Flynn

RL75 - 30 VIG - 14 MND - 30 END - 31 STR - 14 DEX - 19 INT - 9 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL75 - 25 VIG - 20 MND - 12 END - 12 STR - 33 DEX - 9 INT - 34 FTH - 9 ARC

Flynn

The battle was over…but we couldn't leave Caelid quite yet. After taking some time to catch our breaths we returned to Redmane Castle, trudging back across the shallow river and heading back up the lift. There, we gathered in the antechamber we'd rested at before departing for the festival itself. Blaidd was standing while everyone else was sitting down or leaning against the walls. The wolfman looked over to what we'd found, assessing it.

"Alright…I know this may be the last thing some of you want to do, but I'd rather avoid the bickering and get it out of the way now. We've yet to divide up the spoils of our little plunder here, make sure everyone gets their cut. I did what I could do to divide this up into eight lots, one for each of us. We've got two lots of smithing stones, one somber and one normal, two lots of weapons, two lots of crafting recipes, a whetblade, and an ash of war. Now, I gathered Radahn's shard of the elden ring, so given that I'll take whatever lot remains. I'll leave it to the rest of you to determine who gets priority selection." Blaidd gave a subtle side-eye to us at the mention of Radahn's shard - as he'd surmised, nobody raised a fuss, and it served not to raise any suspicion towards us.

I eyed the various lots…quite a few could be useful to us. My eye instinctively fell onto the massive stone blade that the Knight of the Crucible had been wielding earlier, but I also looked over the whetblade and the smithing stones. The whetblade seemed to give off a faint red glow, as if it was being worked by a forge. I could only assume it would imbue the strength of fire into a weapon. I…I didn't need it, as much as another whetblade, and the options it provided, were useful. It seemed as if the flame of this world was only good for staving off the rot, and we had no intention of remaining in Caelid for much longer. As for the smithing stones, they looked to be quite refined and developed, more so than any we'd gathered before. Perhaps more could be found in a nearby mine, but I knew as soon as we left here that we wouldn't have the luxury of searching Caelid like we had Limgrave and Liurnia. This might be our only chance to keep our weapons maintained and sharp in the time to come.

Silence filled the room after Blaidd's declaration, nobody willing to speak up to start claiming lots. After a while Blaidd rolled his eyes, looking around. "Alright…fine then. How about our two healers pick first? Without their aid, none of us would have survived this. Therolina, Resa, please."

Therolina went first - for her, there wasn't much deliberation. She walked towards the two recipe books and flitted through each one before selecting one, and then sat back down. Resa, however, took her time, eyeing many of the things I was…as well as one other thing. She walked over to the various lots, knelt down, and picked up the Ash of War.

I glared daggers at her while she was walking back to her seat near me, both of us knowing full well why she chose it. An Ash of War to conjure flames, something she knew I was curious about, and equally knew I would refuse to wield. We had it now, though…I couldn't avoid it forever.

"Thank you. Now, given that people still look apprehensive to speak up, let's do this in a different way." Blaidd went down the line, starting at the first lot of smithing stones. "Anyone have an interest in this?" I raised my hand, as did Tragoth and Lionel. "All right then, we'll come back to this one later. Next…"

Down the row he went, lot by lot. Some of them got handed out immediately - Okina took the somber smithing stones, Alexander took the other recipe book, and Lionel ended up taking the other weapon. Tragoth and I both had interest in the standard smithing stones and the stone greatsword…all that was left was the whetblade which was not yet voted on. I did the calculation in my head - if I voted for it, and Tragoth didn't, it'd be mine…and it would leave the greatsword up for grabs.

"Either of you for the whetblade?"

I held my hand at first, gauging Tragoth's reaction. He, too, kept his hand down…and so I did as well.

Blaidd nodded, kneeling down and picking up the whetblade. "Very well…I said I'd select last, but I think I'd end up with this no matter what. I'll leave it to the two of you to sort out who gets what."

I looked over at Tragoth, opening my mouth to speak but getting cut off. "Alright Flynn, I know you've got eyes for that sword and you know I do too. How about we make ourselves a deal?"

I furrowed my brow, nodding. "What do you have in mind?"

