"He should still be at the Gravesite Plain. I was just considering whether to lead a detachment out to meet him personally. Because of the events in the Abyssal Woods, those Hornsent have started to become restless again."
Rellana shook her head. The events of a few days ago in the Abyssal Woods had once again stirred the long-dormant instability of the Land of Shadow. First, Miquella had aligned himself with the Hornsent, and now the Crusade had gained an unexpected and powerful ally. The balance had long since been shattered.
"The Abyssal Woods?"
Ranni stroked her chin, recalling the scenes she had observed from a distance.
"It is a pity that when those events transpired, I was busy dealing with a troublesome Fallingstar Beast. By the time I could observe, everything had already concluded."
She sounded somewhat regretful. The creatures within the ruins were not just the distorted Fingercreepers, whose forms differed from those in the Lands Between, but also Fallingstar Beasts that had descended from some unknown era.
Yet, deep down, she felt a flicker of pride. To think he could resolve such a troublesome Lord of Frenzied Flame in such a short time.
She gripped the Fingerslayer Blade in her hand. She was already beginning to fantasize about the future, standing alongside her King, using this very blade to carve an indelible curse-mark upon that mysterious Mother of Fingers.
"Hmm? In my haste, I failed to notice... even Moongrum has arrived? It seems I should go and welcome them personally."
Rellana watched with a touch of helplessness as Ranni bid her a hurried farewell and immediately opened a portal to leave. She looked at Melina beside her and said:
"It seems there is no need for you to lead a group out. That child, Ranni... she is as free-spirited as ever, even after all this time."
"But to think even Moongrum has followed... I suppose it is necessary to speak with her."
Upon the Gravesite Plain, the scorched earth groaned beneath the weight of wagon wheels. Ash-grey dust trailed along the road gnawed by war, stretching into a slowly moving silhouette as the convoy of over a hundred people advanced.
The wind of the Gravesite Plain carried the scent of char and decay, whipping past Moongrum's visor. His fingers tightened slightly over the hilt of his sword.
As a knight who had followed the Queen from the very beginning, even after spending so long within the Academy, the vigilance carved into his bones had not diminished in the slightest—especially on such a chaotic battlefield.
At the edge of his vision, the outline of Castle Ensis loomed, shrouded by shadows. That was their destination.
His gaze traced the veil in the sky, eventually landing on the Scadutree where all things converged.
In his memory, the Scadutree had once been lush, every leaf flowing with warm golden nectar—the greatest guarantee of the "Age of Plenty" when the Golden Order possessed an inexhaustible supply of dew.
With the severing of the Land of Shadow, that brief era of abundance had come to an end. The abandoned and betrayed Scadutree, fueled by profound resentment, had transformed into the twisted form it held today. It was truly a sight that evoked a sense of melancholy.
He turned his head toward the center of the convoy, where several heavy carriages were packed to the brim. The thick oak hulls were reinforced with powerful magical seals to ensure safety, a faint blue glow shimmering through the cracks.
Those were high-purity Glintstones taken from the Academy. Not only were they raw materials for crafting high-level staves, but they also served as cores for massive magical arrays.
To be able to produce such a quantity at once, they in a sense had to thank the professors who had been turned into Sorcerer Spheres. During the long years of the Shattering, those men had done nothing but huddle within the Academy, mining Glintstone to reinforce the seals.
Yet those fools didn't even know who had created the very seals that could withstand the assault of the Golden Order's armies.
In the end, Lady Ranni had personally opened the seals, and the Storm King along with Sellen had marched in to easily dispatch the Academy's resistance.
Those Glintstones, originally intended to maintain the seals, had now become the finest gift for the Twin Moon Knight.
Suddenly, movement stirred from the plain of tombstones to the left. Two pale figures darted out like ghosts—Hornsent Curseblades wielding massive circular blades.
They hunched their bodies, rushing forward in a distorted posture, aiming directly for the guards of the outermost carriage.
But before Moongrum could even raise his hand to give an order, a trail of flame spread across the ground from the front of the convoy. Upon reaching the position of the Curseblades, the ground suddenly cracked in a web-like pattern. Countless charred vines erupted from the earth, coiling around and piercing the enemies' limbs like venomous serpents.
