"Have the men head into the forest beside the Gatefront town. I'll wait for you there."
"Understood."
After purchasing a map of Limgrave in town, Mohg made his exit. The map wasn't particularly detailed; many of Limgrave's geographical nuances and specific landmarks were left unmarked. It only highlighted the more prominent large settlements, but for his current purposes, it sufficed.
He was slightly surprised to see a village and a small town indicated behind the adjacent forest. To be honest, he hadn't expected there to be so much usable space in that region.
If that's the case... this forest in front of me might be significantly larger than the one in my memory...
Not long after officially stepping into the woods, Mohg confirmed his suspicion. This was especially true after he hugged the cliffside for a considerable distance before finally spotting the mouth of a cavern.
In his memory, this was the Groveside Cave.
Judging by the surroundings, there were few signs of human activity in the forest. He could only spot the occasional footprint of a hunter and a single, deliberately cleared path cutting through the trees.
As for the cave itself...
Mohg squinted as he approached the entrance. Feeling a cold draft wafting out from the depths, he leaned in and caught the scent.
He quickly identified the smell of wolves and humans, along with the stench of blood and decay. But beneath those, there was a familiar odor—one he had encountered and killed with his own hands before. It was the scent of a Beastman of Farum Azula.
"There are Beastmen here this early...?"
Mohg furrowed his brow slightly. Based on the scent, their numbers weren't large—perhaps two or so, certainly no more than four.
Given the murky relationship between Stormveil and the Ancient Dragon cult, the presence of Beastmen here wasn't entirely inconceivable.
However... Mohg had no intention of letting them live out their days in peace.
Beastman blood served as an excellent sacrifice and a superb material for gathering spiritual essence. Besides, there was a bit of a grudge between their kinds... Mohg couldn't find a single reason to let them go.
Unless, of course, they surrendered (not that he expected them to).
With a wave of his hand to mask his presence, Mohg stepped directly into the cave.
Thanks to his eyes, he didn't need to cast Starlight to navigate the pitch-black tunnel. Soon, he sensed the presence of wolves. Several points of eerie green light flickered to life around him—the eyes of Stormwolves.
In an instant, the crest of the Blood Lord glowed, and several droplets of blood coalesced in mid-air.
Mohg glanced at the pack gradually encircling him and gave a casual flick of his wrist. The blood beads transformed into crimson arrows, whistling through the air.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
There were no whimpers, only the sound of bodies hitting the ground. The thickening scent of blood told the story of the wolves' end.
With a simple beckoning motion, Mohg gathered the wolf blood pooling on the floor, forming a churning sphere of gore in his palm. Only then did he continue deeper into the cave.
The path was now littered with the bones of various creatures. Mohg even spotted human remains that hadn't been fully picked clean.
Given the proximity, Count Nibla couldn't possibly be ignorant of what was happening here. Yet, he hadn't sent anyone to clear the threat.
To Mohg, this spoke volumes.
Either this was something sanctioned by the upper echelons of Stormveil, or it was Nibla's own private venture. Mohg leaned toward the latter; there was no need to choose such a secluded spot to keep Beastmen otherwise.
It seemed he was stepping on someone's toes.
Mohg couldn't help but smile. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd been an obstacle in someone else's path.
"Oh, here we are... Hm? Five of them?"
Passing through a narrow opening into a massive cavern, Mohg watched as five Beastmen lunged to their feet, snarling at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"It seems this current body is still affecting my senses slightly..."
Mohg rubbed his chin. At that moment, one of the Beastmen lost its patience. With a guttural roar, it leaped high into the air, slashing its claws toward Mohg's head.
Mohg watched it approach, his hand forming a blade-like edge. The sphere of blood he had been holding suddenly detonated.
A sound like a violent hiss filled the cave, followed by a spray of crimson rain and the sight of the Beastman being cleaved perfectly in two.
"ROAR!"
Seeing their kin fall, the remaining four Beastmen let out a furious cry. They blurred into motion like leopards, pouncing toward Mohg from multiple directions.
Mohg narrowed his eyes and reached into the reformed sphere of blood.
As his fingers gripped tight, the greatsword given to him by Rellana materialized in his hand.
In the next heartbeat, a silver arc of light flashed through the darkness. Followed by the heavy thuds of falling meat, the Beastmen that had leaped at him were all decapitated in a single sweep.
Their blood gathered at Mohg's feet, forming a small pool.
Just as Mohg prepared to put away his weapon and collect the essence, the sound of rushing air erupted from behind him.
Without looking back, Mohg swung the greatsword behind him to parry. The sheer force of the incoming strike caught him off guard, making him stagger as he nearly lost his footing.
He quickly adjusted his stance, using the weight of the sword and a specialized footwork pattern to shed the momentum before spinning around to face his attacker.
A Beastman, significantly larger than the ones he had just slain, stepped slowly out of the shadows. It possessed a thick mane and wore pieces of light armor. The weapon that had just struck him—a massive curved cleaver—flew back into its hand.
The creature bared its teeth at him.
Mohg felt a flash of irritation. It appeared the limitations of this vessel were a bigger hindrance than he had anticipated.
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (383 Chapters – Ongoing)
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