Hey there, everyone! Hope 2023 is off to a decent start for all of you.

For me, the new year hasn't been too bad so far. In the first week of 2023, my efforts at work got officially acknowledged, which netted me a surprise bonus on my next paycheck, a definite shock since I hadn't seen that coming at all. Shocking, but very pleasant, all things considered as I'm sure you can imagine.

I also got to meet up with a good friend of mine that I hadn't seen since around July. Him and I have always been a lot alike in terms of interest and our personal struggles, so being able to just sit there and talk and vent and just feel the time go by in an instant… it felt amazing. I sincerely hope all of you have at least one or two friends just like that. And if you don't, I pray you will one day find someone like that.

Still have yet to make a whole lot of progress on the self-improvement front concerning my desired prospects… but I still do very much intend to try, of course. Again, to those of you going through the same thing, stay strong. Hope you are able to pull ahead.

On a much smaller and perhaps comical note, Muramasa was released recently in NA FGO… and I ended up blowing all my Saint Quartz (nearly 400 total) along with all my summon tickets (nearly 70!) and managed to get one copy of him, ha ha. Guess that used up all my luck for the next few months. Kind of funny how I'm willing to go almost all in just to get a character I really want in a mobile game but otherwise refuse to gamble at actual casinos, though to be fair it's not as if I go to casinos in the first place, heh.

Well, other than all that… this fic.

As stated in the previous chapter, this is when things begin to start picking up. The pacing will admittedly remain a little slow in some parts, but for the most part the action will begin to become more prevalent in the story. Hope you all will look forward to it.

Now then, let's start the first official chapter of 2023!

P.S. As usual, please consider purchasing any of my books! Universal links to the Infinite Genesis trilogy and Fading Darkness, Rising Light available on my profile page, just remove all the spaces! Books available for purchase/download on sites such as Apple, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and more!

Chapter 10

"You sure we can't talk you into reconsidering?" asked a forlorn Sage, practically on the verge of heartbreak. Under different circumstances, one could almost mistake her for being a lovestruck maiden being shot down by her person of affection.

And under different circumstances as well, Ranni might have found such a sight almost amusing, if only due to how different such a demeanor was from Sage's usual self.

However, as of now, the Lunar Princess could only return the much younger woman's gaze with one of genuine apology; she'd enjoyed Sage's presence quite a bit along with the presence of both Sword Saint and Hero.

Alas, as was always the case, all good things must come to an end.

"I'm most afraid ye can't," Ranni said quietly.

Just the other day, as if to mock her hopes, she'd sensed the attempted invasion of the gods from her home world. In particular, she'd been able to detect, albeit for an instant, the wretched Flame of Frenzy in addition to the Formless Mother being able to enter this world.

Though the influence of these two gods had been paltry, barely greater than the influence they'd had back in the Lands Between, it had still obviously been a cause for concern. Back in the Lands Between, the Greater Will's influence had naturally reigned supreme, her stepmother having maintained its Golden Order for countless centuries. Even when the age of the Golden Order had faltered in its final days, the Greater Will's hold had still been enough to keep the influence of the other gods at bay… but even then, there could be no denying the carnage the followers of the other gods had caused throughout the lands.

This world had no such defense, so to speak, whatever gods that observed the Four Cornered World as it was called heavily lacking in the same sort of hold the Greater Will had once had. Thus, it stood to reason that the Frenzied Flame and Formless Mother could very likely gain influence and bring about their unique brands of chaos with far greater ease and more terrifying results in short order.

Time was of the essence more so than ever before. She could no longer afford to dawdle.

Yesterday, she and the Hero's party had reached the next town and Ranni had proceeded to swiftly make it a point to earn some coin by selling her glintstone creations. One demonstration had been all that was needed to earn the attention of numerous adventurers that had also been passing through the town at the time in addition to others that had simply held an interest in magic or otherwise desired some form of defense in case of attack whilst on the road. The amount of coin she'd earned just yesterday had been substantial and had managed to marginally lift her mood.

But what little good cheer she'd felt yesterday was now to come to an end.

All manner of beings that seemed to share some connection with either nature or the spirits that granted boons to select individuals had gone into a noticeable frenzy when the gods of her world had made their presence known. Though said frenzy – more like a simple but extreme panic attack than an actual frenzy, really – had been fairly brief, it had naturally put everyone else on edge and not even the Hero and her two friends had managed to remain unrattled by it all.

Their experiences obtained from their adventures pretty much told them that there was something big going on and now they had no choice but to make haste towards the capital, hopefully for a report on the matter that they can follow through on. Ranni highly doubted such a helpful report would come, but understood their priorities nonetheless.

Alas, the direction of the capital lied in a different direction than the one her consort lied in. Combined with the need to make haste, they could no longer afford the luxury and joy of traveling together.

