We were back on Daybreak. I spent some time with the family, as did Trixie and Patches did a little sightseeing. ”Zeke, mind if I ask you something?” Trixie asked. I’m in control at the moment.

What up? I thought back to her, changing one of the babies at the moment. What the heck did you eat child of my old body?

”Do you remember the world you found me on? Where I was some undead and you revived me?”

Yeah, I think it was called Lordran or something?

”Yeah… I wanna go back.”

What for?

”I don’t know… I mean, we left in, a world with so many issues, and didn't help it. Feels kind of...harsh.”

True. Well then, we can head out after telling the girls and Charlie.”

”Thanks.”

“So here is where I was...for so long.” Trixie said, gazing upon the cell she spent an unknown amount of time in as a hollow. She walked down the hall, seeing cells of mad hollows, awaiting the end of days for this cursed land. At the end of the hallway, was a cell with it’s door locked, and inside, Trixie saw someone. Their armor gave away they were a knight of sorts. “Hello?”

“Hm?” They raised their head, looking at Trixie with their expressionless face. Hollow. Yet...they are not insane. “Who are you?”

“Trixie. You?”

“Hm… My name… Been a long time. If I remember correctly, my name is… Alex.” Alex spoke. “How did you escape your cell, or rather, if you are even like I at all, why are you even here?”

“I was hollow...still am, just haven’t died yet...again.”

“How...did you first turn hollow? How did your mark take you?”

“...I was lost, far away from home. I don’t remember it all exactly. All I remember is that...the sky was raining, arrows. So many.”

“I see. I was ill when my mark appeared, a simple flue, but in these chaotic times, it turned deadly. Next thing I knew I awoke in this cell a hollow. I felt no cold, hunger, nor even a desire for sleep.”

“Sounds like torture.”

“In a way. It was, at first. After awhile I became accustomed to it, to pass the time I slept, meditated-”

“I thought you said you don’t need sleep as a hollow?”

“I don’t, it’s purely recreational. Though, while I do slumber, I think I dream. Memories of the past perhaps, desires for escape, things of that nature I believe. I can never recall when I awake.”

“Hm…” Trixie thought, startled when a corpse fell from the hole above his cell. From what she could see, it was yet another knight, in far more decored, and of a clearly higher quality. They said nothing, taking off as quickly as the arrived. Standing up, Alex searched it, finding a single Key. “I believe our mysterious visitor just freed me.” He said, using the key and unlocking his cell. “Well, this is a pleasant turn of events.”

“We should team up. I’ve been around this place a bit already, plus this world is a dangerous place. A single soul can only do so much.” Trixie added.

“A fair point.” Alex said. “By all means, lead the way miss Trixie.”

“Just Trixie is fine.”

Escaping the undead asylum was easy, given Zeke’s pre-disposal of it’s guardian demon. They came across that knight, his name was Oscar, and he was on a journey to ring the two bells of awakening, and pilgrimage to Anor Londo. Alex and Trixie joined him, and the trio now, after being grabbed and carried by a giant crow, in a place called Firelink Shrine. “This is the starting point for our journey to Anor Londo.” Oscar stated. “From here we traverse throughout the Undead Burg, slay whatever evils we must, and ring the bells. Here, take these.” He said, handing Alex and Trixie each a single emerald green flask. “We’re all undead here, the Bonfires will heal us, and these flasks will fill with their healing magic. Use them only when necessary.”

Alex and Trixie took the flasks, taking a seat at the Bonfire as a golden aura covered them, the flasks suddenly glowing a bright gold rather than their emerald color. “Neat.” Trixie said. “So where are these Bells of Awakening?”

“One above, one below.” The true turned, facing a lone crestfallen knight sitting atop the rubble of the area. “Each guarded by terrifying creatures. Do you three belive you stand a chance?”

“Strength in numbers.” Trixie said. “As long as he have this goal, there’s no fear of going hollow, or death.”

“Hm… I still say you lot are insane, but, perhaps just sane enough. I’ve lost a lot of brothers in arms to hollows and these monsters. I’m in.”

“Great, that makes four.” Oscar said with pride. “This means we can split the work. I will take out new ally there to the Bell Tower. Any willing allies we come across I will ask to meet us back here at Firelink. You two head to Blight Town, normally you’d have to enter some rather unsavory sewers, but there is a backway that leads right next to the second bell, and it’s guardians.”

“Guardians as in plural?” Trixie asked.

“Yes, The Bell above is guarded by two gargoyles, the bell below in Blighttown, is guarded by two Monsters of Chaos. One, I hear, is a Firekeeper. She will be the most tricky of the two, I imagine.”

“So, off we go then?” Trixie motioned to Alex, who nodded in response. Oscar mapped out the route to the backway to Blighttown. They took the lift from under Firelink to the New Londo Ruins, and from there entered a stairway up, reaching a cliffside area where the only way across was a brave jump or a thin plank to walk over. They chose the later, safer route. Entering the cave that marked Blight town’s ‘back door’ the two found filthy giants guarded this path, though, they faced the other way, expecting people to exit through this path, not enter.

