When Melina had embarked on her journey, she needed to find a Tarnished who had the desire to become Elden Lord and would help her fulfill her purpose and take her to the base of the Erdtree.
But so far, no luck. Among all the Tarnished that were called back to The Lands Between, only one had been interested in becoming Elden Lord and even then, he does nothing but stays in his room gathering knowledge. All the others were content to stay in the Roundtable Hold to seek shelter. She could not blame them for that as the world outside the hold is in a broken and shattered state.
Truly it would not be easy an easy task to find someone who could help her fulfill her goals.
Until she found him.
She did not know why he was like this or even how he was like this.
Really she didn't.
When she had first met him by chance in the Fringefolk Hero's Grave, Melina had seen that this man had the drive and the will to live. He had refused to accept his fate even in such a state that he was in. It wasn't just the man's drive and willpower that intrigued her, his outfit in itself was already a topic of interest for someone who has never seen such type of clothing.
Then, there was his arm.
It felt... cold. So beautifully cold, yet at the same time, he felt... warm. No...rather, his soul did.
There was something else about him that seemed so... different, so... foreign. But even then, Torrent had chosen him. So when Melina had left him the flasks of crimson and cerulean tears she decided to take her chances and observe him from afar.
She had heard of his interactions with the white masked man named Varré and his question about grace. Which only served to further confuse her.
By the looks of the man that she was watching, she could tell that he was confused at what Varré has just said.
Everything that was just said confused him more and more, which only made her all the more curious about him.
He acted as if he did not know a single thing about anything. He didn't even seem to know what grace is.
But beneath all that confusion, she could see the determination in his eyes as he listened to the words being spoken to him.
So when he had made his way into the Church of Elleh, she watched on as the Tree Sentinel engaged him in a fight. But it was not the Tree Sentinel that surprised her.
No, rather, it was Tarnished that she had been watching over.
He pulled out a small but powerful object and aimed it at the Tree Sentinel. She became even more intrigued at the man and the tool in hand as it fired fast and small projectiles at the opposing enemy.
It was strange to Melina. The object that he held acted very similar to a crossbow, only smaller, more powerful, and handier.
When the Tree Sentinel tried to impale the man with its halberd, the man once again surprised her as he ran towards the Tree Sentinel and used the halberd as a platform and leaped into the air with his sword in hand, and slashed at the Tree Sentinel, killing it. She watched on as the man patted his chest as if searching for something.
Well, it seemed he didn't even know of runes then.
As Melina observed him, she silently considered her options about the man and his qualities.
He is a warrior, and a skilled and powerful one at that, with the determination and willpower to resist his fate, AND coupled with the fact he maidenless with seemingly no knowledge of the world around him...
Which made him the perfect choice for Melina.
It was settled. She would choose him for this journey.
Now, if only she could find a way to convince him to take her to Leyndell, to the base of the Erdtree. Fortunately, he was in need of a guide in this world and a maiden to turn his runes into strength.
Now, all she had to do was meet with him once more and offer the accord.
But she had never considered the possibility that he might not want to be Elden lord.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Desmond didn't know what was happening to him. It all started with a simple day.
He woke up, took a bath, ate his breakfast, read his contract and his target, then headed off for work. The last thing that happened before he got transported to this new world was him killing his target and a massive explosion occurring shortly after.
Then he woke up. In this strange new world with all of its beauty and horrors. From the first moment that he arrived, he had been confused about everything.
Then he fought a large monster comprised of human body parts, fell down to the ocean and swam his way back to land, escaped his way out of a massive graveyard, and fought a massive powerful knight.
That was not a good start for a new journey. Or a new world for that matter.
But it wasn't all bad, at least he had some moments of peace for himself.
One such moment was now, as he waited for his time to strike.
But then it happened.
His right arm suddenly began to hurt excruciatingly and the sleeve covering his arm along with the glove on his hand could barely mask the bright glow that his arm was emitting.
Which could only mean that someone associated with death was nearby.
He readied himself for a fight and aimed his gun at where the signal was strongest. Only for his eyes to widen in recognition at the person who appeared before him.
It was the same woman that he had encountered just recently in the graveyard.
He slowly lowered his gun once the woman had fully materialized beside him.
His arm started glowing more and more brightly and painfully at the same time to the point where even the slightest flick of a finger could make him scream out in pain, proving that this woman was the source of the presence and one that is closely associated with death.