Thus, it was time to say goodbye, here at this fork in the dirt road.

"It was good having you with us, even if it was for just some odd days," mumbled the Hero in a somewhat unsure tone. Her usual exuberance was nowhere to be seen.

"Indeed," Sword Saint agreed as she stepped forward to gently grab Sage by her arm, having no choice but to pull her along since the other woman refused to budge from her spot. "…It was nice, all things considered."

"I share the same feeling," Ranni said genuinely before finally bowing her head in curtesy. "Unfortunately, circumstances are rarely ever so ideal as to allow us so much time together. My apologies, young ladies but now is the time for us to go our own ways. Do know that thy help is forever appreciated."

"…Hope we can meet again someday," Sage said. "Even if it's not soon… it'd be nice to be able to discuss your magic some more."

Ranni smiled softly. "I hope so as well. May thee have a safe travel to the capital."

Their goodbyes now done, the trio finally began their trek towards the capital. Though not exactly running, there was no denying the speed with which they walked.

It was something that Ranni mirrored, turning about and beginning her own journey, now on her own once more.

Back in the Lands Between, she'd had the ability to travel vast distances in an instant thanks to the teleportation spell she knows. However, the effectiveness of said spell was due to the fact that the Lands Between had essentially been her place of power once her fate had been freed from her brother Radahn's hold on the stars.

Out here, even though she was the vassal of the Dark Moon, this land simply didn't have the same 'power' that the Lands Between possessed and so she couldn't use it to teleport like she used to.

Well, she could probably still teleport now that she dwelt on the subject, but she highly doubted it would be accurate – she knew not the proper coordinates of anything in this world. Not even the vague presence of her consort could serve as a proper beacon for her. To risk teleporting now would be to risk potentially setting herself back by teleporting back to her starting point in this world or some other environment that was far and away from her beloved.

Physical methods of travel were the only things available to her.

However, that didn't mean she must travel on foot alone.

Humming to herself, she'd decided to take a different kind of risk – the manifestation of her own moon.

In ages past, she and her mother had crafted their own personal spells which allowed them to weave into existence mirror images of the moon – the Dark Moon for herself and a Full Moon for her mother – that they encased themselves in. Through these spells, they could perform something akin to flight and the shells crafted served as excellent shields that canceled out all other magics they came into direct contact with. That said shells could also harm others by ramming into them was a side bonus.

Alas, such a spell was hardly meant for travel in and of itself but the situation now called for measures that would normally be considered unconventional.

Concentrating as she picked up her pace some more, the magical energies Ranni contained within herself took form as she performed the spell. However, rather than encase herself with the image of the Dark Moon, she leapt as best as she could in her robes and manifested the image beneath her.

Now sat upon the shell, the Lunar Princess allowed herself a smile of minor triumph as she now urged the image onwards. It was hardly the fastest mode of transport, but it was still leagues faster than trying to run on foot.

The only downside was the cost of magical power needed to not just activate but also maintain the spell. However, for her, a master sorceress and vassal of the Dark Moon, this was a downside that was heavily mitigated. Provided she didn't overextend herself by casting other high level spells in the meantime, she should be able to maintain the spell for at least several hours and cover easily thrice the distance she would've been able to travel otherwise.

Continuing to head down the dirt road for the time being, it wasn't too long before she came across other travelers. In this case, it appeared to be a farmer who was in the middle of commandeering his wagon to the town she and the Hero party had come from.

The man, looking to be in his late thirties or so, openly gaped as she coolly floated on by him in record time on her moon. He even took a second to rub his eyes in order to make sure he hadn't just imagined it all.

Ranni paid him little mind and simply continued onwards.

…Hours go by. The time had come for her to take a break.

As anticipated, she'd covered quite a far bit of ground. Thanks to the lands out here being primarily flatland or otherwise open forests, she'd eventually been able to cease traveling on the main road in favor of just heading in as straight a line as she was allowed.

Unfortunately, she was finally coming across a more hill-filled area now. Navigating her way with her Dark Moon spell would still be possible but much more difficult – it wasn't particularly meant to traverse particularly high or low altitudes. Small hills should pose no problems, but bigger ones will take longer to pass if she insisted on staying her course so far.

A somewhat desperate and almost childish part of Ranni idly considered blowing all the hills away with some other spells, but she ruthlessly crushed such a thought. Even as necessary as it was to reach her consort to begin devising a proper plan, destroying parts of these lands just to achieve this goal was hardly an essential task.

That said, she wouldn't deny it would be a decent way of blowing off some stress – but no, she really wasn't about to engage in such petty acts of destruction.

