TRINITY RISING
Summary: Tiffany meets Rox and 'gets to know her' a bit. Later, she has a think about things with Beorn and talks to Forgal, working out some of the confusing kinks in their friendship. The assault on Senecus Castrum is enacted and won, and Rytlock prepares to assault the Citadel of Flame. Before that happens, however, he sends Tiffany out to get Destiny's Edge. Tiffany is surprised to find Eir and Zojja getting along, and when Zojja decides to pull out the big guns - namely, Big Zojja - Tiffany is stunned.
Chapter two: Friends Unite
Author's Notes:
So if you were awake on Saturday night, you may have noticed that the end of the last chapter changed slightly. That's because I realized that there are no dredge anywhere around anywhere up in northern Ascalon. So the plan had to modified slightly, but not too much. So, if you read chapter 1 on Saturday night (or Sunday morning, same thing at that point, though barely) go check and make sure you got the right version. Edit: And also I forgot to take out the author's note pertaining to that change. /facepalm. Well, it's out now, and it's revealed in the opening of this chapter anyway. /sigh.
Thank you ZenoLucario for your reviews (and the awesome book name)!
I have added pictures to represent the stories! If you go to my profile you can see new pictures next to each story. Previously, they were all my profile picture, but I've updated it. The image for Book One: Tyria's Real! is Tiffany. The image for Book Two: Soldiers, Scholars and Spies is Fiona, and the image for Book Three: Reforging the Edge is Vriré. I haven't decided on a picture for Book Four: Trinity Rising.
Okay, here's the story now:
While the dredge machine is being built, there is not much for the soldiers to do. Tiffany talks to Vargok, who is grumpy at having to replace his warband. By the end of the conversation, Tiffany points out that he could always call the new warband something else, so it wouldn't be messing with the Forge warband, and Vargok says he'll think over the idea.
The troops take to training for the big battles to come, but all of the training equipment is designed for charr - although Tiffany does get in some practice at a shooting range, most of the stuff is unsuitable for Forgal and Tiffany.
So the two take to wandering the camp, and pretty soon Tiffany is drawn, out of curiosity, to the forge where the Iron Legion engineers - including Vargok, who seems quite interested - are working on the dredge machine. Tiffany remembers her idle curiosity over the identity of the charr Rytlock had picked to direct the work, and glances around.
There are a few other curious bystanders, but she can't pick out anyone in particular who seems to be instructing the workers.
She looks around the room again, careful not to interrupt the charr. She notices that one of the onlookers is Blood Legion, not Iron Legion, and once she notes that, and looks closer, she realizes it is Rox, and feels slightly stupid for not recognizing her.
She wonders what interest Rox could have in dredge machines, and glances at the not-nearly-done device that the Iron Legion are working on.
Rox, probably wondering what a human is doing in a charr camp, makes her way over. "Hello," she says, "my name is Rox. Are you the Warmaster that Rytlock talked to yesterday about Spinebreaker?"
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Rox." She doesn't ask for Rox's last name or warband, hoping that Rox will only think she doesn't know much about charr yet. She is confident that Rox won't ask why. "What are you doing here? I've never heard of a Blood soldier interested in Iron work before."
"I have some experience mining," Rox explains. "We dealt with the dredge all the time, and stole their machines sometimes. Everyone stuck me with the task of maintaining it, so I know more about the tunnelers than most, but not enough to build it. I'm just telling the Iron engineers what I know, and leave them the job of making sense of it. They're almost as bad as asura."
Tiffany smiles. "I know what you mean. It's astounding, though. I didn't think anyone could build something with such limited knowledge."
Rox nods. "They are certainly good at what they do."
After a few minutes of silence as they watch the engineers, Rox asks, "so, how do you know Rytlock?"
"I was on a Vigil mission - technically just an information one - to tell him that the dredge were allying with the Flame Legion. I happened to be introduced to him by a friend of his, Caithe, so he took a liking to me. Then I helped him and his friends kill a mutual enemy. I haven't seen him since, but he makes friends fast."
"That he does," Rox nods. "You were helping Destiny's Edge?"
Tiffany nods. "Do you know much about them?"
"They fought several dragon champions," Rox shrugs. "Tried to fight Kralkatorrik, failed, haven't spoken since. I'm honestly surprised Rytlock would even talk to a human since then."
"Really?" Tiffany frowns. "Huh. He worked with Logan rather well when I was helping them, although we kind of had to convince him."
