Elden Ring: The Deaths of Tirek

by Blackdrag-rose

A Chance Encounter

Following his departure from the above ground Grace location Tirek walked down the path that had been to the right of it and found that he had a few options to pick from, he could head to the left and maybe head towards the beach, or what he assumed was a beach, the right lead to some ruins, and the path in front lead to the church. One thing he knew for sure was that challenging the knight was a bad thing, because if he had crushed him with a single swing of his halberd, like what he experienced earlier, it meant his current strength wasn't enough to eliminate the particular foe. That caused him to stop for a few moments as he observed the knight, finding that his target simply trotted back and forth between an area in front of the church and an area across from where he came to a stop, informing him that if he went off to the side he'd be able to avoid the knight for the time being. As he did that, however, he also spotted a golden glow near where he fell the first time, likely a marker of where he died or something, even though it seemed a lot more like some sort of runic language of some kind, something that interested him since it was different from the messages he had seen so far.

Part of him wanted to see what sort of message he would discover or event he might witness if he touched the marking, but with the knight standing guard he didn't want to die again, or at least so soon since his first death, though as he did that the knight started to charge at him. In response to that Tirek realized that his area of detection was far greater than he had originally believed, meaning if he wanted to avoid the knight he was going to have to go further out, but he dodged to the side and avoided being trampled by the horse, along with narrowly missing the halberd's head. Since he no longer had a choice on the matter Tirek did the smartest thing he could think of, he rushed over to where his Runes rested, while also avoiding the knight's weaponry as best as he could, and touched them, finding that the golden energy rushed into him as the Runes disappeared. He still had no idea what was going on, as all of this was confusing to him, but he did the next best thing that came to him, Tirek gripped his staff and sent out a wave of blue energy that had to be the other spell he had found earlier, which did a bit of damage to the knight, but not enough to really do anything.

When he cast the smaller bolt, however, his foe did something strange as he defended with his shield, which generated a golden runic circle around it as it tanked the spell, only to send a bolt of golden energy back at him, which blasted Tirek into oblivion... causing him to reappear at the Grace that Varre was standing near.

"It seems you've encountered a terrible end, friend, and now your Runes are lost." Varre commented, where Tirek felt he was enjoying this, seeing a new Tarnished go about trying to understand the world they were in, as he beckoned to where he had been standing a few moments ago, allowing him to find that a new golden glow had replaced him, "When one of your kind perishes they drop the Runes they are carrying at the time of their demise, right in the spot they died in, and only they can collect the Runes, as Grace protects them from looters. If you want your Runes back you must engage the knight and claim them, but if you die again, without claiming them, they will disappear entirely... not that it matters, as a maidenless Tarnished like yourself cannot use Runes anyway."

"Varre, I would recommend shutting up... next time you annoy me, I'll take your life!" Tirek growled, letting Varre know he wasn't too pleased with him, though the man seemed to ignore his warning as he stood to the side like normal, causing him to sigh as he moved down the path once more.

Tirek now knew that fighting the knight right now was no longer an option, as he could crush him with a single blow from his halberd and he could cancel out his spell to fuel his own instant killing attack, but, at the same time, his Runes were in the middle of the path the knight was patrolling. In that moment he decided to be dangerous, he would have to risk death to reclaim his Runes, even if he couldn't use them anytime soon, to which he carefully approached the area that he had fallen in and braced himself for what was about to happen next. Sure enough the knight spotted him and rushed in not even a few seconds later, to which Tirek made a mad sprint towards where his Runes had dropped, touching them like he had done previously and absorbed them into his body as he avoided the halberd once more. With that done he kept up his mad dash as he headed for the church, ignoring the knight entirely as he no doubt turned around to attack him, where he slipped inside and smiled as he spotted a slumbering Grace site, causing him to activate it and sit down.

