Flynn

RL22 - 18 VIG - 10 MND - 15 END - 20 STR - 13 DEX - 9 INT - 9 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL22 - 11 VIG - 13 MND - 10 END - 12 STR - 17 DEX - 9 INT - 20 FTH - 9 ARC

Resa

I sat atop Torrent, guiding our trusty steed northwards into the unfamiliar territory.

I still struggled to understand just what Flynn had done - or more importantly, why. Accepting the state of things was good, and I was happy he'd come to that conclusion - if a little upset that he didn't let me know sooner, but water under the bridge. However, forcibly rejecting his past, and throwing it away - that wasn't Flynn. Behind that thick exterior was a sentimental soul, one that wanted to be with the past. I decided to keep silent my worries for the time being. It had only recently happened, and I think both of us were still coming to terms with it, him far more than me. I looked around, searching for something to distract myself with.

"Weird how there's these big slabs of buildings all over the place, right? You have to wonder just where they came from." We'd seen them from time to time, but were passing another on our left. Massive hunks of some building with rather detailed architecture, just lying across the side of the road. It didn't match anything else nearby - not even Stormveil.

"I'd been wondering the same thing. Ruins of a past age, perhaps? Or an even older age, I guess…there are plenty of ruins around. I say all that…and then there's one that just looks like it fell out of the sky."

I saw what he was looking at up ahead - a curved piece, possibly an outer wall or some sort. It was suspended between two rock faces, creating a short tunnel we could go through. There was simply no other way to explain it…it looked like it'd fallen in there from above. As I continued looking at it I noticed a figure atop it…and beneath, a swarm of angry, ape-like creatures.

"Hello! You there, please rescue me!" The figure waved at us as we approached, clearly in need of attention.

I waved back. "Stay safe, we're coming!" I dismissed Torrent as we approached the swarm of creatures, all crowded around a now-broken cart. Dispatching them was easy enough - one blast of wind from Flynn was enough to send most of them scurrying away, and the rest were quick to follow. From there, it was a bit of a climb to reach the top of the ruins, and the figure above.

At first, I thought he was an Academy sorcerer like Sellen, seeing blue robes - but upon further inspection, it was clear he was just a noble. Dusty blonde hair and a well-sewn gown gave off an air of somewhat spoiled nobility.

"Ah, thank you. Perhaps you've heard of me, Kenneth Haight? The rightful heir to Limgrave?"

Flynn shook his head. "Sorry…can't say we have."

"Well, no bother. I have a favor of you, if you will - hmph, I suppose you will do. My fort, through the Mistwood to the South. A general of Stormveil took over the place, claimed it as his own, the dumb brute! I ask you to take it back in my name!"

Like I surmised - spoiled nobility. No 'please', no asks…just the assumption that we'd do his bidding. "We can do that for you, Sir Kenneth, but if you and your men can't reclaim it it doesn't sound to be an easy task. I trust there will be compensation should we be successful?"

"Why of course! The Fort will be reclaimed, I would hold a lavish celebration in your honor!"

"Compensation - for us." I was glad Flynn said it…I wasn't far behind.

"Hmm? Oh, yes…I suppose you would expect something. Very well, I shall knight you, give you status here in Limgrave. And, I suppose, a weapon from my personal collection - as thanks. Is that sufficient?"

I was actually a bit surprised - I wasn't expecting to be lavishly showered, but the weapon of a noble and a bit of protection here in Limgrave certainly wasn't something to dismiss. "It is, Sir Kenneth. We'll let you know when it's safe to enter, should we find ourselves there."

"Very well, good day to you." Kenneth dismissed us with a wave of his hands, clearly thinking us servants or attendants that were accustomed to such things - we were not. Internally, I groaned - but turned and left anyway, climbing back down the ruins. We saddled up on Torrent again, heading on down.

"Well, he's rather insufferable, don't you think."

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh, I'm glad we left when we did…I don't think I could have stomached much more of him than we already did. I'm hopeful this fort isn't too, well, fortified…as much as I can't stand him, I want the satisfaction of knowing the two of us are better than all of his other knights."

"You and I both. Let's check out that building up ahead." I rode Torrent past a troll that was just wandering the roadside, tucking into a large, only slightly dilapidated building. Inside was a grace - as well as a statue, one that we'd seen before."

"That's…the woman from before."

Flynn nodded. "Marika…There was a picture of her in Fia's room. Some sort of…God Queen?"

"That's what Corhyn said as well. I suppose that means this once was a church, then."

