Chapter 2: Limgrave - 1
Ashborn awoke with a jolting start, and his body was filled with a newfound energy. He could remember the Outer Gods' conversation with startling clarity. However, it wasn't horribly hard for him to understand what was happening.
Especially when he looked over the surrounding area. It looked exactly like the Chapel of Anticipation, where his journey started all that time ago. Now, he knew it was East of Stormveil Castle, home of Godrick the Grafted. He was an annoying bastard to defeat, but Ashborn didn't care enough to truly think about him.
He'd gone back in time, granted a second chance after the Outer God of Destined Death sacrificed himself. Honestly, he didn't know why an Outer God would sacrifice itself, but he wouldn't question it too much if it gave him a new try at life.
He rose from his spot and felt something immediately pulling him. He glanced to his right and saw a whisp of black energy rising from a maiden's corpse. He could tell exactly what he needed to do, and it was bizarre how much he understood his new abilities, despite never having experienced them before.
This was an innate connection with Destined Death, due to the Darkness choosing him as a successor, rather than a simple Vassal. Even the Elden Beast wasn't a successor to the Greater Will, and Ashborn couldn't even comprehend the power he'd eventually gain.
And surprising to him, he was granted an ability to converse with those beyond Destined Death, that would return to the Erdtree. He even knew he could interfere with returning to the Erdtree, and after learning about Marika and the Elden Beasts' follies, he wasn't hesitating about interrupting the process.
He approached the maiden and extended his hand, uttering the first word that came to mind.
"Arise."
A smooth, entirely black, smokey hand shot out of the maiden's corpse, climbing up from the corpse and emerging from within and kneeling to Ashborn. She was clothed in the same garbs as she was when she passed, but the inky black energy rising from her body as well as her now purple eyes, reflecting Ashborn's, made it clear she was connected to him.
A screen flashed in his mind, telling him things he knew already.
[Shadow Maiden]
[Rank: 2]
Ashborn hummed, feeling an odd new connection with the maiden. She was once someone else's love, and now he could feel a very intimate connection with her. However, he could also tell she was betrayed by the one she loved, for the Lord of Blood's favor.
And, interesting him further, it was Varrre, a familiar man who did such a thing. And he could sense all of that from one glance over the woman. She kneeled to Ashborn, showing him her utter respect. Then, she fell into the ground, becoming a sentient, moving Shadow. She remained under Ashborn's feet, satisfied with her new arrangements.
Ashborn shook the thoughts from his head, deciding to figure out what to do with Varre after he found Melina. He focused on the energy pulsing through his veins and charged forward.
With speed he couldn't have imagined wielding, he blew through the doors in front of him and appeared in front of a large statue of Queen Marika. A burst of air followed, shaking the bridge he leapt clean over as he took a deep breath, surprised by himself.
In two mere steps, he closed an immaculate distance. He looked up at he noticed a Grafted Scion jumping over a statue of Queen Marika. Ashborn looked at the statue bitterly, and leapt upwards before the Scion could land, taking its head in his hand before spinning and pulling the enemy with him.
The Grafted Scion squirmed and fought, but that quickly came to an end as he smashed the Grafted monster into the ground, spiderweb-like cracks shooting out in all directions. It fought for a second more, before Ashborn yanked its blade from its hands and observed them, putting them into a comfortable grip.
[Ornamental Straight Swords]
Item Rank: +0
Item Type: Sword
Attack +20
At that point, the monster stopped moving, allowing Ashborn to take its shield and store it into his Shadow, where his Shadow Maiden took it and began organizing it. He extended his hand to the Grafted Scion and called out to it. However, when it rose from its corpse, it was a series of different Shadows, rather than one united being. It ended up giving Ashborn twenty new armored Shadows, and he didn't hate such a thing.
[You've gained 20 Shadow Infantry.]
[Shadow Infantry]
[Rank: 1]
They all kneeled before sinking into his Shadow, before he suddenly blinked, looking back at where he had just come from.
"Wait… why do I have to come back here later? I should be as efficient as possible," Ashborn stored his Ornamental Straight Swords in his Shadow, turning around and taking a leaping start towards the southern wing of the chapel.
