Chapter 18: The Cindered Hollow.
...
The world she saw is a desolate place.
...
The lands across the horizon are filled with eerie sounds of gusty winds. The skies were purple and the crimson sun looms above.
On a lonely hill, a white-haired succubus sits on top of a rock while staring towards a settlement filled with activities of life. Incubus and Monsters lived happily in their lives. Without sorrow, grief, fear, death and no consequences. Only kindness, love, pleasures, lust and desires emit all over the place as if nothing worse is going to happen and the Gods themselves wouldn't interfere with their daily lives while entertaining themselves to witness the pleasurable lives of monsters.
But she glared at it. Her face frowned as her mind fills her creeping guilt. Behind her stood heaps of mountains, filled with human bones and lost spirits of humans who were damned and stripped off from life, maundering around the bone-filled lands, groaning about their past mistakes and grudges. Yet their words were unloved by her ideals.
This place isn't hers... but a dream of a world that would've become.
"Still striving for your paradise, O' graceful Demon Lord?" Lilith gazed her eyes around and saw a man. This person was taller than any human and wore charred, demented armour filled with embers whilst his aura emits malice, dread, and death. "You slept and came to this dream, a vision of your ideal future... only to escape your inevitable reality once more?"
"You again... it's been decades since we haven't seen each other," Lilith muttered in her tone-filled spite as she bit her thumb. Even in a dream, she can still feel the pain that stings her heart and pride. "I do not wish to complain, not today... And I have told you many times that my wish can reach my goal... A world where everyone can understand and live without suffering."
"Hmph... You try not to look back at your sins with no repentance and forgiveness?" The Armoured Hollow questioned with an unamused tone. "Listen, Fate favours you no longer-"
"Silence! Hel wouldn't abandon me... I have everything in my grasp!" The Demon Lord interrupted as she raised her voice while standing up and spun around to face the Armoured Hollow. "You cannot change this... no one will... I have told you many times my actions can strive for a solution to end the war!"
"Yet you decide to turn your heels to witness your guilt and you still cling to your visionary paradise to end this war... only turn the world into your image?... Your voice emits hypocrisy." The Armoured Hollow responded mockingly before Lilith reeled back with some slight fear coursing through her body once she saw the avenging human spirits lay their attention on her. "I will say this once more. Fate stalls your goals. No matter what efforts you shall take. Even if it means turning any aspect of this world in your favour. It will be inevitable and you can gain nothing from it."
"By what!? An unknown mortal who has been prophesied by the Oracle of Sindria herself!?" Lilith clenched her fists as she seethes in anger. "If your so-called "champion" will ever step foot in this world, we shall bring him everything that will soothe his heart and support my cause! Yet he hasn't arrived and it's pointless!"
"... My, how foolish have you become?" The Armoured Hollowed chuckled in amusement. "His arrival of the inevitable prophecy is never to be underestimated... His mere step on this world can end your reign of fear and expansion over the humans."
"Tsk! Then how can his presence should flip the world over?" Lilith was unamused until she felt the sudden fear slowly creep up through her spine in much to her confusion. Then she shakes her head at those thoughts and glared at the cindered hollow. "You had my second daughter crying for decades since her defeat... then what more do you want? You already have the pesky victory that your people deserve through their luck... and your intervention. But I deny your words that fate will turn away from us, monsters."
"Oh? Do you think Fate will keep spinning in the favours of your daughters and your minions... even after the day they have lost their battles over the previous decades?" The Hollow said musingly once he clicked his fingers. Lilith still stood defiantly. "Once he succeeded in overthrowing you... a new warrior will be born. He shall end to the reign of the Gods over the world within the future."
"Hmph... whatever you say. I must prevent this from becoming true," Lilith spoke as she narrowed her eyes. However, her expression slowly changed into disbelief when the Armoured Hollow stood in confidence and delight. "What?... What are you happy about!?"
"That... my dear demon lord; it seems you're underestimating one glaring thing. You cannot predict this outcome." He said musingly while gazing up at the crimson sun which hangs above the skies. "This man has already made some progress, and he is... by no means a mere human shackled by the fate of this world. Therefore, his actions hold the destiny of the world alone and the arrival of a new era has begun... Now rejoice, O' Lady of the Temptresses! A brand new world that awaits thee."
When Lilith took his words, an overwhelming sensation of dread loomed over as if her spirit trembled in fear, getting the feeling of what was coming up next.
"Th-That's not possible...! The Pantheons of the Deities will hinder it from happening and they knew it!" Lilith said in disbelief before the Hollow himself became transparent once the massive flames rose from behind. The Demon Lord shielded herself from the unbearable heat and, at that moment, she received visions through a single flash within her mind. The visions she saw, cannot alter the course in her favour and Lilith was in shock that "HE" will prevail. "What...? He already arrived!?... WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? THIS FUTURE IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW!?"
"I am merely but a messenger in your lovely dream, yet I often jest. The Flames have spoken and told the fate of the world that he shall succeed... and the world you knew will never return to once it was. Such "accidents" just merely happened without precautions." The Armoured Hollow replied as his body slowly drifts away into ash. "Now you will face the consequences and be judged by the Lost Souls in your downfall. Thou and thy kind... are no longer monsters of this world... They will take your place."
Once he finished his speech, the flames emerged brightly and burned everything in its surroundings with a terrible heat as the sun itself. Soon, the monster settlement the distance was reduced into a flaming hellhole, depicting many monster couples of the dream crying out in agony and despair. The Demon Lord felt their despair, their pain and their cries being torn away from existence. Then her body was lit while still alive while feeling the scorching pain coursing within her. The bones and the flesh were burning away in ash. Then the flames burst out in a powerful blast before her vision turned dark.
...
"NNOOOOOO-!?... Huh?"
Lilith finds herself awakened from her bed shortly after that terrible dream. Her entire body is covered with sweat and it was not out of lustful heat, but out of fear and anxiety. Then she heard someone groaning beside her was nothing more but her sleepy husband. Lilith thought she lost him in her dreams and smiled as she rubbed her dear husband's head to her relief. Yet her moments of happiness went down and expressed worry. That Armoured Freak in her dream told the fate of the world that decides that her goal will go nowhere.
"This can't be... it's impossible," Lilith uttered while looking down with fear and anger. She clenched her fists. "There is no way it will change... I... I will show that burning freak. Nothing will change!"
'The last catalyst... can this man truly be... No, I need answers.' The Demon Lord hardened her glare but felt her body trembling. Unconcerned about the future consequences might bring. "Is Hel aware of this? I need to know who he is."
...
Underground Dungeon City of Lothric.
...
"Elaine, look out!" Arcturus warned his orc cousin until she took notice and rolled away from the massive axe. She retaliated with a swing of her weapon, but the dragonslayer shield bounced her off to the ground and strafed back to avoid the hollow's counterattack that almost cleaved off her head. "Shit, he's way too armoured!"
