The Light touches us even down here
By ComicsFan7314
Chapter 1: By the firelight
Reynauld had been at the hamlet for around 10 weeks and there were few words that could describe his experience.
First, was the hamlet itself, its buildings were crumbling and shaky, appearing as if a slight breeze could easily knock them down. The regular denizens of the town were half-wit morons who did nothing but mindlessly shuffle back and forth, mutter to themselves and stare wide-eyed at any poor soul who happened across them.
But the most horrific aspect of his stay at the hamlet was the area surrounding it, where the heir of the man who previously ruled these lands, would send Reynauld and other adventurers like him, to combat cosmic horrors, though many brave warriors had met their untimely fate at the hands of these abominations.
These creatures, which were either summoned or created through the heinous actions of heir's ancestor, were more terrible than mere words could describe. The former manor of said ancestor was now home to a group of necromancers and their undead army of skeleton soldiers. The once lush and green woods surrounding the estate was being strangled by fungal rot caused by a malicious coven of witches. Within the beachy cove, near the sea, lived monstrous fish-men with whom the ancestor once made devilish pacts and deals. The ancient, winding tunnels under the manor had become the filthy sty of swine-like demons and there were even reports of an even greater evil hidden within an antechamber inside the manor. Reynauld shuddered as he remembered his first trek into the fray. How could one man be behind so much evil?
Still, Reynauld's time at the hamlet wasn't all bad, when the stress of combat became too much to bear, recruits could find solace at either the town abbey or the tavern, the choice of spiritual salvation or worldly pleasures was up to them. Reynauld, being a faithful servant of the Light, always chose the abbey, daring not to step foot in the den of vice.
In addition, Reynauld got to meet other adventurers from different walks of life such as Barristan, an ageing veteran of the king's war whom Reynauld held a great respect for due to his service. Baldwin, a fellow follower of the Light, who was unfortunately afflicted with a terminal case of leprosy, would always entertain Reynauld and the others with his poetry. And of course, his greatest friendship was a rather unlikely one, the rough and uncouth highwayman, Dismas, with whom he had arrived at the hamlet.
However, there were those in the group of adventurers with whom Reynauld did not along with. First was that pagan woman who preferred raw strength and savagery in combat. In this regard, Reynauld considered her no better than the bandits and brigands who would raid the hamlet on occasion. Despite Reynauld's sincere attempts to help her see the error of her ways and become a righteous follower of the Light, she rejected these attempts, claiming to only worship "the cult of battle".
Next was the strange turbaned man of the East who carried around a preserved skull and seemingly worshiped the dark forces underneath the manor. How were they supposed to fight these horrors, when this man was giving them more power?
And finally, there was that THING, that wrapped itself in ragged cloth and steel chains, masquerading as a human with an "A" shaped mark on his head. Though he could at least tolerate the other two, Reynauld, like every god-fearing member of the Light, made sure to steer clear of this "man".
One adventurer in particular peaked Reynauld's interest, the vestal Junia. She had arrived alongside the scientific and analytical plague doctor, Paracelsus, not long after Reynauld and Dismas made their arrival.
Junia only wore humble vestal robes and a steel breastplate for protection. Her only weapon was a weighty iron mace though she also carried the Holy Word of the Light with her, which according to Reynauld, was the most powerful weapon of all. Junia's role during battle was mostly relegated to healing her teammates by invoking the Light and praying to the spirits to intercede on their behalf. When not in battle, Junia spent her time between volunteering at the abbey and caring for the wounded or sick at the sanitarium. However, what drew Reynauld towards Junia was the way she acted whenever he was around.
While in battle, she treated him the same as any other combatant, healing him when he was injured but outside of the dungeons, when they were together in the hamlet, she appeared be nervous around him, skittish even, as if she were deliberately avoiding him.
Whenever Reynauld attempted to talk to her, Junia would blush, stammer out a rushed reply, before scurrying off as quickly as her legs could take her. One time, Junia was praying at the abbey, when Reynauld sat next to her in the pew. Junia said nothing in response and slid further down the pew before continuing her devotions, clutching the prayer beads in her hands a bit tighter.
