Characters: Chosen Undead/Dragon Slayer Ornstein, Ingward the Sealer
Word Count: 13.648
Summary: With only one lord soul left, Ornstein and Tempest head towards New Londo, but how can Ornstein help Tempest with his battle in the Abyss?
(Author's note: So yeah, this is the penultimate chapter. It's LONG and it would have been even longer when I wouldn't have decided to tell instead of showing a few times, but honestly, writing out every single battle in detail would get boring quickly.
It's hard to believe that this fic will come to an end soon, after such a long time... I plan to put the rest in one final mega chapter. For now, please enjoy the adventure in New Londo.
This took me ages to write and I am sorry for the delay. A lot of stuff happened and I often was not at home. November always seems to be a tough month for me lately.)
When Ornstein awoke this morning, Tempest was still sleeping in his arms.
It was rare for Ornstein to wake up first. Maybe it had to do with their adventure yesterday, and seeing the dragon at Ash Lake.
It had given Ornstein much to think about and he had excused himself to bed early. Now he was awake before Gwyndolin had even poured Anor Londo into the twilight that it possessed upon the day.
Ornstein looked down at Tempest, who peacefully slumbered in his embrace. Not long anymore. Their journey would be over soon. There was only one lord soul left to get and after they acquired it... they would be able to open up the kiln.
Ornstein would see his former lord again and then... then he would witness how Tempest had to sacrifice himself to the first flame.
Ornstein didn't know anymore if he still wanted it. At the start of their journey, Tempest's fate hadn't been of any interest to him, he only wanted to get this mission over with, so that he could leave and search out the Master.
But now... now he had to get to know Tempest. He cherished this big smile, he got weak at these big blue puppy eyes, he felt a pinch in his heart when Tempest was sad or upset.
He had trained him and had seen him grow. Had given him a nickname that embodied his chaotic spirit perfectly.
He had eaten his meals and had enjoyed torturing him with strange requests. He had looked so forward to each new dish that Tempest would cook up for him.
And Tempest had helped him learn an important lesson... Tempest had managed to heal Ornstein from his most aching pain. It only took the simple act of an apple pie, a soul from a special someone and the right words.
Ornstein could hardly believe that he was about to let this wonderful being burn to cinder. All so that he could live on...
Hadn't he already lived long enough?
Ornstein let out a sigh and gave Tempest a squeeze. He wouldn't manage to get back to sleep anymore, so he could get up and prepare for their trip. Ornstein gently laid Tempest into the pillows and tucked him in, then he got up and tied his hair into his usual ponytail.
After dressing himself, not yet in his armour, it was too early, he left his bedroom. He first went to relieve himself after a good night's sleep without any nightmares or demons of the past, then he went straight to the cathedral library.
Ornstein didn't even need to try and cook, he knew he would mess it up and Tempest was far better than him. He would wait for Tempest to wake up and make breakfast. In the meantime, he would read.
Ornstein collected as many books as he could carry about New Londo, the Darkwraiths and the Abyss. He carried them into the living area, where he and Smough once had put up a bench and made it all fluffy and comfortable with a myriad of pillows and blankets. Ornstein put the books down on the table next to it and then went to get himself a jar with water, he was rather thirsty in the morning and Tempest would not tolerate him dehydrating himself.
The last step was lying down on the bench and starting to read.
A few hours surely passed when Ornstein smelled something delicious. He closed his current book and got up from the bench, swaying a bit when he got dizzy. His fault, when he was reading lying down on his back and staring up at the ceiling, or more, the book he was holding in front of his face.
Ornstein followed the smell towards the kitchen and of course found Tempest standing at the stove, preparing a dish.
"Ah, Ornstein, good morning, you were up early.", Tempest beamed at him.
"I couldn't sleep anymore...", Ornstein replied, "So I went to read. Good morning, little Storm. What's for breakfast?"
"I am making a rice bowl with vegetables and chicken meat.", Tempest replied, adding some herbs into the already fantastic smelling mix. "Today we won't go into a poison swamp, so I thought I'll cook you something more hearty."
"I look forward to eating it.", Ornstein said and sat down in the corner seat.
"It will still need a while, so you can go back to reading.", Tempest said, as he noticed that Ornstein had sat down.
Ornstein shook his head, realizing that Tempest wasn't looking into his direction at this very moment. "It's fine, I'd rather stay here and watch you cook.", he said.
"Well then.", Tempest said and started to hum a little melody while he was adding more ingredients to the mix.
Ornstein broke the silence after a few minutes. They were heading to New Londo today and he just remembered about the ghosts that were living there. Well.. living wasn't the right word. The ghosts that haunted the place. That felt better.
"Little Storm, do you remember the transient curses?", Ornstein asked.
Tempest turned around to look at Ornstein and then narrowed his eyes. "Of course I do. You made me buy them even though they are so expensive. And I was waiting for so long to finally know what we will need them for. All you said was New Londo."
"Yes, I should finally elaborate on that.", Ornstein said, "There are ghosts haunting New Londo. It is impossible to hurt them without a cursed weapon. Artorias was the only one who had a weapon who could slay them, he actually cursed his own weapon so that he could fight the creatures of the Abyss in this place."
"Well, Artorias' sword is with Sif.", Tempest said, stirring the mixture.
"Yes and neither your nor my weapon are suited for ghosts. Well, there is another way to be able to deal damage to ghosts, but.. it involves letting yourself get cursed by a basilisk. I would straight up not survive this and even you, little Storm, who can come back from the dead, would suffer a lot of consequences from the act."
"I will certainly NOT curse myself on purpose.", Tempest shuddered, leaning against the stove, yelping when he almost burned himself at it and then went back to stirring the mixture so fast that it almost spilled over.
"The third method is to use the transient curse.", Ornstein said, "It will give your weapon the power to fight ghosts, because it kind of... fakes a curse. The transient curse will wear off after a few hours though, so we shouldn't loiter around."
"Got it.", Tempest said and put a lid on the pot, then handled the stove so that it would give out much less heat. "I have another question though, Ornstein, it is about the ring that Sif gave us."
"Yes, little Storm, what is it?"
"It's only one ring.", Tempest said, "And unless as in Lost Izalith, I don't think you should carry me all the time on your shoulders. What can we do?"
"Hmmm...", Ornstein laid a hand on his cheek and furrowed his forehead in deep thought. "That is an excellent question, little Storm... I need to think a little about this."
Tempest put his attention back on the dish and left Ornstein with his own thoughts. Ornstein had been to the Chasm of the Abyss with Tempest, but back then, the Abyss only had started to grow and it wouldn't swallow people whole. That was the only reason he had been able to walk there.
The Abyss in New Londo was far more advanced. It had been able to spread for centuries and without the ring of Artorias, nobody would be able to withstand it. It would be certain death for either him or Tempest to step even one foot there. Tempest would come back from death though... but... Ornstein couldn't be the one collecting the lord soul. They had to come to Tempest. If he would go down there and beat the challenge without Tempest, his body would just absorb the soul and it was impossible to remove a soul that had been absorbed. Only the Undead could do this.
Of course he could let Tempest fight alone, but... Ornstein knew that New Londo once had been ruled by four human kings, each of them had gotten a soul shard from Gwyn. It was very likely that they would all attack at once and Tempest wouldn't stand a chance against them, dying over and over and finally turning hollow because he had no moment to breathe.
Was there a way for Ornstein to join Tempest without actually having to enter the Abyss?
"Food's ready, sorry for the wait.", Tempest startled Ornstein out of his thoughts when he put a bowl with the delicious rice bowl in front of Ornstein, putting a spoon into it.
"Thank you, little Storm.", Ornstein said as he looked at the meal before eating. The rice was cooked to perfection, the chicken meat looked tender and mouth watering and he could spot several vegetables, like carrots, tomatoes, paprika and broccoli into it, among a few others he couldn't make out yet. The dish was topped off with a herb broth, which Ornstein couldn't determine yet. He had to taste before he would know.
Well, Ornstein could think about how to join Tempest in the Abyss later, for now he should enjoy the meal. He dipped the spoon into the bowl and collected all components of the dish on it before putting it into his mouth.
