[X] Check out the path you initially skipped in the Settlement. Who knows what secrets may lay in store there? Well, they're probably awful secrets considering the rest of the place, but there's only one way to find out!
Hopefully I can get this next post out at a more reasonable time. We're almost out of the Undead Settlement, which means we're getting closer to actual things happening.
Scheduled vote count started by RecurringExtra on Sep 28, 2021 at 1:14 PM, finished with 13 posts and 8 votes.
[X] Check out the path you initially skipped in the Settlement. Who knows what secrets may lay in store there? Well, they're probably awful secrets considering the rest of the place, but there's only one way to find out!
Hopefully I can get this next post out at a more reasonable time. We're almost out of the Undead Settlement, which means we're getting closer to actual things happening.
Scheduled vote count started by RecurringExtra on Sep 28, 2021 at 1:14 PM, finished with 13 posts and 8 votes.
[X] Check out the path you initially skipped in the Settlement. Who knows what secrets may lay in store there? Well, they're probably awful secrets considering the rest of the place, but there's only one way to find out!
Out of curiosity, as someone who hasn't played much Dark Souls, how far along in the game is Sayaka at this point? I'd guess like maybe 2/3rds the way through the first "World/Chapter" for lack of a better term.
Out of curiosity, as someone who hasn't played much Dark Souls, how far along in the game is Sayaka at this point? I'd guess like maybe 2/3rds the way through the first "World/Chapter" for lack of a better term.
Hodrick is actually connected to the side boss, so I'm pretty sure she could still get to him. The guy who teaches pyromancy does need a rescue though... I think...
An update: I have a lot more going on right now than I'd like. This includes both school work*, and commitments that I have to several friends of mine that I feel the need to see through. Because of this, there will not be any further updates for the remainder of 2021. I'm very sorry about this, but I'd rather be honest about it than just put it off endlessly. Doing this does two things: it lets me be transparent with you guys, but it also helps me manage my stress levels with everything currently going on.
This all being said, it isn't all doom and gloom. Once the New Year comes, I'm going to be rededicating myself to working on the quest. I'm not saying that "I'm going to try" or that "I hope to" like I've said in the past, but rather I actually will be.
Updates will come regularly.
I'm sick and tired of my seeming inability to progress this story, especially with how close we are to getting the ball rolling. So be ready for the pace to actually pick back up around the New Year, because this time, it actually will be.
So thank you everyone for both reading, and for putting up with me. When I return, I'll have something to make the wait have been worth it, so please look forward to it.
If anybody lives in Germany or knows somebody who does, I'd very much appreciate if you'd be willing to participate in a study by answering a few questions because I'm honestly desperate enough to be posting this here because I need a sample size of 100 people for this for some ungodly reason somebody save me please. Just, uh, DM me if you or your friend/acquittance would be willing to. If you can't or simply don't want to, then please do not worry about it.
You comply, swinging your blade at Hawkwood with as much force as you can. Hawkwood dives out of the way, before thrusting his own blade out at you. You quickly spawn another blade and block his thrust, a loud ding echoing out from the arena-turned-practice ground that once held Gundyr.
Eyes wide, Hawkwood is barely able to get his shield up in time to block your next strike. With a grunt he backs off, although judging by his face, he seems to be thinking rather than upset.
"Something the matter?" You ask, eyebrow raised.
"You keep blocking with your swords." Hawkwood explains, eyeing your blade. "For anyone else, that would be one of the stupidest things you could really do."
"Really?" Didn't they always do that in movies though? Well, it wasn't technically blocking so much as two people wacking swords together, but still.
"Swords are much smaller compared to shields, so all of the force is directed into a small area.If you're lucky, you end up with a dull blade. Do it enough, and you end up without a sword at all. But for you that isn't really an issue."
"Because I can just make more." You say, starting to follow his train of thought.
Hawkwood nods. "It's obviously a lot more dangerous than just using a shield, and doesn't work against something much larger than you, but it means you don't have to stay on the defensive nearly as much."
Now that you think about it, you've been doing this a lot fairly unconsciously during fights. Despite the whole hero idea, you never really were one for shields, although you have been trying to do better. Taking risks just never seems to matter when you can just fix up whatever they hit back.
[Gain Parrying Focus? (Will attempt to use summoned swords to block, allowing for greater offense at the cost of greater risk.)]
