The Tarnished in LOTR with Elden Ring

Tarnes nodded, his gaze falling on Kili, who sat dejectedly on the ground after failing to cast even the simplest spell. "As I thought."

After delivering breakfast to Sellen, Tarnes had led the dwarven brothers to a wide, open field just beyond the walls of Castle Morne. His teacher, her curiosity piqued by the prospect of dwarves learning magic, had followed them, observing from a short distance as she enjoyed her meal.

"Disciple, are you conducting some sort of experiment?" she asked, her voice carrying on the morning breeze. "One glance should tell you they have no capacity for sorcery. It has nothing to do with talent; they are simply barred from that path, forever unable to cross its threshold. Why waste your effort?"

Though Sellen's tone was purely academic, her words were sharp enough to make Kili's shoulders slump further. Fili placed a comforting hand on his brother's back, then looked to Tarnes, his expression questioning.

"Teacher Sellen isn't targeting either of you," Tarnes explained calmly. "She is merely stating a fact. I was verifying if a staff would make a difference. It seems it does not."

Frustration welled up in Kili, and he slammed a fist into the soft earth.

A faint smile touched Tarnes's lips. "Don't despair just yet. While you cannot learn sorcery, that does not mean you cannot learn Incantations."

"Incantations?" Kili's head shot up, a spark of hope rekindling in his eyes. Even Fili leaned in, his attention captured.

Intrigued, Sellen settled onto the grass, tucking her robes neatly around her. Theoretically, a body without a trace of magic should be just as incapable of casting Incantations. She was curious to see if her disciple could prove otherwise.

Tarnes, of course, understood this principle. But he remembered Thorin describing how using the battle art of his axe drained not his magic, but his physical stamina. It was proof that dwarves in this world could access the powers of the Lands Between through a different source. He had now confirmed that sorcery was impossible for them.

That left only Incantations.

Even if this failed, Tarnes had already prepared a powerful weapon for Kili as a reward for his valor in the previous night's battle.

He looked at the two eager brothers and summoned a silver, finger-like seal into his hand. It was the Clawmark Seal, a basic catalyst for casting faith-based Incantations.

Tarnes clenched his fist around it. A soft golden light pulsed from between his fingers, spreading outwards in gentle ripples that washed over Fili and Kili. When the last, brilliant wave of light faded, Tarnes opened his hand, the seal resting quietly in his palm.

"I feel… energized," Kili said, surprised. "The exhaustion from last night's battle is completely gone."

Fili nodded in agreement. "My fatigue has vanished as well. Mr. Tarnes, what did you just do?"

Tarnes smiled, holding up the Clawmark Seal. "That was an Incantation. A simple one that restores vitality and can mend minor wounds. It seems, for now, it has simply refilled your stamina."

Kili's eyes, which had lit up with excitement, dimmed once more as the memory of his recent failure resurfaced. "I hope I can actually learn this."

"Kili," Tarnes asked, changing the subject, "do you prefer to fight your enemies up close, or strike them down from afar?"

Kili considered this for a moment. "I enjoy the bow, but… I prefer to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with my kin. Hiding in the back while my brother shields me from harm… it's not my way."

Tarnes was slightly surprised. He had expected the skilled archer to favor ranged combat, but the answer pleased him. Close-to-mid-range Incantations, then. They should be a perfect fit for a dwarf's temperament.

He mentally set aside the draconic incantations he had considered and focused instead on the primal power of beasts. A thick, beast-hide codex appeared in one hand, and a small, gray stone in the other. The stone was marked with three deep, savage-looking claw marks.

As Fili and Kili stared at the book, they could almost hear a faint, ghostly roar echo in their minds.

"This is the Clawmark Seal," Tarnes explained, indicating the stone. "It was a catalyst I used often when I first began my journey. I received it from the Beast Clergyman, Gurranq, in exchange for Deathroot."

He was going to teach them the ways of Beast Incantations. The choice was a deliberate one. The Clawmark Seal was one of the few catalysts whose power scaled not with faith, but with raw, physical strength—something he knew dwarves possessed in abundance. Their own might could compensate for their lack of magical reserves.

Tarnes held the codex out to them. "The most difficult part of learning Incantations is understanding the lore behind them. To use them, you must grasp their story. Normally, Gurranq himself would have taught you, but since he is not here, this book I recorded will have to do."

Kili's eager expression immediately fell, and Fili nudged him discreetly before taking the heavy book.

"I apologize, Mr. Tarnes," Fili said. "My brother… isn't much of a reader."

Tarnes nodded, unsurprised. Thorin had raised Kili to be free-spirited, a stark contrast to Fili's upbringing as an heir to the throne.

