Chapter 19: Desolation 4

He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck,
about the rain that never stops,
dies slowly.

*******

For the millionth time in weeks, Ranni cursed Seluvis.

When she told him she needed a doll body that would be circumspect and easy to hide, she had not meant she wanted to be the size of an actual doll!

As it was, despite weeks of travel, she had barely made any progress. Her legs were just too short, and she had to pause and hide at the slightest sound of steps. It wouldn't be a problem if the Baleful Shadows were not patrolling the pathway to the Moonlight Altar, where her Two Finger resided. Any magic on her part would draw them as flies to honey. If someone could slay those assassins, she would be able to progress with a full-sized doll.

Once more, Ranni took silent appreciation at the preceptor's fate. Forced to drink one of his own draughts, the puppeteer was now a puppet.

Still, her joy at the irony of the mage's fate did not change the distance she had to travel with her tiny legs.

As the diminutive Demi-god slowly but steadily made her way along Ainsel River, she kept her ears peeled for any sound. Which is why she heard the singing from so far away.

She froze, looking around frantically for a spot to hide. The best option seemed to be a small stone box by the river's shore. The singing was approaching, its sound echoing about the cavern as the words bounced off the walls.

"I'll eat when I am hungry and I'll drink when I am dry,
Get drunk whenever I'm ready, get sober by and by
And if this river don't drown me, it's down I'll mean to roam,
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home."

At any other time, Ranni would appreciate the music. It was a shanty of some sort, which wasn't her preference, but the singing and steady rhythm were soothing. The problem was that whoever was singing, virtuoso they might be would attract everything in Ainsel.

She would be discovered!

Without any choice, Ranni relaxed her doll body, rendering it inert. With any luck, the singer would pass her by quickly and draw attention away from her.

After a few minutes, the song ended, though the Demi-god could now hear steps approaching by the displacement of the river stones.

"You are still best boi," a familiar voice said in a playful tone. Melina's tarnished. What was he doing here!? "I'm just saying, your claustrophobia is a bit inconvenient sometimes. I get it in buildings and smaller caves, but these underground kingdoms are enormous. Without you, it takes me way too long to make any progress."

The seal! She had forgotten to redo the seal on the tower after she had entered Renna's Rise. Anyone could enter behind her!

"When they said this one would be bigger than any of the other games, I didn't think it would be to this degree." The tarnished said, his voice very close. Ranni could only pray he would pass her by. No one should ever see her like this, less the name of Ranni the Witch be disgraced. "Whenever I think it can't get any bigger, Miyazaki goes 'Watch this!' and punches me in the dick. The above ground is huge, but it's doubled if you count the underground kingdoms. By this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire Lands Between is the size of Russia, Canada or even bigger."

From the angle of her body, Ranni could finally see Mikael. He was walking alone on the other side of the river. Torrent, invisible and intangible, followed behind him. The spectral steed was twitching and looking around constantly. Melina wasn't visible, which was to be expected, but she assumed the kindling maiden was who the tarnished was talking to.

Careful not to move, Ranni relaxed. Mikael would go by, clear the way, and the rest of her journey would be much smoother after his passing.

Really, the tarnished was her good luck charm.

She should have known that nothing was too absurd for the man who held three shards of the Elden Ring.

"Hm?" His eyes, roaming the cavern as they were, coincidentally fell upon her. "What's that?"

Paying no heed to the water between them, the tarnished forded the river and approached the miniature Ranni doll.

"Is that?" Despite his wearing a helmet, Ranni could hear the smile in his voice. He picked her up, and she fought to remain still as he manhandled her. "Tini Ranni! This is the greatest thing ever. Of all time. Look, Melina, she has fully functional arms, all four of them. Real kung-fu action! Her tiny hat even comes off!"

Mikael jostled her around, toying with her body like a doll. If this were any other time or place, Ranni would have smote him then and there. Where did he think he was touching?

"Look, it even scowls at you!" The tarnished held her up like a trophy to thin air. More than ever, the Demi-god fought to remain still despite the heresies inflicted on her. If he thought her an odd doll, her reputation was preserved. She hoped this tarnished would tire of toying with her and leave her behind as he continued his journey. "We're keeping her. What do you think, Tini Ranni?"

The tarnished forced her head to nod.

"It's unanimous then." Ranni contemplated her life as she was tucked into a pocket at his hip. Her head was poking out so she could still see, but every once in a while, Mikael pat her head as if reassuring a pet.

Why was life so hard?

"Take me back to my boat on the river
I need to go down, I need to come down
Take me back to my boat on the river
and I won't cry out anymore."

At least the music was good.

**

Over the coming weeks, Ranni would learn a lot.

Most irrelevant but traumatic was that Melina and Mikael were... intimate.

Ranni had never seen anything so l-lewd as when they rested for the night. It wasn't all the time, but when they had a defensible position, the tarnished would set traps, and the kindling maiden would materialize. From there, things would get... steamy. Unable to move, the Demi-god was forced to watch their coupling for fear of discovery.

Ranni had no idea such degeneracy was possible. It was as if Mikael was a never-ending font of perversion. More than once, she was certain Melina would die from the intensity.

Ranni had never been with someone in such a manner, but she knew the basics from her talks with her mother. Just as she knew, it was not supposed to be so... explosive. From what Rennala had imparted upon her, procreation was about emotional fulfillment, and any physical pleasure women felt was largely incidental and up to chance.

Ranni had the urge to project an image of Melina's eyes rolling back into her head for the sixth time that night at her mother and scream at her, 'Explain this!'

