Chapter 02: A Brave New World

Disclaimer: Neither of the series used on this fan work belongs to me.

Author's Note: well here it is the second chapter of this story. Please enjoy.

Now to answer some reviewers: The armor set that the Chosen Undead/Mikael is using is the Wanderer set and he's armed with the Ushigatana and the Grass Shield and he looks like Toyohisa Shimazu from Drifters only with black hair and Dark Blue eyes.

About Vanelana she is still married to her husband and there wltn be any NTR involved in this story (except maybe in one single case but the asshole everyone agrees that deserves it) but nevertheless she will play a pivotal role on the events to come whole not a lover she will certainly be a good friend of the Chosen Undead here, the same with her husband Lord Gremory.

And for anyone interested Merlin looks like her version of FATE/Prototype.

Many would probably say that I was abusing my partner good will by ordering a serving of everything on the menu on her tab. those people could shove it where the sun doesn't shine. They never had to deal with the 'fine selection' of Lordran exquisiteness that truly made you appreciate being undead because I didn't need sustenance (besides souls and estus obviously) to survive because everything else was various degrees of poisonous, spoiled or both in most cases. So the opportunity to eat actual food to my heart's content was precious to me.

After all it has been literal centuries since I ate something edible and I was going to squeeze this opportunity to the fullest. "You certainly have a big appetite" observed my companion with a pleased smile on her face. I finished my last dish and took a long sip from the ale before answering her.

"You too would had a big appetite if you spent years without eating anything because most food was not apt for consumption" I easily explained to her, Merlin only raised an eyebrow at that. "Most things in Lordran weren't edible by the time I was there. The entire country had fallen into ruin and only hollows, demons and worse things were around by that point and the only few sane ones were either fleeing or fighting their way to solve the calamity" which wasn't a lie but a grossly oversimplification of the entire situation. Things were THAT bad in Lordran.

She just looked at me with rapt interest "Oh I have to hear more about that. Because I never heard about a situation quite like that and believe me that if something like what you describe happened many of the big players would have done anything to stop it from getting as bad as you said" she told me with a knowing smile with her purple eyes twinkling like she was privy to some joke that she only understood.

"I don't care if you believe me or not Merlin. I know what I say is true. If you don't want to be believe me it's not my problem. But don't ever treat me as a liar or a madman and much less make fun out of me and my friends journey" I hissed at her. I wouldn't allow anyone to dismiss the sacrifices,the pain and suffering my friends and I went through in our quest across Lordran.

"Don't worry I believe you. It's more I think that I know what happened to you but I need to hear your tale to confirm my suspicions." She told me that same smile that was really beginning to piss me off.

"Can you make sure that no one can hear us?" I asked her. I really didn't want what I was about to tell her to get out in the open. Catastrophe only followed with this kind of information and I did not want to paint a bigger target on my back when I already had one by hanging out with this witch.

But unfortunately for me. She was the one with all the cards so I began my tale; from the very beginning with appearance of the first flame and the Lords and their war against the Everlasting Dragons, on how they ushered the Age Of Fire with them ruling in Anor Londo, how the fire began to fade and the many tragedies that happened in the gods foolish quest to extend it, ending with The King of the gods Gwyn the Lord Of Sunlight sacrificing himself to the flame as fuel for it.

How that ruined the natural order of the world by artificially extending the Age Of Fire and how that caused the appearance of first undead, the victims of the curse of the dark sign and how he alongside them were thrown into the Undead Asylum to rot, how after what felt like an eternity he was freed from his cell by the knight Oscar costing him his last vestiges of humanity but not before telling him about the prophecy of the Chosen Undead, how after defeating the demon he was taken to Firelink shrine and began his journey.

I spoke of the battles, of the pain, the suffering and the death, so much death that would had broken any lesser man, how I was forced to put to the sword almost all my companions after they became hollow and how after defeating the Lords and burn their souls in the Lord chalice my last companion and greatest friend and I fought against the hollowed husk of the Lord Of Sunlight and how after defeating him we were given impossible choices: either link the fire and bring back True Death back to the world but continuing the cycle Gwyn made or allow the fires to fade and bring forth the age of man but condemning the world to be swallowed by the abyss.

And with that I finished my tale. I don't know why I told her all that but I felt better from doing so. Like if I lifted a heavy burden off me. "So that's my story Merlin." I said to her before taking another sip from my ale before looking back a Merlin who was uncharacteristically silent, so I looked at her and saw that she had a solemn expression on her face. It wasn't pity fortunately. I really despised that and I would have been really crossed if she looked at me with that.

"That's certainly quite the tale, to be honest is a testament to your inner strength that you aren't a drooling mess or a raving lunatic after all that, people has broken for less" she told me looking at me with newfound respect and approval. "And this does indeed confirm my theory: Somehow you were send from your world to mine" in that moment an almost giddy expression appeared in her face like if she got a brand new toy to play with.

"Oh, how exciting!!! Now I really want to continue to travel with you!! This certainly will be fun don't you think?" She told me while giving me an alluring look. It may had worked with anyone else. But with me it fell short because she may be beautiful without doubts but my gut was telling me that she was bad news... And the last time I didn't listen to it I was kicked off a cliff by that bald cunt Patches.

