What You Are In The Dark (Rutger, Mondoon, Open)

[Rutger]

- [Messenger From The Dark]



A small group of ruins stood at the outskirts of Dark-Soul City. The area was as as quiet as it was dark; the ruins were too far away from the capital to attract much attention. Not a soul could be seen except for a lone swordsmen dressed in crimson. Ordinarily, he wouldn't attract much attention, but he was holding a Torch to help himself navigate through the darkness, and the flames illuminated the area around him. The swordsman seemed aware of this fact and was constantly scanning the surrounding area.



"..."

As he headed deeper into the ruins, the swordsmen could hear footsteps coming from the darkness around him. Someone was out there... maybe a group of people. After turning a corner and reaching an open area of the ruins, the swordsman stopped walking and rested a hand on his Killing Edge.



"...Show yourselves."

There was a scuttling noise from the darkness, and after a moment, a man stepped within range of the torchlight. He was dressed in dark colors and wore a mask over his face.



"Heard us, did you? Blimey, that's bright..."

The stranger shielded his eyes from the light, shading his face with his hand.



"...And who are you?"

The swordsman looked at the stranger with a suspicious glare.

- [Safeguard]



"Well, you don't very well need to know that, do you? You'll be dead in a minute. Fellow like you should know better than to go walking around all by himself in the dark, don't you think?"

The stranger sneered and stepped back into the shadows. It sounded like there was more than just the one man; judging from the footsteps, there was a fair group about, definitely more than five. Seemed like a bandit gang.



"...So be it."

The swordsman brandished his Killing Edge and prepared himself for battle. He could hear the enemies fanning out around him. It was just him against a whole squad of bandits, and he couldn't see them outside of the range of his torch... the odds didn't seem favorable. In this darkness, he'd have to find true strength...

[Mondoon Lyco]

Mondoon was walking through the ruins at a sense of ease. His mind was going wild imagining what went on here, his torch was illuminating the passageway. He heard voices and immediately doused his torch. Closing his eyes, he opened them slowly and everything took on a green glow. He couldn't make out sharp details but he could see outlines. Mondoon stealthily crept forward and took cover behind a ruined pillar, silently notching an arrow, he pointed it at the blue masked man and broke his self silence by saying "I knew I could smell something bad... Looks like I found out why..."

[Rutger]

The swordsman kept his Torch lit; if he put it out, he'd definitely be at a disadvantage, as his vision would be severely limited. These bandits seemed used to the darkness and would probably be able to spot him regardless of whether or not he kept his Torch blazing.



"..."

He adopted a defensive stance, focusing his energy and gripping his Killing Edge tightly. They'd be making their move soon...



"AGH! W-what the..."

One of the bandits cried out in surprise and keeled over with Mondoon's arrow lodged in his back. The remaining bandits started to look around in a confused manner; their focus had been entirely on the swordsman up until this point... was there someone else there?



"...Huh."

The swordsman wasn't sure what was going on, but from the sounds of it, it seemed as though one of the bandits had been attacked. Not wanting to stay out in the open, he moved in the direction of the scream; if the bandit wasn't done for, the swordsman intended to finish him off.



"...Nngh..."

The bandits had been circled around the swordsman, but after being shot at they quickly broke formation and began looking around for the source of the attack. Five of them were standing in plain view; three of them appeared to be carrying axes while the other two had bows and quivers; all of them wore masks to cover their faces. One of the bowman had already been taken down by Mondoon, but the other four were still in peak condition, albeit very confused. They started to fan out and look for the shooter, with one of the axemen moving towards Mondoon's current position.

[Mondoon Lyco]

Mondoon quickly notched another arrow and planted it straight through the Axemans kneecap. "Come for me and you will die! You're better off standing there and dropping your weapons" He shouted as he circled around, drawing his Glaive and focusing on the other archers.

[Rutger]

Holding his Torch up, the swordsman continued to move in the direction of the cry he'd heard before... but when he got there, all he saw was a puddle of blood.



