Chapter 463: Dark Souls Guide Rule Two: For Your Safety, Do Not Attack NPCs |
Delicate, sweet, ethereal.
The Fireguard Maiden’s first words instantly captured Pew’s full attention.
He hurried over in three quick steps and began inspecting her from head to toe.
Obviously, the young lady before him was the game’s Nagamasa.
Her silvery-white hair was braided down to her waist, and a silver crown-like mask covered her fair, delicate face.
A jet-black mantle flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall, wrapping and concealing her upper body.
Both hands, bound in bandages, were folded neatly in front of her.
A graceful, mysterious fishtail gown spilled across the ground, shrouding her entirely in enigmatic black.
Pew, viewing her so close, couldn’t help but draw a collective gasp from the audience.
“That eyepatch design is just brilliant.”
“The less you can see, the more mysteriously beautiful she becomes.”
“What kind of god-tier modeling is this? So awesome.”
“And it’s Steel Chain Fingers’ art team—so tasteful.”
“Fun fact: Golden Wind’s three-day studio lead artist are all women.”
“You can only say women know how to make women look the prettiest.”
“awsl... I want to be Fireguard Maiden’s dog (snerk snerk).”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Guys, I actually like this for real.”
“You call that liking? You’re drooling over her body, you filthy bastard!”
Bonfire Ritual Grounds (×) Ayin’s Cemetery (V)
Old Thief really knows how to get into players’ heads.
“Seriously, this is way too gorgeous.”
This is not the Fireguard Maiden; this is my long-unseen wife!
“Enough talk, I’m buying the game. I have to kindle this fire for the Fireguard Maiden!”
……
Although the Fireguard Maiden’s eyes were covered,
just as the chat said, such a cryptic design only added to her mysterious allure.
Combined with a slender, beautiful figure,
a gentle personality,
and an otherworldly voice,
it was hard for players not to feel affection.
Even Pew, nudged by the chat, swallowed hard and then awkwardly, carefully greeted her:
“Y-you... hello?”
At his words, the Fireguard Maiden turned slightly and indicated the small cold, extinguished bonfire beside her:
“Lord of Ashes, please present your Kusabimaru to the bonfire. It is the symbol of kingship, and its flame will guide your path.”
Just as the players guessed—
the Guda teacher they had just barely defeated outside was merely the trial by fire for the road to kindling.
Only by defeating Guda would you qualify to enter the Bonfire Ritual Grounds.
From that point, the game truly began.
Following the Fireguard Maiden’s prompt, Pew plunged the Kusabimaru taken from Guda into the campfire.
Whoosh—
Flames suddenly roared up, bringing a flicker of warmth to the once-cold, desolate ritual site.
Then, following the prompts, Pew experimented with the game’s upgrade and stat point system.
Different from Sekiro.
In Dark Souls, players no longer needed prayer beads or combat memories to upgrade attributes.
The Fireguard Maiden could convert the souls players collected into strength to help them level up.
Put bluntly, you spent resources to level up.
Simple and practical.
After getting accustomed to things, Pew said a temporary farewell to the Fireguard Maiden and wandered the vast Bonfire Ritual Grounds.
The first things to catch his eye were, naturally, the five thrones around the ritual site, still flickering with dying embers.
They varied in size and shape.
On the far right throne sat a tiny, gaunt old man, seemingly half the height of this useless one.
He wore a small crown.
Though he sat on the throne, his spirit was wilted, like an eggplant hit by frost,
and his voice was weak and raspy:
“Oh, so you are an ember without fire, a seeker of kingship, yes?”
“I am Roderis of Kurland. You might not believe it, but I, too, once kindled the flame as a Lord of Ashes.”
“And this body, still enduring the flames’ burn, is the ironclad proof—this ruined flesh...”
“...yet our duty is like this, isn’t it?”
“After all, we are lords...”
In the desolate Ritual Grounds, Roderis’ voice was faint and feeble,
accompanied by the faint feminine chant playing in the background.
The atmosphere turned melancholy.
It was hard to imagine this was a Lord of Ashes.
From the opening CG, those entrusted with kindling the flame were once unparalleled in strength, kings of their age—heroes foremost among men.
But now, Roderis was so frail.
Pew worried he might die suddenly at any moment.
