The Tarnished see Commander O'Neil below. Around him is the aftermath of a battle, fought long ago - swords and corpses litter the ground. The grounds are unstirred, possibly because of his intervention. Reane: How do you want to approach this? Morrowe: What do you mean? I go down, bash the bastard in the head and make off with it.
Reane: ...have you heard the expression, "finding a needle in a haystack"? Morrowe: What blighted farmer puts a needle in a haystack?
Reane sighs, and jumps over the hill. Reane: Let me talk to the man. Watch me. Morrowe: Hey!
Reane gets closer to Commander O'Neil, who merely stands in the same stance without reacting. Reane: Sir! Reane: Sir?... Reane, muttering: What's the matter with him?
Reane: Sir? Reane stands before O'Neil. His eyes are white, his expression is blank, and the rot has infected all corners of his face and body. This is an empty shell of a man, whose identity the Rot has (almost) overtaken.
The whites of O'Neil's eyes.
His eyeballs roll back into their proper places.
He looks down on Reane - he is an enormous man, twice Reane's height. They made the noble warriors of The Shattering bigger than the current stock today.
His left hand, his dominant hand, twitches. In it is his halberd, the Commander's Standard, draped in a rotting flag depicting a golden lion on scarlet background. Reane, unsure, readies herself to move, but has not moved yet in the instance he does, in fact, speak.
Welp, she's wrong. The Commander's left hand is in a position to stab her.
Morrowe, predictably, pushes her back, and parries him with his scimitar.
Taken aback, the Commander is then pushed backwards, with a strong kick from Morrowe's leg.
Morrowe: Let's be civil, the woman just wants to talk. Commander O'Neil picks himself up.
The Comamnder unfurls the flag on his halberd, revealing the lion. He waves the flag energetically in the putrid-smelling winds. He does so almost mechanically, like an automaton.
The winds of the Swamp of Aeonia shift. The dust begins to stir; the winds moan in an eerie way. The weapons and armor of fallen warriors creak almost with life.
The dust stirs, almost shaping themselves into columns.
The dust forms into Exile Soldiers.
The spirit of the Soldiers pick up their weapons - swords, axes and crossbows.
The Soldiers surround the Tarnished. Morrowe: Oh, hell. Morrowe: I'd love it if something was easy for once.
On the roots of the area, chattering loudly their war-cry, are the Kindred of Rot. Their glaives waved high in the air, the "arms" in their mouths clicking wildly, they surround the Commander and his soldiers, as they surround the Tarnished.
Consequently, they fire their threads against the soldiers; the threads wind through the air and violently pierce the soldiers, reducing them to dust again.
O'Neil waves his flag again, returning the soldiers to life. The soldiers swarm the tree trunks, slaughtering the Kindred of Rot.
Morrowe: Undying soldiers. How morbid. Reane: Well, some people would like that pleasure: to serve their soveraign eternally.
O'Neil tries to stab them again, with the end of his halberd.
Morrowe, as expected, parries again, and lunges his other scimitar at O'Neil's face.
O'Neil, finally present in the moment, closes the visor over his helmet; Morrowe's sword bounces off, though denting it slightly.
Morrowe: Oh the one time there isn't armor!
O'Neil sweeps his halberd; Morrowe and Reane dodge.
One can hear O'Neil's muscles tear, as the motion strains him; blood drips from his armor. The rot and his wounds have taken over his body.
Latenna fires; three arrows move toward the gap in O'Neil's helm.
He bats away the arrows with his hand; Morrowe tries to kick away O'Neil's halberd. Reane, knowing herself, is moving out of the battlefield.
Anastasia bashes against O'Neil's armor with her Butchering Knife; this being a heavier weapon, she actually successfully cuts the armor, but slightly.
Realizing the danger, O'Neil sweeps his halberd again; Anastasia and Morrowe step back.
However, O'Neil continues waving his halberd, in circles around his body and above his head. His furious dance raises the wind around them.
Morrowe protects his face from the harsh winds with his arm. Anastasia uses her giant knife as a shield. Morrowe: Like those giant knights in Stormveil...
O'Neil continues his furious dance. Someone knocks Morrowe behind a tree root.
