Anor Londo, from their vantage point high above its streets along the outer wall, was a breathtaking display of human architecture; buildings on top of buildings, wide and winding streets wrapping the lower levels, great stone statues watching over the upper ones, polished gold trimming around massive panes of stained glass colorfully decorated with scenes of warriors and beasts and landscapes unlike anything Quelana had ever heard about. Looking out upon it all as the pale sun was lowering behind the Western stand of towers and churches, she found herself clutching dearly to Abby's robed arm beside her and forcing her breathing to remain calm. She could not understand why any creature would want to build such a massive, confusing, maze of stone and glass, even as beautiful as it was. Abby's hand reached out and took her own, giving it a squeeze. Quelana forced an uneasy smile at the girl and lowered her gaze from the city sprawled before her to her hand. "Thank you."

Abby returned the smile and looked to Anor Londo herself. The sight didn't bother her at all; in fact, it seemed to have quite the opposite affect. The girl's eyes were narrowed in determination, the last bit of pale sun washing her face in a warm glow. "They are out there, Quelana. They are waiting for me."

Quelana swallowed and forced a nervous glance back to the city. Abby hadn't been very talkative since the night in the forest when the creatures of the woods had come to free them, but when she did speak, it was only of this 'army' that waited them in Anor Londo: an army of hollowed soldiers and demons and beasts alike. The very thought of it made Quelana want to grab the girl and steal her away back to Blighttown where it was safe; where she could protect her. She'd learned, though, that whatever was happening to Abby was beyond her understanding. The more they traveled, the more convinced Quelana became that the girl was not just sure of herself, but absolutely convinced she knew what she was doing. She soldiered forward now in a zealous, relentless, way that Quelana had seen only in her most pious of pupils back in Blighttown.

And so, when Abby squeezed her hand and stared into the city, Quelana only sighed and stared herself. "Will they hurt you?" She asked after a long moment of silence.

Abby squinted. "I don't believe so. They want me to succeed. I don't see what harming me would accomplish." At that moment, the grey wolf that had been accompanying them since the forest wrestled its way between them and rubbed its head against Abby's leg. Abby smiled and lowered her hand to stroke his fur. "And me new friend here will protect me." She lifted her gaze. "As will you and the Warrior of the Sun, Solaire. I do not doubt your abilities. I will... I am in good hands."

Quelana nodded, turning back to look at the 'sun warrior' and the rest of their traveling companions waiting a bit further down the wall. The masked crossbowmen, Chester, had slipped away from them in the woods the first night they set out, but the rest had seemed too frightened of either the wolf, of Solaire, or of her to attempt a similar trick, and so they remained in their company. Both Kirk and Laurentius looked miserable and anxious to return to whatever home awaited them all at this 'Duke's Archives' they spoke of. Patches hadn't said a word since leaving the forest, choosing instead to cradle his smashed hand and do his best to stay out of everyone's way. Quelana had pleaded with Abby to allow her to either dispose of the men or send them on their way, but Abby was insistent on 'not dealing judgement' like 'savage executioners', and so Quelana held her tongue-and her anger-and simply avoided looking at or speaking with the men on their travels. Solaire, at least, was keeping a vigilant eye on them, his straight sword never leaving his hand the entire time.

The moment when the power would shift was nearly upon them, though, and Quelana could feel it coming like many a storm she'd seen brewing high above Blighttown in younger years; baleful and ominous darkness ready to crash down upon them in a flash. She turned back to Abby and leaned above the wolf to speak quietly. "Abby... if you are insistent on meeting with this 'Logan' man that they claim leads the humans now, please exercise every bit of caution. Any man who send savages like those out on a mission can not be very trustworthy."

"Solaire speaks highly of him," Abby said, scratching the wolf under its snout. "And Solaire is a good man. Perhaps this Logan, like Solaire himself, was deceived by the other men's cruelties."

"Then a man who could be deceived so easily is not trustworthy either," Quelana warned. "Not to mention the merchant from the Burg, Domhnall, didn't seem to care for the man..."