The image before him was far from the towering, imposing figure he had expected.
The old man on the throne was a dying candle in the wind, seated on a scorching, blazing throne, constantly suffering soul and flesh consumed by fire.
For a moment, Pew fell silent.
Perhaps Lords of Ashes were not the grand heroes he imagined.
Perhaps they weren’t revered saviors at all.
With every act of renewing the world’s fire, they burned their once-legendary strength away.
They were called Lords of Ashes,
but could they really be called kings?
How many people truly treated them like kings?
To the world, they were tools—firewood, nothing more.
Looking at the four empty thrones left, Pew nodded slightly:
“It seems the other four Lords of Ashes, upon awakening, are unwilling to continue kindling the flame...”
He could understand that.
Imagine you are a being with peerless power.
But instead of earning respect, that power becomes a permanent duty, binding you forever to a throne that burns your soul.
And the worst part is it never ends.
When the bell tolls, you’ll be dug up again.
They tell you: ‘Big problem! The flame is dying! The Lord who should have kindled it is gone! Please come back and burn again!’
It’s hopeless.
But that’s not even the worst of it.
Look at the five thrones in the ritual ground.
Now, the flame’s power has dwindled to near collapse.
One Lord is no longer enough to sustain the flame; it requires five furnaces working together to barely maintain the initial spark.
Which means—
This might be your first time being dug up as a Lord of Ashes, but it’s unlikely you’ll only be dug up once.
And now!
The emberless ash, the player’s protagonist,
as an unburnable undead, must find the remaining four Lords of Ashes, drag them back, and place them on their thrones to prolong the world’s life.
Like the last desperate struggles in the end times.
For a moment, Pew was dizzy.
Right now, it felt like that instant in Sekiro when you know Ashina will fall but still try to defy fate to preserve your people.
“Mission” and “fate” seemed always central to Golden Wind’s Wolf-type games.
In obscure dialogues and fragmented lore, players could always feel the gray sorrow of an era’s end.
After a brief visit with Roderis, Pew checked out the merchant old woman on the ritual corridor and the blacksmith grandpa deeper in the grounds.
These two were simple: one was a shop, the other an NPC who upgraded weapons and increased the number of element flask uses.
With that,
the basic “starter hub” structure took shape.
A girl to help with leveling attributes, an elder to explain the story and main quest, a merchant granny selling supplies, and a blacksmith grandpa for upgrades.
All present.
But!
Aside from these figures, there was another NPC in the Bonfire Ritual Grounds.
A man in knightly armor, plain-faced, brows knitted into a perpetual look of bitter grievance.
A straight greatsword—over half his height—was strapped to his back, ornately carved, the blade’s tip fashioned in a wolf’s head motif.
When Pew first saw him, he was sitting on a stone step at the left rear of the grounds, a slightly battered round shield leaning beside him.
“Oh, you’re one of those unkillable types too.”
The man, called the Despondent, glanced at Pew with disinterest:
“I am as you are, emberless ash, accomplished in nothing, unable even to die, ha...”
He sized Pew up and down, brow unmoved, then shook his head, indifference and despondency heavy in his gaze and tone:
“Pathetic... a bunch of unkillable trash thinking they can find Lords of Ashes and drag them back to moldy thrones...
“Those were the great ones who once kindled the flame. How could scum like us possibly do it?”
His voice echoed through the Ritual Grounds, low and hoarse,
every word dripping defeat, as if he’d already resigned himself to waiting for death—an attitude of “the world ends, so be it; you and I are trash, don’t overreach trying to find Lords of Ashes; that’s beyond us undead.”
Pew frowned.
Remember—
He had just defeated Guda guarding the gate!
His embers still blazed; his fighting spirit was high!
But this Despondent immediately doused him with cold water.
He came out of the gate already demoralized—
that lethargic voice and outlook would make anyone bristle.
Pew noticed the Fireguard Maiden and Roderis turn toward the voice as well.
The emberless ash frowned and demanded in a low voice:
“What the hell do you mean by that? Kid?”
Hahahahahaha—
Ayin’s livestream viewers erupted with amusement:
“Boss got roasted.”
“That’s way too depressing. He’s bringing players down.”
