Chapter 1: A Dead Trespasser
I watched as the trespassers phantom formed... I saw his face, he was a Melfian Magic Warrior, he showed fear... But I knew this guy all too well, after all, this IS the fifth time that I killed him... I laughed as he readied a homing soulmass spell, his tactic failed the last time and now he is going to repeat it... I pointed at him, then took my thumb and moves it gently across my neck.... I could've sworn I heard the sound of an ass puckering.
The terror on his face was.....obvious... But it wasn't because of the past times I killed him, its because of my terrifying appearance. I was often called the Turtle Knight among the Rat Kings Knights because I wore a chestplate that the Iron Clad Knights wore, I raised my Black Knight Greatsword and started towards my enemy. The room was filled with water, as my hunting ground often was..... Although I never understood why Doors of Pharros had a water filled floor, I never questioned the Rat King for I knew my place. The water slowed my movement, but it also slowed the trespassers movement aswell. I chuckled when he went on the offensive, charging me slowly with a rapier. I stayed wary of the point because it would pierce my armor, and soulmasses, if he was lucky, would finish me off. All he would need is one good hit. But it was easily blocked when he attacked, for the shield I took from Pate the Bastard blocks really well, and my good friend, Creightons helmet is lighter and allows me to see more than the Iron Clad Helmet, but the point is I knew where to turn and block at the right time. At this point the Primal Knight joined the fighting, but was slowly inching his way to the battle. I slammed down my shield and thrusted my greatsword at the enemy, but he doesn't know how to fight as the attack I made left me wide open but he kept his guard up during my recovery phase. I laughed.
"You don't have to do this." He said. He sounded particularly young.
"The Rat King demands it." I retorted. His whimper was obvious.
"Submit to me and I will make it quick, draw this out and youll suffer a slow death by both me and the primal knight." I said, gesturing to the knight slowly making his way to the trespasser. He didn't submit to the higher power.
He began to go on the defensive, only a fool would do that in water. At least in my opinion its a fool thing to do. I became more aggressive the longer he lived.. Although I couldn't explain it... At the soulmasses he had dissipated when backed against the wall. I began to laugh a very evil laugh... As if I enjoyed it, which I did but never showed it... The battle joy and blood thirst took over before long because his continuation of life angered me... I wanted him dead... In the name of the Rat King.... His blood would satisfy what my thirst wanted.... I began to laugh uncontrollably when I pressed my attack.. My attacks got heavier.. More deadly.... and more bloody... I began to try and put these thoughts out of my head as these are signs of the Brotherhood of Blood influence. If I fell under their influence, the Rat King would exile me, or worse. My Iron Clad leggings clinked through the water. My Engraved Gauntlets felt frozen to my arms as the cold water began to reach to my waist. The Magic Warrior decided to break the siege on him and rushed me, knocking me down with such force I could not remember, he tried to decapitate me, but I parried the attempt with my gauntleted arm and clocked him in the groin. He grunted with extreme pain. I knocked him off my prone figure and attempted to find my sword as it was knocked from my grasp, once I found it I looked up to the Primal Knight fall, a bunch of soulmasses got him. I said a silent prayer for him. Then I attacked. He must've found his arm as he parried my attack with his buckler, and attempted a riposte, which I dodged. Then I knocked a tooth out as I slugged him. He hit me back, which turned his hand into a bloody mess as he cracked open his bones and gave him multiple lacerations. He screamed in anger and agony as he attempted a overhead swing, which was futile as I grabbed his wrists that held his sword, he dropped his buckler a few minutes before. I grabbed his wristed and applied pressure, after long enough he let go of his sword and I half-nearly ripped his arm off. But instead I just yanked him to the floor. I was breathing heavily.
"Mercy...." He begged in an out-of-breath tone.
"No." I said." What is your name?" I demanded.
"Why do you care?" He asked.
"Respect."
"T- Trevalyyn." He whimpered.
"Trevalyyn." I echoed. I drew my short sword out of its scabbard and looked down at him. He was scared... young..... dead... He knew it too, he accepted his fate.... But he wont die permanently... I never understood why he couldn't grasp that... Maybe he was going hollow? No one deserves that... I began to push my thoughts away as the Rat King demanded Trevalyyns death... And so I obliged.... I swung down with the sword, I could hear the sickening crack of his skull... I could hear his screams... His skull was thick and his helmet didn't help my sword either.... I slashed deeper... Blood staining my boots, contaminating the water, and quenching my swords thirst. I slashed even deeper, and then finally his screams ended... I sighed a weary sigh as I could never bear to hear screams of my victims... I grasped the hilt of my sword and attempted to unsheathe it from the mans skull.... It wouldn't budge. I tried harder, and even for all my strength, I could not pull it out. I sighed once more and picked up my greatsword and walked towards the bonfire.... Its flames called to me.... And all I wanted was a nap.... A nice respite....
