Standing up, Gawain realized that his current location differed vastly from the Roundtable Hold in his memory. If he had to describe it, it was as if the entire building of the original Roundtable Hold from the Royal Capital had been replicated here—and in an upscaled, "plus-sized" version.
He thought back to the Roundtable Hold's location on the game's map. Theoretically, he was now at the bottom-left corner of the southwest, in a place far removed from the continent, where the sanctuary for the Tarnished had been established.
Perhaps the members of the original Roundtable Hold had used the power of the Two Fingers, employing some special method to project the Hold from the Royal Capital into a space that no one could find unless invited.
However, based on evidence from the game, this place was still a product derived from the old Hold; otherwise, when the Capital burned in the late game, the Roundtable Hold wouldn't have started burning from the inside as well.
If the Roundtable Hold in the game was merely the interior space of a small two-story villa, the reality was a complete castle. Countless Tarnished were currently bustling in and out of the area.
Where Gawain stood now seemed to be the default arrival point for newly invited "noobs." Before him was a relatively open plaza. Following the stairs to the second floor would likely lead to the actual Table of Lost Grace—the core of the Hold.
This layout actually made sense. The "Tarnished" was a collective term for the warriors who had followed Godfrey, were stripped of their Grace, and were banished from the Lands Between. Aside from the original generation who were resurrected by the return of Grace, their descendants born outside the Lands Between were also considered Tarnished.
This was why Margit referred to the protagonist as a "descendant of warriors." Theoretically, the number of Tarnished had grown quite large before they were summoned back. Even now, there were likely still Tarnished crossing the Fog and arriving.
Considering the "kill-on-sight" reputation Tarnished had in the Lands Between—with Stormveil Castle currently full of unfortunate souls sliced up into human cocoons—it was safe to say that most struggled to survive, save for a few powerful heroes.
In such a reality, a place like the Roundtable Hold was necessary for all Tarnished to unite and find warmth in numbers. So, while Gawain had expected it to be large, he hadn't expected it to be this exaggerated; the main hall was so crowded with people it almost resembled a wet market.
This wasn't an exaggeration; it was a description of the status quo. The "Crestfallen Warrior" trope was a tradition in FromSoftware games, after all.
In the Lands Between, where Tarnished were hunted, many "noobs" without maidens encountered "warm welcomes" from Bloody Fingers or Grafted Scions. After narrowly escaping with their lives, they were often too traumatized to ever leave the Roundtable Hold again.
In the game, Sir Gideon Ofnir had complained that he was sick of "pretenders" who mistook the Hold for a mere shelter. He was likely venting about this very situation. The Hold hadn't seen a true "newcomer" in a long time, but it had plenty of "passengers" who refused to leave.
"Whoa! A powerhouse! Everyone, back off!"
Several Tarnished dressed in "mob" attire were startled as they saw the newcomer behind them.
After all, Gawain was wearing a complete set of Banished Knight armor, and thanks to the maintenance of a legitimate Banished Knight like Edgar, it looked brand new—pristine as the day it was forged.
To the onlookers, someone who looked this formidable was best left alone. Furthermore, they couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but the eyes behind his helmet seemed to be glowing with a faint red light.
Gawain wasn't surprised by this reaction. He simply began wandering around the hall. Calling it a "market" wasn't wrong.
Tarnished were scattered in every corner, sitting on the ground or doing the "Patches Squat," tending to stalls where they sold trinkets scavenged from who-knows-where. There was a mountain of useless junk, but occasionally, one could spot good items—like Stonesword Keys or even Golden Seeds.
This was a pleasant surprise. It seemed the number of Golden Seeds was far greater than he had imagined.
When the Erdtree "dropped its coins" in the past, Golden Seeds must have scattered all over the Lands Between. Perhaps the Minor Erdtrees produced them periodically; otherwise, they couldn't have sustained so many Tarnished with "Estus" freedom.
This reminded him of how he used to collect Undead Bone Shards to reinforce bonfires. In the game, you couldn't max out reinforcements in a single playthrough, but in reality, they were so common in the corpse piles of the Undead Settlement that you couldn't pick them all up. This was simply the gap between game mechanics and reality.
Calculating his current Runes—those he had left over plus what he earned from killing the Leonine Misbegotten—he found he was just short of a level up. Now, they would be put to good use.
Rogier stood on the second floor, looking down at the conspicuous newcomer. He spoke with a hint of admiration to Nepheli Loux beside him.
