Chapter 18 – Lunar Accord
The dragon spit a wave of blue fire towards us, I ran to the right, dodging the magic flames, Rennala already took a big jump, letting the fire pass under her, and shot spells at the dragon as she fell.
I circled the dragon and threw a Sunlight Spear at its right side, hitting it in the neck and ripping off scales with an explosion of lightning, the dragon roared in pain at its wound, and with heavy steps that shook the ground, it approached me with mouth open.
The teeth the size of swords closed in, I prepared to roll out of the way, but there was no need, the dragon's attack was interrupted by a series of crystals that hit it in the side of the face, one of them in its left eye.
The dragon roared as a crystal stuck itself in its eye with a squirt of blood, wildly swinging its head from side to side, the dragon tried to get rid of the crystal, eventually the crystal came loose, the dragon glared at us with rage in its gaze.
Letting out a mighty roar, he charged towards Rennala, raising its left wing, it tried to smash Rennala to the ground, but with a fluid leap, Rennala stepped out of the way, casteding spells at the dragon, the dragon tried to crush Rennala again, this time with its right wing.
Luckily Rennala leapt back, conjuring ten magic swords above her head, the swords shot forward, piercing the dragon in different parts of the body, head, neck, wing and back, each one getting stuck before disappearing.
With fury, the dragon quickly advanced towards Rennala, managing to head-butt her, the Queen of the Full Moon was unable to dodge, but conjured a great magical rapier, hitting the dragon in the middle of the blow in the neck area, leaving a large cut oozing blood.
However, the dragon's blow was strong enough to send Rennala flying, slamming her back with a rumble. The dragon took a deep breath, blue fire pooling in its mouth, simultaneously Rennala rose to her feet, trying to reorient herself.
With my chime, I approached the dragon and casted Heavenly Thunder, a series of lightning rained down above the dragon, hitting its body in several places, a series of lightning explosions covered the dragon, ripping off scales and sending lightning running through its body.
This made the dragon take its attention away from Rennala and focus on me, raising its left paw, the dragon tried to crush me, rolling backwards, I dodged the blow and delivered a series of cuts to the dragon with my Uchigatana.
The dragon swung its tail towards me, trying to get away from me, seeing the tail approaching, I ran under the dragon, with my Uchigatana raised I slashed at its chimey, creating a spurt of blood.
The dragon raised its wing trying to crush me, but it was faster and I managed to move away from the blow, the impact creating a small shock wave, making the ground shake.
I quickly turned towards the dragon and threw a Sunlight Spear in its direction, when it saw the miracle approaching, the dragon flapped its wings and took flight, dodging the miracle, the dragon circled around us, until it hovered in the air.
Knowing what he intended to do, I ran towards Rennala and pulled her away from there, the result was immediate, the dragon dived with everything, destroying the ruins where we were previously, but due to the proximity, Rennala and I were thrown away by the shock wave.
We landed behind a group of ruins, when we got up, we took a quick look around, we saw that the dragon was looking for us, hiding; we took the opportunity to plan our next action.
"That dragon is giving us more trouble than I'd like. And since when do dragons breathe magical fire?" Rennala spoke.
"From what I've heard, dragons that breathe magical fire got that way after devouring sorcerers, probably from the glintstone that sorcerers carried in their pockets."
A lie, I only know that because Godwyn whispered in my ear just now.
"I'm more and more disappointed every day with how Liurnia went downhill. I have a plan to get rid of this dragon, but I need your help, honey."
"What you need?"
"I need you to fire more of those bolts that rip off dragon scales."
"Right."
"Alden, you better hurry." Godwyn spoke as he looked beyond the ruins.
Leaning to the side, I saw what Godwyn was seeing; the dragon sniffed the air and turned in our direction. The dragon flapped its wings and flying backwards, conjured a great magic sword from its mouth, and then dove towards us again.
Seeing this, Rennala and I left immediately, I called Torrent and Rennala entered her moon, as the dragon dove, it swung its sword in an arc as it landed, destroying the ruins and freezing the ground, in a shower of earth and stone, I felt ice forming on my back, as a undead, I'm almost immune to the cold, but the feeling of ice covering my back was inconvenient.
As I rode, I casted Sunlight Blade, covering my Uchigatana with the miracle, circled the dragon, passed under its wing, leaving a large gash, lightning streaked across the wing, creating small spasms in the dragon.
Continuing my attack, I casted Blinding Lightning, a bolt of lightning shot out of my chime and floated towards the dragon, making contact, the sphere exploded in a shower of lightning, the dragon roared and backed away as a barrage of lightning hit its body, in the midst of the attack, the dragon conjured another great magic sword.
"Torrent jump!" I shouted at the steed.
Doing as I said, Torrent took a huge leap, letting the dragon's blade hit the ground, but landed on the ice created on impact, Torrent whinnied as the ice covered its legs, pulling Torrent's reins, I turned towards the dragon .
