[Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1]

Subject: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Mon Nov 24, 2014 12:43 am

Sable struggled to her feet, her head pounding momentarily. She spared a glance around her. This forest, wherever it was, was bathed in a warm light. Despite this, her heart pounded, deafening her.

She'd only just picked up that strange necklace to look at it. When she did, something lunged out at her and her friend. Now that she realized it, she feared Lux might have been hurt as well.

"Lux?" she called out, glancing around frantically, "Lux, are you here?"

She prayed her friend was. Sable had no idea where she was as it was. If she was here alone, she wasn't sure what to do. She already could feel the pressure weighing on her shoulders.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lux's moving figure. Sable smiled, relief overcoming her for a moment. As she was about to approach, she was halted in her tracks. A loud, throaty roar echoed out. Sable looked up just in time to see a large figure before it landed.

Debris scattered under the weight of the beast. Wide eyed, Sable took a few steps backwards. This creature with it's leathery wings and scaly body was recognizable only in that of books she'd read. Yet somehow, a live one stood before her.

"Lux!" she shouted out, her voice cracking with fear. She watched the large dragon as it looked about, rooted to the spot. Sable felt as if the beast was trying to decide who to attack first, "Lux! Get up! Run! Hurry!"

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Mon Nov 24, 2014 12:56 am

Lux groaned, her head throbbing and her exposed skin itchy from what felt like grass. Confusion spread through her as she pushed herself up and glanced down. She blinked down at the grass that sprang up between her fingers, her confusion growing. Thinking back on it she wasn’t at all sure how she got here.

Sable had picked something up, some trinket or necklace or something and had called to Lux to look at it. She’d only gotten a glimpse of something or other before it had all gone black. But we’d been in a store, not outside…’ she reasoned.

Sable’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts and Lux snapped her head up, spotting the dark-haired woman only a few yards away. Relief flooded in her when it was clear that Sable wasn’t hurt. At least Lux wasn’t alone; they could figure something out together now.

“I’m all right!” she called out, pushing herself up to a sitting position. Anything more that might have been said was cut short by a mighty roar that seemed to shake the very ground and air around them.

Lux yelped, ears ringing and head pounding all the harder at the sound of the roar, before something heavy landed between she and Sable. Lux was sure that the ground shook this time, dirt and rock pelting her before the sound of a leathery wing beat ripped through the air next. Braving a peak, Lux felt her blood run cold at the very sight of a dragon standing before her and peering around for what might be its next prey.

Already she could hear Sable’s voice, calling for Lux to run. Already Lux’s hands were shaking even before she’d pushed herself to her feet and grabbed for something to throw at the giant beast. It wasn’t like they could just outrun a dragon of all things!

“Run where?!” Lux shouted back, her heart hammering so quickly that it hurt. So far the dragon hadn’t made a further move, perhaps debating on which woman to try and snap at or crush first. It wouldn’t be long though, Lux was sure of it.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Mon Nov 24, 2014 12:20 pm

Sable's relief that Lux was fine didn't last long. The dragon that separated them now seemed to have it's mind made up. It wasn't going to move until one or both of them was dead.

Lux shouted back at her, fear obvious in her tone. Sable didn't know how to respond to that. At least, not right away. She was scrambling, trying to find something to toss at the dragon. Maybe she could distracted it so Lux could get away.

"I don't know!" she shouted back, grabbing a stone off the ground, "It's a dragon! I've only read about them in books! I don't know how to hide from them!"

All things considered, storybooks only told stories of dragons hoarding gold or princesses. Others thought of them as noble creatures. Sable was finding neither seemed to be the case now.

Her thoughts muddled in a panic, she tossed the stone as hard as she could. It made contact with the creatures head. An irritated sound left it. The dragon's attention turned to her. Sable started to back peddle, her heart leaping in her throat.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. She frantically searched the area, unsure of what she should do.

In the distance she could have sworn she heard some kind of alarm. The whining sound carried on the wind though was masked by the dragons own breath and growls.

"If you have any ideas, now would be a lovely time!" Sable called out.

She was force to jump back as the dragon's paw swiped out at her. A moment later, it lunged forward and she just barely rolled out of the way of it's teeth. She scrambled back to her feet, panic quickly coursing through her.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Mon Nov 24, 2014 10:58 pm

The dragon didn’t seem to be in too much of a rush to pick which one of them it wanted to grab or snap at first. Sable was already yelling back at her from the other side of the dragon, her voice shrill and sounding like it might crack at any second. Lux swallowed the lump in her throat, clutching the stone she’d picked up tighter. At the very least she could throw something at the dragon before it ate her or something.

It was clear that Sable didn’t have any clue what to do, just from her shouting about only reading of dragons. Lux shook her head, attempting to swallow passed the lump in her throat. Her blood ran cold a second time when the dragon took a swipe in Sable’s direction finally.

She could hear Sable shouting for her to do something though the words didn’t really register. Lux could hear an almost whining sound—an alarm?—combining with the dragon’s rumbling growl and the wind that blew past the tree tops. Before she knew what she was doing Lux had already reeled her arm back and hurled the stone in her hand at the dragon.