"Quelana... if the last of my species is gathered under one roof, I have to meet with them. Once I set foot in Anor Londo..." She paused, staring absently down to the city streets below the wall. "There is no turning back. I'd like to see them. I'd like to look upon their faces. It will give me strength if I should ever find myself lacking in the coming endeavors."

Quelana shifted uncomfortably. The more the girl spoke of her 'quest', the more it sounded like a suicide mission. She wasn't sure what would happen when and if Abby lit this bonfire at the Kiln of the First Flame, and that unknown element frightened her more than any of the looming towers of massive stone before her. She'd asked Abby about what would happen at the end of all this the first night they were free in the forest, but Abby had avoided the subject, and so she'd probed no further. If this quest costs the girl her life, Quelana thought, can it truly be worth it? I can only hope that this Logan and his men have some other plan the girl will listen to. Some other answer to the cold. And to the dark. All of our lives seem to hang in the balance of what awaits us at the 'Duke's Archives'. She lifted her gaze to the Northwest, where the silhouette of a cluster of rounded towers stood caked with heavy snowfall. The castle loomed high over Anor Londo, high over them, as if it were watching. As if it were waiting.

"I suppose we should move if we want to stay ahead of the dark," Abby said, tracing the line of Quelana's eyes to the Archives herself. She ruffled the wolf's fur between the ears and the beast licked at her fingers and set off at a trot towards the arched section of wall that looked to wrap and wind up to an entrance of some sort. "Are you ready?" She asked, and when Quelana-with some hesitation-nodded, Abby smiled and stuck out her hand for Quelana to take.

"My ladies," Solaire greeted them further down the wall. He cast a wary eye at the three men who stood beside him. "If we are to depart, let these cravens take point. I shall stay close behind them at the ready for any trickery or deceptions. When we reach the Archives, I will inform Logan of their treacherous actions."

Kirk snorted and spit at the knight's boots, Laurentius lowered his face shamefully so that his hood hid him, and Patches avoided eye contact with any of them, rubbing at his bandaged hand. None said anything back to the knight, however, and so Abby nodded, Solaire bowed to her, and they were off. Quelana glanced back over her shoulder at the sprawling city of white and gold below them, thankful to be away from its enormous, dizzying, presence.

The arched passage gave way to a great hall with a high ceiling and wide-set walls, at the end of which was a towering statue. As they neared, Quelana saw that it was of an enormous man in round plate armor, a tiny head protruding from its top, a massive great hammer clutched in its fists. Abby stared forth as they neared, her eyes fixed upon the stone figure. "That's the largest man I've ever seen." She turned to Solaire. "Was he really so big?"

"Afraid so, my lady," Solaire answered. The knight pointed forward with the tip of his sword. "He was the royal executioner of Anor Londo in his time." Solaire's face twisted into a grimace and he hesitated to continue for a moment before adding, "They say he grew so large because... he ate the bones of his victims."

"Oh..." Abby said, disheartened.

Solaire noticed her face and quickly shook his head. "But have no fear, my lady. The man is no more. He and his friend were vanquished at the hands of... well, another Chosen."

Kirk snorted derisive laughter. "Seems all sorts of things that should be dead ain't." The ugly knight fixed his dark eyes on Abby and sneered. "Best hope he ain't waiting to eat your bones in Anor Londo, girl."

"Silence!" Solaire commanded, pointing his sword at the man; he'd at least unarmed them back in the forest, and so Kirk could only glare, spit, and turn back to continue marching on. Solaire lowered his sword and turned back to Abby, offering a comforting smile. "I assure you, my lady, the man is no more."

"How can you be so sure?" Quelana questioned.

Solaire was quiet a moment, his eyes resting upon the blade of his sword, then he said, "Because I helped the last Chosen Undead defeat him myself," and said no more on the topic.

The great hall ended, and a twist of stone stairs began. It wrapped above and around a cliffside that spilled down to the city before dumping them out to a short trek through a wooded area, at the end of which was a long tunnel carved into the side of the mountain. As they neared, their legs kicking through the heavy snowfall that plagued the entrance, men began pouring out of its entrance.

"Abby," Quelana whispered, halted, and snatched the girl's arm.

