Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-14138255-20170320024103/@comment-14138255-20170707185504

 Chapter 12: Aldrich Faithful, Deacons of the Deep   

 Ludleth sat as he always did on his throne, dutifully waiting until the task came to link the first flame. The long days, that had since turned into years, had been dull and uneventful, which had been a small price to pay for the peace that existed in Firelink. There were worse ways to go hollow: madly searching for a loved one who could not be found no matter how hard a person searched, being tortured and killed time and again, wandering aimlessly forever. By contrast, Ludleth always felt staying in a safe place, surrounded by friends and allies, that was a much preferable fate for the countless hollows that wander Lothric. However, when it came to people like him, for those with a duty and will to achieve it-

“ Excuse me, Ludleth?”

Ludleth turned her head to the right, seeing the outsider, Pyrrha Nikos, standing near him, constantly rubbing her left arm, which was stained red for an unknown reason. In his musings, he must not have heard her approach. “Ah, Ms. Nikos, it is good to see you again. What brings you here, back to Firelink?”

“ I was just returning for supplies. I found new companions and we were going to continue on to the Cathedral when I came back.”

“ I can tell this has been difficult for you, it’s good your resolve has not wavered. But...there was something you wished to say?”

Pyrrha slightly lowered her head and went to the edge of Ludleth’s throne pedestal and sat down, staring intently at the bonfire below while holding a piece of paper. “It’s...nothing in particular, exactly. Just all these different things, ever since I got here. The companions I meet on my journey help me and push me forward, but I still feel so...trapped. I still can’t shake off what happened in my final moments, what should have been my final moments. I can’t help but feel I failed everyone, that I failed.”

“ Failed in saving your world?” Ludleth candidly asked.

“ ...Yes. It haunts my dreams, it never gives me peace. No matter what I do, and no matter who I meet, I still feel so guilty having failed in something I was destined to do.” Pyrrha cried out, her voice cracking and near the verge of tears.

“ And you help us because of this?”

“ I don’t know.... I hope that, by helping save this world, I can prevent the same catastrophe affecting mine. But, I admit there is a personal reason. My friends, my family...I didn’t mind dying for the sake of keeping the world safe, but I only ever said goodbye to one, the one I cared about most. I just want to see them again.”

Ludleth remained silent, quite moved by her words. He finally looked to her. “I know the feeling, and I have known those who have known it better. But we keep fighting because it is what we must do. Even if it seems futile, even if the world conspired against us, we do it in the hope our people can thrive in the First Flame’s warmth and civilization can return.”

Pyrrha paused, collecting her thoughts and adjusting herself after pouring her heart and doubts to Ludleth. Then, a pressing thought finally manifested itself in Pyrrha and she turned to him in earnest.

“ Ludleth, do you believe in destiny?”

Ludleth tilted his head, puzzled by the frankly vague question. “Whatever do you mean?”

“ When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life. That no matter what happens, no matter if you were ‘meant’ to do it or not, you can achieve the things you strive for. I held this until the moment I died. I wonder...what do you think?”

Ludleth was stunned and remained eerily silent, staring into space.

“ Ludleth?” Pyrrha asked, somewhat worried by Ludleth’s silence.

Ludleth’s head snapped to her again, having been brought back to reality. His longing expression gave way to a warm smile, evidently having been listened to every word Pyrrha said.

“ I don’t believe I have met anyone so much like myself until now” he smiled.

 When Anri opened the door, a small breeze blew past the trio from inside the Cathedral, which prompted Pyrrha to cover her nose. There was a strange humidity to it, yet the stream was cold and had a cocktail of various oders, primarily of decomposition. It was like opening a tomb.

“ Just the way we left it” Anri darkly quipped before they entered, walking on a red carpet, ahead to a balcony that overlooked the entire inside of the Cathedral. Pyrrha took the opportunity to move and shuffle her hair about, not being used to wearing it this long. The inside of the Cathedral was completely different to the outside, margins more colorful and ornately decorated, the walls engraved and carved more beautifully than outside, with the shadows helping accentuate them than in broad daylight. In the middle of the Cathedral hung four impossibly ornate chandeliers, with countless candles, all hanging from the rafters and the ceiling above.

As beautiful as the whole Cathedral looked, it still radiated darkness from its halls, and the air was supernaturally cold and biting. The whole place had a strange blue mist in the air, and Pyrrha heard a strange breathing noise. Anri walked ahead to the edge of the balcony and looked down, with Pyrrha following his lead. Below them was a giant similar to the one in the Undead Settlement, curled up and sleeping in a swamp of deep, green sludge.

