Hi, thanks for reading my story, before I start I'd just like to answer THOTSLAYER9000's question.
-Probably not a harem. I know this might disappoint some of the readers, but I don't feel comfortable writing a harem in this story. Characters have relationships with other characters, I don't know how to make that work, I don't want to make the maidens just fall in love with Alden and accept that he's with more than one woman at the same time. I don't want Alden to be the confident protagonist who easily overcomes all the problems and gets the girl, I have nothing against those who write like that, but that's not my style.
But Godwyn will keep trying to get Alden to get maidens.
That's it for now, happy reading for you.
Chapter 15 — In the Company of a Queen
Alden's POV
The Pursuer dashed towards us with his sword raised, I quickly pushed Rennala away, the Pursuer's sword hit the ground between us, I thrusted my sword towards the Pursuer's head, the Pursuer kicked the ground and floated backwards with the force of his kick.
"This man doesn't give up trying to kill you, does he?" Godwyn said.
"Yes, but he stopped being a concern and became a nuisance a long time ago." I replied while throwing a Chaos Fireball at the pursuer.
The Pursuer swung his shield and a gust of wind surged in front of him, blocking the fireball.
"Was that a war ash?"
"You bet." Godwyn answered.
"Honey, who is this man?" Rennala asked as she got to her feet.
"He is the Pursuer; he has been trying to kill me for some time now." I replied as the Pursuer holstered his sword and drew a halberd from the weapons basket on his back.
The Pursuer swung the halberd above his head and leapt with a gust of wind, the Pursuer dived towards me, and I rolled away, when the Pursuer's blow hit the ground, a gust of wind was released.
"He what?! How dare he, trying to hurt you!" Rennala exclaimed as she conjured a line of crystals and threw them at the pursuer.
The Pursuer was caught off guard, not expecting Rennala to join the fight; he was pierced through the chest several times, black smoke billowing from where the crystals pierced.
The Pursuer shifted its focus to Rennala, and flew toward her, halberd pointed forward like a spear. I ran towards Rennala and stopped in front of her, when the Pursuer got close enough, I parried his blow with my sword, making the pursuer lose his balance, I saw Rennala conjure a mass of crystals, the crystals exploded towards the pursuer, but he managed to raise his shield and protect himself.
The Pursuer regained his footing and thrusted the halberd through the gap in the side of his shield, we stepped out of the way, Rennala floated to the side as she conjured glinstone stars, the stars pursued the Pursuer, the irony was palpable.
The Pursuer floated through the library while dodging and evading the stars, but that left him open to my spells, I casted Crystal Soul Spear, and managed to hit the distracted Pursuer, a cloud of magic resulting from my spell covered the Pursuer, I managed to see a golden light coming from the cloud.
When it dissipated, I saw the pursuer raising a spear and using Golden Vow. What's going on here? Since when is the Pursuer so smart? He usually acts like a rabid dog, charging headfirst at the enemy.
The Pursuer came towards me, trying to pierce me with his spear, I blocked the blow with my sword, but my feet slipped on the ground, the ash of war strengthened the Pursuer, the Pursuer grabbed the spear with both hands and tried to pierce me repeatedly.
One step to the left, two to the right, one back and left again, I dodged the barrage of blows, in one particular blow I dodged the spear, turning my body, and advanced towards the Pursuer, when I got close enough I aimed my flame to the Pursuer's head and used Great Combustion.
The Pursuer's head was covered in smoke and he leaned back, simultaneously Rennala sent projectiles of magic towards the Pursuer, but the Pursuer released another gust of wind with his shield, blocking the projectiles.
The Pursuer backed away again and sheathed his spear and shield, then drew a katana and a repeating crossbow from his weapons basket. The Pursuer aimed the crossbow at Rennala and fired several darts in her direction. Rennala floated across the library dodging the darts, but the Pursuer matched her movements.
I ran towards the Pursuer, and landed a blow, the Pursuer blocked the blow with his katana, but managing to get his attention away from Rennala, the Pursuer and I exchanged blows, slash after slash we stayed at an impasse, but unexpectedly the Pursuer aimed the crossbow at my leg and fired.
"AAAHHH!" I screamed as I was shot in the foot, shin and right knee.
I had to use most of my strength to keep myself on my feet, but due to that, I ended up being cut in the chest. The Pursuer tried to hit me again, but I was saved by Rennala, who hit the Pursuer in the back with a series of crystals.
That gave me time to back away, the Pursuer aimed his crossbow at me, I rolled away as the darts pierced the ground just inches from me, the Pursuer lunged towards me, his katana raised ready to strike me, but Rennala staff came flying in and hit the Pursuer in the side of the head.