Finding a particularly grassy hill a mere moment later, Ranni canceled her Dark Moon spell and simply rested upon the very peak of the hill. Delicately sitting down, she closed her eyes for a while and simply basked in the gentle, warm rays of the sun. Though night was obviously her preference, the daytime can be equally beautiful under certain conditions. This was one such time and the Lunar Princess enjoyed it greatly.

Alas, it a scenic area that she knew she couldn't bring herself to enjoy for long.

Approximately ten minutes later, Ranni stood back up and prepared to set out again.

However, just as she was about to recast her spell and begin her journey anew, she paused as a large flock of birds off in the distance grew increasingly erratic in their behavior. Rather than travel in any particularly straight path or curved one like they usually did, this flock haphazardly flew and buzzed about, almost akin to flies in some sense rather than the avian creatures they were. Moreover, they were flying rather close to the ground, practically just feet above the tallest of hills in this area.

Ranni opted to not use her Dark Moon spell, at least not just yet. Mystified and somewhat worried by this odd behavior, she chose to continue her journey on foot for a while, seeing as the erratic flock was sadly along the route she was taking.

Watching her steps carefully lest she go tumbling down a hill like a clumsy child, Ranni actually winced as she now grew closer to the flock's current location. They were all screeching at an impossible volume now that she was close enough to hear them properly, the sounds far too high pitched and distorted… and tinged… with madness.

Ranni's lone eye widened. The sunny sky had made it hard to make it out at first, but now that she was closer and the glare of the sun was no longer bearing so strongly down on her field of view, she could see the eyes of the birds were an ominous and burning yellow-orange color – the same sort of color associated with the Flame of Frenzy.

"So… it seems like the gods have already begun to expand their influence…" she murmured in a low and tight tone.

The Flame of Frenzy was somewhat unique in that it must be called into the world, much like how the much persecuted nomads of the Lands Between had done so. However, once beckoned into the world, it was not exactly rare for the Frenzied Flame to spontaneously manifest elsewhere throughout the lands, even if said manifestations meant simply appearing in the local lifeforms in a given area.

And it would seem these birds were one such sad case.

The Lunar Princess grimaced tightly. It was far too much a coincidence that she'd come across anything infected with the characteristic madness of the Frenzied Flame like this. Could she then assume the malevolent entity had gone out of its way to try and stall or even outright kill her through an obstacle such as this? She honestly couldn't be sure. The gods, great as they are, were far from being understood except in the most general way possible, with only the Dark Moon's intentions being known to her for obvious reasons.

Whatever the truth may be, however, it was currently irrelevant. Now that she's seen the flock, she couldn't simply ignore it. If left alone, the flock will eventually come across other animals or even people and attack them, spreading the madness of the Flame of Frenzy further. Such a thing couldn't be allowed.

Unfortunately, just before she could prepare a large area of effect spell, the flock seemed to take notice of her, for their screeching momentarily subsided before they all squawked in unison and spread out all around her.

"Hmph. Such poor 'vessel's ye be using to impede me, oh terrible Flame," Ranni remarked quietly as she cast a freezing spell, one of her own design and thus not one taught to other sorcerers back in the Lands Between.

This nameless freezing spell was a simple yet potent one, manifesting a wide spreading mist that chills all things around her to the point of causing frostbite in mere seconds if one had little in the ways of protection against such a state.

And in this world, it seemed quite a lot of creatures lacked an inherent resistance to such a thing for she immediately took note of the birds being inflicted with frostbite right away. Alas, all that did was drop their speed from shockingly swift to 'merely' fast, diminishing their overall threat only by a bit.

Even so, it would serve her purpose well.

Several birds tried to attack her from behind, divebombing in a very clearcut attempt to pierce her back with their beaks. But just as they neared, Ranni spun around gracefully and fired a large blast of glintstone at them. Of the several birds that attacked, only a few seemed to have enough sense to swerve out of the way but the two in the middle got caught by the blast head on, their forms reduced to a bloody mist that froze in midair and fell to the ground like red snow.

Undeterred by most of her targets avoiding the initial strike, Ranni then aimed a bit more to the right and proceeded to utilize Glintstone Arc, a sorcery that cast glintstone energy over a fairly wide area. The resulting horizontal wave of magical energy ended up cleaving through the flock that continued to surround her, practically erasing the birds hit by it from existence due to its sheer power. There was now a slight opening in the veritable dome of birds that surrounded Ranni and she wasted not a second before rushing out of the flock's kill zone. Remaining there would naturally have been a foolhardy action.

The flock didn't allow her a clean getaway, however, for nearly a dozen birds chose that moment to swoop in towards her, nearly knocking her hat off. And even though they missed their mark by a few feet, the birds, whether by some oddly warped instinct or by a greater intelligence now guiding their madness, ended up letting out death throes as they actually managed to cast one of the few spells unique to those who are warped by the Frenzied Flame. Several blasts of pure madness shot out and all over the kill zone sporadically and nearly clipped Ranni herself, her gown singed slightly by a few blasts.

