Chapitre 21: Chapter 21 – Castle Morne
Godwyn, Rennala, and I crossed the great stone bridge over the sea after clearing it from Godrick's men, thus giving the refugees safe passage.
Speaking of refugees, we passed a long line of them, men, women, and children of all ages, dirty, wearing worn clothes, and carrying what they could into wagons and horse-drawn carts.
Everyone talked and argued simultaneously, creating a cacophony of voices.
As soon as they saw us pass, they flinched in fear, raising their hands towards anything that served as a weapon, or just stared at us with a mixture of curiosity and surprise.
I left the refugees behind and looked at the region around me; the peninsula was rocky, made of a gray stone, with humid ground and air, probably due to the constant rains that occurred in this place.
The sound of waves crashing against the peninsula could be heard in the distance, but it was mixed with the sound of something else. A sound I knew very well, the sound of fighting.
Riding further into the peninsula, I came across a familiar sight, corpses strewn across the road.
There were two types of corpses, one type was of humans wearing armor and the other type was of humanoid creatures with strong animalistic features, some of them reminded me of Hewg.
"Hey, Godwyn! What are these beings? They look like Hewg." I asked the demigod floating beside me as we advanced.
However, Godwyn remained silent, the only noise being those mentioned before and Torrent's gallop.
I saw several expressions flit across Godwyn's face, anger, sadness, doubt, and more as he made a series of grimaces.
"Godwyn?" I called again.
This snapped Godwyn out of his stupor as he slowly turned towards me, a serious look on his face and lips pressed together in a thin line. After a few seconds of silence, the demigod disappeared.
What was that? I may not have known Godwyn for that long, but this behavior is unusual.
"Godwyn?"
But there was no answer. Damn it... I guess I can only hope that he returns.
I rode in an uncomfortable silence, and as I kept going. More corpses covered in wounds littered the road.
I continued like this for a long time, until something that didn't fit this death scenario got in my way. A girl sitting on top of a rock, next to a site of grace.
She had light blonde hair and wore a bloodstained dress and a band over her eyes.
As I approached, the girl turned her head in my direction.
"Hello? Is somebody there? Lend me your ear for a moment, please." The girl spoke worriedly, almost pleading.
I left Torrent as Rennala came out of her moon and landed beside me, and then we approached the girl.
"Yes? How can I help you?" I asked.
The girl jumped a little in surprise after hearing my voice, but placing a hand on her chest and letting out a relieved sigh, she spoke again.
"My name is Irina. I escaped from Castle Morne to the south. The servants there... rebelled. I don't know what happened; my vision has been weak since birth... But I swear I heard scary howls from all sides. My good father sent me away from the castle, but he decided to stay. He says it's his duty as commander."
Rennala and I stared at each other for a few seconds with an understanding look.
"Looks like we found the site of the demihuman revolt." Rennala spoke seriously.
"Well, Kenneth asked to find out why the demihumans rioted. Maybe Irina can tell us more about it?"
"Excuse me if this sounds rude, but is there anyone else here with you?" Irina asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Oh! I don't think we've introduced ourselves! My name is Alden and the lady beside me is called Rennala."
"Radagon, dear. It's rude not to give your real name when introducing yourself." Rennala said, scolding me as if I was a child.
"Rennala and Radagon? Is this some kind of joke? Does my poor eyesight entertain you two to the point where you try to trick me? For I assure you, I may not see well, but that doesn't make me a fool, my mind is as sharp as ever." Irina said irritably with clenched teeth and rigid posture.
We flinched at Irina's scolding and glancing at each other, we understood how impossible this situation must seem to her.
What are the chances that Rennala and "Radagon", one of them known to isolate herself in the academy and the other missing, are taking a walk on the Weeping Peninsula?
Congratulations Alden! For almost fooling a blind girl alone in the middle of nowhere, one more item for your big list of shame!
"I believe there has been a misunderstanding, I'm the real Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon and the one beside me is my husband, Radagon." Rennala replied, offering Irina a nervous but friendly smile as she held her hand out to me.
"Yes! In addition, I'm Shabriri, The Slanderer! If you aren't ashamed of trying to deceive a person going through difficulties, I recommend that you leave and stop wasting my time! I'll wait for someone willing to help me." Irina answered, crossing her arms angrily and turning her head away from us.
"But… But… I'm being truthful…" Rennala said, holding out a shaky hand to Irina as she muttered apologies.
I put my hand on Rennala's shoulder, or at least I tried to, as it was a difficult task given our height difference. Rennala turned to me and I shook my head.
Passing Rennala, I approached Irina.
"I would like to apologize on behalf of my partner and myself. She didn't lie when she said we were called Rennala and Radagon, but those are just the names our parents gave us in honor of these great historical figures from the Lands Between, but my friend tends to take that joke too far. Now back to the beginning of our conversation. How can we help you?"
Irina let out an irritated huff before uncrossing her arms and glaring at us. Even wearing that band over her eyes, I could feel her gaze trying to dig a hole in my forehead.
"Fine! At least you are polite, unlike a certain someone!"
Rennala winced at Irina's jab.
"As I was saying... I... I fear for my father's life. The servants are furious. Full of hate for each one of us. Since then, they've hunted every one of the companions I escaped with. They didn't spare a soul. I'm afraid it's no different at Castle Morne... Please, I beg you. Would you mind taking a letter to my father at the castle? My only wish is for him to flee, even if his honor is the price. Please… I just want him to be safe…".
Irina pleaded, leaning towards us, clasping her hands in front of her face.
"Hm… Listen, despite our previous interaction, what I'm about to say is true, but you might not believe it. I'm here in the name of Kenneth Height of Limgrave, he wishes to help the refugees and establish diplomatic relations with the demihumans, but news of the uprising has reached him, so I've been sent to investigate the reason for this."
