The identity of an undead still brought with it certain inconveniences.
Morgott began to ponder.
How could he, under so many watchful eyes, disguise himself as something else—an identity that would make movement and infiltration easier?
Undead wandered freely through many places, but if there were guards posted at an entrance, there would be no way through.
He doubted anyone would allow a wandering corpse to stroll unchallenged into important areas.
Still, Morgott wasn't in a hurry to change his identity just yet.
This infiltration was meant mainly for reconnaissance; there was no urgent goal to accomplish quickly.
Since he intended to remain in Stormveil Castle for quite some time, there was no need to rush.
He would first use his current identity as an undead to explore all the areas where such a presence wouldn't attract attention. Later, when the time was right, he would find a way to slip past their notice and assume a new form.
If possible, he preferred to make this undead identity 'disappear' in a way that appeared like true death.
Then, he could return under the guise of a Tarnished, or some other identity and re-enter Stormveil anew.
Once he became a Tarnished, it would be far easier to move around, gather intelligence, or even directly enlist in the castle's army.
Ideally, he would join one of the city defense units, learn the layout of the fortifications, understand where key facilities were located, and determine the true strategic heart of Stormveil.
He would also need to learn about the army's size, distribution, strength, and the number of mid- to high-level combatants.
Understanding all of this would be crucial for future wars.
Morgott stepped back from the window and sat quietly on his bed, lost in thought.
Stormveil's greatest advantage lay in its rugged terrain.
Aside from the single connecting bridge at the main gate, there were almost no routes a regular army could take to reach it.
The forces of Leyndell lacked the mobility to climb Stormveil's sheer cliffs.
A frontal assault would likely prove even more difficult than the campaign to retake Volcano Manor.
Therefore, the best way to breach Stormveil would be to create an opportunity to destroy it from within.
If that was impossible, then he would at least sabotage its key production and logistics systems.
How to do that exactly was something Morgott would have to research in detail.
He lay back on his bed and began planning his next steps.
—
The next morning, Morgott and the other undead sharing his dormitory were roused together and taken to a construction site within the castle.
The building under construction there was nearly identical in design to the one they lived in, it seemed this was the standard architectural style of Stormveil.
In front of Morgott was a large clay jar. He looked at it, unsure of what it was meant for.
The overseer, recognizing that Morgott was new, demonstrated the process for him.
He carried the jar to another spot, where he filled it halfway with a thick adhesive mixture.
Then, he shoveled in a scoop of crushed stone and poured it into the jar, stirring it vigorously.
"Just one scoop each time," the overseer said. "Try to remember that."
Of course, even if one didn't, it wasn't a big deal—anyone could be reassigned to another job.
Later, inspectors would check the mixture; if it wasn't up to standard, it would be redone, and unsuitable undead workers would be replaced.
Before long, the contents of the jar had been roughly processed.
Further refinement was beyond what these undead could do; others would later add more materials to make it usable.
Each jar would then be sealed as a single unit, making it easier to store and deploy at the construction site.
Once Morgott placed his jar at the designated spot, another undead worker automatically handed him an empty one.
The overseer watched as Morgott repeated the entire process once more on his own, found no issues, and walked away satisfied.
And so, Morgott's monotonous life mixing mortar within the walls of Stormveil Castle began.
—
Meanwhile, far away in Stormveil's main keep, Lucian—unaware that a major figure had infiltrated the castle, had already used a Site of Grace to teleport to Liurnia of the Lakes.
This time, Lucian came alone. He hadn't asked Selinsax or any companion to accompany him.
Compared to flying from Caelid, teleportation through Grace was much faster.
He now stood near the Liurnia Highway.
Before long, he spotted a statue at the edge of a cliff—the statue of the 'Usher of Death', Rosus.
Summoning Torrent, Lucian followed the direction pointed out by the statue's outstretched hand.
He rode through a dense forest and began searching among the jagged rocks of the surrounding cliffs for the entrance to the catacombs.
