A/N: And done before the end of the month, barely… but made it!
Beta: Genatools
Chapter 8: A Bad Influence...
"Oh, hello. My guests have finally arrived. I will be departing with them shortly. So, I'm afraid I will be saying good-bye soon." Petrus said to the trio.
"Hmm, we didn't exactly get to know each other," Oscar commented, Beatrice and Eskar shared the sentiment.
"Perhaps that would be for the best. Regardless of circumstance, it was a pleasure." Petrus bowed his head.
"I suppose it was," Beatrice said for the sake of cordiality. No matter how she looked at it, the church of The Way of the White always itched her the wrong way. The same applied to both Laurentius and Griggs. They had opted out from meeting the group of clerics and instead decided to retreat to a separate part of Firelink Shrine. Griggs had done simply for a lack of interest in the clerical business. While Laurentius did so just in case they found him unsavory at best, or… well he didn't truly know what would be the worst, but Laurentius assumed the word 'heretic' was a possibility.
"Why are you going to the Catacombs?" Eskar asked Petrus.
"Well, that's a most delicate subject. We are the protectors of M'lady. I along with her young knights act as her defenses as she undergoes her mission. She's young but burdened by an Undead Mission." Petrus explained.
"An Undead Mission?" Oscar looked over to the young lady and the other knights. "She's… she's Undead."
"Regrettably so… Rhea is the youngest daughter of the good house of Thorolund, those young knights are her old schoolmates, but I'm not sure what to make of them… I'm afraid they may be a bad influence…"
"How so?" Eskar asked.
"Young men can be… impulsive. Don't misunderstand me, they are her most trusted friends. But I would not wager that they chose to accompany M'lady out of entirely pious reasons." Petrus nodded at both Nico and Vince.
"Would that be an issue?" Beatrice asked.
"Of course it would, M'lady is a devoted follower of The Way of the White. Her faith is substantial and as such her purity must remain. Even as an Undead, her devotion must be to the gods only." Petrus said.
"... I pity the girl. Forced to live under these rules, even when such things as sanctity have never had an effect on miracles." Beatrice huffed.
"Of course it does. It is responsible for her devotion." Petrus insisted
"Not truly, no. Only as a removed distraction from her studies." Beatrice said.
"Hmm… I wouldn't expect a witch to understand." Petrus said. It was one thing for Beatrice to call herself a witch. Even Eskar and Oscar called her by the title. Yet it was entirely different when a person used it as a deliberate insult, and even then, few could say it with such held back disdain. One that was not openly said or expressed, yet it could be felt.
"You should be careful who you insult." Eskar stood between both of them, eyeing Petrus and ready to intervene if necessary.
"Ehem…" Petrus coughed. "I believe maybe it will be perhaps best if we keep our distance from now on. I would like to remember our encounter as a more pleasant one. None of us should seek to ire the other."
"Don't fret. I'm leaving. There's no point in discussing with clerics like you… so let's stay out of each other's lives." Beatrice turned around and walked away back to the rest of Firelink Shrine.
"Hmmm… pity that she doesn't understand the importance of it. I don't mean to spread ill will. But you shouldn't surround yourselves with her kind." Petrus commented.
"If you don't want to spread ill will. Then you'll stop antagonizing her and us." Eskar said as he slowly approached Petrus.
"She's done a lot for us. She deserves better than what you say of her." Oscar added.
"... My apologies." Petrus said, even though they noticed he didn't truly mean it "If we have nothing else to discuss. I believe we should go our separate ways. Unless you seek something else with us?" Petrus asked them, Eskar and Oscar didn't answer him, but they did approach Nico, Vince, and Rhea. Mostly out of some mild curiosity.
"Hm? Oh good lord! Are you…" Vince slightly panicked at the sight of Eskar's mask.
"You don't have to worry," Oscar assured him.
"Truly? Well… Do be mindful about speaking with M'lady. It should go without saying that you shouldn't appear in front of someone out of nowhere with that intimidating visage of yours. I do have to say, this is the first time I've met a Masked One. Are you… one of them?" Vince asked Eskar. Who answered with a simple nod.
"Oh, well. It is implied in a way. I wouldn't have expected to talk with your ilk… Sorry. I intended to say, of your kind… Eh, neither is a nice way to refer to you, is it?" Vince apologized.
"It's alright, I've been called worse," Eskar said. Even though he hadn't been called anything of the sort on Lordran, other than intimidating. No, the insults had been from other Absolvers back in Adal, and for different reasons.
"Oh well. It's good to know you persist still. Hah hah hah. Honestly, I don't have a problem with your people, or Undead either." He said motioning to Oscar. "I would be a fool to do under the circumstances."
"I see you are Undead as well," Oscar said.
"All of us are. This is the reason why we are taking on this righteous mission together. It is a chore, but I'm stuck with both M'lady and Nico. I can't very well abandon them now." Vince said. "Oh sorry, if you wish to know, my name is Vince of Thorolund."
"A pleasure. You'll go on this mission to the catacombs?" Oscar asked.