A whirlwind is kicked up, expelling the dust of the land. The ashes melt away, and the Kindred of Rot are cut into pieces; scoriations are carved into the tree roots, and the lands shake.
Reane and Latenna hide behind a tree root. Reane: This is the power of the ancients!
The soldier ashes dissolve.
The Kindred are cut in half.
All is still now. The Commander falls to a knee with exhaustion.
Morrowe looks to see who his rescuer is. Morrowe: You...
It's Polyanna, Millicent's youngest sister. Morrowe, blushing: You look exactly like her.
Polyanna: I heard you came to help my sister. Polyanna: Thank you.
Polyanna is looking into the expanse around O'Neil; the ashes of the soldiers reassemble, shaping into men again. Polyanna: But...that man's will is strong. Polyanna: Even I'm surprised how devoted he is to his duty.
Morrowe: What do we do? Polyanna: That's my question. Polyanna: It's not something my sisters and I have really solved. Morrowe: Right...
Morrowe: Wait, sisters? Polyanna: Yes - they're hiding somewhere behind the tree roots.
Morrowe: Alright then. I'll take the lead. Can you cover me? Polyanna: Aye.
Morrowe runs towards Commander O'Neil. He and his soldiers brace themselves.
Polyanna takes off her glove. Sores develop on her hand.
From the sores, threads, just like the ones from the Kindred, shoot out.
They land on O'Neil's armor; however, his armor is too thick to be pierced.
From elsewhere, Latenna's arrows land against O'Neil's armor. This sufficiently distracts O'Neil.
Morrowe runs up to Commander O'Neil. Ashen soldiers block him.
The soldiers are stopped by the weapons - a Treespear and a Halo Scythe - cutting through them.
Millicent's other sisters, Amy, Maureen, and Mary dispatch of the soldiers.
Morrowe approaches Commander O'Neil. O'Neil, as before, tries to stab him with his halberd.
Morrowe, as before, parries. However, O'Neil allows the halberd to fall.
O'Neil kicks Morrowe in the chest.
It is revealed that O'Neil has removed his boot. His festering, Scarlet Rot-eaten foot is presented to Morrowe; its flesh is literally falling off the bone, hitherto kept together by willpower alone.
The rot infests Morrowe's face and hands, developing festering sores quickly.
Morrowe looks at his hands; the rot also infects his mind. His vision is hazy, he barely recognizes his hands anymore, and he struggles to speak.
O'Neil picks up his halberd. He hovers over Morrowe.
Morrowe tries to focus, picking up his scimitars.
O'Neil raises his halberd, ready to smash Morrowe into the ground.
Reane, in the stance of the Piercing Fang, pierces her foil through O'Neil's visor. She misses her mark because of her faltering strength, and punches only through his nose.
This has the intended effect, however; the unexpected pain stuns O'Neil. Morrowe picks himself up, sword in hand.
Straining to focus every sense, Morrowe readies himself in a stabbing posture.
He stabs O'Neil's head with his scimitar; the blade fits within the visor.
He stabs, again. And again. And again.
O'Neil's eyes and nose are two gaping holes; brain matter and blood flow down his features.
He collapses, dropping his halberd. Morrowe also collapses, his features distorted by the Rot.
Morrowe breathes heavily, foam gathering at the edges of his mouth. The texture of his flesh becomes spongy. Reane: Morrowe!
As Reane looms over Morrowe with great concern over his face, something golden shines, hidden in O'Neil's armor.
Reane: What... The gold needle reveals itself in O'Neil's armor. Polyanna tries to grab it.
Reane: Halt! Reane points her foil at Polyanna. Reane: Give that to me.
Polyanna, with an irritated face, gestures to Reane to take it.
Reane takes the needle and frets over where to put it.
Reane, foregoing all logic and thinking in terms of the magic nonsense of the realm, pushes the needle into Morrowe's jugular vein. Blood spills from this vein.
Morrowe breathes heavier and heavier, vomiting now.
His breathing steadies; he seems to grow calmer.
Morrowe's flesh loses its spongy texture.
Reane picks Morrowe up - she tries to, anyway. Reane: Thank goodness... Reane: Woah!
Polyanna offers a hand. Reane: Thank you.
Anastasia, offscreen: Can I get a hand too?