Lucian recalled that the catacombs here were hidden within the mountain, so they were difficult to find without a thorough search.
After circling the area twice, he finally found the entrance to the tomb—the Cliffbottom Catacombs.
The door stood open, which meant that tomb robbers had already beaten him to it.
Lucian frowned slightly. Hopefully, those thieves weren't too skilled.
If it were any ordinary catacomb, being looted wouldn't matter—it would just mean a wasted trip.
But this particular tomb contained the Nox Mirrorhelm, a rare and crucial artifact. Losing it would be a serious problem.
There might not be another one in the entire Lands Between—and even if there was, it certainly wasn't somewhere Lucian knew.
He activated the Site of Grace by the entrance, then proceeded steadily downward.
Melina, watching his every move, shook her head.
Lucian was admirable in many ways, but for some reason, he seemed particularly obsessed with underground tombs and caves.
And not just him—many Tarnished under his command shared that same peculiar fascination.
It made one wonder: did Tarnished truly have any sense of knightly honor?
Lucian, of course, had no idea what Melina was thinking.
But really, could anyone help it? This was simply the nature of a Tarnished.
After all, the cave was there—how could one not explore it?
As for "knightly spirit," well… any true Souls veteran knew that what truly flowed in their veins was the hunger for victory.
When faced with loot and shiny treasures, no one cared about chivalry.
Lucian descended step by step, soon finding an elevator.
He took it down to the true interior of the catacombs.
The moment he arrived, a small imp statue came charging at him across the wide chamber, flinging two throwing knives as it did.
Lucian summoned a gust of wind, blocking the knives, then swung his hand, releasing a blade of compressed air that sliced the imp cleanly in two.
Stepping deeper into the chamber, he turned sharply and caught another imp leaping from a corner near the doorway.
Grabbing the creature's arm—the one clutching its forked hatchet, Lucian smiled faintly.
Heh. As a seasoned Souls player, there was no way he wouldn't anticipate this kind of ambush.
Corners were never to be trusted.
After dispatching the lurking imps, Lucian examined the chamber.
Besides the two he had slain, several other imp corpses lay scattered across the floor.
Among them was also a decaying human corpse, still clad in garments that looked noble or aristocratic.
Perhaps this was the mastermind behind the tomb robbers.
Judging by the way the body had fallen, he had been struck from behind—most likely ambushed by the imps.
Lucian rubbed his chin.
If even a noble had died here, it seemed the robbery hadn't gone well.
Hopefully no one had escaped with the treasure.
He turned left and began descending further into the tomb.
Past that room lay the chamber of the tomb's guardian.
Outside its heavy metal gate was an arched stone frame, with two robed skeleton statues standing on either side, each holding a staff.
Many catacombs in the Lands Between shared this same design, the guardian's chamber always positioned at the farthest end.
The metal door bore carvings of massive golden tree roots.
Normally, these doors would be locked by a mechanism, requiring one to locate the proper lever to open them.
But this one had already been triggered.
The heavy iron gate now stood wide open.
Well, that at least saved Lucian the trouble of kicking it down again.
He stepped through and descended into the lowest chamber, the boss room.
And there, at last, he found the guardian of this tomb.
It was an Erdtree Burial Watchdog.
One of the animated golems, it had three strange, parallel heads and a body that radiated an unsettling, lifeless rigidity.
This particular Watchdog wielded a massive tin staff, far heavier than any ordinary warhammer.
It rose to its feet, mechanical legs shifting with creaking precision, and began advancing toward Lucian without a word.
Lucian remained completely calm, even having the idle mind to glance around the surroundings.
He noticed several rotting corpses of Kaiden Mercenaries scattered across the ground. These bodies had been here for a long, long time—so long that most of the flesh had nearly melted away, leaving only the equipment maintaining its basic shape.
It seemed the nobleman from before had indeed hired Kaiden Mercenaries as muscle.