This distracted the Pursuer long enough for me to slash him in the chest, and simultaneously Rennala hit the Pursuer with a projectile of magic, Rennala and I danced around the Pursuer. I walked in and slashed the Pursuer in the chest, before the Pursuer could cut me, Rennala hit him with a blast of crystals, the Pursuer aimed his crossbow at Rennala, but Rennala gracefully floated out of the way.
With that distraction I used my chime and casted Dragonmaw, the dragon's head bit the Pursuer on his arm, forcing him to drop the crossbow, when that happened Rennala pointed her staff at the Pursuer, but the Pursuer was faster, he dropped his katana to the ground and withdrew the spear from its basket, and hurled the spear towards Rennala.
The spear pierced Rennala in the shoulder, into the arm that held the staff, and pinned her to a bookcase.
"AAAHHH!" Rennala screamed in pain as she held the spear, blood seeping from the wound, staining her clothes and dripping to the floor.
"Rennala!" Godwyn and I yelled.
The dragon's head disappeared, and the Pursuer hit me with the back of his hand, pushing me back, quickly the Pursuer took the katana, sheathed it and quickly unsheathed it, trying to cut me from top to bottom, I raised my sword sideways and blocked the blow, I used both hands to support the sword.
The Pursuer used his remaining hand to remove his shield from its basket and tried to crush me with it, I rolled backwards, and the force of the Pursuer's blow was such that it ended up cracking the library floor.
When I walked away, the Pursuer exchanged his katana for his Ultra Great Sword and stuck it in the ground, a purple magic circle appeared next to the Pursuer and I was pulled towards him, the Pursuer pulled his shield back and hit me in the head. I was thrown backwards, but before I could hit the ground, I was pulled towards the Pursuer again, and was again hit in the head.
This was repeated...
Again…
And again…
I don't know how long this went on, but I felt my helmet being dented with each blow, my bones creaked with each impact, I felt blood trickling from my mouth and nose.
I was pulled back once more, I noticed the Pursuer with his shield drawn back, ready to strike me again, but suddenly the Pursuer was hurled across the library by a powerful bolt of magic.
Looking to the side I saw Rennala holding her injured shoulder and pointing her staff at the Pursuer, the spear was lying on the floor beside her, the Pursuer crossed the library and slammed his back into a bookcase.
"Stay away from him!" Rennala screamed as she casted her spell once more.
The Pursuer stood up, raised his shield and planted his feet on the floor, the Pursuer broke the bookshelf, being slowly pushed back, his feet making lines on the library floor, when the spell ended the Pursuer tried to advance towards Rennala, but I didn't allow it, I aimed my flame at the Pursuer and casted Forbidden Sun, the gigantic fireball hit the Pursuer.
The Pursuer was thrown back by the explosion and slammed his back into the library wall, the Pursuer tried to get up, but I casted Flam Swathe repeatedly, explosion after explosion the Pursuer was hit, his armor turning red from the flames and the wall behind him cracking with each explosion.
"You are expelled out of my academy!" Rennala screamed as she casted another bolt of magic towards the Pursuer.
The beam was strong enough to send the Pursuer through the wall and into the abyss outside the library.
Rennala and I ran towards the hole, but when we got there we heard a whistle, a huge hawk passed in front of the hole and dove towards the abyss, when the hawk voted we saw that he was carrying the Pursuer, so the hawk flew away, disappearing over the horizon.
"He ran away once again, we'll never be able to finish off the Pursuer if he keeps running away when he's losing a fight." Godwyn said.
"If it weren't for that damn bird..."
"Honey, are you okay?" Rennala asked as she held her injured shoulder.
"I should be asking, Miss Rennala."
"I told you, you don't have to be so formal with me, darling. But I'm fine." Rennala said as she managed a smile, trying to hide the pain.
"Nonsense, let me heal you." I took my chime and conjured some healing miracles on her and myself.
"Are these incantations new? I don't recall seeing you use them before." Renna asked.
"These are not incantations; they are miracles, Miss Rennala."
"And what is the difference?"
I opened my mouth to answer to Rennala, but closed it and thought for a minute. What is the difference? Both use faith, both use an item that works with faith, both tell stories of past events and legends. Not much difference.
"None, just a different name."
"I see, but changing the subject… When did you learn to use spells?!" Renna exclaimed.
How should I answer to that? I've always known how to use spells on some level, but Rennala believes I'm Radagon. Should I make up an excuse? I'm not good at that; I miss the days when I could be silent and let people talk as much as they wanted.
