Consort of Destined Death Chapter 35 (Patreon)

If the newer arrivals to the Lands Between were able to become accustomed to the massive Erdtree which dominated the sky above, they would instead marvel over the unique geography of the region which was complemented by its oversized architecture. The continent itself was a jagged and overlapping series of plateaus, shaped by numerous violent meteorite impacts over the millennia and built upon by the different empires which ruled it before the Golden Order was founded.

One of those architectural marvels was Stormveil Castle, built upon a strategic, rocky, narrow strip of land that connected Limgrave to Liurnia. No one truly knew how old the castle was, only that it had been conquered by Godfrey almost a millennia ago.

Harry had looked upon the castle many times before, even rode past it with Millicent and Melina at the start of his journey. He had yet to enter it, however, that had now changed as he rode towards its entrance with Millicent pressed against his back.

Torrent gave a huff of disappointment as he disappeared, turning to smoke, while Harry and his redhead lover marched forward towards the front gate of Stormveil Castle on foot. The guards leading up to that point had been easy enough to avoid, as Torrent easily evaded them to get to the entrance, but the hard part had finally come as they had to assault the castle itself.

“You ready for this?” He asked his bodyguard.

Millicent only nodded, her prosthetic hand already wrapped around the hilt of her blade. Harry gripped his own wand, ready to obliterate the front gate of Stormveil so they could get inside. No doubt hundreds of soldiers would be waiting for them there, and they would have to fight through all of them to reach Godrick.

It was when he began pushing magic into his wand that a sudden voice called out, making both of them pause mid-step. “Greetings, Tarnished one!”

A downright ancient man stepped forward, his grayish skin stretched tight over weary bone, as he headed over to Harry. The man’s walking stick clacked against the stone bridge below, back hunched and breaths laborious from the strain.

“Uh… Can we help you?”

Harry had been expecting a fight, to face hundreds of Godrick’s men holding the walls and launching arrows and incantations down at them. What he hadn’t been expecting was an old man guarding the front gate who looked ready to drop dead.

“J-Just a moment of your time.” The old man rasped out. “I am merely a humble gatekeeper, Tarnished, and wanted to give you some advice.”

“Advice?”

The old man pointed with a shaky finger to the side of the gate, past some bushes where a hole in the wall existed. “It would be safer for you to try the outer passage into Stormveil, otherwise thou risk attracting too much attention by going through the main courtyard.”

“I see…” He felt like something was off. “Any reason you’re telling us this? We’re here to kill Godrick, you know.”

“That bastard Godrick has always been looking down on me, you see.” The old gatekeeper seethed. “And so I do my best to always help wandering Tarnished when they come here.”

So he’s just a disgruntled employee? His shoulders relaxed as he nodded in gratitude. “We’ll be on our way then.”

He walked past the old gatekeeper, feeling more confused than anything else before deciding to forget the encounter entirely. He wasn’t going to ponder Godrick’s disgruntled employees, as there were probably many of them.

Sadly, he only got three steps past the old man when Millicent shrieked at the top of her lungs. His hand went to his wand as a sudden shadow dwarfed him, and Harry turned around to see a humongous cane raised over his head.

“FOOLISH TARNISHED.”

Harry could’ve sworn his heart leapt into his throat in that moment, as the old gatekeeper was replaced by the towering form of an omen wielding a huge stick. It had been a trap, as his attacker had meant for him to let his guard down around the old gatekeeper. Thinking fast, he dodged to the side to avoid the blow, only for the cane to come down much faster than he expected and as it slammed his body into the earth.

Harry was left in a crater caused by the impact of his body against the ground, the blow having been much more powerful than he anticipated. His newest set of armor was dented and destroyed from the strike, several bones having broken as they mended and healed thanks to his Great Rune.

W-What just happened? He shook his head to try and get his thoughts in order, getting up slowly. I could’ve sworn I dodged that…

He looked over to see Millicent had already moved in, her blade a blur as she twirled and spun around their Omen attacker. Yet for all her skill, she was simply out of her league, as the Omen merely toyed with her, bringing his cane down from the left before a sudden strike had her being smacked unexpectedly from the right, causing Millicent to gasp as she landed next to Harry in a heap.

He’s definitely strong. No ordinary opponent could outmatch Millicent like that. “Who are you?”

“Graceless Tarnished, have it writ upon thy meager grave,” The Omen leisurely walked across the courtyard towards them, while both him and Millicent readied themselves. “Thou shall be felled by King Morgott, Last of all Kings!”

Morgott?! The only reaction Harry was allowed was the comical widening of his eyes, before the Omen leapt high into the air. Dozens of golden swords and spears appeared around him, conjured by Grace and all pointed his way.

For his part, the Boy-Who-Lived acted quickly, waving his wand as an equal amount of gravitational projectiles were conjured into existence to meet the attack. The two conjured spells met in the air as hundreds of explosions rang out, a light show of exploding purple and gold. Yet it didn’t last, as Morgott shot through the impacts with his staff in one hand and a golden sword held in the other.

