Hunt

Despite Lothric's promise that they would speak more the next day, it became apparent that Lorian's return had caused more of a stir than either had predicted. Lorian had spent the entire day with his former tutors, only being relieved when the time of the feast began to approach. Apparently his recent accomplishments had raised him in Knight General Godwyn's eyes enough that his training was held in the barrack's training grounds with all the other knights. They were not subtle as they gawked and stared at him, whispering when they thought he could not see.

Even during the feast he didn't get a moment's break, having to play the political game in conversations led by his mother and various other key figures of the kingdom.

Lothric, from what he could see, was similarly engaged, especially considering the role he had played in their father's absence. Most of the nobles and knights seemed to hold a deep respect for Lothric, evident in the way they spoke, even in spite of Lothric's poor tone and nihilistic humor that never seemed to fade.

The morning after the feast, Lorian had every intention of finding Lothric and speaking to their father to ask permission to go on the hunting trip. Instead, as soon as dawn broke he was called to the training grounds again where Knight General Godwyn's knights mercilessly attacked him. The sparring felt closer to the battles he had actually experienced than the training he had had when he was younger. He had to pay attention to make sure he did not strike a fatal blow by mistake as he let himself fall into the rhythm of fighting and self preservation.

This gruelling schedule of training from dawn till dusk continued for nearly a month. The man he was fighting, Allric, was one of Gotthard's hunters. Allric knew his strengths and weaknesses, and tailored his fighting style to punish Lorian. Where Lorian depended on raw strength and a wide area of attack his greatsword allowed him, Allric countered with his speed and flexibility. Each time Lorian thought his strike would connect, the man would seemingly disappear, rolling out of sight behind Lorian where he immediately followed with a blow to Lorian's back.

But they had been at a stalemate for nearly an hour and Lorian was starting to figure out exactly how he needed to change his timings to counter Allric's moves. They were currently strafing in circles around each other, and Lorian had noticed that more often than not, Allric rolled towards his left side since Lorian held his sword in his right hand primarily.

Lorian raised his sword, aiming as though he was planning to swing his sword around himself towards Allric, who rolled to avoid the attack. As soon as the man hit the ground however, Lorian had already anticipated his move and countered by raising his sword and slicing it downwards like an executioner's axe. It hit the ground close enough to catch Allric's clothing, slicing it clean apart. In a real battle he could easily follow up with subsequent attacks that would seal his opponent's fate. But this was just a spar.

"Well done, Lorian." Allric said with a nervous laugh, still lying on the ground. Lorian raised his sword, resting it on his shoulder, and offered a hand to his tutor. Behind him he heard the faint sound of clapping.

"Yes, well done, Lorian," said his brother who sat at the edge of the training grounds. "I feel safer already. Come now brother, gather your things. We leave at once before Father changes his mind regarding this hunting trip."

"He accepted?" Lorian asked, genuinely surprised. Their father was loath to put Lothric in any position that may threaten his life, fearful that he would be cut down before he served his purpose. And especially since Lorian had not had time to speak with Lothric or his father, he had begun to assume there was no hope for the hunt.

"Why do you think you have been battered in such a way from dawn to dusk each day? Father would only agree once he was satisfied you would be suitable enough protection."

"Perhaps it slipped your mind to inform me."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps I thought it unnecessary. If I needed to warn you that your training would dictate the outcome of the proposition, then I would never have entrusted you with my wellbeing to begin with." Lothric smiled warmly. It was rare that Lorian saw his brother in such high spirits and it was clear that he had placed a great deal of faith and confidence in Lorian and his abilities.

Lorian walked to Lothric's side and began leading him toward the main gate. "There's no need to prepare anything. The best way to prepare for a hunt is to be unprepared. If this is truly a test to see how we would fare with only each other to rely on, then we should only bring each other."

"Oh?" asked Lothric, glancing at Lorian from the corner of his eye, his tone and expression playful and amused. "Very well then. I entrust the details of surviving this hunt to you. I only request that I get to determine where we go."

They made their way out the main gates into the streets, now officially further than Lothric had ever been before. He didn't seem particularly perturbed however, still walking alongside Lorian, just barely leaning on him for support. All around them as they passed, their various knights and townspeople whispered and saluted out of respect. It reminded Lorian very much of the last time he had ventured out.

"Did you have a particular destination in mind then?" Lorian asked.

"I did, in fact. I decided we should go to Farron's Keep." As they passed a group of knights, Lothric lowered his voice, "I have heard rumors that there is a worthy beast worth hunting there. As well as some unappreciated and terribly feared kin of mine."