Despite the... lascivious nature of the occasional nights, Ranni learned just as much during the days.

Partly because Mikael would just not shut up!

When he wasn't singing, he was babbling about anything and everything. Never something serious, just jokes, comments, foreign words, and profanities.

Ranni had heard more curses in the last few weeks than in the millennia since her birth.

Despite preferring his singing to his talking, Ranni realized something quickly.

It was for the best that Mikael was never silent.

The one time Mikael was silent for any length of time solidified this belief.

He had just finished a ballad about a hero Ranni wasn't familiar with. In the future, she would have to discover who this 'Davy Crockett' was. It would provide clues on where this strange tarnished originated from.

Either way, Ranni hoped he would follow up with another ballad. She preferred those, or songs about love, as they were what she was familiar with due to her time in court. Many had tried to woo the hand of the Carian Princess through music, though none had been as gifted as Mikael.

But Mikael did not start another song, nor did he start talking to himself, Torrent, or Melina.

He remained silent.

For the first hour, Ranni thanked her lucky stars that the only sound was the trickling of the river and the sound of his footsteps upon the shore. Peace and quiet, the companions of her lonely centuries, had been woefully absent for the last few weeks.

After the second hour, she wondered what was engaging his mind for him to remain so eerily quiet. The witch couldn't help but remember the man who fought and killed the Queen of the Full Moon. There were no foes around, hadn't been anything or anyone for three days, so his focus shouldn't be so engaged.

After the sixth hour, Ranni risked a glance upward at her unaware companion. The silence was so out of character for Mikael that Ranni couldn't help her curiosity and took the risk to see if she could glean any clues from his expression.

It was like looking at a corpse.

He wasn't wearing his helmet, the piece of armour dangling at his other side, so the Demi-god could see his features clearly. They remained the same as she had seen in her tower. Golden, draconic eyes. A square jaw with round cheeks. Nose slightly crooked. Dark, wavy hair fell to his shoulders. It was all the same.

If the two faces were put side by side, the one from over a month ago and the one from now, Ranni would have barely been able to call them the same person.

It was like Mikael's entire ego, personality, and disposition had disappeared. His eyes did not shine with amusement, nor did his lip curve in a smirk.

It was as if he was one of Selvus' puppets, only worse. In those creations, you could still see the hints of who the people had once been. No such indication of former sapience was present in Mikael.

Ranni stared into his eyes and saw... nothing. No mind. No emotion. No will.

She was staring into a yawning void.

The Demi-god decided she preferred his unending comments and jokes to this lifeless abomination.

Thankfully, Mikael was drawn to a stop by Melina eventually. The tarnished had been walking for thirty hours without a word or a moment of rest. He probably would have continued had the kindling maiden not appeared before him.

The woman said nothing, just laying a delicate hand on his chest.

Like a switch had been flipped, light returned to his eyes.

"Thanks," Mikael said softly, placing his hand on hers and leaning in for a small, chaste kiss.

That night's lovemaking was quiet, slow, and intimate.

For the first time, Ranni truly regretted discarding her flesh.

**

No secret lasts forever, and all plots are eventually exposed.

That was a lesson Ranni had learned well over her life. Still, she had hoped that discovery wouldn't come.

One's image was important, after all.

It was the third week after Mikael had found her miniature doll and the day was a shift in the pattern. Rather than set off after awaking, Mikael had left his bags and armour in the alcove he used as a bed last night. Assuming he was simply going to bathe, as he did so regularly, Ranni did not care much.

Then she heard him speaking. Again, him talking to himself was not a rare occurrence, so the witch did not pay it any mind. But as the hours passed and Mikael didn't return, Ranni started to wonder and pay more attention to sounds.

It only took a few minutes before the Demi-god realized the tarnished was talking to someone. Every once in a while, he would pause as if listening to a response. Ranni couldn't hear any other voices, but that wasn't surprising. There were spells to communicate over long distances. Not everyone was skilled or powerful enough for a complete projection, after all.

The question was, who was he talking to? Someone from the Lands Between? Another faction? Or someone from his mysterious homeland?

Unable to help her curiosity at this unique opportunity, Ranni exited her little pouch and made her way to the alcove's entrance. The spectral form of Torrent was nearby and saw her. She put one of her fingers to her lips to be quiet.

The horse shook its head up and down.

Content with the silence of her co-conspirator, Ranni proceeded towards the river in as stealthy a manner as possible.

"... four or five left. I know where two of them are, but I have no clue where to find the others." Mikael was saying. He was sitting on a boulder, his feet dangling in the stream. The look on his face was one she had never seen before. It was like when he looked at Melina, but it was sad. A melancholy, as if looking at something he couldn't have but dearly wanted. "I've barely explored Altus and haven't even touched the Gelmir mountain range. There is the Capitol as well, and who knows what else. That isn't even counting how large this underground section is or where I am supposed to meet Fia. I still have a long way to go, Robin. Another two decades at least."

Robin. An unfamiliar name. Male or female, she couldn't tell. Though, as she suspected, he was using some sort of spell to communicate. Though Ranni was surprised she couldn't sense the magic.

"Haven't decided," Mikael shrugged at whatever the other person asked. "I don't think I'll stick with Fia and Those Who Live in Death. I've had enough with the undead, thanks. After I get access to Fortissax, I won't need to work with them anymore. That does remind me that I'll need access to the northern mountains and Faram Azula. They both should hold more dragons."

There was a few moments of silence as the tarnished listened to the other person. Eventually, the man shrugged again.

