Chapitre 41: Blood Of The Living Tree
P@treon is on temporary hiatus until I rework it completely. Webnovel shall continue.
***
The sky hung overcast, yet the cool wind was a welcome comfort against his bare chest. It whipped through his lustrous golden hair and the thick fur of his Runebear cloak as he strode toward the courtyard of the newly claimed castle.
As he passed the ancient stone walls, scarred by the claws of beasts and blades alike, his thoughts drifted. "The Erdtree sapling, the Godskins, Godwyn, and the Crucible Knights..." There was much left to do.
His towering form moved swiftly through the labyrinthine sprawl of Stormveil, a fortress built on uneven terrain where buildings rose upon buildings, their tips gleaming with gold. It was a marvel of design, an intricate puzzle carved into the mountainside.
Above him, soldiers and staff busied themselves along the upper structures—cleaning, repairing, always building. Neatly pruned bushes lined cobbled paths, and automatic ballistas stood ready under the vigilant gaze of heavily armoured knights. Everything appeared functional, disciplined, and orderly, but Godrick knew well that this was a facade, a scene whose foundations were built on sand.
His soldiers were poorly armed, their armour inferior. Their morale was eroding, and it wouldn't be long before their equipment followed suit. Should the Council decide to attack Stormveil, they would eventually fail—but not without taking most of his men, weakened as they were by poor gear and low-energy rations.
That would change. No army of his would remain this weak. His soldiers would become a force so mighty that even Leyndell would seem like mewling pups torn from their mother's breast.
***
All the knights and staff noticed was a giant blur that shot past them, nearly blowing them off their feet. Alarms were rung but quickly shut down by Edgar, whose countenance had greatly improved.
He was under strict orders not to reveal Godrick's presence until his liege's say-so, but he did not deny any speculation.
Mystery built legend; if anybody deserved to be worshiped, it was Godrick the Golden.
Meanwhile, Godrick finally arrived before the massive entrance to the courtyard. It was beyond a wall, armed and manned to the teeth, but Godrick bypassed all that, slipping into doors and windows that easily fit his large form. The architecture was built with Demigods in mind and was quite comfortable to navigate.
Sure enough, he burst into a courtyard that dwarfed the one he had in Leyndell. Numerous football fields mashed together would be an accurate description of its size. Rows upon rows of practice dummies and swords were arranged for military drills and exercises.
The howling winds were more obstreperous here, screeching with abandon while hundreds of large hawks roamed the tops of the gigantic walls. But what truly caught his attention was the large patch of land with hundreds of gravestones tightly packed together.
In its centre, a small tree grew, barely reaching his waist. Its thick, smooth trunk was a dark brown, and its leaves were a bright, ethereal gold. It playfully swayed in the wind, but its long, winding roots seeped deep into the graves, giving him a glimpse of its true nature.
[Observe]
[Erdtree Sapling (Fragment of Lotted Life): A sapling of the Erdtree, heart of the shattered Golden Order, grown from a Golden Seed and watered by the memories and flesh of fallen warriors. Its boughs are laden with sap, though be warned, it is not to be touched, lest you wish to face the wrath of an Avatar. Age: Five years, three months old.]
Godrick dashed toward it, admiring its form. Taraghlan was right. There was indeed an aura of healing surrounding it. On one lone branch sat a glittering bead fashioned of liquid gold.
It shimmered with such intensity that it resembled a light source.
[Observe]
[Erdtree Sap (Mature): A rare and precious sap harvested from a fully grown Erdtree. Only the most blessed and gifted of warriors can safely ingest this sacred substance. When consumed, it grants the wielder the skill [Constitution of the Erdtree], but only if they possess at least 12 points in all physical attributes. An Erdtree sapling produces its first drop of sap as a single bead and continues to do so only once every 10 years. After 90 years, the sap naturally crystallizes into Crystal Tears, increasing its rarity and potency.]
Godrick's eyes widened as he examined the Erdtree Sap. There were so many references to this in the game, and perhaps this would give him the edge he needed to overcome the stupidly powerful Demigods in his way.
A fight was not a fight unless both fighters had a chance. If not, it was an execution.
He reached down, touching the [Erdtree Sap] with a finger. It swaddled up to his finger, adhering to it while retaining its spherical shape. It had the consistency of mercury, but the properties it displayed were a clear indicator of its supernatural origin.
He possessed a part of Lotted Life in his soul and could feel the immense life energy condensed into the ball that was barely the size of his fingernail.
It disappeared into the Arsenal charm, as he had no intention of taking it here and now, but the moment it vanished from the sapling, the soft ground beneath his feet began to rumble.
Mud was thrown into the air as a gigantic staff broke through the garden, a massive headless tree monster climbing out of the ground like it'd always been there. Godrick was nearly thrown off his feet by the sudden earthquake, but his nimble body flipped and danced out of the way, hefting his massive greataxe with excitement in his eyes.
"Yes! A fight!"
He had known full well that an Erdtree Avatar would attempt to stop him—his recently upgraded [Observe] had warned him of that, but he simply didn't care. It had been three weeks without a good fight, and that was three weeks too long.
"Ghrhhghghghghhhhhh!!!"
The hollow, mug-like trunk vibrated in a pseudo-roar as it dug itself out using its staff that was carved in the likeness of the Erdtree in the Age of Plenty. It stood at a height that dwarfed him by a good few feet.
[Observe]
(Character Sheet
Erdtree Avatar
Age: Three seconds old
HP: 500
FP: ---
Strength: 40
Dexterity: 10
Endurance: 45
Vigor: 50
Mind: ---
Intelligence: ---
Faith: 99
Skills:
[Staff Mastery (Passive) Level 5]
[Tear Incubation (Passive): Collect and process the Crystal Tears that fall from the bough of the Erdtree.]
