Elden Lord of Cinders

"Hey, Margit, why so quiet today?"

Lloyd glanced over his shoulder at the silent figure following behind him. He was genuinely curious.

Just yesterday, Margit had been fairly chatty—willing to discuss all sorts of things, even sharing some deeper insights into the Elden Ring. But ever since they delayed their departure to comfort Little Red Hood, the guy had gone dead silent, not uttering a word since they set out again.

"I don't feel like talking," Margit said curtly.

Now he understood why Lloyd's companions barely said anything. After spending time around someone like this, staying quiet started to make a lot of sense.

So, Margit stopped talking too.

As for Roderika—after spending the night calming her down and getting her to a somewhat stable state—Lloyd had considered the risks of leaving her in Stormveil. It wasn't exactly safe, but sending her back wasn't an option either.

In the end, he decided to take her to the Roundtable Hold and leave her in his room with Irina for company.

As for what Chaos had said about her spirit-tuning talent, Lloyd figured he'd wait until Roderika was in a better state mentally before bringing it up again.

With Roderika settled and Margit falling into total silence, Lloyd returned to what he did best—exploring the map.

Slaying monsters. Clearing out areas. Farming Runes...

Chopping through enemies. Chopping through people. Even chopping through walls...

Eventually, after a long while, Lloyd reached a structure that looked like a church. And finally—finally—he met someone who didn't try to attack him on sight.

"This is our first time meeting, right?"

The man gave Lloyd a once-over, confirming he wasn't one of Godrick's minions, then introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Rogier. As you might've guessed, I'm a sorcerer. I'm searching for something inside this castle while trying to avoid the soldiers hunting me…"

"By the way, what brings you to Stormveil? Everyone here is hunting Tarnished to use them as 'grafting' sacrifices. Normally, people would stay far away…"

"I don't really know. Been wondering that myself," Lloyd said with a shrug. "But if I had to say, I guess I'm here to take the Great Rune?"

He didn't actually think he was strong enough to beat a Demigod—especially when the front gate guards had already given him that much trouble.

Still, since he was already here, and the regular enemies didn't seem too ridiculous, it didn't seem like a bad idea to loot the place a bit first—even if he didn't go straight for "Godrick."

So he was aiming for Godrick's Great Rune...

Rogier nodded, then seemed to realize something.

"Wait—that means you can see the Guidance of Grace?"

"Yeah, I can. Why?"

"I'm jealous. I'm a Tarnished too, but I haven't seen the Guidance in a long time."

Rogier sighed, then continued.

"I know a few Ashes of War related to sorcery. If you're interested, I could teach you. I was guided by Grace too once—and if that means I can help someone like you, I'd be glad to."

Lloyd gave him a long, thoughtful look. His expression gradually shifted.

"…What's with that look?"

"Nothing. You just reminded me of some old acquaintances."

A kind-hearted guy offering to teach magic? Yeah, that screamed "early grave."

Still, after some brief conversation, Lloyd agreed to learn from him, and Rogier began his explanation.

"The Ashes of War I'm teaching fall under Glintstone Sorcery. They supposedly originated in the north, at the Raya Lucaria Academy—a massive institution."

"They say that from ancient times, the academy followed laws that directly opposed the Golden Order. It's fascinating…"

"The Golden Order used to be broad and inclusive—able to tolerate even those opposing systems. Now that it's fractured and twisted, in desperate need of repair, I believe that kind of tolerance is more important than ever…"

Lloyd nodded. He'd heard Sellen mention this before during one of their chats. Apparently, there'd even been a war between the two sides at one point, eventually resolved through a political marriage.

But that wasn't something Lloyd needed to worry about right now.

Compared to "Academy drama," he had more urgent things he needed to figure out.

"Then can you tell me about 'Godrick'? I just got here, so I don't really know much about him..."

Although Margit had already joined the team and seemed to know a lot about Godrick, Lloyd had tried getting information from him. But for some reason, the guy really didn't like hearing that name, and in the end, hadn't given him anything useful.

Upon hearing Lloyd's question, Rogier's expression turned a bit awkward.

"You're here to fight for Godrick's Great Rune, but you don't even know who he is? You just... came?"

Lloyd nodded without hesitation. Rogier's eye twitched.

Then he sighed and said, "I don't know what's going through your head—or if you're just keeping things from me—but whatever the case, as your senior, I'll help you out."

He then shared what he knew about Godrick.

"A powerful Demigod"—and for him, that was true.

"He's a master of grafting with no obvious weaknesses"—or more accurately, his entire body was one big weakness.

"The Great Rune he holds is said to be at the very center of the Elden Ring. Some say it's the strongest of them all"—also true.

If Margit had been around for that last part, he might've corrected Rogier.

But since he didn't want to get "spiritually contaminated" by Lloyd again—or be seen by any Tarnished besides Lloyd—he hadn't followed him into the church. So he missed out on the conversation entirely.

After listening to Rogier's explanation, Lloyd's expression grew serious.

A Demigod, supposedly without weaknesses, holding the most central Great Rune, guarded by an absurdly powerful gatekeeper... and his name was Godrick—in a Soulsborne game...

Was this even a fight meant to happen on this map? Maybe it'd just be a projection or a minion he'd fight first. Maybe he'd have to trigger something else before the real boss room even became accessible...

"You can still turn back," Rogier said, "but be careful. There are patrols out looking for Tarnished to use for grafting. If they catch you, it won't end well."

Lloyd waved him off. "Oh, that's fine. I already killed them all."

