Guardian(Part II): Soulborne

Chapter 35: Finn

I kept following Azzuran's immense aura all throughout the bowels of his fortress. It was filled with the Archdemon's Turned soldiers, some that I managed to avoid, and some that I had no choice but to kill to survive. I couldn't find a single lift or staircase on the bottom floor of the fortress. Maybe Azzuran designed the place intentionally so his more dangerous prisoners wouldn't be able to escape. I definitely wouldn't be able to unless I found some sort of map or terminal that had one. I had my doubts that there would be one out in the middle of the open, though. As I continued through the underground tunnels, I began to feel another aura. A familiar, radiant one. I couldn't think of anyone else who could be giving it off.

"Nato," I whispered. She was close, but I couldn't tell how close. She was in the fortress for sure, but that was all I could tell. Until I actually ran into her, though, I had to focus on finding the epsilon Doctor that I saw when I woke up in the dungeons. Whenever I ran into a door, I made sure to either look through the window if it had one, and if it didn't, crack it open and peek into the room on the other side. None of them were an elevator or another cell for prisoners. At the end of the next corridor, though, there was an elevator door. I stepped into it, and pressed a button to take me to the floor above the one I was already walking on. It must have only been a few minutes before the door opened again, and a barricade with Turned riflemen on the other side was waiting for me on the other side. I projected a ward out in front of myself to shatter their plasma rounds as they were fired from their rifles. One of them was firing from a mounted machine gun on a bipod, and it didn't seem like he was going to stop firing any time soon, even as the other two were reloading their assault rifles. I warped behind the machine gunner and ran my aura blade through his chest, then slashed the two riflemen, cutting their necks with the very tip of my sword. I continued down the corridors, remembering what Vindria told me about the dungeons above where I was being kept. The epsilon woman was on this floor. I also remembered what Mom told me about her, though. She was possibly the most dangerous of the Seven, and was a master manipulator. On top of that, Vindria herself told me that she helped me for her own reasons, which could only make me think that she was using me somehow. I didn't like the idea of being used by anyone, but somehow it was worsened by the fact that it was the Archdemon of Lust herself using me. She gave me and Haemon the Soul Snare to capture Arion, and now, she cracked the warding sigil supposedly keeping me powerless so I could escape and kill Azzuran. There was something more to why she had helped me twice, now, but it didn't matter to me at the moment. I was looking for someone who needed me. When I wasn't moving, I felt Nato's aura drawing closer to me. She was looking for me, but didn't know about Azzuran's hostage. I would have to explain it to her, but she would understand. She was a Guardian, like me. If there was someone in danger, she would save them. Suddenly, there was a noise from behind me. The elevator had begun going up through the shaft. Soon enough, it came back down to my floor. Nato's aura was being carried on it, and my heart began to race as I felt it drawing closer.

"No," I whispered. The door opened, and I could hardly believe who I saw. Nato! She was actually here, not with me through some projection from her mind, halfway across the world.

"Finn," she gasped. "You're alright."

"I'm alright," I promised. "And so are you, it looks like. It also looks like you're really here."

"I am," said Nato. "Now, listen. I saw Azzuran on the floor below the surface, and there's an entire army of Turned up there with him."

"We'll have to deal with them later," I denied. "Azzuran has a hostage, and probably more. We have to free them before we go after Azzuran."

"Where?" asked Nato.

"On this floor, but I just got up here," I answered. "And you don't want to go to the very bottom."

"So, you were captured," Nato concluded, with a smirk.

"Not now," I growled. "Now, come on."

We went through the corridors, looking through every door we found, and for a long while, finding nothing. We went a bit further, though, and Nato said something.

"Here she is," she called. I walked over to where she was standing, seeing her jiggling the doorknob, but unable to open the door. Nato gave me a look with her eyebrows raised, then pulled her fist back and threw it at the door. I gritted my teeth at the sight, but her hand was completely fine. The door, on the other hand, had a giant dent all over it, and the top and bottom hinges were ripped from the wall. With a punch from her other hand, the door was thrown from the wall completely.

"Woah," I whispered, and Nato looked at me with a smile. We entered the room, finding the epsilon Doctor sitting in a corner, with her arms crossing her chest, shaking with terror. She was wearing the same thing she was when she woke me up, which was little more than filthy rags and footwraps.

"Hey," said Nato, slowly walking towards her. She bent down on her knees and touched her shoulders to comfort her, and I peeked out the door to see if there was anyone coming. Two Turned riflemen and shield bearers turned a corner in the opposite direction of the elevator, and I pulled my head back into the room.

"We've got company," I warned. "Two riflemen and two shield bearers."

Nato quickly jumped to her feet and looked out the doorway, and I looked to where the epsilon Doctor was sitting, but she wasn't there.

"Where's the Doctor?" I asked.

"I had a friend warp her out of here," Nato enlightened. "She's safe."

"Alright," I sighed.

"Hey!" one of the Turned soldiers shouted.

"Damn it," Nato cursed. "Cloak yourself."

I hugged the wall with my back as I drew my aura cloak over me, and Nato drew hers over herself. The Turned entered the room, waving their rifles and swords into every inch.

"The prisoner's gone!" one of the riflemen cried. "Inform Lord Azzuran that..."

I formed my aura blade and took his head off, then slashed across one of the shield bearer's chests before he could swing his black sword. The other two Turned were both dead at Nato's feet, but she wasn't covered in their blood. I would ask her how she killed them later. For now, our target was Azzuran, and we were together, now. As long as we were, and we fought together, the Archdemon of Envy would stand no chance against us.