The silver fatties

"Ah... where was that Glintstone Dragon again?" The Tarnished stood before a set of ruins, which happened to have a site of Grace.

"Perhaps... we could ask the locals?" Melina suggested.

"I just hope they don't attack me." These sorcerers were hard enough to get along with already, and there seemed to be fighting between factions here as well. Finding someone willing to have a peaceful conversation might be even harder than in Limgrave.

"Hmm... what are those up ahead?" Melina murmured, looking at what seemed to be a group of creatures on patrol. Only when they drew closer did she get a clear look at them.

"Albinaurics... quite a few of them, by the look of it."

"Albinaurics? What the hell are those?" The Tarnished stared in confusion at the group of vacant-looking, frog-headed silver fatties.

"They seem to be living weapons created by the Academy..."

"Oh, I see. Those people at the Academy of Raya Lucaria really do come up with some strange things. Come to think of it, you remember these little details pretty clearly." The more time he spent with Melina, the more he felt there was something unusual about her memory loss.

Rather than forgetting everything, she had forgotten the things that mattered most, such as her mission and the purpose of her existence.

"I... don't know." Melina lowered her head.

"Never mind. It'll all come back eventually." The Tarnished reached out and patted Melina's head, making her freeze for a moment.

There's actually something solid to touch. She's no ordinary spirit.

"...The Albinaurics are coming this way." Melina turned her head to look. Sure enough, those rather dim-looking Albinaurics were swaggering toward them with ripple-shaped weapons raised.

Their weapons included curved clubs, curved blades, and even iron plates shaped like ripples on water.

"Why all the ripples...? Just how much do they like them?"

"I've heard they can control ripples, and that those ripples are apparently their origin... presumably, that's what the designs were based on."

When the Albinaurics saw the Tarnished, they jabbered unintelligibly, raised their weapons, and charged at him. They were fairly tall, and their plump bodies probably gave them a decent amount of strength.

The Albinaurics raised their arms and began cartwheeling.

"Huh?" The Tarnished hurriedly dodged, while Melina warned him before disappearing, "Watch out for their Albinauric Blood... it can suppress the Crystal Tears of Golden Grace."

There was something like that? Even in the age of the Erdtree, something could suppress its power?

The mass of Albinaurics rolled toward the Tarnished like wheels. Their attacks were simple, but they made up for it in numbers. He had to dodge their attacks while also avoiding the blood that sprayed out when he cut them down.

When his blade sliced through their silvery bodies, the blood that flowed out was silver and rather thick. Seeing their kin fall one after another, the Albinaurics grew increasingly violent, as though driven by rage, until only one remained, standing blankly in place. All that awaited him was death.

"Looks like these creatures are used as cannon fodder..." After fighting them, the Tarnished could tentatively conclude that these Albinaurics had practically no intelligence, much like Trolls. Most Trolls, however, had suffered head injuries, while those who had not were still somewhat intelligent. He had no idea whether Albinaurics were the same, or whether their entire race simply lacked much intelligence.

"So the Academy made them..." Creatures like these could not be created overnight. Countless hours must have gone into producing them, proof enough that the Academy still intended to resist.

"Keep fighting. Keep fighting until everyone's dead. What a waste." Civil war was a stupid thing, no matter when or where it happened.

"Since I'm here, I might as well investigate Sellen..." The Tarnished knew there was no smoke without fire, but he also knew what the Academy's sorcerers were like. He would have to investigate this himself.

"I wonder what Sellen did." Sellen had struck him as a scholar through and through. She was confident and decisive. Someone like her might genuinely commit crimes in the pursuit of knowledge.

There probably wasn't anyone in this world with completely clean hands, but everything had its limits. To the Tarnished, crazed, obsessive slaughter like Godrick's was the most unforgivable of all.

The Tarnished rode Torrent through Liurnia Lake, searching for signs of Smараg. Flying Dragons were huge and therefore likely to be spotted, so this one should not be too hard to find. At worst, he could ride around all of Liurnia. He would find the dragon eventually.

The night sky was reflected everywhere across Liurnia Lake, and numerous little pavilions stood amid its waters. Some housed statues of a woman, while others held portals.

These portals had been created through an alternative approach. They worked much like teleportation through Golden Grace, but did not draw on the power of Grace. Liurnia was the birthplace of sorcery, one of the greatest powers in the Lands Between, so such devices were hardly surprising.

Just as the Tarnished reached out to touch the portal, a girl's youthful voice stopped him. "You there... please wait!" He stopped and looked toward the voice, meeting a young girl's eyes. She was rather petite, and her childish face made her look quite cute. The only blemish was that, for some reason, she stood hunched over.

"Yes, you... please come over here." Seeing that she had caught his attention, the girl spoke again.

She seems normal. The standard for judging whether someone was normal in the Lands Between was simple: could they hold a normal conversation? Everything else was bullshit.

"Ah, hello... it's rather cold around here... I'm traveling on my mistress's orders."

"..." How interesting. This girl seemed to be imitating an adult's manner of speaking. Why had she started talking about the weather?

"But I was attacked by a thug, and now I'm in quite a predicament." The girl spoke softly.

"Sounds like you need something from me..."

"Yes. The thug I mentioned stole a necklace that's very important to me... but he's a Tarnished, just like you. If you don't wish to fight one of your own, it's perfectly fine to refuse."

"Oh? You're pretty kindhearted. Interesting... but do I look that vicious to you? I'm only retrieving something. At worst, I can give him some runes. There's no need to kill him and take it."

"Does that mean you'll help? Thank you. I'm so glad I met someone as kind as you."

"That thug should be resting in the abandoned house up ahead." The girl pointed toward a wooden shack.

"Easy enough." The Tarnished clapped his hands. He had accepted her request mainly because she had made a good first impression. A personality like hers was a rare treasure in the Lands Between, and rather interesting, too.

After telling the girl to wait there, the Tarnished headed toward the shack. As he approached the dilapidated building, he caught a delicious aroma. Looking inside, he found a large pot of prawns boiling, their shells already red.

"Huh? Who are you...? What are you staring at?" A man wearing an iron helmet looked up at the Tarnished.

"You're a funny one, cooking prawns out here."

"What, you like prawns too? How about I sell you some cheap?" Seeing the Tarnished's interest in the prawns, the man softened. As far as he was concerned, anyone who liked prawns couldn't be a bad person.

"I'll take the lot."

"Right, I'll just... no, hang on. What do you mean, the lot?"

"Aren't you selling prawns?"

"Which eye of yours saw me selling them? I'm cooking these for myself." The man shielded the pot behind him, muttering, "Why's everyone so bloody weird...? First some little girl eats without paying, now a Tarnished wants to take my whole pot of prawns. Unbelievable."

"Oh, right. I forgot why I came." The Tarnished slapped his forehead.

"Give me the necklace."

"Hah? Oh... that little girl sent you, didn't she? Sure, you can have it. I only picked it up along the way anyway, but you'll have to show a little goodwill." The man held out a hand.

"If you don't give it to me, I'll eat this entire pot of prawns right here."

"Is there something wrong with you? You'll pay for prawns, but not to buy back a necklace?!"

"I've changed my mind. I'm a robber now. The prawns or the necklace. Pick one."

"You-?! Fine, take it!" The Tarnished before him was strong. If they actually fought, he would be the one to suffer, and a necklace was worth nothing compared to his prawns. "You're more of a thug than I am!"

"Learned it from a certain bald bastard. Still not as good as him, though."

"Like I care. You've got the necklace, now piss off." The thug shooed the Tarnished away as though driving off a plague.

"Actually, I'll buy a couple after all." The Tarnished tossed out a large clump of runes.

"You... you call that enough for a couple?" The thug looked astonished.

"Do you want it or not?"

"Only an idiot wouldn't..." The thug reached out and absorbed the runes into his body.

"Heh, anyone who likes prawns really can't be bad. Though you look like you've had your head slammed in a door." The thug burst out laughing.

"Say what you like, but don't try to piss me off. Anyway, why's a Tarnished like you cooking prawns here?" The Tarnished sat down cross-legged.

"Come to think of it, you're Tarnished too. What... can you see Grace?" The Tarnished nodded at his question. "Oh, that's nice. Me, I can't see it at all. Honestly, if even a petty thug like me got called here, whoever arranged this must be beyond saving. I mean the Erdtree."

"It certainly is beyond saving," the Tarnished agreed.

"I was just a petty thug back home. Thought I'd come here and make something of myself, but when I got to the Lands Between, I couldn't see a bloody speck of Grace. Unbelievable. Am I the only one? Just because I'm a thug?" Resentment crept into his voice. He had traveled all this way, and they would not even give him guidance.

"Not just you. Only a few can see Grace." Thinking about it now, the whole thing really was strange. Marika had banished them as a trump card... As one of the oldest Tarnished, he still remembered the way to Leyndell even without the guidance of Grace, but newcomers were different.

Newcomers knew practically nothing about the Lands Between. For the Erdtree to withhold guidance under those circumstances was abnormal in itself.

"Well, that's bloody hopeless. They want us to do the work and become Elden Lord, but won't even give us basic directions? That's downright heartless." What a joke. Even robbing people back home was better than this.

"Hey, do you think the Erdtree's looking for suckers to do its dirty work? No wages, and all this hard labor."

"Clearly." The Tarnished nodded. The thug had hit the nail on the head. The Erdtree probably did intend to achieve the greatest possible goal with the smallest possible "budget." Pure exploitation.

"Haha, looks like you and I get along pretty well. Thought you'd look down on people like us, since you can see Grace."

"I think you're a decent enough fellow. Why did you steal that girl's necklace?" The man before him was crude, but he did not seem like someone who would rob a young girl for no reason. He was a thug and might do some petty stealing, but he had just said himself that he did not seem to care about the necklace.

"I stole...? Oh, I get it. That girl's far too naive. Went out without any runes, ate my prawns, and couldn't pay. Had to get something off her to cover it, didn't I?"

"It's far too dangerous for a little girl like that to be out on her own. Lucky I've gone straight, or else..." The thug shook his head meaningfully. The Tarnished understood what he meant. There was no need to spell it out. The chaos of the Lands Between spoke for itself.

"Don't keep that silly girl waiting too long. You'd better go. But if you want more prawns, come find me anytime." The thug waved a hand.

"You said it." The Tarnished gave him a mischievous grin.

"What're you grinning at? You still have to pay!"