The ground crumbled underneath his power, and with a clenched fist, he blew through the wall, sending dust and debris scattering through the area. He waved his hands tiredly, and then turned to his left, opening a treasure chest, and grabbing the Stormhawk King Ashes, meant for Nepheli Loux. He also grabbed the Stormhawk Deenh Ashes, bringing Deenh from the dead to assist him.
He almost didn't expect it to work, but it worked shockingly well, granting him a flying Shadow, which could only be good going into the future.
[Shadow Stormhawk]
[Deenh]
[Rank: 2]
Something that he hadn't even thought about though, was summoning the Stormhawk King to his side.
However, based on the dark energy rising from the small, regal box the ashes were stored in, he could attempt to bring it back. He spent a long moment debating it, but he was unwilling to risk Nepheli's success for something like a new Shadow.
He stored the Stormhawk King Ashes with his Shadows and strolled out of the mostly destroyed chapel. He could barely believe he'd destroyed the stone wall with his hand alone, but he accepted it wasn't normal to be accepted as a successor to an Outer God.
"Now, how do I get to Milena…. I no longer have the Guidance of Grace guiding me, so I can't go throwing my life away willy-nilly. However, if I remember right, that's exactly how I got to Limgrave, by getting killed by that Grafted Scion. Hm," Ashborn scratched the side of his head, looking out into the distance.
He could see the castle of Stormveil. Would it be totally outlandish for him to try and jump the massive distance?
He held his hand over his mouth, clearly disbelieving even his own thoughts.
"No way. Can I?" He asked himself, curious.
In a world that rarely allowed such things to occur, would it be impossible to imagine it? As the successor to an Outer God, maybe it was somewhat reasonable?
No, he doubted it. He wanted to try it, but he wasn't really willing to risk his life.
And then he remembered he was far from alone. With his newest Shadow, Deenh, he had a flying ally who could certainly grab him if he was falling to his demise.
"Well, for Melina. I'll have to give it a try eventually, otherwise I'll be stuck here," Ashborn choose the best location for a running start, allowing his Stormhawk to fly ahead of him just in case. It was a reassuring safety, if he'd need it at all.
He took a deep breath before charging forward and leaping. The ground crumbled and shattered as he flew, nearly leaving the island destroyed, simply from a few of his attacks. He went soaring, feeling the air brush past him as he got closer and closer to the castle.
"Oh my god, this is insane!" He laughed, exhilaration shooting through him. That exhilaration quickly faded when his airtime quickly started fading, and he started losing a ton of speed in just a few seconds. As he started falling instead of flying, he called, "Deenh!"
The Stormhawk sliced through the air, and Ashborn reached up, grabbing its talons just as it passed over his head. His falling slowed to a reassuring glide, and he just had to hang onto Deenh's talons and relax until they got to landfall. Just a few relaxing minutes later, he landed easily enough.
"Whew, thanks for the save, Deenh. Now, to find Melina," Ashborn patted himself down as his Stormhawk didn't fall back into his Shadow, causing Ashborn to properly give his surroundings his attention.
All around, he was surrounded by Godrick Soldiers. There were a few dogs, bow-wielding Exile Soldiers, and even a larger monster known as an Omen. Ashborn very slowly bent down, as all the enemies focused on him and began to ready themselves for a fight.
"The first strike makes the winner!" Ashborn roared, quickly pulling his fist back and slamming it into the ground, sending a tremor through the nearby area. Then, he tore his weapons from his shadow, as his shadow expanded outwards, and his loyal followers climbed from the ground, beginning to take the fight to the Godrick soldiers without giving them a chance.
The knights that used to be the Grafted Scion were fairly fast, dodging many of the arrows and cutting down a ton of the knights and dogs. However, they were far from perfect, and they would get destroyed by enough damage.
However, to Ashborn's surprise, they didn't just fade entirely, like how his Spirit Ashes once did. Instead, they regenerated with a little bit of his MP, which was far from a fair trade, in his opinion. He was getting so much assistance even though he didn't offer much to it.
Even his Shadow Maiden came out, blue energy that reminded him of Sellen. The thought of her made his heart ache a bit. She blasted her foes with energy from the stars, and most of them went down in a few well-aimed shots.
Deenh was also incredible, picking enemies off in guerrilla attacks that guaranteed his safety. And with the enemies focusing on the ground, they'd be weak to the air. If they focused on Deenh in the air, they'd be weak against the obvious enemies on the ground.
