Flynn

RL68 - 30 VIG - 14 MND - 28 END - 27 STR - 14 DEX - 18 INT - 9 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL68 - 22 VIG - 18 MND - 12 END - 12 STR - 31 DEX - 9 INT - 34 FTH - 9 ARC

Flynn

We made our way back down into the Siofra river, searching for Blaidd. The wolfman wasn't hard to find - though his gray fur and cloak blended in well with the dull tones of the environment, the glint of his armor gave him away from quite a distance. Once we approached, I could tell that he looked…haggard. Fur slightly matted from perspiration, and a tired look in his eyes that I could recognize at a glance. Whatever he'd done while we were above ground, it was a lot…he'd been pushing himself nearly to the brink.

"Ah friends, you've returned…I'm afraid I've run out of options. Say, find anything?"

Resa looked down rather than up at his face, shaking her head. "Sadly no…it was a dead end. We do know that the lift left us in the northern part of Caelid, which puts Norkon somewhere in the land between Limgrave and Caelid…or just off coast. Given that this isn't flooded, we're assuming the former."

"Not a bad deduction. However, that leaves a lot of ground…more than the three of us can cover. I think it's time we cut our losses and ask…Seluvis. Before I departed, I got the sense he knew something but wouldn't fess up."

"And you think he will now?"

"I know, I know…he's not the easiest to get along with. However, he knows things, and if it's in the benefit of Ranni then he may decide to share those things with you. You'll know right from the get-go whether he knows anything valuable or not, don't give him any more time than he deserves."

"You're…staying here?"

"Well…" Blaidd paused, clearly reconciling with the question. "There may be something I missed, you never know. Why don't you two run off, and I'll spend just a little bit longer. I'd hate to give up and miss something."

Resa interjected, defiantly shaking her head. "No, you're coming with us."

"Resa, that's hardly - "

"No." My sister's tone was sharp and concise, shutting down any response Blaidd tried to muster. "Blaidd, I can see it on your face, you're tired and weary, and the last thing I want you to do is have an accident because you're fatigued. You're taking a break and there's no discussion to be had."

"I - very well Resa." Her words shut him right up, the wolfman yielding to my almost impish sister in comparison. "Let us head to a grace then and find Seluvis."

The three of us walked in relative silence back to the nearest grace, taking a seat around the flickering light. After a brief flash, the damp chill of Siofra was replaced by the slightly drier chill of the Three Sisters, all three of us appearing near the base of Ranni's Rise. Blaidd led the way to Seluvis, who resided in the third of the Sisters - though we still didn't know who claimed the first.

As we entered, we found the Rise to be much smaller than Ranni's - it was a simple straight tower, much like several others we'd seen in Limgrave. Seluvis was simply standing inside as if awaiting our arrival, undoubtedly a smirk of superiority residing on his face, hidden by that metal mask and comical hat. "Oh look, if it isn't the filthy mongrel and the Tarnished. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I was glad that I too wore a mask of metal - it hid the anger that I couldn't keep buried. I could tell that Blaidd didn't care about pleasantries, baring his teeth in a fierce snarl that made his intentions clear. "Siofra River was a dead end. You know something, and I'm here for it. Don't waste the Lady's time, Seluvis."

"Ah, fitting you wouldn't get anywhere…tis a shame Ranni relies on you heavily when the results are just so - lacking."

A fist flew out of Blaidd's fur cloak, gripping a fistful of Seluvis' garb as the sorcerer was lifted into the air, Blaidd's superior strength and stature treating him like little more than a doll. "I said stop wasting the Lady's time, Seluvis. Start talking."

"You come into my residence, ask for my help, and this is how I'm treated? I knew you were a fool but I thought Ranni's lapdog at least had manners. Set me down you brute and I'll tell you what you want, and then you can be on your merry way."

Seluvis was only dragged higher up, Blaidd walking over to pin him to a wall. If Seluvis was any bit uncomfortable, he didn't show it - which made me think that this interaction was somewhat regular for the two of them. "I think I quite like my information delivered where you are right now."

