A/N: This chapter went out later than the due date due to an issue. For or better or worse, in all fights, I always want to go into detail… and sadly this time I did a poor job at it. I ended up writing a lot of useless details and protracting, and being generally redundant in various sentences for a major part of the chapter. It didn't sit right with me… so I had to rewrite some parts, shorten, and edit them. Now I'll admit it's still rather long and could still have a lot of useless detail, and that is the case due to my planning of the fight scene. I promise to do better in the future.
With that being said... this chapter has something that has been a long time coming in all honesty, it was going to happen sooner or later.
Beta: Genatools
Chapter 12: Fate of the Cursed, and the Masked.
Beatrice and Solaire ran through the sewers, killing any rats and Slimes that insisted on blocking their path, and there were quite a few, but most Slimes could be outpaced. It was the rats that seemed the most troublesome, especially when they insisted on hiding on boxes.
"Hrrng." Beatrice grunted as she killed another giant rat with a great soul arrow. "Is that all of them?"
"I do believe so." Solaire wrenched his sword out from a dead rat.
"Then we should hurry, we've been delayed long enough." Beatrice began to run in the direction of the tunnel that led further downwards the sewers. They had already passed one of the major sewage lines that were overpopulated with slimes and were getting closer towards Eskar and Oscar.
"Do not worry, both of them are formidable warriors, and I'm sure they won't be outdone by Basilisks that easily." Solaire said.
"I know… but that doesn't mean they won't need help. A pack of Basilisks is one of the most dangerous things anyone could face if they are not careful. Even more so in enclosed spaces." Beatrice said… and then suddenly stopped as she felt a chill in the air… and the telltale sound of summoning resounded in her ear even though there was no summoning being performed close by. "That's no normal summoning… that…"
"Oh dear." Solaire recognized the sound and chill. "That's… an invader." His voice suddenly turned from its usual cheery and relaxed to a more worried tone. Both of them stared at each other as they realized the danger an invader could pose to either both of them, or to their two other companions if they were to be surprised.
"We should haste the sooner we are all together the better." Beatrice said and Solaire nodded, both of them going as fast as they could while keeping their guard up.
A bit further down the sewers of the Depths, Eskar and Oscar were face to face with the black phantom that had invaded. A fight would soon break out, and they knew it, but that didn't mean they couldn't strategize or consider other options, such as retreating, or better yet… forcing the invader to retreat.
"We are two… we can surround him. Give him no room for action if we strike true." Eskar reasoned, the invader could try to split them, as there was always a chance he could be a capable opponent. But it wasn't as if they were defenseless prey.
"..."
"... Oscar?" Eskar worriedly looked towards the knight as he didn't reply.
"I know him…" Oscar said and Eskar began to look between the knight and the invader. "I know of him… that's… the infamous Knight of Thorns. A Darkwraith." Oscar said and the grip on his sword shook ever so slightly.
Eskar looked towards the black phantom and stared. He truly didn't know the legend of the Darkwraiths, or how strong any of them would truly be, all he knew is that one did not become infamous by just pure luck. If what he had been told about their unholy strength was true, then just as the strongest of Arcel's disciples, or maybe even Rysrin, they would most likely be, at the very least, above a normal human.
"... Are you certain?" Eskar asked.
"... Even if I've only heard rumors and tales. One could hardly picture that armor belonging to anyone else," Oscar said as he raised his guard. Eskar would grant that the invader matched the title of a Knight of Thorns at the very least.
"...I'm ready and by your side." Eskar nodded as he wielded his longsword in one hand and unfolded Rysrin's sword in the other.
"As do I, friend." Oscar nodded in return, one way or the other, they knew they would have to stand their ground. "Begone!" Oscar called out to the Knight of Thorns. "You'll find no easy quarry here!"
It happened in a second, Kirk began to sprint and lunged first, forcing Oscar to block, and then tried to punch Eskar with his barbed shield. Eskar did a precise backstep and both him and Oscar retaliated, making Kirk parry their strikes with his own blade and shield. The three of them started exchanging blows, and as Eskar and Oscar would have guessed, Kirk was making it a priority to separate them, clearly showing he was experienced in fighting more than one opponent. Oscar blocked and deflected a barrage of attacks from both sword and shield and then blocked a heavy kick, being pushed slightly back as Kirk turned to meet Eskar's attacks. Eskar went in with quick slashes and thrusts with both blades and moved in between Kirk's counter-attacks making deft parries and swift dodges.
He made two slices that struck in different directions and then spun around Kirk's back with another slash, two kicks, and a thrust. The slash was blocked, but the kicks caught Kirk off guard. Even if he recovered to deflect the thrust with his blade, he soon had to worry about Oscar as well. Oscar returned to the fray with a heavy downwards strike that Kirk dodged, and then continued the offensive with two cross slashes of his sword. Kirk blocked the attacks without much difficulty, but he then was forced to dodge to the side as Oscar moved to tackle him with his shield. As Kirk dodged, he was caught off by Eskar, who nicked at his armor with a powerful blow of both his blades.
Kirk knew he needed to remain in control of the fight. He lashed out and constantly swapped attacks between both Eskar and Oscar with seemingly endless stamina. Eskar blocked three powerful blade swings and held back a shield bash with his blades and moved to counter with an upwards Meia Lua kick. But Kirk saw it coming and stepped out of the way, flowing with combat as he answered with a slash of his own, making Eskar dodge, parrying an attack, and striking back with his shield, forcing Eskar to brace himself and skid back from the force of it. Kirk saw this as an opening on Eskar's defenses and went in with a lunge, but Eskar parried the attack with both blades and responded with a strong back kick that pushed Kirk a couple of meters back. Right into Oscar.
Oscar "received" Kirk and flipped him over his shoulder with his shield, landing a thrust of his own before Kirk rolled to a standing position. Oscar then followed up with a kick to knock Kirk's shield away and went in with several slashes and a shield bash. Kirk, even with his shield being knocked away, could defend himself. He met the strikes with his own blade and matched their strength and met Oscar's shield with his own, overpowering him and striking back with a furious combination of blade and shield attacks. The exchange seemed even for a second, Oscar blocking the attacks to the best of his abilities and then countering with whatever window of opportunity he could get, but Kirk did pretty much the same. A slash was blocked and met with a thrust, the thrust was then blocked with a shield and met with a kick, the kick was dodged and a shield was used to bash the opponent over the head, the bash was blocked and then came two downwards strikes from a sword, and so on until Kirk seemed to gain some advantage and forced Oscar to use both shield and blade to deflect his attacks. But just Kirk seemed like he was about to score a hit… his attack was parried not by Oscar, but by Eskar instead.
