Keep the Firelight in the Darkness

"Whoa, that's a scary scream."

Screams echoed from the pitch-black scene; anyone encountering this situation would have to be cautious.

"But why does it sound like someone is shouting?"

It wasn't just "like" it; it was definitely someone screaming, yelling something like "Don't come near me!"

Ta Mi finally understood; he had encountered other adventurers, but he didn't know whether they came from Bede City or the Leyndell.

But since he heard the cries, it wouldn't be reasonable for him not to go over and take a look. Even if he wasn't going to help, he should at least go over and take a look.

If it's the Light Eagle Legion, that's not good, because it means their progress is also good, and the Skyrim Strategy Team won't be able to maintain their advantage.

Ta Mi silently dealt with the monsters on the road while approaching the source of the sound. After walking for a short while, he heard hurried footsteps running towards him. Judging from the sound, the other person must be very panicked.

She appeared; she was a woman, and she was wearing the equipment of the Light Eagle Legion.

Ta Mi immediately didn't want to save him anymore, but after a struggle between the little angel and the little devil in his heart, he finally decided to take action.

He leaped out, pushing the female mercenary from the Light Eagle Legion into the gap where he had been hiding, and while drawing his sword in the direction she had run from, he shouted, "Don't worry, I'm here to save you."

The mercenary immediately realized what was happening and cowered in the gap, not daring to move. At that moment, heavy footsteps came from the darkness.

Judging from the noise, this monster must weigh at least several hundred kilograms; it's probably a super-sized monster.

Ta Mi looked at his one-handed sword and suddenly felt a little worried. What if he couldn't win? He'd been so focused on saving others that he'd forgotten about himself.

It's coming! The footsteps are getting closer; that enormous monster is about to reveal its true form!

"Come on, I'm not afraid of you!" Ta Mi shouted solemnly, as if to bolster his courage.

"Who are you."

A girl's innocent voice came from the darkness, and Ta Mi was startled. After seeing the girl's face clearly, he exclaimed "Ah!"

"You, you are... Gers?" He had a deep impression of the girl who had once saved him with a giant sword.

"You are... who was it again?" Elsa didn't remember Ta Mi's name at all. Come to think of it, he didn't seem to have told anyone his name before.

"What happened? Why did your companion run away?"

"Whoa! The monster is catching up!"

Just as Ta Mi was about to ask what was going on, the mercenary screamed and ran away without turning her head, her words and actions filled with terror.

Elsa's eyes dimmed for a moment, then she turned and walked into the darkness.

"This..." Although Ta Mi didn't understand what had happened, he felt he had to catch up with someone and ask them properly. After thinking it over again and again, he ran over and grabbed Elsa's wrist. She had saved him, and he had to repay her kindness if she encountered any difficulties.

"Don't touch me!" Elsa slapped Ta Mi away, causing him to stumble backward.

Her wrists were so thin and delicate that you couldn't tell that such great strength was hidden in her slender arms.

"Ah, I'm sorry," El said, slightly flustered, pursing his lips before explaining, "I'm cursed, don't come near me."

Cursed?

Ta Mi grimaced as he gulped down a mouthful of Element Bottle. The bones in his arm had been shattered by Elsa's swing, but thankfully he still had the omnipotent Element Bottle.

This thing is much better than Healing Potion.

He had only had it for less than half an hour, and he already felt he had fallen in love with it.

"After the torches ran out, everyone treated me like a monster," Elsa said with a forlorn expression. "Everyone ran away. It must be because I was cursed."

Have we run out of torches?

Ta Mi looked behind Elsa, where the darkness was as black and solid as an abyss. Without lighting, the boundless darkness could really drive a person crazy.

"But why do you say you're cursed?"

"Because a monster cast a spell on me, and then everyone was terrified," Elsa said dejectedly, but then asked curiously, "Why weren't you terrified?"

"Well"

How should Ta Mi it? In his eyes, Elsa was exactly as she was. Who would be afraid of a beautiful girl?

"Maybe I have a strong will," he could only say.

Elsa nodded as if she understood, then turned and walked into the darkness.

Why are you leaving after only saying two words?

Ta Mi scratched his head, recalling the wise words Lu Lu Wo had taught him:

"Having more friends means having more options. If you encounter someone in need, you can try to help them. Of course, it's okay to help others, but don't get hurt or help bad people. It's all up to your own judgment."

