A/N: This one took a while, sorry about that, I kind of missed the monthly schedule due to some Exams, gaming, and other stories… I'm sorry, but now it should be more in order. As of now, I have more time to dedicate to my fics.
Beta: Genatools
Chapter 5: Let the Sun Shine
Eskar, Oscar, and Beatrice moved through the walkway that led to the aqueduct and then into the Undead Burg, slaying the Hollows that opposed them along the way. They could perfectly have gone through the elevator all the way to the Undead Parish, however, there was a small issue. While Oscar's goal was to ring the bells, Eskar's and Beatrice's was to find the Masked Ones, the people of Adal.
The Crestfallen Warrior did say that he had seen the Masked Ones in Blighttown, but even so, that was way far down below their feet, and what was left was the path of the bells itself, if they wanted to search Lordran, they couldn't miss any nook or cranny. The path that led through the Undead Burg would be a far less direct route to the bell, but it was a path to it nonetheless, with that Oscar agreed to search with them through the Undead Burg.
After killing a giant rat in the aqueduct they walked the steps up and came upon a group of Hollows that were waiting for them, each of them faced one and took care of them quickly, Eskar landed a front kick to a Hollow with an ax as it leaped for him, punched him twice and then used a flying spinning kick to knock it down and stab it with his longsword as it was grounded. Oscar for his part charged in with a running attack, cutting the side of a Hollow and then shield bashing it into thrust.
Beatrice took care of the third by sniping it with a soul arrow that went between both Eskar and Oscar, another Hollow came from the building they were next to and Beatrice directed her soul mass towards it in a quick gesture, covering both her allies as they both changed one last Hollow. Eskar started with a running flying kick, Oscar followed up with an overhead strike to the shoulder, Eskar followed up with a half sword strike and then Oscar finished it by kicking it off the edge it was against.
"These Hollows don't appear to be as dangerous as what we faced in the asylum," Oscar commented.
"They in fact do not." Eskar agreed.
"I'll suggest neither of you get cocky, we never know what could be waiting for us," Beatrice said as the three of them walked up the stairs into a bridge.
"As much as that is true, I wouldn't expect anything to guard the Burg other than the Hollows that lived here or maybe some fallen knights," Oscar commented as they walked, however as they did so they heard the sound of flapping wings, and if they could hear it so profoundly, it meant that they must have been pretty big wings. Their suspicions were confirmed as a drake landed on top of the building they were crossing to, it didn't even turn to see them and it probably wasn't aware they were there, as it immediately flew off past the main bridge towards the Undead Parish and into the distance and behind the walls.
Even if it had been quick it had left an impression, Oscar had his shield raised and had backpedaled slightly Eskar had summoned his other sword and was gripping them both tightly while Beatrice was aiming her staff with one hand while holding on to her hat with the other. After a few seconds of waiting for it or something else to appear, they looked at each other and let out a couple of breaths. They stood there for a few moments and wondered if there was another way to go further into the Undead Burg, and yet the only path available was ahead.
"I… I curse my own mouth for this." Oscar sighed.
"I don't believe we should stay here to ponder about it, that thing… it seems to be gone," Eskar mentioned.
"I certainly agree it would be best if we didn't dwindle." Beatrice agreed, the three of them moved slowly, carefully, as preparing to run back if the drake tried to show itself again. Eskar still both his swords and Oscar were still with his shield raised and with his own sword at the ready, walking slowly, the silence was aerie, but at the same time, it seemed to indicate nothing else was going to show up.
"Was that a dragon? Can't be one of the Everlasting Dragons, not this close to Lordran." Oscar mentioned.
"That's what a dragon looks like?" Eskar asked.
"You haven't seen the drawn pictures of dragons? The ones some storytellers and historians make?" Oscar asked him.
"No… where I am from, my world,… we don't really have dragons. They are a more… myth, and still, some people would not agree on what they would look like." Eskar told.
"Oh…"
"Even so, that really wasn't a dragon, a dragon is defined by their wings and limbs, they have four legs and their wings are attached at their backs. That thing only had two legs, that means it is a drake." Beatrice explained.
"A drake? I mean I can believe a drake could be in Lordran, definitely more possible than an actual dragon, but even so, that thing was a bit too big to be just a drake." Oscar said.
"I'll admit that it was… definitely bigger than any normal drake." Beatrice agreed as they walked up to the platform the drake had landed on, on that building, there were a couple of Hollows guarding the paths to the adjacent buildings.
"Why do Hollows seem so determined to guard places like these?" Oscar asked.
"Could have been their home," Eskar said.
"Or where they went Hollow, either way we still have to go through them," Beatrice said as she aimed her staff.
"Let's not keep them waiting then," Eskar said as he assumed a fighting stance with both his swords, Oscar nodded and did the same with his sword and shield, once the Hollows noticed them, Eskar and Oscar charged in.
Beatrice was the first to score a kill as she shot a couple of soul arrows to two Hollow knights with crossbows that stood in a tiny watchtower overlooking the building the was in, at that moment Oscar blocked the closest Hollow to the as it tried to repeatedly tried to flail its weapon against the shield. Eskar meanwhile ran past the first Hollow and decided to focus on the one right after, sidestepping a leaping swing and answering with a one-handed slice with one hand followed by a second cut with the other sword, then by a sweeping kick that made it fall over and then finished it with a downwards thrust with one sword. Eskar kept had to quickly use the other sword to parry and deflect the attack of another Hollow before countering with a pommel strike to the gut from the other sword and a follow-up strike from the other.
Oscar parried the attack of the Hollow hammering his shield and the thrust his sword right through it, he kicked the body off as he quickly joined Eskar in the fray, as he rushed he noticed another Hollow trying to strike Eskar from the back, he intercepted it with a lunging thrust and then blocked with his shield the retaliatory strike. As the Hollow tried to strike again Oscar blocked and let the attack bounce off and scored a hit on the leg of the Hollow, then dragged his blade on an upwards cut before thrusting it back down and pinning the Hollow to the ground.