"PPSSHH! Hey Alden, make up an excuse." Godwyn whispered to me.
"But which? Wouldn't it be better to tell Rennala the truth?"
"If you want to further degrade her sanity, then yes. Rennala has decided to accompany us, so now you better think of excuses for when you do things Radagon wouldn't normally do."
Hm! A lie. I'm not good at lying, but Pate was, that deceiver.
"I haven't been using spells for a long time, the Lands Between are in a tough situation, so I decided to expand my arsenal, found some magic teachers, and apparently I have a talent for it."
I looked at Rennala as I finished my lie, she stared at me seriously for a few seconds, and it still surprises me how tall she is. How does she get through the academy doors? Because most of the doors I've been through were built for a person of average height. What about furniture like chairs and tables? Does she have to order custom-made furniture? And food? Does she have to eat more than a normal person?
I was snapped out of my thoughts when Rennala started to smile.
"Darling, that's wonderful, but you didn't need to look for teachers, if you wanted to learn magic, all you had to do was ask." Rennala said as she hugged me.
I looked to Godwyn for help; please get me out of here. Godwyn gestured for me to hug Rennala back.
I did as he suggested and returned the hug "I'll keep that in mind should I ever want to learn a new spell."
"You can't imagine how happy this makes me. But I have another question. What do you mean the Lands Between are in a tough situation?"
"Well…" I looked at Godwyn, Godwyn nodded.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but..."
"But?" Rennala asked.
"Marika broke the Elden Ring and then disappeared, certain people got the shards in the form of great runes, and the Lands Between are in civil war over who will rule it." I closed my eyes preparing for what was to come, a few seconds passed and nothing happened, when I opened my eyes I saw Rennala staring at me with a small smile on her face. She blinked very slowly.
"She what?" Rennala asked with calm in her voice.
"She broke the Elden Ring." I saw Rennala grip her staff tightly; I could hear the wood creak.
Rennala took a deep breath and just as calmly answered.
"I'm going to kill that bitch."
"Hey!" Godwyn screamed.
"Lady Rennala, please…"
"No, no, no, I'm going to kill that bitch! First she takes you from me! And now she breaks that damn Elden Ring she loved so much?!"
"Miss Rennala, please reconsider, even if you try, the great lift is not working and the capital is sealed, I only have one half of the medallion, and I need to collect the great runes to enter the capital."
"Well, where are those great runes and the other half of the medallion?"
"I don't know where the other half is, when I'm done exploring Liurnia I'll go to the Weeping Peninsula in search of the medallion, if it's not there I'll go to Caelid, where I'll also try to get the great rune from Rad…" I bit my tongue not to say the last part.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Godwyn sigh with relief.
"Where I will also try to get the great rune." I corrected myself.
"Well, what are we waiting for; let's go after the medallion and the great runes." Rennala said as she pulled me out of the library.
"I think it would be better if we went to the Round Table."
"Where?"
"The Round Table, a place where people who seek the great runes gather, is a neutral place where fighting is not allowed."
"Very well, please take me to this Round Table, darling."
I guided Rennala to the grace in the center of the library and used it to transport us.
Round table
Alden's POV
"Guys! I'm back!" I said as I greeted the inhabitants of the Round Table.
"Welcome/Nice to see you again/I'm glad you're okay."
I was greeted by a series of greetings, looking around I saw D, Corhyn and Diallos.
"And I didn't come alone, I also brought Rennala." I pointed to Grace and Rennala appeared.
"Greetings everyone." Rennala said as she emerged from Grace.
"RENNALA?!" They screamed.
"I don't think we've met, you must be friends with my darling." Rennala said as she hugged my arm.
"DARLING?!" The three screamed again.
I ignored the screams of the three and followed Rennala to where Gideon was.
"Can you wait out here? I need to speak with Gideon."
"Of course, dear, but don't keep me waiting."
I walked past the silent man in the doorway of Gideon's office and inside was the all-knowing one, his face buried in a parchment.
"Gideon." I said as I approached.
"Oh! I see you're back, any news?" Gideon asked.
I showed him the second great rune.
Gideon was silent for a few seconds.
"Well, that's a surprise, judging by your lack of information about the Lands Between, I had my doubts whether you would make it or not. You are a worthy companion, a Tarnished one indeed. Make the trip. To the capital Leyndell, which lies east of the Altus Plateau, at the foot of the Erdtree. The Two Fingers will no longer deny you passage. You can be our best hope. Find your way to the Elden Ring. For we are Tarnished. And we must answer to the call of grace."
"That could be a problem; the great lift is not working."
"A pity really, a hindrance indeed, do you have the medallion?"
"Only half. Do you know where the other one is?"
"Unfortunately no, no one has gotten any leads on the location of the other half of the medallion."
"Then why do you call yourself all-knowing?" I said with a sigh.
"Honey, are you done yet?" Rennala asked as she leaned in front of the door to look into the room.
"Just a minute Rennala."
"RENNALA?!" Gideon screamed.
"Yes, she is accompanying me at the moment."
"Hello! Are you a friend of my darling?" Rennala said as she nodded to Gideon.
"DARLING?! You let me down Alden." Gideon replied while shaking his head.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't play innocent! We Tarnished must retrieve the great runes by any means necessary, but to desire another man's woman! You disgust me!" Gideon said as he pointed his staff at me.
"Hang on…"
"I don't want to hear your excuses! I won't question your tastes as long as you stay focused on your goal."
Apparently Gideon won't talk to me anymore; I left the room with Rennala accompanying me.
"What is a Tarnished?" Rennala asked.
Come on! Think of another lie.
"That's what people who seek the great runes are called."
"Oh! But what a strange name."
"I agree, but I'll have to get used to it. Come on, I have to talk to Enia."
We arrived at the room where Enia was.
"Hello, Enia." I said to the old woman.
"Oh! Look at that! The little tarnished has returned." Enia said, seeing me.
"Yes, and I brought this." I said as I showed the great rune.
"I had my doubts, but… my, look at you. Only once before have I seen two Great Runes together. Look over there. Fingers tremble with exuberance." Enia said as she pointed at the fingers.
I still don't understand how she manages to communicate with those disgusting fingers. Glancing to the side, I saw that Rennala was giving Two Fingers a disgusted look.
"I do not like this." Rennala whispered through clenched teeth.
"Neither do I, but I have to go through all this theater if I want to get to the capital."
"Good job, Tarnished bravo. The Greater Will is satisfied. You have earned the right to become Elden Lord. Now, look for the Erdtree and an audience with Queen Marika. To become Elden Lord and restore the Golden Order. The Fingers expect... as much from you as they expect from young Gideon. Take it. A farewell sign." Enia said as she handed me a talisman pouch.
I have no use for it, but I appreciate the gesture.
"Now, go ahead. Become Elden Lord."
"Before I go, what can you tell me about Marika?"
"Queen Marika is the vessel of the Elden Ring, bearer of her vision. A god, actually. But after the breaking of the Elden Ring, she was imprisoned in the Erdtree. A severe punishment for destroying the Order despite its divinity. The Fingers Speak... "Marika's transgression called for a heavy sentence. But even in shackles, she remains a goddess, and the vessel of vision. Bestows Great Runes to become Elden Lord and join Queen Marika as her consort. The Fingers so willed it. Now, you may go."
When we left the room I saw Godwyn beside me.
"So… So this is what happened to my mother… After everything she's done, she's being punished…" Godwyn said sadly.
"I'm sorry about that Godwyn, it's really bad news, but if we're going to the Erdtree, we need to follow through."
"I know… It's just that after my mother disappeared, no one could find out where she was… until now."
"Hey, don't worry, when we get to Erdtree we'll find a way to talk to your mother and find out what really happened." I said trying to comfort Godwyn.
"Thanks." Godwyn smiled.
I flinched in pain as I felt Rennala squeeze my arm tighter.
"Who are you talking to dear?"
"Nobody, just talking to myself."
"It's that so? There is something I would like to discuss with you dear."
"What is it?"
"About becoming Marika's consort."
My eyes widened at that. Become Marika's consort? I have no interest in becoming Elden Lord, much less marrying; I'm just on this journey to help Melina and Godwyn. And if I marry Marika does that mean I become Godwyn's father? Will I have a ghost child? And Radagon? Wouldn't he try to kill me for trying to marry his current wife?
Without speaking, of course… I thought as I looked at Rennala who was waiting for my answer.
Seeing my predicament, Godwyn whispered something in my ear.
What the hell is he thinking? But I have no better choice.
"No need to worry darling, I only have eyes for you."
"AWHN! I knew you would choose me over her." Rennala hugged me.
When I got out of her embrace, we walked to the section where Roderika and Hewg were.
"You are fine, this brings me relief." Roderika said to see me.
"No need to worry, it takes a lot to get me down."
"HAHA! And I see that you are not alone. Who could that woman be?"
"Roderika, meet Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon." I said while introducing Rennala.
