A/N: I'll admit, the last chapter for me felt… somewhat odd in pacing. I'm hoping this one will be better in that regard. Let's get to it.
Beta: Genatools (In Spirit)
Chapter 14: Rise from the Pit.
The descent into the toxic swamp of Blighttown was fairly straightforward. After scavenging everything they could from the scaffolding town and their defeated residents, they met at the platform that seemed to connect to the passageways Siegmeyer had mentioned. Together they had managed to scrounge up a shield with eagle designs, Humanity, some moss, and a set of easterner' Shadow Garb. They wondered if perhaps it belonged to the Lost Prospects or to Esar's people, but Eskar debunked the idea, as even the attire of Adal agents and operators tended to be of different make and either more protective, or have even less armor than the set of armor they acquired, leaving the only option they could think of being of eastern origin.
As they descended through the tunnels behind the wall, they found the remains of a mining operation, a whip included amongst those remains. It seemed the foremen of Blighttown would not tolerate anyone mining at a slower pace, mistreatment probably aiding in people acquiring new diseases once the plague arrived. Regardless, they made it to the lower sections of the wall in no time after descending multiple ladders and reached the swamp itself. But down there… They were met by giant bugs that seem to be thirsting for their blood, and monstrosities that seem to have malformed from a human body into a being with giant mouths that breath fire, insect wings, deformed flesh arms legs, and tails, and set upon sets of disturbing insect eyes. Cragspiders was the term for them.
"Rhaaagh!" Siegmeyer roared as he did an upwards swing with his Zweihander, hitting and knocking at Cargspider on its back with the strength of the swing. He also wasn't doing any of his usual boisterous roars or cries into battle. No, his roars instead were far more grave, as they came from a legitimate mixture of fear and horror from the appearance of the Cragspiders.
"There's more of those insects!" Oscar called out as shielded the fire breath of one of the Cragspiders. The five of them were barely outside the wall and descending a set of wooden platforms as they were met with a swarm of these creatures, but even so. They were easily disposable, and they were making headway through them.
Eskar jumped off one of the walls to get over Oscar and descend on the Cragspider with an Illusion Twist kick. Slamming it to the ground and then skewering the monster alongside OScar with their blades. As they kept moving Oscar, swung at a giant mosquito and killed it in a single hit, Solaire managed to push a Cragspider off the wooden platforms with a lightning spear, Beatrice and Eskar used their soul arrows to kill three Cragspiders in a barrage of soul energy, and Siegmeyer charged forward and performed a massive horizontal swing that killed two giant mosquitoes and a Cragspider.
"Ha! The path is clear!" Siegmeyer called and his four companions quickly advanced to the next segment of the wooden platforms, more enemies awaiting them.
"There seems to be no end to them!" Beatrice called out as she sniped two more mosquitoes out of the air before they could approach. The mosquitoes might as well be a nuisance compared to other things they had fought. But they were numerous and dangerous in their own way, if not taken care of, they could be responsible for a deadly mishap. And that was not considering the poison they spread.
Eskar aided Beatrice in taking care of the mosquitoes, even if they could be taken care of easily, they were taking a fair amount of spell slots and magic from Beatrice. Magic and spell slots that were already depleted from the previous fighting. Eskar used his soul darts to shoot the mosquitoes out of the air. They were a sorcery that used his Shards instead, a source of magic he could regenerate fairly quickly now.
"Watch out!" Eskar called out as a Cragspider tried to use its wings to jump at them from the swamp. It failed as Eskar used his Gravity Tension Art and brought it down onto the wooden planks, letting Oscar finish it off with a thrust through its mouth.
Solaire jumped to a lower platform with a plunging attack, killing one Cragspider and charging towards the next one. Siegmeyer followed him and was able to strike down another jumping Cragspider with a quick swing. Oscar remained at the center of the party. Taking care of the Cragspiders that remained behind while Solaire and Seigmeyer charged ahead. He finished one of them with a combination of two sword swings, a roundhouse kick, a downwards shield punch, and a downwards strike from his sword. He then turned around and threw a lightning spear at another before going in with a thrust, followed by a powerful two-handed upwards swing as he pulled his sword from the monster. With both hands on his sword, he charged at the third Cragspider and defeated it with a two-handed rushing thrust, flowing into two downwards swings and then into a horizontal slash that cleaved the Cragspider open. He kicked the Cragspider away as it began to fall limp and struck two giant mosquitos out of the air. One with a precise sword slash, the other with a backhand of his gauntlet.
Another Cragspider attempted to jump and attack him, but just as it did, Eskar jumped down from the platform above him to intercept it with reverse downwards thrust. Pinning it to the ground and then kicking it into the air with a rising kick as he wrenched his sword, ending it with a spinning back kick that launched the Cragspider into the swamp. Oscar nodded towards Eskar and he returned the gesture, immediately springing into action as another set of Cragspiders jumped from the swamp and up into their platform. Eskar avoided one's poking attack with a sidestep and then did a double slash that cut at its side, delivered a hammer kick, and then performed a rising kick to knock it into the air, killing it with an arching swing as he passed beneath it. Meanwhile, Oscar passed by him and tackled one with a shield bash, knocking it to the ground on its back and killing it by driving his sword through most of its body and into its head. As another Cragspider tried to get close and attack, Eskar rushed forward with a palm strike, hitting just as the Cragspider was about to use its fire breath. He then performed a quick jab thrust followed by a powerful knee, a horizontal slash and mill slash that cut through the creature, and finally, a spinning hook kick that made it spin as it was flung off the platform, dying from the impact as it landed in the swamp.
