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powerfulscribbles · 8 months ago

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In Need of Aid - A G/t Elden Ring fic (1)

Prologue | Chp. 1 l Chp. 2 | Chp. 3 | Chp. 4

Chapter 1: Celebratory Apéritif

->Read the chapter on ao3 (registered users)<-

Chapter summary: A few hours before the awaited meeting, Valyssa has a nice chat with Patches over some food and drinks.

Warnings: Drinking.

This story is soon to contain g/t stuff, so if that's not your thing it's in your best interest to click away! Thank thee kindly~

Words: 2k~

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~Limgrave, Murkwater Cave. Midday. 3 hours before the meeting.~

The sound of little bells ringing echoed in the dim cave, causing the bald merchant in leather armor to look away from the iron greatshield he was polishing, and towards the entrance to his cave.

He then placed it down on the side, going to sit by the small makeshift bonfire to welcome the arriving customer. He didn’t have to wait long before the rustling of swift footsteps and the clanking of heavy knight armor became louder and louder.

The girl ignored the group of highwaymen hanging out outside the entrance to inner part of the grotto, and so she peeked inside before walking right in.

“Hey Patches, it’s me again” she greeted the seated man.

“Ha! You’ve come again friend, back to Patches’ Emporium! Need anything?”

“Oh no no thank you, I’m not really here for shopping today” the Tarnished woman said, her gaze focused on her bag as she sat down next to the bald merchant, who furrowed his eyebrows.

“No? What brings you here then, pal?”

She chuckled with glee, her jade-like eyes shining bright for a second, as she sat down beside him. Then she quickly pulled out some flasks of booze and some cooked delicacies out of her bag, consisting of a bowl with pieces of pickled turtle neck and exalted flesh inside.

“We’re celebrating something special today! You want some?” she prompted as she sat down before him and handed him a flask.

“What? Hold on, hold on lady! I appreciate some drinks and the food, but what are we celebrating, specifically?”

“Hehe, a great victory!”

“Oh yeah? Tell me more then, I’m aaall ears!” the man prompted, finally accepting a flask and picking up some slices of meat.

“Actually, first thing though: where did you get all this stuff?” he asked while he removed the cork of his bottle, and sniffed its tip suspiciously.

“Oh, don’t worry! I bought the drinks from Kalé the merchant, and I’ve made the food myself! It’s safe to eat I promise, there are no ‘secret ingredients’ of any kind.”

“Alright then, you’ve convinced me. Plus I know the guy, he’s as good as bread. And he provides the best supplies in all of Limgrave!”

“But not as good as yours, of course” Valyssa said with a hint of irony, which made the man chuckle.

“Of course, hehe. Your words though, not mine!” Patches laughed, raising his arms in a defensive manner.

He then chugged down a nice amount of alcohol. “Anyway, you were saying?”

“Well, for starters, the demigod Godrick the Grafted is no more! And I’ve claimed his Great Rune!”

The untethered Tarnished was flabbergasted, and shifted a little in his usual squatting position.

“Really? You don’t say!” Patches exclaimed, his smirk widening. “And I can see it in your eyes, you’re not kidding!”

“Hehe, I’ve never been more serious!” she said with a sweet grin.

“Well then, my men outside are going to be so excited to hear the good news! If I have to bet, the word is already spreading among the Lands Between!” he continued.

“And that’s not all! Do you remember that dark, lumpy shackle you sold me like a week ago or so?”

“Oh yes! How I could ever forget that weird rock!” he said with a snicker. “Did you find out what it’s for?”

Valyssa giggled, nodding with her head.

“Even better! It helped me defeat yet another powerful foe outside Stormveil Castle! How great is that!”

“Really? Another one? And who might have that been?” the man asked.

She shrugged.

“He introduced himself ‘Margit the Fell Omen’, and basically wanted me to stay clear from Godrick’s domain. Called me ‘foul’, talked about how futile my own ambitions were, and what not” she said, then took a sip from her own flask.

“Hm, never heard of this refined gentleman. What did he look like?”

“He was around, uuuh… 13 feet tall? With dark grey skin, wearing a ragged cloak of fur and swinging a staff like his life depended on it. Oh, and he had curved horns growing on the right side of his face and spikes at the end of his massive tail, as well.”

“By the gods, that sounds like a big brute, eh? And he was guarding the main gate to the Castle?”

“From the looks of it, yes. I feel like he didn’t actually die though. He vanished in a cloud of golden dust, saying I should be afraid and that he’s not going to show no mercy the next time around, etcetera etcetera. Stuff like that.”

Patches scoffed at that.

“These big old fellas all say that, like they’re going to come back stronger than before and what not. It’s mostly just a bluff to scare off Tarnished like us, so we’re constantly on edge about anything.”

“Mmmmm yeah, it might be…” Valyssa said, snacking on some bits of pickled turtle meat.

What’s an Omen, anyway?, she thought to herself.

Patches took one more swig from his flask.

“So, how’s the feeling?” he then asked.

“Mh?” She raised her gaze from her bowl to look at him, her thoughts interrupted. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve killed a demigod, how does it feel? To squash one of these Lords under your boots, to throw them in the dust like they deserve?”

Valyssa looked pensive for a bit, her lips tightened in a thin line before releasing some tension.

“Mmmmm, it’s hard to describe, but it’s definitely a unique feeling, to say the least? You feel like you’ve accomplished something much greater than you, and with that you’ve began to approach the table with the bigger players now. You know what I mean?”

