Elden Ring, building a legion of ashes

Chapter 90 Iron Fist Alexander

It was a leather pouch wrapped inside a hidden pocket on the inner layer of the Gravekeeper's breastplate.

Xia Tong poured it out.

Something that was gleaming faintly fell to the ground with a "thud".

Xia Tong reached out and picked it up.

As the light faded, a dark gray soul crystal lay in his palm.

Unlike Ruth's pure ashes, this crystal was entirely lead-gray in color.

Its surface is smooth and it feels cool to the touch.

Upon closer inspection, one could sense a tall figure standing amidst the storm, wielding a gleaming halberd.

Even though it was just a phantom sealed in amber, Xia Tong could still feel the desolation and chilling atmosphere emanating from it.

Xia Tong stood beside the corpse of the tomb guardian warrior and took a deep breath.

He took the summoning bell from his waist.

He held the lead-gray ashes, which seemed to seal away a storm, in his left hand, and gently rang a bell with his right.

"bite--"

The clear sound of bells echoed in the empty tomb.

Xia Tong could sense that he had made contact with the ashes, but there was no response. He tried to communicate again, but there was still no response.

Just as Xia Tong was about to give up, the surrounding air suddenly became heavy and turbulent.

"Whoosh—whoosh—!"

Even though it was a sealed underground tomb, a fierce wind suddenly arose.

The wind pressure spread outwards from Xia Tong, even lifting gravel and dust from the ground into the air, blinding people.

A figure strode out from the void.

"Click".

Heavy metal combat boots pounded on the floor tiles.

The strong winds suddenly stopped.

After the smoke cleared, a tall and imposing figure appeared, standing before Xia Tong like a silent iron tower.

Holding a long halberd and wearing heavy armor.

The Knight Who Lost His Homeland – Ingwell.

……

Return to the blessing point above the Mong-ryu Cave.

Xia Tong carefully placed the ashes of the lost knight Ingwell into a special ceramic jar and then stored it in the Blessed Space.

Xia Tong doesn't need to carry these ashes with her at all times.

The so-called physical ashes are actually more like a physical anchor point, helping Xia Tong with her initial summoning.

After the first successful summoning, Xia Tong established a connection with the ashes, and subsequent summonings no longer required physical ashes for location.

Why do we say it was a successful summon?

Xia Tong discovered that there is a probability of failure in summoning ashes.

If it's ordinary cremated remains, the success rate is very high, almost 100%.

Because they have almost no intelligence.

However, high-level ashes like the Headless Horseman Ruthel, or ashes with a certain level of intelligence like Kurara, cannot be summoned if they do not accept you in their hearts.

Because Little Red Riding Hood Rodríguez entrusted her with this role, Kurara has always been very accepting of herself.

As for the headless knight Ruthel, Xia Tong once asked her telepathically:

Why are you willing to follow me?

She didn't give any lofty or sophisticated answers, such as saying that Xia Tong had the potential to become a king or that she exuded domineering aura.

The answer is simple and realistic:

"If Xia Tong has the opportunity to become the Queen of Elden and master the power of the Ring, then her lords—those dead demigods—may be resurrected."

This is a transaction, and also a hope.

But when he summoned Ingwell, he sensed that Ingwell hesitated when it appeared, as if it was scrutinizing the summoner, before finally materializing.

These ashes with names and surnames all possess their own spiritual will and extremely high intelligence.

The higher the intelligence, the stronger the combat power and the more sophisticated the tactical coordination.

However, there is also a drawback: the risk of uncontrollable problems increases.

After all, the relationship between Xia Tong and the ashes was not a one-way enslavement relationship, but a two-way choice.

As for the lost knight Ingwell, Xia Tong plans to find some time later to have a proper talk with him and understand his needs.

……

After the matter of the Mengliu underground cemetery was resolved.

Xia Tong and Burke then returned to the shore in the shallow water.

Walking east along the riverbank, soon a huge stone bridge spanning the canyon came into view.

"This must be the Bridge of Saints."

The two men rode their horses and slowly approached each other.

As they drew closer to the Bridge of Saints, a strange sound reached their ears from afar.

"...Feed—is anyone there—?"

The sound is deep and resonant, with a humming, thumping quality.

It's like someone sticking themselves into a large water tank to talk.

"Can anyone help me? I'm stuck—"

"Feed...feed...is anyone there? I've been trapped here for half a month!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Xia Tong smiled knowingly.

Being trapped for half a month must have been very tough for Brother Hu.

Burke and Xia Tong quickened their pace and headed towards the source of the shouts.

As the sound became clearer, they finally saw the figure on the hillside ahead.

It was a huge, round, living pottery vessel.

It has an amazing size; the upper half of its body that is above ground is more than half the height of a person.

Its surface is made of rough, reddish-brown clay, covered with knife marks and cracks from past battles, giving it a weathered and ancient feel.

The most striking feature is the spout, sealed with a thick layer of bright red wax, resembling blood – the hallmark of the Warrior's Jar.

At this moment, its lower body was stuck firmly in a pit.

Only her rounded upper body and two thick, somewhat comical, long arms were visible.

Those large hands, seemingly molded from stones and mud, were helplessly bracing themselves against the ground, trying to pull themselves out.

But the harder it struggled, the tighter the pit gripped it!

"Oh! You've come at the perfect time!"

Seeing Xia Tong approach, Da Hu waved his arms excitedly:

"I am Warrior Jar, 'Iron Fist' Alexander!"

"As you can see, I'm stuck in this damn hole."

"I hope you can lend a helping hand and help me out of this predicament!"

After Xia Tong readily agreed to help.

Alexander made an incredibly bizarre request—that Xia Tong spank its rear end hard and make it come out.

Xia Tong was naturally very familiar with these procedures.

However, Lion Slash is definitely not usable now, as it would shatter Brother Pot to pieces.

So Xia Tong took the heavy brass shield off his back.

He walked behind Alexander and found the right angle.

He took a deep breath and unleashed a full-force shield charge!

"Bang!"

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Alexander screamed in pain.

With a muffled thud, Iron Fist Alexander was ejected like a plug.

He rolled around on the ground several times before wobbling to his feet and brushing the dirt off himself.

Then, Alexander steadied himself and said slowly, filled with gratitude:

"Thank you, my brother!"

"If it weren't for you, I don't know how much longer I would have been trapped here! I might even have turned into a fossil!"

"Here, take this as a thank you gift."

As it spoke, it took out a piece of warrior meat that smelled delicious and handed it to Xia Tong.