"They've invited us into Anor Londo herself for the festival today! We can get a fantastic seat at the amphitheater for the performance!"
Artorias was holding her hands, excitedly telling her about all the opportunities his new job had opened up. She did her best to smile and answer when necessary, but it was not easy in the least. Velka had commanded a strike on Anor Londo today, and there were actual armed troops willing to do so. There were a handful of knights from Baldur as well as a large band of mercenaries from the Great Swamp, twelve Astora knights and four hulking warriors from Berenike. That was just what they had for Anor Londo, and only for today. With Velka's favor upon them, success seemed likely.
But her lover was the piece that didn't fit in this mosaic.
It almost seemed like Gwyn was aware of what Velka planned to do, and had moved on a most difficult piece in this big game of chess. This invitation had excellent implications, allowing Velka's agents past the walls and into the heart of Anor Londo itself! But what use would that be if Artorias was right there when the curtain was raised? He had been an impressive combatant right from the start when he didn't have any official training, but ever since he was absorbed into that accursed citadel he had drastically improved.
"What of our neighbors, love? Were they not invited?"
"Hm?" He looked up from closing a pack. "Well…no. But I wager a word from one of Gwyn's Knights will open some doors."
"Wonderful! I'll just let them know."
Her smile faded immediately upon leaving their house. She made her way to the forge as fast as she could without looking conspicuous, and closed the door cautiously behind her. The blacksmith paused from examining a blade, and seeing who it was he pulled a lever under his desk.
There was a click and a section of the stone floor slid away to reveal stairs that descended into the darkness. She was halfway down the steps when she heard the sound of leather straps being tightened, chain tinkling, and metal plates clicking against one another. She entered the hollowed out cavern to find their strike force wordlessly armoring up. They all harbored doubts about being able to penetrate the massive walls of Anor Londo, but none about whether they should or not.
"We have an opportunity, men."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Ciaran, may I ask a question?"
"I don't see why not, Giroldus." she was scanning the surrounding brush, keeping her voice down.
The speaker was one of the handful of humans that Ciaran had selected to investigate Jekob's claims. "The knight who stood beside me waiting for you during that man's interrogation, Artorias if I recall, when did he become one of Lord Gwyn's Knights?"
"When he almost gave his life killing a dragon. He was nearly bitten in half."
"Nasty business. Even if he had been, he would still be a head taller than me."
They were a few miles away from Ten-stones, where Jekob had indicated Velka to be present at multiple points. The plan was mostly reconnaissance. If things got ugly, the presence of human troops should appeal to the townsfolk more than giant sentinels.
"How was he granted knighthood for such an act when I did the same not two weeks ago?" The Berenike's brow was furrowed in consternation.
"Keep in mind you only killed a fledgling."
"He was a flat tooth regardless, also I have felled an ancient one in the past. Remember Bayorth?"
They really shouldn't be talking this close to the target. Even though Giroldus was a human, he had proven himself loyal on all counts so far with a fairly impressive track record. Sometimes his pride cast an even larger shadow. "Don't forget that Gough downed that one first."
"Does that not count for something? I slew him without being bitten in half as well."
Ciaran suspected Lord Gwyn's reasoning behind his choice ran far deeper than just dragon slaying, but decided to remain silent on the matter. "You're more valuable where you are, Giroldus."
"You think so?" He pushed a branch out of his way.
"Yes. If the humans see that one of their own is consistently present in Anor Londo, they should be appeased."
He stopped for a moment to absorb that, then caught up again. "One more thing, m'lady. Are we such a danger to Gwyn? Humans, I mean."
She had frozen against a tree, eyes locked on the town.
The town was completely deserted.
"Your kind tends to surprise the others in obscure ways, Giroldus."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Casper was in the middle of buying a meal in a tavern when it happened. There was screaming in the streets, and the sound of the alarm bells being rung. He had hoped to enjoy the festival today, but it seemed fate had other plans. He paid for his meal, but left it on the table and drew his sword.
The streets were utter chaos, with all manner of beings running this way and that. The closer one got to Anor Londo herself, the more diversity there was. The population was mostly humans at the farthest reaches. He watched as channelers focused and teleported themselves away with their sorceries and shook his head. They would be no help.
He made sure that the Way of White emblem was in prominent view on his tunic. There would be soldiers in this area soon, and they would be hunting for the perpetrators. He just wished he had brought his armor or shield with him, but it was supposed to be a celebration. The sword would have to do.
He closed his eyes and said a brief battle prayer, trying his best to tune out the sounds of various races screaming. His eyes were cloudy, the look of a blind man, and had been since birth. He was far from being blind however. Spirits floated in the air of the city like specks of dust suspended in water, and they guided him to one of the offenders.
