Elden Lord of Cinders

With Trina joining the team and providing a way to restore FP, Lloyd's exploration went much more smoothly.

Though the monsters grew stronger the further they advanced, with better stats and setups, they had Lloyd fighting at the front, Melina providing buffs from behind, and Trina stepping in to fire off a sleep arrow when they ran into tough elites. With the three of them working together, progress was actually easier than when they'd first entered the area.

They pushed forward until they were about three-quarters through the map. As they activated another Site of Grace, a new golden summoning sign lit up.

[Summon Spirit: "Fell Omen Spirit – Margit"?]

Lloyd selected "Yes."

But unlike before, the summon failed.

The reason?

[Busy with overtime. No time.]

That was the message that came back.

For some reason, Lloyd could feel a deep sense of resentment behind that message.

Still, even though he didn't show up, Old Margit sent some help: a weapon, "Nightrider Flail," an Ash of War, "Barricade Shield," and twenty hand-crafted Golden Throwing Knives.

After packing up the supplies, the trio moved on.

This time, for some reason, there were noticeably fewer enemies on the road, and they were weaker too.

Was this the lead-up to a boss fight?

With that in mind, they continued forward. Soon, they encountered a humanoid enemy.

"Pus of Man Swordsman – Rogier."

It looked like a model based on that friendly guy Rogier they'd met before, but black pus oozed from his spine, and both his sword and staff were coated with that same writhing, ever-flowing black sludge, as if a pus-covered face was constantly growing over them.

Lloyd jumped at the sight—not because the thing looked strong, but because he thought he'd somehow missed a side quest and gotten this guy killed.

But on closer inspection, it turned out to be just a replica NPC boss for this dungeon, not Rogier himself.

So Lloyd rushed in and sliced him up.

It was worth noting, though, that this "Pus of Man Swordsman" was different from the real Rogier not just in appearance and gear, but also in the spells he used.

Instead of the academy's signature blue Glintstone sorcery, his magic was a murky yellowish gray, reeking of pus, death, and curses.

In game terms, the spells had lower damage and slower casts, but built up Death Blight over time.

Death Blight buildup might sound scary, but as far as Lloyd could tell, the accumulation rate was so slow that he could smash someone to death twice over with spells before the Blight bar even filled...

After killing the Pus of Man Swordsman, he dropped a weapon.

[Pus of Man Rapier]

[A rapier corrupted by pus and partially destroyed]

[Weapon of the Pus of Man Swordsman Rogier]

[Requires some Dexterity to wield]

[Attacks inflict a curse effect]

[Those who gaze upon death will also be gazed upon by death]

Up to this point, the description was normal. But a little further down, the font and text boxes changed.

[Yet it seems some never understand this, crawling out of the grave time and again, defying the nature of death]

[Until even death itself bowed before them]

[Perhaps this is the strength of fools]

What the hell?

Those last three lines clearly weren't part of the normal item description—they read more like someone's personal notes. Lloyd felt oddly insulted.

Who are you calling a fool? Who are you calling a fool?!

He stowed the rapier and moved on. Before long, he arrived at the place where Godrick had once stood. A golden fog gate appeared before him.

He activated the nearby Site of Grace, sat down to recover and prepare, then reached out and stepped through the mist.

On the other side stood a towering figure.

Godrick.

But not quite.

This version of Godrick, visibly larger than the one in reality, was covered in sewn-on human limbs and leaking thick, squirming human pus.

When Lloyd entered, he didn't speak—no grand proclamations like "I am the Golden." But he didn't attack immediately either.

He just stood there, blankly staring in Lloyd's direction, surrounded by the flowing pus and distant wailing.

For a long time.

Just when Lloyd began to wonder if this one was passive, the thing seemed to snap out of it and launched into an attack.

The fight itself wasn't much to write home about.

Though this was a powered-up version of Godrick—with better stats, more aggression, and some new moves—Lloyd handled it.

For instance, his stomps now included a second step that caused pus to burst from the ground, dealing dark damage.

When swinging his massive axe, extra limbs would lash out with whip-like strands of human pus, extending his range.

And in phase two, after grafting on the dragon head, it didn't breathe orange fire—instead, it spewed pus that built up poison.

The biggest change was the addition of a roar skill. It dealt high damage and had a wide area of effect, but the wind-up was too obvious. Both the Head of Man and the Pus of Man had to rise simultaneously and roar together, unleashing multiple waves of damage across a wide radius and triggering bursts of man-pus from the ground.

But even with this upgrade, it wasn't much of a threat—not to mention Morgott, blessed by the Three Fingers—it wasn't even as tough as Messmer from the last invasion.

If Lloyd had come in alone, it might've been somewhat challenging, but...

Melina was stacking health regen buffs, and one use of her Ash of War was dishing out nearly 600 damage.

Trina, outside the arena, was boosting focus and occasionally using some item or skill to restore FP.

Then there was Lloyd himself.

Level suppression, hidden buffs, Soul Level 5.

Infinite healing, unlimited FP—stronger than a boss monster.

Dodging, rolling, punishing openings.

Ashes of War, Sorceries, Incantations.

With all three bearing down on him, it took barely over a minute to bring down Godrick, who once couldn't be beaten even with full effort. His body slowly disintegrated.

[ENEMY FELLED]

[Obtained Item: "Ashen Page (I)"]

[Obtained Ash of War: "Wild Strikes"]

[Ashen Page (I)]

[A fragment recording a story from the past, too badly damaged to read without repair.]

[But perhaps it doesn't need to be repaired.]

