Galus wanders through a golden field, a serene feeling spreads through his mind as he sees grass hoppers retreat from his approach, slinging themselves through air to escape the titan. for some reason he couldn't fathom he stops and crouches down looking through the grass, and sees a mantis consuming one such unlucky grass hopper, who had retreated straight into it's doom, he sees the grass hoppers carapace crack open, and instead of the thick yellow hemolymph, a single drop of crimson blood forms a drop from it's carapace and falls to the ground. immediately the surrounding grass withers and blackens. he swiftly stands seeing the grass all around him turning into an almost charred looking state as it spreads. He sees the grass hoppers who once fled from him now block and red, leap toward him swarming like locusts and their once dull and harmless mandibles now wicked and sharp dig into his flesh as he falls to the ground trying to shake them off of himself he sees Miquella looking at him, saying one simple phrase. "You're running out of time." before he opens his mouth and a river of blood pours forth.

Galus jolted awake with a curse as his heart beat against his ribs with a jackhammer as he reaches for his sword at his bedside, and falls out of bed as he had taken the prosthesis off before bed.

Lattena woke from the other bed in the room. "what the Marika's name are you doing?" Lattena said, her platinum hair a mess, as she glares at him, Lobo on the other hand trotted up to him and gave his face a large lick, according to Lattena this was not a kiss, but a sign of affection or concern in the sentient wolves culture, much like a human would pet their pet.

Galus for the life of him couldn't get that dream out of his head. "A really fucked up dream..." Galus said, groaning. "You're still going to Caelid?" He said looking for literally any other subject to change to.

"Yep, I talked with some of the guards and apparently they have a single ship left over from their attack on Radahn." She said, but from the look on her face he could tell it was not good news.

"Spill it." Galus said.

Lattena groaned. "it's a sloop, small and has seen better days." She said.

"I don't like this." Galus said, knowing that Caelid in the video game was probably a luxury spa with pillow mints compared to the real thing. "it's a hell fuck demon biome where all good things go to die."

"It's not your choice." She said, a slight bite in her voice.

"I'm not saying it is, but I hate the fact that M-" He bit his tongue as she shot him a glare, they'd had this conversation three times already and each one had soured what relationship they had, though he sensed no romance they were still friends. "I'm sorry, I'm just worried about you... Caelid is not a good place to anyone, even Radahn one of the most powerful demigods in this cursed land had succumbed to the rot, this is a man who can command stars to sit and stay like dogs." Lobo growled at the term dog. "Sorry buddy." He said, giving the big wolf.

"I get it, that's why Malenia is coming with me." Lattena said. "Now get your mutilated ass up and out of here I need to change."

Galus chuffed a slight laugh at that. "You're going to make fun of my missing leg and eye?" He asks, reaching up to the night stand and taking the prosthetic leg he'd gotten from Commander Niall, and the eyepatch which he put over the glintstone eye in the empty socket. before he attached the prosthetic with a click before tightening the straps and buckles. "Alright, I'm going to go finish prepping supplies"

Galus got up, and walked outside, cold wind on the halig tree blowing from the consecrated snowfields wasn't pleasant but it at least helped wake him up. He walked down the rope ladder and past a few misbegotten, their beady eyes and uncanny smiles never failed to scare the living fuck out of him, especially when he wasn't expecting to see one.

He eventually reached the large platform where Loretta's boss fight took place, though she wasn't there, then again it was early. He leaned back against the rail and looked up at the statue, two children with Marika.

It was strange, he felt like one of a thousand pieces on a constantly shifting game board, each faction and it's goals were now free to do whatever they desired free from the restrictions of the game, right now Rykard could be consuming tarnished and gaining power to consume the gods, Ranni had probably sent Blaidd to Caelid by now and that wasn't mentioning Lansseax and the tarnished who plotted.