Even though Ashborn couldn't immediately understand the entire scene before him, he didn't have a very hard time understanding that he was moving in sync with his Shadows.
Ashborn casually dodged plenty of the arrows, just watching the scene before realizing he would be much more effective on the offensive. With that thought, he suddenly blitzed through his opponents, slashing many of them to bloody pieces.
However, the scene didn't look like it would go entirely Ashborn's way. Even with a lot of good coordination and hardworking allies, there were still too many enemies to underestimate. So, Ashborn didn't even dream of underestimating them.
"Come join the battlefield once more! Arise!" Ashborn's call to the spirits caused the battlefield to shift in an instant. The Godrick Soldiers were suddenly confused, with their once-allies now returning as enemies.
[You've gained 32 Shadow Exiles.]
[You've gained 23 Shadow Infantry.]
[You've gained 2 Shadow Dogs.]
However, there was still one enemy that didn't look to be going down anytime soon.
Ashborn turned his attention to the Omen, who swung through hordes of Ashborn's Shadows with ease. It barely even looked worried, even as its allies became enemies. It moved with surprising swiftness for its large size, but Ashborn had defeated many Omen before, including the Omen King, so he didn't hold much fear of this enemy.
With a silent command, his knights backed off, and a few other Shadows turned their attentions to the Omen. The Shadow Maiden began to gather energy near her chest, allowing it to build. Deenh began swirling around in the air around the Omen, not attacking but preparing to do so. And several Exile Soldiers honed their bows on the large enemy.
Ashborn rushed forward without any fanfare. There were few Omen he could try to speak with, and he knew this wasn't one of the few. As such, he didn't even attempt to converse.
As he rushed forward, not using anywhere near the speed he used earlier, the Omen swiped to his head with its oversized cleaver. Ashborn threw his blades into the air as one of his Shadows pushed the Golden Beast Crest Shield out of the ground, causing the Omen's cleaver to slam into it. That, in turn, hit Ashborn's shoulder, but at a small fraction of the original strength.
With the Omen halted, Ashborn, the Shadow Maiden, Deenh, and his other Shadows went on the offensive.
Ashborn huffed and leapt into the air, grabbing his blades as the Omen's attention fell entirely on him. Far below, the Shadow Maiden unleashed her attack and it slammed into the Omen's chest. It stumbled, the attack startling the tunnel-visioned monster.
It ignored Ashborn and let out a roar at the Shadow Maiden, but before it could charge at her, arrows from all angles bit into its flesh, the Exiles all managing to get decent shots on the large opponent. Having all but forgotten about Ashborn, and when Deenh swooped down and started attacking the Omen's eyes, it didn't even see Ashborn coming.
The menace sliced the Omen in three, both Ornamental Straight Swords cutting straight through the monster. It couldn't even let out a cry of pain before it fell in chunks, allowing Ashborn to reach out to the beast.
Before the fight was over, Ashborn was curious of the Omen's capabilities. He extended his hand to it, and with a smile, spoke. With an utterance, the beast's soul decided to follow Ashborn and turned on his allies.
[Shadow Omen]
[Rank: 2]
The Shadow Omen fit into Ashborn's ranks rather well, managing to take care of most of the threats singlehandedly. With the Shadow Maiden, Deenh, Exile Soldiers, and Godrick Knights to back it up, the flow of the battle changed entirely. The fight only lasted a few more minutes.
And then it was over, with Ashborn having earned over 100 new Shadows in a single fight.
48 Exile Soldiers, 45 Godrick Knights, 8 Rotten Stray Dogs, and one Omen. When added to the Shadows he'd already obtained, his army grew to 124 different individuals, all useful in their own ways. Ashborn was preparing to have all the new Shadows travel through Stormveil Castle to take it by surprise, but he was suddenly reminded of a few people who he didn't want to attack or surprise.
Rogier, Nepheli, and Gostoc were all valuable people, even if the latter of the three had a suspicious aura to him. With them in mind, he sent his Shadows — except for the Omen, Deenh, and the Maiden — to raid the castle.
He kept a close eye on his MP just in case they got into any combat that was too much for them, but he was pretty sure he had a massive numbers advantage against his enemies, which reassured him somewhat.