This woman was truly an enigma and Reynauld was determined to figure out why Junia seem to be avoiding him.
The abbey's bells suddenly rang out, breaking Reynauld out of his deep thought, the bells chimed at total of twelve times, signaling all the hamlet's faithful to Mass. Once inside, Reynauld noticed Junia sitting all by herself in the pew, just like last time, and also like last time, Reynauld decided to sit next to her.
"Ah, hello sister Junia, good to see you!" Reynauld politely greeted. "Would you mind if I sat next you?"
Junia's face became flush. "Um, I'm sorry, I have to go." Junia blurted out before moving to a different pew. Reynauld hung his head and sighed. There seemed to be no winning with this woman.
After service, the heir of the man who once owned this land, and Reynauld's employer, informed him that in two days, he would be assigned to a team with the task of exterminating as many unholy abominations as possible in the ruins of the old manor. The team would include Reynauld himself, his best friend Dismas, the light-fingered graverobber Audrey and Junia. While Reynauld was not looking forward to returning to the ruins to face almost certain death, the venture would at least give him a chance to explain himself to Junia.
The faithful day soon arrived, and the four adventures began to prepare for their trek. The heroes were allowed to choose two trinkets or talismans to aid them in combat. Reynauld chose a cloak said to enhance swiftness as well as a scroll with large cross on it. Dismas selected a sharpening sheath for his dagger and belt for his flintlock pistol. For Audrey, a satchel to carry poisons and other methods of trickery and a talisman for evading enemy attacks. As for Junia, she chose a scroll depicting a holy virgin and a tome of the Light.
Next, they went to the commissary store to stock up on provisions for their trip. They were greeted by the caretaker sporting his usual, wide, crazed grin.
"Greetings damned souls! What can I do ye for?!" the Caretaker cackled manically.
The four adventurers said nothing and looked at each before Audrey spoke up.
"Uh, we need supplies and provisions for our expedition."
"Oh! Yes, yes, right, everything you see is for sale, provided ye have the coin." The Caretaker responded while giving an exaggerated gesture to the various items on the shelves behind him before flashing his uncomfortable smile again.
In total, the four heroes purchased a decent amount of food, enough to least last them a week, bandages for cuts and lacerations, three vials of antivenom to counteract blight, a dozen torches to light their way, three skeleton keys to unlock any containers they might come across, shovels for clearing out rubble as well as holy water to cleanse any profane objects.
After a few hours of hiking along the dangerous, fungi-ridden, old road, the four finally made it to the crumbling ruins of the heir's former family home. The ancient remains of what was once the front door of the mansion creaked opened to reveal a long, cobweb-infested hallway with large stone columns supporting it.
"The fiends must be driven back, and what better place to begin than the seat of our noble line?"
Just as quickly as they entered, the adventurers were besieged by the first enemies of their journey. Thankfully, they were just maggots and were quickly dispatched by grapeshot from Dismas's pistol and a hard whack from Reynauld's longsword.
"A trifling victory, but a victory none the less."
At the end of the hallway was a large oak door with ornate carvings. Seeing as there was nowhere else to go, the four went thru the door, and were met face to face with the next wave of foes.
Four skeletons stood in their way, one wore ragged trousers and carried a wooden club, the second was dressed similarly, but had a bit of armor and wielded a shortsword while the two in the rear wore aristocratic cloaks and berets and both clutched goblets that were previously used for holy ceremonies of the Light but now held the acidic blood of the skeleton's previous victims as well as a small dagger in their other hand.
The unholy creatures seemed surprised at the adventurers and were caught off-guard by their presence. Audrey was the first to strike. She took out several glass darts filled with a deadly concoction of hemlock and strychnine and tossed them at one of the regal-looking skeletons in the back, who immediately started to dissolve on contact with the darts. Dismas was next and shot the other bone courtier, felling it instantly.
"A singular strike!"
