After savoring the sensation of collecting souls within his body once more, Gawain felt a twinge of regret. Without a Fire Keeper, even if he possessed masterless souls, he had no way to convert them into personal strength. Since that was the case, he decided to simply burn them.
As he cast the souls into the Embers within him, the fire flared more brightly than before. He felt his capacity to manifest items from his inventory expand. After a moment's thought, he chose to materialize his Estus Flask and a single Ember. These two items were his top priorities; they would be the difference between life and death in a crisis.
After draining the liquid from the Estus Flask, Gawain finally felt restored to full health. The lingering sense of weakness vanished. As he stowed the remaining Ember back into his mental space, he began to understand a few more things—some of which were good news, while others were decidedly bad.
The bad news was that the number of Embers in his inventory was strictly limited. Once he used up the stack of 99, his reserves would be gone.
Wait, he thought, did I actually farm this many Embers before? The quantity felt a bit off, but he didn't dwell on it. As long as they worked, it didn't matter.
The good news was that this limitation only applied to the Embers themselves. For other items, like the Estus Flask, he could use his internal Ember energy to replenish them. As for how to replenish that energy? He would just have to burn the souls of the enemies who came seeking their own deaths.
The only remaining issue was that a portion of his inventory remained obscured. For instance, the Boss Souls he had collected and the Souls of Great Heroes were currently inaccessible. Perhaps he would need to find specific catalysts in the future to unlock and manifest those items.
"So, I've basically become a walking First Flame? The First Flame can create anything, but it needs souls as fuel to keep burning."
On the bright side, the Lands Between didn't require a First Flame to keep the world running. Theoretically, the Ember within him could supply his personal needs indefinitely, provided he kept it fed.
Now, he had to consider how to use this surplus energy most effectively. If managed correctly, he believed he could give the demigods of the Lands Between a "taste of the First Flame." The power his internal Embers could unleash was beyond imagination.
Gawain stood at the edge of the cliff at the Chapel of Anticipation, looking down at the sea below. He knew he wasn't the same "water-soluble" Ashen One from the game mechanics. In fact, he had swum through the sewers of Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and shared "intimate moments" with those long-haired "Sewer Centipedes" (which mostly involved getting horribly poisoned). Still, jumping from this height was a bit much. Unfortunately, there were no other paths forward.
"Take the plunge. You won't die."
Muttering Slave Knight Gael's message from the Ringed City to himself, he closed his eyes and leapt. As he rapidly approached the water's surface, a violent burst of Ember energy erupted from his body, acting as a counter-thrust that slowed his descent just enough before he slammed into the waves.
Despite the deceleration, the impact was violent enough to knock him unconscious. His body drifted with the tides. Unbeknownst to him, a sudden, fierce storm whipped up across the previously calm sea, washing him onto the shoreline.
After an unknown amount of time, a cloaked figure riding a horse slowly approached Gawain's position. The large steed, covered in grayish-white fur, let out a snort, signaling it had found its target. Unlike an ordinary horse, a pair of magnificent horns grew from its head.
The cloaked figure drew closer. After a careful inspection, she let out a sigh of relief and turned to the steed.
"Do not worry, Torrent. Fortune is on his side. We have finally found him. I can feel it... this man is surely seeking the Elden Ring, even if doing so means turning his back on the Golden Order. And for that ancient soul to have helped him escape his plight... he truly has the potential to become Lord. For now, let us depart."
The figure on Torrent left the area. She wanted to observe a little longer. The next time they met, it would be time to discuss terms.
Gawain woke with a groan, his entire body aching. Jumping from that height really did suck. He saw that his health bar was nearly empty. Fortunately, he was wearing the Silvercat Ring Sirris had given him, which had mitigated as much fall damage as possible. He quickly took a swig of Estus to recover.
Was I dreaming? he wondered. He felt like he had heard Company Captain Yorshka whispering in his ear.
As he stood up, he realized he was down to nothing but a loincloth. Strewn around him were the shattered fragments of his gear. The Fallen Knight armor had already been severely damaged in his previous battles; the fact that it had survived a full five-hit combo from the Soul of Cinder was a miracle. This final impact had reduced it to scrap metal beyond repair.
