Limgrave - 3

Ashborn suddenly halted after taking a few steps into the Murkwater River. Melina looked at him, her expression blank yet inquisitive. "Sorry, there's something I should probably do. Agheel." Ashborn glanced backwards, to the excited Shadow that was gently trailing behind.

Despite being fully capable of mentally giving Agheel instructions, he spoke anyway. He figured it would be easier for Melina to understand that way. "There are some threats around I can tell the other Shadows can't match easily. I'm leaving those enemies to you."

Agheel blew out a puff of fire, causing some of the river's water to quickly evaporate. The dragon bowed his head, allowing Ashborn to softly pat his head. He could tell Agheel knew some of the monsters that he was referring to. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit in Stormveil Castle or the Deathbird on Stormhill were two examples.

The dragon bowed in understanding before flying off with a determined roar. Ashborn gave Melina a smile before the two continued down the Murkwater River. Ashborn expected to easily encounter Yura, but he was met with a familiar sinister feeling creeping up Ashborn's spine. Suddenly, he remembered those who follow Mohg, who would hunt him even if he was simply adventuring.

Melina noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor. She tensed in a way that was impossible to physically notice. He glanced behind them, pulling his weapons from his shadow. He made sure Melina knew she was safe with a determined look.

It was Bloody Finger Nerijus, a nameless face that Ashborn couldn't care less about. However, upon encountering the Bloody Finger, Ashborn wondered how he was going to help Yura. And at the same time, he easily decimated Nerijus, decapitating him easily.

The Bloody Finger fell in a heap, his head tumbling against the ground before his body began flickering away into red, transparent flakes. It was the telltale sign of Mohg's followers. And, to Ashborn's surprise, a spirit was left behind.

He was about to summon Nerijus when he decided against it, hearing footsteps behind him. At first, the steps were fast — a run, but they quickly slowed. Ashborn turned to see Yura slowing down, carefully observing Melina. He could immediately sense hostility from her, as could Ashborn. It took him a moment to realize it, but he figured it out quickly.

He approached Yura, dropping his sword and letting it fall into his shadow. He approached the suspicious Bloody Finger Hunter with his hands up, showing he wasn't a threat. He put his hand on Melina's shoulder, hoping to calm her down.

He'd only realized it now; Melina never would've gotten a chance to meet Yura. Her only chance to meet him was after his death, after Shabriri possessed his body and used his face to try and convince Ashborn to use the Frenzied Flame.

At the time, Ashborn was barely convinced by Melina to stick to his path, even if she must sacrifice herself for it. It was clear Melina didn't consider Shabriri anything like a friend, and Ashborn agreed, especially after learning what happened to the Merchant's Association after Shabriri's lies.

However, this was not Shabriri, it was Yura. He wasn't much like a friend, but he was a reliable ally when it came to hunting down Bloody Fingers. Which is why Ashborn now had to think about how he'd move forward.

Yura was wearing an Iron Kasa, an intriguing umbrella-like hat that covered his facial features, and clothes that complimented his weapon, the Nagakiba. His appearance was extremely striking, mainly because of his helmet.

Melina noticed Ashborn's hand and took a few steps back, quick to reorient herself. Her anger and hostility faded in mere moments, and she lightly bowed her head to Yura, to Ashborn's thanks.

Ashborn spoke up, sensing that Yura was still somewhat offput. "You're… Yura, correct? The dragon Agheel has been slain."

Yura was silent for a moment before sheathing his weapon and responding. "I see. That must've been beautiful work, congratulations." He nodded towards the scattering flakes of Nerijus, "And if you happen to encounter anymore Bloody Fingers like this piece of work, slay them without hesitation. No kinship remains within their foul ilk."

Ashborn looked down to Nerijus's body, curiosity fluttering through his mind. He had no idea if the Bloody Fingers wanted anything, although he bet it had something to do with Mohg's favor. As such, he'd have no qualms killing them and moving on. He gave Yura a nod, beginning to stroll past him. "We'll meet again, Yura."

Ashborn pulled Melina along, and she was happy to follow without much of a problem. Whenever they got far out of Yura's hearing, Ashborn apologized.

"Sorry, Melina. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that." Even if it was a mistake on his part, he didn't like the idea of Melina suddenly having to face anyone she wasn't prepared to. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her lose her composure, but it was still quite notable.

