Patches strolled up, openly looking Lucian up and down. "So, you're the one Anogo mentioned — the guy who came looking for me?"
Lucian took in the sly, mocking grin, the air of careless irreverence… And that shiny, round, gleaming bald head. Yes — this was Patches. Some things never changed.
"That's right. My name is Lucian. I'm here to buy something from you."
Patches planted his greatshield upright on the ground. Unbothered by the blood on Lucian's hands, he extended one of his own. "Oh, splendid. A customer who actually comes to me. Seems 'Mad Patches' is a name worth knowing, eh? Hah!"
Lucian wiped the blood from his hands onto his clothes before clasping Patches' hand firmly. It didn't matter — he'd only be wearing this outfit once or twice. Once the Banished Knight armor was repaired, he wouldn't be wearing this again anyway.
Then Patches' tone shifted as he jerked his chin toward Yura. "By the way — that fellow over there, is he with you?"
Seeing all three pairs of eyes on him, Yura spoke up, "No. I am Yura, a Bloody Finger Hunter, merely passing through. There have been signs of Bloody Fingers nearby, and I've been investigating. When I heard screaming, I thought someone was under attack by one — so I came at once. Didn't expect to find Bloody Finger Nerijus beaten instead. Truly satisfying."
Patches nodded. He'd heard of Bloody Fingers and the hunters who pursued them, but hadn't expected to meet one here. "You here to trade too? If not, don't get in the way."
Yura shook his head. The massive Iron Kasa on his head completely hid his expression. "No. I won't be buying anything. But I have my own reason to stay. I must witness the Bloody Finger's death with my own eyes — to ensure there's no chance of a return."
Patches raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Not much for taking a hint, are you? I wasn't asking for your opinion. I was telling you to clear off."
The truth was, Patches had recently gotten hold of a valuable batch of goods. He guessed Lucian was here for them — and given their origin, there were secrets attached that he didn't want unrelated people overhearing.
But Yura stood firm. As a Bloody Finger Hunter, he had his own code. "And if I say no?"
Yura's hand rested on his katana's hilt. Seeing this, Patches raised his greatshield and leveled his spear at Yura. "Don't underestimate me. If you want a fight, I'm ready."
Lucian quickly stepped between them before the whole thing turned into a pointless brawl. "How about this, Yura — could you keep an eye on Nerijus for me instead? Once we've finished our business, you can execute him. I also have some questions about Bloody Fingers for you."
Yura removed his hand from the hilt and nodded. "As long as I can kill this parasite, I have no objection."
He walked over to Nerijus and began watching him intently.
Patches said nothing more and lowered his spear. "Then come with me. We'll talk somewhere more private."
Lucian followed him in the indicated direction.
Anogo scratched his head. The three Tarnished had just had an entire exchange without him getting a single word in.
Patches and Lucian were off to talk business, and from Anogo's knowledge of Patches, if he'd gone out of his way to drive others off, those goods were probably ill-gotten — maybe even with dangerous origins.
He'd thought about following to see, but leaving a prisoner with a stranger seemed unwise. Lucian, honestly… the Lands Between are built on lies, and you trust an outsider to guard a captive? What if this 'Bloody Finger Hunter' Yura is lying, and actually plans to free him?
The more Anogo thought about it, the more it seemed possible. Why else insist on personally seeing the Bloody Finger's death? If he's dead, fine — if not, take him away and heal him. It made a certain sense.
So Anogo stayed, watching Yura and Nerijus from a distance. At least he had his donkey — if something happened, he could run and warn Lucian.
The scene fell silent again, broken only by Nerijus' occasional unconscious groans.
Lucian followed Patches to his hideout — the Murkwater Cave.
Along the way, he spotted several raggedly dressed foot soldiers inside. Unlike soldiers, these ones wore cloth armor and mostly served in support or siege roles in an army.
Most were heavily hollowed, with only a few barely capable of communication.
Noticing Lucian's gaze lingering on them, Patches spoke up: "What, curious about them?"
Lucian nodded. He'd seen plenty of civilians at Castle Morne, but most still had much of their mind intact. The fact that Patches could blend in with these almost mindless Highwayman was remarkable.
"I'm a wanderer — with some… side jobs. Banditry, for one. I used to run with their bandit troop, so I sort of… look out for them. They can't really hold a conversation, but oddly enough, we get along. Guess it's fate."
Lucian nodded. It was so very Patches — doing what others couldn't without any special reason. If it were anyone else, Lucian would suspect some trickery. But Patches? He could just stumble into being friends with mindless undead. That was the invincible power of comic relief.
Patches sat by the campfire and asked Lucian's business. "So, what is it you're looking to buy from me?"
Lucian didn't answer directly. Instead, he said something seemingly out of the blue; "I want to go to Stormveil."
Patches' eyes narrowed. So the man did know something. He'd suspected as much, but it was still surprising. "Heh. So you know, then — the biggest obstacle on the road to Stormveil. The Grafted Scion. So, do you want information on how to bypass him, or something else?"
Lucian was a little surprised. There was a way to bypass the Grafted Scion and enter the castle? But it made sense — according to Edgar's map, Stormveil was much larger than in the game. Even if there was only one main road, there could still be other ways inside. Otherwise, the Roundtable Hold wouldn't have information from inside Stormveil at all.
Still, Lucian didn't plan on taking a side route. If he couldn't even beat the Scion's avatar, there was no point challenging Godrick. Failing against the Grafted Scion meant you could still run away. Losing to Godrick the Grafted meant being trapped inside.
"I want something related to the Grafted Scion."
At that, Patches licked his lips. "Bold one, aren't you? I'll warn you — that thing is absurdly strong. But… with these two items, it won't be impossible."
He rummaged through a chest behind him and produced two objects, holding them out to Lucian.