The sorcerer gave an exaggerated sigh, continuing to play the victim. "There's a sorcerer in Limgrave that I have a connection with, owes me a favor. I asked her to look into the matter some time ago, it's possible she's learned something by now."

"You know Sellen?" I hadn't quite realized the words left my mouth until after I'd finished saying them. The realization was so odd to me - Sellen was kind, gentle, and patient. Seluvis was…quite the opposite. I didn't want to know what favor was owed or why, but the mere fact that the two of them knew each other struck me as odd.

Seluvis' head turned towards me. "Ah, so you're already acquainted, then I can spare a letter of introduction. Yes, she can tell you what you need to know. I presume that she is your teacher, yes?"

At this point Blaidd put the sorcerer down, realizing he was being cooperative. I nodded. "Yes, she's been teaching me for a bit now."

"Hmm…if Sellen was willing to take you in, perhaps I was too quick to judge. For but a small favor, I can provide you with some of the sorceries that I - "

"Fuck off." I didn't care about any favors - and certainly didn't know what twisted things those favors might imply. We got what we'd come for, and that was a lead - an indirect one, but still useful nonetheless. I turned around and left, the other two close behind me.

From there, it was another jaunt to Limgrave. We reached Limgrave along the nearby roadway, only a short jaunt away from where Sellen was residing. We stepped down into the cellar-like room, past the grace where we usually arrived - one that Blaidd didn't have access to, warranting the slight detour. Sellen was once again inside, working away at some notes. She looked up as we appeared, seeing Resa and myself - and then her head continuing upwards, seeing the looming figure of Blaidd that filled the narrow doorway. "Ah, hello again my apprentice, I see you've found yourself a new ally. I do apologize, I'm still hard at work deciphering that scroll you gave me - it will be some time before I complete it. Have you been keeping up with your studies?"

I heard Blaidd snigger behind me, but I paid it no mind. "Trying…but I don't have as much time as I'd like."

"Well I suppose that's to be expected, but disappointing nonetheless. Are you here for another lesson, then?"

"Actually for something…different. We're here because of…Seluvis."

There was a long pause, Sellen's hand freezing mid-script on whatever she was writing. "That…wasn't a name I wished to hear again. Pray tell, what does Seluvis want?"

I knew we weren't meant to discuss Ranni's goals with people outside of her circle - but I made the judgment call to include Sellen. I trusted her - and the conversation would be too vague without the details. "We're looking for a place called Nokron, underground somewhere between Limgrave and Caelid. We can see it from the Siofra river well, but…there's no way up. Seluvis said that you'd been researching the subject. We're about out of ideas, if I'm being honest."

"Ah…that. Well, I am happy to tell you what I know. The power of our sorcery originates with the stars, and the night sky beyond. Caria's fate is…closely tied with those stars. Your - I suppose 'leader' is an apt term - Ranni…her fate is tied closest of all."

Blaidd interjected. "So you're saying the stars are blocking our way?"

Sellen shook her head. "No…in fact, the opposite. Had fate been left to its own devices, the way to Nokron would be clear. However, there is one who wields the power to hold the very stars in place - General Radahn, leader of the Redmane Knights. Should he fall, then the stars could resume their journey - and so too, would Ranni's destiny."

I…sat on that for a few seconds. I remembered that name, General Radahn - it was one of the Shardbearers that Gideon had mentioned. Unlike Rennala, the Great Rune was part of him - there was no 'negotiation' that could be done. "So you're saying we have to…kill him? Radahn?"

"I suspect that would be the case my apprentice, yes. I would not approach this task lightly. Radahn is well-known to be one of the strongest Shardbearers. I know you are strong, my apprentice - but I fear this may be beyond even your capabilities."

"I…may have a solution." All eyes turned to look at Blaidd, the wolfman's expression earnest as he continued. "I apologize if I haven't introduced myself yet Sellen - the name's Blaidd. There's an ongoing festival for Radahn - one to give him a true warrior's death. I suspect that if his death is what will advance my Lady's plans, it is not a battle that must be fought alone."

"He's seeking his own death?" I didn't quite understand. We'd met many people in our travels, many of them with their own quirks and troubles. However…seeking their own death, directly, had never been one of them.

