Accursed Citrine - Yet another Dark Soul/Madoka Magica Crossover

[X] Listen to Oscar and rest for the night
-[X] Talk to Oscar (Write in)
--[X] Ask Oscar about Gods and miracles.



You think about ignoring Oscar; you need to find Oriko as quickly as you can after all. You do, however, begrudgingly have to admit that he's right. You can go on without sleep thanks to being a magical girl, but that may have a limit.

Heaving a sigh, you dispel your magical attire and sit back down besides Oscar. "Alright, fine. But just so you know, I'm not tired at all."

"That's quite surprising, considering the day we've had." He says with a chuckle. "The night's still early, so I suppose we should find something to pass the time before we rest."

"Yeah, right…" You mutter, slumping forward and propping your chin up with your hand. What to talk about, though? Small talk's never been your strong point, even after you made your wish, so… oh, wait! "Ah, what about that lightning bolt thingy that Solaire guy spooked the dragon away with?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean that miracle he used. You seemed awfully captivated by it at the time, so I presume you don't have such tales in your homeland?"

"Tales?" You repeat, tilting your head. "Like, stories? What's that got to do with creating a lightning bolt out of thin air?"

Oscar shakes his head. "What you saw was a miracle; a legend of the Gods made true through the power of the fellow's faith. To put it simply, miracles are stories of great feats of the Gods. While there are many different miracles, just as there are many different Gods, they can all be recreated if one truly believes enough."

You give him a blank stare. Is Oscar really trying to tell you people are going around throwing magic lightning bolts out of their hands with the power of prayer or something? You didn't hear that Solaire guy say any chant or prayer, he just held up that weird little scrap of rags.

"That can't be it, right? You can do magic if you believe enough? Then what was that little rag thing Solaire held up when he was doing it?"

"Ah, I believe that was a talisman of some kind." Oscar replies, nodding. "They act as the medium for casting a miracle. I believe it allows you to focus your faith."

"Oh, so it's kind of like making a new year's wish or something, then? Just… it actually works? Ah, I guess you'd need to be some kind of special person or something, though, right? Or they're special stories? There has to be more to it than just 'believing…'"

Oscar nods. "Well, the tales typically have to be believable to begin with, and they're usually only learned through a cleric or official prayerbook or scroll. For example, that bolt of lightning our sun-loving friend used earlier was based upon the bolts Lord Gwyn used to strike down the Ancient Dragons during the war against them."

So, it's not just random stories or myths, but specific legends, then. This 'Lord Gwyn' guy seems pretty cool if he can throw lightning.
You nod slowly, starting to wrap your head around it all. "So, does that mean there are other fancy lightning miracles?"

"That's right, although it's actually just a form of the sunlight inherited by Lord Gwyn and his daughter, Lady Gwynevere. These sunlight miracles range from means of combat used by clerics and holy knights, such as the lightning spear we witnessed earlier, to the gentler healing of Lady Gwynevere. There's also less… grand miracles, such as those connected to Lady Velka, the goddess of Sin. There are likely many more, but I only have a basic education in the stories of the Gods. I'm sure a priestess or cleric could teach you more, if you're interested."

You lean back and stare up at the ceiling. There are little cracks in the stone, but it's held up pretty well considering a dragon was sitting up there on the roof.

"The idea of casting god-magic is pretty cool, but it kinda sounds like it's mostly just boring stuff and a lot of hard work to learn." You sigh and sit forward again, staring into the flickering of the fire. "They sound like they're probably similar to the complicated western stories Oriko had in her library, as opposed to simple 'knight in shining armour' stuff. I guess they'd be more suited to the smart and refined Oriko than they are to me."

Oriko… Where are you? What are you doing right now? I hope you're safe…

"Say, I've been wondering for a while now." Oscar says after a short while of silence. "You speak very highly of this Oriko. If I may ask, what's your relationship? You seem very determined to reunite with her."

"Ah, she's my…" You trail off. What IS your relationship with Oriko? You've never been able to bring yourself to confess anything to her like the girls in the manga you read, so maybe Oriko just views you as a friend? You'd be willing to do anything for her, but if you're entirely honest, you'd be perfectly happy if you could just stay with her forever. Ah, that's it…

"She's my master." You finally reply. "I would do anything and everything for her. Whatever she asks, whatever she needs." You look down at your hand, balling it tight enough to make your knuckles go white. "I need to find her, no matter what. Everyone else can and will betray her, but I will never leave her side."