"She shouldn't be considered a bad person, and..."

He then recalled what Luo Jieer, the magic advisor of the Skyrim Strategy Team, had told him:

"A man can't just leave a heartbroken young woman alone!"

Although he felt the words were somewhat inappropriate and suggestive, Elsa's retreating figure looked very forlorn, and he had received help from her before, so—

"Hey, what are you going to do next? I've also gotten separated from my companions. Let's team up again!" Ta Mi caught up with him.

Elsa stared at him for a long time, making sure that he genuinely wanted to help her.

"I need to find my companions," she said. "I don't feel comfortable leaving them here."

"Then you don't need to worry about the person who ran away earlier. It's safe behind you."

"Hmm." Elsa nodded, then suddenly added, "Thank you."

If this were an RPG Yugi, a message like "[Character 'Gers' has temporarily joined the party!]" would appear.

Ta Mi had always felt that the girl carrying the giant sword was mysterious. Her personality seemed a bit eccentric, and she always did unexpected things that couldn't be predicted according to common sense.

However, certain details reveal that she is not ignorant of social etiquette; she simply skips all the troublesome steps.

During his time with her, Ta Mi often encountered her doing things that seemed inexplicable but were actually quite reasonable upon closer examination.

Ordinary people might find it tiring to get along with Elsa, but Ta Mi thinks it's okay, after all, his captain Lu Lu Wo is also a troublesome guy.

Do you remember where your companions all ran off to?

Elsa shook her head, then said, "I can feel it."

"Then I'll follow you." Ta Mi's words, however, caused the other person to show a troubled expression.

From the conversation, it was learned that Elsa and some mercenaries had entered the dungeon on a whim, but she did not say why.

Their route down was different from Ta Mi's; they followed a different route found by the Light Eagle Legion, completely deviating from the path most people were exploring. Therefore, they had not yet discovered the Three Corpse Necromancer and the campfire.

Ta Mi wanted to complain. Logically speaking, this should have been top secret information about the Light Eagle Legion winning the competition, but Elsa revealed it so easily. Did she trust me too much?

Judging from the girl's appearance, she might be very trusting. Could she really be kidnapped?

I feel slightly dizzy.

Ta Mi suddenly frowned. He knew a few simple spells, such as the Light Spell that would now provide them with illumination in the darkness.

However, the light produced by magic is less effective than that of torches in this dark area. Even though it increases the illumination, it cannot dispel the darkness [mechanism].

The mechanism of the lower level of the Catacombs of Carthus, this dark area, is that the longer you stay in the dark, the more likely you are to develop negative emotions. Once these negative emotions reach a certain level, people will have all sorts of strange thoughts, do incomprehensible things, and even develop quirks.

This mechanism is also documented in The Darkest Dungeon.

The only thing that can fight against the darkness is a torch. It must be a flame that burns fiercely on the handle, not a fire that is lit out of thin air, nor Light Spell.

Ta Mi immediately recognized the mechanics here, because there was a path in the Great Tomb area with the exact same mechanics as this place; this was just a scaled-up version!

But he had searched for a long time but couldn't find anything to make a torch, so he had no choice but to come in anyway, preparing to run out as fast as possible if anything unexpected happened.

But after walking for nearly half an hour and being immersed in darkness for a full half hour, he began to feel unwell for the first time.

"Could it be that my spirit, strengthened after being infused with fire, is able to resist the darkness?"

After realizing this, he felt much more relaxed. He turned around and saw that Elsa was staring at him with a tense expression.

Why are you so nervous? He won't do it—

Elsa's figure suddenly twisted and turned into what Ta Mi feared most.

"Ah!" Ta Mi screamed.

In the blink of an eye, Elsa returned to her original form, and she was startled by his sudden shout.

"Are you alright?" Elsa looked at him anxiously, afraid that he might also run away.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Ta Mi wiped the sweat from his forehead. He guessed that the reason he could see the "illusion" just now was because of the magic that Elsa had mentioned earlier, which was cast by a monster.

It's a kind of magic that works on the mind; the person targeted will appear in the most frightening way in the eyes of others.

However, people with strong Spirit Power can resist this effect, just like Ta Mi now after being enhanced by fire.

The longer he stayed in the darkness, the weaker his Spirit Power became due to erosion, so Elsa gradually changed in his eyes.

