Maidenless No Longer (Elden Ring)

She had to admit… she’d underestimated Melina’s Tarnished. For him to follow her here… no, it was best to back up, just a little bit.
 
When the Tarnished had returned with the Fingerslayer Blade, Ranni had been duly impressed. Truly, twas a testament to the tenacity of the man that her fragment had chosen, that he could not only continue along Melina’s path, but also work so hard in service to Ranni as well.
 
It was unfortunate that he’d had to kill her brother to get her what she wanted, but really… General Radahn had been dead a long time ago. All the Tarnished had really done was put down a maddened animal. Or rather, that’s what Ranni wished she could say. In truth, she knew that was not all there was to it.
 
Some would say that Radahn had succumbed to their half-sister’s rot. That Malenia’s last vengeance upon Caelid had been complete in its totality, destroying the land, the people, AND the General in one fell swoop. But that wasn’t quite the case, now, was it? No, because up until the point when the Tarnished delivered unto her brother his final rest, Radahn had still been at it. He’d still been holding back the stars, all for the sake of their father’s precious Golden Order.
 
Ranni did not think herself bitter. She was, at her heart, an entirely rational being. Her purpose was her own, one chosen not FOR her, but BY her, of her own volition. She had not considered herself tied to the Greater Will and the Two Fingers since her Empyrean Flesh had been slain and she’d taken to inhabiting her doll body.
 
And yet… and yet, that same rationality had whispered in her ear all this time that there was no other way. Was it sentiment that had stayed her hand until now? Or had she simply been waiting for the right champion to come along? The Tarnished really was quite the capable sort, wasn’t he?
 
He’d done what even Malenia had not, and slain General Radahn on the field of battle. And thus, the stars were no longer held back. And thus, the path to the Eternal City of Nokron was opened once more. And thus… the Fingerslayer Blade found its way into Ranni’s possession.
 
She’d half-anticipated betrayal, but the Tarnished hadn’t even considered it. Seluvis had tried, of course, and Ranni had finally ended him for it, but the Tarnished hadn’t so much as thought twice about it. No, rather, the Tarnished had not even given Seluvis the time of day. There had been no chance for the Preceptor to even attempt to pull the other man into his repulsive schemes.
 
In the end, Ranni had been pleased to give the Tarnished the Carian Inverted Statue and send him on his way, freed from her service. Twas only right. They had served each other’s needs well enough, and she saw no reason to try and bind him any further, lest he decide to turn on her after all. Twas always best to keep such… capable individuals on friendly terms.
 
That said, she had not expected to ever see him again. Which was why it was so astonishing, when he’d appeared in Ainsel River, and collected her doll. Not the usual doll body one might find her inhabiting in her tower, but a miniature version that Ranni had specifically designed to house her soul so she could get in nice and close to the Two Fingers.
 
Unfortunately, things hadn’t turned out quite the way she’d wanted, and she’d ended up stranded… until Melina’s Tarnished had come along.
 
Now, as the Tarnished sits at a Site of Lost Grace and holds her miniature form up gently in one hand, Ranni can’t help but feel that there’s an unforeseen intelligence in those eyes of his. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows exactly who he’s dealing with. The silence stretches as he stares down at her patiently, neither judging nor condemning her. Until finally… she simply can’t take it anymore.
 
Grudgingly, Ranni reaches out and transmits her voice directly into the Tarnished’s mind.
 
“Dogged fellow, aren’t we? Or is it merely thy habit, to pick up and stare at dolls for minutes on end? Tch, fine, fine.”
 
She wishes she could shuffle around in this form, but alas, this doll is not nearly as… emotive as her larger doll body. No, not one bit. Tis utterly unalive, and so she is reduced to just laying there in the Tarnished’s gloved palm, as she speaks to him.
 
“I hadn’t expected any soul to recognize me in this guise. But now the cat is out the bag, I cannot allow thee thy freedoms.”
 
She’s not sure what she’s expecting from the Tarnished, but a solemn nod of agreement is not it. Honestly, it irritates her quite a bit, and some of that irritation leaks into her next words.
 
“Thou shalt perform for me a service, as recompense. Eliminate the Baleful Shadows which prowl these lands.”
 
She pauses for a moment, already anticipating his immediate agreement. Far from happy, it only annoys her further. Just who does this Tarnished think he is, being so helpful? Urgh, she needs to remind him of his place.
 
