Chapter Summaries

Zhao Si received the Gloam-Eyed Queen’s Grace after killing the Godskin Noble, gaining Black Flame Tornado and recovering enough to continue. He prepared for the journey’s final stop in Volcano Manor: the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent.

• Zhao Si learned from the Godskin Noble’s memories that the Noble had worked with Rykard and used the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent’s flesh in experiments that produced Basilisks and Man-Serpents.
• The Gloam-Eyed Queen granted Zhao Si Black Flame Tornado, though she was displeased that he had killed the Godskin Noble.
• Zhao Si considered how open alliances and force might prove more effective than schemes in the coming struggle over the Lands Between.
• Zhao Si took the Godskin Stitcher, made a covering for it from the Noble’s robe, and laid the still-breathing Bernahl on a bench.
• Zhao Si pulled the lift’s control lever and set off toward the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent.

Zhao Si killed the Godskin Noble after the alarmed residents of Volcano Manor discovered his raid on the serpent eggs. He ventured into Mt. Gelmir’s depths to confront the God-Devouring Serpent, but found the cavern unnervingly silent.

• Zhao Si crossed the bodies of Inquisitors and serpent monsters after prisoners used as lookouts exposed him and sounded the alarm.
• The Godskin Noble waited at the Church of Eiglay, expecting Zhao Si to target the serpent, but Zhao Si defeated and killed him.
• Zhao Si considered turning back after disrupting Rykard’s plans, then wondered whether the God-Devouring Serpent Hunter Spear could only wound and drive the serpent away.
• Zhao Si continued through the volcano’s scorching interior toward the serpent’s cavern, where he heard no sounds despite smelling its foul stench.
• Zhao Si steadied himself, put a Glintstone Bullet between his teeth, and entered the cavern.

Zhao Si entered the dark cave beneath Mt. Gelmir and discovered the enormous God-Devouring Serpent resting in lava. Realizing its healed injuries meant it could be hurt, he prepared to bait it with Ghostflame and Black Flame.

• Zhao Si recalled how Volcano Manor's assignments led the game's protagonist to fight Rykard, and decided he would not pledge allegiance to the manor.
• Zhao Si avoided lighting a fire in the cave so he would not alert the God-Devouring Serpent.
• The serpent's eyes appeared in the darkness, and lava illuminated its gigantic body as it moved among the cave's pillars.
• Zhao Si spotted bulging and weakened patches on the serpent's scales, suggesting it had been wounded before.
• Zhao Si peeked from behind a stone pillar and planned to use himself as bait, offering the serpent Ghostflame and Black Flame.

Zhao Si let the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent swallow him so he could attack it from inside, where Black Flame and ghostflame could burn its vital flesh. As the serpent thrashed through the cave, vengeful souls inside it grabbed Zhao Si and began dragging him toward its stomach.

• Zhao Si provoked the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent, which swallowed him whole.
• Zhao Si stabbed the serpent’s esophagus with the Godskin Stitcher and spread Black Flame through its body.
• Zhao Si used the Godskin Peeler and ghostflame to add freezing damage as the serpent writhed and smashed through the cave.
• The serpent’s violent thrashing sent lava pouring into the cave while Zhao Si clung to his embedded weapons.
• Vengeful souls reached out from the serpent’s esophageal walls, grabbed Zhao Si, and tried to pull him down toward its stomach.

Zhao Si used Ghostflame and Black Flame to escape the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent’s mouth and wound it with a flame-shaped weapon. After the serpent spat him out, he carved down its body and crashed into a house, where he realized he still had to escape Volcano Manor.

• Zhao Si severed the blood-red hands with his weapons and slashed the serpent’s esophagus, then hooked himself onto a fang as the serpent thrashed through the cave.
• Zhao Si shaped Ghostflame and Black Flame into a huge swordspear, cutting through the serpent’s chin as it rampaged into the lava region of Mt. Gelmir.
• The serpent spat Zhao Si out, and he formed a smaller flame weapon that pierced its mouth and carved a bloody trail down its body.
• Zhao Si kicked off the serpent to avoid falling into the lava and crashed into a house while his spinning flame weapon drilled into the serpent.
• Zhao Si lay injured in the rubble and resolved to escape the grounds of Volcano Manor before he was killed.

