Patches, The Untethered.

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Glory to my Proofreader: Bakenekon. For he is the one who points out mistakes and acts as a good wall to bounce ideas off of.

Sorry for the late update, I was busy. Plus, the grind from Celestial 2 to One Above All on Marvel Rivals won't grind itself :3

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Tarnished stepped into the cave's dimly lit entrance, his boots crunching softly against the dirt floor. The air was thick with dampness, carrying the scent of old stone and lingering smoke. As he moved deeper into the cavern, the faint flickering of a distant campfire cast dancing shadows along the rough walls.

Marika appeared beside him, her golden form shimmering slightly in the darkness. Her arms were folded beneath her chest, her sharp gaze sweeping across the cave as she tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "Who is this 'friend' thou hast come all this way to meet?"

Tarnished chuckled under his breath, weaving through the narrow tunnels with practiced ease. "Oh, you'll see," he said, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Marika narrowed her eyes slightly. "I see… But tell me, how dost thou name him an 'old friend' when thou hast only walked this world for but an hour?"

At that, Tarnished's smirk widened. He let out a short laugh, shaking his head as he spotted a Site of Grace in a small alcove ahead. Kneeling down, he extended his hand toward it.

[Lost Grace Discovered]

A golden warmth spread through him as the connection formed, his flask charges refilling in an instant. He pushed himself back up and dusted off his hands, turning back to Marika with an amused glint in his golden eyes.

"See, this guy's a little special. He's a Constant."

Marika's brow furrowed. "A Constant?"

Tarnished walked forward, heading further into the tunnels. "Yeah, pretty much. He exists in so many different versions of this world. No matter what changes, no matter how many versions of the Lands Between exist, he's always there."

She regarded him curiously, watching him as he navigated the winding passage with the ease of a man who had already walked this path before. "And what doth that mean?"

"Remember how I told you that I know of this world because it exists as a game in mine?" Tarnished glanced at her with a knowing smile. "Well, the same way I was able to access this world, there were… Let's say, reflections of other versions. Parallel worlds. Different variations of the same story."

Marika was silent for a moment, absorbing the information before speaking again. "And in all these 'parallel worlds'… This so-called friend of thine? He doth always exist?"

"Yep." Tarnished confirmed, his grin widening as he rounded a corner, his ears picking up the sounds of hushed voices ahead. "And in every single one? He's always the same thieving, conniving little rat."

Marika blinked. "Then why dost thou call him friend if he is naught but a scoundrel?"

Tarnished's smirk turned almost mischievous as he crouched slightly, peering into the next cavern where three bandits sat around a weakly burning fire, their weapons resting against the nearby walls. "Because, my dear Goddess… Friends fuck with friends sometimes."

Marika arched a brow at his phrasing, but before she could respond, Tarnished abruptly sprinted forward.

The bandits barely had a moment to react before a loud, metallic clang echoed through the cave. Tarnished grinned as he felt his foot trigger a noise trap—a pile of rusted metal shards and broken weapons strung together.

The bandits shot to their feet, weapons drawn, their eyes wide in alarm.

"Oi! Who the hell is that?!" One of them barked.

"Stop right there, you little shit, or we'll gut you!" Another snarled.

Tarnished, however, did not stop. He bolted straight past them, dodging a wild swing from one of their swords as he dove into a side tunnel. Marika watched in mild exasperation as the bandits cursed and scrambled after him.

At the tunnel's end, he found a fog wall, shimmering faintly like a veil of golden mist. Without hesitation, Tarnished pressed forward, pushing past the threshold and into the boss arena beyond.

The room was dimly lit, the walls rough and uneven. A simple campfire burned at the center of a makeshift campsite, a bedroll and a few scattered belongings resting beside it. Tarnished slowed his steps, a small, knowing smile forming as his gaze landed on a wooden chest resting against the far wall.

Marika appeared beside him, eyeing the scene with a raised brow as she read his mind. "…Thou didst come here for mere clothing?"

Tarnished opened the chest without answering, rummaging through its contents. The soft rustling of fabric filled the cavern as he picked up a set of simple clothes. Before he could respond, a voice rang out from above.

"Well, well, well… Thought you'd just help yourself to a man's personal belongings?"

Tarnished turned, already grinning.

Up on a nearby ledge, a bald-headed man stood with his arms crossed, his beady eyes gleaming with amusement. His tattered brown cloak draped over his thin frame, his posture deceptively casual despite the clear tension in the air.