"That's something else that's been on my mind…everywhere we've been looks like ruins. Why? There's Gods and leaders and whatnot, but it just looks like there's nobody to be led. It doesn't make any sense."

"Well…Lordran wasn't too different, you know. After the hollowing, at least."

That made Flynn go quiet for a second. "Yeah…I guess you're right. But then something must have happened then. A war, a battle, a struggle, something. We've been traveling around Limgrave for days now and we've seen what, six people? Plus Kale's a nomad and Sellen was exiled, so really only four. It just doesn't add up."

"Perhaps…Melina might know something? She seemed to know about us…perhaps she knows a bit of the history here, as well."

Perfectly on cue, a shower of blue sparks appeared near the grace, Melina materializing in front of us, arms clasped in front of her. "Is there something you wish to know? I have great knowledge of the Lands Between, but I fear divulging all of it at once is not advisable."

I squinted, a little concerned. "Did you…can you hear us? How did you - "

"I meant not to worry you, only provide answers. As I said - where you travel, so can I. While you are by grace, I can hear fragments of your discussions - I mean not to pry. I heard my name, and so I appeared. Whenever you wish to speak with me, I am available."

"Very well, then I suppose you already know what we're asking."

Melina nodded. "Yes…take a seat." As we did so around the grace, she began to explain.

"What you speak of, this calamitous event, is known as the Shattering. I will worry you not with details at this time, but it caused the demigods of this land to fight, and wars were waged. We still live in the Shattering, though it has been some time since a war has been fought - many of the demigods now sit in waiting, growing their strength."

"Demigods. So…the children of Marika?"

"Partially. Queen Marika married twice, as you know - once to Godfrey, then to Radagon. Radagon also married Queen Renalla, of Caria. Of these three pairs, many demigod children were born. It was these that partook in the Shattering, causing much of the destruction you now see."

"Wait." I looked at my brother, seeing the gears turning in his head. "Caria…as in Lucaria?"

Melina smiled. "Very astute, Flynn. Yes, Renalla leads the Academy at this moment. The knights of Caria are a fearsome force. You might find them fascinating - they had as much a propensity for the blade as they did the staff. Though few in number, they were victorious against much larger forces."

"Carian magic…I might have to remember that." It still shocked me to even hear of Flynn considering learning magic - partly because to me, I always knew him as a pyromancer, but partially because I just couldn't imagine my brother holding a staff and shouting magic words - but he'd had more time to come to terms with it than I was, and I should be glad he was able to move past it.

"So then these demigods." I looked at Melina, continuing. "I can only presume that they hold positions of power then, yes? So Stormveil…"

"Stormveil is home to Godrick - child of Godfrey. Among the demigods that still walk the Lands, he is far from the strongest - of the many wars fought in the Shattering, he never emerged victorious from but a single one."

"You said among the ones that still walk the Lands…does that mean that some of them died?"

Melina quickly looked away from me. "That…I was hoping to avoid broaching that topic for now, but what you say is true. I will leave you with this - do not underestimate Godrick. Though he could not best his brethren demigods, he is still a demigod himself. I know you seek Stormveil - he will be a formidable challenge." With that, Melina disappeared into blue again, leaving Flynn and I alone.

"So something happened…a demigod died."

Flynn nodded. "But she wouldn't tell us why…I don't like it. Perhaps she'll deem us worthy of more information soon - but let's not worry about it for now. I noticed something, while Melina was talking - caught my eye." Flynn stood up, walking to a rather nondescript basin off to the side of the church. Inside it were two small flasks - unlike the ones that we found in the cave that looked almost plantlike in nature, this one was made of a crystalline gold - and inside it was a small red orb made of a glassy material, giving the liquid inside a pink tint. "Maybe it's similar to the other ones we found…I'm not entirely sure."

"Well, certainly can't hurt to find out. Toss one here." Flynn threw the bottle to me and I caught it, tucking it into my belt with the others. "Let's keep heading south. Looks like that tree is right on our path to the fort, based on the trail."

I nodded, looking towards the sky. Despite the smaller tree being much closer to us, the true Erdtree still looked much, much larger across the sky - it was barely even comparable.

As we traveled, soon, the tree before us appeared larger and larger - and oddly enough, so did the wildlife. Whereas before we'd mostly seen goats, hawks, and rodents, I noticed a boar, and then a bear. And then up ahead, a welcome sight - another obelisk, with familiar writing upon it. "Oh, let's stop here…this looks the same as the one back in the encampment, where I made our map." With a blow of my whistle I dismissed Torrent, pulling out my paper and quill and getting to work.