Anastasia lies on the ground, her body cut and her fingers, which were holding her Knife, detached from her body. One of her feet is severed as well. Anastasia: I'm glad people are concerned about my health. Reane: Anastasia!
Anastasia: Don't fret on me too much. Anastasia: Just help me get to that man's body. Reane helps Anastasia; as Anastasia is still able to walk on her knees, she doesn't need as much help lifting her torso.
They arrive at O'Neil's corpse. Reane helps her remove his helm.
Anastasia bites into the head, tearing off a chunk of flesh.
Anastasia, chewing: I'm sure I'll be up and going after having some bites and a nap.
Anastasia: Don't mind me; I'm tough. Anastasia: By Marika, this is delicious!
Reane: Thank you, Anastasia. I'm happy to know you. Anastasia: You too, love. Take care.
The moon shines. The Tarnished, led by Rhys, have arrived at the crossroads between Sellia, Redmane Castle, and Limgrave. Gideon's knights wait for them, with extra horses; by their armor, they are hardened Tarnished, having taken their equipment from great foes on the Atlus Plateau and further. Tarnished: Rhys. Rhys: Well-met, sir. Tarnished: Same to you.
Rhys mounts a horse. Tarnished: Alright, let's go. Rhys: ...
Rhys: Is it possible to wait? Tarnished: For what? And stay in these forsaken lands?
Tarnished: Let's go. Tarnished: I don't want to fight the crazed Redmane Knights, when they're patrolling. Rhys looks back reluctantly. Rhys: ...
The Tarnished move along the path to Limgrave. In a distance is a white hill.
This white hill, is the slumbering dragon, Decaying Ekzykes.
Reane, Latenna, Morrowe, Polyanna and her sisters return to Gowry's shack. Gowry: You have the needle? Excellent work. Gowry: Mary, Maureen, Amy, Polyanna; good to see you again.
Reane pulls the needle from Morrowe's neck and hands it to Gowry.
The wound in Morrowe's jugular heals up. Reane: Well, I'll be damned...
Gowry: Keen idea. Reane: I figured the magic would resolve the issue, somehow. Gowry: You're not wrong. He should be fine; his body will do the rest.
Gowry analyzes the needle. Gowry: Well, well, this is a marvel indeed. Gowry: The work of a true artisan...a meticulous, bold craftsman who grasps the essence of life.
Reane: If you don't mind me asking... what is it? Gowry: I'm not sure myself. Gowry: But this was designed by Miquella the Kind. Reane: The god?
Gowry: Aye. Gowry: Made of unalloyed gold, it's meant to repel the influence of other gods.
Reane: I'm so lost. Reane: Is there no other god than Marika? Gowry: There are gods above Marika.
Gowry: The Rot comes from a god, not the Greater Will. Reane: Why...would the Greater Will permit another god in its domain?
Gowry: God to god, a god is not all-powerful. Reane: I almost regret asking.
Reane: Is the other way to look at it is, all the gods have an influence, but the Greater Will is dominant? Gowry: In a sense, yes.
Gowry: Gold is a symbol of the Order's power. Gowry: Pure gold answers to no one but the Greater Will.
Reane: Right. Reane: Well, can you deliver the needle to Millicent? We have to get going.
Morrowe, only a little sickly: No... Morrowe: I'll deliver it myself. Reane: Oh come on, you have to be Prince Charming?!
Morrowe: Reane... Morrowe: You were worried for my good looks a moment before, right? Reane: I'm going to grind you into paste.
Gowry: ...I need some time with this. Gowry: As well made as it is, it won't be much use snapped in half, will it.
Reane: I do not want to be in Caelid any longer. Reane: Morrowe, come on.
Morrowe, sick, holds onto Reane's knees. He can't come to face her.
Reane, softer: You're not...
Reane, to Gowry: Sir, can you persuade the Kindred to help us out of these lands?
Gowry: No. They care more for Millicent than me.
Gowry: But, take Maurice with you. Gowry: It's the least I can do. And he takes to the Albinauric.
Gowry: While you wait... do you want to know the secrets of Sellia? Reane: No. My sorcery-flinging days are over.
Reane: I'd rather take a long deserved rest. Morrowe rests a hand on Reane's thigh.
Reane pulls apart Morrowe's face. Reane: I'll rip you apart, lecher!