The Abyss Watchers. Lorian was familiar with them as he had passed through Farron's Keep before. As a collective they had taken it upon themselves to kindle the First Flame, elevating themselves to a Lord of Cinder. He narrowed his eyes at Lothric. "So we are not simply hunting boar or deer then."

"Of course not. Why waste this opportunity considering there is no telling when I will be allowed to do something so 'reckless' again." Lothric scoffed, "It was a painful enough process convincing father to release me on the premise of a simple hunt. When he learns what we have truly accomplished I fear I will lose any sliver of freedom granted to me, so I refuse to squander it."

Lorian frowned. Part of him had been rather looking forward to a relaxing hunt, but another deeper part of him was excited. Excited at the chance to show Lothric just how strong he had become; excited to witness perhaps for the first time the skills his brother had been working these past several years to perfect; excited to be away from the castle and the prying eyes.

They had settled into a comfortable silence as Lorian guided their way beyond where workers had begun their work to construct a wall at the edge of the kingdom, and he let his mind wander. He glanced at Lothric who, despite his condition, was almost as tall as Lorian and knew how to leverage his height.

They walked in silence until midday when Lothric finally broke the silence. "How far will we reach before we need to stop for the evening?"

"There is a small village ahead. If we continue as we are, we will make it before dusk."

"I would prefer to stay out of the villages if possible. I have heard troubling rumors from the Cathedral of the Deep and the surrounding villages."

Lorian had heard nothing about any of this. "What sorts of rumors?"

"A new sect has appeared, and their ways of spreading the faith seem to be rather controversial to say the least. It supposedly involves rather wicked methods of showing faith." Lothric was not so quick to anger, but his tone spoke volumes of his disgust. "I have received one letter complaining of villagers disappearing shortly after a visit from some of the Cathedral's Evangelists, and others complaining of finding half-charred corpses covered in lacerations."

"Do you truly believe they would dare to harm you?"

Lothric was silent for several moments as he considered this. "If their faith has been warped to something more closely resembling heresy and renouncement of the fire, then I believe I may be their most desired convert."

It was a troubling accusation for Lothric to even suggest as a possibility. The Cathedral of the Deep had been steeped in the worship of the Way of the White for as long as Lorian could recall. If such a shift was occurring, then Lothric was more than justified in his concern. "Then we will avoid the villages apart from a brief supply run."

They continued on their way with Lorian listening as Lothric recounted the news he had heard from his various sources for the current happenings in the world. Lorian contributed with his experiences, having witnessed some of the rumors first hand during his hunt for the dragon. Time passed quickly and the sun was beginning to set by the time Lorian caught sight of the village on the horizon.

Lorian stopped, moving in front of Lothric as he kneeled. "In the event we encounter one of the Evangelists and need to leave quickly it will be faster to carry you on my back. Keep your hood up as well. The less attention you draw, the better off we will be."

"I could simply wait for you outside the village."

"I would prefer to keep you close."

With little hesitation, Lothric moved behind him, circling his arms around Lorian's neck, leaning his weight over Lorian's right shoulder. Lothric's legs hooked around his waist, holding himself up for the most part. Once Lorian was satisfied, he stood up and began heading into town. Without even needing it to be suggested, Lothric tucked his head towards Lorian's neck, though the angle was just enough that his face was mostly obscured while still being able to observe everything around them. To the casual observer he would simply appear as someone sick that Lorian was assisting.

Thankfully, the village seemed relatively unchanged since Lorian's last visit, with some of the villagers even recognizing him. He wove his way through the streets until he came across a small building, slightly better kept than the others due to the fact that it was where the only merchants in town sold their wares. They went inside and Lorian quickly began skimming through the items for what they would need. He grabbed a few blankets, waterskins, and some tattered clothes that could perhaps be used as bandages should the situation arise. To store their supplies he also grabbed a sack clearly intended to hold vegetables, and a rope to seal it shut. He passed a handful of coins to the old woman that was watching over the wares and departed.

Once they were outside, Lorian spoke quietly, asking, "To Farron's Keep still?"

"Yes."

Lorian nodded and they continued on their way back out of the village and headed towards the treeline of the forest. The sun had almost set by the time they reached a clearing suitable for the night.

From his back, Lothric let go of his grip and slid back down to the ground, landing gracefully on his feet. "Lorian, start the fire. I will catch something for us to eat."