Oscar pried his sword from the Cragspider he had killed and immediately had to defend himself as another Cragspider attempted to breathe fire on him, the flame twisting in an unnatural way and acting almost like a whip as it attempted to bash through his shield. The fire subsided, however, and Oscar was able to counter with a sword swing that hit and knocked the Cragspider away. Right then, Eskar approached and landed three swift one-handed slashes followed by a front kick that knocked the monster's head upwards, giving Oscar an opening to thrust his sword right through it. As they dispatched the Cragspider, more mosquitoes came for them, but Eskar was able to cut one down with a swing of his sword and another with a soul dart. Five more were eager to take their place, however.
As they got close though, five fragments of soul energy sailed to them and killed all the mosquitoes in an instant. Oscar and Eskar turned to see that Beatrice was the one responsible, a coy smile appearing on her face as she adjusted her hat. There was no room for rest, however, as Beatrice quickly looked behind Eskar and Oscar and noticed another Cragspider approaching, dealing with it before it could come close with a great heavy soul arrow, killing it in a single shot. Oscar and Eskar looked back and thanked Beatrice with a nod, three of them quickly moving to go help Solaire and Siegmeyer.
Solaire and Siegmeyer had gotten quickly surrounded by Cragspiders and giant mosquitoes, but they were able to handle them. The mosquitoes however were being a nuisance, constantly spraying blood towards them, hitting them with a smile they could tell was poisonous. Surrounded by six Cragspiders and several mosquitoes it seemed they would have to think of something quickly. The answer to their dilemma came as Eskar, Oscar, and Beatrice arrived all using their spells to get the Cragspiders off their backs. Beatrice killed one with a great heavy soul arrow, Eskar killed another with two great soul arrows, and Oscar killed another with a lightning spear.
As their numbers halved, the Cragspiders rushed to attack. Solaire rolled out of the way and Siegmeyer sidestepped to the best of his abilities. They managed to dodge the creatures and retaliate. Solaire hitting one with his blade and then punching it with his shield. As he did so, he positioned himself to its side and began to push the Cragspider towards Siegmeyer, who rushed against Solaire and brought his Zweihander down on Solaire's shield, cleaving the Cragspider in half against the shield. The two of them turned around and together hit another Cragspider and knocked it several meters back into the swamp. They then turned around and faced the other Cragspider that remained.
Meanwhile, Eskar, Beatrice, and Oscar took care of the mosquitoes. Esakr used his soul dart and throwing knives to kill six mosquitoes in quick succession. Meanwhile, Oscar went down and drew the attention of four mosquitoes, waiting until they got close to rush them and kill them all quickly with precise sword swings before they could fly away. At the same time, Beatrice used her soul mass to kill another five mosquitoes and then focused her soul arrows as three more Cragspider approached. She killed one with two great soul arrows, and took care of a second one with a great heavy soul arrow.
Siegmeyer and Solaire killed a Cragspider, Solair hitting it once with his sword and leaving space for Siegmyer to squash the monster down with his Zweihander. Solaire then turned around as he felt another enemy coming from behind them, the Cragspider that had recently joined in and slipped past as Beatrice killed the other that accompanied it. It jumped towards them with the intention to whip them with its flames, but before it could, Solaire surged forward and drove his sword through it and pinning it to the ground, killing it with the force of the impalement. Siegmeyer turned towards the other Cragspider that remained alive, the one they had flung towards the swamp.
"Hya!" Siegmeyer yelled as he charged towards it. Cutting it in half as he brought down a massive downwards strike on it. The battle ended as Solaire took care of one last giant mosquito that had been harassing them.
"Hua… and that's that I say." Siegmeyer leaned on his sword.
"So many of these things. Their fire… that's no natural light." Solaire looked at one of the bodies of the Cragspiders, the red of their eyes going away and the fire in their "mouths" disappearing into nothingness.
"There were too many… and this swamp… I suppose it would be too much to ask for smooth sailing from here on out." Oscar looked at their surroundings, grimacing as he could spot creatures in the distance that would most likely not be friendly.
"We need to be careful, there's not much more I can do," Beatrice said, the number of spells she had would soon reach its end.
"Do you think you would last another fight?" Eskar asked her. She shook her head in response.
"We could perhaps go back and reach the bonfire, the path should be clear." Solaire offered.
"If we do that we would have to trek all the way down here once again. And face the people of Blighttown and these monsters again. In a way, we would be in the same situation once again." Oscar pointed out.
"What shall we do then? I believe perhaps we can be discreet and- Huff… Ahem-" Siegmeyer began to hack and cough. "Oh…" The rest noticed that Siegmeyer seemed to be having trouble breathing.
"Sir Siegmeyer… are you…" Solaire began.
"I feel a tad lightheaded… and I…" Siegmeyer noticed that his energy seemed to be draining, and that it was becoming difficult to move his body, but he could move still. "I feel nauseous…"
"Nauseous…" Beatrice repeated and took a step closer. Once she did she covered her nose and noticed what it was that seemed to be affecting the Catarina knight. It was the swamp.
"Sir Siegmyer, get out of the swamp! It's affecting you!" She called out. Siegmeyer had gone into the swamp to kill the last Cragspider and was shin dip in its poisonous waste. The smell was already horrendous by just standing close to it, but inside it... The vapor seemed to be strong enough to poison someone in seconds.
"By the gods…" Siegmeyer walked out of the swamp, his head still feeling the effects of it.
"Are you going to be alright?" Eskar asked as he and the others approached him.