"Sorry but not interested. Something tells me that you attract problems like bees to honey" I told her before rising from my chair to leave the inn, after all if this was a new world I may finally find a cure for my cursate and if not, then I may just continue as I did before becoming an undead and keep traveling. Who knows maybe I wasn't the only one send here because that could be both good and bad because I may find my sworn brother here but it could also mean that any of the horrors of Lordran could be here and the last thing anyone needed was another surge of either the Flame of Chaos or worse the Abyss.

"Hey why not!!!?" She exclaimed exasperated "After don't you see that I'm poor defenseless maiden!?" I couldn't help but chuckle at that. From what I saw in the forest and what I couldn't infer from our brief time together I know she is far from helpless.

"If you're a damsel in distress I'm one of the Lords of Anor Londo" I said to her with the driest tone I could muster. She looked at me like if I shot arrows at her chest. Which was kind of funny I must admit. Maybe there is some merit to keep her around.

"Hey that's rude!" She said with a pout "Besides if I'm not a damsel then you are the most removed thing from a knight!!! After all you look like a hobo" Okay that was uncalled for. I know that my wanderer armor may look shoddy at best but it helped me during my quest across Lordran... And she noticed it if that satisfied smirk is anything to go by. Point for her I guess.

"But in all honesty I think that we should travel together. Because you are literally a stranger in a strange land, besides like it or not but helping me you have painted yourself a big target on your back because now the devils will be going after you for interfering in their plans." She told me with a serious face and I couldn't help but frown at that. It would see that no matter what I do or where I go problems will always come to me.

Lovely.

But she had a point. I needed her help more than what I was willing to admit. I was in a strange land filled with unknown dangers and to top it all now one of the big players may want me dead. So same shit different day.

"So what is your plan then, Merlin?" I asked her. Because until I get knowledgeable enough about my new surroundings. Besides isn't like dying will be enough to stop me. It wasn't enough in Lordran it won't be enough here too.

"Well first we're going to our room to sleep tonight and tomorrow we will hit the road in search of adventure and wonder!" She said with by her now typical smile on her face. I just shrugged at that. After all it has been an eternity since I slept in a bed.

Line Break

"Merlin." I asked her with a tick in my right eye that was betraying my annoyance.

"Yes Mikael?" She asked me with that damnable smirk on her face. The cheeky bitch did it on purpose I know!

"Why is only a single bed in our bedroom?" She just entered in the bedroom and took off her cloak before facing me with a bright smile.

"I asked for a matrimonial room. It was cheaper than the alternative" she told me as I entered the room, removing the hood from my head and taking seat in a nearby chair. I was preparing to relax and go to sleep right there and now when Merlin surprised me with her next move. Because she began to undress right in front of me.

"What in the saggy tits of the Witch Of Izalith are you doing woman!!!?" I asked her exasperated (among other things I didn't want to dwell on at the moment) at the antics of the woman in front of me. "Why in the abyss I'm blushing!? Witch extraordinary? Extraordinary pain in the ass you mean!!!" I thought to myself annoyed. But with who: her at her antics or myself for reacting to them?

"I sleep in the nude Mikael. Why I'd there a problem with that?" She asked me with an innocent face that had no Innocence "or is that is you're just shy and the sight of my naked body is making you act unwisely? Well if that the case. If you play your cards right you may get lucky one day my dear Undead." She whispered seductively in my ear while embracing me, allowing me to feel almost every inch of her body. But if something I learned in my journey was to have both an iron will and self control; so I took a deep breath to calm myself and did the only thing appropriate for this type of situation.

SMACK!!!!!

"Why did you hit me this time!? You asshole!!!" Protested the Witch while massaging her head, I couldn't help but shake my head with a small smirk at the absurdity of it all. Here I was: The last one standing out of all the ones that went to Lordran in another world that wasn't plague by the Dark Sign about to go to sleep with a beautiful woman in a bed after eating to my heart's content.

"Stop fooling around Merlin. I don't know about people here but from where I come from people that strip in front of other people for no apparent reason are considered either fools, madmen or desperate" I told Merlin as I began to undress too. "And I don't think that you're insane, you certainly aren't foolish no matter how much you try to portray the contrary" I finished talking about the point I finished to take off my boots and went to bed.

"Let's go to sleep Merlin. Tomorrow we return to the road and don't try anything stupid or I kick you out of the bed" I told the witch before closing my eyes tofall sleep in what felt,(and probably was) an eternity. "Besides whatever it is your problem as long as we travel together I'll help you deal with it" I finished talking before finally falling sleep.

Line Break

As I stood there in the room looking at the sleeping form of my newest traveling companion I couldn't help but smile genuinely for the first time in what felt like ages. After all live as the half-blooded bastard daughter of the Morningstar himself wasn't an easy one.

After all the only person she ever had memory of genuinely caring about her and her problems was her mother in what felt like a lifetime ago. Always traveling, always alone to deal with anything that life throws her way.

Until now that's it apparently.

"You truly are something special aren't you my dear undead?" I muttered to myself while looking at the man sleeping in the bed with a true happy smile on my face and then I went and got to my side of the bed to sleep.

I knew that my chances to escape my fate were slim at best but something told me that the man besides me could do it. He could help me with escape the machinations of my father and maybe even defeat him for good.

And with that last thought I close my eyes and fell sleep feeling something I haven't felt in many years.

Hope for the future.

Author's Note: well here it is the second chapter. There was not much action but it was necessary to finally introduce well both characters, I can easily say that this is one of the stories that I feel is more easy to write for me for some reason. Next chapter we return to journeying across Arthurian Britain, and our pair of Murderhobos may have another fight against a powerful foe.