One More chapter left before the end of the first arc of this fanfiction. To be honest I don't know if I'll do a season 2 of this fanfiction unless people really want me to so comment for that. At the momment I just got the hopstial from being sick and has been busy finishing up my first real novel and starting another short story that'll be posted here :D
Regular text
Venom talking
(Thoughts)
[Health Bar]
ON TO THE CHAPTER
Oliver Pov.
With a deep breath, I stepped through the portal. This was it. Godrick's reign of terror in Limgrave would end today. The portal shut behind me, and I faced a truly grotesque monster."You dare to enter my domain, Tarnished?" the creature roared, its voice echoing with a disturbing mix of power and decay. Its many arms flailed, and its misshapen face twisted in a grotesque parody of a sneer. This was Godrick the Grafted, and he was even more horrifying in person than in the tales I'd heard.
"Whoa, talk about ugly," Venom's voice echoed in my head. "That thing looks like it was put together with spare parts."
"You dare to enter my domain, Tarnished?" the creature roared, its voice echoing with a disturbing mix of power and decay. Its many arms flailed, and its misshapen face twisted in a grotesque parody of a sneer. This was Godrick the Grafted, and he was even more horrifying in person than in the tales I'd heard.
"Grafted, huh? Sounds painful," Venom commented dryly.
I gripped my sword, my heart pounding in my chest. This is it, I thought. No turning back. "I'm here to end your reign of terror, Godrick," I called out, trying to sound braver than I felt. "Limgrave deserves better than your tyranny."
"Attaboy, Oliver! Show him what you're made of!" Venom cheered, his enthusiasm a stark contrast to the dread I was feeling.
Godrick laughed, a chilling, rasping sound that seemed to scrape against my very soul. "Tyranny? I am merely asserting my rightful claim! These lands are mine, and all who trespass shall be…grafted!" He lunged, moving surprisingly fast for its size, its many limbs a blur of motion.
"Watch out, Oliver! He's fast for a big guy!" Venom warned.
I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a crushing blow. The impact shook the ground, and I could feel the force of it even from where I was. This was going to be a difficult fight. I got back to my feet, my mind racing. I needed to find a way to exploit his weaknesses, if he had any. I dodged another swipe, the wind whistling past my ear. He was relentless, but I was fast and nimble. I just had to be faster. I just had to be better.
"He's definitely strong, but he's not exactly graceful," Venom observed. "Use that to your advantage, kid."
I feigned an attack to the left, then darted right as Godrick swung. My sword found purchase in one of his many arms, and I felt a satisfying resistance as I cut through flesh and bone. He roared in pain, a sound that was both animalistic and strangely pathetic.
"Nice one, Oliver! He's definitely feeling that!" Venom praised.
Godrick stumbled back, clutching his wounded arm. It was a small victory, but it was enough to give me hope. I pressed my advantage, darting in and out, striking where I could. He was still incredibly dangerous, but he was no longer an unstoppable force. I could see the fear in his eyes now, mixed with rage and pain.
Suddenly, Godrick's remaining arm reached behind him, and with a sickening squelch, he pulled free a massive, severed dragon's head. Its eyes were glazed over, but the fangs were still sharp, and the smell of decay filled the air. He then proceeded to attach the head to his arm. I stared in horror as he grafted the dragon's head to his arm. The flesh melded together with unnatural speed, and the dragon's head roared to life, its eyes snapping open with a malevolent glow.
"What in the actual—?" Venom sputtered, clearly taken aback. "Did he just… graft a dragon's head to his arm? That's a new one."
"Did you just graft a dragon's head to your arm?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Godrick laughed, a chilling, rasping sound that seemed to scrape against my very soul. "Indeed, Tarnished! I am ever-evolving, ever-adapting. This land demands strength, and I will become that strength!" The dragon head on his arm snapped at me, its jaws dripping with venom.
"Venomous, too! Just our luck," Venom muttered. "Watch out for that bite, Oliver. Dragons don't exactly have the cleanest mouths."
"So, this is your big plan, then?" I said, trying to keep him talking as I circled him, looking for an opening. "Just keep adding more and more body parts until you're some kind of Frankenstein's monster?"
"Frankenstein's monster?" Godrick seemed genuinely confused for a moment. "What is that? Some kind of… Tarnished jest?"
"He doesn't get it," Venom chuckled. "Guess they don't have a lot of classic literature in Limgrave."
"Never mind," I said, refocusing on the fight. "Just tell me, does it hurt? When you graft on a new… appendage?"
Godrick grinned, a truly disturbing sight with his misshapen face and the dragon's head. "Only… briefly. But the power… the power is worth it." The dragon head roared again, and Godrick lunged.
"Here he comes again! Venom warned.