Eskar had put himself between them at the last second and did Faejin parry, stopping Kirk's momentum completely and answering with a strike to his gut. Kirk felt the strike even through his armor, and was stunned long enough for Eskar to land an upwards slash, a roundhouse kick, and a plexus elbow. The attack forced Kirk back and left him open for Oscar to hit him with his shield, and a strike across the helmet with his sword. They pressed on and met his attacks with coordination and precision, and much to Kirk's surprise, met his speed and strength. Eskar catching his blade with one of his and forcing him to block either a strong kick or a powerful sword slash, and Oscar blocking the heaviest of the hits and then countering with the fastest attacks he could muster. What started as Kirk's onslaught soon became an even match of strikes, parries, and blows, and that wasn't what Kirk needed. He needed to destroy them and keep them on the back foot, yet it seemed like these were far better than most… perhaps if they had been alone it would have been different, but they were two, and soon the onslaught began to turn against Kirk.
Eskar was the first to land two powerful slashes, and then a kick to Kirk's under knee, forcing him to stumble. Followed right after was a shield bash from Oscar and a strong thrust that bit through the armor of thorns. Kirk blocked Oscar's next swing, but was cut off by Eskar as he did a rising kick followed by a rising back kick, hitting him in the head and leaving him open to a double strike from Oscar, and then subsequently a spinning slash from Eskar. The attacks had forced Kirk back and now he'd had to defend himself as Oscar and Eskar moved in to rush him. Kirk struck low, not expecting Eskar to perform an illusion twist kick to his head to jump over the attack, rocking his skull, and then receiving another blow from Oscar in the form of a sword slash to the chest. Kirk retaliated with fury, swiftly attacking both his opponents, hitting Eskar with a slash to his shoulder and striking Oscar with his shield, and then landing a sword strike to his thigh.
He seemed to finally gain some definite momentum, but it was short-lived, as both Oscar and Eskar recoiled and recovered quickly, blocking the attacks and returning the favor with their own, exchanging blows until Eskar was forced to roll away to dodge a diagonal cut, and as Oscar blocked a sword attack and went in with a horizontal slice, overextending as Kirk deftly dodged by ducking under the blade and moving behind Oscar's back. Ir moved in for the backstab, but the invader was surprised as Oscar did a perfect back kick before he could even try. Oscar hadn't thought much on the action, he simply did as Eskar had thought him during their spars and his fighter's instinct carried him through. The kick pushed Kirk back and gave Oscar the chance to recover his stance, but more than that, it gave Eskar a chance to strike. Eskar dashed in with a rising cut, a spinning low kick, a reverse grip slash that Kirk blocked, a reverse grip stab to the foot that he didn't see coming, and a strong spinning hook kick. Kirk stumbled back and received a jumping strike from Oscar, a knee to the stomach, and a flying roundhouse kick from Eskar, forcing the invader back and into a puddle of water, Kirk noticed the sound of sparks and was barely able to get out of the water as Oscar threw a lightning spear into the puddle.
Kirk had survived, but it seemed the knight had been right, they weren't easy prey. He had fought plenty of groups before, but capable combatants weren't that common, even less in groups, on top of a knight with miracles and a Masked One that seemed better than most other Masked Ones he had met. He was even surprised that the Masked One seemed undeterred from kicking him even if hitting his thorn armor, his boots seemed to be of resistant leather, but even then he must have felt the spikes. No, both of them were simply fighting regardless of pain, and they had tenacity to spare… he should have been able to overwhelm them and win easily, but he underestimated them, and in turn gave them the worst thing he could give, confidence.
Rage and anger could be exploited, and hope could be turned to dismay and break an opponent. But confidence was different, it was not only calm and precise, the worst things a victim could be, but true confidence was earned… and it meant that they knew they could kill him and drive him away. Kirk stepped up and took a more cautious approach. Meanwhile, Oscar and Eskar separated slightly as if to surround Kirk, they were doing it to make it difficult for the invader to keep both of them and all their actions in his full view. They had taken some scrapes and some injuries, but for an infamous invader, they could say they were doing rather well… and more so, because they kept their strongest moves in reserve, unbeknownst to their enemy.
Eskar dashed in first, he had by now gotten familiar with the Darwraith's fighting pattern and knew what attacks would come. He went in with a sliding kick and stood up with a rising kick and then met blades with the invader. As Kirk attacked, Eskar stopped the momentum of the attack with a Faejin parry and landed a reverse grip pommel strike to Kirk's gut. Kirk then bared as Eskar struck his head with his other sword in a one-handed slice, but then blocked the follow-up attack and moved in to counter… but got surprised as Eskar did another Faejin parry and repeated the process with a different move. For a good five seconds, it went like that, Kirk would try an attack, and Eskar would parry his move and strike back at him. A blade to the thigh was parried and turned into a punch and a rising slash, a trust was parried and turned into a pommel strike and a stomp to his knee, a bash with his shield was turned to a gut punch and a double slash, all in quick succession. Kirk realized then and there that the Masked One had figured him out.
Eskar would not deny the pain in punching an armor covered in barbs and thorns, but it was simply another test to his vitality, a test of tolerance to pain and trauma, and it was hardly the first time he kicked or punched an armor with an odd surface. As long as he delivered more damage to the opponent, he would bear through it… besides, he had done his job, and he could already hear the sparks. Eskar folded Rysrin's sword in a flash, much to Kirk's surprise, using the distraction to land a surprise double-handed pommel strike with his other sword dashing to the side, and then kicking Kirk back into the puddle with a horse kick. Even if Kirk blocked, the kick was strong enough to send him skidding back.
Kirk realized he was back on the water, he moved to dodge and roll out of the way, but then he saw Eskar do a movement with his hands and he could feel gravity pull him down, that was when Oscar threw the lightning spear. The lightning spear impacted and Kirk could feel the miracle's lightning course through him and paralyze him. As the sparks subsided, he was met by another sight, Eskar with a glowing blue weapon and forming sorcery in his bare hand. The Absolver fired a close-range great soul arrow and followed it up with two heavy two-handed strikes, he followed them up with a pushed back kick and gave Oscar room to charge in with the Drake Sword. Kirk could barely move as Oscar hit him with a jumping attack with the dragon weapon and then in one swift motion charged up its power and delivered a shockwave right to Kirk's chest, sending him flying several meters away flat on his back.
