Chapter 28 time:) I'll skip the filler till I finish the 'Battle for Tarbes', so the chapter after the Tarbes battle will (hopefully) not have Raziel as a viewpoint character but focus rather on the other characters.
Also, before anyone reminds me again: I've already watched all of EpicNameBro's, VaatiVadiya's and SilverMont's lore films, so please new reviewers stop telling me to watch them again. I do make changes to lore but I do my best to stay as accurate as possible.
Raziel let out an unnecessary breath as he heard the sounds of wet cloth falling behind him. With sigh he grabbed the dry cloth on the table and wiped his head roughly, removing the drops of rain that had gathered on his hair. Perhaps it would have been better if he shaved himself to be completely bald; that way at least no one could use it to their advantage.
Maybe when he got a pair of scissors. Probably back at the Magic Academy.
"R-Raziel, I'm done," Siesta called out, shifting uncomfortably in the green dress she wore. He turned back to her and forced a smile, one that the maid had reluctantly returned. He could tell she was forcing herself, but he appreciated the action all the same. It must have taken a large effort to continue smiling despite the knowledge that he was an Undead and the...precarious position that she had found him in not too long ago.
How long they had stayed in the rain he had no idea but as soon as he had found it in him to finally suppress his tears Siesta had suggested that they go back to the house in order to dry off. Thankfully her family had already gone to sleep and Kirche and Tabitha had gone back to the inn so he was alone and didn't have to explain why exactly his hands were covered in mud and dirt.
Although he had to admit that facing Siesta alone after she caught him digging up her village elder's grave wasn't much better.
"Don't you want to change as well?" Siesta sat across from him and did her best not to look too much at his horrible state. Apart from the brown soil covering his hands his clothes were wet and disheveled and his hair looked as if it had been hit with a tornado spell. She nearly reminded herself that the dead didn't need clothes before she crushed that thought. He wasn't just some corpse. He was her friend.
"It is not needed," He shook his head, "I will clean up any of the water that fell here...and I will fix the grave tonight after the rain has stopped," He looked outside the window, flinching slightly as another clap of thunder lit up the room. Siesta squeaked and jumped up in her chair, eliciting a small laugh from the silent Undead. Siesta looked at him with what he assumed to be a glare, but it was hard to tell considering her teeth still seemed to chatter from shock.
"I...I should get a light," Siesta stood up hurriedly and grabbed a lamp before setting it down on the table gently. As the flame was lit Raziel found himself relaxing slightly as he stared the orange light of the fire. It was strange; given his experiences he should have hated fire with a passion. And yet, as he looked into the core of the flame, he couldn't help but find himself calming. Despite his hatred of the kiln he felt as if the light and fire banished his fears, he felt...safe.
Water splashing onto his hands knocked him out of his reverie, "We need to wash your hands," Siesta again did her best to smile reassuringly. Raziel opened his mouth to say something before the look in Siesta's eyes forced him otherwise. Damn, why did their eyes look like that in this land? It was as if they were always doe-eyed and pouting regardless of their expression.
At Raziel's nod she gently took hold of his hand with her left while dipping a rag into a basin with her right. Neither said a word as Siesta brought the cloth across his hands slowly, washing away the dirt and mud that clung to his fingers. At the back of his mind he wondered why she was even helping him rather than recoiling in fear. Not meaning to cause her offense, but she wasn't exactly capable of defending herself all that well. The Proffesor's and the Headmaster's more accepting attitude to could be attributed to the fact that they could kill him if they were ever threatened and being unaware of his revival at bonfires.
"Are you...going to explain what happened?" Siesta dipped the rag in the basin before focusing on his other hand, "I know this may seem rude but I think I deserve an answer considering...well, everything that happened," She frowned, "I hate to say it but if it was anyone else who found you it would have ended with you getting kicked out of the village considering what you were doing."
"...You...would not believe me if I told you," He answered reluctantly. It sounded pathetic even to him.
"You have to do better than that," She frowned and looked up at him gave him a forceful stare. He was slightly surprised; he didn't think she could give looks like that, "Raziel, what do you want me to think? I saw you digging up Elder Linda's grave with your bare hands and if that wasn't enough you were crying as well," She wrung out the rag as the last trace of mud was erased, "Raziel, please explain to me what happened. I have no idea what happened and I don't want to jump to a bad conclusion."
"I do not know how to explain it clearly myself..." He brought his fingers through his hair, causing the remaining drops of water to fall haphazardly, "I know that my actions were wrong, that they had no good reason, but..." He let out a tired breath, "I just...wanted to convince myself that she was not dead, that I was not alone...and that there would be a chance I could see her again."
Siesta sighed as well. She needed more to go on than that, "For starters, could you please explain how you knew Elder Linda? When Julien told us that she'd died you didn't react," She waited a moment but Raziel said nothing in response, "Elder Linda didn't really leave the village much either. She always seemed...distant, I guess. It never seemed like she had much friends though a lot of the older villagers were close to her."
"I did not know it was her. I thought I was the only one taken," He replied. Siesta's expression turned to one of confusion at the word 'taken', "Siesta, you remember how I told you I was an Undead?" It was a stupid question to ask; of course she wouldn't forget in such a short time. She nodded all the same, "There is another thing I had not told you yet," He rubbed his forehead. He had to say this with tact and grace.
"I...may perhaps be...from another world."
"What?" The flat stare Siesta gave him made it rather clear he had failed in that regard, "Raziel, I can barely believe that you're an Undead, but now you're telling me you came from another world entirely?" She sighed, "I'm not sure if you're being serious or you're just pulling a prank on me."
"I..I am not deceiving you," He insisted, "It is either another world or a distant land. Neither Louise and I are completely sure, but regardless the difference of terms matters little. What I know is that the Gods you worship are different, possibly dead or nonexistent. I know that there are no others like me here, no Undead...at least not in the way Undead are in Lordran."
"Lodran? You mentioned that place before when I first talked to you," She recalled. It felt like such a long time now thinking back on it, "I just thought it was some place far off to the east or a small town in Germania or Romalia. But...you're saying it's another world?"
He nodded, "I will tell you again that neither Louise or myself truly know. Regardless of what you wish to call it the end result does not change: I was taken from there during Louise's 'Familiar Summoning Ritual', if I am remembering the name correctly. Once I had found out exactly what had happened I had assumed that I was the only one taken and I did not think on the same happening to anyone else."
"Wait, so you're saying Elder Linda came from this 'Lordran' place like you did?"
"Elder Linda..." He smiled bitterly, "Even in this new land where she could start over and begin again she did not relinquish all her ties. She must not have wanted to forget everything...to forget her father," Damn, more tears wanted to escape. He closed his eyes and shook his head forcefully, "To answer your question, yes, she came from the same land as I."
"But, that's impossible," Siesta said, "Elder Linda came here long ago, before I was even born. If Miss. Valliere was the one who summoned you then wouldn't Elder Linda have been with you when you were 'taken'?"
"Sieglinde and I were not together when I was rescued," Siesta raised an eyebrow slightly. First 'taken' and now 'rescued'? Rescued from what? "She had come to Lordran in order to see her father and I..." He scowled, "I was deluding myself, wishing that I could be a hero. I met her a few times during my travels and assisted her when she had fallen under Seath's clutches."