He tried and failed to impale Harry with his conjured sword, before his staff swung around, which he leapt over. Magic flowed into his wand as he conjured a Carian Greatsword, slashing it from the side towards Morgott who blocked its path by embedding his sword into the earth. The Omen then spun, conjuring a golden spear which he tried to run him through with, but Harry had used his gravity magic to rip up part of the earth and fling at Morgott, who leapt over it and twirled to gain distance.

“I’ve heard of you.” There was a momentary lull in the fighting, as both opponents paused to reevaluate each other. “You’re Godwyn’s brother, the one who’s supposed to be in Leyndell. What are you doing here-”

He didn’t finish, as Morgott had already launched forward, conjuring a hammer made of Grace in his offhand as he swung it down at Harry. The attack came fast, and he conjured a shield of glintstone to block it, before his gravity magic transformed the ground below into spikes of rock.

But his opponent was nimble, with Morgott obliterating his shield with his hammer before twisting midair to avoid the rock spikes. Once again, he moved faster than Harry anticipated, his hand outstretching as he unexpectedly threw conjured daggers made of Grace at him. He weaved through them, the daggers coming three at a time, but Morgott was quick to cast and accurate, as one dagger lodged itself in his shoulder.

“Harry!” Millicent called out in worry, having flanked around the Omen during their fight. She launched herself at his back, but Morgott didn’t even look back, blocking her blade with his cane and flicking her away like an annoying fly.

“Give up on thy wretched ambitions.” The demigod scowled at him, while Harry used the moment to pull the dagger out of his shoulder. He felt the flesh stitch itself back together, steam erupting from the wound as it healed.

“Heh, I could say the same to you.” He retorted, all while pumping magic into his wand for a more powerful spell.

Suddenly, portals erupted all around them, spewing out meteorites the size of houses all around Morgott. The world became a whirlwind of colliding rocks and the Omen leapt between them, smacking aside and breaking those that got too close, focusing on staying alive as more and more asteroids came forth.

The distraction had been exactly what Harry wanted, as he used one of the strongest sorceries he had learned while his opponent was focused elsewhere. It was through a gap on the edge of the impact field of meteorites that Morgott flew out of it, breaking through one of the large rocks and into the open.

He was positioned right in the center of Stormveil Castle’s main gate when Harry’s spell launched, a glowing, miniature moon that sailed straight for Morgott. It went off with an explosion so bright he had to look away, barely able to maintain his footing while the world was annihilated around him.

Stormveil’s portcullis was shredded in the explosion, its front gate ripped off its hinges and sent flying deep into the keep. The two towers on either sides were both scarred by the impact, half their stonework blown off and reduced to a ruin that would have to be rebuilt. It added even more wounds to the downtrodden castle, and it was a surprise that the outer wall remained standing at all - inadvertently proving how well-built the castle was.

He let out a breath as the dust began to clear, looking everywhere for signs of the demigod. A mortal man would be annihilated down to the last atom by that explosion, but a demigod was much tougher, and the eerie voice that echoed out then proved his worries true.

“To think thou wouldst push me this far.”

The calm voice that came out of the resulting smoke made Harry shiver, and his instincts flared as that same wooden cane suddenly swung out, trying to take his head off. He ducked, and roared as he drove his fist forward and into Morgott’s gut, the sheer force of the impact causing the surrounding rocks to be blown away.

Yet all Leyndell’s King did was grunt, his hand forming a fist that he slammed into Harry’s cheek, forcing the earth to crater under his feet as his body transferred the impact. In that moment he forgot all about his wand, as he returned the punch and ended up hitting one of the horns off Morgott’s head. That only made the demigod angrier, giving a cry of anger as he slammed his fists down on him.

There was a part of him that oddly couldn’t help but be reminded of those American boxing movies in that moment. It was an all-out brawl as the two fought, beating each other bloody until they finally pulled away, both looking worse for wear. However, Morgott had definitely fared the worse from their fight, his body burned and bloody all over from the powerful Moon Sorcery Harry had used.

Clearly Malenia’s brother was still standing and fighting through sheer force of will, and one could tell that was the case from his raspy voice. “I shall remember thy strength today, Tarnished.”

“I would hope so.” Harry spat the blood out of his mouth. “I did kill Rykard after all.”

“Did thee now?” Morgott’s eyes narrowed. “I had thought Malenia slew Praetor Rykard.”

“She almost did.” He said. “But I was the one who finished him off. I am her consort, you know.”

Of all things, that seemed to give his opponent the most pause. “…To think a wretched woman like her would accept a consort, and a Tarnished at that.”

“Hey!” Harry bristled. “Just because I’m a Tarnished, doesn’t mean I’m bad.”

“Nay, thou art a pitiful flame, waiting to be snuffed out as you choke on the grandeur of thy ambition.” He said. “How Malenia could accept one such as thee bewilders me. Has she truly fallen so low? If that is the case, then thee art a fitting companion for her wicked ambitions.”

“She’s mellowed out quite a bit from what she was like before.” He replied, ignoring the insults. “Why don’t you join us? Give up on defending Erdtree and we can all come together and make this world a better place.”

