Almost Dark Souls

"This is good," I said, looking at the design for the equipment menu displayed on the screen in front of us. We were in what John and the other employees at Arcaneum called the "thinking room." It was basically a conference room with a large table and a few chairs.

John, Matt, and I were gathered here, waiting for a few more people to arrive for a small demo of Dark Souls. John had been working hard on the UI design, and it showed. The equipment menu looked sleek, intuitive, and easy to navigate, with simple sorting options for the variety of weapons and items in the game.

"We think it's a solid design," John said, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin. "Simple, easy to sort, and it looks clean. I've been wanting a UI that doesn't make you want to throw your controller."

Matt nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I like it. Definitely doesn't feel as clunky as some of the other stuff we've seen in games recently."

I walked over and sat down next to them, settling into the chair. "It's polished for sure," I said. "The players are going to love it."

Matt and I were taking a small break from Invincible so he could help out with the game, and I could focus on the DCU and my new book. We'd finished one volume and were gearing up to start releasing the rest toward the end of the year.

"So, Danny," Matt said, turning toward me, "tell me about this new book you're working on."

I smirked. "Well, if everything goes well, in ten years we'll be making a game out of it too."

John raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What's it about?"

I explained the concept of the Elden Ring and its general lore to them as simply as I could the gods demigods about the Lands Between.

"So, the protagonist, Lyra, is a knight who serves Marika, part of an order which keeps peace. She's sent on a mission in the first book to the very edges of the Lands Between, but she slowly becomes entangled in the unraveling of the very world she knows. Like, the world will literally be coming to an end by the end of the series. It's a tragic story. Lots of existential questions, betrayals, and all that…"

Matt leaned in with interest. "You know what would make it even more tragic?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"A forbidden love plot," Matt said, a playful grin on his face. "I'm telling you, it will get you all the romance readers. Especially if the love interest is someone she really shouldn't be involved with."

I laughed. "I've been thinking about that, actually. But I'm kind of stuck figuring out who this love interest should be."

Matt's eyes lit up as if a lightbulb had gone off. "Dude, make him mysterious. Dashing, with a dark past. You know, the kind of character I always play in D&D."

I thought about it for a moment. Matt's D&D characters were always charming but layered with secrets and moral ambiguity. It could actually work for what I had in mind.

"That… could work," I admitted, nodding slowly. "I'll think about it."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Matt said smugly. "Just make sure to name him after me or something."

Soon, the others started to arrive. Mark, Peter, Adrian, and Eric greeted me as they entered, exchanging casual hellos and taking their seats around the large table.

"Alright, let's get started," John said, grabbing the controller from the table and turning his attention to me. "As I told you, we have the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith in a playable state now."

I nodded, eager to see what they'd done. This was the one part of the game where I had made significant alterations from the original Dark Souls, and I was excited to see how it had translated into the gameplay.

John started up the early build of the game. The character on screen wasn't fully modeled yet, still looking a bit rough around the edges, but it was functional. The environment, however, was far more polished. As John moved the character around, I was immediately drawn in by the atmosphere. The Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith were as haunting as I'd hoped, with ruined structures barely standing amidst a sea of lava, glowing ominously under the dim lighting.

The graphics, while still in development, already captured the desolation and chaos of the area. Broken, twisted architecture jutted out from the ground, partially submerged in a lake of molten lava. The animation of the lava being drained drained played, revealing the cracked, glowing bedrock beneath, with occasional patches of bubbling magma scattered across the ground.

John moved the character through the now-drained lava lake. The changes I had suggested were immediately visible. Gone were the excessive amounts of Taurus Demons clogging up the area. Instead, they had been replaced with a variety of new enemies that would offer a more dynamic and challenging experience.

One of the most significant changes I had made was removing the "dragon butts"—those strange, half-finished enemies from the original game. In their place, I had created something far more menacing: the Lava Titans.

John turned to Eric. "Go ahead, spawn one in."

I watched as Eric typed in a few commands, and a Lava Titan materialized on-screen. It was a towering figure, humanoid but composed entirely of molten rock. Glowing cracks ran throughout its body, like veins of pure magma, and its face was partially obscured by stone, as though it was still emerging from the earth itself.

