Elden Ring : a Tarnished of No Renown

[Sigurd's POV]

I rested for the day and continued onwards once the sun rises. Together with Torrent, I made my way up the valley.

As I ride up the road leading upwards, suddenly....

'Stab!' A sharp pain hits my chest.

"Ouch." I looked down, it was a piece of bolt stuck to my chest, bleeding profusely.

It's rude to hit someone with an arrow when they're riding you know? It's like.... how to say it.... like being violently woken up from a relaxing dream. So to speak it's annoying.

'Fwoup!' (?x) Many more arrows shot towards us, barely missing us both.

"Not the time for jokes, Torrent go!"

"Neigh!"

There were many barricades in the middle of the road, I expected them to be abandoned but it seems there were a few archers hiding behind the barricades.

I couldn't see it clearly, but there weren't a lot of them. I directed the steed to rush forward, steering him in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the arrows....

Right as Torrent got close to the barricade, I jumped off from the steed, flying over the barricade towards one of the archers and slammed my club into his faceas I dropped down.

'Thud!'

With the other one to my side fired his crossbow at me.

I dived towards him and ducked under the bolt, ramming my body into him.... Right as I got back up on my feet, I swung my club at his body. "Hmph!"

'Thud!' With a swing I brought the zombie soldier to his knees. I grabbed his collar and threw him towards the barricade, stabbing him into the spiky poles and killing him instantly. 'Stab!'

There were one more barricade on the other side of the road.

"Two more to go. Hmm?"

Suddenly, the surroundings got darker.... Just like that time when the Tree Sentinel crushed m- oh no.

When I looked upwards, I saw a giant ass. The giant ass of a troll falling down on me.

'Thump!!!'

"Gah!.... What the hell...."

I was.... flattened.

"Roar!!!"

The troll, upon seeing that I am still alive, raised it's leg up and stomped down to me.

'Thump!!!'

I could hear my bones cracking and shattering as my body got squished into a bloody pancake of guts. And.... it's as comfortable as you think it is.

At least this time my death is instant, right?

[You Died]

_______________

(Some time later....)

"I hate ambushes...."

"Hush...."

In the end I just outran everyone with Torrent and got over the valley. Not the most honorable way, I know, but it's suicide to fight so many archers and a troll together, and there were many more soldiers even past those archers.

Continuing on this cobble road eventually leads me over the Storm Hill. 'Hoo....' The winds of this hill is strong like a hurricane, and it's insanely chilling, making my entire body shiver up. It doesn't help that I'm naked as well.

"Urgh.... Let's head over there Torrent."

Continuing down the path soon took me to another Site of Grace, which rests right besides a small shack.

I need a small rest in that shack to warm my body before I move....

With a step into the creaky plank of the shack's floor, I saw a lady with a red hood sitting inside the cold shack by herself, looking down on the floor as if she's sleeping.

"Hmm.... You there, I'll be taking a small rest here. Would you mind it?"

"...." She didn't say anything, instead keeping her head low and doing nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said, putting my sack of things down on the floor.

"...Everyone has been grafted.... Everyone who came with me. They crossed the sea for me.... fought for me."

"Mm Hmm?"

"They did all that only to have their arms taken, their legs taken, and even their heads.... taken. Taken and stuck to the spider."

What spider?

"A giant spider that eats people? Man, things must be hard for you...."

And damn is it cold in here, I need to start a camp fire here and now.

From my bag pack I took out a few firewood and started setting it up in the empty fireplace inside the shack.

"Did you know? If you're grafted by the spider, you become a chrysalid. It's quite the lark (meaning amusement) when you think about it."

Wait, grafting? I didn't know they grafted people onto monsters, didn't they only do it to people?

"Hmm...?" (The groan of a man who couldn't understand the accent of the woman he's talking to.)

I finished setting up the small fireplace inside the shack 'Hoo!!!' only to have it be extinguished by the stormy winds.

"Ah fuck... Well your friends went there didn't they? I hate spiders, they're full of hairs and have six legs, creeping around the ceiling."

"Amusing for you to say that, aren't you headed there yourself? You're all by your own, enticed by that white masked man just like us."

"Nah, that white masked may have told me to come here but I came on my own terms.... I came for a Great Rune - for Godrick, a demigod."

"Well that makes us two peas in a pod, same as I am...."

"Huh?" The hell is she talking about? I thought she came for the spider?

"But I don't have your courage. It's scary, you know. Having your arms cut off, or your legs. Even your head."

"Hmm....?"

"I wanted to be like everyone else but I'm just too scared.... I'm nothing but a craven."

"Hmm."

"Oh, I know.... Why don't you take this little one with you? The poor thing deserves someone braver than myself...."

She hands me a scroll, from her back pocket.

"This is...?"

"A spirit. This little one is looking rather fondly at you, I think it'll be glad to have your company...."

"I see, thank you for this.... little one... thingy. If that is all then I'll have to get going, this storm isn't quelling soon anyway."

Besides, talking to her makes my head spin....

"It was a pleasure to speak with you. Oh, can you pass a message for me, if you see the chrysalids in Stormveil Castle? Tell them that despite my craven heart.... I'll be joining their club soon."

"Hopefully that doesn't happen.... Tell you what? You shouldn't go there."

"But.... Why?"

"Even if I told you you wouldn't get it.... Just go do something else now, you're not made for it. Anyway, see you."

"Oh...."

Not everyone can do everything. She's clearly not built to handle herself in battles, let alone overcome such a major hurdle....

To be frank, I'm not much better than her. I did ran from that Tree Sentinel after all... who am I to judge?

But.... A spider huh? I need to be careful of spiders when going to the castl-

"Sigurd, may I have a moment?"

Suddenly, Melina appeared behind me.

"Oh? What do you need?"

"I think you may have a bit of a misunderstanding regarding the woman just now.... That spider she speaks of might be Godrick the Grafted, not literally a spider."

"Ah...."

Ahaha, silly me! Of course she's talking about those grafted people!

"Sigh...." I place my fingers to my mouth a blew into it. "Phew!"

Blowing a loud whistle, Torrent materializes beneath me and saddles me up.

"Let's go buddy. Catch up if you can, Melina!"

I looked backwards expecting to see her.... But it seems that she's gone.

"Hmm... Well, no matter."

It's not like we are friends or anything like that. Perhaps I've even been acting a bit too close to her.... I should maintain a healthy threshold between us, not to make things awkward between each other.

After all, we both are still just work partners, not a duo of friends or anything like that.

(Chapter End)