Disclaimer: Elden Ring is the property of FromSoftware and Monster Girl Encyclopedia is the Property of Kenkou Cross. I do not own any of these properties.
Chapter 1, Prologue: Arise, Ye Tarnished
A Lone boy stood against the might of the Elden Beast. Its form as grand as it was all-consuming, its strange alien body moved with the grace and ferocity of the gods. Each swing brought forth a flurry of gold in a desperate attempt to destroy the usurper before it.
But the boy would not fall. And even if he did, he would simply get back up and face the beast all over again.
His red hair flowed through the air as the boy desperately dodged each swing. Rolling under the arcs of gold as he made his way towards the God that stood between him and his endgoal.
He did not desire godhood, he did not desire power, he did not desire fame nor did he even desire respect. The only thing he wished for is to return home, to return back to them.
Time and again his form was cut, stabbed, skewered, burnt, and in some cases even evaporated from existence and yet he continued onwards.
He slew the Grafted Godric; removed the illusion of the Grand Caster of Moonlight, Rennala; he put to rest the mighty Starscourge Radahn; he defeated the Blade of Miquella; he dethroned the First Elden Lord. He defeated gods, dragons, monsters beyond those back in his old world all for the sake of returning to said world.
He met friends here, friends he turned to love and cherish, friends he watched get taken away from him over and over.
And yet he pushed on… the memories of a girl with a crown of flowers pushed him forward. Memories of an Orphanage and kind woman with hair as green as emeralds. Memories of a gifted little girl who only desired the chance to feel like a normal child. Memories of a princess bedridden and struck by an illness incurable. Memories of a lonely elf who simply wished for a connection. Memories of a strong willed scarred woman who holds a deeper insecurity.
He wanted to return to them. To his unit back in the order, he wanted to be lectured by Mimil again, to be cared for by Sasha, to drink with Merse and to look after Primera.
And even those he thought he had moved on from pushed on his mind. Francisca and Wilmarina… especially Wilmarina… no, Mary.
He wanted to hit himself, though the Elden Beast is doing a good job on that front. It took the horrors of the lands between for him to realize how much he truly loved her. He didn't realize it when he was young, his mind was too pure and innocent to recognize the signs of affection. But when he finally did, it was already too late. He was exiled from her family's retinue including his parents, and she had undergone the process of becoming a hero.
It was her handkerchief that prevented him from giving up. When he was struck by the Starscourge for the umpteenth time did he see her handkerchief fall out of his pockets. He remembered their promise, that they would be reunited, that he would exchange handkerchiefs with her once they finally got the chance. He was foolish, he had that chance… but their difference in status prevented them both from even speaking cordially.
He didn't want to leave that promise unfulfilled.
When the two reunited, the gap in their status was too much to bridge, too wide for them both to return to how they were. She was a Hero of the Order, no, not just a Hero but The Hero. She was considered the greatest of her kind, the best the Chief God's Order had to offer. Compared to her, he was nothing.
Or at least he was, he supposed that after killing legends, gods and dragons alike that he shouldn't be that far off from her anymore. The experience here had also left him with a greater understanding of how she must've felt.
As he slew Demigod after Demigod he became somewhat of a legend. Though it wasn't to the extent of Wilmarina's he realized how tiring it could be at times. After this he felt a lot worse about the situation she found herself in, he wasn't a stranger on how Lescatians treated her. Compared to her treatment, he might as well be treated as he was before his legend grew.
Still, if he wanted to return to her and the rest of who he considered family: he needed to defeat the God that stood in his way.
Elt grit his teeth as he was struck by another golden arc. His armor is doing its best to prevent him from dying. He pushed on and struck the beast with a blade larger than his own body. A gift Ranni gave him after he made his deal with her. The beast staggered back, it slammed its blade downwards in an attempt to crush Elt under its weight.
In response, Elt moved the blade up and clutched it with both hands as it bore the brunt of the attack. His teeth grit harder as his blue eyes narrowed and his face formed wrinkles. He could feel his very bones breaking under the pressure, he couldn't stay like this. Mighty as he was, he could not overpower a god like this.
And so he rolled away, the elden beast's blade barely missing his hair as he stabbed once more. He let out his own arc of blue before he was knocked back by the beast meters away.