"What wonderful news! I'm grateful for your assistance, but I believe there's been a mix-up, it's not the demihumans who are rioting, it's the misbegotten." Irina spoke hopefully.
"Misbegotten?"
"You don't know what they are? From what I've heard, demihumans and misbegotten look alike, but in the end, they're completely different beings."
"I'll have to go to Castle Morne anyway, so it doesn't matter who's rioting, my job is to find out what's going on." I shrugged.
"Thank you very much. So please take this." Irina spoke with joyfully, handing me a letter with a wax seal.
I accepted it and put it in my bag.
"Give it to my father, who remains in the castle. His name is Edgar, he can be stubborn but I'm sure he'll change his mind." Irina spoke.
"No problem, as soon as we reach the castle, we will search for your father." I got ready to call Torrent but stopped as soon as something came to my mind.
"Tell me. Are you here alone?" I asked Irina.
The girl lowered her head, frowning slightly.
"Unfortunately yes, my father and his soldiers are still fighting in the castle and misbegotten killed my escort. I'm on my own now."
"This isn't good. We can't allow you to be here alone, let alone during a revolt. Honey, one of us should stay here while the other goes to the castle." Rennala suggested.
No! No way! I'll not leave Rennala alone out of my sight! On the other hand... I can't leave Irina alone either, I don't see any weapons on her and her poor eyesight doesn't help her a bit.
If only we had one more person to keep an eye on Irina... Wait! We have!
I touched the grace next to Irina and called my maiden.
"Melina? Can you come here for a minute?"
In a cloud of golden particles, Melina materialized in front of me as she removed her hood.
"I'm glad to see you again, Alden. It has been some time." Melina spoke, smiling lightly.
I lifted the front of my helmet and smiled back.
"You could say so. The last time we saw each other was before I entered the academy. What have you been up to?"
"Not much. I just heard the news and rumors of my tarn... I mean, Undead deeds."
"Seriously? What kind of news?"
"That a certain Undead acquired a second Great Rune and defeated several monsters around Liurnia. However, the strangest part is that you are said to be traveling with Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. But I figured that could only be exaggerated rumors, didn't it?"
Melina asked, smiling amusedly and chuckling slightly.
"Oh! The rumors are correct, I'm traveling with Rennala and she is right there!" I pointed to the Queen in question.
"Hello!" Rennala smiled, waving at Melina.
Melina made a strange noise with widened eyes upon seeing Rennala.
"Come on! Let me introduce you to her!"
I held Melina by her hand, but felt that she was covered in sweat and shaking slightly.
I tried to take her to Rennala; however, I had difficulties in doing it.
Looking back, I saw Melina's boots making a deep line in the ground as I pulled her along.
Eventually, I placed Melina in front of Rennala, the Queen offered Melina a gentle smile while Melina smiled nervously with sweat trickling down her face.
"Greetings! I don't think we've met." Rennala greeted Melina.
"I-likewise, Majesty." Melina stammered nervously.
After exchanging greetings, the two faced each other smiling nervously amid an uncomfortable silence.
I broke the silence, realizing the awkwardness of the situation.
"Rennala, this is Melina, the Maiden who has been assisting me on my journey to in the Lands Between." I said, pushing Melina lightly, causing her to stumble towards Rennala.
Rennala's smile widened upon hearing this.
"Oh! My dear told me about you! On behalf of the Carian Royal Family, I would like to thank you for your services." Rennala replied, leaning forward and looking Melina in the eye.
"I'm grateful for that Your Majesty and… Wait! Dear?!?" Melina screamed, processing the information.
"Exactly! My darling and I are traveling together through the Lands Between, trying to regain control of our lands and lessen the damage caused by this war." Rennala replied hugging my arm and smiling with her other hand on her cheek.
I sighed, feeling an abysmal emptiness inside. Maybe the curse is getting to me again?
Melina looked at us surprised; her one open eye twitching nervously, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out. Slowly Melina raised a trembling finger in our direction.
"It's a long story." I said nervously.
In the end, Melina took a deep breath, and let out a long, loud irritated sigh, recomposing herself.
"Alden. I won't judge your tastes and I don't care if you roam around stealing other people's ex-wives as long as you keep your end of the bargain. But why did you call me here?" Melina said irritably.
"It's not what you are thinking! Rennala and I are going to Castle Morne to find out what's going on with the misbegotten. However, we need someone to protect Irina while we're away. She has poor eyesight, so she can't do much to protect herself."
Melina's gaze softened as she saw the girl with the band over her eyes.
"I understand. Thank you for calling me here. I promise I'll do my best to protect her."
"Thank you so much, Melina."
"Another thing. I've also heard the news that Castle Morne has recently acquired an abundance of strange weapons, and those weapons are likely to be in the hands of the misbegotten now. I believe you understand what that means."
"Yes. Thanks for the information."
"You're welcome, Alden. Now if you'll excuse me. You must be Irina." Melina said to the girl sitting on the rock.
"Yes, Miss Melina, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear the conversation. So are you the one who will stay by my side for the moment?" Irina replied, turning to Melina.
"Yes. I hope we can have a pleasant conversation in the brief time that we will be together." Melina answered, smiling and sitting next to Irina.
"Likewise, Miss Melina." Irina returned the smile.
Smiling and waving goodbye to Melina, I called Torrent and Rennala returned to her moon. Together we headed towards Castle Morne.
In addition, what we found on the way were even more corpses.
There was a wrecked, blood-covered wagon in the middle of the road, and misbegotten mutilating dozens of human corpses around it.
