Hello everyone, and thank you for being patient. I have been sick for the past couple of days, so this chapter is shorter than it should be. Don't worry, I'll get back on track soon. Now for reviews!
Blackplant- I'm glad you're enjoying this!
ThatOneRandomDude- It's good to see you're enjoying this! I was also a little curious as to how Oscar knew so much. So I inserted a little plot point into the story. Oscar and Sigil have very different viewpoints, but I think you're correct. Also being undead lets them take out some "unhealthy" anger out on one another. I would think that they would have put Priscilla's doll somewhere in Anor Londo, but who knows.
This is going to be a break chapter, something which I'll do every three to four chapters depending on how the plot goes.
When he first awoke, Sigil was panicked that he wasn't in a dark, dingy cell. He calmed down as the previous day's memories flooded into his mind. He wondered what he would do, now that he was free. Until he heard the crunching of grass nearby.
"Are you awake?" Oscar asked, his helmet gone. He appeared to be a few years older than Sigil, with charcoal black hair.
"No, I'm completely unconscious." Sigil groaned as he got off the grass.
"Hilarious. I've been exploring Firelink Shrine while you were taking your beauty sleep." The elite knight said.
"Anything of interest?" Sigil spoke as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"A couple of things, I'll tell you as we walk," Oscar stated.
"Wait, how are you not hollow? I must have killed you at least 18 times." Sigil asked.
"It wasn't any more than 16! I just used some of the humanity we got off of the demon back at the Asylum." Oscar explained while he passed over a small, pitch-black sprite.
Grabbing the humanity, Sigil studied it for a few moments. That is until it blinked at him. He nearly jumped backward.
"Did it just blink?!" Sigil asked, panicked.
"I think you just spent too much time in the Asylum, look again," Oscar answered with an eyebrow raised.
Sigil stared at the sprite once more, satisfied when it made no motions. He crushed it in his fist and felt a strange sensation. One of completeness and fullness. However, he was still hollow.
"I still look like red leather." Sigil observed.
Oscar sighed and explained, "You have to offer the humanity in your soul to the bonfire to reverse the hollowing now."
Sigil knelt next to the bonfire. He had never done this before but somehow he knew how to. The humanity reformed in his hand, before disappearing into the flames. The thief's hand was now a slightly tan color and healthy-looking. he looked to Oscar, who nodded in approval.
"Now may I show you some of the things I wanted to tell you about?" Oscar asked while tapping his foot.
Sigil nodded and followed Oscar down a set of stairs. When they reached the bottom, there was an iron cage embedded in the rock. Inside lay a pile of rags.
"While I usually find piles of dirty clothes fascinating, I'm a little off today." Sigil said, bored.
It was then that the rags shifted, revealing a young woman with blond hair amongst them. She looked towards the pair of men, before cowering back.
"Is that a girl? What the hell is she doing in there?" Sigil asked while squatting down, trying to get a better look at the girl.
"I asked the fellow above, the one in chainmail armor. He said she was the firekeeper for the bonfire. Apparently, she had her tongue cut and her legs broken." Oscar explained while Sigil adopted a horrified expression.
"Why would anyone do that?" Sigil asked, before looking back to the girl, a pang of sympathy resonating in his soul.
"To prevent her from abandoning her duty or performing some form of heresy. They are chosen at random from what I've heard." Oscar answered.
Sigil pulled out his Estus flask and passed it through the bars to the girl. She looked at him, curious but cautious. Sigil nodded to her, moving the flask a little bit closer. She grabbed the flask and scooted back, like a stray dog grabbing a piece of food.
"I was like you once," Sigil spoke, softly and quietly. She glanced at him, an inquisitive look on her face.
"I was locked away, no one to talk to, nowhere to go, forced to watch everyone else walk freely. Take a sip of that, it's as sweet as honey and will help your tongue." Sigil urged her.
She nodded and took a sip. She yelped in surprise and then again at the fact that she could yelp. She got onto her legs shakily. She looked at Sigil with deep gratitude. He shook his head.
"Don't thank me, thank him." Sigil said with a grin as he pulled Oscar over. "He's the one who rescued me and gave me that flask." The thief explained. The girl nodded and turned to Oscar.
"Th-thank you v-very much s-sir knight." She spoke, her speaking skills rusty from disuse.
"It was no pr-problem dear lady." Oscar stuttered, clearly embarrassed. Sigil had to hold back the urge to laugh.
"What is your name, dear lady?" Sigil asked.
"It i-is Ana-Anastacia of Astora," Anastacia spoke quietly and shyly.
"Well Anastacia, we're going to help you out of these bars!" Sigil said as he hopped up to his feet.
"Wait, how?" Oscar asked, confused.
"How do you think? We're gonna yank on these rusty bars until they come out!" Sigil explained.