He took a moment as a breather, with his Omen, Deenh, and Maiden all going around and collecting various pieces of armor, equipment, and smithing stones. They all were stored in Ashborn's shadow for safe keeping, which was truly convenient for the Tarnished.
He laid back onto the ground and closed his eyes. After a few brief moments, a presence appeared. It wasn't hostile, and it simply appeared by him and didn't act for several minutes. It sat by him, but he didn't open his eyes for a long time. Despite his eyes remaining closed, his lips curled upwards into a smile.
After the long silence, the woman, Melina, spoke. As always, her dual-colored eyes were focused on the distant future. "Before the Destined Death disappeared, the bond between empyreans and their Shadows has been severed. You, instead, have become their natural leader. This means —"
"Melina."
The redheaded woman went silent, looking down to Ashborn to see his eyes lazily opened, staring up at her. He was smiling at her, and it was clear he wasn't paying attention to much else at all. He extended a hand to her.
"I'm positive, we'll get where we need to be. But this time around, I won't lose you. For just a moment, focus on right now," Ashborn grinned, and Melina opened her mouth before closing it again. "Please?"
She silently kneeled, resting next to Ashborn. Even as distant sounds of fighting began and ended, the two companions spent a moment together. And sometime during that moment, their hands became intertwined.
Neither of the two brought attention to it, but they spent that moment enjoying the connection.
Until they couldn't anymore, as a familiar Fell Omen leapt over the castle walls and landed in front of the two, kicking up dirt, grime, and general muck. Ashborn didn't even have to move, as his Omen stood in front of himself and Melina. At the same time, Deenh was flying overhead, and his Shadow Maiden stood around them, a faint shield of blue energy protecting the companions.
"Foul tarnished, and… Melina, the Forgotten Flame," Margit, the Fell Omen called. He swept his wooden cane — that was truly an ethereal sword, when he got serious once — and the area was immediately cleared of debris, a shockwave of air following. Ashborn whistled as the wind blew his hair around and sent Melina's robe aflutter.
Ashborn rose lackadaisically, pulling Melina gently to her feet. He didn't even bother giving Margit — real name, Morgott, the King of Leyndell — much more than a passing glance. This being was only an apparition, and it was far less of a threat when compared to the actual thing.
However, while he partially wanted to just take him down easily and move back on to relaxing with Melina, Ashborn had never seen Melina in Margit interact, and curiosity got the best of him.
Margit growled. "You, Melina, are stoking the horrid flame of ambition. You should abandon this path, lest you get burned with thine Tarnished's flame."
Melina clenched Ashborn's hand. Ashborn softly clenched back. "Margit, you must cease this troublesome hindering. This world must progress, with or without you."
Margit cloak fluttered as his half horn-covered face scowled.
Ashborn — after having learned of the Dungeater's horrid truth — understood Margit now more than ever. He didn't know what he was going to push the world towards, and if it was a world where Omen like Margit were either killed or thrown far underground, he understood why Margit wanted to stop his progress.
No, even furthermore, Margit loved the Erdtree. Maybe he was trying to stop Ashborn here, instead of trying to protect the world. Yes, that felt somewhat more accurate.
Ashborn looked at Melina, taking a moment to take in her face. 'If he loves the Erdtree even a fraction of how much I love her, then I could understand his position.' The Necromancer turned and his attention fell on the Omen. 'But I have to move forward, to make a world that's better than this Fractured mess.'
As Margit began approaching, Ashborn let go of Melina's hand. However, she didn't disappear like she'd done in the past. She was done running, even from her demigod siblings.
"Margit — actually, Morgott," Ashborn's words caused the Omen to halt. His eyes were skeptical and confused, but he didn't speak. "I'm sorry the Erdtree didn't choose you. Actually, I'm not a Tarnished. However, the flame of ambition I hold… it will burn down that tree."
Margit growled and began approaching once more. Ashborn took his blades from his shadow, as his Omen, Deenh, and Shadow Maiden all strolled forward, just a pace behind him.
"It's because of my love that I must do this, just like you," Ashborn said. His voice was low, but it was filled with undeniable determination. He pointed his blade towards his enemy, energy pulsing through his body. "And for that, I will not apologize."
