Accursed Citrine - Yet another Dark Soul/Madoka Magica Crossover

[X] We got what we came here for, bone away and leave the big bad blasting butterfly behind.
-[X] Rest at the bonfire we arrive at.


You resummon your claws with an annoyed growl. "This thing's too persistent. Hey, bug! Shoo!" You shout, waving your hands about above you.

As it turns out, the butterfly doesn't seem to like that very much.

With a quiet grumble, energy begins to collect at its head. You recognise the effect from before and leap backwards towards the stairs, just in time to avoid the bright blue beam as it sweeps over the tower floor.

Oscar wasn't so quick, but seems to have gotten his shield up in time and manages to get away with just some light burns as he tumbles down after you.

"I think it's pissed we took its treasure." You grumble, peaking your head up over the top of the stairs. You duck back down when you see the butterfly flying around to see into the tower. You jump down to a lower section of stairs and gesture for Oscar to follow.

Instead of jumping after you, the knight hurries down the stairs, just barely escaping a hail of magic bolts. He exhales harshly when he reaches you. "I don't like our chances of making it back across the bridge without being hit. We don't even know if the fog wall will let us back through again."

"Wait, you don't know if we can go back through it?!"

Oscar waves your accusatory glare off and reaches into his pack. "The things are rare as it is, and very poorly understood. I'd rather not have to fight that giant insect anymore than needed, so we only have one option left besides jumping off the bridge."

You stare blankly at the bone he takes out. It looks similar to the one you found on the not-statue, if looking like it comes from a different part of the body. "How is a burnt bone going to help us get away from the overgrown butterfly…?" You ask flatly.

"I said it has a longing to return home, correct?" He replies, holding the bone up. "They're highly valued by Undead because they can take the user along with it."

"Oscar, did… did you hit your head?"

"Hmm?"

"You're making even less sense than I do."

He stares at you for a few moments, then makes an "ah." He shakes his head, still holding out the bone. "Apologies, I should explain better. The longing for home is not just metaphorical. When one crushes a Homeward Bone in their hand, they will be transported back to the bone was last near."

You eye the bone doubtfully, but look down at the one still held in your hands, somehow not dropped in the scramble away from the butterfly and forgotten about until now. You apply a bit of pressure to it and note a few of the grey ash patches start to flicker like embers.

"If you're right. IF you're right, then what?" You ask, waving your bone about. "We can teleport back or something? How do we know which bonfire mine's been to last?"

Oscar shrugs. "It's always seemed to return to the one the user last spent time at."

"And no one's ever questioned that…?" You ask, placing your hands on your hips and raising an eyebrow.

Before Oscar can reply, you hear a loud shriek from above. Looking up at the top of the stairs, you see a trio of thick magic bolts flying in and curving towards you.

"Shit, whatever!" You curse, tightening both hands around your bone. "Let's do it!"

You tighten your grip further, squeezing down until you feel it start to crack and break. A bright light begins to creep out through the cracks in the bone, before exploding out, blindingly white.

You feel the world around you spin and your stomach churns at the sudden sensation. The ground beneath your feel disappears and you feel like you're in freefall.


Both uncomfortable feelings fade along with the light, and you find yourself standing back at Firelink Shrine.

Oscar, standing beside you in a similarly disorientated fashion, lets out a long sigh and lifts his visor. "I hate magic." He mutters, rubbing his eyes.

Off to the side, the very not missed Mr Moody chuckles at the two of you. "Have a bit of trouble, did you?"

You both ignore him, and he goes back to his quiet brooding.

Oscar shakes his head and sits down at the bonfire, taking a relieved breath as the embers flicker out and around him. You decide to join him and breathe in the warmth that enters your body.

After a while of nice, peaceful quiet, you notice a smirk appear on Mr Moody's face. "Hey, you two were headed for the Bell of Awakening, right? Well, didn't you hear? Some sod already beat you to it."

Oscar looks over at him with a frown. "Sir, I was nearly flattened by one of the gargoyles guarding the bell. I very much doubt someone of average ability would be capable of making their way past those creatures alone."

Mr Moody's smirk grows mocking for a moment, then wavers. "Wait, it was you two…?" He clears his throat and his smirk returns to normal. "You don't give up, do you? Hah! Well, don't let me stop you. Only one more to go, after all." He chuckles darkly. "But it's going to be little more than suicide, hahaha!"

You and Oscar both seem to come to the same conclusion to move on at the same time. It's nice to be back somewhere safe, but having to put up with this asshole makes you want to throw him off the cliff.

You both get back to your feet and share a glance. "So, where to next?"

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

[] Go look for a way to the second bell
-[] Search the Burg and Parish
-[] Search Darkroot Garden
-[] Search the creepy place below Firelink
-[] Search the graveyard
-[] Ask someone
--[] Andre
--[] Priestess Ada
--[] The crows
-[] Write in

[] Go give the Divine Ember to Andre

[] "Deal with" Mr Moody

[] Write in

[X] Go give the Divine Ember to Andre
-[X] Ask if he was related to the other blacksmith we found given it could have passed for his twin


"I guess we should go see Andre and give him this ember thingy." You reply, retrieving the small stone bowl from your bag. It glows faintly with a subtle warmth that seems to seep into you.

