A big step in as he stabbed.
A slight backstep as he pulled his weapon back.
A series of quick slashes, his feet steady as he turned his hips, back, and shoulders into the attacks, not overly dedicating to any but being sure that each one packed enough force to leave behind deep cuts or stagger his opponents.
He raised the weapon above his head, passing it between his hands and finishing off with a spinning slash that shook the grass around him.
Onyx released a breath, a heavy thud filling the air as he lowered the golden halberd to his side, the handle, sinking into the patch of dirt below. The oversized weapon was hefty, this body still struggling with even basic pokes and winded after a single slash wide or small. The exercise had barely gone on for a few minutes and his arms felt like they were going to fall off if a gust of wind hit him.
That was to be expected. A week was far from enough time for any significant changes to come about. At least the wound on left side wasn't much of a problem, already on its way to becoming a scar.
Stepping away from the small grassless patch of dirt marked by a jumbled up mess of footprints, he headed over to the piles of logs and stones placed beside church containing that dragon corpse.
In terms of physical growth, a week might not be enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor but he was satisfied with the way everything else was going.
Hunting, training and a number of minor skirmishes ensured he became thoroughly acquainted with his current physical limits. He may be a long way from building up the muscle and endurance to truly make use of the techniques he knew but that didn't mean he couldn't adjust a few to better fit his current capabilities.
On top of that meditation was coming along well. He was tempted to abandon physical conditioning and focus solely on coaxing along the development of mana in this body but as thing were, the energy would be flowing through him within a month's time. Its not like he was in a rush. Taking to the battlefield with such a weak body without mana to supplement his shortcomings was exhilarating.
A neigh came from his side.
"This place is coming along well." Onyx said as he looked out across his handywork. While he hadn't exactly started on the cabin itself, he'd dug up and refined a plot beside the church, the stone foundations nearly done. Once that was over with, setting up the rest could really be done in a single day especially with logs, planks cut from those logs, twine, and a few other materials already gathered.
The horse neighed turning its head away from his hard work.
"Wow, really?" Onyx clicked his tongue. "And here I was thinking about building a nice spot for you. You can forget it with that attitude." The horse released a sound akin to that of a snort. "You won't be acting like that when it's done. It will be a masterwork in the art of carpentry."
Another snort came from the horse, the animal swinging its head back and lightly smacking his elbow before trotting off, dissipating into that misty blue smoke.
Whatever that animal was, it might not be able to speak but it was certainly sentient. Its soul might be a bit simpler than most creatures that passed that threshold but that didn't change that fact.
"Lord Onyx!" Boc's typically meek voice now full of excitement, fiiled the small island, scaring distant birds and the few docile creatures that roamed it. Rushing up the incline from the shore, Boc held a small bundle in his arms. "I-I finished something."
Boc stopped in front of him and unfurled the bundle, the article of clothing fluttering in the breeze.
"Oh? That looks pretty good." Onyx said truthfully, giving him an appreciative nod. He took the offered clothing and dramatically tossed it, the thing fluttering to rest around his shoulders.
A cloak, made out of a tough gray leather with heavy fur placed around the neckline. Boc had made good use of the wolves that'd been unfortunate enough to mark him as their prey. It was still a bit of a patchwork, seeming visible in several places but his skills were improving. Despite having made several shirt, pants, and other accessories, this was the first thing Boc had brought him, the rest declared failures.
He would've been more than happy with all of that stuff, shabby or not, but he didn't push Boc, allowing him to indulge in his own earnest efforts to improvement his needlework.
"This was perfect timing. Thanks, Boc." Onyx stated grabbing the sheathed falchion beside the golden halberd, slipping a dark brown belt off the weapon's handle and tightening it around his waist. A pouch hung from the back of the belt, and a row of sharpened bones to the right of his waist. The equipment came from a bit of trading with Kalé.
They'd gone through the surplus of meat he'd returned with the last time he went out hunting. This was as good a time as any to bring back more as well as checking in with the friendly merchant.
XOXO
Golden tinted armor. Surcoats decorated with different colors with symbols such as a tree with countless roots and a hawk.
So far he'd avoided the roads and pathways like Kalé advised but his luck had run dry. A pair of knights stood over the corpse of the deer he'd been tracking, one kneeling down to pull a bolt in its neck free while the other kept watch, a shield wrapped around their left arm and the other hand on the sword sheathed at their hip.
Well it was about time he put Kalé's words to the test. Would these knights truly attack for no other reason than recognizing him as a tarnished?
"Greetings." Onyx said as he stepped out from brush he was hiding in.
The one with the shield stepped forward, sword drawn in an instant while the other abandoned the bloody bolt, shooting up and loading another into the wooden crossbow In their hands.
Technology in this land has moved beyond simple bows. Onyx noted. He'd yet to see any signs of gunpowder, Kalé selling nothing beyond a few pieces of medieval weaponry. It was far too early to assume these people were at the forefront of technology in this world but if the trend held he wouldn't have to worry about more sophisticated arms being used against him.
"A tarnished." The shield bearer leveled his longsword at him for a moment before scoffing and lowering it slightly. "A skinny one too. Should we take him?"
"No. He's too pathetic to be of much use." The one with the crossbow said back. After loading up a fresh bolt he took aim at his head. "We'll take whatever he has on him and head back to camp."
How cruel. Here he was raising his hands in surrender after giving them the benefit of doubt and a polite greeting but they'd decided to kill him. Not only that but they'd made plans to pilfer his corpse. He wasn't one to criticize a bit of resourceful thinking but to say something like that like he couldn't hear them?
Talk about disrespectful.
