The Tarnished in LOTR with Elden Ring

Tarnes stepped outside to see more than twenty humans of various ages and genders huddled together with fearful expressions. Those holding weapons protected the unarmed behind them, with a severely injured, unconscious human in their midst.

They feared the surrounding Misbegotten.

Perhaps they feared the weapons dripping with Orc blood in their hands, or perhaps they feared the Misbegotten's grimy appearance similar to Orcs.

Therefore, when Tarnes appeared before these humans wearing his White Wolf War Ghost armor, commotion arose among the crowd.

They never imagined that the leader of these terrifying-looking humanoid creatures would appear to be a normal human.

"Noble lord, please extend your aid to save us."

A disheveled blonde man stepped forward, pleading in a humble voice.

Looking at this group of people—barely clothed, gaunt and sallow, covered in wounds—Tarnes first spoke to the Lion Misbegotten, who had followed a step behind him: "Share some food with them, and search Lond Daer again to see if there are clothes for these people to wear, even Orc clothing will do. The sun keeps it warm during the day, but they won't survive the night like this."

The Lion Misbegotten hesitated: "But our food is somewhat... I'm afraid these humans won't be accustomed to it."

His words were tactful, but Tarnes knew he meant that the food the Misbegotten brought for quick travel was more about being edible than tasting good.

Tarnes said: "Looking at their gaunt appearance, you can tell they haven't eaten well for a long time. Giving them good food suddenly would actually harm their bodies. The dry rations we brought are just right for them."

The Lion Misbegotten nodded and left with several Scale-skinned Misbegotten.

Only then did Tarnes remove his White Wolf War Ghost helmet, revealing his true appearance.

After seeing Tarnes' face, the people's anxious hearts finally settled, as it wasn't some monster resembling a human hiding inside the armor.

When Tarnes approached, he immediately frowned, noticing the severely injured young man was deathly pale with barely any chest movement.

He quickly walked over, and the Misbegotten in front automatically cleared a path.

When Tarnes reached the armed humans, they hesitated for less than a second before also clearing a path.

They compared their own tattered weapons to Tarnes' armor and the surrounding Misbegotten, showing unfriendly expressions, and wisely chose submission.

At least this human wasn't as brutal as the Orcs and had saved their lives from Warg pursuit—being a bit submissive wouldn't hurt.

Tarnes knelt beside Albert, taking out the Crimson Tear Flask he hadn't yet stored in his spatial pack.

"You, help me lift his upper body and open his mouth. If we don't treat him now, this person will die," Tarnes pointed to someone—a small boy.

The boy seemed afraid, looking at Tarnes with evasive eyes, not immediately coming over.

"I'll do it."

The blonde man who had spoken earlier stepped forward to help, protecting the boy behind him.

The blessed liquid from the Crimson Tear Flask flowed into Albert's mouth. His injuries began healing immediately, completely disappearing within seconds without even leaving scars.

"Wow..."

The surrounding people gasped in amazement at this sight.

"Cough, cough..."

Albert immediately began coughing, then suddenly opened his eyes, instinctively attacking the two people beside him.

Tarnes reacted quickly, easily catching the incoming fist. However, the man helping support Albert wasn't so fortunate, taking a solid punch from Albert.

The punched man showed no anger but instead said joyfully while covering his bruised face, "Albert, you're awake!"

"Mills...? What happened to me?" Albert seemed confused.

Tarnes released Albert's fist and said calmly, "You collapsed unconscious on the battlefield, and I revived you. That's all."

Albert looked at the unfamiliar man before him, then at the surrounding environment.

Though unclear about what exactly had happened, he could understand that he was at least safe now.

After collecting himself, Albert said, "Thank you, unknown knight lord."

Tarnes shook his head: "No need to thank me. You were just lucky."

He then pulled Albert up from the ground and announced loudly to the still anxious people around, "I am a wizard and also lord of the Golden Tree territory. Those around you are Misbegotten, my loyal soldiers, not those evil Orcs. You are safe and need not worry about threats to your lives."

Actually, after Tarnes identified himself as a "wizard," Albert and the others completely dropped their guard. Many even embraced and wept with joy at surviving this ordeal.

They also lost their previous wariness toward the Misbegotten, as if "wizard" in their eyes was simply a profession that kept strange creatures around.

"I know you have many questions for me, and I have several for you. Let's go inside and talk. Your people will be fine—the Misbegotten will take good care of them." Tarnes invited Albert.

After the Lion Misbegotten brought dry rations and some clothes the Orcs had left behind, Albert said a few words to the crowd before following Tarnes to the building where the Orc Captain had been.

"Lord Tarnes, where are we now? I lost consciousness after being captured by Orcs and woke up already caged and brought here," Albert asked urgently.

Tarnes glanced at him and replied, "This is Lond Daer Great Port, in the western part of the Enedwaith region. Now it's my turn to ask—do you know when these Orcs began repairing this port?"

"Lond Daer... we actually came to the west..." Albert murmured. Upon hearing Tarnes' question, he immediately replied, "Sorry, wizard lord, I'm not very clear either. When I was brought here, there were already humans captured by Orcs working in this port. I was captured over a month ago, and among the survivors, the earliest has been here for four months. That's the man I accidentally hit just now—Mills."

Four months ago? It's June now, so four months ago would be February.

I remember when I fell to Bilbo's house, Bilbo told me the date was March.

So when I was traveling toward Minhiriath, I encountered those Orcs attacking me because they had already appeared in this land.

At least I know the Orcs began repairing Lond Daer before I arrived, not because they noticed after I planted the Golden Tree.

That's good news.

Tarnes remained silent, obviously thinking, and Albert didn't dare interrupt.

"Could you call Mills in as well? I have questions for him too," Tarnes soon finished thinking and asked.

