Even though it was confirmed that Godfrey was on his way back, Gawain did not alter his plans for the immediate future. If this had been right after he had defeated Godrick, he might have looked for a way to avoid the man's fearsome edge.
But now, holding four Great Runes, he wasn't above fighting "without honor." If he moved the Academy's newly improved, large-scale long-range sorceries to Castle Morne, it would take a miracle from Marika herself for a single ship in Godfrey's crossing fleet to make a successful landing.
Therefore, he would proceed as planned. If the man actually arrived, they would settle things through the most primitive means possible.
Finding a quiet place, Gawain sank into deep meditation. His consciousness merged into a familiar darkness before arriving once more within the Dark Ring. This was his second time, so the path was well-worn.
When he opened his eyes, the Fire Keeper was already there to greet him. Without needing many words, the two walked side-by-side toward the Throne of Want situated a short distance ahead.
"It seems Sirris is faring well in this new land, is she not?"
"At the very least, she's nearly finished assembling a knightly order. Having a new responsibility on her shoulders is likely a good thing for her."
"Since nothing went wrong this time, I intend to continue using the Queen's Great Rune for the ritual of rebirth. Come to think of it, perhaps sending Master Karla to the Academy would be a good idea. I imagine those two would have much to talk about."
Gawain's mind automatically conjured the scene of that historic meeting. Both were beings known as "Heresy Witches." Before he had rescued them, both had undergone long periods of solitary "enlightenment" in their respective prisons. He couldn't begin to guess what strange things would result from their exchange.
He wasn't worried about Karla being "unsuited" to the magic of the Lands Between. After all, back then, at his request, she had gritted her teeth and forced herself to digest those miracle tomes until she could teach him. It was a case of a teacher brave enough to teach and a student brave enough to learn.
"Yes, that is good. The Lords of Cinder who have already fulfilled their duty can sleep peacefully here, while others can live in this place with new identities. Though broken, it is full of hope."
"And you? Do you have any plans for the future? Truthfully, you are the person I most wish to resurrect. Unfortunately, I need you to stay here for now to guard the Dark Ring for me. But in the future, I will find a way to bring you out as well."
The Fire Keeper smiled, but ultimately she shook her head gently.
"As a Fire Keeper, serving you, Ashen One, is my sole responsibility. If you require me to remain here now, I shall do so without hesitation. This shattered world needs a hero to save it, and that hero can only be you. When your mission ends, I imagine there will no longer be a need for a Fire Keeper to maintain the flame."
"When the mission ends? Sigh, that is a distant future indeed."
Gawain could only give a bitter laugh. Last time, just when he thought he was free, fate had handed him another massive burden. While the Lands Between wasn't quite as wretched as the world of Dark Souls, he constantly felt like a new horror was waiting for him—much like that Land of Shadow where all manner of monstrosities congregated.
As they drew closer to the Throne of Want, he seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned toward the Fire Keeper and asked:
"Oh, by the way... while I'm outside, you've been peeking the whole time, haven't you?"
Though the Fire Keeper showed no outward reaction to the sudden question, the palms of her hands, which she always kept clasped, began to sweat. Just as she was about to explain, a tree-like figure flickering with embers emerged from behind her.
"Indeed. It seems this matter truly cannot be hidden from you. You have come this time primarily for that matter, have you not?"
"As I thought. I didn't have any proof, but you admitted it the moment I asked. Yes. Do you have any solution for the state of those Shamans? I originally planned to ask Ludleth, but since you are here, there is no need."
The Fire Keeper let out a small sigh of relief and moved silently behind Gawain. It seemed she had been too lax; she hadn't even noticed when Aldia had appeared behind her.
"The Shamans?"
Aldia's body, composed of burning wood, ebbed and flowed with the flames as if he were deep in thought.
"The people of this world do not seem to have a very deep understanding of the soul. However, while the methods of those Hornsent were crude, they have indeed produced some troublesome results."
"Yeah. I don't know how they came up with that trick. The horns of the Omen house souls; they are born with a certain degree of mediumship. Consequently, they hacked their own kin to pieces and fused them with the Shamans. The souls dwelling in those Omen horns have contaminated and eroded the Shamans' souls over the long years. I'm not too worried about the physical injuries, but my handling of souls is far too amateur. At most, I use low-level techniques. So, can you help?"
"Don't worry, I know the risks involved. While restoring the souls of those Shamans to normal might be... a bit outside your usual specialty, I can only trust your expertise in the field of souls."
Aldia remained noncommittal regarding Gawain's evaluation of his past research. After some consideration, he finally accepted the request, noting that it wasn't too difficult. He stated he would leave this place to help when required.
Gawain was satisfied with the result. However, after staring at that mass of charred wood for a moment, he offered a suggestion.
"I feel like if you go out looking like that, Messmer probably won't let you near those Shamans even with my guarantee. How about changing your appearance? After all, your... unique way of appearing isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea."
Aldia thought about it and decided the request wasn't unreasonable. As the flames gathered around him, a very tall... tree-man appeared.
While he hadn't changed fundamentally, he looked much better than his previous appearance, which featured a head hanging off half a shoulder. He was even wearing the robes of Lothric.
From a distance, he looked like a strange old sage. Looking at the face composed of wooden branches, Gawain could actually see a trace of King Vendrick in the features.
