-Darkroot Garden-
Seiko approached the bridge that lead to the glowing door. Looking down she could see the river that ran through the wood and over the falls, into the lake in the basin. Looking back, most of the way she'd come was hidden by fog from the humid forest. She felt the dread that came with another invader creep in as she crossed the bridge, but pressed forward and hoped they would appear far enough away to miss her opening the door. As she approached, the two stone doors lost their glow and swung open. Inside was a circular clearing with stone walls too steep to walk up surrounding it. There was a ring of flowing water near the outer wall, ankle deep, and the ground rose higher as it neared the center of the clearing. At the center was a massive headstone, a sword just as large stabbed into the ground before it, and a small necklace hanging from the guard of the sword.
Seiko walked into the clearing, looking around. She felt the cloud of an impending threat from her invader lift, but not the unease she felt from the grave itself. Surely this had to be the place she was looking for, but unless she was inclined to dig up the man who was supposed to be her father, she doubted there was anything here for her. After all, the closer she got the more apparent it was that there was no box or note or journal awaiting for whoever might decide to-
"Sif?!"
A wolf whose shoulder nearly came up to the headstone jumped over it to defend it from her. The headstone, already as tall as a house, poked up behind him as he eyed Seiko, growling menacingly.
"You're… A lot bigger than I thought you'd be… Did you know me? Do you remember me?"
Sif kept his fangs bared, standing between her and the headstone.
"Please… I don't want to fight you… You don't deserve to have me, an Undead, fight you over and over until you lose. I don't want to do that. But I need my father's help."
No change.
"Please?"
At least he wasn't attacking.
Seiko sighed. She sat down, trying to seem unthreatening, and undid her hood. She threaded her hair out of her armor to rest over the bunched robes around her shoulders, stifled by the humid air. The only thing she could think to try was Rapport, but that was only supposed to work on weak-minded humanoid enemies. Then again, what if it still carried her will and thoughts even if it failed? Seiko took a focused breath, reaching up with her left hand and touching her temple with her index finger.
Apparently, Sif could tell she was doing something supernatural, because he tensed and growled anew. Seiko tried to ignore his threats, eyes closed, keeping her thoughts focused before attempting the technique.
Let me pass. Don't fight me. He was my father. You're too loyal to attack for me. Please.
Like a mantra, over and over and over, she repeated only that to herself until it was all she could think about. No dark and shadowed woods or cleared mound or snarling enemy. Only that phrase, herself, and a loyal warrior. Without opening her eyes she pointed toward where she knew Sif was, casting Rapport. She opened her eyes.
No change.
Seiko deflated. She was barely through the door and it was as close as she could get without being hostile. She hummed in frustration and stood suddenly. Sif stepped in and snapped at her to back her up, but she didn't move and his jaws came up short. Either because he expected her to jump back, or he missed, she wasn't sure, but he had to be old enough that missing was off the table.
"I'm not leaving, Sif. I can't do anything else substantial without help. And this is the only place I can find help. Don't make me fight, you Sif."
He snapped again. This time, Seiko could see he would actually bite her, so she moved aside rather than backwards, but she made no move to go further toward the grave. Sif hopped back a bit, facing her.
"You don't look like you want to fight me, either. If you did, you would have already chased me down. I'm not an old salt like you, but I'm not blind, either."
Another snarl, a shift in stance.
"Please. I'm not going to ask again. Just let me pass."
She started walking forward, arms out to her sides, hands open. If he killed her for it, she'd return Hollow and use Pyromancy, she decided. She was halfway through another thought when Sif pounced on her, pinning her to the grass with one giant paw. He snarled right in her face, blowing hot breath and slobber all over her. Seiko closed her eyes, cringing in disgust, but didn't attack. Sif sniffed at her and suddenly stepped away, whining once, softly.
"Sif?"
He was suddenly restless, pacing left and right, but staying between her and the grave. He kept looking from her to the grave and back. Seiko stood and waited, wiping herself off. She waited, staying still. Sif seemed like he could go either way at any second, extremely distressed. The moment dragged out and Seiko waited every second for Sif to suddenly attack her. Her worry was lifted when Sif walked over to the open door, sat in the way of it, howled, and thundered to the ground, blocking the way in and out. Seiko looked at him for a moment, waiting to see if he would do anything else.
With caution, she approached the grave. Sif didn't move to stop her, so she tried to pay him no mind and have a look around first. The only thing she could see that seemed to be out of place was the necklace hanging from the giant sword. The sword itself was large enough that she could jump up and stand balanced on the guard. She bent, taking the necklace from the guard and inspecting the ring on it. The chain was simple iron, or something similarly colored, and the ring itself was gold with a small polished sphere embedded in it.
Seiko brought the ring to eye level, looking at the sphere. Whatever it was, it was so dark that looking at it seemed more like looking into the night sky or a deep cavern. No matter how she turned it in the dim moonlight, there was no shine to it at all. It was a very thin ring, as well, something that would not only fit under her Silver Knight gauntlet, but it also seemed as if she could easily break it. Tempted as she was to touch the gem in the ring, she had an awful feeling about it, and decided against it.
Seiko jumped down and looked around in front of the grave a bit, but there was no hint of anything buried nearby. Further, she didn't think Sif would tolerate her trying to dig anything up; he might think Seiko was trying to defile Artorias' grave, something she'd like to avoid.
I hope this is what I need…
She walked over to Sif, attempting to leave.
"Thank you… I guess you did know me, you just didn't recognize me after so long. I understand. Memories are… Fleeting things."
She reached out to touch him, but Sif stood up and moved out of her way. He walked over in front of the grave again and sat down to watch her. Seiko sighed and looked back at him before leaving. She never found Ciaran curled in death behind the grave...
-Valley of Drakes-
Seiko was crossing the bridge back to New Londo when two drakes flew over and tried to snatch her off the bridge. She dove under their talons, scrambling to her feet and running for the cavern. The drakes banked, aiming to attack her again until they saw her run into the cavern. The influence of the Abyss was clear, making the cavern darker than it should have been with the overcast sunrise outside. The drakes pulled up, refusing to go in. As Seiko watched them go, the thought crossed her mind as to how frightening the Abyss had to truly be to turn away even creatures like drakes.
… To say nothing of the mounds of shriveled old bodies that had settled after the waters had drained. Slaughtering a city to save the kingdom was certainly testament to the threat of the Abyss. Seiko did her best to avoid stepping on any of the bodies, as she had when she'd left originally, as she headed back to Ingward. She entered the ruined church, headed for the ladder in the chimney.
"Ingward?"
"Ahh, Seiko. Good. I hope you've had success. Too much longer and I would have had to reinvoke the seal."
Seiko held up a gauntleted left hand. "I found a ring that's definitely got something to do with the Abyss at Artorias' grave. I hope that's success. I won't know until I try."
"I see… I had hoped for something more… Definitive. I wait here and watch. Hold still a moment. I wish to mark you so I can follow your presence. If my spell should break, I will know you died, and therefore failed. I will reapply the seal then, or if the Abyss begins to spread before you can succeed."
"So… I get one try…?"
"It is all we can afford. Your way will not be clear, either. There are surely Darkwraiths who will stand in your way."
"I can handle invaders just fine with Pyromancy."
"Not invaders. Not Undead from other worlds who have joined the cause. Child, I refer to those who gave themselves so completely to the dark that their very armor fused with their flesh. Practitioners of Lifedrain. True denizens of the Dark itself."
"It doesn't matter… I'm committed now. If what you said is true, that I'm the only one who could do this without worrying about the Abyss like Artorias could, I have to try. All the more because you helped me. Gwynevere was right… I guess this has given me some purpose after all."
"Indeed. It may be that the ring will ward off the Abyss entirely with no drain on you at all. If that is the case, I would safely wager that you can win."
"Then I hope that's what it does," said Seiko. "Wish me luck."
Seiko went back down the elevator nearby, but instead of going out the giant sluice gates, turned left and went up some stairs. Water still made the ground damp and flowed down from higher places, still draining in small quantities or perhaps coming from another source. As Seiko moved through the ruins, she heard heavy footsteps coming right at her from the front. It wasn't until whatever it was was within attack range that she could see it clearly. A skull for a head, shrouded with a black hood, black armor with white ridges or ribs all over it, and a thick straightsword in its right hand.
The black figure was already swinging at Seiko as it came into view. Seiko hopped forward and to the right, past it as it slashed downward. The figure quickly spun to attack again, dragging the sword over the ground and slicing upwards. The slash came up short and Seiko punched the thing in the ribs. It stumbled but held its ground, to her surprise, regaining its balance quickly and attacking again.
"You must be a Darkwraith…" said Seiko, impressed despite the threat.
The Darkwraith didn't respond, only pressed the assault. Seiko knew she'd have to use Pyromancy to get by, but her enemy was so aggressive she couldn't get the distance she'd need to throw fireballs. Which suited her just fine, since Combustion and Great Combustion were fast, easy to use, and took very little energy.
Seiko barely dodged another slash, stepped in to grab the Darkwraith's sword-hand and keep it down, then put her right hand right in its face and snapped out Combustion. The Darkwraith's face vanished in the blue flames, its body tensed up, and it fell over headless. Seiko looked down at it before moving on. Since Havel, this was the first enemy to withstand her punch, and it didn't sit well with her. Despite growing stronger and stronger, both in Pyromancy and physically, there were still things that could match her. She wondered if her parents had ever felt the same way. Or if she had, at one time long ago…
Fighting the Darkwraiths one on one wasn't so bad. They were slower than she was, even if they were aggressive, and her flames made quick work of them. It wasn't until she found herself in a massive hall that Seiko ran into trouble. A Darkwraith to her left was approaching, she could hear another running toward her on the right, and something else was breathing loudly to the right. Her flame torch wouldn't do anything to ward off the Dark, so all she could do was dodge past the first Darkwraith and back away. She threw a basic Fireball quickly, continuing to step back. The fire briefly illuminated the Darkwraith she'd gotten past and another approaching.
Seiko decided now was the time to try Immolation, to deter them both from staying close. She pushed her flame into her chest and down to her feet, causing flames to flower from beneath her and spiral around her. Unlike normal fire, Immolation was transparent enough that the user could see out and others could see in. Now a living torch and slowly draining energy, Seiko used both hands to cast Fire Surge and stay away from her foes.
She dodged this way and that, earning some light cuts down her outstretched arms, but she kept away long enough to wear down the two enemies. Both of them finally felt the heat overwhelm them and paused, trying to put out the blue flames that clung to them. In that moment, Seiko stepped in and pumped up Immolation, completely enveloping them in her fire. The Darkwraiths groaned in agony, clawing at the masks that had fused to their heads and falling over.
Seiko released Immolation, reaching down for her Estus Flask, when a huge spear shot from the darkness and pierced her stomach, straight out her back. It ripped back out and she hit the floor on her back, unable to feel her legs. In a panic, she drank Estus but spilled any that didn't make it to her mouth by accident. She was healed, though with the hole in her armor, but she had no more Estus. She flipped to her feet from the ground, flames alight, and threw two Fireballs at whatever had done it. A mass of dead bodies, fused together by some larger black slime, came into view. The entire thing writhed at the touch of the flames, easily consumed by the Pyromancy.
Seiko ran toward it, jumping over it and throwing down a Great Fireball for good measure. She landed behind it as it fell to pieces, losing shape and spreading over the floor. Seiko jumped up on part of the ruins to avoid standing in the stuff and spotted a chest above her. She jumped up again, catching the ledge to pull herself up, and opened it. Inside was a small box leaking light from the seams. She opened it, allowing the ember inside to nearly blind her with its light. She closed the box and hung it from her belt, climbing back down to continue on her way.
"That's it!"
Seiko heard Ingward yell from somewhere above her. She looked up and saw him high overhead, still on the roof of the church. He was pointing at something. Seiko held up her fist and lit it so he could see her more clearly.
"What's what?"
Ingward flicked his staff and a ball of light flew to float over a nearby structure.
"That's the way down below the seal. Hurry!"
Seiko looked at where the light had rested. It was a short, stubby tower that could be reached via a short bridge she was standing next to. Seiko put out her flame and crossed the bridge. The only thing inside was a spiral staircase built into the wall of the tower, leading down. There was no guardrail, so Seiko leaned just over the side to look down. The stairs seemed to go down forever, simply fading into the blackness. Seiko took off her Silver Knight gauntlet to look at the ring on her finger again, more to reassure herself that she had it on than anything. She replaced the gauntlet and started down the stairs…
