-Blighttown-
"'Oh, don't worry, I'll be fine, Seiko. They'd have to hit me in the-'" Stomach backflip. "'- face…'"
Tetsuro pulled the blowdart out of his cheek and swayed on his feet. Seiko hid behind a wall of wooden planks, features painted with concern.
"I'll go back," said Seiko.
"Giving up on me alr-" he started to ask, reaching for a pouch on his belt, probably for some of the moss he'd bought earlier. He was too slow, the dizziness causing him to fall over. His armor cracked and fell inward, turning to dust along with his body as he died.
"If I boost you up, would you mind retrieving that sword?" asked Tetsuro. The two had made it to a bonfire somewhere in Blighttown on their next attempt. Tetsuro had spied another sword like the one he'd won from the Undead merchant in the burg and was curious.
Seiko shrugged and got up to follow him. She walked past him and jumped, easily catching the edge and climbing up.
"I, uhh… I forgot about that…" said Tetsuro. "I suppose it makes sense if your arms are so strong that your legs would be too."
Seiko jumped down, sword and sheath in hand. She looked it over, drew the sword part of the way from its scabbard, then sheathed it again and handed it to him.
"I'm going to guess it's too light for you," said Tetsuro, looking over the weapon himself. "It doesn't look much different than the curved sword I already have. I suppose I'll carry them both and see if I can find a difference."
He went to the bonfire for his Bottomless Box, exchanging his equipment. He took a baldric from some of the armor he'd taken from fallen enemies and strapped the Uchigatana to his back, wearing his new blade, the Iaito, on his belt.
"A slicing weapon will do me well here anyway," said Tetsuro, drawing the Uchigatana. "Nothing down here has worn any real armor."
"Fire is safer, though," said Seiko.
Tetsuro looked back out at the scaffolding they'd been on before looking back at her.
"I really want you to know I'm surprised you haven't set the whole of Blighttown on fire yet. How that scaffolding didn't immediately start burning, I don't know. I'm inclined to think it's some magic, cast by a strong wizard a long time ago."
"I doubt they're still alive, then. Quelaana would have told me to seek them out instead."
"You were seeking strength, right? You must have enough souls by now. Have you tried using them for infusion?"
"I haven't…"
Seiko sat by the bonfire, reaching out to it. After a moment, she relaxed.
"Did it work?" asked Tetsuro.
"I think so. I don't remember ever doing this before. I should have a little better control of my strength."
"More finesse would do you some good, in more ways than one. If I find another longsword I'm willing to part with, I'll let you try again. As it is, I don't have any doubles collected at the moment, so I'll have to take your word for it. Shall we go?"
Seiko nodded and stood up. Tetsuro put up his shield and they moved forward…
Tetsuro backed slowly up a wooden ramp. Seiko was already on the platform he was moving to, and was watching the ramp from above it on Tetsuro's right. Yet another ogre, holding a club soaked in whatever awful poison gave Blighttown its name, was lumbering out of a cave they'd need to go through. When it got close enough, Seiko lashed out with Pyromancy. The rotten chunks covering the thing, along with its rags, burned quickly. It fell onto the ramp, smoking. Seiko was breathing hard, but still ready for more.
"I hope we don't run into too many more of those. They're quite a pain in cramped-"
A wave of dread he couldn't place passed through Tetsuro. He started looking around, his head on a swivel, eyes shifty.
"What's wrong?" asked Seiko.
"Perhaps restoring my Humanity was a bad idea. You ever hear of Darkwraiths?"
"No."
"Well, you might have to fight one. I've never been invaded by one before, but Jinta warned me about them. They hunt for Humanity. He warned me away from them. Said their way of life would appeal to me as a fighter, but that they were evil."
"You're not evil… Are you?"
Tetsuro looked over at her. "I don't hurt others just because I can, no. And I wouldn't betray someone's trust. But I'm not above a fight to the death. Nor am I above provoking a fight like that if I want to. I wouldn't call myself evil, but I'm no saint, either."
Tetsuro looked around again.
"We should keep moving, but keep an eye out. I have to take point, since my armor is better, as usual… But I need you to keep closer watch on our rear. And listen closely. I can't shake this horrible feeling."
