Ch 34 To Battle?
Closing her eyes as darkness engulfed her she knew that she wouldn't have to ever open them again. Clutching her talisman with her last strength all she could do was mutter a silent prayer if the lady ever found happiness.
Watching the spectacle and fight, while one side got a heavy biological advantage, even exhausted and wounded, the opposition, a knight in shining armour, didn't let that disturb or hinder her. Sword and shield and fangs with claws all meet each other in a deadly flurry of blows, but the victor could only be pronounced once one side started to undoubtedly falter.With her strength returning, it was an easy game for the wyvern to end the conflict, but Noel would have none of that; he had a good deed to perform for the day that never quite passes. To peek forth was easy to call upon his treasure trove, so much easier to time it right not to be roasted well, his companions would claw him back in the worst case.
Now he knew even living things could be put into a box, in hindsight not a surprising discovery but it also meant that he had to look out for likewise bullshit from others.
No, how does one go about taking out possibly infinitely falling people given enough time to accelerate endlessly? Maybe just touching her would have him lose a bit of flesh as her speeding body just crushes all it comes close to, or maybe not, maybe it would just take him along and he would fall headlong with her into the box, he hoped not. But only one way to know for sure. To grab the bull by its horns and pull.
A hand was upon the knightess, it moved along her body most carefully, not wishing to do harm or even to intrude too much, a single hole in the wide world that let light enter, the world of despair.
When was someone afraid to be rough with her? She knew not, she wondered whether to take or push it away, but as it found a suitable part of her sun upon her placed over-shirt, it yanked at her, leaving no place for a debate.
To her delight and horror, she found herself back again in Lordran.
No longer quite on top of the bridge, no, right inside of it. In front of her, he saviour, right above she could hear the confused rage of the wyvern.
"What? „she stammered out, as nothing made any more sense to her.
Lifting a finger above her helmet she kneeled. He lowered himself to her level, as she sat on the once stone-cold floor, dazed and confused, he demonstrated by opening a black rift in space right between them and pulled out a sword, and instantly she knew.
"A bottomless box."
"Yes", filled with happiness at the display that the gravely wounded woman still had a mind atop her shoulders, all the more so that it was working again.
Neither of the women at his side commented on the affair, of the headspace of either, one who classify most undead as mentally regressed to childhood, confused and narrow minded individuals and the other as a possibly narrow-minded confused sheltered women older than any in the group and a religious fanatic on top, seen from the way she was clutching her talisman and practically praying to their groups leader.
Elekta had to wonder when she took on a secondary role in the group and no longer led the poor, confused boy out of his cell into the wider world, but was led instead.
She was saved, at the hands of a man no less, was this her sun, was his shining smile directed at her, wasn't it piercing straight at her heart, was he her purpose, but then what of those flocking around him?
Beaming at the soon-to-be recruited heavy fighter of the group and healer, Noel knew this group was just about to have an upgrade in sustainability and safety. Him a possible high damage dealer or all-rounder if necessary, but he wouldn't make it far that way. Spell caster was the most reasonable all in all. Elekta, a close quarter fighter most likely a strength main dps , Oskara, possible tank possible secondary dps, and then Solaire or whatever her gender bend name would be as tank dps and healer and spellcaster, yeah she was a lot better than the other, maybe not so much now but definitely later on.
"Have some Estus.", giving her one of their precious few bottles made out of the crystallisation of the souls of fire maidens made to hold the heat of reality so that the undead could heal on it was nothing but a necessity and a kind gesture.
It was quite possible that Noel was a bit intimiate with the griviously wounded maiden, who was smitten into being stunned from the act, leaning over to her side and trying to open her visor to help her drink.
His previous partners in crime did nothing but stare or look out for other enemies, both annoyed at what they were forced to watch, but at the same time not ready to intervene and do it themselves.
Stupefied Solair let it all happen, the fire the darkness the years all fresh in her mind and yet the memories of the last flesh not hollowed not her own felt on her flesh was so far back. For a moment, she remembered her mother feed a younger her a spoonful of hot soup, the situation certainly was similar, so was the heat inside of her mouth, or was it just the fire and estus?
Maintenance of weapons, with their new boxes, was one thing they could do, but so far, heir has been no point to it as nothing has degraded to an unreasonable amount, if at all. Oskara had to watch the mouth of both get ever closer, even if she was just imagining it, one paladin leaning against the wall, hurt beyond mortal comparison and then a kindhearted healer fussing over her. She knew enough romance stories to know how this would go, and she had to protect him before he would be taken advantage of by the far more experienced woman.
Setting cockblocking just under protecting her lord from harm as a priority. She would have to nurse the fallen herself, or worse. But she could take the dotting of her lord any day now.
The mangled limbs straightened themselves out in record time with the estus, the burnt tissue flaked off under the armour, returning back to the healthy tone it once had. Oblivious to such happenings, Noel was still trying to have the future heavy lifter back in peak condition.
"Enough!" Solaire screamed as it got too much, most of her limbs were capable of moving again, and her blush needed her visor to not be seen and changing her voice was hard enough with whatever was beating harder in her chest than ever.
"Whatever you need!" Before she would shove him away, he moved, standing up and offering her his hand to help, which she took. His strength was still and inhuman, ten moving her was barely a problem, but he wouldn't win any contests with anyone else.
"Thank you first off all, and may I inquire how we are meant to pass this bridge now?"