“ Ah good, it’s not awake yet, that means we can slip by” Anri said, evaluating the situation. The three walked into a hall to the left, in the middle of which was a strange puddle of slime, which seemed to shiver and ripple. “Just keep moving, go around…” Anri said cautiously, as though not wanting to disturb it. As they slowly walked past, Pyrrha looked at the slime, realizing on closer inspection that it was moving and appeared to have bones and other strange objects jutting out from it. Pyrrha couldn’t help but stare at it as she walked along, the implications racing through her mind. Through a dining room and down the steps from a statue depicting a crying, shrouded figure with a growth in its back, they stopped at the doorway, beyond which was a path that ringed across the side of the Cathedral they came from, all in close range of the giant, still asleep.

They slowly began walking down the steps to the walkway, but their attempts to not wake the giant were for naught when its hand raised up and slammed down next to them, the three looking up at the giant in surprise.

“ We should run!” Pyrrha exclaimed.

Horace hastily nodded in agreement and they all three started running quickly. Two hollows stood ready to fight them near the first corner, but they didn’t slow down. “Keep moving! Stop for nothing!” Anri cried out, and the three ran past the hollows, who were crushed by the giant’s fist as it came down. The giant then swept its hand across the stone surface, as though it were sweeping dust off a counter. The strong gust of wind managed to knock Pyrrha off balance and cause her to fall down, quickly scampering back to her feet in order to keep up with Anri and Horace.

They quickly went around, dodging and running past the giant’s swipes as they came before spotting a doorway out. Running as fast as possible, they blitzed forward, past other hollows that tried to strike, with Pyrrha diving through just as the giant slammed its palm down before the doorway, causing Pyrrha to crash through onto the ground, thankfully on the other side.

Anri and Horace helped her up and she brushed herself off. “Well that was...exhilarating. Let’s hope we don’t have to do more of that.”

“ Yes. The giant should fall back to sleep with nothing to attack. We should keep moving.”

They walked through the halls and rooms, past an area resembling a chapel, but clearly better taken care of than the Cleansing Chapel, which looked to have been abandoned for years. Past another room with a lone chest in the center, Anri sternly told the others to keep moving, somewhat shaken. Recalling her own experience on the High Wall, she suspected the chest was another one of those duplicates...and that Anri had an unfortunate run in with them. The longer they were there, the longer Anri talked of the Cathedral’s dark details, the more worried Pyrrha became for Anri and Horace.

‘ What in the world happened to the two here? Could they have been sacrifices? Or worse…”

Pyrrha didn’t dwell on it, and the last thing she wanted to do was to bother them with such things. The fact that they didn’t tell her everything seemed to have been, for once, for her benefit. Whatever happened to them, it pained them so much that they refuse to bother anyone else with what occurred.

Further down the stairs, they finally exited out to the ground floor, back in the atrium. The entire middle it seemed was flooded in clear, ankle deep water.

“ There, that’s where we need to go.” Anri said, pointing at the balcony above them to the right, separated by a large, gate-like wall. Oddly enough, the gate had several large openings they could easily go through, causing Pyrrha to question why have it at all. Then Pyrrha noticed the giant, resting in a lake of slime and sewage beyond the gate, with a set of staircases just behind it.

“ We aren’t going that way are we?

“ Not if we can help it. I think I do know of one other way to the chamber where Aldrich is. If we-.”

Anri stopped abruptly and Pyrrha immediately went on alert at the same time, Horace also silently raised his halberd. “You felt that too?”

Anri nodded. “An invader…” His head snapped to the left and saw a figure, lined in red and wearing a set of armor covered in metal thorns, with an equally serrated sword and spined shield.

“ Where did he come from?” Pyrrha asked. The thorned knight stopped walking and started jogging and finally charging at the three. Horace abruptly counter charged despite Anri’s cry to wait. Horace made an overhead swing with the halberd, intending to use the momentum to crash the halberd down onto the invader, but the knight tackled Horace and then flipped him over behind him before giving a solid kick to the armpit. When Horace landed in the water, he squirmed stunned as small amounts of blood leaked into the water.

Anri and Pyrrha readied their shields and cautiously maneuvered to flank him. The knight was content to stand in the middle before taking a long look at Pyrrha...and immediately striking at Anri, the sword slicing against the shield, scratching some of the ornate gold paint off the shield. He immediately rolled toward Anri and when Anri raised his sword to stab at him, the knight of thorns bashed the side of his shield into Anri’s abdomen, causing him to stumble, but only with superficial wounds due to the strength of his armor. The attack left him open to a quick slash across his chest and a kick, knocking him down, and when he attempted to get up he bashed his head back with the shield, momentarily stunning him.