"I mentioned earlier that I'm a bit of a sellsword, but there's actually something I'd like some help with. There's a tunnel in the north-eastern tip of Liurnia called the Ruin-Strewn Precipice. It's one of two ways to reach Altus Plateau and the capital of Leyndell, but a wyrm's taken up residence there and blocked off the way. The sword's all yours if you promise you'll come lend me a hand when you get yourself the chance. You mentioned earlier that you're lookin' to reach the capital, so I'm hoping this isn't too much of an ask. You take that sword, and you beat that wyrm's head in with it next time I see ya. Sound like a deal?"

I grineed…what a man. I stood up and walked over to Tragoth, extending a hand. "You've got yourself a deal, friend."

Tragoth gripped my hand in his and pulled me into a firm handshake, a massive gauntleted fist nearly swallowing mine. "That's what I like to hear. I'll keep tabs on that region should you come by, but I know you've got other things on your plate." Tragoth released me and walked over to the lot of smithing stones, picking them all up. That left what I was truly after…the blade. I walked over and hefted it up, lifting it with two hands and slinging it over my shoulder. I knew it was heavy, but lifting it like this was yet another reminder of just how heavy…if Tragoth expected me to fight with this soon, I needed to get in shape sooner.

Once we'd all sat down, Blaidd spoke up once more. "Alright…easy enough. I gave the big victory speech already so let's not reprise things. Let us vacate the Castle and let the Redmane knights continue their duties…the festival is over and I dare say they think we've overstayed our welcome. Until next time, all."

With that, people started to filter out one-by-one, most taking the grace in the room to elsewhere within the Lands while others simply walked back out towards the castle entrance. I lingered - I knew Blaidd would want to speak with us individually to talk about our next steps, and seeing the wolfman walk over to us once everyone had left affirmed that hunch.

"I'm sure you've things to do, but the path to Nokron is clear. If you know how long you may be there are matters I must attend to as well, but I can wait for you at the crater."

Resa responded. "We shouldn't be long. We have one, maybe two loose ends to wrap-up here in Caelid, and then all we should require is a short stop to the Roundtable to maintain our gear." Resa's statement was punctuated by looking down at my shield - or rather, what was left of it. "Some maintenance might take a bit, though."

"Don't worry about this. I can go without it for a while. I'll need to get used to swinging around this thing for when we meet back up with Tragoth." One hand still grasped the stone blade, a weapon nearly as tall as I was. "With this being as heavy as it is, doffing some other gear might not be a bad idea."

"It was quite a formidable weapon indeed. I'm curious to see what it can do in your hands, Flynn."

"And I'm curious to see what this can do in your hands." Resa smugly thrust the Ash of War that she'd procured at me. "It is our reward after all…I'd hate for us to waste it."

From within my helm I glared at her, speechless for the time being. I swiped it out of her hand and stowed it away, still maintaining unrelenting eye contact. "We'll see."

After another tense second, Blaidd interrupted. "Speaking of…frankly, I've no use for this whetblade. My blade's Ash cannot be altered, it is intrinsic to the weapon. If it would be of use to you, by all means you are welcome to it. It is hot to the touch…I surmise that it can grant a weapon the same strength of flame that your pyromancies once had, Flynn." Blaidd held the whetblade between his thumb and forefinger. Beyond simply being hot to the touch, it looked like molten steel, with runes carved along its length that glowed like lava.

Without missing a beat Resa secured the whetblade from Blaidd, wincing briefly as the heat caught her by surprise but then quickly acclimating. "And that's perfect, because as we all know here, Flynn loves his pyromancies, and this'll make sure he has something like them again!" That same smug grin was looking up at me from before, but this time I could sense something more serious underneath - a hint of genuine frustration, perhaps."

"I…" Blaidd paused, eyes flitting between the two of us for a brief second. "I had sensed there was more to the story back when we were in Siofra, but you've made it quite clear now. Please…fill me in."

I sighed…keeping Blaidd in a little bubble outside of my current quandaries had been helpful, but I knew that sooner or later it was going to burst. "No, Blaidd…what I told you is all true, it's just that things got…complicated. Where we come from, Lordran…well, fire is life. It's a foundational part of the world, and using it felt like you were tapping into that primal and ancient foundation. An entire practice was made to study it, learn it, and teach it. We didn't have to use seals to cast incantations that produced flame…each of us had our own flame, within ourselves, and we harnessed that very core to produce pyromancies.

