HOLY CRAP, I AM SO FAR BEHIND WITH THIS UPDATE!
Guys, let me say that I am suuuper sorry about the incredibly long update time. I was gone for almost a full month dealing with military work. I actually had to work my ass off to get this chapter done, since I like to keep update within at least one month per chapter.
So know that this chapter was something that I tried to hurry, finish and get out here to you guys.
Got a bit of a surprise at the end of it that I hope you guys will enjoy. But first things first lets talk about...
A Few Comment That Caught My Eye
Tylermech66- so...harem? kinda? less harem more polyamory? (because that's a far rarer but more realistic phenomena in fanfiction)
My Response- I've gotten quite a few comments regarding the Prophet and the whole Reah as a Waifu thing. Which is a bit of a surprise as I didn't think many of you guys would pick Reah for something along those lines. But I'll be honest in saying that I'm not sure just yet.
Not that I don't think Reah has potential as a love interest, I just don't want the Prophet to catch a case of Kirito Syndrome, where every single female character falls in love with the guy because he's soooo great and heroic. That just seems so overused by other stories in my opinion and I really don't want that to be what the Prophet turns into. (Lol Not to mention that I still have to figure out how the heck I'm going to get Priscila in on the Prophet loving action.)
But I guess I'll leave it up to majority vote on whether she joins up or not. Since I actually really like the idea of a Priestess type woman eyeing the Prophet :)
Guest- Won't Velka just quietly indict Petrus so that he won't cause problems, he wasn't in phantom form but she does practically governs who gets to be haunted by blades of the darkmoon? Also sending Petrus in the wild without a talisman, are you sure he could survive?
My Response- That is a common thought that a couple of people have brought up to me. But keep in mind that this isn't following the rule of the normal Dark Souls game. The Blades of the Darkmoon are pretty much a shadow of their former glory, right now. Their man power and influenced has been diminished so to speak. I can't really go into detail about it right now without spoiling a few things I have in store, just know that there are more than a few reasons why indicting Petrus can't be done at the moment.
Also, regarding Petrus, I plan on doing a chapter to show just how much he's lost and how far he's willing to go to survive pretty soon. So don't think he's just going to go off into the unknown or anything.
Outl0ud- Nice to see this story is still being worked on but questions? What of the fabled ringed city at worlds end?
My Response- Slow ya role there, bro. Things regarding the ringed city and other little mysteries related to it will be discussed later on in the story. I've actually contemplated bringing it up when the Prophet goes to Anor Londo to see Gwyndolin, but not sure if it would be the right time to discuss ancient history like that so early on. But I'll definitely keep it in mind.
Well, I think you guys have waited long enough for this update. Hope you enjoy the read.
Warning: Supreme Gamer is not responsible for anyone who gets invaded or backstabbed while reading this story. You have been warned.
Traveling back to the Catacombs and towards his real body, one would assume that the Prophets return would happen almost instantly. One minute he would be in Firelink Shrine, the next he would be standing in a pile of bones somewhere deep underground.
But surprisingly enough, and to much to his own personal relief, returning back to his body was a remarkably blissful transition. Feeling as if he was in a sort of weightless free fall, the Prophets body felt as light as air as cool breeze of wind passed over his ethereal form and the whole world appeared to be shrouded by a thick fog before his eye's. As he felt himself becoming whole and forming once more, the Prophet could not help but wish for this weightless serenity to last just a few moments longer.
He would not get his wish however, as he quickly found himself back inside the looming darkness of the Catacombs.
"Prophet. Thank goodness." a feminine voice suddenly said, bringing the Prophet back to his senses. "You have returned."
Turning to his side, the Prophet was surprised to see the immense relief on both Reah and Vince's face. Though, even with seeing the look of reassurance that his presence brought to them, the Prophet could only give a tired sigh as he knew what they were going to ask next.
"They're probably not going to like what I'm about to tell them." Kaylen thought to himself.
"What in Gwyn's name happened to you? How could you just leave us here like that?" Reah said in a somewhat heated tone, though the prophet didn't mind it very much. It was easy for him to see that they both were both very much afraid that they had been abandoned without any warning, so he couldn't really hold her at fault for being little irritated with him.
"Sorry, an emergency came up at Firelink Shrine and I didn't have time to explain." the Prophet explained.
"An emergency?" Vince said. "What happened?"
"Petrus happened. The jackass made his way to back to Firelink Shrine and I was summoned to help deal with him." the Prophet said.
"Petrus..." Reah said, remembering how he bodyguard left her to die at the hands of the Masked Creature and how much the Prophet detested him. "I see. Then...does that mean that you have killed him?"
