-Ash Lake-
(A/N: Dark Souls OST, Ancient Dragon - Motoi Sakuraba
"Who…?" started Jinta, confused. There were two knights in Catarina armor now. One lay dead in the white sand.
"My name is Sieglinde of Catarina. I had come seeking my poor father, but…"
"Did Tetsuro do this?!" demanded Seiko.
"I don't know anyone by that name," said Sieglinde. "I found my father here… Hollow as can be…"
That time, when she spoke, Seiko and Jinta could hear she was trying to hide that she was crying.
"Jinta…"
Jinta looked over at Seiko.
"Next time, don't tell me whether it's time to fight or not. I'll kill him for this. Siegmeyer didn't deserve this."
"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Sieglinde, "though I would like to be alone for a while… You sound like you knew my father."
"We both did," said Jinta, "But Seiko here spent a lot more time with him than I did."
"He helped me a lot," said Seiko. "It's because of him I was able to travel as quickly as I did. He made the way much easier, and he was always in good spirit, which helped me mentally…"
"Then, please, take this," said Sieglinde. She held out a rock bigger than her fist, with carvings in some unknown language on it.
"I have no more need of legendary weapons," she said, "And perhaps you can consider this something to remember him by. I must take him home now…"
Seiko received the stone, clueless to what it was while Jinta was in awe.
"Please… Leave me be. I'm sorry."
Neither Seiko nor Jinta could find the right words, so they backed off quietly.
The two began walking down the beach of white sand, away from the Great Hollow they had come through to arrive.
"Are you ok with just walking away from that? A friend of yours just died."
Seiko sighed, then looked at Jinta.
"He was your friend too, though, wasn't he?" she asked.
"I knew of him, yes, but it was mostly just passing encounters. I wouldn't call him a friend, really. But you two went through a lot together, from what I understand. And it's not like he died in a manner of his choosing."
Seiko huffed. "Trust me. I'm well aware. I can't put to words how furious I am."
As they traveled down the beach and came to the end of the large dune in the center, something came into view on the far side, where the sand began to thin into a winding path.
"Another Hydra?" said Seiko, visibly tensing up.
Another few steps proved her caution to be unwarranted. The beast was flopped on the beach dead, blood staining the sand. Seiko and Jinta approached it more quickly, inspecting the creature.
"There are huge slashes all over it, but they look like-"
"It's Tetsuro," said Seiko. "His Murakumo did this. The cuts aren't claws because they don't follow the same lines and they're too long. Plus there are human sized footsteps in the sand where it clumped up from blood or water."
Jinta's expression of curiosity was hidden in his helmet, but his body language said enough. The way he had paused everything to look over at her told Seiko what he might be thinking.
"Losing memories doesn't always mean losing skills. I still speak properly, don't I? I can walk? My personality changed a lot, but I bet if I nearly Hollowed again, I'd still be a Pyromancer."
Jinta tilted his head right slightly for half a second. "Fair point, I suppose. I agree with you about Tetsuro, though. Just how long was he down here?"
They moved on from the Hydra to explore and found more dead foes everywhere. Giant clams smashed and shattered, human skulls spilling from their mouths. Mushroom children and mushroom parents like those in the Great Hollow all cut down and scorched. There were even basilisks lying dead on the roots of another arch-tree. Aside from a long-since-dead corpse that carried a torn page, they found nothing of real worth.
"This looks like a modified Magic Barrier," said Jinta, reading over it. He read closer the second time, word by word.
"No, it's longer. Almost exactly the same after the second half."
He read it aloud, but quickly as ever, so Seiko had trouble catching all the words. Nevertheless, there was a wave of magic as he finished and an odd barrier of shifting and wrinkling light covered them both.
"It's definitely more powerful than mine. For now, I'll refer to it as 'Great Magic Barrier,' but I'll need time to memorize it and try it in combination with other miracles."
Seiko and Jinta continued down the beach as it thinned. The beach changed from a large sand bar into a mostly submerged, winding path into a knot of arch-trees. What at first appeared to a stump at the end of the path, where more sand collected into a mound, suddenly opened up to reveal something no one thought possible.
"Is that… A dragon?!" said Jinta.
"I thought they were all killed," said Seiko. "This one's hiding so close to the kingdom above…"
As they got closer, someone else could be made out sitting by a bonfire beneath the gaze of the dragon. Tetsuro sat calmly, waiting for them. Once Seiko and Jinta reached the mound of sand, Tetsuro stood and spoke.
"Satisfied?" he asked. "I hope you're happy with what's happened because you decided to interfere. With the look on your face, Seiko, I'd say you were the one who had to fight him in the end."
Seiko glared at him. "No, actually."
