cheerfully, tilting his head.
"(Y/N), and this is my friend," You motion to Lucatiel, letting her introduce herself as Lucatiel of Mirrah. Just saying 'my knight' seems too impersonal for you (especially with her kiss fresh on your lips), although its technically the proper term.
Most monarchs probably don't think about kissing their knights though. Or wonder if its possible for her to be both your knight and wife.
...I'm getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I?
"And who might you be?" Lucatiel continues, completely oblivious to your state of mind. It's for the best, really.
"Who, me? I'm Magerold, who else?" The merchant answers. You're not quite sure if he's joking or he's actually offended you don't know his name.
"Like the flower?" You ask.
He laughs, shaking his head. "That's a marigold, 's different. Here, have a look at my wares."
"Cool." You settle down on the floor in front of him, flicking through your options. You've long since stopped questioning how the whole inventory / shops thing works. It just does.
Lucatiel drifts over to the window while you peruse your options, asking him curiously, "How did you come to be here then, Magerold?"
"I'm mainly a treasure hunter, you see. I'm only a merchant on the side. I roam about, looking for a find, following my instincts. I don't care what a thing is worth. What matters is whether it grabs me." He explains lightly, grinning at her.
"You like it? Traveling, I mean. I can't see myself doing that for an extended period." You say, noticing the anxiety in Lucatiel's expression. She really doesn't like talking to people much (new people, at least, and you'll bet being without her mask makes it even worse.).
"Do I enjoy what I do? Well…That's a good question." He hums, glancing around at nothing in particular. You turn your attention back to your potential purchases. "But I suppose I must, I…I've been doing it for ages."
Actual ages or exaggerated ages? You pause, hesitating a bit before asking, "You're Undead?"
"Yes! Although that's not an invitation to off me." He jokes.
"Off you?" You snicker. "We use that phrase back home too."
He seems surprised too, leaning forward almost conspiringly. "And where is your home?You from Lanafir too?"
"Oh, no. I'm a whole different world. I think that's why everyone is convinced I'm nearly hollow." Shrugging, you mentally try to do the math on how much you can buy. You've been hoarding souls since the mine's, so you've got quite the stack. Doesn't he give you something if you spend enough? You find it hard to remember which merchants do that.
"You look human enough me." Magerold says. "But speaking of oddities, you know that fellow with hulking blue sword?"
"Benhart." You raise your eyebrows.
Magerold nods, "He talks really highly of that sword of his, but I got a feeling it's a fake. I didn't want to disappoint him, so I just sort of talked around it... Let me just say, there are lots of "legendary swords" out there."
"Hm." You smile. "That was nice of you. I've only met him once and sorta got on my nerves."
He chuckles, glancing over at Lucatiel. "Like the view? There's good iron in these parts. An old king even used it to build a castle. But the thing was too heavy, and it slowly sank into the ground. Fires spouted from the earth, and…and the place turned into this. At least, that's what I'm told. Not a bad story, eh?"
She seems unimpressed at best, but thankfully Magerold doesn't take it as a personal offense. "So, what'll it be? Anything for you today?" He asks you.
"Yeah... The fragrant branch and the carvings, please?" You respond, cupping your hands. It's fairly simple for you to make a ball of souls now. Shalquoir was actually the one who taught you, way back when you were a baby undead. Holding souls in your hands is... Odd. Warm and soft, although its (they've?) got the consistency of silly putty. Not at all what you expected given their in game sprites. When willed to they melt into your palms.
"Thank you! I found those carvings in ruins of some sort, quite a while back. Still don't know how they came to be." He says, accepting the souls.
"A colosseum, right? Or what used to be one. In the middle of huuuge forest." You smile. "Probably a clearing with hundreds of rusty swords nearby." You very much doubt Artorias' grave survived all this time though. It feels nice to talk about the first game though. You seem to remember more of that than you do the second, which seems unfair given the circumstances.
Magerold noticeably stills, giving you the strangest look. "How did you know?"
"It's... A legend, you could say. Supposedly, these carvings were made by one of the ancient knights of Gwyn, The Lord of Sunlight. The swords mark one of their graves, Artotias the AbyssWalker. He fought off the abyss with his Great Wolf companion Sif until succumbing himself. Then a brave and reckless hero from another time entirely appeared, and slew both the corrupted Artorias and the Father of the Abyss, Manus."
"Truly?" Magerold grins, rapt by your 'story telling'.
"Yes! Some even believe Manus lives on in certain individuals, daughter's of the Abyss. Each a manifestation of Manus' emotions, his fear, need, anger... That's what I've heard, at least." You try to play it off as a rumor, although you're not sure if either Lucatiel or Magerold buy it. You probably should've been vaguer.
"Fascinating." Magerold declares, pulling something out of his pocket. "I think we have similar tastes, really I do. Here, you should like this."
"Oh, you really don't need..." You begin, stopping when you realize it's covetous gold. "Actually, that is so cool, where did you get this?" You ask excitedly. Slipping it onto your pointer finger, it does that weird thing most rings on Drangleic do and shifts until it fits perfectly around your finger.
"Here or there." Magerold laughs.
You get to your feet with a grin, stretching. "Nice. We better get going though. Got a Balrog to slay, I'm sure you understand." There is actually no way he understands.
He nods sagely, "Of course! Do return if you require any of my wares, or learn any more of your story."
You snort in amusement, nodding. "Luca?"
"I am ready to proceed when you are." She says.
You never thought old timey syntax could be so cute. You smile as you continue out the hallway and up the staircase (only to backpedal and kill the knight at the top of the stairs). There's a small room at the top, and you once again question the Drangleic design team before the two of you head back to the beginning.
Seriously though, who built this? Was it the Iron King? Fuck that guy.
You're a tiny bit harsher than necessary with the next group of Alonne knights, and unfortunately none of them drop an item. The bowman nearly puts an arrow through your chest before Lucatiel back stabs him, resulting in a tiny cut on your arm.
What is this Undead and trying to hack off my arm? You reason that hitting someone square in the heart might slow them down a bit, so it makes sense for them to aim for it. Your dodging skills are really what needs work.
"Were you being truthful?" Lucatiel suddenly says, appearing to be honestly perplexed.
"What?" She's not talking about my shitty dodging, right?
"The story. You spoke as if you were there." She prompts, not waiting up for you. She's obviously expecting answer, despite the great bow now trained on her. At least it's a little cooler out in the open like this.
"Oh. Yeah. I was, in a sense. It's... Complicated." You wonder if this is really the time to be spilling your metaphorical guts. Hopefully you will not be spilling your actual guts at any time. That would seriously suck. "Can we talk about this in Majula? I mean, it doesn't really seem like the-" You just barely dodge when the Alonne knight turns its attention from Lucatiel to you. Your first instinct is to use combustion, although it barely does anything. Damn them and their flame resistant armor.
Taking the liberty to kill them for you, Lucatiel barks a laugh. "I suppose."
You continue in silence, only stopping after you've crossed the bridge and taken care of the Captain in front of the boss fog. Lucatiel jumps down to flip the other switch while you stop in front of the gap to the house like building.
Well, that's what you'd assume it was, before everything went to hell. You have to commend the knight's dedication for sticking around so long.
You do not commend them for firing an arrow through your stomach while you consider the risks of jumping across the gap though.
"(Y/N)!" Lucatiel yells.
You skitter backwards in order to dodge a second arrow. Jeez, these guys do not mess around. You think, pressing your hands to the wound. Unlike its in game counterpart, arrows do not just disappear. Which means you'll have to either yank it out, or shove it out the other side. Neither is really ideal, but...
Lucatiel is at your side before you can start to freak out over which is better, hissing curses as she shoves your hands out of the way.
"I cannot leave you alone for three seconds!"