He grit his teeth, his body feeling the fatigue and the pain but he ignored it. He forced himself back up, coughing up blood as he did before he readied himself for a final assault. His body wouldn't last, he ran out of crimson tears and so this assault would be his last.
If he failed, then he would simply try again. But his desire to end it all burnt strongly within his psyche.
And so with a shout he ran. He ran with a speed unlike any other. The grace of the Erdtree had strengthened him to the point where his power was comparable to the strongest heroes back home. And so he would repay this power by destroying the god behind it all.
The Elden Beast did not hesitate. It swung its blade over and over. Golden arcs flew past as Elt deflected, rolled past, or was graced by the might of a god.
He grit his teeth and carried on. With him closing the distance, the Elden Beast did the same. Holding its own blade aloft it charged forward before finally.
BOOM
The two combatants stood away from each other, both facing the opposite direction as they traded their positions with their weapons outstretched.
Elt felt like his body wanted to collapse, as he did his mind only had one thought.
'I failed again, didn't I?'
As his mind raced to find a strategy for his next attempt, his thoughts were cut off by the sounds of the beast behind him. It was screaming out in pain as it threw itself on the ground. The last embers of its life fading away as its very existence crumbled.
GOD SLAIN
He had done it, he had killed a god. All of his efforts had not gone in vain. He breathed a sigh of relief but he had realized that there was still one last thing to do before he was returned home.
He turned to the body of what he assumed to be Queen Marika, and finally he turned his head to the summon sign a few feet away.
He limped his way towards it, ignoring the pain as he went on to summon the witch.
Slowly, a 4 armed girl formed in front of him. Her hair was as pale as the moonlight, skin as blue as the night sky. She wore what he saw as a witch's attire.
"Tarnished, thou hast done well on thine quest." Ranni spoke up as she looked upon Elt's bleeding and somewhat heavy form.
"Art thou alright? Worry not, it shan't take a moment longer. But I implore you to hold on for just a bit longer." Ranni muttered as she went over to caress Elt's face.
Elt smiled, his usual kind look that endeared many from both back home and the lands between.
"I'll be fine, I'm glad that you're worried about me but I've been through worse…" Elt muttered as he struggled to speak.
Despite his condition, perhaps there was some truth to his words. Elt was stabbed, crushed, impaled, and even turned into a tree at one point. It wasn't a pleasant experience, that much he could say.
"Thou truly art a strange one, Tarnished. Thoust courage shall not go unrewarded." Ranni stated as she turned to Queen Marika's body. She turned her head to the head of the queen, picking it up she gently placed it on the body as it faded away.
"I do solemnly swear, to every living being and every living soul."
As she spoke those words, the moon formed on the horizon. Its form stretched across for miles as if it watched all who were encompassed under its gaze.
"Now cometh the age of the stars, a thousand year voyage under the wisdom of the Moon. Here beginneth the chill night that encompasses all, reaching the great beyond."
Ranni's eyes narrowed, her form looking upon the moon as she spoke.
"Into fear, doubt, and loneliness. As the path stretcheth into darkness." She muttered before she turned to Elt. He was a good partner, in some ways she may have even considered him a friend. Oh how she wanted him to be her consort into the new age. But as per their agreement, she had a duty to fulfill.
She moved towards him, her hands gently placed on her cheeks and chin before she spoke.
"As per our agreement, thou shalt be returned to your home. It has been a joyous voyage for me, Elt… I wish thou the best in the coming years." Ranni stated, Elt looked up before he gently placed his own hand on her own.
"Likewise, Ranni… I'll… never forget you." He muttered, getting slightly sentimental. Despite everything, he felt oddly at comfort here. Leaving this place behind should've been easy, after all this place had literally killed him.
Ranni smiled, a bitter one at that. She would certainly miss him, but in the end this was simply part of the agreement. But he would not remember her, nor would he remember his deeds here in this world. His experience here shall be left here, once he returns home this will be nothing more than a simple dream.
Its for the best, for both he and his world. Best if the matters of the Lands Between stay within the Lands Between. Unfortunately, the power he's acquired was not so easily taken. For his sake, she decided to let him keep a portion of it and the rest shall be sealed within him until needed.
"Well then, shall we?" She asked.
Elt looked on, taking in his surroundings once more before he nodded. And with that, the room was covered in light and Elt was no more.
