Dark Souls 2: Rarity's Trials

by Blackdrag-rose

Seeing the Unseen

Edric and Rarity rested for a few moments before they stood back up and got a move on, because there was no telling what else they would have to cut through, and what powerful creatures they would have to defeat, before they reached the location of the fourth and final crown. As they moved out of the area that the bonfire was located in Rarity loosed a screaming sphere through a small portal and blasted the mage to their left into the wall, allowing them to head to the right and pull the lever that was resting near a small gate. That caused the gate in question to rise into the air and reveal a path they could take, which immediately brought them to a room that had two mages and two warriors standing guard, to which they separated from each other and tackled the enemies that they were comfortable fighting. Rarity smiled as the mages cast their spells and she was able to avoid them entirely, revealing that her speed was as strong as she believed it to be, before she blasted them into the wall behind them... to which she turned around and watched as her friend tackled the second warrior to the ground before finishing him off.

Rarity nodded in approval, because this was what she expected from Edric at this point in time, before they regrouped and tackled the warrior that had a pack of crystals growing out of it's back, which opened up the hallway that the duo had been planning on using.

The duo turned to the right and found a staircase that took them up to the level above them, which was square and seemingly empty of any enemies, but that didn't stop the two of them from keeping their guard as they walked over to the stairs on the other side of the room. As they walked up the stairs Rarity felt the presence of a dark spirit phase into existence somewhere in their immediate vicinity, though where she had no idea, but she pushed that out of her mind as they spotted a mage and two warriors waiting for them. The moment they discovered what their enemies were the duo split up and followed the earlier pattern, where Edric dodged the warriors' attacks and cut them down while Rarity blasted her own foe with her magic. It wasn't long before their enemies were defeated and they started to explore the area, finding some golems like the ones in Drangelic Castle, but once they discovered that the path to the right of the stairs was blocked off by ice they turned around and ascended the stairs that were to the left of the stairs they had walked up.

At the end of the path the stairs brought them to rested a chest, though as they approached it Rarity suddenly turned around and snapped a barrier into existence between them and the area behind them, stopping the weapon of a knight from touching them. It was then that she discovered that the dark spirit had come for them, using the chest as a distraction, though as she forced the spirit backwards Edric noticed what was happening and engaged the spirit the moment it got back up. Unlike the other dark spirits they encountered this one took the hits like a champion and continued attacking his opponent, leaving Edric to dodge the incoming attacks and deal his own when an opening revealed itself to him. Rarity, once more, stood off on the side and watched the two duel each other, because despite the fact that the dark spirit had invaded their world he still had a sense of honor and only attacked one person at a time, while preferring the same treatment from those he invaded. She didn't understand why the dark spirits didn't come in pairs of two, since she and Edric were together all the time, but she wasn't about to question it as she watched the two duel around the hallway... before Edric gained the upper hand and cut the spirit down, allowing them to continue on their way, after they claimed the ten Silver Talismans that were inside the iron chest they had been walking towards.

From there they used the only other path available to them and continued climbing, though when they reached the top of the building they were in the duo discovered that they were back near the entrance they had walked through when they first arrived outside the fortress... and, directly to their immediate left, rested the fog door that they had seen earlier and had ignored since Rarity had been more interested in the flames she had seen.

"And now we've come back here, to the first fog door we spotted in Eleum Loyce," Edric said, though at the same time he and Rarity dropped down onto the walkway that was below them, before they approached the area that the fog door was located in and stared at it, "Any idea what sort of enemy we'll be facing this time around?"

"No. Shalquoir likes to keep me guessing," Rarity replied, knowing that the question was directed to any information the omnipotent cat could have given her before they entered the fog door, though she only got the names of their foes a few moments after they engaged their enemy and not a second before that, "but, considering that the majority of our enemies so far have been weak to dark based magical attacks, I'd say that the powerful creature either has the same weakness or has a resistance to that element. Starting the battle off by using a low level elemental attack from the four elements helps me determine the exact weakness our enemies possess, which makes the fight that much easier for the two of us."

"Well, we'll just wing it like usual and attack our foe with all our might," Edric stated, to which he raised his hand into the air and pressed it against the fog door, where he chuckled for a moment as he focused his mind on what they were going to do next, "Let's see what sort of foe is waiting for us this time around."

Rarity nodded and together the two of them moved through the fog door, to which they appeared on what could have been the large walkway or bridge that connected the main entrance to the next part of the fortress, while at the same time noticing the statues that lined both sides of the stone walkway.