[Avatar Of The Erdtree (Passive): The Avatar exists to serve. The Avatar will be of Service. +30 Strength. +30 Endurance. +50 Vitality. +99 Faith]
Incantations:
[Golden Land: Hold staff in the air before slamming it into the ground, which creates a golden explosion of light. Several orbs of light then surround the Avatar briefly before launching themselves at their target. Deals Holy Damage.]
[Erdtree Slam: Jump in the air and slam the ground with your whole body, dealing Holy damage in a small area around it.])
"Ghrhhghghghghhhhhh!!!"
It turned to him and bristled with rage.
"Come at me!", Godrick yelled, waiting for the Avatar to swing but all it did was freeze and look at him with what he assumed to be a confused expression.
"What? I'm right here."
"....Grhgh."
"What?"
The Avatar rumbled for a moment, then slowly placed its staff before it and... bowed?
Godrick watched, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. He had anticipated a fierce battle, yet the Avatar—known as one of the most aggressive foes—refused to fight. How many times had he fallen to it in the game? To it's comical belly flops and incredibly annoying Golden Land?
"Ghrghhghhh!" It rumbled again, bowing even lower, its stance more submissive than before.
Only then did Godrick understand its strange behaviour.
With a flash of dark gold, his Greatspear materialized in his grasp, the aura of Lotted Life radiating fiercely from him.
"Ah, you mistake me for an Erdtree sapling, don't you?" he muttered with a sigh, eyeing the motionless Avatar.
He gave it a tap with his Greataxe, yet it only stared back at him with a blank, unyielding gaze. Even if he were to sever its arm, he doubted it would so much as flinch.
Left with no other recourse, Godrick did the one thing he knew had stirred the Avatar, pulling out the [Erdtree Sap].
The Golden bead shimmered on his palm and the Avatar rumbled. He expected a wild swing, or perhaps a chagrined roar, but all he got was the equivalent of a puppy's whine when they were put in a cone of shame.
'Ah, fuck it.'
Godrick mumbled a few expletives under his breath before bringing the mercury-like liquid to his lips.
The first touch sent a shiver through his body, a surge of warmth spreading from his mouth to the core of his chest. His eyes widened as he swallowed, feeling the thick liquid slide down his throat, its texture heavier than any wine or elixir he had known.
[Gained Constitution of the Erdtree (Passive): The sap of the hallowed Erdtree flows through your veins, remoulding it into a vessel fit to protect it, removing your racial limitations. Incantations of the School of the Erdtree use half the required FP. +10 Strength. +10 Dexterity. +10 Endurance. +20 Faith]
His body convulsed, muscles tightening, tendons pulling taut beneath his skin as the sap began its work. His frame expanded, bones creaking and groaning under the weight of the transformation.
There was no pain. Only pleasure.
His muscles swelled like iron cords beneath the surface, each one more defined, more powerful than before. Veins of pure gold threaded through his skin, pulsing with the rhythm of his heart, each beat reverberating with the power of the Erdtree.
His blood, once red as any man's, now thickened to the viscosity of molten gold. He could feel it in his veins, slow and deliberate, pumping with a force that echoed through his entire being.
His skin began to emit an ethereal radiance, a supernatural light that pulsed from within him at every heartbeat, a faint halo forming behind his head.
(Character Sheet :
Godrick the Golden ( Level 15 )
Age: Twenty-four years and one month old
EXP 16,590/16,000 (+)
HP: 300
FP: 244
Strength: 31 -> 51
Dexterity: 23.6 -> 43.6
Endurance: 21.4 -> 41.4
Vigor: 30
Mind: 28.4
Intelligence: 25.2
Faith: 52 -> 92)
He had always thought that his Great Rune would only show its true colours with time.
This was that time.
Power exploded inside him, and his Strength, Dexterity and Endurance doubled filling him with such incredible euphoria that for a brief moment, tears flowed down his face for the second time in his life. That wasn't even taking into account his stupidly large jump in Faith that seemed to rip into that figurative hole he had in his soul.
It stretched and stretched and stretched till it nearly reached a limit.
92 Faith.
Just how powerful was his Ancient Dragon Lightning now?
"Gah!", he spat and got to his feet. The world that was previously on 1080p had been tuned to 8k. Was this how the other Demigods perceived the world?
He let out a misty breath that was tinted with gold. Had the Erdtree Avatar shrunk? The hollow eyes, once staring down, were now locked directly with his own.
Godrick lowered his gaze, realization dawning upon him—he had grown. Another surge in stature, another height boost. What was once nine feet of solid warrior had become twelve feet of towering, divine presence. His Night Cavalry armour, once a proud fit, now lay in tatters, ripped apart by his sheer size, leaving him utterly bare.
He scoffed at the ruined pieces of black metal and leather scattered across the ground.
Flimsy and weak.
To think he had once considered that armour a work of art, a masterpiece forged for battle. Now, it seemed no more than frail decoration.
With this burst of power, Godrick the Golden had begun to peer over the precipice, approaching the strength wielded by the other Demigods. His physical and magical prowess was undeniable, but true power extended beyond brute force.
He had risen, yes. But to claim the Lands Between, both in flesh and spirit, he had to ascend beyond what he had become. The Golden Order lay in ruins, its ideals fractured. The Nox slumbered in exile beneath the earth, and the Carian Royal Family's legacy teetered on the brink of collapse. A power vacuum now existed, ripe for the taking, and in the emptiness, Godrick saw a chance—a golden opportunity.
The time had come. The Legend of the God-Emperor was about to begin.
***
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone