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Chapter 10
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Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
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The Tarnished stood before the enormous oak doors of the Raya Lucaria Grand Library. This was it. After fighting his way through the academy and suffering deaths at the hands of mages, puppets and automatons alike, he had finally arrived. Behind those doors was the famed Queen of the Full Moon, the second shard bearer.
He had heard rumors about her state throughout his adventures through Lirunia. All spoke of a woman weakened by heartbreak followed by a long and painful descent into madness. However, none painted a clear picture of her current capabilities. Some said she was a shadow of her former self, but even those words did not mean much. After all, the full moon casts a shadow unlike any other. If she was even half as strong as she was at her peak, the fight ahead would be one of the most difficult thus far. And, what was worse, the Carian knight guarding the library lift had made a substantial dent in his healing supplies.
Melina appeared beside him, likely sensing his unease. "If you are tired, perhaps rest at a fragment of grace? There is no need to rush into this battle."
The Tarnished shook his head. "I would, but the last fragment of grace is quite a hike away. By the time I restore myself, those guarding the entrance would surely be reborn. It's best that I give it a go as is."
His maiden raised her brow suspiciously, but clearly decided against questioning him further. "Then I wish you luck, my Tarnished," Melina said as she disappeared once more.
Once she dissipated the Tarnished sighed and tried to calm himself. Was his lie really so obvious? There was at least sincerity in his word. Having to dash past hordes of magic users to get back to the Library would likely be more than irritating. However, in truth, he was disturbingly giddy with excitement, so much so that he could not bear to turn back now that his foe was just ahead. Just as he felt before fighting Godfrey, the allure of an exhilarating fight with a shard bearer lit his soul ablaze with passion. He could not understand it, but something irresistible was pushing him to plunge into battle this instant and lay low his powerful foe.
After a few more deep breaths calmed his shaking, he pushed open the doors of the library and stepped inside. The Grand Library's size was overwhelming. Even though it was completely shrouded in darkness, its magnificence was breathtaking. Enormous bookshelves filled with ancient tomes and scriptures towered over him oppressively. Dull silver candlesticks stood tall along each side of the beautiful carpet that lay out before him, stretching into the shadows. He could not hear a sound, only deepening his unease as he began to move forward, curiously eying his surroundings. It almost seemed like the library had been long abandoned. Had someone beaten him to the shard bearer?
As neared the center of the room, he felt something grab onto his left foot and tug. Startled, he quickly looked down and raised his sword, but then stopped when he saw just what had gripped his boot. Looking up at him was what looked like a young child dressed in academy robes, crawling on their stomach. The child did not seem dangerous, but their appearance was odd to say the least, with pale white skin and a wide disturbing grin.
Despite how strange the child was, the Tarnished figured he should try and move them out of the way before magic started to fly. After all, this fight would be even more difficult if he had to worry about protecting children as well. "You should leave here," the Tarnished warned them, keeping his voice hushed just in case Rennala might hear, "This library is about to become very dangerous. It is no place for a child."
Unfortunately, the child did not seem to understand him. Instead of heeding his warning, they tugged at his armored boot again and giggled completely obliviously. The Tarnished was about to issue another warning, but before he could a cacophony of giggles began filling the room, along with sound of metal clanking against stone. The Tarnished slowly raised his glance and saw small lights approaching him. As the lights got closer, he saw that they were dozens of other children almost identical to the one latched on to his foot.
"By the Greater Will…" he muttered under his breath. He shook the child off his leg and backed up, bastard sword at the ready. A gentle light beamed down from above, partially illuminating the room and revealing more of the grand library. Then, the Tarnished heard a soothing voice.
"Hush little culver…"
Floating gently above him, perched on a small wooden cradle, was a beautiful woman dressed in long, flowing scholarly robes. Atop her head was a strange crescent headpiece adorned with intricate golden bands and expensive jewelry, signifying royal status. In her arms, she tenderly cradled a large amber egg. There was no mistaking it, was her, Queen Rennala, the second shard bearer.
Gently, she stroked the amber egg and spoke to it once more, "I'll soon birth thee anew, a sweeting fresh and pure…"
The Tarnished pointed his sword upward and called out, "Rennala of the Full Moon, Queen of the Carians and mother of demigods Praetor Rykard and General Radhan! I fought through your academy, bested your Carian Knight and now come to claim your great rune!"
