Chapter 41: The Wolf Knight and the Executioner.
...
"Blimey! We've earned several thousand golds so far!" Domhall spoke up in a joyful tone while holding up a gold coin. "It's been three days since we've left the Dragonian capital to do some temporary business along the way. Isn't it chap?"
"Indeed." Valor nods as they traverse the mountainous roads. "Speaking of which... Gaul is only one day ahead."
"Hmm... I feel something is amiss..." Domhall then cupped his chin in wonder. "Ah! Isn't this the same place we've gone before that is filled with Manticores?"
Domhall's words made the Berenike Knight frowning himself at the mention of those monster girls. Days prior after they've entered Dragonia, they were an annoyance and a real pain to deal with. Especially with their shit-eating grin that continues to annoy him, even after he beat the hell out of her and threw her off the cliff. He couldn't help but exhale deeply.
"Now you say it... I hope we wouldn't end up with that same harlot." Valor groaned before unsheathing his greatsword. "Best we keep moving on-"
"I FOUND YOU!"
The two merchants stopped in their tracks and turned around to see an enraged manticore on the other side of the cliffs. She had a bandage wrapped up on her forehead while bruises and scratches are still present on her skin. This mamono had an unpleasant look on her face, her eyes frown towards the Berenike Knight.
"Think you could get away, eh!? Now, I'm here to extract for my revenge!" The Manticore yelled out loud in rage until she crouched down in her attempt to pound him down. "Now surrender and be my husband!"
"Tsk, I still got no plans to make a family, yet." Valor sighed while tilting his head sidewards in disappointment. "But still, you're a freaking nuisance as ever."
With that, she sprung forth while raising her sharp claws. Yet the Berenike Knight brought up his Reinforced Tower Shield as the Manticore brought down her claws and bounced off. To her dismay, she couldn't believe that her own strength betrayed her. Now knowing that he is capable to block her attack, which no human knight would ever succeed in defending themselves against the Manticores strength. Valor thanked the unnamed blacksmith god that gave them Titanite.
'I-Impossible! My attack got blocked!?' The Manticore widened her eyes in disbelief. 'There is no way this person is stronger than me! I'm a monster and he's a human! He might have thrown me over to a cliff. But this time, I will-?!'
*BAM!*
"GAH!"
Breaking off from her thoughts, Valor saw his good opportunity to strike back. Bashing his greatshield against her face while the monster is in her thoughts. The heavy knight can read her face, and this opportunity can bring into her demise. Then Valor heaved up his Greatsword, then swung the blunt part of his heavy weapon to send her flying into the air before the mamono fell down the cliffs.
"NO WAY! I CAN'T LOSE LIKE THIS!" The manticore screamed with a mixture of comical and a terrified look on her face. "I WILL GET YOU NEXT TIME~!"
Valor looked down from the cliffs and see her vanished through the fog from his sight. He breathed out in relief. Now they can continue their travel without the nuisance that has been following them.
"Hmm... I heard manticores have very resilient bodies." Domhall commented in wonder. "I think she might wake up again after her fall."
"She won't find us again." Valor grunts before crossing his arms. "But I swear to the Flames if she does..."
"Oh! Valor, look up there! To the skies!" The Berenike Knight then turns to Domhall, pointing his finger upwards. "Are those dragons? They look similar to the Everlasting Dragons from the ancient Lordranian scriptures!"
Valor then looks up and saw several massive dragons flying overhead, leaving out loud roars that echoed through the mountain ranges. The two merchants then strayed themselves from the edges of the cliffs and stick beside the rocky walls.
"I have a bad feeling that these flying beasts are not ordinary dragons. Their hollowed eyes speak ill for me." Valor spoke up in worry as he felt a sweat drop rolled down his face. "If we stay here for long until one of them will roast us alive!"
"Yep, indeed, a piece of useful advice! We shouldn't stay here for long!" Domhall nodded agitatedly.
With that, the two merchants quietly left the place and took another route to the left to avoid being seen by the hollowed dragons. For the merchant's concern, Valor is wondering where the hollows are heading?
"They're flying in the direction of Dragonia's capital." Valor swore under his breath. "I wonder... if the Red Queen and her Dragon Knights can defend themselves."
...
Dungeon City of Anor Londo, The Great Cathedral.
...
"Everybody split up and take them down individually!"
Ash commanded before his companions nodded at his orders. Ornstein is currently battling the Puppet Artorias with flashes of blades and parries while destroying some of the pillars nearby. The Dragonslayer then dashed towards the Wolf Knight, yet the imitation of the Abysswalker dodged his attack as he strafed to the right and aimed for the opening.
Ornstein braced himself as Puppet Artorias brought down his blade, sending the Dragonslayer to skid his feet a few meters back before hitting the glass windows. The panels were smashed into hundred shards. Luckily, Ornstein remained standing and didn't fall out. The demented puppet howled and charged forth against the dragonslayer until a brief flash blinded his way, interrupting his attack. Puppet Artorias spun around to see Alissa, who she raised her two blades, pointing against the puppet.
"You're indeed tough... Honey." Then she spoke indirectly to her husband. "Don't get brash on things without me."
Ornstein then nodded until he heard Artorias growled before the puppet delved his hand into its own belly and pulled out a second sword. The Dragonslayer cursed that this puppet pulled a secondary sword from its sleeves. Thus in a sudden, a Greatwolf leapt into the puppet with a massive swing of his sword. The puppet deflected the dangerous swing and pushed back a few meters away.
"Captain... I am here to assist." Sif snarled while making another fighting stance. "Seeing a coward making this puppet is an insult of his image and his honour."
"I agree. I was wondering how this sludge could make a puppet out of him." Then Ornstein narrowed his eyes. "Probably... did it devour one of the Lords of Anor Londo and received their memories?"
"I may guess, it's a possibility." Sif nods before steeling himself.
While in the midst of their duel, the companionship was battling against the puppet of the Executioner and Aldrich himself.
"Watch out!"
Elen jumped and grabbed Daniella before the Execution slammed his hammer into the ground, but missed his target. Luciana and Olivier charged in to attack the giant from the rear. Yet Puppet Smough weaved his hammer around, sending the Knight of Lescatie against the wall before Luciana and Olivier slumped into the ground.
"Hrgh!... D-Damnit, We're too careless!" Luciana grits her teeth in pain while holding her broken elbow. "Gah! My arm! MY ARM!"
"Luciana! NO!"
Olivier tried to reach for her friend until she looks up to the Puppet Executioner in horror as he raised up his hammer. But in a nick of time, a brief flash of strike hit the giant against the shoulder. His execution being interrupted, Puppet Smough turns to a peculiar Carthus Swordsman, followed by two Dragon Knights, such as Lythia and Militiana, both ready for combat.
"Over here, you fat bastard!" Junayd screamed, provoking the giant puppet. "Let see if that hammer of yours can get me!"
As Puppet Smough went to battle the Eastern Mercenary and the Dragons. Arcturus, Elaine, Gerome and Vermut came to aid the wounded knights. Gerome then pulled up his talisman and cast a miracle spell.