It was bad. Kirk realized as he felt his weak body he had been outdone before, but he never had underestimated an opponent or misjudged them this badly, he hadn't expected the miracle and sorcery, the Masked One's magic… and the dragon weapon, the last one was his mistake for failing to recognize the weapon at the knight's back. He had only one reasonable option at the moment, retreat. He hastily stood up and pulled out his black crystal, only he never would get to use it… as he felt a presence behind him, even his opponents seemed shocked as a figure seemed to loom behind him, right up until he was hit with a massive club and swung into the ceiling, smashing against it and then slamming back down right in front of Oscar and Eskar, dissipating and returning to his original world.
"What in the name of…" Oscar could only exclaim in surprise as Kirk had been slain in an… incredulous fashion, but even so, it was a testament to the new arrival's strength. As both he and Eskar looked towards the newcomer, they dreaded to say they recognized him.
"Is that…" Eskar muttered and looked at the stone armor and Dragon Tooth, it was unmistakable.
"A Havel Knight?" Oscar asked bewildered. The Havel Knight looked directly at them, something seemed to stop him as he gazed upon them, a hint of recollection seemed to show as he hefted his weapon and pointed it towards them.
"Is… is it the same one?" Eskar asked.
"We killed it." Oscar responded and the Havel Knight began to slowly walk towards them, a killing intent filling the air.
"It seems it has come back." Eskar said as both he and Oscar raised their guard as the Havel night continued to move towards them.
"Sir Knight… we don't have any quarrel with you. If we faced each other in the past..." Oscar tried to speak with the night as it loomed closer without responding.
"There's no need for us to fight now!" Eskar raised his voice, making it echo on the walls of the sewers. The Havel night didn't respond and began to run towards them, soon reaching a full sprint.
"I think it believes otherwise!" Oscar called out as he and Eskar were forced to roll in opposite directions as the Havel Knight rushed them with a large spinning horizontal swing, both of them barely getting out of the way of the Dragon Tooth. Blocking and deflecting the blade of an invader with unnatural strength was one thing, but trying to even block a weapon like the Dragon Tooth was another deal entirely, the strength of their opponent clearly far even beyond the strongest of men.
The Havel Knight followed the momentum of his swing and tried to squash Eskar down with another swing, making Eskar jump back to avoid the attack, he then shifted his weight as the weapon bounced on the ground and tried to attack Oscar, forcing Oscar to sidestep and jump back to get out of the range of the Havel Knight. Eskar tried to move in as the Havel Knight turned its back towards him, but as soon as he moved, the knight spun and made another horizontal swing, one that Eskar barely ducked under. Eskar immediately rolled away to avoid being caught by another attack and the Havel got ready to follow him, only for it to receive a shockwave at its back.
The Havel Knight staggered and looked back, noticing as Oscar had used the Drake Sword and delivered a powerful attack, he also seemed ready to send out another one. The Havel rushed towards Oscar and the Astorian knight released another shockwave from the sword, but dismayed as the attack was blocked by a sprinting Havel with their great shield. Oscar had barely any time to roll out of the way of an attack that would have crushed him, and even then, he had no time to dodge the follow-up attack that came right after, he only had time to raise his shield and grip it with both hands as he discarded the Drake Sword. The attack ended up flinging him and slamming him against one of the walls, stunning him.
Eskar rushed the Havel Knight before he could finish off Oscar with one powerful blow, dashing in with two great soul arrows as he got close, and going all-in to deliver a combustion spell as he reached him. Not letting up, Eskar jumped in the air and delivered an orange glowing flying elbow that broke through the Havel's guard, quickly following up the attack with a pair of two-handed slashes, and then using his Faejin Parry to stop the Havel's attack at the earliest moment possible, right before it could begin to carry any real strength. Eskar landed a gut punch and then did a low spinning heel kick… one that did not face the Havel Knight in the slightest. The Havel Knight pushed Eskar back with his shield and forced him to fall back… yet as he was raising the Dragon Tooth, Oscar tackled the knight's back knee, charging in shield first.
The Havel dropped to one knee and then received another kick at the back of the leg from Oscar. He was mid-turn when Eskar got up and forced him down with an Earthquake Tension Art, hitting him with a strong knee to the face right afterward, a two-handed pommel strike, and point-blank great soul arrow. Eskar used all his strength to damage the Havel Knight as Oscar drew his sword and did the same from the other side, hitting the Havel Knight on the side with a heavy strike of his sword, trying to push him down with a kick, and then hitting him on the back of the head with another heavy sword strike.
Even if their blows were strong, and were doing damage, the Havel Knight had resilience to spare, and seemed resistant to everything they hit him with. Not only that, but there was one matter that both Eskar and Oscar were aware of, in terms of spells, special attacks, and strength… they were running out. The Havel Knight powered through their attacks and stood back up with a heavy swing of the Dragon Tooth, it swung in one direction and then bashed with the great shield in the other. Eskar parried one attack from the Havel and Oscar landed a hit from another direction, the Havel made two horizontal swings and Oscar was forced back by the blow as he blocked while Eskar dodged the attack and managed to get a powerful rising sword slice and a spinning low slash that seemed to bite at The Havel's leg. Oscar rushed in with a thrust and the Havel forced him back with an attack while he punched Eskar with his great shield and forced him to skid back.
The battle continued as the warriors kept trading blows. Oscar and Eskar seemed to be gaining an advantage against the Havel, but the stone knight went into a frenzy and sped up his attacks as it constantly switched targets between the two. Eskar dodged three massive swings in a row before dodging another with a low spinning heel, being assisted this time as Oscar charged the Havel Knight with a two-handed strike, hitting its shoulder and forcing it to stagger from any hit it received. Eskar followed up the heel kick with a rising kick that hit the Havel's chin, and then did a spinning push palm that glowed orange and seemed to make the entire body of the heavily armored knight shake as it stumbled back. As it did, Oscar hit it on the back of the head with a sword slash, a backhand strike of the sword to the chest, and a shield punch to the gut. The Havel blocked Oscar's subsequent attack and countered with his own swing, forcing Oscar to roll. The Have Knight was about to strike again, but Eskar hit it on the side with a light rising cut, a roundhouse kick, and a dashing slash, getting out of the way as the Havel switched targets to him instead of Oscar.