“The name of Ranni the Witch is already sullied by thee. I shall not brook disobedience in this matter.”
 
He just continues to nod amicably, clearly in agreement with her. And that… that’s good. It should please her, that he is so willing to continue risking life and limb on her behalf. But it just doesn’t make sense! He has the kindling maiden, does he not?! Where is Melina, to be letting her Tarnished so far off of his damn leash?!
 
Tis a rhetorical question. Ranni can tell, even in her current form, that Melina is nearby. And yet, she does not step in. Her fragment is so very weak-willed. Weaker than Ranni would have thought possible. Fine then. Her weakness shall be Ranni’s strength.
 
“Let us speak of the past, a while.”
 
Making sure that the Tarnished is listening closely (of course he is, but she has to check all the same) Ranni weaves a small glimpse of her tale for her new servant.
 
“I was once an Empyrean. Of the demigods, only I, Miquella, and Malenia could claim that title. Each of us was chosen by our own Two Fingers, as candidates who could one day succeed Queen Marika, and eventually become the new God of the coming Age. Which is when I received Blaidd, in the form of a vassal tailored for an Empyrean.”
 
Ranni pauses for a moment, though she need not take a breath in either of her forms. She pauses to make sure the Tarnished is staying with her and finds to her suspicion and surprise that he’s following along better than she would have thought. Tch, just who is this Tarnished, really?
 
“… But I would not acquiesce to the Two Fingers. I stole the Rune of Death, slew mine own Empyrean flesh, and cast it away. I would not be controlled by that thing.”
 
Here, Ranni feels a burst of savage satisfaction. If she could have smirked, she would have.
 
“The Two Fingers and I have been cursing each other ever since. The Baleful Shadows are their assassins. They cannot accept that I turned my back on their destiny for me. And I cannot accept that they would slay me simply for desiring mine freedom from their plans.”
 
Ranni watches the Tarnished closely, gauging his reaction. She supposes she shouldn’t exactly be caught off guard when tis the same as it’s always been. Understanding, acceptance, and a solemn nod as he climbs to his feet. He wields her brother’s Starscourge Greatsword and wears the armor of a veteran as he descends into Nokstella, Eternal City.
 
The following combats are most brutal… for the Tarnished’s opponents, that is. Ranni watches him fight firsthand and comes to understand how he might have brought low even her brother. To say Radahn was not in his prime would be the understatement to end all understatements, but there was no denying that her Tarnished protector was still quite strong.
 
That a mere mortal Tarnished had defeated him was still somewhat baffling to Ranni, but twould seem they had lucked out. Twas the perfect timing, a festival of gladiatorial combat in Radahn’s ‘honor’, that ultimately resulted in half a dozen combatants all testing their mettle against the ailing, maddened General.
 
Even still, Ranni could see how the Tarnished might have acquitted himself in that battle. And now, witnessing it with her own eye, so to speak, Ranni could understand how her brother had fallen. Melina’s Tarnished was indeed a warrior, bred and true. He knew how to fight. He knew how to kill. Most importantly of all, he knew how to win.
 
He wielded her brother’s weapons as if they were his and had always been his. He destroyed all opposition and brought her ever closer to her ultimate goal. Ranni’s awe is matched only by her hunger. She is so close. Her goal is in reach, even now. Perhaps that is why, when they come to a stop at another Site of Lost Grace, Ranni speaks once more.
 
“… Even when I turned my back upon the Two Fingers, Blaidd remained my loyal ally.”
 
The half-wolven had been created by the Greater Will for the sole purpose of serving her as she in turn served the Two Fingers. Ranni had had no misconceptions about what would likely happen, when she betrayed the Two Fingers. And yet… and yet…
 
“Heh. Though he was created a vassal for an Empyrean, he was a colossal failure, on the part of the Two Fingers.”
 
Blaidd had refused to answer their call. He had refused to turn on her. Technically, by all counts, twas his responsibility to bring her to the Two Fingers for judgment, and failing that, to slay her. As years had turned into decades, as time wound ever onward, the Two Fingers had rapidly lost any appetite for attempting to return her to the fold.
 
That was when the Baleful Shadows had begun to appear, the assassins attempting to finish the job that Ranni herself had started. They wanted her dead, truly dead, not just living a half life as Ranni the Witch, her time as Lunar Princess Ranni clearly behind her.
 
