Chapter Text
The beating of my heart ceased momentarily as my eyes locked with the ominous golden serpentine eye of the Impaler. A flicker of a smirk danced on his lips as he leaned forward on his throne, a massive spear embedded into the stone beside him. A helm adorned with a serpent crest framed his face, giving him an even more fearsome presence.
“Thou’rt Tarnished…… it seemth?” rang out the voice again, in that deep tone, yet it held an air of questioning if I truly was a Tarnished. The large serpent retracted away from me and back into the safety and comfort of Messmer’s imposing presence.
I tried to speak but the words would not depart from my mouth no matter how hard I beckoned to them. Between the darkness, the heat, and the Impaler I truly was at a loss for words. My blood felt like it was boiling under my skin and my chest ached from the absolute fear I was feeling. ‘How?’ no other demi-god instilled a sense of fear on this level. Not Rykard, not Melania, not even Radahn. Why is Messmer different.
I tried to take a step forward but my foot faltered when I heard a sigh come from the Impaler. “Mother? Wouldst thou truly lordship sanction, in one so bereft of light?” he asked to nobody in particular. When no answer came to his empty question he stood from the throne.
He was tall and imposing when he was sitting, but now standing at his full height, he stood a good three feet taller than myself and the spear he plucked from the stood was as long as I am. I knew a fight was coming, I had not sought him out to fight him. Again, I tried to speak but I couldn’t, all I could do was watch him slowly advance to the ledge that separated him from the large open space that I was sure battle would be held on.
Fire spewed from his fingertips as he held up his hand as if to show me a taste of what was to come. “Yet, my purpose standeth unchanged” he said with a tone that hinted of acceptance and disappointment.
A wall of hatred, flames, armor, and snakes marched towards me. The hand of the Impaler now at the same level of his face, let forth a torrent of flame and stared me in the eyes. “Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death” he continued, stepping towards the edge of the ledge. Armed with snapping snakes, a spear, and a flame that looked like it was pulled straight out of hell he stood there, ready to fight. Bowing forward slightly, he lowered his arm and slightly extended it to me, “In the embrace of Messmer’s flames” he finished.
A battle of flames and a god slayer sword versus the flames of Messmer the Impaler would be had here in the coming seconds. Finally, the suffocating fear that had locked me in place dissipated and I was able to regain control of my movements. Messmer left no room for a conversation, he meant to burn me into a charred husk like he had so many others before me.
Gritting my teeth together, I accepted I would have no choice but to fight him for a chance to speak. I drew my sword and readied myself for his assault. I will fight fire with fire. A wicked grin stretched across Messmer’s lips, his mouth slightly parted to reveal the sharpened teeth that were hidden within his mouth.
Without a second of hesitation, Messmer leapt into the air and then descended upon me with his spear set ablaze at a speed I narrowly was able to avoid. The impact of him slamming into the ground caused a tremor and I almost lost my footing. Carefully I backed away from him as he turned around and laughed at me for keeping a distance.
“Death is assured Tarnished thou can prolong thy spear and thy flame but thou will yield to me” taunted Messmer, turning around to fully face me, readying his spear for another strike.
I bared my teeth in response to the taunt and stood my ground, no longer willing to keep at a safe distance. With my talisman in my hand, I conjured forth a ball of black flame and threw it at him. He easily avoided the ball of flame and gave me an expression of surprise at my usage of blackflame.
“Thoust do not seemth so ordinary a Tarnished” he said, lunging at me again. Swinging down with his spear in an attempt to slice me in half.
I raised my sword and intercepted the strike, right before the blade could make contact with my right shoulder. The heat emitting from the blade burned the side of my face a little and caused me to wince in pain. Messmer with his free hand readied another torrent of flames that were aimed directly at me.
Deflecting his spear, I jumped to the side and narrowly avoided the flames aim right were my head had been seconds ago. Another low chuckle rumbled from his chest, as if enjoying this game. I swung my sword with the tip ablaze with blackflame and let out a wave of fire that bite into Messmer’s left hip. I let out a chuckle of my own to taunt him back. Big mistake.
“So thou’rt eager for thine death’s embrace, Tarnished” he spat at me and jumped into the air only to slam down onto the ground moments later in an eruption of flame and spears that burst from the ground.
One of the spears catching me in the side, tearing my robes and flesh in the process. A hiss of pain left through clenched teeth as I attempted to regain my breath from the searing pain. Blood oozed from the wound and soaked into the fabric of my robes. Without giving me a moment to recover, Messmer again launched into a frenzy of thrusts and exploding flame from the tip of his spear. I was barely able to back away from the assault, my hat almost catching fire from a particularly well-placed jab at my head.
