Elden Ring, building a legion of ashes

Chapter 14 Blood-Red Jellyfish

On Storm Hill, the wind howled, sending chills down one's spine.

Xia Tong looked back.

Rodrik's little shack looked frail in the cold wind, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Ring ring.

He shook the summoning bell, and two small demons with sharp teeth materialized.

Xia Tong pointed to a few withered trees beside a distant hill and gave the order.

He himself stepped forward and swung his sword, and soon the trees had been felled.

Then, he roughly processed it and made a few simple wooden boards.

Thanks to the fading individuals' robust physique, making these things wasn't too strenuous.

Since there were no nails, Xia Tong had to use some tough vines as ropes to tie the planks to the damaged areas.

For gaps that couldn't be sealed, Xia Tong filled them with dry grass.

The roof treatment was rather simple and crude: just put large wooden planks on it and then tie them tightly with vines.

I was busy from morning till evening, and it took a whole day to finally get it all done.

Rodrika seems to have become emotionally numb due to her previous traumatic experiences.

She sat there in the house, hugging her knees, watching Xia Tong work inside and outside with a blank look in her eyes.

"I've dealt with the nearby wolf packs, the wandering nobles, and the few Kaidan mercenaries who kill anyone they see. The house has also been repaired. You can rest here now."

Xia Tong wiped her sweat, turned around, and prepared to leave.

However, the next second, he found that someone was pulling on the hem of his clothes from behind.

Rodrika trembled and cried, her voice barely a whisper:

"Sir...please tell me your name, I do not know your name yet."

My name is Xia Tong.

..........

After Xia Tong left.

Looking at the newly renovated log cabin that Xia Tong had built, Rodrika felt a long-lost joy rise in her otherwise lifeless heart.

She moved quietly around the room and suddenly noticed that there was something extra on the table.

It was a gray cloth bag.

She gently picked up the cloth bag, which still retained some of its warmth.

I opened it and took a look.

"This is... dried meat?"

Rodrigo gently picked up a piece of grayish-brown jerky and chewed it slowly in her mouth.

A subtle salty flavor melts on the tongue, followed by a rich meaty aroma.

"Xia Tong........"

Even though the wind was still blowing outside, a warm feeling had already spread through the little house.

......

On the mountain road near Storm Hill, Xia Tong looked at Melina with delight and took something out of her pocket.

"Look at this."

Xia Tong stretched out her hand, and in her palm was a golden seed, which looked like a glowing golden petal crystal, radiating a warm light.

Xia Tong discovered it while cutting down trees. It was in a wooded area not far from the dilapidated house. Perhaps it was some kind of divine guidance that led Xia Tong to find it.

This was the first time Xia Tong had seen the seed of the golden tree; it appeared at the base of a translucent, shimmering golden sapling.

Like the blessing itself, this little golden tree can only be seen by those who are recognized.

"These are seeds from the Golden Tree. You can use them to increase the number of uses in your Holy Grail," Melina said slowly.

"How do I use it?"

"Just put the seeds of the golden tree into the phantom of the Holy Grail bottle."

Xia Tong did as instructed and threw the golden tree seed into the Red Dew Holy Grail bottle.

The red dew droplets in the cup rose a little higher, and a flash of golden light disappeared.

The frequency of use has increased significantly, and Xia Tong can now drink an extra sip of the life-saving blood vial.

Suddenly, Xia Tong thought of something else.

He whistled, summoned Torret, and lightly leaped onto it.

"drive!"

Xia Tong rode the Torret towards the western edge of the forest.

The scenery along the way was extremely bleak, and the wind blowing in Storm Hill was cold and biting, so Xia Tong couldn't help but wrap her clothes tighter.

"It should be this direction, there's no mistake."

After passing through a sparse coniferous forest, the view suddenly opened up before us.

However, what lay before them was a chilling cemetery.

Countless faint, almost transparent jellyfish lingered around these tombstones.

These must be the Soul Jellyfish.

"It's the same soul jellyfish that Rodrik gave me, but it's not the one I'm looking for."

