Divine Intervention

Dave

Leaving a blind woman always left a bitter taste in my mouth. But, taking her to somewhere dangerous, fully knowing of what laid ahead, was downright idiotic. No, there were far more words to describe it, some more harsh than others, but even then, they wouldn't be enough.

Still, I had to trust Irina with this hiding spot of hers, though, I'd have to push the occasional stray thought from polluting the rest of my mind. Tucked inside a lower chamber of the castle, she hid in a closet, Vestia closing it shut from the outside as she slipped in several brooms to keep it shut.

"Even when I thought it was finally my time to have fun. Thou art truly draining any potential enjoyment I could've gained from this." The firekeeper sighed, shaking her head. "Apologies, mine mind has been irritated as of recently. As though the control I once had over my emotions have just… vanished out of thin air."

Pangs of worry washed over me, as my face adopted a thoughtful expression, thinking over a few things, and coming to a conclusion in some. There was a high chance that this was caused by her recent pregnancy, but that had yet to be proven. Although, at the same time, it could be said that the news also had the same effect, only to a lesser extent.

My eyes drifted from one corner of the room to the next, a whistle blowing from my lips as I looked towards the ceiling. "Well, as long as you're safe, then I don't see the problem right now." I reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder. Snuggling up to the offered appendage, she stared up at me, her soft, velvety cheek pressing against my knuckles. "Stay safe, and kill anything that isn't remotely me. Beyond that, I should be on my way."

"Unfortunately, I can only depart thee with words of encouragement. Though, with the sounds echoing from above, I don't think they will have much, if any, of an effect. Good luck, because thine death won't be the only occurrence today."

"Such confidence in my skill, I almost feel offended." I joked, observing as the face didn't change one bit. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try my best not to get cornered. Though, that is a mere inevitability at the end of the day." Waving my beloved off, I stepped outside and onto the nearby elevator, stepping on the small activation button at the center to start it.

The pulleys came to life, a chorus of squeaking playing in my ears as I stared at the landscape that stood before me. "Almost seems like a painting. And yet, the stench of rotting corpses grew stronger the more I linger here." My gag reflex immediately activated, my stomach churning as a burning sensation stung at the bottom part of my esophagus, a horrid taste and stench staining both my tongue and throat. Nasty, right, what else did I expect. Let's get this over with as soon as possible, I'm going to need a long bath after this.

Almost instantly, as soon as I got off the platform, a dog barked loudly at my sudden arrival, its appearance mimic that of those back at home, with its flesh practically peeling off, and its eyes hollow, just like their soul. My face contorted, twisting into a grimace at the sight, my right hand reaching for my Onyx Blade, lighting it ablaze as I pointed the weapon at everyone present.

"By the end of this day, all of you will be dead." They didn't seem to like that sentiment very much.

A bird-like humanoid assaulted me from the sky, bringing his relatively large cleaver down, narrowly missing me due to his jerky actions. Giggles echoed from every corner of the castle, my ear ringing from the constant laughter as my left hand exploded outward, the little preparation resulting in it being less destructive.

However, it was enough to blast all of them backwards, something I'd need with such a heavy weapon. Bringing my sword down on the first group of enemies, the weapon swiftly cleaved through their body as though it were merely butter. Blood coated its black edge as a maniacal madman struck from my blind side. It was another one of those bird creatures, this one, had a bow.

Peppering it with a volley of fire, it went down without a fight, the same couldn't be said with the dogs, one of which managed to use my short downtime to strike, biting at my calf. A grunt left my lips, the pain rapidly growing as its jaws dug into my flesh, its crooked teeth making quick work of the soft tissue underneath.

Poising my weapon up high, I brought it down on the animal, stabbing through its head and out the other end, dead without much of a fight. Now, it was time for the big boys to make their entrance. Naturally, none of them had any sense of coordination, but damn if they didn't make up for it in the damage department.

The first was a man with a jar on his head, actually, there were two of them. The former wielded what look to be a bell, whilst the latter held a massive war hammer in his hands… then came the third and last, behind the two. I couldn't see him clearly, but from the little I could find, he was an armored knight, with a large ultra great sword at his fingertips. He patiently waited in the back, as though to observe the coming fight, perhaps he was waiting for me to tire before joining in?

