Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

Blackthorn Death Curse?

Edson led us to the tower behind the church, which was the route Roger and I took when we invaded. He explained to us, "I don't know when a strange disease started in Stonewell. People who are sick will have black festering patches on their bodies, and even black thorns will grow out of them... According to those people, the thorns will drain their rune power to grow, and once infected, there is no possibility of recovery. Many people in the city have been infected with this disease before."

"Before? What about now?" I asked curiously.

Edson sighed. "When Greg found out, he was also shocked. He quickly gathered all the sick people, but no one knew where he imprisoned them. They were never seen again... But the strange disease did not disappear at all. It even appeared on the weapons and the walls of Stonewell."

We followed Edson out of the tower and onto the wooden scaffolding.

He also ordered people to bring two kinds of wooden shields. As Edson said, black thorns grew everywhere on the shields, and their roots were covered with black spots that continued to erode and spread.

Looking up, the wall of Stonewell was also like a shield, with black spots and many black thorns growing on it. Before, Greg sent people to patrol here and ordered them to cut down and burn these things.

But after Roger and I invaded, more troops were sent to the city, so we were no longer able to take care of this.

——It seems that I need to find someone to continue cleaning the walls.

Hertok couldn't help but say, "Come to think of it, I once met a man at the foot of the city wall tower. At that time, his body was also entangled with such black thorns. He was dying and muttered something about monsters. He also asked me to give him the final blow and help him return to the tree."

"But isn't this a curse caused by Greg's limb grafting?" Roger interrupted. "When I investigated nearby, I heard the exile soldiers say this when they threw the corroded wooden shields down the cliff."

Edson shook his head. “Personally, I think this has nothing to do with what Greg did, because the disease appeared long before he had the limb transplant.”

"Oh, this is interesting." Roger's scholarly nature emerged, and he couldn't help but smile slightly.

but······

——The Blackthorn Death Curse, wasn’t it caused by the dead prince?

——This term, which I had never heard of before, made me think that some new plot was about to happen.

So, I said confidently, "I have a general understanding of the source of this disease... However, it may be difficult to completely solve this strange disease. Anyway, just follow me and you will know."

First, he led everyone all the way to the entrance of the Storm Throne courtyard. There was another door opposite the warehouse in the passage.

Inside, there was originally a brick building that should have been a warehouse, but most of it had been demolished, and even weeds and moss grew everywhere, as if the place was intentionally cut off and blocked off.

Here, I took the opportunity to clean up the dung beetle, obtained the war ash - Call the Storm, and then climbed up.

——Alas, the storm-type warrior Hui Shuai is handsome, but he is a buyer’s show and a seller’s show, and A-Tai can’t combine combat skills like the Lost Homeland Knight.

——I can only say that when they gather together they are the best, and when they disperse they are three big lumps... Oh, Storm Foot is quite useful for dealing with humanoid monsters and interrupting their attacks, but the other two are a bit of a juggling act.

"Zero, be careful!" Hertok suddenly stepped forward and pulled me away while I was complaining in my head.

I saw a small pot swooping towards me. Although it missed, it rolled over and crushed my foot.

——Oh my god, it hurts quite a bit.

I was so angry that I raised my foot and was about to kick the pot away.

But the next second, from the depths of the wreckage of the room, a large pot warrior stretched out his hands and spun out like a top.

——You, can you also summon storms?

Roger and I quickly drew our weapons.

——It is not easy to attack the Dahu warriors with swords. They are quite tough and can easily deflect the swords.

But magic and my current fighting skill - Blood Slash are very effective.

"Stop!" But Edson shouted, "Do you know who are in front of you? They are the heroes of Stonewell, the real warriors who defeated Greg! Stop your rude behavior!"

When the Da Hu and Xiao Hu warriors heard this, they actually stopped obediently.

I asked quietly, "Do you know these guys? Edson."

Edson nodded. "After the strange disease appeared, Greg ordered me, who was still a servant at the time, to find these pot warriors to guard this area."

"Oh?" Roger stroked his chin and thought, "As far as I know, the Pot Warriors are usually used in the rituals of sacrificing warriors to guard their souls back to the tree. It seems that Greg has already understood the cause of that strange disease."

——Of course, after all, the prince is related to him by blood.

Ok?

After the Da Hu warrior walked back into the depths, he slowly took out two cracked pots. Was he trying to apologize to us?