Eskar landed a roundhouse kick at the Hollow's stomach, followed with a slash from the right and then a reverse grip cut from the left, just before quickly dodging backward in pain dash to avoid a counter strike, Eskar did a flying roundhouse kick to push the Hollow to the side. It was conveniently pushed right into Oscar, who bashed the shield against the Hollow's back to push it back to Eskar, where Eskar finished it by impaling it with both his swords.
"That seems to be all of them," Beatrice said as she joined them both.
"No, we still have those two to take care of," Oscar mentioned as he pointed his blade at two Hollows on the adjacent building.
"Spears and shields." Eskar noticed the equipment of the two Hollow soldiers, both of them standing ready for them to approach.
"We'll need to break their guards, with spears they might be predictable but those shields look resistant," Oscar said.
"Shouldn't be a problem for the three of us," Beatrice said and her allies nodded. "I can give you a head start, I won't waste soul arrows if they are going to block them, but a soul mass should be more than enough to give you two a head start," Beatrice said with a smile. Oscar and Eskar agreed and so they went forward.
Beatrice fired her soul mass and split it between both Hollows, making their shields tremble and leaving them open for the attacks of both Eskar and Oscar. Oscar rushed in and blocked the spear strike that came, then he used a kick to knock away the shield and with a powerful strike beheaded the Hollow. Eskar did something similar going and deflecting the spear thrust with one sword and countering with a pushed back kick that knocked the shield right into the Hollow's face, he followed with thrust with one hand, and a cleaving cut from the other, cutting into the side of the Hollow's head. It quickly dropped dead after that.
"I must admit, I've seen what you can do and what an acrobat you can be, but the power of those kicks… and of your punches, it's impressive." Oscar complimented.
"Like fighting with a sword, it's learned through practice," Eskar said.
"Even so, I couldn't really see myself being that quick or nimble," Oscar said.
"... Just what were those Hollows guarding?" Beatrice interrupted as she looked around the platform they were in.
"Some Hollows just stand where they went Hollow, not protecting anything," Oscar said, Eskar looked around as he looked at his own sword, Risryn's sword to be specific, he would have folded back as it was beginning to fracture.
"That is true, still this walkway, this seems like it's reading somewhere… hmm." Beatrice thought for a second.
"I believe it's leading to this," Eskar said as he folded his sword and sheathed the other. He pointed at a large piece of rubble that seemed to be the doing of the drake, it was covering a set of stairs that went directly to the floor beneath them, it was also covered by a pile of boxes and barrels.
"Huh, maybe they were guardians of something after all," Oscar said as he joined Eskar next to the piece of rubble, Beatrice joined as well. The stairs were completely blocked, so they would have to move the giant piece of rubble. Together the three of them pushed it out of the way and left the staircase open once again.
"There are more likely more Hollows down there," Eskar said.
"The same could be said for all of Lordran." Beatrice quipped.
"Right indeed." Oscar agreed as the three of them walked down the stairs, nothing seemed to be down there except for one thing… the Hollow that leaped through a cupboard.
"You piece of…!" Beatrice cursed loudly, she was the closest to the cupboard and immediately blasted the Hollow with point-blank heavy soul arrow, nothing else seemed to be nearby ready to attack them thankfully, but they had been surprised… if not outright spooked. "... The damn things are like rats coming from the walls." Beatrice gritted her teeth.
"Nee hee hee hee hee, indeed." The three of them heard a voice coming from the balcony. Weary of more surprises the three of them peeked around the corner ready to fight but instead were greeted by a single undead… with wares to sell apparently, the place looked almost like a street merchant's stand.
"Is that a Hollow?" Eskar asked.
"Doesn't look aggressive," Oscar said.
"Not all Hollows are aggressive." Beatrice corrected.
"You three seem to have your wits about you. But don't just stare, you are welcome customers. As long as you don't try anything funny and have souls that are. Nee hee hee hee hee!" The merchant waved them over to him.
"His skin may be Hollow but he still seems sane," Oscar said as he stepped out the door.
"Are you certain about that last part?" Eskar quipped as both he and Beatrice joined Oscar on the… 'Merchant Stand'.
"Come in, come in. Don't be afraid, this place is quite nice actually. The Hollows don't care for skinny old twig like me. I've got Yulia… and nobody pelts me with stones anymore."
"Yulia?" Beatrice asked.
"You are… well one of you is Undead, you know how it is. I was treated worse back home."
"I… see…" Oscar said as he eyed the Undead Merchant, meanwhile, Eskar crouched close to the merchant and looked at what he was offering, there were weapons, tools, bows, and some peculiar utensils.
"Mmm, you are an odd one with that mask. But then again things are getting weirder and more treacherous in these parts." The merchant said.
"Oh, we noticed," Beatrice commented.
"Nee hee hee hee hee! It's worse than you think, lady. A horrible goat demon has moved in below. And up above, there's that humongous drake, and a bull demon, too. If you three stick around this place might become your grave… Nee hee hee hee!" The merchant laughed to himself.
"For such a dangerous place… it seems you managed to be decently well off." Oscar commented.
"Oh yes I did, anything catches your fancy?" The merchant asked. Oscar looked at the weapons and focused a bit on the repair powder that the merchant had available, Beatrice did so as well, she was also curious about a set of keys the Undead Merchant was selling… relatively cheaply.
She also kept an eye on Orange Guidance Soapstone that the merchant had alongside other things, Oscar did ask for the price of the firebombs and of the repair box, for him, it would be useful having a way to repair his equipment. Eska for his part looked at the weapons and pondered on them… the rapier seemed like something similar to the moonlike sword, but he would rather have the striking force of his two current weapons, he did eye throwing knives and felt them on his hands. However what caught his eye was the wide wooden bucket, inside there was a sword similar to the Oration Chokuto, if only with more blade length. Eskar, curious about the sword, tried to reach it, until the merchant slapped his hand away.
"Ah no no no, This one? Ain't she lovely? Her name is Yulia. She's plumb in love with me. You'd never leave my side, now would you, Yulia?" The Undead Merchant began caressing the Uchigatana tenderly. Eskar looked at the Merchant curiously as did Oscar and Beatrice. "Ah, you can forget it. I'm all that she needs. Careful, she'll bite your little fingers off! Be kind, Yulia, be kind. Nee hee hee hee hee hee!"
