Drake Sword:
This Sword, one of the rare dragon weapons, is formed by a drake's tail. Drakes are seen as undeveloped imitators of the dragons, but they are likely their distant kin.
The sword is imbued with a mystical power, to be released when held with both hands.
The Taurus Demon was irrevocably fucked from the moment it jumped down from the tower.
The minutes it landed, the naked undead that stood in front of it roared as their human body morphed into a dragon-headed furred humanoid, and as the fire that spewed from their mouth scorched its legs, the firebombs stacked by the fog wall behind it exploded, sending it stumbling forward. As their head morphed back into a human's they smirked, revealing in their left hand a Demon's Spear. As the Taurus Demon stumbled, they only ran forward, before driving the spear formed from the remains of its brethren into its knee, grunting with exertion as they forced it through thick, muscular flesh. Bone crunched, the speartip dug into the ground, and the Taurus Demon was pinned in a kneeling position.
The Chosen Undead laughed as the Taurus Demon brought its axe down. They took a single step back as the Demon's Greataxe slammed into the ground in front of them, before charging and propelling themselves forward as they sprinted up the demon's axe. As the Taurus Demon tore its leg out, howling as blood spurted from its knee, the Chosen Undead reached the knob of its axe and leapt.
The Chosen Undead hurtled forward, right hand and left coming together as they soared through the air, the Taurus Demon's feral anger replaced by pure, animal fear as the Chosen Undead's figure silhouetted against the sun, tensed, and brought down the Dragon King Greataxe with all their strength into its skull, and thick, viscous, burning blood covered their body.
Oscar stared as the Chosen Undead utterly decimated the Taurus Demon, the burst of golden light not unlike the miracles he had seen Thorolund Clerics use sending its head slamming into the tower behind it as the Chosen Undead simply strode forward slowly, the demon's blood spilling directly onto their bare body. The Blue Tearstone Ring on his ring finger pulsed, waves of energy both comfortingly warm and pleasantly cool emanating from his hand as he sat on top of the tower opposite where the demon had lurked, the corpses of two dead Hollow Soldiers thrown against the parapet.
Beside him, a silent Anastacia looked at her brother, dropping her outstretched hand and stuffing her hands into her robe as her head dipped.
As she leaned into him, he sighed, making no move to reciprocate, only staring forward at the parish that awaited them.
"When, Anastacia? When?" Oscar muttered, slowly turning to look at her and Anastacia's heart dropped at how cold his eyes were.
"I know I am one, but I hate playing the fool." Oscar flipped his visor down, and Anastacia shrank into herself as he ignored her, stuffing her hands into her robe and lowering her head.
She knew he just wanted answers, wanted to connect with his sister after decades, but she just couldn't.
It would destroy him. The prophecy, Astora, everything he stood for.
As Anastacia vacillated between the truth and her self-doubt, the Chosen Undead stood, Dark Wood Grain Ring in hand as the Taurus Demon thrashed in a frenzy, its axe rending the railing of the outer wall astray, bricks and dust flying as it slammed its axe to the ground, dug in, and then charged with its dying strength.
The Chosen Undead laughed, backflipped, and the Taurus Demon charged straight off the cliff.
Solaire turned as he heard the sound of clanking metal. "Why hello there!" He smiled as the three came into view. "You all must have been the source of the ruckus."
The knight dressed in damaged royal garb stepped forward, reaching out his hand. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Oscar."
"Of Astora?" Solaire cocked his head.
Oscar stiffened. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
Solaire began to walk forward slowly. Oscar slowly retracted his hand as the knight walked toward him silently.
Solaire began to take larger and larger steps, striding toward Oscar as he backed away before jumping forward, leaping toward an Oscar that barely had time to reach for his sword.
And smothering him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Oscar!" Solaire chuckled, his voice muffled by the hug and his bucket helmet. Oscar struggled for a moment before surrendering to the embrace, his initial surprise giving way to a warm smile.
"General Solaire! I should have recognized you from the feather on your helm!" Oscar exclaimed, temporarily drawn out of his despondency as he returned the hug with equal enthusiasm. "What a pleasant surprise. Why are you here in this land?"
Solaire released his grip, stepping back. "Me? Just here seeking my own sun." The man took off his helmet, revealing long, sun-kissed hair and blue eyes that sparkled with joy. "What about you? You've grown, Oscar."
Oscar's expression soured slightly and Anastacia shrunk back as he turned to look at her. "I came here to rescue Ana, my sister, and ring the Bell-no, Bells of Awakening. My friend here-" he gestured to the Chosen Undead, almost completely naked and covered from head to toe in blood. "My friend here saved me from hollowing, and led me straight to her. Although now they seem to be hiding something from me, and I quite dislike it."
