Elden Ring: My Ending

The spectral steed galloped with incredible speed, perhaps the fastest in the Lands Between. They were moving so quickly that Irina was acutely aware—if she loosened her vice-like grip, it would likely be her first and last flight.

What would she become after death, she wondered?

The girl's sharp hearing caught arrows whizzing past and the distant sounds of screams and shouting. Soon, those noises grew closer, surrounding them. It was clear now—they were near the castle. That thought sent a fresh wave of terror through her. She knew all too well what guarded it.

A giant, wielding an equally colossal bow, with arrows larger than most men. Though not particularly nimble, the mere presence of such a protector kept most creatures of the Lands Between at bay.

But the giant had a crucial flaw—aside from its lack of agility: while it could fend off external threats, it couldn't deal with internal ones. A limitation that had doomed the castle.

"B-be careful..."

Irina began to warn her deranged companion, but it was too late. A deafening howl tore through the air—a low, menacing bellow that seemed to reverberate in her very bones. She knew the sound well.

An arrow whizzed past, the sound so sharp and loud it nearly deafened her. When it struck, the impact caused an explosion that left a smoking crater in its wake.

"I can't get enough of the real world graphics!" the half-naked man on the spectral steed exclaimed with unbridled enthusiasm. "Too bad I don't have time to farm here..."

His voice betrayed not a hint of fear. Riding his spectral mount, he simply ignored the massive guardian as if it didn't exist. The speed granted by the Torrent made avoiding "optional encounters" almost effortless.

'What?!'

Irina and Melina, in eerie synchronization, found themselves thinking the exact same thing.

It didn't take long for the Tarnished to infiltrate the castle. The spectral steed leaped onto the walls, ignoring the ongoing skirmishes between soldiers and revolting slaves. It moved with purpose, heading to a destination known only to its rider.

Following him in her immaterial state, Melina observed with growing unease. This Tarnished knew the castle.

No, he knew much more. But how?

'What kind of madman have the Torrent and I chosen?' she thought, biting her lip.

Meanwhile, the spectral steed seemed entirely unbothered.

Irina was certain they were heading to her father. She could already imagine the look of astonishment and fury on his face. After all, it had taken immense effort to smuggle her out of the castle. If he only knew how it had all turned out...

Lost in her thoughts, she missed the moment when the sounds of battle faded. The steed leaped down with a splash of water.

"The old cemetery?" she murmured in surprise.

The steed came to a sudden stop. The half-naked man dismounted and, without a word, scooped Irina into his arms. She had grown somewhat accustomed to his strange manner by now, so she remained calm as he carried her to one of the tombstones and gently set her down.

"Why have you brought me here?"

Irina wanted an answer, but the man remained silent. Instead, she heard the hiss of steel. He had drawn a sword from... somewhere. She was about to ask where he had gotten it, and more importantly, if this cemetery was to be her final resting place, when a terrifying sound reached her ears.

Heavy footsteps accompanied by a guttural, feral growl. It was a sound filled with hatred, rage, and madness.

Irina immediately recognized the source.

'Leonine Misbegotten,' she thought, recoiling in fear. 'The one responsible for the rebellion and my father's decision to stay behind. The cursed sword! This madman has brought me to my death. Forgive me, Father.'

Despite her terror, a wry smile crossed her lips. At least her life would end here at the castle, near her father, rather than on some desolate roadside. It was a small comfort to the blind warden's daughter.

But Konstantin, the Tarnished, had entirely different plans.

He spun the sword in one hand and summoned a shield in the other, his movements almost casual.

"And here's the boss spawn. Shame about the lack of golden mist. One second, I'll make this quick."

'What?'

Irina had never heard such confidence in anyone's voice before. And soon enough, she realized her fate was about to be rewritten.

A feral roar rang out as steel clashed with steel. The sounds of the battle began to grow distant. Irina could tell the madman was deliberately drawing the beast away from her.

From her vantage point, Melina watched the battle in silence, her ethereal form observing every move.

As soon as Konstantin took up arms, everything about him changed. His aura, his movements, the atmosphere itself—he became someone entirely different when he fought.

The Leonine Misbegotten was stronger, faster, and utterly relentless. It tore across the cemetery in blind fury, aiming to reach Irina. But the Tarnished intercepted it at every turn, deflecting each attack with calculated strikes and well-timed rolls.

And then there was his shield.

