Communion

Summary

Blaidd is curious as to why the Tarnished's eyes have turned yellow. “Did- did you find the ritual distasteful, my friend?”

Chapter 1

It had been a long drawn out fight. By The Tarnished’s request Blaidd hadn’t interfered, but simply watched as he nimbly weaved in between the dragon’s legs on Torrent. By the time the beast finally fell, day had turned into dusk. Now, in the fading light The Tarnished began to butcher the beast, carefully removing its heart. Blood coated his arms up to the elbow as he worked, gently severing the sinew holding the organ in place. Blaidd’s sensitive noise was overwhelmed with the scent of iron. He covered his face with his cloak to try and block out the smell, but he still hovered over his comrade watching him work. The Tarnished chuckled.

“Almost finished, my friend. It will be gone soon enough.” He cut the major veins and arteries finally prizing the heart free. The carcass shuddered and then slowly turned to dust. Blaidd allowed his cloak to fall from his snout.

“Now what do you do with that?” The half-wolf watched as the Tarnished tucked the heart away along with his gathered herbs and smithing stones.

“We take it to Caelid”

Blaidd hadn’t been back to Caelid since the Radahn festival. The place gave him the creeps. Seeing what the rot had done to the place was always unsettling. Especially the wolves, how their heads were enlarged and their limbs shrunken by prolonged exposure. He was glad sometimes that Ranni gave up her rune, if only because they never had to face her half sister in battle. He kept his gaze solely on the back of The tarnished’s head as they walked towards the ruined cathedral. His sister’s champion held up a hand.

“Hold on a moment.” He lowered himself to a crouch and stalked towards the ruin. Blaidd watched as he slowly followed a knight patrolling the cathedral. The Tarnished came within a hair’s breadth then cleanly dispatched him with a stab to the back. The Tarnished stood and quickly wiped the blood off his helmet. “Should be all safe now.” He said blithely. Blaidd gently wiped a droplet from the hollow eye of his imp’s head helm.

“You know I don’t need protecting, mate. I’m not exactly an unseasoned combatant.”

“I know, my friend.” The Tarnished knelt down to wipe his blade on the dry, red, grass. “But just because you don’t need protection, doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy offering it to you.” The Tarnished re-sheathed his sword and Blaidd thanked the two fingers for giving him fur thick enough to hide his blush. The Tarnished beckoned and he and Blaidd entered the ruined cathedral. Yet another dead dragon sat at the center of the ruined building, though this one smelled unsettlingly like nothing. It seemed to have been there since before the walls of this church fell down, but yet was untouched by decay. A small altar lay by its unmoving head. On it sat a basin of what looked like blood but once again it smelled unnerving like nothing. The Tarnished removed his helmet. His slit-pupiled, yellow eyes glowed slightly in the dark. This had been the impetus for their journey. Blaidd had taken notice, after reuniting in Nokstella, that the Tarnished’s eyes were no longer grey. When he asked the Tarnished why that was, his companion had insisted on a demonstration. The Tarnished took out the heart and knelt at the altar. He muttered a prayer and the basin of blood began to roil and glow. The Tarnished lifted the heart toward the basin. Just as Blaidd thought he would cast it into the blood The Tarnished bit into the raw organ. Blaidd stepped back in shock. The Tarnished didn’t seem to notice as he tore into the flesh. He quickly consumed the heart, not even seeming to breathe between bites. Then it was over. The blood dimmed and settled back into a stagnant pool. The Tarnished slumped over. Blaidd cautiously approached. The Tarnished’s mouth was covered in blood from the heart and his yellow eyes were half lidded from exhaustion.

“Did- did you find the ritual distasteful, my friend?” the Tarnished smiled sheepishly. He looked at Blaidd as if he was begging him not to run. The half-wolf knelt down beside The Tarnished, still towering over him despite being on his knees. He rummaged around in his own supplies until he managed to find some spare soap. Blaidd placed it in the Tarnished’s hand. He sleepily looked down at it. The gears turned for a moment in his head and then he began to wash the drying viscera off his face.

“I can’t imagine that tasted very good.”

“No it didn’t,” the Tarnished laughed. He looked calmer now, more like himself now that he was no longer afraid Blaidd would leave him. Blaidd slipped his hand into the Tarnished’s. 

