Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-14138255-20170320024103/@comment-14138255-20170609184625

 Chapter 10: The Long Road   

 Pyrrha’s vision was blurry and her head was numb as she walked down an asphalt road in Vale, now abandoned except for the packs of Grimm rushing past and covered in fog, which helped accentuate the glow of the occasional fire. The streets were littered with strewn trash and debris from buildings, and every so often the body of one of the many innocent people caught in the attack on what was considered a safe place away from the darkness. Despite the omnipresence of the Grimm and her own very present dread, Pyrrha could only shamble forward through the ruined roads. She began to near her destination, which turned out to be the docks, where the woman who killed her, Cinder, was standing, looking to the horizon. She looked back and smiled at Pyrrha as though she were a friend with a mischievous prank in mind. When Pyrrha approached her, she raised her arm and motioned to the spot she was looking at. “ Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Pyrrha didn’t see what she was referring to at first, until, through the fog in the distance, she saw something: a large mountain with…

She recognized it: the city of Mistral, the twin mountains covered by buildings and lush with plant life. Home. It was beautiful, but for whatever reason Pyrrha couldn’t be anything but worried, the dread gripping her still having not gone away, like a shadow gnawing at her spine.

At that moment, Cinder spoke again, with words she only vaguely remembered from that day. “As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is...equally undesirable.”

She then turned from Pyrrha and raised her hands to the air, the dragon Grimm flying down from nothingness and towards the image of Mistral across the horizon. As it gained distance, a wind came from behind Pyrrha, causing her to turn around. The city and sky of Vale was crumbling and fading as a wall of noisy blackness swept through and swallowed everything. Cinder smiled at Pyrrha from the base of the dock and continued to do so as she too faded into it. The wall finally caught up to her only hearing the faint roar-

 Of a dragon, which was faint and originating from Lothric Castle, which loomed over over the dead kingdom. Pyrrha’s eyes jutted open once more, having rested in the abandoned section of the Settlement where she and Siegward had fought the Fire Demon, only Siegward had gone, having left a cup of Siegbrau where he was. Pyrrha looked at the cup and sighed exhausted and dejectedly picked it up.

Using the bone Greirat had given her, Pyrrha had gone back to the last bonfire she rested at, making her way back to the tower. Although expecting the Giant to bombard her like before, but the missiles that were shot from the tower hit the cemetery, landing everywhere but where she was, Pyrrha guessing the Giant resolved to helping her after their brief talk. The hollows dealt with, Pyrrha continued back to the tower. Upon examining the lift, she recalled the need to activate the lift to use the lift to get down to the lower levels. After some messing with the lift, she went onto the platform and descended.

The ride was much shorter than the ride going up, and on reaching the floor an odd chill reached Pyrrha’s skin, almost familiar. It then occurred to her, it was like the same chill as when she encountered that beast on the High Wall, except much fainter. As she continued through the room, she found a strange creature lying in icy mist in a room filled with pillars, some chipped as though hit by a strong object. The creature appeared to be similar to the creature on the High Wall, except far smaller and carrying a sword rather than a mace. It was injured, and was missing an arm, which was nowhere to be found. Pyrrha readied her weapons and cautiously began to approach.

Suddenly the creature rose and bellowed, and prepared a fighting stance as best it could despite its pain. Suddenly it began to speak. “Ashnun” it said in a deep, pained, and gurgling voice, as though it was slowly forgetting how to speak.

Pyrrha looked puzzled. “I’m sorry?”

The creature continued however, possibly unaware of Pyrrha’s confusion. “Ponnif speak’ dee…” it pushed out as much as it could while circling Pyrrha, staring through the pillars as Pyrrha tried to keep in front of it. “Kill, kill dee, r’turn, live” it tried to say, before rabidly shaking its head and roaring.

The armored beast launched itself at Pyrrha before leaping into the air and slamming it’s sword into the ground and sending Pyrrha back into a pillar with a searing cold covering her shield arm. Despite its wounds, the beast was still ferocious. It swung and slashed, with Pyrrha only just being able to block, having little recourse in the room of pillars. Just as it was going to finish her, she redirected the blade and stabbed at the beast’s neck, sending cold across her sword arm. The blow, combined with its earlier wounds caused the creature to fall and disappear into light, as the frost surrounding it remained.

Pyrrha briefly took a moment to drink her Estus before pondering what the being had said. ‘Who was “ponnif” and why did...they, want her dead?’ was a question that came to mind. She began to wonder why it was wounded and who wounded it to begin with, before remembering Siegward had come from below the tower when she first arrived. Chances are it had a run in with him.