This dead city has nothing to offer. the voice from earlier said, causing the duo to pause for a moment, as they were curious as to what she, because Rarity was convinced it was a lady talking to them, was going to tell them this time around, Go back. Do not seek the old Chaos, nor it's twisted flame.

The duo shared a brief look with each other as they moved forward once more, where they followed the path that was in front of them until they reached what was essentially the other entrance to this area, but as they started to approach it Rarity had them stop. The reason behind her decision was because of the large tiger, whose fur and body was colored like the ice all around them, that pulled itself from where it had been resting and started down at them for a few seconds, which was followed by it jumping down into the area between them and the other door. As Aava, the name once more provided by Shalquoir mental communication, approached them Rarity made her usual discovery as their foe attacked Edric with it's claws, who dodged the attacks and attacked in response. From what Rarity was able to figure out Aava had a high resistance to the darkness, while having next to no resistances for lightning and soul based spells, but fire, on the other hand, seemed to be the key to this fight.

With the weakness in hand Rarity waited for the perfect openings to reveal themselves, as she didn't want to hurt Edric in the process since some of these attacks could branch out and hurt anyone that was near her target, though one such opening appeared went Aava went to roar and Edric retreated before the shockwave hit him. Rarity smiled as she summoned a Great Fireball into existence and hurled it at the ice tiger, causing it to jump backwards after being hit in the side. Normally Rarity would have never provoked such a creature, but due to the circumstances of their situation she was more than happy to do so, as it appeared that the flames annoyed Aava and it glared at her in response, but since it was focused on her that allowed Edric to attack Aava while it was distracted. Fortunately Rarity could also teleport around the area when Aava came for her, confusing the ice tiger in the process, while she also discovered that Aava had two ice type attacks that were used every now and then; one that called small ice crystals up from the ground around the tiger and a short burst of ice crystals that flew out at the tiger's target when it roared.

Since Aava wanted Rarity dead, as all enemies did when they discovered that she was a more potential threat than Edric could be thanks to her magic, it completely ignored Edric as it tried to kill Rarity, allowing her friend to hack into the tiger's legs and body when it stopped near him. For the most part he wanted the tiger to face him and continue the fight, but since their foe didn't want to focus on him he was going to use the situation to his advantage and dealt all the damage he could to the beast they were fighting. When Rarity was alone with Aava again, as the tiger jumped away from where Edric was standing once more, she called the fire into her hands and used the Chaos Storm spell, to which pillars of fire erupted all around her and Aava. The tiger seemed startled by the appearance of the pillars and even took some of them when they erupted from the ground below it, but Rarity took the opportunity that presented itself and called a single Forbidden Sun into existence, to which she hurled it into Aava's face and blasted the tiger backwards... where it staggered for a few seconds before finally collapsing on the ground, to which it dissolved and left behind it's soul, something that Edric claimed when he caught up with his friend.

The moment Aava was defeated the duo headed towards the door that the ice tiger had been guarding and entered it, finding themselves in an area that had a locked door on their left and a pathway in front of them, which the duo decided to walk up since there wasn't anything else they could do at the moment. From there they walked out of the small building they had been inside and followed the path, where they discovered that it was taking them to a grand building, a cathedral by the looks of it, which made Rarity wonder if the crown was inside the building. It wasn't long before they reached the entrance and gently pushed open the door, which allowed them to enter the cathedral and found a bonfire resting in front of a statue. They spent a few moments resting at the bonfire, to recover from what they had been through since the last bonfire they activated, before they followed the stairs up to the level that was slightly above them, where they discovered another door that needed to be opened... though behind that one rested a more regal area that appeared to be their destination.

As they walked forward they found that there was also ice in this area as well, meaning that there was something special going on at the moment, but they remained silent as they stopped in a part of the room that faced a frozen door of some kind... though Rarity had them remain silent as she felt something else in the area, likely the person that was trying to make them leave the fortress since their arrival.

To think Aava could be bested… the lady said, though that confirmed Rarity's suspicions that she was close at hand, as she was positive that the voice was coming from the area above where she and Edric were standing, Who are you? This land is barren, cursed, by the old Chaos. It gave birth to atrocities, and the people fled in fear. Until our lord, the Ivory King, came.

"I am Edric, and this is my friend Rarity." Edric answered, referring to the question about who they were, while at the same time deciding to get to the heart of the matter, especially since the lady might be able to help them figure out where the Ivory King's crown was located, "We're here to speak with the Ivory King about something important."

