Weighing the options, Twilight lifted her shoulders. "Why not?" If she could call for help from someone who knew how to fight, how bad would that be? "I'm not trying to prove I'm a better warrior." She waved her axe through the air. "Even if I'm getting used to it... which I'm not sure is a good thing." She closed her mouth, realizing she was rambling to herself.

She put a hoof down on the sigil. "Herwig." That was his name, she felt sure of it. The sigil quivered at the speaking of it, then faded away. Twilight was left alone again. She wondered if she had done it wrong and circled in place, looking for any sign of the sigil or the one who's identity it should have matched.

Bright light erupted from the ground. Rising from the very stone came the upright and battle-ready form of the warrior she had called. Herwig had arrived. Twilight scrambled back a few steps in surprise, falling over onto her haunches. An image was nothing compared to the actual presence of her new would-be assistant.

Herwig looked around, some confusion showing on his face. "Where are they?" His eyes fell down to Twilight. "By the fire, you are not an enemy I have seen before."

Twilight quickly pointed at herself. "Because I am not an enemy. I called you."

"You are... the host?" His brows came down in a frown. "You aren't even kindled. What strange new sorcery is this that an inhuman non-ashen could call me? Who even are you?"

Twilight rose to her hooves and approached Herwig in a lively little trot. She would not have to fight alone. The idea was exciting! "I am Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you." She dipped her head. "I am a pony, and while I may not be... what you expect, I think my mission should be familiar. I was told to go round up the, uh, 'Ember Lords'?"

"Ah, then you do walk the path." Herwig's tense posture seemed to relax slightly. "You do it in a strange way, as a strange being, but our paths are one. Let us walk it together. Are you familiar with what lies ahead?"

Twilight pointed past him to the rooftops she could see behind him. "I was about to go that way when I saw your sign."

"Fine work. I thought someone might request help when forging across the rooftops and braving the way to the first true challenge." He nodded as he spoke, drawing forth his massive two-handed blade and giving it a test swing. "With luck, we will cut our way to him and win your way forward on your journey."

Twilight's head canted to the left. "You already know the way?"

"I do. This path we share, I have walked it further than you have." His voice sounded full of certainty. "Walk carefully, I risk far less in this."

Twilight shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, but could you explain some of that? I mean, if you've made it further, why come back just to help me, someone you didn't even know existed before just now?"

"Do you now know the benefit of lending aid?" He planted his blade in the stone and put his hands on either side of its hilt. "If I help you dispatch an enemy of true worth, an ember is mine to have, gathered from the essence of the fallen. Those we slay, I will be strengthened by, gaining some souls for my own use. I know the area, so my own risk is smaller."

Twilight looked Herwig over, eyeing his impressive blade. "I see, so you're here to get more souls?"

"And embers, preferably. I will not hesitate to say that there is a simple joy in easing the journey of those on my path as well."

That was a sentiment Twilight could understand, her wings spreading. "You're just being a good person, with benefits. Thank you then. Now, I imagine you're eager to get moving."

"I am." He pulled his sword free. "You looked a little lost, and we are near the start of this path, so I am used to answering a few questions. Now, let's proceed." He stalked forward through the archway to the outside, ascending some stone stairs.

Twilight trotted after him, but paused on stepping outside. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the glimmer of something waiting to be claimed on another corpse that had just been casually abandoned. She veered off towards it and found a crystallized soul in it that seemed to echo the sadness of being so deserted. As she pocketed it, she heard the sounds of combat and scrambled to see Harwig laying low several hollows with great sweeping strikes of his sword. With each, the souls flowed into her, not lessened for his presence.

Just as she began to scale the steps to join him, Herwig brought his blade down into the back of one of the hollows that had been praying to a dead dragon. Twilight's wings flipped open. "H-hey, they're not doing anything."

Herwig kicked the corpse off his blade. "And? They are little more than souls for us to have, just like the one you found just now." He pointed ahead to a greater congregation of worshipping hollows. "They are not as innocent as they seem, besides. One of those will become a beast that could kill you quickly. You may want to wait here."

Twilight tilted her head. Could it be that bad? "Alright?" She made a mental note to bring up the idea of not visiting violence on innocence, later.

Herwig jumped down the small space to the next roof and rolled up towards the worshipping ones. One of them turned towards Herwig and let out a pained sound as they began to erupt with shadow. In but a moment, a huge serpent of inky nothingness had grown from the one-human. While it transformed, Herwig had his sword at the ready, but was not swinging. "What's going on?" asked Twilight before he suddenly sprang into a roll, avoiding a swing of the serpent that seemed to just drag its once-human body around.