The Lunar Princess pressed on and managed to escape the kill zone before any of the other birds could get the same idea. Upon doing so, she twisted and casted Star Shower, this spell enhanced by her own efforts and status as the Dark Moon's vassal. Instead of only six magical shooting stars, just a bit more than a dozen spawned into being and shot outwards. Normally, the spell is meant to track a target and follow them to some degree, but Ranni's control over the spell was such that she was instead able to maneuver the magical shooting stars to swirl around the flock at a great speed. If the birds tried to break off and spread out, they would most assuredly lose most of their numbers from the spell.

Which is exactly what happened in the next second. The flock of madness infected birds tried to spread back out and in so doing, ended up having to try and pass safely between the circling shooting stars. Many of the birds failed, their bodies torn apart or outright exploding into freezing bloody mist from the spell.

However, while this spell did much to thin out the numbers, it did little to nothing to actually deter the remainder of the birds, who now regrouped high above Ranni's head and shot straight down like an arrow from the stars themselves.

But as expected of those infected by the Frenzied Flame, such a thing was an extremely foolhardy move to make against her.

Ranni looked straight up and simply activated what she hoped to be one final spell – Night Maiden's Mist.

It was something of a wicked spell in the sense that those caught within it are robbed of their life. Not even the caster is usually spared from this effect, making this sorcery the very definition of a double edged sword.

However, Ranni had prepared for this.

The freezing mist spell from before can be controlled to some extent and she used it as a makeshift barrier to coat her entire being. Additionally, thanks to this spell still being in effect across the whole area, the birds had continually been frozen, not to the point of death but they were now certainly robbed of their speed from just a moment ago, leaving them all as little more than figurative dead weight at this point; their final attack was effectively now a suicidal one for they were now flying – no, more like simply just dropping – directly into the silvery mist of death that Ranni had concentrated into existence a few yards above her.

The birds helplessly entered into the mist and their screeching ceased instantly. Such was the potency of the Night Maiden's Mist when cast by a sorceress of her level.

But just for the sake of making doubly sure they were dead – in addition to simply not wanting the corpses to literally fall atop her – Ranni took aim with her right hand and proceeded to cast Loretta's Greatbow spell. A great quantity of magical power gathered within her hand, giving ethereal shape to a greatbow before firing upwards, the massive arrow of power obliterating the corpses on the spot and continuing to travel until Ranni lost sight of it up in the sky.

And so, just as abruptly as it had begun, the battle was now over.

With a heavy sigh, Ranni finally ceased casting all active spells and tipped her hat as she fell into deep thought.

It's been quite some time since she's ever truly fought via her spells, most of her time having been spent delegating to her subordinates. The most recent time she'd ever fought was with the Two Fingers that was bound to her and even then, she'd relied on the Fingerslayer Blade her consort had brought to her to finish the loathsome creature off rather than utilize her spells. Immediately reviewing her battle performance, she likely could've called upon a number of other spells to get the job done faster but hadn't, having simply resorted to the ones that came to mind as the short battle had gone on.

Yet another thing she'd need to rectify during the course of her journey. A warrior she may not be, but that didn't mean she would simply allow herself to be performing so awkwardly in battle, especially when the road ahead would now clearly be littered with similar conflicts.

Her battle performance aside, however, this did only make the situation far more dangerous than she'd already been expecting.

Again, she knew not if this madness-stricken flock had simply been one she'd come across by dumb luck or if a higher power had been guiding events either big or small into making this conflict happen. Regardless of the reason, though, she knew it would not be long before she would likely see others, be it animals or people, becoming subservient to the Flame of Frenzy. And she could only imagine what may be happening to those who somehow make contact with the Formless Mother.

She would need to make more preparations along the way in order to better combat the forces she'd inevitably encounter.

In which case…

She surveyed her surroundings, scrutinizing every last detail possible.

Although she could cast her spells just fine, using a staff would help better focus her magical power and cast certain spells with even greater spell. Even if the staff was the most rudimentary one out there, it should still more than suffice for a portion of her journey.

Considering she now had coin to spend, simply buying a staff at whatever shop would sell them was certainly a possibility to be considered if she ever comes across another town of significant size. However, until then, she would have to make do with something else.

In which case, the best option as of now would be to make one.

Kneeling down, Ranni gripped the ground and let her senses spread across the land. Being able to make a staff out of materials directly around her was a skill she's long since gone without using, but it was still a skill she retained. Why, it was practically one of the very first things any sorcerer learned to do during their starting days. She was no different.

Despite the hills all around her, she could feel some roots deep beneath the ground that should suffice for her needs. It would simply be a matter of reaching them.