My Estus Flask clinked around in my pocket.
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Heavy breathing was all that let Glimmering Sunset know that he was alive.... She doesn't know where she is, and its dark... Really dark. All she remembers was waking up in a forest, her equine body replaced with... an apes body. She had hands... feet, a slim body.... She had no fur or tail... By looking down she was able to deduce that she was, in fact, still female. She was relieved when she found out she was still female, but what was she? When she stood up all that happened was falling over, she wasn't used to being bipedal... And where were her hooves? They were replaced with bony skin strips.... With tiny scales-like things near the tips.... She stood up again, this time gaining her balance, and started wiggling the skin strips.... She mastered her control over them quickly. She noted an evil looking red circle on her burnt sienna skin.
It didn't take her long how to learn how to move her new legs.... It was easy, one bony thing after another. It was quiet fun. But soon she left the light of the moon, and journeyed into darkness.. Her glee of learning how to move in her new body was soon replaced by terror as darkness engulfed her. She could see nothing, nothing but darkness.... She never liked the dark... Ever.. She ran back into the light of the moon, which seemed to be focused only into one place... She felt safe there.... It was safer there than stumbling off a cliff or into a rock. She sighed a deep sigh as she had nowhere to go, and sat down and leaned back onto a stone pillar and closed her eyes so she could think....... Minutes past and she began to hum.... Her red hair, which was cropped, started to feel the wind... The cool air blowing through it felt good on her scalp, and soon her body. She opened her eyes.
"Where am I?" She asked to no one. This question just kept popping up in her head. Over and over, where am I? Where am I? Where am I? it just kept repeating.
A noise in the darkness interrupted her thoughts... The cold air suddenly turned warm... And out of the darkness, kindling rolled towards her... And a jar was thrown from the darkness, smashing right next to her, a red butterfly flew out and landed on the kindling... Strange noises began to come from the void that is the dark. And terror began to fill her mind... She grabbed the kindling, and in her fast motion, the butterfly exploded, lighting the kindling, and knocking Sunset back. She saw light, fire, bright flames.... She saw salvation.
She felt safe with the fire, she felt happy looking at it.... But she caught her own eyes and quickly reached for the torch and grasped it. Noises began to become louder.... And her fear began to overtake her warmth... She ran.
And something was chasing her.
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It was bliss, the sleep. With the comforting warmth of the Bonfire, and the sensation of fulfillment, I was in heaven.... I barely even noticed the kick to my head...Still I felt it.
"Get up!" A burly voice sounded.... I knew that voice too, it was my friend... Jeremy. A fellow knight in service to our king... The Rat King.
I woke up and looked at him.... I could see the fear on his face for my appearance frightened even my king.
"What do you want Jeremy?" I asked in an aggressive tone. I had to keep appearances.
"Its not what I want... Its what our king wants.... I see the blood on your leggings.... How was it?" Jeremy asked.
"Glorious. It was a good fight... A rare kind of fight. He bled like a pig though. Yet I thirst for more." I said cruelly.
"Ahahaha that's the Jack I know!" He said, calling me by my nickname.... They called me Jack because I was terrible at cards.
"Yeah... Trevalyyn was his name. And now he is undead once again."
"Hmph.... Alright, well to get back on topic.... The Rat King summons all of his Knights.... There has been an attack, and the rat town is in ruins.... Many defenders, humans and rat alike, were slaughtered. And the vanguard lies dead.... His blood smeared on the wall, and words written in the blood... But were unintelligible.... The king fears its a threat on him and is getting ready for war." Jeremy said... I replied with a stare.... and anger began to fill my mind. And he sensed it.
"Before you knock my head off, remember your place, earsling. Remember that lad you killed "on accident"? Don't make the same mistake again, or you wont ever die as an undead again...." Jeremy threatened.... I was dueling with a new recruit once and he damaged my shortsword, which now lay in the earthwork of the Doors of Pharros. When he damaged it, I went into a blood rage and decapitated him... He was one of the few humans that were not undead in the Rat Kings ranks.... I was apprehended and held for murder, but was acquitted since I was the Rat Kings favorite, now I live on probation and Jeremy has to watch me every now and then.... I grunted in agreement with what he said....
"Are we to gather now?" I asked.
"Yes. You may teleport with the bonfire or walk... I don't care as I have to walk and tell the other knights.... Want to come?" He asked.
"No."
"Ok.... Seeya there." He said. He turned away and walked off... I swear I heard the sound of fighting not long after.
I then looked at the bonfire and grunted, reached for the flames.... And dissipated into the air.
I was on my way to the Rat King.