Melina relaxed in Ashborn's touch, the pressure that had accumulated suddenly fading. She slowly exhaled. "No, it's… not your fault. I was the one who forgot the Frenzied Flame's followers often snatch the bodies of the deceased. It's reviled, and not your fault."

Ashborn stopped for a moment and made Melina look him in the eyes, guiding her face up to his gently. "Still, I'm sorry. I promise, we'll stop Shibriri. He won't get his way, just like he didn't get his way before."

Melina stared in Ashborn's eyes before slowly, hesitantly nodding. "I… have never experienced such… rage before. Something has changed."

Ashborn scoured his mind for an answer, and only one came to him. "The… Outer Gods?"

Melina bowed her head in agreement, "Yes, I believe so. I believe it's the fault of the Fell God, which is why I'm currently looking into the Fell God tomes. If it wouldn't extend our journey—"

"We'll make them a priority," Ashborn softly interrupted her, causing her to smile softly. A soft blush covered her face as Ashborn stroked her cheek softly. "And it'll be no problem, Melina. I've lost you once, it will not happen again."

Melina nodded, not looking away from Ashborn despite her growing blush. "Thank you… l-love."

Ashborn smiled warmly, "Of course."

Ashborn softly let go of Melina, turning and beginning to venture into the Murkwater Cave. She stared at his broad back, momentarily curious if there was any way she'd be able to help him as much as he'd helped her.

She pushed the thought aside, following Ashborn quickly.

As he mostly expected, the Murkwater Cave was already run through by some of his Shadow Exiles, just like he wanted. He casually walked through and summoned the Highwaymen within.

Th Highwaymen were former foot soldiers who turned to mere banditry, taking the valuables of any they encountered. They weren't much of a threat to Ashborn in his past life, and he doubted they were much of a threat to his Exile Soldiers in this life. They became Shadow Infantry that used daggers.

Regardless of them all, Ashborn returned to where he'd find Patches to instead… find nothing. That was perfectly expected.

The area was rather clear, save for a soothing fire and an inviting chest at the end of the cavern. Remembering the events of his first meeting with Patches quite well, Ashborn looked up to his right, sensing a presence lurking at the top.

He bent down before leaping up, landed softly, and met a crouched man's greedy eyes. As soon as his eyes met Ashborn's, they grew wide in disbelief.

This crouched man was Patches, a lovely and reliable ally of Ashborn's. That, of course, is what Patches wanted people to believe upon their first meetings, before he typically backstabbed them and pushed them to their demises. He was well-known for his habit of spending more effort to do the wrong thing instead of doing the right one.

He was a pale, bald man with armor befitting a thief like himself. He bore a spear and greatshield, prepared to lash out and attack the people who were guided by his belongings. But despite all the people he'd encountered, he never ran into someone who confronted him so directly before he even introduced himself to them.

"Hello, Patches," Ashborn began. With many of the other people he'd be interreacting with, Ashborn knew revealing his knowledge could hold some advantages or disadvantages. However, with Patches, Ashborn could twist the truth in the perfect way to manipulate the thieving man. "I finally found you."

"H-Huh? Bloody hell, what are you talking about?" Patches cried, taking a few steps back from Ashborn, hitting a wall. With escape taken away from him, his thoughts traveled to conversation, and he thought about if he'd ever stolen from Ashborn before. But despite however much he thought, nothing came to him.

Granted, with how many people he'd stolen from in his life, it made sense if he didn't remember one or two of them. However, with a person as blatantly strong as Ashborn, Patches didn't want to irritate him if possible. "W-Well, it's water under the bridge, isn't it? Wouldn't it be best to just forgive and forget?"

Ashborn hummed as if deep in thought, then he waited, just to spur some of Patches' nervousness before smiling and nodding. "Sure, it's water under the bridge!"

Patches let out a sigh, slowly looking up and down Ashborn before hopping down off the small ledge and noticing Melina. He observed her before sitting down at his fire, sighing. Ashborn followed, throwing Melina a silent thumbs-up. She shadowed him silently, observing the surroundings without turning her head.

"You already know I'm Patches, so I won't bore you with any of that. If you come back at another time, I'll have a shop set up, one that couldn't compare to your wildest dreams. I'll even get something for your lady-friend there," Patches promised, whispering near the end of his words. "Just make sure to pop back in. I'll be more than happy to wheel and deal next time."

