"It appears that unfortunately, despite being a maiden yourself, you are maidenless."
Maidens, or the Finger Maidens, are priestesses chosen by the Two Fingers to serve a Tarnished's cause.
"Without a maiden, you won't be able to turn runes into strength. What a predicament you are in, isn't it?"
His words ring true. Without a maiden to serve me, I will remain as frail as an old codger. Without the ability to turn runes into strength, a Tarnished is as good as useless — for what use is a Tarnished who cannot claim runes for strength when it is the Great Runes that he is trying to claim?
It is a predicament for sure
However there is one other matter which concerns me immediately, right here, right now.
"Strange man... You killed the priestess at the church didn't you?"
"I have no idea of what you're talking about, Tarnished one. Perhaps all the years spent lying in slumber has weakened your mind?"
"The one who has lost his wits is you, odd man. Answer me this, how didst thou knew my maiden was dead?!"
The strange man did not answer. But beneath that creepy mask of his I can feel- no, smell it. That unmistakable stench of blood.
"....A sharp one are you?"
"Not true. It was just that you are so bad at deceiving you cannot even trick a dimwit."
Silence befalls us as we stare down each other, ready to draw our weapons.
"Do you really think you can take me on? With that measly strength on yours?"
"I am not sure. Shall we find out?"
"!" (2x)
In an instant, I drew my estoc and struck first at the strange man.
'Clink-!'
My thrust as deflected away by the strange man's weapon. A metal bouquet of blood stained flowers.
The strange man raised the hammer and swing down on me as well.
The weight of his blows was heavy, each strike causing my blade to bounce off.
'Tank-!'
"Did you know, Tarnished? You reminds me of your maiden."
The strange man shoves my blade away using his hammer before throwing a kick to my stomach, sending me flying down the hill that we are on.
"Brave yet fragile... she had the sweetest scream when I plunged my blade into her!"
Keep calm... do not fall for his taunts.
The strange man's left hand glows with a red crest. From his palm he sends out a swarm of red flying insects towards me.
"I am Whitemask Varre. Today, thine blood shall be spilled in honor to Luminary Mohg and the Formless Mother!"
As the flies home in on me I evaded them by running away. The strange man jumped down from the hill chasing towards me.
Some of the insects land on my arm, biting and nibbling into my skin as the strange man closed the distance and swung his hammer at me again.....
And in that instant, I stopped my running and lowered my stance while aiming my blade at him.
Impaling Thrust!
'Stab-!'
My blade goes through the man's body, but he immediately gripped the blade and pulled it out with his own hand.
"Urgh-!"
Without pausing I lunged forward with my estoc aiming for his throat. But at the last second-
'Thud-!'
A sharp, paralyzing pain struck my head. The man had swung his hammer at the last second, intending to eat my attack just to strike me.
The two of us recoil in pain from the damage we took.
"Urgh... You got me good Tarnished! For now I have no choice but to retreat. But mark my words, yee shall face the might of Lord Mohg's bloody fingers for having crossed my path-"
Suddenly, from a direction where neither of us were looking at.... a golden halberd swung forward at an impressive speed and cleaved through the whitemask man in just a single hit.
'Slam-!' The sound of the impact only registered to my head after the strike landed.
From the dust knocked up by that attack, a horse and it's rider clad in golden armour stood. With a halberd big enough to be called a battleaxe and a shield twice the size of the rider....
The Tree Sentinel appears.
(Chapter End)