Jaune Arc was never the strongest, but he had the will and determination to pursue his goal no matter what he faced. Though that all changed when after saving the bully who made his life miserable, he decided to reveal that Jaune faked his way into...
When the blinding light surrounding Jaune faded away, he found himself transported to the mysterious Roundtable Hold. He assumed he was in the main lobby of this mystical place. At the center of the room stood a massive circular table, its surface pierced by an array of different weapons, with a radiant light of grace hovering above it. He wasn't alone; he spotted D and the young maiden, along with several unfamiliar faces he hadn't encountered before here.
"Oh, this is a rare occasion. I can't remember the last time a new Tarnished made their way to the Roundtable." A voice sounding old but full of knowledge spoke, catching Jaune's attention as he turned to see who was speaking.
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"Very well. As your senior, I bid you welcome. It is safe here. You may let down your guard. Allow me a word of advice, as your senior. You are a mere visitor to the Roundtable, nothing more. A house guest, yet to earn their keep. Remember your place, newcomer." The tarnished said, ensuring Jaune understood his position as the latest arrival in the sacred sanctuary of tarnished champions.
"What do you mean by house guest?" Jaune asked in return, the term seeming to carry an insult here, much like when dealing with Varré—being looked down upon by someone who believes he's unworthy and destined to fall easily.
"Oh, are you aggrieved? At the notion you are but a visitor here? Then you would do well to remember the first words of grace given to you. Stand before the Elden Ring, and become the Elden Lord. If those words held any meaning to you... Follow the guidance of grace, lay low the shardbearers, and claim for yourself a Great Rune. Do so, and the doors to the Roundtable's inner chamber will open. And you will receive the wisdom of the Two Fingers." The tarnished spoke, reciting the same familiar words that echo through every tarnished's mind, a constant reminder of their purpose. "Once the wisdom of the Two Fingers becomes your own, I'll impart to you a proper welcome. As a true member of the Roundtable. I have high hopes for you. I'm sick and tired of them. These namby-pamby Tarnished think us no more than a shelter from the rain." He then turned and walked away, disappointment and irritation clear in his voice as he dismissed the failures who had given up on the quest for the Elden Ring.
"I wonder how you earned your keep?" Jaune muttered under his breath, but the other tarnished was already too far to hear him. He suspected the tarnished who had just dismissed him hadn't claimed any Great Runes—unlike Jaune, who had fought for his, proving his strength and earning his seat at the Roundtable Hold, while the others merely survived longer than anyone else. Deciding to leave the matter behind, Jaune approached the grand doors of the audience chamber. His Great Rune emerged from him, and sensing its power, the doors swung open. Inside, a colossal pair of Two Fingers sat where a throne might be, with an ancient woman clutching a massive club seated off to the side.
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