Although Gawain's plan to use the Four Belfries as a shortcut to Farum Azula had fallen through, he had at least gained a path to the Consecrated Snowfield. This meant he wouldn't have to trek all the way to the distant Castle Sol just to retrieve the second half of the medallion.
Miquella had, for some unknown reason, spirited away General Radahn's soul. This proved that even after being abducted by Mohg, the Empyrean still possessed some degree of freedom. After all, appearing during the Aeonian War to save a Redmane Knight was a feat far beyond Gawain's initial projections.
Regardless, he needed to investigate the Consecrated Snowfield as soon as possible. After learning the truth behind the Night of the Black Knives, he refused to believe that Malenia had bloomed in Caelid out of a simple, insane desperation to find her brother.
It was highly likely that Miquella had been right there, watching his sister and the General nearly destroy one another, and yet did nothing. The only reason the Valkyrie would abandon her own will to resist the Scarlet Rot and allow it to bloom had to be related to Miquella himself.
If that were the case, even if Millicent successfully reached the Haligtree, would things truly go as she hoped?
A faint scent of cursed blood in the air interrupted his train of thought. Gawain's brow furrowed, and his nerves instantly tightened. Were those Blood Nobles truly so persistent? To think they could track him even here.
Following the faint copper scent, he walked toward the edge of the cliff and looked down. Below lay the glintstone woods. The scent of cursed blood seemed to be wafting up from the thickets.
Though the distance was too great to see exactly what was hidden within the forest, the massive corpse of a Glintstone Dragon was clearly visible.
"Is that the slain dragon Agiheel told me about? Don't tell me it was the work of the Blood Nobles wandering Liurnia."
He recalled a Blood Noble in the game named Eleonora, who was also a practitioner of Dragon Communion. From that perspective, nothing those driven mad by cursed blood did was surprising. Since he had stumbled upon them, he might as well deal with them now.
Leaping from the Four Belfries, he used the power of the storm to cushion his fall, landing softly on the surface of the lake. Masking his presence, he observed silently. He noticed several figures radiating a thick aura of cursed blood surrounding a secluded pavilion.
"In this area... and hunted by Bloody Fingers? Could it be him?"
Inside the pavilion, Yura was currently tending to wounds sustained in a previous battle. His eyes, which had been tightly shut, snapped open the moment he sensed rustling movement outside. As a Bloody Finger Hunter, even when greviously wounded, he maintained a baseline of vigilance.
He suspected that the Blood Nobles he hadn't yet purged from Liurnia had tracked him down. He had hidden near the dragon's corpse, hoping the beast's remains would distract any passersby, but it seemed he had been found anyway.
Dammit, he thought. With his wounds unhealed, the pain from the "parasite" in his mind was more severe than usual. Though it hindered his fighting ability, he didn't hesitate. He propped himself up and gripped his weapon, ready to strike the uninvited guest outside.
However, the expected siege didn't happen immediately. Based on the sounds of combat, the Blood Nobles outside seemed to have turned on each other?
While he didn't understand what was happening, Yura knew that nothing those driven mad by cursed blood did could be considered rational.
Before long, the sounds of fighting vanished, replaced by the sound of a single set of footsteps slowly approaching. Taking a deep breath and suppressing the agony of his wounds, he prepared to deliver a crushing blow to any Bloody Finger daring enough to enter.
Gawain brushed off a scrap of flesh dripping with cursed blood that had stuck to his armor. Just as he pulled back a piece of tattered cloth used as a screen to peer inside, a blade struck him squarely. It left him a bit speechless.
The man didn't even say a word; he just went for a sneak attack while Gawain was taking a final look at the dragon corpse. If it hadn't been for the reinforcement of his Iron Flesh, that strike would have turned him into Louis XVI.
Yura's brow furrowed. The sensation of the blade hitting home felt... wrong. Only then did he notice the face looking back at him with a look of utter grievance.
Recalling that the little girl accompanying this man had once single-handedly thrashed Nerijus, he found it less surprising. He coughed awkwardly twice and lowered his blade.
In truth, while pursuing Bloody Fingers, he had heard from nomadic merchants what this man had been up to lately. He just hadn't expected to run into him here.