"If nothing else, all this extra time will let you all get the ritual precisely right. It will also allow me to spread my fame further. Give it time to really sink in. We're aiming to take advantage of a lot of technicalities here. I want everything to go perfectly." Mikael turned slightly, staring at something Ranni could not see or sense. "Looks like it's time. Do you mind letting Medea and Yoruichi know that I should have the next batch of blood ready next time? This barrel is almost full."

Mikael stood but suddenly paused. His face suddenly split into a grin, one Ranni recognized as the smile he got when he teased Melina to tears.

"Really?" He asked. "Thanks, I probably wouldn't have noticed for a while."

Sensing that the conversation was winding down, Ranni made to return to her tiny pouch. He would never know she spied on him.

A shadow fell over Ranni, and she froze.

Looking up, the tiny doll's eyes met the draconic yellow. His face set into a teasing grin.

"Well, well, well," the tarnished grabbed her petite form and lifted her to his eye level. "Aren't you a little voyeur? Hello Ranni, how are you enjoying the trip so far?"

Ranni realized quickly she couldn't freeze up here. One of the things she had learned was that if he smelled blood, Mikael would tease poor Melina for hours. Not even astralizing would protect her.

"Is it thy habit to talk to dolls?" She tried to tease back, but his smirk remained vulpine, and Ranni realized that she should have known better than to expect Mikael to be embarrassed about anything. "Fine... Fine. I hadn't expected any soul to recognize me in this guise. How didst thy know?"

"Robin told me. Whenever she's around, she keeps an eye on absolutely everything." The man snickered at his own words as if they contained some joke.

"Now the cat is out the bag," Ranni tossed her hands in the air in frustration. Why couldn't he ever be clear? Still, now the plot was revealed, an opportunity was here. "I cannot allow thee thy freedoms." She had meant that he couldn't tell anyone about her predicament. It hadn't been a threat, merely a lead-in to her offer.

It was the wrong thing to say.

Mikael went still. Nothing physically changes. His eyes remained on her, and his mouth was in that teasing smirk. His muscles did not tense, nor was there any facial twitch.

Despite that, Ranni felt more danger than ever before.

"Oh?" His voice was soft and lilting.

She was going to die. She was going to die. Going to die. Die. die diediediediediediedie.

"I meant to request a boon," Ranni's words tumbled out of her in a rush. She was desperate for that feeling to disappear. Her mortality was something she had only truly faced once before. When she held a fragment of the Rune of Death. "I would ask thee to render me a service."

"Oh?" It was amazing how the same word could be said so differently. The tension left Ranni as his voice returned to its teasing tone, and the feeling of impending doom disappeared.

No more trying to order the man who held three Great Runes and had slain two Demi-gods.

For a moment, Ranni had been sure she was about to be the third to fall to his hands.

"Within this cavern are the Baleful Shadows," Ranni explained. "Agents of the Two Fingers. I would ask thee to slay them."

"Why are they after you?"

"To understand, we would need speak of the past."

"I've got time." As if to emphasize the point, Mikael sat back down on the boulder and set her on his shoulder.

"Very well," Ranni looked the tarnished in the eye. He had been very mercenary in his dealings, and she had nothing to offer him for a reward. "I was once an Empyrean. Of the Demi-gods, only I, Miquella, and Malenia could claim that title. Each of us was chosen by our own Two Fingers, as a candidate to succeed Queen Marika, to become the new god of the coming age. Which is when I received Blaidd. In the form of a vassal tailored for an Empyrean."

"Was he a were-puppy?" Ranni could almost admire how Mikael could sound so serious when asking about something so silly. She didn't even dignify him with a response.

"But I would not acquiesce to the Two Fingers. I stole the Rune of Death, slew mine own Empyrean flesh, casting it away. I would not be controlled by that thing." Perhaps Ranni had gotten too invested in the tale as she clenched her tiny fists and declared her defiance passionately. "The Two Fingers and I have been cursing each other ever since... and the Baleful Shadows... are their assassins."

"Hm," the tarnished hummed to himself in thought. Ranni stared into his eyes defiantly. Whatever his decision, she had never been ashamed of her actions. Eventually, he answered. "I'll help."

A few words that could change her fate once more.

"I have nothing to offer in recompense," Ranni said softly. Though every fibre of her being urged her not to look a gift horse in the mouth, the
Demi-god had always been fair and open to her companions.

"Don't need a reward," Mikael stood, and Ranni easily maintained her position on his shoulder as he entered the alcove and started to gather his things. "If I want to help someone, I'll help them. If I want to kill them, I'll kill them. Business is business, but I understand a thing or two about wanting freedom. Whether helping you is a mistake or not is up to me to live with. Freedom is not freedom from consequences, merely learning to live with them."

"Thou hath my thanks," she said softly, overcome with a mixture of emotions at his offer of aid. Like a weight had left her soul.

"Now that we will be travelling together, tell me more about Puppy-Blaidd."

"He has been my companion all my life," Ranni said in fond melancholy. "Even when I turned my back upon the Two Fingers. Blaidd remained my loyal ally. Heh. Though he was created a vassal for an Empyrean, he was a colossal failure on the part of the Two Fingers." Though she never had a vast faction, Ranni had always felt blessed to have her companions.

"I had wondered why Iji put him in the Gaol."

"Blaidd and Iji both... Art willing to give too much to me." She would probably never see the two again. "Yet they both understand. What lieth beyond the dark path... that I must betray everything and rid the world of what came before." For a moment, the pair were silent, Mikael understanding that sometimes a joke wasn't appropriate. Ranni thanked him for that. "Ah, should I add thee to the list? Another one, kind of heart. As kind of heart as they."