Junia shone a blinding light at the feeble looking skeleton in the front, stunning it for a few moments. Reynauld took out the same skeleton and injure the second one, by flashing a holy scroll that damned demons and other unholy creatures to hell. However, the remaining bone courtier, despite nearly being melted to the marrow, was still standing and managed to splash Junia with blood from its goblet. The acid blood singed Junia's armor but what was worse was the toll it took on her psyche, that fact that the chalice was once a holy object of the light, probably used for many a communion, now used as a weapon of darkness disturbed her deeply.
Audrey finished off the bone courtier by throwing a sharpened dagger at it, causing it to collapse into a dissolving pile of bones. The last remaining skeleton slashed at Reynauld with its sword, but it too met the same fate as its allies once Reynauld retaliated with a strike of his own. The four heroes had won the skirmish, but they still had several more to go.
They continued towards the next room. As they made their way through the narrow hallway, they stumbled upon an unopened sack. Reynauld began to sweat profusely under his armor. He was heavily tempted to unfasten the bag and take the content for himself. But stealing was a sin and he been cured of such "urges" after a visit to the sanatorium long ago. Ultimately, it was Audrey who open the bag and took the gold and onyx that lay inside.
The next room was devoid of enemies but was disturbing in its own right. The room appeared to be a former torture dungeon. There was a skeleton tied to a rack and another chained to the wall, with only the upper torso remaining. The explorers felt uneasy in the dungeon. Just how far did the length of Heir's ancestor's depravity go? The heroes decided not to linger and continued on with their journey.
The next hall appear to be desolate, however, as the four made their way thru the dusty corridor, Reynauld commented that one of the floor tiles felt loose. Upon hearing this, Dismas jumped into action and pushed his friend out of the way,. Ancient rusty spikes stuck out of the ground, where seconds ago, Reynauld was standing. The knight thanked his friend for saving him from the deadly trap.
"Ancient traps lie in wait, unsprung, and thirsting for blood."
In the next room, was an altar dedicated to some eldritch deity. Several cultists were performing a blood ritual to raise the dead from their graves. The cultist acolyte plunged a ceremonial knife to the chest of some unlucky soul that was kidnapped from the hamlet and ripped out their heart before placing it in an engraved bowl. Just as the sorceress began to chant the occult sayings, the ritual was interrupted, when the heroes entered the room. Two muscle-bound cultists, as well as the cultist sorceress and a newly revived bone courtier took their battle stances and started to attack.
The malevolent witch began muttering an incantation and directed the curse into her wand, striking Junia. Junia clenched her head in anguish, she did not know much stress she could take before having a mental breakdown.
The bone courtier attempted to splash Audrey with the contents of its goblet, but she managed to dodge the clumsy attack. Dismas shot the acolyte but only injured her. Meanwhile, Reynauld struck one of the brawlers with the hilt of his sword, knocking him out for a bit. Enraged, the other brawler slashed at Dismas with wild abandon, causing several nasty gashes.
Despite her growing stress, Junia invoked the holy Light by reading scripture from her sacred tome. All of a sudden, a loud boom could be heard, temporary putting a halt to the fighting going on. Lightning shot out from the ceiling and struck the cultist acolyte, leaving nothing but charred ashes and the faint smell of ozone. The wounds Junia had, miraculously healed themselves and she felt relieved that the evil cultist was no more.
"You are DAMNED!" shouted the victorious vestal.
Reynauld stood stunned, unsure of how to react. "Junia is more dangerous than I thought."
The knight's train of thought was interrupted when the unconscious warrior, awoke and immediately lunged at him. The crusader tried to avoid the brawler's steel arm blades but the sinister cultist landed a solid hit, knocking Reynauld to the ground and piercing through his armor, causing profuse bleeding. He was still breathing but was knocked unconscious.
"Grievous Injury, Palpable Fear…"
All of Reynauld's friends were shocked by the substantial wound Reynauld received, none more so than Junia.
"Dismas! Audrey! You two hold the enemy off, I need to heal Reynauld." ordered Junia in a panicked tone.
The two rogues did not question the vestal's orders and did as they were told. Dismas lacerated one of the brawlers, severing an artery while Audrey finished off the undead noble.
