The Godless Age

by Ededdyeded

Unknown years passed as a new tarnished rose from the mud and blood among the bodies of his fellow warriors to enter the lands between. He embarks on a journey of pain, death, impossible odds, love, friendship, truth, and heartbreak in this cruel and beautiful world. For how is a God to be born without great struggle?

3. ARC I: CHAPTER 2

ARC I:

CHAPTER 2: DYING TO SURVIVE

Put...

Margit kicks Lordan to pin him down and rip his limbs off, and he dies.

These...

Margit delivers a stab with his golden sword through Lordan's neck, and he dies.

Foolish...

Margit beheads Lordan with his golden sword, and he dies.

Ambitions...

Margit delivers multiple slams with his hammer to Lordan while he is knocked down and he dies.

To...

Margit grabs Lordan by his torso with great strength and rips him in two, and he dies.

Rest.

"GAHHHH! HHHAAA! ARGGH!" He awakes from his lying position screaming. Sweat covers his entire forehead and drips down once he was upright. He grips and feels several parts of his body to inspect for damage, paranoid about the wounds Margit inflicted on him.

Lordan's breaths were hard and uncontrolled. The nightmare from the deaths he experienced by Margit was still fresh in his mind as if they had just happened a moment ago. He looks around in a panic to see that he was still at the Church of Elleh, sitting on the bedroll Kale had sold to him last night after his talk with Renna. He sighs in relief from the fact he was nowhere near Margit, for now.

He wipes off the sweat from his forehead and starts to control his breathing; they become soft and steady after a few moments of control. He gets on his feet and moves to the campfire where Kale was sitting, Kale's face fills with concern over what he had just witnessed.

"Morning, friend. I... noticed your distress while you sleep... You all right?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm Fine." Lordan lies through his teeth, the battles with Margit took a toll on him. Each death he experienced was remembered with full details of the pain and feeling of fading away from life.

All of it still hurts somehow... Each wound that Margit gave him still lingered with

phantom pain that appears at random times on any part of his body.

"I see... Well, looking to buy something?" Kale inquires on business immediately, sticking to his profession as a merchant even in the early morning.

"Not at the moment Kale." Lordan rethinks his answer and thinks of a potential deal he could close with Kale. "Unless... you are selling information that might interest me."

"Depends. What kind of info do you need?"

"Runes. I need to earn runes Kale. Fast. Large amount at the same time if possible." He asked Kale, a hint of urgency was in his tone.

"Still sticking to the mercenary ways during the end of the known world huh? Lordan?" Kale responds with a small laugh. "Well, there's two places that might interest you. The Mistwood and the Lake to the east." Lordan's interest was sparked by the information Kale was providing.

"If you hear the howl of a wolf while traveling in the Mistwood, then I suppose he must still be skulking about." Kale mentions while his hand was placed on his chin.

"Who?"

"A Friend. Based on what I last heard, he's on a job. Might cut you in for Runes if you help." Kale explains further. "So if you hear a wolf's howl in the Mistwood, make this signal right under the source." He snaps his fingers to show Lordan the gesture. "Oh, don't fret, there is nothing to fear. I just have an inkling the two of you might hit it off."

"Alright then. What about Limgrave's Lake? There's a friend of yours there too?" Lordan enquires while going into a single leg kneel to hear better.

"No. But there is a creature that can give you runes once you kill it. A dragon." Kale informs a hint of hesitation was in his voice.

"A Dragon? Aren't they extinct?" Lordan asked with curiosity as he had been taught that dragons had died out after the last great war that caused the downfall of the Dragon Order centuries ago.

"Oh no, Lordan. Dragons are very much still alive. Their numbers are few, but they are still around. With most of them in this region and on what remains of Farum after it fell to the earth."

What Kale mentioned about Farum was an urban legend about the destruction of the Legendary homeland of Dragons and beasts. The story was about how the Dragon Order's followers had kidnapped a princess from the Golden Order which caused her sworn protector to travel alone in to the region to save her, fighting their Dragon God in the process which he slew despite being a mere man. The Dragon God's death caused the region that resided in the sky to fall to the earth, killing millions that lived in the floating region and the lands below it.

Of course to Lordan, it is an urban legend that was over dramatic. Because even with all the magic that exists in the known world, there is no possible way an entire region with millions of people could have existed in the sky.

"So a dragon to kill and a man that is on a job in Mistwood." Lordan takes out his map and marks the locations of interest. He plans out his route to these two locations and settled on finding the dragon first. "Sounds difficult but doable..."

Got to see It for myself. The size of that dragon Kale said. Ideas on how to fight a dragon came up in his mind, hoping it wasn't too big. He keeps his map and prepares to travel east to the lake.

"Thanks, Kale. How much is it then?" Lordan offers his hand to Kale, Ready to transfer runes with the required amount.

"Nothing. Consider it an investment." Kale waves off the offer. "You earn runes for strength to stay alive longer and use the remaining to purchase supplies. From me, Preferably." He explains his act of goodwill as a proxy for Lordan to spend his runes on his wares.

Lordan lets out a small laugh at Kale's scheme, amused by his theory of indirect investment. "Don't worry. I will visit again Kale. If I'm still alive, of course." He makes a mental note to resupply again once he falls the dragon.

They share a goodbye with a friendly handshake and Lordan proceeds out of the church. He summons Torrent and mounts him while facing west.

"Ok boy. We are going to need more speed for the next task, can you do that?" Torrent gestures a nod and both of them ride off to the eastern lake, to hunt the dragon for its power.

---

LIMGRAVE, AGHEEL LAKE

They reach a cliff overlooking the lake on the western edge of the Lake. Lordan takes out a miniature telescope he purchased to scan the area, hoping to see the Dragon to assess his options to slay it and the strategy he would employ.

From the edge, he observed a gathering of several yellow-clothed men that seemed feeble and sickly looking around what appeared to be a pyre on fire, they make hand motions towards the sky as if praying to it. Nearby was also a ruin that was burned, presumably by the dragon.

He also spotted a collection of creatures that currently roam the lake including giant dragonflies, husks of flesh that spew poison mist, feral wild dogs, and giant crabs, but still no dragon in sight.

No dragon here. Maybe Kale's information was outdated? He continues his search for any signs that indicate its presence with no luck. The lake was only filled with the aftermath of the dragon's presence.

He turns his sights to the left and spots what appeared to be part of a ruined building with space below that created a shelter. Under this ruin was a campfire with a man that was currently seated near its fire, clearly using it as a source of heat.

Lordan inspects further at the man's appearance to assess if he might be an enemy. The man was wearing lightweight armor that appears to be improvised, with heavy armor parts from a plate armor worn over it on his left shoulder and hands. His face was hidden by a straw hat that was made of metal, with several holes on it allowing the man to see through it.

A Reedlander? This far west? Lordan thinks to himself upon recognizing the design of the hat the man was wearing as a piece of apparel commonly worn by warriors of the far eastern lands. He had studied the history of the eastern regions when he was learning to read as a child. Vagram had brought him books from his travels in the east that tells of the culture and ways of the far eastern lands. His favorite from the bunch was a book titled "Sun Zu Bing Fa" that he was asked to translate as part of his lessons.

Gotta read that book again... He thought to himself to do so if he finds a copy of it in this region. Lordan puts away his telescope and decides to approach the man. He rides Torrent in a direction that allows him to reach the lake below while being prepared if the man decides to attack him.

---

Lordan reaches the ruin where the campsite of the stranger resides. He dismounts and catches the stranger's attention. The stranger stands slowly while grabbing the hilt of his sword that was holstered on his back, ready to draw in case of a fight.

Lordan stops his approach and places his hands near his weapon bags, ready to attack as well if the need arises. Both men stand at a distance for moments, trying to read each other's next move.

After a minute of tense standoff, the stranger speaks out. "Are you a Bloody Finger? Recusant? Looter? or another madman who attacks all in your sight?"

"Neither." Lordan answers with no hesitation.

The stranger lets go of his holstered weapon and stands back straight, his hands gesturing Lordan to come closer. Lordan relaxes and accepts the offer, walking towards the campfire.

"Forgive me, Stranger. I'm a bit... cautious about people roaming in these lands. Most of them have become hostile to any travelers as of late." He offers an apology with a short bow, as a custom by Reedlanders. "I am Yura, Bloody Finger Hunter, and Ronin by trade."

"I'm Lordan. Mercenary by trade." Lordan mentions their shared profession to Yura. Mercenaries have often been called many terms based on different regions and languages. With different methods of hire and different types of jobs, some unique to a region.

"Ah, you must be the new Tarnished." He mentions as Lordan's arrival had been a rare occasion. It had been at least 10 years since a new Tarnished had appeared in the lands between, most of the Tarnished legions had appeared 1000 years ago with Godfrey right after the shattering occurred, with the number of newcomers reducing with each passing day.

"You'd do well to steer clear of Agheel Lake, lad. A dragon roosts there... And it's as fearsome as it is majestic." Yura's voice becomes low, his tone becoming serious. "So, unless you're mad, or wish to be burned alive... Stay clear of the lake. "

"Yeah... About that..." Lordan replies with uncertainty. "I'm here to kill it for runes."

Yura looks up slightly at Lordan, his face frowns with annoyance as he sighs. "Another one of you fools trying to fall that dragon? I swear there no end to the folly of Tarnished warriors trying to gain glory." He continued with impatience in his tone. "Unless you're mad, or wish to be burned alive repeatedly, stay clear of the lake. Don't be a fool. Turn back."

Lordan stood his ground, clearly insistent on his intent to slay the dragon. "No. I need to do this. I need to fall that dragon today. It's my ticket out of this place." He continued, earning another sigh from Yura, who was disappointed in his decision.

" You're a bloody halfwit, lad. Trying to pick a fight with a dragon? It seems I'm forever crossing paths with hotheads like you." Yura gives up on his attempts to discourage him and sits back at his campsite. "I can tell you want to see it through. Fools will be fools. Fight all the dragons you like."

As Lordan begins to move on from the camp after his lecture from Yura, an idea pops up in his head. "You wouldn't happen to be able to help fight it, would you? For a price?"

The offer gets Yura's attention as he looks up to Lordan with consideration, the Ronin side of him debating a potential job offer. "Depends, Merc. What are you offering?"

"Depends, Ronin. What do you want?"

Yura stands on his feet upon considering the offer, he eyes Lordan from head to toe to assess his capabilities based on his look alone. He starts speaking once he comes up with a price for his help. "I got no use for runes, lad. But I could use a hand with a... Personal matter."

