Chapter 43:

Breaking the Ice

Dark souls is owned by From Software.

"Talking"

"Thoughts"

"Powerful Beings"

"Whatever the Daughters of Chaos speak"

/+/+/+/+/

"Oh my god, it's freezing!" Garret shouted, vigorously rubbing his shoulders as he swayed on the rope bridge the portal dumped them on.

Solaire shivered beside him, "I've never known a chill this deep."

"T-T-Think-k-k-king we s-s-s-shou-u-u-uld f-f-f-find a B-B-B-B-B-Bonfire!" Tarkus chattered behind them.

Garret nodded, "There's one up ahead!" His gaze trailed down, a pit forming in his stomach at the dark, unending void revealed between the bridge's planks. "And don't look down!"

"A-A-A-A-Aw! N-N -N-Now I w-w-w-want t-t-t-to!" Tarkus groaned.

"Just walk forward, Tarkus," Solaire gently encouraged the knight.

Thankfully, no one fell into the void, and they made the short trek to the Bonfire without incident—aside from lightly gagging at the sight of Undead impaled on spikes littering the path. Upon activating the magical fire, warmth spread through their bodies, prompting relieved sighs—Tarkus's being the loudest and longest.

As Garret set about kindling the Bonfire, Solaire asked, "What's the plan?"

"See that castle?" he pointed to the structure looming over them. "There's a bridge leading to another building at the end of it. That's where Priscilla lives—if you could call it that."

"Don't suppose it'll be a nice stroll through the grounds?" Tarkus asked with a chuckle.

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have asked you to come with." His statement was met with short chuckles. "Main gate's locked, so we'll have to take the long way along the battlements."

"Let me guess," Solaire chimed in, "we're going to face opposition along the way."

"Mainly of the poisonous variety," Garret replied. "Best to attack from a distance."

"Anything else?"

Garret clicked his tongue, "Well…there's some crow people."

"Crow people?" Tarkus parroted.

"Rail-thin beings with a human torso and legs, but a crow head and wings for arms. People cursed by Velka, apparently."

"Apparently?"

Garret shrugged, "I mean, Nito mentioned it in passing. What else…oh!" he snapped his fingers, "There's an undead dragon." At the pairs silence, he elaborated, "It's exactly as it sounds." The Black Iron Knight gulped, staring up at the sky. "It can't fly," Garret quickly assuaged. "In fact, we can go through this entire area without even meeting it." He shrugged, "Well, you won't—after we open the main gate you two can take a break until while I'm grabbing miscellaneous items."

"Are you sure?" Solaire leaned forward.

"It's fine." Garret grimaced, mind flashing to the dozens of Bonewheel skeletons lying in wait at the bottom of the castle's well. "Honestly, this way the risk of someone dying is actually decreased." At his friend's questioning grunt, he added, "You remember those wheel skeletons from the bottom of the Catacombs?"

Solaire hummed, "They weren't so bad."

"Imagine a dozen of them in a much smaller space."

"…That does sound bad."

"I'm sorry," Tarkus cut in, "wheel skeletons?"

"They're as they sound," the other knight answered.

"…Are we talking a wheel made up of skeletons, or a skeleton attached to a wheel?"

"The second one," Garret answered.

"…And how dange—"

"Tarkus," Garret cut him off flatly, "do you really want to know?"

The Black Iron Knight was silent for a moment, "I mean…"

"You don't want to know," Solaire playfully cut him off.

"Other than that, there's the path to actually get to Priscilla, along with a short detour to…deal, I suppose, with Xanthous King Jeremiah."

"What king?" Solaire asked.

"Zaan-thos," Garret enunciated. "And he's…I'm pretty sure he's not a king, but either the first type of a specific type of scholar, or the highest rank of that type."

"And what type would that be?" Solaire asked.

"Sorcerers that devote their time to discovering the lost sorceries of Oolacile." Garret blinked, "Actually…him digging into that might be the reason he's stuck here."

"Okay then," Tarkus spoke up, "where is he?"

"He's going to invade a specific part of the castle's courtyard," the seer replied.

"…We don't exactly have the best track record with those type of people," Solaire deadpanned.

"Kirk's alright."

"I was talking about Mildred," Garret winced, "and those Darkwraiths that appeared in Sen's fortress."

"Come again?" Tarkus cut in.

The Sun Knight sucked in a breath, "Wait, are they still going to be a problem?"

"Um…" Garret trailed off, biting his lip, "…Maybe? Should have mentioned something to Gwyndolin though, in hindsight." He dropped his head in his hands, "Another thing I could I have done better."

"And another thing that any of us could have done," Solaire affirmed. Garret lifted his head, smiling gratefully at his friend.

"…Should I know what you two are talking about?" Tarkus quietly asked.

"Nope!" Garret cheerfully replied. He rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders, "I think we've spent enough time on our butts. Ready to go?" At the knights' nods, he led them forward.

The Hollows in front of the dilapidated castle hissed, rushing at them with their broken weaponry. They died quickly.

"Why are there Undead here anyway?" Tarkus asked, shaking excess blood off his blade. "Kind of an out of the way spot."

"This place is a prison," Garret explained. "Don't know all the details—if Ariamis created the painting and the gods repurposed, or he crafted it for them to be a prison—but at the end of the day it's a dumping ground for all the things the gods don't want or that might hurt them."

Solaire grunted, "Wait, there are items here that are dangerous to the gods? Along with people that might not like those same gods?"

Garret laughed, "Well, think it's fair to say the gods don't possess the sharpest minds." The two knights laughed as well, Tarkus more readily than Solaire.

Indeed, the Sun Knight asked, "You said that we couldn't leave easily, correct?" A nod. "But our entry was almost too easy."

"Oh!" Garret waved his hand, "no, not just anyone can enter the painting like that." He pursed his lips, rummaging through his satchel, "I mean, I'm sure the gods have their own method, but we were only able to get in her because…of…this!" he pulled out the raggedy doll he and Solaire had collected from the Asylum.

"Oh!" the Sun Knight softly exclaimed, holding his hand out for the doll, "that's the toy we found!"

"Yup," Garret nodded, handing it over. "It belonged to Priscilla, long, long ago."

Tarkus, who moved closer to Solaire to observe the doll, nodded absently. "It certainly looks old." He peered closer, "…Kind of ratty."

"No," Solaire quickly said, shaking his head vigorously, "it's actually very well-maintained, despite its condition."

Garret stared at Solaire, who was tenderly holding the toy. The man…couldn't be Gwyn's firstborn—and therefore a candidate for Priscilla's parent—for obvious reasons. At least, not entirely. Perhaps he was a fragment of the god, like Gwyn shredding off bits of his Lord Soul, but come alive? Or there was some sort of…psychic link because of his intense belief in the Sun and Priscilla's dubious connection to the royal family? The moment passed, at any rate; Solaire putting the doll away in his own pack.

Garret cleared his throat, "Anyway, Tarkus," the Black Iron Knight perked up, "you go ahead of us," Garret gestured to the stairs, "with your shield out. At the top of the stairs there's going to be some Hollows with swords and bows and arrows—"

"And you want me and my giant shield to keep them at bay," the knight finished. "No problem!"

"Just drop it when I say," he turned to Solaire, who held his talisman loosely in his free hand. He eyed the magic cloth uncertainly, "Er, Solaire," the knight grunted, "are you sure?" At another grunt, Garret added, "It's just…Miracles are powered by Faith and…"

"Ah, I…see what you mean." Solaire shook his head, "Don't worry. Just because Anor Londo…isn't all I thought it was, doesn't mean my spells are any less effective. Watch. Tarkus, let's get going."

"Fine by me," the Black Iron Knight cheerfully replied, heading up the stairs, Garret quickly following after. They made it up the first set of stairs without incident, only for Tarkus to come to a stop as he rounded the corner to the second, a sharp clink sounding from his shield. "Ooh!" he exclaimed as another clink arose, "Someone's got a powerful drawstring!"

"Allow me, Garret," Solaire said, casually holding up his talisman and stepping behind Tarkus. "Lower your shield after the next hit." The other knight grunted, doing so as another clink echoed in the frigid air. Tarkus ducked down, moving his shield to the side as Solaire lifted his talisman. Yellow light crackled in his hand, a long, thin bolt of lightning formed in his hand, flying forward and impacting the Hollow with a loud boom.

"Whew!" Tarkus exclaimed, "Got some good distance on that one." Solaire grunted, turning towards Garret with a flat stare.

"Alright, alright," the Seer held up his hands with a smirk, "you made your point." Raised more questions than answers, but he'd have time to parse that out later…Or not, what with the self-immolation and all at the end of the road.

He cleared his throat, shaking his head free of such thoughts. "Let's get moving. But don't move too close to the upcoming set of stairs." The two knights nodded, Tarkus moving his shield in front of them and once more leading the way forward.