"Who's Seath?" Siesta asked curiously.
"A monster even worse than I," He replied tiredly, "You saw the Count's insanity, did you not?" She nodded with a shiver at the reminder, "Seath was the one who had created the books that helped drive him into madness. All the women and men that had suffered were because of the notes the Count had recovered. I have no doubt the Count was malevolent but without that research he could not have done what he had done."
And Logan would still be alive. Curiosity killed the Oolacilians, and this applied to Sorcerers as well.
"S-So what happened to this Seath?" She questioned, although the look Raziel sported already gave her a good guess on the answer. It was the same look he had when she asked him what had happened to the Count.
"I killed him," She shivered once again at the abrupt way he had said it, "He proved...difficult to kill, despite his insanity," He clicked his tongue in annoyance at the memory of the albino dragon, "He was stronger, but in the end I proved desperate and angry enough to finally kill him."
"Angry?"
"Yes," He laughed and shook his head, "Back then I was...different. I had fancies of being a hero, of saving Lordran and my friends. I had hope that things would be different if I tried hard enough...a cruel illusion," He looked away from her to the fire, "Whatever depravity the Count had done was nothing compared to Seath. Towers full of prisoners, suffering from his experiments and turned into monsters. It was there Rhea..."
"Rhea?" Siesta prodded.
"I cannot recall clearly, I apologize," He tapped the side of his forehead with his pointer finger, "Rhea was another one of my friends. Something...happened to her there, though the memory is unclear to me right now. Given her location I can only assume Seath had turned her into a monster and I was forced to kill her. It would explain why I was so angry."
"Oh Brimir...I'm sorry."
"Do not apologize. As I told you the memory is unreachable to me right now," He shrugged, "But we have changed the subject. I met Sieglinde when I freed her from one of Seath's crystal golems. She could not have been more than early into her adulthood. Her father was just reaching middle-age when I had approached him, although how old he really was I could not determine since I did not know how long he had been an Undead."
"Elder Linda's father was Undead as well?" Siesta eyes widened in surprise.
"He was not Undead when Sieglinde was born, if that is what you are wondering. Undead cannot reproduce," He clarified, "Siegmeyer had died nobly in battle," A load of Flames. Sieglinde had been forced to kill him when he had first came back to 'life' in order to prove her loyalty to Catarina, "And he spent his Undeath looking for adventure regardless of situation and circumstance."
"Adventure?" Her face twisted in confusion. It sounded bizarre to her.
"I was confused as well when I had first met him," A smile graced his lips, this time devoid of bitterness or irony, "In many ways Sieglinde was more mature than Siegmeyer. There were many times where he had gotten into dangerous situations and I had to assist him," He laughed softly, "Whether it was trapping himself in a poisonous swamp or a room full of knights my meetings with him were never dull."
"You sound as if you were closer to him than you were with Elder Linda," Siesta pointed out.
"I suppose you are right," The smile disappeared, "Siegmeyer was my friend more than Sieglinde was. I had assisted her at times, but her mission to see her father made it difficult to truly form a bond with her. That is why I do no understand my actions," He clenched both hands tightly, "I was not as close with her as I was with the others...and yet when I saw her grave I-"
"Was Elder Linda your friend?" Siesta interrupted. At Raziel's confused look she continued once more, "Answer the question, please. Was she your friend or not?"
"Y-Yes, she was my friend," He was again surprised by how forceful she was being, "As an Undead it is difficult not to form bonds with others who could share in your situation or humans who sympathized with you," He closed his eyes briefly, "I admit I was curious about her. She was not an Undead, and yet she risked her life by going in Lordran in order to deliver a message to her father. Thinking back on it I understand now that the bond between family could allow one to see through the stigmata of Undeath."
"We do a lot for family," Siesta nodded. She of all people could understand that, "But the reason you were sad is obvious," She held up a finger, "It's not just family, but friends feel sad for one another as well. When I heard Elder Linda had died I was sad as well, but not as much as the older people in the village who were closer to her. Even if you say that it shouldn't bother you it doesn't change that you were still her friend and you feel sad that she's gone."
"It...makes no sense," He shook his head, "I was not that close to her and it has been many years since I'd seen here, long enough for her to live a full life and die of old age here. And yet, when I saw her grave I..."
"I already told you, it's because she was your friend," Siesta repeated, "Even if you say it doesn't make sense or it doesn't bother you still felt sad when you found out she died because you were close to her once. She was your friend and no matter how long its been a part of you still cared about her."
"It is stupid," He scoffed, "None of this makes sense. Why was I taken? Why was I bound to Louise? Why was she here as well? Why were any of us taken? The more I think on it the less sense it makes. Many questions, but no answers. It feels as if fate is toying with us again, just like when Frampt and Kaathe..." He didn't continue. If he did he would no doubt start ranting till daybreak.
"Well...is it such a bad thing?" Siesta said hesitantly. Again Raziel gave her a confused look, "Judging from how you talk about this 'Lordran' place it seems like you didn't want to be there, right?" The roll of the eyes he gave made it clear what his thoughts on the matter were, "I can't really explain how Miss. Valliere summoned you but if you're here now then it's not such a bad thing, right? Better than this 'Lordran' place you hate so much."
"...I suppose," He let out a small smile, "Still, there are things I wonder cannot ignore. Why was Sieglinde taken here as well? And why many years before me?" Chester's explanation of Lordran's time distortions could only excuse it for so much before he couldn't ignore it, "I want answers to these questions and Chester's appearance does not help matters."
"Who's Chester?"
Raziel stiffened. Flames, he'd said too much! Gods damn it, how would he explain this?
"Um...Chester is..." What would he say? A lie? The truth? Oh yes, Siesta would no doubt react well to the news that her great grandfather was still alive and someone who had come from the place as him.
"...Is this another one of those things you can't tell me?" She spoke before he could stutter out an answer. Raziel wanted to lie but again the look in her eyes made it clear she would see through that, so he contented himself with looking away, nodding and doing his best to pretend that the damnable blood wasn't heating up his cheeks and turning his face red.
"Haaaa, fine," She sighed and smiled again, "I'll let this go for now, but you have to tell me someday, alright?" She giggled slightly at the blush Raziel had, "In exchange, I want you to tell me more about the place where you came from. I already told you a lot about Tristain and Tarbes so I think it's only fair."
Despite what she'd found about him Siesta couldn't help but feel happy when talking to him. When she'd heard his explanations on Elder Linda and the land he had come from she was saddened, but also relieved. In the stories she'd heard of Undead and Non-humans they were monstrous things who cared for nothing but themselves and saw human beings as animals or food.
She had found it relieving then that Raziel was still capable of showing compassion and sadness for loss. Elder Linda was no Undead, that was clear to her, and yet despite Raziel's protests his actions showed that it didn't stop him from caring about her and mourning her loss. Granted he did it in a rather morbid way and they would have to fix the grave before daylight but it was a far cry from the image of monstrous demons she had initially thought of.
It proved to her that Raziel was still human.
