- Spoiler:
- This is the story of Artorias, told through my eyes/how I perceived it. I guess you could say it's in the realm of fanfiction. If this doesn't belong here then by all means move it, I didn't think it would belong in the Archives as it's for the most part non-canon, namely the second half. Also, feel free to call me out on this being dumb or corny, it's just something I felt like doing for fun.
There once was a Knight named Artorias. He was one of the four loyal knights of the Great Lord Gwyn. It is said that he was unmatched with a greatsword, and that he was so poised in battle that no one could break his stance. He was a passionate knight, with a seething hatred for the ones who stole humanity from others, the Darkwraiths. He vowed one day to erase them and their leader Kaathe from the land of Lordran. He would get that opportunity when he came across the art of abysswalking.
He would be dubbed Artorias the Abysswalker by those who knew him, and used his new ability to wage his own personal war against the Darkwraiths. Eventually he made his way to the kingdom of Oolacile, which was under duress from the very thing that Artorias was seeking to destroy. Artorias fought valiantly, but was eventually pushed back and injured by the abyss, which was slowly taking control of him. Exhausted, with his left arm practically dust in his armor, he bequeathed his magic shield to his companion Sif and sent him away, allowing the abyss to take control of his body.
Eventually, this tortured, fallen knight set upon a traveler who was seeking to do the same thing Artorias did. This abyssal husk attacked the Undead relentlessly, doing everything in it's power to kill this new threat to the abyss. Eventually, it was struck down, and Artorias was able to see and think again, if just for a moment. He pleaded for the Undead to finish what he had started, and save Oolacile from the darkness that was engulfing it. He died soon after, having left his faith in someone who could get the job done.
The Undead had realized what he had just done. He had heard whispers before, tales of how Artorias had gone down fighting in a blaze of glory against the abyss. It was a story that inspired those who knew it, and if it were discovered that he was turned into the inhuman husk that he became, that inspiration would cease to exist. The Undead knew he had to preserve that legend, so he donned Artorias's armor and took up his sword, to fight the abyss as Artorias and preserve his legend.
The Undead succeeded. After travelling into the Chasm of the Abyss and freeing Artorias's partner Sif, he challenged the father of the abyss itself, defeating it and saving Dusk and all of the kingdom of Oolacile. He emerged from the chasm, exhausted yet victorious. He would return to the colosseum in which he fought the possessed Artorias, and discover someone close to him. Ciaran, another knight of the Great Lord Gwyn, was praying over a makeshift tombstone for Artorias. Without a word, the Undead placed Artorias's armor and weapon next to Ciaran, and placed his tortured soul in her hands. He then left to return from whence he came, successful in both his mission to defeat the abyss and to preserve Artorias's legacy.