They reached the top of the second set of stairs, Tarkus quickly stepping to the side to block more arrows, brandishing his blade as two Hollows rushed forward. "Do your thing!" he cried as he slammed his shield into one of the Hollows' face.

Garret nodded, "I got the left one," he said, raising his catalyst high. He fumbled with the spell for a bit—having cast nothing but Pyromancies for a fair while—but managed to cast a Great Soul Arrow in time with Solaire's lightning miracle, both spells crashing into their targets and sending them sprawling over the railing.

Garret turned to Tarkus, nodding as the man bisected his two foes in one swing of his blade. The Black Iron Knight grunted, kicking away the top half of one of the Undead, "Facing more of this? And crow people? And an undead dragon?"

"And skeletons attached to spiked wheels," Solaire chimed in.

"We don't actually have to fight the dragon," Garret reminded them, "and I'm the only one that has to deal with the skeletons. But for the most part, yeah."

"…What about that thing?" Tarkus asked, gesturing to the courtyard.

Garret turned, blinking at the pulsating mass of pink flesh, leather shield, and spears surrounding the statue of a woman and child in the middle of the courtyard. Solaire groaned disgustedly, after which Garret grunted, "Oh, yeah, Phalanx."

"…What is it?" Tarkus asked timidly.

"…You know," Garret crossed his arms, "I'm not entirely sure." He walked over to the railing, leaning against it, "I mean, obviously they're Undead, but their all bloated an—wo—gah!" He misjudged how icy the stone railing was, slipping and slamming his head against the stone.

"Oh my!"

"Garret!"

"M'fine," the seer groaned, fumbling for his pack. He pulled out an Estus Flask, quickly downing the contents. He sighed, sliding down the stone as the pain faded, soothing warmth replacing it. "Ah…always hits the spot."

"Yeesh," Tarkus breathed, "nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Me as well," Solaire chuckled. "Lucky you didn't hit one of those spikes. Almost fell clear off the wall, though."

"Yeah," Garret nodded, "would have…fallen," he paused, an idea coming to light, "right in front of the gate."

"Hm?"

"Oh my god," Garret leaned his head back with a scoff, "vertical movement!"

"What?"

Without another word, Garret rose to his feet, turning around to face the courtyard. Gripping the sides of two of the spikes, ignoring the wary protests of his friends, he leapt off the wall.

Crack

"Ah," Garret fell onto his back, clutching his left leg, "that's not a fun feeling!"

"Garret!" the sorcerer looked up to see Solaire and Tarkus looking down at him, "Are you alright?"

"Broke a leg, but otherwise good."

"…Okay then," the Black Iron Knight eventually said. "Meet you on the other side of the gate."

"Do that!" Garret replied, grabbing his Estus Flask and downing its contents. After living through the strange sensation of his bones reforming within seconds under his skin, he stood up, walking over and opening the main gate.

He waved at Tarkus and Solaire as they came into view. "So," he clapped his hands, "uh…you guys can just…wait until I'm done, I guess."

"What?" the two knights replied.

"Sure," Garret shrugged, "I mean, to be honest the biggest reason I wanted help was to get here," he gestured to the open gate, "and that's done now so…I'll come and get you guys later." Solaire made to speak, only to give up, shaking his head. Tarkus simply waved.

Thus, Garret turned on his heel, beginning his item hunt.

/+/+/+/+/

Solaire sighed as he stared into the Bonfire. An action reciprocated by Tarkus, "You know," the Black Iron Knight chuckled, "when I offered to enter a painting to rescue a lady trapped inside it, I was expecting a little more…excitement."

Solaire snorted, "Likewise." He gulped, staring down at the sun emblazoned on his armor, "I could have used the distraction."

"Oh?" Tarkus shifted closer, "well, talking can be a decent distraction."

"Really?"

"Oh, certainly! My aunt—lovely woman, if a bit slow—always said the best thing you can do to pass this time is talk with someone else. Preferably a stranger."

"Preferably?" Solaire parroted.

"Sure," Tarkus shrugged. "Friends, as wonderful as they can be, already know you and, most likely, what's bothering you. Strangers, by virtue of being strangers, don't."

Solaire nodded; made sense. He then looked over at Tarkus, who had taken off his helmet—revealing a pale face, receding dark brown hair, and warm, black eyes. Deciding to oblige, Solaire took off his own helmet, running a hand through his hair. "How much," he asked, "do you know, about us?"

"Not a whole lot," Tarkus shrugged, turning back to the Bonfire. "He can see the future, the cure for the Undead Curse involves burning yourself for all eternity." He rubbed his chin, "Everyone's kind of tight-lipped about everything."

