If I ever post the wrong chapter instead of an update just know I'm very sorry and my doc titles are the absolute worst thing you've ever seen.
Honestly I'm so bad at naming things. My puppy son is named Dean and I call him Sunshine most of the time. My recent Undertale fic is just called 'sin'. I mean, technically it's a fairly accurate title.
But hey.
I've been thinking... That the next chapter might be from Lucatiel's perspective. Or focussing on her feelings about all this, at least.
What do you guys think about that?
I also apologize for this angsty bullshit but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! ! And I wish you guys a great weekend! ! ! Don't overwork yourself, try to enjoy the leaves changing color or something.
The broom tower is surprisingly chilly, in your opinion. You sort of expected it to be swelteringly hot, but instead you find yourself changing into heavier armor to combat the chill.
The wind is what really gets you too. You very carefully make your way down the first giant fucking chain, resisting the urge to pull your arms against yourself to keep warm.
It's safe to say your already horrible mood is doubled by the time you make it to the main area, and you're spitting curses like no tomorrow. I should've just gone back to Majula and waited to make up with Lucatiel.
Well... Hopefully make up with her. You amend with a frown.
You shove that particular thought to the back of your mind as you come face to... Partial soul with one of Nadalia's ashy statues. You roll your eyes when she casts outcry, white knuckling your newly acquired smelter wedge. You try to remember how many there are exactly, knowing her soul gives a pyromancy.
You get the feeling its gonna take you quite a while to do. Probably not right now, though, right? You reason.
Nadalia makes an absolutely horrid noise when you shove the wedge in, and you're not sure if that was in the game. It probably would've been outputting to a few players, you think.
You very carefully scoop up the tiniest shard of her soul, noticing the strange coloring before throwing it in your inventory. You can't absorb it in this form.
And you're not sure you want to. It's bad enough that you're mildly terrified you've got the same energy as the Sinner. That gossebumps all over your skin and ice in your stomach feeling. You didn't really notice it with the Old Iron King, given you were with Lucatiel, but you assume it was the same.
The whole 'chosen Undead' thing sounds a lot less appealing when you consider that.
Maybe it's just you that feels it? Or you and the Harald, maybe?
Ugh.
Not to even mention the whole Aldia thing, and trying to 'shuck the yoke of fate' or whatever the hell he says. Isn't a yoke something you use on oxen? Is he comparing the whole of humanity to farm animals?
And how do they expect you to run a fuckin country when this is all over? You get the whole 'whoever has the strongest soul gets first dibs' thing, you do. But... It seems like an extremely flawed way to pick a monarch. You don't know the first thing about running a country. You barely know how to do your own taxes for fucks sake.
You don't bother to consider the consequences as you sink down to the floor, your fingers becoming tangled in your too long hair.
This whole situation sucks.
And not just because you're in a fight with Lucatiel.
That does play a significant role though, you'll admit. You've gotta figure out how to tell her about your home without sounding completely fucking ridiculous.
You fish a homeward bone out of your pocket. You'll figure it out after a nap. And maybe a bath. Damn ash gets everywhere.
Sleeping is... Weird when you're Undead.
It's not like you remember it, not even a necessity now, and its... Warmer. From an emotional standpoint at least. Maybe that's just because you've been working yourself to the bone these last few weeks, or maybe it's just because that's how it works.
Usually when you wake up from a nap you feel like you could take on all of Drangleic right this instant. You feel pumped up and warm and safe. It's a very nice feeling, to say the least.
Much better than you felt before going to sleep, in the least.
This time though, you wake up blearily, reaching for your dagger. You could've sworn you heard something, although Cale never leaves the basement and you sleep upstairs on a nest of old clothes. Sometimes you'll find Rosebeth here too, because both she and Cloeanne require regular sleep. You're pretty sure Cloeanne crashes with Shalquoir. And as far you know, the Herald doesn't need rest. She is pretty sneaky though.
You pull your 'blankets' tighter around yourself, straining to hear movement. Thankfully this old house isn't the most quiet of structures. Some of the stones shift when you step on them wrong. You, of course, know which ones are safe to step on, while your visitor obviously does not.
The sound of footsteps on the staircase greets you only a few seconds later. Whoever it is must've checked the library room first.
Figuring whoever it is probably isn't a threat, you set your dagger back down. Hollows wouldn't act like that, and it's not as if there's any serial killers in Majula. Well... Actually.
"(Y/N)?" A voice calls.
