Frillian in the Elden Ring

Halfway to the Tomb of the Lingluo King.

The mountain road was more difficult than expected. The bumpy road stretched out at Fulilian's feet, with long steep slopes appearing everywhere. It stretched endlessly, with no flat gaps in sight.

Never mind, just experience the local customs and culture. It’s time to skip classes.

Whenever she encountered a mountain blocking her way, she would use gravity magic to make a huge rock float up to carry the four of them over the obstacle, avoiding unnecessary detours.

Flying and walking along the way is a rich experience.

Compared to the north, the vegetation becomes denser as we head south. We encountered primitive jungles several times. Even though the group had strong legs, they still had a hard time navigating the tangled ground and almost got lost at one point.

"Not as good as when I was young."

Wayne leaned against a tree and breathed a sigh of relief. "Forced marches used to be easy."

"Sorry, I'm not good with physical strength either."

Lehman washed his face by the stream and finally regained some energy, but there was still fatigue between his brows.

The team's journey was far from simple. They encountered thieves and monsters along the way. They couldn't just turn a blind eye and leave. They simply spent some time cleaning them up before moving on.

It's so tiring.

The only good news was probably that the village that had benefited from good deeds had given a lot of gifts. Otherwise, with only the supplies they brought at the beginning, they would have to start hunting and living a primitive life soon, because supply was more difficult than imagined.

Volame spread out the map and took notes while saying, "Some of the towns that originally existed have disappeared. Your information is outdated."

"Detailed map updates might not come out every three to five years, which is enough time for residents to flee."

Wayne shook his head regretfully.

As a commander, he knew very well that this was wrong. However, information was not flowing smoothly between regions, and human countries had not yet fully united their front, which was a problem.

"Those empty towns are pretty scary..."

Recalling what he saw and heard on the way, Volame smacked his lips. The village where the refugees left was filled with the howling of ghosts and wolves when the wind blew at night. If he had not always relied on his master to sleep, he would probably have had nightmares at night.

It feels so safe to have the God Age Magician with me, and I get enough rest every day.

"Don't worry, we're not far away."

Lehman pointed to the distance and said, "Just go over that mountain and you'll get there."

"I've prepared fake adventurer identities. Let's conduct reconnaissance as an exploration team first, adapting to changing circumstances. Once the visiting delegation arrives, we can openly act together."

"and many more!"

Suddenly interrupting everyone's chatter, Fulilian's expression was serious. Following her gaze, they saw a small abandoned village. Everyone had seen similar scenes before, but the problem was the strong smell of blood, which was still fresh.

The wind blowing in from the mountain pass brought a murderous atmosphere.

However, ordinary death scenarios shouldn't cause even the world's leading magicians to show worry.

"Your perception distance is farther than ours. What did you see?"

The experienced Wayne suspected it might be some kind of torture scenario. This was why the teacher, Fulilian, was worried about frightening the children. However, having witnessed the attack and defense of North Wind Fortress, it wasn't a big deal.

The silver-haired girl didn't explain much and strode forward, followed closely by the warrior, and the other two brought up the rear.

Looking forward to it.

Normally, the warriors should lead, but the team's unique composition made that a no-brainer. Though her role was that of a cleric, Fulilian was a versatile figure, spearheading every situation. Along the way, she was the most curious, even getting ambushed by a treasure chest monster.

She led the way into the village, and saw a bright red corpse on the ground, with exposed muscles, clear lines and textures, but not much blood.

Lehman said coldly, "Some demons use similar skinning techniques, pure slaughter, without any emotion. It's because of these sporadic cases that the association suspects they're infiltrating from the rear..."

"The important thing now is to be wary of the enemy in the dark."

Wayne looked around.

"No one's here. I've done a sensory scan."

"If there are demons who commit such atrocities, I will not let them go easily and will strike them immediately."

It was rare for Fulilian to have a hint of anger in her tone.

"Also, recently some demons have been using human skin materials for magical disguises, and they can even temporarily imitate without the help of a special medium."

