AN: And here we are - the final act. There are likely 3-4 chapters until the finale at the kiln of the first flame. Be sure to let me know whether you'd rather see a Drangleic sequel or the alternate timelines first - I'll probably get to both at some point.

Chapter 27: The Second Demon War

Oscar panted, overwhelmed by heat and exhaustion, as he hacked apart another hulking Taurus Demon, which dissolved into souls. Even as its corpse faded away, another living demon stepped forwards to take its place. A quick glance across the line revealed his companions, to a man, engaging their own demons, while an indeterminate number of the beasts pressed against the monstrous line from behind. Oscar narrowly brought his shield about to block a large swipe from the demon, rolling backwards to absorb the impact. He charged forwards, slashing at the demon's calf and feeling his hallowed sword bite deep into the flesh of the beast. It howled, stumbling back, only to be shoved forwards and trampled beneath the next demon in line.

The only saving grace of the battle, tactically speaking, was the ground on which they fought. A narrow peninsula surrounded on both sides by lava allowed Oscar, along with Solaire, Havel, Siegmeyer, Kirk, and Tarkus, had formed a line in such a way that each knight would face off against a single demon at a time. Even so, they were losing ground, and the patch of land on which they fought was gradually widening. Even as Oscar watched, Solaire was tossed backwards by a hefty blow, and the line surged forwards through the gap, forcing the rest of the group to backpedal so as not to break the line entirely. Oscar slashed through another demon, hacking it apart into three separate chunks, and yet another replaced it, with at least three more deep being visible through the line.

"Is there no end to them?" Oscar cried, desperate, as he engaged his eighth Taurus demon, being shoved backwards by a hefty kick. Again, the line bulged and then swirled backwards to this new position as the Taurus demons surged forwards. And as it did, disaster struck. A Taurus demon, pressed sideways by the pileup, stepped right past Havel, who made up the leftmost end of the line. As Havel turned to face it, the gap was recognized, and several more demons surged through it. In moments, each knight had a demon on either side of them. Oscar turned to face the demon behind him, resigned to being sent back to the bonfire and forced to try again as he blocked its swipe. He didn't have the ability to fight one from each direction. As he turned back to defend against the first Taurus demon's attack, a loud snap sounded in the distance. Oscar supposed for a moment that it had been one of his compatriots being killed, sent back up the hill to the bonfire, but then he heard a roaring whistle of something flying through the air behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder as a massive iron rod, lumped and weighted towards the front with massive feathers at its rear, slammed through the Taurus demon immediately behind him. The projectile ripped the Taurus demon nearly in half before impacting the ground at Oscar's feet, tossing him to the ground and, by some miracle, saving him from a horizontal swipe of the Taurus demon he had turned his back towards. Oscar scrambled to his feet, back away from the Taurus demon, as he attempted to determine the origin of the projectile.

It wasn't altogether very difficult - on a ledge above, a giant stood beside three smaller figures, a massive greatbow raised towards the battle. The giant, and his bow, were taller than most buildings. As he looked up, he heard a familiar voice calling orders.

"Gough, target the back ranks. Firing on the ones in front risks catching our friends in the shockwaves. Artorias - I need you to close that gap on the left side of the line - try to prevent more demons from surrounding the line from behind." Oscar watched one of the figures nod and sprint away, down the slope, as the giant - Hawkeye Gough - fired another arrow, which streaked over Oscar's head. Raven continued shouting orders as the first pair of Gwyn's knights commenced their attack, addressing Ciaran next.

"Ciaran, you'll need to hitch a ride on an arrow across the crowd. I can see a few more demons down past the main bulk of the fighting, and I doubt that the ones I can see are all there are. Your job is going to be preventing any reinforcements from making it into the fight - be sure to stay clear of Gough's firing pattern once you get down there."

"What about you?" Ciaran asked, more softly, in a tone which Oscar struggled to hear.

