Flynn

RL26 - 20 VIG - 10 MND - 16 END - 20 STR - 13 DEX - 9 INT - 10 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL26 - 11 VIG - 13 MND - 10 END - 12 STR - 17 DEX - 9 INT - 24 FTH - 9 ARC

Flynn

"Damn it all!"

I found myself back outside the Evergaol for what felt like the dozenth time…but I'd lost track. At this point, I was just waiting on Resa to return…mindlessly throwing myself at my opponent inside. I looked around, part of me hoping that I'd see her walking up...but it was just me.

Very well then…one more time. I walked forwards, into the Evergaol, ready to be humbled yet again. The sky went dark and the walls went up around me in a manner I was getting all-too-familiar with, and I readied myself, stepping outside of the ring as it appeared…my nemesis.

It stood taller than me by several feet, quickly towering above me as it rose out of the fissure. Thick crimson armor covered every possible angle of exploitation. Wing-like horns protruded from its helm, elbows making every part of it a living weapon. In its left arm was a circular shield, punctuated by a scorpion-like stinger in the front that made the thing look like a targe - and hit just as hard. In its other arm was a greatsword, the same crimson as its shield and armor that clearly signified that the gear was made for it and it alone…and that it'd spent a lifetime training to use just one blade to absolute perfection.

It stalked towards me, its superior height looming over me as it swung its sword down, my shield struggling to deflect even the one blow. As I recoiled from the strike it slammed its foot into the ground, sending a fissure forward that knocked me off guard, making its follow-up swing freely slash against the front of my chest. I staggered backwards, trying to maintain my composure.

It wasn't that there weren't openings to attack…it's that it did so well putting me on the back foot that I didn't have the time to exploit those openings. What made it worse was that its shield covered nearly its entire torso, leaving me little room to attack except in key moments, where most of the time I was trying to regain my composure. I'd tried my entire barrage of Ashes of War already, and none of them seemed to break through that impenetrable guard of his.

My planning was cut short by a shield to the ribs, that damned horn skewering my armor as he lifted me into the air with the thrust, slamming its sword down onto my back as I fell. Lights out…again. I hadn't even landed a single hit this time.

I exhaled, frustration and fatigue setting in in equal parts - I just didn't know what to do, or how to do it. It did everything I wanted to do, but just…better. So much better. If I had that gear…I ignored the thought. I didn't, and I wouldn't. I had to win with what I had.

"Flynn, you're…still here." I turned around, seeing Resa walking up the cliff. She was carrying a rather oversized blade in her hand - it looked a little comical on her small frame, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

"I…don't know what to do. I'm not getting any better. If anything I'm just…getting worse.

She planted the blade in the ground, taking a seat and patting the grass near her, signaling for me to do the same. As I sat down, I could see a look of recognition. "Because you're frustrated, and you haven't talked to anyone about it. What's in there? Another one of those strange knights?"

I shook my head. "No…well, it is a knight, but I imagine it's not the same. Big armor, big shield, big weapon…I guess like I used to be, really. I just don't see a way past its shield."

"Well, that's the point of a shield, no? But I remember how you used to fight with those massive things, You weren't hiding behind it all the time, you know. Pretty much every time you went to attack, you had to move it out of the way - it just got in the way otherwise."

I nodded - it was true. "Sure, but that's not much to go on."

"Sure it is." She punched me in the arm playfully before continuing. "You're sturdy…always have been. That's why you make such a good, well, distraction. Because I can count on you to survive through crazy odds. But here, it sounds like you've got to be the survivor and the fighter. Use that sturdiness. Sure, you'll get hit, but you're getting hit anyways by the looks of it. Might as well get something done."

"Let me get this straight…you're saying I should be taking a greatsword to the ribs while I try to hit it?"

"Look I haven't been in there, I don't know exactly what it is you're up against. But it sounds like you need to change something up, and I think it might help. You've got your flasks…make use of them."

