Today, she would risk her life to accompany Frieren. Regardless of how dangerous the Frenzied Flame seal was, Melina decided to follow the ancient sorcerer. Not to mention the havoc it had wrought across the Lands Between for years, the potential threat of seducing Tarnished alone was intolerable.
Moreover, the Frenzied Flame, when combined with a qualified quasi-king, was capable of burning the Erdtree, making it a perilous factor that absolutely had to be eliminated.
Fortunately, with Frieren's aid as the strongest sorcerer, exploration proved undemanding; a single Gravity Ball allowed them to descend with ease. The silver-haired girl even made sure to collect treasures along the way:
[Frenzied Burst]
[A prayer from the Three Fingers of Frenzied Flame. Can ignite yellow frenzied flames from the eyes, grabbing the target and infecting them with the status ailment Frenzy.]
[The executor themselves will also accumulate the Frenzy meter. Only effective on Tarnished.]
[Eye contact, mutual gaze—]
[This is probably the most frequent interaction between humans.]
Frieren mused that the prayer was rather strange, limited to affecting Tarnished and in such an ambiguous manner. Such zero-distance contact—not to mention the Frenzied Flame itself—could easily spread other infections.
She casually stored it away and paid no more attention, especially since she had promised Melina to minimize her use of Frenzied Flame abilities. Even the so-called Lord of Frenzied Flame, Midela's prayers, were merely that, relying entirely on personal attributes and lacking special mechanisms, nothing more.
After descending another segment, a cascade of messages appeared. A treasure buried deep in the Frenzied Flame seal pit? In the late game, it shouldn't be bad. Curious, Frieren immediately used the Gravity Ball to reach the designated location.
[Fingerprint Stone Shield]
[A giant stone shield covered in fingerprints. One of the heaviest greatshields.]
[This is part of an ancient god's tomb, said to be the finger of an unsevered finger, leaving traces of its own words—]
[This might be the beginning of frenzy.]
As a weapon found within the Frenzied Flame pit, it exuded an eerie quality. Touching its rough surface, Frieren felt not only a residual madness but also a profound, solid sense of security.
Incredibly hard, remarkably sturdy. If enhanced with magic shields and similar spells, its potential for toughness seemed limitless. She tried her hand at enchanting it.
After strengthening, it could probably block ancient dragons. Even the Godfrey clone she had just fought would find it difficult to break through this shield head-on. If one were willing to fight 'ugly,' constantly holding the shield aloft would be a viable tactic, albeit likely an amusing sight.
Frieren found the Fingerprint Stone Shield somewhat ill-fitting for her own style, yet as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The messages scattered across the ground were filled with lavish praise, their conspicuous annotations seemingly meant to ensure no one missed out.
[The shield-poking build is complete, the Tarnished is invincible in the Lands Between.]
[When will this Frenzied Flame jumping game end? If it weren't for the Fingerprint Stone Shield, I wouldn't want to suffer.]
[Looking at the bloodstains jumping all the way down, they are all death replays, too funny.]
[The mystery of lemming suicide.]
[The most classic image is still the Fingerprint Stone Shield, holding a cement board and just poking.]
[Taught a harsh lesson by the beasts of the Shadow Realm. No, couldn't hold it at all, finally had to choose shield-poking. Since you are merciless, don't blame me for being ruthless, start repeating.]
[Special effects? Wind-up? From beginning to end, I only felt the Promised King and Miquella were all flash and no substance, ending with just a hint of frost.]
[Radahn's greed for the sword cost him; otherwise, he could have lasted a few more rounds.]
[When facing the BOSS, you don't have the security that the Blasphemous Blade can give me. Shield defense is the hard truth, the only thing to worry about is stamina management.]
[Forget it, choose the electric wheelchair.]
[Although there are many strong builds, the versatile and guaranteed answer will eventually return to shield-poking.]
Frieren found herself tempted to try it. She even drew weapons like the Godskin Stitcher and Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, experimentally poking the narrow corridor's edge.
Without reinforcement, the damage wasn't enough, but it was definitely safe.
Watching this, Melina shook her head, a confused expression on her face; it was completely unlike Frieren's usual style.
Frieren had already formed a general understanding of the build's capabilities. It was indeed sturdy, but unfortunately, it had little to do with sorcery.
Back to the topic, they continued exploring. The platform beneath them proved surprisingly deep, yet they could vaguely discern solid ground far below.
This glimpse of their destination spurred their confidence; otherwise, they wouldn't know when their descent would end. They decided to commit fully.
So the silver-haired girl snapped her fingers, strengthening the Gravity Ball. A grander application of magic lifted them both, propelling them straight down.
A moment later, descending like a feather, they finally landed on solid ground.