"Heal!"
The light then radiates the two knights and Luciana, once shaken by sheer pain, now feeling a soothing sensation and warmth of his healing spell and felt the fractured bones in her elbow were slowly mending each other.
"Feeling better, you two?" Arcturus asked before the two Knights nods with relief. "Good, we have to be careful about that guy. He seems to pack a serious punch."
On the other side of the arena, Ash, Sasha, and Gough confronted the massive heap of rotten blobs that is Aldrich. But their enemy is not to be underestimated. Aldrich is agile and once Gough attempts to smash the sludge into the ground, Aldrich dived through the muddy floors; disappearing from his sight.
"Watch out, he can delve through the floors!" Ash warned until he heard another growling voice from behind. Thus, he turned around to see Aldrich reappears behind a stone pillar. "The bastard is tricky."
Aldrich then uses the power in his vicinity that brought another dreadful wave of air that reeks of dread. Then from the ground, a group of Silver Knight puppets rose up and some larger puppets they don't recognise. But to Ash, these large puppets appeared to be Cathedral Knights.
"Fuck! He's summoning more of them?!" Elen swore under her breath. "I admit. This guy is truly making us a pain in the ass!"
The massive sludge then commands his puppets before the Silver Knights, and the Cathedral Knights charge into battle. The companionship then steeled for themselves for a fight until Gough stood in front of them and then caught in the midst of their ranks, alone and surrounded by Cathedral Knights. The giant then raised his fist to swat them away, but their losses were quickly replaced by their numbers.
"Go forth, Hero of Oolacile. I shall take the bulk of their numbers!"
Ash heard the giant's request and nodded. "Everyone, take evasive action! Sasha, with me!"
Upon commanding an order, Sasha followed him until Ash raised his Crest Shield. The former priestess then cast her blessed magic to reinforce his shield and covered it with her mana. The Cathedral Knight swung down its greatsword, but his magically reinforced shield bounced off the heavy attack before Ash returns a counter as he thrusts his claymore into the hollow's abdomen. Killing it.
Gerome saw a Silver Knight and a Cathedral Knight were ganging up on him and raised his shield to defend himself. Fortunately, Elaine and Vermut came in to help him. The orc brought down her greatsword and smashed the Silver Knight into the ground, while Vermut stabbed the Cathedral Knight from behind. Yet the hollow did not budge and spun around. Its head leaned down to her level, giving a terrifying stare of red eyes which made her paralyse in fear. That is not until Arcturus jabbed the knight's neck from the right flank and brought his blade down through the throat.
The hollow coughed out its black blood before tumbling to the ground upon death. In other parts of the great hallway, Reginald and Daniella were facing the puppet knights that surround them. Reginald glanced back to see his girlfriend's hands were shaking while holding up her new falchion made from the scraps of rare Geisteel which Andre made for her prior to the arrival in Dragonia.
"Daniella, brace yourself," Reginald whispered while narrowing his eyes as he brought up his bastard sword. "Use your speed to disorient them and do not stop. Understood?"
Daniella then gulped. This is her first dungeon exploration, and they had gone all the way from the entrance while facing the monsters of this city. She did face dozens of hollowed knights, but surrounded by them in numbers would mean the possibility of their deaths.
"I'm ready." Daniella then steeled herself as she mustered up her courage, raising up her falchion. "Let's do this!"
With that, the couple splits themselves and vanished from their sights. The Hollows looked around to search for them, only that when a Cathedral Knight got beheaded by an invisible force. Reginald reappears with his bloody weapon before delving in to attack his enemies. While trying to take him out, Daniella reappears on top of a silver knight and trusted her blade into the neck of the hollow from above, killing it before vanishing again in a flash.
"Hrgh!"
Reginald grunts while he hacked off the right arm of the Silver Knight before ending the hollow with a thrust through the throat. Then a second hollow came from behind as it attempts to plunge its sword to his rear. Yet Daniella sliced its head off clean before it could do any harm to her lover.
"Thanks, I owe you that." Reginald thanked her.
Daniella was flustered when hearing that he appreciates her for saving his back. "W-well, no need to thank me! We still have enemies to fight!"
While in the midst of battle, Lythia, Mika, and Militiana were strafing from every direction to avoid Smough's deadly hammer. Militiana jumped off from a distance and manage to get a hit on Smough against the head before Lythia took a deep breath and spew out flames. The puppet howled in terror by her dragon flames, but once it gets into contact, the Puppet felt only her flames tickle its slimy hide and giving soothing warmth.
Realising this harmless flame, the puppet laughed it off and marched through her breath of fire that did no harm. Militiana widened her eyes in dismay. Why aren't her flames working?
"Use your breath to kill it! Not to corrupt it by trying to soothe its heart!" She heard Junayd calling out for her. "With the flame that you're breathing out, couldn't make that bastard into a monster!"
'What?! But I can't do it! It goes against her ideals, and he's telling me to rob off its life!' Militiana then stopped her breath before jumping away to avoid the slam of the puppet's hammer. 'I swore to the Red Queen and the Demon Lord that we will make them pay and turn them into monsters!'
While the Dragons of Dragonia were indeed strong and brave, this place proves their strength alone is hopeless against a monster that isn't known to their knowledge. That is what Junayd is seeing. After the three dragon knights used all of their flames and special attacks with their weapons to bring down the puppet, it seems all of their attempts wouldn't do anything to it. It was like seeing a full-armoured knight getting hit by a trio of children with their sticks.
"Ugh... these girls have no idea that killing it is important." Junayd exhaled under stress before activating his pyromancy to coat his blade with his own flames. "Then... I shall show them how to deal it."
Junayd then leapt over from a great distance and hit the puppet against the head. The force of his attack was so strong that made a nasty gash on its bone helmet. The Puppet reeled back and was stunned by the sudden attack of the mercenary. It reared its head and looked down at the Carthus swordsman. Its abyssal eyes then saw this man as a worthy opponent to deal with.
"Lythia! Militiana! Use your full-blown attacks to send it flying!" Junayd barked out an order while doing a defensive stance. "Do it as your life depends on it!"
Lythia and Militiana shared their glances and nods. They raised their wings and flew off into the direction of the puppet. Soon, the imitation of the execution noticed the two flying knights and sung hits hammer to the rear, but the two dragon knights made evasive manoeuvres as they rolled around and smashed their weapons with their strength.
Puppet Smough was then sent flying and crashed against the wall before slumping to the ground. Junayd leapt up and landed on its giant belly.
"Begone into the pits of oblivion, foul beast!"
With that, Junayd plunged his carthus greatsword into the chest for the kill. His pyromancy flames that coated his sword then burns the inside of the puppet. Killing his opponent as Smough howled in pain, giving out its last breath. The dragon knights cheered for their victory, but Junayd soon noticed the other puppets were coming for them.
"Don't celebrate yet! The battle isn't over!" Junayd called them over while raising his sword. "Get your arms ready!"
...
"Now this is getting tougher than usual!"
