The hallway of the Undead Asylum was eerily quiet, as Sir Yeral gazed down at an unmoving figure. It was a murky, ruined chamber, and Yeral stood up to his ankles in water. Sunlight filtered in from a hole in the roof, bathing the inhabitants in light. At this point in time, Yeral was dressed in the steel armaments of a lesser knight, unlike the body before him, who was dressed in badly worn elite knight regalia.
"Farewell, Sir Oscar. May your soul rest in peace, even if your body does not." Yeral murmured quietly, before turning away. He was oddly saddened by the death of this knight, a man that he didn't even know. Still, the best he could do was try and honor the last wishes of the one who freed him. As Yeral turned towards the exit of the flooded hall, however, he was surprised to see another undead standing there, dressed in armor identical to Oscar's. The undead spoke up, her light voice sounding cautious.
"What happened? What did he tell you?" she asked, taking a few steps towards Yeral. She held a shining claymore in her hands, but she did not seem to present an immediate threat. Since she was clearly another knight of Astora, Yeral decided that he would trust her for the time being.
"He gave me a prophecy. Ring the bell of awakening, and we will know our fates." Yeral replied honestly. Hopefully, the woman would know what he was talking about.
"Ah, yes, Sir Oscar spoke of the bell often. Do you seek to fulfill this legend?" the woman asked him, sounding like she was thinking something over.
"Yes. I would relish the chance to learn more about my fate, and about the undead." Yeral stated certainly, although he had no idea how he might accomplish such a thing. The woman's question seemed strange to him, though. Why would she care what he did? The answer came a moment later, as the woman gave her response.
"Well then, perhaps I might aid you on your journey. I am Reise. I know your name, Sir Yeral. Now, steel yourself, for a dreadful demon prowls the asylum." Without further ado, Reise turned and strolled away confidently. Her high rank and prideful bearing clearly indicated that she was the more skilled fighter of the two. Yeral wondered for a moment how she knew his name, before hesitantly following after her. Exiting the dim hallway, Reise turned and led them up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs, Yeral saw the withered body of a deceased hollow, no doubt slain by Reise. The two knights soon emerged onto a crumbled brick terrace, overlooking the outside of the Asylum, which was shear cliffs in all directions. As they walked, Yeral saw the corpses of several more hollows, some contorted in painful positions. Reise had clearly made efforts to cut down as many hollowed undead as she could find.
Reise turned towards an archway leading back inside the asylum, and stepped through it onto a small stone balcony. The balcony protruded above the rectangular entrance hall of the Asylum, which was lined with ceramic pottery. Yeral heard a thunderous sound, like enormous footprints, and the sound of shattering vases.
"There! The demon! Sir Yeral, with me!" Reise exclaimed, an odd sense of excitement in her voice. Yeral quickly hurried to her side, drawing his broadsword. He looked down, and saw a hideous, bloated monster carrying a massive hammer in its clawed hands. The demon looked up and saw the two knights on the balcony, and let out an ear-splitting roar. Reise turned to Yeral and nodded, and together the two knights jumped off the ledge, plunging their blades downwards at the beast below.
The Asylum Demon possessed an intimidating visage, but it was neither intelligent, nor fast. In the face of two skilled knights, it presented little challenge. Even its massive hammer was so cumbersome that it was easy to evade. As the monster fell from the combined strikes of the knights, its body disintegrated into nothingness, leaving behind naught but a large key. Yeral grabbed the key and inserted it into the large door at the entrance to the hall. For just a moment, he thought he heard the stomping sounds of the demon's huge feet far below him, but he shook it off, knowing that the demon was dead. As Yeral and Reise stepped out of the Asylum, they saw a jagged triangular cliff jutting out in front of them.
"I suppose now we have another problem. How do we escape this mountain?" Yeral asked worriedly, hoping that his new-found partner would have an answer. Hearing his question, Reise furrowed her brow inside her helmet, and stayed silent for a moment to think.
"If this is truly our destiny, then perhaps fate will aid us?" she said at last. She looked around, perhaps hoping to find some signs of magical influence, though Yeral wasn't quite sure what she was expecting to see. After a moment, however, she pointed at the edge of the cliff. "That bird's nest seems awfully large, does it not?" Yeral looked to where she was pointing, and saw that she was right: a nest, containing eggs larger than he had ever seen, sat at the very tip of the triangular protrusion. Slowly, the two of them trudged towards the cliff's edge.
The knights stared at the bird's nest for several moments, and Yeral started to become convinced that nothing would happen. Right as he was about to open his mouth, the sound of enormous wings flapping drowned out all thought, and the two knights were suddenly grabbed by sinister black talons. A gargantuan crow had snagged them, lifting the knights up and carrying them away: their ferry to the land of ancient lords.
"...and that was how I first arrived in Lordran. Of course, that is by no means my most interesting tale." Yeral said, finishing his story to the crossbreed. As he had narrated his experiences, Priscilla had sat down in front of him, her legs crossed in the snow. She reminded Yeral slightly of a child, eager to hear stories of adventure. Hearing that he had ceased his story for now, but wanting to know more, Priscilla decided to ask some questions that had been plaguing her mind.
"This companion of thine, Lady Reise, why is she not accompanying thou?" she wondered curiously. Yeral's eyes darkened inside his helmet, and Priscilla noticed a sudden shift in his mood. Perhaps she had upset her strange visitor?
"Reise could not be here with me. But I do not wish to discuss it." Yeral replied sharply. Priscilla immediately knew that something awful must have happened to the other knight, but she decided not to pry. Instead, she spoke softly, feeling a sense of sympathy for this stranger.
"Thou art alone, then? I doth understand, my life hath been one of solitude. Only one was ever kind to me, he who constructed this realm." she said, with a distinct air of melancholy to her voice. Yeral, however, had perked up somewhat, intrigued to learn a bit more of Priscilla's history. His plan to get her to open up was working, albeit slowly.
"I suppose I ought to continue my tale, for the real adventures started after I arrived in Lordran."