When Pyrrha attempted to help Anri, the knight elbowed her in the face, causing a deep gash and knocking her into the water. This proved to be his objective, and he immediately kicked away her sword and pinned her in the water, lightly cutting her arm to get her to open her mouth. When that happened, he reached in and pinched her tongue, pulling lightly on it, Pyrrha’s eyes opening wide in shock as the knight pulled out a small blade. Just before he could get the knife close, however, Horace rammed into the knight. The momentum causing his fingers to slightly cut Pyrrha’s tongue, but otherwise forcing him away. After coming to a stop, Horace poured some Estus on his face plate on armpit before taking out his halberd and staring down the knight.

By then Anri had also recovered, slowly approaching the knight. Seeing itself outmatched, the knight pulled out a small black crystal and held it out in front of itself. Anri dashed forward and reached out, but the knight crushed the crystal in his hand, vanishing from sight.

Anri, stopped where he was and immediately went to Pyrrha, who was still shaken from the encounter and leaking some blood from the mouth. “Pyrrha? You’re hurt. What happened?”

“ Heh died do dake-” Pyrrha then put her hand to her mouth in light pain, causing her to reach for her Estus and take a sip, causing the cut on her face to heal. She then made another attempt to talk, “he tried to take my...tongue” she said shaken and winded. “Anri, who was that?”

Anri looked to where the knight had disappeared and shook his head, somewhat ashamed. “I do not know.”

“ Mmm.”

“ Huh? Oh, yes, we really should keep moving. Unless you wish to rest of course.”

Pyrrha shook her head and got up. “No no, I just was...shocked was all, we should keep going. Where was this other entrance you spoke of?”

 Exiting to a walkway outside the Cathedral proper, Horace forced open a set of double doors to reveal a lift, which they took up to the tower where the crossbowman was shooting them just before the path to the roof. After dealing with the hollow they came upon a ladder on the side of the tower, which they climbed up.

As Pyrrha made her way up they heard an old voice call out to them. “Well well, another journey through the Cathedral, eh Anri? How long has it been?” In front of them, overlooking the Cathedral from the tower’s edge was a hollow-like figure in ornate clerical robes, holding in both hands a cross-like ornament. The figure turned to face them with a crooked, sinister smile and glowing red eyes.

Anri turned to face him and glared through his helmet. “I see you’re still here. They never found out about you?” he said with uncharacteristic venom in his voice.

“ Now Anri, whatever do you mean? Last we met, we were friends. You were so happy to be free of this place” he cooed in clear condescension.

“ That was before we heard about your arrangement with McDonnell. You didn’t care about us at all, you were just giving us to another glutton. We escaped the Cathedral.”

The man rolled his red eyes and shook his head. “Things past” he said dismissively, “it worked out for me in the end, anyway. What brings you here by any chance? After a bit of revenge, I take it? What makes you think it will be so simple?”

Pyrrha stepped forward in Anri’s defense, angered by the clear lack of care for Anri and Horace’s plight, “we don’t, but we can’t just give up and let all of this continue.”

“ Such an ignorant girl you’ve made an acquaintance of, and I see you’ve kept Horace around after all this time.”

“ I trust them with my life” Anri firmly said, which Pyrrha was surprised at. They had only known each other for so long, and Pyrrha was such a stranger, and yet Anri still said it with utter conviction.

“ It’ll be your doom then. It isn’t too late to repent you know. There are worse fates out there than giving yourself to Aldrich.”

After a pause, the trio marched past him, with Horace knocking his shoulder against his as he passed. They dropped down from the tower to the buttress connecting it, walking up it and walking along the walkway immediately below the roof, searching for an archway with an open passage. They finally found one, and it lead straight to the rafters, just below the ceiling. Carefully and cautiously they walked along the rafters which, while wide, was still the only thing between them and a long fall to the ground. Below the end of the rafters was a small platform, below which was a staircase to the side of the Cathedral connected to the gate guarding the giant.

As they dropped down, they heard a strange gurgling sound. Cautiously looking around, they deduced it came from the ceiling and looked up, seeing several strange, grub-like monstrosities drop down on top of them.

Immediately dodging out of the way, Pyrrha saw in horror that the grubs had humanoid top-halves, except extremely grotesque and consistent with the grub lower-half. The grubs pitifully but quickly lunged at them, madly trying to claw and grab at them while the three effortlessly began cutting them down. One further grub dropped from the ceiling with a staff and lifted it up into the air, causing the end to glow. The staff then erupted forth a white, forked energy spear from the end and shot toward Anri while he was distracted, which Pyrrha noticed and blocked. In retaliation, Pyrrha charged and kicked the grub off the platform connected to the gate and down to the ground floor below.