Ash ran as he grabbed Sasha away from a deadly hail of moonlight arrows. The hail sailed past them but turns its course back. The Elite Knight then raised his shield upwards while Sasha casts another spell to enhance the protection of his Crest Shield before the Moonlight Arrows rained down upon the couple, but they were deflected and didn't even leave a single scratch. Once it died down, Sasha slumped down in heavy exhaustion. She didn't expect the attack was so severe that had made a dangerous impact on her special barrier, at such a cost that nearly depleted her mana.
"Hah~! Hah~! Ash... I'm-... I'm going to faint..." Sasha tried to stand on her feet, but her breathing became heavy. "I-... I need to fight!"
"Save your breath, the battle isn't over." Ash then grabbed Sasha before jumping away from a large purple stream of death coming from Aldrich. Ash peeked out from his cover and saw the deformed corpse that had been once he knew was Gwyndolin. "Damnation, I need someone to distract it!"
"Hey! Over here!" Ash then spun his glance around and saw Elen, calling over the abomination while waving her sword in her hand. "Come and get me, you massive hulk piece of shit!"
The red phantom sludge heard her and enraged the abomination even further. Then Aldrich controlled the corpse of Gywndolin and made him weave his staff, sending off a storm of purple darts. While Elen is giving them time., Ash now had the moment to recover Sasha's depleted mana as he pulled out his Hidden Blessing Vial from the bottomless box before giving it to her.
"Drink it slowly, don't choke it."
The former priestess carefully drinks the blessed vial until her body recovered in a matter of seconds as the warmth soothes down her fatigue. She can now breathe in relax and her heart rate going back to normal.
"Thank you." Sasha thanked her knight while giving back the vial. "His attacks nearly depleted my mana. It was a miracle can hold it off."
"Save your spells for something important." Ash grimaced before peeking out to see the situation. "Elen is distracting him. Then this is our perfect chance to strike back."
...
"Oh shit!"
Elen jumped away to avoid Aldrich's attacks, but the massive sludge leapt over to her and the dhampir strafed away from her massive opponent. The bloody corpse of Gwyndolin weaved his staff around and swooped down on her. Yet Elen dodged in a backflip until she points her bastard sword up and jumps up.
"HHAAAAH!"
Elen then thrusts her greatsword through the abdomen of Gwyndolin. The corpse cried out in pain before it died down. She smiled in victory. But despite taking out the corpse, it was only under Aldrich's control. Elen then looks down in disbelief to see the massive sludge waving itself back and forth until it slings her over through the air. The Farron Dhampir was tossed against the muddy ground before she jumps back to her feet.
"S-shit. I thought that would've killed you." Elen grits her teeth in disdain, frowning at Aldrich. "You're indeed a tricky bastard, you massive piece of turd."
Hearing her words made Aldrich tremble and howled in frustration. Summoning more puppets from the ground. Elen then readied her sword before charging to brace the incoming attack. However, in her luck; a couple of blurs sped past the puppets. Slicing and hacking them apart. She smirks that her brother came in right on time.
"Hey, don't get this fun all for yourself." She glanced to her right to see Reginald reappeared beside her. "You won't make it out without us."
"Indeed, as your future sister-in-law, I'm giving you my support of getting rid of these bastards!" Elen then glanced to her left to see Daniella raised her falchion covered in black blood. Then Daniella turns to Elen with a friendly smile. "After all, we are allies."
Elen rolled her eyes before standing straight and pointing her bastard sword to her opponents before her.
"Great, now let's take them out!"
...
*BOOM~!*
"Goodness, this abomination is indeed wild!"
Alissa flew back while Puppet Artorias jumped from the walls and pillars before doing a spinning attack into the air and brought his massive sword down. The Valkyrie then strafed to the left to avoid his attack. Leaving a cloud of dust and mud in the air. Then the puppet himself felt someone coming from behind at blinding speed. He spun around and saw Ornstein raised his spear to thrust the abomination. Yet the puppet raised his bone sword and blocked the attack of the dragonslayer. Ornstein's lightning missed his target from a mere centimetre from his head and flies through.
His lightning flew out which sends out shock waves, breaking the glass windows before tearing through the walls of the Cathedral. Resulting in an explosion that anyone could hear across the city.
...
Anor Londo, City Center.
...
Wilmarina was running through the streets of the city, finding her path for a way out to reunite with Elt and the crossbreeds. That is not until she heard several footsteps before she saw herself being surrounded by a group of Silver Knights.
"D-Damit!" Wilmarina cursed while readied her reinforced broadsword. "This can't get anything worse and I wished Havel is still with me!"
*BOOM~!*
If luck were on her side, the Hero Succubus spun around after hearing the explosion from where it was coming from and saw a section of the large cathedral exploded. The hollows were also distracted by the explosion and they all look up, seeing a few small pieces of debris falling from the skies. Wilmarina then glances around to see the hollows were distracted by the sounds before she sprints forth for an escape. Passing through the hollows without making a sound.
'Just my luck!' Wilmarina breathes out before hiding herself behind the corner of some building. 'That was close! I could've died there...'
While making a short break, the Succubus noticed a bloodstain on the floor; emitting a red and green hue before seeing the bloody lower part that belongs to a Lizardman lying against the wall. She felt her skin shiver with fear; she hated the curiosity in her that begs her to touch it. Wilmarina then leans it close and tapping it with the tip of her broadsword a few times until nothing happens.
'This curiosity is trying to kill me...' Wilmarina sighed deeply, before touching the bloodstain. 'Then why are my senses trying to tell-!'
Thus, from the bloodstain, a ghostly red phantom appeared in front of her. Wilmarina shrieked in fright as she jumped back. Yet the ghost appears itself as the same dead mamono. She observed the ghost for a few seconds and until the lizardman stood paralyzed in her way before she screamed, the poor mamono was brought up by a massive white phantom that looks like an obese monster while hearing the screams of the victim.
"No! NO! PLEASE! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! SPARE ME-!"
Soon, this monster devoured the lizardman's upper body with a sickening crunch. Wilmarina couldn't help but cringed in disgust as fear took over her heart. Once the ghosts disappear from her sigh, the Dark Hero heard a guttural growl coming from the dark alleyways. She steps a bit forth until she heard heavy footsteps.
Then, from the dark, that monstrosity came and loomed its head over the succubus before Wilmarina gulped once the monster glanced its one eye downwards to her. The Ogre of Drangleic then smiled to see another poor prey that had come to its liar. Then the Noscrim Succubus jumped back before the obese monster would try to grab her and ran away from the monster as she could.
She took the nearest to the left and open the door. Wilmarina quickly came in and shut the door until the monster went past her hiding place. The Dark Hero covered her mouth while trying not to scream before breathing out in relief.
'Alright... I need to find another detour to get out of here and find Elt.' Her thoughts said while calming down. 'This place is packed full of monsters alright. But the Cathedral exploded... then there must be someone in there.'