Rox laughs. "Nobody 'convinces' Rytlock. He had to have already thought of the argument you were using."
Tiffany tilts her head. "You know, I think you might be right. Actually, that might be true for everybody, at least subconsciously."
Rox nods. "Yeah, that makes sense. So what do you do in the Vigil?"
"Well, it's not all fighting, as some of the misinformed might think," Tiffany says. "My first mission was hunting down Renegades and stopping them from messing up the Ebonhawke Treaty. Me and Forgal messed up a plan to assassinate the Krytan representative."
"That was you?" Rox asks. "I heard about that. The Legions have been cracking down on Renegades more harshly since then."
"Really? That's neat," Tiffany smiles. Rox is happy and cheerful, and is just how Tiffany remembers her. All of the other people she has met have something bothering them - Destiny's Edge have their problems, Braham is, well, Braham, and she only met Taimi and Kasmeer once. Rox is just… normal, somehow. It's odd, but Rox is just cool that way. Pun intended - Rox can just chill out anytime. It's refreshing. "Of course, it isn't just Renegades - Separatists almost killed Beorn, my companion…" 'oops, wrong way to go. Rox is a ranger, too, but I don't see Frostbite. Ri… right, Frostbite was her second companion, her other one died in the cave-in that killed her warband.' "…and Queen Jennah, but I got mad and destroyed them all."
"I know exactly what you mean," Rox says, nodding. She glances at Beorn. "This is your companion?"
'So, Rox does want to talk about it. Okay.' "Yes. Beorn is very smart, and very protective. But only when he needs to be, which is neat. He doesn't go worrying about me when I'm in danger the way Petra - my adoptive mother - does."
Rox nods. "He knows what you're thinking, and half the time he's in danger with you. He knows more than anyone else exactly how powerful you are."
Tiffany nods in agreement. "He almost got corrupted by Icebrood once, but I fought them off in time and he managed to heal it before it got too far. My sister knew someone who was corrupted - she only knew Disa for a day, but it was almost her fault Disa was corrupted. I think she maybe secretly blames herself."
Rox sighs. "Well, it's over now. Can't change what's happened."
"Right."
Then, Rox is called away by one of the Iron engineers, and Tiffany slips out of the workshop and back to the barracks-like tent that is usually full of unruly charr, but for now is quiet.
She wishes that Fiona were here. Fiona is almost like a second companion - someone she can discuss things with. It's hard having a conversation with Beorn since he can't talk beyond the emotions in the bond, and Fiona supplies that gap most of the time. She wonders how the talking through the bond works - as far as she can tell, only feelings and emotions can pass through, and not a shade more. She decides that she will ask Forgal about it. He's like a hundred years old, and he probably met his companion really young, as she did.
But she talks to Beorn. She hasn't had much of a chance the last few weeks, and so she takes the opportunity to reflect on things. Her mind is on Forgal, so she begins talking about him and the situation their friendship is at right now. She pillows her head on Beorn's side and talks into his ear with a combination of words and emotions from the bond. Anyone listening in would hear a passive voice, talking about concerns and troubles but leaving gaps of silence, and not expounding much.
She sends Beorn a confused feeling as she begins talking. "Forgal has problems with the Order." Uncertainty. "It feels like I pushed him a little, nudged him in the direction of friendship, just by having that one conversation with him." A bit of frustration. "I wanted to let him think about it. That's why I left it up to him whether he even came along or not."
Beorn sends her a feeling of completion, of doneness. 'Maybe he did think about it.'
"But… he was still confused. He still kept being friendly and cold to me by turns, and only stopped once I talked to him. He doesn't have his companion to keep him on track anymore. If I'm uncertain about my own motives, how can he trust me?"
Beorn sends sharp disapproval, and a sense of starting over. He means 'don't think like that. Say it again, in different words this time?'
Tiffany sends the Tiffany-feeling. "…don't know what to think about my own reasons," Tiffany tells her companion. "How can…" the Forgal-feeling "… trust that?"
Beorn returns the uncertainty.
Tiffany sends Tiffany-feeling, then uncertainty and "…my own motives." 'I am uncertain about my own motives.' Curiosity tinged with worry, then "subconscious," a sense of betrayal, and herself again. 'What if my subsconscious is tricking me?'
Beorn returns the betrayal feeling, mixed with the emotion for 'Tiffany,' and denial. 'Betrayal is not in your nature.'
"Subconscious," Tiffany retorts.