His reasoning for doing that was because it seemed to affect the world around him, as the knight suddenly returned to his patrol, like he had decided not to chase after Tirek or had forgotten about his existence entirely, allowing him to breath a sigh of relief for a time as he considered his options. There seemed to be a single path leading out of here, which the Grace seemed to be pointing him in, while he still had the other two from earlier if he wanted to be adventurous, but for now what he needed, he realized, was a map of the area so he could have some understanding of this world. He also spotted a man in the church as well, dressed in what appeared to be the attire of someone who traveled a lot, with a horse that seemed to be his mount, given the packs of supplies, though he also discovered that the figure was surprised that he wasn't trying to kill him at the moment. Apparently he was a wandering nomad, merchants who collected and sold items to the Tarnished, but, when asked if he had a map of the area, the figure simply chuckled a little and said that there were stone monuments in the lands that held pieces of parchment that detailed what was in each land, though when a Tarnished approached one they would be given a map as well, if they didn't have one already.

With that in mind Tirek realized that, if he wanted to get the lay of the land, he would have to follow the main path leading towards the castle, like the Grace wanted, and hopefully claim what he was here to collect before starting his plan, to which he got up and departed from the church. Along the way he discovered a few more knights that were patrolling, more like the one he fought in the cave and not like the golden one, the Tree Sentinel he guessed he could call the golden knight, where he readied his magic without delay and loosed two spells at the first one. Such a thing allowed him to discover that the four knights he spotted along the path were weaker than the soldier in the cave, since they went down in two hits while he knew the one in the cave had gone down in four hits, but he also needed to keep his guard up since there was no telling what he might encounter next. One of his foes also dropped his sword, which had longer reach than his and seemed sharper, so he claimed the sword and switched it for the one he had started with, just in case he actually needed the weapon, though after that Tirek stopped on the top of a hill and spotted an encampment in front of a large stone arch.

With all of the soldiers that were in front of the gate, as Tirek realized that they were more like soldiers and less like knights, he decided to make his way around the outer reaches of the camp and spotted another slumbering Grace site, one that he activated and sat down at so he could stare at the camp and come up with a plan of attack.

"Greetings, Traveller from beyond the fog. I am Melina, and I am here to offer you an accord." a familiar voice said, where he glanced to his right for a moment and found a black robed figure who appeared out of some blue mist, who sat down as she pulled back her hood, revealing that her left eye seemed to be sealed shut and that she had short light brown hair, "Tell me, have you heard of the Finger Maidens?"

"Melina, I am Tirek... and no, I have not heard of such figures." Tirek replied, as the reason he recognized her so quickly was due to her voice, it was the same one he had heard back in the cave he had awoken in after fighting the crab monster, so he had to wonder why Melina was here and why she had come to that cave earlier.

"They serve the Two Fingers, offering guidance, and aid, to the Tarnished..." Melina stated, something that caused Tirek to raise an eyebrow as he heard her explanation of what a 'Finger Maiden' was, because this was the first time he had heard of the figures in question and the mysterious leaders they served, "but you, I am afraid, are maidenless. I can play the role of a Finger Maiden, or just maiden if you prefer, which includes turning the Rune fragments you collect into strength and to aid you in your search for the Elden Ring. You need only take me with you, all the way to the foot of the Erdtree."

Tirek assumed that she was guessing that he was seeking to become the 'Elden Lord', whatever that was, but he asked her to explain the turning of Runes into strength, since it was a foreign idea to him, where she explained that every creature in the Lands Between carried them. When Tirek killed his foes he essentially stole their Runes and could use them to purchase items from the merchants or, if he spoke to his maiden, he could turn those Runes into his own strength, empowering him for the battles that were no doubt in his future. As he understood it if he killed the soldiers he'd either gain parts of their health or their strength, if he did what she was suggesting, while if he took down mages or priests he'd gain more power for his magical abilities, causing Melina to nod her head a little before adding that if he didn't want to do that he could also turn their power into whatever he wanted, such as magical power to endurance or strength to more power. Tirek also considered the more powerful creatures of this land, the demigods he had heard about earlier, and realized that many of them, as there had to be more than once, would likely boost his power to new heights, but it would be some time before he reached them, so for now his sights had to be set on the lesser foes.