Wilmarina walked to the opposite end of the room and opens the door before peeking out, then she noticed a Silver Knight standing in the midst of the hallway, guarding while facing in an opposite direction. The Dark Hero slowly went out of the room and slowly closed the door. She tiptoed her way to make her first kill with her new weapon. Once she got close, she jumped up high and plunged her blade through the hollow's nape, killing the monster for good.
For the first time, Wilmarina manages to get her first kill in joy, but only as a monster. If she would've been a human back then, she would've killed that first abomination she'd encountered with Elt which would've made the Order of the Chief God proud. The corpse of the Silver Knight then dissipated into ashes, leaving behind a Silver Knight Shield on the ground, and the succubus was even more surprised that its death gave her some additional protection.
"A shield... this might come in handy," Wilmarina mumbled while strapping the shield on her left arm. "Great, now I feel safe... although, I shouldn't always rely on this."
Wilmarina dreads the fact that there are bigger enemies that will squish her like a pulp. She'd better avoid their attacks rather than tanking their attacks. After all, she's in the city that will put her to test that how long she will endure the treacherous city filled with bloodthirsty monsters.
*Clack~!*
Then her head perked up and saw a Silver Knight with a spear came around the corner and spotted the trespasser. The Dark Hero then prepares her fighting stance to get ready. She's not going to convert this monster into one of her own, no. The Dark Hero will kill it for her life's sake. The Hollows, like what Priscilla describes, were a type of undead. If this knowledge about them should be reached to the ears of the Demon Realms and learn about them having immunity to the powers and influences of the Demon Lord, this would mean that killing it is more important than converting them into mamonos because for one thing, which her senses made it clear why;
They can't become one of them.
The Silver Knight crouched down and lunged itself to the succubus until Wilmarina strafed to the left to avoid the attack. Thus, the hollowed knight swung its spear to slash her apart, yet she raised the Silver Knight's spear to block it and absorbed the damage, then points her broadsword for the thrust; she leapt through and plunged her blade through the eyeholes of the hollow and brought it down for good.
The Dark Hero felt relieved. Now she has the weapons to kill actual monsters as if she was some hero from the age of the former demon lords. Yet being as a monster herself.
"Now I need to find Elt and the others." She spoke up with determination steeled in her eyes until her senses caught something that surprised her. "His scent... don't tell me he went far..."
...
Anor Londo, Dungeon City Entrance.
...
"So this must be the likely place they've ended up with," Koyoi said while standing amongst the Dark Knights of Lescatie. "It's been ten hours since they've left us a message."
Koyoi and her knights were the backup groups which they were also sent in Dragonia in their hopes of searching for the Dark Heroine of Lescatie and Lord Governor of Salvarision, Wilmarina Noscrim. The last message which Inari received is when Luciana and Vermut tracked down the possible perpetrators were the Companions of the Silver-Blue Knight.
The Inari made no emotions in her eyes. She knew this man was no mere prey for the monsters. It was a dangerous predator who looks like prey in the eyes of the monsters with no hints of warning them. She and her small group should avoid this man when he appears. After finding the location where the ship has docked, the Monsters of Lescatie walked past the Dragon Knights to enter the dungeon, despite the pleas which the Dragons tried to warn them about the imminent danger that lurks in the place they call Anor Londo.
"You can't! The place is dangerous!" One of the Dragon Knights warned. "Enter to your own risk, I tell ya! You fools!"
Koyoi scoffed as she waved her hands before leading her party to continue their search for Lord Noscrim. But why were the dragons afraid of this place? She knew they were the strongest monsters in all categories of monster girls. They have no problem beating something that lurks in this place. Then what was this place that made them scary?
She knew the Powers of the Monsters, which were connected to her, the Demon Lord, are unmatched by anything and not even the strongest of the Heroes of the Order would ever dare challenge it.
But in the case of the Silver-Blue Knights and his companions, she could tell it's a different story. Their mission is to find Wilmarina and her husband to get out of this place while avoiding the Silver-Blue Knight's companions. Then what's in there that could ever go wrong?
...
Buffer Regions.
...
*FLING~!*
"Oof!... Well then, this is the safest place where I can reach."
Elizabeth turns around to Artor, Alto-Eris, and the others collapsed into the ground after a short but long teleportation trip from the buffer regions. The young Dragonslayer groaned while shaking his head off from dizziness before looking up and his brows raised in surprise.
"Uhh... Elizabeth, where are we?"
"Oh, this? Ah, yes. We art near the borders to the land of dragons, young Artor." Elizabeth replied humbly. "But anyway, welcome home."
Artor felt a familiar sensation whilst standing up and sees a wooden house standing near a clear river stream and a large lake. He looked around and found themselves on top of a mesa while birds flew across the clear blue skies.
"This is... my old home," Artor said with a sense of nostalgia. "Wait... is anyone still here?"
"No, they all went to investigate the strange rumours that had been circulating in Dragonia," Elizabeth answered before giving out a sigh, tilting her head. "I told him it will be risky if he ever returns to the lands of dragons. Back to the place where he first appeareth."
"They went to Dragonia? Has he gone that mad?!" Artor then spoke up incredulously. "What if the Dragon Queen and her knights find out about this?!"
"Worry not, young Artor, the senses of monsters are only keen to those who art born to the system of this world," Elizabeth answered, making Artor silent. "But not to those who art born with the blood of the old world. So chances of finding them are slim. Now come along and see your old home."
After their landings from Elizabeth's transportation, the Lords and the Dragons entered the main house of the Lordran Family. Upon entering the house, Alto-Eris reeled back in surprise when she saw a lot of artefacts and armour pieces standing beside the walls, including paintings. One big painting she grew concerned about is that she saw an army of strange knights and a large hulking figure with white wavy hair, wielding a golden spear. It depicts them flinging their lightning spears at the dragons. These beasts within the painting accurately show the perfect descriptions of their Hollowed counterparts.
"That painting... my father used to tell me stories when I was young... about him who took part in the War against the Dragons in his old home," Artor explained while looking up at the painting. "He told me tales about the Everlasting Dragons and the Army of Lords who brought them to near extinction."
Alto-Eris grew silent. She knew that piece of an outrageous tale which the queen had told her when she was young back then. Then she opted to listen to the long version of their tale while the young dragonslayer continued. "After the war, that land where they lived and fought became Lordran... an ancient kingdom where the race of gods and dragonslayers lived together... and walked among men like Titans."
"Wait... so gods interact with their subjects?" Alto-Eris surmised in surprise. Artor nods at her question. "That's... strange. I never knew a society like that can exist."
"The Gods were in fact Lords themselves," Artor answered without a hint of a lie in his words, which made Alto-Eris reeled back in shock to hear more about the history of his people. "We are a race born from the first inheritor of the Lord Soul, the Soul of Light. Before Gwyn, the Dragons used to rule over the world that is covered in fog. Once he took up their mantle, his ambition for the world is to change the course of history and usher the Age of Fire."
"Then... hold on a second... your father is also a Lord, right?" Alto-Eris asked her fiance, Artor then nods. "Then... how old is he and how long since the Dragon Wars ended?"