Oscar nods. "As good idea as any. We certainly shouldn't keep him waiting after the trouble we went through to obtain the ember."

In agreement, you and Oscar head for the elevator back up to the Parish. On the way, you catch that weird cleric giving you a funny look again. Is everyone in Firelink an annoying weirdo? You hold in a grumble and do your best not to look at him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of getting to you.

When you reach the elevator, you realise something that didn't even occur to you. "Good thing there's two elevators, or we would've been taking the long way around."

The elevator you've been taking up and down is missing. Back up in the Parish, most likely, considering that's where you left it. There doesn't seem to be any button or switch to call it back down, but you finally understand what the other shaft is for. Honestly, you're not too sure why you didn't realise before…

"A clever system." Oscar comments as he steps onto the second elevator platform. "I wonder how it knows to lower or raise the other lift when one is in use."

"Probably something with the pullies and weights or something." You reply, following him onto the platform and sending it up. "Maybe it works like an old set of scales? One pushes the other down and vice-versa."

Oscar stares down at you for a while. Eventually, it gets to you. "What?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I believe that might be the smartest thing you've said since we met."

You glare up at him, annoyed that you can't even see his face behind the visor. You cross your arms grumpily and look away, watching the chains and gears of the elevator. "I'll have you know I'm plenty smart! I may not pay much attention in class, but it's not like I never went to school."

"Uh, right…" Oscar says, watching you for a moment longer before also turning his attention to the elevator contraption. He remains quite the rest of the way up and soon you reach the top with a loud clunk.

You and Oscar step out into the main room of the church and cross over to the open doorway. A crossbow bolt bounces off the wall as you step outside.

"Wait, didn't we already kill these guys before?" You grumble as you summon your claws and leap over the stairs' railing towards the Hollow wielding the crossbow. Oscar steps forward to block the two running at you with swords and shields.

"Hollows are Undead, same as us. They will come back again and again, given enough time."

Meaning no matter how many times you take them out, they'll just keep coming back after a while. Great…

You let your frustration at this realisation out on the Hollow, cleaving him into little slices of rotting flesh with your claws. You spin and throw one of your claws into one of the other Hollows' head just as Oscar thrusts his sword into the head of the other one.

"We're going to have to do this every time we want to come through here, then?" You grumble, starting down the path towards Andre's workshop without giving the Hollows another glance.

"It would seem so, I'm afraid." Oscar replies as he follows.

Soon, you reach the little shrine and can hear the rhythmic tink tink as you descend down the stairs. The sound, paired with the gentle crackling of the bonfire on the second floor, does surprisingly well to calm your frustration. In fact, by the time you're going down the stairs to Andre's workshop, you're feeling much better.

"Ah, back so soon?" Andre muses when he sees you arrive. "Strange, I didn't think there were any other paths to the Garden left nearby."

"We ran into a bit of trouble and had to use some Homeward Bones." Oscar replies, lifting his visor.

"Butterflies shouldn't be that big." You grumble before retrieving the ember. "Here, we found this."

The blacksmith's bushy eyebrows raise at the sight of it. "Gods, that's the ember of a divine blacksmith!" His surprise lowers into a more grim frown after a moment. "Ah, I suppose that bodes poorly for the fellow you were seeking, then?"

You and Oscar she a look. "You could say that. He definitely isn't doing much blacksmithing anytime soon."

Andre nods somewhat sombrely and the news. After a moment, however, you catch a spark in his eye. "Say, might you consider leaving that with me?" He asks, raising his hand for the ember. "With a flame such as that, I could give your straightsword the holy sheen it deserves."

You slap his hand away, inciting a surprised "hmm?" from the big man.

"Hold up, I have some questions for you first, mister 'humble blacksmith.'" You say, pulling the ember away from him. "We found that divine blacksmith you were talking about, but he looked mighty familiar."

Andre leans back and scratches his beard. "Familiar, you say? I'm not sure I follow, I'm afraid."

You cross your arms and watch him suspiciously. "We found the ember on a statue that looked almost exactly like you. Care to explain that?"

You swear you spot a flash of understanding in his eye, but it's gone in an instant. He goes quiet for a while, frowning in thought. Eventually, he sighs and shakes his head. "Unfortunately, I have no idea what it could be. Perhaps it's the fate of myself from another world, drawn into this one as time warps and blends with the dying Fire?"

Anywhere else, you'd laugh at such a response. He's suggesting something like parallel universes, or something, after all. But with what you've seen so far? It's so ridiculously a lie that no one would possibly fall for it. Maybe it's the truth after all?

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

[] Accept Andre's explanation and move on
-[] Go look for the second bell (write in)
-[] Talk to Andre some more (write in)
-[] Write in

[] Demand Andre tells you the truth

[] Write in