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A dead silence followed Tarnished's bold declaration, the air itself seeming to hold its breath. Both Melina and Marika stared at him, one with wide-eyed shock, the other with a raised brow and sceptical scrutiny.
Melina's voice broke the silence first, soft but filled with disbelief. "Prithee… what dost thou mean by paying a visit to Maliketh, the Black Blade?" Her eye sharpened as she stepped closer. "Thou… knowest where he is?"
Tarnished simply nodded, all casual bravado. "Yup. And since we've got an hour or two to kill, I figured… why not drop by and check in on him?"
Marika's voice entered his mind, thoughtful and heavy with distant memories. "It would be… somewhat comforting to see my shadow again. It hath been far too long since last I laid eyes upon him. I had feared the worst… for the longest time…"
For a brief moment, Tarnished's cocky grin faltered. He exhaled, his voice softer when he answered. "He's… not in the best state, Marika. But considering everything? It's the best we could hope for."
"Mmm…" Marika hummed in quiet contemplation before releasing a long, tired sigh. "Him living is… Better than the alternative."
Tarnished straightened his shoulders, forcing the grin back in place. "Right then." He turned to Melina with a quick nod. "Come on. Let's move."
Melina returned the nod, her cloak brushing against his arm as they both stepped into the golden shimmer of Grace. In a flash of radiant light, they vanished.
…
The golden light flared again as they reappeared near the Isolated Merchant's Shack, tucked away in the shadowed wilderness of Dragonbarrow. The merchant sitting by the low-burning campfire looked up with a start, his single, tired eye gleaming faintly from beneath his heavy hood.
"Oh… it's you two again?" he muttered, his voice rough but familiar. "Come back for more wares, have we?"
Tarnished laughed lightly, waving a hand. "Actually… on second thought, I'll take what you've got in the way of mushrooms. And all the cracked pots you're carrying."
The merchant raised his head slightly, a faint gleam of curiosity in his eye. "Aye? Cleaning me out, are you?" He rummaged through his satchel and battered crates, setting down a bundle of mushrooms and exactly seven cracked pots at Tarnished's feet. "That's the lot. Seven pots."
Tarnished tossed him a casual salute and made the exchange. "Pleasure doing business."
As he stowed the items into his inventory, Melina tilted her head and asked softly, "And… What purpose doth all this serve?"
Tarnished's grin sharpened as he turned back toward the path ahead. "You'll see."
"How delightfully vague," Marika's voice hummed from above, lounging back on her radiant cloud with a smirk. "Resorting to underhanded tactics now, are we? How very noble of thee, my Champion~."
Tarnished chuckled under his breath, resting a hand on the hilt of his Greatsword. "Hey, as long as they work, that's all that matters."
"And they say chivalry is dead…" Marika sighed dramatically.
Tarnished strode toward open ground and summoned Torrent in a burst of spectral light. The ghostly steed snorted and pawed the earth, its form faintly luminous in the gloom. Tarnished mounted smoothly, and Melina climbed on behind him, her arms circling his waist with practiced ease.
"Ready." She whispered softly, her breath warm against his ear.
He smirked. "Hold on tight."
With a sharp nudge, Torrent took off down the ancient Dragonbarrow road, spectral hooves striking sparks against the crumbling stone. They rode swift and steady, veering left at the towering silhouette of the Divine Tower of Caelid. Leaping cleanly over a yawning chasm, they pressed on along the cliffs, the distant roars of slumbering lesser dragons rumbling like distant thunder near the shallow pond below.
Rather than follow the path toward Greyoll's Roost and Fort Faroth, Tarnished pulled Torrent left again, hugging the cliffside. Before long, a narrow path emerged, winding up through jagged stone and choking vines.
Ahead, a lesser dragon crouched low, its massive head sweeping slowly over the ground as it searched for prey. Its wings hung useless at its sides, too heavy, too cumbersome for proper flight.
Melina leaned forward slightly, her voice low. "Is… that the dragon thou spoke of?"
Tarnished barked out a short, dismissive laugh. "That oversized lizard? Nah. That's not the one. That's just some miserable overgrown iguana that can barely keep its own weight up. I don't respect it for shit."
As if understanding the insult, the dragon's head snapped toward them, its yellowed eyes narrowing as a deep, guttural growl echoed through the ravine.
