19 Dark Souls: Silver serpent slivers to serendipity

The crow would trade for items that caught its fancy giving in return the random 'junk' it hoarded in its nest. Drake had come prepared with what he could get ahold of to trade. First, he pulled out the homeward bone he had brought from the old shrew of a handmaiden and placed it on the ground.

Instantly came the joyous squawks of the crow in response. "Pickle-pee, pickle-pee!"

With the sound of flapping wings and a small gust of air, down flew the crow. It remained unseen and its traded item seemed to simply fly down by itself. After the item was placed upon the stone arch, the spectral crow claimed its prize Drake's homeward bone and hoisted it up to its nest.

Drake picked up what the crow had traded for his homeward bone, it was a pair of quality iron bracelets. He put them on and over the leather gloves that had come with his chainmail set.

The bracelets would add an additional layer of protection to his wrists.

Drake then placed down his second and last prepared item, one of his remaining firebombs.

With another excited squark, the crow cawed out. "Pump-a-rum, pump-a-rum!" and again it flew down to trade, this time leaving a large titanite shard in the firebombs place.

Drake tried trading some of the miscellaneous items he kept in his bag, but to no avail as with each item shown the crow responded with a "You, you. No, no. That no pickle pee, that no pump-a-rum," or "You, you. Not that. Enough, enough," So Drake moved on.

After finishing his trading session with the crow, Drake searched along the archway looking for an Estus-Shard, the item that could upgrade his Estus flask. He found it near the edge on one of the arches, it appeared to be a shard of golden glowing glass, and he quickly sorted it into his bag for later. He then walked up to a wall, opposite to the entrance he had taken into the rafters. stopping to take a look at it.

The wall looked like... well... a wall, just a piece of simple solid stone, but Drake knew it was something else though and with a swing of his uchigatana, the mirage wall rippled for a moment before dissipating. Drake walked through the newly revealed passage and dropped down onto a hidden balcony that overlooked the central shine area.

On the balcony, there was a single rotten wood-chest. Drake pulled at the chest lid and it crumbled apart in his hands. Drake searched through the debris for a while before finding a silver ring.

The ring was formed from a silver scaled serpent spun into a coiling loop, it felt alive, and its eyes shone with a greedy red light.

With the covetous silver serpent ring in his hands, Drake's Darksign ring burned as if outraged and out came from it grey fog tendrils that devoured the serpent ring forcing out a soul that had been hidden inside. The soul was unique, it formed into a solid silver snake, not unlike the ring it came out of and struggled against the grey fog tendrils, locked in battle.

The Darksign ring seemed to be winning the fight.

"Seesth thiss at oncess... human," the snake hissed out a cry, calling out to Drake.

Drake was shocked, he hadn't imagined that there would be an actual snake in the covetous ring never mind a talking one. He hesitated, watching the snake struggle for a while before reigning in the power of the Darksign ring.

"Speak then, what are you... who are you... and why should I spare you," Drake asked warry, this was not something mentioned or found in the game. Drake stood ready and waiting, he would let his ring devour this sentient soul if it showed even a hint of enmity.

"karghh, to answer your quesstionss, I am Arisshia, primordial serpentess... asss to why you should

ss-spare me I ask you thisss, why should you not!" The serpent named Arishia hissed out, outraged by Drake's question.

"ahum" Drake let out an embarrassed cough as he tried to remember the lore surrounding the primordial serpents.

As far as he could remember there were only two primordial serpents, Kingseeker Frampt and Darkstalker Kaathe. The two fought on opposing sides Frampt a believer in Gwyn's age of fire while Kaathe desired for the end of fire and the coming of the age of darkness.

"How are you related to Frampt and Kaathe" Drake asked.

"bahhh, both foolish brothersss of mine, Frampt the oldesssst, Kaathe the youngesst, ss-sealed eight of usss ten ss-sibling in rings, to keep usss... ss-safe while they decided between them a victor, idiotsss while they play their ss-stupid gamesss the world around them diesss!" The serpent spat out each word in disgust.

Drake still wasn't sure if he could trust the serpent, her story sounded convincing enough and fitted in with what he knew about the lore of Darksouls but when she had been released he had felt a near palpable aura of greed like an endless hunger unsatiated.

"How can I trust you, I felt it you know, that greed burning inside you," Drake asked, eyeing her cautiously.

"Greeedsss, yesss I ss-suppose, but you too would feel greed for ss-souls after millennia trapped in thisss damm ring... Without a flesssh body, thisss one'sss ss-soul has ss-slowly leaked from that ss-shoddy ring. Many parasssitic humansss have donned my prissson feeding upon the ss-strength of my ss-soul. Bastardssss!" Arihisia hissed out in rage.

Drake furrowed his brow, "So you want to eat mine," his eyes turned sharp as he began to release the power of the Darksign ring he had been holding back.

"Stop! pleasesss-stop, not yours, not yoursss, the ring on your finger I can ss-sense unclaimed ss-souls i wasss ss-simply going to borrow ss-some of them I asssssure you, it isss why your ring attacked." Arihisia said panicked.

Drake once again held back the power of the Darksign ring.

"Humm, what do I do now?"