Melina had never seen anyone use a shield with such mastery. Each parry redirected the creature's raw power with precision, wearing it down. What took the Leonine immense effort to maintain, Konstantin countered with near-effortless grace.

Finally, the beast made a critical mistake.

Overextended from a wild swing, the Leonine faltered, leaving itself open. Konstantin wasted no time. Driving his sword into the creature's chest, he delivered a decisive blow. The beast gasped, its stolen sword slipping from its grasp as it collapsed.

Melina knew the fight was over. A single strike had ended the life of such a formidable foe. With every battle, the Tarnished reinforced her belief that she had made the right choice.

The oddities, though...

A faint smile touched her lips.

She could live with them.

...Or so she thought.

"Why isn't it getting back up?" Konstantin muttered, poking the fallen beast with his sword. "I barely broke its poise. Oh, come on."

As runes poured from the defeated enemy, the Tarnished froze, whispering to himself:

"GREAT ENEMY FELLED"… That's it? P-raise the Sun, I guess..." (1)

Melina let out a long, exasperated sigh. Disappointment—that was what she heard in his voice. Disappointment!

Irina, meanwhile, was struggling to comprehend what had just happened. She knew the Leonine Misbegotten's strength. A monster capable of decimating entire battalions. Yet this half-naked madman had defeated it.

Quickly. Effortlessly. Almost… naturally.

"That was so easy I feel like a caster. Or worse, a summoner," (2) Konstantin grumbled, visibly distressed. "Alright, let's finish the quest."

He retrieved the fallen greatsword and stowed it in some unseen space before returning to Irina. Lifting her once more, he carried her with the same casual ease as before.

"Rest assured, Father will reward you—"

"Having a living waifu is reward enough," Konstantin interrupted in a steely tone. "Now, let's go have a word with him..."

"P-perhaps we don't need to..."

"We do."

It didn't take long for them to find Edgar, who was locked in battle with the slaves. The warden's surprise was evident when he saw his daughter and a ghostly rider galloping across the battlefield on a spectral steed, flinging throwing knives with precision at any creatures daring to attack them. The strange rider didn't even seem to aim but hit his marks flawlessly, striking down every enemy pursuing them.

A faint stream of runes flowed into the Tarnished as though blessing him. Konstantine cut through the hordes of thralls, leaping off Torrent. Edgar raised his halberd.

"What is the meaning of this? Irina?!"

"Father, you should—"

Irina, still bitter toward her father, didn't want the frighteningly strong warrior to hurt him. She tried to warn him, but it was too late. The blind girl heard the swoosh of a halberd — presumably her father's — followed by a heavy thud.

Then another.

And another...

"..."

Melina watched as the Tarnished rolled toward his new adversary, dodging the halberd's swing before landing a perfectly executed punch squarely in the warden's face. Ignoring the ongoing chaos of soldiers and thralls fighting around them, the Tarnished methodically continued his assault...

Apparently trying to "break Edgar's poise"?

"You sent your blind daughter unprotected into the goddamn Lands Between? Are you insane? There are dragons just casually flying around, entire biomes filled with rot nearby! In a world like this, where beauty is so rare, and you toss it away like that?! All for some pointless reference to Martin's novel!" (3)

Punch.

"This was one of my first quests!" cried the Tarnished, his voice filled with raw emotion as he glanced toward the sky. "I naively accepted the letter, rushed off happily to complete it, defeated the boss..."

Punch.

"Went back to deliver the message, only to find her already dead. And you can't even replay it! Damn these quests!"

Disregarding the soldiers rushing toward him, the Tarnished hoisted Edgar onto Torrent, then climbed on himself. Torrent snorted in protest, clearly struggling with the weight of three bodies.

"Actually, I could level you up too," the Tarnished muttered, patting Torrent's mane. "But this is the last time, I promise."

Torrent snorted one last time. As arrows flew their way, the spectral steed leapt off the wall with incredible speed. Irina, now more accustomed to the chaotic warrior, clung tightly to his chest.

Melina, once again watching the swiftly disappearing figures, turned her contemplative gaze toward the castle, where blood continued to spill between rebels and soldiers.

It seemed the rebellion didn't interest him at all. Nor did the consequences. The Tarnished pursued his own goals, ones entirely detached from either side of the conflict.

He had his own side.