“Wait, what is this guy even for? Isn’t this the starter hub? What’s he doing here?”
“No idea. He doesn’t sell anything, no interactions.”
“Maybe it’s Old Thief’s malicious joke—telling you to quit now, the outside is full of Lords of Ashes.”
“Full of Lords of Ashes? That’s brutal.”
“Isn’t he afraid of refunds?”
“Maybe eighty percent of players need over two hours to get here?”
“Damn, brilliant plan—how did I not think of that?”
“You know Old Thief too well…”
“So this Despondent’s main role is to pour cold water on players?”
“Who knows. He’s just a downer...”
The chat was full of mockery.
Clearly no one liked this defeatist guy.
Sure, lying flat has become a popular mental state lately,
but nobody truly likes being aimless, unsuccessful, living a life of mediocrity.
We only lie flat because reality beat us bloody and left us with no choice.
We realized most things don’t follow “work hard, succeed,” and we made a wry compromise.
In this fantastical world, endless fantastical things happen every moment.
But man—this is a game.
Who the hell lies flat in a game?
Even Minecraft players scramble to mine for diamonds when they first spawn.
Player effort yields reward here.
And you come out and throw cold water? Chanting death prayers?
Pathetic! Go to hell!
“Tsk!”
Ayin snorted loudly.
“You and your destructive words, sowing discord—traitor to morale! You should be punished!”
Saying that, Ayin drew his chicken leg and smacked the Despondent’s head with it!
Clang!
As everyone knows,
compared to other RPGs, Wolf-type games are more open.
Almost every NPC can be attacked.
The Despondent was no exception.
Ayin seized the moment without hesitation, ready to cause trouble.
After all, this was the demo.
According to the demo’s scope, this part basically marked the end of the trial.
So Ayin felt little guilt in acting up.
He decided to kill an NPC and call it a day.
Ayin thought he had it figured out.
From experience, NPCs in starter hubs and early stages are usually weak.
Once, as a mischief-maker in Sekiro, he’d tried to stab Kuro to death right after getting Kusabimaru.
In fact, Kuro could be killed with a single knife—but he resurrected later for the story.
With experiences like that, Ayin didn’t worry.
He even swaggered with the Despondent’s greatsword and shield:
“Hmph! For your death prayers, see the might of Ayin, Chicken-Leg Knight! Loser leaves his weapon…”
But before Ayin finished his boast—
Buzz—!!
Suddenly!
The Despondent rolled back, then lunged forward with a step-and-slash; the massive blade swept like thunder, lightning-fast!
Crack—gush—!!!
Ayin felt a sudden numbness in his chest!
He was launched into the air!
Blood spurted from his chest as he crashed to the ground with a thud!
Before he could even stand steady,
the now-red-named Despondent tucked his shield behind, grasped the sword with both hands, and spun in a dragon-like arc!
Gush—!!!
Ayin collapsed on the spot!
[YOU DEAD]
Silence.
The black-and-white screen filled the livestream.
Ayin’s silence was thunderous.
The chat froze for a full five seconds before someone finally remarked:
“Young and reckless, gone in a blink.”
“...pfft hahahahaha! Damn!”
“Wait???”
“No way! Is this guy that strong?”
“Holy crap that smooth combo! So fierce!”
“Bro, you have that skill and you still say such despairing stuff?”
“Damn! This is Old Thief’s real scheme! Use the Despondent to bait players into attacking—special treatment for mischief-makers!”
“Despondent: My Kuro-sama, oh! I avenge you! I slay the mischief for you!”
Dark Souls Guide Rule Two: For your safety, do not attack NPCs.
For your safety, my ass.
This is way stronger than Sekiro’s NPCs!
“Two swings and he got you. In some ways, the Despondent is as badass as Guda...”
“Anyway, the weakest must be the monkey...”
“Hahahahaha…”
Watching the screen full of laughter and then the gray Despondent complaining as he walked back up the steps to sit down,
Ayin was not in a good mood.
“You... this is not your strength... what the hell were you doing with your death prayers!”
Ridiculous!
Seeing the Despondent acting like a weakling, talking like “I’m trash,” Ayin instinctively assumed he was a helpless scrub.
But unexpectedly!
He came at Ayin with a lightning whirlwind strike—
two hits!
