Night had fallen over the Weeping Peninsula. Inside the Fourth Church of Marika, Gawain and Melina sat in silence, resting beside the Site of Grace. Gawain had just acquired another Sacred Tear; after finishing his business here, he planned to make a trip to the Pilgrimage Church. Once that was done, he would have collected all the essential items from this region.
"The Weeping Evergaol and the Witch-Malign Ruins... are those the locations you intend to explore tomorrow?" Melina asked.
"Yes. I want to check on those two prisoners," Gawain replied. "I've heard a thing or two about their deeds. Perhaps I can find new allies—provided they haven't gone mad after being locked up for so long."
Melina set down her flask, her mind clouded with doubt. If the Evergaol truly held a warrior of Zamor, she wondered if Gawain's aura—clinging with the scent of Grace—would only serve to enrage them.
"As long as you know what you are doing," she murmured.
She turned her gaze toward the crumbling statue of Marika. Still feeling a lingering connection to the events that had transpired here, she spoke again. "There is an echo of Queen Marika's words here. If you wish to hear them, I can convey them to you."
Gawain found this slightly curious. In the game, this dialogue usually triggered at the Pilgrimage Church, but since the two churches were close and the world was real, a minor discrepancy in location wasn't worth overthinking.
"Yes, I'd like to hear them."
Melina nodded. Adopting the tone of her mother from her memories, she spoke slowly:
"...Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. Render yield unto death, and become strong—warriors of my lord, and my lord, Godfrey."
Gawain looked through the jagged ruins of the church wall toward the distant coastline.
"Was this the plain where the Tarnished were originally driven away? I asked a few people at the Roundtable Hold; they said they made landfall right here on the Weeping Peninsula. Tarnished are still stepping onto these shores even now. I expect some truly 'heavyweight' figures will show up here eventually."
Melina understood his implication and offered a word of encouragement. "I believe you will walk the path of the Lord with an unshakeable heart, overcoming every trial—even if the legendary First Elden Lord himself stands in your way."
Gawain laughed and shook his head. He wasn't particularly worried about that.
"Don't worry. If Godfrey really shows up, I'll show him exactly why 'strength is the only warrant for a crown.'"
Despite his bravado, he cast a glance toward the Tower of Return, calculating how to deal with that particular facility. There were two viable ways for those crossing the Fog to reach the heart of the continent: the coastlines of Limgrave and Caelid.
He immediately ruled out Caelid. If some poor fool tried to make landfall there, the Starscourge General—driven mad by the Scarlet Rot—would provide them with a "shocking" welcome.
Limgrave was an option, but the southernmost tip of the Weeping Peninsula was the most logical landing point for Godfrey's future return. The Tower of Return was almost certainly a contingency left by Marika—a trap that could teleport someone from the southernmost edge straight into the Royal Capital in an instant. He had no intention of seizing the throne just yet, so his best bet was to destroy that teleportation device. That way, if Godfrey ever did land, Gawain would have time to react.
The following morning, Gawain left the Fourth Church of Marika. Armed with the Stonesword Keys he had purchased earlier, he hurried toward the location of the Evergaol.
It didn't take long to find it. The landmarks were unmistakable: a cluster of stone sentinels carved from unique rock surrounded a central disc etched with glowing runes. The light it emitted was visible even in broad daylight. It seemed the sentinels were powered by the Evergaol's own energy; once the prison was breached, they would likely deactivate.
An Imp Statue stood nearby, waiting for a key to open the passage. Based on his gaming experience, Gawain suspected the interior of an Evergaol was a pocket dimension; after all, one could see the outside world from within, yet remain separated from it.
Approaching his destination, he found the Imp Statue and lept down from a high ledge, performing a "hero landing." The swirling winds he used to cushion his fall made quite the racket. Sensing an intruder, the surrounding stone sentinels began to lumber forward, but these mass-produced guards were barely a threat in the game, let alone now.
Gawain scanned the area, found the Imp Statue, and dispersed the encroaching sentinels with a burst of Force. He then slotted the Stonesword Key into the pedestal. As the seal broke, the color of the central disc shifted. He stepped into the center and reached out to touch the sigil.
