No shame in it.

[blessedwithlove]

Its omnipresence was still daunting.

Even as its grip slackened, the Greater Will still dominated the land. The golden light of the Erdtree illuminated Limgrave day and night. Turn your back to it, and you would see its children, mere seedlings that towered over all but their progenitor. Cast your eyes down, and you would see a Tree Sentinel patrolling astride his horse. Twice the size of a lowborn knight, clad all in gilt finery.

There was scarcely a tree in the Lands Between without a golden cast to its leaves. Blessed with Grace-given life, said the Golden Order. Autumnal, said others. The end of a millennial season.

It was little wonder that the Tarnished were still captivated. Without a more intimate knowledge of the Lands Between, they saw only the Erdtree's radiance, not the bare and dying branches. They flocked toward it like moths.

What fools they were. Intelligent, some of them, but fools all the same. Generations of hatred and scorn upheld by the Two Fingers, and now they answered the call to service? How could one be so delusional as to think the Golden Order would truly welcome them home with love?

No. They were being used, and he felt no shame in doing the same. Those who stayed loyal were fitting sacrifice, providing the materials he needed to guide the doubting toward truth.

And then there were the particularly hapless. That last girl and her companions, good heavens. He'd almost wanted to follow them, just to spectate. But he had his calling to attend to. Tarnished sailing from the west found the beaches of Limgrave the only place to row ashore, and they all passed by the statue-topped monument of the Fringefolk Hero's Grave. He had his pick of them all here, and sent them off toward the brooding walls of Stormveil Castle. Lords, vassals, rich and wretched alike. They came to take the measure of the hills beyond, and to rest at its Site of Grace.

The pallid little thing swirled and danced, leaving uncomfortably moving afterimages on the eyes if one stared too long. But it was warm enough at night to almost render a fire superfluous, and it warded off the beasts that stalked and soared over the lowlands to the south. Even the Tree Guardian kept a respectful distance, the brainlessly devout pillock.

After years of bloody toil in war, sleeping in the dirt beside a symbol of everything he rejected wasn't that much of a hardship. Though on nights when rain blew up from the Weeping Lands or the sea air took on a particular chill, he was forced to retreat into the entrance to the grave itself. There were the occasional noises deep below, the senile mutterings of deathless nobility trapped in the subterranean graveyard. None of them had yet figured out how to operate the lift, and he doubted any of them would.

He couldn't decide if they were the unlucky ones, or if that honor went to the desiccated starveling pinned to a martyr's bough outside on the hill. It barely ever lifted its head, and fortunately, it hadn't voiced an opinion about anything in days. He was no longer a merciful and compassionate war surgeon, but if that thing interrupted his speech to a Tarnished again, he'd find that old mercy within himself and tear it to pieces. Perhaps he'd do it anyway, save him the trouble later.

Ah, no. That would have to wait. He could hear something coming.

Comments

[orokid]

Part of her was skeptical but who was she to argue it? He laughed and brushed it off so easily, but she would have done the same. Probably.

Still, her muscles relaxed finally and she let her shoulders drop, hands moving to her sides. She couldn't blame him and she wanted to trust in him. After all, she could relate only too well. And wasn't that a strange thought to have?

"I'm glad you're okay, at least. Can't say I don't get it." After a moment, she turned to toss a few more sticks into their fire. "Still tired?"

[blessedwithlove]

Tired? Of course. But... still, he felt refreshed, in a way. He looks up to the moon, searching for constellations he recognizes. Oh. Well. That wasn't much, but it would do. After a dream like that, sleep was usually impossible. "I suspect neither of us will find much more rest tonight. Dawn's not far off, besides."

He hands her back the bag she lent him. "You say you understand such things. Might I ask why?"

[orokid]

There was a soft hum at his question, considering for a moment what she could say. After so long, there was a lot the Tenno had all endured. Especially after they'd properly become Tenno.

"There's a lot. The accident that turned us into Tenno or some of the things we did in service to our own Golden Lords, war." A short pause. "We did a lot of things we weren't proud of." There was definitely distaste in her voice at the mention of the Orokin.

She couldn't forget some of her own misdeeds, even after a thousand of so years of cryosleep. They were all well trained, but her knife skills were honed especially for her own tasks. And there had been many.

[blessedwithlove]

Ah. She'd heard him differently, then. But before his Lord had found him, he'd felt much like her. "I found a cause to love. I pray that you'll find the same."

The love he felt now, looking back on that moment that had terrified him so...

[orokid]

"A cause to love. That would be nice." She considered it for a moment. There was no stigma with the Void here, no general hatred for her kind. And nobody that could really be used against her to keep her in line.

"I could do with having some kind of purpose." She stood again to stretch, testing now much more easily her legs held her after a day of moving around, sneaking and fighting what she could. "I was an assassin in the old days. Now I try to protect people."

[blessedwithlove]

A cause, and a Lord. "I would be nothing without it." Worn away to a husk, like the armies they'd bled for charity's sake alone.