"...Can't be far..."

The swordsman crouched to the ground, lowering his Torch slightly. If he could follow the blood trail... he'd find his mark. It was a good thing the other bandits seemed occupied...



"Urk..."

The masked axeman stumbled forward as he took the arrow to the leg. He knelt down and clutched his wound, trying to stem the bleeding. He spotted Mondoon circling around and yelled to his comrades.



"Oi! He's over here! He's coming out 'round those ruins over there!"

The wounded axeman pointed at Mondoon, and the other two axemen raised their weapons and began to lumber towards him. The archer saw Mondoon look at him and took several steps back, notching up an arrow. The archer that Mondoon injured earlier was staggering away, trying to find cover... however, the swordsman was right on his trail.

[Mondoon Lyco]

Mondoon quickly ran at the injured archer and sliced the side of his throat down to the bone before seemingly dissappearing back into the darkness.

[Rutger]

After tracking the trail of blood, the swordsman had finally caught up to the wounded archer. He raised his Killing Edge and moved forward to finish him off... but someone beat him to it. Mondoon ran past the enemy, slitting his throat cleanly before darting out of range of the swordsman's Torch.



"...? ...Who was that...?"

The swordsman was puzzled. Was someone else fighting these bandits as well? Was this a friend or another foe?



"There! They're over there, both of 'em!"

Now that Mondoon was close to the swordsman's location, the axeman were lumbering back around to fight. The bandits were used to the lack of light and were able to see Mondoon in the dark. The two healthy axemen took point and started running forward, though the were still concealed by the darkness; the wounded axeman limped on after them, trying not to aggravate his wound. The remaining archer ignored the swordsman for a moment and set his sights on Mondoon.



"Hold still, you bastard..."

The bandit notched an arrow, drew back his Steel Bow and fired a shot at Mondoon.



After firing, the archer started to circle around the group, trying to to see whether or not the arrow found its mark.

[Mondoon Lyco]

The arrow whizzed by Mondoon, the broadhead nicked his shirt creating a rip in it. He dove for cover and slid over to the swordsman and said "I'm assuming you're one of the good guys.."

[Rutger]

The swordsman looked over at Mondoon, who was now behind cover. While he didn't know Mondoon particularly well, it appeared that they had a common enemy.



"...I'm not with them."

Hearing the bandits approach, the swordsman returned his attention to the darkness ahead of him, holding his Torch forward to extend his vision. One of the axemen charged into the light; the other one had fallen back momentarily to help his injured companion.



"You! You'll pay, you lot!"

The charging axeman roared and ran straight for the swordsman. He hefted up his Steel Axe and brought it crashing down upon his target.



The swordsman nimbly sidestepped the blow, avoiding the attack with relative ease. The axeman's top-heavy assault had thrown him off-balance, leaving him vulnerable to a counterattack.



"...You're open."

Raising his Killing Edge, the swordsman leaped forward, striking at the axeman with a spinning slash.



The blow almost landed; however, the axeman backpedaled at the last minute, narrowly escaping the slash. The swordsman stepped back and took a defensive stance.



"...I was too slow."

Meanwhile, from behind the cover of the shadows, the bandit archer took aim at Mondoon again. He was a smaller target from behind cover... but he was also stationary. The archer believed he could land the shot. Drawing back the string of his Steel Bow, he loaded up another arrow and fired.



After making the shot, the archer stepped in closer; if his last arrow didn't hit, then perhaps closing the distance would improve his accuracy...

[Mondoon Lyco]

The arrow ripped into Mondoon's arm, avoiding the bone. It remained firmly planted in his arm, in a fit of rage. He felt his body feel as if it was on fire, his skin grew red and long razor sharp claws emerged from his hands. He let out a vicious roar and scurried up a pillar into the shadows of the ceiling, his claws firmly planting themselves in the masonry.

[Rutger]

Upon witnessing Mondoon's transformation, the attacking axeman retreated a bit, stumbling backwards in surprise.

-



"...W-What the..."

The axeman left himself open to attack, but the swordsman didn't jump on the opportunity; he was also surprised by Mondoon's transformation and slid to the side, away from both Mondoon and the axeman.



"...!"

Some ways away, the wounded axeman was still being helped by his comrade to the battle, though he was still some ways away from the fight. The archer saw Mondoon transform and grew panicky, drawing his Steel Bow again in haste.



"Ack... beast! Die!"

He aimed at where Mondoon was positioned on the ceiling and released the arrow.



All eyes were on Mondoon now; he'd made quite a spectacle of himself by transforming, and no one was sure what to make of it.

[Mondoon Lyco]

Mondoon slowly stood on his hind legs behind the archer as he fired on his last known location, breathing heavily. He rested his claws on the archers shoulder and prodded him in the ribs with a knife, not wanting to kill the archer. In a deep, yet human voice. Mondoon said "Drop the weapons and turn yourselves in. Or we will kill you all..."

[Rutger]

The swordsman watched Mondoon come down on the archer. There was something feral about the way Mondoon moved that caught his attention. The swordsman's focus jumped between Mondoon and the bandits; the situation was very delicate. It seemed as though Mondoon was on his side... but he couldn't be completely certain.



"..."

He held his Killing Edge and glanced at the injured axeman and his companion; the two bandits began to back away slowly, looking very nervous. However, they weren't nearly as nervous as the archer, who was shaking visibly at the point of Mondoon's knife.



"Now... let's not do anything hasty, now..."

The archer dared not move, lest he provoke his captor; however, the last axeman, who had been fighting the swordsman earlier, had now regained his senses and had set his sights on Mondoon. The swordsman could read the axeman's movements and knew what the axeman was planning...



"...Wait."

In an attempt to reason with the axeman, the swordsman stepped forward and called out to him, but it was no use; the axeman was already drunk with the rage of battle and was set in his path.



"I'll drop my weapon, all right! I'll drop it RIGHT ON YOUR HEAD!"

The axeman nimbly sidestepped around the swordsman and charged at Mondoon, raising his Steel Axe high into the air. he swung it downward with a crushing force.



With the attacking axeman taking all the attention, the wounded axeman and his healthy companion began attempting to quietly flee the battle.

[Mondoon Lyco]

Mondoon merely crouched and raised the archer above his head, using him as a shield. The axe thudded into the archers chest cavity, lodging itself in. Like a rag doll, Mondoon tossed both the archer and the axe aside. Mondoon wrapped his claws around the axemens throat and lifted him off the ground. "give me one good reason to not snap your neck like a toothpick?..." Mondoon asked.

[Rutger]

The archer hit the ground, twitched slightly, then stopped moving. The weapon remained lodged in his chest, but blood still managed to seep from the wound and onto the floor beneath him. The axeman, who had become Mondoon's new captive, was kicking at the air, flailing about lamely. His hands gripped on Mondoon's arms and he struggled for breath.



"Aaaahhhh... aaaaagggghhhh...."

The axeman was still struggling when a series of cries rang out from the darkness. There were some sickening cracking noises, followed by whimpers, a few deep thuds, and then silence. The swordsman gazed warily into the darkness, holding his Torch tentatively forward.



"...It sounds like something happened to the deserters."

The silence was broken by the sound of booming footsteps. Someone - or something - was drawing closer.



"..."

The swordsman watched as a giant figure walked into the range of his Torch. This figure was a hulking behemoth, standing at about appeared to be close to eight feet fall. He was dressed in ancient armor and carried a Silver Axe. His weapon was speckled with fresh blood. Something about him didn't seem altogether natural or human.

- [The Strong]



"..."

The behemoth wordlessly lumbered towards Mondoon, the swordsman and the struggling axeman. It appeared that they were his next targets. The swordsman stared down the behemoth as he approached.



"...He's not like the last ones."

The swordsman readied his Killing Edge and adopted a defensive stance; he'd have to be ready for anything...