"I think I see. You arrive here, and it simply isn't the same. Like going from a sharp blade to a dull knife."

"Like going from a living blade to a dull knife. It's not even that it feels inferior. It's just…it's just less."

"And because it's, ah, less, you've simply foregone it entirely rather than wielding the dull knife?"

"Precisely."

"Hmm." Blaidd brought his hand up to his chin, thinking for a moment. "The quandary you present is difficult, and I'd need time to think on it further. I want to continue this conversation with you Flynn, but let's do so at the crater. Agreed?"

"Sure. Some time for me to think through my thoughts as well would do me some good as well. We'll meet you at the crater…until then, Blaidd."

"Until then. Good work today." Blaidd stepped towards the grace, and within a few moments he vanished.

"You are going to have that conversation, right Flynn?"

I looked over at Resa, a sigh escaping me. "Yes…I will."

"Good. I…I know I'm being pushy, and I'm only so sorry about that. I know you're hung up on something still, and I want you to at least talk it out. Maybe nothing changes, and that's fine. But I don't know how to help you think through what's in your head. I'm hoping Blaidd will…you two seem to get along well."

"I understand what you're doing, and I'm not mad, don't worry. Let's go. We should head back to the church and make sure Millicent's okay. Anything else you had in mind?"

"Well, restoring Radahn's Great Rune seems like something worth doing after the battle. The Divine Tower's to the north of Caelid, I'm hoping it's not too much of a detour…if it is, we can certainly turn back and do it another time."

I'd completely forgotten about the Divine Tower…but my mind was on other matters at the moment. "Agreed. Let's start with Millicent though. I'd rather not leave her longer than we already have."

Resa nodded her agreement, and we were off, flitting across Caelid in the blink of an eye thanks to the grace within the church we first found Millicent. When we got there, my eyes instinctually drifted towards where we'd left her - curled near the grace, asleep.

She was not there - nor was she slumped against the wall. She was standing up straight, her vividly golden eyes locking onto us as soon as we appeared. "You're back…I wasn't sure you'd make it." Her voice was more firm, assertive now - whatever stranglehold the scarlet rot had had on her earlier, it was loosened considerably now.

Resa was the first to respond. "How could we not? You were…quite sick."

Millicent shook her head. "It is not that. I heard and watched the commotion at the castle. You stood against the great general, did you not? I'm impressed. Thank you for the covering, by the way…it was appreciated."

Resa nodded. "Again, that truly was the least we could do given your condition. Are you feeling better? You…well, you look better."

She did…whereas before Millicent's hair was ragged and unkempt, now it was pulled back in a low ponytail. The pulled-back hair exposed an odd white blemish on her right cheek which I hadn't noticed before…likely a lingering effect of the rot. Her arm was still missing which was no surprise, but the rest of her garb seemed slightly less suffused with rot compared to before. She was clearly still the same person, but…that needle had worked a miracle on her.

"I feel better…I daren't say the rot is contained, but it is at bay. I went to visit this Gowry you mentioned, but I could not find him at the cabin so I came back. I wanted to give you a more, well, notable form of gratitude. An heirloom, passed down to me, which I now wish to pass down to the two of you."

She turned to face Resa exclusively, her good hand finding a fold in her dress, from which she retrieved a metal diamond engraved with a scene. It was of two figures, each one wielding a sword in one hand, while holding hands with the other. "As you said, it is the least I can do. May it help you in the journeys ahead."

Resa put up both hands in slight protest. "Millicent, I couldn't. An heirloom like this would be - "

"I insist…it does not bear the sentimental value you would expect. And even if it did…Resa, Flynn, you saved my life. Such an act has no equal compensation." Millicent shoved the heirloom forward and Resa was all-but-forced to accept it lest it fall to the ground. She did, taking it and the cord it was strung to and putting it around her neck.

"So, what will you do now? You don't seem like the type to stay here."

Millicent gave a slight shake to her head. "No, I am not. My mind is still dim…I fear the rot may have claimed much of my memory. However, I know that I must depart on a journey, off to the north. I can't say I know where I must go, but…this much, I do know."

