Phew, so quite a bit has happened since posting the last chapter – none of it bad.

Firstly, got the Shadows of Rose DLC on its release date for RE Village… and I have to say, it impressed me. Story was short and simple but nonetheless effective. Plus, I really liked Rose's gameplay options, though I will admit it's a shame there's no way to upgrade the guns she has further because holy hell, even on standard difficulty, the game was pretty rough for me. Granted, only died like twice the whole time, but still, I was cutting it close a few times due to how little damage her guns seemed to do. But it's a minor nitpick.

Additionally, the update to Mercenaries, with Chris, Heisenberg and Dimitrescu as playable characters was just awesome – they're all pretty damn broken in their own ways and now that I get to see what Heisenberg can do in game, it's making me kick myself a bit for how little I did with his abilities when I wrote Village of Darkness, ha ha. Oh well, hindsight is 20-20 as usual.

Secondly, preordered the physical edition of Witch of the Holy Night – a visual novel by Type Moon! Hard to believe it was released back around 2012 or so… can only hope sales for the game go well so that other Type Moon works can finally be brought over here to the states because I know for a fact a lot of fans are clamoring for officially translated versions of their works. Fingers crossed, people!

Thirdly, got God of War Ragnarok! And man, what a game. Granted, by the time of this chapter being published, I haven't had enough time to get too far into it, but so far it's blowing me away more so than the previous one had, so that's a good sign of what's in store for me already, what with the faster movements and more aggressive enemy AI! And God, does this make me want to do a GoW fic now, ha ha, maybe a crossover with Elden Ring here or something else like DMC. Yeah, I'm sure I can make it work if I tweak the settings right.

And lastly… Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Man, I knew going into it that it was going to be emotional given Chadwick Boseman's untimely death, but even then I don't think I really could've braced myself for it no matter what. Same thing goes for a lot of other people I know that have already seen the movie too. Seriously, I would heavily recommend this movie to anyone, even if you aren't the biggest MCU fan.

Now then, enough of my random life updates, heh. Fic talking time!

For those of you confused by what's up with High Elf Archer's reaction, it's pretty simple – as a high elf, she has an innate connection with nature itself, to the point where she can nonchalantly do random things like picking up a spider and having it spin its silk to form a new thread for her bow in addition to being able to practically prance through the forests and the like as if she's working in direct unison with it.

The Sacred Relic Sword, pretty much an extension of the Elden Beast's power which in turn is the embodiment of Order created by the Greater Will itself who is an Outer God, is thus something outside the natural order of the world. Due to being of a truly alien/eldritch nature, it is inherently a sickening and terrifying perversion to not just high elves but also anyone/anything else that bears some sort of bond with the world around them. This is why High Elf Archer is so put-off by the blade and in turn is hostile towards the Tarnished, who she believes couldn't possibly have just come across such a weapon by pure chance.

As for why the others don't seem affected in the same way, it's because they either lack the same inherent connection with the world that High Elf Archer has or they possess some other characteristic that causes them to perceive the blade differently…

…Such as our dear little Priestess, whose faith in the Earth Mother allows her to detect things that can be considered holy. In this case, the Sacred Relic Sword counts as holy in her mind because, eldritch origins aside, it is a holy blade, after all and that's the only thing about it that she can sense.

So… yeah. Hope that explanation clears up any confusion.

Anyways, as said in the ending AN of the previous chapter, this one will be primarily focused on Ranni since the last one was all about the Tarnished and his interactions with Goblin Slayer and his party. Just thought you all should know that before continuing on with your reading.

Now with all that said, let's get on with the chapter!

P.S. As usual, please consider purchasing any of my books! Universal links can be found on my profile page, just remove all the spaces in between. My books are available on a variety of digital platforms as well – Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Apple store, etc. Just search up Fading Darkness, Rising Light or Infinite Genesis book 1, 2 or 3 and they should pop up!

Chapter 6

Deep in the back of a shop specifically tailored towards magic users, Ranni was deep in the midst of reading… and sadly, it was with quite the frown on her face.

Back in the Lands Between, the esteemed academy of Raya Lucaria studied glintstone in great detail and has done so for a long period of time.