While only a second or two passed it seemed to last forever. The rock bounced harmlessly off the dragon’s flank even as Lux shouted, “Come and get it, you dumb lizard!”

While the stone was harmless against the dragon’s scales it had halted momentarily, twisting around to peer and snort at Lux. Her breath felt like it was caught in her throat, and she took a step back as the dragon began to bear its teeth at her. Its breath was hot and reeked something fierce, making her stomach roll.

“Y-yeah! You heard me!” she shouted again, taking another step or two back. She was ready to duck or run away and hoped that the beast wasn’t planning on breathing fir at her when they were already so close.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Tue Nov 25, 2014 12:10 am

She couldn't do anything, not against this large dragon. Sable knew they could toss as many rocks at it as they wanted to. The dragon wasn't going to be startled away. In hindsight, it would be laughable if it actually did.

All the while, Sable felt herself tremble, uncertain of what they could do. Even if they had a means to defend themselves she wasn't sure it would do them any good. This thing was so much bigger than they were.

Sable couldn't think straight. The dragon was looming near her and she feared what it would do next. Just when she was sure it would try and snap her up again, it's attention turned to Lux. Her friend was shouting out, tossing rocks at the beast as Sable had done before.

"I-you! Lux! What are you doing?!" she shouted out. Sable wasn't even sure if she'd get a reply to her shouts.

Things seemed to move in slow motion a moment after that. The sound of something breaking through the air made her head snap toward what looked like a golden city. The next thing she knew, the sickening noise of something piercing the dragon rung out. The beast roared loudly, tumbling onto it's side.

"What the hell?" Sable said, taking a few steps backward. Getting a look at the great arrow, she realized the dragons wing was perched and pinned to it's side, "Christ, that thing looks more like a lance!"

She shook her head, backing up. Looking at Lux, she waved her to rush over quickly. The dragon was already stumbling back to it's feet, an irritated sound leaving it.

"Come on!" she urged, "We might not get another chance!"

Sable wasn't sure where they would go. If they could just duck for cover, that would be enough for her.

-----[x]-----

Dragons weren't at all uncommon near the great city of Anor Londo. In fact, they were spotted so often that many of the knights dealt with them on a regular basis. As long as they didn't touch the city and it's people, things were peaceful.

The alarm ringing out told Artorias enough. Another dragon had been spotted not far off. From what could be seen, the beast seemed relatively distracted as well. A distraction wouldn't keep it busy long, however.

Gough had been ordered to pacify the dragon with his arrows. That would give them an opening to finish the job and investigate the area. All things considered, Artorias didn't expect to find much.

With that out of the way, he along with Ornstein quickly started toward the area. The dragon would try to find some way of escape, no doubt. Dealing with it quickly would be in their best interest.

"Interesting, is it not?" he brought up briefly, "I do not recall the dragons being this close to the city. I wonder what stopped it."

Dragons were far from predictable creatures. If the beast had stopped, it had found something that interested it. Whatever that was, Artorias didn't expect it to be there when they arrived. If it was living, he pitied those who encountered it unarmed.

Sword in hand, he recognized the area they were near. The Duke's Archives were just beyond. Whatever this dragon wanted, it would meet an end soon enough, much like it's brothers before.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Tue Nov 25, 2014 12:43 am

Though it wouldn’t matter to the dragon as it bore down on her, Lux squared her shoulders and stared the dragon down. Even still she continued to step away from it, not eager to meet her demise by being eaten or burnt alive. It looked like pelting rocks at the dragon, though harmless, still managed to anger it.

Sable’s voice reached her among all the other noise though the words made little sense to Lux, not now anyways. Her focus was on the dragon and trying to at least stay alive for as long as possible. She had no weapon to use against it and even if she did no experience with any of them. She was helpless against it.

At least that was her initial thought until what appeared to be a lance shot through the sky, sinking effortlessly into the dragon’s side. It pinned a wing to its side, the other stretching and flapping as if to try to escape anyways even as it roared in anger and pain.

Lux yelped, ducking and slapping her hands over her ears at the noise. Her ears rang painfully at the noise, the sound of the lance stabbing into the dragon’s body a sickening sound that made her stomach roll all the harder. Lux could swear that her hear would be able to burst out of her chest with how hard and fast it was beating now.

Sable was shouting again, calling for Lux to come to her. There was a moment where Lux glimpsed the dragon stumbling back to its feet, snarling as it did. Its tail thrashed dangerously alongside its freed wing, making it all the more dangerous to try to dodge around it and get to Sable easily. Already its powerful tail had knocked over a tree, sending it crashing to the ground.

“It’s too dangerous!” Lux called out, hoping she could be heard over the raging dragon.

----[x]----

Ornstein fell in stride with Artorias easily enough, spear in hand and ready to deal with the dragon that was in the area. Gough had already loosed one of his large arrows to keep the dragon from fleeing into the sky. Now it was only a matter of reaching it and slaying the beast before investigating what had its attention.

He offered a nod and a brief hum in answer to Artorias’s observation. They covered good ground as he brought this up. A bit of conversation before the dragon was confronted properly was no problem.

“Indeed it has been,” he agreed. “Perhaps whatever it is has been lucky enough not to be crushed first.”