"Resa…be very, very quiet. There's a bear the size of a house…not that far away." I looked up, following Flynn's gaze - my heart stopped. I thought his description was an exaggeration at first, but no - the bear truly was larger than the shack we found Bernahl in. For now, it seemed content to carve at a nearby tree - but I wanted to act quickly while it was distracted.

"Alright so this is…the Mistwood…I suppose that's the Fort, then. Looks like some ruins there, and then - oh!" I kept my exclamation quiet, but then looked straight ahead of me, seeing a building I'd just drawn on the map only a dozen or so paces in front of me. It was a large building that was actually quite intact compared to everything else we'd seen. Large metal doors led to a singular chamber, with an elevator leading downwards - given what we'd already signed up to do I figured it best to wait, but we could add it to our ever-expanding list of places that might be worth exploring.

While still keeping our quiet, we walked forwards, seeing the trunk of this smaller Erdtree just in front of us now. As we circled it, we noticed multiple bugs, all sitting atop mounds that looked suspiciously like our flasks. They scattered before I could get too close - but perhaps our flasks came from the Erdtree itself?

The thought became more likely as we circled around back, finding another basin, this one with two different glassy orbs - one green in tint, while the other looked partially cracked. I picked one up, holding them out to Flynn. "Do you think it's similar to what we just picked up?"

Flynn shrugged, picking up the cracked one. "Only one way to find out, right?" Without so much as a second thought he pulled out his crystal flask, dropping the orb into the liquid. As he did, we both watched as the liquid changed color, growing a shade lighter and whiter while still maintaining a bit of a pinkish hue. "Seems like it."

"Well then…I suppose we can figure out what it does later then…but for now, here's to reckless decisions. I dropped the green one into mine - pink and green didn't mix into a very appealing color, but the resultant liquid still did its best to maintain its presentation.

"I mean…we could figure out what it does now?" He held out his flask while I still had mine in my hand. "Cheers to a new life in another broken world?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't make me regret this…cheers to a new life in…yeah." We both clinked the flasks together, and then downed it. There wasn't much liquid inside…after tilting it back and drinking only a little, I found it empty.

I furrowed my brow over the next few seconds…I felt good? Like I could run all the way back to the encampment, and still have energy left? The realization hit me over a couple seconds - whatever I put in that flask, it worked.

"I…well, that was disappointing. I was expecting sparks or breathing fire or something, not…nothing?"

"What do you mean? I feel great!" I bounced on the balls of my feet, still brimming with energy. "One of your things looks broken, maybe that's the problem?"

"Possibly, you certainly have some energy in you. Maybe there's more out there, somewhere…we saw several other of these Erdtrees on the horizon. Let's keep going, the fort can't be that far away."

"It's not…but there is a ruin just off the road, if we want to."

We set off, down the road, and past the ruins - Though we thought about taking a look, that was quickly run off by the presence of another of those massive bears sleeping just out front of the staircase leading downwards, so we continued on our way. The walk past the ruins wasn't that much longer - a few more of those ape-like creatures, but nothing we couldn't get through. As we broke out of the mistwood, I could see the fort - rather sizable, by the look of things, and with barricades erected out front in order to deter intruders. Flynn also pointed out a grace to the right, and we stopped there beforehand.

"Not to keep bringing it up, sister, but…there's no grace here. Neither was there at the church."

"And?"

"Well, we're going to this fort…helping Sir Kenneth Haight reclaim his lost fort. You'd think that would be something the guidance would point us towards, yeah?"

I furrowed my brow. "I suppose that makes sense. If you don't want to bring it up, then why did you?"

"Well…I guess I don't trust that this 'omnipotent' guidance is selective. I don't expect to be shown the path to every single place we go, but if we succeed here it'll make a difference, won't it? It all just seems…fickle."

"Well, maybe it is. That Erdtree didn't tell us anything about the larger one…and while we know that a war happened, we don't know what for, and what the state of things are now. There's a lot going on here that we just don't know yet…and I'd be lying if I said I trusted it all."

"Well, on that we both agree. Now come on, let's get to that fort…the sooner we deal with it, the sooner we can get a weapon from that stuffed-shirt noble." Flynn stood up, tossing his greatsword over his shoulder. I stood up and drew my blades, following behind him. As we approached I pulled out my crystalline flask, prompting Flynn to do the same as we both downed it. I felt that familiar buzz of energy again…time to go.

