BEHOLD, I HAVE RETURNED!
Finally, the next chapter of the story is over and done with. For those of you wondering why the hell it took so long for me to update, it's because my baby sister broke my laptop while I was at basic training, so I had to wait until I was able to by a new one. (What can ya do, bros?)
But anyway here's the next installment of the Derp Saga.
Hope you guys enjoy.
Warning: This chapter may cause readers to experience large bouts of "The Feels." Please read with caution.
The sorcerer watched with heavy trepidation as the pyromancer and his friends approached him. Feeling his heartbeat quicken with each step they took, the mage scrambled for something to say that might halt what was surely about to be his final moments.
"L-Listen, boy-I mean sir, what happened to your keeper was not my fault." the sorcerer pleaded desperately. "It was all Lautrec's idea. I swear, I wanted no part in-"
"Shut up." Oscar said sharply, his voice low and seething with hatred. "We don't want to hear any of your lies."
At this, the sorcerer gave a slight whimper before doing what he was told.
With the mage's pleas effectively silenced, the prophet stepped a bit closer to his prone form and crouched down to one knee. Then, looking directly into the man's fearful eyes, the prophet spoke in a calm, yet threatening tone.
"Alright, asshole. I know there's only one person in all of Lordran who could have had that key, and I don't have time to play games, so I'm only going to ask this once." the prophet said in a serious tone. "What have you done to Domhnall?"
"What?" the sorcerer said in a confused tone. "I-I don't know who-"
FWOOSH
A new layer of fear entered the sorcerer's body as two fireballs appeared, one in each of the prophet's hands.
"Maybe you didn't hear me?" Kaylen said in a threatening tone. "I said I don't have time to play games."
"G-Gone. He's gone." the sorcerer said, overwrought with panic.
"No shit. I know he's gone; I'm asking where he is." the prophet demanded to know as he stood up and allowed the fireballs to burn a bit brighter. "Did you kill him?"
"N-No, he ran away. I know not where he went." the sorcerer said with his eye's switching from the prophet to the balls of flame in each of his hands.
"How did you get the key from him?" the prophet demanded.
"My compatriot and I, we ran into him in our search for Lautrec and attempted to..." the sorcerer then paused for a moment, as if he was stopping himself from saying something he shouldn't. "… acquire some supplies from him."
It didn't even take Kaylen two seconds to figure out what he was hiding.
"Acquire supplies, my ass. You robbed him." the prophet said before getting back on his feet.
Glaring at the sad excuse of a man lying in front of him, the prophet had to close his eyes and take a deep breath before willing away the fireballs and giving himself a moment to think.
"So Domhnall is still alive. Good. If he got away, then there's a good chance that he'll still be in the depths when we get there. But how the hell did this even happen? First Velka makes an appearance, now Domhnall has a run-in with Lautrec's bodyguards? Why are things suddenly changing? Better yet, are there any other changes I should be worried about?"
The prophet had no more time to think on this as Solaire suddenly asked the obvious question that was on everyone's mind.
"Prophet, who is Domhnall?" the warrior of the sun asked.
The question caused the prophet to give a slight chuckle.
"He's just an old explorer and one of the few people in Lordran who's not out to stab you in the back." the prophet explained. "He sells uniquely powerful weapons and armor that would help us out a lot. Not to mention that his knowledge about the land is a little beyond the norm."
With everyone's focus off of him for the moment, the sorcerer swallowed nervously and spoke up.
"O-Okay. I told you what you wanted to know." the sorcerer said. "Can I leave now?"
Kaylen turned towards the mage with the look of annoyance on his face.
"We're not done here yet. There's still one thing that I want you to tell me. Answer truthfully and maybe you'll walk out of here alive." Kaylen said.
"Y-Yes. Anything." the sorcerer replied, eager to take any lifeline he could get.
The prophet's next words were spoken with an odd mixture of hostility and curiosity.
"What do you know about Fina?" the prophet questioned.
There was a slight pause as between the two as the prophet waited in anticipation for the sorcerer's response. Fina, though indirectly, was just as responsible for Anastacia's death as Lautrec was. The prophet was confident that if he had even the slightest bit of information, he could identify just who she was and how to deal with her.
"I… don't know much of anything about her." the sorcerer responded simply. "Lautrec never shared any real information regarding who she is or what she wants."
Oscar's face darkened in anger under his helmet at what the sorcerer's words implied.
"You're lying." the prophet said as he felt his anger start to rise. "You must have been told something. I know you didn't just help Lautrec out of the kindness of your heart."
"He only showed us the power of the ring that she blessed to him. It allowed him to fight harder and more fiercely than any warrior I've ever seen." the sorcerer explained. "He promised that if we aided him in taking the soul of a firekeeper, then she would grant us power just as great as his."
The prophet's jaw clenched in anger at being denied any useful information about who Fina was, but whatever anger he felt paled in comparison to the seething hatred that Oscar was feeling.