Patches shrugged with an amused smile.

“The hell I know. Hunting down these cuckoo demigods isn’t really my thing. I just tend to look after my own stuff after all.”

“Mmmm, I guess it makes sense for you, yeah” the vagabond knight said, drinking more from her bottle.

“You did have that enchanted shackle in your shop though, the one who trapped Margit on the ground a few times” she pointed out. “How did you even come across such a thing?”

“Val, trust me on this one. If only I had known it was so special I would’ve given to you in a heartbeat. It’s not like I needed it anyway.”

“Oh yeah? Like that chest you ‘bequeathed’ me?” she asked with an amused tone, crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, unlike that chest, really” he said, his faint smile quickly into a smirk. “How was your trip to Mistwood? You’ve never brought it up after that!”

“Oh it was absolutely fantastic, being surrounded by ferocious Runebears was definitely my biggest dream to achieve. It was so fun, I couldn’t even teleport to the closest sight of grace!”

“See? It wasn’t so bad then! And you’re still in one piece, so it all worked out for the better!”

“Pfffft- Fine then, you trickster” she said playfully, giggling softly as she lightly punched his arm.

“Back on topic, I have no dang idea where that shackle is from. One of my bandits probably saw how gleamy it looked and must have gathered it somewhere around here, thinking it was worth something. I don’t know. I’d ask them if only they understood what I’m saying!” he said, shrugging.

“Oh it’s fine, I was just curious, to be honest" she clarified.

“And nothing wrong with that! I’d ask the same thing, if it were me” Patches reassured her, patting her shoulder a couple of times.

“Yeah, you might be right. Sometimes though, I feel like there’s so much stuff that I can’t grasp at yet, and it’s unreachable to me for now. For example, I don’t know a lot about this world and it’s frustrating. I’m supposed to feel guided as I pursue my objectives, but I really am not that much. And sometimes I wonder what, or why I’m doing this for. Hunting the shardbearing demigods, I mean" she continued, her rust-colored bangs covering her eyes as she looked down gloomily.

Patches listened to his fellow Tarnished without saying a word, nodding a couple of times as she explained.

“This is why I hope this meeting I have later will clarify some doubts off my mind” she said, slowly getting up.

“A meeting? With whom?”

An innocent smile made her way on her face.

“Do you know that white mask guy, the one that usually stands outside the Stranded Graveyard?”

“Mmmmm… Oh yeah, I remember that dude now. I never spoke it him, he always looked like he was on a mission or something. Waiting and waiting patiently for someone to come to him.”

“I can see why you think that. But I assure you he’s been nothing but helpful and encouraging since the very start.”

Patches took a sip out of his bottle and swallowed, letting a hum as he finished.

“Alright then. And what business do you have with him?”, he asked looking straight at her.

“Oh, nothing too important. He left a message by his usual spot, and requested a meeting at a so-called ‘Rose Church’ in the western side of Liurnia of the Lakes. Do you know where that might be? Sadly, I haven’t explored the region at all beside the very first area beyond Stormveil”, she explained.

“To be honest with you, I was thinking of setting up a shop in Liurnia in the following weeks. Despite that, I have never heard of that church before, not even once” he exclaimed, raising his hands with a defeated expression.

“Mmmmmm, that’s okay. I don’t even have a map myself, and I take it that you either don’t sell one, or you have it but you’d prefer not to separate yourself from it. Knowing you it’s the second option, more likely”

“Exactly! I’ll be needing it in the future, so unfortunately I just can’t hand it over to you. So I’m afraid the only way to find out is looking for the church yourself, my friend!” he said with a sly smile.

She smiled back at him.

"Yeah, that’s what I’ve been planning to do in case I didn’t find any more info about the location of the church. I have a few hours to spare, it should be enough to scout the area with Torrent."

“Actually, I think I should be on my way now. I wouldn’t want to be late.”

“Fair enough, love. You try to stay safe on the way there, alright?”

“Heh, I’ll do my best” Valyssa chuckled, putting her half-empty flask of booze and the bowl back in her bag.

“Well then, thanks for the good company and the refreshments, friend! Hope to see you again soon!” the bald merchant said, waving at her.

“Goodbye for now, Patches” she waved back, and disappeared from the exit of the cave.

The woman sighed as she walked back out, and soon found herself by the shallow Murkwater river again.

He could have at least lent me his map…

She let out a huff.

It’s going to be okay. A church shouldn’t be too hard to locate in a mostly marshy area, on horseback.

And I guess I could ask Thops if he knows where it might be. He’s been at the Academy in the past, so he should be more familiar with Liurnia and its surroundings.

The faint sound of splashing water interrupted her train of thoughts and made her turn around quickly.

Footsteps in the water. Someone is getting closer.

And they’re not exactly doing their best at being quiet about it.

And so she spotted him.

100 feet behind her, a dark-clothed man was dashing straight towards her.

His black robe, embroidered in gold, was coordinated with a hood adorned in the same fashion, and a sort of red cape hanged from his neck down to his back.

In his hands, a pair of jagged daggers, coated in blood from the sharp tip to the hilt.

The whole figure was tinted in crimson red, flagging him as an invader.

“Well… You don’t look friendly” she whispered with a sigh, unsheathing her Lordsworn’s greatsword on her back and getting into a guarding pose.

I don’t exactly have time for this, but I really can’t back out now.

Back to the Prologue | To Chapter 2

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