More fluff you say?
The heavy feeling in your chest comes back with a vengeance as you get farther away from Lucatiel and deeper in the Lost Bastille. It doesn't physically affect you, but you find yourself taking a few more breaks than usual to anxiously take in your surroundings.
It... Hurts and it presses against the inside of your chest. You hate it.
But definitely not as much as you hate these freaking expoldey guys. You flick another throwing knife before it can attack, your movements even jerkier than usual with barely contained terror. It's gotta be a side effect of being in the Dark Souls equivalent to Alcatraz. There's no other explanation.
You trudge back into the water, double checking to make sure all the enemies are dead and every bit of loot has been collected before you return to the elevator room. You didn't really want to risk Lucatiel taking damage before the real fight, and trying to evade attacks without extinguishing your torch is harder than you would've thought. Almost harder than evading the composite bows those... Dwarves in the Bell Tower used.
What are those things? Are they actually dwarves, or puppets, or...? Even after seeing them up close and personal you're still unsure. They seemed real and the one was at least able to talk, and the corpses were definitely real enough to make you sick.
You shudder at the memory, deciding its best not to think about it.
Triggering Lucatiel's sign, you open up your inventory again. You probably should've lit the sconce in the first place, but what's done is done. You carefully take out a flame butterfly and, closing the inventory, smash it against your torch.
Unlike last time, you manage to do so without getting glass embedded in your palm, which you think is a great improvement. In your defense though, no one warned you such a thing could occur. It seems obvious now that you've fallen prey, but at the time...
Your annoyed frown quickly disappears when Lucatiel's phantom arrives, replaced by a nervous smile. "Hey!" You greet her, momentarily forgetting she can't hear you. You wave instead.
She bows in return, her mask back in place. She draws her sword immediately afterwards, and you curse your inability to explain you've already killed everything up to the Sinner.
Sighing lightly, you lift your torch high and step back into the icy water.
"Ouch." You suck in your breath. And here you thought you'd gotten used to it.
Lucatiel, on the other hand, seems unaffected by the glacial temperature. She brushes past your prone body, her shield held ready.
Either phantoms can't feel temperature changes, or Lucatiel is even more hardcore than you thought. Either one is plausible. Maybe polar bear plunging is a popular past time in Mirrah?
You make an honest effort not to picture that, you really do.
Harshly biting on the inside of your cheek, you follow her to the bridge and light the sconce (just in case), glancing fearfully at the narrow walkway.
"We can do this." You say, assuring yourself more than Lucatiel.
She tilts her head as if to say 'You realize I cannot hear you.'
You shrug in reply. Don't psych yourself out, you order, taking a step forward. You only hesitate a tiny bit before continuing down the bridge, focusing on the sound of Lucatiel following you rather than the water crashing around you.
You're extremely relieved when you both reach the end without drowning, giving yourself a mental pat on the back as you run up the first stair case. Using the key you found after the Belfry, you throw open the door and light the sludgy oil. You have to wonder who thought this was a good design idea.
The Sinner is here for trying to recreate the first flame, right? She inherited the Old Witch's Soul, after all. So wouldn't it make sense to not allow her near flames?
Why didn't they just kill her in the first place? Or would that just continue the cycle of someone inheriting the soul and trying to do what the witch failed? Does that mean I could fall for that?
You feel your lips curling back in confusion as you try to figure out the reasoning and light the second oil spill. You finally just brush it off, figuring you can ask the Herald or Shalquoir later. For a cat, she's surprisingly knowledgable on this sort of thing. There's also Malentia, but her knowledge is limited up until the fall of Drangleic.
Lucatiel is waiting for you near the fog wall when you return, seemingly anxious to begin the fight.
You're... less than stoked, to be perfectly honest.
You slowly enter the fog wall, holding up your shield defensively.
The battlefield is bright when you enter, fully lit up and rather welcoming if you're honest. Compared to the rest of the Bastille at least. The Sinner stands in the middle, appearing to have expected you. And planned a spooooooky opening, you think silently.
Lucatiel enters just in time for her to dramatically kill the lights, leaving you with only the fires you lit. It's better than the alternative though.
The Sinner rushes you while you mentally scold yourself for mocking someone you're about to kill. You almost miss the dodge because of that.
Almost.
Her sword harmlessly jabs the air left of your hip, leaving her completely defenseless just long enough for you and Lucatiel to both land a few hits. She jumps back when she recovers, making a horrible hissing noise.
Lucatiel immediately follows her, drawing the attention off you. With a roll of your eyes, you do the same, slashing away at the Sinner while she focuses on Lucatiel. The Knight doesn't seem to particularly mind, dodging or blocking her attacks with apparent ease.
It takes longer than you expected, especially when the Sinner starts jumping all over the battle field, but you do finally... End her. She falls forward in a bloody heap, not instantly disappearing like she would've in game.
Oh. You clamber away from her, nearly falling backwards in the process.
You didn't realize getting your first Lord Soul would feel so... Cold.
The rush of souls hardly quells your guilt, but Lucatiel bowing makes your lips twitch. You wave in response, knowing she'll disappear soon enough. "Thank you," You say carefully, paying attention to the movement of your mouth. She may not be able to hear, but she can see.
Lucatiel nods, sheathing her sword. You remain still as she approaches, glancing between her and the Sinner's corpse.
You're such a baby, you tell yourself, eyes locked on her slowly disappearing body. She's just... Fading. The heavy feeling in your chest dissipates as she does so, proving your hunch correct. Perhaps all The Lord Souls have such an aura?
Does that mean I feel like that too now? You question anxiously.
Lucatiel brings you back to the present with a hand on your shoulder, her concern evident.
"It- it's fine." You lie, looking down at the messy scribbles of the Sinner.
Even if she weren't a fading phantom, you're not sure Lucatiel could help. You continue to stare at the floor until she disappears.
How did I ever end up in this mess?
There's a lesson to be learned here, dearest readers.
Syb is a fucking liar.
On the plus side, guess who gets to start their pyromancy lessons? You do. And I've got some prime cutesy stuff planned, rest assured.
Next Lord path is the Iron Keep, so we'll meet Gilligan and that one merchant. The one that you throw dragon scales at to get a stretched out Fury Sword. Love that dude.
Hope you guys have a gr8 day, and maybe leave me a review. I love reading your guy's feedback. Esp the 'K' dudes. You're the best.