“ By the flames... ”

“ I take it these are strangers as well?” Pyrrha asked, trying to lighten the mood, however possible.

“ I’m not familiar with these things-”

Just then they heard a noise from the stairs above. “Where is he!?”

“ But I plan to find to find out” Anri finished.

As they walked up, they saw several of the dead man-grubs, including some nailed to the wall around a large doorway, even so high as near the ceiling, oozing mysterious sludge all the way down.

They walked into the doorway, left ajar before they arrived, and entered a strange chamber, with the red-carpeted pathway lined with several large baby cradles, with several hanging from the ceiling. Some of hanging cradles had strange, inhuman noises coming from them. Up ahead was a large, unkempt woman kneeling on a large bed, petting a grotesque slug that wrapped around behind her. In front of the bed was a man with a tricorn hat and white mask and black coat, who was conversing with…

‘ Sirris?’ Pyrrha thought, recognizing the woman in white. She seemed to be arguing loudly with the man in black.

“ He must be with you. He has been preying on the weak and helpless, collecting his trophies, where else could he be!?” Sirris shouted at the man, who remained unfazed by her words.

“ Mere stereotypes, Sirris. Hodrick is not amongst our ranks, and even if he were, I wouldn’t know his whereabouts.”

“ What are you talking about Leonhard?”

“ Despite the romantic camaraderie Heysel might desire, we are free and unchained. It’s not our business to look into what our members do. So long as they give their offerings of course” Leonhard spoke. The woman on the bed then shook in discomfort and held the slug to cope.

“ Vile people, the lot of you…”

“ If you think so, you would have no issue in killing our master would you?” Leonhard taunted.

Sirris actually hesitated, staring intently at the woman on the bed. “You know I cannot do that.”

“ And that is what makes you weak, Sirris of the Sunless Realms. You cannot focus on who people are, only what they used to be. Whether it be Mother Rosaria here, or Hodrick…”

Sirris grabbed Leonhard’s collar and pushed him against the pedestal that held up Rosaria’s bed. Rosaria didn’t flinch, and continued to absent-mindedly pet the slug on her bed.

Leonhard continued after the initial shock. “You of all people should understand nothing can be done about him. Once a person succumbs to madness, there is no going back.”

“ You know nothing, Leonhard” Sirris spat before letting him go. When she turned around she saw the three who had entered, who had stood still, listening in the whole time. “Pyrrha Nikos? I see you’ve made it to this foul place?”

Pyrrha stood to attention when Sirris began to address her. “Yes, it’s good to see you again. What brings you here? The last time I saw you, you were in the Undead Settlement looking for Hodrick.”

“ I still am, but unfortunately I haven’t received as much help here as I planned” she said, motioning over to Leonhard, who rolled his head in annoyance.

“ I’m sorry about that, but since you are here, would you be interested in helping us?”

“ I’m afraid I must decline. Without the information I seek, I fear I’ll have to leave soon, so that the trail does not go cold. But in the future, if the trail is lost, I may have little recourse but to seek you out” she said hopefully, clearly meaning well to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha nodded glumly, but understood her reasons. The trio then left the bedchamber behind them as Sirris looked on.

 “ We just have to go across the gate to the other side, there will be a lift for us to take, which will-” Anri stopped as he saw something at the opening to the gate walkway. A man that looked like an onion.

“ Hmhmmhmm” the man said, clearly imitating Siegward’s verbal tic. “Ohh, hello there. You’ll never believe me, but I found treasure across this bridge. I’d be willing to share if-”

His words were cut off by all three of them drawing weapons on him and holding him at sword point.

‘ I knew they’d recognize it if they saw it’ Pyrrha thought to herself.

The imposter backed off when presented with the clear threat they gave, he then began talking in a light yet roguish accent. “W-well...when you put it like that…” he said before bolting off across the bridge.

Pyrrha and the others immediately gave pursuit. While Anri and Horace were falling behind due to their heavier armors, Pyrrha was able to close in on the imposter, who was clearly unused to wearing such bulky and awkward armor. Pyrrha was right on top of him, but right as the imposter reached the end, he pivoted and fired a mighty kick at Pyrrha’s abdomen, which sent her flying back onto the bridge and sliding off it, her sword and shield falling to the ground. Anri was right in range to catch her hand, but lost his balance as well, forcing Horace to catch him and keep them steady on the gate-bridge.

