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Glory to my Proofreader: Bakenekon. For he is the one who points out mistakes and acts as a good wall to bounce ideas off of.
I know i said not to expect much till I finish my finals, but leaving y'all high and dry for a month seemed like a dick move…
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Tarnished wiped the last bits of spectral mist from his blades, exhaling through his nose as the Mariner's body disintegrated into nothing. The battlefield around him was silent now, save for the faint sloshing of water against the ruined village's foundations. He glanced at the golden notifications in his vision.
[Picked-Up Item: 2,400 Runes]
[Picked-Up Item: Deathroot]
[Picked-Up Item: Skeletal Militiaman Ashes]
He nodded slightly, satisfied. That went about as smoothly as he had hoped.
"Well, well... Another fool who won't listen to reason, eh?"
Tarnished turned at the voice, spotting a familiar armored figure standing a few feet behind him, arms crossed over his chest. D, Hunter of the Dead, had been watching the fight. His helmet obscured his expression, but the approval in his tone was evident.
"It seems you've a prowess for weeding Deathroot..."
Tarnished tilted his head slightly before replying. "I suppose you could say that."
D took a few steps forward, his boots crunching against the damp ground. He looked Tarnished up and down, then nodded in approval.
"How would you like to earn the strength of beasts?" D asked, his voice steady. "If you're inclined to hunt more of Those Who Live in Death, and weed their Deathroot, then I'll introduce you to Gurranq, the beast clergyman. For now, I have a matter of my own to attend to. And the beast himself wishes for someone to take my place. What say you?"
Tarnished felt Marika's presence sharpen at the mention of that name.
"Gurranq… Could it be? Does the knight speak of who I believe he does?"
'Yeah.' Tarnished nodded slightly in his thoughts.
Marika's mood shifted slightly, a hint of relief threading through her voice. "So my shadow still stands vigilant… Good. Maliketh has ever been a stalwart guardian. If he remains, then all is not lost."
But Tarnished hesitated for a moment, rubbing his chin before adding, 'I'm not quite sure about the 'well' part of that sentence...'
"What do you mean?"
Tarnished exhaled slightly. 'He's still alive, yeah, but let's just say he's found a... Creative way to deal with Deathroot. It's not pretty.'
There was a long pause before Marika sighed, her usual exasperation returning. "Yet another matter I must take care of after I am freed… My work increases by the minute."
Tarnished chuckled internally. 'Tell me about it.'
D shifted slightly, interrupting his thoughts. "Well? What do you say?"
Tarnished tilted his head slightly, then shrugged. "Sure, show me." Not that he needed directions—he already knew exactly where the teleporter was. "Although, I don't have a map for this side of Limgrave yet, unless you happen to have one to spare on hand."
"Hm… That is fine." D said as he nodded, reaching into his pouch. "Then take this."
[Picked-Up Item: Limgrave, East Map]
"Huh.. Nice, thanks." Tarnished accepted the map, slipping it into his inventory and feeling his system's map update immediately. D straightened, crossing his arms once again.
"Be on your way, then." He said before his voice dipped into a warning tone. "And stay upon the path of the honeyed rays of Gold. Lest I need to strike you down with the rest of the heretical filth."
Tarnished watched as D turned and walked away, disappearing into the fog-covered ruins. He let out a slow breath, shaking his head before summoning Torrent.
Marika reappeared beside him, arms crossed, a smug look on her face.
"Now there is a warrior truly devoted to the Golden Order. If only thou wouldst show such dedication."
Tarnished groaned while shaking his head, grabbing the reins. 'Yes, Mom!'
Marika's golden eyes narrowed. "Tch.. Do not sass me, my champion!"
'Pfft.. Since when do you know what 'sassing' is?' Laughing under his breath, Tarnished kicked Torrent's sides and made his way into the main ruin of the village, leaving her huffing in his mind.
"'Tis not that difficult to understand…"
Tarnished got off of Torrent as they entered the ruins and motioned for the steed to wait for him to be back in a moment, his boots crunching softly against the overgrown stone floor as he looked around. His eyes landed on a stairway descending into darkness, barred by an imp statue's seal.
A slow grin crept onto his face. He reached into his inventory, retrieving a Stonesword Key and inserting it into the statue's waiting hands. The enchanted blades crossing the entrance shimmered and dissipated, granting him passage.
He took a step forward, his excitement growing—only to immediately freeze at the sight before him.
