Something Wasn't Right

"My friend, I originally wanted to become a scholar, so I've been investigating the truth behind the Night of the Black Knives. But as you can see, the problem with my legs isn't too serious. We Tarnished have remarkable powers of recovery. There's just an extremely faint trace of Deathblight left inside me, and I'll need some time to purge it. So, could I ask you for a favor?" Rogier asked, looking somewhat embarrassed. The Tarnished simply nodded his agreement without asking further questions.

"Haha, thank you... Here's what I wanted to ask. As I said before, the Night of the Black Knives began when a group of assassins wielding weapons imbued with the Rune of Death assassinated Godwyn. The ritual used to imbue that power must have left traces. If I can find the imprint belonging to the Black Knives, I should be able to decipher some useful information. That's why I'd like you to find that imprint."

"Find it? In other words, you don't know where it is either, do you?" The Tarnished leaned against the wall and gave Rogier a sidelong look.

"That's true, but we're not entirely without leads. Someone once spotted the Black Knives in Liurnia. If they haven't gone far, you should be able to find more clues there. Don't worry, I'll set out as soon as I've recovered. I won't leave all the trouble to you," Rogier said with a smile.

"I'll keep an eye out. Liurnia happens to be my next destination anyway." The Tarnished chatted with Rogier a little longer before bidding him farewell.

"My lords, Two Fingers, what is..." In a dim room, a stooped old woman with hollow eyes watched the somewhat restless Two Fingers beside her. Their enormous body kept twisting, the bristles on their fingers swaying as though conveying some message.

"Ah... a new Tarnished with lordly potential has appeared." The old woman's expression filled with relief.

After parting with Rogier, the Tarnished returned to the main hall and noticed faint sounds coming from behind the previously sealed doors. Curious, he approached them.

"Newly arrived Tarnished... come in." An aged voice seemed to sense the Tarnished outside and invited him in. As soon as it fell silent, the doors opened on their own. The sight inside immediately left the Tarnished bewildered.

The Two Fingers? And that old woman is... Enia? No, wasn't she... Beneath his helmet, the Tarnished knitted his brows. Just then, the old woman spoke. "Welcome, Tarnished... Look, the Two Fingers are trembling. They welcome you, bearer of a Great Rune." A hint of joy colored her aged, hoarse voice.

"..." The Tarnished entered without a word. The old woman seemed to notice his distraction, but she took no offense at his disrespect toward the Two Fingers. "Thank you for your efforts on the journey, Tarnished... I am Enia, the Finger Reader. The Fingers are envoys of the Greater Will, and I am the old woman who conveys their words," she said kindly.

Hearing the old woman call herself Enia made the Tarnished's expression grow stranger still. That's not right. Didn't Enia die of old age before I was banished? And these Fingers feel somewhat familiar... But judging by her reaction, Enia doesn't recognize me. Could this time and space...

The Tarnished stopped that train of thought and turned his gaze to the Two Fingers. Their appearance was grotesque, their body covered in terrible wounds, with a tuft of hair growing on each of the two fingers.

"They are speaking," Enia said as she watched the Two Fingers tremble. "Listen closely to their words."

"The great Elden Ring is the Golden Order-" Enia's voice grew deeper. "It keeps the laws of the world in order and grants life blessings and Grace."

"Yet the Elden Ring has been shattered. To destroy the Order is a heinous sin, and its dire consequences cannot be avoided. Now the world and its life have suffered ruin beyond measure. Curses and misfortune spread everywhere."

"Even so, the Greater Will will not abandon the world or its life."

Is that really true? Do you even believe that yourselves, Two Fingers? The Tarnished sneered inwardly.

"That is why you Tarnished are guided by Grace and entrusted with a mission."

You make it sound so noble. Aren't you just making us clean up your mess?

The Two Fingers then explained that the Great Rune the Tarnished possessed was a fragment of the Elden Ring. They told him to obtain another Great Rune, become Elden Lord, and restore the Golden Order.

"Do not forget the words of the Fingers, Tarnished." Having finished conveying their message, Enia returned to her earlier kindly manner.

"Oh, and... you seem to carry a Golden Remembrance. When the bodies of demigods and heroes fade away, the Erdtree hews them into remembrances. A Golden Remembrance preserves its owner's power. If you need that power, the Fingers will lend you their aid."

"The Fingers have spoken their guidance-let you Tarnished fight to claim it."

Just as he had suspected, the Greater Will and the Two Fingers wanted them to fight until only the strongest remained.

"But why don't those demigods become Elden Lord themselves?" the Tarnished asked, finally breaking his long silence.

"Because those children were all led astray by the power of the Great Runes. They fought one another for their own interests, but not one of them was worthy of becoming Elden Lord. That is why you Tarnished are being guided."

"You need two Great Runes to become Elden Lord, correct?"

"Indeed... Listen, the Fingers have said it too-"

"Long, long ago, the Greater Will abandoned those demigods. Tarnished, do not hesitate. Slaughter and plunder them to your heart's content."

Slaughter and plunder to his heart's content... There was no need for that. Since he only needed two Great Runes, he could simply deal with a few of those unworthy descendants who had gone astray... Godrick's, plus one from Mohg, a possible target, would be enough.

"But you must be careful. The demigods are all children of Marika, the Eternal Queen. Only Godrick is a descendant of her descendants, and his inherited blood and power are the thinnest and weakest of all."

?

Only Godrick was a descendant? That sounded strange... Then what about the other demigods? Ever since entering this room, questions had tangled around his heart and refused to leave. What did she mean, only Godrick was a descendant...? Marika did indeed have many children. As the sworn younger brother of Godfrey and Marika, he could confidently say he knew every one of them. Yet some of the names Gideon had mentioned among the demigods with Great Runes were clearly unfamiliar to him.

That could only mean new children had been born without his knowledge. But Godfrey wasn't the sort who could keep a secret... Had they been born after his banishment? Yet Godfrey had left with him. Could it be...

Marika, did you...

"Tarnished, would you like to turn that remembrance into power of your own?" Enia assumed he was pondering the remembrance.

"Godrick's power... No, thanks. That would be too embarrassing." The Tarnished waved his hand with a hint of distaste.

"Hehe, you really are an interesting one. This is the first time I've seen a Tarnished dissatisfied with a demigod's power," Enia said with a laugh.

"His Great Rune is enough. But I don't seem to be able to activate it."

"Seek out a Rune Arc. They are scattered throughout the Lands Between. Like the Great Runes, they are fragments of the Elden Ring. Finding one will not be difficult. Your Great Rune can resonate with them."

So that's how it works. It makes sense, though. They were all part of the same whole to begin with.

"Go, Tarnished. Become Elden Lord and save the Lands Between. Slaying demigods is a difficult road, but it is also the mission you must fulfill."

"I know what I need to do." As he left, the Tarnished glanced at Enia and the Two Fingers beside her.

It seemed the Lands Between held far more secrets, and had seen far more events, than he had imagined.

"Heh, looks like you've already obtained a Great Rune." Hewg stopped hammering when he saw the Tarnished approaching.

"What, do you want another forbidden weapon forged?" Hewg's face betrayed nothing, but inwardly he was excited. Ever since forging that forbidden weapon last time, he had felt like himself again for the first time in ages... It was something only his Misbegotten blood could accomplish, a form of proof.

"You're getting ahead of yourself. I'm here to see Fia about something." The Tarnished's words mercilessly doused Hewg's enthusiasm.

"Hmph. Go ahead and lose yourself in women. Someone else will take that Great Rune of yours sooner or later. I'll put up a gravestone for you when that happens, though."

"Well, thank you." The Tarnished did not dwell on Hewg's words and instead knocked on Fia's door.

"Please wait a moment." Fia's gentle, comforting voice came from the other side.

"Welcome back, Lord White Wolf..." Fia opened the door and greeted the Tarnished with a smile.

"My lord, you seem to have grown stronger... It looks as though you've taken another step along the path to lordship." Fia sat quietly beside the Tarnished.

"It seems I need one more Rune before they'll let me enter the Erdtree in Leyndell... But now it's not just a matter of gathering that remaining Great Rune and gaining more power. I'll have to deal with the hidden dangers in the Lands Between as well."

"So this is only the beginning... is that right?"

"Yes. I've suddenly realized that a lot has happened in the Lands Between. The Shattering, the Night of the Black Knives... Becoming Elden Lord will be pointless if I don't get to the bottom of these things." The Tarnished tapped his fingers lightly against the bed frame.

"The Shattering... My adoptive father once told me about it. It was a war in which Queen Marika's children slaughtered one another. They each seemed to harbor their own ambitions and goals... During the Shattering, several of the stronger demigods also formed an alliance and attacked Leyndell, but they failed to breach its defenses," Fia said quietly.

"Siblings slaughtering one another... Truly foolish. Those brats need a sound beating." The Tarnished had taken off his helmet by now, and his face showed the disappointment of an elder in the younger generation's actions.

"Lord White Wolf... Please try talking to them more. I believe quite a few demigods have deeper reasons of their own. As their elder, you should make more effort to understand what the children are thinking."

"That's true," the Tarnished agreed.

"But it seems there are quite a few deranged demigods like Godrick as well." Fia had heard something of Godrick's atrocities. There were always good people and bad. Even those who shared the same blood could walk different paths.

"In any case, it seems I must gather the Great Runes. From what the Two Fingers said, they're the keys needed to enter Leyndell now. My strength still isn't enough to shatter the Order and contend with a higher being like the Greater Will. I can't rush this." Although he had provoked the Greater Will earlier, it would not act in person. At most, it would send a group of assassins after him. As for whether Fia and the others would be dragged into it, that would not happen.

The Greater Will maintained an absolute divine nature, so it would not attack those who posed no threat. Otherwise, it would have long since sent all the many people in the Lands Between who did not worship the Erdtree to their graves.

What he needed to do now was explore the Lands Between, seek power, and resolve its hidden dangers... The Tarnished knew there were more than just the lingering effects of the later Night of the Black Knives and the Shattering. With the Golden Order broken, many old powers it had once suppressed would also resurface. New forces were gradually rising as the Erdtree declined, too. He would have to investigate them one by one and determine whether they were his enemies...