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Tarnished stared down at the gnarled, pulsing form of Ekzykes' Heart resting heavy in his palm. It still radiated with the faint stench of rot and ozone, the essence of a beast steeped in ancient decay. Without ceremony and without hesitation, he brought it to his lips and bit into it.
It surprised him.
Unlike Greyoll's Heart, which had the texture of flame-hardened obsidian and took effort just to bite through, this one…
Crunch.
Felt like biting into a particularly crisp apple. Tart. Faintly metallic. But disturbingly easy.
As he chewed, a familiar system prompt flickered before his eyes.
[Commune with the Dragons]
[Choose Gifts: Dragon Maw]
→ [Confirm?]
Tarnished tilted his head, considering his options. 'I thought about Ekzykes' Breath... or maybe Glintstone Breath,' he mused internally. 'But if I got Greyoll's Roar just from eating her heart... then chances are good I'll get Rotten Breath from this one too.'
Besides, he wasn't planning on spec'ing into Intelligence anytime soon. Waste of stats, really.
With a silent command, he hit Confirm, and took another bite—juices dripping down his fingers as the heart began to dissolve into mist.
The power came immediately.
A crackling surge raced through his veins. He hunched over, gripping his chest as his core burned—not from pain, but from a primal, searing energy taking root inside him.
His draconic eyes flashed bright crimson, his throat rumbling with an involuntary growl that echoed like an animal warning a rival predator.
"Tarnished!" Melina's voice called out sharply, worried.
She reached out, grasping his shoulder to steady him as his body trembled under the sudden surge.
"Tarnished, art thou-?!"
"My champion!" Marika's voice rang clear and fierce in his mind.
And then, just as suddenly, the sensation passed.
He exhaled, breath shaky, standing upright as the mist of communion faded. The dragon's power had settled into his bones, its strength folded into his being like an old friend sliding into place beside his soul.
He opened his hand slowly, feeling the raw vitality surging beneath his skin. The thrill of it. The potential.
With a grin, he summoned his stats page again.
[STATS PAGE – Level 34 | Radagon's Soreseal Equipped]
Name: John Elden Ring
Class: Samurai
Race: Progenitor of the Dracúl Aeternum
Talisman: Radagon's Soreseal
Burden: Light Burden
Level: 34
Vigor: 41 (My, my. Look at thee, practically a walking fortress now. What next? Shall I crown thee Lord of Fat Rolls?)
Mind: 25 (Astounding. Thou can finally remember what spell thou meant to cast. Mayhaps I should throw thee a parade.)
Endurance: 40 (Ah, finally. Thou can sprint for longer than five steps without gasping like a drowning carp. Miraculous.)
Strength: 37 (So brutish now. What wilt thou do next, my champion? Punch a dragon into submission? Wait, thou might actually try...)
Dexterity: 40 (Swift, deadly, and yet still might somehow manage to trip over pebbles. Such impressive consistency.)
Intelligence: 9 (…Nope. Still vacant behind the eyes. I've seen goats with more academic promise.)
Faith: 22 (A flicker of reverence at last. I was beginning to think you'd never figure out what a chapel was for.)
Arcane: 22 (Look who's trying to uncover secrets now. Be sure not to explode thyself, curious little beast.)
Tarnished whistled low under his breath, his fanged grin widening with awe and satisfaction.
"Holy shit..."
Marika gave a soft sigh beside him, one hand pressed against her temple as she spoke dryly.
"I do hope thou art happy now. Heresy upon heresy, committed with such cheerful abandon… What have I gotten myself into?"
He grinned wider, the crimson gleam still flickering in his dragon-slit pupils. 'Damn right I'm happy.'
Melina, who'd been silently watching him recover, leaned forward just slightly. "Art thou alright? That… looked most unpleasant."
Tarnished chuckled, voice still rumbling with faint heat. "Oh~ I'm more than alright... I feel incredible~!"