The Prophet took a moment to find the right words to explain things in as gentle a manner as possible.
"No. Petrus is still alive. Unable to use miracles and still sporting the most ridiculous haircut I've ever seen, but alive." the Prophet said in as casual a tone as he could manage. "Anastacia thought that he deserved another chance, so I only burned his talisman and told him to never come back to Firelink Shrine."
"So he still lives then. Good." Reah said, releasing a sigh of relief and even going so far as to give a small smile. " I had assumed the worst, but I am glad that you have proved me wrong in this, Prophet."
"Wait, your not angry about this?" the Prophet said confused, expecting some level of resentment for his actions. "Your just fine that he's just walking away? Even though he's responsible for getting Nico killed?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Prophet immediately regretted speaking them aloud as he saw Vince's eye's turned downward and Reah gazing at him with a somewhat hurt look in her eye's.
"Um...Sorry. That was crossing the line." the Prophet apologized.
Of course, between the two Clerics, it was Reah who was the first to regain her composure and find her voice, though she still held a slither of pain within them.
"It is fine, Prophet. I suppose that would only be the natural response considering what has transpired between us all." Reah said. "But as I said before, it was my fault that all of this happened in the first place. There is no other to blame for Nico's death but myself. I harbor no grudge against Petrus for his actions and will pray for his safety."
The Prophet held a stony gaze at this proclamation.
"What about you, Vince?" the Prophet said, turning towards the Ceric. "Do you forgive Petrus as well?
Vince did not raise his lowered gaze, choosing instead to only clench his jaw before answering Kaylen's question.
"I turned my back on Reah and Nico just as he did. No matter how remorseful I am, I cannot deny that I am just as much at fault as he is." Vince said lowly. "I have no right to condemn him to any extent."
The Prophet himself would be lying if he said that he understood why they were so content with just letting Petrus go. He wanted Petrus gone due to a mixture of a responsibility to prevent him from doing more harm to others and a natural hatred for his disregard for human life, but they actually lost someone, a childhood friend at that, because of Petrus's cowardice and are they're just willing to forgive him and allow him to leave?
"Alright. If that's how you guys feel, then I'll leave it at that." the prophet said before turning toward the open area where he knew the Bonewheel Skeletons would be. "Lets get moving. I want to talk to Vamos and get the out of here as soon as possible."
Without another word, the Prophet moved forward into the shadows to the Catacombs with the two Clerics at his back.
It didn't take long for one of the Skeleton Wheel's to spot the group, causing the Prophet to ignite a ball of flame in one of his hands, Vince to raise his shield and ready his mace and for Reah, who only held her talisman, to tense her body in preparation.
"There's only a handful of these things around down here, but don't think of underestimating them. One wrong move and you'll be ripped to pieces." the Prophet warned his companions. "When they charge forward, I'll knock them off course with my pyromancy. When I do that, Vince you finish the job with your mace. Reah, stay behind us and be prepared to deal with any injuries we might suffer."
With that said, almost as if on cue, the skeleton ran forward a few feet before leaping towards them and rolling at a surprisingly fast speed. Doing exactly as he said he would, the Prophet quickly threw his fireball at the incoming creature and watched as it exploded upon its body in a small hail of flame and sent it tumbling off course and onto its side. Where in Vince would rush forward and smash the monsters bones to dust, then retreat back towards the group.
This process was repeated multiple times with the Prophet moving forward a bit to attract the attention of one of the remaining skeleton wheels, then return back to the group, remaining careful not to go to far and attract the attention of the what appeared to be flying heads that held a glowing aura around them, if he recalled correctly they were called wisp.
After making sure that the area was clear, the Prophet walked towards what appeared to be a somewhat disturbed concrete wall that held a few old, crumbling pieces here and there, but still appeared tough enough that it would take a great deal of force to break it down. Listening for a moment, they could all clearly hear the faint sound of something hammering away a little further behind the wall.
"Here it is." the prophet said calmly. "We gotten get through here."
"The person you seek is beyond here?" Reah asked, assuming that this Vamos must be trapped and the Prophet is attempting another rescue. "Hmm, though this layer of the wall may be weakened, it is still to sturdy to be broken through by any means we possess. We must find another way to-"
FWOOOSH BOOOSH
Not even acknowledging that Reah was speaking, the Prophet immediately raised both of his hands and ignited them in a blazing flame, slamming them directly into the obstacle and blowing straight through it. Leaving Reah and Vince to stare at him with wide eyed wonder.
"Or I could just do that and save us a hell of a lot of time and frustration." the Prophet joked as he walked through the hole with Reah and Vince, after staring for a moment more, following behind.