"HA!" Swinging the reins, Torrent charged, the dragon took a deep breath, ready to spit flames again, but the attack never came, a blue moon collided with its back, forcing the dragon's body against the ground, and from above came Rennala, creating a gigantic magic sword on her staff, Rennala pierced the dragon where the scales had been torn off.
The dragon roared and thrashed, swinging furiously, the dragon threw Rennala off and with one last roar, disappeared, dissipating into blue particles.
I didn't get souls, runes or a dragon heart, it was still alive.
With our enemy gone, I approached Rennala, checking if she was all right.
"Don't worry, it was just a scratch, I've been hit with worse." Rennala replied, getting to her feet.
She actually looked fine, but there's no harm in being sure.
"You are talking like me now." I responded by conjuring a healing miracle.
Torrent approached me; I noticed it had ice covering parts of its body.
"Let me help, Torrent." I conjured Warmth, creating a sphere of healing fire beside Torrent, the pyromancy melting the ice and healing us all.
Torrent gave a whinny of thanks before disappearing.
With our fight over, Rennala, Godwyn, and I approached the tower at the top of the hill.
"Well, this is the place. This Renna is hiding here, beyond my mansion, in an old, crumbling tower. How did she get access to this place?"
"I don't know." In fact, if Godwyn is right, I need to watch out for the person in that tower.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's find the so-called Renna." Rennala said, pulling me towards the tower.
"Rennala, wait a minute!" I said pulling out of her grip.
"Yes dear?" Rennala asked.
"I understand that you want to help me and put things in order here in Liurnia, but I know next to nothing about Renna, much less you. What if it's a trap?"
"All the more reason for me to accompany you." Rennala replied.
I took a deep breath, "Please trust me, and all I ask is that you stay out here."
Rennala hesitated for a moment, I saw doubt and concern in her eyes, but in the end, she accepted it.
"Okay, but if something goes wrong, run away immediately."
"Don't worry, if there's a problem, I'll jump off the top of the tower."
"It doesn't calm me down!"
With Rennala's complaint, Godwyn and I entered the tower.
"So Godwyn, what should I expect?" I asked the demigod as we climbed the tower.
"Don't trust anything she says, always assume she has ulterior motives, and watch your back." Godwyn responded as he placed his hand on the spot where he had been stabbed in life.
With the seriousness of the situation being emphasized, I put on a magic ring, immediately a ghost appeared on my back, hanging with its arms around my neck.
"Magic ring?" Godwyn asked.
"Magic ring." I replied.
We climbed the stairs outside the tower and entered the room at the top, and there sitting in a chair was a blue doll with four arms, and a ghostly face.
Something on her lap caught my eye, the Old Ivory King Crown.
"Ah, once again we cross paths. I believe I said my name was Renna when we last met. It pleases me to see Torrent happy and healthy…" Renna said as I approached.
"It has been some time; I don't think we would have met again had it not been for the letter left in the library." I replied.
"I did it, didn't I? I think I should go straight to the point. I heard that you search for certain equipment scattered around the Lands Between, with an obsession with certain crowns, I happened to discover that one of them was purchased by the sorcerers of Raya Lucaria, I intercepted the sorcerer before he reached the academy and now the crown is in my possession. Due to this, I would like to offer you an accord."
"What kind of accord?" I asked preparing my flame.
"I would like to request your services in exchange for the crown you so much seek." Renna responded with a smile and clasped her upper hands together while her lower hands caressed the crown.
Godwyn and I stared at each other.
"And what prevents me from taking the crown by force?"
"Ho, there's no need for such hostility, Blaidd would be sad if he found his new friend to be so aggressive. In addition, this crown has a beautiful design, wonderful details and adornments, but that's not why you're looking for it, is it? The crown is enchanted." Renna replied, turning the crown in her hands, taking in the details.
I stiffened at Renna's comment, she knows.
"I see I'm right, the crown is enchanted, I feel pleasant warmth emanating from it and a powerful enchantment and I don't know how you got your hands on such an artifact. But it would be a shame if someone destroyed it, wouldn't it?" Ranni smiled, cocking her head to the side.
"You are bluffing."
"I really am? I have no use for it, unlike you; I can destroy the crown and seek out a Tarnished one willing to serve me." Renna spoke, tossing the crown from one hand to the other.
She has all the cards here.
Looking back at Godwyn, I spoke to Renna.
"Can you give me time to think?"
"Sure, take your time Undead, or shall I use your name? Alden."
With Renna's last comment, Godwyn and I left the tower.
"That bitch!" Godwyn exclaimed punching a wall, only for his fist to go through it.
"Admittedly, she had us on this one; I can't see any other way to get the crown without taking the deal." I leaned against the tower and crossed my arms.
Godwyn dragged his hand along the tower wall.
"This tower is old. Maybe you can knock it down with those exploding fireballs and grab the crown." Godwyn suggested.
"But what guarantees that Renna doesn't have a way to escape?"
Godwyn sighed, "What do we do now?"