I looked towards Resa, but she'd already pieced it together as well. "We'll be going north soon, but we have an errand we have to run first. Do you know where Liurnia is?"

Millicent shook her head. "No…but the name does rest somewhere in my memory. Why do you ask?"

"If you do find Liurnia, there is a cave to the north east of it…it's the only way to head further north. We're going to meet someone there, a man named Tragoth. He wears heavy armor and carries a large hammer…can't miss him. He's a sellsword and seems willing to lend a helping hand. We're going to join him in order to scale the cave…if you find yourself in that direction, I'm sure we could use the assistance."

"If our paths converge there, I am happy to lend you a blade. I hope that as the needle continues to stifle the rot within me, I will know more of the journey I am departing on. For now though…our paths will converge at this cave you speak of."

Resa nodded, a hand absentmindedly moving towards the heirloom around her neck. "We'll make sure of it. Speaking of…do you need a blade?"

"I will find one. There are many to be found in this land I am sure, and I need but one. Thank you though."

"Alright then…safe travels, and until next time Millicent."

"Save travels to you as well." The woman gave a wave before marching out the church.

Resa looked down, holding the heirloom. "We're helping her, Flynn. Whatever it takes."

"I wholeheartedly agree, but…I feel like there's more to be explained."

"I…don't know how to put it into words, but yes. We saved her life, but seeing her just now…she didn't seem like someone whose life needed saving. I think more than anything I'm just curious to see where her path leads her."

"Well then let's make sure she gets there. I don't think she'll need much help though…like you said, she seems capable."

Resa nodded, finally letting go of the heirloom. "Right." She looked around, now that it was just the two of us. "Let's head to the Divine Tower. I'd rather not keep Blaidd waiting…again."

And so, off we went, winding our way across the Caelid hellscape - hopefully for one final time. North of the church was a steep wall, far too tall for even Torrent to scale, and so we started to make our way around to somewhere where the wall was less steep. We passed through Sellia, by Gowry's shack, back past the swamp, and eventually started riding north. We more or less retraced our entire journey through Caelid, except we veered east instead of west near the northmost part of the road. We didn't go much further from there, seeing a cavernous ravine ahead of us that blocked our way to the tower. Resa rode Torrent up to near its base, coming to a stop.

"Looks like it might not be as easy to get there as we thought. What do you think?"

"Let's at least follow the trail. We might find somewhere where the divide's close enough to cross."

"Alright."

We rode on - and sure enough, one such a spot did present itself. It was there that we could actually look down into the ravine, seeing the Siofra river well that we'd used to first enter Caelid. Torrent leaped across the ravine to land safely on the other side, and from there we continued north. Thankfully there was a grace within eyesight from the jumping point, nestled right at the base of a tree root that all-but-blocked the road. I dismounted briefly to light it before continuing north.

Unfortunately…not too much further north. We came to a cliffside that overlooked the Divine Tower…the only way across was by a singular tree root, and even then that didn't lead to a doorway. All across the Tower I could see ladders as well as guardsmen standing outside, as if the Tower itself was part of the Redmane knight's territory. I couldn't even see a doorway to enter like what we'd found in Stormveil.

I shook my head. "Alright…I think this is where we turn back. If we did have to scale that, who knows how long it'd take us…and that's even assuming there's still a way up. It looks like the Tower is falling away in places…there might not be a way in anymore at all."

In front of me, Resa nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah…unfortunate, but I have to agree. Let's head back to that grace and go to the Hold."

The trip was short, the grace mere seconds of heading back the way we came. From there, we whisked ourselves back to the Hold, and out of the chaotic wilds of Caelid.

Once again inside the hold, we were greeted to the familiar sight of the towering, flickering grace above the titular Roundtable, as well as several familiar faces like D and Corhyn. However, there were two people I wanted to talk to…and neither of them were here. "I'm going to go talk to Hewg…see what he might be able to do with this shield. Anything you need to do?"

"I'm curious to see what Enia might have in regards to Radahn. I know anything that might come from him is probably more suited for you but…do you mind if I speak to her instead?"

