Chapter 16: Lothric Underground and the Outriders.
Kingdom of Gaul, Northern Corse.
...
"Wow! My sword is more polished than before!" Sasha inspected her shimmering blade with an awe-filled expression. "But I felt it radiating with more energy than I imagined. Then is this what Titanite can do? Empowering weapons?"
"Mhm, although, I can't feel anything from the Titanite Ores... But you can? Thoroughly I'm surprised." Ash remarked while packing up a Smithbox into his bottomless box. "I've heard stories how sorcerers can feel the powers imbued into these stones and they vary in distinct elements."
"You mean there are more of them?" Sasha raised her eyebrows astonishingly while looking up at him. "Tell me, what kind of Titanite would you like to tell?"
"Tell? Hm, I have one different variant... just one moment." Ash reached his hand into his Bottomless Box until he pulls out a glittering white chunk. "Here, for example, is a White Titanite Chunk."
Ash then smiled as he was struck with nostalgia in mind while looking down over the White Titanite Chunk. It's been a long time since he left Lordran after his incineration by the First Flames and hadn't seen any different Titanite variants upon his visit to Lothric. He slowly handed the chunk over to Sasha. Upon taking the tiniest bit of physical contact with the stone on her palms; she felt her spine shiver and nearly dropped the Chunk. Her eyes widened in shock and her senses couldn't fathom the tremendous power that radiates from the White Titanite Chunk as if she was holding a divine object.
"Th-This can't be...!" Sasha uttered in disbelief, much to Ash's confusion. "This stone alone holds too much divine power... and such power itself could rival the Gods themselves!"
"Well... Andre told the tale of Titanite is a gift from the Gods," Ash explained while crossing his arms. Reminding the tale of the old blacksmith. "The Blacksmith God is the one responsible for creating them and bestowed such stones to the practitioners of Blacksmithing and they create powerful weapons for any skilled warriors in need."
"D-did they really allow them to forge weapons out of it, even for mere humans!?" Sasha gawked in incredulity. "It sounded like making a weapon out of these stones is akin to a hero weapon, which is definitely blessed by the Gods and yet you wield such weapons without a blessing of a deity!"
"Well... it only makes the weapon itself stronger than a conventional one without slight changes," Ash replied with a shrug before smiling mischievously behind his helmet. "Sure, you might be a hero. But I'm afraid to tell you that I'm way far ahead."
"Huh?... EH!? Hey! What makes you better than Heroes!?" Sasha fumed while pointing her finger accusingly towards him. "You might be a Mercenary despite being a Knight. But that doesn't mean that you're neither fated by the divinities of these lands!"
"Oh~? Do tell, then why am I the hero of Oolacile?" Ash said mocked back, amused. "Or say at least... how many times did I save you in our journeys?"
"I-... Uhh... Grrr! Hmph!" Sasha pouted as she trembled until her cheeks flustered and she pitifully slammed her fists against his right shoulder. "Argh! I hate you!"
"Sasha, please don't be upset. I was just making fun of you!" Ash replied with a chuckle while waving his hands in surrender until the priestess stopped. "Just a little fun and nothing serious."
"Hmph! Then don't tease me like that and it's not fair you find it funny!" Sasha's face was bright red with a pouty face whilst Ash couldn't deny how cute she looks. "I might get a little overboard if you keep doing that!"
Then again, he sighed while apologising. "Alright! Alright, I apologise for my words."
Sure. His words were just making small fun with his acquaintance until at one point would sting her pride as a Hero. Then he perks up to see Arcturus, Elen, and Elaine had just entered the tent with bewildered looks on their faces.
"... Um... Okay, Ash, what's going on here?" Elaine asked while raising her eyebrow.
"Well, it's nothing special about it," Ash replied with a smile while waving his hand. "Just a little quarrel, nothing unusual."
"Oh... okay~, but looks like she needed some comfort." Elen points out.
Ash tilts his head back and looks down at Sasha, hugging him with his right arm, much to his surprise and confusion.
"*Sniff*... M-Meanie... Idiot...!" Sasha uttered with a pouty expression, while on the verge of tears. "I hate you for telling me those words as if I were your damsel in distress... but I'm a hero for crying out loud!"
'Well... enough of this,' Ash deeply sighed before gently patting her on the head for her comfort. "It's alright Sasha. I truly didn't mean to say anything harmful."
"It's like a lover's quarrel going on," Arcturus whispered to Elaine and the Orc almost burst out with her laughter.
Once they settle down in their minor dispute, the group went out of their encampment before Gerome came alongside Sif and Reginald.
"Alright, is everyone prepared?" Gerome asked before receiving a few nods. "Great! The news just came in recently from other Mercenaries."
"What news?" Elen asked with a muffle behind her red scarf.
"Hours ago, scouts have located some sort of hidden civilization underneath the mountains," Reginald explained. "They say it's full of large dungeons, traps, and monsters where they emerge out."