"Do be careful of your wounds, dear one," he chides gently. Her next remark, however... "An assassin?" Oh, how wonderful! He hides some of his opinion from his tone, but not all. She seems to expect judgement for her work, but she'll find none from him.

[orokid]

Nothing, huh? She couldn't hide her own curiosity at what cause he was dedicated to. He'd been such a help already and he he had been better to her than she was used to anyone being.

The reminder of her wounds made her stop for a moment before settling again by the fire. Something told her not to mention that she may have strained them a bit while she was sleeping.

"Mm. Always tried to be quick." Someone of them just said the wrong thing to the wrong person and suddenly, a Tenno was clearing a house in the night. And she was good at that. "S'why I picked a knife of of those catacombs."

[blessedwithlove]

There's a little sigh, almost a laugh. Quick with a blade, was she? "As the best bloodletting should be."

He remembers himself. "Oh, forgive me. You wouldn't know, I suppose." She had seen conflict, but not the Shattering. He gestures to his mask. "My order was pressed into service in the war, ordered to uphold our oath, and dispense mercy. A quick death, in the midst of the carnage." It had been horror upon horror, but it had prepared them all for greater service.

[orokid]

Her eyes went wide for a moment, and then her gaze softened, a little look of admiration flooding her features. Like her, she was sure not many people would ever expect something like that from the man before her.

"Are there many of your order left?" If she heard them, was around them, she was sure she'd be able to tell Varré apart from them. Not that she'd want to have to try. And she had to wonder if they'd be half as kind to her as he had been.

"If you're up to it, I'd love to hear more."

[blessedwithlove]

Oh, she understood. He could barely contain his pride. It didn't matter that he'd known her so briefly, she was such a perfect child. "Only a few. We left the war together."

He clasps his hands in his lap, fidgeting as he often did. "Our compassion was not restrained to those we served. We stopped the hearts of all that suffered, ally and enemy alike." He could understand the why his colleagues now extended that mercy to all. The war was so all-consuming, there were none now without wounds. Why not bleed those that malingered, especially when their sacrifice would nurture the Divinity?

He'd once sworn that he'd bleed the Lands dry if called upon to do so. But that was not his role to play. "You would appreciate the daggers we wielded, I'm sure of it." Perhaps he should return to the Mausoleum again. Ayatan certainly deserved a better weapon than some rust-bitten blade.

[orokid]

The more he said, the more she could admire him and his order. There were a few Tenno who had done that in the old war but she wasn't one of them. Not back then but she wished she had.

"I wouldn't mind seeing some of them." Maybe she should sketch out the blades she was used to. Once they were somewhere more secure and comfortable. And she could try training her body back up without worrying about her wounds opening back up.

"Do you still use them? Or are you mostly looking after people like me who get themselves into trouble?"

[blessedwithlove]

"Perhaps at some other time. I'm afraid mine's been set aside," He pulls the small knife from his belt, the point kept turned away from Ayatan with a practiced grace. "For the simple tasks, this is enough." But this settled it. She should have a miséricorde of her own.

"For the greater work, I was gifted something more precious, to act in its stead."

He was almost giddy now, the mania held in check only by a tenuous grasp on responsibility. "You should see it. But I would hate to draw it without need. What beauty this world holds should be treated with respect."

[orokid]

"May I?" She didn't reach out to take the knife but she did raise her hand with some eagerness. Just looking at it she could tell it was fine craftsmanship and well cared for. Nothing like the blades granted the Tenno assassins but no less deadly or beautiful in its design.

It absolutely made her wonder more about what other weapons he wielded. As much as she didn't want unnecessary bloodshed, she did want to see.

"Someday then. I'd want to protect the lingering beauty too." No, wait- "I do want to."

[blessedwithlove]

He holds out the knife invitingly. "Oh, go on." He'd normally never hand it to another, but... well, of course this was different!

"I have no doubt you'll see it. We'll be traveling much further, after all." That was so obvious, it barely needed saying.

[orokid]

That was all she needed before taking the knife in hand, testing the weight of it and trying a few simple knife tricks with it, flipping it into a reverse grip once or twice.

Already it felt better than the one she'd found and she could see why he used this so simple tasks. And then, careful not to cut herself, she touched the blade to feel how sharp it was before offering it back.

"I don't think you need to hear it from me but it's definitely a good blade. I would have kept it on me in the old war." Ayatan couldn't help the little look of longing the weapon got.

[blessedwithlove]

Oh, that look. He mustn't be indulgent, not to that extent! No matter what good use she might make of the blade.

He glanced up to the sky again. The eternal golden light on the clouds was just beginning to take on a reddish tinge. "Dawn breaks. We should make for the nearest safe Grace and heal you, dear one. And while I cannot yet give you a blade, I have a gift waiting there for you."

[orokid]

A gift.

Some part of her, a part she'd left on the Zariman, wanted to hug him. It was easy to resist it, even now, but she was obviously touched.

"This one will do, I don't mind it. It just takes a bit more thought to use it well, with the shape its in." Poor thing, left to rust away until now. She couldn't imagine letting her weapons fall into such disrepair.

