Splash—
Splash—
The sea washed back and forth across the beach.
A man, dressed only in a loincloth and carrying a small pouch, lay sprawled on the sand.
Beside him were a massive piece of tattered blue cloth and various pieces of scattered equipment.
That man was Lucian.
The storm had thrown off his sense of distance, and the mental stress didn't help either.
Lucian had triggered invincibility too early, and the moment it ended, his face made intimate contact with the ocean's surface.
The impact knocked him out cold.
What Lucian didn't know was that, after he lost consciousness, a gusting storm swept him onto this beach.
A cloaked figure approached on horseback.
The grey, long-maned horse stopped before Lucian. Though it looked like a horse, it had a pair of large antlers.
It lowered its head, nudging at Lucian's head to see if he was still alive.
Suddenly, a piercing eagle's cry sounded from Lucian's pouch, and the wind began to swirl around him.
The figure slid off the saddle, and a gentle woman's voice sounded:
"Ancient and mighty soul, please do not worry. We have no intention of harming him."
"We found him because we saw the qualifications of a king upon him."
"He will surely seek the Elden Ring… even if it means turning away from the Golden Order."
The ancient king calmed the storm, acknowledging their words.
Neither the rider nor the horse stayed; they simply waited for the right time to approach Lucian again.
Lucian slowly regained consciousness, feeling wet all over, disoriented at first.
He pushed himself up. There were tall, broken stone pillars all along the beach, and the ruins of huge buildings. Farther away, steep cliffs loomed.
Looking around at the scattered equipment, the scene was like the aftermath of a shipwreck.
'I can't believe I missed the timing for invincibility. I thought I was dead for sure…'
'But… I actually survived? Is this body really that tough?'
As someone who'd been a complete shut-in in his previous life, Lucian marvelled at the resilience of this body.
'Well, of course, even early game stats are superhuman, and by late game, you're fighting legends and gods.'
While thinking this, Lucian quickly gathered up all his scattered equipment.
"Gauntlets, armour, pants from the knight set, twinblades, straight sword, halberd, they're all here. The pouch is intact."
"The helmet, iron shield, and greatshield are missing, not a big deal."
"Most of the noble trinkets are gone, though. That's a shame."
He had planned to trade those for runes with merchants.
'Well, I still have some savings, anyway.'
"But where am I? According to the game, I should wake up in the Stranded Graveyard."
There was definitely drifting, but where was the cave?
Lucian put on his armour, gripping the sword in his left hand and the halberd in his right.
The twinblades were tied on his back with rope, and the rest of the odds and ends went into his pouch, or were tossed if they didn't fit.
Ready at last, Lucian headed toward the cliffs.
Before long, he stopped not because he'd reached his destination, but because he spotted firelight up ahead.
There were people ahead, but Lucian didn't rush forward. In the Lands Between, people you could actually talk to were rare.
Those sitting by the fire might be merchants, or all kinds of enemies.
Lucian crept closer and finally saw clearly.
The man wore Viking-style armour and gear, tall and burly, with a warhorse by his side, roasting fish.
In the Lands Between, only one group dressed like that: the Kaiden Mercenaries.
They were renowned across the battlefields, hired by every major power.
At the same time, a wolf's howl echoed.
Lucian looked for the source of a white wolf, staring at him alertly.
The wolves were Kaiden Mercenary companions, always fighting alongside their masters.
The wolf's howl made the mercenary turn his head and see Lucian.
Suddenly, the scene froze in tension.
Lucian gripped his halberd, left hand on his sword hilt, ready to draw at any moment.
Kaiden Mercenaries weren't weak, and they usually travelled in packs.
If there were more nearby, Lucian doubted he could handle them easily.
The mercenary by the fire stood, slinging a massive curved sword over his shoulder, eyes fixed on Lucian.
The white wolf padded over to stand at his side.
Both sides were on edge, but neither made a move.
Lucian wasn't going to attack first; he knew his limits.
