Chapter 20 – A Little Break PART 2

"Alden..."

"Alden..."

"Alden!"

"Gasp!" I woke up startled with the scream. 

Letting out a yawn and looking around, I realized that I was in some kind of classroom.

It was a large dark blue stone room built in the shape of a half sphere; black candelabra lighted the place with pyromancy fire serving as a light source. 

The floor was made of polished brown wood to the point that I could see my reflection in it.

The room was also full of long wooden tables, arranged in rows that curved slightly in an arc; the table ran from the wall to the middle of the room, stopping before a wooden staircase that leading down to a kind of wooden stage with a table and a blackboard.

On the ceiling of the room was a large glass dome, overlooking the night sky lit by hundreds of stars. If I remember correctly, astrologers believed that magical powers could be obtained at times of special celestial alignment.

Humph! Take power from the sky! What kind of lunatic would believe that it is possible to get power through the stars and the cosmos? 

However, I must admit that astrologers' ideas led to the creation of new and very useful magical devices.

"PPPSSSHHH! Alden!" Someone called me again.

Looking to the side, I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the thing in front of me. It was a person, no, I couldn't call that a person, the thing looked like a human except for one feature, or lack thereof.

The thing had no face, the thing wore finely tailored clothes, the kind you would see a scholar wearing, there was hair on its head, but where it should have had a face, there was a distorted mass of flesh that melted like candle wax.

"Alden? Is there a problem? You shouldn't sleep in the middle of classes. You don't want to tarnish the reputation of the renowned Magic Academy of Melfia, do you?" The thing spoke, even without a mouth.

Melfia? The kingdom south of Drangleic? What am I doing here?

"Alden, are you okay?" The thing extended a hand towards me.

I got up immediately, knocking over the chair I was sitting on with a loud crash that echoed through the classroom.

"Alden, what are you doing? Please don't make a fuss, people are watching."

People? Looking around, I noticed that the room was full of faceless creatures, all whispering to each other and staring at me in a mixture of voices, male and female, that filled the room.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Is he feeling sick?"

"Hump! Low-class nobles don't have any kind of education!"

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the voices; they seemed to be inside my head. It only got worse when a booming voice gave me the worst headache of my life, nearly bringing me to my knees.

"Alden Yric Osmer! Sit down now or I'll remove you from my class!"

Looking at the source of the voice, I saw a faceless person in front of the blackboard, pointing at me with a chalk. This person looked older, wearing the robes of a nobleman and with gray hair on his head.

"Professor Olenford, I believe Alden isn't feeling well. Can I take him to the apothecary?" The faceless person standing next to me asked.

"Hm… Of course. But return immediately, I don't want to find out that you were loitering in the halls instead of attending my class." The gray-haired faceless one replied.

"Yes, Master Olenford! Come on Alden, let me help you." The faceless one spoke, approaching me.

As I saw that thing approaching, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time, real fear. I quickly brought my hand to my waist, but I was surprised upon not feeling the hilt of my sword.

Then I took my hand to my back, and there was nothing, no sword, no shield, no staff, I tried to light my flame, but nothing happened, I swung my hand repeatedly, but there was no reaction.

I saw that the hands of the faceless thing approached me, I looked around for a weapon, and with no other option, grabbed the chair on the floor and slammed it against the table, breaking it. I picked it up a sharp piece of wood and pointed at the faceless thing.

"Stay away from me!"

The thing held up its hands defensively and backed away.

"Alden! What are you doing?!?" The thing screamed.

With that opening, I ran towards the room's double doors and tried to open it, but nothing happened, then I pushed it, nothing again. I lunged and kicked at the door, but it didn't budge.

"Stop him!" The gray-haired faceless one screamed.

Immediately all the faceless creatures got up and came towards me, I desperately tried to break down the door, but simultaneously the faceless ones came closer, trying to surround me.

"Calm down!"

"Put that thing down!"

"Take a deep breath and stop what you are doing."

"Let's talk about it."