Turtles.
An entire underground chamber filled with them.
Marika materialized beside him, arms crossed, her golden gaze sweeping over the bizarre sight. She blinked once, then again, before speaking incredulously.
"Who, pray tell, saw fit to imprison these lowly creatures? And for what purpose?"
Tarnished tilted his head, glancing at her before shrugging. "Beats me. I'm just here for the talisman in that chest."
Ignoring the countless shelled creatures waddling about, he strode forward, weaving between them until he reached the lone chest sitting against the far wall. He swung it open and pulled out the prize within—an intricate metal emblem adorned with the carving of a great turtle.
[Picked-Up Item: Green Turtle Talisman]
A satisfied grin spread across his face as he unequipped his fire resistance talisman and replaced it with his new acquisition.
The effect was instantaneous.
A rush of energy flooded his veins, his stamina replenishing at a rate that was borderline intoxicating. He clenched and unclenched his fists, marveling at the invigorating sensation coursing through his body.
"Holy shit…" He took a deep breath, letting the euphoria wash over him. "This must be what being on cocaine feels like."
Marika pinched the bridge of her nose. "By the Erdtree… I do not wish to know what that means."
Tarnished simply chuckled and turned his gaze back to the turtles, now eyeing them with a new consideration.
He placed a hand on his chin, weighing his options. He could leave peacefully… Or he could harvest some of them for their valuable necks. 'Pickled Turtle Necks are an absolute lifesaver, after all…'
Marika sighed heavily. "Just decide already, wouldst thou? We have far more pressing matters to attend to. I must see what has become of Caelid so I might begin formulating a plan to undo whatever madness has befallen it."
Tarnished exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around the hilt of one of his Uchigatanas.
The turtles turned to him.
Their small, beady eyes—once filled with trust—shifted to uncertainty. Then to fear.
One of them, slightly larger than the others, seemed to stare directly into his soul. It was almost as if it knew.
He swallowed hard, feeling a pang of guilt settle deep in his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and whispered as he looked into the turtle's small beady eyes. "I'm sorry, little one…"
Marika groaned and dragged a hand down her face. "For the love of mine Order, cease thy dithering and slay the miserable beasts, so that we may depart at once."
Tarnished hesitated for only a second longer before steeling himself. "I'm going to! Damn!"
Then, under his breath, he muttered, "Heartless monster…"
Marika scoffed, crossing her arms. "Thou art such a child."
…
Tarnished emerged from the basement, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the warm glow of the afternoon sun. Torrent let out a soft snort upon seeing him, pawing at the dirt impatiently. Tarnished chuckled and patted the spectral steed's neck. "Yeah, yeah, I know I took a bit. Good boy for waiting."
With a practiced motion, he swung himself onto Torrent's back and nudged the steed forward, beginning the journey towards Caelid. The air grew heavier the further they rode, the golden warmth of Limgrave giving way to an ominous crimson haze.
Minutes later, the telltale reddish hues of corruption stained the horizon. The land ahead was twisted and dying, the ground cracked and blackened as if it had been scorched from the inside out. Enormous swords, rusted with time, jutted from the earth like grave markers, a silent testament to battles long past.
Tarnished guided Torrent carefully through the desecrated landscape, his eyes scanning for threats. As he crested a hill, a ruined structure came into view—its stone walls blackened by flames, its shattered remains barely resembling a church anymore.
Marika's presence sharpened as she regarded the sight before them.
"A church…?" She mused, golden eyes narrowing. "Defiled by flame, corrupted by filth… This land truly is no longer my own."
Tarnished hummed in agreement but said nothing as he nudged Torrent towards the ruins. However, before he could reach the entrance, a strange feeling crawled up his spine.
A presence.
A malevolent one.
Tarnished tensed and pulled back on Torrent's reins, scanning the area with a wary gaze. That was when a figure stepped out of the ruined church—clad in ragged, bloodstained cloth, a woman staggered forward, her head lowered and her body trembling.
She clutched at her side, as though wounded, and when she spoke, her voice was weak and pleading. "P-Please… You there, Tarnished… I need help… I- I was attacked…"
Marika materialized beside him, arms crossed as she watched the scene unfold with an unimpressed look.
"Pathetic." She scoffed. "Hiding behind feigned frailty… Tell me, mine Champion, how many fools dost thou believe hath fallen to such deception?"