Elt woke up with a gasp, his hand made his way to his head as he looked around and tried to process his surroundings. His memories were a bit blurry, his mind wandered to many different things but he simply sat on his bed, dumbfounded.
He looked around, his mind taking in his surroundings as he tried his best to recall. He was in the barracks, as he usually was whenever he was on-duty. He was in his room here, a small and simple one. The bed was just as uncomfortable as he remembered, looking around he can see various items he had to personalize his room. Flowers to decorate the place a little, A few tattered books to read when he was bored, and a small bag to pack his belongings in.
Overall, he didn't have a lot. That was to be expected, he's a commoner and most of the money he earned went into the orphanage. He took a deep breath as he scratched the back of his head.
"Wait… I feel like there's something missing… Ugh…" Elt muttered before he clutched his head in pain. Afterwards, everything hit his mind.
The lands between, the Elden Ring, the Erdtree, Gods, Ranni… all of it came but he could not process any of it.
"Wh-What the…" He muttered. Along with these new visions came old memories. For some reason he looked on at his experience with Sasha, Mimil, Primera and Merse much more fondly. Not just that, he looked upon the memories of his childhood. Particularly with Fran and Mary much more strongly.
"Mary…" he muttered before he shook his head. That didn't change anything for him, the difference in their status was still too much for them to bridge.
Besides, she probably didn't remember him anyways.
"Elt! Are you up? You're gonna be late!" A voice yelled out from outside his door. It was one of his fellow knights. Right… their morning routine would've begun at this hour.
"I'll be there!!" He yelled back as he got up from his bed. 'Huh?... That's weird.' Elt thought to himself. His body felt lighter… a lot lighter than usual. Like he could move around without much issue. It was already like that before, but this time it was a lot more… comfortable, for lack of a better turn.
In any case, he had training to attend. It was early in the morning, in fact it was so early the sun hadn't even risen yet. Merse was brutal with this type of thing, but he supposed that it was for good reason. Only a hero can realistically fight a monster one-on-one, so training like this would be necessary for our survival.
With that out of the way, Elt made his way up and made his way towards the armory.
Making his way to the armory, Elt turned and greeted his fellow soldiers. He exchanged a few hellos, shook hands and joked with some of the others, before he ultimately made his way to his station. He picked up the armor as he went on to place it on his body before he noticed one thing.
'It's a lot lighter than I remember, must mean that my training's finally catching up. Looks like Mimil was wrong after all.' Elt thought to himself. It was the only explanation he can come up with. First his body felt lighter, now the armor also felt lighter as well.
In any case, to him it was a sign of improvement and the coming training sessions with Merse would continue to add on to it.
"So, how long do you think we'll last?" One of the soldiers asked as Elt and his unit ran around the capital. It was a part of their training, every morning before the sun even comes up they would run multiple laps around the city until Merse is satisfied with their progress, the problem is that she never was meaning that sometimes they had to run up to 100 laps without pause.
"Don't know, with my current estimation… I'd last 15 seconds against her today." Another soldier replied.
Currently, the soldiers discussed the coming one-on-one training with Lady Merse. It had become somewhat of a routine at this point. They'd run until their lungs gave out, and then they'd do one-on-one sparring sessions with Lady Merse. It had gotten to the point where some soldiers were even gambling on how long they'd last.
"How about you, Elt? How long do ya think you'll last against her?" A third one asked.
"Hopefully a lot longer than last time." He muttered as he cupped his chin in thought. It was just the beginning of the run so each of them still had the energy to speak with one another. Out of everyone, he was actually one of the best when it came to swordsmanship. Usually, this would mean that he would be one of the people who'd last the longest. Unfortunately…
"Come on Elt, you know that you won't last that long today considering what we have to spar her with." The first soldier started with a small grin.
"...right…" Elt awkwardly muttered with his own small chuckle as he grimaced. Today they'll be fighting her with the weapon they're least proficient in. In his case it was polearms, he could never really manage his balance and the weapons' long reach. He was much more comfortable with his short sword.
"Well… Hopefully I'll last for at least a second longer?" Elt muttered as he turned to his group. The rest gave him a deadpan expression before some chuckled.
"Relax Elt, even if you perform like shit here you'd still be one of the best swordsmen in our unit." One of the soldiers muttered with an encouraging smile.
