Little Witch Academia: The Ashen Knight (LWA x Dark Souls)

The Rescue

Once we had reached the tower, I unsheathed my sword and shield as we rushed through the entrance. Ursula took point as she inspected our surroundings, slowly ascending the stairs.

Just when it seemed we'd go undetected, several statues that lined the tower walls suddenly came to life and aimed their bows at us. I rose my shield and ran alongside Ursula as arrows rained down on us. My stance stood firm as arrows impaled and bounced off my shield.

Memories of exploring the Ringed City and taking cover from the ghostly Knights who fired arrows at me came rushing back. Pushing through it all for the sake of reaching my journey's end. At least in this instance, it's to save a life.

I continued deflecting the arrows as we sprinted, the barrage only halting when a much larger statue in the shape of a man blocked our path. Ursula showed off how agile she was when she leapt into the air, avoiding being slammed by its hand. I, on the other hand, chose to provoke it and bashed my shield against it.

It let out a garbled roar as it tried to swat me away, rolling to the side while being careful not to fall off. Fighting on this narrow flight of stairs wasn't ideal in the slightest. It then abruptly grabbed me and started to crush me slowly as I struggled to break free. Just when I thought this would be my end, a massive blast of energy busted through its head and shattered it to pieces.

I landed on the ground with a thud after being released, and I look up to see Ursula further up the stairs facing me. But her appearance had changed drastically. Gone were her hat and glasses, and instead of blue hair, it was now as red as a blazing fire. No fear or hesitation was visible on her features. Only determination.

There were only two words to describe her at this moment: stunningly beautiful.

"Ashen One! Are you alright!?" She calls out to me, snapping me back to my senses as I stood back up.

"I still stand. Come, we must continue pushing forward." Nodding in agreement, we continue on as more statues arrived to impede our progress. One in the shape of a large spider, and another resembling some strange amalgamation of beast parts. I believed it was a manticore, as that what it appeared to be based on my faint memory of reading about magical beasts in the library.

While Ursula fought the Manticore statue, I took on the spider statue and chipped away at its legs. Whenever it tried to stab me, I brought my shield up to block its attacks. With enough force in my swings, I sliced off its right legs as it toppled down and fell into the dark abyss below. At the same time, Ursula dispatched the Manticore with a rather powerful kick to its head as it smashed into the tower pillar. Such raw power, or was she aided by her magical abilities?

Either way, it was welcomed as even more defenses swarmed us. This time, circular machines with yellow eyes that fired off bolts of energy at us. We stood our ground as we fended them off, slashing several apart with my blade if they were unlucky enough to be within my reach. But it was clear as day that we were outnumbered as they continue to swarm us in greater numbers.

I then heard Ursula let out a gasp as a tentacle grabbed her and pulled her away. Soon enough, I too was grabbed and pulled in through an opening alongside her before it sealed shut. We rolled across the ground before coming to a rest, finally freed. I crawl over to her hastily. "Ursula? Are you alright?"

She gives me a nod as we both pull ourselves back up, and look around to see that we were in a completely different room. Surrounding us all were screens and glass panels containing various items. Artifacts, machines, but the one that caught my eye the most was a suit of armor.

It looked incredibly ancient, rust coating it whole to the point it was unrecognizable at a glance. The only distinct feature I could make out was that it's helmet resembled a crown. It looked a lot like...

"Intrigued by my collection?" An unfamiliar voice spoke, stealing mine and Ursula's attention. It was a woman with wavy purple hair.

Professor Croix.

Lying asleep on some kind of table next to her was Akko, along with the Shiny Rod. My helmet helped to mask the glare I was giving Croix, while Ursula's own glare never left her former best friend. "What did you do to Akko?" She demands an answer from her as Croix simply maintained a calm, almost unnerving demeanor. As if this whole confrontation was just normal conversation.

"Just helping Akko get closer to finding out who Shiny Chariot is. A shame she isn't up to meet her finally." Croix spoke in a lightly taunting tone, which only irritated Ursula as her frown tightened. Soon, the purple haired teacher looks at me. "And you must be this stranger in knight armor I've heard about. Ashen One, correct?"

I chose to keep my lips sealed as my hand gripped my sword tightly still, never breaking away from her. After getting no response, she lets out a scoff. "I bet you don't even know the full extent of what Chariot has been hiding from you. About why she lost the right to wield the Shiny Rod?"

"...That does not concern me. All I'm focused on is getting Akko away from your grasp." I finally stated firmly, which only brought out another scoffed laugh from the teal eyed professor.

"Lemme fill you in then with one simple truth; Chariot's own naivety was her downfall. She never should have been picked to wield the Rod if all she was going to do was use it like a toy." Croix's response caused Ursula, or more accurately Chariot, to snap back.

"Croix, the reason you weren't chosen was because you sought to use the Rod for your own selfish goals! Don't you dare act like you would use it responsibly!" Chariot's outburst brought a moment of tense silence into the room. Croix's relaxed smile dropped to a neutral frown as the two former friends stared each other down.

"As if you were the pinnacle of being responsible, Chariot. Don't forget what happened during that one performance, when you lost control of your emotions and ruined your chances of finding the Seventh Word."

"And I've accepted that I messed up gravely. But now that the Shiny Rod has a new owner, I'm confident in Akko being able to unlock the seal. Without your 'help'."

Another minute of drawn out silence filled the room, the screens now only showing Chariot's face as Croix's fake smile returned. "We'll see about that. If you're so determined to take back Akko...then go right ahead." She steps aside and away from the still slumbering Akko, her arms crossed as Chariot and I exchange a wary glance.

"Allow me." I said, stowing away my weapons and cautiously walking over to Akko while keeping my gaze on Croix. She didn't move, only a soft smirk resting on her face as I carried Akko in my arms. Slowly, I tread back over to Ursula's side.

"I'm curious, how do you think she'll react to knowing that her idol Chariot has been right under her nose? Will she be ecstatic with joy? Or will she be devastated knowing her hero has been deceiving her this whole time?"

Croix's taunting tone was accompanied with a firm smirk as Chariot and I looked back at her. "Regardless of what happens, I'm going to keep Akko safe and away from you as much as possible. I won't let you harm her." Ursula's voice was laced with a venom to it, clearly displaying her animosity towards her.

Croix didn't respond to her, and only turned her gaze to me. "And you, Ashen One. I can tell just from your appearance alone that you have plenty of secrets to hide. How do you think Akko will react to knowing you've been lying to her as well?"

Smart, cunning, and perceptive. Three dangerous traits for a threat to possess. I only let out a muted hum before speaking. "I'll only know once I do finally tell her who I truly am. No matter how she feels about me after the fact, my stance is akin to Chariot's. I'll keep her safe from you."

Croix chuckles dryly, her hips slightly shifting as she gazes at us nonchalantly. "Very well. Just remember that keeping secrets can be a dangerous thing. Especially when said secrets affect those around you."

Croix's message roused my suspicion, but one look at Ursula's pained face gave me a hint about what she meant. The doors behind us open up, and Ursula took one more close look at Akko to ensure she was uninjured.

"Let's go." She finally said, beckoning me to follow her out. I followed, though not before giving the enclosed suit of armor one more glance.

Something about it breathed familiarity to me...