Grace Campbell was frozen to the spot.

The day at the Baskerville Half-Moon Inn had been winding down faster than usual. Likely due to the rainstorm thundering along outside the Inn. Only the most devoted or desperate patrons would dare such conditions to get a pint. This fact, plus a bit of insincere flirting on Grace's part, convinced the owner of the Inn, Master Brandon Irons, to let them close up early. Anna had already gone home to be with her husband Ian Florence, but only after making sure that Grace would be fine on her own.

At the time Grace didn't really understand why Anna was so worried about her. The rain would stop anyone else from coming in that night and she had her own ways of getting home despite the storm. All she had to do was clean up a few rooms, dust the floors a bit, then lock up and head home.

Which is why she found herself completely floored when the door to the Inn burst open.

Her shock had only increased when two strange people stepped through the door. One was covered head to toe in strange, off-white armor, with twin curved horns pointing out of the helmet. In their arms they carried what she believed was a man who was soaked to the bone. It was hard to get a good look at the second person. They wore a thick, furred outfit that seemed to hide any identifiable features from a single glance. The only thing that Grace could make out was the long, golden crown that sat upon their head.

At least, until their head slumped forward as their body went limp, sending the crown to the floor with a loud clank.

The person carrying the other fell to one knee. Their breathing was heavy and muffled within their helm. However, they spoke with clear desperation in their voice, "Do you have any open rooms?!"

Shocked, caught off guard, and completely confused by the current circumstances, Grace could do nothing save slowly nod while holding the serving try she was putting up to her chest.

Immediately, the off-white figure bows its head and shouts, "I have no money to give, but, please, let us have a room! I beg you!"

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One Month Later...

"Lily!"

The Ashen One lowered her tankard back down to the bar's counter. She tilted her up to behold the large breasted dark elf that was currently staring at her with clear frustration in her eyes.

"Yes, Lady Grace?" Lily hoped the politeness she had cultivated ever since she left the undead asylum was communicated through the Silver Knight Helm she wore, "is something wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing is wrong," Lily nodded at the dark elf's words and began to lift her tankard of ale back up. Only to drop it as Grace slammed a hand onto the counter, "Except for the fact that you scared three of our patrons away. Again!"

Lily managed to grab the container before the foggy liquid within spilled onto the counter. A sigh of relief left her as she righted the tankard. Truth be told, she was less concerned about losing the drink and more about dirtying the counter that other patrons use.

"I, once again, apologize Lady Grace. However, as the bodyguard of this fine establishment, it is my duty to ensure any who cause you or Lady Anna distress are properly punished," she turned back to Grace, grateful that her helm prevented her fellow employee from seeing the embarrassment on her face.

Grace and Anna had been her primary connections ever since she arrived in this strange world of Eostia. Her last memories were of watching as the Firekeeper took the First Flame to keep it hidden until it was strong enough to once more beat back the Dark. Allowing the present to be ravaged by the horrid Dark, so that the future would be filled with the life giving Flame. She had fully expected herself to be consumed by the blackness along with everything else.

Instead, she found herself waking up in the middle of a mountainous valley with her armor and weapons still intact.

Along with a very important person who was still sleeping in the room she had procured for them.

Grace rolled her eyes, having heard this same excuse twice before, "And like I keep telling you, that's it's fine. Anna and I are used to getting oogled and felt up. No one ever tries anything."

"Forgive me if that admission doesn't inspire confidence," Lily spots the blonde-haired Anna out the corner of her eye. She waves a hand to her in greeting which the high elf managed to return despite the plate of food and drinks in her hand. Lily watched the barmaid dance through the tables without spilling a single drop of her precious cargo. With grace befitting one who has worked at the Inn for so long, she easily deposited the orders to the correct patrons without pause.

Lily had to admit that the elf seemed to be in her element as she served the customers. The smile that lit her face, and golden locks that sparkled in the morning sun would draw bring joy to even the most miserly of suitors in Astora.

She had originally come to the Half-Moon Inn to both find lodgings and a way to protect her unconscious companion from the rain. After a minor altercation with the owner of the establishment, she found herself as a bodyguard for this Inn. Over the past month she had gotten familiar with the town of Baskerville and formed something of a rapport with the two serving elves. Anna struck Lily as the perfect image of a kind younger sister with a feisty edge to her radiant features. Thus why Lily was always glad to watch the high elf work the main room of the establishment. She certainly drew the eyes of the customers.

It was too bad most of them had their eyes focused on either her chests or behind. Her skimpy uniform did nothing to help matters. All it seemed to do was draw the attention of those of ill repute.

Such as the two patrons who were currently attempting to grab Anna's backside as she gave them their order.

Lily's emerald eyes narrowed behind the Silver Knight Helm she wore. She started getting to her feet, the Silver Knight Armor she wore clanking with ever movement. However, she was stopped by Grace's hands pushing down on her shoulders. Knowing the dark elf had no way to contest her strength but also knowing that she had something to say, Lily sat back down on the stool.

Lily saw Grace less like a sister and more like a stubborn neighbor. Not that the dark elf wasn't friendly or unpleasant to be around. Lily always enjoyed listening to the woman's tales of the wider world outside of the town. However, the two of them would usually disagree on certain topics that would sour these conversations. Case in point, they'd had this exact same conversation over the patrons and their uniforms about five times now.

Grace shakes her head with a sigh, "Look, Lily. I know you're worried about us, but this is apart of the job. People come here to drown their sorrows in alcohol. Having two pretty girls help them accomplish this is a bonus, and more likely to get people to come back."

"Then you do not mind wearing such a revealing outfit while you work?" Lily waved a hand at the uniform Grace wore. It was identical to Anna's, but Lily could swear that the skirt was cut shorter.

The dark elf crossed her arms under her chest and huffed in indignation, "What if I am? Maybe I like showing myself off to others. Could do without the creeps like Irons though."

Grace shivered at the thought of the pudgy, money grubbing owner of the Inn. Lily frowned behind her helm. Her first interaction with the man was when he said he would kick both her and her charge out onto the streets because she couldn't pay for their lodging. It was within in his right to do so. The only reason it hadn't happened was because Grace and Anna managed to persuade him to let her work off her debt to him.

That made her believe the man could be a sensible one.

Then they discovered that Lily was a woman. Immediately, he wished for her to be a serving girl instead of a bodyguard.

After that her opinion of the man took a sharp drop off the side of a cliff. And he had done nothing to improve it since then. She had shown him how she was strong enough to lift and swing one of her Ultra Greatswords with a single hand, but he still insisted on trying to convince her to become a barmaid every other day. Usually by saying she'll be able to "remove her debt quicker" by doing so.

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While she did get tired of him asking, she never got tired of telling him no.

Grace tapping her shoulder brought her mind out of her reminiscing. Lily sighed in frustration and began to stand from her seat, "As you say, Lady Grace. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Lily moved to the door and opened it in one quick motion. She was outside just as another male patron entered. Grace grimaced after the armored woman. She had meant to admonish her, but she didn't wish for her to move outside. While they may argue she did feel safer with the warrior woman inside the establishment.

And, while she wouldn't never admit it, she did like how Lily always addressed her as "Lady Grace."

"Gracie! Why are you standing around!? Get to work!" the dark elf jumped at the sound of Mr. Iron's voice. She quickly picked up her platter and started gathering tankards and food for the patrons. She would find someway to make it up to Lily later.

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Lily watched the various people that roamed the streets of Baskerville. Her back was to the right of the entrance to the Half-Moon Inn. She stood with her arms at her sides and head held high with her eyes peering out through her Silver Helm. Every now and then someone would walk up to the entrance and one of three things would happen.

They walk close, spot Lily, get scared, and walk away while glancing back at her.

They walk close, spot Lily, pull their heads down, then walk through the entrance to the Inn.

Or, they walk close, ignore Lily, and head inside without issue.

