Blaidd the Wolfman

[Dectus Medallion (left)]: A metal medallion bearing an image of the Erdtree. This is its left half. Join the two halves and raise them overhead to reactivate the Grand Lift of Dectus, connecting the Altus Plateau and Liurnia.

"How did you get your hands on this?" Edgar asked curiously.

"We of the Haight Family are descendants of Limgrave's legitimate rulers. As the only passage to Leyndell, the Grand Lift of Dectus was jointly administered by Limgrave, Liurnia, and Caelid. Liurnia held actual control of the lift, while the Dectus Medallions were entrusted to the lords of Limgrave and Caelid respectively. Only with all three parties working together could the lift be activated."

"That much trouble?"

"It was a vital military route, after all. Such caution was necessary to ensure the safety of the Royal Capital of Leyndell." Kenneth Haight heaved a long sigh. "Unfortunately, the best-laid plans cannot account for fate. When the Goddess shattered the Elden Ring and the Shattering broke out, Godrick fled here from Leyndell and seized power by force. The Haight Family fell into decline and was driven to Fort Haight, left to fend for itself. The Fort Faroth family of Caelid suffered an even more tragic fate. The battle between the Valkyrie and Starscourge Radahn devastated all of Caelid. The entire family perished, leaving only the crumbling Fort Faroth, now a nest of monsters and ghosts. Truly a tragedy."

At this point, Kenneth Haight turned to the Tarnished. "The right half of the Dectus Medallion may still be in Fort Faroth. If you have the opportunity, you could search for it."

"Right, I'll remember that." The Tarnished clenched his fist and declared earnestly, "I'll definitely find the other half of the Big Dick Medallion and restart the Big Dick Lift!"

"What Big Dick Lift? It's the Grand Lift of Dectus!"

The three talked all through the night, yet remained full of energy the next morning.

With the road ahead now clear, their hearts were no longer lost. A brand-new world awaited them, ready for them to create.

Still, establishing their own caravan remained a distant prospect, so there was no rush to find the other half of the Dectus Medallion. Their immediate priority was to gain a firm foothold and get Castle Morne up and running.

The Tarnished accompanied Kenneth Haight back to Fort Haight and brought the small castle back into service. This move also marked Castle Morne's first step beyond its administrative borders as it began extending its influence into Limgrave.

"Godrick will probably throw a fit when he hears about this, but a man of such small-mindedness hardly deserves to stand among the Lords. He only escaped the Royal Capital of Leyndell by dressing as a woman and hiding among the women. Terrified of Radahn, he cowered in Stormveil Castle, not daring to make a sound. Then he underestimated Malenia and marched out to confront her, only to suffer a crushing defeat. He saved his own life by kneeling and kissing her toes in submission. Even with his Golden Lineage, he is nothing more than a pitifully weak, shameless man. Pathetic!"

Clearly, Kenneth Haight truly hated Godrick. Even so, Godrick possessed a fragment of the Elden Ring and was a genuine Shardbearer. His Golden Lineage also made him an undisputed Demigod. The only reason he had suffered so many humiliations was that Radahn and Malenia were themselves among the greatest Demigods of the age.

Against ordinary people, Godrick still possessed overwhelming strength and superiority.

Kenneth Haight understood this too. For all his curses and insults, he was not arrogant enough to think the current Castle Morne could take on Godrick, and he made careful preparations.

In addition to authorization to rebuild Waypoint Street, Kenneth Haight gave the Tarnished another written order bearing the crest of House Haight.

"There are many excavation teams in West Limgrave. Their main task is to search the enormous fragments of buildings that fell from the sky for usable supplies. These were Godrick's orders, but we need not obey them any longer. The excavation teams were dispatched by Fort Haight. With this order, you can recall them to strengthen our defenses."

The Tarnished had never expected such an unexpected bonus. Having official backing really did make everything easier. No wonder so many people were dead set on taking the civil service exams.

"Oh, and take this as well." Kenneth Haight handed him an item. The Tarnished took a look and found that it was a special Ash of War.

[Ash of War: Bloody Slash]: Power shared by the Blood Lord, and one of the Blood Order's combat techniques. Lower your stance and pour your blood into your blade, then unleash a sweeping slash of blood that tears through enemies. Grants a weapon the "bleed" property.

"House Haight seized this as a trophy many years ago. The former knight commander committed his treacherous rebellion precisely because he coveted this power. Though its methods are sinister, power itself is neither right nor wrong. Whether it serves good or evil depends on its wielder. We walk a road fraught with peril, and the ability to shatter every obstacle will determine our success or failure. Take it. If anyone can use this power properly, it is you."

"Thank you. I'll put it to good use."

Kenneth Haight nodded. "Go, then. And be careful. Godrick's Grafted Hunters are active throughout Limgrave, and Tarnished are their most prized prey. Do not let them catch you."