The two continued down, fighting ghouls and small dogs that could breathe fire if left unchecked too long. When the ground was at last in view, Tetsuro stopped them again.
"There's that feeling again," he said. "That shudder of danger down my spine."
"I don't feel anything," said Seiko.
"Maybe you aren't the one they're after."
"Why are you sure it's an invader?"
Tetsuro took a moment to respond, looking back up the way they'd come.
"I'm not. I don't know why I have that feeling, but I do. Let's go."
They went down the last wooden ramp. Something Seiko recognized crawled out from under the platform they'd been on. It was a brown bug the size of a man, a fire in its belly, silky bug wings unfolding. Its fire flared up and Seiko put up a hand, using Fire Surge. Her flame met the bug's, causing them both to flare out where they met until Seiko's pushed back toward the bug, engulfing it. She visibly sagged after, breathing labored.
"We need to find a bonfire… Soon…" said Tetsuro, seeing her condition.
They started trudging through the muck, Seiko managing to look displeased on top of exhausted. Tetsuro looked back at the charred bug.
"Call me crazy, but I don't think that's how fire is supposed to work. You didn't do that to the dogs up above. Are there different types of fire I'm not aware of?"
Seiko yanked her boot out of the mud onto more solid dirt by a huge pillar. She leaned on the pillar, sliding down it to sit.
"Quelaana… Told me that Pyromancy is a representation of your inner self. She said all kinds existed, even things that weren't fire. She warned me that I might fight enemies that used fire with a physical presence, or enemies that could breathe poison or acid. She made me fight those bugs as practice. Their fire is physical somehow."
"'Somehow?'"
"She never told me the difference."
"Do you think she knew?"
"I don't know. I think if she did, she would have told me. She had to teach me how to make my fire do that. Using fire like theirs feels different. It takes a different kind of concentration."
"Have you tried using it on other enemies on our way?"
"Sometimes… But it doesn't seem to make any difference. If I understood it better, maybe it would."
"Maybe you could use a physical Fire Whip to grab an enemy? Or wrap it in fire?"
"That would be a lot harder than just burning it…"
"Good point. Are you ok to continue?"
Seiko huffed a breath and forced herself up. Tetsuro rounded the pillar…
And was nearly cleaved in two. He threw up his shield on reflex, his right hand shooting up to the Uchigatana. A massive cleaver scraped over his shield, slamming into the dirt between his feet. The cleaver, and its wielder, had a distinct red glow to them. The figure, a thick woman in rags with a sack over her head, and her blade were opaque, but not entirely. She was clearly a red phantom, an invader.
"Darkwraith!"
Before Tetsuro could do any more, the invader shifted her stance and threw her shoulder into his shield, pushing him back. Tetsuro stumbled in the mud, nearly falling over. As he windmilled to keep his balance, completely off guard, the invader lifted her cleaver over her head and charged forward. Seiko dashed between the two, catching both of the woman's wrists. The woman was surprisingly strong and Seiko was exhausted. The two struggled, Seiko sinking into the mud trying to hold the larger woman back. Tetsuro recovered, drawing his sword and stepping in.
"Sorry!" he said in advance, and shoved Seiko aside. She still held the woman's wrists, so as she fell, she took the woman with her part of the way. The woman bent over and stumbled forward, her turn to be off balance. Tetsuro slashed to cut her from shoulder to spine, but his blade passed right through her. It met enough resistance that Tetsuro could stop the blade before it hit the dirt and pull back. The woman broke free of Seiko's grasp and sliced wildly for Tetsuro's ribs. Tetsuro blocked with his shield, but was pushed off balance again into the mud. He recovered quickly and slashed at the woman again, his blade passing right through her head. She became much more opaque, turning a deeper red than before. The invader focused on Tetsuro, attacking again.
"Seiko! If you're alright, I could really use some help here!"
Seiko ran into the mud behind the invader, snapping her fingers and sending a wave of flame over the woman's back. Tetsuro felt the wave of heat from the blue flames, but he held his ground. The invader shuddered, physically reacting to being burned, and turning such a deep crimson she was nearly black.