Oscar goes quiet for a while again. You notice out of the corner of your eye that he's shifting strangely, picking up his sword and placing it on his lap. "You seem… very dedicated to her."

You open your hand and look up at Oscar, giving him a smirk. "There is no one in the world more important to me than Oriko is. I don't need anyone but her and I'd be more than happy to remove anyone who would get between us."

Once again, Oscar goes quiet. His helmet is still turned down at the fire, but you can feel him looking at you through the side of his visor.

-------------------

[] Keep talking to Oscar (Write in)

[] Go to sleep

[] Write in

[X] Go to sleep



As the silence once again falls over your conversation, you suddenly feel a yawn coming on. You try to hold it in, but it seems that all the excitement and insanity of today is finally catching up to you. You do your best to hide it, hoping Oscar didn't notice.

"You should sleep if you're getting tired." He suggests, still facing down at the fire.

"I told you, I'm not tired at all!" You retort, crossing your arms and looking away. You realise you're sulking when you notice you've puffed your cheeks out. You clear your throat and try to stop.

Oscar sighs. "Fatigue is a common thing, Kirika. Go on, rest. I'll keep watch and wake you up in a few hours to swap places."

You go to argue more, but another yawn escapes from your mouth. Oscar gives you an expectant look.

"Argh, fine!" You grumble, getting up. You go over to the boxes of stuff and look around until you fine some worn, but warm-looking blankets. You hand one over to Oscar and go lay down on your own over by the wall.

While the stone beneath your is cold to the touch, the warmth of the bonfire reaches out to calm you and the blanket wards off the cool night wind blowing in through the open gateways. The gentle crackling of the fire drowns out the grumbles of the Hollows, guiding you into sleep like some kind of embracing lullaby…




You dream of Oriko. You dream of walking in on her obsessing over making a cheesecake. You hide around the corner, peaking in as she rushes about the kitchen with just as much focus and determination she has when planning her battles and manipulations. The show finally ends when she lets out an excited laugh and begins spinning around with the finished cake held above her head.

Once Oriko realises her antics are being watched, you soon move out to the garden to eat. You teach her how to eat a cake properly and happily chat with her. There are no worries weighing down on Oriko. No visions of the end of the world, nothing forcing her to kill. There are witches, but they are no problem for the two of you.

You read a letter from an old friend as you relax after finishing the cake. It bears good news and well-wishes. Oriko peaks over your shoulder curiously.

"Oh my, Kirika. I wonder what's so special about that letter that it has you smiling so happily?" She says, the corners of her lips raised in a teasing smile. "Could it be a love letter?"

Her teasing question almost sends you tumbling off your chair. You flail your arms about in a panic, desperate to clear up the misunderstanding. "Wait, wait, no! There's only one person I love in the whole world! There's no other!"

Your face is burning in your embarrassment, but Oriko's hand sends a cool sensation across your cheek as she pulls you face-to-face.

"Oh my, now you've truly piqued my curiosity." She says with a smile. "Who could that 'one' be, I wonder?"

You jump back, falling off your chair and landing on your butt. You avert your eyes in attempt to hide your ever growing embarrassment. "C-Come on, Oriko… Who else do you think it would be?" You mumble.

Oriko crouches down beside you, her smile growing wider. "Now, now. How could I know such a thing? Who could it be?" She asks with a giggle.

Your embarrassment has reached its peak, but you realise this is your chance. Your stomach tightens and your throat goes dry, but you let out a long sigh to try calming yourself.

"Well, if I gotta say… The person I love is-"

As you go to finally say it, the dream is suddenly broken. The peaceful garden scene is shattered into a million pieces like glass thrown against a wall. What replaces that pleasant dream is a painful assault of fragmented flashes.

A city bathed in a golden light, being impaled upon a forest of crystals as a dragon roars above, a great burning sword swinging down at you amid a sea of ash. These, among a thousand other scenes stab into your mind and fade before you can even comprehend them. Soon, they all begin to fade into a deep, all-consuming darkness filled with dozens of tiny red eyes. These eyes move in to surround you and you're unable to escape.

Just as unnatural shapes begin to form around the eyes, everything fades and you see a burning sky with a massive eclipse-like hole in the place of the sun looking down upon a magnificent castle.




You awaken with a start, thrusted from your sleep by a sharp pain digging into your head. It feels like someone's shoving some kind of needle into your skull, but to your relief, the pain begins to fade the moment your eyes snapped open. You nurture your head with one hand and rub your eyes with the other, and soon the pain disappears all together.

