The Adventure Begins
'Why?' Is all I thought as I sat rotting in this cell. The times I sat here pondering this outweighing the days and nights I had spent sitting here. 'Why was I branded with this accursed darksign?' I thought, my eyes drifting to my hip where the mark lay 'Why had he not just taken all my humanity when he had the chance?! He could have been rid of me once and for all…….Why?' as I let myself relish in the memory once again.
--------------------------------------------------Many years ago------------------------------------------------------
As I walked down the hall fully clad in what was once a glorious set of silver armor, now charred black with the helm worn by all of Gwyn’s knights was also now charred black by the dragons’ fire. The shield and sword I carried had suffered the same fate. The only thought occupying my mind was rage as my fellow knights were strewn about me, some bleeding others dead. I had not wished to harm them but they stood in my path.
“GWYN!” I shouted entering his chambers.
“Ahhh, my loyal knight, what ails you on this fine day?” The lord of sunlight replied striding over to me quite smoothly for his stature in all of his normal regal apparel, but something seemed off about him.
“Fine? This day is anything but fine! It seems after the banishment of nito your heart has grown cold.” I stated aggressively. His face seemed to grow cold at those words. Any hint of cheer left was gone and it was replaced with a cold stare.
“That is a concern of no one but me now make yourself scarce.” he replied coldly but with authority pointing his finger towards the door. As he did this I finally had a chance to look over my surroundings and the one thing that caught my eye was the once gloriously burning fire that kept the evil from spreading across this land was now a smoldering pile of ashes with a small flame occupying the center of the once mighty fire.
“The fire.” I said, just loud enough for him to hear. Dread entered my mind. “I knew something was astray but not something like this.” I thought to myself. “Why had the burning fire that protected this kingdom from the evils beyond it’s borders dwindled to a mere pile of ash? Why has Gwyn not done anything about this yet?” All those thoughts and many others swirled through my head. I was brought back to reality by a series of maniacal laughter from none other than Gwyn himself.
“What have you done!” I snarled at the king who halted his laughter and stared coldly at me with the eyes of a defeated man.
“cant you see i'm doing everything i can!.” he said loudly
“I dont believe you, i think you have let your heart grow dark and I will not stand idly by and let the fire die and let this kingdom fall to ruin!” I said drawing my blackened blade and raising my shield. “Even if I have to take it from you by force!”
“Foolish knight, you dare try and usurp my throne!” He said drawing his blade as well and grabbing a talisman in his other hand. “You could never begin to comprehend the powers I hold, I will give you one more chance, drop your blade and leave this kingdom and never come back.”
“I’d rather die than let this kingdom fall!”
“So be it.” He said charging me but I was ready and bashed his sword away with my shield. I lunged forward trying to plunge my sword into his chest but he managed to step back and I stumbled over the force of my stab. I quickly recovered only to look up in horror as a bolt of lightning collided with my chest sending me flying into a pillar, destroying it and covering me with rubble. I felt for my sword but it seemed to have left me.
I tried to get up but I was blocked by a blade poking at my armored chest. I snarled at the king “Go ahead kill me, kill this kingdom too you monster!” If only for a second I saw something in the king's eyes, It was guilt then as quickly as it had appeared it had vanished and he looked at me with anger.
He raised the blade high into the air and plunged it down peircing my blackened armor embedding the sword deep within my chest. my life started to slip from my grasp when a voice resonated in my head “Night is falling on this kingdom, but one day you may help it see a new dawn.” the strange voice said before everything faded into inky blackness.
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Now I just sat in this cell clad in a ruined form of what my armor used to be, dwelling in the lowest form of existence as a hollow. Bearing this accursed darksign just staring at the message someone had written on the wall long ago in their own blood. As they slowly went mad along with most of the other inhabitants of this prison. The message simply read
“ Only the chosen undead may bring new light to a faded kingdom.”
I thought about that message and what it meant. Then my mind drifted elsewhere to happier memories as I picked up a doll that once belonged to a dear friend of mine, it was given to me as a parting gift. I started to reminisce in the memories of the good old days again before all of this happened, but my thoughts were interrupted by the ceiling of my cell collapsing and the body of an undead fell through. A man wearing full knights armor walked past stopping only to glance at me before walking off.
I sat there staring in disbelief, not from the knight or the undead but from what had fell off of the undeads body. A set of cell keys. I quickly snatched them up and practically ran to the cell door hastily sticking one the keys into the lock.
“The moment of truth, will this door open?” I said to myself turning the key and to my satisfaction heard a faint clicking sound. everything worked and the door swung open with a creak. A ping of happiness sprouted in my heart at the smallest victory I have had in the last who knows how many years.
I walked back to where I was seated and grabbed what possessions I had left. I had lost my sword and shield to Gwyn when I lost that fight and the only weapon in my cell was simply the hilt of a sword, With a few inches of the blade still left around the base.
As I left the cell I felt a sense of dread come over me telling me that something wasn’t right but anything was better than that cell, so I ignored the feeling and started walking down the hall staring at the lost undead who had lost their mind. Still continuing to live as they roam the halls aimlessly but that thought came to an end as i came across a ladder that upon climbing found it lead to the prisons courtyard.
In the very center of that courtyard lay a bonfire with a fully rusted sword protruding from its center that sat there extinguished of flame. It saddened me to see it in such a state so I walked over to it but no signs of even an ember remained it was just ash. My curiosity got the better of me and I tried to grab the sword from it but when i touched it, the once pile of ash sprang to life into a small flame.