Lyman's intelligence sent a chill down his spine. "So be careful. There aren't many people we can trust before we destroy it."

"cough!"

Volame covered his mouth with an unbearable look on his face, then turned his head away and patted his chest to suppress his nausea.

Although I was prepared, I didn't expect the shocking scene to appear directly in my vision, leaving me no chance to react and presenting the bloody reality before my eyes.

Such a hell is more visually impactful than the North Wind battlefield back then.

The feeling of nausea made tears glisten in her eyes. In a daze, the silver-haired girl hugged her, surrounded by warmth, and patted her back with her slender hands.

"I'm sorry you had to see this."

"It's my own choice. As long as the demons are still rampant, I'll see you tomorrow if I don't see you today."

The red-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief. "Master, don't worry about me. Our top priority is to investigate thoroughly."

Upon hearing this, Fulilian said nothing more and went into the village to search.

There aren't many changes to the buildings or interiors, which means the battles proceed very quickly.

wrong.

Many people showed no fear before they died, and seemed to have no guard against the newcomers. This was strange, after all, the characteristics of the demons were obvious and could not be mistaken.

"It's either mental magic like hypnosis or illusion, or a disguise that lets the person down and then kills them with one strike."

Lehman asserted: "And I guess the village has set an ambush, leaving no loophole."

He touched the bloodstains on the ground and muttered to himself:

"The smell of blood will most likely attract powerful monsters, so the massacre scene is a perfect trap. Investigators will be doomed—"

boom!

Suddenly there was an explosion next to him, and the shock wave was blocked by Fulilian's barrier.

It was an ambush set up in advance. It was obvious that the murderer was prepared to be discovered at the scene and then silence the witnesses.

As if a chain reaction had occurred, the other two people who were investigating separately were also caught in the explosion, but they were not seriously injured. For a strong man of this level, a sneak attack would be useless.

What is important is the movement itself.

With a cry, the sky was cast with the shadows of wings. It turned out to be several griffin monsters staring hungrily, their eagle eyes fixed on the four people on the ground, just a group of prey.

Most people would have run away when they saw me, so why didn’t they react now?

Lehman said firmly, "No wonder the noble's body was the only one missing. It's likely the murderer left it to them. We should track them to their lair. Perhaps we'll find something there. Kill a few of them and they'll naturally return."

"start."

Before he could finish his words, Wayne drew his bow and shot an arrow into the eye of a griffin.

182

Chapter 182: Grabbing the tongue.

The arrows, which never missed their targets, easily blinded the leading monster, causing it to lose its balance and fall.

There was a bang and a section of the roof was smashed.

Having defeated the enemy with one strike, Wayne didn't stop. His arrows flew towards the other monsters, hitting their vital points one by one, and three more fell. His experience in countless battles allowed him to accurately detect weaknesses and achieve immediate results.

At the same time, some griffins landed when they saw the situation was not good.

Since flying in the air would make you a target, all you have to do is attack from the ground.

They fell like meteors, their weight making them like cannonballs. Amidst the dust and smoke of crumbling houses, the monsters stood proudly, raising their necks and roaring loudly to declare their ownership of the territory.

Click!

Suddenly, a pyroxene longsword sliced through the chest of a griffin, sending blood splattering. Its sharpness was unstoppable, its edge astonishing. Following the sound, I saw Volame standing there, sword in hand. Her strikes were decisive and precise, and with the enemy forcing her, she quickly regained her composure.

"Master, Mr. Lehman, leave this to us."

Upon hearing this, the two used magic to move the bodies and quickly buried them, at least to give the dead a peaceful rest.

Their complete disregard for the threat made even the monsters furious. How unreasonable!

The griffins flapped their wings and suddenly sprinted into the air, their short-range explosive power instantly reaching them. At the same time, their claws swept across, first targeting Wayne, who had the highest hatred value. You are dead.

Ping!

The long sword was raised up at the moment of blocking, and it hit the griffin's belly, leaving a bloody mark.