Without any solid answers, she continued on, out at the entrance of a forest, with a bonfire before its mouth.

 After resting awhile at the bonfire, she began to explore the woods. They reminded her of the Emerald Forest where the Beacon initiation took place, in the sense that it was certainly scenic, but unmistakably deadly. She knew however that unlike the forest back home, the beasts here had more teeth if what Eygon had said was true. She walked forward and looked around while walking on the path. Up ahead, she saw a carriage, crashed and broken, with no sign of any driver or occupant. It was either attacked or fell apart and was abandoned. Given all she saw of this land and it’s inhabitants, she figured the former and got her sword and shield ready.

At that moment, a loud shrieking came from the hill behind her, where rested a tree and a path leading out. By the tree was a strange and horrifying creature, humanoid in shape but covered almost entirely in mottled feathers and sported empty eyeholes. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any more gruesome looking, it doubled over in pain and from it’s back it bloodily sprouted raven-like wings. Pyrrha began to dash toward it, but in mid run was blindsided by another one, wielding a knife. Knocked to the floor, Pyrrha was stabbed in the side by the bird-creature, which she drove off with a couple of panicked swings. After getting up, more of the birds came and began to surround her. Pyrrha attacked one of the ones in front of her immediately, trying not to get surrounded, but there were too many to take account of at all times while also fighting, and the birds then slashed and stabbed ferociously. Falling on the ground, they continued to attack as Pyrrha cried out in pain and agony before falling silent.

Pyrrha awoke with a start at the bonfire before the woods, still shaken from her latest death. This time she remained ever vigilant, tentatively approaching the broken wagon again. She looked to the corvid she first saw the last time, which didn’t notice her, and quickly ran towards it. By the time it noticed her approach and sprouted it’s wings again, she was able to kick it, which sent it falling off the cliff the tree was was resting on this whole time. Within seconds she heard the other corvids converging on her. She quickly ran from them and went through the darkened path under a stone archway, stopping abruptly when she saw a stone bridge leading out, guarded by more of the things, which had just seen her.

Pyrrha turned and saw the corvids had caught up to her, and attempted to fight them off, starting with the ones behind her. Before one of them could attack her she bashed it with her shield before attacking the other one while it was stunned. It managed to block, but Pyrrha followed with a kick and quick stab. The corvid she bashed had recovered and tried pouncing on her back, but unlike in the graveyard, she was prepared and flipped it over her using its momentum. She moved to finish it, but the corvids from the bridge made their way to her. One with a staff stood on a hill looking over the bridge and the corvids, and screeched, causing more to climb out from under the bridge. As Pyrrha was seeing them approach, the corvid on the ground pushed her away and, using its wings, started relentlessly slashing at her with its feet. Pyrrha instinctively backed away from the assault, trying her best to block, but she backed up to the edge of the cliff. Noticing the danger, she tried repositioning to avoid it, but the attacks from the corvids came to fast and she fell into the ravine below screaming, ending with a crushing impact at the bottom.

Pyrrha steeled her gaze and got up from the bonfire. There was a way out, she just had to make it past the horde of corvids before her. She prepared and when she felt she was ready she made a bee-line to the bridge. The corvids were initially surprised, but chased after her. As she approached the bridge, the corvids were immediately on alert. The corvid with the staff, instead of shrieking as before, blew a cloud of purple mist at the bridge, not affecting the corvids standing guard. Pyrrha tried to dodge the corvids, but in doing so passed through the cloud, which was noxious and caused her to become queasy, hindering her dash. The bonfire was dead ahead however, but the corvids struck at her, causing her to slow from staggering. This chain reaction of interruptions caused the corvids to dog-pile on her and send her to the ground. The attacked again and Pyrrha waited for death to claim her as before.

‘ So close…’ she thought to herself.

At that moment they stopped, but the cloud as well as her internal bleeding was finishing her off anyway. But she was hearing something. Clanking of metal on stone and the grunts of a battle.

“ Horace, hold them off! I’m getting her to the fire!” a voice cried out, distorted by her shifting pain. She began to fade out though and her vision dipped into blackness.

“ Hey easy, are you alright?” a familiar voice whispered out to her.

“ Uh?” She muttered as her eyes fluttered open tiredly. Jaune was standing over her in her bed in the JNPR. It was late, and Jaune was using his Scroll’s screen as illumination so as to not disturb anyone with the flashlight. He faintly smiled as she lay there, but she still faintly felt pain that she couldn’t explain well.