If that was the case then perhaps Artorias’s curiosity could be sated. Ornstein was honestly a little curious on the matter as well. Dragons hadn’t plagued the areas around Anor Londo for a good while now. Whatever broke that trend was definitely worthy of some inspection.

With each second that passed more ground was covered before they’d reached the site of the dragon thrashing about. It was clearly in a rage at being attacked so far away, Gough located in the distance to loose another in case of another incoming dragon. So far it looked to be just the one.

Once close enough Ornstein lunged forward, lightning dancing along his spear as he thrust it out. The dragon had continued to thrash about, another roar escaping it only to be cut short. While Ornstein’s thrust largely missed it still clipped the beast’s free wing, tearing through the length of it.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Tue Nov 25, 2014 5:20 pm

Sable stumbled backward, nearly tripping on her feet again. The panic rose up in her. She yelled when the tree hit the ground, splinters of debris landing everywhere. Covering her head, she only hoped that nothing would hit her.

"We have to figure something out!" she shouted back, "This thing is going to kill us otherwise!"

That was the problem. Neither of them knew what to really do. it wasn't like they had anything to guard themselves with. They were sitting ducks here.

She glanced up, braving to look at the dragon. Once more, it seemed to turn it's attention on Lux. Sable's heart seemed to skip a beat. She rushed forward, hoping to at least guard Lux from being attacked.

That's when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Something that looked like electricity and gold. Sable couldn't glance over quick enough, her legs already pumping to get toward Lux.

"Get down!" she shouted as the tail of the dragon wiped into the other direction. Sable ducked just in time to miss it, her heart hammering against her chest like a jack hammer.

"Lux! Look out!" she warned, hoping that she'd hear Sable in time.

-----[x]-----

They both felt confident that this was something of an abnormal place for a dragon to be landing. If that was the case, something had definitely caught it's attention. He had to agree with his companions statement. Artorias would rather find what or whoever it was alive.

The distance they made was short enough. Seeing the dragons struggle sparked no sympathy from him. These creatures had done enough in their time, ravaging areas as they saw fit.

Ornstein rushed forward first. Lightning danced along his spear, tearing through the dragons wing. The loud roar did little to phase Artorias as he moved froward as well, swinging his blade easily.

The dragon had staggered to it's feet, swiping out at him. Artorias leapt back, easily regaining his footing again. He swung at it's paw, nicking the hand. A pathetic sounding roar left it, almost crestfallen.

"This one is not hardly worth the time," he shouted out, moving forward again. The dragon had reared back, perhaps ready to unleash fire, when he saw something curious nearby.

The shouting of a woman had only briefly caught his attention. It was a moment after did he see what she was shouting to.

"Ornstein! Distract it!" he shouted as he ran forward. He passed the one small woman cowering on the ground. Lunging for the other, he tackled the woman, landing on his back just as another swipe of the dragons tail was meant to hit her.

Artorias would have marveled at how little the woman was though there wasn't the time. He was at his feet again, motioning for the woman to stay out of the way.

"This will be finished quickly," he informed, "Do not panic."

They were the only words he could offer as he ran forward again, fully intending to rid the dragon of it's tail.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:33 pm

Sable’s shout wasn’t really needed or appreciated in that time. Of course the dragon was going to kill them if it had the chance to, saying it out loud just seemed so unnecessary. All the same Lux didn’t bother to shout about it in return. What good would it do when she had to keep an eye on what the dragon was doing?

Since the dragon was hit with what looked like an oversized lance its attention was all over the place. From the quick glances Lux could get of its eyes they looked wilder and its roaring wasn’t so much fierce as they were what might have been growls for the beast. Its thrashing was growing wilder especially so when something crackling with electricity pierced through its uninjured wing.

Lux barely had the time to make out a giant figure in golden armor before Sable was shouting for her to duck. There wasn’t much time for Lux to even do that, the dragon’s tail swinging through the air swiftly in her direction. Lux flinched, bringing her arms up and hunching her shoulders to try to at least brace herself for the blow before another voice—a man’s—reached her ears.

The blow from the dragon’s tail never came; instead something larger grabbed her up, rolling her with it. A startled sound escaped Lux as she squeezed her eyes shut. The roll did last long and she was on top of something hard and cold. It wasn’t until it moved, revealing itself to be a giant man—judging by the sound of the voice—did Lux open her eyes and blink up at the large being.

Already he’d set her down on her feet, speaking to her before she’d really come to terms with the fact that he’d saved her. His companion, the one in the golden armor, was still dealing with the dragon, stepping around it and readying his spear.

“O-Oh, uhm… okay,” she managed to say before he’d hurried away to join his companion, heaving a great sword almost effortlessly in his hands.

----[x]----

Ornstein didn’t have much time to step back and circle around the dragon to ready another blow before Artorias was shouting at him. A quick glance his way proved to Ornstein that there was something in need of protection. Artorias had already rolled out of the way of the dragon’s tail with whatever it was in his arms.

“Leave it to me then,” Ornstein called out. He couldn’t be sure if Artorias heard him or not.