Ashborn liked the sound of Patches words and gave him a nod, turning and leaving nonchalantly. Melina followed him quite closely, and he heard Patches whisper to himself on his way out, "Bloody Hell, what monster did I anger? I'll appeal to him through the lady if I want to live, no point in running now, if he found me anyway."

Satisfied, Ashborn thought about where to head next. And, after a moment, he realized it was time to see Sellen, a woman he heavily admired in his past life. The thought of meeting her again filled him with excitement and anxiety, which Melina noticed immediately.

"What is it?" She asked, before she shook her head, piecing the information she had together. "Ah, she will accept you once more. Of that, I'm positive."

Ashborn scratched the side of his head, "Yeah, maybe. However… it's not that I'm thinking about."

Melina frowned. "Oh?"

Ashborn explained. "Last time, Sellen… got exactly what she wanted. But it may've been because she got what she wanted that she ended up as a… thing. A ball of stone heads, only capable of feeling pain and suffering. She was proud of me, recognized me even in her suffering, and it was me who brought her to that destination."

"It was her choice," Melina softly said. "You simply respected her dream and helped her achieve it."

Ashborn shrugged, "Maybe. But I can't accept that easily. I refuse to allow to fall victim to her fate."

Melina stared at Ashborn, looking to her feet as they continued to walk forward. "I… hadn't realized my sacrifice burned you too, so deeply."

Melina's intuition allowed her to pick up on what was not being said. And while Ashborn was directly speaking about Sellen, his words also doubled to refer to Melina and her fate, which he brought her to, at her choice.

While that was their choice, in the end, it couldn't be ignored that he brought them to the end of their journeys. Something about that stuck with Ashborn, far more than Melina realized.

Ashborn was quiet for a long time, thinking about what he could possibly say. However, he didn't need to speak, as Melina did for him. She said, "It will be your job to make things better, instead of worse. Make the Lands Between a place worth ruling. And I'll be there, ruling by your side. In that, I swear."

Ashborn let her words sink in as they approached the Waypoint Ruins, where Sellen was residing underneath. After his long, uncharacteristic silence, he gave Melina a weak smile. It wasn't quite full, but it was genuine, nonetheless. "As long as you're there, I think I could do it."

With that, Ashborn casually strolled through the ruins, bringing the fallen Miranda Sprouts into his army. They were poison-based monsters, making them essentially useless against Ashborn's Shadows, who had no bodies to be poisoned. However, as Shadows, they held plenty of value.

They'd give Ashborn the useful ability to poison many of his enemies if the poisons didn't affect him as well. He'd give it a proper test at another time, but he figured that they'd be useful with their poisons added to their new increased mobility options as Shadows. He kept them in mind to set with Aurelia, as a poison squad.

With an order to the Giant Miranda Sprout, it slammed into one of the ruin's walls, revealing the ruin's set of underground stairs. Easily strolling down, Ashborn resummoned his Shadow Maiden, having a feeling she would be perfect for receiving help from Sellen.

She began to return nigh immediately, but even with her increased speed as a Shadow, it would take her a few minutes to cross the large space of Limgrave. Despite that, Ashborn and Melina moved forward, the former positive that his Shadow Maiden would make it in time.

Before being able to meet Sellen though, there was an enemy protecting her. It was a Mad Pumpkin Head, a remnant of an old gladiator, now lost to madness and panic. Its signature trait was its namesake, its notable, pumpkin-shaped helmet.

As Ashborn and Melina arrived at the bottom, preparing for a fight, only to hear the finishings of one. Beyond his expectations, his Crucible Knight just finished fighting the Mad Pumpkin Head. He kneeled as the Pumpkin Head fell to its side, dead.

Ashborn spent a moment just blankly staring, blinking. He hadn't expected his Crucible Knight to be so reliable, but it was far from a bad surprise. He turned his head to Melina, who was looking with much less shock. In comparison to him, she had expected his Shadows to be efficient enough to find the small hidden parts of the nearby ruins.

Clapping his loyal knight on the soldier, Ashborn extended his hand to the Mad Pumpkin Head's corpse, calling out to it. It responded immediately, the spirit climbing from the corpse with renewed vigor. Unlike before, it was now covered in black armor and it even looked a little bit bulkier, although its signature pumpkin helmet was still there.