Upon landing, they exchanged wary glances. Yes, the aura was unmistakable. They had arrived.
From the Site of Grace, turning a corner, they saw a door covered in finger marks—some red, some resembling melted, scorched black metal—forming eerie patterns. Anyone who gazed upon it would instantly know it foreboded ill.
Melina solemnly warned, "Some rumors in the Lands Between are not groundless. I didn't expect the Three Fingers to be sealed in the deepest part of the Royal Capital. It's probably the most secret place in the world, undisturbed for thousands, even tens of thousands of years."
"Unless guided by a Frenzied Flame believer like Shabriri, ordinary people won't know about it," she continued. "Eight out of ten who manage to reach this point are likely powerful enough to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame."
It was almost a proving ground. As everyone knew, the quasi-king Vyke was once seduced by the Frenzied Flame and fell, said to have disappeared in the northern snowfields, his whereabouts unknown. In any case, it was extremely dangerous.
Frieren suggested, "Let's kill the Three Fingers here."
She had seen messages before that mentioned a Tarnished bearing the Frenzied Flame could ignite the Erdtree to replace the Maiden of Fire, a feasible path, but she had other choices and no need to cause Melina sadness.
Instead of constantly being on guard against the Frenzied Flame and considering retreat, it was better to eliminate it from the start to save trouble.
"My Destined Death is ready..." Before Frieren could finish, Melina instinctively covered her sealed left eye.
Both felt a strange magic beginning to stir. It seemed provoked either by the Frenzied Flame or by the Royal Capital itself.
Seeing this, Frieren immediately grasped her shoulder, and a gentle magic slowly flowed, initiating the healing of her soul.
"Your eye?" Frieren asked.
The sealed left eye briefly opened, emitting a ray of gloomy light, but the next moment Melina winced, closing her eyes again. She sighed deeply, and with the healing, felt a measure of relief.
"So that's it. The power of my sealed, gloomy eyes was originally meant to fell an Elden Lord imbued with the Frenzied Flame... but my body has been reshaped earlier and more perfectly than anticipated, causing the seal to loosen." She explained. "In this situation, re-encountering the Frenzied Flame caused the technique to misjudge. I likely won't be able to maintain the complete gloomy eyes much longer."
Melina explained the situation to reassure Frieren. She was even a little worried that this obvious backup plan might offend her companion, but Frieren merely gazed at the sealed door.
"So we have another reason to kill the Three Fingers of Frenzied Flame," Frieren stated. "Let's do it quickly."
Bang! Frieren pushed the door hard, but it didn't budge.
She then braced herself against the Frenzied Flame-sealed door and pushed back hard, but it felt like pushing against a mountain.
At the same time, Melina also pushed the door. The two looked at each other and said, "Three, two, one," in unison, pushing with all their might, gritting their teeth and persevering, but the opposite side was as solid as bedrock, showing no sign of loosening.
Of course, this wasn't their full strength. Nor was it the full strength of the Soul of Cinder Incarnation with its extremely high hidden attributes.
Don't forget, deep beneath the Royal Capital, any significant action risks exposure. Therefore, using large-scale force was out of the question. Even assassination had to be done in one decisive strike.
"What to do?" Melina looked around for clues, but unfortunately, the empty underground offered no hints.
"Wait a moment, let me think carefully..." Frieren was actually looking at the messages on the ground.
As it turned out, it wasn't a simple push-to-trigger mechanism; there was another step, an authentication. Without authentication, the door wouldn't open.
What kind of ridiculous design? The silver-haired girl flushed with embarrassment, falling into deep thought.
What was happening? Melina, who had been keenly observing her companion's reactions throughout, grew even more perplexed. Frieren had been acting strangely ever since they reached the Frenzied Flame seal. Could something be amiss?
Just as Melina was pondering this, Frieren, as if making up her mind, reached behind her collar and unfastened it.
With a click, the silver chest armor came off, followed by her shoulder armor, the chainmail beneath, and even the lapel of her robe.
"What are you doing?" Melina asked, horrified.
"Remember the appearance of Vyke's soul we met in the church? That was the mark of the Frenzied Flame burning. He failed, so the correct step to meet the Three Fingers should be to strip off the clothes and fully accept the blessing!"
It all made a dreadful, undeniable sense. Thus, Frieren reluctantly began to disrobe.
"That... shouldn't you turn around?" Melina asked.
"But you're the one who will be doing the work later." Clad only in her undergarments, Frieren swiftly changed the subject. "Almost there. I'll open the door; you handle the rest."
"Okay." Melina replied.
After the words fell, the silver-haired girl took two steps as one and walked forward, releasing a wisp of magic that indeed elicited a slight reaction from the seal, as if displaying the proof of the king.