"Let me guess. You are hunting someone." Lordan shifts his feet from his conclusion due to Yura introducing himself as a Bloody Finger Hunter. "And you want me to hunt this target on your behalf?"

"No. I would want you to assist me in this killing this target. He has been... Giving me a hard time. Alone, I'm having difficulties. But with you..."

"We could gank him." Lordan finishes for Yura, earning him a smirk from the older man.

He nods in response to Lordan. "Yes, that's my price for help with the Dragon. Hunt this bastard with me, and the Dragon and its runes are yours with my help."

"That's it? Just hunt one man for help with the Dragon? That seems a bit... Too little in return for what I'm asking." Lordan enquires with uncertainty in his voice, doubting the offer.

"If you knew what he did, you will understand that his worth equals two Dragons." Yura's voice becomes soft and low to indicate a hint of anger in his voice, clearly resentful towards this mark he was hunting.

Lordan considers the request from Yura. He was a bit uncertain about the equality of their deal due to Yura getting the shorter end of the agreement. A single man in exchange for a Dragon? Seems too good to be true... He notes the deal is too one-sided and wonders about the hidden details Yura might be hiding. He decides to accept the deal and offers Yura a hand.

"Alright, the Dragon for this man. Deal?"

"Deal." Yura takes the hand and shakes to accept their pact. He proceeds to his campfire and retrieves a longbow from his own enchanted bag. "Alright, here's my advice for fighting that flying lizard. Avoid its front and stick to its legs or use arrows to strike its weak spots. Its face, neck, front torso, and legs are soft spots that can be hurt by normal weapons. Anywhere else is naturally armored, simple blades won't do against those areas."

"That's good and all but where is this Dragon?" Lordan points towards the lake where the dragon was supposed to be, its absence was all he could see despite Kale's information.

Yura walks towards the direction of the lake and stops before stepping on the water which was shallow to the height level of their boots. "Oh, it's around. Look at the pyre with those men."

Lordan joins Yura by standing beside him to observe the sight. "What about them? They seem to be comfortable having a party around the middle of the lake."

"The party IS for the Dragon." Yura points to the pyre that burns in the middle of the gathering. "That pyre is an offering to the Dragon's outer god, an entity known as The One Great. They are praying for the dragon to appear, hoping the outer god will be merciful to them and have the dragon kill them as a final release."

Lordan is perplexed by that information. The idea that a god would protect them from its creation was a foolish notion, as dragons were considered feral and possess no morals nor logical thought. "Are they insane? A dragon wouldn't care about their prayer to some god. All it sees are a bunch of food offering themselves on a platter."

"Dragons are smarter than people think. It is not mindless, it can think and has actual thoughts despite not showing it." Yura explains the false notion of dragons that many people seem to have. "Some legends also speak of ancient dragons taking human forms to mate with people. But you are right... Those men are insane."

"So what do we do? The dragon's not here."

"We wait. It should appear in-" Their conversation was interrupted by a growl that echoed through the sky. Both sellswords looks up to find the source and saw a shadowy figure behind a cloud, in the shape of a dragon that has its wings spread out. "Hm. It's early today." Yura mentions with a minor surprise, the part of "Today" catches Lordan's attention.

"Today? It's been here before?"

"Yes. Every day for the past week."

"Then happen to th-"

A loud slam forces Lordan to look in the direction of the noise. He sees the dragon landing in the middle of the gathering, its impact breaks apart the pyre and creates dust that concedes the area for a short time. Once the dust clears he sees the carnage that unfolds as the dragon proceeds the slaughter the men that were praying at the pyre, crushing them with its giant legs or devouring them whole with one bite.

"Oh... That's what happens to them."

The dragon that landed at the lake was large in size that matched the size of a least two dozen horses in length and height. Its scales were a deep grey and resembled thorns that were sharp on different parts of its body. It stood on two legs and two claws that were part of its wings unlike some depictions of dragons that stood on four legs with its wings separate from its front legs.

"Damn... Bigger than I thought..." A small part of Lordan had hoped the dragon would be a smaller one as compared to the sizes the stories used to tell. He still considered himself lucky though, as the dragon currently in front of them was not as big as an ancient dragon.

"Indeed. They grow to their fullest size within a few years." Yura eyes Lordan to his side to gauge a reaction. "Not too late to turn back, lad. No shame in survival."

He waits for a few moments for Lordan's choice as he observes him having second thoughts about this task. Lordan soon lets out a deep breath and proceeds to draw his light greatsword from his weapon bag, gripping it with two hands and giving it a twirl a few times to test himself.

"Fuck it. I'm ready." Lordan proceeds to move forward by walking towards the dragon, slowly picking up speed without a hint of hesitation.

Yura sighs at the display, part of him had hoped Lordan would change his mind after seeing the dragon in person. He follows Lordan's lead and draws his weapon as well, a long and slightly curved blade on its top which was a common design in his homeland. "Seems like all the young ones are suicidal these days..." He muttered under his breath.

Both men walk side by side, slowly closing the distance. Each of them silently agreeing to their own strategy to take on the dragon, with distance being the main factor. Both would take turns to attack at long-range and close quarters around its limbs.

They get closer as the dragon continues to feast upon the bodies that remain near the pyre. It soon sees the both of them and stops its actions, slowly getting to its feet and facing the men on the approach.

Both Lordan and Yura look at each other and nod before starting to run at the dragon while creating distance between themselves to give it two targets. The dragon lets out a roar to the sky, signaling to its new prey that it was prepared for battle.

Flying Dragon Agheel

The pair starts their attack with Yura who throws several fan knives to the Dragon's face to attract its attention, most bounce off upon impact due to the dragon's thick scales. Lordan used this distraction to go below the Dragon.

He delivers several slashes to the Dragon's legs and wings with his greatsword in rapid succession, moving to different limbs to avoid the Dragon's movements that may knock him over. He makes good progress from his attacks as his greatsword was able to hurt the scaly unarmored parts of the Dragon easily.

The Dragon growls from the constant attacks and starts stamping with its two legs against the ground, creating shockwaves that cause small quakes to the ground. Lordan loses a bit of balance from each stamp but manages to stay on his feet, continuing his assault from below.

Lordan soon attempts to retreat by running away from behind the Dragon. It notices him behind and performs a large swipe with its tail. Lordan gets caught by the attack and was knocked over. He gets up as soon as he can as the Dragon begins chasing him with its mouth open, intending to swallow Lordan whole.

Yura from the sidelines prepared his longbow for a mighty shot. He nocks an arrow and fires it straight at the Dragon's head. The arrow hits a spot on the exposed part of the Dragon's mouth, causing it to stop its chase and turn to Yura.

It closes its jaw and reopens it with its claws clutched to the ground. The Dragon's mouth soon begins to emit a bright orange flare, an indication that it was going to spew fire from its mouth.

"Fuck me..." Yura hosters his bow and runs to the left while a column of fire burst out of the Dragon's mouth with great heat, burning moss and boiling the lake's water in its way. Yura manages to avoid the fire breath with close calls while Lordan draws his own bow to start his barrage of arrows as a distraction for Yura.

Lordan begins to fire off arrows at the Dragon's face to attract its attention while Yura runs to the Dragon's front torso in his turn for close quarter attacks. He performs a combination of slashes upwards to attack the Dragon's torso that manages to cause damage due to the long reach and excellent sharpness of his blade. His attacks were causing the dragon to bleed out from its torso, rapid blood loss was polluting the water beneath it.

The Dragon cries out in pain from the constant attack on its unarmored spot from the two warriors and begins spreading out its wings. It delivers a large flap that creates a gust of wind that staggered both Lordan and Yura while pushing itself up into the air. Flying to stop the pair from their assault.

"Damn! It's going to dive us with fire!" Yura exclaims with a shout.

"You don't say!" Lordan responds and the pair begin to run after the Dragon to keep themselves directly below it.

The Dragon creates a great distance and height between itself and its attackers. It starts to turn back while in the air and performs a dive towards them, its mouth once again lit up with fire.

The Dragon breathes its fire to the ground while flying toward both of them. The column of fire hits the ground and spreads in all directions. Lordan and Yura were caught in the wall of fire and begin to perform rolls to put themselves out from burning.

The Dragon lands far from them and turns in their direction. It lets out a second column of fire in an attempt to burn them while keeping a safe distance. The pair dodge the attack by running in opposite directions from each other to make the Dragon lose its focus.

Lordan tries to close in on the Dragon but was pushed to the ground by another gust of wind that the Dragon creates from its wings, flying up to the sky again. It lands close to Yura and charges him with its mouth open but fails as Yura dodges forward to avoid the bite and reach the torso again.

He tries to attack its limbs but was knocked to the ground as the Dragon takes off again, Its intend to avoid Lordan and Yura from close quarters and use its breath.

Can't reach it! It's trying to tire us! Lordan comes up with the conclusion that the Dragon was using flight to avoid them while forcing the pair to constantly run to reach it. Even bows were useless due to the Dragon's constant movements that make hitting its soft spots with arrows very difficult. Lordan blows his ring to summon Torrent and rides to the Dragon while keeping his greatsword and changing to dual swords for more speed.

"Yura! Attack from Range! I will hit it up close!"

"Right! Don't get killed, Lad!"

They renew their assault with Yura firing off arrows while moving to the Dragon's side. Lordan rides Torrent to confront the Dragon with a frontal charge at the best speed. The Dragon delivers a bite but misses as Torrent dodges to the bottom of the Dragon, allowing Lordan to slash the Dragon's limbs with his dual blades.

The Dragon turns in the direction of Lordan's steed to chase it. Yura follows the Dragon from behind and attacks its tail, Delivering rotating slashes that resemble a sword dance to cause more bleeding damage to the Dragon.

The Dragon then Lets out a roar that was loud enough to cause waves on the lake's surface. Both men grip their ears due to the sharp sound that hurt their heads. The Dragon delivers a tail swipe to Yura and knocks him down while stunned by the roar. It looms over Yura and is prepared to breathe fire downwards to burn him to ash.

Lordan snaps out of the stunlock and rides Torrent towards where Yura lays. He lets out his hand low on Torrent's side while riding. Yura grips Lordan's hand while he rode past before the fire reaches the ground. He was dragged for a few moments before Lordan stops at a safe distance and let go while Torrent disappears to safety.

They take cover from behind a ruined wall in ruins that have been burned by the Dragon before. Both catch their breaths from the long fight.