"Well, I suppose that's out of a desire to not have to air our dirty laundry out in public." The Sun Knight snorted, "Course, that dirty laundry is mixed with the gods'…"

"Yeah, can we talk about that?" Tarkus asked, turning to look at their surroundings, "Rather, about this? So, Priscilla, is some sort of…thing—"

"Don't call her that," Solaire admonished.

Tarkus blinked, "Sorry, but…well, the Bishop himself doesn't seem to think too positively about i—about her."

Solaire nodded, "Havel despises anything to with Seath—Priscilla's creator. For good reason, of course." He clicked his tongue, reaching into his pack and grabbing Priscilla's doll. "However, I doubt anyone that made something like this could be truly bad."

"…Awfully attached to that thing," Tarkus observed.

Solaire shrugged, "It just…reminds me of days past." At his fellow knight's questioning grunt, Solaire continued, "I grew up in an orphanage. A poor one—we never went hungry, but we could barely afford decent clothes, much less toys to play with." He brushed his thumb across the doll's face, a fond smile forming on his lips, "So, we made our own, with whatever scraps we could find. This toy was made in much the same way." He shook his head, "Bottom line, a 'thing' could not have made something like this."

"…Fair enough," Tarkus replied. "But she is dangerous, right?" Solaire nodded slowly—he wished Garret was here, he would be better to ask. "And Garret wants to free her?"

"Garret," Solaire sternly began, "for all his faults, acts for the benefit of others. Even at his worst, he does not mean any true harm!" he finished with a yell.

"…Sounds like there's a story there," Tarkus slowly responded.

The Sun Knight blushed, "Er, there is…A lengthy one."

"Wanna…talk about it?"

Solaire grunted, looking down at his feet, "Better not. There's some very…personal details that are not mine to share."

"That's fine," Tarkus quickly held up his hands, "don't wanna make you uncomfortable."

"I appreciate that." Solaire sighed, returning his gaze to the Bonfire.

"Although, if I may," Tarkus added, "perhaps there's something not personal you'd like to get off your chest. Rather, not personal to someone else—the whole point of this is to discuss something that's bothering you with somebody that doesn't really know you so as to avoid judgement—or provide non-biased judgement depending upon what you want. Of course—"

"There are a couple things that fit that category," Solaire quickly cut in. Oh, were there ever. "What is your opinion," he slowly began, "on…lying? Not simply omitting the truth," he added, well aware of his friends' main issue with Garret, "but outright lying."

"Depends on the lie," Tarkus readily answered. "Some lies—such as a commander not telling their men that they won't survive their next battle, a monarch not telling their subjects how tenuous their rule truly is, not telling children where babies actually come from—are fine."

Solaire—thinking back on the whole…debacle…with Petrus—leaned back with a nod, "And what if the lie is one that affects how one perceives the world?"

"Like the baby thing?"

Solaire chuckled, "On a much grander scale, perhaps."

The other knight grew silent. Contemplative. "I think," he eventually said, "that such a lie is not worth it." He nodded, a frown overtaking his features. "Yeah…the risk is too great. Whatever goodwill the lie generates would be destroyed once the truth is revealed."

"And what if the lie is not meant to be revealed?"

"…Then I'd leave the lie and those that told it behind," Tarkus said simply. Solaire hummed, drawing his knees close to his chest. Leave…as if it were that simple.

A sharp, bitter wind cut through Solaire, forcing a shiver down his spine. "Dreadfully cold."

"Oh, certainly," Tarkus laughed, shifting closer to the Bonfire. "And yet, oddly pretty."

"Hm?"

"This place," Tarkus held his arms wide, "there's a beauty too it, no?" Solaire grunted, casting his gaze to the impaled Undead to his left. Tarkus sucked in a breath, "Er…ignoring those, of course."

Suppressing a chuckle, Solaire turned his eyes skyward. He frowned at the dark, moonless sky. He wondered if the Sun even shone here…Probably not. Why grace the unwanted with that golden orb's glorious warmth?

But…at least it was honest. And the wind…it may have been cold, at times, but when it was gentle it could be…soothing (like how the Sun could either scorch or warm).

He was broken from further introspection when a great burst of mist erupted from the Bonfire.

"Woah!" Tarkus screamed, scrambling backwards.

"Oooooh," a familiar voice groaned from within the mist, "that wasn't fun."

"Garret," Solaire nodded at his friend, trying not to wince as he turned towards him with an eyeless gaze, "are you well?"

"Oh yeah," the man rose to his feet, stretching his arms behind his back, "got everything that matters."

"What killed you, then?" Tarkus asked. "The dragon?"

"Nope!" Garret cheerfully replied. "Ran away from that thing like the wind! No, what got me were the wheel skeletons." He grimaced, patting his chest, "Pretty sure they tore out a lung as they were running me over. But," his smile returned, "on the bright side, I opened the path forward."

Solaire frowned, putting his helmet back on. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, the wheel skeletons were guarding a mechanism that opened the door to Priscilla." He furrowed his brow, "Did I not mention that?"

Solaire sighed, unsheathing his sword and bearing his shield, "No, you did not. Would have appreciated a heads-up."

"Oh," Garret's shoulders fell, "uh…Sorry."

"It's fine," the knight quickly assured his friend. Really…it was.

/+/+/+/+/

"So, we're just going to calmly talk it out with this Jeremiah?" Tarkus asked as they turned right from the main gate, towards a series of cliffs.

"I mean, hopefully," Garret shrugged. "Worst case scenario we have to kill him—but he may be friends with Priscilla, and if he can put in a good word for us..."

"'May be'?" Solaire flatly repeated.

Garret shrugged once more, sighing raggedly, "At this point I'm just winging it—well, more than I already was."

"Eh, nothing wrong with winging it," Tarkus said, giving the sorcerer a heart clap on the shoulder. "Some of the best things ever done were done by winging it. Why, growing up, me and my cousins heard these tales about buried treasure in the woods to the south of our home. So, we, with our impeccable logic, decided to uncover that treasure so we could buy all the sweets we could carry. Borrowed some shovels from our parents, woke up before dawn one day, and we all—"

"Look at that!" Garret exclaimed, cutting the knight off, "Hollows! We should kill them!" Tarkus huffed, but nonetheless assisted in slaying their foes.

"So," Solaire asked as he kicked a corpse off his blade, "where's Jeremiah?"

"Probably over there," Tarkus replied, gesturing to a crimson portal bubbling form the ground before them. "Remind me, how do you plan to make this a peaceful meeting?"

"Just watch," Garret replied, as Jeremiah's crimson form fully rose from the portal.

"Oh my," Solaire gasped, "That's an…oddly shaped…helmet."

"Think he's compensating for something?" Tarkus chuckled.

"Uh…lack of knowledge?" Garret hesitantly supplied. He shook his head, "Whatever, just…hang back and prepare for the worst." He walked forward as Jeremiah stepped away from the portal, "Hey, Jeremiah!" he called out to the Invader, who lit a Pyromancy Flame in his left hand and stalked forward, "What do you think of this?" he raised his Catalyst, tip glowing yellow as it showered him in golden dust. His vision swam as the spell took effect, wrapping him into an illusion, turning him into one of the impaled corpses dotting the grounds.

Jeremiah froze, his Flame slowly dying as Garret twirled in place. "This doing anything for you?" Garret asked. The king—nominal, if nothing else—slowly strode forward, stopping a few feet in front of them. Garret cancelled the spell, saying "You've been looking for Oolacilian sorcery, right?" The man nodded hesitantly, his oversized headwear bobbing in the air. "I know someone that can teach it to you." Not Dusk—after he saved her, she probably wouldn't want anything to do with him again, which was fair. But Griggs both trained under Dusk for a time, and, really, didn't have anything better to do. "If you come with us, I can take you to him." Jeremiah hesitated, drawing a line across his next and jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Garret waved his hand in the air, "Don't worry about that—I've got an in with the men in charge. No one'll bother you."

He responded positively to that, nodding his head rapidly, his headdress threatening to tear away from the rapid movement. Garret smirked, "Great. Just need to ask one favor." The nods stopped, Jeremiah tilting his head slightly. "Put in a good word to Priscilla for us? I'm here to take her away from this hellhole too."

Jeremiah crossed his arms, looking down and tapping his foot. Soon enough, though, he nodded, kneeling down and clutching a black crystal to his chest, disappearing from view.

Garret let loose a relieved sigh, "Well, that's that." He turned back to his friends. "Now all that's left is to meet up with him and Priscilla and leave this place."

"Let's be off, then," Solaire replied.

/+/+/+/+/

"Grrreaagghhh…" the last of Phalanx groaned as it dissolved into mist.

Garret frowned, walking forward as Tarkus took a swig of Estus. "You didn't have to go in and physically fight them," he said.