Ashborn patted his newest Shadow on the shoulder. The Mad Pumpkin Head proudly bashed its chest once, showcasing a pride Ashborn had yet to see in his other Shadows. With a smile, Ashborn allowed them to continue their searching, in which the Crucible Knight and Mad Pumpkin Head stuck together.

Just a second after they left, Ashborn's Shadow Maiden arrived. She bowed to Melina and then Ashborn, before facing the door at the back of the cellar. She turned back to Ashborn, and just like him, she had both anticipation and excitement running through her.

He gave Melina a look, and she wordlessly gestured towards the door. Ashborn suddenly realized he was procrastinating, so he took a deep breath and opened the cellar door.

On the inside, it was filled with books, crystals of mana, and other equipment. A telescope, lamps, candles, things like that. It was far from a comfortable home, but for the woman inside, it was more than enough.

And, in the center of the room, was a woman wearing a Glintstone Crown. It covered her entire face, creating a visage of a beautiful woman with her eyes closed. The woman was also wearing the clothes of Raya Lucarian Sorcerers, regal blue robes that highlighted the wearer's desire for knowledge.

This was Sellen, a witch that was cast out of Raya Lucaria. She was an adept sorcerer, trapped in a spectral body while her physical one lingered elsewhere, also trapped. She was once Ashborn's mentor in the knowledge of glintstone sorceries, and with her assistance, he became a formidable mage. He took her skills with him all the way to the Elden Beast, although he'd hardly touched the skills after Destined Death chose him as a successor.

Sellen wanted to return the Primeval Current of Glintstone Sorceries, or in an easier way to understand, she wanted people to be freely taught the original flows of magic, no matter the consequences. It's only that those consequences seem to be being transformed into a sphere of glintstone crowns, unable to do much more than suffer.

Which… Ashborn didn't know of upon their first meeting. Now he knew better, he needed to think about how to convince Sellen to stop her sole goal, without seeming like he was advocating for the Academy of Raya Lucaria. In that, he was somewhat stuck.

Sellen was silent for a moment after Ashborn opened the cellar door. Despite not being able to see her eyes, he could feel her scanning himself, Melina, and his Shadow Maiden. Out of the three, Melina was observed the least, while Ashborn and his Shadow Maiden were investigated thoroughly.

"You are no Tarnished. Are you one of Raya Lucaria's hounds?" She asked, not moving forward nor retreating. In her state, she'd gain very little from fleeing or advancing, so she was determined to learn more about her current situation.

Ashborn was suddenly hit with a splash of inspiration, a possible way to save Sellen from her cursed fate. He approached her calmly, extending a hand before kneeling to her. "No, Master. I am your loyal apprentice, and I am here to help you restore the Primeval Current of Glintstone Sorceries."

Sellen stared for a moment, freezing in her spot. She stared at Ashborn, trying to understand the man's wild claims. Her area of expertise were sorceries, but her critical thinking skills hadn't waned in the slightest since her academy days. And as such, she could piece together Ashborn's words and intentions, even if it took her several minutes.

When she did speak, she kneeled to Ashborn's level, speaking just loud enough for him to hear. "If you are my apprentice, why are you back here?"

Ashborn met the eyes of Sellen's mask steadily, "You failed. Rennala fought back, or the Primeval Current had unforeseen consequences. You were left a shell of your formal self, transformed into a cluster of Glintstone Crowns."

Sellen let out a low hum, not particularly surprised by her fate. "I see. I suppose the consequences were larger than I could've imagined. Then, if you've seen my future, what other path shall I take to achieve my goal, Ashborn?"

Ashborn took a few steps back, abruptly surprised. "H-Huh?! You know me?"

Melina observed Sellen carefully, "…The Outer Gods?"

Now it was Sellen's turn to observe Melina. She shrugged before turning back to Ashborn. "A Blood Red Moon came to me in my dreams, telling me of a man I'd long since forgotten. And if I remember right, Rennala was known for her connection with the Full Moon, leading her to become the leader of the Academy. Perhaps, this moon is the very same as hers, simply different?"

Ashborn remembered the moon among the Outer Gods, but he remembered her saying that she would support Ranni, not Sellen. He suddenly realized how foolish it would be to assume the Outer Gods were being truthful in their statements. He huffed, pushing the thoughts away for the time being. He was determined to come back to them at another time.

Ashborn gently rose from his knelt position, his eyes locked onto Sellen. "You… believe me?"