"Arcturus, will your miracle work on this thing!?" Elaine asked while panting heavily and raising her axe in a defensive position. "Just use it, now!"
"Alright, here goes nothing." Arcturus pulls then pulls out his talisman and chants. "Oh Lord of sunlight, lend me your strength!"
Arcturus felt a spark of electricity coursing through his arms and the power of the miracle forms itself into a lightning spear. The Knight of Sunlight threw the spear at lightning speed and struck the Dragonslayer Armor dead centre, pushing the undead a few feet away in a distance. But the hollow stood unscathed, with no scratches on its armour.
'No way... It absorbs lightning!?' Arcturus' eyes grew wide in surprise. 'Damnit, we need another way to beat this thing!'
In their current situation, growing desperate, Arcturus has the option to fight or flee; he took the latter and grabbed Elaine by her arm and broke away from their standoff much to Elaine's disbelief.
"A-Arcturus!?"
"We have to regroup!" Arcturus replied frantically. "Beating this guy with just the two of us isn't enough!"
...
*BOOM!*... *BOOM!*
Sif's ear rose after picking up sounds of deafening explosions from afar. The Farron Siblings heard the same distant noises as well before Gerome caught up with a group of adventurers who were preparing their weapons. The distant explosions startled them once they heard a commotion.
"What the hell is going on?"
"I've heard explosions."
While amongst the confused and paranoid adventurers, a Lamia hugged tightly with her Incubus husband out of fear.
"Eek! Jeremy, I'm scared. I don't like this place at all!"
"Don't worry, Tia. We'll get this through."
The sounds of battle grew tense as it got nearer until it reaches behind wooden gates in the northern streets. The gates flew open with a couple of Sunlight Knights who were thrown by a powerful force before they landed roughly on the ground with a hard thud. Arcturus coughed while spitting out blood, he look to his side and Elaine groaned in pain while trying to stand on her feet. Then she heard the heavy footsteps of the hollow and looks up at the sight that held her breath.
Out from the shadows, their same opponent marched out from the shadows and growled in rage. The Adventurers saw the massive armoured being and stood their ground while fear slowly took over their souls. Gerome rushed to aid his fallen cousin and sister alongside Reginald, Elen, and Sif by his side. The Iron Dragonslayer halted his tracks and carefully scanned the surroundings. The undead puppet then lifted his gaze and saw several human and mamono archers standing on the rooftops, aiming their arrows at the Hollowed Armor.
The Iron Dragonslayer then pounded the butt of his massive polearm to the ground, making a crack in the cobblestone ground while the ominous gong-like sound rang across the castle, signalling something worse to come.
One of the Elf Archers on the rooftops felt a dreadful presence nearby and spun to the left. From there, she saw hooded figures climbing up the building before engaging the adventurers with their sharp blades from the rear.
"Watch out! It's an ambush!"
...
From the nearby alleyways, hollowed soldiers and Lothric Knights marched out while a wall nearby came crashing down. The mercenaries at the rear were scattered and got away from the falling debris. Once it died down and the dust cloud clears up, a massive boar covered in steel barged through with more hollowed soldiers. The mercenaries were surprised by the sudden appearance of the steel beast and the Fang Boar charged through the ranks of mercenaries. The Iron Dragonslayer now sought its opportunity to kill the invaders that stepped their foot on Lothric Castle and cuts down a nearby hapless adventurer to the ground before looking up to the same Knight who fled from its sight through the entire battle.
Sif strafed from side to side from getting hit by Hollowed Archers until Elen leapt into the nearest building and kicked against the wall to reach the top. She caught the roof's edge and climbs up. She spots several hollowed soldiers that gained her attention and noticed several dead adventures lying on the ground before the hollows ganged themselves to kill her.
"Come and get it," Elen said while readying her greatsword until a nearby male hollow came charging in with a swing of his sword, Elen countered it with a riposte, then finish off the hollow through an opening. "Tsk! Be better than that, you undead freak!"
...
Ash, Sasha, and Junayd rushed through the alley while the hollows barged through the doors and windows, while individual adventurers nearby came under attack and were overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Junayd noticed some figure jump from the top of the buildings and he pushed the couple to the ground to avoid a deadly blow coming from a nearby enemy. The Carthus Swordsman spun around and saw a tall Lothric Knight wielding a Greatsword. Junayd unsheathed his own Curved Greatsword as he glanced his back to Ash and Sasha.
"Find the others! I'll take them from here!" Junayd said while standing firm on his ground.
"But Junayd-" Sasha tried to speak out to her worry, but Ash held her back by grabbing her arm. "Wait! Ash!"
"Do not worry about me, there are still survivors coming through here," Junayd spoke with his tone filled with determination and confidence while facing the Lothric Knight. "The Carthus Tribe have the best swordsmen of well-renown and leave this situation to me. Now go and find your friends!"
"Come on Sasha, we have to regroup," Ash said as he heads into a nearby dark alleyway for a shortcut. Thus, he gripped her hand. "And whatever you do, don't let go."
Once they ran through as they could, the couple reaches an unknown area, a courtyard filled with hostile hollows. Both the Knight and the veteran Hero unsheathed their weapons before the undead hollows barged in a frenzy.
Ash struck the first blow against a hollow wielding a halberd. He deflected the axehead to the side with a riposte and trusted his blade through the Hollow's skull. Meanwhile, Sasha strafed to the right to avoid a giant Greataxe from a taller hollow and she dashed in to strike the opening, but the tall hollow shielded itself with its weapon and the Warrior Nun's weapon bounced off before the hollow retaliated. Fortunately, Sasha dodged to the right to avoid another lethal blow until she drew her sword in a quick motion against the Hollow's right leg, incapacitating it, and fell to the ground. The Heroine gave in the final blow by plunging her sword through the neck, killing it.
Her eyes spun to her left and saw another Lothric Knight, armed with a sword and shield, came rushing straight to her and raising his sword. Sasha ducked away from the blow but the tall Knight shot out a nasty thrust with the tip of its shield and hit Sasha against her stomach, thus kneeling down to the ground in pain. Then the Lothric Knight sent her away with a kick through the chest and Sasha roughly rolled through the floors. Luckily, her magical shield blessing protected her from attaining grievous injuries.
'By the Chief God, he hits harder than I realise!' Her thoughts said while Sasha tries to get up on her feet. 'I must be careful while dealing with him!'
The Warrior Nun looks up to the Lothric Knight with determination and weaved her staff to call upon her magic.
"O' Chief God, Superior Divine One of the Heavens, please grant me your strength!" Sasha chanted as her staff glows white. "I call forth! Divine Ray of Judgement!"