Hawkwood glares at his own blade, seeming to tsk at the small dents your practice duel has left.
"What'd I give for a whetstone from the keep right about now..." He mutters, his gaze distant for a moment, before he seems to remember that he isn't alone sulking and quickly returns to reality.. "Anyway, while I wouldn't say that you're a natural at this, you're definitely learning quickly, although you seem to have a lot of bad habits.
"Oh like what?"
"Well, you try to block with your swords for one thing. You may as well be blocking with your fists for how practical that usually is. And if you're not doing that, you're blocking with your face."
"I so don't. I'm not that bad." You say, totally not pouting.
"Keep telling yourself that. Hopefully it'll even come true." Hawkwood says with the barest hint of a smile. "Now, I'm going to get these dents sorted out before we head back out."
"It can't be that urgent to get them fixed. Besides, it'll probably be damaged again while we're out."
"Honestly, it really isn't,, but they'll bother me the longer they aren't dealt with, and if there's one thing we have plenty of, it's time."
"Really? Isn't the world dying or whatever?"
Hawkwood sighs. "It's been dying for a long time, and it'll keep dying for a long time. Reality isn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon."
"Feels like a bit of a stretch to say it's dying then, doesn't it?"
"It certainly can feel that way, but it'd probably be better if we were running out of time. The truth is that this is the worst kind of death."
Hawkwood of course chooses that happy note to head over to Andre, leaving you with some more time to kill while he gets his sword beat back into shape. Honestly, there is something wrong with that man...
With nothing else to do but kill time, you decide to take Yoel up on his offer on magic. Magic being magic, it probably isn't that boring... Actually, no, wait, it's magic, so it might be really boring. You're just going to hope it isn't the book heavy type magic.
You find Yoel in the same spot, although what he was up to it's hard to say seeing as you can't actually see his face, and it's doubtful that you'd even want to if you could.
"Ah, greetings Champion of Ash." He says with a small nod of his hooded head."Have you come to learn?"
"If that isn't too much of a bother." You say with a bit of awkwardness.
"Oh, believe me, it's none at all." Yoel says with a laugh, before he leans more heavily on his staff while stroking his... not really his chin, considering the sheer amount of wrappings covering his face, but it may as well be. "Now where should I begin..."
"For what it's worth, I know basically nothing." You admit.
"Well, I suppose we should begin with the fundamentals." He says, before he... you think that was him clearing his throat. You aren't sure what else that noise could have been, besides maybe a dying fish choking. "Sorcery is said to be the study of the Soul, first begun eons ago by the Albino Duke Seath."
You can't help but conjure up the image of some wrinkly old man in a wizard hat, although you add in some fancy clothes to fit his apparent nobility.
"It's rumored he might have even been a dragon," Well, so much for that. "but outside of Vinheim there is little information on the subject, at least that I'm still able to recall." Yoel grumbles. "They tend to be rather... reluctant to share much of anything, let alone knowledge. Regardless, sorcery is the art of using that which animates life as an independent force."
"There's much more to the theories and what not, but my memory isn't what it used to be, to say the least. My apologies if you sought anything more in depth."
"I think I'd rather keep things basic if possible." You admit.
"Then moving on from theory, the first thing you have to do is attune yourself with a spell."
"Is that something different from just learning it?" You ask, confused.
"Learning it is but half of the challenge. You must not simply memorize, but understand the spell in and of itself, channeling it as if it were an extension of your very being."
To demonstrate, he raises his own staff, and after a brief channel, a tiny blue orb forms near the top of the staff, before it quickly accelerates forward, impacting against the wall.
"That was perhaps the simplest of sorceries, known as Soul Dart, although some would call it a bastardization of the classic Soul Arrow, it is still much more... beginner friendly, shall we say." He reaches into his robe and pulls out an old scroll, which he hands to you. "I have no need for such things now that my pilgrimage has led me here."
You take the scroll, careful not to damage the old parchment, and open it slowly. On the inside are a bunch of strange symbols, rather than letters or words.
"This is just a bunch of shapes." You state flatly, before you realize that maybe they use a different alphabet around here. Crap, you were never good with English, and some new fantasy magic language probably wouldn't be much easier.
"Look at them closer. Picture them in your mind.