[For the ashen, perhaps eternal silence is the only fitting end.]

[Ash of War: "Wild Strikes"]

[A skill born from mindless undead.]

[Abandon thought—attack purely on instinct.]

[Decent damage, but hard to control.]

[Can this even be called a technique?]

So it's the Undead Five-Hit Combo, huh?

I gave the new Ash of War a test—yep, classic Undead Five-Hit Combo. Once activated, you're locked into the animation, no dodging or reacting, but the FP cost is low, it hits multiple times, comes out fast, and the damage looks decent.

Not much use right now, but if I can get my hands on some heavy armor and go all-in on damage and bleed trades, it might turn out pretty solid. Not just a gimmick.

After storing away the Ash of War, Lloyd searched the area again. Confirming there was nothing left, he approached the gate that had revealed itself behind Godrick's corpse. He reached out and slowly pushed it open.

Boom...

The heavy doors groaned open.

But what lay beyond wasn't the interior of Stormveil Castle. Instead, a deep, dark corridor stretched before him.

He turned back—Melina and Trina were gone. The festering Stormveil had vanished too, swallowed by darkness.

What is this...

After a brief silence, Lloyd stepped forward and walked on.

He didn't know how long he'd been walking—maybe it had been a while, maybe only a moment.

Eventually, as he returned to his senses, another grand door stood before him.

He reached out and pushed.

As the door slowly opened, light spilled through the widening gap.

When it was fully open, a massive circular chamber unfolded before him.

Stairs, stone walls, flickering candlelight...

A domed ceiling, pillars, carved statues...

Its structure resembled the Firelink Shrine. Its decor mirrored the Roundtable Hold…

It was spacious and bright, but felt strangely empty.

Still, that wasn't what caught Lloyd's attention.

The moment he pushed the door open, his eyes were drawn to the center of the hall.

A resting point.

But it wasn't the Sites of Grace he had grown used to. Instead, above a burning flame, there was a coiled sword stabbed into it—a "bonfire."

He walked over instinctively, reaching toward the flames. At that moment, as if in response, the fire flickered, scattering a few glowing embers.

"You came earlier than I expected."

The blonde girl appeared suddenly—or maybe she had been there all along.

"I just finished organizing this place. I thought I'd have to wait a bit longer."

Lloyd turned to look at her, but before he could say anything, she held out her hand.

"Give it to me. I'll take care of it."

"That 'page'?"

"Yes."

Alice nodded, took the torn page from Lloyd, then pulled out a blank book with an empty cover and pages. She merged the page into it.

After making sure the "book" remained still, Alice walked over to a shelf by the wall and placed it on one of the many empty slots.

Only then did Lloyd realize the "Roundtable Sanctuary" was lined with bookshelves—but all of them were empty, which was why he hadn't noticed them before.

And the number of gaps...

A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand? Maybe even more...

"You won't need to fill that many."

Just as Lloyd was lost in thought, Alice returned and shook her head.

"What you just went through was only a 'small fragment,' and just the outermost layer at that. Naturally, the yield was low."

"If you want more 'pages'—or even complete 'books'—you'll have to explore deeper. And you'll need help."

Yes, Lloyd was strong—Alice knew that better than anyone else.

But this time, what he needed was "restoration," not "destruction."

And for that, his power was useless. Worse, it might make things even more unstable.

Maybe that power once held something gentler—healing, repair, perhaps even life or order.

But now, all Alice could see was a flat, lifeless gray.

Like everything had been consumed in a great blaze, leaving behind nothing but endless ash.

She gently took his hand, the one streaked with magma-colored lines, and looked up at him.

"Don't worry. I'll help you."

"And I'm good at this."

The magma-like patterns faded, and with them, the "understanding" in her mind dissipated.

Understanding was valuable—but too much of it could bring too much clarity.

As the warmth of the flame vanished, Lloyd blinked—he still didn't get Alice's riddles.

"Uh, so basically, just dungeon farming?"

Alice nodded. "More or less."

"Alright, I'll keep going then—wait, what the hell?!"

He pushed open the door to a deeper layer of the "fragment," but before he even stepped in, a wave of grayish-yellow mist surged out.

In an instant, his Death Blight bar shot up nearly halfway. If he hadn't backed out quickly, he probably would've dropped dead on the spot.

[City of Pus, Stormveil (Middle Layer)]

[World State: Total Disorder]

[Special Zone: City of Human Pus]

[City of Pus: Death Blight greatly enhanced. Respawn speed of Those Who Live in Death significantly increased. Their attacks now inflict Death Blight.]

What kind of hellish dungeon is this?

Lloyd stared at the system text, stunned.

Was this even something a human could fight?

"This isn't your responsibility—at least not yet."

Alice approached and shook her head slightly.

The "dungeons" she created weren't full-scale copies, but a kind of "order" built from fragments, with Lloyd's help, and tied to the real Lands Between. They had some connection to reality—and could affect it.

Though Stormveil was a low-tier dungeon, something buried deep within it posed one of the most difficult challenges in all the Lands Between.

And because of how entangled it was, brute force wasn't an option. Mishandle it, and the entire Erdtree system could collapse.

"For now, let's head back."

Lloyd nodded and took Alice's offered hand.

A moment of disorientation passed—and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the real world.

In front of him was a familiar perspective—and familiar golden hair.

"You're awake?" Alice asked.

Lloyd was about to answer—but then he noticed something strange.

Wait. Why did he feel... heavy?

He looked down and saw a purple, spirit-like form resting on him.

It was Trina. She was fast asleep.