Whatever, I didn't have time to think, now, I had to deal with these two buffoons. Gliding my left hand over my sword, coated the edge with the powers of chaos, lava dripping from the tip as I held it at the ready, keenly eyeing my combatants as the two in the front rushed at me, closing in the distance quickly.

My eyes darted, feet moving at the ready as I repositioned myself, using the bare minimum of energy to sidestep a coming attack, right before jamming my weapon straight through his chest with no fuss, taking advantage of my position behind them.

However, there was still a second, but, just like the first, he would swiftly fall too… but this one didn't look like he was about to go without a fight, especially after I just killed his friend. Roaring into the sky, my ears rang, my hands quickly covering them as the sound of him screaming was now accompanied by the playing of his companion's ginormous instrument.

Stunned for but the briefest of moments, it was all he needed to get the jump on me, the distance between us shorten in a fraction of a second, my eyes widening at the sight as my left hand shot forward forming a fist. Driving it into the giant's stomach, the sensation of my teeth rattling made itself clear, the flow of blood in my body shuffling immensely as I felt dizzy.

The world grew dim, a numbing buzz removing any sense of clarity. Numb, numb, numb. My arms ran cold, flash of Ariandel flashing (or a distorted version of it anyway) in my mind. My vision stained red, my jaw hanging slack, a hand drifting to reach for the endless ether.

*crunch*

Flattened in little more than a second, my sight went white, a ripping noise echoing in my ears.

Really? To be killed by a pair of hooligans? Disappointing, especially after having delt with that sentry standing watch outside. Though I guess this was only the second time I died in this world, far better than my six thousand five hundred twenty-seven from back home. Still, a well of shame built in my core, after attaining power from a real goddess, I still wasn't enough. Well, better luck next time, there was no way I'd repeat that mistake again.

The world returned to view after some time in the white void, accompanied by only my thoughts, weirdly enough, neither Nurgal, nor Asimi were there to ease my boredom, but as soon as they did appear, they would never let me live my death down.

""Tsk, tsk. My chosen agent was actually a loser in disguise!"" The embodiment of rot bitterly spat. ""And I have to live with my decision for the rest of this wretched world. Blah! I refuse to accept this! Asimi, I have an order for thee.""

Instantly, the slime girl's voice rose to attention, shocked and very much so shaky. "Y-yes, my lady. I shall do as you ask of me, and at great haste."

""Take over this useless sow's body!"" The red-head demanded, my head shaking at the thought as I got up from the site of grace, pulling on the lever and activating the elevator's mechanism. ""If he's going to act like this, even with his limitless potential, then we might as well take it from him. Dost thou think so as well?""

"Would you quit it?" I uttered aloud, a sigh leaving my lips, a trail of sweat crawling down my face. "The more I hear your annoying voice, the more the urge to silence you grows. Either be quiet or-"

""Or what?"" Pushing back, Nurgal sent herself to the forefront of my mind, an avatar of her female form appearing before me, though, not physically. ""There are very little threats for thou to lord over me, especially since thine contract has already been signed."" Her tone became sharp, further coated by a thick layer of venom. The usual teasing goddess was gone, and in its place, stood a near antithetical existence.

Her threats brought tangible weight, pressing down on my body as the elevator touched the ground, my knees falling as the pressure intensified. ""Humor and hubris can only be entertain for so long. Suck it up and act like a man. Or perhaps thou art lacking in a certain compartment, certainly would explain your whiny behavior.""

This… woman was really getting on my nerves. But, I had brought this upon myself, I had brough all of this upon myself. I could only grit my teeth and keep silent for the moment, my brain cycling through her various words, processing each of them slowly before I came up with another response, tiptoeing where I laid my feet before I trampled on the wrong toes. ""Finally learning, I see. Maybe he does have potential to become more intelligent after all. Asimi, dear. Do me a favor pass some of thine power to this fool of a man. We can't wait any longer for them to manifest on their own.""

What did she mean-

My body seized, as though I was but a mere puppet, and my strings had been cut, completely severed from my marionette. My eyes drew thin, brows moving closer together, snapping shut without a second thought. Pain seeped into my bones, as though needles were prodding inside of them. A grimace contorted my face, staring up as the manifestation of Nurgal placed her index and thumb on my chin, forcing me to look at her.