With that, Elt smiled back. Even among his peers, he was one of the most talented when it came with a sword. If he had trained during childhood, he may have even been worthy of being called a Hero. Alas, his circumstances prevented him from doing so.
"What do you meatheads think you're doing, quit talking and get running!!" The voice of the topic of their discussion yelled out as they finished their first lap. Some of them groaned but continued on regardless, with that they continued on.
As they ran, the others' fatigue finally caught up with them and so they focused on their run. When all things were said and done, a majority of the soldiers collapsed on the ground. Exhausted but thankful that they were able to finish their daily run.
Elt too was exhausted, but it wasn't to the point the others were feeling. His was more akin to the feeling one gets after walking a short uphill incline rather than a run that took who knows how many miles.
That being said, he wiped the sweat off his brow as he sat down on one of the benches in the barracks. He pulled out his bag before he rummaged through his items to grab some bread he managed to get from the kitchen. Leaning back to relax, he took a small bite as his eyes slightly narrowed.
'What was that dream all about…' now that he had time for himself he needed to figure out what that was. It was strange, he could remember the events but without the context they were meaningless. And even then, the dream was vague and somewhat absurd. A giant golden tree… gods… dragons… it was all absurd to him, even considering his usual surroundings.
'Maybe I should ask Mimil about this… No, I don't want to overload her work with this. ' Elt muttered.
"Big Brother!!" A high-pitched voice sounded across the barracks.
Well, speak of the devil. Mimil Miltie, a prodigy from even her infancy. At only 12, she's achieved far more than even some of the heroes the city has produced. Both in the field of academics and during Order Crusades. Easily recognizable, especially among the order soldiers he surrounded himself with due to her short stature and bright pink hair.
"Big Brother! I heard you were gonna fight with Lady Merse again." She started with a huff as she placed her hands on her hips.
Elt smiled as he looked on at Mimil before he spoke up.
"Don't worry, I'm sure my training will last just a little longer." Elt reassured Mimil only for her to shake her head.
"That's no good, even if you last a nanosecond longer, a nanosecond is still a nanosecond. You won't be able to be of any help to me or the other soldiers with your performance. You should just quit while you can, big brother Leave everything to me!" Mimil muttered. The rest of the soldiers were already used to this, but it didn't make them any more comfortable with it.
Mimil was a prodigy, a hero with more renown to her name than they could ever muster at barely even half their age. If someone with such renown told one of them to just give up and quit, most of them would've been too disheartened to continue.
But Elt being Elt, he simply couldn't accept her words. Besides, she may be a prodigy but she was still just a child. No matter how much talent and knowledge she had, he couldn't bear the thought of someone her age bearing that much responsibility.
"And that's why I have to continue, that way you can rely on me the same way the order relies on you." Elt muttered with a soft smile as he patted her head. Mimil blushed at the act and reflectively stepped back before Elt could continue patting her head. Her face turned red as she struggled to get her words out.
"You-You… You Idiot! What do you think you're doing!" The girl muttered before she shook her head. She didn't hate it, on the contrary she liked the way Elt treated and talked to her. But she could nor would she ever admit it to both herself and everyone around her.
"Huh? I thought you liked it when you got your head patted like this." Elt started with a small teasing grin which only flustered Mimil more.
Originally, she had tried to discourage him out of the order simply out of spite. She had seen the way Wilmarina had looked on at him during the ceremony where he was formally accepted into the order knights. She had seen her look at his name on the list with a pained expression before turning to leave.
It didn't help that she was currently reading a fictional story about two lovers who had to hide their relationship due to their difference in status. And so because of that she had built up an image of Elt in her head as a form of tragic protagonist in a love story. That all changed when he first saw him in action for the first time, which severely ruined his reputation in her own mind.
Of course, she had later found out that the only reason he was among the least talented listed on the papers was simply because they trained with the weapons they were least efficient in. Still, her pride wouldn't allow her to see it that way.
And so, she stormed her way into the barracks, ridiculed Elt and mocked him as the others watched with wide eyes and a nervous expression. It was to be expected, Mimil was a legend and watching her scold a fellow Order Knight was a sight to behold. What happened next shocked everyone in the barracks, Elt had simply shrugged it off and retorted treating Mimil like a child. Embarrassed, she stormed out of the barracks with flushed cheeks.