"Yes. The Catacombs aren't exactly my idea of a good time, but… What can one do?" Vince said. "We are to leave momentarily. For that let's say a word, for our safety. A prayer to our marvelous Lord. Vereor Nox." Vince bowed his head down. Oscar bowed his head at Vince while Eskar himself looked at the other two members of the party. Nico and Lady Rhea.
Eskar slowly approached Rhea and looked at her curiously as she prayed on her knees. It appeared his staring managed to get her attention as she turned slightly around, and then made a silent gasp as she noticed him.
"Oh… you are… are you Undead as well?" She asked.
"He's a Masked One, Fair Lady. But I'm an Undead." Oscar stepped in.
"Mmm. It's good to meet a respectable knight in these lands. But sadly we have no time to fraternize. I have my mission, and I can see both of you have yours." Rhea said.
"We do," Eskar confirmed. Letting the ghostly echo of his voice be heard.
"Then, I wish you luck. We must not let this curse overcome us." Rhea stated and left the conversation at that. Oscar and Eskar would have asked more, but they decided to leave the party to their mission out of respect. Vince bid them farewell while Nico grunted in acknowledgment of them. Once their conversation was over both of them left them to find their own companions. They found Laurentius, Griggs, and Beatrice talking next to the well that was close to the bonfire.
"I do believe you would have quite a knack for it," Laurentius spoke to Beatrice.
"Do you truly believe so?" Beatrice asked with a hint of smugness.
"Oh yes, all you need are the materials. And as a knack for it… well there's a lot my people back home say about those akin to pyromancy. Women, in particular, seem to be truly attuned, maybe relating to the fact the mother pyromancy is a woman herself." Laurentius explained.
"Heh, I doubt it has anything to do with that." Beatrice chuckled.
"Well. Regardless I do think it is something you could be quite good if not exceptional at." Laurentius.
"I'll have to think about it. I already have to worry about attuning my own spells, and I use them quite regularly. But Pyromancy could bring some interesting and useful variety." Beatrice pondered.
"Oh sure. Do take your time." Laurentius assured her.
"How did you manage to learn that many spells on your own?" Griggs asked inquisitively.
"I learn from my mother. We are a family of witches that do not attend the Dragon School." Beatrice said.
"And you even learned spells like Master Logan's... " Griggs stopped himself, bewildered at how Beatrice was able to use spells of that caliber without having ever attended the Dragon School. He pondered as to how she would acquire the scrolls even.
"Sorcery has a natural progression if you train it correctly… a way to evolve sort to speak. I traveled, learned, and observed. Then I tried trial and error to get what I wanted. My mother was much the same, and in fact, I bet so is Big Hat himself. Vinheim is as prestigious as it is insidious… so many sorcerers are obsessed with keeping power to themselves and killing their competition. They don't get to truly study sorcery, to experiment with it. Logan wasn't like them… and managed to survive them as well. That's how he became a legend." Beatrice told Griggs.
"... I won't deny what you said. Still… does that mean you make your own scrolls?" He asked curiously.
"Well… only one. And it was essentially similar to a normal soul mass. The rest I learned through old attunement. To store the spells without a scroll. That was taught to me by my mother, but only the basic spells. Others I… bartered for them." Beatrice said.
"Interesting…" Griggs brought his hand to his chin. Oscar and Eskar made themselves known right there.
"So… how are the clerics?" Beatrice asked.
"Devoted," Eskar answered.
"Of course they are."
"But only Petrus seems to be the more… judgemental." Oscar clarified.
"I would wager. The others seemed younger… Petrus is older. I would assume he has a more rigid view on the world." Beatrice said, it was truly the nicest way she could say it, as she couldn't bother to remain completely hateful of a man she didn't intend to deal with.
"Yes. Older folk tend to be that way." Oscar said.
"Stuck in their ways and guiding others to be the same way. Regardless if what they say has changed a while ago, or is simply misguided." Eskar agreed.
"Um… excuse me but…" Laurentius stammered.
"Uh… there are obviously exceptions." Oscar quickly said.
"Yes, You indeed seem to be one of the most open-minded people I've met. Most people your age aren't so… vibrant. You are not that old even." Beatrice complimented.
"Well, thank you, my lady. But don't worry, I understand. Hey speaking of which, you two. Would you two be interested in learning the art of pyromancy? I extend the same offer I gave your companion to you. It's the least I could do for you saving me… unless you find my magic unsavory." Laurentius stopped himself, just in case they indeed weren't fond of pyromancy.
"We…" Oscar looked at Eskar. Eskar was curious, Oscar couldn't say much about himself, but there was something he knew. And by now he could say the same for Eskar. "We don't find it unsavory."
"Oh, wonderful!" Laurentius said excitedly.
"Umm, excuse me." Griggs also began to speak. "I also do owe you, and I would like to be of service the same way. If any of you would like to learn more about sorceries, please do let me know. We would require some materials… but I can sense both of you could have a talent for it. One of you already does." Griggs pointed at Eskar.
"You have scrolls you can spare?" Beatrice chimed in.
"Oh, yes of course. Why?"
