Alright guys. Here it is. The fight you've all been waiting for. It's team Lautrec vs team merchant (Or is it team Lautrec vs team Crestfallen?). Anyways, I hope you guys like the fight. As it turns out, choreographing three separate fights and having them all come together is actually pretty difficult thing to do. (Who knew, right?)
Warning: This chapter is not Giant Dad approved.
Kaylen, Oscar, Solaire, and Siegmeyer had made their way back down into the interior of the Undead Parish. Kaylen had stopped the group in the middle of the room where Oscar and Solaire had defeated the hollows and the lone channeler. He then proceeded to point to a hallway on the right.
"Lautrec's cell is down that way." Kaylen said. "Right through an old wooden door."
That one sentence lit a fire in Oscar's eyes.
"Then let's not keep him waiting." Oscar said in a low, angry tone as he began walking toward the hall.
But the knight was stopped in his tracks as the prophet put one of his hands onto his shoulder.
"Hold on, Oscar." Kaylen said. "Lautrec might be locked up, but the guy still has his weapons and he knows how to use them. You going in there angry is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed."
Remembering that Solaire had told him the exact same thing not very long ago, Oscar cast his gaze toward the ground. He felt a bit of shame that he had let his emotions overtake him once again. The knight then took a slow deep breath to calm himself down before speaking again.
"Forgive me, prophet." Oscar said. "I let my anger get the better of me. It will not happen again."
"Don't worry about it." Kaylen said. "I'm just as eager to kill Lautrec as you are, so I get how you feel."
Oscar nodded in understanding. The Prophet then turned to face Siegmeyer and Solaire.
"Do you guys mind sitting this one out?" Kaylen asked. "This is kindof a personal thing that me and Oscar should handle alone."
"Not at all, prophet. We will wait here for your return." Siegmeyer said as Solaire nodded in agreement.
With that, Kaylen and Oscar made their way towards Lautrec prison, with Kaylen leading the way.
All was silent as the two made their way down the hallway, which the prophet found odd. He was almost certain that there was supposed to be a Balder knight down this corridor, but since there clearly wasn't, he decided to ignore it and chalk it up as good luck on their part, one less thing trying to kill them.
As they went further down the hallway, the two came upon a wooden door, through which they promptly walked to see a small flight of stairs.
"He's up there, Oscar." Kaylen said as he looked up at the stairs. "You ready for this?"
Oscar gripped his sword tighter.
"Yes." Oscar said in a resolute tone. "Let us proceed."
This was it. The golden armor wearing psychopath was just ahead. Oscar was ready to kill him without question to save Anastasia. The Prophet, however, had his own reasons that he wanted to kill Lautrec. Yes, it was true that he didn't want Anastasia to be killed, but he knew that even if Lautrec succeeded in killing her, he would hunt the golden knight down to Anor Londo, so he would be lying if he said that Anastasia dying was what worried him.
What really worried the prophet was what would happen if Lautrec got free and he DIDN'T go after the firekeeper. With Velka appearing, the prophet frequently began worrying if any other significant events might change or happen.
Not to mention that Lautrec is a complete wildcard. Quite honestly, the prophet had very little information about Lautrec, and everything he did know only raised more questions, like how Lautrec ended up imprisoned in the Parish, or where the hell did he get a Sunlight Medal? Many unanswered questions like these plagued the prophet's mind. But the one question that the prophet was curious to know is… who exactly is the goddess Fina?
The prophet doubted that it was just some made up fantasy god created by a hollowing madman. No, there was definitely more to it than that. But what kind of god would need a Firekeeper's soul in the first place? The only thing special about it is that it can upgrade an Estus Flask and it's supposed to be filled with TONS of humanity. The prophet knows that the answer must be staring him right in the face.
"Ugh, none of that matters now." Kaylen thought to himself. "All that matters is that I don't let that jerk-off leave the parish. If I do that, then I won't have to worry about who Fina is supposed to be."
With the thought finished, the two readied themselves for the fight. Kaylen's hands ignited into a burning flame as he summoned a fireball for each one, while Oscar held his sword in a tightened his grip on his sword and shield.
The two then steadily made their way up the stairs and came face to face with…
CREAK CREAK
… a rusty, open cell door that swayed and creaked in the wind.