More denial.
Tiffany sighs.
The uncertainty and betrayal - the same uncertainty about her motives - from Beorn, and then denial.
"I'm not uncertain about my motives?" Tiffany guesses, not sure of Beorn's meaning.
The uncertainty followed by denial.
Tiffany sighs. "I'm not uncertain about my motives?"
Beorn huffs. He sends the feeling of instinct - his urge to hunt fish in a stream - followed by a sense of wrongness.
"My motives… are wrong?"
Beorn grumbles and sends denial.
"My motives are bad?" There is frustration alongside the words.
He sends denial and then the instinct-feeling.
"Not motives?" Tiffany guesses.
Beorn sends happiness, then sends the combination again. Denial, instinct, uncertainty, more denial.
"It's not my motives that I'm uncertain about?"
Beorn shakes his head. Denial, instinct, then frustration and happiness rolled together.
"It's not my motives that are the problem."
Beorn returns happiness. 'Yes!' Then he resumes with uncertainty - normal uncertainty - and then regret.
Tiffany frowns at the odd combination. "That regret is 'sorry,' and the uncertainty - oh! It was an accident?"
Beorn nods, but grumpily. He sends the problem-feeling - frustration and happiness together - and then denial. 'It's not a problem.' Then the previous combination, with denial added in. 'It was not an accident.' Then carelessness - not that Beorn doesn't care, but rather 'it doesn't matter,' followed by 'It's not a problem.' Then worry and exasperation and an odd sense of loss that isn't sad, and consolation. 'Stop worrying about it, it's fine. It's alright.'
Tiffany returns skepticism, and Beorn snaps back with exasperation and that odd sense of loss. 'Yes, it's fine! Now stop worrying about it.' Then, 'It's not a problem.' A hesitant - maybe conditional - feeling, and then normal uncertainty and regret. 'If it is a problem, it was still an accident.' Carelessness. 'It doesn't matter.'
Tiffany finally nods in agreement. "But I still feel as if… there's something off about the whole thing."
Beorn returns amusement, then a halting, confused jumble of emotions.
"It's a word that doesn't have a feeling attached to it," Tiffany guesses. Beorn nods. "A word that isn't a connecting word like 'the' or 'a.' So it means something, but it doesn't have a feeling."
Sarcastic amusement is rolling off of the bear in waves.
"So… it…." Tiffany frowns. Beorn sends continuation. "Keep talking? Talking? That's it? Talking!" Tiffany laughs, both through the bond and out loud. "Alright, so… talking. Why did you send me talking?"
'Talk to Forgal.'
"Oh! Right, I'm stupid."
Denial. 'Are not!'
"Am too!"
'Are not!'
Tiffany laughs, sending Tiffany and Beorn rolled together and humor. 'We're hilarious.'
"Seems like you two are having a good time," says Forgal. "Your bond seems healthy."
"Oh, I had a question to ask you," Tiffany says suddenly. "My instructor at the Academy said that once the bond progressed enough, you could send words to your companion. How does that work? Mine doesn't do anything more than emotions and feelings."
"You communicate with the emotions and feelings," Forgal explains. "When Blackwing would send me Asvor and me and Blackwing rolled together, she meant 'let's go hunting,' instead of 'us three together' like you might expect. You two will get to know each other and which feelings mean what, and Tiffany, your brain will automatically convert the feeling combinations into words before long."
"I'm kind of already doing that," Tiffany says. "Piecing together sentences based on what he sends me."
"It will just get more natural and instinctive as you go along," Forgal nods. "But you can't force it. Already you are talking in a mixture of feelings and words, and you can understand Beorn really well. How often do you need to stop and try to figure out what he is saying?"
"Once or twice this last conversation," Tiffany says, "and mostly over words that we don't have feelings attached to yet. Like motives. We learned that one, it's Beorn's instinct for fishing."
Forgal laughs. "It's the most secure form of communication, even if somebody else started listening in on your bond. No, that isn't possible," he assures her. "You grow with your companion, both in personality from a young age and through the bond's communication."
"That… is awesome," Tiffany decides. "Communication precision based on how well we know each other. I love it."
"The very nature of the bond's limitations make for a deeper bond," Forgal agrees. "Now, I am going to take Beorn's side and say that you are not stupid. That's all I heard."