Melina raised an eyebrow. "Then I assume… the communion was successful?"
"Yep…" he said, pivoting toward her. "Worked wonders."
Another prompt slid across his vision.
[Due to devouring the heart of the Rotten Dragon Ekzykes, you have acquired the innate Draconic Ability: Ekzykes's Decay.]
Tarnished let out an almost giddy laugh, baring his teeth in a grin that showed off the new fangs now adorning his mouth.
Melina simply shook her head, exhaling softly as if she had no strength left to argue.
Marika, meanwhile, crossed her arms tighter and muttered under her breath.
"A fool and a heretic. And yet… somehow, my champion."
Tarnished just laughed at her exasperation, taking great joy in the situation, not to mention his already wonderful mood. Melina followed behind him with a quiet sigh, her arms loosely crossed, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite herself.
"Art thou always like this after devouring ancient beasts?" she asked dryly, her voice laced with tired amusement.
"Only when it goes well~!" Tarnished grinned over his shoulder.
As they stepped down from the cathedral altar and into the broken courtyard, the last light of day bleeding crimson over Caelid's ruined landscape, they passed a slumped corpse resting beside the cracked stone path.
A once-proud Banished Knight. His armor, battered and cracked. His blade still clutched in hand, blood crusted over the edge.
Tarnished paused and blinked at it, confused. "Huh? Was that guy there before…?"
Melina, hands behind her back, calmly replied, "He arrived shortly after thou collapsed. Tried to strike thee down while thou wert unconscious."
She said it so casually, like commenting on the weather.
Tarnished blinked again, pulling out the Exalted Flesh Alexander had given him from his inventory. He took a bite, chewing while staring at the knight.
"And you killed him?" He asked, slowly turning to her.
She looked away, a faint flush brushing her cheeks. "Of course I did. 'Tis only natural. I am thy maiden. It is my duty to protect thee."
His grin widened into something damn near wicked.
"Hehe~… That's why I like you, Melina~!"
Her head jerked slightly at the word like, the blush on her cheeks instantly deepening as she clenched her fist—and promptly drove it into his stomach.
Tarnished doubled over with a wheeze, laughing even as he clutched his abs. "Ow-! Okay, okay, I deserved that!"
Melina huffed, flustered. "Do not jest like that," she grumbled, eyes turned away. "And for the love of the Erdtree, wouldst thou please find something more fitting to wear?"
She waved vaguely at him with a deeply unamused look. "Walking beside thee half-dressed is bad enough. 'Tis even worse when thou bare fits within thy clothing, simply embarrassing."
Tarnished wheezed out a few more chuckles, his golden eyes shining. The punch hadn't hurt nearly as much as it should have—not since his body had evolved. He straightened, rubbing his ribs and flashing her a grin.
"What, this?" He gestured to his bare torso. "You sure? I'm rockin' it. Besides, I can't help that my pants barely fit anymore. I grew, remember?"
Melina turned her face even more to the side, clearly trying to hide her blush and not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
He let out a snort. "You're such a tsundere."
"A what?"
"A tsundere." He repeated cheerfully.
"I do not even know what that means."
"Don't worry about it." He said, grinning as he popped another bite of Exalted Flesh into his mouth.
Melina scoffed, muttering something incoherent under her breath as they walked further down the ashen hill. And beside them, Marika shimmered into view just long enough to sigh and shake her head.
"I feel I hath joined a traveling theatre troupe rather than a divine quest…"
The two of them walked side by side, the soft crunch of dead grass and cracked stone underfoot as they made their way back onto the Caelid highway. The once-blistering sky was cooling into the murky reds and purples of dusk, the final rays of sunlight spilling through the dense rot-fog like spears of fire fading into ash.
Tarnished glanced upward, his golden-draconic eyes catching the last light. "Almost night again, huh…" he muttered, his tone casual but thoughtful. "We should probably find somewhere to sleep… and maybe get some food while we're at it. I'm still starving."
