"What did you find today, Akeno?" Questioned the crimson-haired girl, sitting down and crossing her leg, revealing her flawless thighs.
Despite wearing a regular uniform, they were unable to conceal her perfect figure. Her eyes were as green as gems, and they were stunning enough to make any man fall in love at first sight. But that wasn't what drew people to her the most. The most appealing aspect of this woman was her two developed melons, which can arouse the desire of any man to bite on them.
Her long crimson hair flowed softly, creating a mysterious frame around her face. She obviously loved her long hair, but it also made her appear more mature than most high school students. She had a slender waist that would make even Chads over six feet drool.
This seductress was none other than The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess and the President of the Occult Research Club and the school's Number-One Beauty, as well as one of Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies —Rias Gremory.
"As usual, President. Nothing strange and abnormal. He didn't seem to have awakened his sacred gear yet... But somehow was able to use its holy properties unconsciously. " Replied the woman in front.
In front of her stood Akeno Himejima, the Vice-President of the Occult Research Club and Rias's second-in-command, who wore a uniform similar to her leader. Hers, on the other hand, was a little different: instead of a short-sleeved shirt, she wore a short-sleeved white blouse with a red bow tie underneath the left chest. Her skirt is thigh-length, as opposed to Rias', which is long and reaches past her knees. Her figure was as good as her president's, and some say she could put a succubus to shame.
As vice president, she was in charge of everything club-related, including the 'extra' activities.
The Vice-President was the same year as Rias, and they shared many traits with her, both physically and mentally. Their personalities matched each other to some level. They were best friends and rivals, but if Rias can be described as kind and passionate, her friend can be described as sadistic.
They sat on the top floor of their building, overlooking the city of Kuoh.
"I wonder how he is doing it. His sacred gear hasn't completely manifested yet, but he has traces of using its holy properties every day. It is as if he was able to semi-manifest. Quite fascinating~" Akeno licked her lips unconsciously, making Rias narrow her eyes.
"It is not confirmed whether he had any contact with the Church. I suggest keeping your distance from him. It is entirely possible the remnants of the holy powers can be on him from the contact with the angels!" Rias strictly said. The only reason she hadn't approached him was due to her suspension. If not, she would have already approached him instead of Issie. However, her paranoia and lazy nature seemed to have brought a treasure of luck.
"Ara, Ara~ Is the president having a wet dream of Issei-kun~ I wonder if him becoming a dragon can have any effect on 'that'." Akeno whispered, making Rias's cheeks burn, matching her hair color.
"S-Shut up, Akeno! Why do you have to make everything so perverted." Rias whined childishly, but her cheeks still continued to explode in red, as images of "that" started to appear in his mind.
"Ufufufu..." Even Akeno's chuckles can bring pain in the lower area.
"Inform all the members; today, we will be dining at Issei's house," Rias ordered, and her friend nodded before running to the club's other members.
***
〖PROTOCOL #2163 INITIATED. SUCCESSFUL TELEPORTATION TO <ELDEN RING> COOL DOWN: 3 DAYS〗
"So the voice commands work, but it seems the system only responds to specific commands," Kaida thought out loud, though seeing how there was a cool down made him a little nervous, it is okay.
"And it is possible to get back here by 'return'?" He tried to call himself with the command 'call me', but nothing happened. He says 'return' again and again, but still no response.
Looking around, he noticed he was back in the broken church, the Church of Ellen, next to the grace. Meaning it's only a few feet away from where he died.
As he was making his way, he hoped that those soldiers were there. If not, at least the zombies would suffice. He kept on thinking about what would happen when he reached them, wondering if they could be saved. And then he finally got to them. They looked dead on the floor, which made him feel bad for doing this to them. But after a moment or two passed, he started feeling angry and sad for these people who had been killed because of him.
Kaida felt like he had done something wrong. Maybe he should have just let them go. But what was his initial goal? To use them as meat shields, so why should he be sad?
"Was it fate that I ended up with the undead?" He used silver nails on the corpses while mumbling to himself. At the very least, they should be better than the corpses he discovered in the cave. He did discover a limit when using them on human corpses. Unlike the living, where he can temporarily brainwash them, the needle he uses on the dead stays in them. So he had three nails on the dead nun and one on the corpse of a soldier.