"Not quite. I…this may require some exposition, Flynn. Radahn is suffering - he has been since near the end of the Shattering. Are you familiar with the affliction known as scarlet rot?" When Resa and I shook our heads, he continued. "That can be discussed later, its origins are irrelevant. What matters is that Radahn is afflicted with it, and has been for some time. It has eaten away at him, made him barely a husk of a man that knows only the battlefield. He was once a proud general and leader of the esteemed Redmane Knights - those knights now fight in his name, defending the name of their general. However, a call has been put out to have the greatest warriors of the land strike Radahn down, and to give him the honorable death that he deserves. It is what Radahn would wish for if his intellect had not rotted away."

I nodded - I could respect that. Again, my mind flitted back to all of the hollowed souls we'd seen on our travels - how they'd lost their wits, and turned to violence. Many of them found death at the end of the blade - and warriors, even those that lost their sense of self - death by battle is still a worthy death. "So then who has answered the summons? If it's too dangerous alone, or even for the three of us, then we should ensure victory. The last thing we want is to answer the call of this festival without the manpower to finish it, leaving Radahn in an even more crippled state."

Blaidd nodded. "I concur. I have contacts and a network - warriors that I believe will answer the call. We will make it a glorious spectacle that the man deserves."

Resa responded. "How long will it take you to gather those individuals? We haven't set foot in Caelid before, it may take us some time to get there."

"I can send word to a few, and it will spread to the rest. I can reconvene with you outside castle Redmane, and we can breach the castle as a unit."

Resa cocked her head to the side. "Even though there's a festival, his knights are still blocking the way in?"

"They seek a true warrior's death. The Redmane knights believe any that fight their general should be worthy. Any bloke that wanders into the castle shouldn't even have the privilege, one would tell you. I agree that it unnecessarily lengthens our timetable, but…we've no other option."

I gave a nod. "Well then, it seems we have our plan. Resa and I will make for the castle, and Blaidd will procure some allies. Sellen, is there anything else we need to know before we leave?"

My teacher gave a slight 'hmm', as if thinking, a response coming a short bit later. "If you've set foot in Caelid, dear apprentice, do take care. As Radahn has been poisoned by the scarlet rot, so too has Caelid. It is an inhospitable land. If you are traveling through it for the first time, be wary."

"We were close to it before, but were warned from entering it. We'll be on our guard, I assure you."

Sellen nodded. "As you should. I hope for your success, I know you are capable of achieving it.."

"Thank you, Sellen." I turned around to Blaidd. "Anything else from you?"

The wolfman shook his head. "Be safe, be swift, and I'll see you at the castle. It's in the southeast of Caelid, you can't miss it."

"Thanks Blaidd. See you soon."

We went our separate ways, Blaidd stepping back out into Limgrave while Resa and I turned to the grace just outside her door. "So, off to Caelid then?"

"Sure. We could try to approach from Gurranq's hold, but that massive creature right out front doesn't exactly seem appealing. I think we approach from Limgrave, where we met D."

I nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. Let's go." We vanished, traveling through the aether before reappearing not far from the ruins where we'd first met D as well as encountered our first deathroot.

The village was eerily quiet now that the undead oarsmen was gone, allowing us to safely pass by and approach the gradual incline towards Caelid. We could see another smaller Erdtree right up ahead, as well as a church off to our left as we followed the cobbled road.

As we approached, I noticed the ground…shifting. At first, I'd assumed that it was just dusty and dry, like we'd seen down in the ravine. However now, after hearing about this 'scarlet rot'...I realized that it was as if the entire land was…the ground itself had almost no plant life, and what dust remained was more of a pinkish-orange - just different enough to stand out. The church nearby told a similar story. The stones themselves were quite literally on fire, creating a choking warmth as we entered. There was no statue of Marika, Radagon, or Godfrey - just an empty desecrated building.

But why the fire? It was clearly intentional - there seemed no other way to have the pylons and walls be ablaze like that. The intent became even more apparent as we looked further down the road, seeing a long barrier up ahead. It too was alight with the same flame. A couple beasts were picking at bones along the roadside, so gaunt and frail that they could almost be mistaken for skeletons. They lashed out at us rabidly, desperate for any sort of flesh to sate a clearly malnourished frame - putting them down felt taking pity on them.