"As much as training in the old ways is effective, it's a long process. Eskar hasn't mastered the art yet, but he surprised me and conjured these soul darts with the aid of his own magic. So far the process has been completely natural. Requiring for him to adapt and grow, but as of now… scrolls would be the next step for him… I don't have any I can spare. And even then, his attunement might not be the best." Beatrice spoke.
"That can be fixed. He just needs souls and a bonfire." Laurentius said.
"We tried that… I can't." Eskar stated.
"Whatever is the difference between Undead, regular people, and Masked Ones… it seems self-empowering soul arts are… not something they can achieve." Beatrice expanded, she herself didn't truly know if that was the truth and was skeptical that people from Adal would simply not be able to empower themselves with souls. Especially when Eskar proved they could manipulate souls. "Maybe a Firekeeper could be of assistance in that."
"Then… Why not the one here?" Griggs asked.
"There's a Firekeeper in Firelink?" Oscar asked them.
"Well yes. If you haven't noticed, this Bonfire is kindled. That hasn't been done by anyone that has passed nearby. So it must be done by the Firekeeper herself." Griggs explained.
"Kindled?" Eskar wondered.
"Oh, you don't know. Bonfires have different intensities, the larger the Bonfire burns, the more Estus can be collected from them. To kindle a Bonfire you need to sacrifice humanity, if you look directly at that one, it is stronger than some others around." Laurentius pointed towards the Bonfire.
"It is indeed," Beatrice noted. She hadn't looked at it before, but it was definitely a bigger flame.
"I never noticed…" Oscar also commented, he had not rested near that particular Bonfire, so he never bothered to check his Estus Flask.
"... Sacrifice humanity?" Eskar asked, a bit bewildered.
"Well… yes," Griggs confirmed as if it was a known fact. Eskar knew by now that humanity was special. And not only that, it could be quantified, shared, and stolen. Yet he hadn't thought it acted as anything more than a way for Undead to remain sane. To sacrifice it… to trade it. Seemed strange considering it was the essence of a human. What made them human, mostly. He didn't understand it… but he couldn't help but wonder what sacrificing humanity really implied.
"Do you two know where the Firekeeper is?" Beatrice asked both Laurentius and Griggs.
"Well no but… he probably does." Laurentius pointed towards the Crestfallen Warrior. Oscar sighed as he thought about having to deal with the Undead again. Yet if it was how they were going to find the Firekeeper, then they better do it. He looked to his companions. Eskar and Beatrice making a silent agreement to go ahead, and so they did.
"Hmm? What brings you here this time?" The Crestfallen Warrior asked.
"Do you know where the Firekeeper here is.?" Beatrice asked.
"Oh, that terribly morose lass? Well, at least that's a simple question. She's down underneath the bonfire, you just have to follow the steps down and you'll see her." The Crestfallen Warrior pointed towards the stairs. He then sighed. "... The Firekeeper. She's stuck keeping that bonfire lit. Sad, really. She's mute and bound to this forsaken place."
"Mute?" Eskar asked.
"Yes, she cannot speak. They probably cut her tongue out back at her village, so that she'd never say a god's name in vain." The Crestfallen Warrior lamented.
"A god's name in vain? Would they even… at this point who would care for…" Oscar tried to think why cutting her tongue would be necessary.
"I'm not sure that was the reason. There are others who would do so, so she couldn't complain… or say anything else." Beatrice said.
"True. But even if that's the case… she doesn't seem to intend to leave her cell. Don't know if she could… I wonder if she has her legs still." The Crestfallen Warrior thought out loud, the others didn't respond. Eskar seemed to be curious as to the legitimacy of what was told. The faces of his companions seemed to indicate so. "How do these martyrs keep chugging along? I'd peter out in an instant. Hah hah hah hah…"
"I suppose we'll see for ourselves," Eskar said as he began to walk down the steps alongside Oscar and Beatrice.
"Do not try to free her." The Crestfallen Warrior wanted them before they could go too far down. "I once tried to free her, long ago. If you try to she panics, and tries to retreat into the hole further. She even fought my hands as I tried to pry the bars. Whether out of fear, sense of duty, or even flagellation. She seeks to remain where she is… do not disturb her, I believe she has suffered enough." The Crestfallen Warrior lowered his head.
It was strange for the trio to see the Crestfallen Warrior… remorseful in some sense. Yet if everything they had heard could possibly be true. Then they could garner why. "We won't aim to disturb her," Oscar said for the three of them.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs they found not only the cell that the Crestfallen Warrior had spoken of but the same knight they had freed in the Undead Parish. Knight Lautrec. He was sitting against a broken-down wall that gave them a direct look to the Firekeeper.
"Ahh, hello there. I see you three have made it out of the Parish in one piece as well." Lautrec spoke to them.
"It seems you've done so as well." Oscar complimented.
"Well yes. Ah, speaking of. I have your reward, please accept it." Lautrec handed to the three of them a Sunlight Medal each.
"These… How did you get these?" Oscar asked curiously.