Rogier: "...?"

After learning some sorceries and getting the info he needed, Lloyd said goodbye to Rogier and continued exploring Stormveil.

"You didn't kill him?" Margit asked in surprise once they'd left.

"Why would I? He didn't attack me." Lloyd looked at him, confused. "Do I look like some lunatic who kills everything in sight?"

Margit nodded seriously. "Yes."

Lloyd: "..."

...

After more "exploring," Lloyd found a spot along the castle wall where he could drop down. He followed the ledges down to a cliffside, and just ahead, a Crucible Knight appeared—one he'd seen before in a dungeon.

Another discount Misbegotten brother, huh...

Just as Lloyd drew the Bloodhound's Fang, ready to see what kind of loot this one would drop, Margit stepped forward.

"I'll handle him."

Oh, a story event?

Since Margit volunteered, Lloyd didn't argue. He sheathed his weapon and watched as Margit approached, raising his cursed sword.

This was communication.

In the most physical sense of the word.

After thoroughly beating down the Crucible Knight, Margit leaned in and said something to him. Whatever it was, it worked. When the Knight got back on his feet, he didn't attack again. Instead, he respectfully stood at Margit's side.

"All done talking," Margit said.

The Crucible Knight then walked up to Lloyd, extended his hand—and the system notifications popped up.

[Received "Crucible Knight" Spirit Ash]

[Received Incantation "Aspects of the Crucible: Horns"]

[Crucible Fragment has changed]

Whoa, this side quest actually had solid rewards?

Lloyd blinked as he looked at the new entry in his Spirit Ash list.

He hadn't even had to fight, but from the Knight's moveset and durability, it was clear this guy could tank, deal solid damage, and had good AOE potential. Definitely a reliable ally.

As for why Margit went out of his way to do this? The reason wasn't complicated.

His avatar had a limited range and couldn't keep following Lloyd forever. He needed someone else to help keep an eye on him.

Plus, even in their short time together, Margit had realized something: this guy might be nuts, but he treated his "friends" pretty well.

By turning the Crucible Knight into an Ash to support him in battle, he not only strengthened their bond, but also lowered the risk of Lloyd having a random breakdown and chopping the guy into pieces on a whim.

"Thanks."

After storing the Spirit Ash and testing out his newly acquired incantation, Lloyd took the elevator back up to the Castle Rampart's Site of Grace.

He explored a bit more and eventually came upon a room where a dark-skinned female warrior knelt before a corpse, murmuring softly.

"Be proud... You were a fine warrior. You just chose to follow the wrong person..."

Hearing footsteps, the woman turned and eyed Lloyd with caution. But seeing that his eyes lacked any golden glow, she relaxed slightly.

"Oh, a Tarnished. You don't look like one of Godrick's lackeys. I'm Nepheli Loux, also a Tarnished. And a warrior."

"I came here under my foster father's orders, but I never expected Godrick to commit something as vile as grafting. That's not the act of a true king—even the wind here feels corrupted."

"If you're here to challenge Godrick, I can help. I don't need the Great Rune. I just want to fulfill the task entrusted to me."

"Though defeating Godrick wasn't part of my original mission, with things tainted to this extent, I believe my foster father would turn a blind eye."

Oh, a co-op ally?

After chatting with the warrior, Lloyd moved on. Before long, he spotted a golden Fog Gate. Nearby, a small chamber housed a Site of Grace.

He activated it, restored his state, and stepped up to inspect the Fog Gate. A prompt appeared:

[Enter the Fog Gate and challenge "Godrick the Golden?]

Three golden summon signs glowed on the ground.

[Summon aid: Melina?]

[Summon aid: Margit the Fell Omen?]

[Summon aid: Nepheli Loux?]

Lloyd paused to think.

Well, he'd come this far—already at the gate. Sure, "Godrick" probably wasn't someone a character of his level could handle, but to walk away without even seeing him felt... wrong.

Besides, when running dual accounts, even if his lower-leveled one didn't earn many Runes due to scaling, all items and drops still registered. The only real loss was Runes...

While considering all that, a thick, stone-white suit of armor materialized on Lloyd. The three summon signs flared to life, calling in the helpers.

But—

"Hold on. Let me prep first."

Under the increasingly bewildered gazes of his three allies, Lloyd began applying buffs.

Sacred Oath (reskinned Golden Vow), Bountiful Sunlight (reskinned Blessing of the Erdtree), Tears of Denial (survive fatal damage with 1 HP)...

Power Within (from Souls 1—boosts damage by 40% at the cost of HP over time), Iron Flesh (increases all resistances), and an enchantment of Dark Moon Blade on the Bloodhound's Fang...

"Alright, done."

Clad in Havel's Set—the most tanky armor in the Souls series—Dragon Tooth in his left hand, Dragon Chime in the right, Lloyd stepped through the Fog Gate.

Inside stood a hulking, bloated figure radiating oppressive energy, his back turned as he gently caressed the corpse of a dragon.

"Fellow descendant of dragons... your strength is beyond doubt. It shall elevate me..."

At the sound of approaching footsteps, he turned, revealing a grotesque body stitched from human limbs.

"Hmph. Another arrogant Tarnished."

He raised his many "arms" and lifted a massive golden greataxe—larger than a man.

Boom—

The greataxe struck the ground, the shockwave reverberating across the arena.

Then came the proclamation:

"Kneel. For I am the Golden—"

Boom!

A bolt of lightning cracked through the sky.

Godrick's declaration was cut short.

His health bar dropped instantly to zero.