"This isn't going to work." Oscar sighed.
"Oh, ye of little faith." Sigil said as he grabbed one side of the bars while Oscar grabbed the other. They grunted as they tried to pull the seemingly weak bars from the stone, but to no avail.
"Ah hell, back away both of you." Sigil grumbled. The two others did so as Sigil walked a few feet back. He then charged the bars and leaped into a flying kick. It didn't do anything except bruise his foot. He hopped away cursing while Oscar laughed uproariously and Anastacia giggled behind her hand quietly.
"Alright, that's it! Oscar, give me your boots!" Sigil yelled.
"My boots?" Oscar asked incredulously.
"You have metal boots. I have leather ones. If I try that again with metal, I could break through." Sigil explained. Oscar sighed and handed the thief his boots.
Sigil charged forward and tried the same maneuver. He hit the metal and then bounced off. He was then sent rolling backward, off the edge of a cliff.
"Shit! Fuck! DAMN IT!" Sigil cursed as he rolled off the cliff, followed by the sound of souls being released into the air.
Oscar fell over laughing while Anastacia looked on in horror. That is until Sigil walked back down the stairs grumbling under his breath.
"How was your trip?" Oscar chuckled. He received a boot to the face as a reply. After he spat out a dislodged tooth, he tackled Sigil. They grunted and cursed at, kicked and punched, bit and headbutted each other until they both fell off the cliff. Twice.
It was after only an hour of brawling that they finally did stop. Sigil walked back down to Anastacia to discuss a few things.
"First, don't worry about us abandoning you, as we'll be using this place as our resting point. Second, whenever we do come back, we will try and break you out of these bars." Sigil declared. The firekeeper merely nodded. The thief walked back up the stairs to a waiting Oscar.
"I hate you, so much," Oscar growled.
"For what? Introducing you to a beautiful girl who's about your age?" Sigil laughed as Oscar blushed.
"She's even Astoran, so you have something to talk about during your courting!" Sigil added, guffawing as Oscar turned as red as a tomato. When he finished wiping away the tears, Sigil laid his hand on Oscar's shoulder.
"It's been great, hopefully, we'll see each other again." Sigil said as he turned to walk away.
"Wait! What do you mean 'see each other again'? We have yet to ring the Bell of Awakening!" Oscar cried out, confused.
"Now hold on, I'm thankful for being freed from that prison, but I never said anything about going on some fantastical quest. By the way, how do you even know so much about this Bell of Awakening and the 'Chosen Undead'?" Sigil replied.
"I...I'm not the first Elite Knight to venture out to Lordran to try and ring the bell." Oscar nervously explained.
Sigil narrowed his eyes and asked, "How many?"
"Over the last ten years? Around five dozen." Oscar admitted.
"Five fucking dozen?! Why the hell did you even accept this quest?" Sigil shouted, outraged.
"I thought I would be different, that I would be the first one to successfully ring the bell," Oscar revealed.
"You thought there was only one bell? What foolish knights." A new voice spoke behind the arguing men. They turned to see a man in chainmail sitting on a stone bench a few yards from the bonfire.
"What do you mean?" Oscar asked.
"You see, there are two Bells of Awakening: One in Undead Parish at the top of Undead Burg, the other in what is now Blighttown." The man explained, followed by a low chuckle.
"That's just great! Not only do we have to go to a town that's probably full of hollows, but we also have to go to the cesspool of the world! Count me out!" Sigil yelled as he began walking away.
"Sigil wait. I know this seems insane, but this is for the good of all of mankind. Just please trust-" Oscar began but was cut off by Sigil.
"The good of mankind? The good of mankind?! Mankind treated me like dirt and spat on me, and that was before I was tossed into a cell for being one more unlucky son of a bitch! At least you were an Elite knight, so they couldn't just leave you to rot!" Sigil shot back, his words laced with venom.
"And what do you have to go to? If we manage to complete this quest, we'll become heroes! Maybe even legends!" Oscar answered. Sigil quietly contemplated the thought. He took a deep breath and revealed his decision.
"I'll do it, but promise me something." Sigil said.
"Anything," Oscar promised.
"I'll get the next cute girl," Sigil spoke before he burst into laughter at Oscar's flabbergasted face.
"I should have guessed you were going to say that." Oscar sighed. "Now that that's settled, I'll tell you about what else is lying around here," Oscar said as he and Sigil walked into the ruins behind the fire.
They spent the rest of the day searching the surrounding area. They found a multitude of items, ranging from humanities to a mace. Sigil even managed to find a secret cove by climbing up some vines. Inside the cove were several chests. They possessed a talisman, several of what were later revealed to be cracked red eye orbs and homeward bones. He found several strange talismans with a glowing sphere inside of them.