An explosion of flavour spread through it, nearly knocking Ornstein out by how good it was. It was true, Tempest had given him a lot of light meals lately, so getting something so savoury and rich felt like a whole new experience.
"This is just excellent, little Storm.", Ornstein said and continued eating. He never had been a fast eater, Ornstein had always preferred to cherish every bite and savour the flavour until the last moment, but he had to admit that the rice bowl vanished a lot quicker than usual.
To think that he soon would never be able to eat Tempest's food anymore...
"Woah, Ornstein, you really like this dish.", Tempest grinned. "I was giving it my all. Though, I wonder if I can top it?"
"If you manage to top this dish, then you are officially a better cook than Smough.", Ornstein murmured, "And this is the greatest compliment I can give you, Smough managed to never make our food boring over centuries."
"Challenge accepted.", Tempest said and picked up the bowl. "Though first the challenge of New Londo awaits me. And before that, the challenge of cleaning up the dishes. We'll meet each other at the usual spot, Ornstein."
Ornstein stayed seated for a few more minutes before taking the hint and leaving Tempest alone. He went straight to his room to put on his armour. As he put it on, peace by peace, he noticed how much more he felt like the dragon slayer while wearing this armour instead of Ornstein.
It was nice of Tempest to say his name all the time, so that he remembered that he indeed was Ornstein, the person under the armour, and not the armour he was wearing.
Ornstein put on the helmet, grabbed his spear and then looked at himself in the mirror. The snarling lion mask was staring back at him, not emoting.
"Well, I can't get into the battle naked...", Ornstein said, turning around to leave, when something in the mirror caught his eye.
He turned to look at it and then down at himself, it had been around his hip. His gauntleted hand felt for the item he had seen and soon he was staring down at his white soapstone. It still had the golden glimmer around it, the glimmer that proved that he was a member of the Master's covenant, but...
Ornstein hadn't used the soapstone since the Master left. He... was afraid. He was afraid of finding out if the golden glimmer would vanish, he was afraid of... the Master seeing him. Even though Ornstein once wanted nothing more to go and talk stuff out with him, he had never dared to let himself get summoned.
He was too afraid. He had always been too afraid.
"Pathetic...", Ornstein murmured, as this thumb caressed over the symbols of the white soapstone. There was a reason he had hidden the last few sun medals he had, this part of his life was over. He wasn't a knight of sunlight anymore...
Wait...
The soapstone... it would make it able to summon him for a certain amount of time. He would be able to exist in a place which he couldn't travel to, in the form of a phantom. It was part of the strange convoluted time Lordran had going on.
He could give it to Tempest and Tempest could call him once he was in the Abyss. Because Ornstein would be a phantom, the Abyss wouldn't be able to swallow him. At least not right away. It would need some time.
But... it would mean that the Master could... see him... and after all, Ornstein was still afraid. Afraid of what would happen if the Master could perceive him.
iIsn't that better than searching for someone who dumped you centuries ago?/i
Tempest's words, said so long ago, while talking about a dream that could never become reality, came back to Ornstein. He clutched the soap stone and then shoved it into his left gauntlet. He would think about it. He would give himself time to think until they would stand in front of the Abyss.
At the same time, Ornstein felt that being perceived by the Master wouldn't be the worst thing ever anymore. Leaving the fight to Tempest alone felt a lot worse to him.
Ornstein and Tempest met at the usual place and soon they found themselves in Firelink Shrine. While Ornstein fought with the urge to vomit out the most delicious meal ever, Tempest took a look around.
"It has gotten lonely here.", he said and then headed to the stairs leading towards New Londo.
"Don't blame yourself, little Storm.", Ornstein said after his stomach had calmed down. "We have talked about this."
"Hm, yeah, but that doesn't make the place feel much better...", Tempest said, gazing on the ground, "I just think about the times it was so much more lively here... It's sad to see what this place has become. Don't you feel the same about Anor Londo?"
"Well...", Ornstein didn't have an argument for this. It was similar. Anor Londo once had been bustling with people, with gods and knights and merchants. There had seldom been a day when it had been quiet. Now, all that was left was the grandiose architecture... protected by a knight who had wanted to die for the longest time... "It is similar...", Ornstein admitted, hating how much his voice broke while saying these simple words.
"See?", Tempest just said, "It's sad to see them gone. Griggs and Logan, Siegmeyer and Sieglinde, Laurentius...", Tempest stopped at this name, Ornstein didn't have to ask... apparently Tempest had been rather fond of the pyromancer, "Heck, sometimes I even miss that jerk Lautrec or the snarky crestfallen warrior who would never give out his name.", Tempest looked up at some stairs and then wrinkled his nose, "Though, I don't miss Petrus, what a disgusting man. Still, who's left now? Patches?"
"The bald guy who kicked you down a ledge?", Ornstein asked, wanting to confirm if he had remembered the name right.
"Yeah, him! Ornstein, you kicking him down the ledge as well was one of the most funny things that ever happened on this journey. That made me forgive all the times you were kicking me off ledges."
"Only because in front of high ledges, you suddenly aren't a little Storm anymore.", Ornstein said.
"If you had ever died by falling from a great height, you would understand.", Tempest shuddered, walking down some stairs. Ornstein followed him, recognizing the path to New Londo. They had once been there to give the Vinheim blacksmith some ember.
"Are you planning to visit the blacksmith down there again?", Ornstein asked, hoping that he could change the subject from dying to something more pleasant.
"Rickert? Nah, I don't have any work for him. The guy locked himself in this cell to stay safe and while he has never died yet, he sure will go hollow from boredom if he continues like that. I admit that I am not the bravest guy around, but the moment I was out of the cell, I was eager to see and at least TRY to see how far I get."
"And how far did you think you would get?", Ornstein asked.
"I survived for ten minutes.", Tempest laughed, "But because I just got reborn from the bonfire, I tried it again and again and again. And I am so happy I didn't give up, because I could meet you, Ornstein."
Ornstein felt himself blush a little and at the same time, he felt a twinge in his chest. Every time Tempest was happy about dying over and over again, because it meant he could meet Ornstein, made Ornstein feel a lot worse about the fate of the small Undead.
They walked down some more stairs and headed towards the elevator while Tempest spoke more: "I love cooking for you, Ornstein, I love to see it when you like my meal, I love to sleep in your arms, or just sit leaned against you, I love it when you get mad at me when I am rushing forwards again or how you are the only one who is allowed to mess with me and I love it when you fight at my side."
Tempest turned around and beamed at Ornstein: "In short, I love you, Ornstein, with every being of my heart."
"I... I love you too, little Storm.", Ornstein said, still feeling a bit crimson, but after this slew of compliments, it felt a little empty, so Ornstein tried to give it back: "I... I love your meals... and... I... love watching you cook and... um, every time you rush forward, it's kind of... endearing... and you are kinda cute... so I don't mind that you are also kinda... ugly... and... I am not good at that!" Ornstein now flushed completely red under his helmet when he noticed that he had insulted Tempest by trying to compliment him.
"Don't worry, Ornstein, I know that I don't have an attractive face.", Tempest said, "My eyes are droopy, my nose is broken and no matter how hard I try, I always look like a sad sack. But my mom always told me that my smile is the most beautiful thing about me and that is why I never stop smiling."
Tempest gave one of his big flashy grins to Ornstein and the dragon slayer could only agree. Tempest's smile made him beautiful.
"She was right.", he murmured.
"We are there.", Tempest said, hopping out of the elevator. "We need the transient curses, right?"
"Yes, but let's not apply them right away.", Ornstein said, "Let's enter New Londo first."
"Alright.", Tempest said, heading towards the wooden rack that rose out of the water. He stopped under an arch way and looked kinda somber. "Here was it.", he said, "The Crestfallen Warrior was here. It was the first of the Undead at Fire Link Shrine that I have seen gone hollow... He.. never did something, so it was bound to happen, but still, back then, it was a shock... It was one of the reasons I decided to search out Gwyndo..., the Dark Sun."
"That must have been hard on you, little Storm.", Ornstein said, standing next to him and laying a hand on his shoulder.