"You son of a bitch." Oscar said as his body practically shook with rage. "Are you telling me that you helped that bastard kill Anastacia… and you don't even know why?"
"W-Well, I-"
SHIING
No longer able to stop himself, Oscar unsheathed his sword, raised it high above his head, and without hesitation of any kind, sent his blade down upon the sorcerer's unprotected form, ready to deliver some well-deserved justice.
"WAIT, NO, PLEASE!" the sorcerer screamed loudly before raising his hand forward, as if he meant to catch it with his bare hand.
SHLICK
Oscar's blade cleaved through flesh and bone, leaving the sorcerer with an eviscerated, bloody stump where his hand used to be and the feeling of unimaginable pain.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" the sorcerer screamed as he grabbed the wrist of his severed hand. "AAAAHH-"
SHLICK
The mage's screams were quickly silenced as Oscar mercilessly thrust his blade through the man skull, ending his life instantly.
It only took a moment more for the sorcerer's corpse to dissolve into souls and flow into Oscar's body, giving him the feeling of disgust and revulsion at have any part of the vile mage's essence within him. Leaving behind nothing except a ring that held multiple different silver keys.
For a time, not a single person said anything as Oscar took a few breaths and sheathed his weapon. Then, after giving his rage a moment to subside, he picked up the small array of keys, turned towards the prophet, and spoke.
"Forgive me. I know my actions may have just cost us valuable information." Oscar said, handing the keys out towards the prophet. "But I could not stand to hear another word from that bastard's mouth.".
Strangely enough, the prophet had mixed feeling about what he just saw. There was no question that he believed that the sorcerer should have paid for what he had done, and he, too, was outraged by the man's ludicrous reasons for wanting to help kill Anna, but watching a person scream and beg for their life be cut down in such an inhumane fashion… gave him pause.
"No. He deserved it. There's nothing for me to be conscience-stricken about." The prophet thought to himself, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling he was having, before speaking to his friend.
"It's fine, Oscar. There's nothing more we could have learned from that guy anyway." the prophet said quickly waving away Oscar's word and accepting the master key. "Besides, with these keys, we can save a whole lot of time and effort. But that comes later; right now, let's just not waste any more time and go bring Anna back."
"Right." Oscar agreed.
With that, all four warriors turned and proceeded to walk towards the worn stone stairs that would lead to Anastacia's prison.
It took them no more than a few moments to reach the bottom of the stairs and stand in front of a large hole that had rusty iron bars blocking off the entrance. The only difference being that behind the bars now lay the unmoving body of a woman dressed in dirtied, blood-stained robes.
"Anastacia…"Oscar whispered softly, feeling as if he should have done more to prevent this.
Not wanting to bear the sight of this for another second, the prophet willed the soul to appear in his hand and approached the bars of the cell, taking a kneeling position so he could put the soul in contact with her body. Not saying a word as the small ball of light seemed to take on a will of its own and slowly began to gravitate towards its owner's body, its light washing over her entire being before fading away into nothingness.
"Come back to us, Anna."
Bright.
The first thing that she realized as she slowly opened her eyes was that everything seemed so unbearably bright.
"Wha…?" She questioned softly as she slowly began to lift herself off the ground.
Allowing her vision a moment to clear, the woman came face to face with a man dressed in tattered rags sitting in front of her cage.
"Welcome back to the land of the living." the prophet said with a broad smile on his face.
The Keeper looked at the man in wonderment as she remembered exactly who he was.
"You…" She said in a low tone, before her hand flew towards her mouth in surprise. "My speech… how?"
"It's an effect to being brought back to life." The prophet explained. "Your body's been completely restored."
Anastacia took a moment to let the prophet's words sink in, recalling the man in the golden armor and her untimely death. Turning her gaze downward, she then spoke in a soft and understanding tone.
"I see. Thou retrieved my soul and used it to revive me." The Keeper said "I thank you, sincerely. Now I may continue my duty as Keeper."
"Don't worry about it, Anna." the prophet responded. "I was glad to help."
It was then that Oscar stepped forward and spoke to his friend.
"Prophet, is there some way for us to free Anastacia from this prison?" Oscar asked earnestly.
"Well, I did have the idea of using a spell called Acid Surge. Its purpose is to destroy armor and weapons, so it should be able to melt through the bars without harming Anna." The prophet explained. "But it's all the way in Anor Londo. Its gonna take a long time for us to get it."
"To hell with that, prophet." Solaire said in an adamant tone as he stepped forward. "If the only thing standing in our way is but a few rusty iron bars, then I am more than capable of handling it."
"What?" Kaylen said, confused by Solaire's words.
Not bothering to explain, Solaire placed his sword and shield on his back and approached the bars that held Anna prisoner. Then, taking a moment to roll both of his shoulders, placed his hands side-by-side on two different poles causing everyone, even Anastacia, to look on in uncertainty of what he was about to attempt.
"HGRRR!" Solaire grunted as he strained with all his might to pry the iron bars free.
"Sir knight, please, stop." Anastacia pleaded. "You will only injure thyself."
"Solaire, I know you're strong, but those bars are grafted into the side of a mountain. You can't just pull 'em-" the prophet started.
CREAK CREAK CREAK
"-out?"
CREEA-CRASH
Dirt and rock suddenly shot from Anastacia's cell as the two bars that Solaire held onto suddenly broke free from the rocks that held them in place, causing the Sunlight warrior to fumble backward and nearly lose his balance. Though it was only the two bars alone, the rest staying implanted in their respective spots in the mountain, the hole that was left behind by the two was more than big enough for the firekeeper to escape.
"HA, HA, HAAA." Solaire laughed loudly as he held the bars above his head in a victorious manner. "LET ALL NON-BELIVERS KNOW MY POWER!"
Everyone has different reactions to the absurdity of what they just saw.
"What ridiculous strength." Oscar sweat-dropped.
"Ha, glad he's on our side." Siegmeyer laughed.
"Note to self, Sunlight Maggots. Must. Die." The prophet thought making a mental note.
With the cell now housing a large hole, there was nothing to stop Anastacia from simply leaving her prison. So the prophet found himself more than slightly confused when she made no move to do anything of the sort. Choosing instead to remain firmly planted where she was.
"What's wrong, Anastacia?" The prophet questioned. "You're free to go now."
The Keeper didn't even have the courage to look the man in the eye as she spoke her next words. Choosing instead to once again turn her gaze downward to the ground.
"Forgive me, but… I believe it would best if I were to remain here." Anastacia said in a remorseful tone.
"What? But… why?" Oscar said, unable to comprehend why she would make such a decision. "You no longer have to suffer alone in this prison. Why would you want to stay?"
At this, while still looking towards the ground, Anastacia placed both her hands together, assuming the position of prayer and spoke.
"I truly thank you for all that you have done. But someone such as I am unworthy of such effort." The keeper said solemnly. "Please, if you have any heart, leave me be. I wish not for you to waste any more of your time."
She knew how ungrateful she must have sounded. These men no doubt went through great strife to retrieve her soul and revive her, but after being here, caged like an animal for so long, any hope or expectation for something better had long since died. Even with freedom standing right in front of her, she just didn't have the will to reach out and take it anymore.
"It's better this way." The keeper thought to herself. "There's… nothing waiting for me outside this cell anyway."
Saying these words to herself caused a small lump to form in the keeper's throat.
It was then that the prophet approached the keeper's cell, got on one knee, and spoke in a quiet and gentle tone.
"Anna… you shouldn't say things like that about yourself." the prophet said. "Someone as kind and caring as you are is more than worth every second of our time. I understand that, after being here for so long, it must be hard to hope for anything more, but you shouldn't just stay here and give up."
With each word that came from the prophet's mouth, Anastacia could feel the lump in her throat grow larger and larger. He seemed so committed to helping her, to make her feel like she was worth something… to make her hope again, but it begged a single question that she could not help but voice.
"Why… why do you care so much about me?" the keeper questioned in a sorrowful tone.
At this, a small comforting smile came across the prophet's face as he reached out and using his thumb, gently raised Anastacia's face so they were both looking into each other's eyes.
"I care because you mean a lot to me, Anna. And if you let me," the prophet said as he raised his hand in front of her, inviting her to take hold. "I can show you that you don't have to be alone anymore."
As Anastacia looked at his smiling face and eyes that held no trace of deceit or treachery, she could not stop a lone, single tear from falling down her cheek.
"This man…" Anastacia thought as she ever so hesitantly, raised her hand to his. "This man makes me want to hope again."
With that, she placed her hand into his and allowed him to help her to her feet, stepping out of her prison for the first time in what felt like a millennium.
Then, no longer bothering to hold back any emotion she felt, she wrapped her arms around his body in a firm embrace, as if she was afraid that he might suddenly disappear and leave her alone once more. At that moment, as she held him close, she felt as if she had no worries, no doubts, no fears. But above all…
… she felt safe.
Alright, dear readers, before you write any sort of review, I just wanna have a quick word.
This chapter marks the official end of what I like to call "The Scrub Saga." From here on out, things are gonna get intense, which means a lot of character interaction and story developments are headed your way.
(Just wait till you see what I got in store for Reah and her gang. And god, am I gonna have soooo much fun with the Velka sections.)
Anyway, I'm not really sure I made the right choice with letting Anna out the way that I did. I originally planned to wait until they got to Anor Londo but that seemed like a looong ways off.
Please review and comment honestly to let me know what you guys think. Remember, your opinion has a huge effect on which way this story will go.
This is Supreme Gamer. Signing out.
P.S. If you wanna invade Farron Keep, you're gonna have to get through me!
*Special thanks to Antoine for beta-reading