The Chosen Undead

by Demonfire463

Chapter 1 In Death

Chapter 1

I gasp in a monumental breath of air. Breathing heavily, I look around. What? Where am I? The stone walls are damp and covered with moss. There is a small puddle in the corner opposite me and insects crawl along the walls. Up above there is an iron grate, badly rusted. The door is like a prison door. How did I survive? That arrow hit me in the throat, the other arrows hit major arteries as well. Even if I didn't bleed out that fall from the roof would have killed anyone for sure! I get to my feet. A small rat scurries through my cell and out the door. It looked like it had a bad infection all over its body. I walk over to the door. Other people are screaming and tugging at the iron doors, but they don't sound...right. They sound insane, or possessed. I get a look at someone in a cell on the right side of the hallway. His skin! It's all decayed! His eyes glow a bright red color and his clothes are tattered. He looks at me with those eyes. Those evil, hideous eyes. And he screams wildly at me. I feel around on my belt for my Master Key. Hey! My gold's gone! Oh well. I pull a large ring of keys off my belt. Brilliant! They're all here. Okay, let's get out of here then. I slip my hands through the bars and begin to try each key. I stop, the man continues to scream at me. I rip the gloves off my hands and I am petrified. "No. No!" My hands are decayed almost as badly as the man. I'm an undead! Just like in the old stories! "Be good, or you'll get the Darksign." "After his execution, he was cursed with the Darksign." I stumble over to the puddle and remove my facemask. In my reflection, on my cheek, I see a flaming circular mark. I break down in tears at the discovery of my fate. I am to sit here until insanity, or the end of the world and time itself. Whichever comes first. I need to get myself together! I must find a way out of here! I check the rest of my keys in the lock. None work. Must be a more complex lock. I try everything, busting a hole in the wall, bashing through the door, picking the lock, nothing works! Many days pass. Weeks pass. Maybe even months fly by as I sit in the corner of my cell. My timeless, stony cell. I give up. It's hopeless. End of time, I await for thee. The grate in the ceiling opens. A body falls down with a heavy thud. Wha? I look up, confused. A knight stands above the opening. He is looking down at me through the slits of the facemask of his polished steel helmet. He walks away. Perhaps this will help? I search the rotten body. A broken sword hilt. Well good, how in the gods' names will this- what is this? On the corpse's waistcloth, is that? A key! I shouldn't get my hopes up however. None of mine worked. I reach through the bars again. I fit the key into the lock. I don't know what I'm expecting to happen, likely nothing. I have completly given up hope. I lean against the door as I begin to twist the key. Left. No. Right. It turns! My eyes widen when the lock clicks. The door opens and I fall to the ground. Am I...truly...free? I lie on the brick floor. In joy, I jump to my feet. I wield the sword hilt with a bit of the blade left. One of the decayed men is standig face to the wall. He turns and screams at me. I slash at him furiously with the broken sword. I plunge the sword in his head. I pull it out and observe the gash by his eye I just created. He falls to his knees, then flat on his stomach. I walk slowly through the corridor, where is everybody? Surely the undead aren't the only ones here. At least I know where I am, somewhat. I know that I am in Lordran, in the Undead Asylum. But, is there more to Lordran? Or is Carim close to where I am? Another thing, where are my dagger and shield? I reach a short staircase that leads to a circular room. An old ladder is connected to the moss-covered wall to my right. I tentatively make my way up the ancient ladder, rung by rung, step by step, with each inch I get closer to the end of this prison. I reach the top and walk through a stone doorway. Appears to be a courtyard. Odd. Well, very little seems odd when you have lived in Carim. At the center there is a small fire with a rusted sword stuck in the center. Is all metal in this land rusted so badly? I sit down by the edge of the fire. The fire emanates from a small pile of ashes and bones. Very strange indeed, even if you did live in so strange a land as Carim. I look around. Stone structure, no roof where I am, large metal door, ancient by the looks of it, and a cage door on my right. The hinges are on the other side, so it won't open from where I am right now. The ground is shaking, and I hear mysterious crashing sounds. They sound close by, but I can't tell from what direction. With nothing else to do I stand up and head to the giant doors. I push, nothing. I