As we walked out of the catacomb I mentally linked with Tracer, who was flying about the area near the catacomb. 'Tracer, we have some new friends. Come say hi.' I spoke telepathically as Tacer glided down to land on my shoulder. Tracer looked at the two of them, his feathers glowing faintly as he got comfortable. "Hello…" He spoke, causing a brief pause between the two warriors. They weren't unfamiliar with summons. Though typically they didn't speak. And needed a monument of rebirth to be summoned and would fade after straying too far from one.

Kaelen was the first to respond. "Your spirit summon, It can speak?" He asked as he looked at Tracer.

"Well he's a bit more than a summon. He was my partner when he was alive. And continues to stay by after his untimely demise. I raised him and trained him." I answered while scratching under Tracer's beak, earning a pleased clicking sound from the raven.

Kaelen still looked skeptical, his gaze shifting between myself and the glowing raven perched on my shoulder. "So… he's like a summon, but he doesn't disappear?"

Tracer let out a scoffing caw. "Disappear? Please. I'm no temporary summoned servant."

Garin, who had remained silent until now, crossed his arms. "If he's not a spirit ash summon, then what is he?"

My words were caught for a moment, searching for the best way for me to explain it. "Where I'm from, there's magic that can forge a bond between a mage and a companion. A connection beyond life and death. They are called familiars." My gaze fell to Tracer, a small smile spread across my face. "But even without that magic, Tracer wouldn't leave my side."

Tracer clicked his beak, puffing out his chest. "Damn right I wouldn't. Someone's gotta make sure he doesn't get himself killed." He turned his sharp eyes toward Kaelen. "And from what I gather, you two might need just as much looking after."

Kaelen barked out a laugh. "Oh, I like him."

Garin, though still guarded, gave a small nod. "It's rare to see something endure past death like that. If what you say is true, then he's no ordinary spirit."

I met Garin's gaze. "Nothing about my situation is ordinary."

There was a brief silence before Kaelen grinned. "Well, welcome aboard, Tracer. I think we'll get along just fine."

Tracer let out a pleased croak. "Finally, someone with sense."

As we continued walking, the tension that had lingered in the air since our first meeting began to ease. The path ahead was uncertain, but for now, at least, we were no longer walking it alone.

I adjusted my grip on the tome in my hands, flipping through the pages as the dirt road stretched endlessly ahead of us. The air was still, save for the occasional breeze stirring the grass and the steady rhythm of our footsteps.

Kaelen's voice broke the silence. "So, where are you from, actually?" He looked at me curiously, while Garin kept his eyes forward, ever watchful for another ambush.

I sighed, closing my book with a soft thump. "So, to make this abundantly clear—I don't know the specifics of how it happened. But I am from another kingdom, in another world."

Kaelen frowned. "Wait. You mean, like, across the mists? Or do you mean another other world?"

"The second one."

That made him blink. "Huh."

Garin didn't even look surprised. "That would explain the way you talk. And the magic."

I smirked at him. "Figures that's what gave me away." But then my expression sobered. "I was in Crest, a city back home, investigating a magical anomaly. Something had gone wrong in the Worship District—right above the temples, maybe two hundred feet in the air. A rift had formed, like a teleportation circle collapsing in on itself. It was unstable, dangerous. You could feel the magic pulsing from it."

I glanced at Kaelen, gauging his reaction, before continuing. "I was trying to mend the break—used some attunement crystals to stabilize it. Everything was going fine. Then… I started hearing things."

Kaelen tilted his head. "Hearing things?"

"A voice, narrating to someone. Talking about something called the Elden Ring. About gods, betrayal, a war." I shook my head. "I tried to cut my connection to the rift, but I couldn't. Something was pulling me in. And then the hands came."

Kaelen's expression darkened. "Hands?"

I nodded. "Dozens of them. Crawling out of the golden light, reaching, grabbing at me. I fought it. For twenty agonizing minutes, I tried to seal the damn thing before it could pull me in. But then… I was stabbed."

Kaelen let out a short breath. "So you died." His tone was more matter-of-fact than anything else. Not a question. Just an observation.

I hesitated before sighing. "I should have. I was bleeding out. My headmaster was right there, watching it happen. I even felt it—lungs filling up, hands going cold, everything fading." I exhaled. "But I didn't. Instead, I got dragged through."

Garin nodded slightly. "Death doesn't always stick."

"No kidding." I rolled my shoulders. "But at the time? I thought it was the end. I used an override spell, a last-ditch effort to seal the rift behind me. And then—I was gone." I gestured vaguely around us. "Next thing I knew, I was falling out of the sky in the middle of a world I'd never seen before, listening to some grand speech about fate and Tarnished and becoming Elden Lord."