Albert nodded, left, and returned with the blonde man following behind.

Mills bowed slightly to Tarnes: "Wizard lord."

"Just call me Tarnes. You too—no need to keep calling me 'wizard,'" Tarnes waved his hand to indicate Mills needn't be nervous, then asked, "Mills, I heard from Albert that you were brought here by Orcs four months ago?"

Mills was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes... that should be right. I come from a small village in Rohan with only seven or eight households. It was still cold winter when Orcs attacked our village at night, bringing all the survivors here. Afterward, the weather changed from cold to warm, and green weeds grew from the ground here. I think spring arrived, which is when Albert was brought over. When he asked me, I could only estimate how long I'd been here based on weather changes."

Tarnes asked, "Are any of the people brought with you still alive?"

Sadness flashed across Mills' face before he firmly shook his head: "No, I'm the only one left from our village."

Though Tarnes had anticipated this result, hearing it still made him sigh inwardly: "My condolences."

Albert gently patted Mills' shoulder in comfort.

Mills gathered his spirits and said, "It's alright. As long as I live, the villagers remain in my heart. Besides, Lord Tarnes, you've now eliminated those damned Orcs, which counts as avenging my relatives and friends."

Tarnes then looked at Albert and asked, "What about you, Albert? Where are you from?"

Albert immediately replied proudly, "I'm from Gondor, Lord Tarnes."

He then pleaded, "Lord Tarnes, though I know it's very impolite and presumptuous for someone of my status to make this request, I still want to ask if you could escort me back to Gondor? The Orcs appearing in the west must have some conspiracy—I must bring this intelligence back to my country."

Tarnes shook his head: "Unfortunately, Albert, my own territory has many matters to handle. I don't have time to escort you to Gondor. However, I can send a squad of Misbegotten to escort you back—that's all I can do."

Going to Gondor would probably take a very long time. By the time Tarnes returned from such a round trip, the Golden Tree might have burst Moen City apart.

Moreover, he had things to discuss with Gandalf, and he couldn't even find Gandalf now, much less go to Gondor.

Albert looked somewhat disappointed but felt relieved hearing Tarnes would send Misbegotten to escort him back.

Tarnes thought for a moment and added, "The Misbegotten's appearance resembles Orcs. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, they can't escort you directly into Gondor territory. They'll escort you near Gondor, and when they see normal human settlements, they'll return."

Albert considered the Misbegotten's appearance and normal people's attitudes toward Orcs, and could only nod in agreement.

"What about you, Mills? Do you want to return to Rohan?" Tarnes asked the other human.

But Mills shook his head. He said respectfully, "Lord Tarnes, my homeland has been reduced to ashes by Orcs, and my relatives and friends have all passed away. If I return there, aside from adding to my sorrow, there's nothing worth cherishing. You mentioned earlier that you're also a lord—please let me follow you and live under your protection."

Mills then added, "Among the surviving compatriots outside, many are like me—rootless drifters. I want to bring them along to start a new life. Please allow us to follow you, Lord Tarnes."

Tarnes smiled: "I welcome you all, though my territory is currently very busy with everyone having work to do."

Hearing Tarnes agree, Mills quickly said: "Being able to personally rebuild our new home is exactly what we desire."

"Then go ask how many people are willing to come with you. As for those unwilling... Albert, you'll be responsible for bringing those people back to Gondor. Is that acceptable?" Tarnes asked.

Albert nodded readily: "Of course, Lord Tarnes. After returning to Gondor, I'll arrange for them properly."

Among the remaining 23 surviving humans, 19 were willing to follow Mills to Tarnes' territory, while only 4 were willing to return to Gondor with Albert.

Those following Mills were mostly elderly people and women with children, while the 4 following Albert were all young men.

After another day of giving these surviving humans adequate rest, Tarnes decided to return.

Besides having many matters to handle in the Golden Tree territory, Tarnes' "Soul Collector" had finished absorbing all the souls that died in Lond Daer during this battle.

With so many souls, he had enough to summon Stormveil Castle.

Tarnes roughly estimated that at least nearly a thousand Orcs had died under the Misbegotten's assault, though the Misbegotten themselves had also lost over thirty.

The Winged Misbegotten suffered the most casualties—they had died in significant numbers during their final charge into buildings to disrupt Orc archers while covering the Scale-skinned Misbegotten.

But being able to achieve victory with just over two hundred against superior numbers proved the Misbegotten's undeniable strength.

As for the fallen Misbegotten, Tarnes used ice magic to freeze their bodies, which were then loaded onto carts left behind by the Orcs by their comrades.

These Misbegotten had shown their valor to Tarnes—he couldn't simply bury their bodies in Lond Daer.

"I'm leaving Lond Daer to you. After I return, I'll immediately summon some of your comrades to come with truly delicious food as support," Tarnes said to the Lion Misbegotten, who had come to see him off.

The Lion Misbegotten looked toward those Misbegotten pushing carts loaded with their comrades' bodies while responding, "Lord Tarnes, we truly thank you for letting us embrace the glory of battle again, and we're very grateful that you allow our fallen comrades to return to the tree."

"The past is past—don't dwell too much on what's gone," Tarnes said with a smile, bidding farewell to the Lion Misbegotten.

On the other side, Albert, who was preparing to return to Gondor, also said goodbye to Mills and the others.

Both groups came over together, their faces much better than yesterday, their numb expressions gone, replaced by anticipation for the future.

"Thank you again, Lord Tarnes. After I return, I'll report your achievements to Gondor and tell people your story."

After Albert spoke sincerely, he waved goodbye to Tarnes and departed in the opposite direction with four compatriots under the escort of four Winged Misbegotten.

"Let's go too. Time to go home," Tarnes said.

(End of Chapter)

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