The Black Iron Knight snorted, "We've still got some more Hollows to fight on the bridge to Priscilla, right?" Garret nodded slowly. "That's where we want you and Solaire to start flinging spells, no?"

"He's not wrong," Solaire chimed in.

The seer rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Let's go; about time we grabbed Priscilla and got out of here." His companions nodded, following as he led them into the tower and opened the door to the walkway to Priscilla's…home?...Lair?...Arena? Well, whatever it was, she was going to kiss it goodbye.

"Tarkus," the knight turned, "going to run into a couple more bow wielders again, so you go ahead." The knight nodded wordlessly, sliding past him and holding his shield out. Solaire stepped beside Garret. "There's going to be a Hollow hidden in an alcove to the right of the first bowman—I'll leave that one to you, Solaire," his friend nodded, tightening his grip on his sword and shield, "and four Hollows hanging off a ledge before the second. We'll hit the bowman with spells and throw a couple fireballs at the ledge hangers."

"Any advice on the mountain of metal over there," Solaire asked, pointing to the giant Tower Knight at the other end of the walkway.

"Tarkus blocks him and we pelt him with magic."

"Sounds fair," the Black Iron Knight replied, stalking forward, shield held out and steady. As before, arrows struck the large shield, and as before, the Hollows fell to their might.

After Solaire dispatched of the second bowman, Garret set his shoulders, "You guys ready?"

"As ever," Tarkus casually replied, shield hanging loosely at his side. Solaire simply grunted in reply. "Alright," Garret nodded, catalyst held high, "him with all you've got!"

Solaire's lightning bolt struck first, breaking their foe from its stupor, after which Garret's Great Soul Arrow hit it in the head, forcing a stumble before the lumbering knight stomped on its backfoot, slamming its shield on the ground before it to block another lightning bolt.

With a growl audible even through the whipping wind, the knight marched forward, barely affected by the spells impacting its shield. When it was only a few feet away, it raised its massive blade high with a growl.

Tarkus moved quickly, raising his shield and slamming it against the knight's sword arm, slashing i's other arm with his blade. Solaire fired off a bolt point-blank into their foes face—Garret opted to replace his catalyst with his sword, ducking past Tarkus and slashing at the Tower Knight's legs, summoning his Pyromancy Flame and blasting its chest with Black Flames. The knight roared, stumbling backwards, one final bolt to the head forcing it onto its back, whereupon it dissolved into mist.

Tarkus huffed, rolling his shoulder, "Good job, team! Now," he pointed his sword towards the tower at the end of the walkway, "let's save that girl and get out of here."

"Couldn't agree more," Garret replied, clapping his shoulder and leading the way forward. They came to a stop just before the fog gate, Garret looking over his shoulder and saying, "Better let me do the talking—this might be the greatest amount of people she's been around in…forever."

"Whatever makes her comfortable," Solaire agreed. With a nod, Garret walked through the fog gate, repressing the urge to shiver as the cool mist curled around his body.

He nearly jumped back through the fog upon coming face-to-head-wrapping with Jeremiah. "She's not leaving," the man bluntly stated.

"Woah!" Garret exclaimed, jerking backwards, only to be shoved forward by a bewildered Solaire. Taking a moment to steady himself, Garret narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Priscilla's not leaving," Jeremiah repeated, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

Garret crossed his arms, looking past Jeremiah. Priscilla was pointedly looking away from them, out into the distance, her large, silver scythe held loosely in both hands. She was…fluffier than he'd imagined, the fur covering her body flowing smoothly and easily in the wind.

Clicking his tongue, Garret moved forward, coming to a stop halfway to the hybrid. "Priscilla," he gently called. The woman flinched lightly, but nonetheless turned around. She wore a neutral frown, but the way the horns on her forehead twitched, her yellow, reptilian eyes expanding and shrinking minutely, betrayed her unease.

"Greetings," she said, voice soft, surprisingly soothing. "You are the ones Jeremiah spoke of? The ones who claim that we can leave."

Garret nodded, "Name's Garret. That's Solaire, and Tarkus," he gestured to his friends. "And yes, we've come to get you out of here."

The woman slowly shook her head, "Yours is a fool's errand; I was brought here for a specific reason. A good reason." She turned to her scythe, running a finger along the outer edge, "I am dangerous to all."

Garret shrugged, "No more than me, I'm sure."