"I'm going to bail out the surrounded knights. While Artorias stops the gap, I'll take out the ones who already slipped through. Arrow delivery is probably best for getting me there too - I'll drop in from the same lance you'll ride." Moments later, the remaining two figures climbed onto an arrow which Gough presented to them, before the projectile was raised and drawn. Oscar had to spin to block a strike from another Taurus demon, and didn't see the arrow fired, but he heard the snap - and a moment later, Raven, wearing a stylized armor patterned after the bird that was her namesake, dropped out of the sky, descending with a flash of blackened steel onto the Taurus demon which Oscar faced. Raven impacted the demon weapon-first, crushing it's skull and creating an exploding burst of fragmented bones with a midnight black eight-flanged mace.

"Face the primary crowd," she called to the line, which had somehow not yet lost a member, "I'll take care of the ones behind you." A moment later, the sprinting Artorias slammed into the line, shearing a demon cleanly in two with a sweep from his greatsword. He stepped into the gap between Havel and the lava, closing it off, as Raven pivoted, spinning her mace in a wide, upwards vertical arc, ending with a sharp upward strike which intercepted the greataxe of the demon behind Solaire, which had chosen that moment to take a swing at his back. Titanite met Archwood with a resounding crack, and the haft of the greataxe split and splintered, the head flying off into the primary mass of Taurus Demons. The owner of the axe stumbled backwards as a shockwave from the shattering weapon rolled over it, and Raven stepped forwards through the strike, bringing the mace around to smash into the side of the demon's left knee. It toppled right into the demon beside it in the line, and Raven raised her mace again, lighting it aflame as she brought it down in a molten burst of energy which engulfed both demons, reducing them to ash.

Oscar didn't have time to watch her fight, however, as another Taurus demon stomped up behind him. As it raised its axe for an overhead strike, he gathered his strength to leap directly at its chest, skewering it before the blow could land. Beside him, a lance of lightning from Solaire blew apart another demon. One by one, the line turned back to fighting a single demon at a time as Raven eliminated flanking threats - and just as quickly as the tide of battle had turned against them, it returned to their favor. As Raven finished, she shouted to Artorias for a boost, and the wolf knight responded with a wide, rising slash in front of him which bisected a demon, before bringing the sword around behind him to plant it firmly on the ground. Raven stepped forwards onto the flat of the blade as Artorias hurled her upwards on a leverarm, where she tossed a massive fireball into the center of the crowd from mid-air before finishing her trajectory and landing in the hole she had just opened with said explosion. Oscar turned back to another demon as she disappeared from view - watching the rest of the line more carefully. Inch by inch, they managed to advance, demons not flowing forwards quite as quickly as they used to. As Kirk ripped open another's guts, he froze - as there was nothing but open space behind it. Oscar quickly felled his own, sidestepping an overhead slam before making three wild slashes at its midsection, hacking it in two, to find that it likewise had no further foes behind it. Then he saw why. Raven stood alone in the center of the army, surrounded by and covered in blood, while the rear line of demons stood warily at a distance. Any who dared approach her was immediately felled by a greatarrow or incinerated by Raven's pyromancy. Oscar turned towards Solaire's demon, hamstringing it from behind while the Warrior of Sunlight chopped off its head as it fell, and the two moved onto Siegmeyer's demon, which collapsed under a myriad of injuries as the three slashed it apart. Oscar saw Kirk had turned to assist Tarkus, using his barbed sword to rip a massive chunk of flesh from its back, distracting it while Tarkus skewered it. Raven, in the opening she had carved out, turned towards Havel's demon, which was still pinning him down. In response, she swung her mace overhead and hurled it nearly forty feet, striking the demon in the back of the head and shattering its skull. The mace ricocheted backwards and up, spinning back towards Raven in a lobbing arc, where she caught it out of the air. Oscar saw her pull out some sort of gem, a milky white stone banded in gold trim. The stone flashed momentarily, and Raven spoke into the gem.

"Three crows, Gough, center mass," she said softly, "split them wide open." She tucked the stone away into a pouch concealed within the armor's decorative feathers, before looking back towards the primary line, and raising her voice.

"There's going to be an opening in the line right in front of us in a few seconds. Form a wedge on me and push through - we'll force them outwards into the lava. Artorias, I need you on my left - lead the other line as we split." The Wolf Knight nodded, falling in beside Raven. As he stood on the other side of Raven, Oscar felt the sudden urge to bow - he was in the presence of a revered legend. He was somewhat curious as to just how the wolf knight was here, having supposedly died in Oolacile a thousand years ago - along with Gough and Ciaran. He'd have to ask Raven about that when the battle was over.