This body was strong, but his own skills weren't enough to guarantee victory.
Besides, he wanted to see if people here could actually talk. In the game, every enemy attacked on sight, but this guy was different.
'He saw me, but isn't attacking. Maybe I can talk to him? Or is he waiting for someone else?'
'Better try speaking first and see if he's hostile.'
"I mean no harm. I drifted here by sea and saw your firelight. If it's not necessary, I don't wish for meaningless conflict."
The Kaiden Mercenary kept staring. Lucian felt a headache coming on.
'Damn, could there be a language barrier? That would suck.'
Thinking fast, Lucian decided to use a more primitive method.
He kept his right hand on the halberd, left hand off the sword and open, showing he was empty-handed.
Then he reached into his pouch, took out a golden necklace, one of the Grafted Scion's relics and tossed it to the mercenary.
The mercenary caught the necklace, examining it and Lucian in turn.
Lucian stayed alert, he'd shown goodwill, but was still ready to fight.
Since the Elden Ring shattered, this land had gone mad. It was a time of chaos.
Finally, the mercenary threw his curved sword to the ground and whistled. The white wolf retreated, but kept watch.
"Tarnished… My last job was hunting Tarnished. But you're lucky. I have no employer now."
Lucian let out a sigh of relief. At least they could talk, and there was no language barrier.
"That's great. I'm a peace-loving person, but…"
He changed his tone:
"But if we fought, you might not have the advantage."
The mercenary laughed.
"Heh. The Tarnished are the descendants of warriors, battle-tested, I'll give you that. But you, claiming to love peace?"
"Power is my own. I choose when to use it. If things can be solved by words, I won't resort to violence."
The mercenary gave Lucian a long look. He might not be well-educated, but even he knew peace was a distant dream in the Lands Between.
"You're very different from the Tarnished I've killed before."
Lucian smiled. 'Compulsory education is no joke.'
"And you're not like the Kaiden Mercenaries I've heard about, either."
"Oh? You know the Kaiden Mercenaries? How so?"
"I don't know your name. If you tell me, I'll explain."
"Heh, before asking for someone's name, you should give your own."
Lucian shrugged, nothing to hide.
"Lucian. As you see, a Tarnished is chasing the throne of the Elden Lord."
"…Hakan."
Lucian nodded.
"Well, now we're acquainted."
Hakan frowned.
"Enough talk. Tell me, what's different?"
"Alright, alright, you're impatient."
Lucian looked around, then said:
"The Kaiden Mercenaries I've heard of ride warhorses and roam the battlefields in packs with wolves, but you're here alone on this beach. It was your wolf's howl that warned you of me. If I hadn't washed up here, this beach would probably be empty. That's why you were so relaxed by the fire; if there were strangers about, a warrior wouldn't let his guard down."
"A warrior… I'm just a wanderer without a homeland. Not much of a warrior now."
There was sadness in Hakan's voice.
Lucian's eyes lit up. This guy actually had a backstory. So different from the game!
"What do you mean, no homeland? I heard the Kaiden Mercenaries come from the northern snowy mountains. Can't you go back?"
Hakan glared at Lucian.
"That's none of your business. We're not that close."
"Haha, fair enough. But for the necklace's sake, can you tell me how to get out of here?"
Seeing that Hakan wasn't going to say more, Lucian dropped it.
'Not enough friendship for a side quest. I know this routine.'
But Hakan was generous with this question.
"I came here by rowing a small boat along the coast. This is an isolated beach, and the cliffs are too steep to climb."
"Oh! Can I hitch a ride with you? I'll pay extra in jewellery!"
"Nice offer, but a few days ago my boat hit the rocks and broke. My companions and I were lucky not to be hurt."
Hakan pointed to his warhorse and the white wolf.
"Honestly, I'm also looking for a way out. Just today, I discovered a cave. I was going to rest and check it out tomorrow, but then you showed up."
Hearing there was a way out, Lucian couldn't help but smile.
He'd just escaped the Chapel of Anticipation; if he was stuck again, he'd lose it.
"Haha, what luck! Shall we explore together tomorrow?"
But Hakan refused.
"Great idea, but I refuse."
"Why?"
Lucian couldn't understand. Wasn't this a win-win situation?
"I'm not trusting my back to a stranger in a cave. Besides, I found the cave you're just hoping for a free ride."
Lucian nodded. Hakan was right, but the matter wasn't settled yet.
Lucian didn't think Hakan was an idiot; he wouldn't mention the cave for no reason.
"So what do you want? Out with it."
"Heh, pay up!"
Lucian laughed. 'So that's what you're after.'
"Fine, there's more jewellery where I landed. I'll give you everything I can't carry, consider it your fee for helping me explore the cave."
Hakan's expression changed.
"I've changed my mind. I don't want your stuff, and I don't want to hear the word 'hire.'"
Lucian shrugged.
"Alright, I won't ask why, but you can have the jewellery anyway. Better you take it than leave it on the beach."
"Deal."
Lucian led Hakan back to his landing spot and collected the rest of the jewellery.
With his reward, Hakan generously shared his roasted fish, which was delicious.
Lucian truly enjoyed this moment. He didn't have many friends; most of his socialising had been online.
He'd always loved talking to game NPCs, exploring their stories.
It felt like making friends with a cast of unique people across worlds.
Now, Lucian was experiencing that joy for real, except now the NPCs and grunts were real people he could truly interact with.
They stayed cautious, but rested for the night, and morning came quickly.
The next day, Hakan led Lucian to the cave entrance.
It was hidden among jagged cliffs, easy to miss.
Hakan looked back at Lucian.
"Since you paid, I'll do my job seriously. I'll lead, you follow, and don't try anything funny. My wolf will keep an eye on you."
"That's reasonable."
After all, they were strangers, and trust wasn't earned so quickly.
If Hakan had asked Lucian to go first, Lucian would have refused.
All things considered, this arrangement was the best for both.
Hakan lit a torch, stretched it into the cave, then walked in a few steps before calling Lucian to follow.
They entered single file into the darkness, pressing in, the tunnel tight and narrow.
The path was long. They walked several minutes without seeing anything noteworthy.
After a while, Lucian grew impatient.
"Hakan, what were you doing at the cave entrance just now?"
"You don't know?"
Hakan sounded surprised.
"What, is it common knowledge in the Lands Between?"
"Not really, but I'm surprised a Tarnished wouldn't know. Not that it's much use in a fight."
"First, I was checking for flammable gas, better to test from outside, in case there's an explosion."
Hakan paused.
"Then I waited inside for a bit, to see if the air was breathable."
Lucian was surprised. 'So there's a method to this…'
"Impressive. You're really experienced."
Hakan didn't reply. Lucian couldn't see his face, but could tell this wasn't the silence of shyness.
After a long silence, Hakan spoke again.
"I used to be employed by a Leyndell noble, excavating caves and underground tombs with my clansmen."
"Heh… 'excavating' really, it was just grave robbing. I tried to make it sound better."
Hakan laughed at himself.
"We encountered a powerful enemy in one cave. Only I survived."
"After that, I took a job from Stormveil, hunting Tarnished. It wasn't about the runes, I just needed something to do."
"After a while, I realised I couldn't be a mercenary anymore. I couldn't forget the faces of my friends. So I broke the contract and started wandering aimlessly."
"And that's how I ended up here, shipwrecked."
Lucian listened quietly, sensing the man's pain, his anger, sorrow, and joy, he felt alive.
But Lucian didn't know what to say.
"...That's a sad story. I know you didn't tell it for sympathy, but I hope your journey from here on goes well."
He thought, then added:
"If I get the chance, I'll buy you a drink."
"Heh, I feel better now. We'll talk drinks after we escape."
Just then, Hakan stopped walking.
"What is it?"
"I think we've found something incredible."