“Look up.”
The three of them turned their heads upwards, then made varying noises of disgust as they sighted the thing that I’d been pointing them to. The horrible amalgamation of garbage and sewage burbled and bubbled gently to itself, wriggling like blackish jello as it stuck to the ceiling. Bones stuck out of its gelatin-like flesh at odd angles, mixes of human and otherwise that clashed and contrasted. The horrible stench it gave off blended in with the general rank of the Depths, but when one noticed it, it stood out.
“What is that… thing!?” Celia seemed to be as fascinated as she was disgusted, leaning forwards to get a better look at the horrid thing even as she remained well out of its range.
“Disgusting little creatures. Slimes are formed from detritus and waste, accumulating in the bowels of human society until they gain a measure of sentience and hunger and go hunting.” I felt the knowledge bubble up from the deeper parts of my psyche, things that I just… knew. Strange, somewhat disturbing, but helpful. “They’re slow and their weapons, made of bone, aren’t particularly effective against armour. Often, they become ambush predators, waiting on the ceiling for some unlucky soul to pass underneath, at which point they release their hold on the roof…”
Celia made a totally disgusted noise, Siegmeyer a curious hum. Laurentius, to my surprise, simply nodded.
“They appear in the Great Swamp, at times. The water, you see- it can be filthy in places, bad enough to create these things. As a result, I know how to deal with them.” he gave me an anxious look. “Ah, if you’ll allow me?”
“Of course.”
Laurentius nodded his head to me and flexed his hand, sparks flaring to life as a fireball formed between his fingers. He cupped and molded it with one hand rather like a snowball for a moment, then lobbed it in the direction of the slime. The ball of flame left his hand like a ball, streaking straight for the horrid creature and impacting with impeccable aim. Instantly, the horrid concoction that made up its body went up in flames like oiled tinder, and it let out a burbling screech and flailed at the air as it burned. Brainless as it was, it took it a few seconds to release its hold on the roof, and come crashing down into the water. The splash put out most of the flame, but not enough- within a few seconds, what was left of it was a shriveled and smoking mess.
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. Even if I couldn’t smell it past the ice in my nostrils, I could taste how burning the damn thing changed the smell for the worse. The difference between raw sewage and burnt sewage, I supposed. I put it out of my mind as much as I possibly could, stepping down and freezing the water underneath my paws, giving the remains of the slime a wide berth. As the crackling layer of white formed across the water, the other three followed me down onto it, Laurentius more hesitant than the others until he saw it bear the weight of both Celia and Siegmeyer without cracking. Figures that a pyromancer would be hesitant about ice.
I came around the bend and into the next room, turning my head upwards and immediately being doubly thankful for my nose plugs. Behind me, Celia retched, and glancing back, even Siegmeyer seemed to be having some trouble. Small wonder why- on the roof of the room were two more of the things, lying in wait for unsuspecting people to pass under them. For a moment I pictured what it would be like to be coated in one of those things, and shuddered. Some things were better left without consideration.
Laurentius, fortunately, had even less issue than me with the air. Laurentius of the Great Swamp, where there were no doubt places that smelled far worse than this. Still, whether he was noseblind or just had a much stronger stomach, he took in the next room and called up another fireball without hesitation. Each struck with surprising accuracy, nearly dead center for both of his targets as they each burst into flame. The first burned up before it could even let go of the roof, falling into the water with a splash and a patterning of ash on the surface. The second, however, didn’t die so easily.
It let go of the roof and fell, hissing violently as the flames that engulfed its form contacted the water that filled the room. It shuddered for a moment, then surged forwards- as fast as it could surge forwards, anyway. Spears made of bone stabbed into the air as it oozed forwards, the thing’s body burbling and popping as it moved.
“I think you’ve made it angry.” I said, levelly.
“I don’t think it can feel emotions.” Laurentius mused, flexing his fingers as he formed another fireball.
“Well, perhaps. I’m certainly not going to check.”
The second fireball did it in. The horrid little creature flailed in the water, making little splashes, but couldn’t put out the fire this time. Seconds was all it took for it to shrivel up and stop moving as the fire burned merrily. I lingered for a handful of seconds to ensure that they were really dead, then started freezing my way across the rancid water and between their lightly smouldering remains.
When we came around the corner into a much longer tunnel, Celia let out something that was almost a sigh of relief when she saw the relatively normal torch Hollow at the end. I felt a flicker of amusement that such an objectively aggressively unsettling creature as a Hollow could be relieving in any sense. Still, when she went to move forwards and into the hall, I stepped in front of her and nodded upwards. There, clinging to the ceiling, was a fourth black slime.
“There are moments like this where I truly wonder how intelligent these creatures are.” I flicked a paw at the Hollow down the hall. “Any Undead coming through here would see the Hollow at the end of this tunnel and rush forwards to eliminate them- holding a torch in the dimness, they are as obvious a target as you can get.”
“Ahh, but up above, just waiting for a chance to strike…” Siegmeyer shuffled into the room, peering upwards at the thing. “The intelligence of monsters and creatures has always been of some debate, among groups of adventurers that I have journeyed with in the past. The majority of the time, such things tend to rush without thinking, but occasionally there is a stroke of incredible brilliance. One really must wonder how much they can really think and plan, or whether such actions are merely happenstance.”
I nodded, contemplatively. In terms of game design, the thing was placed there specifically to leverage player expectations and lure them into a trap, before punishing them for not taking it slow and examining their environment first. In a real world sense, of course, there was intelligent design behind the placement of these creatures, but here? Certainly, the gods may have planned such encounters as the Black Knights and various bosses, but this? The fine manipulation it would require to station enemies like this… I shook my head. Impossible, even for beings that called themselves gods. It was more likely that this placement had evolved from natural occurrence. Primarily, that the slimes had learned that placing themselves on the ceiling and dropping on unsuspecting prey was the best way to go about things. Considering their lack of either speed or subtlety once one knew they were there, I imagined that they struggled to catch prey by other methods.
“Still, this shouldn’t change anything about the tactics we use to approach it. Laurentius, if you will?”