"I'm not sure... but my father is old, far older before this new world was ever formed," Artor replied while crossing his arms out of concern. "Probably... it was several millennia ago."
"Several Millenia!? H-How long?"
"He told me... the Age of Fire was about seven to ten thousand years. Probably more than that and my father lost count of it." His answer stunned Alto-Eris to the core. That was way before the first Chief created the world of men and monsters. "But let's not delve into this... we have a situation that we art concerned about."
'No wonder the Queen was brought down to his knees!' Alto-Eris fell speechless. 'His father... no, the Lords... could be as powerful or even superior to the Chief God herself in terms of power! No wonder their bolts of lightning hurts so much that we will be fried to death!'
Alto-Eris gulped. She still remembers that pain which Artor gave her a small piece of his "electrical" medicine on her chest. It was indeed painful and his powers of the Lords, inherited from his father, were no pushover. She glance at Ciara and Filia in wonder, if they could ever stand up against Dragons.
"Well, talk about the war against the Dragons. Did he ever face against other mamonos?" Leia asked with a tone of arrogance while crossing her arms, then she expressed her prideful smirk. "I bet he won't stand a chance against a Chimaera!"
"If thou'rt talking about Chimaera's, her remains are on the walls," Artor said plainly while pointing his finger at the opposite side of the wall. "Then ask them about their experience how they've met a dragonslayer."
Leia, Shirtiya and Alto-Eris spun around and reeled back in terror to see a pair of skulls. One is a dragon while the other is a goat. Both of them reeked the awful stench of death of their previous owner. The sensation of death made Shirtiya gulp and Leia taking back her words while shaken in fear until Ciara spoke up.
"My father also told me he was worshipped as a God once in his life." The Valkyrie spoke, catching the three dragons knights her attention. "He was taught under the tutelage of the nameless God of War and the people revered him as the God of Knighthood and Dragonslaying."
The dragons and the wyvern felt their sweat trailed down their faces in unease. Alto-Eris knew he is indeed a knight and a fearful slayer.
"Dragon slaying, huh..." Leia pouts in irritation while looking away from the Valkyrie in spite. "I never knew people would perceive that as their new way of life... Like those Dragon Hunters."
"Well, Dragonslaying is considered a Knighthood's greatest calling," Ciara explained, making both Leia, Shirtiya and even Alti stunned. How does dragon-hunting a part of Knighthood? "Father also told me that a race of Giants also hunts Dragons as well."
'G-Giants?! They have actual giants in their lands as well?!' Alto-Eris dilates her eyes in incredulity. 'J-just why is everyone in Lordran like to hunt down dragons!? It doesn't make any sense!'
Artor went up the stairs to his old room and opens the door. His old room where he used to sleep were covered by white sheets before he saw a large wooden crate that stood near the walls. It has a lock, yet Artor didn't care. He imbued his fist with his lightning miracle before shattering the lock into pieces. Once opening the wooden crate, his eyes raised in surprise. It contains a suite of silver armour and a cross spear that is nearly identical to his father and the helmet is custom made. It has an ordinary close helmet with a vision slit and a single horn attached to its forehead section to make it akin to a rhino.
"Huh... Another Dragonslayer spear... but what armour is this for?" Artor then grabbed the Dragonslayer Spear until he noticed a brief flash of light appeared behind him. He spun around to see Elizabeth. "Elizabeth...? Can thee explain about this?"
"Oh! That is a gift which thine father madeth for thee!" Elizabeth spoke up with joy. "He desired to giveth that armour to thee upon passing his trials to becometh a Knight and Dragonslayer."
"The new armour is similar to thine old model, but with new specs and additional platings!" Elizabeth continued with an overconfident tone. "The armour is made with Rare Geisteel and Titanite, which boosts high defence against Magic and Flames. The new Dragonslayer Spear is also a new design that boosts your miracles. It is made with the finest Titanite Ores from defeating monsters of the Dungeons!"
"I heard only Titanite, but not Geisteel," Artor murmured in question. "But still... I'm going to try this out."
Minutes have passed and Artor just wrapped his gauntlet around his left wrist before he heard someone came in. His eyes glanced up to see Alto-Eris entering the room before his fiancee saw Artor wearing his new suit of armour in much to her surprise and awe.
"Artor...? Whoa!" Alto-Eris then stood amazed to see his new armour. "From where did you get that?"
"My father left it here," Artor replied while pointing his thumb back at the open wooden crate. "I never knew he left a gift for me."
"That armour looks awfully like your dad," Alto-Eris commented in concern and worry. "What will everyone in Dragonia think of this if your armour is nearly identical to him?"
"Well... who knows?" Artor shrugged off his shoulders. "Better to say greetings rather than to escalate into violence."
"ARTOR! Big brother!" Artor and Alto-Eris spun their attention around and saw Ciara barged into the room in a state of panic. "Another hollowed dragon is on our way! Three of them! We have to get out!"
Upon hearing Ciara's warning. Artor's eyes then steeled in determination. He won't let those beasts destroy this house, the only place where he grew up and cherished. He turns to Alto-Eris and gently grabbed her shoulders.
"Alti, stay here."
"What!? You can't!" Alto-Eris cried out in fear of losing him. "I want to come with you and fight them!"
"No, think about our children." Artor declined with a calm tone. "Stay with Ciara and Elizabeth. My caretaker should raise a barrier to make sure this house won't be burned down to the ground."
Alto-Eris shed a small tear before the young dragonslayer pats the former dragon knight's head before leaving the house. Once he got out, Elizabeth utilised her focus in raising a barrier made of Light Sorcery that surrounds the house. Shirtiya, Leia and Filia watched Artor going out in the open with his new armour and a cross spear in his hands. Ciara watched in dread once she sees three hollowed dragons descended from the skies before landing with a wild gust of winds.
As the first hollowed dragon roared in fury, Alto-Eris prayed for his safety. Artor then made a fighting stance while pointing his dragonslayer spear forth.
"Come at me, you wretched dragons!"
The Hollowed Dragon then leapt from a distance with its jaws open to devour the young dragonslayer. Yet Artor strafed to the left to avoid the jaws before he swung his dragonslayer spear horizontally, releasing lighting in the form of a crescent, flinging it into the face of the hollowed dragon. The Hollowed Beast roared in fury before unleashing a deadly beam of molten plasma. Fortunately, Artor leapt up into the air to avoid its attack before his feet kicked the air, sending himself straight to the dragons before he plunged his spear straight into the neck of the hollowed beast.
Then he unleashed a blast of lightning through the throat, creating a gaping hole into the neck of the dragon before the massive hollow fell to its death. But the battle isn't over. He looks up and saw two more dragons descended. One unleashed a beam towards his old home, resulting in an explosion. Artor shielded himself from the blast and looks up.
Once the dust cleared, he was relieved to see Elizabeth's barrier still stood. But he was worried for his caretaker if she can still hold it for long.
"Elizabeth! Are you okay!?" Alto-Eris panicked when Elizabeth is breathing in exhaustion. Her barrier took most of its damage, but her senses can tell it won't stand for long. "Is there anything I could help you out with!?"