I jumped back a little at that but the fire seemed to give me a feeling of warmth, safety and seemed to heal me as i stood near it, but I had spent long enough sitting with my own thoughts I wanted out from this hell hole.
As I observed my surroundings I noticed two paths. One, simply another iron door the other a giant double door placed at the opposite end of the courtyard. I decided to go with the smaller door seeing as though one of the keys I had fit the lock.
Swinging the door open I walked into what seemed to be a flight of stairs. I cautiously walked up the crumbling stairs. I reached the second flight or a hallway I decided to continue my trek up the stairs to the top of this prison.
“If it had one.” My thoughts were cut short by a boulder rolling down the stairs I was currently on. I quickly rolled to the side falling to the set of stairs I was previously on. Then I heard a cry of pain. I looked to see that it was, not my own it was coming from the pile of rubble that was left from the wall the boulder had just smashed through.
The cry wasn’t from an undead it sounded strangely human. I started to walk over to the gaping hole in the wall when i felt a sharp pain in my side. An undead clad in soldiers armor had gotten behind me and stabbed me in the side. “Bad idea” I said spinning around causing the blade to remove itself from my side and before the undead had time to react I jabbed my sword hilt into his shoulder causing him to lose grip on his blade. I quickly took it from his grasp and with one clean swing sent his head rolling to the other side of the room. A thin wisp of white smoke left the undead’s body and entered mine. I had absorbed his soul. A feeling all too familiar after the many years it still had the same empowering feel. My side was still in minor pain but I just ignored it and I turned my attention back to the rubble.
“Who could be here besides me and still be sane?” That thought echoed in my head as I walked to the pile of rubble to see none other than the man who had aided in my escape from my cell lying there, dying. His chest piece on his armor was crushed inward and it seemed he was having trouble breathing
“Oh you, you're no hollow eh?” The knight said. “I’m done for i’m afraid, ill die soon and then ill lose my sanity.” He said starting to cough profusely a trickle of blood starting to come down from his mouth. It saddened me to see such a noble man in such a broken state.
“I wish to ask you something.” He said, I simply nodded my head wanting him to carry on before he passed.
“You and I, we’re both undead.” ‘cough’ More blood started to leak from his mouth. “So hear me out. Regrettably I have failed in my mission, but perhaps you can keep the torch lit?” He started to cough again once he stopped he started to talk again “There’s 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.’” He said having another coughing fit and yet more blood coming from his mouth
“Well now you know, and I can die with hope in my heart, oh and one more thing. Take this, an estus flask, an undead favorite.” he said, his life starting to fade I took the estus flask knowing full well of its healing properties
“I will not let your death be in vain my friend. I will carry the torch until my mind and body are no longer capable.” I stated, my voice dripping with hope and pride. trying to give the knight some hope with his last breaths.
“Thank you.” Was all he said before his body started to fade away into nothingness. As I turned to walk away with my sword clutched tightly in my hand I felt a ping of sadness wash over me.
“The only sane person i've seen in so many years, dead just like everyone else.”
It was sad but I took a drink from my estus flask quelling the pain in my side and making me feel better all together. I continued my journey up the flight of stairs when I heard a glass shattering scream come from up ahead I clutched my sword tightly in my hands and ran up the rest of the stairs and rounding a corner to a strange wall of fog but i didn't care someone needed my help there was no doubt in my mind that that scream was from anything but a human
I pushed straight through the fog wall to a small balcony. The sight both scared and confused me at the same time there before me stood a very large green demon standing 16 feet tall and wielding what looked to be a gigantic warhammer but the part that confused him is where the demons attention was focused. In the center of the room sat three small fillies. A yellow one with a red mane and a bow to match, a white one with bright green eyes and purple and pink mane that curled at the ends and what seemed like a horn, and finally the third one had an orange coat with a frizzy purple mane and wings.
I was having second thoughts of protecting them fighting that demon in my current state was suicidal.
Then the demon started to talk in a big bellowing voice that echoed throughout the room “Only the chosen undead may pass.” he said pointing his hammer at the fillies who only looked back at him with horror. “Now defeat me and free yourself from this asylum or die!” he said bringing the mighty hammer over his head.
Now was my chance I could easily drop down from this balcony and escape past him unnoticed. before dropping down I took a look back to the small colorful ponies, the sight made my heart drop. The demon was about to bring his hammer down upon the fillies but what really made me regret looking over. They had erupted into a pile of tears hugging each other for comfort when I heard the white one say something in between her sobs.
“I don’t wanna die, I want to see my family again.” Her voice cracking at the end
“Someone help.” the orange one said.
“I’m sure our knight in shining armor will come to save us, right girls?” the yellow one said trying to reassure them and herself that they weren’t about to be eaten by a demon before breaking down into tears again.
If I had any doubt in my mind that I shouldn’t help them it was long gone. I clutched the stolen blade tightly in my hands knowing full well that this was suicidal but I couldn’t just let them die.
“My armor may no longer shine but I will be your savior.” I whispered to myself walking over to the edge of the balcony.
“DEMON!” I shouted at the top of my lungs getting his attention, he lumbered over to being directly under the balcony. “I am the chosen undead! I am your opponent, now die foul demon!” I said leaping over the balcony.