Again there was a beat of silence, though this time Mikael stared at her, eyebrows raised in slight surprise.

Ranni realized what she had just said.

If she could blush, she would.

"Ach, this form hath loosened my tongue." She pounded her tiny fists against his shoulders ineffectively. "I've let slip too much. Forget what thou'st heard. Forget!"

Despite her efforts and flailing, the tarnished laughed.

It was a deep, full-body laugh and Ranni had to hold on lest she fall from her perch. She was not pouting. She wasn't!

"You're a tsundere!" Mikael managed to get out in between guffaws. "Or is it a kuudere?"

Ranni stomped her small foot into his shoulder.

She wasn't either of those!

... Whatever they were.

**

The following few years were some of the happiest Ranni could remember.

Travelling with Mikael, Melina, and Torrent was the closest she had ever come to being free of the constant expectations of a Carian Princess. Things worsened once Radagon became the second Elden Lord, and she was titled a Demi-god.

Here, it was no one but their small band.

The spectral steed was rarely present in the physical form, as he still did not like being underground. Melina only joined the pair in the evenings and, more often than not, commanded most of Mikael's attention during those times.

Though she was not restricted to inaction anymore, Ranni might have peeked once or twice at their... activities.

For academic purposes only, of course.

Most of the time, it was only Mikael and Ranni, and the pair became incredibly familiar with each other.

Her early life was filled with study, court intrigue, and expectations. Her later years were spent in conspiracy, plots, and loneliness. While the Demi-god had always been close to Iji and Blaidd, they had always been subordinates that looked to her for leadership, and she looked to them for advice.

The only person Ranni had ever been able to confide in had been her mother, and that option had not been available since her 'death.'

Mikael was not a confidant. Whenever the subject got too heavy, he would make a joke or divert the topic. He did not deal in drama, he claimed. He wasn't a subordinate or rival. He wanted nothing from her. Ranni couldn't quite put a term to their relationship, but she treasured it never-the-less.

It also gave her more profound insights into Melina's tarnished.

Despite acting the fool and being ignorant on the strangest of subjects (Who didn't know about the war of the Giants or the nature of the Omen-born?) Ranni found the man incredibly well read and full of unique ideas and philosophies.

The pair had spent days discussing the nature of 'Freedom,' 'Fate,' 'Self-Determination.' They talked about gods and their place in an Order. Magic was a passion they shared, bouncing ideas off each other.

The sheer breadth of his ideas and knowledge astounded the Demi-god. He was knowledgeable about agriculture, politics, art, business, architecture, psychology, human nature, and dozens of other subjects. Whatever culture he stemmed from, it was highly literate. When asked about it, Mikael smiled fondly.

"My people haven't actually changed in hundreds of thousands of years," he smiled at a joke only he could get. "The only difference between them and me is that I stand atop the shoulders of giants. Great minds came before me, building our knowledge until we reached a tipping point. I grew up with all the information I could ever want a few seconds away. It wasn't without its problems, but it was enough to indulge a young man's curiosity about anything and everything. I've forgotten more than I've learned, but I've learned enough to know more than most. Learning itself was one of my main hobbies."

It showed to those who talked to the man. If he didn't know something? He tried to deduce the information for himself or ask someone who would know. He was always full of questions about anything and everything. He believed everything, even magic, could be learned through a 'method' of hypothesis, testing, and verification. He wanted to know the cultural traditions of the Carian Family and its history. He was curious about court politics and how the various countries interacted before the Shattering. Most of their time was spent with the Demi-god answering his questions.

In return, he would sing for her.

He sang of love and loss. Of freedom and the sea. He sang of worlds she didn't know, in languages she had never heard. He sang ballads and rhapsodies. No topic was taboo or untouched by his music. Some of his songs were fit for Queen Marika the Eternal, and others shouldn't have been sung even in the seediest of taverns. His voice echoed in hundreds of beats and thousands of tunes around the cavern.

It attracted monsters and the inhabitants of Nokstella.

Mikael sang anthems of war as he killed them.

He indulged her requests as often as he ignored them. Sometimes the mood for a particular genre would take him, and Ranni could do nothing to change his mind.

It wasn't all perfect, and they didn't agree about everything.

No matter how hard she tried, Ranni could not get Mikael to be formal or serious. The closest she achieved was challenging him to prove his ability to do so. He rose to the occasion.

For twenty-four hours, he acted like the perfect courtier. His posture was excellent, his manners were impeccable, and his diction was on point. Ranni had tried everything she could to break the facade, but his behaviour was beyond reproach.

Had he not been in armour, Ranni would have had no problem presenting the man to her mother as a suitor.

As an example, of course.

No other reason.

After the designated time was over, Mikael returned to his usual countenance. His posture relaxed, and he started making inappropriate jokes again. It was like he was a different person entirely.

"I just fake it till I make it." He shrugged when she expressed her incredulity at the change. "I've had to do it enough times that I've gotten really good at faking things like that. It's not separate or disassociated personalities or anything, just a skill someone can train in. Acting proper is actually pretty easy. My mother was raised in a wealthy household and taught me proper manners. It helped a lot in business, as it was a show of status even if I was never actually wealthy."

"They why do thou act like a buffoon?" He could pretend to be a prince if he wanted. If he was going to be Elden Lord, certain comportment was required.

