"Ashen one... Hearest thou my voice still?"
Darkness surrounds you like a shroud in the...
Darkness surrounds you like a shroud in the...
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From the Ashen - A Dark Souls 3 Quest
- Thread starter Spectral Waltz
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Opening
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
"Ashen one... Hearest thou my voice still?"
Darkness surrounds you like a shroud in the fading of the sparks, settling upon your senses like a blanket, muffling everything but that voice.
Her voice...
Gravity still holds you, and you can feel the soft ashes of the field of swords where the Soul of cinder fell shift under you with the minute motions of your breathing. You can still hear her. the Fire-keeper. Your constant companion, and for a moment you wonder if this is how she must have felt before you granted her eyes.
Always enwrapped in a darkness that seems to try and press through your clothing, into you, as though you could be infused with the very nature of darkness and washed away in it's tide.
Then, light...
It is not fire, or sunlight. In fact it might be better to say that it is not truly light at all but rather an absence of darkness.
You are fairly certain that your eyes cannot fully comprehend it, and yet, that is what it is. Grey washes over the landscape as the final sparks fade into nothingness. The last memories of disparity fading into the unlight as the landscape unfolds around you.
It is much as you remembered it being. An Arena of swords atop a great pillar in the midst of a chaotic wasteland , and yet here you can see further than before. Immeidately around you is a rubbish heap writ large, as though great titans raised entire cities and threw them down, collapsing them into so much trash. Bits of it seem to tug at familiarity in your mind, and yet your memories fail you, as always they have since you awakened in that cemetery.
You remember the struggle, the fight to complete your task and link the flame, the task you gave up on at the last, when you and the keeper surrendered the world to an end of fire, but everything before that may as well be mist, shapeless ephemeral visions within your skull.
Still, where before you could see only the blackening sun and the rubble of past eons, there were now more coherent shapes in the distance. A sense of direction was difficult, for without a sun to indicate your west there was no point of reference to work upon, yet you could see treetops and spires and shapes in the distance, many seeming crumbling, yet also seeming less shattered than what surrounds them.
In one direction, a great slab of stone juts at an angle from the ramparts of a castle.
In another, you see treetops rising above the rubble, tall and mighty.
In a third, you see a hanging gate in a crumbling wall, strangely familiar, and yet aged beyond anything immediately recognizable.
Then you look down at yourself, and to your relief, you are as you remember...
Her voice...
Gravity still holds you, and you can feel the soft ashes of the field of swords where the Soul of cinder fell shift under you with the minute motions of your breathing. You can still hear her. the Fire-keeper. Your constant companion, and for a moment you wonder if this is how she must have felt before you granted her eyes.
Always enwrapped in a darkness that seems to try and press through your clothing, into you, as though you could be infused with the very nature of darkness and washed away in it's tide.
Then, light...
It is not fire, or sunlight. In fact it might be better to say that it is not truly light at all but rather an absence of darkness.
You are fairly certain that your eyes cannot fully comprehend it, and yet, that is what it is. Grey washes over the landscape as the final sparks fade into nothingness. The last memories of disparity fading into the unlight as the landscape unfolds around you.
It is much as you remembered it being. An Arena of swords atop a great pillar in the midst of a chaotic wasteland , and yet here you can see further than before. Immeidately around you is a rubbish heap writ large, as though great titans raised entire cities and threw them down, collapsing them into so much trash. Bits of it seem to tug at familiarity in your mind, and yet your memories fail you, as always they have since you awakened in that cemetery.
You remember the struggle, the fight to complete your task and link the flame, the task you gave up on at the last, when you and the keeper surrendered the world to an end of fire, but everything before that may as well be mist, shapeless ephemeral visions within your skull.
Still, where before you could see only the blackening sun and the rubble of past eons, there were now more coherent shapes in the distance. A sense of direction was difficult, for without a sun to indicate your west there was no point of reference to work upon, yet you could see treetops and spires and shapes in the distance, many seeming crumbling, yet also seeming less shattered than what surrounds them.
In one direction, a great slab of stone juts at an angle from the ramparts of a castle.
In another, you see treetops rising above the rubble, tall and mighty.
In a third, you see a hanging gate in a crumbling wall, strangely familiar, and yet aged beyond anything immediately recognizable.
Then you look down at yourself, and to your relief, you are as you remember...
Heavier Armor generates greater defense but lesser ability to dodge.
[] Garbed in heavy armor, a defender with skin of stone.
[] Garbed in plate and chain, a warrior akin to a knight.
[] Garbed in leather and padding, a nimble duelist.
[] Garbed in robes and cloth, unburdened of such mundane defenses.
[] Garbed in a loincloth and little else, an ash deprived of luxury.
You pat yourself down quickly, seeking a familiar form, and find your arms...
What weapons you wielded will dictate the primary focuses of your stats.
[] A blade at your hip and a shield resting upon your back, familiar and sturdy, carried in memory of an Astoran Knight. (Strength and HP)
[] A great sword as long as you are tall slung over one shoulder, powerful and brutal, a reflection of that which once repelled the soul of darkness. (Strength and Dexterity)
[] A wicked scythe and a sorcerous catalyst, in memory of another ash who found her home in a cold, lonely, and gentle painted world. (Dexterity and Sorceries)
[] A cross spear and a sacred chime, weapons of faithful dragonslayers who met their ends as traitors to their throne. (Strength and Miracles)
[] A pair of thin straight swords and a small round shield, wielded by black hands that dealt dark in service to light. (Dexterity and Parry Boost)
And finally, beneath it all, you are...
Gender has no bearing on ability.
[] A Man
[] A Woman
And then there is the matter of the keeper. Faithful to the end, and now, beyond that end. She looks at you in the way she does, never truly seeing your through her blindness, and yet so clearly attentive to you. Aware of where you are in a way that goes beyond the senses she ought to have. The last Fire Keeper, now stripped of her role you suppose, for there is no longer any fire to keep.
How do you answer her?
[] I hear you...
[] I see you...
[] This place is different...
[] What now?
Welcome to Spectral attempts to run a quest II! The Questening! This time featuring my long time video game love, Dark Souls, specifically the third one! Along with my take on what a world after the fire is extinguished might be like!
I do hope you might enjoy this quest.
Character Sheet
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
Character Sheet
The Ashen One
Title: Ashen One
HP: 50/50
FP: 15/15
ST: 8/8
Status: This thing is dangerous...
Equipment
Right Hand: Gotthardt Twinblades - A set of paired straight swords, can be wielded alone or as a pair at the cost of the ability to shield oneself. (ST Cost: 1 | DMG: 8)
Left Hand: Buckler - A simple shield, doesn't block much damage on it's own, but it makes parrying easier. (50% DMG Reduction | +1 to Parry Attempts)
Equipped Armor: Sorcerer's Set - High magical resistance, low physical resistance, light weight makes evasive rolls easier.