Melina couldn't help but wonder what he would do next. She was certain now that Konstantine could see Grace and was capable of overcoming the harshest trials. By all rights, as a Finger Maiden, she should have already taken him to the Roundtable Hold. The place where all Tarnished gathered. Yet, for some reason, she delayed.

She wanted to observe him a little longer. To be sure. What would he do next? Would his madness lead him to the foot of the Erdtree, or would he continue chasing only his goals, endlessly promising her he would fulfill his end of their deal?

Edgar, holding his bruised face, chuckled bitterly.

"I may have jumped to conclusions... We haven't met. I am Edgar, the war—"

He stopped, laughing humorlessly. What kind of warden was he now? They had fled, hiding in a distant abandoned shack. Worse, they'd fled with the sword of Castle Morne.

"I'm Edgar, the former warden of the castle. As ordained by Lord Godrick himself."

Konstantine hesitated for a moment at the incongruity of Edgar's title but quickly shrugged it off. The merchant had helped him get better at rolling with inconsistencies.

"We'll see about that."

Konstantine's offhand remark left Edgar momentarily stunned. Irina, overhearing their conversation, laughed unexpectedly, feeling a flicker of shame.

"You saved me and my father from certain death, and I haven't even asked your name, mighty warrior."

"Konstantine."

Kosta didn't let himself get flustered by the fact that the waifu herself had asked for his name. After all, he was a battle-hardened warrior, growing stronger by the day.

"Konstantine!" Irina exclaimed, folding her hands in a prayerful gesture. "Thank you! Thank you so much. Father, how can we repay our savior?"

Edgar, still squinting — perhaps from the swelling around his eye, perhaps in suspicion — hesitated.

"Besides my daughter, I have only my debt to her and my halberd. The treasure of Castle Morne is rightfully yours, noble Tarnished. You are Tarnished, aren't you? Hah, that was easy to tell!"

Only a Tarnished could be so peculiar and yet so capable.

The Tarnished nodded.

"So, what's your plan?"

"Probably settle nearby," Edgar said with a shrug. "The Lands Between are dangerous, but rest assured, I won't let my daughter face such danger again. I'll devote my life to her safety."

"That's all I wanted to hear. That's more than enough," Konstantine smiled. "I think I can find you a place in Stormveil Castle, at least temporarily. I'll be heading there soon. A blind waifu, taken care of by the servants, would find it hard to survive with only her father's help."

Konstantine pondered whether it might be possible to restore her sight someday. It wasn't part of the original quest, but who said he couldn't start a new one?

For now, though, there were other matters to attend to.

"Stormveil Castle?" Edgar frowned. "Ah, of course, you're Tarnished. I understand. If you succeed in your mission, we'd gladly accept your invitation!"

"But how could we possibly ask for more?" Irina exclaimed. "Father, we already owe this noble Tarnished so much! Perhaps we can at least help him find proper armor..."

"Didn't I already say it?!" Konstantine countered, throwing his hands in the air. "A living waifu is the best reward. A happy, living waifu is the ultimate reward!"

Irina, grasping the gist of his words, blushed and lowered her head.

No one had ever said anything like that to her before. In just one day, the man before her had done more for her than anyone ever had, and promised even more. All for no reason other than his peculiar whims.

The Tarnished folded his arms, glancing out the window at the setting sun.

"Alright, gotta go."

"A shame our meeting ends this way, Konstantine," Edgar said, extending his hand. "No matter what you say, I remain in your debt. If you ever need my halberd, you know where to find me."

Konstantine shook the offered hand but refrained from explaining that he wasn't into multiplayer summons and wouldn't be calling on him for help with bosses. Exiting the shack, he whistled for Torrent, who appeared instantly. Mounting the steed, he gave Edgar and Irina one last look before riding off.

There was no time to waste.

With Melina's ethereal and mobile presence, he was confident he could keep track of Irina and ensure no further harm befell her.

For now, though, he had to focus. The best waifu hadn't spawned in yet, and he was determined to trigger her questline.

For that, he first needed to assist one of her subordinates.

As for proper clothing? He'd deal with that later — maybe trade this oversized, useless toothpick for something more practical.

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(1) Great Enemy Felled - dopamine inducing pop up that appears after killing a boss

(2) Every "self-respecting" Souls-Liker would rather not wash for weeks and sustain themselves on pizza pops than play summoner or mage.

(3) Grafted Blade Greatsword - a drop from the boss (Leonine) in the Castle Morne. Looks like a sword made of rusted swords just like the Iron Throne