He was a skilled warrior, it seemed, parrying and counter striking the terrific beast with no fear that Twilight could see. She was quite sure she didn't want to fight something so large and awful. The serpent's thrashings mowed down the other, more placid, hollows while they battled. Twilight had been told to stay back, but that didn't mean she couldn't lend a hoof. She lowered her horn at the thing and sent out a bolt of brilliant arcane energy. The thing howled in surprised pain, and it was enough to give Herwig a change to thrust his sword tellingly into its flesh. It began to discorporate quickly, soon leaving naught behind but the man it once was.

Twilight hopped down, her wings catching the wind and slowing her descent just enough to land lightly before she trotted up to Herwig. "Are you alright?"

"I only suffered a single blow, and that was due to my own carelessness." He sounded more upset at himself than the beast. "You are a spellcaster? Where is your tool?"

Twilight pointed up at her horn. "It's built in."

"Very useful, but I imagine difficult to enhance." A little smirk played over his features as if imagining things.

"Enhance?" Twilight arched a brow at him.

He pointed at the defeated enemy. "That was why I let him finish changing, look."

Twilight walked over and noticed there were things to claim. An ember, her first to hold, and a strange lump of stone. "What is this? I think I've found one before."

"A shard of titanite," he explained. "You would do well to learn its use. Give it to the smith along with whatever weapon you prefer, and he can strengthen it. Arcane, divine, and even pyromantic tools can be so strengthened, though the smith does not know the techniques for strengthening pyromantic flames."

Twilight turned the stone, or was it metal? She peered at it a moment longer before slipping it away. "Well, I'm not letting the smith pound on my horn, sorry."

"That would be an amusing sight to see, but likely a painful one." Herwig held up a hand. "Now let's get you another." He creeped up to the top of the roof, then ran down the other slope, out of Twilight's sight.

She dashed after him to see him driving his blade into the exposed belly of some sparkling little lizard. She gaped at the strangely senseless violence. "W-what?" even as she uttered her disbelief, she felt something pass to her, not just soul energy, but a physical object. She dug it free and found she was examining a very strange gemstone. "What is this?"

"That is a raw gem." He pointed at it as he scaled the slope of the roof back towards her. "Give it to the smith with a weapon and it will become easier to use, but will not become better with your own strength or speed. Not a bad choice for those new on this path." He slapped Twilight on the shoulder. "Of course, I don't know your strength. I've been fighting for you mostly. Do you want more of a chance?"

"Oh, no no no. You keep doing what you're doing, just... can we not kill things that aren't trying to kill us?" She shook her hooves quickly at the start, then spread them as she made her plea for civility. "We don't need to be monsters."

"Are you upset about the crystal lizard? They are little more than pests, with valuable gems and titanite inside their strange bellies, waiting to be cut free." He waved in the direction of the slain little beast. "Given enough time and crystals, they become huge aggressive beasts that will not hesitate to visit great harm on you. I gather you did not find the one near the very start of your journey."

Twilight blinked at that. "A huge lizard of crystal? I'd remember that." She hoped. "We should keep going."

"Aye, no argument there. This way." He led the way with confidence.

Twilight spied another corpse that held a soul in it. It felt stronger than the others she had found, singing a silent song of abandonment. She tucked it away. At least she would not abandon it. She saw Herwig was descending a ladder. She hopped down and drifted gently to the platform he was headed towards, arriving almost as quickly as he had.

He started on seeing her there. "Did you jump?"

"Controlled falling." Twilight spread her wings wide. "One of the perks of these."

"An unusual advantage to have." His words cut off at the end as he suddenly stepped in the way of a flaming bolt that bit into his arm. "Flames damn it! I forgot about that one." He rushed ahead with a fierce battle cry and cut down the hollowed crossbowman where it stood. He vanished around the corner to the sounds of battle and bodies hitting the floor. Twilight could feel the trickle of soul energy that told her he was winning. He came back, panting lightly from his brief exchange and waved a mailed hand to the right of Twilight. "Have you been in here? There are many things worth taking if not, though I would prefer we push on to the true challenge."

Twilight winced at the sight of the bolt still hanging free of him. "Are you alright?"

"If it hurts too much, I'll take a swig of estus, just as you would." He reached for the bolt and wrenched it free, tossing it aside, which all looked even more painful. "I'm fine."

Twilight gave a hesitant nod before she peered at the archway. "If I don't collect what I should, that could come back to haunt me, right?"

"It could," he agreed. "Very well, we'll clear it out. At least I can get some souls along the way." He lowered his sword as he stepped inside, just to raise it in a guarded stance. There was a knight inside, waiting to do battle. Next Chapter: 13 - Whispers Estimated time remaining: 9 Minutes