Oscar struck and landed a thrust on the Havel Knight's back, he went for a second thrust and hit the Havel again before going in for an uppercut slice. The Havel blocked that attack and was pestered by a great soul arrow from Eskar. The Havel Knight quickly did two swings, once which Oscar dodged, and another he was forced to block and was pushed backwards, using the momentum, The Havel jumped in the air and nearly landed a jumping attack on Eskar. He went for a second attack, one that Eskar stopped before it could get far and countered with a low slash to the thigh and an elbow to the helmet, right before being slammed by the Havel's great shield. Eskar rolled on the ground and got up with a dashing slash, getting out of the way just as the Havel was about to crush him with another slam of its weapon.
The two of them blocked and stopped the Havel's attacks before they could be performed and landed hits of their own, Oscar with heavy strikes on the sides and Eskar with strong slashes and kicks at the front. The Havel got the better of them as it hit Eskar with the pommel of the Dragon Tooth and then turned around and flung Oscar back as he blocked a powerful one-handed swing. He tried to crush Eskar, but Eskar rolled out of the way and fired a great soul arrow, the last of his spells. The Havel stumbled back and tried to charge Eskar, only for it to be pushed back by Eskar's Shockwave Tension Art and then being pelted by a lightning spear courtesy of Oscar. As Oscar threw a second one, the Havel blocked, but it gave the opportunity for Eskar to go in with a sliding sash at the Havel's legs, forcing him to drop to one knee. Even so… the Havel quickly tried to hit Eskar and forced him back with a wild swing, but left himself open for Oscar to stab him in the back.
Oscar managed to thrust a large portion of his sword through the Havel's back, but the stone knight seemed to use it as a way to finally land a powerful hit. Spinning with the sword still inside him, the Havel Knight hit Oscar directly with a hit that slammed him and made a crack on one of the walls, leaving Oscar flat on the ground and unmoving. Eskar quickly got the attention of the Havel Knight as he struck at his back with two rising slashes and a horse kick. The Havel Knight responded with a furious retaliation, blocking the next sword slash with his great shield and pushing Eskar back before going in for another massive swing. As Eskar tried to Faejin parry, the Havel bashed him again with the shield and forced him to jump back. As Eskar saw another attack coming, he used his Earthquake and held the Havel in place, landing a sword thrust… but he was then headbutted and had his sword knocked away as the Havel hit it with his Dragon Tooth. The attacks continued and Eskar avoided three attacks and landed a couple punches and kicks, but the Havel was undeterred as it rushed forward and did a swing that Eskar ducked, but was followed with another seemingly fast swing that Eskar could not dodge… instead, he unfolded Rysrin's sword and blocked, that attack flinging him to a wall in a similar way to Oscar.
It was bad. Eskar was barely able to move, and as he slowly got up, he saw that Oscar did not look much better either. No matter the damage they did, the Havel Knight seemed to be an unstoppable monster, almost as if it didn't even feel pain. As it moved to try and crush him once again, Eskar tried to think of options. He could move, and he would fight, but he did wonder how much more he could last, and if he could even win the fight. He didn't have to think about his odds for long as the Havel was hit by a lightning spear and a soul spear, rolling on the ground with the impact of the spells. Eskar looked to the ones responsible for the spells and noticed Solaire and Beatrice, and he indeed was glad that they had reached him and Oscar.
Beatrice didn't waste time and threw a fire orb before creating a soul mass while Solaire threw another lightning spear. The Havel Knight was hit by the fire orb but blocked the lightning spear, it seemed ready to begin charging towards his new opponents as well, up until it received a shockwave at its back. Oscar had used his Estus Flask and recovered the Drake Sword, but he wasn't the only one getting back up, as Eskar had used what was left of the Tension on his Shads to heal himself as well. The Havel Knight was surrounded, and together they were able to deliver attacks that otherwise alone the Havel Knight would've seen coming. Oscar sent out another shockwave with the Drake Sword and the Havel Knight was forced to block, leaving himself exposed to a lightning spear from Solaire and another fire orb from Beatrice, it turned around to face them, and it got surprised by a flying punch from Eskar, allowing Beatrice's soul mass to hit, and for Solaire to run in with an attack of his own.
The four of them combined took down the Havel Knight in no time, they could see it was weakened and that it wouldn't last much longer. But it wasn't going to be beaten without putting up a fight until the end. The Havel Knight did a spinning swing to try and hit all his opponents, he managed to hit Oscar and sent him flying back. He then managed to hit Eskar with a backhand swing and sent him rolling on the ground, he then threw his great shield and hit Beatrice and knocked her on her back and out of air. Finally, he knocked Solaire's shield aside and then hit him with a swing that slammed him against the ground. Solaire quickly stood up and charged at the Havel Knight, the stone armored knight evaded the attack and then knocked Solaire against another wall, and he would have finished Solaire with a crushing blow… had not Eskar gotten in the way.
Eskar stood in front of Solaire and blocked the attack the best he could, the impact of the Dragon Tooth breaking Rysrin's sword into Essence and hitting Eskar through one of the corners of the sewer walls. Eskar's body tumbled past the rubble and laid unmoving.
"No…" Oscar worried and stood up after taking another swig of his flask. Solaire got up and was now wrestling with the Havel Knight for control of his weapon. Beatrice got up as well and fired a great heavy soul arrow, stunning the Havel Knight and letting Solaire shove him to the side right into a blow from Oscar's Drake Sword. The Havel Knight recoiled, getting ready to make another last-ditch effort against his enemies… sadly, he didn't see another opponent incoming.
"Hyyaaaa!" A voice roared and brought down a Zweihander on the knight, slamming him against the ground and having enough power to finish him off. As the Havel Knight began to dissipate into souls, the man covered in Catarinian armor gave a hearty laugh.
"I see we meet again! Are you in trouble?" Siegmeyer asked the standing warriors, that was when he noticed them staring at Eskar's unmoving body. "Oh dear…"
The four of them rushed and turned Eskar's body over as they knelt next to him, he was limp… and there seemed to be no reaction coming from the Absolver as they tried to shake him awake.
"Eskar… please respond…" Beatrice tried to think of anything they could do, of anything she could do, but she was not a cleric, she could not heal him. Eskar didn't seem to respond, but he put all his strength into putting his hand in Beatrice's, he then looked at her.
