[Nevermore] 6 – Soldier of Godrick

I won't deny that after I awoke in the cave, I found myself rocking back and forth for a few hours trying to calm down. Was it just a dream within a dream? No...

I couldn't deny it; it felt too real, and there was no possible way it could have been a dream, even a vivid one, and if it was not a dream...what was happening? If I died, would I end up here? What would happen now if I died here now? Would I appear back in Remnant whole and healthy? Or would I be on death's door?

I didn't want to risk it...But I couldn't wait here forever. Eventually, I'd get hungry...

What else could I do but go forward? Else, all that awaited me was a slow and miserable death.

I at least had one thing going for me, I've fought and...died, in this cave multiple times, and the...creatures that looked like walking corpses of people were becoming predictable to fight. Taking deep breaths to calm down, I unsheathed Crocea Mors and stepped away from the floating golden light and headed deeper into the cave.

I first came across the naked shambling corpses with broken swords, and with a single swing of my sword, I killed both of the monsters and continued deeper, fighting and killing each one of the monsters I found until I reached a room with grass and a stone bridge above.

Standing on this bridge was the armored monster with a crossbow that had killed me multiple times, but I've long since figured out how to evade its attacks.

Taking a deep breath, I crouched into the shrubbery and slowly snuck up behind a naked monster until I was directly behind it.

With a swift thrust, Crocea Mors pierced through the back of the monster and out of its chest, killing it instantly.

Not wanting to waste time, I raised my boot and placed it against the hip of the monster, before pushing with all my might to pull Crocea Mors out of the monster, before raising my shield to deflect the bolt that would surely be coming my way any moment now.

Feeling the impact against my shield, I charged forward while the monster took the time to reload. I ran up a ramp into another chamber where a few more of the lesser monsters waited, but it was a breeze to skirt around their attacks and kill them.

Going further, I reached the bridge where the monster had reloaded its crossbow and fired upon seeing me.

Raising my shield and bracing, I waited for the impact before dashing forward towards the monster, where it had cast the crossbow aside to arm itself with its sword and shield.

This monster and its look-alike up ahead had been my primary obstacles for the last few...nights, and I've fought them enough that they were not all that much of a challenge to me anymore.

When I got within reach, I raised the shield to block its strike before thrusting Crocea Mors forward, where the monster parried with its shield and attempted to force its sword past my shield and into my chest.

Letting go of the sword, I shoved forward with the shield while twisting out of the way of the thrust, where I pulled back my fist and slammed it directly into the monster's face, sending it sprawling back and over to the ground, where I lunged after it, peeling the sword away from its hand before thrusting it into its chest, killing the monster for now, until it reapeared after I die.

Letting go of the sword, I climbed off its corpse and grabbed the sword part of Crocea Mors and took a deep breath.

That's when the monster's friend reached the bridge and immediately charged with their spear and shield.

Bracing and charging towards the monster, I wasted no energy in sliding the spearhead past the shield and using my sword to chop at the spear handle, cutting it down the middle and breaking the monster's weapon. Raising my shield in a fluid motion, I slammed it into the monster's chest with the full force of my weight, sending it sprawling back and onto the ground where it was weakest.

With my sword, I stabbed down, stabbing the blade deep into the monster's chest before pulling it out.

Ignoring the golden threads that flowed into me, I took a deep breath.

This was the farthest I had made it yet. I did not know what lay ahead deeper in this cave, but what other choice did I have but go forward?

I also noticed the golden flame that floated not far ahead on the bridge where I had died the previous time.

I did not know what the golden lights were or their purpose, but I knew that every time I 'died' I left behind this golden light that I could grab and get the golden lights I took from the monsters back.

Walking over, I reached out with my hand to grab the light and watched with fascination as it crumbled before I touched it, and dozens of small streams of golden light flowed into my body.

Taking a deep breath and a few minutes to rest, I gathered what confidence I had and ignored the fear chilling my body. I continued deeper into the cave, finding myself walking through a dark tunnel before seeing what looked like a flooded room through a small hole in some rocks.

From what I could see, the flooded room had no more of the monsters, so I decided to continue on until I reached something that made me stop in my tracks.

A strange and unnatural wall made of rolling golden fog that gave me an odd sense of danger.

I did not know what came over me, but I reached for this wall of fog, and found it parting before my touch, revealing the flooded room I saw a minute ago.

Stepping through, the feeling of danger only increased further as I stepped into the water.

On the other side of the chamber, I saw another monster, this one wielding a greatsword and charging straight towards me.

Calming myself, I waited for the monster in human skin to get close, that's when it stomped on the flooded floor and made a vicious upwards swing that broke my poise, flinging my shield wide open and making me stumble back before I regained my footing and lunged forward with my sword.

With a skilled maneuver, the monster blocked my swing with the flat end of its greatsword before twisting and yanking the sword right out of my hands.

Gritting my teeth, I charged forward and tackled the monster to the ground, but it was stronger than I expected, as it seemed to push its sword aside in favor of fighting me hand to hand, or hand to shield.

With great strength, the monster shoved me off of it and onto my back, where I splashed into the water. I did not hesitate to attempt to get up, but the monster was already on me, as it lunged after me from the ground and began trying to wrestle with me for my shield which it did, before raising its fist and slamming it down directly into my hastily raised guard, making me wince as it's powerful punch nearly broke my arms.

Growing increasingly desperate, my struggle against the monster only became more and more frantic as I tried to do everything possible to shake the monster off as it laid devastating blow after devastating blow against my armor and unarmored flesh.

That's when one of its punches broke my guard and struck me directly in the face, breaking my nose and nearly knocking me out, then it punched me in my side, knocking the air out of my chest with a terrible cough.

Feeling increasingly scared that I was going to die, I struggled and struggled, but the monster was too strong, and after it managed to punch me in the face again, it did it again, then again, then again, and before I could even retaliate, my vision blackened. I knew nothing but pain, then nothing.

[YOU HAVE DIED]

With a gasp, my eyes flung open as I rolled to my feet and looked at the scene around me.

I was in the middle of the forest, dried blood around me, along with signs of a conflict. This is where the Ursa had killed me...

It wasn't a dream.