Margit let out a roar, leaping into the air and summoning a dagger of light in his hand. He threw it at Ashborn, but it was countered by a shot from his Shadow Maiden. With decisive quickness, he instead summoned a hammer of light, swinging it down on top of Ashborn.
As he came down, the Shadow Omen stepped forward with a swiping blow. Blade and magic hammer met, and a shockwave blew out in all directions, but the magical hammer won. Margit's blow shattered the Shadow's blade and came down on the Omen's shoulder, pushing through the monster and destroying it in a burst of energy.
Melina took a few dozen steps back, staying out of combat. Margit met her eyes but turned back just in time to swipe off Deenh, only to be stabbed through his sword arm by Ashborn. He let out a roar, his tail swinging around him and coming to hit Ashborn.
However, just an instant before it landed, it was blown in the other direction by the Shadow Maiden's blast. Margit let out a roar, a blast of golden energy shooting out from his body and destroying Deenh. Ashborn had enough sense to dodge backwards and get out of danger.
'Deenh and the Omen won't be back in action for a few minutes. That light is pretty powerful,' Ashborn noted, lightly bending down and taking two fallen blades into his hand. 'Fine, tactic porcupine it is.'
Ashborn waited for a moment, and Margit leapt into the air. The instant the King Omen's feet left the ground, Ashborn reeled his arms back and chucked his swords at the flying enemy. Margit blocked the blows with his cane, coming down with a roar.
He hit the ground hard, a crater forming. However, when the dust cleared, Ashborn was gone. Then, the Omen was stabbed in the back. Margit's head whipped around, and he saw Ashborn pulling two blades from his shadow.
The battlefield that was once covered in fallen swords was now cleared. Ashborn swept it all up, storing them in his shadow and using them as weapons. And now, there was a flurry of blades heading his way, with Ashborn throwing more by the second.
Margit growled, and his cane began flickering with impressive accuracy, sending the blades clattering all about. The two fell into a rhythm, but then the cane-wielding Omen was slammed in the back by a blast of blue energy.
His head whipped around, and he saw the Shadow Maiden focusing entirely on building energy. He growled. In the heat of the moment, he'd entirely forgotten about her, but with Ashborn keeping his attention, he didn't have many options. However, he couldn't simply sit there, or else his death would be inevitable.
He began building energy in his left hand, as blood oozed from the still-inserted Ornamental Straight Swords. However, then he heard several clicking noises, the sound large machinery being used. He could barely act before his body was suddenly impaled from every angle.
All around him, Ashborn's Shadows returned and began using the ballistae that would've been used against whatever poor sap entered through the castle's main gate. With all those ballistae aimed at Margit, he couldn't do much at all, and all the fight in him left his body.
The King Omen fell to his knees, and even with his chest impaled, he spoke strongly, with conviction. Even after it was clear he couldn't act, he still was unwilling to die.
"You… will fail. The Erdtree will welcome no one," he gasped. His body began to flicker away, as Ashborn approached him. He met Ashborn's eyes and was shocked when he saw a dark flame within them. "Ah. That flame of ambition… it is emboldened by Destined Death. I will fight… even Destined Death… for the Erdtree."
Margit's words lingered for a second after his body faded, and surprisingly, he had one last thing to say. "And you, Forgotten Flame… you fail your mother…."
Then, he was gone, and everything that was impaled in him fell to the ground, not even covered in blood. Because he was a simple apparition, Ashborn couldn't obtain a Shadow from him, unfortunately.
Ashborn let out a sigh, relaxing his shoulders and dropping the blade he was holding. It fell into his shadow smoothly. He left it up to his Shadows to pick up the other fallen blades. He approached Melina, who was a bit shaken up.
She was staring at the spot where Margit was, before he disappeared. Her hand was quivering, and her eyes were distant. Ashborn softly held her hand, and her sole eye fell on him.
"Queen Marika… is not your everything. Your siblings, Miquella and Malenia, are also there for you," Ashborn told her. She slowly nodded, coming back down to reality. Her sole eye was refilled with energy, and her nod grew invigorated.
"Right," she said simply. It didn't seem like much, but that one word held a lot of power to it.