A ray of light was generated from her staff and shot straight out against the Lothric Knight. The hollow instinctively raised his shield before the beam impacted, causing an explosion in sight. Sasha exhaled in relief after she dealt with the hollowed Knight.
Unfortunately, she heard ominous sounds of clacking armour coming from the cloud of dust. The Lothric Knight stood unscathed while raising his shield. She stood back in utter disbelief; she knew the Divine Ray of Judgement is one of the strongest spells in her magic arsenal, and Veteran Order Casters can only learn such high-tier magic to increase their damage output. But the monster in front of her still stood and absorbed most of its power with a shield.
"H-How...!? That should've killed you!" Sasha trembled back while raising her staff once more. "Light Flares!"
Multiple orbs of light shot out from her staff, but the shield of the Lothric Knight deflected her spells as if they were mere pebbles. She knew her opponents such as bandits and monster girls she had fought in rural Lescatie were normally incapacitated, even armed themselves with ordinary shields. Then Sasha perks up from her distressing thoughts when the hollow leapt forth and raised his sword. The Lothric Knight swung a vertical strike, which sent her flying against a nearby stone pillar and her blessed shield flared at a critical point on a verge of breaking apart. The hollowed Lothric Knight lunged in once more; Then, to her horror, it completely popped her shield apart in a blink of an eye, and Sasha fell back to the ground once more, completely cornered by her enemy.
The Lothric Knight raised his sword as Sasha tries to crawl back, but the hollow kept his pace and followed her movements in her attempts to escape. Just before the Hollow will strike its final blow, a blade of a broadsword struck through the Knight's neck from the rear and staggered the hollow in its place. Ash Cyrus threw his sword in a nick of time to save Sasha before she got up to her feet to take down the Lothric Knight from behind and grabbed the hilt of Ash's broadsword, then pushed it deeper downwards. Sending the Lothric Knight face against the ground.
"And that's twenty," Ash said, making his last count.
The Hollowed Knight made its last groan and stopped moving. Ash then looks up to Sasha in his relief and checked her condition. The former priestess only received some minor injuries while Sasha looked around and saw corpses of slain Hollows all around the courtyard area. Several figures among those corpses were other Lothric Knights. She was fighting one of those Knights, and it already gave her more difficulties than she realised. It reacted fast and quite nimble on its own before it can send a deadly blow in a blink of an eye without even hesitating. Then she looks up at Ash until she faces down in embarrassment.
She grew up to learn that Heroes are supposed to fight stronger monsters that no ordinary man should compete with. But in this place, it's the complete opposite.
"Are you alright?" Her knight asked. "That hollow almost got you."
"I'm alright, it's just a light bruise," Sasha replied with a sigh of relief. "Thankfully, the Blessed Shield saved my life. It holds off the damage."
Then she looked down on the corpse of a Lothric Knight. "These Hollows are more capable of fighting, even a veteran hero like me than I realise... Yet, their resistance to my blessings baffled me."
"... How so?" Ash raised his eyebrow in question behind his helmet visor.
"This one..." Sasha stared down anxiously at the corpse of the Lothric Knight. "It absorbs one of my strongest spells, and there was not a single scratch on its shield."
"Huh... I see. You gotta be careful what their types of equipment were made of. Most of the equipment was forged with special steel alloys which may have strong magic resistance." Ash explained while kneeling to the corpse and picking up a Lothric Shield. "However, weapons made with materials such as Titanite or anything similar were not always restricted to the higher-ranked in the hierarchy. Even a Footsoldier equipped with simple-looking armaments can absorb magic as well."
"Really!?... Every hollow has them!?" Sasha widened her eyes in disbelief before Ash nods. "So they were equipped with anti-magic armaments that can render a caster even useless!"
"And that is why I insisted on teaching you how to wield a sword properly. Hollows aren't slouching around when they come into fighting," Ash replied while exhaling in frustration. "They also possess other Anti-Magic Items which can easily dispatch a spell-casting mamono without warning... such monster girls liken the Liches and even a Baphomet, etc."
Then Sasha froze. She turned to Ash with a surprised look on her face. "W-Wait, you've dealt with those kinds of mamonos before!?"
"... Yes. I took some testing procedures with this." Ash then pulls out a golden object from his pouch and held it up. "This one, it's called a Duel Charm. Quite effective and they can last for quite some time, a minute or more."
Sasha curiously set her eyes on the Duel Charm until she trembled to the object. The Warrior Nun could sense an abominable aura coming from the said item before Ash put it back in his pouch. Then the knight then led the way out from the courtyard.
"So... when you say if that Duel Charm worked against spell-casting monsters..." Then Sasha gulped in worry. "Does it work on Heroes as well?"
"... I'm afraid... Yes, it can. I've tested on a corrupt hero who works for the Noscrim Household." He answered before the Warrior Nun's expression fell in dismay. "That crazy inquisitor kept his suspicions on me until he attacked me shortly after accusing me of heresy without reason."
Sasha held tightly to her staff. "Then what did you do to him?"
"He never wakes up to see the light again." He answered nonchalantly.
Sasha couldn't help but tremble in fear. She felt her own guts tell that he killed some over than one corrupt hero in his stay in Lescatie. In her time when she worked for the Order of the Chief God; she knew several heroes in the higher-ups who worked for the Noscrims and were very supportive of the priest and his political campaign. They are assigned to weed out dissidents, which caused widespread corruption from all over the kingdom until, one by one, they disappeared without a trace.
Then on that day, she heard the voices of the common folk who lived in the frontiers that had reached the city and hailed the tale of the Silver-Blue Knight as the only beacon of hope.
'Does that mean...' Sasha felt her heart tremble towards her knight, fear-stricken. 'Not just he slays monsters, but... heroes as well...'
"Alright, we need to leave," Ash spoke as he saw more hollowed soldiers coming in their way. "Stick with me and don't fall behind."
Sasha perked up from her thoughts before steeling herself in determination and nodded. "Understood!"
"Good, now go!"
...
Sif avoids a lethal blow coming from the Iron Dragonslayer. The massive hollow howled in frustration before it threw its shield like a flying disk at the Greatwolf. Sif leapt back and countered the Iron Dragonslayer, but the armour countered the wolf's blade with its massive halberd before breaking off, and then they exchange blows and riposte. Arcturus tensed while gripping his sword and shield tightly. He watched the two massive beasts clash as debris flew around the battleground, killing hollows and hapless adventurers to their deaths.
Reginald stepped to Arcturus' side while witnessing Sif leapt onto the rooftops before the Iron Dragonslayer followed the suit. Reginald nudged Arcturus on his shoulder.
"Come on, let's help him!"