""In any rate, it should be downright impossible to lose now. Unless thine incompetence somehow managed to seep so far down, then there is no saving thee. However, for what it's worth, this should be more than enough to guarantee thine victory. Go out there, take thine prize, and become stronger. Because right now, thou art not even half the man as Him"" She emphasized, making her point clear.

There were a few figures that were far stronger than anything that I had ever faced in my homeworld. Whether it be the existence of true divinity, or their tampering, I had to rise above them all. And to do so, I needed to go through some steps before that. One of which, anything that still laid in the courtyard.

Returning, my entrance was met with some backlash, the same giant bell-wearing fuck was still standing there, this time, his friend wasn't there to support him. Strength immediately surged through my veins, almost on Nurgal's command, her voice spoke one word, and everything broke loose.

My left hand lifted without much though, not only that, but my legs as well, taking to the wind as I positioned myself closer to him, waiting for my opening for attack, ears twitching at even the smallest of stimuli. He had the ranged advantage, and if I was to win this, I'd have to not only disable him but also strike the decisive blow. And the quickest path to victory didn't take long to show itself.

His attacks were wide, sluggish. It was almost a wonder how he'd been able to kill me earlier, but, that barely matter now. Stabbing at his left armpit, blood spurred as the gigantic weapon fell to the side, the knight from before rushing in, with a few reinforcements behind him.

It confused me, why the soldiers here would try attacking me. It made zero sense since we were practically on the same side, daft bastards. ""Because thou art a Tarnished, little else beyond that."" Nurgal whispered in my ears, my focus still very much so on the battle ahead. ""Now go, make good use of thy newfound power. Or is thou only going to disappoint me further?""

Her tone was a smooth as butter, mellowing out in my ears as energy burst from my muscles, both of my hands finding themselves on the handles of my blade, eventually thrusting deep into the giant's neck, the sword jutting out the other end as I found myself twisting it into place. Glorious satisfaction at the sensation of runes entering my body.

Unfortunately, there was no time to savor it however, with the veritable horde just in front of me, I needed to act quick. Taking advantage of my surroundings, I booked it to a tight alley of sorts, but not before killing its former occupant with a swift impalement. Now, I was alone, and I could take them one at a time. And while circumstances wouldn't allow me to use my sword very often, I still had other avenues to deal substantial damage.

Fire pooled in my hand, forming a thin film over my palm. Exploding it outward, I shut my eyes fully closed, letting the flame burst forth and blind all those in its vicinity. 'Flashbang.' Smirking at the results of my attack, I shifted my flame's output, my heart beating faster when the horde gradually recovered from my spell, reinforcements pushing those who couldn't fight aside, making their way to the foreground.

'Faster, faster, faster.' I chanted to myself, chaos dripping onto the floor as I lobbed it at the ground, a flood of lava stopping all those in front of me, save for those stupid enough to cross. Their bodies melted like candle wax, and stunk like a decomposing corpse. They all served as fuel to keep the fire going, or at least, until I threw another one straight at them, a corona of chaos spinning through the air, crashing into those at the back.

Slowly but surely, I was putting a dent in their numbers, but there was still a sizeable amount just outside, and I was going to run out of mana eventually. Downing an entire ashen estus, I took a head count of those who were still left fighting.

Four winged bastards in the back lined up their shot, seven populating the alley, and the knight from before pushing his way to the front, a shield now held in his off hand. Great, simply wonderful. I'll have fun cutting them all to bits. Swapping to my Buckler Shield, I waited patiently for the next strike to come from the fellow greatsword user, watching as he did the same for me.

We couldn't stare at each other for long, however, as a volley of arrows shot for me, my body unable to dodge in time due to the confined space, the double edge sword that I'd set up striking at my arms and legs. Ten projectiles had pierced my body in total, and the foe before me was very much so willing to add another, his claymore raising to the sky, the momentum transferring over to his blow as he thrust for my chest, his helmeted head showing a glimpse at his expression, flash of a grin burning into my retina, my left hand moving in front of me, clashing with the greatsword.