"What…what happened here?"

Resa shook her head. "Clearly far more than we know. Whatever the scarlet rot did, it must have devastated the whole region. I think we've seen something like this before though. Something far worse. Do you remember when we were underground? We took a little detour by some basilisks and hit a ridge. Beyond that was - "

"A lake…I remember the smell more than anything else." My mind drifted back there - nearly choking on my own breath, complete and utter repulsion at what was in front of us. That same concentrated odor hadn't quite reached me, but after Resa reminded me of it, I could piece it together.

"That may have been the source of whatever happened here. I know Blaidd left it out, but…there has to be a correlation. Let's swing by that erdtree over there…it might be able to give us a brief respite from this, if nothing else."

We did - and upon veering off to descend towards the tree, a familiar coliseum arose in the distance. That helped place where we were earlier - not far from where Resa's map cut off, if I had to guess.

As it turned out, the erdtree was anything but a respite. The effects of the rot became immediately obvious as we approached - the usual treelike guardian looked corrupted and sickly, strange growths and twists protruding from its bark-like carapace. Fighting it proved even worse - it was as if it acted as a carrier for the rot itself. Multiple times when it would thrust forward or slam itself into the ground, a gout of brownish-orange liquid would erupt from it, coating us and the ground around us. It felt…horrid didn't quite do it justice. It was as if my flesh began eating away at itself slowly but inexorably, our flasks only able to restore some of the effects each time. The fight was quick and rushed, both Resa and I desperately looking to take out the guardian before the rot took hold of us, resulting in the both of us suffering far more injuries than we normally would. Still, we managed to acquire two more glass orbs, rushing back to the grace in the church to tend to our wounds. Thankfully, the grace seemed to repel the rot - which only served to question why the erdtree had succumbed to it. Perhaps it too had repelled it at one point, but over time the rot won that battle.

As far as our spoils went, it was of mixed use. One orb was the same vibrant green as one Resa used, yet somehow more pronounced. After swapping out the two orbs and giving it a test, Resa confirmed that the effect was even more pronounced - a constant buzz of energy. The other resembled the cracked orb that I used. However, instead of a rather pure white, it was a reddish orange, with a pleasant warmth and the faint imagery of flames across its surface. Flames…perhaps it was just chance that we found it here, or perhaps it was related to the ablaze buildings not far away. As of yet, there was no way to know, but my mind started to drift and contemplate…and my hand, once again, felt painfully empty.

With nowhere left to go, we headed up, towards the burning barricade at the top of the hill. It was a short climb, and we were able to climb over the low wall. Despite being alight with flames the wall was only uncomfortably warm, rather than the searing pain that I had anticipated. Beyond that was…a unique type of wasteland.

We'd come across many locations in our travels - from the Tomb of the Giants, to the great Anor Londo, to even the first flame. Most of those fell into two categories…alive, and dead. Tombs, graveyards, ruins…they all felt dead. Cathedrals, cities, archives…even in the abandoned state that we'd found them in, still felt 'lived in'. Caelid was…both. A once-forest stretched out to our left, though now every tree there was little more than a stick reaching towards the sky, void of branches or leaves and instead replaced with fungus. A small settlement was directly before us, but it had fallen to ruin and was long since abandoned. Beyond that was giant mounds of white fungal growths that swallowed the ground. A large crow-like bird sat atop one twisted branch, but its feathers were sparse and its beak was lined with horrifically pointed teeth. Caelid felt like there had been so much here at one point…but now, it was a wasteland.

Resa and I walked up towards the edge of the small settlement, getting a better view of the landscape. Whatever this scarlet rot was, it had desecrated the entire place. The smell was unbearable, so bad I could hardly keep my stomach settled. Ruins had been taken over by fungus, the ground stained a pinkish orange all over. Directly to the south, I did see a castle atop a hillside - perhaps it was Redmane, but Blaidd had indicated that it was further in.