Sellen turned to him, and raised her hands to her mask, slowly taking it off. She held the Glintstone Crown under her arm, revealing a face Ashborn was stunned by.

She had a nonchalant aura to her, with a gorgeous pair of icy-blue eyes and shockingly well-kept brunette hair. It was Ashborn's first time seeing her face, even after all their time spent together. She gave him a warm smile. Ashborn's mouth hung agape.

"My foolish apprentice, how could I forget the one person in this world who believed in me? Well, one of two, I suppose." Sellen glanced past Ashborn.

Ashborn turned his head, following Sellen's icy-blue eyes. They landed on the Shadow Maiden, who felt very satisfied with the situation. She bowed her head towards Sellen, a gesture filled with a sense of familiarity. Ashborn turned his attention back to Sellen, interested in the history between the two.

Sellen sensed Ashborn's interest but turned her attention towards Melina. "This woman is…?"

Ashborn returned to Melina's side, gesturing between the two. "Melina, Sellen. Sellen, Melina. Melina is my closest confidant."

Melina bowed easily to Sellen, a newfound confidence in her movements. Ashborn's way of associating with her, even with his master, filled Melina with a joy she would hardly experience in many other places.

Sellen noticed this and an expression of odd bitterness flashed across her face. Before Ashborn could even mention it, Sellen spoke up, meeting Melina's eye. "His lover. How lucky you are." Sellen turned back to the Shadow Maiden, saying, "If you trust her, I do too."

Ashborn opened his mouth, trying to figure out what he could possibly say in response to Sellen's words. However, with nothing coming to his mind, he just allowed her to continue speaking. For Melina, the words stuck with her, and she made a mental note to bring the conversation up to Ashborn at the nearest chance.

Sellen continued as if she's said nothing out of the ordinary, "As you must know, I was the direct student of Master Azur. I had a rival who was the direct student of Master Lusat. Although she looks quite different, I could not forget Salem's face, even if I wished to."

Ashborn turned to face his Shadow Maiden, who he now knew as Salem. With this information, it wasn't hard for him to put the pieces of Salem's life together.

She went to the Academy of Raya Lucaria, becoming a prodigy able to match Sellen. She was the equal to Sellen in a lot of ways, and the two were rivals. While Sellen was kicked out of the Academy for her attempts to recover the Primeval Current, Salem left by her choice, to become a Finger Maiden. She was the Maiden of White Mask Varre, but he betrayed her, killing her for the favor of the Lord of Blood, Mohg.

In ways, Salem's position as something more than a simple Finger Maiden clicked for Ashborn. She'd managed to make full spheres of magical energy capable of enduring several attacks from Agheel, a full-blown dragon. Sellen hadn't even tried to teach Ashborn such tricks, and he partially believed it was because she possibly couldn't do it herself.

Then, another thought flickered through his mind, one he hadn't thought of before. After he took out the Tree Sentinel, he searched around the area, but didn't see any signs of Varre. It was the exact area where Ashborn originally met the man, but he was nowhere to be found. He made a mental note to keep the thought in mind, curious on where the man could've gone.

Looking back at Sellen, Ashborn refocused.

Sellen continued, "Ashborn, I'm unsure of what this future will bring, but while I won't give up on my dreams, for now, we will focus on your dream."

Ashborn stared, slack jawed. "Are… Are you sure?"

Sellen held her hand over her mouth, giggling lightly. "Well, on one simple condition. Something has changed within you, please, tell me everything you know. About the future, and about your current situation."

Ashborn glanced at Melina, who nodded in response.

And so, Ashborn told Sellen everything he knew. He kept the tale of the future brief, but he made sure Sellen — and by extension, Melina, who hasn't heard the entire story yet — knew the important details. He also explained his ability's connection to Destined Death, and how he was chosen as the successor to such a being. He'd long since sent Salem off, who seemed more ready than ever to put in some more hard work.

Sellen let out a small hum in response to most of the information, seeming to take it and catalog it accordingly. "So, Salem passed away a while ago, and now, I'm only seeing her spirit. I suppose it's quite fitting, as she had an affinity for necromancy herself, that she decided against accessing."

"She's pretty incredible." Ashborn said, agreeing with Sellen.

Sellen spent a moment thinking before she spoke up. "As I am now, I can't leave here and help you much. However, I assume you already know your path forward?"

Ashborn nodded, "Yes, we've got that much figured out. It may be a little bit, but we'll get your body back. I'll pop in or send Salem in so you can help one another out."

Sellen bowed her head lightly to Ashborn, glancing at Melina. "Take care of him, he can be quite foolish. He is my darling pupil." At her words, Ashborn felt a bizarre fluttering in his core.

The woman smiled very faintly, "There will be no need to worry."

Ashborn looked between the two women, puffing his cheeks. He tried to ignore how he was probably growing red. "I don't know how to feel being treated like I'm not even here," he admitted. That only caused the women to look at each other once more, giggling lightly.

Ashborn sighed, and after Melina and Sellen seemed to have a silent conversation with just their gazes, the former two made their way out, promising to be back for her soon. They returned to the warm flow of the sun and didn't waste a second before continuing forward.

At first, they walked in silence, but that quickly changed when Melina spoke up. "She adores you."

Ashborn's head snapped towards Melina, who was walking by his side. When he spoke, his voice came out exasperated, bewildered. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Your Master. She's filled with true adoration for you," Melina noted. "What will you do about it?"

Ashborn stumbled over himself stupidly for a minute, completely unexpecting Melina to say such a thing. He barely managed to gather himself, coughing and sputtering along the way. "Psh, what? I doubt it! She's so…."

Melina gave Ashborn a look, clearly reading him. "She does like you. I refuse to allow you to ignore such an obvious truth."

"I, er, well…." Ashborn stumbled over himself once more, mostly unable to get a proper response formulated. While he was far from a relationship professional, he didn't believe he was horrible at figuring out the truth. It was because he respected Sellen so much — even more than Ranni, and questionably as much as Malenia — that he had a hard time accepting such a truth.

"I mean, sure. Maybe in the past she's called me her darling pupil, but… it's not like that means she likes me," Ashborn scrambled, trying to explain his perspective.

Melina slowly blinked at Ashborn, wordless. He opened his mouth before closing it and letting out a sigh, "Okay, okay. I'll ask her at a better time, but I promise I'll ask." He raised his hands, submitting to Melina's womanly intuition.

She gave him a satisfied huff. "We should focus on helping her."

Ashborn smiled, "I didn't expect you to be so…." He didn't finish, letting her take his words however she understood them, shrugging. She nodded once, understanding.

"I believe 'caring' is the word you're looking for," she said. Ashborn opened his mouth, raising his finger before sighing, not able to quite disagree with his companion.

As Melina and Ashborn approached the bridge that'd lead to the Weeping Peninsula, Ashborn became aware of what he was currently missing. A ton of fallen enemies had been laid to rest by his Shadows, but he'd yet to summon them all, and he knew it would make things much smoother with their involvement.

Melina read Ashborn's expression, and she gave him a brief nod. "I'll be here."

Ashborn gave her a smile, then disappeared, wind rushing to fill his spot after he abruptly vanished.

Over Limgrave, there was an astonishing number of fallen enemies, all because of the hard work the Shadow Army put in. From Salem and the Crucible Knight to Agheel and the Mad Pumpkin Head, every Shadow worked hard and made a difference in the big picture.

As a result, Ashborn gained over 700 new Shadows in his army, including a Deathbird, the Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, a Guardian Golem, the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, a Stonedigger Troll, an Alabaster Lord, a Black knife Assassin, and Blood Finger Nerijus — who he'd admittedly forgotten about in all his thinking about Sellen. With so many new, powerful allies, Ashborn was glad his abilities allowed him to think up creative and efficient ways to use so many different abilities in combat.

Beyond those, Ashborn's many smaller soldiers had tons of potential as well.

He had over 300 Infantry, split between Godrick Soldiers, Godrick Knights, and Godrick Foot Soldiers. They all worked well with one another, and the other 300 were immensely diverse. He had Giant Bats, Demi-Humans, Starcallers, Slimes, Skeletons, Giant Land Octopi, Giant Crabs, Runebears, and more.

So, near the middle of Limgrave, not far from the Church of Elleh Ruins, Ashborn summoned his army. His shadow expanded for ages, dyeing the ground pitch black. He stood on the high ground, able to see quite far into the distance.

As such, he was stricken to silence when he saw his army begin to rise in synchronization. It didn't matter if they were once human, animals, or something in-between, they all were allies underneath Ashborn.

The many, many Shadows were all mixed together, but it was still quite orderly. Then, at once, all 1069 Shadows kneeled. A large thump resonated across Limgrave, and he couldn't help but associate the sound with power.

After all, at the very back of that one-thousand-plus strong army, a dragon, Ulcerated Tree Spirit, and Deathbird lingered, bowing their heads just the same as everyone else. With all this firepower, Ashborn doubted if much could stop him.

However, he knew there was no point in leaving any chances. As things were, his Shadows worked well on their own, but they didn't have much reason to cooperate. However, if they did work well together, their power and ability would skyrocket.

With some brief thoughts, Ashborn made some Shadow Squads.

For what was already formed, the Flying Squad and the Poison Squad were kept mostly the same, with Agheel joining the former squad. Beyond those two Squads, three more Major Squads were formed.

The Knight Squad, lead by the Crucible Knight. They were composed of the basic, land bearing Shadows who couldn't use ranged attacks. They were about 700 Shadows strong, by far the largest of the Squads. It also held the Mad Pumpkin Head, Bloody Finger Nerijus, the Omen, the Lion Guardian, and more.

The Ranged Squad was a mixed bag, led by Salem. They had Noble Sorcerers, Exile Soldiers, and any other miscellaneous Shadows that could manage consistent ranged attacks. They were about 300 Shadows strong, a far cry from the Knight Squad, but efficient in their own right.

The King Squad was the last of the Squads, and while it held the least members, it boasted the strongest capabilities. The King Squad was formed of all the Shadows that came from strong enemies. From the Alabaster Lord to Agheel, the Flying Dragon, to the Ulcerated Tree Spirit. It held the most varied abilities, certainly strong enough to hold their own against most threats.

There were some other Minor Squads, like the Gravity Squad with the Alabaster Lord at the head or the Fire Squad with Agheel at the head. All the Minor Squads overlapped with the Major Squads in some way, but they were made for abusing the weaknesses of any major enemies who couldn't be taken down easily.

Satisfied with the new Squads he formed, Ashborn returned to Melina's side, sending half his Shadows towards Mistwood, the last section of Limgrave. He kept the other half on him, to make conquering the Weeping Peninsula that much faster.

And so, he returned to Melina's side, with an army that totally outpaced what it was just mere minutes prior.

"Finished up?" She asked. She glanced at his Shadow, noting the massive difference. While she couldn't sense the Shadows specifically like Roderika could, she could tell there was an increase in the number of Shadows. As the only Maiden who had conversed with Destined Death, she was intrinsically connected to Ashborn and his Shadows, and as such, she wasn't particularly surprised by them.

Ashborn gave her a smile, shrugging nonchalantly. He felt no need for words, holding his hand out for Melina to take. She took it easily, and they journeyed forward. With the Shadows taking care of so many of the threats, the path was smooth.

-----

Total Shadows: 1069

202 Shadow Exiles – Rank 1

669 Shadow Infantry – Rank 1

43 Shadow Dogs – Rank 1

9 Shadow Warhawks – Rank 1

7 Shadow Giant Bats – Rank 1

8 Shadow Starcallers – Rank 1

5 Shadow Slimes – Rank 1

7 Shadow Skeletons – Rank 1

4 Shadow Jars – Rank 1

39 Shadow Crabs – Rank 1

72 Shadow Demi-Human – Rank 1

16 Shadow Miranda Sprouts – Rank 1

Shadow Jellyfish, Aurelia – Rank 1

3 Shadow Land Octopi – Rank 2

5 Shadow Giant Crabs – Rank 2

Shadow Stormhawk, Deenh – Rank 2

Shadow Maiden, Salem – Rank 2

Shadow Bloody Finger, Nerijus – Rank 3

Shadow Giant Miranda Sprout – Rank 3

4 Shadow Runebears – Rank 3

Shadow Stonedigger Troll – Rank 3

Shadow Omen – Rank 3

Shadow Lion Guardian – Rank 3

Shadow Guardian Golem – Rank 3

Shadow Mad Pumpkin Head – Rank 3

Shadow Night's Cavalry – Rank 3

Shadow Tree Sentinel – Rank 4

Shadow Alabaster Lord – Rank 4

Shadow Crucible Knight – Rank 4

Shadow Deathbird – Rank 4

Shadow Ulcerated Tree Spirit – Rank 4

Shadow Bloodhound Knight, Darriwil – Rank 4

Shadow Black knife Assassin – Rank 5

Shadow Dragon, Agheel – Rank 5