It was the same pattern that had repeated itself ever since she became the guard of the establishment. And she had...mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it made her job easier and technically was what she there for. On the other hand, she didn't necessarily like the idea that she might be scaring away business for the Inn. Nor that they're leaving because they think she's some kind of horrible armored monster.

She sighed before looking up at the sky. Fluffy white clouds slowly traveled across the clear blue sky. A bright, warming sun shined down from above. It had a radiance that would no doubt make Solaire raise his arms in celebration.

Damming evidence that she was no longer in Anor Londo, nor any land she was familiar with. She chuckled at the thought of both that and her once erstwhile companion. Seeing that his Brotherhood had withstood the tests of time despite everything had given her immense joy at the time. She briefly wondered what he would say were he here now? Actually, he would likely be up in her room trying to awaken her still sleeping companion.

Her mood soured at that thought. And that mood only got worse when she started hearing footsteps approaching her position. She turned her head towards the road, feeling a creeping feeling go up her spine at the sight of a familiar face.

"Lily!" Morgan, the leader of the Black Dog Mercenary group here in Baskerville, waved to her as he and four of his men approached, "How's my fellow bodyguard doing?"

Lily didn't answer the man as he walked towards her. The dissolute man wore a black leather armor that was shared with the four men following behind him. Along with that they all wore the symbol of a Black Canine growling at whoever looked at it. The iconography of the Black Dog Mercenaries.

Lily straightened herself when Morgan was close enough to hear her voice, "Hello, Morgan. Is it time for us to switch already?"

"Afraid so," the man shook his head while his men waved to passersby who returned the greetings with a smile. People would stop everything they were doing to say hello to the Black Dogs, or somehow get their attention. Morgan, however, chose to keep his focus on Lily, "Tis a shame. I don't we've ever had a chance to really get to know each other."

"Hmm," was Lily's reply. Then she began to walk around the man, "I shall leave you to your work."

The man stepped into Lily's path, but immediately pulled himself back when he remembered how strong the woman was. Still he called after her, "You sure you don't want to have a drink with me and the boys? I can see if Gracie'll join us."

Lily didn't bother answering the man. She simply waved goodbye and began heading into the town proper.

Morgan and his Black Dogs arrived two weeks after Lily arrived at the Half-Moon Inn. A day later, Mr. Irons came along and said they would be the ones to protect the Inn from morning to afternoon, while Lily got the afternoon and evenings. Of course he made this decision without informing any of them until it was already finalized between him and Morgan. And while she had been annoyed by the decision, Lily figured she could give working with a Morgan a try.

Then the man immediately tried to get her drunk the first time they switched off.

And he constantly mentions how she should "Let her hair down" and "Loosen up and let people see her beautiful side".

Before Morgan and whoever else the proven braggart had told, only three people knew about Lily's gender. Of those three she knew that Grace and Anna could keep secrets. Meaning Morgan had to have heard of it from Mr. Irons.

Them knowing she was a woman wasn't the problem. It was the fact that both of them had reacted the same way. Seeing her not as a powerful bodyguard or warrior, but as a mysterious woman who's beauty they had to get a glimpse of for themselves. She would've been flattered if either man didn't make her skin crawl whenever they looked at her.

She shook her head to dispel thoughts of those horrid people. Instead, she turned her focus on the town itself. There were people in various medieval dresses walking to and fro. Some couple holding hands or ducking into alleyways to sneak kisses from each other. A few children running around tossing sticks or mud that they had gathered from somewhere. Most of the people gave her a wide birth, but one young girl did dare to walk up to her.

She stopped and knelt to be level with the young girl, "What do you need, young one?"

The ten year old smiled, took one of Lily's gauntlets in one hand, and placed a small white flower in it with the other. Then she giggled and dashed off to be a group of other kids. Lily lifted the small flower and smiled. She placed the relatively intact plant into the bottomless box she kept on her hip, then continued her steady pace.

To the people of this world, Baskerville likely seemed to be an average boring place.