The Lava Titan's behavior was exactly as I envisioned. It moved slowly but powerfully, each step causing small shockwaves that rippled across the ground, threatening to knock the player character off balance. It raised a massive, molten fist and slammed it into the ground, sending debris flying. Occasionally, it hurled chunks of magma across the screen, leaving burning patches of molten rock where they landed.

"So, what's the strategy here?" I asked, watching intently as the Titan lumbered across the ruined battlefield.

Adrian answered before John could. "They're weak to ranged attacks because of their slow speed, but if you get too close, their melee attacks will devastate you. Players are going to need to time their dodges carefully, because getting hit by one of those fists is going to send you flying. And of course, there are still lava pits, so one wrong step can end badly."

I nodded, impressed. The balance between risk and reward was clear. These enemies would pose a real challenge but wouldn't feel cheap or unfair.

John then spawned in the Fire Wyrms—serpentine, dragon-like creatures that slithered through the molten lava, partially submerged, with glowing scales that emitted an intense heat. Their long, sinuous bodies were lined with razor-sharp teeth, and their burning eyes seemed to track every movement the player made.

"These," John began, "erupt from the lava, shooting streams of fire toward the player. They're quick, and they dive back into the lava to reposition themselves, which makes them unpredictable. They'll coil around platforms, trying to ensnare and burn the player with their fire breath. Their bodies are vulnerable when they come out of the lava, but they can attack from long range with those streams of fire."

I nodded, watching as the Fire Wyrm slithered across the screen, its glowing body coiling dangerously. "So players will need to bait them out, dodge the fire, and strike while they're exposed?"

"Exactly," John said, keeping his eyes on the screen. "They're tricky but manageable if you time it right."

John moved the player character around, dodging the streams of fire as a Fire Wyrm burst from the lava, its body glowing brightly as it attacked. The battle was intense but visually stunning.

Next, John spawned in the Chaos Pyromancers. These were humanoid figures with charred, flaming bodies, partially covered in molten armor. Their faces were masked by helmets forged from molten metal, with intricate fire runes engraved into their armor.

Eric stepped in to explain their behavior. "These guys are tough. They use a combination of melee attacks and pyromancies. They'll throw medium-range fire pyromancies like Fireball and Chaos Firestorm, but they also wield fiery scimitars for close-range attacks. You're going to need to keep moving to avoid their pyromancies while finding openings to close the gap and deal melee damage. But watch out—those pyromancies leave lingering fire traps around the arena, creating dangerous zones."

I nodded again, impressed by how well they had captured the essence of the enemies.

John demonstrated a brief skirmish between the player character and a Chaos Pyromancer, dodging fire spells while closing in to land hits with a sword. The battle was fast-paced, with the pyromancer using both ranged attacks and fiery melee swings to keep the player on their toes.

"Good, just as I imagined," I said, watching the chaos unfold.

"Well, you did give a pretty good description of everything," Mark chimed in, grinning.

The others nodded in agreement.

John then spawned in the Taurus Demons and Capra Demons, enemies familiar to me and anyone who had played the original Dark Souls. These demons, hulking and monstrous, were still formidable but had been reduced in number compared to the original design. They now felt like carefully placed challenges rather than overwhelming hordes.

"Alright, the bosses next," I said, leaning forward in my seat.

I had made two major changes to the bosses in this part of the game. The first was replacing the Demon Firesage entirely with Flamelurker from Demon's Souls—a change that would make the fight more fun. But the real challenge had been redesigning the Bed of Chaos. In my opinion, it had been the weakest boss in the original Dark Souls, and I wanted to give it the epic feel it deserved.

"Show me the Bed of Chaos," I said, my anticipation building.

John nodded, quickly navigating to the boss battle. As the screen loaded, the familiar environment of the battle arena came into view—a crumbling temple set in the heart of Lost Izalith, with ancient roots snaking through the stonework. But the changes were immediately apparent.

Instead of the static, scripted movements of the original Bed of Chaos, the redesigned boss was far more imposing. The massive tree-like form still sat at the center of the arena, but this time, it was far more animated. Its roots were writhing, constantly shifting as if alive with chaos itself, and its fiery core glowed with an ominous energy, pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Here we go," John said, maneuvering the character toward the arena's entrance.

The Bed of Chaos began its assault, using its massive branch-like arms to sweep across the battlefield. John expertly dodged the attacks, avoiding being knocked into the surrounding lava. I nodded in approval. Sweeping branches were a perfect start to the fight, keeping players on their toes and making the battlefield itself feel threatening.