Metal clanged against metal, the force behind the attack moving from the point of impact over to the rest of my arm, strain making its way onto my face as I tried my best to deflect the strike no matter what, the lack of space be damned. My hand waved, the sword drifting from its position as it slipped from the shield, my wrists intensely flicking as the knight was thrown off, his posture breaking due to the sudden shift in weight, leaving him very, very vulnerable.

Without much thought, I plunged my sword deep into his chest, lighting his body ablaze whilst my legs sidestepped, miraculously dodging another set of arrows by a hair. Well, save for one, which managed to pierce through me dead center, likely hitting several vital organs. Combat against a ranged enemies was never my strong suit, but I was sure as hell to get my revenge on those bastards.

Reaching into my inventory, my off-hand found itself quite drawn to a particular item. The Izalith Staff, one of only few that could do the job for what I was about to do next. Drawing upon the lesson that I had learnt from that slave driver Orbeck, several white-hot needles appeared before me, a marriage between sorceries and the pyromancer arts.

Each of them rotated at a marvelous speed, sparks of energy flying off it due to the momentum, my eyes twinkled for but a moment before returning to the task at hand. 'Great Fire Arrow Barrage' I calmly chanted, all of them firing, one after another, finding their target with ease. Now all that was left was the fodder. Dismissing the staff, I kicked down the lead combatant, taking note that all of them used similar cleaver-like weapons before lobbing off his head.

Staring off at all those who still were able to fight, a grin etched itself onto my face, widening ear to ear as I turned to look at the survivors of this very bloody massacre. "Who's next?" I asked simply, waiting for a response in turn like a good person would.

And luckily, one of them happened to be just stupid enough to run, and another, stood forward, a stoic expression on his face. "Sorry birdman, but I'll have to tie off some loose ends first." Maneuvering my body over their heads, I dropped down on the poor son of a bitch that thought fleeing was a good idea. Grabbing him by the head, his body shone red, guttural cries of pain echoing from his lips, as his entire body flashed red, globs of flesh falling off of him as most of his features turned to ash.

Returning to the last six, I merely touched the ground, dark fire bursting forth, snaking its way towards them as though they were kegs of gunpowder. And like those kegs, they became very good fuel for the flame. The smell of their burning flesh reaching my nostrils. Yup, that never gets old, but I certainly wish it did.

For now, I had to move on with the next part of my plan, finding Irina's father. Still, I wonder what Asimi did to me? Don't feel that much stronger than I was yesterday, that much I can tell. Whatever, I can test it later either way.

…

Somewhere far… far away

At the dead of night, the eternal darkness that now clouded the world, in a gigantic shrine tucked away in its own hidden corner, sheltered in a kiln of ash, stood two restless figures. The first was draped in dark robes, which, might as well have been rags with how tatter they were, and a large black witch's hat. And the other, a blonde maiden in white clothes. Both of whom paced around a circle on the ground.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Why are you questioning me now? Even after all of this effort we've put into finding him, all of this time, blood, sweat, and tears, sleepless nights, our every waking hour. After all of that, you doubt this will work?"

"What if he's really dead!?" The witch, Karla, pleaded with her companion, tears threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes. "He disappeared, left without a trace, along with that other firekeeper. Look, I know he wouldn't leave us without warning, but think about it for a moment. Would he also leave us here for all of eternity? To toil the rest of our days with endless worry?"

"…No…" Irina sighed, shaking her head. "But we still have to hold onto hope. For all we know he could've been abducted, or worse…" A moment of silence was shared between the two, the only thing polluting the air being the occasional gusts of wind. "Still, if this works… If this truly works, then it might be our one and only shot at finding him again. You have to keep hoping with me, just a little bit more, please."

Tears had threatened to spill from both of their eyes at the thought. There were very few people left here with them. The kind old blacksmith, the handmaiden, and Yuria had been the few to survive all of this time. Though, the latter had left due to her "purpose" having not been fulfilled, returning to the lands outside mere days after his disappearance.