That was true…I'd been so focused on trying to find an opening that I hadn't even been stepping away, my flasks remaining untouched as a result. "Alright…I'll see what I can do."

"Oh, and drink your crystal flask right before you step out of the ring…it works in there."

I stood up, approaching the central compass…and walked in. As the sky went black I approached the fissure, stepping towards the outside of the ring, drinking my crystal flask just before I emerged…time to see if Resa's advice held water.

As the knight emerged, I decided to take an early offensive, swapping to my greatsword. Two slashes of blood arced through the air, slashing against the knight while it was still emerging. After a third I stopped, rushing forwards. The knight raised its blade, starting to swing at me…I held my ground, gripping the sword in two hands as I stood firm, raising the blade above my head and building my strength. I felt the greatsword dig into my shoulder, and that's when I let the swing loose. Empowered by my flask my arms hurled themselves forward, wedging my blade deeply into the knight's shoulder, so much so that I decided it best to leave the blade in there.

I switched to my longsword, taking several steps back - I'd learned that those blood slashes taxed my own health, and that combined with the single hit I took meant I was already needing to recover. I made space, fetching my flask and quickly drinking from it. The knight saw this and tried to gain ground, charging forwards before lunging, blade fully extended in an attempt to hit me, but I raised my shield just in time to block the hit. In the same motion I too lunged forwards, noticing its vulnerable position and chopping down on its arm. The engagement complete I backed up, resetting back to neutral.

I waited for it to make its first move - after blocking that blow with my shield I was reminded by the technique the commander of the encampment used, lunging in the same movement that it deflected a blow with. This knight seemed to prefer making a follow-up on every swing…perhaps I could retaliate after its second attack on occasion.

It rammed me with its shield. I tried to sidestep but was too slow, instead its shield slamming into mine. It followed up with a sword swipe - this too connected with my shield, enough force behind the swing to knock me off balance - nearly. I thrust forwards at the same time, my blade slicing at its chest before I recoiled and backpedaled, knowing I couldn't continue the engagement.

It lunged forwards again, and this time I decided to take the blow. I stood firm and slashed upwards, ripping a horrific scar across its chest, and in the same movement managed to knock my greatsword free of its shoulder. I turned the blade around and slashed downwards, trying to dig even deeper into that same wound - I felt its greatsword nearly crush my rib, but I didn't care - this was by far the best I'd done thus far.

The two of us continued like this - me taking some blows and dealing heavy hits in the meantime, other times shielding the blows and countering once it was done. Soon though, I found my flask empty - and it felt like the knight was far from down.

It stomped its foot into the ground, a burst of light emanating from it - but that was all dwarfed by a pair of birdlike wings sprouting from its back as the knight ascended fifteen feet into the air.

"What in the - "

I dove out of the way as the knight came diving towards me, sword held in front of it in an attempt to skewer me, but narrowly missing. As it came charging back towards me the wings faded, and it swung again - with little else I could try, I decided to make my last stand a heroic one. I gripped my greatsword and thrust upwards, feeling its own blade slam into my shoulder, bones cracking from the forceful impact.

I thought it was done…but no. It spun around behind it, a spectral tail sprouting from behind it. The tail swiped at me, knocking me horribly off balance by the surprising blow. It finished me off with another slam of its tail…lights out, again.

"What was that?" As I came back to my senses, I still struggled to believe what had happened.

"Hmm?" Resa was beside me, clearly worried.

"It…it sprouted wings, and a tail. I…I had no idea what to do."

"Wait…it what?"

"Yeah."

Resa shook her head, seemingly as surprised as I was. "Wow…alright. Are you…trying again?"

I shook my head. "No…what you suggested worked, but it wasn't enough. My flasks were empty before it even grew wings. I hate it, but I'm not equipped for something like this yet."

"Well, let's head back to the Roundtable. We've collected a good amount of runes now…perhaps we can pick up that armor set you'd like. After that, we can go searching for some more equipment. I think the road by Bernahl's keeps going further, we can see what's around. Or, to the south…follow wherever that guidance leads us."

"Right…for now, the Hold…I could use a new set of armor." I handed Resa Torrent's whistle and we rode off, finding a grace and traveling back to the Hold.

"Here, take these…I'm going to ask Iji if he can hold onto this for me. It's novel but…just a bit too much for me at the moment. I'll meet you over there." Resa handed me quite a few runes, then we parted ways. I wandered down the hallway, crossing a rather grisly fellow on my left, and then finding two husks sitting on the ground, all manner of items strewn about. I saw the armor, sitting on a stand. It looked nice…definitely better than what I was wearing.

"Greetings there. Good Tarnished. We have much. For sale. What do. You want?" Their speech was unsettling…I was willing to ignore it for now though.

"The armor, please."

"Very pricey. How much. You have?"

I extended the pouch of runes I'd been collecting, showing it to them. One pried its hand from the large staff it was clutching, sifting around. After a few moments it clutched a fistful of them, pulling them out. "Very good. Enjoy!"

Well…I guess I wasn't allowed time to reconsider, not that I planned to. Slowly, I undid the buckles and straps on my armor, doffing pieces of it at a time as I put on pieces of this new, sturdier set. It looked very much like the image of a perfect knight - lustrous, polished, sturdy, and decorated with artistic patterns along it. It was a difficult job to do solo which was why I did it so irregularly - but eventually, awkwardly, I was wearing it.

It felt good…heavy, but that's what I wanted. Despite its weight it offered greater ranges of movement, the shoulders and hips segmented for mobility far better than the cobbled-together mess I was in before. Blue cloth lined the armor, giving it a nice color, but also a tiny bit of comfort.

"Looking good…I think it suits you." Resa came walking in, the large curved blade gone from her hands, at least for now. "How much is left?"

I showed her the pouch - the armor had been most of it. She shrugged, turning to the shopkeepers. "The Memory stone, if you would…and a stonesword key, if we have enough for both."

One shopkeep shook her head. "Come back. With more. Memory stone. Is all." They reached in and took almost all of our runes, thrusting back the Memory stone in response.

"Anything else?" I flinched, the sound of them both speaking at once more jarring than I thought it'd be.

Resa shook her head. "I'm afraid that's all for us. Thank you again."

"Have a. Good day." Resa grabbed my arm, subtly gesturing to leave - I eagerly followed her out.

"You could have said a bit more than 'a little strange', Resa. That was…discomforting."

"Yeah, well…you're not wrong. That's just how they are though, it seems…best get used to it, if we plan on coming back."

"What's that thing do, anyways. A Memory stone, was it?"

Resa nodded. "They didn't give me much to go on, but I think it aids in the memorization of incantations and sorceries. It seemed useful. I don't have any more incantations I'd like to learn, but you never know if one will show up."

"Well…Corhyn sells one, doesn't he? Fire?"

"Flynn I…" She paused, actually taking time to think about it. "I'm not doing that. Not because of the creed you've taken, mind you. But I know how much fire meant to you, how personal it was to you. Even if you've moved past it, or are trying to…I'm not going to wield it."

"And what if lightning is not wielded in this world? You'd forsake the power of fire solely for me, even if it left you fighting without the power of incantations?"

She nodded, her mind clearly made. "I would. You're what's important to me, Flynn…if there isn't lightning, then there's something else, but that something else isn't fire. Not for me."

"Okay…Fia made it sound like people did wield lightning here, but I just wanted to know. That means a lot. You…you're important to me, too. I don't think I say that enough."

She smiled. "It's alright…sometimes, you don't talk with your words, but I know what you're saying anyways. Now let's get out of here…there's exploring to be done. Bernahl's?"

"Sure." We transported ourselves there, giving the weaponmaster a curt hello before departing, heading down the road to the east atop Torrent. As we rode we passed through another small encampment, taking down another heavily-armored general along with his troops. Past that we found a bridge, another one of those metal-helmed giants guarding it. As we took it down we continued on, heading further east.

Past the bridge we entered a rolling decline, passing through a clutch of roughly-placed gravestones crowded around the path. As we approached I noticed the bones beginning to move and reform…it seemed some things remained omnipresent, no matter where we were.

"Skeletons!" I dismounted, bringing my greataxe down on one. I knew to hit again - to keep the bones from reforming. We made quick work of the bunch, and in no time it was peaceable again. It was at that moment that I heard muttering from further ahead.

"I cannot give you proper rites…but you have avoided Those Who Live in Death."

I cocked my head to the side, following the sound of the words. Soon I found a figure in a red cape, his back turned to us as he stood over a slain body. "Hello. Is everything alright?"

The figure turned around - and I was greeted by a very, very strange suit of armor. It was a dusty gold in color and looked somewhat normal, if it weren't for the image of a silver figure protruding from it. It was made to look as if he was holding the figure - and indeed, his left arm was curled protectively around his head, but a fake arm was built into the armor, making it look as if he was coddling the being. The man's legs were equal parts gold and silver, making it look as though the silver figure was being supported by his own two feet.

"Ah, greetings. Pay it no mind, I was simply trying to guide this soul to the Erdtree. I am known as D. I thank you for taking care of Those Who Live in Death."

"The…skeletons?"

D nodded. "Yes. Their souls have been rejected by the Erdtree, and thus they inhabit their former selves, unable to rest. I hunt them, try to end their suffering, and claim their Deathroot."

"Deathroot?" Resa beat me to the punch.

"Yes. It is a curious thing - I have a master that requests it, that I feed to him. There is a village just beyond here that has been touched by Death, but it is inhabited by a stronger presence. I advise you stay away, lest you seek harm."

"We'll keep it in mind, D. What's beyond the village?"

"Only Caelid - a far greater threat. There is nothing past here worth your time, travelers."

"It's Flynn. This is my sister, Resa. We're just exploring. We can try to get you this Deathroot, if you want."

D shook his head. "If you slay that creature, it is only right you deliver it yourself. My master is a beastman named Gurranq, residing deep within Caelid in the harrowing Dragonbarrow. However, there is another way in. To the south of here you'll find a church of Marika. Behind it is a portal. It will lead you to my master."

We'd been there…must have missed the portal. "We'll see what we can do, D. Stay safe out there."

"You too, Flynn and Resa. You can find me in the Hold, from time to time. I best be going through - there is nothing left for me to do here."

We went our separate ways, Resa and I heading down the hill while D turned away. We saw a grace just beyond, and then the village. It looked like it had flooded, the entire ground covered in a half-foot of standing water. Inside of it though was that 'stronger presence' - a skeleton like any other, though it navigated around in a large boat, and held an elongated horn that also seemed to serve as an oar.

"Think we can take it?"

Resa nodded. "We've fought far greater skeletons - Nito, most notably. In comparison I think this looks, well…trivial.

And in truth…we found that it was. Though it put up a bit of a fight, somehow managing to teleport away from us and command the water around the boat to carry it into the air, crashing down on us - it had little way of actually stopping us from assailing it. As we fought we found that other skeletons began to approach on our position, but they were easy enough to repel. Before long, the skeleton had fallen - and in its wake were two things.

"A…spirit ash?" Resa picked it up, inspecting it. Out of curiosity she called the contents forth. Two skeletons sprang into existence, armed with spears. Nearly as soon as they appeared Resa dismissed them, violently shaking her head. "Nope…no. I'm not fighting with a skeleton."

I chuckled. "What, too hard to give a pet name to?"

"No just….ugh. Is that the Deathroot then, right there?"

I knelt down, picking it up. It appeared to be plantlike of some sort, but it was fetid and wilting. "We might as well deliver it…the way D spoke it sounded like Gurranq sought these out."

"Sure…let's head to the church. But first…" Resa walked up a nearby hill, finding the familiar doorway that led down to the villages cache. This one was sealed off by an imp statue, the pathway leading down sealed. As I looked at it, I noticed something different about the two imps. One had a Stonesword key already embedded in its head - the other did not, but had the telltale gap that made me think we could fix that.

"We've only got the one…think it's worth it?" We'd picked up a key a long while ago, by the scared woman's shack.

"Well…the only other statue we saw needed two keys. I don't see a reason why not." Resa inserted the key into the imp, the mist fading away as the key was entered. She tried to tug the key out - it was stuck.

Inside we found a lower chamber filled with several…turtles? Odd, but whatever. On the far wall was another iron door that I lifted up, revealing a lone chest. Inside, we found yet another turtle - though this one made of stone, and could fit into my palm.

"It's…kinda adorable."

I rolled my eyes. "What, are you going to start nicknaming your jewelry, too?"

"No, it's just…I like it, and you've already got that medallion you've been wearing." She pinned it to her belt, the little green turtle slightly askew.

"That's fine, but if you give it a name I don't know what I'll do with you."

"Well then, I guess I just won't tell you", she said matter-of-factly. "Now come on…to Gurranq."

We traveled back to the grace, transporting ourselves to the church. Behind it we quickly found the portal - a swirling gray void encased in a well-made stone structure. If I didn't know where it went, I wouldn't have touched it - but D had given no reason to distrust him, so I stepped through.

On the other side was…wow. Tall doors several times my height, blocking entry into a building equally as massive. I looked around - just where were we? I'd never heard of Caelid before.

The first thing I noticed in fact was not Caelid - but rather the massive gargoyle not but fifty feet behind me. On its back was a greataxe that made mine look like a children's toy in comparison. I didn't dare go further - it had not noticed us for now, and I intended to keep it that way.

I walked to the right, stepping forwards to get a look at this 'Caelid'. It looked…bleak. The ground was a muddy red, any grass sparse and wilting. Multiple long-dead trees sprung up from the ground, now little more than twisted trunks of wood. I could see trees out on the horizon, but far less than before. Further ahead I saw a bridge, connecting to a much larger landmass. I couldn't make out much beyond that, the visibility somewhat poor. I could see a single, smaller Erdtree far in the distance - and as I looked up, I saw that the towering building blocked my view of the true Erdtree.

"Well…this is certainly new."

I nodded. "I guess we're very far to the east, if D said that this place was deep into Caelid. I imagine we'll be teleporting out of here…but for now, let's visit this Gurranq. I imagine he's just inside.

Indeed…as I opened the massive doors, I saw a hulking figure near the back. The sanctum we were in felt warm, homely, even if the decorations were anything but. Bestial skeletons were chained to the six main support pillars of the building, a burning brazier beneath each of them. To the right was a grace that I warily walked forwards and lit. Above Gurranq, blue tapestries with golden filigree hung from the ceiling, giving him a strange presence of royalty.

Gurranq himself was a giant figure - if I had to guess, taller than even the trolls we'd been fighting. However, I could tell almost nothing about his appearance, his form covered in dingy and ratty burlap and cloth. The only thing I noticed were his hands - furred and with sharp talons on each finger. I suppose that's why D referred to him as a 'beastman', then.

"I smell it - Death. Come here, Tarnished. Feed it me." Gurranq's voice was low, rumbling, shaking my very core. I processed the words he'd spoken…feed him? I held out the Deathroot in one hand, unsure of just what he was asking. Gurranq swiped the root from my hand, almost greedily bringing it to his covered face. He wolfed it down, chewing through the large root in no time at all before putting his hand back to the ground.

"Feed me more. Find more - Death. I shall grant thee boons, of tooth, eye, and claw for the hunt. Here."

Before I could react his hand reached out to mine, wrapping around my entire helmet. I felt a burning sensation in my left eye, a powerful incantation taking hold on me. I clenched my teeth in pain but stood firm, not that there was anything I could do to stop it.