"Just… stretch… your hand…" Eskar said before collapsing, then right before them, his body folded into raw Essence and coalesced into a ball of energy with a tiny mask inside.
"Is he… " Siegmeyer wasn't sure what to think. He had heard Masked Ones didn't die like other people, but he had never seen it.
"He's not undead… but he…" Oscar was in a much similar situation.
"Stretch… your hand." Beatrice managed to repeat as she stared into the ball of energy, all she could focus on was what Eskar had said. She felt something on her hand, something he gave her, she opened her palm and she saw one of his Shards. As she pieced the puzzle together, she stretched her hand towards the ball with the mask. But nothing happened.
"Please…" Beatrice didn't know what would happen to Eskar if he died, and didn't want to find out. She now knew that he would fold and turn into this ball that seemed to preserve him. But she didn't know for how long, and the ball seemed to be flickering. If the ball ceased to exist, she didn't know what would happen… and so she focused on the SHard as best she could and stretched her hand. She felt something, a tingling, a sound, as she felt that she stretched her hand further in the ball… and soon she felt Eskar's hand on hers. Right before their eyes, Eskar folded back into the world of the living with a massive gasp of air.
"Oh thank goodness…" Beatrice let out a breath she had been holding as she helped Eskar to a sitting position.
"Are you alright friend?" Solaire asked him.
"I… I… Died. But... I am better now." Eskar let out a sigh of relief, it was the first time he had died in Lordran. He hadn't known what would happen… and he only wished he had been more careful.
"So… if you would happen to die, you wouldn't return to a bonfire?" Siegmeyer asked as the five of them rested near one bonfire. After their battle was over, Solaire had guided them towards a bonfire he had found for some much needed rest and replenishing.
"I do not know. And I would rather not test it out." Eskar said. " For now… I'm relieved at least that I can still be folded back. Thank you." Eskar as he turned to Beatrice.
"Just… don't worry us like that again. I did not come with you all this way for you to not find your people." Beatrice said as she gave Eskar the Shard back. Eskar nodded and took the Shard.
"I would admit, I did believe for a second that at least another one of us would die down there. Who could imagine having to deal with two powerful invaders." Solaire commented.
"The Havel Knight… he wasn't an invader, but I do not know what would go through his head. No Hollow I've ever known has traveled so far and recognized someone." Oscar said.
"You are saying it's the same knight from the tower?" Beatrice asked.
"Igen. It was him." Eskar confirmed.
"Do tell, what have you done to anger a knight of Bishop Havel in such a way?" Siegmeyer asked.
"Some days ago, right before we met you, Sir Solaire, we explored the abandoned tower that separates the Burg, the walls, and the Darkroot Garden. It is the one further east… we entered the tower's lower levels and faced a Have Knight that seemed to have gone Hollow… we killed it, but… it seems it wasn't Hollow after all. And it seems like it has gotten stronger." Oscar retold the events.
"Incredible. You three have faced such adversaries, and also faced the infamous Knight of Thorns? My oh my, I must say I'm impressed. Your triumphs deserve a toast, friends! Hah hah ha!" Siegmeyer said as he drank a toast of Siegbrau.
"We would have been in much more trouble if you didn't decide to appear. Thank you Sir Siegmeyer." Beatrice thanked the knight.
"If it isn't much to ask, how is it that you happened to be around? How have you fared since the last time we saw you?" Oscar asked him.
"Oh, well to be quite frank, I was pretty lost down there. Ever since we split up a couple of days ago, I've been exploring and trying to find a route out of this maze. The only thing I have found are rats, Slimes, and Basilisks. I was actually taking a nap, mulling over which direction to go, but then, I began to hear a distant sound. I would recognize the sound of fighting even a town away, so I followed the sound and found you fighting the Havel Knight. It was only right to go and be of assistance. Hah hah hah." Siegmeyer laughed.
"Thank you," Eskar said to the night of Catarina.
"I say it benefits everyone, with all of us together I'm sure we'll find the right direction in no time. Of course… where do you happen to be going?" Siegmeyer asked.
"In order to reach The Second Bell of Awakening, we need to reach Blighttown. If thou knows the way, then we would be in your debt once again." Oscar said.
"Hmm… Mmmm. I don't believe I know the right path, I'm deeply sorry." Siegmeyer responded.
"Ah, Blighttown. The access to it it's said to be only accessible through one large canyon, and through a giant door as well. Could it be…" Solaire said out loud.
"Hmm?" Beatrice wondered.
"Oh. Remember where we passed through dear Beatrice? The room with the Slimes we left behind? That room seems to lead to a giant door that could very well be the door to Blighttown. Although it is said that in order to reach Blighttown, one must have a key." Solaire said.
"I've heard of it. The people of the Depths wanted to make sure to remain separated from the people of Blighttown, and the place in general. But where would one find a key?" Beatrice wondered.
"Oh, could it be that Wizard fellow? The one that keeps watch over that giant hole and commands the rats. I had the… misfortune of seeing he does not care for conversation." Siegmeyer said.
"Commands all the rats?" Oscar wondered.
"We might have faced him, before you and Eskar fell," Beatrice said. Solaire Oscar and Eskar now remembered the magically protected rats that they had fought on the tight corridors.
"If nothing else, it's a place to start," Eskar said.
"If that's the case. I do believe we now know where to go and what we should do. Marvelous what we can do when we put our heads together eh? Heh heh heh." Siegmeyer laughed, and the others agreed.
With the five of them rested and replenished, they were able to deal with the wizard and the rats that Siegmeyer had mentioned without much issue. The wizard had turned out to be a Channeler, similar to the one that Beatrice and Eskar had faced on the Undead Parish. That however did bring other questions.
"A Channeler of Seath the Scaleless? What could he be doing here? Hmm…" Siegmeyer brought a hand to his chin as he stood over the corpse of the Channeler.
"It is said that the Paledrake wants to have eyes everywhere. But I cannot begin to fathom why he would consider the Depths important." Beatrice said.
"Was there anything it guarded over?" Eskar asked.
"Only this grand empty room." Oscar looked over the railing and towards the broken yard below. "Unless it leads somewhere, I do not see anything that would mark it as a place of importance."
"There are a couple of corpses." Eskar was able to spot the corpses in the far distance.
"I wonder if there's even a way for us to reach down there." Solaire wondered.
"Not from here, apparently," Beatrice said.