I swung the piece of wood towards the creatures, and with each blow, they moved away, but others advanced through the openings.

Suddenly one of the things grabbed my arm and pulled me, causing me to let go of the piece of wood.

"Catch him!"

Quickly, all the faceless came towards me. With my other hand, I punched the faceless that held me and kicked another one in the stomach. One of them punched me in the face, but I returned the blow, punching his chin.

I felt one of the faceless jumping on my back and putting me in an arm lock. I elbowed him repeatedly in the side, and with each blow, his grip loosened. I threw my head back, hitting the faceless one and making him let go of me.

Another lunged towards me, I grabbed the faceless one behind me and threw him towards the advancing faceless one, but they kept coming, I raised both fists and fought.

I punched one in the place where its face should be and in the chin right after, and then I ducked, dodging a punch aimed at my face. 

When I got up, I punched the stomach of another creature, making it bend over, so I joined both hands above my head and went down towards the creature's head knocking it to the ground.

I saw another one approaching; I stepped out of the way, dodging a kick aimed at my back. Therefore, I grabbed the creature by the back of the head and slammed it repeatedly against the table until the thing stopped moving.

This made all the faceless people stop; they watched the faceless one who was bleeding on the ground, probably dead.

"AAAHHH!" One of the faceless ones screamed, bringing his hands up to where his mouth should have been.

"What did you do?!?" Another one screamed.

"You monster!" One more spoke.

"The only monsters here are you!" I yelled back, grabbing the piece of wood lying on the floor.

I scanned the room for that would make the first move. I felt my heart pounding, my breathing quickening and saw the walls melting.

Wait? The walls? The walls were melting, similar to the faces of the things in front of me. I need to get out of here! I need to get out of here! 

With a scream of rage, I advanced toward the creatures between the exit and me, but before I could fight, I felt a strong pain in my chest.

Looking down, I saw a hole where my heart should be. I hyperventilated while grabbing a table, trying to keep myself upright. 

My vision blurred, looking back, I saw the gray-haired faceless man holding a staff with magic flowing in the tip.

My strength faded, and I couldn't keep myself up anymore, when my body hit the ground, the last thing I saw was the feet of the things in front of me, followed by a cacophony of distorted voices.

"He has gone mad!"

"Master Olenford, was that necessary?"

"Alden!"

Then everything went dark.

-XXXXXX-

"Again!"

I woke up scared. I touched my chest as soon as I noticed that I was conscious. I was surprised that the hole wasn't there. Did I die? If so, why am I not next to a bonfire?

Looking around, I realized that this time I was in some kind of training area with a series of straw mannequins in front of me.

"You there! What are you waiting for? Cast your spell!" A man wearing sorcerer's clothes shouted.

Spell? Looking down at my hands, I saw that I held a basic sorcerer's staff; there was a mannequin in front of me.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" The sorcerer spoke, crossing his arms.

I noticed other people in the training area, some wearing armor and others dressed like me, wearing light sorcerer clothes and holding a staff. 

Some cast Soul Arrows at the mannequins, while others watched me.

This time the people had faces, but I couldn't identify them, doing as the sorcerer said, I cast a Soul Arrow, hitting the mannequin in the head, leaving a big hole.

"Hm… Very well, keep practicing." The sorcerer spoke, going away soon after.

"You shouldn't test the instructors' patience; they can be sadistic with their punishments." A voice spoke behind me.

Turning around, I saw that it was a man who talked to me. He wore a sorcerer's clothes similar to mine and carried a staff. I couldn't identify his face, but I felt a certain familiarity when I saw him.

"Excuse me if this seems rude, but who are you?"

The man looked offended by my question.

"What kind of question is that? I'm… your best friend. We have known each other since childhood."

I couldn't hear the man's name.

"Could you repeat your name?"

"My name is..." The man sighed.

Nevertheless, I couldn't hear again.

"I understand. Thanks for reminding me, I don't know what went through my head." I replied, pretending everything was fine.

"I think you took too much sun on your head, you should rest."