"She's fading! Finish her!" said Tetsuro, chopping overhead. The invader flailed her own blade, slapping his out of his hand and punching him haphazardly in the chest with her off-hand. Tetsuro nearly fell over, throwing up his shield as soon as he could to keep from being smothered by another wave of heat from Seiko's Combustion. The invader shook, wreathed in flames, and evaporated into a mist, dissipating quickly.
Seiko nearly passed out, caught from falling face-first into the mud by Tetsuro. He bent down, throwing her over his shoulder with a grunt.
"Stay with me, Seiko. I see some solid dirt up ahead. I'm gonna set you down and come back for that sword."
"Uh-huh…"
Tetsuro made sure he was several paces onto the dirt before setting Seiko down. He leaned her up against the side of the enormous chasm they were in, a natural wall.
"Stay awake. Keep an eye out. I'll be back in just a second."
"Wraith…!" said Seiko with as much force as she could, raising a hand and spraying a sad excuse for Fire Surge past Tetsuro. He whirled, drawing the katana on his hip and slashing in one move. Both the weak fire and his slash connected, causing the new red phantom to leap back. It looked like a knight in spiked armor. Even his sword and shield had serrated spikes on them.
"Neither I nor poor Mildred deserve to be called Darkwraiths," said the phantom.
"You're red phantom invaders. Is there a difference? And should I care?" asked Tetsuro, shield up.
"There IS a difference, and yes, you'd better. I have my reasons, not that it's your business, but any Darkwraith I've ever met was simply amassing Humanity for their own gain. Mildred's just a harmless cannibal."
"Harml- Cann-... Listen to yourself! No matter. So there were two of you. I'm guessing you invaded first and followed us?"
"Very perceptive. Not perceptive enough to realize I was watching you, though. Now why don't you do me a favor and fall on your sword before I feed you mine. I need your Humanity."
"I'm not inclined to give you anything but the fight of your life. Reasons or no, I need my Humanity right where it is in my possession."
"You're not really going to fight me while protecting her, are you?" asked the phantom, stepping forward threateningly, raising his spiked shield.
"I'll do you one better… I'll beat you without letting you anywhere near her."
"Hmph!"
A/N Music: La Storia by Hiromi Kikuta (BRS TV)
The red phantom put up his shield. Tetsuo was on dirt, but he didn't have much room to move without stepping into the mud. Seiko was behind him a little less than a pace as well, so he couldn't back up without exposing her to danger.
"What's your name, lowly knight?" asked the phantom.
"Name yourself before asking someone elses."
"Ahh, you're no stranger to fighting other sane people if you know some etiquette. I am Kirk, Knight of Thorns."
"Weaponmaster Tetsuro."
Kirk wasted no more time, stepping forward and slashing. He seemed to completely ignore the thick mud he was standing in, even in armor that looked just as heavy as what Tetsuro was wearing. Tetsuro parried the overhead strike and slashed diagonally at Kirk. Kirk blocked and kept stepping forward. Tetsuro nearly panicked, instead he kicked Kirk in the chest to back him up. Kirk stumbled back, caught his balance, and readied himself again. Kirk stepped in and thrust his spiked shield forward. Tetsuro presented his shield, but angled it so the force would redirect downward. As the two shields moved down from colliding in such a way, both knights had the same idea and slashed diagonally. Kirk's stout barbed sword knocked a huge chip into Tetsuro's Iaito and the swords stuck together, Iaito caught in the thorns.
"Why are your weapons solid if your body is not?!"
Kirk didn't answer, instead walking forward again, even as their weapons were locked together. Tetsuro shifted his feet, throwing his weight off to the side and swinging his arms. The motion freed his sword and sent Kirk stumbling to his right, into the mud and now in front of Seiko. Tetsuro didn't waste time worrying about his damaged sword, stepping between Kirk and Seiko.
"You're not capitalizing on these openings you keep creating. You're going to lose," said Kirk, having recovered and readied again.
Tetsuro kept his shield up, sword at the ready. "You're still feeling me out and letting me create openings with your amateurish mistakes. What kind of fool in a sword fight gets so close he can't swing his sword?"