The two left the battleground whilst the rest of the companionship assisted the mercenaries in battle. The two warriors followed the path through distant sounds of clashes until they come to encounter a couple of spearmen hollows in their way, including some amongst the soldiers, who are starved hounds. They bark at the intruders first before sprinting towards Reginald and Arcturus. The Knight of the Sunlight and the Farron Swordsman raised their weapons at the ready to slay the hounds first until the hollows joined the fight.
Reginald caught one Hollowed Spearman and raised its polearm to strike him down, yet he swung his sword down to deflect the spearhead and hits the ground before countering it with a thrust through the chest. Killing off the undead.
On his side, Arcturus deflected a thrust of a spearhead with his shield until he swiftly kicked against the hollow's right leg, making the undead kneel to the ground and ended the monster's life with a plunge of his sword through the forehead. Arcturus pulled out his sword until he heard footsteps coming from a nearby alleyway. A familiar Silver-Blue Knight and a maiden in her pure white robe, carrying a staff, came by.
"Ash! Sasha! You're both alright!" Arcturus breathes out in relief. "The Hollows ambushed us and they're everywhere. It's taking a toll on us!"
"Where are the others?" Ash asked starkly.
"They're assisting the Mercenaries to fall back!" Reginald answered before turning to the nearest alleyway. "And Sif is currently fighting that... whatever that thing was... It's completely armoured!"
Ash sensed the rumble coming from a distance. He wasted no time and followed the source. Sasha, Arcturus, and Reginald shared their gazes and agree to follow him. Through the dark alleyways, there were no hollows and other monsters in sight, but the sound became clearer and louder when they came nearer to an area until they saw Sif was currently battling the Iron Dragonslayer.
The greatwolf fell unceremoniously to the ground with a big thud, breathing heavily and fatigued from the fighting. His condition was even worse as his grave injuries that were present on his fur and his opponent on the other side. Ash immediately knew what it was.
'I thought I've dealt that Armor in the Ringed City.' His thought spoke out, much to his surprise. 'Looks like the convolution has taken you to this world as well.'
The Iron Dragonslayer turned its attention to a new group until it noticed a familiar knight wearing his silver-blue armour. The Armor howled in anger and readied its massive polearm. Ash saw how the Dragonslayer reacts and knew immediately that the hollowed armour remembered him. He quickly swapped his weapon for a more effective armament. He dropped his broadsword into his Bottomless Box and pulls out a massive mace-like weapon, which brought a surprise to his three companions standing beside him.
"What the... That's-!?"
"By the flames! You have that thing!?"
"Ash!? Isn't that Vordt's weapon!?"
Ash was silent for a moment and turned to his companions. "Sasha, Reginald and Arcturus. Help Sif and treat his wounds."
"Then... are you going to deal with that monster alone?" Sasha asked in a more worrying tone.
"Don't worry, I've dealt worse." Ash bluntly replied before stepping into battle. "Do it quick and we don't have time."
The Iron Dragonslayer gripped its polearm tightly, and Sif saw the Elite Knight step forth and faced the hollowed armour in a one-on-one battle.
Ash saw the Iron Dragonslayer get its attention on him and ran in a different direction away from Sif before Sasha can treat the greatwolf's wounds. The huge hollow then dashed from a great distance before Ash strafed to the left and countered with a massive swing of his mace that brought the Armor flying back in a mere meter away. Arcturus gaped while Reginald widened his eyes in disbelief at the display of his strength. How can one man possess such inhuman strength to send a massive heavy armour flying that weighs more than several tons? Meanwhile, Sasha witnessed the battle raging on while healing Sif's injuries.
'Lady Fullmoon, concentrate on your healing,' Sif said as he groaned in discomfort. 'The battle might last long, yet there are enemies coming from all around the corners.'
Sasha listened and heard several noises coming from nearby buildings. Out from the shadows, she saw several hollowed soldiers and Lothric Knights coming out from the buildings and windows. Arcturus and Reginald prepared their swords to protect their wounded ally.
"Shit, now we're surrounded." Reginald cursed while he gazed his eyes at Sasha. "You gotta hurry with the healing, Sasha."
...
"Take this!"
Elaine drew her Greataxe and sends a Lothric Knight-Captain flying with a massive blow, then crashed against the wall and fell. Yet the Hollowed Knight gets up back on its feet and raised its shield. Elaine felt irritated that the living corpse was still up and kicking until a blur went past behind the Undead Knight and the head suddenly flies off. The Orc widened her eyes in surprise and saw Elen whips out the black blood from her greatsword.
Elaine narrowed her eyes, disgruntled. "Tsk, kill stealer."
"Whatever you say," Elen replied nonchalantly while shrugging off her shoulders before turning her attention to Gerome, who was currently battling a Fang Boar. "Besides, we still have one last enemy left."
Gerome cornered himself against the wall as the Fang Boar clopped one of its hooves and charged in. The Knight of Sunlight took a deep breath and rolled away, causing the Fang Boar to crash against the wall. Gerome quickly stood up and saw the creature's tusk is embedded in the stone wall. He wasted no time and buffed his sword with lightning before thrusting in to hit the Fang Boar's unarmoured rear.
The creature felt a massive pain coming from behind until Gerome released his sword, which inflicted more internal damage in its body and the beast fell to its death with a dying howl. The Knight of Sunlight breathed heavily in relief while looking down at his bloodstained sword in discomfort.
"Ugh... So this must be what a 'prostate exam' would look like." Gerome muttered while expressing his disgust and then spun around to Elen and his Orc sister. "Well, that was the last one... wait, have you seen Reginald and Arcturus around?"
"No, but they must be somewhere," Elen answered before she felt another person coming from behind. She grabbed her crescent dagger and spun the weapon around. However, her wrist was immediately held up and her eyes grew wide in surprise. "Wha-!? Oh hey, it's you!"
"Relax, friend. It's me, Junayd," Junayd spoke in a gentle tone while waving his hand in a friendly greeting. "I've brought survivors with men while Ash and Sasha have run off into a different area."
"Damn, those things are everywhere." Junayd heard Jill to their right side as he was hugged tightly by Marcy as they walked past the group. "Don't worry! Once we got out, then we'll be safe."
"After this, I'm going to file a divorce between us!" Marcy complained as she points her finger, accusingly towards the incubi. "You knew who I was before I became a monster! I didn't even love you ever since our first meeting!"
"... So anyway, do you know where the others went?" Junayd asks Elen.
In her response, she shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Sif went off to fight that massive Armour and I have no clue know where the others went."
Junayd's eyes grew tense and heard a distant rumble. He leaned his Carthus Greatsword on his shoulders while raising his hand and pointing his finger in the direction from where it was coming.
"They must be there somewhere. Come on!"
Elen, Elaine, and Gerome wasted no time before they followed the Carthus Swordsman through the city.
...