"Weren't you the one who said I shouldn't test the instructors' patience? I think they would be irritated if I rested without their permission."

The man put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me close.

"I don't care about that. Soon we'll graduate as Melfia sorcerers. From there, it will be an easy life for both of us. I'll join the army and bring glory to my family, whereas you, well, you've always enjoyed researching magic. Maybe you will discover something revolutionary?"

"It's not that easy, magic is something that needs to be studied and..."

"Yes, yes! You've told me this before. Quoting the great master Alden here, 'Magic is something that must be studied, analyzed, and tested for years to avoid disasters and accidents like what happened to the ancient kingdom of Oolacile. Magic comes from the soul, mastered through our intelligence, has many areas beyond our knowledge and must be treated with respect, for it was through it that our kingdom prospered.' Honestly, you should get out of the library more and spend some time with your friends, have some fun, get some maidens."

For a moment, a tall man with blond hair replaced the man beside me.

"I don't know if you noticed, but the academy has clear rules that must be followed, one of which is no relationship between students within the academy grounds."

"Does it seem that someone here follows this rule? Do you know what people do in the storage rooms? Believe me the janitor was furious! Know what? I'll get you a girl now!"

The man looked around until his eyes focused on a girl.

"Oh! How about her?" The man pointed at the girl.

She was a tan-skinned, dark-haired girl, I couldn't see her face, but she was wearing a more revealing version of Melfia's sorcerer garb.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know. I only know that she came from the lands of Jugo, she is part of the Desert Sorceresses clan, and she came to the academy in search of learning more about pyromancy."

As soon as the man finished his speech, the girl shot a large fireball towards the mannequin, reducing it to ashes in a great explosion.

I felt the man's hand squeeze my shoulder tightly, his arm shaking with a scared smile in his face. The girl must've noticed our stares, as she turned toward us and smiled, winking at me.

I felt my face heat up from it.

"Well, go talk to her." The man said, pushing me.

"Wait! What?"

I planted my feet on the ground, but the man pushed me, and with a final push, he threw me towards the girl. 

Luckily, I prevent my embarrassment from increasing by regaining my balance and not falling to the ground.

When I looked at the girl, I noticed that she was trying to hold back a laugh, I felt my face heat up again, and looking back, I saw the man giving me a thumbs-up, behind a wall.

Now that she was close, I got a good look at her face. Black hair, tan skin, yellow eyes, pink lips, thin nose and chin, she was beautiful.

"Hello!" The girl spoke happily.

"H-hello!" I stammered nervously.

"What's your name?" The girl asked with an amused smile.

"A-Alden! And you?"

"My name is Zo..."

The girl's voice distorted, her face became a shapeless mass of melting flesh. Looking around, I saw that the entire training area was melting.

My heart raced, my breath became erratic, and the faceless ones surrounded me again, they muttered a mix of voices, giving me a headache.

"Alden!" The man accompanying me shouted. 

Looking at him, I saw an extremely tall man, wearing black robes and with long blond hair.

"Godwyn?" I asked.

Then the world melted.

-XXXXXX-

"Alden!"

I got up quickly when I heard my name being called, drawing my sword and looking around, I calmed down when I realized where I was, I was in the refugee camp outside of Fort Height.

"Alden? Did something happen?"

Glancing at the source of the voice, I saw Godwyn looking at me worriedly.

"No, Godwyn, I just had a strange dream." I replied, sheathing my sword.

Dream… Wait a minute! I was asleep! When was the last time I slept? Undead don't need sleep, so why did I do that? 

I noticed the refugees sleeping in their tents and wagons, better go to the fort and check on Rennala, leaving her alone for that long is an oversight.

"So what was the dream about?" Godwyn asked me as we walked towards the fort.

"I don't know." I answered dryly.

"What do you mean you don't know? Have you forgotten what you dreamed about? Alternatively, it wasn't a dream. Considering how hard you were struggling, it must've been a nightmare."

I sighed, Godwyn is too perceptive, and it still amazes me the level of intelligence that hides behind his good humor.

