Bastard's Blood (Elden Ring)

Prologue

A cloaked woman walked through the catacombs below the surface, a horned steed walking slowly behind her as she led him by the reigns. Her only source of light to illuminate the dark halls was a small lantern attached to her belt. The lantern was a must, since the torches were spread out far apart from one another, making any trespasser loose their way should they lack the right equipment. But the woman knew her way forward. No tunnel was the same, leading into many chambers and dead ends, even a sewer.

This catacomb shared some similarities with the others the woman had explored. But none were as dark and cold as this one, though the woman did not show her concern for the chilling atmosphere, only her steed who had huffed and shook his body, the bags hanging on the satchel wiggling as well. The woman made sure to check the corners of every new chamber she entered, searching for any who might ambush her like the Imps, stone creatures that inhabited catacombs such as this one, blending in with the stone environment. When she took a step forward the stone plate beneath her foot went down, making and audible click. The woman immediately ducked, the horse copying her movements as a volley of arrows shot out of the wall beside her, penetrating the opposing stone wall. The volley lasted for five minutes before more clicks were heard from the wall, signaling it had ran out of ammo to fire.

"We must be careful Torrent." The woman spoke to the horse as the two stood up, the woman giving the steed a pat on his thick neck. "They would wish any harm to those wishing to find him......"

Torrent huffed and followed the woman around the corner and down a short flight of stairs. Normally she wouldn't have taken the steed into such a dangerous place, the halls too thin and narrow for him to actually be helpful should a fight break out. But the steed was needed, for what, he did not know. But his mistress always gave him a carrot for obeying her, so he didn't complain. A few torches illuminated the new chamber, though it was just a few, the flames burning blue and white. Though what was inside the chamber unnerved the loyal steed, making him hesitant to go forward.

Black ooze leaked from the cracks of the walls and ceiling, slowly dripping onto the chambers floor. The ooze was black as night itself and looked as though it had a mind of it's own. A huge pile of the ooze rested in the corner of a chamber, so huge that it should have leaked further onto the ground, but it stayed in place. In the pile was a Imp, frozen as only it's arms and head stuck out of the liquid material, strings of the ooze across it's face. The woman knew this but continued forward, pulling her steed along the way. As they made it halfway across the room, Torrent accidentally nudged a circular stone sticking out of the ground. Almost immediately the stone shot out of the ground and into the air, revealing a pillar with six lion heads sculptures roaring, three heads on either side.

The woman immediately brought a small gold circle to her mouth and blew on it, making Torrent disappear into blue particles. Just as the steed disappeared fire shot out of the lions's mouths, heating up the room as the flames shot outwards. The woman reacted without so much as a sweat, avoiding the flames as the pillar began to turn. The ceiling above her smashed open and several winged humanoid creatures roared as they charged at the woman with rusted sickle blades. Misbegotten.

Without so much as a blink of worry, the woman pulled out a fashioned dagger, curved and silver with a golden hilt. The woman effortlessly parried the attacks from two misbegotten, three of them accidentally fell into the roaring flames which burned the flesh from their bodies as they gave a blood curling scream of death. The two misbegotten locked in combat were old and slow, allowing the woman to quickly jam the dagger into one's throat before going to slash at the other. The last misbegotten leapt back and prepared to throw the sickles at her. She effortlessly swing the blade once more, golden light coming off the blade and shooting towards the misbegotten. It gave a death cry upon the impact, it's body going limp from the holy magic as it fell towards the ground. The woman than turned towards the pillar of fire and reached her hand in through a crack before the pillar stopped and lowered back into the ground.