Funny enough, I was able to interact with Kale, as the moment I approached him, his head turned up at me, "Oh? A Soldier of Godrick?" he questioned me, his tone turned curious. Too bad the player's character wasn't anywhere near for this interaction to be seen, but I suppose the guy would see me talk to other npc's some other time. "Never expected one of you lot to speak with me."

With my sword sheathed on my back to show I meant no hostility towards the merchant, I nodded down at Kale, "I've forgone the lord, and found service in another, a Tarnished that I saw potential in." I answered Kale, as I took a knee to talk more directly face to face with the man, resting my arm on my knee as I conversed, "But let's skip pleasantries, I am aware your own lot are merchants. By chance do you have a crafting set available?" I questioned Kale, I was able to earn quite the few runes from fighting that Tree Sentinel boss.

Kale 'hmed' before answered as he stared directly back at my face, "I would assume the tarnish you speak with, was the one that just passed through here not long ago, but yes, I have a few crafting kits on me to sell." He turned a bit to reach behind him and turned to hold a crafted kit out.

"Ah, good." I remarked pleasantly as I pulled out from my pockets a hundred few runes, "For your troubles, good sir." I offered, as Kale nodded back and took the runes before handing the crafting kit off to me, before I stood up to take me leave, "It was good business with you sir, but I must be off now, duty awaits me!" I proclaimed, before taking off at a brisk pace from out of the church.

"Same to you." Kale called after me, his voice trailing off the further off I went.

It was now growing dark into the night as I left the church, allowing me to see the player's character resting at the grace before the Stormgate as I reached the top of the hill. Melina was already disappearing after handing off the spectral steed to the player, before the barbarian stood up and whistled into his fingers to hop and sit atop Torrent.

"All right, let's get-oh shit, he's already here!?"

As I approached the stormgate grace, my head turned toward the character as he hopped off from his steed and approached me as I stood beside the grace. A prompt popped up once the character reached me.

"I'm actually curious, chat if there's a special event here, if Sir Willem is about to fight his way up through here!"

The prompt for the player that I could see for myself as well, showed 'Are you planning on going through here alone?'

"Dudes! I soo want to fight alongside this guy now! I want to see this guy fight through here with me! I can collect the flask upgrades and runes later!"

I nodded at the player's character once the prompt was selected, "Ah, are you worried for my sake by chance, tis heartwarming you are slightly worried about such a thing!" I responded to the player, "By Dawn, I shall head up through here! Old allies be damned, I shall make sure to fight past my enemies and wait thee to help you challenge your first lord!" I declared boisterously.

"Okay, now I got to see this!" The player announced, before controlling his character to sit and rest.

I didn't witness the time change at all on my end, which meant time was pretty much very different for me; course that also made me question what's it going to be like when the player rests at a grace while I'm still fighting enemies…I'll most likely experience it eventually.

Waking up leaning against the stone wall, I had seen fit to rest my eyes, and now the sun was peeking over the horizon, waking me up before the character stood up from the grace. Grunted a bit as I felt the weight of my armor as I stood, it wasn't long before the player's character stood up.

"Alright, it's day time! Let's do this!" The player announced as he controlled his character to approach me.

A prompt appeared in front of me once the barbarian reached me, saying 'I'm going with you.' The player selected it, making me nod.

"Hail my lord Tarnished! Tis a wonderful thing! I look forward to charging up this hill with you!" I announced with boisterous fervor while pulling out my greatsword from the sheath on my back, "To arms my lord! Let no enemy find purchase in our offensive charge!" I followed up bellowing out, before sprinting off around the wall and through the entrance to Stormgate. "HEEYAAH!"

"YO! Let's fucking go!"

Already, the soldier took notice of me and the player's character, while the giant from above roared before taking a leap from off the overhanging pass, "By the might of my lord and the strength I hold within myself, stand aside or be felled!" I yelled in boisterous Fervour.

"I'll get these stupid crossbow guys up ahead, hopefully Sir Willem can last long enough!"

While the troll giant landed in front of me with another roar, the barbarian ran off past me and the troll to take care of the ranged enemies, "You take care of the Archers, My lord! I'll hold this blasted troll off!" I acknowledged the player's choice of stratagem.

"Nice! He's programmed to tell the player to take care of the ranged enemies first!"

While the player began making quick work of the crossbow enemies and others, the troll stomped his foot down where I stood, making me dodge roll and swing my greatsword up in retaliation. Blood leaked from where my blade struck, but earned no reaction from the Troll, "I shall fell you like a tree, and cleave your head off!" I yelled.