Why did he use the nun's body again?
Kaida was perplexed as to why, unlike others, she required three nails while the soldiers next to him only required one.
He continued walking toward the path after walking up the corpses. It appeared to be nighttime based on the sky. If this is true, he has squandered far too much time. His goal was to get to the castle gates before the maiden arrived, where there should be a Grace. Hopefully.
He took one last look at the ground before proceeding. The forest was dark and silent. There was not a single bug to be heard. The wind blew, causing the trees to rustle. He walked forward with a soft sigh until he noticed a small glint of light at the forest's edge. He followed it until the forest ended, and he was standing in an open area leading to a much larger camp.
The area was densely packed with tents, and a large crowd was milling about. A group of men was carrying swords, but it was two men who drew his attention. One was holding what appeared to be a golden horn, while the other was dressed in heavy armor and wielded a kite shield and a lance.
'The big guy is a big no. I have died so many times to that guy, even when I am carrying op weapons. And the other guy with the horn is the person to alert the camp. Since this isn't a game world anymore, I am sure if I kill him, another person will blow the horn alerting all the people.'
Turning to his right, he saw his two zombies, one nun and the other a soldier. The zombie knight looked normal from the outside as he wore armor.
'Neither of them will help me kill anyone in the camp. It's better to sneak around them and grab the grace, another side of the camp. From there, I can head towards the gate while grabbing some weapons from the broken carriage.'
***
It didn't take him long to get to the grace in front of the camp. He prepared himself by taking a deep breath; he knew Melina usually appeared at your third Site of Lost Grace, and since this was his third, he was hoping, no, praying to meet her and gain a way to level up in this cursed world.
As his hand touched the Lost Grace, the familiar warmth traveled through his body. It gave a sense of mother warmth to the heart of Kaida as he waited for the maiden to appear. It was just like before, only this time, he felt a strange feeling. He had never felt anything like this before.
"So you have come."
A soft voice spoke, and the girl appeared in front of him. Her appearance was as beautiful as always. Her hair was long and silky, and her eye looked so pure. She was wearing a black robe, hiding her slender figure.
"Greetings. I have been waiting for you, traveler from beyond the fog."
She bowed her head slightly, and the sound of her voice caused his heart to beat faster.
"You are...?"
"I am Melina… a finger maiden, and I offer you an accord."
The mysterious maiden was offering an agreement to Kaida, but he understood what she meant.
"An accord? What does that mean?" Kaida asked, acting oblivious.
Melina paused for a moment and then answered him.
"Have you heard of the finger maidens? They serve the Two Fingers, offering guidance, and aid, to the Tarnished. But you, I am afraid, are maidenless. I can play the role of the maiden. Turning rune fragments into strength. To aid you in your search for the Elden Ring. You need only take me with you. To the foot of the Erdtree."
Kaida stood there in silence; he had already hidden the zombies, so all he needed to do was act normally, hoping Melina wouldn't notice.
"I accept!"
"Then it's settled. Summon me by grace to turn runes into strength. Ahh, another matter. I bequeath you this ring." Melina said as she handed over a ring. "Use it to traverse great distances. It will summon a spectral steed named Torrent. Though he was chosen for someone else, I have a feeling he will be a great help. Treat him with respect."
ring and placed it on his right hand.
"Thank you, Melina."
"Yes, thank you. I will await your return."
And with that, Melina disappeared into the fog.
"Torrent!" Kaida called out, and a horse appeared. It was a large, majestic beast. It looks like a light brown horse with golden hooves. The horse's hooves are large and sturdy. The mane of its tail was silver. The eyes of the horse were golden and glittery, and two unique horns were sprouting from each side above its ears. Its leather coat sparkled in the light of the moon.
"Hehe, a fine steed. I am pleased. Come, let us ride."
It is unknown why this horse, which is supposedly reserved for someone else, is appearing now or who that person is. But since Kaida has received the ring from Melina, he can call the horse whenever he wants.
All of a sudden, he remembered something. His cheeks began to turn red, and his eyes started to turn misty.
'I don't know how to ride!'
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A/N: Be sure to comment; I like to read comments in my free time. As my college is going to open next week, I am not sure how free I am going to be consistent in this project I started during my Christmas break. Hope you don't mind.