AN: One-year anniversary! Raven's Souls is now one year old. To celebrate, the moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived - the reunion of Raven's party. Enjoy!
Chapter 16: All Roads Lead to Lordran
"I can't believe this!" Siegmeyer grumbled as an iron creak sounded through the cell, indicating the barred door's closure, "We save a city, and they ship us back to the asylum and lock us up! It's outrageous! Even if we are back to being undead, it simply won't do!"
"Oh, come off it, will you?" Ornstein interrupted, "It needed to happen. After all, how else would we be getting back to Lordran?"
"Who said anything about going back? I certainly have no wish to return to that, that..." Siegmeyer struggled for a moment, trying to find some suitably awful description of Lordran to prove his point.
"It used to be beautiful, you know," Havel cut in, "Before the demon wars, before Gwyn's folly. Before the gods abandoned Anor Londo and left it to rot. Used to be one of the best places in the world - a downright paradise. Now, though? You're right. No one wants to go there. Raven didn't, Oscar didn't, I don't - not even Solaire, who became undead by choice, enjoyed the prospect of going to Lordran unless I've missed my mark. It's always a means to an end - fulfillment of an undead mission. Not that you get to go home once you're done - you just lose your purpose and go hollow. None of us want to go back to Lordran. But it needs to be done."
"He's right," Solaire added, his normally cheery voice overshadowed by gloom, "Ornstein explained it to me. Those darkwraiths were our fault. All of us, collectively, broke some sort of magical seal on Lordran when we shattered the Lordvessel. The only way to reset it, and give the rest of the world peace, if only temporary, is to link the flame."
"Now we've got a separate problem," Havel announced, "being how to escape this cell. None of us are armed, and there's a black knight standing guard outside. Not to mention the door is locked, and it looks too sturdy to pry open with my bare hands."
"Do you suppose the corpse has a key?" Siegmeyer asked, gesturing at the corpse on the floor of the cell.
"If it had a key, it would've left the cell while it was alive, wouldn't it?" Ornstein asked.
"That's a fair point, but it's worth a look. Could've been dropped in after it was dead. Through that hole in the roof. Who knows, maybe the fall killed them," Solaire said, searching the body. After a moment, he stopped, shaking his head.
"This is all I found," Solaire announced, holding up an odd-looking doll.
"Hang onto that," Ornstein told him, "It might be important. But unfortunately, it doesn't get us out of this cell."
"Then how do we get out?" Havel asked.
"Just give me a minute, I'm working on it," Ornstein replied, a hint of frustration showing in his voice.
"Wait," Siegmeyer interjected, "What about Raven and Oscar? Does anyone know where they are?"
"For all we know," Ornstein told him, "They're still in Lordran. Tarkus was. And if they're not? Let them be. Neither of them asked for this, or wanted it. Neither of them really accepted it - Arthur's legacy was a means of escape for Raven, a way that she could be someone besides the damaged undead she is. I don't know what was done to that girl, but there's no doubt that she's been through more than any of us, in less time. And Oscar, buying into that bullshit with the bells of awakening? They were never anything but a chance for undead to gain strength before they faced what was really in store for them. No, if they're not in Lordran, they're happier wherever they are. They brought us together. Let's do this for them."
"Well, that's certainly very sweet, but not necessary," a feminine voice chimed in, "We've made our choice too. And you'd better be glad I kept this key." The group looked up in unison, towards the source of the voice, and saw Raven's face through a hole in the ceiling. A moment later, a key plinked to the ground of the cell. Ornstein picked it up.
"Oh, one more thing. I convinced the Catarinans that put you here to hand over your weapons. Here," Raven told them, before dropping a large bundle into the cell. It contained Havel's dragon tooth and greatshield, Siegmeyer's Zweihander and pierce shield, Solaire's sunlight shield, the drake sword Solaire had been using, and Ornstein's downscaled cross spear. The party quickly armed themselves.
"Oscar and I will meet you in the courtyard outside, and we'll hope that that crow can carry all of us," Raven said with a wink, then slipped out of view. Everyone stared dumbfounded.