Oscar's train of thought was interrupted by a series of three sharp cracks, greatarrows fired from Gough's greatbow sailing into the air. The first slammed into the front line of demons, skewering one in the center of the line into the ground. As it dissolved, a second arrow dropped onto the first, skipping off the slope and plowing level into the line, skewering two or three demons before losing momentum and sticking. The third arrow followed a similar trajectory, punching even deeper into the line. As the third arrow fell, Raven cried an order to charge. Oscar rushed the line just to her right, slashing out at the demon to his right as he passed it. The wedge formation slid cleanly into the gap they had created, and as Raven reached the far end of the ranks - for Gough's third arrow had cut the army cleanly in two - she called a second command, "break," and split off from Artorias, pivoting her half of the wedge into a line. Oscar moved with her, and the rest of the line picked up on the motion, slamming into the wall. Oscar brought the edge of his kite shield forwards into the side of his Taurus demon's knee, and the demon stumbled, falling sideways on its fellows behind it. Raven caught his example, smashing her Taurus demon's right knee and causing it to topple as well. Down the line, Solaire and Siegmeyer have similar shoves, and the line collapsed backwards, the demons behind the open face being forced backwards, toppling off the lip and into the lava, where they screamed in pain as they burned. Raven casually stepped forwards to the fallen demon, and casually smashed its head in with a quick strike. Oscar had to work a bit more, taking three hacks to decapitate his demon, while Solaire and Siegmeyer taking two and one respectively.

Oscar turned to notice that the other line had dispatched their opponents just as efficiently, the dissolving shapes of burning and dying demons rising into the air as their line of four stepped back from their handiwork.

Raven looked towards Oscar, then, although he couldn't see her face past the stylized face plate of her helmet.

"How are you doing for Estus?" she asked and Oscar shook his head in reply.

"Pretty sure all of us were out by the time you arrived. Havel has a handful of healing miracles left in him, and we'll have whatever you brought, but other than that, we've got no resources."

Raven nodded, then turned back to Artorias.

"I haven't been down here before - left it well alone after the thrashing all of you got the last time. What's the terrain look like up ahead? Any bonfires nearby?"

Artorias thought for a second, then nodded.

"There should be one not too far ahead - a landing off of the main path into the middle tier of the city. The path wraps around below us, so we don't have a lot of visibility, but Ciaran might have already taken care of the enemies between here and there - we could reach it unopposed."

"Through those archways there?" Raven asked in clarification, pointing to a set of carved archways cut into the stone of the demon ruins - isolating a pathway beyond from the rock wall. Ciaran was casually leaning against the first of them, alert but unconcerned. As Artorias nodded confirmation, Raven walked over to her.

"Anything?" she asked, and the Lord's Blade shook her head.

"One Capra Demon tried to come at me right as I landed - there hasn't been anything else coming up since then." Raven nodded in understanding and peered down off the ledge, trying to assess the path.

Four Capra Demons stood at intervals along the cliffside passageway, which proceeded to curve down into a blind corner, out of sight. Raven nodded, before pulling the milkstone out of her belt pouch again.

"Gough, we're moving up. Space up ahead is a bit cramped - I don't know if you'll be able to fit. If you can't, don't try to squeeze through. Cover us as best you can from where you're at," Oscar heard her mutter, before she slipped it away. Raven turned back to the group, then, announcing the plan.

"We're going to push through to a bonfire down below," she announced, "but we have a few Capra Demons in the way. Only four, but they're much nastier foes than the Taurus demons you just fought. Faster and lighter, but they still hit just as hard. I'll take point - Ciaran and Artorias will back me up. Havel, it's my understanding that you still have a few healing miracles prepared?"

The boulder knight stepped forwards with an affirming nod.

"I do, but they'll take time to cast - I can't viably set them up in the middle of a fight."

"It's better than nothing," Raven replied, "So you'll back us up. Everyone else, hang back. I'll signal once it's clear to come through."

Raven turned towards the path, hefting her mace, and jogged down it towards the first of the demons. Oscar lost sight of Ciaran entirely - she simply disappeared from his vision - while Artorias had stepped out towards the ledge, and crouched.