The two warriors stood frozen where they were, their minds going completely blank at the scene in front of them.
"Um, Lautrec's… not in his cell." Kaylen said. Strangely, the comment was not phrased as a question. It was as if the prophet's mind was trying to tell him something that was painfully obvious.
It only took a few more seconds for Kaylen and Oscar to put everything together. When they did, they both grew wide-eyed and their bodies suddenly jumped to life.
If Lautrec wasn't here in his cell, then that could only mean that he'd gone after…
"ANASTACIA!" Kaylen and Oscar screamed at one another before they both promptly turned around and bolted down the stairs. Well, Oscar did, anyway. Kaylen on the other hand, thought it would be quicker to simply leap from the top. They both reached the wooden door at the same time and they both sprinted back through the corridor, where Solaire and Siegmeyer were still waiting.
"Ah, prophet!" Siegmeyer exclaimed cheerily as Oscar and Kaylen continued running towards him. "So how did it g-OOF."
Siegmeyer was nearly knocked over as Kaylen and Oscar, who did not stop their sprinting, quickly pushed him out of their way.
They both then tried to turn sharply to get to the corridor that would lead them back to the lower level of the Undead Parish. Oscar had no trouble at all with the quick turn, but our dear Prophet was not as lucky.
As soon as they rounded the corner, the prophet had somehow tripped over his own footing and fell on his side with a small grunt.
"Fuck." Kaylen said as he watched Oscar turn and ran around the corner, not even looking back to see if his friend was alright.
"What's going on?" Solaire asked with worry in his voice. "Why are you running?"
The prophet completely ignored the question as his gaze suddenly fell upon the large opening that would lead to a short fall to the lower Undead Parish. The prophet then quickly picked himself up, ran forward and then…
"WAIT!" Solaire screamed.
… and then he jumped straight through and then proceeded to fall straight down. Again, the prophet was met with misfortune, as the fall that he assumed would be short was actually impressively long.
"OH-" Kaylen screamed as he looked down at the fast approaching asphalt.
Oscar had rounded the corner to the final set of stairs and soon faced the elevator that the prophet had told him about before.
"-SHIT!"
CRASH
Oscar quickly turned around to see what had suddenly caused the loud ruckus. He was met with the sight of the prophet lying in the middle of broken pews and slowly pulling himself from the ground. It only took him a moment to realize that the idiot had jumped from above.
"Ouch. Defeated by gravity once again." Kaylen groaned in pain. The prophet's eyes then fell upon Oscar, who had turned away from him and was about to step onto the elevator. "Wait, Oscar."
The prophet then took a moment to gather himself and get to his feet.
While this was happening, Oscar was having trouble figuring out exactly how the elevator worked. There were no buttons, no levers. How the hell was this thing supposed work?
"Come on, come on." Oscar said in a nervous tone. Anastasia could be dying right now, and he couldn't get to her because he couldn't figure out how to work a damn elevator.
"Move over." The prophet said as he ran up and pushed his way onto the elevator. He then raised his foot and slammed it down onto a large button that was protruding from the elevator floor. This began their descent.
The prophet knew they only had seconds before they reached Firelink Shrine, so he would have to make his explanation quick.
"Oscar, listen. It shouldn't have happened this early, but the only way for Lautrec to have escaped was for his allies to have let him out." Kaylen said "There's a sorcerer and a guy with a spear and a small shield. They're not as dangerous as Lautrec, but they're still good with their weapons. Be careful."
"Got it." Oscar said.
CREE-E-E-E-EAK
The two could clearly hear the sounds of battle as they ran off the elevator and down the crumbling stairs. Once they rounded the corner and had full view of Firelink Shrine, they were both hit with an incredible battle in progress.
In front of them, Lautrec and his bodyguards were fighting the forces of the crestfallen warrior, the undead merchant, and Petrus. The battle itself was seemed to be nearing its end, though.
Lautrec and Cresty's blades were in a deadlock with each of them prepared to finish the other off, the sorcerer had a small throwing knife protruding from his leg while the merchant had his blade pointing at him as a clear finishing sign, and Petrus was on his knees before the pike warrior, who was preparing to finish him off with a thrust from his spear. No one appeared to have noticed Oscar and Kaylen's appearance.
