Following the road through a mountain pass, I came upon a horrific scene in the basin ahead.
The Black Carriage's axle had been broken, leaving it sprawled across the middle of the basin, with wooden crates, sacks, and clothing scattered everywhere.
The Troll Giant that had pulled it was gone, leaving only the guards' corpses strewn across the ground.
Wild dogs whined as they gnawed on human flesh and bones.
Four or five Misbegotten Monsters wielded large cleavers, chopping the remains into tiny pieces over and over, ruthlessly extinguishing the soldiers' last hope of coming back to life.
As a result, an overpowering stench of blood filled the entire valley.
Not even the relentless rain could wash it away.
"Ignore them, Torrent. Let's charge!" I snapped the reins.
Torrent accelerated to full speed and charged toward the far end of the basin.
Before the Misbegotten could even react, Torrent had leaped over their heads and carried me into the hazy rain and mist of the night.
"Good job!" I couldn't help praising Torrent.
Torrent answered with an excited whinny. "Neigh-"
But shortly after we charged out of the mountain basin, Torrent suddenly screeched to a halt.
Wait, this was in front of Castle Morne's collapsed outer wall. If I remembered correctly, a member of the Night's Cavalry should be guarding the road here.
Although I hadn't spotted the enemy yet, Torrent seemed to have an innate ability to sense danger. I decided to trust that instinct.
I hurriedly dismounted and sent Torrent back into the Spectral Steed Whistle.
Then I hunched low and crept toward the left.
The ground over here was more open, making me easier to spot, but there was a Site of Grace where a Tarnished could rest and recover.
There was also a Wandering Merchant tending a fire beneath the trees at the foot of the cliff on the left... There, look! There really was firelight over there!
I quickened my pace and ran over, planning to blend in with the old merchant and avoid drawing attention.
After all, Kale had told me that although the Wandering Merchants had little power in the Lands Between, they weren't to be trifled with. Make an enemy of one, and once word spread through their information network, almost every Wandering Merchant would attack you on sight.
So, generally speaking, nobody went out of their way to provoke them. They were treated far better than the Tarnished.
I could already see a figure beside the campfire. Raising a hand, I called out a greeting. "Hey, old merchant! Got any good wares over there?"
Huh?
The old merchant looked up, saw me, and hurriedly stood.
Hahaha, no need to be so polite.
Uh... Something wasn't right. Why did he seem to be packing his things? And now he'd mounted his little mule and was fleeing straight up the mountain path! Hey!
Was some evil spirit following me?
Neigh-
A piercing whinny rang out. As I turned, an enormous shadow rose into the night sky, bearing down on me with the crushing pressure of the Buddha's mountain of five fingers.
On horseback, a knight clad entirely in black armor swung a black flail, poised to bring it crashing down on my head.
The Night's Cavalry!
When had this bastard spotted me!?
There was no time to think about that. I hastily rolled far to the right, avoiding the attack.
At the same time, I pulled the Large Leather Shield and Lordsworn's Straight Sword off my back, ready for battle.
Stay calm. Stay calm.
The monsters in the Weeping Peninsula weren't that difficult. In fact, this was the real beginner area for a starting, level-one Tarnished.
So there was no need to be scared.
-The Night's Cavalry's attacks inflicted blood loss, so I had to watch how often I got hit. He also struck hard and heavy. An early-game Tarnished could only block one attack; the second would break their guard and stagger them.
-Also, the flail had an incredibly weird attack range.
-So the best way to deal with him wasn't to run away, but to charge straight in, stick to his unarmed left side, and attack. With a good opening, I could even land five or six slashes in a row, as long as I saved a sliver of stamina to roll away!
In an instant, every strategy from the Elden Ring game flooded my mind.
Since you insisted on coming after me, I supposed I'd reluctantly accept your challenge!
Come to think of it, you bastard, Castle Morne was in complete chaos, yet instead of going there, you were still patrolling out here, hunting down Tarnished! Or had you Night's Cavalry decided that Castle Morne's fate wouldn't affect the Lands Between as a whole, so you could just ignore it?
Talk about missing the forest for the trees.
While I was furiously ranting in my head, the Night's Cavalry had already turned his horse around and charged at me again.
Get to his left! Get to his left!
Following my experience from the game, I braced my Large Leather Shield, gathered my courage, and charged forward.
But to my surprise, he squeezed his warhorse with his legs and barreled straight into me without slowing down.
I instinctively dodged to the side, but the warhorse still clipped me. An irresistible force slammed into one side of my body, throwing me off balance and sending me tumbling to the ground.
Cough, cough, cough! That hurt!
Different from the game right from the start, huh?
But this was no time to lie on the ground complaining. The Night's Cavalry reined in his warhorse and turned around again.
I scrambled to my feet, dodged the warhorse's charge, and swung hard at its rear!
...A complete miss. That was the problem! I was beginning to understand White Wolf's frustration when fighting Bloodhound Knight Darriwil. The enemy was far too mobile.
In that case, time for strategy number two!
As the Night's Cavalry galloped past me, before he could turn around, I charged after him.
A Tarnished's physical capabilities were far beyond those of an ordinary person in the real world.
This way, even if I couldn't catch him, he wouldn't have enough distance to get his warhorse up to full speed-just like now!
As I ran toward the warhorse, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a Fire Pot, and hurled it hard at the horse's head.
Boom!
Neigh-
Even if that black cloth kept the warhorse from seeing the flames, surely the searing pain would awaken its fear of fire!
It stopped abruptly and reared in terror.
I seized the opening, darted to the Night's Cavalry's left, and swung my sword hard at the horse's belly and his legs!
Slash! Slash! Slash, slash!
The Night's Cavalry quickly calmed his warhorse, then used its weight to wrench it toward me, knocking me away.
The next second, his flail came crashing down toward my head.
I hurriedly raised the Large Leather Shield and blocked the attack, feeling my entire arm go numb.
Another move that wasn't in the game. The AI in there only made him stupidly switch his flail to his left hand and give an extremely awkward swing, leaving the player room to roll away.
It was never smart enough to twist his upper body and attack directly like this!
After forcing me back, the Night's Cavalry quickly rode away to put some distance between us.
I took the opportunity to catch my breath and steady myself.
This time, the Night's Cavalry didn't rush into another charge either. Instead, after turning around, he reined in his horse and stood still for a moment.
Was he thinking of a way to deal with me?
I wouldn't give you the time. I downed a Flask of Crimson Tears, restoring my strength.
This time, I'd be the one to attack!
Before you continue