From then on the two began speaking with one another almost daily, to the point where it basically became routine. She would come in and mock his strength and urge him to leave the Order, he would parry her words and challenge her the same way one would scold a child. Overtime she had begun to like these conversations she had with Elt, and before long she had stopped mocking him out of spite and was instead doing it to get him out of such a dangerous job.
She hated to admit it, but she didn't want Elt to die. He was the first real friend she's ever had and someone she could look at as an older brother.
"A-anyways… I heard you're going to spar with Lady Merse again, how many times do you have to lose for you to realize that you don't belong here." Mimil stated as she crossed her arms with a childish huff as elt awkwardly scratched his cheeks.
"I think I'll last longer this time, though. I've been improving a lot and I've been training with a polearm for the last few days." Elt stated.
"I'll be the judge of that, I'm mostly done with work today so I'll be able to watch you get knocked down today. Don't worry Big Brother, with my healing magic I'll be able to heal any injury inflicted upon you." Mimil muttered proudly as she showed off her staff.
"I appreciate it, Mimil." He stayed with a smile as he turned to his meal. They chatted more as they ate, it was mostly just the two of them as the rest were too terrified to get involved with the prodigal child of Lescatie.
Eventually, the time passed and the event everyone either looked forward to or dreaded came. Sparring with an Order Hero was both a great honor, and extremely painful to experience. Especially if that hero happened to be Merse.
The soldiers all gathered around a courtyard spacious enough to have a small ring for sparring on it. Most of them sat around the ring with others opting to sit down at benches that littered the area. At the center of the ring stood a woman with slightly tanned skin, scars littering her body and eyepatch placed on her face. She was tall, to the point where she dwarfed most of the men in her unit barring a few. In her hand was a halberd, the edge of which was stabbing the ground as she looked on at the group with a scrutinizing eye.
Her eyes paused at a certain pink-haired mage who sat on one of the benches watching the arena. She was already informed by Mimil that she would watch over the spar, Merse had no complaints considering that she wouldn't interfere. She smirked at the sight as she looked on at the red-haired Lescatian sitting near the front. Her gaze then turned to the rest of the soldiers before she cleared her throat to speak.
She was usually a lot nicer, but when it came to training she had to be strict. The people that surrounded her weren't heroes, they weren't gifted with the strength to fight off even a single monster and so she had to make sure that they knew discipline and more importantly they knew how to fight. Maybe not enough to prevail, but enough for them to stall and even match the monsters they faced.
"Listen up! You're all gathered here today for you to train your weakest links. Metal shortages aren't uncommon in warfare and so sometimes you would have to make do with weapons that aren't suited to you." She declared as she looked on at the group.
"The purpose of this exercise isn't for you to hone your skills with that weapon, but to iron it out until you would be able to stand your ground when wielding it." she continued as her eyes scanned the various soldiers in the courtyard. Already she began listing the order in which they'll face her. The ones who are most proficient being the first while the last being the ones least proficient in their weapons. That way she could more personally train the less capable when the time came.
Immediately, she knew where to place Elt. She wouldn't admit it, but it was already painfully obvious that he was her favorite soldier. She often invites him out for drinks along with other people in her unit, the reason why Elt was outed as the favorite was because he was the one constant soldier who was getting invited. She doesn't really think much of it but others were seemingly getting the wrong idea on what their relationship is. At best she viewed Elt like a younger sibling, someone she wanted to protect and help grow.
She also liked the fact that out of all of the soldiers he was one of the most skilled. When it came to the sword, he was the one who lasted the longest when facing her. Granted, it was still just 15 seconds but it was still 7 seconds faster than the second place holder with 8.
Nevertheless, when it came to polearms he was abysmal. He could never get the balance of the weapon and he seemed to struggle with the long reach. Forget facing monsters, at his skill level he wouldn't even be able to face off against a common thief armed with a cheap knife.
She looked on at the rest of the unit before she spoke up once more.
"If nothing else, Let's Begin. Roland, step up. We'll start with you." Merse ordered as a man got up from the unit and readied himself for the beating that was about to come.
And so it began, it was less of a spar and more of a one sided beatdown. Most wouldn't even last for more than 5 seconds as time and time again they were beaten black and blue. The soldiers on the sidelines began to pile up, the injuries mounted as one by one they were smacked around by a wooden halberd.