"Stay close by, and if you are in any danger-"

"I will call for you. Worry not, dear brother, I have no plans to get close to any creature that could pose a threat." And with that Lothric vanished into the trees, his dark robes blending into the night seamlessly.

Lorian did as Lothric requested and began collecting suitable wood and kindling to start a fire, feeding it slowly until the embers grew into a steady flame. He set the blankets down beside the fire and pondered how long he should wait for Lothric to return until he went after him. A few more moments passed until a blinding light appeared a few feet away from him. Lothric appeared along with a deer with a bleeding wound over its heart; it was a surprisingly clean kill all things considered.

He made his way over to the animal, admiring it as Lothric moved to sit by the fire. Lorian drew a knife he had clearly learned to keep on himself for situations such as this one and began the work of skinning the animal. "How did you achieve such a clean kill?"

"A simple homing sorcery. Once I set it loose on a target it does the rest. A useful sorcery taking into consideration my lack of mobility at times. Master Orbeck was a more thoughtful tutor than he had first appeared." Lorian wasn't watching his brother, instead focusing on the delicate task of setting aside the skin and dividing the carcass to be cooked. From behind him, he sensed rather than saw the sorcery his brother sent his direction. He held himself still, watching as it shot past his head and struck something at the edge of the forest which immediately deflated into a haze of smoke.

Lorian skewered parts of the meat and moved back to the fire, passing one to Lothric to begin cooking. "How did you see the basilisk?"

Lothric shrugged in response. "There was no need to witness it with my own eyes. I set a sorcery over the area that will attack anything that reaches the treeline and is hostile." It was astounding, the things Lothric could do, and Lorian couldn't help but stare at his brother with an expression of unmasked admiration.

They sat around the fire after cooking and eating venison, silently enjoying each other's company. Lorian wasn't clear on what exactly Lothric was truly out to accomplish, and he suspected his brother would not tell him until whatever aim he was after revealed itself. Rather than ask directly, he decided to ask about Lothric's cover story. "You mentioned there is a beast in this area worth hunting. I have not heard of anything in Farron's Keep worth slaying aside from the Abyss Watchers, but I suspect we are not intending to kill that particular Lord of Cinder on this hunt."

"An astute observation. No, I do not intend to engage with the Abyss Watchers at all if it can be helped. I intend for us to go after the source of the titanite scales our Father collects so obsessively." Lothric was sitting across from him on the other side of the fire with its glow casting soft shadows on his face. He continued speaking, unprompted by Lorian, "They originate from draconic creatures that are typically harmless - the crystal lizard. This beast is created when that small and once insignificant crystal lizard gains an affinity for consuming souls. It contorts into a beast and fuses its body with the souls."

"Something that poses a true threat and something that Father would appreciate; it makes for a believable cover story."

"Speak your mind, Lorian."

"I do not claim to know your true purpose for coming to this place, but the circumstances point to an ulterior motive. When we first spoke of this hunting trip, you seemed content with a basic hunt."

"Perhaps now I simply seek something more exciting."

"Are we traveling to Farron's Keep because of the message you received from Mistress Kriemhild?" Lothric pursed his lips and said nothing. "What purpose could she be serving to draw you out so far and require you to send two hunters to escort her?"

Across from him, Lothric sat quietly, seemingly deep in thought as he considered his answer carefully. "Had Father stayed out of the kingdom on his travels, none of this would be necessary. But I fear he will try to intercept Kriemhild and the artifact I have sent her to collect before she is able to meet with me. I sent word ahead to Albert and Kamui to meet me at Farron's Keep as soon as I received permission to go on this ruse of a hunt."

"What artifact could be worth such an effort?" Lothric was not one for keeping secrets, particularly not from Lorian, and so he could only imagine the worst.

"It is an artifact which may in the future grant me options I do not currently have. Or it may simply be an artifact to serve as a reminder of the inevitable. I have no way of knowing until I see it for myself."

Kriemhild's specialty lay in her knowledge of the Fire Keepers, meaning whatever this artifact provided, it was related to the kindling of the flame. All his life, Lorian knew they both had been told the only outcome was the linking of the flame. There were no other options. If Lothric was searching for other options then he understood why his brother did not want word of this getting out. Regardless of whether or not Lothric acted upon this artifact in the future wouldn't matter. It would be considered treasonous. A dereliction of his duties.

"Do you trust Mistress Kriemhild?"

"She is the one who told me of the artifact. I have no reason not to trust her in this."