Eskar stared at the Undead Merchant, he clearly wouldn't get the sword from him, with that he focused back on the other weapons, so did Oscar and Beatrice, deciding to not inquire on the merchant's madness. At least not today.
"Are these for sale?" Eskar asked as he held a fair amount of throwing knives in his hand.
"Of course, didn't you hear me? Everything's for sale, only Yulia isn't. But that's because we have a special connection. Nee hee hee hee hee!"
"If that's the case, I will take the keys and Orange Soapstone from you." Beatrice as she pointed at the items.
"I will take some of the repair powder, I'll definitely need it if… wait, is that… is that a Bottomless Box?" Oscar asked as he saw an open wooden box with a peculiar interior, it was of red velvet, but in a way it looked both compact and endless.
"Are you sure?" Beatrice jumped as well at the sight.
"I only have seen two before, but they looked similar to that one," Oscar said.
"No, it is… it is indeed a Bottomless Box. Absolutely impressive." Beatrice marbled.
"Bottomless Box… is it really bottomless?" Eskar asked.
"It is indeed, once you place an item the red velvet will absorb it like quicksand. And then as if it were a bag you can reach within and find what you placed inside." Beatrice explained.
"... How are these made? What magic is this?" Eskar asked.
"Nobody knows their true origins. Some believe these boxes are symbols of unbridled avarice, but even if they were, their usefulness cannot be denied. To be able to travel without a worry for your belongings, or how to transport them, it can all fit here." Beatrice said with a sigh, it appeared she had been wishing for a Bottomless Box on her travels. Eskar couldn't really empathize, he already could transport all he had and more thanks to folding… and even if he couldn't he only ever needed little more than his own clothes and weapons. Still he would admit that was indeed very useful, especially for objects he didn't desire to fold.
"How is it that you were able to obtain one of these?" Oscar asked the merchant.
"Nee hee hee hee." He laughed as the trio looked at the merchant, and then looked at the selection of items. It wasn't anything special other than the repair powder, repair gear and the box itself, but it was… abundant.
"How did you… a... a…" Eskar began.
"Amass?" Beatrice helped.
"Thank you. Amassed all of this?" Eskar finished.
"Eh? My wares? Of course, they're stolen; What did you think? And when you lose your head, I'll sell it all again! Nee hee hee hee!" The merchant laughed.
"So then you are pilferer. Tell me, merchant, is Yulia stolen as well?" Oscar asked.
"Oh don't you start with me, sir-knight! What would you know of the trails of the common folk? Eh? Have you ever been stoned?"
"Ugh." Oscar shook his head.
"Besides, do you really expect me to return these to where I found them? I don't even know half the people these belonged to, and the rest, they are already Hollow, they would kill me if I try to give them gifts. Nee hee hee hee hee! I say these are better in the hands of the sane… wouldn't you agree?"
"Are there any sane people left in this Burg?" Oscar asked.
"Well, there was a sorcerer going around… and a knight and, uh, more like him." The merchant pointed at Eskar.
"More like me? Where?" Eskar asked.
"That is not my business, I'm just remembering what I saw." The merchant said. "But I don't want to chit chat about that, we should talk business, or if not nothing at all!" The Undead Merchant proclaimed, Eskar stared back at him and crossed his arms. Oscar for his part was weary of the merchant, he couldn't trust the word of a thief after all.
"How about we talk and make business then?" Beatrice offered.
"No, no, no, no. I don't barter lady, what you see is what you get." The merchant responded.
"A simple question and we'll buy your wares, they are very useful after all." She said while looking at Oscar and Eskar.
"It is true," Eskar said.
"Very well," Oscar said, he won't disagree they might need those items, and while he couldn't trust a thief's word, he could trust in their greed.
"Mmm, fine, what is that you want to ask?"
"The people like me, where did you see them?" Eskar asked as he got closer.
"I saw a couple from a distance, going through the rooftops and alleyways, most of the ones I saw were either scavenging or hunting. Then, they would retreat down below, rather quickly, almost like cats hunting rats and going back to their layers. Nee hee hee hee hee!" The merchant told them.
"Hunting?" Oscar asked.
"While yes, those people travel alone but they seem to know that hunting the Hollows is a good way to get souls, and other undead is good for humanity. Nee hee hee hee!" The merchant said and Eskar pondered, what would other prospects and Absolvers need it for?
"Everyone needs humanity these days, sounds like your people are much the same," Oscar said to Eskar.
"Seems so." Eskar agreed.
"Anything else you have seen?" Beatrice asked.
"No, I've stayed far away from trouble, and those masked freaks look like other undead, territorial. I'll rather stay here. But enough time squandering, you need to look at my wares!" The merchant said as he signaled them to his wares, Beatrice bought repair powder, the soapstone, and the keys. Oscar put his share of souls for the repair box and firebombs, alongside a dagger as a backup weapon. And finally, Eskar put his souls for the Bottomless Box and throwing knives.
"Ah! Thank you, very much. Come back soon! Though if you die and leave my merchandise behind for me to sell again, I wouldn't complain. Nee hee hee hee hee!" The Undead Merchant laughed.
"You'll be disappointed," Eskar responded.
"Took the words from my lips." Oscar agreed.
"I suppose we all agree on that, hmm," Beatrice smirked as they left the balcony of the Undead Merchant's balcony, they continued upwards and found the bonfire on the broken tower, after restocking and repairing some equipment they set forward across the Undead Burg.
"Damn you to the Abyss!" Oscar cursed as he quickly got up after the Black Knight pushed him away with a kick that sent him rolling on the ground, before the Black Knight could capitalize, however, Eskar came from the side and landed a flying roundhouse kick to its head, landing and quickly dodging backward as the knight made two quick swings of his sword. They didn't connect but they kept Eskar at bay.
With his sword pointing at Eskar, the knight kept its shield up to deflect the soul arrow that Beatrice sent in its direction. Eskar rushed in and parried a thrust and landed a heavy low kick to the knight's knee, but immediately used his sword to block a shield bash that pushed him back again.