The pyromancer nodded, stepping forwards and flicking a fireball at the offensive ball of sewage goo. It lit up just as everyone before it had, falling to the stone brick that made up the floor. Here, however, there was no water to put out the flame, no way for the thing to save itself, and thus it burned merrily. The torch Hollow down the tunnel let out a screech, stumbling towards us with its torch waving. Laurentius eyed it uneasily and took a step back, but Celia was undaunted, stepping into the corridor and meeting the torch with her shield.
The flimsy piece of wood, wrapped in oil-soaked rags and set alight, bounced easily off of the metal of her shield. The Hollow stumbled backwards even as she took a step forwards, thrusting her sword through its chest, then yanking it back out again. Its body fell boneless to the filthy floor, and Celia stepped over it without a second thought, shield raised and sword at the ready.
At the end of the tunnel were two directions: a diagonal tunnel led downwards, and into the further Depths. To the right, however, there was a rotten wooden door, held together by rusted iron bands that looked only a single good kick away from peeling themselves off of the soaked wood and crumbling into so much iron oxide. Behind the door was the bonfire of the Depths, and perhaps a slightly cleaner place that we could rest, if only for a little. Not that we needed it at the moment, but I knew very well how treacherous the Depths were. Having an easy place to retreat to and heal, rather than pulling all the way back to Firelink through the aqueduct, would help quite a bit with our efforts down here.
“Well, Celia? Which way?” Siegmeyer asked.
The knight was facing backwards, in the direction we’d come, while Laurentius stuck to the center of the group. I noted that Siegmeyer had swapped his zweihander into the two-handed spear grip that he’d shown off before, a nod to the cramped conditions and narrow tunnels. Celia’s head turned back towards him for a moment, then towards the two ways forwards.
“If I may?” I asked, quietly.
“Ah… of course, Lady Sif.” Celia nodded her head forwards. “By all means.”
I nodded my head in return, then stepped forwards, minding the grate that made up the floor at the end of the tunnel. I closed my eyes, my ears twitching as I listened closely. Water, the cries of monsters from deeper in the tunnels echoing up from the right, something shifting… ah. Beneath all the different noises the Depths made, I could just discern a faint crackling noise coming from behind the rotted door. I turned my head backwards towards the other three.
“I believe I hear faint crackling coming from behind the door. Could very well be a bonfire, which may be useful.”
“Well! That would certainly be a welcome feature.” Siegmeyer said from the back, an odd double-echo to his voice as it first caused his helmet to ring, then bounced back at us from the stone tunnel.
Celia stepped forwards, carefully placing her feet on the iron crossbars that made up the grate, sheathing her sword at her side as she reached for the handle attached to the horribly aged door. It didn’t come open at the first try, no doubt from the wood expanding from how saturated with water it was. However, Celia rallied, slinging her shield over her back as well and putting both hands to the handle. With a wrench, a pop, and a small shower of splinters, the door came open with a horrible creak that spoke of rust and complete neglect. Flakes of it rained from the decrepit iron as the door swung wide, revealing the passage behind, and a hint of light from a room on the far end.
“Celia.” She turned in Siegmeyer’s direction quizzically. “You are about to enter a tight room that may have enemies, and are vulnerable to attack from behind, when you cannot easily turn and address them.”
Ah, the gentle prodding of a mentor. Celia paused and thought for a moment, then nodded to herself and spoke up. I noted that she was growing more confident, more aware, which was what I ultimately guessed Siegmeyer’s role to be in this.
“I believe… I’ll go in first, with my shield to take unexpected blows. Lady Sif can easily move or attack around me, so if you’re willing…?” I nodded. “Lady Sif second, then. Knight Siegmeyer, you and… Laurentius are most effective in open spaces, so if the two of you are willing to be our vanguard?”
“Of course. Well thought, Celia, my compliments!”
I could feel the pride in Siegmeyer’s voice, and from the way she straightened in response, I could easily tell that Celia could as well. Laurentius merely gave us an absent nod, watching the passage we’d come from, playing with sparks between his hands. An exercise to train control over pyromancy, perhaps?
I turned as Celia stepped through the doorway and into the tunnel, stepping in behind her and following in her wake. Between her legs, I could see the light of the bonfire at the end of the tunnel, glittering off the slime and water running down the walls. I could hear the faint trickling of water in front of us as the quiet roar of the stream falling into the grate behind us faded some, and mixed with it, the crackling that was so typical. And that other note, the note that differentiated shards of the First Flame from your average wood fire, the slight tinkling of what sounded like ceramic.
“You know…” Celia said, softly, “I’d always wondered what made that noise.”
“The noise of bits of porcelain being shaken against each other?” I murmured. She nodded. “Quite simply, it is the bones of the Undead who have progressed past even Hollowing.”
Celia’s head jerked, giving me a surprised look through her helm. “The… what?”
“You are Undead. So are the Hollows. Have you ever wondered at the difference?”
We stepped through the doorway, Celia turning herself towards the corner to her direct left, examining the tight room. As I thought it would be, it was empty, but one could never be too careful. The safety of the area directly surrounding a bonfire may not be something that reality would respect. Celia nodded to herself, then moved back to the doorway and called.
“Safe! Come on down!”
She turned back to the room, giving the filthy floor a disgusted look. As the other two came in, Laurentius’ light cloth-clad footsteps followed by Siegmeyer’s heavier armour, she scouted around the bonfire for a clean section of stone to no avail. I simply froze a section of ground and sat on the ice, the cold no discomfort through my thick pelt, earning me a jealous look from her. Siegmeyer nearly elected to lean against one of the walls, then took a closer look at the stone work and appeared to change his mind.
Laurentius, on the other hand, traced a quick circle on the floor with his right foot, his left serving as the central point of the circle. As I watched, the interior of the circle caught fire, burned for a moment, then put itself out. He brushed off the soot with his shoe, then sat cheerily in a shocking clean section of flooring. Celia, who had taken her helmet off, raised her eyebrows.
“Ah! That old trick!” Siegmeyer snapped his fingers joyfully. “I must admit, I have seen one or two pyromancers do much the same in my time, though I had quite forgotten about it.”
“How did you do that?” Celia asked.