The Tarnished blew the Spectral Steed Whistle and rode Torrent around West Limgrave, bringing back over two hundred people. More than a hundred and sixty were workers and laborers with little fighting ability. Only the remaining thirty-odd were regular soldiers, who became Fort Haight's garrison.

Kenneth Haight had not been idle during the Tarnished's absence either. Together with the Demi-Human Queen whom Castle Morne had taken in, he successfully gathered the Demi-Human groups scattered across West Limgrave, further strengthening Fort Haight.

The Tarnished marveled at this, remarking that Kenneth Haight truly was a Demi-Human incubus. The Demi-Human Queen was delighted to gain more subjects as well, and even volunteered her name: Mako.

Kenneth Haight knew Demi-Human customs well. He was overjoyed to learn the Demi-Human Queen's name and told the Tarnished, "A Demi-Human Queen's name is a closely guarded secret, known only to those closest to her. Mako's willingness to tell us her name means she already considers us family. From now on, even if we encounter other Demi-Human groups, we need only give Mako's name to avoid fighting and coexist peacefully!"

The Tarnished finally understood. He had thought accepting these minority races was all he needed to do, never realizing he could keep raising their affection. Inspired by the Demi-Human Queen, he went to see the Minor Erdtree Guardians again. There was another Minor Erdtree in Mistwood, not far from Fort Haight, and it had no guardians at all.

The moment they heard this, the guardians became wildly excited and immediately sent a group of their people to take charge of Limgrave's Minor Erdtree. To show their gratitude, they not only promised to double their monthly delivery of Tarnished Golden Sunflowers, but also gave A-Tui several treasured gifts.

[Crimsonburst Crystal Tear]: A crystal tear formed over a long span of time in lands blessed by the Erdtree. Slowly heals wounds for a period of time.

[Opaline Bubbletear]: A crystal tear formed over a long span of time in lands blessed by the Erdtree. Greatly reduces the damage taken from the next hit.

[Greenspill Crystal Tear]: A crystal tear formed over a long span of time in lands blessed by the Erdtree. Temporarily increases maximum stamina.

Continuing to improve their relationship even unlocked affection gifts. The Lands Between really were one enormous dating sim.

The Tarnished wanted to raise his affection with the Mushroom People too, but with sufficient manpower now available, the reconstruction of Waypoint Street had begun, leaving him no time for anything else.

Waypoint Street had long been abandoned and was overrun with poisonous flowers and weeds. The most common was a plant called Miranda. In their early stages, they resembled ordinary flowers, but fully grown specimens could reach three stories tall. Miranda flowers could draw nutrients from the earth through their roots like other plants, but they could also spray poisonous pollen to hunt living creatures. They truly ate anything, plant or animal, and relished it all.

This very trait, however, made Miranda flowers an important means of assessing the local environment.

For example, in areas infected by scarlet rot, Miranda flowers sprayed pollen carrying the rot. If the surrounding region was plagued by frenzied flame sickness, their pollen would burn with the heat of the frenzied flame.

The Miranda flowers occupying Waypoint Street only sprayed ordinary, highly poisonous pollen. That meant the local ecosystem was healthy and free of contamination.

The Tarnished was immensely pleased by this good news. To thank the Miranda flowers for their diligent environmental testing, he immediately ordered, "Set them on fire! Burn every last one!"

At his command, the Miranda flowers were burned away completely. They were plants, after all, and thoroughly vulnerable to fire.

With the troublesome environmental inspectors sent on their way, the humans and Demi-Humans began rebuilding Waypoint Street together.

First, they demolished the old ruined walls. Then they went to Mistwood to cut timber for new buildings. During this process, an adult Rune Bear suddenly attacked the logging camp. The laborers struggled to hold it off behind the camp's wooden fence, but the flimsy timber could not stop the enraged adult Rune Bear. A single swipe scattered the fence, and it attacked the laborers without mercy.

The soldiers guarding the camp fought to hold the giant bear off while shouting, "Quick! Run west! Take shelter in Mistwood Ruins!"

Even as they spoke, the giant bear charged through their defenses. Its overwhelming strength crushed the soldiers in an instant, leaving them on the ground, vomiting blood and unable to rise. Just as the Rune Bear was about to finish them off, a chorus of roars suddenly erupted, followed by the clatter of wooden clubs striking shields.

The laborers included both humans and Demi-Humans. These ugly little creatures were not particularly intelligent and usually performed only heavy manual labor, receiving little attention. Yet at this critical moment, they stepped forward and chose to act as bait to draw the Rune Bear's attention, sacrificing themselves to save others.

The human laborers stared in shock. Watching the small Demi-Humans successfully attract the giant bear's attention and scatter in different directions, they could not understand why they would do this.

They were different races. There was no affection between them. They had merely been forced together by the important people above them. Why would they go this far?

The Demi-Humans' minds could never have answered such a complicated question. In their simple thoughts, once everyone had joined the same great tribe, there should be no distinction between them. Their small, frail selves were far less valuable than the tall, strong human soldiers. Keeping those soldiers alive would bring more value to the tribe. Sacrificing the individual to preserve the group-that was how beasts survived.