Solaire gave Oscar a quick pat on the back as he smiled gently. "Do not worry, prince. All will come in due time. Your fate is for you to choose."
Oscar merely gave a shrug. "I'm still waiting for them to tell me. But Genera-" he was cut off as Solaire quickly interrupted him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Oh, no need for formalities, my friend. In here, in the land of gods and fate, I think we're far past stuffy ranks and formalities, yes? Call me Solaire. It's why I left." The man chuckled, dissipating whatever tension remained.
"Say, Ge-Solaire, why did you leave again? Was it really just the names?" The prince questioned.
Solaire paused for a moment, his expression turning contemplative. "The names were just a part of it, my friend," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia. "The unnecessary bloodshed, the rage and violence the soldiers brought back with them were all part of it. But truly? I left because I yearned for more than just being a pawn in someone else's game. I wanted to find my own purpose, my own sun."
Oscar nodded slowly. "You were always a man of unique characteristics. The army was unsuited for you."
Solaire smiled, his gaze drifting towards the horizon. "Indeed, the journey we undertake in this land is not just about fulfilling a duty or completing a task. When nobody is left to watch, who are you? What kind of a man will you be?"
As Oscar contemplated his former commander's words, the Chosen Undead stepped forward, holding out a hand. Solaire moved to shake it, before stopping as he saw the White Sign Soapstone and a Sunlight Medal in their hand.
"Well then! Chasing after my heart, aren't you? A Warrior of Sunlight, bringing the third Prince of Astora and the second Princess? My good fellow, you are just the manifestation of serendipity, aren't you?"
The Chosen Undead smiled. A genuine smile, the first time they had since Anastacia's recovery. "Jolly cooperation. The parish?"
Solaire grinned. "But of course!" As he put his helmet back on and unsheathed his blade, the Chosen Undead turned to the twins.
"How fast can you run?"
The Hellkite Drake roared as it swooped down, its massive wings casting a shadow over the group. The three Astorans sprinted across the bridge as flames erupted from its mouth, Oscar leading as Solaire carried Anastacia over his shoulder.
"Right!" The Chosen Undead yelled from the Taurus Demon's side of the bridge, and Oscar leapt forward, rolling down the stairs as the fire rushed forward. Solaire raised his shield, gritting his teeth as the fire washed over him, before the pain suddenly eased as Anastacia threw her hands up, and Solaire slid forward as the firekeeper went limp, the two tumbling down the stairs to come to rest on top of Oscar.
"My, Anastacia, you are quite heavy!" Solaire grinned as he lifted the firekeeper up, leaning her against the wall as he helped Oscar up.
"Don't be mean," she pouted. "Oscar, who's heavier? Me, or the man in full plate armor?"
Oscar wisely decided to catch his breath instead of answering.
From above came a loud TWANG!, followed by the sound of pained roaring, and the Chosen Undead joined the Astorans by faceplanting into the small room under the bridge, Greatbow slung over their shoulder.
"Praise the great lord! You are safe." Solaire smiled as the Chosen Undead stood upright. "Where to next?
"Down first." The Chosen Undead led the three down the stairs to reveal-
"The bonfire room?" Oscar laughed. "So we've run in a circle and the parish was above us the entire time?" He kicked the rusted ladder, sending it crashing down as the Chosen Undead pulled Anastacia away from the others.
"Oscar. Solaire, Underneath. Tail." They commanded, before leading her up the stairs. Just visible above the walls of the bridge was the Hellkite Drake's head, from which came the sounds of gnashing teeth and feral growling. As the Chosen Undead began to nock a great arrow with a stone tip wrapped in tree bark, they gently nudged Anastasia's hand. "Can you manipulate flame?"
The firekeeper nodded eagerly, finally seeing an opportunity to be useful. "Yes. It was difficult against the Black Knight, for it was a being born and made of Fire and Light. It was the antithesis of my being. But a feral drake?" She smiled. "I can help!"
The "finally." went unsaid.
"Good." The Chosen Undead drew the bow, and as the Drake suddenly jolted, screeching and spraying fire into the air as it flailed a severed tail, the Chosen Undead shot Gough's Greatarrow directly into its head.
As the arrow lodged itself in the Drake's jaw with a squelch, the Chosen Undead sprinted forward, charging toward the wyvern as it roared and spat a jet of flame at them.
Anastacia grit her teeth as she called to the tainted flame sealed within her and threw her arms apart, parting the Drake's flames as the Chosen Undead charged forward, Dragon Crest Shield held high. Anastacia felt beads of sweat roll down her face as her hands trembled from the stress of forcing away such a gigantic volume of flame.
As her arms began to scream for relief, the Chosen Undead leapt and slammed the Dragon Crest Shield into the Drake's nose. As it recoiled, the Chosen Undead slid underneath it, cutting a long swathe down its body with the Winged Spear, before rolling underneath a frantic sweep of its tail and beckoning Anastacia over as they lifted the Claymore from a fallen hollow.