"Hey!" Resa ran up beside me, but before she could swing Gurranq with drew.

"Your eye. And your claw." For this, he simply held something out in his palm - a small ovular shape, three clawmarks across its surface.

"Now go. Find Death. Feed me more." He shooed us away, and we retreated back towards the grace. I took a seat, hand clutching my eye…it hurt. I felt dizzy, disoriented.

"Are you alright? Let me see." Resa lifted off my helmet, looking at my head. "You…won't believe this. Give me your shield."

I handed it to her and she turned it around, letting it act as a crude mirror. I immediately saw - my eyes had been green, my whole life. But now, my left eye was a strange, murky violet…but it was my eye, reacting as I'd expected. "What?"

"I don't know…whatever he did to you, it was very powerful. Do you feel any different?"

I nodded. "I feel…dizzy. Like I'm faintly being pulled somewhere, but I don't know where. To the west?"

"Well, let's find it…maybe if we find whatever it is, you'll feel better. Let's go back to the village."

As we returned, it only got worse…so, so much worse. I clutched my helm and doubled over, trying to find myself amidst whatever was happening to me. "West!" The voice that spoke was more raspy than my own, more - bestial. And yet it was my voice.

"Okay. I'll defend you, let's go." Resa summoned Torrent, helping me climb atop the steed as we rode back the way we'd come, crossing the bridge.

"North…now it's north." I wasn't even looking around, just going based on that awful tugging in my eye. Where were we being taken?

"We're in a chasm…hold on." I felt Resa pick up speed, and then make a sharp turn, Torrent scrambling up some steps. At this point I could feel that sense of direction shifting rapidly

"We're…it's right here." Resa dismissed Torrent as I fell to the ground, stumbling back to my feet. I pried open my eyes - embedded in a rock wall was a door. I stumbled towards it, opening it up.

Inside…relief. My senses returned to me, and that pounding in my head almost instantly subsided. I looked around - we were in a catacomb, by the looks of things.

"Feeling better? You had me worried there, for a bit."

I nodded. "Yeah…me too. I guess this is what we're here for, but surely there's a better way to get us to come here. Let's find whatever's inside…I don't want to go outside until we've done that. Hopefully that will make the pain go away."

"Agreed. I'll lead the way, just in case you start hurting again." Resa lit a grace as we continued down the stairwell. At the bottom was a large door, a stone skeleton holding a lantern and stave on either side. I tried to push it open but it didn't budge - we'd have to find another way to open it. To our left was another corridor, so we started on down.

In the catacomb were numerous skeletons - we handled them well enough, but I was surprised. D said that they'd been rejected by the Erdtree…but why? I didn't know, though perhaps I didn't need to.

In the catacomb, we found two things of interest. One, a sword - one suited for Resa's preferences. An eastern katana made of long curved steel. It was a bit longer than what she was used to, but it looked right in her hands. The second were these odd flowers that we hadn't seen anywhere else. They grew from the literal rock foundation of the catacombs and had small white buds to them. I picked them up, throwing them in our crafting kit.

"That reminds me. Those strange golden seeds we've been finding by the gold trees? I asked Hewg about that back at the Hold. He said they can be used on our flasks - bolster their effectiveness. Probably worth giving it a try when we get back to a grace." Resa gestured towards my crafting kit. We'd picked up two of the seeds - one for each of us, then.

At the bottom of the catacomb was a lever, watched over by a similar stone skeleton from before. I pulled it, hearing a faint rumbling. As we headed back up we found more skeletons rising from their slumber, but in time we were back at the door, finding that it was now open. Inside was a staircase leading down into a large empty room. In the back I saw a chest - though the pain was gone, I could sense that what we'd come for was inside.