As we drew closer, I heard the sounds of combat - a ballista, firing at something. As we rounded the rock edge and found ourselves at the barricades, it became apparent what - the small ape-like creatures from before. They didn't seem to be acting with any sort of militant intent, rather they just seemed to have found their way in - and the guardians of the fort were more than capable of repelling them. Another shot from the ballista sent a spray of bolts down on one, its rickety wooden shield doing nothing to stop it from being punctured to a quick death.

"Hurry, while they're distracted. Use it as cover." I rushed forward, throwing myself up a small rock cliff on the right. I heard shouting from up ahead - but no horns yet, which was a good sign. The next round of ballista bolts sprayed near my location, but just missed - and I used that window to continue running forwards, darting past another set of barricades and then jumping to the left, now safely out of its line of fire. Flynn wasn't far behind me - he held up his shield as a spray of bolts were targeted at him, but they merely bounced off as he kept running - we'd both made it.

Past the ballista we entered a courtyard, several knights were ready for us, the earlier commotion giving away our position. I counted four at first glance - a number that became far more threatening once I noticed another one of those metal-headed giants walking down the entryway to the fort.

"I think it's time for some backup. Argyn?" I'd given up thinking of the wolf as anything but Argyn…they were just too similar. With a ring of the bell the three hounds were summoned, and they immediately set to the task of evening the playing field.

"Resa, you can't keep naming these things, they're spirits…and why would you name them after him?"

I followed after the one I'd decided was Argyn, my blade deflecting the greatsword of the knight while my other cut at his exposed arm. Argyn tackled him from the side, knocking him off balance as I slashed at his throat, a quick execution. "I'm absolutely going to name them, and why not Argyn? He was a great companion." I noticed another tiny glowing tree, a seed growing from it, as well - I grabbed it, just like the last.

Flynn charged up towards another knight, thrusting his shoulder into him while he kept his shield raised, pinning the knight's blade with it. He thrust his sword into the ground, wind roaring around him as a wolf came up from behind, leaping forward and taking a deep bite out of the knight's neck. "Because it's a different animal!"

"Well then it's in his memory!" I hacked apart another knight, Argyn loyally by my side. The two other wolves took down the last knight, leaving only the giant. Whereas Aurelia had served as a good source of distraction, the five of us working together simply overwhelmed it, a constant barrage of attacks that gave it little chance to retaliate. Flynn finished it off with a final, thunderous blow - far more thunderous than I was anticipating. He housed his greatsword up, leaning into the swing with all his might as he slashed forward. It severed the giant's arm cleanly off but didn't even stop there, wedging itself two or three feet deep into its torso.

"Uh, Flynn…when did you learn to do that?"

He looked at himself a bit in shock as well. "I'm…not sure. Maybe it's that cracked orb? I mean… yours did something, didn't it?"

"Mine gave me some energy, not the strength to cut people's limbs off."

"Well, I'm certainly not complaining. Let's head in and make use of it, yeah?"

Inside, I expected the fort to be filled with guards, but in fact it was rather empty. A few rats scurrying across the ground, and a few peasants up in the rafters above - easy enough, then. The wolves were all too eager to go rat-hunting, and that was about when I realized the peasants were armed - with firebombs. Several pots of fire were thrown down, sending both sets of beasts scurrying away in panic.

"Oh, now they've done it." Flynn fetched his sword and swung forwards, a blast of air sending one peasant staggering backwards. I ran forwards as well, wrapping around and winding my way up the staircase, chasing after another peasant even farther above. I didn't get there in time to stop it from throwing another firebomb, but I did get there in time to make it regret it - a sword to its chest and a boot thereafter sent it falling off the high ledge to the ground below. From there, the wolves took care of it, as well as everything else on the ground level.

From behind me, I was caught off guard by the clanking of metal, turning around in time to see a heavily armored knight rushing at me, a massive wall of a shield in hand and a long blade in the other. I just barely dodged out of the way as that sword came down on me.

"Flynn!"

"Coming!"

I rolled to my feet and took a few defensive steps back, looking at the figure. It was definitely the general of the fort, donning the same armor as the commander back at the encampment. This one used a blade rather than a spear, but the shield was the same.

Flynn came up, shield leveled as he approached. "Oh good…you're who we're here for."

The commander simply grunted, taking a step forward and slashing his blade forward - this time, a surge of blood erupted out from the slash, arcing towards Flynn. The slash lacerated Flynn as well as any steel would - that was certainly unexpected.