"This is…haunting." Resa had come up beside me, subconsciously putting her hand on my shoulder. "I can't imagine what this must have been like before the rot because there's just…nothing left."

I nodded. "I'm still processing it, and I think I will be for a while. It's a disaster, that's for sure. I have to imagine there aren't any survivors either…any that did survive would have left by now."

My sister pulled out the map, taking a look at it from our current vantage point. "The map we have doesn't say much, but there are a couple locations. The ruins off in the distance were known as Caelem. There's a mining tunnel not far south of here called the Gael Tunnel, and that's Fort Gael even further to the south. It does look like there's a road that winds down towards the south. I think that might be our safest option for getting through this."

"Anything that keeps us from going off the beaten path seems like the right idea. I suggest we take Torrent as well - should get us through here faster."

On Torrent we went…and on Torrent we witnessed. As it turned out, the place wasn't abandoned. Not long along the trail we came across a pack of seemingly undead creatures - humanoids with their chests hollowed out and barely more than flesh and bones. They seemed to only be vessels for the rot, their body stained the same deep orange as everything else around here, some of them occasionally letting out a gout of gas from a growth on one of their backs. We gave them a wide berth as we passed, only to come face to face with two…dogs. Though their head was canine in nature, their front legs were horribly shrunken and malformed, forcing them to try to balance on their back legs. They were perched atop a couple soldiers clad in red tabbards, once again a new color. Most notably, however, was an abandoned carriage off on the side of the road. I thought about calling out to see if anything was still inside, but Resa simply rode on past - we'd have to come back later.

The horrors only intensified the deeper we went. The Caelem ruins were just past another grace, and the inside looked like the remains of a warzone. The previous rot creatures were inside, except this time they were on fire - a fire that seemed to perpetually burn within them, never fading. I could see the smoke from several fires at various points around the ruin, but that didn't quite line up. They wouldn't walk into the fire, would they? Which meant that something else had to be performing that duty. But what?

The question was answered as Torrent galloped through the desolate ruins. Halfway through I looked over to my left and saw something - a large face, with cannons protruding from its mouth. My mind flashed back to a hillside in Liurnia, with several of those same faces strewn about in a pile of scraps. This face, however, was very much not scraps. It sat upon a set of wooden wheels, burning coals in its mouth roaring with heat as a quintet of cannons erupted with a blast of flame that scorched several of the passing rot creatures, setting them ablaze as a howl of pain filled the air.

Beyond that, however, was something else…something far greater. A face buried beneath the mountain of white fungal rot…or perhaps the rot was the face. The face alone rivaled dragons in size, and if it were standing upright…I had to imagine that it would rival the divine towers in size. The same question kept running through my mind, over and over, over and over…and it was a question that had an answer - 'What happened here?'

The rot. The answer was scarlet rot, and we knew that. Still, was we continued even further into Caelid, it was abundantly clear that the place was a hellscape the likes of which we'd never seen before, and there were plenty of places we could compare it to. As we passed through the ruins we reached another blazing wall beyond it, as well as a grace on the other side. The effects of the rot seemed to be even worse as we got deeper in, thornlike plants treelike in size sprouting from the ground, bearing large red bulbs that I could only imagine were festering with rot. To our left was a particularly tall tree that almost looked like a spire, brimming with multiple bulbs as it rose into the sky. Perhaps we were nearing the source of the rot…though if the lake that we found was underground in Liurnia, that couldn't be right.

A little bit further to the south, and we could see why the rot was so potent here. The ground sloped down on our left, and at the base was yet another lake - not quite as bad as what we'd seen underground, but the odor was equally repugnant and its effects on the plant life was more than apparent. This was definitely the source of the rot here in Caelid - but the land was too far gone, too far destroyed. There was nothing to salvage at this point.

We were starting to reach the edge of what we had on our map, diving into the unknown. Thankfully the road that we traveled had withstood the rot, showing a clear path forward as Torrent trotted along, past more and more of the hellscape. We passed another smaller dog like the ones before the first barricade, except this one now had fungus growing on its body. We rode by several insect-like creatures as tall as we were and with dozens of legs. The horrors…never truly ceased.