With Melina recentered, Ashborn allowed his Shadows — including his now regenerated Omen, Deenh, and his Shadow Maiden — to roam the castle again, and he could feel as they defeated a few notable enemies, like a Lion Guardian, another Grafted Scion, a Crucible Knight, a Banished Knight, and a Troll. They also picked up several items that would all become incredibly useful in the future.
For the latter of the three, if Ashborn remembered correctly, they wouldn't be able to access it without a Stonesword Key. Or rather, he wouldn't be able to access it. Due to their state as nonphysical beings, they could easily access the other side of the gate without a cinch.
"Let's go," Ashborn smiled, holding Melina's hand. She nodded once, happy.
And so, Ashborn and Melina strolled through the empty castle, Ashborn smashing his way through walls with stunning ease. In minutes, they cleared everything out, and the two approached Sorcerer Rogier first.
He was a rapier-wielding sorcerer that had once helped Ashborn fight against Margit, in his prior life. His clothing was befitting a sorcerer, and his flappy pointy-tipped hat was a sign of his determination in his goals.
In the past, he was a detached individual, and when he most needed help, Ashborn failed to give it to him. As such, he fell to Death Blight and passed away after searching the depths of Stormveil Castle. Now, however, Ashborn was more than prepared to save him, even if it cast some suspicion on him.
He was a bit on-guard, but Ashborn approached easily, and Melina lagged a step behind, making it clear Ashborn was the one to speak to.
"Hey, sorry about all the commotion," Ashborn began, not quite sure how to start speaking to the sorcerer. "Stormveil should be cleared out soon, so you should be free to move about."
Rogier's eyes widened, and he took half a step forward. His eyes sparkled with intrigue, "Those spirits… were they under your command?"
Ashborn nodded, giving Rogier a thumbs-up. Then, he flipped on his heel and prepared to continue elsewhere. Melina began walking ahead of him, but before he left, he stopped, glancing over his shoulder.
Rogier was standing there, mostly flabbergasted.
Ashborn spoke clearly, "Watch your step under the castle. What you're looking for is down there, but it can easily take everything from you."
Rogier stumbled forward, his voice tense. "How… how do you know that?!"
Ashborn smiled coyly before continuing onwards, turning the corner as he spoke. "Maybe I know the future."
Rogier stood, stunned. However, with such a response, his curiosity was stoked. He dashed from the small chapel, turning the corner. However, the two were nowhere to be found. He looked around confusedly, but eventually gave up. Above him, Melina and Ashborn observed the sorcerer from the rooftop.
"Will that be enough? It may spurn him to more irrationality," Melina noted.
Ashborn shook his head, "It'll be enough. He's smart, and there's no way he'll ignore the chance to learn more. This'll probably keep him out of harm's way. And I'll have my Shadows… shadow him. They'll protect him and stop him from getting into too much danger."
Melina raised her eyebrows, adequately convinced. "Next is Nepheli Loux, yes?"
Ashborn nodded. "Correct."
Just a quick bit away, Ashborn approached Nepheli. Melina opted to stay back, sensing that Nepheli would be more on-guard with two people instead of one. Ashborn agreed, and he approached Nepheli, seeing her bow her head to a fallen knight.
She was a dark-skinned Warrior, wearing a sparce amount of clothing made of animal hide. Before, he was ignorant, but after facing Hoarah Loux Ashborn could tell Nepheli was inspired by the first Elden Lord. He didn't know if her blood was truly that of Hoarah Loux, but she was clearly pushed to strength by his presence.
"Be proud. You were a fine warrior. Your only mistake was your choice of a master. Let the winds guide you, to a higher place," Nepheli prayed. When she opened her eyes, she noticed Ashborn, and inclined her head.
He did the same.
In Ashborn's last life, Nepheli was able to become the Lord of Limgrave, just by allowing her to be inspired properly by Kenneth Height and the Stormhawk King Ashes. Even now, the Stormhawk King Ashes were quivering in Ashborn's shadow, and he could tell they still had a very clear affinity towards Nepheli.
He approached the warrior clearly. Although she wasn't suspicious of him, he didn't want to suddenly give her any reasons to be suspicious either. With her, speaking of her father would immediately open her up, so he did just that.
"Your Gideon Ofnir's daughter, right? Your father told me about your quest to defeat Godrick, and I have a similar goal."