Kaylen saw what happened next before anyone else did. He saw Petrus quickly reach his hand toward his belt and pull out what appeared to be a talisman.
"ENOUGH OF YOU!" Petrus screamed as visible streams of white aura appeared to be going into Petrus's body. The sight was enough to give Oscar pause and make the prophet go wide-eyed.
SHROOMP-BOOOOMMM
A sharp booming sound, almost like the sound of lightning exploding upon the earth, suddenly erupted across Firelink Shrine.
Some time before the prophet and Oscar's arrival…
To the warriors standing in Firelink Shrine, the silence was deafening. Each of them held their weapons in a strained grip. Each one eyeing someone from the other side, waiting for the inevitable attack that would initiate the bloodbath.
The pike warrior was glaring into the eyes of the warrior known as Petrus, letting him know that once the battle started, the pike warrior would come for him. The sorcerer, with his burned face, scowled at the grinning merchant who held his Yulia in one hand and played with a firebomb in the other, and Lautrec, with his face hidden behind his golden helm, stared into the face of the crestfallen knight, who forever wore a calm and unconcerned expression on his face.
"COME ON!" Petrus screamed.
With that, everyone charged at their intended target. Petrus charged for the spearman, the merchant ran sideways to get an unobstructed view of the sorcerer, and Lautrec launched toward the crestfallen warrior with his twin shotels drawn, but the crestfallen warrior stayed exactly where he was, his unbothered expression only succeeding in enraging Lautrec even more.
The golden knight aimed one of his blades directly at the warrior's throat with the intention of ending this quickly.
CLANG
In an instant before Lautrec's blades pierced his flesh, the crestfallen warrior got into a defensive stance, blocked Lautrec's attack with his shield and then proceeded with his own counterattack. But Lautrec would not give him the chance. Before the warrior could raise his blade in retaliation, Lautrec swung his other shotel, aiming directly for the crestfallen's abdomen.
CLANG
Again, the crestfallen warrior blocked the swing. Then, before Lautrec could repeat the process, the warrior swung his sword at the golden knight, taking the small window he had created for himself. But just as fluidly as the crestfallen had blocked his attack, Lautrec back-dashed away from the blade. Then, for a short moment, they began to circle one another. Each one assessing the other's strengths and weaknesses.
Just from those two small attacks, the crestfallen warrior had gained much insight to Lautrec's fighting ability. He saw that the golden knight was lithe, graceful, and light-footed. His wrists were powerful, and he was unbelievably agile. He would attack with flicks of his blades and defend by slight deflections and quick dodges, a fighting style that involved minimal physical contact and maximum strike damage.
If he was going to win this, he was going to have to take the initiative and attack first.
The warrior rushed at Lautrec. He dipped and weaved right as he was about to reach him and slashed downwards with the sword. Lautrec parried with one of his shotels, and the blades clashed against each other with a shriek that sent small sparks flying into the air. The swordsman was quick and uppercut slashed at the Golden warrior, attempting to cut Lautrec from stem all the way to stern.
Lautrec jumped back just enough that the blade passed a hair's breadth from his face, but he was caught completely off-guard when the crestfallen warrior brought his blade back down in a counterattack.
Thinking quickly, Lautrec brought both of his blades together above his head and allowed the sword to clash against them. The blow was strong, but Lautrec had managed to hold it where it was.
He and the crestfallen warrior were now in a deadlock, each one struggling against the other.
The crestfallen warrior knew that Lautrec was fast, and he was not entirely confident that, once they released, that the crestfallen warrior would be fast enough to stop him from gutting him with those shotels. On the other hand, Lautrec knew that if he were even a fraction of a second too slow, then the crestfallen warrior's blade would cleave him in two.
Either way, this battle would be settled in mere moments.
Each warrior strained against the other. Then, after they both adjusted their footing, their weapons parted and then-
"ENOUGH OF YOU!"
SHROOMP-BOOOOMMM
A sharp booming sound, almost like the sound of lightning exploding upon the earth, suddenly erupted across Firelink Shrine. The two warriors didn't even have time to react.
"COME ON!" Petrus screamed.
Needing no other incentive to begin, the merchant ran sideways so that he had an unobstructed view of the burned sorcerer. As soon as nothing but the sorcerer was within his view, the merchant threw his firebomb at him, aiming once again for his face.
But the sorcerer saw this attack coming and simply sidestepped the projectile, but what he did not anticipate was the merchant, who had followed behind his firebomb like a shadow and was ready to leave a devastating laceration across the sorcerer's body.
In a panic, the sorcerer raised his metal catalyst and redirected the blow, causing the merchant to lose his footing and stumble a few steps away. Now the enchanter was now behind the merchant and held all the cards.
The Sorcerer then decided to follow up on the accidental counter the only way he knew how, by summoning energy into his tin catalyst and throwing a heavy soul arrow at the merchant.
"Shit." the peddler thought.
The merchant was completely off-balance and the soul arrow was coming straight for him. He had to make a move quickly or that bolt was going to skewer him.
So, using his brain, the merchant decided to move his body with the momentum instead of fighting it, effectively barrel rolling out of the way of the soul arrow, but the merchant wasn't done there. Immediately after recovering from his roll, the merchant's free hand flew inside of his tattered robes and when it came out again, a small sliver of steel shot across the battlefield and directly into the Sorcerer's shin bone.
SHLICK
"GAAH!" the Sorcerer screamed in pain as a small throwing knife dug into his leg. Falling to his one good knee, the sorcerer started to breathe heavily as a large amount of pain continuously flowed through his body.
The merchant smiled in satisfaction of his accuracy and then decided to get a bit cocky.
"Heh, heh. What's wrong? I thought you were going to torture me?" the merchant said as he pointed his sword at the sorcerer as a clear finishing sign. "You weaklings should have run when you had the chance. Now you will-"
"ENOUGH OF YOU!"
SHROOMP-BOOOOMMM
A sharp booming sound, almost like the sound of lightning exploding upon the earth, suddenly erupted across Firelink Shrine. The merchant and the sorcerer both went wide-eyed as a sudden force began to overwhelm them.
"COME ON!" Petrus screamed.
With this battle cry sounded, Petrus charged toward the spearman with his morning star raised high. When he came within distance, he sent the morning star crashing down onto the spearman.
CRACK
The pike warrior had to quickly back-step away from the attack and from the way the mace slammed into the ground and created visible cracks, it was a good thing he did. His shield would be destroyed if it were met with such force.
Petrus quickly raised his mace from the ground and proceeded to swing it wildly at the pike warrior, and each time the pike warrior easily dodged the blows.
It was then that a small yet sinister smile spread across the spearman's face. This fool, for all his talk of punishing heretics, was far too slow to even dream of landing a blow on him. And with the way the cleric swung his weapon, he would soon tire himself out. When that happened, this battle would be easily won.
After a few more seconds of trying to land a blow on the pike warrior, the cleric did indeed start to become more and more exhausted. His breathing became ragged, the mace started to feel as if it weighed a ton, and his body was starting to slow down. While he was struggling to catch his breath, the pike warrior hadn't even broken a sweat.
Petrus knew he had to retreat for now.
The cleric then took three large steps backward in an attempt to put some distance between them, but the spearman would have none of that.
"YOU'RE MINE NOW!" the spearman screamed as he charged forward after his tired prey.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG
The warrior bombarded Petrus with quick and powerful thrusts from his spear. The cleric was just barely holding him back with his shield, or at least he was until the spearman decided to get bold.
In the midst of his attacks, the pike warrior realized he would not get past that shield, so instead of continuing to attack him like an idiot, he quickly stepped forward and delivered a strong kick to the cleric's shield, forcibly moving it out of the way and leaving the cleric's chest wide open for just a moment. But that was all the time the spearman would need.
SHLICK
Petrus went wide eyed as a crippling amount of pain suddenly shot through his body.
"Hmph, pathetic." the pike warrior said as he pulled his weapon from Petrus's side.
"GAH!" the cleric dropped his mace and then dropped to one knee, placing a hand onto the right side of his chest, which was now bleeding profusely. His teeth clenched in anger as the spearman began to speak.
"Did you really believe you could stop us with such meager skills?" the spearman said as he raised his weapon for the finishing blow.
But before the blow could be dealt, Petrus quickly reach his hand toward his belt and pulled out what appeared to be an old talisman.