"I miss his snarky comments.", Tempest said, "I hope that he has found peace and isn't one of the hollows that are standing around here." Tempest gestured around them and Ornstein noticed the myriad of hollows who barely moved or seemed to hang onto a thin thread.
"I am sure his soul got freed.", Ornstein said.
"Yeah... I hope that too...", Tempest looked at the ground and then his gaze went a lot more confident. "Alright, no time to mope, we have a lord soul to get!" Tempest walked through the arch way and on the wooden rack. There, he produced the transient curses out of his pocket. "Let's use them now, Ornstein."
Tempest handed Ornstein one of the items, which looked a little like hands. Ornstein crushed it into his palm and could feel how the fake curse took effect and laid itself around the weapon he was holding.
"Hm, I don't feel much different.", Tempest said once he crushed his transient curse, looking at his hands and even removing his gloves, as if he wanted to look for signs of a real curse.
"Don't worry, you won't have the detriments of a real curse.", Ornstein said, assuming that Tempest looked for signs of hollowing, "And you can feel it when you draw your weapon."
Tempest did as told and drew his sword, eyes widening in fascination when white wisps danced around his blade.
"Fascinating.", Tempest said and got his shield ready in the left hand. "Let's go, Ornstein. Let's also make sure to not fall into the water, I don't even want to imagine what is in there that can drag you into the depths."
"Darkwraiths most likely.", Ornstein said without hesitation. "We had to flood this city because of them and because of the Abyss."
"Ornstein, I didn't want this question to be answered.", Tempest sighed. "Great, now I know what horrors are lurking below. Couldn't you have made up some lie?"
"I am awful at lying when it isn't about me lying about my mental and physical health.", Ornstein said and Tempest stared at him.
"Ornstein, that would have been one amazing comeback, if it wouldn't be so concerning.", he said, as he stepped down from the rack and into some water that pooled between the ruins.
"I haven't seen any foes so far.", Tempest said, looking in every direction, "But there are stairs leading up, I guess we should take them? It's the only way I see."
"Be careful, little Storm.", Ornstein said as Tempest headed over to the stairs, "New Londo is full of gho-" Before Ornstein could finish his sentence, a ghost appeared seemingly out of thin air in front of Tempest, making the little Undead yelp and jumping back, raising his shield when the ghost sliced at him with its daggers.
"Full of ghosts.", Ornstein finished his sentence and gasped, when he looked to the right and saw a second ghost manifesting. While Tempest was busy with defending from the hits of the first one, Ornstein jumped towards it and managed to kill it one swoop, then he put his attention on Tempest, who finally had found a break in the ghost's attack and slashed his sword at it.
Ornstein joined him, making the ghost vanish into a cloud of white smoke.
"Ornstein, couldn't you have told me that the ghosts are invisible?!", Tempest complained. "It scared the crap out of me! I mean, when I still could, you know..."
"You don't need to get into detail.", Ornstein said and then pointed at the ground. "And it is less them being invisible, it is more that they can just... glide through walls. They waited in the ground to strike. It might have looked like the ghost just appeared out of thin air, but in reality, it probably hid in the ground."
"Are you telling me that they can just hide from us and attack from wherever they want as long as a wall is between them and us?!", Tempest said.
"Yes, so you have to be careful, little Storm. The ghosts might try and trap us. We should try and have each other's backs."
"This will be a long day...", Tempest sighed, straightening his posture and heading to the stairs, stopping every few steps with his raised shield.
Ornstein looked at this for a minute or two before he sighed and said: "Little Storm, if you move like this, we will still be here in three days. Just keep an eye on the ground and any walls. You might be able to see the weapons or arms of the ghosts sticking out."
"Oh... alright, sorry, Ornstein.", Tempest said and his pace normalized as he walked up the stairs, but Ornstein noticed that he still had his shield up, ready to defend himself at any given moment. Ornstein followed him, having his spear ready as well. The ghosts could strike from any direction. Ornstein had to make sure to keep his gaze on the ground and the walls.
Tempest stopped at the end of the stairs, raising his sword. Ornstein noticed right away that two more ghosts floated their way, having hidden in the wall right in front of them. They didn't do a very good job at it though, because Ornstein had been able to see their daggers stick out. Tempest must have seen it as well. Ornstein took care of the ghost on the left, he only needed two strikes for them and Tempest took care of the ghost on the right, he needed four strikes, but he managed to swing his sword fast enough, so that it wasn't much of an issue.
"It's not easy fighting here.", Tempest said as the ghosts dissolved into mist. "It's so narrow and I have the feeling I can barely dodge. Without my shield that would be very difficult. And how do you even manage to walk on these narrow walls, Ornstein?"
"I am used to standing on something that flies and moves.", Ornstein replied and saw Tempest smile at his dry humour. "Little Storm, let's move on, we want to be done here before the transient curse runs out."
"We haven't even been here for one hour.", Tempest said, but regardless, moved on. Him and Ornstein followed the narrow way until they stood in front of a building.
"Let me guess.. in there are ghosts too.", Tempest said and set a single foot into the building, only to gasp. "Ornstein, they are in plain sight this time! Quick, let's get rid of them before they go into hiding!"
Ornstein, who already had smelled the trap from miles away, could only get a few words out before Tempest ran off: "Little Storm, no, it's clearly a-"
Three more ghosts appeared out of the wall once Tempest had moved to the clearly visible ghosts. Ornstein just stood there and finished with a dumbfounded: "Trap."
Without much time to spare, Ornstein immediately rushed into the building and stabbed the ghosts that were in his way. It was kind of a problem though, the building was more for humans and he was tall. Too tall. He felt very cramped into the small hallway and the three ghosts that shrugged the stab off were moving his way while he barely had any chance to move his spear.
Tempest, in the meantime, was busy with the three other ghosts that surrounded him. He rolled and stabbed and cursed and took a swig from his Estus and it was clear that Ornstein wouldn't get help from him anytime soon.
With quite some effort, Ornstein managed to withdraw his spear, his armour scraping against the wall, making him shudder. That certainly left scratches. Ornstein backed out of the house and thankfully the ghosts took the bait. All three of them followed him, their arms getting longer and longer in an attempt to slice him to bits, but with his mobility restored Ornstein could dissolve all three of them with ease.
Then, he went back into the house, squishing himself through the small hallway until he stood in the much larger room where Tempest stood, panting, with a little bleeding wound on his face and his Estus in his left hand. After a bit of consideration, he put it away and then looked at Ornstein, guilt appearing on his features instantly.
"Sorry, Ornstein.", he said, as he awkwardly scraped the ground with his foot.
"I thought you might have learned your lesson.", Ornstein tapped his own foot, "But you are and stay the little Storm."
"What can I say? It's literally in my name.", Tempest said, moving into the hallway from where Ornstein had come. "Hold on, Ornstein, I have seen something interesting there..."
"Come on, little Storm, I just squeezed myself through the hallway.", Ornstein grumbled, ducking to fit. He was a bit jealous of how easy Tempest was fitting into this hallway. It was difficult for Ornstein to move indoors, outside of the spacious rooms.
Tempest moved into a room to the left and then approached a lever. When he tried to pull it, it only made a sad creaky noise though and nothing happened. "Tsk, of course it wouldn't work.", Tempest said, letting go of the lever. "Just once I would like to find a lever that works the first time I see it or find a door that will open from the side I am standing at."
"Well, at least in Anor Londo, you can blame me and Smough for blocking the way.", Ornstein said, "We had to make sure that the Chosen Undead wouldn't just waltz right into the grand cathedral."
"Yeah, but I doubt that the ghosts thought so far.", Tempest deadpanned. Ornstein couldn't argue with that.
"Look, there are stairs downwards.", Ornstein said, pointing in the direction of them. "Let's try this way."
"First we went up and now we are going down?!", Tempest shrugged and then followed Ornstein, who carefully descended the steps. He really didn't want to accidentally fall them down, that would hurt.
The spiral staircases led back outside. Ornstein could see a clear path in front of him. Tempest squeezed himself past him and stared at it too. "Hey, I think I see something up ahead.", he said, pointing to something that was glistening in the little light that New Londo possessed.