It was… maddening, really. The flame was extinguished, meaning all bonfires were snuffed out, leaving them no way out except venturing into the ash laden wastelands, leaving both with very little to work with. But, it wouldn't be long until they decided to work on a solution, laying down and balling their eyes out was doing neither of them any good, better to take fate into their own hands and bend it to their will, at least that way, they had a chance to succeed, however small that might have been.

"Alright…" Karla conceded through sobs, wiping away the tears with her sleeves. "One last time, this is the last time I help you. Any more, then you'd be nothing but an insane woman with an equally fruitless cause."

"Yeah, let's start." Showing her a grateful smile, Irina picked up her talisman, while the black witch held her staff in front of her with both hands, placing it down at the edge of the circle. Channeling their separate energies through their catalysts, the circumference of the sphere glowed both white and black, spiraling in an array of blinding light shortly thereafter. The culmination of years upon years of hard work, the result of an innumerable number of trail and errors. All, for it to go up in smoke.

The circle "poofed", clouding their vision as the world grew silent once more, a grimace contorting on Irina's face, her fist crashing against the hard ground. It had failed, like so many other times. Karla looked as though she had expected this outcome, a plain look of acceptance painting her face like a canvass.

Tired. Attempt number five hundred seventy-six was a failure. Or, so they'd thought. Moments after activation, the circle shone again, showering them in orange light. Soon, they were transported to a land of snow, a most unusual sight for the foreigners to have seen. Their eyes brimmed with both caution and intrigue, both of them moving in closer together, finding comfort in one another.

But just when the coast was clear, a booming voice rumbled the very earth beneath them, their feet struggling to stay still. "Welcome…travelers from beyond the fabric of this universe…" It gradually uttered, Irina slowly craning her head to view where the sound had come from. "Thy message, it traveled across both time and space. Art thou aware of this?"

"No-" Karla tried to answer, only to be cut off.

"Yes. Though, it was meant for someone else."

"Really now? Pray tell of its supposed recipient?"

The two of them shared a look with one another, holding it for what felt like an eternity before the witch answered, her head turning towards the voice's source. It was an eye, a fiery one at that. Her heart sank into a bottomless pit without another thought, her eyes trying to unravel what it was. Eventually, however, her mind caught up, words passing through her lips.

"Someone special, important… to the both of us." She explained, as the higher entity stood silently.

"Then it appears that we both need something, don't we?" A creeping feeling touched their spines simultaneously, tinges of both desperation and wariness clouding their heart. It was about to make a deal with them, however, nothing about it felt right, a gut feeling, if you would. "Say, why don't I offer thee an accord?"

Gritting her teeth, Irina looked towards her sole companion, letting out a sigh as she replied to the glowing eye. "Which would be?"

"What thine tone. Thou ought to use more formal language, especially in the presence of a higher power. Besides, I hold all the power here. Nevertheless, we both need something, and with a little bit of help, I think all of us can benefit from this transaction, dost thou agree?"

The same feeling rushed all throughout their body, an ugly look forming on Karla's face. "Yes… sir…" Irina answered, slightly unsure of how to address the being before her.

"Wonderful." A fiery burst of power ignited from the deity, a single sheet of parchment appearing before them, alongside a quilt. "In exchange for sending thee to thy destination, I'll need both of you to accomplish a favor. Nothing too serious, mind thee, but still a daunting task."

Again, neither of them wanted to accept it. The whole charade screamed sketchy. But what other option was there? In this type of environment, they would both die in a day's time, perhaps even less due to the clothes they wore, very much so unsuited for the environment.

There were very few options on the table, however, if they were going to find Dave, then they'd need all the help they could get. "We accept."

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[A/N: The big two zero, folks! This is officially my longest fic, beating out my oldest by a few thousand. I just hope I can keep this streak going. Anyways, enough about me, let's talk about the latest. Two chapters from now, you're either going to drop the fic, or you're going to praise it to the high heavens. Let's just say it involves trauma. Copy and paste below.

Anyways, if you find anything wrong in the fic, let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and what I could have done in place of what is present.

Also, join discord server. I have one.: discord . gg / eTb2kPab4z

I also have a pa- tr eon at pa- t reon / balls1124 For only dollar or more, you can get access to 2 more chapters beyond the current one. That's pretty neat if I do say so myself.

With that being said, I need go swimming.]