Nepheli gazed at her Stormhawk Axes. They were once gifted to her by her father, and she now carried them as a reminder of her goals. It was far from easy, but she moved forward all the same, as a Tarnished with the goal of being Elden Lord. However, she was far from complete without the Stormhawk King Ashes.
Nepheli dropped her head respectfully, "I understand. Then I shall stand by your side, when the time comes to challenge that Grafted Devil."
Ashborn scratched the side of his face at that. He knew Nepheli would be a help in the fight against Godrick, but without Grace to help him, he didn't know whether Nepheli's life would be guaranteed or not. She was a Tarnished, while he wasn't, and he didn't know how things would stand.
So, without outright denying her, he just led her to a different path.
"In the meantime, Gideon recommended I give you these. He said they'll allow you to focus and take your true role," Ashborn said, absolutely lying. He took the Stormhawk King Ashes from his shadow and handed them to Nepheli.
He knew it probably wasn't the best thing to blatantly lie to Nepheli, but he didn't see many other ways to get her the Stormhawk King Ashes without lying. If he told her outright, her pride would lead her to deny the help, and he wanted to help her out as soon as possible.
She'd soon be traveling to the Village of the Albinaurics, and she'd possibly fight the Omenkiller on her own. While he'd rather help her with it, he knew there was a chance she'd move on her own. In that case, he wanted her to be as prepared as possible.
Nepheli looked at the ashes before pulling them close to her chest. "Oh, Father…." Her attention fell back to Ashborn, and she seriously bowed her head once more. "These ashes remind me of my first hawk, long since passed. Thank you, with these, I'll summon the ancient storm to help these lands. If you need my assistance, simply call."
Ashborn gave Nepheli a relaxed wave on his way out, nervous sweat beading down his face. He was trying his best to not show his worries, but it was getting to him. Despite all his new power, lying so blatantly to Nepheli could've easily brought catastrophic consequences, mainly, her becoming unwilling to assist him as the Lord of Limgrave.
Gideon Ofnir's position as her father meant much less, as Ashborn was… nearly 100% positive he'd kill him. Gideon was a pretty annoying, but that wasn't why. He believed that Queen Marika wanted Tarnished to suffer endlessly, without any sign of success. That spurred him to attempt to kill Ashborn, which he failed at.
It didn't leave many nice, fuzzy feelings inside Ashborn regarding Gideon. So, Ashborn was nearly positive in killing Gideon, but only after he'd received Nepheli as a proper ally.
On that line of reasoning, he wondered what to do about Gostoc, the Gatekeeper of Castle Stormveil. The Gatekeeper was far from the most likable of people in the Lands Between, but Ashborn knew his presence was one with value. Furthermore, unlike Gideon, Gostoc wasn't particularly strong, so he wouldn't hold much special value as a Shadow.
He decided to just have some Shadows protect him, uncaring to speak to the Gatekeeper.
As he walked through the mostly empty castle, Melina fell to his side, and they walked in a peaceful silence. Quickly bringing back the fallen monsters in the area brought his army's standing up. It was an impressive thing that brought him satisfaction to see grow so steadily.
"Is it time for you to challenge Godrick?" Melina asked.
Ashborn pursed his lips before shrugging nonchalantly. "No, I think it'll be better if we go find Roderika, Boc, and Kale first."
Melina bowed her head once, taking Ashborn's arm into hers. "Then we shall."
And, with his maiden in his arms, they continued onward, determined to succeed. They wouldn't let this second chance slip them by.
-----
Total Shadows: 329
169 Shadow Exiles – Rank 1
129 Shadow Infantry – Rank 1
13 Shadow Dogs – Rank 1
9 Shadow Warhawks – Rank 1
4 Shadow Jars – Rank 1
Shadow Stormhawk, Deenh – Rank 2
Shadow Maiden – Rank 2
Shadow Omen – Rank 3
Shadow Lion Guardian – Rank 3
Shadow Crucible Knight – Rank 4
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
PyroSaiyan
PyroSaiyan Ah, it's pretty fun to watch as our main character starts to grasp how overpowered he actually is! If you like it, leave a vote and some unique (as in, not the exact same copy-pasted "Thank you for the chapter") comments!
The ones with some personality are always a joy to read!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone