Event 12: Path Of The Dragon

As soon as Seiko and Jinta emerged from the arch tree they had descended, a huge beast was already attacking them. Seiko dodged on reflex before actually looking at what had attacked them.

"Hydra!" yelled Jinta, drawing both his falchion and rapier.

"Kill it?!" said Seiko, blue flames in one hand and Abyss in the other.

"Yes, kill it! Are you crazy?!" said Jinta, jumping aside as one of the monster's heads slammed into the sand where he'd been standing.

Seiko smiled. Somehow this felt right, though she couldn't explain it. Her hood was still down from earlier, but her hair wouldn't be a problem in a fight with a many-headed aquatic snake. Though to call it a snake seemed off since its heads and tails came together inside a turtle shell in the shallow water. Seiko waved her left hand back and forth, fireballs flying each time it passed the Hydra. The fireballs struck and exploded, not doing much more than angering the giant thing. With the mouth of one head it could swallow Seiko or Jinta whole. In the mass of heads, water bullets spat by the enemy, and flying sand and attacks, Seiko lost sight of Jinta. Since she had no worries about him holding his own, she focused on staying safe and hitting hard. A head drew close, snapping at Seiko and pulling back, then snapping again. Seiko formed the Abyss in her right hand into a sword, one she could finally use with her incredible strength, and slashed at the Hydra's nose. The Abyss sword drew blood and infected the head, its veins beginning to slowly turn green and its flesh black from the wound. As the head shook in pain, something chopped it clean off. Seiko looked through the squirming necks of her enemy to see Jinta out on its back in the shallow water. He was combining his Emit Force miracle with his falchion and rapier, just like he had when fighting Ceaseless Discharge. Several heads curled back to strike at him, but he was too nimble if they didn't attack all at once and risk biting each other.

"Hahaha! You're smarter than the last one!" yelled Jinta, stabbing at one of the heads harassing him.

Seiko realized the threat, as she was sure Jinta did, but for some reason the fight was more fun than dangerous. Getting annoyed with her enemy always moving and staying away, Seiko abandoned her Pyromancy for a moment to use both hands for Abyss. She threw black chains around several heads, then yanked them to the sand with her awesome power, jumping on one of the heads. As she released the chains, she now used Pyromancy with both hands. Riding on one of the snake's noses, Seiko blasted the other heads that came close, using whips of flame and fireballs. When the head below her shook her off, Seiko jumped backwards, flipped over, and skidded to a stop in the white sand. Bringing one of her hands around, Seiko formed her Flame Bow, letting loose a volley of blue Flame Arrows. The Hydra wouldn't get close to her with all the flames flying, and it was steadily losing heads and blood. Jinta jumped from the Hydra's back, just four heads remaining, and ran down its neck back to the beach.

"Seiko! Here!" yelled Jinta. He sheathed his swords, drawing his talisman. He was part of the Way of White, and only had stronger than normal miracles. If he went through Seiko, however, he could use incredible healing techniques. With both tired, he planned to do just that, and finish the fight at full strength.

Seiko saw the talisman, understood the plan, and raised a hand over her head. Jinta jumped over her, flipped to right himself, and took her hand. As he landed behind her, Seiko faced to the left, her right hand still volleying Flame Arrows, but without the bow it was a greater cost by far. A few seconds later, however, that didn't matter. Jinta finished his prayer, sunlight shone impossibly through the gray clouds, and Seiko released his hand, instead pulling out the Abyss in full force.

Seiko yelled in effort, feeling greatly empowered. Abyss poured out of her, forming more chains than Jinta cared to count.

"Fear? Fear what? She's scarier than Frampt's teeth!" he thought to himself.

Seiko speared the Hydra with chains all over its remaining heads, punching right through them and pinning them to the sand. They struggled for a moment, then laid still, its tails stopping and its turtle shell body sinking to the bottom of the shallow shelf of sand.

Seiko withdrew the Abyss chains, sitting down in the sand. She technically sat on the back of her long black coat, getting sand stuck to the coat instead of all over her pants.

"Have I ever told you that you frighten me a bit?" asked Jinta, looking down at her after looking at the huge dead Hydra.

"You chopped off heads..." countered Seiko.

"Yeah, so I chopped off a few heads. You pinned four of them to the ground! With nothing but chains of the most volatile thing in Lordran! That came out of your body. Honestly, think about what you've done for a minute!"