"Well, I'm sorry to say I don't have any other suggestions as to where a key that would lead to Blighttown would be." Siegmeyer apologized.
"I and Eskar explored the area with the Basilisks, and with Beatrice, we also searched the area with the enormous rat. There was no key to be found… the only one we found was a copy that led to the bonfire that Solaire found." Oscar said.
"Ah yes, that key I found on the corpse of an Undead Butcher. There was no other key I could find." Solaire added.
"Hmm… is there perhaps a way for us to make that door budge? Or perhaps for it to give us a clue?" Siegmeyer suggested.
"There's always a chance. Then perhaps we should go ahead and find this door." Beatrice said.
"Then we shall go," Oscar said as he avoided stepping on the corpse of one of the rats. "Sir Solaire. Can you lead the way?"
"I believe I can be Sir Oscar. Most of the rats stay away from that door, and the Simes nearby can be avoided by simply strolling by. Hah hah hah hah. Oh, but do watch the ceiling. I do believe some like to stick to it and drop from above." Solaire warned them and led the way towards the door that led to Blighttown.
As the party moved through the sewers of the Depths, Beatrice hung close to Eskar. She could tell something was on his mind, and she did wonder if it was related to his death. And perhaps the effect of dying on a world that wasn't his own.
"Are you okay Eskar?" She asked.
"Hmm?"
"You seem lost in thought… is it… are alright? Is an Absolver's revival more… troublesome than one from an Undead?"
"... I would not know. I do not know what it is to die like an Undead. The only thing I know, from what I've been able to gather, is that the pain of death is the same. But I'm not cursed… I am not… Hollowing." Eskar paused. He did ponder if he could get the curse… but it didn't seem to be the case, the only thing that he had to worry about was the mental strain of dying and reviving, in and of itself something dangerous. But something he had surpassed and grown accustomed to… to an extent.
"... Do you believe you can get the curse?" Beatrice asked.
"I do not know. What about you? If you died… would you get the curse? Or would that be the end of you?" Eskar asked.
"... Hard to say. One gets the curse from dying, but not all that die have gotten the curse." Beatrice responded. Eskar wondered which option she would prefer, but he stopped himself from asking. "Is this what you've been thinking about?" Beatrice asked.
"No… Oscar and I, we spotted an Absolver in the distance. It ran away the moment it looked at us." Eskar said and Beatrice understood.
"Did you call them in your language?"
"I did… and they still ran. I do not know why, but I got the feeling they are around here. Somewhere." Eskar responded.
"We will find them," Beatrice reassured him, earning a nod from the Absolver. He was thankful for the gesture, and thankful for her assistance on his quest.
The party traveled for a couple of minutes, avoiding the Slimes as Solaire had told them, and soon they reached the locked gate that led to Blighttown. The gate was large, rusty, and seemed reinforced with layers of metal. The bars on the sides of it were also robust and spiked, reaching almost to the ceiling of the tunnel and leaving much room for them to try and climb the gate. But the gate was not the only thing they found, they found a peddler as well.
"Aye, siwmae. And good day to you." Said the cross-legged man with a strange helmet with horns. The helmet itself was gold and his attire seemed to be the one of an explorer and trader of rare goods. What they could tell for certain was that the man was a foreigner to Lordran. Eskar had wondered for a second if the man was another Masked One. But his instincts seemed to tell him he was not.
"Good day… what are you doing in the Depths?" Oscar asked.
"Oh well, you see, I'm Domhnall of Zena, a peddler of sorts. I adore trinkets and oddities, so I trade and search for them. Many oddities end up down here believe it or not. But truth be told, I never expected anyone else to be down here." Domhnall said.
"Hmm… I suppose it's true." Oscar granted.
"Aye, siwmae. I also didn't expect this many people. You are colorful individuals, it's rather charming. A sorceress, a Catarinian, two knights… and even a Masked One. Hmmm… uh… An boldogulsz?(Are you faring well?)" Domhnall asked in Eskar's language, much to the surprise of everyone.
"Vi... parles Adalianul?" (You... speak Adalian?) Eskar asked. "You've met other Masked Ones, haven't you." He then said in the language of Lordran.
"Ah, I see you have learned another language as well. Pardon me, as for your question, yes, I have. It was difficult but I managed to establish a trade with some others like you. Interesting people once you get to meet them." Domhnall chuckled.
"Did you meet them here in Lordran?" Beatrice asked him.
"Hmm… well. No, I did meet Masked Ones on my travels, but I do not know where they are now. But I can say they were heading to this land. If you keep venturing Lordran, you should find some of your kind sooner or later… some of them do have a supply of Crystals and Essence if you are looking for that."
"They have Essence?!" Eskar asked.
"Yes indeed…" Domnhall said as he showed his wares, revealing a multitude of items. Going from weapons made of crystal, resins, a bottomless box, a set of keys, and a set of weapons and yellow glowing powder. They were folding weapons and Essence. "Crystals are very close to the soul, and combining them with this mineral, I've… accidentally created things I could have never had imagined. The weapons and the shield are brittle, but they will reform themselves at a bonfire, and if they ever need to be stowed-" Domnhnall lifted one sword and let it vanish in his hand as it folded. "You only need to thin it, and it will disappear. Always ready for when you need it." Domhnall said as he unfolded the blade back and placed it on the ground.
Eskar noticed that these weren't normal folding weapons, they were made so that even people without Shards could use them. Fascinating in it of itself, if such a thing could be made with this world's material and pure Essence rather than Fragments and Tension. Then he needed to get some. "You are selling the Essence?" Eskar asked.
"Aye, siwmae. We can trade in souls, or perhaps is there a trinket you would consider an oddity?" Domhnall asked.
Eskar thought for a couple of seconds, thinking if there was anything he had that he could consider and oddity, and what could be of value for someone like Domhnall. He did eventually think of one thing he had that was peculiar, and even if he couldn't use it, perhaps Domhnall would find some inspiration from it. And so he unfolded one of the many masks he had. The Live Drops Mask.
"You shouldn't be able to use it as Masked One, nor should you try. But perhaps this would suffice." Eskar handed over the wooden mask as the black drops on its face shifted and moved to create different forms.
"Fascinating… quite a good trade. This will certainly go a long way to for a fair supply of Essence. I cannot promise much else, however." Domhnall said.
"What if we added fragments and souls? I'd be willing to give another object as well." Eskar said as he showed Domhnall pieces of Gleam that he had collected, ones that no longer carried any connection to the Fold.