"And the hunters? Albert and Kamui?"

Lothric smirked, "They have been more loyal to me in these past few years than they have to Father. I have no doubt if sides were to be drawn, they would be on mine. Now let us speak no more of this; fate will play itself out soon enough."

x

At the pace they were maintaining it took them over a week to reach the Keep's perimeter. They spent their days either walking in silence or talking of anything and everything that came to mind - with the exception of the artifact Lothric was after.

At the entrance to Farron's Keep was a tall and imposing gate that Lorian was doubtful they would be able to open unless the Abyss Watchers willed it. He turned to Lothric who had perched on part of the ruins that had collapsed, "You have no intention for us to try and enter the Keep itself, do you?"

"No," Lothric replied with a lazy wave of his hand, "Supposedly the beast roams at the perimeter since most of the complaints are from those who attempted to get into the Keep itself. It is also where I instructed Albert and Kamui to meet us, so if they are not already here then we should not stray far."

"Then we should hunt."

Lothric reviewed everything he knew of these ravenous crystal lizards: how they consumed souls, where their preferred territory was, and everything else he found through his studies.

With that knowledge, Lorian led the hunt, searching for areas where there would be a high concentration of souls that the beast could have fed on. There weren't many as it turned out, given that Farron Keep was relatively abandoned aside from the Abyss Watchers within. Most of the nearby villages had long since been abandoned out of fear of the Abyss Watchers, as they were infamous for destroying entire cities if there was so much as a rumor of abyssal corruption.

They reached the edge of the marsh and Lorian knew this would be troublesome terrain, even for him. He knelt for Lothric to climb onto his back just as he had in the village; Lorian didn't mind carrying his brother who weighed practically nothing.

It took them far longer to move through the mud and marsh than Lorian could have anticipated with each step sinking deep into the ground as he struggled to keep his footing. All around them were low growls, though whether from monsters or men he couldn't tell which. In front of them was another section of the ruins collapsing in on itself. There was one section however that remained an open path that would be as similar to a cave as they had encountered.

As Lorian started heading towards it he was suddenly blinded by a flash of light; the same sensation of warm energy flooding through him as he was now several feet from where he had just been. There was a large man standing where they had just been, wielding large planks barely holding together in the form of a crucifix.

The man turned towards them; his jet black hair was unkempt and hung in his face, his skin sallow and pale, and where his eyes once were was now only an eerie red glow. Whatever humanity he had once had was now gone.

Lorian started to kneel in an effort to put Lothric down, but Lothric's hand gripped his hair and pulled, causing Lorian to stagger back to his feet. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life."

"Then prepare your sword and let me handle our maneuvering. In this filth you have no mobility, but you will have no need for it." He let go of Lorian's hair, curling his left arm more tightly around Lorian's neck and extended his right arm out towards the man. "Raise your sword, brother, and aim straight ahead."

He glanced at Lothric for a moment, seeing the intense concentration on his face as he stared at the abyss tainted man. From his fingers burst forth a flurry of magic that sang across the marsh towards its target. Lorian raised his sword and started to swing. As his blade arced over their heads, they vanished again, and when they emerged from the light the man was directly under Lorian's blade. There wasn't even a chance for him to try dodging as the blade sank into his flesh and he let out a ferocious howl.

The abyssal man gripped the wooden crucifix and lunged forward, but before his strike could connect they were already gone. In his ear, Lorian heard Lothric's frantic whisper, "Left." As soon as they re-appeared once again, Lorian was already maneuvering his blade, catching the man across his stomach. He staggered, trying to strike again but Lothric was too vigilant. With another barrage of magic, Lothric let it distract the man as he teleported them further away.

While they had been preoccupied with the abyssal man, the crystal lizard had exited the collapsed ruins. As soon as it spotted them, it curled into a ball and began hurtling towards them. Lorian only had enough time to turn, putting himself face to face with the beast and thus placing Lothric out of harm's way, and holding up his sword to block as much of the attack as he was able. The beast unfurled and whipped its tail toward them.

Its attack connected with Lorian's sword, knocking him back from the impact, but the crystal tip of its tail extended past his blade and dug into his side. Lothric was finally able to teleport them away just as the lizard was lunging for a follow up attack. It gave Lothric and Lorian a chance to steady themselves, before chaining into another series of teleports. "Right, then left.'