She laughed jerkily, "I'm afraid—"

Garret cut her off by raising a Pyromancy Flame lit hand, black fire erupting from his palm. She gasped, stumbling backwards and clutching her scythe to her chest. "Yeah," Garret smirked, "I can do that—and no one's giving me shit for it. Well, they did," he amended, "but they really aren't in a position to deny me…Does that sound bad?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. Solaire hesitantly shook his head, while Tarkus moved his hand in a 'so-so' gesture. Garret shrugged, turning back to Priscilla, "Well, in any case, you'll be fine."

Priscilla had relaxed her grip on her weapon, though she still eyed him warily. "In any case, I cannot leave." She shook her head sadly, "This is my home—this peaceful land, with its kind inhabitants."

Garret resisted the urge snort, though Tarkus incredulously repeated. "'Peaceful'?"

The crossbreed giggled, "I suppose it is very different compared to the outside world—from what little of it I remember." She turned to the surrounding mountains and forests, a fond smile on her lips, "But there is a…calmness, to this place, no?" Garret hummed—it was pretty to look at, he could agree. So long as you ignored the insane inhabitants (or were they only like that towards 'intruders' like him, Solaire, and Tarkus?).

"Besides," Priscilla turned back around, "it is safer for all that I remain here."

"Priscilla," Garret sighed, crossing his arms, "listen…You're not a danger, to anyone. Yes, you've got a powerful weapon, and while it may have been a problem when you were young, I'm sure you've gained greater control over the years."

Priscilla pursed her lips, considering his words, before once more shaking her head. "No. I'm sorry, but it would seem your journey was a fruitless one."

Garret clicked his tongue, meeting Priscilla's gaze. But instead of shrinking away, she countered his stare with a stern glare. "Well, she is the boss of this zone," he muttered to himself.

Behind him, Jeremiah scoffed, "You heard her, she's not leaving." He stepped forward, gesturing to the broken bridge at the other end of the arena, "Time for us to go."

Priscilla gasped, her stern features melting away to shock, "U-Us?" she repeated.

Jeremiah nodded, head-covering bobbing in the air, "I'm leaving with them."

"B-But I thought—"

"Make no mistake," the man softly—if hurriedly—interrupted, "I'm grateful for your allowing me to stay. But I only ever stayed out of fear of death."

Garret clenched his fists as Priscilla sniffed, looking down at her feet. "Ah," she sighed, voice wavering, "o-of course. I-I shall not keep you. You are, obviously, free to do a-as you will."

Garret turned on Jeremiah, face set in a glare. "What was that?" he hissed.

The man shrugged, "Isn't that what's going on?"

"Didn't have to say it so bluntly," Tarkus growled, stomping beside Garret.

The Xanthous King shuddered lightly but held firm. "At the end of the day, I'm leaving. Why dress up the truth when it will end the same way."

Garret faltered, the blunt words striking a recently raw nerve. His scowl, deepened, "Ugh, fine! Whatever. Let's just go." He turned to Priscilla, only to pause.

Solaire was walking up to her, rummaging through his pack. The hybrid tilted her head, only to gasp as Solaire brought out…her doll.

Priscilla bent down, gingerly taking the toy. "Oh, I…I lost this, so long ago."

"I'd heard," Solaire replied.

"I…thank you…Solaire, was it?" The Sun Knight nodded. Priscilla smiled, wiping tears away from her eyes, "This…I am truly grateful."

Solaire hummed pleasantly, nodding his head. He turned towards them, walking forward. Garret made to praise his friend's kindness—something that, Garret could admit, would have slipped his mind. Only for Solaire to cut him off, saying, "I'm staying."

Garret blinked, "C-Come again."

"I'm staying," Solaire repeated.

Garret worked his jaw wordlessly. Tarkus picked up the slack, "Why?"

Solaire shrugged, "Well, for one thing, I don't believe anyone should be alone here."

"Hmph," Jeremiah scoffed, "Priscilla will be fine."

Solaire clenched his fists. "Just because one can be alone doesn't mean they should be," he sneered. He calmed down, turning back to Garret, "And I also need some time to…think about some things."

At once, it clicked. Garret sighed. "Solaire…" he trailed off sadly. At worst, he expected some lethargy after he found out the truth of Anor Londo's false sun, but this…

"I…I have to do this. I'm sorry."

Garret quickly shook his head, "You've got nothing to be sorry about. It's," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, "it's a lot of people's faults, but certainly not yours."

Solaire chuckled mirthlessly. Then, he came closer, wrapping Garret in a hug. "This isn't forever," he vowed. "I still plan to stand with you, come the end."