Combat Attitudes
Aggressive: Attempt to take advantage of openings whenever you see them. Go for chances to land a hit even if you weren't planning on them! (Cannot use Estus or Parry)
Defensive: Keep your shield at the ready and be prepared to block anything that comes your way. Watch for the enemy's strikes and shelter from them. (Cannot Dual Wield or Run)
Evasive: Focus on keeping away from enemy assaults. Keep your spacing and evade their strikes. (Cannot Wait or Raise Shield)
Defensive: Keep your shield at the ready and be prepared to block anything that comes your way. Watch for the enemy's strikes and shelter from them. (Cannot Dual Wield or Run)
Evasive: Focus on keeping away from enemy assaults. Keep your spacing and evade their strikes. (Cannot Wait or Raise Shield)
Combat Actions:
Walk (Direction): Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Run (Direction): Cost 1 ST for every two steps this is used. Twice as fast as walking.
Attack (Straight Sword): Cost 1 ST, make a single attack against an opponent this step. can only be used at close range.
Attack (Twinblades): Cost 1 ST, make two attacks against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Parry (Buckler): Roll 1d6, On anything but a 1 or 2 you successfully parry an enemy's attack as long as that attack can be parried. Failure will cost 2 ST though you will only take 50% damage from the enemy attack.
Evasive Roll (Direction): Cost 1 ST, roll 1d6, on anything but a 1 you successfully evade an enemy attack executed on this step, using this on multiple steps in a round will increase the failure range by 1 each time, though it resets at the end of the round.
Drink Estus/Ashen Estus: Gain 1 ST and 30 HP (or 10 FP for Ashen Estus) you cannot move or defend yourself during the step this is used.
Dual Wield: Switch between straight sword and twinblades mode. This action does not cost a step the first time it is used in a round.
Wait: You do nothing for a step. Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Raise Shield: Raise your shield, reduce damage dealt to you by frontal attacks. This action cannot be performed while in Dual Wield. This Action does not take up a step on it's own, but rather can be performed during the Walk, Run, or Wait actions by writing in 'Shield' in addition to the action itself.
Inventory: Run (Direction): Cost 1 ST for every two steps this is used. Twice as fast as walking.
Attack (Straight Sword): Cost 1 ST, make a single attack against an opponent this step. can only be used at close range.
Attack (Twinblades): Cost 1 ST, make two attacks against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Parry (Buckler): Roll 1d6, On anything but a 1 or 2 you successfully parry an enemy's attack as long as that attack can be parried. Failure will cost 2 ST though you will only take 50% damage from the enemy attack.
Evasive Roll (Direction): Cost 1 ST, roll 1d6, on anything but a 1 you successfully evade an enemy attack executed on this step, using this on multiple steps in a round will increase the failure range by 1 each time, though it resets at the end of the round.
Drink Estus/Ashen Estus: Gain 1 ST and 30 HP (or 10 FP for Ashen Estus) you cannot move or defend yourself during the step this is used.
Dual Wield: Switch between straight sword and twinblades mode. This action does not cost a step the first time it is used in a round.
Wait: You do nothing for a step. Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Raise Shield: Raise your shield, reduce damage dealt to you by frontal attacks. This action cannot be performed while in Dual Wield. This Action does not take up a step on it's own, but rather can be performed during the Walk, Run, or Wait actions by writing in 'Shield' in addition to the action itself.
Estus Flask: Though the loss of fire has dulled the luster of the liquid within, it is still faintly warm to the touch, and will still heal you when used. (12 Uses Remaining)
Ashen Estus Flask: The liquid is no longer quite so bitterly cold as it was, but it remains invigorating despite that, and will still restore FP when used. (3 Uses Remaining)
Homeward Bone x3: While before these would have returned you to the last bonfire you visited and they still seem to resonate faintly with power, you are no longer certain what they will do when used.
Green Blossom x7: These bitter roots will restore your stamina more quickly, allowing you to perform actions more frequently. (Regain 2 ST at the start of each round for 3 rounds)
Ashen Estus Flask: The liquid is no longer quite so bitterly cold as it was, but it remains invigorating despite that, and will still restore FP when used. (3 Uses Remaining)
Homeward Bone x3: While before these would have returned you to the last bonfire you visited and they still seem to resonate faintly with power, you are no longer certain what they will do when used.
Green Blossom x7: These bitter roots will restore your stamina more quickly, allowing you to perform actions more frequently. (Regain 2 ST at the start of each round for 3 rounds)
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Companion Sheet
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
Companions
The Fire Keeper
Title: Fire Keeper
Status: Reaching out
Combat Abilities:
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Combat Mechanics
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
Combat Mechanics
I'm terrible at explaining these things, but in short? Combat in this quest will be divided into rounds, each of which will be divided in turn into 5 steps. During your turn, you will plan out what actions you will take on each step in accordance to 'tells' that will be placed in descriptions of the enemy that you will need to learn to interpret in order to know what they're about to do.
What actions you can perform, their costs, and the specifics of what they really do, are all listed above in the 'Character Sheet' post, along with your HP (Health points), FP (Focus Points), and ST (Stamina) totals. Most actions cost stamina, and without it, you are very limited in what you can do. This means that in addition to attacking and dodging, you will need to manage time spent healing and simply walking in order to keep your stamina up in a fight!
Oh, and if your stamina drops to zero, there will be a one-step delay before any stamina can be regained afterwards, so watch that stamina bar carefully! On the other hand, as long as you have at least 1 stamina, you can perform any action with a stamina cost, even if that cost would cause you to go into negatives.
So if you really need to burst them down, then you can try getting greedy~
In addition to specific actions, you can also choose an 'attitude' for each round. Attitudes will adjust how your character reacts to unexpected situations and new combat developments. Choosing the right attitude for the right situation will give you chances to take advantage of openings or avoid dangers that your plans don't necessarily account for on their own!
What actions you can perform, their costs, and the specifics of what they really do, are all listed above in the 'Character Sheet' post, along with your HP (Health points), FP (Focus Points), and ST (Stamina) totals. Most actions cost stamina, and without it, you are very limited in what you can do. This means that in addition to attacking and dodging, you will need to manage time spent healing and simply walking in order to keep your stamina up in a fight!
Oh, and if your stamina drops to zero, there will be a one-step delay before any stamina can be regained afterwards, so watch that stamina bar carefully! On the other hand, as long as you have at least 1 stamina, you can perform any action with a stamina cost, even if that cost would cause you to go into negatives.
So if you really need to burst them down, then you can try getting greedy~
In addition to specific actions, you can also choose an 'attitude' for each round. Attitudes will adjust how your character reacts to unexpected situations and new combat developments. Choosing the right attitude for the right situation will give you chances to take advantage of openings or avoid dangers that your plans don't necessarily account for on their own!
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Setting Out
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
[X] Plan Good Hunter
"I hear you..."
When was the last time you spoke? Was it to Anri? Back then when you offered him mercy before the sunken temple? Had it been to that younger prince, as you drove your swords through his heart and finally felled him?