"Oh, you are not the first friendly faces I've found or even helped. Well, you helped me really. But what I'm implying is that I received those by helping others, now since you helped me, they belong to you, I've heard they can be valuable around these parts. Had to search the Parish up and down to find them, and my things as well. Keh heh heh heh…" Lautrec laughed to himself.
"They are useful to me. Thank you." Oscar pocketed the medal.
"Truly? Well, I'm glad you enjoy your reward."
"Now that you are free. What do you intend to do?" Eskar asked.
"Oh, the same I set out when I came to this land. Keh heh heh heh…"
"Which is?" Eskar continued with the questions.
"Now that's for me to keep. I would prefer not to tell you. Our futures are murky after all. Let's not be too friendly now. Hmm?" Lautrec proposed. Eskar didn't particularly answer, simply stared through his mask as he tried to piece together what he thought of Lautrec.
"I suppose that's your choice. Do not end up jailed in another cell again." Beatrice said to him.
"Heh, I do not plan to, lady. Well, it was nice to catch up, but I do have to get back to business." Lautrec said as he stepped up and made to leave the area. "Do not go Hollow, it would be a shame that happened to you." He said as he walked up the stairs.
"There's something off about him," Eskar said.
"There is… I got a feeling he wagers whether or not he could defeat us in a fight. He seems to be… seeing us as convenient allies at the moment." Beatrice tried to decipher Lautrec from what little she had seen of him.
"He is a night. But it appears to me he is more of a mercenary. Wouldn't be the first knight to become a knight of fortune." Oscar said.
"He still seems… off... dangerous. We should keep our distance just in case his intentions aren't what they seem. Or if he stops seeing us as allies." Beatrice said.
"I agree," Oscar said.
"I do too," Eskar added, so it was decided that in regards to Lautrec, they would be careful. There was still much they didn't know about him.
"Since we are agreed… I believe we should meet the Firekeeper." Beatrice said and both Eskar and Oscar nodded. They walked over to the cell on the wall and looked at the Firekeeper herself. The sight was pitiful indeed, the young lady looked both bruised, dirty, and desolate. Yet as they approached, Oscar also saw something else, a familiar face.
"No damn way." He said as he approached the cell.
"Sir Oscar?" Beatrice questioned. Both she and Eskar stood back to see what was the reason for Oscar's sudden trance.
"Anastacia?" Oscar asked the Firekeeper as he put his hands on the bars, trying to see better. He even removed his helmet to get a better view at the Firekeeper's face. The more he looked, he knew he recognized the face. He was sure once the girl looked back at him.
"It is you." Oscar worded out in disbelief. Anastacia herself looked surprised, yet her face continued to have that dull look, that sadness. Even when she was looking at him, she couldn't help but stare at him with eyes half-lidded, and from time to time she would dip her head lower.
"You know her?" Eskar asked Oscar.
"Yes, she was a girl that I knew in my hometown. I never truly knew her pretty well, but we talked. That was a long time ago… now." Oscar looked at her, pleading for her to get closer. Anastacia approached and he could see the way she dragged herself, he saw the bloodied skirt. And as she slightly opened her mouth to try and say something, he saw it for just a moment. Her tongue was indeed cut.
"Why… who… why you?" Oscar couldn't help but slightly shake at the thought of what Anastacia had to endure. "We, we could…" Oscar reached to the bars that were holding in Anastacia, but she backed away immediately. He saw a face of pure fear imploring him to not set her free.
Oscar let go of the bars and stared at Anastacia in disbelief. Regardless, he understood once Eskar put a hand on his shoulder, and when Beatrice did the same on the opposite shoulder. Oscar knew that Anastacia didn't deserve the duty of a Firekeeper, and that she had been forced to… it didn't sit right with him. But they were looking for Anastacia's help. Maybe some good could be done.
"Anastacia… I… I am sorry. Yet I and my companions here came for your help. My friend Esar here is a Masked One. He doesn't seem to be able to use soul arts. Yet Beatrice, the woman, she thinks you can help him." Oscar said as he let Eskar take his spot. Eskar looked directly at Anastacia and saw for himself all the little signs of maiming and her… sad disposition. It left a sting, but there was not much he could do about it. As Anastacia's looked directly into his mask, he got the feeling that something was amiss, that she was missing something.
Anastacia looked at Eskar and shook her head, there was nothing she could do for him. Eskar thought for a second, he pondered what could a Firekeeper need. After some consideration, he unfolded and showed all the humanity and souls he had gathered. Including the Firekeeper soul he and Beatrice had found at the Parish. It was the one that Anastacia focused on, Eskar gave it to her to see if that could be of help.
"A Firekeeper soul?" Oscar asked.
"We found it before we met you." Beatrice clarified.
"I guessed as much… they can only be used to empower flasks. Or to gather a huge amount of souls and humanity." Oscar said.
"Yes… but maybe that's not all that they can do. A power like could have other uses and applications." Beatrice pondered.
"Then… what will it do to him?" Oscar wondered with a hint of worry.