Inside the prison, the Ancient Hero of Zamor was already poised for battle. She had heard the thunderous impact above and the sound of the seal being undone. Though she didn't know what great upheaval had occurred in the world, she sensed an aura she would never forget: the scent of the Golden Order's Grace.
She let out a cold mental sneer. It seemed the wretched betrayers could no longer tolerate her existence and had sent an executioner to end her life. Things outside must have grown truly desperate for them to finally deal with a forgotten figure like her.
Though the ages of imprisonment had left her weary, the pride etched into her bones and her peerless combat skills ensured she wouldn't go down without a fight. Even if she were to die, she would make sure her opponent felt her teeth sink into their throat. She gripped her Zamor Curved Sword, settling into a combat stance, ready for the intruder.
The moment Gawain touched the glowing mark, he felt himself pulled through a dark corridor. When his vision cleared, he was inside the Evergaol. He had originally intended to see if the prisoner was still rational; after all, he had met many sane, communicative people since arriving in the Lands Between.
If this Ancient Hero—who had been locked up for God-knows-how-long—could still speak, he hoped to recruit her. He knew from the lore how the Golden Order had betrayed the people of Zamor; she could be a powerful ally in striking down the Shardbearers.
Of course, if communication proved impossible, he would simply have to kill her and take Radagon's Hemorrhoid—er, Radagon's Scarseal. It was a powerful talisman that boosted attributes by twelve points total. Since he was still at a stage where he had to plan every stat point carefully, every little bit helped.
However, the moment he landed, a wave of freezing air swept toward his throat. He instinctively ducked, his greatsword swirling with storm-light as it clashed with her weapon. Using the recoil, he pushed back to create distance.
He finally got a clear look at the tall figure before him. Her lithe, elongated frame and full-body armor reminded him of the Dancer of the Boreal Valley; their fighting styles shared a certain eerie fluidity. Gawain didn't counterattack immediately, choosing instead to keep his distance as the Ancient Hero of Zamor reset her stance. She watched him like a predator, her curved sword ready, as frost began to mist around her.
"Wait! If you're still sane, I don't want to fight you. Can you hear me?"
His words met with no response. The temperature in the air plummeted instantly. The ground beneath his feet began to freeze, and hard ice suddenly crystallized around his joints, trying to lock him in place. Sensing an opening, the Zamor Hero lunged forward with graceful speed, her blade whistling through the air in an attempt to cleave him in two.
The ice encasing Gawain shattered instantly as fire erupted from his body. Seizing the moment, he caught her blade with his bare hand, twisting his body to redirect the momentum of the strike. The maneuver clearly shocked his opponent; she evidently hadn't expected her vaunted frost magic to be so easily broken. For a split second, she failed to react. Gawain delivered a brutal kick to her midsection, sending her flying several meters back.
"Attacking like there's no tomorrow... I haven't even done anything to you, yet you're so eager to kill me? Fine. Let me see how much fight is left in you after all these years. Don't disappoint me."
Gawain was genuinely curious about the strength of the Zamorians. These were the mountain warriors who had once fought the Fire Giants as equals; anyone deemed dangerous enough to be locked in a place like this had to be extraordinary. He applied Lightning Pine Resin to his greatsword and waited for her next move.
The Zamor Hero used her curved sword to prop herself up. She thrust the blade into the ground and dragged it in a circle. The temperature continued to drop, and fine ice crystals began to obscure the air, manifesting a localized blizzard filled with biting hail.
"A field-effect spell? Interesting."
Gawain watched as the Zamor Hero vanished into the whiteout. This was far more impressive than her behavior in the game. She was clearly using the storm to mask her movements and seize the initiative. Unfortunately for her, it was useless against someone who could sense the "outlines" of souls.
Closing his eyes, he clearly felt a swift, agile silhouette circling him. Judging by her speed and the intensity of her magic, this Zamor Hero was the strongest enemy he had faced since arriving—second only to the Leonine Misbegotten when it was buffed by the Grafted Blade. And this was her in a weakened, post-imprisonment state.