But digging out said roots would take far too long if she tried to do so by hand alone. In which case, her best option would be…

Despite the increasingly dire circumstances, Ranni chuckled lightly. "Perhaps I might have reason to blow away these hills after all. How convenient."

Trudging down the hill, Ranni turned around to face it and took aim as she manifested Loretta's Greatbow yet again.

She really never was one for hills, anyway.


The day came and went all too quickly for everyone across the land. Or perhaps it had dragged on all too slowly, depending on who was asked.

In any case, night was now upon this side of the Four Cornered World and just about all the inhabitants were all the warier for it. Villages and towns all across the region had taken to arming themselves and increasing their patrols more than ever before, the panic from earlier that the more spiritually inclined had suffered through having spooked many others out there, to say nothing of how most if not all of the wildlife had been reacting as well.

And this particular village, neither small nor big when compared to other villages, was especially vigilant. Most of the younger men and rowdier women tended to be all too eager to goof off whenever they weren't required to do whatever job was needed of them and now that it was night, this was usually the time when festivities were getting into full swing.

However, this time around, things were much different.

Just about everyone were already settling in for the night save for a good handful of people, strong young folks who at the very least know how to swing a farming tool well enough for defense, who stood watch over the two paths that led to and from their quaint village. The local animals had been behaving very fiercely and so, after having to fight or at least scare off a small host of small wolves and other such animals, this impromptu night watch crew was rather jumpy.

"Shit! Watch what you're doing! Nearly made me swing at you!" cried out one man after another guy coming on over to relief him of his duty ended up kicking a good sized rock into a wooden post nearby, the sudden sound having nearly made the guy's heart explode from the sheer shock.

"My bad, my bad," said the other guy, though he didn't sound very sorry; it's been a long day and he was tired and his nerves were just as frayed as everyone else's. But grumpy as he was, he still tried to stay focused. "Haven't seen anything, right?"

"…Nah, nothing… which is honestly scaring me crapless here," grumbled the first guy, his grip on his pitchfork tightening some more. "Sure hope we don't gotta fight off more wolves tomorrow cause they sure tore up some of our fields today."

The frenzied wolves earlier had come running like death was on their tails earlier today and had been lashing out at anything that had stood even remotely in their way. As a result of this surreal behavior, the pack had ended up violently trampling through the small crop fields that the village had to sustain themselves. Thankfully, they'd been able to salvage the crops for the most part, but another repeat or two will screw them over for the rest of the season.

The second man grimaced. "Not much we can do but wait and see, I reckon. Now, get on outta here – watching you squirm around is getting me all worked up."

The first villager shot him an annoyed glance but was otherwise glad to go and get some rest because he really needed it.

However, just as he was about to start walking home…

Both men nearly jumped out of their own skins when something caused the bushes off in the near distance to rustle.

Both men spun around and frightfully glared in the direction of the rustling bush, brandishing the pitchfork and sickle alike in readiness.

Then a head finally poked out of the bushes just a few seconds later, followed then by the thing fully coming out into the open.

It was small, roughly the size of an average child and slightly hunchbacked due to how it was leaning forward. Even with the darkness all around them, the villagers could vaguely make out the pointy ears on the thing.

A goblin.

The second villager guffawed quietly, more out of a desire to calm himself down rather than anything else. "Aw, one of these little bastards…" he mumbled.

Goblins, the lowest class of all monsters. Little green bastards that have overrun entire villages and taken women to bear their seed to bolster their forces. The threat these creatures, lowly as they are, pose couldn't be understated.

And yet the two villagers couldn't help but scoff now at the sight of the goblin.

After all, dangerous as goblins are, they were only dangerous when in large enough groups. Anyone worth their salt could easily drive off a few of the petty fuckers.

"Go on! Get! Scram, you little shit!" cried out the first villager coarsely as he flailed his pitchfork about in a threatening manner. His mood from just a moment ago was already somewhat improving. In a way, seeing this goblin was something of a blessing, a good way to work off some stress. Either he scares the damned thing off or he and his buddy here just charge in and kill it if it proves to be just a bit braver than the normally cowardly goblins.

Except even after crying out such threats, the goblin didn't show any sign of retreating at all. Instead, it simply drew closer at a steady pace.

Its gait gave the two men some slight pause, especially when the light of the dim torches fixed to the wooden posts near them finally allowed them to make out the goblin's beady eyes. Said eyes seemed to glow an almost sinister yellow.

Something was wrong with this goblin.

Said wrongness became much more apparent when it finally got close enough for the torches to start illuminating its form.

"T-The hell?!" one of the villagers cried out.

The goblin… its normally disgustingly green skin was dyed a deep red, like that of blood. It bore a sickening sneer that made it seem like the goblin was practically dissecting them with its eyes, a drastic different from the feral and barely controlled rage that was the norm for them.