"I Am Melina." The woman introduced herself.
When she did, he felt his breath hitch as she removed her hood and revealed her face.
She is very beautiful, he thought. With strawberry brown hair and a single golden eye with her other eye closed with a mark that resembled a raven's claw.
Desmond couldn't help but be slightly mesmerized at her appearance as he gazed upon her in awe.
But despite her beauty and her soothing voice, he knew that he had to be on guard around her as she could be dangerous, so he stayed on guard around her but her next words caught him off guard.
"I offer you an accord."
"OK, what?"
Melina didn't show any reaction to his question as her face retained that same calm and passive look.
"Have you heard of the finger maidens?" She asked.
He looked sheepish and gently shook his head,
"No. No, I have not."
She looked like she wanted to tilt her head slightly and looked at him curiously, as her lone eye bore into his blue ones, trying to find what to do in this situation. In the end, she opted to answer her own question.
"They serve the Two Fingers, offering guidance, and aid, to the Tarnished."
There it is again. The title 'Tarnished'. This is the third time today that he had been called that and Desmond couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at this point. He had to know. He had to get answers.
"What about them?"
Her face remained passive as she responded to his question.
"It is as I said, they offer guidance and aid to you Tarnished. But you, I am afraid, are maidenless."
He frowned and looked down for a moment as he took a deep sigh of mixed emotions. He turned his gaze back and focused on Melina, his blue eyes focused on her lone golden one.
"Why do you keep calling me a Tarnished?" He finally asked.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He is a strange one.
It was strange really, the first thing that he asked was what a Tarnished is.
Melina thought that even he would know what a Tarnished is, but this man did not have a clue as to what it is.
When she had first met him at the Hero's Grave, Melina knew that there was something strange about this man. His clothing, his weapon, and now even his knowledge about the world was nearly nonexistent.
A theory began to form in her head about this man's situation and what it could mean for The Lands Between but she focused on what is important at the moment and answered his question.
"It is because you are Tarnished, are you not?"
The man raised his brow at her and then frowned slightly.
"No, I am not a Tarnished, Melina. What makes you even think I am?" He responded.
Melina gestured to the site of grace that they were both resting at.
"Do you see, this tiny golden aura?"
He nodded.
"The grace, you mean? Then yes."
"Ah, so you are already aware of grace then, and what it is?"
"Only that it serves as a guide for to follow."
Melina nodded at his answer. He was aware of what grace is then. Good. This would make things easier for the both of them.
"That is correct, this tiny golden aura is the grace of the Erdtree. This light once shone in the eyes of your Tarnished brethren.
But now it is all that guides you. Or so I hear. The rays of grace, that guide you through your burden."
"Erdtree?"
So he did not even know about the Erdtree? That was strange, every single being in The Lands Between has knowledge or has at least heard of the Erdtree, the very symbol of order in these lands and what it does.
The theory that had formed in Melinda's mind was starting to prove more and more true as the moment goes by with this man.
But... if it could prove to be true, then her plan of offering an accord to this man and act as his maiden, and in return she could offer him knowledge and guidance about this world. She knew that she was taking a huge risk here but the opportunity and reward was too great to pass up.
"You... truly do not know much of these lands... don't you?" She asked slowly.
The man shook his head.
"No, I do not know where I am, I do not know what this is and I do not even know if there is a way for me to get home."
The man's tone was starting to sound more and more frustrated by the minute. His face did not show it, but she could tell that he was very confused, angry, and frustrated. But even more, beneath all of that, there was... fear. A great fear of something that involved him and this world.
Cruel as it may sound, Melina's heart gained a glimmer of hope at his response. It seemed that her theory was indeed true. This man was not of these Lands but from another one altogether, another land outside The Lands Between, which begged the question, where and why?
Where did he come from? Why is here? Did the Greater Will summon him from out of his world? Was he some experiment for this world? Or was he chosen by the Greater Will to become the new Elden Lord?
Melina shook those thoughts out of her head for now. Right now, it was the perfect time for the proposition.
"Do you remember what I have just said about the finger maidens?"
The man nodded. It was now or never.
"I can play the role of maiden. Turning rune fragments into strength. To aid you in your search for the Elden Ring. You need only take me with you. To the foot of the Erdtree."
His eyes widened at her offer and she saw a slight tinge of pink dusting his cheeks as he averted his gaze for a moment, he took a deep breath and once again focused on her, confusion written on his face this time as well as hope.