This is just a momentary transformation; given more time, it might...

Ta Mi suddenly patted his face, forcing himself to cheer up, and thought:

It's just a change of appearance, she won't hurt me, I don't need to be afraid!

He originally chased after her to comfort Elsa. If he ran away out of fear, wouldn't that make her even more depressed?

That would be repaying kindness with enmity!

Elsa sensed something, but said nothing and instead distanced herself from Ta Mi.

Ta Mi forced his way in, and no matter how the other person tried to shake him off, he couldn't get rid of him, like a piece of chewing gum.

Don't underestimate me, I'm not afraid at all!

Elsa pursed her lips, but became more relaxed when talking to the other person.

Strange monsters relentlessly attacked from the darkness, and their ferocity was amplified by the lack of torches. However, the Brave's greatsword provided a profound sense of security.

Ta Mi sometimes guesses where there might be ambushes and traps based on his experience, while Elsa completely follows his orders, doing whatever he asks without complaint.

Like Doll without its own thoughts, Ta Mi kept frowning after she noticed it.

But whether it was just my imagination or not, as I got to know Ta Mi better and our relationship warmed up, the greatsword seemed to become sharper and more powerful.

By the way, shouldn't Brave have Divine Artifact? What is Elsa's Divine Artifact?

"We've come to a fork in the road."

A fork in the road appeared before them. Ta Mi turned to look at Elsa, only to find that she was also looking at him, her eyes conveying a clear message.

"Let me make the decision?" Ta Mi pointed to himself.

Elsa nodded, looking like she was saying, "All I need to do is be a henchman."

It's the same again. She seems to have no opinions of her own. I'm afraid she's the same way when she's with her mercenary companions.

For some reason, the guy named Sally didn't come along, but if he were here, he would probably be the one coming up with ideas and not letting Elsa make the decisions.

I always felt that Sally was overprotecting her.

Ta Mi hesitated for a moment, then her tone suddenly hardened as she said, "No, you decide this time!"

Elsa paused for a moment, then shook her head firmly.

"I'm leaving if you don't make a decision." Ta Mi unleashed her ultimate weapon!

It works wonders on Elsa!

"."

She hesitated, but under duress, she had no choice but to agree, as if making a huge sacrifice, and casually pointed out a path.

Ta Mi smiled and said in a bright and cheerful tone, "Great, let's go this way!"

They were quite lucky; although there were many monsters on this road, they found a spell called "Carthus's Beacon".

[The most secret form of Carthus's sorcery from the Gravel Country. The longer the attack continues, the higher the attack power becomes.]

The invasion of Carthus spread like wildfire, and since ancient times, this fire has been used as a signal for war, much like a beacon.

As the first person to discover it, Ta Mi forcefully shoved the pages into Elsa's hands. Elsa, unable to refuse, had no choice but to accept them, her face bearing an expression that said, "I will cherish this book for the rest of my life."

"I can't exactly say I dislike Carthus products and don't want to use them," Ta Mi thought to herself.

Elsa's choice was successful this time, so when they encountered a fork in the road again, Ta Mi still let her choose, and the same thing happened the time after that.

At first, Elsa wasn't used to it, but gradually, she became more familiar with making choices, and when faced with a fork in the road, she would think for a while before making a decision.

But one time things went wrong.

"A dead end!"

Ta Mi looked at the dead end in front of him, while Elsa beside him felt ashamed of having made the wrong choice.

On the way back, she remained silent. When faced with a fork in the road and the need to make a choice, she resolutely refused to do so, no matter how much Ta Mi threatened her.

Ta Mi had no choice but to resort to reverse psychology.

"One failure and you're done for? Trash Fish Trash Fish 're such a weakling. If you're so easily hurt, why be a mercenary? You might as well just quit."

After babbling on and on, Elsa's face darkened, but she made her choice on her own initiative, and without Ta Mi's prompting, she stormed Catacombs in a huff.

During this time, they encountered a series of unfortunate events, including but not limited to being bitten on the head by Treasure Chest Monster falling from the sky, falling into a sensory-masking pit, and being made drowsy by hypnotic smoke.

"Wait, don't go there! That's the Tentacle Monster Swamp!"

"The poisonous Swamp of Farron Keep!? Why are there them here too?!"

"It's raining? No, it's acid Slime! This is a trap!"