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He stopped himself from worrying any further, Gideon, the legions of Mohg, Shabriri, he'd faced those trials, he'd face whatever else might come his way. "Veni Vidi Vici..." He said to nobody in particular, as he pushed himself upright, and continued down to the brace of the halig tree, he'd passed soldiers and eventually reached a prison cell, where five scarlet Valkyries were sitting inside glaring daggers at him. Though one peculiar sight was Malenia sitting on a chair outside the cell, her own prosthetic interlocked with her real arm as she crosses her arms over her chest. Millicent stood beside her. "Visiting the prisoners?" Millicent asked.

"Thought I'd check on them." Galus said, shrugging.

"You know her?" Millicent asked gesturing to Maeve.

"I may have met her once." He said, waving at Maeve with the fakest smile he could muster and she promptly spat on his direction.

Malenia broke her silence. "What do you plan to do Shield of Miquella, Me, Millicent, and Lattena are going to get your other sword, because you're too chicken shit to face the scarlet rot."

"I plan to scout Mohg's palace, I've wiped out his army but I'm not so foolish to think he hasn't somehow caroused a new force." Galus explained, One of Edgars ghost soldiers walked through the door and handed him a letter, before leaving. Apparently the fire monks were beyond pissed about the death of the Prelate guarding the chain bridge. the death of one of their leaders had stoked the flame of war so to speak. A few attacks have been launched against the castle Sol.

He felt Malenia's stare even without her eyes, the Valkyrian helmet laid on a table beside her chair, the long hiltless blade leaned on a wall beside her, she never went anywhere without it and Galus felt a tenge of approval at that. still he never really liked the design of the weapon, no handle or guard. "Castle sol is being attacked by fire monks."

"Your plan?"

Malenia looked at Galus and he shrugged. "I planned on bringing Nepheli with me but I suppose she can be sent to the mountain, her abilities could be extremely useful in the fighting," Galus said, shifting his feet, now slightly nervous about going alone.

Millicent looked at her sisters in the cage. "Who will be guarding them?" She asked, her hand on her curved blades pommel.

"I could ask a few knights to keep watch though I'm not sure if that would be enough to stop them... maybe I can get Loretta to guard them as well? assuming I can get her and that elephant she calls a horse down to the base of the tree." Galus half joked.

"You're a fool, once our eldest sister comes you'll be wishing for death." one of the sisters said, she had a long wavy hair and the sneer on her face made Galus instantly hate her.

"What's your name love?" Galus asked, looking at her.

"Her name is Mary." A different woman answered, she had messy hair and didn't exactly seem to care about anything that was happening around her considering the circumstances.

Galus nodded in thanks to the woman. "Well, Mary, if you're talking about the scarlet Aeonia I found in the corresponding room to the Haligtree roots, I threw that thing into the ocean." Galus said, laughing at the horrified and angered look on the woman's face.

"You bastard!" Mary struck the bars with her bare fist and Galus winced as he saw her knuckle split open.

The woman with the bad hair day looked up a flicker of either anger or grief appearing her face before she went back to sitting on her bed.

A third Valkyrie with her hair tied into a bun cried out in sadness.

Maeve kicked the cage in outrage. "Fucker!"

Galus walked out of the building Millicent followed him, Galus turned and saw her rather mad face. "Did you have to do that?" She asked.

"Have to remove a threat to the haligtree? yes absolutely." Galus replied.

"I mean did you have to taunt them with the death of their sister." Millicent said, pointing a metal digit into his chest, the prosthetic tinked against Galus' armor.

He sighed. "I understand, I'll... see what I can do to change my behavior, I just... yeah... I'll try."

She stared at him for a few more seconds, studying him, before she walked back inside.

Galus walked back to the ladder out of the prison and back to the upper parts of what he'd learned was a city called Elphael, he walked and one of the soldiers handed him his helm which Galus accepted donning it and walked out toward the elevator to the town in the branches above. As he walked he saw Nepheli with one of the storm hawks on a railing. She looked at him and he back at her, with a voice that echoed hollowly in his helm he said. "You have a mission."