The other bushes started to rustle, then from among the shrubbery, more goblins began to step out and each of them bearing the same blood red skin that the first one had. All wielded crude weapons fit for their child-sized hands… and all of them were dripping in odd ways with blood that was coming from somewhere unseeable.

The sight of these goblins, disturbing as they were, was enough to make the bravado of the two men die and cause them to start backing up in a shaky manner.

"Go and get the others!" cried out the first guy. "Hurry up before more pop out!"

Before the second guy could even think of a response, a shrill and terror-filled cry erupted from somewhere within their village, only outdone by the sounds of things being smashed up. Violence was practically in the air now, an invisible miasma of some kind seemingly blanketing the entire area. Both men were all but literally choking on something now, disrupting their thoughts and actions.

With the two now effectively helpless, the goblins that had been in front of them – as well as those that had been sneaking up from beside them – lunged, beginning their assault in earnest.

It wasn't long at all before the small horde of goblins besieged the village in full, each one a bloody red and only getting even bloodier as they viciously swung their weapons and fists into the villagers. Swiftly and messily, blood was spilled and screams filled the air for what seemed like miles on end as the goblins relished in the pain and suffering they inflicted.

Some villagers tried to fight back with some modicum of success, a flailing weapon or fist here and there managing to knock back a goblin at a time… only for these goblins to cry out in bliss. Pain, suffering, the spilling of blood, murder… all such things were positively euphoric to these goblins, blessed by the Mother of Truth, the Blood Star.

For the Formless Mother loved pain and blood in equal and seemingly infinite measure and the goblins were all too eager to share in their new god's desires.

With their own inherently violent and lustful cravings only enhanced to all new and depraved heights by the outer god, the goblins engaged in increasingly wanton acts of needless bloodshed as all the homes were ruthlessly invaded. Their trademark cowardice was nowhere to be seen even as some of them were slain by a lucky strike on occasion, the next goblin leaping over their deceased brethren's bodies in order to get to the next villager and then the next.

The elderly and children were gruesomely tortured and torn apart, their blood spilling out from the homes and all the way into the nearby crops as the goblins paraded their limbs about in as messy a manner as possible. The men, however valiant a number of them had tried to resist, were slain in short order, overwhelmed by sheer numbers and the ritualistic powers granted to the goblins by the Formless Mother, their very blood alone able to scald some unfortunate souls to death.

And the women, those just young enough and with ripe enough bodies to entice the demented monsters, were smacked and knocked around before being hoisted away. Their screams, from both the terror of what horrific fate now awaited them and the pain of being in direct contact with the goblins' blood, were equal in volume to the gleeful cackles of the goblins, already looking forward to growing their forces some more.

And once their horde had grown a bit more in size, they'd move onto the next village. Then the next and the next and the next one after that.

All for the sake of their Mother.


As dawn came out, the Tarnished and his new allies resumed their journey in earnest. This time around, the poor and young Druid Girl was up and at it alongside them, absolutely ashamed of her panic just yesterday. However, and much to the Tarnished's approval, the young girl's party was quick to assure her that it was alright. As gruff as both Heavy Warrior and Female Knight can be, they did indeed care about their wayward charges.

Still, even with the others assuring her everything was okay, it was clear that Druid Girl was far from feeling truly okay with the situation.

"What bothers you, young one?" the Tarnished asked as he and the others walked on. They'd made their way back to the path that the direwolves had ambushed them on and had resumed walking it. Thankfully, nothing else has yet to hinder them.

They were all currently in formation, the Tarnished out in front alongside Female Knight while both Scout Boy and Druid Girl walked a few feet behind them and with Heavy Warrior taking up the rear. This allowed him to easily talk to the young girl without having to do much of anything other than slightly tilting his head to the side to indicate that he was indeed speaking to her.

"…It's… it's just that…" the girl trailed off for a brief moment. "…The spirits… they were all crying out so horribly…"

When she had awakened early in the morning, she explained as much to them all. That she would repeat herself again just demonstrated how deep an impact the events of yesterday had had on her.

But unlike earlier, where the Tarnished had remained quiet while her party members tended to and questioned her, he was now taking this time to speak.

"Something had scared them, is that right?"

Druid Girl could be vaguely seen at the very corner of his vision nodding. "…Yes. Something… something really bad had shown up, it feels like. I-I don't have the slightest clue what it could be, but…" She started to rub her arms together, clearly remembering the sensation from yesterday. "But through the spirits, I felt its presence… and…"

"And it felt terrifying beyond measure," the Tarnished finished for her.

"…Yes. Unbelievably… impossibly… terrifying. Like the whole world was going to suddenly burn."

"Mm." She clearly spoke of the Frenzied Flame, the Tarnished noted. By no means was such information new to him by this point, but it was good to have confirmation.

