A Soulsborne's Traveler System

Chapter 35: Thorny Joe.

Having accomplished my goal of acquiring pyromancies from Lawrence and having raised my flame to an acceptable level. I made my way back to the depths to finish what I started. While making my way there I used every opportunity to raise the level of soul sight. But most, if not all of the hollows just didn't show up on soul sight even though they drop souls. So that didn't help me raise the skill much.

Soul vision was a strange skill I didn't understand completely. Not because of what it did really, but how I acquired it. Ever since I went berserk during the Gargoyle fight I felt something inside me change. And unlike how it felt when I got other skills this felt more fundamental.

Although I don't remember much from when I went berserk. What I do remember was instinctively absorbing all of the humanity I held. But how did I even absorb the humanity anyway? It wasn't the same as adding a humanity to your counter in the game. If it was then how was my counter still at zero even though I hadn't died after the absorption?

My best guess is that absorbing such a large quantity of humanity at once permanently changed something within me, most likely my soul. Allowing me to access a large variety of skills as well as increased control over myself and ''Something''. But I didn't know how to use them properly and they also felt very... restricted.

But the question was; What had changed exactly? Having so many unknowns about myself irked me, to say the least. Though I may have an idea.

The Dark Soul.

From what I know, humanities are fragments of the Dark Soul granted to humanity by the Furtive Pygmy for his descendants. And even among the other Lordsouls the Darksoul held the most potential. It was irregular, unlike the other Lordsouls. With boundless potential. Even I who had a habit of binging Vaati Vidya didn't know all of its capabilities, it was everchanging.

And Gwyn, fearing its potential, shackled the darksouls of humanity and branded them with the darksign. Honestly, seeing the power held by Manus, who held power comparable to Gwyn himself, I could understand his decision.

So, did absorbing such quantities of humanity at once affect my darksign perhaps? Giving me more access and freedom over my own shard of the dark soul. That would explain the ability to vaguely sense souls as well as being able to subsume things. Which was one of the abilities of the Darksouls if I remember correctly as well as how undead can seemingly level up.

That also explains how I acquired blue soul tear. When my ring broke I had used a humanity nearly right after. resulting in me absorbing the remnants of the power left by the broken ring along with the humanity.

Enough dabbling in philosophy now, I have reached the bonfire in the depths and had a mission to do. Keep traversing this absolute shit maze.

.

..

...

I am fucking malding.

It has been what feels like goddam days since I entered the depths.

Am I just doomed to roam this endless shit maze forever?

Is there no fucking end to this place?

It loops. This place has several fucking circles. This place was built as a labyrinth first, and a sewer second.

But unlike the labyrinth, instead of a roided cow chasing you, you instead have to deal with rats, bigger rats, moving trash, and goofy eyed curse frogs.

I severely brutalized more than a few rats in frustration.

I am surprised my hair is still there. I am sure I would have grown bald from anger by now. But no, in fact, my hair is noticeably longer than when I was alive. And had far more white strands.

I will take this repressed anger out on Petrus when I see him.

At this point, I am starting to think that the depths were built as an elaborate prank. And that the gaping dragon doesn't even exist. I am tempted to just throw myself off the Firelink shrine to reach blight town that way.

This place is making me feel like I am a certain directionally challenged swordsman.

At least the rats here drop some humanity so I'm not completely shafted.

I honestly don't think Blighttown could be worse than this place. I can't count the number of times I have been bitten on the ankles by four-legged disease canisters.

As I was still wandering the maze of diseases unwillingly, something I actually remember from the game happened.

[YOU HAVE BEEN INVADED BY DARK SPIRIT "Kirk, Knight of Thorns"]

The lion.

The witch.

And the audacity of this-

I guess Petrus better thank you in hell. Because I'm about to take out /days/ of repressed anger and frustrations out on you, you poor fool.

Thanks to having dispatched the googly-eyed accursed lizards we wouldn't face any interruptions while I whoppled him. And there he came to view wearing his very impractical-looking armor that was basically the average plate armor with some spikes stapled onto it. For some reason, I really couldn't comprehend.

I will ask that to funny big hat man later.

Since a sword wasn't the most effective weapon against a fully armored enemy like him I switched to the demon's great axe. Even though the weapon was completely unwieldy by normal standards, thanks to my strength that was approaching 40 I was able to wield it effectively even with one hand thanks to boosting the effectiveness of my stats using form shift. In my left hand, I wore a caestus instead of a shield because momma didn't raise a coward.

Well, she didn't get to raise me at all but you get the point.

Kirk circled me warily with a guarded posture while I stood still lazily with my inhuman axe slung over my shoulder. While our staredown was ongoing I activated soul sight in curiosity. His aura looked like a glowing red thornbush, quite fitting.

*Crash!*

Deciding Kirk would circle me until the end of time if given the change I moved first. I suddenly dashed toward him and slammed my axe down on his position. Thanks to my inhuman(or Undead eheh) stats, Kirk was barely able to roll away as my axe pulverized the ground he once stood on.

I didn't let up as I used the distance he created between us to quickly cast a lightning spear and chucked it at him. Unfortunately, Kirk wasn't a newbie so he immediately stepped away from the spear and its splash zone. Then he rushed at me while I recovered. I admit, he was pretty fast but from what I've seen I outclass him in every stat. But his sheer experience still let him keep up with me.

*Clash!* *Clash!* *Whoosh*

When he came close enough I switched to the uchigatana as the deadman's blade was too unwieldy and the Demon's greataxe was too heavy for close-quarters combat. Our blades clashed over and over again, neither of us losing major ground. It looked more like a dance than a fight to the death, ducking and weaving in between as sparks flew around us from metal meeting metal. Even though I wore armor his attacks still inflicted damage on me.

'{Combustion}!'

*Booom!!!*

But just as we clashed once more I held out my hand in front of me as a small flame appeared in front of it. The moment Kirk saw the flame emerge he stepped to my side to avoid it just before the small flame released an explosion in front of it. But since I was focused on casting the pyromancy I was unable to guard myself, a fact that a skilled combatant such as Kirk easily exploited as he swung down his sword at my exposed wrist. Severing it.

*Schwing!* ''Rraauuurgh!!!'' *BOOOM!!!* *Slam!*

I grit my teeth from anger and pain and released an even bigger combustion with my intact hand, this time Kirk wasn't lucky enough to avoid it as he got caught in the full explosion and was launched several meters from the explosion and suffered large amounts of damage.

As he got launched back I bent down and grabbed my severed hand from the floor and stuck it back on the bleeding stump then spammed heal until I could feel it again, draining most of my focus. But Kirk also used that opportunity to chug estus, healing himself to full.

Now, I was already angry before getting jumped by Kirk. But now...

I was furious.

''/You are going to regret that./''

{Deadman Style: Dash}!

My body bent like a bow and got shot out like an arrow as I rushed forward toward Kirk at incredible speed. Kirk wasn't even able to raise his shield to defend himself as my caestus-clad fist slammed into his chest plate. Denting the solid plate and sending him flying while knocking all the air out of his lungs.

*Cough* *Cough* *Wheeze *

With rapid strides, I quickly reached where Kirk landed as he coughed and wheeze from the pain of air being squeezed out of his lungs. He couldn't even respond as he tried to reach for his estus which I kicked away from his hand.

*Grab*

I grabbed his leg roughly uncaring as the spikes stabbed into my hands. I lifted him up and threw him as hard as I could. And thanks to max-level throwing skill and deadman style that was pretty fucking hard.

'{Deadman Style: Bullet}!'

*Crash!* *Crunch!* *Thud*

As his body hit the wall, Kirk's body released a sickening meaty crunch as most of the bones in his skull and neck shattered. He dropped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

[ DARK SPIRIT ''Kirk, Knight of Thorns'' WAS VANQUISHED ]

< +5,938souls +3 humanity +Barbed Straight Sword >

I didn't really care about the notifications as I looked at my hands.

Once again that feeling was there. The feeling of not being in control of my body. Anger overtook rational thought. It overrode my self-restraint. Just like what happened with the gargoyles.

I need to suppress and restrain this.

I refuse to be an animal driven only by sheer rage.

If I don't learn to stop this I may just kill Petrus on the spot when I meet him. I don't want that. I don't want to lose what is left of me. I need self-restraint. Self-control. Push these feelings and impulses and lock them away. Never let them see the light of day.

...

Alright, let's continue...

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