Tarnished grinned wide, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Actually… you know what? I think I'm gonna punt this overgrown lizard right off this cliff."
Melina arched a skeptical brow. "Prithee… how dost thou intend to accomplish such a thing?"
With a grin so wide it was almost feral, Tarnished dismounted Torrent and reached into his inventory. In a flicker of light, his massive Greatsword materialized in his hands.
He threw a glance back over his shoulder, teeth bared in a half-crazed grin. "Just sit back and prep one of those Flame Spears of yours. This'll be over quick."
Melina crossed her arms and leaned slightly against Torrent, a bemused smile tugging at the corners of her lips despite herself. "Very well, then. Show me thy madness, Tarnished…"
Tarnished planted his feet firmly near the cliff's jagged edge, his Greatsword held low and to the side like a batter stepping up to the plate. Muscles tensed, eyes gleaming with that reckless, maddened grin he wore far too often in situations like this.
Ahead, the lesser dragon let out a guttural, feral roar and charged full tilt, maw snapping wildly at the air, its cracked claws scrabbling against stone as it barreled toward him.
Tarnished didn't move. Not an inch.
The beast closed in fast, its breath foul with rot and decay. But still, he stood there, motionless, his arms locked, waiting.
Just as the dragon's slavering jaws lunged toward him, that's when he moved.
With a mighty roar of his own, Tarnished swung the Greatsword in a brutal, sweeping arc, the sheer force behind it enough to create a shockwave as the flat of the blade crashed against the side of the dragon's skull like a titanic sledgehammer.
CRACK.
The beast's eyes rolled wildly as its head snapped sideways, momentum carrying its entire bulk off-balance. Before it could recover, its massive body hurtled straight off the cliff, claws flailing uselessly at the open air.
Tarnished threw his head back in uproarious laughter, nearly doubling over, slapping his knee with a gauntleted hand. "HA! Look at you! Can't even fly straight, you overgrown, useless lizard!"
The lesser dragon thrashed its wings desperately, trying to claw its way back up toward the ledge, wings trembling under its own bloated weight.
Melina, standing gracefully nearby with one hand raised, conjured a glowing Flame Spear with little more than a flick of her fingers. Her single eye sparkled with faint amusement as she let the fiery weapon loose.
The spear arced through the air in a perfect, blazing line, piercing one of the beast's wings clean through.
With a pained screech, the dragon spiraled out of control, vanishing into the abyss below.
[Runes Acquired: 6,000]
Tarnished nearly collapsed from laughter, gasping for air between wild fits of mirth.
"Oh that's rich! Absolutely pathetic!" he managed between gasps, pointing over the cliff's edge like he couldn't quite believe how easy it had been.
"My, my…" Marika's voice echoed through his mind, light and teasing. "Art thou always so fond of bullying children, or dost thou simply delight in the suffering of the weak?"
Tarnished wiped a tear from his eye, still grinning like a fool. "If they make it this easy, who am I to say no?"
Melina simply stood nearby, a small, rare smile playing at her lips as she watched him laugh himself breathless. Her arms crossed loosely over her chest, and for just a moment, her weary composure softened.
At last, Tarnished took a deep breath and gathered himself, his wide grin still firmly in place. "Alright," he muttered, hopping back onto Torrent's saddle. "Let's keep going, our actual prey is still waiting."
Melina climbed up behind him, her hands resting lightly at his waist once more, and together they continued along the winding path.
The road twisted upward, the air thickening as they climbed toward a plateau. At the summit stood a massive, withering Minor Erdtree, its branches darkened and slick with rot. The golden light that should have shone from it was corrupted, a sickly amber glow leaking between twisted roots.
Scattered across the clearing were the broken remains of massive jars—cracked, shattered pottery, some still faintly glowing with residual magic, as if their occupants had only recently met their end.
And there, standing sentinel beneath the decayed tree, loomed a foul construct.
Its massive body was cracked and oozing with congealed scarlet rot, the golden designs etched into its bark-like flesh corroded and blackened. Foul mist rose from its form, and chunks of decayed wood had rotted away entirely to reveal gaping wounds filled with festering rotblossoms.
The Putrid Avatar's malformed staff, once a holy symbol of the Nerdtree, had split apart at the top, leaking a viscous, glowing rot that hissed and steamed as it dripped onto the ground.