Raven reached the first Capra demon first, and Oscar was amazed by the efficiency with which she killed it. It made the first swing, a diagonal slash with both of its twin machetes, and Raven stepped into the slash, striking the demon's wrists, and causing its blades to clatter to the ground, before bringing the mace up to crack the skull the capra demon wore from the chin. The force and angle of the blow lifted the demon off its feet and sent it flying off the cliff. Simultaneously, a flash of gold announced Ciaran's presence behind the second Capra demon, whose blood abruptly coated the wall in front of it as it sprayed heavily from the neck. Ciaran was visible for but a moment as the demon collapsed before appearing to vanish once again. Then Artorias jumped - a leap of blinding speed which crossed the gap and brought him slamming blade-first into the last capra demon in the line, pinning it to the wall before it had any time to react. It, too, dissolved into a mist of souls. The third Capra demon stumbled in surprise, trapped between opponents on both sides, and Artorias simply stepped forwards, matching its height, and decapitated it from behind as it turned to face Raven. Havel, who had been bringing up the rear, stood frozen in shock as he suddenly discovered that there was nothing for him to do.

A fifth Capra demon suddenly appeared behind Artorias, and Oscar raised his hand, preparing to shout in warning, when the Wolf Knight simply brought his greatsword up across his shoulder and split its skull behind his back, before twisting the blade outwards to toss the demon off the cliff. Ciaran reappeared into Oscar's vision a moment later, standing beside Artorias. Raven waved the rest of the group forwards, before kneeling down to peer over the edge of the cliff. Oscar knelt beside her, curious.

"What is it you're looking for?" Oscar asked, peering over the cliff beside her.

"The bonfire," Raven replied, "Artorias mentioned that the path wraps around and down. Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly where the landing is."

"Why not just follow the path?" Oscar asked, puzzled.

"You will," Raven told him, "But Gough can't. I need to figure out what's in his line of sight so we can draw enemies into his line of fire. Besides, you can see up ahead - or, actually, you can't. It's a blind corner. Very good place for an ambush, but an enemy waiting there won't expect an attack from behind. The only way to do that is to skip some of the path."

"Well, I don't see the bonfire, but there looks to be a suitable landing there - down by that rock worm," Oscar commented, pointing down at a balcony. Raven nodded.

"That should connect, at the very least. Thanks. Artorias, wait for my signal - lead the group through once it's clear." The Wolf Knight nodded, and Raven scooped up one of the great machetes from a fallen Capra demon, slipping her mace through a loop on her hip. Oscar watched curiously as she shouldered it in a unique stance, before stepping forwards in a two-step lunge before kicking off of the path and out into the ravine. Oscar gasped for a second, part shock and part worry, as Raven hurtled over the gap in a curved trajectory, before slamming into the opposite rock wall about ten feet below. The great machete stuck firmly into the rock, and Raven swung her weight up against the wall, braced against the bound sword, before kicking off again, falling this time in a diving trajectory straight towards the landing Oscar had spotted. The rock worm on the balcony reared up as Raven approached, and she twisted in the air, flipping her mace out of its holster and striking the worm on the top of the head, driving the lunge it made down and away from her. The chitin cracked and splintered as the mace impacted, and Raven landed neatly on the worm's back as it recoiled against the ground, spinning to bring the mace down on the worm's head a second time. A loud crack resounded as the mace punched through chitin and dug into the flesh below, and a moment later, the worm dissolved into souls. As it did, Oscar spotted the hilt of a coiled sword marking an unlit bonfire which had previously been obscured by the body of the worm. Raven stopped to survey her surroundings, and abruptly chucked a throwing knife at a demon statue on the far end of the balcony, which recoiled as the knife sank deep into flesh disguised as stone. The statue-mimic toppled backwards, dropping into the ravine and to its doom. She turned and moved to the far edge of the walkway, where she peered up the path which wrapped up to where Oscar stood.

"All clear," Raven called, "You can bring them down."

"All right," Artorias said, turning back to the group. Oscar noticed that the rest of the party had come up behind him while he had been staring at Raven's acrobatics.