"You would not like hearing stories of Lordran," Raziel frowned, "It is a land filled with miasma and decay, fying from within. The Gods abandoned it long ago and what remains is a corpse festering with dead and dying Gods and heroes that have long since given in to madness and despair-"
"Not that!" Siesta slapped his shoulder. Brimir above he was depressing, "I meant more, I dunno, lighthearted things! Surely it's not all bad, right? There has to be good things about it! Elder Linda always told us that there was always something good no matter how bad things could get and she came from the same place as you right? So that means..."
"What is it?" Why did she suddenly go quiet?
"Uh...Raziel? If you were friends with Elder Linda and close to her father...how old are you exactly?"
"..." Raziel stared blankly at Siesta before he suddenly forced himself to look outside at the still raging rain. At first glance it may have seemed like he was offended by the question but the expression in his face, which looked to be a cross between being confused and being troubled, dispelled any notion of that. Siesta somewhat regretted asking the question now.
"I...am not sure myself," He started hesitantly, "One thing about Lordran is that time does not flow in single pattern. Undead also have a hard time determining their age due to our...circumstances and physical appearance is often disregarded in favor of how one acts to others. If not for their appearances I would have assumed Sieglinde to be the parent in the relationship. In many ways Siegmeyer and my old friend Solaire were like children.
"Well, you look pretty young now," She commented.
"This appearance was not of my choosing," He raised his hand and spun his wrist, "You were not there, but as Lousie told me when I first appeared my body was not whole. I can only assume it is due to her binding that I am trapped in this form," He gave a light scowl, "Fighting has proven more difficult due to this. Most combatants here are much taller than I am and I can only thank the sign that my strength hasn't dwindled completely as well else I would be helpless."
"Do you remember what you looked like before you became Miss. Valliere's Familiar?"
"Older than this, though not by much. The appearance matched the age of Sieglinde when I had first met her. Still, even that is not a good indicator since I had no memories prior to my 'waking' and I spent a long time...in Lordran," He was about to say 'The Kiln' before he stopped himself. He did not want to explain to Siesta what exactly being trapped in the kiln entailed.
"So your age can't be said right now," She put a finger at the bottom of he lip, "Is it alright if I treat you like you're the same age as me?"
"Do as you wish," He shrugged, "Louise does not let it bother her much; to her I am her Familiar regardless of age. If you wish to treat me as an old man then it is your choice. It would be refreshing, I will admit."
"An old man..." She suddenly imagined Raziel similar to the headmaster: An old hunchbacked man with a graying beard and a large staff. The image caused her to snort and giggle slightly at the thought of it.
"I am glad this amuses you," Raziel rolled his eyes, though he was smiling all the same, "If I had to think of one difference that's not...depressing about here and Lordran it would have to be your eyes."
"My...eyes?" That sounded rather odd.
"Yes, hair as well," He tapped the side of his head, "Your eyes, like masters, Kirche's and even Tabitha, have this look about them. Wide, as if they're begging or prodding every time they speak to you. The people in Lordran are much more muted. The eyes of the people here remind me of the 'doe' animals we passed on our treasure hunts. It is...disconcerting at times."
"Are you saying we have eyes like does?" She couldn't tell if she was supposed to be offended.
"Perhaps," Another small smile, "Another odd difference is the hair color of many others here," He pointed at her dark hair, "Yours and Guiche's are normal enough, but Louise, Kirche and Tabitha...are odd. Not even the Gods had such bizarre colors and I can only assume that it is related to this elemental magic that they use but I am not sure. I have heard legends of purple hair in Lordran, but even then they were noted as being very rare. Here bizarre colors seem to be normal for at least the Mages of this land."
"Says the one whose hair changed from white to brown," She complained halfheartedly.
"You asked me for 'lighthearted' difference" He ribbed back lightly, "There is a question I wanted to ask you, however: How did Sieglinde come to this village? Was she summoned here by a master, same as I was?"
"Not that I know of," She said, "According to my father one day she just stumbled out of the forest covered in blood. She couldn't speak Tristanian but the others in the village agreed to help her. When her injuries healed she stayed behind and since she couldn't speak the language the others taught her. If what you're saying is true then there was no way back for her, so I guess that's why
"Stumbled out of the forest?" That was odd. Was she not summoned her deliberately by a Mage like he was? And again the question remained why the gap of time between them was so disparate, "Damn," He cursed softly, holding onto his knees tightly. If he'd been here just a couple of weeks earlier he could have seen, asked her about what was happening. But now it was too late.
"Are you alright?"
"I am fine," Speaking of death, there was one other thing he had to confess, "Siesta...do you recall what happened a few weeks ago? In your room?"
"Huh...Eh!?" Much to Raziel's confusion Siesta's face suddenly turned red and she began waving her arms frantically, "Wh-Wh-Why are you talking about that now!? Um, uh," She gulped nervously, "I mean I didn't think it was bad or anything, but it was surprising..." She intertwined her hands nervously, "It's not like you're not my friend right now but you just told me you were Undead so-"
"I nearly killed you."
"Um...what?" Had she misheard him?
He sighed, "Back then...you remember the things I took from the orcs? The black sprites?" She nodded numbly, "It is a substance called 'Humanity' and it is what keeps us Undead from falling into insanity and despair."
"Wh-What does that have to do with what happened?'
"As you saw Humanity can be taken from monsters...but it can also be taken from Humans," He closed his eyes as Siesta let out a strained gasp, "I am not proud of it but I had nearly taken your Humanity from you...nearly killed you..." Damn, his eyes begun to sting again. He rubbed his eyes clumsily with his right wrist. Now was not the time for self-pity, "I am sorry. I had hoped the temptation would never come to me but at the end of it I am the same as all other Undead, constantly hungering for Humanity like an animal."
"So...you're saying you nearly killed me?"
"Yes."
"...Why didn't you?"
"I didn't want you to die," He admitted slowly, "You might not think of me the same way but I consider you a close friend. I know you may...hate me right now, and I do not fault you for that, but I do hope you believe that my apology is sincere and-"
He never got to finish. Raziel's arm stiffened as he felt Siesta intertwine her hands with his, "Just...stop talking now, please," She took a deep breath and tightened her hold on him, ignoring the cold of his skin, "I won't lie and say I'm not afraid but it doesn't change what I said. You're my friend, Raziel, and nothing's going to change that," She blushed slightly, "You saved me, remember? Me and everyone else. If nothing else that makes it even."
"It is not that simple," He wanted to take his hand off hers but something pushed him to stay, "I won't make delusions of being a hero again. Those girls wouldn't have been saved if not for Louise and Kirche. Thank them for that," He sighed, "Saving a life does not negate taking one. I nearly killed you, Siesta, and nothing can change that."
"But you didn't," She gave a reassuring smile, "I won't pretend to understand what made you consider it but you didn't do it, and...for now that's enough. So please, stop frowning, stop crying," She wiped away the scant tears that forced themselves out, "It's no good staying depressed over every little thing that happens. Sometimes we just have to move on and hope
Hope. It was something he hadn't thought of in a long time, especially not in a place like Lordran. But, he reminded himself, he wasn't in Lordran anymore. He had friends who weren't dead and people who accepted him despite his Undeath.
