The Pursuer dashed towards us with his sword raised, I quickly pushed Rennala away, and the Pursuer's sword hit the ground between us.
I thrust my sword aiming at the Pursuer's head, but he stomped the ground, floating backward with the strength of his kick.
"This man doesn't give up in trying killing you, does he?" Godwyn said.
"Yes, but he stopped being a concern and became a nuisance a long time ago." I replied, 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 and putting out the fire.
"Was that a war ash?"
"You can bet." Godwyn answered.
"Honey, who is this man?" Rennala asked, getting to her feet.
"He is the Pursuer; he has been trying to kill me for some time now." I replied to the Queen.
The Pursuer sheathed his sword and drew a halberd from the weapons quiver on his back, and then, swung the halberd above his head and leaped with a gust of wind.
The Pursuer dived towards me. I rolled away, and when the Pursuer's blow hit the ground, a gust of wind was released.
"He what?!? How dare he try to hurt you?!?" Rennala exclaimed, casting a line of crystals and firing them at the Pursuer.
The Pursuer was caught off guard, not expecting Rennala to join the fight; and was pierced through the chest repeatedly by the barrage; black smoke coming from where the crystals stuck.
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 approached, I parried his blow with my sword, making him lose his balance.
I saw Rennala cast a mass of crystals, exploding towards the Pursuer right after, but he raised his shield, protect himself.
The Pursuer regained his footing and thrust the halberd through the opening in his shield.
We stepped out of the way. Rennala floating to the side, casting spells, towards the Pursuer.
The Pursuer floated through the library, dodging and evading the spells, but that left him open to my own.
I cast Crystal Soul Spear and hit the distracted Pursuer, creating a magic explosions followed by a dust cloud, however, I saw 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 floated quickly towards me, trying to pierce my heart. I blocked the blow with my sword, but the strength behind it was enough to make my feet slide across the room.
The Pursuer held the spear with both hands and spun it above his head, before trying to pierce me repeatedly.
One step to the left, two to the right, one back and left again, I dodged the barrage of attacks, and blow after blow, the Pursuer missed them all.
In one particular attack, I dodged the spear and spun my body, advancing towards the Pursuer, when I got close enough; I aimed my flame at his head and used Great Combustion.
A flaming blast came from my hand, covering the Pursuer's head with fire and smoke, forcing him back.
Simultaneously Rennala cast a spells barrage towards the Pursuer, but he recovered from my attack and released another gust of wind with his shield, sending the spells away.
The Pursuer backed away again and sheathed his spear and shield, then drew a katana and a repeating crossbow from his weapons quiver.
The Pursuer aimed the crossbow at Rennala and fired several darts. Rennala floated across the library dodging it, but the Pursuer followed her movements, still firing and forcing Rennala to keep dodging.
I ran towards the Pursuer with my swords raised, trying to cut him as I approached, but the Pursuer blocked my attack with his katana. However, I managed to get his attention away from Rennala,
The Pursuer and I exchanged blows, slash after slash, cut after cut, we stayed in an impasse, our blades clashing at each other. Unexpectedly, the Pursuer aimed his crossbow at my leg and fired.
"AAAHHH!" I screamed in pain as the darts pierced my foot, shin, and knee.
I used most of my strength to keep myself on my feet, but due to that, I received a quick cut in the chest, leaving a bloodied wound.
The Pursuer tried to cut me again, but Rennala, who pierced the Pursuer's back with a series of crystals, saved me.
That gave me time to back away, but the Pursuer aimed his crossbow at me, however, I was faster and I rolled away as the darts that pierced the ground.
The Pursuer didn't stop his assault and lunged towards me, his katana raised, ready to strike me down. I raised my sword, ready to block the blow. However, Rennala staff flew quickly and hit the Pursuer in the side of the head, making him miss his attack.
This distracted the Pursuer long enough for me to slash him in the chest, leaving a large gash spilling smoke, simultaneously; Rennala hit the Pursuer with a spell, ripping of part of his armor.
We danced around the Pursuer; I slashed him repeatedly across his body, cutting his armor's steel and the flesh beneath, leaving a series of wounds spiting smoke into the room.
Before the Pursuer could react, Rennala hit him with a blast of crystals, spells after spells; the Pursuer looked as a pincushion covered in shinning crystals.
In an opening, the Pursuer aimed his crossbow at Rennala and fired the darts, but Rennala gracefully floated out of the way, allowing the darts to hit the shelves behind her.
With that distraction, I held chime and cast Dragonmaw, I floated and the manifesting dragon's head bit the Pursuer on his arm with a metallic crunch of broken steel and bone.
The Pursuer dropped his crossbow, his mangled arm now useless. When that happened, Rennala pointed her staff at the Pursuer accumulated magic in its tip.
Nevertheless, the Pursuer was faster; he dropped his katana to the ground and drew a spear from its quiver, hurling it towards Rennala.