"This... wouldn't happen to be your look from when you were fooling the Twin Princes into letting the fire fade in Lothric, would it?"
The word "fooling" made Aldia slightly displeased. He had merely revealed the essence of the First Flame to those two brothers. However, he admitted this was indeed the form he had used in Lothric. He hadn't used this appearance in a long time, and it brought back many memories.
"When the time comes, I will need to use the power of the Embers within you. Some of those Shamans' souls are so damaged they are nearly shattered. Whether they return to normal will depend on the strength of their will to survive."
"I imagine those without strong wills wouldn't have lasted until I reached the Land of Shadow—especially those in the Belurat Gaol. When the time comes, just do what you must. This is their only chance."
Seeing his primary goal accomplished, Gawain spent a bit more time discussing future plans with the Fire Keeper before departing.
Inside the now-silent Dark Ring, Aldia stood behind the Fire Keeper. Recalling the previous discussion about the results of Sirris's rebirth, he couldn't help but ask:
"Do you truly still have no intention of telling him? The fact that you have found a way to leave this place without affecting its operation?"
"It is merely a hypothesis. No one knows if the actual execution will match the theory. Besides, for me, it is still too early to leave. Let us wait a bit longer."
The Fire Keeper simply shook her head gently. That method was merely a possibility suggested by Aldia, combining his research with some unique soul-forms of the Lands Between. Even if it could succeed, it was too early for her to go.
"Wait a bit longer? Hmm, fine. It is your choice; I shall not interfere."
Dissolving back into a mass of withered wood within the flames, Aldia began to combine his memories with the condition of the Shamans to prepare the finer details of the "surgery." Though the chance of failure was small, he would not tolerate it.
By the time Gawain regained consciousness, it was nearly evening. He immediately summoned Philia, the Perfumer he valued most in the castle.
Clearly, they hadn't seen each other in a while. The traveling perfumer he had rescued in Caelid was doing quite well for herself. After the tempering of the great battle in Caelid, she had managed to lead a decent team of perfumers. Whether it was treating the wounded on the battlefield or preparing "Spark Aromatic" explosives, they could fulfill any requirement perfectly.
"Lord Storm King, Miss Irina told me earlier that there was a very important task coming up that I would need to lead personally. Has the time come? It's a good thing I cleared my schedule today. Otherwise, I'd likely still be at Jarburg in Liurnia, discussing how many Living Jar shards the jars there could provide. There's a very strong Warrior Jar living there lately; I often have to go in person to negotiate, and he even wants me to find a few 'smooth-handed' people to be Pot-Potentates."
Gawain laughed. It sounded like Iron Fist Alexander was doing well in his hometown after being "kicked" down there by Gawain. Now that he didn't have to worry about travel or the threat of poachers, he had the leisure to take on such part-time work.
Gawain then spoke of the business at hand.
"Indeed. I primarily want you to personally lead a group of perfumers to accompany me to a hidden location beyond the Lands Between. It is called the Land of Shadow."
He spent some time educating her on the Land of Shadow, including the existence of the Crusade. While the news was surprising to Philia, her expression didn't fluctuate much. she calmly stated there was no major issue.
After all, as a former traveling perfumer, her footprints had covered most of the Lands Between. Given her current resources compared to back then, she viewed this as a state-funded business trip.
"So, you wish for me to bring personnel and material support to that Crusade? I find it hard to imagine such a massive army lacking basic supplies."
"They are merely maintaining appearances. In truth, after some rebellions and fighting in that hopeless hellhole for so long, their spirits are on the verge of collapse. You'll likely encounter some senior perfumers who have been treating them since the founding of the Golden Order, but their numbers are dwindling. They might not even outnumber the priests."
Gawain recalled the scenes he had witnessed in Castle Ensis—vast numbers of despondent soldiers sitting together. That was likely a symptom beyond the help of even the most devout Erdtree priests.
To put it bluntly, the troops they could actually field were mostly stationed near the bridge to defend against the Hornsent; they completely lacked the high morale from the siege of Belurat.
Now that Castle Ensis had a large number of Shamans requiring constant care, Gawain needed to bring in reinforcements, even with Melina's help.
"Of course, the patients you need to care for most are the Shamans. Their condition... well, you'll be shocked when you hear it."
"Rest easy, Lord Storm King. During my travels to collect materials, I saw many strange patients. I am a professional in this matter. Please trust my extensive experience as a perfumer."
"You said it yourself."
Seeing the girl's pride start to show, Gawain spilled the details of the Shamans' condition. Philia was stunned. For a moment, she felt like she might never be able to look at the Warrior Jars of the Lands Between the same way again.
"What's wrong? Are you backing out? Don't worry, the hardest part—the damage to the soul—is being handled by someone else. Your task is to find a way to quickly restore their physical appearance from that horrific state to something normal. While the Academy's rebirth is powerful, it takes a long time and isn't suited for so many Shamans."
Philia nodded solemnly. She calculated the portion she would be responsible for and came to a decision.
"Actually, the hardest part of the treatment isn't the physical recovery, but whether the patient's own mind can bear it. Therefore, we perfumers usually pair potent medicines with calming aromatics. If the soul condition isn't an issue, as you say, then perhaps I can try to restore their bodies to a state where they can live normally. Of course, don't expect a full recovery immediately. We'll save their lives first and worry about their appearance later when we have time."
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash
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