It stood motionless for now, but its head twitched unnaturally toward them the moment they crossed the threshold into the clearing.
In reality, what stood before them was an Erdtree Avatar, though a corrupted version of the previously divine construct.
Erdtree Avatars are colossal, living effigies of the Erdtree, crafted from ancient wood and animated by divine grace. Originally guardians of Minor Erdtrees, they served as holy protectors, dispensing blessings and punishing those who threatened the Golden Order's sanctity.
Now, much like the one that they are facing, some stand corrupted, twisted by rot and decay, mocking the purity they once embodied, their hollow forms leaking foul grace and their staves cracked and defiled by the very sickness they were meant to repel.
Tarnished leaned back slightly, flashing Melina a grin over his shoulder. "Well, well, well… Looks like the welcoming committee's here."
Melina nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on the grotesque thing ahead. "Indeed. And I suspect… this one will not fall quite so easily."
Tarnished chuckled under his breath, cracking his knuckles before gripping the hilt of his Greatsword. "Wouldn't be so sure this'll take long. Looks intimidating, sure. But much like that sad excuse for a dragon, this thing's a pushover."
Melina raised a single, perfectly skeptical brow. "And what makes thee so certain?"
Grinning wide, Tarnished gestured toward the looming abomination. "Simple. Might be the avatar of this Minor Erdtree, but in the end… it's still made of wood. Doesn't matter how magical it is, we're not exactly running low on fire over here, are we?"
Melina blinked once. Then again, slower this time as the realization hit. She specialized in flame incantations. He wielded dragonfire. And with Golden Vow and Flame, Grant Me Strength?
"Oh…" She muttered quietly, her eye widening slightly.
Tarnished barked out a triumphant laugh. "Yup!"
"At the very least." Marika mused from above, reclining lazily on her cloud of light. "It is but a corrupted avatar thou art about to burn to ash. We would have needed to weed it out eventually… Might as well enjoy the process."
Tarnished shot a feral grin toward her ethereal form, all teeth and dangerous amusement. Marika simply shook her head with a rare, indulgent smile despite herself.
Without another word, Melina raised her hand.
"Golden Vow." A radiant aura bathed them both, warm and holy.
[Attack +15%, Defense +10%]
Together, they clasped their hands, calling forth the flames from deep within.
"Flame, Grant Me Strength!"
The searing red-gold energy swept through their bodies, their eyes momentarily glowing with raw, incendiary power.
[Physical Attack +20%, Fire Attack +20%]
Tarnished held his Greatsword out toward Melina, the blade already radiating dangerous heat. She moved her hands gracefully along its length, weaving flames into its very steel until it blazed like a weapon forged in the heart of a dying star.
He smirked. "One of these days, you're gonna have to teach me how to do that."
Melina allowed herself a faint smile, her voice calm even in the rising tension. "Should we find some downtime after this madness… I would be happy to."
Tarnished nodded once before pivoting sharply and breaking into a dead sprint, charging straight at the Putrid Avatar. His flaming blade trailed embers in the air like a comet.
The Avatar rumbled to life, its staff slamming down with sickening force, but too slow. Tarnished rolled past the massive blow, closing the gap in an instant.
With a savage roar, he slammed his burning Greatsword into the creature's side. Fire roared across its rotted bark-flesh as a massive chunk of its health bar disappeared.
"HAH! How's that feel, tree stump?"
Before the Avatar could recover from its sluggish attack, he swung again, cleaving deep into the same scorched gash and stripping away another chunk of its corrupted form.
The Avatar howled in a mechanical, grinding growl and tried to crush him with its malformed staff. But he was already rolling clear, the weapon crashing uselessly against the dirt.
From the high ground of a nearby boulder, Melina raised her palm.
A blazing spear materialized in her hand before shooting through the air, slamming directly into the Avatar's side. Flames erupted from the impact, causing the corrupted guardian to stagger, turning toward her in pained confusion.
Tarnished laughed wildly, circling back behind it. "Hey! Over here, lumber pile! Where do you think you're lookin'?"
With a running leap, he sprinted up the length of the Avatar's staff as it struggled to lift it, slamming the polearm back into the dirt with his full weight. Using that momentum, he vaulted into the air and brought his Greatsword crashing down into the burning wound Melina had opened.