"Grrr, ENOUGH OF YOU!" Petrus screamed as a large amount of power started to gather inside him as he prepared for his grandest attack. Visible streams of white aura could be seen going into Petrus's body. The sight was enough to give Oscar pause and make the prophet go wide-eyed.
SHROOMP-BOOOOMMM
A sharp booming sound, almost like the sound of lightning exploding upon the earth, suddenly erupted across Firelink Shrine as a strong force suddenly erupted from Petrus's body.
The force was unrelenting and caught every warrior in the vicinity completely off-guard. It sent Lautrec and the crestfallen warrior flying backwards. The crestfallen warrior slammed headfirst into the old, dead tree and was promptly knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, Lautrec was sent flying over the edge of the cliff directly in the back of Firelink Shrine, not even giving a scream as he fell out of sight.
The merchant and the sorcerer, being a bit farther away, fared much better than the two veterans. Taking far less of the force, the two were launched in opposite directions. The sorcerer stumbled back until he fell directly next to the bonfire, while the merchant fell upon the stairs that led to the crumbling building and where the prophet and Oscar were currently watching events unfold.
But the one who got the worst of it was the spearman. Once he heard Petrus's cry of rage, he instinctively raised his shield to defend himself. Unfortunately, it did him no good as he took the full force of the attack's power head on. The impact sent the pike warrior's body flying over the edge of the cliff, making his eyes go wide with disbelief as gravity started to take hold of him.
"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" the pike warrior screamed in horror as he fell to his death.
When the screaming had been cut off with a faint smack, no doubt the sound of the pikeman's body meeting the ground below, Petrus smiled in satisfaction of his victory, but this battle was not over yet.
Quickly, the sorcerer glanced at the merchant, who had yet to get back to his feet, and decided that this was his chance. Grabbing his catalyst, the sorcerer channeled his energy into a heavy soul arrow and sent it screaming toward the merchant's prone form. The trader's eyes widened as the bolt headed toward him and only managed to say one word before he snapped his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable.
"Dammit."
Lautrec had no idea what had just happened. One minute he was preparing to finish off that dead-eyed warrior, and the next moment, some invisible force had blown him clean off the edge of the cliff. He was sure that this would be the end of him. But Lautrec had never been one to fear death, he never batted an eye at the idea of someone taking his life. So, when he was sent flying over the edge and plummeted to a fall that would surely end his life, he was not afraid in the slightest. He would welcome death with open arms.
But suddenly…
"OOF."
… the golden knight fell hard upon solid ground with a hard grunt. Not taking a moment to rest, Lautrec immediately raised himself up on his elbows and observed his surroundings. It looked like he had somehow fallen on what appeared to be the back of Firelink Shrine. The knight's eyes then fell upon a woman kneeling on the ground inside a cage.
With a dark glint in his eye, Lautrec spoke to the woman.
"Well hello… dear keeper." Lautrec said in a low tone.
The golden knight then stood up from his position on the ground and approached the firekeeper's cage, with the keeper not even glancing up from her praying position.
The prophet could not believe what he just saw Petrus do.
Being much too far away to be affected, Oscar and Kaylen watched on as a large dome-like force erupted from the cleric's body and blew everyone off their feet.
The prophet was not surprised by the spell that was used. With his knowledge on Petrus, he knew that it could only be the Force miracle. No, the prophet wasn't baffled or confused about what attack was just done. What surprised the prophet was the absolute raw power that the spell held. A normal Force miracle only creates what appears to be a small bubble around the user, knocking over or staggering all enemies caught in the blast, but what Petrus just did created something more akin to a large dome, an unrelenting force that seemed to push back anything within a few meters. It was as if someone took the Force miracle and multiplied its power tenfold
"Jesus Christ." Kaylen said while keeping his eyes fixed on Petrus. Not even noticing the soul arrow that was heading straight for his merchant friend.
It was a good thing that Oscar was not so flabbergasted.
With all the speed he could muster, Oscar rushed in front of the grounded merchant and used his enchanted shield to easily defend against the incoming blow.
CLANG
The sound of the bolt slamming into the shield rang throughout Firelink Shrine, making Kaylen turn his attention away from Petrus and focus on helping Oscar. The sorcerer's eyes widened in surprise as he registered the appearance of the two warriors for the first time.
