Early morning rain drifted softly across Limgrave.
The Tarnished rode Torrent leisurely along the edge of the Mistwood, heading toward the entrance well that led down to the Siofra River.
Thinking back, the last time he visited the Mistwood he had not only met Blaidd, but had also helped Kenneth Haight reclaim Fort Haight.
Although Kenneth was a devoted follower of the Erdtree, somewhat arrogant, and clearly looked down on the Tarnished—
As a lord, he was actually quite decent.
At the very least, he coexisted peacefully with the demi-humans and genuinely hoped to find a worthy ruler to serve.
Unlike someone like Godrick.
His attitude toward the Tarnished lacked the disgust so many others displayed, and he even understood gratitude.
Though his offer to recruit the Tarnished as a knight had been rather unacceptable.
The Elden Lord serving as a local lord's knight?
That was a bit too absurd.
Still, people in the Lands Between who meant no harm and were this amusing were rare.
Soon, he followed a quiet forest path to the entrance well and took the long elevator down to the riverbed of the Siofra River—
A vast underground world beneath a false sky of glittering stars.
Even knowing the stars above were artificial, the sight stirred awe every time.
No words could truly capture its beauty.
It was difficult to imagine how advanced the civilization of the Nox—the people of the Eternal Cities—must once have been.
If they had not violated the taboo of the Greater Will—
Forging the Fingerslayer Blade, a weapon capable of harming the Greater Will and killing the Two Fingers—
If they had not tried to establish their own order…
Then perhaps Marika and Godfrey would never have ruled the world.
But that was only speculation.
Whether Nokron or Nokstella, even their neighbors—the Ancestral Followers—had long since become relics of the past.
Now they merely clung to existence beneath the earth.
Before long, he found Blaidd within the Worshippers' Woods.
"Oh. You're here."
Thanks to his keen hearing and sense of smell, Blaidd noticed him immediately.
Those sharp beast-like eyes turned toward the Tarnished.
"Sorry. I found nothing in this forest. I couldn't locate any path leading to Nokron."
Unlike his usual heroic demeanor—or the cool attitude he affected in the tower—Blaidd now looked somewhat dejected.
His ears drooped like a defeated dog.
"I can see Nokron from here, yet I can't find any way to reach it."
"I've even tried all the portals…"
His gaze drifted toward the distant ancient city structures towering above.
As the shadow-bound beast of an Empyrean, failing a task given by his master was a deep humiliation.
But the Tarnished was not surprised at all.
He had known from the beginning that this journey to the Siofra River would be futile.
Because Nokron simply could not be reached from the riverbed.
Its entrance lay far above.
The Siofra River was merely one of the two great rivers that flowed beneath the Eternal Cities.
Unless one could climb upstream from the river's source—
Entering Nokron was impossible.
He had only come here to inform Blaidd that other paths existed.
Last time, however, Blaidd had left too quickly for him to explain.
Suddenly Blaidd seemed to recall something.
"…Seluvis… that gloomy man might know something. Should I bite him a few times and force the truth out of him?"
"Sorry. I already killed Seluvis. Both the puppet and the real body."
The Tarnished thought quietly.
Blaidd seemed to realize he had spoken aloud and quickly corrected himself.
"…Apologies. That was only a joke. Please ignore it. I should focus on investigating the surroundings."
He said this largely because of Ranni.
Though Blaidd never trusted Seluvis, he still knew Seluvis technically served her.
Talking casually about killing him might give the wrong impression to their new Tarnished ally.
After all, this was a time when they needed capable people.
What Blaidd didn't realize was that the Tarnished had heard that exact line hundreds of times before.
It no longer stirred even the faintest emotion.
Perhaps the first time had left some impression.
But whatever that feeling had been was long forgotten.
"I'll handle things here. You continue as you see fit."
Blaidd turned to leave, planning to continue exploring the Worshippers' Woods beside Nokron.
But the Tarnished stopped him.
"Wait, Black."
"…My name is Blaidd!"
"Right. Black."
"…."
Blaidd stared at him with an increasingly dangerous tone.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just that if you want to enter Nokron, I happen to know several ways."
"…You found a way into Nokron?"
Blaidd's expression instantly changed, excitement flashing across his face.
"Relax. There are indeed methods. Quite a few, actually."
The Tarnished shrugged casually, which only made Blaidd more impatient.
Yet after a moment, Blaidd forced himself to calm down.
Hurrying would accomplish nothing.
Lowering his head, he apologized respectfully.
"Forgive me. I lost my composure."
"No problem. I do know several ways to reach Nokron, though each comes with difficulties."
He looked upward toward the towering structures above.
"As far as I know, there are three methods."
Hearing there were three, Blaidd's eyes lit up.
He remained silent and listened.
"The first method is to go to Redmane Castle in Caelid and challenge the demigod known as the Starscourge, General Radahn."
"Defeat him, and the seal upon the stars will break. The stars will move once more, and the path to Nokron will open."
At the mention of challenging Radahn, Blaidd's blood stirred.
Radahn was said to be the mightiest of the demigods.
Countless warriors dreamed of testing themselves against him.
Even Blaidd felt the temptation.
But he wasn't reckless.
Facing Radahn with his current strength would almost certainly mean death.
Unless there was no alternative, he preferred not to attempt that option.
"The second method is to stand above the Mistwood and forcefully carve open a path down to Nokron."
"I've already explored Nokron's location from the surface before, so I can guarantee the route."
In truth, he had not personally surveyed it.
He simply remembered the exact point where the meteor had fallen during previous cycles.
But Blaidd looked at him strangely.
Digging a path from the surface to Nokron?
Was he joking?
That sounded just as impossible as fighting Radahn.
Even if it wasn't fatal, it would be an enormous waste of effort.
During the elevator descent Blaidd had already seen how deep the underground world lay.
The distance to the surface was immense.
Even working to death would not be enough.
Blaidd shook his head decisively.
"Tell me the third method."
"Very well."
The Tarnished shrugged.
"If you refuse the second option, that's fine. I could manage it myself, but if you don't want to…"
"Then the third method is simple."
"I use gravity magic to send you up there."
"…!"
Blaidd stared at him in shock.
He had tried climbing the stone cliffs countless times.
Every attempt had failed.
He had even considered magic—but he didn't know how to use any.
And gravity magic…
That was the specialty of Radahn himself.
Legend said Radahn had learned it from the Alabaster Lord, a visitor from beyond the stars.
That being was currently imprisoned in an Evergaol outside Caria Manor.
How could this Tarnished use it?
More importantly—
The height involved was enormous.
Blaidd glanced upward at the Eternal City perched upon the cliffs.
It looked impossibly distant.
Was this really possible?
Yet he did not voice his doubts.
If Lady Ranni trusted this Tarnished, then Blaidd, as her shadow-bound beast, would trust him too.
"…Alright. Let's use the third method."
"But when you say send me up there… does that mean you have other plans?"
"Yes."
"I plan to challenge General Radahn in Caelid."
"And give him the ending he deserves."
The Tarnished spoke calmly.
Blaidd stared at him with stunned seriousness.
"You're serious?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll come with you. I've always wanted to challenge that legend."
Blaidd's fighting spirit flared again, sharp canine teeth briefly visible.
But the Tarnished refused immediately.
"No need."
He raised his staff slightly.
A purple sigil appeared at its tip.
"I alone will be enough."
"Hey—"
Before Blaidd could finish speaking, pale violet light enveloped his body.
His body shot upward uncontrollably.
Like a violet meteor streaking across the underground sky—
He crashed straight into one of the buildings of Nokron above.
"…He should survive that, right?"
The Tarnished muttered while watching the cloud of dust rise.
Given what he knew of Blaidd, it would probably be fine.
As for where exactly he landed—
That wasn't his concern.
Blaidd was more than capable of finding his way.
"Oh. Right. Almost forgot something."
As if suddenly remembering, he took out the Spirit Calling Bell and rang it.
A soft chime echoed.
Black Knife Tiche appeared.
"Master."
Tiche knelt on one knee respectfully.
Truthfully, all of his spirit ashes were excellent.
The only problem was how rigid they were.
Only Lhutel had a softer personality.
"Tiche, hide nearby and protect Blaidd."
"If necessary, restrain him and put this on his head."
He handed her a peculiar helmet.
The Nox Mirrorhelm.
Its mirrored surface could deflect any form of mental interference—
Even the influence of the Greater Will.
Its only flaw was fragility.
Which meant Blaidd would have to be restrained before placing it on him.
Admittedly it might hurt when forced onto his wolf-like head.
But that was better than letting him lose his mind.
"Understood, Master."
Tiche nodded seriously.
Moments later, he launched her upward as well with gravity magic.
Watching as she disappeared into Nokron's skyline, the Tarnished stretched his arms with relief.
"Alright. Everything that needed doing is done."
"Time to go have a talk with Radahn."
He summoned Torrent once more and rode away from the Worshippers' Woods.
Radahn, the Starscourge.
Son of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, and Radagon, the second Elden Lord.
Brother of Ranni and Rykard.
The mightiest of the demigods.
Though he loved his siblings dearly, Radahn ultimately chose to serve the Golden Order, becoming one of its greatest generals.
Because as a child he had idolized Godfrey, the first Elden Lord and lord of battle.
He studied gravity magic under the Alabaster Lord.
The golden lion upon his armor symbolized Godfrey and his beast regent Serosh.
With his own strength, Radahn halted the movement of the stars—
Sealing not only Ranni's destiny, but becoming the seal upon the stars himself.
During the Shattering, he fought the Blade of Miquella, Malenia, across the wastelands of Caelid.
In the end, the Scarlet Rot consumed Caelid.
Radahn's body—and even his mind—were corrupted.
He became a wandering beast on the battlefield, devouring the corpses of fallen knights.
Even the Radahn Festival at Redmane Castle existed solely to grant him an honorable warrior's death.
But this time—
The Tarnished had no intention of killing him.
Instead, he intended to present Radahn to Ranni as a gift.
A bride price of sorts.
Meanwhile, after rescuing Iron Fist Alexander near Saintsbridge, and coincidentally meeting D, Hunter of the Dead near Summonwater Village, the Tarnished did not head directly to Redmane Castle.
Instead, he made a detour.
To Sellia, Town of Sorcery.
Someone there was waiting for him.
And Master Lusat was there as well.
"…Ah. I've been expecting you."
Inside a small shack past the Sellia gateway sat an elderly man.
He greeted the Tarnished as if they were old acquaintances.
"Hello, old sir."
The Tarnished dismounted from Torrent and returned the greeting politely.
This old man was Millicent's adoptive father.
A devout worshiper of the Scarlet Rot.
The sage of the pests—
Gowry.
And another name on the Tarnished's kill list.
But not yet.
For now, Gowry still had a purpose.
He was the only one capable of repairing the Unalloyed Gold Needle.
Although the Tarnished already carried dozens of them in his bag—
One could never have too many items capable of suppressing the Scarlet Rot.
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