These white jellyfish are gentle and do not attack Xia Tong.

Xia Tong rode his horse slowly past them, trying not to disturb their peace.

Xia Tong had some understanding of these soul jellyfish; they were actually transformed from children who had died young.

Suddenly, a red shadow appeared in front of Xia Tong.

Ahead, there was a group of bright red jellyfish!

They were no longer transparent, and their interiors seemed to be filled with boiling blood.

The surrounding air was instantly filled with a manic and resentful emotion.

"One, two, three, four..."

Xia Tong roughly counted them; there were dozens of them, densely packed together.

The ashes that Xia Tong was looking for were right next to the tombstone, which was surrounded by four or five blood-red jellyfish.

"There are even skeleton militiamen."

Through the gaps in the jellyfish, Xia Tong saw several tombstones and some skeletons with scattered red scraps of cloth covering their bodies.

These undead beings are extremely troublesome; they can reassemble even after being broken apart, requiring repeated attacks to kill them completely, making them very troublesome.

Faced with the onslaught of dozens of blood-red jellyfish, Xia Tong knew he had no chance to finish them off.

He hid behind a huge tombstone, picked up a piece of rubble, and threw it hard at the nearest blood-red jellyfish.

Then, he immediately shrank back and hid behind the tombstone.

The blood-red jellyfish, struck, immediately began to writhe wildly with its tentacles and turned around.

Its previously languid and floating body instantly tensed, its color changing from dark red to deep red, and countless tentacles danced wildly like whips.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

The jellyfish was absolutely furious.

If a normal white jellyfish dies for ordinary reasons, then this blood-red jellyfish died because it harbored resentment and was driven by violence.

They are inherently manic.

This berserk, blood-red jellyfish instantly incited its other brethren nearby.

These blood-red jellyfish writhed wildly, spraying red venom in all directions like a torrential downpour.

laugh!laugh!laugh!

Any rocks that were sprayed with this venom immediately began to sizzle, emit white smoke, and make a corrosive sound.

"What's the difference between this and concentrated sulfuric acid?"

Xia Tong was still shaken and dared not make any rash moves. Instead, she moved further away and hid near the tombstones on the outer perimeter.

He took stock of their combat strength.

The only fighting force he can muster right now consists of three lone wolves, two fanged imps, and himself.

Faced with the siege of dozens of blood-red jellyfish, a direct confrontation is absolutely out of the question.

What's more, there are those unkillable skeleton soldiers causing trouble.

............

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Tong finally saw the restless group of blood-red jellyfish gradually calm down.

In the darkness of night, beside a conspicuous tombstone, the condensed, semi-solid soul matter floated silently.

This must be the ashes of the soldier Grik.

My current army is still very weak, and I don't have a single front-line tank that can withstand damage.

The three lone wolves and the two fanged imps are more inclined towards mobility and harassment.

They are quite adept at launching surprise attacks; when they swarm in, their continuous assaults can leave the enemy helpless and paralyzed.

But when it really comes down to taking the lead, Xia Tong has to personally initiate the team fight.

As for the Soul Jellyfish that Rodrika gave, it is actually very fragile and can only be used as a small, long-range turret and a poison sprayer.

"At night, these restless crimson jellyfish and undead creatures are very active. If you really have to make a move, tomorrow morning would be a good opportunity."

"The time around dawn is when they are at their weakest."

Melina's voice rang out at just the right moment.

She has no physical form of her own, and therefore cannot provide Xia Tong with any direct combat assistance.

But she stayed by Xia Tong's side the whole time, offering advice and doing what a witch should do.

Melina's voice was so soft and gentle that it soothed Xia Tong's anxiety.

Xia Tong made a quick decision, mounted Toret, and rode away into the distance.

........

We arrived at the dilapidated house in Stormhill once again.

Xia Tong pushed open the repaired wooden door.

He said to Rodrikka, somewhat embarrassed:

"Um... if it's alright, could I stay here for the night?"

"certainly!"

Rodrik's previously quiet eyes seemed to sparkle with light.