“It was unexpected, but it would take more than that to make me turn tail, friend.” He paused for a moment to brush a hair out of his comrade’s face. “Is there anything I can do?” The Tarnished shakily pointed towards the site of grace at the door of the church.

“Just drag me over there, so I can rest.” The Tarnished was beginning to nod off. Blaidd picked him up and brought him over to the grace. His armor made him heavier than a human could carry, but not beyond Blaidd’s limits. He was so vulnerable like this. Blaidd had, just this morning, seen this man kill a dragon and now he was asleep in his arms. It struck him all of a sudden how much the Tarnished must trust him to let him see him in this state. He wondered how many times he’d done this alone out in the wilds, with only the deformed dogs and crows as company. Blaidd knew the Tarnished didn’t need protecting, but he sat awake as his friend slept, just in case. 

Blaidd eventually fell asleep as well, gently slumping over the sleeping Tarnished. He was roused by his companion struggling to extricate himself from Blaidd’s larger form. 

“Oh good you’re awake!” Blaidd could swear his comrade’s eyes glowed brighter yellow than they did yesterday. “Now we get to see the results! That is, if you’ll come to Limgrave with me?”

“You dragged me all the way out to Caelid and now you insist on hauling me into Limgrave?” The Tarnished looked up at him with that same confident smile as always. The one that seemed to say of course you will, I know you will. “Well I suppose it is on my way back to the manor.”

an encampment of Godrick’s soldiers. A dying breed now that their lord was dead. It seemed the Tarnished was endeavoring to make them extinct. He strode into the camp not flinching when a soldier blew the alarm. The men descended on him in a rockslide of blades and hammers. He didn’t panic, instead he calmly lifted the formless golden seal he carried and began to cast. His arm shot directly into the air and began to elongate. Scales grew up its length and his fingers turned to claws. The Tarnished swept his hand down upon the heads of the waiting soldiers. Those who weren’t killed outright were staggered by the blow and then obliterated by the follow up attack. The camp was wiped out in seconds. The Tarnished stood in the aftermath examining his arm. Blaidd stood from his position in the bushes. The Tarnished quickly yanked down his sleeve and was struggling to put his gloves back on as Blaidd drew closer. He grasped the Tarnished’s arm and pulled back his sleeve. A light dusting of scales was sprinkled across his skin. The Tarnished grinned shyly up at Blaidd. His canines were more prominent than Blaidd remembered.

“I’m being careful.”

“Are you really?”

“I promise you, I’ll stop before it gets too serious.”

“Lady Ranni could teach you much safer magic.” 

“I’m not a very bright man, my friend.” The Tarnished spoke the words as if he were making a joke but there was a dagger hidden within them. He tended to do that, hide insecurities by jokingly pointing them out himself. 

“There are other incantations, the magic of the fire giants.” The Tarnished grabbed Blaidd’s cloak with his scaled arm. Before Blaidd could even think to react he was on the ground and the Tarnished was on top of him. The Tarnished bent down close to Blaidd’s ears.

“None that would give me strength like this.” He drew himself back up. “This is a primal magic. There is danger to it, yes, but if I can become stronger...”

“But why risk yourself like this?” 

“Why do you?” The Tarnished looked down at Blaidd and it was as if he was looking through him. “I know how you have to fight the voice of the two fingers telling you to kill Ranni. Do you think it will get better when she begins walking her dark path?”

“How do you?”

“You forget, before I came to The Lands Between I was a Confessor. I killed for them until it ripped my faith to tatters. I know a fellow shadow when I see one. Go on, tell me why.”

“I… Ranni is my lady but she is also my sister. We may not be related by blood, but I care deeply for her. I knew what she planned to do and what it would cost me. She knew as well, gave me the chance to get out while I could, but I refused. I believe in supporting her dream, even if it will eventually cost me my sanity.” The Tarnished gently slid off Blaidd’s chest.

“Then do not fault me for doing the same. There is one I care deeply about as well and I would do anything to aid them.” Blaidd felt something inside him drop almost imperceptibly but he couldn’t place what. “I’m on my way to Nokron next, to search for the artifact Princess Ranni is after. Are you coming as well?” The Tarnished held out his hand. Blaidd took it. 

“I’ll catch up. Iji said he wanted to speak with me before I left”