The spear flew in great speed, looking as a blur. Piercing Rennala on her shoulder and pinning her to a bookshelf.
"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 in my moment of distraction, the Pursuer hit me with the back of his hand, pushing me back.
Quickly, the Pursuer picked up his katana with one hand, sheathed it, and quickly unsheathed it, trying to cut me from top to bottom.
I raised my sword sideways and blocked the blow, using both hands to endure the strength behind the attack.
The Pursuer raised his mangled arm and tried to use it as a club, trying to crush me with it.
I rolled backwards, and the strength of the Pursuer's blow was cracked the library floor.
When I walked away, the Pursuer exchanged his katana for his Ultra Greatsword and stuck it in the ground. A purple magic circle appeared around him and I was suddenly pulled towards him.
The Pursuer pulled his mangled arm back and hit me in the head with it. With a loud metallic noise of our armors colliding, I was thrown backward.
However, 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 my helmet dented with each blow, my bones creaked with each impact, and blood tricked from my mouth and nose.
I was pulled back once more, I noticed the Pursuer with his arm drawn back, ready to strike me again, but suddenly, the Pursuer was hurled across the library by a powerful magic beam.
Looking to the side, I saw Rennala holding her injured shoulder and pointing her staff at the Pursuer, the spear lying on the floor beside her. The spell was so strong that the Pursuer crossed the library and slammed his back into a bookshelf.
"Stay away from him!" Rennala screamed, casting her spell once more.
The Pursuer stood up, raised his shield with his remaining arm and planted his feet on the floor, ready to block the spell.
However, the power behind Rennala attack was such that the Pursuer broke the bookshelf, being slowly pushed back, his feet dragging huge lines across 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 cast Forbidden Sun, a gigantic fireball formed at the palm of my hand, illuminating the room, melting and burning everything close to me.
Then, I hurled it at the Pursuer. The fireball left a path of destruction in its way and hit the pursuer square on, creating a large flaming explosion.
The explosion threw the Pursuer back, destroying a series of bookshelves behind him and slamming his back into the library wall.
The Pursuer tried to get up, but I cast Flame Swathe repeatedly, explosion after explosion, the Pursuer's armor turned red from the heat, and the wall behind him cracked more and more.
"You are expelled from my academy!" Rennala screamed, casting another magic beam 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 left by the spells, 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 returned, we saw it carrying the Pursuer in its talons, and then 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 escaping when he's losing a fight." Godwyn said angrily.
"If it weren't for that damn bird..."
"Honey, are you okay?" Rennala asked, holding her injured shoulder.
"I should be the one asking, Lady Rennala."
"I told you, you don't need to be so formal with me, darling. But I'm fine." Rennala said, smiling painfully.
"Nonsense let me heal you." I held my chime and cast some healing miracles on both of us.
"Are these incantations new? I don't recall seeing you use them before." Renna asked.
"These are not incantations; they are miracles, Lady Rennala."
"And what is the difference?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but closed it soon after and thought for a minute. What is the difference? Both use faith, both use an item that works with faith, and both tell stories of past events and legends. There is no 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 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.
"How? 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 have been using spells for a long time, the Lands Between are in a tough situation, so I decided to expand my arsenal. I found some teachers, and turns out that I have a talent for it."
I looked at Rennala as I finished my excuse. She stared at me seriously for a few seconds, and it still surprised me how tall she was. 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 smiled.
"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 me." Rennala said, hugging 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 if should I ever want to learn a new spell."
"You can't imagine how happy this makes me. However, I have another question. What do you mean the Lands Between are in a tough situation?"
"Well…"
I looked at Godwyn, and Godwyn nodded.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but..."
"But?" Rennala asked.
"Marika shattered the Elden Ring and then disappeared, certain people got the shards in the form of great runes, and the Lands Between are in a 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 and blinking very slowly.
"She what?" Rennala asked calmly.
"She shattered the Elden Ring."
Rennala grip her staff tightly; I could hear the wood creaking. Rennala took a deep breath and just as calmly as before, she said.
"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 shatters that accursed Elden Ring she loved so much?!?"
"Lady Rennala, please reconsider, even if you try it, the great lift isn't 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 it, 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 saying the last part.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Godwyn sighting relieved.
"Where I'll also try to get the great rune." I corrected myself.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's search the medallion and the great runes." Rennala said, pulling 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 ourselves.
-XXXXXX-
"Hello! I'm back!" I greeted the inhabitants of the Round Table.
"Welcome/Nice to see you again/I'm glad you're fine."
I was received by a series of replies from D, Corhyn, and Diallos.
"And I didn't come alone, I also brought Rennala." I pointed to the grace and Rennala appeared.
"Greetings everyone." Rennala said, emerging from Grace.
"RENNALA?!?" They screamed.
"I don't think we've met, you must be friends with my darling." Rennala said, hugging my arm.
"DARLING?!?" The three screamed again.
I ignored the screams and walked to Gideon's office.