“ Are you ok? You were tossing.”

Pyrrha was unable to focus somehow, whether from being tired or the pain, only being able to lightly articulate. “Hurt...dying...tired” she managed.

“ Don’t worry, you can make it. I believe in you Pyrrha, you and I know you can do this.”

Pyrrha’s vision began to blacken again, only being able to mutter in agreement.

 Pyrrha’s vision slowly returned, and her dimmed limited vision saw a shadowy figure in some armor, with the silhouette of a shield resting under his arm. “She’s waking up, we did it. Are you alright?”

“ Jaune?” Pyrrha muttered in a fog, still waking up from her unconsciousness.

“ I beg your pardon?” the figure asked, confused as to what she meant. Pyrrha’s vision brightened and cleared. The figure was a person clad in partial-plate armor, the chainmail shirt covered by an intricate and beautiful surcoat. The arms were protected by plate pauldrons, the shield arm covered more extensively and with a plate gauntlet. On his head was a simple but knightly close helm, which obscured his face.

Pyrrha blinked and shook her head, her senses having come back to her at last. “Ah-uh I’m sorry. Just a mistake is all” she chuckled, somewhat embarrassed.

“ Well, it’s you’re safe. The Road of Sacrifices is dangerous to walk alone, as those Corvians had shown you. I am Anri, a knight of Astora, and this is my faithful companion, Horace.”

Pyrrha managed to relax a bit more. “I am Pyrrha Nikos,” she said and turned to Horace, who was standing still with his arms folded and facing Pyrrha’s right, not glancing at her. His armor, in contrast to Anri’s armor, was simple and almost crude, being a simple round cuirass with plated greaves and gauntlets, as well as a stark and oval-shaped helmet with only eyeholes being notable. “Thank you for helping me out there” she said gratefully, but Horace simply turned his head and stared what seemed like daggers at her.

Pyrrha withdrew the hand she extended, feeling unwelcome, but Anri quickly interjected. “Oh forgive me, Horace isn’t very talkative. But don’t think ill of him, he’s a kind-hearted knight and a fine partner on this gruelling journey. Speaking of which, do you too seek the Lords of Cinder?”

“ I am actually.”

“ Well we are well along the Road of Sacrifices, we are making our way to one such lord now. You could come with us if you’d like.” At this, Horace turned and grunted at Anri before glancing at Pyrrha. Anri put a hand up to reassure him before looking to her again, “what say you?”

Pyrrha immediately nodded in agreement, not wishing to continue further without some help.

Anri immediately stood up and nodded in enthusiasm. “Splendid, may the flames guide our way.”

“ Before us is the Crucifixion Woods” Anri motioned with his hand over a cluttered swamp with land covered in small wooden crosses and trees to the left and a large sea of knee deep swampland to the right, also covered in trees. Anri’s hand curled into a point and moved to the swamp. “Beyond the flooded woods lies Farron Keep, home of the Undead Legion,” Anri explained, he turned his hand once more to the dirt path. “Further yet is the Cathedral of the Deep” he had said before finally turning to Pyrrha, “we seek the Cathedral, home of the grim Aldrich” with solid determination. They nodded and started moving, with Horace in front with a torch. “Remain vigilant. The Crucifixion Woods is filled with hollows and lycanthropes, and before we get to the steps of the Cathedral we must contend with the Crystal Sage that has made its home here.”

As they kept moving, Pyrrha pondered what was the purpose of the myriad wooden crosses in the ground were, and eventually, the curiosity got to her.

“ What is on your mind Pyrrha?”

“ What are those crosses for, on the ground?”

Anri hesitated, trying to form an answer. “The crosses, if I must guess, are used by the locals to restrain undead on the verge of hollowing, ensuring they don’t go mad and attack anyone.”

“ And they are just...left out here?”

“ Or they’re picked up by the Cathedral as they pass by here.”

Pyrrha thought back to the Undead Settlement, with the cages filled to the brim with bodies and corpses. “That’s where they’re taking them, to the Cathedral? All those people from the settlement?”

“ Yes…” Anri said, almost pained.

“ Is there any hope for them?”

Anri paused for a long moment before finally giving his answer. “No one who enters the Cathedral leaves it, one way or another.”

Pyrrha’s head sank once more, but raised again when she heard something. Up ahead, past an arch along the path.

