Event 24: True Abysswalker

Save me... he'd said. He looks up to me. He needs me.

She can stand...?! Incredible...!

Even now, I remember... The night he saved me...

Where would I be without her...?

What would I be without him...?

Artorias had retrieved what rightfully belonged to the Abyss. His mind gone, lost to the will of the Abyss, his body alone rejoiced in its approval. Now it said only to kill the ones in his way. Kill them or die trying. She is unworthy. He is too weak. Neither deserve the mercy of the Abyss it said. So Artorias obeyed.

Compressed, heavy black katana in her right hand for now, Seiko stood on shaking legs. No matter how she called to it, the Abyss would no longer answer. Her strength, normally something she would count on to make up for that fact, was drained by the experience. Seiko wondered what would happen when she tried to raise her sword for battle. But Jinta had finally asked something of her. They both knew they loved each other, even if the cruel world never allowed them time to express or grow the feeling. But this was something different. To Seiko, even more important. Before, she'd helped out of a sense of obligation, which she regretted. Not now. Jinta had asked something of her. Pleaded. Begged. It meant fighting her father, or what was left of him; a legendary warrior empowered by the Abyss she'd once commanded. She'd fought Lords alone and beside Jinta. She'd fought Black Knights. Only her near-death in New Londo had truly scared her before now. Her legs shook with exhaustion... And fear. But they held. As long as she drew breath, and as long as she could stand, Seiko had every intention on doing exactly what Jinta had asked. It was now or never, with one Humanity between them...

If not for Jinta's helmet, he felt as if he'd shame himself. No one could see his expressions. No one knew the fear he felt. He'd come very far, especially for just being an ordinary human. He'd walked beside legends, defeated nightmares, and seen the face of Gwyn himself. But he knew. Inside he knew. In the beginning it had been his hard work, in the middle it had been the help of Solaire, and as his journey of Chosen ended it had been the help of Seiko. All else aside, just his time with Seiko had been more incredible than all the rest. With her by his side even failure had just been temporary. Every crushing defeat before meeting her had been mindless. Meaningless. He'd pressed on solely because he'd believed himself to be righteous. Funny that he'd only just now asked Seiko to save him; she'd already done that. He didn't fight and bleed and die to be "righteous" anymore, whether he was or not... He took the hits, he pressed on now, because the two people responsible for his successes needed him. Solaire, in a dying wish, entrusted him, him, to end the cycle of death. Seiko, a walking, breathing, daughter of legends and maker of her own legends, clung to him as if he were a pillar in a raging storm at sea. Just by his words she now stood. After that. It sickened Jinta to his core, how pathetic he was. Others may say he was pathetic for asking a woman for help. To Jinta, it didn't matter that she was a woman in that any woman could be just as great as any man. What killed Jinta, what twisted his guts into knots, was that he'd been forced to beg her for help in her current state... All but forced her to grit her teeth and fight for him. It was wretched in his eyes. Mortifying. And, if it meant losing everything, deep down he vowed to make it up to her... Somehow...

"Seiko," said Jinta, his voice flat with shame. "If you can give me time to use Soothing Sunlight, I can give you a chance to win... It's only a few seconds."

Still shaking, Seiko nodded. It was a plan, which they needed.

Jinta said no more, already starting his prayer. In the same moment, Artorias leapt into the air, Abyss billowing around him. In an instant, the Abyss shot Artorias forward, allowing him to cover the distance of the entire coliseum in the blink of an eye. Seiko dove left to avoid it, rolling smoothly but struggling to get up completely. She stood between Artorias and Jinta. Jinta could move, but he had to focus on speaking, and was supposed to think of nothing else but his prayer for the best effect. Artorias wasn't having it, turning and jumping again, this time in a tight flip that brought all of his weight down with his heavy sword. If Seiko blocked, she'd be crushed. If she dodged, Jinta would be crushed. So she did neither. Mimicking Jinta's blind bravery moments before, Seiko ran forward, too close for the greatsword to hit, and jumped. With her katana pointed up, Seiko used the weight of Artorias' own attack to stab through his left shoulder. The attack spun Artorias, causing him to land on his right shoulder and miss Jinta. Seiko landed behind Artorias, going to her right knee to absorb the fall. She switched her sword to her left hand, using her right to push on her knee to force herself up. Jinta should almost be done, so she turned to run for him, but the same right knee gave out and she stumbled. Artorias was up and Jinta was running, still trying not to miss a single word or stutter or breath in the middle of a verse. Artorias swung, Jinta ducked... And slammed his palm on Seiko's head, grabbing it.

