[Lone Wanderer] 2 – To Watch Gods Fall

With a sudden 'crack,' a portal opened not far from a large open field. In that field, two figures stood while a third stepped through the portal, far enough not to be seen by the two figures staring each other down. One of the figures was an utter mountain of man, standing at nearly 25 feet tall. It was a man wearing ornate armor symbolizing a golden lion with a helm featuring two 'tusks' alongside a long mane of red hair. To the man's side were two large curved blades that utterly dwarfed the woman before him in size.

Yet, underneath the utter giant of a man was a large horse, compared to most, that seemed to be filled with life and will as it neighed and struck the floor, as if ready to charge at a moment's notice with its ginormous rider upon it that made the horse seem petite because of the man's inhuman size. This Demi-God, the mightiest of the Demi-Gods, was none other than Starscrouge Radahan, the man who held the stars in the sky and was still strong enough to defeat any foe.

Opposing the man was a rather tall, fair woman at 8.4 feet tall. This woman, Malenia, the Knight of Miquella, featured the same vibrant red hair but was utterly dwarfed by the man's size. Her left arm and leg were replaced with ornate metal, and a long sword was attached to her arm, seeming to be one with the prosthetic. 

One would think that it was clear who would win this fight, but not was all it seems, as both Demi-Gods were true masters of their fields, and have never known defeat.

"Heed my words. I am Melania, Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat."

...

Looking far down below me in the Dunes of Caelid, I looked upon the two strongest Demi-Gods of Queen Marika, the Eternal—God of the Golden Order and once bearer of the now shattered Elden Ring. Even from this far distance, I could feel the pressure of the two Demi-Gods facing one another moments before they would battle to the death, and I smiled.

I hoped I would remember this hauntingly vivid dream when I awoke.

...

Mere moments later, Melania rocketed forward with her sword, striking at Radahan, who maneuvered his arm so that her blade struck his gauntlet and greaves before sliding off with a loud hiss. Before Mealania could recover, Radahan's entire body lit up with vibrant purple energy before exploding, sending everything around Radahan away from him.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, the very earth and air around him began to shake before his swords launched out of the ground and into his open hands. Letting out a fearsome warcry, both Demi-Gods lunged forward.

Radahan's overwhelming strength and fearsome blades swung towards Melania, who dodged out of the way, using her sword to deflect Radahan's blades away from her body. Yet when Melania neared, Radahan's body lit up once again with that vibrant purple energy before a boulder lifted from the ground and launched towards Mealania's body at sound-breaking speeds.

Forced to defend herself, Melania raised her sword and cut the boulder in half before gracefully jumping away as Radahan's' swords cleaved through the air of her previous position.

Distancing herself from the mighty Demi-God, Melania lowered her sword and relaxed her stance. The two glared at one another before lunging forward.

Again and again, the two Demi-Gods exchanged blows. Radahan's overwhelming size, strength, and Graavity magic against Mealania's skillful Waterfowl Dance and lithe movement made it near impossible for Radahan to strike her completely.

Yet, despite the near-equal prowess of both Demi-Gods, they managed to land several blows on one another, staining the ground in their blood. As they continued to fight, it was clear who had the upper hand.

Radahan's title as the mightiest Demi-God proved to be true, as even against such a skilled opponent, he returned every blow against him, and unfortunately for the Blade Of Miquella, Radahan's endurance and vitality was beyond all of the other Demi-Gods. 

And as Melania kneeled before him, she spoke, "Miquella awaits thee, o Promised Consort," and before Radhan could even answer, Melania bloomed, and the Scarlet Rot bore itself to the world.

...

As I watched Melania bloom, I couldn't help but be satisfied, having watched them fight one another for nearly two hours straight, proving to me just how mighty the two strongest Demi-Gods of Marika are.

I watched the Scarlet Rot spread across the Dunes, striking Radahan head-on as he braced himself and took the brunt of the Rot while shielding his mount beneath him. I saw the mightiest Demi-God struggle and thrash as the Scarlet Rot took root within his flesh, making him roar out in pain and agony, and before I could witness the Rot take hold of his mind, a wave of Scarlet petals flowed over me, and further into Caelid.

It was at that moment that an indescribable pain took hold of my being, and for the first time in this supposed dream, I felt pain.

My eyes became bloodshot as I crumped over, vomiting a mixture of blood and vomit onto the ground. The world started to blur and shake, and I felt as if the world as a whole was vibrating. Blood began to seep out of my eyes, ears, and nose as the Rot spread through my veins and across my flesh. 

My flesh blistered. Tuberous growth rapidly grew onto my skin and in my body. 

I howled in agony as the Scarlet Rot started rotting everything it could.

In my delirium, my mind sought the only thing I could think of that would ward off the Scarlet Rot, a sickening maddening Outer God just like the Scarlet Rot. An Outer God that was just as bad as the Scarlet Rot, but I did not care, for I just wanted the pain to stop.

A portal opened beneath me, causing me to fall into a dimly lit chamber. Resting at the center of the chamber was a strange three-fingered hand—one that was burned and smoldering in flame, the Frenzied Flame.

My howls echoed in the chamber as I began to feel my mind slip and rot. My screams seemingly startled the three-fingered hand before it twitched and began to reach out to me.

As the three fingers wrapped around my body, my screams rose in power twofold as the fire began to burn me. 

As my mind blacked out from the rising pain, the two Outer Gods fought for control of my body but, in the end, came to a stalemate as neither could outpace the other.  For every bit of Rot, the Flame burned away, and more Rot took its place, leading to a never-ending cycle of change and dominance. My hair turned scarlet red, while my eyes turned a maddening yellow. Both forces buried themselves in my heart, fighting for control over my body. 

And while they fought, I dreamed of Gold.