Melina, her posture graceful even amidst the desolate landscape, turned to him with a faint tilt of her head. "Then perhaps it is time we journey to the Roundtable Hold."
He blinked, glancing sideways at her. "Oh?"
She nodded, the faintest smile touching her lips. "There, we may find both food and rest. Along with that, thou may encounter others like thyself—Tarnished upon their own journeys. Some are merchants. Some are warriors. And shouldst thou seek guidance... the Two Fingers await."
Tarnished hummed, tapping a clawed finger to his chin in mock contemplation. "A hub of lost warriors and weirdos? Sounds like my kind of place."
He smirked, then added, "Also, fingers that talk? That'll be something. I just hope they don't ask to see my search history."
Melina blinked, confused. "Thy what-?"
"Don't worry about it."
She chose not to press further, merely shaking her head.
He chuckled, nodding to himself as they continued along the ruined road. "Alright then. Roundtable Hold it is. I wonder if we'll find me some actual clothes there."
At that, Melina giggled softly behind her hand, her voice light with amusement. "At the very least… we should be able to find thee new pants."
Tarnished laughed cheerfully, arms swinging as he walked down the Caelid highway with a bounce in his step. "Hah! As long as they look good on me, I can't be walking around without good fashion! Imagine what they'd think of me?"
Melina raised an eyebrow, her steps falling in beside his. "Since when dost thou care what others think of thee?"
A shimmer of golden light overhead preceded the appearance of Marika, floating lazily through the air on her side, supported by her elbow as if reclining on an invisible chaise. Her long hair drifted with the windless breeze, her expression unimpressed.
"Indeed. Since when did thy reputation matter to thee, my champion? Perhaps the dragon hearts hath afflicted thy mind with something unnatural."
Tarnished shrugged without missing a beat. "Well, I'm gonna be the Elden Lord, aren't I? Gotta start building the brand."
Both women stopped walking.
Melina turned to face him slowly, her brows raised in genuine surprise. "That… was actually rather forward-thinking."
Marika blinked, her smirk vanishing momentarily in shock. "Didst… Didst thou just utter two sensible thoughts in succession?"
Melina stepped in front of him, placing a gentle but firm hand against his forehead. Tarnished leaned back slightly, caught off guard.
"Uh… What're you doing?"
"I am checking for a fever." She said flatly. "Thou hast now said two reasonable things. Back to back. That is… unnatural."
Marika floated closer, crossing her arms under her chest as she hovered just above the road. "Indeed. Be thorough, daughter. This is clearly a matter of some urgency. Perhaps he should lay down. Something may have infected his brain."
Tarnished's eye twitched, his expression caught somewhere between amused, annoyed, and indignant.
"Oi… I'm not that stupid…"
Before either of them could continue piling on, the sound of hooves cut through the air. Heavy, deliberate, and rhythmic.
All three of them turned toward the source.
From the gloom of the road ahead, a Night's Cavalry rider emerged, cloaked in darkness even with the sun still casting its final light. The black-clad figure rode tall atop an armored steed, halberd gripped tightly in one gauntleted hand. Its obsidian armor gleamed in the twilight, reflecting rot-lit skies and the last dying rays of the sun.
Marika frowned instantly. "The Night's Cavalry…"
Tarnished raised an eyebrow. 'You know these guys?'
"Aye," she said, her voice lowering slightly. "They were once the hidden hand of the Golden Order, executioners cloaked in shadow. Loyal to the law… and to me."
He blinked. 'So they worked for you?'
"For a time, yes. But after my imprisonment?" Her expression darkened. "Who knows what leash they now follow? From the looks of it... none."
Melina gently tugged on Tarnished's arm. "Come. We need not fight him. Let us simply return to the Roundtable Hold."
Tarnished hummed. "Hmm…"
Then, turning toward Marika, he asked silently in his mind: 'Hey, do you think that Night's Cavalry guy is about the same height as me?'
