Inside the Stormhill Shack, a small bonfire was still burning. The strong wind occasionally blew in through the holes, making the tiny flame flicker and sway.
"Ugh..."
A chilly breeze brushed against Rodrika's face, gradually waking her from her groggy state.
Opening her emerald eyes, her vision was a bit blurry. After rubbing them with her fingers, her surroundings slowly became clear.
"Did I fall asleep?"
Rodrika propped herself up from the floor, and the blanket draped over her slid down. As she looked around, memories of her drunken state gradually surfaced in her mind.
Recalling her frivolous behavior, a blush slowly spread across the girl's cheeks.
"I actually did something like that..."
Rodrika's face flushed red as she lowered her head. Seeing the blanket on her knees, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she smiled as she stroked the fabric.
"Though Mr. Xia Yu is a bit strange, he's a good man."
However, this thought didn't last long before Rodrika spotted two unopened bottles of wine beside her.
"...Oh, Mr. Xia Yu."
Rodrika helplessly covered her face. After hesitating for a moment, she still didn't throw the two bottles away.
"Just... just to keep warm."
...On the other side, the departed Xia Yu had already found the Warmaster's Shack. Walking straight east from the Stormhill Shack leads to the Warmaster's Shack.
Speaking of which, there are really a lot of shacks in this world. Besides the first two, there's the Revenger's Shack, the Artist's Shack, Gowry's Shack, the Slumbering Wolf's Shack, the Isolated Merchant's Shack... Thinking about it, this world is truly impoverished; there isn't even a single intact wooden house, only shacks.
While his mind wandered, Xia Yu stepped into the shack. Inside was a knight clad in ornate armor. He was Xia Yu's target for this trip: the skill master, Bernahl.
Bernahl had the weathered face of a middle-aged man, with a scruffy beard growing wildly on his chin and messy black hair tied behind his head. He looked like someone with many stories to tell.
Xia Yu had wine, and the other man had stories, but now wasn't the time for drinking and storytelling. He was here to learn.
How could a student drink?
"...It's the first time I've seen you." Bernahl looked at Xia Yu as he walked in and spoke in a friendly manner, "I am Bernahl, a Tarnished just like you."
"Hello, I am Xia Yu."
Xia Yu also gave a friendly greeting. In the early stages, Bernahl was still a good person, but later on, he would become a Recusant who wantonly killed his companions for power.
A Recusant is one who betrays and profanes the golden order.
But this was also related to his experiences. Bernahl was a natural-born king, possessing the qualities of a monarch, but his circumstances caused him to lose his fighting spirit and the determination to become king.
By visiting the erdtree and repairing the elden ring, one can become the Elden Lord.
There is a sequence here: first, one must visit the erdtree, then enter its interior to repair the elden ring, and finally become the Elden Lord.
If one cannot even see the erdtree, then the subsequent steps are impossible, and one can never become a true king.
After the elden ring shattered, the erdtree grew Thorns of Rejection on its surface for self-protection, refusing to let anyone near.
This is the power of the erdtree. Only by setting the erdtree ablaze can the Thorns of Rejection be burned away. Only after the thorns disappear can one enter the erdtree to repair the elden ring.
To make the erdtree burn, a Kindling Maiden must burn herself, using her life to ignite the Flame of Ruin.
Melina, who travels with him, is a Kindling Maiden. That's why her nickname is Little Wood, because wood can ignite a fire.
As for Bernahl, he faithfully followed the guidance of the site of grace, blindly advancing toward the goal of becoming king.
Even with doubts and disagreements, he suppressed everything and walked steadfastly on the path to becoming king, until... that moment arrived.
Bernahl reached the Mountaintops of the Giants and the cauldron where a Kindling Maiden was needed to ignite the fire. The Finger Maiden who had accompanied him all this way did not hesitate to set herself ablaze for his path to kingship, hoping to ignite that celestial tree.
But... the erdtree did not burn. His maiden sacrificed herself but achieved nothing.
No one could explain it, and the Two Fingers he believed in remained silent. Bernahl lost everything and gained nothing.
Thus, he completely lost his fighting spirit and wandered aimlessly through The Lands Between, eventually playing the role of a teacher passing on combat skills in a shack before Stormveil Castle.
Perhaps soon, he would be recruited by Volcano Manor, become a Recusant, and choose to declare war on the greater will to avenge the maiden who died for nothing.
Of course, his end was also death, but not at the hands of the greater will; he was killed by the protagonist, the Tarnished.
Come to think of it, the protagonist Tarnished really is quite wicked. No wonder even a passing goat would headbutt him.
"Ahem, why the sudden daze?"
"Ah? Sorry, sorry. I just spaced out for a moment."
Xia Yu smiled sheepishly, tossing all his speculations about Bernahl to the back of his mind.
Bernahl didn't mind and asked as if casually, "Can I ask you something? Will you stay in these Lands Between and keep fighting?"
"Even if the golden order is broken beyond repair, will you still believe in the guidance of the site of grace?"
After asking, Bernahl fell silent, quietly waiting for Xia Yu's answer.
"Hmm... well." Xia Yu thought for a bit and decided to speak his true thoughts, out of respect for a warrior. "I will fight, but I won't blindly follow guidance. I know my own path, so I only believe in myself."
"...Hmph, quite a rebellious answer." Bernahl gave a wry smile, his expression somewhat lonely. "If only I had also... never mind. Things change, and the past is gone."
"Then, do you have any interest in inheriting my Ashes of War?" Bernahl resumed his previous expression and asked the rebellious young Tarnished before him. "I only know the way of the sword, and I've poured my heart into these skills. I want to pass them down. Even if you aren't a model Tarnished, I admire you, so I'm willing to teach you."
"I am willing."
Because that was my purpose for finding you in the first place, Xia Yu added silently in his heart after responding.
"Good, then you are my disciple." Bernahl smiled silently. "In this land, there are still many skills I haven't seen. Skills are proof of a warrior's struggle, defeat, and death; they are the most vivid of hero stories. That is why I cannot part with the sword and its skills—they convey and bestow meaning upon defeat and death."
"Then, let us begin our training."
...[elden ring]: Great, I'm about to start my miserable student life too.
[marvel]:!!!
[marvel]: Congrats, congrats! Let's encourage each other!
[dark souls iii]: Congrats, congrats. You guys work hard; I'll just sit back and wait for the harvest.
[marvel]: You bastard, you work hard too! Go find a pyromancy teacher and learn some pyromancy!
[dark souls iii]: I'm afraid I'm powerless. I haven't even beaten the gatekeeper dog yet. I'm still at the High Wall of Lothric. You know the pyromancy teacher is trapped over in the Undead Settlement.
[marvel]: Then go fight him, you bastard!
[dark souls iii]: Generally speaking, I probably can't win right now. So I'll wait a bit longer. As soon as a new Xia Yu joins the group, I'll go fight him immediately.
[Xia Yu has joined the Chat Group!]
[Xia Yu has joined the Chat Group!]
[dark souls iii]:... [dark souls iii]: My damned jinx of a mouth, f*ck!
Bernahl is actually quite tragic. The maiden who accompanied him sacrificed herself but achieved nothing. The erdtree didn't burn, and the game doesn't explain why only Melina can be the Kindling Maiden while other maidens can't do anything. If that's the case, then why did the greater will summon the Tarnished? You can't enter the erdtree, and the game's plot is all hazy. Miyazaki, we are irreconcilable!