What the hell was that? That first bit was clearly just a dream; you could never hope for such a perfect world to exist in reality, after all. But, that later bit… It didn't feel like a dream. Most of the images you saw are already fading from your memory, but was that…? No, surely not. It's impossible, but it almost felt like how Oriko described her premonitions. Well, maybe it was more violent than that?

Either way, this just proves that you need to find Oriko as soon as possible. If what just happened means anything, she'll know what to do. Heaving a sigh, you stop rubbing your eyes and move to get up…

…and find a Hollow staring blankly at you, close enough that you can make out individual strands of hair clinging to its scalp. You shove the thing back with a surprised shout and scramble backwards. You jump to your feet and summon your claws, ready for a fight.

"Excuse me, but please do not antagonise the Hollows of this shrine." An unfemale voice says.

You look up from the Hollow you shoved, which is staring up at you in an almost confused manner, to see a woman in some kind of religious robes. The top half of her face is obscured by a hood and cloth wrapped around her eyes, but bits of her grey-almost-white hair hangs down over her shoulders. Her robes are somewhat grey-ish, with faded golden trims. It looks like they were once pretty ornate, with bits of flowy fabric hanging down from the shoulders and wrists, but has long since torn and faded over time.

"Antagonise the hollows?!" You snap back, annoyed that some random stranger has suddenly told you off. "What about it antagonising me?!"

You hear footsteps from the direction of the bridge and two armed Hollows enter with their swords drawn. The mysterious woman sighs and waves them off, and you're equally surprised and confused when they obey. She steps over to the Hollow on the ground and helps it up, guiding it away.

While she's busy, you look around the little shrine. Oscar is missing and there are only a few Hollows still praying to the statue in the middle. Through the doorway to the grassy area, you notice movement. A closer inspection reveals… Solaire? You don't get time to think about it, as the woman returns.

You glare daggers at her and bare your teeth like a wolf baring its fangs. "Who are you? Where's Oscar?!"

She tilts her head slightly and purses her lips in a vaguely annoyed manner. "Your knightly companion left not too long ago, saying he was going to take a look around. As for myself…" She bows her head slightly. "I am Ada, the priestess who tends to this shrine and the Hollows who are drawn to it."

"Ada of…? Everyone I've met here so far is 'of somewhere-or-other'…" You ask blankly, before shaking your head. "Wait, no! What the hell do you mean 'tend to the Hollows'?"

Ada sighs again and sits down on the edge of the pool around the statue. "I am aware that the times are turbulent and you are confused, but please lower your weapons. Also, it is rude to withhold your own name from the one who is hosting you."

You look down at your claws, hesitating. There's still no way to know if you can trust this lady, especially since she seems buddy-buddy with the Hollows somehow. Maybe you should just kill her and blame it on the Hollows when Oscar gets back…

"Ah, Kirika. Good to see you're awake."

As if he read your mind, you look over to see Oscar returning down the stairs leading further into the city. He stops and looks between you and the priestess, apparently recognising the mood.
"Ah, did something happen while I was gone?"

Ada smiles wryly at him. "I believe your friend thinks me to be some kind of threat. I merely attempted to assure her, but perhaps she is still half asleep?"

Oscar gives a sour chuckle. "While Kirika does seem to have a rather… aggressive personality, I imagine your mingling with Hollows would put anyone on guard at first."

Ada shakes her head and once again sighs. "Hollows were once human, so it is only reasonable to treat them fairly. Civilised peoples respect their dead, and this should be no different."

"Unfortunately, your views seem quite radical, even for those who are more tolerant towards the Undead."

You finally dispel your claws and relax a bit when you see Oscar talking calming with this Ada lady. Even so, you still don't really get what this lady's deal is. Is she somehow controlling the Hollows? She seemed to have some kind of command over them when you first woke up. You remember Oscar mentioning that Hollows still have some kind of muscle memory or something, but they're nothing more than zombies otherwise, right?

-------------------

[] Move on

[] Talk to… (write in)
-[] Oscar
-[] Ada

[] Go see what Solaire's up to

[] Mess around with the Hollows

[] Write in

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry for the delay on this post. Uni just started up again and I'm woefully unprepared, so I've been scrambling about trying to sort everything out. Posts might be delayed for a while, depending on how things go.

[X] Talk to…
-[X] Ada



Oscar once again looks between you and Ada before nodding, apparently satisfied with having lessened whatever tension there was. "Well, I shall prepare for continuing our journey. Priestess, would you be willing to trade for some of your supplies?"

