Elden Ring:After the end

The smell of blood floats around the castle grounds once inhabited, while the noise of people talking and in full activity have completely disappeared from these cold walls. 

All of the aforementioned was due to the battle that had just taken place between the troops of the Lord of the Circle and those who called themselves the owners of this castle. 

Ignoring the bloody mess that can be seen on the castle's outer grounds, another situation is unfolding inside the castle itself. 

"How is it possible that they managed to take this castle? I'm pretty sure even their weapons were forged from the iron of the missing gates."

Sitting in a red padded-backed chair behind a dark wooden desk and looking out the window of the room, a young man with dirty blond hair asks the man who remains kneeling on the floor. 

"We entered as refugees from the looting perpetrated by the Augurians, but when we noticed the lack of troops and that the administrator was a senile old man.... Great plans arose in our minds."

"Oh, there's a steward, where did you leave him?"

"We left him to die in jail under the castle. That old man refused to cooperate with us to the end, let's see if he can live on pride."

Raising his hand to stop the man's words, the young man's brown eyes seem to unfocus for a few moments and after finishing his thoughts, he opens his lips. 

"Go find the steward and guide him here. Also on your way out let the soldier outside the gate in."

"Yes my lord."

Giving a firm affirmation that leaves nothing in doubt, the burly man lifts his body that looks like a tower of muscles and exits the room with firm steps. 

...Aldrich pov....

"We have wiped out the last vestiges of resistance in the castle walls, we also managed to secure the supplies that have been stored by the tolls and controlled all the entrances to the city."

"You have done well. When Lansseax returns, tell him where I am."

"As you command."

Overlooking an almost monotonous robotic tone of voice to respond, I continue scanning the books lying in the large bookstore behind where I sit. There were various types of books, some were on history, some on politics, also military strategy and even one on religion. 

Something strange is here, the rest of the room is certainly opulent, worthy of a noble lord, but this bookcase is old and heavy... As if it was here never to be moved. Is it the typical lever-arched book? 

* Knock* *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Leaving my thoughts for another time, I take my seat back in the comfortable chair and let out a brief "Come in" to let both Jher and the previous steward enter. 

"My lord, I have brought him in. This is Paul, former steward of the castle."

Nodding for Jher, I sweep my eyes over the newcomer. Paul was certainly an old man in his later years, he has white graying hair, a lean body from abuse, but most interesting are his hawk-like eyes. 

"Have a seat Paul, I think we have things to talk about."

"Hehehe you don't know how much I've waited for this moment."

Letting out a broken laugh that seems to come from hell, Paul moves his bony body and sits down in the chair in front of my desk. Seeing that the old man looks ready to spill everything he knows, I nod to him to start talking. 

"I could recognize that they are from Leyndell by their armor and coat of arms, they must have come from the request for help sent by my lord."

Spreading across my lips a small smile so as not to deny or accept anything, I watch out of the corner of my eye as a huge silhouette descends into the courtyard and then magically disappears, apparently Lansseax has returned. 

"Somewhat late, but it doesn't matter if we consider the whole situation after the rise of the new Circle Lord. If you'd like you can take the book on religion off the shelf."

"Sure."

The old man has noticed that something strange is going on, but he doesn't seem to mind if he achieves his goal of helping his lord... It's either that or Leyndell has a real prestige among the older ones, who are still drowning in their nostalgia. 

Well not that I should care either, it doesn't matter if they are real lords or not, they will all be under the control of the seductive branches. Could I place new lords so I don't depend so much on the branches? Sure, but they will be inefficient at first and will need the guidance of the old lords, lords that I will control to guide them on the right path.

"Wow, looks like my thoughts were correct. A clever book, an always effective classic."

"The key to the box is inside that brick."

Following Paul's directions from behind, I easily find the loose brick and pulling it out reveals a brass key that is most likely from the safe in front of me. 

Without further delay I opened the safe, there was a little bit of everything in there, be it gold bullion, an ornamental dagger, some maps of the castle and for what I had come for, an already opened letter. 

"That letter arrived at our doorstep after a few days. That word got out about the ascension of the new Lord of the Circle. It comes from the third dominula fortress, which is under the command of Lord Rodriz."

"Let's see... Umm... Coincidence or premeditated?"

The letter was simple and unpretentious, you could feel the speed with which it was written just by reading a sentence or two. In a nutshell it was a request for reinforcements from Lord Rodriz to the lord of this castle, the really important thing is the force by which he is attacked.

From one thousand to one thousand five hundred madmen skinning dominula skins, about one hundred tamed augurs, plus thirty adoring virgins and all this multiracial force is under the command of a Sacroderm Noble.

"Their doubts are understandable... How did those fur-skinning madmen even manage to get a brain over their heads? Some say their goddess has returned, what absolute madness."

"Hopefully so... Haaa... I can already feel trouble on the horizon."

Unable to contain the sigh that slips under my defenses, the door to the room is violently flung open from side to side and from outside Lansseax enters with his head held high. 

"Aldrich, are you sighing already? By the way, I've taken care of the few who managed to flee. Can you believe it, they even had a secondary base in the nearby forest."

"That has to be their original base, after all they were a bunch of thieves not too long ago."

We both ignore the other two in the room, Lansseax simply does so because he's not interested in them and I on the other hand, because I've already gotten everything I wanted out of here. 

"Sorry for the intrusion, but will you help us?"

Looking at Paul with a smile on my face, I walk up to him and extend my right hand to him as I give him an affirmative answer. 

"Sure Paul, I suppose you will stay here to manage the castle?"

"That's right, it was my lord's will and I will carry it out to the end."

Seeing his firmness conveyed both verbally and by the force of taking my hand, I bring my left hand behind my back and make a seductive branch appear, before jabbing it into Paul's ribs. 

"I'm never going to turn my back on you."

"Yes you will if I want to blow you up, we don't want a repeat of beating you up...do we?"

Seeming to want to refute my words just by instinct, Lansseax opens her lips ready to say something, but in that instant her body seems to remember times past and she falls silent. 

"You don't know how to treat a lady."

"They're a species where their mating ritual is to fight until one is dominant, meaning there's little ladylike in there and more of an all-out fighter."

"That's only done by those with a thinner bloodline!"

Staring at her for a few seconds and noticing how her chest heaved fiercely from her last scream, she let out a sentence that would most likely be the final nail in her coffin. 

"Racist..."

"Racist? What's that?"

Sure, true that dragons in the Midlands consider all of their kind as their family and that was why Godrick was so obsessed with them, as he was disowned by all of the golden bloodline. 

Does that mean he said it without thinking or just stated a fact... Umm, it will come out some time later day. Already out of my thoughts, I shake my head and offer Lansseax a seat, so I can start planning the next steps.