“Ah. See,” Laurentius held up a hand, fingers coated in a layer of flickering flame that reminded me of some alcohol party tricks, “pyromancers cannot be hurt by their own flame. By outlining a small area, a pyromancer can burn a fire very hot and very quick, to ignite any filth and evaporate water. It can even dry out and harden ground, an important skill for any pyromancer of the Great Swamp.”
“Incredible.” Celia whispered, watching the flames wick harmlessly over Laurentius’ skin.
I had to admit, the look into a surprisingly mundane use for pyromancy was interesting. I suppose that I’d never truly considered it, but most sorceries, and all pyromancies, were directly combat oriented. It made sense, given that one would hardly be learning how to cleanse a dish with sorcery in Lordran, but it was an angle that I hadn’t really considered.
“I have heard the stories of the Great Swamp, but I admit that I have never visited, nor have I gotten the chance to speak at length with the few pyromancers I have met.” Siegmeyer inclined his head to the one in our midst. “Your people are, sadly, too reclusive and isolated. It’s even harder to gather information on them than it is the Sunlight Warriors, and that’s certainly saying something.”
Laurentius nodded. “We tend to stick to our villages, yes, and the swamp tends to be too treacherous for most. Few attempt the swamp, and fewer know how to actually find us- and most of the latter number either live with pyromancer enclaves or are pyromancers themselves.” His lips twitched. “There’s also the fact that pyromancy is looked down on in the outside world. Sorcerers tend to think of pyromancy as a lesser, more primitive art, less refined or respectable than sorcery. One group lives in towers, the other lives in treehouses in a swamp- not hard to guess which has more sway with people outside of the Great Swamp’s borders.”
“That’s.. Unfortunate. It’s a wonderful art.” Laurentius nodded his thanks to Celia, who nodded back.
“Hypocritical, too.” I mused. “Sorcery and pyromancy are both, at their roots, descendants from the flame sorcery of the Witches of Izalith. Siblings, if you will, though pyromancy is closer to that primordial magic.”
Laurentius gave me a look of awe and surprise. “Lady Sif, that is… the lore is closely guarded by the elders, and denied readily by those of Vinheim. How do you know-?”
“Simple.” I straightened, giving him a wolfish grin. “They cannot cite the deep magic to me, those sorcerers. I was there when it was written.”
The look of awe on his face grew, and he straightened. “You were-? How did- are you…?”
“Divine? Yes. I watched the Witches of Izalith weave their flame sorcery, and I witnessed Quelana, founder of pyromancy, shape the magic and traditions that would form the foundation of the art. I was there before Vinheim was founded, when there were but witches and wizards mixing with pyromancers in the earliest days when the lines between them were blurred at best.” I shook my head slowly. “Flame sorcery is a lost art, now. Its practitioners, if they still exist, are few and far between. Sorcery and pyromancy have all but forgotten their shared origins.”
He nodded, sadly, but the shine of awe never left him. “Still, to have witnessed such things…” He shook his head, slowly. “There is much any of my village would give to have memory of that ancient art, Lady Sif. What we know of flame sorcery is a well-kept secret, just a bare handful of techniques and rituals that have survived the ravages of time, and even then… I fear they won’t last much longer.” Sadness twisted his expression as he stared into the bonfire, folding his hands together in his lap. “What little we know is passed generation to generation by oral tradition, and with each passing, it fades a little more. Soon, flame sorcery will be lost to the world entire, and it will be poorer for it.”
“Have hope, Laurentius.” I said, softly. He looked up, meeting my eyes, and I nodded to him slowly. “There still remain pieces of it, scattered throughout the world. Perhaps, in Izalith, there remain fragments- records, or perhaps even survivors of the fall of Izalith.”
“We’ll have to head that way eventually,” Celia mused, “the second Bell of Awakening is supposed to be at the edge of Lost Izalith.”
“Truly?” A small smile lit up the pyromancer’s face. “If you would not mind, I would like to accompany you there. Perhaps… perhaps I can bring something of that old magic back, and reignite its dying spark amongst my people.”
“A noble goal, and an adventure in the making!” Siegmeyer crowed. “I am certainly in favour of someone seeking out both, if neither Celia nor Lady Sif object…?”
“Always welcome more people, though I think four is crowded enough for me.” Celia said.
“Certainly. I have no issue with it.” I smiled, though from Laurentius’ face, he wasn’t quite numb enough to not find that at least somewhat unsettling.
“Excellent! Then we are decided.” Siegmeyer clapped his hands together. “Now, how about you demonstrate that technique again, hmm?”
Laurentius chuckled and stood, walking over. This time, as he performed each step, he explained the rationale and the technique behind it. It was counterintuitive to the things I’d found to work with my frost, which was perfectly sensible, but I noted that Celia paid very close attention to every word. As I watched, her hands tightened and released, even as she inquired about different steps or thought processes.
“And, how does one learn pyromancy?” She asked.
I gave her a somewhat startled look, then played back everything she’d asked up to this point. There was an interest there that I hadn’t noticed. Was she interested? I considered it. To be honest, it made sense; sorcery required a basis of knowledge, a general familiarity with the theory in order to function. Pyromancy only needed the will to learn, a teacher to pass on technique, and a pyromancy flame passed down from mentor to apprentice. Not that she would know that, but…
“Ah. You see-” Laurentius held up his hand, engulfed again in that same flickering flame. “This is raw pyromancy flame. It is different from the techniques or spells that come from it- this flame is the basis for all of them. Everything, for the smallest fireball to the greatest conflagration, find their beginnings in the raw flame of pyromancy. Power drawn from the Soul.” He turned his hand, causing the flames to writhe in response. “In order to become a pyromancer, one must receive an ember of pyromancy flame from a mentor. The ember ignites the power within the Soul of the one who it is given to, giving them the ability to channel their power into the world through the medium of flame.”
“I had heard rumours…” Siegmeyer said, contemplative. “There was this lad I knew once, who got ahold of a pyromancy scroll and attempted to use the spell it described. He attempted a few times before giving up on it as impossible. Last I heard, he’d joined the ranks of Vinheim as a sorcerer, said something about magic he can wield.”