You do as he says, letting out a silent breath of relief that it wasn't a case of you just being illiterate in some obscure tongue.
Your eyes glide over the symbols, and as you focus more intently on them, they seem to start repeating. For a brief moment, everything seems to freeze, as your mind tries to process an endless string of shapes that begin to grow more and more incomprehensible, going from simple two dimensional, to three dimensional shapes that weren't there before, to something like a hypercube, to things that even visualizing cause your head to begin to ache. Suddenly, you can feel as a pattern burns itself into your memory. Yoel doesn't seem surprised when you drop the scroll with a yelp of surprised pain.
"No warning?" You eventually grumble once your mind begins to actually work again.
"It is the price of knowledge." He says as if it were sage wisdom, but you can hear the faintest glimmer of amusement in his voice.
You lift up the staff that you bought all that time ago from the Handmaid, and focus on the weird pattern that you can practically see on the periphery of your vision. Foreign words and thoughts seem to flow through your mind, along with a presence that you can only describe as White, before it all suddenly vanishes as you blue shape form at the top of the staff. Unlike Yoel's, however, it's almost as if the energy is confused, as it seems to writhe and twist in on itself at the top of the staff.
"Keep calm and focus." Yoel's voice is oddly comforting in the heat of the moment, and you let out the breath you hadn't realized you were holding, and watch as the energy seems to calm down. It takes a grunt of effort, but focusing on the pattern results in the energy finally forming into the tiny blue orb you saw Yoel create early.
"Now, let it fly!" Yoel cries out, and to which you do so with relish. The soul dart impacts the wall, knocking up a thin cloud of dust from the pulverized stone which quickly disperses.
Yoel sees this and gives a small nod. "I would suggest some further study and practice before you try to use this in a fight, but for a first try, that was good."
"So was that what I should expect from magic?
"If you mean in terms of strength, then you need to understand that what I showed you is perhaps the weakest spells. I believe it was created by the Farron Legion as something that could be quick and easy to cast."
"That was quick and easy?
"For somebody experienced, it would be. However, compared to true sorcery, it is little more than a joke, much like the rest of the so-called Legion sorceries. As an example, this is known as Heavy Soul Arrow."
While you aren't sure what Hawkwood's feeling on the subject would be if he heard Yoel's comments, you watch as Yoel raises his staff once more, and a much larger, heavier, and above all slower ball of energy is released, smashing into the wall with a rumble as small pieces of stone are sent flying from the newly formed crater in the wall.
Before Yoel has a chance to do much more, he stumbles, catching himself only with the aid of his staff. "To think it would only take that much to tire me out now..." He grumbles as you run over to try and help. When you get near, however, he waves you off. "Thank you, Champion, but I simply need to rest..." He says, before stumbling over to the wall, and leaning against it for more support.
"Are you sure you're okay?" You ask, concerned.
"I made it all the way here, it'll take more than a bit of exhaustion to put me down." He says with an odd mixture of genuine conviction and frustration, as if he isn't sure whether to be proud or resentful of it.
Sorcery is the manipulation of the energy of the soul, created by the Duke Seath in the hopes of furthering his quest for knowledge, and later, immortality. While Seath failed to achieve true immortality, his legacy nevertheless lives on through those who follow in his footsteps in their own quests of understanding.
Variation of Soul Arrow developed by sorcerers of the Undead Legion of Farron for its ease of use, yet mocked by those outside the Legion for the very same.
Fire a soul dart.
What the low-ranking members of the Farron Legion lacked in skill, they made up with relentless determination, and more importantly, numbers.
Thanking Yoel for the lesson, you return back to the bonfire at the center of the Shrine. As you finish putting away your staff, Hawkwood returns with his newly (re)fixed sword, looking like his glum usual self. Before you leave, you go and check on Kemuri, and find the bird watching Andre work on what looks like a mace. Content knowing that they won't be alone, it's only a quick warp before you and Hawkwood find yourselves back in the Undead Settlement. At this point you're getting used to the weird feeling of teleporting or whatever it is you're actually doing. For all you know it's, like, interdimensional warping or something.
Unfortunately, you realize you have to walk back through the charnel house.