They began a convoluted pattern of attacks, with Lorian blindly aiming where Lothric directed him and he fully entrusted Lothric to continue maneuvering them out of the way of the attacks. It worked rather well, to Lorian's great surprise. Though this battle was rapidly becoming draining as his sword continued to chip away at the crystals on the lizard's back rather than making any true progress. His inability to damage the lizard in a meaningful way combined with the fact that he was also trying to be cognizant of the abyssal man's attacks made it an increasingly frustrating battle.

"Focus on the abyssal man." He said, knowing Lothric would hear him. "An attack from behind."

Before waiting for any sort of confirmation, Lorian lowered his sword, drawing it back and thrusting it forward at the exact moment Lothric teleported them. His sword drove deep and true into where the heart of the abyssal man should have been, cutting through his spine and piercing through his ribcage. With his right foot, he pushed the corpse off of his blade and turned to face the lizard once again.

All around their feet, crystals began to grow - slowly at first but then rapidly shooting upwards, piercing through the armor on his legs as if it hadn't been there at all. Lorian grit his teeth and used his sword to break the crystals currently impaling him. As soon as his legs were free, Lothric teleported them far enough back that the beast didn't immediately pursue.

"Can you continue?" Lothric asked, and Lorian could hear the tightness in his voice.

"I am fine." A lie. It was taking nearly all his effort to remain standing and ignore the pain that was crippling his legs. "Do you have any sorceries that could help? Any weaknesses we can exploit?"

"This creature has no known weaknesses and is regrettably fairly resistant to magic." Lothric's weight was a comforting presence on his back even as he told Lorian things he did not want to hear. "Surely this cannot be more difficult than killing such a ferocious creature as the wyvern you slew."

Lorian closed his eyes, and focused. Lothric was right, though this beast was aggressive and left few openings - and despite the fact that its crystals were almost as strong as the wyvern's scales, if not stronger - at the end of the day even dragon-kin would die if beheaded or disemboweled. He opened his eyes again and looked toward the lizard which was hunched low, leaning menacingly forward on its front legs.

"I'm going to bait out its rolling attack." Lorian announced, moving forward, ignoring the sharp and agonizing pain that came with every step.

As he moved closer, the beast began to growl before curling up and rolling towards them exactly as Lorian had planned. The moment before it reached them, Lothric did as Lorian trusted, moving them out of the way as Lorian aimed his sword. Without even needing to ask, they teleported again as soon as they heard the crash of the lizard hitting the ruin wall.

Rather than slicing downwards with his blade, Lorian instead started low, dragging the blade close to the ground before cutting it upwards directly into the lizard's chest and throat, but failing to make it all the way through the crystals on it's back. It shrieked in its death throes before collapsing to the ground, the weight of the crystals naturally causing it to roll onto its back.

Lorian collapsed to the ground, taking the pressure off his still profusely bleeding legs. Lothric clamored off beside him, teleporting both themselves and the lizard to the area of the perimeter where they had started. At least here there was enough left of the perimeter ruins that they could rest comfortably out of the mud. Lothric began breaking apart the crystals and ripping off the armor from Lorian's lower legs. From what Lorian could see his brother was sweating profusely, his brows furrowed as he concentrated. Clearly, though the teleportation strategy had worked exceedingly well, it had come at a great cost.

With a hand placed on each of Lorian's legs, Lothric began to chant under his breath and a soft white light engulfed Lorian's legs as he felt nothing but warmth. It was the same as that time so many years ago when Lothric healed such a minor wound from Lorian's training. This was on an entirely different level from the sorcery, or miracle he supposed. The flesh on his legs began closing and the blood flow from his legs slowly stopped.

It hadn't healed him completely and the wounds would still undoubtedly scar, but he could use his legs again and for that Lorian was grateful. Beside him, Lothric had all but collapsed, leaning into him heavily. He had clearly overexerted himself and the healing pushed him over the edge.

"You should burn that body, you know," came a weary sounding voice from behind them.

The man was wearing the armor of the Abyss Watchers - how long had he been there? Lorian stood, using his sword to leverage himself up before training the blade on the Watcher.

Despite being an Abyss Watcher, the man hardly seemed a threat. He was sitting on the ground, arms resting on his knees with his sword still sheathed at his side. As soon as he saw Lorian aim his blade at him, the man raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Ah, don't worry, I have no intention to attack you. Neither of you have been tainted by the Abyss. On the contrary, you've rather done me a favor by killing that one," he gestured toward the abyssal man they had slain, "I've been hunting that one for weeks now."

"You do not strike me as a Lord of Cinder." Lothric called out, still slumped over on the ground.