For the sake of redundancy, the study of glintstone was ultimately the study of the stars, meant to expand one's senses and understanding of the cosmos as well as their place in it. This was done by tapping into and harnessing the primordial power contained within glintstone, which in turn had come from beyond the sky itself long ago.

As a result, the sorcerers of her homeland had gained considerable understanding of what lied above and beyond their single world, at least more so than most others. The magical abilities they had gained as a result of their studies was more of a byproduct than anything else.

There was still so terribly much left for the students and teachers at the academy to learn, their knowledge of what lied beyond the Lands Between and the world still so very incomplete. However, in that respect, Ranni and her mother, Rennala of the Full Moon, were considerably beyond the rest of those who could be called their peers by virtue of their own natural talent and their direct contact with the Dark Moon itself, Ranni herself more so than her mother… though the one known as Sellen was certainly comparable to them both in terms of knowledge thanks to her relentless efforts.

In any case, Ranni could say without any hint of arrogance that she and her fellow sorcerers were quite special in this regard, possessing a certain understanding of the cosmos that others throughout the Lands Between lacked… but that was ultimately really only because of their access and subsequent connection to glintstone itself.

In comparison, the study of the stars in this world – astrology – was quite heavily lacking as she was swiftly learning thanks to the nearly dozen tomes she's skimmed through so far.

Granted, it wasn't as if said skimming had gone through the entirety of the tomes, but so far what knowledge she had gleamed from her reading so far made it clear that for the most part, anything to do with astrology in this world was still very much in the theoretical stage. The tomes mainly contained similar details, speaking of what astrology meant, what it entailed to even attempt studying the stars and what could hopefully be obtained as a result of said observations rather than the confirmation of any results from whatever studies had been conducted so far.

To put it simply, there was precious little that would serve her needs at the moment.

The only thing that kept her from feeling this was a complete loss was the simple fact that surely there must be other tomes out there that could possess more advanced information on the study of the stars in this world, for there was no way that the list of tomes, books and more in this shop was truly all-encompassing.

Still, it was rather disheartening and it must have shown through on her face, for the nearby Sage looked her way and frowned immediately.

"Nothing?" the young woman asked gently.

"I'm afraid not," Ranni replied as she finally closed the tome and placed it back where she'd gotten it from. "I must say, so far my expectations have yet to be met."

That drew a sympathetic wince from Sage, now ceasing in her own browsing to fully face her. "Sorry to hear that. For what it's worth, there's a chance that other places out there might have something more to your liking, though given whatever exactly you may be looking for…"

"I may still be unlikely to find the knowledge I seek. I'm well aware." Ranni nodded in acknowledgement of the much younger woman's words, admitting this truth without issue. "Disappointing, to be sure, but thou shouldn't be upset by my feelings on the matter – things will not always go as one wishes. Tis an absolute fact of life."

"Still, it's something I can definitely relate to, which is why I can't help but hurt on your behalf." Sage let out a sigh and folded her arms under her considerable bust. "…If you don't mind me asking, Ranni, just what exactly about the stars appeal to you so much? What purpose would they serve you?"

"The stars themselves can tell a tale far grander than anything else in this world… and through connecting with them, I could expand my senses to a degree that would allow me to observe events well beyond my immediate physical surroundings without issue. I suppose thou may consider it a form of divination, only considerably more powerful than what may be the standard in these lands." Ranni explained this without issue. It wasn't as if saying any of this would give away something that she didn't wish to speak of.

"Interesting!" Sage's eyes were alit with excitement. "Does this relate to this special project of yours?"

"In part, yes." Ranni allowed herself a ghost of a smile at that. "Though I shall not say any more on that particular matter."

"Of course, of course. Still… what you're suggesting is possible… for you to speak of such things so casually… gods, I can only imagine what the study of magic must have been like back in your homeland!" Sage's attitude now was borderline childish in her level of eagerness, a lust for knowledge more apparent than ever before. It was something Ranni could appreciate since such a thing was practically a prerequisite for anyone who wished to study the ways of magic.

"Quite. But if thou does not mind… tell me, based off thy own impressions of astrology, what do thee make of the moons above?" Ranni now asked, shifting tracks easily.

In her home world, there was but the one physical moon, with the moon seen atop the Moonlight Alter being merely an illusory image that projected but the smallest glimpse of the Dark Moon's splendor. It didn't actually exist as a physical object.

However, in this world, two moons did in fact physically exist and appeared to follow the same cycle around the planet that the moon in her world did. That two celestial bodies could exist relatively side by side without issue boggled her mind, to be perfectly honest. That both clearly had their fair share of differences also should mean that what knowledge could be obtained from the study of both should yield some very interesting results, especially since even with her senses dulled she could tell that the green moon was something of a different nature from the other moon, which functioned as a 'normal' celestial body.

Sage hummed and took a moment to collect her thoughts. Ranni waited patiently, though perhaps a little eagerly as well.

After a while, the young woman spoke. "Firstly, and simply for the sake of getting this out of the way – the more apparent of the two moons is just… well, it's just that – a moon, a celestial body that circles our planet and gives us some measure of light during the night. It's definitely a beautiful sight to behold… but – and perhaps this is just my lack of astrological knowledge showing her – there's very little about it to inspire any particular thoughts in my mind about it."

Sage looked unapologetic as she spoke, being the type to speak her mind without issue when pressed. But then, her expression shifted a split second later before continuing. No longer did she look remorseless in terms of her speaking but rather… unsure. Inquisitive, even.

"The second moon, however… that would be a different story." She motioned aimlessly, the gesture being a subconscious show of flourish rather than actually meaning anything. "…There's an old wife's tale of sorts about it. While I can't remember all the details of it, it's been said that its green tint is due to it being the home world of goblins of all things."

Now that got Ranni to tilt her head in genuine interest. "Oh? Goblins, ye say?"

"Mm. Quite an unexpected thing, isn't it?" Sage lightly chuckled, clearly finding such a thing absurd. But even then, the mild laughter didn't quite reach her eyes. "While I can't say for certain if there's anything to confirm or deny such a tale… that other moon is a mysterious one. Depending on who you ask, it's said that it serves as the home not to goblins but something else entirely – a singular entity that watches over our world. Perhaps it's the gods… or something entirely different. No one can say for sure, as usual. Others believe it to possess some great and terrible secret that is responsible for the development of civilization on this world too and then there are those, though far fewer in number, who believe it to be the origin of all magic."

"Fascinating," the Lunar Princess said, folding one set of arms across her waist while one hand delicately cupped her chin as she thought and the final hand rested across her chest. "However…" She eyed Sage the same way a chiding older sister might eye a younger sibling trying and failing to slip one past them. "I've yet to hear thy personal thoughts on this second moon."

Sage sighed. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know what to even think of it. With all the stories and outright theories floating around out there, it's hard for even me to form a particular opinion about it. And it isn't as if… well… it isn't as if astrology had been my strongest interest prior to discussing all this with you." She now looked just a bit sheepish as she said that, but then pressed on, her expression now neutral again. "That said… I do think there is something special about it. I am not saying it's home to goblins or some other entity… but it does, without a doubt in my mind now, possess some special power… perhaps, should astrology ever become advanced enough, people may be able to reach out and tap into it, but as of now? Feels like a longshot."

Ranni hummed, mulling over Sage's words.

As expected, not much thought was truly given to the cosmos beyond this world. Disappointing in some respects, but to be fair to this world, so far nothing has indicated the existence of material similar to glintstone, much less the presence of entities similar to the great Dark Moon… though perhaps these gods that Sage had just mentioned may bear some semblance to the great beings from the Lands Between.

Yet another thing worth researching, Ranni thought.

Alas, this world was undoubtedly vast. Given enough time and effort, she may very well come across this world's equivalent of glintstone. But whether or not she would have that kind of time on her hands was a huge unknown right now. With enough good fortune, she may encounter something of immediate use to her on her journey to reunite with her consort, but the Lunar Princess knew she shouldn't hope for it.

"I see. My thanks for thy honest opinion," she said after a few seconds of contemplation. She then let out a short and quiet sigh. "Then with that in mind, I may be better served researching other matters."