"Be careful, little Storm, this could be another trap.", Ornstein said. Tempest nodded and then continued to tiptoe towards the item... always stopping every few steps to look at the wall. Ornstein groaned, either Tempest was rushing ahead or the slowest thing ever. "You don't need to be THAT careful!", Ornstein shouted, making Tempest jump. Ornstein was at his side in a few strides. "Just walk alongside the wall and keep your eyes on them.", he explained, demonstrating his explanation. "And when you see something off, then you can dodge and strike."
As on cue, a ghost appeared from the wall on the left and Ornstein casually took a step back and then rammed his spear into the ghost's chest, which dissolved into white mist instantly.
"See, like this.", Ornstein concluded his explanation and waited for Tempest to catch up with him.
"Noted.", Tempest said, still watching the wall, apparently not trusting that not more ghosts would hide in there. Once he was next to Ornstein, he kneeled down and picked up the item he had spotted.
"A dagger.", Tempest murmured.
Ornstein took a look and recognized it instantly. "A parrying dagger... famous in the land of Carim, if I remember correctly. You like to parry, little Storm, maybe it is something for you."
Tempest looked at his left arm where his shield sat and then shook his head. "Nah, I prefer some defense.", he said, still pocketing the dagger. "Hm, I wonder if I could parry you with this dagger?"
"If I don't want to, I am unable to be parried.", Ornstein said without breaking a sweat.
"I know, or I wouldn't have had that much trouble fighting you.", Tempest replied and then the both just shared a look and then started to snicker. When their fight to the death actually had become something like an inside joke between them, Ornstein didn't know, but he also didn't mind. It made the whole fact of having guarded an illusion for centuries so much more bearable.
"Well, this is a dead end.", Tempest said and turned around. "I think there was a path to the right of the stairs. Well, from our position it is now left. Let's take it."
Ornstein followed Tempest without any words. Another ghost awaited them in front of a small fog wall, a second one joined the fight when Tempest rounded a corner in the fight with the first ghost. Once both of them were dispatched, Tempest picked up something from the ground. His face lit up at the find. "Hey Ornstein, more transient curses! Now we have a backup should they run out!"
"Or should you die.", Ornstein said.
"I don't plan on dying.", Tempest said and faced the fog wall. "I still hope that nothing bad is behind this fog wall..."
"Only one way to find out.", Ornstein stepped in front of Tempest and was the first one to step through the fog. Nothing horrible awaited him, only more stairs. These ones led up again. "Who designed this place?", Ornstein murmured.
"It's called New Londo, wasn't it your people?", Tempest asked behind him, carefully setting one foot after the other on the steps.
"If it was one of our architects, they are long dead now.", Ornstein said, "Also, the walkways may have made sense once, but with them being ruined and so much of it submerged by water, the layout feels utterly confusing and senseless."
"I agree, first we go up, then we go down and now up again. And why are there columns everywhere?"
"The architects liked columns?", Ornstein guessed. Logically they probably supported something once, maybe a bridge or something? Looking up, Ornstein saw a roof though and the columns made even less sense. "Let's not think about the architecture please, my head starts to hurt.", Ornstein said.
"Alright.", Tempest said, "Also, be careful, there is a ghost right above you."
Ornstein jumped back in an instant, evading the slicing dagger of the ghost just in time, the sound of the blades clashing against each other as they missed their mark in the air. "You could have said that sooner, little Storm.", he complained when his spear shot up, only to clank against the stone roof. Ornstein had to take a few steps back to ready his spear... and before he could even stab the ghost, Tempest had taken care of it.
"It seems to be too narrow for you here, Ornstein, let me take the lead.", Tempest said.
"Is that the same little Storm that hid behind me from the skeleton beast?", Ornstein teased. Tempest turned around to give Ornstein a tiny glare.
"These things WERE scary and you let me cook all these awful dishes because of them. The ghost may be startling, but they are nowhere as scary as these beasts. At least it isn't pitch black here."
"No need to get offended, I was just teasing.", Ornstein chuckled as he followed Tempest, observing him dispatching of two more ghosts who had hidden in the floor or respectively the roof.
The duo soon stood before more stairs that led down.
"Down again?!", Tempest groaned. "I don't even know where we are going, how do we know this is the right way?!"
"Well... basically, we have to try and get the water level down.", Ornstein explained, "And we have to find a certain person for this, but... I don't even know where he is. Sorry, little Storm, we just have to keep searching."
"You haven't said that we need to find someone for this.", Tempest said, sounding a bit surprised.
"It never felt important...", Ornstein said, "I don't even know if he's still alive... if, he's probably undead in the meantime. The flooding of New Londo happened a long time ago, shortly after Artorias fell to the Abyss."
Huh, Ornstein had been able to say this casually, without it feeling like someone had lodged a dagger into his heart and twisted it. "In that case, we would search for the key."
"Regardless if we find him or the key, I just hope the ghosts ease up soon.", Tempest said, frowning as he saw a few more of them floating to their position. Ornstein readied himself and soon they were locked in battle, even struggling a bit because on the narrow walkway there was barely any room to dodge.
After Ornstein dispatched what felt like the fifth ghost or so, he saw Tempest shooting another one that floated at them with an arrow and then taking a sip of his Estus. "Well, it seems like this was the last of them.", Tempest turned around and faced a building, currently standing in front of an entrance. "This is the only way we can go. The stairs that lead down are broken."
Tempest gestured to his left where Ornstein could see the clearly crumbled stairway. Even though he probably would have been able to jump it, the narrow walkway along with the deep water that would await him should he fall, made him hesitate. The house was the better solution.
"Yes, let's enter the house.", Ornstein said, ducking as he followed Tempest. The building was big and full of twisted hallways, much too narrow for Ornstein to move comfortably, but the biggest offender was that this building was chuck full of ghosts! They were everywhere! They were hiding in the walls, the floor, the ceiling, one of them even came floating from a chimney and attacked with miracles, even flashing a talisman around!
Once the last ghost was dispatched, Tempest fell on his rear in front of his chimney and groaned: "That much for hoping that the ghosts ease up soon."
"At least there aren't any ghosts left anymore.", Ornstein said, "Or at least I can't hear or see them anymore. If there are any left.. it felt like we fought the whole population of New Londo in there."
"You can say this louder, for the people in the back.", Tempest said, frowning at his Estus. It was starting to get a bit low, Ornstein noticed and they hadn't found a bonfire yet. Ornstein should probably propose to go back to Firelink Shrine once it was out, he doubted that any bonfires would be able to burn in that waterlogged city.
"Where to now?", Ornstein asked as Tempest got on his feet again.
"This chimney interests me.", Tempest said, "A special ghost was guarding it. Maybe it hides something?" Tempest went to the chimney and then let out a noise of success. "A ladder! There is certainly something hidden in there!"
Ornstein groaned internally when he looked at the size of the chimney. After all this, he craved a massage of Smough, even though he knew it wasn't possible anymore... he probably had to take a nice relaxing bath instead.
Ornstein needed a bit longer to climb the ladder and once he squeezed himself out of the chimney, Tempest was standing there, looking at something, or rather someone, standing on the roof. A man clad in a red robe.
"Ah good.", Ornstein said, "He's still around."
"That is the guy you were looking for?", Tempest asked.
"Yes.", Ornstein confirmed, "He's the sealer, he was in charge of flooding New Londo in the first place. We just have to explain the situation and he should help us out."
The man turned around upon hearing the heavy footsteps of Ornstein, any emotion he might feel obscured by his mask.
"Well, this is a surprise.", he said, "I get few visitors, save for ghosts."
His mask shifted a bit when his gaze went from Ornstein to Tempest.
"The one who holds the lord vessel and the dragon slayer himself.", he continued. "Quite impressive."
"Correct.", Ornstein said, "I am, indeed, Ornstein, the dragon slayer and this here is-"
Ornstein got cut off by the man before he could utter another word.
"I know exactly what your intentions are.", he continued. "You seek the Four Kings whom I guard over."