As such he agreed to the accord and Melina informed him that she wouldn't appear every time he wanted to turn Runes into new strength, rather this first time would be one of the few times he'd actually see her, before she handed over a ring as well, which would summon a spectral steed named Torrent as his mount, likely the one he recalled from when he briefly opened his eyes in the cave.

With the ring in hand, and on a finger so he didn't lose it, Tirek held his hand out as Melina took it, allowing him to turn all of his current Runes into more power, in fact he could feel himself getting stronger, and once he was done she told him that he only needed to rest at a Grace site to use this power. Once he was done, and Melina disappeared as he stood up, he turned on the encampment and readied himself, as there was a monument he needed to reach and he was sure that some of the soldiers would come after him before he could claim the map. In addition to that he found what appeared to be a massive cart of some kind that had a chest on one side, though while he wondered what might be inside it he focused on wiping out the enemies that were in front of him, finding that many of the soldiers took two hits to take down, while the stronger ones, who stood taller and carried larger shields, took a bit longer to take out. It was far better than him falling to the Tree Sentinel over and over again, in his mind anyway, and it didn't take him far too long to track down the monument that he had been focused on, allowing him to discover some parchment that held a map of Limgrave, the area that he was in right now.

Tirek found something interesting, the map seemed to be infused with Grace energy and not only marked where each of the Graces he had activated were located, likely to keep track of his progress in some manner, but also indicated where he was in relation to everything else. Such a thing interested him a little, to which he focused on the church Grace and simply warped over to it in no time at all, causing him to realize that if he wanted to he could skip certain enemies by finding the Graces around them and skip them for the time being, allowing him to return when he was stronger. With that in mind he decided to slip his new map into a pouch, as it apparently came with one as well, before whistling for a moment, calling forth the white maned steed that Melina had been riding previously, who appeared out of thin air like his new ally had not that long ago, and he quickly found that Torrent had curved horns near his ears. Of course it was odd for him to summon or even ride such a beast, since he had been a centaur before coming to this world, but, based on how massive this world was, he realized that he was going to have to get over that thought process and learn to ride a horse, as it might held him with some of his future foes.

As such he carefully maneuvered around the area outside the church, or at least the eastern side, and found that Torrent was quite patient with him learning the ropes, in fact Tirek learned how to do everything because the same presence that taught him everything else helped him learn this as well, allowing him to return to the gate in no time.

After that he returned to his original plan, carefully using his magic to take down the soldiers that were in front of the gate that would bring him right to the castle that the Graces were pointing to, because he figured the more Runes he claimed the stronger he'd become. Of course to make massive leaps and bounds he was going to have to find some stronger foes, like the Tree Sentinel for example, and take them down so he could incorporate their Runes into his power as well, but for the time being he guessed the lesser soldiers were fine. He also had to be careful, utilizing his magic and making sure he didn't run out while tearing down all of his targets, though empowering himself with Melina's help allowed him to do more than he did a few moments before meeting her, confirming the usefulness of her services. Tirek also considered the fact that when he climbed off Torrent a few moments ago the horse spirit disappeared, even though he was a flesh and blood creature after being summoned, but decided not to question the magic of this world as he decimated the remainder of his chosen foes.

Once he cleared out the area in front of the gate Tirek returned to the Grace and found that everyone he killed had been brought back to life, as if the Grace was ensuring the Tarnished had enough resources to fulfill their goals, causing him to transform the Runes he had obtained so far into additional power. Once that was done he called forth Torrent once more and headed back to the church, as it was time to see if he had improved enough to take down the Tree Sentinel or if he had to come back later, finding his target patrolling like usual. With his newfound power and his new steed Tirek felt that the odds were more even now, that they were still stacked in the favor of the Tree Sentinel, but, at the same time, he did know that the odds could be overcome and he might be able to do such a thing in due time. Sure enough his target turned on him as soon as he got without a certain range, either because he sensed him in some manner or because he was in the middle of turning when Tirek stopped, but the 'fight' lasted all of a second as the Tree Sentinel leapt at him and swung his halberd, crushing him and Torrent in seconds.