I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the dragon's bite. "Power, huh?" I said as I got back to my feet. "Is that what you call it? Or is it just fear? Fear of being weak?"
Godrick stopped, his many eyes narrowing. "Fear? I know no fear! I am Godrick the Grafted! I am strength incarnate!"
"Ooh, he's getting angry," Venom whispered in my ear. "Poke him some more, Oliver. I wanna see what he does."
"Then explain this," I said, gesturing to his grafted arm. "Why all the extra arms? Why the dragon's head? If you're so strong, why do you need to keep adding more?"
Godrick hesitated, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. Something that looked suspiciously like… insecurity?
"Silence!" he roared, his voice shaking with rage. "You know nothing of true strength! You are but a Tarnished, a weakling! I will grind you to dust!"
With a roar, Godrick charged, the dragon head snapping and snarling. I barely managed to dodge, feeling the heat of its breath as it passed by. This was getting ridiculous. I knew I couldn't win in a straight-up brawl. I needed a different approach.
"He's all offense, Oliver," Venom said. "He's not thinking, he's just reacting. We need to get him off-balance."
"How do you suggest we do that?" I asked, panting slightly.
"Well," Venom mused. "He seems pretty sensitive about his… modifications. Maybe a little more needling?"
I smirked. "You think?" I shouted to Godrick, "You call that strength? You're just throwing a tantrum! All that grafting, and you're still terrified of a little Tarnished like me!"
Godrick stumbled to a halt, his many eyes blazing with fury. "Terrified? I am Godrick the Grafted! I fear nothing!"
"Then why the dragon head, huh?" I pressed. "Scared I might actually hurt you? Need a little extra backup?"
The dragon head on Godrick's arm hissed, and Godrick let out another roar, but this one seemed laced with something other than pure rage. There was a hint of… desperation?
"See?" Venom chuckled. "He's rattled. Keep pushing."
I circled Godrick, keeping my distance but continuing to taunt him. "You know, I've faced stronger enemies who didn't need to glue extra body parts on themselves. What's your problem, Godrick? Feeling inadequate?"
Godrick's rage boiled over. He charged again, this time swinging wildly, his movements less controlled than before. I dodged easily, and then, as he stumbled past, I saw my chance. I lunged, aiming not for his main body, but for the grafted dragon head. My sword sliced through the unnatural join, and with a sickening crunch, the dragon's head was severed.
Godrick screamed, a sound of pure agony and disbelief. The dragon head hit the ground with a thud, its eyes dimming. Godrick clutched his now-bleeding arm, his rage replaced by a look of stunned horror.
"That's it, Oliver! You got him!" Venom exclaimed. "Now finish him!"
Godrick staggered, his many arms flailing uselessly. His strength seemed to have deserted him with the loss of the dragon's head. I pressed my advantage, moving in quickly, my sword a blur of motion. Godrick tried to defend himself, but his movements were sluggish and weak.
I struck again and again, each blow finding its mark. Godrick's cries of rage and pain grew weaker and weaker, until finally, with one last, desperate gasp, he fell to his knees. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of defeat and something that almost looked like… understanding.
"So… this is it?" he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. "This is… the end?"
"Don't let him fool you, Oliver!" Venom warned. "He might still have a trick or two up his sleeve!"
I kept my sword raised, but I could see that the fight was truly over. Godrick was defeated, broken. His reign of terror in Limgrave was at an end.
"It's over, Godrick," I said, my voice firm but not unkind. "Your tyranny ends now."
Godrick closed his eyes, and then, slowly, he slumped to the ground. The many arms that had terrorized Limgrave were now still, and the misshapen face that had haunted so many was now at peace. The silence that followed was deafening.
"Well," Venom said after a moment, "that was… something. You did it, Oliver. You actually did it."
I sheathed my sword, taking a deep breath. The fight was over, but I knew that the challenges in this land were far from over. Still, for now, I could allow myself a moment of victory. Limgrave was safe, for now.
It was like the world grew quiet as Godrick's body laid in front of me. He was weaker than what I was expecting. It took all of us to take down Margit, yet here it barely took long before I was defeated. Standing over his body I realize how pathetic this man really was. Yet a child trying to be someone he is not.
"Pathetic", Venom spat. I couldn't help but agree with him.
"I am the Lord of all that is Golden .And one day, we'll return together", Godrick said weakly, his eyes looking at me as he tried to say more before he began to disappear, leaving behind something on the ground that flew into my body.
[Main Mission - Defeat Godrick][Completed][Reward - 3 Gacha Spins, Skill: TechnoPath]
[Godrick's Great Rune Acquired]
"Look at you, moving up in the world eh", Venom chuckled. "We should roll the gacha right away and see what we can get!"