"Oh, do not fret young dragon," Elizabeth said calmly, spoken in a jolly tone filled with determination. "I might be old... but I stay determined to hold it off. I'm sure Artor can end those massive hollows."
Back outside, Artor evaded a variety of attacks and wild swings from the dangerous pair of hollowed dragons until one shot out a beam. But it barely missed the young dragonslayer and the old Lordran family house until fiery explosions erupted, which caused the grass fields to burn. Smoke rose and ash floats wildly in the wind. Artor smell the signs of dread around him and determination swelled in his soul for one thing; he needs to finish the fight. He dashed underneath one of the hollowed dragons and shot up a lightning spear against the abdomen, thus piercing it through, resulting in a burst of light erupted from the back.
Artor sped away before the second hollowed dragon fell. He caught the last one and sees the beast swing its tail, and the weight slammed him that sends the young dragonslayer a hundred meters into the air and crashed into the ground. Ciara wanted to help her brother, but interfering in the fight might cause her death. Filia and the two dragon knights were worried to see him receiving a serious hit while Alto-Eris gasped in horror at seeing him hurt and possibly on a verge of death.
Fortunately, Artor didn't feel much pain. The armour tanked all its physical damage and only felt a light bruise on his chest.
"Huh... this armour is really something else," Artor spoke up, amused. "Right, no need for being overconfident. Let's end this!"
The Hollowed Everlasting Dragon roared before Artor leapt forth in blinding speed. The massive hollow then unleashed its beam to eradicate the dragonslayer, but due to the warrior's small size and speed. He evaded the deadly beam before leaping high into the air and points his spear down, aiming at the dead centre on top of its head before hurling the spear into the hollowed dragon like a bolt of lightning.
The spear then impaled into the dragon's head with a significant force before the beast crouched down in agony. Artor kicked the air once more and flung himself at neck-breaking speed before he grabbing his spear and pulls it out. Thus, he imbued his spear with a lighting miracle and with a warcry, he spins in the air and ended the dragon's life while the blade of his spear vertically cleaved the entire head apart.
The last hollowed dragon fell to the ground with a loud thud, leaving off a massive cloud of dust. Ciara breathes out in relief. She knew her brother can do it and his actions fighting against the hollowed dragons would make her father proud.
'Father... Artor is a full-fledged Dragonslayer.' Her thoughts spoke in joy. 'Just as you said... on the day when he was born.'
Artor whipped off the black blood which drenched his new dragonslayer spear. Thus he looks up and saw a swarm of hollowed dragons flying in a distance, heading through the borders of Dragonia. Then he sees a settlement that stood near the borders of the buffer region exploded in flames, caused by the deadly beams of the hollowed dragons.
He heard screams of people crying out for help as they fled from the incoming dragons. Some mamono tried to fight back, but their onslaught was relentless.
"ARTOR~!"
Artor heard a yell coming behind him. Once he spun around, he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a very worried dragon knight. He looks up and saw Alto-Eris broke out in tears.
"YOU DUMMY! YOU HAD ME WORRIED BACK THERE!" she cried out loud while hugging. "I-!... I... I thought you were getting killed..."
The dragon slayer looks up at her, and he smiled behind his helmet visor. His fiancee fears losing his own life. He sat up before returning a hug. However, Artor's eyes narrowed before looking back to see the settlement in the distance. It has been reduced into ashes and rubble while the two dragons and the wyvern mamono felt stenches of deaths had brushed lightly on their skins, which gave them shivers.
"Dear goodness... the town has been reduced into rubble!" Artor and Alto-Eris heard Elizabeth standing by their side, spoke up with worry. "The lands of the dragons will be in great peril!"
"... We have to help them," Artor said, catching the dragon knights off guard. "And to ensure their safety."
"B-But Artor! The people of Dragonia won't trust you!" Leia complained out loud in disbelief. "You and Ornstein were dragonslayers and it will cause hysteria among us, the Dragon Knights!"
"I know... but I don't care about that," Artor responded back with determination. "Your family and friends are still in there. Are you sure they could fend them off?"
Leia raised her brow in question before replying. "Fend them off? Of course, we can-"
"Certainly not." Leia and Artor turned their attention to Elizabeth before the mushroom explained with a grim expression. "Your army is equipped with weapons forged with Silverrealm and Dragonite Ores. They have no effect on the beasts of the old world."
"Wh-What?! What are you saying?!" Shirtiya said out loud in dismay. "Our weapons have no effect?!"
"But they're monsters, aren't they?!" Leia blurted out in fright.
While the hollowed dragons swarmed over the outskirts of the kingdom, a small division of Dragon Knights in their fort caught several Hollowed Dragons incinerate several settlements in their wake. They took off into the skies and some special units were also dispatched to eradicate their foes on the ground, but that is not until Elizabeth explains the dreadful truth.
"Listen well, our kind who hailed from the old world were not susceptible to the chains of monsters in this realm."
The Dragon Knights charge the Everlasting Dragons while raising their weapons until one of them got caught by their jaws. The unit was scrambled and fell one by one. Some tried to free themselves from their jaws, but to their dismay, they felt as if their powers were robbed off from their cores before they were devoured to their deaths.
"What is going on?! Why are they attacking us?!"
"Who knows?! We haven't been caught in a situation like this before!"
"Everyone! From above!"
The Dragon Knights looked up and saw several Hollowed Dragons dived from the skies and opened their mouths. The knights saw that they were about to unleash their flames until a group of Dragon Knights formed up a line formation and raised their claws while chanting their magic.
Then their captain ordered a command.
"Open fire!"
After that, they unleashed huge streams of magic beams that can reduce buildings into rubble without killing anyone. But alas, their unfortunate luck struck back without hesitation. The Hollowed Beasts dived through their attacks and not a single scratch was present on their scales. The Dragon Knights stood curious to see the effects of their magic has changed their minds, hearts and soul until their realisation grew, they were stunned to witness their magic attacks were ineffective before the Everlasting Dragons unleashed their fiery beams.
The Fort was reduced in a fiery explosion within an instant, reducing it into scorching debris while the Dragon Knights, both human incubi and mamono, were turned into crispy corpses. Some of them were still alive and found their Dragon Cloaks were in tatters. They did not expect their large opponents who can destroy their cloaks that are supposed to give great resistance to fire.
When the hollowed dragons landed upon the scorched rubble that is once a fort, the survivors attempted to flee. But they were swooped up in a sudden as if the Hollowed Beasts caught them in their jaws like a cat catching mice. Back at the mesa, Elizabeth told the potential dangers to the three dragon knights.
"Thou'rt art strong who can overwhelm anyone with mana. That is the system of 'tis realm." Elizabeth then explained further with a grim expression. "But when it comes against the creations of the Flames, the disparity will weaken thee. Thy monster magic and armaments could do nay harm... Demonic Energy is only fuel to make them stronger... And also fuel to empower our very being."
