After Aldia finished the treatments, he did not linger. He simply took a few magic scrolls from Castle Ensis that piqued his interest—including some structural designs of the Furnace Golems brought back earlier—and returned to the space within the Darksign.
Before departing, he promised to produce a manufacturing blueprint in short order. It would be a specialized war machine for the Land of Shadow, combining the technology of Iron Passage with that of the Golems and Dragonkin Soldiers. This heavy ordnance was a necessity for the upcoming assault on the Royal Capital.
After all, the territory Gawain currently held was arguably "over-fortified." Between the storms of Stormveil Castle and the Great Barrier of the Academy, even in his absence, the Golden Order at its zenith would have found it a tough nut to crack—to say nothing of the various half-dead factions currently vying for power.
However, his offensive capabilities were somewhat lacking. Whether it was Golems or Dragonkin Soldiers, the manufacturing processes were either lost or too complex to field a proper army in a short timeframe. A more efficient substitute was needed.
He certainly wasn't going to let his men reenact the "abstract" horror of the cinematic trailers, where the sovereign alliance attacked Leyndell by simply throwing waves of human bodies at Golem great-arrows.
In his vision, a proper future battle would involve a legion of sorcerers saturating the battlefield with long-range magic, while Sky Dragon Knights firmly held air superiority. By the time the infantry entered the fray, the enemy should already be crippled.
Even then, the advance would need to be covered by various war puppets to minimize casualties. Elite forces like the Crucible Knights were meant for breaking sieges and mopping up die-hard resistance, not for attrition.
In the past, he lacked resources and had to personally charge at the front to carve out a path. But now that he had built such a force, who would bother with traditional, archaic tactics?
Even in the world of Dark Souls, where the living were few and far between, he had only broken through the Twin Princes' defensive line after uniting the last of the Link the Fire faction in Lothric.
On the ramparts of Castle Ensis at night, Gawain gazed down at the brightly lit city for a long time before finally averting his eyes.
With his support, the city had begun to operate at full capacity. As the front line facing Belurat, Tower Settlement, this would be the staging ground for the next—and final—assault against the Hornsent.
"It seems the treatment was indeed effective. Several of the Shamans have regained consciousness. Though they are a bit agitated, Melina should be able to calm them. After all, she and those Shamans hail from the same homeland."
Though the Shamans' bodies remained twisted, their conscious cooperation allowed the perfumers to use more aggressive medicinal methods. Soon, they would at least regain the ability to care for themselves, much like the Shamans in the Shadow Keep.
As for fully restoring their bodies to normal—it simply wasn't the time. Such a feat would likely have to wait until the impending war between the Crusade and the Hornsent was resolved.
Ranni looked toward a secluded spot where Moongrum and his companion had been for some time, a faint smile touching her lips. Though she would never admit it aloud, seeing those she cared for living well made her heart light enough to hum a quiet tune.
Clearly, a Carian Knight like Moongrum, who had protected her mother for so long, held a place in her heart only slightly below that of someone like Blaidd.
"Speaking of which," Gawain said, "have you turned up any leads these past few days? Looking at you, I doubt you've come back empty-handed."
Ranni organized her thoughts before recounting her findings.
"In a region known as the Cerulean Coast, I discovered an area swarming with Fingercreepers. The place appears to be called a Finger Ruin."
"A Finger Ruin?" Gawain repeated. "When I was investigating the Abyssal Woods, that wretched Hornsent, Midra, mentioned that the Three Fingers he was researching were brought from a ruin. Are they one and the same?"
Ranni did not dismiss the idea. "I have found only one such ruin outside the Shadow Keep. It lies at the foot of the Jagged Peak, not far from the Abyssal Woods. Its history likely far exceeds my imagination. The wriggling Fingercreepers there differ from the species found in the Lands Between. They seem... more primitive."
She paused, her expression solemn. "It wouldn't be strange if that Hornsent dug up Three Fingers fossils from such a place and invited disaster. Anything could exist there."
Ranni could only describe those long, spindly things with strange abilities in such a way. Had their essence not been of the same root as the Fingercreepers they mingled with, she would have hesitated to even call them the same species.
Suddenly, she remembered another piece of intelligence.
"Furthermore, Miquella seems to have passed through the Cerulean Coast. He left a powerful seal deep underground. Unfortunately, just as I was leaving the Finger Ruin, I felt your return and didn't have time for a thorough exploration. The only thing I can confirm is that there is a familiar scent there—it seems to belong to Miquella's other half, St. Trina."