"So you're offering to become my maiden then?"
She nodded.
"... why should I trust you?"
It was a fair question, she supposed, and one that she had no answer at the moment.
After a moment of silence, she steeled her resolve and faced him.
"... I know you have no reason to believe me, as of now…"
Until suddenly, she carefully rose slightly from the ground in a fluid motion, her eye settled upon his own all the while.
A small and silent gasp escaped his lips when she began to close the distance between them, with each and every graceful but precise step she took. Yet still, his arm only shook and glowed even more.
"... yet, I can only plead that you may give me a chance, to prove to you…"
His body all but stiffened when her fingers first came into contact with the back of his hand, which was still holding his hurting arm.
Her fingers curled further up his hand, slowly engulfing it until their fingers entwined and gently pulled it away from his other arm.
" ... that I will never harm you."
She could not see his eyes. His body was stiff, unmoving and unresponsive in her gentle hold.
But it was not long until he finally began to soften, allowing himself to be open to her hold, totrusther. Even if only a little.
For it was all that she could ask for at this moment.
It took some time, but eventually the man took a deep breath and faced her with serious look on his face.
"Alright, let's say that I accept this partnership between us, what exactly you get from this? Or rather, what reason do you have for this?"
Melina was taken aback by his question, the man noticed her reaction and slightly narrowed his eyes at her. After a short while, she composed herself and answered his question.
"Me, I'm searching for my purpose given to me by my mother inside the Erdtree long ago, for the reason that I yet live, burned and bodyless."
His body jerked up at her words made a face of worry which she saw as a kind gesture for someone she had just met.
"You need not worry for my well being, I assure you I am fine."
Her words seemed to have at least calmed the man down as he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back at her, his worry now replacing a look of curiosity.
"So if I accept your deal, we become partners and you will answer any questions that I have?"
Melina smiled at his question.
"I will answer what I can Tarnished. But rest assured, I will do my best to aid you in our journey together. I will offer my guidance when needed or should you ask it of me."
She could see it, the conflicted look on his face as he looked away from her for a short moment and took a deep breath. Though from the looks of it, it didn't take long for him to make a decision as he turned back to her with a look of firm resolve written on his face.
"I accept."
She smiled.
"Then its settled. Summon me by grace to turn runes into strength."
He gently smiled at her and offered his hand for her to take.
"Well then, I hope we get along well in this journey together, Melina."
She smiled and took his hand in hers and nodded her head.
"As do I Tarnished."
He playfully frowned and chuckled at her response but kept smiling anyway.
"I have a name you know." He chimed.
"Oh? What is it then?"
"Desmond. Just, Desmond."
She smiled gently and nodded.
"Very well then, Desmond."
He smiled as he let go of her hand looked back at the site of grace.
"Alright then, let's start with something simple, where am I and why am I here and what am I supposed to do?"
Melina would've sighed deeply right now if she could. They've got a long way to go. Still, she would go on with this. She had started this, she had chosen him and she was going to do good on her end of the deal, as he would with her in their journey.
"You are in The Lands Between, in Limgrave, Desmond."
"I kind of got that one already. I mean, how far is this place from Earth?
"Earth?"
Desmond frowned slightly and ran his hand through his hair as he sighed.
"Right, different world, different places."
"So you are truly not of this world then?"
"No, I come from a world called Earth but for some reason, somehow ended up here and I would very much like to go home."
His words brought a slight fear to Melina, as his motivations could conflict with hers. If he found a way back them he would have no need of her anymore and he could simply back off from their deal. No, that must not happen, not until the accord was fulfilled and her purpose completed.
"I do not know of such a place, or how far it is from this world."
"*Sigh* Figures. Well, maybe I can tell you about it then later on."
Melina smiled gently at his offer and nodded her head. A chance to learn about a new world? Why not?
"I would like that, Desmond."
He smiled and gave a short nod.
"Alright then, I'll tell you later but for now, next question. Why am I here and how did I even get here?"
In truth, Melina was not sure herself. Desmond is indeed from another world far from this. Her working theory was that, the Greater Will had somehow summoned him out of his world and wanted his help in brandishing the Elden Ring as all the other Tarnished, except for one, refused to do it.
"I do not know for certain, but perhaps it was the Greater Will who summoned you from your world."
"Greater Will? What is that?"
