After their meeting with Greirat, Nia made her way up the tower with Ligma and Waifu following close behind.
Waifu: "So are we going to rest at the bonfire?" she said looking over to Nia.
Nia: "I decided against that, if we rested now that sword knight could get back up and I'm not taking that risk." she said now climbing back up the latter.
Ligma: "If that's the case I only have about three more uses of heal on me." she said following her up.
Nia: "Thats fine, just save them for Waifu, I don't plan on getting hit anymore." she said getting to the top of the latter.
Waifu: "What about the group of hollows on the roof we need to pass again?" she said meeting them at the top of the latter.
Nia: "What about them? We didn't bother before why would we now." she said walking outside the tower.
Waifu: "Good point."
So, the trio go the same path as before sneaking past the group of hollos on top the house and they stop once they are at the entrance of the house.
Nia: "Last time we went in the house only for it to be a dead end so that only leaves the wood scaffolding the stretches around the house across from this one." she said pointing to it.
As Nia made her way to turn the corner of the house an arrow suddenly fly's past her. The arrow scratches her cheek leaving some blood dripping down her face.
Nia touches where she was scratched and looks to where the arrow came from.
Looking over she saw two crossbow hollows one a couple of feet from her who was reloading and another one behind that one about to fire its weapon.
Nia: "Damn." she said moving back behind the corner.
Waifu: "Oh no your face." she said holding her staff tight.
Ligma: "what's it looking like?"
Nia: " there are at least two crossbow hollows but the scaffolding ends after the second one." she says wiping her face.
Ligma: "So another dead end?"
Nia: "No but I think I also saw a latter to the right that stretches down somewhere." she says preparing her pyromancy hand.
Ligma: "We shou-"
Just as Ligma was about to talk one of the crossbow hollows turned the corner and aimed its crossbow at Nia.
Nia saw that Ligma was looking past her and before Ligma could even say anything Nia turned around to the right and backhanded the hollow with her pyromancy hand.
The strike caused the hollow to flinch and launch it arrow into the distance.
Not wasting a second Nia brought her right hand back and grabbed the hollows face.
Nia: "COMBUSTION!"
From Nia's pyromancy hand a fire erupted. The hollows face was covered in fire.
Nia then removed her hand, grabbed her axe and split its head while it flailed from the pain.
Ligma: "The other one will likely approach as well so stay sharp.
Nia peeks at the hollow and sees that it has not moved.
Nia: "Seems like this one won't give up its distance advantage.
Waifu: "If only we had a way to get to him and also block the damage." she said playing with her staff with her shield on her back.
Ligma and Nia look at Waifu.
Waifu: "What?... oh." she said grabbing her shield.
So, Waifu turned the corner with her shield up as the hollow took aim at her.
The hollow pulled the trigger and let his bolt lose. Waifu tensed up as the bolt hit her shield and bounced off.
Waifu: "Oh hey I'm ok." she said moving forward.
Once she got close enough Nia emerged from behind her and with one quick slash decapitated the hollow.
Nia: "Nice going Waifu." she said looking back.
Waifu: Thanks!" she said smiling.
Nia: "We should keep going." she said motioning down the latter.
So, Nia and Waifu head down the latter with Ligma following closely behind.
The latter itself stretched for quite a while taking them almost half a minute to go down.
Upon reaching the bottom they are meet with a semicircle that to the left of the latter leads under the house they just walked around via an arch.
The semicircle was filled with dead knights some impaled with spears and some impaled with many spears. But on closer inspection these knights were just hollow armor that would collapse if touched.
Waifu: "This place is scary."
Ligma: "What the hell happened here." she said stepping down from the latter.
Nia: "It doesn't concern us we should keep moving." she said going through the arch.
Waifu and Ligma follow after her.
Past the arch was a round plaza with a massive bonfire (around 20ft tall) in the middle but this bonfire didn't have a sword in the middle instead it had huge pieces of wood and pieces of armor in it.