You can honestly barely remember, but your voice comes out dusty, as though unused for countless eons, and perhaps it has been. The surreal sense of time distortion that had pervaded Lothric was gone but in it's place was a sense of... Well... Eternity for lack of a better word. It felt as though time itself had stilled, and with the grey unlight all around, even when you knew that it could only have been a handful of seconds it seems equally possible to your mind that years could have passed between the Fire Keeper's question and your reply.
You swallow, and lick your lips again. "I hear you Fire Keeper..."
She never did tell you her name, but then again, she isn't supposed to have one from what you understand. Perhaps she remembers it, or perhaps not... These are your thoughts that fill the silence that follows, and you feel her looking at you again in that way she does.
"'Tis funny... Is it not?" You blink as you look over to her. "I have no fire to keep, though embers rest far afield, they bear no flames..."
"I think... I think that I am a fire keeper no longer..."
She seems happy and sad in the same tones here, a strange sort of cheerful melancholy, and you turn to scan the landscape around you.
"Well, I don't see any reason for us to stay here, right?" You murmur softly, to a slow nod of assent out of the corner of your eye.
With a series of practiced motions your hands move to your weapons, checking the little web of belts and harnesses and straps that keep your weapons secured. You wished that you could perhaps find firelink shrine again along with your small arsenal that andre had been keeping for you but with no fire to take you back, you weren't sure how you would get there. Could the shrine even be found somewhere else in the world? Or had you moved in time the way you had done in the ringed city when you transported yourself to this battlefield for what you had thought would be your final encounter? You weren't sure...
For the moment you found Gotthardt's Twin Swords at your waist, and a metal-capped buckler slung over one shoulder, three familiar weights comforting you. They were what you had brought to do battle with the Soul of Cinder, and you were glad you still had them.
The only question now was which way to go.
"Ashen one?"
[] Set out towards the ancient castle walls
[] Set out towards the low-lying greatwood forest
[] Set out towards the familiar moldering gate
[] Set out towards none of those things, and see what you can find...
Update is short, mostly because the character creation choices don't progress things much. Next update should be longer and meatier. Time to set forth on your new adventure!
"I hear you..."
When was the last time you spoke? Was it to Anri? Back then when you offered him mercy before the sunken temple? Had it been to that younger prince, as you drove your swords through his heart and finally felled him?
You can honestly barely remember, but your voice comes out dusty, as though unused for countless eons, and perhaps it has been. The surreal sense of time distortion that had pervaded Lothric was gone but in it's place was a sense of... Well... Eternity for lack of a better word. It felt as though time itself had stilled, and with the grey unlight all around, even when you knew that it could only have been a handful of seconds it seems equally possible to your mind that years could have passed between the Fire Keeper's question and your reply.
You swallow, and lick your lips again. "I hear you Fire Keeper..."
She never did tell you her name, but then again, she isn't supposed to have one from what you understand. Perhaps she remembers it, or perhaps not... These are your thoughts that fill the silence that follows, and you feel her looking at you again in that way she does.
"'Tis funny... Is it not?" You blink as you look over to her. "I have no fire to keep, though embers rest far afield, they bear no flames..."
"I think... I think that I am a fire keeper no longer..."
She seems happy and sad in the same tones here, a strange sort of cheerful melancholy, and you turn to scan the landscape around you.
"Well, I don't see any reason for us to stay here, right?" You murmur softly, to a slow nod of assent out of the corner of your eye.
With a series of practiced motions your hands move to your weapons, checking the little web of belts and harnesses and straps that keep your weapons secured. You wished that you could perhaps find firelink shrine again along with your small arsenal that andre had been keeping for you but with no fire to take you back, you weren't sure how you would get there. Could the shrine even be found somewhere else in the world? Or had you moved in time the way you had done in the ringed city when you transported yourself to this battlefield for what you had thought would be your final encounter? You weren't sure...
For the moment you found Gotthardt's Twin Swords at your waist, and a metal-capped buckler slung over one shoulder, three familiar weights comforting you. They were what you had brought to do battle with the Soul of Cinder, and you were glad you still had them.
The only question now was which way to go.
"Ashen one?"
[] Set out towards the ancient castle walls
[] Set out towards the low-lying greatwood forest
[] Set out towards the familiar moldering gate
[] Set out towards none of those things, and see what you can find...
Update is short, mostly because the character creation choices don't progress things much. Next update should be longer and meatier. Time to set forth on your new adventure!
The Lay of the Land
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
[X] Set out towards none of those things, and see what you can find...
You took another look out at the various 'landmarks' poking through the remnants of the world. You'd always been chasing after places and things and people. Ever since you'd awoken in the cemetery by the shrine and even before then, you had vague memories of chasing after the flame and the soul in another land, another age of fire. Always seeking something for someone else.
"Ashen one?"
You touched your canines to the inside of your lip, mulling over your thoughts. Before you stood such obvious mysteries, questions of whys and wherefores and hows, and yet they felt like goals, like just more things to do, more steps on the path.
You turned and squared your shoulders, fixing your gaze at a point somewhere in between the greatwood forest and the ancient wall.
"We're going that way." Your finger extends, and for a moment you feel something stir in your chest. That way, nothing but the horizon lies before you.
No 'objective' or 'quest', just the horizon ahead of you.
You found you liked that idea a lot...
-------
Then of course came the question of how to get down from this place. While the land around it had reshaped itself somewhat with the oncoming light, the field of swords where you'd fought the soul of cinders was still raised above the rest of the landscape on a rocky pillar, and while the sides were rocky slopes with handholds aplenty it was still slow going to make your way down, especially with the Fire Keeper, following behind.
While her blindness was no problem, the long robes she wore were not exactly suited for clambering over rocks, and more than once you had to help her down some of the steeper slopes. By the time you'd reached the bottom she'd added a fine layer of dirt and a few minor tears to the ash-dusted black fabric and while your clothing hadn't been all that clean to start with you definitely felt a certain grime to it. Both your palms were also rather cut up from the rocks as well, but when you instinctively reached for your estus flask intending to drip a little over the cuts to close them up and stop the bleeding, you halted as you realized what that meant.
Where before this would have been nothing, there was no more fire. Without a bonfire...
You dabbed the tiniest drop of estus you could get onto one of your cuts and sighed in relief as the familiar tingling almost-warmth shot through your palm. It felt strange compared to before, but the cut closed and the bleeding stopped all the same.
Of course, this didn't solve the problem that you couldn't get more Estus, but at least for as long as your flask would last you could probably be sure of it's healing...
Now on the ground you could take stock of your surroundings and evaluate a little. The land ahead was largely a waste, dust dunes interspersed with scattered chunks of civilization that ranged from mere walls to whole buildings. It reminded you of what you'd seen in the ringed city, and yet it was different. Where that wasteland had been nothing but ruins and rubble as far as the eye could see here you could look out and still see structures in the distance, and as you began to walk the landscape around you changed.