As I approached, a figure started standing up from the floor - small, not much larger than myself. From the looks of it it was some sort of rogue, perhaps an assassin - silvery back armor lightly made, with a hood obscuring its face. In one hand was a wicked dagger colored crimson, its crossguard and pommel drawing to a point to become just as deadly as the tip. As it stumbled towards us I saw blood on its chest, a deep wound in the armor.

"It's…injured?"

Resa nodded beside me. "Something must have been in here…and this dispatched it."

"What we're here for is in that chest to the back. I don't think we're getting what's inside while this person's alive."

"Very well then…Aurelia?" Resa rang the bell, summoning the jellyfish.

"Hello." Aurelia greeted us again, but then spit a jet of poison towards the assassin. The three of us worked to defeat this new threat.

It was fast - much faster than I. Resa wielded her new katana in one hand, Kenneth's dagger in the other - with her ability to move quickly, she was easily able to keep pace with our foe, slipping around behind to get in a quick slash before stepping backwards. She fought differently than I remembered, looking for openings and striking when she could. I always remembered her wildly assailing our foes from whatever angle I wasn't, using her quick reflexes to dodge out of any attacks that came her way. This new Resa was scary, calculated…and very deadly.

For my part, I fought from behind my shield often, the assassin's dagger not carrying nearly enough weight to quickly knock me off my balance.

To the assassin's credit, it did well for fighting three people - much like Resa every attack it made was calculated, swinging at vulnerabilities as they arose. Despite the better reach and defenses I found myself frequently taking a slash to the knee or a cut across the waist or shoulder. Its superior speed let it overcome my defenses, whittling me down over time.

However, the three of us working in tandem was too much for it. With a final slash from Resa she brought the assassin to one knee, executing her by plunging her new katana through its chest. As it fell, the crimson dagger in its hand clattered to the ground, dwindling in size - the rest of its body simply faded away.

Resa picked up the dagger - by the time it was done reducing, it was no larger than the turtle charm we'd found earlier. She tucked it away, and then I approached the chest in the back of the room. Behind the chest was a wall of roots…roots of the Erdtree, perhaps? If the Erdtree reclaimed the dead, it only made sense to bury them close to where a tree claimed its nutrients from the ground.

As I opened the chest, I found exactly what I was expecting…Deathroot. I picked it up, holding it in my hand. "So that's what I've been branded with now, huh. Seeking out Deathroot for Gurranq…or being forced to suffer until I do."

"Maybe we can reverse this or…or maybe it gets better? D didn't seem in pain, not like you did. Maybe you're just adjusting to it is all…I don't know." Resa patted my back, sharing in my frustration. I hadn't chosen this…not intentionally at least. But it felt like a duty now, one I had to uphold or else suffer. I suppose I could do that…not that I had a choice.

"I guess we'll find out but for now let's return this…it's what we came here for, after all." I walked back towards the entrance to the grace. Before we left Resa and I experimented with the seeds we'd found earlier - it took a bit of trial and error, but we figured out how to bond the seeds with our flasks. It felt denser in my hand afterwards - as if it held more liquid, despite growing any larger. That was good - I had every intention of returning to that knight, and more flasks meant more life, which meant I could fight for longer.

But that was later…for now, Gurranq. We traveled back to his temple, approaching him with second Deathroot in hand. I found that the dizzying pain had subsided, no more tug in my senses. Perhaps there were no more Deathroot nearby…I still didn't understand this new cursed power enough to know for certain, though.

"Here you are, Gurranq…one Deathroot that you rather forcibly drug me towards. How can I stop it? The pain, that is."

"Feed it me. Feed me more Death." Again he swiped the Deathroot, devouring it in mere moments. He held something out for me in return, but I didn't bother to look at it. Not yet, at least.

"I want answers, not rewards. What did you do to me, and how do I fix it?"

"You have eye for Death, and claw for Death. Now, tooth." Again extended the item.

"The eye. It burns, it hurts. How do I stop it? I found you one Deathroot out of goodwill, and another out of courtesy. No more until you fix what you've done."

