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The Lord Ruler is in his palace, when he sees a sight he hasn't seen in centuries. Trees, sunlight...is he hallucinating? The fact that there's a forest in his living room isn't the surprising part. The fact that there's a forest on his planet is. As soon as he walks through the door to where his living room isn't, it's definitely not a hallucination.
His stores of Allomantic metals abruptly disappear. They're still physically there, but the power is completely gone. He immediately turns to go back, only to see more forest.
At least his Feruchemy still works—he can tell because he's still alive—but that won't last him forever. He only has so much stored youth, and without both sets of abilities he can't replenish it. He hasn't been in so much danger since the beheading that one time. Returning to Scadrial is the highest and currently only priority. If spontaneous forests are a thing, he needs to find someone who can explain them and more importantly how to get back.
The next few hours are spent walking in an essentially randomly chosen direction, with the sun to his right. He's quite certain that suns are supposed to be moving across the sky, but that's not a pressing emergency. He already knew he wasn't on his own planet when he saw proper trees and plants instead of ash-covered monstrosities. Whenever he calls out, nobody responds. If it's an empty spontaneous forest, he's probably doomed.
After some time, he hears his stomach growl. He hasn't seen much that looks edible, but possibly that's just because he's not used to real plants. Berries. Berries used to exist. Those berries look tasty, and if they're poisonous it's not like he needs to worry about it. As always, he has a truly ridiculous amount of stored health in his gold jewelry. Tapping gold just in case, he eats a handful.
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unprophesied_of_ages
unprophesied_of_ages
Alendi peers back. Jumping straight to "how'd you like to make a gate and order me not to stay on this side" doesn't seem likely to work, and he needs more information anyway. For all he knows Promise is all in favor of this system.
"So, I've only been here for hours and don't know the basics. I gather the orders thing happens by name and sometimes by food, but can you tell me what exactly we're in for?"
"So, I've only been here for hours and don't know the basics. I gather the orders thing happens by name and sometimes by food, but can you tell me what exactly we're in for?"
imeanforever
"If you're about to be sold, I don't know what you can expect from your second master, but as long as Yellow has you - well, for the bulk of your time that depends somewhat on what you're good at. He has me do incidental sorcery and keep up my study of that, and I'm allowed some hours to myself, and he's also occasionally inclined to sexual use, although I can't predict whether he'll want to use you for that."
Thoughtful finger-tapping.
"Did you bring any mortal food of any kind with you?"
Thoughtful finger-tapping.
"Did you bring any mortal food of any kind with you?"
unprophesied_of_ages
"I'm...sorry to hear that. Would you like revenge?" Revenge is definitely a thing he can offer, all he needs is a gate.
There's only one possible reason for that question and it's very promising. "Depends what counts as food. I could break off and regrow a bit of a finger and cook the spare. It'd be painless but extremely disgusting; how desperate are we?"
There's only one possible reason for that question and it's very promising. "Depends what counts as food. I could break off and regrow a bit of a finger and cook the spare. It'd be painless but extremely disgusting; how desperate are we?"
imeanforever
"There is a sharp limit to how much revenge is available while he remembers our names," says Promise. "I want out. We can both get out - probably - and I think we are, in fact, that desperate. Yellow isn't very smart; I'd be long gone but I have lingering orders from a previous master and I can't help you until they're countermanded. Did Yellow already tell you not to give out your name? - Don't say it yet, if he hasn't. But what were his exact words?"
unprophesied_of_ages
"He got my name and then said 'don't tell anyone else that.' But that was before he ordered me not to do anything you say not to, so you might be able to just ask.
On my own world, I have an army of people whose names he doesn't know. Yellow said you know how to make a gate?"
On my own world, I have an army of people whose names he doesn't know. Yellow said you know how to make a gate?"
imeanforever
"I know how to make a gate. I know where one already is, too, but it might not open anywhere near where you want to be in the mortal world. I don't have to work out a complicated way to tell you not to not tell me your name, though, with that wording you can write it down or say it backwards or something - but my idea only works if I go first. There's nothing less disgusting than part of your finger available?"
unprophesied_of_ages
"Less disgusting? Most things are.
I have vials of dissolved metals that are meant to be swallowed, but something cooked and formerly alive is at least a more foodlike kind of thing. Depends entirely on what counts."
I have vials of dissolved metals that are meant to be swallowed, but something cooked and formerly alive is at least a more foodlike kind of thing. Depends entirely on what counts."
imeanforever
"Cooked is not necessarily, formerly alive might be. All right. So, that, and then you will be able to rescind all my previous orders. Then you tell me your name and I can do the same thing for you and we can get out. I can't feed you because once I'm your vassal food from me will no longer have power to capture you."
unprophesied_of_ages
"All right, try this and hopefully we can avoid the other option."
He hands her a glass vial containing flakes of differently colored metals in a transparent solution.
