Chapter 5 Commissioned by Carrotglace.

With my newfound strength in having my body augmented with the runes I had collected from killing all those brigands, the Soldier of Godrick as well as Godrick's Grafted Scion in the beginning of my adventure I was confident enough to sneak around the edge of the Gatefront Ruins, killing all the enemies so I could snag the Lordsworn's Greatsword.

After a bit of thought I realized I should actually travel around a bit as Ranni/Ranna wouldn't have heard of me getting Torrent just five minutes afterwards.

Thus, with my new greatsword I easily made my way across Limgrave while riding Torrent and I always rode off the main road, so I didn't meet with the constant patrolling Limgrave soldiers/bandits or even the Beastmen that came out from the deeper forests.

After a decent ride I eventually crossed over a giant bridge and entered the Eastern side of Limgrave and I had to kill a number of soldiers that tried to pull me from Torrent but thankfully with my new Greatsword I was able to use Torrent's momentum to swing it with enough power to chop the lightly armored foes into pieces.

And the one armored knight that was mounted and tried to run me down got to experience being shot a dozen times with a bow and arrow as I simply sat backwards on the saddle trusting Torrent not to throw us off a cliff or something as I just shot the following knight to death.

"Sadly, the knight wasn't the Night Calvery boss." I muttered after I retrieved all the armors from the knight I killed and enjoyed the feeling of his runes filling my body.

I continued going east for a bit until the main road split and I took the right path and began heading south and other than seeing the Limgrave Lake dragon Agheel flying around the lake and burning anything that moved within his sight, the trip south was uneventful until I reached the Waypoint Ruins.

"Well, this is new..." I muttered frowning as I saw that the two trolls that were supposed to be pulling the caravan that carried the Great Axe weapon were in battle with the plant monsters that lived atop the Waypoint ruins and apparently the giants stomping battle with the plants that could shoot magical beams had also broken the Mad Pumpkin Head boss free from where he was kept underground guardian Sellen the sorceress.

The caravan's militia of soldiers and the accompanying aristocrats were also engaging in the battle but with the trolls still focused on the plants. The smaller humanoids were left to the mercy of the Mad Pumpkin Head and to say the least even at a distance of several hundred meters I was absorbing the glut of runes that were being released into the air as the boss tore the decrepit simple humans apart.

"Well might as well watch two trolls and the boss go at it." I muttered as I felt bigger explosions of runes fill the air as the trolls obviously finished off the central mega plant that lived atop the ruins.

It was obvious with how the Trolls had the chains that pierced their back and bound them to the carriage removed they were on borrowed time as I saw them moving slower and slower despite them beating the Mad Pumpkin Head boss like an unwanted stepchild with their massive swords that could send literal tornadoes of compressed sharp air that ripped stone from the ground and tore hunks of flesh off the boss.

But the Mad Pumpkin Head gave as good as it got, as it truly didn't fear any damage and took great advantage of its comically large and armored head to ram one of the trolls so hard in the chest that I could hear the stone plaque within the troll shatter and as the stone plaque within the troll shattered I watched the troll just drop dead instantly and I mentally marked down that information for the future even as I got closer to the fight so I could absorb more of the runes.

The last troll however managed to take off the legs of the Mad Pumpkin Head when it bashed it in its head when it went for another diving tackle to probably instantly kill the other troll, but I honestly had no idea if the Mad Pumpkin Head had such cunning or could actually think to find an opponent's weakness's.

"Thanks for clearing the way for me in any case." I muttered as I carefully took out an explosive bolt I bought from the merchant and with a loud bang I shot the bolt into the troll's chest cavity and obviously shattered the stone plaque that magically bound the troll to life despite all of its chest's organs having been removed.

But using trash enemies gear had its bad sides as the crossbow I picked off a bandit violently broke as the explosive bolt was shot and I now had wooden shrapnel all my arms and my hands that only had some thin gloves on.

"Fucking dammit." I cursed as I hurriedly drank some of the glowing heaven in my Estus Flask and I shuddered as I felt my rapidly healing flesh push out the wooden fragments that got past my gloves.

Even as I healed up however, I was enjoying the great feeling of the deluge of runes funneling into me as I approached the site of where the boss died along with dozens of mobs. "I just hope Sellen is still alive." I muttered as I entered the Waypoint Ruins and after a couple minutes after I looted some condensed runes from the plant monsters, I entered the wide-open gaping pit that led underground to where Sellen should be.

At the end of the tunnel, I saw the door that led me to Sellen was a big metal thing easily weighing a couple tons if it was solid, and I mentally shuddered at the thought of trying to move it with pure force.

So, I did the most reasonable thing. I knocked on the door.

"Hello! Is the great Sorceress Sellen home?" I asked respectfully knowing all too well how proud the Glintstone Sorceress was.

"Ah a Tarnished knowing of myself? Why are you here?" She asked through the door.

"I yearn for the power and knowledge of the stars in Glintstone Sorceries, and I seek your tutelage in the arts." I spoke loudly and the door loudly groaned as it opened up automatically.

Taking the invitation for what it was I stepped into Sellen's room and saw the room was filled with Glintstone crystals and arcane books and scrolls that hurt my eyes to look upon them.

"Hmm." Sellen spoke and my eyes finally locked onto her and saw the woman was wearing a predominantly blue dress with some red highlights. But most noticeable about the woman was the large stone bust she was wearing on her head, and I realized that the green Glintstone's growing atop it must be coming from within the helmet or in other words growing atop Sellens actual head.

"I can feel your aptitude is at least passable... The enchanted books within here would send people without the talent or magical protections into convulsions or their brains would end up just melting out their ears and nose if it didn't just crystalize from within." Sellen spoke and thus I looked at those magical books with a lot more respect and if anything, fear.

"But one's master must be chosen most wisely... I was exiled from the Academy of Raya Lucaria as a witch who delved into forbidden magics. Do you still wish to learn from me?" She questioned.

I nodded hurriedly. "So long as your spells have power and you will not hide information from me, I gladly accept you as my mentor in Glintstone sorcery." I said solemnly and Sellen hummed in thought as she stared at me.

"Do you have a staff apprentice?" She asked and I shook my head, and she snapped her fingers with and from a flash of light came a basic Academy staff.

Even as the staff floated over to me Sellen began to speak about Glintstone magic. "Our art draws upon the powers embedded in Glintstone. But the nature of the power is one that is unimageable in scale. For all Glintstone is the amber of the cosmos, it at its core contains the remnants of ancient and eldritch life and vitality. While Glintstone contains residual life and thus the vitality of the stars. It should not be forgotten that Glintstone sorcery is the study of the stars and the life therein... A fact most sorcerers pay dearly for forgetting." Sellen spoke and I was reminded of all the eldritch enemies that are present here in Eldin Ring.

Like the weird Astel boss and its brethren that were foreign to this world along with the eldritch gods that connected to Mohg and Malenia and gave them greater powers.

"So, what first mentor. How should I learn to Ghurk!" I began to ask about how to learn Glintstone magic but the figure of Sellen broke apart into mist like illusion and in front of me was the real form, but she had taken a fist sized blue Glintstone core and shoved it through my armor and into my chest with my life's blood pouring out of the fist sized hole she left in my upper chest.

"You are a mere tadpole when it comes to magic. Infantile. Without even the legs of decades of teaching to walk and use the barest of spells." Sellen ranted as she stepped back from me as I swung a summoned sword from my space ring at her.

"For you to become a sorcerer my apprentice, I have allowed you to skip such decades of teachings for the Glintstone magic to take hold within you. Do not fret my dear for this is natural as even my body has changed due to understanding the powers of the cosmos." Sellen said consolingly as I chugged my Estus Flask and closed up the wound.

"And how do I know you won't shove other things in my body in the name of experimentation or expediency?" I snarled and I kneeled as a great weight fell upon my shoulders and my vision tinged purple as Sellen obviously drew upon powerful gravity magic.

"Boy... You are a Tarnished, you could merely rip out that Glintstone and go about your day after dying and reforming at a Site of Grace after a few years of sleep. Do not be rude to me or I will punish you further." She said with the Gravity Magic pressing me down further before letting up on me.

For a moment... I honestly wanted to just break down crying as this was complete bullshit. I didn't ask to get sent to Eldin Ring. I didn't want to go to any Soulsborne world. I had no cheats, and I honestly doubted I even had the supposed immortality of the Tarnished.