"Miquella's half, St. Trina? I'll keep an eye out for that," Gawain noted. With both a Finger Ruin and traces of Miquella, it seemed he would have to investigate personally.
Curiously, he didn't feel surprised by the news. It was as if, deep down, he had already known.
"I encountered some trouble along the way," Ranni continued. "The ruins are home to more than just Fingercreepers; there are also Fallingstar Beasts that descended at some unknown time. But I did reach the deepest part. There is a hanging bell there, waiting to be rung."
Ranni frowned at the memory of those creatures. A few times, she had nearly been touched by those white Fingercreepers due to a moment's carelessness. Had that happened, her current puppet body might have been rendered useless.
"I did not rashly ring the bell, but I felt the aura of an ancient existence there. Should it be rung, perhaps a path to somewhere else will open."
"An ancient existence... could it be the Mother of Fingers, whose location remains a mystery?" Gawain asked.
He was naturally concerned with this lead. He had originally assumed the Mother of Fingers would be like Bayle—occupying some prominent landmark in the Land of Shadow, waiting for him to challenge her.
But after speaking with the Crusade and learning the general situation, he realized that wasn't the case. These people seemed to know nothing of her whereabouts. This meant she was hidden in an even more secluded location, and these ruins were currently his only clue.
"It is highly probable," Ranni admitted. "Though I loathe to acknowledge it, as an Empyrean chosen by the Two Fingers, I went to great lengths just to shed their shackles—even discarding my demigod flesh. Therefore, until I can guarantee my safety from their influence, it is inconvenient for me to ring that bell myself."
Gawain looked at Ranni's slightly apologetic face and gently patted her shoulder.
"I know what you're worried about. Leave it to me. I won't be affected by those strange powers. If we truly find the Mother of Fingers... well, until then, make sure you keep the Fingerslayer Blade safe. We'll have a use for it."
Ranni's slender fingers lightly caught the brim of her hat, pulling it down slightly. The shadow swept over her eyes, masking a fleeting emotion. After a moment of silence, a very soft "mm" escaped her throat.
"In that case, I must continue to seek my own Order. Without sufficient strength, one cannot hope to defeat the Mother of all Fingers."
She looked at him. "Before that happens, my only King... please continue your path toward the throne. No matter what happens in the future, I will return the moment I am needed."
The two embraced tightly, their breaths intertwining as if to melt every bond they shared into that single moment. After a long while, they slowly pulled apart, their fingertips touching one last time in a silent farewell.
Without another word, Ranni gave him one deep, lingering look before turning to leave the Land of Shadow. she needed to seek her own Order and accumulate strength. In the battle she was destined to face, she had to be as prepared as possible.
"Ring a bell? I hope it's not like the situation at Sen's Fortress," Gawain muttered to himself. He suspected there was more than one Finger Ruin. Messmer might know more; he would have to ask him later.
The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed when dim light filtered through the stone windows into the makeshift hall. Melina raised a hand to rub her aching neck, her face carrying a look of obvious helplessness, yet tinged with the relief of a burden lifted.
After relaying the specific situation to the perfumers arriving for the shift change, she wiped the sweat from her forehead—not just from exhaustion, but from embarrassment.
The Shamans, once tainted by spiritual impurities and lost in chaos, were now fully awake. Their clouded eyes had regained their luster, and they could clearly remember every detail.
They knew who had shattered their shackles in the cold, damp gaols, pulling them from despair. They knew who had stayed by their bedsides day after day, using gentle incantations to dispel the gloom in their souls and stabilize their condition.
This raw, sincere gratitude left the usually solitary Melina feeling quite out of her element.
She was never good at handling crowds of people crowding around to thank her. Worse still, in their excitement, the Shamans' movements were often too broad, causing blackened, necrotic tissue that hadn't yet fully detached to flake off and fall to the floor. It was a distressing sight.
Every time she opened her mouth to say "no need for such formality," the words would catch in her throat. She could only sigh helplessly, raise her staff again, and use a soft voice to soothe the emotional Shamans while patiently applying healing incantations to their wounds.
Walking with a relatively light step, Melina reached the Moon-Gazing Grounds. With an expectant look, she asked:
"Sister Rellana, you've relayed the news to Brother, haven't you?"
Rellana turned around, a smile gracing her face as she nodded.
"He knows. Prepare yourself; the gates of the Shadow Keep are open to you whenever you are ready."
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash
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