[dark souls iii] @ [elden ring]: Do you think it's possible to turn Vordt into Spirit Ashes?
[elden ring]: Theoretically yes, but in practice no, because I don't know how Spirit Ashes are made either.
[dark souls iii]:... [dark souls iii]: (Expletive)
[elden ring]: I'll ask when I meet Master Sellen. Spirit Ashes should be a type of soul sorcery. Although she's the Graven-Mass Witch, she should be able to figure it out by drawing analogies.
[dark souls iii]: Then hurry up! I'm still waiting to become a Pokemon Master!
[elden ring]:...You make it sound so easy. I'm still learning Bernahl's Ashes of War. As for you, after you deal with Vordt, hurry to the Undead Settlement and find a Pyromancy teacher.
[dark souls iii]: Next time, for sure.
Ashen Xia Yu made the sound of a free-loader. After finishing his exchange with Tarnished Xia Yu, he put Vordt's body into a Red Envelope.
Vordt's malformed soul was kept within his body. As long as he didn't crush the soul into pure soul energy, Vordt's soul would not disappear.
"It's just that this weapon is a bit tricky to handle."
Looking at Vordt's Great Hammer on the floor, which was at least five meters long, Xia Yu felt a bit of a headache. In the game, this weapon could only be transposed from Vordt's soul, but in reality, he didn't need to do that—yet he couldn't use it!
Vordt's Great Hammer is a very useful weapon in the early game. It's obtained early, has high base attack power, and an A scaling in Strength. Because its skill is Perseverance, once the skill is activated later on, you can just trade blows with everything!
It truly is the best choice for a mindless brute in the early game.
Xia Yu tried to lift the giant hammer with both hands. Under his current strength, although he couldn't use the five-meter-plus hammer as easily as his own limbs, he could at least swing it.
It's just that this weapon is far too large; a single hammer head is bigger than his current body. While not unusable, who fights by swinging a literal pillar?
After hesitating for a moment, Xia Yu still couldn't bear to give up the useful Vordt's Great Hammer. Even if he couldn't use it now, as long as his thinking didn't stagnate, there would always be more solutions than problems!
He would go straight back to Blacksmith Andre and see if he could reforge the weapon to a normal person's size.
While thinking, Xia Yu also stowed away the massive Vordt's Great Hammer.
Then he set out on the path to the High Priestess's hall of Lothric. The hall was at the end of the main gate's road, and only through the hall could one enter the inner city of Lothric Castle.
However, now was not the time to enter the city. To go to the Undead Settlement, he needed to go to the hall to obtain an item.
The Hollows wandering near the main road had not yet resurrected. Even for Hollows suffering from the undead curse, resurrection takes time.
The castle's main road wasn't exactly large, but it wasn't small either. There were winding stairs on all sides leading to the High Wall of the castle. With Xia Yu's pace, it took nearly fifteen minutes to reach his destination.
The doors to the main hall were only slightly ajar, not locked. Xia Yu didn't hesitate much, pushing open the doors that seemed like the residence of giants and stepping inside.
The scene inside the hall was similar to the hall of a Western cathedral, with royal banners featuring a dragon motif on a red background hanging above. Lothric had been on good terms with dragons since ancient times, and the strongest among the knights would fight alongside dragons, becoming Dragonriders.
But that was only during the former era of glory. Now, the main hall was dilapidated, emitting a scent of decay. Sunlight from outside shone through the stained glass, leaving behind scattered spots of colored light.
An old woman wearing voluminous High Priestess robes sat quietly on a chair at the end of the hall, watching Xia Yu walk in. Only after Xia Yu approached did she slowly speak.
"I have waited long, Unkindled Ash. My name is Emma, High Priestess of this castle—Lothric."
In the civilization of Lothric, besides the royal family who held the most power, there were three major factions below them: the Knights, representing the military foundation; the Priestesses, representing the ritual foundation; and the Sages, representing the foundation of knowledge.
When the flame gradually faded, the world collapsed, and internal strife broke out within Lothric, the royal family members stayed deep within the palace and no longer appeared. No one knew what the royal family was doing.
The Knights, for glory, for faith, and to make the royal family come to their senses, chose to commit suicide at the castle gates. The Sages, for self-preservation, hid in the Grand Archives and even sealed its doors, so no one could enter.
Against this background, even the High Priestesses, one of the three pillars, were powerless to change the situation and could only let themselves go with the flow. High Priestess Emma was one of them; she was imprisoned here by Sulyvahn to prevent any unforeseen changes.
As for why it was imprisonment, Xia Yu looked up at the ceiling of the hall. Although he saw nothing, he knew that in that seemingly empty place, the Dancer, one of Sulyvahn's five Outrider Knights, was hidden.
Sulyvahn arranged for the Dancer to guard this place to prevent High Priestess Emma from ruining his plans. He believed in destruction before creation; only when the decaying Age of Fire ended could the next new age arrive.
In the Dark Souls III World, the development of most stories is related to Sulyvahn. He is the hero of this era, possessing both strength and strategy. He never made any mistakes, except for miscalculating one thing—the final insurance of the gods, the Unkindled Ash.
In the game, Sulyvahn died at the hands of the Ashen One who came looking for the Lords of Cinder. All his schemes and calculations were defeated by the Ashen One's small leather shield... "Is there a problem? Unkindled Ash," High Priestess Emma asked, looking at the pensive Ashen One before her.
"Nothing." Xia Yu shook his head. He currently couldn't defeat the Dancer, so he wouldn't think about it for now.
The Dancer was ordered to watch over High Priestess Emma. As long as nothing happened to Emma, she would not reveal herself.
In the game, as long as the player kills High Priestess Emma, the Dancer will appear and become the second boss. This is also why many players say the Dancer is the true second boss.
High Priestess Emma suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck, as if someone were sizing up her head. She looked around warily, but no matter how she sensed, she could only feel the kind-looking Ashen One in front of her.
Perhaps it was because she had been imprisoned for too long that she was having hallucinations.
High Priestess Emma shook her head, suppressing the sudden feeling. She reached into her robes and took out a small banner and a piece of parchment with a covenant symbol, handing them to Xia Yu while speaking.
"The Lords of Cinder have left this castle, and all have set out for their former homes. You must go below the High Wall to find the Lords. This Small Lothric Banner will lead you through the great gate."
"I give you this as a parting gift. This is the symbol of an ancient covenant. If you fear invaders—that is, the Dark Spirits who plunder embers—then you must remember: you shall use this ancient covenant to summon the Blue Sentinels to hunt the Dark Spirits."
Although High Priestess Emma spoke somewhat formally, Xia Yu understood. It was the 'call-a-taxi' banner and the covenant to summon helpers. Speaking of Dark Spirits, he seemed to have never encountered one so far.
After taking the small banner and the covenant parchment, Xia Yu glanced at the ladder behind High Priestess Emma but restrained his suicidal thoughts.
After bidding farewell to High Priestess Emma, Xia Yu left the main hall and walked toward the cliff at the castle gate.
The situation of Lothric Castle at this time could be described as completely isolated and helpless, surrounded by cliffs on all sides. That's right, Sulyvahn did that too.
Sulyvahn, you have done every evil deed possible. When Vordt becomes Spirit Ashes, I'll definitely have him give you a taste of your own medicine.