"Watch your footing, keep your eyes on the enemy."
"Your stance is off, you'll lose your balance that way."
"Did your mother give birth to a statue? your arms are too stiff, you won't be able to hit me like that."
Time and time again she would teach her soldiers and some showed slight improvements. Though compared to her they would never be able to truly match her power. That was just how it was, no matter who you were, a normal human could never match an Order Hero. Especially not someone like Merse who is considered one of the greatest heroes Lescatie has ever produced.
Groans and pained grunts could be heard from the side as Mimil decided to help out and heal some of the soldiers. Even though she was somewhat mortified by the display, she didn't say anything as she healed soldier after soldier.
Eventually, there was one soldier left for her to spar with. Afterwards she would personally tutor those that performed the worst in order so that they could improve. She knocked down the soldier in front of her with a smack of her halberd, afterwards, he was pulled away by the other soldiers.
And then there was one, she turned to the red-haired Lescatian who gulped some saliva that was building up in his mouth. He was nervous, of course he was. Not only was he being watched by Mimil, his desire to prove her wrong burnt strongly within him.
He went over to a weapons rack and grabbed a wooden halberd much like Merse's own before he walked towards the ring. He stood in front of her and he watched as she looked on at him with a pained expression that was hidden under a tough exterior.
Merse looked on at Elt with a stern expression. Deep inside she was sorry for him and she made a mental note to apologize to him later on. Still, she could offer him no respite. No words were exchanged, they both knew the drill. Both combatants bowed as they got into their respective stances. Much like before, Elt's own stance was clumsy and filled with openings. She shook her head in disappointment before she made a mental note to properly fix his stance.
On the sidelines, Mimil stopped healing the soldiers and got back on her seat. She was watching the whole thing with wide eyes, she didn't know much about melee combat like this, but even she could tell that Elt's form was just wrong. She sighed as she too shook her head, she was worried for him and the state Merse left her unit did nothing to ease her own worry.
And so… it began, Merse charged with an unrelenting speed. It was fast for the untrained eye but to a normal hero she might as well have been staying still. She was holding back, she did it with everyone in the unit and still her speed and power was still too much to bear. She was ready to end it quickly so that Elt and the rest would be properly trained.
What happened next was something she nor the rest of the occupants could never have expected…
Elt prepared himself for the onslaught. He was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Even when he personally trained with his polearm he could never have been able to match even the average soldier with it. And so as Merse charged he instinctively swung to parry it only for him to pause for a nanosecond.
He looked on at Merse as her form began to change within his mind. Her form shifted, he was no longer looking at the woman who he treated as an older sister and a drinking buddy. Instead she took the form of a knight in golden armor, charging at him with its golden steed with a halberd made of gold. Its eyes looked on at him with a desire to skewer him and crush him under the knight's golden might.
Elt would not let his ambitions be laid to rest.
And so he moved. He moved with a speed that matched that of Merse as he intercepted the strike before he skillfully managed to knock her halberd out of the way enough for him to strike her with the other end of his own weapon pushing her back a few feet.
Merse stumbled back and the rest of his unit looked on at Elt, stunned at his performance as even Merse looked on with wide eyes. Even Mimil who was readying her healing magic for him had stopped and looked on with slacked jaws.
'What… just happened…' was what everyone thought as Elt stood there with a new stance. This time, the stance he took had no openings, his wooden halberd pointing at Merse readying his own charge. With her stunned at his display, Elt took this to his advantage as he charged with a speed that matched her own and thrust the halberd in his hands towards her chest.
Merse reacted quickly, her halberd intercepting the strike before she too pushed him away with her own halberd. She smirked at the thought, Elt was pushing her to take this fight more seriously. If she fought him the same way the rest did then she would lose, she needed to treat him less like a soldier in her ranks and more like a monster if she wanted to win.
And so she did, with even greater speed than before she charged forward and unleashed a flurry of relentless attacks, striking at Elt with a ferocity that she had only ever shown to monsters. A ferocity that even left some of the Order's greatest heroes reeling. But Elt was keeping up, not only that he was matching her blow for blow. Sure, he was on the defensive but he managed to counter her every strike.