The trio had carefully made their way through the rest of the burg and took care of the other Hollows in the area, to the fire bomb-throwers, to the Hollow soldiers after them. They cleared most of the area and even found Golden Pine Resin in one of the abandoned houses thanks to the keys they bought, how commoners had access to Golden Pine Resin they didn't know, but among the alleyways, they found another Black Knight. It managed to notice them even with it's back turned towards them and quickly charged at them. The three of them were able to tackle the knight head-on but it used the narrow stairs and alleys to its advantage, making it difficult for them to maneuver together.
With that in mind, the trio pushed the knight back and retreated to the tiny plaza where they had dispatched three Hollow warriors, with enough space now they had more options, but the knight was proving resilient. Oscar charged the knight with his shield raised, but he didn't do it alone, Eskar joined him by coming from the other side. The knight attacked Oscar with its sword and Eskar with its shield, Eskar used his sword to block and deflect the shield and made a cut at the knight's side. Oscar blocked the blade by raising his shield over his head and kept it there as he rammed his own blade through the knight.
The Black Knight didn't budge as the Astoran and the Absolver pushed their blades through it, however, the soul arrow at it's back made it stumble, with that Eskar kneed the Black knight in the gut while Oscar rammed his sword in further. Eskar did a powerful roundhouse to the Black knight's head while Oscar stopped it from attacking both of them. The knight tried to push them away with its shield Eskar summoned his other sword and rammed through the knight's knee as another volley of soul arrows hit the knight back.
Together but Oscar and Eskar began pushing the knight back towards Beatrice, who pelted the back of the knight mercilessly as her both companions got closer. Once they rammed the knight into a wall it dropped to its news, and Oscar finished with a shield punch to its head, as it dropped to the floor it left behind a Titanite chunk and t's own shield.
"Huff… this one wouldn't seem to die easily." Oscar huffed, most of them were okay, unharmed in the grand scheme of things.
"It seemed more… vicious," Eskar admitted.
"I assume not all of them are equal. But in all my time adventuring, these last few days I have faced more Black Knights than I ever thought I would. Are they truly just… roaming the land as shadows of their former selves?" Beatrice pondered.
"They were the knights of Lord Gwyn, but after the war with the demons, and the sacrifice of the lord of sunlight… I remember hearing they don't seem to be more than lost spirits." Oscar said.
"And of course, all lost things would be in this land." Beatrice sighed.
"... What should we do about this shield?" Eskar asked after folding the piece of Titanite, shifting the conversation.
"Hmm… if there is one thing that has been said about the Black Knights, is their durability against fire, aside from that it is rare to find one of these," Oscar mentioned.
"We could keep it for now, surely we'll find a use for it later," Beatrice said as the trio stored the shield and kept moving. They did wonder if the knight was protecting anything, and to their surprise, he had in a way. It was another magic ring.
"Now, this ring I know," Beatrice said.
"That gem… looks like a ring from Catarina," Oscar said.
"It is, this is a Tear Stone ring, a blue one, these stones have the uncanny ability to sense imminent death. This one is blue, and the magic of the stone will allow those near death to endure further." Beatrice explained.
"Last breath is the longest huh," Eskar commented.
"You could say it like that… though it can be the difference between life and death," Beatrice said.
"Some soldiers and other warriors would kill for a ring like this," Oscar added.
"True, I do know some Absolvers that would certainly value something like this," Eskar said. "What should we do with it?" Eskar asked, the question implying the obvious, there was one ring and three of them.
"Hmm…" Beatrice thought for a second.
"I am the one with more armor out of the three of us. I can withstand more on my own, I get the feeling that either of you two might need it more." Oscar said to them. Eskar and Beatrice looked at each other and pondered.
"He is right," Eskar said.
"Yes… but, I don't know how much it will benefit us, between the two of us we've only been near death possibly twice… and anything could have killed us at that point," Beatrice said.
"It won't matter if whatever hit us is still strong enough to kill when we are near death." Eskar guessed.
"Correct," Beatrice answered. Both of them looked at each other and then at Oscar, Eskar took a decision, and when Beatrice didn't object and let him grab the ring, he then offered it back at Oscar.
"What? I said that I was the one that was most armored…" Oscar shook his hand.
"You are, and that's why you can make use of this ring better than us," Eskar said.
"Eskar is very agile and has a deft defense, but more than that he heals his wounds whenever he defeats an enemy, and in no small amount, with most enemies benign weak they cannot wound him enough before he heals his own body, the ring wouldn't do much since he's not usually at risk," Beatrice explained
"And Beatrice always stays at the range, safe from most enemies. The three of us working together doesn't leave most enemies any chances. And even if that wasn't the case… if either I or Beatrice was near death… it means something already hit us hard enough than anything else, even with some magical endurance… would kill us." Eskar continued.
"But you are a knight with armor and shield, you might be the most resilient physically out of us three, even if you were near death you would be able to take hits, and that's thanks to your shield and armor. And with the ring, it would be even more. You are the one that can make the most out of this ring." Beatrice said.
Oscar looked back at the ring in Eskar's hand and after some thinking, he decided to take it.
"I hope that I won't need the savings of this ring, I would rather not be near death again. But if I am, I'll make sure to use those savings well." Oscar said as placed the ring over his gauntlet's finger.
"We'll stand by you either way," Eskar said.
"Heh, thanks, friend… I believe we should move on." Oscar said, leading the way up the watchtower, they had to avoid a flaming barrel that was laying ready to hit someone, Oscar and Beatrice back up down the stairs while Eskar jumped up the stone railing, running upwards it and then kicking the Hollow soldier that pushed the barrel down the stairs. Right into Oscar's blade.
With that dealt with, they entered the watchtower and found both the stairs that led upwards and a locked door that seemed to guide below. The stairs would lead towards the wall and then from there to the bridge, which was where they were supposed to go. However, they were curious about the locked door and where it led.
"Do we have any keys that would open it?" Oscar asked.