"Aaaagh—!"
The shrill screams lasted only a moment. Intense flames surged along the vines, and the bodies of the Curseblades rapidly dissolved in the fire. Their very bones turned to ash; this time, not even a shadow would remain. It was total annihilation at the level of the soul.
Moongrum gazed at the source of those flames, his eyes filled with a mix of reverence and an undeniable gravity.
At the very front of the convoy, the figure known as the "Scholar" walked slowly. His charred, charcoal-black trunk looked like a piece of wood burned through, moving only via the support of dozens of slender vines beneath him. Every step carried an uncanny, "squirming" sensation.
His exposed torso was covered in cracked patterns, with red flames smoldering within the fissures, yet not a single spark leaked out. Even the outer robes covering his body remained perfectly intact.
Moongrum had once tried to sense the other's aura, only to touch a void of absolute silence. No heartbeat, no breath—not even a trace of the "life-force" a living being should possess. Even though he had been informed of the other's identity beforehand, it was still difficult to feel at ease.
Three more Curseblades launched a surprise attack from the right. They had clearly learned from the previous lesson and charged directly for the "Scholar."
But this time, the Scholar didn't even turn his torso. The flames within his trunk merely flickered slightly, and a circular wall of fire instantly rose from the ground. Countless burning branches reached out from the wall, pinning the Curseblades firmly in place.
The bodies of the Curseblades turned to ash at a visible rate. Even the soul-sigils they attempted to detonate were completely devoured by the flames.
Similar ambushes had occurred many times along the way, but every single one ended with the same result, failing to even hinder the convoy's progress.
Moongrum withdrew his gaze, his throat feeling dry. He had seen the form of Messmer's flame before the Twin Moon Knight left the Academy. That powerful fire could incinerate flesh and cause immense agony, but because the Rune of Death was sealed, it would still leave the soul behind.
But the Scholar's fire was different. It could utterly annihilate even the soul. From this point alone, he was certain that the other's power shared the same root as the Storm King's.
Gawain, riding atop Torrent, glanced back at the scattered piles of ash before turning his gaze toward the three-meter-tall Aldia. Even on horseback, he could not maintain eye level for a conversation.
He had to admit, these methods of attack were exactly as he remembered. Who knew how many blind Hornsent had been skewered and roasted on the spot during this trip? It was the kind of thing even Messmer would appreciate.
"Tsk. Your method of attack is truly brutal. Skewering them first then roasting them immediately... It makes me look quite kind in comparison. I usually just crush the soul directly to ensure they feel no pain."
"I am merely a scholar; I do not have combat power as great as yours. Therefore, not fighting is for the best."
Gawain's mouth twitched. Was this something the hidden final boss of Dark Souls 2 should be saying? With this level of combat power, even his predecessor—the Bearer of the Curse who had been tricked into curing himself and fought through Drangleic—would likely find him a handful.
After he had released Aldia, even though the latter had compressed his form as much as possible to resemble a Lothric Sage, he was still far too conspicuous. Gawain wondered how he would convince Rellana to let this entity come into contact with the Shamans.
Just as he was feeling a bit pensive, a portal slowly opened in the air ahead, and Ranni stepped out.
Evidently, when Ranni's eyes landed on Aldia, she also looked quite surprised. What on earth was this thing that could grow to look like that?
However, a moment later, she didn't care too much. There were plenty of more abstract things among the stars; a piece of wood becoming a spirit wasn't that strange.
Moongrum and the others halted their advance upon seeing the Lunar Princess and stood by for orders.
"Ranni? I thought you were supposed to be investigating those ruins. Why have you suddenly come here? Any new discoveries?"
"I sensed your return. A convoy of this size is not hard to find."
"I have investigated most of what needed to be checked, but this is not the place for talk."
Ranni slowly approached Gawain. She had no intention of immediately sharing the unconfirmed secrets she had uncovered. After giving a slightly odd look to Aldia—who remained unresponsive, seemingly lost in thought—she continued:
"Hmm. You have brought more people and supplies this time than I imagined. My aunt should be pleased."