"And I have my amp."

[blessedwithlove]

Pleasant thoughts for the future were all well and good, but that reply him back down to practical matters. "Oh, I should have offered you a whetstone. My thoughts have been so scattered."

He retrieves his from his belt, holding it out. "Perhaps we'll find you something better soon. In the meanwhile, please, take it." If it needed sharpening, well, he could contain his excitement for a little while longer.

[orokid]

Luckily for both of them, she was good with sharpening her blades properly and quickly. If he were alive, Teshin would have lectured her for letting this one go even for a little while. It might not end up as good as new but it was better.

“That ought to be good for now. Thanks.” She offered the whetstone back with a faint smile. Later on she could invest in one of her own. And better gear, now that her suit was torn up from the Night’s Cavalry.

That would definitely benefit from Varré’s input, since she could do with a lighter armor.

[blessedwithlove]

While Ayatan worked, he did what little he needed to prepare. Re-tie his wrap, and excuse himself for a moment to eat a portion of dried meat while he fixed his hair. It was starting to come undone under all the layers, and he would not have it falling in his eyes today. It was overdue to be combed out as well, but that could wait. He simply ran his fingers through his hair to tame the worst of it, then put everything back in its place.

He returned just as she was finishing up. "Good. These hills are often quiet, but we may yet have need of it before we reach the Grace. Be on the lookout for hunting parties--Godrick's men have a few dogs with them still." There were wild animals here, and the soldiers closer to the wall were poorly supplied. They'd take whatever they could kill.

"We may be able to take advantage of them and save the trouble of hunting ourselves. In the meantime, dried meat will have to suffice." He held out a portion to her. He'd traded for it some days ago, bland, cheap, and on its way to the dusty grave. He'd been providing only for himself, and he needed little.

[orokid]

Dried meat? It beat what she was used to eating and the occasional meal she'd grab on Cetus. It was an acquired taste, Ostron cuisine, but she hadn't managed to acquire it herself.

"Beats nutrition cubes." She wasn't going to be ungrateful, accepting it and chewing on a bit of it for a minute while she slipped the knife into her belt and adjusted her amp before throwing her pack over her shoulder.

"I can catch the dogs off-guard, so they won't alert the soldiers." It did give her the thought of investing in a bow later though. Slipping into the void probably wouldn't always be the best choice and it could start to wear on her after awhile. "I'll get a bow next time I see a merchant."

[blessedwithlove]

He glanced up from dousing their campfire. Nutrition cubes? What had this poor thing been eating? "I suppose it must do." The name sounded revolting enough.

Their minimal little camp broken, he turned to the southwest and set off, taking a different path than he'd followed to find Ayatan, just to be safe. "They'll bring their crossbows with them for the hunt. Perhaps we can find one in good repair."

[orokid]

Protein cubes hadn't been... terrible. Although, compared to real food now, she'd definitely take this over anything she had on her Orbiter or back on the Zariman.

"Keeps you going." She might have had a bit more muscle on her if she'd ever really eaten anything different but her family hadn't really been very high in Orokin society. Or they wouldn't have ended up going to Tau.

It was easier now to move around, jog, and generally keep up with Varré after a day and some stretching. Ayatan had genuinely forgotten how good it felt to spend time outside of a Warframe.

There was a quiet nod and she considered the easiest way to ensure they found one in good shape. Between them both, it shouldn't be impossible, she figured.

"Thank you, again. For looking after me and helping me."

[blessedwithlove]

He brought a have to his chest at the words of gratitude. "Oh, I do appreciate it, but how could I not? Dear thing, I couldn't imagine it." She was going to be one of them. There really was no other way this could end.

It wasn't long before he heard something, saw a hint of movement up ahead, and dropped into a crouch.

It took a moment to find it again behind the bracken and underbrush. A deer. It saw their movement as well, and froze.

A mistake on its part. A crossbow bolt hit the creature so hard, the point pierces through to the other side. It fell to the ground, not dead, but that might not last. There were more noises now, rough voices calling from out of sight.

He glanced over to Ayatan, silently gesturing his intent--circle around, remaining in cover. She might be able to turn herself invisible, but he was not so blessed. He needed to get in closer, moving with practiced stealth.

Not that it would change the outcome of this, either, it would simply be more tidy. Godrick's fools didn't stand a chance.

[orokid]

She would be, even if she had no idea yet. What Varré had told her and shown her, it was hard to deny the appeal. And this world did need help.

There was a moment where she just stared in awe at how the crossbow bolt tore through the deer. She'd been trained in older weapons and more modern for the sake of war and duty, but she'd never thought to see one as effective as Zhuge or Attica here.

At the gesture, she gave a silent nod and crouched as well. After a few moments, she slipped into the Void, feeling a dull resistance run through her as if to remind her to actually rest.

One soldier was near enough that she was able to void dash over to him and onto his shoulders, clamping a hand over his mouth as she slid out of the void to slit his throat.