Ada nods pleasantly. "Of course, take what you need. There is no need for compensation, I keep excess for passing travellers such as yourself."

"Thank you. Kirika, we should move on soon. Come tell me when you're ready to go." Oscar says before heading over to a pile of food, water and other supplies in the corner of the room.

Meanwhile, Ada stands up and wanders off, returning with a ladle and two bowls. She begins ladling water into the bowls and offers one to you. You accept it, but wait until the priestess takes a sip of her own bowl before drinking any yourself.

The water is surprisingly cool. Despite the little pool Ada got it from, it doesn't taste stagnant at all, either. In fact, this might be the best water you've ever tasted!

"Ahh, wow! It this stuff really water? It's great!" You exclaim, wiping your mouth with your sleeve.

The priestess shrugs and continues with considerably smaller sips than you take. "This shrine is blessed by the Gods. While their powers have faded as of late and Lordran has all but fallen, the blessing upon this shrine still lingers. The water is not void of that blessing."

You look down at the now empty bowl in your hands, noticing little flickers similar to the embers of the bonfire clinging to the grooves in the wood. "Ah, so it's like some kind of holy water or something?" You ask, looking up only to find Ada's already moved on.

You follow after her, watching curiously as she refills the bowls and goes around to each Hollow. One by one, she helps them drink small sips of the water before moving onto the next one. It's a strange sight, almost like a nurse looking after the infirm.

"Hey, I have a question."

"You've done nothing but demand questions thus far, so I expected as much." She replies, not looking up from her Hollow-tending.

"Uh, right… How come the Hollows don't attack you? Do you have mind control powers or something to make them do what you want?"

Ada stops and stands up straight. She turns her head towards you, and you can see her brow furrowing even under the cloth covering her eyes. "I do not control these Hollows." She snaps harshly. The Hollow she was just tending to flinches at her tone, but quickly calms down when she gently places her hand on its shoulder. You think you spot a faint glow beneath her palm when she does this, but you could've just imagined it.

She lets out an annoyed huff through her nose and returns to the Hollows. "My oldest predecessor, the very first priestess of this shrine, tended to the injuries of slave warriors, knights and even a number of the gods during the war against the ancient dragons. For that, she was 'gifted' with this shrine, right in the shadow of the home of the Gods. There have been many priestesses here since then, but this shrine and its priestess has always been here."

You tilt your head, confused. "So… this place is super old? What does that have to do with you not controlling the Hollows?"

"I assume you at least know that Hollows still retain a very minimum memory. Something akin to muscle memory, hence how they can still use weapons and tools. This shrine and I have always existed for these Hollows. To them, we are just as much a part of this city as a house or a bridge."

"So, that's why they don't attack you? But those ones with the swords went away when you told them to… Ah, wait!" You exclaim, shaking your head. "Doesn't that mean you're SUPER old?!"

Ada growls quietly. "Child, I have been patient with your insolence thus far, but if you don't start showing some respect, I shall expel you and your companion without any of my offered provisions."

You clench your jaw and hold your tongue. For a priestess, this Ada lady seems pretty easily angered. That, or it's your fault. Surely you can't be entirely to blame, right? Well, maybe you should watch what you say a bit more…

She seems to take your silence as obedience and continues in a vaguely irritated tone. "I am Undead, same as your companion and that jovial knight in the garden. Of course, being Undead alone does not allow one to continue forever, but there are… ways to retain one's humanity. As for the armed Hollows who defend the shrine, they were once soldiers. Obeying simple commands is a part of their memories and I merely happen to fit whatever authority they recognise."

You rock back and forth on your heels for a bit, pondering that. So, Hollows aren't quite standard zombies, but something a bit different. The Undead obviously 'live' for longer than normal people, since they're undead and all, but Oscar mentioned they eventually become Hollows. But this priestess is saying there are ways for that to not happen? It's not through a bunch of prayer and stuff, right? That'd be pretty stupid…

"Of course, not every Hollow is peaceful." Ada continues, interrupting your thoughts. "And occasionally they will react aggressively towards a passing traveller. A tale of the kindness of the original tender of this shrine has been passed down through her successors. Something akin to a miracle that allows one to sooth the violence of Hollows."

----------------------

[] Move on

[] continue talking to Ada
-[] Write in

[] Go talk to Oscar

[] Go see what Solaire's doing

[] Mess around with the Hollows

[] Write in