Abby allowed herself to be stopped, and Solaire moved forth with his sword drawn. His eyes swept the men that had come to meet them. Quelana recognized none of them until a shorter man walked up at the rear of the pack with a crossbow in his hands and a tophat and jester's mask covering his head and face.

"It's about damn time," Kirk snapped and stepped quickly up beside Chester. "Put a bolt in the sun knight's big mouth and then kill them bitches behind him too."

The grey wolf at Abby's feet began snarling and stalking forth beside Solaire, his fur on edge, his teeth barred. The men at the entrance way, a half-dozen armed and armored in total, all took a step away from the wolf. Solaire drew his shield up and watched the men intensely from behind it. "What is this? Logan would never stand for such-"

"Shut up, knight," Chester's voice came slightly muffled beneath his mask. "We're not going to attack."

Kirk looked disappointed. "Piss on that."

"Logan wants to speak with the girl," Chester said. "She's not to be harmed."

A tall, fat, man waddled forth in black chain mail, his straw-colored hair cut into a bowl around his thick brow. In his chubby fingers, he held iron manacles and fetters. When Solaire spotted them he drew his sword a bit higher. "What deception is this, Petrus? Logan would not have us brought forth in chains! If you expect me to lay down my-"

"It isn't for you or the girl, Solaire," the fat man, Petrus apparently, said. He nodded to Quelana. "It's for the girl's witch."

All eyes fell on Quelana, and she found herself desperately wishing she was in her own robes where she could hide instead of these cumbersome leathers and wools that the humans wore. Abby looked from her back to the man and shook her head. "No. And she is Quelana, Mother of Pyromancy, not 'my witch'. She will not harm you, nor will my wolf or my knight," she said, and Quelana saw Solaire look to Abby confused for only a moment before a sense of pride painted his face. "We will not come bound in any way. You can take my terms to Logan. We will remain here."

The men stared forth at the young woman with the shaved head and the pretty blue eyes before them. Petrus' face was screwed up in a puzzled look. "My lady, we are not offering terms. This is how it must be. If you do not accept, we don't 'take your offer' back to Logan. We part ways."

Chester lifted his crossbow a bit higher. "Logan's no fool. He's not letting a witch with her kind of destructive power loose in our only solace from the world outside these walls." He looked to the wolf. "And your pet is to be muzzled as well. Don't be a fool, girl. Logan is offering generous terms."

Abby was quiet for only a moment. "Fine," she said and a sense of relief seemed to wash over the men standing warily before Solaire and the wolf. Petrus nodded and moved forth with the manacles til Abby continued, "Then we must bid you farewell." He froze, raising an eyebrow. "Tell Logan that I'm sorry we couldn't meet." She turned to Quelana and that confident little smile was on her lips. "Come, Quelana. Solaire. Our path lies elsewhere."

Abby stepped between them, the wolf backing up beside her, and Quelana's eyes met Solaire's. They did not speak, but their shared look told the same story. If we leave now, we leave into the cold night, alone and without supplies of any sort, Quelana thought. The knight will follow her, I can see the loyalty in his eyes, but he knows what a grave error it would be. We are but three, and the dark unknown that awaits us might be numerous, might be infinite, and to turn down both shelter and possible aid would be a fool's decision. Quelana looked down to the path that wound back towards the city. She could see the enormous buildings there, and the darkness that was stealing over them as night set upon Lordran. These men have us at a disadvantage and they know it, but what other choice do we have? "Abby," she called. "Wait."

A look of relief came to Solaire's face. He nodded and turned to Abby, who had turned back but did not begin moving forward again. "I know Logan is a good man," Solaire said, approaching each word slowly and thoughtfully. "I... I can give you my word he will not have us harmed if we accept these conditions."

"These conditions are ridiculous!" Abby snapped, the wolf's anger seemingly tied to her own as it started growling. "What reason do they have to fear any of us? We've done nothing to them!"

"Tis only a caution, Abby," Quelana said, her words sounding weak and deceptive in her own ears. "The wolf and myself are dangerous. If the roles were reversed, we would be exercising the same precautions. Let them chain me."

"Your sword, knight," Petrus commanded of Solaire.