push harder, they don't budge. I push against the doors with all my weight, all my strength. The ancient door groans with the task of being opened for the first time in gods know how long. I stop pushing when I slip through the doors. I take a few steps forward. It's a large room, stone tile floor, many pillars on each side, and old pots scattered throughout the room. There's something written on thebground a few feet away. I jog over to it. "Get away." I read out loud. Get away? Get away from what exactly? A giant beast falls less than a foot away from me, severely cracking the floor beneath its massive frame. A great, fat monster wielding a rock hammer or club. It has horns protruding from its head. It roars at me loudly. Agh! My ears! The hammer slams down beside me and the demon prepares another strike. I slash it with the broken sword and roll out of the way of the attack. My attack hardly did anything! Not good, not good! I run behind a pillar. The hammer crushes the pillar and several pots around me as it hits my back. I run to another pillar on the opposite side of the room. What the hell? A door it there, sides lit by two torches. Without thinking I charge through the door. The gate slams shut behind me and I feel the earth shake from another strike of the beast. I carefully walk down the stairs. Another fire! This one's unlit though. I step to it, and place my hand above the sword. The flames light. How did I even know to do that? I sit at the fire. I feel much better all of a sudden, all the pain of the last fight just disappears. My bones heal, my muscles no longer ache, is it the fire? Words appear in orange next to me. "Bonfires will heal your wounds." Well that's good to know. This area is swamped with water. Like the room with the ladder. I stand and walk to the hallway at the end of the room. Except the water here is up to my thighs at its deepest point. An arrow hits me in the shoulder and pain jolts through my right arm. I look to see a man wearing a torn waistcloth with a bow and arrow. He fires again, I dodge and roll into another room on the left side of the corridor. As I hit the ground for my roll, I land on a small piece of metal with bolts on one end. I think it bruised my side, but I'll live. Wait, my shield! How did it get here? I grab it with my left hand. Rushing out the door, I raise the small shield to my face for some protection against the arrows the man releases at me. When I reach him, he runs away and I trip over something sticking up out of the ground. My knife! Brilliant. I strap the sword hilt to my belt and pursue the man. What did we call them in the old stories? "Lest you die and live in death as the hollowed shell of your former self." Hollowed men? Hollows? Whatever, I climb the staircase and block an arrow. I run around him and stab him in the back. He doesn't get up. I feel something be absorbed from his body. It tingles a bit as it enters through my flesh. Didn't mention that in the stories. I turn around to see the door blocked by a fog. A great white light. Um...so, what now? I put my hand on the fog. I wonder. I step through. I take another step. And I'm on the other side. I turn around and the fog is gone. Well, that was easy enough. The path splits to left or right. I turn left. I look down on my right as I walk and see the first bonfire. Well, the stairs up from here are collapsed and there's nothing else here. I go back to the main path and continue the other way. Up or down the stairs. Another choice. I go down and open the cage door. Back at the courtyard. I rest at the bonfire for a short moment. I wonder if I'll have to fight that thing again. I certainly hope not, that demon scared me to death. I stand and go back up the stairs. I continue going up the stairs until I hear a click noise. I stop dead in my tracks. I look up and see a giant ball rolling down the stairs! Before I have time to react, the ball flattens me on the stairs. Well damn. It crashes through a wall at the foot of the staircase. I resume going up the steps. Another hollow. He swings his broken sword at me, I parry the attack and riposte for a devastating blow. I think I'm getting the hang of this. My back aches from the trap. Well, somewhat. Another cage door awaits at the tope of the stairs. I try my keys but it remains locked. Gods be damned! When will I find a lock I can use these keys on?! There is a grunt from the room the boulder burst through. I decide to investigate. I walk through the break and see a knight sitting on a pile of bricks. The same knight that gave me the key to escape my cell!
"Ah, you're no hollow, eh? I remember you. I helped you get out."
"Yes. You did. And I thank you for that, but I'm not out yet."
"No, you aren't. You must defeat the Asylum Demon to escape."
