[Lone Wanderer] 5 – Chasing after the Chosen Tarnished

Making my way north along the dirt road and still feeling fatigued, I crouched down behind some shrubbery as one of Godric's Soldiers patrolled along the road and more scattered around the area, scavenging or camping out in the woods or before the Groveside cave, home to Beastemen and Wolves.  

Just past the woods were the Gatefront ruins, a camp for a large group of Godric's Soldiers and even a Knight. It would be dangerous, but if I could sneak around the camp towards the Gates and circle around to the other side of the ruins, there was a cart with a chest, one with a sword, but to get my hands on it, I'd have to take out the Soldier somehow, but I was afraid.

My vision was slowly getting dizzy as my scars burned and festered beneath my clothes. The pain was agonizing, and with each movement, I winced.

I grit my teeth, pushing through the pain, as I quickly rushed past the Soldier while his back was turned to me. Further down the dirt path was another Godric soldier with his back to me and crouched over a pile of wood, stone, and more of what once was a carriage.

After briefly looking around, I noticed a rather large rock and grabbed it, sneaking up to the Soldier. 

Clutching the rock in my hand, I snuck right up behind the Soldier and raised the rock high before swinging it down with all the force I could muster into the back of his helmet.

With a loud bang, the man cried out and fell to the ground unconscious.

Cursing, I noticed an opportunity, and I wasn't going to miss it. I grabbed his sword, shield, and the Kukuris I had seen by his side and dashed away into the woods toward the camp, leaving the man to be found by the others soon. Now that I did not have to sneak into the ruins, I could make my way for Stormveil, though it would be difficult, seeing as I'd have to get past the ambush ahead. 

I'd come back sometime to grab that Ash of War and a Whetstone Knife; I'd also get that crafting kit from Kale if I had the chance.

As I ran for the gate, I noticed a long beam of Gold amassing before the gate into a site of Grace, one of the few resting places for Tarnished and a revival point. These Sites of Grace were scattered around the Lands Between, and there was even one in the church with Kale, but I had no time to waste. I wasted no time activating the Site of Grace because of the chance I might die in the ambush ahead. Much to my surprise, when I activated the Grace, a soft golden glow suffused into my body, refreshing my mind and body. 

I no longer felt exhausted, though I still felt a bit of a headache.

With a sigh of relief, I backed away from the Gace and began walking through the Gate, finding a narrow valley where I could see crossbowmen waiting behind barricades in wait for any that wished to head for Stormviel. From my meta-knowledge, I also knew a Troll above on the mountain was waiting to jump down and squash any poor Tarnished too slow to get out of its path. Luckily, Trolls were slow and easily dodgeable, at least in a game they were. I'd rather avoid getting hit by one with my squishy human body if I had the choice.

The real question was, how do I get past the Crossbowmen and the Troll? Typically, I'd just gallop past them on Torrent, but I did not have that choice there.

Could I blink past them using my power? 

Wanting to see if I could, I jumped, a portal opening before me briefly before I collapsed on my hands and knees, another headache tearing apart my mind and making me grunt in pain.

I stumbled to my feet, reaching out to the Site of Grace, activating it, and getting another refresher, though this one was not as effective as it did little to ease my mental pain. To my left, I looked upon the two shacks and knew where I was. Sitting in that shack was Rodricka, a Tarnished who had given up on life yet had the potential to be a great ally of the Chosen Tarnished. She had the talent of a Spirit Tunner.

With the Spirit Calling Bell, a Tarnished could call upon the Spirits of those going with their ashes, bringing forth temporary allies to fight with the Tarnished. These Spirit Ashes were scattered across the Lands Between, and while many from my old world would consider the use of Ashes scummy, I frankly did not care, especially now knowing how much higher the stakes were.

For now, though, I'd come back later; I wasn't far from the first major boss fight for many, Margit the Fell Omen. For many, he was the first major obstacle of a player's run, and for those unskilled or impatient, he proved to be a very tough opponent to beat. However, for one used to Souls-bourne games, Margit was straightforward, usually taking one or two attempts once the player got the patterns down.

In reality? I was willing to bet that the Fell Omen would be tougher to beat than expected.

...

Meanwhile, somewhere else, four figures could be seen battling the giant Fell Omen on the bridge before Stormveil Castle. These three figures were tarnished, seeking entrance into Stormveil for their own reasons.

One of these figures was a man with a pointed hat, sword, and staff in hand, as well as luxurious robes, slinging forth magic toward the Omen with each wave of his staff.

A woman and a man in armor charged the Omen, weaving between the Omen's swipes and conjured holy weapons, barely even managing that as the Omen landed some strikes, be it a thrown dagger or a swipe of his strange staff.

The last was a pale but tall, lithe woman carrying a shield and sword and, of the figures, was obviously the least skilled among them.

These figures were Tarnished, and they had been battling the Fell Omen for merely an hour, yet they were losing. The Knight boasted grievous wounds, the Sorcerer was low on Mana, and the women were low on their flasks, but despite their wounds, the Omen fared not much better, as gaping holes, gashes, and stab wounds littered his frame.

Before long, the group was forced to flee and regather in the tunnels, where a side room housed a site of Grace.

"How do we beat it? It is far too nimble for an Omen its size," The Sorcerer, Rogier, asked, resting against a wall.

The lone woman armed with a sword and shield stayed quiet.

The woman tending to the Knight spoke up, "The three of us will keep him distracted; you bombard him with your spells."

"That's what we have been doing; it doesn't work. Every time he manages to slip by you three and charge me when I become too troublesome," Rogier complained.

Before the two could continue arguing, the four heard screaming further down the tunnel.

"Do you hear that?" Rogier asked.