Then, taking a quick moment to glance across the battlefield, the sorcerer realized that both of his allies had been defeated. He was now alone, injured, and outnumbered.
Not giving him a moment to think, the prophet ignited both his hands into a roaring flame.
"LET'S GO, OSCAR!" Kaylen screamed as he charged forward, Oscar merely grunted and ran right behind his friend.
The sorcerer fired a soul arrow at the incoming prophet. The prophet grinned a bit as he dodged the attack. If this was the best the sorcerer had, then this fight would be over quickly. Right after he dodged, the prophet threw a single fireball at the sorcerer's face and his eyes widened in surprise as he immediately noticed the second arrow of blue energy that was coming for him.
SHLICK
FWOOSH
"GAAH!"
"FUCK!"
Two things had happened in that instant. Kaylen's fireball slammed into the sorcerer's face and the sorcerer's soul arrow stabbed Kaylen right in the shoulder causing him to stop and fall to his knees. The sorcerer then held a hand to his face and blindly began firing a multitude of soul arrows at the prophet.
"NO!" Oscar screamed as he jumped in front of the incoming volley.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG
Meanwhile, the prophet stayed on his knees grasping at the bloody wound in his shoulder trying to figure out what just happened.
"What the hell?" the prophet thought to himself. "He can shoot soul arrows rapid-fire? That can't be possible."
CLANG CLANG CLANG
The prophet listened for a few seconds as the arrow slammed into Oscar's shield one after another. It wasn't as if the sorcerer were shooting a machine gun, but he was firing at a much faster rate than a normal player would.
"Have all spells and miracles gotten an upgrade?" Kaylen thought to himself as he recalled Petrus's incredibly overpowered force miracle. "No. It's more likely that they get stronger along with a person's faith and intelligence. In any case, me and Oscar have to take this guy down."
Kaylen then waited for a moment behind Oscar. It was then that he noticed that there was a small lag in between shots. Since he knew that Oscar couldn't move because it would leave him wide open to attack, the prophet decided that it was up to him to finish this. So, after taking a quick swig of estus to heal himself, the prophet gritted his teeth, waited for his opening, and dashed out from Oscar's protection.
"RAAAHH!" the prophet screamed as he recklessly charged toward the injured mage.
The sorcerer barely had time to react as Kaylen quickly closed the distance between them, only managing to fire a single soul arrow which missed by a mile. As soon as he was within striking distance, the prophet stepped forward and delivered a powerful right hook to the sorcerer's face. He then kept the pressure going with a swift uppercut with his left. The sorcerer was dazed by the blows, but Kaylen knew that that wouldn't last long. He had to put him down with something with a little more kick.
"EAT THIS!" the prophet screamed as his summoned a fireball into his palm and slammed it straight into the sorcerer's body.
BOOM!
The Sorcerer was knocked right off his feet from the blast and fell flat on his back. As soon as he hit the ground, the sorcerer's catalyst flew from his grip as he placed one of his hands onto his chest, desperately trying to breathe. It was as if someone had forced the air right out of his lungs.
Seeing that the sorcerer was still alive, Oscar rushed forward from behind the prophet, slammed his foot on the sorcerer's back and raised his blade high into the air to deliver the killing blow.
"STOP!" a voice suddenly screamed.
Not expecting the outburst, Oscar halted himself mid swing and, along with the prophet, turned to what was the cause. What they saw instantly put our heroes' backs against the wall. Standing in front of them was none other than Lautrec. Except his armor was now stained with blood.
… and in his hand was a small soul that seemed to glow faintly with a golden aura.
Oscar didn't need to be a prophet to know what it was.
"You…" Oscar said as the reality of the situation struck him. "YOU BASTARD!"
Then, without thinking, Oscar charged straight towards Lautrec with the look of pure bloodlust in his eyes, ready to tear Lautrec limb from limb.
The prophet's fears have been realized. The firekeeper is dead and her soul now lies in Lautrec's bloodied hands.
Will Anastasia's soul be rescued? Will Oscar be able to kill Lautrec?
Find out in the next chapter of Dark Souls: Derp Saga.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Expect an update soon. I'm not sure if I did well or poorly on the fight scenes, so feedback is much appreciated.
(Puts on Smough's armor in preparation for the flames that are sure to come.)
*Special thanks to Antoine for beta-reading