Junia held the comatose Reynauld in her arms, frantically muttering prayers begging the Light to spare the crusaders life. Her eyes swelled up with tears as she shook Reynauld, trying to wake him. Unbeknownst to everyone but herself, Junia had developed an interest in Reynauld. As soon as she arrived in the hamlet she was immediately smitten by him. His rugged looks and zealous faith to the Light made Junia's heart beat faster every time they were near. She would often scribble down romantic fantasies about them being together in her secret journal.
But alas, Junia knew that a relationship, hypothetical or otherwise, between her and Reynauld was impossible. She had taken a vow of chastity, as all vestals had to, meaning any and all intimate relations were forbidden. Besides, Reynauld was older than she was and probably wasn't interested in her anyway.
"Divine Light, Purest Light, I beg you please, save this poor soul." pleaded Junia. Again, no response. Junia cupped her hand and sobbed. Why weren't her prayers working? Junia gazed at her other two friends still fighting the cultists. "Good, they are distracted." Junia thought to herself. She lifted Reynauld's visor and started to admire his features. Junia caressed the crusader's cheek before puckering her lips and giving it a small, chaste kiss. She felt that it was the best she could do to demonstrate her love for him, before he passed on to the Great Hearth of the Light.
Suddenly, Reynauld opened his eyes. He did not seem aware of what Junia just did. He stumbled forward a bit but stood straight after a few seconds. Junia's sad frown turned into a hopeful smile. Her prayers had been answered.
Reynauld's injuries appeared to heal instantaneously and he seem to have more energy and vigor in his movements. He quickly rejoined the battle, finishing off the cultist that nearly killed him.
Once again, the four adventurers were victorious. They took a look around the room, attempting to get their bearings straight in the maze-like ruins. Their attention was quickly diverted to the corpse lying on the ceremonial alter. Based on the wounds the body had and the ritualistic setup, it was evident to the heroes what happened in the room.
"Poor bastard." said Dismas, realizing the victim's eyes were still open when they died. Dismas moved his hand across the body's face to close them. He then placed a small sixpence coin in the decaying corpse's mouth. "A coin for the ferryman." Dismas muttered solemnly.
While examining the room, Audrey noticed a loose cobble on the wall, she soon realized that the stone was actually a button, she pressed it, not knowing what would happen. Suddenly, the wall slid to the side, revealing a hidden passage.
"Everyone!" barked Audrey. "Something opened up!"
The four adventurers made their way through the narrow hallway, the light from their torch flicking against the stone ceiling. After a few minute of trekking, they arrived in a small room filled with antiques. In the center sat a container or sarcophagus of some sort. The container had a keyhole on one of it sides.
Seeing as she was the one to find the hidden room, Audrey had the honor of opening the box by placing one of the skeleton key in the hole. Within, were glimmering purplish-red gems that seem to shift and change with the torchlight. After receiving their reward, the adventurers left the hidden room, their packs laden with treasures.
"Glittering gold, trinkets and baubles, payed for in blood."
After a few more minor battles, mostly against maggots or spiders, with the occasional skeleton thrown in, the four heroes felt themselves growing weary and fatigued after hours of battle and so, decided to rest and make camp for the evening.
They found an empty room, another dungeon, without the skeletal remains of the previous. The room was cold and dingy but at least they could relax without fear of ambush or adding even more psychological trauma to their psyches.
Dismas piled the firewood on a small patch of dirt near the center of the dungeon and took a piece of flint from his pistol to ignite it.
The four huddled in a circle around the fire, the blaze warming them in the freezing dungeon.
"Gathered close in tenuous firelight, and uneasy companionship."
Junia helped prepare the evening meal for the group, utilizing her admittedly meager knowledge of cooking from her days of volunteering in the kitchen at St. Martha's.
As they ate, Reynauld couldn't help but gawk and stare at the woman who finished off a cultist all by herself and save his saved his life. Junia was busy flipping through the pages of her prayer book, looking for a good passage while Dismas and Audrey spent the evening telling dark jokes and sharing a jug of wine that Audrey "borrowed" from the tavern.