"No, the key Beatrice bought was for the houses of the burg," Eskar said.
"Do you know how to pick locks?" OScar asked Eskar asked.
"... Not... this kind. And this lock seems a bit too old and rusty," Eskar said.
"I do have some other keys, one of them might fit," Beatrice said as she tested other keys.
"Reall?" Oscar asked.
"You'd be surprised at how many times it has worked, I may not have a master key, but it has worked a couple of times… hmm." Beatrice stopped for a second.
"What's wrong?" Eskar asked.
"Remember this key? It was one of the petrified blacksmiths in Darkroot Garden. It has a similar design to the lock, the same engraving." Beatrice said, the three of them remained quiet as Beatrice tried the key. It fit perfectly and opened the door.
"Why would this key be all the way over at Darkroot Garden?" Oscar asked. With the three of them curious, they went past the door and descended to the basement of the watchtower.
"There's nothing here," Eskar said as they continued to go down the stairs.
"We still have another set of stairs to go…" Beatrice said to him.
"This here is the basement, I don't see anything, there's a door and-" Oscar and the rest went on guard as they heard the sound of heavy armor, from a dark corner, came a being in armor made of stone and a great shield, and a great club. "That's… that's the armor of Bishop Havel." Oscar stammered.
"I thought he disappeared, put in prison as he went mad." Beatrice steadily stepped back.
"It could be one of his knights, all of the knights of Bishop Havel donned the armor but… I don't know if it is a knight or him." Oscar said, also back steeping and with his shield raised.
"He's looking at us, and getting closer and closer," Eskar said, with his guard up and with his sword ready for action as well. The person in Havel's armor got to the stairs and began to walk faster.
"Wait! Sir knight! I am Oscar, Knight of Astora, from knight to knight we mean you no harm, whatever your reasons for being trapped here, we have freed thou from your imprisonment, there's no need for-!" Oscar stopped as he noticed the Havel not stopping and also it wasn't just walking anymore, it was running up the stairs and winding up the massive club it had.
"Jump!" Oscar called to his allies, the three of them jumped down from the stairs just in time to avoid being smashed into a bloody paste. As the Havel's swing failed it also jumped down the stairs and tried to smash them again. All of them dodged and separated, surrounding the Havel and planning a way to bring it down.
Beatrice fired a couple of spells, but her soul arrows didn't seem to do much to the stone armor, as she fired the Havel focused on her and tried to rush her down, Eskar came from its side and made it stumble to the side with flying kick and knee to the pelvis, Oscar went with him and used his shield to push into the Havel's back and together, almost similar to the Black Knight, they pushed him against the wall.
"Knight Havel… Sir Havel, please stop, we mean you no harm!" Oscar screamed at the Havel, but immediately the Havel pushed him and Eskar back with its shield and then did a quick swing with its club, Oscar and Eskar blocked the swing together, but the push back was enough to break both their guards and sent them backward flying, Eskar lost his longsword in the process.
They quickly rolled to their feet and got ready for another swing, Oscar stepped to the side to avoid a downwards swing and Eskar ducked to avoid a follow-up swing, he also quickly dodged backward to get away from another quick swing of the club. Beatrice fired a soul spear to the Havel's back, but the three of them stood there as the Havel merely stumbled and then locked its eyes with her again.
"No!" Oscar went in before the Havel could try to rush Beatrice again, this time with a shield charge and a couple of sword strikes, even though the first did hit, the second bounced off the Havel's armor. The Havel raised its club again and Oscar tried to attack right there, he did hit the Havel, but it didn't even flinch from the attack as it kept going on its own.
"Crap…" Oscar cursed as he barely raised part of his shield to block the attack, he still got pummeled and went sliding across the ground as he felt his arm scream at the impact, it was potentially broken. Eskar came to his aid by catching the attention of the Havel before it could finish off Oscar. He went in with a flying punch that barely made the Havel's head turn. The punch itself hurt Eskar, but he couldn't let up. He did two rapid punches followed by an under knee kick and a flying scissor kick, the last one got blocked by the shield and Havel quickly retaliated with a downwards swing of the club. Eskar avoided barely by dodging to the side, unfolding his other sword and using a Kitsuneo cut to land two slices. It only did superficial damage as the Havel did a backswing.
Eskar blocked with his sword the best he could but the result was that even when trying to deflect the attack, he got pushed into the wall with enough force to make a big crack on it. Coughing and driven toa knee Eskar was about to be smashed down like a bug if it wasn't for Beatrice interfering. She fired an entire soul mass and an entire Volley of soul arrows every chance she could, even if it didn't do much damage to the Havel. However, it was enough to distract it.
The Havel turned to Beatrice and tried to get her with the farthest reach of the great club it was using, Beatrice rolled out of the way just in time however, it quickly tried to finish off Eskar again, but Eskar rolled out of the way and landed a sweeping kick to the Havel, making it stumble and following with an upwards slash, a pommel strike, a powerful roundhouse kick to the head and then as the Havel wind up another strike, Eskar counter win an Earthquake Tension art. That Havel stumbled and then was hit on the head by a firebomb and a soul arrow, both from different directions.
Oscar had recovered thanks to a sip of his Estus Flask and was ready to help Eskar, overall Eskar was currently the most injured and he was also out of Shards, there'll be no easy way out. Eskar did a mill slash to strike while avoiding a swing that would have taken his head off, followed by another Kitsuneo cut, and overhead swing, and a reverse grip one-handed slice, all so that Oscar ha free reign to charge in with a thrust, a shield bash to the head, a slice to the leg and a backhand swing. It did not face the Havel however as it powered through the attacks and sent them both backward again, this time they had deflected the attack better, but they still got pushed against the wall.
Beatrix fired another soul spear at the Havel's back, and it did damage him, it was enough for it to try and rush Beatrice again, but Eska and Oscar stopped it. They rushed forward, Eskar with a front kick at the Havel's back and Oscar with a two-handed strike, against the Havel trying to block hadn't worked very well after all. The Havel itself turned to them and immediately swung for both of them, rather quickly in fact. Eskar thought for a fraction of a second, the Have was doing the same many Khalth practitioners did endure through the attack with unparalleled resilience, but there ways to break that. Eskar risked it all as his leg began to glow a crimson red and did a push a winged back kick. Incredibly, it worked.
