Elden Ring: A Sword's Purpose

Miranda Sprouts; poisonous plants that fed off of flesh. Often human flesh if given the chance. Given their choice in diet the things had evolved far differently than any other plant, capable of movement, releasing clouds of poison at will, and some form of magic reserved for the biggest among their kind.

A group, centered around a giant one well over several times his height, bloomed with the ruins that Kalè had told them about. They kept relatively still, only meandering about with their writhing roots when birds or other small animals approached. They moved just slow enough that by the time they were registered as a threat, the small puffs of poison they released had already wafted up to their target, leaving it too weakened to escape the grasp of the creatures' wood-like appendages.

The rest was history.

Even in numbers the things weren't much of a threat as long as one kept their distance. The perfect deterrent. Not many would waste their time on some dilapidated structure after catching sight of the poisonous creatures' pinkish-purple petals as well as the giant among them.

"There are plants that can move?" Maureen muttered to herself, eyes wide open as they observed the ruins from a nearby mound.

"They're poisonous and aren't afraid to attack people." Jin informed her as stood up from his kneel, point of entry spotted. Their trip here would've taken several days had they walked the entire way but after Maureen fell asleep he took her on his back and cut down their travel time to no more than a single day, running throughout the entire night. "Keep your distance from them."

"Oh…" Maureen muttered also standing up, somewhat deflated by the news but still interested in the creatures.

They stood atop a grassy mound overlooking the ruins. The place was just far enough from the main road that they wouldn't have to worry about any patrolling soldiers catching sight of them. Whatever sorcerer called the place home went out of their way to choose a place that would see little to no traffic.

There was no telling whether or not that was a bad thing yet.

He led the way down, Maureen sticking close to him as they drew closer to the ruins. Stepping lightly and avoiding loose rocks as they crossed onto the crumbling stone, Jin stopped in front of the opening he spotted from the mound. A long stairway, just as worn as the rest of the ruins, descended into darkness.

Jin took a few steps down.

Guttural whines came from deeper within, sounding as though they were muffled by something. The sounds came from something big. Something bigger than most humans at least. Occasionally the clank of metal would join in.

Maureen stayed close to him as they dived into the darkness despite her growing fear as the wanning sunlight allowed the darkness to envelop everything around them. He reached into his pouch and produced a torch, igniting it as they reached the final steps.

An open chamber of mossy cracked stone was laid out before them.

And it wasn't empty.

A large humanoid creature held itself against the walls to the left. Its head was covered by some kind of rusted gold contraption that it banged against the wall as if to break it. More importantly, a flail, just as rusted and likely as old as the thing on its head, sat by its side, ready to be picked up at a moment's notice.

Jin handed the torch over to Maureen and gestured for her to stay where she was then took one final, louder step into the chamber.

The gray-skinned humanoid stopped its groans and slams against the wall, hand dropped to the handle of its weapon as it stood up, hunched over but still towering over Jin with ease. Its pathetic whines took on a bestial nature, the thing nearly growling as Jin stepped deeper into the chamber.

It took rumbling steps forward and swung the flail.

Leaping, Jin easily avoided the spiked ball. The moment he landed, his feet kicking away loose stone, the humanoid twisted in his direction, wild swings sent out. He ducked and stepped around the creature, the thing not so much aiming at him as it was attacking in his general direction hoping to hit something. The lack of holes in that wide helmet led to one conclusion.

The thing was blind. Whether that be due to a lack of eyes or that helmet acting as some kind of restrictive measure, it'd make things much easier.

As Jin took several silent steps away from the creature, several loud smacks filled the chamber, the torch he'd given Maureen rolling across the opposite side of the room, the girl having thrown it.

It looked like she was quick on the uptake as well.

The moment the creature twisted around, Jin silently leaped into the air, straight sword pulled from its sheath and stabbed clean through the creature's neck. The thing proved surprisingly resilient, a muffled screech of pain bouncing throughout the chamber as it spun around in an attempt to fling him away. Jin didn't budge, sinking the blade deeper and twisting it with enough raw force that the creature stumbled, losing its balance.

It hit the ground just as he ripped the blade free through one half of its neck, bleeding out in moments.

Picking up the torch, Jin waved it over towards Maureen, who stood at the bottom of the stairway, spear clenched in her hands. She wasted no time rushing over to him.

"Good work." He said genuinely. She may not have a talent for the blade but her mind was sharp and that was just as important in battle; raw physical strength wasn't always the deciding factor after all.