Each of the misbegotten slashed at the corpses with their great cleavers, severing limbs with a metallic crack followed by the sound cutting flesh and bone, spraying of blood everywhere.
Amidst the blows, the misbegotten raised their arms and roared toward the sky, the small wings on their backs flapping frantically as their mouths enlarged to inhuman proportions.
A bleak sight, but isn't the worst thing I saw in my life.
I shook Torrent's reins, riding forward. As we approached, the noise of the gallop caught the attention of the misbegotten who turned towards us, roaring right after.
The misbegottens flapped their wings, propelling themselves upwards, and fell towards us with their cleavers ready to sever our limbs.
However, they never had the chance. I quickly held my staff and cast Dark Orb, hit the first misbegotten in the stomach.
The sphere of darkness ripped through the air at great speed before hitting the first misbegotten, causing him to roar in pain, and creating a small explosion of darkness followed by a high-pitched buzzing sound.
The misbegotten shot through the air before hitting the ground, kicking up a small dust cloud.
The misbegotten went still, but I noticed he was still breathing.
Upon seeing what happened to their companion, the other two misbegotten roared before charging furiously.
With hurried steps, the misbegotten tried to close the distance between us, but Rennala cast spells from within her moon.
The small blue crystals flew quickly, leaving bright blue trails in the air, and hit the misbegotten in the center of their foreheads.
Upon hitting the misbegotten, the crystals shattered with a sound similar to glass.
The misbegotten had their heads thrown back by Rennala's spell, and with a choking sound; the misbegotten fell to the ground unconscious.
Looking around, with my staff ready, I realized that there was no one else around.
Well, I'd rather not kill any misbegotten until I find out the story behind what's going on. I would hate to cause a diplomatic incident on my first day of work.
Grabbing a morning star from the wagon, Rennala and I moved on, entering a valley with rocky walls that gradually led us down.
It was still quiet, the only sound being Torrent's hooves hitting the ground, creating an echo through our path.
Eventually, we reached a large rocky plain covered with grass and some lonely trees, a layer of fog hampered our vision, distorting what was in front of us, but even so, I saw the great fortification that was Castle Morne.
I looked at the amazing building in the distance with my binoculars.
The castle appeared to be built into a large rock, its great gray stonewalls and towers created an air of grandeur, but I grimaced upon seeing what was displayed on the walls.
Dozens if not hundreds of human corpses, some wearing servant clothes and others armor, their faces pale and stuck in anger or horror.
All hanged or impaled on wooden constructions mounted on walls and towers, and next to them, misbegotten roared to the sky.
What the hell is going on here? What caused the misbegotten to riot in such a way?
I had little time to think as something else caught my attention. Something in the distance was moving through the mist, something big.
I heard a series of familiar snaps, snaps of rope, wood, and metal, similar to when I used a great bow.
Suddenly something broke through the mist, opening a hole in the shape of a perfect circle.
My eyes widened at what I saw, a gigantic arrow bigger than a tree flying towards me at an absurd speed.
The arrow swirled in its flight, creating a visible spiral of air and mist around it, as it got closer, the hum of the arrow cutting through the air became audible.
Gripping my chime with both hands, I cast Wrath of the Gods.
A powerful shock wave erupted from my body, violently pushing the air and earth with an overwhelming force, cracking the ground and raising a dust cloud.
The gigantic arrow had its trajectory deviated to the left where it hit a large rock.
The impact generated a thunderous noise before the rock cracked and exploded into hundreds of pieces as the arrow pierced it and flew into the sea, letting out a loud splash.
The great shape moved again, and with the mist out of the way, I saw who had fired the arrow.
It was a golem the size of the Giant Lord, holding a bow slightly smaller than its body and a large quiver on its back.
The golem nocked another arrow to its bow and with a series of snaps, drew back the string and aimed at me again.
"HA!"
Wasting no time, I shook Torrent's reins, making him neigh and bolt toward the castle, Rennala following me on her moon.
I made Torrent go to the right, going behind some rocks, simultaneously, the golem accompanied us with his bow.
The golem disappeared from my field of vision as we took cover behind the rocks, at the same time; I heard the sound of the arrow being fired.
The hum of the approaching projectile grew louder, but I didn't stop riding towards the castle.
I didn't look back when I heard the arrow hitting the rocks, but I ducked when stone shards flew over me and landed on the ground just ahead.
"HA!"
I shook Torrent's reins again, making him neigh loudly and ride faster.
I noticed that the golem put another arrow on his bow, but we were close to the castle.
I held my staff again and cast a spell; soul magic ran through the spinning rings, covering them in bright blue light and tiny crystals.
With a swing of my arms, I sent a series of Crystal Soul Spears towards the golem.
The huge magic spears crossed the clearing towards the golem, leaving a bright blue trail with crystal shards falling to the ground like snowflakes.
The spears hit the golem in the arms, chest, and neck, each impact creating a bright blue magical explosion, followed by crystals shards flying away along with stones that were once part of the golem's body.
My spells caused the golem to struggle and accidentally let go of its bowstring, releasing the arrow and causing it to miss.
The great arrow hit the ground a few meters to our left, creating a blast as it pierced the earth and hurled chunks of soil and grass everywhere.
The golem recovered from my spells and prepared another arrow, but this time Rennala attacked, leaving her moon and sending it towards the golem's head.
The miniature moon closed the distance and the golem's head. With a burst of blue light and bright stars, the golem's head flew back shattered into pieces.
The golem's large form fell like a cut tree, its back slamming against the castle walls, creating a loud crash of shattering stone.
Cracks appeared and expanded across the wall as the golem slowly slid against it towards the ground, until it came to a sitting position, disappearing into runes shortly thereafter.
The only proof that the golem was there was the outline of its body imprinted on the castle wall.