"Follow me - and watch your step. Crumbling stones could be an obstacle here." Artorias carefully and gracefully stepped forwards down the path, and Oscar followed. He noticed Ciaran slip past the group, taking up the rear, as Havel, Solaire, Kirk, Tarkus, and Siegmeyer filed onto the pathway one-by-one. It was difficult to match the Wolf Knight's grace, and after around twenty paces Oscar gave up the attempt, instead choosing to adopt a much more familiar, albeit still careful, gait. Twice he nearly did slip on loose stone crumbling away, but both times regained his balance on his own - behind him, Siegmeyer wasn't so lucky, once having to be caught by Tarkus, who spun to pull him back onto the pathway. Other than that close scrape, the group made it down to the landing without incident, where Raven was leaning against the rock wall, waiting.

"Rest here and fill your estus. We'll set out when you're all ready," she announced, raising a palm to the bonfire and lighting it. She stepped back, gesturing for the group to sit down, which they did - except Oscar, who stepped over to Raven.

"Can I talk to you a moment?" he asked, and Raven nodded.

"Sure. What do you need?" she asked, stepping away from the group at the bonfire, around a cornered wall on the landing and out of sight.

"Obviously, I have a million questions regarding... you know. But that can wait. The others might not have noticed, but I did - you're acting odd. What's wrong?"

"I don't even know how to explain it without sounding crazy," Raven replied, "I've tried to think of a way to say it, but no matter what, it just sounds... absurd."

"Try me," Oscar said, "I've seen my fair share of crazy this past month." Raven laughed, then nodded, and pulled off her helmet. When Oscar saw her face, he gasped. In many ways, Raven looked the same as she had eight hours earlier. But she was older, somehow. Not visibly - she hadn't aged a day physically. But Oscar could see it in her eyes, in the sad smile she gave, that she was old - ancient, even. Her hair, once neatly kept and shoulder length, now spilled down nearly to her waist, a mass of deep blue locks which was well groomed without being controlled.

"I've done the math," she said, "It would be about eight hours since you last saw me. I'm sure you've heard that time can be convoluted in Lordran - but I'm not sure you realize how much."

"How long has it been?" Oscar asked, nervous, and Raven shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. Abruptly, she stepped forwards and fell onto Oscar, and he found himself holding her full weight as she threw her arms around him. He gently returned the embrace as Raven sobbed onto his pauldron, and Oscar's apprehension turned to horror as he put pieces together - but even so, he needed to be sure.

"Raven... how long?" he asked again, concern and worry filling his voice. Raven took a shaky breath against his shoulder, lifting her head enough to speak - although she didn't leave the embrace.

"Nine hundred and forty seven years," Raven finally managed, at barely more than a whisper.

"You... you went back, didn't you? To Oolacile. That's how you met the knights," Oscar guessed, checking his picture of events. Raven nodded - a subtle motion which Oscar felt against his shoulder rather than saw - and took another deep breath.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Raven told him, "Maybe... maybe someday. But not now."

"I understand," Oscar assured her, stroking the back of her head with his gauntlet.

"Can you do one thing for me?" Raven asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Raven. What do you need?"

"Don't tell the others," she told him, "I'm not okay, but I think I will be. Being back with you helps. But from what I've heard of this place, and even what I've seen so far, I need everyone to be focused, not worried about me. I'll put on a brave face like I did before, and we'll keep moving. Just one more Lord Soul left to go... and then we'll deal with the first flame, one way or another."

"What are we going to do about that?" Oscar asked, but Raven shook her head as she straightened.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I honestly haven't decided yet. Shall we go sit with the others?"

"All right... but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to casually sit down next to a legend like Artorias."

"And yet you're still fine around me? They didn't make me their captain for nothing, you know," Raven pointed out. Oscar swallowed and nodded.

"Good point."

Raven looked into the distance, towards a massive stone archway covered by shimmering fog, as she cleaned demon blood off of her mace.

"I'm guessing that it only gets harder from here?" Raven asked idly, waiting for intel. She tended to count on Artorias for briefings, especially in places like this, but it was actually Ciaran who answered.