"No, I suppose I wouldn't." The man turned his attention to Lothric but kept an eye on Lorian who had still not lowered his sword. "You may call me Hawkwood. I was a Watcher once, or at least I thought I was. The Watchers were all joined by blood before they decided to link the fire. When that time came, the fire fused them. Now they're but a single morphed soul, partially tainted by the Abyss and undead. Doomed to die and kill the poor corpse that revives with the tainted part of the soul. But I had not performed the joining ritual before they linked the fire, and so, here I am. Chasing down abyssal creatures on my own."

"The flame is powerful enough to join souls?"

Hawkwood merely shrugged in response. "The joining ritual had connected them all before they linked the flame. I believe the flame simply strengthened the bond that already existed."

"Why stay near this place then?"

"I suppose I've nowhere else to go, yet. Perhaps one day that'll change. Now you know why I'm here, why don't you tell me why you're here, Prince Lothric?"

Lothric gestured towards the lizard's corpse. "I came for this creature we have just slain."

"Surely one of your many knights could have accomplished that in your stead."

"I also came to practice fighting alongside my brother." He paused and stared at Hawkwood, tilting his head slightly. "Were you witness to the Abyss Watcher's trials to link the fire?"

"Ah," Hawkwood chuckled. "If you've come to get a sense for what must be done for your destiny I'm afraid I have no insight, and neither do any of the Watchers within the Keep. They've long since hollowed and lost all ability to do anything but act on the instincts that drive them."

"A pity. Then I suppose my business here is done, though we do intend to remain here a few days more, if you might be so gracious as to permit it."

"As I've said, I'm no Watcher anymore. I hold no power here." Hawkwood stood up, his posture slouched and hardly that of a warrior. "I'd be wary though, there's another group lurking around here, looking for something."

He raised his hand in a gesture of farewell as he jumped off the ruins and slunk back towards the Keep. Once he had disappeared out of sight, Lorian lowered his sword and sat back down beside Lothric. "I suspect the other group is Mistress Kriemhild and the others."

"I do hope you are correct about that," Lothric said. "I tire of the wilderness."

They sat in silence for several minutes before Lorian managed to gather the strength to stand again. He started to leave, making his way towards the trees nearby.

"Going somewhere?"

"Gathering firewood. If your group is observant, they will follow the smoke to us."

By the time he was able to get the fire started, the sun had begun to set. Lothric spent the time dozing against Lorian who himself was cleaning and sharpening his sword. He was also keeping a watch on their surroundings for either Lothric's group or any enemies that may attempt to attack them.

Just before nightfall, Lorian finally saw three figures cautiously headed towards them. He gently reached over, shaking Lothric's shoulder to wake him. "They have arrived."

Kriemhild was the first to reach them, her voice was strained as she spoke, "I must deeply apologize, my Prince." She collapsed to her knees before them until her forehead was pressed against the ground. "It was in New Londo as I was told, at a long abandoned shrine. We had them and then-"

"What happened to them?" Lothric asked, interrupting her.

"We were passing through the outskirts of Irithyll when we were stopped. He took them, said he would return them to you at a later date and not to worry." She seemed to curl in on herself even more with each word. "I'm so sorry, I've failed you."

"Who took them?" Lothric's voice was shaking with barely restrained rage. Clearly whatever this artifact was had even more importance to Lothric than he had originally led Lorian to believe.

"Pontiff Sulyvahn."

By then the other two hunters had joined her and Lorian could see they were relatively unharmed. "You did not put up a fight against him."

Albert was the one who stepped forward to answer him, "No, we didn't. We did not intend to provoke a conflict between Irithyll and Lothric, particularly after he gave us reassurance that he would be scheduling a visit to Lothric to return them personally."

"He swore on his life," Kamui added, "and gave us information. He has told us of Aldrich, locked in the Cathedral of the Deep, and the strange occurrences that have been happening there. He did not tell us much more than that but promised it would mean something to Prince Lothric."

"Then he appears to be telling the truth." Lothric replied. "I have been monitoring the shifting dynamics of the Cathedral. If what he is alluding to is true it would explain the what, though not the why. Did he give any information on when he would return the artifact to me?"

Kriemhild shook her head. "He only said that you would know when the time comes."

"Then we should prepare to head back to the castle at first light and deliver this dragon-kin to my Father for his studies." Lothric frowned in thought, looking to the ruins where they had fought earlier. "We should also bring the man. Though dead, his body may yet still shed an interesting light on the Abyss that taints him."