Event 28: Fear Across Time
A/N: "Before My Body Is Dry" from the Kill La Kill OST.
Vocals sound like Seiko and Jinta's thoughts before this fight.
From a forgotten warrior's shoulders to said warrior's headstone. From the headstone to the back of a Hollow. From the back of a Hollow to the hands of a skilled craftsman. From the craftsman to the body of a human. Through trap-filled fortresses, burning realms, light-stealing domains, dusty archives, and to the depths of the Abyss and back. Through a portal to the past. Over tainted hills and down crumbling buildings. Into the Abyss again. Seiko's coat, frayed and well-worn, fluttered above and behind her as she dropped into the Abyss one final time. It alone had stayed with her since the Asylum. The only thing more black than it had to be Seiko's own hair and the surrounding Abyss. Together, Seiko, Jinta, and Sif fell. Further and further down, too far to survive should they suddenly hit the ground. But the ground was no abrupt end. As if the void around them were waiting, they slowed in midair, their feet touching a stone platform with crumbled pillars and an exhumed grave...
Sif howled the moment he hit the stone, his hair bristling and his sword ready. In the darkness many red eyes seemed to float just out of sight, attached to something much bigger than any Bloathead. Seiko and Jinta hit next, weapons out. Jinta saw the grave, saw the eyes, and spoke to Seiko like they were the only ones in the world anymore.
"It must be Manus. In the legend Artorias killed him. Looks like the opposite is true..." said Jinta.
Seiko was shaking at the sight of those eyes. She could hear her father choking out his last word echo through her mind. Her breathing was heavy, almost as if she would start growling at any second.
"I want you to know... I would never have come here if not for you... Not here, the Abyss, here in myself. You took every doubt a man of faith like me could ever have. Legend or no legend, it doesn't matter to me anymore. This is right. This is just. And as long as I have you, and as long as that fact remains, my reasons for fighting are right in front of me..."
Jinta smacked the side of his bastard sword on his shield.
"Let's kick this thing's ass!"
Manus didn't seem to eager to fight at first. He must have heard Sif, and seen his opponents fall onto his platform, so hidden from the world. Yet he remained still. It made the three warriors nervous. Did Manus not see them as a threat? Jinta volunteered to get his attention with Emit Force, since his miracles didn't take too much of his own strength to perform. The change was instant. Emit Force arced through the air, hitting Manus in the back. Instantly he turned, swinging a huge catalyst like a club. Sif and Seiko dodged, but Jinta, a spark in his eye, brought up his shield and deflected the hit. Manus' catalyst slid perfectly over Jinta's head thanks to the slant of the shield, leaving Jinta free to charge forward and slash. Jinta managed to make a gash in Manus' chest before the monster finished turning, bringing the huge monkey's paw of his left hand to bear. Jinta was smacked right out of his attack and sent rolling over the floor and into a pillar.
As Jinta popped up and recited a line from Heal, Seiko and Sif tore into Manus after his two attacks before he could bring up his guard. Manus seemed to bleed freely, but the wounds didn't seem to phase him in the slightest. Manus simply spun around, his huge paw leading, and swatted at Sif with his catalyst. Sif was light on his feet, dodging about and slashing at Manus with impunity. Seiko, on the other hand, barely rolled aside as Manus slammed his paw down to crush her. She knew right away that her sword would be of little use. She stabbed it into the stone, leaving it behind as she began to brandish her Pyromancies. A blue Flame Whip in each hand, Seiko lashed out at Manus, searing part of the massive crest on his head and part of his left arm. Manus didn't take kindly to the abuse, firing a massive Dark Bead at Seiko from his catalyst and using his paw to shield his face from Jinta. Jinta nearly sliced through the thick arm, but a bat from Manus' barbed tail forced him to stop his attack and step back. Seiko turned her whips into a jet of flames, canceling out the Dark Bead.
"Seiko! The Black Flame! Give it a shot!" yelled Jinta.
Seiko didn't need to hear anything else. The journal she'd started reading had mentioned that Black Flames had the weight of Dark Magic. Conjure enough flame and she might be able to act as she had when she'd harbored the Abyss. Seiko slammed her fists together and black sparks puffed from her gloves. Manus threw a tantrum as Sif jumped on his back and sliced off a section of the crest on his head, sheering off several small red eyes. The strength that attack took had to rival Artorias'. As Manus was distracted, Seiko drew in Abyss and threw a black fireball at the other side of Manus' head. The ball struck with the force of a falling pillar, making Manus stumble.