Onyx tilted his head, a click filling the air a split second later. A bolt whizzed past him, harmlessly cutting through hair before imbedding itself into one of the many trees around them.
"Fair warning." He said while placing a hand on his sword. "If you don't run now, I'll be killing both of you."
"Damn tarnished." The one with the sword growled sword pulled back as they rushed forward. "Who are you to speak with such inso-AAAAAHHHH!" The insult turned to a bloodcurdling scream, a thud filling the air as his severed arm hit the ground. Another quick slash from Onyx silence the scream, the man collapsing to the ground in a bleeding heap, neck sliced open.
Had the knight taken him seriously and made use of that shield, cutting him down wouldn't have been such an easy matter. These people were properly trained. He could tell from the way they held themselves.
Onyx reached to his right and with a flick of his wrist threw a bone dagger as he moved forward. It bounced harmlessly off the crossbow's metal anchor but threw off the knight's hastily lined up shot, a click filling the air and a bolt sailing over him and disappearing harmlessly into the vast forest around them.
"D-Dammit." The knight cursed throwing away his crossbow and hastily reaching for the sword at his hip. Onyx shot forward a bit faster, hand placed on the pommel of the knight's sword and his own blade slipped between helmet and surcoat, stopping just shy of pressing into the man's neck.
"Why are you so eager to-" The man cut him off, attempting to push him away with another string of curses. With one clean drag of his blade, he sliced opened the knight's neck as he stepped back.
I guess these people are as dogmatic as Kalé said. Onyx thought while whipping his blade through the air, blood splattering the grass. The hatred these people had for those they recognized as tarnished must run deep in their culture for someone to toss aside all sense of self preservation like that.
This world was shaking out to be such a hostile one. Maybe it was just this place, The Lands Between, in particular?
Onyx kneeled down and picked up the fallen crossbow, testing its weight. The craftsmanship was nothing special but the knight had taken good care of it, no rust or splintering to be found along it.
Whatever their deal was, having a ranged option beyond daggers that didn't depend on his still absent mana would help him survive in this place.
XOXO
"Ah, ran into the locals did you?" Kalé said, setting aside his instrument, still camped within the same ruins. The darkened sky above was growing cloudy, rain not far off. With all the stuff he had, Kalé was probably prepared to deal with any change in weather despite the lack of roof provided by the place.
"There wasn't much room for conversation with them." Onyx said as he took a seat on the other side of the merchant's fire, equipment pillaged from the knights placed between them. A pair of sheathed swords, the shield, and their helmets.
"I would think not." Kalé said knowingly as he examined the equipment. Much like the crossbow the armaments were well taken care of despite the myriad of old scratches and marks on them. Compared to bringing around herbs, furs, and meat, this was bound to get him a lot more from the merchant.
"There isn't much I can offer for all this. Haven't the chance to restock my wears, you see." Kalé admitted, returning the sword he'd been examining to its sheath, attention turned back to Onyx. "However, I have received word from one of my people here in Limgrave. If you still possess an interest in sorcery, I believe it is something you will want to hear."
Onyx nodded, gesturing for him to take the equipment.
Kalé had been right about the knights and their aggression. About him appearing to be one of these tarnished.
Queen Marika the Eternal and Golden Order she headed. The demigods said to be spread all across this land. The Elden Ring and an event called The Shattering. Kalé had shared plenty during their past few exchanges, all of which he had decided to take with a grain of salt. After encountering those knights he still wasn't willing to lock all that in as an unshakable truth, even the nicest person had the potential to scheme and betray after all, but Kalé claims were checking out.
He had no real reason to doubt the man.
"There are ruins a good trek from here. Hidden below them is a chamber guarded by a beast of some sort. According to the information shared with me, there was an abundance of glintstone present as well."
"Glintstone?"
"Again, sorcery is not something my people are familiar with, but we do know that glintstone is a sort of crystal that those who practice the art covet. The war mages of Raya Lucaria are said to use it as a focus to enhance to their magics." Kalé clarified. "It is not something that would simply form in such a place. There is no guarantee that a sorcerer inhabits the place, but it may be a chance for you to learn about them."
Onyx nodded along. Sorcerer or not, getting his hands on material heavily associated with how the people of this world utilized magic would help him get a better grasp on things just as Kalé said.
"Another thing, my friend. To keep things fair in case you don't find what you're after." Kalé said as he unfurled a large piece of parchment, a moment taken to mark it with what Onyx assumed to be a feathered pen. He handed the parchment over.
It turned out to be a map. Rivers, lakes, bridges, towns, and castles. He didn't match up with everything Kalé had shared about The Lands Between so it must've depicted the Limgrave region alone. Marked by Kalé were only two symbols, runic writing he couldn't make sense of below them.
"I suggest following the northeast trail until you see the Gatefront Ruins. The knights have turned it into a camp. It would be smarter to cut around it and travel the nearby plains until you find the main trail heading south. Following the map to the ruins should be a simple matter after that." Despite not recognizing the written language Kalé used, the geography and markings on the map were in line with the directions.
He'd have to dedicate time to learning how to read the writings but for now, he had a clear objective. Find those ruins.
"Will you be around much longer?" Onyx questioned as he stood, rolling up the map and storing it in his pouch.
"…There is something I'm waiting on. Should you return here, our paths may cross again." That was new. Kalé typically gave simple, straight forward answers when it came to that question, rather than that vague hint at something. "Remain vigilant on your journey, Onyx."
"You as well."
Nods exchanged, Onyx took off from the ruins. As wind swept past him, droplets of water were left on his face.
Rainfall was on the horizon.
Best he headed back for the day. He didn't need this body falling ill while he pursued his curiosity.