Swinging out with the spear he drove the dragon back a little, watching as it eyed him wildly. Driving it back into a corner like this would make it hasty and reckless. That could be good or bad though not so much so that it would be disastrous if it tipped into the latter’s territory. He’d dealt with stronger beasts than this dragon before.

It wasn’t until he saw the little woman still scrambling about did Ornstein get an idea of what Artorias might have saved. Quickly he circled to step between the remaining woman and the dragon. If Artorias had already made sure that the first he’d seen was safe then Ornstein would keep this one out of danger.

“Do not fret,” Ornstein said. “This will be over in just a moment.”

Though he did not look over his shoulder to see if the small woman heard him he was confident that she had. The dragon’s roars were but shadows of the original ones, quieter even than that. It would be easy to overwhelm it once Artorias was in place.

He braced himself for the dragon to attack, ready to stab or shield himself from danger. Though he’d rather not take any injuries if he had to to make sure the small woman behind him was safe then he would. They could make out the mystery of her and whatever companion she had after the dragon was dispatched.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Tue Nov 25, 2014 10:54 pm

Her voice was so small, he barely even heard it. Artorias couldn't quite focus on it with fascination or otherwise. Later, when the dragon was dead, he might look back on the situation and ponder it. For now, he and his companion had to keep these two alive.

He'd already stalked forward, raising the blade easily on the dragons tail. It couldn't be used as a weapon against them after that. Another strike against it lopped the tail off. He ignored the thing as it twitched and squirmed on the ground as if it was still attached.

The roar that left the beast was deafening. He barely glanced over his shoulder to see the woman cover her ears. He'd long since been used to this kind of thing. Artorias had fought enough dragons in his time.

"I suppose this should be wrapped up quickly," he muttered to himself, readying his weapon. From the looks of it, Ornstein felt the same.

The dragon stumbled, breath already coming in ragged gasps. Artorias struck out, sinking his blade into the beasts side. He twisted it, making sure the beast roared out in pain again. The dragon thrashed about, trying to dislodge Artorias from it's side.

It was Ornstein who dealt the final blow. His weapon idle for this sort of situation, the dragons life was at least ended quickly enough. Artorias tugged his blade free, watching only briefly as the last of it's life ebbed away.

"Quite a mess," he brought up, glancing at his companion, "But it seems we've other curiosities that must be dealt with."

Indeed, now that he'd turned and looked at the woman, he had to say he'd never seen anything like her. True enough, she and her friend were human. The way they looked, even dressed, was far beyond anything he'd ever seen.

-----[x]-----

Sable could only watch, her breath caught in her throat as she was sure Lux would be crushed. Instead, a flash of silver caught her eye. Before she could even blink, the person had tackled Lux, ensuring that she was safely out of the way.

Now all Sable could do was sit and wait. Her heart thudded hard against her chest. She was all too aware that her body was trembling. It almost felt as if it had shut down, unsure of what to do.

The dragon was already back on it's feet, ready to fight again. Sable was about to try and scramble up once more when a shadow caught her attention. She blinked up at the man standing in front of her, clad in gold. His words were confident, short as they were.

Sable swallowed the lump in her throat. Whatever she could have said felt like it stuck to her mouth. She was silent, only nodding though he wouldn't see it.

The terrible roar of the dragon rung out again and she covered her ears, yelping as she did so. Despite this, they still rung painfully.

She screwed her eyes shut, hoping that in some manner, this would all just disappear. When she opened them again, she caught sight of the large reptile collapsing. The ground shook as it's body fell.

Whoever these people were, they were nonchalant about it. The other tall man spoke up as if one problem had been taken care of and they were moving onto the next. Sable didn't understand it. Her thoughts were so muddled together that it actually started to hurt.

"L-Lux?" she called out to the other woman instead. She ignored how shaky her tone was, or at least made an attempt to, "Are you alright?"

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Tue Nov 25, 2014 11:17 pm

Lux remained where the large man had placed her and merely watched with bated breath. She hadn’t heard Sable calling out yet again. She hoped that it meant she was okay, that that other man was somehow keeping her safe. Perhaps the fact that he’d stopped moving and remained in one spot meant that he was.

Despite her stomach rolling at the sound of blade sinking into flesh and the ear-splitting roar of the dragon, Lux didn’t look away. Part of her felt she had to see this, if only to make sure the dragon didn’t somehow turn things around on the two armored men. With the tail gone, the one that had saved her was quick to stab into the dragon and keep it pinned in place for his companion to deal with.

Only when the golden armored giant stabbed into the dragon and dealt a fatal blow to the beast did Lux began jogging over to where she had last seen Sable. It was a bit of a distance, the large one’s roll having placed quite a bit of it alone between them. For now the danger was passed though and so Lux saw no reason to stay in that spot.

She came to a stop near Sable, shaking her head. Her pigtails swayed with the motion, an almost comforting feeling after what had just happened.

“Other than a few cuts and bruises? I’m fine,” Lux answered.

As she did she inspected herself over, seemingly unfazed by what had just happened with the dragon. It had passed after all so dwelling on it wouldn’t do any good for her. Besides, the confidence from Lux might be enough to help Sable too.