Laurentius nodded. “Without having the Soul slightly restructured by the passing on of the pyromancy flame, you can’t draw on any of its teachings, internal or external. I’m sorry to say, but your friend was out of luck.”
Celia seemed to mull it over for a few moments, hesitating about something. Giving her a sideways glance, it wasn’t hard to figure out what she was thinking of. Pyromancy was an attractive power, a strong one, versatile and useful in many situations. Considering it, pyromancy would work well for her, as something that required only practice and a bit of Soul to reinforce the pyromancy flame to work. Her blade was already on the Flame ascendancy path…
“Would you…” Celia trailed off, seeming to not really know how to ask. Laurentius tilted his head.
“What, teach?” He hummed. Apparently, he didn’t need to be explicitly told Celia’s obvious question. “I admit, I’d considered taking on an apprentice. Eventually, every pyromancy has to take on at least one, pass down their knowledge to the next generation.”
“I’m not that much younger than you, old man.” Celia said, the edge of her mouth twitching upwards.
“Why, the cheek!” Siegmeyer set his helmet in his lap, giving me a look of mock suffering. “Children these days, Lady Sif. Why, in our day-”
I snorted. “You’re not quite as old as I, Siegmeyer.”
He laughed, the sound infectious and bright as it ever was. After it died down, Laurentius, still fighting a small grin, put his hand to his chin in thought. After a few seconds, he nodded to himself and clapped his hands together, producing a small shower of sparks that I suspected that he’d created entirely for show.
“Very well. A moment.”
He pushed himself to his feet, walking around the bonfire to where Celia sat. He positioned himself in front of her, then held out his hands, indicating hers. Celia hesitated, then reached up and took them, her gauntleted fingers meshing with his bare skin.
“Usually, there is an extended ceremony for the induction of a new pyromancer. A vision quest, and a trial, to demonstrate that they are worthy of the power and strong enough to host it. A vision quest would be all but suicidal in Lordran, but I think that anyone that’s survived this long in this place has more than demonstrated their strength.” Celia straightened at the praise, her hands squeezing Laurentius’. “Therefore, do you accept the power of the lineage of flame?”
She glanced at me, then at Siegmeyer, before looking back to the pyromancer. She swallowed softly, but the nervousness was pushed out of her face the next second by something that I was seeing more and more of in her: steel.
“I accept.”
“Do you pledge to respect the strength and power of fire, to not forget its dangers, nor its warmth?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation, this time. She’d chosen her path.
“Do you swear to protect home and hearth with this power, and never be swayed?”
“I do.”
He nodded. “Very well.”
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As we watched, he placed both of Celia’s hands together, forming a cup. He lifted his right hand, the flame forming around his fingers, and with his left he drew a bare spark from the flame. This was unlike the sparks that he’d produced before, even unlike the fires: it glowed in a way that none of them had.
I reached out with my other senses. It felt… not dissimilar to the bonfires, though instead of a single piece of a larger whole pinned in place with magic, this was a true and unfiltered piece of life itself. The very essence of the energy of the living, of the power of Soul, distilled down to the purest form of energy. There was something deeper, as well, a spiraling structure that suffused every bit of the little ember, something that shaped and guided. It reached out towards me as I was extended towards it, but when it came in contact with my Soul structure, it hissed and spit a little like flame contacting ice. I recoiled slightly, wincing, but there was no real damage. Of course an ember of power like that wouldn’t mesh well with the ice magic that I was even now using to keep the circle under me frozen.
As the ember drifted down through the air, Celia watching it fall in awe, I was reminded of the intro to the game. There, we see a member of the Way create an Undead, by forcing a spark into a corpse and marking it with the curse. This process reminded me of that, but in the opposite direction- instead of cupped hands forcing undeath upon a body, it was a living being giving power to another who willingly accepted.
The ember landed in her cupped hands, and Celia gasped gently as it slowly spread to cover her hands. The flame flickered across her gauntlets, doing no harm to the material nor the flesh beneath, and she watched it with wonderment. Laurentius smiled.
“Good. It takes root well, and your Soul is receptive. Feel that tiny measure of power flicker at the edge of your consciousness, the tiniest expression of Soul within you, a thread to reality. Can you feel it?” She nodded, slowly. “Now. Gently take that, and… close it.”
“I don’t…” She frowned in consternation, the fire on her hands flickering, but refusing to go out.
“Have you ever played with a small stream? Using sticks and stones and mud to change its flow?” She nodded. “Imagine that your power is like that stream. See the fire flow like water, out of your Soul and into the world. Now… gently close it off. Block the flow, and stop letting that trickle of power escape.”
She frowned in concentration. The fire flickered, then dimmed, then jumped back to full brightness. She grunted in frustration, and Laurentius nearly spoke up again, only to be interrupted by Siegmeyer’s hand on his shoulder. My ears tilted towards them, and I barely heard Siegmeyer’s whisper.
“Steady now. She’s a bright girl, she’ll figure it out, have no worry.”
Laurentius nodded and took a step back. Celia didn’t even seem to notice, taking deep breaths in and out. As I watched, I realized that the flame was matching the ebb and flow of her breath, brightening as she breathed in, and dimming as she breathed out. Then, finally, she breathed in, breathed out… and the flames flickered out. Laurentius grinned, Siegmeyer nodding once in approval.
“There you go! That’s the basics of pyromancy. Everything is based on that first moment of control, where you first dam the flow and stop your own flames. More fine control can come later- I’m sure we’ll have plenty of targets to practice a basic fireball on.” He held out his hand, calling forth the flame. “Now, follow my lead.”
She didn’t get it quite right the first try, the flame flickering in and out of existence as she struggled to control the flow of it. Her first attempt at the most basic fireball fell apart into embers and sparks practically the moment that it left her hand, but it was something. I could see how she brightened at the progress, and turned her focus entirely to it.