'Huh... so these monsters came from such places,' Sif stated. 'I suggest we'll come along with other mercenaries. They're forming themselves an army to mount an expedition.'
"Right," Gerome nods to Sif before turning to the group. "Also, there are rumours of unique and exotic items found in those ruins. Bet we gotta step in and get ourselves a bonus!"
...
Four hours later, the adventurers had marched into the mountain passage and passed through the bloody battlefield that was left off a day ago. Sasha covered her nose in nausea with a cloth after seeing the decaying corpses of men and monsters laying on the ground. She could see some mercenaries and adventurers alike picking up weapons and items from the dead bodies. She couldn't help but watch these fellow men and women disrespecting the dead, but they were desperate. Some adventurers fled from the camp after their battle against the Rockworms out of fear, but many knew if there was nothing to solve the crisis, Gaul will soon fall as long as these new monsters continuously appear.
At the end of the mountainous passageway, the captain of the mercenary battalion raised his hand to order his men to stop in front of a massive cavern before he stood back once he felt the earth quaked.
Out of the darkness, they witnessed a massive spider-like creature being crawled out and emitting eerie clicking sounds.
"Men! Fire the Arrows!" The Captain cried out an order while raising his sword.
The Mercenaries raised their bows high and unleashed a hail of arrows into the air and fell upon the beast. Then it was followed up by a group of spellcasters sending a wave of spells before the massive beast was reduced into chunks of flesh and bones.
"Ash... do you know what that thing is?" Sasha asked curiously with fear.
"A Deep Accursed... a giant hybrid between an Arachnid and a Lychantrope," Ash replied as he explained the type of monster. "Probably one of Sulyvahns deadly experiments. Their breaths can produce a yellowish-coloured mist, and those are extremely dangerous when you breathe in."
"Then how dangerous can it be?" Sasha asked while trembling in worry. "Is it poison?"
"Much worse than that," Ash replied stoically. "Anyone who breathes their thick mist for a bit too long means instant death."
After the Deep Accursed has been taken down, the mercenaries and adventurers continued their expedition by going through the deep caverns. On their way down through the massive tunnels, they encountered several more corpses in their way which likely belonged to lost travellers and monster girls. Once they reached the end, the entire army gawked at the sight of a massive castle that is surrounded by ruins.
Armed men, women, and monster girls went down the path through the stairways. When Ash and his group reach the end of the tunnels, the Silver-Blue Knight stood in shock before a loud gong-like tone was heard from all places like an echo as the Adventurers have the same reaction. All stood in awe and wonder where the sound came from, then large transparent alphabets appeared out of thin air.
Dungeon City of Lothric
"That... can't be..." Ash uttered in disbelief. "This place shouldn't be here."
"Ash? What's going on?" Arcturus then asked worriedly. "It looks like you knew this place."
"That place..." Ash then swallowed a lump in his throat. "That's... Lothric Castle."
Upon hearing his words, Elen and Reginald widened their eyes in amazement before looking up at the castle. They remembered the stories of their father who had ventured into the Kingdom of Lothric, which was supposed to be a children's tale when they were kids, while as mythical as it sounds; it seems their father's story was proven to be true after all.
Once the Mercenaries led the Adventurers through the bridge, they suddenly heard a large screech. From afar, the head of a wyvern with its elongated neck waved behind the walls before sending another screech into the air. Then suddenly, the "dead" corpses, ranging from simple footsoldiers to Lothric Knights and Winged Knights, rose from their slumber and attacked the intruders without warning.
The adventurers unsheathed their weapons and retaliated in response to their daring clash against the undead.
"There are hollows in this place as well!" Reginald tensed while drawing his greatsword. "Ash, any plans?"
"We have to take them out and help the mercenaries to secure the bridge," Ash responded while unsheathing his broadsword. "Come on, let's move!"
...
"Arg! Take this, you beast!"
"John, to your right!"
"They're everywhere! Get in position!"
"Almira! Quick, I need a weapon!"
In the midst of the battle, mercenaries pushed themselves deeper after taking out the hollows one by one until they reached near the gates of Lothric Castle. The first mercenaries finally reached the end of the bridge and try to find their way to open the gates. However, another gigantic being fell from the top of the gates and landed in front of the mercenaries. A few men were flying over to their deaths as they fell over the bridge, while some were reduced into puddles of blood underneath the monster's feet. The men gawked at the giant in horror before they were decimated by its large stony Axe in a single blow. Many adventurers caught sight of the massive beast and fell back.
"By the Gods! It's a giant!" One mercenary cried out while pointing up at the giant. "We need spellcasters to take it out!"