"Okay, only a few more ranged enemies, and I can get back to Sir Willem!"

The Troll roared as he slammed his arm down at me, I parried the fist aside with a loud 'thud' of my sword parrying the fist aside, making the troll trip a bit forward, "A measly fist of a beast of your caliber, don't make me laugh!" I yelled, and swung my greatsword at the outstretched arm, earning more blood to leak from the Troll, but still earning no reaction from the Troll.

"Alright, that's all of them! I'm coming over Sir Benard Willem!...No, Chat, we really should use his full name! He's like a fucking hype man!"

The Barbarian ran up behind the Troll and jumped-attacked the back of the leg of the beast, making it finally falter to its knee. The Troll roared as it reached back and pulled its own weapon from off its back.

"Do your worst, Troll!" I yelled as the troll swung its stone sword weapon at the Barbarian, who was controlled to roll through the attack, "Keep his attention, my lord! I shall Climb upon its wretched back, and peirce its hide!" I announced with fervour.

"Dude WHAT!?" I heard the player scream in a somewhat giddy voice, "Fucking dude wants to go Shadow of the Colosus on the troll! Let's keep the troll's attention!"

While the Barbarian rolled through another attack, he followed up his roll with an attack at the Troll's ankles. The Troll roared as he began to stomp at the player.

"By the grace of my lord!" I announced as I ran up to the back of the Troll, and leapt up to grab a mop of the troll's back hair, "I shall smite thee!" I yelled as I pulled myself up onto the troll's back and shoulder, to which the Troll tried to reach up and grab me, only for me to swing my greatsword at the offending hand, "Begone foul beast!" I yelled as I held my greatsword up above my head, and pierced it down into the skull of the Troll.

"Why's he going so fucking hard on this?! Fucking poggers chat!"

A little part of me dies each time you use that cringe shit.

The troll roared in pain with blood gurgling out its mouth, before it fell to the ground with a resounding boom, its body dissipating into runes while I landed without worse for wear. I nodded and charged off up the hill with my greatsword held at my side, "Come, Tarnished lord! We shall finish off the rest of these pitiful foes!" I hollered as I ran up the hill where there were more soldiers.

"Oh yeah! There's more up the hill! I almost forgot with that crazy troll fight!"

Running up the hill where there was a ballista and a few more other soldiers, one of the soldiers shot their crossbow at me, making a bolt fly at me while a soldier ran at me with his own sword and shield pulled out, "Hurrah!" I roared as the bolt pierced into my shoulder, pain shooting up from the wound but ignored it as the soldier with the sword and shield swung his sword at me.

While I blocked the strike with my greatsword, a metallic thud echoing off in the process, the Barbarian was already running past me and towards the crossbow enemy. While I pushed the enemy soldier's sword off from me, I saw the ballista from afar already being pulled by its trigger to shoot at me. I quickly stepped forward to grab the enemy soldier by the shoulders, and pushed him into the path of the ballista bolt heading for me.

"Holy shit! Did he just use the enemy to block the ballista bolt! What the hell is this guy chat!"

The soldier I pushed into the path of the ballista bolt was sent flying forwards past me, while I charged forward and the Barbarian ran past the crossbow enemy he killed. The both of us ran around the ballista before I made it first after the character was walking to presumably recover his stamina.

As I ran and reached the enemy soldier manning the ballista, I swung my greatsword down at the soldier, "Begone to the Erdtree!" I yelled, striking the soldier down while making him yell in pain from being killed on the spot.

With the rush of the skirmish over, I stood beside the ballista to rest my greatsword down and stab it into the ground and lean against it a bit.

"That was so freaking awesome!"

Shortly after, the player character stepped over to me with a prompt coming up for me, saying 'so now what? Will you be okay from here?'

I nodded at the player once it was selected, "Hail, my Tarnished lord. There should still be a shack up ahead, I shall head up there and rest. Might I recommend you scour these lands though? I know of rumors of a special flask in a church east of here. It might aid thee in your future." I recommended.

"Damn, that's awesome. He even works as a small guide of sorts!"

I pounded my chest with my fist on my chest, "Twas a great battle, my lord, but excuse me." I said, before taking my leave. While I headed up, the barbarian whistled into his fingers, before hopping onto his torrent; the sound of hoofs trailed off as the player headed the other way.

"Well chat, since he gave me his finger to summon him for bosses, let's see if his sign will show up before boss fogs or inside the boss arenas."

I'm curious as well, considering I did the same thing as Igon, and gave the player my finger for him to summon me.