Though he looked quite unrefined, Gawain stood up unbathered, clutching his Broadsword. He didn't want to waste his precious Embers manifesting a new set of clothes. He could probably scavenge something nearby—or, failing that, strip a set off a guard at the Gatefront Ruins.
It was a joke compared to what he'd been through. He had started his transmigration as a Deprived, locked in a coffin with skeletons. He had rolled through the poisonous muck of Farron Keep to dodge the Ghru and traded "snacks" with the monstrosities in the fly-infested rooms of Ariandel. He had endured enough hardship that a little nudity wasn't going to break him.
Gawain found himself on a beach rather than in the Cave of Knowledge from the game. This seemed to be how the intended logic worked; after all, no tide was going to wash a person into a deep cave system. He just needed to find a way up.
He did a quick inventory. He used some tattered cloth from his broken armor to wrap up the Spirit Ashes he had found. Since he hadn't touched a Site of Grace yet, he couldn't use his Dark Souls style infinite bottomless box for local items. The things of the Lands Between weren't compatible with his internal storage yet—the storage was, after all, a manifestation of the residual First Flame power within him.
Slinging the makeshift bundle over his back, Gawain walked aimlessly along the shore, looking for a way out. It was late at night. Looking up, he could see the Dark Moon and the faint, golden radiance of something massive. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Erdtree.
The real Lands Between was far larger than he had imagined. Though he wanted to see how magnificent the Erdtree truly was, his view was completely blocked by the cliffs lining the coast. He had no choice but to keep moving.
Before long, Gawain spotted a campfire. Several figures were gathered around it, discussing something. He recognized them: Kaiden Mercenaries, a rare mounted unit. Born in the distant mountaintops, they fought alongside white wolves and had become popular hires during the Shattering.
He remembered that in the game, a lone Kaiden Mercenary usually patrolled this beach. Here, there were seven or eight of them. Since they were blocking his only path, there was no point in hiding. He decided to approach them.
The Lands Between wasn't like Dark Souls, where everyone was a mindless Hollow. In Lothric, you could barely find a sane soul to talk to. Here, many factions were still capable of reason. Even if they turned hostile, he could handle them—it would just be a waste of Embers.
As expected of mercenaries in a warring era, they were alert. Gawain was spotted while he was still a good distance away. A group of burly men stood up in unison, hands on their weapons. The man who appeared to be the leader frowned, sensing something, and signaled his companions to stand down. Gawain's "outfit" didn't look like a threat, so there was no need for immediate violence.
"Halt. Who are you?"
"Me?" Gawain replied. "I'm just an ordinary Ashen One. Or, if you prefer a term you're more familiar with, a Tarnished works too."
"A Tarnished, eh? No wonder you're in such a sorry state you've lost your clothes. Fine, come sit. I happen to have a set of Resident's Clothes no one wants. You can have them."
Gawain lowered his Broadsword. Hearing those words actually made him feel a bit touched. How many years had it been since he'd talked to a normal person who wasn't a Hollow or a boss? These men actually seemed friendly. They looked like they were troubled by something, so he felt he should offer a hand.
He found a spot near the fire and changed into the Resident's Clothes—which were filthy and of unknown origin. He couldn't help but sigh with relief at feeling like a normal person again, though his instinct as an Ashen One to throw himself into the bonfire was getting harder to suppress.
"You look like you're fretting over something," Gawain noted. "Care to share? I'm fairly confident in my abilities; perhaps I can help."
The lead mercenary thought for a moment before speaking the truth.
"I know you Tarnished are the descendants of warriors, so I see no harm in telling you. Ten days ago, a rebellion broke out at Castle Morne on the Weeping Peninsula. The situation is still unclear. We mercenaries were hired by Castellan Edgar. We were escorting a shipment of goods to Lord Godrick, and we didn't expect this to happen on our return trip. When Lord Godrick found out, he didn't send reinforcements. He just ordered the Bridge of Sacrifice to be sealed so the rebellion wouldn't spread. We've been stranded here ever since. As you can see, we don't plan on staying past tonight. We're going back to see what's happening."
