Of Ash and Dark

Undead Asylum

The Knight sits in his cell, his armor still glittering slightly as if the steel would never rust or rot, unlike everything else in this world. Even the iron bars that confides him here, in the Undead Asylum, rust and wither away as if they are going to turn to dust at the slightest touch. He looks up at the hole in his cell ceiling, letting a stray ray of sunlight kiss his face. hollow and gaunt, skin dark brown with eyes turned black, like a walking skeleton. His Humanity has fled his form, and every passing day he remembers less then he did the day before. He remembered his name and kingdom of origin, he was a knight, very obviously, but besides that, Nothing. So the curse affect the mind as well as the body, leaving less and less to be remembered until the afflicted knows nothing other than to look for souls and humanity, until they are only a Hollow husk.

His absent train of thought and observation  was interrupted by a thud as a corpse fell in front of him, a key around its neck. His eyes go to the hole in the ceiling, another knight peering down at him from above before disappearing.  The Knight is struck with opportunity, yet what awaits him outside these walls? what will he find out there that is not here? This is, after all The Undead Asylum. He ponders the questions of why and what if, perhaps it would be better to stay. Until he feels some kind of urge overcome him to take the key and slide it into the rusted lock, It turns slowly and tryingly as the rusted and long still inner workings churn to life opening the door with a long high pitched creak. The Knight steps out and  looks around. Other Prisoners appear to aimlessly wander the dilapidated halls of the old stone asylum. Poor Hollowed fools, they have already submitted to the dull insanity that was the curse of the undead. He began to walk through the halls, passing the Hollowed without too much thought, as they let him pass without so much as a thought. Passing through the dilapidated halls and cracked stones of the decrepit asylum, The Knight asked himself why he was doing this. Was there truly a point to his leaving the cell, or is he doomed to Hollow eventually? What force drove him to open the door, as it surely wasn't himself, or so he believed. He comes upon the courtyard eventually, the grass green and alive, the only thing here that is. The center of the Courtyard had a peculiar sight in it. a long burned out fire, with some bones poking from the long cold ashes. and a sword, the blade coiled in a circular fashion, stabbed through the middle.  He considered the nature of this all that a shrine of some sorts be set up in the courtyard. He approached it, and an odd warmth filled his long cold body.  He had not felt such a warmth since he was a child, and his house was warm with the fire from his fireplace. A smile formed on his shriveled lips as he put his hand on the pommel of the sword. As he did this, a flame flickered at the bottom of the sword, around the ash and bone. and he felt a, safeness and warmth around him. as though he could not be harmed. He would stay forever, but a soft voice spoke to him. Escape the Asylum, Rekindle the Flame it would whisper in his brain, causing him to pull his hand away slowly, the warmth and feeling of safety fleeing his body. Was this another part of the Curse? He peered down at the bonfire, letting out a sigh as he approached the large double doors to take him into the main hall of the Asylum, where the door out was just across the way. He began the walk, expecting to find the door unlocked.  Then just before he crossed halfway, the Demon descended. a great fat demon wielding a great demonic hammer slammed down before him, its bluish green skin stretched tightly over its body, with massive stone like protrusions coming from its head like horns. and out its back like a tail. two pathetic wings came from its back, giving its hulking body the ability to fly up into the air for a few seconds, before slamming down with a thud that shakes the very foundation of the asylum. He saw that a door to his left had opened, however, before he could make a break for the sanctuary, the great Asylum Demon brought its greatclub down onto the knight, who reflexively stuck his hands up as if he was going to catch it. The Knight felt as first, all the bones in his hand shattered with a sickening crunch, then his wrists, his elbows dislocated and his arms both snapped into a million shards. he felt the metal of his helmet cave and push into his skull, shattering it like an egg.