The attack had hit the Havel right in the solar plexus and stopped its momentum, leaving it open.
"Now!" Eskar yelled to Oscar, Oscar himself understood as Eskar continued with a rising doubled hand strike, followed by Oscar with an upwards two hand slice. Eskar continued a knee and Oscar followed with a strong two-handed thrust. Beatrice aided with a soul mass and soul arrows while Eskar did a thrust right at a weak spot in Havel's armor and then continued with an orange glowing hammer kick that broke The Havel's stance and left it open so Oscar could perform three consecutive two-handed strikes. The Havel used a wide horizontal swing to try and bat Oscar and Eskar away, but Oscar rolled out of the way and Eskar ducked the attack with a Meia Lua kick that hit the Havel right in the head, right into a heavy soul arrow from Beatrice, a two-handed slice from Oscar and the right back to an orange glowing spiral palm from Eskar.
The Havel kept getting its stance broken over and over, it had enough when it started to wield its club in two hands and started to swing all around him, making it difficult for Eskar and Oscar to approach. It swung at all of them in an almost wild but controlled manner, it was constantly attacking to stop them from getting closer. The trio started dodging and rolling to avoid the swings, however, they did so by still throwing whatever projectiles they had, Eskar used his new throwing knives and souls darts, Beatrice used her spells and Oscar used another firebomb. They essentially ran circles around the Havel and dive rolled and dodged when needed.
The Havel stopped Eskar on his tracks and would have almost crushed him if it wasn't for Beatrice saving him with a barrage of soul arrows. The Havel quickly turned to her and tried to chase her while wielding the club with both hands.
"To take down a knight like that we usually had to knock them down, and strike while they were prone!" Oscar said to Eskar, just as Beatrice narrowly rolled past a swing that took several rocks of the wall and made a sizable hole.
"I can get the legs, you need to knock him over from the top," Eskar told Oscar, Oscar nodded and threw another firebomb at the Havel as it missed Beatrice again. Beatrice herself felt terrified at how close she had gotten to being smashed into red pulp before the Havel could try again however Eskar ran by and sliced its side and got away before the Havel could counter. Oscar went in as well covering both Eskar and Beatrice with a strike of his sword but immediately had to take a back step to avoid a club slam.
"Fire at it! Now!" Eskar signaled, Eskar himself ford soul darts from one direction, Beatrice used a soul's spear from another and Oscar threw a firebomb from another one. The Havel hunkered down and blocked what he could, focusing on the soul spear but as it did so, Eskar immediately charged. Eskar signaled Oscar to do so as well, together they charged the Havel from both directions, Eskar slid on the ground and kicked both of the Havel's legs while Oscar went shield first into the chest of the Havel, both of them effectively making the Havel land on it's back.
Eskar was the first to get up and stab the Havel's hand to deprive it of its weapon and put all his weight into holding that arm in place. Beatrice fired two point-blank heavy soul arrows at its head to damage it and disorient it. The Havel tried to get it's shield up but Oscar pressed his foot against that other arm and then aimed his sword at the neck of the Havel and thrust it, after a couple of seconds of struggle and more point-blank soul arrows, the Havel finally stopped fighting and promptly disappeared into a mass of souls.
"Huff, we managed to end it." Oscar gasped for air.
"I don't want to be trapped against a wall with something like that ever again," Beatrice said with cold sweat dripping from her forehead.
"Being against the wall is bad enough in most cases if you are not prepared. But yeah, I get it…" Eskar said as he took a deep breath and used Essence to heal himself.
"Havel himself was a Bishop that hated magic, he was an enemy of the father of sorcery… of course his armor would be resistant to it," Beatrice said.
"It seemed resistant to everything," Eskar commented.
"Not to your attacks it seems, do all Absolvers know how to throw attacks with that special kind of force?" Oscar asked.
"If they learn the move… yes, landing it is a different story," Eskar said.
"I would presume as much, still even if that wasn't the Bishop himself, I'm surprised we managed to take it down," Oscar said.
"Three against one, but I would like to say we did fairly well…" Beatrice let out a deep breath.
"Even in the army, fighting a knight lie that was difficult, they could take down a dozen others if we weren't careful."
"Truly, what does that make the three of us?" Beatrice asked.
"Competent fighters… are you both well?" Eskar asked.
"Only mildly spooked, but I can keep going," Beatrice said.
"I still have plenty of Estus, what about you?" Oscar asked Eskar.
"I've recovered, mostly… we should be able to continue with no problems," Eskar said as he grabbed his longsword from the floor. "Did that… Havel, leave anything behind?"
"Only souls, other than that… nothing," Beatrice said, trying to see if the Havel had been guarding something or left anything the moment they killed it, but there was nothing.
The trio went up the tower and towards the wall that connected to the rest of the upper level. They did find a crystal lizard along the way. According to Beatrice, they were a by-product of the creation of Titanite Slabs and of Twinkling Titanite, the heirlooms of the nameless blacksmith deity. Killing it gave them Twinkling Titanite and Titanite Chunks, Eskar was already impressed with the amount of Titanite they had been able to acquire, next time they found a blacksmith, maybe they'll be able to upgrade their weapons, even Risryn's sword.
"Past that tower, we should be able to make it to the bridge," Oscar said.
"And then once again to the Undead Parish," Beatrice said.
"Yes…" Eska thought for a moment in their trek so far. "We could've used the elevator, there wasn't really anything to find in this Burg," Eskar said thinking about what he found about other Absolvers or Italians, which wasn't much.
"We did find out they have been here, that they search for humanity… and we found some other trinkets along the way," Beatrice said to him.
"We also have yet to go to the lower section," Oscar added.
"Right… pardon me, I just thought… this search could lead us to unnecessary danger," Eskar commented.
"Well, even if that could be true, I wouldn't allow you to tackle it alone," Beatrice said.
"You both saved my life, the least I can do is make sure you don't lose yours," Oscar said.