Tiffany laughs. "We're hilarious." Then Beorn sends her talking again - which had evolved slightly into continuation with no other emotion, to indicate that talking is emotionless - and she rolls her eyes, both at Beorn's hilarious new feeling for 'talking' and at his persistence. "Beorn wants me to talk to you," she says. "We need to know exactly what's going on with our friendship right now."
Forgal finds a seat, and thinks for a moment.
"I can tell you've decided to trust me," Tiffany says, "despite my connection with the Order. I want to be worthy of that trust - it's more than you ever put in me before you knew. I know there's really nothing to talk about, but I just feel like there is something to talk about."
Forgal nods. "I know what you mean. It will probably take me some time to get used to the idea of you being in the Order, you know."
"Of course. I don't expect you to just push it all away and forget about it," Tiffany agrees.
"Yes, but…" Forgal frowns. "It feels uncomplete. Like I can trust you, but there's something holding me back. Something wrong. If I had to guess, I'd say it was Asvor, but we dealt with that problem."
Beorn sends her Asvor and absence, and Tiffany's eyes widen. "It is Asvor, though. Remember when we met you in Applenook Hamlet? The Order had just found out that Asvor is evil, and Vriré had set some tracking technomagical thing on her. The Order maneuvered Asvor to meet us all at Applenook - because Asvor was looking for me - and we could corner and capture her there. It was also designed to show you that I hate Asvor, but then she didn't show up. Vriré's tracker stopped working, and all we could do was pinpoint when and where it happened - middle of Lion's Arch, just before she should have arrived in Applenook. Unless something's happened since I saw Vriré last, she hasn't shown up since."
Forgal frowns. "I'd been wondering why she didn't show up soon. I beat her at our last fight - nearly killed her - and she normally would come back to prove she's better than me. She'd find me no matter where I was, no matter the circumstances it would put me in. I doubt she'd balk at a company of charr."
Tiffany sighs. "I hope she doesn't cause trouble."
"She's already causing trouble," Forgal points out. "She's messing with our friendship. It's a subconscious thing - it's not like we can say 'we're friends, Asvor, Spirits take you if we care what you think!'"
Tiffany frowns. "Right. So what do we do about it?" Beorn sends Tiffany and Forgal and continuation. "Beorn wants us to keep being friends." Denial and Asvor. "Despite anything about Asvor." Frustration and then completion. "It'll work itself out?"
Beorn nods, and Tiffany smiles.
"What's your feeling for 'problem?'" Forgal asks. "It's a tricky one, and from what I've heard, it's one that's almost always different. Blackwing used smug satisfaction."
"Me and Beorn use frustration. How does smug satisfaction work? That sounds like it would only make sense if you solved the problem."
"No, she loved puzzles and problems, and was always trying to figure them out. She always had fun doing the problem - it wasn't the satisfaction of finishing it that pleased her - and so, as a sort of joke, I made sure she didn't find any puzzles. Whenever she found one, she was always smug about it. Didn't matter what the puzzle was - it could be an intellectual challenge or a physical one like a pile of interlinking rings to separate - she'd love it.
Tiffany laughs. "That's awesome. I like intellectual problems - figuring out why certain words mean what they mean, for example, or using logic to deduce how something works when I only have limited information. It's fun figuring them out, and then after they're figured out I don't know what to do with the time I used to spend figuring it out. But those problems are different from frustration-problems - those are important and vital, whereas the other ones are maybe not so much, or maybe not so urgent. The intellectual ones I suppose… well, we haven't come up with a feeling for it yet. We just both jump in on trying to figure it out. It's kind of like words that sound the same but mean different things - you have to use context. Or maybe it's the undertones. I'll have to think about that."
"You are a deep thinker, Tiffany," Forgal laughs.
Over the next few days, Tiffany talks to Rox a few more times, and Rox gets to know Tiffany a bit. Tiffany learns a few things about Rox that she didn't know before, like that Rox has a deeper inside that her cheerful exterior would indicate. She holds her past close to her chest and doesn't discuss it, though she does slip a bit and mention a 'Skewer,' which, once she hears the name, she recalls as being Rox's first companion's name.
'Different people react differently on their companion's death, I suppose,' Tiffany observes. Beorn agrees.
Within a few days, the tunneling machine is done, and Rox takes control of the machine, Rytlock and the charr army behind her. She plows deep underground with it, measuring the distance out and how far into the interior of Senecus Castrum she's gone so far.
