After a series of massacres as thorough as a scorched-earth campaign, the Fingercreepers in the fort of Caria were nearly wiped out by Aoko. Along the way, she even encountered a beast that bore a striking resemblance to the half-wolf Blaidd. It seemed that the Two Fingers hidden deep beneath the Cathedral of Manus Celes were far from resigned to their fate.
In the land behind the Moonlight Altar, atop one of the three magic towers, in a high chamber, Aoko sat with a smirk, watching the witch Ranni seated on her chair, trying to gauge just how many books she had stacked beneath that blanket.
"...Can you repeat the key parts of this matter for me?" The four-armed doll—Ranni's temporary vessel—rubbed her forehead with one hand, speaking to Aoko in an exasperated tone. "I won't even question how you know about my plans, but this Mother of Fingers..."
"No problem," Aoko smiled, patiently recounting the tale of the Mother of Fingers to the Princess of the Moon, Ranni. "According to Master Ymir's findings, this Mother of Fingers is the origin of all Fingers in the Lands Between, as well as the Primeval Meteor of this world."
"Originally, the directives conveyed by the Mother of Fingers, Metyr, in the Lands Between were legitimate and indeed came from the Greater Will," Aoko paused before continuing, "but one day, Metyr was wounded, and as a result, she could no longer connect with the Greater Will."
"Wait," Ranni interrupted, asking, "Are you saying that all the instructions received by the Two Fingers don't originate from the Greater Will, but from this Mother of Fingers instead?"
"That's right," Aoko nodded. "To be precise, the only entity in the Lands Between that ever could contact the Greater Will was the Mother of Fingers, Metyr."
"And you said that this Mother of Fingers was later wounded..." Ranni muttered, "...which means that from then on..."
"Exactly," Aoko affirmed. "The very source of the twisted fate you've been striving to break free from, the shackles you've sought to shatter, all stem from the Mother of Fingers. And the cause of its corruption... was the Nox."
"...The blade that hunts Fingers," Ranni's expression darkened. She suddenly felt as if all her careful scheming had been nothing more than a clown's dance in the palm of someone else's hand.
"But you don't have to worry too much," Aoko casually sat on a pile of books. "The plan can still proceed, and in fact, it'll be easier than before. We've already killed or banished the Mother of Fingers that was issuing orders. Killing the remaining Two Fingers won't be difficult."
"...What do you want?" Ranni collected herself and questioned the strange female sorcerer before her. "You wouldn't have come all this way just because we met once before, would you?"
Well, I did come just to see you, Aoko thought to herself. After all, you were voted the number-one waifu by Elden Ring players—how could I not visit you now that I'm here in the Lands Between?
Of course, that wasn't something she could say out loud. She had already prepared an excuse.
"I wish to learn your magic, Lady Ranni," Aoko said. "Surely, you know that my sister and I hail from the Outside?"
"I was aware of that since my time by my mother's side," Ranni nodded. "Magic... I can teach you. Is that all?"
"The Dark Moon Greatsword..." Aoko tested the waters, but upon seeing Ranni glaring at her in shock, she quickly changed her tune. "Just kidding, of course. I'm more interested in Caria's spirit-calling rituals and the Inverted Carian Study Hall."
"Interesting... I can teach you the summoning rituals. I've already given them to a certain Tarnished before, so teaching one more person isn't an issue," Ranni considered. "But as for the Inverted Study Hall... what do you need that for?"
"My sister is currently in the Carian Study Hall," Aoko shrugged. "She's very interested in the various secret tomes hidden there, but some of them require your inverted statue to access."
"That is worth more than what you're offering in return," Ranni deliberated. "The ritual tool I gave the Tarnished only contained the inscribed ceremony, but what I'd be teaching you is the raw knowledge of the original ritual. You need to do something for me in exchange."
"You want the Fingerslayer Blade?" Aoko asked straightforwardly. "No problem. I was planning to visit the Eternal City anyway. The Nox's silver tear technology has always intrigued me. And according to Master Ymir, the King created by the Nox is hidden somewhere in Nokron."
"The Nox's weapon against the Golden Order... I see," Ranni mused. "It seems Master Ymir and my mother have told you quite a bit. But that's fine—this will increase our chances of successfully obtaining the Fingerslayer Blade."
"However, before I give you the Inverted Carian Study Hall key, you must answer one question," Ranni stared intently at Aoko. "The real reason you want it—is it to retrieve the remnants of Destined Death?"
"Rather than fragments of Destined Death, my sister and I are more interested in a certain body that you abandoned," Aoko replied. "Now that Goldmask has freed all Fingers from their bindings, haven't you considered reclaiming your former body?"
"You... What kind of nonsense is this!?" Ranni frowned, seemingly a little angry. "That body is something I discarded long ago. A body slain by the Rune of Death cannot be revived."
"Not revived," Aoko corrected with a wave of her finger. "My sister, Touko, can perfectly replicate and create an entirely new body based on genetic information. However, restoring the body of a demigod would be a challenge even for her. We can't guarantee success."
"So? Would you like to give it a try?" Aoko's voice was filled with temptation. "To reclaim your full power, to once again experience the warmth and pleasures of life... It's certainly something worth reminiscing about, isn't it, dear Princess of the Moon?"
"You... You're unbelievable...!" Ranni's voice wavered slightly, but her simple doll body could not blush, so instead, the powerful surge of magic leaking from her form sent pages flying throughout the room. "...My path leads to the dark cosmos. My body is of no importance!"
"Is that so?" Aoko replied indifferently. "Then whether Touko restores your original body or not shouldn't matter to you, right? You wouldn't mind if we did whatever we wanted with that corpse, would you?"
"N-No! Absolutely not!" Ranni clenched all four of her fists.
"Well... In any case, I won't give you the Inverted Carian Study Hall key until you retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade!" Ranni seemed flustered but couldn't afford to reject Aoko's assistance outright, so she simply adjusted the terms of their exchange.
It seemed the princess was getting riled up. Aoko raised both hands in surrender, agreeing to take an advance payment first and finalize the deal after completing the task.
Still, she had little faith in Ranni's cosmic ambitions. Her real goal was to nudge the princess into reclaiming her original body. After all, she was quite curious to see what the young princess of Caria once looked like.