A tendril of Frenzied Flame energy reached out, sensing her openness and growing more receptive.
Frieren stopped pretending. Pressing both hands against the doors, she slowly applied force. This time, they parted with ease, almost as if opening on their own.
Before their eyes was the enormous, curled Three Fingers, its skin pulsating with raw Frenzied Flame energy.
Seeing the visitors, it slowly uncurled, preparing to grasp, but the Tarnished, who should have been there to receive its blessing, stepped deftly aside.
Wrong move! Melina, behind Frieren, suddenly rushed forward, stabbing with her dagger. Destined Death immediately pierced the skin and entered the interior.
The Three Fingers let out a wail, but Frieren's shielding barrier was quicker. No sound escaped.
The struggling Three Fingers unleashed torrents of Frenzied Flame, yet all of it drifted harmlessly toward the silver-haired girl. With a flick of her hand, she effortlessly absorbed it.
For one who was already the third conduit of such flames, this level of power was utterly negligible. The final resistance was also meaningless.
The black-red magic of Destined Death supplanted the Frenzied Flame's color. Melina pulled the knife horizontally. The wound suddenly expanded under her strength, blooming with the energy of the Death Rune.
Even in its final moments, the Three Fingers thrashed with claws and teeth, but it could not defy the inexorable killing rules of the Lands Between.
The influence of the Frenzied Flame in this world utterly collapsed, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.
While this wouldn't immediately erase the Frenzied Flame from the Lands Between, it would render large-scale proliferation impossible, leaving only scattered embers to eventually fade.
After putting the knife back into its sheath, Melina breathed a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly, it had been so easy. Under their joint efforts, the Three Fingers were defeated.
Frieren, meanwhile, had retreated to the sealing hall and was redressing. This inexplicable ordeal finally concluded. It had been quite embarrassing, but fortunately, everything went smoothly.
"Perhaps part of my mission is to serve as a safeguard, eliminating the risk of Tarnished being seduced while also benefiting the populace," Melina murmured, touching her left eye. "This trip has been very fruitful."
"Indeed, and the Deathborn have been dealt with," Frieren added. "Though they spirited away the Prince of Death's corpse, the contamination won't spread."
Double joy. Two major problems were solved in a short time.
"We must be more vigilant," Melina warned. "By now, the people of the Lands Between must have realized the Deathborn's influence has waned. Your achievements are public, and this merit is universally acknowledged. As the Frenzied Flame weakens, people will inevitably associate it with you. Those aware of the Royal Capital's seal will surely deduce our infiltration."
"Morgott's aura lingers above, likely a result of his actions, but we should indeed depart." Frieren agreed.
It didn't matter who sealed it. The key was to continue ascending to the surface.
Since they had come this far, the mighty Soul of Cinder Incarnation couldn't just sneak around the sewers and leave. At least, they should witness the splendor and grandeur of the Golden Royal Capital.
The two continued on their journey. Their infiltration continued with uncharacteristic ease, steadily ascending.
For added safety, Frieren even summoned her spirit ashes, forming a small vanguard squad. With these spectral scouts at the forefront, remaining vigilant and dispatching weaker foes was effortless.
During this time, Frieren continued to loot relentlessly, acquiring treasures such as the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman +1 and the Fire Scorpion Charm. She was making a fortune.
The Royal Capital was indeed the richest place in the entire Lands Between, having sat on the resources of the entire Altus Plateau for years, rich and prosperous. Not to mention that in its heyday, resources from all territories flocked here, collectively forging the continent's foremost city. Even merely picking up 'garbage' in the sewers could yield so many treasures. The trip was worthwhile.
"Frieren, there's someone ahead." Melina's warning came just before the summoned spirits, already on guard, surged forward.
Their adversary was a Priest of Blood. Upon seeing the pair, his face contorted in shock, but before he could react, the spirit ash army swarmed him.
Tasked by Mohg to guard this location, Esgar was caught entirely off guard—a fatal oversight.
Latenna's arrows tore into his body, followed by the Black Knight, Horned Warrior, and Headless Knight charging at the forefront.
Boom! The colossal impact sent Esgar sprawling. As a sorcerer, he had no time to retaliate.
Pinned to the ground in the narrow confines, outnumbered, it quickly devolved into a one-sided assault.
From Frieren and Melina's vantage point, they couldn't even see their target, only a shifting wall of spectral allies.
They exchanged glances, idly wondering who it was as they felt the life force rapidly diminishing. Forget it, they didn't need to take action.
Within the Royal Capital sewers, the spirit ash army moved with the effortless grace of fish in water.
____
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
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