Ash rolled away from the Dragonslayer Greataxe and saw the Armour heave its weapon once more into the air. This time, imbuing the weapon with lightning. The Ashen One immediately ducks down before the Greataxe swung down and hit the ground, causing an explosion of lightning which also produced a blast that sends Ash flying against the ground in a mere meter away from the Armour. The Silver-Blue Knight stood up quickly before the Iron Dragon Slayer leaps up and landed another hit its weapon on the ground. Fortunately, the Knight strafed away right in time.
'It must have developed a new fighting ability,' His mind uttered.
The Elite Knight saw an opening and heaved Vordt's Mace, then strike flat against the chest section of the armour, twice, before landing the third hit which sends the Hollowed Armor to the ground. The Iron Dragonslayer felt its armour encase itself in ice that quickly deteriorates the defences. It tries to stand up on its knees until it looks up. There, it saw the Knight of Astora make his last assault and leapt into the air as he brought up the giant mace overhead for one last time. Thus Ash brought down the mace against the head, and his weapon quickly freezes the helmet within an instant, shattering the head into a hundred ice shards.
The battle was over, and Ash breathed heavily while pulling up his helmet visor for fresh air. Then he heard faint footsteps and turned around. He made a confidential smile once he saw Junayd and the rest of the crew had arrived.
"Whoa... since when did you get his mace?" Gerome uttered in surprise while pointing towards Vordt's Mace until he realise the current situation. He smacked himself back into reality. "Alright... I think I'll stop asking stupid questions."
"About time you guys arrived," Ash said while hefting up Vordt's Mace and leaning it over his shoulder. "Well, then... what's the situation?"
"We've succeeded in dispatching the hollows," Elaine answered. "Most mercenaries are gravely injured while Junayd here brought over the survivors."
Ash then nodded while acknowledging and then exhaling in relief. "Good, we have to get back to Sasha. Quick!"
...
"HAAAH!"
Reginald cleaves the Lothric Knight in half before rolling away from another Hollowed Knight that is trying to cleave him apart with a Lothric greatsword. Arcturus, on the other side, raised his talisman to summon a Lightning Spear and then flung it towards a tall, halberd-wielding Hollow. Sasha grew anxious as her healing magic is gradually but slowly mended Sif's wound together, but it wasn't enough time as they were overrun by more hollows coming from all sides.
"Ash, please hurry up!" Sasha pleaded as she closed her eyes in desperation. "Help! Is anyone out there to help us?!"
When the large group of hollows comes even closer as they walked over the corpses. A fiery explosion occurred from the rear. Sasha, along with Reginald and Arcturus, heard it and turned their attention to see someone coming out of the smoke. The Warrior Nun looks up and is relieved to see him returning with the rest of the companionship.
Junayd and Elen sprint forth and cleaved their way through a group of hollows at lightning speed and Elaine grabbed one hapless spearman hollow before throwing it against a group of hollowed soldiers until they tumbled down to the ground. Then she heard footsteps coming from her right flank and quickly strafed away from a spear-wielding Lothric Knight, the orc then swung her Greataxe in an uppercut strike and sends the Hollowed Knight into the air with her brutish strength and then cleaved the living corpse apart while in mid-air.
Ash leapt into the air and smashed Vordt's hammer to the ground, sending a powerful blast in which several lesser hollows stumbled back to the ground while a couple of Lothric Knights stood unfazed and charged in. Ash then rolled forwards to avoid the deadly blows of their swords and the Elite Knight swung his mace horizontally, smashing the Lothric Knights apart.
Arcturus looked back to Sasha and saw her exhaling in relief once the last wound has been fully mended together. Sif slowly opened his eyes and stood groggily on his feet. He looks around and reads the current situation around him. Then he spun around to see the one who healed him was the Maiden herself.
"Thank goodness. Do you feel alright, Sif?" Sasha asked while Sif picked up his greatsword.
'I appreciate your feats for healing me, Lady Fullmoon.' Sif thanked the Warrior Nun. 'Now pick up your sword. We must get rid of those Hollows.'
Sasha smiled after the wolf appreciated her aid. Then she stood up and unsheathed her broadsword while raising her Elkhorn Roundshield before charging into the fray along with the greatwolf to assist their friends in battle.
...
Demon Realm of Lescatie.
...
"What? The region of Pimor has changed to its pre-transformation state?" Druella raised her eyebrow in surprise while holding her goblet of wine. "And this just came in just recently?"
"Indeed. Now it's a place where horrible monsters are roaming over there." Spoke a Baphomet through the magic mirror. "We've lost contact with the White Goat Branch and several attempts for transporting reinforcement also halted."
"The last time I've heard that Shirokuto is in that place as well," Druella stated while expressing confusion. "Her magic was supposed to create transportation spells to prevent this; then why hasn't she done this until now?"
"Well, the problem is that some unknown force is preventing us from doing it and our magic is neither working well." The Baphomet researcher replied. "There were attempts and none showed any signs of significance. Only errors and deaths have occurred."
"Deaths?" The Lilim widened her eyes in shock. "Bapho-sama... How...?"
"Our transportation spell, which heads to Pimor, has deteriorated," Bapho-sama answered while slowly expressing gloom as her tone grew fearful. "Any attempts to cross through the teleportation spell to Pimor will lead to Death. I've seen several witches die while going through. Some landed in a den of large hungry dogs, and the others were killed on sight by the monsters on the other side without warnings."
Her words spoke no lies. Lilim can see the truth through her eyes filled with regrets and guilt as if Bapho-sama had seen way worse than she expected.
"I-... I've seen how they were killed." Druella's eyes narrowed and saw Bapho-sama tremble until her knees slumped to the ground. "M-My friends w-were... also killed while attempting this..."
The Lilim couldn't help but felt her raw emotions emitting from the other side of the magic mirror. Dread, anxiety, and sadness poured out while Druella grew sympathetic to the Baphomet. Never she had ever experienced to witness a member of the Sabbath, which were supposedly the most confidential monsters in their magic research organisation that shows no signs of errors through their magic, had broken down into tears.
'Just what in Hel's name is happening?' Druella's thoughts spoke up. 'Even the Sabbath itself couldn't comprehend the current situation that troubles them most.'
As the situation calms down, the Baphomet disappears from the magic mirror and the entire hall room fell silent. The Lilim bit her thumb with a tense look.
'Just what is happening to the world right now...?'
While in deep thought, the lilim heard the door open and looks up to see another lilim wearing a white gown and a hat. Druella knew who she was, and it was Mari, the Tenth Daughter of the Demon Lord and the current 'ruler' of the Demon Realm of Vamore.
"Onee-san~! It's been a while~" Mari smiled with a cheerful attitude while skipping her feet towards her older sister. "How's it going~?"