"Are you sure it is a good idea to drink? What if the enemy decides to attack? You won't be able to fight back." said Reynauld, taking his focus away from Junia for a second.
"If I am to die tonight, at least I won't die sober!" quipped Dismas.
Dismas's joke caused Junia look up from her book. She intended to give Dismas a look of derision, but she accidentally met eyes with Reynauld. The nun's cheeks turned bright pink before ducking back in between the pages of her holy book. Reynauld likewise, moved his gaze to the ground.
This was not lost on Dismas, despite his increasingly intoxicated state, and he was able to put two and two together. "So, it's like that then…" Dismas thought to himself as a knowing grin crept upon his face.
After they finished eating, the four decided to retire for the night. While they knew of the risks, they decided to keep the campfire going to provide some warmth in the freezing dungeon.
Reynauld gave himself the task of guarding over his friends as they slept. He knelt near the fire, using his knightly sword for support. He held his head low, deep in prayer to the Light for continued safety during the night.
The alcohol they consumed made sure that Dismas and Audrey fell asleep quickly. They were passed out on top of each other by the fire. To the untrained eye, it would seem that the two were cuddling tightly in each other's arms.
Junia barely completed her nightly prayers and was now lying wide awake on her sleeping pad. She never had issues focusing on her prayers before but her mind kept returning to thoughts of Reynauld. Why was he being so nonchalant about his near death? Junia turned on her side, facing toward Reynauld. He looked so brave, handsome and strong as he knelt in prayer. The light of the fire bounced against Reynauld's armor, making it shimmer and shine as if he were a knight from a storybook. Despite the heavy protection on his body, Junia could still make out his features, his muscular arms, his sculpted chest, his well-built legs...a rather perverse fantasy crossed Junia's mind. She thought about how long a certain body part of Reynauld's was and how she wanted those buff arms to hold her down as he...
Junia shook her head fervently in denial as her face became flush again and she quickly turned her back towards him again, her mind filled with passionate romantic fantasies. Junia silently opened her pack and retrieved something from it. It was her personal journal that she used to pen her intimate feelings. Seeing Reynauld like that, spurred Junia's creative juices…as well as a different kind of "juice" in between her legs.
Junia began to write down her lustful thoughts in her diary but before she could even complete a single sentence, she was interrupted by Reynauld, who had heard the scratching of her reed pen against the journal's paper.
"Is everything alright, sister?" asked Reynauld in a gentle and soothing, but still serious tone.
"EEP!" cried Junia who jolted up in surprise, nearly breaking the pen in her hand.
"Yes! Yes! I am fine! I was just uh, having trouble sleeping is all!" Junia blurted out.
"If you are having difficulty sleeping, perhaps you would care to join me by the fire?" proposed Reynauld.
"Oh Light! Oh Light! It's actually happening!" Junia excitedly thought to herself, while hyperventilating with anxiety.
Junia hurried towards the campfire and sat down next to Reynauld.
The two sat together in silence, watching the firelight dance across the dungeon walls, the crackling of the roaring fire being the only noise in the room.
Suddenly Reynauld spoke up. "I…wanted to thank you for saving my life, Junia."
"Oh! Y-you're welcome Reynauld." replied Junia.
"Don't be so humble, sister." Reynauld chuckled, amused by the blushing vestal.
The room became quiet again. "You know, you saved me but I hardly know anything about you."
"What do you wish to know?" replied Junia.
"Well, why would a woman of the Light risk her life in a place like this? What is your reason for being here?" inquired Reynauld.
"I guess for a fresh start, to get away." responded Junia. It was a lie however, Junia knew the real reason behind her presence in the hamlet.
"But there are far more better places to go to." said Reynauld.
"To me, anywhere is better is better than St. Martha's." answered Junia.
"Why do you say that?"