“If only things were so simple. I can only envy thy naivety.” Morgott’s fingers tightened around his cane. “I have sworn myself to the Golden Order, pledged to guard it from any enemy who seeks to abolish it. It was upon my brother, Godwyn the Golden’s remains, that I made this oath. Even if you defeat me, thy goal of standing before the Elden Ring will never come to fruition.”

“…Because the Erdtree’s roots block its entrance?” The Omen’s eyes widened comically at Harry’s words. “Yeah, I know.”

“How?”

“That’s not important. What you need to know is we have a plan to get past it, a way to get to the base of the Erdtree and mend the Elden Ring.” He said. “All you have to do is step aside, let this war end. You can even join us, we can find Marika and make this land as safe as it once was.”

For once, Morgott looked conflicted, as Harry could see the naked doubt in his eyes before he finally grit his teeth. “Rykard, Radahn, Godrick, I have bested them all. I shall not falter in my convictions, and will remain the Steward of the Golden Order until the end.”

“I see.” Harry’s grip tightened around his wand, readying himself for more fighting - although with less enthusiasm than before. If nothing else, he couldn’t help but admire Malenia’s half-brother for his convictions.

Yet rather than springing forward and attacking, Morgott simply left, his body turning to motes of golden light as he disappeared. All Harry could do was stand there in shock, not expecting his opponent to leave so suddenly.

Did I convince him? He had told Harry otherwise, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Malenia’s half-brother was actually willing to change sides and make peace through diplomacy. Something to think about later.

His instincts flared in that moment, and he ducked as an arrow soared over his head. He turned back around to look at the destroyed gate, where hundreds of soldiers were marching towards him from inside Stormveil. All of them wore the red and green banner of Godrick, obviously having mobilized as the fight got their attention.

Shit.

“Harry, up here!” Millicent suddenly called out, and he looked upwards to see her standing at the top of the battlements, having somehow gotten up there in the chaos.

Gravity magic erupted from his feet as he launched himself into the air, landing atop the old stonework. Several soldiers nearby were already running over to subdue them, and he blasted them off the wall with a banishing charm before ducking under an armored hawk which tried to cut him with its bladed talons.

“Damn it, there really isn’t an end to them, is there?” He couldn’t help but mutter, his wand igniting into a Carian Greatsword as he cut down three of Godrick’s soldiers. The castle was likely garrisoned by thousands, and all of them were heading their direction.

“This way.” His redhead bodyguard pointed to their right, at a maze of buildings within the interior of the walls. Stormveil castle was a large fortress to say the least, having a small town within.

Harry knew what she was thinking. After all, they had come here to slay Godrick, and not kill all of his soldiers. “Lead the way.”

Millicent jumped off the wall, with him following right after her. They landed on a set of roofs, jumping from the top of one building to the next as they soon leapt down into a back alleyway. They were sprinting then, hearing alarmed yells from behind them and in the distance as Godrick’s soldiers were searching the area.

Harry followed her as they took a right, a left, and several more twists and turns between buildings before Millicent shouldered a door and entered a dark building that looked to be abandoned. He ran in after her, a twist of his wand causing the door to slam shut behind them.

He almost let out a relieved breath, believing they were safe, before his instincts screamed.

It was at the last moment that Harry ducked, nearly falling backwards onto the floor as an axe swung at his neck. He let out a hiss of air, spinning to the side as he prepared for a fight.

The enemy he found himself facing then was one of the stranger individuals he had seen in the Lands Between. He had no other way to describe her as a woman dressed up as a barbarian, wearing a fur bikini of all things and wielding axes.

“Well, what do we have here?” She looked him over. “Tarnished, are you? Clearly not one of Godrick's lot. I am Nepheli Loux, Tarnished and warrior, like you.”

“…I’m Harry Potter, also a Tarnished.” He answered after a moment, feeling somewhat awkward as the barbarian woman put away her axes as if she hadn’t just tried to behead him. “My partner is named Millicent.”

“Well met.” Nepheli nodded and folded her arms under her sizable breasts, but her expression was hardly playful. “I assume you’re here for the same reason I am?”

“Godrick?”

She nodded, but Millicent spoke before she could respond. “How did you get inside?”

“You mean past Morgott?” Nepheli asked. “I didn’t. He toyed with me and threw me off the bridge. It was only sheer luck that I landed on an overhang below, and have spent the past month sneaking around this place.”

“Sorry for that.” Harry grimaced, imagining he would probably be in the same circumstances as her if he went to Stormveil castle right after first arriving in the Lands Between. “Why do you want to kill Godrick anyways?”

“Besides the guidance of Grace?” She raised a brow. “Godrick’s repellent grafting has tainted the very winds, and ill befits a Lord. I intend to end to end his foul rule, and claim his Lordship for myself.”

“Then it sounds like we can work together.” Harry grinned. “How about you join us and we can go take care of Godrick right now.”

Disclaimer: All Characters are over the Age of 18

A/N: I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to adding Nepheli to Harry’s harem, but I’m leaning towards it