Shadow of the Erdtree (On Hiatus)

Chapter III: The Knight of Godrick

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You gained 56 runes from 'Godrick Foot-Soldier'

You gained 56 runes from 'Godrick Foot-Soldier'

You gained 56 runes from 'Godrick Foot-Soldier'

You gained 64 runes from 'Godrick Soldier'

***

Runes: 2136 > 2368

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Nathan waved away the several small pop-ups that had appeared at his periphery over the course of the battle.

He turned to Heather and Samuel as they dusted themselves off.

"What are these runes I keep getting even for?" Heather asked, prying her ax from the head of a foot-soldier.

"Leveling up mainly." Samuel responded. "You can also buy stuff at merchants with it. It's like currency."

"What!?" Heather blurted suddenly. "We could have gotten stronger this whole time? Why haven't we?"

"You can only level up at Sites of Grace."

"A what?"

"A Site of Grace. It's like this small mote of golden-"

"We haven't seen one yet. You'll know it when you see it." Nathan interrupted.

He faced onward, into the neighborhood. They had reached the beginning of the housing area of the suburb. Nathan could see several more small patrolling mobs of foot soldiers, but none were too much a threat, assuming they went in cautiously.

But nonetheless, Nathan's parents rested near the center of the maze of buildings. Before, Nathan thought it was no more then an annoyance when he'd occasionally drive to visit his parents. Now though, it could be deadly with how many soldiers and knights were lurking near the center.

"We need to get going." Nathan said, starting towards the center of the neighborhood.

"Can we not have a second to rest? We just killed like," Samuel glanced at the corpses around them. "8 soldiers."

"Every second we stand here, more time goes by for my parents to die." Nathan bit back.

Samuel pursed his lips. "Alright alright." He turned to Heather. "C'mon, we're moving."

***

As they closed into the center of the neighborhood. It had notably became more enforced by Godrick's soldiers. More barriers blocked off some of the roads. At times, Samuel could sense an ambush when mine ended up coming.

"It doesn't feel right." Samuel mumbled to himself.

"How?" Nathan said without so much as turning his head.

"There aren't any soldiers here." As soon he spoke they walked into yet another street to see corpses littering the streets. Not the corpses of civilians, but of soldiers.

There were over a dozen husks spread about the street. Several foot soldiers and soldiers clad in Godrick's uniforms.

But the most surprising was a singular corpse propped against a car whose side had been dented inward.

It wore armor similar to that of the red and green of the soldiers around it. However, unlike them, it had worn steel plating covering one of its arms and legs. Along with that a longsword lay limply in one of its hands. But the most harrowing fact of the corpse was it's clear lack of a head; the creature had been decapitated by a single mighty swing.

"Is there another enemy that could smash in a knight's head so easily?" Nathan asked as he picked up the sword of the knight.

Samuel shrugged. "None that could be found in Limgrave. Maybe another knight from a separate faction. Like the Erdtree Knights." Suddenly Samuel snapped. "A Tree Sentinel. There's one. Wait, but why would it be here?"