"Hmm, right…" Eskar nodded, they heard something, the cocking of a crossbow. They instinctively ducked and went out of the field of view of the Hollow soldiers posted atop the watchtower. "I can take care of them," Eskar said as he ran and began to climb the ladder, basically jumping steps and climbing as swiftly as possible. Once at the top, he drove his longsword through one of the soldiers with a thrust, hit it and the second Hollow soldier with a horizontal slice, and then finished the first soldier with a tripping kick and the second with a reverse grip slash and a sidekick before it could react.
"Nice work up there!" Beatrice called to him, he answered with a thumbs up.
"The path seems clear, we should be able to cross the bridge without issue," Oscar called to as well, Eskar nodded and was about to hop down the stairs when he saw something, being with brown fur, horns, bone-colored limbs, and a giant ax.
"What's wrong-" Beatrice was about to ask when she saw Eskar freeze, but quickly realized what was happening when she heard the loud thump and crash of a massive creature. On the other side of the wall, there was a Taurus Demon running towards them.
"That's… another giant demon!" Oscar readied his sword and shield.
"It's getting here quickly!" Beatrice shouted.
"Fire what you can I'll…" Eskar thought for a second as he thought on what to do, he was about to jump down, but an idea formed in his head, he would need a running start, however. Oscar and Beatrice threw their projectiles at it, Beatrice used one of her last soul spears to hit the demon on the head as it got close and Oscar had barely enough time to throw a firebomb, they hurt it, but now it was close ready to deliver a mighty swing. They were ready to dodge… but they didn't need to as Eskar leaped off the Watchtower and embedded his longsword into the Taurus Demon's head.
It writhed in pain at the sudden attack and was quickly brought down as Eskar used an Earthquake Tension art to bring it down to all fours for a split second, and then down again with an orange glowing hammer kick. Oscar used the opportunity to throw another firebomb at its back fur, and with that, the Taurus Demon was set on fire. Oscar immediately rushed the Demon and struck twice across the head with his sword and then did a thrust and a furious overhead strike to get one of the Demon's eyes. The Demon recoiled in pain and tried to bat Oscar away with its hand, but Oscar blocked the attempt with his shield. The Demon was now desperately trying to crawl to the side and stand up, using the crumbled side walls as leverage.
Oscar went in an did a two-handed strike to one of the Demon's legs while Eskar stomped the Demon's head again, aware that the fire was getting close to him, Beatrice for her part aimed her shots, preparing a soul mass, and two heavy soul arrows to finish the Demon off. She fired her magic and hit the Demon square in the chest with all of it. The Demon stood up straight and roared at the damage, the light in its eyes began to dim as it began to stumble backward into the wall, with its size it was going to fall off the wall.
Eskar noticed this and wrenched his sword and quickly jumped down from the Demon's head, barely making it just in time as to see the Taurus Demon fall off the wall, it already took too much damage before it even feels, it had been obliterated, set on fire and had fallen off one of the walls of Lordran. The souls came to the trio even before they heard the body crash into the floor far below, and so did the Humanity and a Homeward Bone.
"That was it then…? I... expected more from a Demon of that size," Oscar said while looking over the edge.
"Ce et ait." (What he said.) Eskar said.
"Those demons, the Taurus Demons, are usually one of the elite foot soldiers of the armies of the Demons," Beatrice said.
"Huh, well, once upon a time I never thought that I would be able to face great beasts, now… heh, I can't but feel almost like a legendary knight, heh heh." Oscar laughed at the thought, "Of course I never would be able to do it without your help."
"We can call it a group effort." Beatrice chuckled, "Adventuring has a way of making you face the dangers of the world. I've faced a couple, but never as many as in the last few days. Heh heh."
"Something tells me we'll face more before we are done. The path should be clear now." Eskar pointed at the exit.
"True… let's find out what awaits us shall we?" Oscar asked them and they nodded.
"Ah, hello, I'm surprised to see so many people in this land traveling together."
"We certainly didn't expect to find another sane person in these parts, even less in this place… how did you find your way to this area." Oscar asked the knight they found on the balcony. They had found a way below and opened a shortcut that was near the bonfire in the tower, but after that decided to keep going through the bridge to the Undead Parish, however, the knight staring at the sun caught their eye.
"Oh ho ho, I managed to get here from another of the districts in the Undead Burg, it was quite tricky. Oh but forgive my manners, I'm Solaire of Astora, an adherent of the Lord of Sunlight." Solaire presented himself.
"We are… well, he is Oscar, also from Astora and a knight, I'm a Beatrice, a wandering Witch and Eskar, a Masked One and Absolver," Beatrice said for them, Oscar nodded and Eskar gave a two-finger salute.
"I see, I suppose you have your reasons for coming to this land. Now that I'm Undead, I've come to this great land, the birthplace of Lord Gwyn, to seek my very own sun."
"'Sun'?" Eskar inquired.
"Oh yes… Did you find that strange? Well, you should!" Solaire said in a joyful tune, the trio looking at each other for a second. "No need to hide your reaction. I get that look all the time! Hah hah hah!"
The trio looked at each other for a second, unsure of how to follow that line of thought, but Solaire had promptly returned to staring at the sun.
"Ahem." Eskar coughed so as to get the attention of the knight.
"Oh, ah-hah! So, I didn't scare you?"
"Merely made us… worry slightly." Oscar said with as much tact as he could.
"Oh that's quite normal in my case, but it is quite the occasion to find such amicable friends!" Solaire praised.
"If you don't have a problem with calling us friends, then I suppose," Beatrice responded.
"While yes of course. I don't mean to impose, but I can say that we can get along just fine. In fact, I have a proposition for you."
"A proposition?" Eskar asked.
"Yes, if you have a moment to hear it," Solaire said, and Eskar nodded. "That pleases me greatly, well then take this," he said passing White Soapstone to Eskar.
"A Soapstone," Eskar said.
"Ah, you know what they do." Solaire guessed from Eskar's tone.
"We've already got another Soapstone." Beatrice showed hers with a grin.