"His own daughter, if you believe it," said Jinta.
"Ahh, her. Yes, I'd found her captured by Seath. I haven't been back there since helping her escape, but I suppose I should return. Before I go, however, I'll need to find a way to separate our worlds again. I'd really prefer to not keep running into you two if you're going to be hostile."
"Can you blame me?"
"Yes, actually, I can," said Tetsuro, standing up. "What you fail to consider is that not everyone is strong of spirit. Not everyone can withstand death after death, year after year, especially in a place as brutal as Lordran. In a way, your Hollowing was a blessing; you can't remember how painfully long your life has been, as it must have been. Perhaps you can't tell, but I can… I know when people put up a false front."
He looked pointedly at Jinta as he finished.
"The fact is," continued Tetsuro, "that Siegmeyer was at the end of his rope. He came all the way to Lordran seeking adventure, and found that he couldn't make his own way here. His sword and strength failed him time and again, only to be bailed out by those with far less experience than he, who had been places he had never heard of. Maybe to you that would be ok, maybe you would press on, maybe even be motivated. But he was torn apart. If you paid closer attention to the actions and feelings of others, maybe you would have noticed."
The three were silent for a moment.
"So," began Seiko, "You're telling me that because he would have started to Hollow soon, it was a better idea for you to kill him over and over until he was dead for good?"
"He was a proud knight of Catarina the likes of which I could never be. Better he die that way than a shambling, dumb zombie who knows no friend, no foe, and no emotion. Let him fight and die with pride in his heart instead of like an animal."
More silence. Jinta sighed after a moment.
"I can't say I agree with what you did," said Jinta.
Tetsuro started to say something, frustrated, but Jinta continued.
"But," he said loudly at first, before lowering his voice back to normal, "I understand why you did it, and I can respect where you're coming from. I doubt we will ever see eye to eye on the subject, so I'd rather just go our separate ways before this erupts into another fight."
Jinta held out a hand suddenly, in Seiko's direction, without looking away from Tetsuro. Seiko looked over at him, looked at Tetsuro, and took Jinta's hand. The two vanished into the bonfire. The look of sadness and disappointment on Seiko's face, though, lingered in Tetsuro's mind. Something about that expression told him he'd changed, and not in a good way.
Ordinarily, I'd use "childlike" as an insult… But when someone as innocent as she was clings to you, that, too, is a sign of your character. She's advanced so quickly, in body and mind, but… There was that childlike instinct on her face that said I was her hero until now… Why can't I just write that off…? Why do I care…? And after criticizing her to pay more attention to others…
-Anor Londo-
"I've got a plan for this, but it's a bit of a stupid idea," said Jinta, weapons drawn.
"We're Undead. If it kills you, just meet me back here."
"Fair enough."
Jinta started down a long corridor, lined with ornate statues and polished just as much as any other part of the city of Lords. When he reached about the halfway point, Seiko trailing several paces to watch, the steel-armored boar at the other end of the corridor charged. Jinta put away his falchion and held his estoc point-first, two hands on the handle, so that the pommel pointed at his sternum. Seiko noticed an aura about Jinta she hadn't before as she wondered what he expected besides death.
As the boar drew close, just before running Jinta down, it suddenly seemed too heavy for its own legs. It crashed to the floor and slid, its armor screeching across the polished stone. Despite this, there was still enough speed and weight behind it that when the point of Jinta's estoc finally met the forehead of the beast, it pierced through to the hilt. Jinta held his ground, sliding back with the momentum until it came to a stop.
Seiko walked up as Jinta tried to free his estoc unsuccessfully.
"What did you do to it?" asked Seiko.
"Tranquil-" Jinta yanked hard on the estoc, but no luck, "-Walk of Peace…"
He paused, let go, and looked at Seiko. She waved him aside, he moved, and she ripped the sword out in one go.
"Thank you," said Jinta, taking the sword from her. "It's another miracle I learned while still on my way to Lordran."
"Did an angel tell you?" asked Seiko, not entirely able to hide the playful sarcasm in the question.
"No," said Jinta, with a slight dip of his head that also said, "Ha ha, very clever," without him saying anything else out loud.
"I actually learned it from a traveler," he explained. "I'm not sure where he learned it, but I'm at least sure it's not a Way of White technique. It's not terribly draining, but because its effects aren't very spectacular, even I forget about it at times. Thinking back, I believe it would have been useful numerous times since we've met. I'll have to be sure to use it more often."
