Hell's Glitch (initial draft)

2:30 The Real Fight

After collecting his victory spoils, Sam stood perplexed in the quiet throne room. He was left with a hollow feeling of victory.

That boss was surprisingly easy. Was I supposed to fight the Battlestone King before I made it to Arachne?

He was also unaware of where he should go next. He decided to read the description of the Royal Chambers Key to see where his next destination might be.

Royal Chambers Key

Key to the royal chambers of Misseiji Castle.

Above the third floor of Misseiji Castle lies the chambers of the royal family. It is rumored that these floors hide an important relic and that the king guards it with his life. What this relic is, nobody but the king knows.

Oh yeah! That barrier on the third floor. Maybe I can pass through it now.

He headed straight up to the third floor without resting. Doing so at a Soul Beacon would only bring the enemies back and he figured he had enough Soul Fire left to handle whatever surprises he'd find on the third floor and beyond. Along the way he felt a sudden heat building up in his hand and he couldn't control it.

What the hell?

He stopped and took a good look at his palm. The mark in the center his hand darkened and tiny flames were escaping out of it.

"What's going on with you?"

He remembered that Ji told him that the spark of flame that she gave him was a living thing and he could always feel that, but moments like this frightened him because of how alive it felt. It was hungry, desperately hungry, and it craved something that he had.

"What do you want?"

He thought back to time that Ji had awakened the flame before, when she'd made it stronger. Back then it wanted souls, a boss soul to be precise.

"Is that what you want, this Battlestone King's soul?" Sam asked with a wide grin on his face.

He summoned the soul into his right palm and before forking the soul over, he decided to have a look at its description.

Soul of the Battlestone King

Use Great Souls to gain more power.

This soul has long since forgotten its name, but it remembers its history plainly. After the advent of magick in the kingdom of Misseiji, its residents abandoned the old monarchy for the new and the kingdom embraced the demon Arachne and his magick wholeheartedly. The current line of kings can trace their lineage back to Talufor I who befriended Arachne long before his own rise to power. That royal blood once provided power to the King of Battlestone, but now all that's left is his stone flesh and a kingdom of ruin.

Sam was tempted to feed the soul to his flame right away, but he remembered that the Great Souls could be used for weapons as well.

Pyromancy or weapon? Which do we want here?

The more he thought about it, the more he was sure he wanted the pyromancy. He'd already put a tremendous amount of time and souls into the weapons that he had, but still, he wanted to at least see what he'd get so he took a detour to Tsurugi's shop.

When he entered her shop, she was working on an ornate shield with markings similar to those on the shields carried by the knights.

"What is it now, Sarem?" she asked without looking up.