"Oooh. Marvelous. Yes, siwmae! This will suffice!" Domhnall cheered as he let Eskar and the others peruse to their heart's content. They had indeed been marveled by Domnhalls wares, if nothing else, some of them were hard to find, and the rest were useful. Solaire bought Gold Pine Resin, Oscar did the same but also looked at a Foldable Shield. Eskar and Beatrice were interested in the Essence, but Beatrice was interested in some of the Crystals that Domhnall had, as they seemed to be able to be used to enhance or store spells… weather sorceries or Tension Arts, but also even to block ailments such as poison, bleeding, and curses. Siegmeyer was curious about some of the foldable weapons. He picked up a shortsword and was marveled at how the blade disappeared, and yet he could still feel it.
"I must say. This is remarkable… I feel as if I'm paying with ancient artifacts." He praised.
"They are not oddities for nothing my friend." Domhnall proudly said.
"Hmmm. Then what kind of trinket are those keys?" Siegmeyer asked.
"Oh, those are rather simple in fact. These are a set of Master Keys, coveted by thieves and others of less savory work, those keys will help you get through most locked gates." Domhnall said.
"Hmm."
"Are they also for sale?" Eskar asked.
"Of course they are. Everything I have to show is meant to be traded. And with what you have already given me, I say you can take those keys. I should have another set around to sell, and another to use. Heh heh." Domhnall gave a hearty laugh and the party took their items, the ring of keys included.
"Heh heh. Thank you. That was a fine trade. I have this funny feeling we will meet again, and we'll make another fine trade, of course! Until then, I bid you fair travels." Domhnall bowed his head to the party.
"And to you Sir Domhnall." Oscar bowed his head as well. "Are you thinking that those keys will work on the gate?" Oscar asked Eskar.
"Oh… hmm. You've been fine trading partners. So I'll go ahead and say that, no. Sadly not all locks can be opened by those keys. Don't misunderstand me, most can, but locks like the ones of that gate…. Those are special." Domhnall said.
"Damn… seems we'll still have to search for the key," Beatrice muttered.
"And… I'm willing to part with a tip. Free of charge! The guardian of that key is nearby, just follow that hallway and descend to the yard below. There, it should show itself." Domhnall said to them.
"Truly? The guardian is waiting in that place?" Solaire asked, slightly curious.
"I do not know why it has the key, maybe it ate it. But I won't lie to you, it cannot be reasoned with. A giant beast that can swallow you whole. It will see you and attempt to devour you. But I get the feeling you five can take it down without much issue. Perhaps there's even help you can summon." The trader said.
"Thanks for the warning trader. I'm sure the five of us can take on this beast. Hah hah hah hah!" Siegmeyer laughed enthusiastically, practically ready to face the beast in this new adventure. The others didn't quite share his enthusiasm, but they were confident as well. And so the five of them moved towards the hallway.
"Oh! And… do not stay near the mouth for any reason. It could try and… bite… but I happen to know it can also attempt to spew things out." Domhnall gave one final warning.
"Thanks, Domhnall." Beatrice thanked him as she and the others went on to fight the guardian of the key.
"I get the feeling that the trader knew this would be here." Oscar said as they stared at the summon sign that was next to a corpse with a heavy crossbow.
"Should we follow his advice then?" Eskar asked. The party knew of the benefit of one extra member in order to face this guardian, especially when a fog gate blocked the path to the yard.
"The more the compatriots, the better our chances. As a warrior of Sunlight, I say that help on the battlefield should be accepted when offered. There's no reason to not accept this warrior's help." Solaire said.
"Hmm… perhaps it would be prudent." Siegmeyer granted.
"There's no harm in it," Beatrice said as well. And so Oscar stepped forward and touched the summon sign. Summoning the phantom to their world, the phantom of Knight Lautrec.
"It is you." Oscar said. Recognizing him alongside Eskar and Beatrice.
"... Huh. Well. We meet again." Lautrec said once he was done rising from his summon sign. "I suppose there's something you need help with then. I myself want to know what's behind that gate… though I wonder if a group this big might be… excessive. But I won't say no to assisting you and earning Humanity. Khe heh heh."
"Then we shall face this threat together!" Siegmeyer cheered.
"Hmm… we shall see." Lautrec was weary of Siegmeyer's enthusiasm, but he followed them all the same through the fog gate.
Once they crossed the fog gate they spread out across the yard and looked for a sign of the guardian they had been told about. Nothing came in sight until what seemed to be a reptile's head popped up from the far end of the yard. Peeking over the ledge of the seemingly bottomless hole at the end of the yard. The reptile stared at all of them and seemed to be assessing them.
"Is that the beast that can swallow us whole?" Beatrice wondered.
"This seems like it might be a tad too easy." Lautrec sighed in disappointment.
Their doubts were snuffed as the reptile soon climbed and more of its body became visible. They quickly realized that it was a large creature as the first arms became visible. But once the spiked teeth at the chest and abdomen began to show they realized how truly massive the thing was. And once its full body came into view, they realized that the beast was colossal. And they figured as well what Domhnall had referred to with it being able to swallow them whole. Only… they now didn't know if that was the right way to put it. The Gaping Dragon roared with its deformed chest mouth (if it even could be called that) filled with razor-sharp teeth as it stood upright in its four hinge legs.
"Oh…" Lautrec was no longer disappointed, in fact, he was mildly worried.
"What is that thing?!" Oscar exclaimed.
"Those wings at its back… it must be… A dragon or drake of some kind." Beatrice gasped as she and the others took a couple of steps back.
"Are… Can we kill it?" Eskar wondered for a second.
"Everything can bleed… I hope…" Lautrec commented.
"Even if it's some sort of dragon. It's not an everlasting one… its scales can be pierced." Beatrice told the others.
"If it is a dragon…" Solaire looked towards Oscar. "I believe it's time for the Sunlight Warriors to hunt a dragon. Hah hah hah!" Solaire cheered as he formed a lightning spear. Oscar nodded and he did the same. They were soon joined by Eskar and Beatrice as they prepared sorceries alongside them. The four of them sent out their projectiles and pelted the Gaping Dragon's scales and body, much to their relief, it seemed like they hurt it as it tried to swat the attacks away with its arms. That was when the Gaping Dragon began to move forward.