Several spellcasters stepped forth and chanted their spells, however, their castings came in an abrupt once the large beast spews out massive boulders from its mouth; taking many lives of sorcerers and mages. Fortunately, the Greatwolf Sif leapt into battle and drew his sword and the gigantic demon charged with its stone Axe, but it missed the Greatwolf once Sif strafed to the side and sprints high in the air. Then Sif did a somersault and smashed the blade of the Berenike Greatsword against the Demon's head.
Soon, the large demon crumbled into pieces and fell to the ground, thus the Adventurers cheered jubilantly at their victory. Ash came to Sif's with Sasha before the Warrior Nun looked over the crumbled remains of the lifeless demon.
"It's even bigger than a rockworm we've encountered yesterday," Sasha said in awe. "Ash... do you mind what is this giant beast?"
"That's a Stray Demon... I thought I'd killed the last one in Lothric." Ash explained before putting his sword back in his scabbard. "But let's not think right now... we need to get going."
"Men! Secure the bridge and let none of these monsters shall interfere with our only way out!" A Mercenary Captain cried out.
"YES, SIR!" the mercenaries responded with a salute.
In the battle's aftermath, the Adventurers send out their reconnaissance teams to scale the high walls of the underground city for further observation. Clerics and healers came to treat the wounded while the newcomers arrived several hours later and comprise several teams of Archeologists and Explorers. Upon their arrival within the underground civilization, they were awed by the sight to witness how massive the entire place is, filled with untapped knowledge and riches of an unknown civilization.
"Can you read what these scriptures on the wall say?" An explorer asked an Archeologist who stood by his side while looking over a stone sign filled with scribbles.
"I... haven't seen these scriptures before." The archaeologist replied. "It's completely an unknown language."
As they passed on, the Adventurers watched their backs in case of a monster ambush. Sasha took a glimpse of the stone sign and was puzzled. The scripts were indeed foreign and outworldly.
"It's filled with scribbles," Sasha stated in wonder before raising her eyebrows in question. "I... couldn't understand a single word from this."
"It says Lothric Castle, Southern District." Ash translated, which caught Sasha by surprise. "That means this may lead to the entrance of Vordt."
"Oh~! I didn't know that you can read what it says!... Wait, who's Vordt?" Sasha asked until becoming nervous, hearing the name send a chill down her spine for unknown reasons. "It's a person, right? It couldn't be any means another dangerous monster... right?"
Ash then let out another sigh. She wouldn't be so wrong if she were to meet those kinds of massive outrider knights.
"Vordt is an Outrider Knight from the Boreal Valley," Ash explained before tilting down to her with a blank stare behind his helmet. "Before I arrived in Lothric Castle, he was changed into a hideous beast."
"Ugh! Now you tell it!" Sasha said it out loud while shaking in fear with teary eyes. "We're going to face even more dangerous monsters, aren't we!?"
Ash stood silent for a mere second before replying. "... I'm afraid so."
...
In the other parts of the city, Elen and Arcturus looked around the deserted areas of Lothric. The Dhampir sighed deeply while looking over the place filled with empty husks of Lothric Knights, impaled with spears, swords, and other sharp objects.
"Jeez, a battle must have gone on over here," Elen stated, while picking up a knight's helmet and blowing off the dust.
"By the looks of it, some civil unrest must have happened here," Arcturus exclaimed while cupping his chin. "Their armour was rusted beyond recognition and covered in dust... therefore, it's been a very long time since it happened."
"But I wonder myself... how tall do these people get?" Elen asked while raising her eyebrow as she inspected the height of the corpses. "I faced one during our battle at the bridge and they're tall as heck! Like giants!... If you ask me."
"How should I know about that?" Arcturus raised his eyebrow in question before turning around and saw a lone wooden chest sitting in the middle of a dark alleyway. "Oh hey, look! There's a chest!"
Elen spun around and curiously watched Arcturus heading for the wooden chest. But the sight of that chest gave her some unnerving aura of animosity and questioned why there was a chest in the middle of a dark alleyway. She had a feeling that something wasn't right. Elen followed Arcturus before he opened the wooden chest. And thus, from curiosity to horror, he saw long sharp teeth and two enormous arms emerge from the sides.
"Wh-What the-!"
Arcturus tried to draw his sword, but the monster grabbed his entire torso until the chest itself widely opened its mouth.
"H-Help!"
Arcturus couldn't help but flail helplessly. But fortunately, a sharp blade whisked through and sliced the monster's arms apart before the Knight of Sunlight fell to the ground with a hard thud.
"Gah! D-Damn! That hurts." Arcturus groaned in pain while getting up. "Th-Thanks, Elen."
"That wasn't me," Elen uttered in disbelief while looking up at the individual who saved Arcturus. "It's that guy."
Arcturus spun his head around and saw a man wearing his armoured vest with a red cloak. But that's not all. One of the most intriguing things of all is the massive curved greatsword he's carrying over his shoulders.