"Eskar had listened to them, he was ready to face whatever risks it involved. Or at least, ready to try. He nodded towards Anastacia and told her in that way that he was ready. She nodded to him and came closer to the bars, holding the Firekeeper soul she pressed it against Eskar's mask. And then a flash of souls came out of Eskar, he recoiled and began to shake as a dark light seemed to come out of his mask, not only that, but started to feel as if a huge force began to press him downwards, he also began to choke, feeling the air leave him.
"Eskar!" Beatrice worried and panicked, trying to see what she could do she took hold of him. As she did so the process seemed to slightly change as Eskar's mask began to glow through its laughing carvings, a white and dark glow coming out of it. Soon Eskar collapsed on the ground on all fours with Beatrice holding his back. Oscar also helped him and held onto his shoulder as suddenly the light's coming out Eskar stopped. He then took one giant gasp of air and started to clasp his mask.
He felt still firmly attached to his face, still not normally able to be removed. It was both reassuring and worrisome. Yet something was different, he felt it as he could breathe a lot more freely and that he could feel not only his souls more present. But also the Essence and his own Shards. The crushing presence of his mask was gone. It was still attached and bound to him, yet he felt far freer than ever in a long time. It could be the last of the influences of the Guides on him being broken, or maybe something different altogether with the Masks of Moral. Whatever was the case he felt different.
"Are you okay?" Beatrice worriedly asked.
"I… I feel… ingyenes (free)." Eskar slowly took deep breaths.
"Does… does that mean that maybe you can now…" Oscar began to say as Eskar made a small mass of souls in his hands, nothing they hadn't seen before. But Eskar felt it being more intuitive now, far more simple… he felt the strength of them.
"I believe I may," Eskar said.
It turned out that Eskar had indeed become able to improve his natural abilities with souls. Not only that, but both Oscar and Beatrice noticed that the power that he had, his natural abilities. They were substantial, but they didn't surpass that of other warriors. His current aptitudes were the result of training, not soul arts. He had been trained to make the best of those abilities.
With his limitations gone, and now with soul arts, he could become significantly stronger. His strength and dexterity could go past their normal threshold and improve further. He even felt that he himself with training could improve further. Perhaps another limitation made by the Guides. It could explain how some individuals like Rysrin became so… durable. Now he understood that… he felt as his vitality and endurance expanded with the use of souls. This was the real difference, as his normal vitality was the result of enduring pain, this new vitality actively made his body more durable, making withstand far more when both methods were combined.
The same went for stamina. For him just a little more meant far more than for many others. Whereas another person that meant maybe one additional attack, for him it meant three or four. But the real strength came when improving his will and attunement. Not only that but his intelligence as well… he felt his control over Shards improve, his control over Essence, and the scrolls Griggs and Beatrice had begun to teach to him became easier to understand. But he went further, with his new strength and attunement he felt his shards resonate… using his souls, fragments, and the Essence he could gather. He created a new Shard for himself, now he had six.
He had spent all his souls and fragments to make that possible, and he only focused primarily on his attunement. With no new strength to be gained, he focused on learning how to use his newfound aptitudes. He did what he did best, he trained.
Oscar stood in front of Eskar. Only with his shirt and pants this time, however. They exchanged knowing looks and put themselves on guard, as they came closer Eskar rushed at Oscar with a mill punch to test him, Oscar responding by blocking the first and failing to block the second, he did a move to counter with a punch to Eskar's mask, yet the Absolver parried the attack of the knight and counter with his own Faejin counter to his stomach. They continued to exchange strikes as they continued their little sparring match.
A day had passed since Eskar unlocked the ability to fully use soul arts. On that day he had done his best to learn from Laurentius, Griggs, and Beatrice. All of his resources were spent to get a Pyromancy flame, the spells, and to improve himself. Together with Beatrice, they had learned the basics of Pyromancy, she herself favoring Fireballs and Fire Orbs while Eskar had a bit more trouble to earn, and focused on his use of Combustion. While Beatrice didn't need any tutoring from Griggs, and indeed outclassed him as a sorceress, she still aided Eskar in finally learning to use soul spears and other spells. Such as the greater version of it and magic weapon.
With all of the improvements combined, Eskar could now have four slots for spells, or even as he figured out, additional space for his Tension Arts. he could also do the inverse and replace a Tension Art for an extra attunement slot, that one of course using his Shards instead of his spell slots. As of now, Eskar favored the use of combustion, great soul arrow, fall control, and magic weapon. Feeling confident in his ability with those spells and of their uses, even if they were limited, he had his martial skill to more than compensate. The day and night in Firelink hadn't been purely training, there had been some idle chatting and some banter. While Oscar had been offered the same knowledge as Eskar and Beatrice, he refused. He told them he would rather focus on his use of lightning spears, which was understandable. Oscar spent most of his time watching as Eskar learned a new skill, or visiting Anastasia and talking about his journey. She couldn't respond of course… but Oscar managed to see a subtle smile form on her face from time to time.
They had also once had to go back to the Undead Burg. To scavenge for food. None of them needed food as undead or even as a Firekeeper… all except for Beatrice. She was the only one not cursed or affected by some magical mask or humanity, and so she needed food and water. It had been tough to find… but the trio managed to find something for the resident Rogue Witch. The fact that they found something that hadn't spoiled had been a miracle in itself.
