After dealing with the strange frenzied creature, Gawain gestured for Melina and Ashmi to approach. Since these specific monsters were countered by his own mechanics, there was nothing to fear—he would simply cut down whoever came his way.
"What exactly was that monster? I could feel an anomaly in space itself coming from it."
As a creation of the Nox, Ashmi was naturally well-versed in spatial disturbances. Looking at the corpse that had melted into a pile of yellow sludge on the ground, the mimic found the situation rather prickly.
"Who knows? Regardless, I saw traces of the Three Fingers' touch on its eyeballs. That means this so-called Lord of Frenzied Flame likely had contact with them, and these monsters are his kin. Also, it seems the Frenzied Flame erupted in the center of the valley and spread outward rapidly."
Gawain consulted the map Rellana had given him. Combining it with his current impressions, it seemed that the closer they got to the center, the more obvious the signs of the flame became. Paradoxically, the concentration of the flame seemed slightly lighter at the location of the key manse itself.
"Be careful. I suspect the number of enemies will increase as we go further."
"To think the Three Fingers actually appeared in person... that Lord of Frenzied Flame, just what..." Melina muttered the words under her breath before following his lead.
Sure enough, as they progressed toward the center, more creatures infected by the flame appeared. Aside from the common rats, they even encountered a frenzied devotee wielding a distinctive man-fly-skin glove.
However, since his weapon art was essentially useless against Gawain, that devotee was roughly equivalent to the Mimic Tear in Nokron if the player unequipped all their weapons—he was a non-threat.
Not long after dealing with him, another Aged One—one of the "Untouchables"—was seen wandering at the edge of their vision.
Gawain didn't hesitate. He proactively drew the monster's aggro. The previous one had been dealt with too quickly for him to observe it properly; this time, he could run a few more tests.
The moment the Aged One struck, Gawain sidestepped. His hand brushed past the monster's staff, moving faster than the creature's own weapon to reach its body.
The moment he touched the viscous, sickening form, he had his answer. Another phase-shifter. It could only be hit while it was mid-attack. In a game setting, one would likely need to use a parry or a specific item to deal with it.
The monster let out a piercing shriek, the eyes atop its head bulging and radiating an eerie light. Instantly, Gawain felt his madness meter skyrocket. Chaotic whispers and fragmented, maddened visions flashed continuously across his mind.
Given this potent corruption and the bizarre intangibility, how had the Hornsent he encountered earlier managed to bypass these "kin" and successfully seal the Lord of Frenzied Flame? The one with the biggest horns had some skill, but not that much. There had to be some hidden secret behind it.
Effortlessly withstanding the maddening impact of the flame, Gawain ignited the Ringed Knight Straight Sword in his other hand. Once again, he cleaved the frenzied kin in two from a diagonal angle.
As the body was torn apart, the bright, frenzied eyes dimmed and lost their life. Such absolute suppression based on divine status was inherently illogical and overwhelming.
In this manner, he cut a path through the woods, eliminating every similar enemy he could find. The thick, maddening scent of corruption in the air noticeably lightened.
On the melting corpse of the final "Aged One," he found a talisman shaped like a swollen, ripened grape, crafted in the likeness of the joyful expressions of the frenzied kin: the Aged One's Exultation.
Seeing the familiar naming convention, he didn't even need to guess the talisman's effect. Like the other "Exultation" series, it was a talisman that boosted attack power when someone nearby was afflicted by a specific status ailment—in this case, Madness.
He crushed the talisman with a squeeze and tossed the fragments aside. The effect of such talismans was great for "meme builds" in a game, where people loved to stack buffs.
But in reality, he had no desire to inflict such a bizarre status on himself. He didn't need to perform a "circus act"; his rings and miracle buffs were more than enough. After all, not every boss was stupid enough to wait behind a fog gate for several minutes while he buffed.
Gawain continued toward the notable architectural landmarks on his map and indeed saw the traces of Queen Marika's proselytizing that Messmer had mentioned. He even found a deserted, half-finished church. Clearly, halfway through the project, the construction had ground to a halt—likely due to the outbreak of the Frenzied Flame.
Chronologically, the outbreak in the Abyssal Woods must have occurred around the time of Marika's ascension. Back then, the crusade between the Hornsent and the Golden Dynasty hadn't yet begun. A group of Inquisitors had been dispatched to handle the situation, but just as they finished sealing the Lord, their own "home" was destroyed. Confused and lost, they remained here, waiting for death.
No wonder Messmer hadn't bothered with this area and left it to the Hornsent Inquisitors. He likely knew that the best way to deal with the Frenzied Flame was the same method his mother used: physical isolation to prevent the spread of corruption.
Leaving the abandoned church, Gawain stood atop a massive boulder and looked ahead. At the end of the mist, he caught the faint, blurred silhouette of a black manse standing at the edge of his vision. It radiated a subtle, maddened yellow glow. Without a doubt, that was the end of his journey.
Now that the destination was in sight, their pace quickened significantly. The only enemies with a specific "gimmick" had been cleared; aside from the Lord sealed within the manse, the Abyssal Woods was now merely atmospheric and creepy.
As for the various frenzied wildlife wandering about, he abandoned the idea of a total cull for now. The flame carried by these small animals was weak and posed little threat. His primary goal was to seal or eliminate the Lord; cleaning up was secondary. He could let Messmer send men to handle the rest later.
When they were very close to the shadow of the manse, unexpected enemies appeared. Several Hornsent Inquisitors manifested among the trees. They held candlesticks and wandered aimlessly, as if unconscious. They even ignored the frenzied rats scurrying past them.