"... by holy Soothing Sunlight!" finished Jinta, his entire body tense and ready to be cut down. His job was done. He'd reached her in time. Even if Artorias killed him now, Jinta believed Seiko would find a way to win. He let go of Seiko's head, noting, somewhere in the back of his mortally terrified mind, how beautiful her hair was.

For Seiko, it was like her first breath in several minutes. She could move. She had command of her body and her strength... And her Pyromancy. She began to stand, moving passed Jinta by less than a centimeter and slashing up and left to deflect Artorias' sword just in time. Sparks flew as the two near-indestructible blades glanced off each other, Seiko's going up over Jinta's head, Artorias' slamming into the brick floor to her right. With her free right hand, Seiko thrust her palm forward, loosing a gout of Fire Surge. Artorias stumbled back a step, taken off-guard by his future daughter's blue flames.

"Move," commanded Seiko, her voice full of her willpower. Jinta, still shocked he was alive, was only able to react by turning around. When he saw and understood how Seiko had deflected the blow that should have killed him, Jinta took a step back. His prayer had affected him as well, but his mind and heart were still broken.

Artorias flailed his empty armored left hand, spewing an odd, Abyss corrupted goo. Seiko, still far more focused than Jinta, kicked her left foot back, hitting Jinta in the chest. Jinta flew onto his back, out of range of the goo, leaving Seiko to roll to the right in an odd manner, her leg still sticking out. It took discipline and focus to not gut herself with her own sword in the process. Coming out of the roll, Seiko crossed her left arm over her body, her katana pointed down, to block Artorias' next swing. Meant to catch her off-guard, the swing was back-handed. Greatsword master that he was, Artorias had twisted his hips and back perfectly to give the attack all the force possible. Seiko was sent into the air, but she was able to land on her feet, her boots skidding over the stone brick floor. Now Jinta was the closest target, so Artorias took a step forward to get in range and swung overhead. It was a perfectly flowing move from his last attack. Jinta, still holding his talisman, cast Force to block. It was weak, a sign of his faith wavering and his focus being shot. Still, it was enough to stop Artorias' blow. In the meantime, Seiko ran back within range and slashed at Artorias' exposed ribs. She passed from Artorias' right to his left, cutting across his armor just under his breast. Spinning, Seiko slashed again, cutting into Artorias' limp arm. His armor, once as unbreakable as his sword, parted, sheering off the empty arm. The moment his armor hit the bricks, it crumpled like a tin can until only a purplish crushed ball was left. The crushing Abyss forgave nothing.

Artorias, stunned more than wounded, simply looked at her. Seiko took it as an opportunity, stepping forward for another slash. She stopped and jumped back when she saw the Abyss rising around Artorias, right up out of the bricks. The legendary knight issued another agonized moan and pulling even more Abyss into his body. On the outside, it looked as if Artorias were using the Abyss to strengthen himself. But within, Artorias already had the strength to end the fight. It wasn't about more power, it was about the Abyss further corrupting and controlling him. The knight himself didn't want to fight. Didn't want to kill an innocent. But the Abyss was another story. It had joined with the Abyss inside Seiko, and it knew everything about her. But now, so did Artorias. He could see her trying to plan. As a great warrior, he knew when he outmatched an opponent. Now he was being forced to watch as his body attempted the murder of his own daughter... Ciaran had never told him. Maybe never had the chance... As more of his ability to resist faded, Artorias did all he could to reign back his power. Pulled every blow he could, even just a little. Anything to let himself be stopped. Even at the hand of his future daughter.