The imposter wasted no time and pulled the lever on the other side, which caused the gate to begin lowering down. “Haha, well, this was certainly fun!” the imposter began to gloat. He removed Siegward’s helmet, revealing a man with a bald head, crooked nose, and the most audacious grin possible on a human being. “Thought you can outwit an onion?” he jeered as they sank down.

“ You won’t get away with this, I swear you won’t!” Pyrrha growled.

“ Sticks and stones, love. By the way, say hello to the nice giant! He adores visitors! Hahaha!”

The gate finally sank down to the ground level, causing Anri and Horace to let go and for Pyrrha to retrieve her weapons. When she did however, the giant protecting the staircase awoke and stood up.

Pyrrha backed up with Horace and Anri. “Is there any other secret way past?” she nervously asked.

“ This is the only way now” Anri steely said, “Pyrrha, rush to the staircase! Horace, follow her!”

The three split up accordingly, running much as they did with the giant protecting the entrance. The sludge the giant rested in, which smelled as horrid as a septic tank, slowed their approach however, with the staircase so close as it was. The giant prepared to flatten the two, it staggered in pain, looking behind itself to see Anri had dug his sword into its ankle. It immediately turned around to face him as Pyrrha and Horace trudged on. The giant swung quickly at Anri this time, forcing him to roll through the sludge to escape. As it reeled back for another blow, however, Horace struck it in the tendon with his halberd, forcing it to stagger again. Pyrrha lifted leg after leg trying to march through the gunk, and couldn’t help noticing more of the bone slimes floating about, the implications from before finally reaching their conclusion.

Eventually they reached the stairs and went up as quickly as possible before catching their breath. Anri stood up and flicked the slime off of his surcoat and armor, as well as banging his helmet to force some slime out. Finally he stood erect and they marched forth, past the pews and statues covered by tarps, down a long set of stairs that lead to an ornate and light swallowing set of double doors. The room that lead to Aldrich.

 The three looked up to it and gazed in awe at the apparent end to their journey. For Pyrrha, only the beginning, but for Anri and Horace, the crux of their entire lives and afterlives.

“ This is it everyone” Anri proclaimed, “our duty will be done, as lord-seekers. For the children we knew, bless their souls. Is everyone ready?-” Evidently Horace was, as before he had finished, he stepped forth and slammed open the doors with one kick, eager for blood. Anri and Pyrrha did not dispute this and they all marched forward, as dark, droning bells tolled inside the shadowy, circular room.

Ahead of them, before a giant stone structure, turned several hollows in clerical garb, all with glowing red eyes, which shined in the darkness, accentuating its darkness. They were numerous in number, and ranging from normal build, to unnaturally tall and thin, to morbidly bloated, all bearing hideous, sinister smiles. The Deacons of the Deep. “They have come at last” “They have returned at last, come to die perhaps?” “They come for the Lord of Cinder” “Our lord” they said. “Our gracious lord and patron” they all said in unison as several more appeared to the flanks of the structure.

“ I won’t let you stop us! We will slay Aldrich no matter how you may try to stop us!” Anri shouted at them.

“ What makes you think it’s that simple, child?” said a tall Deacon. “Their failure here will break them, most certainly” a fat one said. “I see they are all cursed, it will not be long before their blasphemy consumes them” one noticed.

“ We are not cursed!” Pyrrha called to them, “all we want to do is survive!” she said, somewhat confused on what to do herself, but she felt she needed to say something to them.

The Deacons were not impressed. “Ignorant” “Heretics!” “No matter” they said. “We however have ourselves, we have Aldrich’s blessing.” “Blessed He, Saint Aldrich!” they all responded in unison. “And most importantly, the promise of the Deep Sea.” “Blessed be the Deep and their loyal Deacons, amen!” they all responded once more. The Deacons on the flanks then pulled out books and spun a thunderous sound from opening and flipping the pages all at once. Once they stopped, they began to sing:

 (         ) (Deacons of the Deep)

 The Deacons all raised their crosses one by one in quick succession, each one firing off a flaming missile. The three began running to the targets they picked, dodging and weaving between the fireballs, which were fired in order of cross raised. Pyrrha and Horace charged headlong at the Deacons who were bracing for her approach. Horace waded through the Deacons, sending several flying, a few into the choir, who dutifully kept singing the hymn. Pyrrha crossed blades, or crosses, with the Deacons. She took down one after the other through many stabs, slashes and parries, chopping at one’s hand and then flipping over the back one to escape a stab from the fatter one.

However, the Deacons kept appearing, flooding in from the back of the room. Anri was holding off several ones coming in after sliding one Deacon off his sword. The tall ones kept trying to launch fireballs at the trio at will. Horace caught one’s feeble attempt to stab with its cross and retaliated with a brutal upward chop to its stomach, followed by punching it downward to the ground.