"Ah that's fantastic, that means more people banned together in the name of jolly cooperation. To stand at each other's side when need be. Use it if you ever need me. I'm a warrior of the sun, my summon sign will shine brighter than most others. If you miss it… well, it would be quite rude to call the three of you blind, pardon the expression." Solaire said with heartfelt joy.
"Warrior of the Sun…" Oscar thought for a second. "Wait… I know you, you are the soldier that appeared with those gold medals. The one some captains called mad as they complained of your preaching of companionship and… praising of the sun."
"Oh... that might've been me, yes."
"Never thought I would meet the knight that gave the rest of us laugh at how our captains complained about a single man," Oscar said with a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect to you."
"Hah, none taken, I'm proud that I was able to bring joy to our other comrades. It is also an honor to meet another knight from our homeland." Oscar bowed.
"Heh, it is my honor as well." Oscar returned the gesture.
"It is also reassuring to find a friendly Masked One," Solaire said.
"You've met more of my kind? Were they here in Lordran?" Eskar asked with piqued interest.
"Oh, not in a friendly way, I'm sorry, and not in Lordran, I'm afraid. A Masked One tried to scare me away when we bumped into each other by accident, but that was far away. She tried to fight but I repelled her, she then decided to escape once she noticed I wasn't keen on fighting her."
"So she was sane…" Eskar thought for a second.
"We both are on a mission to find more of the Masked Ones," Beatrice said, pointing at herself and Eskar.
"And I have to ring the bells of awakening," Oscar said.
"Mmmm, seems we all have motives to go deeper into this land. Whenever you need me my sign will be ready." Solaire said.
"Why not help us right now?" Eskar asked.
"Hmm, well most people want me out of their way, and so I would never mean to impose, but if you would have me, I'll be more than happy to assist you until our paths diverge." Solaire offered. The trio thought for a second, they gathered in a circle and very quickly discussed if it was a good idea. Solaire seemed friendly after all, but his sanity was questionable, he didn't seem like the kind to plot something, but if by some chance he did, they agreed they would deal with it.
"We'll be pleased to have you," Oscar said to Solaire as they finished their meeting.
"Oh that's just fantastic, I humbly thank the three of you," Solaire said as he gathered his sword and his shield and followed the trio towards the bridge, and immediately stopped them. "Wait, don't cross just yet… and take cover," Solaire warned. The trio stared at him, but when they heard the flapping of wings they immediately did as he said and took cover at the pillars of the bridge, soon the felt and saw the fire get past them.
"I possibly should've warned you sooner, but I say this my way to start helping," Solaire said as he took cover next to Oscar.
"We thank you, do you know of a way to get past that giant drake?" Oscar asked him.
"I know it doesn't start to breathe fire until people get too close, about halfway down the bridge," Solaire said.
"So we go to the middle of the bridge? I see some stairs from here!" Beatrice called out.
"We would need to hurry, it would be a shame for any of us to die just as we met," Solaire said.
"Then let's run quickly," Eskar said. The group of four ran to the stars at the middle of the bridge and basically dove for them, they were safe, if a bit tight on space.
"Where are we?" Oscar asked.
"This is the same tower that housed the bonfire, is there way down?" Beatrice pondered.
"There seems to be," Eskar said as he went ahead and looked, they kicked the ladder down and secured a shortcut back at the bonfire, however now they had another problem to deal with. The drake. They could go under the bridge, but they didn't know if that had a path towards the Parish. They had spotted the bonfire at the other side of the bridge, and Solaire insisted that there was something of value on that place, and so they were planning on a way to cross.
And they made a plan to do so.
"We will wait for it to come down, and hit its head, that way it will be stunned enough for us to run past it," Solaire said.
"I can help with grounding it." Eskar offered.
"Really? What's your plan?" Solaire asked.
"Trust him, he knows what he's doing," Beatrice said.
"Hmm, very well. Sir Oscar, you think you can do it?" Solaire asked.
"I hope I can," Oscar said as he gathered the Golden Pine Resin they had found earlier.
"Then I suppose we are ready," Solaire said.
"Et hoc tio fou." (This is crazy…) Eskar sighed as the group gathered and took cover at each side of the middle of the bridge, avoiding the fire and waiting for the drake to come down, eventually Eskar threw a throwing knife to the drake's head to get its attention. The drake flew downwards and that was when they jumped to action. Solaire threw a lightning spear and Beatrice fired a soul spear right at the drake's head, making it stagger, Eskar then ran and used his Earthquake to bring the drake down again before it could fly back up.
It worked to a degree, only partly due to the size of the drake. But once he did so, Oscar had the chance to swing his sword, enhanced by the sparks of the Golden Pine Resin. It made the drake stagger again and that was the signal.
"Run! Now!" Beatrice shouted and they began running, Oscar went under the tail and did a two-handed strike with his sparkling sword at it, it apparently was enough to cut it off. Eskar was slightly behind him and noticed a piece of the tail transform into something else, a sword. Eskar quickly ran and grabbed the sword, he was a bit behind the rest now but he was still the fastest among them. The four of them reached the room at the other side and quickly dived behind the fountain for cover. They took cover together as the drake sent flames their way through the gate, barely missing them as they sat in cover behind the fountain. After that, the drake decided to fly off into the distance, not willing to deal with them anymore.
"Huff… Huff…" Oscar recovered his breath.
"... Hah hah hah! I must say, with the four of us I believe we will be able to go on spectacular adventures, we already started on a high note!" Solaire cheered.
A/N: Did I make Havel harder than the Taurus Demon, yes, and well, it kind of makes sense, as much as I admit I have died on my first ever Dark Souls run to it, we must admit the Taurus Demon is a pushover, you guys know that.
But yeah, onwards with another member of the party, this was a tricky chapter as I had to research some stuff for a certain thing I have in mind, and I almost went ahead and remade all my plans for the fic, it's impressive what you can find about Dark Souls lore, I didn't even know the full extent of some stuff… I hope I can surprise you with a couple of stuff.
That's everything for now though, and questions regarding certain things that might catch your eye… or might seem off... well, it's part of the plan. Heh heh.