Ayin didn’t even have time to roll the second time and was instantly killed!
“You dirty cheat! That’s foul play!”
The instant kill ignited Ayin’s fighting spirit:
“Alright! That was just bad timing, got it buddy? Watch this!”
Whoosh—
With the campfire’s sparks dancing, Ayin revived by the bonfire,
“Wait, let me get ready! This time I’ll—what the—?!”
Before he could finish,
the Despondent already charged with his greatsword!
“Hey! Hey hey hey! No honor—!”
Gush—!!!
“Wait, let me drink an element gourd—”
Gush—!!!
“Dammit! Wasted drink! One more—”
Gush—!!!
“Are you kidding? I’ll fight you to the death!!!”
Two element flask sips were chopped mid-drink!
The Despondent’s relentless offense left Ayin exasperated.
Experience from Sekiro gave way to brute force—when in doubt, rush!
Stun! Stun! Stun!
Against humanoid foes, the straight-on turtle punches actually worked well.
He landed three heavy hits in the Despondent’s openings.
The Despondent’s health bar dropped about a fifth!
Victory!
Ayin rejoiced.
However!
Just as he recovered and prepared another flurry of turtle punches,
the Despondent calmly withdrew, drew an orange-yellow small flask from his waist, and gulped it down in front of Ayin.
His health instantly refilled.
Then, another familiar step-and-slash.
Crack—!!!
[YOU DEAD]
Ayin: ....
“You didn’t do that on purpose... dammit! Aaaaaaa!”
“He’s got an element gourd too, damn!”
“Are we even allowed to play anymore?”
“I quit! He’s cheating!!!”
This is ridiculous!
Element flasks shouldn’t be usable by enemies, right?
How can a hostile NPC use them?
How the hell do I beat that?
Ayin was stunned.
The viewers, loving the spectacle, laughed even harder:
“Hahaha Despondent is awesome!”
“I never expected him to pull an orange drink from his pants. Creepy strong NPC...”
“Now that I think about it, his mockery had a point: he’s so strong he even despises himself. What chance does our boss have?”
“Key point: you can’t stop fighting him; the Despondent doesn’t reset hate when the bonfire reappears.”
“Reasonable. Despondent is undead; he knows about bonfire respawns.”
“So it’s an infinite guard bug?”
“Pretty much—endless guarding corpse.”
“Hahahaha deserved! Serves you right for being reckless!”
“Still no big deal; it’s almost the demo’s end anyway.”
But the boss hadn’t gotten his rewards yet...
“Hiss—”
Right.
Logically, in a “deadlock” like this, Ayin could simply quit the game and stop.
After all, the crystalline lizard was killed, Guda was slain, the Bonfire Ritual Grounds reached, the Fireguard Maiden and other NPCs visited.
However,
the demo wasn’t officially over yet.
Although the demo’s difficulty was past this point, players still needed to use fast travel to reach Lothric’s high wall and push through a tower door before the demo fully concluded.
After completing the demo, players would receive YiYou Platform’s dynamic avatar—Bonfire, XunTeng platform’s title—Lord of Ashes, and an in-game cooperative gesture—Golden Cat Salute.
They were small rewards, but players hated missing free giveaways.
Especially the co-op exclusive gesture!
In this Dark Souls, players could summon in soul form for co-op!
If everyone greeted each other with the Cat Salute and you didn’t have it, how embarrassing!
He was a streamer!
Even more shameful!
As Ayin brooded over options,
a message popped in from Tree-ge in chat—
“Taiyuan Flaming Blade: Boss, how do you fast-travel to that high wall at the end? I’m gray here, it won’t let me travel?”
Yes.
By design, at this point players could not fast-travel directly.
Before teleportation, they needed to speak with the Fireguard Maiden and tell her they were ready; only then would the Lothric high wall travel point open and the game officially continue.
If it weren’t for that setting, Ayin would not be lying dead on the ground—he’d have fast-traveled away long ago.
Seeing this, Ayin’s eyes gleamed with meaning—
“CSTG-Yinzi: You must kill the Despondent sitting on the steps. Kill him and it will unlock.”
In less than two minutes, Tree-ge replied with a string of excited symbols—
“Taiyuan Flaming Blade: **!***!!!”