Coduss: Yes, yes he does. Though that's mostly my bias coming through as I'm quite spiteful towards Gwyn.
And I don't know how many times I have to say this. All bosses are going to die. The Depths, the Lower Burg, all the shit that I 'Skipped' hasn't actually been skipped. I just didn't want to waste my favourite areas too early in the story.
And also, the souls series, whilst difficult, was never made with the idea of everything being hard, besides DS2, whilst yes it was a part of it it's not the focus, so if it 'too easy' for Menma then remember, he's not your run of the mill undead, it's clear as that. He's just better than all of them.
Also, fun fact. Those who have powerful, or many, souls becoming larger and stronger themselves, example Velstadt from DS2 and the Prime-evil humans like the Silver/Black Knights, the Four Knights and the Lord, (Except Nito I have no idea whats under that cloak of his).
DSM 17
"That…Is a Zombie Dragon." Were the morose words that fell out of his mouth, it rested upon the end of a frosted bridge, apathy was swathed across his face as he stared at the poor beast, its flesh rotten and its wings torn, useless. It once beautiful Scales of Immortality now reduced to nothing but decayed flesh.
"This is the legacy they left behind…Such beautiful creatures. Ruined." He sighed, closing his eyes in silent acknowledgment of this creatures past, he began his approach, two white souls drifted above the corpses of completely destroyed Hollow's, the first holding a powerful soul that made his skin crawl with heat for a second before settling, Soul of A Great Hero.
The second being a shield, a steel coloured shield with a red rib-cage like design painted upon it, touching the shield made his skin feel tougher, somehow, with a shrug he hooked it onto his claymore's sheath, said weapon holster having a small notch that was made for this specific purpose.
Finally he came close to the dragon, its mournful look making him feel slightly sad, "The curse, to no longer fly with your brethren, to no longer feel the flames burning in your belly, to no longer be a force of nature. Such a fate is unworthy of you, proud creature." He whispered gently, lifting his hand to touch its snout, he completely dismissed its passive nature.
Though if Menma were to notice it, his skin did shimmer ever so slightly when his hand came into contact with the corpse-dragon, it released a low, thunderous growl. It lacked rancour, holding a more pitiful tone. "Hush, I will free you from your misery, Dragon." He assured, taking several steps back and holding his arms skyward, lightning began to gather along his body, pale blue arcs of electricity began to charge in his veins and danced across his skin like water through a stream.
It began to culminate into his hands, jumping from one to the other and super-charging off itself, "Embrace the Storm!" Roared the Uzumaki as his eyes lit up with energy a bolt of lightning so powerful it crumbled the bridge before him and incinerated the dragon on impact struck down like the fury of the cosmos.
The dragon didn't even wail as its body vanished into ashen dust, its collected souls flowing into Menma. That made him pause, not his sign, but him. He slowly lifted his hand and placed it over his heart, looking wearily at the spot the dragon's soul had been fed into.
"That…Should not have happened." He murmured lowly, "Kurama. I need a hand with something, wake up."
"Hm. What?" Replied the Bijuu boredly.
"I just killed an Undead Dragon, but instead of the soul going to my Sign it went into me directly, do you have any idea why that might be?" Questioned the black haired male, taking another glance around the area he saw nothing and turned right, descended a set of stairs and walking into a short hallway, another set of stairs down and he found himself in the ruins of the central tower, a massive metal door resided to his right as he set foot upon snow once more.
"Hm…The Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki are descendants of the Rikkudo Sennin uhh…Maybe that has something to do with it? The Rinnegan was considered something beyond life and death. I'm gonna be honest I don't really have much experience with souls in general." Replied the Beast, the sound of his scratching his chin in thought coming through the connection.
"Damn." Was all the Uzumaki said, frowning ever so slightly, "Well lets brain storm here. Have you ever heard of someone in the Elemental Nations having some kind of…Affinity for dragons?"
"Nope. Can't say I have." Said Kurama, drawing a blank, "Though that would be a useful trait kind of like a Kekkei Genkai if the image in my head is anything to go by."
"Ash Lake." Said the Orange Text.
"That's helpful." Said the Uzumaki, on the other side of the room was a Fog Wall, so he ignored it for now. "This way it is." He said boredly, turning to the metal door, his flaming arm ignited once more and he slammed it against the metal, it buckled under the force, reeling back once more he let out a calm breath before slamming his fist against it once more the doors flung open harshly crashing against the stone guard-rails of the long bridge before him, at the end of it he saw another tower, though this one seemed purposefully excluded.
The fact that it was behind a door that could survive two of his punches was also a little odd, what could they have wanted hidden so badly that the door would need the force of a siege weapon to open. Trying something different out, he unhooked the Blood Shield from its perch and withdrew his Claymore.
He glanced over his shoulder and looked upon the hilt of the Black Knight Sword, "You are so getting replaced." He said, the shield seemed to latch onto his demonic arm and made the armour upon it darken in colour, Menma's brow rose in surprise before he tapped his demonic wrist with his claymores blade, it did nothing but create sparks, Menma hummed in thought, his sense of touch was gone now as well, that was odd.
"This is a useful shield, it is not the best but it's pretty okay. That is something one of your brethren wished to tell you." Supplied Orange.
"Useful little thing isn't it?" Asked Kurama rhetorically, as he required no response to know the answer.
"I'm curious as to what exactly it is, but I can live without knowing. As long as it keeps assisting me, I don't really care." Replied the Jinchuuriki, shouldering his blade as he continued walking, idly shifting his shield up his forearm more so he could pull a surprise fire attack.