Rennala, however did not respond. In fact, she did not seem even remotely concerned with his presence. Rather, she continued rocking her amber egg while humming a sweet lullaby to it. The Tarnished, reluctant to launch an attack on an unarmed and unguarded woman, called out once more, "Queen Rennala! Relinquish your great rune or meet the same fate as the other demigods!"
But once again, his provocations garnered no reaction. She simply hummed absentmindedly, unaware of any danger. The Tarnished was almost astonished. The Pastor of Vows said that heartbreak had driven her mad, but this went beyond his expectations. Her mind was truly well and gone. What a sad state to see the once proud Carian Queen. Disposing of her in this state would not prove difficult and, at this point would likely be a mercy. However, he could not help but feel disappointed about being denied the chance to face even a fraction of the Full Moon Queen's strength.
The Tarnished drew his bow and took aim at the sorceress. Carefully, he drew back the string, hoping for a quick and clean kill shot. Holding his breath, he released and the arrow whizzed from his bow towards Rennala. However, instead of finding its mark, to the Tarnished's surprise, bounced harmlessly off a golden light which now encircled the sorceress.
Rennala's humming stopped when the arrow clattered to the floor. For a moment, there was silence. A cold sweat ran down the Tarnished's back as he anxiously waited for what was to come next. Then, the children all raised their voices and began to sing out a haunting lullaby in unison.
"Sleep tight, bound tight by mother's amber"
As they sang, books, globes and other random objects began to levitate in the air around him before whizzing towards him at dangerous speeds.
"Sleep tight, find life in mother's umbra"
The Tarnished dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the projectiles, and took cover behind one of the massive book shelves. Switching out his bow for his bastard sword once more, he peaked out to assess the situation.
The entire library was absolute chaos now. The children's song filled the chambers as random objects were flung haphazardly in every direction. Rennala still floated above, protected by the strange golden aura which blocked his arrow. She did not seem to be producing it herself as she spoke no words of incantation. No, something else in the room had to be maintaining the spell. The question was what exactly.
The Tarnished heard a giggle close by and looked down to see that one of the children had crawled up close while he had been distracted. They held up their silver candlestick and inhaled deeply. The Tarnished leapt back just as the child blew into the flames, causing them to spew out in a blazing cone. The Tarnished felt the edge of the flame singe him, causing him to wince in pain. He quickly dashed towards another spot to take cover behind. As he ran, however, he felt something heavy slam into the back of his head, nearly knocking him over.
He turned to see what had hit him just in time to see and react to another heavy tome whizzing towards his head. The Tarnished rolled to the side, but his position was still unfavorable as he now found himself surrounded by the singing children. He rolled again, just barely avoiding another cone of fire and dashing behind another large bookshelf.
Taking another peak around the corner, he spotted the child who had been throwing dangerously heavy books at him. Unlike the others, they were holding themselves up straighter than the others, pushing themselves off the ground with one arm with as much strength as they could seemingly muster while holding the other aloft for their incantations. However, even more oddly, there was a weak golden aura surrounding them, almost similar in color to that of Rennala's protective shield.
A horrible realization then hit the Tarnished. The children, their incantations protected the Carian Queen. If he was going to reach Rennala, he would have to kill the children maintain the spell. The idea did not sit well with the Tarnished. Forget Rennala's worthiness as an opponent in her current state, slaughtering children, even ones proficient in magic, felt like crossing a line.
He racked his brain, trying to devise another way to get through that shield. From behind the bookshelf, he yelled out a threat to Rennala, hoping that a bluff would appeal to her motherly nature and, perhaps convince her to end the incantation. "You would allow these children to die for you?" he shouted ferociously, "If you care even a bit for them, drop the incantation! Otherwise, I will stain these halls red with their blood!"
But Rennala, once again, did not seem to care about anything outside that amber egg in her hands. She continued floating without a care, humming as the children sung the lyrics to her sweet lullaby. The Tarnished gritted his teeth in frustration, the woman was even further gone than Godrick and the children were just as oblivious as she.
"Think, there has to be a way," he muttered to himself. The Tarnished could think of no other options, though. He could not reason with her, nor did he understand the incantation enough to interfere with it otherwise. His thoughts went to the Albinaurc Villiage and Sir Gideon's murder of innocents, supposedly justified by the greater good. Was this truly the same? Was what he was about to do forgivable?
No, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. What was at stake here was beyond his own feelings and reservations. If he was to mend these shattered lands, he would inevitably have to dirty his hands. He tightened his grip on his sword and cleared his mind. Inside, he felt the growling of a beast as he focused singly on his mission. Keep fighting until you can no longer lift your sword. Keep marching onward, even if it means death.
The Tarnished sprinted out from cover, ducking and weaving past the other children towards the one with the golden aura. Then, with one swift slash, he easily cut it down. He looked up and saw fragments of the golden bubble fall off like broken glass, but still the shield remained intact. A brief scan of the room told him there were still others. So be it.
He rolled forward and several books flew over his head. One child lifted its candlestick to try and scorch him, but before it could even take a breath the Tarnished leapt up and drove his sword down into its back. There was no time to stay still, he had to keep running if he wanted to avoid getting hit. He weaved behind a stack of books and sprinted around to the other side to cut down yet another golden child. The last one lay just before him, preparing its attack.
He quickly side stepped one of the books and raised his buckler to block the second. The third he rolled past, closing the distance between himself and the child. Immediately when he regained his footing, he stabbed forward, driving the tip of the sword through its lungs. The child cried out and crumpled on his blade, then, dissolved into ash around him.
Just as he predicted, with each child Rennala's barrier crumbled bit by bit. With the final one dead, there was no longer anything keeping her afloat. The children cried out in fear as the Carian Queen came tumbled down from the air into the ground, her golden barrier shattering into pieces upon impact. The Tarnished did not hesitate to seize the moment and lunged forward to begin his relentless assault. Rennala sat helpless as he coldly tore into her, slash after bloody slash. He couldn't hold back, not when the children were already chanting to restore the incantation.
The queen was far heartier than he could have ever imagined though, and defensive magic was clearly woven into her robes. Before he could finish the job, a bright light began to surround her as the protective spell was recast. The Tarnished rolled backwards before the predictable explosion of gold.
"Damnit." The Tarnished sneered in frustration as Rennala once again ascended, safe behind a child's incantation. Rennala had spoken loud and clear. Three more had to die.
He broke back into a run, searching the room for those maintaining the spell. As he circled the library, he saw out of the corner of his eye enormous boulders form around Rennala, purple gravity magic holding them aloft. The Tarnished felt his blood rush with anticipation. Finally, he had gotten her attention. Darted behind a bookcase to block her line of sight, but was shocked when the bolder came crashing through the heavy wood, shattering it to splinters before crashing brutally into him, knocking him off his feet.
With the state she was in, the power of her magic was still shockingly strong. However, it was not nearly enough to stop him. The Tarnished quickly downed a crimson tear, restoring himself before the others came hurdling towards him. He dashed past one then rolled to avoid the third, all while staying mindful of the children's positions as to not end up stock between a group of them. With her meteors spent, the Tarnished had no trouble finding and disposing of the three chanting children.
Like before, with the third caster dead, Rennala's defenses crumbled, leaving her on her hands and knees, vulnerable on the ground. The Tarnished lunged forward, not intending to waste a single moment of this opening. Again, he slashed furiously, coating his blade in crimson as the woman held her amber egg tightly, using her body to protect it from any harm. She winced in pain with each strike, but her devotion to guard the egg did not waver. How long did this woman intend to hold on to that damned thing?
According to Gideon, the egg itself had the rune he needed. All he needed to do is rip it from her grasp. Then, either she would cast aside her body shields and fight him with all her might to get it back, or she would lose the will to resist at all and wither without it. Either way, he would end this sorry show with one strike. The Tarnished raised his sword high, taking it in both hands, and then brought it down on her back with all his might. Rennala wailed out as the weight of the blade struck her and, in a moment of weakness, allowed the egg to fall from her grasp, tumbling forward to the ground and then rolling to a stop in the middle of the room.
As soon as she lost her grasp on the treasure, all the children cried simultaneously and crumpled to the ground. The Tarnished stumbled backwards as those around him burst into ashes. Deep down, he hoped that their sudden and simultaneous demise meant the children were but illusions. However, he did not have time to dwell on the matter, so long as Rennala still lived. Quickly, catching himself on his back foot, he regained his balance and looked back to the Carian Queen.