Ornstein and Tempest shared a look. It was a lot easier than Ornstein had thought. The sealer reached into his pocket and produced a key, holding it out to them.
"Here is the key to the seal.", he said, "The Four Kings slumber in the deepest chamber of the ruins. Use this key to break the seal and open the floodgates."
"Thanks.", Tempest took the keys from the man and then looked around, seemingly a bit unsure what to do or say next.
"Wait... do not forget...", the man suddenly said, taking on a sinister tone. This time it was Ornstein's turn to shut him up.
"We have taken precautions.", he said, "Thanks for your assistance."
Ornstein then turned around and intended to leave, but Tempest didn't follow him. As Ornstein turned around again to call him over, he heard how Tempest spoke to the sealer.
"You haven't even said your name.", Tempest said, "I am Tempest and what is your name?"
The sealer stared at Tempest, it was impossible to read anything into his body language or his masked face, before he replied: "It's Ingward. If you need help, I will help in any way I can."
"Uh... you are married to your duty here, hm?", Tempest said, "Thanks, but Ornstein will do. I will come back and tell you once we succeed."
Then Tempest returned to Ornstein's side. "Aren't you confident.", Ornstein said.
"Hey, with you at my side, we managed to overcome every challenge so far.", Tempest said, "And isn't it sad having to stay at the same place for hundreds of years and never see something different?"
Ornstein winced at the harmless statement, which certainly wasn't done to harm him in any shape or way.
"Yes, it is a sad and joyless existence...", he replied, looking at the ground in front of him.
"Sorry, Ornstein, that was thoughtless of me.", Tempest said, having realized his mistake. "But hey, I did come back after besting you and now you aren't stuck at the same place anymore."
"You speak some truth, little Storm.", Ornstein said, feeling a smile form on his face.
"Where to now?", Tempest asked once they were back in the building. "Now we need to find the seal to use the key on. When I remember correctly, wasn't there a doorway out that led us to the other side of the destroyed stairway? Let's try this path."
"Understood.", Tempest said. Soon they were out on the path again. Ornstein followed Tempest who climbed some stairs, always on the lookout for ghosts. The path was surprisingly quiet and after they went down another stairway, they stood in front of a massive mechanism, a locked door preventing access.
"There.", Ornstein said, "That is a lot closer than I thought. Open the door and then let us push the seal."
Tempest nodded and fumbled the key into the rather rusty looking keyhole. It took him a bit of effort, but with a creaky sound the key let itself be turned and the door swung open. Tempest stepped in front of the seal.
"This looks heavy.", he said, "I will need my whole body weight for it."
"Which body weight?", Ornstein mentioned, earning a look from Tempest, before he stepped in front of the seal and pushed it, with quite some effort. Ornstein turned to look as the massive doors in front of them swung open, bodies of water pouring out into the valley below.
Tempest, who must have fallen down somewhen while pushing the seal, currently he was half hanging over the lever, looked at it and just expressed his astonishment with a single: "Woah."
The both of them looked at the water until it was completely drained. Then, Ornstein had to wrinkle his nose when the smell hit him. The water had been there for centuries and now that it was gone, the biting smell of rot reached him, from bodies that were waterlogged for a very long time.
Tempest managed to get up from his position on the lever and joined Ornstein, his face contorted in disgust as well. "Oh, this smells almost as horrible as Blighttown. Just what happened here?"
"The darkwraiths went out of control. Gwyndolin gave the order to flood the city. Everyone who didn't manage to run away in time died...", Ornstein said. He remembered how powerless he had been against the order, knowing that the darkwraiths were a real treat with Artorias gone as well as him not being able to fight them back, because they had gotten up again and again, thanks to the curse of undead.
"Ornstein, that's horrible!", Tempest looked at him with wide eyes, "Why did nobody wait until everyone was evicted?"
"We were desperate.", Ornstein said, "The darkwraiths had become undead. We needed to drown them before they would leave New Londo... and I am not proud about my role in this, little Storm.", Ornstein looked down to see the masses of bones and rotten flesh, "But with Artorias gone and an Abyss slowly forming, we didn't have another choice..."
"It was desperate measures, right?", Tempest said, looking at Ornstein with sympathy, "It was the same in Astora, they had to recruit even people like me into their army when we got attacked. I doubt they would have done it if they would have had another chance."
"Yes, something like this...", Ornstein said, "Regardless of the regrets of my past, the darkwraiths have been on the bottom of the water for centuries. Little Storm, there is no chance that they didn't go hollow in the meantime. They will be even more unpredictable as they once have been..."
Tempest shuddered, the thought of drowning again over and over, without being able to die, that was too much. Nobody would be able to keep their mind intact when this happened over centuries.
"I will be careful.", Tempest promised to Ornstein, taking both sword and shield in his hand as he left the sealing room. Ornstein looked one last time at the big gate and then followed Tempest, who pulled a lever. Soon, a small elevator arrived, which both of them rode down. Ornstein had to suppress a gag once they arrived, the rotten smell was even worth up close and now a musty smell, mostly of algae and other stuff that appeared in water, joined it.
"So many bones.", Tempest said, looking at his feet, where they splintered underneath his steps. Ornstein tried not to look too closely, or the guilt of all these people dying because he had been too weak would surely crush him.
To their right, Ornstein could see the big gate. Two creatures were in front of it, blue and with wings. Ornstein recognized them immediately. "Blue Drakes.", he said, "Sometimes I forget they still live here. As opposed to other dragons, they are quite resistant against lightning, so I never was the best at hunting them."
"Ah, I remember that place!", Tempest blurted out, "When I came out of Blighttown, I landed there! I was trying to explore a bit, but decided to go back to Firelink Shrine as quickly as possible when the drakes attacked me."
"You mean you ran away screaming?", Ornstein assumed.
Tempest turned around to face him and then simply grinned: "Yes."
Ornstein looked around the room they currently found themselves in. The only way he could see was climbing up a hill of dirt... or even bones. As he approached it, he saw a dark figure moving in the shadows and stopped.
"Careful, little Storm.", he said, preventing Tempest from going further with an outstretched arm, "Something's coming."
It was, in fact, a darkwraith that was heading their way, its big sword in its right hand, while its left hand seemed to be unarmed, but Ornstein knew better. "Don't underestimate them because they don't wear a shield.", he said, "They harness the power of their covenant to shield themselves or attack. They surely still know this despite being hollow."
"You know a lot about these guys, Ornstein.", Tempest said, standing next to him, abandoning his shield in favour of grabbing his sword with both hands. Ornstein was a little surprised by Tempest's choice, but instead of dwelling on it, he grabbed his spear and stepped forward once the darkwraith arrived.
The darkwraith didn't attack right away. Instead, it seized up its opponents while lifting its left hand, creating a whirl of dark energy. Ornstein knew that it was nearly impenetrable. He stood in front of the darkwraith, his spear at the ready, waiting for it to make its first move.
The darkwraith suddenly dropped its energy shield and raised its sword. Ornstein noticed that it was going for a quick series of attacks, so he stepped back and then to the side when the follow up happened. After a third attack, he noticed an opening.
His spear found his goal and pierced the armour and the chest of the darkwraith, but after he removed it, it was still standing.
"Sturdy bastard.", Ornstein murmured. The darkwraiths were part of the reason for why he felt so much grief. It had been the Abyss that took Artorias away and it had been the grief that had made Ciaran lay down her post and then they had to flood New Londo and more and more citizens had left Anor Londo when it became clear that Gwyndolin was struggling to keep it all together.
Ornstein truly held no sympathy for these... things. He prepared his spear for a final blow, when he noticed that he must have dwelled a bit too long on his thoughts. Tempest was currently in battle with the darkwraith, his sword finding an opening in the armour of the dark wraith and leaving a deep cut on its leg.
The darkwraith only recoiled for a second before grabbing Tempest and getting him near its face... Ornstein felt himself gasp in horror and his spear was shattering the face plate and the skull of the darkwraith with the force of a flood.
"Thank you, Ornstein.", Tempest said, on his rear on the ground, "I don't know what it wanted to do, but... it couldn't have been good, I guess..."