I didn't. Thus far, we hadn't exactly made use of the armaments passed down by the Shardbearers - we'd all-but-ignored Godrick's, and we'd handed Rennala's off to Sellen for study. Looking back at what Radahn had wielded, I was worried it would be another miss. Neither of us had been much for bows, and Resa had been the only one thus far to dabble in dual-wielding…though Radahn's blades would be far heavier for her than she'd prefer. Perhaps I could wield one of them and leave the other behind…though I had already promised Tragoth I'd grow familiar with the stone greatsword he'd granted me, so I didn't exactly need another weapon to add to the collection. The only glimmer of hope I could see would be one of the sorceries he'd utilized during the fight - but given his status and renown as a warrior, I doubted it. "Go for it. I trust your judgment."

Resa and I split up as I made my way over to Hewg, passing by Roderika on my way there. As always, Hewg was busy hammering away at whatever other project he'd been tasked with, a sort of singleminded focus to his work that was hard to shake.

"Hewg?"

Several more swings of the continued unabated, Hewg either lost in thought or lost in his work.

"Hewg?"

The hammer clanged down one more time, though this time it was a discordant ring that was the signal of a frustrated blacksmith. "Whaddya want?" Hewg grumpily turned to look at me, and for a brief moment I actually saw a hint of recognition in his eyes. "Oh…it's you. You're…"

I sighed…but at least it was something. Recognizing me, or rather my armor, was still something. "I'm Flynn."

"Right, right…Flynn. That sounds right. What are you looking for?"

I held up my shield - both halves of it. "I know it might be a bit much of an ask, but is there anything you can do to repair this? It got me through a brutal fight, and I'd hate for that to be its end."

Hewg held out a hand, and I offered both halves to him. "I'm not promising anything Flynn, but if my schedule has an opening I'll see what I can do. Who'd ya kill with it?"

There was an interest in his eyes that the question was one of pure curiosity. Even if he didn't remember it, we'd spoken about the shardbearers before - I knew he had little love for them. "General Radahn."

The curiosity turned to a wry smile, and then a nod of approval. "Well, that'd explain why your shield's in two then. The general's one of a few that has the strength to shatter steel. Again, I can't make you any promises, but I'll find some time to take a look at this. It deserves it."

I chuckled - even if Hewg's memory was slightly shaky, it seemed like there was some part of him that remembered our previous conversations. "Thank you, Hewg. And while I'm here…" I pulled the stone greatsword off my back, shifting the entire massive length around in front of me. "This was being used by a knight inside Radahn's castle…I have to say it caught my interest. Any chance your schedule has a bit more room?"

Hewg held out a hand, idly grasping towards the blade. "My my, that's quite the piece you've got there. You know about somber stones, don't you?"

I nodded. "We talked about it a while ago, yes. I take it this will require some?"

Hewg nodded. "Yeah, no doubt about it. Happen to have any on you?"

I shook my head…the few we'd picked up we'd used on Resa's rapier. I briefly regretted not taking the cache of them that were offered after the battle, but then again they'd have served no use without the blade. I recalled that Iji had some that he was willing to sell us…perhaps that would work. "Not right now…but I might be able to get some soon."

"Well, once you do come back to me and I'll give this beaut the respect it deserves."

"As always, it's appreciated. Any chance you'd know how to find more somber stones if my current source runs dry?"

"Well, there's always the mines, but you sound like you know about those already. Sometimes the nomadic tribes'll find one here or there, but I wouldn't put much stock there. I've heard wind from others that come through here about little stones, got little grooves in 'em. I've heard the husks down the other hallway can make use of 'em, but don't ask me how. I'm not sure where you'd find something like that, but if you ever come across one, let them take a look at it."

That…sounded vaguely familiar. I fished through my things, eventually finding the fist-sized rock and holding it out. "Does this match the description?"

Hewg squinted at it, nodding. "Yeah…yeah, I'd say it does. Where'd you come across it?"

I wracked my brain…we'd held onto this for so long, I'd forgotten just where we found it. "Somewhere in Liurnia…maybe at the bottom of a mineshaft? I can't exactly remember."

"Well, I'll pass that on to the next person that asks. In any case, the husks will know what to do with it."

"I'll go talk to them, then. Thanks again, Hewg."