"How does that girl act so cheerful?" Ornstein wondered aloud. Solaire just shook his head.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Havel asked, gesturing towards the door, "Get that thing open. The black knight's no threat to the four of us." Ornstein complied, and Havel immediately slapped the black knight in the back with the dragon tooth. The knight sprawled forwards onto its face, and Ornstein took the opportunity to ram his spear through it's back. The black knight instantly dissolved into souls, leaving behind a chunk of red titanite and its sword.
"Anyone want that?" Ornstein asked, gesturing to it. Solaire picked it up and swung it experimentally, grinning as he felt its balance. He handed his drake sword to Havel, who placed it in the bottomless box, and set the black knight sword casually on his shoulder as the party moved on. Surprisingly enough, the black knight was the only obstacle that stood between them and the courtyard. Ornstein stepped out to see Raven and Oscar casually waiting for him. Havel, Solaire, and finally Siegmeyer followed behind.
"How did you know we were here?" Ornstein asked.
"Frampt explained the situation to us," Raven replied, "And we figured that someone, at least, would be trying to get back to Lordran. Looks like we were right. There's no time to waste, and two lord souls left to collect. So, who's first? Seath or the Witch of Izalith?"
"Seath," Havel cut in immediately, "It's about time that scheming bastard got what was coming to him!"
"Any objections?" Raven asked, looking over the party. No one spoke.
"It's decided then. Seath first. Let's go." Raven spun without waiting for an answer, stepping through a large pair of double doors. Oscar followed immediately behind her. Ornstein started after them, but was cut off as, just as he stepped through the doors, the floor collapsed. Raven and Oscar immediately tumbled downwards, both yelping in surprise. Ornstein lunged forwards in an attempt to catch them, but more of the floor disintegrated, dumping him into the pit below. He hit the ground hard, stumbling and falling as pain flared through his legs.
Then he saw the demon. It was a massive thing, grey and bloated with rolls of inhuman fat, and easily as tall as a god. Taller, even. And as Ornstein saw the twisted catalyst it wielded, his heart sank. He had fought this particular demon before, in the demon wars of Izalith. And he had lost. The demon raised its catalyst and slammed it down like a massive hammer. Ornstein narrowly rolled to the side, avoiding the blow, before stumbling to his feet. Raven and Oscar came up beside him.
"Watch yourselves," he told them, "That thing in its hands isn't just a club. It's a catalyst, and this demon knows how to use it."
"So how do we kill it?" Oscar asked, looking at the creature nervously as it lumbered towards them.
"We'll figure something out," Raven replied before raising her Zweihander and charging. As she approached, the demon swept its catalyst from left to right. Raven turned to block the blow with her Zweihander, but the blow was too powerful. She skidded back a few feet before being knocked over by the follow-through on the swing, and attempted a clumsy backwards roll to recover. However, halfway through the motion a burst of red energy exploded outwards from a point just in front of the demon, catching Raven in the blast and flinging her back even further. The Zweihander clattered to the ground beside her as she groaned in pain.
"Oscar, see if you can circle around behind it," Ornstein told him, "I'll try to hold its attention." Oscar reacted immediately, sprinting off to the side as Ornstein dashed forwards. The demon brought the catalyst back around, and instead of trying to block the massive blow, Ornstein simply ducked under it and allowed it to pass him by. He danced backwards a tad, anticipating another explosion, but nothing came. Oscar chose that moment to strike, hacking firmly at the demon's rump. It screamed and whirled on him, sweeping its catalyst low and flinging him backwards in a rising bash. It allowed its momentum to carry it up into the air, flapping its stubby wings a few times before dropping in a sit. Its landing was hard enough to make the ground shake. Ornstein stumbled backwards at the impact, leaving him off balance. Somewhere to his right, he noticed Raven stumbling to her own feet and taking a hearty swig of estus.