"It.. it tried to suck out your humanity, little Storm.", Ornstein said, "All darkwraiths hunt humanity. Because you are undead, losing your humanity could mean that..."
"It probably wouldn't have been that bad.", Tempest said, "I don't hollow that easily, Ornstein." Tempest got back on his feet and dusted his armour off. "Let's move, there is a stairway to the right."
"There is a stairway?", Ornstein murmured, feeling himself blush as he noticed that he had completely overlooked a rather obvious stairway.
Tempest climbed the stairs up with Ornstein following closely behind him. There was something like a wooden structure in front of them. As usual, Ornstein had to duck to even fit into it.
"Ugh, I really prefer the cities which were made with my size in mind...", he said, more to himself, but of course Tempest heard him.
"Now you know how I feel when I feel too small for everything.", he said, "Just in reverse."
"Being too small feels easier than being too tall.", Ornstein replied, "At least you don't have to cramp your whole body to fit somewhere."
"It might be, but I have to stretch just to get a book on the middle shelf.", Tempest said, "Or open some doors. I am small, even for a human, Ornstein."
Of course, Ornstein had seen other humans and they all were at least a head taller than Tempest. "Well, that is why I call you the little Storm.", Ornstein said, not having a better response ready.
"I know.", Tempest said, "There is still a long way to go until I can be a big storm."
"You already cause enough trouble to be a big storm.", Ornstein whispered, this time quiet enough that his words were unheard. At the same time, Ornstein smiled. He didn't want it any other way anymore. Tempest not causing a major headache sometimes, that wouldn't be Tempest.
Speaking of Tempest being a major headache, just as they reached the end of the wooden structure, a darkwraith appeared from the left and caught Tempest completely unprepared. He cried out in pain when the sword cut a deep crimson wound into his arm and he tumbled to the ground from the impact.
Ornstein was in front of the darkwraith as fast as he could. He just wished he had some more room to swing his spear, but like this, all he could was thrust his weapon. The darkwraith got impaled on his spear just before it delivered a devastating blow to Tempest. It trashed a bit more on Ornstein's spear while Tempest healed his wound with a swig of Estus, scrambling on his feet. Once he was up again, Ornstein shook the darkwraith of his spear, where it stayed, not getting up again.
"Thanks Ornstein.", Tempest said, "Again."
"You don't have to thank me.", Ornstein said, "It's my..." Duty? No,it wasn't his duty anymore. It had become something different, something much more. "I don't enjoy seeing you hurt."
"I am still thanking you, Ornstein.", Tempest said, "Because you saved me from so many rather painful deaths. Would I have been on my own, I would have found myself at the bonfire. I didn't pay enough attention to my surroundings. This won't happen again."
"I am glad to see you grow, little Storm.", Ornstein smiled fondly under his helmet as he looked at Tempest, securing his shield on his left arm and taking his sword into the right hand. "Then let's proceed with caution."
There was a fog wall not far behind the darkwraith. Tempest looked at Ornstein who nodded at him. They weren't near the Abyss yet. He would be able to feel it, Ornstein would never forget the uneasy feeling of the Abyss or how wrong Artorias's soul felt.
As the fog dissipated, a rather large, spacious room appeared in front of them. Tempest stepped into it, not lowering his weapons.
"This room reeks like a trap.", he whispered.
"You are learning, little Storm.", Ornsteins said, slowly moving forward, trying to make as little sound as possible, which wasn't able to be achieved, because his metal footsteps intermingled with both the bones and the algae that covered the ground.
Only a few steps into the room, Ornstein could spot them. Two darkwraiths, waiting for their prey. "Careful, little Storm, two of them at once.", Ornstein whispered.
"I am prepared.", Tempest said, stepping next to Ornstein. Together, they approached their foes, which started to move towards them once they were close enough.
Ornstein went for his usual tactic, evading and waiting for an opening to strike, but he got surprised when next to him, Tempest didn't copy his tactic, but instead delivered a faultless parry to his foe. Now Ornstein knew why Tempest had decided to equip his shield again. The parry followed a riposte and Tempest's sword drove deep into the chest of the darkwraith.
When Ornstein's foe noticed what was happening next to it, it actually fell back and defended itself with its swirl of dark energy.
"Impressive, little Storm.", Ornstein said. Tempest just looked at him with wide eyes.
"Honestly, Ornstein, I didn't think it would work that well!"
"Careful, there is still a foe left.", Ornstein said, when the second darkwraith charged forward. Tempest managed to raise his shield to block the incoming attack, but got pushed back a few feet.
Ornstein picked up the fight with Tempest on the defense. The darkwraiths were formidable foes, but he was still the dragon slayer, a knight of Gwyn and he had fought for centuries over centuries. The darkwraith soon had to yield to his spear and fell down on the ground, unmoving.
"Alright, little Storm, let's move forward.", Ornstein said, lifting his foot in an attempt to walk forwards, stopping when suddenly even the little light they had vanished.
"Huh, what...", Ornstein murmured when Tempest cried out: "Ornstein, watch out!"
Ornstein turned his head around and ducked just in time to not be impaled by a very long, very sharp spike coming out of the biggest sludge he had ever seen.
"Oh, of course.", he murmured, "They always appear in water and filth... they could grow HUGE in this environment..."
"Are they susceptible to fire?", Tempest asked. Ornstein gave a nod, taking another step back. The sludge was coming nearer and nearer and it felt like its body was growing even larger once it was seen in the light.
"They should be.", Ornstein said, feeling his legs grow weak as he noticed what Tempest was about to do, "Oh, little Storm, please wait until I turned around at least."
Ornstein turned around just in time before Tempest let the pyromancy he had prepared rain down on the sludge. Or more, it wasn't raining down on the sludge, because Ornstein could feel the heat of the pillars that appeared whenever the pyromancy named Fire Tempest was used. It didn't surprise Ornstein that it became a favourite of Tempest, it not only fit him, it also shared his name.
Even just the heat around him caused Ornstein to feel strange. Ornstein knew that it was a deep fear inside of him, a fear that he only knew to counter with attacking whatever caused it. Which usually had been a dragon, so his reaction to violent outburst of fire always were to prepare a lightning spear in his left hand, because it helped him stave off the feeling of being terrified.
Really, after having fought so many dragons, it didn't surprise him that he developed a fear of fire. It surprised him more that it had taken so long for him to figure out that his reaction came from fear.
"You can turn around again, Ornstein.", Tempest said. Ornstein did as told and looked at the scorched ground and the remains of the giant sludge. It actually leaked on his boots.
"Gross.", Ornstein said and stepped out of it, scraping his boots on the ground, which only seemed to make them dirtier, thanks to the algae. "Walking around in Lordran really makes you dirty.", he sighed.
"Well, nobody really maintained this place... or any of the other places. The cathedral in Anor Londo felt the most clean and even there it was pretty dusty in a lot of rooms.", Tempest replied, even though Ornstein hadn't asked a question.
"Smough used to kick me out of bed so that I could help cleaning.", Ornstein said, "We cleaned only our own quarters, the kitchen and the room we fought in though. The rest... it was a bit much for two people."
"I don't blame you.", Tempest said, starting to walk forwards, now that no new foes appeared, "Thinking about cleaning the whole cathedral is making me feel like I need to faint."
Ornstein followed Tempest. They stepped out a doorway and were out in the open. With the water levels down, it seemed like they could just walk wherever they wanted, but Tempest headed to the rather obvious wall right in front of them.
Ornstein flinched as he saw the darkwraith behind a few columns. "Another one, little Storm.", he whispered, which made Tempest tighten his grip on his sword. The moment the darkwraith had seen him, it came rushing towards Tempest. Tempest just masterfully parried it with his shield and then went for the kill with a repost.
"You have gotten quite good at parrying.", Ornstein said, "And that without really practicing."
"I watched you fight, Ornstein, and you give no room for a parry.", Tempest said, "So I became really good at noticing the moment when a parry is successful. Sadly, it doesn't work for enemies that are a lot larger than me, but the darkwraiths are not that tall."
"I actually can leave the darkwraiths to you then, hm?", Ornstein said, a smile forming on his lips.