"Why did you help me?" I ask. He had very little, if anything at all, to gain from my freedom. I crouch down in the shallow water. He sighs.
"I'll die soon, then lose my sanity. Regrettably, I have failed in my mission. But perhaps you can keep the torch lit. There was an old saying in my family. 'Thou who art undead art chosen. In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of Ancient Lords. When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening, the fate of the undead thou shalt know.' Well, now you know, and I can die with hope in my heart." I stand.
"What is your name, knight?"
"I am Oscar, of Astora." He gives a small bow with his head, and I bow to him.
"I must go defeat this Asylum Demon. Then I shall go."
"One more thing, here." He pulls a green bottle off his belt. "An Estus Flask, an undead favorite. Oh, and this." He pulls a key off his belt and hands both the items to me. "Now I must bid farewell. I would hate to harm you after death, so go now. And thank you."
"I shall remember you, Sir Oscar of Astora." He dies. I feel myself absorb more essence, like from the man I killed earlier. I walk out of the room and up the stairs. A hollow is there, waiting for me. He raises the sword in preparation for a downward attack. I stab him in the heart, blood seep on my knife, then onto the floor. I try the key in the lock. Success! Thank you Oscar. The walls here have been destroyed, I can look out to much of the land surrounding the asylum. Two hollows approach from a corner on my left. I slash at them and kill them quite quickly. I block an arrow and rush the archer. I step on another glowing orange message. I don't need their help, but I find myself looking down regardless. "Try stabbing in the head." It reads. I look left. Another white light, though this one is different. It is much larger for one thing. And it seems brighter too. I walk through and I'm on a smal balcony. I look down to see the Asylum Demon staring up at me. I need to act fast. I jump from the ledge. A thought flashes through my mind. "Try stabbing in the head." I point my dagger downward and land of the demon's head, stabbing it deep in the skull. I pull my knife out and fall to the ground. It swings the hammer, which I easily dodge. I slash it a few times in its stomach and it begins to bleed horribly. Its dark red blood splashes all over my striking arm and I tug the dagger from its caliced flesh. The demon flies up in to air and falls down near me. The earth shakes violently as it lands. I slash at it furiously and it bleeds again. It struggles to stand up as I continue to slice at the hulking monster. As it stands, I jump up and stab it in the heart. I forgot I could jump so high! A roar bellows out of the demon's mouth as its last breath is used for a shriek of pain. It falls to the ground, and I absorb much more of the essence than I did from the hollows or Oscar. I stare at the corpse and look at its skull. Disgusting. Around its neck is a large key on an iron chain. The body disintegrates and the key falls to the floor. I grab the key and walk to the other door. The lock is colossal! But so is the key so perhaps it'll fit. Sure enough, the key fits the lock. The moldy hunk of metal clicks as the tumblers unlock. I push on the door using much of my remaining strength. The metal hinges creak loudly and I think I broke some of the metal on the hinges but I'm finally out of there. A short staircase leads to the pure earth. The smell of wet grass and dirt attacks me. I look around, grey sky, sudden drops, and cliffs and mountains. I walk past many tombstones and swords to the point of the cliff. I stare out at the landscape from this summit. It feels as though this drop off could fall at any moment. It feels good to be free. I turn towards the asylum and bow in gratitude. Thank you Oscar. I turn around again to the drop off. What the?! Everything goes black as a gigantic raven snatches me in its talons. It carries me off to places unknown. Only time will tell where the raven takes me.

Author's Note:

Yay Chapter 1 is finally done! This story is gonna take a while since the chapters are much longer. Tell me how you like it so far. This story is more if you're not as deep into Dark Souls as me or a lot of other bronies. And don't worry, I'll bring the ponies in soon. Please comment and like. Thanks!

Comments

[krtys]

Good so far, the only thing that really bothered me this chapter though is the lack of paragraph's besides when dialogue is involved. It makes it hard to read, I would suggest going back through the story and separating some of it so that it easier to follow along. Good luck on future chapters

[BronyGamer]

I have a little edit for you; you have, "I crushes through a wall at the foot of the staircase." I think you meant "It crashes through a wall at the foot of the staircase."