"You will!" The harsh voice growled at me, a clawed hand stamping at the ground. I took a step back, defensive - I'd disregarded just how large and powerful Gurranq was, but now I was carefully reminded of just where I stood. "Very well. If I fix, you will feed more Death?"

I didn't like the bargaining position it put me in…but I didn't see much of an alternative. "Yes."

"It is done." Again, Gurranq whipped out and clutched my head, more powerful magic channeling into me. When he released me I didn't feel much different…but perhaps time would tell. Again, he held out my reward - a scroll, by the looks of it. "Tooth."

I grabbed it, not bothering to look. "Tooth, yes…thank you." I shook my head, walking back towards the nearby grace, where Resa waited.

"What is it?"

I held out the scroll. "I don't…know." As I unfurled it I saw a strange language, one I couldn't quite parse, but Resa seemed to read it almost immediately.

"This is an incantation a…bestial one. I suppose that makes sense, given just what Gurranq is. I didn't say it earlier, but that 'claw' he gave you looks like a seal - it's what I cast my incantations with."

"A seal, incantations. He's a…priest?"

"I don't know, but it looks that way."

"I'm…not sure that's the path I want to lead. Do you think you'd have use for either?"

She shook her head. "This isn't my path, Flynn…you're doing this, those rewards are for you…he's burdened you with this. I think you'll find this one a bit to your liking. Give it a try. I'll teach you."

We walked outside, standing on the large patio just outside. I held the seal in my left hand, behind my shield. "How do I - "

"Don't worry, it's simple. I don't pray to anyone in particular…I just pray, and it's answered. This incantation is known as Bestial Sling - it lets you throw shards of rocks in front of you."

"But I can already do that."

Resa rolled her eyes. "Yes…but not like this. Now pray…to whomever, or nobody in particular, and then see what you wish to do, and do it. This isn't sorcery - you don't need a specific set of words to trigger the magic. It's all in your beliefs."

My beliefs…I knew who I believed in, above all - Quelaan. The one that had shown me the light of pyromancy, whom I'd freed from near death…whom I'd fought alongside until the end of time. I knew she was no deity or if she could even answer me - but there was no being I could think of more suitable to hear my prayers. I knew I couldn't follow the path that she'd led me down anymore, not in these lands, and not without my flame…but if this was the path I was being told to follow instead, I would keep her forever at the center of it.

"Quelaan…guide me through these lands." I spoke the words in my head, reaching out to her, not caring if she could hear me - I knew she wasn't. As I spoke the words I thrust my hand forward - a dozen razor-sharp rock fragments formed in front of me, and then flew outwards. They impacted upon the outer surface of the sanctum, breaking apart.

"You're a quick learner, good job. Give it a few more tries, make sure you've got the hang of it."

I found that I did, repeating the motions several more times. The shards of stone sprung from nowhere in particular but bent to my command all the same. After a few more times I put my arm down, putting the seal away.

"Good…like I said, I think it suits you. I take it your head isn't hurting anymore?"

"No…seems Gurranq made it a bit more stable, at least, I feel a tugging in some direction, but it's not hard. Sort of like a compass…towards Deathroot, I assume. I don't think it should cause us any problems."

"That's good. So, what's next? I'm starting to think we've left Margit waiting for quite a while…but there's that entire region to the south of Limgrave we haven't stepped foot in. I think it's worth seeing what's down there at least."

My mind flitted back to the knight in the Evergaol…how it still lived, taunting me. I was stronger now, had magic on my side. Not the magic I would have preferred, but the magic thrust upon me. It could give me the edge I needed…and I needed to find out if that edge was enough. "Yeah…but there's one thing I need to take care of first.

Word Count: 6578

Total Word Count: 41034

Really wanted to finish the Evergaols all in one chapter, but this was getting pretty long and tacking that fight to the end of it would be a bit much. Only a few days left until I hit that sweet sweet 50k…stay tuned for more.