Elden Ring: Putrefaction of Gold

As the Fates Stood Still

 Rykard better have an explanation as to why he couldn't tell Ranni his plan back in Leyndell. She wasn't fond of Volcano Manor. Its elaborate interior, instant hot water on tap, and expensive decor were all a cover for the horrors of the prisoner's village. Here and there, Ranni heard the faint cries of pain and pleas for mercy of the tormented souls of the "residences" and had to pretend she didn't. The sulfur from the volcano, while not a pleasant smell, was at least better than the stench of decayed corpses.

Officially, all executions happened in the nearby Shaded Castle, but there were many Marika, and the more significant Golden Order, wished to see disappear.

Of all the Carian Royals, it seemed Rykard was her favorite. She both scolded and disciplined him the most of all her stepchildren and then conspired with him as he became an adult. To ensure her control over life and death remained as absolute as possible, Marika recruited Rykard to do her "dirty work." It was horrid, and every aspect was designed according to Marika's will and whims. And since the Golden Order assumed that anyone who could not rise back from the dead anew was outside of grace, no one questioned these disappearances either.

The Carian siblings debated time and time again just how omnipotent Marika was, using the times they got away with things and the times they didn't as evidence of whatever side they wished to take. At this point, Ranni was undecided. She feared involving Rykard in her plot at all, as he had the most to lose if he ever betrayed Marika.

As Rykard led Ranni deeper into the manor and spent considerable time with pleasantries, she grew increasingly annoyed with him for delaying what he had brought her there for.

"I have given thee but one piece of instruction, Brother, and that was..."

"...not to meddle in my affairs," mocked Rykard, mimicking Ranni's voice. "Come now, Sister, I thought you said that for my safety."

"I did," said Ranni.

"Then allow me to throw all caution to the wind. You leave so much to fate, Ranni. Sometimes, I think it's worthwhile to give it a little nudge from time to time," said Rykard.

"A nudge or a firm push off a very steep cliff?"

"Now, now, dear Sister. I don't ever push anyone off cliffs when I could just convince them to jump," said Rykard.

"Like Godwyn?"

Rykard went quiet, and Ranni let it linger there.

"Sister, if you were only aware of his reputation with women..."

"Thou means much like thine own? What? Doth, thou not realize that I am fully aware of how many skirts thou hath lifted in thine youth? Or the concubines Radahn kept at his military camp? I wonder if Malenia is aware of all she saw as a child?" said Ranni.

"Boyhood flings and experiments are one thing, but there is something not right about Godwyn. And I would rather I find out before I allow you to be involved with him again," said Rykard.

"I will do what pleaseth me. Understand?"

She wasn't sure why she showed such a lack of respect towards her brother. It was Rykard, after all, who cared for her those terrible weeks after she gave birth and lived her life in a dream world. Even with his duties divided between Leyndell, the Shaded Castle, and the Volcano Manor, he still came to the Carian Manor frequently and checked in on his mother and sister. He even brought the Twin Prodigies with him, knowing how much Ranni loved them and Miquella's ability to touch even the most feeble of minds. Their mother did show considerable signs of improvement whenever he was near. Ranni often wondered if the world might be better off in Miquella's Age. Of course, unsettling enough, Ranni couldn't tell whether that was her sincere thoughts or Miquella's doing either.