A man in tattered rags was slowly making his way against the main direction of the crowd. Casper doubted the ghosts at first, but focused beyond the man's rags. He wore hardened leather armor underneath, and a pair of swords were concealed as well. All of these held a dark aura that repulsed him. He grasped his sword in both hands and approached at a grim pace.
The man seemed to realize he had been found out, discarding his rags and drawing his swords in one motion.
They met amidst the crowd, blades ringing. Casper was a large man, but it quickly became apparent that his opponent was the faster of the two. Before the man found this out as well, Casper played it as though he was slower than he actually was, leaving a wide opening after a two handed swipe.
The man darted in for the killing stroke, but Casper quickly continued the motion, spinning around and lopping off his head in a powerful chop. He witnessed the spirit leave his body behind.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
A Berenike knight smashed the back of a silver knight's knee, causing the soldier to fall to his good one. The other Berenike gave a powerful upward stroke to his chin, sending him sprawling on his back. They hammered his helm until only crushed metal and ugly stains remained.
"FREEDOM!"
The call was rallied by a group of Astora knights atop a nearby tower, only to be silenced by a greatarrow fired by a silver knight from a tower opposite the street, impaling one against a pillar. The Berenikes formed up, bracing against each other and using the turtle maneuver with their shields. Two greatarrows thudded against the immense shields, the second one barely penetrating.
"The TOWER! TAKE the TOWER!" The captain of the Astora knights indicated the silver archers, and the mercenaries made a dash for it. The heaviest armor amongst those from the Great Swamp was merely chain mail, and that was rare. Their advantage was that they were fast, agile, and that Anor Londo was an excellent location for parkour. A mercenary launched a fireball into the tower while climbing the outside, and it splashed over the reflective armor of the knights inside, demonstrating that the Great Swamp also held one of the largest populations of pyromancers around. The Baldur knights couldn't make the climb, but they were impressive swordsman. They made an outward-facing ring around the base of the tower at the instruction of the Astora captain to prevent reinforcements from arriving.
Serafina had been given special instructions. The guards would be looking for humans, but would likely ignore someone of her proportions. Before this had all gone down, she had excused herself from Artorias to 'use the wash room' and signaled the troops that had stowed away inside various carts.
Her mission was to capture the district tower. There were five of these in Anor Londo, and each oversaw equal area around the actual Citadel itself. There were internal walls allowing each district to be defended against one another in the case of invasion. The idea was to gain control of a district and defend it. Velka would send more troops once she was sure they were in a good position. Even now, Serafina felt the weight of Velka's observation upon her shoulders, but her power as well, favoring her. The sensation was not unlike that of feeling a giant laying his hands on your shoulders from behind. You couldn't actually see Velka, but you could feel her presence.
She had actually gone to the wash room, but only to don armor underneath her dress and place knives within her sleeves. She strode up the steps to the district tower, her body shaking with adrenaline. She was capable enough to get by with a weapon, but likely nowhere near the skill of the soldiers housed within here. The attack had happened as far as they could afford to be away from the tower in an attempt to draw the troops out of there.
As she cautiously navigated the halls, she found several guard posts empty, and thanked Velka for her foresight. There should only be a few more flights of stairs…
She turned a corner and came face to face with two giant sentinels. They had their backs to her originally, but heard her involuntary gasp and turned to face her.
"Lady? You cannot be in here."
Her mind raced. They were both a head taller than her, in heavy armor and armed with halberds. She would be finished quickly.
"I—" She grasped at straws for words, her mind blank in fear.
The other giant faced the first. "She needs safe place."
That got her mind going again. "Yes! Yes, there…there are humans! Humans, all over out there! Protect me, please!"
They looked at each other uneasily. "We cannot leave tower, lady."
She allowed her actual desperation to seep into her voice. "Please! Please, they're right behind me! You won't have to go far, they should be right outside the tower by now!"
"She would be safe here."
"But we guard tower…"
"Still guard tower out there. No one gets in." She got the impression that he was smiling at her behind his helm, and she looked away, trying not to get attached.
"We go. Stay here."
They were off, stomping down the stairs at an impressive clip, and she hurried over to the numerous levers and wheels. Each district tower was supposed to have mechanisms in place to control various gates and such in their given areas. Thankfully, they were labelled, if messily. She ran to the window and checked on the sentinels' progress. They had just left the tower, and were scanning the surrounding area for humans. Any second now, their duty would drive them back inside. She pulled a large lever with immense effort, throwing all her body weight against it. There was a grinding noise, and a steel frame fell across the entrance to the tower, being followed by a second and third in quick succession. A series of bars locked them tightly into place.
She made her way across the room, and blew on the alarm horn. Usually, that would bring the soldiers running, but she used a pattern instead that meant nothing to them. Within five minutes, the main invading force was charging the base of the tower where two confused sentinels stood to face them. They braced themselves against the tower and brought their enormous shields to bear. They didn't last long against the horde, bleeding against the first steps of the tower.
This day belonged to Velka.