The Tarnished in LOTR with Elden Ring

Still with Gandalf's magical assistance, Tarnes and he brazenly walked out under the noses of Lake-town's guards, swaggering through the heavily guarded gates of Lake-town.

"What are you thinking about?" Gandalf asked curiously, seeing Tarnes' contemplative expression.

Tarnes blinked: "I was wondering why we couldn't use this magic of yours when we were dealing with those Orcs earlier?"

Gandalf cleared his throat: "My magic only reduces our presence so that just now we appeared to those Lake-town guards as inconspicuous fallen leaves or pebbles. But if fallen leaves or pebbles tried to attack someone, my magic would break on its own."

Only then did Tarnes withdraw his gaze in disappointment: "I see... I was thinking that if possible, you and I could use this magic to secretly infiltrate the Lonely Mountain and give Smaug a harsh blow."

Gandalf immediately shook his head repeatedly: "A dragon like Smaug would certainly see through my magic. This method definitely won't work. If it could, I would have tried it myself long ago instead of waiting until today."

The two walked a good distance further, far enough that they could no longer see Lake-town's outline, before they stopped.

Tarnes looked around at the quiet, deserted wilderness: "Did we really need to come this far?"

Gandalf explained: "Because Great Eagles don't like approaching human territories, or rather, humans would be very wary of them due to their size. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, Great Eagles basically don't approach areas where humans live."

Tarnes nodded: "That's understandable."

Just then, a cry rang out, and a massive shadow covered Tarnes and Gandalf. A Great Eagle rapidly appeared from the clear sky tinged with sunset's afterglow.

The Great Eagle's wingbeats sounded like gales sweeping through pine forests, stirring up snow everywhere.

As Tarnes raised his hand to shield against the blinding evening light, that enormous form had already thundered to the ground, its wingspan seemingly covering the entire riverbank.

It lowered its body, and a graceful female figure leaped down from the Great Eagle's back, carrying a bundle that seemed to contain something heavy.

Gandalf stepped forward two paces with his staff, looking up at the Great Eagle's amber pupils and thanking it: "Thank you very much, my friend. Ilúvatar's blessing remains forever in our hearts."

The Great Eagle raised its head and let out a clear cry, then curiously examined Tarnes. The airflow from its wings scattered dead branches everywhere before it took flight toward the sky, leaving without hesitation and instantly becoming a silhouette merged with the heavens.

Tarnes looked confused: "Am I wrong to feel that it was just observing me?"

Gandalf chuckled: "Don't think of Great Eagles as ordinary wild animals. Actually, they're no different from me in essence. They just chose the form of Great Eagles to come to Middle-earth."

Now it was truly Tarnes' turn to be surprised.

"My dear student, you've been chatting so long. Don't you know to come help your teacher carry things?" Sellen's mature female voice came with slight dissatisfaction.

Tarnes immediately apologized and came to Sellen's side, taking the heavy bundle from her hands.

Really heavy!

The moment he took hold of it, Tarnes immediately felt something was wrong with the bundle's weight.

And from the feel, it seemed to contain some kind of stone blocks.

However, Tarnes could still handle this much weight.

He slung the bundle on his back, opened his arms to lightly embrace Teacher Sellen, then released her: "It's really been too long since we've met, Teacher Sellen."

What entered his nostrils from Sellen's body wasn't any fragrance, but rather the strange smell of blue glintstone and certain potions.

Sellen raised her hand, cold fingers gripping Tarnes' chin, shaking it left and right to examine him carefully before nodding with satisfaction.

Tarnes was bewildered: "Teacher Sellen, what are you doing?"

"Observing whether my student has been injured after leaving for several months. It seems there's no change from when you left the Golden Tree."

Sellen explained indifferently, then turned to look at Gandalf: "Have you given my student what you promised?"

Gandalf chuckled: "Of course, I've already given Tarnes, the Ruling Steward of Gondor, the secret decree. The Enedwaith region is now legally your Golden Tree's territory."

Tarnes asked: "Using sending troops to support the Lonely Mountain as a reason to exchange with Gondor for legal rights to the Enedwaith region. Was this actually your suggestion, Teacher Sellen?"