The resident spellcasters of Firelink were discussing some similarities and inconveniences between Sorcery and Pyromancy, meanwhile, Oscar and Eskar practiced their martial combat. Oscar kept up the best he could with Eskar… but he was far better at unarmed combat than him. He was faster, nimbler, and didn't lack the strength to match him, not to say far more experience and skill. Even then, Oscar did pick up a few tricks.
Oscar went in with a jab and followed it up with a low side kick to Eskar's thigh. Eskar blocked the kick with his own foot and then responded with an orange glowing elbow to Osca's gut, followed by two quick punches to Oscar's stomach, followed then by a roundhouse kick that Oscar blocked and batted to the side before countering with a punch that Eskar back stepped. And then Eskar went with a combination of three attacks. A flying knee that Oscar blocked, a spinning push back kick that broke his guard, and a spinning low heel kick to trip Oscar and make him roll on the ground as he landed on his back.
"Ha…" Oscar let out a gasp for air.
"Bone." (Good.)
"Hmm?"
"You are doing good, you block better, and your reflexes are sharper. You are also trying some moves of your own." Eskar complimented.
"I'm still not that fast, or able to perform those moves you do. You still outclass me." Oscar replied.
"You will become faster in time, it's part of learning. And the more you try the moves, the better you'll perform then."
"Heh, I suppose." Oscar let out a chuckle, right there however is when they heard hurried steps coming from the rundown building of Firelink. Splashes of water resounded as out of the ruin came Petrus, alone. And it appeared as though he had been running for his life. Oscar and Eskar noticed this, and so did the others, Beatrice, Laurentius, and Griggs. All of them approached Petrus to ask what had happened.
"Uh, oh, you… you are still here." Petrus said between ragged breaths.
"What happened? Why were you running?... What about your companions?" Oscar asked the cleric.
"I… I… I became separated from M'lady and her other companions. The skeletons of the Catacombs surrounded us, eventually that labyrinth force to separate as well feel deeper. There I lost sight of them. I tried to… to… reach the nearest bonfire to see if they were there, but the skeletons kept persisting, coming out of the walls. I couldn't find them… and eventually, even with my blessed weapon, I couldn't face all of them on my own. I had to flee, past the skeletons of the Catacombs and of the cemetery. I hoped that perhaps my companions and M'lady were here but… doesn't seem to be the case. Oh… where could she have gone? M'lady… To think I swore to protect you with my life." Petrus cried in lament. The residents of Firelink listened to the tale and then looked in the direction of the Catacombs.
"They must still be in the Catacombs," Eskar said.
"Yes, surrounded by skeletons and other Undead." Laurentius added.
"They are gonna die there and go Hollow…" Oscar thought out loud. Right there an angry skeleton showed itself through the ruin. In reaction, Beatrice fired a great soul arrow while Eskar rushed in with a powerful roundhouse kick that pulverized the skeleton's skull and then finished it with a combustion. All witnessed as the skeleton relinquished its souls.
"Those are the skeletons of the Catacombs?" Beatrice asked with some mild surprise. She wasn't sure what she expected, one skeleton wouldn't be a threat. But many… those would probably be.
"Yes… there are many more down there. Oh, M'lady." Petrus lamented once again. Eskar pressed his foot against the rib cage of the skeleton. Crushing them after some slight pressure.
"Even if some are weak, inside there they will revive endlessly if not dealt with properly," Petrus warned. But at that Oscar picked up his own sword and observed it. Remembering what Andre had said about divine weapons. With that in mind, the trio looked at each other. And then at Griggs and Laurentius. Both of the spellcasters weren't as confident.
"You are going to go right? I don't know about that…" Griggs muttered.
"Yes… I'm not sure either." Laurentius said.
"It is fine. We have Estus, and if there are bonfires in there, we can deal with this." Oscar said, full of confidence. "You can stay here and make sure more skeletons don't come out."
"What… What are you going to do?" Petrus asked bewildered.
"We are going to save our lady. Cleric." Beatrice said.
"Are you even sure you can?" He asked in return.
"I've got a feeling we can. We are stronger now. All of us learned new tricks, and used souls to get stronger." Beatrice said.
"Igen. Maybe it is time we test how strong we got." Eskar said. Soon Beatrice and Eskar helped Oscar with his armor and then immediately went towards the Catacombs. Although as they passed by the fodder section of the ruins… they heard some sort of snoring.
"Hrng… Hrngg…"
"What was that?" Oscar asked, not sure of where the sound had come from.
"Not… sure. We can't worry about that." Beatrice replied.
"True. The sooner we go, the best the chance for Lady Rhea and her companions." Oscar nodded.
"Then let's move." Eskar led the way through the cemetery.
The trio battled the skeletons of the cemetery, from the human size ones to even the ones that were giant. They faced them in small groups of two. It wasn't enough to stop them or even slow them down. Once they reached the trance to the cave that led to the Catacombs they found flying heads that resembled the face of Hollows. As they approached, the head began to shake, glow, and emit a ghastly wail.