I looked left and right, and neither Roger nor Hurtok wanted it, so I had to accept it reluctantly.

“Come with me this way, but be careful where you step.” He turned around, leaned against the corner of the wall on the left, continued walking along the brick and stone wreckage, then stepped on the wooden tripod, jumped onto the protruding brick eaves of the city wall, and walked around to a small door on the right side of the second floor.

When we went in, we saw a Lost Home Knight squatting on the terrace checking something, with a Storm Eagle following him.

...It's this troublesome guy again. Let's lure the Storm Eagle here first, and then steal the kidney of the Lost Knight.

But in reality, if I want to get a guy's attention, they will probably rush over.

Fortunately, we have a lot of people here.

"Chichi?"

Oops, it was discovered.

And the Lost Knight really turned around and stood up.

I just put my hand on the hilt, ready to attack, when the other side gave me a knight's salute: "Master Zero, and all the masters, hello!"

——······I was thinking subconsciously in the game, and forgot that Stonewell has already accepted me, hey.

Roger stepped forward and asked curiously, "What are you doing, Knight?"

"Everyone, look here. I found this when I was patrolling here this morning." He made way and saw that it was a strange bird that could breathe fire, but it was also wrapped in ominous black thorns, and it was obviously stained with death.

"Has that strange disease already infected the throne of the king?" Edson frowned. "Even for the sake of the next king, we must find a way to investigate it as soon as possible."

I patted his shoulder and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I will definitely give you an answer today, Edson."

As I said that, I continued to lead everyone up the nearby stairs to the third floor, and continued to stick to the wall, all the way forward, and we entered the outer wall of Stonewell.

There is a room inside, hiding several noble residents of Stonewell dressed in white robes.

They heard footsteps, looked up, and when they saw Edson, they were surprised: "Old, old Hyde, why are you here?"

"Rodi, why are you here?" Edson was also surprised. "Could it be..."

The man named Rody sighed and rolled up his sleeves. A black sore had grown on his arm, with small black thorns growing out of it. "Everyone here has been infected with the Blackthorn Death Curse. If King Greg finds out, we will all be in trouble. That's why we hid here."

"... Rody, King Greg has been defeated by these warriors. We are here today to investigate this strange disease!"

"Really?" Rody's eyes widened with excitement. After seeing Edson nod affirmatively again, he knelt on the ground and said with a trembling voice, "Yes, really? That's great! That's great! I didn't expect that I would be able to go home one day."

Roger walked to the small platform outside the wall alone, looking at the road extending downwards. He seemed to feel something: "It's just in front of this side."

"Well, we're almost there."

"But I didn't expect it to be so hidden..." Roger suddenly turned his head and asked, "Zero, have you been to Stonewell before?"

"No, what's wrong?" I responded subconsciously, but was met with Roger's questioning eyes.

But Rody inside the door interrupted us at this time: "My lords, do you still want to move forward?"

"Of course, after all, this is to figure out the Blackthorn Killing Curse." Roger concealed his suspicious expression and smiled at the other party.

"Well, there is something I must tell you first... There is a monster hiding under Stoneville."

"monster?"

Rody nodded tremblingly. "We can hear the roar of that thing almost every night here, but no one has ever seen its shadow... It is like the origin of death, holding us tightly and torturing us until we die under the curse."

——That should be the rotten tree spirit, but I have a way to deal with it.

He led everyone to jump down along the cliff here, came to a tower, passed through it, and returned to the interior of Stonewell.

You can already see a huge pit underneath, filled with thick gray fog.

"It's here... Oh, I'll go open a door first." I walked along the stone path to a door on the opposite side. If I opened it, there would be the elevator blessing point next to the main platform of the central square.

······Hey, why is it so hard? I can’t open it.

"Let me do it." Hertok walked forward and pulled gently at first. Then, he was slightly surprised, and then began to press and pull with all his strength.

"Since there is a door here, couldn't we have just come over directly?" Roger asked in confusion.

Edson answered his puzzlement: "This door was locked by Greg a long time ago, and it should be impossible to open it..."

Snapped!

Before Edson could finish his words, there was a crisp sound from the small wooden door.

Hurtok was seen holding half a door panel in his hand and turned his head with an innocent look on his face.

——Okay, okay, you are worthy of being the Forge of Super Strength.

——So this is how the door opens.

That's fine, all preparations have been made, next, it's time for me to show my skills~