And then she left. He just stood there, not knowing if he should run after her and tell about his feelings, to persuade her that he would prove useful on her journey...to tell her that he realized how grey and meaningless his life was till he met her. He was in that state for the remainder of the day. Some knights of Mirrah who he fought alongside tried to talk him out of this stupid idea. “The girl is stubborn, leave her be. You have your own life to live, don’t waste it on somebody else,” - they said. Only one knight came to him and said that he can help Marten with a map he drew since he used to be a cartographer. The knight's name was Cale and his map is still with Marten till this day.
Marten went after Lucatiel on the next day after their talk. He took the shortest route to the Kingdom of Drangleic: through the deserted land of Jugo. Land of sand, pyromancers and aggressive ants whose corrosive larvae were considered a delicacy amongst locals. Along his journey, Marten met few people and all of them told him only one thing: “A deadly curse spreads from Drangleic. If he seeks death, this is the place to go.” Marten was no coward but the way folks trembled while speaking about this so-called Curse of the Undead made him unease. But he kept on going, through countless sand hills, preserving his water and food supplies. The thought of going through an endless desert may sound boring and pointless but not to Marten. His mind was constantly revolving around Lucatiel, the way she looked before putting that mask on. He refused to think about how pointless his quest to find Lucatiel is. He knew that for once in his life, he was doing something that mattered a great deal for only himself. He was happy to be doing his will and not some king’s petty orders. The map that Cale drew for him led him to a mountain chain that divided the island on which his destination was situated. The mountain chain divided the island into two parts: Drangleic Kingdom and town of Vinheim, famous for its sorcerers and the school of magic situated in it.
After nearly a month of constant travelling, Marten reached the outskirts of Drangleic Kingdom, once great but now ruined. Marten knew the location of Drangleic Castle, the place where he will most likely find Lucatiel. The problem was that if he wanted to go straight to the castle, he would have to climb an entire mountain chain to get across to the other side. Although, judging by the map Cale drew for him, he could bypass the mountain from the Western Side. Cale’s map had a clear path to the Drangleic Castle: Marten would have to go through Iron Keep, Earthen Peak and the place called Harvest Valley in order to reach the castle without climbing the mountains. And so he decided. Marten had a constant feeling that he is missing out on something very important. The locals from Judo were talking about things that he never heard of. They were afraid of something that Marten did not manage to understand. They called it the Curse of the Undead. The journey through the mountain passages were perilous, stones crumbled under his feet. Marten thought that time lost track as he saw the same stones every day waking up and going to sleep. But one day the passage started to go down and soon Marten saw a gargantuan fortress made out of black iron and stones. It appeared to be half flooded in lava. He was about to start looking for alternative passages but then he saw a figure in the distance. It appeared that somebody was slowly going towards the gates of the fortress or The Iron Keep as it was called on Cale’s map. Marten decided to try his luck with that person and ask for further directions. He quickly went down his path and onto the broad road to the Keep. He didn’t run for too long - the person was clearly in no rush. Upon getting closer and closer to the person, Marten started to make out the peculiar clothing the figure was wearing: a small blue hat with a hood, a chest piece with many pockets and satchels on it with a shoulder pad in the form of an eagle and dark brown leather boots and gloves. Marten called out and the person turned to face him. It appears that Marten was after a man with a monocle and a small beard.
Oh! Another explorer! How joyful! - he exclaimed.Wait, what? - Marten was taken aback by the stranger’s friendliness.Oh come on! Aren’t you here to pillage the half-sunken fortress of the Iron King? I mean, what one can seek here if not mighty souls? I was actually hoping if you could help me find my way...did you say souls? But of course I said souls! The source of power among the Undead, the light in the dark, the only currency that still matters in these wretched times! When your memory starts to fail, when you cannot answer a simple question about who you are, the only thing that matters and that’s left to lose is your soul. You must be an outsider? Pardon me if I don’t mind my own business…No, it’s alright. My name is Marten and I come from a distant kingdom of Lothric. Oh right! Where are my manners?! My name is Magerold of Lanafir. I am a travelling merchant who came here in search of dragons and souls, as you already heard. But...Lothric? Never heard of such a kingdom, it must be very far away. Yes, it is situated across the sea, North-East from here and behind a mountain no less than this one here. It is beautiful there, although I haven’t been home in many years. I have heard this name quite some times now and maybe you know what Curse of the Undead entails? It must be some sort of a local metaphor for a plague or poorness. Marten, right? - Magerold’s smile slightly faded, as if they changed the subject to something grave. - Curse of the Undead is the curse of Drangleic and all the surrounding lands. Drangleic’s Kingdom is situated on a huge island, right? Well... this island is cursed. What I told you about sacrificing your soul, it was not a metaphor. The world has gone crazy. People kill people, one feasts upon another’s life energy or turns into a Hollow. A mindless monstrosity that craves only one thing: souls...and to get them, you need to take somebody else’s life. This Curse...can it spread farther than this land and is there any way to cure it? There is no way. You become Cursed Undead and you either kill others to survive or you become Hollow and still kill others but mindlessly. Life is cruel, isn’t it? Regarding the spread: I have heard that the Curse spreaded far beyond this island to the North, where Mirrah is. But hey, you will be fine here. Judging by your equipment, you can stand up for yourself, although I don’t recognize your black armor.And who might you be? Probably another Undead seeking mighty souls to feast upon? No need to answer, I didn't want to meddle in your business.My name is Merten. I travelled from a distant land of Mirrah. I was once a Black Hand but I no longer deserve such a title.I am looking for a woman. A special woman. Her name is...wait a second. What was her name? My memory fails me since recently, I beg your pardon. Lucatiel...right. How could I have forgotten it? Doesn’t matter, what matters is if you saw her. She wears a bearded man's mask and wields a greatsword. You have seen her? Where? Oh please tell me, stranger, she might be in peril. Aldia’s Keep? Is that so? Hmm, I have seen such a name on the map. And it shouldn’t be far too far away from here. Oh what a joy it is to know that nothing was in vain! Thank you, outlander! You cannot imagine how important she is for me! You have my gratitude. Here, take this as a gift for your help, - he gave an outlander his