"Haha..." More tears escaped, and yet it wasn't due to sadness. He looked up at her and let out a genuine smile. He felt relieved...almost happy. He reciprocated his hold on her and linked his fingers with hers, "Thank you..." He wiped away the tears and gave an open smile to the young woman, causing her blush to deepen. It was the first time she'd seen him smile like that.
"Raziel..." She felt her heartbeat quicken. He was an Undead, he was her friend, and yet... She leaned in closer to him. She didn't know what she was doing. He was an Undead, someone who had already died, but she couldn't deny it. Her hold on his hand tightened as she swallowed her nervousness. She might have ended up regretting it but she couldn't stop now.
"Siesta..." Raziel called out softly. What was she doing? Despite his confusion he felt his body tighten in fear and his the blood heated up once again, causing a deep red to envelope his face. He didn't know what to do, though he had a feeling that if she went through with whatever it is she planned then things would get...difficult between them in the coming days.
Slow footsteps reached both their ears and they were quickly reminded that they weren't alone, "Big sis? Are you down here?" Julien rubbed his eyes sleepily as he saw the odd pair sitting at the table, both looking away from one another and both their faces red. Had something happened? "I heard a noise so I thought something happened," He looked around the room blearily, "Are you two alright?"
"Y-Yes, of course!" Siesta answered a bit louder than needed, "G-Go back to sleep Julien. I was just talking with Raziel about some things."
"Mmh, alright," He yawned, "Don't stay up too late, sis. Mom wants you to help her with the distilling tomorrow," With another yawn he trudged up the stairs back to the comfort of his bed.
As Julien left an overbearing silence enveloped the pair left behind. Raziel looked out the window and noted with relief that the rain had stopped, "I...will go and fix Sieglinde's grave." He stood up awkwardly, "Is...Is there a shovel I could use?"
"O-Of course, it's in the small shed next to our house," She tried to keep her breathing level, "D-Don't stay up too late, alright? We all need our sleep and I'm not letting you use 'I don't need sleep' as an excuse."
"Yes, mother," He let out a small laugh at the pout Siesta gave him, "I will do my best to hurry. Goodnight, Siesta."
"Goodnight, Raziel," She waited for the door to close before she spoke again."
"I love you."
Soft knocking woke Louise up from her sleeping. Rubbing her eyes, she waited a moment to see if she was just hearing things, *tok tok tok* No such luck. Forcing herself to stand she made her way to the door warily and opened it as quietly as she could. She already had an idea on who it was.
Her suspicions were proved right when she saw the figure of Princess Henrietta standing at the door, a sheepish smile on her face. Immediately all presence of fatigue vanished from Louise's body and she forced herself to stand straight in respect, "Princess Henrietta, what brings you here," She asked quietly. Judging by the fact that she was in her night attire it was likely she had snuck out of her room.
"I just wished to talk. Is that alright?" Louise nodded respectfully and stepped aside to let the monarch into the smaller (in comparison the the royal bedchambers) bedroom before closing the door behind her silently. As if practiced Henrietta muttered a quick 'silence' spell and cast it at the door.
"How did you get here, Princess?" Louise took a seat on the bed with Henrietta joining her afterwards. Being so blunt might not have been respectful but as the princess made clear in the past few days formality wasn't what she was looking for when confiding with her closest friend. So, for now at the very least, Louise put aside status in favor of friendship.
"I managed to convince Agnes to let me out for a bit," She replied, "She protested, of course, but she's not as formal as the other guards are," She sighed, "Still, I'm not allowed to stay outside for too long or she'll come get me herself." She frowned, though at this point Louise knew it wasn't simply due to the restrictions on her. She was thinking of Wales and Albion again.
"Is something wrong, Princess?" She knew exactly what was wrong but habit forced her to ask all the same.
"There are more whispers among the palace now," She started vaguely, "It's not just about the war with Albion now. Half of the council wants to go to war, either for tradition's sake or because of what happened to the Tudor family. The other half wishes to maintain the treaty, either because they're afraid of losing their power because the war will cost too much or because they genuinely wish to avoid conflict and foster peace."
"What is it that you wish to do?"
"I...I don't know," She put her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly, "I hate Reconquista, I hate that priest Oliver Cromwell," She bit her lower lip, "It's because of him that Wales and the entire Tudor family is dead now. I want him to die, to be punished for what he did, but..."
"But?" Louise questioned.
"I don't think its the right thing to do for Tristain..." She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, "Even with Germania's armies aiding Albion has the advantage because of their air fleet and the land being difficult to get to. If we declare war on Albion it won't matter how many troops we have or how many mercenaries we hire to die for our cause. In the end both will lose."
"Is it not a worthy sacrifice to ensure that mad priest pays for his crimes?"
"I don't know..." She repeated, "Every day in between preparations the council members come to me, either urging me to go to war for different reasons or telling me that peace is the better alternative since Tristain's safety is all but assured after the marriage to Germania's Emperor. I am a puppet Queen, but in the end the decision with fall onto me. I want justice for Wales, but...is it right to sacrifice the lives of so many in order to do so when peace is an alternative?'
"People die in war...that's what my father told me," Louise said, "Princess, I can't claim to understand what you're going through but I please urge you to be careful. Reconquista promised the family that they would attack at daybreak after all the refugee ships left but they attacked Newcastle early," She suppressed a shudder at the memory, "They proclaim peace but I'm not sure if they're going to actually keep their word now. If it wasn't for Raziel and Guiche I might not have made it out of there and Wardes would have spun a story of how I died while he tried to defend me."
"I heard about the siege of Newcastle," She nodded sadly, "But to think that they would break an oath and attack innocents...I'm not sure now if I could live with myself even if they kept their word on the treaty. If nothing else Cromwell deserves to pay for his crimes. He claims to follow Brimir's teachings and speaks of peace but he slaughters innocents and hungers for power."
"Whatever your decision, I'll be there to support you, princess," She held onto Henrietta's hand and smiled, a gesture the monarch returned, "It may not be my place to say this but I'm sure Princes Wales would support you no matter what you chose too."
"Th-Thank you, Louise," She smiled and hugged the smaller girl. The decision was going to be hard to make but with her friend by her side perhaps she could shoulder the burden, "I don't have much time left before Agnes becomes impatient so let us talk on things again as old friends. Let us stop talking of politics and royalty for now."
"I...I would be glad to, Princess."
Nearly a week had passed since the incident at the grave and nothing much had changed. Guiche was recovering well from the toxin, although he suspected he was playing it up more than it actually hurt. Tabitha and Kirche had stayed behind as well, reasoning that going back to school just to face corporal punishment so close to the break was a waste and that they might as well stay in Tarbes for now. Tabitha in particular didn't mind since she was often out of school due to her 'assignments' and the headmaster knew better than to question Gallian nobility.
Besides, that way they could keep searching nearby ruins if they ever wanted to, although Raziel suspected they would be just as monster infested as the last with an equal lack of treasure.