"Ah... it seems you're unharmed. A few days ago, after I slew a powerful Bloody Finger, those Blood Nobles went into a frenzy trying to find me. I overreacted."
"No worries, no worries. I should have announced myself before coming in," Gawain replied. "By the way, what are you doing here? You look like you've taken some serious damage. What happened?"
Yura sheathed his weapon and pulled back the tattered screening. Seeing the lake surface littered with corpses leaking cursed blood, he let out a sigh of relief. He propped himself up on a chair and began to recount his experience.
"You have my thanks. With so many Bloody Fingers... if you hadn't been here, I doubt I would have survived this encounter.
Still... is that a set of Carian Knight armor? I didn't expect the King of Stormveil to hold such an identity."
Gawain glanced at Ranni, who was sitting on his shoulder with a slight, satisfied smirk. He didn't know how to respond to that.
"The truth is a bit different from what you're imagining. Let's talk about you."
"Very well. After you helped me capture Nerijus, I took him back to my camp. Using a few... small techniques... I managed to pry some information out of him.
I then came to Liurnia of the Lakes. After a long investigation, I finally found a key figure: the Bloody Finger known as the Ravenmount Assassin.
I caught up to him just recently at the Academy gates. To be honest, he was incredibly strong. His treacherous skills were impossible to predict. I nearly fell to his blade; most of the wounds you see were his doing."
Gawain recalled the game's questline. After Nerijus, players could indeed help Yura fight the Ravenmount Assassin at the Academy gates. It seemed that by packing Nerijus up and handing him over to Yura, he had provided the hunter with enough intelligence to find the assassin ahead of time.
Looking at Yura's tattered clothes and deep gashes, it was clear the fight hadn't been easy. The Raptor of the Mists technique was indeed formidable.
"Fortunately, I found a few clues on the assassin's corpse regarding my ultimate goal. I'm afraid my next stop is the Altus Plateau."
"Ultimate goal? I'm guessing it's another Bloody Finger."
Yura's eyes, clouded by a murky yellow hue beneath his iron mask, held a complex expression—as if he were reminiscing about a figure from his past.
"Indeed. Her name is Eleonora. She is the Bloody Finger I have been pursuing—the strongest warrior among those driven mad by cursed blood. Her elegant swordplay and beautiful dragonfire are far more dangerous than they appear.
But seeing as I struggled so much just to deal with a Ravenmount Assassin... stopping her may be beyond me."
Gawain remembered the NPC who dropped a vital item for dealing with the Lord of Blood. Yura's goal remained unchanged.
Yura's story was quite simple: he had participated in dragon hunts and was highly experienced. He knew the location of the Cathedral of Dragon Communion and knew exactly what those driven mad by the ritual looked like. His attire was a replica of the styles from the Land of Reeds, made in memory of the woman in his heart.
Clearly, that woman was Eleonora. She hailed from the Land of Reeds—a land of perpetual civil war where everyone was driven mad by blood. She even wore the Drake Knight set.
The full story was likely that Yura had met Eleonora long ago. Whether out of love or some other reason, they had traveled together.
The people of the Land of Reeds have an extraordinary hunger for power. During their travels, Yura helped Eleonora slay many dragons for the communion ritual, but in doing so, he watched her slowly descend into madness.
Eventually, for reasons unknown, Eleonora was seduced by the Mohgwyn Dynasty and became a Bloody Finger, hunting Tarnished to gain even greater power. Yura subsequently became a Bloody Finger Hunter, seeking to redeem his former companion.
In the game, if the player didn't intervene, Yura would eventually die at her hand. But Gawain didn't believe Yura was weaker than Eleonora; in their duel, her bloody finger had been severed. The fact that he could cut through a Bloody Finger's primary source of power said it all.
Yura, while claiming he would show no mercy, was likely still trying to reach her during the duel, which cost him his life. He was a devoted fool.
Eleonora must have been incredibly charismatic to have Yura this obsessed. But she was definitely a threat; judging by the items she carried, she might have eventually planned to head to the Dynasty itself to butcher Mohg for more power.