Tarnished didn't respond. He simply slid off Torrent's back, his sharp eyes never leaving the woman before him. He sniffed the air slightly, then exhaled through his nose.
"Your bloodlust stinks." He muttered, drawing both his Uchigatana. "You're not fooling anyone."
The woman froze, her facade shattering in an instant. Then, her lips twisted into a cruel, feral grin. "Hmph… Well, aren't you a perceptive one…"
She straightened, all traces of weakness vanishing as she pulled a massive cleaver from behind her back, its edge slick with old blood. Her name appeared a moment later atop her head, along with a healthbar.
[Tarnished-Eater Anastasia.]
She lunged without warning, a wild gleam in her eyes as she brought her weapon crashing down.
Tarnished sidestepped smoothly, her cleaver slamming into the ground where he had just stood. The impact sent dirt and debris flying, but he was already moving, his blades flashing as he struck out at her exposed side.
Anastasia twisted unnaturally, avoiding the worst of the slash, but she overextended in her bloodlust, her reckless aggression leaving openings far too wide.
She swung again—high, then low—yet her attacks were fevered, predictable, wild.
Tarnished didn't even bother blocking.
He let her commit to an overzealous swing before stepping into her guard, his stance shifting in a blur.
The parry was precise.
A sickening clang rang out as his blade deflected her attack, leaving her wide open.
The riposte came swift and brutal, his blade sinking deep into her abdomen, immediately draining 40% of her healthbar away.
Blood spurted from the wound as she let out a gurgling snarl, staggering backward. Her grip tightened on her cleaver, her breath ragged, yet she refused to falter.
She came at him again, more erratic than before, swiping at him in a frenzy. Tarnished weaved between her attacks with ease, rolling past a downward chop before ducking under a horizontal slash.
Then, he saw his moment.
She overextended—just as he expected.
He twisted, parrying her strike a second time. The moment her stance broke, he surged forward. His first Uchigatana buried itself in her chest, her breath hitching sharply as Blood Loss was triggered, draining away 55% of her health and leaving her nearly dead.
His second flashed in a red arc, slicing through her neck in one clean motion. Her head hit the ground before the rest of her body.
[Enemy Felled]
The notification flickered in his vision, followed by another:
[Picked-Up Item: 2,600 Runes]
[Picked-Up Item: Sacred Scorpion Charm]
Tarnished let out a slow breath, flicking the blood from his blades before sheathing them.
Marika hummed in approval. "A swift and efficient execution. Well done, mine Champion."
He smirked slightly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "Hehe… Thanks."
Without another word, he turned towards the ruined church, stepping inside to activate the Site of Grace within. The gentle golden light washed over him, restoring his strength in an instant.
His gaze then shifted to a couple of fresh corpses on the church's floor, freshly flayed and stripped of both flesh and goods.
He assumed the poor bastards to have been Anastasia's latest victims; thankfully, however, it seemed like she was sloppy in looting them as she left a couple of cookbooks on their person which he gladly took.
[Picked-Up Item: Missionary's Cookbook (3)]
[Picked-Up Item: Nomadic Warrior's Cookbook (14)]
Satisfied, he stepped back out of the church, taking in the corrupted sky above. Summoning Torrent once more, he mounted his steed and turned eastward, riding toward the Rotview Balcony.
Marika watched the horizon darken as they approached the place where they could take in the true breadth of Caelid's corruption.
Tarnished could sense her unease even without looking.
"…Now you'll see for yourself." He murmured as the landscape twisted into something wholly unnatural. "What's left of your Farmlands."
Tarnished urged Torrent forward, weaving towards the twisted remnants of Caelid's scorched earth. The oppressive red sky loomed overhead, casting an eerie glow over the land. A moment later, a minor Erdtree came into view in the distance, its golden leaves standing in stark contrast to the corruption that surrounded it.
Marika materialized beside him, her golden eyes locking onto the sight of the Erdtree with something almost like hope.
"…A minor Erdtree." She murmured, her voice softer than usual. "Mayhap, 'tis not yet too late…"
Tarnished said nothing, merely clicking his tongue as he spurred Torrent onward. He vaulted over a smoldering stone wall with a well-timed double jump, landing just outside the dilapidated Shack of Rotting.
Before moving further, he took a moment to activate the nearby Site of Grace, the familiar golden warmth pulsing through him as the connection was established.
[Lost Grace Discovered]
Then, without hesitation, he strode forward to the edge of the hill, taking in the land that lay before him.
