User blog:ClammierASP317/Fan Fiction Chapter One, the Undead Asylum

 Chapter 1

'' “In the age of ancients. The world was unformed, shrouded by fog. A land of grey crags, archtrees and everlasting dragons. But then there was fire. And with fire, came disparity. Heat and cold. Life and death, and of course… Light and Dark. Then from the dark, they came, and found the Souls of Lords within the flame. Nito, the first of the dead, the Witch of Izalith, and her Daughters of Chaos, Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight and his faithful knights, and the furtive pygmy, so easily forgotten. With the Strength of Lords, they challenged the dragons. Gwyn’s mighty bolts peeled apart their stone scales. The witches weaved great firestorms. Nito unleashed a miasma of death and disease. And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own, and the dragons were no more. Thus began the Age of Fire. But soon, the flames will fade, and only Dark will remain. Even now, there are only embers, and man sees not light but only endless nights. And amongst the living are seen, carriers of the accursed Darksign.” ''

'''Northern Undead Asylum '''

'“Yes, indeed. The Darksign brands the Undead. And in this land, the Undead are corralled and led to the north, where they are locked away, to await the end of the world… This is your fate.” '

I awake suddenly to the darkness that broods in the shadows, and the screams of hundreds can be heard from all directions. The growls of the Asylum Guardians can be heard, distantly, as if miles away, but truly, the demons reside above, and below. The movements of the Asylum Demons shake the ground, the dust coming off the wall, mortar in between the bricks crumbling, almost as if the asylum could break down at any moment, but this fortress of pain and misery has stood firmly in these conditions for centuries and it will remain so for years to come.

Who am I, says the inner voice inside my head, where am I… Why am I here? Before any answer comes in answer, a grating sounds from above, sunlight shines upon me as I look up. Could this truly be sunlight, or is this some new torture. An armoured figure comes into view, above the trap door that he has so obviously just opened. The figures face is hidden behind his helmet visors, but his head nods as he pushes a body down into the trapdoor. My eyes follow the body as it falls to my feet, I look up to the trap door, but the armoured man has already left. I look back down to the body and walk over to it, the body is that of a hollow, and its only clothing is a belt around its waist with key hooked onto it. I grab the key, and look up to my cell door. Oh, says the voice in my head, it is my cell key. I pull the key from the belt and draw my sword out of the ground, it may just be a rusted hilt with little more than a butter knife sized blade, but it should be able to take care of any hollows that I might come across. I stand a take the few steps I need to reach the door and slide the key into the lock, I turn it and welcome the click that shows it is unlocked. I push open the door and walk down the corridor, out a window to my right I see one of the Asylum Demons stomping down another corridor, larger than this one. I’ll have to avoid these “Asylum Demons” if I want to have any sort of chance to escape, says the voice in my head, nervously.

To the side of the corridor I can see two hollows, neither has noticed my approach, I approach the first slowly and pull my arm back, I hesitate. This could have been me, whispers the voice, but I don’t dwell on the fact because that isn’t me, this thing is little more than a zombie. I thrust the sword into the back of the hollow, the creature cries out an unearthly scream of pain as red-brown blood runs down the hilt of the sword and covers my hand. The hollow begins to spasm and struggle and I let go of the sword hilt and grab its head, one hand on under its lower jaw the other directly opposite, on the back of its head, I then push and pull, snapping its neck. I hear a growl and I see the other hollow running towards me with a broken sword in its hand, I don’t have a chance to pull my sword from its back. I let the body fall to the ground and face the hollow. The Hollow does a clumsy overhead swing, I step aside before it can hit me and push the hollow into the ground, and before it can stand I pull my sword from the dead hollow and stab the living one in the back of its head, killing it. As I stand I realise clouds of white particles rise from the bodies and swirl around me and seem to fuse with me, I don’t feel anything weird but something in the back of my head knows what these white clouds are.

I slide the blood covered blade over the rags worn by the hollows to clean it and continue up a set of stairs. This short set of stairs ends to the rest of the corridor which ends in a door way. I make my way to the door way at a jog, but slow down as I go through the doorway. I find myself in a small square room, with two sets of three stairs going around the side of the room, leading to the floor, which is filled in knee high water from the barred off sewer tunnels. Sitting in the corner is another hollow, but it seems harmless as it would have seen me walk into the room, so I ignore it. There is a door way next to the second set of stairs and it leads to a corridor, I run down the corridor and find myself in a circular room with a ladder, I look up the ladder and see light coming from the top. Daylight, says the voice hopefully, it doesn’t look like all hope is lost yet. I climb the ladder and walk through a door way at the top and find myself in a courtyard with a large door way at the top of some stairs on the otherside. In the middle however is what looks like a burned out fire with a sword sticking out of it. I walk over too it to get a better look but when I get next to it, another voice in my head seems to scream at me, a foreign voice. Bonfire, it screams, light the bonfire, link the fire, and restore the flame. Something seems to take hold of me as I raise my hand and heat seems to emanate from it, just before the ‘bonfire’ burst into life, flames begin curling around the blade. I get a sudden urge to sit down at this strange bonfire, it’s the same voice from before but this time it is kind, as if promising good things, urging me to sit. I hesitate but then I sit, suddenly everything that I was worried about didn’t seem to matter, and I feel like I could run a mile without breaking a sweat. And suddenly the voice comes into my mind.

“You are Roland, Honoured Knight of Astora, and your mission is dire, these white clouds that you collect are the souls of your vanquished enemies, and are also the currency in this world, use them wisely, you can use the purchase equipment from any merchants you are guaranteed to find, or you can use them at a bonfire, like this one, to make you stronger in some form, but once you have improved yourself, the next time you wish to improve yourself, it will take away more and more souls. Go forth, this is all I can tell you for now, complete your destiny, Restore the flame.”

Roland, I am Knight Roland, of Astora. Suddenly memories return to me, but they only seem to be about me, I am from Astora, my name and my class, but nothing about the kind of person I was. At least I know what these white clouds are, but how will I know how many I have. As if in answer a number flashes from the darkness when a close my eyes, 40. So I have forty souls on me, that’s barely anything, says the other voice, my voice I realise, these must be my thoughts.

I stand up and the rejuvenating power leaves me, but I now feel healthy, rather than the drain in power I had felt for as long as I can remember. I look towards the large door and walk over to it. I push it, to test its weight, then push with all my strength. And then slowly but surely the door begins to open, I open it wide and walk through, I then walk to the middle and look around. There only seems to be this other large doorway, my thoughts say, and the smaller door way to my left. I scan the area suspiciously, it seems too quiet. My eyes detect a slight movement in the shadows, too late, just as I begin to look up a huge shape drops from the hole in the roof. An asylum demon, I glance around and remember the small door way. I sprint at full speed for the door way as the demon swings its hammmer at me, I feel the wind from the hammer as it misses me by a fraction, I feel the power that would have been behind it and dive for the door way, rolling through the door just as the demon smashes the ground, rouble is still following me through the doorway as metal bars slide down, barring the passage off from me to the Asylum Demon. I stand up and brush myself off, my back hurts from rolling down a set of stairs but aside from that I’m fine. I realise I’m more than fine when I see another bonfire at the end of the corridor, in a room almost a mirror to the one that led to the ladder. I reach out with my hand and concentrate, feeling the heat begin to emanate from my fingertips just as the blade catches fire. I crouch next to the fire and the ache of my back stops. I stand up again and look around for an exit, sure enough, the exit is in the exact same place as the room near the ladder, next to the second set of stairs. This time the doorway leads to an open corridor, at the top of which is a hollow, armed with a bow and arrows. It draws an arrow back and lets loose, just as I begin sprinting down the corridor and then seek refuge in a doorway, inside of which looks like an armoury, as I’m running my hands over the various shields, a vision comes to me as my hands go over a particular shield, it’s a steel shield with a tower emblazoned on it. This must have been mine, says my voice. I pick it up and it instantly feels familiar. I peer around the corner just as an arrow flies past the doorway. I realise that I will have better face is protected by a visor, and another vision comes to me, one of a knight, with the same shield as the one in my hand and a broadsword, the knight is wearing a tabard that I am not wearing, but more importantly, he has a helmet with a visor, reach up and touch my helmet, and sure enough, there is a visor, which I quickly flick down. I take one glance around the corner then sprint out from cover, shield raised and held in front of me in my left hand. The hollow begins to run away before I reach it and I notice as I round a corner at the end of the corridor, there is a broadsword leaning on the wall, the same as in the vision. I grab it and sure enough, it feels familiar, just like the shield. I look further up the corridor and see that the hollow is drawing yet another arrow, I quickly raise my shield and sprint up the corridor and up a set of stairs, where I finally reach the archer, I swing the sword up over my head and into the area between the shoulder and the neck. More souls pour from the body into my and a new number, 60, flashes before me. I find my path blocked by white fog. I reach into it and feel no resistance, so I step through. I look back and find that the fog is no longer there, so I turn around and head further, I am face with a T-junction but there is nothing to the left so I turn right. I find myself met with two sets of stairs, one going up one going down, I go down and find myself at the courtyard bonfire again. I turn back and head up the other set of stairs, there is a sudden click and I find myself having to dive down onto the stairs below and to my right, as a boulder rolls down the stairs. After picking myself up I go back up the stairs again and find a hole in the wall. I go through the hole and find the armoured figure, the one who set me free, lying, broken on a pile of rouble, a hole in the roof above him. Looks like he had a run in with the Asylum Demon, says my voice. I walk over to him and a vision flashes in front of me, of this very warrior, a knight of Astora, fighting at my side in battle, his name is Oscar, Oscar, Knight of Astora.