"Because it's more fun. I know most won't laugh at my jokes. That's fine. It's more for me than anyone else. I know that sarcasm and profanity can make me look bad. I know I am an idiotic man." Mikael shrugged. Her incredulous look got a chuckle out of him, and he elaborated. "I can act like a businessman in a business environment. I can act servile and accommodating if that is required. I can pretend to be sympathetic, kind, angry, happy, sad, and every other range of emotion in the rainbow. But most of the time, I just don't care. I care about very little in this world, and unless acting a certain way will help me achieve what I desire, there is no point in putting in the effort."

"But thy demeanour attracts more enemies than necessary." Why didn't he understand how important one's image was?

"I know," he nodded his head in agreement but tilted his head in question anyway. "So what? If someone is my enemy, then I kill them. Since I started my journey, I've never feared having enemies. I only fear not having enough of them. Life is too boring if I am not working to ruin someone's life. Remember, if violence isn't solving your problems, then you are not using enough of it. That, or apply liberal use of fire."

It was then that Ranni realized what sort of fool Mikael truly was.

He was a tyrant.

A kind yet sadistic tyrant. He would help someone one minute and then destroy an army the next. He revelled in the fight and the slaughter. He teased and prodded at someone's emotions until they produced a reaction. It was all according to his whim. He knew the consequences of his actions but proceeded anyway.

He didn't care.

That was the core of Mikael.

Ranni had thought the man to be a man of kind heart and good humour, trusting and trying to make the best of a bad situation. That wasn't true at all. That good humour and laughing disposition were but another of his masks. His whim just happened to fall upon her side of the equation.

At Mikael's core was a yawning void of apathy.

When all was silent, and Mikael was alone with his thoughts, and nothing held his interest, he defaulted to who he truly was.

A machine that went through the motions until something sparked his interest.

People he was close to, such as Melina, could shake him from the fugue, but should he be left alone, he would burn the world if the mood took him.

Ranni made the internal decision that the man would never be left alone.

For the world's sake, of course.

Any stimulation, physical or mental, was better than nothing. Good or bad.

Ranni was sure the tarnished would have entered the Lands Between and slain the Demi-gods for the thrill alone had he not already been compelled by his curse.

That was another point that the Demi-god was fascinated by.

Melina's tarnished was cursed to wander the world until he became Elden Lord and freed his eleven companions trapped on a faraway Island. They were only able to visit him once a month, and only he could interact with them, but he was able to send supplies to them.

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Had she not seen the items disappear herself, Ranni would have thought the tarnished mad. She was rather put out that she couldn't understand the nature of the magic.

Mikael would cast his spell, his chest glowing a dark red as he said words in a language she couldn't understand and then spend hours talking with them. They could see Ranni even if she couldn't sense them. She had tried to pry the spell from the tarnished, but he remained silent on the subject. He was more than willing to talk about his companions themselves.

Supposedly they weren't that close, only circumstances forcing their interactions as he tried to free them and himself. Before being cursed, he hadn't even met them, though he had heard of them. Supposedly they were figures of myth and legend. Mikael claimed that the Lands Between would have been conquered in a fortnight if they could render aid.

Ranni wasn't sure if she believed that, but it spoke volumes about their strength that he felt most could defeat him, who was the strongest tarnished since Godfrey.

There was so much about Mikael to explore that Ranni hardly noticed the time passing. Her doll could remain active almost indefinitely without the need to cast any spells.

The pair learned, talked, sang, and argued for years on end as the Tarnished explored the ruins of Nokstella.

But all good things must end.

**

"I mean, the armour is good, so is the weapon, and the fighting style was similar enough, but nobody familiar with Blaidd would believe this was him," Mikael poked the corpse with his sheathed blade. "It's clearly a mask. Blaidd drools a lot, and this guy's 'tongue' wasn't even moving or panting. Four out of ten stars."

Ranni stared at the Two Finger's assassin. The object of fear and defiance for centuries of her life.

It had not even lasted a minute against Mikael's skill at violence. The tarnished had not even needed to cast a spell, just pure blade work to slay one of the boogeymen of the Lands Between.

Her path was suddenly clear.

Nothing stood between her and the Two Fingers who sought to dictate her fate.

So why was there a pit in her stomach?

Why did she feel like crying?

"You alright, Doll?" Mikael had paused his prodding of the corpse and had turned to her. She had been in a pouch during the fight but had climbed back to her regular place atop his shoulder once the foe had been slain. "You've been quiet for a bit. Any other shadows I should be aware of?"

"Nay," Ranni continued to stare at the body. She didn't want to look at those expressive eyes. Draconic yellow should never be a soothing colour. "This was the last."

It was time to go.

On her long and lonely journey.

She stood on his shoulder, channelling magic for the first time in years.

"Beautifully fought." The miniature doll fell inert to the floor as her soul left it. Her spectral form was visible to the tarnished, though she continued to look away. "My thanks. 'Twas less of a challenge than I envisioned. Now I can finally stand before them."

"Ranni?" Mikael asked, his voice was tinged with concern.

The Demi-god didn't know why he would be worried. She had made sure her voice hadn't cracked and remained calm.

"Before I take my leave, I must ask of thee one question that has plagued my mind for many a year." She could feel him approach behind her. Thankfully, he stopped before reaching her front. Her spiritual body could not remain expressionless as her dolls were.

It wouldn't do for Mikael's last memory of Ranni the Witch to be tainted by her tears.

"Sure."

"When thou approached my mother in her library, what was your intent?" She didn't know if the answer would make her feel better or worse.

"To kill her, of course." Mikael remained as shameless as ever, utterly unrepentant of his murderous intent. "I could grab the Great Rune from the amber afterwards."

"Then why did thy not slay her when my spell failed?" That was the real question she had been wondering. Why had, after almost dying, Mikael spared Rennala?