Within the restricted vision of the blizzard, the sound of clashing steel rang out periodically. Every one of her strikes was met with a perfect parry. The lightning-infused greatsword sent jolts of electricity through her armor and into her body, causing damage and numbing her limbs. Compounded by her long years of starvation in the Evergaol, her body began to lag behind her intent.
Gawain sensed that his opponent was reaching her limit. He intentionally left an opening, baiting her attack. As the edge of her curved blade nearly reached his eye, he released a burst of Force mixed with storm-winds, shattering her balance. He followed up with a Spinning Slash, a horizontal blow that struck her waist, shattering her armor and drawing a spray of blood from her abdomen.
The blizzard within the Evergaol lost its source of power and dissipated instantly. Gawain approached the fallen Zamor Hero with his sword lowered. Through the gaps in her shattered armor, he spotted a bloodstained circular object: the Radagon's Scarseal he was looking for.
Realizing she could no longer move, the Ancient Hero of Zamor rolled onto her back with a pained grunt. She took the seal—the mark that represented her past mission and glory—and hurled it with all her might at the intruder's face. Even in death, she refused to let go of her hatred.
Following the gesture, she spat a mouthful of blood that stained the inside of her helmet. She slowly pulled the helm off, staring at Gawain with eyes full of cold fury.
"Finish it, lapdog of the Golden Order. One day, the eternal dynasty you dream of will crumble under the weight of its own betrayals."
She braced herself for the end, but the expected execution never came. Confused, she looked up to see that the man's greatsword and helmet had vanished. He was holding the seal she had thrown, looking at her with an expression of pure exasperation.
"I'm telling you, sister... if you're sane, could you try listening to people before you start swinging? You didn't need to take those hits. Is it possible—just possible—that I'm here to get you out of here?"
Gawain looked at the Ancient Hero. He had sensed from the soul's outline that his opponent was female; now that the helmet was off, she revealed the classic features of a high-altitude mountain dweller. Unlike Nepheli's wild, Badlands look, she reminded him of the "Northern beauties" he'd seen before his transmigration. Covered in blood and grime as she was, she possessed a stark, haunting beauty.
The woman hesitated. She realized she hadn't given him a chance; the moment she sensed the Grace, she had gone for the kill. Though her resolve wavered, she wasn't ready to trust him.
"Do not lie to me. If you are not of the Golden Order, where did you get that Stonesword Key? Those were specially crafted by my jailers to open the path to this prison."
Gawain reached into his pack and pulled out two more Stonesword Keys, dangling them before her.
"I don't know how long you've been in here, but the world outside is a lot different from what you remember. It's a long story. See these keys? Every nomadic merchant and Tarnished has them. I probably scavenged these off the corpse of some dead hero. As for the Grace... I admit I follow the guidance, but following the guidance is not the same as taking orders from the Fingers."
Gawain delivered this logic with a straight face. He could see the Zamor Hero almost crack a smile at the absurdity, and the hostility in her gaze began to thaw. Gawain extended his right hand.
"I just saw a seal on an Evergaol and wanted to see who was inside. If the prisoner can talk, I let them out. If they can't, I take the loot. Now, can we talk? Let me heal those wounds first, then we can leave this place."
After a long moment of hesitation, the Ancient Hero of Zamor took his hand. She was down to her last breath and had few other choices. A soft, warm glow immediately enveloped her body.
"Stay still. This is Great Heal and Bountiful Light. It'll bring your physical state back to full in no time."
A moment later, she watched in shock as her wounds vanished. The strikes she had taken had damaged her internal organs, yet now it was as if they had never happened. This was far beyond any incantation used by the Golden Order; it felt as though her body had been reverted to its peak. If she wished, she could pick up her blade and fight right now—but there was no longer a reason to.
"Elsa," she said softly. "That is my name. Regardless of your intent... thank you for the aid."
"Elsa? A fitting name for your looks. I'm Gawain. I was a Cinder; now I'm a Tarnished. Can you stand? Let's get out of here."
Elsa nodded. Her past experience with betrayal meant she wasn't ready to fully trust this stranger, but as he said—anywhere was better than this godforsaken hole.
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (40 chapter - Ongoing)
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