Elt himself was in a trance, he didn't feel like he was in a spar. He felt like he was back… back in the… the… Elt couldn't remember, but his mind screamed at him to focus on the sparring match. A match he treated less like a spar and more as a desperate fight for survival.
Even so, he noticed his halberd. It was cracking under the onslaught, it wouldn't be able to last and in fact it was a miracle that it hadn't broken under the force a hero like Merse could muster. And so, Elt had to finish this. It was a gamble, one last desperate Hoorah for him to either get a sure victory or a certain defeat. He waited for his opening before he struck, lunging forward in an attempt to catch Merse off-guard before landing a strike. And she was caught off-guard, but the speed in which she recovered ensured that this match would leave her victorious.
With a swift strike downward, Elt was struck on his back as he was slammed onto the ground. He coughed as his lungs were crushed under his own weight. He felt his knd wander as his vision began to darken. Soon enough he was rendered unconscious.
Merse herself stood victorious, but one thing that everyone would notice was that she was breathing heavily. Sweat poured from her skin as she looked down at Elt before she gave a small smile. Elt didn't just last against her, he pushed her far more than anyone she has ever sparred with. The only one who managed to push her this much before was Wilmarina. Although the Ice user won that duel.
The rest of the unit stared at the ring in disbelief. Murmurs gathered on the spot as each discussed what had just occurred.
"Did… that just happen?"
"Wait, he never showed that much skill before? Was he holding back this entire time?"
"What a monster, he managed to push Merse to take the fight seriously. I wanna fight him."
"Does… this mean that The Chief God favors him? Is he gonna become a hero?"
The last one turned a few heads, most dismissed that theory but some were seriously considering it. Out of everyone, only Mimil seemed to know of the true implications of what happened. She expected another beatdown, she hoped that there would be an improvement but she never expected Elt to ever match Merse. It just wasn't logical, Elt was a normal human and even the most skilled knights in the Order would never be able to match the lowest of the heroes here in Lescatie.
But what she had just witnessed had shattered those preconceptions. Elt wasn't a hero, that much she could tell. Her knowledge in the arcane had also told her that he wasn't being favored by The Chief God. She decided to take a closer look, using her magic she silently scanned Elt's unconscious form. She used the pretense of using healing magic as she did. What she found had both intrigued and worried her, there was something foreign in his system. It wasn't demonic nor was it holy… though it certainly did feel like the latter. She needed to investigate this, but she couldn't tell the college nor could she tell the higher ups.
She wasn't blind to the corruption that seated itself atop Lescatie's chain of command. If the church got a hold of this information they would either have him executed for heresy or have him detained for an investigation which would either lead to his containment or his indoctrination into the order.
Neither of those options sat with her and so she decided that she would do her best to keep this information from spreading. A hard task to do since Elt's performance would certainly spread through rumor and word of mouth. She needed to contain this information first, and afterwards she would investigate this foreign strain in his body and if it was malicious, to remove it.
Still, she couldn't do this alone and so she needed aid. Luckily, she had a few options to help her, one of them was standing in the room with them. She turned to Merse, looking on at her before she spoke up.
"Lady Merse, I need to move him. Can you help me get him to the infirmary?" Mimil asked. It was an excuse for them both to have a private place to speak. If she had simply said that she needed to speak with her then the rumors would've gotten worse.
Merse looked on with a raised brow, she was about to ask for one of her soldiers tk handle it for her until she saw the look in Mimil's eyes.
'She wants to talk to me… must be about Elt.' She thought to herself as she nodded in response. It must be important considering what has happened. She looked on at the rest of her unit before she spoke up.
"All of you, this isn't an excuse for you all to slack off. When I come back I want to see you all training, got it!?" She yelled sternly at her unit which elicited a few groans but they nodded all the same. They would do as they were told, they feared her just as much as they respected her. In any case, she picked Elt up and hoisted him onto her shoulders which caused Mimil's eye to twitch at how roughly he was being handled, but she said nothing else.
With that, the two left for the infirmary.
"Okay… I just want to make this clear, so you're saying that there's something foreign in Elt's body and you just want me to keep quiet about it?" Merse asked, widening her lone eye as she spoke. It was all so strange to her, but it made sense when she finally had the time to think about it. She wasn't stupid, Elt's performance back there wasn't natural. Even if he had all the skills in the world, Elt should never have been able to even harm her.
