Chapter Text
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My first thought is a simple one.
Where the fuck am I?
The last thing I can remember, vividly remember even, is that locker.
Filth, layers upon layers of it, left to rot over time into a disgusting sludge. Those taunting voices, the realization that no one was coming to save me and then…
Then what?
Did I pass out and wake up here? Wherever here is.
— T —
Pros of my current situation: I seem to be relatively clean, if a little dusty, and I’m also feeling better than I have in a while, even though I should be freaking out right now.
Cons: I have no idea where I am and there doesn’t seem to be anyone else here.
Overall not too bad so far?
I try to speak but my throat is dry and scratchy. After coughing a few times I at least manage to force some words out.
“Ah, hello?”
My words echo around the chamber. It’s fairly large, mostly made up of stairs that lead down to an open space of some kind. In the middle of the open space is some sort of bowl, a gentle fire burning inside of it.
Arrayed around the fire are five thrones, underneath which are dusty indents that almost seem like doors, though it’s hard to tell at the moment. There’s a hallway leading further inside, underneath the staircase, at the end I can see an... anvil? At least it looks like one, it’s a little hard to see from here.
“Greetings, Ashen One.”
I barely hold back a flinch upon hearing the sudden voice behind me. I spin around towards the voice and come face to face with a strangely dressed woman, wearing long brown dress of some kind with a dark gray shawl over it, topped off by a strange silver mask that covers her eyes completely.
“…Who are you?”
The woman just stares at me for a bit but I get the impression that she’s slow blinking at me… rude.
“I am the Firekeeper.”
The name tells me almost nothing besides that it could easily be a cape name, making me slightly more cautious. Unfortunately for me, it also means I’m still completely out of my depth. My best bet is probably just to play along for now. Besides, who would even do this? It seems too convoluted, even for the trio’s ‘pranks’.
Maybe I’m just finally going insane.
“Alright then. Where am I exactly?”
She smiles at me, normally a smile from a pretty girl would set me on edge but it’s strangely reassuring.
“You are in Firelink Shrine, Ashen One, the place of your rebirth, and eventual ascension, should you succeed.”
Right, despite being reassuring this is also fairly frustrating.
“Rebirth. Are you saying I died? And what do you mean ascension?”
“Indeed. In a sense, you died, but do not fear Ashen One, for your essence is tied to the shrine now. Death shall not take you permanently, not as long as your will to keep going remains undaunted.”
Well, that’s a bombshell and a half, if it’s true at least.
“As for the ascension, you can see the thrones for yourself.”
She makes a wide sweeping motion towards the thrones. Three of them are a grayish color, like ash. Two on the left, one on the right. The throne on the far right is a deep red color instead, like blood. The last throne also stands the highest, made of pure gold.
“Underneath each throne you will find a door towards five realms. Each of these realms stands loosely connected to this shrine, and in turn, to you. The powers that brought you here are beyond the both of us for now, and I am bound to keep my silence on the matter. However, I can hint at things. Did you wish for power beyond compare?”
“I’m… not sure.”
I might have, in the locker, being stuck in such filth and feeling so helpless will do that to a person. But power beyond compare is not something I can easily imagine. What would that even qualify as? Scion and the Endbringers are the pinnacles of what I know in terms of raw destructive potential.
“As I thought." She turns away again, back towards the thrones. "Through this shrine you have the opportunity to grow powerful enough to slay the very gods, should you persevere.”
Frankly, that sounds insane. Did I become a parahuman instead somehow? Though if I did, it’s a really weird power.
“Okay… how would I go about obtaining this power?” If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s that things like this never come for free.
She must sense that I’m suspicious and is quick to explain further.
“Each of these realms can be traversed to grow stronger, though I warn you that it shall not be easy or pain-free.” Her posture shifts, there’s a seriousness to her features that makes me stand up straight and eye her warily. “Make no mistake, you will suffer for this power.”
She gestures to the first door.
“The land of Lordran, where the Lord of Cinder, Gwyn, resides. This would be your first challenge. I would help you pick a class, something befitting of your station, then send you on your way with some guidance. You may, of course, return to me with questions if you have them. Slaying abominations such as demons, or even simple undead and hollows, will grant you souls which you can use to gain more strength.”
The second door this time.
“The land of Drangleic, where an ancient curse threatens to overcome those who reside within.”
The third door, still ash colored. She seems to skip the throne in the middle for now.
“The land of Lothric, built upon what was once Drangleic and Lordran both, falling to ruin as the cycle of fire continues and dissolves everything into itself.”
The fourth door, underneath the throne of blood.
“The city of Yharnam, where the old blood is strong and ancient beings toy with the lives of mortal men in a perpetual nightmare of their owm make.”
Lastly, the fifth door, the golden one in the middle.
“Finally, the Lands Between, where the shattering of the Elden Ring has thrown everything into disarray.”
She turns back towards me, even with the mask I can tell that her tone and countenance are as serious as can be.
“These are the trials you must overcome Ashen One, I can help you but I can only do so much. The bulk of this will be up to you.”
That’s a lot of information at once. Not to mention that I’ve never heard of any of these places.
Right, one thing at a time Taylor, you can do this. A chance to become powerful? To become a hero? Absolutely.
“Right, right, okay. Let’s… rewind a bit. You said I could become stronger by killing… hollows and demons was it? How does that work exactly.”
I wasn’t too keen on the idea of killing, but if it were just mindless demons and what sounds like undead… maybe I wouldn’t feel too bad about it. Maybe.
She gives me an approving smile which does way more to me than I’d like to admit.
“Slaying your foes, in each of these realms, will give you a… currency, so to speak. Behind the first three doors, it will be souls. The more you collect the more powerful you can become. Though this will be more intuitive once you actually enter a realm. Usually you can simply sit at a fire or talk to a guide to convert these souls into power.”
Alright, makes sense so far, sort of. Defeat enemies to get stronger. Maybe it’s a bit like the fairy queen? I’d heard she takes the souls of dead capes to get their powers. Hopefully I don’t have to kill any actual people, demons or whatever should be fine though.
“Furthermore, each realm will have an overarching goal. You will find out what these goals are simply by progressing through them, you may also ask me for guidance whenever we meet.”
“Right, that’s… that’s good, thank you.”
I glance up at the thrones, I don’t particularly care for ‘ascension’ or actually sitting on a throne or whatever. But for the chance to do good? To maybe get some power so I can fix my city? I’d do it in a heartbeat, though that reminds me.
“How am I supposed to get back home exactly?”
Her smile is somewhat forlorn and sad this time, which puts me on edge.
“As I mentioned, death will not keep you anymore. Unfortunately, it will also be your way out of here. When you die, you will wake up in the place you came from. You may return here once you fall asleep once more.”
That at least gives some credence to this whole thing being a convoluted parahuman power.
“And I’ll be able to use the… power I get from here in the real world?”
“Indeed, additionally, you may summon any equipment you acquire as well. But be warned Ashen One, simply because you access this place through your dreams does not make it any less real.”
I nod slowly, it certainly feels real.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The firekeeper steps back, somehow sensing that that was my last question for the moment. I walk over towards the first throne, instead of a door opening I can see a portal of sorts shimmer into place. It shows a… cell?
“So, how do I enter exactly?”
“You can simply walk through, though you may only return here upon falling asleep once more. Or by reaching the goal.”
Ah, so I either have to die or deal with this Gwyn… Hopefully the latter happens before the former.
I’m about to step through when a gentle hand on my shoulder stops me.
“Apologies Ashen One, but we should pick a class for you first. I can also give you a readout of your current abilities.”
Without much else to do I just nod my head.
“Alright.”
The firekeeper walks forward and puts her hand on my sternum. A brief orange glow envelops her hand before she pulls back with a scroll in her hand.
A quick flick unfolds it, the writing lights up in that same orange glow.
Name: Taylor Hebert
Level: 0
Vigor: 10
Mind: 12
Endurance: 8
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 6
Intelligence: 15
Faith: 6
Resistance/Arcane: 10
“Hmm.”
The firekeeper seems less than impressed with whatever these results are.
“Is that… bad?”
“It is… lower than the average denizen you will find in the realms. Although, your intelligence is much higher than average. Do not fret Ashen One, your class will get you up to speed.”