"What?! By the flames, no, Ornstein, you need to help me when I mess it up."
"I was just joking.", Ornstein said, though he really intended to leave the little Storm handling the darkwraiths from now on, he would just supervise so that he could intervene should Tempest be struck down. A parry always left one wide open when failed.
Tempest looked around a bit and then decided to hop into the swallow water. Ornstein followed him, wincing when the cold water hit his feet, splashing into his boots. Luckily, they didn't stay long in the water, getting on dry ground after only a few minutes. There were some stairs that led into another room.
While the room looked not like anything special at first, it just had a curve in the middle which would force them to go left, it certainly wasn't uninhabited. Two darkwraiths at once headed for Ornstein and Tempest and soon a large sludge joined them. Ornstein stepped back when Tempest prepared a fire tempest out of impulse, the lightning spear that formed in his hand a great help in striking the darkwraith down that had fought him.
While Tempest was still recovering from the spell, using spells of that calibre could take quite a toll on the body, Ornstein fought off the other darkwraith. The both of them danced around each other for a few minutes before Ornstein managed to find an opening and could cut the darkwraith down.
"If they only would stay dead...", he murmured to himself as Tempest managed to get on his feet again and join him. He pointed at something in the corner of the room.
"A chest.", he said. Ornstein spotted it too. It was super obvious and he asked himself how he had missed it.
"Is it a mimic?", Tempest asked. Ornstein took a closer look and then shook his head. "No, it isn't. Even though I wonder who just left their chest in plain sight, I would have thought that it is a mimic."
"Alright, Ornstein, you now have to tell me how you can spot the difference.", Tempest said, stepping next to Ornstein and looking at the chest. "How do I know there isn't a super sharp row of teeth trying to eat me when I open it?"
"Alright, little Storm, there are actually three things you can do to spot a mimic.", Ornstein counted on his fingers as he continued to talk, "One, their colour is slightly different. Two, they breathe. Third, their chain will always be in a straight line, away from them. Know these signs and you will never get bitten by a mimic again."
Tempest stared at the chest for a really long time and then murmured: "This one really isn't a mimic..." He opened the lid and revealed some humanity that lay inside. "Sometimes I wonder who put these things in the chest we found around Lordran."
"Other undead probably. They wanted to keep their belongings safe and then hollowed out.", Ornstein shrugged. He only knew who had filled some of the chests in Anor Londo, like the one where he had stuffed his leftover sunlight medals in.
"Whoever it was, thanks for leaving your goods to help me out.", Tempest said, moving forward, stepping out of the room. Ornstein could see the fog gate in front of them already, this looked like it could be the entrance to the Abyss.
After they fought off two more ghosts and one Darkwraith that hid behind a corner, Tempest stepped through the fog to reveal a very long staircase.
"Little Storm, wait.", Ornstein said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Are you sure you don't want to go back to Firelink and refill your Estus Flask?"
Tempest looked at his flask and then shook his head. "I made sure to fill it up with as much Estus as I could. There should be enough left in it."
"Alright.", Ornstein said, "Then... well, I actually can't come with you to the Abyss... because we have only one ring, like you said."
Tempest's face fell a bit at these words. "Oh.. al-alright, I can make this work, I can't rely always on you and-"
"Wait, little Storm.", Ornstein said, interrupting Tempest's flow of words, "There is... a method. I just... wasn't sure if I should do it."
Ornstein felt pitiful. The only reason why he hadn't told Tempest right away was the fear of his Master seeing him when he got summoned. Well, Ornstein didn't care at the moment, he just wanted to help Tempest. He produced his white soapstone, the one with the golden glow, from his belongings and handed it to Tempest.
"You can call me with this once you are down there. My... phantom should be able to withstand the pull of the Abyss for some time."
"You have a white soapstone?!", Tempest said, eyes going wide, "And it is glowing golden, like Solaire's, Ornstein, I had no clue."
"I haven't let myself summoned in ages.", Ornstein sighed, "And I don't have any sunlight medals left. Just... use it and call me, little Storm, I will find a comfortable and safe place to wait, because my body won't be able to protect itself while I am helping you out."
"But Ornstein, if you had one of these, why-"
"Because!", Ornstein just said, hissed nearly, not wanting that Tempest finished the question, "Don't forget to wear the ring, little Storm, we'll see each other at the bottom." Ornstein practically shoved Tempest on the stairs. The small Undead began to descend them, sometimes looking back at Ornstein while he made his way down.
Ornstein watched Tempest until he disappeared from sight and then searched for an area where he could sit down. Unfortunately, New Londo wasn't the most comfortable area, so Ornstein already prepared himself to be sore later. At least they had cleared out all the darkwraiths and it was safe.
Ornstein decided to sit down in the corner where one of the darkwraiths had been hidden. As he sat down, laying his spear across his legs, he sighed and closed his eyes. Now he had to wait until Tempest called on him.
Tempest felt weird as he walked down the staircase. It felt like they had no end, but that wasn't what prompted Tempest's current feelings.
It was so strange to not have Ornstein with him. The last time it had happened... it was in the Duke's Archives. When they still had heavily disliked each other. Tempest thought that he hadn't even done too bad back then, he had managed to get himself out of prison at least, but when Ornstein had turned up, he had been furious.
The whole incident had started his training and the two of them had grown closer... slowly, but surely, until they had confessed their love to each other.
"It's hard to believe that our journey comes to an end so soon.", Tempest said, just as he arrived at the end, staring into an endless darkness, which must be the Abyss.
Tempest could hardly believe that it had only been a few weeks. It felt like so much longer. It felt like years had passed, so much had happened over this short time. Tempest kind of didn't want this journey to ever end... if only they could have fun on it forever... but Tempest knew that they had to end it eventually.
Still, he stood at the edge of the Abyss for quite some time, lost in his thoughts. He snapped out of it eventually, looking down at his gloved fingers. Right, the ring.
Tempest removed his left glove and replaced the ring he had worn there, it still was the rusty iron ring, he had forgotten to change it, with the ring that Sif had given them. He didn't feel any different, but apparently that ring would help him traversing the Abyss. Ornstein would know that it was the real thing, so Tempest trusted him.
Tempest took a deep breath and raised his foot to walk over the edge, to plummet into the darkness, but he hesitated for a moment.
"Ornstein would have just pushed me down.", he said to himself, a ghost of a smile playing over his lips. Tempest put his foot back down on solid ground and decided to just jump.
He was falling. Falling for a long, long time. Tempest asked himself if he would ever land, when the darkness around him turned solid and he landed in a void of nothing but black, with almost no light. The only light seemed to come from himself, which Tempest found strange, because he is from the dark himself.
His gaze fell onto the soap stone Ornstein gave him. Ah, that was where the light came from. Tempest caressed the soapstone with his thumb and then concentrated his feelings on it. He called out to Ornstein, the one who would come to his aid.
Tempest asked himself why Ornstein hadn't given him the soapstone before. He apparently had his reasons before, but... wouldn't it have been easier for him? He never would have needed to get too close to Tempest and could have kept his distance... As Tempest felt the warm resonance in the soapstone, he decided that he was glad that Ornstein accompanied him in person. They would have never managed to understand each other otherwise... and they probably never had fallen in love...
Tempest laid the soapstone on the ground and waited. It only took a few seconds for Ornstein to appear from the soapstone, in the pose that Tempest only had seen Solaire doing. A grin appeared on his face when Ornstein finished appearing and took his spear in both hands, his gaze on Tempest. Tempest didn't need to hear any words to know that Ornstein disapproved of him seeing that.
"Well, we are here now.", Tempest said, "And where is our enemy? Shall we just walk into the dark and... hope for the best?"
Ornstein didn't answer and as Tempest continued to stare at him, brow furrowed in confusion, he started to realize that Ornstein wouldn't be able to talk in this form. It was like an echo of him, that came into a future where the real Ornstein had never existed.
Instead of words, Ornstein could still gesture to Tempest though and he was pointing at the distance. Tempest turned around to see and froze when he saw the foe they had to fight. A ghostly figure, tall and royal, with a massive sword. This must be one of the Four Kings who fell to the Abyss.