"It seems the passage Miquella left behind is quite useful."
She looked at the carriages emanating a thick aura of Glintstone. If she had possessed this quantity of Glintstone back when she was besieged by the Cuckoo Knights while trying to conserve her strength, she wouldn't have had to swallow her pride to seek help from a Tarnished she had only just met—and eventually get herself entangled with him. Though, she also felt it had been a very worthwhile trade.
"Indeed. That is why I had some Nox and Academy sorcerers find ways to reinforce the passage he left. In the future, it might even be possible to transport a full army."
"However, I suspect Messmer could probably crush Belurat with his Crusade alone if I helped. So, this is mainly to ensure the Lands Between can smoothly establish a connection with the Land of Shadow in the future."
"That is not bad. Once everything concludes, my aunt should have time to return to the Lands Between to visit Mother."
A smile played on Ranni's lips. In her eyes, if anyone could restore her mother to normal—aside from dragging her "deadbeat dad" back from the Erdtree to apologize—it could only be a visit from her own sister, Rellana.
"Let us go. We head back to Castle Ensis first. I have already cleared the road ahead; there should not be too many eyesores left."
Gawain looked forward and indeed saw several scattered Hornsent corpses by the roadside. He then pulled Ranni up onto the saddle and ordered the convoy to pick up the pace.
Before long, the camp in front of Castle Ensis was no longer as silent as it once was.
This fortress-city, once deathly still due to war and the shroud of shadow, was currently enveloped in an indescribable atmosphere of excitement. Soldiers gathered in small groups near the tents; even those who had been so numb to the outside world they had stopped reacting were showing a long-lost curiosity.
Low-voiced discussions and occasional gasps of wonder intertwined, and the air itself was thick with a restless anticipation.
In a way, this was related to the commotion Gawain had caused in the Abyssal Woods. He had dealt with the Lord of Frenzied Flame—the physical manifestation of despair. To some extent, this had lightened the intangible mental pressure weighing on everyone.
Near the center of the crowd's focus, Rellana let out a small sigh of relief. Just now, it had taken nearly all her effort to restrain and dissuade Muliitier from charging out with her Milady to meet the arrivals.
One had to understand that nearly half of the garrison at Castle Ensis consisted of the veterans Rellana had brought from the Academy years ago. Even after being integrated with the Crusade, years of camaraderie and subtle influence meant they always maintained a special respect for the Carian Royal Family.
First, Ranni, the legitimate heir of the Carian House, had visited, which had caused a sensation when the news spread. Now, it was confirmed: Moongrum, one of the oldest Carian Knights, had also arrived in the Land of Shadow, bringing much-needed supplies and aid.
All of this seemed inextricably linked to that newly appeared, powerful warrior. Although he was a Tarnished—and theoretically their enemy—Messmer himself had said nothing after visiting, and Melina, a child of Queen Marika, was his inseparable maiden.
In this light, that Tarnished seemed even more "legitimate" than those of them in the Crusade who could no longer see the Grace.
Amidst the discussions, the soldiers' gazes toward the city gates grew increasingly fervent. For them, they had long since grown tired of this endless war. In this grey Land of Shadow, anything that could move the situation in a positive direction and break the stalemate was worth everyone's anticipation.
"Do you think... he can truly bring a way to save the Shamans?"
"Messmer specifically told me to report the situation at any time when he was last here."
At this moment, Rellana actually felt a bit anxious. She knew that the powerlessness regarding the Shamans' condition was one of the burdens Messmer found hardest to bear. After all, the kin of Queen Marika held a deeper significance in that man's heart than most imagined.
"Sister Rellana, this is the fourth time you have asked me. Rest easy. Though he returned sooner than I expected, he will surely bring good news. Some of the methods he commands are far more miraculous than you can imagine."
Melina patiently comforted Rellana again and again. She had never doubted him from the beginning, but she was indeed curious as to what form the treatment would take.
Finally, after a few faint explosions echoed from the direction of Belurat, a convoy flying a unique banner finally appeared in the sight of the garrison.
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash
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