There was a beat of silence.

"I had heard of her before I reached Raya Lucaria." His voice was calm, though tinged with a sentiment Ranni couldn't identify. Wistfulness, perhaps? "A betrayed and heartbroken woman. Turtle Pope painted a vivid picture of who she once was and what she had become. I've learned in my years that death can be a better alternative than wasting away in loneliness. I figured I might as well put her out of her misery when I had the chance."

"But what stayed thy hand?" Ranni had guessed as much from her time with the tarnished. He was a deeply scarred person for all that he played the fool.

"You did," he said simply. Ranni could imagine him shrugging in that unconcerned manner of him. "I went there expecting to find a heartbroken woman who had been left behind by the world. I found a mother whose children still cared enough about her to defend against a man who had slain a Demi-god. When someone dies, there are always two affected parties. The dead, of course. But they are the least affected. They are beyond their worries. It is those left behind that are the real victims."

Ah, there was that odd viewpoint of his. That mind could revel in slaughter but would stay his blade against a woman so the daughter who tried to kill him wouldn't cry. He had professed more than once that he liked 'happy endings.'

"This is farewell, my dear." The last word slipped from her mouth unbidden. She did not look at him as her form disappeared. If she did, she would never leave. "Tell Blaidd and Iji... I love them."

She reappeared in one of her lifesize dolls held in her storage far from where Mikael now stood. Its face was utterly expressionless.

Ranni sat there for hours, calming down.

It would not do to stumble on the last step due to her chaotic emotions.

Once she was ready, Ranni stood. Despite a yawning void in her heart, she knew she was doing the right thing.

She just wished that it didn't hurt so much.

As she set out for the final confrontation with the enemy that had pursued her for centuries, Ranni wondered what had possessed her to leave that key behind. The key that she had sworn never to give anyone.

Perhaps she was praying that Mikael would deliver her one last miracle.

**

Ranni sat atop the rotting carcass of her hated foe. She had not moved for who knew how long.

She was finally free.

Free to decide her own fate.

Free to rid the world of Order and the corruption it wrought.

So why was everything so dull?

Ranni did not care about the image she was presenting.

The blood of the Two Fingers caked the room and her body. Her clothes were taters, and much of her doll had been shattered in the fight. The image of the Carian Princess was long gone; she looked more like one of Mikael's victims.

The thought of the tarnished sent a familiar twinge of pain through her.

It wasn't enough to get her to move.

Ranni knew she should be preparing for her journey. If not, then at least rest to recuperate. She knew there was no rush, but she had always been one to do what she could when she could.

It was hard to find the motivation to even sleep, let alone try and change the world.

It all seemed so... pointless now.

No, not pointless.

Ranni admitted to herself that she was scared.

Solitude and loneliness were not new to her, but the prospect of that long, dark journey beyond the stars terrified her. She would be alone for eternity if everything went to plan. Order would never again fall into the hands of those who would twist it.

The thought of that chill night was suddenly frightening enough to suck all will from her spirit.

The death of the Two Fingers would not go unnoticed, and someone was bound to attempt to hunt her and her faction down.

The Demi-god hoped Blaidd and Iji were alright.

Many foes would be hunting her faction in earnest, whether it be one of her siblings, Marika's Black Knives, or even the other agents of the Greater Will.

She wished Mikael was here.

No doubt he would say something stupid. Maybe he would sing her a song of triumph. Perhaps he would tease her until her emotions overtook her doll again.

Maybe he would simply hold her.

As he sometimes had Melina in the cold dark nights.

So Ranni sat there, in the dark and covered in the blood of the Two Finger.

Time seemed to lose all meaning as she attempted to find the will to set out on her path.

Perhaps she would have stayed there for centuries, unable to muster the energy to get out of bed. Once more, one particular tarnished stuck his nose into her affairs.

"You know there's a process to these things," a teasing voice lured Ranni's mind to her doll once more.

Though its eye was open, the witch could not understand what her doll saw. Was she dreaming again? She had imaginings like this.

Mikael kneeled, a pale blue ring in one of his hands while another held up her top right hand. One of only two undamaged from the battle.

"Asking someone to marry you is usually more involved than dropping a key at their feet." He slid the Dark Moon Ring onto her ring finger in a smooth motion. "You're lucky Rennala wanted to tease her new son-in-law, or I would have no idea what this little thing meant. You are also fortunate that I am currently in between factions. Could be a conflict of interest, you know? Marrying a Demi-god and trying to be neutral to the others."

Ranni, in a daze, lifted her hand to her eyes. A blue gem, reminiscent of a full moon, reflected an image of a bloody doll.

"More than anything, you are lucky that Melina doesn't care who I back for god. Besides, I made the offer to her. There's barely a difference between twelve and thirteen anyway."

By the Erdtree, she must look terrible!

With what power she retained, Ranni destroyed her doll body. She was careful to shift the ring first, of course. She had conjured the last doll from her storage in less than five seconds. It was in much better shape, and she reappeared before Mikael.

It had taken all the power she could channel, and she would need to rest for years, but at least Ranni was now presentable before her consort.

Her consort. Hehe.

"It was thee, who would become my Lord," Ranni said, controlling her doll so that no emotion showed on its face. Image was important, after all. There was no controlling the happiness in her voice, though.

"I would hope so since you gave me the key to the ring. Otherwise, I will have to have a very awkward talk with your mother." Ranni was never happier to hear his irreverent tone. "Though if you are unhappy, I hear there is a lonely widow in a library that could use my company. I'm sure she could comfort a heartbroken man, especially if her daughter was the cause of my anguish. Two betrayed people, finding love again. It would make a fine tale."