The blacksmith gave a wave with his hammer, glancing back briefly at my shield before looking back down at the sword he was half-finished with - seemed my ask would have to wait. "See you around, Flynn."

When I came back into the central chamber of the Roundtable I was expecting to see Resa - talking with Hewg had lasted longer than I'd initially expected. I'd even expected to see her with something - Radahn's weapons or something of the sort. And that was there - his twin swords, sitting against the back wall.

What I was not expecting to see was an entire suit of his armor in a heap in front of those swords. As soon as I saw it I froze, marveling at the gleaming pile of black, red, and gold.

"So, uh…will you trust my judgment next time?" Resa's words were sheepish as she looked down at the pile. "I figured, well…you like heavier armor."

I stepped forward, simply basking in it all. This, I hadn't expected…but damn, if it wouldn't work. "I, well…yeah. Of course I do. This had to have been expensive to pick up."

"It was, but based on the sounds you're making I'd wager it's worth it. Think you can move around in it?"

"Well only one way to find out, right?"

Resa smiled. "I suppose so. Here, I'll help you get out of that."

We spent what felt like the next fifteen minutes doffing my current armor, followed by fifteen more minutes of donning Radahn's armor. Straps and buckles were undone and redone multiple times as Resa helped fit the armor to me, but eventually the process was completed.

Once it was on, it felt…weird. I was no stranger to wearing the armor of enemies we'd faced in the past - I'd worn the Iron Golem's armor back in our Lordran days, and I wore the Dragonslayer's armor during our Lothric days. However, those were…armor. There hadn't been a person inside them at the time, though the Dragonslayer's armor was a bit of a gray area. Radahn was…a person. This armor was his armor, but now I wore it. Part of it made me feel like an impostor, a copycat.

That being said - the armor felt good. It was certainly heavier than what I was used to, but I could comfortably move around in it while holding onto both my cleaver and my halberd - though I imagined that the shield might be too much to bear should I get it back. The disconnectedness at the hips and elbow meant that I actually had a little bit more maneuverability than before, though that was offset by the extra weight required. Overall, I was happy with it…except one thing.

"You've got your katana with you, right? Any chance you can make some adjustments?"

Resa cocked her head, but nonetheless nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well…a few alterations. It'll go without saying that anyone that sees me is going to see Radahn, for better or worse. However, I'm not exactly looking to carry on his legacy or anything of the sort so…let's just say there's a couple things that I'd prefer to go without. Namely, the red plume and the cape."

"O - okay. You just want me to cut it off? In here?"

I nodded. "I know, I know…'no weapons'. I don't think Gideon's going to raise a fuss if you draw a blade to cut fabric."

"Well, in the event that he does…I can at least use something smaller and feign ignorance." Resa reached for a sheath at her side and withdrew Kenneth's dagger - a far smaller blade than her katana. It was a relatively simple process to cut the plume down, revealing the smooth top of the helm in its absence. The cape was equally as simple with just a few cuts where it was pinned to the cuirass, and soon it was off as well. With the alterations, the armor looked reminiscent of Radhan's armor…and I was fine with that.

As for the weapons…those would have to wait. "I appreciate you grabbing these, but I don't know if now's the right time. I've got to get familiar with this sword and fast - trying to pick up another weapon right now isn't the best idea. We can have Hewg hold onto them though - these blades are certainly nice enough that I don't want to forget them."

Resa gave an understanding nod in response. "It was this or his bow, and I knew neither of us would care for that. Let's take them to Hewg and then be on our way."

"Actually - " I cut my sister off as she was hefting the blades off, ready to go. "Can we make a quick stop with Iji? I remember he had some spare somber stones to sell, and it turns out this weapon is going to need some."

"Alright, well…if we're coming back, let's wait to move these until then." Resa set the blades down as the two of us moved to the center of the room, ready to depart. "I assume there's nothing else between us and Blaidd?"

I shook my head. "Just this - I promise."

With that, we were off. Thankfully, Iji had a grace right near his humble forge, minimizing our travel time. Much like Hewg, Iji was also lost in his work as we approached, his oversized hammer clanging against an equally oversized sword. "Oh, it's good to see you both again. Resa and…I assume Flynn is in there. Is there anything this humble smith can do for you?"

"We're looking for some more somber stones, is there any chance that you have some left?"