There had been little contact between the students and the academy, save for Guiche sending a letter to Montmorency to explain his injuries. He questioned exactly why he felt the need to do so considering he was well on the way to recovery but again he suspected he was playing up his injuries in order to garner his fiancee's sympathy considering the failure of finding treasure for her.
Raziel himself had kept busy. At times he would help in the field though most of the time he helped out the town by exterminating monster nests pointed out to him by the bear of a priest. Granted he had done so simply because they tended to hold Humanity in them by the droves but if it helped Tarbes save money on hiring mercenaries then all the better. Already the priest was urging him to stay permanently in Tarbes as a monster hunter, likely because he never asked for payment despite the work he did.
"Blood and damnation," Raziel hissed as he wrapped a strip of cloth around his arm, which had been injured in the previous excursion. Another spider nest, although thankfully far smaller than the one in the previous ruin. Unfortunately as he'd find out spiders didn't hold much Humanity in them despite the sheer amount of corpses littering their walls. He was tempted to take a swig of the Estus but the lack of a bonfire discouraged it. He needed to ration out the drinks lest he run out.
On the bright side killing the monsters by himself had proven easier now that he had miracles. As he gladly found out his body retained the skills he had learned such as the sword dance of the grave lords or the push of the clerics, so dealing with multiple monsters at once had proven easy enough. If only he hadn't wasted all his healing miracles earlier he wouldn't have problems right now.
Oh well, he'd just have to wait till he could use them again.
"Hey you!"
A shrill yell interrupted his musings. Turning to the source of the voice he found a blonde haired girl walking towards, her ringlet hairstyle bouncing with every step she took. The Magic Academy uniform she wore made her stand out compared to the other villagers. Raziel blinked; she seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place his hand on it.
"Have you seen Guiche around?" She demanded haughtily, "He's a tall guy, with blonde hair and most likely wearing a frilly shirt. He told me that he was recovering here."
"Guiche? Why are you searching for him?" His eyes narrowed. What did she want with Guiche? She looked angry about- Oh, now he remembered her: Guiche's fiancee, Montmorency. He'd nearly forgotten about her. He only caught a glimpse of her during his first days, beyond that it was simply Guiche talking about his constant arguments with her.
"You know Guiche, huh? Who are- Oh, now that I take a closer look at you, you're Valliere's Familiar, aren't you?" At his nod her frown deepened. Well it was to be expected; as far as she remembered he had nearly killed her fiancee, although Guiche started it first. Regardless the way Guiche complained about her made it clear that she wasn't above using magic to attack him so why she was so displeased he had no idea.
"If you are looking for Guiche you can find him at the inn," He pointed at the larger building, "I urge you to avoid straining him too much. He is still recovering from his injuries and needs to heal."
"What I do is none of your business," She snapped and with a huff she turned away from him and made her way to the inn. Raziel's lips quirked downwards ever so slightly. She reminded him of Louise during his first days here. It was as if she had a sword lodged up her backside. He shook his head and sighed; he only hoped Guiche would be alright.
Footsteps crunched next to him before a large hand clapped his shoulder, "That girl sure is something, huh," Alexnadre let out a laugh at Raziel's blank gaze, "Ah, she acts like that but you can tell she came here because she was worried."
"How is is that you know this?"
"I read the letter that noble wrote," He snorted, "You wouldn't believe some of the things he said. 'I'm dying, I may not have much time left. My last thoughts are going to be of the time we spent together,'" He let out another snort, "Girl probably thought he was done for and rushed over here as soon as she got the letter. Ah well, hopefully she'll lighten up when she sees he's alright."
Somehow he doubted that, "Perhaps," He shrugged of the taller male's arm, "Is there anything else you wished me to do? The ruins did not hold what I seek and we still have lots of daylight left."
"Nah, we're actually over our schedule," He grinned, "Between you working the fields and Mr. Gramont using his earth magic we've been put days ahead of our deadline for crops. Some people resent nobles, but when they put their mind to it they can really change things," He ruffled Raziel's hair playfully, "You as well, young man. Anyone ever tell you that you got talent with farming? Most others get tired being under the sun all day but you tilled that first field right quick and tilled the other ones before we could tell you to stop."
"It is easy in comparison to a lot of things. It was nothing special," He wasn't bragging; dragging farming utensils through the dirt was infinitely more simple and easy compared to fighting against monsters or other human beings. At least the soul didn't fight back and try to kill him.
"Not the bragging type, are ya? Good, I like that," He ruffled his hair again. Raziel found it slightly demeaning, "Anyway, why don't you go to the church? They're having a wedding there right now and everyone in the village can go if they want. If you're lucky you can snatch some of the wine and good food before everyone eats it up," He let out a chuckle, "I'll be there in a couple of hours. We're bringing our own wine, you see."
"Will Siesta be there?" He asked curiously.
"Yeah, I sent her with the first batch of wine and told her to stay put. She should still be there," Raziel smiled slightly at the answer and moved to leave before Alexandre pulled him back, "Hold on, I gotta tell you something before you go. Lad, I see you're close to my daughter. Is this true?"
Raziel nodded, "She was my first friend here. I owe her a debt of gratitude."
"Be that as it may as her father I have an obligation to tell you this," He grabbed both of his shoulders and stared him, "If you so much as hurt a hair on her head then I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth, do you understand me? And nothing will stop me." He threw him a glare that would have sent most men running for the hills.
Despite the announcement Raziel still held the small smile, "Understood. You do not have to worry about Siesta coming to harm with me."
"Nothing ever fazes you, huh?" He shook his head in amusement and waved, "Right, go on before I change my mind, kid."
The pain in his arm was agonizing.
Wardes grit his teeth and sucked in a pained gasp as another jolt of pain shot up his limb. With every day that passed the corruption that infected his arm worsened and the pain became more and more intolerable until there were times where he was severely tempted to sever the limb on the spot regardless of the pain that it would have brought him.
"Are you alright, Sir?" The captain of the Lexington, an older man by the name of Bowood, looked at the Viscount warily. While he held no love for him, in as much as he held no love for the higher nobility, he still found the silver haired man's actions to be worrying. The way his left arm convulsed and the muted gasps of pain made it rather clear that the Viscount was in a lot of pain.
"Quite fine, Officer Bowood" Wardes answered before another spasm of pain nearly forced him to yell. Damn that God-forsaken Familiar of his former fiancee! The pain wasn't that hard to ignore at first, but at this point even breathing sent his mind into a frenzy of agony. He'd seen the arm this morning; the decay had gotten worse and he could have sworn that the smell of rot was starting to set in.
He wondered whether he should have amputated it before coming to this critical event before he pushed away the thought. Whatever affliction that damnable Familiar had given him was obviously not normal in nature and he doubted whether cutting off the limb would stop whatever it was that corrupted him. There was as good as chance as any that taking off his arm would make this corruption jump to another part of his body.
And if he had to choose between pain in his arm and pain all over his body, he would choose the former.
"Are the ships at the back of the fleet ready?" Wardes asked.
The princess' wedding would take place not too long now and as a sign of 'cooperation' Albion had sent its flagship 'The Lexington' along with a few other ships to show their 'support'. It was to be a sign that they were willing to put aside hatred and distrust in favor of friendship. As Cromwell would say, 'We are all equal in the eyes of Brimir, so let us not waste lives on senseless conflict'.
The truth of the matter, of course, was that they had no intention for any of that. Of course some of Cromwell's supporters also voted for peace but they had been silenced with warnings that Tristain would no doubt send reprisals against them regardless of what they did and they had to strike first. Many in the council were uncomfortable with being the first to break a treaty, but more promises and platitudes were enough to silence.
Bowood shook his head in disgust. He was a soldier, that meant he had to follow orders from the men stationed above him. He hated to think of the consequences this would bring but at the end of the day if he refused they would surely kill him and replace him him with someone more willing to obey their laws and die for them with a smile. No...no, at the end of the day he would follow orders regardless of his personal feelings on the matter. That was how a good soldier was.
"Yes, the ship 'Hobart' has been rigged with fire barrels and the men have already prepared the escape boats," Bowood replied, "As soon as the greeting ship from Tristain fires off the cannon salute the ship will burn and the crew will escape," It was a solid enough plan; trick Tristain into thinking they had fired the first shot, whether out of accident or not, and Albion would be free to retaliate out 'necessity'.
This had the double benefit of allowing them to gain more of the citizen's support. The commoners of Albion were split on their opinions on Reconquista: Some saw them as a hope for better things while others considered them more power-hungry than the previous royal family. Mostly however most of them were ambivalent at the end of it as they assumed that it didn't concern them.
Already Cromwell was making promises, telling the population that they would be able to vote for who led them and that their choices would affect how Albion would function. A bold-faced lie considering Cromwell's intention, but Bowood could see the benefit - People would be much more willing to die for something they thought would benefit them. Better that they deluded themselves and joined the army in the hope for a better future rather than being conscripted and forced to fight against an enemy they didn't feel any obligation to destroy.
Despite himself he had to admit he found the would-be Emperor's political acumen to be rather ingenious. In the coming weeks he had lessened taxes on the peasantry and even increased their stockpiles of food and alcohol at a lesser cost. Not out of any altruistic intentions, or at least he assumed they weren't, but rather because a complicit populace was much more willing to cooperate and soldiers that had signed on of their own volition rather than being conscripted and forcefully taken from their families would be all the more willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause.
Pragmatic and very beneficial. Bowood personally thought that if nothing else it was much better than taxing the commoners and building resentment in order to build warships. King James ruled through fear and law, but Cromwell wanted to cultivate the image of a benevolent dictator so even if the populace could vote for a new leader they would have no reason to pick anyone but him.
"Here they come now," Wardes pointed his good hand at the arriving ship. Bowood observed them closely; the ship couldn't have been more than a scout ship, which made sense since this was ostensibly a gesture of peace. As soon as the ship had reached a good enough distance they turned to the side and fired off a broadside with its cannon in salute.
Not long after the broadside the 'Hobart' had caught fire and exploded, no doubt much to the shock of the Tristanian forces. Bowood saw the sailors and soldiers aboard the ship take to their lifeboats and escape, leaving the burning vessel behind. Beside him Wardes smiled before turning to him, "Officer Bowood, give the order."
Bowood saw the Tristanian ship trying in vain to raise up a white flag of surrender, but it was useless. With a deep breath he put aside all his doubts and gave the command.
"All cannons fire! Sink that ship!"
War had been declared
Raziel always imagined weddings to be somber events. Of course people were expected to be happy during them, but it would be a more...muted happiness. In all the stories he'd read in Lordran of weddings, most of them being different interpretations of Gwyn's wedding, despite the differences he could see a certain similarity: The priest would make them take their vows, the couple would kiss, and there would be a round of formal applause to signify the support of the friends and family that had been invited to share in the joyous occasion.
This image had been crushed as he saw the crowd around him dancing happily with one another, men and women holding hands and dancing in joy and drinking wine in such severity that Raziel wondered whether they would die from the sheer amount of it. The happy couple themselves, he'd never gotten their names, were the happiest of all, dancing in the middle of the crowd with the cheering of others ringing behind them.
Raziel smiled and sat against a tree at one of the less crowded areas. After the formal ceremony at the small chapel the villagers had moved out and started celebrating near the village center, which he assumed would be quite a sight considering the sleepy image the town gave of. Compared to the tables and decorations of the nobility the villagers had made do with cloth and small wooden tables to hold the food. And of course there were the barrels of wine, but he reined in his curiosity at drinking. No doubt it prove useless to him regardless of the blood he now held.
"Oi lad, not drinking?" Father Augustine sat down next to him and took a large gulp of the wine in his cup. Raziel stared at him blankly, "What're you givin me that look for? I know my limits."
"I...simply did not know priests were allowed alcohol," He'd heard of the ceremonial flat bread and wine but they were just that - Ceremonial. He doubted the wine the priest was drinking was ceremonial at all.
"They aren't," He snorted, "So if you see any Romalian crusaders be sure not to tell them, alright? I'd probably taken prisoner as a heretic," He took another sip, "But you know what? It's fine to take a break every now and then. Most of the time it's work, taxes, work and even more taxes. Times like these we gotta cherish since they don't come around too often."
"I imagined weddings to be more...formal," He admitted.
"Maybe back in the big city, but most people in the countryside don't really follow that," Augustine waved his hand lightly, "The princess' wedding is soon and there's an old hearsay that being married close when a monarch is will mean you'll be blessed by Brimir as well. Personally I think it's a load of hogwash but Alice and Alphonse are happy so who am I to say anything?"
"I must admit you are not what I expected of a priest...no offense intended."
"None taken," He grinned, "Truth is I wasn't a priest since I was young. I was a mercenary, working for whoever paid me," That explained the muscles then, "But one day a job got bad and I was left for dead by my squad. I thought it was fitting, you know? Crawling in the dirt, dragging myself back to town and trying not to bleed out. That I'd die without anyone helping me, but then someone saved me. He couldn't have been more than a kid."
"A child?" That was surprising.
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself. It happened a few years ago so he's probably about your age now give or take," He shook his head, "Still, he dragged me all the way to town and paid the town healer to help me. When I asked him why he did it he said that his master or foster parent always taught him to help any people he came across since it was their 'duty' or something. Dad must have been a priest or something."
"Could a priest have children?"
"Well I did say foster parent, so he was probably adopted," He replied, "Anyway, I healed up and I guess I got tired of killing people for a living so I went to the nearest church and gave away all the money I'd saved up. They accepted me right quick then," He chortled, "But I never did get to thank him for that. Someday I hope to," He sighed, "Damn thing is I don't even know what he looks like now. All I remember are the moon eyes."
"Moon eyes?" It sounded foreboding.
"Yeah, one blue eye and one red eye," Augustine explained, "More religious folk think moon eyes are a sign of calamity or doom, but I don't buy into any of that crap. It was someone with moon eyes who saved me, after all, and he did it without expecting anything in return. Guess that goes to show that religious tripe isn't always right, huh?"
"Perhaps," He turned back to the crowd and spotted the couple still dancing, "This is my first experience with weddings, I admit. The happy mood is...infectious."
"Infectious? You make it sound like being happy's a bad thing," He finished the remaining wine he had left, "Listen to me, lad. Life's too short to keep thinking about regrets so take that stick out of your arse and just smile! Nothing's to be gained by being depressed all the time," He grinned, "Besides, play your cards right and you'll probably get a wedding of your own someday."
"I doubt that..." Raziel gave an amused shake of the head.
"Well, you never know," His eyes caught Siesta making his way to them, "Well, I'd better go before the best of the wine gets taken. Have fun, alright?" He stood up and clapped Raziel in the shoulder before losing himself in the crowd. Raziel watched him go briefly before his eyes turned to meet Siesta and he smiled again. Maybe he was right; things would be fine and he should lighten up.
"Raziel, there you are," She panted, "What are you doing over here?"
"Thinking on things," He stood up and dusted off his pants, "As I recall now you promised me that you would teach me how to dance, did you not? Would it trouble you if I took you up on it now."
"Well now's a good a time as any," She giggled and offered him her hand, "Come on."
The impromptu dancing lesson was no better than the last. In some respects it was actually worse than the previous one. In truth they'd only gotten a few minutes of dancing before others in the crowd dragged them to the center and made them join in the festivities. The celebration dancing was much more crude, but he had to admit that in a lot of ways he found it more enjoyable than the formal dancing of nobility.
It was only after a quarter of an hour that Raziel and Siesta and Raziel separated themselves from the crowd with excuses of exhaustion and fatigue. Raziel mimicked a pant and raised an eyebrow as he saw something that didn't surprise him all that much: Montmorency yelling at Guiche while Kirche and Tabitha stood off to the side. On closer inspection Guiche was mumbling excuses while Kirche was shaking her head in amusement as she drank some wine. Tabitha was content to ignore them, reading her book silently.
"Oh, there you are, Razi," Kirche greeted him with smile and a wink, "You looked like you were having fun over there," He blushed slightly, which caused her smile to widen, "Ah well, better than you being depressed all the time," She rolled her eyes, "Guiche and Montomorency are arguing again."
"What are they arguing about, Miss. Zerbst?" Siesta walked up next to him and asked.
"She thought he was dying because of that letter he sent so of course she's angry that she found him flirting with the innkeepers daughter," Again? Raziel wondered if Guiche did things like this on purpose, "Actually, could you help him out? Montmorency won't listen to me and her yelling is kind of ruining my mood."
Raziel shrugged; might as well. After all, how bad could it be?
"I can't believe I wasted money hiring a carriage to take me here!" Montmorency stamped her foot in frustration, "Do you have any idea how I felt when you told me that you were infected with spider venom!? I thought you were dead!" She smacked his chest. Hard, "I thought you were gone, you idiot! And what do I find when I get all the way here!?"
"Montmorency-"
"You were flirting with some peasant girl again!" She stamped on his foot, "Why did I even worry about you!? You know what, I shouldn't have wasted my time! That spider should have kill you!" She slapped his left cheek, "I bought medicine for you! I prayed that you would be alright! I should have known that you were lying again! Stupid Guiche!"
As it turned out? Very bad. Raziel rubbed the back of his head and gave a helpless look at Kirche, who returned with a shrug and a push forward. Gods damn it, he should have agreed to this.
Thankfully he didn't have to say anything before the sound of cannonfire engulfed the air. Everyone in the village turned to the source of the sound and made out the distant ships, barely visible against the clouds. Raziel raised an eyebrow; how did he not notice them before. At second glance they were rather far-off so it didn't surprise him that no one had taken notice of them.
"H-Hey, isn't that the Lexington?" Guiche asked him. He turned back with a confused glance, "That's the flagship of the Reconquista fleet. Don't you remember it? It was there when we were in Albion-"
"Something's falling!" Someone yelled. Raziel turned back to the fleet and caught sight of one of the smaller ships catch fire and fall. What in the abyss? Those cannons didn't hit the ship, did they?
The Lexington's response was quick. With a loud boom the cannons at its side released their power and tore the smaller ship into pieces. The entire village was quiet, their eyes wide and staring at the torn vessel that was once a proud ship of Tristain. Raziel's eyes narrowed, a feeling of dread suddenly passing through him. His left hand convulsed in pain. Something was there, something wrong.
"Wh-What in the void!?" Kirche was the first to speak.
"They-They shot the ship down..." Guiche's voice sounded weak...scared. Raziel couldn't blame him, "Wh-What happened!? Didn't Tristain and Albion have a truce! Why did they fire!?"
"Unsure who fired first," Tabitha commented, her grip on her staff tightening.
Another moment of silence passed before the Lexington turned and started moving into Tarbes' general direction, "H-Hey, someone inform the lord of what happened!" Alexandre's voice pierced through the silence, "Hurry! Tell the lord of what happened before they get here."
"M-Maybe they'll pass us by?" A woman in the crowd opined.
"Either way we have to tell him!" Augustine yelled, "Alphonse, take a horse and go to the estate! Hurry!"
"R-Right!" With a numb nod and a last look at his wife he rushed to the stables.
The rest of the villagers moved quickly, either grabbing the tables and barrels or making preparations to barricade their homes in order to defend against the coming attack. Some ran, either to get more aid or to escape the coming fleet. Raziel let out a bated breath as Siesta took hold of his right hand, "Raziel? I'm scared..." She needed to get her younger siblings. They needed to barricade themselves until the lord came.
"...I'll protect you," He closed his eyes briefly and turned back to the nobles, "Come, we should not stand here and be idle. Gather your things and meet at Siesta's house...or leave if you wish. I doubt we have much time."
"R-Right," Guiche was the first to respond, grabbing Montmorency's hand and dragging her to the inn with Kirche following suit. Tabitha kept standing, her gaze shifting between the approaching fleet and Raziel. With Sylphid she could get herself and her schoolmates out, but evacuating the whole village at a far enough point for the army to not catch up to them was simply unfeasible even if she made return trips.
"Will you leave? With Sylphid you can escape now if you hurry," Raziel asked her, "I will not fault you for it. This battle is not yours."
"Not yours either," She pointed out. Raziel only smiled in response. She looked down briefly, her hold on her staff tightening and shaking slightly, before she turned to meet his gaze again, "I...will stay. Provide assistance."
"We will meet at Siesta's house then. Thank you," He bowed briefly.
With a nod of her own Tabitha made her way to the inn to gather any essentials she needed. Raziel felt pain in his left hand again as he stared at the coming fleet. Chester was right; this place hid it better but mankind's machinations would persevere so long as there was a single person standing.
Raziel let out a bitter laugh. Again he was dragged into a war he had no reason to be in, "It will be alright," He looked at Siesta and smiled. She was still alive. The others were still alive. And so long as he was still capable of fighting then he would make sure that it stayed that way.
Right now he still had something worth fighting for. He wouldn't fail them like he did the others.
Finished:) Fuck me that first part was really fucking awkward to write out but the latest chapters and the coming chapters have been mired in depression, cynicism and generally fall under the Dark Souls spectrum of being really effing angsty so I thought I should dip a bit more into the ZNT/Rom-com and idealistic side of things considering this is a crossover. Don't worry, the coming chapters are going to have grimness and violence in equal measure to wash away any people who didn't like the first part.