"Thanks, lad. Saved my skin there."

"No problem..." Lordan lies back against the wall, slowly sliding down to sit. They were safe a the moment as the Dragon did not see them hiding out at the ruins, it roared loudly as it was enraged from losing sight of its attackers. Yura joins Lordan in sitting and both men were exhausted from the ongoing fight.

"Told you this was a bad idea lad..." Yura lectures Lordan while he sips on his own flask, Lordan followed suit and drinks from both his red and blue flask. Their injuries were healed and their stamina was regained.

"Well, we got this far." Lordan looks through his items and considers what can use to counter the Dragon. The main issue they are currently facing was that the Dragon was too armored on large parts of its body with hard-to-reach soft spots and it flies away multiple times to avoiding them from attacking its unarmored areas. They also get tired from constantly chasing the Dragon, all their might and skill meaning nothing if their blades can't reach their target.

"Our swords only do a little damage, yours cause it to bleed out with enough hits. And our arrows do horseshit unless it hits a soft spot, which is only below the Dragon... Fuck, this is hard." He lays out all of the issues to Yura while continuing his search for a useful item. Lordan soon brings out a few firebombs and places them on the ground.

Yura sees the bombs and rolls his eyes due to the fact that it was useless against the Dragon. "Lad... The Dragon is fireproof... The entire outer body of that lizard can withstand lava if necessary."

"Right... I'm being a fool." He picks up the firebombs and prepares to keep them due to Yura's reasoning of the Dragon's outer body being completely fireproof. He stops midway as an idea comes to his head.

The Outer body is fireproof. But what about... Lordan leaves a single firebomb on the ground and takes out his crafting kit, small white pouches, and a few arrows. Yura watches on as Lordan proceeds to dismantle the bomb with the kit's tool, carefully removing the black power and pouring them into the smaller pouches.

"What are you doing, lad?"

"I got an idea, but..."

"But?"

"It's fucking mad." Lordan says while focusing on the arrows next, tying the small pouches to their tips. "I need the Dragon to face me and open its mouth before it breathes out fire."

"And then?"

"I feed it this." Lordan shows Yura the arrows he just modified, they are fitted with small pouches of black power that will explode if exposed to heat. Yura inspects the arrow and understands Lordan's intent with a nod.

"That would mean you would need it to follow you..." Yura sighs as the plan would mean Lordan's chances of death were high despite his ability to resurrect by grace. He stands on his feet and offers Lordan a hand to stand. "You are fucking insane like the rest lad... But if you pull this off perfectly, that lizard will fall today. Hard"

Lordan takes the hand and stands, he passes two of the arrows to Yura. Both warriors inspect their equipment one more time before charging out of the ruins towards the Dragon. It notices them and lets out a roar.

The pair moves below the Dragon and begin attacking all its soft spots with their blades, Lordan attacks the limbs with his dual swords while Yura attacks its torso with upper attacks. The Dragon tries stamping them with its legs but fails to do so when the pair decides to attack a single leg together, the pain the Dragon felt causes it to stop the attack midway.

The Dragon soon spread its wings again, trying to take into the air to create more distance. Yura then jumps high and delivers a downwards slash to one of the Dragon's wings, causing a small hole in its wing's skin as it growls in pain.

With the Dragon unable to take off, Lordan decides to enact his plan. "Yura! It's time!" Yura nods in acknowledgment of the idea and begins to clear off from the Dragon while drawing his bow.

Lordan in a display of bravely decides to move to the front of the Dragon to get its attention. The Dragon stops its struggle and focused on Lordan who was now standing in its view, he keeps his swords and draws his bow with the arrow he created earlier.

This better work... Lordan nocks the arrow and pulls the drawstring of the bow to its fullest extent and aims at the Dragon's mouth to wait for his window. "HEY! OVER HERE DRAGON! BURN ME! BURN ME!" He lets out a taunt that catches the Dragon's attention, It stands firm and opens its mouth to reveal a bright orange flare once again.

Lordan lets loose his arrow and fires it straight into the Dragon's mouth. It winches in pain and closes its mouth from the hit but recovers without a hint of the arrow working.

Shit. He thought upon seeing the result. The arrow that Lordan fired fails as the Dragon prepares to breathe fire towards Lordan, it would burn him and he would resurrect at the last site of grace. Lordan closes his eyes and stands firm, waiting for death by fire to come.

His thoughts were interrupted when an explosion occurs on the Dragon's neck that caused a large open wound, created by the arrow that was stuck in its throat. The delayed explosion was due to the fire breath not reaching the pouches, but occurs now as the Dragon attempted a fire breath.

The Dragon roars in pain to the sky as it vomits blood from its mouth, with some coming out of the open wound in its neck to pollute the lake's water below it. Lordan's theory had worked.

Not fireproof on the inside huh? He moves away quickly as the Dragon had begun thrashing around violently from the pain, desperate to kill Lordan by whatever means.

Yura takes a high position atop a ruin as he watched the scene unfold with a small smile, amused by the result of Lordan's foolish plan. "Giant balls, lad. Giant balls." He remarks while lighting a rope fuse on the arrow Lordan gave him and aims with his longbow. He fires the arrow at the open wound of the Dragon's neck. Another explosion happens after a few moments that cause more blood to burst out from the Dragon's neck, making the wound bigger to expose its throat.

The Dragon swings its head in a frenzy from the new injury and attempts to cover its neck. Yura fires another arrow to deter it with an explosion on its wing.

"Lordan! The Neck! Now!"

Lordan hears Yura and charges the Dragon. He had switched to his light greatsword at a safe distance and wielded it with two hands. He performs a charging jump with his greatsword to deliver a final bow.

"FALL! DAMN YOU!"

The greatsword was brought down with a downwards slash on the opened neck wound. It craved through the Dragon's neck vertically to create a gaping wound that stretched from its middle neck down to its torso, blood and guts spew from the bigger wound onto Lordan after he lands beneath.

Lordan begins to backstep with speed as the Dragon faces upwards and roars, trying to keep its innards from falling out with its front limbs. It begins falling forward with its head landing right in front of Lordan, himself almost being crushed by its body.

He waits for a few moments while still griping his greatsword as the Dragon struggles for moments, blood pours out of its wounds with some innards slowly flowing out from its neck. The Dragon lets out soft growls as its movements slowly start to cease. It finally lays still after a final choke, dying from blood loss.

GREAT ENEMY FELLED

White particles float out of the Dragon's body and move their way to Lordan, disappearing upon impact. He feels the rush of runes entering his body. A large number of runes will be used to empower himself with Melina's help. Lordan holsters his greatsword as Yura begins to walk towards the dragon's body, stopping beside Lordan.

"So, once again the wolf has bitten the dragon..." Yura remarks to the body that lies before him, a rare sight during this age. "Beautiful work, felling that dragon*."*

"Well, you helped. Otherwise, I would be toast. Literally and figuratively." Lordan admits as he knew that his current state would be no match for the Dragon alone.

"You did most of the work. A firebomb arrow into the Dragon's mouth? That was quick thinking." He compliments Lordan on his efforts and moves to the dragon's body, he prepares his sword to cut open its chest.

Yura drives his weapon into the dragon's chest and delivers a thrust, slowly cutting open the chest before sticking his hand into the hole and pulling out the Dragon's heart. Lordan looks on with disgust as Yura approaches him with the heart in his hand, sticking it out to Lordan for him to take.

"This heart can be used in Dragon Communion. If you should find yourself overcome by hunger for the heart, yearning for its strength, then seek the decrepit church, on the little island off the western coast."

"Eat the heart? Raw?" Yura nods at his assumption. "I... Will... Consider that." The idea of eating a dragon heart sickens him.

"You must not forget though. Those who partake in Dragon Communion will one day shed their humanity. Their hunger for dragon, their yearning, only worsens." Yura warns with a grave tone. "Until the floodgates burst, unleashing eternal torment. The strength of a mighty dragon. Magnificent, but deadly. It's no surprise that Dragon Communion is ruinous."

"I will keep that in mind." He takes the heart reluctantly and stores it in his enchanted bag.

"Slaying a dragon is no small feat. But you're still a long way from Radegan's record streak."

"Radegan? Who's that?" Lordan asks, not recognizing the name Yura mentioned.

"Radegan The Black. Queen Marika's sworn blade and greatest champion during the last great war with the Dragon Order. Surpassing both the legend of Elden Lords Radagon and Godfrey combined." Yura tells Lordan of the tale. "Legends tell of him falling dragons by the tens and thousands. His presence was known on the battlefield as terrifying and demonic to the Golden Order's enemies. So, whenever they saw a rider chad in black armor with a red cloak atop a spectral steed charging in front of the Golden Order's vanguard... They knew... The Black has come for them, and death was guaranteed."

Lordan listens to the tale and was curious about how Radegan would have managed that. "So how did he do that? Killing thousands of dragons?"

"With inhuman strength, speed, skill, and a big fucking sword."

The idea of a man single-handedly killing thousands of dragons with a simple great sword was ridiculous to Lordan. But the fact that such a man could have existed also intimidated him. He hopes he never has to face Radegan in battle should he still be alive. "What happened to Radegan then? Is he still alive?"

"No one knows. The stories said he disappeared before Queen Marika could make an important announcement that require all of the lands to hear. But that was almost 1900 years ago." Yura finishes his story.

"Alright then. About my part of the deal." Lordan asks to fulfill his agreement. "Where is this target?"

"He is close by. Very close by." Yura cleans his sword with a cloth and holsters the weapon. "We can go after him now, lad. Or do you need a break?"

Lordan sips on his blue flask and walks towards Yura, his body renewed with vigor and energy. "No, We do this now. Lead the way."

Yura smirks and leads them both to a gorge nearby the lake. They both spot a man that was dressed in a regel dark robe with a hood that was carrying two spiked daggers. The pair draw their weapons as Yura's target spots them and proceeds to charge.

"If it isn't Nerijus. Another worthless Bloody Finger. The end is nigh. For you, and your cessblood." Yura remarks as three men soon engage in combat.

---

LIMGRAVE, THIRD CHURCH OF MARIKA

Lordan sits at the site of grace within the ruined church, a statue of a woman with her arms outstretched looks over the site as if watching over the grace. He removes his helmet and breathes out deeply, taking in the fresh air.

He rubs his head to adjust his hair which was messy and ponders on its current length. It's getting long... Taking a bunch of hair into his hand and forming a ponytail, he uses a dagger to cut it off and throws it to the side. He rubs the excess hair strands and reaches into his bag to pull out a new weapon given to him by Yura after their fight with Nerijus.