The woman crawled slowly towards the amber egg, keeping one arm extended as she desperately reached for it, trailing blood as she did. "Ah, my beloved," she said, her voice shaky as she pushed herself on, "Have no fear… I will hold thee… Patience… You'll be countless born, forever and ever…"
The Tarnished, sword in hand walked forward slowly behind her. Unlike with Godrick, he took little pleasure in this act. This was no proud victory over a bloodthirsty tyrant. Rather, this was putting down a woman who, in truth, had died long ago. As he approached her, he spoke her final rights, out of respect for the proud queen she once was.
"Queen Rennala, long have you awaited your beloved's return, but to no avail. With this sword, I will now free you from your prison of grief. Know peace with your passing." However, before the Tarnished could reach her, he felt a sudden cold wind blow through the library, chilling him to his bones. Something was wrong, but it certainly wasn't Rennala's doing. But if it wasn't her doing, then what was the source of this powerful magic?
The Tarnished turned his attention towards where the amber egg lay and saw a column of ominous black mist billowing from the golden orb. His eyes followed the mist as it rose up to the ceiling, gathering before spilling downward, covering all in sight. The entire library began to fade around him as the mist pooled around.
Then, a familiar voice spoke out, echoing throughout the gathering shadows. "Bloody Wolf, I had hoped thou wouldst break free from dogged servitude to the Two Fingers."
He was sure of it, the speaker had to be none other than Renna, the witch who had gifted him the spirit calling bell early on in his journey. The biting cold that filled the air only served to confirm his suspicions. "Renna, what's the meaning of this!" He shouted out, scanning the room trying to find just where the witch may be hiding, "Why do you stand in my way?"
Renna responded, "A daughter needeth not a reason to protect her beloved mother."
Daughter? Which meant her father was none other than Radagon. The Tarnished felt so foolish. So early in his journey he had been face to face with a demigod and was too oblivious to even notice. While this was not how he had hoped to reunite with the blue witch, he couldn't let this revelation distract him from the job he set out to do. Rennala's great rune remained his number one priority, all else was just a distraction. Plus, without being physically present, this illusion was likely the most Renna could do to stop him. However, with the gathering darkness, he could barely see make out his hand in front of him, much less the wounded Carian Queen.
"Dispel the illusion," the Tarnished commanded, "Queen Rennala is already mortally wounded! Your spell only prolongs the inevitable!"
"Silence," Renna sneered, her contempt for the Tarnished clearly rising, "Thou art not but a blood crazed animal. With the light of grace flickering in thine eyes, thou shalt endure one thousand deaths by my hand."
The Tarnished heard a sound not unlike his own summoning bell as a silver light gathered in a pool in front of him.
"Upon my word as Ranni the Witch," the enchantress spoke, her every word dripping with a cold fury, "Mother's rest shall not be disturbed by thee."
From the silver light rose a tall robed figure, with an all too familiar crescent crown. The Tarnished raised his sword. His earlier judgement had been far off the mark, this magic was no illusion. This was a summoning, one far beyond what his measly bell could conjure.
The glowing figure stepped forward, with more misty shadows billowing in her wake. With each step, her form became more concrete, less ghost like, until before him was none other than Queen Rennala. Unlike before, she stood proud with head held high, regal and dignified. Behind her was an illustrious full moon, with its majestic form reflected in enchanted waters on which they now stood. She calmly held out her glintstone staff at the ready.
"Foul trespasser," Ranni threatened, her powerful magic now taken full form, "send word far and wide of the Queen of Caria, Rennala of the Full Moon and the majesty of the night she conjureth."
With mesmerizing grace, Rennala waved her staff and effortlessly fired an enormous blue beam of magic. The Tarnished's eyes widened, shocked by the speed of her conjuring, and rolled the side, only just avoiding her devastating spell. This was truly it. This was the power of the great sorceress of Lirunia.
Before he could take even two steps out of his roll, two projected swords embedded themselves in him, one in his shoulder and the other in his thigh. He grunted in pain, but kept moving, knowing that if he stopped now it would mean certain death. He started dashing forward, looking to close the gap. She was a mage, which meant distance was everything. If he could get up close, he made be able to overwhelm her with his swordplay.