The consequence of reckless driving is stepping on landmines everywhere, but having power allows one to be willful. What would be a certain death for an ordinary person, Elsa can even recklessly overcome.

Even so, she inevitably felt frustrated.

However, under Ta Mi's constant "taunts," Elsa turned her sadness into motivation, making her own decisions one after another, constantly making mistakes and improving.

Gradually, she seemed to lose track of how she had gotten used to expressing her thoughts, and even started talking more.

Excellent! Elsa's character correction operation has been a great success!

Although Ta Mi was very tired and her lips were almost numb, she felt it was all worthwhile.

Talking to Elsa can also help keep you in high spirits to fight against the darkness.

However, as time went on, his mind was inevitably eroded, and he could occasionally see strange things in the darkness.

Elsa's figure would sometimes flash in his eyes, change form, and then revert back to its original shape, often scaring him into a cold sweat.

Even though he was mentally devastated, he didn't cry out again, not wanting to put more pressure on Elsa, who was slowly changing.

"Are we friends now?" Elsa suddenly asked after helping Ta Mi take down a monster that tried to ambush her.

"Friends?" Ta Mi's tone suddenly changed, making Elsa tense up instantly.

It's clear that she has a deep attachment to the word "friend"—whether you call it an obsession or something else.

She hesitated for a long time and did a lot of mental preparation before finally asking the question. Ta Mi's question made her heart jump into her throat.

"Weren't we friends when we first met?" Ta Mi smiled and said, "You've saved me so many times today. I feel like we could be considered family, but even family members aren't necessarily this close."

Home, family

Absolutely no ulterior motives were involved; it was just that this word, which was even more intimate than "friend," momentarily stunned the Brave's mind.

"Hey, wake up! The monsters are surrounding us again!"

The exploration continued, but they found no missing mercenaries; they had probably already perished at the hands of the monsters.

Nearly two hours later, they reached the edge of darkness. As they emerged from the darkness, the chilling air made Ta Mi shiver involuntarily.

The empty room and the chilling monster inside meant they had undoubtedly encountered the second Elite Monsters in the Catacombs of Carthus.

The other party's art style was completely opposite to that of the cemetery, and could even be described as incongruous.

[Battle Knight]

For the first time, the forces from Irithyll of the Boreal Valley appeared before the adventurers. At the feet of Battle Knight whose posture resembled a wild beast, a mercenary was screaming in agony.

Seeing this, Elsa's eyes turned red, and she immediately rushed forward. The Battle Knight let out a beast-like roar and leaped up to pounce on her!

Then he was swatted away by the giant sword.

Ta Mi glanced at Elsa, who was treating the mercenaries, then at the direction in which the Battle Knight had been knocked away. Finally, he gritted his teeth and ran over to finish off the enemy.

"Lute, wake up!"

Elsa rarely showed such urgency, and poured the last bottle of Healing Potion she had on the mercenary.

"Elsa, is that you?"

The mercenary slowly opened his eyes, but the moment he saw Elsa, he let out a desperate scream.

"Monster! Don't come any closer!"

He slapped the Healing Potion over the wall, scrambled to the side, and cowered in a corner, trembling.

His eyes were filled with disgust and terror as he looked at Elsa.

Elsa stood there stunned for a long time, her hands trembling.

But on the other side, Ta Mi's scream brought her back to her senses, and when she looked again, she saw that the other person had been pierced through the chest by the Battle Knight!

"I... I'm really sorry for being so bad." Ta Mi gave a helpless smile. It wasn't his fault, because the Battle Knight had been upgraded to C+ level.

"Ta Mi!"

Elsa called out his name for the first time. At that moment, her body seemed to have been switched on. In the blink of an eye, the Battle Knight was sent flying by the force, and Ta Mi also fell to the ground.

"I'm fine, you hurry and kill him!"

Ta Mi waved his hand, holding the Element Bottle; as long as he had a sip to drink, he wouldn't die.

Elsa gritted her teeth and flashed before the Battle Knight like a maddened beast. Flames suddenly burst into flames on her body—the Flames of Carthus!

Without any casting animation or spell-casting tools, the beacon fire actually started burning on its own.

The greatsword unleashed unprecedented power at this moment, even stronger than when it faced the berserk Sion in Bede City!

The Battle Knight were beaten so badly they were completely powerless to fight back!