It was such a great and looming figure, but Tempest only had to look next to him, where Ornstein's golden phantom glowed in the dark. He nodded at him and then charged forward, his sword in both hands. He doubted his shield would help against a hit of that sword.
The king was still far away, but instead of getting closer, it raised a hand and Tempest saw a purple coloured magic missile come his way. This certainly would hurt, so he headed to the left to avoid it, only for Ornstein to instead knock him to the ground.
"Ornstein, what the fuck?!", Tempest hissed, scrambling on his feet, when he saw that the missile sharply flew over his head and then vanished into the dark. Apparently, Ornstein had just saved him from a painful impact.
"Thanks, Ornstein.", he said, wondering what kind of thoughts Ornstein had, not able to speak to him. The king flew closer and raised its gigantic sword to let it crash down on them.
Tempest rolled out of the way and then moved as close as he could to the king to attack. After a few more attacks, both of him and the king, he noticed that staying close seemed to be the key with this foe. Its sword was so big that it had trouble hitting anything directly in front and as long as Tempest rolled to the side once in a while, he could get his attacks coming.
Ornstein had a similar strategy, though he stayed a bit more far away thanks to the length of his spear. They continued this for a while until the king screamed and vanished.
"That was it?", Tempest said, feeling a bit robbed by a far too easy battle, he had expected more, "Also, weren't there four kings?"
As if fate wanted to laugh at him, two more ghostly figures appeared at the same time, sharing the look of the first one. Ornstein raised his left hand and showed three fingers, which told Tempest that they only had slain one of the four.
"At least they didn't all fight together.", Tempest groaned, "That would have been hell."
With two kings at once, Ornstein separated from Tempest and locked his foe into a battle. Which left Tempest to face the other king on his own.
"Alright, I can do that.", Tempest said to himself, charging towards the king, when it suddenly twirled and glowed. Tempest, having a very bad feeling about this, frantically dodged backwards, barely avoiding a massive magical explosion.
"Damn, so that is how you play.", Tempest hissed, charging forwards again, ready to dodge when this sword would come down, but instead, the king just grabbed him. Tempest struggled in his grip as best as he could, but to no avail, the king gave him a good squeeze before letting go, which hurt like hell and probably broke one or two bones.
Tempest managed to drink from his Estus before the next attack, getting nicked by the sword, which still left quite a bruise, at least it hurt enough to be one. Then, he tried to get close.
The king didn't let him. While Tempest managed to get a hit in now or then, it would always either try to grab him or use the magic explosion. The battle would never end like this. Tempest's gaze wandered to Ornstein, hoping for help, but the dragon slayer was locked in his own battle, dancing around the attacks and stabbing the king whenever he saw a chance.
Tempest had the crazy idea to just abandon his current foe and help Ornstein instead, then Ornstein could help him, when all of a sudden a barrage of magic missiles exploded behind him.
"Oh shit.", Tempest said as he turned around, seeing that the fourth king had joined them in battle. How should he fight two of these guys?! He would die down here, again, and leave Ornstein alone, returning to his body feeling like a failure.
That was when Tempest suddenly had an idea. Why didn't he use his pyromancy? Ornstein's reaction to fire wouldn't matter down here, it could even help them. Tempest summoned the flame into his hands and shot a Fire Tempest at the foe in front of him.
While the attack wasn't enough to take the king out, it worked as predicted and Ornstein, upon gazing on the fire pillars, fired a massive lightning spear into his foe, making it dissipate. Tempest grinned, taking up his sword, now they had a good chance to win, then the fourth king, which he failed to keep sight on, almost cut him down with its sword.
Tempest saw a lot of blood drip into the Abyss, vanishing into the black void, wondering if it ever existed... Ornstein came running to him, spear on the ready, but not able to reach Tempest, because the two remaining kings heckled him.
Even Ornstein struggled against two of them at once. With one of them constantly using magic explosions and the other shooting magic missiles, he was put into the defensive. Tempest had to make use of this situation... he took his Estus and swallowed the rest at once, feeling how his wounds knit together and he managed to get back on shaky legs. Now he wouldn't be able to heal anymore, now he had to put an end to the fight.
Tempest joined Ornstein and decided to fight the one who wasn't doing constant explosions. Ornstein could keep his distance better and would be able to get more damage in. Ornstein nodded at Tempest at his choice and the both of them stood in front of their last foes during their time in the Abyss.
Tempest's earlier strategy proved fruitful again. He stayed close and it tricked the king to mostly use his sword, seldom shooting magic missiles, that he could easily dodge. Tempest hacked and slashed at the king whenever he could, so focussed on the task that he didn't notice how Ornstein joined the battle, apparently having slain the third of them.
With another nod of Ornstein, Tempest jumped to the side when the sword crushed down, while Ornstein jumped to the other side. Now that only one of them was left, they in turn heckled the last king and rammed their weapons deep into its ghostly body.
With a cry, the king disappeared and Tempest felt the power of the lord soul in his dark sign, slowly removing it to weigh into his hands. It felt... unreal. It was the last lord soul. This was the sign their journey was almost at an end...
Tempest looked at Ornstein, wanting to say something, but saw him locked into a bow, while he slowly disappeared. Tempest's eyes wandered to Ornstein's feet, which had already started to sink into the bottom. It appeared they had made it just in time before Ornstein's phantom would have been swallowed by the Abyss. After Ornstein had vanished, Tempest felt something in his hand and opened it to look at a golden medal with the symbol of the sun.
Tempest pocketed it and then spotted a bonfire that hadn't been there before. With nothing to do down here, not wanting to stay in such a bleak place and wanting to talk to Ornstein, Tempest used it. The only choice he had was Firelink Shrine.
As Tempest arrived at the shrine, Ornstein was nowhere to be seen. Of course, he had to walk back first. Tempest noticed that he had the soapstone in his hand again, strange, he didn't remember having picked it off the ground.
Tempest decided to just sit down and wait.
After a long while, Ornstein appeared, in company. The sealer of the ruins, Ingward, was with him. Ornstein said something to Ingward and then joined Tempest.
"I am glad that worked, little Storm.", he said as Tempest tackled him into a hug. "Woah, little Storm, what's the matter?"
"I missed you, Ornstein.", Tempest said, "I was feeling so alone down there when you suddenly vanished."
"I am here now.", Ornstein ruffled Tempest's hair. "And you did a good job, little Storm, that was the last one. Now we have all of the souls. That means, we..."
Ornstein didn't finish his sentence and Tempest was glad about it. He wasn't ready yet. "Ornstein, let's go back to the cathedral. And rest... we need to be rested for the final battle."
"Right, of course.", Ornstein said, "We are both exhausted after this whole trip. Can we just stay here a little while longer? I kind of... want to take in the scenery."
"Of course.", Tempest chuckled, apparently Ornstein was more exhausted than he let on and wanted to sit down a little while longer. "Why did you bring Ingward with you?", Tempest asked after a few minutes, wanting to break the silence.
"I relieved the sealer of his duty. Now that the kings are gone, the Abyss won't be able to spread anymore. He doesn't have to watch over this place any longer. Besides, you wanted to tell him once the battle was over.", Ornstein replied.
"That was kind of you, Ornstein.", Tempest said, snuggling against Ornstein's legs.
"I really don't wish on anyone to stay in the same place for hundreds of years, is all.", Ornstein said with a sigh, then he fell silent. The both of them stayed in a comfortable silence for around half an hour or so, when Ornstein finally moved.
"Let's get back to the cathedral now.", he said, "I am eager to take a bath and... little Storm, please surprise me with your cooking."
"Oh, I have some great ideas.", Tempest said, taking Ornstein's hand as he warped both of them back to Anor Londo.
(Author's note: You don't want to know what GRIEF the Four Kings gave me when I fought them to prepare this chapter. They are such bullshit in NG+, it wasn't funny anymore.
Anyway, a sunlight medal appeared, so that means that Ornstein was indeed watched. Ornstein stopped caring about it though, he just wanted to help Tempest.
How did you like the chapter? Are you excited for the end of the story or are you sad? Tell me in the comments!)