"Yes, it was a nightmare; I think it was about my past." I replied tiredly.

"Oh! The past you say you don't remember?" Godwyn asked surprised.

"Yes. And I still don't remember, I can't describe anyone's faces, their voices, or any characteristics; I just know that I was at the Magic Academy of Melfia, in the kingdom of Melfia, south of Drangleic."

"Anything else?"

"I was probably a student of magic and a member of a noble family."

"That explains your talent with magic, and you look like a noble. Are you sure you don't remember anything else?"

I stopped for a minute, I think I remembered my name, and there was a girl. Who was she? Someone important? In addition, what was her name?

"There was a girl, but I can't remember anything about her but there was a man who reminded me a lot of you."

"Seriously? In what way?" Godwyn asked curiously.

"He was annoying, proud, won't stop talking and trying to get me some maidens." I responded, smiling under my helmet.

"Hey, that looks nothing like me!" Godwyn exclaimed.

"Have you ever looked in the mirror?" I laughed.

Godwyn grunted irritably, created a spear in his hand, and threw it towards me; the spear passed my body and disappeared shortly afterward.

"Why did you do that? You know it doesn't work."

"It doesn't stop me from trying!"

We entered the fort, greeting the sleepy guards on our way, and went up the staircases until we reached the walls, viewing the forest, hills and sea.

Godwyn and I leaned against the walls, looking out over the view.

"Godwyn, I remember one more thing."

"What?"

"My name, my name is Alden Yric Osmer, a member of a small noble family from the Kingdom of Melfia and a student at the Magic Academy of Melfia. I don't remember anything about my family or friends, or what happened to me before I arrived in Drangleic."

"Well, it's a start. Perhaps you'll remember more in the future."

"I hope not, the way I got those memories back wasn't pleasant."

I raised one of my armored hands in front of my face and saw it trembling slightly. 

I felt my mind getting lighter and certain emptiness in my chest; I brought a hand to the back of my neck. My mark was hurting.

I removed one of the gauntlets and saw that my skin took on a slightly greenish hue, the early stages of someone hollowing. I took a Human Effigy from my bag and crushed it on my chest; my hand returned to normal and stopped shaking.

That was dangerous. I need to be careful not to sleep again. If the price to recover some of my memories is the risk of becoming hollow, then I prefer not to recover them.

"Alden, what did you just use?"

Hm... I think it's time I explain to Godwyn a little about my condition.

"Godwyn, you know that I am one of those who live in death, but different from the others, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Where are you going with this?" Godwyn asked curiously.

"Well, there are dangers that come with my condition. As an undead, I don't age, don't sleep or eat. I rarely need to rest and can receive wounds that would kill a normal man. One of these dangers is the loss of my memories, the oldest ones go first, but there is another danger, that of becoming hollow."

"Hollow, what is that?"

"When an undead dies, it returns to life shortly thereafter, but simultaneously it is consumed by the curse that prevents it from dying. If an undead gives up or loses its sense of self, it becomes hollow, a monster out of control that attacks everyone in sight."

"This curse, was it caused by my roots? Have they extended to the point of affecting realms beyond the sea?"

"No, as far as I know, the curse was caused by a god known as the Lord of Sunlight; he committed something called the First Sin, which was going against the natural order of the world. This caused the undead curse, where anyone could be branded with the curse mark, indicating his or her status as an undead. The curse spread like a plague, and people becoming hollow caused the downfall of many kingdoms."

"A god from a land beyond the sea… This god, was he an outer god?"

"And what is an outer god?"

"Mysterious beings that exist on plane of reality other than our own, they are beyond our comprehension, but they exert their influence on the world, most often by choosing a vessel. The greater will that sent the Elden Ring into this world and made my mother a goddess is an outer god."

"I believe the lord of sunlight possessed physical form, so he must not be an outer god, but if the stories are true, he was extremely powerful, to the point where his clan and other gods won an all-out war against the dragons. However, back to the curse, at some point, I was cursed and lost my memories. I somehow got to Drangleic before I was completely hollow. I think that at some point I must've heard the rumors about a cure for the curse existing in the realm. "

"And was it true?"

"No, there is no cure for the curse, there are the human effigies that lift the curse temporarily, a monument in the shrine of Amana that can revert the hollow's state, another way would be to sit on the Drangleic Throne and rekindle the first flame, but this is a temporary solution, soon the curse would return. But thanks to a scholar, I found a possible solution to my problem."

"Continue."

"His name was Aldia, the king's older brother. Through experiments that created most of the monsters that roam Drangleic, he discovered more about the undead and the curse. Through a magic item created by him, I was able to speak with King Vendrick and find out about the crowns."

"Do you mean the crowns you're after so much?"

"Yes. I traveled to distant kingdoms that had fallen long ago, I faced the most diverse dangers, and in each kingdom, I found a crown imbued with the power of a monarch. With the three crowns plus Vendrick's, I obtained Vendrick's blessing, the crowns wouldn't cure my curse, but they would keep me from becoming hollow no matter what."

Godwyn put a hand on my shoulder, still watching the horizon.

"We will find those crowns, we already know that one is with Ranni, and she will only give us the crown if we do what she wants. Don't worry Alden, I'll be by your side, making sure you don't lose your way."

"Thanks, Godwyn, glad to have you here with me."

"We're friends, aren't we? That's what friends are for!" Godwyn smiled.

"Yes, we are. But could you do me a favor?"

"Yes."

"Remember in Liurnia when you offered to train me? Could we do it now?"

"This is so sudden."

"I want to get my mind off my recent dream. In addition, I would like to get stronger. I'll have to face demigods in the future, won't I? So it would be nice to learn how to fight with the greatest demigod of all."

"Hump! You are learning to treat me properly. And like the generous demigod that I am, I'll grant your wish." Godwyn spoke, walking away from me.

We stood face to face on the walls of the fort, the sun rising between us.

"Ready?" Godwyn asked, creating a rapier in his hand.

"Ready!" I replied, drawing my Uchigatana.

"Tsch! Tsch! Not yet." Godwyn shook his finger.

"Why?"

"Your magic rings, take them off, they give you an advantage, but you can't get too used to it. How will you get better at fighting if something is helping you all the time?"

"You are right." I put the rings in my bag and returned to my starting position.

"Ready?" Godwyn asked again.

"Ready!" I held the Uchigatana with both hands.

"Then let us begin your training."

I advanced with my Uchigatana raised, but when I was halfway to Godwyn, the demigod disappeared. 

I saw a blur coming towards me, when the blur disappeared, I saw Godwyn standing and smiling in front of me.

"You died." Godwyn spoke smugly.

Did I die? Looking closer, I saw Godwyn's Rapier piercing my head in the center of my forehead. 

I didn't see it coming, I didn't see that blow. Is that the power of a demigod? No, Godwyn is "dead" that must only be a fraction.

"Godwyn is that speed your real speed, or are you just that fast because you don't have a body?" I asked, walking away from the Demigod.

"I don't know. However, does it matter? If you intend to face more demigods, you'd better be able to keep up with me. Let's try again."

Godwyn and I returned to our starting positions.

I charged again, and Godwyn disappeared in a blur, this time I rolled out of the way, spun my body, and tried to slash Godwyn in the back. 

However, before I could swing my sword, Godwyn turned with blinding speed and pierced my heart.

"You died." Godwyn laughed.

We tried one more time, but I waited for Godwyn to make the first move. Godwyn stepped forward, and I used the ash of war, sending a blade of blood towards Godwyn. 

For an instant, Godwyn moved slower, the demigod leaned his body to the side with grace and precision, and dodged the blade.

I prepared to use the ash again, but before I could cut my hand, Godwyn pierced me in the forehead.

"You died."

"Again!"

This time I used a different weapon. I spun an Ornate Sword in each hand, before advancing towards Godwyn. 

This time the demigod was on the defensive, it honestly couldn't be called that, I didn't force him to defend, he was playing with me.

I unleashed a flurry of blows, but Godwyn dodged each one easily, with quick and precise movements, he moved away with time to spare. 

I tried to pierce his stomach, but stepped to the left, dodging my attack.

I tried to slash him in the chest, but he leaned back, and my attack only hit the air.

I spun the swords in my hands, pointing them down, and tried to pierce Godwyn chest, but the demigod somersaulted backward, landing with one of his hands and using it to propel himself backward, landing on one foot on top of the fort's wall.

I slashed towards his legs, but Godwyn leaped, my blow flying under his feet and hitting part of the wall beside him, the swords sliced through the stone and a chunk of the wall fell out of the fort.

Godwyn flew over me with a smile in his face and I turned around, quickly facing him. 

The demigod advanced in another burst of speed. I rolled out of the way, barely dodging the blow.

As soon as I got up, I thrust both swords forward. That was it! I was going to hit him! 

I saw the swords closing in on Godwyn, who recovered from his attack. I felt glee at the thought of Godwyn's surprised face when I finally struck.

Nevertheless, my joy died when Godwyn turned towards me, his body almost disappearing with his speed, and stopped his rapier just inches from my neck.

"You died." Godwyn smiled.

Without saying a word, I turned away from Godwyn and returned to my starting position, switching weapons again; I held the Bloodhound Fang in my left hand and Great Epée in my right hand.

We stared at each other for a while, our battle stances ready with the sun shining between us, illuminating the fort with morning rays, so I made the first move.

I ran toward Godwyn and the demigod did the same as before, he became a blur, but before he got too close, I stopped his advance with the ash of war from the Bloodhound Fang. 

Somersaulting backward as I slashed the air, I forced Godwyn to stop abruptly to avoid being hit.

I took advantage of that moment to use the Bloodhound Step right after. I advanced towards Godwyn at great speed, the demigod dodged to the side, escaping my blow, but I saw a look of surprise on his face.

When I stopped my run, I quickly turned around and used the ash of the Great Epée. With an increase in speed, I trust the rapier towards Godwyn. 

This time the demigod dodged to the right, letting my attack pass a few centimeters from his chest.

I passed right by Godwyn and the Great Epée pierced the fort's wall, piercing the stone and leaving a circular hole. 

My stints screamed that someone approached. I used the Bloodhound Fang ash, forcing Godwyn to stop his advance.

When I finished my jump, I landed on top of the fort's wall and used the Blood Hound's Step, propelling myself in the air. This put me at the same height as Godwyn. 

I tried to cut his neck, but he ducked quickly, so when put my feet on the ground, I used the ash of the Fang again, once more, I stopped Godwyn from approaching, and once more, I darted towards him.

Godwyn jumped over me, but I followed his jump and as soon as he landed behind me, I used Epée's ash. Thrust after thrust I tried to hit Godwyn, but the demigod dodged quickly, I could see that my blows came closer, and closer to hit him.

In an opening between my blows, Godwyn tried to trip me, I used the ash of the Fang, and the sudden cut caused Godwyn to stumble backward. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I used the Bloodhound Step.

This time I'll hit him! While using the Bloodhound Step, I used the Great Epée's ash, propelling myself forward and increasing my speed. I aimed the rapier towards Godwyn's chest; I was going to pierce his heart.

Time slowed down, and I saw Godwyn's eyes widen as he analyzed the situation he was in. 

I smiled under my helmet, I was finally going to wipe the cocky smile off his face, but suddenly the worried look on Godwyn's face was replaced by a smirk.

Godwyn twirled the rapier in his hand and time returned to normal. Godwyn disappeared, my blow hit the air, creating a gale and kicking up a dust cloud.

"You died."

I heard a voice behind me. 

Did I die? Looking down, I saw the tip of Godwyn's rapier sticking out of my chest. I died. All this time, wasn't that his real speed? Was he holding back?

I snapped out of my fighting stance and lowered my weapons, then turned to Godwyn.

"You weren't taking this seriously, were you?"

"Sorry if this offends you, but you're right, I wasn't taking this seriously." Godwyn scratched the back of his head, ashamed.

Hm... I lowered my head; it was a strong blow to my pride.

"Hey, don't be like that! Practice is the way to perfection, you're doing great! You used the ashes of war smartly and creatively when facing a stronger opponent. You just have to keep trying, if you were using your magic items I don't doubt you would have hit me at some point, but you can't rely on those things all the time."

"Thanks, but I still feel like my pride was hurt."

"Don't worry, it will pass with time."

However, before we could talk again, something caught our attention.

Rennala came out of a room in the fort and walked towards us, interrupting our small conversation. I laughed when she ducked to pass through the doorframe, almost dropping her strange hat on the floor.

Rennala stretched and let out a long yawn before her eyes focused on me.

"Good morning, my love!" Rennala smiled.

"Good morning Rennala!" I replied.

"Oh! I see you're awake! This is wonderful; it saves me time having to explain the situation!" A pompous voice came from one of the fort's tower windows.

It was Kenneth, the man waved at us before returning inside the tower. A few minutes passed before Kenneth left the tower and walked towards us. 

The man looked horrible, he had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was messy, rumpled clothes, and he was thinner than before.

"Kenneth, when was the last time you ate or slept?" I asked the noble.

"Don't worry about it; the great Kenneth Height will not be brought down by something as simple as fatigue, although a little help from my valiant servant would lighten the weight on my shoulders."

"What do you need?" I sighed.

"As you may know, the demi-humans on the peninsula revolted before I could initiate diplomatic relations, and Godrick's soldiers made it difficult for the refugees to cross the bridge of sacrifice. I would like you to clear the bridge and find out why the demi-humans revolted. If possible, you could initiate diplomacy by giving a positive opinion of me to them."

"Fine, we have to go there anyway."

"I hope you haven't forgotten about our compromise." Rennala spoke in a serious tone.

"Of course not!" Kenneth responded nervously, sweating and looking away.

"What compromise did you make?"

"In exchange for helping Mister Height stabilize Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula, he would help us retake the academy with the aid of his forces. If everything goes as planned, an alliance between the three regions will be formed, thus providing a relatively safe place for war refugees to live and bringing some stability to the lands between."

"Not a bad plan. When do we start?"

"Right now." Rennala spoke.

Meh! It's fine to me!

Rennala, Godwyn, and I said goodbye to Kenneth and headed towards the fort's grace, from there we transported ourselves to the grace closest to the bridge.

I called Torrent and Rennala entered her moon. We went towards the bridge, and when we approached, we saw a large stone bridge covered with fortifications. 

Wooden barricades, large ballistae, and soldiers, on the other side of it. I also saw a row of wagons and carriages being stopped from passing on the other side of the bridge.

Accompanying the wagons were crowds of people, all shouting and begging to be let through.

Well, Kenneth said to clear the bridge, but he didn't say how, so I put back the magic rings I always wear and held my chime. Shaking Torrent's reins, I rode towards the bridge.

Seeing me, the soldiers prepared to fire the ballistae, but before they could do so, I cast a Sunlight Spear. 

The spear split the air, before hitting one of the ballistae and destroying it in a blast of lightning, killing a group of soldiers.

I pulled Torrent to the right, dodging a shot from another ballista and cast another spear, destroying that ballista too. 

In the middle of the bridge, I cast Heavenly Thunder and a shower of lightning hit the bridge as I rode.

Barricades destroyed, ballistae torn apart and soldiers killed, that was the result of my miracle. 

I killed the occasional soldier with my Uchigatana, and when I crossed the bridge, all the soldiers were dead and the fortifications destroyed.

The refugees stared at me in surprise, but I didn't stay there for too long.

"Go to Fort Height in Limgrave, Kenneth Height will welcome you!"

Shaking Torrent's reigns once more, I rode deeper into the peninsula; now let's see what's happening to the demi-humans.

END OF CHAPTER