As they approached the arch, they saw several bodies of hollows gripping sharpened wooden poles like impromptu spears, all strewn across the ground, along with a horrifying creature with elongated arms and legs, a cross chained to its back, and an elongated maw lined with sharp teeth, whose body was slammed into the stone wall of a fort. “I think we know why we haven’t been ambushed by the hunters” Anri dryly remarked. He then looked inside the building the lycanthrope was crushed into, all the occupants also being variously strewn about.

“ What could possibly have been strong enough to do this?” wondered Pyrrha aloud.

“ I don’t know, but hopefully whatever did this has moved on and left us a clear path. We should keep our guard up.”

 The trio continued and moved through the derelict fort, across the bridge past more bodies and small chunks taken out of the floor, possibly made by a blunt object.

The pathway to the Crystal Sage that Anri had mentioned was lined in more of the crosses from the woods, and up ahead was a large wall of fog, similar to what Pyrrha saw before fighting Gundyr.

“ A fog wall, a great power must be behind it. This is it. Is everyone ready?”

Pyrrha and Horace nodded their heads, fully behind Anri.

“ Whatever happens, we keep each other alive. May the flames guide us.”

With a breath they waded through the fog. They passed through and saw a stone floored square from used to be various rooms and corridors, since decayed. However, nothing else occurred in the room after several minutes, leaving an air of apprehension and confusion amongst the party.

“ MMmm?” Horace grunted, looking around quite nervously.

Anri looked around as well, but more restrained in his utter befuddlement. “I...don’t understand, the Sage was said to be here, the Cathedral was said to go around it whenever possible.”

Pyrrha tried to be helpful in finding an answer, “maybe it was just a myth, to prevent people from journeying to the Cathedral?” she positioned, still completely at a loss.

“ No no, that can’t be it, I could have sworn... What has become of the Crystal Sage?”

Just then, a woman’s booming voice came from the exit out of the Cathedral, which was still covered in fog. “Seek the soul in search of answers, Anri of Astora.”

Anri’s head immediately snapped to the exit and he became deadly silent. Out from the fog came The Evangelist, the same one from the Undead Settlement, smiling smugly at the trio as she walked to the head of the arena.

“ You!” Pyrrha declared, blood suddenly becoming hot from her experience in the Settlement.

The Evangelist however rolled her eyes at her indignation. “Yes indeed, me, child. If you must know about the Crystal Sage’s being, it has been dealt with by the Cathedral. A blasphemous creature last loyal to a blasphemous king. It was only a matter of time you see.”

Horace readied his halberd, completely silent. Anri was ready to fight too. “Regardless, all you’ve done is make our job easier.”

The Evangelist blinked and pulled her head back in genuine amusement. “Oh truely little Anri? How be that so?”

“ We are going to the Cathedral, we will slay all who reside in it for their horrid atrocities against the flames and the innocent people of Lothric, and Aldrich for his. You will not stop us!”

The Evangelist’s face twisted into malice and stepped forward slightly. “While it is quaint that you believe you can accomplish such sacrilege, I cannot allow you to even try. If you three will not submit to Aldrich, you will be cursed forever!”

Horace charged first, causing The Evangelist to turn her head and immediately swat him away with her tome. As she did this she muttered a sentence of inarticulate words, before pointing the spine of the tome at Anri, sending a spiralling dark missile at him. Anri and Pyrrha split off in different directions to flank her. As Anri stopped to his position, he turned to see the the spell heading his way and immediately raised his kite shield to block, only for the Evangelist to pivot use the momentum to swing her long-mace at Anri, sending him off balance and onto his back. Pyrrha took this opportunity to twirl and slash at her. The Evangelist however was reading from its text calmly, though clearly in pain. Just then, her body burst into flames and immediately turned around. Her arms outstretched, she embraced Pyrrha, roasting her in copious flames, which made her shriek in agony as her skin and armor burned. The Evangelist threw her down onto the ground in a heap, though still alive, her pyre flickering out.

The Evangelist smiled at her victorious quarrel. “I may be but a humble preacher, a voice for my saint, but I will guard his rock with all my power and strength. And lo, my power is great.” She then hummed another hymn from her book, surrounding herself in a shield of faint, foggy shadow.

The three managed to steadily get up and raise their weapons once more. The Evangelist smiled once more, eager for the challenge. Pyrrha lead this time after taking a sip of Estus, and when the Evangelist brought her mace down, she raised her shield up to give Anri and opening, who thrust at the Evangelist. After a grunt of pain, she bashed him away with her book, but left herself open to a swing from Horace’s halberd, pushing her back. Pyrrha then swiped down and struck her, but infuriated by being beaten back, The Evangelist bashed her in the stomach with her tome, knocking her down and taking the wind out of her. Anri bashed her with the shield however, and the three continued to push the Evangelist back. Her blocks, while successful and quick for her weaponry, were beginning to tire and annoy the Evangelist and eventually she had enough, slamming her mace down and sending wave after wave of dark missiles at the three. They blocked at first, but the number was too great and after taking many hits they fell to their knees drained.

