Limgrave - 4

Melina and Ashborn travelled easily, maintaining a peaceful silence.

Their first destination was towards Irina. She was a young woman who was the daughter of Commander Edgar, the Warden of Castle Morne. In Ashborn's past life, Irina died to a rioting misbegotten servant. At one point, Ashborn had a pretty immense hatred for the misbegotten because of Irina's death, but after much time to think about it, he could somewhat understand their uprising.

The perspective the Dung Eater seared into his brain was undeniable. The misbegotten, Omen, and anything remotely connected to the Crucible — the Primordial Energy where the Erdtree once bloomed from — was disrespected under the Golden Order, so the misbegotten rebelling only made sense.

Regardless, Irina was innocent, and Ashborn planned to save her and Edgar's lives, no matter the cost. He was extremely determined, so he made a point to head straight to her side.

So, when he and Melina arrived, he couldn't help but stare in stunned silence.

Just like the Church of Elleh, the spot where Irina once sat was covered in a sea of yellow, frenzied flames. Melina let out an uncharacteristic growl as the flames threatened to spread and devour everything. It was a bit difficult to see within the raging yellow inferno, but a soul was writhing in pain, the flames biting into it.

Ashborn's eyes flashed with rage, and wordlessly, his shadow expanded. Even as the inky blackness isolated the flames, they persisted stubbornly until his Guardian Golem's hand squashed them flat, rising from the shadow and sinking back into it just as easily.

"What the hell is going on?" Ashborn asked, now growing furious. "Is this Frenzied Bastard insane?"

Melina scowled, "Irina's corpse was needed for Hyetta's possession, so she could become a Finger Maiden. But this… there was no reason to torture Irina's spirit after killing her. How… horrific."

Ashborn extended his hand softly to Irina's spirit, and he could hear her crying out. Before, it was in pain, but now it was out of sadness. She couldn't convince her father to leave Castle Morne, and now she was fighting the pull of the Erdtree, just for a chance to see her father again.

"Irina, come with me. You'll see your father again, I promise," Ashborn spoke softly, uttering a single word and feeling Irina's consciousness begin to reform itself, in an inky replicate of her original body.

[Shadow Priestess]

[Irina]

[Rank: 3]

All throughout the process, Ashborn never let go of her hand, and when her body finished forming, she bowed her body to him, thanking him silently. Ashborn patted her head briefly, and simply allowed her to rest. She fell into his shadow, and he could feel her begin to relax, surrounded by fellow Shadows who guaranteed her safety.

Ashborn looked back to Melina, who gave him a soft affirmation. Despite that, his dark expression didn't shift.

The demigod sighed, "It is not your fault. All the power in the world couldn't change this."

He clenched his fist, staring at the spot where Irina once was. "I'm gonna make sure that Frenzied Bastard suffers. That's… all I can do."

Melina softly touched Ashborn's fist, shaking her head. "Irina is happy now. It may not seem like much, but she's satisfied. For now, that's enough. We must progress to stop more atrocities from happening, we can't allow the past which we cannot change to chain us down."

Ashborn took a few deep breaths and slowly relaxed, agreeing with Melina. It took him a few minutes to get himself under control, but he eventually did, looking out into the far distance. He mentally marked where he needed to be, before clenching his legs and rocketing off, trusting Melina to follow after him.

First was dealing with the Walking Mausoleum, a walking building that allowed Ashborn to access the strength of major fallen foes in the past. With a few ridiculous paces, Ashborn saw one of the titanic beings walking and brandished his weapons, slashing at its feet to make it fall to the ground.

It fell easily enough, but Ashborn had yet to fight any major foes, so he didn't find much point in entering the mausoleum. Unfortunately, because the Walking Mausoleum wasn't truly alive Ashborn couldn't gain a Shadow from it, which he found to be a bit disappointing, but he didn't let it bother him much.

Next was Sellen's body in the Witchbane Ruins. There were several School of Graven Mages — spheres of Glintstone Crowns that were once scholars like Sellen — around, but Ashborn personally made quick work of them. Because they were in constant pain due to their states, Ashborn killed them as quickly and painlessly as he could. And, with his speed and power, they perished quite quickly.

There were a few Marionette Soldiers around too, but they weren't much of a problem either and Ashborn took them down. And with a word, Ashborn summoned them.

To his surprise, when the Graven Mages rose from their corpses, they rose in their two-legged human forms. They were cloaked, with their faces hidden by their hoods. They were entirely black, save for the purple gems that lined their robes.