I swung my sword in an upward arc and let loose a burst of my own flame against Messmer, forcing him into a defensive position. I swung again and again letting loose arc after arc f black flame at Messmer. I was gaining some ground against him, until he leapt into the air and spun in a circle of flame forcing me to back off and go on the defensive again. The heat from all his attacks was making the air burn my lungs which caused me to not be able to catch my breath effectively. There was no way I could beat him.
I threw out my hand and threw out an arc of my own blackflame, catching him as he advanced on me once more. He let out a pained cry as the flames hit him directly in the exposed legs. He sneered at me and charged again, letting loose a flurry of thrusts and jabs, catching me here and there as I attempted to deflect and evade the attack. He stopped for a moment and studied my current state and snickered.
“Thou seemth tired, yes? Come’th to thine flames and accept in thine embrace” called Messmer, standing there watching me unable to catch my breath. He smirked at me like he knew he had won.
He was off-guard and I was close enough to hit him with a full force attack. I had to gamble on this last attack because it would leave me wide open for a fatal blow if I gambled wrong. But at this rate, I’m dead either way. Gripping my talisman I leapt into the air and summoned the head of the dragon, and blasted him at point blank range with dragon flame. I didn’t stop until I had used up all my remaining strength and fell onto the ground in a heaving and crumbled heap.
Messmer let out another cry of pain and leapt back before falling onto his knee. “Gah…hah!” he let out a pained moan, breathing heavily. Slowly I was able to suck in some much needed air while he was on the ground. I was able to roll onto my knees and face him.
He clenched his fist tightly and bowed his head, “I will NOT suffer….. a lord devoid of light” he said, as if he had accepted a fate that he was helpless to change. Slowly he turned his head towards a statue of Marika that was missing its head. “O Mother, Forgive me” he said in a pleading tone.
I was finally able to stand back up and I watched as he raised his arm up above his face, right above his eye. I realized that he meant to remove his remaining eye in a last-ditch effort to achieve a power to destroy me. He stared at his fingers for a second and then readied himself to plunge them into his eye.
In slow motion I saw him begin to lower his hand, “STOP!” I screamed, the words ripping through my charred throat in an effort to gain his attention before this escalated out of control.
The sound of my voice must have startled him as he suddenly halted in his actions and gazed at me in question. “Stop” I repeated in a softer tone still sucking in gulps of air.
“It seemth thou tongue is capable of speech” he sneered at me, but didn’t lower his hand.
“I didn’t come here to fight you” I said, the words I meant to speak at the beginning of this encounter finally coming forward.
“Oh? Thou surely did not hold back thy attack when thou claimth no ill intent” he countered, gesturing to his burned flesh and burned cape.
“You attacked me first” I deadpanned, not amused that I was the one being accused of starting this combat.
“Thou was given time to speakth thy words” he said, lowering his hand from his eye. “My brother sent thou here to defeat me” he said, knowing how I had managed to breach this world and how I even knew about him.
“Yes, but that’s not why I came to seek you out” I said, trying to explain that I was here of my own accord, not Miquella’s bidding. “I have come to give you something” I said, hoping this would hold his attention enough to stop this unneeded bloodshed between us.
“Thou would attempt to fool me with trickery” he said, his golden eye narrowing and a deep scowl forming on his lips.
“No, no tricks. Allow me to approach you and I shall impart to you a gift that only I could obtain” I asked attempting to take a step forward only for him to stand and point the spear and me in a threatening manner, the tip beginning to smoke.
“Throw down your arms and thy talisman and thou may approach’th me” he demanded, knowing he would have the upper hand in this exchange.
Determined to play this game and win, I decided I would get further if I played by his rules. I nodded my head and let go of my talisman and sword. The clattering noise of them falling to the stone floor echoed in the room. Messmer, seeming pleased with his authority, lowered his spear and gave a single word, “Approach” he ordered.
Slowly I approached the fearsome Impaler. The closer I got the more it became apparent how he towered over me and could easily pick me up and choke the life out of me if he so chooses. Once I was within arm’s length I carefully kneeled before him, earning a pleased expression from him.
“It would seemth thou have manners, for a Tarnished” he said, giving a back-handed compliment. I chose to ignore the taunt and instead reach for the pouch on my waist band. My movements were halted by Messmer’s commanding voice so close to me, “Thou should’st be careful Tarnished, any trick and your head with be impaled upon thine spear” he warned, moving the tip of the spear to my throat to emphasize who had the upper hand.
“If you find this gift displeasing, I submit to your flames” I said quietly, no real fight left in me in this plan fails. I would simply let him kill me and I would return to Lendyll to seek out the Frenzied Flame despite all warnings and threats from Melina.
I swallowed the dry know in my throat and nodded at him, showing I understood his warning. I adverted my eyes since I didn’t want us engaged in eye contact so close now that he would be able to see the details that so many miss when I hide my eyes behind the brim of my hat. My hand secured the pouch and with my head bowed, I extended my hand up towards him in a show of submission and no ill will.
