Across the fields of the Altus Plateau, the windmills turned slowly.
To Raven's slight surprise, the residents of the village had not neglected the sowing of the spring bitter-wheat. It was now nearly midsummer; the air hummed with the incessant drone of cicadas, and the golden fields of bitter-wheat swayed in the breeze. The arrival of the murderous company in the midst of such a scene felt particularly jarring.
Raven raised his hand, signaling everyone to halt, and pulled out the map Godwyn had given him.
"We have entered the outskirts of Dominula. See that windmill? It's a mill on the perimeter; there may be a small number of enemies stationed there." He pointed toward the distant structure. "Which of you are skilled in stealth and infiltration? I need a few men to go over and capture some prisoners for interrogation."
"Me! Pick me!" A crowd of men scrambled to volunteer.
Raven selected about twenty of the most capable-looking rangers. "Good. Dismount and use the wheat fields as cover. Sneak around the mill. When you see the signal—a magic strike on the windmill—charge in together. Catch as many alive as you can."
"Understood! Consider it done!" the mercenaries shouted, thumping their chests.
"Make sure they don't get a chance to signal the village." Looking at this ragtag bunch, Raven didn't have much confidence. Fortunately, based on his knowledge of the Frenzied Flame cultists, it was unlikely they had a sophisticated beacon system. His precautions could already be considered over-cautious.
"Raven's arrangements are perfectly sound. I have nothing to add." Godwyn rode over to join him. "Move out."
The twenty-some rangers crouched low and slipped into the wheat fields, vanishing quickly like water soaking into a sponge. Although they lacked formal coordination, their individual skills were sharp; even with Raven's keen eyes, he could only occasionally catch a brief glimpse of a moving shadow.
Ten minutes passed. Just as the mercenaries waiting behind began to grow restless, Raven leveled his staff and narrowed his eyes.
A single Glintstone Pebble crossed a distance of a full kilometer, shattering a corner of the windmill's blade just as it reached its highest point. The mercenaries watched in awe; even those ignorant of sorcery could see that an ordinary warrior would be defenseless against such a sniper-like strike. The few men who had been whispering complaints fell silent.
Seconds later, the ground gave a slight shudder. A muffled thud echoed from the direction of the mill, followed by another tremor and a second bang. Black smoke billowed from beneath the windmill, curling slowly into the sky.
"An ambush?" Raven and Godwyn exchanged a look. Abandoning all pretense of stealth, they immediately rallied the men to charge forward on horseback.
"What happened? Are there casualties?" Raven reached the base of the windmill to find the mill looking as though it had been struck twice by a Jar Cannon. A large, smoking crater marred the ground outside, surrounded by scattered body parts. The main structure of the mill across from it had partially collapsed and was engulfed in flames.
"One brother dead, three wounded. Luckily, the injuries aren't too severe," a soot-covered ranger said, his eyes still wide with lingering horror.
"Take me to them. Did they set explosive traps?" Raven jumped off his horse and pulled out the Finger Seal Corhyn had given him, casting an Urgent Heal on a mercenary groaning against a wall.
"They explode themselves! It wasn't bombs or gunpowder—they burst from the inside!" The ranger gestured wildly. "Fire started spraying from their eyes and mouths, and they just lunged at us. Then the whole person just... blew up."
Raven turned to Godwyn. "This situation—"
"It seems the Frenzied Flame cultists have gathered in such numbers that they have been bestowed with even greater power," Godwyn said grimly. "I haven't heard of this happening before. It is fortunate we did not arrive too late; otherwise, if the Frenzied Flame were allowed to develop further, there's no telling what other horrors they might master."
Raven nodded and was about to speak when the door of a nearby granary suddenly creaked open. Everyone immediately snapped into a defensive stance.
A child wrapped in nothing but a few tattered rags crawled out. Their sallow hair was a tangled mess, making it impossible to tell if they were a boy or a girl. The child stared blankly at the group.
The mercenaries relaxed.
One of them pulled out an apple and walked over slowly, speaking in a soothing tone. "Hey kid, do you know what happened here earlier..."
"Papa... Mama..." The child looked toward the edge of the crater. Tears welled up in the corners of their eyes, carving two muddy tracks down their filthy face.
Raven followed the child's gaze.
A tattered blue kerchief lay buried in the ash, bearing scorch marks. The dried flowers used as ornaments were charred black.
Raven looked back just in time to see the tears at the corners of the child's eyes evaporate in a flicker of heat.
"Don't go near them!" Raven roared a warning to the mercenary with the apple. He lunged toward the child, the tip of his staff glowing with a Lucidity spell, but then he skidded to a violent halt.
The last drop of tears had evaporated completely.
The child's skin grew thin, like translucent paper. Fire surged beneath the surface before erupting outward, turning the small body into a screaming torch.
Raven conjured a deep blue magical shield in front of him, dropping to one knee to lower his center of gravity. The shockwave pushed him back several meters, the flames hissing violently as they slammed into the Glintstone barrier.
Once the air settled, Raven dispelled the shield and slowly stood up.
"Raven, are you alright?" Godwyn strode over.
"I'm fine." Raven took a deep breath, the muscles in his jaw twitching slightly. "Godwyn, you were right. The Frenzied Flame must be purged."
"That is exactly why we are here," Godwyn said in a low, heavy voice. "Everyone, let us continue."
The mercenaries' morale had dipped due to the casualties, but after witnessing this horrific scene, their sorrow was overtaken by an irrepressible rage.
"Kill them all!"
"It's up to us now!"
"Using a child like that... those bastards have no shame!"
The mercenaries brandished their weapons, letting out guttural roars.
"The men are ready," Godwyn said to Raven before turning to the crowd. "The explosions have likely alerted the cultists in the village. We should move at full speed and take Dominula in one fell swoop!"
Raven flipped onto his horse and raised his knightly banner high. The white wolf gazing at the moon danced in the wind. "Move out!"
The mercenaries wrapped the body of their fallen comrade in a straw mat and moved it away from the mill to prevent it from being consumed by the spreading fire, planning to retrieve it for burial on their return. As for the remains of the cultist family, they were scattered in too many pieces to count, and so were left behind.
The various mercenary bands solemnly unfurled their own banners. With nearly a thousand riders and a forest of flags, the force followed Raven and Godwyn toward the Windmill Village, their hoofbeats thundering like a storm.
Behind them, the entire mill was now wreathed in roaring flames. The windmill's blades continued to turn slowly in the wind. Several charred blades snapped and fell, crushing the roof of the mill. The remaining structure stood against the horizon like a burning cross.
With a thunderous crash, the windmill collapsed entirely, burying everything beneath a tomb of fire.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(68 Chapter - Ongoing)
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