"Alright…two can play this game. Flynn swapped back to his greatsword, rushing forward and bashing into the knight. He thrust his blade down, wind whipping up as he tried to knock the commander off his guard - no such luck. I came around from behind, making use of Flynn's distraction to slash at his knee, then his spine, getting a third strike in along his shoulder before disengaging, the knight swinging around to me and slashing downwards.

I was used to dodging swords, axes, spears, and all manner of weapons - dodging arcs of blood flying through the air, notably less so. It slammed into me, cutting into my garments and into my flesh. I could feel my own blood starting to seep from the wound in high volume - I didn't want to know what happened if I took the brunt of too many of those.

As I got back to my feet, I saw Argyn bolting up the steps, barking at the general before lunging at him. The general slashed at him, leaving himself open for Flynn to hold his blade in a reverse grip, winding up before plunging it clean into the knight's midsection. That thunderous power from earlier wedged the blade several feet through the knight as it fell to one knee.

And then got back up. In an angry roar it charged forward, Flynn now weaponless as he hid behind his shield, a bit shellshocked. The knight slashed forwards twice, two more waves of blood arcing through the air towards my brother. I closed the distance as fast as I could, leaping into the air as I thrust both weapons into his shoulders, dragging them across his body towards the opposite hip in an attempt to divert its attention.

"Well…I guess we know how he claimed the fort." Flynn pulled out his sword, his breathing heavy from the repeated blows he'd taken. The space was too close-quarters to step back and heal from our flasks - we needed to close this out, and quickly.

As the knight raised his sword up, Flynn raised his own, the shorter blade faster than his opponents. He sent a jet of wind forwards - but where I thought he'd hit the knight, he instead targeted the blade. The jet nearly knocked the blade out of the knight's hands, and Flynn quickly charged forwards, ducking low and then ramming upwards to seal the deal. The blade hurtled through the air for a second before wedging itself into the ground just a few feet from me.

"Here!" I grabbed the weapon, hurling it towards Flynn. In one fluid movement he grabbed it, spinning around from the momentum before cutting forwards, that same bloody arc erupting from the blade, but now in his hands. The general staggered backwards, and then fell to one knee.

This time…he did not get up. As his body began to fade, so did his weapon…but as the weapon disappeared, ash began to fall off of the blade. Quickly Flynn pulled out a cloth to collect it, holding it up. "You think that's the Ash he was using? Some sort of…blood arc?"

"Well, you figured it out fast enough, I'm sure we can find out. We're done here though, so let's report back to Kenneth, let him know it's safe to enter."

"Well first, let's scout the place out. We can leave the weapons alone sure, but…you can't tell me a guy like him knows every little thing in here. He won't miss one or two things."

I shook my head. "We were hired for a job, and we did it. Compensation was given, and we agreed to it. Let's not test things by stealing from him - he's going to knight us, after all."

"Alright, you win…let's go."

We headed back to the grace just outside, but not before Flynn fiddled with the ashes. It was an entertaining process, watching him work - I didn't understand any of it, but I didn't particularly need to. By the time he was done he'd moved the area of wind from his greatsword to the axe, and applied the new blood ash to the greatsword. As he did, the blade itself began to drip with flecks of blood.

"This must have been what Bernahl was saying, with Ashes granting their affinity to the weapon…as the knight was hitting me with those slashes, I thought I was going to bleed out. Perhaps this'll put the same threat on our opponents." As he finished he sheathed both blades, slinging the axe over his back. "Three weapons, three ashes…a perfect set."

"I'm just looking forward to when you find a fourth…so many decisions."

"The time will come. Now let's get to Kenneth, and see about that fourth weapon."

The two of us saddled up on horseback again, heading back to Kenneth. We rode through the Mistwood, back to the church, past the troll, and then finally up to the ruins, dismounting Torrent just before we saw Kenneth.

"Ah, I've been waiting with baited breath. I take it from your return that the fort has been liberated?"

Flynn nodded. "Yeah…general and all. I understand why you needed our help…wasn't an easy place to reclaim."

"Well good, I know talent when I see one. Now, as promised, your reward. Here." He reached into his robes, fetching…a dagger? As he held it out in front of him I could tell that it was well made, but…it wasn't something either of us would use.

Flynn picked it up, turning it over in his hand before placing it back in Kenneth's. "I don't wish to sound ungrateful, but…perhaps do you have others we can choose from? I don't think my sister or I would really use this. I'd hate for your reward to go unappreciated."