"Move! Dodge out of the way!" Beatrice screamed as the three of them rushed away from the flying head. Soon the head exploded into a red mist that they barely managed to evade.
"What was that?" Eskar asked.
"A Wisp. Ghosts of unfortunate souls that seek life nearby. Once they find any… well you saw for yourselves." Beatrice said.
"It wasn't the only one." Oscar pointed with his sword towards the two other Wisps in the area.
"We should follow the stairs. If they come close, then we should run." Beatrice pointed to the barely visible stairs inside the cave.
"To outrun them… understood." Eskar said. In that moment the three of them ran past the Wisps and let them explode as they reached the next area. Skeletons had been waiting for them to surprise them. But the surprise attack didn't amount to much more than missed swings and blocked attacks. Together they fought and distracted the skeletons, maneuvering to make their numbers advantage useless and keeping them in place with multiple methods. Heavy attacks and powerful spells could separate their bones, it didn't kill them, but it forced them to reform. The trio took complete advantage of that as Eskar used his guard-breaking attacks, the ones that made his extremities and weapons glow orange, to cleave skeletons in two. Beatrice used her sorcery in her main hand while she threw pyromancies with her off-hand to do the same. And Oscar used his strength and powerful blows with either his sword or a powerful bash with his shield to also split the skeleton's bodies apart.
They were properly inside the catacombs at that point, and as such the skeletons would revive. Or they would have, had Oscar not been using a divine weapon. Eskar and Beatrice weakened the skeletons and forced them to remain still while Oscar ended them one by one. Once all skeletons were weak Oscar took the chance and ended four skeletons in four rapid swings of his sword. Ending the skeletons for the time being.
As they went deeper into the Catacombs they found the gate to them locked. Which they had found odd considering that Petrus had come out of the Catacombs according to him. Yet by looking around they found an opening on a wall that led to a Bonfire and a Necromancer.
"Kill it!" Beatrice yelled as she fired a soul arrow. By the time it hit the Necromancer, Eskar and Oscar had rushed to it and impaled with both their swords and then bisected their enemy.
"That was a Necromancer right?" Oscar asked.
"Yes. It was." Beatrice confirmed.
"He was the one responsible for them resurrecting?" Eskar pieced together.
"Yes, if we hadn't had Oscar with us, we would still have to deal with the skeletons. If we kill them quickly. We can make sure that we can all ill them without issue." Beatrice said.
"Tre jól." (Very well.) Eskar nodded and so did Oscar, they took the chance to rest at the bonfire just so that they could resupply on spells and Estus. After they were done they entered the catacombs and traversed them. The first thing they did was kill another Necromancer.
"There!" Eskar pointed towards a Necromancer across the crevice from them. Beatrice aimed and shot at it with a soul spear and then finished it off with a fireball. She had a surprisingly good throwing arm.
"It's dead. We are good." Beatrice said.
"Good." Oscar nodded as he and Eskar rushed the skeletons that were slowly walking toward them. Eskar went in first and slashed at the skeleton twice before having to counter one of its attacks and punch it towards Oscar, who beat the skeleton against the wall with his shield and then finished it with a heavy downwards strike. Meanwhile, Eskar noticed the other skeleton jumped to wads them and flung itself in a spinning thrust strike. He caught in mid-air with a flying spinning roundhouse kick that pushed the skeleton to its demise. As they continued forward the trio didn't take any chances, section by section they acted as a team. Beatrice sniped the first skeletons she could find and ended them with soul arrows. Once she killed two or three Oscar and Eskar rushed in with their weapons, doing their best so that everyone could save their spell slots. Eskar rushed in two skeletons and countered their continuous attacks, building up Tension in his Shards and answering with his own combinations of sword slashes, kicks, and punches. He finished one skeleton with a hammer kick to the skull. And another with a cleaver punch followed with a heavy upwards slash.
Oscar advanced forward and blocked the arrows of skeleton archers with his shield while also killing skeletons of his own. As they approached another bridge he rushed forwards and kicked one skeleton's legs off with the same sidekick he had tested earlier in the day. Noticing another Necromancer, he realized that he would need to finish skeletons with his sword once again, and so he did before quickly blocking a fireball with his shield.
Beatrice took the job of killing the Necromancer along with Eskar. Between the two of them aiming four great soul arrows and pelting and killing the Necromancer before it could do much. Before they could proceed, they had to lower… or turn another bridge. With Wisps and skeletons on their way, they agreed that Eskar would be the one to run past them. Eskar ran and avoided the attack of one skeleton by sliding and kicking the ankle of another, he also avoided spikes coming from the wall by jumping on the wall and over a skeleton. As he recovered up he ignited another skeleton with a combustion that he forced into it with a powerful palm.
The Wisps exploded as they missed Eskar completely and even pushed back some of the skeletons, those were finished by a combination of Beatrice's spells and Oscar's sword. As the bridge turned thanks to Eskar, two more skeletons came their way. Beatrice took the chance to blast one with a great heavy soul arrow followed by a soul mass, killing it and letting the other skeleton be pushed off the edge by Oscar as he blocked its attack with his shield and then knocked it off with a push kick.