"More importantly, can you understand the text?" Tarnes asked. The Creator had granted him a universal understanding of this world's languages, but he wasn't sure if the reverse was true.

Kili frowned and flipped through a few pages. "It's strange," he replied. "I don't recognize the characters, but when I look at them, their meaning simply appears in my mind."

"Excellent," Tarnes said, relieved. The language patch was flawless.

"But," Kili added, his face scrunching in confusion as he pointed to a passage, "while I know what the words say, I don't understand what they mean. 'Beasts symbolize civilization'? Shouldn't they be a symbol of savagery and bloodlust?"

Tarnes understood immediately. Kili could translate the words, but the cultural context was alien to him.

He sat down on the grass, gesturing for the brothers to join him. "Let me explain. Fili, you're welcome to listen as well. Ask any questions you have."

And so, as the sun climbed higher, casting a warm glow over the field, the four of them began their lesson. Tarnes patiently explained the complex history of the Lands Between, with Sellen occasionally interjecting with a precise, academic clarification. Time slipped by, measured only by the shifting shadows.

An hour later, Kili finally closed the book, having fully grasped the first Incantation. "That," he sighed, "is the longest I've ever read in my entire life."

"If you truly immerse yourself in the ocean of knowledge," Sellen remarked coolly, "you will find that a day is as fleeting as morning dew."

Kili shook his head vigorously. "No, thank you. I'm quite certain I would drown."

Tarnes tossed the Clawmark Seal to Kili. "Since you understand, give it a try. Don't worry about failure. If this doesn't work, I have another gift for you."

Kili caught the stone catalyst with an archer's precision. "I hope this works," he said, his voice earnest. "After all the time you and Ms. Sellen have spent, I don't want to disappoint you."

He handed the codex to Fili, stood, and dusted himself off. Tarnes gently guided Sellen and Fili back a few paces, giving the young dwarf space.

Kili took a deep breath, clutching the seal as he recalled the lore he had just learned. He closed his eyes, and with a low growl, he felt his stamina drain into the stone. His body coiled like a predator about to pounce, his arm extending like a sharpened claw.

A creamy white light erupted from his palm, the ethereal outline of a massive beast's claw taking shape within it. He swung his arm upwards, and the light surged forth, tearing through the air and leaving five deep, smoking gouges in the earth.

"Hahaha! I did it!" Kili roared, his eyes flying open in disbelief. "Mr. Tarnes, I really did it!" He dropped to his knees, examining the destruction he had wrought with the wide-eyed wonder of a child.

A round of applause came from behind him. Tarnes was beaming, genuinely happy for him. "Do you feel any discomfort, Kili?"

Kili shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. "No, I feel great! It just used up some stamina, but it's nothing at all!"

Fili rushed forward, pulling his brother into a celebratory hug.

Sellen tilted her head, a rare look of surprise on her face. "Curious. It consumes stamina instead of magic. Why does sorcery not function the same way?"

"Perhaps that is the fundamental difference between them," Tarnes mused. "Sorcery is a science, requiring a specific fuel. Incantations are born from conviction. The power they consume is secondary to the belief that drives them. But that is only a theory."

"Fascinating," Sellen said, a genuine smile touching her lips. "It seems this world will not be as dull as I feared."

"Fili," Tarnes said, turning to the older brother. "Would you like to try?"

Kili eagerly passed the seal to him. "You must, brother! The feeling is incredible!"

Fili took the catalyst, and a moment later, he too unleashed the Beast Claw, carving another set of deep furrows into the battered earth. He stared at the seal in his hand, momentarily speechless.

The two brothers then approached Tarnes and Sellen and bowed deeply. "Words cannot express our gratitude," Fili said, his voice thick with emotion. "We should call you Teacher Tarnes, and Teacher Sellen."

Sellen shook her head decisively. "Unnecessary. I merely told a few stories. Reserve that title for my disciple."

Tarnes smiled. "Later, when we trade with your kin, favorable terms for the Golden Tree would be thanks enough."

"I will speak to Uncle Thorin about it personally," Fili declared, his face set with determination.

As Kili beamed with joy, his expression suddenly shifted to one of confusion. "Mr. Dwalin? Why is he running over here in such a hurry?"

Tarnes turned to see the tattooed warrior sprinting toward them, his face flushed with exertion and excitement.

"Mr. Tarnes!" Dwalin panted as he drew near. "It's… incredible! Truly incredible! The farmers… the crop seeds we planted just yesterday afternoon… they've already sprouted this morning!"

(End of Chapter)

***

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