"What do you think? Do you believe this is a powerhouse we haven't seen in a long time—one who can still see the Guidance of Grace?"
Nepheli sensed the newcomer's aura, her curiosity piqued.
"I can't say for sure. However, I sense a very familiar and friendly feeling coming from him... the breath of the storm."
She watched for a moment longer before saying with conviction: "This person is terrifyingly strong. I don't know how many death matches one must endure to possess such an aura. I'm going down to introduce myself. You?"
Rogier adjusted his wizard hat and declined the invitation.
"I'll pass. I still have investigations that require thorough preparation. As you know, Stormveil is not a place one enters lightly."
This small episode downstairs quickly reached the ears of Sir Gideon Ofnir through his omnipresent spies. Setting aside his intelligence scrolls, he felt a spark of curiosity regarding this unusual figure he had never heard of.
Aside from the dwindling number of "old fossils," the Roundtable Hold hadn't seen a promising newcomer in a long time. He took a moment to personally sense the aura the man emitted, and the result left even him startled.
"This aura... could it be coming from that ancient soul? No... there are other powers as well."
Even someone as deeply knowledgeable about the Lands Between as Gideon couldn't immediately figure out the newcomer's deal.
As a member of the original Roundtable Hold—a veteran who had been exiled with Godfrey and then resurrected—he suddenly sensed a very subtle trace within the man. It seemed to have a slight connection to Queen Marika herself.
"This is unexpected. I hope you can provide me with some surprises."
Gawain satisfiedly tucked his scavenged treasures into his pack: several Stonesword Keys for opening Evergaols, and three Golden Seeds to give to Melina later so she could help him craft new Flasks.
He had even spotted an Opaline Bubbletear. Heaven knows where the seller had scavenged that from, but considering he was heading off to fight an Erdtree Avatar anyway, he didn't want to waste Runes on such an expensive item.
He felt he had gotten a great deal. These stall-keeping Tarnished likely knew they were in it for the long haul; with so many competitors around, they couldn't overcharge. Consequently, their prices were much better than those of the nomadic merchants. This was truly the "Invisible Hand" of the market at work.
As he turned to head toward the core area on the second floor, a female warrior dressed in Badlands attire appeared at the top of the stairs and walked straight toward him.
A pair of Stormhawk Axes hung at her waist. Her outfit was sparse, covering only the essentials, leaving her bronze skin—marked with various scars—exposed to the air. It was a classic case of "less armor equals higher combat power." It was definitely Nepheli Loux.
He hadn't even invaded Stormveil yet, and he was already meeting her. Judging by the situation, was she looking for him?
"Are you a newcomer to the Roundtable Hold?" she asked.
"Yes, that's right. Is there a problem?"
Nepheli reached out and clapped Gawain heartily on the shoulder.
"Nothing. You look a bit unfamiliar with the place, so I can show you around. After all, fellow Tarnished should look out for one another."
If Gawain hadn't known Nepheli's identity beforehand, he might have suspected this level of friendliness was a trap to harvest his organs. But that was just how female warriors from the Badlands were.
"Right, let me introduce myself. I am Nepheli Loux, a warrior. It seems you, like me, are a warrior of the storm. I like that. If you ever need help in battle, feel free to call on me."
"My name is Gawain. I heard long ago that the Roundtable Hold was a gathering place for heroes, so I came to pay a visit. Though, to be honest, this place is quite different from what I imagined."
Gawain pointed to the crowds moving to and fro. Nepheli seemed to have anticipated his thought; any newcomer would feel the same upon arrival.
"Oh, you mean them? Don't worry about it too much. In the words of my adoptive father, they are merely 'passengers.' Given how dangerous the Lands Between are right now, some Tarnished of lesser strength naturally lose the courage to venture out and choose to remain in the Hold."
"My father might not agree, but I believe that since the Roundtable Hold is a domain established by Tarnished, it has a duty to protect the weak. Besides, they can be useful at times."
"True enough," Gawain agreed. "I did manage to buy some useful things, which saved me the trouble of running around. I've seen enough of the ground floor; can you take me to the core area on the second floor?"
Nepheli readily agreed. Although her adoptive father disliked having "passengers" wander onto the second floor before they became official members, she knew that the man before her would eventually make a name for himself in the Lands Between.
"Fine. Follow me. I'll introduce you to the current heroes of the Roundtable Hold. You may find yourselves fighting side-by-side in the future."
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (40 chapter - Ongoing)
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