“What about you?” she interrogated. For the most part the dragon had seemed to focus on Lux but she couldn’t be sure if anything had happened to Sable or not. At the moment the two large men were ignored.

----[x]----

Once Artorias joined the fray properly it was a simple thing to dispatch the beast. Once its tail was gone Artorias had stabbed into it and kept it in place long enough for Ornstein to deal the final blow. Spear crackling with electricity, Ornstein had done just that, keeping the spearhead in place long enough to be sure that the beast’s body had stopped moving.

Several seconds passed before Ornstein tugged his weapon from the cooling carcass. Blood dripped from the blade and he would surely be tending to cleaning and sharpening the spearhead tonight. Poorly maintained weapons would do no one any good and Ornstein took particular pride in his equipment.

“That we do,” Ornstein agreed with Artorias. Rolling his shoulders he turned to glimpse the two small women speaking as if neither he nor Artorias were there. At the very least it gave them time to inspect the duo.

The two women were clearly human, their clothes nothing like Ornstein had seen before. Both were darker-haired, though one more so than the other, and sported pigtails though in varying styles. Ornstein liked to imagine their differing choices with the same hairstyle might be some subtle indicator as to their personalities.

Ornstein took a knee, resting his arm over it, to better view the two. Perhaps getting a little closer to their level might ease them. He had no reason to be hostile towards the two, especially so when there were many questions to be asked of them.

“If I may interrupt, might I inquire as where the two of you are from?” Ornstein wondered.

If Artorias had any questions he had a burning need to ask he had yet to voice them. Perhaps he was merely waiting politely for Ornstein to ask his own first.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Wed Nov 26, 2014 1:00 pm

With the worst of it out of the way, Artorias was able to study the pair a little better. The one woman he saved rushed passed to her friend.

He tipped his head slightly, inspecting the pair and the worry on their faces. The one called 'Lux' was already recovering, perhaps trying to put her friend at ease. That was admirable in a way.

"Quite the odd pair of humans," he pointed out, striding forward. It only took a few steps to be near the two of them.

Sable had only briefly glanced up at the man who spoke, the one in silver armor and blues. He didn't say much but it was enough to declare them as odd. Her focus laid on Lux next. She did her best to calm Sable, looking over herself for further injuries before asking Sable how she was.

Sable shook her head in response, "I'm not hurt...Just shaken up."

Sable would for for a long while. Things like this didn't happen in the real world. Wherever they were now, it felt more like a story book than anything else.

It didn't take long for one of them to ask question. As he knelt down, Sable could study the odd armor, shown brightly in gold. A lion helm stared back at the both of the.

She glanced over at Lux, desperate for an answer. What could they tell them? That they were whisked away by some dark hand? In a sense, she was aware that actually might be possible. After the dragon, what couldn't be?

"There is no reason to be nervous," Artorias pointed out, well aware of how badly both of them were shaken up. The other woman glanced at her friend, hesitant on answering, "I assure you, we are not the type to bring harm to two helpless little humans."

If that brought ease to either of them, he couldn't say just yet. Until one or the other spoke, they could only wait and see.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Wed Nov 26, 2014 8:45 pm

As Lux had made it back over to Sable, glad to see there were no visible injuries on her person, she could hear one of the two men speak. It sounded like the one who’d saved her from getting hit by the dragon’s tail though she didn’t glance up to be sure.

For the most part it seemed like the pair of armored giants were giving them time to check themselves over for injury. While Sable was uninjured she was still visibly shaken. Lux could feel her own hands trembling though the terror of facing a dragon with nothing to defend herself with was ebbing away as they spoke. She wasn’t one who remained fazed for long, not usually.

“Good,” she’d answered with a nod of her head.

Ornstein had waited until an opening had arrived to say something to the two women. Only once it was clear they were both uninjured and had caught up did he interrupt. For the most par the two didn’t seem to know how to respond. The one called Lux had merely glanced at her companion and waited though it seemed no answer was readily available.

Though Lux seemed to have expected her companion to speak up on the matter it was evident she had no reply. Instead she’d looked right back at Lux and shrugged. Only then did Artorias speak up to assure the two of them. It was this that elicited a response, albeit from the one named Lux.

Ornstein tilted his head as Lux shook her head, turning back to the two of them and planting her hands on her hips. “I kind of gathered though it doesn’t change the fact that we don’t really have an answer.”

The air with which she spoke was a confident one, especially so for their small size compared to them. If Ornstein had to guess it almost had an air of finality to it, as if that was that. He shook his head at that, slightly amused.

“Perhaps, but anything might be better than nothing,” Ornstein coaxed.

Lux heaved a sigh, shaking her head and dropping her hands to her sides. It seemed the golden-armored one was going to be persistent. Whatever his silver and blue garbed friend thought on the matter wasn’t said other than his reassurances.

“We’re from the United States of America. Sable found some necklace and now here we are,” she explained finally.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Wed Nov 26, 2014 9:47 pm

It would take a while for either of them to calm, Artorias was sure. He appreciated that one of the two seemed less panicky. It was as if neither of them had seen such a creature. They were relatively common, as much as a problem that could be.

He exchanged a quick glance when they were given an area of where they'd come from. He'd never heard of such a place. He found himself curious of that.

"There is no such place as far as we know," he explained, "This necklace you spoke of. Do you still have it?"

Sable blinked, searching her pockets for the necklace that she had picked up. The familiar feeling of the amulet against her fingers left her a little chilled. What had this thing done?

She didn't dwell on the question, instead tugging it out of her pocket. She held it up to them, wondering what they'd make of it. From the way it looked, it was only a half. Maybe there was something else that made it whole.

"Here," she urged, not wanting to keep it in her hand much longer. With that, she rose to her feet slowly, her legs feeling tired and shaky.

Artorias took the necklace into his hand. He studied it carefully. It looked old, rusted even. Wherever it had come from, it was clear that it was quite ancient.

"This is rather foreign," he pointed out, offering the amulet to Ornstein, "You've stumbled across something very strange."

"When I picked it up, there was a hand. A large, black hand," Sable pointed out after Lux, "I remember it. That's how we got here."

Sable wondered what that was and why that necklace was tied to it. Without answers, she felt her nerves were slowly getting shot.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Wed Nov 26, 2014 10:20 pm

Ornstein waited patiently while the one called Lux explained things. It took a bit of prodding but eventually she gave them the answers he sought. Her friend, now known as Sable, mostly remained quiet during this exchange of information though she eventually spoke up once prodded about the necklace in question.

“It would seem there is much to be curious of you two,” Ornstein noted simply as Artorias turned the little necklace over in his hand.

Below them the two women waited, one looking more at ease than the other. Ornstein wasn’t quite sure about their behavior concerning this dragon. It had been a surprising thing to see such small humans here, much less humans at all, yet here they were and they were no closer to finding out why or how than minutes ago.

As Artorias handed the piece of jewelry over, Ornstein took it to inspect for himself. As surely as Artorias had said, it was a foreign little thing. Any finer details on it, he could not make out due to size and the rust, though it was certainly something one could easily find lying about abandoned.

“A dark hand?” Ornstein echoed, tilting his head to one side. “A hex perhaps?”

Lux’s brow furrowed and she tilted her head to one side, hands finding their way to her hips yet again. She didn’t like just standing around like this with a dead dragon nearby and two giant men prodding for answers. It was all so surreal, it couldn’t possibly be real and yet that metal armor of Artorias’s had been too hard and cold to be a dream.

“Are you sure there’s not any other beasties and monsters hiding around while we yammer on like this?” Lux finally asked bluntly.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Wed Nov 26, 2014 11:28 pm

Artorias nodded in agreement to Ornstein's statement. These two were a very strange pair and it certainly showed. They were not only human but were dressed oddly. What they had to say only furthered their strangeness.

"It is quite hard to say," he added after Ornstein, "If it was a hex, it would need to be a powerful one."

If that was the case, why these two? Was it tied to the necklace? Were they just unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? The more that was revealed, the more he grew curious.

"You make it sound like witches were what caused this," Sable said. Really, it was all quite odd for her to hear.

"Not so much witches as those who use the dark magics," Artorias replied, "They are a dangerous sort. You are both lucky that this is all that happened."

At that thought, Sable shuffled nervously. Where there more things they would have to worry about in the future. Dark magics and dragons aside, this place was becoming very strange very quickly.

She glanced at Lux when she spoke up about other creatures about. Sable gnawed at her lip though she nodded in agreement. She didn't want to see anything else. Not after the beast that was killed.

"I suppose we should take them back," Artorias suggested to Ornstein, "They are of little harm to us or the others. The most they will attract is an odd look or so."

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Wed Nov 26, 2014 11:48 pm

Ornstein wasn’t sure how the two were taking this news. For the most part they were not panicking or being too difficult. If anything they seemed unawares of how this area worked much less what to expect from it. Ornstein did not comment on this for the time being however.

“Indeed,” Ornstein agreed with Artorias. Much worse could have happened to the unwitting if the magic had been more hostile in nature. “

At the very least the two seemed to grow thoughtful at that, or perhaps it was a more fearful feeling that they felt. Ornstein couldn’t quite tell between the two. Perhaps in the end whichever it was didn’t really matter. For the most part keeping the two little humans safe was a priority until the mystery could be sorted out.

“It would be wise, at least,” Ornstein conceded as he rose to his full height. Getting back to Anor Londo where they had the safety of numbers and walls would be best for at least these two. They carried no weapons and clearly were not knowledgeable of a great many threats.

Plans were being made to lead them to wherever these two called home. Lux couldn’t imagine that it was very far, given how quickly they’d seemed to arrive. All the same maybe that was only because of their longer strides. Lux shook that thought away; she was tired, the shock wearing off and leaving her a little unwilling to want to think about a far walk.

“Well, lead the way,” she offered.

The golden-armored one—had his name been said? Lux couldn’t recall—did just that, starting them off at a slow pace. At least, it looked slow for him. Lux couldn’t say for sure if it actually was or not.

Before following after she glanced at Sable and said, “Talk about an adventure.”

