"Even if you say that, we still don't actually know where the Leyndell Catacombs are located."
The two had already returned from the bottom of the Shunning-Grounds to the Underground Roadside. They were currently standing atop a pipe, looking down and conversing as they had before. As for Mohg's previous suggestion... after a great deal of internal struggle, Morgott had finally agreed.
As Mohg had argued, the threat of the Frenzied Flame was simply too great to ignore. Furthermore, given the sheer defensive power of the Leyndell Catacombs, they weren't exactly something a common grave robber could just waltz into; only elite, powerful syndicates stood a chance of actually looting anything. Since such powerful groups would likely find the entrance whether the twins exposed it or not, it didn't really matter in the long run.
"Actually, it's right behind that wall," Mohg said, pointing calmly to a section of the wall not far off.
"Huh?"
Morgott was stunned. Are you serious, brother? I haven't even gotten my bearings yet, and you've already found it? Did you cheat or something?
"I'm serious. If you look at the structural map, most areas are filled with small water pipes, but that specific section is completely empty. I found it suspicious, so I went and tapped on it. The wall is hollow."
"Truly?"
Morgott looked at Mohg with blatant suspicion. His eyes practically screamed doubt. Mohg met his gaze and nodded solemnly.
"Truly."
Seeing Mohg so certain, Morgott finally accepted that the Leyndell Catacombs were hidden there. Mohg breathed a mental sigh of relief. In reality, his entire explanation was a fabrication... there was no "pipe analysis" or "deductive reasoning." He simply knew the catacombs were there because he remembered them from the game.
"What now? Do we just start hacking it open?" Morgott asked, pointing to the spot Mohg had indicated.
"That's one way. Another would be to lure a Giant Crayfish over to smash it for us, though that's a bit high-risk. Or we could find a gang of grave robbers and 'leak' the location to them."
"Finding them is too much trouble. Let's just head down and dig it out ourselves."
Morgott waved off the more dangerous and complicated suggestions, choosing the "self-reliance" route.
"Fine... but before we start, let's find some tools."
Morgott had no objections to that. Shortly thereafter, the "Omen Miner Twins" were born—one armed with a rusted cleaver, the other with a rusted shovel.
"Can these things really break through a wall?"
"The tools might not, but I'm certain we can," Mohg replied with a shrug. He raised his rusted cleaver and brought it down hard against the wall.
CLANG! VWOOM—
"Ow! Damn!"
The vibration sent a numbing shock through Mohg's arm, making his whole body shudder. Fortunately, beyond the initial tremor, he was fine.
"That was loud. We'd better be quick."
"Mm."
Mohg glanced toward a patch of sludge in the distance where a Giant Crayfish was likely lurking. Sure enough, a massive crustacean was already perched atop a mound of muck, idly eating something. Luckily, the creature hadn't noticed them yet—or perhaps it just hadn't found them interesting enough to attack. If it had, Mohg would have grabbed Morgott and bolted immediately.
Meanwhile, at the pipe where Mohg and his brother had first emerged, a new group of visitors arrived. They, too, were grave robbers, but they were worlds apart from the rabble Mohg had encountered previously.
There was a warrior in heavy plate armor who moved with surprising grace; a ranger with twin curved swords at his waist and a longbow on his back; and a warrior-priest in light armor carrying a mace, clutching a sacred seal of an indistinguishable design. Behind them stood a final figure: a sorcerer draped in robes, wearing a glintstone glintstone crown.
The sorcerer slowly raised his glintstone staff. A soft, blue-green light radiated outward, illuminating the gloom.
"Ah... you've really led me to a wonderful place, haven't you?"
Hearing the sorcerer's sarcasm, the heavy warrior in the lead shrugged.
"Don't be like that, Ripp. You agreed to come of your own free will."
"Sigh..."
Ripp, the sorcerer, let out a long, weary breath. To be honest, he hadn't been particularly interested in the Leyndell Catacombs. But he was currently conducting a new line of research that required massive funding—and being a sorcerer was an incredibly expensive endeavor.
Moreover, he harbored a slight academic interest in Omen-kind. That was why he had begrudgingly accepted his companions' invitation. In his mind, there was likely nothing in the sewers that could truly threaten them; the only real danger would be the guardians within the catacombs themselves.
"Hmm?"
"Find something, Edwin?" the heavy warrior asked, stepping beside the ranger.
"I think so... Someone was here before us. No, not a person. These tracks look like they belong to Omens—younger ones, not yet fully grown."
"That's normal enough. Younger Omens from the lower levels are always coming up here to challenge the adults for territory," Kellot, the heavy warrior, said with a dismissive wave. "No need to worry about it, Edwin."
"If they were ordinary Omens, I wouldn't care. But these two are clearly... different," Bohr, the dual-wielder, said as he stepped to the edge of the ledge and looked down.
"Oh?"
Ripp's interest was piqued. He walked over to Bohr's side, peering down into the darkness. He cast a Starlight spell down into the abyss. As the magic drifted down, the fading light allowed them to see the area below more clearly.
"Is that... fire?"
"Mm. And I can sense the residue of Incantation power," Bohr added.
"Now that... is actually quite exciting," Ripp's tone gradually shifted from boredom to genuine intrigue.
"I've been meaning to ask: as a believer in the Erdtree, are you really okay with helping us rob a grave? Is that allowed, Bohr?" Edwin asked with a playful, mocking grin, patting the mace-wielder on the shoulder.
Bohr silently brushed Edwin's hand away.
"I've told you many times—I have yet to find my true faith. The Erdtree's beliefs and incantations are merely tools for me right now."
"How cold... after all these years of performing the rites and rituals."
Bohr didn't react to Edwin's jab, maintaining his usual, stoic expression. He had always been this way; very few things could cause his emotions to flicker, a fact that often left him feeling strangely empty.
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (202 Chapters – Ongoing)
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