"What was that for?!" Lansi's body went stiff for a heartbeat before she flushed crimson and scrambled out of Raven's arms. She only quieted down when she saw him press a finger to his lips, signaling for absolute silence.
The sound of cold, grinding gears grew closer.
A five-meter-tall mechanical puppet emerged from an alleyway. Its head was sculpted into the serene likeness of a young woman, its height surpassing the rooftops of the surrounding houses. Two mechanical arms dangled from its sides, each clutching a heavy, massive circular saw that looked capable of bisecting a fully armored knight with ease.
The head swiveled left and right. It paused before the prisoner's corpse, and the circular saws suddenly transformed into crescent-shaped sickles. One blade hooked through the corpse's ribcage, hoisting it up to the puppet's face for a close inspection.
Sensing nothing out of the ordinary, it dropped the body. Its base pivoted with a mechanical clatter, and it began to roll toward the other end of the street.
Only after the metallic clanking faded did Raven and Lansi drop silently back onto the cobblestones.
"What is that thing?" Lansi asked.
"It looks like a variation of the Academy's puppet soldiers. But even the Academy hasn't built them this large," Raven said, his confusion evident. "Only high-purity glintstones could provide enough power to drive a machine of that scale. Using it in emergencies is one thing, but for daily patrols? How can Volcano Manor afford the upkeep?"
"That puppet reeks of blood and corpse wax," Lansi said, pinching her nose. "On the bright side, the scent of Albinauric blood is much clearer now. We're getting closer to Rudy."
They navigated through the town, avoiding several more patrolling Abductor Virgins as they moved toward the massive complex at the center of the settlement.
"I suspect this town was originally inhabited by followers of the Serpent God," Raven noted, looking at the towering domes, spires, and the weathered reliefs of the Great Serpent on the stone walls. "Rykard likely seized it after the conquest. Those serpent reliefs were intentionally defaced, but the job wasn't finished—the traces are still there."
"Rudy is inside that building," Lansi whispered. "How do we get in?"
The main gates stood wide open. From a distance, the interior looked like a dark abyss, with faint wails and screams drifting out from the depths.
"We climb the outer wall and enter through a window." Raven scanned the building, looking for a side in the shadows. "Alright, stay low and follow me."
Slinking to the base of the wall, Raven crouched down. "Get on. I'll carry you up."
Lansi wrapped her arms around Raven's neck, clinging to his back like a koala. "Hey, don't go getting any weird ideas."
"If you're that worried, you could always face outward. It's not like there's much difference between your front and back any—GULP!" Raven's jab was cut short as Lansi tightened her grip around his throat with superhuman strength.
"It's going to snap! My neck is going to snap! I apologize! I apologize!"
Utilizing the technique of staffless casting, a crystalline light gathered in Raven's palm. He pressed his right hand against the stone; crystals instantly surged forth, bonding his hand firmly to the surface.
With a powerful surge, Raven pulled himself up. He repeated the process with his left hand, while his right hand broke free from the crystal, leaving behind a jagged protrusion in the wall to serve as a foothold. Moving like a gecko, he scaled the wall with fluid, rhythmic strikes.
"Magic is so convenient," Lansi said enviously, watching the crystals beneath them lose their luster and crumble into dust.
"Incantations have their uses too. Later, I'll teach you sorcery, and you can teach me incantations," Raven suggested. "I'll find a Demi-Human Queen's Staff for you."
"Really? That sounds—" Lansi paused, her voice turning suspicious. "Wait. A Demi-Human Queen's Staff? I heard those are for... people with very low intelligence."
"Just a baseless rumor," Raven coughed. "You can try it out first. If it doesn't work, I'll think of something else."
"Commander..." Lansi said calmly. "I'm giving you one chance to revise that statement."
"She's a queen among demi-humans! Could she be a queen if she were dim-witted?"
"If anyone mocks my intellect, I'll make sure their own IQ drops to zero," Lansi said, her tone turning ominous. "I only seem lazy with my brain because usually, there's no need for it."
"We're here! We can discuss this later." Before Lansi's chokehold could fully set in, Raven's hands found the edge of the roof, and he pulled them up. "Business first."
Setting Lansi down, he walked to an attic dormer. Like the other windows, it was reinforced with thick iron bars.
After testing the strength of the iron, Raven gripped the bars and pulled. With a grunt of effort, the metal twisted and deformed, creating a gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
He slipped inside. The Assassin's Approach incantation ensured his landing was silent, but the rotting wooden floorboards still gave a sharp creak. However, the building was so full of strange noises—groans, shrieks, and the sound of dragging metal—that he wasn't worried about alerting the guards.
Once Lansi squeezed through, Raven gripped the bars and wrenched them back into their original shape.
"I suspect this is where Volcano Manor truly keeps its death-row inmates," Raven whispered. "The cells on the surface are likely just for petty criminals."
"But why would Rudy be locked up here?"
"I'm afraid he saw or heard something he wasn't supposed to." Raven thought for a moment. "Inquisitor Ghiza was on the second floor; it might have something to do with him."
"If you just talked to Rykard, wouldn't he let him go?" Lansi whispered. "Maybe that Inquisitor kidnapped Rudy on his own authority?"
"Yes, I'm sure he would," Raven said softly.
"Then we should—"
"There are some things you simply can't unsee. I can't ignore this," Raven said. "Lansi, now that we're here, we see it through to the end."
The attic was filled with dusty junk—brooms, crates, and broken furniture. It seemed rarely visited. Raven and Lansi lifted a trapdoor in the floor and climbed down the ladder.
Rudy had clearly been brought in through the front entrance, and Lansi could no longer track his specific trail through the maze-like interior. However, Raven pulled out his communication glintstone and channeled mana into it.
"As I thought, Rudy's glintstone was destroyed," Raven said. "But even the fragments will resonate with mine at this distance. I can sense the general direction. Follow me."
They navigated a dark corridor and headed down a spiral staircase. Halfway down, Raven raised his hand, signaling a halt.
"Guards?"
"A living thing crawling on the floor. Might be a prisoner." Raven frowned and slowly drew his sword. "I'll try to knock him out."
"Don't bother." Lansi cast an incantation, and a thick shroud of darkness enveloped them, blending them perfectly into the shadows. "He won't be able to see us like this."
Raven gave her a thumbs-up, and they crept down the remaining steps.
A figure with black cloth wrapped around its head was crawling on the floor, let out pained whimpers. Under the cover of darkness, Raven and Lansi prepared to circle around it, but the creature suddenly froze.
With a shrill hiss, it lunged toward Raven's face like a coiled spring. Beneath the black cloth, a rotting, pus-filled maw snapped open, saliva dripping from jagged, yellowed teeth.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(135 Chapter - Ongoing)
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