His fingers briefly brushed against mine has he accepted the pouch with a mild curiosity. His fingers, though calloused from a lifetime of battle and hardships were warm, showing he was still alive and human despite everything. My thoughts were distracted when I heard an audible gasp. I chanced a peek up at his face to observe him from the cover my hat.
His single eye was wide in shock as he eyed the contents of the pouch. I had given him all the runes except the rune of Destined Death. “For what purpose would thou depart with thine runes unto me?” he asked, now interested in what I had to say. Me, a Tarnished going against the fate of all Tarnished and not going to claim the title of Elden Lord.
“I don’t want to be the Elden Lord” I said quietly, almost a murmer but I knew he had heard me. He clenched the pouch in his hand and regarded me, an expression upon his face asking me to explain further. “I won’t be a lord, especially not to Marika” I said, spitting out her name like a bitter resin that coated my tongue and I wanted nothing more than to have it out of my mouth.
“Why would’st thou giveth me thine runes?” he questioned again, wanting to know the true reason I had sought him out.
I left out a sigh and dipped my head, looking back at the cold stone. “I want a new lord to rise, one that will finish what he started and destroy the world as we know it. There’s no point in living in this world, destruction must be had if a new cycle and rule is to start” I explained, leaning on the fact that he was the first to attempt to destroy this world and the first to commit the cardinal sin of burning the Erdtree.
“Thou would’st see me riseth to Godship?” he questioned, not really believing that I would hand him an almost completed Elden Ring.
“I would” I said, confirming that I wanted him to take his mother’s place, if not the entire Greater Will’s place.
“What wouldst thou gain from this?” he questioned, suddenly suspicious of my motive.
Refusing to look up to meet his gaze I answered, “The satisfaction of watching the Golden Lineage that scorned us be purged from the world” I said, hoping to convince him to accept this gift and pursue it.
“Look at me Tarnished” he asked, in a tone that I couldn’t quite place. I shook my head, not wanting to obey the command.
Not giving me a choice, Messmer tightened his grip on his spear and used the tip of the spear to force me to raise my head and look up at him. Golden draconic eyes gazed into a single golden serpent’s eye. A smirk appeared on his ashen lips, stretching enough to reveal serpentine fangs.
“It would seemth thou has partaken in the communion of thy dragon” he commented, understanding why I had dragon eyes. It was true, I had hunted every dragon I could find and offered their hearts upon dragon alters in an attempt to ascend to a new form.
“I seek to transcend that of the Tarnished shell and become something greater” I said, my gaze narrowing at his. I continued, “I have no need for the grace of gold nor the title of Elden Lord. I came here solely to impart to you this gift in hopes that a new age can begin” I said in a serious tone, sweat still dripping down my body from the heat and the proximity to certain death if I made a single wrong move.
Messmer let out a laugh that filled the room and then it turned into a sigh. “I am bound to this world as thine purpose standth unchanged” he said, finally lowering his spear and walking away from me. I watched him as he took a few steps away and then turned back around to face me, the traces of hostility gone from his posture.
“Miquella left a doorway open that links both these worlds, I can show you the way out of here” I offered, hoping that he would accept. This seemed to get his attention completely.
“Thou seeketh to betray thine brother?” he asked, searching my face for any hints of deception.
“I was never going to do Miquella’s bidding. Even if it meant I had to willingly die” I answered in honesty, watching him for a reaction. “I would have rather given myself to the embrace of flame than play the role of pawn for yet another demi-god” I continued in a bitter tone.
“What accord wouldst thou offer in exchange for the runes and thy knowledge to leave this world?” inquired Messmer, in a voice that spoke of being ready to leave this cursed place.
“Lend me your strength and I will be your guide. There is work yet to be done before you can enter the Erdtree and one of the runes is missing. Alone we can be picked apart but together we can do this” I said offering up my services to be a guide in the Lands Between to allow him to finish the work I left uncompleted.
Messmer was quiet for what felt like an eternity, just watching me quietly from my spot on the floor before finally gracing me with his answer. “Thou hath a deal” he said with a smirk upon his face. “We shall depart these lands four days from now” he continued, leaving me and returning to his throne.
‘I did it’ I thought in disbelief. All the tension of the last week, especially the last few hours, melted from my body and the exhaustion hit me all at once. Unable to stay upright any longer, my body crumbled to the ground and I could feel the darkness pulling me in. Between blood loss, hunger, and sleep deprivation, I couldn’t last any longer. Darkness closed in around me and I heard the words of Messmer before the darkness took me, “Thou aren’t but a weak creature, a lot of strength will I have to lendth” in a tone between amusem*nt and disappointment.