Kirk lowered his weapons, his stance and head giving off an aura of disappointment. He walked dutifully forward, not bothering to guard. When he was almost in striking range, Kirk lept forward, rolling. He nearly tackled Tetsuro, who was forced to step aside. Instead, Kirk regained his feet right in front of Seiko, who barely had her eyes open. He slashed down at her but found her suddenly out of reach. Tetsuro had sheathed his sword, grabbed Kirk by the lip of his shield, and yanked him back. One of the thorns bit through Tetsuro's thick gloves, leaving his ring and middle finger bleeding. Kirk stumbled back into the mud and Tetsuro stood between him and Seiko once more. He put a hand on his sword and waited for Kirk.
"Don't you think you should get serious if you're going to be giving me 'the fight of my life?'"
Tetsuro didn't say a word, he just waited. His shield was off to his side and his blade wasn't drawn. To Kirk, it almost seemed like bait.
"What are you doing?" asked Kirk.
"Getting serious."
"Y-"
The instant Tetsuro heard any more sound from Kirk, he stepped in, faster than Kirk expected, and slashed on the draw with Iaito. The blade passed right through Kirk's waist, hitting the inside of his shield. Tetsuro struck with the edge of his kite shield, slamming it into Kirk's helmet. It passed through Kirk's head, and he was blind. Kirk slashed wildly. Tetsuro ducked and slid to the side, stepping past Kirk in the mud. When he moved his shield, completing his oddly contorted maneuver, he wasn't where Kirk could see him, and slashed down Kirk's back.
Kirk nearly faded out, saw how Seiko was in front of him unguarded, but now his enemy was behind him. Kirk chose to whirl around and face Tetsuro, swinging his shield around to precede his turn. Tetsuro's sword was sheathed again, shield out of the way. Kirk almost spoke again but remembered how Tetsuro had taken advantage of the lapse in focus. He was also cautious of making the first move because of their previous clashes. Tetsuro shifted his feet, moving forward a bit without losing any balance, hindered by the muck. Kirk prepared his shield to block Tetsuro's slash on the draw, stepping in and raising his sword. At the last second, instead of slash, Kirk thrust his shield forward. Tetsuro whipped his shield around, stepping in himself to prepare, then using his whole body to throw both shields up. Kirk slashed down, Tetsuro slashed on the draw, and both struck.
Kirk's sword bit through Tetsuro's layered leather and left a small chip in the metal plate on his shoulder. It scraped down his chest, thorns biting to the bone, leaving a slash all the way from Tetsuro's collarbone to his hip. Tetsuro's slash, on the other hand, spelled the end of Kirk's phantom, causing it to dissolve into mist and fade away.
Out of Estus from the way down, Tetsuro sheathed his sword, intensely painful with his wound, and trudged back over to Seiko. Her eyes were heavily lidded, nearly glazed over. She didn't even have the strength to react to the duel she'd witnessed.
"Get-" Tetsuro convulsed in pain. "Get ready to get mud in your clothes…"
With his right arm, Tetsuro reached around and grabbed Seiko by the back of her neck, bundling her black-hemmed robes in his fist. It was hard to keep a grip with his bleeding fingers, but he managed to keep hold of Seiko long enough to drag her forward toward the sewer pipe he'd seen. Seiko knew about the bonfire there, having trained in the chamber beyond it, but when Tetsuro rounded the bend and it came into view he felt like it was a gift made just for him. As if whoever had created the bonfire in that exact spot had known he'd need it. He deposited Seiko next to the fire, laying on the slanted stone, and sat heavily with his back to the wall. Before he could even think to stop himself, his eyes closed and he fell asleep, out of energy and soaked in stale adrenaline.
A/N: I wish Kirk had a theme… I almost used "I Did It For Her" by Alex Roe, but it wasn't the right time. I think I'll save that for a more climactic moment with Kirk involved, because, of course, he'll be back. Besides, I think the transition two minutes into La Storia was a good fit for the fight. I also almost used Ludwig, The Accursed… But I've never played Bloodborne myself and I'd only heard a little of the theme, so I looked up the fight and… No way can I use that for Kirk. As several clever comments on the YouTube videos said, that must be the moment in Bloodborne where you stop and wonder if maybe you've bitten off more than you can chew...