With her mind made up, she now began to all but glide her way across the shop, her movements just that graceful. If directly trying to research the study of the stars was currently a fruitless venture, then she'd be better served educating herself on the history of this world and perhaps its folklore as well. If gods did indeed exist, then there was now a slight chance that reading up on them would introduce to her some fresh new concepts and ideas that she could make use of in the meantime.

As she began to peruse the new section of the shop, Ranni allowed her mind to wander now. While her journey had still all but begun still, she couldn't help but feel just a tad bit frustrated by the lack of resources available to her even now.

But these were ultimately a few more meager setbacks. So long as she pressed on, she would surely find something worth her time and attention.

Approximately half an hour more goes by before finally leaving the shop. As the two women exit and begin their trek to where Hero and Sword Saint were likely at, Sage couldn't help but glance at her newest acquaintance with a mixture of emotions swirling within her.

Ranni was undoubtedly one of the more interesting people she's had the pleasure of meeting. She clearly possessed knowledge on topics that had never been entertained by the magic school she'd attended back in her childhood and also had a presence about her that spoke of something almost… no, genuinely otherworldly.

While such a trait might be cause for concern, Sage wasn't worried in the slightest. If anything, something about Ranni felt akin to witnessing moonlight shining down upon a lake in the calm of night – a gentle and captivating presence, calming in a way that little else could achieve.

Perhaps such a feeling is why Sage felt so quickly taken by the oddly blue-skinned, four-armed woman, but it could just as easily be chalked up to their shared lust for knowledge, with Sage feeling very much like asking for Ranni's tutelage given the older woman's obviously greater amount of knowledge, to say nothing of whatever different magic systems she must use in comparison to the magic Sage had learned of.

That aside, the young woman couldn't help but feel a little bad for not being able to help Ranni properly. It was very clear that the shop they'd gone to just now hadn't contained that which Ranni had been looking for. Granted, astrology was still in its infancy, with some scholars further along than others in terms of what knowledge they'd gleamed from their own efforts, but even so, Sage could only grimace quietly in disappointment.

That said, the trip hadn't been entirely pointless – she and Ranni had held a brief but interesting conversation about the two moons before the latter then went off to search through the history section of the shop. And not long after having done that, Ranni had finally managed to find something of apparent use…

…Though Sage will admit to being a bit befuddled by the fact that Ranni had chosen to pick several books on the general history of the land and religious texts regarding the Earth Mother and several other deities. A bit of a far cry from the study of the stars, but Sage considered the likely possibility that Ranni was simply trying to expand her repertoire in other ways that couldn't be immediately discerned. She's done similar things in the past, after all.

"My thanks for purchasing these books for me," Ranni then spoke, getting Sage's attention. "I shall pay thee back for the trouble later… once I obtain a source of funds for myself, that is."

Sage smiled lightly. "It's no issue. While my leader is a little too childish and energetic for her own good, adventuring with her is plenty rewarding, both in terms of exploration and finances."

Being part of the Hero's party, while plenty tiring at times what with all the formalities they sometimes have to deal with, to say nothing of the threats they've been stuck dealing with, has certainly been fun. And of course, it's also netted the trio plenty of coin to supply themselves with. High risk naturally demanded high rewards, after all.

Keeping a steady budget lest they let all the money go to their heads was a necessity, yes, but sometimes splurging a little was fine. Now was one of those times, not that the texts themselves had been pricey.

"…Mm, most kind of you. Still, I dislike feeling indebted to others too much. If there be any ways of returning the favor, I would most certainly appreciate knowing," replied Ranni.

Yet another thing Sage felt she could relate to. "In that case, maybe some artifacts would do? Sometimes, us magic users choose to delve into item crafting and the like to either trade or outright sell for funds. Given your foreign origins, I'm sure you could craft something that would definitely be worth enough money to keep you financially well situated."

Ranni smiled mysteriously at that. "…Indeed. I now have a few ideas in mind that I believe should be more than sufficient for such a thing."

…

…

…Oh man, now Sage was feeling just as giddy as Hero usually did whenever she saw some awesome new treasure or place. Looks like she won't be able to chide the younger girl as much as she used to now, what with Ranni constantly getting her all worked up over all these new possibilities.

"B-By any chance… would it be fine if I am your first customer?"

"It'd be quite a mark on my name to have you pay even more for my sake," Ranni began as they continued their trek. "So in that case… I shall provide you with some further information on some of the magic from my homeland later, should time permit – my way of paying ye back for purchasing these texts for me. As for whatever I actually craft… I suppose we shall see about that at another time?" There was a little twinkle in her eyes as she spoke, a slightly playful tint to her tone.

It was almost enough to make Sage pout, if only because she now felt like how Hero must feel whenever she or Sword Saint messed around with her a little bit.

Wasn't really a bad feeling though.

Her spirits feeling higher than ever before, Sage soon fell into yet another comfortable conversation with Ranni as they neared the market area of the town, where Hero and Sword Saint should be at.

The young woman felt that the coming days will be most fun indeed.

"…"

Sword Saint walked in silence and listened only partially to the conversation occurring just behind her.

It's been roughly two hours now since they'd departed from the town after having all met back up. Since then, their travels have been most smooth, with not a single bandit or enemy of any other kind to impede their progress.

Being the warrior that she is, she found such a state to be just a little boring.

But while she wasn't likely to see battle any time soon from the looks of it, she did take some measure of interest and entertainment in listening to the chatter between Sage and their new friend(?) Ranni, though it was more like the latter was speaking of magical concepts that Sword Saint could scarcely even begin to understand whilst the former listened eagerly, even taking notes as she continued walking.

Sword Saint spared a glance to the Hero, who was directly by her side and was clearly listening in on the conversation as well… while sporting an almost glassy-eyed look as she marched onwards in complete silence. The older woman released as quiet of a snort as possible, amused by how Hero's mind seemed to have just shut down from having so many technical terms being bombarded near her.

Really now, her friend and leader really showed her young age way too much at times.

But despite the rather lackadaisical atmosphere, the sword wielder remained on guard as subtly as possible. While she didn't suspect Ranni to be dangerous, at least not intentionally, her years of training were causing her to remain alert in case of a possible backstab. She was certain that given enough time to get to know Ranni better, she'll be able to relax around her properly much like how she does around Hero and Sage, but until then, Sword Saint would remain just a little wary of the enigmatic woman.

Plus… well, there was just something about Ranni's presence that felt too soothing, if such a thing was possible. It was vaguely similar to how some magic users tried to use curses or charms to forcibly manipulate others and make them lower their guard, but this sensation seemed to be entirely passive on the older woman's part, much to Sword Saint's bafflement.

Again, she didn't want to suspect Ranni of anything, but the swordswoman didn't get this far in life by being too trusting of others.

Still, didn't stop her from feeling bad, what with the blue skinned woman's situation.

Alas, being aware of this feedback loop of emotions wasn't doing much good for her either.

With a sigh and some considerable effort, Sword Saint was able to nudge her hand just a bit further away from the hilt of her blade. It was but a difference of perhaps millimeters, but to her, it meant all the difference as a moment later, it finally felt like she could breathe properly.

Despite the day still being relatively young, she couldn't help but look up at the sky as if to ask the gods for some help.

Of course, there seemed to be no sign of any such help arriving suddenly. The gods simply don't work like that.

…Well, she always did like a challenge. Maybe this was just another sort of challenge meant for her to overcome.

But even with that mindset now, the young swordswoman still couldn't shake the feeling that something was up.

It sure made the next several hours of travel an awkward experience for her.

Hours go by. Night falls and the four women soon set up camp.

More time goes by, during which they eat a light dinner courtesy of Sword Saint's surprising cooking skills, at least when considered by the standards of campfire cooking. They talk and generally make merry before finally deciding to turn in for the night for good, wishing to get a very early start tomorrow. It would be perhaps half a day before they reach their next intended destination.

And Ranni fully intended to make use of the shops and merchants that the next town would undoubtedly have.

The trio she was travelling with had gone to sleep without much issue, leaving herself up and alert as could be.

Currently, she was multitasking – in one pair of arms, she held up one of the texts Sage had purchased for her and was diligently reading through it.

As for the other pair of arms…

Ranni paused for a moment in her reading to look down, smirking lightly as now within her second pair of arms, specifically the hands, there was now a literal crystallization of her power – glintstone, in other words.

Yes, glintstone.

Sage had given her a good idea indeed earlier, to create items that could then be sold for much needed coin. Initially, she'd considered producing some staffs meant for magical use, but had then rethought such an option – firstly, she currently lacked the materials needed to construct them and secondly, since said staffs, based on the ones used back in the academy, were meant for the usage of glintstone based magic. She still has no idea how such a staff would interact with the magical powers of this world and that was yet another item added to the growing list of things to check. Luckily with Sage being so eager to be around her – indeed, the young woman had been most taken by some of the beginner topics Ranni had been explaining to her earlier in terms of glintstone magic – the Lunar Princess highly doubted she'd have trouble finding someone to help her with this endeavor. If all goes well, then she would certainly have a good source of revenue in this new world to help her along her journey.

But the more she'd thought on such a thing, Ranni realized that the creation of staffs, while an interesting prospect, was something that could perhaps be a last resort. Because after all, she had another option more immediately available to her.

Delicately, one of her hands clenched the newly formed piece of glintstone and set it aside, alongside a small yet clearly growing pile of the things directly next to her.

As the foremost practitioner of such magic alongside her mother in addition to being the vassal of the Dark Moon, Ranni had theorized she had the ability to coalesce her power into glintstone itself given enough concentration and subsequently time, particularly the kind of glintstone items that had been utilized by the spectral warriors that patrolled the Carian Manor.

But thanks to her greater knowledge of the craft and, again, her status as vassal, she was able to make these considerably more improved than those ones.

Whereas the glintstone 'bombs' if they could be called such were capable of generating three blasts of energy that shot forth at the nearest enemy upon the glintstone being thrown, the ones she was making were capable of generating six blasts and could travel at almost double the speed as well.

She was absolutely positive that once she demonstrated the effect of her glintstones to potential customers that people would clamor to buy them at whatever price she deemed fit, so long as she didn't get overzealous in said pricing negotiations.

Seeing that progress so far was going smoothly, she returned her attention primarily to her reading, breezing through the history of this world and its mentions of gods with a vested interest.

Given that the current text was but an overview of history, she wasn't expecting to learn much of any relevancy from it, but it would provide her a knowledge base that would be useful once she got around to reading the rest of the texts purchased. Perhaps then she'd learn something to enable a return home.

"Perhaps my frustrations earlier had been premature…" she whispered to herself, careful not to disturb the sleeping trio in the tents they'd set up.

At first, she'd felt that she'd been in quite the rut earlier, what with the complete lack of helpful information available. However, now she saw that she'd simply been approaching things wrong. It would appear she'd become far too used in more recent times having others carry out the little things for her. Blaidd, Iji, and even Seluvis, to say nothing of her dear Tarnished… yes, perhaps she'd gotten a little too reliant on them to handle the dirty work and little details for her.

But that would be changing now. It's been a long time indeed since she's ever been out in the field in this manner, but she would endeavor to remedy that swiftly. Doing so will hopefully make her journey ahead much smoother and possibly quicker.

With her hopes renewed, Ranni shifted positions slightly, getting more comfortable as she prepared to continue her reading and crafting for the rest of the night.

Looks like things were finally beginning to look up.

Out in the farthest corner of the continent, a weary band of fellows travelled – nomads, driven from their home months back.

They'd once had a place to truly call their home. Said home hadn't been particularly much to speak of, having been a small village out in a truly dangerous mountain scape, but it'd been the only area that their forefathers had been able to settle in.

Alas, said village had always been exposed to danger, be it from the elements or from the monsters that would occasionally travel through the region, wreaking havoc upon their home. They'd always been able to stay strong and survive… until finally they couldn't any longer, forced to flee the harsh land that they simultaneously and paradoxically loved and hated with all their hearts.

Unfortunately, when they'd gone down to the mainland, they'd been met with much scorn. Many unsavory rumors had been long spread about them, dating back entire generations. Said rumors were due to the unreasonable harshness their homeland had had upon people traveling through the region, in addition to said harsh environment eventually causing the current nomads to have undergone some noticeable physical changes over the decades and even centuries that they've lived there.