The moon roves deeper through the night. It is almost dawn. Reane and her companions are sleeping.
Gowry: It is done. Reane, awaking: Oh? Wonderful...
Gowry: Will you deliver this? Morrowe, sleepy: Yes. Hand it to me.
Mary, Maureen and Amy stand up. Mary: We'll escort you. Morrowe: Sure.
Reane: We'll wait for you here. Morrowe: Reane. Morrowe: Thanks.
Reane: Come back, and tell me so. Morrowe leaves.
Reane stares at Polyanna. She seems uneasy.
Gowry, to Reane: You know what they say about curiosity? Reane: That it tends to kill cats? Yes.
Gowry: Do you still want to know?
Reane looks at Latenna, who is sleeping next to Maurice, the Giant Dog. Reane: Sure. Reane: But, why be so secretive in the first place?
Gowry: ... Gowry: I'm sure you've observed that...other party's expression. Reane: Aye.
Gowry: He thinks normally. Gowry: You think widely. Gowry: You've seen the world.
Reane: I suppose one can say so. Reane: Is this a cult?
Gowry: A cult in - Reane: The abode of the gods. I get that. Reane: So, you can't have a true cult if the object of the cult is present, is what you're saying?
Reane: Is this Millicent - Gowry: Yes and no. Millicent is a star, not a sun.
Gowry: She, Mary, Maureen, Amy and Pollyanna are buds off Malenia, the Goddess of Rot.
Reane: You and your tortured pantheon... Gowry: I don't disagree with you. Gowry: Do you know who Malenia is?
Reane: Not really. Gowry: Queen Marika and her King Consort Radagon were blessed with twin demigods, and Malenia was one of them.
Gowry: She was born an Empyrean, carrying the scarlet rot. Gowry: A new god, to forge a new Order.
Reane: I keep hearing this, but I don't know what that means. Gowry: That's the beauty of it. Gowry: A rearranging of the universe. Gowry: A new way of seeing things. Gowry: New possibilities. Beyond comprehension.
Gowry: This is the kind of ecstasy us acolytes desire: Gowry: to be born anew, in the most literal and final sense.
Reane: ...And it's real, in the domain of the gods. Gowry: Yes. No false hope.
Reane: ...Are you Tarnished? Gowry: I must be. The ancients from The Shattering, have only the vision to continue the Golden Order in some fashion.
Gowry: If the world must be rotten, Gowry: then let it lapse into rot - devour the bad, to nourish the good. Doesn't this make sense? Reane: ...
Reane: What determines the good? Reane: Is your intent to have your "daughters" slaughter each other, until only the best one survives? Reane: And then, this one, will be lord, until someone else succeeds?
Gowry: Yes.
Gowry: Isn't that how things are now? Reane: ...
Reane: And so, you send your daughters off on journeys of thousands of woes, just to see what they will be molded into? Gowry: But Millicent has the most promise.
Gowry: The rot loves her flesh, and yet she fights and fights, and lives. Gowry: In truth, before her, I'd never seen a bud of superior quality. Gowry: Green and undeveloped, waiting to flower into magnificence. Gowry: What a wondrous day that will be.
Gowry: Which is why... Gowry: If you happen to be present for the girl's fight with her sisters, Gowry: I ask that you side with the sisters and kill Millicent.
Reane: ! Polyanna looks at her, with wide, violent eyes. Gowry: It's inevitable. Gowry: Malenia's buds must fight. It is in their nature to struggle. Gowry: For saving her, Millicent will put her faith in you, Gowry: and, she will be crestfallen, when you defeat her with your own two hands.
Gowry: Nurtured by betrayal, her bud will flower most vividly. On Polyanna's face is the madness and bloodshed of her destiny.
Gowry: I can only ask you. Gowry: Again, that young man thinks normally. Gowry: You have vision.
Gowry: Though, no pressure. Reane: ...I need some fresh air.
Reane walks down the slope. Morrowe, offscreen: Hey! I'm here! Morrowe: Let's go. Reane: Morrowe?
Morrowe arrives, carrying Millicent in his arms. Morrowe: The girl seems fine. Morrowe: She fainted, after she put the needle in her stump.
Millicent, waking: I don't disagree, but I... Millicent: ...would like to be put down.