"You need to beware of traps, Knight of Sunlight." The Red-Cloaked Mercenary spoke. "There are a lot of sketchy things around this place that might cost yer' head."
"Th-Thank you, I'm Arcturus and..." Arcturus then paused when he saw an insignia on his shoulder pauldron; depicting a cross-section of two eastern scimitars. "Wait, that insignia... You're a Swordsman from the Carthus Tribe!"
"Huh, you're well informed. That said, my tribe is known to be the closest allies of your family, young knight." The Swordsman made an amused smile before helping Arcturus to get up. "The name's Junayd, just some wandering Sellsword from the Desert."
"I'd never expect a Carthus Mercenary to be here out from all places." Elen expressed her astonishment while placing her hand on both hips before glancing at him with a questionable look. "Let me guess, you're here for the bounty as well?"
"It wasn't my first intention. After I got away from Lescatie to Gaul due to a failed Order reclamation. I've found some sheet of bounty in Gerth." Junayd explained before crossing his arms. "One hundred and fifty thousand gold sounds quite a lot and ridiculous. Yet I had a gut feeling that I was drawn into it and I don't know why."
"Ye~ah... Possibly because of the rewards." Ellen said before expressing her mischievous, smug glance.
But as the air itself went silent, unbeknownst to Elen, a shadow of a creature emerged behind her. Arcturus caught the sight of a tall, armless monster before he pushed Elen aside. The Mimic dived with its jaw open but missed its prey.
"Stay back!"
Junayd warned while drawing his greatsword and slashed the Mimic in half. The monster made its dying howl as it fell backwards, hitting the solid ground. The monster's corpse lies motionless on the ground before the body dissolved itself and its ashes raised in the air and black liquid oozed out from the body. Arcturus and Elen covered their noses from the horrible stench emitted from the corpse until Arcturus noticed a small glimpse of a shining object that had just appeared.
"Hey, there's something in this creature." Arcturus carefully reached his hand and dived into the monster's innards.
"Eww," Elen groaned in disgust. "Seriously? Keep your hands away from me once you're done picking up something."
Arcturus drags up his hand and revealed an unusual object before holding up a shining medium-sized yellow gem, glimmering with radiance.
"Woah... Look at this!" Arcturus uttered as his eyes widened in awe. "Some sort of gem with a worth of fortune!"
"Or probably we should hand that thing to Ash," Elen stated with curiosity. "He knows what that thing might behold."
...
Town Of Gerth, Residential District.
...
"So Sasha Fullmoon isn't in Gerth but went away on a quest with the Silver-Blue Knight," Janeline spoke from the other side of the Magic Mirror with a dissatisfied look. "You could've arrived in that town earlier. Then what took you so long?"
"Pardon us for being late, Janeline," Janice apologised with a heartfelt expression. "It was those monsters that intercepted our way while heading to the town."
"Ugh, it's always *TSSHK!* those monsters..." Janeline groaned while massaging her temples. "So, by the way, *TSSHK!* have you found their residency?... Also, what's going on with the mirror? It shouldn't act in this way!"
"Well, it's due to the high concentrations of Wild Mana running around this place that is intercepting the communications," Janice replied with a nervous sweat rolling down her forehead. "However, it feels like I'm getting nauseous every time I go out with the other priests."
When Janice turns around, she saw Amana knitting a sweater with a ball of black wool while the other Dark Priest, Ivy, groans on top of her bed in boredom.
"And Ivy isn't much doing well," Janice said plainly while looking over her. "She didn't pray in the morning for the Fallen God with us.
"I'm bored~!" Ivy yawned. "When is there the next menu in Horseback Inn?"
"... Ivy should've been warned about the town's local food." Amana sighed in pity.
Janice ticked her eyes up in displease before turning around to the magic mirror. "While we searched around the building where Sasha Fullmoon lives, it seems there is not one soul living is ever present."
"I thought the orphans they've brought from Lescatie should've been there." Janeline raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Our plan would have been easier if you could find them and monsterize them in the case as a distraction."
Janice shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? We couldn't find them since the Town's mana covers everything."
...
Meanwhile, within the Catarina Household.
...
"Alright kids, here's how you peel the onions." Siegward demonstrated while holding up an onion before peeling the skin off. "Remember, don't get your eyes too near. It will get irritating."
"Uuuh~! My eyes are getting sore!"
"Me too!"
The two orphans, Noah and Cynthia, tried to hold their tears while peeling down the onions as the rest of the orphans did their working activities around the kitchen. Mira, the young bear monster girl, was being held up by Siegward's son, Siegemeyer while carrying a small vial of salt.
"Alright, gently put the salt in," Siegmeyer said before the mamono toddler shakes a pinch of salt into the marinade. "Very good. Now let Emiyu mix the marinade sauce before we can prepare the roasted chicken."
"So when will big sis and big bro come back?" Lisia asked curiously to Siegemeyer. "I can't wait to see Sif and the others share their new amazing stories about their adventures!"
"Well, Lisia, Northern Corse is a bit far away from Viola Region," Siegemeyer replied with a warm smile. "It will take a few days or a week 'till their quest is finished."
"A few days!?" Ralph said out loud in disbelief. "Aw, man! That's way too long! I want to hear more of Sif's stories, and Uncle Siegward is busy."
"Oh, don't fret there, young lad," Siegward laughed haughtily. "At least there's the ye' olde Andre. He has some amazing untold stories, his tales traced back to the Ancient Era of Lordran."
"But big bro Ash hasn't finished his story about Lordran!" Mary whined while peeling the potatoes. "I mean, he's about to say the part about the Iron Golem in Sens Fortress!"
"Yeah! And I'm excited to hear more about Iron Tarkus of Berenike when he comes back!" Ralph added with a grinning smile.
...
Dark Priestess Hideout.
...
Janeline felt her eyebrow twitch in frustration with her arms crossed. "So I presume they were sent under the protection of their allies."
"We didn't know they're very well aware of us," Janice replied in distraught while looking down. "This makes our plans a bit too difficult and we need to come up with something."
"Then you have to think," Janeline said calmly. "Maybe you can corrupt some townsfolk to do your job."
"It's impossible. It will bring the attention of the Onion Knight of Gerth," Amana replied while tilting her head sideways in disagreement. "I've heard from the folks that he easily spotted an infiltrating demon by simply smelling off from her human disguise and knocked her down with a wooden mug! No less!"
"Wait, does that mean he can smell our disguise as well?" Janice asked Amana with a worried expression.
"I... don't think so, but it might be possible," Amana said anxiously. "I've heard about this town's history that he alone had beaten up Monster Girls in their disguises and threw them out of town. So we should be wary of him."
"Alright, noted." Janice nodded before turning back to Janeline. "So is there any news from the Pandemonium?"
"The last time I communicated with the Fallen God, our beloved followers and their husbands are gathering up in the Fallen Tower," Janeline replied before explaining more of the recent events. "The Unholy Adherents will be also assisting us, and even some Fallen Heroes of the Dark Ice Flower from Lescatie are there as well to help us capture the Silver-Blue Knight."
"That's a lot! But why does the Fallen God need that much?" Janice gawked with eyes wide open, incredulously. "It's just one man against an army full of strong monster girls like ourselves!"
"I know, but the Silver-Blue Knight is unlike any other human. Even the strongest of our kind couldn't be able to put him down and were killed without even hesitating," Janeline proclaimed with a determined look. "But I hate to say this; the Fallen God is growing more afraid of him and we, the Disciples of the Fallen, must do whatever we can to stop him."
"But how can a mortal like him strike fear into our God?" Janice asked, while her index finger lightly scratched her right cheek in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense!"
"Who knows, but I think the Fallen God will speak some words if the time comes," Janeline replied, staying determined while under tense pressure. "So we can get our answers for whatever reason she has."
...
Dungeon Castle of Lothric
...
"By the Chief God, this sword is really heavy!" A Mercenary grunted while trying to hold up a Lothric Knight Greatsword next to a corpse of a Lothric Knight. "How can these guys wield them like feathers?"
"It's because they were taller?" To his left, a female mercenary replied with an annoyed look. "But as far as I can say; these guys are giants."
Around the Castle City of Lothric, mercenaries and adventurers toured the ruins while encountering dozens of Hollowed Knights and Beast that prowled the place. Some individuals ended up finding magical items and artefacts of unknown powers, as some unlucky dungeon crawlers ended up being devoured by the dreaded bloodthirsty Mimics.
"Alright everyone, beware of opening the chests if anyone of you found one!" Spoke up a knight's errand to his group. "You gotta hit them if they were real or fake. Don't be deceived by their appearance alone!"
Meanwhile, Ash and Sasha stumbled into another area filled with corpses of impaled Lothric Knights and Winged Knights. Sasha felt the dreaded tension once they stepped in and became even warier about the corpses.
"Don't worry, they're actually empty," Ash said as Sasha stuck close to his back. "These suits of armours had corpses once... before turning into ashes."
"Say, Ash... You said you've been in this place before," Sasha asked, while expressing sadness. "Can you tell me what happened here?"
"As I knew, this place isn't always here in the underground of the mountains and Lothric is a kingdom near the oceans... it must have been the work of the distortion," Ash explained while glancing down at Sasha. "Also, remember that I've told you about the Curse? This is what it did to the people."
"Wait... you mean it did all of this? By the Curse that you've talked about?" Sasha stated in disbelief while looking around the area, observing the corpses of men, women and children. Ash nodded in reply. "How... awful."
Ash remained quiet before kneeling to the ground and picking up a rusted Lothric Knight Helmet while reminiscing his past journey. "In my lands, if a Kingdom was struck by the curse, people who died without their purpose fulfilled became undead."
"Undead... you mean a Zombie or..." Sasha then looks up at Ash with a questionable look. "A hollow?"
"Yes, but Hollows and the Undead may differ from each other." Ash described the difference. "The Undead were much saner than Hollows and still keep their humanity."
"Oh?... So they can still keep their humanity intact?" Sasha asked, in much of her surprise. "Then there must've been friendly ones... right?"
"Well, it's really hard to say, their personalities as undead may vary. You'll get lucky if you find one undead who's really supportive." Ash asserted with a small chuckle. He may have been undead and remembered in his first encounter with the Undead Merchant, Solaire, and others who went on their pilgrimage in Lordran prior to his adventures in Lothric. "But they will die and fade away once they've completed their fulfilment, but sometimes they will turn hollow even if their purpose has ended."
"I see... " Sasha acknowledged before asking once more. "So what makes an Undead turn Hollow without their purpose fulfilled?"
"Hollows are still undead, but they're undead who turned insanity once their souls are relinquished within the pits of despair," Ash answered with a grim expression behind his helmet. "Without hope and lost all-purpose, they'll become much more primal and dangerous towards anyone who gets near... like that one over there."
When Ash raised his finger and pointed at something behind Sasha. When she slowly turns around with a curious glance and she jumps back in shock while covering her mouth from screaming. From what she saw is a tall Hollow in a distance, wearing its plain clothing and aimlessly wandering around with its dark hollowed eyes staring upwards. She can hear the faint groans it made until it walked away to another area, not noticing the couple nearby.
"M-My goodness... that truly scared me." Sasha slowly breathed out. "So people can become into... that?"
"Not everyone, yet many received the curse after death," Ash concluded. "But your people are lucky for not getting afflicted with the plague of the Undead Curse."
"How unfortunate. This curse is terrifying indeed, and it truly puts the Wights and their undead servants into shame." Sasha said in acknowledgement before looking around the gloomy atmosphere of the ruins. "But why did it happen?"
"Well... have you remembered the stories of legends I've talked about with the children? The Age of Fire?" Ask spoke before Sasha nodded. "When the First Flames began to dwindle, the Gods became absent and darkness soon took its roots... so the curse had spread throughout the entire lands."
Sasha gulped in distress. "So all of this... the arrival of horrific monsters and undead... could be related to the Curse as well?"
"No... It's different, and the Curse isn't capable of doing such abnormalities." Ash replied with a deep breath and cast a doubting look. "There are shifts of realities and different worlds colliding with this realm through time and space."
"D-Different worlds!?" Sasha's eyes went wide. "Other than I knew about this realm, exists!?"
"Yes, and it's doing this with no one knowing a thing." Ash nodded in reply. "You'll soon come across an unknown place without prior knowledge and get afflicted by it... like this place."
"That is a lot to take in... but it's truly astonishing to hear such knowledge." Sasha then looks up at him with wondrous eyes. "Despite the horrible things that are happening around us... then there must have been wonderful things to discover."
"Like for what example?" Ash raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"I mean... there's Sif, for example. He's a Greatwolf that's not known around the continent and a powerful ally we have!" Sasha beamed as if her spirits went high with hope. "Then we discovered magical ores such as those titanites and many more! Isn't that great? We could probably use it to fend for ourselves from the Demon Lord and the dreadful Hollows!"
"Well... do you think there's something that we could do against the Demon Lord?" Ash replied uncertainly while shrugging off his shoulders. "I've seen many types of Demons, but a Demon Lord in the Royal Makai is... it's safe to assume she's hardly a demon, after all."
"Hey, Ash!"
Ash then perks up and turned around to see Elen come up alongside Arcturus and another foreign mercenary, which strikes a familiar resemblance of a certain Sellsword Mercenary who came out from the Desert.
'A Sellsword Mercenary?' Ash raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Didn't expect to see one coming here.'
"Look what we've got!" Elen handed out a radiating gemstone into the air. "Could you tell us what this rock is? I'm sure you're familiar with this kind of stuff."
"Ooh~! It's so pretty~!" Sasha beamed in awe while looking over the gemstone before widening her eyes incredulously. "But as far as I can tell... wait... isn't this stone filled with divine power!?"
"Huh?" Elen's face then expressed her surprise and confusion while looking down at the gemstone. "Divine... power?"
"That is an Old Radiating Lifegem," Ash answered while taking a step forward to examine the glimmering object for a closer look. "These gems are well known and commonly to be found in the Ancient Lands of Drangleic, but I'd never expected to see one here."
"Lifegem?" Sasha raised an eyebrow in question. "Then what are they used for?"
"I've never used a lifegem, but I read it from a book. It's used for healing grievous wounds in case of an emergency," Ash explained. "When you crush it with your bare hands, its energy will help you mend your wounds in no time."