Chamber now cleared of any threats, he took a proper look around. Spacious as it was there was almost nothing of note other than some damage to the walls, likely caused by the now dead humanoid's helmet, and a gate directly across from the stairway they descended.

Handing the torch over to Maureen once more as they approached the gate, Jin kneeled down and hefted the thing open.

"Hmmm, Tarnished, are we?" A woman, faced concealed by one of the stone masks from those at the academy of sorcerers but voice unmistakably feminine, stood on the other side behind a wooden desk. She wore the dark blue robes also customary of those who attended that academy, the baggy cloth hanging off her folded arms. "And…a diseased child? An odd pair."

Despite the mask, Jin felt the suspicion she regarded them with. A quick scan of the room, a much smaller chamber compared to the first, revealed no traps, physical or magical in nature. The chamber stood in stark contrast to its surrounding, decorated by book filled shelves on one side, a bed and dresser on the other, and that scroll covered desk straight ahead. Crystals, veins of greenish-blue glintstone, provided a soft ambient light to the room.

This was a study of some kind, fitted for long periods of time.

"I am Sellen, a sorcerer to be plain. Now why are you here?" She stated, composed yet on edge.

"We were seeking someone of your skills. One willing to share what they know of sorcery." He said.

"In search of a teacher are you?" She did a slow once over of him, one of her hands rising to cup where her chin likely was beneath that mask. "You are far from the sort that typically seek out such knowledge but there is some potential to be found."

He shook his and placed a hand of Maureen's shoulder, pushing her forward between them.

"Oh? It is the child you would have taught?" Sellen shifted her focused, looking Maureen up and down just as she did to him. This time she gave a bit of a nod. "Yes, she certainly does have the proper aptitude for it despite her affliction."

"That said, one must choose their masters wisely. I was exiled from the Academy of Raya Lucaria as a reviled apostate witch." She delivered the admission bluntly while looking down at Maureen. Maureen looked his way and he shrugged, choice left in her hands.

"A witch?" Maureen questioned cautiously.

"Indeed child. As it were, my former peers did not take kindly to my more, shall we say, opened-minded approach to sorcery. Most are only willing to follow paths already traveled without ever paving their own way."

Long story short, she was the ambitious sort. He recognized arrogance like that anywhere; the real question was whether or not it was justified.

"So, you don't eat people?" Jin held back a snort. Was there a witch in that book he gave her?

"No, I can't claim to have traveled that particular path." Sellen said amusement diluting the suspicion in her voice. "I simply wish to understand the power glintstone sorceries are truly capable of. Only without the arbitrary notions and rules those at the academy would follow hence my title as a witch."

"Then, yes, I still want to learn from you."

"A brave one are you? Let us hope that that bravery does not coincide with foolishness." Her stone mask turned to him. "And what of you? It'll very much be a matter of nature vs nurture in your case but with a bit of luck and dedication I believe my instruction may prove invaluable to you."

Not long ago he would've denied the offer on the spot but just at the corner of his eye, Maureen looked up at him with the same hopeful expectation he'd come to expect from Milicent and Amy. It reminded him of the first time his brother suggested dabbling in sorcery together; it'd been one of the few times Akai had been excited about something.

Back then he had shut down the idea without a second thought, believing such power to be for weaklings who could not draw power from themselves.

"I will make an attempt at learning sorcery." Jin relented, Maureen's eyes lighting up. "But she is to be the focus of your teachings. If I lack the necessary talent to keep, do not adjust your instruction to accommodate me."

"Of course." Sellen agreed smoothly, a smidge of satisfaction and perhaps even an iota of respect in her voice. "As my protégés in glintstone sorcery, I will be holding you to strict expectations. I refuse to coddle or cast meaningly words of assurance." Sellen shifted her focus towards Maureen. "Anticipate grievances, young apprentice."

Maureen nodded, quiet eagerness not at all deterred by the words.

If the woman actions matched her words then he might have found Maureen a good teacher. That said, he'd be keeping a close eye on her and the information she shared. She might not pose a physical danger to them as she was now -he'd caught on to the distant energy powering the life-like projection before them- but he knew better than to underestimate the sorts of things those who practiced sorcery were capable of.

"Now, where shall we begin…" The woman muttered to herself, twisting to face the many books held within the room.

And she wasn't the sort to waste time. Even better.