Kaelen let out a low whistle. "Damn. And here I thought we got here in a rough way."

Garin gave me a sidelong glance. "Well that does answer a couple of my own questions."

I met his gaze and nodded. "I didn't come here by choice, I want to go home. And if I can help this world in the process, that'll be an added bonus."

The weight of our conversation lingered a bit as they continued to Mistguard, it's silhouette coming into view.

It was midday as we walked into Mistguard, the marketplace alive with the sounds of bartering and the scent of fresh bread mingling with leather and metal. Townsfolk bustled about, tending to stalls and exchanging goods, their conversations a low hum beneath the occasional bark of a merchant advertising their wares.

I approached an elderly woman's stall, setting down the small bundle of imp helms and forked hatchets I'd gathered from the catacomb. The metal clanked dully against the wooden counter, drawing her attention away from the fabrics she had been sorting. She peered up at me with sharp, appraising eyes, her fingers brushing over one of the helms with a familiarity that suggested she'd handled worse.

"Curious finds," she mused. "Did you pry these off some poor souls?"

"Hey they attacked me first," I replied with a small grin. "Just clearing out space in my pack. Figured someone might find use for them."

She hummed, lifting one of the hatchets and testing the weight in her hands. "Not the best quality, but they'll do for folk who can't afford anything better. What's your price?"

I shrugged. "I just want them gone. Whatever you think is fair."

That earned a raised brow, though her expression quickly softened into one of mild amusement. "Not often you see a traveler who isn't looking to squeeze every last rune from a deal. I'll throw in a little extra for the courtesy." She shook her head and reached beneath the stall, pulling out a small pouch filled with runes. The five golden discs flickered faintly, shifting like embers trapped in glass.

She handed them over without counting. "This should cover it."

I gave a nod. "Thank ya ma'am."

As I turned to my companions Tracer looked northeast. He took off into the evening air, though he stayed within 100 feet of me. "Something catch your eye bubba?" I questioned as Garin and Kaelen gave curious looks.

Tracer landed back on my shoulder still looking northeast. "Shiny. Familiar. Tied to me." He spoke as his eyes glowed.

"Well now. I wasn't expecting to clock one of my missing items so soon. If it's tied to you then it's gotta be my ring." I spoke as Tracer gave a nod.

Kaelen looked at Tracer then to me. "Tracer can sense your lost items? That's handy."

"Just the ones I have created. It's very similar to him being able to find me regardless of my location. He's able to see my magical signature. Regardless of if it's my Wizardry or Sorcery." I answered as we sat at the grace in the middle of the town.

"So, what does this ring do?" Garin asked as he set his shield down.

"A couple of things tied to the spell: Find Familiar. Allows it to be cast at a moment's notice rather than an hour. Allows it to be cast without material costs. But the real benefit is from the Ring's capacity to treat Find Familiar as a mastery ranked spell." I explained as I pulled another tome from my Bag of Holding.

Kaelen was resetting his leather Gauntlets. "Wait, what are mastery ranks for spells?"

"It's a means to accurately to accurately judge a mages intrinsic understanding and personal connection with a given spell. Spell Masteries go up to rank five and spells of higher Tiers take longer to master." Tracer spoke with the cadence of one of my former instructors.

"So casting a spell over and over grants mastery?" Garin asked as he looked at me.

"Not exactly, casting it the way it's supposed to is not going to do a whole lot. But with intent to understand it from the foundation and restructure it. That's where the new roots take hold. Both through study and field use." I spoke up as I cast Produce Flame, then caused the flames to compress and burn quietly. Reducing the light it gives while making it notably hotter.

"This one for example, Produce Flames." I started as it flared into a palm sized orb of flames.

"It's the spell Y'vel has had the longest time with. And as a result it is at Mastery rank five, which is the highest a spell can get. He can use it to temporarily blind or stun opponents, increase his movement and attack speeds, cause his attacks to deal additional fire damage, and as the capstone of tier five Produce Flame's fire ignores resistance to fire damage and treats immunity as resistance." Tracer spoke as he took his spot on my shoulder.

Kaelen and Garin took in their words. Spell masteries can make a simple torch equivalent spell this versatile. "So with the ring Tracer senses, the spell Find Familiar can do a lot more than what's on the label. That could be really bad." Kaelen added as I absorbed the runes I just got.

"That sounds like it'll be worth the detour. Did anything else happen to fall through with you Y'vel?" Garin asked

"Unfortunately, my Cloak of Protection, Gauntlets of Ogre Power, and my two wands of magic missiles." I say as Tracer flew back up to see if he could sense them. "Cloak of protection, self explanatory. While being worn it slightly increases defenses as a whole. my two wands much like my ring, hold a spell in them. The spell magic missile is an auto hit spell that deals low damage. And probably the most troublesome is my Gauntlets of Ogre power. They augment your strength and can make anyone able to match an Ogre in strength."

"Those all seem incredibly useful. And dangerous in the wrong hands." Garin spoke as he looked over his map.

"Being able to hit things instantly. But this raises another question. What is an Ogre?" Kaelen asked.

"They are the weakest of giantkin, only measuring in at around 10 feet tall. Super aggressive to anything smaller than it. Any slight can set them off. Not the sharpest, and they have breathtaking anger issues. All around Ugly and stinky typically." I rattle off and cast minor illusion to give a general idea of what one looks like.

Kaelen inspected the brute and gave a nod. "Big dumb and violent got it. Any notable weaknesses?" He asked as his gaze came back to me.

"Getting out numbered is a death sentence for anyone who can only target one thing at a time. Their lack of brains makes them predictable. Take out their ankles and stay moving if you're in melee. At range be on the lookout for rocks it might throw. They are still Giants so don't get grabbed." I continue as I let the illusion fade. "Though unless more rifts appear in my home world. I doubt we'll have to put one down."

Garin got up and grabbed his spear and shield. "Better to be ready than not. Let's move. Faster we get your magic items the less likely we are to have some gutsy soldier or mage to deal with." He said getting nods from Kaelen and I.

The three of us set off back eastward. "Well now, you two got your answers from me. What about the two of you? What's your story?" I asked the two of them as I sent Tracer ahead to give us a heads up for any soldiers incoming.

Kaelen and Garin shared a glance before Kaelen answered. "We are from a land across the waves, neighboring the land of reeds. We're both warriors of the same land. Garin took me under his tutelage when I was a boy. We came here to the Lands Between together, answering the call of grace."

"A call few get, and even fewer understand." Garin added.

"Sounds like a tall order to fill." I spoke as my gaze settled on the gilded grand tree.

"Indeed it is lad. It's a duty, grace doesn't come without purpose. All that it marks, for better or worse, are eligible to claim the Elden Ring." Garin continued with a measured tone that made his words all the more weighty.

"Sure we are aiming for the throne. But we're not doing it for personal reasons. But to make sure a fit Lord rises." Kaelen spoke as he twirled a bone dart between his fingers before continuing. "What's left of these lands is a broken thing. And the wrong person rising to power will only make it worse."

Garin nodded as Kaelen spoke, his normal gung ho nature giving way to a more tempered disposition. "Aye, and if we must… Either of us will claim the throne to ensure that does not come to pass."

I gave an understanding nod as nightfall crept upon us. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the golden hues of the Lands Between gave way to deep purples and blues. Shadows stretched long over the cracked roads, and the distant howls of wolves signaled the coming of night. The dark canvas of the night sky still alight with plenty of stars, the moon and the golden glow of the Erdtree.

Kaelen stretched his arms over his head. "We should set up camp. We'll want to rest before heading out at first light."

Garin nodded, already scanning the area for a suitable spot. "There. Off the road, near the tree line."

I followed their gaze and nodded. It was a small clearing, shielded on one side by a rocky outcrop. Enough space for a fire, but still hidden from prying eyes.

As we made our way over, I reached into my Cloak of Useful Items and pulled free a simple canvas tent, tossing it onto the ground with a flourish. Kaelen and Garin both paused, eyes locked on the sudden appearance of supplies.

Kaelen pointed. "What in the hells was that?"

I smirked. "Cloak of Useful Items. Good for holding items till you need them"

Garin gave a slow nod, as if mentally filing away this information. "Convenient."

Tracer fluttered down from above, landing on a low-hanging branch. "He could've pulled out a whole rowboat if he wanted."

Kaelen's expression twisted in disbelief. "You're lying."

I grinned. "Am I?"

Kaelen opened his mouth, then shook his head. "I'm not even going to ask."

Garin, ever practical, was already gathering firewood while I ignited the campfire with a flick of my fingers. The small flames crackled to life, casting flickering light over the three of us as the night settled in.

As the fire warmed the cool evening air, I leaned back against a fallen log. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

Kaelen unsheathed his sword, inspecting the edge. "We keep moving north-east. Your lost magic items are our priority."

I nodded. "Tracer caught wind of another one of my missing possessions. Cloak of Protection."

Tracer preened his feathers. "And I'd very much like it back."

Garin sat with a heavy sigh. "If this magic of yours is as dangerous as you say, best we don't leave it lying around for just anyone to find."

I smiled. "Glad we're in agreement."

The three of us fell into a quiet rhythm, the fire crackling between us as the stars blinked to life above. It had been an eventful day, and tomorrow would be the same.