[Graven Mage]

[Rank: 3]

[Marionette Soldier]

[Rank 2]

Bringing them all from the beyond, Ashborn was surprised that the Graven Mages ended up being stronger — Rank-wise, anyway — than Salem. Although, upon thought, they were all punished for pushing the boundaries of magic, they all received immense magical powers because of their curiosity. He guessed that the extra strength was a given, if they maintained a sense of self.

The Marionette Soldiers ended up as mostly the same, in looks and in power, but they were competent warriors, so they were happily welcomed into the Shadow Army. The Graven Mages were put under the Ranged Squad, and the Marionette Soldiers were put under the Knight Squad.

Ashborn stepped into the cellar of the ruins and he heard a fluttering sound right beside him. He turned to see Melina with a slightly annoyed look in her eyes.

"I'm not annoyed," she lied, puffing her cheeks.

Ashborn winced and turned away, making a mental note not to shoot off in the future without a warning. He opened the cellar door and saw Sellen chained to the wall. She was surrounded by glowing crystals, and she was panting with exhaustion.

She didn't even look up before speaking, "You… bastards. Don't you have anything better to do…? You come back just to torture me, you… frothing degenerates…!"

Ashborn scowled at her words. He wasn't angry at her, not in the slightest. However, he had no idea who could spend so much time torturing Sellen here. He softly approached Sellen, bending down and looking at her bindings.

They were made of magical chains. When he touched them, he could feel them pulling at his magic, guaranteeing that he wouldn't have an easy time breaking the chains when he was actively being drained by them.

"Master," he spoke gently. He could feel her attention fall on him, and he continued to examine the chains. "We could try to break you out of here, or we could wait until we get Seluvis's puppet. Which do you prefer?"

She spoke with muffled gasp, "So… you've arrived already, my dear pupil? I… do not wish to be trapped… any longer."

Ashborn took a deep breath in, grabbing the chains and pulling them with all his strength. "Then… I will set you free…!"

Ashborn felt the chains sucking his energy away more by the instant, but he didn't shy away. Rather, with his immense magical reserves, he continued to pull. He gnashed his teeth and felt his arms bloat with power, as he focused his energy within them. Then, all at once, the chains shattered into dust, and Ashborn went rolling backwards, nothing left to hold him up.

In his stead, Melina was by Sellen's side. She supported the sorcerer as she panted slowly, free from her bonds. Ashborn rose easily, by Sellen's side in an instant. The Necromancer and his Maiden stared at Sellen with worry, but they didn't speak, allowing her to speak up on her own time.

It took several minutes, but she did eventually speak. Or rather, she laughed.

"To be held by my star pupil and his lover. What a twist of events," she chuckled dryly, clearly exhausted. "What's… next on our journey, my dear pupil?"

Ashborn glanced at Melina, who gave him a brief nod, before looking back down to Sellen, softly taking her Glintstone Crown off. He stored it in his shadow when she showed no sign of resisting him, "You need rest, first and foremost."

Sellen looked up, her eyes lighting up with sudden passion. "I refuse! I cannot slow us down, I reject that — !"

"Melina will take you to the Roundtable Hold. It's safe there and held under the power of the Two Fingers. Not exactly our friends anymore, but you won't be attacked any further there," Ashborn softly interrupted his mentor, who abruptly lost the wind in her sails.

Sellen was quite stubborn, and Ashborn was positive that if she wasn't physically so tired, she'd continue to fight with him. However, since she knew she wouldn't be specifically holding Ashborn back, she was willing to submit easily.

"Then… what will you do?" The sorceress asked, before she met his soft gaze and smiled. It was an exhausted smile, but one that understood Ashborn nonetheless. "Castle Morne, and then Godrick? I see. My dear pupil, you… are far too kind."

Sellen dropped into unconsciousness immediately after her words, but Ashborn caught her before she could hit the ground. He held her softly, staring at her unconscious face. When he looked up, he saw Melina's loaded expression.

"What?"

"…Nothing," she took Sellen from Ashborn's hands, holding her surprisingly easily. He'd never asked the question of how strong Melina was, since she was mostly just a physical form, but she seemed able to exert enough physical force to pick Sellen up with ease. Now it was Melina's turn to stare at Sellen's unconscious face, a small smile appearing on hers.

She looked back up to Ashborn, who gave her a smug smile.

"What?"

"Nothing," he repeated her, sticking his tongue out.

Melina rolled her heterochromia eyes, beginning to slowly flicker off into little bits of energy. The same thing was occurring to Sellen's unconscious body. "I'll stay with her until she awakens."

Ashborn gave her a nod, smiling. "Thank you. Meet up after Godrick falls?"