After the two sides engaged, the monster fell to the ground with a thud, blood splattering beneath it and twitching all over. The victorious knight didn't even glance at it, continuing his defensive stance. But the enemy didn't dare to make any rash moves. Instead, he lowered his body, his hair standing on end, and stared at his prey with full concentration.

This human is not easy to deal with.

While they were paying attention to Wayne, Volame on the other side shook his staff and released a series of thick smoke and flames.

The fire magic born from the dead souls, thanks to the thick smoke, diffused and touched the explosion effect, blocking out the sky and gradually covering the sky above the village without a drop of water leaking out.

If you don't want air supremacy, then we will give it to you.

Then she pointed with her bare hands, and the fireworks flew towards many targets.

Boom, boom——

They hadn't anticipated the power of a mere ball of fire, and were instantly disoriented. Their fur ignited, blazing fiercely. The shockwave rattled their bones, leaving them unable to stand, let alone fight.

The fire coverage from Volame made the griffins cry out in pain and completely gave up the initiative.

Moreover, she uses precise tracking, using soul lock to make it difficult for flying targets to escape, and once they are targeted, she will chase them until they die.

Normally, when Fulilian was asleep, Volame was doing monster commissions. He was very familiar with the actions of these creatures. Even the griffin had fought several times, so he was very familiar with the route.

The battle behind the back is smooth and flowing.

"That's a big help. Keep covering. I'll take care of the rest."

Bathed in the blazing wind, Wayne wielded his greatsword, decapitating every burning monster he encountered with a single blow. His movements were fierce and precise, his attacks continuous and uninterrupted.

It was the first time for the two to cooperate in battle, but they had a tacit understanding and fully utilized the alternating offense and defense of the warrior and the mage.

"Roar!"

Watching its companions fall one after another, the griffin let out a mournful wail, its pupils trembling with fear. It immediately tucked its tail between its legs and turned around. It was just bad luck today. I couldn't fight to the death. I had to run.

The moment it left, Volame planted a magic mark, just in case it marked several other griffins, one of them would always return home.

There is no need to show mercy to those who are still dawdling or fighting to the end.

She cooperated with Wayne to completely encircle and wipe out the enemy.

Faced with the combined forces of the Great Magician and the Meritorious Knight, these monsters had no power to resist and could only be chopped to pieces. They were often killed in one encounter. The two men, who were in a rage, took care of the attackers like a whirlwind.

Volame put down his staff and looked around, sighing. Everywhere he looked was a mess.

The village was destroyed.

Previously, the deaths of residents took away the vitality of the city. Now, the houses have collapsed and turned into ruins or are burning. Thick smoke flies into the sky, taking away the remaining vitality.

"Son, you rarely go to areas far from the main roads. In fact, apart from the large towns, many places are still wild and wild, full of blood and even sacrifices."

Wayne comforted him, "Don't take it too seriously. Think about it from another perspective. We are here to improve the current situation."

"If the pressure of the demon battlefield is gone, some areas will prosper rapidly like the North Wind Fortress."

His words made Volame's expression look a little better.

Although there is no guarantee that humans will not go to war with each other in the future, they are still better than the demons.

There were shouts from the other side, and Fulilian waved her hand, while Lehman beside her used shadows to pile up tombstones.

In reality, there were very few bodies left, most of which had been eaten by various monsters, leaving no trace of their remains. The only graves left now were those of the few people who could be buried, proving that the village once existed.

"Pray to the goddess..."

The silver-haired elf half-knelt on the ground and recited the holy scriptures, bidding farewell with a simple priest ceremony.

Separation and death were not new to Fulilian, but it was her first time to preside over a funeral as a pastor. After all, no one present understood the doctrine better than her, even if they only knew it through magical research.

After a moment, she slowly stood up and said, "Keep going, to the Griffin's Lair. Everyone, brace yourself, we're almost at the kingdom's border."

The group quickly followed the traces left by the monster.