Rytlock and the rest of the small army file into the tunnel behind Rox, ready to attack when they get back to the surface. After a few hours, Rox turns to Rytlock. "We're just below the surface now," she reports, "in the middle of the fortress. I'm going to set the machine to run automatically so nobody needs to be distracted with running it when the attack happens."
Rytlock nods. "Smart cub. Go ahead."
Rox turns to the machine, and, after a moment, she steps aside and it starts forward again, breaking above the ground and continuing forward while Rytlock and the others charge out the hole. The three warbands that had led the charge on all of the previous encounters - the Spine, Gut and Forge warbands, plus Rytlock - form a ring around the hole as the other charr pour out, widening the ring as charr step into line.
The Flame Legion are shocked into inaction at first as this circle of their enemies blossoms out in the middle of their fortress, and by the time they attack there are already significant numbers out of the hole, and more coming.
The Flame Legion crash on the perimeter of the ring, attacking, but they are held off. Eventually, at a command from Rytlock, the ring breaks and the charr spread out. Until then, the Flame Legion had been fighting only as many charr as could fit in the circumference of the ring, but now they have to fight all of them.
And more charr are pouring through the hole. Rytlock had ordered all soldiers on the battlefield today. The Iron Legion come last, with the arillery, and set up in the clear space that the charr have cleared.
Rytlock calls the three warbands of the strike team together and leads them to where the charr commanding the Flame forces from Senecus Castrum waits. They engage in fierce battle with the Flame leader, but soon take him down. Then they spread throughout the fortress, killing any Flame Legion they see and liberating the females, sending them down the tunnel to wait until the battle is done.
Without their commander, the Flame Legion at Senecus Castrum fall apart, but they are still fighting, and it takes most of the day and far into the night to get all of them. But then the attackers have Senecus Castrum.
And then Rytlock turns his attention to the Citadel of Flame. He leads the charr to its gates - in the cleft of a mountain, easily defensible, but not with the gate closed - and calls on Gaheron Baelfire to come out and face them.
When no reply comes, Rytlock orders his subordinates to begin a siege, led by the Blood Legionnaire.
At first, Tiffany and Forgal, as part of the Iron contingent, are left out of it, though Tiffany privately expects that to change soon, since Rytlock is in charge. When Rytlock calls her to his office-tent, she is ready to be reassigned to the Blood unit, but that is not what happens - instead, her curiosity over why Forgal was not called to the meeting is satisfied.
"Warmaster Tiffany reporting, sir!" Tiffany says, saluting.
"At ease, Warmaster," Rytlock says. "I understand you are responsible for the current state of Destiny's Edge?"
Tiffany nods. "Yes, sir."
"Why are you so concerned about it?" Rytlock asks.
"The dragons are a threat, and when I saw a chance to bring their biggest adversaries back together, I took it."
"Good. That took guts," Rytlock notes, and Tiffany finds herself smiling at the compliment.
'I have really spent too much time under charr command,' Tiffany tells herself. 'I'm getting weirder than ever.'
"As to the battle ahead of us," Rytlock says, changing the subject… or not. "We don't have the soldiers we need to take the Citadel, and just more of them won't help. What we need is an elite warband, a strike force to take down Baelfire while the rest of the soldiers here fight Baelfire's army."
Tiffany guesses Rytlock's intent. "You want me to go find the rest of Destiny's Edge - or even just a few of them - and bring them here to help?"
Rytlock nods. "I'll leave the method up to you - you seem to be good at that."
"Thank you, sir. When do I leave?"
"As soon as possible."
Tiffany nods, thoughts racing through her mind. She would ask if she could get Fiona, as well, but she knows Fiona is busy on her Priory mission. She hopes this will help Eir and Zojja reconcile; she is already sure that Rytlock wouldn't be asking unless he planned to talk to Logan. She would also ask if Forgal could go with her, except he doesn't know any of Destiny's Edge and Rytlock probably needs him.
She leaves the room and heads to the makeshift barracks. Forgal is there with some of the other Iron soldiers, and Tiffany quickly tells him what's going on as she prepares to leave.
Forgal nods. "Come back soon - and stop to see General Almorra on your way. She might have additional information for us."
"Of course," Tiffany nods. "Rytlock wants me to go and be back as soon as possible. I'll probably be able to find them all quickly, but who knows. Caithe might be adventuring or something." She stops before she adds something that might hint at odd knowledge. Caithe had never not been there during story missions unless it was on purpose, and she'd never been missing since they came to Tyria, but she gets the feeling Caithe is a 'go off by herself and do adventures' type of person.