The wall of the room slowly grew soot-covered and singed from the amount of flame cast against it. Between Celia attempting to perfect basic pyromancy and Laurentius demonstrating it, it wasn’t particularly surprising how fast it occurred, though I was glad for my plugged nose. The slime and filth most likely smelled awful enough on its own, I couldn’t imagine how bad it must smell to burn it bit by bit. Still, eventually, Celia began producing balls of flame that held together more than well enough to splash themselves against the stone work in a burst of flame. As I watched, she held one fireball above her hand, watching it flicker and burn.
“I can do magic.” She whispered to herself.
“Nearly anyone can learn magic.” I said, her head turning towards me. “But the will and the ability to learn it? Those are quite different things.” She smiled, and Siegmeyer clapped her on the shoulder, Laurentius giving her a nod. “Fire might be the opposite of the magic that I wield, but if you’d allow me, I believe I have a thought as to how it could be used.” She hummed, then shrugged.
“Certainly, Lady Sif. I would gladly welcome your input.”
“Excellent.” I pushed myself to my feet and trotted over, sitting next to her. “Your sword is already attuned to fire through ascension. This means that it’s been beaten into its very core, and flame is now a vital part of its nature. You can channel your pyromancy flame, but I wonder, is it as harmless to others as it is to you?”
Laurentius folded his hands, an interested look on his face. “One of the most basic things that a pyromancer learns is that your pyromancy flame in its basest form, without even shaping it for anything, can be used to burn. Whether that’s in self-defense or merely to start a campfire, it still burns.”
“So, then, perhaps, if you are now attuned to fire and your sword is attuned to the same, you may be able to leverage that. If you are attuned enough that you can treat it as an extension of yourself, perhaps you can extend your pyromancy flame over it.”
This was a legitimate technique in Dark Souls 3, a Carthus pyromancy that allowed one to coat their blade in a layer of flame much like charcoal pine resin. Carthus wouldn’t exist for many, many cycles, but I could call a little of its knowledge from the future. Technically, you weren’t supposed to be able to use an enhancement like that on an ascended weapon, though I was uncertain that such a restriction would apply here. Experimentation didn’t harm anybody, and we might get benefits out of it.
Celia’s eyes widened slightly at the suggestion, and she drew her sword, inspecting the steel. It shimmered with heat, baking the air above it, and I could feel a little bit of what it radiated from here. Celia, however, took an expression of awe, reaching out… then pressing her hand against the flat of the blade. I winced, but there was no hissing, no cry of pain. After a moment, she looked up.
“It feels… warm.”
“Hm. A side effect of becoming a pyromancer, perhaps?” Siegmeyer mused. “Attempt what Lady Sif suggested. If it does not harm you, then it may be that you’re attuned enough to the blade for it to work.”
She nodded, then frowned down at her blade in concentration. The pyromancy flame leapt to her hand with ease, now, and she reached down, putting it against the handle. It flickered and sparked, but the flame didn’t take hold, not spreading from where her hand wrapped around the grip.
“Hm. Try this.” I said. “Take your pyromancy flame hand, and point with two fingers. Trace them down the spine of the blade to the tip, while attempting to push it out as if you were creating a fireball. Imagine the sword flaming, the steel surrounded by your fire, as if it was simply an extension of your hand.”
Celia nodded, taking her hand and flexing her fingers, then pointing with two of them and folding the rest. Holding the hilt with her other hand, she traced her fingers up the flat, frowning at it as she did. As her hand passed, flame spread across the heated steel in its wake, and her frown changed to a look of awe as her hand completed its travel. She held the sword up as the steel burned gently, lighting the space even more like the brightest of torches as it flickered and crackled.
“Incredible…” Laurentius muttered, staring at the blade. “I don’t believe that technique is one I’ve ever heard of.”
“Perhaps it requires a flame-ascendant weapon to practice? It may be that mundane weaponry cannot attune itself to the pyromancy flame well enough to act as a conduit for the power of fire, or perhaps someone has experimented with it in the past and decided it too damaging for the weapon involved. Red and green titanite, let alone normal titanite, cannot be common in the outside world.”
“They are not.” Laurentius gave. “Perhaps you are right, Lady Sif.” He rubbed his chin with his hand in thought, watching as Celia began practicing forms and swings, starting over and reigniting the blade whenever it went out. “Maybe I ought to look into procuring flame weaponry of my own, if I wish to do the same.”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea, I think. Do you know the location of Firelink Shrine?” He nodded. “Well, after we finish with the Depths, we can make the trek back and I can show you to Vamos’ current workplace. He may have stocks of weapons that you can choose from, and might ascend one for you, if you ask nicely and pay well.”
“Ahhh, merchants… save me from the whiles of those who buy and sell.”
Laurentius held his hands to the sky dramatically. I let out a small chuckle, Siegmeyer laughed, and Celia snorted, breaking her concentration enough that the flame around her blade wavered. She bit her lip and focused, stabilizing it, then grinned when it came back strong as ever. I examined the flames, then nodded.
“Seems that you have enough of an understanding of it to use it, at least. Only thing for it is to practice against actual enemies.” Laurentius clapped his hands. “What do you think? Lady Sif? Siegmeyer?”
“Ready enough! I hardly think that Celia will struggle against anything we may come up against.”
“I have to agree.” I said. “Even without new tricks, Celia is easily competent enough to deal with the denizens of the Depths. Should the fire flicker out, I don’t imagine that it will be too much of an issue, and this will be good training.”
There wasn’t anything particularly threatening in the Depths for the aware and competent, save perhaps the Gaping Dragon or Kirk, and the latter could be useful. If we could speak to him, he may be able to relay a message to the Fair Lady, perhaps even Queelagg. It would be particularly useful if, instead of fighting one of the few remaining children of the Witch of Izalith or relying on Quelana to talk her sister down, we could reach an accord. It would be a monumental waste if we had to kill such a potentially powerful ally.
Regardless, the point was that there wasn’t anything in the Depths that the four of us couldn’t deal with between us. The giant rat was in a distant third place slot, but ultimately, it was a half-rotted and giant rat. I hardly thought that it would be more of a threat than, say, one of the crystal golems.