The two rounded the corpse of the boar and continued down the corridor. Seiko suddenly stopped Jinta before they rounded a corner. She held a finger up, for silence. There was a heavy breathing nearby. Seiko sucked in an impossibly huge breath and cast Toxic Mist, filling the corner of the corridor. Jinta backed away as the mist spread, just in case. Only a few seconds passed before the enemy, another boar, began thrashing about and squealing in pain. It crashed into the walls and scraped its tusks on the floor, but eventually died without making any direct attacks at Seiko and Jinta.
Again, they rounded the huge body and found themselves in an elevator shaft with a bonfire nearby. Jinta lit the bonfire while Seiko called the elevator down. They boarded the elevator, pulled the lever, and ascended…
A/N: Carnage, composed by Sagisu Shiro
-Duke's Archives-
The sight atop the stairs was an imposing one. A warrior, with blue crystals overgrown across his body, flanked by Six-Eyed Channelers, a few Hollows who appeared to be coated in blue crystal, and a blue crystal golem stood off in the corner.
The warrior drew a large sword and advanced, along with some of the crystal Hollows. The Channelers both cast spells to strengthen their allies.
"These crystal things are weak to blunt force. I can handle the Hollows and golem," said Seiko quietly, only to Jinta.
"I'll hold off the knight and the Channelers, then. Get ready."
Jinta recited Great Magic Barrier for them both. As soon as he was done, Seiko practically vanished from his side, swiftly dashing past the advancing crystal knight and punching or kicking down the crystal Hollows. With her so close, the crystal knight took a swing at her. Seiko dodged closer to the Channelers, jumped over them, and jumped up the stairs to the golem.
Jinta, seeing his chance, stabbed the crystal knight in the back. His estoc pierced all the way through, but his foe did not die or bleed. Jinta kicked the knight off his sword and slashed at him while he was standing up. His blade carved a scar into the knight's armor to reveal it as empty underneath.
Seiko punched the crystal golem only once and it burst into dust. She was about to forget it and leap away… But something clinked onto the floor. The little amulet gave her pause, so she picked it up and quickly wrapped it around her belt. She turned Power Within up again and threw herself at the Channelers.
Jinta dodged a slash from the knight, but was hit by a follow-up shield-bash. The thing was stronger than it looked, and several of the spikes of crystal on its shield pierced Jinta's skin, leaving shallow wounds. Jinta stabbed his foe in the chest several times, leaving similar wounds. When the knight slashed again, Jinta parried the attack and chopped a rent into the knight from collar to hip. A kick sent the enemy onto its back, where Jinta stepped on its sword arm and stabbed it in the head. The knight smashed its shield into Jinta's leg, breaking it, and gained its feet quickly.
Seiko snapped out a Great Combustion lined with black tongues of flame and heard Jinta's leg snap. She slammed her hand down and used Firestorm to create an opening before jumping down the stairs, rolling to keep her momentum, and punching the knight in the back of the head before it could harm Jinta. Jinta sheathed his estoc, drew his talisman, and recited Great Heal.
"I don't know what he is, but he's not normal!" said Jinta.
"I noticed. Do you need help?"
"No, but I've only got one more big cast in me. Be careful."
"I have an idea," said Seiko. She ran back toward the Channelers, who were advancing and brandishing their tridents. Instead of Power Within, Seiko slammed her fists together. Carmina's Iron Flesh wasn't a technique Seiko had a lot of confidence in, but it was perfect for holding her ground and reducing damage. A Channeler stabbed at her and she grabbed the end of the weapon. She yanked it away and pitched it into the Channeler's chest.
While Seiko held off the Channelers, Jinta advanced on the knight, his estoc drawn once more. He and the knight clashed a few more times before Jinta managed to pierce the knight's sword arm close to the shoulder. It lost the use of that arm and suddenly Jinta was at an advantage. He dodged a shield-bash, got to the side of the knight, and carved it up until it stopped moving.
In Jinta's focused state, he missed what had been going on in Seiko's fight. When he turned, however, he realized what a mistake that had been. Seiko was held off the ground by a Channeler's spell while the other was recovering from nearly getting stabbed in the heart by its own trident. Jinta could just make out a thin bubble of magic around her, blocking her off from the outside. She was wriggling, clearly furious, and spouting Pyromancy of all manner inside the bubble.
"You let her go!" demanded Jinta, running forward.
The wounded Channeler swept its trident at him, then launched a magic bolt to force him back. The other Channeler ran back up the stairs, getting away. Jinta drew his talisman, recited Wrath of the Gods to kill the other Channeler, and started his mantra.
Save her. Save her. Kill that thing and save her. Nothing else matters. Kill it. Save her.
Swarms of crystal Hollows started stepping out from behind bookcases, and two arrows narrowly missed him. They slowed his progress, forcing him to watch as the Channeler rounded a bookcase, getting out of sight.
Save! Her! No!
"Seiko!"