Nevermind.

Mikael was as insufferable as ever.

"I am pleased." Best to head him off before he got really going. As it was, fatigue was catching up with the Demi-god. She had a few things to do before she slumbered. Ranni knew just where she wanted to go to rest. "Thou'rt a fitting choice. I have but one duty left before I depart."

"Leaving already?" Mikael looked surprised for a bit before hiding it under an unconcerned facade. "We just got engaged, Doll. This calls for a celebration. I was going to go full degenerate. I'm talking moonlit walks, hugs, picnics in a field of wildflowers, the whole nine yards. Even unprotected handholding if you were feeling particularly raunchy."

It was hard not to smile at Mikael's spew of nonsense after so long a period of silent loneliness.

It was okay, though. The pair would have all the time they wished for as they travelled the stars.

Together.

"I bequeath this to thee." Ranni allowed the Dark Moon Greatsword to fall from her storage and impale the corpse of the Two Fingers. It was the traditional dowry for those who would wed Carian Princesses.

She never thought to need it.

Something about the moonlit blade must have shocked Mikael because he stared at the weapon, mouth slightly open. Ranni would love nothing more to ask what had him so surprised, but she was running out of time.

"I go now, to the night sky. It is there I shall find mine order." She said the words in somewhat of a rush. She had to get the words out quickly, or Mikael would recover from his surprise and ask questions she didn't have time to answer. "I bid thee travel the path of the Lord. And once all is done, we shall see each other, once more."

Mikael looked to her, then to the sword, and let out a deep, belly-full laugh.

Ranni took the opportunity to dissipate her current doll body into storage and flowed into the other receptacle she sensed nearby. The
Miniature Ranni held in a pouch at the tarnished's waist.

As the world grew hazy, Ranni heard Mikael speak softly.

"Aah, you were at my side all along. My guiding moonlight..."

Ranni smiled in her sleep.

She liked the sound of that.

Her consort's guiding moonlight.

**

Ranni slept for years.

She slept as the tarnished explored the Moonlight Altar, Altus, and Leyndell. She barely stirred as Mikael fought the ancient dragon Lansseax.

The Demi-god trusted her consort to emerge triumphant over all foes.

Ranni barely managed to muster the energy to watch Mikael and Melina, fighting side by side for the first time, slay the Omen King at the foot of the Erdtree.

For a moment, the Demi-god feared that Mikael would stand before the Elden Ring before she had recovered enough for the journey.

Thankfully the pair were rebuffed by a wall of thorns, giving Ranni more time to recuperate as they set off to find a way around the barricade.

The cold of the Mountaintop of the Giants did not affect her doll body, though she did note the temperature change. Moments of lucidity came more frequently, and Ranni could watch Mikael slay the Great Wyrm that had once been Theodorix. She watched him invade Castle Sol and kill Commander Niall.

Ranni finally awoke in time to observe Mikael, charging atop Torrent, combat the last of the Fire Giants. While he kept Moonveil at his hip, the Demi-god felt joy seeing him wield the Dark Moon Greatsword.

The knight fought the Giant upon his noble steed like a tale from her youth.

Unlike the legends, the knight was anything but noble.

"Come on, my grandma could aim better than that!" Mikael taunted the Giant as he dashed past, greatsword flashing to hamstring the being. The titan stumbled, falling to one knee. The tarnished avoided the flames deftly as he steered Torrent away from the Giant's roll. He seemed not to care about the heat, the snow melting into slush around the battle. "I mean, I started bigger fires in school! You aren't even trying, are you?"

Perhaps it was frustration at being unable to hit his comparatively tiny foe that angered the Fire Giant.

Maybe, the wounds had accumulated enough that the red titan feared for his life.

More than likely, Mikael had just pissed it off with his words enough that the Fire Giant was willing to do anything to get him to close his mouth.

Ranni smiled to herself in the pouch. Her consort could have that effect on people.

No matter the reason, the behemoth was angry enough to take drastic measures. In a shower of gore, the massive being tore its leg from its knee socket. Lifting its appendage to the sky, the Fire Giant roared.

It's Fell God answered, the great eye opening upon the titan's chest as fire covered the mountaintop.

Ice flowed from Mikael's mouth to combat the flames. Once the conflagration died, far from being intimidated by the display, Ranni could hear the smirk in her consort's voice.

"That is a big glowing weak spot if I've ever seen one." He urged the Spirit Steed forward.

What followed was as impressive as it was inevitable.

The tarnished continued to taunt the Fire Giant, dealing only glancing blows as he masterfully dodged both flame and fist. He danced around the titan for minutes, waiting for his chance to strike.

Mikael's opportunity came when the behemoth, using its flaming leg as an improvised weapon, overextended its swing.

Torrent jumped over the appendage, landing below the stomach of the last Giant. The Fell God glared balefully at Mikael as he launched himself skyward, clad in the purple lightning of gravity magic.

The Dark Moon Greatsword impaled the massive eye. The weapon glowed sparkling blue for a moment before an explosion of magic showered her consort in fluids.

"Wooooo," despite his gruesome state, Mikael let out a crow in triumph. He never hit the ground, Torrent forming below him. The pair dashed off as the Fire Giant crumbled to the ground behind them. "Call me David because Goliath got nothing on me!"

Ranni actually understood his words.

It was a legend from her consort's homeland, one of those stories he had shared during their years together.

With its guardian dead, nothing stood between Mikael and the Forge.

Ranni felt the pit of her stomach fall as she realized what that meant.