With the golem out of the way, Rennala and I made it to the castle, uninterrupted.
We walked the stone staircase and reached the main entrance where I touched the grace and entered an elevator shortly thereafter.
Stepping on the pressure plate, the elevator rose, giving us a few minutes of peace.
"That was fun." Rennala smiled, twirling her staff in her hands.
"Unfortunately I can't agree. When I saw that sadistic joke of an arrow coming my way, I thought my heart would stop." I said, sighing relieved and bringing my hand to my chest.
That is if my heart was still beating.
Hahaha! Undead joke! Since when do I've a sense of humor?
Rennala and I had a small friendly conversation, but our faces twisted into grimaces when we heard the sounds coming from above us.
"Any idea on what awaits us?" Rennala asked.
"Hm... Lots of angry misbegotten and probably what's left of the castle's forces fighting each other." I replied, drawing my Uchigatana and readying my staff.
"So nothing out of the ordinary for a slave revolt." Rennala replied, readying her staff as well.
"Yes… Slaves… Wait! What?!?" I asked surprised.
However, as if the gods were playing with me, the elevator chose this exact moment to reach its destination.
In addition, what I saw made my stomach sink. This was surprising, considering where I'd been.
Death and ruins, those words could describe what lay ahead of us. The large courtyard at the entrance to the castle was littered with corpses, both human and misbegotten, all covered in cuts and arrows.
On a ramp made of rocks, dirt, wall debris, and corpses, a group of misbegotten roared to the heavens while swinging their cleavers in the air.
At the top of this ramp was a large bonfire with human bodies burning in a gruesome display.
I figured this ramp led deeper into the castle, but to get there, we'd have to go through the group of misbegotten.
Looking closer, I saw a pumpkin head sitting on the ground with his back to the angry misbegotten.
Hm... I think I've a plan...
"Rennala, I..."
However, I stopped as soon as I saw the queen's face. Her eyes glazed over the scene in front of her, her hand tightening on her staff to the point where the wood creaked, and she clenched her teeth, making a loud noise.
The supernatural wind came back and glintstone crystals came out of the ground near her feet.
No! Not now! This scene must have been too heavy for her! I'm not calling Rennala weak, but her mind isn't in the best of shape, and that's an understatement!
Wasting no time, I put my plan into action. I quickly picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it towards the pumpkin head.
CLANG!
With a bell-like noise, the stone turned to dust as it hit the back of pumpkin head's helmet.
Letting out an irritated grunt, the pumpkin head stood up and directed its rage at the nearest target, in this case, the misbegotten.
With heavy, fast, and angry steps that made the ground shake, the pumpkin head advanced towards the misbegotten while twirling his flail in his hands.
With a swing of his arms, the thorny end of the flail hit a misbegotten on the side of the head.
With a splash of blood and a crack of bones, the misbegotten flew away with a spray of blood marking his path.
The misbegotten bounced as he hit the ground, until he stopped dead upon hitting a wall.
It took the other misbegotten a while to understand what happened, but as they processed the information, they roared towards the pumpkin head before propelling themselves upwards with their wings and swinging their cleavers towards their enemy.
Then the pumpkinhead and the misbegotten got into a fierce fight, pulling away from the ramp and opening the way for us.
Wasting no time, I grabbed Rennala's arm and pulled her toward the ramp, but as I ran, I heard a series of noises behind us.
Looking back, I saw a line of huge glintstone crystals violently erupt from the ground and rushing towards us.
To hell with it! With little effort, I grabbed Rennala back and lifted her above my head.
It must seem like a ridiculous scene to an outsider, but for me, it was a matter of not being crushed.
With a scream of determination, I ran up the ramp with the crystals right behind me.
As soon as I reached the top, I ran left, crossing a destroyed wooden barricade, and entered a room in the castle.
I heard the sound of the crystals hitting the castle wall outside. I ran faster, as the aforementioned crystals broke through the wall in front of me and threatened to stop my advance.
I passed it, but the crystals stopped as they hit a sturdier wall behind me.
Sighing in relief, I had my attention diverted by the voice coming from above me.
"Honey, I don't mind being carried around like this, but this isn't the place for it." Rennala said shyly.
Stuttering nervously, I quickly put her on the ground.
"Thanks." Rennala said with a red tinge to her face.
However, I saw her eyes widen as soon as she saw something behind me, probably the glintstone wall.
"What happened here?" Rennala asked.
"Don't you remember? Your magic went out of control for a few minutes."
"My magic? Have I lost control of my magic? Me? Honey, don't be silly. I'm not a novice sorceress; losing control of my magic is beyond me." Rennala responded with a big shaky smile and a twitch in her left eye.
Better, to agree before she has another relapse.
"Of course! You're right! How could I doubt you? There is a logical explanation for the glintstone wall behind us, but as I'm not an expert in this branch of magic, so I've no idea how to explain it!" I laughed nervously.
"How nice of you to know." Rennala said, patting the top of my helm.
I sighed again; it was getting harder and harder to maintain this farce.
With our little conversation over, we continued forward, descending a set of wooden stairs, and arriving at an outer area of the castle where we spotted a soldier fighting two misbegotten.
Unfortunately, we couldn't do anything when the misbegotten cornered the soldier, causing him to fall to his death, but not before the soldier grabbed the two misbegotten and took them with him.
I heard a mixture of screams and roars before the sound of bone breaking reached my ears.
Suddenly, I felt runes and souls entering my body. The situation here is ugly, ugly to the point where warriors die and try to take their enemies with them.
Rennala and I stared at each other with grim expressions on our faces, but it was no use to cry about it. We have to move on.