Kenneth rather furiously shook his head. "Nonsense, this is the finest blade in my collection. You, little miss, come take it." I took it from him, holding it out in front of me. It was incredibly light…but Flynn was right; even I preferred longer blades.

"The weapon has a very special ash, one to let you quickly move unabated, or so my finest knights say. Just lunge in the direction you wish to go - and go there!"

I held the dagger in my left hand, still keeping my scimitar in the right…if what he said was true, that would be rather useful indeed, especially for me. I did as he said, lunging forwards - in a blur of movement, I found myself six or seven feet in front of me. I looked down at the dagger, a little surprised. I tried it again, just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. A second time I moved forward in a blur of movement, standing back alongside Flynn.

"Yes, just like that. My, you must be the sharp one of the two. I take it you find your compensation sufficient then? There are other more…rudimentary blades that I could spare, but none of such fine make as this."

I nodded. "Yes, Sir Kenneth…I find this sufficient. And about the knighting?"

"Worry not, I haven't forgotten. However, you must give me time - it is not something I can perform here, from such a precarious position. Let me return to my fort and get my affairs back in order. Come by in a few days - Kenneth Haight always keeps his promises, I assure you."

"Understood. We'll return soon. Do you need an escort back to the fort?"

He shook his head. "No, you've done plenty and I fear not the beasts of the Mistwood. Good day to you both."

We went our separate ways - Kenneth into the Mistwood, and us away from it. I summoned Torrent, the two of us riding back to Limgrave proper. It wasn't until we were nearly in front of the bridge that it finally dawned on Flynn. "I take it by the fact that you haven't asked me what I want to do, that there's something you want to do?"

I nodded. "Yes…I guess you noticed?" I winced…I knew I'd been pretty heavy-handed about it, but that didn't make being called out feel any less worse.

"It's alright…you wanted to make me feel better, and I appreciate it. So, what's the plan?"

"Well…we've gotten a fair bit stronger. Our weapons are a bit better, you've got all these Ashes…but now, I can blink around. And you know what that makes me want to do? Explore a jail."

"Wait…what?"

"Come on, don't tell me you aren't curious as well. It was all…creepy, all weird, but we didn't see any prisoners. There's got to be more to it than a big stone disc on the ground."

"Resa, you're talking about breaking into a jail. You do realize how idiotic that sounds, right? Sure, I'm curious, but I don't want to spend the rest of my days here a prisoner."

"Well, you don't have to follow me then…if the graces work anything like the bonfires that we know, which it seems they do, if you take a rest at one I can get pulled back to you."

"Okay firstly, you know I'm not letting you go in there alone, but secondly, what if they don't? Then we're both stuck in there with no way out."

At this point we'd practically reached the Evergaol itself, cresting that final ridge, the strange worm-like creatures gazing at its center. "Like I said…I'm curious, and I'm going in. You're welcome to stay outside if you think it's safer." I dismissed Torrent, the two of us now standing on the outer rim of the disc.

"...I hate you sometimes. Let's do this."

I took a tentative step forward, into the ring - nothing. I stepped forward again, both feet now solidly inside the stone circumference - still nothing. "Maybe it's locked?"

"Well, jails aren't really known for having lax security, so that'd make sense."

I kept moving forwards, ignoring my brother's snide - but admittedly truthful, comment. I passed a second larger ring, now halfway in. At the very center was that glowing blue insignia - now that I was closer, I could see that it looked like a compass - and as I pulled the map out and checked I found that yes, the four arrows pointed in the four cardinal directions. Neat. I was now standing just outside that central glowing compass - I looked back at Flynn, seeking confirmation.

"Don't look at me. This was your idea."

I sighed…and stepped forward. I -

The world went dark in an instant. Above me, the once clear sky was now pitch black, the stars of the night not even present. It gave a sinister air to the jail - and that's when I realized I was alone.

"Flynn?" I stepped off the compass, looking back at where he'd just been. "Flynn, where are you?" I noticed that around me were shimmering walls, like what we'd seen at the gargoyle statue so long ago. That meant I couldn't walk out of here - and as I stepped back on the compass, I found that I wasn't being taken out.

"Flynn?" He hadn't come after me…perhaps he was having second thoughts? I doubted it, I knew Flynn would follow after me…but results stated otherwise.

"Alright Resa, breathe…you just need to find your way out of…this." I stepped forward, starting to leave the disc. Ahead of me, I saw a fissure of blue light. Maybe that was the way out? But then…was the prison empty? That didn't make sense. Where were the -

As I stepped out of the disc, I found my answer - or perhaps I found the prison warden themselves. From the fissure a figure emerged - a tall, lanky figure. It wore rather sturdy armor, a pointed metal cuirass and helmet, as well as armor on its arms and legs made of several small segments designed for flexibility. In its right hand, it held a massive curved blade with an elegant hilt - and on its left, an oversized metal talon with three blades.

It lunged at me with sinister intent, slamming that curved blade down right in front of me. I held my blades out to catch it, steel clashing against steel as I crossed the blades, holding its just above my head. It was stronger than me - I dove out of the way, trying to get better cover.

As I dove, I saw it slide around in front of me - in a maneuver that I'd only just learned. My eyes went wide with recognition - that claw must have had the same ash as my dagger. That meant there was no out-evading this thing - it would catch me as quickly as I could run.

I mounted an offensive, hoping to survive, but it simply felt hopeless - it was faster than me, stronger than me, and had vastly superior reach. Each time its blade hit me it did so with absolute authority, sending me staggering backwards and on the back foot, having to scramble to evade the next blow before it connected. I landed my fair share of strikes…but it was hardly sporting. One final strike sealed the deal. It darted forwards, appearing to turn into mist momentarily as it came around to my left, and slashed at my side. I felt the blade lodge in…and my vision went to black.

"Resa, you there?"

I shook my head, coming back to my senses - to my surprise I wasn't at a grace, but just outside the Evergaol. Flynn was looking at me, concerned.

"What happened? One moment you were there, and then you were just…gone. I tried to follow you, but I didn't know how to get in. Are you alright?"

"I…I think I died. The world was dark, and I was in a cage, and…something attacked me, I'm not sure what. But it was strong. I don't know if it was the jailer, or the prisoner…honestly, it could be either. I didn't put up much of a fight."

"Alright well, I guess now you know? So what's the plan?"

"Oh, I'm going right back in."

"Resa are - are you sure that's a good idea?"

"How do I explain it…it's better than me, Flynn. No contest. But it fights like me - quick, nimble, it even uses that ash that I got from that dagger. I think I can learn something from it - and maybe learn something about how I fight at the same time. I'm not saying I spend a day, but this can teach me to improve - and with Margit still a threat, I think it'd be good to improve."

To that, Flynn actually nodded, a bit surprised. "Alright…I can respect that. In any case, I'll be here…I don't know how long you thought you were in there, but it was quite a while. I might go see what else is around, especially if you think you'll be a while."

"That's fine…there's another Evergaol up past the Stormgate, south of the shack. Maybe you can check that one out…find out what it's like."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea... Can I have the whistle, then? I don't want to stop by a grace if you're busy." I nodded, handing him Torrent's whistle, and with that Flynn was off.

I turned back to the disc…time to improve.

The next several tries were…well, rather disappointing. I didn't feel like I was getting much better, but something finally clicked - it never actually attacked with the claw. Even when I was practically on top of it, it preferred to step away from me and swipe at me with its blade. Slowly, I pieced together that that meant that its left side was vulnerable - but how to close in if it had the better reach and maneuverability?

That's when it hit me…I needed to match that maneuverability. Yes, dual blades were my comfort, but that didn't mean that I could just blindly fight the same way every time. Perhaps if I had my lightning and miracles it would be different, but I didn't. As unique as ashes of war were, they almost felt like a miracle on their own - and up until this point, I'd been ignoring the one Kenneth gave me.

I entered again - this time, with a plan. I clutched my scimitar in my right hand, the dagger in my left. A reverse grip felt natural for the small blade - I wasn't sure why. As I neared the edge of the disc, I quaffed my crystal flask - I was going to need that endurance if I planned to be even more mobile than I already was. With my preparations in order, I stepped forward.

As the strange knight started to emerge, I darted forward, finding myself on top of it while it was still emerging from the fissure. I slashed with my scimitar and then raked my dagger across its flank, another defensive swing with my scimitar finishing the combo as I stepped backward, giving the knight the space and respect it deserved.

It swung at me - whereas usually I'd try to roll away from the slash, this time I darted into it - using its attack as its own opening. In an instant I was on its left flank, two quick swings with my blade all I dared to do before backstepping away, narrowly avoiding a wide defensive swing from the knight. It followed my backstep with a dash of its own and reappeared practically on top of me, rearing back as it swung upwards with its blade. My instincts kicked in as I rolled backwards, which only set me up for the follow-up downwards slash that cut at my left side. I got back to my feet, resetting to neutral.