"But how?! How can our powers empowered them?!" Alto-Eris widened her eyes in panic. "That doesn't make any sense! The Powers of the Demon Lord made us strong!"
"That... I do not know the answers. I have theorised myself is that Demonic Energy is like a moth to a flame. An undead body that fuels the fire." Elizabeth explained. "I have been to some Demon Realms several times. But I do not forget the stench that lingers on their air. Goodness me, that was a horrible experience."
"Alright, but as for now, we have to leave out the talks." Ciara then speaks up while raising her hands. "We still have people to save."
"Right. But we still need to warn the Queen of Dragonia of the upcoming danger." Then Artos glanced to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth will transport me to their capital."
"Artor, you're not going without me!" Artor then spun around as Alto-Eris grabbed his hand. "You haven't been to that place, right? Then I will be your guide once we get there."
"Oh... I see, pardon for reminding me that." Artor apologised.
"But for one thing that concerns me the most." Then Alto-Eris expressed worry as her grip tightens. "How will they listen to you? You and your father were Dragonslayers, the Queen and the Knights won't take lightly on your terms."
"Alti... I know the risks." Artor then spoke determinately. "But your home needed someone that could help them fight. We can't stand here and see your place burned away."
"... Artor..." Alto-Eris then looks down while shakingly gripping his hand. "Then... fine, make sure you shouldn't do anything stupid. You dummy!"
Artor then smiled before patting his wife's head, which made the former dragon knight blushed. Then the young dragonslayer spun around to Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth... can your magic reach us there?" He asked.
"Of course! I've been to the land of Dragons several times." Elizabeth replied and nods. "I'm going to send you there and I hope your words can reach their ears. Good luck, you two!"
Artor smiled. At least his caretaker has the confidence in their quest. "Thank you."
Ciara, Leia and Shirtiya stepped back when Elizabeth tilts her mushroom cap back and forth before a flash of light appeared. The couple were wrapped up by streaks of light until they vanished from their sight. After sending Artor and Alto-Eris to Dragonia, Elizabeth then spoke up.
"Whew! Now it's time to save people." Elizabeth said and all the three girls nodded. "Find any survivors and send them here as a safe haven."
...
Dungeon City of Anor Londo.
...
"Still persistent art thee?"
Ornstein growled while seeing the demented puppet of Artorias leapt from the walls and the stone pillars until it pushed its feet and flung himself into the dragonslayer. The Ord Dragonslayer blocked the attack before the puppet spins back and lands on its feet on the ground, thus attack for relentlessly for the second time. Ornstein parried off with several counterattacks
Alissa and Sif came forth to help the Dragonslayer until the puppet leapt away from their attacks and lashed out his sword in retaliation. But Sif blocked his attack and Alissa jabbed her twin swords into his abdomen, making the puppet stagger back a few feet away. Puppet Artorias felt the pain coursing in its body, and with such pain, he let out a mad howl which staggered him with a bloody force.
Sif and Alissa were then pushed back by his powerful blow. Both the Greatwolf and the Valkyrie retaliate their counterattacks until Artorias lept back before returning a deadly thrust of his sword. Sif strafed to the right and Alissa flipped back to avoid his deadly blow. Ornstein then leapt behind the puppet while thrusting his spear downwards, but the puppet saw his move and blocked his thrust with his secondary sword. Yet the Dragonslayer kicked the demented clone against the head, flinging him towards the wall and crashed.
But Ornstein isn't done. He wastes no time but to end the wretched clone who held the image of Artorias. He dashed to the paralysed clone and thrusts forth his spear. Yet Puppet Artorias caught his move and did the same with his sword. And thus, the sounds of blades clashing with metal and blood erupted in sparks and blood gushing out. Alissa gasped as if her husband received a fatal blow.
Fortunately, Ornstein did shot a deadly blow on the puppet's heart while its Bone sword was held firmly by his golden gauntlet. The tip of the sword nearly penetrates his Dragonslayer Armour. Ornstein grunts as he grips firmly on the blade of his opponent while blood leaks out before activating his miracle into his spear, making the puppet howled in pain before it died down.
Ornstein watched the puppet fell on its back and slumped against the wall before its body slowly turn into ashes.
"Now begone to the pits of the abyss," Ornstein growled before turning around to Sif and Alissa being alright. "Now... from where did we left off?"
...
"HYAH!"
Sasha let out a war cry while slashing the exposed throat of the puppet Silver Knight until she spun around and saw a Cathedral Knight tackling her against the ground and heaved up its greatsword. Fortunately, Ash killed the large knight through the rear with his Greatsword before slamming it down to the ground. Shortly after that, he helped her to stand on her feet before the couple turns to Aldrich.
The massive blob is seething with frustration before howling. Without the corpse of Gwyndolin to retaliate, Ash raised his pyromancy before glancing back at Sasha.
"Sasha, Now!"
"Under the Lord of the heavens, I shall bequeath you a part of my power!" Sasha raised her staff while casting. "Reinforcement!"
The priestess felt her mana shot forth from her staff and then swirl around his flames that made it brighter than ever before. Ash smirked behind his helmet before unleashing the Chaos Bed Vestige. The massive ball of flames grew twice from its original size and the Phantom sludge reeled back in horror. Knowing well that his Flames of Chaos grew deadlier will end his life.
'Well... I call this the Great Chaos Bed Vestige.'
The Silver-Blue Knight then flings the massive orb towards the sludge and upon contact, it exploded in a bright flash like the sun itself and it was five times more powerful that sends a massive backblast. Ash used his Black Iron Shield to defend himself and Sasha from the ravening heat. Aldrich has no chance to escape as the heat burned off his slimy hide within an instant. As the explosion sends off a wave of heat while everyone shielded themselves. The massive sludge screamed out as it dies before the phantom fell to the ground, dissolving into particles of ashes.
Shortly after the death of the abomination, the puppet silver-knights and the cathedral knights were then dissolved into heaps of puddles. Seeing this victory over Aldrich made Luciana and Vermut breathe out in relief that the fight was over before looking up to Sif and Ornstein.
"Thine power has quite a performance!" Gough said with praise. "Thy flame is nearly as deadly as the Witches of Izalith."
"It was all thanks to my acquaintance here." The Knight responded, making Sasha blushing a bit. "Her powers can strengthen beyond the limits."
"Hm... quite an interesting power indeed," Ornstein remarks while glancing down at Sasha before turning to Ash. "So human, what else thou'st find in 'tis empty cathedral?"
"No... it's already what we have." Ash replied while looking up to the Lord. "We were here to explore and teach them how to fight their new adversaries."
Ash then points his thumb towards the Dragon Knights standing beside the Carthus Swordsman. "Therefore, those three wanted to gather more information about this place."
"Huh... and I see these three were still armed with weapons forged with demon silver and dragonium," Ornstein scoffed, unamused while gazing away from the dragon knight. "Going into 'tis dungeon city with a weapon forged with such ores is a sign of thine inevitable deaths. But thou art lucky to have them to thine side."