"I should be fine… just a bit of time and I should- I should… Graah!" Siegmeyer looked away as he coughed and spat vile from his mouth, lifting his helmet just in time to not stain it. "Oh, dear."
"Your face…" Beatrice noticed.
"Hmm?"
"It's pale and your veins…" Oscar noted as well.
"This is not some mild smell affliction. He's sick. Just from standing in that swamp for too long." Eskar noted as he looked at Siegmeyer's face.
"I… I think I can endure… I… oh." Siegmeyer could stand. But he felt the poisonous effect of the swamp still lingering on him. It felt as if it was sapping his life away, it took a second for him to realize that it was strong enough that it was actually doing so. "I… may need some Estus."
"That won't cure the poison," Solaire noted. "But we should have moss. Right?" Solaire asked the other, and they nodded. They searched their pockets and bags and were able to find some suitable Purple Moss Clumps. Siegmeyer ingested one and immediately he felt the moss doing wonders as he felt the effects of the poison subsiding, it was almost like a sorcery or miracle as he felt it leave his body in an instant.
"I… Ehem… I thank you." Siegmeyer coughed as he recovered himself.
"Here," Eskar spoke and brought his hands closer to Siegmyer, a soft red light emanating from him and then surrounding Siegmeyer. The Healing Tension Art repairing the small damage that the poison had done.
"Oh, thank you. But… you might need this for later. Miss Beatrice has already wasted a large amount of magic, we shouldn't waste more." Siegmeyer said.
"I can recover my Shards. It would be better if none of you have to waste your Estus. I know those flasks should only be used when necessary. And it seems the poison did not do enough to justify wasting it." Eskar said with surprise. He didn't expect his healing to be enough to heal Siegmyer, but it seemed like the poison didn't do much.
"I... suppose you are correct. It did not… harm me as much as I thought. It's mostly horribly nauseating. I can still feel the vile and the stench." Siegmeyer commented.
"It should not be underestimated. I knew this swamp could make people sick… but poisoning by just standing on it. It's worse than I thought… it's beyond anything I imagined." Beatrice commented.
"Hmm… and once I thought that the Depths were repugnant," Solaire said, realizing now that some things could still get worse. The toxic nature of Blighttown was an example, especially for someone that had never been in a similar place.
"I believe my nose shall never recover…" Oscar jested.
"Hah hah hah… oh… I do not think mine will either… Heh… Heh heh heh hah hah hah." Siegmeyer laughed.
"We have much more to traverse…" Oscar said now in a more serious tone.
"And no place to rest it seems," Solaire added.
"We need to be careful… We should try to avoid going directly through the swamp if we can." Beatrice said. For their sakes, and also that of their clothes.
"Hmm…" Eskar nodded, thinking of options. Just then is when he saw something at the corner of his vision. A giant mosquito approaching and nearly surprising them. He immediately threw a throwing knife and nailed the mosquito right in the head killing it.
The five of them became alert as they noticed that more mosquitoes were in the distance, and some of them seemed interested in the carnage they had left behind. Attracted to it like flies to a corpse.
"We also cannot stay here," Eskar said.
"Indeed. Let's move." Oscar and the others agreed and swiftly went ahead to try and find a way to venture through the poisonous swamp.
The five of them managed to find a bonfire. They only wished they had found it sooner. Once they began to move across the swamp they had a couple of options on where to go. They could go straight and towards the strange insect hive in one end of it, further right towards a still-working mill, or go in the opposite direction and go towards the arch tree at the other end of the swamp. They, unfortunately, decided to try their luck by going alongside the furthest away edge and going towards the arch tree. Even if they manage to minimize their time spent on the swamp, there was very little choice on where to step, and along the way, they found nothing but mosquitoes and giant leeches that seemed to spit out Green Titanite Shards and Large Titanite Shards when defeated.
They had found no clear path forward, no place to rest, and each person of the party was forced to use purple moss clumps at least thrice, halving the amount they had in a single unsuccessful trip. With the swamp making it difficult for them to move and with their lack of meaningful progress, they decided to turn in the opposite direction… and much to their chagrin, they found a bonfire sitting inside an old sewage tunnel. A lot of time that was spent worrying about resources could have been avoided if they had found the bonfire first. But at least the place was dry and smelled better than the rest of the swamp funnily enough. They managed to recover their Estus and their spells, giving them a fighting chance. But they had other problems now as well…
"If we are to go through that swamp again… I… I don't think we have enough." Beatrice said to the rest. Even if they were resting by the bonfire, they still felt sick as the odor of the poisonous swamp stuck to their clothes. The poisonous vapors had done a number on them, and venturing further into it would mean they would need to use more moss… and it would continue to dwindle if they went back into the swamp. The swamp was making it difficult for them, especially with five people that needed to consume or use the moss. The more people that needed moss, the sooner it would run out.
"We could perhaps endure through the poison with the use of Estus." Oscar did his best to think of a solution.
"We would be wasting it… And it's easier said than done." Beatrice rebuked the option.
"I must add as well that there are still more creatures in this swamp. Fighting the poison and them would be… foolish. We could use Estus, but two of us cannot even use it." Siegmeyer pointed towards Eskar and Beatrice. "And Miss Beatrice… I would rather not be responsible for your death. The rest of us are Undead or Immortal, and I can only imagine how the poison must be affecting someone that is truly alive."
"You didn't need to worry Sir Siegmeyer. I'll be fine, and none of you should die either. It would be a shame if any of you went Hollow due to this swamp." She said.
"Do we even know where to go?" Eskar suddenly asked. "The massive tree is one direction, to the other, there is that hive. Is that where we would find the Bell?"
"Hmm, I would say so actually." Solaire chimed in. "The Bells are placed with care in corresponding places, meaning they are quite decorated in a sense. In a way, that's the way of the gods. The Undead Parish acted as the holding that kept the Bell above, a place made of stone with a metal Bell to match. That hive seems to be nested on some sort of ruin… which might be the closest one could get to the Parish down here. And I doubt that even the gods would place a Bell in a tree such as the one here."
"Quite insightful." Beatrice was surprised at Solaire's deduction.
"Oh ho ho. I've been traveling far, and for a long while. I do have a head inside this helmet. Hah hah hah hah." Solaire laughed.
"He is right, however. No other place here would be fit for the Bell. If that place is a ruin, it has to be there." Oscar understood the reasoning.
"We still don't know what may lay there, the Bell above had the Gargoyles guarding it. This Bell may have another guardian as well." Beatrice said.
"... Hmm… Seems our only chance will be to press on." Oscar declared.
"We only have six pieces of purple moss and about twenty pieces of blooming. We used much of it already and we did not prepare for needing more. If we are not careful, we'll use all of it." Beatrice said. They had bought two dozens of moss, both purple and blooming, but they had already consumed a lot of it.
"We also have to think that we need to return afterward." She added.
"... There must be a path, a safer path than the one we took. The borders, they were dry… we can use those paths to go across I believe." Oscar pointed outside of the tunnel towards the earth that formed at the edges of the wall, seemingly forming a pathway that didn't make contact with the poisonous swamp.
"If only we had not gone in the other direction, perhaps we would be far better off. Hah ha- Ehem." Siegmeyer suddenly coughed as he felt a powerful smell. "Oh… that's… my armor." he lamented.
"Even if this waste dries, it doesn't seem to do us any favors," Eskar commented. Their attires stained and drenched in waste seemed only to make it easier for the swamp to affect them.
"We are not well… we may have underestimated this place." Oscar admitted.
"... Turning back would be difficult." Beatrice sighed. They knew that if they wanted to return to a place that wasn't infested by disease, they would have to go all the way back through Blighttown and the Depths, not an easy journey by any means. It had already been difficult enough for them.
"We know what we would have to face. And we would be more prepared." Oscar said.
"Yes, but we would then have to return all the way down here. Another journey in it of itself." Solaire pointed out.
"Hmm…" Oscar hummed, they all wanted to return once they were more prepared, with more moss and perhaps with their armors and attire repaired and clean. This time making sure to not make the same mistakes they made. But the journey seemed treacherous enough that they were questioning themselves if they were willing to make it twice more. They wonder if perhaps they even had a choice, as the Bell seemed to be within their reach.
As the five of them tried to come to a decision, Eskar paced, and as he did so, he stared into the tunnel in which the bonfire resided, looking towards the darkness of the sewage tunnel.
"Would this tunnel lead to the Depths?" Eskar wondered as he stared into the darkness.
The thought or hope of it was enough for the others to join him as they traversed the tunnel. It was dark, but there seemed to be enough natural light present for them to be able to see. As they went deeper into the tunnel, they found nothing but an empty wide rotunda that did not lead anywhere. But the chamber did have an oddity, a chest, right in the middle of it.
"Huh… odd." Siegmeyer stared at the chest.
Eskar and Oscar were the first to jump down to the center of the rotunda and examined the chest. After checking that it wasn't trapped or wired in any way, they opened it, and found something inside that neither had ever seen, and only one of them knew what it was.
"I don't believe it…" Oscar gasped.
"What is this?" Eskar asked him as he picked up the strange shard of stone from inside the chest.
"It's a Dragon Scale!" Oscar told the Absolver.
"You two found what?!" Beatrice immediately jumped down as well once she heard Oscar.
"A single Dragon Scale. Someone must have stashed this treasure here." Oscar said.
"... This is a scale from a dragon?" Eskar examined the scale with curiosity. "It's… stone..."
"As it should be. True dragons gain their immortality from their stone scales, hardening their bodies and their souls to withstand even the limits of life. The only way for a dragon to die is through battle." Beatrice explained.
"I've never expected to see one of these in my lifetime. Not even while Undead. Hah hah hah hah." Siegmeyer cheerfully laughed, he and Solaire joining the others.
"I wonder what must have caused this scale to fall off its dragon. I can only imagine the battles of the Age of Ancients. With the lightning of lord Gwyn and his knights striking down these scales. The sun shining new light as the heroes of those wars rose…" Solaire sighed in admiration as he remembered the tales.
"It's… lighter than one would think," Eskar said as he held the scale. Tentatively, he tried to fold it, but it seemed the scale refused to be folded into SHards or Fragments like the rest of the items he had done so to in the past. It was possible he wouldn't be able to.
"This was left here… do you believe that someone would come back for it?" Oscar wondered.
"Who knows…" Beatrice said in return. They had scavenged and pillaged many things from the rest of the broken world as they passed through it. But there was something about this scale that made it seem special. The way it was stashed almost seemed like taking it would be stealing.
"Perhaps we should-" Siegmeyer began to say, but then they felt the ringing sound of a phantom appear into the world. And then they felt a subtle cold air surrounding them.
"An invader." Oscar drew his sword.
"Was this a trap?" Eskar pondered as he put the scale in one of his pockets.
"Perhaps it was…" Beatrice said.
"How would someone know when something like this is taken?" Oscar asked.
"There exists rituals that are used to protect places as Summons if they are disturbed. An invader can choose to make their own rituals to protect something important, or to strike once a trap has been sprung." Beatrice explained. " We should be wary, if this invader knows where we are, then they'll hunt us down right away… if it is another Darkwraith-"
"It has to come to us." Eskar suddenly said. "There's only one entrance, and there's many of us." He also pointed out.
"Ah, let his trap become their undoing. Hmmm…" Siegmeyer and the others quickly understood the idea.
Maneater Mildred appeared into the world ready to hunt down her next prey. And it seemed like she could already see it as she walked forward. A lonely Masked One was walking out of the sewage tunnel and was looking at the bonfire, probably unsure as to why it wasn't working. She had never seen Masked Ones use bonfires but for that matter, she had never hunted down a Masked One before. So this would be a new experience indeed. Perhaps it would result in some foreign new taste as well.
As the Masked one was kneeling by the bonfire, Midred swiftly approached, ready to come up behind him and cleave him down with his back turned. Raising her Butcher Knife, she came closer and closer, aiming for the point where his neck and shoulder connected. A few more quiet steps and she would be able to kill the Masked One, it would seem it was going to be an easy kill with him completely unaware. But then the Masked One turned, surprising Mildred and making her jump back as he looked at the blue glowing macabre face of his mask. As he turned, she was surprised by something else, the heavy hit of an ultra greatsword.
"Rhaagh!" Siegmeyer charged with a battle cry and hit Mildred on the side with a powerful swing, knocking her back and sending her rolling on the ground as she recovered from the impact.
Right as she recovered, she was hit by five projectiles of a soul mass and with a great soul arrow. Beatrice didn't leave her a moment of respite as she threw a fire orb toward her. Mildred blocked with her plank shield and barely resisted the impact of the fire orb, still being burnt from the flames and immediately getting her guard broken as a lightning spear hit her shield and shocked her. By now, Mildred was surrounded by Oscar, Siegmyer, and Eskar. Solaire and Beatrice quickly rushed behind. Desperate for some breathing room, she dove towards the swamp and ran, moving through the swamp with ease much to their surprise, and seemingly unaffected by the poison. But that didn't deter them.
With surprising agility, Eskar made a far jump from one bit of dry land to the next and quickly caught up to Mildred, while Oscar sprinted through dry pieces of land and stepped from one to the other and stepped in the swamp only when he needed to. Siegmeyer was a bit slower than Oscar and instead decided to take a safer route, Solaire following right behind. Beatrice made a jump to a bit of dry land, only close enough for Mildred to be on her range.
Eskar cornered her first and attacked, deflecting a swing of her cleaver with a Faejin parry and punching her on the gut. He quickly followed up with a jab to her sack-covered face, two roundhouse kicks, and a strong knee to the stomach. As Mildred recoiled he unfolded his sword and brought it down on her shoulder as it materialized, landing a heavy diagonal cut and then pushed her away with a sidekick. Mildred was pushed right into Oscar, receiving two powerful slashes to both the back of her head and her thigh, being pushed further back against the wall as Oscar backhanded her with his shield. Mildred crashed against the wall and barely had time to react as she saw Beatrice fire a soul spear at her, she blocked the spell, but most of the magic hit her nonetheless. As Mildred was barely holding on, it got much worse for her as Siegmeyer rushed at her, hitting her with a horizontal two-handed swing that destroyed her shield and left her open as Solaire rushed in next with a thrust of his sword, followed by a diagonal downwards cut, and finally, pushed an uppercut swing of his sword.
As she was pushed back towards him, Eskar did a low spinning back heel and swept Mildred off her feet, finally killing her by pinning her to the floor with his sword before she could land. He made sure that Mildred was dead by sinking the blade deeper once she was on the ground. Mildred attempted to lift her Butcher Knife, but her strength faded as she began to vanish. Her Humanity going towards Eskar and leaving another three pieces of Humanity on the ground.
"Traktita kun." (Dealt with.) Eskar said mostly to himself as he exhaled deeply.
"I suppose that's another invader we have vanquished," Solaire said as he relaxed a little.
"It was a great plan, even if they can be smart, these wretched bastards are sometimes too bloodthirsty for their own good. Hmm." Siegmeyer mused.
"I suppose that's that threat dealt with. Is anyone poisoned?" Oscar asked the others. The rush one felt in combat, even as an Undead, seemed to stave off the nauseous feeling of running through the swamp to a degree. But if he had stayed a bit longer on those vapors, he would guess he would begin feeling sick once again.
"I am fine… seems we have caught ourselves a little res- Look out behind you!" Siegmeyer yelled and pointed behind Eskar.
Eskar barely reacted as he noticed a massive boulder coming in his direction. He rolled out of the way and everyone backed away as the boulder broke apart against the wall. They took two steps back and noticed that at the entrance of the insect hive, and now in the swamp, another group of those large monsters they had met at the entrance of Blighttown were holding massive rocks. They were pulling them out of the ground and throwing them over to them with some effort. Not with the best of aim, but hitting near them nonetheless.
"They are not gonna let us pass without going through them," Oscar said.
"They are not our only issue." Beatrice pointed in the other direction as she joined them. A group of giant mosquitoes getting close.
"Tch." Beatrice quickly fired three soul arrows and took care of the approaching bugs. One however had snuck closer to them and spewed blood towards them. It hit Oscar, Siegmeyer, and Beatrice, staining their clothes with some toxins before being cut down by Solaire.
"Damn it." Oscar cursed as he tried to brush the toxic blood off his armor, it wouldn't poison any of them just yet. But it wasn't helping. The five of them backed away further and soon had to step in the opposite direction as another boulder impacted close to them.
"These damn yaldsons-" Siegmeyer wanted to keep insulting them, but the five of them were forced to take cover and step away, using the pillars of the massive structure above them as said cover.
"Invader or not, this place still remains an issue," Oscar commented.
"Do you think we can make it?" Beatrice wondered. Chances were they could, but they weren't exactly keen on the price or how close they would have to cut it. What wore them down more than anything was the poison and the tiredness. Exhaustion catching up to them finally through the constant fighting.
"I only wish I had time to get this sludge off my armor," Siegmeyer commented.
"We would have to rest by the bonfire for a while, or find a way out perhaps. But I don't believe that is an option." Oscar lamented.
"Actually… Perhaps it is. I can see the sun!" Solaire cheered. Earning doubtful looks from everyone else. "Oh, how wonderful."
"Uh… Sir Solaire… I don't see the sun you are speaking off, and I don't know how that helps us." Beatrice commented.
"Oh hoo hoo. It's a simple matter, you just need fellow the sunlight. And I can see sunlight escaping and coming through the sky, and into that side of the cliff. And I can notice a faint shift in the light." Solaire pointed towards the open sky and then towards the mill.
"That… helps us how?" Oscar questioned him.
"Staring long at the sun has its advantages," Solaire said as another boulder hit the pillar they were hiding behind. "The faint glimmers and the way the light hits indicate the way of the sun. And over in that mill… if there was no escape the light would vanish into the dark. But something is there. From here I believe I can see a cave, one with some light that doesn't seem to be from the torches." Solaire explained.
"... You are saying there seems to be a way out over that mill?" Eskar asked.
"Perhaps… It's a gut feeling. Or perhaps I'm desperate. Hah hah hah hah." Solaire laughed.
"Right…" Oscar took a glance to the direction that Solaire was pointing to, and noticed there was a cave. "If nothing else, that place might be a little bit more bearable than down here. If it is not, and there's no way out, we'll return to the bonfire." Oscar suggested.
"It might not be the best solution…" Eskar said. "But staying in this place... I wouldn't mind getting away from the bugs."
"I say the same, the longer we stay here the more we'll succumb to the poison, and the more our clothes will be drenched in poison. Soon we might not be able to breathe at all." Beatrice added. With that everyone seemed to agree to try and at the very least retreat to higher ground, and hopefully find another way out. One where they wouldn't have to fight the entirety of Blighttown once again.
"Very well. Let's move." Oscar commanded and the five of them made a rush for the mill. They didn't notice a figure following their movements however. Remaining in the shadows and watching with intent. And it would make sure to note the direction they were going and the path they would take.
The structure of the mill wasn't at all any easier to deal with than any of the places in Blighttown. It was rickety and filled with different kinds of enemies. They were able to tackle the giant mosquitoes and the Cragspiders easily enough. But then they had to maneuver themselves as they rode the elevator of the mill. Said elevator and the mill itself were bizarrely being moved thanks to a pair of Fire Attack Dogs trapped inside the wheel and making it move by them themselves walking. How or why that was the case, would remain a mystery as they took the elevator one by one.
The elevator was the least of their concerns however as they soon found themselves harassed by more Blowdart Snipers. They climbed the structure as quickly as they could, but the Blowdart snipers kept persisting and shooting at them with their toxic darts. Hitting them a couple of times and forcing them to use their Blooming Moss Clumps in order to get rid of the toxins. Once they were in range of them and at the same height, they grouped together and thought of a way to charge in towards the Blowdart Snipers. They had harassed them so much and were by now an obstacle that needed to be dealt with. Their toxins far more dangerous than the poison of the swamp. That in itself was an achievement.
They managed to spot three snipers at the entrance of a tunnel they seemed to be using as a stronghold. Their plan was simple, Oscar and Solaire would go in first with their shield raised while Beatrice and Eskar used spells to take the blow darters away from a distance. Siegmeyer would follow close behind and act as support in case there was something more dangerous or powerful inside the tunnel.
As they charged in, Eskar and Beatrice were able to kill two Blowdart Snipers with four great soul arrows. The third one at the entrance seemed unconcerned, but it wasn't able to hit anyone as Oscar and Solaire formed a wall that blocked its darts, the Blowdart Sniper soon being cut down as both of them reached it and sliced it with their swords before kicking it off the edge. There were more Blowdart Snipers however, but they had assumed that, and so they continued with their plan.
Oscar attacked with fury, anger showing in his strikes. He had already had his blood filled with toxins twice by them, and the feeling was beyond anything he had ever felt, the toxins rapidly eating away at his life. Knowing what they could do, he knew that they had to be taken down with utmost haste, his arms and instincts of survival summoning enough strength to cleave his opponents in two if need be, and that's exactly what he did as he reached the next Blowdart Sniper and bisected it with a furious strike. Solaire was much the same, not willing to be on the receiving end of those darts once again, and honestly tired of their relentless volley of darts. He rushed in and skewered one of the Blowdart Snipers through the stomach before pushing him off the edge.
