For the past two days, Highvin had been sparring relentlessly with Elsa. He had practiced everything from condensing frost—using techniques like Frozen Weapon and Snap Freeze—to wielding weapons with innate frost damage like Vordt's Great Hammer and the Irithyll Straight Sword.
Throughout these practical sessions, Elsa guided him, helping him harness the frigid air for his own use. It had to be said: a Zamor warrior at full strength was truly formidable.
In terms of pure numerical stats, even without tapping into his internal power of the Embers, Highvin was already on par with the named heroes of the Lands Between. Yet, he still felt Elsa held a slight edge over him. He concluded that his Strength and Endurance were still lacking; he had funneled almost everything into his Faith build.
One thing struck him as odd, though: for the last two days, Irina seemed to be intentionally avoiding him. He often caught glimpses of her watching him from a corner, but the moment he turned his head, she would vanish. He had no idea what was on the girl's mind.
It wasn't until this evening that he felt his training was sufficient. He planned to take his leave of Edgar and depart Castle Morne for a while. His next objective was to scout the Limgrave region and then consider making a move on Stormveil Castle.
Before that, there were a few individuals he wanted to see—specifically, a certain treacherous bald man. Back in the Ringed City, despite being on his guard, Highvin had still been kicked down a pit by that man. He remembered that grudge vividly; in the Lands Between, he was determined to kick him back. Having hoarded a decent amount of Runes on his way back to the castle, he figured he had enough to cover his travel expenses.
He asked Elsa to remain in the castle and wait for his return, then personally knocked on Edgar's door to say his goodbyes.
"You're leaving already?" Edgar asked. "I thought you'd rest for a few more days this time. The sun is already setting, and after absorbing so much of the Frenzied Flame, surely even you must be reaching your limit."
Highvin waved a hand to signal he was fine. He turned and pointed to a crest on the desk—the symbol of Godrick's faction.
"I've cleared out everything even remotely threatening on the Weeping Peninsula on my way back. Next, I'm heading to Limgrave to assess the situation. After that, I'll be hunting the demigod hiding in that castle."
Edgar stared at the symbol of the sovereign he had served for so long. With a sigh, he summoned a gust of wind that shredded the crest to pieces. He looked up at Highvin, who was watching with slight surprise, and spoke with a tone of vengeful catharsis.
"In that case, count me in when the time comes. I've held out for that tyrant during this rebellion long enough. Since no reinforcements ever arrived, the 'me' of the past can be considered dead. From now on, I will fight as a Banished Knight—for the Ancient King, and to repay the debt I owe you for your help."
"So, you already knew about the Ancient King," Highvin noted. "Very well. Since you're willing to help, I'll certainly include you when we storm Stormveil."
Edgar nodded firmly. His decision wasn't entirely based on the rebellion or the choice of the Ancient King; the primary reason, if he were honest, was his daughter.
He had seen the way Irina looked at Highvin over the past two days. His position didn't matter, but Irina was everything to him. Even if it was just for his daughter's future, he would grit his teeth and charge onto the battlefield. He only hoped his old bones could still move.
Just as Highvin finished his farewells and prepared to teleport to the Site of Grace he had previously discovered at the Stranded Graveyard, Irina burst into the room, panting.
"Um... are you leaving again?"
"Yeah," Highvin replied. "But only for two or three days. When I get back, it'll be time to claim a Great Rune."
Irina took a few breaths to steady herself, then summoned her courage, clutching her talisman. As she channeled the incantation she had been practicing, a golden light reminiscent of the Erdtree enveloped them both.
Blushing slightly, she said, "This is the incantation I just learned, Golden Vow. I will keep the prayer active in my heart until you return. I hope your journey is a safe one."
Highvin looked at his body, which was now shimmering with a faint golden aura. He felt the incantation taking effect, boosting his defense and damage across all attributes.
Normally, the Golden Vow incantation could only be found as far as the Altus Plateau. He hadn't expected Morne to have a corresponding prayer book. Perhaps because of its ancient history, such a foundational incantation of the Golden Order had spread across the Lands Between during the Order's expansion.
Furthermore, because of his soul-link with Irina, he knew that as long as she maintained the prayer, he would essentially have this buff permanently active.
"Thanks. Stay in the castle and don't go running off. Learning more incantations is a good thing. If there's danger, you know how to call me; I can return through the Grace at any time."
He gave Irina's hair a light, encouraging pat before teleporting away from Castle Morne.
Left alone in the room with her father, Irina looked at Edgar and murmured with concern, "I wonder if my incantation is as effective as I hope. I just want to be of help to him."
"Alright, alright. Your incantation is plenty effective, no need to keep fussing over it. You've tested it on me enough times over the last two days," Edgar joked. "Which one do you want to learn next? There should still be some old books lying around the castle."
In a flash of white light, Highvin found himself back at The First Step. He stood up from the Site of Grace and glanced around, but the shifty figure of White Mask Varré was nowhere to be seen.
It was a pity, but not a major issue. His current target was the gold-armored figure not far off. The Tree Sentinel had finally appeared on its patrol.
