Maidenless No Longer (Elden Ring)

Chapter 32: Melina

It is the weakest she's ever seen him, to be sure. He's never actually taken a wound before; in all the time he's been with her. But now, as he ascends from Deeproot Depths, he looks exhausted, pale and clammy. Of course, the more he walks, the stronger he gets. Quickly, his stamina returns to him. Quickly, his vigor is recovered. All is well, in the end.

Even his infantile act of making off with Fia's undergarments draws little more than a soft smile of amusement to Melina's face, as he continues on his way, having finished his business with the Deathbed Companion. Truly, her champion is quite the lecherous man. But he is also a good man.

Really, she's just relieved. Why she thought for even a moment he would take such a disastrous path, Melina couldn't say. As he ascends back through the Deeproot Depths, making his way up and up, retracing his steps, she's not even worried. It's clear now that he somehow learned of a secret path to the Depths that lay all the way down here underneath the Royal Capital, and simply intended to handle his unfinished business with Fia while he was in the area.

Melina couldn't begrudge him that, now, could she? And truly, it wasn't as if he had any intention of betraying her and all the world by succumbing to the temptations of the Three Fingers and the Frenzied Flame. No, even as he once more approached the Frenzied Flame Proscription, she's at ease. He will, after all, walk right past it, and begin the arduous climb back to the top. Then, he will make his way to the forbidden lands and the Mountaintop of Giants and this, all of this, will finally-

No... no, what is he doing? Once more, a searing panic wells up in Melina's incorporeal chest, as she watches with her Tarnished through her one open eye. He steps back into that chamber, the chamber with the door, the chamber where her heart had nearly stopped that first time... and he turns TOWARDS it, rather than away.

Walking over to the Site of Lost Grace sitting almost innocently before it, he settles down and begins to unstrap his armor, slowly... but confidently.

In her panic, in her horror, it takes Melina a long moment to realize he's taking his time and giving her a chance to intervene. He doesn't want to do this. She needs to step in. She needs to stop him.

"... If you intend to claim the Frenzied Flame, I ask that you cease."

Materializing beside him, Melina drops to her knees, barely managing to keep a begging tone from her voice as he slowly looks up at her, gazing at her with solemn eyes. She finds herself struck by those eyes, frozen stiffen for a second before finding her voice again after licking her lips.

"It is not to be meddled with, Brave Tarnished."

Her eye flicks over to the door, burning bright and coyly with the orange of the maddening Frenzied Flame. Through that door is only heartache, pain, and despair.

"It is chaos, devouring life and thought unending."

Flicking her gaze back to him, Melina hopes to see that her words are getting through to him, that he's beginning to understand. Instead, she finds something much, much worse. Her Tarnished is still taking off his armor, still removing his clothing... still looking at her with a gaze that she now finally manages to read correctly. He isn't beginning to understand. He ALREADY understands.

No... Melina is not this bad of a judge of character. Surely not. This... it goes against everything she's seen of him so far! Every action he's taken, every person he's saved, every monster he's slain... why would he throw it all away, for this?! Unless... unless he's broken upon the weight of what he's seen. Unless he's come to feel like there's nothing left worth fighting for. It doesn't make sense, but it's all Melina can think of in that panicked moment.

She's on a time table. He's removing his armor... because one must be laid bared and naked before they meet with the Three Fingers. He knows this tradition and is preparing for his meeting. Melina HAS to convince him to desist before he's done, or he might just leave her sitting here, and go on without her.