As she heads out of the camp and Senecus Castrum, she feels suddenly lonely, despite Beorn's presence in the back of her head due to the bond. As she travels south, she realizes it is Fiona she is missing. She's hardly ever made a journey somewhere without Fiona with her, and she's been without Fiona for a bit more than six weeks. Six weeks! Tiffany shakes her head. What is up with this?
Then she realizes that Fiona doesn't even have a companion to keep her company, and is probably much more lonely than she is. Tiffany frowns. Somebody not having a companion just feels wrong - she'd never thought about it before, but it does. Tiffany has Beorn, but who does Fiona have? Even worse, who do people like Forgal and Rox have, having lost their companions and known the joy of having one?
Beorn sends her agreement and disbelief. He can't imagine it.
On the several-day journey back to the Black Citadel, she is free to think about many of the things troubling her. Asvor, still missing - Tiffany is a target ripe for the picking on her own, if Asvor wants to try and kill her - and yet still messing with her and Forgal. She wonders if, even after Asvor is dead, she will continue to have a lasting impact on Forgal's life - and, by extension, hers and Fiona's, as well.
She worries about her friendship with Forgal in the long-term - will he learn to ignore her membership in the Order, or will he eventually be overloaded and stop being friends again? - and if she should try to include him on some things to make it easier for him to adapt and cope with, like introducing him to Vriré or bringing him along on a mission occasionally.
She does want all her friends to know each other - Forgal should meet Destiny's Edge perhaps a couple times, and he already knows a few of them slightly through her - and wonders if she should start introducing them to each other. The races don't need to come together just through the common goal of fighting Elder Dragons.
She wonders when the events of Claw Island will take place - she is fairly certain that the Citadel of Flame dungeon didn't happen until after Claw Island and the Pact and etcetera, but she isn't certain. It could have happened before - and it seems to be happening first now, whatever happened in the original.
She wonders, for the first time in ages, about her family back on earth. Tangwen, Phillipe, Joslyn, Falcon, Harrison, Nate, and Eden, Vinn and Laura, who can't be properly represented by an avatar in-game. She hasn't seen them since she came to Tyria - how long? Nearly half a year?
Half a year? Has it really been so long - and yet so short - a time since she came here? She wonders how much she has changed from the original storyline - she doesn't remember very well the details. It's been six months since she last was on the wiki or the game, after all - most of her information about Tyria now comes from her Tyrian-side memories, not her earth-side research.
Many of her old habits and associations from earth are gone - she no longer tries to tell the time in hours, but rather what position the sun is at. She no longer expects there to be a light switch by the door, and lights a lamp instead. Her legs are strong and well adapted to walking or even running long distances, as oppose to hopping in the car and driving.
She appreciates injury - she can get severely harmed in a way that isn't easily healed, unlike the way it was in the game. She has a healthy fear or Risen now - she can't just hit them enough times and they die, she has to chop them to pieces and set them on fire to ensure they don't rise again. She knows that her actions everywhere have consequences, not just those inside a story mission, and that killing anything - for good, at least - has an impact. And she lives with a constant knowledge that one wrong move could see her dead - by dragon minions or charr that don't like the treaty or anything, really. Wild animals are in abundance in Tyria.
And she could easily get lost. Tyria is a large, odd place - she hadn't realized how large or odd until she came to this world and realized how tall norn really are, or how terrifying charr can be in real life, or how unnerving her first real sight of a sylvari was, or her instinct to talk to an asura as if to a child. Getting lost is a distinct possibility, and she is acutely aware of the walking distance between waypoints. In the game, she'd always run at a steady, unsustainable speed at all times, despite logic dictating that nobody can run that fast for that long. In Tyria, she has to pace herself - or just develop patience and/or the endurance and stamina to do that, which is just absurd.
She is a lot older than she had been when she came to Tyria, despite it only having been six months. Living in near-constant danger will do that - she's only twenty-four, but she feels like a war veteran. And she is, to some extent. Fighting dragon minions, fighting centaurs, nearly getting killed by Forgal, contemplating death as something that could happen any time - yes. She certainly is a lot older than she had been.
She arrives at the Black Citadel feeling more free than she had before - she had thought over a lot of things that had been troubling her, and worked through several of them - although some, like the steady absence of the Holy Spirit - are still unnerving, and she still is uncertain what death will hold for her when it comes. But she has renewed her commitment to trust that He will come for her eventually.