As the road bent towards the east, we passed by a dragon - and even by looking at it from afar, I could tell that it, too, was afflicted with rot. Its scales were a pale white and bruised a sickly red in multiple places, while fungus sprouted from its back, neck, and wings. It stirred as we passed, but we had no intention of fighting it. Resa simply pushed Torrent a little faster, riding by as the dragon rose from its slumber, apparently too bothered to chase us as it looked around, saw us riding swiftly away, and then slumped back over into the dirt. Even though that mere action was enough to strike fear in me, I couldn't help but pity it…it had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now its life was forever altered.

The path opened up past the dragon as the trees faded away, though that only seemed to show more of the hellscape around us. Directly ahead of us was another giant hidden within white fungus, but to the left of that was something more notable - a large stone gate, remarkably intact given the sorry state of everything else. To our right and down a slope was another large stone complex - that one I could only assume to be Castle Redmane, given the path that we'd taken.

Most peculiar of all, however, was a bonfire. Not one that was fueled by corpses and refuse like many others we'd seen, but one fueled by a neat pile of wood. As we approached it Resa pointed out another monument, similar to all of the others that we'd seen that had let her improve our map. We dismounted Torrent now that there was no danger in sight, Resa pulling out her cartographers tools while I walked towards the fire.

By the fire was another merchant, the expected pack mule by its side and a small assortment of sacks and pots nearby. "Rare to see one out in these parts."

I nodded. "I could say the same. Why set up shop out here, of all places? Surely there's better locations to market your wares."

The merchant gave a flippant shrug, remaining non-expressive. "You'd be surprised. Folks making it this far often need what I'm selling. The land's scarce. Goods are precious."

I couldn't fault the logic, though I still had to question the sanity of someone who decided to make a place like this a temporary stop. "And what are you selling, exactly?"

"Flaming crossbow bolts, fresh from the Redmane's trail. Can't find a better tool against the rot around these parts."

There it was again…fire. The merchant's words insinuated a connection between the two. "You'll have to forgive me, it's my first time in Caelid. Why is fire helpful against scarlet rot?"

Again, a flippant shrug. "Burns it away, and keeps it at bay. I can't explain why, I just know that it does. See here." The merchant reached towards the fire, snatching an available piece of kindling from the fire. He moved the open flame towards a nearby rock, covered in the dusty rot that choked my throat. As he placed the log on the rock, what he said was true - the rot burned away, leaving a small patch of uncovered stone underneath. The rot didn't try to crawl back and reclaim the lost land - at least, not immediately. "Anything infected by the rot's similarly repulsed. That's why you saw the walls on your way in - keeps the rot from spreading, and keeps the horrors that it made trapped inside."

Well…that certainly explained things. The walls, the bonfires, the flaming heads…Caelid had become an ever-burning warzone, just to fight off the rot. I…I could have been part of that fight, if it had not been for…I shut my eyes, clearing my mind for an instant. I had hoped that at some point I'd find peace with the decision that I'd made, but that peace came and went. It still troubled me - and I could only guess that it would continue to do so.

"Anything else you want to ask, or are you going to buy something?"

My mind snapped, looking back at the merchant. "Sorry…lost in thought for a minute there. I'm not exactly a good shot with a crossbow. Anything else that would be of use?"

"For a big guy like you? Sure." He rifled through his packs, pulling out a large helm similar in design to mine. It was flat on the top and more of a cylindrical shape, but made of a similar metal and with a chain coif to boot. He also pulled out a stonesword key. "Either of these spark your interests?"

"The key would be of use. The helm I've got still suits me for now." The merchant nodded and we made the exchange. I pocketed the key before reconvening with Resa, still knelt in front of the monument.

"I overheard most of that, at least that explains what all the fire's for…and perhaps we can use it to our advantage, should the opportunity arise."

"Yeah…if only."

"I…you know I don't mean like that. Dip your sword in oil and set it on fire, something more, I dunno, mundane. If it gives us an edge in this wasteland, it's worth seeing what we can do."

"You're right, I'm just…I'm in my own head again. Find anything of note nearby?"