Gawain looked at the weakened Yura. The man was one of the few "sane" people left in the Lands Between; he deserved a helping hand.
"You're in no state to be chasing anyone. Lie down; I'll treat you."
Yura had heard rumors that one of Gawain's miraculous powers was the ability to heal wounds instantly, far more effectively than standard incantations. He didn't refuse, lying down as instructed. The slight movement caused his wounds to reopen, leaking blood tinged with a yellowish impurity.
The influence of the Frenzied Flame was deepening; it had to be handled now. Gawain's left hand, gripping a sacred chime, began to glow. A miraculous light enveloped Yura, and his wounds closed with incredible speed.
As Yura felt the healing, he started to rise to thank him, but Gawain pressed him back down.
"Don't be in a rush. We're not finished. That 'parasite' in your head needs clearing out."
"How did you know...?"
Gawain didn't answer. He took a deep breath, igniting the ember within him, and gripped Yura's arm. He began to absorb the Frenzied Flame that had already begun to spread through Yura's body.
During the process, he felt a struggling, conscious presence within Yura's pupils, just as he had with Irena.
"God-awful Shabriri... I knew it was you hiding in there. Get out!"
Unfortunately, the entity known as Shabriri was clearly much smarter than the Hyetta he had previously destroyed. He didn't choose to fight it out; instead, he immediately abandoned the body, transferring himself to another individual hosting the Frenzied Flame.
Although Shabriri had escaped, Gawain wasn't overly disappointed. Once he reached the Capital, he would wipe out the Three Fingers anyway. A pest like Shabriri, whom he could crush at will, couldn't cause much of a stir.
"My head... the pain is gone. What did you do?"
Yura touched his head, feeling clear for the first time in ages. The "parasite" that had plagued him since Eleonora left had been cured so easily?
"I saw it the first time we met," Gawain explained. "It wasn't a parasite; it was the Frenzied Flame. I just absorbed it all. Unfortunately, the thing that was acting like a parasite managed to slip away."
Yura was dazed. The terrifying Frenzied Flame had been inside him?
He had heard legends of the Flame from the nomadic merchants, but he'd always heard it was incurable.
Looking at Gawain with clear eyes, Yura's gaze shifted. If the man could handle the Frenzied Flame, did that mean he could handle cursed blood as well?
He spoke with a touch of self-deprecation.
"The Frenzied Flame? I heard it only manifests in the eyes of the desperate—that once touched, there is no hope.
I don't understand how you did it, but you have my eternal gratitude. Without that 'parasite' clouding my mind, I believe I can defeat Eleonora.
In that case, I shouldn't waste any more time. I must continue my journey."
"You're leaving so soon? You won't rest?"
"The Bloody Fingers do not rest. I am in your debt, and though I have no way to repay you now, I promise I will not let those Fingers wander the land a moment longer."
Gawain watched as Yura stood and departed without a moment's delay. He guessed that now that Yura's strength was restored and the Flame's influence gone, he wanted to find Eleonora as soon as possible. The man's drive was truly impressive, tracking her all the way from Limgrave to the Altus Plateau.
Deep within the Mohgwyn Dynasty, Mohg—who had just finished a moment of "communion" with Miquella—felt the loss of nearly all his Bloody Finger influence in Liurnia.
In a fit of rage, he used his connection to the cursed blood to witness what had happened.
Seeing that it was "that Tarnished" again, Mohg's grip tightened on his Sacred Spear. Limgrave, Caelid, and now the Weeping Peninsula—his sphere of influence was being relentlessly suppressed and pushed back. This could not continue; he had to find a way to strike back.
Since his previous attempt to ambush Gawain in the depths of the Aeonian Swamp had failed even with a dragon-riding charge, he needed a different approach. He would start with the people Gawain cared about.
That would surely lure the man to the Dynasty. Within the Mohgwyn Palace, he would finally have the chance to kill that loathsome Tarnished once and for all.
A faint golden light flickered in Mohg's remaining eye. He didn't even stop to wonder if this thought was truly his own, or if it was the result of a deliberate, subtle guidance.
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (218 chapter - Ongoing)
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