Elden Lord of Cinders

"You... don't even know why you're fighting for the Elden Ring?"

No one knew how much time had passed before Margit finally looked at Lloyd, his face twisted and voice hoarse.

Lloyd nodded honestly. "Yeah, I don't."

"...Then why are you here?"

"I heard them say I'm a Tarnished and that I'm supposed to go after some... Olden Ring or whatever..."

"It's the Elden Ring," Margit corrected.

Lloyd froze, then snapped back. "Oh, right, right, the Elden Ring…"

Margit tried to correct him again but gave up with a sigh. "You… forget it. Go on."

"Oh, well, they said Tarnished are supposed to follow the Guidance of Grace and fight for something called a Great Rune or something, so I came."

He paused, then added, "Oh yeah, and I heard that if you get the Olden Ring, you can become the Olden Lord. But I don't even know what the Olden Lord is. Can you explain that?"

Lloyd had asked around before, but Brother Kalé wasn't very helpful due to his limited knowledge. Melina and Alice were both tight-lipped, and Teacher Sellen was so intense during lectures she was almost passing out from excitement.

So up to now, Lloyd still didn't really know why he was supposed to fight for the ring, or what the Olden Lord even was.

"You…"

Margit's first instinct was that Lloyd was messing with him.

But he quickly realized that given Lloyd's strength and his own situation, there was no reason to lie. Besides, his expression didn't seem fake.

"I've got amnesia," Lloyd said with a shrug.

...Well, that was an explanation.

Taking a deep breath, Margit finally began.

"It all started with the Shattering…"

Lloyd blinked. "What's the Shattering?"

Margit paused. "The Shattering was a war started by the Demigods to claim the Elden Ring…"

"What are Demigods?"

Another pause. "The Demigods are the children of Queen Marika…"

"Who's Marika?"

Silence.

Margit stared at Lloyd, took a deep breath, then said, "Just kill me."

He'd honestly rather be slain than keep talking.

"Hey, come on."

Lloyd shook his head and sighed. "If you don't want to talk, then don't. No need to get so worked up."

A vein throbbed on Margit's forehead.

"Forget it. If you're not going to talk, then just rest here for now."

Since Margit clearly didn't feel like chatting, Lloyd figured he probably didn't have the right key item or maybe needed another trigger to progress, so he didn't think much of it.

He got up, found an empty spot, switched to his main account, and checked the spoils from his recent battle.

[Talisman Pouch] [Golden Throwing Knife] [Aspects of the Crucible: Foot] [Bloodflame Slash]

First was the Talisman Pouch. Its function was simple but powerful—it let Lloyd carry one more talisman.

But since he didn't have any particularly good talismans at the moment, its usefulness wasn't showing yet.

Next was the [Golden Throwing Knife], a Faith 14 incantation that let him throw golden knives like Morgott.

It had fast casting and low FP cost, but the damage was also low. Even if all three knives hit, it only barely out-damaged Glintstone Stars, and it dealt pure Holy damage.

Item description:

[Golden Throwing Knife]

[One of the fundamentalist incantations of the Golden Order]

[Quickly hurls three golden knives forward]

[Can be cast while moving; repeated casting changes the animation]

[Exclusive to the Fell Omen, Margit]

Next was [Aspects of the Crucible: Foot], another incantation requiring 30 Faith.

[Aspects of the Crucible: Foot]

[An ancient incantation of the Erdtree]

[Forms a giant foot to stomp the ground, dealing damage in a cone-shaped area ahead]

[Can be charged for increased power]

[One of the 100 aspects of Crucible II, representing the original lifeforce of the Erdtree]

[In the past, all life was intertwined, undivided and whole]

Its damage wasn't high, but it had strong poise damage. The cast speed was a bit slow, and charging it made it even slower, but it might be effective against groups with low poise.

Finally, [Bloodflame Slash]—similar to Morgott's sword skill, it slashed out a blade of Bloodflame that exploded shortly after, dealing fire damage and building up bleed.

It was a decent Ash of War: low FP cost, moderate poise damage, good overall damage, bleed buildup, and AOE utility.

The only downside was its stiff animation—it had long windups and cooldowns. Not ideal for bosses, but useful for clearing mobs and in PvP.

However, since Lloyd was using the Bloodhound's Fang, he couldn't change its Ash of War. So even though it looked decent, it wasn't something he could use just yet.

Once he finished checking his loot, Lloyd headed back to the small room to get some rest.

After all, they had just come out of a tough battle. Melina needed to recover, and considering his sudden nap last time, Lloyd figured it was safer to take a short break too.

But just as he was about to leave, Margit's voice called out again.

"Wait, Tarnished."

Since Lloyd had been testing his new abilities right next to him, Margit had seen the whole thing—every move, every skill.