Judging from the state of the corpses, these mercenaries clearly weren't the companions of Hakkan. They must have been a completely different group, hired by another noble who had also attempted to plunder this tomb.
Yet, just like their employer, they had ultimately failed—falling short in their fight against the tomb's guardian.
Lucian stood in place, the ancient dragon communion seal in his hand beginning to glow faintly.
A moment later, thin arcs of lightning appeared out of thin air, dancing across the body of the Erdtree Burial Watchdog.
He had already locked onto it.
Incantation—Lightning Strike.
A bolt of orange-yellow lightning fell unerringly upon the Watchdog's head, splitting one of its three bizarrely aligned heads cleanly apart. Chunks of statue-like flesh and metal clattered across the ground.
Lucian cast two more Lightning Strikes, shattering nearly half of its upper body.
But this Burial Watchdog was not so easily felled. Even while wreathed in lightning, it continued to advance mechanically, its movements completely unaffected by wounds that would have killed any living creature many times over.
The massive tin staff it carried began to glow with magical radiance.The glintstone embedded in the center pulsed as several floating magic orbs emerged from it, drifting toward Lucian with aggressive intent.
At the same time, the Watchdog lifted the enormous staff high and swung downward with all its weight.
Lightning—red and fierce, burst from Lucian's hand, coating his entire body as a protective shroud. He casually swept his arm to the side, shattering the drifting magic orbs with no effort at all.
Then, extending his hand, he caught the downward swing of the massive tin staff directly.
The stone tiles beneath his feet cracked violently under the pressure of the Watchdog's enormous strength, yet Lucian didn't budge an inch. His stance was perfectly steady, immovable.
From the hand holding the staff, a torrent of lightning erupted, engulfing the entire Watchdog. The sound of a collapsing construct—stone, metal, and magic all fracturing echoed throughout the chamber.
Only a few seconds passed before the Burial Watchdog was completely destroyed, reduced to shattered debris.
Lucian bent down and picked up the fallen staff to examine it.
It was sturdy, surprisingly so. Despite the fierce fighting, it was only slightly damaged, nowhere near destroyed.
Though, to be honest, Lucian wasn't sure he would ever use it for anything.
Still… it was a trophy. Throwing it away felt like a waste.
So he tucked the staff into his spatial disc before looking back at the scattered remains of the Watchdog. Among the debris were many ornate decorations and gemstones, along with fragments resembling broken glintstone.
These were certainly valuable items in the Lands Between. No wonder nobles would risk hiring Kaiden Mercenaries to challenge a tomb guardian.
Or perhaps—perhaps they believed a greater treasure lay within the Watchdog's chamber.
After dispatching the guardian, Lucian turned to the fallen Kaiden Mercenaries once more.
One of them, by chance, had left behind a preserved spirit—now manifest as Spirit Ash.
Lucian took out a small box, collecting the Spirit Ash with care.
He had learned to carry these boxes recently, ever since he started picking up Spirit Ashes so frequently. After all, not every spirit was as considerate as the sorcerers—who came with glintstone caps already functioning as their own containers.
Once he confirmed that no more valuables remained, Lucian continued on, descending further into the lower levels of the catacombs.
As he walked, he casually eliminated every small gargoyle statue, those imp-like guardians that lurked along the way.
Before long, a multi-layered, vertical gallery appeared before him. His current level placed him somewhere in the middle, with a staircase leading downward. A giant stone statue blocked the straight path, making it clear that anyone seeking the lower levels would need to take a detour.
Normally, the lever that opens the boss chamber would be located beneath such statues.
Here, a ladder was propped against the ledge where the statue stood. The previous Kaiden Mercenaries must have used this ladder to reach the mechanism and open the door.
Since there was nothing left up there, Lucian didn't bother to climb.
He continued downward.
To be honest, he had almost no clear memory of this dungeon anymore.
He only remembered that the Nox Mirrorhelm, a very important item was here.
