To say getting Quelaag to the top of Sen's Fortress was a challenge would be an understatement. The huge building looms above the Undead Burg, looking down at its inhabitants with an air of malice. With its narrow ledges and trap-ridden corridors, the building would be nearly impossible for Quelaag to normally traverse. Even I barely made it to the top of the fortress, nearly falling to my death on more than one occasion. After defeating the giant golem at the very top of the building, I came across some flying demon-like creatures. They didn't appear hostile, although they did quite unceremoniously grab me and attempted to fly away with me.
After some coaxing I manage to get the creatures to fly down to Quelaag and bring her to the top of the fortress. It takes even more coaxing to stop her from killing them outright. Although they appear happy to take me wherever I'm apparently supposed to go, they look reluctantly at Quelaag. She is much bigger than me, and the three of them barely managed to lift her all the way up to the roof of the fortress. After a while the demon who appears to be in charge chirps a few things to one of his compatriots, who in turn flies away. It returns after a few minutes, with four more demons behind it. Two of them grab onto me and the remaining five onto Quelaag, then they fly us to Anor Londo. The creatures drop us at the top of a broad flight of stairs. The view of Anor Londo is breathtaking, as the sun throws golden hues across the city's architecture. Rising up through the clouds are enormous buildings adorned with elaborate towers and peaks. As we reach the bottom of the stairs, Quelaag instantly attacks a large sentry standing on guard. She dispatches it easily and we enter the room it was guarding. Two more sentries stand at the far end of the room, guarding what appears to be chests.
"Bet I can kill one before you do," Quelaag says playfully.
She leaps to the one in the furthest corner as I rush to the one closest to me. Although the sentry is big, its attacks are slow and easy to avoid. It takes a few hits to kill it, but not before Quelaag has already dispatched hers. She smirks smugly as we make our way to the exit on the other side of the building, which leads to a large courtyard. The sun's rays skitter across the bleak stone floor of the courtyard, painting everything in a brilliant golden hue.
Quelaag and I meet the firekeeper of Anor Londo at a bonfire adjoining the courtyard. We briefly converse before departing again, getting as much information from her as we can about the place. A few days ago, I had been told that the next step on my journey would be to come to Anor Londo and collect something called the Lordvessel. Although I felt no need to continue on the journey I had initially set out on, since I had found a new purpose amongst Quelaag and her sisters, it seemed like an ideal adventure for us to go on. Despite the fact that the Fair Lady and Quelana had not long ago also started venturing outside, using the same lift I had built for Quelaag, this is not the type of adventure to bring them along on. They seem content to simply spend some time in Firelink Shrine, which is safer than I was told Anor Londo would be. Quelaag and I bid farewell to the firekeeper and make our way back to the courtyard. At the far end we come across a large elevator going down and, as per the firekeeper's instruction, we go down it. Once at the bottom we walk out onto a long bridge, immediately meeting another adversary. A gargoyle, looking exactly like the ones I had fought all those months ago, comes barreling towards us from the other side of the bridge. I shout a quick warning to Quelaag to watch out for its tail as I take a few steps forward to meet the beast. It leaps into the air a few dozen paces in front of me and swoops its halberd down. I dodge underneath it and turn around just in time to dodge the next swipe from its weapon. Before it can follow up with another blow it lets out a sudden screech and rears back. I quickly glance around it to see that Quelaag has pinned its tail to the ground with her sword. While the gargoyle is distracted I swiftly lunge forward and drive my sword into its chest. I manage to get in a few more blows before the creature desperately lunges forward, leaving the tip of its tail behind, still pinned by Quelaag's sword. I am knocked onto my back in the process, but quickly roll out from underneath it before it can step on me. Quelaag immediately takes her chance when she sees that I am no longer underneath the creature, leaping onto its back. The gargoyle lets out a bloodcurdling screech as Quelaag's spider mouth spits lava onto its back and head, killing it within seconds.