"Hehe, they're really strong. If only we could poach them, the captain would be so happy."

Ta Mi poured himself a mouthful of Element Bottle, and the injury to his chest healed rapidly, while his Spirit Power was also replenished.

However, a faint darkness still lingers here, and the erosion of the spirit by darkness cannot be shaken off simply by replenishing Spirit Power.

While being severely injured by the Battle Knight, Ta Mi's spirit was also deeply corrupted by darkness, and even the Spirit Power enhanced by the fire-infusing ritual could not withstand it.

Elsa's figure became completely distorted in his eyes, becoming the thing he feared most.

"Oh no!"

With a loud bang, the Battle Knight's body turned to ashes, and purple specks of light fell to the ground, but no one picked them up.

Elsa turned and ran toward Ta Mi the moment she won, but after only a few steps, she stopped.

Because she saw Ta Mi trembling, trembling with fear.

And what he feared was clearly himself!

In that instant, Elsa understood the reason. Even the strength to clench her teeth disappeared, and the greatsword fell to the ground with a clang.

Ta Mi's body stiffened and trembled. He finally understood why the mercenaries had screamed and fled; it wasn't as easy as he had imagined.

Elsa transformed into the image of his deepest fear in his eyes, which carried a degree of psychological attack, causing his heart to tremble uncontrollably.

He really wanted to escape, no, he was about to escape; his feet were already slowly moving!

Just then, he saw Elsa make a move—she turned around and walked away without even picking up the greatsword that had fallen to the ground.

The figure behind her seemed to be fleeing, perhaps afraid to see Ta Mi, a friend she had only recently met, yelling "monster" at her.

But just then, her shoulder was suddenly pressed down, held down tightly.

She could easily break free with a little effort, but she didn't dare to move.

"Where are you going?" Ta Mi's usual cheerful voice came from behind. "We just defeated Elite Monsters monster, we should celebrate."

"Ta Mi, you..."

Elsa turned around and suddenly covered her mouth, because in her eyes, although Ta Mi's smile was exactly the same as usual, his whole body was soaked in sweat, as if he was suppressing fear.

"Look, this is the item you just got from killing the enemy, called the [Pontiff's Right Eye]. It's a purple light spot. I really envy you."

As Ta Mi spoke, she put the Pontiff's Right Eye on Elsa's finger and then grabbed her wrist, leading her towards Lute's direction.

Elsa didn't know how to react and followed behind him in a daze.

"Strange, monster"

Lute stared at the two in horror. In his eyes, Ta Mi, who was calmly leading the monster Elsa, was also a non-human being. The closer the two got, the more he trembled.

Just then, Ta Mi suddenly grabbed his collar, forcefully pulling the burly man, who weighed nearly a hundred pounds more than him, to his feet, and shouted at him:

"Look closely, this is someone risking their life to save your partner, not some monster!"

"You two are comrades who have entrusted your lives to each other on the battlefield, right? You're much closer than me, a complete stranger you've only known for half a day. I can see through that low-level Illusion Magic, so why can't you!"

Ta Mi yelled, and Lute fell silent.

However, the next second, he suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed Ta Mi. Tammy quickly blocked it, but he took the opportunity to escape and rushed into the darkness without looking back.

He shouted as he ran:

"Captain Gers, where are you? Please come and save me!"

"Gers, where are you, Gers? Save me like you used to!"

"Damn it, if it weren't for my power, who would want to deal with a weirdo like you? Help me!"

If negative energy could materialize, Elsa would probably be able to engulf Carthus right now.

But then, Ta Mi suddenly put his arm around her shoulder and flashed his signature bright, sunny smile.

"Let's go. Didn't you want to find some partners? We haven't met a single person yet. Keep going and keep trying."

Without waiting for Elsa to react, he chuckled and pulled her away, as if nothing had happened.

Elsa bit her lip, something glistening in her eyes, and nodded heavily.

"Um!"

The Lord's Room in the Zane Dungeon.

Gong Qiying saw everything through the Crystal Ball and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"What a classic plot development! I never expected to see this while playing a dungeon."

He recognized Elsa at a glance as the Brave from Bede City, and his mind began to stir.

We need to find a way to retain this high-quality customer and turn her into a big fan of the Zane Dungeon.

Just like the Sword Saint Gapar back then.