"Let's go back to the Round Table, we still have to take what we found in the catacomb to Rogier, let's calm our minds a little, we had fight after fight today."
"You're right, let's get some rest." Godwyn disappeared.
Returning to Rennala, I found her sitting on a ruin with a telescope in her hand and a parchment in her lap; she was looking up at the sky and writing something down on the parchment.
As I approached, I heard Rennala muttering something "How is this possible… Stars standing still… Destiny…"
"Rennala?"
Rennala jumped at my call and made her things disappear with magic.
"Yes dear?" Rennala asked.
"Some problem?"
"I think so, at first I thought it was just me, but now I'm sure, the stars are still."
"How is this possible?"
"I'm not sure, but magic is involved, I need to investigate further."
"Well, if you want, we can do that later. How about we go back to the round table and get some rest?"
"I think it's a good idea, we've had a busy day."
You can't even imagine.
We both went towards the grace near the tower, touching the grace; we transported ourselves to the Round Table.
Round table
Alden's POV
We returned to the Round Table and the main room was empty, not surprising, they each have their own goal in the Lands Between.
As we stepped out of grace, Rennala let out a huge yawn.
"Sorry about that darling, but I'm tired; it's been a while since I've had a good night's sleep."
I sometimes forget that Lands Betweeners need to eat and sleep.
"I believe there's an empty room here at the Round Table, the room I'm using. You can sleep in it if you like."
"Thank you my dear." Rennala said sleepily.
I guided Rennala to the bedroom, where she immediately lay down on the bed and fell asleep, it was a funny sight, as the bed was made for a person of normal height, and part of Rennala's body was sticking out of the bed.
I closed the door carefully and let Rennala sleep.
"And now?" Godwyn asked.
"Let's go find Rogier."
I found the sorcerer in his usual place.
"Hi Alden, it's been a while. How has your journey been?" Rogier asked with a smile.
"It has been fruitful; in fact I found something that might interest you." I handed Rogier the knife with the print on it.
"This… is a black knife! I can't believe you managed to get your hands on this! You remember our conversation about the Night of the Black Knives, yes? They say that the assassins who carried out the act were descendants of the Eternal City. A group entirely of women, dressed in silver armor under cloaks that deceived the eye." Rogier said admiringly.
It's not just a rumor, I assure you.
"The knives they wielded, however, were imparted with the power of the Death Rune through the sinister rite. Please, I ask you to lend me the knife for a while. I would love nothing more than to unlock its secrets. Though only a fragment, a very specific ritual had to be performed to impart the Death Rune's power. Traces of whoever performed the rite will surely remain on the mark… Half of my body was impregnated with Death. I'm sure this will help me figure it out."
Rogier pleaded as he looked down at his legs, I saw something sticking out from under the blanket, some kind of root.
"No problem, Rogier, you can keep the knife as long as you need." I smiled at the sorcerer.
"Thank you, I'm grateful for that."
Rogier's attention was completely diverted to the knife, to the point where he ignored me; well I didn't feel offended, each with their own obsessions, leaving Rogier alone, I went looking for Roderika and Hewg.
I found them both talking in their usual spot, this time Roderika was next to Hewg, they were holding cups with a steaming liquid inside, at Roderika's feet there was a tea set, I greeted them.
"Alden! I'm glad you returned safely." Roderika smiled to see me.
Hewg drank from his cup. "Well, you're back in one piece, good news for sure. Where is the Full Moon Queen?"
"She is currently resting; Rennala had an emotionally draining day." I replied approaching.
"I wish her a good rest, I may not know the situation in the Lands Between, but from what I've heard from the other Tarnished, it's not good at all." Hewg put his cup aside and went back to work at the forge.
"You should stop for a minute Hewg, working non-stop is bad for your health." Roderika spoke between sips of her tea.
"Girl, if it weren't for me, the Tarnished would be dead already; these reckless youths only care about fighting, when their weapons and armor break, they run desperately to me. The work never ends." Hewg complained.
"Even so, you should take better care of yourself." Roderika scolded Hewg.
"Okay, I'll take a five-minute break. You sound like my mother complaining like that." Hewg laughed.
Roderika gave a small laugh at Hewg's comment, I admit watching these two interact is fun; I couldn't help but smile under my helmet.
"Oh! Where are my manners? Would you like some Alden tea?" Roderika asked.
"Yes please." I took it out of politeness, it's not like I can taste.
Roderika took the teapot and poured the contents into a cup, then offered it to me, accepting the cup; I sat down next to Roderika.
I took a sip of tea; I didn't taste it, as usual.
"So Alden, do you have any news to tell us?" Roderika asked.
"Not much, Liurnia is in the same decaying situation, got some crystal tears fighting an Erdtree Avatar, Rennala and I took the bell Hewg mentioned, broke into Cariana Manor, met a Troll knight, fought a knight's spirit and we faced a dragon." I responded by drinking tea.
"Hump! Not much. What you did in one day is something that would fill a book and here you are being modest." Hewg growled.