"Nice!... Seiko...?!" said Jinta, looking to her.
The attack had taken strength equal to doing the same damage from Seiko. That kind of advanced Pyromancy was why Power Within sapped Seiko's strength to the point of knocking her out.
"Ok, forget that! Too risky! Get his attention! I've got something for him!" hollered Jinta, putting his shield on his back. He took out his talisman, backing off. Seiko remembered his Sunlight Blade tactic and did as he said. She felt like she'd already been fighting for an hour, but she had strength left to do what needed to be done. With blue flames in both gloved hands, Seiko threw one as she jumped to dodge a strike, then the other as Manus turned to shriek at her. Even after all his wounds, Manus didn't seem like he was too hurt...
"This is it... Knowing what I know now I almost wish we hadn't won the previous fight... We killed Artorias, but we saved his legend... Now we ourselves must avenge his death and finish his work... Solaire... Help me... One more time... This time for the right cause!"
"In Lordran, time is convoluted. As I sit, waiting for the next worthy opponent, I remember how we fought together... You've changed, I can tell... You don't need my help this time; your own faith will be more than enough... Simply recite the prayer you need most..."
…
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding," began Jinta, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshing to your bones! Tranquil Walk Of Peace!"
Jinta's miracle, foreign to the Way of White, seemed to weigh down Manus like shackles made for a dragon. Seiko and Sif, seeing the effect instantly, ripped into Manus with a fury. Sif, rested thanks to the protection of Artorias and brimming with primal rage, sliced into Manus' back with powerful swipes of his sword. Seiko, on the other hand, felt her limbs weighing down like lead, running on her own rage alone. Her Black Flame stunt had pulled far too much out of her for her to be effective anymore. Unless Jinta could cast Soothing Sunlight for her, Seiko wouldn't be doing much more in the way of Pyromancy. As it seemed Sif would rip into Manus' spine, the huge creature managed to lift its paw and stretch behind its back, punching Sif and dislodging him. Jinta ran forward, slicing into Manus' chest five times before the corrupted humanoid could stop him. Unexpectedly, Tranquil Walk Of Peace wore off, and Manus immediately closed his paw around Jinta, breaking his right arm and crushing his shield against his body, nearly shattering his fingers.
Jinta screamed in pain, still struggling to be free. It was then that Manus decided enough was enough. Slamming the butt of his catalyst into the stone, Manus howled in a demon's voice and the Abyss flew to him like smoke into a pit. His wounds were sealed over by the black inky Abyss, and Dark Tracers rained from the emptiness above. Sif, still basically unharmed, dodged around the falling Dark Magic. Seiko had to stumble aside more than dodge, but she avoided being struck. Jinta recited Wrath Of The Gods, having to stop several times so as not to scream out in pain again. It weakened his miracle, barely harming Manus more than stripping some skin from his paw. Of course, Manus, now furious, simply took that as a sign to squeeze harder. Jinta's head whipped back and he roared in agony. Ribs cracked, his other arm broke over his shield, close to the shoulder, and his stomach ruptured in his body, crushed by one of Manus' fingers. Jinta shivered, sucking a breath and rattling off a long verse of Great Heal before another wave of pain could stop him. His internal wounds healed, causing more blinding pain, but his bones remained broken. Jinta's vision began to tunnel, growing dark. Trying not to puke inside his helmet, Jinta yelled out.
"Seiko!... His arm... Please...!"
Seiko ran to her sword, her free hand pushing a flame into her chest for Power Within. She jumped with all the strength she had left, slicing off three of Manus' fingers and carving a single rent in Jinta's Crest Shield. It didn't cut nearly all the way through the shield, but it was a battle scar nevertheless. Manus shook his thick arm, flinging Jinta away and stomping his feet. Before he could counter, Sif jumped in front of him, cutting across his remaining head crest. Manus attacked Sif instead, firing an explosion of small Dark Beads at the direwolf from his catalyst. Only three hit, but the force was enough to slam Sif into a crumbling pillar and begin tainting his fur. It also caused him to drop his sword. Jinta picked himself up, his sword lost somewhere, his arms limp.
"My helmet..." he choked out as Seiko ran over. She pulled it off and he immediately threw up, shaking.
He spat to clear his mouth. "My... Talisman!..." he demanded.
"Your arms..." started Seiko.
"Just grab it and put a hand on me!" snapped Jinta.
Seiko quickly did as he said, putting her hand on his bristly hair. Jinta recited Soothing Sunlight slowly and deliberately, focusing as best he could. His bones snapped back into place painlessly and he sucked a full breath at last. Seiko could feel her power returning to her limbs, her exhaustion beginning to melt.
"That's the best I can do for now... We've got to help Sif... Get moving!" said Jinta, shaking his arms to get feeling in them and running off to reposition himself for his next plan.
With Seiko fending off Manus with Pyromancy Sif was able to recover and pick up his greatsword again. The battle seemed to shift back in their favor. Just as Seiko allowed her subconscious to believe they could win, Manus crushed such thoughts. He saw Jinta as the most annoying and biggest threat. He could dodge Seiko, and Sif couldn't cut deep enough without endangering himself. Jinta, however, had blocked his attacks on several occasions, weighed him down, healed his partner, and struck with miracles. This flicker of light had to go. Swatting at Sif and casting another blast of Dark Beads, this time at Seiko, Manus launched into a rampage against Jinta. Limbs flailed, Dark magic flew, and in the end Manus staggered Jinta and smashed him flat with a strike from the monkey's paw on his left arm. Jinta wasn't dead, but he'd been knocked out. Of course, by looking, no one could tell. Seiko became furious, summoning flame pillars under Manus' feet and spitting acid. Manus pulled Abyss around himself, shielding himself from all of her Pyromancies. All at once he burst his shield of Abyss, sending Seiko and Sif tumbling over the stone floor. Seiko popped to her feet in time to see the Abyss gathering again... This time around her...
No.
The Abyss pressed into her mouth, her nose, her eyes, her ears...
No.
Fury became panic... Panic became terror...
NO.
Seiko clenched her fists. She knew this feeling. Drowning in darkness. Doubt. Fear. She had no ring to save her. She knew the Abyss would take her this time... She knew the Abyss... No wonder Manus had killed Jinta first, it knew from her experiences how he could plan and change the tide of a losing fight. It knew that without him around, Seiko would begin to crumble behind her wall of rage...
No...
"You took every doubt a man of faith like me could ever have."
"As long as I have you... My reasons for fighting are right in front of me..."
Manus turned to Sif, leaving his sphere of Abyss to crush Seiko. The lone wolf bristled, standing his ground, ready to fight to the death to avenge his partner. Both Manus and Sif felt the disparity at the same time. Heat in the cold. Light in the dark. Blue flames flickered over the surface of the Abyss surrounding Seiko, exploding out like they had when Seiko had fought the Bed Of Chaos. An aura of fire forced the Abyss to dissipate, revealing Seiko as she raised her black katana. Her coat billowed like wind rose from the stone beneath her, her hair doing the same. The look in her eyes said one thing and one thing only, which her mouth echoed.
"You die. Here and now..." hissed Seiko, her conviction in every motion of her mouth.
Manus turned fully to face her, raising his catalyst to command the Abyss... Only to cringe as Sif stabbed his greatsword into Manus' tail, rushing forward to chomp down on one of Manus' legs, pinning it. Manus attempted to deal with the bigger threat first, swinging his huge paw at Seiko. The same paw that had dragged her into the portal and overpowered her. Seiko never broke eye contact with Manus' head, running forward and stabbing through the palm of his paw with both hands on her sword. Reaching up with her left hand, her right hand alone maintaining her sword, Seiko shot a whip of flame up around a spike on Manus' head crest. Like the Bed Of Chaos, her flame seemed to become physical, yanking the beast down to look her in the eyes.
"You die. Here. And now," repeated Seiko, stating facts, not making threats. The Abyss wouldn't cooperate with her? Fine. Her father's ring was gone? Fine. Seiko had been great before Hollowing. Great before Pyromancy. Great before the Abyss. Now she had Pyromancy. She had a beautiful sword. And she had a shining star at night; a ray of light in every dark place; a man who would live and die for her. When her own light and strength weren't enough, she knew Jinta would shine beside her, and they'd be more than enough. Jinta had given her another chance to end this fight. To kill her father's murderer. A chance to do what was right, and to finish her father's legend. To Chaos with the Abyss. To Chaos with Manus.
Seiko twisted her wrist, angling her sword's point to the rocks and slamming it down to the hilt in Manus' paw, pinning it. Her hand now free, Seiko pulled back and punched Manus full in the face, snapping off his lower jaw completely and searing his skin. Her whip held and Manus shifted forward again, so she punched him again. And again. The fourth time she let the whip go and Manus rocked back and away from her, stumbling and dazed. Off-hand, Manus swiped his catalyst and the Abyss flew out to strike Seiko, only to come to a full halt just outside her flaming aura. She turned her head and her flames attached to the Abyss, pushing it away and dissipating. Seiko's next target was Manus' catalyst. She thrust an open hand at it and a jet of flame shot out of her aura, lighting the catalyst on fire. Closing her hand, Seiko pulled in Abyss to make it a Black Flame, crushing the catalyst by striking it on all sides. Manus let go of the catalyst, his left arm bulging with power as he lifted it off the ground along with Seiko's katana. Missing fingers and weighed down by the sword, Manus limply swung his paw at Seiko. Seiko did nothing but thump her left hand to her chest and hold up her right arm. Iron Flesh tripled her weight, cracking the stone around her feet, and she stopped the blow dead, not even giving an inch. Her flame aura blew from the wind of the blow, but did not go out.
Seiko wasn't finished with Manus yet. Reaching over with her left hand, Seiko ripped her katana from Manus' palm, spinning and cutting the hand off at the wrist. The flesh was cauterized from the heat of the blade. Seiko jumped, higher than normal even with the sword, landing on Manus' head crest. A quick slash and the other half was lopped off, like Sif had done to one side earlier. Dropping down, Seiko passed right by her cut, right by Manus' cheek, and let her sword fall with her, right through Manus' jaw. The stump of Manus' tongue writhed like a headless snake. Seiko hit the ground, spun and jumped again, this time putting both hands on her katana and stabbing into Manus' chest. Like when Jinta had stabbed Artorias with Sunlight Blade, flames erupted from Manus' remaining eyes and his mouth, as well as ripping out of every gap the Abyss had sealed before. Manus began to slump to the ground, dying, so Seiko put her foot on his chest, yanked her sword out, and flipped over backwards to land on her feet and get out of the way. Manus hit the stone with a crash, his corpse smoking.
"Seiko?!"
The voice was behind her and to the right. Jinta's voice. He'd recovered and was standing, staring at her as she literally erupted with blue fire.
"Since when could you do that?!" said Jinta, astonished.
"Chaos..." responded Seiko. She took a huge breath, letting out as the aura of fire died out.
"Is that how you killed it after I fell?"
Seiko nodded, her eyes fluttering. Fatigue hit her like a rock slide. Jinta rushed over to be closer in case she passed out. He doubted she'd lean on him because of her pride, but he still didn't want her to fall flat and hurt herself. Before either could say anything else, Sif wandered over. Jinta knelt down and started reciting Soothing Sunlight aloud so Seiko knew to stay close. As he finished, Jinta reached out a hand. Sif raised a paw and put it on top of Jinta's hand as he finished the miracle, healing all three.
"Well, my questions can wait... For now, the most important thing is getting out of here..." said Jinta, looking around.
"Bonfire," said Seiko, pointing.
"What? Down here?" said Jinta spotting it too. "Well, warping didn't work before, maybe it will now. Worth a shot, right?"
Jinta and Seiko ran to the bonfire, prompting Sif to follow. Jinta reached into the fire.
"Yes! We can warp again! We should bring Sif back to your mother first... After we leave I don't think I'll be able to get us back..."
Seiko nodded. "C'mon, Sif," she said, motioning to Sif to get closer.
The wolf huffed and stepped closer. Seiko grabbed Jinta's hand and Jinta put a hand on Sif's flank, warping them to the Oolacile Township bonfire, where they'd rested after fighting Artorias... It put them right outside the coliseum.
Event 29: Dragonslayer coming soon...