"Thank god I'm Undead." You say, your voice hoarser than usual. You blame the fucking arrow sticking out of your abdomen. "Lucatiel, I'm fine." You carefully remove her hands, deciding it'll be easier for the both of you for you to do it. You're definitely not fine, but hey.
She makes an irritated noise in the back of her throat, looking away. "I... Apologize."
You yank the arrow out before you can chicken out, grinding your teeth together to keep from crying out. Goddamn, does that hurt. "There's... No reason to apologize, Lucatiel." You tell her.
She glances at you out of the corner of her eyes, her disbelief evident. "What were you doing anyway?" She sighs.
"There's an item over there I want." You point, smiling nervously.
"Then allow me to go first." She offers.
You shrug (followed by a grimace that reminds you there's an actual whole in your stomach), "Sure."
She moves on ahead without any more debate, while you crush a lifegem and question your life decisions. You really do have to wonder what the hell happened that threw you into Dark Souls of all games. What are the odds one of the most violent games you've ever played ends up being the one you're thrown into? Although.. There are definite perks. Unpermenant death, for example.
You watch with morbid fascination as the wound knits itself back together, leaving smooth skin behind. Being Undead is so fucking trippy.
With that in mind, you jump across the gap and move to throw open the iron chest hiding in the corner. You throw the zweihander in your inventory and try you best to ignore the persistent voice in your hand saying 'Ready the bass cannon.' Whatever the fuck that means.
Lucatiel is already on the roof, but did leave the ember for you to pluck out of the poor skeleton's hand after making the riskier jump. Poor skeleton. You sigh, making your way into the itty bitty structure.
"Do you happen to have a lockstone?" Lucatiel asks when you reach the top of the ladder.
"Probably." You open up your inventory to confirm, finding two. You hand one to Lucatiel with a grin. "What do you- oh." You begin to ask what she's thinks it is, only for water to burst out of the strange device.
Lucatiel drops her hand, a perfect poker face in place. You get the feeling she's just done with with Lord path (which sucks considering you've got two more bosses).
You shift closer, finding the water to be lukewarm and simply amazing compared to the heat. It only goes up just past your ankles, but you'll take what you can get. "Nice." You state, kicking it up a bit.
Lucatiel laughs despite her sour expression. "Enjoying the water?"
"It's nice and cool. Come on." You respond cheerfully, grabbing her hands to pull her into the small pool.
"I do adore getting my boots soaking wet." She hmphs.
You flash her a bright smile anyway, "And I adore you. Even when you're being sarcastic, which is sort of rude, but-"
She's got you pressed up against the wall within the next second, her hands resting on your hips. Your sassy remark dies on your lips. You should be used to her cutting you off by this point, but it still comes as a surprise.
"But?" She repeats, smirking.
Part of you is irritated by that, while the large majority is demanding you kiss her. You end up biting the inside of your cheek and staring at her incredulously. Jesus Christ, can you please fricken kiss me right now.
Lucatiel's smirk shifts into an honest smile just before she seals your mouth with a kiss, harsher than earlier but no less pleasant. You snake your arms around her waist and press closer, sighing happily.
You find it very hard to control your breathing, even when she pulls away. She seems to be having a similar reaction though, which you take no small amount of pride in.
Grinning, you press another few kisses to her mouth, her cheeks, even her jawbone (which makes her shiver and dig her fingers into your hips). You decide that particular reaction is the hottest thing in the Iron Keep.
"Stop that." She breathes, tilting her face up nonetheless.
You giggle, "Then you gotta stop being cute."
If her shuddering gasps as you nibble at her neck are anything to go by, she doesn't plan on refraining from cuteness. Her grip is probably leaving bruises at this point though. Another thing you never really considered yourself into.
"We should... Really... continue... Our mission." She says slowly.
"I would rather kiss you." You murmur against her throat, smiling wickedly. "And I'm sure the King appreciates the extra time."
Lucatiel laughs breathlessly, moving one hand to tilt your face back up to look at her properly. "You make a compelling argument."
"Damn right." You agree, leaning up to kiss her again.
A few more minutes... Hours... Won't matter, right?