Edgar finished his preparations quickly. They had been building roads all along, after all. Once they put down their shovels and picked up swords and maces, the construction workers could become an army in an instant.
Unexpectedly, Rogier also asked to come along.
"Sorry, could I keep my reason to myself for now?"
The Tarnished wasn't actually surprised. He smiled and asked, "Because of Those Who Live in Death?"
Rogier looked astonished. "How did you know?"
"I told you, I came back from the future."
Rogier was speechless. "You're joking again."
Now it was the Tarnished's turn to be speechless. He was telling the truth, so why wouldn't anyone believe him?
But he had no intention of pressing the issue. He simply said, "Come along if you want, Roger. As for your reason, tell me when you feel ready."
"Thank you, Tarnished." Rogier was deeply grateful.
With that little interlude over, the troops set out.
There was no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Those Who Live in Death were mechanic-based monsters, so stat monsters like the Crucible Knights wouldn't be much use. The Tarnished sent the two knights to deal with the Tree Sentinel instead. They had once been colleagues, after all, which should make communication easier. He hoped to bring the Tree Sentinel into Stormveil's camp too, but if that proved impossible, they would drive him away, just as they had the Night's Cavalry.
Once everything was arranged, the three hero units-the Tarnished, Edgar, and Rogier-led a hundred troops east from Stormveil. Following the main road, they passed the Stormhill Shack and the Warmaster's Shack in turn. All they had to do was cross Saintsbridge and the plain beyond it to reach Summonwater Village.
The monsters along the roadside had all been cleared out, so their march went smoothly. But just as the main force reached the entrance to Saintsbridge, a strange cry for help rang out.
It was strange because the voice seemed to come from inside a pot, sounding deeply muffled.
While Edgar and Rogier remained on their guard, the Tarnished already knew who it was.
"Up there." He pointed toward the voice and headed up a gentle slope toward the cliff. Edgar and Rogier certainly weren't going to let their leader risk himself alone, so they immediately followed.
At first, they worried it might be a trap. But when they saw the "person" calling for help, their worry turned to astonishment.
The one calling for help wasn't a person at all, but an enormous jar.
He was stuck in a narrow hole in the ground, his lower body... lower half completely buried, leaving only his upper half exposed. His two clay "arms" pushed hard against the ground as he shouted, "Is anyone there-can anyone help me-I'm stuck-"
"Is this..." Rogier's store of knowledge was quite extensive, and he immediately named the creature. "A Living Jar?"
"Ah, someone finally came." The jar sighed in relief and said with a touch of bravado, "Yes, I am a Living Jar, and a Warrior Jar as well. My name is Alexander. Alexander the Iron Fist. As you can see, I'm stuck in this hole. I hope you'll help me out of this predicament. Thank you."
"A talking Warrior Jar???" Edgar felt as though his entire worldview was about to collapse. Rogier was equally astonished.
But all the Tarnished felt was a long-missed sense of fondness.
Jar bro, it's so good to see you again.
He steadied his surging emotions, walked over to Alexander, and said, "I'll help you."
"Oh, you're willing to help? Wonderful!" Jar bro was delighted. "Sorry for the trouble, but please take something big and hard enough and strike my lower half with all your strength. That should free me. Don't worry about breaking me. I'm sturdy! I do keep training my body, after all. Just hit me as hard as you can without holding back."
"No problem." The Tarnished started taking off his trousers.
Edgar and Rogier hurriedly stopped him from either side. "What are you doing?!"
"Getting out something big and hard," the Tarnished said matter-of-factly.
"Use a proper weapon!"
"Huh? But I've got something that fits the description better..."
"Just use a weapon!!!"
"Fine." Reluctantly, the Tarnished took up a Godrick's Soldiers' Greatsword and unleashed the skill Square Off: Upward Cut, striking Jar bro hard across the bottom. With a bang, he knocked Alexander out of the hole.
"Ah~" Jar bro let out a blissful moan as he came free. He lay on the ground, seemingly still savoring that blow, and said in a trembling voice, "You're so strong. That strike was far too powerful. It reached straight into my soul, into places no one else has ever reached. I felt as though I was about to split open. If you did that again, I'd definitely beg you to be gentler."
Edgar: "..."
Rogier: "..."
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would have thought something utterly outrageous had just happened.
Seriously, could even jars be this filthy now?
Alexander himself, however, had no such thoughts. He was simply telling the truth.
As the tingling gradually faded from his body, Jar bro recovered. He stood up, folded his arms across his chest, and laughed heartily. "In any case, that was a splendid blow! Thanks to you, I'm free. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude."
Jar bro handed over a piece of dried meat.