"Tsk! We'll see about that, Dragonslayer Ornstein!" Militiana growled in animosity towards Ornstein. "You may have defeated our Queen. But Dragonia remains strong!"
"H-Hey! Just don't just make a fuss with this guy!" Daniella then spoke up while waving her hands to dismiss the arguments. "I mean, this guy over here would've just killed all of you if you get on his bad side."
"Listen to her, dragons. Do not test my patience to incur my ire, which I had bestowed upon thine pitiful knights twenty-six years ago." Ornstein responded starkly. His words made the three dragons speechless and in disbelief that this guy brought cold shivers through their spines. "Let's not linger here further. Thine mercenaries have finished their mission."
Once Ornstein left the halls of the Cathedrals, the companionship began leaving while the Dragon Knights still stood stunned before Elen jerked them out from their thoughts once she gave them some light slaps on their shoulders.
"Hey, we should need to get going," Elen spoke up while pointing her thumbs to the entrance.
...
Dragonia, Main Capital. Winged Dragon Street.
...
The street is bustling with life as everyone went to their ordinary lives. Shopping, cooking, knights guiding tourists to look around the historical sites and many more. Life in the city has been lively for centuries ever since the fall of the Dragai Empire, but the recent history of this kingdom was a dark one when the infamous Golden Knight brought their queen to their knees.
After those dark days, everything seems back to normal until some crowd of people noticed a flash of light appeared in the midst of the plaza and observed the unknown magic unfolds before their very eyes. Once the lights died down, they saw a couple. First is a huge knight in his silver armour and a dragon wearing a pure white Leanne dress had just appeared out of nowhere.
The civilians were baffled before Alto-Eris grabbed Artor and went through the crows in a hurry.
"This way, I know the way to the royal castle," Alto-Eris said, before flashing a smile. "And also, welcome to Dragonia!"
...
Dungeon City of Anor Londo.
...
"Mary!... Mary, where are you!"
Outside of the Cathedral, Elt was calling out for his succubus wife while being accompanied by the two crossbreeds. They had been going around the city to search for her and ended up going into dead ends. Now he's back at the massive Cathedral, the place where he had been trying to sneak out from those sentinels that linger there.
"Damn... where could she be...?"
Elt groaned in distraught before Priscilla noticed a group of people emerging out from the Cathedral. First was a familiar giant blacksmith he knew, and second, is that a wolf? It's several times larger than the Lescatian Giant horses!
"Wh-What?"
Then the companionship came to their side and saw some newcomers along the way. Sasha looked down and gasped. To her surprise, she didn't expect to meet him again in all of the places that contain death!
"E-... Elt?! Is that you?!"
...
Chapter 41 Ends
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The Knight Sidestory: Wait... It's a boy?!
...
Auvergne Region, 23 years ago.
...
"Eh!? The child is a human boy!?"
"No way! Valerie, how on earth did that happen!?"
"I was expecting a dhampir would be born since your husband is still human, but I did NOT expect that you would give birth to a boy!"
Valerie felt unease while being surrounded by her close cousins. The vampire wished she would get out of bed and leave sometime in peace with her child, but her body hasn't recovered yet and it would take several days until it's healed. While her relatives were bickering out of their bewilderment after the reveal of her firstborn child, a newborn baby boy was tucked in her arms.
She heard her son waking up from all the commotion and let out a squeamish cry. The vampire mother cooed her son to sleep before her husband stepped in to stop their noisy bickering.
"Will you ladies please step out of the room?" He demanded with an icy glare while pointing his index finger at the nearest door. His voice sends shivers down to their spines. "Please, let me spend some time with my wife and take a good look at my kid, understood?"
Valerie's relatives stood in fear and quietly nods before they finally stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind them. Hawkwood then turns to his wife and then looked down at his son.
"So... You didn't expect to give birth to a human?" Hawkwood said curiously while smiling to Valerie. His raw fingers carefully caressed the newborn's right cheek. "I can feel this boy will grow up into a fine man... don't you agree?"
"Mhm... Yes, this is the first time that our new member of the family is an actual human and we had no humans born from a monster." Valerie felt her tears of joy breaking up while smiling. Then lending a kiss on her son's forehead. "Our kind has been waiting for this when the Demon Lord reached her goal... yet I did not know this will happen now."
Then Valerie shakes her head from those thoughts and carefully hugged the newborn while tears swelled out. "But that doesn't matter anymore, this is my child... my only son."
Hawkwood smiled before crossing his arms. "Then... did you think of a name?"
At that question, Valerie raised her eyebrows in confusion before realisation hits her in the head. She didn't come up with her child's name yet. The child's name which she comes up with are only related to girl names such as Elen like what she had been expected. But the birth of a human male is not what she had prepared for.
"Um... I only know girl names..." Valerie grinned nervously while scratching the back of her head. "Do you know of a name, dear?"
Hawkwood raised his brows in surprise before thinking of a name for their son. Then one comes into his mind.
"Reginald... we'll name him Reginald."
"Reginald huh, that sounds like a warrior's name, isn't it?"
...
While Hawkwood and Valerie were spending their time talking inside the room, her relatives were eavesdropping behind the door and then reel back from the room's entrance.
"Larisa, what will the entire family think about this?" The younger vampire relative questioned her older cousin. "A human born from a monster... it's like our family has been blessed as if the Demon Lord reached her goal and grant us to give birth to males!"
"But Chesny, the Demon Lord hasn't done anything yet and her child is purely human," Larisa answered with a look of doubt. "It would have been an incubus, however, the child's spirit energy is null but alive. I wonder how he can be still alive without it? What do you think, Lira?"
Her eldest cousin, Lira, was unsure to answer her cousin's question. The case of their youngest cousin, Valerie, who gave birth to a human boy is a mystery. She received the news every week from the Royal Makai and the Demon Lord does her things as usual and nothing special.
Thus then, one thing that came up in her mind, regarding Valerie's son, is this:
"This is the first time we've seen our blood-relative giving birth to a human child," Lira said while in deep thoughts. "Then I wonder... how many vampire families would arrange marriages for their daughters to her son if they heard about this?"
"Well, maybe a lot. I suppose." Chesny guessed. "I bet her boy is the only hope that could fix our problems!"
"I'm not sure, but we have to keep this in mind; Hawkwood is the head of this family. Not Valerie. And if we brought him to his bad side; he will wreck an entire vampire state!" Larisa said it out loud in dissatisfaction. "His personality has changed little in a bit and remains a deadly swordsman after their marriage! I mean look! He hasn't turned into an Incubus yet!"
"Strange, but did he went into our estates along with Valerie, who came to visit and introduced him to us." Lira surmised before crossing her arms, thus looking down in regret. "Yet I admit... I'm feeling jealous when she gave birth to a son. It's not fair, and she's lucky to have him."
At that moment, the three vampires wondered how Valerie giving birth to a human boy, which still remains a mystery.
...
Side story: Ends
AN Important: Alright, the shit show and the fiasco is going to end soon, It's all going to die down we have to make sure to ourselves that everybody is safe. That's all for now.