Pyrrha was able to grind away at more of the dark clergymen, but as she tried to finish one off with a stab, a fat Deacon grabbed her now flowing hair and pulled her, bouncing her off its stomach and onto another Deacon, who blasted a bright, white force from his body, sending her to the ground. As she tried to get up, they prodded her with their crosses, forcing her down. Just as several lined to fire their missiles, Anri came in to interrupt them, also distracting the Deacons pushing down Pyrrha, allowing her to backstab one and slice at the others.

The fighting continued, with more Deacons coming in to fill in the ranks as the trio carved their way through.

“ ENOUGH!” bellowed a voice from atop Aldrich’s coffin, which had several statuettes of what could only be assumed to also be the Deacons. The voice belonged to a frail, bearded hollow in an elegant white and gold trimmed collared robe and pointed, gold trimmed hat, holding close to him a solid gold, twisted and ornate scepter. Flanking him were two tall Deacons in blue robes and sporting less ornate but taller obsidian colored scepters.

With the figure’s words still echoing throughout the chambers, everyone involved stopped their fight, and the choir halted their hymn to listen.

Anri stepped forward as a sort of challenge. “You’re not McDonnell, where is he?”

“ Archdeacon McDonnell has been removed after being charged, and convicted, of heresy. I am Archdeacon Royce. And I am not pleased with what has come over Aldrich’s blessed rock.” Royce had stopped however when he spotted Pyrrha amongst the congregation. “You are different. I can sense it. You come from a different plane of existence. Most intriguing. The Pontiff would be pleased to make your honest acquaintance.”

Pyrrha was taken aback by this. “That’s the third time I’ve heard that. Who is this man? This ‘Pontiff.’ Why is he so important?”

“ An irrelevant question, child. All that matters is you are not like these...” Royce motioned over to Anri and Horace, “...petulant children. You have brought here by lies and half-truths, they do not understand the blessings we have been given from the Deep’s generosity. Stay with us, and you may find the answers you seek all along…”

Pyrrha’s eyes widened, and then narrowed in anger. “After everything I’ve seen of this ‘Deep,’ I want nothing to do with you, and I will not stop until justice is done!”

Archdeacon Royce glared with piercing, glowing red eyes that unnerved even Pyrrha, so soon after her show of defiance, and began to shimmer and emit a light scarlet aura. “SO BE IT!”

The choir flipped their books once again and took it from the top.

Royce’s aides then raised their staves and a shadowy blob of darkness fired at them at bewildering speeds, hitting Horace and barely missing Pyrrha, who rolled out of the way. The Deacons formed ranks once again and began releasing their fireballs at the three, who began to retreat and hide behind the pillars. The Archdeacon and his aides then raised their scepters in the air, where a large, shadowy sphere was forming above the battleground.

Anri noticed this too, and tried to get Pyrrha’s attention. “If we don’t stop them, that orb is going to kill us all! Any ideas?”

She didn’t have any, actually. If she were on Remnant, she’d have used her javelin and thrown it at the Deacons, using her Semblance to have it float back to her. But even if she did have her Semblance, which she might as well not have at this state, she didn’t have even so much as a…

“ A spear..” she realized and pulled out the story Irina gave her, with the knights who wielded bright throwing spears.

“ Pyrrha, are you...reading now?” Anri asked, genuinely puzzled, almost worried at Pyrrha’s fixation on the paper.

Pyrrha didn’t hear him, and she peered out from the pillar, absorbing the enemies ranks in the split-second before pulling back to avoid a dark projectile to the face. She then pulled out the canvas talisman that Irina gave her from her pocket and concentrated hard on the story’s words and how the knights from Lothric’s legends created light spears from their hands to fire on the dragons. If Remnant’s fairy tales and legends were true, why not theirs? Clenching her fist as the talisman hung around her wrist, a crackling energy came from her hand and extended into a long rod of lightning she had no trouble holding in her hand.

Quickly thinking back to the layout she saw, she swung out from the pillar, raised her arm and thumb, and threw the lightning spear at the Deacon on Royce’s left in the chest, sending shocking ripples through his body before he fell limp to the ground, the Deacons below moving out of the way to avoid getting crushed.

“ Now Horace!” Anri cried out before joining Horace in a charge on the Deacons, who tried in vain to fire at them before breaking ranks in fear of their imminent onslaught. “Pyrrha, aim for Royce to stop the Deep Soul from firing!”