Millicent stands on her own. Independent, solitary, but honest to a fault, she puts herself a respectable distance away from Morrowe and bows. Millicent: I fainted before I could even thank you. Millicent: So, thank you.
Millicent: Everything is as you said. Since inserting the needle, the scarlot rot has ceased to writhe. Millicent: Even the nightmares have abated... And now, though I can scarcely believe it myself, I can move as I please.
Morrowe blushes and scatches the back of his head. Morrowe: W-well... Morrowe: It was nothing.
Reane is baffled by how shy he is, compared to how he acts in front of her. Latenna, yawning: We're heading out now?
Millicent looks toward Gowry's shack. Millicent: Something about this place feels familiar to me... Reane: Ah, your father, Gowry...
Reane talks to herself while ascending the hill. Reane, muttering: Loon of a father, though...
Gowry's shack is empty. Even Polyanna is gone. Reane: What...
Reane looks back to Morrowe and Millicent, and notices what is missing. Reane: Where's Mary and ... all the other sisters, too? Morrowe: I don't know. They vanished when I reached the church.
Millicent: Are those your friends? Millicent: Shall we look for them? Morrowe and Reane are baffled.
Reane: They're your sisters. Millicent: I don't recall.
Millicent: The rot put me in a fever... Millicent: I...sadly...recall very little.
Millicent: I thought visiting this shack would help me recollect, but... Millicent: ... Millicent: Nevermind. I'm going to head off.
Morrowe: Let's go together. Millicent: ...I'd rather go alone.
Morrowe: In these monster-ridden lands? Millicent: This is my home, sir. Be careful of your tone.
Morrowe: You only have one arm. Millicent: I'll manage.
Latenna, on Maurice: It's a long journey, right? Latenna: At least let the dog carry you. No need to tire yourself out.
Millicent: That's true. Millicent: Very well, let's go.
Morrowe glares at Latenna.
They give each other a thumbs-up.
Morrowe is looking around the area. Millicent and Latenna help him. Morrowe: But, damn it, that Gowry said he'd help us... Morrowe: Are they really gone? Reane lingers by the shack.
Reane: You're still here, aren't you? Gowry, invisible, answers. Gowry: You really are abnormal.
Gowry and his daughters shimmer under the influence of night sorcery. Gowry: Night sorcery. Gowry: The same you neglected to learn.
Gowry: It seems the memories eaten away by the rotting sickness yet remain, but faintly. Gowry: However, she has no need of me, any more. Gowry: She must stare her fate in the eye.
Gowry: In the shadows, my daughters will help. Gowry: Their fate is to kill Millicent. Gowry: They mustn't meet Millicent. Yet.
Gowry's daughters wear expressions of violence. Gowry: Remember what I said. Gowry: You can't tell me you don't wish to see it.
Reane looks warily into the empty shack. Morrowe: Oh, hang it. Morrowe: Reane! Let's go!
Reane: I'm coming. Morrowe helps Reane climb onto the Giant Dog.
Millicent: You're Reane? Millicent: Morrowe said you helped. Millicent: Thank you, kindly. Reane: ... Reane: You're welcome.
Maurice the Giant Dog stumbles forward, and leaves the giant gate of Sellia.
The Tarnished (and Millicent) leave Sellia Gateway finally, seeing the crooked, rotted trees and the Minor Erdtree in the scarlet sky.
The crossroads between Redmane Castle, Sellia and Limgrave, with the Dragon Communion Church in the background. A closer view of the rotted trees and their warped fruit. Reane: Long gone. Morrowe: Yup.
They pass by Ekzykes' resting spot, that Rhys and the other Tarnished had passed before. It is conspicuously empty.
The Tarnished round the bend of the road heading northward; in the distance is Caelid Waypoint Ruins.
The Tarnished continue moving north, the Divine Tower of Caelid looming in the background, with the Erdtree even larger in the west. They pass by the Smoldering Wall before Caelem Ruins. Dawn has arrived. Reane: Almost there...
Putrid Corpses fly out of the ruins, panicked. These are set on fire.
Maurice devours them; Morrowe tries to steady Latenna as the Giant Dog suddenly shifts his weight.
A Corpse trips, falling on its face.
Its flesh bulges rapidly; it grows many times its size, becoming brighter and brighter.