“Okay, that’s… good.”
Could’ve been much worse with the way my life has been going recently.
“Could I get an explanation of what these mean?”
“Of course.”
She points to the top of the list, going down after each explanation.
“This is your level, it indicates how many times you’ve used souls to grow stronger. Next is vigor, this will determine how healthy you are, and thus how many hits you can take before dying.”
Right, should probably do that one first then.
"Mind will determine your mana capacity and regeneration, this is what you use to cast spells."
“Spells? Like, magic?”
“Indeed, sorceries and incantations are potent if used by those proficient in their use. Next, endurance, this indicates how much stamina you have.”
Makes sense.
“Strength is self explanatory, it is simply how strong you are. Dexterity is much the same, indicating how fast and agile you are. If you are using spells, dexterity will also influence how fast you can cast them.”
Again, still pretty easy to follow.
“Intelligence indicates both how smart you are and the potency of your sorceries. The higher your intelligence is, the stronger they will be. Faith, similarly, indicates how strong miracles and incantations will be. They are two sides of a coin, though one is achieved through study and the other through worship.”
I quickly nod my head, maybe I should look into spells? There are some capes that pretend to have magic too, so should come in handy.
“Lastly, Resistance and Arcane. This indicates the mastery you have over your own body and the power you can derive from it. Be aware that this is a mostly defensive power until you reach Yharnam.”
Once again, a lot to take in at once, but still doable.
“Okay, thank you. Um, classes now?”
“Of course.”
She brings out another scroll, this one has multiple names on it along with a similar chart from before.
“Each of these classes comes with their own specialties and advantages. Though ultimately you may learn anything you wish, it is recommended to focus on specifics, as growing more powerful will also require more and more souls.”
To be honest, there’s too many of them to really get an accurate idea of what I want.
“Do you recommend any?”
The question seems to take her by surprise, it’s the first time I’ve seen her react that way.
“Of course Ashen One, I believe the sorcerer might be a good choice for you, it would help raise your low stats adequately while still keeping your intelligence highest. This would provide good balance for you to start with. The range that spells will give you should also make your first encounters a bit smoother.”
I give her a slow nod, blasting stuff from a distance does sound pretty good.
“Sorcerer then.”
“Simply put your index finger on the scroll Ashen One.”
I reach out hesitantly, as soon as my finger touches the parchment a jolt shoots through me. I quickly pull back, stumbling into place slightly and immediately righting myself again.
It’s difficult to put into words but I do feel faster and stronger already. Like the world is pulling me down less than before, even if only slightly. Besides that, it feels like my mind has… expanded for lack of a better word. I would’ve counted myself as someone smart before, but this somehow gives me more potential to use it.
The firekeeper holds out the first scroll again, showing me that the low points from before have changed mostly.
Name: Taylor Hebert
Level: 3
Vigor: 8
Mind: 15
Endurance: 8
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 11
Intelligence: 17
Faith: 8
Resistance/Arcane: 8
She gives me an approving nod.
“Much better, some are still lacking of course but you can fix this at your convenience or leave as is.”
I can also feel something… pushing against me? It’s a weird mix between a mental nudge and a physical one. I frown and try to push back against it, instead of going away it gives me the weirdest visual of a bunch of strange clothes and some weaponry.
Instinctively, I just know how to use it. With another push the clothes, dagger and shield materialize on me. Now this is a power I can get behind.
“One last thing Ashen One. To truly ascend it is recommended to take a path and stick to it. That is to say, when you are a sorcerer it is best to focus on intelligence, when you are a knight it is best to focus on strength. When you complete your travel through the first realm you will gain a… blessing of sorts. Whichever you used most, that is to say, with which you dealt the most damage, will permanently be raised to its maximum potential.”
Now that is very interesting.
“So, if I go through the realms and train in something different each time I will gradually raise everything? Provided I don’t just use the same tactics each time at least.”
“Indeed. You may of course simply stick with sorcery for each realm but you will come out weaker than you should be at the end.”
“Right, right… Um, thank you.”
“Of course.”
With one last smile the firekeeper waves me off.
“It seems you are ready, good luck Ashen One.”