Pyrrha concentrated and summoned the lightning spear, raising her arm and aiming her thumb at Archdeacon Royce, who was intently focused on the Deep Soul. Pyrrha tossed the lightning spear as hard as he could, hitting him square in the shoulder. He stumbled back into the statues of the Deacons behind him, breaking them apart, but he was alive and fuming, accentuated by the aura he had. Despite this, the Deep Soul kept building up, uninterrupted by the blow to the Archdeacon.

Anri was about to swing at a Deacon when it suddenly seized and died, with Anri looking up to see Royce absorb the essence from the Deacon, as well as from the Deacon to his right. Pyrrha looked at the Deep Soul, wondering what could possibly be strengthening it if it wasn’t the Archdeacon. Then she glimpsed again at the choir, who were invisible for the whole fight despite filling the room with their terror inducing hymn. She saw their eyes have become bright blue, leaking blue mist from their eyes, which flowed into the Deep Soul.

“ The choir! It’s the choir!” Pyrrha cried to Anri and Horace.

Anri looked to the choir after running through a Deacon, turning and nodding his head to Horace who went to the other flank. Together they began swinging and chopping past the choir Deacons, who dutifully kept singing their hymn, but the incantation connected to it weakened nevertheless, causing the Deep Soul to sputter and vanish in the air.

“ NO!” Archdeacon Royce echoed through the chamber.

“ Pyrrha, finish him off!”

Pyrrha dodged several Deacon’s attempt to fire at her and she launched another lightning spear immediately after finishing her roll. It hit Royce in the other shoulder, which caused a few Deacons to fall limp to the ground. Pyrrha raised her arm again, but Royce growled and raised his scepter, launching three dark spirals at her. Pyrrha hesitated to break her concentration, but at that moment, Anri leaped in and blocked the first two, but the force left him unable to block the third, sending him squirming in pain on the ground.

“ Foolish girl! You’ve damned all you cared about by resisting us!” the Archdeacon spitefully taunted.

Pyrrha immediately retaliated in anger by tossing the second lightning spear at Royce, which shot him in the chest, sending several ripples across his body, and causing many more Deacons to die feeding him more life.

Pyrrha finally summoned the third spear and let out a loud cry as she hurled it as hard as she can, striking him right where it struck the last time. The blow caused a large burst of light, and created a large, cross shaped outburst of electricity, which cracked Aldrich’s coffin below him. The Deacons could sustain him no more and they all slowly and dramatically fell, the choir softly giving the final notes of their hymn before falling to the ground.

Royce himself collapsed on his knees and plummeted to the ground. Anri and Horace slowly approached the coffin, with Anri kneeling to Royce, flipping over the Archdeacon, who was surprisingly clinging to life, however long it may be.

“ It’s over Archdeacon, now we fulfill our duty.”

“ You are fools, all of you…” the Archdeacon muttered deliriously. Strangely, Pyrrha noticed a faint smile on his face.

Anri nodded to Horace, who then raised his halberd, pulling back and finally swinging at the giant coffin. The strike broke open a large hole in its wall.

“ Hmm? MMM?! RAAAAGHHHHRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! ”

Horace’s cry was almost deafening, and Pyrrha almost had to cover her ears, but when she finally looked through the hole after the dust settled, she knew why.

The coffin was utterly and completely empty.

Anri straightened up in pure disbelief. “Where...?” he muttered before grabbing Royce by the collar in desperation. “Where is he!? Where is Aldrich!?!” he cried at him.

“ Gone...long gone...you will never lay your unclean hands on him. At last, the Deep’s victory is assured. Blessed be Aldrich and the Pontiff...” the Archdeacon said, a final curse before his eyes ceased their illumination and his neck fell limp.

Anri held onto his collar, stunned and distraught at this cruel turn of events, only mustering enough energy convince his muscles to drop him before settling his hands on his knees. Horace was on his knees and breathing heavily, while Pyrrha watched all of them, completely numb. Another failure. Another final battle against agents of pure evil...brought down by inclement weather. How many more could she take?

Just then, Pyrrha noticed something in Royce’s robe, a strange fabric. She bent down and reached for it, suddenly pulling back when she heard a shifting. “Did you hear that?”

“ Hear what?” Anri asked, being temporarily taken out of his stupor by Pyrrha’s investigation.

Pyrrha hesitated before putting her hand on the fabric again, pulling it out and taking it out, revealing it to be an ordinary straw doll. But the appearance wasn’t the odd thing. It was the endless whispers spilling out into Pyrrha’s mind, utterly incomprehensible and shifting, practically white noise. She shook her head, not able to make heads or tails of the gibberish. “It’s whispering something but...I can’t understand it.”