The fight with the bloody finger had started and ended quickly. With the two sellswords managing to overwhelm him by way of divide and conquer, forcing the target to change directions constantly by surrounding him back and front.

Yura had managed to deliver a death blow by beheading after Lordan stabbed Nerijus with his dual swords. The target was killed and Lordan fulfil the end of his bargain.

Yura was very grateful and rewarded Lordan with his spare weapon, a Nagakiba, or katana as most people called it. He also taught Lordan a technique of deflecting with weapons that allows one to absorb the force of any attack and reflect it back to their enemy.

Lordan inspects the quality of the blade and found it to be of exotic built, long effectiveness of a spear and sharpness of a longsword combined into one. He keeps the katana in his weapon bag as part of his regular set of weapons to use.

"Melina? Are you there?" He calls out to her and she soon appears out of a blue mist near the site of grace. She smiles as if happy to see him.

"Greetings, Lordan. Are you well?" She enquires about his well-being due to their last conversation when Lordan was in a lowered state.

Lordan nods and she eases herself from concern, making her take a kneel near the site of grace. Lordan observes her for a brief moment, a hint of uncertainty within her body language. "I have some runes to turn into strength." He makes his request known and catches Melina's attention.

"Of course, Lordan. And a generous amount as well." She feels a significant number of runes within Lordan's body, runes that equal the worth of a dragon's strength. "Very well. Let my hand rest upon you, for but a moment..."

The both of them touch hands and Melina begins the process of turning runes into strength while reciting her prayer that Lordan has heard before. He focuses on the aspects that he wishes to improve and slowly feels runes granting him a newfound strength as before.

Lordan opens his eyes early than usual and looks upon Melina's hand that he was currently holding. He observes scars that resemble burn marks on her hand, most of the scars were faded and seemed to match her skin tone. He traces her hand with his thumb to feel the surface, her normal skin soft and her scars slightly rough.

Who or what did this? He wonders about the cause of her scars as Melina opens her eyes after finishing her prayers and sees Lordan's actions. He soon looks up and both their eyes meet, their hands not letting go for moments too long.

Melina slowly releases her hand from Lordan's grip and looks away, tensing up due to the fact that Lordan had discovered her scars. Lordan clears his throat and lets out a quiet "Sorry" to ease Melina with no effect as she begins to display more sights of distress.

"Melina... Are you Ok?" He asks carefully, concerned due to her display of growing discomfort. Perhaps he should not have examined her scars. He observes her for a few moments as she continues to keep quiet with slightly harder breaths as if trying to hold back from breaking down.

Melina takes a deep breath and slowly begins to calm down. She looks to Lordan who had been staring cautiously and waiting for a response. She steels herself and returns to normal, part of her feeling bad from the display which caused him to worry.

He's not here... He won't hurt you... He won't hurt you... She tells herself in her mind upon remembering the man who gave her the burn scars that run around her body, they still hurt with a phantom pain to this day.

She decides to give Lordan an excuse to throw off any worries he has about her, she didn't want to bother him with her problems. "Forgive me, Lordan. I've been... Testing you. To see whether or not grace truly does guide you."

Lordan crooks his head from the answer and wonders about the test that Melina had been using on him, completely forgetting about the earlier incident with the scars. "Ok? Did I pass?"

She nods to his question. "After Margit, I... wondered whether you are fit to face the challenge that entails. It seems my worries were unfounded." She continues slowly, carefully minding her words. "Torrent had your measure from the very start. Whereas I merely... Pretended." She notices disappointment on his face as he hears the lie.

He sighs from her confession "No surprise there... I don't exactly display confidence." Lordan notes his limitations as he did before after dying to Margit multiple times.

"I'm sorry, Lordan. I didn't mean to lie."

"Not your fault..."

Melina looks to him with surprise but was grateful that he would forgive her. "There is but one other thing I can do to offer you guidance. I can take you to the Roundtable Hold... Gathering place of Tarnished champions."

The news of a place of gatherings for the Tarnished catches Lordan's attention. A group of people from all over the region could assist him in any matter regarding his lack of knowledge in the lands between. It would also be beneficial to have a place to rest and regroup when not in combat. "Alright, which way?"

"The hold has no physical entrance. I will simply bring you there." Melina offers her hand to Lordan again, this time more uncaring of the appearance of her scars.

He decides not to pursue the matter of her scars any further and takes her hand. "Ok, I'm ready. Bring me there."

Melina nods and closes her eye with his hand in her grip. He starts to feel a sense of warmth and sees their bodies slowly fading into a blue mist similar to how Melina appears. The both of them soon fade away, teleporting to the Roundtable Hold.

---

THE ROUNDTABLE HOLD

Lordan reopens his eyes after a few moments to see that he was no longer at the church, they stood in a hall with a large round table that had swords gathered around the middle with a light of grace.

Wow... That was weird. He thinks to himself about the feeling of teleportation. They both let go of their hands and soon attracts the attention of the people that were currently residing in the hall. With Roderika being the first to wave to Lordan with a small smile near the hall's fireplace.

"This is the Roundtable Hold. A haven for the Tarnished to gather and regroup. You may find safety and assistance here. Should you require it. An enchantment has been put in place to ensure no harm will come to anyone while in the hold." Melina explains to Lordan while a man approaches the pair.

The man was wearing a light grey armor set with a helmet covering his face, leaving many to wonder what he may look like. He stands with a cane that doubles as a hammer. He stops in front of them and looks at Lordan, eying him top to bottom before turning to Melina.

"Melina. It has been a while since you came to the hold." The man speaks with a mature and wise voice while Melina performs a small bow to greet him.

"Greetings, Master Ofnir. I bring a guest to the hold. He is... new to the lands between."

The man looks to Lordan again, sizing him up with his eyes beneath his helmet. "Oh? This is a rare occasion. I can't remember the last time a new Tarnished made their way to the Roundtable. Brought by you of all people." He speaks while continuing his stare. Lordan decides to offer his hand and gives his name.

"I'm Lordan."

"Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing." Gideon responds without shaking Lordan's hand, leaving him hanging for moments before Lordan puts his hand down. "As your senior, I bid you welcome. It is safe here. You may let down your guard."

"Allow me a word of advice, as your senior. You are a mere visitor to the Roundtable, nothing more." He starts to turn away from the pair and walks towards an exit leading to the hold's study room. "You have yet to earn your keep. So remember your place, boy."

"That's it? No words of wisdom from the all-knowing?" Lordan asks while Gideon continues walking away. Not caring for Lordan's rudeness.

"What were you expecting, boy? Tea?" Gideon responds. "There's nothing left to say. Be at your leisure. And take care of the girl. She is the reason you are here in the first place. "

Lordan looks at Gideon while he moves out of view. Cunt... He comments within his head on the encounter. He looks back to Melina. "Well... He's peachy, isn't he?" The remarks earn him a small smile from Melina.

"Master Ofnir is currently leader to the Roundtable Hold. He acts as a guide to the Tarnished. But he can be... Impatient, in recent times. Due to the last few Tarnished that came being failures in his eyes."

"You don't say..." Lordan replies with a hint of sarcasm while rolling his eyes. He looks around the hall towards the others residing there. A priest and noble, both nod in acknowledgment to Lordan when he looks upon them.

Lordan looks around the decorated hall to take in all the details of the room. While looking around, he notices five paintings hanging on the higher part of the hall near the ceiling. They were paintings of two women and three men.

The first painting depicts a woman wearing a witch's hat and robes in dark grey color that was similar to Renna's. The woman holds a staff in one hand and her other hand shows her wielding flames, flames that are black and white in color. She had pale skin and black long hair with blue gloomy eyes but was remarkably beautiful.

The second painting shows another woman who wore a crown and a black dress that was revealing with her chest and back exposed. She had her arms outstretched like the statue in the church Lordan had rested earlier. She had blonde hair and light pale skin, with her beauty matching the woman in the first painting.

The third painting was of an elderly but strong-looking man that wears a crown that was sliver in color as compared to the previous painting's golden crown. He wields a colossal axe and was donning a heavy armor with a blue cape. It also shows a white lion that stands tall beside him as a war companion.

The fourth painting was of a man dressed in black robes that wears a golden-colored version of the same crown as the previous man, he had his arms outstretched but was straighter. He had flaming red hair and divine facial features that makes him look like a painted depiction of a god.

The last painting was of a man donning a black jagged armor with a wolf helmet that covered half of his face, his lower jaw exposed to reveal tanned skin with a hint of beard stubble. He wields a giant greatsword that was Massive, thick, heavy, and too rough for a mere man to hold. It was like a giant raw clunk of iron that was far too big to be called a sword. Compared to the other paintings, this one looks like a painting of a demon.

"Who are those people?" Lordan points to the painting and asks Melina. She looks up to them and takes a step forward; her focus is on the first painting.

"These are the forebearers of the Roundtable Hold and the beings that shaped the lands between. Their efforts, feats, and stories earn them a place among the old legends, most see them as living gods." Melina explains while beginning to speak their names.

"Renna The Gloam."

"Marika The Eternal."

"Godfrey The Lord."

"Radagon The Red."

"Radegan The Black."

Lordan takes in the information of the names and wonders about the last two names. "Radegan and Radagon? Any particular relation?"

"No. They are different persons. They did not exist in the same time period and neither are they related." Melina provides him with the answer. The two paintings were also completely different in tone like two sides of a coin. with Radagon depicted as holy and godly, and Radegan depicted as demonic and ungodly. Complete polar opposites of each other.

He looks back to the painting of Renna and compares it to the witch he met a day ago and notices some differences. The most obvious is the lack of blue skin and hair. The painting of Renna also looked older, than that of an adult woman compared to a younger version he spoke to.

"I... Met a woman called Renna, at the Church Of Elleh. Are they the same person?"

"No, Lordan. The woman you met is not Renna. Most likely, she has given you a false name." He nods upon understanding what she means.

Melina begins to walk towards the same exit where Gideon went, she stop for moment and looks at Lordan. "There is a guest room where you can stay for the night and whenever you require it." She points to the other exit on Lordan's right. "There is also a blacksmith that can reinforce your weapons towards that room. Enjoy your stay, Lordan. Find me in the library, should you require me."

"Thanks, Melina." Lordan watches her leave while he remains in the hall. He decides to look around the hold and introduce himself to its current residents.