I stretched as I stood from my circle of ice, the others following suit. Siegmeyer and Celia buckled their helmets back onto their armour, securing straps and checking equipment. Laurentius touched each of the pouches at his waist, then nodded to himself. There was his hand axe sheathed in a loop at his belt, and the round wooden shield slung over his back, but he’d made no effort to remove or use either since we’d met him. I supposed that he was focusing on being a ranged fighter, what with the enemies we’d faced and the people protecting him.
Celia went first down the hall and back towards the door, shield in hand. I followed directly behind her, then Laurentius behind me, with Siegmeyer bringing up the rear. When we opened the door and stepped out into the passage, it was to find the torch Hollow still lying like a pile of broken twigs on top of the grating. I still wasn’t clear on what the threshold for recovering enemies was, though I knew from the Hollows on the stairs up from Firelink that they did reappear.
Celia stepped to the right, peering down the steps into the Depths. Looking past her legs, I could see all the way down to the landing at the bottom of the stairs, and the iron grating next to it. It wasn’t so dark as to be completely without sight, but it was dim. Between Laurentius and Celia’s firesword trick, I didn’t think light would be that much of a problem, so long as both or either of them kept up the effort. Still…
“Watch yourselves.” Siegmeyer intoned seriously. “I have explored my fair share of sewers in my time as an adventurer, and they are, to a number, confusing and treacherous in nature. Mazes of passages and corridors, all shrouded in darkness. Stay on your guard, and don’t fear to call out anything you see. I have no doubt that the sewers of Lordran are more dangerous than most.”
“Indeed. Watch yourselves carefully, especially your footing. The sewers below will only get worse as we go deeper, and a slip at the wrong time could be deadly.” I said, Siegmeyer nodding in agreement.
“We’ll just have to take particular care.” Laurentius replied brightly.
Celia nodded, swallowing softly. I nosed her leg, making her look down, making eye contact and inclining my head to her. She let a breath out, took it in, then started down the steps. The stonework was actually cleaner on the floor than it had been in the bonfire room, though there were still lines of slime or fungus on the edges of the steps or the walls. It was especially bad at the top of the stairwell, where small stalactites had collected in little groupings, occasionally dripping water that I had no desire to touch. Occasionally, I would hear the patter of it against the metal of Celia or Siegmeyer’s helmets, the sound echoing slightly against the stone underneath our shuffling.
We reached the bottom of the stairwell without incident. Celia moved forwards and out of the way, watching her step as she walked towards where the bars gave a view into the larger room to our left. I looked directly left, making a noise of disgust at the ladder that was there, then shuffled out of the way of Siegmeyer and Laurentius. The pyromancer held his hand high, wreathed in flame, while Siegmeyer kept his gaze on the opening on the far end of the little room we’d found ourselves in. Before we could get it in our heads to move on, however, Celia made a noise of revulsion. I jerked my head in her direction, then looked past her, past the bars and into the room beyond. I sucked in a breath, and I heard Siegmeyer mutter “by the gods…”
In the games, the giant rat is disgusting, this is true. It’s not hard to see how it’s diseased and half-rotted from the fetid sewers that it dwells in, and it being so large just highlights the state it’s in. But for all that it’s disgusting in the games, none of that can hold a candle to how bad it appeared when it was sitting in front of me. Pus leaked from horrible wounds, its eyes were gray and clouded, the pervasive sight of rot all across its body. Clumps of fur had fallen out, leaving entire patches of flesh bare, and when I looked closer, I had to look away and retch. Parasites and insects openly wriggled in the open wounds, chewing at the necrotic flesh.
Celia stripped her helmet off and turned away, breathing deeply and making little noises that I recognized as the precursor to vomiting, though she held it back admirably well. Laurentius had a look of pure disgust and horror on his face, and was purposefully trying not to look at the thing. Siegmeyer, however, seemed the least affected of all of us, and was staring at the creature, though I couldn’t make out what emotions he was feeling through his helm.
“What a horrifying creature.” He muttered.
I got my rebelling stomach back under my control, breathing out and looking back at the thing. At a second glance, I was very glad that I couldn’t smell it, as the scent of rot and decay would most likely be enough to tip me over the edge. As it was, even just looking at the damn thing made my stomach clench and do somewhat sickening things inside my body.
“Ugh… whenever we reach it, I would suggest plenty of fire.” I muttered in return. Siegmeyer simply nodded.
The others moved away from the bars and towards the door at the opposite end, eager to move on. I lingered behind a few seconds, however, staring out at the giant rat and really taking it in. This was one of those moments where I realized that I was somewhat… ah, what was the term? Adapted, perhaps, to how the enemies looked. I didn’t really think about it in the game, but here, looking at it, the vile nature of the creature I was observing came through without the filter of a screen between it and myself. No, I had the privilege of observing it in all its pestilent… I wouldn’t describe it as glory. I hissed a breath through my teeth, then turned to follow the others down the passage.
As we each exited the tunnel, one at a time, we fanned out, with Celia and Siegmeyer forming a wall to the right. Past them, I could see the gaggle of ROUS’s, hissing at the two warriors, like the giant rat in miniature and only less disgusting because of their reduced size. Just as diseased and rotted, but now fun sized for your convenience.
“Careful. Don’t let them overwhelm you.” Siegmyere said. Celia nodded, and they stepped forwards.
The first rat leaped at them, drawing a small cry of alarm from Celia, who raised her shield. The horrid vermin impacted against the metal with a ringing sound, and she drove her flaming sword through its side and then yanked it out. The rat fell to the floor, screeching and writhing, as Celia stepped around it to deal with the others. Another was impaled like a piece of meat on a spit as Siegmeyer stabbed it through and through with his zweihander.
I danced around Celia’s feet, water freezing before me as I made to attack on the rat’s flank. A jab of ice froze the paws of one of them in the water they’d been standing in, and it shrieked, desperately attempting to pull itself free as I drew the sword from my side. The dimensions of the tunnel we were in were much wider and more open than the earlier passages, and it allowed me to swing and manipulate it properly, slashing another rat that jumped at me open and causing it to writhe from pain and electric shock.
The rats were rapidly dealt with from there, the disgusting creatures not getting in a single attack through our defences. The last one was lit on fire by Laurentius, and I was once again desperately glad for the ice in my nose as its corpse did… horrible things, while on fire. With the last of them dealt with, and no way to move forwards to the right, we turned left.