As the fight progressed, the Bed of Chaos unleashed explosive pyromancies—large fire-based AoEs, creating dangerous rings of fire that shrank the player's movement space.

"I see you kept the explosive pyromancies," I said, smiling. "Good call. Makes the player think about their positioning."

John grinned, continuing the battle. But what really caught my attention were the Summoned Pyromancers. Twisted, humanoid figures with flaming bodies, these enemies were scattered throughout the arena, casting fireballs and performing area-of-effect flame attacks. They weren't just obstacles; they actively kept the player on the move, making it impossible to stay still for long.

'Might make this the most difficult boss in the game,' I thought to myself, remembering how bland the original fight had been. Now, the player had to balance dodging the pyromancers, avoiding the arena's hazards, and finding openings to attack the tree's vulnerable cores. It felt more like a real boss fight than a puzzle with instant-death traps.

As John destroyed the first core, the Bed of Chaos lashed out in a fit of rage, sending a wave of lava across the arena. The lava waves were a new addition, forcing players to constantly move to safer ground.

After the second core was destroyed, the fight transitioned into Phase 2: what I called The Rebirth of the Witch of Izalith. The tree-like structure collapsed in a fiery explosion, and from the wreckage, the twisted figure of the Witch of Izalith rose. Her form was horrifying—part humanoid, part molten lava, with charred bark limbs and glowing embers. The cracked wooden mask on her face added an eerie touch, making her feel like a fallen goddess of fire.

"Wow," I said, watching her rise.

The arena crumbled further, leaving only scattered, unstable platforms for the player to fight on. The Witch of Izalith moved quickly, much faster than the Bed of Chaos, wielding her Flame Scythe—a long, burning weapon created from her own branches. John dodged as she swung the scythe with devastating force, leaving trails of fire on the ground.

As the fight progressed, the Witch of Izalith used her pyromancy barrage—streams of fireballs that tracked the player slightly, forcing John to dodge constantly. Occasionally, she slammed her fists into the ground, causing pillars of lava to erupt across the arena. The battle was chaotic, with Fire Elementals—small, fast-moving enemies that exploded on contact—appearing as the Witch summoned them to add even more mayhem.

If John hadn't been playing in god mode, he would have died a dozen times by now.

John barely avoided the Flame Tempest, where the Witch of Izalith summoned a storm of fiery meteors that rained down on the player, leaving patches of burning ground.

Finally, the Witch of Izalith revealed her weakness—her chest, where the original Bed of Chaos's heart still beat. But it was only vulnerable when she performed certain attacks, like the Flame Scythe. John timed his strikes perfectly, landing critical hits and interrupting her attack animations.

As the Witch neared defeat, her body began to crumble, her molten limbs flailing uncontrollably. In a desperate attempt to end the fight, she tried to pull John's character into the collapsing tree, unleashing a massive explosion of flame and molten rock. John expertly dodged her final berserk attacks and landed the killing blow, ending the battle in a spectacular fiery explosion.

I leaned back in my chair, satisfied. "That... was perfect."

The others nodded in agreement, and John set the controller down, smiling. "Glad you liked it. The phase change was a great idea."

"Yeah," I said, still feeling the excitement of watching the battle. "Well guys... I'm impressed. This is exactly how I imagined it. You guys really nailed it."

John and the others smiled, clearly proud of the work they had put into the boss fight.

"Thanks, Danny," John said. "Your input has been invaluable as well."

The rest of the team chimed in, offering their gratitude as well. I waved them off with a grin. "Don't mention it, guys. You're the ones putting in the hard work."

John glanced at the screen, then back at me. "Honestly, at the pace we're going, we could probably be done in a year. We're already ahead of schedule."

I shook my head, raising a hand. "Take all the time you need, John. No pressure. What we want is the best possible game out there, not something rushed out the door."

John smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Danny. It's great to have that kind of support."

"Don't mention it," I said, standing up and stretching. "And now, gentlemen, I've got a date to get to."

The room filled with chuckles as I gathered my things, my mind on the blonde who had asked me to come to the other side of the city for our second date.

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Read upto Chapter 116:

p.a.t.r.eon.com/Illusiveone (check the chapter summary i have it there as well)