"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 found the all-knowing inside, his face buried in a parchment.
"Gideon." I called him.
"Oh! I see you're back, any news?" Gideon asked, without looking away from the parchment.
I showed him the second great rune, and this caught his attention, making him 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 isn't working."
"I know, and is truly a shame, a hindrance indeed. Do you have the medallion?"
"Only half of it. 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 sighed.
"Honey, are you done yet?" Rennala asked, 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, waving at Gideon.
"DARLING?!? You disappoint me Alden." Gideon replied, 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, pointing his staff at me.
"Listen…"
"I don't want to hear your excuses! I won't question your tastes as long as you stay focused on your goal."
Well, Gideon doesn't want to talk me anymore; I left the room with Rennala accompanying me.
"Tarnished? So all of those gathered here lost their grace similar to Godfrey?" Rennala asked.
"Yes. The war reached a stalemate and the tarnished were called back by grace to give an end to it and repair the Elden Ring."
"The Greater Will must be without option to allow it in the first place."
"I agree, but we'll have to get used to it. Come on, I have to talk to Enia."
We arrived at the Two Fingers room a few minutes later.
"Hello, Enia." I greeted the old woman.
"Oh! Look at that! The little tarnished has returned." Enia said amusedly.
"Yes, and I brought this." I said, showing the great rune.
"I had my doubts, but… my, look at you. Only once before I saw two Great Runes together. Look over there, the Fingers tremble with exuberance." Enia said, pointed at the fingers.
I still don't understand how she manages to communicate with those disgusting fingers. Glancing to the side, I saw Rennala giving the Two Fingers a disgusted look.
"I don't like this." Rennala whispered through clenched teeth.
"Neither do I, but I've 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, handing 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, but after the shattering of the Elden Ring, she was imprisoned in the Erdtree. A severe punishment for destroying the Order, despite her divinity. The Fingers Speak... "Marika's transgression called for a heavy sentence. However, 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… Therefore, 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 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. Becoming Marika's consort. I have no interest in becoming Elden Lord, much less marrying someone.
I'm just on this journey to help Melina and Godwyn. In addition, if I marry Marika does that mean I'll become Godwyn's stepdad? Will I have a ghost son? And Radagon? Wouldn't he try to kill me for trying to marry his current wife?
Without speaking, of course… 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? However, I have no better choice…
"No need to worry darling, I only have eyes for you."
"AW! I knew you would choose me over her." Rennala hugged me.
When I got out of her embrace, we walked to Hewg forge; I saw Roderika and him in their usual places.
"You are fine, this brings me relief." Roderika said upon seeing me.
"No need to worry, it takes a lot to get me down."
"HAHA! Moreover, I see that you are not alone. Who could that woman be?"
"Roderika, meet Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon." I said, introducing the Queen in question.
"Greetings, young lady." Rennala smiled.
"QUEEN?!? I am very sorry for my disregard, majesty!" Roderika said, bowing down.
"I'm sorry majesty, if I'd known you were coming, I would have cleaned up my forge." Hewg said, trying to bow, but his chain wouldn't allow it.
"Please stand up; there is no need for this. You are friends of my darling, are you not?"
"Darling?" Hewg and Roderika asked.
"It's a long story." I sighed.
"I… I understand. Would you like me to tune your spirits?" Roderika asked me, trying to change the subject.
"Yes please." I said, handing 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, working on the sword.
"What kind of bell?"
"I don't remember the name exactly, but there are bells that allow you to contact the spirits 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 on 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 said, returning my Uchigatana.
"Can you put this ash of war on the sword for me?"
"Of course."
When Hewg was done, tested the ash of war. I unsheathed my Uchigatana and placed the blade on the palm of my other hand; I slashed it, cutting my hand in the process and hurling a blade of blood forward.
"Thanks Hewg." I bowed respectfully and Hewg nodded.
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 follow you around."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You don't 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. In addition, another one looks like… A giant frog with a human face?"
Can she see the notable enemies I've defeated? However, 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 spirit tuning, keep it up, and soon you'll become a master at it."
"Thank you Alden. I wish you a safe journey."
Giving a final goodbye to Roderika and Hewg, 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 that something was wrong, D, Corhyn, and Diallos were staring at me intensely.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"No, I just didn't know you were that kind of man." D spoke.
"HAHAHA!" Godwyn laughed.
"What do you mean?"
"Taking advantage of this poor woman's broken heart. You don't have shame?" Corhyn said.
"HAHAHA!" Godwyn kept laughing.
"My house has stories about it, after all, the nobility is full of intrigue, but I didn't expect that to be your taste. Going after a divorced woman." Diallos said.
"Wait!"
"What is there to explain? Does your lust know no bounds? Going after a fragile maiden!" D spoke.
Rennala is everything but fragile.
"My opinion of you couldn't 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 and pulled her toward the grace.
"Dear wait!"
Then we transported ourselves away from here.
END OF THE CHAPTER