Sure enough he reappeared near the gate, causing Tirek to sigh as he rode back to the church and sat at the Grace, just to mark it as his current resting spot, though as he did that he noticed that night seemed to fall upon him and that there was some white mist forming around the church.

"This way, Tarnished." a feminine voice said, where Tirek turned his head towards a ruined wall of the church and found a figure sitting on it, a lady wearing a snow white robe, with what looked like wolf fur on the shoulders and down to the end of her arms, and a white witch hat that had the widest brim he had ever seen, with faint blue skin, or maybe icy blue, and similar colored hair, "May I have a word with thee?"

"Certainly, my Lady." Tirek replied, because there was something about her that made him want to be more respectable, instead of treating her like a tool to be thrown away when he was done utilizing whatever skills she had, and he suspected that she was a demigod, a rather powerful one at that, even though he did catch a glimpse of something interesting, a faint half face near her own, and her right eye was shut, as opposed to Malenia's shut left eye.

"It is a pleasure to meet thee. I am the witch Renna." the lady said, where Tirek found that she spoke with a sweet voice, almost musical in nature as he listened to her talk, though at the same time it almost seemed like the name might be a false one, a throwaway name to give people she intended on interacting with for only a single moment, "I have heard tales of a Tarnished hurtling about on a spectral steed, and, upon looking into the matter, it would seem that the tales are of thee... you possess the power to call forth the spectral steed Torrent, correct?"

"Indeed I can. I am unsure of how the tales spread, so quickly after receiving him, but I do hope I haven't offended anyone by utilizing him to explore this vast world." Tirek stated, where he started to suspect that she might be using her voice or some faint spell to get the truth out of him, or a combination of the two, but even as he thought about that he realized something important, Renna wasn't doing anything but talking, meaning he was speaking like this of his own violation.

"Oh no, no one is offended... it's just that I was entrusted this bell by Torrent's previous master, who told me to give it to the next one who called Torrent into the world." Renna replied, where she reached into her sleeve for a moment, allowing him to see that she had four arms and not the normal two he assumed the people of this world had, before withdrawing a silver bell from where it had been hidden, which she held out to him, "This bell will summon forth spirits from ash that hasn't been returned to the Erdtree, who will obey your orders, for a time, as they recall the battles they fought and the skills they used while they were alive. You can find more ashes by locating catacombs and obtaining them from the final chamber, though the bell's last owner left it with the ashes of a wolf pack, possessing three wolves to be exact, as a gift for whoever became Torrent's next owner."

"I see. I shall endeavor to use them, and any other ashes I find, to fulfill my quest." Tirek said, as the ashes of old warriors or even other creatures sounded like a boon to him, in fact it might give him the edge over the Tree Sentinel one he learned how to utilize them in combat, hence why he accepted the bell with a bow of his head, before noticing that she seemed lost in thought about something, "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just... please, forgive my intrusion." Renna said, almost as if she felt bad for interrupting him while he was planning on dealing with the Tree Sentinel, or planning his next action since he had been crushed a few times so far, and wanted to make sure that their encounter ended on a positive note, "I doubt we shall meet again, but... all the same, learn well the Lands Between. How long will it be, I wonder... before the Tarnished tire of obesiance of the Two Fingers..."

As Renna faded away Tirek realized something, he might have been smitten with her, something that had never happened to him before, and while she claimed this was the last time they would see each other he had a feeling they would, against all odds, come into contact again, causing him to smile as he wondered what his future held.

Comments

[Arvers1987]

A love interest, hmm? It seems Tirek might be aiming for the Age of Stars, in the end.

[Blackdrag-rose]

11443308 It's definitely a possibility, as we're too early in the game to tell where he might do and what he'll do. Besides, many people fall for Ranni in the end, as I've seen lots of gamers fall for her when they meet her, and Tirek is no exception.