[Exalted Flesh]: Beast leg meat soaked in spices. Considered the finest food in the present-day Lands Between, it is a delicacy only the brave are worthy to enjoy.
"Thanks, Jar bro." The Tarnished readily accepted the gift.
"Jar bro? Haha, someone as immature as me is hardly worthy of being anyone's older brother." Alexander laughed. Despite his words, he was clearly pleased to be addressed that way. "By the way, may I ask your name?"
"I'm the Tarnished." After introducing himself, the Tarnished introduced the other two. "This is Edgar, and this is Rogier."
"Oh, oh! You're Lord Tarnished? Stormveil's new ruler, the hero who defeated the Shardbearer Godrick and took in humans and nonhuman races alike? To think someone so important would help me! How fortunate I am!" Alexander was tremendously excited, like a fan meeting his idol. "No wonder you're so kind even to someone like me. Does Stormveil treat artificial beings equally too?"
Artificial beings?
Rogier quietly explained to the Tarnished, "Many races in the Lands Between aren't born naturally. Though they possess emotions and intelligence, they are actually created through magic and technology. Since they aren't blessed by the Erdtree, they've always been at the bottom of the social hierarchy."
Alexander heard Rogier's words too and nervously awaited the Tarnished's "judgment."
But the Tarnished knew he had no right to judge anyone.
"Stormveil will welcome anyone who is kind, and I will help anyone who needs help," the Tarnished said. "Regardless of their race or faith, regardless of whether they're natural or artificial. Yes, even artificial beings will receive equal treatment in Stormveil!"
His answer was firm and utterly forthright. Rogier and Edgar exchanged a glance and sighed together. They knew just how heretical that declaration was, but that was precisely why they willingly followed in the Tarnished's footsteps.
Alexander was even more overwhelmed. He dropped to his knees with a thump and pressed his palms together in prayer. "Oh, what magnificent words! You are a true hero! Lord Tarnished, please allow me to carry your remains after your death. It would be the greatest honor of my life. Of course, I will train hard and grow stronger. I would never bring shame upon your remains!"
Rogier: "..."
Edgar: "..."
They could understand how Alexander felt, but that was an awfully unlucky way to put it.
The Tarnished didn't mind at all. Instead, he said happily, "All right. When I die, you can take care of my remains. But until then, Jar bro, let's move forward together and grow stronger!"
"Hahaha, yes! Let's grow stronger together! Alexander the Iron Fist will never let you down!"
And so, amid this sudden surge of hot-blooded enthusiasm, Alexander joined Stormveil.
Edgar and Rogier had no idea what use a Warrior Jar might be, but since it was the Tarnished's choice, they would support it unconditionally.
According to the burial customs of the Lands Between, people went to the underground catacombs at the end of their lives to return to the Erdtree, then were reborn through the power of the Golden Order. Commoners generally waited until there were several dozen dead to hold a collective funeral, while the wealthy transported enormous coffins to the catacombs by carriage.
But when someone with extraordinary achievements or a valiant warrior died, a Living Jar would carry them instead. This was an exceptionally prestigious rite. Everyone took pride in the prospect of being placed in a Living Jar after death, and the Living Jars themselves were delighted to carry these heroes.
Simply put, Living Jars were a special kind of coffin, and Warrior Jars were coffins that already contained heroes' bodies.
Normally, Alexander should have delivered these bodies to the underground catacombs for the return to the Erdtree ritual. But the birth of the Prince of Death had brought the concept of death back to the Lands Between, giving rise to Those Who Live in Death. To prevent the heroes' remains from losing their rest, the Warrior Jars could only keep their bones within themselves. Over time, this instead allowed the Warrior Jars to gradually acquire the fallen warriors' strength and become true "warriors."
So had the Tarnished recruited a coffin... a Warrior Jar because of his fighting strength?
But Warrior Jars were so rare that they probably wouldn't be of much use.
Never mind. Their current task was to retake Summonwater Village. The matter of Warrior Jars could wait.
The force set out again. The Tarnished and the others crossed Saintsbridge, and Summonwater Village came into view in the distance. But countless crooked gravestones lined both sides of the road, forming a vast, crude cemetery that lent the surroundings an ominous air.
Summonwater Village was an utterly ordinary village, inhabited by utterly ordinary villagers.
They didn't know what the Night of the Black Knives was, or what the Shattering meant. All they knew was that one day, the Goddess Marika shattered the Elden Ring, war broke out, and no one could take them to return to the Erdtree anymore.
As more people died, the villagers buried their friends and relatives in the nearby plain outside the village, hoping that one day the return to the Erdtree ritual would resume and those people would come back.