His heart beat loudly in his chest as he weaved past spell after spell. He felt himself tire and wondered if he would even have enough stamina to keep up once he reached her. However, he had to expend all he had to even keep up with Rennala's unrelenting barrage. He had to push more aggressively, even if it meant taking hits from the weaker spells. So long as he could keep his poise, he'd be able to challenge her on his own terms.
The Tarnished leapt forward as 3 swords hurtled at him, two of them nicking them on his side as they whizzed by. Finally, he was within sword's reach. With a shout, he swung forward, putting all his weight into his strike for a powerful blow. His sword found its mark, causing the Carian Queen to stumble back slightly. However, the Carian Queen would not be felled with a mere blow. She glided effortlessly backwards and out of range, conjuring several glintstone stars as she did. The Tarnished once again narrowly avoided the stars and followed after her. He felt his confidence grow as he landed two more attacks, then quickstepped back to avoid her spinning enchanted staff. This fight was difficult, but still manageable. So long as he kept pushing the offensive, his victory was all but certain.
He jumped forward once more; sword raised over his head. However, before he could reach her, he felt a heavy weight slam into his side. The Tarnished coughed blood as the force of the blow sent him tumbling sideways into the ground. Struggling, the Tarnished pushed himself off the ground and felt his side. The cut was deep, but he would have to fight through it. The Tarnished looked up just in time to see an ashen bloodhound knight lunging towards him, its curved greatsword already mid swing. There was no time to dodge. The Tarnished cried out in pain as the blade cleaved into him, crushing ribs and destroying organs as it passed through.
"Damn it…" the Tarnished muttered weakly as he crumpled to the ground, in a pool of his own blood. This was going to be much more arduous than he expected. He gritted through the pain and forced a determined smile. This wasn't nearly enough to turn him away from his destiny. After all, that spark of excitement and anticipating he once felt before challenging Godrick only just returned. If the demigod Ranni thought she could discourage him, she was in for disappointment.
With his final breath, he snarled, "All right… how many times is it going to take…"
The Tarnished's stumbled backwards as Rennala's conjured moon exploded in front of him. Swallowing his pain, he dodged backwards, letting several glintstone stars shatter at his feet. He tried to lift his buckler to an ash wolf as it lunged towards him, but to his surprise his limb wouldn't budge. Looking down, he saw his left arm hanging limply by his side, completely frozen from the last attack. At this point, it would just be dead weight. But, perhaps, he could at least make use of it once last time.
Quickly, he pivoted and shoved the arm into the spirit's fangs, allowing it to clamp on to the useless limb. There was a dull pain, but it was manageable, as his arm was practically gone anyways. Pivoting, he swung the wolf into the others, knocking them all to the ground. Pulling a bomb from his bag, he threw it towards them. The explosive pot erupted and dispersed the summons, giving him an opening now that the battle was once again one on one.
However, before he could turn his attention back to the sorceress, a blue beam blindsided him. The Tarnished tried to heal and bring himself back from the brink, but his timing was careless. Before he could even down a crimson tear, a rain of glintstone stars tore through his body, killing him before his body could even fall to the lake's enchanted surface.
"Like hell you will!" he growled. Unwilling to yield so easily to death again, he stabbed his sword down into its hand, causing it to loosen its grip. Now free to move, he leapt from its palm and drove his sword into the troll's chest. He kept is sword dug into the troll as he slid down, further opening the wound until it ran the length of the creature's body.
"Tarnished, look out!"
Latenna's warning reached his ears too late. Before his sword could reach Rennala, a massive ash troll grabbed him with one hand. The troll roared at it lifted him aloft, ready to splatter into the ground. Before he could be thrown, the Tarnished stabbed his sword into the troll's hand, causing it to roar out and loosen its grip around him. Without a second thought, he leapt out of the specter's palm and drove his blade into its chest. Allowing gravity to do its work, he slid down, opening up the wound as he did. By the time his feet touched the surface of the enchanted waters, the summon's torso had been cleaved wide open.
There was no time to rest, however. Even a moment spent standing risked certain death against Rennala's onslaught of glintstone sorcery. He approached her via circling around, sprinting to avoid a shower of stars before rolling at the last moment to avoid another blast of her comet azur. The spirit wolves had been dealt with, and now with the troll summon defeated, so long as Latenna kept the bloodhound knight occupied, the odds were even.
He let loose a flurry of slashes, staggering Rennala several times before she floated back out of range. The Tarnished had taken a few hits, but knew better now than to sip from his flask carelessly, as Rennala could capitalize on such an opportunity at any distance. He could see her weakening, so long as he stayed aggressive and continued staggering her then he could hopefully end the fight before the bloodhound knight could defeat his companion.
He was only a few steps away from Rennala, when a large silver pool began forming behind her. The Tarnished cursed under his breath. She still had one last summon? He jumped to the side, saving his stamina to deal with whatever was to come, be it gruesome omen warrior or even a hardened Carian knight. However, what rose from the silver light was almost enough to make the Tarnished drop his sword.
"By Marika…"
Standing behind the Full Moon Queen was none other than an enormous ashen dragon, much like Agheel and Smarag. The dragon reared back and let loose its fiery breath, engulfing him in a searing inferno. He felt his flesh boil inside his armor, the metal which once protected him now a molten cage. The Tarnished cried out in pain and quickly fumbled for his crimson flask, hurried to pull himself back from the brink.
As soon as the tear touched his lips and the pain slightly alleviated, however, he cursed himself for his near sightedness. He knew before the blow came that, in his desperation to heal himself, he had left himself wide open to attack. The dragon's claws slammed into him, tearing into his body and shattering bones on impact. With his body limp and useless, he could only watch as another burst of glintstone stars hurdled at him and punched straight through his body, ripping holes in his stomach and intestines.
The Tarnished closed his eyes and struggled to take one last breath. He felt frustration begin to bubble, but pushed it aside, not looking to go back to the dark place his temper had last brought him. With each death came more knowledge. He would learn, push and overcome this challenge, just like he had many times before. Persevere. Persevere. Persevere.
The Tarnished heard the Witch's voice echo through the library as he stepped back through its doors.
"To pursue death so fervently… Thou art an incorrigibly dogged fellow."
Drawing his bloodhound great sword, he responded. "I'm afraid this journey has only made me more persistent. It'll take far more than eight deaths to turn me away."
The witch let out an annoyed tsk, but when she spoke again, she almost sounded just as fascinated as she was irritated. "So, with the taste of blood upon thy tongue thou art sent into a frenzy, like a starved beast unwilling to forgo its prey. Art thou so eager to indulge in thy bloodlust that thou wouldst slay an innocent woman."
The Tarnished laughed, "You think me truly depraved, don't you?"
"Thine actions betray thy facade," Ranni responded, "I know thy kind well. Thou merely playest the part of the reluctant warrior."
"Such a bold observation from one who said themselves that they knew nothing of me."
"Yet, thou do not deny my words. And how can thou? After all, thou barely knoweth thyself. Yet with no knowledge of thy purpose or dreams of thine own, thou marcheth on unquestioningly at the orders of the two fingers. Even now thoust salivate at the thought of tearing the life from my mother's breast."
The Tarnished grimaced. He knew exactly what she was up to. With each fight he had been getting closer to victory, with his last attempt only inches from victory. Watching from afar, she must have realized that, if things continued in this direction, it would not be long before he claimed Rennala's head. She had to stop him, to stall his progress and throw him off balance. Thus, this witch, Ranni, was trying to get under his skin.
He focused and banished doubts to the back of his mind and honed his thoughts. The Tarnished would not let her taunts sway his determination. His goals, his ideals, none of it mattered at this very moment. The only thing that was important was the weight of the sword in his hand and the enemy before him.
"Thou art without words?" Ranni said, "Fine then, I shall deliver death unto thee once more."
The black smoke gathered around him and the battle resumed once more. The Tarnished pulled out his silver bell and rang it to call forth an ally. Heading the bell, Latenna appeared beside him, bow at the ready.
"Any change in plans?" she asked, notching her first arrow
"Yeah, I have something in mind." The Tarnished put away his buckler and produced a great knife in its place. "I've fought several bloodhound knights and observed their blinding speed. I can't perfectly recreate such a step, not without more practice. However, I think I can at least manage a close mimic."
"Impressive," Latenna commented, a bit surprised by his revelation, "I'm surprised you didn't try it earlier."
"As I said, it's not perfect, so I wanted to keep this card a secret until I was confident in victory. Otherwise, Ranni might adapt the illusion accordingly."
"Then let us pray for victory."
The Tarnished readied his stance as the illusion took form once more. He knew what to expect and how to react. Now all that remained was execution.
Rennala opened by summoning her spectral bloodhound knight. Latenna, as planned, intercepted its charge once again with a volley of arrows, drawing the summon away from the Tarnished. Trusting in his comrade, the Tarnished sprinted forward towards the sorceress.
As predicted, as soon as he got a few hits in, Rennala retreated, summoning her ashen troll as a personal guard. The Tarnished gripped the knife tightly, narrowing his focus. The bloodhound's slash utilized the momentum of the massive curved sword to dash forward. However, in dodging, such momentum would work against him without the ability to redirect it, something that required practice he did not have. Thus, he needed a tool to compensate for his lack of skill, something that would allow him to quickly circle while maintaining his speed.
The Tarnished rolled forward, dodging the troll's blow before preparing his bloodhound slash. With as much force as he could muster, the Tarnished swung the blade, cleaving Rennala and leaping backwards, with another swing from the troll to pass him by. Landing in a three point stance, he took a deep breath. It was do or die.
Mustering all his strength, he launched himself forward, swinging his sword and allowing its weight to carry him. In response, the Rennala spun her staff in front of her, hoping to interrupt his attack. In the split second before her attack landed, the Tarnished stabbed his knife into the ground. He pivoted around the fixed point the dagger provided, redirecting his momentum to circle around.
Again, he repeated his blood hound strike, spinning upward along with his sword, slashing Rennala across the back, causing her to stumble forward. As he flipped backward, he kept careful eye on his opponent and her summons. Rennala floated deftly to the side as her troll dove at him, trying to tackle the Tarnished before he could react. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the Tarnished leapt upwards as high as possible, just managing to clear the troll's massive frame as it slid under him. Using its spectral body as a footing, the Tarnished jumped again towards Rennala. The weight of the bloodhound great sword came crashing down on her left shoulder, crushing bone and leaving her limb hanging limply from its joint.
The Tarnished was careful not to get greedy, as with such substantial damage he knew what was soon to follow. As he leapt back, the sorceress retreated into her lunar spell, allowing the enchanted moon to drop and let loose a frigid explosion, leaving a silver mist in its wake. That silver mist was soon scattered by the summoned dragon's roar. He grinned as his blood pumped with excitement at the sound of the beast. All the combatants had finally arrived.
From the beginning, there was no hope in fighting off all of them. Their numbers made disposing of each an impossibility. Thus, he was left with one option: avoid the rest and focus all his aggression on the summoner. She was already on her last leg; it would just take a bit more.
The Tarnished dashed to the side, circling around as the flames followed behind, waiting for the perfect moment. As soon as the dragon ran out of breath, the Tarnished turned and dashed in, once again using his improvised quick step. The ashen drake swung its claws at him, doing all it could to stop his charge. Without a moment's hesitation, the Tarnished slid under its wing, the gust of its attack nearly sweeping his helm straight off his head.
As he slid, he felt adrenaline coursing through him, lighting his soul ablaze. In the heat of battle the Tarnished felt like an entirely different person. His heart beat fast and he could feel himself grinning madly under his helm. This fervor was nostalgic and intoxicating. There was nothing else like it. While he still danced on the edge between life and death, he no longer felt himself flailing simply to survive. There was no uncertainty, there was no fear. His mind was entirely focused and in the moment, reveling in the danger. Each step was purposeful and each movement brought him closer to victory.
Driving his knife into the ground, he redirected his movement once more, sparks jumping from his blade as the tip of his sword skidded across the ground. The Tarnished shouted out a mighty battle cry as he swung the sword into Rennala's side. To his surprise, she kept her ground, catching herself on her back foot before she could be staggered and summoning forth a rain of stars. The Tarnished never stopped moving, however.
A memory flashed before his eyes, a combat art lodged deep within the recesses of his mind. Almost on instinct, the Tarnished used the strike of his sword against the ground to push himself into the air. Then, swinging through, he spun around and cleaved into her other shoulder, carrying even greater force than his last blow. With a sickening crunch, the sword tore through Rennala's arm, shattering bone and lopping it clean off.
The Carian Queen's glintstone staff clattered to the ground along with her severed limb, the bright gem at its tip shattering unceremoniously as it did. Rennala, or rather the illusion mimicking her, fell to her knees and began to return to nothingness. Weakly, she turned and held her hand out to the great moon behind her, basking in its silver light.
A new voice spoke from outside the illusion, it's sounds echoing through his mind as Ranni's had earlier. "Oh Ranni, my dear daughter, thou art too caring for thine own good. For thine own sake, weep not for your mother. Weave thy night into being…" To his surprise, the voice was that of Rennala. Not the illusion, but the true being who existed outside this conjured reality. Her words held a different kind of sadness than before. This was not the rambling of a woman driven mad with grief, but the parting words of a mother to her beloved daughter.
As her own form crumbled into ash, along with her summons, so did the breathtaking scene around her. The serene waters beneath to waver and disappear, soon to be replaced by the familiar stone brickwork of the academy. The star-spangled night sky faded into the library's lofted ceiling, revealing the towering oak bookshelves once hidden away by Ranni's magic.
Once again, the Tarnished stood in the Grand Library's halls, with Rennala curled before him, at the mercy of his sword. If her earlier words betrayed any sliver of sanity, he could tell it was gone now. The woman was once again a shell desperately clinging to her beloved's last keepsake.
Between him and his prey, a glowing sigil floated weightlessly in the air. He recognized the enormous power it exuded; it was that of a great rune. Somehow, likely by Ranni's hand, the rune had been separated from the amber egg.
His heart was still beating out of his chest. The rush of battle had not yet worn off and the foe still drew breath right before his eyes. A starved voice whispered in his ear, eating away at his inhibition and urging him to finish the job. Nothing stood in his way, one quick cut and the final payoff, the satisfaction of victory earned through a hard-fought battle, would be his. He felt a hunger and anticipation as he raised his sword to deliver the final blow. Yet, his sword felt frozen, unable to move. Something was staying his hand.
As he hesitated, the motive behind Ranni's earlier words became increasingly clear. Her taunts weren't meant to throw him off balance in the heat of battle. She probably knew from the moment she spoke that the outcome was inevitable. With the immortal life granted to him by grace, how could it not be? Those words were meant to eat at his resolve and cause his heart to waver. Now, with Rennala defenseless and the great rune between them just within arm's reach, there was no longer any reason to kill the once great queen beyond his own demented satisfaction. Ranni's message was clear: was he man or beast?
The Tarnished took a deep breath and remembered Melina's words. Temperance. Control. As he focused, he felt the excitement clouding his mind slowly subside. Could he let her live? He had what he wanted and Rennala was truly no threat to anyone. The Tarnished still felt something deep down snarling and gnashing its teeth, not satisfied until he christened his victory with blood.
With a sigh, the Tarnished slowly lowered his weapon. Ranni's manipulative intent was clear, but even still he didn't want to be the person she described. He couldn't let himself become intoxicated with the excitement of battle. He had to maintain his center. Killing someone who had no will to fight when he stood to gain nothing would be a meaningless and cruel act.
"Well, thou hast surprised me. I did not expect thee to show mercy."
"Don't play games with me, witch," the Tarnished grumbled as he sheathed his sword, "this was your ploy all along."
"Tis true, this is the outcome for which I had hoped when you last passed through this grand library's doors. However no other hast pushed me to this point. Thine dogged persistence is truly unlike any other."
The Tarnished couldn't tell whether or not the witch was making fun of him or not, but with his adrenaline subsiding he was quickly becoming too tired to care. "The fact that you're speaking to me now shows you clearly haven't run out of strength. Is there anything else you have in store for me?"
Ranni lightly chuckle in response. "I'm afraid not, Tarnished. I hath no more tricks to speak of. Thou hast won thine prize fair and square. Claim this great rune and begone, before I change mind."
He was somewhat surprised by her frank acquiescence, but was not about to further question his victory. Hurriedly, he reached out to grasp Rennala's great rune. As he took the fragment in his hand, the Tarnished felt its power course through him. Similar to when he claimed Godrick's rune, a blindingly light overtook his vision and memories of the past flooded his mind.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, as you can probably tell by how late this came out, my uploads won't be as frequent going forward. I've had some big life changes and quite frankly that is taking up most my time an energy. I hope to continue uploading more often as things settle in, but unfortunately for now I can't dedicate as much time to this as I could earlier.