And now, his expression grew... complicated.

How to put it...

Even though the version of him here was just an incarnation and far weaker than his real self, his judgment hadn't dulled.

Just now, he'd been infused with three powerful forces. That alone should've been more than enough to overwhelm any ordinary Tarnished. Even he, Margit, had been struggling to stay in control of that power. By any measure, his strength wasn't far from his true body in Leyndell.

And yet, even that kind of power was overpowered by this bizarre Tarnished—wielding a cleaver, fighting alongside a Leonine Misbegotten and a strange woman. Even if it was a team effort, it still meant this guy was qualified to contend for the Elden Lord's throne.

That thought lingered until the moment he saw Lloyd switch back to his main account and casually perform his moves.

Margit still couldn't tell just how strong Lloyd truly was—without a proper fight, it was hard to say—but one thing became clear: this strange Tarnished was far more dangerous than he'd expected.

Even in that last fight, he hadn't gone all out. He might not have even been serious.

And thinking back to how clueless he'd been during their conversation...

Even ignoring the current state of the Golden Order or his own responsibilities, Margit felt he had a civic duty—just as a regular inhabitant of the Lands Between—to keep an eye on this one. At the very least, someone needed to teach him the basics so he could function like a normal person.

Because otherwise, who knew what kind of havoc someone with the power of a demigod and the mental stability of a squirrel could unleash?

So, for a lot of reasons, Margit decided he had to explain the Elden Ring to him properly.

Even if he couldn't get him to agree with his ideals or turn him into an ally, at the very least he could reduce the threat he posed.

However...

After doing his best to simplify things, speaking as patiently as he could and explaining everything he knew about the Elden Ring, the Shattering, and the Golden Order, Lloyd simply shook his head and replied, honestly:

"I didn't get any of that."

Margit covered his face and let out a long, weary sigh.

Though truthfully, it wasn't that he didn't understand anything at all.

"So, Queen Marika is some kind of god, and her kids are Demigods. They were one big family, but then one day Marika vanished, the Elden Ring shattered, and everyone started fighting over what's basically her inheritance—the so-called Great Runes. That turned into what's now called the Shattering...

The Golden Order is like a sentient constitution—it sets the rules for the Lands Between. But it's not just words on paper; those laws actually have real power and can even manifest to attack people...

And the Tarnished? They were Marika's former subordinates. For some unknown crime, she exiled them from company HQ to the far reaches, stripped them of their 'Grace'—basically revoked their full-time employee status—and made them temp workers...

And now, while HQ is caught up in a messy family inheritance dispute, these temp workers have suddenly come back from the dead. With support from certain beings—maybe the other shareholders or something—they're also trying to claim Marika's inheritance and take over the company..."

Lloyd had no idea if any of that was right, but that was how he understood it.

Now it was Margit's turn to be lost.

A sentient constitution? Company? Shareholders?

What the hell was this guy even talking about?

Still, even if he didn't understand Lloyd's exact words, it seemed like he'd grasped the gist of things. At least Margit's earlier explanations hadn't gone entirely to waste.

"So what's your stance? You're standing guard here for that 'Godrick' guy—does that mean you're backing him to be the boss?" Lloyd asked, looking at Margit.

"I support that grafted freak—!"

At the mere mention of Godrick, Margit nearly exploded with rage again.

He was about to speak, but then remembered his current identity was Margit the Fell Omen, not Morgott the Grace-Given of Leyndell. The words caught in his throat slowly faded into a long sigh.

"So, Tarnished... after hearing all this, do you still intend to fight for the Elden Ring? To betray the Golden Order, defy the Law, and cast your loyalty into the abyss...?"

"Uh, I didn't understand a word of that."

Lloyd scratched his head. "But I promised a friend I'd take her to the Royal Capital, and I heard you need two Great Runes to get in. So yeah, I'm definitely going to fight for them."

"Are you... are you serious?"

Margit instinctively thought he was being mocked. But staring at Lloyd's sincere expression, and thinking back on their earlier exchange, he bit back the words.

Lloyd nodded. "I'm serious. But hey, if you've got another way to get me into the Capital, I'd be happy to consider it."

"You..." Margit hesitated.

Even if he wanted to let him through, the seal on the Capital wasn't something he could lift. It wasn't his doing in the first place.

"Looks like you can't help, so I'll have to figure it out myself."

Their conversation wrapped up, and with his strength mostly recovered, Lloyd stood up, called for Melina—who had also just about recovered—and prepared to head into the city.

Just as he was about to step inside, the sound of rustling came from nearby.

"I'll go with you."

Margit stood up behind him, his gaze complex.

"Sure."

Lloyd gave a nod, then stepped forward.

And so, his journey to Stormveil began.