So he was a merchant after all...
After a brief conversation, Lloyd learned the name and background of the "Santa Claus" standing before him. His name was Kalé, a member of a nomadic tribe, traveling the land and making a living through trade.
At first, Lloyd assumed he might be a shady dealer like the Old Woman from Firelink Shrine, but when he casually asked for a recommendation, Kalé pulled out a toolbelt.
"If you have enough Rune, I recommend this toolbelt. With it, you'll be able to gather materials and craft some basic items."
...Seriously?
Lloyd eyed the toolbelt and its 300 Rune price tag, his expression subtly shifting.
Although he was still unfamiliar with the economy of the Lands Between, the undead and foot soldiers in the Cave of Knowledge had each dropped several hundred Runes. That fiery brute who looked like Gundyr—though apparently misfiled by the system—had dropped five thousand, and even the mounted elite guarding the church entrance had given 3,200.
Looking at the item list, he noticed a familiar-looking "telescope" reskin priced at 500 Runes, yet the crafting toolbelt only cost 300...
Suppressing the odd feeling in his chest, Lloyd started browsing Kalé's wares.
With plenty of Runes and no Finger Maiden around to help him level up, Lloyd decided to spend it all here. He bought the toolbelt, a Cracked Pot, a Telescope, two Crafting Notes, a Torch, a Large Leather Shield, and a few Throwing Daggers...
His once-empty inventory finally had some substance.
After finishing his purchases, Lloyd struck up a conversation with Kalé.
But the longer they talked, the stranger Lloyd's gaze became.
"This is just the fair price. Maybe a bit low, but I still make a profit..."
"My goal is to help important customers stay alive..."
"I'm really happy with this deal. Thank you for trusting me..."
Wait a second... is this guy actually a good person?
Decent prices, honest recommendations, no scams. After finding out Lloyd had amnesia, he even offered a wealth of knowledge about the Lands Between for free. And in the end, he genuinely thanked him—just because Lloyd had trusted him and chatted with him.
Even Varré had a suspiciously sarcastic vibe. Judging by the way he left, he might've just been luring him to get slaughtered by the Tree Sentinel for a laugh.
But this Santa Claus...
"Hey, just asking—are you planning to restock soon? Maybe make a couple trips, and then swing by the Royal Capital?"
Kalé: "?"
Seeing Kalé's confused expression, Lloyd didn't know how to explain.
After all, it's not like he could say, "Good people in Souls-like worlds don't tend to have happy endings."
Especially this guy. Fair prices, solid recommendations—it all reminded him of a certain thief who made three trips to get supplies for him, only to die in the Royal Capital.
In any case, he made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
Why care so much about a merchant he'd just met?
Well, in a world like this, good people were rare. For an undead hated by all, constantly attacked wherever he went, someone who didn't immediately try to stab him was already showing incredible kindness.
Ever since realizing this wasn't just a game world but reality, Lloyd had tried hard to communicate with people.
But aside from Alice, Kalé, and the Varré encounter earlier, everyone else—undead, soldiers, even the Tree Sentinel—had responded with violence, with no interest in talking.
Maybe to an ordinary person, Kalé's kindness seemed trivial. But to Lloyd, even the smallest gesture of goodwill was rare and valuable.
If someone treated him well, he returned the favor.
Lloyd never thought of himself as a good person, but he had his own principles.
After shopping, chatting, and learning a few basics about the Lands Between, Lloyd got up again and headed in the direction guided by the Site of Grace.
Along the way, he encountered more undead and soldiers like those in the Cave of Knowledge. Even though he still lacked a Finger Maiden to help him level up, his obsessive undead-hunting nature wouldn't let him leave a single one behind. He also gathered nearby materials as he moved.
Further ahead, he came across a ruined area, where familiar soldiers were wandering.
From his chat with Kalé, he learned they were called "Godrick's Soldiers," which clearly meant they served a lord named Godrick.
Thanks to Kalé's explanations, he now knew quite a bit about Godrick as well.
The Golden, the Shardbearer, the Grafted—Godrick was not only of the Golden Lineage and a Demigod, but also held one of the fragments of the shattered Elden Ring...
After hearing Kalé's explanation, Lloyd fell into deep thought.
If he remembered correctly, Varré had mentioned that the Tarnished had come to this land to vie for the Elden Ring—and Kalé had confirmed that, even saying it was common knowledge in the Lands Between.
If that was the case, then it was likely he'd have to face this Godrick guy sooner or later. At the very least, they were destined to be enemies. The only thing was… he had no idea how strong Godrick actually was.
He glanced at Alice, who lingered nearby, her presence faint and barely noticeable.
Lloyd pondered, "With all those flashy titles, this guy's gotta be the real deal, right? There's no way he's weaker than that little girl who appeared out of nowhere, barely draws attention, and disappears the moment a fight breaks out."
But given Alice's strength, if Godrick was even more powerful, then sure—he could handle it with his main character. But with this low-level alt, the difficulty might be a bit too much...
And thinking back, even though he had one-shotted that weird burning brute with his main, it was obvious from the guy's movements that he wasn't just some pushover. Then there was that Tree Sentinel he had to whittle down forever with a stick before finally defeating it—this game's difficulty really was something else.
Maybe he'd gone the wrong way? Like picking a fight with the third boss too early and running into the Dragonslayer Armour?
But that didn't make much sense either—the basic soldiers still felt pretty balanced...
While mulling this over, Lloyd cleared out the soldiers stationed at a nearby outpost and discovered a "Whetstone Knife" inside a chest.
Reading the item description, Lloyd raised an eyebrow.
"Affinities" was easy enough to grasp—but what the hell was an "Ash of War"?
Whatever. First things first: light the fire.
Catching a golden glimmer out of the corner of his eye, Lloyd sheathed the knife, walked toward the golden light, sat down, and reached out his hand.
But this time, after touching the Site of Grace, he didn't get up immediately.
Because the moment he made contact, two figures suddenly appeared in front of him.
Wait—two?
Lloyd looked up, and the two figures, upon seeing each other, paused in surprise as well.
What's going on here? Are they traveling together?
"Hold up a sec."
While the two were still locked in a silent stare, Lloyd suddenly noticed something. He reached out to stop the hooded figure in black robes who was about to speak, his eyes fixed on the one beside her—a figure in a pale yellow dress with a dark yellow cloak, scorched as if touched by flame.
"Brother, did you really think I wouldn't recognize you just because you changed your skin?"
"I never assumed that, my dear kin."
The yellow figure removed the hood, revealing a delicate face stripped of its eyes. Within the sockets, a faint, frenzied yellow flame flickered.
"I heard you didn't have a Finger Maiden, so I came to offer assistance."
Lloyd frowned. "You tried to kill me last time."
"That was just a greeting."
The yellow figure shook their head.
"The strength of a flame depends on the kindling used. You should know that better than anyone."
"As flame yourself, you must understand—I don't yearn to consume cold ashes. I crave a blaze that burns bright and wild."
"That's why I hope you burn even fiercer. And for that, I'm willing to offer you strength."
"However..."
Glancing at the black-robed figure beside them, the yellow figure pulled the hood back up.
"It seems you don't need me—for now."
"But that's alright. I'll be waiting here."
"Chaos."
"If you ever need me, just call that name. I'll come again."
With a slight bow, the yellow figure vanished.
...
As the light faded from the spot where they'd stood, Lloyd smacked his lips twice.
What the hell was that guy even talking about?
All that nonsense about flames and kin—he didn't understand a word of it.
He'd thought a new boss had shown up. Just as he was getting hyped and ready to draw his sword, they had a brief chat and the person just vanished. What the hell was that? A tease?
Wait—this wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Lloyd turned to the black-robed figure.
"Sorry for the long chat. Was there something you needed?"
The black-robed figure was clearly thrown off by the unexpected interruption. Whatever introduction she had planned was now completely useless.
At Lloyd's question, she stayed silent for a moment, eyes drifting to the spot where the yellow figure had disappeared.
"Was she your Finger Maiden?"
"No. I didn't even know her before this."
Even if he didn't understand all that riddle talk, he at least remembered one thing: "Chaos."
"You don't know her? Then why...?"
"Maybe because we fought before. It lost and still haven't gotten over it."
Lloyd thought for a second.
"Though what you just saw was probably just a skin—an alias. As for her real name…"
"I think it was something like 'Frenzied Flame'?"
Clang!
The black robe was thrown aside as the girl instantly dropped into a crouch right in front of him.
The one-eyed girl stared straight into Lloyd's face, expression tense.
"You said... who was she again?"