Beside us was a large wooden ladder on the side of a tower. With Rennala holding me in her arms, she propelled herself up, similar to that time in the mines.
Again, as if sadistic gods were watching us, we were faced with another bleak scene.
We were on the castle walls, the same walls covered with hanged and impaled corpses that I saw through my binoculars.
Next to us, soldiers and misbegotten fought. The two sides clashed furiously, exchanging blows, insults, and roars. The sound of steel clashing against steel and cut flesh echoed towards the gray sky.
I also noticed that some members on both sides held some of my weapons.
"So how do we solve this situation?" Rennala asked beside me.
"Just try not to kill the humans and misbegotten. Maybe we can find someone who can tell us what the hell is going on here." I said sheathing my Uchigatana and hanging my staff on my back.
"Will you fight barehanded?" Rennala asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. I'd rather avoid making a mistake while I'm acting on Kenneth's behalf; it's also been some time since I've practiced hand-to-hand combat." I replied cracking my knuckles.
"Just try not to get hurt." Rennala said worriedly.
"Don't worry. Nothing I haven't done before."
"That doesn't calm me down one bit."
Ending our conversation, Rennala and I dashed towards the fight. I approached the first soldier who fought a misbegotten; the soldier held my Heide Knight Sword.
Without the soldier noticing, I grabbed him by the shoulders in the middle of an opening on the misbegotten's strikes and turned him towards me.
"What?!?" The soldier screamed surprised.
Nevertheless, his scream was cut off as I punched him in the face hard enough to leave a print on his helmet, making a metallic noise mixed with the sound of his nose breaking, and sending the soldier flying away shortly thereafter.
The soldier hit the misbegotten he fought in the stomach. With a pained roar, the two flew away and stopped when they hit the battlements of the castle.
Approaching the two, I grabbed the sword and another of my weapons that the misbegotten used, my Giant's Stone Axe. I put both in my bag and advanced thought the castle walls.
"Stop!" One of the soldiers shouted, approaching me with my Thorned Greatsword in his hands.
Swinging the sword towards me, the blade was enveloped by lightning that crackled through the air, but the strike never arrived as Rennala's staff flew in a blue swirl and hit the man in the side of his head.
With the sound of his denting helm, the man rolled across the floor and when he stopped, I took my sword from his hands.
As the staff returned to Rennala's hands, I saw a misbegotten approaching from behind, and he carried my Demon Great Hammer.
I quickly ran towards Rennala, the queen looked surprised with my approach, but I didn't have time to stop.
Running past Rennala, I charged toward the misbegotten.
Roaring mightily, the misbegotten raised the hammer above his head with both hands and brought it down towards my head, intending to crush me.
I quickly rolled out of the way, dodging the blow and causing the hammer to hit the ground with a loud crack accompanied by a slight tremor.
Seeing that he missed, the misbegotten roared before grunting in effort and trying to hit me again with the hammer.
The weapon dragged along the ground, forming an arc of destroyed stone in its path before lifting and coming towards my left side.
I quickly stepped forward, bringing the hammer handle within reach, and then grabbed it, stopping the misbegotten's attack; I felt a slight gale as soon as the attack stopped.
The misbegotten stared surprised, his eyes wide and mouth open, but he quickly snapped out of his stupor and tried to snatch the weapon from my hands.
He leaned back, pulling the hammer with both hands, using all of his strength, while I just stared, unimpressed.
Eventually, the misbegotten flapped his wings, but his effort was in vain, as I didn't move an inch.
Tired of this display, I pushed the hammer forward, causing the butt of its handle to hit the misbegotten in the stomach, causing him to drop the hammer and fall to his knees, clutching his pained stomach.
I punched him in the side of his head, knocking him unconscious, and then rested the hammer on my shoulder as I checked on Rennala.
The queen swung her staff like a twin blade, leaving bright blue streaks in the air. With swift blows, Rennala hit a soldier in the side of the head, causing him to fall to the ground.
A misbegotten flapped his wings and flew towards Rennala, but the queen thrust her staff upward, hitting the misbegotten in the stomach, creating a small magical explosion resembling a cloud of blue smoke and the misbegotten flew away with the attack.
Nodding to Rennala, we climbed another wooden ladder, reaching a higher section of the walls with part of it broken, giving access to the courtyard below where a crowd of soldiers and misbegotten fought.
Hm... Well, since I got my hammer back, I guess there's no harm in using it.
"AAAHHH!" With a war cry, I leaped into the courtyard with the hammer raised above my head.
"Dear!" Rennala screamed behind me.
As I fell, some soldiers and misbegotten noticed my shadow forming above them, for a moment both sides stopped fighting and looked up.
I saw their eyes widening and mouth opening upon seeing me.
"By Lord Godrick!" A soldier screamed frightened.
"RRROOOAAAAHHH!" A misbegotten roared, trying to get away.
"Who is this madman?!?" Another soldier screamed.
Another misbegotten turned to see what the commotion was about, only to freeze in surprise.
Unfortunately, for them, I was close to the ground. I immediately swung my hammer down, hitting the courtyard floor.
What came next was a huge shock wave that shook the area, creating a crater in the stone floor and sending everyone flying away.
Stone shards fell like rain as I rose from my kneeling position, just as I lifted my head; I saw an arrow wreathed in magic coming towards me.
However, the arrow was intercepted in its flight by a spell from above, exploding into a bright blue cloud in mid-air.
Looking up, I saw Rennala floating slowly towards me, landing safely beside me.
She looked annoyed at me before hitting my helm with her staff, making a bell-like sound. I clutched my head in pain, seeing double.
"Why did you do that?" I asked, recovering from the blow.
"This is for you to learn not to do it again!" Rennala scolded me irritably.