As Solaire and Oscar rushed forward, Siegmyer followed close behind while Esakr and Beatrice used their spells. Eskar did a far jump from one ledge to the other and reached the other end quickly. He shot a great soul arrow at one Blowdart Sniper and then killed with a combustion spell, he then sidestepped a dart and killed another Blowdart Sniper by rushing in with a two-handed thrust of his sword, followed by blade into a reverse grip and stabbing its foot. He then did a reverse grip uppercut of his blade and a flurry of two vertical slashes, and finally, he knocked his enemy off the edge with a flying roundhouse kick. Solaire charged another Blowdart Sniper off the edge with his shield and Beatrice used a soulmass and a fire orb two kill another two, but all the while there were still some down at the bottom of the drain tunnel that were taking some potshots at them from below. Siegmeyer noticed this and decided to do something about it.
"Hyaaaa!" He jumped off the edge and squashed two Blowdart Snipers and a Fire Attack Dog with a single plunging attack, immediately recovering from his landing and swinging his Zweihander in a wide horizontal arc, killing two other dogs before they could get close.
"Siegmeyer- Argh! You… Rhaagh!" Oscar felt a dart go at his thigh and make toxins go into his body. Pushing past the nausea, he jumped towards the one responsible and used his shield to bash him against the wall, sweep the Hollow of its feet with a sword swing and punch him on the head with his shield, right before ending it with a powerful cleave to its skull. With another Blowdart Sniper taken care of, only a few and the fire dogs remained. But they were making it difficult.
"Ugh…" Beatrice felt a dart hit her and her blood began to boil, immediately using a Blooming Moss Clump as she felt the toxins begin to harm her. She narrowly avoided a second dart as she recovered and looked for the one that fired at her, and once she found it, she ended the Hollow with a fire orb and a soul spear, making sure nothing remained of it or of the dogs that were nearby it.
Solaire threw lightning spears and killed two Fire Attack Dogs as Oscar and Eskar jumped down. Eskar immediately defected two darts with his sword, but narrowly missed a third as it went into his arm, the toxins spreading and beginning to harm him. He however decided to go all in. He used all his Shards together, forcing one Blowdart Sniper to its knees with the Gravity Tension Art, and healing his body twice before going in with a flurry of attacks, each attack he landed healing his body almost as quickly as the toxins were harming him. In this haze, he killed one with three slashes and spinning hook kick, killed a second with an illusion twist kick and two quick two-handed cuts, and killed the third by passing by him with a two-handed slash, doing so again and disemboweling it with a reverse grips slash, stabbing it on the back with a reverse grip stab, and then smashing its head against the ground with a hammer kick.
The attacks and the kills were enough for his vitality to sustain itself as he dealt with the three of the Blowdart Snipers, giving him a chance to crush some Blooming Moss Cumps in his hand and breathe it in through the mask with the help of some folding. He couldn't eat them, so it was the only way he could use them. But now with his body clean, he realized that he was surrounded by fire dogs. But he didn't need to worry. As Oscar killed four Fire Attack Dogs with the use of the Drake Sword, Siegmeyer killed another two with a massive swing, Solaire killed another two as he jumped down, landing one and curb-stomping it while he threw a lightning spear at another, and Beatrice weaved different soul arrows and fireball, killing another Blowdart Hollow and four of the dogs. The last dog was killed by Eskar himself as he intercepted it as it tried to attack Siegmeyer, knocking it down with a flying kick and then ending it with a thrust to its neck.
"Haaa… Finally." Oscar said as he used more moss.
"Bastards… all of them." Beatrice huffed as she recovered her breath, still recovering from the effect of the toxins. She would survive, however.
"I hope they learned their lesson…" Siegmeyr took a deep breath as he opened his helmet and used some of his Estus.
"I usually only save this for invaders. But I do hope the sun never shines for them." Solaire admitted, shuddering at the idea of even being hit by those toxins again.
"I doubt it will ever. They never leave this place… why would they even remain here." Oscar wondered, until he was tapped by Eskar on the shoulder. Eskar pointed towards a corner and they both saw a body that had a glowing soul hanging right before it. Once they got close, they realized it was a FireKeeper soul.
"A Firekeeper soul… were they… guarding it? Adoring it?" Oscar wondered.
"Did you say Firekeeper soul? By the gods, incredible." Siegmeyer looked at the soul.
"Hmm… I can feel the Humanity seeping from it. The Firekeeper that had it must have perished long ago. I… only wish it wasn't painful. Somehow, it's… sad to see that soul as nothing more than souls and Humanity." Solaire lamented.
"We know a Firekeeper in Firelink that might know what to do with it. Something better." Eskar told them.
"Aahh. Truly?"
"Yes, Anastacia will know what to do," Oscar said with confidence as he took the soul.
"Then we shall take it to her," Solaire said as the four of them decided it was time to get out of the tunnel. When they looked up however they noticed that Beatrice was staring at something.
"Beatrice?" Called out to her, but she didn't respond. Instead, she cast fall control and jumped to a nearby ledge.
The four of them rushed and climbed up the ladders to the top of the tunnel, reaching the spot where Beatrice had jumped and looking for her. She did spot the platform she had jumped to. It seemed to be formed around a strange branch and had the shape of a small hut.
"Beatrice?" Eskar called again, this time, Beatrice appeared and showed them what she had found. A set of red robes, a large staff, and what looked to be a scroll.
"Are those? What are those?" Siegmeyer had never seen the vestments she was carrying.
"I'm not sure… that seems to be…" Oscar was also having trouble identifying it.
"That's the attire of a Sealer. The sorcerers that flooded New Londo to seal away the Darkwraiths and The Four Kings." Solaire however recognized the attire.
"Truly…?" Siegmeyer asked.
"I've heard some stories, and that crimson attire and mask… it fits. I've never heard of anything like it." Solaire responded.
"That doesn't mean it is-" Oscar began.