The settlement seems to be, rather unsurprisingly, deserted, which means you get clear of the house as fast as possible. What was surprising was, upon arriving at the bridge, there was still nobody around. Even after crossing, there's not even a sound as you both carefully walk towards the large door at the end of what seems to be a barn.
"Where do you think everyone went?"
"Well there has been a notable increase in sword injuries, so I'd wager they chose to be anywhere but here." Hawkwood says as you arrive at a door that bars your way. He walks up to open it, only to find that it won't budge. Turning to you, he motions to the door and the two of you each grab a side and push. It takes a surprising amount of force to get the door open, only for you to realize the thing had been barricaded shut by whatever junk the locals could scrape together to impede your progress.
You emerge to find yet another bridge, although this one is made of stone rather than the rickety wood from before. Across on the other side you see more questionably built buildings, with what looks to be an executioner's platform further behind it.
"Ah, greetings down there!"
You look over to spot a strange looking man (so normal for around here) sitting along the edge of a stone skyway between two buildings, wrapped in a cloak of what look like crow feathers, and with the top of his head completely wrapped in bandages.
"Who might you be?" Hawkwood calls out as you move to try and speak (You're pretty sure he did that on purpose.)
"I am Cornyx of the Great Swamp. I would welcome you to my abode, but two kind travelers already released me from it."
More people?
"So do you have any idea what happened around here?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. One of the few non-hollowed villagers arrived yelling about falling back to the safety of the Church, or something like that. Most of them are hollows, but they seem to still listen to one another. Then they all dropped what they were doing and ran off." Cornyx says, before he seems to pause to think. "Tell me, you both are unkindled, correct? Would either of you be interested in learning pyromancies from this old man?"
You and Hawkwood share a glance.
"We'll... think about it." You call back.
"Until then, why not head for Firelink?" Hawkwood adds in, before he tosses a homeward bone over to Corynx, who somehow manages to catch it despite his eye coverings. "Surely it couldn't be any worse than being stuck in this place?"
"Hmm, well you're not wrong." Cornyx says. His eyes (or rather the bandages covering them, can he see through them or something?) seem to wander over the both of you before he stops, seemingly satisfied.
"Very well. To reiterate, I am Cornyx of the Great Swamp, and the pleasure shall be all mine." With that, Corynx vanishes from your presence.
As soon as he's gone, Hawkwood lets out a groan. "This is really getting rather convenient. "
"Isn't the whole world falling apart or something? Not too surprising people'd take any chance they could get to go somewhere safe."
Hawkwood sighs "I know very well why they're willing to help. t's just hard when dealing with people from the Swamp.
"Excuse me?" You ask, eyes widening. Is he being racist against swamp people or something?
"You see, the ones who actually leave the Great Swamp tend to have not done so willingly. They have a rather insular society from what I've heard, and only exiles tend to actually show up in other places. I... doubt that an old man like him will be a problem, though."
You file away Hawkwood's seeming dislike of swamp denizens, and instead wonder where you should head to next. Up ahead you spot the Church that the whole of the settlement seems to have been fleeing to. It's probably where that Tree Greirat mentioned is, so it might be worth checking out despite the risk.
On the other hand, you can see the other Church that lead to the Road of Sacrifices from here. Luckily, there's no Eygon in the way, so you don't have to worry about dealing with that jerk right now.
[] Head to the Church down the hill. Greirat did ask you to check it out, and it's the least you could do for the poor guy.
[] Head for the Road of Sacrifices rather than so much as touch the mess of a situation that going to the Church would result in. I mean, who'd want to fight a tree?
[] Try and convince Hawkwood that fighting the Demon is TOTALLY a good idea.
[] Write in.
Phew, glad to have gotten this out on January 95th or so. But yeah, bunch of stuff going on right now, yadda yadda, you know the drill. Elden Ring came out, and that swallowed up three weeks of my life before I got all the achievements, which isn't really bragging so much as it is a sign of how much time I sunk into the damn thing. I had a bit of trouble getting back into the headspace of the characters, it'd been so long, but I'm starting to get back on track in that matter. Honestly, I'm really just glad that I'm finally starting to pick up all the pieces. I actually wrote most of this a few days ago, and had a close call where I almost slipped back into old habits, but I've managed to resist them this time, so here's to hoping that I can keep it up. Apologies for any mistakes, I wanted to get this out tonight before I went to bed, because I realized that I kept putting it off.
The whole parrying thing is more so just clarifying on writing for myself, because i realized that I was doing it without thinking, so I may as well ask whether it was fine by everyone, or if I should actually focus and have Sayaka try and use shields in fights.
Also, the quest is now officially finally over 100k words, which is... wow. That's something.
[X] Head for the Road of Sacrifices rather than so much as touch the mess of a situation that going to the Church would result in. I mean, who'd want to fight a tree?
EDIT: TBH I'm a bit impatient to get on with the plot of this quest and see how it diverges from DS3 proper.
[X] Head for the Road of Sacrifices rather than so much as touch the mess of a situation that going to the Church would result in. I mean, who'd want to fight a tree?
EDIT: TBH I'm a bit impatient to get on with the plot of this quest and see how it diverges from DS3 proper.
[X] Head for the Road of Sacrifices rather than so much as touch the mess of a situation that going to the Church would result in. I mean, who'd want to fight a tree?
Flynn's Ring would actually probably be pretty good, since it increases physical damage as you lower your equip load. Sayaka just uses her summoned sword(s), and wears relatively light armor, so she could possibly get a pretty sizable boost from it.
Now that I think about, it might also be useful for her to get the Cursebite and/or Fleshbite rings, depending on how Curse affects Magical Girls. Especially if Curse is somehow related to Corruption. We'll probably find out soon, since we're going to be encountering Basilisks in Farron.
Boss: Curse-Rotted Greatwood, Spirit Tree of the Undead Settlement
Walking beneath the skyway, you come to a stairway that leads down to a hill at the top of which lies the church where the tree must be. You note several groups of half-naked pale white hollows that are just sitting around aimlessly. Whatever they looked like before... whatever happened to them, there's no trace of the person they once were.
After the first flight of stairs, you notice a small path along the edge of the... mountain? Ravine? Is the Settlement itself high up, or is everything else just below it? How the geology of this place works is beyond you. Regardless, a small little side path hides another one of those solidified souls.
[Sneaky Surprise: 16]
You fail to spot the one of those annoying short hollows with the dumb hat as they drop from above, letting out a cackle as they sink an axe into your shoulder. While they seem excited at first at having gotten the drop on somebody, the fact that you don't fall over seems to confuse them, before you angrily toss them off the side of the cliff.
You feel a small sense of satisfaction at the sound of their scream as they fall, but pause as you realize that you're feeling good about… well, murder. In self-defense, sure, but still...You really shouldn't be letting this violence get to you like this.
As you pull out the axe from your shoulder, letting the flesh reknit, you hear Hawkwood running over.
"Are you alright? I heard giggling." He says, clearly not enjoying watching the wound in your shoulder repair itself. To be fair, you imagine it probably isn't actually pleasant to watch.
"One of those little guys jumped me, but I took care of him." You gesture over to the cliff. Hawkwood gazes over the side, blinks, before nodding.
[+25 Corruption]
[983/2250]
[Gain Large Soul of a Deserted Corpse]
[Gain Thrall Axe]
Small hand axe used by Lothric slaves, the poor and starving who were made thralls by those who saw themselves as above the rabble.
A cunning weapon for a cunning lot, this axe bites into whatever target the Thralls are able to take their rage out on, the closest thing to pleasure they're able to find in their miserable lives.
As you finally descend the final flight of stairs, you're greeted with a sound you once would have cherished but now can't help but dread: barking.
[Do the dogs teleport this time?: 63]
Several dogs come charging at you, spittle flying everywhere. Luckily, they made their presence obvious well before they reached you, and it's a simple process to cut them down, although doing so, you can't help but feel a bit sad.
"Well, that's never going to be fun." You grumble out as Hawkwood sheathes his own sword.
"Killing isn't supposed to be fun." Hawkwood says, to which you can only nod in agreement.
Continuing on, you finally arrive at the local church, or whatever this is supposed to be. The door for the place is shut, but opens surprisingly easy with a push. In front of you is what you'd guess is a lobby of some sort, with another closed door leading into the main part of the Church. The main thing you notice, however, is the strange feeling emitting from behind the door.
You swallow nervously. This feeling is... different. It's kind of like a witch, and yet it doesn't feel anything like Vordt did. Of the two, though, you'd say this one feels more like a witch... and yet, not. As if the two were both each a separate part of what results in a witch.
"There's something in there, something big, I think it might be something abyssal or whatever." You eventually say once you notice the concerned look on Hawkwood's face.
You watch as Hawkwood's face changes as your sentence continues, first his eyes flickering to the side as if trying to figure a way out, before he seems to reluctantly steel himself as soon as the word abyss is brought up.
"You're sure about this?" He finally says with grit teeth.
"Honestly? Not really, but it feels a bit like how the Watchdog felt." You explain.
Hawkwood takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes, before he reopens them, with a faint glimmer of determination. "Well, I guess we'll have to do something about it then."
You give him a quick nod, and the two of you open the final set of doors that leads you to the inner courtyard of the Church. Before anything else, you have to admit that the place is, quite simply, beautiful. You were never really one for architecture, that was more Hitomi's thing, but even you can appreciate a nice looking building. The whole area is huge with walls made of what you think is marble, or maybe limestone. The ground, meanwhile, seems to be made of what you'd guess to be granite tiles, which while clearly uncared for, still manage to maintain an appealing look despite several being coated in moss. To top it off, a field of pink flowers spreads through the entire place, the wind causing them to slowly sway with the light breeze.
Unfortunately, the beauty of the area is ruined by what else is inside: a LOT of people. Hollows, villagers, short guys with funny hats, even another one of those Evangelists. However, none of them are moving, rather, they all seem to be standing still, eyes fixed to what looks like a huge tree in the distance. Said tree seems to the source of the witch feeling, along with what the entire crowd appears transfixed by. You can't help but note the several hanging bodies on the tree's branches, not even a little surprised by this point. Hopefully this isn't the tree that Greirat was talking about, because while you aren't sure what it is, it most certainly is not a giving tree.
[Awareness: 83]
You take a cautious step forward, upgraded sword at the ready, only for nobody else to move in response. Slowly, the two of you make your way through the crowd, thankful that they aren't all completely squished together. Everyone you walk past show no sign of having noticed you, instead simply staring at the massive tree in the corner. As you get close to the tree, however, you realize that you are, in fact, an idiot.
[Awareness: 40]
All of a sudden, whatever kept the villagers transfixed apparently ends, and the entire crowd seems to suddenly notice the two very obvious intruders in their midst.
"Uh, Hawkwood?!" You shout as the huge swarm of hollows begin to stumble their way towards you.
"I've noticed!" He yells back, drawing his own blade.
[Awareness: 99]
It's then that the ground begins to rumble, as what looks like a huge wooden leg comes sweeping out through the courtyard. Hawkwood is barely able to throw himself beneath its knee, while you leap over it. The group of hollows around you, however, are not so fortunate. You're met with the horrible sound of pulping flesh and smashed bones as the entire horde is pulverized by the sheer force of the huge log.
You feel a sense of relief at not having had anything to eat for a while.
With another rumble, you hear the Evangelist scream before a sickening squish silences her. You quickly realize that the leg belongs to the giant tree that the hollows had been worshiping – or whatever it was they were doing – which not only somehow has legs, but also what look like arms, along with a huge number of tumor-like growths covering its body that seem to wiggle as the tree turns to face the both of you. If you had to describe the tree in one word, it would be rotted. The thing looks like it's in the middle of decomposing, with the bits of leaking orange fluids spilling out of it as it drags itself forwards towards you.
"Well did you notice that?!"
"I sure as chaos wish I didn't!" Hawkwood shouts back, as he's forced to leap away before the tree slams its knee down, narrowly avoiding being flattened by the flailing tree. Said tree lets out a pained groan, something you never would have imagined being possible, yet here you are.
[] Focus on the Tree itself first.
-[] Try and target the joints, maybe? That worked against Vordt, maybe it'll work here too?
-[] Aim for the weird fleshy growths. Maybe they're a weak point?
-[] Stay away and take pot shots at it from range. You very much do not want to get covered in whatever goop is coming out of that thing.
[] Try and deal with the hollows littering the area first.
-[] Take care of them yourself.
-[] Try and bait the tree into clearing the area out for you.
[] Write in.
Corruption: [983/2250]
Please direct any and all thanks to @AClassyBunny for actually getting me to do anything for once, and also proof-reading this so that it could qualify as being written in the English language.