The first was Roderika again as they had already met. She thanked him again with a hug which he awkwardly returned. She speaks of finding her purpose and hoping to help him on his journey. Lordan removed his helmet to properly introduce himself as he did before. The gesture causes Roderika to blush greatly upon seeing his unique face, due to her not expecting Lordan to look so "Pretty" as most girls used to tell him.

He then greets Diallos, a nobleman from the house of Haslow who greets him with the phrase "The tale of House Hoslow is told in blood". He wears a elegant built light armor with red and silver tones and wields two metal whips as weapons. He makes a request to Lordan for assistance to look for his servant named Lanya, offering a reward for his services should he find her during his travels. He accepts the request but makes no promises.

The last person in the hall was Brother Corhyn, a man of the cloth for the Golden Order or priest as most people call them. He learns that Lordan still sees the light of grace and offers to teach him incantations, provided Lordan increases his level of faith. He gifts Lordan a seal to cast these spells and advises him to try it when outside the hold.

Lordan moves to the exit on his left to find the blacksmith who introduces himself as Hewg, a humanoid man chained to the wall near his anvil. He looks to Lordan and asks him to bring smithing stones to improve his weapons and imbue them with ashes of war, magical ashes that allow the user to use a weapon skill without the need to learn them. Lordan offers runes to Hewg to repair his Raging Wolf Armor which Hewg accepts upon commenting on the horrid state of his equipment. Lordan takes off the armor down to his inner leather gambeson and passes it to Hewg who requires a few hours to fully restore it.

In the guest room, Melina mentioned a woman sitting on the bed and introduces herself as Fia, who mentions her stay in the roundtable hold as temporary due to unforeseen circumstances. She offers to hold Lordan in a hug to provide him with a blessing which he declines, offering an excuse by showing Fia the ring to call Torrent as a means to indicate that Melina has "Claimed him". She tells him of another guestroom in the lower level before bidding him farewell, requesting him to see her again if he changes his mind.

He moves to the other side of the hold to where Melina and Gideon reside. At the doorway to the study, a man dressed in blackened armor with a skull helmet leans against the wall. He does not speak and simply gestures Lordan away, not caring for Lordan's introduction.

Gideon was busy the study room with books and scrolls laid out on the table he was working with. He dismisses Lordan when he attempted conversation by telling him that he would only have use for him when is granted an audience with the Two Fingers in the throne room of the hold's hall.

Lordan returns to the library to see Melina reading a book titled "The Throne of Want". He moves closer and attracts her attention.

"How are you getting on, Lordan?"

"Uhh... the people here are... interesting to say the least." He gives his answer not knowing what to make of the people here yet.

"Indeed. Most of them come from different walks of life. Some of them can be considered enemies towards each other, but the hold welcomes all."

"Yeah... Would be a pretty shit haven if anyone started killing each other." He comments on the hold's enchantment that allows no conflict. "Well. I'm going to get some shut-eye. You should too."

"Of course. Rest well, Lordan."

He starts to walk away from the library back to the hall. Melina asks him a question along his way.

"Did you receive a blessing from Fia?"

Lordan stops midway and answers. "No. Pretty sure I can't." He raises up his hand where he wears Torrent's ring. It makes Melina let out a small laugh and blushes at the comment.

"Oh... Lordan... We aren't married."

"Yet." He walks away while laughing on his own, leaving Melina to her book.

"Such a foolish man..."

---

MISTWOOD, MISTWOOD RUINS

After spending half a day in the hold for rest while waiting for Hewg to fix his armor, Lordan sets off to Mistwood from the church in search of the "Friend" Kale mentioned. On Torrent's back, Lordan traveled into the woods to begin his search.

He rode around the woods in circles for about two hours, trying to find signs of a man or man with a wolf as Kale had described howling as a sign of his presence in the area.

During his search, he encountered new enemies in the form of demi-humans, man-eating flowers, and bears. Not just any bears, bears that chased him and Torrent with matching speed resulting in some close calls. He managed to avoid them as Torrent could do something the bears couldn't, It could jump, twice.

Lordan reaches a ruin and decides to take a break as it was getting dark. He looks through his map that was updated from the new piece he found earlier, marking all the locations he already visited in the woods to ensure he would not repeat a stop in his search.

"Damn it, Kale. Why are all your recommendations not so simple..." He remarks with negativity and keeps his map. He takes out his kit to prepare to craft new items for the road, intending to continue his search in the morning.

Lordan's focus was interrupted by a wolf's howl that resonates in the night. He looks around and draws his sword to prepare for danger, expecting more stray wolves to attack him. After a few moments no wolves appear, causing him to let his guard down as the howl sounds out again.

He thinks the source of the howling was close and remembers the information Kale gave him, to snap his fingers when he hears howling in Mistwood. He proceeds to perform a snap with his fingers, its sound echoes in the night.

He waits for moments with no effect, causing him to sigh and return to his business. He was stopped when he hears a heavy impact from behind him. Lordan out of instinct turns around and backsteps into a battle stance while drawing his other sword to dual wield.

The figure that looms before him was a large man that wears a grey plate with a fur cloak, a giant greatsword was holstered on his back with engravings on the blade. Perhaps the most prominent feature of the man was the fact that he has a wolf's head.

The man grips his sword's hilt while raising a hand to indicate to Lordan to stop. "Might not want to do that, Mate. It will probably end badly for both of us." He speaks calmly to ease the situation.

Lordan starts lowing his swords and places them back in his weapon bags. "Right... Sorry. Jumpy from all the bears earlier."

A nod of understanding came from the man, indicating he had trouble with them as well. "Kale told me to find you."

"Kalé sent you, did he? Ever the bloody busybody." He sighs on the fact that his friend gave his location away. "Hmm... Maybe to him, you don't seem so strange*.*"

"Of course, I'm not strange. I'm the only one who buys stuff from him. Supposedly..."

The man laughs quietly from the inside joke, his wolf displays a smile-like smirk. "Yeah... His business is taking a hike from the strinking Tarnished poplution." The man offers a hand for Lordan to shake. "The name's Blaidd."

"Lordan." They shake their hand as greetings. "So... you're an actual wolf. Honestly, I didn't expect that..."

"Yep. The accent and tone throw most people off. Especially the ladies..." Blaidd's smirk grows larger from the mention. "And you're a wolf too, I see. I recongise the armor of the Raging Wolf Vagram anywhere."

"You know Vagram?" Lordan asks, not expecting anyone to know his master's name in this region.

"Grumpy fellow? Grey hair? In his fifties in terms of looks? Yeah, we have met." Blaidd recounts his experience with Vagram. "Took a job for my mistress a while back. The man fights like a mad dog with nothing to lose. A bloody fucking savage."

"Have you seen him recently?"

"Nope. Sorry mate, It has been a while since." Lordan felt disappointed by this fact, he had hoped he could meet Vagram due to not seeing him for a couple of years already. Blaidd continues the conversation to question why Lordan was here. "So... You were looking for me?"

"Yeah. I was told you were on a job."

"I am. I'm looking for a man who goes by "Darriwil." He fled somewhere nearby. Or so I've heard." A tone of frustration was within Blaidd's voice as he had been hunting for some time.

"Don't suppose you need a hand? For runes? I'm working on the fly."

Blaidd looks to Lordan and gains interest in the offer. "Merc for hire, eh? Hmmm... Tell you what, mate. We find Darriwil and kill him. I finish my job and you take his runes and whatever loot you want from his body. Deal?"

"Deal." Lordan accepts and ponders the next move they need to take. "Ok... so, where is he?"

"That's the thing. I can't find him. Bastard's covered his tracks pretty well for a bloodhound knight."

"Well... Can't you just... smell him out?" Lordan suggests and earns a perplexed look from Blaidd.

"Smell him out? So you think all half-wolves can just do that?"

"Uhhhhh... Yes?"

"That's bloody racist, mate."

"Alright. Alright. Don't be such a bi- Baby about it." Lordan waves off his supposedly offensive remark. "But you got any leads? We can't just stand around and think about where he might be."

Blaidd sighs. "As much as I hate to admit it, smelling him out might be the way to go. But uh... I don't do that." The limitation creates an idea in Lordan's mind.

Lordan reaches into his enchanted bag and pulls out the spirit calling bell with the ashes that he was given. The items catches Blaidd's attention with a hint of recognition on his face.

"Oi... Is that Ra- A spirit calling bell?"

"Yeah. Hopefully these guys can help us." Lordan rings the bell with the ashes of three wolves in hand. the spectral forms of three wolves appear before them. They move to Lordan's front, waiting for a command.

"Hi... wolves... uhhh... Nice to meet you?" Lordan attempts to pet one of the wolves but his hand phrases through as they were in spectral form. The attempt makes Blaidd laugh which he ceases after earning an annoyed stare from Lordan.

"Ok. Can you guys track a bloodhound nearby?" The wolves begin moving around the ruin while stiffing the ground as if understanding the instruction given. They eventually look to the same direction to indicate that they have their target's location.

Blaidd looks on with a smile clearly impressed by the method Lordan used. They proceed to follow the wolves as they slowly move towards the location of Darriwil.

"So you have a pack of wolves in your pocket?" Blaidd remarks while they walk along. "Sure you aren't a half-wolf, mate? Might need to check your arse for sights of fur."

"Fuck off Blaidd..."

---

FORLORN HOUND EVERGAOL

Bloodhound Knight Darriwil

"Shit! Blaidd! Can you Flank him!?"

"What do you think I'm trying to- Bloody Hells!"

Blaidd blocks an attack from Darriwil as he dashes towards Blaidd with his curved greatsword, he follows up with an upwards slash with a backflip to create distance.

Darriwill proceeds to dash around the pair as they attempt to attack him, every attack from them were missing as he dashes with incedibe speed that almost seems to make him disappear between dashes. Lordan and Blaidd struggle as Darriwill gets in hits on both of them between his dodges.

They soon stand side by side as Darriwill creates distance again to ease off his attacks, both sides taking a breather as they circle around their battle arena.

"Dodgy little bastard isn't he?" Blaidd comments with heavy breathing, tired from the constant assault the knight was issuing.

"Yeah... I... Noticed..." Lordan was breathing hard as well, more so than Blaidd as Darriwill had been targeting him more often. He sips on his blue flask and finishes his last drop to focus.

Darriwil was a bloodhound knight that specializes in rapid movements and attacks with his curved greatsword. Despite his size and long limbs, he was still fast enough to outrun both Lordan and Blaidd at the same time, using their efforts to attack him to tire them out as he dodges in circles to phrase through their slashes and stabs.

This was Lordan's 6th fight with Darriwill. He had resurrected nearby the stake of Marika which served the same function as grace, bringing him back to a point before death. Each time he died, Blaidd was waiting for him outside the Evergoal to learn how their last battle went, aware of the time loop that a Tarnished experiences.

Darriwil charges them again with multiple dashes in a zigzag pattern to throw off their focus. The attempt makes Blaidd stab his greatsword to the ground, creating an ice blast that spreads out to deter the Knight's attacks, forcing him to retreat again.

Blaidd removes his sword and looks at Lordan. "If you got a plan mate, Now is the time!" Impatience fills his voice, clearly wanting the fight to end.

We need to distract him. But how? Lordan thinks fast as he notices Darriwill readying his next attack, taking a low battle stance with three limbs on the ground to dash at any time. An idea comes to Lordan which caused him to retrieve his spirit calling bell.

He rings the bell to summon his three wolves. Upon creation, the wolves immediately attack Darriwill, forcing him to dash around them as the speed of the wolves almost match Darriwill's dashes.

Lordan and Blaidd sip on their red flasks to regain their vigor. Both men sees the sight before them as they prepare to renew their attacks. "Alright, Mate. We got him running, so now we-"

"Tear his arse a new one."

The remake makes Blaidd smirk as he wields his greatsword with one hand. "Aye. Rotting in a cell is no true justice for this muppet. No, this is where it ends."

The pair joins the fray, it was now a five versus one battle as the pair seeks to overwhelm the Knight with constant attacks from all sides.

Darriwill starts to dodge in rapid sucession as he was constantly harassed by attacks from five directions. The wolves could keep up to his speed and force him to move away while Lordan and Blaidd get in their attacks in between. The method works as the pair was able to get a few hits in to Darriwill, a feat that was rare in their last few fights.

The fight lasted for a few more minutes before Darriwil starts to slow down, as the constant dodging was starting to wear him out. His grave mistake was made as one of the wolves manages to bite on his leg to stop his movement, its jaws holding on tight as he struggles. The two other wolves join in to bite on his shoulder and hand, keeping him bound tightly.

Blaidd sees his opportunity to end the fight fast and shouts to Lordan. "Lordan! Prepare yourself! Take his head on my move!"

"When!?" Lordan shouts back while drawing the katana Yura gave him from his weapon bag.

"NOW!" Blaidd leaps into the air, his greatsword in hand as he prepares a downward thrust. Once above the bound Knight, he stabs down into Darriwil's chest, pinning him down as his blade stabs through his torso and into the ground.

Lordan charges to where Blaidd has pinned the Knight with his katana and reaches in front of them. He wields the sword with two hands and delivers a downwards slash to Darriwil's neck with all his might. In one swift motion, the katana's sharp edge cuts through the neck with no effort, beheading Darriwil. His head falls to the ground as his body goes limp after a few twitches, and blood pours out of his neck stump.

ENEMY FELLED

The Evergoal starts to fade around them as its prisoner was now dead. The area returns to the normal cliff where the Evergoal's entrance was located, both Lordan and Blaidd still at their same postions when they killed Darriwil.

Blaidd removes his impaled sword from the body and kicks it a few times, his penned-up frustration taken out on the body. "Fucking Traitor..."

Darriwil's body soon emits runes that rush to Lordan's body, increasing the amount he currently has. He would need to increase his strength again after this fight.

While Lordan was absorbing the runes, Blaidd had moved to Darriwil's severed head. Taking out a small sack from his own enchanted bag, he removes the helmet and places Darriwil's head into the sack and hangs it on his belt, taking it as prove of his successful hunt. "Well... We got him. Had to work for it, but it's done."

"Six times, Blaidd... That's how hard we had to work for it..." Lordan reveals the number of deaths he needed to take down Darriwil. He was a bit happy about the fact that it took a lesser number than his fights with Margit, which he still has not succeeded in defeating.

"Our new lucky number then." Blaidd moves to the body and takes the curved greatsword that Darriwil used. "Here. Might be useful for you, if you can use it properly." He tosses the sword for Lordan to catch, he barely catches it with his hand.

"A curved greatsword? What's next? Square shields?" He comments on the design of the greatsword which was rarely seen from the lands he came from. "Not as special as yours though..."

Blaidd holds out his own greatsword and shows it off. "You like it, Eh? I had a blacksmith design it after Radegan's dragon killing greatsword. I was always a big fan of the Dreaded Black Wolf." He says proudly as he mentions his inspiration. "Alas... It is smaller than the real thing. I like it to be a bit more balanced."

Lordan keeps the sword in his enchanted bag for safekeeping. "Alright. Guess I got what I came for. Thanks, Blaidd."

Blaidd waves off the thanks. "No worries, mate. You did good as well. Your wolves really saved me the trouble." Blaidd holsters his greatsword and prepares to move off. "That's enough chit-chat for now. It's time we parted ways. Good luck on the path, wolf."

They exchange goodbyes with a handshake and Blaidd moves off, leaving Lordan at the Evergaol's entrance. Blaidd stops half-way as he remembers something that may help Lordan on his journey. "Oh yes, by the way. If you venture north to Raya Lucaria and come across a venerable blacksmith who's a little on the large side... Tell him I sent you. And he'll be sure to treat you right."

"Oh... Thanks, Blaidd." They wave goodbyes once more as Blaidd walks away. Lordan makes his way to Darriwil's body and examines the armor set he was wearing. "Hmmm... Nice gear..." He starts to remove the Bloodhound armor from the body, intending to take it for himself.

---

LIMGRAVE, AGHEEL LAKE SOUTH

"Share them with me, your thoughts, your ambitions, the principles you would follow." Melina recites to imbue the runes into strength for Lordan. He feels his body empowered again from the runes, his chosen aspects improving.

They let their hands go and sit back down in front of the site of grace. It had been a few hours since the fight with Darriwil and Lordan was currently preparing to depart into the Weeping Peninsula. He maps out the route to reach Castle Morne to the south in search of more runes, a trip that will take him one week even with Torrent's help.

Lordan stands up and wields the curved greatsword of Darriwil, giving it a few swings to test his newfound strength. He was pleased as the aspects he improved allowed him to use the weapon more effectively. "Not bad... Not bad at all." He sits back down and places the sword to the side, removing his helmet as well.

"Thanks, Melina. You have been a great help." He thanks her as she had been the reason he was even making progress.

"Of course, Lordan. You have been improving greatly since we first met. I am... glad I had been wrong." She admits to her doubts again as she did earlier. It had been a relief for Melina to see Lordan start succeeding in his endeavors, his recent victories with a Dragon and Bloodhound Knight were by no means easy tasks. But he had managed to overcome them, even if he needed assistance to do it.

"It's no big deal... I still need more strength if I'm going to face Margit again. Just a little more..." He grips his hands together into a fist, determined to see his task through. Margit was in his way to freedom and needed to be felled.

"And I am confident you will gain it." Melina complements, earning her a smile from Lordan which she returns. She had only seen Lordan without a helmet a few times. His smile was bright and calming, which causes her to feel a sense of warmth.

She observes his face with his soft and rugged facial features that were a mix of masculine and feminine features, a rare look from the average man. She thought of him as "Pretty".

She also wondered at his hair. Its length was medium and a bit messy, giving it a certain charm to his overall look. The colour was dark brown with minor hints of blonde highlights that was overpowered by the dominant brown color.

Lordan clears his throat due to Melina staring too long. It gets her attention causing her to turn away as she blushes deeply, embarrassed for having admired his face.

That was... inappropriate. She thought to herself as she feels her heart beating a bit faster.

They sat in an awkward silence from the incident before Lordan decides to break the tension. "So... I have been meaning to ask... Why did you choose me?"

Melina looks back to Lordan upon hearing the question. She thinks of a proper response so as to not reveal the truth of why she has chosen to follow him, the real answer was too complicated for him to understand.

"I was... told to seek a Tarnished that follows the path of grace. This Tarnished would be the one to bandish the Elden Ring and I would follow, reaching the Erdtree along the way." Melina explains as Lordan listens in carefully. "When this task was given to me, I had traveled all over the lands between in search of such a person. I found some, along the way. But..."

"But?"

"They... Did not live up to their measure. They chose different paths, and ways, and engage in... unacceptable acts that was against the Greater Will's interest. Thus, they lost sight of grace." Melina had found other Tarnished warriors before and followed them despite being instructed not to do so. When they lost sight of grace, she had been forced to abandon them, each one falling into further

It was a mistake on her part. She had become desperate from the waiting and decided to take an easy way out. As a result, she had paid for it with pain, her burn marks being the most obvious sign.

"And now. I found you. Another Tarnished with the potential to succeed." She lies again about why she chooses him, feeling shame from the act and hoping he would be conceived without issue.

Forgive me, Lordan...

Lordan accepts the explanation with no suspicion. "So that's your purpose? Leading a Tarnished to the Erdtree?"

"My purpose?" Melina was caught off guard by the question. "The truth is... I'm searching for my true purpose given to me by my mother inside the Erdtree long ago, for the reason that I yet live, burned and bodyless." The last part was another lie.

"Bodyless? But... you are right in front of me." Lordan was confused by the meaning of the last words.

"This is... a false body... It will do have to do for the moment." Another lie comes from her mouth. Each one she tells tore her up on the inside.

"I... See..." He decides to accept the explanation. "Still... If you're going to have a purpose. you should be able to pick. Right?"

"Pick? You mean choose my own purpose?"

"Yeah. You know. Just... choose what you want to do. No one is gonna stop you." Lordan shrugs from his response. Melina ponders on the words she receives and was curious about Lordan himself.

"But what of you, Lordan? What is your purpose?" She asks and he thinks of a suitable answer.

"Me? Hm. Well... let's see... I am a mercenary. So most of the time, my purpose is gold. Not because I wanna be rich or anything... It's just that a man has to eat, you know?" He gives a practical answer to her question and its was also the most honest one he could think of. "Besides, It's all I know since birth. The way of the sword. And how to sell it."

"So you were a sellsword from birth?"

"Something like that... I grew up among them. In New Lothric, for the first few years. Then I traveled, with my master around the known world. Visiting many mercenary bands and guilds. I met other kids along the way. All of us were training to become sellswords."

"Children? Training to fight?" Melina asks with concern about the practice of child soldiers.

"Better than being orphan. At least you could earn a keep when you fought alongside the adults."

Melina thinks about asking her next question but hesitates for a moment before speaking out. "Then... What about your parents?"

"Never knew them. They died during a war." A hint of sadness was in Lordan's tone. "At least that's what I was told. My father and mother were footsoldiers. She gave birth to me in the midst of battle when an enemy found her."

"He... helped her birth me and took me to safety. She died after that from blood loss. And my father... Well, he didn't make it very far too." Lordan shifts in his position due to discomfort with the topic. "Then... Master Vagram found me, after the battle in a burnt-down tent. I was the only survivor out of all the babies that were housed there."

They kept silence for a moment for Lordan to remember about his childhood. It was a decent one considering his circumstances at the time. Vagram was the closest figure he had to a father and gave him his name. The only thing Lordan truly owned. He also didn't starve or suffer like many other orphans.

"Do you remember anything about your mother?"

"No... Nothing. But I'm pretty sure I have a bit of her hair." He points out the minor highlights of the blonde on his hair.

He looks back to the site of grace and thinks to himself about how his life would have been if his parents were still alive. Perhaps he would have been happier? Working on a farm? Dead as well? All the what-ifs appear in his mind to no end.

Melina moves closer to him and moves her hand slowly to his, they hold their hands with their fingers intertwined while Melina leans in closer to him, Lordan allows it and place his hand over her sholder.

They held each other tightly to provide comfort from the bitter memories, with no words to exchange as they simply sat in silence. Both of them in their own way were broken but paid no judgment to each other's pasts, they simply wanted to relax in each other's company.

"I'm sorry, Lordan. For what you suffered."

"Me too, Melina. Me too." He says as he feels the burn scar on her hand again. He looks up to the sky to a night of a thousand stars, A majestic sight shelters them from above.

"Stars are... Pretty tonight, Aren't they?"

"Yes. They are." Melina responds while looking up as well.

Both of them suddenly feel a sense of terror surrounding them, as if they had been invaded by an unknown presence. They let each other go and Lordan gets on his feet and starts looking around for signs of anomalies.

"Melina, did you feel-" He looks back to Melina to see her shaking while still being seated. Her mouth was open and her hands trembled uncontrollably while folded, tears stream down her face as her breathing quickens, she was on the verge of a major panic attack.

"No... No... No, please..." She grips her head and adopts a fetal position while looking down. More tears leak as fear overtakes her. "No... Don't let him hurt me again... Mother... Please..."

Lordan moves down to Melina's side to comfort her, gravely worried as he does not know what was causing this. "Melina? What's wrong? What is-"

A red presence soon appears from the cliff where the Evergaol entrance was. The presence reveals himself as a knight wearing a ruined armor with a dark blue tattered cape, it was iron armor singed and blistered by something resembling giant fingers. He wields a giant war spear that seems to emanate yellow flames.

The knight moves closer to the site of grace from the cliff, all while shaking with what appears to be the constrained laughter of a madman.

"Kindling... Give me... Kindling..." He whispers as he moves closer to the pair. "Hahahaha... I... I need It... NEED IT..."

Lordan takes guard and draws his Katana, standing in the way of the Mad knight to Melina as both men stop at a distance from each other. Melina stayed frozen in her postion at the site of grace, completely paralyzed by fear.

"Who are you!?" No response came from the knight. "What the fuck do you want?!"

"HEY! ANSWER DAMN IT!" Lordan shouts to get the Knight's attention but nothing came. The knight soon walks forward slowly, with his spear at the ready and a seal on his other hand. Lordan takes a battle stance of his own, ready to cut him down to protect Melina.

"Kindling... Kindling... Give It... Ha... Ha... GIVE IT. HAHAHA. GIVE IT. HAHAHAHAHA! GIVE IT! HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The Knight charges in a frenzied war cry.

Festering Fingerprint Vyke

Vyke delivers a thrusting attack with the momentum created by his sprint which Lordan easily deflects to the side with his katana. He swings and thrust his spear madly in an attempt to gain a hit on Lordan. Lordan gets out of range with a dodge backward and side steps from each attack.

Lordan soon attempts a counterattack with several slashes and stabs with great success as Vyke was too focused on attacking and forgets to defend. He performs a sword dance to land multiple attacks on Vyke and staggers him.

Vyke dodges backward to reclaim some ground and gain a breather, he swiftly flings a number of sharp rock shards with an incantation towards Lordan to get him off his back.

Lordan charges through the rocks with swift dodges, not intending to give Vyke a chance to recover. He gets close and delivers a sword Piercing stab that breaks Vyke's guard, forcing him to retreat once more.

After creating some distance between them, Vyke performs a leap and thrusts his spear into the ground. The spear creates an explosion that spreads out yellow flames to lit up the area in front of him. Lordan gets caught in the flames and quickly dodges out of the radius as the flames slightly burn him, a pain in his head also appears from nowhere.

He shakes his head from the sudden headache and charges again to gain the upper hand. Once he was close, Vyke grips his head and howls out a scream madly to the sky. A soundwave from his scream could be visbley seen with an orange-yellow hue.

The scream creates sharp pain in Lordan's ears as he begins to bleed from them. The headache from earlier also becomes greater. He grips his ears to muffle the sound while taking a sip from his red flask but fails to realize Vyke approaching him, his spear holstered and his hands free.

Vyke knocks Lordan's flask over the cliff and grips his own head, he lets out a painful grunt as his eyes glow yellow flames. He grabs Lordan by his head successfully and forces their eyes to meet. Lordan tries to resist and push Vyke off but could not help looking into the unknown glow that emits from Vyke's eyes.

"LOOK! LOOK AT ME! LOOK! LOOK! LOOKKKKK!"

The pain in Lordan's mind becomes unbearable as maddening thoughts fill his mind. His worst impulses, greatest fears, most deranged thoughts, violent frustrations, and wicked lustful intents all surface in his mind from within. Chaos and madness fill his thoughts to overwhelm his sanity. He screams in pain and frenzy like how Vyke screamed, the sight makes Vyke laugh like a madman.

Vyke lets go for Lordan to fall to the ground, kneeling and gripping his head as yellow glowing flames also emit from his eyes. "HAHAHAHA! NO MORE GRACE FOR YOU! HAHAHAHAHA!" Vyke leaves Lordan to his pain and moves towards Melina.

Melina snaps out of her trance as she notices Vyke approaching her. Fear grips her tighter, making her unable to move to safety. "No... No... NO! NO! PLEASE! VYKE! STOP!"

Vyke reaches her at the site of grace and grips her tightly with both hands. She struggles but could not escape his grab as he laughs louder with the yellow glow from his eyes burning brighter.

"YES! HAHAHA! YES! HAHAHA! BURN! BURN! AND SHE WILL RETURN TO ME! BURN!"

Melina screams in terror as flames begin to appear from her body, with her scars creating the majority of the flames. She continues her struggle but could not release herself from Vyke's grip.

Lordan hears the screams of Melina through his broken mind. He shakes his head a few times to try and suppress the pain that was breaking his mind. He looks to Melina and Vyke to see the event unfolding before him, with Melina crying tears in pain and terror and Vyke laughing along madly. He also notices a detail that leaves him in shock and fear.

The site of grace was gone. He could not see it. His next death may be permanent.

Lordan steadies himself to stand, not caring about the grace at the moment. He lets out a warcry and charges Vyke without his katana, intending to push Vyke off the nearby cliff.

"GET AWAY! LEAVE HER BE!"

The charge tackles Vyke and he releases Melina from his grip. The two men reach the cliff's edge and stop as Vyke pushes back to stay up. The both of them struggle in an armlock that pushes in different directions, one to fall over the cliff and the other to safety.

Vyke grips Lordan and forces him to look face to face. A hint of shock and recognition processes in Vyke's mind as he suddenly remembers something.

"YOU? YOU!? AFTER ALL THESE YEARS?! AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, YOU SHOWED YOURSELF!? YOU SHOWED YOURSELF! YOU FINALLY FUCKING SHOW-"

Lordan delivers a punch that stuns Vyke and grabs him by both legs to lift him up. He screams and runs towards over edge, sending both of them falling to their demise below.

They hit the other side of the gorge and begin falling down the side, their bodies hitting any obstruction in the way of their fall.

Lordan feels the impact of each rock or edge he falls to the bottom. Each snap and crack can be felt like his body breaks under the constant impacts.

He finally reaches the bottom of the cliff by landing on his back, the final impact breaks the majority of the bones in his body and shatters his vital organs. His final death may be the most painful one yet.

Vyke lands nearby and was not as lucky as he lands on his head. A large dent can be seen on his helmet as it absorbs the impact of the fall. He twists in pain as his red phantom form begins to fade.

"You... You... Little... RUNT... I... WILL... FIND... YOU... AGAIN..."

His phantom form fades, leaving Lordan alone in the gorge.

INVADER VANQUISHED

Lordan looks around the best he can while in his broken state. He attempts to move but could not due to the overwhelming amount of pain that course his body. He thinks about the red flask to heal but remembers that Vyke had knocked It over so it was now lost. There was no hope for him now, he was going to die.

He hears a galloping sound coming towards him. He looks to the side and sees Torrent riding towards him, with Melina as the rider. She moves to his side in a hurry and kneels down beside him.

"Lordan?! Lordan! Oh... Gods... I'm so sorry!" She places her palm on his cheek. "Hold on... Hold on... Grace will save you... It will be ok."

"Mel-Melina..." He speaks in pain. "I-I... I... Can't see It..."

"What?"

"I... Can't see grace... I... I... Can't... I... Can't..."

Lordan begins to faint, the pain and blood loss was beginning to kill him. His life was now hanging by a thin thread. Melina attempts to wake him to ensure he stays awake with no effect.

"Lordan? Lordan?" She begins crying, knowing full well that this is it. This death would be his last one with no grace to save him.

"Lordan? Please... Don't die... Not yet... Not now..." She holds him helplessly, making sure he does not die alone. "Please..."

Three figures soon make their way to where the pair was located. Melina spots them as they move closer, drawing her dagger to defend him. She recognizes the first figure that steps forward.

"Master Ofnir?" The first figure reveals himself as Gideon. Behind him were the Skull Helmet Knight and a woman wearing a badlands style outfit with two axes holstered.

"I suspected something like this would happen." He moves closer and kneels down on the other side of Lordan. "Come. We must bring him to the hold at once. We will heal him there with Corhyn and Fia's help and remove the traces of the frenzied flame. Then grace will return to him." He states as his two assistants move to help Lordan.