Sellen shook her head: "Not me. It was that barbarian warrior who inherited the Storm Lord title who said it."

Gandalf also helped explain: "Lady Sellen is right. It was indeed Deputy Lord Nepheli Loux who proposed the conditions. Anyway, Gondor has no energy to manage the Enedwaith region. I think entrusting it to your Golden Tree would certainly restore prosperity there quickly. So I also agreed to Nepheli Loux's request, though I didn't expect Gondor's Ruling Steward to agree so readily. He probably also felt that rather than getting a headache every year over the tasteless Enedwaith region, it's better to exchange it for other benefits."

Sellen had no interest in listening to Gandalf's analysis and asked directly: "Shall we begin here?"

Now it was Gandalf's turn to be confused: "Begin what?"

Sellen asked back in a strange tone: "Set up what I brought, of course, so Tarnes can return to the Golden Tree territory!"

Gandalf was startled and asked politely: "Lady Sellen, after flying so long guided by the Great Eagle, don't you need to rest in town first?"

Sellen impatiently interrupted: "No need. There aren't that many troublesome things waiting for me to do. Hurry up and get things set up so I can follow my dear student back to the Golden Tree territory to rest."

Then she looked at Tarnes and ordered without ceremony: "Don't just stand there stupidly. Put what's in the bundle on the ground. You must be very familiar with it."

Hearing this, Tarnes deftly unwrapped the bundle, revealing what was inside. Several stone blocks carved with blue magical inscriptions that, when assembled, would form the stone monument portals Tarnes often saw in the Lands Between.

Right, with a portal, I can travel between the Golden Tree territory and Lake-town in an extremely short time, and the problem of transporting troops can also be solved this way.

He looked up at Teacher Sellen with delight.

But Teacher Sellen said irritably: "Don't look at me like that. I always thought my dear student didn't set up portals between Stormveil Castle and Fort Haight because you felt it was unnecessary. Turns out you simply forgot."

Tarnes showed a slightly embarrassed expression: "Mainly because my usual way of traveling is riding Torrent everywhere, and the few times I used portals weren't very pleasant experiences."

As he spoke, memories of activating portals only to end up in unfamiliar areas and encounter dangerous enemies floated through his mind.

While talking, Tarnes had already firmly installed the stone monument portal in the ground.

Gandalf showed an interested expression, watching the teacher-student pair's actions.

Sellen crossed her arms, fingertips impatiently tapping her forearms as she continued ordering Tarnes around: "Then infuse your magic power into those magical inscriptions, enveloping every line. Be careful not to infuse too much at once. Have you ever poured oil from a lamp?"

Tarnes' Adam's apple rolled up and down, fine beads of sweat seeping from his fingertips suspended above the stone monument.

He really rarely did such delicate work, especially infusing magic power. It was harder than threading a needle in a rainstorm. He really wasn't good at it.

He felt he'd rather run to the Lonely Mountain and have a great battle with Smaug than be trapped in this small space, letting sticky sweat plaster his hair to his neck.

"Sigh, mimic my magic flow and activate this stone monument together with your teacher."

Noticing Tarnes' predicament, Sellen sighed lightly and walked over to lean down and grasp his wrist.

If Sellen weren't still wearing that sorceress hood, this scene would certainly have some romantic atmosphere.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs. Both Sellen and Tarnes focused their attention on activating the stone monument.

Sellen's fingertip magic patterns spread blue-glowing halos across the stone monument's surface, Tarnes' wrist trembling slightly in her palm.

"Breathe."

The low, husky voice from under the glintstone hood brushed past Tarnes' ear, though unfortunately all Tarnes could smell was the magical potion scent from Sellen's body.

Tarnes felt Sellen's fingertips pressing on the pulsing blood vessel at his wrist, magic power from his teacher flowing along his skin, forcibly organizing his restless magic into orderly streams.

The stone monument suddenly hummed, runes lighting up one by one.

"Don't get distracted."

Sellen increased the pressure of her fingertips, making Tarnes concentrate even more.

Then Tarnes discovered his magic power seemed to flow naturally, successfully enveloping all the magical inscriptions on the stone monument.

The previously empty center of the stone monument displayed silver-gray spatial fluctuations, with fine crystal dust bursting from the vortex's center like a star map in the night sky.