"'The reason doesn't matter so much as the result,'" she quoted.

Jinta shook his head. "Yes, I said that. I'm just trying to make you understand what makes you scary. We have legends in Lordran, I'm sure you've heard, about men who awakened the Abyss and a clan who could survive it for short periods. But if any of those people, any at all, saw what you just did, I'm not sure whether they'd try to kill you or learn from you or worship you. I'm just a Paladin, I'm nothing special. Leeroy, my predecessor, at least had monstrous strength, something like you. Really, while your strength scares me, I have to say I'm glad you're on my side!"

Seiko laughed a bit at that. "Wanna duel?" she asked.

"Dear God in Heaven, never!" said Jinta, taking half a step back.

Seiko laughed harder, actually opening her mouth and tearing up a bit. It was her first time actually laughing and not just giggling or chuckling with her mouth closed.

Jinta sighed. "I don't think I'll ever understand you," he said.

Seiko stood to face him, then had to look beyond him. Just over the sand dune behind them, a bonfire could be seen in the distance. Someone was standing near it.

"Bonfire," said Seiko, letting Jinta follow her gaze instead of pointing.

"Oh, good. After coming all this way we should rest before exploring further..."

"Wait," said Seiko, spotting something else. She walked closer to the arch tree they'd come from, stepping into the water and leaning down to pick something up. She straightened, a dragon scale in her hand. It was almost as big as her face, tinted green, and rough.

"Wow, now that's a rare thing," said Jinta, seeing what she'd picked up.

Seiko put it in the free pocket of her coat. Her other pocket held her Estus Flask, empty from their descent through The Great Hollow.

She and Jinta headed for the bonfire, for rest as well as to see who stood near it. As they drew closer, Seiko made out Catarina knight armor, a Zweihander, and a pierce shield. It had to be Siegmeyer. Seiko broke into a jog, running over to him. As she drew even closer, and her footsteps reached his ears, Siegmeyer suddenly slashed at her with his massive sword. When he missed, he raised his little shield and prepared to continue his assault.

"Siegmeyer! What are you doing?!" yelled Jinta, drawing his falchion.

Seiko easily dodged Siegmeyer's attacks, reluctant to fight back.

"Siegmeyer! If you refuse to stop, I will stop you! Cut it out!" said Jinta, sliding closer, keeping his footing in the sand.

Siegmeyer said nothing, his only sounds grunts of effort as he swung his sword and thrust with the spike on his shield. Seiko retreated out of range, near a large hollow root coming from the arch tree's Great Hollow.

"Wait!" shouted a muffled voice. It surely wasn't Siegmeyer, for it was far to feminine. It came from around the hollow root. Another knight in Catarina armor emerged from around the root, running forward with her own large sword and pierce shield.

"He is my father!" said the new knight. She sounded as if she would choke on grief at any second, but she stood her ground.

"It is my duty to be the one to slay him. Both of you, please, stand aside..."

Seiko and Jinta looked at each other, Jinta withdrawing first to a safe distance. Seiko, cornered by Siegmeyer, didn't have it so easy. She waited for Siegmeyer to swing again, then jumped, put a boot in his head, and jumped off of him to get over him and away. Siegmeyer stumbled, using his sword to balance, then spotted his daughter and rushed at her in a rage. The two began to fight, one Catarina knight to another. Siegmeyer had obviously lost most of his reasoning ability, fighting on instinct and telegraphing his moves horribly. His daughter read him like a book, getting in close and running him through with her bastard sword in moments. Siegmeyer staggered back, dropping his Zweihander before falling onto his back. His daughter stepped up to him, retrieving her sword from his chest and hanging her head. Siegmeyer didn't fade to dust. He wouldn't revive at the bonfire. He'd gone completely Hollow, losing all chance of ever regaining himself. Siegmeyer died adventuring, and on the end of his daughter's own sword.

Seiko and Jinta approached her, both to offer condolences and to ask questions.

"You," she began, looking at Seiko. "You helped my father many times, didn't you?"

"Only... Oh... Yes... I did..." said Seiko, remembering Sen's Fortress, Blighttown, and Lost Izalith.

"I did as well, once or twice. But why ask that?" said Jinta.

"Oh, it's nothing... Nothing really... I am Sieglinde, his daughter," said the knight.

Sieglinde looked down at her father, his blood staining the pure white sand.