"The masses of Taurus and Capra demons thin out the closer you get to the city - those have mostly migrated outwards and upwards since the chaos flame was lit. Closer in, they're replaced with much nastier creatures - a handful of greater demons, one of which may well be on the far side of that wall, as well as stone demons - one of which you already encountered just a bit ago - and chaos eaters, acid-spewing demons which corrode your equipment. Worst of all, bits of dragon skeletons left over from the Great War were given flesh and animated. Very few are whole, but that makes them no less fearsome."

"Thank you. Beyond that fog gate, we lose all covering fire from Gough - how did he fit down here the first time?" Raven asked, and Artorias shook his head.

"There used to be a pathway into the city proper which was much bigger than this - allowed for giants and the like. We destroyed it to prevent pursuit during our retreat from Izalith during the original Demon War. Narrow back roads still exist as a way in, but the primary gates have all been sealed, and the roads buried under hundreds of tons of stone and rubble.

"What about Quelaan's shortcut?" Kirk put in, and Raven turned to him.

"There's a path just ahead - to the right of that fog gate, on this side, which runs right to the heart of the upper palace. It's been sealed, but anyone bearing the sign of a Servant of Chaos should be more than capable of opening it," the thorned knight continued.

"And that would be you?" Raven clarified, and Kirk nodded.

"That would be me," he confirmed. Raven put a hand to her chin in thought. A shortcut - to the central palace, no less - could take them straight into the heart of the chaos, to strike at the Witch of Izalith directly, not having to deal with the hordes of demons she had spawned. Simultaneously, however, they would be placing themselves in the heart of an enemy army - surrounded on all sides by threatening beasts. And even if they managed to slip through unscathed, they would be unsealing an easy escape route for those same demons - unleashing a scourge of evil upon the world which had the potential to be just as terrible as the darkness they were attempting to stop.

"We'll split into two teams. The knights and I will punch through the long way - clear an exit path and kill as many greater demons as we can. We don't want these things getting out into the world. Kirk, you lead Havel, Siegmeyer, Solaire, and Tarkus through the shortcut - we'll meet up at the palace. If we're not there when you arrive, go get that Lord Soul - don't wait for us. We'll arrive to back you up as soon as we can."

"And me?" Oscar asked. Raven turned to face him.

"It's your call. If you want to come with me, I won't stop you. That would make teams of four and five - but if you want to stick with the shortcut team, that's fine too. You're useful either way."

"I'll go with you," Oscar told her after a moment's deliberation. Raven nodded, then turned to Havel.

"We'll all have to punch through to that fog wall together - it's just a pair of Taurus demons, as best I can tell, but being alone might mean they're stronger than the horde we fought up above. There's also a rockworm, but we don't even have to engage it."

"All right," the Archbishop said, "But what's this got to do with me that it doesn't with the rest of the group?"

"You're the one with the greatbow. Gough doesn't have a clear shot, but we do - if you please?" Raven held out her hand, and Havel grumbled before producing the bow from his bottomless box along with a pair of greatarrows.

"Thank you," Raven said, before planting the greatbow and taking aim, "I assume you're all ready to go?"

A rumble of consensus passed through the group. Solaire tapped Raven on the shoulder.

"I don't know what we're going to find down there," the warrior stated, "But I have a feeling that as you near your goal, I near mine. The world has never needed a sun more than now - tell me if you come across anything that might fit the bill."

Raven had almost forgotten that Solaire's self-imposed quest was vastly different than the one the rest of them had taken up.

"Of course. As long as you promise to help see our quest through, even after you complete yours," Raven replied.

"And miss out on all of these chances for jolly cooperation? Never," the warrior of sunlight announced proudly. Raven turned back to the greatbow and drew it back.

"Last chance - anyone need more time?" she asked, "Because when this arrow flies, all Izalith breaks loose - possibly literally." This comment created a chuckle which ran through the group.

"I, for one, am ready for one last grand adventure," Siegmeyer announced.

"On your signal," Kirk said, "I'm good and ready to see this through."

Raven smiled, and allowed the bowstring to slip through her fingers.

AN: I'll probably be writing these last few chapters quite quickly - I'm excited to get to the ending. That only gives you guys a month or two to vote on sequel or alternate timelines, so get back to me on that soon - I'd like to be able to plan a bit ahead. Other than that, there's not much I've got for you, so I'll see you in the next one.