"Watch out!" Eskar called out and they braced themselves as the dragon slammed its torso into the ground, crushing one of the nearby pillars, and then began to crawl towards them. Shredding the ground underneath it with its teeth.
"Move out of the way, do not stay in front of it!" Oscar called to the other and everyone obliged. Oscar himself could understand now why Domhnall warned them to not stay in front of its mouth, or even near it. All of them ran out of the way of the Gaping Dragon as it shredded through the yard, but as did so, it left itself open for other attacks as well. Beatrice fired a soul mass and a soul spear, Eskar fired a great soul arrow and slashed at one of the creature's legs.
"Hya!" Siegmeyer let out a war cry as he cleaved through one of the legs with his Zweihander while Lautrec cut at another leg with his shotels. Solaire hung back and sent forward another lightning spear, and Oscar grasped the Drake Sword and landed a two-handed downwards strike on the creature's tail.
The Gaping Dragon roared as it kept being pelted with attacks, miracles, and other spells. It thrashed and turned around with a tail swipe that most of them had to run to avoid. Siegmeyer wasn't so lucky as he got pushed back by the attack. The Gaping Dragon then stood upright and jumped to spin around and face his opponents.
"Stand back! Is coming back down!" Beatrice yelled. Soon enough the creature slammed back down and made the ground shake. The party kept their balance, but had to move out of the way as the Gaping Dragon stepped forwards and tried to smack them with two of its arms. Solaire blocked one of the claw swipes and Lautreck and Eskar rolled out of the way of the other, they were all fairly close, and had to step back as the dragon began to stomp to try and crush them.
"We need to stay behind it!" Eskar called out to the others.
"Then let's circle it!" Lautrec responded and the other nodded. The closest people would circle around the best they could while the people on the far side would do the same from afar. Solaire, Eskar, and Lautrec struck the sides of the beast and at its legs while Oscar and Beatrice pelted it from the far side. Siegmeyer rejoined the fight as well and was ready to strike back at the beast. The six of them circled the beast once more as it tried to swipe or slam itself into the ground again, crawling to its right to try and catch Oscar. But the night managed to jump out of the way at the last second, making the Gaping Dragon stop as it got stopped by the wall.
"Hyaa!" Siegmeyer released another war cry as it moved to strike at the dragon's head. Doing three consecutive attacks that hit the dragon's head with all his strength. The Gaping Dragon recoiled and stood upright as the damage it received made it stagger. At the same time, it got pelted by lightning spears by the Warriors of Sunlight, got hit by sorceries and pyromancies and by Beatrice, and got viciously attacked on the back of the tail and legs by both Eskar and Lautrec. Both of them dual wielding and using their respective pair of weapons to deliver attack after attack. The Gaping Dragon felt another strike on its front leg and noticed Siegmeyer cleaving away at it. With a single swipe it grabbed Siegmeyer and got ready to swallow him… but before it could do so, Eskar climbed and jumped all the way to the top of its back and stabbed Rysrin's in the dragon's arm, forcing the Gaping Dragon to shriek in pain. Eskar folded Rysrin's sword and used his other sword to thrust into the beats and climb all the way to its head.
Eskar wasn't alone, Lautrec had joined him and was also stabbing his shotels repeatedly on the giant creature's back. As Eskar reached the head, Beatrice landed a soul spear on the dragon's head. Making it recoil and giving Eskar room to climb and make a combustion spell to the creature's head. Siegmeyer was still trapped in the creature's grasp, but that was when he used his new folding shortsword and thrust it on the creatures arm, just as Lautrec kept stabbing it, Beatrice hit with another soul mass, Eskar used his Earthquake right on its head, and Solaire and Oscar cleaved at its tail together.
"Raaagh!" Oscar yelled as he used a shockwave strike of the Drake Sword and finally cut the dragon's tail, the tail itself transforming into a weapon as it was cut off. The Gaping Dragon thrashed from all the damage it was taking, letting go of Siegmeyer and stumbling in a weakened state. The damage from the spells and the blood loss for its tail had been so much that it was forced to begin spitting acid from its mouth.
"Stay out of that!" Beatrice shouted and everyone that was on the ground ran away from the Gaping Dragon.
"Ugh. What a disgusting smell." Siegmeyer said as he managed to run out of the reach of the acid as it rapidly dissolved into the ground.
As Eskar and Lautrec remained atop the Gaping Dragon, Lautrech reached for its neck and Eskar thrust downwards with his sword. Piercing the skull of the Gaping Dragon while Lautrec lacerated at the beast's neck. As the Gaping Dragon howled, Beatrice, Oscar and Solaire hit with another barrage of sorceries, pyromancies, and lightning spears, making the dragon falter. The dragon finally collapsed as Esar stood on its head and delivered a hammer kick right at the pomme of his sword pushing his sword further downwards and the dragon with it. Its head slamming into the ground.
"Rhaagh!" Siegmeyer let out a final roar and performed a jump attack that broke what remained of the dragon's skull, finally killing it. "Hoo… Haa… Quite the performance. I… feel I owe you my life." Siegmeyer said to Eskar between shaky breaths. Eskar nodded as he and Lautrec jumped off the dragon as it dissolved into souls and left behind the weapon from its tail and the key to Blighttown.
"We did it! Heh heh heh!" Oscar couldn't help but laugh and marble.
"I say it was a job well done…" Lautrec said before noticing his disappearing body. "We might see each other again. Or perhaps not. Khe heh heh." He laughed as he vanished.
"In all my travels… this is the largest monster I ever helped slay," Beatrice said out loud, a hint of pride at what they accomplished.
"This feeling. I knew we would have grand adventures together." Solaire happily cheered.
"Estis sárkányt necavit. Heh." (A dragon has been slayed. Heh) Eskar himself felt astonished that they could fell such a massive beast. "And now we have the key." He said as he picked up the key to Blighttown.
A/N: First death, it was going to happen. This is Dark Souls and Absolver. Once again the NPCs and invaders are harder than the bosses. The Gaping Dragon is not the most difficult fight, to be honest, it can be done fairly easily at the level in two minutes or less. Also Kirk… if I'm honest after playing Dark Souls again some time ago… he's a rather easy fight as well.
Nevertheless, he's been slightly buffed. Oh, and yeah. Havel's around. And he's not leaving just yet either, I'll tell you that. I also did take the opportunity to make Domhnall's shop selection a bit more interesting.
As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Follow, favorite, and review if you so desire. Have a good day. And hopefully, I'll see you on the next one.