"The Greater Will is the outer god of these lands. It is the entity with the most influence in the current age of the Lands Between, and the one said to have sent the Elden Ring to The Lands Between."
"A God? As in an actual God that does something?" He asked incredulously.
Melina nodded. He bowed his head and gave a short chuckle as shook his head.
"I'm sorry, it's just, back at home the Gods that my people worship don't really show themselves or try to influence much, as far as I know."
"I see."
"So... what does it want with me?"
"I am not certain, but perhaps it desires your aid in brandishing the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord."
"My help? What makes you think that?"
"Before I met you, there were also several Tarnished that were recalled back to The Lands Between to heed the call of grace and break the stalemate and mend the Elden Ring."
"Stalemate?"
Melina nodded, "Yes, before you and the other Tarnished were summoned, the Elden Ring was shattered and the world was ravaged by a great war known as 'The Shattering'."
Desmond nodded at her explanation, clearly listening to her every word and taking it to heart.
"What exactly is a 'Tarnished' anyway, and why are they called that?"
In all honesty, Melina had expected this question from him. After all, he was not of this world, yet he is known as a Tarnished because of he is blessed by the grace of the Erdtree and its guidance, so she answered his question.
"The Tarnished are individuals who lost the grace of theErdtreeand were banished from theLands BetweenbyQueen Marika the Eternal, the ruler of these lands." She responded.
"What? Why were they banished?"
"As cruel as it may sound, they were banished simple because their very existence goes against the Golden Order."
"Golden Order?"
Melina nodded.
Desmond raised a brow.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say that, based on this world and the fact that it has actual gods roaming around, that this golden order, is this world's leading religion."
"You are correct in assuming, but it is much more than that, the Golden Order serves simultaneously as a governing principle, a religion, and a philosophy. Any concept that threaten to shatter the Order entirely, such as life in death, are labelled as heresy and are violently persecuted by the Golden Order."
"Life in death? How does that even work?"
Melina pursed her lips and looked uncomfortable about the subject as she focused her gaze at the Erdtree in the far distance.
"It is not easy to explain, Desmond. But to make things simple, the Erdtree, the Golden Order, and the Elden Ring, uphold the laws of life in The Lands Between, and one such law prevents its inhabitants from succumbing to destined death."
Desmond's eyes visibly widened at the sudden revelation that Melina had revealed.
"What? So, everything and everyone in this world is immortal?"
Melina shook her head gently.
" Death is... a complicated matter here. When a person dies, the soul of that person returns to Erdtree to be reborn. But there are some cases in which their souls do not return to the Erdtree and are left wandering the world. Then there is the Tarnished, people who have lost the blessing of the Erdtree and thus, their souls do not return."
Desmond shifted his gaze to the site of grace that they were resting at. His face gained a cold and hard but slightly hopeful look.
"Wouldn't that make me and all the other Tarnished immortal then? If we have the blessing of the Erdtree?"
It was a good question. But unfortunately, one without a satisfying answer as Melina casted her eye down as she answered.
"No, most of the Tarnished that were called back to The Lands Between have already succumbed to death and were brought back to life and blessed by the Greater Will but the blessing was mostly used only as a means to guide them on their path and give them life, but not immortality."
Desmond nodded his head as his eyes showed disappointment at her response. He took a deep breath and sighed as he hugged his knees and looked back at her.
"You mentioned something earlier called the Elden Ring, right? So what is it? And how was it shattered?"
Well, now this a topic that Melina was more comfortable about sharing. Her face visibly perked up and she immediately answered.
"The Elden Ring, is the single most powerful thing in The Lands Between, it holds concepts that define the world itself. The power of the Elden Ring is what created the Erdtree and the runes that form it represent and uphold concepts such as, life and death, and many others."
Desmond's look of disappointment turned to a look of shock and in awe as she explained. He wanted to. He really wanted to interrupt her and ask but his voice left his throat as he couldn't find it in himself to speak.
Seeing his current state, Melina paused for a brief moment to allow him to regain his focus and to take the information in. After a moment, he took a deep breath and faced her, with a dead serious look on his face.
"If its as powerful as you say, then how could it be shattered in the first place?"
"In order to take place, the Elden Ring needed a vessel in order to manifest. That very vessel, was Queen Marika herself."
Once again, Desmond widened his eyes at her answer.