"I'm not after fame, but I wouldn't mind having a book written about me." I replied.
"Keep it up and you'll eventually get some admirers." Hewg replied.
Maybe I already have, I remembered Boc, Thops and glanced at Roderika.
"But moving away from such violent subjects, do you have any interesting stories to tell, Alden?" Roderika asked.
"What kind of story would you like me to tell? About lost kingdoms? Horrible monsters? Dragons? Sorcerers? Grumpy blacksmiths?"
"What was the last one?"
"Grumpy blacksmiths?"
"Yes, that one, could you tell me more about it?" Roderika asked in amusement, I heard Hewg mumbling.
"Well, the blacksmith's name is Lenigrast, I found him at the beginning of my journey in the Drangleic kingdom in a village called Majula, and he was locked outside his forge."
"An abominable situation indeed." Hewg spoke, a certain tremor in his voice.
With a small laugh, I continued "And I wanted Lenigrast to repair my equipment, but without being able to access his forge, he asked me to find the key to the place, eventually I found the key, being sold by an old woman in an abandoned fort in the middle of a forest."
"And what was this lady doing in an abandoned fort in the middle of the forest?" Roderika asked.
"No idea, but she overcharged me for the key."
"More importantly, how did the old hag get the blacksmith's key?"
"HEWG!" Roderika exclaimed.
"I don't care; the old hag locked a blacksmith out of his beloved forge, that's a sin to me." Hewg complained.
"When I finished my business at the fort, I returned to Lenigrast and unlocked the forge, leaving him to work, so during my journey, I requested Lenigrast's services to repair and improve my equipment, but I felt that he was not very fond of travelers like me."
"Why do you think that?" Roderika asked.
"Well, Lenigrast's words were 'I don't like travelers at all. A man must work with his feet firmly planted on the ground. Not wandering around like you flirtatious bums. '"
"Wise words." Hewg spoke.
"Hewg!"
"What? It's truth. I would like to meet this blacksmith."
"You would be good friends, or you would fight with each other. But anyway, Lenigrast came to Drangleic in search of his daughter, Chloanne, she was an expert in smith stones and traveled the world in search of new types of ores, Lenigrast went after her, worried about her safety." I replied.
"I hope they found each other again." Roderika said hopefully.
"Fortunately, yes, but not in the way you might expect. I found Chloanne in Harvest Valley, an old mine filled with poisonous gas, reanimated skeletons and large enslaved beings forced to work in mining."
"How did that airhead get there?" Hewg asked.
Roderika was about to scold Hewg, but I stopped her.
"No idea, but after buying some stones from Chloanne, she returned to Majula, where her father was, Lenigrast recognized Chloanne, but Chloanne didn't recognize Lenigrast."
Roderika sighed, "How is this possible? For a daughter not to recognize her own father."
"Let's say Lenigrast was sick, and that illness seriously altered his appearance to the point where Chloanne didn't recognize Lenigrast, and let's leave it at that."
"Well, at least they are close to each other now."
"Yes, better than wandering the world in search of each other."
"Hm! I believe I've rested long enough, I've enjoyed your story, I hope you'll have more to tell later, but now it's time to work. Want me to forge something for you?" Hewg asked, going back to his work.
"Yes, those weapons, please." I handed Hewg my Uchigatana, Lord's Sword and smithing stones.
"As you are here, would you like me to attune your spirits?" Roderika asked.
"Actually, I would like you to do something different. The strange spirits you said accompany me, could you make them usable somehow?"
"You mean turn them into spirit ashes?"
"Yes."
"I've never done anything like this, but I can try, I'll never become a master if I don't accept new challenges. Please extend your hand."
I reached out my hand to Roderika, holding my hand, Roderika concentrated, and I saw effort on her face, sweat dripped from her forehead, but a light formed in our hands.
When the light disappeared, Roderika removed her hand, and in the palm of my hand was the spirit ash, looking closer at the ash, I saw the image of two great men in armor, one with a bow and the other with a halberd. The Twin Dragon Riders.
"It is done, the spirits have spoken to me, told me their names, who long ago served a king named Vendrick, they are eager to join you, Alden."
"Thank you Roderika, I am grateful for that." I put the ashes in my bag and got up.
"Your weapons are ready." Hewg spoke.
Taking back my gear, I thanked them both.
"Careful out there." Hewg spoke.
"Travel safely." Roderika said.
With that accomplished, I approached the twin maidens, seeing the two ladies next to each other, standing in the same position, it was a bit disturbing. How do I use the bell now?
I hung the bell on one of the big sticks that the maidens carried, now we test if it worked, I extended my hand to the maidens and handed over some runes, the runes were absorbed by the maiden and in my hand, a smiting stone appeared.
It works.
I think I've done everything I had to do at the moment, let's see how Rogier is doing.
I found the sorcerer muttering as he studied the knife, one hand on his chin, he was deep in thought. My arrival drew his attention.