As if on cue, the castle doors burst open, and a group of familiar faces emerged. Nepheli, Nicole, Edgar, Skullduggery, Gwentan, Arwent, and Rodgier, along with a contingent of soldiers, rushed towards me. Their expressions were a mix of relief and astonishment.
"Oliver!" Nepheli exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You… you actually did it! You defeated Godrick!"
Nicole grinned, a rare sight. "I can't believe it! We were so worried, but you made it look easy!"
Edgar clapped me on the shoulder, his face beaming. "Fantastic work, lad! I knew you had it in you!"
Skullduggery chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. "Well, I'll be. You took down that overgrown pincushion like it was nothing."
Gwentan and Arwent exchanged surprised glances, then nodded in approval. "Impressive," Gwentan said, while Arwent added, "We didn't expect such a swift victory."
Rodgier stepped forward, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Godrick's defeat… it changes everything. But… what do we do now with the castle?"
The question hung in the air. The castle, once a symbol of Godrick's tyranny, now stood empty, a silent testament to his downfall. The soldiers looked to their leaders, unsure of what to do next.
Nepheli looked around at the assembled group, then back at the castle. "We should discuss what to do with the castle. It has strategic value, but… I don't know if it's right for anyone to take over so soon."
"Perhaps we can use it as a base of operations?" Nicole suggested. "A place to regroup and plan our next moves?"
"Or we could turn it into a refuge," Edgar offered. "A place for those displaced by Godrick's… grafting."
Skullduggery snorted. "A refuge? That's sentimental. I say we loot it, then burn it to the ground."
Gwentan shook his head. "That's unwise. The castle could be a valuable asset."
Arwent nodded in agreement. "We should decide what to do with the castle carefully. It is too important to make a rash decision."
Rodgier stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps a council? Gather everyone and decide what's best for everyone?"
Nepheli looked at me, then at the others. "That's a good idea, Rodgier. We should all have a say in what happens next."A hush fell over the group as they looked to me, awaiting my input. I took a moment to consider their words, the weight of their decision settling on my shoulders. The castle was more than just a building; it was a symbol of power, of tyranny, and now, of liberation. Its future would shape the future of Limgrave.
However, something in me hesitated. A council… it felt too complicated, too bureaucratic. We had just won a major victory, and the thought of endless debates and political maneuvering drained me. I wanted to focus on the next challenge, not get bogged down in arguments about who should get what room in the castle.
"I appreciate the suggestion," I began, my voice firm but gentle. "But I think… I think we should leave the matter of the castle for now. We've just liberated Limgrave, and I believe we should rest, recuperate and deal with other more pressing matters."
There were a few murmurs of surprise, but no one openly objected. I continued, "For now, I believe it is best to move on and think of what is next. We can return to this later, when everyone has a clear mind and has rested." I looked at Nepheli, Nicole, Edgar, Skullduggery, Gwentan, Arwent, and Rodgier in turn, hoping they understood my reasoning.
"Besides," I added with a slight smile, "I think we all deserve a bit of a celebration." That seemed to do the trick. Smiles broke out, and the tension in the air dissipated.
"A celebration?" Nicole asked, her eyes lighting up. "That sounds wonderful!"
"A party, you say?" Edgar grinned. "Now that's an idea I can get behind!"
Skullduggery chuckled. "Finally, something worthwhile to do."
Gwentan and Arwent exchanged amused glances, then nodded in agreement. "We could use a moment of respite," Gwentan said.
Rodgier, however, looked slightly concerned. "But Oliver, shouldn't we at least-"
"Rodgier," I interrupted gently. "We will discuss this later. But for now, let's allow everyone to relax. We have earned it."
He sighed, but then nodded in agreement. "Very well, Oliver."
I smiled. "Good. Now, I believe it's time we returned to our base. We can discuss all of this once we're all rested." I opened a portal, the swirling energy a beacon of familiarity. "Come on. Let's go home."
As we stepped through the portal, the familiar surroundings of our base enveloped us. The excitement was palpable as the others began to discuss plans for a party. I was glad to see them so happy and relieved. However, I noticed Nepheli deep in thought.
"Oliver," she began, "I think it's time I return to my father and let him know what has happened."
I nodded. "Of course, Nepheli. That is understandable."
Rodgier then spoke up, "If Nepheli is going to report to her father, then I believe I should return to the Roundtable Hold. I have matters to attend to there as well."
I looked at Rodgier, "I understand. Please, both of you return safely. And tell everyone what we have accomplished here today."
Nepheli and Rodgier nodded and bid their farewells to everyone, then both left through a portal of their own. With those two leaving, it was clear the rest of us would go ahead and set up for a party to celebrate the victory over Godrick.