Slowly pushing the heavy door open, a bright light pierces through the opening, blinding Sasuke for a second. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke steps outside to a magnificent view.
Far away stood the walls of a castle, towered by the most beautiful tree he had ever seen before... Bathed in gold, the tree leaves swayed slightly at the wind. "Woah..." Sasuke couldn't help but speak.
Snapping out of it, he glanced around, noticing wooden stairs leading down. Following it, he glanced down, only to see no ground beneath. His breath hitched as he looked at the clouds flowing past the rocks beneath him. 'How high is this place?' He asked himself and continued walking.
Coming to a halt, he looked at the flimsy looking wooden bridge that connected where he stood to beautifully made walls. Statues stood on either side of a wide opening.
Frowning, Sasuke walked across the bridge and through the entrance, his gaze locked onto a beautiful statue of a woman with spread arms at the other side of the place.
He slowly walked forward towards it, his guard raised as he felt something off.
Fwoosh!
Wind blows as something jumped from behind the statue and plunged to the ground in front of him.
Boom!
Rocks scatter as the monster struck it's sword into the floor and pulled it out. "Heaaaa!" It lets out a yell as it looks straight at Sasuke.
"What the hell?!" Sasuke spoke and jumped back, his sword raised at guard while he looked at the grotesque pale monster, draped in dark blue cloth with more arms and legs he could think of. It held a big golden colored shield at it's left while gripping two swords with two different arms at it's left.
Above the monster, words materialized. [Grafter Scion] It read while a red bar stood below the words.
Suddenly, the monster jumped high in the air as it pointed it's swords down, aiming to fall with it on top of Sasuke.
Jumping back, Sasuke dodged the fall and slid his feet back a bit. He raised his hands, weaving through seals before raising his right hand, still holding the katana.
"Great Fireball Jutsu!" He spoke and blew a large ball of fire out towards the Grafted Scion, who raised it's shield, blocking itself as the fireball exploded against it.
The red bar above it's head grew smaller by a bit, grabbing Sasuke's attention. 'So that's it's health...' He thought before snapping his attention back at the monster who yelled once more.
"Heaaaaaaa!" It screamed in pain and anger while lifting it's two swords and crossing them in front of each other. He slid the blades onto each other, causing sparks to fly out. The sparks themselves didn't fly far before it flew back into the swords, lighting it up, bathing the blades in a golden light.
"Damnit..." Sasuke cursed, sensing the power from the blades.
The monster ran towards Sasuke, it's blades raised. Coming to a stop a few feet away from him, the monster swung both of it's blades behind each other.
Sasuke raised his blade, blocking the first strike. His strained arms buckled a bit at the force of the strike before another strike landed on his katana. Another blade struck right below the first one, pushing his already struggling guard back.
The two blades struck into his left shoulder, cutting deep. "Ahhh!" Sasuke bellowed, pushing his katana's blade, shoving the two swords out of his shoulder. His left arm slowly grew numb, but he didn't have the luxury to look at it.
The monster look a step forward, it's pale face not far from Sasuke's and it swung it's shield at the boy.
"Ugh!" Sasuke grunted, the feeling of the ground beneath him vanished as he got flung though the air. 'Wait...' With a clenched jaw, Sasuke glanced down as he flew, only to spot clouds.
The Scion had pushed him off the cliff...
Gravity took hold of Sasuke. The blowing wind rushed pat him, forcing him to shut his eyes as he resigned himself to his fate. 'Damn that monster..!' He thought.
---
Splash!
Sasuke fell into a deep puddle, his wind knocked out of him as he laid face down, his head barely out of the water. His mind slowly growing darker. 'I... Lived..?' He thought, struggling to stay awake, his eyes slowly closing.
The low sound of splashing water came to his ears. "Don't worry Torrent." The voice of a woman sounds out. "Fortune is on his side." She spoke.
'Who..?' Sasuke thought, barely conscious.
"We found him here, after all." The woman spoke as the sound of clothes rustling reached Sasuke's ears. "One of his kind is sure to seek the Elden Ring..."
Sasuke could barely make out what she spoke. 'Elden Ring..?' He thought before he lost consciousness.
---
After an unknown amount of time passed, Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. "Ugh..." He grunted, lifting himself off the floor slowly. Sitting up, he shook his head and glanced around him.
'a Cave..?' He thought and stood up, looking around the dark cave he found himself. The water splashed beneath his feet as he stood up. Shaking his head, he collects himself. 'Who was that..?' He asked no one before snapping out of it as he spots a ghost sitting on a chair a few feet away from him.