"Come on, then," Ornstein told the demon, recovering his balance and raising his spear defensively. In response, the demon slammed it's catalyst straight down in an overhead blow. Ornstein nimbly sidestepped the attack and sprinted in for a stab. He felt significant resistance in punching through the demon's thick hide, but the spear did skewer it, causing it to roar once more in pain. Then, as Ornstein tried to yank the weapon free, worst-case scenario occurred. The spear was lodged firmly inside of the demon's rolls of fat, and no amount of yanking on Ornstein's part seemed even remotely likely to get it free. The demon raised its catalyst again, tip towards the ground, and slammed it downwards, creating another burst of red energy that flung Ornstein backwards, sending searing pain through his entire body. He groaned as he rolled to a stop.
Raven picked up her Zweihander and placed the mask of the Mother, recovered from Pinwheel in Zena, firmly on her face, just as the demon raised its catalyst to crush a downed Ornstein.
"Hey!" she shouted loudly, getting the demon's attention. The beast turned and limped towards her, Ornstein's spear jammed firmly in its upper leg. It seemed stuck fast. As the demon approached, she realized that she had screwed up - acted without a plan. Now what? The question was answered for her as the demon slammed its catalyst down in an overhead smash. Raven had seen it do this once before, and no explosion had followed - it was safe to punish. She sidestepped the catalyst, and spun to grab Ornstein's spear. Instead of attempting to yank it out like he had, she shoved on it hard, pushing it further in and making the demon scream once again. Then she stabbed with her Zweihander as well, burying the blade up to the parrying lugs in the demon's belly. The chaos flames on the Zwei did their job, spreading across the demon's body and lighting the creature ablaze. Raven stumbled backwards, shying away from the sheer wall of heat that the demon had just become as it roared louder than it ever had before. A few moments later, the beast collapsed, dissolving into souls. The two weapons that had been buried into its belly clattered to the ground alongside a massive chunk of black rock. Raven picked up her Zweihander as Oscar and Ornstein staggered over.
"Wait... is that a titanite slab?" Ornstein seemed shocked as he picked up the chunk of black stone. On closer examination, it bore runes etched into its surface and had a few cracks, seeming to be places where smaller denominations of titanite had been chipped off.
"Worry about that later. If it is, its certainly a neat find. But first... How do we get out of this hole?" Raven asked, and Oscar gestured to the back wall.
"There's a ladder over there that looks to lead back towards the first set of cells. Worth a shot at least." Ornstein picked up his spear, still looking at the titanite slab in awe.
"Well, what are we waiting for? We've got a scaleless dragon to kill," Raven said as she started up the ladder. Sure enough, it put them out in the corridor to the cell that Ornstein and the others had just escaped from. They circled back around to the courtyard where three very worried knights waited around a bonfire.
"You guys can relax, we're fine," Raven announced, sitting down. Oscar and Ornstein followed suit, letting the bonfire heal their wounds. Ornstein showed the slab to Havel, who was equally shocked at its existence, before the stone-clad knight placed it reverently inside his bottomless box. The party sat in silence around the bonfire for a moment, simply enjoying its warmth, before Oscar broke the silence.
"We've still got a job to do. Come on. And this time... let's watch our step." This induced a chuckle throughout the party, but it was quite accurate - Havel almost fell into the pit as they navigated around it, simply due to his armor's sheer weight. It took Siegmeyer and Raven together, the two otherwise strongest members in the party, to heave him back to his feet. After much careful stepping, however, they made it around and out to the crow landing. A crow was already waiting, and immediately snatched up Raven and Oscar in a very familiar way. As the ground dropped away below them, they noticed several other giant crows circling and descending to fetch the rest of the party. Raven smiled, concerns forgotten for the moment, and snuggled against Oscar as they were grasped firmly in the crow's talons as their road led them once more to Lordran.
AN: I finished this chapter right on time. I wanted to do a publication on the one-year anniversary of the release date, and here it is. See? I'm actually not incapable of making a deadline! Please do leave a review, I'm curious as to what you readers think. I'm still debating whether or not to send the party into the painted world, so stay tuned for that if I decide to include it. Other than that... that other chapter that I teased in chapter 14 has been set aside indefinitely due to spoiling way too much. I'll get to putting it in eventually, but for now just keep in mind that some mysterious being killed the four kings during the timeline of chapter 14.