How can they fight this way...? thought Jinta. He was useless, watching and avoiding Artorias. Why wasn't he distracting the enemy? Or even fighting?! Jinta watched as Seiko closed in, traded blows with Artorias, then escaped before Artorias could corrupt her. Seiko never blocked; it was useless to try. She always deflected or dodged Artorias' attacks, her own undeveloped strength no match for her battle-hardened father. Any other sword would have broken long ago, but Seiko's black sword, compressed from two Black Knight Greatswords, was one to rival the Greatsword of Artorias. Jinta realized two things as the sparks flew and bricks shattered. First, Seiko had been stronger once, before she'd gone Hollow. It was so obvious to him now, as he watched Artorias, that he felt dumb for not noticing before. Second, a revelation crashed over him like the Abyss itself. Seiko hadn't given up. She wasn't even nervous anymore. Her blue eyes glowed with the same silent certainty they always had. Even when she'd just lost a large part of what had made her so strong, Seiko didn't show a single sign of backing down. In fact, she was more aggressive than Artorias!

How? What within her allows her to be so...

Then it hit him. So simple and so cliché, if he weren't standing in a battle ground he might have even laughed. It was him. Jinta himself was what drove her ever onward. Ever higher. Simply by being with her, needing her help, Jinta had pushed her further than anything else before. In the beginning, she'd chased him to move forward. When she'd caught up she'd practically dragged him by the hand through every trial afterward. Now here they were again, Jinta needing Seiko's help, and Seiko rising to the challenge. It was him. And if he could fuel her willpower so strongly, why couldn't she do the same to him...?

Seiko could feel it. There was music in this fight. Every clang of metal, footfall, rush of air behind steel, and shattering brick had a place. Even the bare seconds between each clash fell like beats of rest. No Abyss, not much time for Pyromancy, Seiko fought with her agility and skill alone. It was impossible to match her father's strength, and she could no longer expect to be immune to the Abyss, so she finally had nothing left to her but what she'd been born with. She could match Artorias this way, but if the fight carried on as it was, Seiko would eventually lose. It came down to stamina, and Seiko couldn't match the endless power of the Abyss that controlled Artorias. Even as Seiko realized this, the record scratched in its player. The music of battle ground to a halt.

"Move!" commanded Jinta.

Jinta leapt from behind Artorias, just as he'd done to Gwyn, and stabbed down into both of Artorias' shoulders. Not nearly as stable as Gwyn had been, Artorias went down to one knee. Seiko barely stopped her current attack in time to avoid beheading Jinta. Letting go of his swords, Jinta put both hands on his talisman and pressed it to the back of Artorias' head. Seiko jumped back, hearing Jinta rattling off the entire verse for Wrath of The Gods in the seconds between his command and pinning Artorias. Her memories flashed, only for an instant, on when Jinta had saved her in the Duke's Archives.

"...by The Wrath Of The Gods!" stated Jinta, as if ending a powerful sermon.

White light and black Abyss smoke exploded from the spot. After the initial ringing in Seiko's ears from the overpressure, she could hear Artorias roaring in pain. Jinta planted his feet and yanked his holy swords out of Artorias, hopping back.

"Together," agreed Jinta, at last.

Seiko couldn't help but smile her confidence.

Every witness to the fight could tell instantly, Jinta had changed. For Seiko, who'd seen him change before, it was even more obvious. For someone so dextrous, Seiko had always wondered what would happen if Jinta had to fight someone without using a shield. For a few seconds, she stood and watched, understood, and was impressed by what she saw. With Artorias' weapon, even with all his strength, he could only swing a limited number of ways, and had to telegraph every motion to do it. Jinta saw every single attack coming now that he was focused. Just like when Seiko had seen him fight a Black Knight in the dark, she could see the white streaks of energy from every slash Jinta made. A spinning dodge here, a duck and flip there, always attacking as he moved and always one step ahead of his slow opponent, Jinta exuded determination. He'd never been self-confident, or physically strong compared to Seiko, but he had something Seiko didn't have.

He'd never told Seiko how he'd recovered from being Hollow. He assumed it was unimpressive and uneventful. It had been a decision. Not a normal one, of course. His broken spirit and sanity had one day come together and simply began again. As if his being had decided it was time for change. Time to do something. And here, again, Jinta had that same feeling. It was time for a change. Time to do something. He'd had enough of relying on Seiko's help. Had enough of being dragged along by "fate" and the decisions of others. He'd decided to fight, come death or corruption, and that's exactly what he was going to do.