"When she shattered the Elden Ring, her demigod offspring each obtained a shard of the shattered Elden Ring and began each other with warred for the other fragments in a great war which came to be known as The Shattering with no winner, the land was caught in a stalemate."
"...And in an attempt to hold on to what power it had, the Greater Will recalled the Tarnished and summoned me from my world to fix the mess..." Desmond concluded.
"So... let me get this straight, based on your thoughts, you think that the Greater Will abducted me from my world to fix problem of this world and is for all intents and purposes, blackmailing me to fix its problem or risk being stuck here for the rest of my life, is that right?"
"Yes."
...
Despite Desmond's silent response and look of incredulity, Melina's face remained impassive. She meant what she said about the Elden Ring and The Lands Between and Desmond knew that by the look of her face that was refusing to look any different, not that he minded.
He looked back at Melina and saw that there was no trace of deceit at all.
He looked down and let out a short chuckle
as he sighed and looked at the Erdtree in the distance, standing tall and proud lighting the world around them and started muttering to himself.
"Of all the people that it could have abducted and it had to be me. Fuck"
He turned to back to Melina as she was moving closer to him and didn't flinch as she laid a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him about his situation. He smiled at her and gently looked back at the Erdtree.
"Hehe, this world is so different from Earth. Heh, if the people of my home world were to learn of this place, they would have done anything to get here." Desmond said.
Melina tilted her head and joined him in watching the Erdtree but she never took off her hand from his shoulder. She had been curious about his world and what it was like. Was it better? Was it worse? Only one way to find out she supposed.
"What is your world like, Desmond?"
Desmond gave a short smile and looked back to her.
"Well, I won't lie. It was beautiful and had so many wonders. You see, we live in a more advanced civilization. And we have different vehicles and building designs, we don't have an Erdtree or Elden Ring, so we live and die normally and we all have different cultures and religion along with their own set of rules to follow. Back home, we discovered how to harness the power of flight, how to harness electricity, even wind. Heck, even my world was yours at one point in time."
As Desmond described his world, Melina found herself more fascinated about his home. In his world, death was exists within all and is a part of their lives. What else was there about his world. And more advanced?
One more thing that caught her attention was that he said that this world was like his at some point in time. Well, wasn't that a curious thought.
"Though for all of its beauty and magnificence, my world is not without problems. It's even more funny because the world is not the problem, the people are." He said snidely as his face took a dark and slightly angry look.
That piqued her interest. The way he speaked ill of his people and the face that he made at she moved closer to Desmond sat on her knees in front of him as he shifted to meet her front gaze.
"You speak ill of your people, why? What is the problem with them?" She asked curiously.
Desmond shook his head disappointingly and frowned at her question.
"My people proclaim that they all strive for peace and advocate freedom, justice and equality for all. But it is all a lie. The beauty of my world is tainted and ruined by those who inhabit it. They claim that they do what they can to preserve the world's beauty and to take care of it, yet they do nothing to prevent its destruction. They only focus on what benefits them the most, always vying for more power and seek the power to become more than what they are, and they are willing to do anything to get it. Tch, as it is I am loathe to even call them my people."
The way that he spoke so snidely of his own people caused Melina to wince slightly and look into his eyes. But he wasn't done.
"If the Greater Will and Queen Marika with their Golden Order forced the inhabitants of this world to obey them, then they would not have to if they moved to my world. My people will willingly bow to their knees, kiss their feet and swear their undying loyalty to them if meant that they could gain even a sliver of the Erdtree's blessing. And even then, they wouldn't stop there. Given time, their arrogance and insane obsession for power will cause them to think that they could overthrow the very gods and take their place along with the all power and rebel against them. But thats not even close to the end of it. They will start warring with each other and never stop until one of them wins to gain the power to rule this world."
With his peace said, Desmond sighed and looked up at the sky and watched the stars. Are they really that bad? Melina wanted to ask him more about his people and his world but it was clear that he didn't want to talk about it more, so she held her tongue.
Desmond saw the look that she had and bowed his head as he sighed, "It's not all bad though, there are some good people too, it's just too bad that the bad always outweighed the good of my world. Some of my people's creations were made with good intentions. But as you can imagine, it didn't all turn out well. There's more to my world and all, but for now..."
Melina, satisfied for now about their conversation, gave a short and polite nod of acceptance and thanks. She was a patient person, she can wait until he told her more about his world. They felt the cold wind breeze by them and he turned and gazed at the moon as it rose higher into the night sky watching its beauty along with the stars.