Ahead of him was a hollow with a bow, idly he laced his blade with flames and swung it, the flames leapt from his weapon and tore right through the hollow, reducing its body to ashes. Boredly he staked his blade into the chest of another hollow who attempted to get the jump on him, "We're working on my sensory skills after this as well, those white hooded motherfuckers were able to get the jump on me, I didn't appreciate it particularly."
"Yeah well that's what happens when you have to cram several years of training into half a decade." Said Kurama, referring to how at the age of 10 Menma was finally able to start living like a normal person, instead of a sickly child.
"Do me a solid, don't remind me of that." He returned darkly, his gaze sharpening as another hollow with a bow awaited him, its wooden arrow was slung towards him, raising his arm it bounced harmlessly off the Bloodshield, he slid his blade into its chest in a single fluid motion, only to feel an impact upon his right shoulder guard, turning he swung his blade in a horizontal arc bisecting the four other deprived Hollows, he was returned to his calm stance and nodded, only to suddenly be slammed onto the ground face first due to the flat side of a powerful hunk of metal.
Quickly rolling onto his back he put several feet between him and his asailent, his nose was bloody from impact forcing reflexive tears into his eyes, "Fucking noses, fucking delicate bloody things." Rumbled the Uzumaki, pulling on Kurama's chakra and forcing the bone to mend quickly, sending a Fire Orb at the armoured titan that had attacked him, it pulled its Tower Shield before it, blocking most of the damage, Menma hummed lightly as he raised his own shield, the Knight dropped his and lunged with his greatsword going for the kill, hopping to the right of the Knight he released an Azure Combustion into its side, the armoured being let out a low howl of pain as the flames licked at its body it stumbled slightly giving the opening needed, Menma pushed the advantage, lighting up his blade with with electricity and staking it right in the centre of the Knights chest, it spasmed and twitched, but eventually it fell back and rolled off the side of the ruined bridge.
Menma let out a small huff and nodded, sheathing his claymore and hooking his shield back onto its scabbard. Approaching the Fog Wall he paused, "I do wonder what could be behind this. Why is it here? Did it commit some act against Lodran's lords? If so It finds an ally in me." Figuring he was just denying himself the answer to his question by standing there thinking about it he stepped through.
And he was not prepared for what he saw.
"Holy Shit/Holy Shit." Were the words of Kurama and his container, both staring, agape at the sight before them.
This...Otherworlds beauty that could be surpassed by none, stood before him, donned in a snowy white, fluffy looking furred robe that left only her shins and pink painted toes exposed, her milky skin blending perfectly with her clothing, he had piercing blue eyes with thin slit pupils that seemed to look right through him, soft white hair that looked like downy feathers, soft and silky. She had odd looking horn-eyebrows, they seemed to be of similar texture to horns anyway, Menma was unsure what exactly to call them.
His eyes slowly drifted from her eyes to her hands, or more importantly, what was clutched within them, a long black scythe, it seemed simple enough but this was no tool, this was a weapon, even the blade seemed...Unnatural in nature, Menma felt something was...For lack of a better word, off with this weapon. It didn't feel right to him.
"Thou has mistepped into this world." She began her voice, by the sage her voice, was like velvet upon his ears, a welcomed changed from the endless groans of hollows, the clashing of steel and the spilling of blood. Menma sighed softly and closed his eyes, his fingers rising to rub the bridge of his nose as he tried to soothe the returning pain he felt there, Kurama's chakra leaving his face for now. "Who art thou?" She asked, her head tilting ever so slightly, she took a small sniff of the air and her pupils seemed to thicken for half a second before returning to normal.
"My name is Menma Uzumaki. I was told to come here by...A friend. And 'seek the half' I uh...Don't suppose that's you is it?" He asked trying to keep his voice light, and his mind anywhere but how damn stunning she was, fishing out a flask from his pouch he took a sip, feeling the cartilage in his nose knit back together correctly.
"'The Half'?" She queried though Menma could hear the underlying bite in her tone at the word.
"Yeah. That's all they told me, 'Seek the Half' a huge painting was apparently needed so I found one, got sucked in, now here I am. Though I have to say...This place. It's not where anything alive should be. What are you doing here?" He asked, she looked a little taken back by his question. "I mean it's none of my buisness but colour me curious."
She was very quiet for a few moments, Menma remained still and silent, if she didn't want to answer he could live with it, but any conversation is pretty worth it now-a-days, given where he had found himself wound up in.
"What is she, I wonder?" Kurama's voice provided a good enough distraction for now, taking his mind off the woman before him, though it immediately went back to her, moreso her height, she was taller than he, and he was considered a giant by the other humans he'd met. He stood up to about her chest, and what a bountiful one it was.
"God damn it." He mentally sighed at how this woman made him think.
"Just putting this to you, I'd prefer you mated with her, than any human women."
"Really, you're doing this now!? Give me a break, bloody fuck!" Cursed the Uzumaki, the woman spoke once more, drawing his attention.
"I was...Placed here. Thou is not one of this lands inhabitants, thou should leave. Plunge down the plank and hurry home." She said, not meeting his eyes, her words were met with a low, morose chuckle.
"'Home' is far beyond my reach, milady. 'Home', I don't even know where home is. I cannot return to where I hail from, I can return to Lordran, a place I wouldn't wish upon many. So you'll have to forgive me if I ignore that request for now." He said, "So, what's your name?"
The woman blinked, she was unused to social interactions whatsoever, most, if not all, that she had asked to leave did so, a few attempted to fight her. They died. She had never had one who wished to stay of their own free will, to be around her willingly. Well, that's not entirely true, there were the odd one or two who wished things of a more...Intimate nature.
"Priscilla." She answered.
End of Chapter.
So chapters are gonna be a little less frequent for the foreseeable future, my Microsoft Office is fucking with me. I'll try to keep getting them out though.
Raxychaz!