Tall and stocky yet incredibly pale skinned and borderline sickly looking in the eyes due to the nearly complete lack of sunlight and other factors that would've allowed them to live healthier lives. It'd only been their own physical and psychological fortitude that had allowed them to persevere in such a region. Thus, even when people considered them a new form of monsters, unique Non-Prayer Characters, the nomads had remained strong as usual…

…Until finally, they just couldn't take it anymore.

Being constantly rejected wherever they went in an attempt to settle and begin anew in addition to their bodies struggling to adapt to settings that they simply weren't meant for had finally worn down their strength, both in body and in spirit.

Though some of these nomads knew intellectually that their suffering was far from unique in this vast Four Cornered World, suffering was still suffering. And they could endure no longer.

And so, as their numbers had continued to dwindle over the hard months of travel due to lack of food and other resources, so too did their will to live decline.

As did whatever empathy they may have had for the world around them.

'Why must we suffer like this? How much longer must we suffer before we ever feel hopeful again?'

Thoughts such as those floated through their minds and the lack of an answer to either question only added to their growing despair.

And so, now at the end of their rope, the relative few left had gathered around the small fire they'd been able to start despite currently being out in what appeared to be a wetland.

The remaining nomads had come together to discuss nothing, but rather to pray – to pray for an end.

Both their own…

…and that of the world around them.

If the world should reject them so vehemently and cast them out to die and force their very existences to fade like embers from the fire before them, then they shall make sure to catch as many others as they can in the flicker flames.

They continued to pray.

And pray.

And pray.

Prayer was all they did in this time. Even as the remainder began to drop like flies as they used up the rest of their strength to pray, they still continued. Those that passed on practically fell upon the fire, their very bodies serving as kindling that allowed the flames to continue on… in addition to a more yellowish tint beginning to overtake the flames.

Soon enough, there were no more than three nomads left, the hardiest of the bunch. Their prayers grew ever more fervent as the flame in between them all continued to grow in strength and they stared into the fire without a care for anything else.

Not even when their eyes began to pulse and bleed out did they stop. Not even when now within those empty sockets the slightest flickering of yellowish flames started did the nomads stopped.

Until finally they did, letting out howls that were completely laced with an otherworldly madness. They all leapt to their feet, beating their own faces in as what was left of their sanity broke.

But then they came to a sudden stop… before silently turning away from one another and began to walk away from the fire which only now began to flicker out of existence…

…The Flame of Frenzy had now gotten a proper foothold within this new world.

A considerably shorter chapter than previous ones, but I like to think it got the job done.

So… yeah. As you can see, just like with the Tarnished, Ranni is having her own period of adjustment still in addition to continuing to forge bonds with Hero and her friends, which will prove useful later in the story…

…And of course, one of the Outer Gods now has properly entered the Four Cornered World… and possibly the worst one of the lot, depending on how you look at it. Personally, I do think the Frenzied Flame is the worst one to possibly have gaining any sort of influence in the world, considering that Morgott and Mohg had pretty much teamed up to keep the path to the Three Fingers hidden and protected, which is something that hadn't been done for any other potential Outer God that has a strong enough presence in the Lands Between. Granted, some like the Formless Mother were gaining influence thanks to Mohg and his conscripted warriors while others like the god of the Scarlet Rot being sealed away long ago, but still, for the Frenzied Flame to be sealed deep away below Lyendell which Morgott diligently watched over in addition to having a replica of Mohg serving as the boss to bar the path forward… that says a lot about its threat level.

As Melina herself says if you try to pursue the Lord of Flame ending, as shitty as the Lands Between's situation is, at least there's still life. The Frenzied Flame would put a complete end to that – an absolute extinction event unless people have a way of somehow shielding themselves from the flames themselves, not like that would do them much good in a land of flames and ash.

Anyways, long story short, shit is getting real now. The Tarnished and Ranni will be continuing their journey and having little moments of fun and adventure along the way, but there's now going to be an increasing element of danger, so please look forward to that.

Until next time, everyone. Stay safe!