After surviving Prison Town’s destruction, Zhao Si used the lava and floating wreckage to escape Mt. Gelmir, steering himself toward a lake rather than the sea. He reached the shore alive but injured and exhausted, then passed out.

• Zhao Si crawled from the ruins and chose to escape while the Gelmir God-Devouring Serpent attacked Volcano Manor.
• Zhao Si climbed onto a floating stone wall and let the lava carry him away from the serpent.
• Zhao Si used the Godskin Stitcher to steer the stone wall southeast toward a lake.
• Zhao Si plunged into the lake, reached the shore, and recovered the Godskin Stitcher.
• Zhao Si lay on the warm lakeside ground and passed out.

Zhao Si spoke with a luminous presence in his consciousness about Rykard, the Erdtree, and his limited goals in the Lands Between. After waking in a cave, he met Granny Wolf, who offered to tell him a story about Serosh.

• Zhao Si admitted that he had acted against Rykard because a direct strike seemed safer than trying to outscheme him.
• Zhao Si told the luminous presence that he did not seek to overthrow the Erdtree or liberate the Lands Between, and only wanted to protect people who treated him well.
• Zhao Si said the Erdtree's main problem was that it disrupted the balance between life and death, and the luminous presence vanished.
• Zhao Si woke in a cave after Granny Wolf's family had rescued him from the lake and treated his injuries.
• Granny Wolf offered to tell Zhao Si a story about gold, then asked whether he knew Serosh.

Zhao Si recovered in a Beastmen cave as Grandmother Wolf began telling him Serosh’s origin story. Serosh, an ordinary young lion with the ambition to become Beast King, set out to grow stronger and entered Mistwood, where he encountered a Rune Bear.

• Grandmother Wolf explained that Beastmen had found Zhao Si unconscious by the lake and cared for him until he regained enough strength to eat.
• Grandmother Wolf told Zhao Si that Serosh had been an ordinary Beastman who dreamed of becoming Beast King despite his humble origins and the powerful rivals before him.
• Serosh left his village to seek out strong opponents and train himself.
• Serosh promised villagers near Mistwood that he would clear out its dangerous beasts in exchange for an all-meat victory feast.
• Serosh entered the misty forest alone and heard the roar of a Rune Bear.

Serosh met the wolf Gurranq while both were hunting a trapped Rune Bear, and the two became friends after Serosh killed it and shared the meat. At a village feast, Serosh revealed his ambition to become Beast King, while Gurranq said he hoped to become a Beast Priest.

• Serosh rushed toward a trapped Rune Bear and found Gurranq claiming it as his prey.
• Serosh and Gurranq argued over ownership, then Serosh agreed to fight the Rune Bear barehanded.
• Serosh killed the Rune Bear with his claws and teeth, and Gurranq conceded the prey.
• Serosh introduced himself to Gurranq, offered him half the bear, and brought meat to the villagers for a feast.
• Serosh told Gurranq he planned to enter the Beast King's Selection and challenge the Beast King, while Gurranq shared his goal of becoming a Beast Priest.

Grandmother Wolf told Zhao Si about the Numen and the ancient war against creatures from beyond the heavens as Serosh and Gurranq traveled to Caelid. There, they met Marika, who asked Gurranq to help investigate attacks on the Numen, and revealed that she lived at the foot of the Erdtree.

• Zhao Si considered how the Numen might have survived the meteor strikes and moved underground while listening to Grandmother Wolf's story.
• Serosh and Gurranq raced across Caelid, stopped at a tavern, and discussed the Numen friend who had asked Gurranq for help.
• Gurranq explained that meteorite creatures still attacked Caelid and that the Numen had called for assistance.
• Marika appeared behind Gurranq, teased him, and introduced herself to Serosh as his friend and self-proclaimed big sister.
• Marika told Serosh that she wanted Gurranq to investigate the attacks with her and said she lived at the foot of the Erdtree.

