The Ashen Keeper

Chapter 92

She instantly teleported right in front of Manus and cut his hands off with her scythe. Sif rushed to bite him ensuring that the father of the Abyss would not be getting up anytime soon. The only reason she was able to easily cut the hand off was because Manus had yet to recover.

She sat down by the fallen knight looking at his wounds. It was a very serious wound, and he would have fallen here if it weren't for her. She put her hands on it as blood continued flowing. With the power of the first flame, she tried to heal him back.

But the process was very slow. Firstly, it was no normal scratch or stab wound. It was an indelible wound left by the father of the Abyss himself. Secondly, Manus has infused the power of the Abyss inside his wounds. This slowed the process by a lot.

The knight seems to have fallen unconscious from the blow but as his wounds slowly heal, he was starting to stir back to being conscious. But time was something they all severely lacked in this situation. Manus has already recovered and flung Sif away as jumped straight to their location.

She raised her hands at him while he was still in the sky. Chains of fire flung out from her sleeves as they head straight at the creature. She would attempt to bind him and finish him. The chains binded him on the spot.

She then threw it straight to the ground where Manus crashed like a deflated can. Using those same chains as a whip, she struck him again. It caused major damage to which he healed once again. It healed even faster than the wounds left by Artorias.

And that was when a great sword came out of its face. Behind him was Artorias who barely recovered. He seized the opportunity immediately to leave a lethal wound. The creature roared and shook him off.

Black flames started raging all around him once again forcing the knight to back away. Although the creature started healing again, it gave them valuable time.

"You cannot hurt him, can you?", asked the knight.

"Yes, I have noticed it."

She could cleave away Manus for eternity yet that would do nothing for she was the first flame. In a way, the Abyss represented the bane of fire. Not even Gwyn at the height of his power would dare to venture into the chasm called the Abyss.

She would now try doing something she has never done before. She would burn everything down to the last cinder. She could protect Artorias from getting hurt by Manus but that would only take another lucky shot for all to end. She cannot risk that.

Her flames overwhelm the Abyss during its shallower regions but here in the deepest and darkest parts, her flames would not help much. Not when the father of the Abyss was still inside it personally.

She will retreat for now and return later, perhaps with a few hundred dragons to raze this place to the ground. Of course, there holds the problem of letting a knight of Gwyn meet up with the everlasting dragons but currently it was a leisure to worry about it.

Manus was going crazy. There were no other words to describe it. Yhorm's rampage was far more destructive, but the precision of the creature was astounding.

One would expect the technique and discipline of a knight to prevail over a savage creature but one look at Manus would have them change their minds. Using his hand, he performed what the Ashen One used to call 'combos'.

Artorias managed to block them all with his shield and the ancient art of rolling around but that would not last any longer. She had to kept strengthening his equipment from behind to ensure that they could keep up with the dance of Manus.

Then, there remain the question of how they were supposed to even leave. Her teleportation skills were cut off by the sheer aura of the Abyss. She was starting to think of teleportation as a major inconvenience simply due to how easy it is to block it.

"Leave, keeper. I shall hold him back. Take Sif with you."

There goes her plan to burn everything down in hopes of disrupting the aura of the Abyss.

"Thou knows well that we cannot leave without thee."

"I will use great shield as a sacrifice. Leave me be. He will not kill me easily."

"I can continue healing thee for as long as I can."

"No, my dear keeper. You misunderstood. It is physically impossible to kill Manus inside of the Abyss. He now has his full pendant. Not half of it. With his pendant among his possessions, not even my Lord Gwyn could hope to defeat this abomination."

"Lord Artorias. It is not within my considerations to leave anyone behind. Doth thou not have a princess to save? How would thee save the princess without escaping from here first."

"Ah, I have already found the princess I was supposed to save. Without my shield, you will be trapped here for eternity with no hopes of getting out. It is only due to me blocking off the aura of the Abyss that you can teleport outside.

My dear keeper, you are my princess."

Despite how inappropriate it may seem at this time; she couldn't help but blush a little at this. She could not tell whether her heart was beating from the fight with Manus or his troubling ways with words.

"Very well then. I shall return immediately with the aid of reinforcements. I have a shard of thy soul to restore thee to humanity so worry not."

She would not be stubborn if he wishes for her to get out. She will return anyway, and Manus would likely corrupt Artorias rather than killing him. She did not fear corruption.

"Then, hold on for a little longer, my knight. Thou would not wish to disappoint thy princess."

She said as a ring of light lit around her. It immediately cut off all aura from the Abyss. What she last saw was 'her' knight howling like a mad beast and jumping straight onto the father of the Abyss.

She did not bother going to Earth and teleported straight into Alduin's lair. Now, all that left was to plead the everlasting dragons to save a knight of Gwyn, their immortal enemy.