Maidenless No Longer (Elden Ring)

She was in… quite the predicament, Zorayas had to admit. No, rather… twas Rya. She was wearing the skin of Rya at the moment, and so she had to think if herself as Rya. Otherwise, the deception might be discovered. Lady Tanith, her beloved mistress, had always been abundantly clear about that.
 
Still, it changed nothing whether she was Rya or Zorayas at the moment. Even in her more… godly form, she was quite certain that she could do nothing about the situation she found herself in. Indeed, Rya was weak. That was why she was little more than a scout for Volcano Manor, and not one of its esteemed warriors.
 
It was not her place to fight and do battle, but to complete Lady Tanith’s errands to the absolute best of her abilities. And she had! Yes, she had… but at the same time, things had taken a turn for the worst, hadn’t they? Wringing her hands from within the relative safety of the pavilion, Rya knows not what to do. By all counts, she should head back to the manor at this point. Her errands are done. She’s expected.
 
But… her necklace. That damn ruffian had it, and she knew she wasn’t strong enough to get it back. Oh, if only she could bring herself to learn to fight. If only she could tear his thieving hands from his body, his treacherous head from his shoulders. If only, if only, if only…
 
In the midst of Rya’s fretting, the sound of horse hooves startles her and draws her attention. The splashing as a great beast gallops through the ever-present waters of the Lakes draws Rya’s attention, as an armored individual draws up to her pavilion and hops off of his Spectral Steed, the horned beast of burden disappearing into the ether out from under him.
 
Ah, but he has perfect balance all the same, and Rya… Rya can’t help but blush just a little bit. The newcomer, a Tarnished by her estimation, is wearing the same armor as Lady Tanith’s Knight! The armor of a Crucible Knight, from what Rya knows. And he’s wearing it quite well, at that! The Crucible Knights were said to serve Godfrey, the first Elden Lord. While Lady Tanith’s protector never spoke, Rya knew a little about him and his armor. It was said to hold the power of the crucible of life itself, the primordial form of the Erdtree.
 
Now, Rya was not foolish or naïve. She understood that for this Tarnished to be wearing that armor, he had likely taken it off of the corpse of a Crucible Knight. And yet… was Rya supposed to be afraid? Was she supposed to be scornful of the Tarnished? The Lands Between were not a kind place. One needed every advantage one could get… or the backing of the more powerful, as in the case of Rya herself.
 
If anything, this Tarnished wearing the armor of a Crucible Knight sans the helm… it put her at ease. As did his warm, caring smile as he ascended the pavilion steps and came to a stop in front of her. He neither looked disgusted or pitying of her hunched back, and for a moment Rya feels a strange warmth. Ah, but there’s still her predicament to be dealt with… and of course, pleasantries to be observed first and foremost.
 
“Hello!”
 
The Tarnished inclines his head in greeting. Hm, quiet type, is he? Rya will have to do enough talking for both of them then, despite any nervousness she might feel!
 
“Rather chilly out here, isn’t it? Alas, my mistress sent me off on an errand…”
 
She pauses for a moment, but when the Tarnished just looks at her, paying her more mind than she would have expected, Rya startles and continues on.
 
“I’m in a bit of a bind though now, you see. I was accosted by a ruffian, and he stole something from me. Could I ask you to lend a hand, perhaps?”
 
Forging onwards, not waiting for a reply, Rya explains her predicament, hoping to play off of this Tarnished’s visible empathy. He might not pity her, but he seemed… surprisingly nice.
 
“The thug made off with a very precious necklace… and I am not strong enough to retrieve it on my own. I need someone else to do it for me… someone like you.”
 
Here, Rya pauses. A realization hits her, and she hastens to explain the slight hitch in this plan of action, before the Tarnished can either agree or disagree, and later call her a liar for withholding information.
 
“Only… you should know, he too is a Tarnished. If you’ve any qualms about confronting your own, I shall find another…”
 
But even before she’s done talking, the Tarnished is shaking his head mutely and stepping forward. To Rya’s surprise, he places a hand on her shoulder, which shocks her into absolute silence. Her mistress… her mistress had placed a protective ward on her, before she’d left. Twas meant to safeguard her from all harm.
 
Unfortunately, it had not safeguarded her from her own stupidity, and when that brigand had asked to see her necklace, Rya had foolishly let him, allowing him to run off with it without ever having to breach her protection in the first place.
 
Now though, Rya can only stiffen in fright as she realizes this new Tarnished… is completely ignoring the ward like it isn’t even there. Her protection is meaningless before him, the barrier just lets him through like it’s not even there. Rya’s breath catches in her throat, and for the first time she’s not merely fretting… she’s afraid.
 
But then that moment of terror passes, as the Tarnished uses his ability to get past her protective barrier to… squeeze her shoulder comfortingly and give her a consoling nod. Rya bites her lower lip, stooped over by the hunchback of her human form, and looks up at the well-armored Tarnished.
 
“You… oh, thank you dearly, Tarnished. W-What a blessing that we’ve met like this. The thug should be resting at the abandoned home just down the way. P-Please… I must have the necklace back.”
 
It was her most valuable possession. Lady Tanith assured her that it was a picture of her mother, of the woman who had given birth to Rya. She cherished it with all her heart, and always kept it close to her. Until now. Until she’d been so foolish as to let it be taken by that… that ruffian.
 
Fortunately, her luck seems to be turning around. This new Tarnished, clad in such powerful armor, gives her a single solid nod and steps away from her. Rya watches him go from over the short wall of the pavilion, as he remounts his Spectral Steed and continues down the way towards the abandoned house she’d lost her necklace at.
 
Soon enough he’s out of sight, and all Rya can do is stand there and wait. She can only hope the Tarnished returns triumphant soon enough. If he does, why… he’ll be her hero! Ah, but she does hope that the ruffian is made to suffer. Rya bites her lower lip again, as she imagines the Tarnished’s Crucible Greatsword slicing right through that thuggish brute’s chest. It would certainly show him, enticing her with the delectable scent of his Boiled Prawn.
 
How was she to know he meant for there to be a trade between them? When he’d asked her to see her necklace and had in turn given her a sample of his prawn, why… she’d thought it merely a sample! But then he’d kept the necklace once she’d eaten the prawn and claimed it as payment. And while his Boiled Prawn WAS delicious, she most certainly did not think the paltry serving she’d been given was worth her most valuable possession!
 
To say Rya had been distraught would be an understatement. She was… bamboozled. Tricked by the Prawn Seller. His wily ways and his smooth words had completely and utterly taken her in.
 
It made her afraid that perhaps she’d placed her faith in the wrong Tarnished yet again. Now, Rya knew better than to think ALL Tarnished were bad. In fact, Volcano Manor was home to several Tarnished Warriors who were quite good folk! Yes, Tarnished came in all shapes and sizes, all colors and types. Rya had met plenty of good Tarnished and would not let this one bad experience taint her view of the group as a whole!
 
And yet… well, it was no matter, was it? If she had been wrong to place her faith in this new Tarnished yet again, she wouldn’t have lost anything more, at least. Except time. If he did not come back, what was she going to do? Oh bother, she supposed… she supposed she would have to return to Volcano Manor emptyhanded.
 
Especially if her mistress’ protection was waning to the point that a strange man could lay his hands on her. Rya flushes and reaches up to touch the shoulder where he’d squeezes. Her current form is not an illusion, but a full blown transformation. Luckily that’s the case, or else he would have felt scales, instead of a normal, albeit misshapen flesh and blood shoulder.
 
Regardless, she runs her fingers over that shoulder as she reminisces at the Tarnished’s touch. Hm, she’s never had a man be so forward with her before. Nor so kind. Lady Tanith has touched her in comforting ways, but Lady Tanith is Lady Tanith. Her mistress looks after her, it’s expected of her. This mysterious Tarnished has come out of nowhere and seems ready to fight on her behalf as her Champion. It’s almost too good to-
 
Once more, Rya is torn from her thoughts by the sound of splashing hooves galloping through the Lakes, this time coming back down the way from where she sent the Tarnished. And indeed, it is him, the same man as before, still clad in the armor of a Crucible Knight, still wielding one of their blades. He leaps off his Spectral Steed and ascends the steps to her pavilion quite rapidly.
 
Rya stiffens for a moment, a little afraid as she’s reminded by his swift approach that he can somehow reach past her ward with ease. He doesn’t draw his Greatsword though… and in glancing at the weapon, Rya finds herself discouraged as she notes that it’s completely clean, without a single drop of the blood from the ruffian she’d desperately hoped to see coating it upon his return.
 
… It seemed he’d been unable to help her, after all. Probably for the best. This way, she would not be tempted to ask if she could lick the sword clean. N-Not that she ever would! It was just a temptation she had sometimes. Blood… blood sang to her. Ah, but she must address the returning Tarnished, and make sure he knows she does not blame him for his failure. Twas her fault in the first place that her necklace was-
 
Her necklace! Rya’s jaw drops open, albeit only by a normal human amount, as the Tarnished holds out her necklace in one gauntleted hand, showing her the picture of her birth mother. Getting a little choked up, Rya reaches out with trembling hands and takes the necklace. The Tarnished does not try to stop her, looking on with a warm, understanding smile as she pulls the necklace in close, holding it to her chest gingerly. Finally, back where it belongs.
 
“This… this is indeed my missing necklace. Thank you kindly, Sir Tarnished. I find myself in your debt.”
 
Then, she blushes. Oh! Where are her manners?! All this time, and this is their second conversation too! She’d been so caught up in her predicament that she hadn’t…!
 
“D-Did I forget to announce myself? My deepest apologies! I am Rya, in the service of Lady Tanith of the Volcano Manor.”
 
Beaming at the Tarnished, even as her hunchbacked status forces her to crane her neck to do so, Rya quickly wipes away the one tear that threatens to escape from her eye and continues on.
 
“I-In fact, I seek stalwart Tarnished who might join our house! You are very brave yourself! Not only a steady hand, but a steady heart too! Such strength is precisely what my mistress seeks!”
 
His blade might not be stained with blood, but he’d returned with her necklace all the same, which meant he’d dispatched that ruffian in mere minutes in some manner or fashion. It was not Rya’s place to question his methods… by all accounts, by all of her mistress’ standards even, he had earned this.
 
“Please, take this invitation.”
 
Handing over the letter, she watches eagerly as the Tarnished takes it, looking between her and it with some measure of amusement. Rya, straightening up as best as she can given her hunchback, clears her throat and makes sure to take on her most official tone.
 
“Brave Tarnished, seek the Altus Plateau, the realm of the Erdtree. Most Tarnished are Doomed to wander the outskirts of the Lands Between, peering wistfully at the towering Erdtree from a distance… but you are no ordinary Tarnished!”
 
She beams at him, and he smiles back at her, even as she takes a deep breath and continues.
 
“And once that is proven, once you reach the Plateau, the Volcano Manor can fully extend its invitation to you and allow you to fight amongst a family of champions!”
 
There. She’s delivered her mistress’ words perfectly, if Rya does say so herself. The Tarnished nods along and tucks the invitation he gave her away in his armor. Before he can depart however, Rya stops him, wanting… well, wanting to help him out a bit more of her own volition. A-After all, she owed him so much as it was. He had the potential to be a Champion of Volcano Manor… but he already was her champion, her own personal hero.
 
“O-Oh and… one more thing, only for you…”
 
He looks at her expectantly, and Rya finds herself flushing under his watchful eye.
 
“This land of Liurnia is connected to the Altus Plateau by the Grand Lift of Dectus, beyond the High Road. But the lift has been defunct for an age, meaning there is no simple means of passage. Instead, you must seek the old ruins in the cliff. At the base of the valley, near the Great Lift, there’s an old tunnel. It was excavated from both ends, linking Liurnia to the Altus Plateau, for those strong and daring enough to brave its dangers!”
 
Here, Rya beams again.
 
“I have faith in you, of course, O’ Tarnished. A Champion, through and through! I’m sure we will meet again, once you reach the Plateau.”
 
Silent as he has been throughout their interaction, from start to finish, the Tarnished inclines his head in thanks, before waving goodbye. Rya waves goodbye as well, watching him leave the pavilion and once again mount his Spectral Steed. As she watches her hero ride off deeper into the Lakes, Rya lets out a shuddering breath, and finally sets about activating the teleportation magic that will return her to Volcano Manor.
 
… For a moment, she considers what she will tell Lady Tanith about her misadventures, before deciding that it’d be better to say nothing for the time being. Her mistress does not need to know about her naïve misstep, or how it nearly cost her precious necklace. And she doesn’t need to know about Rya’s Tarnished either, until he makes his way to the Plateau and can be invited to the Manor properly.
 
Rya has no doubt in her mind that the day will come, of course. Her hero… has no equal. He will defeat every challenge that comes his way, and one day he will reach Volcano Manor, and join her in service to the mistress.
 
As she disappears from the pavilion a moment later, Rya’s eyes drift shut and a smile spreads across her face. She can hardly wait.

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