“They will not go down easy.” Alex whispered. “What should our plan of attack be?”

“Hmm.” Trixie pondered. She had only trained till now, she realised. Zeke was slumbering, so she was on her own. It also donned on her that, while she had the X-blade, and Cursed Hero, one of Cript’s Keyblades given to Zeke from Ben, she didn’t have one of her own, she’d have to borrow one from Zeke’s bag of weapons and items. Opening it, she rummaged around until she pulled out, what seemed, like a simple Straight Sword and shield from the bag. “Well, we’ll have to dodge what it throws at. One of us can distract it while another hits it.”

“Team up against it, nice thinking. Also...why is that bag able to hold that shield and Sword?”

“Oh, well… it’s enchanted.” Trixie quickly offered. She wasn’t lying, she knew it was.

“Never seen an enchantment like that save for the Bottomless Boxes.”

“Bottomless Box?” She asked.

“Yes, strange wooden boxes from an unknown land. When used by an undead we can access them from any Bonfire. Their magic seems lined to the undead in a way that I have never heard of before.”

“Twilight would love to study that.” Trixie muttered.

“Sister.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Quelaag, dear sister. A strange power approaches.”

“What? Who, what power? How many?”

“Two. One Undead, nearly hollow, and another not of this land, many unknown magics rest within this one. Sister…”

“Yes?”

“Bring this one to me.”

“What?! But, what if they-”

“Sister… this one holds Gwen’s power.”

“What? But to reach Gwen they have to ring-”

“No sister. His other power. I feel it, this one wields a Keyblade, like Gwin, Seth, and our mother did.”

“... I… I understand. As you wish, Quelaan.”

“I hate this place!” Trixie screamed at the top of her lungs. After beating three of those filthy giants, two more came after them. She lucked out, her sword apparently able to deal fire upon impact as well as their normal strikes. But they still didn't go down easy. After that it was giant mosquitoes that spat blood at them, and fire breathing spiders. Finally, taking a moment to rest at a shotty’ly constructed elevator, Trixie about collapsed. “ How in the hell can anything live in this mess?”

“Only the sick or deprived it seems.” Alex commented, keeping watch while Trixie rested. “So, what do you think of Oscar?”

“He seems alright. Why? You get a different feeling?”

“I feel as if he is hiding something. What though I can not tell.”

“Why do you think he's hiding something?”

“He freed me from my cage, for that I am grateful, but he just so happened to have the keys to the asylum for us to escape? Very suspicious indeed.”

“Huh.” Trixie thought. “You have a point. I doubt whoever built that place left spare keys behind, plus he had the keys for your cell, and the gate to the alternative way to the asylum demon.”

“Which was missing.”

Yeah… Zeke pounded It's head inside its fat gut…” Trixie thought internally. “Yeah… well, how should we go about confronting him?”

“Slow and steady. If he suspects something this party for good will end up dead by its own members hands before we even get to ring the bells.”

“You think he’ll go that far?”

“Who knows what anyone is capable of in this day in age.” Alex muttered. He then turned his attention to the sludge ‘water’ below. “Enough filth and muck in that water, if it can even be called that, to poison us at the touch. Damn, and I didn’t bring any purple moss. We might have to deter to Darkroot garden. There’s these plant beasts that drop the moss when killed.”

“Can’t healing spells work?” Trixie asked.

“Well, it’s possible they-” Alex was speaking, when suddenly, from high above, came the familiar sound of bells ringing. “Oscar and our newest comrade have succeeded in ringing the bells above. We must hurry across and meet back up with them.”

“Alright.” Trixie sighed. “Getting through his muck will be a pain… unless…”

“Unless?” Alex asked.

“Well, where I come from, there is a spell to teleport one from one place to another… I haven’t been very good at it, only managed it a few times.”

“If you believe you can pull it off, then by all means, go right on.” Alex encouraged. Focusing her magic, Trixie concentrated, building her magic before-

pop

In a flash, Trixie and Alex where suddenly right outside the large, cobweb looking entrance to the bell’s location. “I...did it? Oh yes!” Trixie self congratulated.

“Congratulations.” Alex said, almost falling over, catching himself mid trip. “A bit disoriented, but nothing harmed.”

“Heh, yeah, that’s normal for the first time around.” The two entered the webbed cave, and found the most bizzare of sights. People, pale as death and thin as bones, with backs swollen to bursting… wiggling.

“Do not touch them.” Alex warned. “These are the lowest servants of Chaos. They holding the guardians eggs.”

Trixie gulped. “So...that wiggeling is…”

“The hatched larva. Growing inside them.”

Trixie shuttered at the thought. Worms in general creeped her out… having larva THAT huge inside you almost made her quesy.

The two reached the fog wall, and upon passing it, where met with a large cavern, part of what once was a tower now in ruins resting in the back most of the cavern.