The Broken Man

Undead Parish pt.3

   ...198...199...200. I sat up grunting, while Evelyn was sleeping I decided to get some much needed training. I took a sip of estus and immediately found relief from my aching muscles. I had been repeating the process of doing push-ups and drinking estus as the estus would relieve my fatigue and repair my torn muscles. I had slowly been increasing the amount of push-ups from 100 to 125 to 150, you get the idea. It felt like cheating that I could immediately repair myself and start again. I was getting stronger though, I could feel it. I glanced at the sleeping Evelyn. Sleep. The acursed didn't need sleep but it was comfortable to sleep, it made you feel a little more humane. I sighed as I got up from my spot next to the bonfire and began putting on my armor again. I turned back to Evelyn, maybe I should rest. Surely after working out for so long although I was fine after drinking estus. I quickly dispersed the idea as I looked out of the bonfire room. To the left was a small bridge with firebombs crashing down from above. Across were two Hollows, one who caught my gaze and stared back. We stood where we were boring holes through each other with our gazes, but something was peculiar about its gaze. It seemed empty. No emotion. I stared for a while longer until I heard Evelyn shift and returned to the bonfire room. Surely enough she was awake.

Evelyn P.O.V

I woke up but Alex was nowhere in sight. I quickly rid myself of the feeling of disappointment that arose in me as I shifted my position. Alex entered the room and looked my way. "Let's go" he said motioning for me to stand. I quickly stood and he crouched down in front of me, surely he didn't mean to...... "Get on" he said. I complied and wrapped my arms around his neck as he gripped my thighs and stood. My body heat up at his touch and I repeated thoughts of the boy I was looking for although every second was becoming increasingly harder. I let out a small yelp of surprise as he suddenly started moving ripping me away from my thoughts. We exit the room where I was resting and he crouched down again setting me down in the corner.

He turned to face a bridge that seemed to have Gwyn's wrath raining down from above. He wasn't thinking to.....was he? He waited for one of the fire explosives to hit the bridge before he took off across the bridge disappearing out of sight. I heard the clang of metal against metal in small intervals and suddenly the explosives stopped. Had he killed the ones throwing them?

He was within sight again as he came back across the bridge and crouched in front of me once again. I wrapped my arms around him and he rose taking me across the bridge into a small room. We passed by three dead Hollows and exit the small room from a door on the left. We passed by a small building from which I could spot two more dead Hollows from the window. He carried me up a narrow staircase on the side of the building entering a small rooftop where I spotted three more dead Hollows. Had he fought all of them alone?

Alex P.O.V

Evelyn seemed nervous by the way she was tapping on my shoulder with her fingers. I carried her down the stairs at the back of the rooftop to where it had become quite challenging. These Hollows were better equipped with iron shields and swords and even some spears. Their armor was also more sturdy than the others. I heard Evelyn take in a small gasp of air as I walked over their bodies. I climbed up yet another set of steps and I'd be lying if I said it was hard not to let my mind wander as her body was pressed against my back. I climbed up a spiral staircase as I remember the lizard I had found here which had dropped me some materials. We reached the top floor and I crouched down yet again to set Evelyn down. There was a fog door I hadn't yet traveled through and the last time I went through one it was to jump down onto a demon. Her arms left my neck and I rose approaching the fog "Allow me passage" I said and the fog twisted and turned as I walked through.

I was on a bridge, much bigger than the one that had the Hollows throwing firebombs down on top of it. I walked halfway down the bridge before I heard the whizz of a crossbow bolt barely managing to step out of its path. I turned to see two Hollows armed with crossbows staring down at me from the tower where I had just exit from the fog wall. I quickly ran back and climbed a ladder up the tower that I hadn't noticed before. As I reached the top one of the Hollows unsheathed a sword and the other stayed armed with the crossbow. One shot the crossbow at me while the other rushed me with the sword. I rolled under the crossbow bolt and caught the hand of the Hollow that was holding the sword ripping it from his hands I threw it at the crossbow Hollow hitting it through the chest. I turned my attention back to the Hollow in front of me and kicked him off the tower watching him fall.

My body tensed as a crossbow bolt emerged from my stomach. I turned around and saw the crossbow Hollow standing ready to fire. So one hit wasn't enough anymore? I grunted as I pushed the cold bolt back out my stomach and out my back laughing as it clattered to the ground. Too bad one hit wasn't enough for me either.