Unlike the Elder Inquisitor he had met earlier, these were merely rank-and-file Inquisitors. One could tell from their smaller horns that their strength was significantly lower. However, as Inquisitors of the Tower, they were still considered elites among the Hornsent.
Gawain found it strange that a group of Inquisitors would huddle in such a remote corner of the valley—until he saw the Frenzied Flame flickering in the eyes of one of them. He hadn't expected that men sent to seal the flame would be the ones to fall to it. It made him doubt the professional standards of the group.
This observation deepened his confusion. Judging by the charred scars across the entire valley, the Lord of Frenzied Flame's power was clearly superior to that of the Elder Inquisitor. Add to that the bizarre mechanics of the Aged Ones—this should have been a complete one-sided slaughter for the Flame. How had the Hornsent managed to suppress and seal it for so long?
Gawain switched back to his loot—the Barbed Staff-Spear. The commotion he caused alerted the frenzied Inquisitors. The molten eyeballs of the infected glowed with a piercing light, and then several scorching yellow bolts trailed long streaks of light, snapping toward him at a speed almost too fast for the eye to track.
Looking at the familiar incantation, he blinked. Frenzied Burst. He knew it well. As one of the longest-range attacks available, it was a staple for "sniping" enemies in the game. In reality, though, using it was quite a strain on the eyes.
Gawain didn't budge. He dropped a Twisted Wall of Light to deflect the "snipers," then thrust the staff-spear into the ground, channeling mana. Instantly, a sky-covering barrage of golden arcs blanketed the area ahead.
Even if a single golden arc didn't deal massive damage—causing only lacerations to an ordinary person—the sheer volume was overwhelming. These Inquisitors, who had long since lost their sanity to the flame, didn't even have the instinct to dodge. They were shredded by the arcs, their bodies falling apart.
Soon, the Frenzied Flame erupted from their melting corpses, further polluting the environment. After dealing with them, Gawain found nothing of note, so the trio continued. They were now very close to the manse.
Any humanoid creature they encountered along the way—Inquisitor or common devotee—was cleared out. With every step Gawain took, the ground previously polluted by the flame returned to normal. Faint embers began to erode and absorb the surrounding Frenzied Flame, creating pockets of purified space.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the three finally arrived before the manse. It was situated at the bottom of the sunless rift valley, nestled within a forest that must have once been incredibly lush. Now, dense, charred branches arched over the manse, making the atmosphere even more sinister.
Before the manse lay a shallow marsh. The pollution of the Frenzied Flame rippled through the water, spreading to everything it touched.
"There it is. According to the intel, after the Lord was sealed by the Hornsent, he remained in one place inside and never came out." Melina looked at the manse and furrowed her brow slightly. "There seems to be other activity in the house. Could it be the remaining Inquisitors? Wait... what is that row at the entrance?"
Gawain looked toward where she pointed. At first, he thought they were some unique Hornsent decorations, as there was something golden and shimmering in a row.
However, as they drew closer, he realized it was a line of neatly arranged corpses. Over a dozen bodies, all different in appearance but identical in posture. They were kneeling on the ground, their hands bound tightly before them. Their heads had been hacked off, and in the stumps of their necks, golden barbs—the symbols of the Inquisition—had been inserted.
Clearly, these poor souls had been executed in this cruel manner by the Inquisitors after being subjected to torture. Perhaps it was also a warning to outsiders not to enter the manse lightly.
Seeing this, Melina covered her mouth. "Is this the work of the Inquisitors? These Hornsent... even to their own kind, they are so..."
Gawain stepped forward to inspect them. He noticed they also had small horns; they were indeed Hornsent, likely the former servants of the manse. Had they been purged when the Inquisitors sealed the Lord? While such a cull might have been seen as a "necessary" measure to prevent the flame's spread, was it truly necessary to turn the corpses into such a macabre spectacle? Even if they had to be killed, this was excessively barbaric.
Passing the row of decapitated bodies, Gawain shielded Melina behind him. He stepped to the grand entrance of the manse and pushed the heavy doors open.
As dust swirled into the air, the manse that had been slaughtered and sealed finally welcomed visitors once more. But guests were not welcome here; if they could speak, the dead within would likely plead for no one to ever approach again.
Just as they entered the hall, Gawain heard a voice coming from ahead.
"Turn back... do not approach... do not approach the madness..."
Stepping into the dusty, dilapidated foyer, he looked around alertly for the source of the voice. His gaze locked onto a spot not far ahead, and he understood what was happening.
In the manse's main hall behind the staircase, a White Spirit stood quietly. He had clearly been dead for a long time; like the spirits found throughout the world, he was merely a lingering soul holding onto a single purpose.
Gawain didn't rush to approach the ghost. He observed the surroundings first. Even just inside the entrance, he could see several toppled bookshelves covered in spiderwebs. Countless books were scattered on the floor, buried under a thick layer of ash. Given the manse's vast footprint and luxurious exterior, he already had a theory.
Clearly, the owner of this house was of high status. Owning a private manse of this size with such a vast collection of books was a privilege usually reserved for the inner circle of divinity in the world of Dark Souls. Though the scale here was relatively smaller, it had been built during a time of war.
Having officially entered the manse, Gawain and his companions finally walked into the main hall and met the spirit that had spoken.
The spirit wore simple but dignified robes and possessed small horns. He looked like a butler or a high-ranking servant. At that moment, the Hornsent soul turned his head, speaking as if he were conscious:
"...Uninvited guests, you are welcome here. But please, heed the warning of my master—Midra. Do not approach the madness..."
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash
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