About a minute into his fight with Artorias, Jinta managed to turn the knight away from Seiko. She took the opportunity to join the fight again, moonsaulting over her father and slashing through his right shoulder. Abyss smoke sprayed from the wound but Seiko was already by Jinta's side.

"Block!" ordered Jinta.

Without question, Seiko pointed her katana at the ground and swung it up and to the left, like a windmill's arm. Perfectly, she deflected Artorias' current attack, giving Jinta time to make several slashes while spinning around the Abysswalker. Surrounded again, Artorias spun to take advantage of his deflected blow, aiming to cut both of his enemies in half at the waist. Seiko ducked and Jinta jumped, both turning their motion into an attack. Both slashes were upward, nearly unbalancing Artorias. Before they could strike again, Artorias' body called even more Abyss to it. The Abyss was growing furious with Artorias' ability to resist.

"When it's clear, Acid Surge!" yelled Jinta, over the tumult. Seiko saw him holding his talisman, and soon saw a barrier around him. She knew what he planned to do by that, so she complied, inhaling deeply. The very second Artorias dropped the Abyss, Seiko breathed the acid out, almost completely obscuring Artorias from her sight. She couldn't see Jinta either, until streaks of white light appeared over and over inside the rust red cloud. She could hear Jinta hollaring in rage and effort, and saw Artorias' greatsword appear on the edges of the cloud several times. All at once, the strategy ended, Jinta leaping out of the cloud after slashing at Artorias once more. Seiko saw his barrier fade almost the instant he stood by her. Artorias rushed out of the cloud, faster than before, spinning and holding the greatsword out. From above he looked like a pinwheel, and his boots forced sparks from the bricks underfoot. Jinta jumped back and Seiko ducked again. When Artorias stopped spinning, after two rotations, Seiko slashed at his sword arm, near the shoulder. Abyss smoke escaped the gap and his arm went limp. He still gripped the sword, but now he could only flail it with his weight.

"Can you use Power Within?" asked Jinta, a bit further back than Seiko. She dodged Artorias' next attack and gave a thumbs up with her free right hand. She tossed her katana from her left hand back to her right, where it had began the fight.

"You?" asked Seiko.

"I've got a plan," said Jinta, "But I'll need time again."

Seiko didn't answer. She didn't even need to look back. Jinta was good at finding the right strategy to end a fight, and she trusted him. Artorias, stepping forward to shift his weight properly, slashed upward with his limp greatsword, stepping forward again to force it down as he bent his back. Seiko side-stepped the upward slash, then tried to block the downward slash by putting her katana over her head. She assumed it would only be the falling weight of the greatsword. Her mistake pushed her to her left knee to absorb the intense blow. Artorias wasn't such an amateur; he'd used his steps and the muscles of his back to add force to his swing and it was almost as strong as when he'd had use of his arm. But that moment gave Seiko her opportunity. She let her blue flames blossom in her left hand and pressed the hand to her chest, letting Power Within take hold. Almost instantly, she could stand, pushing Artorias' sword to her right with her katana. It forced Artorias' arm to cross over his body, normally making it useless to attack. But, again, Artorias showed his prowess, stepping to his left and twisting his hips and shoulders to swing the sword back-handed and attempt to chop Seiko in her ribs. Seiko jumped, threw her sword in the air, and blinded Artorias by taking off her coat and throwing it at his face. She hit the ground, caught her katana, and jumped forward. Using the ground-breaking force of her jump, Seiko kicked Artorias in the head. Artorias flew back, hitting the floor on his back and bouncing. The knight gained his feet as Seiko's coat fluttered to the ground between them.

In that exchange, Jinta had knelt with his talisman, praying aloud to a new source.

"Solaire...? I know you can hear me... You've taken Gwyn's place. You were his son. I'm sure you're the Lord of Sunlight now. You found the sun you always searched for... Well, you asked me to end the cycle of death, and here I am, hunting down a way. Time is convoluted. If it's in your power... Lend me your strength! We can't win without it!"