The firekeeper ran underneath the drake's massive body as it turned to face the Chosen Undead, roaring as the greatsword was plunged into its food. Anastacia threw herself forward and landed behind the Chosen Undead as they laughed and drew their Dragonslayer Greatbow, standing directly in front of the Hellkite's snout. The Drake's head and the greatbow's string drew back simultaneously, and Anastacia threw her hands upward.
The Chosen Undead's shot flew straight, the greatarrow forged by Gough himself to slay the dragons finding its purpose, flying through the Hellkite's fiery breath that just barely singed the top of the Chosen Undead's head, malformed by Anastacia's power.
The arrow flew forward, into the Drake's throat.
Shlick.
And out the back of its head.
Oscar held up his shield, pushing the hollow back before it disintegrated in a flash of light.
"Good shot." He grunted as the spear hollow caught another Lightning Spear to the back and fell off the underside of the bridge.
"Thank you! I have one left to aim, though." Solaire drew his hand back, and it crackled with light as he flung the bolt of primordial power directly at the Hellkite Drake's tail that dangled over the edge of the bridge. As the tip of the tail was severed, the sound of the Chosen Undead's greatbow rang through the still air.
The tip of the tail cracked as it fell to the ground, shattering into pieces and revealing the warped blade of the Drake Sword. As Oscar pulled it out, he almost dropped it as it thrummed with power, coursing through the intricate carvings on its blade, sculpted by time and nature, stories, futures of ages past carved into a blade formed from a descendant of the Age of Fog, strokes painted by erosion itself.
I can feel the power in its blade. Oscar sheathed it gently into his scabbard as the tail of the Drake dissolved into ash.
"Well then, our mission seems done. Forward, shall we?" Solaire gestured toward the archway on the left, and the two knights carefully crossed the underpass of the bridge as-
"What in Gwyn's name are those?" Oscar sputtered as he instinctively stabbed the dog-sized rat in midair, its swollen, sightless eye blankly staring at him as poison spewed from its bloated body, leaking down a corpse of matted fur.
"Oh my. The plague has not been kind to the animals either, it seems." Solaire commented, lost in thought as he blocked a rat's gnashing and bisected it.
"Is that why we've seen so little life s-" Oscar yelled as the third rat bit into him, feeling his leg numb as he kicked it off. As he clutched his leg, Solaire vaporized it with a Lightning Spear, the rat leaving a sprite of humanity behind as it crumbled into dust.
"Oscar. How do you feel?" The former general said, all pretense of lighthearted humor gone.
"I'm poisoned." Oscar grimaced, before limping forward. "It's alright, I've been through worse, and the bonfire is close."
With a grunt, Solaire let go of Oscar's shoulder and the two climbed up the rusted ladder, the dank, tainted air giving way to the smell of ash as the two entered into the Parish, stopping only to down a swig of Estus, coming face to face with a locked gate.
"Oscar. Solaire." The Chosen Undead swore as they cranked the lever, raising the gate to the Parish that separated them from the two knights.
"Yes, my friend?" Solaire chuckled lightly.
"Black Knight. Don't move." The gate slowly began to rise as the sound of footsteps rang out.
Oscar froze.
The gate opened, painfully slowly, creaking, shaking, and Oscar sprinted forward in a panic, throwing his weapons aside and rolling underneath the gate. Solaire turned to face empty air.
"Well, what was the purpose of that then?" He raised an eyebrow as the Chosen Undead slammed the gate back down.
"We had a less than stellar experience with a black knight before we met." Oscar panted, before collapsing by the bonfire. "I need a fucking rest."
"Thought I heard something." The Chosen Undead offered, before sitting next to Oscar, and the other two Astorans joined them.
Solaire sheathed his sword and turned to his companions, a broad grin on his face. "My friends, the parish awaits, and I do not doubt the adversity we will face, yet I do not doubt for a second that we will not succeed by the grace of the Lord of Sunlight."
Oscar's fatigue melted away as he smiled back, a newfound sense of purpose in his eyes. "Indeed, Solaire. It is an honor to fight alongside you once more."
As they drew the Alluring Skulls out of their pocket, the Chosen Undead gently squeezed Anastacia's hand, and the firekeeper squeezed back, soot obscuring the smile on her face that slowly grew.
A/N: With him, Solaire brings a natural aura of happiness. Let's just hope nothing bad happens to Oscar.
:)
Character tags: Oscar "getting tired of this shit" of Astora, Solaire "farmer, formerly nuclear physicist", Anastacia "and then the fire nation attacked" of Astora, Chosen "HEADSHOT" Undead, Taurus "why do I hear boss music" Demon, Hellkite "GNAAAAA" Drake
