If you've been on any corner of the Elden Ring Internet lately, you've almost certainly been exposed to a sound clip of a man shouting the words "Curse you, Bayle."

I've seen it so many times that I feel like I've experienced the highs and lows of that fight a thousand times, even though I have yet to fight Bayle the Dread. But if you have never encountered that battle or the NPC called Aegon who actually uttered those words, all you need to know is that he is obsessed with killing the fearsome dragon, Bayle the Dread, in "The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Eldestree"! All you need to know is that he is an angry Drake warrior.

Spoilers for IGON's quest line follow.

In an interview with IGN, this well-known voice actor, Richard Charles Linteln, discussed his first video game voice acting role and his experience working with From Software.

"I had never been involved in, used, or attempted to be used for voice work in the video game world, nor had I ever considered the possibility of being used for voice work myself. Opening that door was a real surprise to me." I was amazed at how global and huge the game is. I had somehow imagined that the world of television and film and theater were the biggest box office draws or the most important or something like that. My eyes were opened, not by Elden Ring's work, but by the response to it and its reach."

From Software is no stranger to iconic voice actors pouring their art and soul into roles large and small. One of my favorite characters so far in The Elden Ring is Albus, an Albinurian from Wales, whom I stumbled upon in "Liurnia of the Lake." I spoke with him for only a few minutes as he showed me the way to the other half of the medallion that I could use to get to the Halig Tree, and I felt like voice actor Martin Ellis had given me the performance of a lifetime before his character kicked the bucket in front of my eyes. But to be honest, Igon's Linteln voice actor has a whole different level of passion.

"For the character I played in The Elden Ring, it was zero to five thousand," says Linteln. 'He was far, far away. He was either dead, dying, or recovering. I stood there with my hands outstretched. I don't think I even knew Bale was a dragon. I might have thought he was human. But I gave it everything I could: my voice, my emotions, the stretch in my neck, the tear in my vocal cords, everything."

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The aftermath of the five hours Linteln spent working with From Software was quite visceral, and the voice actor reflected on how much the role took out of him: "I remember thinking as I was leaving: I remember thinking as I was leaving: A, I'm exhausted. A, I'm exhausted. My voice is a wreck, I'm physically and mentally exhausted, and B, it was a great experience."

I 100% believe that the experience of recording these lines was grueling, but fortunately it paid off because Lintan had such an impressive impact on the community. Aside from the countless edited versions of Lintan's monologue circulating on social media, many players have expressed their overall love for the character of Igon.

"Aegon is the best NPC in the game," one player said on Reddit. 'He's mortally wounded but continues to build weapons to fight Beyle again, crawling his way to the jagged summit. Knowing he would not reach the summit alive, he cut off his own finger. The guy is a legend."

Truth be told, I would have had a few more adventures with him if there had been a way to turn him into Spirit Ash after defeating Beyle. But with Beyle gone, his journey truly came to an end.

"I remember one time it got pretty ridiculous," Linteln continues. 'About an hour or two in, there was a line that went, 'I'm going to win you over. I will triumph over you. And the next line on the paper was, 'So you beat me. I think there's a mistake in the script. And there was an awkward pause on the other side of the screen. Eventually someone came back to me and said. You can defeat the beast, or the beast can defeat you. You need both options.' I never thought of that.'

But despite some confusion, Lintan seemed to enjoy working with From Software. For a few days afterward, he remembers thinking, "It was an intense experience."

"It was very mysterious. Mr. Miyazaki was a very mysterious character, but I enjoyed him very much. I felt creative and engaged. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I enjoyed doing it. That's what it's all about."

As a fan and someone who has been listening to his wonderful monologue for a week or so, I am glad to hear that the experience was a positive one, despite the cost.

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