She heads through the asura gate and arrives in Lion's Arch. She decides to find Logan first, guessing rightly that he would be in his office and possibly with a lot of free time on his hands since the centaur war has been won.
"Tiffany!" he says in greeting. "I'm glad to see you. It's been quite a while."
Tiffany nods. "It has been. The only reason I'm back now is that Rytlock is calling for aid from his old friends." She hides a smile at the eloquent way of delivering that message. 'Rytlock is calling for aid from his old friends.'
"He is?" Logan asks, cheer evident in his voice. "What for?"
"He and a little army of charr are sitting on the doorstep of the Citadel of Flame, ready to take on the Flame Legion's Imperator," Tiffany informs him. "He's reasoned that there are bound to be way too many Flame fantics in the Citadel to just attack, and he wants Destiny's Edge to strike team it in there and kill Baelfire early on."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Logan queries, heading toward the door. "I'll speak to the Queen - it's high time the Seraph returned to normal, anyway. I'll meet you in Lion's Arch, could you find Eir? I've learned that you haven't the slightest idea where to look for Zojja, and Caithe's always a mystery."
"What do you mean, you've learned we don't know where to find Zojja?" Tiffany wonders.
"Your sister came to me for help finding her," Logan explains.
"Oh, right," Tiffany nods. "See you in Lion's Arch."
Tiffany waypoints to the asura gate and travels to Hoelbrak, where she realizes that she does not, actually, know where Eir lives, just that she is probably at home carving something, or maybe beating up some Icebrood. But she finds out easily by asking a norn by the gate - Eir is rather famous - and heads in the direction of Stonewright's Steading - an apt name, she decides, given that Eir likes carving statues.
She finds a large, wooden gate standing open - just as the directions she had been given indicated - and wonders how to proceed. She doubts that Eir will hear it if she knocks - the pathway beyond the gate slopes up for a good distance - and it is always rude to just walk in to somebody's house.
Although, she does recall most people in the beginning of Edge of Destiny doing just that, and Tiffany realizes that nobody considers this gate to be Eir's front door. This, however, does not make walking in without invitation any easier.
The question is solved for her when Garm comes down the path, looks at her for a moment, and nods up the path with a slightly amused glint in his eye.
Tiffany follows the large wolf - nearly as big as herself - up the path. Garm inviting her in is equivalent to Eir inviting her in. Very few people who didn't have the companion bond would make that equation, but Tiffany understands. Eir already knows that she has a visitor through the bond, anyway, and perhaps who it is, if she and Garm have developed a feeling that means 'Tiffany' yet. Beorn sends her humor and the feeling that he is rolling his eyes. 'Of course they have.'
Garm leads her in to the large, one-room building that is Stonewright's Steading. He goes and sits by Eir, who is talking to - Tiffany blinks in surprise - Zojja.
"Tiffany, good to see you," Eir says in greeting. "I believe you already know Zojja?"
Tiffany nods. "Yes, I have. Good to see both of you - in fact, I was about to come find you, Zojja, after speaking to Eir."
"What about?" Zojja queries. "Can't be anything too secret," she adds, indicating that it's alright to tell her in front of Eir.
Tiffany blinks at the unexpected trust Zojja is putting in Eir, before answering. "Rytlock sent me. He wants the help of Destiny's Edge to take down the Flame Imperator." Tiffany hesitates a moment, before adding, "I… didn't expect to see you together."
The asura and the norn glance at each other. "We've sorted out our differences," Eir says simply. "And now Rytlock needs us. What about Logan and Caithe?"
Tiffany smiles. "That's great! I told Logan I'd meet him in Lion's Arch after telling you, and I guess we'll find Caithe afterwards. That, or she'll be inexplicably drawn to the place where Destiny's Edge is all together," Tiffany adds humorously.
"She probably will," Zojja sighs. "Let's go, then."
The five - Tiffany, Eir, Zojja, Garm and Beorn - leave the steading and head to the asura gate.
In Lion's Arch, Logan is already there, and he blinks when he sees Zojja as well as Eir, but greets them both enthusiastically. The knowledge that Rytlock is calling for him this time must have really cheered him up.
After a moment for greetings, Caithe steps out of the gate to the Grove.
Tiffany and Zojja dart wide-eyed glances at each other, not noticing the slightly surprised look on Caithe's face at seeing most of her guildmates gathered together here.
Caithe glances at Eir questioningly for Tiffany and Zojja's odd looks.
