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Chapter Text

She had entered Murkwater Cave and slipped passed the highwaymen with ease and made a beeline for the tuneel had her goal.

Her goal was fashion, but it was a start. As soon as she woke up prisoner garb, she had wanted nothing more than to find something else to wear. And so, the newly risen tarnished walked further into the cave and reached the makeshift campsite nestled within.

Her first instinct would be to open the chest that lay out in the open, but instead she stood up from her crouched sneak and walked into the very middle of the cavern.

Her right hand moved to the hilt of the Estoc at her waist, her staff in her other hand at the ready.

“Patches!” She hollered.

There was a muffled curse and the man in question peered down at her from his hiding spot. In another moment he had jumped down and she lazily waved at him.

Patches the Untethered blinked. He recognised her.

“You? Here?” he exclaimed. “You’re not even supposed to be here!”

“G’day,” she chirped back with a grin. “Do you have a spare set of your armour?”

“And what do you want with my armour?” he asked back.

Wordlessly, she gestured at the atrocious attire she was currently wearing.

“Hm….yeah, a fair point,” he admitted. “But it’ll cost you.”

“Look,” the tarnished woman replied and drew her rapier to lazily point the blade’s tip at him. “I need armour, I’m not skilled enough to go romping over to Gelmir for the bloodhound’s set, nor do I know any other tarnished with a spare…”

“If you have a spare set, give,” she stated plainly. “Consider it a favour. I’ll owe you one…”

“You think you can threaten me with that toothpick?” Patches scoffed at her drawn weapon, but he looked intrigued at her suggestion. “A favour, eh? No strings attached?”

“I’m not killing anyone for you.” she said flatly.

“I’d be surprised if you can even use that thing,” Patches retorted. “But, fine by me…One set of leather armour is all yours…What name are you going by? I doubt your silly little alias will work here.”

“I don’t know yet to be honest,” she replied as the shady merchant went to fetch her armour. “My actual name wouldn’t really apply here either come to think of it, and besides you no one I’ve met so far has so much as asked for my name…”

“I’ll think of something eventually.” She said.

Finally dressed in some decent attire, her orange hair done up in a ponytail that was long enough to reach partway down her back, the tarnished continued on.

“Hello?” She called out as she crouched down to peer into the evergaol. “If you can hear me, make a noise or something.”

There was silence for a brief moment, and then, almost hesitantly, a clatter of a sword on stone could be heard from within the gaol.

“You’re a bloodhound right? Would…would you be interested in being my bodyguard?” she asked. “Bang once for yes, twice for no.”

It was a longshot, she knew, but perhaps this knight still had his wits, could perhaps be reasoned with.

She was met with silence.

“Darriwil, right?” she continued. “I ran into someone who’s tracking you down, and…I dunno, I guess it doesn’t seem right to just kill you…”

A lot of things never seemed right, but she was going to change that.

At least, she hoped so.

“I’m gonna let you out…I suppose what happens next is up to you.”

She reached out a hand towards the sela and deactivated it. The purple glow of the gaol’s entrance faded, and she stepped back as the knight emerged.

A gentle breeze passed them both as the knight remained crouched upon the ground, sword in hand, and claws attached to one the many belts wrapped around his waist.

“Hello,” she greeted awkwardly. “I’m…I’m still figuring the whole name thing out…but thanks for not killing me right away!”

Darriwil looked her up and down as he observed her. She didn’t think she was anything impressive to be honest. Short, a little on the stout side, long in the face and entirely blind in her left eye.

Unassuming and unappealing.

Darriwil moved, not in a swift dart to attack, but careful, deliberate movements as he padded towards her. He shifted his gangly limbs to kneel before her and bowed his head.

It felt like something snapped into place. She couldn’t quite explain it, but she knew then, that she had his unwavering loyalty.

“Good…that’s good…” she said as he looked up at her. “…I didn’t think that was going to work to be honest…”

It was then she heard something bounding up behind her.

“There you are!”

She spun to face the half-wolf barrelling towards them and put herself between him and her new friend.

“Blaidd wait!”

Blaidd halted and looked unimpressed. “That’s him, Darriwil! I told you he’s a traitor!”

“He’s chosen to serve me now,” she explained hurriedly. “Eternal imprisonment is a hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be given the chance to reform.”

“And what do you plan to do when he turns on you, eh?” Blaidd shot back.

“Die, probably,” she replied honestly. “I still see the Guidance of Grace, it’ll work out.”

“Are all you tarnished this blasé, or is it just you?” Blaidd quipped and sighed as he returned his sword to his holster. “…You have a point, rotting in that cell is not a fate worthy of a man of his skill…but you best be careful. You wouldn’t want to end up on the business end of a Hound's weapons.”