What they never expected was that their friends and relatives did return-but not in the way they had imagined. The dead weren't bathed in the radiance of the Golden Order. Instead, they were tainted by the Prince of Death's power and became an entirely new race-Those Who Live in Death.
As their name suggested, Those Who Live in Death were people born from death.
Their flesh had rotted away, leaving most of them as nothing but skeletons. Through the Prince of Death's power, these remains regained the ability to move. They lost the memories of their lives but retained their skills, allowing them to use tools and weapons. Some could even use magic. Most terrifying of all, even if they were smashed to pieces or ground to dust, they would rise again after a short while through the Prince of Death's power-or rather, they were already dead, so no matter how they were brutalized, they could not die again.
And so, on a dark, windy night, these buried remains crawled back out of the earth. They slaughtered all of Summonwater Village and buried the fresh corpses to create more of their kind. From then on, Those Who Live in Death completely occupied the village.
Any living person who dared venture into it would eventually be overwhelmed by the skeletal army. Gradually, Summonwater Village became a place of death in Limgrave, a place from which none returned.
Even someone as powerful as Godrick had never considered retaking it.
After all, there was nothing worthwhile there. Reclaiming it would serve no purpose.
But with the restructuring of Stormveil's industries, Summonwater Village suddenly had value. One could only say that the great hand of capital was everywhere and could accomplish anything.
As the troops advanced farther, the graveyards beside the road suddenly began to rumble. Countless bony arms punched through the earth and reached skyward, followed by a swarm of black skeletons carrying weapons.
"Th-Those Who Live in Death!"
"Those Who Live in Death are coming!"
"Don't panic! Those skeletons have no muscles, so they aren't very strong. Just follow the plan!" Edgar shouted. "Defensive formation! Protect the pot throwers! Ready the Holy Water Pots!"
The troops swiftly changed formation. Soldiers with raised greatshields formed the outer ring, while pot throwers stood inside, holding Holy Water Pots ready to throw.
The soldiers gradually calmed down, and their formation changed quickly. Clearly, Edgar was an excellent drillmaster.
Just as battle was about to erupt, Rogier suddenly stepped forward. "Tarnished, I'd like to try talking to them."
"Talk to Those Who Live in Death? Have you lost your mind?"
Before the Tarnished could speak, Edgar shouted in disbelief. To him, Rogier's behavior was no different from someone trying to hold a conversation with a pile of dog shit.
"I want to try." Rogier was resolute. "Those Who Live in Death shouldn't be treated this way. They were once human too. We shouldn't be enemies."
Edgar was about to argue further, but the Tarnished raised a hand to stop him.
"Stay safe, Roger."
"Thank you, Tarnished. I knew you'd agree." Gratitude shone in Rogier's eyes. He took a deep breath and, with supreme courage and an open heart, began the first conversation between the living and the dead.
"I..."
Before he could get out a second word, the undead crossbowmen loosed a wild volley. More than a dozen bolts flew at once, sending Rogier scrambling and tumbling back.
"Will you give up now?" Edgar was exasperated. How had a perfectly fine young man suddenly turned into such a bleeding heart?
Rogier still refused to give up. "Let me try once more."
"That's enough, Roger. You gave them a chance, and I have a responsibility to our soldiers too." The Tarnished stopped hesitating and immediately ordered, "Attack! Wipe them out and send them to the heavens!"
"Yes!"
Edgar recited a prayer and cast Golden Vow. Its golden radiance signaled the start of battle. The soldiers were empowered, and countless Holy Water Pots flew through the air. They contained a brew made from tarnished golden sunflowers. To ordinary people, it was a pleasant-tasting drink that perked them up, but to Those Who Live in Death, the holy energy within was a lethal weapon that could reduce them to ashes!
As the Holy Water Pots burst, any of Those Who Live in Death touched by the holy water melted away like snow beneath the spring sun. This medieval zombie outbreak was certainly troublesome, but once they understood the mechanics and found the right method, these enemies were nothing more than pushovers.
Those Who Live in Death along the road were wiped out. Rogier couldn't help sighing. "They're living beings too."
"Don't be ridiculous. Those Who Live in Death are merely aberrations that have strayed from the Golden Order, not living beings." A cold voice sounded nearby. The Tarnished and the others turned to see a man in gold-and-silver armor slowly approaching.
"This Tarnished's approach is the correct one. Those Who Live in Death must be exterminated, until not a single one remains." The man extended a hand to the Tarnished. "New lord of Stormveil, I appreciate your methods. Perhaps we can cooperate more closely. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is-D."
The Tarnished froze.
D asked, "What is it? Is there something wrong with my name?"
"No." The Tarnished came back to himself and shook D's hand. "I just happen to know another guy who uses a letter as his name."
Before you continue