Junia sighed heavily before responding. "I never wanted to be a vestal in the first place." Junia bowed her head before proceeding. "I grew up on a farm not that far from the hamlet. I was the youngest of six children. I suppose I got along well enough with the rest of my siblings, but I was most close to my oldest sister. She was like a mother to me, she helped dress me, help me with my chores and she would often read me fairy tale stories before bed, especially ones about brave knights rescuing princesses from danger."
Junia frowned as she gazed into the blaze before her. "My parents on the other hand wanted nothing to with me. I was just another mouth to feed, a burden." Junia started to tear up at the painful memory.
"I tried my best to be useful around the farm, but they still saw me as a disappointment, so when St. Martha's came to our town, looking for new recruits, I guess they figured that it was a good opportunity to get rid of me." More tears poured from Junia's eyes.
"I was only eight when they sent me away, never to see my family, especially my sister, again." "Life at St. Martha's was hellish to say the least, if we didn't memorize our verses, we were beaten and whipped. The chores were backbreaking, even for a farm girl such as I." Junia was full on sobbing at this point.
"Before bed every night, I prayed to the Light to bring me a knight to whisk me away from that horrible place, just like in the stories my sister used to read to me."
"There, there, it's okay Junia." Reynauld said as tried to comfort her.
"Once I had reached adulthood, I began to have fantasies, as any woman of that age would. I knew it was a sin, but I ended up acting upon those desires. The abbey's superiors found out and sent me here, as punishment."
"None of that was your fault, Junia." Reynauld said solemnly.
Junia stood up from the spot she was sitting in. "Yes it is!" Junia shouted a little, though she tried to keep her voice down, as not to wake the others. "Nobody wants anything to do with an unchaste nun! It would have just been better if I had never been born."
Upon hearing this, Reynauld did the unthinkable, he gave Junia a hug, a very tight bear hug to be exact. He nuzzled her neck before whispering in her ear. "NEVER say that about yourself, Junia! You are not useless! I would have died had it not been for you!"
Reynauld removed his helmet to get a better look at Junia's face, and started to stroke her cheek, just like she did earlier, but the vestal interrupted him with a confession.
"Reynauld, I have been meaning to tell you something." the vestal said.
"What is it, Junia?"
"Well, ever since I first arrived in the Hamlet, I've been infatuated with you, Reynauld."
"Is that why you have been avoiding me in town?" inquired Reynauld.
"Yes, I was just so afraid about disclosing my feelings for you, I figured that it was best to avoid you altogether." Junia replied with shame in her voice.
"You don't have to be afraid of your feelings, Junia. I feel the same about you." said Reynauld.
"Really?" Junia asked timidly.
"Indeed. My initial curiosity has turned into a genuine affection for you, Junia." "You mentioned how you prayed for a knight to take you away from your miserable life at the convent, well I was thinking that maybe I could be that knight."
Junia said nothing in response and just inched closer towards Reynauld before wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tightly.
"Yes, Reynauld, YOU are my knight!"
Reynauld proceeded to kiss Junia passionately. The young vestal's eyes enlarged, it was her first real kiss and it was exactly how she had imagined it and more. The two held their kiss for a while before Reynauld knelt by the fire again and formed a lap pillow for Junia to rest her head, to which she immediately accepted. Reynauld removed the habit from atop Junia's head and began to stroke her long, brunette hair. Though the cold, heavy gauntlets were not the most comfortable feeling, the idea that Junia's first love was fawning over her like this, sent the nun into pure bliss as she drifted off to sleep.
As she closed her eyes, Junia knew that being with Reynauld was a violation of her vows as a vestal and she risked losing that status. And as Reynauld continued to play with Junia's locks, he knew that he would eventually come clean to her about his past if he wished to continue his newfound relationship with Junia. And they both knew of the risks they would face if anyone found about them as well as that one or both of them may not even survive their perilous adventure, but what they did know is that they had each other, at least for tonight.
Author's note: Hello everybody, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of this fic! I also want to apologize for not writing as much as I have been busy with school. There are not very many Darkest Dungeon shipping fics that aren't Reynauld/Dismas, so this is a bit of a rare pair. The next chapter will involve the crew finishing their trek through the ruins. As always comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism is always welcome!