In Elden Ring, most catacombs shared nearly identical structures. Unless a place had a very unique layout, it was hard for anyone—even experienced players to remember the exact routes.
But it didn't matter.
With Lucian's current strength, this place was no different than taking a casual stroll.
Even if he walked in circles a few times, clearing the entire catacombs would not pose the slightest inconvenience.
Just then, an Imp suddenly dropped from the ceiling, lunging at him.
Before it could even get close, Lucian kicked it mid-air, shattering it completely.
However, the falling debris struck a pressure plate, activating a trap ahead.
At the end of the corridor, three glintstone projectiles shot out simultaneously—the width perfectly matching the corridor itself.
Then came a second volley. Then a third.
But this level of magic couldn't even scratch Lucian.
He merely added a layer of wind armor over his body, no dodging required.
Moving forward, he reached a rightward turn. Entering it, he soon stepped into a more spacious hall—built across three vertical layers.
This time, Lucian found himself at the very bottom.
He couldn't help but grumble at the sheer scale of this catacomb.
It was enormous, absurdly so.
The Black Knife Catacombs he had been to before weren't remotely this large. Aside from a second floor and a basement, there wasn't much to see.
But this place, the Cliffbottom Catacombs, forced him to ride a lift down right from the entrance, then repeatedly descend layer after layer…
And now more stairs upward again.
At least five different levels so far. Ridiculously large.
On this floor, a pool of stagnant water had collected, tinged pale green. Several Kaiden Mercenaries' corpses floated within, cut into multiple pieces, the water already showing signs of becoming a poison swamp.
Poison and Scarlet Rot were one and the same—both manifestations of an ancient god. As long as water no longer flowed, corruption would arrive. First poison… then deeper corruption… eventually the dreaded Scarlet Rot.
What surprised Lucian, however, were the enemies guarding this area.
Two Omenkillers.
The first lurked in the shadows, crouched in a corner before a patch of Ghost Glovewort, as if admiring it.
The second stood guard on the second layer above.
Lucian's arrival shattered their peaceful existence.
The Omenkiller facing him was first to notice. It stood up, brandishing its great cleaver, and charged.
It didn't know who Lucian was—but anyone appearing in a tomb like this could only be a grave robber.
So there was nothing to discuss.
Kill the intruder.
Lucian continued honing the lightning incantations he had only recently learned, practicing his understanding and control over lightning.
A bolt climbed along the land, erupting into multiple falling strikes that crashed violently onto the Omenkiller. Its thick hide split and burned, its body rapidly turning charred and blackened.
The Omenkiller collapsed, its immense weight turning into a burden that kept it from moving.
Lucian gave it a final lightning strike, granting a quicker end.
The Omenkiller on the second level, along with two Imps, had already been alerted by the commotion.
The Imps hurled projectiles frantically from above, but they barely did anything.
The Omenkiller roared, leaping from the upper floor with the force of an avalanche—Only to be cleaved cleanly in half midair by a wind blade.
As for the two Imps above, Lucian flicked two wind bolts from his fingertips, destroying them instantly.
Ascending the stairs to the second level, he found a sealed chamber blocked by a Imp statue barrier.
Seeing the seal intact, Lucian exhaled in relief.
It seemed the earlier intruders had indeed failed. The Nox Mirrorhelm should still be here.
He inserted a Stonesword Key. The seal vanished, revealing the chamber's contents.
In the center of the room sat a hidden chest—clearly bearing the style of the Eternal Cities.
Lucian approached and opened it.
Inside, resting gently on a cushion of soft cotton, was a strange helmet.
The Nox Mirrorhelm.
The most valuable treasure of this entire catacomb.
Lucian stored the ancient relic in his spatial disc and considered whether he should continue exploring.
The most important item was already in his possession. Everything else would be mediocre by comparison.
But after thinking it over, he nodded to himself.
He might as well finish the place.
As the old saying from his homeland went:
"Since I'm already here…"
He had no reason not to.