Solaire looked from the man to Quelana to Abby's puzzled face. He sighed, the clank of the sword falling to the fat man's feet resounding through the clearing. "Logan. He is... a good man," Solaire repeated. "He will bring us back the sun."

Abby's wide, blue eyes flicked from Solaire to Quelana. Quelana nodded, and Abby's face scrunched up angrily. She turned back to Anor Londo and stared at the city for a long moment before her shoulders slumped and she faced the men once more. "There is an army in that city. It awaits me to lead it. If any harm should befall me or my friends..."

"I'm sure it will come and smash us all to bits," Chester finished for her. "Can we hurry this up? Night comes and the winds grow cold. I'd rather be discussing this over a warm meal and a bit of wine, wouldn't you? Chain the witch. Muzzle the wolf."

Petrus approached Quelana warily. The big man was studying her apprehensively, as if she were a spring-loaded trap ready to fire upon him. When he cautiously reached forth to shackle her wrists, Abby stepped between them and took them from him. The man gave them up easy enough, looking relieved at not having to get any closer, and stepped away. Abby looked at them, that same anger burning quietly in her eyes, and sighed. "It's alright," Quelana said quietly and held out her hands. "These men do not frighten me. I have you on my side." That seemed to dissolve just a bit of Abby's frustration. The girl moved forth and locked her wrists together, traced the chain down to her feet, and did the same at her ankles. She was left with just enough slack to shuffle forward. Petrus tossed her a leather muzzle, and Quelana watched in wonder as Abby called to the wolf they'd picked up in the forest, and the great beast allowed her to muzzle it without even a bit of struggle. When it was done, Abby lowered her face to the top of the wolf's head and kissed, and Quelana could hear the thing whimper beneath her.

"You should muzzle the fire bitch," Patches added from behind them; Quelana had forgotten he was even there. "She took over my mind with just her tongue before! Bitch almost got me killed!"

Chester moved the crossbow from Solaire to Patches and cocked his head to the side. "Patches, what in the cursed hells are you still doing here? How has someone not killed you yet?"

Patches face turned to the color of spoiled milk. His eyes widened and he put up his hands, one bandaged, one not. "I-I was j-just saying-"

"Kill him," Kirk said with a laugh. "His bald head is too ugly to drag into the Archives. It'll scare off all the children."

"P-please!" Patches pleaded, dropping to his knees.

Some of the men behind Petrus laughed and Chester snickered with them. "Run away, hyena, before I put a bolt between your eyes."

"R-run away?" Patches echoed. He glanced back over his shoulder at the path they'd just come from. "It's going to be nighttime soon... I don't know where-"

"Is that our problem?" Chester asked. "Now I told you to run, hyena! Go on! Get!"

The man let a bolt fly. It bit the dirt right between Patches' knees. The bald man shrieked and tried scrambling away so fast, he tumbled back onto his ass. His injured hand landed beneath him and he cried out in agony, but another bolt thumped into the dirt beside him and he had to leap to his feet to get running. Kirk's booming laughter filled the clearing, and the rest of the men soon joined him. The last of Patches Quelana saw was a brief glimpse of his bald head as it dipped around the spiraling stone staircase that they'd arrived from. She felt no sympathy for the man. He had killed Lautrec. Or he hasn't, Quelana reminded herself. But if the knight lives... alone and injured... he won't live for long. The thought, she found with some surprise, saddened her. She wouldn't have called the man her 'friend' exactly, but... he was clever, strong, and determined - all qualities she wished she had beside her now.

"Let's go," Petrus commanded, stepping to the side so Solaire, Abby, and herself could move between the small convoy that had come to lead them in.

Abby sighed, glancing once more at Anor Londo before taking Quelana's arm in her own. They walked side-by-side, slowly so Quelana could keep us in her manacles and fetters, and passed beneath the tunnel entrance and into the long hall that would take them to the Archives, armed men all around them. The muzzled wolf trotted forward, and Quelana could swear she heard him whimper again as they moved deeper inside.

Their lives, their mission, and maybe the fate of Lodran itself now rested in this 'Logan's' hands. Quelana could only hope he was as good a man as Solaire claimed.