"Yes, it's for Big Brother's safety. There are many mean people in the Order, and you know how they could be when it comes to matters like these. If they find out about this, Elt could be in serious trouble." Mimil replied.
Gone was the more casual side of her that she had shown to Elt, in its place was the more serious and logical side that she showed to those around her.
"...Alright, I get that. But tell me, what exactly did you find in him?" Merse asked.
She was well aware of how corrupt the system she served was. The higher ups cared more for their own status and influence than they did their own people. Of course, not all of them were bad but those who had a say in the matters within the nation were corrupt. Still, she wanted more info on whatever it was in Elt's body that's causing this.
"I'm… not sure. It feels Holy, Divine… but unfamiliar all the same. It's the same feeling you get when you're in the presence of one of the Chief God's servants but… different." Mimil muttered as she cupped her chin in thought.
"What if Elt really is being favored? What if he was showing signs that he'd be fit to be a hero." Merse argued. If that was the case then it was great news, if Elt was favored by the chief god then he would rise up the ranks. He could even get himself his own surname.
"It could be… but I'm not willing to risk it. Besides, I'm not sure I want to leave his life in the hands of the clergy… you know how they can be." Mimil muttered.
'She has a point there' Merse thought to herself.
Underneath all that glamour, all that glory lied a miserable sort. Those are what heroes were, puppets to a regime that didn't really care about them. She didn't want to subject Elt to that life, but she couldn't deny the benefits it would give him. Personally, it was up to personal preference.
"In any case, I need to investigate this further. I'll be in the library, reading if you need me. Watch over him while he sleeps, won't you?" Mimil asked. Unfortunately, Merse won't be able to help. She shook her head before she spoke once more.
"As much as I want to stay here, I still need to train my other soldiers. I do know someone who could look after him…" she cupped her chin. She's been to his 'house' sometimes. It wasn't really a house, it was more a church that was converted into an orphanage. It was run by an Order Hero… more accurately an Ex-Order Hero named Sasha Fullmoon. Merse could ask her to take care of him until he woke up.
"Just get it done, anyways, I'll be off. Make sure nothing happens to big bro while I'm gone." Mimil muttered as she left which caused Merse to chuckle.
Those two really did act like siblings, despite his unfortunate life he's found himself surrounded by people who loved and cherished him. Her included, still she couldn't stay by his side but luckily she knew someone that did. Right now she needed to contact her so that she could potentially stay with him and watch over him.
And so she made her way out of the infirmary.
As Elt lay unconscious, he dreamt of a Tree made of Gold. Unknown to them all, above the cosmos a god watched the red-haired boy with its unfathomable gaze… waiting for its time.
Author's Note:
And so begins a new story I've had cooking in my mind for a while now. Hello, you can call me Wham and this is the first story I've decided to publish here. So you may be wondering, why make an Elden Ring crossover with a Hentai Book Collection? The answer is… I don't know, it just crossed my mind as I was playing Elden Ring. Why MGE? Simple, I want to explore the characters of MGE, specifically the characters in Fallen Maidens since I find their concepts to be interesting. Although, I admit I find their human versions far more compelling than their monster ones. Which is why most of this fic would be exploring their human side.
Firstly though, a bit of a disclaimer. This fic will not follow the rules of both universes and I've taken a bit of creative liberty when it came to these two works. As such, if it conflicts with the lore of both franchises just know that this is less of a pure crossover between the two and more of an AU version of the two franchises with only slight differences.
Secondly, I'm still in the process of questioning whether I'm turning this into a Harem Fic or not. As much as that may sound appealing, I'd rather pair Elt with just one character and from this fic you can probably already guess who. That being said, I do want to explore the lives of the 7 princesses more in depth since the books just gave us a bit of a blank slate. I want their characters to have more in them than just being a member of Elt's Harem. If I do turn this into a harem fic, I'd rather not have Mimil in it for obvious reasons. In this fic they'll be more like siblings than they are lovers.
Thirdly, the Elden Ring Elements would be minimal for the first few chapters. And as I said the Elden Ring Elements here might conflict with lore. But that's to be expected, this is a fanfiction and Elden Ring's lore is very open to interpretation. So if you have complaints and suggestions just leave it in the reviews.
Criticism would be much appreciated, and please leave suggestions in the review section. With that, Whamo out.