"Hello! I was hoping to see you. My exam is complete. Here's the knife back, with my thanks." Rogier said, handing me the knife back, I put it in my bag.
"And what did you discover?"
"Now, I have a good idea who performed the rite on the blade. The person who orchestrated the Night of the Black Knives. Lunar Princess Ranni. One of the sons of King Consort Radagon and his first wife, Rennala. Demigod, and sister of General Radahn and Praetor Rykard. Hers was the name I discovered in the print."
Nothing I didn't already know, thanks to Godwyn.
"Truly, you have my thanks. But, if I may be so bold, I would also like to ask you for something else."
I feel like I'll regret this "Say it."
"If Ranni is indeed the one who masterminded that fateful night, then she must bear the imprint of the Predestined Death curse somewhere in her flesh. I would like you to get it for me. Then everything will be exposed. I will have the answers I have been looking for so long."
I crossed my arms, it's like Fia said, Rogier is obsessed with knowing more about Those Who Live in Death "Rogier, why do you want to know so much about the black knives, Ranni and that curse mark thing?"
Rogier was silent, looking at the ground.
"I'm afraid there is something I must tell you. Do you know Those Who Live in Death?"
"Yes."
"The very notion of life in death defies the Golden Order. According to D, these corrupted demons must be purged. But truth be told, I seek the curse mark to save them. You might find this peculiar, but I discovered something in my Night of the Black Knives exam. These souls did not commit any offense. They have every right to life; it's just that they tapped into a flaw in the Order."
A situation similar to the Undead pursued by the Old Iron King, they did not commit any crime, they just existed, but their presence unintentionally caused problems, so it was decided that they should be pursued and exterminated. History repeats itself.
Maybe I can help?
"And you want me to ask Ranni about the curse mark?"
"Yes please! Would you do me this favor, my friend?" Rogier begged.
I feel like I'm getting into more trouble, everything is circling around Ranni and those who live in death, and my crown.
"Wait a bit; I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you very much."
I turned away from Rogier and walked towards grace.
"Are you sure what you are doing?" Godwyn asked.
"No, but I don't have much of a choice at the moment."
TIMESKIP
I climbed the tower again, and there was Ranni.
"Oh! I see you've returned. Have you made up your mind about my proposal yet?"
"First I want you to tell me something."
"So speak." Ranni said curiously.
"Are you Ranni the Witch, the one behind the Night of Black Knives?"
I saw surprise on Ranni's face.
"I see. Quite the detective, it is not. Truly, I am the witch Ranni. I stole a shard of the Rune of Death and used it to forge the black god-killing knives through a terrible ritual. I did everything."
"And you talk like it's no big deal!" Godwyn exclaimed.
"I see, and where is the curse mark?"
Surprise returned to Ranni's face.
"I may have underestimated you, you know much more than meets the eye, but unfortunately for you, the curse mark you seek cannot be found here. I killed the body I was born in and threw it away. And it is upon this flesh that the curse mark is carved."
"And where is the body?"
Ranni gave me an irritated look.
"And why should I reveal this to you? I did the act not to bury the past, nor out of shame for the act, but even so, begging doesn't oblige me in the slightest. The curse mark you seek is not here. That's all I'll say. Now go away or give me your answer."
I took a deep breath with what I was about to do "I accept your deal."
The look Godwyn gave me was indescribable.
"Oh, is it like that"? Would you help me? Giving yourself the opportunity to grope for the location of the curse mark, no doubt? Well done... There's nothing wrong with a well thought out scheme. Furthermore, if my past and past hurts beckon to you, I'm curious enough to see what your fate portends...
"Good, then I ask that we move forward with haste. There is, in my service, a half-wolf warrior named Blaidd. I would like you to join him in his search for Nokron's hidden treasure, the Eternal City. I called Blaidd downstairs to greet him. Get the details out of him. Ah, and there thou shalt find Iji, my war counselor, and Seluvis, preceptor in the magical arts, too."
"Don't listen to their quirks; feel secure in getting what advantage you can from them. I'm sure others will do the same. Talk to the three that await you below. You don't need to condescend unduely to them, but they also want to assess your worth. After all, it has been a long time since a newcomer entered my service."
So Blaidd works for Ranni too?
"I hope you keep your part of the bargain." Said to Ranni.
"Equally."
I went down the tower stairs, on the way Godwyn spoke to me.
"What are you thinking, making a deal with that witch?!"
"And is there another option that doesn't involve evoking the wrath of a demigoddess?"
"There must be another way!"
"Perhaps, but do we have time for that? You want to help those who live in death, I want my crown and Ranni is involved with both, Rogier and Fia are also included."
"I know, but beware, who knows what tricks that witch has up her sleeve."
Godwyn disappeared.
Arriving at the ground floor of the tower, I found three ghostly figures waiting for me, Blaidd, Iji and another man who must be Seluvis, I will speak with Blaidd first.
"Hi Blaidd, how have you been? I haven't seen you since ever gaool." I waved at the Half-Wolf.
Blaidd gave me a small smile.