After a quick celebration Quelaag and I move further along the bridge, which ends in a sudden drop off. I realize that the bridge is split into multiple sections, with the middle section on the other side of a sizeable gap. It's also raised above the other sections of the bridge, making it impossible to simply leap across the gap. A quick scan of the building to our left reveals that the middle section of the bridge can be accessed from there and I assume that it can be mechanically lowered to close the gap. Quelaag and I search for a way to get to the other building, which is certainly too far away to jump to. I eventually find a rather precarious archway that runs from the bridge up to the building. There doesn't appear to be any other way to cross the gap. Quelaag and I eye each other nervously.
"You will have to wait here while I go move the bridge," I say.
She opens her mouth to protest, but stops herself, her reluctance showing in her face.
"Be careful," she sighs.
I slowly make my way up the steep incline of the archway, careful not to slip on the tiles covering it. I drop down onto a balcony on the other side and go through a rather conveniently broken window into the building. I find myself on the upper levels of a huge open hallway. With no immediate way down, I reluctantly walk across a series of narrow support beams spanning the entire upper level. After multiple instances of nearly falling to my death I reach the other side and drop down to a ledge on a lower level. I find a set of stairs that takes me down even further, eventually leading me to the bottom level. I breathe a sigh of relief as I step onto the solid floor of the great hallway. The inside of the hallway, with its multitude of enemies, does not interest me at the moment. Instead I head out a nearby door, which puts me right in front of the middle section of the bridge. I can see the relief on Quelaag's face from here as I wave up to her. I go up the spiraling staircase in front of me, which exits into the top level of the bridge-section. A huge lever sits in the middle of the platform. I heave the lever to one side, hoping it will move the platform in level with the rest of the bridge.
The platform slowly begins to rotate and it takes me a moment to realize that it's also being lowered. Soon enough it comes to a stop, level with the adjoining sections of the bridge and perfectly linking them together. Another gargoyle comes running at me from the other side of the newly-joined bridge. Before I even have my sword up, Quelaag rushes past me to engage the creature. I see the gargoyle jump into the air as I run up behind her. It lunges its tail at her, but she grabs it with her hands. I quickly jump onto her back, run along it and leap into the air as I reach her humanoid-torso. I jab my sword into the still suspended gargoyle's chest and the momentum sends it tumbling to the ground with me on top of it. The blow doesn't kill it, but before it can get up, Quelaag reaches over me and thrusts her sword into its neck. We continue further, going up a broad set of stairs, which leads to the front of another huge building. Two sentinels guard the door, both of which we easily strike down. The towering door matches the grandeur of the rest of the building. Neither Quelaag nor I can find a way to open it from the outside. Exploring the rest of the area reveals yet another set of steep archways that appear to lead into the building from the side. With no other perceptible way into the building, I realize that I once again have to leave Quelaag behind to open the way for her.
"Looks like I'm going to have to go along these infernal archways again," I sigh.
"And I am going to have to sit and wait for you…again," Quelaag says.
"I don't see any other way," I say as I survey the passage awaiting me. "I'm sure I will be able to open that door from inside, somehow."
Quelaag looks back at the door, slumps her shoulders and turns back to me. She is obviously disappointed.
"Be careful," she says after a pause.
"Was I not careful last time?" I ask in a mocking tone.
She glares at me for a moment, but I can see genuine concern on her face.
"I can handle myself," I say as reassuringly as I can. "Why don't you go back to the bonfire and wait for me there? It will be safer…"
"No!" she cuts me off. "I will wait for you right here."
She has that tone in her voice that I have heard all too many times before. She isn't going to listen to me and I'm not going to stand here and argue with her. The sooner I get inside the building, the sooner I can open the door and rejoin Quelaag. I reach out and touch her hand, giving her a nod, both of acceptance and reassurance. I can still feel her looking at me as I turn towards the nearby archway.
"At least this one has a railing," I say under my breath.