"Okay... I'm sorry..." I mumbled.
Nevertheless, back to what was important; in front of us were dozens of soldiers and misbegotten fighting in a cacophony of screams, insults, roars, and growls as the combatants exchanged blows.
Blood and body parts flew through the air, staining the stone of the castle red. In addition, flying above it was a misbegotten holding a silver bow in his hands, my Dragon rider Bow.
The misbegotten roared before putting another arrow in his bow, but he never got the chance as Rennala sent a series of spells towards the misbegotten, hitting him in the stomach and head, sending him crashing into the ensuing fight below.
Now to clear the path in front of us I ran towards the fight, and as I approached, I spun with the hammer in my hands.
When I thought it was enough, I released the hammer, throwing it towards the combatants.
Some stopped when they saw the big weapon coming towards them, but they weren't quick enough to react and ended being thrown away in a mix of breaking bones, curses, screams, and roars of pain.
The misbegotten and soldiers were left unconscious, probably.
Like an opened sea, the path was cleared for us; the hammer hit the ground a few times like a stone bouncing on the surface of a lake.
After leaving a series of holes in its path, the hammer stuck into the castle wall, leaving a hole full of cracks.
Now with the path clear, Rennala and I crossed the bridge. On the way, I retrieved my bow and hammer, keeping both in my bag.
Rennala and I advanced through the castle without much difficulty, the few soldiers and misbegotten that stood in our way were easily defeated.
Our advance took us to an isolated tower with a wooden staircase built into its side and at the top of the tower, we found a man sitting on a wooden bench.
The man wore silver dented armor; he had tanned skin, long black hair, and a beard. He had a tired face and breathed heavily as he held a halberd at his side.
As we approached, the man glanced at us, but his eyes widened as soon as he saw who accompanied me.
Immediately he adjusted his posture, standing with shoulders raised and chest puffed out.
"Majesty! To what do I owe your wonderful presence in my humble castle?" The man said proudly, but I noticed the nervousness in his voice.
"Let's cut the courtesies and get straight to the point. Who are you and what is happening here?" Rennala demanded seriously.
The man stepped back but held his ground before answering.
"I am Edgar, in charge of this castle ordained by Lord Godrick himself." The man now known as Edgar spoke.
Therefore, this is Irina's father. In addition, he is in Godrick's service. This can be a problem.
"And to answer your second question, the misbegotten rebelled. They gave me good service, or so I thought, but it looks like it was all an act. Foul creatures, as they say. And they are indeed foul inside and out. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but whatever you came here to do, I'm afraid Castle Morne won't hold out much longer. Take that by way of apology."
Edgar said, sharply changing his voice when talking about the misbegotten, he spoke with disgust, a hateful look on his face.
"Well, it doesn't surprise me, since you servants of the Golden Order treat them worse than slaves." Rennala responded with suppressed anger.
"Misbegottens only get what they deserve, they are filthy and impure creatures, their existence is an offense to the Erdtree and they must be treated like the monsters they are, just as it was decreed by the Golden Order." Edgar replied.
"You are nothing but a fool who doesn't understand the meaning of your own words. Do you feel pride in following a religion that demands the enslavement and cruel treatment of those deemed impure?"
I saw that Edgar was about to rebut Rennala's argument, but I didn't allow it. I saw several examples of persecution of the undead, genocide, imprisonment, enslavement, and torture and now a man was defending these attitudes in front of me.
I think that's enough. I quickly advanced towards Edgar.
"What are you…" Edgar turned to me as I approached, but I didn't allow him to finish.
With a fast kick, I knocked the halberd out of his hands, Edgar cried in pain and surprise as he held his injured arm, but before he could recover, I grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against the edge of the tower, putting him against the battlements.
"PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY HERE YOU BASTARD! DO YOU HEAR WHAT YOU SAY?!? YOUR SLAVES REBELLED! YOUR SLAVES! DID YOU THINK THEIR LOYALTY TO YOU WAS REAL?!? IF SO, THEN YOU ARE BLINDER THAN I THOUGHT!"
"They…"
"I HAVEN'T FINISHED!" I replied, punching one of the battlements beside Edgar's head.
The stone cracked and broke with a loud noise, falling into the castle courtyard below.
"PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK! TREATING A GROUP OF PEOPLE AS INFERIOR, LIKE MONSTERS! I SHOULD THROW YOU TO THE MISBEGOTTEN DOWN BELLOW!"
"Lord Edgar!" A scream accompanied by a series of footsteps came towards us.
Turning my head, I saw a series of soldiers with weapons drawn.
"Even if you are accompanied by the Queen of the Full Moon, Lord Godrick will not overlook your boldness, knight!" Edgar replied smugly.
"GOOD! THERE IS ONLY ONE PROBLEM WITH THAT! GODRICK IS DEAD! I KILLED HIM!"
Edgar's breathing stopped for a moment and the soldiers stepped back in surprise.
"Lord Godrick is…"
"OH! DIDN'T YOU HEAR THE NEWS?!? I BROKE IN STORMVEIL AND FINISHED GODRICK, HE DIED LIKE A COWARD, LIKE A DOG! BELIEVE ME, YOUR LORD IS DEAD AND NOBODY WILL COME TO HELP YOU! AND IN THE END, WHAT CHANCE DO YOU HAVE AGAINST ME?!? I KILLED A DEMIGOD AND RENNALA IS WITH ME! WHAT CHANCE DO YOU HAVE?!? DO YOU WANT TO TRY YOUR LUCK?!?"
I punched another battlement on the other side of Edgar's head, and with a loud clatter, the stone fell into the courtyard below.