With that she started off, glancing back at Artorias briefly. She couldn’t say why Artorias had rolled into the line to fire to save her from a dragon despite not knowing her at all yet he had. It left her a little curious, more so than she might ordinarily be otherwise.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:20 pm

Sable didn't pretend to understand what they meant by those words. Worse things could have happened and that truly worried her. In some manner, they seemed to believe that she and Lux had gotten incredibly lucky. She glanced at Lux in turn, worry crossing her expression.

Artorias nodded in response. With the dragon slain and this new curiosity cropping up, it would be best to head back. They could deal with other threats though, these humans could not. It would be better to head back.

He motioned for them to follow. The walk wouldn't take long. He and Ornstein led them off. Both girls followed behind though, a quick glance over his shoulder, he noticed the anxiousness in the two of them.

Whatever had brought them here was a strong magic. Whether it was dark or not, he couldn't say. For now, speaking with Lord Gwyn would be a priority.

The walk didn't last them long. He tried to slow his pace, well aware that his and Ornstein's long strides covered more ground. The golden city they called home was near.

"It would be best not to draw any more attention to yourselves than you already will," Artorias pointed out, "Surely some might not deal with the presence of such strange looking humans."

Sable blinked, her gaze drawing away from the golden city. It was a beautiful place. The sun made it glow in a warmth that was rather inviting. She felt a little relief for the first time since they had arrived.

"It's so pretty..." she brought up briefly, "But you make it sound like we won't be quite welcome."

Artorias shook his head slightly before he spoke, "You may not be. Humans, among those within Anor Londo, aren't always quite liked."

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:42 pm

Ornstein had started them off to Anor Londo, being mindful to keep his stride shorter and slower than normal. The two human women were about half his size as it was and it would be easy to loose them otherwise. With the dense forest they traversed through to get to the city he’d rather the pair not get separate and have to go seeking them out.

For him, it wasn’t such a long walk though to the women it might have been. Anor Londo stood before them, sunlight giving it that ethereal glow. It was truly a sight to behold though Ornstein did not stop to let them take in the view. Lord Gwyn needed to be spoken to about this affair as soon as was possible.

“It would be wise not to stray from our sides there,” Ornstein offered after Artorias and Sable had spoken up.

”Well, if you say so.” It had been Lux who’d responded then, her statement rather brusque. It was reasonably quiet the rest of the trek into the city itself and Ornstein had no reason not to suspect that the two might have been busy inspecting their surroundings.

From afar the city had looked breathtaking but up close it was like nothing Lux had ever seen in person. Only photos of buildings in far away countries compared to what Anor Londo hosted. The architecture was so precise and ornate though not in an overly decorative way. Simple patterns in the pathway of stones here and there or the shape of that building in the distance helped to give the city a life of its own.

She hardly paid attention to the people around them or the stares she and Sable received. The buildings and the way the sunlight streaming through the clouds hit them had her full attention as it was. If she looked like some ignorant tourist, well, Lux found she didn’t mind so much. The sights were well worth ogling.

“Talk about elaborate,” she murmured to Sable.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Sat Nov 29, 2014 7:43 pm

The warnings were simple ones. Sable would make sure to abide by them regardless. There was no point in making a large mistake after they'd shown so much kindness.

"I think we can manage that," she answered quietly, "I really don't know how much more trouble we could get ourselves into..."

Artorias glanced back at the pair. Neither acted shifty though he noted the quieter one speaking up a little more hesitantly. There was some reassurance that they wouldn't be out to cause trouble.

As they walked into the city, those who remained around clearly stared. He paid them no mind however. These two were something of an oddity, after all.

"Ah, there hasn't been this much attention in a long while," Artorias pointed out, "I do not expect this to quite calm either."

Sable tugged at her jacket, sparing a brief glance around to those who were out and about in the golden city. Many of them were either clad in armor or robes of some sort. She and Lux did stick out like a sore thumb.

She would have worried about it if Lux hadn't spoken up. Her words were blunt, speaking of the city. Sable spared her friend a smile.

"It's pretty though," she agreed, "It kind of feels welcoming."

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:56 pm

Ornstein was glad that the two women were not intending to cause trouble along the way to Lord Gwyn. The people of Anor Londo were already glancing or staring outright at the two strangers as it was, they didn’t need anything else to cause a ruckus. If the women kept their noses clean they would be fine, at least that was what Ornstein hoped for.

Artorias had a point that it would be surprising if attention on the pair of humans lessened quickly. No doubt word would spread and that curiosity would only grow. Others, still, might want to keep an eye on them out of mistrust as well.

“Perhaps it will be an interesting situation in the long run,” Ornstein pointed out.

Lux heard Ornstein and Artorias speaking but still paid only half a mind to them, something about keeping their heads down and attention being on them by the residents. It was something that was easy to see after all.

She found herself nodding when Sable answered her. Elaborate as this place looked it was quick beautiful and rather warm. The latter part was an odd thing to think, given how deliberate the very building and placement of them seemed to be. It was a contrast that Lux found she liked a lot, even if the warm feeling was only due to the way the buildings seemed to glow in the sunlight.

“Kind of, yeah,” she agreed.

The walk was mostly a quiet one after that. Lux couldn’t say how long they walked or where in the city they were by the time Ornstein and Artorias came to a halt. There were large doors ahead of them—everything was so large here—and Lux glanced up at the two.