Marika tilted her head, eyes narrowing at the distant knight. She looked him over once, then turned her gaze back to Tarnished. "Roughly… yes. Why?"
He grinned.
"Oh no…" Marika froze midair, her eyes widening as she cursed aloud. "Thou wretched fool, not again!"
Melina sighed, her grip on his arm falling away. "I suppose, instead of simply leaving… Thou intend to fight him."
Tarnished's grin widened, fangs glinting. "Oh, Melina~... When have I ever taken the easy path?"
The knight noticed him. With a sharp tug of the reins, the dark steed launched forward, hooves thundering across the ground as the black knight lowered his halberd, intent on trampling the approaching madman.
Melina stepped back with a sigh, already casting Golden Vow, her hands glowing with soft light as she pulled her dagger from her hip.
"You are insufferable." She muttered as the Golden Order spell enveloped them both.
Tarnished planted his feet, cracking his neck, and stretched out a hand while reaching deep within.
Deep into himself. Into that primal, molten core that now pulsed just beneath his sternum.
The dragon within.
All Tarnished needed was to reach within to the roaring, molten wellspring in his chest and pull.
He felt it immediately. That blazing force. Like a nuclear core set deep behind his ribs. Magic churned within him like a wildfire starved of air, begging to be unleashed. He drew in a sharp breath, inhaling until his lungs ached.
His draconic eyes burned crimson.
'Now... which one to use?' he thought, coolly watching the mounted knight charging toward him at full gallop.
He smiled. 'That armor will look good on me... if I don't ruin it first.'
The Night's Cavalry lowered his war hammer, spectral steed thundering beneath him.
'Too slow.'
Tarnished opened his mouth, and exhaled.
A torrent of Dragon Ice Breath erupted from his throat in a freezing spiral, engulfing the approaching knight and his mount in a blast of piercing frost. The whole road was coated in white, the very air turning to shards as the fog burst into shimmering mist.
The cavalry screeched his spectral mount to a halt, staggering, nearly bucked off. The knight grunted in pain as frostbite bloomed across his limbs, joints stiffening beneath the blackened armor.
"What devilry?!" the knight rasped, teeth clenched. "Dragon Communion magic?! But there's no seal and no spectral Dragon-!"
Tarnished didn't let him finish.
He sprinted directly into the ice storm, grinning wildly as the world around him blurred into fog. He took a long drink from his Cerulean Flask, and the mana returned to him in a rush.
He ran straight through the icy haze, completely unaffected. He was unaffected by his own Dragon breath after all.
'Useful.' He thought. 'Real damn useful.'
The knight had barely recovered when Tarnished emerged from the swirling breath, eyes glowing through the mist like two dying stars.
But he didn't reach for his blades.
No.
Instead, he grinned wider, showing all his fangs and pulled something new from his inventory.
A hilt wrapped in cracked leather. A blade of steel so massive it looked like a slab of iron forged for a god.
The Greatsword. A weapon he'd picked up from a shattered caravan just yesterday. One he shouldn't have been able to wield.
Until now, until he had awakened as the Progenitor of the Dracúl Aeternum.
The Night's Cavalry's eyes widened behind his helm.
But it was too late.
CRACK.
The Ultra Greatsword slammed into his abdomen with the force of a crashing boulder. Blood burst from the knight's mouth as he was launched from his steed, which vanished in a shudder of blue smoke.
He hit the ground hard, tumbling.
Tarnished followed, running after him as hard as physically possible.
He raised his right arm, tapping into his Draconic power again.
'Dragon Claw!'
His right limb twisted, flesh tearing, muscle expanding as black scales formed down to the fingertips. His arm became that of a dragon, clawed and monstrous.
Tarnished reached the downed knight just as he staggered to rise and slammed the Greatsword into his gut, driving it deep with a perfect critical strike, one significantly enhanced by his Draconic arm.
[-35% HP]
The Night's Cavalry screamed as blood sprayed from his helm.
