Blaidd the Half-Wolf

"Roar! Roooaaar-"

The beasts overhead roared at each other, making an unbearable racket.

I sat in the basement of the Mistwood Ruins, helplessly waiting for the bear Lords of Cinder to finish arguing so I could slip away.

Gradually, ever so gradually, their roaring seemed to stop.

They've finally lost aggro. They should be getting ready to leave now, right?

I breathed a sigh of relief and headed outside.

If there's only one Rune Bear to deal with, all I have to do is run like hell... H-huh?

When I poked my head out of the basement, there really was only one bear left outside.

And it was already nodding off, having settled back down facing the basement exit.

But the instant our eyes met, it roared and thrust a paw straight inside, sending me scrambling and tumbling back into the depths of the basement.

"Roooaaar-"

The roar blasted straight at me, deafeningly loud. It echoed through the basement again and again, even shaking dust loose from the walls.

I should've waited a little longer and come out after that thing fell asleep. That's what I get for being impatient-rushing a hot meal only burns your mouth!

Worse still, the bear's roars called back the other two that had already left. Three Rune Bears clawed madly down the stairway, making the whole basement shake!

They're not actually going to tear this place down, are they?

And this time, they seemed to have reached an agreement. None of them would leave anytime soon; they were determined to devour me alive.

What do I do?

I racked my brains for a solution, but I couldn't even think of a way to die with a little dignity!

"Roooaaar-"

The Rune Bears kept roaring, until my head began to throb.

...Huh? Wait, something's wrong!

It suddenly struck me that one of the bears' voices was missing. The other two had grown much quieter, too, no longer roaring straight into the basement entrance as they had before.

What on earth happened?

Gathering my courage, I cautiously poked my body out of the basement.

A cold wind rushed into my face, carrying a few flakes of blood-red frost that made me sneeze hard.

A massive bear lay right at the entrance, but it didn't move, its eyes wide with shock.

-It's dead? Was it my wolf bro?

I stepped outside and saw a huge, bloody hole in the bear's back, driven straight through its heart. A thin layer of frost rimmed the wound, confirming my guess.

*Weapon Skill-**Wolf's Assault!***

An image flashed through my mind: Blaidd the Half-Wolf descending from the sky like a meteor, wielding the frost-coated greatsword Frostbite and striking straight at the Rune Bear's vitals. Then Frost Sorcery exploded outward, blasting the other two away.

So badass!

Boom-

Just as I was marveling at him, a dark shape flew in from outside, smashing straight through a crumbling low wall.

I turned to look. It was my wolf bro?!

He propped himself up with his greatsword. When he spotted me, he immediately shouted, "What are you standing around for? Run!"

"But..."

Before I could finish, the ruined wall beside Blaidd burst apart. A massive Great Rune Bear spread its arms and lunged at him.

Blaidd lowered his body and dodged swiftly to the side. At the same time, white frost began drifting from the Royal Greatsword in his hand.

"Awoooo-"

With a wolf's howl, Blaidd practically soared into the air and brought his greatsword crashing down like thunder.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

But the Rune Bear's hide was unbelievably thick and tough. It actually took Blaidd's Weapon Skill head-on with nothing but its shoulder.

Then it swatted him again, sending him flying out of the ruins.

Without giving him even a moment to breathe, the other massive bear waiting outside immediately launched an attack.

I'd been frightened into huddling off to one side from the start. Fortunately, the Rune Bears hadn't noticed me.

Looks like even Blaidd has a hard time handling two massive Rune Bears at once. They really do deserve the title of bear Lords of Cinder!

-No, this isn't the time to marvel at them. I have to help my wolf bro!

But with only a Straight Sword and a shield, I probably couldn't even join the fight. Both his greatsword and the bears' reach completely outclassed mine.

Then what else can I do?

I scanned my surroundings and suddenly noticed the white flowers swaying in the ruins-Trina's lilies.

These were the main ingredient for making Sleep Pots, which were the primary way to counter Rune Bears.

Unfortunately, I still didn't know how to make Sleep Pots. I had no idea whether the flowers alone would work.

I picked a Trina's lily and sniffed it. The flower gave off a delicate fragrance that really did make my mind grow slightly hazy. Its center also held plenty of pollen.

"Let's hope my idea works." I hurriedly gathered every Trina's lily nearby, then charged outside.

Outside the ruins, Blaidd the Half-Wolf was clearly struggling alone against the two massive Great Rune Bears attacking from either side. Only his superb skills allowed him to barely withstand their overwhelming onslaught.

Before long, they had forced him into a corner against the ruins' wall, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

"Roar!"

Perhaps because they had never faced such a troublesome opponent before, the two massive Great Rune Bears were beginning to show signs of fatigue as well.

I seized the opportunity, rushing forward and shouting, "Wolf bro! Cover your nose!"

Blaidd froze for a moment. "Y-you, what are you doing?"

"Roooaaar-"

The massive bears attacked again.

"Come on! Time for an experiment!" I scattered all the Trina's lilies in my hands toward the massive Great Rune Bears while gathering magical power in my foot. "Storm Stomp!"

A fierce wind instantly rose, shredding the flowers.

A delicate, calming fragrance and sleep-inducing pollen filled the air around us.

The two massive Great Rune Bears involuntarily slowed, their minds growing slightly dazed.

"Come here." Seeing this, Blaidd quickly grabbed me by the back of my collar, easily vaulted the low wall behind him, and sprinted for his life.

Hack, cough-w-wolf bro, easy! Having my clothes strangle me isn't exactly comfortable!

Struggling, I said, "W-wolf bro, just let me run on my own!"

"Oh, sorry! I was in such a hurry, I didn't notice." My wolf bro let go.

I immediately summoned Torrent and followed him in our escape. We didn't stop until we found a squat stone fort resembling a yurt deep in the Mistwood.

This was the entrance to the well leading down to the Siofra River, the underground world of Elden Ring. Inside the stone fort was a lift.

"We should be safe here for now." My wolf bro breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the stone fort's doorway to rest as he remarked, "I never imagined Trina's lilies could be used like that. They really saved our lives."

"That was my first time trying it, too. Luckily, it worked out." I relaxed and smiled. "Ah, thanks for saving me, wolf bro."

Now that I was closer, I took a good look at him.

Wow! My wolf bro was ridiculously cool!

That was without even getting into his werewolf appearance, a timeless classic of monster tales.

Tall and imposing, he wore a black suit of Carian Knight Armor and a gray-black Wolf-Fur Cloak. He could effortlessly wield the Royal Greatsword with one hand, and in battle, he combined nimble speed with thunderous brute strength.

As a comrade, this absolute powerhouse made me feel incredibly safe!

And this powerhouse had a deep, richly resonant voice. He exuded the air of a domineering CEO, yet still showed a cute side.

Like now, as he scratched his face with a claw, looking a little embarrassed. "Wolf bro? You're flattering me."

After a pause, he asked, "But what brings you here, Tarnished? This area isn't very peaceful. You'd best leave as soon as possible... Or are you here to deal with that Castle?"

Only then did I come back to my senses. I quickly held out my hand and snapped my fingers repeatedly.

"Ah..." Blaidd sighed. "All right, all right, once is enough... Kale hasn't changed. Always worrying about things like this."

"Huh? Kale? Isn't it Kale?" I was a little confused.

That left Blaidd staring blankly at me, too. "Awoo?"

"We're talking about the one at the Church of Elleh, right?" Well, I already had a suspicion, but I still didn't want to admit it.

"So that's where he went?" Realization dawned on Blaidd, though he continued checking with me. "Tarnished, you're also talking about a Wandering Merchant dressed in red, correct?"

Oh no. It really is that crafty old merchant.

I swallowed, too embarrassed to do anything but nod silently.

It's over. I'm an illiterate idiot.

So that old merchant's name was Kale?

Why did I always think it was Kale? I probably wasn't paying attention the first time I played, misread the character, and got stuck on it. Besides, it rolled off the tongue... Worse still, I think I kept calling him by that wrong name, and he never got angry or corrected me... He wasn't angry, was he?

While I desperately wished I could crawl into a crack in the ground over my own stupidity, Blaidd began introducing himself. "Since you came through Kale, and you have that spectral steed, I suppose you're not anyone suspicious... My name is Blaidd. I'm looking for a man called Bloodhound Knight Darriwil..."

"Wolf bro, you're sure your name is Blaidd, right?... Not the Ultraman one." I asked cautiously, hoping to avoid another mistake that would make a fool of me.

"Ultrawoof?" Blaidd paused, seemingly infected by my stupidity, then double-checked himself. "I-I am indeed called Blaidd."

"Thank goodness." I sighed in relief.

"Aw... awoo?" Blaidd clearly couldn't follow my conversational wavelength anymore.

I hurriedly returned to the subject. "Wolf bro, if you're looking for Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, I know roughly where he is. Please follow me."