My dear lord, a most true king. the lady continued, as if the mention of the Ivory King reminded her of something, to which Rarity and Edric decided that it might be best if they let her speak before they even attempted to explain why they had come all the way out here, It was with his magnificent soul that he built Eleum Loyce… and contained the spread of Chaos. But the Chaos would not be sated, and the King gave his own soul. Inevitably, the King was drained of vigor, and plunged into the Chaos' heart. Eleum Loyce was frozen in time, it's leader lost… I remain here, to contain the Chaos, honouring my Lord's wishes. Perhaps one day, he will return… There's nothing here, save that accursed flame…"

Rarity and Edric shared a look with each other, as it sounded like that the Ivory King was in possession of his own crown this time around, as Sinh had been in possession of the Sunken King's crown and the Brume Knight had been guarding the Old Iron King's crown. If that was the case they would have to descend into this 'Chaos' and find the missing King, and likely have to fight and kill him in the process, before they could claim the item they came for, though something told them that such a plan might not be the best at the moment.

I have but one wish. the lady said, to which the duo turned their attention back to the area that they believed the lady was resting in, as they wanted to be respectful in this situation, since it appeared that she might be the only one that could show them where the Ivory King was located, That my Lord might be freed from that unspeakable Chaos. I haven't the strength to help him myself, but perhaps one such as you… Though I am yet to know your names, strangers, will you lend me your strength?

"Of course," Edric replied, along with Rarity nodding her head in agreement, though they were both a little upset that the lady hadn't even listened to the fact that they had given her their names earlier, but at the very least this appeared to be the best course of action.

Kind visitors, I thank you. Let me open the path to Chaos. And please, do all you can… the lady said, to which a beam of light shattered the ice that was in front of the duo, revealing a path that went down into the depths of the cathedral, no doubt where the fog door waited for them, Many of Eleum Loyce's faithful knights followed their Lord into the Chaos. But none of them returned. The King's dutiful subjects waited patiently for His homecoming. But it was too long a wait to bear… The knights of Eleum Loyce await a new leader. One who will guide them into Chaos.

That information gave Rarity something to think about, because if there were knights waiting for a few leader, as the case happened to be, then that meant that she and Edric could use some help when they descended into the Old Chaos in search for the Ivory King. Since she was thinking about it Rarity walked around the area that she and Edric had been standing on and descended down to the area that had been opened for them, where she found a gateway, doubling as a fog door, with four chairs sitting around a circular hole in the floor. As she took stock of what she was seeing she spotted a knight, in gleaming ivory armor, standing nearby and waiting for the call to action, though Rarity smiled as she turned around and collected Edric, before making her way back to the prior bonfire. When she reached her target Rarity stopped and turned towards her friend, who seemed interested in what they were going to do next, especially since it appeared that the mysterious lady was on their side.

"So, the way to the Ivory King is open," Edric commented, to which Rarity nodded her head, as that was what she had gathered from what she had seen, before he sighed and stared out at the fortress they had walked through to get to this point, "Okay, so does that mean we can head into the depths of this Old Chaos and tackle him, and his knights, so we can claim the crown? Or should we explore the fortress a little more and see if we can't find anything that might assist us in the coming battle with the Ivory King?"

"Edric darling, not to took my own horn, but I don't think we need assistance," Rarity replied, though at the same time her body shimmered and she separated into two Rarity's, one who had an aura of darkness around her and another who had an aura of flame, where she remained in that state for a few seconds before reverting back to a single form, "with the power I possess, and the strength that you have given yourself since our adventure started, I doubt that the Ivory King and his knights would be able to stop us if we decided to attack them first."

Despite how she felt, however, she knew that Edric would want to weight their options before they made any major decisions, though that didn't stop her from believing that she was right in what she said, that if they were to delve into the Old Chaos they would return with the final crown in no time. Since Edric wanted to think about it she was more than willing to let him consider the possibilities before they did anything, though at the same time she wanted nothing more than to deal with the Ivory King and depart from this area. All she had to do was patiently wait for a few moments and she would know what Edric's decision was, and then they would do whatever they needed to do in order to gain the fourth and final crown... and then complete whatever came next, after they figured out what came after collecting the crowns.

Comments

[Midnight Moon]

"Edric darling, not to took my own horn, but I don't think we need assistance," Rarity replied, though at the same time her body shimmered and she separated into two Rarity's, one who had an aura of darkness around her and another who had an aura of flame, where she remained in that state for a few seconds before reverting back to a single form, "with the power I possess, and the strength that you have given yourself since our adventure started, I doubt that the Ivory King and his knights would be able to stop us if we decided to attack them first."

Murphy, I believe someone wants to see you.

[Randablitz]

Soon they can decide their fates, either become part of Gwyn's sin, or forge their own path forward.