Tarnished twisted the blade, then let go, swapping hands as he lunged forward and wrapped his draconic claw around the knight's throat—the only part not covered in iron.
The knight choked, struggling violently, but Tarnished didn't stop.
'Dragon Claw!'
His left arm shifted next. The same transformation, the twisting, surging, burning transformation—and another massive claw grew to match the first.
Both hands gripped the knight's neck like a vice.
And he squeezed.
The knight thrashed, kicked, slammed fists into Tarnished's body but the new strength of the Dracúl Aeternum bloodline proved far too much. Every second the pressure mounted. His health bar ticked downward.
Tarnished's own mana bar also began to shrink, drained by maintaining both arm transformations at once.
"Melina!" he roared, gritting his teeth. "Finish him! This form's burning mana like crazy!"
"Right!"
She sprinted forward, her flame-coated dagger igniting in her grasp. As she neared the struggling knight, she dropped to a slide across the ash-covered ground and brought the dagger up and stabbed it straight into the eye slit of his helmet.
Squelch.
The knight jolted violently. For a heartbeat, he tried to move. Then...
He went limp in Tarnished's grasp.
Tarnished and Melina stood side by side, panting softly in the silence that followed the Night's Cavalry's death. Frost still clung to the edges of the ruined road, glittering in the fading twilight.
Tarnished's arms, now returned to their usual human form, sizzled faintly with residual crimson mist before fully settling—though they ached, sore like a muscle pushed past its limit. A reminder that even a draconic body needed time to adjust.
"While unsightly and brutish," Marika drawled from above, her voice echoing through his thoughts, "at the very least, thou made swift work of that rabid dog. The boons of thy heresy seem to bear fruit, my champion. It would have taken thee far longer to reach such strength through orthodox means."
Tarnished smirked, pride quietly blooming in his chest.
A familiar golden flash swept across his vision.
[Great Enemy Felled]
Runes Gained: 24,287
[Acquired: Ash of War – Poison Moth Flight]
Melina turned to him, her hair gently tousled by the night wind, and rested her hands on her hips. "He is dead. What now? Shall we head to the Roundtable Hold?"
Tarnished just grinned.
"Nope. We haven't taken our prize yet."
Melina arched an eyebrow. "What prize?"
He chuckled, reaching down and giving the dark armor of the fallen knight a satisfied pat. "This guy's gear, of course. That armor is way too good to pass up."
She stared at him in disbelief, deadpan expression unchanging. "…Really?"
He shrugged. "Hey, you're the one that said I needed clothes. He's about my size, and you're not gonna find armor that badass and actually protective just lying around."
Melina exhaled slowly through her nose and rubbed her temple. "I knew thy streak of reasonableness would be short-lived…"
Tarnished just laughed. "C'mon, enough yapping. Let's get this guy outta this armor. I need to see if it even fits me."
A golden shimmer appeared ahead of him as Marika materialized, floating lazily midair, lying on her stomach now with both hands tucked under her head, her long legs floating behind her. Her long hair draped down toward the ground, and her eyes glinted with bemused contempt.
"Be careful," she said sweetly. "I am not entirely convinced any armor could contain thine idiocy."
Tarnished grinned wider, giving her a mock mental bow. 'Noted, my Queen.'
Marika smirked. "If it bursts at the seams, thou shan't say I didn't warn thee."
Melina just sighed and walked past him, muttering, "I shall see if I can find a quiet corner to rest while thou strip a corpse for fashion."
Tarnished, already kneeling and undoing buckles, waved her off cheerfully. "You're gonna love how I look in this!"
"I doubt that very much."
But even as she turned her back, a tiny smile ghosted across her lips.
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Author's Note:
Yes, yes, I know. The title is kind of a lie, he doesn't actually put on a shirt in this chapter but I couldn't think of a better title and-
Just put the Stones in the bag bros
…
Next Chapter Title: The Roundtable Hold I.
…
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