A tense silence filled the tower, Edgar sweated profusely as his gaze shifted between Rennala, the soldiers, and me.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Lightning and thunder ripped across the sky, a storm was coming, and gray clouds gathered above the castle. A series of coincidences is happening today. Is there a god watching us?
Breathing deeply, I lessened my anger, but even with my barely contained emotions, I spoke.
"I just don't kill you because your daughter begged me to deliver a letter to you!" I replied, taking the letter out of my bag and slapping it against Edgar's chest.
Edgar shivered in my hands, his eyes now focused on the letter I held against his chest.
Growling angrily, I released Edgar, making him fall to the ground.
I saw him fumble to pick up and open the letter, but after doing so, his eyes quickly ran over the content written on the paper. Edgar stepped back surprised and went silent for a few seconds.
"Put your weapons down…" Edgar said to his soldiers.
"But Lord Edgar…" One of the soldiers stammered.
"THIS IS AN ORDER!" Edgar shouted, making the soldiers jump surprised, but they did as ordered.
"Thank you anyway. I'm in your debt, but I still can't leave. Even if the castle falls, as commander, I must remain. To ensure that Morne's precious sword doesn't fall into the wrong hands. If you see Irina, tell her that her father will come for her once he has done his duty."
Edgard said, getting to his feet. The man retrieved his halberd, tucked the letter into his armor, and smiled sadly.
Seriously? Is the duty of looking after this doomed castle that important to him?
"Where is the sword?" I asked Edgar.
"You don't have to worry about it; it's not your obligation to..."
"Do you want me to repeat what I just did here?"
"The sword was taken by the biggest of the misbegotten, the one who started this rebellion. He went to the shore on the other side of the castle and hid in a group of ruins." Edgar replied, swallowing hard.
"Gather your men and leave the castle. I'll go after your precious sword and in the process, maybe end what's going on here. Or would you rather die for a stupid reason and leave your daughter without a father?"
"I… I understand. I wish you good luck in your endeavor. Men! Castle Morne is beyond saving, let us leave this place and start again somewhere else! Let's not waste our lives for something that is lost!" Edgar shouted, raising his halberd in the air.
"YES LORD EDGAR!" The soldiers responded, raising their weapons as well.
Then Edgar walked past me, muttering thanks, and he and his soldiers descended the tower and prepared to leave the castle.
Meanwhile, Rennala and I searched for the sword and the one who started the rebellion.
-Shore of Castle Morne-
Rennala and I walked through the castle towards the shore, on the way we encountered more misbegotten.
Luckily, most of them just ignored us, preferring to be left alone, but unfortunately, we caught sight of the cells where they were kept.
Dark, cramped rooms with walls and floors covered in bloodstains, cages, chains, and torture devices everywhere. I grimaced upon remembering the whip I picked up along the way.
Now we found ourselves on a beach full of spirit jellyfish in front of a ruined tower with a wall of golden fog in front of it.
However, when I got here, I realized there was a problem, communication. I couldn't understand what the misbegotten were talking about, even if that series of roars and growls they let out meant anything.
Hewg was the only one I found who could talk.
Well, it's just a theory, but maybe I've something that can help, so I equipped my Ring of Whispers.
"Rennala, could you wait here while I take care of this." I asked the queen beside me.
"Why? What if it's dangerous?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but your figure is a little threatening."
"Am I threatening?" Rennala asked sadly.
"A little." I replied, bringing my index finger and thumb together.
"I understand, but be careful."
"Leave it with me."
Therefore, I walked through the golden fog, and on the other side, I found the misbegotten.
He was bigger than I was, but smaller than Rennala. He had a well-built body but walked in an arched way, he had claws on his hands and feet and a long tail. His most distinguishing feature was the large mane of red hair surrounding his humanoid face.
The misbegotten also held a sword in each hand, in his right hand he held a large sword that looked like it was made of smaller swords forged together, while in his left hand, he held one of my best weapons, one of my favorite swords, my Majestic Greatsword.
As I approached, the misbegotten turned to me, grunted and growled. Surprisingly I understood what he said.
"Don't you fools give up?!? Is the suffering and humiliation you caused not enough anymore? Are you willing to fight to the last man for a piece of steel?"
"You are mistaken. I'm not part of Castle Morne's forces; I'm just here to talk."
"Lies!" The misbegotten roared, placing the sword made of smaller swords in front of his face and roaring mightily, being surrounded by a greenish aura right after.
Then he leaped towards me, spinning in the air and trying to slice me in two with the Majestic Sword. I rolled out of the way and the sword hit the ground, kicking up a sand cloud and leaving a gash in the ground of the islet where we fought.
"I'm telling the truth! I want all this bloodshed to end, but you have to listen to me!"
Roaring in rage, the misbegotten spun his body, dragging the Majestic Sword close to the ground; his quick swings making him look like a red blur as the sword created a small tornado of sand around him.
As soon as the sword approached my legs, I leaped, making the blade pass under my feet and as soon as the attack stopped, I stepped on top of the Majestic Sword, sinking it into the sand and pinning it against the ground.
"You must think I'm a fool! I won't believe your words, you humans are all the same, thinking you're superior, you just want to see us suffer!"
Then the misbegotten swung his other sword at me, intending to decapitate me.
At high speed, the great mass of silver steel came towards my neck, but before the attack closed in, I landed a powerful punch to the misbegotten's chin, stopping his attack and pushing him back.
I got off the sword, allowing the misbegotten to continue using it to fight.
Shaking his head, trying to recover from the blow, the misbegotten's eyes soon focused on me, roaring, he ran towards me.
His footsteps left deep footprints in the sand as he held the Majestic Sword at his side, pointing it in my direction.
I raised my fists, preparing for the attack and as soon as the sword approached, I raised my right arm, allowing the sword to pass under it, and punched the misbegotten's chin again.