"It's getting late, do you know any place for shelter?" He suddenly asked as he turned back to her.
Melina mulled over his question and thought about it. The Roundtable Hold is available and it is a safe place. With the other Tarnished residing there for the time being, it could also help him establish himself and make possible allies if necessary.
If she took him there, it could also serve as base of operations for him and a safe place to rest.
With her decision made up, she smiled and nodded at him.
"I know of one place, I can take you to the Roundtable Hold... Gathering place of Tarnished champions, guided by Grace..."
'Gathering place, huh? Well, worth a shot, I guess.'
Desmond nodded in acceptance to her offer and picked up his weapons from the ground and holstered his pistol and strapped his katana to his waist and held the halberd in his left hand.
"Very well. Let my hand rest upon you, for but a moment." She said calmly as she gently laid her hand on his gloved one.
They both closed their eyes as they both vanished in a trail of blue motes.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Desmond and Melina suddenly appeared in a darkened balcony inside a manor of sorts.
Desmond squinted his eyes as he was greeted by a large source of light in the short distance. He looked and saw a large table with an incredibly large grace in the center decorated with weapons around it.
He turned to his right and saw Melina still holding on to his. She couldn't see it, but his cheeks gained a slight tint of red as he awkwardly looked away. He grunted in pain as his arm suddenly began to hurt once more and Melina could see it to, or rather felt it, as she suddenly released the hold she had on his hand as a deep searing cold suddenly emerged from it.
Seeing the her look of shock, Desmond gently grabbed her hand with his left one.
THUMP
THUMP
Heat surged from within his heart and flowed through his hand as his heart beated.
Melina could hear the gentle beats of Desmond's heart as a gentle and felt soothing warmth emitting from his left hand that was currently holding on to hers, overpowering the cold she felt from his right hand.
When he tried to retract his hand, she found herself clutching onto it tightly.
To his embarrassment, Melina looked like she didn't want to let go of his hand.
He couldn't blame her, he was aware of the comfort that his warmth provided for others around him so he let her hold onto it, but he had to break the ice.
"So this is the Roundtable Hold eh? Pretty impressive."
"Indeed it is. Do not fear Desmond, this is a safe place. The Roundtable Hold is a haven for all Tarnished to recover after battle, share knowledge, seek guidance from the Two Fingers."
"You mentioned this 'Two Fingers' before? So what is it really?"
"Come forward and I will show you." She gestured towards the set of double doors on the other side of the table.
They moved forward inside, passing the large table of grace and moved towards the large set of double doors in the front center where 2 figures can be seen.
They stopped at the entrance and Melina with a small amount of reluctance, released his hand and looked him in the eye as she nodded at him and vanished is a trail of blue motes, leaving Desmond in awe and wonder of where she had gone to now.
Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he peeked inside the room and saw what is a literal set of Two Fingers and a small hunched over woman with a body that looked like a husk of her former self, holding a staff with several small bells hanging from it, sitting on a table next to the Two Fingers.
"Hello?" He greeted.
She turned towards him.
"Ah. I have wondered, when you would arrive here in the Roundtable Hold. Traveller from beyond. I am Enia, the Finger Reader. I interpret the words of the Fingers, envoys to the Greater Will".
"I am Desmond. A pleasure to meet you." He greeted.
His gaze moved to the Two Fingers that remained stationary in the room.
"So... they are representatives of the Greater Will?" He asked as he gestured to the Two Fingers in front of them.
Enia nodded.
"Indeed. They convey the wishes of the Greater Will to the people of The Lands Between and offer guidance to all, including the Tarnished."
Desmond nodded in understanding. This is good. He could get some answers on how to get back home.
"Good then. Do you suppose, they can answer why I'm here then?" He asked.
The fingers suddenly twitched and one of it pointed upwards and the other pointed to Desmond.
"Look there, the fingers move. They wish to convey the message of the Greater Will for you." Enia said as she pointed her staff at the Two Fingers.
"The Greater Will sends its greetings. It wishes to apologize for your inconvenient arrival in this world."
After Enia translated the movement of the Fingers, the fingers straightened up and trembled.
"It asks of you to claim the great runes of the shardbearers and mend the Elden Ring. Do so, and you shall be returned to your world... to reclaim what you once lost."