Ligma: "Do you guys hear that?"
From the bonfire loud metal footsteps could be heard. Whatever was making those noises was moving behind the bonfire
Nia: "That can't be good." she said grabbing her axe.
Coming around the left side of the bonfire was a huge knight; its armor resembled a Gluttoness angel with a blue banner present on the front of the armor. its mask had rectangular eye and mouth slits, and the upper part of its back had two holes in its armor.
Nia: "Why can't we go five minutes without finding some fresh hell."
Waifu: "That thing looks like its three times my size."
As the Gluttoness knight made its way around the bonfire it saw the trio staring at it in the distance.
Ligma: "I think it sees us." she says holding her talisman tight.
Nia: "I can see that!" she says two handing her axe.
Waifu doesn't talk but instead she holds her staff not moving.
The knight had a great halberd that was befitting its size that it held in both hands.
Upon seeing the trio, it started to slowly walk to them before changing its walk into a run.
It was clear it was trying to slash the trio, they could tell by looking at how it held its halberd.
Nia and Ligma were able to duck and roll forward towards the knight to avoid its blade, but Waifu had taken a couple of steps back just barley avoiding its halberd.
As the Knight swings its halberd it hits the arch getting it stuck in the stone.
The knight grabs its weapon with both hands trying to pull it free.
As it does this Ligma takes her mace and swings at the knight's stomach, but her mace bounces off the armor. clearly the fat look of the armor was meant as a protective feature.
Nia then takes her axe swinging it at the knight's right leg and her axe crashes through the armor cutting into its leg.
The knight feels this and is finally able to rip its axe from the stone as it backs up.
Nia: "It's week to slashing." she said standing her ground.
Ligma: "I figured that out." she said clutching her weapon.
Waifu: "Come forth HEAVY SOUL ARROW!"
A blue light darts towards the knight's chest and upon the projectile hitting it the knight instinctively moved its arms inward still holding onto its halberd. The attack leaves a visible mark on the knight's armor as the blue smoke dissipates.
Ligma: "We got it on the run!" she says chasing it.
Nia: "I'm right behind you." she says following shortly after.
Waifu: "HEAVY SOUL ARROW!"
As they run for the knight another blue light darts past them and hits the knight. The blast hits in the same spot producing the same effect.
As the knight recovers it realizes it's not surrounded by walls anymore. So, it brings it axe behind him to its left, to the trio it looks like it's about to unleash one powerful strike.
The knight slashes from its left to the right but Nia and Ligma are easily able to avoid getting hit but what they don't see is the knight spinning around using the momentum of its swing to slash again.
This second slash catches Nia off guard as the blade hits her shoulder sending her crashing into an empty suit of armor. Ligma was lucky enough to be on the right side of the knight, so she was still dodging when the blade came back around.
Ligma: "Nia!"
Before she could get to Nia the knight came back around for another swing.
So, in response to this Ligma kneeled down in a prayer stance with her talisman in her left hand.
Ligma: "Unfaltering prayer!"
A white glow emanated from Ligma as she stood her ground.
In seconds the halberd came back around and hit Ligma in the side. When the strike made contact it dug about an inch deep into her side and she spit up some blood.
The Knight was able to multiply its power from rapidly spinning but its momentum was completely stopped by one human.
Ligma: "HEAL!"
And just as she took the damage she was healed back to full strength, her wound closed up pushing the blade of the halberd out of her.
Seeing this the knight raised its halberd above its head ready to bring all its might down on Ligma.
Ligma prepared herself by staying in the same prayer stance.
FIRE BALL/ SOUL ARROW
Ligma watched as a soul arrow with a fire ball spiraling around it darted towards the knight.
Before the knight could unleash its attack, it was hit in the face by something. It didn't know what, but the impact caused him to grab the right side of his face with his right hand leaving his weapon to his left hand.
Ligma and the knight looked over and saw Waifu on top of Nia's shoulders. Nia looked unpleased with the situation while Waifu was smiling.