Anri extended his hand and took the doll when she gave it to him. He stared at it for a long while. “It’s fuzzy, but I hear names, places. I can’t figure it out, but it’s a lead. There’s a chance that this doll could be the key to finding Aldrich, it’s too strange of an object for the Archdeacon to have” Anri said, hope reemerging in his voice as he elaborated.

Horace however looked over his shoulder, not bothering to join in their investigation, almost seeming completely exhausted.

Anri and Pyrrha stood and faced each other. “Thank you Pyrrha Nikos. I don’t know how far we’d have gotten without you. Thanks to you, we have come closer than ever to bringing Aldrich to justice, I will never forget that.”

“ I...didn’t do anything really. I know you would have gotten here on your own. I’m the one who’s out of their element.”

“ I have never met anyone so modest. Earlier, I said I trust Horace and you with my life. I meant that. If ever you need us, do not hesitate.” He then handed her a strange white stone accompanied by glowing crystals of various colors. “A soapstone, it attracts those inclined to help to your location, and we use these prisms to trace our steps through a dangerous area, for the other to follow. I hope they are of use.”

Pyrrha took the gifts and smiled at Anri. Anri nodded and began to walk to the exit of the chamber.

Horace then clasped his hand roughly on Pyrrha’s shoulder, turning her around to face him. Despite looking somewhat unhinged, Horace then lifted a small cloth, with a sword and moon painted on to it. “Oh, another gift, it looks rather-” Horace then shook her shoulder and lifted the cloth to her again, prompting her to take it, somewhat nervously. Once she did however, he gently and tiredly removed his hand from her shoulder and lumbered away, almost ready to collapse. Anri waited near the door for Horace to meet him at the door before bidding Pyrrha farewell.

 On her back, the Darksign was freezing, and after using the bonfire that appeared at the Deacon’s chamber, she transported to Firelink to see Yoel. However as she approached, she heard voices coming from where he was staying.

“ You musn’t be here! I have everything under control. You have my word” she heard Yoel say to an unknown person.

‘ Was someone threatening Yoel?’ Pyrrha readied her weapons in that event and moved forward slowly.

“ Be still Yoel, I am merely early. My presence shouldn’t interfere. You have my word” cooed a silky, female voice, sounding almost like Cinder did, on the top of Beacon tower.

“ Yoel?” Pyrrha said, wanting to make sure everything was alright.

Yoel shuffled in surprise at her sudden appearance. The woman he was talking to, however, was not surprised and maintained her composure. She was clad head to toe in a black gown, with leather epaulets and an ornate metal helmet that had wispy black hair sprouting from the back.

“ Is this her Yoel? The Champion of Ash?” she asked.

“ Yes, yes she is. As I said.”

“ It is good to finally make your acquaintance, Ashen One” the woman said, extending her hand for her to shake. “I am Yuria of Londor.”

 '''Author’s Note(s): Done in record time! I have some bad news however: I’m taking a Summer Math 56 course and I will have to take some time off to concentr-

Paranoid!Reader: THE FIC’S DEAD! BAIL! *Dives into the water*

No no, the fic isn’t dead, but for as long as the course is going on (8 weeks), I’ll have to put the fic on hold. Thankfully, by the time this is published, 2 out of 8 weeks will have passed. I really must thank you for reading this, I didn’t expect my first fic to have been so well received. The only thing that’d make it better is if this gets a TvTropes page (which I’m sure will eventually happen but I’d be lying if I wasn’t a bit disappointed by its absence. Too many NGE fics to keep track of I guess XD (seriously, look on TvTropes, the FanFic folders are overflowing with NGE fics, I’m beginning to wonder if it warrants a separate folder, it’s gotten almost to self-referential levels).   So I guess consider this a Season Finale of sorts until I return (still faster than RWBY’s breaks).    Also, special thanks to ACWeapons (ACGearmaker on DeviantArt) for the new cover art. I apologize for its rough appearence, it is technically unfinished but I haven’t been able to get into contact with him since he too has been busy with school. Hope you like it, he did a great job on it (and from what he told me, the final product will look even better).

Anyway, I’d just like to say, see you on the other side. Stay tuned when you get there.'''

 “ Your Holiness!” … “ This had better be important. We don’t have much time.”

“ Your Holiness, I have very bad news. Rumors are circulating that Archdeacon Royce has been killed.”

“ ...Is that so? Then it was most fortunate we acted as quickly as we did. Speaking of which, what of the Bed of Chaos?”

“ ...Digested, Your Grace.”

“ Very well. Rouse our good saint. We will have to launch our attack earlier than hoped.”

“ Yes, of course.”