Maidenless No Longer (Elden Ring)

Chapter 27: Queen Rennala & Sorcerer Sellen

The Queen of the Full Moon had to admit some minor curiosity as to how someone had managed to inflict such a potent agony upon one single sorcerer. It was obvious that Sellen's new body was not her original one, but at the same time, not entirely obvious how one sorcerer could possibly become a School of Graven Mages. The large orb of moaning glintstone crowns was, after all, made up of MANY sorcerers... usually.

Twas why she had sent her sweetings away, into the hidden stacks of the Grand Library, for fear that Sellen might use them for precisely those sorts of horrific experiments. Twas why she had not tried to fight with her daughters at her side, for fear that they would do worse than lose. Better to wait until the problem took care of itself, yes?

No, apparently. At least, not according to the Tarnished. Rennala can only blink, as he picks Sellen's shifting, bulging body up off the ground and walks over to where Rennala is sitting, watching, waiting. As he deposits Sorcerer Sellen at her feet, Rennala cradles her egg a little closer, brow furrowing in honest confusion. He looks pointedly at her, then at her egg, and then at Sellen.

"... Thou wouldst hath me birth the Graven Witch anew? I hope thee knoweth how much thou asks of me."

He nods solemnly but remains unmoved. Rennala opens her mouth, about to elaborate as to the lack of supplies, when he reaches into his pouch and pulls out not one... but ten Larval Tears. And then another ten. And another. Rennala can only watch, as he produces a total of ninety-nine Larval Tears. An auspicious number, to be sure.

Instead of speaking, she sucks in a long breath. She'd been about to tell him that it was hopeless, that even with a Larval Tear she could not stop the change. But now... now it would be a lie, wouldn't it? Haaaah... with this much, well, there could be only one answer, in the end.

"... Very well. I shall do what I can."

-x-X-x-

The last thing Sellen remembered was the pain and agony of her transformation. That horrifying transformation. Based on previous research, she'd expected that when she woke up again, it would be in a truly agonizing state, all part of her new experience as nothing more than a ball of glintstone crown faces, suffering for the rest of her days.

In the end, she would only be able to hope that someone else from the Academy might come and find her and put her out of her misery. Only, she was the only one who had seemed willing to so much as step foot in the Grand Library. The others were all afraid of something to do with the place, as if the Queen she'd so easily deposed was some threat. As such, her suffering might have been... prolonged.

But instead, when Sellen opens her eyes... she opens her actual eyes. When she takes in a breath, it is through actual lips. Jolting, she brings her hands to her face, and then her body. She is... she is whole. She is fine. She is... not a moaning ball of faces, consigned to a life of pain and agony for however long she continued existing in that torturous state.

"W-What... what happened?"

"I birthed thee anew, sweeting. Though not without the help of this one."

The voice of the Last Queen of Caria sends another jolt through Sellen, and she jerks away from Rennala, just now realizing she was held in the comfort of the other woman's lap. Standing proves to be something of a mistake. She almost immediately swoons, her legs buckling beneath her. However, before she can take a nasty tumble to the floor, HE is there... her loyal apprentice, her ever-faithful student. He catches her and holds her fast in his strong arms as she stares up at him, wide-eyed and panting.

"M-My apprentice... you knew... you knew what was going to happen."

"Twas obvious to any with an eye for sorcery."