Nia looked week, her right arm was wrecked but she still somehow managed to throw pyromancies from it.
Nia: "Why did you need to be on my shoulders for this?" she said trying to stay stable.
Waifu: "Oh we didn't I just wanted to be taller." she said smiling at Nia below her.
The knight starts to recover from the attack removing its hand from its face.
Nia: "Whatever we need to do it again!" she says preparing a fire ball.
Waifu: "Ok but this is the last of my manna." she said raising her staff.
Ligma takes advantage of the situation now that the knight is distracted and runs to the leg that Nia struck.
Ligma takes her mace and strikes at the damaged part of its armor. The strike causes the knight to bend that knee as blood gushes out.
FIRE BALL/ SOUL ARROW
The same blast that hit him before hits the fat knight in the same spot. This causes the right side of the helmet to crack and turn black.
As Ligma was about to deliver another strike to the damaged leg the knight started to glow white.
Ligma Instantly knew what this was, this was a miracle being casted. Although she can't tell which one she knew it was a miracle.
Ligma starts to back away, Nia and Waifu look on as the knight rises about three feet into the air. she doesn't know what's coming, but she prepares to cast heal with unfaltering prayer anyway.
After a second or so pillars of pure white light appear from thin air striking randomly around the knight. Nia and Waifu are just out of range and are helpless to aid Ligma.
As the pillars appear Ligma is struck once then twice then three times. The pain is great for Ligma she could barely hold her stance.
Ligma: "HEAL!"
From the dust the yellow glow of heal burst out. Once the dust cleared Ligma stood without a scratch on her body in fact they probably saw a bit too much of her as most of her cloths were gone.
She still had enough coverage to not be embarrassed but most of her legs were showing as well as her stomach and arms now.
Ligma: "Welp I hope we find a bonfire soon." she said slightly blushing.
But the knight cared not for the state of her clothing as it was lowered back to the ground.
Nia: "Dammit it just won't DIE!" she said preparing a fire ball with the last of her mana.
Nia: "FIRE BALL!"
She launched her fire ball aimlessly, but it managed to hit the knight on the right side of the face, same place he was hit before.
Upon the fire ball hitting it looks over at Nia starting to move in her direction but as it turned Ligma struck the knight in its damaged leg.
Receiving this blow the knight trips and falls onto its stomach.
Nia: "It's over!"
The knight is able to look up to see the glint of an axe with two sets of eyes one on top of the other staring at it. With one motion Nia severs the spinal cord of the knight.
Waifu: "No decapitation?" she says looking down at Nia.
Nia: "No Its too big... can you get off!?" she said throwing Waifu at Ligma.
Ligma catches Waifu and sets her down.
Waifu: "Good grief your naked!" she said covering her eyes.
Ligma: "I'm not naked... there's people who would wear less than this in public!" she said now slightly embarrassed.
Waifu: 'Yea but you're a cleric its unbecoming!" she said turning around.
Nia: "She has got a point we need to get you to a bonfire."
Ligma: "Yea you think?" she said dusting what cloths she had left.
Waifu: "So should we turn back?"
Nia: "No it's been a little bit since our last bonfire I feel it were going to find one soon." she said holding her arm.
Ligma: "Oh yea let me heal you, this is my last one so no more heals after this." she said preparing to cast heal.
And after a short pause Nia is covered in the yellow light of heal and her busted arm is instantly healed.
Ligma: "How's that?"
Nia: "I feel great thanks." she said admiring her arm.
Waifu: "I'm out of magic by the way." she said looking at her staff.
Nia: "Oh yea same."
Ligma: "So no one has their magic."
Waifu: "Yea."
Nia: " It's fine we are all at full health lets forge forward."
And so, the trio continue their treacherous journey through The High Wall of Lothic. The screams of hollows are quiet but ever present as the wind blows embers from the bonfire on the ground and the dark sun hides behind a cloud.