Blue

Nathan pushed through the fog gate and was confronted by a knight clad in heavy plate armor who wielded a great spear that surged with dark power. It was a familiar form to Nathan, though he knew he had never seen such a knight before. And then the knight lowered himself into a crouch and launched himself at Nathan and there was no more time for thinking.

Rolling to the side, Nathan narrowly evaded the first powerful thrust. His sword lashed out, superheated steel biting into hardened plate. The Old Dragonslayer stumbled. Nathan managed to get a few more strikes in before the knight recovered and forced him back with a flurry of thrusts.

Nathan quickly learned not to try and block the Old Dragonslayer's blows. Drangleic steel-such that the shield he wielded was forged from-was tough enough to resist the spear's thrusts, but only barely and certainly not forever. After all, the Old Dragonslayer wielded a spear made to pierce the hide of dragons. Nathan had no wish to test how long mortal steel could stand to such a weapon.

For all that he was an Old Dragonslayer, the knight was quite nimble. Even so, Nathan was more agile, managing to slowly scar the knight's plate armor with molten gashes. The job of a Dragonslayer was to catch a dragon in melee combat; to pierce them through and break them underfoot. In that, Dragonslayers exceled. But spears that can shatter dragon scales are useless against a smaller, faster foe. Blows that pulverize stone, irrelevant against an opponent who flows past them like water.

And so it went, with Nathan slowly wearing down the Old Dragonslayer-the fire longsword he held scorching plate to steel slag. Dragonfire, hot and angry, that was what the plate was forged to combat. As such, it provided a modicum of protection from the biting flames, but this was flame of a different sort. It was the flame of Man, not of Dragons, and it took its toll.

Eventually the constant biting damage became too much for the Old Dragonslayer and he fell, crashing to the ground, armour scarred and scorched. The Boss' body burst apart and Nathan shivered as the souls rushed into his body. He'd never get used to that rush of power. It was wonderfully invigorating.

Stepping through the fog door, Nathan found himself staring over a wide expanse of water, the glow of the ever setting sun illuminating the platform he stood on. A woman dressed in ornate chainmail and blue robes stood before him, her back to him.

"Transient being. This is no place for one such as you. Be gone. You are not needed," she said, her voice cold, though not unkind. Focused would rather be a better term for it. She was the leader of the Blue Sentinels. They had once been good people. Honorable towards those weaker… though perfectly willing to group up and beat down those who they considered sinners.

Nathan supposed that that willingness to turn to violence had something to do with why the Blue Sentinels he had heard tales of were talked more of in the vein of roaming thugs and brigands than as protectors of the weak and prosecutors of the guilty. He wasn't much a fan of them, and decided to say as much to the woman before him.

"A Blue Sentinel, eh? Targray, right? I've heard of you, in passing. The leader they say, who stayed behind in the ruined kingdom of Drangleic. The leader of a band of mercenaries who have a taste for extorting the common folk of the lands for their coin."

That seemed to get a rise out of the aloof woman. "No, the Blue Sentinels are no mere vagabonds! They are guardians, Knights of the Blue!"

Nathan scoffed. "Truly, you've been here for quite some time then, that you do not know of the going ons of the outside world. Are you so aloof that you know not of the actions of your own covenant? I wonder what is worse, a leader who sanctions the mercenary tasks of their followers, or the leader who knows not what they do?"

Targray flinched at that, before shaking her head and steeling her resolve. "You speak lies and falsehoods. You accuse the Blue Sentinels of being no better than those bloodthirsty servants of that gnome. Such…such idiocy."

"Oh please." Nathan rolled his eyes. "Do you not have a way of knowing what your followers are doing? Can you not ask the gods that you so dearly worship? Or are you too caught up in your own daydreaming that you do not deign to consider what the more simple folk of the world endure?"

"T-thats simply…fine then, I will do as you say. I can easily prove your words worth not even the breath spared for them!" Targray cried angrily.

A hand was extended. "Well then, by all means. Do so. But let us make a deal. If you're right, I'll apologize for my words. If I'm right, you'll strip naked and get on your hands and knees and beg for forgiveness for the sins of your followers."

That brought Targray up short. "Such an offer…I am only more assured of my correctness, if a pervert like yourself would wager such a thing. To order that I debase myself before you…"

Nathan smirked. "Well, if you truly think you're right…" He wagged his hand. "Unless...you think that I could be right? What's the matter, can you not rely that your followers have been loyal to their ideals?"

Targray grabbed Nathan's hand in a firm grip, glaring angrily at him. "Fine, I accept your wager."

"Well then, deal accepted. Feel free to ask your gods or whatnot to enlighten you. Might as well start stripping as well."

Raising her hands towards the rosy sky, lit by the slowly setting sun, Targray ignored Nathan's cheeky grin as she concentrated. Her face slowly paled. Finally, she lowered her arms and fell to her knees, trembling.

Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder. "So I was right?"

"T-to think that they would…would stray so far…have they forgotten their oaths…" Targray mumbled, gazing blankly at the ground.

"Well you know, they might have forgotten their oaths, but I hope you haven't forgotten yours," Nathan said.

Targray's head snapped up and she flushed at reminder of their wager. "I-I-I…" she wilted and rose to her feet. "...v-very well, I shall honour our agreement. If you just turn away, I shall remove my armour with haste."

"Nope. I think I'll watch."

"B-but…"

Nathan tilted his head questioningly. "Is this the honour of the Blue Sentinels? Truly then, your erstwhile companions have not strayed that far."

With a gulp, Targray undid the clasps on her armour, letting the plate and chain dress fall to the ground. She stood in an undertunic and underwear, face reddening as Nathan's gaze took in her exposed form. Still, his leering gaze didn't bite as deep as his constant quips about the failings of her comrades. Her undertunic joined the rest of her armour on the ground, leaving her in just her plain white silk underthings. She slowly undid her bra, covering her breasts with her arm as she placed the silk garment on the ground. She slipped a finger into her panties, before pausing.

"Oh bravo, such resolve," Nathan mocked.

Gritting her teeth, Targray yanked her panties off, bearing her womanhood and the somewhat unkempt bush around it. In her defence, she did not expect anyone to look upon her naked form, and behind that she was typically busy either with training or meditating. Placing the panties beside her bra, she fell to her knees and planted her forehead on the ground, her sizable breasts pressing against the ground.

"Please, forgive the failings of my comrades! Have mercy…on this halfwit, who has failed in her duty of leadership…" She glanced up slightly, to see Nathan nod once.

"Good enough." He stretched out a hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. "For the record…I do not think you to be the worst leader. Just… perhaps too preoccupied with the metaphysical and not enough with the going ons of the world about you."

Targray nodded once at the compliment. "It seems I have to clean house. I would ask that you leave so that I can begin my task."

"Sure, sure. I'll leave you to it." He turned away, tossing a knife over his shoulder as he did so. "By the way, if you're going to be focusing a bit more on the real world, perhaps consider cleaning yourself up a bit."

Blushing furiously at his words, Targray covered herself, even though Nathan had already seen everything and was also turned away. He disappeared without another word, ignoring her embarrassed glare. Once he was gone, she glanced down at the knife he had left.

"P-perhaps he has a point…" she muttered.