Oh no.

She considered saying something as her consort rode toward the great cauldron holding the Giant's Flame.

But what could she say?

As far as she knew, the only other option than the coming tragedy was something Melina would not abide by.

Maybe... Maybe Mikael had one more miracle in him. Perhaps he had something that could give him and Melina the happy ending he had secured for Ranni.

"Hm," Mikael looked over the rim of the great cauldron. "Big tub. Really Miyazaki, what is with your fetish for burning people? Who hurt you?"

Melina appeared beside Ranni's consort as he started to strip his armour. Both women stared at the man in surprise as he removed his shirt, not minding the cold.

"What are you doing?" Melina pressed a hand to Mikael's chest, stopping his disrobing.

"Taking a hot bath," he deadpanned at the woman. "What's it look like I'm doing? I imagine the process goes something like this; get set on fire, carry fire to tree, light tree on fire, thorns go bye-bye, profit. This won't be the first time I've done something like this."

While her consort had the right idea, the execution was wrong.

Anyone who was burned by these flames would not be coming back.

Someone was needed to channel the flames to the Erdtree, he was correct about that, but only a god could survive the fire of the Fell God. For all his strength, Mikael was not a god. As a tarnished, he wouldn't remain dead but be stuck in a perpetual state of burning to death and rebirth.

Neither of the women present would allow that to happen.

"Are you so ready to commit a Cardinal Sin? I have long observed that the Lands Between are in dire need of repair... of Death indiscriminate. What we do here shall change the world. Are you prepared?'"

"You know me," Mikael hugged her tightly, smirking down at her. "I love me some sinning. The more sins, the merrier. I don't feel right if I haven't blasphemed twice before breakfast."

Melina let out a wet chuckle, leaning close to her lover.

"Hey," Mikael looked down at Melina. His draconic yellow eyes radiated both comfort and confidence. "Trust me. I'm no stranger to being burned. This will be nowhere near the worst I've dealt with." He leaned down to kiss Melina to reassure her.

They held that kiss for a moment, and Ranni sensed the soporific spell form.

Mikael stumbled backwards, falling to one knee as his eyelids drooped. He stared up at his companion in confused betrayal for a moment, uncomprehending what had just happened.

Then fear overtook his features.

"'on't you 'areee!" Mikael's voice slurred as he tried to resist the point-blank spell. "Ah can do iiittttt. I 'an..."

Her consort collapsed to the ground face first.

Melina stared at the man, then approached his sleeping form.

Slowly and carefully, she set him on his back, placing his discarded clothes under his head as a pillow. She covered his half-naked form in her cloak, tucking it under him so he wouldn't feel the cold of the mountain top.

Melina sat beside the sleeping man, hands combing through his hair. Torrent appeared beside the pair. The spectral steed set himself on Mikael's other side, leaning over to nuzzle the maiden's head.

"I must tender my thanks to you too, Torrent. Thank you for bringing us together. Please continue to lend him your aid. Till the end. He will need it. I do not wish him to be lonely." Melina turned back to the sleeping man.

"I wanted to keep travelling with you," the woman said. Tears flowed from her eye as she stared down at Mikael. "I hoped Marika would grant us access. I never wanted this. I wanted to visit your Island and meet your companions. I wanted to see your home. I wanted to see you become Lord." The maiden paused, choking back a sob.

"I know you will. This won't stop you. Nothing will. I know you'll be free one day. I am just sorry I won't be there to see it. You, who delivered me my own freedom. I do this of my own volition. Regardless of my mother's designs. I have set my heart upon the world I would have. One in which you are Lord."

Melina stood, leaving her lover behind as she approached the lip of the cauldron.

"He will never forgive thee," Ranni couldn't help but speak up. She knew this was needed, but it didn't change the fact it would hurt Mikael. "My consort will never forget nor forgive. He is a petty man like that."

"I'll entrust his heart to you, Lady Ranni." Power channelled from the kindling maiden, and the flames engulfed the woman. "His companions claim to love him. I ask you to ensure they speak the truth. He has been hurt enough."

"I will," she promised. It wasn't surprising that her consort had consorts of his own. She had long known Mikael would never leave Melina and wasn't surprised there were others. Ranni would defend him from any leaches. It was the least she could do in memory of the woman who paved the way for her Lord.

"My thanks," Melina turned from Mikael and stared defiantly at the sky. The flames rose with her will. "O Erdtree, you shall burn. Burn for the sake of the new Lord."

The pyre rose, reaching the sky and the leaves that blanketed it.

The burning woman turned to her lover for a final time.

"Thank you. For guiding me here. For loving me. For everything. Good-bye."

And then Melina was gone.

All that was left was ash on the wind.

Ranni conjured her full-sized doll and sat beside her consort. She placed his head upon her lab, running her hands through his hair as he tossed and turned in fitful sleep.

Torrent lay close, providing what warmth he could to the pair as they watched the sky burn.

********

... I won't say much here just three things.

1. This was the easiest and hardest chapter I've written yet. The words flowed out of me in a torrent and this is my longest chapter yet. I spent more time revising this than writing it. I am still not sure I conveyed what I wanted to.

2. The end of this chapter and the next, when we return to Mikael's POV, mark the lowest this story is going to get. It is needed to get the character where I need him to be, but I am happy to say that the dawn will come after the darkest part of the night. If anyone wants to wait for Volume 1 to finish and 2 to start (where the wish fulfillment (and smut) really kicks in) I won't blame them.

3. Those of you who have paid attention to the story, will know I like happy endings. For all the characters I can give.

I'll see you all next time.

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