I had to relearn how to fight - had to suppress my instincts and act upon actions. When I was thinking through things I had the fight pretty well under control, seeing the openings in its movements and dashing forwards, one or two slashes of my own before retreating. However, multiple times I found myself panicking, rolling out of the way of one broad swing only to get tagged with another.

As the fight wore on, I found my magical reserves draining - the ash of the dagger wasn't particularly taxing, but with repeated uses I found my energy running out. At the same time, I could feel the cuts and slashes that I'd sustained creeping up on me, even my rather light scimitar starting to feel heavier in my hand and the darkness of the night sky starting to creep around the edges of my vision.

In a desperate attempt to restore myself, I darted backwards multiple times in quick succession, trying to make as much space for myself as possible. I needed to drink from my flasks - both, preferably, but as I saw the knight rapidly closing in on my position, I knew I only had time for one.

"Action before instinct." I muttered the words to myself and withdrew my blue flask, quickly gulping its entire contents down in a hurry. It meant that I couldn't make any more mistakes…but I could continue to dart around.

The knight swung at me and I darted forward. One slash, two, and I backed up. Its attacks were getting faster, more erratic - either it sensed that I was on my last legs, or it was. It darted for me in a wild move, kicking its leg up as it did a wild backflip, the sword coming along behind it in an upwards swing that I didn't know how to capitalize on so I sidestepped, letting it fly past me. As the knight settled it followed the attack up with a sideways chop. I leaped over the blade and then took a step back as I landed, making some space. I was better when there was a bit of distance between us.

As it swung at me again I repeated the maneuver - two swipes and out. It pursued me again, this time with a diagonal swing into the ground - I'd watched its moves. Everything it did had a follow-up, one swing was never the full story. So where?

It flipped the blade around in its hands, pulling the weapon back upwards towards the air. I saw the opening and took it, dashing in and cutting at it once noticing that its arm was still in movement. I looked up just in time to see the weapon arcing all the way up and around its body - it seemed it had picked up on my trick, and was trying to punish me for it. My instincts tried to kick in, my legs reflexively stepping backwards to roll away from the blade.

I shook it off - it knew I wanted to do that. How would it follow up the strike? Its momentum was from its arm twisting around its back - it would use that momentum to flip around, making a second follow-up swing even further away, right where I was about to roll.

Instead, I simply ducked, and let it happen. My guess was right - as the blade slammed into empty ground it used that torque to contort its whole body around, an insanely quick maneuver as it spun in midair, its blade whipping around itself like a giant windmill to slam into the ground where I would be.

But I wasn't - I was now on its opposite side, far away from the heavy and weighted blow that left its left flank completely vulnerable. I swung once twice, three times, the knight still recovering from its reckless maneuver, one that I hoped would be its last. I dug deeper, plunging my scimitar into a prior stab wound and meeting flesh, thrusting my dagger in alongside it - and then tore.

I ripped open a huge gash in its chest, somehow finding the strength to bend its armor and find only flesh wrapped in thin cloth. The knight had recovered its blade finally, but it was far too late. I thrust both blades into the gaping chest wound, the removal of its armor letting me plunge them that much deeper. I felt the scimitar come to rest on its back, its rear armor halting the blade's advance. The dagger was hilted all the way in, the weight of the much larger knight now resting solely in my arms. Its final slash swung meekly overhead, the strength leaving its limbs halfway through, the blade coming to rest gently against the ground for but a moment. The knight's grip on the blade loosened as it dropped to the ground, and as I unsheathed my weapons from its core I began to feel its body dissipate, everything but that sword fading away.

That sword…hmm. I picked it up, finding it incredibly heavy and unwieldy, even with two hands. However…I gave it a couple test swings. I could make it work, if I was so inclined. Along with the rest of my gear it was too much to reliably fight with, but I could drop something off - maybe the broadsword I'd woken up with, or something else. But after such a harrowing battle and an important lesson, it felt silly to simply put my reward on a shelf somewhere to collect dust.

I stepped into the blue fissure the knight had come out of, finding myself returning to the real world…at least, I assumed it was the real world. The strange stone worms were back, the sky was a pleasant blue again, and I could hear the sounds of wildlife.

I reached for my pouch, remembering that I'd loaned Torrent's whistle to Flynn. Given that he wasn't here when I returned, I could only assume he was still busy at the other Evergaol. I decided to walk towards it, a long trek ahead.

I hoped he was okay.

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Total Word Count: 34456