It was impossible to tell how much time passed walking as the landscape around you almost seemed to blur. Only the hill of swords behind you seemed fixed, slowly receding into the distance every time you glanced backwards, and yet the details around it seemed as though they would shift, like you were crossing much greater distances than you should be.
The constant grey not-light wasn't doing you any favors for that matter. There was no sunrise or sunset, leaving precious few ways of tracking time as you made your way along. Still, after a time you came to realize that the dips and rises were becoming more pronounced, and then, as you halted for a moment, you noted ahead that the land seemed almost... Tilted... No... It was a bizarrely unnatural feature of geography, the rolling debris-littered dunes you'd been walking on smoothly transitioning downwards and upwards into a slope. From here you could easily divert your path a little ways to the left or right and head up the rise or down into the valley, or you could try to stay on the slope, though it looked as though it got pretty steep up ahead.
"Is something amiss?" You nearly jump as the fire keeper touches your shoulder, and glower at her as she hides a smirk with her sleeve. "Everything seems familiar, and yet not... It is quite strange."
You switched from one leg to the other, feeling the ash shift around your feet. You heard a shuffling noise, behind and close by...
[] What do you suppose happened to this place? Where did everyone go?
[] Where do you think we are now? This doesn't look like any place in Lothric that I can recall...
[] Where is everyone else? Surely the end of fire is not the end of all life right? I mean we're still here after all...
[] ...Do you hear something?
You took another look out at the various 'landmarks' poking through the remnants of the world. You'd always been chasing after places and things and people. Ever since you'd awoken in the cemetery by the shrine and even before then, you had vague memories of chasing after the flame and the soul in another land, another age of fire. Always seeking something for someone else.
"Ashen one?"
You touched your canines to the inside of your lip, mulling over your thoughts. Before you stood such obvious mysteries, questions of whys and wherefores and hows, and yet they felt like goals, like just more things to do, more steps on the path.
You turned and squared your shoulders, fixing your gaze at a point somewhere in between the greatwood forest and the ancient wall.
"We're going that way." Your finger extends, and for a moment you feel something stir in your chest. That way, nothing but the horizon lies before you.
No 'objective' or 'quest', just the horizon ahead of you.
You found you liked that idea a lot...
-------
Then of course came the question of how to get down from this place. While the land around it had reshaped itself somewhat with the oncoming light, the field of swords where you'd fought the soul of cinders was still raised above the rest of the landscape on a rocky pillar, and while the sides were rocky slopes with handholds aplenty it was still slow going to make your way down, especially with the Fire Keeper, following behind.
While her blindness was no problem, the long robes she wore were not exactly suited for clambering over rocks, and more than once you had to help her down some of the steeper slopes. By the time you'd reached the bottom she'd added a fine layer of dirt and a few minor tears to the ash-dusted black fabric and while your clothing hadn't been all that clean to start with you definitely felt a certain grime to it. Both your palms were also rather cut up from the rocks as well, but when you instinctively reached for your estus flask intending to drip a little over the cuts to close them up and stop the bleeding, you halted as you realized what that meant.
Where before this would have been nothing, there was no more fire. Without a bonfire...
You dabbed the tiniest drop of estus you could get onto one of your cuts and sighed in relief as the familiar tingling almost-warmth shot through your palm. It felt strange compared to before, but the cut closed and the bleeding stopped all the same.
Of course, this didn't solve the problem that you couldn't get more Estus, but at least for as long as your flask would last you could probably be sure of it's healing...
Now on the ground you could take stock of your surroundings and evaluate a little. The land ahead was largely a waste, dust dunes interspersed with scattered chunks of civilization that ranged from mere walls to whole buildings. It reminded you of what you'd seen in the ringed city, and yet it was different. Where that wasteland had been nothing but ruins and rubble as far as the eye could see here you could look out and still see structures in the distance, and as you began to walk the landscape around you changed.
It was impossible to tell how much time passed walking as the landscape around you almost seemed to blur. Only the hill of swords behind you seemed fixed, slowly receding into the distance every time you glanced backwards, and yet the details around it seemed as though they would shift, like you were crossing much greater distances than you should be.
The constant grey not-light wasn't doing you any favors for that matter. There was no sunrise or sunset, leaving precious few ways of tracking time as you made your way along. Still, after a time you came to realize that the dips and rises were becoming more pronounced, and then, as you halted for a moment, you noted ahead that the land seemed almost... Tilted... No... It was a bizarrely unnatural feature of geography, the rolling debris-littered dunes you'd been walking on smoothly transitioning downwards and upwards into a slope. From here you could easily divert your path a little ways to the left or right and head up the rise or down into the valley, or you could try to stay on the slope, though it looked as though it got pretty steep up ahead.
"Is something amiss?" You nearly jump as the fire keeper touches your shoulder, and glower at her as she hides a smirk with her sleeve. "Everything seems familiar, and yet not... It is quite strange."
You switched from one leg to the other, feeling the ash shift around your feet. You heard a shuffling noise, behind and close by...
[] What do you suppose happened to this place? Where did everyone go?
[] Where do you think we are now? This doesn't look like any place in Lothric that I can recall...
[] Where is everyone else? Surely the end of fire is not the end of all life right? I mean we're still here after all...
[] ...Do you hear something?
Imminent...
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
[X] ...Do you hear something?
The fire keeper tenses, her head flicking left and right suddenly at your quiet pronouncement. "I..."
Shff...
She freezes as without the cover of your movements and quiet discussion the sound comes clear, a shuffling emanating from behind a nearby low wall.
It's pretty clear that the keeper has no idea what to do about this. Her tone borders on panicked, "A-ashen one... What do we do? Is it-!" You raise a finger to your lips and she shuts her mouth quickly. So noisy... So different from travelling alone, when all you had was your heartbeat and breathing to keep you company outside of the sounds of hostile hollows around you.
Shff... Shff... Shf...
The shuffling comes quickly for a moment, then stops, as though drawing up against something. The wall is long, but open at either end, and you can just imagine something on the other side, listening...
It walks on two legs at least, of that you could be fairly certain from the pattern of shuffling steps, and yet beyond that you were unsure. A hollow? Or perhaps someone friendly?
Shf...
This one comes from behind and you spin only to see the fire keeper, carefully trying to back away from the ruined wall as quietly as possible and failing. Even without seeing her eyes you can tell, in the shrine she might have been effectively immortal, held to life by the flame itself, but out here, with no more fire, and no safe enclosure around, she looked as though she was on the verge of panic...
How do you calm down a panicking woman anyways? Most of your experience with other people that weren't trying to kill you has been with other ashes, all of them warriors of some stripe or another and all accustomed to the ever-present danger of this life. Experimentally you drew your sword, hoping perhaps the signal that you are ready to fight and protect her will settle her some but the prospect of a fight only seems to agitate her further.
Shff... Shff...
The noise is moving along the wall now, towards the crumbling end of it a handful of meters distant, and the fire keeper's attention flickers between you and the source of the sound, tension rising with every shuffling step in the silence...
You grit your teeth... What to do now..?
[] Call out to the source of the sound, maybe they're friendly?
-[] Do you say anything in particular? (Write In)
[] Sneak towards the corner of the wall, maybe you can ambush the source of the noise when they circle around it?
[] Back up, grab the fire keeper, and try to get out of here. Find somewhere to hide and see what you're dealing with.
-[] Don't bother hiding, just try to leave this thing behind.
The fire keeper tenses, her head flicking left and right suddenly at your quiet pronouncement. "I..."
Shff...
She freezes as without the cover of your movements and quiet discussion the sound comes clear, a shuffling emanating from behind a nearby low wall.
It's pretty clear that the keeper has no idea what to do about this. Her tone borders on panicked, "A-ashen one... What do we do? Is it-!" You raise a finger to your lips and she shuts her mouth quickly. So noisy... So different from travelling alone, when all you had was your heartbeat and breathing to keep you company outside of the sounds of hostile hollows around you.
Shff... Shff... Shf...
The shuffling comes quickly for a moment, then stops, as though drawing up against something. The wall is long, but open at either end, and you can just imagine something on the other side, listening...
It walks on two legs at least, of that you could be fairly certain from the pattern of shuffling steps, and yet beyond that you were unsure. A hollow? Or perhaps someone friendly?
Shf...
This one comes from behind and you spin only to see the fire keeper, carefully trying to back away from the ruined wall as quietly as possible and failing. Even without seeing her eyes you can tell, in the shrine she might have been effectively immortal, held to life by the flame itself, but out here, with no more fire, and no safe enclosure around, she looked as though she was on the verge of panic...
How do you calm down a panicking woman anyways? Most of your experience with other people that weren't trying to kill you has been with other ashes, all of them warriors of some stripe or another and all accustomed to the ever-present danger of this life. Experimentally you drew your sword, hoping perhaps the signal that you are ready to fight and protect her will settle her some but the prospect of a fight only seems to agitate her further.
Shff... Shff...
The noise is moving along the wall now, towards the crumbling end of it a handful of meters distant, and the fire keeper's attention flickers between you and the source of the sound, tension rising with every shuffling step in the silence...
You grit your teeth... What to do now..?
[] Call out to the source of the sound, maybe they're friendly?
-[] Do you say anything in particular? (Write In)
[] Sneak towards the corner of the wall, maybe you can ambush the source of the noise when they circle around it?
[] Back up, grab the fire keeper, and try to get out of here. Find somewhere to hide and see what you're dealing with.
-[] Don't bother hiding, just try to leave this thing behind.
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An Old Hunter...
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
[X] Back up, grab the fire keeper, and try to get out of here. Find somewhere to hide and see what you're dealing with.
You step back, wrapping one arm around the keeper's waist and pressing a finger to her lips, though your eyes remain fixed upon the wall. Your own movements in the ash are impossible to make completely silent and for a moment there is a frenzy shuffling motions where you can barely distinguish your own footsteps from those of your stalker but before they can emerge you are around the corner, feeling the familiar tension of being hunted, the tightness in your chest of wanting to breathe but at the same time not daring to take a breath lest it be heard.
Slowly, you let air out, tensing as you hear the fire keeper -still pressed up against you- whimper slightly.
You turn, to peer out around the corner...
The figure that stands where you stood a moment ago, examining your footprints in the dust, is a broken and battered thing. Their armor was clearly once beautifully complex, with an odd design incorporating additional metal across the breastplate in an 'X' shape. However, time has ravaged whatever detail the armor may have had beyond reasonable recognition. Plates are falling off in places, and those that aren't are heavily rusted, though you can see a sort of spiky design upon the helm... A Crown perhaps?
More distinctive however is the weapon, and unlike the armor the thing's blade still gleams. Dull silver, marked with crimson, hammered into a curving shape as though some demented smith had thought to merge a farmer's sickle with a sword, creating a vicious bladed hook of a weapon. Two of them in fact, one held in each hand, gruesome parodies of claws...
It mutters under it's breath, searching, searching, and you can all too easily picture half-crazed eyes swiveling in their sockets beyond the facemask of that helmet. Your hurried flight and the fact that you dragged the fire keeper confuses the tracks, but for all that they are chaotic, they still lead in a single direction, straight towards your current hiding place...
The creature advances, and the mutterings become slightly clearer. "So long I've wandered... So long without a touch of kindness... A keeper's soul, black with humanity... I can smell her so close now..." A man's voice, or at least something that used to be a man. The words are clear, and yet the touch of insanity is clearly within those tones. A hollow then, or on the verge of becoming one...
[] Keep running, this man is clearly after the Fire Keeper, and you have no intention of letting him get her.
[] Prepare to fight, better to deal with this hollowed creature sooner than later.
-[] Send the fire keeper away quickly, tell her to make sure she's out of the line of sight. You'll alert the creature to your presence around the corner though...
-[] Set up an ambush, you won't be able to issue the keeper any instructions though since you have to stay quiet to pull this off...
You step back, wrapping one arm around the keeper's waist and pressing a finger to her lips, though your eyes remain fixed upon the wall. Your own movements in the ash are impossible to make completely silent and for a moment there is a frenzy shuffling motions where you can barely distinguish your own footsteps from those of your stalker but before they can emerge you are around the corner, feeling the familiar tension of being hunted, the tightness in your chest of wanting to breathe but at the same time not daring to take a breath lest it be heard.
Slowly, you let air out, tensing as you hear the fire keeper -still pressed up against you- whimper slightly.
You turn, to peer out around the corner...
The figure that stands where you stood a moment ago, examining your footprints in the dust, is a broken and battered thing. Their armor was clearly once beautifully complex, with an odd design incorporating additional metal across the breastplate in an 'X' shape. However, time has ravaged whatever detail the armor may have had beyond reasonable recognition. Plates are falling off in places, and those that aren't are heavily rusted, though you can see a sort of spiky design upon the helm... A Crown perhaps?
More distinctive however is the weapon, and unlike the armor the thing's blade still gleams. Dull silver, marked with crimson, hammered into a curving shape as though some demented smith had thought to merge a farmer's sickle with a sword, creating a vicious bladed hook of a weapon. Two of them in fact, one held in each hand, gruesome parodies of claws...
It mutters under it's breath, searching, searching, and you can all too easily picture half-crazed eyes swiveling in their sockets beyond the facemask of that helmet. Your hurried flight and the fact that you dragged the fire keeper confuses the tracks, but for all that they are chaotic, they still lead in a single direction, straight towards your current hiding place...
The creature advances, and the mutterings become slightly clearer. "So long I've wandered... So long without a touch of kindness... A keeper's soul, black with humanity... I can smell her so close now..." A man's voice, or at least something that used to be a man. The words are clear, and yet the touch of insanity is clearly within those tones. A hollow then, or on the verge of becoming one...
[] Keep running, this man is clearly after the Fire Keeper, and you have no intention of letting him get her.
[] Prepare to fight, better to deal with this hollowed creature sooner than later.
-[] Send the fire keeper away quickly, tell her to make sure she's out of the line of sight. You'll alert the creature to your presence around the corner though...
-[] Set up an ambush, you won't be able to issue the keeper any instructions though since you have to stay quiet to pull this off...
Keeper-Hunting Hollow
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
[X] Prepare to fight, better to deal with this hollowed creature sooner than later
-[X] Set up an ambush, you won't be able to issue the keeper any instructions though since you have to stay quiet to pull this of...
You pull back from the corner, tensing as you hear the shuffling come closer as you heft your buckler. The Fire keeper backs up a few steps as you cock your arm back, "A-ashen..." Her voice is barely a whisper and she falls silent almost immediately but the shuffling hastens. "Found her... Found dark... Precious little sprites all clinging and nibbling eeehehehee..." The reedy giggle in maniacal and the fire keeper stifles a scream as the figure rounds the corner suddenly, moving almost too fast.
Schkkkking!
The narrow blade blurs as you lunge, but the blow is glancing. You weren't prepared for the creature's speed and the tip of your sword glances off his armor, leaving behind an almost nauseating afterimage of some kind for an instant only for it to fade as quickly as it appeared.
Leaving you overextended...
One of those hook-like blades comes curving in and you twist as you see it coming from the corner of your eye. The dust slows you down slightly, making your footwork a little bit sluggish as it slides and shifts under your bootsoles, but while you are not fast enough to simply get out of range you can still manage to duck under the horizontal strike. In a spur of the moment, you throw your shoulder forwards, knocking the hollow off balance before he can bring his other blade to bear and sending him staggering back.
"Haaahh... Haahh... Always a fool... You're a fool... Doing this again are we? Eeehehe..." You are keenly aware of the keeper behind you, her breath coming in gasps. "Who... What..."
"Just give her to me... Give her to me... Just a fire keeper... Copper a bushel... Hehe..." The voice grates, and the laughter grates more as you recall. The bottom of the tower, that darkened pit filled with hundreds of black-robed skeletons. The final rest for her sisters...
Your momentary distraction almost proves your undoing as the hollow lunges at you this time. His movements are stiff, slower than they should be, yet they are still terrifyingly precise. How long must this man have survived and honed his skill to retain such muscle memory in his madness? You dodge backwards, instinctively covering your eyes and mouth as you roll in the ashes, evading the swipe and springing to your feet, one sword at the ready, other hand in your shield...
He sets a stance, both blades held to either side, as though daring you to attack...
So to recap combat, you will have five steps in each round. For each step you will select an action. Your actions will then play out against those of your opponent, with your opponent's moves being hinted at by their actions in the previous post. Timing your moves to counter your enemy's and learning what moves an opponent will perform from a given setup are crucial steps to emerging victorious. For a slightly longer explanation, see this post.
When voting for an action with '(Direction)' next to it, please also select to move 'Closer' to the enemy, 'Further' away from the enemy, 'Left' around the enemy, or 'Right' around the enemy. Failing to specify a direction will result in you simply standing there unless your move was to roll evasively, in which case you will perform a backstep to move 'Further' away only your chance of being hit mid-evasion will be considered one higher.
You are currently at Mid-Range
Combat Plan (Write in an action for each step)
[] Step One:
-[] Step Two:
-[] Step Three:
-[] Step Four:
-[] Step Five:
I expect this will be a little rough since this is the first time we're doing combat but that's why I'm trying to make this as simple as possible. Feel free to ask me any questions you can think of so that I can refine my explanations of the system and further inform you on how things work.
Good luck!
-[X] Set up an ambush, you won't be able to issue the keeper any instructions though since you have to stay quiet to pull this of...
You pull back from the corner, tensing as you hear the shuffling come closer as you heft your buckler. The Fire keeper backs up a few steps as you cock your arm back, "A-ashen..." Her voice is barely a whisper and she falls silent almost immediately but the shuffling hastens. "Found her... Found dark... Precious little sprites all clinging and nibbling eeehehehee..." The reedy giggle in maniacal and the fire keeper stifles a scream as the figure rounds the corner suddenly, moving almost too fast.
Schkkkking!
The narrow blade blurs as you lunge, but the blow is glancing. You weren't prepared for the creature's speed and the tip of your sword glances off his armor, leaving behind an almost nauseating afterimage of some kind for an instant only for it to fade as quickly as it appeared.
Leaving you overextended...
One of those hook-like blades comes curving in and you twist as you see it coming from the corner of your eye. The dust slows you down slightly, making your footwork a little bit sluggish as it slides and shifts under your bootsoles, but while you are not fast enough to simply get out of range you can still manage to duck under the horizontal strike. In a spur of the moment, you throw your shoulder forwards, knocking the hollow off balance before he can bring his other blade to bear and sending him staggering back.
"Haaahh... Haahh... Always a fool... You're a fool... Doing this again are we? Eeehehe..." You are keenly aware of the keeper behind you, her breath coming in gasps. "Who... What..."
"Just give her to me... Give her to me... Just a fire keeper... Copper a bushel... Hehe..." The voice grates, and the laughter grates more as you recall. The bottom of the tower, that darkened pit filled with hundreds of black-robed skeletons. The final rest for her sisters...
Your momentary distraction almost proves your undoing as the hollow lunges at you this time. His movements are stiff, slower than they should be, yet they are still terrifyingly precise. How long must this man have survived and honed his skill to retain such muscle memory in his madness? You dodge backwards, instinctively covering your eyes and mouth as you roll in the ashes, evading the swipe and springing to your feet, one sword at the ready, other hand in your shield...
He sets a stance, both blades held to either side, as though daring you to attack...
So to recap combat, you will have five steps in each round. For each step you will select an action. Your actions will then play out against those of your opponent, with your opponent's moves being hinted at by their actions in the previous post. Timing your moves to counter your enemy's and learning what moves an opponent will perform from a given setup are crucial steps to emerging victorious. For a slightly longer explanation, see this post.
The Keeper-Hunting Hollow
HP: 50/50
FP: 15/15
ST: 8/8
Current Equipment
Right Hand: Gotthardt Twinblade
Left Hand: Buckler
Equipped Armor: Sorcerer's Set
FP: 15/15
ST: 8/8
Current Equipment
Right Hand: Gotthardt Twinblade
Left Hand: Buckler
Equipped Armor: Sorcerer's Set
Walk (Direction): Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Run (Direction): Cost 1 ST for every two steps this is used. Twice as fast as walking.
Attack (Straight Sword): Cost 1 ST, make a single attack against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Attack (Twinblades): Cost 2 ST, make two attacks against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Parry (Buckler): Roll 1d6, On anything but a 1 or 2 you successfully parry an enemy's attack as long as that attack can be parried. Failure will cost 2 ST though you will only take 50% damage from the enemy attack.
Evasive Roll (Direction): Cost 1 ST, roll 1d6, on anything but a 1 you successfully evade an enemy attack executed on this step, using this on multiple steps in a round will increase the failure range by 1 each time, though it resets at the end of the round.
Drink Estus/Ashen Estus: Gain 1 ST and 30 HP (or 10 FP for Ashen Estus) you cannot move or defend yourself during the step this is used.
Dual Wield: Switch between straight sword and twinblades mode. This action does not cost a step the first time it is used in a round (Write in as an addition to another step's action for first use each round).
Wait: You do nothing for a step. Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Raise Shield: Raise your shield, reduce damage dealt to you by frontal attacks. This action cannot be performed while in Dual Wield. This Action does not take up a step on it's own, but rather can be performed during the Walk, Run, or Wait actions by writing in 'Shield' in addition to the action itself.
Run (Direction): Cost 1 ST for every two steps this is used. Twice as fast as walking.
Attack (Straight Sword): Cost 1 ST, make a single attack against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Attack (Twinblades): Cost 2 ST, make two attacks against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Parry (Buckler): Roll 1d6, On anything but a 1 or 2 you successfully parry an enemy's attack as long as that attack can be parried. Failure will cost 2 ST though you will only take 50% damage from the enemy attack.
Evasive Roll (Direction): Cost 1 ST, roll 1d6, on anything but a 1 you successfully evade an enemy attack executed on this step, using this on multiple steps in a round will increase the failure range by 1 each time, though it resets at the end of the round.
Drink Estus/Ashen Estus: Gain 1 ST and 30 HP (or 10 FP for Ashen Estus) you cannot move or defend yourself during the step this is used.
Dual Wield: Switch between straight sword and twinblades mode. This action does not cost a step the first time it is used in a round (Write in as an addition to another step's action for first use each round).
Wait: You do nothing for a step. Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Raise Shield: Raise your shield, reduce damage dealt to you by frontal attacks. This action cannot be performed while in Dual Wield. This Action does not take up a step on it's own, but rather can be performed during the Walk, Run, or Wait actions by writing in 'Shield' in addition to the action itself.
When voting for an action with '(Direction)' next to it, please also select to move 'Closer' to the enemy, 'Further' away from the enemy, 'Left' around the enemy, or 'Right' around the enemy. Failing to specify a direction will result in you simply standing there unless your move was to roll evasively, in which case you will perform a backstep to move 'Further' away only your chance of being hit mid-evasion will be considered one higher.
You are currently at Mid-Range
Combat Plan (Write in an action for each step)
[] Step One:
-[] Step Two:
-[] Step Three:
-[] Step Four:
-[] Step Five:
I expect this will be a little rough since this is the first time we're doing combat but that's why I'm trying to make this as simple as possible. Feel free to ask me any questions you can think of so that I can refine my explanations of the system and further inform you on how things work.
Good luck!
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Painful Reminders
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
[X] Step One: Run Forward.
"Cocky bastard..." Your arm goes up and you feel your shield settle onto your back, your other sword hissing free of it's sheath as you push yourself into a headlong run at him. He barely moves at first, arms wide, and...
It's when they look least vulnerable, that little thing with the knife... Watch out for it.
His fingers tense on the grips of the shotels and something crosses your mind, a conversation forgotten, or perhaps unremembered, a voice from another time and place. You try to push yourself faster only to feel your feet begin to slip in the dust as you overdo it, and the moment of hesitation as you recover your balance is one moment too long.
The little toss, you go for a swing, and next thing you know you're choking on your own blood... Not the most pleasant way to die.
You're committed to the assault now, and you can practically see a cruel smirk under that helmet as those two curved blades swing up...
-[X] Step Two: Dual wield, Attack (Twinblades) [COUNTERED - Parrying Stance]
Your swords rise up as the crossed shotels trap both blades and push them together. Up, and up, and then they swing off to one side, forcing you to plant your foot.
"Wide open!" He hisses, and the blades come back down, too fast for you to block, not enough traction beneath you to dodge.
The points of the Shotels dig into your chest and you scream as agony rips through you. You've been stabbed before but it never gets better, always like ice and blood and pain and then he tears them out of you, ripping skin and fabric as the hooks rise, trailing crimson droplets as they go.
[28 Damage!]
-[x] Step Three: Attack (Twinblades) [STAGGERED]
You fall backwards, gasping as you hit the ground, a cloud of dust billowing up around you as the hollow takes a couple of steps back. The screaming goes on, not your voice though, the Keeper-! The mocking voice of the hollow hisses into your ears. "Come on then come on... Over so soon? No no no... You're more persistent than that aren't you?" You tuck your feet in, pulling them away from an almost contemptuous follow-up slash and rolling over, feeling your blood drip and your torn muscles scream at every motion.
You have been through worse. You have taken the Nameless king's sword-spear through the gut and fought on. You have been bludgeoned, and beaten, and bruised over and over only to fight on.
It hurts, but you won't come back this time if you give up here.
You haul yourself to your feet...
-[X] Step Four: Attack (Twinblades)
You advance on him again, more warily this time, watching for that deceptive stance, but this time he's on his guard, apparently not expecting you to fall for the same trick twice in a row. You shuffle forwards, swords held low, then lunging with a yell as you whip them up and around in a diagonal slash.
Only for him to throw himself backwards, rolling out from under your swords by scant inches as you carve up the dust, prompting you in turn to take a few steps back as well, moving closer to the fire keeper. "A-ashen one... I thought..." You can hear her sobbing, relief? Fear?
"I'm f-fine..." Talking hurts, but you stand a little straighter and she falls silent as you glare at the hollow, all too easily capable of imagining a cruel smirk under that mask.
-[X] Step Five: Evasive Roll, Backwards
He steps forwards but you roll back, feeling your ribs protest violently as you maintain the distance between you. The hollow brandishes the curved blades wickedly and then spreads his stance, lowering himself and holding his two weapons close in a half-crossed guard.
You are currently at Mid-Range
Combat Attitude
[] Aggressive
[] Defensive
[] Evasive
Combat Plan (Write in an action for each step)
[] Step One:
-[] Step Two:
-[] Step Three:
-[] Step Four:
-[] Step Five:
"Cocky bastard..." Your arm goes up and you feel your shield settle onto your back, your other sword hissing free of it's sheath as you push yourself into a headlong run at him. He barely moves at first, arms wide, and...
It's when they look least vulnerable, that little thing with the knife... Watch out for it.
His fingers tense on the grips of the shotels and something crosses your mind, a conversation forgotten, or perhaps unremembered, a voice from another time and place. You try to push yourself faster only to feel your feet begin to slip in the dust as you overdo it, and the moment of hesitation as you recover your balance is one moment too long.
The little toss, you go for a swing, and next thing you know you're choking on your own blood... Not the most pleasant way to die.
You're committed to the assault now, and you can practically see a cruel smirk under that helmet as those two curved blades swing up...
Your swords rise up as the crossed shotels trap both blades and push them together. Up, and up, and then they swing off to one side, forcing you to plant your foot.
"Wide open!" He hisses, and the blades come back down, too fast for you to block, not enough traction beneath you to dodge.
The points of the Shotels dig into your chest and you scream as agony rips through you. You've been stabbed before but it never gets better, always like ice and blood and pain and then he tears them out of you, ripping skin and fabric as the hooks rise, trailing crimson droplets as they go.
[28 Damage!]
You fall backwards, gasping as you hit the ground, a cloud of dust billowing up around you as the hollow takes a couple of steps back. The screaming goes on, not your voice though, the Keeper-! The mocking voice of the hollow hisses into your ears. "Come on then come on... Over so soon? No no no... You're more persistent than that aren't you?" You tuck your feet in, pulling them away from an almost contemptuous follow-up slash and rolling over, feeling your blood drip and your torn muscles scream at every motion.
You have been through worse. You have taken the Nameless king's sword-spear through the gut and fought on. You have been bludgeoned, and beaten, and bruised over and over only to fight on.
It hurts, but you won't come back this time if you give up here.
You haul yourself to your feet...
-[X] Step Four: Attack (Twinblades)
You advance on him again, more warily this time, watching for that deceptive stance, but this time he's on his guard, apparently not expecting you to fall for the same trick twice in a row. You shuffle forwards, swords held low, then lunging with a yell as you whip them up and around in a diagonal slash.
Only for him to throw himself backwards, rolling out from under your swords by scant inches as you carve up the dust, prompting you in turn to take a few steps back as well, moving closer to the fire keeper. "A-ashen one... I thought..." You can hear her sobbing, relief? Fear?
"I'm f-fine..." Talking hurts, but you stand a little straighter and she falls silent as you glare at the hollow, all too easily capable of imagining a cruel smirk under that mask.
-[X] Step Five: Evasive Roll, Backwards
He steps forwards but you roll back, feeling your ribs protest violently as you maintain the distance between you. The hollow brandishes the curved blades wickedly and then spreads his stance, lowering himself and holding his two weapons close in a half-crossed guard.
HP: 22/50
FP: 15/15
ST: 6/8
Current Equipment
Right Hand: Gotthardt Twinblade
Left Hand: Gotthardt Twinblade
Equipped Armor: Sorcerer's Set
FP: 15/15
ST: 6/8
Current Equipment
Right Hand: Gotthardt Twinblade
Left Hand: Gotthardt Twinblade
Equipped Armor: Sorcerer's Set
Combat Attitudes
When voting for an action with '(Direction)' next to it, please also select to move 'Closer' to the enemy, 'Further' away from the enemy, 'Left' around the enemy, or 'Right' around the enemy. Failing to specify a direction will result in you simply standing there unless your move was to roll evasively, in which case you will perform a backstep to move 'Further' away only your chance of being hit mid-evasion will be considered one higher.
Aggressive: Attempt to take advantage of openings whenever you see them. Go for chances to land a hit even if you weren't planning on them! (Cannot use Estus or Parry)
Defensive: Keep your shield at the ready and be prepared to block anything that comes your way. Watch for the enemy's strikes and shelter from them. (Cannot Dual Wield or Run)
Evasive: Focus on keeping away from enemy assaults. Keep your spacing and evade their strikes. (Cannot Wait or Raise Shield)
Combat ActionsDefensive: Keep your shield at the ready and be prepared to block anything that comes your way. Watch for the enemy's strikes and shelter from them. (Cannot Dual Wield or Run)
Evasive: Focus on keeping away from enemy assaults. Keep your spacing and evade their strikes. (Cannot Wait or Raise Shield)
Walk (Direction): Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Run (Direction): Cost 1 ST for every two steps this is used. Twice as fast as walking.
Attack (Straight Sword): Cost 1 ST, make a single attack against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Attack (Twinblades): Cost 2 ST, make two attacks against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Parry (Buckler): Roll 1d6, On anything but a 1 or 2 you successfully parry an enemy's attack as long as that attack can be parried. Failure will cost 2 ST though you will only take 50% damage from the enemy attack.
Evasive Roll (Direction): Cost 1 ST, roll 1d6, on anything but a 1 you successfully evade an enemy attack executed on this step, using this on multiple steps in a round will increase the failure range by 1 each time, though it resets at the end of the round.
Drink Estus/Ashen Estus: Gain 1 ST and 30 HP (or 10 FP for Ashen Estus) you cannot move or defend yourself during the step this is used.
Dual Wield: Switch between straight sword and twinblades mode. This action does not cost a step the first time it is used in a round (Write in as an addition to another step's action for first use each round).
Wait: You do nothing for a step. Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Raise Shield: Raise your shield, reduce damage dealt to you by frontal attacks. This action cannot be performed while in Dual Wield. This Action does not take up a step on it's own, but rather can be performed during the Walk, Run, or Wait actions by writing in 'Shield' in addition to the action itself.
Run (Direction): Cost 1 ST for every two steps this is used. Twice as fast as walking.
Attack (Straight Sword): Cost 1 ST, make a single attack against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Attack (Twinblades): Cost 2 ST, make two attacks against an opponent this step, can only be used at close range.
Parry (Buckler): Roll 1d6, On anything but a 1 or 2 you successfully parry an enemy's attack as long as that attack can be parried. Failure will cost 2 ST though you will only take 50% damage from the enemy attack.
Evasive Roll (Direction): Cost 1 ST, roll 1d6, on anything but a 1 you successfully evade an enemy attack executed on this step, using this on multiple steps in a round will increase the failure range by 1 each time, though it resets at the end of the round.
Drink Estus/Ashen Estus: Gain 1 ST and 30 HP (or 10 FP for Ashen Estus) you cannot move or defend yourself during the step this is used.
Dual Wield: Switch between straight sword and twinblades mode. This action does not cost a step the first time it is used in a round (Write in as an addition to another step's action for first use each round).
Wait: You do nothing for a step. Gain 1 ST on the first step this is used, then 2 ST on each consecutive step.
Raise Shield: Raise your shield, reduce damage dealt to you by frontal attacks. This action cannot be performed while in Dual Wield. This Action does not take up a step on it's own, but rather can be performed during the Walk, Run, or Wait actions by writing in 'Shield' in addition to the action itself.
When voting for an action with '(Direction)' next to it, please also select to move 'Closer' to the enemy, 'Further' away from the enemy, 'Left' around the enemy, or 'Right' around the enemy. Failing to specify a direction will result in you simply standing there unless your move was to roll evasively, in which case you will perform a backstep to move 'Further' away only your chance of being hit mid-evasion will be considered one higher.
You are currently at Mid-Range
Combat Attitude
[] Aggressive
[] Defensive
[] Evasive
Combat Plan (Write in an action for each step)
[] Step One:
-[] Step Two:
-[] Step Three:
-[] Step Four:
-[] Step Five:
Well that was painful, but at least you're still standing...
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