"I have never died before... I don't want to die, nor do I plan on... So, teach me then. Show me how to channel the cosmos with my will." I said as I stood back up and stared at Sellen's stone eyes.

"Hmm that willpower will help you when the eyes within the stars look back." Sellen said chuckling softly before she broke apart into mist again and I heard her voice coming from the foot of the stairs leading up to the upper grounds. "Come to the surface my apprentice, I will teach you the ways of Glintstone and how to channel the core within yourself."

As I came out of Sellens study, I saw that there was now a Site of Grace where the Mad Pumpkin Head boss once guarded the large room. So, I sat there really quick to recharge my Estus Flask before I hurried to the surface to meet Sellen and not keep her waiting for me.

"Now my apprentice I will show you how to channel Glintstone sorcery through your body and in turn empower the sorcery through your staff." Sellen said as she stood behind me and I shivered as I felt her hands softly lay upon my shoulders.

"Relax, I will not hurt you again. If you do not insult me that is." Sellen said squeezing my shoulders as even with her warped view of the world she realized a skittish disciple that was terrified of her would be impossible to teach.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax despite knowing the woman could punch a hole through my armored body without issue... Again, if she desired.

"Now pay attention to this feeling forming in your Glintstone core." She said and I felt pure life force similar to the cerulean flask or mana flask I tried to drink before but the energy was obviously foreign and didn't belong in my body as it pooled around the Glintstone core she pushed within my body.

"Memorize the path the magic takes through the core, replicate it and push the congregated magic through the staff." Sellen continued and I paid absolutely all my possible attention as she took a thread of mana through my Glintstone core and then as she used an arm to lift my arm that held onto the Glintstone staff, the glintstone atop the staff glowed brightly before a loud whizzing noise shot out as the star like bolt of magic shot out of my staff.

I was giddy at the feeling of actually using magic and I realized how the Glintstone core she gave me acted like a conduit and allowed me the ability to even twist the magical energies into the shapes I wanted.

Then it hit me... All magic in Eldin Ring very much had a price to it in some way or another. Better to have a bit of space magic crystal embedded in me to act as the conduit for me to use my natural mana then to rely on prayers to Outer Gods or other weird shit.

"Very good! I have accepted an apprentice with great potential I see." Sellen said happily squeezing my shoulders before her voice turned smug as though it was actually her own accomplishment that I casted magic on my first attempt under her guidance.

"Now I will impart one more spell into your magical core, but for any other spells you wish to learn so easily you must bring magical tomes with the spells engraved within as this method will take even me weeks to reengrave the spells back upon my cores and I cannot leave myself so weak." Sellen explained and I nodded in understanding.

I was curious why she wasn't charging me runes but who knows. I was learning magic I wasnt going to try to get too deep into why Sellen so easily took me in, besides I knew where the Royal House Scroll, magical book was. It was actually just south of here by a few miles anyway.

"Now pay attention as I engrave upon the Glintstone Arc spell into your core. It's a slightly weaker spell then the Glintstone pebble in turns of brute force but it is capable of cutting multiple foes apart with its wide wave while only costing slightly more mana." Sellen continued to explain the pro's and cons of the spell while I just memorized the feeling of her mana pushing the spell into my core.

After showing me how to cast the Glintstone Arc spell she patted me on the shoulder before speaking. "I have done what I can for now. Come back with magical tomes and I can teach you more magic or you will have to spend years learning how to make your own spells as even my genius-self took five years to make my own Glintstone Pebble spell." Sellen said with nostalgia in her tone, and I imagined her at the Raya Lucaria Acadamy and looking through the countless books within to plumb the secrets of Glintstone sorcery.

"Thank you for your teachings mentor." I said respectfully and bowed slightly to her as she chuckled and broke apart into mist as she returned below the surface and leaving me alone until I summoned Torrent and before the horse/deer could react I hugged him.

"Torrent is the goodest of boys isn't he?" I cooed as I scratched the mount under his chin making him chuff and breath out foggy breath as he shook his head out of my hands and give me an amused look.

"Yeah yeah I got it... No cuddles. Fine let's get going. I need to go get that scroll and get the first half of Dectus Medalion." I muttered towards the end as I mounted up on Torrent and with a squeeze around my mount, I was off.