"Ahh, long time, friend. I am glad to have you in the service of the Lady Ranni. Good. Getting straight to business… I'm still in Limgrave. The eternal city of Nokron lies somewhere deep within this land. I'm planning to go down through the pit in Mistwood. See if I can find the road to Nokron from there…"
"I hope we can work together in the future Blaidd, but it looks like you're in a hurry, I won't waste any more of your time, eventually I'll come to Mistwood and find you."
"I see, I am also looking forward to our future collaboration." Blaidd disappeared.
This time I approached Iji.
"Ah, so it was you. Lady Ranni explained everything. Once again, I'm Iji. The dedicated blacksmith of the Carian royal family, and the war advisor to Lady Ranni. I'm told you're looking for Nokron with Blaidd. I will give you all the guidance I can. And pray for its success. My apologies for the misleading words of warning. I never imagined that an audience, much less a service to the Lady Ranni, was in your destiny. I, for one, should have seen it, but I didn't. Forgive me, my colleague. Let us give all we can of ourselves. Together, for Lady Ranni."
"It's okay, Iji, I don't take any offense, we'll be working together from now on, so it would be good for us to get along." Smile at the Troll.
"I agree, you know where I am, talk to me if you need anything." Iji disappeared.
Now only Seluvis remained.
I approached the man wearing the big hat and mask, but before I could say anything, Seluvis spoke.
"I see… You must be Ranni's new hire. Yes, yes, I've heard all about you. I am Seluvis, preceptor of the sorcerous arts. I don't know what the Lady sees in a Tarnished provincial like you, but since we have the misfortune of serving the same Mistress, I ask you to kindly try not to drag us all down with you. I reside… in another tower, close by. Come visit me... If you wish to be of royal service to the Lady Ranni. If it were up to me, I wouldn't waste my time with people like you. But who am I to oppose my Lady's wishes?"
Without saying another word, Seluvis disappeared; I already don't like this man.
"There's something wrong with this man, I can feel it." Godwyn spoke.
"You're not the only one."
Returning to the top of the tower, I spoke with Ranni again.
"I have already greeted your associates."
"Oh! Nevertheless, what good news, I hope everything went well, oh, let me warn you. Soon I will enter my sleep. Moreover, it will be some time before I wake up. This doll's body isn't without obstacles... Still, I have high hopes for you. I look forward to the good news when I get up." Ranni waved at me in farewell.
I think I've settled everything here, let's return to the Round Table.
TIMESKIP
I went to meet Rogier to give him the news.
"Hello Alden, did you find out anything about the curse mark?"
I told Rogier what Ranni told me.
"I see… When Ranni shed her flesh, she also shed the curse mark. You know, not everyone would trust such a tale… But, if she in her current form is nothing more than the living doll you profess… Then maybe it's true after all. Hmm. Forgive the bluntness of the notion, but… How would you like to become one of Ranni's vassals? Oh, just to get what we want, of course. The location of the body bearing the curse mark. And the best way to find out is to go into her service and poke around on the sly. I know you have what it takes. Not only are you a superb fighter, but people want to trust you. I already saw."
"Actually, I already did, Ranni also has something I want, maybe we'll both get what we're looking for."
Rogier smiled with joy, I think he would have hugged me if he could get up.
"Thank you my friend, you have no idea how important this is to me! Hmm. Maybe I should tell you. Lately, I feel like I'm on the precipice... Of falling into a deep... bottomless, sleep. And I have a feeling that could spell trouble for you, somehow. So I just wanted to get the apology out of the way, beforehand. Since you're so scary and all."
Am I scary? No one has ever said that to me. "Could you tell me more about this sleep?"
"It's hard to explain, but I feel like something is calling me, slowly eating away at my energy, I feel my mind wandering and getting lighter every day."
"I can't say I have a cure for it, I can only offer some advice and one of them would be to stay focused, don't deviate from your goals and that should keep you awake longer."
"Thank you my friend, I will try to do what you advised."
Saying goodbye to Rogier, I went to the room where Rennala was sleeping, looking inside, I saw that she was still in bed, I closed the door and sat down next to her, with Godwyn appearing next to me, we talked until Rennala woke up.
TIMESKIP
The bedroom door opened and Rennala came out, letting out a long yawn, she smiled at me.
"Ready to continue our journey?" Rennala asked.
"Yes and you?" I said, getting up.
"Do I need to ask? I'm always ready for whatever comes." Rennala responded determinedly.
Without further ado, we headed towards grace and transported ourselves to where we met Iji for the first time.
Heading south, I got some interesting things, a Carian Knight sword on the back of a wagon, freed the chained Trolls after eliminating the escort.
A Jellyfish Shield near some red jellyfish and a spell on Cuckoo's ever gaol, I also got a piece of map.
We pretty much circled Liurnia and ended up returning close to the entrance to the region, I rode Torrent to one of the geysers and we were thrown upwards, landing on the highlands of Liurnia.
We ride until we reach a place with a dark view, a village destroyed, with strange corpses scattered everywhere.
"Signs of struggle, this place wasn't attacked by disease or a powerful spell, someone did it." I said I as got off Torrent and walked through the village.
"Who did this to the aubinaurics?" Rennala demanded with a look of anger and sadness.
Godwyn was unusually quiet.
Demolished and burning houses, corpses of strange creatures with large, dark eyes were strewn across the ground or hanging from pieces of wood.
As we walked through the village I heard something strange, it was a jar, there was noise coming from it. Was it breathing?
I kicked the jar lightly, in a burst of smoke the jar disappeared, revealing an old man, bent and thin.
"Please do not. I have not the foggiest idea. No secret is with me, not one. Oh, please let me go." The old man shouted as he shielded himself with one hand.
"Please calm down; we are not here to harm you." Rennala tried to calm the old man.
"Lady Rennala? Thanks to the Chosen Land you are here! As you can see. We're done. The whole village is finished. The damned one destroyed everything. None that remain survived."
"Who are you exactly?" I asked the old man.
"I'm Albus. An albinauric, as you can see. I ask you, would you take care of this medallion? You must keep him out of the hands of the cursed one. And if you find the young Albinauric Latenna, then please give her this." Albus handed me part of a medallion.
I pulled Decatus' medallion out of my bag, but the two pieces didn't match. "What's this medallion for?"
"A chosen land awaits us. The medallion is the key to the city. It's just a picturesque treasure, for those of us who can't make the journey. But for dear Latenna, it is necessary. To fulfill her purpose. My legs will soon be gone, and with them my life. Sadly, this is the immovable fate of all albinaurics…"
"Hm! Where can I find this Latenna?" I asked.
"Last I heard, she lived in a small cabin to the south, you probably passed by on your way here." Albus replied.
"Who did this to your village?" Rennala asked.
"It was an Omen Killer, he was sent by someone to destroy our village, be careful, and he still here." Albus replied.
Rennala walked past me with a straight face, in a hurried walk, she advanced through the village.
"Thanks Albus." I said to the old man as I caught up with Rennala.
"Rennala, what will you do?" I asked the Queen.
"I will find the one who committed such crimes in my lands and give the appropriate punishment." Rennala replied.
"I will help you. I've seen what happened in this village many times, so much destruction, so much death, this time the person responsible is here somewhere, this is one of the few times I can do something about it."
I remembered all the persecution the Undead suffered in Drangleic, when I arrived, the damage had already been done a long time ago, so many that were not to blame for being cursed and yet they were treated like monsters.
As we made our way through the village, I ran into a familiar person, Nepheli.
"Ah, it's you… Well, what do you think of that? What happened to this village? I witnessed a very similar sight in my childhood. The oppression of the weak. Murder and plunder without control. A waking nightmare, made by men."
"A horrible sight, but I am unfortunately used to visions of death and ruin, all caused due to a king's ego."
"The aubinuarics were under the protection of my lands, this kind of destruction will not be tolerated, during my trip I realized that Liurnia is having some problems, but after what happened here, I feel that the time will come to take control and put everything on the axes."
Rennala responded as she gripped the staff in both hands, the wood creaking with the applied force.
"I see you share my vision, this time I am a grown woman. Though the suffering cannot be undone, I can still do justice. Justice for the oppressors. Let the scars I carved remind them. I am Nepheli Loux, Warrior. Will you join me?"
"Certainly." Rennala replied.
"Count on me." Completed.
So the three of us advanced towards the center of the village and there we found the person responsible for the massacre.
It was a person wearing a wooden mask carved like a grimace, I think, the person also carried two large serrated blades with what looked like horns.
The man, seeing us, took a deep breath and spat a wave of yellow flames in our direction, each of us went in a different direction, Rennala to the left, Nepheli to the right and I jumped back.
The man raised one of his swords and swooped down towards the approaching Nepheli, Nepheli deflected the blow with her axe, and then the masked man tried to hit her with his second sword.
Only to be hit in the back by a series of projectiles of magic, the man turned away from Nepheli and tried to fight Rennala, leaping towards her with both swords raised, Rennala calmly stepped out of the way and slammed her staff into the side of the head of the man, tearing off a piece of his mask with a snap.
The man was flung towards me, he staggered sideways, disoriented by the blow, which gave me the opportunity to slash him across the chest several times, one horizontally, one vertically and one diagonally, with the final cut a spray of blood came out of his wounds.
The man dropped his swords, unable to fight anymore, looking around, he tried to run away, but before he could do so, Rennala kicked him in the right side, knocking him to the ground.
Rennala approached the man and pointed her staff at his mask.
"I am Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, as Ruler of Liurnia; I condemn you to death for the crimes committed here." Rennala casted a spell, and a shard of crystal pierced the man's forehead, shattering his mask and revealing his face.
The man had a blank stare; there was no fear at the time of his death, no anger or sadness. Did he even know what was going on?
Then the masked man disappeared into runes.