“What happened with whoever he served last?” She asked.

Blaidd scratched the back of his head. “It’s complicated...”

“Fair enough,” she replied. “I have some spare boar meat, fresh too… do you want some? Consider an apology for all this.”

“Sure, if you’re offering.”

Chapter Text

“You are an anomaly…”

Those were the first words the tarnished woman heard upon resting at the Gatefront Ruins site of grace. She was surprised Melina even showed herself at all.

Torrent had never appeared after the tarnished had thrown herself off the nearest cliff near the grafted scion at the Chapel of Anticipation.

She made a noise in agreement towards the kindling maiden. “I understand if you don’t like me or judge me for my past actions.”

“And yet were it not for you, I would have no knowledge of your past actions,” Melina replied calmly. “It seems to me…that you bestowed such knowledge upon me so that I would judge you.”

“It was only once, just once, but since I am here with few limits on what I can do, I thought you should have the right to know the full extent of what I have done in various other worlds,” The woman explained. “You and Torrent, of course.”

“I see…” Melina replied. “Tell me, Guide from Beyond the Veil, what is your purpose here?”

“Not much,” she admitted. “Mostly selfish I’ll admit, but I wanted more choice, more freedom here, to change things for the better and not just kill the demigods and seek the throne.”

“May I ask why you sought out the Frenzied Flame?”

“Because I could, because I had this checklist of sorts, collect the legendary armaments, the legendary spells, become Elden Lord, burn the world,” She admitted. “But it wasn’t, it’s not…as real for me before, people like me are limited in our actions when we seek out these worlds. It’s a lot like reading a book, the story doesn’t change no matter how many times you read it, but you wish it would end differently…”

Melina pondered her words, the seconds stretched on.

“Would you still seek the throne, if I asked it of you?” Melina asked her.

“...I—” The tarnished woman sighed and fiddled with a loose strand of hair that fell over her blind eye. “I’ll be honest, I’d prefer to collect Great Runes and pass them on to Morgott if I can…That was the only plan I had beyond preventing some deaths.”

Melina’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Ah, you seek to be his consort, instead of Queen Marika’s.”

“Well—I did say I wanted more choice,” she said, somewhat embarrassed. “And—I dunno…”

She couldn’t exactly put it into words.

“You seek his happiness,” Melina concluded. “You want his companionship, as friend or as his consort matters not.”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“And what of The Elden Ring?” Melina pointed out. “As long as it is shattered, there will never be peace, not in the way you wish.”

“I know, I already know which Great Runes I need to get,” the tarnished said. “Rykard, Godrick, and Radahn are beyond reason, so I will kill them and take their runes, and present them to King Morgott.”

“And what of his projection, Margit?” Melina reminded her.

“If I can’t talk him down, I’ll have to defeat him, and hope things work out,” the tarnished explained. “I mean, Godrick has let Limgrave fall to ruin, not to mention the whole grafting business…he’s not fit to remain in power.”

“That is true, Godrick is not fit to rule,” Melina agreed. “Before I make my decision on whether to act as your maiden, tell me Guide, what if Morgott wants nothing to do with you? What if his fate is one you cannot change?”

“I wouldn’t fight him,” the tarnished replied firmly. “But I wouldn’t let him die either, I’d defend him, even if it cost my grace.”

Melina nodded solemnly. The kindling maiden turned her gaze to the side.

“Well, Torrent? What do make of the Guide Tarnished?”

Said tarnished stared in awe as Torrent materialised out the ether to stand beside Melina.

The horse nickered and the tarnished found herself reaching out a hand to pet him, and to her surprise the spirit steed took those few steps forward to meet her partway and allow her to pet the side of his neck.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” the tarnished said with a smile.

Torrent nickered. His large eyes seemed to stare into her soul.

“Torrent has chosen you,” Melina stated. “I will aid you by turning runes into strength…and in return you will repair The Elden Ring, how you achieve it is up to you…”

Melina stared her down. “But I will be watching you closely, Guide from Beyond the Veil, should you seek the Three Fingers, then I will leave and take Torrent, and the power to turn strength into runes, with me.”

“That is perfectly fine,” the tarnished replied, but a question popped into her head. “Are we still burning The Erdtree?”

Melina looked taken aback. “There is no way to pass the thorns without Destined Death, you know this.”

“Maybe we can talk sense into Maliketh?” the tarnished suggested.

Melina gave her a sad smile. “I appreciate such kindness, even if it is to atone for your prior actions, but I stand by my prior insistence, I am more than prepared to act as kindling. It is my purpose.”

“It doesn’t have to be though, does it?”

“So long as you do not seek the Frenzied Flame, I will not stop you from trying to find another way to part the thorns,” Melina said. “But rest assured that I am content with my purpose as kindling maiden.”