He hands her a glass vial containing flakes of differently colored metals in a transparent solution.
imeanforever
She peers at it, then downs it in one gulp. "Right, try telling me to do something."
imeanforever
"Write your name," Promise says at once. "...Okay, I don't have to eat part of your finger, that's good. I'll get you some paper." She gets him some paper, and an inkpen.
unprophesied_of_ages
Alendi considers whether to write his name. He could order her to open a gate, call some Steel Inquisitors, and torture Yellow until he rescinds the orders. If gate-making is fast enough that it'd finish before Yellow gets back. And if it's directed enough that the gate wouldn't open into the middle of the burnlands. And if this world's natives don't have some way of stopping Inquisitors. Too many unknowns.
He picks up the pen and writes Rashek.
He picks up the pen and writes Rashek.
imeanforever
Promise reads it, and then the paper ignites in her hand; she drops it and it's ashes before it hits the ground.
"You have to rescind my orders before I can cover yours; I had a cleverer master before Yellow and many of his commands still apply."
"You have to rescind my orders before I can cover yours; I had a cleverer master before Yellow and many of his commands still apply."
unprophesied_of_ages
"Then I hereby order you to ignore whatever previous orders you want to."
She doesn't seem likely to try anything dangerous, but Alendi taps zinc and steel to speed up his perceptions and reactions. Just in case.
She doesn't seem likely to try anything dangerous, but Alendi taps zinc and steel to speed up his perceptions and reactions. Just in case.
imeanforever
"Thank you. And I rescind your previous orders - and - never give me an order that I do not expressly request of my own uncommanded will, or that you do not sincerely without mental contortion believe to be in my best interest as you genuinely understand it, except the reciprocal of this one if you so desire."
unprophesied_of_ages
Ruin. She's ordering him.
As soon as he hears "never give me an order," Alendi starts filling a tinmind. Rather than storing his sense of hearing for future use, he's making sure he won't hear anything until her mouth stops moving.
Sound fades out, and he manages to cut off the rest of Promise's orders. At least whatever came after "never give me an order I don't request" won't affect him. Looks like she's going to need destroying along with Yellow.
For now, though, he still needs to get out of this house and back to his world. "Thanks for removing those. Do you have a safe place in mind, or do we just pick a direction and go?"
As soon as he hears "never give me an order," Alendi starts filling a tinmind. Rather than storing his sense of hearing for future use, he's making sure he won't hear anything until her mouth stops moving.
Sound fades out, and he manages to cut off the rest of Promise's orders. At least whatever came after "never give me an order I don't request" won't affect him. Looks like she's going to need destroying along with Yellow.
For now, though, he still needs to get out of this house and back to his world. "Thanks for removing those. Do you have a safe place in mind, or do we just pick a direction and go?"
imeanforever
Promise doesn't notice that the rest of her instruction has fallen on deaf ears. "You're welcome. I know where I want to go long term -" She ducks into her room and fills a bag with fruit and books. "But I can't carry you flying, and Yellow's faster than I am and I don't know when he'll be back. I can draw you a map to the gate I've already made if you think you can get home from where it opens? I don't remember the name of the place, though."
unprophesied_of_ages
"I can make myself lighter. Can't change the weight of my clothes or all this metal I'm wearing," he clinks his bracelets, "and how long I can do it at a time is limited by how much iron I have.
An existing gate...it probably goes to somewhere in the Empire; that's where most of the population is likely to be from. But if the last mortal was from the South—and I know little about what's going on there—then getting back would be difficult."
An existing gate...it probably goes to somewhere in the Empire; that's where most of the population is likely to be from. But if the last mortal was from the South—and I know little about what's going on there—then getting back would be difficult."
imeanforever
"I don't remember where she was from. I think I can accommodate the weight of the metal and clothes at least for a shortish flight. We can stop somewhere long enough for me to start a new gate, but you'll have to wait for it to connect. Will you starve if it takes awhile?"
unprophesied_of_ages
"Not literally. If I were to not eat for long it'd be uncomfortable, but I wouldn't suffer health problems or starve to death for...I don't know. Longer than I'm likely to need to."
imeanforever
"It won't take longer than a few days. I think I know a place I can put a gate where nobody will think to look for you for that long." She heads out the door. "And I think you know better than to eat fey food twice. Let me know when you're light enough for me to try picking you up."
unprophesied_of_ages
"Let me try something first. It'll lengthen how long I can sustain the lightness."
Alendi follows out the door, then jumps to the opposite edge of the roof. (Fill iron, tap pewter.) He starts tapping iron, emptying that bracelet of all its stored weight and making himself far heavier than any human is expected to be. After Yellow's wall collapses he jumps back and, falling slowly, says "I should be good to weigh nothing for a while now."
Alendi follows out the door, then jumps to the opposite edge of the roof. (Fill iron, tap pewter.) He starts tapping iron, emptying that bracelet of all its stored weight and making himself far heavier than any human is expected to be. After Yellow's wall collapses he jumps back and, falling slowly, says "I should be good to weigh nothing for a while now."
imeanforever
"If you say so." She glares at the damaged house. It erupts in flames. And then she flutters into the air and attempts to pick Alendi up.
unprophesied_of_ages
It's like trying to lift a human-sized balloon held down by clothes and jewelry. The weight isn't an issue, but the fact that he's bigger than she is might be inconvenient for flying with.