"It is! I found… I found a dead Sealer." Beatrice said with a hint of surprise, even though she was holding the belongings of the Sealer.
"Can you go up from there?" Eskar decided to ask.
"Yes, there is a ladder over here. I can meet with you on the upper platform." She said as she packed all of Sealer's equipment by wrapping it around the staff.
Without much interference or any enemies to be found, they managed to reach the top of the mill and the structure that supported it. Beatrice was already at the top once the other four reached. And she was standing over an open chest holding a key, but that wasn't the only surprise. For when they saw the cave connected to the structure, even if the cave was pitch black, they were able to see that it led to the outside world. Hints of light and fresh coming from the other end.
"I don't believe it… we found a way out." Oscar laughed at the realization.
"We don't know where it's going to lead though." Eskar pointed out.
"This path will lead to the Valley of Drakes," Beatrice said with confidence.
"... How do you know?" Eskar questioned her.
"It's the path the Sealer took." She said as she showed them the key. "This key is one of the keys that were used in passageways and tunnel exits out of New Londo. Those exits led to the Valley of Drakes. Hardly a safe place… but these keys had another purpose. They helped contain some of the people leaving so that no Darkwraiths could escape… That was then, now… I suppose… they seal the town's… ruins." Beatrice seemed to stumble on her words.
"And this cave would lead to the Valley of the Drakes then?" Siegmeyer asked.
"It's the only place I can think of that could be between this place and the rest of the world. And if it is… It means we can reach New Londo. And that can lead us directly to Firelink Shrine. We could be there in less than two hours." Beatrice garnered.
"Truly… that's just magnificent." Oscar felt immense relief.
"It's a supposition...but if I had to bet…" Beatrice looked at the key in her hands. Staring at it with some degree of hesitation.
"We should probably go then. Oh, I wish to be able to see the sun again. I believe it's been far too long. But I must admit, I haven't felt the sun to be far. Traveling with you has kept me focused. I thank you for that, friends." Solaire thanked all of them as he realized how relieved he felt when traveling with his new companions.
"The path is not over yet," Eskar responded. As in cue, they heard growls and roars coming from the darkness, silhouettes of the same large monsters with cubs they had fought before appearing before them.
"And seems we still have battles ahead of us," Eskar said once again as he assumed a stance.
"It seems so… last stretch out of this pit then," Oscar said determinedly. All of them ready to make short work of the beasts. And so they did.
"So this is the door?" Eskar asked Beatrice as they stood in front of a metal fence gate embedded on the side of the cliff.
"It should be…" Beatrice tentatively put the key on the keyhole, twisting the key until it opened.
"I believe it was," Siegmeyer said cheerfully as they began to enter the ground of New Londo.
Taking care of four of the Infested Barbarians had become a matter of ease for them. From there, they were on the Valley of Drakes, and had only need to cross a small plank bridge to reach the other side of the ravine of the valley to the gate that served as a secret path in and out of the New Londo Ruins. After taking a couple of steps inside, they were able to see the sunken city as soft white light shone down upon it like moonlight.
"Whoa… The city was truly flooded." Oscar took in the scenery.
"Truly a tragedy. If only the Four Kings had stronger mettle against the dark." Siegmeyer said as he looked at what remained above the surface.
"The Four Kings?" Eskar asked.
"They were powerful kings that ruled over this city to my understanding. They say Lord Gwynn gave them a piece of his soul so that they could have the strength to rule. But they succumbed to darkness, to the Abyss. And they massacred their own people, stealing their Humanity with dark magic. Or so the stories go." Siegmeyer explained as best he could.
"... They had a fragment of the soul of a god. And that god didn't care for their treason?" Eskar questioned.
"Lord Gwyn was already gone. Gone to extend the age of fire. And even if he had been present, the fire was already fading, there were many matters threatening many lands." Solaire said.
"... If even Lordran itself could fall…" Oscar reasoned, it was difficult for him to believe that such mighty power could fall, and made it harder to believe that perhaps The Fate of the Undead could perhaps fix it. But in the end, he did beehive that if nothing else, it would give distant lands a chance to endure.
"... So no one was able to stop the Four Kings," Eskar stated. The flooded city was proof enough of the statement.
"With them hiding down in the Abyss. A darkness that would kill and consume anyone who dared enter. N-no… there was… no they knew of..." Beatrice seemed to stammer on her words as she moved towards the elevator, already figuring where it was.
"Beatrice?" Eskar turned towards her as he noticed her odd behavior. Beatrice was many things, but he didn't usually see her… nervous in this way. And not only he knew it, but the others as well.
"I… I simply do not… I don't want to stay here." She said to them.
Eskar and the others knew there was an ongoing issue, but for the moment, it seemed like no one dared to prod. Eskar however was the first to nod at her request. He wouldn't press the matter, for now at the very least. And they all agreed that the sooner they got back to Firelink Shrine, the better.
The five of them called down the elevator with the leaver and then stepped in. Stepping down on the pressure plate and riding it all the way to the Firelink. And for the first time in a while, they were able to take a breath of fresh air and bask in the light of day.
A/N: Fun fact, the mill in Blighttown is indeed doggo powered, in case you didn't know. You can look it up if you want, it's hilarious. But yeah, Blighttown part two completed, that's most of it done, and now we move to housekeeping matters.
We also step into things that will change a big part of the story. Take your guesses about what will happen, because I guarantee you you won't expect what I have in store.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that it was better paced than the last one. Follow, favorite, and review if you so desire. And I hope to see you in the next one. Have a good day!