Frilian at Elden Ring

A significant portion of the main force had already perished in Frilian's charge, and besides, war demands organization, which was precisely what they lacked.

"Ouch."

Each wolf viciously bit the soldier, its bronze heads and iron bones impervious to weapons, charging forward despite the damage. With agile movements, it leaped onto the soldier's shoulders and bit into his neck; even armor couldn't withstand its sharp canine teeth, easily tearing through the armor and destroying the vital throat.

They are highly efficient at killing, almost always hitting their target with a single pounce. The impact alone can knock people down and expose their vital organs, resulting in repeated deaths.

If the soldiers were in good condition, that would be a given, but the wolf pack's power lies in its pursuit ability.

On the other side, the ashes of the powerful and wealthy played a restraining role. Thanks to their large number of five and their reinforcements, they began to break up the scattered formation, and the Grik soldiers were intimidated and all avoided them.

"These guys are tough but actually slow, stay away."

"Just a few skeletons."

Beware of magic!

At this moment, Frilian resumed providing cover fire and used ranged magic to assist the Ashes in their fight, as she needed to keep a close watch on them and prevent them from dying too quickly.

The newly acquired Grek soldier ashes performed exceptionally well; despite being the fewest in number, they were often deadly and overwhelming in one-on-one combat.

Originally, they were armored units. After being reduced to ashes, the weaknesses that some creatures possessed disappeared. Not to mention, they had specialized enhancement magic that completely widened the gap between them and their opponents, making them even more efficient at killing than wolf packs.

However, the Grik soldiers, fighting back in their death throes, were no pushovers. They retaliated and inflicted considerable damage, causing the Ashes' health to drop rapidly and threatening casualties.

Boom!

The Thud attack magic easily reaped the remaining troops, none escaping Frilian's aim.

They eventually fell in front of the light card gate.

As for the ashes, they wandered around for a while before losing interest and disappearing after she rang the bell. It turns out the idea of ​​an ashes army was correct; one day it would be enough to build an army. Moreover, summoned creatures possess a certain level of intelligence and even act willingly—aren't they stronger than demonic puppets?

The fighting capabilities of the Grik soldiers were actually quite commendable, proving that a certain organizational structure was still maintained in the border region.

Finally, Frilian didn't forget to unleash a wide-range magical perception check.

There was no way around it; years of gaming experience had instilled in her a cautious and prudent nature. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if an assassin suddenly appeared from around a corner.

"It's safe now, it's time to clean up the battlefield."

Chapter 12 Frilian VS Treasure Chest

First, there are the items dropped by the Grik soldiers.

Frilian waved her staff and used levitation magic to sort and categorize the items one by one, laying them flat on the ground to reveal complete pieces of equipment.

armor?

She's too fragile. I tried using a sword on her, and it seemed like she couldn't withstand even more damage than someone with maxed-out physical attributes.

Her usual habit of dodging enemy attacks doesn't mean she can't engage in melee combat. To be precise, there haven't been any opponents worthy of my putting away my staff and fighting like a warrior. There are only a very few of them.

As for using it on a mage account that is still fragile? There's no need for that. Less weight makes it more flexible, and you don't need to add points to that aspect. If the difficulty increases, there will be a high-level character to help support you.

The brass shield's performance is so-so.

It can replace the shield that the Stargazer comes with, so that the character at the boundary finally gets a chance to change equipment.

Dressed in a mage's robe, Frillie, wielding a staff in one hand and a shield in the other, tried jumping a few times and found it quite easy. Even using a new account to deal with monsters is possible; the key is one's own skill level.

In addition, there are the Royal Army's Great Shield, the Royal Army's Straight Sword, and so on.

Playing a warrior is less effective than using a max-level character, and new mage accounts don't need them right now.

However, adhering to the principle of collecting, she still selected the best quality item from each category and stored it in the Blessing Space, and also filled the equipment slots quite a bit.

Suddenly, Frillie had a brilliant idea and asked:

"Melina, in your eyes, I suddenly had a weapon and then it suddenly disappeared, right?"

"Ah."

"Isn't that strange?"

"If a warrior possesses a fine weapon for a long time, it will accumulate runes within it. Living beings also possess runes, and the assimilation of the two is equivalent to storage. Some powerful individuals can even store a great axe within their bodies and carry a large amount of equipment, so it's quite normal. You see, weapons also release runes."

Upon hearing this, Frilian brandished her brass shield, confirming that it was indeed true.

So, is this an explanation by the characters in the game for some of their own actions as players? Or is it something that can be done in the border areas? In any case, the ability to store things is indeed much more convenient.

After finishing the collection of the Grik soldiers, she looked around.

There was a mobile coffin in front of her, so the silver-haired girl walked forward with great interest, lifted the lid of the box, and sure enough, there was a weapon inside:

Flail.

It was a spiked ball with a handle, the kind she always avoided, and she always felt it was easy to accidentally hurt herself if she swung it around. Oh well, she'd put it away anyway, treating it as a collectible.

There are all sorts of weapons, but I only like staffs.

Then Frillian began to inspect the tents, which contained nothing special, just some pots, pans, torches, and the like. But one basement room caught her eye.

Whenever she encountered a narrow, downward-facing passage, she would check the area above it. Therefore, the silver-haired girl raised her brass shield and looked around to make sure there were no hidden enemies before descending the stairs, with even traces of moss on the soles of her feet.