Walking through the shadows, it was not lost upon the two Clerics that the hammering had suddenly ceased. Though from the small grin on his face, the Prophet himself did not seem to mind very much. That is until they all heard heavy steps coming towards them causing the group to stop in their tracks as what appeared a very large skeleton sporting a sort of beard made entirely of bones and a very weighty looking hammer emerged from the shadows.
Seeing the creature approach, Reah released a small shriek of surprise as Vince gasped sharply and raised his weapon. Though the Prophet appeared to remain completely calm about all of this.
Looking at the group, then towards the hole and then back towards the group, the skeleton spoke.
"Be gone, the lot of you." the skeleton said in a gruff tone, startling Reah even further, before turning its back to them and returning to a makeshift forge at the end of the hall. "You'll spoil my focus."
"Hey, come on, Vamos. Don't be that way, buddy." the Prophet said cheerfully, following behind the large skeleton and pulling all three of Pinwheel's mask from his satchel. "I just need some quick help with combining these things into a single awesome piece of equipment and I'll be out of your metaphorical hair."
Turning once again towards the intruder, the skeleton stared at him with hollowed eye's, causing an odd cold feeling to fall over the Prophets body, though it did nothing to wash away his cheery nature.
"How do you know my name?" Vamos asked directly.
"Heh, lets just keep it short and say that I have a tendency to know about people who are worth knowing." the Prophet responded simply. "So would you be willing to help me with my gear?"
Vamos's gaze fell upon the mask, then back towards the Prophet.
"What some smiting, eh? Then produce me some wares fit for the job." Vamos said plainly. "I can tell just by looking at them that those mask hold strong magic within them. I can break them down, but will need strong material to put them back together as one. Unless you can produce me such material, we have nothing left to talk about."
"Hmm...strong material, huh?" the Prophet said, putting a thumb to his chin in thought before a thought struck him. "I might have something that fits the bill."
With that the Prophet stuck a hand inside the Magic Satchel, retrieving a large glowing, blue stone.
"Snagged this chunk of Twinkling Titanite of a Crystal Lizard back in Undead Burg. Didn't think I'd find a use for it so soon though." the Prophet said to the blacksmith. "Is this enough for you to get started?"
"It'll do." the Skeleton said, holding out his hands for the items in question, which the Prophet handed over gladly. The blacksmith then put them all off to the side at his forge, turned back towards the Prophet and held out his hand once again. "I'll be needing payment for this as well. Lets say ten thousand souls."
"Ten thousand? For melting a few mask and putting them together?" the Prophet said surprisingly, knowing that that price was ludicrous.
"As I said, there is strong magic surrounding these mask. The work to break them down without destroying them or dispelling their magic is not something easily done." the Blacksmith explained.
"That might be the case, but personally having to provide you with the needed materials should definitely factor into this." the prophet said trying to barter. "Not to mention all the necromancers and other monsters that we had to fight to even get here."
"Hmm...perhaps..." the Blacksmiths responded, not blind to the dangers of the Catacombs and knowing that his forge sat at the heart of it. "What would you suggest for this work then?"
"Well...what if I paid your price, but in return you make me my mask and repair a few other items I have with me." the Prophet proposed. "There are only a handful of them, so this should be more than fair. Also, if you don't mind, I have a certain design that I want the mask to follow in its creation."
"Very well." Vamos said, causing the Prophet to smile and call forth the agreed upon souls from his person, of which immediately gathered in the skeletons hand and were then crushed and consumed. With his price paid, the Blacksmith quickly turned around to gather a few items from his smithy and prepare his work area. "Leave you items to the side, I will deal with them first."
"Thanks, Skele-bro. Glad we could reach an agreement." the Prophet said, pulling the Dragon Crest Shield, the Astora Straight Sword and the Murakumo free from the Magic Satchel and placing them on the wall at the side of the forge.
"If you have nothing left to say, then leave. Your presence disturbs my focus." Vamos stated bluntly as he grabbed the Astora Straight Sword to begin his work. "I will call for you once I begin the work on your mask."
"Not a problem." the Prophet said with smile as he walked back towards Reah and Vince, who refused to move beyond the opening in the wall. "Well, its good to see you guys had the rear covered."
"T-That thing was who you came to see?" Vince said fearfully.
"Well, that's kind of rude to say about someone." the Prophet laughed. "Hasn't anyone ever told you guys not to judge a book by its cover?."
"Its a massive, talking skeleton wielding a hammer inside a dark tomb." Reah said with a bit of aggression. "I doubt anyone saying that meant to include situations like this."