Iji nodded. "I've a few left, yes. Is there a weapon you'd like me to work on?"

"I picked this up not long ago. It seemed to carry strange magic in it, I'm hoping to utilize it well." I held out the stone greatsword from behind me. It felt odd, talking to Iji about the weapon we planned to take back to Hewg, but there was no avoiding it at this point.

"That is a fine blade there - I cannot say I know much of its properties, but I sense a power deep within it. It will be a fine blade for you, Flynn." Iji pulled out the somber stones that he had, extending a hand for the blade. "Shall I get to work?"

"Actually - " I paused, thinking of how to word it. "We have some more errands to run first. Can we pick up the stones now, and then return later?"

It was impossible to see if Iji furrowed his brow in response - the strange helm he wore obscured his entire face - but the enunciated pause afterwards suggested that he did. "An…odd request, but one that I can fulfill. Here you are." Iji extended the stones and we handed over the runes accordingly, and once again we were ready to be on our way. "By the way, Flynn, how is the Carian crest treating you?"

At those words, my breath hitched for a moment…the crest. What crest? My mind quickly flitted through our interactions with Iji, soon recalling the small crest he'd handed over last time we'd spoken to him. I'd - well, when he'd handed it over to me I'd been unsure about my devotion to Ranni's cause, and had put it away. Now though…perhaps I wouldn't call myself devoted, but I was at least willing - for Blaidd, if nothing else. That didn't change the fact that the crest had been taking up space in my pocket the entire time, all but forgotten.

By the time my mind finished racing, I was sure that the pause left in its wake had far exceeded something acceptable. "It…I haven't had a chance to test it yet, we've been so busy with everything else. Let me…" My sentence trailed off as I began searching for the crest, trying to remember where I'd stored it. After some rummaging around I did manage to find it, a small locket with a chain. I put it around my neck, letting it hang down in front of Radahn's armor. "I'll let you know next time we meet."

"Please, don't feel obliged to use it for me. If you've other preferences, I won't impose."

I shook my head fervently. "No, it was an honest mistake that I'd lost sight of it. I intend to see how it can help me now."

Iji gave a curt nod. "Very well, I look forward to your impression. Until next time." With that, the two of us were off, back to the Roundtable Hold once more.

Our stop was brief this time, little more than handing over the weapon to Hewg along with the acquired somber stones. While Hewg worked on the weapon Resa and I drug in both my old armor as well as Radahn's blades. I quickly realized that trying to carry the halberd, the cleaver, and the greatsword would be far too much - both in terms of weight but also just sheer bulk, and I opted to leave the halberd with him as well. By the time we'd finished that, it was only another couple of minutes before Hewg was done with the greatsword, handing it back over to me.

"It's a beaut, Flynn - that there's as good a weapon as any. Take good care of it, and it'll take good care of you."

I held the weapon in my hands - the blade wasn't sharper, not that there was much of a blade to begin with, but there was a certain quality to it now - it just felt like it'd been improved. "I will, Hewg. And if we find more stones to further improve it, we know where to find you."

After a couple more parting words we were on our way. Blaidd had said to look in eastern Limgrave, and there was little more eastern than Kenneth Haight's fort. We whisked ourselves there - and upon arrival, there was no doubt that we were in the right place.

The crater was immediately apparent by the rocks that had been flung into the sky - the rocks that clung to the sky. The air above Limgrave had become filled with stones that simply defied gravity, floating and hovering in place. Beneath them was a yawning crater that, from this angle, there was no bottom in sight.

Resa and I took a few tentative steps forward, both of us speechless - we'd seen many incredible things in our lives, and this was yet another such sight. As we got closer to the edge, the cavern continued showing more and more gaping darkness below. By the time that we reached the precipice, we could confirm it - there was no bottom to what had been opened up. Waterfalls had formed from streams that now plunged into nothingness, descending until the water was little more than mist. Some larger chunks of rock on the other side of the gaping maw suggested there was a way to at least begin the descent…but gods knew what we'd find down there.

Had Radahn been keeping this at bay out of fear? And if so…fear of what?

This took a while to get out - life does that sometimes. Hoping this is the exception and not a new norm, but I can't make any promises.

Next up - Nokron.