Grandmother Wolf recounted how Serosh met the young Godfrey at the Beast King’s Selection and recognized his potential. The free-for-all began with Godfrey standing alone in the arena and challenging every Beastman to attack him.

• Grandmother Wolf told Zhao Si that Serosh had become a renowned Beast King before meeting Godfrey.
• Serosh recalled arriving at the Beast King’s Selection after his travels and judging the noble Beastmen to be poor opponents.
• Serosh noticed Godfrey, a muscular human youth, and saw that his battle spirit gave him the potential to become a dark horse.
• The participants entered the Colosseum, where Godfrey walked to the center and unsettled the spectators by standing like a king.
• The half-dragon started the free-for-all, and Godfrey spread his arms and challenged all the Beastmen to attack together.

Grandmother Wolf told Zhao Si how Serosh defeated Godfrey by waking first after they knocked each other unconscious, then accepted Godfrey as a pupil and later led his people into the Erdtree faction. After hearing the story, Zhao Si ate a Beastman medicinal meal that rapidly restored and strengthened his exhausted body.

• Serosh and Godfrey fought through the Beast King's Selection until they knocked each other unconscious, and Serosh was declared the winner when he woke first.
• Godfrey accepted his loss and asked Serosh to teach him, and Serosh agreed without making him a disciple.
• Serosh became Beast King and joined the Erdtree faction with Godfrey, who later met Marika and fought alongside him.
• Grandmother Wolf finished telling Zhao Si the story when her children returned with prey and prepared a large pot of medicinal meat for him.
• Zhao Si ate the meal and rapidly recovered, with his muscles and strength visibly growing as his body absorbed the nourishment.

After recovering with the Beastmen, Zhao Si set out for Caelid to enter the Combat Festival, carrying news of Volcano Manor’s downfall and wondering whether his companions would join him. Crepus found him on the road and directed him to Helena and the others, who had been waiting nearby.

• Zhao Si thanked Grandmother Wolf and the Beastmen, then left for Caelid on foot in the clothes they had made for him.
• As Zhao Si crossed the Lands Between, he heard rumors about the destruction of Volcano Manor and Rykard’s disgrace.
• Crepus stopped Zhao Si on the road and told him the Two Fingers had searched for him and believed he was alive.
• Crepus told Zhao Si to enter Caelid’s Combat Festival, win a regional championship, and ultimately claim the overall championship in Leyndell.
• Crepus said Helena and the others had been waiting nearby, and Zhao Si hurried toward the waystation to meet them.

After returning from Volcano Manor, Zhao Si reunited with Helena and Malenia and learned that Fire Monk warriors were searching for him because of the unusual flames he had used. The monks arrived at the waystation asking about a thief, while Zhao Si checked that the portrait was not of him.

• Crepus briefed his squad on ghostflame and black flame and sent the Two Fingers' Confessors to contain the fires and eliminate those who had caught flame.
• Rumors spread that Rykard might face charges of treason and could be punished by Maliketh.
• Zhao Si heard the rumors in Liurnia and reunited with Helena and Malenia at a waystation after several days apart.
• Malenia warned Zhao Si that Fire Monk warriors were looking for him because of his unusual flames.
• Fire Monk warriors entered the waystation and showed a portrait of a round-faced man they accused of stealing from them.

Zhao Si learned that a Fire Monk named Adam had stolen the forbidden incantation [Flame of the Fell God], and he decided to hunt Adam down and take it. He set out toward Caelid with Malenia and Helena, while the Fire Monks continued searching for the thief.

• A Fire Monk questioned Zhao Si and his companions about Adam, who had stolen something important from the Fire Monks.
• Zhao Si learned that Adam had taken [Flame of the Fell God], a dangerous incantation connected to the Fell God hidden within the last Fire Giant.
• Zhao Si considered killing Adam and seizing the incantation for himself, and Malenia noticed his suspicious expression.
• Zhao Si explained that Black Flame Monks were traitors who had joined the Godskin Nobles, and Helena noted that he had mastered Black Flame.
• Zhao Si proposed watching for Adam on the way to Caelid and claimed that catching the thief was his duty as a Roundtable Tarnished.

Zhao Si’s party visited the Church of Repose, where Helena reunited with her friend and fellow Finger Maiden, Mary. The visit ended with Malenia greeting Marika’s statue as her mother.

• Zhao Si and his companions left the waystation and traveled toward the Church of Vows, stopping first at the Church of Repose.
• Helena reunited with Mary, who asked about her travels and wondered whether she might serve a brave, handsome Tarnished knight.
• Mary welcomed Zhao Si and Malenia into the church and explained that visitors could pray or share their troubles with Marika’s statue.
• Malenia approached the statue, quietly greeted Marika as her mother, and saluted her.

Zhao Si learned about an arsonist who had robbed the villagers near the Church of Inhibition and decided to pursue Adam, though he kept his motives private. On the road south, he discussed Godrick with Malenia and examined the Uhl Dynasty Ruins, where he recorded his theories about the Ancestor Spirit’s People and their beliefs.

• Mary told Zhao Si that a mysterious arsonist had frightened the villagers and stolen food and valuables, then asked him to catch the culprit.
• Zhao Si refused to work at Mary’s request but privately recognized the arsonist as Adam and decided to track him down.
• Zhao Si and his companions heard rumors about the Converted Fringe Tower, then continued south from the Church of Inhibition.
• Zhao Si asked Malenia about Godrick, and she described him as untalented but eager to learn under Margit’s instruction.
• At the Uhl Dynasty Ruins, Zhao Si sketched a statue and noted his theories that it depicted a divine priest and reflected the Ancestor Spirit’s People’s beliefs.

Zhao Si, Helena, and Malenia visited the Church of Vows, where Helena spoke with Miriel about love and choosing one’s own fate. Zhao Si noticed a statue resembling a Nox Swordstress, suggesting a connection between Caria’s ancestors and the Nox.

• Zhao Si reached the Church of Vows with Helena and Malenia after leaving the Urd Dynasty ruins.
• Helena met Miriel, the turtle priest, and asked when she would find a good marriage.
• Miriel suggested Helena already had a suitable companion, but Helena said she and Zhao Si were only colleagues.
• Miriel urged Helena to choose her own fate, prompting Helena and Malenia to reflect on the paths imposed on them.
• Zhao Si noticed that a church statue resembled a Nox Swordstress and inferred that Caria’s ancestors came from the Nox.

Zhao Si developed a theory that the Numen and Nox people had divided over their beliefs, with Marika leading a branch that joined the Greater Will. He then asked Teacher Turtle whether he had seen Adam the “Fire Thief.”

• Zhao Si began a new notebook and mapped possible links among the Numen, the Eternal City, the Nox people, Marika, Radagon, and other groups.
• He reasoned that the Nox people had lived on the surface before meteorite attacks drove them underground, and that some had later changed their faith and returned to the surface.
• Zhao Si proposed that Marika had become an Empyrean of the Erdtree and that her branch’s conversion helped the underground Nox people and surface sorcerers.
• He connected the Greater Will, the Elden Ring, Marika, and the Elden Lords through a theory of the Trinity, then concluded that new storms would come and people had to keep moving forward.
• Zhao Si showed Teacher Turtle a portrait of Adam the “Fire Thief” and asked whether he had seen him.

Zhao Si learned that Adam had burned the Church of Vows and might be heading south toward Limgrave, so he set out to intercept him. Before leaving, he agreed to bring any difficult incantation texts to the Turtle Pope for study.

• The Turtle Pope asked Zhao Si to catch Adam, explaining that the arsonist had burned the church and likely continued south along the Liurnia Highway.
• Zhao Si reasoned that he and his companions could reach the bridge into Limgrave ahead of Adam and lie in wait for him.
• The Turtle Pope described how he hid during Adam's attack and offered to help Zhao Si study any incantation texts he could not understand.
• Zhao Si considered the Fire Monk's and Giant's Prayerbooks Adam might possess, then accepted the Turtle Pope's offer to study their incantations together.
• Zhao Si rode off with Helena and Ma-lenia toward the bridge connecting Liurnia and Limgrave.