Gawain was surprised. These mercenaries were planning something he hadn't expected.
His opinion of them rose instantly. In a place like the Lands Between, such loyalty was rare—especially when their current liege in Limgrave was someone as wretched as Godrick.
"You mercenaries have more honor than I expected. Fine, count me in. I'll go with you to settle the rebellion at Castle Morne."
Gawain's original plan was to head south anyway. The Weeping Peninsula was an inconspicuous place to start "leveling up." Taking on Stormveil Castle directly was still a bit too much for him. Moreover, he had now confirmed the current timeline.
His luck was good. He was likely going to arrive just as Irina was escaping toward the Bridge of Sacrifice. This time, he didn't want to see that poor girl meet her tragic end. And he knew that the rebellion was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.
"Honor? Perhaps. But mostly, we just want to live well," the leader replied. "The Castellan of Morne is a descendant of the Banished Knights. Like us, he hails from the mountaintops. His ancestors served the Storm Lord and became captives after their defeat. Our own ancestors followed the War Lord, who was subsequently hounded out of the Lands Between. We're kindred spirits, I suppose. The Castellan has always taken good care of us. If only to keep our benefactor, we have to go back and help."
Gawain accepted the explanation. The history between "Godrick the Grafted's" lineage and the "Storm Lord" was a long tale of mutual suffering, stretching from the mountaintops to the peninsula. The Storm Lord died, and soon after, Godfrey was hounded out of the Lands Between to be "put to the spear" in a distant land.
"I see. But I'm curious—why were you so patient in explaining all this to me?"
"I don't know," the mercenary admitted. "Maybe there's something about your scent that feels familiar. And those muscles... yes, stout and powerful. Truly robust. You have many scars, but I imagine those are the honors of your past battles."
Gawain instinctively crossed his arms over his chest. That sounded a bit weird. Is the next step "Bro, you smell so good"?
Pushing aside the strange thoughts, Gawain decided to get better acquainted with these mercenaries to facilitate his journey.
"You can call me Gawain. I consider myself a warrior who has seen a few 'big scenes.' If we run into danger, I'll do my part."
"Gawain, is it? You can call me Galvin. I hope you Tarnished are better fighters than I think, or I can't guarantee your safety. If you lose your life, don't blame me. Immortality is a privilege reserved for the people of Grace. It's late. Rest up; we head for the Bridge of Sacrifice at dawn. I know the guards there; they'll let us through."
Gawain spent the rest of the night learning the names of the other mercenaries. Generally speaking, because they had been employed by Edgar of Castle Morne for a long time, they were more like a private army than mere sellswords. In the game, one could often see caravans guarded by soldiers heading toward Stormveil; these men were likely part of that system.
His first night in the Lands Between passed quickly. He didn't feel much like sleeping. Instead, he spent the hours mapping out his future plans.
He had promised his dead Maiden he would become the Elden Lord, and he intended to keep that promise. However, he wouldn't follow the path laid out by the Two Fingers. He would move at his own pace.
This wasn't the hopeless world of Dark Souls. There, no matter how great the kingdom, they could only stare in despair as the flame faded, the curse spread, and the citizens became Hollows. A "Scholar of the First Sin" like Aldia, who could step outside the cycle, was a miracle that couldn't be replicated.
In the Lands Between, the concerns were more about what kind of "Order" the Elden Ring should represent and how to fending off meddling Outer Gods. This time, he didn't plan to act as a lone wolf with only one or two companions. He wanted to gradually build an order that functioned for the living beings of this world—an order free from the control of the Two Fingers.
Gawain knew it would be difficult. But he had fought his way from the Cemetery of Ash to the Ringed City. The Lands Between would just be another journey. And this time, he could actually achieve a "good ending" instead of watching everyone around him lose their minds and turn into Hollows.
────────────────────────────────────────
🔥 Want more chapters & early access?
Support me here:
👉 https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
✨ Get:
• Early access chapters
• Full access to all released chapters
• Support the story you love ❤️
📖 Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────