A few seconds of silence for Jinta, the same seconds that Seiko blinded and kicked Artorias. Then, an answer Jinta did not expect. His falchion glowed in its sheath, so he drew it. The blade was golden, glowing like the afternoon sun.

"Sunlight Blade?!" said Jinta, having expected another barrier or some bodily aid.

"If this is what you think I need..." said Jinta, speaking to the nonexistent Solaire again.

Jinta rose from his kneeling position, putting both hands on his sword and rushing forward.

"Seiko! Get him off balance!" yelled Jinta, approaching from behind her.

Seiko shot forward in a sprint, much faster than he was while under the influence of Power Within. Jinta knew she didn't have long left with it before it would risk knocking her out. That was the last thing he needed, so it was do or die in this clash. Yelling after her, Jinta betrayed more of his plan.

"Once he's off balance, back off! No more Power Within! I still need you, damn it!" roared Jinta, his blood rushing in his ears.

Seiko heard him, but didn't show recognition. She just charged Knight Artorias, swapping her sword to her left hand in preparation. Artorias, just as she thought, went for the powerful swing across his hips, slashing for Seiko's left side. Seiko blocked with her katana, her blade and arm shivering from the force and a loud ringing issued forth. Skidding to a stop right in Artorias' face, Seiko palmed a blue fireball in her right hand and threw it like a professional baseball player, beaning the Abysswalker right in the face. The fireball exploded and Artorias stumbled back. With no way to counter, he was open if only Seiko was in a position to hit him. But just because she wasn't, didn't mean he got off easy. Jinta reached the scene at exactly the right time, stabbing Artorias in the gut with his falchion, Sunlight Blade sending lightning through Artorias' entire body. Golden light flooded out of every gap in Artorias' tainted armor, and a different, inhuman scream echoed from his helmet. Jinta put a foot on Artorias' chest and pulled his falchion out, then proceeded to slash the knight over and over, taking every second he had to inflict maximum damage. Behind him, Seiko had released Power Within and was struggling to stand. Her body felt like it was being eaten from the inside out, lactic acid and latent heat forcing her ability to fight right out of her body. All she could do was watch as Jinta put Sunlight Blade to the best use possible. When Artorias finally managed to struggle out a flailing attack, Jinta was too fast to catch, jumping back and running around Artorias' left side, slashing all the way. Now behind Artorias, close to the coliseum wall, Jinta jumped toward the wall. Pushing off deftly, Jinta flipped back toward Artorias, slashing left to right at Artorias' neck. His lightning-filled blade passed right through Artorias' weakened armor and he landed on a knee in front of Artorias. Behind him, the once-proud Abysswalker went to his knees, the tip of his sword being forced into the bricks to support him on weight alone...

For a moment, nothing happened. Jinta's falchion returned to normal, forcing him to wonder what he could do next if Artorias survived. His worry was for nothing, however, as the sound of a section of Artorias' armor denting in creaked out. Another section, then another was crushed into Artorias' body by the force of the Abyss he could no longer withstand. Both Jinta and Seiko couldn't believe what they heard next...

"Thank... You..." came a breath on the wind, from behind Jinta. Artorias' armor consumed him, crushing everything within to nothing but a corrupted ball of useless metal. His sword remained where it had been forced into the floor, also corrupted heavily. Jinta and Seiko both fell to the floor where they stood, exhausted...

Event 25: Truth Of The Battle coming soon...

Author Note: Yes, I will mention that Artorias fought with his off-hand here. Yes, I will be bringing someone in to explain that. No, we're not done yet, and any Dark Souls fan with the DLC should know that. And, no, I don't regret a single thing I just wrote. Without doubt my best weapon-combat fight scene ever. Honestly, I do hand to hand better, but this was incredible practice, and a ton of fun to write. I really hope you enjoyed it, and if you find any big issues, please let me know. I haven't been getting a lot of feedback recently, so I'm kinda left wondering if I've alienated people or if I'm doing a good job or not. This is about practice, not self-satisfaction. If there are flaws, show them to me, so I can work to correct them here and in the future. Thanks for reading so far! Over 5500 views!? Holy shit!