That last bit got Desmond to widen his eyes as he slowly tilted his head to the side. His hands clenched so hard that the unclothed one drew blood. His widened eyes began to narrow at the Two Fingers.
Finished with her interpretation, Enia turned back to Desmond and saw his expression.
She mentally shook her head in pity. The poor man must have been suffering from something as of late.
She heard him take a deep breath and relax as his hands began to loosen up as his blood dropped to the floor.
"So if I do these things for you then you'll send me back home?" He asked the Fingers.
The Two Fingers gave no reply in any form of movement and just remained as they were. Before he could talk, Enia spoke out.
"Oh no, Desmond it does not work like that, conversing with the Two Fingers does not mean that you speak with the Greater Will directly. They only convey the words of the Greater Will." She explained as she gave out a small chuckle.
"Oh... I see. Very well then, I'll be on my way now. Have a nice night Enia." He replied as he turned to exited the room.
"Now, go forth. Let the words of the Fingers guide you."
With that, Desmond left the room.
He turned to right as he heard the sound of a hammer pounding at metal.
'Must be a forge and a smith nearby. I should stop by tomorrow.' He thought as he walked towards the sound of smithing.
There was an empty room nearby with a warm bed and cozy fireplace which was perfect.
What he didn't expect was an anvil and a small forge with a bearded humanoid kneeling down by the anvil with his arms in a sincere praying position right outside of the room.
Deciding not to bother him, he moved inside of the large room.
The room was... spacious. There is a mirror by the edge of the room and several candles lighting the area, a carpet in the center of the room and a large painting of a woman hung on the wall beside the bed and a few chairs and tables to the left of the bed.
He sat on the bed and rested his arms at his lap and rested his chin on his hands. After a moment, he gently shifted from his sitting postion and raised his legs up to the bed as he lowered his back gently to lie down on the bed.
He raised both his arms above his head and placed both his hands behind his neck as he observed the ceiling and listened to the sound of the wood burning in the fireplace of the room.
He started taking deep breaths to calm himself down as he soaked up all the information that he received from Melina and Enia. If it wasn't bad before than it really was now.
A sudden cold feeling disturbed his thoughts as his arm began to hurt once more.
He stood up from the bed and sat by the fire, feeling its warmth and removed his glove from his right hand. Revealing its true appearance.
A bright transparent glow shone in his eyes. Once it calmed, he reached out to the fire and tried to catch it with his left hand. Succeeding with his task, he brought the flame engulfed hand to his right arm.
He gritted his teeth and grunted in pain as the flame began to spread in his arm. And the cold conflicting with its warmth.
By the time that the fire has died down, the bright glow on his arm began to fade and diminish. His body slumped and fell down to the floor on his back as he took in several gulps of air.
'It's getting worse with every passing day.'
After a moment, he stood up and walked back to the bed as he took off his coat and neatly folded it. He laid it down in a chair beside the bed and moved back to the bed to rest.
His gaze remained locked at the ceiling as he laid down peacefully and recounted every major event that happened to him today.
His thoughts then shifted to the task that was given to him and The Greater Will. It knew. It fucking knew of his problem and it was using it to take advantage of him.
If Melina and the Enia were correct about all of this, then he would have to act quickly. Time was running out and he had to get back home to Earth and fast.
But for now, sleep.
His eyes began to close as it was late and the events of today had taken a toll on him.
His body relaxed as sleep overtook him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In his dream, he saw a small child with long flowing golden blonde hair looking at him directly.
"Uh... can I help you there little guy?" He asked as he approached the child.
The child said nothing as it kept looking at him in wonder.
He looked closer at the child and tilted his head in curiosity and rubbed the back of his head and sighed.
"OK. This is a really weird dream. So then... got a name?"
The child nodded its head at him.
"Alright then, what is it?" He asked.
The child gave no reply to his question and continued to stare at him.
He looked away as his hand fell back down and looked back at the child as it held out both hands in front of him.
He raised a brow as he knelt down to take a look at it, "What is that? A needle?"
Truly it was a needle, an incredibly ornate needle made of gold. But why was the child showing him this?
"Are you giving me this?"
The child nodded and offered up the needle to him. Grabbing with his fingers, he brought it closer to his eyes as he inspected it. He looked back at the child to see him pointing to something in the distance.
He looked closer and saw a red flower blooming and a large floating island in chaos with a large tornado in the center of it all.
And at the end of it all, he saw a black katana surrounded by flames.