The blade tore through rotted wood and corrupted flesh, ripping free a massive chunk as flames consumed the Avatar from within.
The monstrosity howled in agony, swiping wildly at him to force distance. Tarnished landed smoothly, backflipping away from its thrashing limbs.
The instant he was clear, Melina released another incantation. A fireball streaked through the air and exploded directly against the Avatar's warped, half-melted face, sending chunks of flaming rot scattering into the blackened earth.
Tarnished barely had time to relish the satisfying crunch of his strike before the Putrid Avatar lashed out again, its malformed staff ripping free of the ground with a groaning screech. The towering abomination swung it in a wide arc, but Tarnished ducked low and rolled beneath the swing, his flaming Greatsword flashing upward as he rose, another brutal slash carving deep into the Avatar's side.
Chunks of blackened bark and congealed rot rained down like sick, fetid snow. Its health bar plummeted further, settling just above the halfway mark.
"You're slowing down, tree stump!" Tarnished barked out a laugh, stepping back just as Melina hurled another Flame Spear. The blazing projectile slammed into the Avatar's twisted knee, detonating in a burst of golden fire that splintered the joint and caused the massive creature to sag with a guttural, grinding groan.
The beast turned its cracked helm toward Melina again, but Tarnished didn't give it the chance to act. With a battle cry, he charged. He leapt forward, planting his foot on the Avatar's lower limb and driving his weapon deep into the smoldering cavity left by Melina's last strike.
The Avatar howled, a sound like stone tearing against stone, as its corrupted body flared brighter with the consuming fire.
But the Avatar was not yet finished.
It lifted its staff high into the air with a slow, almost ceremonial motion, the rotting ground beneath its feet glowing faintly with sickly yellow light. Tarnished's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, I don't like that…"
With a thunderous slam, the Avatar drove its staff into the earth, sending a shockwave rippling out through the clearing.
From every crack and fissure in the broken earth, a foul, glowing rot erupted in boiling, bubbling pools. Thick, yellow pus hissed up through the ground, spreading rapidly in a wide radius.
"Shit! Melina, back!" Tarnished shouted, already leaping away from the creeping tide of rot.
Melina had seen the danger the instant the staff rose; she was already in motion, leaping gracefully from her vantage point as a pool of rot hissed and seethed where she had just stood.
[Putrid Avatar Health: 20%]
For a brief moment, the entire clearing reeked of festering decay, the air thick with toxic mist. Tarnished skidded to a stop near the edge of the spreading filth, his boots kicking up dust as he caught his breath.
"Ah… there it is…" He muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Knew you had something disgusting left in you."
"Do not rush back in, fool." Marika warned sharply in his mind. "Let the rot settle… or thou shalt drown in it."
Melina landed gracefully beside him, eye narrowed and voice low. "The beast weakens. We need but endure this final madness…"
Tarnished cracked his neck, flashing her a grin. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere. Just letting it simmer before we burn it properly."
The Putrid Avatar stood amidst the roiling pools of filth, its fractured body trembling, steam rising from the rot leaking from every wound. Its time was nearly up.
And Tarnished was already planning exactly how to finish this in spectacular fashion.
The last of his empowered strength faded, the blazing red aura dimming around his fist. With a low grunt, Tarnished slammed his hand to his chest.
"Flame, Grant Me Strength!"
The power surged through him again, veins thrumming with molten heat as fire roared to life beneath his skin. But he didn't stop there, he threw every last drop of his mana into the Draconic Heart, his throat burning like molten iron as his body prepared for the final, devastating strike.
He watched his mana bar drain completely. Zero. Nothing left.
'Time to end this.'
Tarnished sprinted straight into the roiling mire of rot and puss, the burning agony in his throat barely registering against the adrenaline flooding his senses.
"Tarnished, wait!" Melina called from behind, her voice tight with worry. "The rot, it hast not faded yet!"
But he was already moving too fast, already committed.
The Putrid Avatar sluggishly raised its mangled staff in a desperate attempt to swat him down. Too slow. Tarnished leapt onto the haft and charged along its length like a ramp, boots striking sparks as he closed the distance.
With a snarl, he launched himself from the staff, landing point-blank before the rotting beast's face.