"Oh~! So it's like a Divine Blessing?" Sasha glowed in excitement.
"Similar to it, but unlike the Divine Blessing; it won't cure poison or toxic effects," Ash answered while turning his attention to the Sellsword. "And also... who is this person?"
"I am Junayd, a Sellsword from Carthus." Junayd introduced himself with a fist placed on the right side of his chest. "And you must be the Silver-Blue Knight of Lescatie. I've heard stories about you from the mouths of travellers."
"So I've been told," Ash said, amused, before greeting the Carthus Sellsword. "Ash Cyrus. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"A Carthus Mercenary... I'd never expected to meet one here," Sasha spoke out loud in awe before Junayd turns his attention to the priestess and Sasha stepped back, feigning her fidgeted expression. "Oh, ah... p-pardon me. I'm Sasha and... I-I haven't seen a Mercenary hailing from Carthus in my life."
"Hmm... by the looks in your eyes, you seem like someone who hailed from the Lands of the Order." Junayd then smiled while crossing his arms. "I know any person who hailed from the Order has never seen a Carthus Mercenary in person. Yet you know our existence."
"I've read the book of travels," Sasha exclaimed.
"I have some concerns... you guys are everywhere around the continent, right?" Arcturus points out in question. "I mean, your tribe is known for its great monster-slaying capabilities."
"Indeed, we are everywhere. But we are very few and rare in the Order nations such as Welspe and Valaria," Junayd replied before sighing and tilting his head in disappointment. "In fact, their Church isn't fond of us and accused us of stealing their glory from their so-called "Heroes.". Even Heroes and their Priestesses I've met boast themselves about finding glory for their Chief God rather than helping their people. It disappoints me greatly."
"Wh-What?! Why you-mmff!" Sasha tried to speak out in much to the displease of his words that offended her, but Ash held the warrior nun back and covered her mouth before she used her strength to pry off his hands. Alas, it was futile. "Mmmff! MMmmMMFF!"
"I think we should leave this conversation somewhere else," Ash spoke up plainly while Sasha struggles to remove his arms and turns her away. "Besides, she isn't fond to hear those words for a... former hero."
"A former hero?... Oh, I see," Junayd said while raising his eyebrow until he exhaled with a chuckle. "Pardon my words, young lady. On the other side of my travels, I do have a fair share of my experience of meeting former heroes who took my words seriously."
"I think you didn't mean any offence to them, do you?" Ash asked incredulously.
"No! No. I didn't mean to offend them, although it's the truth and they admit what I'm telling." Junayd replied with a wave of his hands sympathetically. "But besides, we're not here for a quarrel in the middle of this godforsaken place!"
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, the ground rocked for a bit and everyone turned their heads in surprise. Elen looks up as once she senses an immense dread in the air, which gave her discomfort until they heard a familiar screech echo throughout the city. Screams and sword clashes emanate from one place from the southern districts. From there on, they saw mercenaries gathering up and headed their way to the southern district.
"Reginald and the others might be in trouble!" Arcturus swore once he unsheathed his sword. "Come on!"
...
"Wh-What the hell is that thing-GAH!"
"They're huge! It's killing us from left and right!"
"Everyone, scatter!"
Ash and the group entered the scene of battle and witness the devastating carnage that occurred among the adventurers around the southern district. Sasha caught someone who was sent into the air with blood spilt across the field before crashing into a nearby wall. Arcturus and Elen saw Elaine along with Gerome backing off from the fast-paced, fearsome Outrider Knights.
"Everyone, stay back!" Elaine yelled with a warning before strafing back to avoid a deadly blow from an Outrider Knight. "These guys will freeze you to death if you touched their blades!"
The Outrider Knight missed its target as the blade hit the ground. Enraged, the large hollower leapt up high into the air while raising its sword. Only then, the massive Greatwolf interrupts the large hollow as it was struck by the gigantic blade of the Berenike Ultra-Greatsword and sent it straight crashing down to the ground.
'Are you alright?' Sif gazed back at Elaine.
"I'm fine, no wounds!" Elaine responded with relief. "Where's Reginald?"
"Over there!" Elen points out to see her brother strafed through a group of Frenzy Outrider Knights. "Brother! Over here!"
Reginald heard the voice of his sister and leapt up to the nearest building and kicked against the wall, pushing him over to the group, and gracefully landed in front of Sif before pointing his bastard sword towards the giant hollows.
"Damn, these bastards came out from nowhere," Reginald growled at the Hollows. "Just who are these guys?"
"Outrider Knights, they're from Irithyll," Ash replied as he pulled out his broadsword. "Beware; their swords will freeze your skin to ice and shatter your body parts like glass if you're not careful."