"...It's not a maze, it's just a hidden room."

Frielian was slightly disappointed that her desire to explore could not be satisfied, but she still tiptoed closer to the treasure chest.

Pfft!

Suddenly, he dove into the treasure chest. Even though there was no mimic, he was so wary that he fell in and everything went black.

"Do you want my help?"

Melina's tone held a hint of pleasure. After seeing the Faded Ones operating with the precision of machines all day long, she was finally seeing something she wasn't good at—clearly the performance of a novice treasure hunter.

"Thank you, no need." The silver-haired girl crouched down and withdrew the treasure chest.

[War Ash Storm Step: One of Stoneville's storm combat techniques, it releases a storm shockwave by stomping the ground, is swift, and can stun enemies.]

You have obtained the item [Whetstone Knife: Adds Battle Ash to weapons; an indispensable item].

The long-absent game text descriptions, along with some player comments on the ground, further attest to their importance. Some players really appreciate the visual appeal of Stormstaff, seemingly drawn to the aesthetics of its combat skills.

Frilian casually asked Melina about information regarding the War Ashes; it was simple and easy to understand, as many warriors in reality possess powerful combat skills.

Some combat techniques are just as powerful as magic.

She recalled a white figure on the battlefield ahead of the light card displaying the power to drain blood with the Red Serpent Greatsword, which must have come from some kind of combat technique, but most likely it was exclusive to that user.

"Given your fighting style, you probably don't need combat skills much."

"Actually, I know a little about the strength of warriors, so I shouldn't be considered a complete novice."

"No need to be modest. You're among the best warriors I've ever seen. Actually, the different classes aren't that clearly defined. As long as you have enough runes to enhance your skills, you can try any build. Shall we enhance our skills now? Use the runes from before."

"please."

As usual, health and intelligence were increased. The new character's strength growth was reflected in Frilian's body, bringing a sense of warmth. Her attributes as a stargazer had made great progress, which was gratifying.

Once the characters in the corresponding border areas also reach the "bucket" level, it won't matter whether you play the mage build or not.

The two left the basement.

After cleaning up the battlefield, she could finally walk safely to a stele. Years of wind and frost could not shake its foundation. The words on it were mottled but clear, with a faint glow.

It is a map depicting the western area of ​​Nymgford.

The landscape was beautiful, with vast grasslands and shady trees, just like the scene I witnessed when I came out of the Houwang Chapel.

However, Frillie was in a dilemma: how could she take the map engraved on the monument with her? Make a rubbing?

I don't have any tools on hand.

"Don't worry about it, I'll redraw it while ensuring the map's accuracy." Melina nodded. "Moreover, it can be combined with your blessing magic markings, so you can quickly identify nearby teleportation points based on the map, making exploration much easier."

In that case, let the professionals handle the professional matters.

At this moment, the one-eyed girl knelt before the inscription and drew a map at a speed visible to the naked eye, with both efficiency and accuracy; this level of skill was quite simple.

She already had a good understanding of the border region and a mental outline of it. The reason she didn't collect maps specifically was because she didn't need them, and only when combined with the Blessing of the Faded Ones could a map be considered truly perfect.

Frilian, on the other hand, gazed into the distance.

Stoneville stands tall and majestic, magnificent and beautiful.

How many such massive architectural complexes exist in the real world? I've only lived in the Elf Village and haven't seen much of the world, so I'm not sure, but I'm certain that these buildings embody the essence of civilization.

"So beautiful, so magnificent. This is the seat of the rulers of Nymgfu, which should be considered the capital."

The border area is almost equivalent to a country on a map, you could even call it a capital. Don't be fooled by the seemingly large city walls; it's actually quite a long way to get to the city gates.

"Keep the map safe."

Melina, having finished copying, handed over her work and asked, "Have you decided where to go?"

"Let's go and take a look around Stoneville first."

Chapter 13 Storm Level Intense Battle

Frilian rode her spirit horse away from the ruins in front of the checkpoint.

Although it is a solitary architectural ruin, it is a memorable first large-scale battle.

She looked back at the road she had come from, and the soldiers' camp was almost out of sight.

From a national perspective, the vast Nymgford is about to usher in its true core area. The towering fortress of Stoneville must be the gathering place for the essence of an entire region. It wouldn't be reassuring to explore and investigate first.

The roadside is overgrown with weeds and has been neglected for a long time.

This did not prevent Torret from moving swiftly, carrying the petite Freyland and Melina in her spirit form as light as a feather.

The name "front of the pass" was, of course, because it was an outpost at the actual pass. Fortunately, the two sides were some distance apart and the battle took place relatively quickly, so the news did not leak out.

She gripped the reins tightly and slowed down, because her magical senses had detected the enemy's presence first; there were quite a few of them, and they included large-sized units.

Storm level.

As expected, the heavily guarded Grek soldiers could be seen from a distance.

Their equipment was identical to that of the army we had just seen, except for individual soldiers, though they had actually added a considerable amount of baggage. For example, they had shield carts, barricades, and ranged archers positioned on higher ground, all keeping a close watch on the entrance and exit.

Unfortunately, the terrain on both sides narrows into a pocket shape, making it a necessary passage. One or two people can avoid it, but a large army has no choice but to pass through.