Celia kicked one of the strange, slimy-looking stalagmites sticking up from the water, making a noise of disgust as it came apart at the contact. Some of it stuck to her armoured boot, and I stepped forwards, touching it with a paw and freezing it solid, allowing her to kick a wall and shatter it. Clean again.
“What are these things, anyway?” She asked.
“Hmm…” Siegmeyer crouched next to one, giving it an inquisitive look. “In form and in makeup, they somewhat resemble the slimes that we fought earlier.”
“I would guess that they’re a protean form of them.” I said, not too eager to look at them closely. “The slimes may feed off of the ambient filth for some amount of time before finally becoming ambulatory, and moving off to seek larger prey.”
“Disgusting.” Celia said. I nodded.
There were a few more rats, the horrible little things dying easily to our blades and pyromancies. We encountered no issues, however, and after quite carefully ignoring an opening that allowed us to see out into the giant rat’s chamber, we moved into another square passage that was just big enough for one of us at a time. We considered the side passage to the right for a moment, then dismissed it, Celia instead electing to move forwards.
I noticed that a faint breeze flowed from the passage ahead of us, and, after a moment of thinking, remembered that this led to one of the upper little balconies around the edge of the Gaping Dragon arena. Specifically, this was the one with the Channeler, who would buff the Gaping Dragon during its boss fight if you didn’t kill them. I tuned my ears, listening, and with concentration, I could hear the faint jingling of their armour from here.
“Hold.” I murmured, and everyone came to a stop. They looked warily back and forth, then up at the ceiling, and I felt a moment of appreciation for their situational awareness. “I hear a sound coming from up ahead. From what I remember, it resembles the sound that the outfit of Seath’s channelers make when they move, so be ready for spells and minions. They rarely ever fight alone, and they typically have an entourage of weak creatures that they’ve charmed into fighting for them.”
Celia nodded grimly, flexing her left arm and putting her shield in front of her, creeping down the passage with myself directly behind. After a ninety degree turn to the right, the passage opened up in a tunnel that was the size of the one we’d just exited, and we fanned out again. There was a wooden platform at the end of the tunnel, obviously rickety and rotted even from here. Between the supports of the railing, I could see the triple tip of a channeler’s trident, and I nodded forwards, Celia nodding in reply. We paused for a moment, where I’d guess the range of vision of the channeler was just low enough that he couldn’t see us. Siegmeyer held up three fingers, then two, then one.
The moment the last finger was down, Celia charged ahead, shield at the ready. The moment she hit the wood, it gave a horrible creaking groan. I heard the characteristic sound of the channeler beginning the buffing, the ‘werk-oo, werk-oo’ noise echoing against the stone. Laurentius moved towards the banister, lobbing a fireball over it and producing a screech as it hit something on the lower level. Siegmeyer leapt down from the rickety wooden stairs as I moved with Celia to engage the rats.
There was an almighty CLANG, and as I looked back, I saw the channeler stumbling, his trident out of control. Siegmeyer had his zweihander against his shoulder, and his left arm raised, the little buckler shield shining. In a moment, I realized that Siegmeyer must have parried the trident’s jab, and as I watched, he lowered the zweihander from his shoulder and ran the channeler through!
The being screamed, writhing on his blade, and Siegmeyer simply kicked them off. They twitched and shuddered on the ground for a few seconds before going still. The rats, who had been emboldened by the channeler’s control over them, now retreated slightly. There wasn’t enough intelligence in them for them to weigh the situation they’d found themselves in, but I could see how their instinct drove them backwards, away from the weapons and fire of the newcomers. All in all, they were dealt with swiftly and easily.
“Excellent work, everyone!” Siegmeyer called. Celia nodded to him, and even Laurentius smiled at the praise. Siegmeyer was morale on two legs.
We took a moment to rest, after that. Laurentius took a swig of the Estus, gasping a little as it healed scratches along his leg where the wood of the platform had gotten him at some point. He said something to Celia, who grinned, taking the bottle back and taking a mouthful herself before tucking it back into the pouches at her belt.
“She’s doing very well.” I said to Siegmeyer, who’d ended up sitting against the wall next to me. He nodded.
“Exceedingly well. I’d say that she has quite the talent for adventuring, hah!” He folded his legs underneath him, digging an oiled cloth out of a pouch and cleaning the blade of his sword. “She was right to take that offer of pyromancy. I imagine that it won’t be long before she’s just about unstoppable.”
I didn’t mistake the brilliant strokes of pride in those words, nor the way that his eyes sparkled through the slits of his helmet. I nodded as I turned back, watching as Celia summoned her pyromancy flame, attempting to mimic Laurentius’ demonstration of the trick that he’d demonstrated back at the bonfire.
Her armour, her weaponry, even her body language- she’d come a long way from the scared little warrior that I’d pinned back in Darkroot. She was confident now, determined, focused. If I was to use a metaphor, the people that I’d brought together with her were putting an edge on her, and Lordran was the stone that was honing that edge. She was sharper, more aware, more skilled. Siegmeyer was the primary influence on her, just as she was for him, and they’d both been fantastic for each other.
I spared a glance in the old adventurer’s direction, a glance he missed, focused as he was on his cleaning. Most might not have noticed it, but I’d been there when he fought the Hydra, and for many moments after. Just as Celia had improved rapidly, he had as well, getting faster and stronger. The rust had fallen away from the knight, and he’d left behind the uncertain old man that he’d been to be a shining example of unstoppable strength and skill. I could not for a second imagine this Siegmeyer jumping into a pit, attempting to give his life to protect someone just because he wanted it to matter in the end. No, he was far more now than that.
There wasn’t an agreed upon end to the break. Rather, Siegmeyer finished cleaning his blade, inspected it, nodded, and stood. Celia, seeing him stand, followed suit, and Laurentius after her. I pushed myself to my paws and stretched, and the four of us collected together and marched towards the next passage. Immediately, and much like the previous passage much like it, it branched forwards and to the right. Celia stared down the one to the front, then looked right and let out a small ‘tch.’