Your eyes go wide and you try to scramble to your feet. "Lucatiel! I'm over- ufh." You get a mouth full of hood as you hit to ground. Did you mention how much a pain it is to untangle yourself from this myriad of clothes? Because it's quite the challenge with all the sleeves and holes.
When you look back up your knight is pressing her hands to her mouth to smother her laughter. She's in her casual clothes again, a loose fitting shirt and plain pants without her usual weapons. "I see the future of Drangleic rests in good hands." She says, moving to help you up.
Oh god, she's not mad at me anymore... Or she's just forgotten out of excitement. You'll take either one at this point.
You take her offered hands with a grin, and yank her into the pile. "Good morning to you too. And welcome back." You laugh, wiggling as she tries to right herself. She finally just gives up and lays down next to you.
"Welcome? I've been here longer than you have!" She says, appearing amused.
"Yeah, by like ten minutes." You allow, wondering when her anger will return. She can't have just forgotten. "The Brume Tower is both terrifying and extremely ashy. It got all over my clothes. I got some stuff though." You don't bother to take anything out, instead curling closer to Lucatiel.
She makes a quiet humming noise and shifts to press her forehead to yours. "The Herald says you're doing better than she expected."
"Does she now?" You laugh. "I don't blame her for not having much faith in me. Just wait til we get to the end, Luca. It'll be great."
"And what is 'the end'? You realize our troubles will not end when you claim the crown." She asks, her eyes narrowing. There it is. You knew she hadn't forgiven you completely.
You like how she how 'our troubles' rather than 'your' though. It reminds you that she's planning on staying with you, and that makes your chest fill with warmth.
"The end of what I know." You answer simply, biting the inside of your cheek at the thought. "Remember, in Earthen Peak when I said I'd sorta been there before?"
"You promised to explain that." She says carefully.
"Well... That's sort of what I mean. It's complicated, but... Okay, back in my home there was this game, like a video game." You stop at her perplexed expression, leaning back to flick open your inventory. "Here," You say, taking out your phone. You turned it off as soon as you realized there's next to no use for it in Drangleic, so it's actually still got battery.
It's almost like you planned this whole thing out, huh? Your lips tilt up a bit at the notion.
Lucatiel takes the offered device after you power it back up, looking it over curiously. "What is this?"
"It's... Technology, like I mentioned. It can do a bunch of stuff but I just wanted to show you the games..." You lean over to click on a random app, Tetris opening up. "This is a really simple game, right? But you get the gist of it?"
"I do." She nods, her eyes narrowing as she carefully reads through the usual 'new game' instructions.
One part of you thinks that's really cute, while another is hung up on 'I do'.
"What does this have to do with your knowledge then?" She asks, bringing you back from your revere.
"Oh, yeah! So... There's a different game, that's way more complicated called Dark Souls, its even got a sequel. And they're planning a third, I think, but that's irrelevant at this point. The first game follows this... Chosen Undead." You pause, watching Lucatiel's expression.
She simply continues to play Tetris, only glancing away when you fall silent. "Go on."
"Okay, and the Chosen Undead is in Lordran, the land of ancients. They have to collect four Lord Souls to fill the Vessel and inherit the flame or become a dark lord, and... That's how I know about Artorias. The hero dragged back in time was the Chosen Undead... I was the Chosen Undead, Lucatiel."
She stops, seeming to absorb this. "You played this hero in a game?" She reiterates slowly.
You nod. "Yes. Several times, actually. And the second game... took place in Drangleic. So... I do sorta know what's going to happen. In game there was only so many options though and I... I never even had the option to save you. I can't actually remember that much at this point either, but I've got notes and a general idea and-"
Pressing a finger to your lips to silence you, she asks, "Save me?"
You reach up to pull her hand down and entwine your fingers before confirming, "Yes. In... Canon, the Bearer of The Curse and you only interact a handful of times and it ends in Aldia's, with you and..."
Her eyes are wide and trusting, and all you can think is Oh, god, please don't look at me like that. She's breaking your heart. "And what?" She asks gently.
"You find him. Aslatiel. I can't remember the specifics because I've died too many times, but Lucatiel, it's not good. I can feel it." You're trembling, you realize, looking down at your interwoven fingers. You wish you could tell her for sure what's going to happen, but you know that might not help either. "I'm so sorry, Luca. I..."
"It is not your fault." She says slowly. "It is not anyone's fault." She sounds like she's trying to reassure herself of that too.
You don't know if there's anything you can say to comfort her at this point, so you just wrap your arms around her and press as close as you can. "It's gonna be okay. I swear."