And in a way it was good to know that the more spiritually and worldly inclined of this world could indeed sense the gods in some measure; it meant that, if nothing else, they could serve as a way to determine when he may very well stumble across any new thralls of the gods that would dare to impede his journey. While he was confident he could sense such threats coming his way well in advance, the more ways he had of spotting such foes, the better.

Not that he intended to use Druid Girl solely as a method of detection – he may not exactly be the living definition of the noble heroes spoken of in ancient legends, but the Tarnished had a code that he lived by and using a child in such a way was not something he would just do so callously.

Still, all things considered, it was at the very least an existing option now, at least until he has to part with this party.

"Stay strong, girl," he began in a soft tone. "I know well how overwhelming such a sensation can be, but as long as you remain stalwart and prepare yourself as needed, you will emerge all the better for it. The world is not yet ending and so long as that remains the case, there will always be a chance to turn things around."

The situation that the Lands Between had been in had been far from a pleasant one. Indeed, many could easily claim that it had become a living hell for all. However, through much struggle and sheer grit, he had been able to help bring an end to the broken reign of the Golden Order and hopefully pave a new path for the world to take, with Ranni at the helm of it all. It would have been all too easy for any number of other forces out there to have turned the entire world into nothingness, but even so, life had persevered and that simple fact had been what had allowed him to achieve feats he had once could only have dreamt of.

And this world, for all the challenges that now awaited it, was no different. So long as even a sliver of a chance remained, victory could be achieved.

"R-Right!" Druid Girl pumped both fists in response. Whether she genuinely felt moved by his words or if she was simply playing along in an attempt to boost her own morale anyways was unknown.

"Hmph. You sure have a way with words, big man," quipped Female Knight. A slight smirk was gracing her youthful face. "Firsthand experience at this sort of thing?"

"To put it mildly, yes," replied the Tarnished. "Though it's hardly as if I'm the only one around who could claim to have faced great odds before and learn from such times."

Though still quite young, at least when compared to himself, both Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were clearly veterans in their own right. While he may not exactly think much of this adventuring system just yet, he could still easily acknowledge the simple fact that the ranking system they have in place did fairly well in assigning labels to those with greater strength and experience. Both young warriors were silver ranked, if he recalled correctly, and clearly had the potential to get stronger still.

It made him wonder what the highest ranking adventurers may be capable of.

Ah, but now wasn't the time to be thinking of such things, he supposed.

"…We're nearing our place," spoke Heavy Warrior from their rear, referring to where their quest was sent from.

"Mm, and in turn we are nearing where we must part ways." The Tarnished rolled his shoulders, mentally preparing himself to resume his journey on his lonesome for the foreseeable future.

"Do you think this quest will turn out okay?" asked Scout Boy, understandably nervous. Why, he was practically fidgeting in mid-stride.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, all we can do is just see how the dice rolls for us when we actually get started." Heavy Warrior's tone was impassive as he said this, but his expression made it clear that on some level he too was dwelling on what may be awaiting his party in the near future.

"It's just like he just said," Druid Girl began, motioning towards the Tarnished. "We just need to be stalwart and deal with whatever comes our way… though I won't mind if we need to retreat…" Her voice started strong but then got soft towards the end of that statement.

The Tarnished chuckled. Female Knight, however, rolled her eyes. "Look, I get that things are definitely weird, but we're adventurers! We've a reputation to uphold! No point feeling like giving up before we even get there!"

"A pity you no longer have access to your miracles," the Tarnished commented out of the blue. "It would certainly make things easier for you."

His words got Female Knight to grumble unkindly – before she promptly paused in mid-step. Said pause lasted but a split second before she resumed her walk, but she turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"How did you know I used to have miracles?" she asked seriously.

"I've an affinity for things of such a nature," the Tarnished replied calmly. As a user of incantations, his home world's apparent equivalent of this world's miracles, he was just naturally attuned to such things. Not to the same extent, perhaps, as the true masters of incantations but it was enough to alert him if an enemy was capable of using them. "I know not how you lost them nor if there is a way you could reobtain your… favor… but I simply couldn't help but notice that your lost miracles certainly would be a boon in any situation."

His Blackflame incantations were effective against everything he'd gone up against so far, so he could only assume the same could apply to Female Knight's miracles as well.

Female Knight's serious gaze now turned into a barely concealed pout, suddenly looking just a few years younger than the Tarnished had initially thought her to be. Hmm, perhaps she actually was just a little younger than he'd first expected.

Heavy Warrior guffawed. "Lost 'em, eh? Yeah, that's one way of putting it – she was just too materialistic and uppity for the Supreme God's liking, so she got her 'privileges' revoked, you could say."

"H-Hey, shut up! Don't be saying that so casually!" Female Knight was looking quite flustered now. "Just you watch, one day I'll get my standing back!"