"Greetings, young woman." Rennala smiled.
"QUEEN?! I am very sorry for my disregard majesty!" Roderika said as she bowed.
"I'm sorry majesty, if I'd known you were on your way, I would have cleaned up my forge." Hewg said as he tried to bow.
"Please stand up; there is no need for this. You are friends of my darling, are you not?"
"Darling?" Hewg and Roderika said.
"It's a long story." I sighed.
"I… I understand. Would you like me to tune your spirits?" Roderika asked, trying to change the subject.
"Yes please." I said as I handed Roderika the ashes of the Soldiers of Godrick and the Puppets.
Meanwhile I approached Hewg.
"So, boy, would you like me to upgrade your weapons?"
"Right now I don't have the necessary stones to upgrade my Lord's Sword, but could you upgrade my Uchigatana?"
"You keep asking ridiculous questions. I'm a blacksmith, aren't I? Give me the sword."
I handed my Uchigatana and stones to Hewg.
"So Hewg, any advice on where I can get more stones?"
"Hm! You could try the Limgrave tunnels or get a certain type of bell." Hewg said as he worked on the sword.
"What kind of bell?"
"I don't remember the name exactly, but there are bells that allow you to contact the spirit of dead merchants, if you have the runes you can buy the products of these merchants in unlimited quantities."
"Interesting. Do you know where those bells are?"
"If I remember correctly, one of them is in the crystal tunnel of Raya Lucaria, another is in the sealed tunnel near the capital and another is in the ruins of Zamor in the mountaintops, I have no idea where the last one is."
"How do you know that?"
"I'm a blacksmith; I need to know where people can get material for my forge. Here is your sword." Hewg returned my Uchigatana.
"Could you use this ash from the war?"
"Of course."
When Hewg was done with my sword, I decided to test the ash of war. I unsheathed my Uchigatana and placed the blade in my other hand, I slashed forward, cutting my hand in the process and a blade of blood flew forward.
"Thanks Hewg." Then I returned to Roderika.
"Here are the spirits, they are happy to accompany you."
"Thank you Roderika."
"You're welcome; they enjoy the company of the strange spirits that accompany you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You do not know? There are spirits different from the others accompanying you. One of them looks like a giant man wearing golden armor and carrying a great hammer, another looks like an angel. And another one looks like… A giant toad with a human face?"
Can she see the notable enemies I've defeated? But I turned their souls into spells and equipment. Have they been following me all this time? I wonder if they're mad that I killed them.
"Thanks for telling me this, Roderika, I'm glad to see your improvement in communicating with spirits, keep it up and soon you'll become a master at it."
"Thank you Alden. I wish you a safe journey."
Rennala and I walked back to the center of the Round Table.
"So honey, what do we do now?"
"We'll explore Liurnia, I have to find a woman named Renna and maybe check out the tunnel Hewg talked about, and when we're done we'll head to the peninsula and then Caelid."
"This will be like a vacation for us. When was the last time we spent this much time together?"
"I don't know."
"All that's missing is our kids and we'd have a great family trip."
I didn't have an answer to that. Poor Rennala. Perhaps there is a way to help her.
When we got to the center of the Round Table I realized something was wrong, D, Corhyn and Diallos were staring at me.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"No, I just didn't know you were that kind of man." D spoke.
"HAHAHA!" I heard Godwyn laughing.
"What do you mean?"
"Taking advantage of this poor woman's broken heart. You do not have shame?" Corhyn said.
"HAHAHA!" Godwyn continued to laugh.
"My house has stories about it, after all, nobility is full of intrigue, but I didn't expect that to be your taste. Going after a divorced woman." Diallos said.
"Hang on!"
"What is there to explain? Does your lust know no bounds? Going after a fragile woman!" D spoke.
"My opinion of you could not be lower." Corhyn said.
"To think you would go after that helpless maiden." Diallos spoke.
"GOOD! AT LEAST I'M GETTING MAIDENS! UNLIKE YOU ALL!"
"Listen here you…" D tried to say, but I wouldn't let him.
"THAT'S RIGHT! WHERE ARE YOUR MAIDENS?! I AM NOT SEEING ANY WITH YOU! YOU ALL ARE A BUNCH OF MAINDENLESS RUNTS!"
Corhyn and Diallos looked away, embarrassed.
"HAHAHA!" Godwyn rolled on the floor laughing.
"Come on Rennala!" I grabbed Rennala's arm as pulled her toward grace.
"Wait dear."
Then we disappear amid grace.
END OF THE CHAPTER