Latenna, slapping the Dog: Move back! Move -
Maurice devours the exploding corpse.
The Corpse explodes; Maurice's stomach rumbles.
Smoke pours out of Maurice's mouth, but he seems okay. Latenna: That...serves.
Reane: I wonder what happened here? Reane looks toward Millicent.
Reane: ...
Millicent: Were you directing that at me?
Reane: Well. Millicent: I don't know. Millicent: If I did, I don't remember.
Millicent: Not everything has an answer. Reane: Well...more often than not...
Reane: But I wonder what caused all of this panic - The earth quakes nearby.
A shadow, in the shape of a dragon, suddenly shoots up into the sky, covering Caelem Ruins.
Ekzykes soars over Caelem Ruins, searching for prey. Notably, he has wounds on his face from a recent fight.
Morrowe: I'm done with all of these damned dragons. Reane: Latenna! Behind the wall! Latenna slaps Maurice.
The Tarnished dive behind the wall. Ekzykes breathes rotten gas onto the ruins.
In the clouds of rot, the flesh of the Corpses fall off, reducing them into bones.
Ekzykes falls, slamming down over a cellar.
By pulling back one of its talons, Ekzykes tries to rend the earth over the cellar, revealing whatever is inside of it.
Reane is peeking from the wall. Reane: That does not forebode well...
Ekzykes raises one foot up.
He slams it down on the ground over the cellar.
The cellar's entrance bends down, near-collapsing.
Morrowe: It's distracted. Let's go. Reane: Wait. Let me check. Reane: ...Though I'm not sure how this is done.
Reane closes her eyes. Reane, thinking: Rhys. Rhys.
Reane: Oh. Maybe I need to do finger-y things. Reane traces her finger in the air, spelling out Rhys's name. Reane, thinking: Rhys. Rhys.
Rhys's voice: Reane? Reane, thinking: Rhys! I'm glad this works.
Reane, thinking: Are you okay?
Rhys is in the cellar with the other Tarnished; the masonry of the cellar is falling apart with each stomp. Rhys: No, no I am not.
Reane: I'm assuming you're disposed with the dragon? Rhys's voice: Wait, are you outside?
Reane's voice: Yes. Rhys: I know this is awkward of me to ask, but -
The cellar quakes again, bending down. Rhys: Can you get this beast out of here?!
Reane, to Morrowe: Rhys has caught that beast's ire. Morrowe: Ah.
Morrowe: Well, forget him. Morrowe: He ditched us. Reane: He ditched you.
Morrowe: Well, I'm going. Morrowe extends his hand out to Millicent. Morrowe: Millicent?
Millicent: ... Millicent: That seems to be the cowardly thing to do, isn't it?
Morrowe: What. Reane has a bemused look.
Millicent: We can't just leave our fellow Tarnished to die, can we?
Morrowe: You're not Tarnished, you were born here. Millicent: Oh.
Morrowe: ... Millicent: ... Reane: ...
Millicent: But still, it's rather...wrong, right?
Millicent: I feel kindred with the Tarnished. Millicent: Let's move quickly. Morrowe: You're missing an arm. You can't do anything.
Morrowe: Come along now, madam. Morrowe, referring to Reane: This one is always hatching crazy schemes of altruism, you can't let yourself be dragged in them.
Millicent takes Morrowe's hand. Millicent: Well...you are my savior. Morrowe: Good girl. You see reason.
Morrowe waves back. He has an arm draped around Millicent's shoulder. Morrowe: Tell that bastard I send my regards! Morrowe: In hell, I suppose! Reane: ...
Latenna: Reane... Latenna: Even I'm hesitant.
Reane: ... Reane: I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to.
Latenna: I hope you have a plan. Reane: I think so.
Reane: Fire at the dragon's eye. Latenna nocks her bow. Latenna: As always.
Latenna fires.
The arrows soar through the air.
They enter Ekzykes's eye, blinding him.
In a rage the dragon rapidly turns around, knocking down the ruins' walls.
He smashes through wall after wall, launching himself into the southern entrance of Caelem Ruins.
He finds nothing there. Reane, Latenna and Maurice have already left.
He looks rapidly left to right, searching for the Tarnished.