Then he opened his jaws wide, and the world erupted in fire.
A torrent of ancient, searing dragonflame blasted forth, point-blank and unrelenting. The corrupted Avatar's body burned with horrifying speed, the rot and puss igniting like oil-soaked tinder. Its health bar melted away before his eyes, and in mere heartbeats, all that remained was ash and embers swirling in the toxic air.
[GREAT ENEMY FELLED]
[Runes Acquired: 91,000]
[Item Acquired: Opaline Hardtear]
[Item Acquired: Stonebarb Cracked Tear]
Tarnished staggered back, shoulders rising and falling with labored breaths. He reached for his flask, downing half of the cerulean liquid in long, burning gulps. His mind turned immediately to the next fight.
"How much will it take to cheese that dragon…?" He muttered, eyes narrowing. "Think I'm fine, shouldn't take much if my little plan works…"
Melina approached carefully, her face still filled with concern. "Art thou well?" she asked gently.
He shot her a lopsided grin, wiping sweat from his brow. "M'fine. That thing was a chump."
Without further ceremony, he whistled for Torrent, climbing onto the spectral steed and motioning for Melina to join him. She hesitated just a moment longer before nodding and settling in behind him, arms wrapping gently around his waist.
They rode uphill for several quiet minutes, the golden light of the Erdtree dimmed against the sickened sky.
"And will thou share this grand scheme of thine now?" Marika's voice hummed with dry amusement from above.
Tarnished smirked. "Oh, don't worry. You'll see."
As they crested the hill, a massive stone bridge stretched out before them, its crumbling arches silhouetted against the storm-dark horizon.
Marika's voice turned contemplative. "Ah… I know this place. The bridge to the Bestial Sanctum…" A long, weary sigh followed. "Of course. This must be his safe haven after my imprisonment. It all makes sense…"
Tarnished swung down from Torrent beside the bridge, dusting off his gauntlets.
Melina blinked, confused. "Why stop here?" Her words trailed off as she spotted the towering figure on the far side of the bridge. It was a massive, fully grown, non-rotted dragon, standing vigil like a living monument of ancient might.
Her gaze snapped back to Tarnished as he crushed a teardrop scarab underfoot.
[New Incantation Learned: Bestial Constitution]
Melina's voice was hesitant, worried. "Is… is that the dragon?"
Tarnished just nodded, smirk widening. "Yup."
"…And what pray tell, is thy plan?" she pressed, stepping closer with concern etched into her expression.
"Come here," he said, motioning her to sit. She complied hesitantly, settling beside him on the dusty stone.
With a practiced flick, Tarnished summoned twelve cracked pots from his inventory, arranging them carefully on the ground. He pulled out his remaining Trina's Lilies, counting them off and tucking all but five back into his satchel. Mushrooms followed, gathered from the merchant earlier.
Melina watched in fascination as he combined them with practiced hands, sealing the pots and shaking them vigorously. Faint, hauntingly sweet mist began to leak from the seams.
Marika drifted closer, curiosity lighting her golden gaze.
Melina furrowed her brow. "What… are you doing?"
Tarnished flashed her his most mischievous grin yet. "Ah, my dear maiden… I don't blame you for not knowing this little trick, but when you mix Trina's Lilies with a few choice ingredients…"
He held up one of the now-smoking pots, the sweet, cloying scent drifting up into the air.
[New Crafting Recipe Unlocked: Sleep Pot]
"…You get something very interesting indeed."
He giggled with satisfaction, rolling one of the pots between his hands like a cherished treasure.
Then he turned his smirk toward Melina, eyes gleaming with dangerous delight. "This is the plan. We're going to force-feed that dragon a lovely bedtime snack… and once it's deep in its little dreamland…"
He gestured with his thumb across his throat, his smile never fading. "We make sure it doesn't wake up."
Melina blinked, stunned by the sheer audacity of it.
Marika chuckled darkly above them. "My Champion, thy plans grow more devious and underhanded by the day. I almost admire the villainy of it."
Tarnished threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, just wait till you see the execution!"
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Author's Note:
Icl, I didn't count how many cracked pots he gathered, so let's pretend it was 12, k?
Anyways, kindly hand over your stones.
…
Next Chapter Title: How Strong is a Dragon's Maw?
…
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