'What?!' Sasuke raised his katana, thinking back to the monstrosity he had seen. Seeing the spirit still sitting there, ignoring him, Sasuke went closer, slowly but surely.
Glancing down, he spots glowing white words on the ground, the same as the ones in front of the dead woman when he first came here.
[The Cave of Knowledge lies below.] It read. Frowning, Sasuke looked at the whole in the ground a few feet away before walking up to the muttering ghost.
"Brave Tarnished... Take the plunge. Of learning and remembrance... Recall the arts of war and your warrior's blood..." Sasuke heard the ghost speak, not even looking at him.
"Hello?" Sasuke spoke up, but the ghost didn't move at all. Frowning, Sasuke turned to the hole in front of him. 'This is the Cave of Knowledge?' He thought and jumped down to the ledge into the cave.
Dropping down once more, he landed in shallow water. On his sides, opened coffins of stone laid on the ground.
"What's that..?" Sasuke asked himself, looking to the front where he saw a floating golden light. Walking up to it, he touched it slightly, feeling it's warmth running through his whole body. 'Whoah...' He thought to himself.
Ignoring the floating golden light, Sasuke pressed on and walked deeper into the cave.
"Gaaah..." a Low sound reaches his ears, causing him to duck down against the cave's wall. Stretching his head, he looks into the direction where the sound came from and spots a thin man with a long sword gripped weakly in it's dominant hand. The man's clothes were torn. Old.
Slowly, Sasuke crouched towards him and lifted his katana. Hesitation surfaced... He didn't know who... Or what this thing in front of him was... He didn't know where he was.
His thoughts flash with the image of the Grafted Scion. Clenching his jaw, he swings his blade at the pale man's neck, slicing his head clean off.
As the body fell to the ground, a golden light flew from it towards Sasuke's chest. [+11] Words appeared at the bottom right of his sight. Frowning, Sasuke wanted to check what it was, but couldn't as another sound came from his right.
"Gahhh."
Looking towards it, Sasuke spots two more of the same men limping towards him. Having closed the distance, one of them raised it's sword and swung at Sasuke, who blocked the strike with his katana.
'They're weak.' He thought to himself and sliced both of their heads off with two strikes. [+22] The same numbers appear in his sight, but he ignores it for now and decides to continue through the cave since the dead-like people seemed weak.
Walking forward a bit more, he spots another dead man just standing around idly. Running towards it, Sasuke jumps and slices at the man, killing it instantly. [+12].
Looking around, he doesn't see any more of those around and continues on. In front of him, the cave expanded from the cramped walls to a vast area with plantation growing on the walls.
Fwoosh!
The sound of air cutting reaches Sasuke's ears and he looks up just in time to spot an arrow flying towards him. 'Fuck!' He cursed and moved slightly to the side, causing the arrow to plunge into his left shoulder. "Ugh!" He grunted and looked up where a soldier in full armor stood with a crossbow on top of a stone bridge above.
"Fuck you!" He cursed a bit loud and weaved through hand signs before firing a fireball at the poor soldier.
Boom! The fireball collided with the soldier, sending him flying off the stone bridge and onto the floor. [+38].
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the number. He raised his right hand and snapped the arrow in half, leaving the tip in his shoulder. 'So the strength of the enemy decides it's number...' He thought, walking forward with his guard raised, not wanting another arrow in his body.
To the front he saw the cave narrowing once more, and a full armored soldier stood, holding a rectangular shield in his left hand while gripping a spear in his right.
'I can't go close without him seeing me...' Sasuke thought and started running towards the soldier.
Spotting Sasuke, the soldier raises his shield in preparation and pulled his spear back.
Sasuke lifted his katana up as he ran forward before slicing down as he came to a halt, hitting the top of the soldier's shield. Moving his hips to the right, he dodges the spear lunged at him before stabbing at the gap the soldier left open.
The feeling of his blade cutting through flesh felt vivid, but Sasuke ignored it and pulled his katana back, causing the soldier to stagger back a bit. Taking advantage, Sasuke swings his blade at the soldier's exposed nape, cutting his head off. [+49].
Smirking at the number, Sasuke looked at the pale face of the soldier. Narrowing his eyes, he wondered how they could seem dead and alive at the same time, but didn't dwell too long for that is the same reason he didn't feel such a disturbance killing them...
'Let's keep going...' He thought and wiped the blood off his blade.
---