Eir shrugs. "They predicted that you would be inexplicably drawn to any place where most of us were gathered. I think it was a joke and they are surprised to find that they were right. Of course, knowing Zojja and Tiffany, it might not have been a joke."
Caithe nods. "I see. Why are we all here?"
"Rytlock wants you," Tiffany informs her. "He wants to kill a Flame Legion Imperator at the Citadel of Flame, and his oh-so-tactical mind decided Destiny's Edge is the best fit for the job. You know how hard it is to find… three different ways of saying that to five different people? And they all contained the phrase 'Rytlock wants you.'"
"You told me that - " Logan starts, but Zojja interrupts.
"Don't encourage her, Logan," the asura sighs, and Tiffany laughs.
"Well, lets go then," Caithe shrugs. "The Citadel of Flame, you said?"
"That's in northern Ascalon," Logan informs them. "Let's go!"
"I'll catch up to you," Tiffany says. "I have to check in with General Almorra."
"We can wait," Zojja says. "I want to get Big Zojja out of the closet anyway."
"Perfect," Eir nods. "Load the cannons with water - we're fighting Flame Legion."
Zojja grins ferociously. "Rytlock asked for Destiny's Edge - he'll get Destiny's Edge."
"We'll meet you on the Black Citadel side of the gate," Logan tells Tiffany, and she nods.
Tiffany longs to go with Zojja and see the gigantic golem, but as she hurries to the Vigil Keep, she reminds herself that she'll see Big Zojja anyway, just not as immediately.
"At ease, Warmaster," General Almorra tells Tiffany. "What brings you here? And where is Forgal?"
"I was sent by Tribune Brimstone to collect a few friends," Tiffany replies. "Forgal advised me to check in here and see if there was anything we should know."
The General nods. "Wise decision. I have been receiving reports from the Black Citadel of the progress of the unit of one Spinebreaker, and that Tribune Brimstone was being sent out to oversee the culmination of their efforts. Am I right in assuming that is the unit you were with?"
"Yes, General," Tiffany replies, deciding not to inform her of Spinebreaker's attitude toward the Vigil and their leader. "We're about to assault the Citadel of Flame."
"Then I must say you have done a very good job," the charr replies. "I want you and Forgal to return home after you are done with that nest of fiery zealots. You two are too excellent to keep away for so long."
"What about Crusader Vargok?"
"He is a Legion liaison," the General explains, "and he is allowed some autonomy in choosing between the Vigil and Iron Legion, so long as both sides are aware of his status."
"I see," Tiffany nods. "Do you have anything else for me, General?"
"No, Warmaster. You are dismissed."
Tiffany nods and leaves the Keep.
She finds her friends in the Black Citadel just beyond the asura gate, and stops to stare at Big Zojja in awe. The golem is really huge - twice as tall as Eir, which is really an achievement. Snaff built this?
But her attention is quickly taken by the likeness of Zojja's head on top. Five times larger than life, and the head is perfectly proportional to the rest of the golem. That in and of itself is astounding, but the detail and precision in the statue!
Then Big Zojja's head, which before had been looking at Caithe, turns to see Tiffany, making the human jump. The golem is deathly still when not actively moving, and it is a shock to remember that Zojja is inside, piloting.
"You've never seen Big Zojja before," Logan realizes.
"Uh… it's a very apt name," Tiffany says, at a loss for anything else to say.
Logan laughs. "If Rytlock were here, he'd ask why he never thought of that particular comment before, and then curse you for saying it and making it invalid forevermore."
Tiffany blinks. She can kind of visualize Rytlock doing that - maybe she just doesn't know the charr as well as Logan does. Beorn sends her the rolling-his-eyes feeling again. "It's certainly a very good likeness," she observes. "You carved this, Eir?" she asks the norn.
Big Zojja nods, indicative of Little Zojja doing the same inside. "She's good at it," Zojja notes, her voice warped slightly by the sound transmitter inside the cockpit - probably wired to emanate from Big Zojja's mouth, if Snaff was being humorous/realistic, or else Snaff was being practical and put the speaker closer down to people-level. Either one is very Snaff-like, from Tiffany's limited knowledge of Snaff.
"Thank you," Eir nods.
"We should get going," Caithe reminds them.
Author's Notes:
I absolutely LOVED this chapter. The Destiny's Edge interaction is so like how it happens in Edge of Destiny I just can't help but be amazed at myself.