"A few things, in fact. You were right about that being Castle Redmane to the south, but that's not all. The road continues ahead towards that gate over there, and it labels the gate as well as a place called Sellia. There's a note here that calls it the 'Town of Sorcery'...not sure how much of it is left, but it might be worth searching if we have the time. It looks like there's a church up there too, but I can't quite make out the name. There's another church to the south - south of where we ran into that rotted dragon, if I had to guess. It's labeled here as the 'Cathedral of Dragon Communion'...strange. Beyond that, a usual assortment of mines and catacombs. Speaking of…given that you haven't called it out yet, I assume you're not sensing any deathroot nearby?"

The realization dawned on me…I hadn't. We were pretty deep into Caelid now, I could only assume that if there was any deathroot nearby, I would have picked up on it. "None that I've noticed. So what's the plan then? I imagine we've beaten Blaidd here - I was expecting a bit more in the way of hardships and detours, but the place is so desolate we made good time. We could try to start breaching the castle on our own, I suppose."

Resa shook her head. "Let's…not. Remember, he needs a purpose, a reason. If we do the work he planned to do, I think it'll only make him, well…'hollow' faster. We might have a bit of time to kill before he gets here."

I looked off into the distance, towards the stalwart stone gateway. "How about Sellia then? They may have practiced a different style of sorcery here, given how far they are from the Academy. I might have a chance to learn something new."

"Didn't Sellen specifically tell you to study the scrolls that she'd given you? And now you're looking to find more?"

"I - " I paused, Resa giving me a raised eyebrow, fully aware whatever I was going to say next was an excuse. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I should close off other options."

"She's not going to be happy with you, you know."

"I…will be prepared for that, yes.

My sister rolled her eyes, finally standing up from the ground after putting the finishing touches on the map. "Alright, I won't chastise you any further, Sellen'll do enough of that. We can head for Sellia, see what's around. All things considered it's fairly close by, so if we hear a large commotion at the castle we can rush over there."

We saddled back up on Torrent, continuing on down the road. As the gatehouse grew closer, I noticed a large figure standing on a cliffside to its right - a troll, by the looks of it. I clutched my cleaver, remembering the first one we'd seen and how it crashed down and started chasing after us while on the road in Limgrave…this seemed poised to do the same.

As we approached though…that was not the case. It let out a roar before leaning down, grabbing something on the ground in front of it - a large jar, nearly the size of its torso. "Uh, Resa…"

"I see it. We'll…see what happens."

The troll hurled the jar through the air, the massive container arcing lid-over base. It was headed straight in front of us, and so Resa pulled the reins hard to the left, guiding Torrent out of the way. As the jar hit, a shower of shards scattered everywhere as a blazing-hot blue flame coated the ground where it had once been, the heat potent even as we raced past it. I looked behind me, watching the troll as Resa put us back on the road.

"It's grabbing another…we're not done yet."

"Just tell me left or right."

I watched the troll intently as it grabbed another jar, sending it hurtling through the air. Trajectories and approximations weren't my strong suit - that was Resa. Still, I needed to make a call. "Left - no, right!"

My head whiplashed as Resa pulled the reins one way and then the other. The jar erupted to our left, far closer and far hotter than the previous one. Torrent let out a screech of pain as his hooves were licked by the fire, still charging onwards. Thankfully, the gatehouse was not far ahead, and with it came safety - from that troll, at least.

"That was a bit too close for comfort…but I think we're through it." Resa pulled Torrent to a stop after we were past the gate, checking the cliffside for any other adversaries and coming up empty.

"Sorry…I gave it my best guess. At least we're through it."

"It's…fine." Resa's voice trailed off, her eyes squinting as she trotted Torrent forward. The road was now lined with a row of pillars on either side, possibly meant to be torches back in Caelid's past. Near one of them was a small sign, hastily displayed that read 'Stop by the shack'. Beyond that was the entryway into Sellia, another gatehouse-like structure accompanied by a stone wall that had begun to deteriorate at both ends. I couldn't quite see what was inside, but I noticed multiple tall towers peeking up from beyond the wall.