Moving to the side of the lower bridge's platform he showed the way, only for nobody to follow him as they grew confused with his mannerisms. She saw the way and how it would go; she didn't know if it would lead into the chapel.
"Does it bring me to the altar of the war goddess?"
"No, you would have to go between the wyvern's legs to go there, as the side gate should be shut!"
The mighty stomps of the overgrown lizard girl with wings, angry and searching in her near-blinded confusion for more to let her wrath out on, the old enhanced and withered stone was too hard even for her. So she had to settle for paroling the bridge up and down until either some of the undead revived to keep her company or new ones came to amuse her.
Noel had more than an inkling of an idea of what was going through the wyverns head but he now had a very cool sword, a good sword even, even if it was a newbie trap for the moment it was great not that he could use it effectively as he wasn't specking into strength, but the others could find use for it.
Maybe he could kill the lizard with the entire load of his soul, hers might not survive the brunt of it and collapse, leaving her dead in this world, but before that, he could be burnt to a crisp. Better to just run. Right?
"Then we just have to do that!" Oskara spoke up, "Or slay it!", something she would definitely be rewarded for.
It was a bit of a shock, but these were battle-hardened warriors whose every minute could be their last; they had little interest in self-preservation but to throw themselves into every obstacle along the way in the name of a greater purpose.
Healed up, Solaire picked up her weapon, and the rest of the girls drew their own. Ready to rush into a flame breath again.
She would repay the kindness she had received with the head of the beast, and the others were with her on it.
Watching as the rooms' combined IQ sank lower and lower as one after the other had visions of being dragon slayers and being rewarded in their own ways for their bravery, the trio rushed out ready to fight.
It was almost nothing, but a low hum filled the air above the bridge. No steps could be felt by their bodies shaking and resisting the tremors of the weight.
No, something much more foul could be found.
One after the other rushed forward, back onto the no longer burning bridge, he hot on their heels. With neither the stamina nor speed, he was outmatched, he knew he should shout or cuss them for their headlong actions, but the thrill to test his mortal spirit was not lost on him.
"To battle!" Oskara and Solaire shouted one after the other. Elekta only hit her weapons together in anticipation.
They exited the shaft leading to the top, weapons drawn, sharp edges gleaming in the sunlight, no one was ready for what they saw there.
Solaire might as well have gone hollow then and there, Oskaras' arms dropped from their middle stance of readiness into almost resignation, and Elekta quickly lost her blood thirst.
One eye closed, the other stitching itself together, her wounds closing, the dragon was in prayer, the paws across her wings held together in front of her chest, she was almost silently casting and maintaining a mighty miracle.
No wound inflicted upon her would last this way; the battle may have been lost long before it ever began, and they were hopelessly outmatched. The closed eye opened, catching them all in the actions, too aghast to understand they had to stop it, it fell upon the dead last of the group to stop the miracle, with a single cast, a soul arrow struck dead center, Noel knew as bothersome as fighting was all could be overwhelmed.
The spell was broken, the concentration disturbed, the wounds healed. The wyvern, ready to fight, had struggled against but one of the group without her breath, she wouldn't fare much better now, right?
Noel only stopped to cast his spell, as a beginner, it was beyond him to finish a spell while walking or running, as a sitting glass cannon of a sitting duck, he knew he had to always be in a safe position.
So he continued to run, past his frozen allies, right into the open arms of the enemy. The wyvern had her no longer locked into a motion of prayers; she could have done so again, but it was meaningless with so many enemies before her.
She lowered the centre of her being once more into a more common and expected posture for her kind, her torso and chest parallel to the ground, her chest hanging free and unbound in the air.
With her slowly opening eyes, she barely managed to make out a mortal running towards her. And then he had already disappeared under her. She was tall enough that the common man could easily walk under her without trouble or hassle, at her near her breast, which might be a bit untrue, but one could squeeze in between.
So why did she feel a twist at the nips, her own body froze at the touch, something unfamiliar about the motion, caused her to take a rather large breath. Then he saw the priest that had fought her earlier, and more that joined her cause, it would be a lousy fight but manageable, even without her breath, she just had to be a bit more careful, she wasn't known for her vigour, more for her stamina and flight.
Something smelled of when she breathed in, something that smelled of her flesh, but unusually burnt. Something like her bloodied tail, and the splattered blood that came with it.
As she was ready to turn around, something wooden touched upon a more intimate place, just graced the outer layers a tiny bit of preparation, but it was an insult. A fleeting feeling she did not know where to place, certainly something more could be expected from it, but then again, her body was combat-ready, no time for fun now.
While running past the wyvern, he did it, he was so proud of himself, annoying things that can and will crush him, were always one of his favourite pastimes. Could in passing, only watch as every muscle of her clenched and froze up, unused to gentle touches.
He had to run faster, but his stamina was quickly used up.
His back could feel the judgmental gazes of his companions on him, and it also felt the air whiz past him, as turning around was no longer a matter of just squashing an insect now it was about killing a pest.
He hoped there was no breath to follow.
Twice she froze, twice she would have lost if it came to those moments, but now, it was more personal, the reason she burned her toys, her comrades. He was in possession of her tail, and then again what he did seamlessly to her body, she could feel the heat inside of her rise once more, but not from a breath of fire, a new feeling, far more mysterious and foreign than it should be, and desirable on top.