The trio reunited and nodded towards each other. With three Necromancers down they should be able to delve deeper. But they had been wrong, they were only getting started. The next batch of skeletons didn't die immediately, meaning there was yet another Necromancer nearby. The skeletons formed themselves back and continued being an annoyance until Oscar killed them with his sword. Soon enough however as more skeletons appeared. They noticed that they were surrounded. The skeletons rushed at them and landed grazing blows before they countered, Beatrice and Eskar were soon sporting superficial gashes on the side or backs as they did their best to dodge while Oscar himself got surrounded by three skeletons.
Cornered and surrounded, they fought with everything they had. Beatrice launched soul spears and soul masses with one hand while she threw pyromancies with the other. Eskar used the magic weapon sorcery to enhance his sword and then used that in conjunction with combustions to push back the closest skeletons with powerful strikes and sweeping kicks. Oscar himself powered through with his armor and killed two skeletons before they could try and reform themselves and blocked three skeletons from attacking his companions with his shield. He then thrust his sword and finished one skeleton by crushing and severing its skull with a powerful cleave of his sword.
As a couple more skeletons appeared Eskar decided he had enough. He used his Earthquake Tension Art and forced all the skeletons to shatter. Not to kill them, but shatter.
"Find the fattyú (bastard)!" Eskar said as his Sard began to glow. He was ready to do another Earthquake the moment the skeletons rebuilt themselves back up. Beatrice and Oscar nodded as they quickly checked the adjacent rooms, it took them some time but in one of the rooms, they managed to find the Necromance they were looking for. Oscar threw a lightning spear at it while Beatrice used a great soul arrow to finish it off.
"We got it!" Beatrice yelled to Eskar as he made a second Earthquake. As he heard that he used everything he got to kill the skeletons closest to him as they were busy reforming. He hit one with a combination of powerful kicks that ended in a spinning hook kick, then he threw three great soul arrows to another, and finally cleaved one with his sword and then finished it with thrust and a combustion pyromancy. Oscar and Beatrice rushed back up and Oscar threw another lightning spear to kill one skeleton while he impaled another skeleton and slammed it to the ground with his sword. Beatrice for her part shot two soul arrows at two skeletons that were close together. And then used a fire orb to kill them both at the same time.
"Fu… Fu…" Eskat took deep breaths as he used the remaining Tension he had to heal himself with another Tension Art. He and his companions needed a second to catch their breath.
"There are far more than I thought," Beatrice said as she looked over her injuries, thankfully, they were superficial.
"We fought a small army at this point," Oscar said as he took a swig of his Estus Flask.
"We gotta keep going however." Eskar said as he recovered.
"Yes… we do." Beatrice also took a deep breath. "Okay, ready to keep going." She nodded as a bead of sweat washed down her face.
"Where should we go… this place not sure if we should try and find a door or just go down," Oscar said.
"I heard the Catacombs are the domain of Lord Nito. the deeper we go, the more we'll find until we reach the tomb of the giants. That's where the Rite of Kindling is said to be." Beatrice said.
"The Rite of Kindling?" Eskar asked.
"It's a supposed sacred rite that had been lost on the Catacombs long ago. It allowed whoever had it to kindle Bonfires without limit, strengthening the flame, or so the legend goes."
"It's here?... Then… Lady Rhea's mission. It was the mission to recover the Rite of Kindling. That means they must have gone deeper." Oscar thought out loud.
"Correct." Beatrice nodded.
"If it is still there… then no one has ever reclaimed it?" Eskar asked.
"No… the church has sent people on this mission, all Undead. None ever returned." Beatrice said. The implication being that it truly was a suicide mission, or impossible, and yet the church kept sending Undead to try and find it.
"We are gonna have to hurry then," Eskar said as he and the trio made their way downwards.
A/N: Okay… shorter than other chapters, but I did promise a chapter before the end of the month to more or less catch up with the debacles of missing the monthly schedule. It was also difficult to fit what I had planned for this chapter without making it longer and requiring far more. I had a way to make the catacombs overall shorter, but that also meant moving a bit too quickly towards the end.
It would probably make the chapter significantly longer and maybe not allow me to finish it before the end of the month, thankfully those plans can perfectly go into the plans for the next chapter without major issues… well almost. We as players know about exploring every corner and of the secrets of the Catacombs. But the characters don't.
And with the layout of the Catacombs, it's really counterintuitive for them to go up and down for that purpose. Especially in a hurry. I have a lot of the story planned, but this specific level design might put some breaks on some ideas. So I'll have to think of something, and of which direction to go and which to sacrifice. The ones being Vamos, the Darkmoon Seance Ring, and just maybe The Gravelord Servant Covenant. Just for the sake of stuff making sense I can't have them go up and down while the goal is to rescue someone. And such I decided I'll leave it at this point, it's good enough of a point and I think I managed to capture enough action with the chapter and also with conversations. At Least I hope so. And now I need to plan.
Damn you Catacombs. Even when writing about you, you find a way to screw me over in a similar way you did all those years back.