As a "noob-crusher" boss that had broken countless players, the Tree Sentinel hadn't seemed like much to Highvin when he first encountered it. After all, as an "Old Ass" veteran who had cleared Dark Souls more times than he could count, a boss with such straightforward patterns posed little threat.
However, he didn't have the time to grind the boss down slowly. He had chosen this specific time to teleport because he wanted to head to the Church of Elleh to see if he could run into a certain solitary blue figure from his memory.
The Tree Sentinel had chosen a poor time to block his path. Since that was the case, it couldn't blame him for being a little cruel.
He sifted through his Dark Souls inventory. Yes... this should do.
The Lightning Clutch Ring, Morne's Ring, Ring of the Sun's First Born, and the Red Tearstone Ring were all equipped onto his fingers. Don't ask how he could make so many rings function at once; the answer was that humans have ten fingers, not four. While it might hinder his sword swings, his next move wouldn't require much swordplay.
He cast Power Within and waited quietly for his health to drop to the threshold, triggering the Red Tearstone Ring's effect. He activated the buff of the Grafted Blade Greatsword and then cast Bountiful Sunlight to counteract the HP drain of Power Within. Finally, he added Sacred Oath and Tears of Denial just in case things went south.
With all these buffs combined with the Golden Vow shared by Irina, Highvin was now shimmering with a kaleidoscope of colors. In his left hand, he gripped the Morion Blade to trigger its damage-boosting effect. His flashy appearance was terrifyingly potent.
Holding the Sacred Chime given to him by the Captain before they parted, he walked toward the Tree Sentinel. A sharp whistle was all it took to draw the knight's attention.
The Tree Sentinel was infuriated to see a graceless Tarnished appearing out of nowhere and daring to look at him with such a provocative gaze. Though he didn't know why the man was glowing with so many strange colors, he decided to skewer him first and ask questions later.
Without a second thought, he reared his horse and charged at the Tarnished.
Highvin watched the Tree Sentinel enter his range and smiled. The next hit was going to hurt—provided the knight was still capable of feeling pain after it landed.
Taking a deep breath, he manifested lightning before him, shaping it into a bow. This was a powerful miracle from the Age of Gods. Usually used by a rare few female knights, Highvin's faith was high enough that gender wasn't a restriction; he didn't need a Reversal Ring to use it.
He had some unpleasant memories associated with this miracle. Back in the Ringed City, after he had followed Undead tradition and mindlessly shattered a certain eggshell, he'd had a bit of a "disagreement" with Shira, Knight of Filianore.
Later, after he had fought Slave Knight Gael for three hundred rounds and finally claimed the Dark Soul of the Pygmy Lords, Shira had shown up with a certain champion who had survived to the end via Titanite Slabs for a dishonorable two-on-one.
He had been exhausted back then, and he was terrified that the Dark Soul he'd finally obtained would be stolen before he could deliver it to the Painter. He didn't dare return to a bonfire to respawn.
He'd had no choice but to scarf down Blossoming Purple Moss Clumps and play a marathon with them. He'd kited them using the HP regeneration of the Sun Princess Ring while throwing poison knives, firebombs, and even dung pies. He'd run all the way to the ruins of Lothric Castle before finally turning the tables. Back then, Shira's Lightning Arrow had nearly ended his run several times.
As those grueling memories flashed through his mind, the Tree Sentinel reached him, raising its halberd to strike.
"A shame. At this distance, even a marathon won't save you."
He poured every ounce of his power into a single Lightning Arrow. The recoil of the shot sent him skidding back several meters, and the lightning scorched the grass along its path to cinders. The arrow tore through the target without losing any momentum, flying a vast distance before finally detonating.
"One-shot builds are fun once in a while, but this is a bit hard to control," Highvin muttered. "Almost missed and hit the sky."
He deactivated Power Within and looked at the Tree Sentinel—or what was left of it. The golden halberd, once raised high, now slumped uselessly. Everything from the chest up had been vaporized by the strike. The golden armor was a jagged wreck, as was the horse beneath it.
Driven by the last of its momentum, the Sentinel's body slumped past him and crashed heavily to the ground. Highvin reached out and crushed the overflowing soul, absorbing it.
"Not bad for a knight of the capital. This soul has some weight to it."
Highvin put away his rings and weapons, took a few sips from his Flask of Crimson Tears to recover, and began walking toward the Church of Elleh. He'd save the "one-shot" setup for when he actually needed it.
Far off, atop a fragment of Crumbling Farum Azula, a projection sent by Ranni had witnessed the entire battle. Her face was a mask of complex emotions. She had followed Torrent's scent here, only to find the person she was looking for had practically delivered himself to her.
She had been considering how to approach him when she saw the battle erupt.
To be honest, the result didn't surprise Ranni. Her Shadow, Blaidd, could have done the same to a Tree Sentinel. But the way he had done it—the complex preparations leading to a single-hit kill—was startling.
That bolt of lightning had clearly exceeded the Tree Sentinel's capacity to endure. After piercing through the body, it hadn't even slowed down before exploding in the distance.
"Intriguing," Ranni mused. "Is this the person Torrent chose? I wonder... what kind of fate will you bring to the Lands Between?"
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