Along the path leading to Sellia I could see the shack that the sign mentioned, nestled along the base of the cliffside to the right. One of the strange malformed dogs was out front, though I could see a collar around its neck. It certainly could see us, though it wasn't attacking just yet. Was it…tamed?

Resa shook her head. "I'm not sure about this…something feels off. Given that we just got attacked out front, could be another ambush."

"I don't think it's an ambush if you're beckoning someone to find it. I'll admit that I'm a bit…wary. We can approach, but be on our guard in case there are any traps."

My sister paused for a moment, considering my counterargument. "Alright…but we go on foot. Try not to make noise." I didn't get much of a say in the matter as Resa whistled away Torrent, leaving the two of us on our feet.

Approaching the shack was easy enough, the two of us skirting along the base of the cliffside. If the dog standing out front was meant to be some sort of guard dog, it didn't act on our approach - strange, but welcome. Inside the shack was a man - an old man, if the scars and wrinkles on his face had anything to say of it. He wore black clothing that had been stained crimson, though whether it was by blood, the rot, or a dye I couldn't be certain.

"Ah…a pleasure to meet you. I presume you saw the sign?"

I nodded, letting down my guard…if this man was hostile, he didn't seem to pose much of a threat. "Just passing through on the way to Sellia. Did you…need something?"

"Oh…if you don't mind, yes. The name's Gowry. I was a sage, or I was, back in my day. There's a young woman not far from here, up on a hillside nearby. She goes by Millicent…she's been stricken with the scarlet rot, and yet she clings to life. I - I'd ask that you aid her, and help her fight off the rot."

At this, Resa's expression softened, her guard dropping just as mine had. "It's possible to cure the rot? I assumed that that was impossible."

Gowry shook his head slowly, the years clearly taking their physical toll on him. "Not cure…only keep it at bay. There is a needle, nestled deep within the swamp of Aeonia outside, a needle that has been there since the swamp was formed - and in part, is why it formed. That needle alone has the power to keep the rot at bay. If you can retrieve it, and give it to Millicent…I would be in your debt. I know it is but a paltry compensation, but I can tell you what I know about Sellia, about its secrets."

I sighed…throughout our travels, my bleeding heart had gotten the better of me multiple times, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Hearing about this Millicent - a young woman, alone and helpless…it reminded me all-too-well of the time that I literally bent metal bars to exfiltrate the firekeeper Anastacia from her prison. Except, Anastacia wasn't deathly sick…Millicent was. I knew we were only here as a quick detour, to buy time…but I knew I wouldn't be able to simply walk away if what Gowry was saying was true.

I looked at Resa, gauging her reaction. I often tried to keep a level head, but it was in times like this where I leaned on her for that…times when I knew I was acting solely on emotion. She was better about that sort of thing. "We'll see what we can do…but a small needle in a swamp that large won't be easy to find. Do you have any idea where we can start?"

Gowry weakly nodded. "In the deepest part of the swamp, where the bloom towers into the sky. I can't say what might be waiting for you here…I've not left this hut in so long. The needle will not be hard to find. It gleams of gold, and repels the rot. I only ask that you try…even for that, I would be indebted to you."

Resa broke just as I had, hearing the sincerity in Gowry's voice. She gave a half-smile, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Like I said, we'll see what we can do. If it doesn't prove too hard to find, I think we may be able to help. We'll return soon if we've something to show."

"Oh thank you, thank you…you both truly are kind. I'll be here should you need me. I've…nowhere else to go."

We bid farewell, taking a step outside. Once we were out of earshot I turned to Resa. "So, we go quick then? I know we have…competing priorities now."

"Yeah…but that's alright. If we are delayed, hopefully Blaidd keeps to his word and waits for us. I'd hate for him to get injured because we weren't there with him. Still…if what Gowry's saying about Millicent is true, I can't turn my back on that."

"I can't either…I guess I'm glad you feel the same. Like I said, let's go quick. I'm worried about Blaidd too." In truth, I hadn't even considered Blaidd when Gowry brought up Millicent…the immediate problem overwrote the current one.

Resa called upon Torrent again, the two of us riding back out the gate and along the road, towards the swamp just outside…and into the heart of the scarlet rot.