"Ugh, Mari, could you put down the Zipangunese honorifics? You're in the west." Druella groaned in irritation while standing up from her throne and opened her arms wide open. Her lips then smiled at her younger sister. "Nevertheless, come here my sweet little sis~!"
The two sisters exchange their hugs for a brief moment before breaking off.
"It's been almost a year travelling around until I've heard from mother there is a problem going on in the Demon Realm," Mari then spoke up with a worrying tone. "I also heard from your lovely subordinates that you're currently busy hunting down a person you've strived for."
At this point, a nervous sweat appears on Druella's forehead. "Well... that, erm... he's not the type of man you'd think about."
Mari raised her brow in confusion. "How so?"
"Uhh.. straight to the point, he's a dangerous man and we have difficulties in our attempts to capture him," Druella answered admittingly in an honest tone. "Say, Mari. Do you know about Astora?"
Her younger sister then tilts her head, dumbfounded. "Who? The family in Gaul?"
"No, I mean a Kingdom." Druella sighs while massaging her temples. "You may have heard about the place while you're travelling... or?"
"Nope, not a single clue." Mari tilts her head sideward. "I've never heard of a place called Astora, but the tone of the name sounds like it must've been a very lovely place to live in~!"
"The person I've been trying to hunt down for days came from such a place," Druella explained while crossing her arms. "It is that foreign mercenary named Ash Cyrus."
"Ash Cyrus?"
"The infamous Silver-Blue Knight of Lescatie, you heard of him. Right?"
The two stood for mere moments as Mari expressed her blank reaction towards her older sister until the tenth-borne Lilim decided to break the silence across the throne room.
"Onee-san... how come did you get some crazy nuts in your head?"
...
Underground Dungeon City of Lothric.
...
"Amazing, this book contains knowledge unknown to the entire world!"
A group of archaeologists and explorers walked through the Grand Archives of Lothric Castle. As they skim through the library, several dead Archive Scholars lie dead around the area while some mercenaries plunged their weapons into the hollowed corpses to make sure they do not stand up anymore. It's been a few hours since the initial ambush by the Hollows and the Outrider knights. The Mercenary Commander of his Brigand scoured the entire building along with his men to look for something valuable. Fortunately, the Silver-Blue Knight entered the building before they would enter and took out some hollows hiding behind every corner.
The Commander took a deep breath before putting his helmet on. "I'd admit that Silver-Blue Knight is something else."
"Yeah, that guy doesn't seem to have a hint of fear while facing them." A mercenary who stood by his side stated in concern. "I mean, look how we've gone through all the way here! Those monsters can incite our fears which not even our men couldn't handle. If it weren't for him and his large dog, then we wouldn't be here."
"Aye, that man is a natural-born monster slayer with the strength of a hero." The Commander nodded with a slight chuckle in amusement. "Anyone who believes that the Order will have him in their grasps. But I doubt he'll side with them."
The mercenary soldier raised his eyebrow in question. "How so?"
"I've seen the Orderites accused anyone of heresy who mentions his name." The Mercenary Commander replied. "They said that eyewitnesses spoke rumours about the Silver-Blue Knight helped a Traitor to flee from Lescatie during its downfall. Hard to imagine."
"A Traitor? Then what was the person's name then?"
"They said the description of the Traitor appears to be a pious Maiden and a Heroine who worked for the Order, yet none mentions her name."
...
Ash stepped up on the staircase with the rest of his crew. Since they've vacated the Grand Archives, and to his surprise. There were no hollows present on the bridge that guards leading their way up to the royal chambers of the twin princes. He stopped for a while and turned around to see the rooftops of the Grand Archives; not even the Ascended Winged Knights were seen on that wretched tower.
Once they stood in front of the doors, Ash moved in front and slowly opened the doors. Then, in one step, he can hear the faint sounds of a familiar voice.
'Ashen One...'
Ash stepped up the stairs and halted his tracks once entering the chambers. From there, he can see himself meeting with the Prince of Lothric as if he felt it by going back to the dreaded past.
'Oh dear, another dogged contender... Welcome, Unkindled One.'
Ash stepped down while looking around until he stops to see two skeletal corpses laying on the ground. The Twin Princes, Lothric, the Younger, and Lorian, The Elder. They lie in the same spot where he killed them. He remembers them, shortly after their deaths... their remains dissolved into ashes. Right now, he didn't expect to see their mummified corpses lay next to the throne.
'You remain... among the accursed.'
Ash felt a minor headache and tilts his head sideways to remove those terrible memories until he heard Sasha step to his right side. The Knight looked at Sasha, which she gazed at the sight of the corpses which amazed her beyond comprehension.
"By the Chief God, are these... Giants?" She uttered while inspecting for a closer look.
"Well... kind of. These two corpses belonged to the Royal Family of Lothric," Ash explained. "These two were the Twin Princes of Lothric. They are Lothric, and Lorian, both of them are brothers related by blood."
"Royal Family of Lothric... a-and they're Twin Brothers!?" Sasha widened her eyes in disbelief. "Then how can one grow that... big!?"
"It's magic. Far more complicated than anyone could think of," Ash answered. "And they're also dangerous."
"Then... what happened to them?" She asked while expressing sadness to know what it happened to them. "Were they cursed as well?"
"...Yes," Ash answered before turning to sway his gaze away from the twin princes. "Such a tragedy happened to these two"
"Well, at least we've reached the top of the ruined city," Elaine said while walking up to the two. "I guess this is the end of the road while exploring around this fucking place."
"Yep, but come to think of it. Is this place a part of the entire quest?" Arcturus stated with a confused look before looking to Gerome. "Gerome?"
"I don't think it says anything about the ruins," Gerome said while producing the Quest Sheet. "All we have to do is to solve the Crisis in the Alps. But this place has something to do with the crisis."
"I kinda agree with that and this makes sense to me," Reginald added with a nod. "Strange monsters and living corpses all around. This place must've been the answer to it."
"Right, then we should report about this to Bernard," Arcturus said. "All we have is to contain the pathway of this place to prevent more monsters from coming out of this dungeon city."
...
The Alps, Cavern Entrance
...
After the exploration is finished, their struggles throughout the dungeon city of Lothric have never gone to waste and send the message to brief the reports to Bernard, the nobleman then declared that drastic measures will be taken to erect the perimeter around the entrance of the Dungeon City.
Shortly after the expedition and vacating the city entirely. The Mercenaries walked out from the enormous caverns and were met by Soldiers of the Gaulian Royal Army along with the regional Noble of Northern Corse, Yves Bernard himself. Adventurers and other individuals cheered up in joy to witness the sun once more after their dreaded encounters with the monsters in the ruins and spoke of untold riches that had been brought into the light.