Ranni, of course, was ill-inclined to give them what they wanted. No, rather… she enjoyed spurning them their desires at every turn. One of the few joys she took from life, these days. And all of it, all of her success… she could not have done it without them.
 
“Blaidd and Iji both… art willing to give too much to me.”
 
She feels weak, for just a moment, as she considers what sort of lives her closest confidants might have had, if they were not so irrevocably tied to HER. But then she is reminded of why she does all of this, why she has done everything she has done, and her strength returns to her alongside her resolve.
 
“Yet… they both understand. What lieth beyond the dark path. They know that I must betray everything and rid the world of what came before.”
 
There was no other way. For the cycle to be broken, things had to change. Even if the Greater Will was absent like never before, its influence still lingered. The Two Fingers still worked their machinations. The Golden Order, created by her wayward father and held aloft by her now-dead brother, still stood for the moment. If all went according to plan, then the moment would pass, and the Golden Order would end.
 
And if that did come to pass, it would be thanks in part to this Tarnished, who had stepped off of his own path to help her not once, but twice with her journey.
 
“Ah, should I add thee to the list? Another one, kind of heart. As kind of heart as they.”
 
No sooner have the words left her, then Ranni feels something… strange. Is this… embarrassment? She is grateful now, that her miniature doll form cannot emote, as she metaphorically clears her throat with some haste.
 
“Ach, this form hath loosened my tongue! I’ve let slip too much. Forget what thou’st heard. Forget!”
 
He has the audacity to give her yet another understanding smile and nod, this irritant of a Tarnished. If she could scowl, she would. As is, she settles for grumbling and fuming internally, as he rises and continues on his way once more.
 
The Baleful Shadow the Two Fingers sent to hunt her appears soon after, taking the form of her beloved, loyal Blaidd. In the face of such provocation, how can Ranni not boast, even as the Tarnished engages the shadow in battle?
 
“O Shadow, thou’rt the last.”
 
As the Tarnished knocks the Baleful Shadow to the ground with one blow, before following it up with a downward swing that shakes the underground chamber, Ranni feels satisfaction fill her to the brim.
 
“Tell the Two Fingers, that Ranni the Witch cometh, to rend thy flesh.”
 
The Baleful Shadow finds its feet once more, but to no avail. The Tarnished is stronger than it. Faster than it. Just plain better than it. And, as its name would suggest… tis but a shadow of her loyal half-wolven protector. Nothing more.
 
“With a fateful wound, ne’er to heal.”
 
Her final words to the shadow are followed by its demise, as the Tarnished swings one last time and rends it limb from limb with the devastating blow. For a moment, Ranni feels a thrum of nostalgia. It has been a long time since she saw her brother’s sword wielded. To see another utilize the Starscourge Greatsword with the same effortless skill and monstrous strength that Radahn did… it reminds her of better times. Happier times.
 
Regardless, it was done.
 
“Beautifully fought, O’ Tarnished.”
 
And then, because she finds herself feeling a little guilty for dragging him into all of this, even if twas his choice to ‘stumble upon her’ and make such a nuisance of himself, Ranni decides to throw him a bit of a bone.
 
“My thanks. Twas both more and less of a challenge than I envisioned.”
 
If she had been alone, as intended… she would not have managed to overcome this challenge. She would never have reached the end of the dark path. And that… that would have been such a waste. At the same time, this was not a fight that the Tarnished had any issue with. Perhaps she should have made use of him for this leg of the journey from the very start, but Ranni the Witch had her pride, if nothing else…
 
Now though…
 
“Now I can finally stand before them.”
 
And where she went now, the Tarnished could not follow her. With this last Baleful Shadow dead, the Two Fingers were defenseless. And here was Ranni the Witch, armed with a Fingerslayer Blade.
 
“This is farewell, my dear. Tell Blaidd, and Iji… I love them.”
 
With that, Ranni pulls herself free of her miniature self, and back towards her proper-sized doll body, armed as it was with the Fingerslayer Blade. It was time. Time to end… all of this.
 
Ah, but before she goes… she cannot help herself. It takes but a moment of her time, an ounce of her focus, and a key is discarded in the Tarnished’s pockets, to be found later, likely after all is said and done. What he does with it… she leaves in his hands.
 
Heh… tis ridiculous, really. What WAS this strange feeling in her chest? Hmph, this damnable Tarnished… how dare he make her feel hope again…

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