Alright now I know some of you are annoyed we still haven't reached the battle proper yet but I PROMISE the next part will contain the battle that (hopefully) focuses on both Raziel and the other characters like Louise, Wardes and the other Mages staying behind in Saxe-Gotha. The coming chapters are going to be much more difficult to write since it's going to be the battle, then the filler, then (most likely) another Manus flashback. School starts in three days as well, so wish me luck guys:)
I might make a Fallout and ZNT crossover oneshot:) Much less serious compared to this one. We'll see what happens. I'll be reading Voidwalker and other fics to see how other authors do DS crossovers. We're having much more crossovers in this archive and I'm tempted to see how they go:D
Q and A time
LD 1449 - Because it's generally assumed that the item descriptions are the only unbiased and accurate info you can get and they explicitly state the soul belongs to Onrstein/Smough. If we can't trust the description for them then why should we trust the description for any of the items at all? Might as well assume everything is false.
Regardless the 'cycles' theory renders it moot. Oh and Vendrick likely represents the Four Kings: A just and reasonable monarch tempted by power and darkness that led his kingdom to ruin. By the time you fight both they're obviously insane and not all there anymore.
Hermes Tonsils - No, he did a first 'good guy' playthrough with all the consequence that entails.
thefluffyone93 - No Priscilla fillers:/ I'm sorry but I think Priscilla is rather overrated. She's completely optional and her role was cut in favor of an optional boss fight, so why is she so popular? I'm guessing it's because she satisfies a specific fetish group. I doubt she'd be as popular if she were male or non-humanoid in appearance.
I did plan for her to show up, but WAY later. As in 'near the end' later. We'll see what happens if others demand to see her.
BrazeRancor - It was alright, but truthfully I'm more interested in the 'Cycles' lore that popped up.
Ashlands of the Cold - We'll see if he upgrades later. As of right now Raziel has enough brute strength to cleave through most opposition without much difficulty so it;s not yet needed.
HitmanPAC - I'm aware of that: Raziel's thoughts are not my own and while we have access to item descriptions and ENB lore vids he doesn't so he's obviously confused and unaware of how exactly Lordran works.
Abyss Phantom - Not likely. I said it before but I have no plans to include Boleteria's Champion nor do I plan to include Drangleic's Savior. If the cycles theory is correct then the DS2 protag might even be a reincarnation of the CU, and given the changes I made to Raziel's background it's unfeasible for them to show up. Name-dropping Nashandra was already pushing it.
Simple405 - The Zombie!Wales arc isn't filler since it's part of the main arc. I'm talking about a filler where he's the viewpoint character before he does the whole Henrietta kidnapping.
Guest - Some bosses might show up, but only if it makes some amount of storyline sense. I'm not gonna put the Stone Dragon in there for a cheap fight scene.
Luciz - Thank you for the long explanation, although I am aware of the lore right now. Regardless many of the 'past entrants', about 4, already showed up and some more might come later. Reigniting the kiln likely starts another cycle while the abyss spreading ends all cycles permanently - Whether which one is better than the other is again up to interpretation. We'll see where the story goes although so far I hope you're enjoying it.
AnubisGundam0 - He might not need Louise's help. I did say before I had plans for firekeepers and leveling up.
Krulla Chief - He's already shown bouts insanity and rage so those count. Regardless I have no plan for Raziel to ride the stone dragon like a horse; those dragons are proud and stoic creatures and I doubt they'd allow some runt to ride them. But stick around, you may get your wish. As for my favorite I'd have to go with fan-favorite Tarkus since he helped my underleveled arse without needing a reason to.
Yasulong - One contradiction here is that firekeepers are explicitly shown aging while Undead don't due to them being, well, dead. Anastacia's lore mentioned her being born as a firekeeper and having the dogma drilled within her since she was a child. Likewise the Firekeepers at the start of DSII are old and decrepit, again indicating age. The Emerald Herald is likely artificially created by the dragons but she's a special case. I'd say they're human for the most part but they have the added benefit of being capable of resurrection provided one brings them back to their bonfire.
Also the design on Anastacia's cage is misleading. Despite the appearance of being trapped the intro quite blatantly shows her outside mourning a corpse and the trailer had her sitting close to the Firelink Shrine bonfire without any issue, so my guess is the people who raised her made that cage and put her there and she doesn't leave due to again dogma being hammered into her that she shouldn't. The Lady of the Darkmoon is also free and capable of leaving, again lending credence to the fact that Anastacia's situation is due to outside circumstances.
Special in a way that they have more than five refills and they're teleportable. Note that the other teleportable bonfires are places where you killed bosses, meaning their residual power/connection to the Lordvessel likely makes them teleportable as well. Lore-wise the Darkmoon Knightess says that firekeeper bonfires are special so it might just not translate to gameplay all that well.
Thanks for the compliments:) I'm hoping Raziel remains balanced in the whole story.
KleverKilva - Not sure. She does look skeletal, so perhaps.
Malefan - Why not? They already explained their side of the story (off-screen) and them being non-humans he has less reason to hide it. Besides all he gave then was general info and not much else. He's not close to them nor does he trust them much, as shown when he backed away when Amethyst tried to examine his darksign closer.
ClockworkInsomniac - Does this work? :p Another talking chapter, although Raziel does have reasons for keeping things close to his chest and Louise doesn't ask because she's afraid of the answer. Ditto the others, with Guiche specifically being mentioned as ignoring the weirdness to avoid going insane. I'll try to fix this in later chapters.
Hades Revolution - Fenrich being someone else's servant? Might as well fit Louise for a wooden kimono right there since Fenrich would kill her on the spot. Valvatorez wouldn't be her servant either; he'd promise her to make her a better Mage and stick around till that promise is fulfilled. Regardless I would appreciate if you not use my story as an advertisement board:/ Make your own challenge notice and post it if needed but it's somewhat rude to use a review for a challenge.
Chosen Unauthor - Note the weapon both start with: Longswords, which is one of the few classes of weapons that the CU can use half-decently. Generally knights and warriors specialize in one weapon (Sword in this case) while neglecting others since realistically it's time-consuming and difficult to master more than one. Spearmen and Pikemen, Archers, Assassins etc etc all have different proficiency and the CU is capable of using longswords, curved swords and daggers relatively well. It's only the more specialized/non-general weapons like spears, bows and greatswords that he struggles.
Regardless it's a moot point since Raziel admits that he has no memories prior to the Asylum so even if his starting class was Warrior he essentially had to learn on the spot. Despite this and the hundred years in the kiln he's relatively proficient in combat - fighting against the Valkyies, Bandits and the Reconquista soldiers well enough - despite the Gandalfr runes being unable to move his body beyond giving him general tips. He also uses his smaller size to his advantage since it's easier to dodge and move around due to lower weight and he still has augmented strength. He's not trained in any sense, but he's self-taught well enough that he can compensate for it.
He might get actual training later depending on how the story goes but as of right now he's unorthodox and self-trained, so don't expect much finesse or expertise. The way he fights is by making damn sure the opponent is incapable of standing.