The Evangelist’s posture became more relaxed and she made her way to a wounded Pyrrha, who was trying to reach her Estus flask, which had fell out of her hand in an ill advised attempt to heal. “I realize in my haste to do my duty, I failed to acquaint myself with you child. What may I call you before I bestow the saint’s judgement?” The Evangelist cooed in a condescending tone.

Pyrrha stood up, weak but defiant, and glared at the Evangelist. “I...am Pyrrha Nikos, I am from Mistral, and I will come back until they get to the Cathedral and make you pay for all the horrible things you did. I will not let the darkness win” she said simply and sternly.

The Evangelist exhaled an amused breath from her nose and quickly glanced at Anri, who was trying to stand up as well. “Such a naive girl. The power of the deep, of the Abyss, cannot be stopped. I am not familiar with this ‘Mistral’ you speak, but I know for a fact that it too will be consumed in its loving embrace, and bring the sweet silence we have awaited for all time. I shall see you again Pyrrha Nikos.”

The words pained Pyrrha, reminding her of her dream, but she continued standing. The Evangelist quietly raised her mace above her head, ready to finish her. A sudden boom from behind her caused her to stop however and she turned around to see what it was. It was Eygon, with his enormous hammer/mace, rising up silently from his drop down to the arena. The Evangelist paused in confusion for a second, but smiled and went for him with her own mace. He swung and caused the Evangelist’s weapon to go the other way as she staggered from the change in direction. Eygon swung again, this time to hit her, and the Evangelist dodged and blocked another swing, but the impact made her stumble, the next hit causing her to fly to the ground, her mace rolling from her hand in shock. Eygon slowly walked up to her, and when she tried to cast something from her book, Eygon brought the hammer down on the arm holding the book, cutting it off from the body and sending the book’s pages to fly outward, as the Evangelist shrieked. It was unknown if it was for the arm or the tome.

The three from the original party healed up and went to the Evangelist, who was still alive, yet holding on barely to life.

“ We’ve won here, and we will end this terror you and others of his ilk have brought upon Lothric” Anri stated to the dying Evangelist.

The Evangelist simply laughed, clearly thinking the whole thing to be a farce. “Oh my, you haven’t the faintest clue have you? Look at the three of you. I can see none of you have any time left.” The three looked to each other, Pyrrha at herself as well, not seeing any change to herself besides her gear being somewhat worn from her travel. “Sooner or later, the curse will take you, and you will have nothing to turn to when the end comes. You will not know the deep’s salvation from the hell that is your lives, which will strip the best parts of you until there is nothing left. I would wish upon you Aldrich’s forgiveness, but that would be insincere. Hehehe.”

After her final chuckle she finally shook and collapsed, dying of her wounds. Pyrrha stared at her body and looked to Eygon so she could thank him, but he was already gone, possibly having left as soon as he had lay the mortal wound upon her.

Anri also looked at the Evangelist’s body and then to the exit from the Road of Sacrifices. “I know. We both knew. I would gladly suffer that if it meant we found peace for all the victims.” He then turned to Pyrrha. “I understand if you would wish to stop and rest, but we cannot. I am grateful for your help however, and it would be remiss of me to not ask you to join us again. Do you still wish to go with us?”

Pyrrha turned and nodded. “Yes. What she said didn’t matter. I want to see you defeat this Lord of Cinder, to know that the dark can be defeated.”

The two turned to the exit of the Road of Sacrifices and the entrance to their destination.

“ Then we go to the Cathedral of the Deep, and Aldrich.”

 '''Author’s Note(s): Got this chapter done and with (some) time to spare. What a twist eh? Wouldn’t that have been cool? A buffed up Evangelist that fights you until you get to the Cathedral? How many saw that coming? So no it isn’t an exact novelization, but I hope it was still entertaining. Let me know if something is lacking at all (I felt quite rushed getting this out on time unlike the last time, which resulted in manly tears).

So I might have lied about the Fallout fanfic (I feel like that baby isn’t ready yet, I really want to know I can do it justice), but I definitely want to do some other fic to distract me in a constructive way for a change (maybe StarCraft, that’ll be easy to get material for).

As always, I’ll see you at 12 PST on Fridays.'''  