"Stay in the hold for the next few days, Melina. Until I sort this out..." Melina nods and wipes her tears, now focusing on moving Lordan to safety. They place him on Torrent and move out, Gideon casts an incantation on Lordan to stabilise his condition.

"Nepheli. Scout Limgrave with your warriors and ensure anyone affected by the frenzied flame is handled."

"Yes, father." She nods at the request.

"Ensha. Go to the Evergaol where Vyke resides. TRIPLE the enchantments and defences. Make sure he STAYS there, for good." Ensa nods at the request and the group heads in different directions based on Gideon's orders.

Torrent begins to move out with Gideon and Melina beside It as an escort, It carries Lordan and moves slowly to ensure he does not get hurt further. Lordan begins to make movements, the healing incantation taking effect as he emits weak groans. Melina moves to him and places a hand to comfort him.

"Hush, Lordan. You will be alright... You will be alright..." He opens his eyes a little to see Melina as she speaks, he sees her single eye red from crying. He starts to faint again, fatigue catching up to him as his vision darkens.

It was not Vagram who gave you that name, Lordan...

---

1999 YEARS BEFORE THE SHATTERING

Three days.

That's how long Rags did not speak for. Three days since their last incident on the planned route. Marika was at loss at this point, every single answer and response from him was a simple "Yes.", "No.", "Hm.".

They were currently resting at another site of grace located off the main road within a ruined shack. It provided shelter and a safe space for hiding away from unwanted eyes. The next populated settlement was about a week away.

The duration of their journey had been extended, by a lot. They had a clear path east, a straight path mapped out with the easilest route and terrain available. But alas, fate decided to throw them a few curve balls.

Their main path had been completely off the table after news broke that the Dragon Order's armies had invaded the kingdom of Heladin. The battle was still ongoing and has completely cut off travel to the east via the main route they planned. It didn't help that a forest fire caused by dragons was also in the way.

This meant they had to take a detour. To travel north below a mountain, then travel east via on its side. The terrain and route was different and was also filled with refugees and travellers with the same idea.

What was a five-month trip from when they left Azalin, was now extended to a year and a half.

"For fucking fuck's sake..." Was the exact words Rags spoke when he calculated the duration of the new route.

So they changed course and traveled the new route. Along the way, they had met several travelers who all encountered problems of their own. Problems ranging from bandits on the road, thieves stealing their items, and some really minor ones like a missing pet.

And much to Rags's disapproval, Marika had offered help to the majority of these travelers. He often refused to help but was forced to after Marika gave him a choice to either help alongside her or reach Leyndell by himself, he always chose the former.

The helping wasn't the bad part, as Rags had earned a few extra bags of gold from the assistance they gave. It was the time taken for each extra errant that bothers him to no end.

The incident that made their current conversations so non-existent was an event that involved bandits that raided a local caravan days ago, killing off all the citizens that were traveling along with it.

They were moving from a higher road as they observed the event from above. Rags, as usual, refused to interfere, reminding Marika that they could not stop for every person.

That changed however when the bandits found a survivor. A young girl around the age of 12. At first, it seemed like she was simply going to be killed. But that changed when some of the bandits decide to start ripping her clothes off, intending to gang-rape her.

The sight makes Marika prepare to intervene but Rags beat her to the punch as he moves toward the bandits without a word. She manages to see a glimpse of his face while he moved past her.

It was filled with An Unbridled Rage.

He begins attacking the bandits with no restraint. They outnumber him 20 to 1 but stood no chance due to Rags's strength from runes. He cuts them all down with his claymore quickly before Marika could even participle, each kill was executed to inflict as much pain as possible.

The girl they recused was left traumatized at the sight of Rags, even as he did save her by extension. She refused to follow them even with Marika promised her safety from Rags of all people. He walks away without a word, even as Marika insists they take the girl along.

And then, something in him snapped as he lashes out at Marika, his bitter words hurt her to the core.

"GODS, HEAVENS, AND HELLS! FUCKING DAMN IT, WOMAN! FOR ONE MINUTE! STOP SHOVING SHIT IN MY FACE! NOW MOVE!"

A hint of regret shows on his face after the words came out. He had continued walking without a word, forcing her to leave the girl behind to keep up.

Which brings them to the current moment. Rags remained emotionless after that outburst and refused to talk to her. It could not continue if they were going to travel for another year. She decides to stop his foolishness tonight.

"I'm taking the night watch. Go to sleep." Rags move away from the site of grace with his claymore. Marika follows suit to start her attempt.

"Rags, wait. We need to talk."

"Go. To. Sleep." His voice was lower the second time. Marika becomes annoyed at his display and picks up a rock to throw at his head. He stops once the rock lands.

"No. Rags. No more... I am done. Do you hear me? I AM DONE." Her volume increases at the last words to express her displeasure. "We are going to talk about what has been bothering you, now. Not tomorrow. Not later. NOW."

Rags slowly turn around and move closer to Marika, stopping in front of her to stare down from his taller height. She looks up directly, unfazed by his terrifying presence. "Talk." He responds to her request and she leads them back to the shack, both take a sit to face each other.

"Fine. I am going to say something for you to respond to. Just answer yes or no."

"Fine." Rags speak without emotion.

"Are you angry at me?" Marika asks the first question.

"No." He responds immediately.

"Are you angry at the bandits?"

"Yes."

"Are you angry at the girl you rescued?"

"No."

"Are you... Willing to tell me why you are acting this way?"

No response comes out from Rags for a time. Marika sighs at the display as she feels like giving up.

"...Yes." He finally speaks up and catches her attention.

"So... Tell me." She asks with a soft pleading tone. "Please..."

Rags stand up from the site and turn around, he looks to the sky and lets out a breath. He stays there for moments before speaking again.

"It... reminded me... About... My father."

Marika was curious now as Rags had only mentioned him once. "What made you rem-"

"I killed my father."

The admission make her stop her questions as that was not an answer she ever considered. She could only leave her jaw open as she processes what she just heard.

"Hm... Feels weird when I say that out loud..."

Marika starts her next question carefully, not wanting to antagonize him in any way. "Why did you... Do that?"

He breathes out again as he slowly lets his walls down, making an effort to get through this.

"My mother... Found me on a battlefield. After the fighting was finished. She bought me home and raised me, despite my father's disapproval." Each word of his story comes out with difficulty. "Soon, she died from a plague. And I was left... with him." A tone of bitterness slips through his voice.

"One night, he came home drunk. And started beating me. Blaming me for my mother's death." He pauses for a moment more as he was going to reveal a shameful secret.

"Then... He... Decided to... Rape me..." His fists clench at the admission.

Marika was shocked at the reveal. She could not understand what would drive a man to do such an act, to his own son of all people.

"A mercenary passed by and heard the event. Stopped him, by breaking his legs." Rags continue, slower than before. "Then, he offered me a choice. I could take his sword to stab my father to death and go with him or he would leave me there to suffer the consequences..."

"I... chose to kill him. My father."

Rags were now silent and his hands shake with no control. Marika stands and slowly moves near him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You were a child... You didn't have a choice..." She attempts to justify his actions.

"I did. I wanted to kill him." He admits to the truth. "I was so... Angry... For what he did. I didn't even think twice about the deed."

"Rags..." She was worried now about his mental state, it was on the verge of breaking under the stress.

"I guess that's why... I acted that way. I... Still can't move on from it. Even now. It... broke me."

Rags breathe hard as Marika grabs his hand to calm him down, he holds it back after a few moments.

"I'm like... a broken pot... You can put me back together as many times as you want... But..." A single tear drops down his face. "I'm still damaged... I'm... Used goods..."

They stand together in silence as Rags starts to calm down. Marika thinks of the words she could say at the moment that would help ease him, but no amount of comfort nor words can help him heal from his past trauma, not at this current time or place. An idea comes to her mind to project her advice in the form of a different topic.

"Rags... Have you ever traveled to the Land of Reeds?"

She observes him for a moment after speaking to gauge his reaction, no signs of distress or annoyance were displayed, allowing her to continue comfortably.

"The people there have a unique practice with pottery. It is called "Kintsugi" in their language. It is translated to "Golden Joinery" or as most people call it, The Art Of Broken Pieces."

She pauses again to see his reaction while allowing him to process her words.

"The process involves mending pieces of broken pottery back together with gold, silver, or bronze resin as binding. The repaired pottery is then preserved as an heirloom, work of art or keepsake."

She pauses again as she sees him thinking about the words, trying to understand their meaning and how it relates to him.

"The most notable part of these repaired potteries is the damages that remain visible. The resin used for mending does not hide the damage to the pottery, it highlights it to the fullest extent. Every crack and imperfection shown to the eyes, not hidden or replaced."

A hint of thought shows on his face.

"The concept behind such a practice is the idea that by embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art." She lets go and places her hand on his back.

"Which teaches us an important lesson. We can create something more unique, beautiful, and resilient from something that is broken. Instead of restoring it to its former self. Hiding the damages will only make things worse."

She finishes her words, hoping Rags would have a measure of peace from the advice. Silence surrounds them again.

"Do you... understand where I am coming from?" Marika asks, a response would not come for a while.

"...Yes." Rags finally answer. His body language and facial expressions return to their normal neutral state, like how he always displays. It will take some time for him to get over this period of doubt, But it was a decent start.

Marika lets out a deep breath, relieved over Rags's answer. She removes her hand and walks forward away from the shack.

"Good. Then it's settled. Now... Go and rest Rags. I will take the night watch."

Rags look forward to Marika and let out a sigh. "No. I'm fine. I can take the watch ju-"

"I wasn't asking, Rags. I am telling you. I am taking the night watch." She insists on the arrangement, not backing down from her intention. "If you are that stubborn about it. We can take the watch together." She offers a compromise to his insistence.

Marika leaves the shack and moves to the spot where Rags had set as a lookout point. It was the ruins of what appeared to be a storage shack, half of it's walls had broken down to give a clear view of the clearing to the main route while still providing cover to stay hidden.

She takes a seat against one of the ruined walls and looks at the open sky, the stars light up the sky with infinite brilliance.

She hears footsteps and sees Rags walking toward the lookout spot. He stops beside her and takes a seat as well, his claymore placed at the side within reach. He does not speak and simply looks to the ground.

"I'm sorry. For what I said."

Marika sighs from the apology while still looking to the stars.

"I forgive you."

They sit in silence for the night. Both mulling over their own thoughts in each other's company.

FIN