"Aw, come one. Vamos is a real nice guy once you get to know him." the Prophet said, still smiling. "Maybe a bit grumpy at first and hates it when people come around and "Disturbs his focus", but still a pretty alright guy."
"I think we'll just take your word for it and remain out here." Vince said as he and Reah both walked back just outside the whole.
"Suit yourself." the Prophet said following behind them outside the whole.
Knowing the only thing they could do now was wait for Vamos to finish with his weapons, the Prophet casually walked just outside of the collapsed wall and leaned on it exterior with relaxed ease. Reah and Vince choose instead to walk a small distance away from the hole and stand beside one another just ahead of the Prophet.
After about ten minutes passed, with only the sound between them being the slamming of Vamos's hammer at his forge, the Prophet felt the need to ask a few questions of the two.
"Hey, if neither of you mind, would it be fine if I asked you about the church?" the Prophet inquired. He didn't expect to have any encounters or dealings with anyone within or from the church, but he figured that maybe it could be useful to know a little more about things happening outside of Lordran. "Like what its current statues looks like at the moment?"
Both Clerics held a look of surprise at hearing this, but those looks soon turned to one's of despondency. It was clear to the Prophet that this was not a particular conversation they wanted to have. But before he could tell them to simply disregard what he just said, Reah spoke an answer.
"Its is difficult to say what the church is now. There is scarcely any order left within its ranks. The only direction its leadership seems to concern itself with is the disposal of undead and ensuring the safety of the remaining nobility. As I'm sure you can imagine, the situation is becoming worse by the day." Reah said lowly. "With what it used to be, it hurts to know that it has fallen apart when everyone needs it the most."
"Doesn't anyone see that the church is failing them?" the Prophet asked with his arms crossed. "There has to be people who what to see change."
"Of course people want to see change, Prophet. There is no shortage of those who are tired of the way things are." Reah explained. "The problem now is that there is no clear solution for dealing with the undead curse. People turning on the church right now would do nothing but rob them of what little leadership they have left."
This caused the Prophet to give a raised brow.
"You surprise me, Reah." the Prophet said honestly. "Even with everything you've lost, even after knowing the truth about why they sent you here, you still care about the church?"
"Just because I have refused to follow the orders given to me, does not mean that stopped caring for the well being of Thorolund or the church." Reah said with conviction. "Indeed, I care so much that I believe drastic action is necessary for it to be saved."
"Saved? With all the damage its done to you and who know how may others, do you really believe the church is worth saving?" the Prophet asked seriously, looking the Priestess directly in the eye's as he spoke.
She didn't hesitate for a second in answering him.
"I do. Though I can see how someone born outside of it might think otherwise." Reah exclaimed with full honesty. "If we cast aside the Church, then the only thing we will have done is given a new face to an old problem. We will have learned nothing from our mistakes. What people need is stability and the church needs a new purpose."
"And what should that new purpose be exactly?" the Prophet asked, very curious as to what Reah's answer might be.
"A dedication to what is truly important. Instead of sending undead away to be killed in a pointless endeavor, the church should be a light that brings others together." the Priestess exclaimed. "If the curse is held at bay by maintaining a strong will, then what better way to combat it than banding together with your fellow man and helping one another through all of this?"
At this, a slight smirk came across the Prophet face as he spoke his next words.
"Heh, that's sounds pretty idealistic of you." the Prophet said, somewhat mocking a what a certain goddess said to him not long before.
At this, Reah's eye's took on a look of determination.
"Does it? I do not believe this goal so unachievable." Reah exclaimed resolutely, her gaze not faltering from the Prophets own. "You may laugh and mock me if you wish, but I know that the first step to fixing things should be for us stop discarding others and to stand as one."
Hearing these words, the Prophet could not stifle a small laugh that escaped him.
"Heh, very interesting. That's twice now that you've managed to surprise me, Reah." the Prophet said with a smirk. "Never thought this might be a path your character might take with just a little interference."
"My..character?" Reah said confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't worry about it. It's nothing you have to worry about." the Prophet said dismissively. "But if you really plan to make a difference, there is pretty much two big issues that'll stop you. Luckily, you're talking with the only man in the world who knows the solution to these problems."
Hearing this, Reah and her companion both perked up slightly, eager to hear what the Prophet had to say next.
"And what problems would those be?" Reah asked curiously.
"Well, the first problem would be trying to gather a number of people under the name of peace and friendship alone." the prophet said. "People will want more than companionship. Many of them will want protection, something too fight for and, most importantly, to stay human. If you want to start to bring people together, I'd start with gathering as much humanity sprites as you can and find a place to keep them secure from thieves. Once we get out of here, I can point you in the right direction to gain both of these. Honestly, if you have the patience, gaining humanity isn't that difficult a task."
