Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

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"..."

Now knowing the truth about the Karkavan decadent state, Dale didn't really have the words to comment or give Kuddan a proper reply.

He instead stood silent, giving an awkward "Yeah…" as a reply, it was everything he could do.

Should he say he was sorry? Should he feel apologetic? 

This didn't offend Kuddan by any means, who instead replied:

"If you're interested in trying those old Relics for yourself… Be my guest."

"I can tell through your words and actions that you've experienced something when you're left alone back then, and I'll be warning you, that is just a glimpse."

"The Spirits of the old Warriors dwell in those old pieces of wood, pelt, and metal, conquer them, wield them like their original owners… Surpass them."

"If you can."

"Do not succumb to the weight of their Spirits, that is the only thing you must do."

"Your body is strong enough to wield them, proven by how their Spirits reached out to you."

"You may be young and possess just the kindling of a fire, but even embers can bring forth raging flames."

"It's up to you… All of you."

"The Elders' abode isn't far from here in case you all do try, Just follow the road and you'll be there… All Streets eventually lead there." 

"This was all I wanted to share with you, my job as the Great Elder ends here." He said as he turned around, walking back from whence they came

'From here on out... I'll be acting as Kuddan.'

"If you do have any further questions, you'll know where to find me, I'll leave you all to yourselves."

"Goodbye, visitors from afar." He said as his voice grew distant

Before Dale had even realized, the old man had already walked quite the distance, yet his movement was slow…

It was as if his head had turned off for a moment…

"Dale?" Testros asked as he looked at the boy

"Hum?... Ah, sorry, I was a bit distracted."

"... Then, what do you think?"

"Regarding the Artifacts?... Honestly, I'm not knowledgeable enough to seek more power, nor am I greedy enough for that…"

'There were too many items there, some were definitely good, but I don't have a lot of space to try them all out.'

'My armor set is better than most items in there when together, so I would have to seek matching Artifacts that individually surpass each piece of armor I have and when together have good synergy, then I would need to resist the influence of multiple Artifacts stacked together.'

'I could seek Accessories to wear, but I saw very few, the Karkavan Warriors seem to favor actual weapons and armor rather than such Trinkets, though there were a few I can still remember.'

"... Wise words kid, though we need to understand our situation, things aren't that safe yet." Sarferato said after Dale said his line

"If it's okay for you two, leave it to me to fetch what may come in handy."

"Since the Karkavan gave us the green light to grab whatever we wish, we should follow through with it before they change their minds."

"This is quite the opportunity, one that shouldn't be disregarded, you don't even know how many must be rolling in their tombs knowing we got access to those so easily."

"This should also be a good chance for me to talk a little with that old friend of mine…"

"You two can go ahead, and learn what's going on in the Eastern City, I'll rush after you once I'm done here."

"Don't worry, I won't be late." He said with a serious expression

"..."

'His expression tells me there's something else he wishes to do...'

'Well, I should focus on my Quests first, the rest can wait.'

Dale couldn't stop him even if he wished to, in fact, Dale had been finding himself in such a position rather frequently…

So he merely left it to Testros' to decide, and he seemed as uncaring about it as him, so in the end, they parted ways.

The path ahead would be a long one, albeit they didn't have the time to enjoy it.

So as soon as they arrived at the gates…

/Fwoosh!/

They bolted like arrows in the wind.

…

/A few hours later…/

"Here it is." Tina said as she pointed at a large egg-shaped plant in the middle of a wasteland

""...""

Next to her, Testros and Dale gazed at the strange object, their eyes open in awe and at the bizarreness of nature.

"Is this the Greater Devil?" Dale asked as he looked at the egg

'It's bigger than I expected, it gives off a strange aura, it's giving me the chills.'

'The pressure of a High-Level monster?'

'I can't inspect it, is it because I'm too far away?'

'Phew... This is hard, everything points to this being stronger than the Wyvern.'

'I got lucky that time since the Wyvern was stupid and overconfident, but I can't bet on that again.'

"Correct, and it's going through a change, albeit, not a natural one."

"It has forced itself into this state and it's devouring all life around it to sustain the process, that is why everything around us is dead."

"What do we do now then? Slash it?"

"Fufu… At a core, yes, that's what we'll be doing." 

"But it's not as simple as that, not even the Karkavan is that barbaric." She said with a smirk as she walked beyond Dale

"Its exterior is extremely durable, maybe even harder than the metal your armor is composed of, and even if not, it shouldn't be that far off."

"You can try to slash it down, but first, let's prepare our other plans just in case."

Following that, she walked forward, going beyond the safety zone and entering the danger area around the cocoon.

With the cocoon itself being over 8 meters tall and 4 meters wide, it was shaped like an egg raised off the ground by roots.

It was previously buried on the ground, but due to the Karkavan clashes with the egg, the dirt around it was blasted away, exposing its true appearance.

There was a 50M radius boundary created around the egg, beyond it, a desolate land awaited everyone full of rotting plants and dried rocks, together with the bones of all those unfortunate creatures that went too far into the darkness.

If one were to step over the boundaries, roots would dash from the ground and grab onto them before devouring their flesh and Vital power.

That was why the world around them looked like this, the reason why all life within a Km of the Egg looked wilted and dried.

/Step…/

But even as Tina stepped into the danger zone, nothing happened.

"What are you doing? Follow me." She said as she turned to Dale

"Me?"

"I don't see anyone else with the Tripodal Mark here, so it'll have to be you."

After that, she just started walking, typical Tina behavior, to explain little and act first.

"It seems there's something she really wants to do." Testros replied as he crossed his arms

"That I noticed, but… Are you okay?" Dale asked out of nowhere

"Hum?..."

The sudden question stunned the old man who then exhaled, understanding how heavy his mood might've been.

"I… I'm fine, it's just that the memories of the past keep resurfacing in my mind whenever I hear or see anything."

"It's been like this for a while so I haven't been able to properly focus, It wasn't my intention to cause any concern." He said apologetically 

"There's no need to apologize, revel in the past as much as you wish." Dale said with a smile as he walked forward

"I also have many memories I treasure, I may hate my younger brother, but he's still family."

"Though, the past may often sound glorious or even brighter, don't forget that we have a future to build as well and that one day, what we are currently experiencing will become memories also."

"And to that, we must first live in the present."

/Step…/

Dale walked after Tina, looking at the ground with wide eyes, ready to strike at any moment.

Meanwhile…

"..."

"... The present."

'To live in the present… Right, I've been looking at the past too much.' Testros thought as he looked around him

'I'll stop embarrassing the future me with this awful display.'

With sharp eyes, Testros stopped getting swept by his emotions and his memories.

His eyes now in the present, his focus stronger than ever…

And like glass, the world in front of him cleared as he saw a light, just a foot away from him.

He only needed to go after it…

But not now, everything had its time.

For someone who waited decades, what were a few more minutes?

So Testros waited with his sword around his waist, the cold breeze blowing his hair back as it pierced through his skin, his sword vibrating in expectation.

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Notes

I've made a few skips so we can get straight to the action.

Details are cool and all, but if I do them for everything then things will lose much of their smoothness. 

Either way, I hope you enjoyed it, peace.

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