Reginald stepped up and looked around the rowdy adventurers who cheered themselves to attain their victory spoils of the dungeons, yet such things don't matter for Ash and the crew. They've discovered magic items have more value than gold and jewellery itself.
"At least I've discovered this one," Gerome said while pulling out a bag of white, sticky and fluid substance. "I don't know what this is, but it smells weird."
"That's... a Pale Pine Resin," Ash answered with an uneasy look behind his helmet, knowing the origins behind the pale resin. "You just have to spread your weapon with that resin and it reinforces with magic, but the effects are temporary."
"Whoa... then this must have been an amazing find!" Gerome then packed the pale pine resin into his pouch while the crew head straight back to the camp. "So anyway, the bad news is... I think we aren't getting that big reward that we're having on the quest sheet."
"Yeah, but most are fine without it. Look!" Elaine then points out to the other adventurers, who held a large sack of gold. "They must have scavenged a lot."
Whilst Ash led his group on their way to the camp, he heard a sudden noise coming from a distance as the snow falls and the winds became much colder than ice. On the horizon, the Silver-Blue Knight caught sight of shadowy figures on the other side of the mountains. He pulls up his binoculars to inspect and his blood froze upon witnessing over a hundred men, large hollows, clad in their Millwood Knights' Armor. But that's not all. He even saw another Greatwolf with its Rider prowling under the heavy blizzard until they disappear mysteriously from his sight.
Then he heard a howl which echoed from a distance. Sif perked up his ears and caught the sound. The Greatwolf of Anor Londo had sworn that he just heard a familiar howl that any other ordinary wolf couldn't do and spun his head to the right. Only what he saw was a mountain covered by the distant blizzard winds.
'Strange... I heard the sound of my Kin...' Sif spoke. 'Where does it come from?'
Upon returning to the camp, Ash and Co were utterly surprised to see many Orcs flocked through campsites along with Gaulian Soldiers. Male Adventurers and Mercenaries began flirting with the Orcs before the mamonos seduced them back with their raunchy attitudes. Once they entered the camp, the Orcs gained their attention to a peculiar Greatwolf which caught them by surprise and a few fled away in fear.
"Weird, why are there so many orcs here?" Arcturus raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"Who knows, since there are more Gaulian Soldiers around..." Gerome stroked his chin while in thought. "It might be the crisis that is still currently occurring in this region and the Royal Family must have sent their response to deal against those monsters."
"Ufufufu~! My, what a handsome fellow~!" Suddenly, Gerome felt a pair of hands grab his arms. He spun around and widened his eyes in surprise to see a tribal Orc trying to flirt with him. "You must be a brawny warrior~! Then why don't you want to have some fun with me~?"
Out from the crowd, another Orc came by with a jealous expression. "Elisa? That's not fair! I want him~!"
"Nuh-uh, Clara! I found him first!"
While the two Orcs bickered against each other, Elaine gave out a frustrated sigh and then breaks off the tribal orc's quarrel and separated them between her and her human brother.
"Alright, you two, back off!" Elaine raised her voice. "You're not the ones who will decide for him."
"Ehh!?"
"What!? Does that mean you're his wife!?"
"Hah!? He's my brother!" Elaine replied with an indifferent tone which caused the two orcs to stand back in shock. "Touch him again, and I swear I'll break your fingers."
"B-Brother!? No way!" Clara then spoke up in disbelief. "Mamonos can't have brothers! I mean, you're an Orc, like us!"
"Do you know the Astora Family lives in this very kingdom, do you?" Elaine questioned while giving them a dark glare which sends shivers towards Elisa and Clara. Both of them nodded. "I'm blood-related with those guys."
"W-Wait... No way! You and your brother are relatives of the Astora Family?!" Elisa widened her eyes in shock. "I-I'm very sorry! Forgive us! Please don't hurt us!"
"Now scram!" Elaine yelled before the two orcs turned their heels and ran away. "Slutty bitches."
"But aren't you a part of their kind?" Sasha asked Elaine while growing sympathetic toward the two fleeing orcs. "You shouldn't be acting harshly to them."
"Sasha, I may be an Orc. But I am born as a descendant of Solaire." Elaine explained while expressing her weak smile. "I couldn't feel or think of a striving desire like a mamono. I've been growing up as an ordinary person, and my mom knows that I'm vastly different, unlike my relative kin over here since birth... You gotta learn to know more about that."
"Oh... I see. So you're just like Elen." Sasha then looked down, shying her gaze away in embarrassment. "Then the blood of the Saint truly makes you different from the rest of the mamono."
An hour later after packing up their equipment and their camping tools, the crew departed from the campsite. The crisis in the alps might be far from over, but it helped to reduce the number of wandering monsters. When the Royal Army of Gaul took over the situation under the supreme authority of the king, the Orcs, individual mamonos who had fled from the mountains, resettled their lost homes that have been once taken away from the ravaging monsters and hollows. From one of the highest cliffs of the mountains, a certain Dragonslayer watches over and saw a Greatwolf with its familiar appearance, while the warrior who sat on top of the wolf is a human wearing his Elite Knight Armor.
It was no mistake that Ornstein knew the greatwolf was Sif, a companion of Knight Artorias, and he should've guarded the grave of the Abysswalker.
"It looks like the rift claimed you into this world as well. Nevertheless, you earned some worthy companions in your way." Ornstein silently comments and then turns his back from the cliffs and heads his way back to Alissa and the rest of his family. "It would've been grateful to meet each other, my friend, but not this time... we are on the run."
...
Viola Region, Town of Gerth.
...
A few days have passed since they departed from the Alps of Northern Corse. Ash and Co returned to the town and went their way back to Horseback Inn. Siegmeyer saw Ash and waved at them upon their return before the Orphans saw them they had just arrived from their tiring journey. The overjoyed children rushed towards Sif while Ash disembarked from the greatwolf.
"Ash! Sif! You're back!"
"We missed you! It felt like a long time!"
"Oh! Oh! Sif, can you tell us more stories?!"
"Hahaha! Now, now children, they've gone through a long journey! Let them rest first for a while." The orphans turned around and saw Uncle Siegward hushing them back inside the restaurant before looking up at Ash. "Ah! My friend, how was the mission?"
"Rough, but what we found in our quest is something unusual," Ash spoke before the two Knights headed their way into the Inn.
"Oh? Then what did you and the others find?" Siegward raised his eyebrow curiously.
"Lothric Castle." His answer brought a surprise to the Catarinian. "To think that there will be places I've gone before... could it be possible that they might appear as well... only as Dungeons."
"Oh, dear... I might not think about when the Dungeons of Irithyll might be in this realm as well." Siegward said in an uncomfortable tone. "Lest, we have to get ourselves a drink and have some talks... oh? And who is this person?"