Sigil walked to the edge of the cove and saw a graveyard before him. He looked for a few moments before he spotted something. A massive greatsword at the far end of the graveyard. The thief decided to live up to his name and jumped down onto the dirt below.
He was surprised when a pile of bones next to him began assembling itself. Skeletons. He sprinted towards the giant blade, ignoring the crackling and hissing of the angered dead. He barely noticed an eight-foot-long blade swung towards his head. He ducked under just in time, as the skeleton behind him was obliterated.
He looked at the wielder for just a moment before sprinting even faster. It was a twelve-foot tall skeleton, with ribs as thick as Sigil's arms. He leaped forward and grabbed the blade, before rolling off the edge of a nearby cliff.
When he reformed by the fire, he was still clutching the massive sword. He grinned and shouted in victory. Oscar, who had been taking a nap jumped up and pointed his sword at the thief, even though it was still in its sheath.
"What the hell is that Sigil?" Oscar asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"I managed to nick this greatsword from the nearby graveyard." Sigil answered, ignoring Oscar's judgmental stare.
How do you plan on me using that? I use a sword and shield." Oscar asked.
"What are you talking about? I'm going to use this." Sigil answered as he hefted the sword onto his shoulder.
"You?! You're a thief, aren't you supposed to be light on your feet and dexterous?" Oscar asked, flabbergasted.
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'? I'm going to do that, except I'm going to bite like a dragon!" Sigil explained.
"I think you're just going to get smashed by the first group of enemies we encounter. You're going to take an hour to just get the blade into position to swing!" Oscar retorted.
"Then let's fight! Let's see if I can beat you with this sword!" Sigil challenged.
"I'm going to thrash you. You do know that right?" Oscar shook his head as he spoke.
"Then come at me!" Sigil replied as he raised the blade in both hands.
Oscar readied his shield and slowly approached the thief. Sigil rested the blade on his shoulder once more and raised his shield. Dashing forward, Oscar slashed at the shield diagonally, seeking to break Sigil's guard. The thief replied by grabbing the sword in both hands and bringing it down with all his might.
The blade cracked the stone beneath where Oscar had been, as the knight has backstepped a moment before he could be flattened. Raising his shield just in time, Sigil parried Oscar's sword. While the knight's sword was knocked out of the way, Sigil tightened the grip on his blade. He grinned and spoke a single word.
"Dead."
In the blink of an eye, Sigil swung the massive greatsword with all his might. He spun the blade horizontally around him until it came into contact with his opponent. There was a mighty CLANG as it cleaved Oscar in two, turning the hapless knight into souls. When he reformed, he wore a shocked expression.
"How the hell are you strong enough to wield that one-handed?!" Oscar exclaimed.
"I spent four years performing pure strength training for hours each day. I think anyone would be able to wield this blade if they did that." Sigil revealed.
"Training? I would think that you would have used souls to do so!" Oscar stated.
"You can use souls for improving your strength?" Sigil inquired as he sat down, surprised.
"Of course you can! You can improve your skills in much the same way that you restore your humanity. I personally prefer the old-fashioned way, but it's up to you." Oscar responded.
"That's great to know. Also, can you help me up?" Sigil requested as he held his left hand out to Oscar.
"Why?" The knight inquired while he helped Sigil up.
"Because I just dislocated my shoulder and snapped my wrist trying to swing that sword." Sigil answered before screaming in pain.
After healing, Sigil knelt down by the fire. He focused on the skill he wanted to be improved. Visualizing the souls leaving his body, Sigil felt his lungs seemingly increase in size and his muscles grow tougher. When he finally ran out of souls to use, he stood up and sprinted around the shrine.
He rolled several times while doing this and was pleased to find that he could do this much faster than before, even with the greatsword in hand.
"When you're finished running around like a child, there's a couple of locations we can go to," Oscar spoke, annoyed.
"Kill-joy." Sigil sighed.
"We can go down another level lower than where the firekeeper is to reach the ruins of New Londo. The catacombs next to the graveyard are also an option. Finally, there's the aqueduct leading to Undead Burg." Oscar explained.
"And you learned this all how?" Sigil inquired.
"From Cadmar, the Crestfallen warrior in chainmail."
"You mean the one who's so trustworthy, that he would wait a whole five seconds before stabbing you in the back and tossing your corpse off a cliff? Wonderful." Sigil sighed, exasperated.
"I heard that!" The aforementioned warrior shouted.
"Then don't act like a creepy bastard!" Sigil yelled back.
"Are you finished yet?" Oscar asked.
"Yes, but I'm going to go explore those ruins down below by myself." Sigil answered as he walked down the stairs.
"Wait, why?!" Oscar shouted.
"I need some time alone and killing things gets the aggression out!" Sigil shouted back.