Reane, Latenna and Maurice have quickly moved to the east, closer to the cellar; Maurice has flattened his body down onto the ground, hiding behind a raised platform.
Ekzykes jumps into the air, flying.
Soaring through the air, Ekzykes sees Reane running toward the cellar.
In a fury, he lets loose his rotten breath.
Reane enters the cellar.
Ekzykes slams his body down over the cellar.
In a rage Ekzykes stomps over the entrance of the cellar, over and over.
Latenna, hiding in the decaying hills nearby, fires arrows.
They land in the dragon's other eye. (I'm beginning to think that dragons, as popularly designed, have an evolutionary disadvantage with their eyeballs. Something to think about.)
Ekzykes, now blind, charges at Latenna.
Unbeknownst to the dragon, Rhys and the other Tarnished had already left the cellar, and were hiding beneath the raised platforms of the ruins. They rush out.
With their weapons, they cut the belly of the dragon open. Ekzykes shrieks.
Tarnished: Deeper! They press their weapons deeper into the dragon's belly.
However, as the stomach bursts, rotten gas pours onto the Tarnished. They jump backward.
Some of the gas devours a Tarnished, liquifying their flesh.
Ekzykes lifts off again, flying. It seems his exposure to the rot has augmented his ability to live through dramatic situations.
Now that his prey are out in the open, he pours rotten breath all over the ruins. Tarnished melt from the rot.
A Tarnished buys out their greatbow, nocking it.
The greatarrow flies.
The arrow enters Ekzykes's wing.
Ekzykes descends.
Blind and wounded Ekzykes, to defend himself, lets out more breath as he falls, preventing the Tarnished from coming closer to him.
Ekzykes lands in the center of the ruins.
He roars.
Millicent, offscreen: HEY!
Ekzykes turns his head.
Millicent stands before him. She has the Flowing Curved Sword in her left hand, her only intact arm.
Ekzykes charges at Millicent in a fury. Millicent takes the classic stance of the Waterfowl Dance, except not leaping so many feet into the air.
Millicent thrusts her foot forward and cuts through Ekzykes's eyes; pierced before, she has now entirely hewn them through.
Millicent, like a waterfowl, kicks off her other foot and cuts through Ekzykes's nostrils.
She spins rapidly and cuts twice, deeper into Ekzykes's face.
Millicent finally plants both feet on the ground, her sword raised in the air.
She leaps into the air with one foot again, chopping Ekzykes diagonally.
She spins, pivoting on her other foot, her body twisted like a corkscrew.
Millicent tries to cut, but she loses her balance and power and her sword flies out of her hand. Millicent: Ah!
Ekzykes is wounded so badly his face is hardly unrecognizable. He seems to cry tears of blood.
He makes to leave, flying again, only the Tarnished ram their bodies into him, pushing him prone onto the ground. They dig their weapons into his head, learning their lesson from last time.
The Tarnished beat their weapons against Ekzykes, even long after he was dead. Tarnished: This!...Hrrg!...is for Samuel!...Hnng!
Another Tarnished, one of Gideon's knights, is stunned, standing by the sidelines. They have already gauged that Ekzykes is no longer a threat. Tarnished: I can't believe it... Tarnished: That was the Waterfowl Dance.
Tarnished, calling to Millicent: Are you a worshipper of Malenia? Millicent is retrieving her sword.
Millicent: ... Millicent: Maybe?
Reane: She lost her memories. She may not be able to answer you. The Tarnished ignores her.
The Tarnished clasps Millicent's hand. Tarnished: Malenia is more than a god to me. Tarnished: She's my muse. Tarnished: Please, let me devote myself to you. Millicent blushes.
Morrowe knocks them away. Morrowe: Hey! Back off the girl!
Morrowe, to Millicent: How did you learn to do such fancy acrobatics? Millicent: I'm not sure.
Tarnished: Please, do it for me again - Morrowe kicks them in the face.
Millicent: If I had my sword-arm, I would have been able to finish it in full - Morrowe: Oh, stop it!
Morrowe: What do you need a sword-arm for? You have me.
Reane: He's suddenly become a churl... Morrowe welcomes Swift, who has found him again. Morrowe: Swift!
Reane, looking north: Do my eyes betray me? Rhys: Nay.
They see the Abandoned Coffin from the beginning of this journey. Rhys: We're almost through.