But to someone who was used to every place she went to being a desolate, miserable, horrid place filled with monsters the likes of which none could even imagine, it was one of the most wonderful places she had ever been.

And yet, it could all be destroyed by a force merely a couple days away.

She frowned as she got closer to her destination. The nation she had come to was called Eostia and was ruled over by these female warriors known as The Seven Shields Alliance. Each one ruled over a separate part of the continent with their own kingdoms and ways of ruling. However, they all swore fealty to a high elf named Celestine Lucross. Who was supposedly the reincarnation of a Goddess and had the power of divination. For a time, Eostia knew a long lasting peace under her.

Then Olga Discordia, a dark elf sorceress who rivaled Celestine in power, launched a war against Eostia from her Black Fortress. The Fortress was stationed in the uninhabitable lands north of the Kingdom. From there she would send powerful monsters on incursion into Celestine's lands.

According to Grace, the two had fought each other one-on-one hundreds of years ago. When asked how she could know that, Grace pointed out how long lived elves could be. She was actually around three hundred years old. Which would explain how she could remember the horrid scars the two would leave upon the landscape when they fought. Not wishing to destroy the world in their battle, the two have decided to fight using their armies instead.

Whether that was better or worse Grace didn't say.

Lily would've been skeptical of the dark elf's claims, if she did not know entities from her own world that could destroy entire landscapes on their own. She had fought and defeated them. Though that was usually due the fact that she never fought them at their prime. Always when they were hollowed, mad, or otherwise weakened.

As for the war itself...Lily had refrained from making any judgment calls. Right now, her only concern was paying off her debt and taking care of her companion.

"There you are, Lily," she looked up from her musings to see a heavily muscled man hammering away at bright orange steel. His apron, trousers, and gloves were stained black by soot and sparks that were common in his profession. He lifted the nail he was working on in a pair of tongs while speaking to Lily without turning, "About that time of day, huh?"

"Indeed, Clamor," Lily nodded while walking into the forge. The immense heat and smell of burning metal sent a calming feeling through her bones. The stress from meeting Morgan seemed to melt away in the smithy. She found a free stool not covered in soot and sat down facing the man, "How's your family doing?"

"You mean my idiot daughter who's obsessed with those damn Dogs?" Clamor scoffs while placing the hot metal aside, "I can understand liking those guys for helping the Shields fight off Olga's ilk. But tossing her entire life to the wind to elope with a guy she only just met?"

He shakes his head and mumbles something about things not being right. Lily nods along with the man, "I agree. Though that is that part and parcel of being young? Making foolish decisions before being reigned in by your family?" It was strange for her to call someone "young". Last time she checked, she was only in her twenty fourth year. But she felt so much older than that.

"Yeah. Lets just hope her brother can do a good job at that before she makes a mistake she can't take back," Clamor stands up from his seat, "But enough about that. You're here about your project, right?"

Lily's mood became serious. She nodded while looking up at the man, "Yes. Have you managed to make any progress with the weapon?"

"Eh, not much. But can you blame me? Look at this thing," the blacksmith walked over to a wall deeper into the smithy. From there he grabbed a long, flat broadsword that was as tall as the six foot man. Its metal was faded and marred by a black substance. Yet, even as the smith carried it over to Lily, she could still feel the history behind the blade. Clamor continued as he placed it into her hands, "I've managed to hammer most of the nicks and notches out of the thing, so it should cut fine. But can't do much about the rest of the damage. Whatever was made to forged this thing isn't something I can find around here. And without it there's not much else I can do."

Lily nodded while beholding the weapon with reverence. The kind one reserves for the leaders of lands and builders of great kingdoms.

For the weapon in her hands was not any simple blade.

It was the sword wielded by the greatest of the Lords from her world.

Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight.

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In a two bed room within the Half-Moon Inn, sunlight filtered through the single window in the back of the room. The rays alighted on the face of the room's only occupant.

A reborn Lord of Sunlight, who lay peacefully sleeping.

As he had been for a month.