One Outrider let out a deafening howl which made the Mercenaries step back, stunned by the loud screech that rang in their ears. Suddenly, a large black portal tore a hole through the rift of reality, which made Ash feel an awfully familiar vibe as it was a long time ago. Then from the portal, a massive shadow, like an over-bloated beast, crawled out before it takes its shape; it was a large, burly Knight, and carried a mace, but its appearance made Ash tense in extreme caution while everyone stared at it in awe and fear while witnessing the giant knight acted itself like a wild beast.
"Well... I thought you were dead... but then you came back as a Phantom." Ash grinned behind his helmet with a nervous tone. "It's been a long time, Vordt of the Boreal Valley."
The gigantic beast, Black Phantom Vordt, reared its ugly head to a familiar-looking knight who had just beaten him some time ago when he died at the gates of Lothric under the hands of an undead warrior. Now it growls at the Ashen One with hate-filled eyes.
At this moment, Sasha took a step back in fear. "Th-That's Vordt!?"
Vordt of the Boreal Valley, now resurrected as a black phantom, howled angrily into the air for his revenge.
...
Viola Regional Frontier. Fior Village
It was dusk; the sun has set from the orange-coloured skies, and the village guards on top of the palisades began to light up the torches until one guard heard guttural growls coming out from the darkness. From there, he saw several humanoids wandering in eerie silence across their fields. It's been a few days have passed since the Silver-Blue Knight and the Greatwolf left the area. Now the place is filled with horrors and dread that fill the night sky and end at dawn.
Nowadays, no one is allowed to enter nor leave the place that is filled with dreaded Hollows.
"Damn... this is scary. We wished to have soldiers to guard this place." One of the guards says while displaying his expression of fear. "These living corpses are truly the ones looking for human blood. Like the monsters of the old era."
"Yeah, just looking them into their faces with those empty eyes sends chills down my back." The other guard added while feeling uneasy. "I couldn't sleep for almost a day because of these rotten corpses. I'm worried about my life and my family."
"Just keep the gates shut until dawn." The Guard Captain said while walking to their side. "At least we got another mercenary to guard this place. He came all the way from the Kingdom of Albion."
"That guy from the Mirrah Order?"
"Yeah. I heard those guys have the best Swordsmen that their Kingdom has to offer." The Guard Captain answered. "They're on par with the men of Carthus and the Knights of the Sunlight themselves! Hell, I heard that they're even more silent as the Warriors of the Blue Mountain Clan in Zipangu!"
Inside the cottage of the village chief, a man blew a small, warm bowl of clear beef soup before drinking the mouth-watering taste in his relaxed state.
"Hmm, not bad." The Mercenary said amusingly as he looks up to the Village Chief, Goran, who was smoking tobacco with a pipe. "I appreciate your hospitality, Mr Goran."
"Uff, that's what travellers used to say," Goran said before puffing on another smoke. "I heard you came from a legendary Knights Order that is famously heard within the Kingdom of Albion."
"Ah, I thought the people of this land aren't interested in hearing our feats beyond the borders." The Mercenary replied while relaxingly crossing his arms. "But you, old sir, seem to be well-informed."
"I've seen Wandering Knights of the Mirrah Order when I was just a young fellow back then," Goran replied with a smile before puffing another round of tobacco. "I remember the days of their agile sword fighting, which still impresses me the most up 'til this day."
"They've probably displayed their basic swordplay for entertainment or out of boredom," The Mirrah Knight replied with a chuckle. "But now, things are different due to the emergence of strange creatures occurring across the continent."
"Aye, I've heard stories from other travellers," Goran said while cupping his bearded chin. "The way they spoke of their storytelling is chilling as if they tell that the world is ending. Even mamono refugees were talking out loud about it."
"Heh... To me, it felt like the world is entering a new era." The Mercenary spoke to the surprise of the village chief. "While strange events kept occurring... it feels like the great terror of the Demon Lord is no longer a concern anymore in the future while the new ones are taking their places."
"Humm... so the world is indeed changing... I see then," Goran wondered before looking up at the Mirrah Knight. "I have a question, Adelmar. Do you think that this strange cataclysm is the work of the Gods?"
"I... do not have the answer to that, but I doubt it's the work of the Gods." The Mirrah Knight, now named Adelmar, spoke up while standing up before strapping up his rapier on his belt. "This must be something else as if the new pages of history itself are being written."
Once Adelmar left the cottage through the entrance, Goran waved his hand to the Mercenary. "Take care, young lad. May the Chief God guide your way.
"I know my ways, old man." Adelmar formed a smirk coolly on his face while waving back. "Just leave the job to me."
Chapter 16: Ends
Authors Note: Ash Cyrus fighting techniques and abilities are based on real-life historic European Swordsmanships such as Liecthenauer, Fior di Battaglia, etc. against human-like opponents. But they're even more intense and fast-paced with his superhuman abilities and prompt to fight in freeform techniques against large, monstrous opponents.