Caelid stretched out into the horizon like a vision from a fevered nightmare.
What was once a proud and fertile land had been twisted beyond recognition. The very soil itself was steeped in Scarlet Rot, its infected veins creeping along the ground like a festering wound.
The trees—those that still stood—were warped, their bark bloated and riddled with decay. Enormous fungal growths, sickly and pulsating, loomed across the land like grotesque tumors. The rivers ran thick with corruption, and the very air seemed heavy with disease.
A land of death.
A land of ruin.
Marika appeared fully beside him now, golden hair flowing behind her as she took in the scene before her.
And for a short while, she was completely and utterly silent.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Then, in a rare and entirely uncharacteristic moment—Marika swore.
"...What in the fucking blasphemy?" Her voice was low, almost disbelieving. "The Scarlet Rot hath consumed the land whole… Not even the soil remaineth untouched!"
Tarnished exhaled through his nose, watching as a pack of malformed crows pecked at something writhing in the filth below.
'Malenia happened.'
Marika stood motionless, as if frozen. Then, slowly, she turned to look at him.
"…Sure, thou dost jest." she said, though her voice held no confidence. "Malenia? My daughter? She.. She wouldst never-!"
Tarnished sighed, crossing his arms and gestured slightly to Caelid before them. 'Evidently, she did.'
Marika still looked as though she could scarcely believe it and was deeply in denial. "What madness could drive her to such ends?! My Malenia was ever the reserved child, always at Miquella's side. She wouldst not lay waste to an entire realm unprovoked!"
Tarnished tilted his head, mulling it over. 'Well… Let's just say she and Radahn weren't exactly on the best of terms after the Elden Ring shattered.'
Marika narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in thought. "A war between those two moronic children and their forces? Hah.. Surely, 'twas a conflict that shook the very foundations of the Lands Between… Yet this? This is no mere battlefield. This is pure and utter annihilation!"
Tarnished rubbed his chin. 'From what I know, they fought to a standstill. Some say it was a draw, some say Radahn was winning. Either way… Malenia wasn't happy with the outcome. So she climbed onto Radahn's back and…'
He hesitated.
Marika's golden gaze bore into him. "And?"
Tarnished sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. 'She… Bloomed.'
Marika blinked.
Her mouth opened.
Then closed.
Then opened again, her expression blank.
"…She what?"
Tarnished winced. 'Yeah… She bloomed. Right on Radahn's back. Didn't even win the fight, either. Had to get bailed out by one of her knights.'
Marika's jaw tightened.
Tarnished braced himself.
"She BLOOMED?!"
Her voice echoed in his mind, a mixture of outrage, disbelief, and sheer exasperation.
'She did.'
Marika pressed a hand to her forehead.
"She- She unleashed the Scarlet Bloom Flower upon the battlefield? On the very back of her own brother Radahn?!"
'Yyyep.'
"And in so doing, she utterly annihilated the land and left it to fester under the influence of the Outer God of Rot?!"
'Uh-huh.'
Marika inhaled deeply. Then exhaled. Then groaned in utter, soul-deep frustration.
"Greater Will, grant me patience, for I am surrounded by idiots and madmen…" She muttered. "Tell me, mine Champion, what grievous sin hath I committed to warrant such… Such-!"
Tarnished pursed his lips and raised a single finger in protest. 'Well, to start, you did kinda lock up two of your own kids in the sewers and then shatter the Elden Ring.'
Marika's head snapped toward him. "That was rhetorical, thou artless dog!"
Tarnished laughed, shaking his head. 'Come on, you walked right into that one.'
Marika muttered something incomprehensible, something that sounded suspiciously like a string of ancient profanities.
Then, abruptly, her tone shifted. "Enough. Say naught else. I must think."
Tarnished raised an eyebrow. 'What, seriously? That bad?'
Marika huffed. "Thou canst scarcely comprehend mine ire at present. Yet, I shall grant thee respite… For it seemeth mine daughter wisheth to speak with thee."
Before Tarnished could question her, she vanished into golden light.
A moment later, a familiar blue mist swirled behind him.
He heard soft footsteps, followed by a quiet voice.
"Greetings, Tarnished." Melina said, her expression impassive as she stepped forward. "Might I have a word with thee?"
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Author's Note:
Stones, please.
…
Next Chapter Title: A Day Trip Through Hell with my Maiden.
…
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