Oscar grumbled as the thief walked down into a small room. Inside was a circular stone plate suspended by chains with a button in the center. When he stepped on it, the platform began rapidly descending.
When he reached the bottom, he was greeted by the view of an entire city that had fallen apart. In front of him sat several hollows staring at the crumbling city. Sigil sat down next to the lost souls and gawked at the strangely beautiful ruins.
One of the hollows looked at him for a moment. He nodded at it, showing that he would cause no trouble. It grunted and returned to looking. Sigil quickly grew bored and walked down a pathway to the side.
After finding a somewhat flat and open area, Sigil began training. He gave the huge sword a practice swing but nearly fell over in the process.
"You're weak." A voice spoke in his mind.
"Shut up." Sigil growled.
"Pathetic. You should have died back in that cell." The voice taunted.
Sigil roared as he spun the blade around into an overhead swing. The brick underneath cracked beneath the force. He took a sip of estus after he felt a tendon tear. He was learning, but not fast enough. He practiced simple swings, gritting his teeth as his muscles screamed in protest.
He paused to stare at his hands. He had forgone gloves to toughen them. His hands were torn and covered in blood. He gripped them and watched as a few drops splattered on the floor below.
"Giving up so soon? Weak, as I thought." The voice jeered. Sigil growled in response.
After another three hours of training and a bottle of estus, Sigil decided to relax. He ran to the water's edge and stuck his hand in it. It was cool, but pleasantly so.
He prepared to jump in but remembered stories of adventurers drowning because of their heavy armor and weapons. Tossing away his sword and shield, the thief dived into the water.
He swam about for an hour, enjoying the sensation of the blood and grime being washed off. Climbing out, he grabbed his equipment and walked into a part of the ruins.
He paused when he heard a soft weeping. Suddenly, a translucent blade lashed out at him, ignored his shield, and left a gash across his chest. Hissing in pain, Sigil rolled back and tried to look for the attacker. A spirit floated before him. It was draped in a ghostly white cloak and was naught but the upper half of a skeletal torso. The exception was its skull, which was covered in sunken, rotting flesh.
"Come on you rotting bastard!" Sigil shouted. The thief charged forward and swung down his sword with all his might. The blade merely passed through the ghost without doing any damage. The phantom stared at him, appearing to raise a rotten eyebrow. It then swiftly decapitated the hapless thief.
When he reformed by the fire, Sigil was in a terrible mood. He heard giggling beneath him and leaned over the rocks to see what was the source. He frowned when he spotted Oscar and Anastacia talking. Apparently, Oscar had said something funny.
"Just kiss already!" Sigil shouted as he walked away. He chuckled as he heard a startled yelp and the sounds of Oscar cursing. Sigil exchanged his greatsword for his longsword. The thief left the massive blade by the fire.
"Don't touch it." He warned the crestfallen warrior.
Cadmar grunted in response.
He walked up winding stairs leading to the aqueduct. He drew his longsword and prepared to fight the hollows before him. The creature charged him, preparing an overhead blow.
Sigil didn't give him the chance. Swing the blade diagonally, Sigil slice the hollow's sword arm and head clean off. The corpse fell to its knees as a fountain of blood erupted from it. The thief had already swapped targets.
Sigil charged up another set of stairs as a hollow threw firebombs down upon him. Gripping the sword with both hands, sigil sprinted and impaled the hollow upon it. The thief spat out the blood that had gotten in his mouth. He kicked it off his blade and turned to its companion. The hollow raised a battle-ax to block any attacks.
The thief grinned a feral grin. He bashed the hollow with his shield and, while the hapless creature was knocked off balance, cut its throat out.
Another hollow charged down the stairs leading to the aqueduct. It had its legs cut out from beneath it and its skull crushed under Sigil's boot.
"WEAK! ALL OF YOU ARE WEAK!" Sigil shouted.
A final hollow, one carrying a longsword and metal shield walked up behind him. It swung its blade and nicked him in the back. Sigil parried another strike and slashed at the hollow. Seeking to press his advantage, Sigil kicked its leg out, leaving it on its knees before the thief.
"Pathetic." Sigil spoke as he took the hollow's head off with one clean stroke.
"Sigil! Wait for me!" Oscar shouted from the first set of stairs.
"Have you finished professing your undying love for the firekeeper?" Sigil jeered.
"I'm not even going to grace that with a reply. Heaven's sake man, did you really have to do all this? Seems to be a little overkill." Oscar spoke as pointed at the torn corpses.
"Had to get to the aggression out." Sigil replied with a shrug.
"Alright, let's just head up to undead burg before you crack any more jokes."
They continued onto the stairs of the aqueduct, ready for anything. Until Sigil spoke.
"So is she a good kisser?"
"I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" Oscar shouted.
Thank you for reading! Please review so I can see what needs to be changed.
Edit: More typo fixing!