Hardly believing what she was hearing, or rather the ease of which the Prophet spoke of it, Reah could only give a small nod of her head, while Vince could only watch on in silence. How was it that he could speak of what most would call impossible as if it was something that anyone with the inclination could achieve.
"And the second problem?" Reah asked after finding her voice.
"The second problem is trying to form anything under the face of the church." the Prophet said. "With the way things are, their reputation is set in stone with most undead travelers. So I'd suggest building something separate from them, become the new piece on the board as it were. You'll have a clean slate and a chance to prove yourself without their reputation holding you back. If you somehow gain the trust of others and manage to build something noteworthy, then you can probably link back up with the Church later down the road if you really want too."
"You propose that we form an alternative sect separate from the church?" Vince said in astonishment at the thought of such an action. "But that..that-"
"That could work. If we use humanity as a sort of material to maintain stability among us, we could build something wondrous." Reah said as a smile started to form across her face. "But what would we even call such a faction?"
At this, a smile that seemed to raise the spirits of both Reah and Vince alike graced the Prophets lips as he spoke his next words.
"Well, since you want to want to be a something that works in the churches name similar to the Way of White, I think the name should be something in their honor." the Prophet said honestly. "How about calling yourselves...the Way of Blue."
Hearing this declaration, Reah could not hold back the joy she was feeling in her heart right now. Moving forward suddenly until she directly in front of the Prophets person and speaking in an excited tone.
"That is an incredible idea!" Reah said happily, actually grabbing onto the Prophets person. "The three of us could build things from scratch, gather up our numbers and rebuild. It will take time, but with you at the head, surely we could do so much to help the world and-"
"Nope. Sorry. Can't do it, Reah." the Prophet interrupted in a casual manner, leaving Reah with the most stupefied look upon her face.
"W-What?" the Priestess said, baffled by what she just heard the man in front of her say. "But you just said you would help us."
"And I will help you. I'd be more than happy to use my foresight to help you guys gather humanity, but I can't be the one to lead what you build. That path is for you two to take without me." the Prophet explained with a smile. "My destiny lies with something a bit more important."
"Wha-? But...what could be more important than forming something that possibly save countless lives?" Reah asked.
"Well, not to make a big deal about it or anything, but..." the Prophet started, already imagining the look on their faces when they hear his next words. "I'm putting an end the undead curse."
At this, both Clerics looked at the Prophet as if he had just declared himself to be a flying purple cow and they both seemed to hold these looks until...
"Hey." Vamos said calmly from the other side of the hole, gaining absolutely no reaction from either Vince or Reah. "Your weapons have been repaired. If you wish to speak on the making of your mask, then come now."
With that, the gruff skeleton walk back towards his forge.
"Whelp, you guys heard the man." the Prophet said, walking through the hole as if he didn't realize the looks he was receiving. "We can talk more about building your new little group once we get back to Firelink Shrine, okay?"
Not waiting for a response, the Prophet proceeded to follow Vamos inside the tomb, leaving Reah and Vince to figure out if they just heard him correctly.
"3..2..1..." the prophet thought to himself as he walked away.
"WHAT?!" Reah and Vince both screamed at the same time.
"There it is." the Prophet laughed without looking back.
STAY THY HAND, DEAR READER!
Just gotta put down a few little comments to straighten a few things out for you guys.
Firstly, as you guys just saw, Reah and Vince will be on their way with creating the Way of Blue. I search around for a bit and couldn't really find much of anything that shows who started the whole covenant, so I thought that this would be a fun little way for them to make their way in the story. But where they go and how much they effect the overall plot is something that I will leave open for debate.
Secondly, I want to say that I am completely leaving the idea for Reah as a Waifu open to you guys. So if you want to see what Reah behaves like when she's interested in an unpredictable guy like the Prophet, don't be afraid to let me know. Kinda wondering what the general consensus is on this.
And lastly, I have gotten a whole hell of a lot of PM's for what the new mask should look like and I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to about two of them. But if you guys have any idea's for a mask you want to see the Prophet sporting in this story, be it from a game, anime or movie, then feel free to let me know.
Alrighty, that's all I got for all you guys this time.
As always, review and tell me what you guys thought of this chapter. I'm always looking to improve my style of writing, so don't be shy in telling my your honest thoughts about how things are going so far. Outside opinions will have a huge effect on how this story will play out.
This is Supreme Gamer, Signing out.
P.S. I love how many people have suggested Ichigo's hollow mask as something the Prophet should make. I can literally imagine how some characters might get freaked out when seeing that and the Prophets back flames together. XD