Something cracked and the misbegotten walked away, covering his mouth with one of the firsts that held the sword. A red liquid dripped from behind it and stained the sand red.
Glaring at me, the misbegotten removed his fist from the front of his mouth and spat a tooth onto the ground, the tooth sunk into the sand like a dart fired by a crossbow.
"Please stop! It doesn't have to be like this! Let's talk!"
"It only ends when one of us is dead! I want revenge! I want justice! For all of us who were killed! I'll kill! I'll kill until everyone learns to leave us alone!"
"Hm… I'm sorry, but I can't allow that. This isn't the right way to solve this."
"Then just die or get out of my way!"
"I can't do that either. You are as stubborn as the lord of this castle, but I made him listen to my words, I just need to use a little more strength to make that thick head of yours understand that I mean no harm." I said cracking my knuckles.
With another furious roar, this one visibly pushing the air and raising a great sand cloud, the misbegotten charged again. Raising both swords above his head, he tried to tear me to pieces.
The two swords glinted amidst the few rays of sunlight that made their way through the dark storm clouds covering the sky. It was like a living representation of a painting that would be placed in a nobleman's mansion.
The sea was getting dark and agitated, waves threatening to consume the islet. The wind grew stronger, swaying the mane, the few flags and pieces of cloth stuck to weapons planted in the ground.
I saw the fury in my enemy's eyes; it was as if time slowed down, his shaggy mane covering his face caught in a mixture of anger and sadness.
It was a pity that it was time to end this.
I brought both hands together, making a hammer with my gauntlets, so it was as if time returned to normal. Quickly, silvery flash, it hit the misbegotten in the chin, faster than his attack reached me.
The moment it hit my enemy, lightning fell from the sky, hitting the sea near the islet, blinding us for a few seconds accompanied by a deafening noise.
When the light disappeared, time slowed down again, this time the misbegotten was bent over, his head close to the ground, trying to recover from my attack.
I felt sorry for my enemy with what I was about to do.
I raised my hands above my head, forming a hammer again.
I saw the misbegotten staring at me, blood pouring from his mouth in rivers, his eyes widening in surprise and fear.
Slowly, he looked away, shielding his face with one hand.
Then I landed my attack.
Another bolt hit the sea, when the light and noise disappeared, the misbegotten lay on his back in the sand, blood pouring from the top of his head and mouth, his swords lying in the sand at his side, but his chest still rose and fell.
I stowed the swords in my bag and removed my chime from my bag, then approached the misbegotten.
His eyes opened slowly.
Therefore, he was still conscious.
I pointed my chime at the misbegotten's face.
"Let's talk."
-Castle Morne-
Rennala and I walked out of the grace at the entrance to Castle Morne.
The misbegotten now identified as leonine misbegotten rested on my shoulders after receiving some healing miracles. By the looks of it, he had no name; he was born a slave and never given one.
As if we didn't have enough problems, we found a commotion in front of us.
A crowd of misbegotten with their backs to us screaming something that I could now understand.
"Go away!"
"Leave us alone!"
"I'll finish you off, your bastards!"
We approached the crowd, the misbegotten turned towards us with their weapons raised but stopped as soon as they saw I carried their leader.
We made our way through the crowd to the outside of the castle where we found Edgar and his men with weapons drawn and ready to fight.
"Are you still here?!? Was I not clear enough on what you should do?!?" I demanded to Edgar.
"It's not our fault, these filthy beings tried to attack us!" Edgar spoke, pointing his halberd at the misbegotten.
"This only happened because you guys treat us like garbage!" One of the misbegotten screamed.
"What did you say, creature?!?" Edgar demanded.
"ENOUGH!" I screamed, punching the ground with my pyromantic flame.
My punch cracked the ground and raised a dust cloud, but the real attack came later.
The ground shook like an earthquake, then the grass burned and the earth melted as glowing red circles formed on the ground.
The earth split open violently as huge pillars of fire erupted from the ground and rose towards the heavens.
The air boiled and the grass caught fire as lava oozed out of the pillars and caused the two conflicting forces to retreat in opposite directions.
As if that wasn't enough, lightning split the sky and it rained right after.
"You! You leave Castle Morne! This place belongs to the misbegotten now! Go see your daughter at once, Edgar!" I pointed to the man in question.
He tried to counter me but no words came out of his mouth and he looked away in embarrassment.
"You! Your leader and I reached an agreement! I know someone willing to listen to you and make peace with you, but I need you to calm down! Killing everyone won't make you any better than the people who tormented you!"
This time the misbegotten tried to refute me, but they went silent.
"Did you understand?!?"
"No fighting!" I pointed to Edgar.
"No fighting!" I pointed at the misbegotten.
"I'm leaving and when I come back I want to see the soldiers away from the castle and the misbegotten inside the castle! And if any of you are still fighting I swear I'll make sure there isn't a castle for you to go back to!"
"This man. Kenneth Height. Will he hear us?" The leonine misbegotten asked, still leaning on my shoulder.
"Perhaps. He's not a bad person. But even if he doesn't want to hear it, I'll make him hear it."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet."
I released the leonine misbegotten, allowing him to return to his friends, and then called Torrent and Rennala returned to her moon.
I was about to leave, but Edgar cut me off again.
"What about the sword?" He asked hesitantly.
"The sword is mine now! I'll take it as compensation for all the trouble you've caused me! Do you have a problem with it?"
Edgar went silent.
"As I thought."
"HA!"
With a swing of the reins, Torrent rode away.
I'm going to check on Irina and Melina before heading back to Fort Height. God knows how stressed I've been today, seeing some friendly faces should calm me down.
END OF CHAPTER
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone