Still, no one answered. Their physical wounds had been mended, but the scars on their souls were beyond the reach of any incantation.
Raven took a deep breath. He had no time to waste. Godwyn's hand-signed order had kept the warden from blocking him, but if the prison authorities continued to report up the chain of command, the consequences would be unpredictable. If Radagon issued a countermand, the prison would prioritize the Elden Lord's orders without hesitation.
Raven drew the Sword of Night and Flame and rapped it against the iron bars.
"This is an order! Anyone who isn't out of their cell in thirty seconds will be executed on the spot. Your choice."
That did it. Every villager scrambled to their feet.
"There are over twenty cells left. Lansang, if every room needs a Great Heal, can you hold out?"
"Twenty-odd? Hmph, you underestimate me. I could cast a hundred of these without breaking a sweat!" Lansang boasted, before marching into the next cell. "Great Heal!"
"Great Heal!"
"Great Heal!"
...
"Ugh... Great... Heal..."
Lansang leaned against the wall, shuffling out of a cell. With a heavy thud, she leaned her back against the iron bars and slid slowly to the floor.
"I... I can't breathe. Ugh, I feel sick. I'm going to throw up—"
Raven caught her, lifting the hem of her robes with one hand to keep her precious outfit from being soiled. "That's enough, that's enough. You've done more than your part. The mercenaries and I can carry the rest out. Go outside and get some air."
"Don't misunderstand, it's just... the air in here is too foul," Lansang said defiantly. "Help me up, I can still—hurk!"
"Don't you dare aim that at me! Are you doing this on purpose?" Raven yelled, spinning away just in time to avoid the splash, though his hand remained firmly gripped on the hem of her robe. "Don't think just because you're a pretty girl, your vomit comes with special privileges, hey!"
"Cough... cough! Gently, gently." Raven began thumping her on the back. After a few more dry coughs, Lansang finally caught her breath, her entire body sagging limply against Raven's arm. "I ate too much meat last night... apparently a whole day wasn't enough to digest it."
"Alright, let's stop analyzing the composition of your vomit," Raven said somberly. "I'm taking you out."
"I feel much better now that it's out. Whew. Last cell." Lansang shook off Raven's arm and forced herself to stand tall. "No need to prop me up. Just watch—my power has not wavered in the slightest!"
At the gate of the final cell, Raven pressed a hand to his forehead, watching as Lansang marched inside with a swagger that suggested she owned the place.
"Great Heal!"
Lansang let out a long breath and stood up with a satisfied grin, turning to Raven. "See? I told you—"
"Watch out!"
"Eh?" Lansang stumbled. She looked down in confusion to see a small knife buried in her abdomen. A small boy, his face a mess of tears and filth, gripped the handle with both hands. "You—"
Raven lunged into the cell like a flash of lightning. He grabbed the boy's wrist and flung him back with a violent shove. The knife hit the floor with a metallic clang. "Lansang, are you hurt?"
"I'm fine."
"You just got stabbed! How can you be fine?" Raven asked urgently. "Cast an Urgent Heal on yourself, now!"
"I'm really fine." Lansang brushed off her robes; there was a clear slit in the fabric. "I'm wearing a suit of chainmail underneath. A dull blade like that isn't going to get through."
"Chainmail?" Raven looked puzzled. "I didn't feel any when I was holding you earlier?"
"Ahem. It's a lightweight, form-fitting model worn against the skin. It's normal that you didn't notice." Lansang pushed him away. "Hey, stop staring. Keep looking and I'll poke your eyes out."
Seeing that there was indeed no blood soaking into her robes, Raven finally relaxed. He turned back to the boy. "Are you insane, kid? Wait... aren't you—"
The boy leaned against the wall, clutching his wrist. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, carving tracks through the grime on his face.
"It's you." Raven recognized the boy. He was the child of the woman Raven had returned the calf to.
"Is it broken?" Recalling how hard he had gripped the boy's wrist and the sound of cracking bone he'd heard as the boy hit the wall, Raven softened his tone slightly. "Come here. Let me heal you."
Despite the pain making him break out in a cold sweat, the boy didn't make a sound. He simply turned his head away.
"Fine. Even if you hate me for taking the village and killing your people, if you want revenge, you should come at me!" Raven said sternly, walking toward the boy. "Attacking a cleric who just healed your wounds—does that seem like the act of a man to you?"
"You're too strong," the boy muttered. "Attacking you wouldn't have worked."
"Still talking back, are we?" Raven was almost amused by the boy's stubbornness. He glanced around the cell. "Where is your mother?"
"You people took her," the boy said.
Raven froze.
"I see... your mother was moved somewhere else." He knelt down and cast an Urgent Heal on the boy. "She asked me to look after you before she left. You're coming with me for now."
"Liar," the boy said. "I know Mama is dead."
Without waiting for Raven to answer, he walked to a corner of the cell and picked up an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes from a pile of rags. He hoisted the baby onto his back and tied the four cloth straps into a knot across his chest.
Raven watched him in silence.
"You said Mama isn't dead... is that true?" The boy walked back and looked up.
"It's true."
"Where are you going? Is Mama there?"
"Volcano Manor," Raven said. "Your mother was sent to a different place. You can't see her yet."
The boy seemed to think deeply about this.
"I'm coming with you." He pointed to the infant on his back. "My sister is already weaned. She just needs flour paste every day; she's easy to keep alive. I'm taking her with me."
"Is that wise? Perhaps I could find a family willing to adopt her. The road to Volcano Manor is long and difficult," Raven said.
"I'm taking her with me," the boy insisted, reaching down to tighten the knot on his chest. "I promised Mama I wouldn't leave my sister."
"Alright."
Raven didn't push further. He stepped forward to briefly check the infant. He felt the baby's forehead; she seemed healthy enough.
"Then let's get moving." Raven picked up the small knife from the floor and inspected it. It was a common blade, poorly maintained, with a chip missing from the tip. Raven couldn't tell what its original purpose had been, but it was certainly a tool capable of killing.
He handed the knife back to the boy. "Take this back. Don't hurt yourself with it."
The boy took the knife, looking surprised.
"Do you want me to promise not to use it on you?" he asked.
"Words are as fleeting as the wind." Raven sighed. "The knife is for protecting yourself and your sister. You decide when it's time to use it. Though, I truly hope you never have to."
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(114 Chapter - Ongoing)
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