"So this means the portal activated successfully?"

Only now did Gandalf speak, having been worried about disturbing Tarnes and Sellen.

Sellen checked the stone monument one last time and nodded slightly: "Yes, it succeeded. Want to try? Stand in front of the stone monument and don't resist with your body."

Hearing this, Gandalf curiously walked over and stood before the stone monument portal.

From Tarnes' perspective, Gandalf's figure was enveloped by the crystal dust emitted by the stone monument portal, then assimilated, and then disappeared.

After about sixty heartbeats of silence, the air suddenly rippled. Gandalf's gray robes tumbled out from the twisted waves, staggering two steps before standing steady.

"I truly can't believe it. To be able to travel back and forth between such distant places in about a minute! The fishy smell of Lake-town still clings to my robes, yet Minhiriath's warmth has already climbed to my brow!" Gandalf's pupils held incredible expression as he looked at the portal behind him.

But Tarnes curiously asked Sellen: "Teacher, I remember these portals should all be one-way, right? Why could Gandalf return so quickly?"

Sellen said blandly: "So I also installed a stone monument portal with the same magical inscriptions in Stormveil Castle's courtyard. Otherwise, why do you think this portal needed my help to activate just now? Though I wasn't sure if this would work. But since your friend returned smoothly, it means the portal on that side has no problems, solving the one-way transmission issue."

Gandalf asked uncertainly: "Lady Sellen, what if it had failed?"

Sellen replied casually: "Don't worry, you're Tarnes' friend. I wouldn't let you do anything dangerous. The portal on that side couldn't locate this portal at worst. It just wouldn't work without any life-threatening danger. But as Tarnes' teacher, the possibility of failure is infinitely close to zero."

After hearing this, Gandalf opened his mouth slightly, wanting to speak but stopping.

Finally, he still tapped the ground heavily with his staff, and a transparent barrier appeared, protecting the portal beside him.

Seeing this, Sellen immediately asked with interest: "What spell did you just cast?"

Now it was Gandalf's turn to reply easily: "Don't worry, it's not any dangerous magic. Just protection so this stone monument won't be discovered by evil dark creatures."

Tarnes quickly interrupted their interaction: "Then Gandalf, you stay here and guard. I'll go back to the Golden Tree territory with Teacher Sellen first and bring my army over."

Gandalf nodded: "Go and return quickly. Lake-town's mayor is still under my magical influence. I can control him to let your army reasonably station in Lake-town."

Tarnes pulled Sellen over to stand with him before the stone monument portal.

He only felt the scenery before his eyes suddenly change from snow-covered wilderness to Stormveil's courtyard filled with golden light.

"This... this is the Golden Tree?"

When Tarnes found himself in Stormveil's courtyard, which he hadn't returned to for nearly a year, he immediately looked toward the Erdtree in the courtyard.

Only then did he notice the entire courtyard was almost occupied by the Erdtree.

The canopy split the entire sky, gold-leaf-like foliage rustling against each other sixty feet high, falling fragments of light like millions of fireflies fluttering against his upturned face.

The towering twin Erdtrees came into view, their massive canopies blocking out the sky and making Tarnes exclaim in amazement.

Now, even the Erdtree's thinnest branches were as thick as an adult man's waist, interweaving into a dome shape, every leaf gleaming with golden luster.

The Erdtree noticed Tarnes' return, its branches glowing faintly as the entire giant tree seemed to suddenly come alive.

Millions of gold-leaf-like leaves collided with each other, creating rustling sounds like a long-unseen pet wagging its tail and acting cute toward Tarnes.

"Lord Tarnes!"

The Erdtree's unusual behavior immediately caught the attention of everyone in the territory. Two silver-armored figures had already rushed in, treading on fallen leaves.

The left knight's halberd tip pushed open the courtyard gate, while the right knight's sword edge scraped the door crack.

Two Banished Knights, or rather, they should now be called Storm Knights, had originally raised their swords and halberds in alert as they entered the courtyard.

But the moment they saw Tarnes, they immediately sheathed their weapons and knelt on one knee in knightly salute.

Tarnes gestured for them to rise, then instructed the left Storm Knight: "Help me notify Nepheli Loux that I've returned."