Rhys: But...you are the scout, yes? Rhys: Do you still see any dogs and crows?
Reane: No. Reane: They must have left when the dragon came.
Rhys: ... Rhys: Reane, I'm sorry.
Reane: Don't be. I would've done the same thing. Reane: Being responsible, is very difficult.
Rhys: ...Do you like Morrowe? Reane looks at him.
Rhys: I-If I'm being improvident - Reane: Like everyone else, I can't put my attraction to others into words.
Reane: Well, he's willing to protect me. Reane: Not anymore, I suppose.
Rhys: Then I will protect you. And Latenna. Rhys: I owe you a debt.
Rhys: But, why are you going to Altus Plateau? Rhys: Do you want to...
Reane: What? Rhys: I fear you will be insulted. Based on Kenneth's insinuation.
Reane: You want me to be your page? Rhys: My advisor. Or representative.
Rhys: I'm not good at handling the politics of the land - Reane: And so you want me to do it, so you can go off gallivanting?
Reane: I have my own goals too. Reane: I don't apply my mind just to be second to anyone.
Reane walks away, heading back to Latenna. Rhys is shocked; he had never seen Reane resentful before - and for reasons he can't gleam why.
The Tarnished gather on their horses; Reane and Latenna ride on Maurice. Morrowe helps Millicent up. Morrowe: M'lady.
The Tarnished ride past the Abandoned Coffin.
They are back in Limgrave; the grass is finally green and hale again, the sky is soft blue and sweet, and the atmosphere of death is gone.
A Tarnished, from Stormveil, falls to the ground. Tarnished: Oh thank Marika. Tarnished, sobbing: I thought I was going to die there.
Rhys, to Gideon's knight: Less than a third of us remain. Rhys: I never want to return there again, if I can.
Alexander: Hullo! Good day, hearty folk! Rhys: Oh. It's the jar. Tarnished: Who?
Rhys, to Tarnished: Even I don't know. Rhys, to Alexander: Hello, Alexander! Where are you off to?
Alexander: Beyond these lands lie the scarlet rot-blighted Caelid Wilds. Alexander: And upon their southern edge is Redmane Castle, in which a festival of combat is being held. Alexander: Want to join me?
Rhys: No.
Alexander walks past the wall of fire. Alexander: Dour fellow... Rhys, to Tarnished: Where are you heading off to?
Tarnished: Back to scouting for my lord. Tarnished: He's not called the All-Knowing for no reason.
Tarnished: Still trying to find a way to the Haligtree.
Tarnished, to Reane and Latenna: Don't fret, miss. Tarnished: We were given specific orders not to bother.
Reane: That's good to hear, but... Reane: What about the one after you?
Tarnished: ... Reane: Ah, lost your tongue of a sudden.
Rhys shakes the Tarnished's hand. Rhys: Thank you. Dearly. Rhys: I am in Roderick's debt. Tarnished: He'll hold you to that, you'll be sure.
Tarnished: Take care. Gideon's knights leave.
Reane: It's not Roderick, it's Gideon. Rhys: Hmm?
Morrowe is in the panel, but a view behind him is conspicuously absent. Morrowe: But you were the one who said "Roderick". Reane: I know, but he was lying.
Reane: Ensha said Gideon, and Ensha sought Latenna's half of the medallion, and that giant in Albinauric village said Gideon.
Morrowe: Too complicated. Don't care. Morrowe: Where shall we go, m'lady? Morrowe turns back.
The view behind Morrowe. Millicent is gone. Morrowe: Millicent? Millicent!
Morrowe, to Reane: Help me find her! She can't go off on her own! Reane: She's a grown woman! Reane: For goodness sake - she cut that dragon into pieces!
Morrowe, looking wildly: MILLICENT! Reane: Let's go, Rhys.
The Tarnished (except Morrowe) ride to Stormveil Castle, through the route leading into Stormhill. Rhys, thinking: Gareth. I have the other half of the medallion. Rhys: What shall I do?
Rhys: Gareth?
Gareth's voice: I'm a bit disposed, Rhys -
Gareth, in the Ravine, has his greatshield readied. Godfrey approaches Gareth, prepared to swing his greataxe against him. Gareth: - I'll speak to you soon.