5. Confrontation in the Bath
The Witch Beatrice shows them both the way to Oolacile's bathhouse, traveling down a rocky, narrow slope along the cliffside, deeper and deeper into the canyon beneath the golden city where its radiant light faded off, barely reaching the mossy columns that guided their path. When Siegmeyer spots their destination he shouts with joy, for the enormous bathhouse was built around the base of a waterfall that cascaded golden showers down upon those bathing within.
"You'll find other warriors who are participating in the tourney down there." says Beatrice, crossing her arms. "You two will benefit from it, might give you a chance to size up your opponents."
"Will you not be joining us, dear friend?" asks Solaire inquisitively.
The witch shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "And give you boys a glimpse of what's under these dirty rags? I don't think so, hun."
"Oh come now, you know that's not what I meant. I simply wish to prolong going our separate ways!" Solaire exclaims, "It's been too long! I've missed you, you know."
Appearing annoyed and flattered, Beatrice says, "I already bathed earlier this morning. I'm entering the tournament too, you know."
"You are?!" Siegmeyer gasps, "But you're—"
"A woman?" She scowls.
"No, not that. I mean, yes, you are, but I was going to say you're a witch, not a knight. Unless your stowing away a sword and shield in that robe then I don't understand why you'd want to participate in what will no doubt be a grueling trial." Siegmeyer shakes his head and adds, "I'd never judge a woman for fighting, however. There are plenty of lady knights who hail from my homeland, some who even I would never dare face in combat!"
"You'd be a fool to underestimate a witch in combat, my friend." Solaire says to him then, "Especially this particular witch." He remembers all too well the power Beatrice held, how she had helped him fight off a drake using a spell that forced the giant lizard to choke on its own tongue, giving Solaire the chance to open its scaly neck with his sword. There was also a time when he'd been on the receiving end of one of her Soul Spears that left a nasty scar on his naval, for he'd made the mistake of blabbing her true name in front of Vinheim sorcerers, a sin she almost never forgave him for.
"There are quite a few sorcerers from across the lands participating in this tournament. Asides from that, my reasons for entering are my own." says Beatrice dismissively, not quite meeting Solaire's gaze. "Hurry along now. I'll meet you at the colosseum gates once you're finished. The tourney shouldn't be starting for a while, I imagine it will take some time to get the entire city in their seats, so relax and enjoy yourselves, alright?"
The two men thank the witch sincerely before heading off down the rocky cliff road, stumbling here and there causing them to reach out and grasp the rocky, earthen wall to keep themselves steady. Solaire looks back over his shoulder at Beatrice but she's already vanished. I wonder why she really wants to compete, she always told me she loathed such a brutish sport.
"What's her story, anyway?" Siegmeyer asks as they grew closer to the bathhouse.
"To be honest, I'm not sure I'm the best man to ask." Solaire chuckles, "I've known her half my life and I still couldn't tell you what she's really like. Even when she smiles, she's wearing a mask. Couldn't you tell?"
"A mask? Was that a mask all along? It was so life-like..."
"Hahahaha! Not quite a literal mask, no. She hides who she is, even from those she trusts, for she is a rogue witch, one with intimate knowledge of sorceries. The Dragon School of Vinheim has been after her since she first went off on her own, for they fear she might leak the school's secrets... or some such. I'm not familiar with all of the particulars anymore, she rarely speaks of Vinheim without contempt, so I leave the subject unmolested."
"Mmmm... I see..." Siegmeyer mutters, "Quite a woman, though. You certainly have some fascinating friends, Solaire."
They laugh as they finally cross upon the courtyard before the bathhouse. Drapery depicting the living mushrooms of Oolacile are embroidered along the stone walls, and a glowing, golden mist hovered in the moist air around them, filling their lungs with a euphoric sensation. Siegmeyer reaches the wooden gates first and crosses inside ahead of Solaire, gasping with shock at what he saw waiting for them within.
A mushroom much larger than any of the rest was rooted in an earthen mound, guarding the passage to the baths. Its beady, black eyes shine with intelligence, its thick stem of a body swaying left and right, almost hypnotically.
"Greetings, weary travelers. Welcome to the Oolacile Bath."
"It speaks." Siegmeyer whispers to Solaire apprehensively.
The giant mushroom continues, "I am Morgana. It is my duty to welcome those who wish to partake in the divine waters."
"Why, hello there, Morgana. A pleasure! My name is Solaire of Astora and this here is Siegmeyer of Catarina!"
For a moment after he speaks there is an awkward silence as the giant shroom continues to sway in place, her eyes never blinking. Siegmeyer found himself wondering how this creature was able to speak so eloquently without a mouth.
"Do you wish to partake in our divine waters today?" asks Morgana, her voice serene and angelic.
"How could we resist?" answers Solaire, rubbing his hands together. "Though if you don't mind me asking, what makes these waters so divine?"
Morgana doesn't answer right away, again taking her time to mull over her response. Finally she says, "The divine waters are a gift from the Gods and the Royal Family has blessed them with love, so that all who bathe in its light will be full from that love and carry it with them forward when they enter combat. Normally, only the Royal Family are allowed entrance, but on this day, the day of Lord Gwyn's righteous tournament, all who wish to compete are allowed to bask in Lady Twilawn's love."
"Are you sure? Isn't it just water enhanced by those golden sorceries to look like it's—" Siegmeyer isn't able to finish his inquiry before Solaire calmly takes him aside.
"My friend, I think it might be best if we don't ask her too many questions. We'll be here all day. Let's not bother this creature any longer. The divine waters are calling to me! Hahahaha!"
They are permitted entrance and the two warriors stride down a narrow, wooden hall where portraits of the Royal Family hang the entire way down to the changing room. Several benches line a wall of hangers and lit sconces burning golden flames. Beneath each torch is a large wooden chest and a lock for each patron to store their armor and weapons away. There's only one other man in the room with them sitting on a bench in the corner, naked and hunched over with his back to them. Siegmeyer can't help but stare at him, for the man's back was a tapestry of scars.
Solaire picks one of the chests out for himself first and Siegmeyer chooses the one beside him. Suddenly the two men stop as they both reach up and grab their helms, staring at one another.
"You first." Solaire says suddenly.
"What? No, you go first."
"I insist!"
"Oh ho! Well, alright then."
It wasn't every day Siegmeyer showed his face to someone, especially one he'd just met, yet he trusted Solaire, and knew that the likelihood of facing danger in a bathhouse was slim. Unfortunately, in his efforts to take the large, round helmet off, it gets stuck around his chin like it was wont to do, so he gives it a good, sharp tug until it pops off and his head is free at last.
Feeling vulnerable all of the sudden, Siegmeyer blushes as Solaire stares at him. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No, I was just shocked is all. You are quite a handsome man, you know." Solaire chuckles lightly, "I was hoping you were hideous so that I wouldn't be the only filthy reprobate in this room. Hahahaha!"
Siegmeyer appreciates the compliment but, for the first time since their meeting, he doesn't believe a word he says. Only a fellow Catarinian would think he was anything close to comely, for they all shared the same chunky lips and unsettling round eyes. Not only that but the years of drinking and merriment had given his cheeks and chin a cushion of fat to rest upon, and his disheveled, mahogany hair clung to his head with built up sweat.
Next was Solaire's turn. The Warrior of Sunlight reaches up and removes his bucket shaped helm with less struggle than Siegmeyer, the red feather attached teetering back and forth as he sets it down within his chest. Siegmeyer tries not to be rude and stare at his friend's face but curiosity was a fickle thing. Long, blond strands of hair cascade down the sides of Solaire's face, curtaining his chiseled jaw, a jaw so strong and lacking in fat, it would make any Catarina knight envious. Solaire stared down at his helm with brilliant, blue eyes and a thin, thoughtful smile. He looked a little rugged, sure, with stubble growing around his chin and a spot of dirt on the bridge of his nose, but...
"You call yourself a reprobate but that is not accurate at all." comments Siegmeyer, struggling to remove the rest of his armor, "You could be a Lord with that face of yours."
"Hahahaha!" Solaire tilts his exposed head back and laughs heartily.
"Perhaps the two of you are in the wrong place?" grunts a voice in the corner of the room. It was the man covered in scars. He still had his back to them, but his head was slightly tilted so that he could see them out of the corner of his eye. "From the sound of it, the two of you must be lovers. Go find a bedroom if you insist on praising each other's faces. This place is for true warriors, not some lolly-gagging loons."
"True warriors?" repeats Solaire, "You hear that, Siegmeyer? We're in the right place! Hahaha!"
Siegmeyer frowns, for once not sharing in Solaire's mirth. He was used to ridicule but he would not tolerate someone insulting his friend. So he says, "Who are you to judge us? You know us not."
The stranger chuckles a throaty, gravely chuckle, and shakes his head. When he turns to face them, his white hair, almost as long as Solaire's, clings to his face from the damp atmosphere in the room. His eyes were gaunt, his cheek bones prominent, and his nose beakish. He says to them, "If you do not wish to be judged then you're in the wrong place, onion knight. In Lordran, judgment is inescapable. It's all we got, really. Hmhmhmhm."
"That may be true for you, but you'd be folly to judge us so quickly, sir." Solaire says cheerfully, discarding the rest of his armor into his chest and standing naked and unabashed, his hands on his hips. "Now enough of this! Let us save the fighting for the colosseum, no?"
"Fair enough..." utters the white haired man with another deep snicker, "I can hardly wait."
Siegmeyer scowls as he manages to get the rest of his armor off. The white haired man stands and unlocks his chest, removing a golden set of armor out from within. Siegmeyer thought he recognized the armor from somewhere, but couldn't quite think of it.
"Come, Siegmeyer! The divine waters await us!" Solaire says, marching his way out of the changing room.
"Have fun, kiddies." scoffs the white haired man.
"What is your name, sir?" asks Siegmeyer before he follows Solaire.
"My name?" the white haired man frowns at him.
"I'd like to know it before we face each other in the arena."
"What good will knowing my name do?"
"In Catarina, a knight must learn his foe's name before he slays him." Siegmeyer smirks, crossing his arms across his barreled chest.
"Is that so? Well, we're far away from Catarina, you know, and I don't quite feel like sharing anything with you."
"Have it your way. My name is Siegmeyer."
"I do not care."
"Fare well! I will see you soon enough, stranger." Siegmeyer bows respectfully to him before going after Solaire. He thought he could feel the man's eyes glaring daggers into his back.
He emerged out into the open bath where the gold waterfall roars like a dragon down upon them. Solaire was already standing in the center of the pool, ripples of sparkling water up to his chest, his hands extending upwards as he praised the sun. There are others in the bath as well; he spots a red haired man in a loincloth floating on his back as the waterfall cascades across his smiling face. There's a bald man squatting over the edge, tracing the water with his finger, his narrowed eyes watching everyone else. Finally there was a giant of a man with a braided beard and a deep scar across his left eye, his muscular body rippling with golden light. He was sitting atop of a stone directly beneath the waterfall's current, allowing it to splash off his head and shoulders while he quietly meditated.
So this is my competition, eh? I best be wary of them. Wouldn't want to ruffle anymore feathers than I already have. Siegmeyer dips his toe into the water, testing its temperature. It's shockingly warm, almost as if the golden magic was heating the entire pool. Siegmeyer couldn't hold back after that.
He takes three tentative steps backwards before sprinting forth, leaping high into the air, tucking in his legs, and and shouting, "HAAAAA!" before his entire body plummets into the water with a deafening splash that drenches Solaire.
The onion knight sinks like a bag of stones to the bottom of the golden pool. It's just as beautful below the water as it was above, floating in a sea of golden light. Siegmeyer kicks off the earthen rock, jutting upward like a fish. When he emerges once again he attempts to wipe the water out of his eyes, only to receive a wave in the face from Solaire.
"Ah! I'm under attack!" Siegmeyer moans, blinded by gold.
"Hahahaha!" Solaire laughs, "Sorry, friend. I was just returning the favor."
"Aye, watch where your splashing, eh?!" grunts the bald man squatting nearby.
"What are you doing hovering over there? Jump in, good man!" Solaire says to him, but the bald man shakes his head with a sly smirk on his face.
"Nah. I don't think I trust it. Who knows what it'll do to me."
"It's only water." Siegmeyer raises his brow at the peculiar man, "What possessed you to come here if not to bathe?"
"Well, I was going to but after I saw how enchanted this place is, I started to second-guess myself." shrugs the bald man, "Not a fan of sorcerous water. It could melt your flesh away a week from now and you'd have no idea why. Hehehehe."
Siegmeyer and Solaire glance at each other, having not even considered that, but then he recalls what the mushroom Morgana had told them. "I highly doubt it. The Royal Family uses these waters and their skin is still attached to their bones."
"Hehehe, true enough, friend." sneers the bald man, "Though who knows? Can't trust that dirty mushroom, can you? For all I know she's in on it. Hehehehehehehe." His knowing snicker was making Siegmeyer even more uncomfortable, and a part of him even started second-guessing his own judgment of these waters. What if he's right?
But then Solaire says, "Fear not, Siegmeyer. I suspect this man is attempting to sabotage our mental state before the tourney begins."
"You caught me." admits the bald man with a shrug. "I hope you aren't offended, I'm only having a bit of fun before we all start killing eachother. Hehehehehehe."