“…Oh, you… You’re no Hollow, eh?” says Oscar, “Thank goodness… I’m done for, I’m afraid… I’ll die soon, then lose my sanity… I wish to ask something of you… You and I, we’re both Undead… Hear me out, will you?”

I nod slowly.

“… Regrettably, I have failed in my mission… But perhaps you can keep the torch lit…” says Oscar, gasping in pain, “There is 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 the 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… Oh, one more thing… Here, take this… An Estus Flask, an Undead favourite…”

He hands me a bottle of glowing green liquid.

“…Oh, and this…” says Oscar, scarcely more than a whisper, “… Now I must big farewell… I would hate to harm you after death… So, go now… And thank you…”

<p class="MsoNormal">He hands me a key. As I leave through the broken wall, I hear one fighting gasp for air from the fallen knight as he dies. I sadly bring my fist to my chest in salute, and continue up the stairs. At the top is a hollow which I dispatch quickly swinging my sword and severing its head from its shoulders. I unlock the door behind it using the key from Oscar and continue down the corridor. I fight two more Hollows, the first one swung a wide cut which a parried then stabbed it through the chest as a riposte, than I dodged the other hollows overhead swing and stabbed it in the back. I continue and find an archer, but before it can fire I break through its feeble attempts at blocking with its bow and cave in its skull with the hilt of my sword. To my left is a fog blocked door but straight ahead is another room. My thirst for revenge overcomes my urge to explore and I step through the fog, once on the other side I find myself on a ledge above where I fought the Demon, and below me, looking up at me, teeth bared, is the Asylum Demon. With unforgiving rage filling my heart I put my shield onto my back and grab the hilt of my sword with both hands, I reverse my grip on the sword, take a step back and leap through the air the sword pulled back, time seems to stand still as I bring the sword down in front of me and stab the demon in-between the eyes. The demon throws me off as it screams in pain. I crash to the ground but due to adrenaline, I don’t feel the pain and recover instantly, I charge at the demon and hack at its legs. It takes a swing at me but I dodge easily and sure enough the demon finally falls. It begins to glow with white light and a pull my hands in front of my face but not before it explodes into souls. When my hands leave my face, floating in the air is a small black sprite. Humanity, says the foreign voice. I reach out and the sprite seems to sink into my hand, joining with me, just like the souls. Lying on the ground in front of me, is a large key. I pick it up and look at the large door, the key would fit in the lock, so I fit it into the lock and turn, the door unlocks and swings open. Before me is a long cliff. I have escaped, says my voice excitedly. I run up the cliff to the edge. I stare out across the open expanse of mountains. A Huge black shadow comes over me and I look up to see a giant crow, bearing down on me, Talons Outstretched.

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-AU;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">“Only, in the ancient legends it is stated, that one day an Undead shall be chosen to leave the Undead Asylum, in pilgrimage, To the land of the Ancient Lords, Lordran.”