"Rennala, are you okay?" I noticed that Rennala was shaking, small crystals were coming out of the ground near her feet and a light magical wind was blowing through the village.
"Yes dear. I just need time to think, the killer has been brought to justice, but who ordered the attack remains unknown. When I find him, I will give him the same fate as his subordinate."
"I share your sentiment, but for now we can only hope that something like this doesn't happen again, as a warrior that kind of destruction disgusts me." Nepheli approached us with an ax slung over each shoulder.
"Thank you for your help Nepheli, our luck to meet here is really strange." I said to the warrior.
"Maybe it's fate." Nepheli replied.
"The stars aligned for this to happen, though…" Rennala looked up.
"Is there a problem Rennala?"
"The stars remain static."
"Well, I don't understand stars, so I can't say anything, they look normal to me."
"If everything here is resolved, I will return to the Round Table, we will meet again, Sorcerer and Queen of the Full Moon." Nepheli turned away from us and walked out of the village.
"She seemed strangely calm seeing me." Rennala spoke.
"She's a warrior; she shouldn't care too much about nobility." I replied.
"It's nice to talk to someone without them bowing in front of me or being careful about every word they say."
Our small joy faded, the seriousness of the massacre that had taken place in the village returning.
"We must find Latenna." I said to Rennala.
"I agree with you dear, maybe she can clarify what happened here."
I called Torrent and Rennala returned to her moon, together we went in search of Latenna.
It took a while, but I think we found the person we were looking for, it was a woman wearing light armor, and carrying a large bow and a quiver full of arrows, she was leaning against a large dead wolf.
Without looking at us, Latenna spoke with disgust in her voice "Dirty tarnished, what you want? I said to the all hearing brute. That I do not own such medallion. Or did you come to take more from me? Was my other half not enough?"
"I'm not the one who destroyed your village; in fact, I'd like to know who did it." I said as I approached.
"I am also looking for the person responsible to bring him to justice." Rennala said.
Hearing our voices, Latenna looked in our direction.
"Lady Rennala? Why are you here? When did you return?" Latenna asked question after question.
"Calm down young one, we are here to help, your friend Albus entrusted us with part of the medallion." Rennala soothed Latenna and I showed her half of the medallion.
Surprise appeared on Latenna's face, with hope in her eyes, a small smile formed on her face.
"Ah… do you speak the truth? Albus entrusted you with his medallion… So I have no choice but to trust that this was his will before he died. Let's try again. I'm Latenna. An Albinauric, same as Old Albus. My apologies for my rude words earlier. I assumed the worst, seeing you were another Tarnished, like all-hearing brute. I hope you forgive me."
"No problem." I spoke.
"There was no offense." Rennala completed.
"Mm, the medallion is better off in your hands anyway. Would you consider doing me a great service? I need to go back. There is something I must do, even if I have to say goodbye to my wolf, Lobo. Will you show me the way? To the land of the Miquella Haligtree. If you accept, I will be happy to inform you. The whereabouts of the other half of the medallion."
"PPSSHH! Alden, accept it!" Godwyn whispered.
"Why?" I whispered back.
"I'll explain later, just accept it."
Doing as the demigod said, I accepted Latenna's request.
"Thanks. They say the other half of the medallion is beyond the forbidden lands north of the Erdtree. At Sol Castle, at the top of the Giants' Mountains, accessible by Rold's Great Lift. So I think it's time. Goodbye, Lobo. My faithful wolf, my better half. I'm going with the Tarnished. So that our journey was not in vain. Forgive me, Lobo."
Saying goodbye to her companion, Latenna disappeared and in her place was a spirit ash, as I took the ash, I heard a voice.
"Call upon me when needed. And I will fight by your side."
Then silence, looking at Rennala, I saw sadness in her face, I had nothing to say, the recent events weighing on my mind, I had my suspicions about who the All-Hearing Brute was, but if I'm right, I can't do much, no without causing problems.
Heaving a sigh, we used the grace next to Latenna's hut to transport ourselves to another region of Liurnia; there was someone else I'd like to meet before leaving.
Rennala and I walked out of grace at a church and found Thops there.
"Hello Thops, ready for some magic lessons?" I told the sorcerer.
"Teacher Alden… and Lady Rennala!" Thops immediately dropped to the ground and bowed.
Rennala approached, trying to calm Thops.
"Stand up Thops and show me what you learned from the spells I showed you." I told Thops.
"Yes teacher!" Thops immediately got up and casted a spell, a small soul arrow came out of his staff but it dissipated before it hit the church wall, Thops was disappointed.
"Hm! It needs a little work, but we all start somewhere, I didn't become a master in a day and I don't expect you to become one right away, but I can help you."
"Yes Teacher Alden! Please teach me!" Thops exclaimed.
"Well for starters…"
So I spent the day teaching Thops about sorcery, I've never taught anyone before but I'll admit it was fun and challenging, at least it helped ease my mind about what happened before.
END OF CHAPTER