"My father... All Hollow now... Has been subdued. He will cause no more trouble. It's finally over... I will return to Catarina. By helping him, you assisted us both greatly. I can hardly return the favor, but please accept this. It's of no use to me now..."

Sieglinde held up a slab of metal or ore.

"A Titanite Slab, for a blacksmith's use. I no longer have need of legendary weapons..."

Jinta picked up the slab, noting its heavy weight, and placed it in a pouch on his belt.

"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I must ask you two to leave me be for now... I can't..."

Sieglinde trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence. Seiko and Jinta approached the bonfire, filling Seiko's Estus Flask. Jinta pulled out the slab they'd received, offering it to the fire where he could later retrieve it anywhere. The last they heard from Sieglinde, as they walked away, were her sobs and soft cries to her father...

"Oh, father... Dear father..."

Seiko and Jinta had been in quite a good mood before that point, and neither wanted to talk about what had just happened. They'd both lost someone they respected, and in a way they had never thought to witness. Luckily, there were other monsters awaiting them in the white sands of Ash Lake. Nothing lived in the black water that surrounded them, but the white sand was home to huge clams with many slender legs and skulls in their shells. Further ahead, more basilisks and giant mushrooms guarding an arch tree. But the path continued, and their grief was chasing them, so Jinta and Seiko pressed onward along the strip of sand. Eventually, the two came to a clump of massive roots, their path thinning and winding, but continuing. Seiko walked in front, in the center of the thinning strip of white sand, not wanting to get her boots too wet. It was simply uncomfortable while traveling. Jinta, with metal boots tinted gold, didn't mind the water much unless it got over his boots, otherwise he'd have to pour them out like buckets.

As Jinta and Seiko entered the clump of roots, rounding a small turn on their thin path, they saw something that left Jinta slack-jawed in his helmet. Most prominent in the view was the four winged, stone-scaled, ancient, everlasting dragon sitting on a throne of roots. The dragon did not move, either conserving energy or actually dead. His throne of roots was on a hill of white sand, and a small bonfire burned before him, offering a place to rest and a way out for Jinta, and Seiko by extension. However, the smallest thing in the view posed the greatest threat...

She was Seiko's height, maybe a little less, with less-than shoulder length white hair and bright orange eyes. Her black outfit had a hood attached, just like Seiko's, a white zipper, and no sleeves. The outfit ended in a skirt where Seiko's short-shorts ended. The thin, pale girl had black heavy shoes with black stockings up her legs almost to where her skirt ended. She also had black gloves that extended thin fabric up her arms to her biceps. Her hands were hidden behind gauntlets carved out of a dragon's bones. Around her ankles, above her heavy shoes, sat a pair of thick black shackles with the chains broken close, a symbol she had once been imprisoned somewhere for some reason. She stood at the end of the thin sand path, where the snaking way met the small mound the dragon's throne rested upon. The girl waited, staring at Seiko and Jinta. With nothing else to do, they approached. Jinta placed his right hand on his falchion's grip, hanging on his left. As they drew close enough to speak, the girl finally said something.

"You, in front," said the girl, raising one of her covered fists to point.

"You have a dragon scale. I need it," she said, offering no introduction, only the demand.

Seiko reached into her coat pocket, pulling out the large scale.

"If you actually want to give it to me, I cannot accept it. I am bound by my Covenant to earn it in a duel."

"Covenant?" said Jinta, skeptical.

"I walk The Path Of The Dragon. To increase our favor, members offer scales of immortality to our master, The Everlasting Dragon. I really only need one more, but I must duel to earn it. My name is Rii, 'The Strength.' I'm sorry for being so rude, but I really need that scale. So I challenge you to a duel, one on one, for a dragon scale either way. If I lose, you will earn a dragon scale. If I win, I earn one. I should be clear, though, neither of us will lose our scales if we lose."

"So, it's a duel with no real loss, since there's a bonfire right there and no one loses scales? How do you get a scale, then?" asked Jinta, lowering his guard, curious.

"With this," said Rii, removing a bone gauntlet and pulling something out of a small pocket on the front of her outfit.

A small silver ball rested in her palm, something like the eye of a dragon with a long, thin pupil...

Event 13: Raging Dragon coming soon...

Author Note: Here's "Rii," for those who don't know Strength from Black Rock Shooter: yande_re\post\show\194460
Change the _ to . and the \ to /. Hope you enjoyed the event, and more's coming in the next two days.