"Aint gonna hold my breath, but sure," Heavy Warrior retorted.

A rather childish back and forth erupted now between the two as they all continued to march on. The Tarnished smirked under his Crucible Axe Helm in amusement; it was like watching a young lovers' spat.

Alas, all good things had to come to an end and this was no different.

Their pacing had been a little on the quick side in order to make up for the time lost yesterday. Now they were coming up on a split in their path which also marked where they'd part ways.

"...Well then." Heavy Warrior began. "Might have been a fairly brief journey, but it wasn't bad having you around. If you ever become an adventurer, I actually wouldn't mind having you in the party."

The Tarnished nodded in thanks. "You honor me with your words. If circumstances allow, it would be interesting to fight alongside you lot again in the future. May you have a safe travel to your destination."

Heavy Warrior nodded and then took his leave down his path. Meanwhile, the rest of his party swiftly gave their own goodbyes to the Tarnished which he returned in kind.

No sooner than when they had started down their path did the Tarnished swiftly pick up his pace to head down his own pathway.

Practically breaking into a jog now, he felt he was far enough away to summon Torrent. Pulling out the whistle and blowing it, he leapt lightly into the air as his trusted steed manifested beneath him.

"Right then. Let's be off, Torrent. Time is now of the essence," he spoke softly.

Torrent snorted in agreement and without even waiting for his owner's 'hyup!' the steed had already taken off into a fast run.

It wasn't too long afterwards that the Tarnished and Torrent ended up passing by some of the local wildlife – wolves and other, small critters – all of which reacted to their passing with supreme agitation. It would appear that the effects of yesterday were still lingering on the animals. Understandable, the Tarnished reasoned…

…Though this could also be a sign that something else was simply awaiting him on his journey, something very much unfriendly and unearthly.

"…" The Tarnished made a sound, feeling genuinely troubled now, strongly enough to warrant pulling out the Uchigatana and wielding it firmly in his left hand as a precaution.

Knowing how things often went for him during his travels back in the Lands Between, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He just hoped that his intuition was wrong.


A pack of goblins, their normally green skin dyed a blood red, was patrolling outside their nesting grounds 'up and early' by their usual standards. The blessing of their new god made them feel extremely restless, to the point where many habits of theirs from before were being steadily cast aside.

They wanted to spill blood. They had to. This urge was growing so strong that it was almost painful.

…!

Goblins were not creatures who possessed particularly keen senses beyond a keen sense of smell to better ferret out women from among groups and the like. However, as yet another gift by their Mother, they were beginning to develop some sort of extra sense, one that wasn't physical but something else entirely.

And right now, though very vaguely, they could sense something from far away.

Yes, far away, but moving at considerable speed. Terrifyingly strong as well, far stronger than what goblins would normally consider safe for them to take on, cowardly creatures that they are…

…But no longer was this the case.

Blood, blood, blood. It had to be spilled. Must be spilled. Must burn and beat and break. Anyone – anything – would do, even if their chosen victim was strong.

And so, even in spite of the danger it posed, the pack of goblins grinned in mad glee and started to break into a run. Their new perception guided them far and true.

…Time to start killing.


Don't know if it seems odd to you guys what Ranni is capable of so far, but do keep in mind that she is pretty the top magic user in Elden Ring, pretty much rivalled only by her mother Rennala as far as I know… though I suppose Gideon and Sellen may come pretty close considering their knowledge. In any case, aside from Glintstone and Full Moon sorcery, Ranni is especially knowledgeable about Primeval, Carian, Cold and Night sorceries in addition to Loretta's unique(?) spells and some other spells as well. Of course, she's well aware of other sorcery types as well – Gravity, Magma, etc. – but those types of spells are not her forte and she is merely knowledgeable on them.

Now, how much basis on Elden Ring lore does the above statement have? Honestly, no idea. As far as I can recall, Ranni is a Glintstone/Full Moon user and nothing more, but I figured that given her inherent curiosity as a magic user and status as the Dark Moon's vassal that she'd be well-versed in other magical fields as well. Hell, considering what she had to go through to obtain her current body, she may have some skill wielding the godslaying Blackflames, seeing as she did have half of the Rune of Death at one point.

Anyways, just thought I should make that clear in case there's any confusion on why she used spells that may seem atypical for Glinstone sorcery users to know.

Other than that, oh boy am I glad to finally start getting into the meat of the story. Just wish it didn't take ten whole chapters to get to this point, but it is what it is, heh.

Now that the Formless Mother and Frenzied Flame have followers that are very much active, you can expect shit to hit the fan pretty soon, especially once I start to involve more characters than the ones you've seen so far. Hope you guys will look forward to it.

Until next time, everyone. Stay safe!