"The name's Junayd, a Swordsman of Carthus." Junayd introduced himself with a bow. "It's an honour to meet you again as well, Onion Knight of Gerth."
"My, the same man from before... and my hunch stood correct, a Carthus Swordsman from all out of places!" Siegward then spoke up confidentially while raising his fist in a joyful manner before looking up to Ash once more. "It seems you're gaining more trustful allies for your merry band of companions! As a friend of Sir Cyrus, I'll invite you to enjoy some drinks!"
"Haha! Well, I am honoured by such invitations." Junayd made a light chuckle before stepping into the Inn's entrance. "Now let's get us some ale!"
"Ha! The Catarinian Siegbrau will suit your tastes, my friend!" Siegward laughed out loud in pride. "Now let us make ourselves a small celebration!"
Ash smiled towards Siegward while he enters the Inn along with Junayd. The knight then spun around to see Sasha packing up their belongings from the wagon. He walks up to her for help and pulls up a heavy leather backpack.
"Need some help?"
"Oh, thank you, Ash." Sasha thanked before slinging it behind her back.
"Are you not coming over to Siegward and taking a drink?" Ash asked while pointing his thumb at Horseback Inn. "The children were overjoyed for our return and take a celebration."
"I would love to! But I have to bring our belongings back to the house." She said before walking away in a hurry with a wave of her hand. "I'll come again, don't worry!"
Ash waved back with a smile while Sasha headed for home. But from the nearest corners of the dark alleyway, a couple of cloaked figures watched the scene before fading themselves into the shadows and leapt their way to where Sasha had left off.
"Fufufu~! I didn't expect them to get separated!" Janice smiled wickedly while jumping in great heights from the rooftops. "Now this plan makes it far easier!"
The Dark Priests sprinted through the rooftops from one building to another and then stopped in front of the house that stood below. A few minutes later, Sasha arrived at the entrance and pulls up her keys. The mamono observed her movements and entered the house. Janice made a hand sign before jumping down and walking up to her home.
Janice made a deep breath and knocks on the door twice. In the meantime, Sasha heard a knock in much to her surprise and walks to the entrance.
"Who is it?" She asked before peeking out.
"Oh, pardon us, we're here to deliver a package for a person named Sasha Fullmoon!" Amara said with a wicked smile while picking up a box. "We have the box ri~ght here~"
"I didn't order a Package," Sasha raised her eyebrow in question until she opens the door. "Just who-...!?"
Just before she finished her sentence, her eyes went wide in disbelief as her senses caught something dangerous emitting from the two cloaked figures. She saw their faces and their wicked smiles. Not only did she just look into their faces, but she noticed a pair of horns that were well hidden under their hoods. Sasha stepped back and summoned her staff, but Janice raised her hand and summoned several black vines that caught the Warrior Nun off guard as she was held by the limbs and wrists by their magic before the vines finally pinned her down.
"Now sleep." Janice waved her hand until a purple mist was generated from her spell.
Sasha tries to struggle to free herself from the vines until the purple mist took over. She coughed after inhaling the magical substance until her consciousness blurred out. She can hear the two Dark Priests chuckling sinisterly before her vision blacked out.
...
"Weird, it's been a few hours..." Ash said to himself before looking around. He just sat nearby the bar with a mug of ale in his hands. 'Just where is she?'
"Big Bro~! Where is big sis?" Ash looked down to see Emiyu having a worried look. "You said she will come back to celebrate your return."
'Why do I have a strange feeling...?' The Knight wondered himself before standing up. 'Did something happen?... Then why in the flames do I feel worried?'
"Emiyu, I'll be right back," Ash stated while patting her head before looking over at Elen and Elaine. "You two; take care of the kids. I might see what Sasha is doing."
"Alright boss!" Elen replied with a thumbs-up while he left the tavern. "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on them."
Ash exited the restaurant while strapping on his shoulder pauldron and his gauntlet. Sif perks up his ears once he hears the Silver-Blue Knight going off in the direction of his rented home in a hurry.
"Is there something that concerns you, Sir Cyrus?"
"Aye, something feels fishy going on."
"Then take me with you." The Greatwolf then stands up. "I felt an insidious presence around this humble settlement, but it was weak that I can barely feel it."
"Insidious presence...?" Ash froze for a while upon realisation, and his feet sprinted through the nearest alleyway. "Don't tell me.."
Minutes later, he arrived home. But to his disbelief, the door was wide open and inspected the house. Once he went inside to check the rooms, there was no sign of the Maiden but what he found in her pack of belongings which have strewn all over the ground near the entrance.
"This got to be a joke," Ash breathed out in dismay. "Just what in the flames happened here...?"
The Knight then pulls up his Sunlight Talisman and chants. "Seek Guidance."
After a moment, a glowing sign appeared on the floor. Ash pressed his fingers and visions appeared with a flash in his mind. He saw a couple of dark priests pin down Sasha with their Dark Vines and knocked her out of consciousness with a sleeping spell. Once they succeeded, they pulled her out of the house and disappeared into the portals from his sight.
Weird, the Seek Guidance spell didn't have this ability to show him some visions until now. But that's not important. The only problem is that Sasha is abducted!
"Sasha!" Ash ran out of the house and frantically looked around to find her before he turned into the Greatwolf. "Sif, she's abducted."
"Sir Cyrus... look," Sif said as he points his nose to the ground. "A summoning sign."
Ash looked down at his left side and saw another glowing sign. The Knight wasted no time and touched the light, thus his eyes dilated once it pulled his consciousness into the vision and saw the lands across Viola Region through an eagle vision until he caught a foreboding structure that reached beyond the high heavens, a tower. Then from there, he saw they brought his unconscious acquaintance through a long stone bridge and entered the gates as she was carried away by several Dark Priests and accompanied by Dark Knights who bears the Demonic Emblem of Lescatie. The vision ends as it brought him back with a gasp.
"What happened?" Sif asked in his tense tone.
"They've brought her to someplace, a tower." The Knight answered with a dark glare. "Fortunately, the Guidance has shown me the way to get there."
"Should I call the others for help?"
"... Yes, we have to rescue her." Then the Knight narrowed his eyes, knowing that there were the imprisoned Agents of Druella who are working in the Inn that might be responsible for their plot. He clenched his fists. "But first, I need to talk some words. Those harlots in the Inn better knew something about this."
...
Chapter 18: Ends.
Authors Note: Whoo! another chapter with 9.000 Words, I can't believe my fingers and my brain was melting while writing this. So by the way, I wonder how the Soul of Cinder sounds like if he has a voice; I imagine him talking with the voice of Samuel Hayden from the Doom series.
Then anyways; Welcome to the Fallen Tower Arc, everybody. Prepare your popcorns and soft drinks for the next chapter.
Also, I might update some missing parts in this chapter, so toodles!