Melina nodded once, before she completely flickered away, taking Sellen with her. Ashborn rose and sighed, leaving the ruins, and beginning to Castle Morne.

"Well, just me and you guys, huh?" Ashborn asked his Shadows, laughing to himself. He could hear them roaring out in his shadow. "Yeah, let's wreck some havoc."

-----

Castle Morne was devastated in mere minutes. With Ashborn's Guardian Golem, the castle was torn to shreds, drawing the attention of every hostile within it. From there, it was just a matter of the many other Shadows slaughtering everyone.

While the massacre was happening, Ashborn felt somewhat conflicted. With the knowledge he'd gained, he knew the misbegotten fighters were servants that must've been mistreated. They could have just as much intelligence as humans, but due to their appearances, they were treated poorly, all under Godrick's rule.

So, they fought back and killed those who wronged them. In a way, those who wronged them may've included Irina and Edgar. Ashborn knew he was ignorant of the entire story. Still, with his Shadows enjoyment in following him, he found that it would be best to snuff out the rebellion and bring them in underneath him.

While the enemies were being destroyed, he hopped up to the highest part of the castle and spoke to Edgar, the Warden of Castle Morne. Edgar looked up, somewhat surprised to see Ashborn so suddenly. They met eyes, and Ashborn just gestured to the stairs, as if it was obviously the only way to the roof.

Edgar shook his head. "There's a face I haven't seen before. I'm —" Edger began, only for Ashborn to interrupt him.

"Edgar, the Commander and Warden of this Castle. I know," Ashborn began. At his words, he could tell the Warden's undivided attention fell on him. He continued, "Irina…."

He didn't know what to say, and his voice slowly fell silent.

Edgar shot up; his sword held tight in his hand. "What has happened to her?!"

Instead of speaking, Ashborn simply allowed Irina to rise from his shadow. Edgar's attention totally left Ashborn, and he stumbled backwards. Irina approached him gently, but he fled further. "What is this?! What is this black magic?! What have you done to her?!"

Ashborn expected Edgar to not believe that it truly was Irina, but he somehow understood his confidence. Irina was always on his mind, and he knew her better than anyone else, so he would know if it was truly her that he was looking at or not.

However, there was no proof that Ashborn hadn't enslaved her or something, which made sense for Edgar's rage.

He stepped towards Ashborn, holding his sword up high. But without a word, Irina stepped in his path, her expression hard and serious. Her arms were outstretched, all in Ashborn's protection. He could feel his other Shadows prepared for an altercation, but Ashborn halted them all, making sure they knew he had it handled.

Edgar could step forward again, with his precious daughter standing before him. "I-Irina, what are you doing? This man, he's… he's bound you against your will —!"

Ashborn stepped forward, shaking his head. "I've done no such thing. She chose to follow me, whether you believe it or not."

Edgar growled and tried to step forward, but Irina stood firmly, and he wouldn't dare to raise his hand to her. "Then what happened to my daughter?!"

"She was killed by another, a monster I plan to personally make pay," Ashborn spoke, his voice heavy with determination. He could see Edgar's fortitude begin to wane, even as he continued. "I'm not the fight you need to take. If you wish to fight, then you cannot lose to your anger."

Edgar dropped his weapon, and it clattered against the stone bricks of the tower. He collapsed to his knees, and his head hung. "My daughter… I lost my daughter. What have I done? What can I do?"

Ashborn glanced towards the Leonine Misbegotten. He was the sole reason why Edgar stayed behind in the castle. Godrick was Edgar's Lord, and he gave Edgar the responsibility of watching over Castle Morne. However, Ashborn knew that Godrick didn't care much for the castle.

Edgar's capabilities as a warrior were being wasted if he was simply to hold down a fort that was far beyond its time. With a huff, Ashborn said, "Watch me. This is the strength that Godrick lacks."

Leaving Irina with Edgar, Ashborn took one leap and landed in front of the Leonine Misbegotten. As he crashed into the ground, sand went shooting into the air before he waved his hand once and all the sand cleared.

Ashborn looked up slowly, meeting the Leonine Misbegotten's eyes easily. His purple eyes shined with apathy, and the Leonine Misbegotten understood that. It took a step back, but Ashborn didn't offer it such mercy.

He dashed forward, wielding his Ornamental Straight Swords with incredulous proficiency. The Leonine Misbegotten tried to flee, but Ashborn spun one of his blades and stabbed it into the monster's foot, burying it to the hilt. The beast tried to flee but failed.

Then, Ashborn stabbed it in the chest with his other sword, spun on his heel, snatched the monster's Steel Greatsword, and heaved the weapon up into the sky. He spent just a moment there, as the creature fell to one knee, before he took the sword through the creature's body, splitting it in half straight down the middle.

Blood splashed everywhere as the two halves of the now-dead monster slowly fell to the ground, under the pull of gravity. Ashborn wiped some of the splattered blood from his face, spinning the Steel Greatsword and giving it a quick glance.

[Steel Greatsword]

Item Rank: +2

Item Type: Greatsword

Attack +100

As the ground began to pool with the fallen misbegotten's blood, Ashborn stabbed his newest weapon into the ground, letting his shadow expand to engulf it. He retrieved his weapons, dropping them into safety.

He stepped over the Leonine Misbegotten's body and picked up the Grafted Blade Greatsword, a sword made up of stitched together parts of other blades. It was a hideous creation, made by Godrick in his struggle to gain more power. This was the sole reason why Edgar couldn't leave Castle Morne behind.

He heard the pitter-patter of water behind him, and it was Edgar and Irina approaching him. He could hear the former panting in surprise while the latter supported her father. He turned around, tossing the Grafted Blade Greatsword to Edgar's feet.

"There," he said. Edgar looked down to the blade, his eyes wide. "Now, you have no reason to stay in this hellhole."

Edgar ripped his gaze away from the castle's sword, staring at Ashborn, his mouth agape. "H-How…?"

Ashborn didn't pay Edgar any mind, calling out to the fallen monster's spirit. The monster responded immediately, rising from its corpse.

[Leonine Misbegotten]

[Rank: 5]

Unlike most of the Shadows where they looked similar to how they looked when they were alive, the Leonine Misbegotten grew several feet.

Its tail was now accompanied by small, feathered wings, and its red mane grew much larger. It was fairly large, although it wasn't anywhere near the size of the Ulcerated Tree Spirit or Agheel. It bowed its head to Ashborn, touching it to the ground. Ashborn dismissed it, and it continued past Edgar and Irina in a bounding leap. Edgar flinched as it passed.

Ashborn turned back and looked at Edgar, "Honestly, I don't really care what you do." Ashborn glanced at Irina, who was staring at her father with a heavy look on her face. "But Irina does. So, you need to make a decision. What will you do?"

Despite his harsh words, Ashborn did care what happened to Edgar, finding no reason in him to go down his revenge-based path. However, he felt that Edgar would have a harder time believing him if he openly tried to help him.

Edgar didn't even need a minute to make his decision. "I must stay by Irina's side, nothing else will matter. If I can do that, I will follow you, my Lord."

Edgar knelt to one knee, and he could begin to see Edgar's spirit rise out of him.

It reminded Ashborn of the only other time a person became a Spirit Summon for him by choice, Latenna. If one wished for it, they could give up their body and become a Spirit Summon. And, in that same sense, if one wished for it, they'd become Ashborn's Shadow, regardless of their state.

Ashborn extended a hand and spoke seriously. "Then arise, Edgar. Arise and become anew."

Edgar's body slumped as his spirit rose. It was filled with newfound energy, unlike his body that was growing tired from old age. But even more importantly, he was now connected with Irina, his daughter. He couldn't utter a word, but he felt satisfied. He picked up the Grafted Blade Greatsword, deciding to wield it under Ashborn's rule.

[Shadow Warden-Knight]

[Edgar]

[Rank: 4]

He knelt once more, bowing his head in an emotional thank you. Ashborn casually strolled past the two, glad that he could help the father and daughter reunite. They may've been simple spirits, but they were together, and that seemed to bring them an immense joy beyond anything they'd experienced beforehand.

Ashborn nodded to himself once, mostly prepared to fight Godrick. He passed through the finished battle and brought back the fallen spirits, and they knelt loyally as he pushed forward. He figured that Kenneth Haight should've been spoken to before he took down Godrick, but he also figured he could just have him protected by Shadows and speak to him at another time.

The only other person he could think about was Blaidd, and he truly didn't know how to act with him. He considered Blaidd one of his few true allies in the Lands Between. He was a strong, personable ally, and he was the loyal Shadow of Ranni. Now, however, his compelling link to Ranni was cut, and he was Ashborn's Shadow, even if he didn't completely know it yet.

Something about that didn't quite sit right with Ashborn, so he decided to figure it out after taking Godrick down.

So, with most everything wrapped up, he summoned Agheel and took a brief yet relaxing flight to Stormveil Castle, where Godrick waited.

As the castle came into view, Ashborn was struck with an odd chill. He peered at the castle seriously, "Damn, this isn't gonna be good."

He grinned wryly, "Good. Let's see how far I can go."