Garret pursed his lips, but said nothing, just meeting Solaire's embrace with equal strength. He stepped back, taking a deep breath, "...You're a good man, Solaire."

"Likewise." Garret smirked at the false platitude, but nonetheless stepped back. He turned to Priscilla, who was staring at them queerly. "Priscilla," the woman blinked, "just know that if you ever want to leave, you're free to do so." She simply nodded, keeping silent.

The seer grunted at Tarkus and Jeremiah, leading the way to the exit, "Let's go."

At the edge of the broken walkway, Tarkus gulped, "So…just a simple plunge into the void?"

"Yes," both Garret and Jeremiah replied. Briefly, the seer wondered how Jeremiah would know that, only to reason that Priscilla would have told him. Of course, that raised the question as to how Priscilla knew, but he wasn't up to staying around and asking questions.

Jeremiah nodded, jumping off without a word. Tarkus gulped once more, shaking in his armor, but nevertheless forcing himself off the ledge. Garret looked back, seeing Solaire and Priscilla wave goodbye. Garret saluted them with a sad smile, diving backwards into the void.

/+/+/+/+/

Compared to their dramatic entrance, their exit from the Painting was swift. Quickly passing through the murky void and being spat out into the real world.

Garret counted himself lucky that he managed to land on his knees, as opposed to Tarkus who was flat on his back.

"Where can I learn Oolacilian sorceries?"

Garret groaned, smirking mirthlessly at Jeremiah. "God," he said, "you're a blunt prick. Anyone ever tell you that?" The 'king' simply crossed his arms. Garret rolled his eyes, "Go find Griggs and Logan in the main palace, they'll be able to help you." He paused, "Do you—"

"I know the way," Jeremiah cut him off, turning on his heel and (keeping a wide berth of the painting guardians) exited the cavernous room. There's a story there, Garret was sure, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

Rising to his feet, he turned around, shoulders slumping as he stared at the painting. He stiffened as an armored glove gently pat his left shoulder. "You alright?" Tarkus asked softly.

Garret clicked his tongue, "You know…not really. Haven't been for a while. But hey," he shrugged off the knight's hand, "what're you gonna do?"

"Well, you could—"

"I was being rhetorical, Tarkus," Garret scoffed, heading towards the exit, uncaring of the guardians around him.

And what luck, just outside were the rest of his friends.

Kirk jerked a thumb towards the palace, "What's with the yellow guy?"

"Feel free to ignore him," Garret replied, making his way to the Bonfire down the stairs.

"Gonna be kind of hard," Oscar chuckled awkwardly, "he's…rather gaudy."

"I take it the abomination is still in the painting?" Havel huffed. Beatrice hissed wordlessly, jamming her elbow in a gap in the Bishop's armor.

Garret paused, taking a deep breath, "You know, I really don't need this shit, Havel."

"Oh," came Tarkus's voice, "you're all here."

"Tarkus," Siegmeyer neutrally replied. "Wait…where's Solaire?"

The Black Iron Knight stammered, looking helplessly at Garret. The young man sighed, glaring up at the illusory sun hanging overhead. "He stayed behind." His statement was met with multiple exclamations, but he ignored them in favor of heading down the stairs.

The air grew hot and muggy as he climbed down those last few steps. Not quite as bad as Izalith, but noticeable compared to the temperate climate of Anor Londo. He entered the tomb, coming to the sight of the remaining Daughters of Chaos, the lone Knight of Gwyn, Gwyndolin, and Nito all milling around and conversing with each other. Reminiscing, no doubt.

It was…a rather nice view, all things considered. Peaceful. Gwyndolin especially, who, though still wearing his concealing mask, was…lounging on his snakes next to Queleia as they talked.

Until the commotion of the small crowd behind Garret turned all eyes towards him.

Gwyndolin sneered beneath his mask, "I see It's wise enough to stay within its prison."

Garret sucked in a breath, a breathy chuckle bursting past his lips. "First of all," he said, walking towards the Bonfire, "of all your father's traits to emulate, being a dick to your family because they're different isn't the best one." Gwyndolin snarled wordlessly. "Also," Garret bent down, letting the warmth of the Bonfire soothe him as well as it could, "you have until Quela's dead to get rid of that fake sun hanging in the sky, or I'm gonna do it for you!"

Gwyndolin's face fell, paling, before he set his say, face flushing with rage and his snakes hissing with abundance. But before the god could hope to retaliate, Garret fell into the Bonfire, disappearing in the flames.

/+/+/+/+/

A/N: Things…happened…Be sure to leave a review. Later.