The Demi-Humans scattered, buying as much time as they could. When they saw that all the humans had taken shelter in Mistwood Ruins, they relaxed. They were just preparing to use the last moments of their lives to lure the Rune Bear farther away when even louder shouts erupted behind them.

They turned to see the humans banging wooden clubs and shouting in the ruins, drawing the adult Rune Bear's attention once again.

Why were they doing this? The Demi-Humans did not understand.

Another group of humans waved from the bushes. "Little ones, hurry over here!"

The humans are saving us! The Demi-Humans understood.

They did not understand what made them worth saving. They only knew that they were experiencing something they had never felt before, and their cold, bestial hearts began to warm.

The adult Rune Bear attacked the ruins. Using the broken walls for cover, the humans desperately held it off with wooden clubs, spears, and burning torches.

Their plan was to draw the giant bear's attention from the front while the Demi-Humans circled into the ruins from the side. There was a cellar behind the ruins, far too small for the Rune Bear to enter. If they could reach it, everyone could survive!

The humans and Demi-Humans stood united. In the face of mortal danger, their lives were no longer divided by race. Most of them had nearly entered the ruins from the side when the adult Rune Bear caught their scent and discovered the trick. It immediately abandoned the enemies hiding in the ruins and lunged at the humans and Demi-Humans still outside. At that critical moment, one little Demi-Human suddenly broke away from the group and ran in another direction, yelling at the top of its lungs, successfully drawing the Rune Bear's attention.

"Quick! Get inside!"

The other Demi-Humans were pulled into the cellar beneath the ruins.

Through a gap, everyone peered up to see the adult Rune Bear closing in on that small figure. Then it brought its enormous paw crashing down.

"It's over!"

The people cried out in alarm. The little Demi-Human also thought death was certain.

But just as the huge paw fell, close enough for the creature to smell its rank odor, hoofbeats rang out. An instant later, a sturdy figure swept the little Demi-Human into his arms and rolled across the ground, avoiding the lethal blow.

The little Demi-Human was dizzy and confused, with no idea what had happened. The humans, however, cried out in delighted surprise. "It's the Tarnished! Lord A-Tui is here!"

Indeed, the Tarnished had arrived. He had rushed over the moment he received the news, only to find this scene of imminent disaster.

With no time to think, he had immediately thrown himself forward to save the little Demi-Human, rolling to avoid the attack.

But the adult Rune Bear would not let the matter rest. As creatures at the top of the food chain, Rune Bears had no concept of letting bygones be bygones. Killing every creature that dared challenge its authority was how this king of the forest upheld its dignity!

When its attack missed, the adult Rune Bear roared furiously and lunged again. With the little Demi-Human in his arms hampering his movements, the Tarnished could only raise his shield and take the blow head-on. With a bang, the adult Rune Bear's several tons of weight slammed into the Brass Shield and sent the Tarnished flying. Before he could stand again, the Rune Bear's enormous paw came down once more. The Tarnished did not even have time to raise his shield. He could only shelter the little Demi-Human in his arms and take the blow with his body.

With a heavy thud, the Tarnished was swatted away. He crashed through a wall of Mistwood Ruins with a clatter and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Still, the blow had put some distance between him and the Rune Bear. He rolled to his feet and seized the opportunity to toss the little Demi-Human toward the humans waiting by the cellar. But the adult Rune Bear lunged again and sent him flying once more.

Amid a deafening clatter, the Tarnished smashed through another wall. This was what made Rune Bears so terrifying: their seemingly endless stamina and relentless attacks. Having lost the initiative, the Tarnished had lost his advantage as well. He could not find a single opening to recover his footing.

As the adult Rune Bear lunged again, the Tarnished lay among the ruins, without even enough time to stand. He could only grip his shield with both hands and brace himself for another direct hit.

But the expected collision never came. A towering figure dropped from above and landed before the Tarnished. Holding an enameled greatsword in both hands, he firmly stopped the adult Rune Bear's charge.

The newcomer was powerfully built, clad in black armor with a fur cloak. Strangest of all, he had the head of a wolf. He was a wolfman in the truest sense.

He easily overpowered the adult Rune Bear's brute strength. Holding the enormous beast firmly at bay, he turned to A-Tui and said, "I've never seen a human protect Demi-Humans before. You're an interesting one, Tarnished."

The Tarnished grinned. Right. Mistwood. The ruins. There was a guy here who was always striking cool poses. It had been so long that I'd actually forgotten.

He stood, drank a Flask of Crimson Tears, and drew his Great Epee and Brass Shield, ready for battle.

"Thanks, Wolf Bro. Leave the rest to me."

"Wolf Bro?" The wolfman paused, then grinned as well. "You really are interesting, Tarnished. What's your name?"

"Tarnished."

"Hello, Tarnished. My name is Blaidd."