It was Ornstein who spoke up. “It might be a wait until you are needed by Lord Gwyn. If you would be willing to wait here until then…”

Lux shook her head at that. “I don’t see why not,” she said for the two of them. At least this way she and Sable could try to make sense of things.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Sun Nov 30, 2014 12:49 am

Sable couldn't make odds or ends of what was going to happen to them or what they were even doing. The one in gold armor spoke of speaking with a 'Lord Gwyn' and left it at that. Whoever this lord was, she could only assume.

That left she and Lux to sort out their thoughts. Sable paced a tad, her gaze wandering just about everywhere. It was a brilliant area, far more so than some of the buildings and cities back home.

She glanced at Lux again, wondering what she thought of all of this. Oddly enough, Sable felt a little calmer now. If anything, they were at least together.

"It feels like we've been pulled into some story book," she pointed out to bring up some kind of conversation, "It's all really strange..."

To think things like dragons and knights could exist here. It was amazing to think about though, purely that of fantasy. Maybe now, it had turned into something of reality.

"But I wonder if we can get back home..." she continued absentmindedly, "Ah, I'll lose my job if I don't show up..."

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:36 pm

It didn’t take long before Sable had taken to pacing though this wasn’t surprising. Sable was a worrywart and something like this would be enough to trigger that behavior. Lux instead chose to sit, her feet aching a little. It felt good to just sit after being attacked by a dragon and then walking all the way to this grand city.

Eventually Lux caught Sable glancing at her, it was soon after that she was speaking.

“More like insane,” Lux answered with a shake of her head.

Sable’s next comments were more absentminded than worried. At least there was that. Lux wasn’t sure how she’d managed to calm Sable down if she started having some kind of a panic attack. Sable was her best friend but Lux wasn’t the type of person who could easily and comfortably console someone like that.

Lux scratched her head, brow furrowing briefly. “Yeah, I don’t imagine my boss is gonna like that I’m not gonna show for however long we’re here…”

’That’s even if we managed to get back somehow,’ Lux added to herself. She didn’t want to say it out loud, as if it would somehow confirm that possibility happening.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:10 pm

Sable glanced at Lux, halting only when she did so. She still felt jittery, as if she would bolt if something went astray. She probably would or panic if something did come up. Those who remained about gave a wide berth however.

Sable wondered what Lux felt with all of this. Out of the two of them, she acted calmer. Despite that fact, she no doubt had a troubled mind as well.

"Yea, I guess it's more like that," she agreed, shoving her hands in her pocket, "I'm afraid of what else we might see here...At least the city is nice."

Bathed in a warm glow, Sable took a little solace in it. Despite that fact, there were still quite a bit of unanswered questions. How they got here and how they could return home. She wondered if that was even possible.

"They'll probably think we've been kidnapped," she replied, "Or something like that. I worry about what my mom will think."

Sable tried to shake that thought as quickly as it came. She didn't want to feel the weighty guilt on her shoulders. There really wasn't anything she could do about it, after all.

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:11 pm

Lux nodded to Sable’s words. This place could be worse even if the residents were avoiding them. Their stares were the only things that could be seen as bothersome, really. At least no one was hostile. Besides, it could’ve ended up worse with that dragon.

“Hopefully they don’t kick us out with those dragons,” Lux mentioned with a shake of her head. Her pigtails swayed with the motion, a comforting one given the circumstances. Mostly her comment was a joke, albeit a dry one. With all this trouble bringing them here Lux didn’t think they’d just throw them out.

The conversation carried on, wondering about what people would think of their sudden disappearance. Lux couldn’t even say if they were being missed yet or not.

“Let’s not dwell on that now,” Lux advised. It could quickly become a sore topic with the way things were going. “When we know what’s going on, then we can worry, okay?”

She offered a yawn then, feeling a little tired. All that business with nearly being killed by a dragon was exhausting. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline wearing down, leaving her worn. Lux wouldn’t object to a nap right about now though something told her that wouldn’t be an option until much later.

“Hopefully they won’t take so long in there…”

Subject: Re: [Dark Souls] Until It's Gone [1-on-1] Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:49 pm

Sable cast a glance toward a few who stared on nearby. She and Lux stuck out like a sore thumb. In some sense, it made her rather uncomfortable. She did what she could to ignore it however.

"Those two...knights I guess? They seem rather nice," she pointed out, "Then again, maybe they were just doing their duty."

It was hard to tell. Sable just hoped that they had some kind of allies here. Sable felt safer that way. She just hoped that would be the case. If this place turned on them, they would be on their own.

Instead of pacing, Sable finally sat down. She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She felt tired, laying her chin in the crock of her knees.

"Yea, I guess," she answered glumly.

She nodded in agreement when Lux mentioned the two that had disappeared. It would take them some time before they were to have audience with this 'Lord Gwyn'. When they did, Sable had been stunned by the massive figure, appearing quiet though held a great power and pride in the way he held himself.

The audience was straight forward, explaining what had happened and why. Everyone was at a loss as to why it had happened. Regardless, quarters were arranged as well as suitable clothing later on.

When they walked out, Sable was able to release a heavy sigh of relief. At least it was finally done and over with.