“There’s a rat in the right passage.” She said, low and quiet.
“Mm…” Siegmeyer hummed. “We could gamble that it would ignore us. However…”
“I’d prefer to deal with it now, when we know where it is.”
“Watch your step.” I muttered back. “There may be holes to drain the water to lower levels. We wouldn’t want to fall down one.”
She nodded, then hefted her shield and turned down the right hand passage. Around her, I could see the rat sight us, then retreat down the corridor. If we’d chased it, it would be easy to miss when it hopped over the hole in the floor, landing on the opposite side and slowing to a halt. Rats were intelligent, yes? Even in this diseased and somewhat Hollowed form, perhaps this was how they hunted. Luring people or Hollows over the hole in the ground, then swarming them on the level below when they were disoriented and most likely hurt by the fall.
Celia, however, heeded my warning, and stopped just before the hole. She stared down at it, and I could feel the grimace through her helmet as she tilted her head up, staring at the rat just out of the reach of her sword. She paused for a few moments, then sheathed her blade, raising her right hand back up. Her pyromancy flame leapt to life on her fingers, and she pulled back, before throwing it forwards as if she was lobbing a ball.
The fireball that left her palm impacted the rodent, making it squeal as its fur caught fire and its flesh burned. It struggled and slammed itself against the walls, and it took one more fireball to do it, but it finally stopped moving. Celia nodded to herself, satisfied, then waved us back.
“We could jump the hole one by one, but I’d rather not risk it. Let’s see if we can’t find another way around.”
We retreated back into the corridor, then moved forwards behind Celia again, turning to the left and down the passage that we’d passed on the way here. No rats and no enemies, all the way to the end. When we reached where the passage terminated in a T-junction, Celia looked left and made a noise. Poking my head around the corner, I looked to where a trickle of water fell into a hole that was larger than the one that the rat had hopped over, blocking the passage. Instead, we turned to the right passage, which skewed upwards even more than the slight tilt of the tunnel we’d just come from.
Celia was the first to reach the entrance to the next chamber, which seemed large from what I could see around her. The moment she reached the doorway, she halted in her tracks and swore under her breath. Poking my head around her legs and looking around the corner, I took one glance, then uttered an ugly word of my own.
Over in the corner of the room, munching on something that I really didn’t want to know the identity of, was the giant rat that we’d seen from the upper level. It was huge, taller than any of us, and the disgusting nature of the creature was even worse when there weren’t bars between us and it. Celia moved over to the side, carefully and quietly, so that the rest of us could follow her into the room.
“That…” Laurentius trailed off, and swallowed. “That is a big rat.”
“You know, it seemed somewhat smaller when we were above it.” Siegmeyer said, examining it with interest.
“Worried?” I asked, glancing at him.
“Oh, heavens no. I’ve fought bigger, though I have to say, not much bigger.”
He shifted his sword on his shoulder, turning his head slightly in Celia’s direction. Celia’s head twitched as she noted the motion, then she nodded.
“Knight Siegmeyer, if you and Lady Sif would keep its attention, I believe Laurentius and myself can pelt it from afar.”
Laurentius cracked his knuckles. “I’ve got larger spells than I’ve shown so far. Perfect time to demonstrate them.”
We hung for a moment, then Siegmeyer and I rushed forwards. Ridged ice coated the ground where we stepped as I drove it before us, ensuring that there was no chance of either of us slipping. The rat’s head jerked up at the sounds of our approach, even without the splashing that running through the water would have produced, and it screeched loud enough that I barely stopped myself from putting the brakes on. It turned towards us, hate in its beady little eyes and its steps shaking the ground slightly.
The line of ice surged ahead of us, meeting the rat’s paw right when it took a step. Much like the rats we’d faced in the upper passages, it found itself trapped in solid ice, and it screeched as it pulled against it. The ice spread rapidly underneath it as I drew my blade, and Siegmeyer let out a warcry that I swear shook the ice underneath my paws.
The ice freezing the rat in place gave the two behind us the perfect opportunity to aim for a completely still target. Small fireballs, glowing in the dark and casting shimmering red light across the walls and floor, impacted the rat’s coat in a rapid-fire sequence. It screamed and struggled harder against the icy shackles holding it to the floor, but before it could pull free, I closed the distance and slashed it across a shoulder. The electrical discharge of my blade coursed through its muscles, causing it to lose control of them and twitch and writhe. At the same time, Siegmeyer slashed across its opposite shoulder, severing the leg entirely and leaving it to crash down against the ice.
“BACK!”
I leaped away from the downed rat, glancing back in the direction of Laurentius and Celia. The Great Swamp pyromancer had gathered flame between his hands, a huge ball of it, and as I watched, he thrust his arms out towards the rat with a loud grunt of effort. The huge ball of flame spiraled in the air, baking the moisture out of it and turning any stray drops of water into steam instantly in its passage, before it impacted the rat’s head like a mortar shell. The resulting heat washed over me like a shockwave, and I grunted in displeasure, forming ice over the top of my fur to protect me from it.
The rat made horrible noises, writhing and struggling. As the steam cleared, I realized that much of its face and the upper neck was gone, the flesh twisted and charred and melted. Bone stood out stark white against the black and red, the coat either gone from much of its front or set alight. It thrashed back and forth, scrabbling with the stump of its right leg, its other three still caught in cracked but holding ice. Over its head, I saw Siegmeyer spin in place, huge zweihander whistling through the air and reflecting the bright red of the firelight off of the steel. With pinpoint accuracy, it smashed the skull of the creature, causing it to explode in a shower of red and gray and chunks of white as he drove the steel into and through the bone and into the matter beneath. The sword stuck deep in the thing’s head, and Siegmeyer extracted it with a grunt, causing the newly-made corpse to twitch as the steel crossed wires in what was left of the rapidly dying brain matter.
Siegmeyer flicked his sword with surprising dexterity as he stepped away from the still-burning corpse, the gray and red and chips of white sliding from the blade before he returned it to his shoulder and held up a single fist. In the back of the chamber, I could hear Celia let out a triumphant shout, and I nodded in satisfaction. I just hoped that we would do as well against the greater threat I knew to be coming.