Chapter 0.5: The End of the beginning.
Thanks for checking out chapter 1 - More to come semi-soon-ish.
Fav, Follow and please do review, I enjoy all kinds of feedback, good and bad. No Beta reader as of yet or every probs.
Spoilers for Elden Ring ahead, also RWBY is property of Roosterteeth and Elden Ring is property of Fromsoftware games and Hidetaka Miyazaki.
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Deep inside the burning Erdtree, a cry of agony was heard across the Lands Between. The Elden beast let out a final moan as it collapsed into the water, large gashes visible across its body.
Rogan let out a breath as he collapsed onto his knees, dropping his Twinblades to the ground. He had done it. The Elden beast was no more; all that was left was to mend the Elden Ring and become the new lord. A hand was placed on Rogan's shoulder, and he glanced up to see Lhutel The Headless give a slight bow before returning to the spirit ashes pouch.
Rogan stood up and began his way back to the platform on which Radagon (or was it still Queen Marika?) lay. The trek back was far from where he was now; the Elden beast had certainly put him through his paces, and his chest ached from where he had sustained a slash from the god's sword; thankfully, his Raging Wolf armour had held strong despite all the punishment it received. His hand reached down to grab his Flask of Crimson ears from the leather pouch that hung around his waist. However, when he brought it up to his mouth for a swig, not a droplet remained.
Stuffing it back into his pouch with a grunt, he reached the platform, and Rogan began to recollect everything that led up to this point. It had been far from an easy Journey. He had died many times; while some were painless, others…had been less so.
First, there was Margit, the Fell Omen. He had proved a challenge with a cane larger than the Tarnished himself. He had put Rogan into the ground many times.
Next was Godrick the grafted, The Spider, The lord of all that was Golden and first of the Great Rune bearers. That fight had not proved as much of a challenge as Margit, whether that be because Godrick had grown lazy through his reign or maybe it was because Rogan had grown since he had bested Margit.
Rennala, Queen of The Full Moon, was the next demigod to fall to Rogan's blade – That fight was trivial if a bit uncomfortable. Rogan would cross many lines in the Land Between, but the murder of children wasn't one of them. The sweetlings didn't deserve the fate Rennala had bestowed upon them. He made sure their deaths were quick.
Towards the south, in the rotten wasteland of Caelid, Radahn had been laid to rest in single combat. Rogan let out a small smile as he remembered that specific fight. The Starscourge had certainly been a worthy adversary (His swords had been an even better reward)
Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, had also stood no chance against Rogan's strength and the power of the serpent hunter; Volcano manor and its residents had fallen shortly after.
Beneath the trunk of the Erdtree, Morgott's the Omen King's true body lay; the Golden Order defender had won many battles in the past, defending Lendyl from the other Demigods during the shattering, but alas, he was no match for Rogan and his combat prowess.
To burn the thorns of the Erdtree, the hottest of flames was needed; thus, Rogan had ventured into the Mountaintop of Giants to slay the last of the guardians of the Forge, and when the Giant lay, Rogan thought he could feel Queen Marika smiling upon him.
Deep underground in the fallen city of Nokron, Mogh's body lay in a pool of cursed and vile blood. Rogan's only regret with his death was how long it took to reach him – the foul demigod deserved no quarter, and Rogan had torn him to pieces with his dual Twin blades.
Then came Malenia Blade of Miquella, the hardest foe Rogan had fought to date. Between her sheer speed and prowess, mixed with deadly attacks such as the Waterfowl Dance, Rogan had been skewered, sliced and rotted from the inside out more times than he could count. This was before Malenia had even transformed into the Goddess of Rot. When she finally lay defeated, Miquella's golden needle had been retrieved, and at last, the source of Scarlet Rot in the world was no more.
Farum Azula proved a dangerous zone. The crumbling paths and monsters along the way were already a challenge, but the cherry on top was the rulers of Farum Azule: DragonLord Placidusax, Maliketh the black blade and the Godskin duo. All of which eventually fell to the Tarnished.
Godfrey, also known as Hoarah Loux, Chieftain of the Badlands and first Elden Lord, was the last hurdle barring entry into the Erdtree. With the Axe of Godfrey, his strikes rent the ground in two such was the force behind it, and when Godfrey's strength faltered, the sacrifice of Serosh transformed him back into Hoarah Loux, a rage-driven berserker. He was not Queen Marika's first consort for nothing.
Finally, inside the Erdtree, Rogan thought he would be done; all he had to do was mend the Elden Ring. Queen Marika, the Eternal and her consort Radagon of the Golden order had other plans. Marika gave up her corporeal body to let Radagon battle with Rogan. It did not matter, the Tarnished of no renown would not be stopped, and the fight ended with Radagon face down in the water…defeated.
Rogan was pulled out of his stupor when his foot reached the base of the platform on which the shattered remnants of Marika lay.
Despite all the fighting and conflict which seemed to pursue Rogan at every turn, he would not forget the moments of peace he had experienced and the people who had helped him throughout his Journey, whomever that may be. It could be other Tarnished or those trying to make their own way in this godforsaken land.
Iron Fist Alexander, Roderika, Shabiri, Master Hewg, Rogier, Warmaster Iji, Boc the seamstress, Patches, Millicent. These names would go down in history as those who aided the new Elden Lord in his ascension.
Then there was Melina, his maiden...gods, how Rogan missed her. A shard of Marika herself and his kindling maiden. She gave herself up as kindling upon the mountaintop of giants to burn the Erdtree. Melina claimed it was her destiny, and Rogan never forgave himself for not finding a way to save her.
Rogan would mend the Elden Ring for everyone; noble, peasant, Tarnished, standing mattered not to him. Rogan would not become a tyrant like the lords before. A new age was coming, and he would be at the epicentre of it all.
Picking up the head of Queen Marika and placing it upon the shattered body, Rogan knelt as the wind around him picked up. The howls of Outer gods could be heard as the Erdtree took on its vibrant, luscious glow again. Golden leaves drifted down onto the Elden Throne and disintegrated into motes of golden dust. Rogan made the final walk over to the Throne where gods and lords had sat before him, and upon making contact – a flash of gold brighter than the stars themselves.
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"The fallen leaves tell a story.
Of how a Tarnished became Elden Lord
In our home, across the fog, the Lands Between.
Our seed will look back upon us and recall.
An Age of Fracture."
But this is not that story.
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̷
̶"̷G̷r̸e̴e̷t̶i̴n̵g̸s̶,̷ ̸t̷r̶a̴v̷e̴l̴l̸e̶r̵ ̵f̸r̵o̸m̵ ̸b̷e̸y̷o̸n̷d̴ ̵t̶h̶e̸ ̸f̵o̶g̵.̴ ̷B̸e̸y̸o̷n̸d̷ ̷t̸h̴e̸ ̸a̷b̶y̸s̷s̴.̶"̶
̷"̵Y̸o̴u̸r̷ ̷t̸i̴m̶e̷ ̴o̴f̷ ̵r̵e̷s̸t̷ ̷i̴s̷ ̴n̴o̶t̶ ̴u̶p̷o̷n̴ ̴y̶o̴u̵ ̵y̵e̶t̵.̷"̸
̵̶"̶B̷a̶n̸i̷s̸h̶ ̴f̵r̷o̸m̵ ̷o̴u̷r̷ ̵w̷o̵r̸l̵d̴,̸ ̷t̷h̵e̶ ̴e̴n̵c̴r̶o̴a̷c̸h̵i̷n̸g̶ ̶d̷a̶r̷k̸n̶e̵s̵s̷.̷"̸
̶"̴F̴o̴r̴ ̴w̶e̴ ̷t̴w̶o̸ ̵g̸o̶d̵s̸ ̴h̸a̴v̶e̸ ̶f̶a̸i̶l̷e̴d̷;̵ ̵w̷e̵ ̶o̵w̶e̴ ̷o̶u̸r̸ ̵w̷o̵r̶l̷d̴ ̴a̸ ̵d̶e̸b̷t̴.̷"̶
̶"̴̶Y̴o̵u̵ ̶s̴h̵a̶l̷l̵ ̵d̷e̷f̴e̵a̶t̶ ̸t̸h̷e̷ ̵Q̸u̸e̶e̶n̸ ̴a̴n̷d̴ ̸e̸n̴d̸ ̵t̷h̶e̶ ̶c̵y̴c̸l̶e̴ ̴o̷f̷ ̶l̷o̸s̶s̸ ̵a̶n̶d̵ ̴r̷e̶b̶i̶r̴t̵h̴.̷"̴
̷"̶W̷i̶n̸ ̴t̶h̷e̴ ̶w̴a̸r̵ ̵a̷g̷a̷i̷n̷s̵t̷ ̴E̶t̴e̶r̶n̶a̵l̸ ̷D̸a̷r̸k̶n̶e̷s̶s̵ ̵a̷n̸d̵ ̵t̸h̴e̷n̴…̷y̶o̶u̵ ̶m̵a̶y̸ ̸h̷a̶v̴e̴ ̷t̴h̴e̴ ̸e̵n̶d̷i̷n̵g̸ ̶y̷o̵u̸ ̶s̴o̸ ̶d̸e̸s̷p̵e̶r̸a̷t̶e̷l̶y̴ ̴d̷e̸s̶i̴r̷e̶.̴"̷
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