Marika blinked at the sight of him. "…This is thy 'Constant'?"

Tarnished smirked, giving her a knowing look.

The man, Patches, pointed at Tarnished, his expression shifting from amusement to irritation. "You scheming little thief… The gods demand repentance!"

He hopped down from the ledge, landing in a crouch before whipping out a spear and large shield. His eyes narrowed as he brandished his weapon, taking an aggressive stance. "Cough up your coin, all of it!"

Tarnished cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as he unsheathed his Uchigatana, gripping it in both hands. He leveled the tip toward Patches and grinned wildly. "Not until you do it first, you bald-headed rat!"

Patches sputtered, scandalized. "Oi! You don't just attack a man's looks! You damn naked nutjob!"

Marika sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "By the Erdtree, why art all men so insufferably ridiculous…?"

Tarnished held his Uchigatana steady, his breathing measured as he circled Patches, watching the merchant-turned-bandit shift uneasily on his feet. The bald man jabbed forward with his spear, his expression set in a mixture of wariness and irritation.

Tarnished lunged forward with a wide swing of his Uchigatana which Patches barely dodged, bringing his shield up as he backpedaled.

Then, without warning, he charged forward.

Patches didn't hesitate, he simply thrust his spear forward with ruthless intent. Tarnished barely twisted his body in time, the tip of the weapon grazing past his exposed ribs.

'Shit, he's faster than I remember…'

Patches followed up immediately, using his momentum to slam his shield forward. Tarnished barely got his blade up in time to deflect the brunt of the impact, but the sheer force sent him skidding back slightly.

"Heh, not bad." Tarnished muttered as he rolled his shoulders.

Patches scoffed. "If you think I'm just some pushover, you got another thing coming, lad!"

Tarnished's smirk widened. "Good. This'll be more fun, then."

The moment Patches stepped forward for another attack, Tarnished countered with a quick Unsheath. The Uchigatana flashed in the dim cave, carving a deep gash across Patches' chest.

The bald man let out a sharp grunt, stumbling back as blood dripped onto the cave floor. But instead of retaliating, he did something unexpected. Patches suddenly curled in on himself, shielding his body with his great shield and dropping to the ground in a fetal position.

"Wait, wait, please! I surrender! White flag and all!"

Tarnished froze, blinking in disbelief. "...Oh, come the hell on. Seriously? One hit and you tap out?"

Marika, watching from the sidelines, raised a delicate brow. "Truly? 'Tis all it took to break him?"

Tarnished sighed, rolling his eyes before sliding his blade back into its sheath. "Fine."

Patches exhaled in relief and sat up, still clutching his side as he shot Tarnished a wary glance. "Well, finally come around, have you? I knew you would. You're a man of reason, through-and-through. Ha ha ha…"

Tarnished crossed his arms. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Patches rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while still kneeling. "Ahhh… Well, what do you know? You're Tarnished, like me. Now, how did I get that wrong?"

Tarnished's grin widened. "Yeah, how did you, ya dumbass?"

"Well, there's no need for profanity!" Patches huffed indignantly. "You came into my home uninvited and nearly naked, so I took you for an insane madman or a demihuman or some such!"

A blood vessel twitched on Tarnished's forehead as Marika giggled beside him, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "Well~... For an ingrate, his description of thee is not entirely without merit, mine Champion~!"

Tarnished exhaled slowly through his nose, forcing himself to stay calm. Meanwhile, Patches continued, entirely oblivious to his growing annoyance. "T'was an innocent mistake, I assure you! Well, water under the bridge. Now that we're squared up, how about we play nice from now on?"

Tarnished was silent for a moment, then he grinned.

"Yeah… Nah."

He cracked his knuckles.

Patches paled. "S-Slow down, son… What's the matter? This simply isn't like you-!"

Tarnished grabbed him into a headlock before delivering a vicious noogie.

"OW! OI! STOP, STOP!" Patches flailed, but Tarnished only laughed, grinding his knuckles harder against the bald man's scalp.

Marika simply watched in stunned silence, unsure what to even say. This was… certainly a first.

"Mercy! I said mercy, damn it!" Patches wailed.

After a full minute of torment, Tarnished finally released him, watching with satisfaction as Patches groaned and rubbed his now-reddened scalp.

"You done?" The bald merchant grumbled indignantly.

Tarnished smirked with mirth and satisfaction. "Yeah, I'm good."

Patches sighed, shaking his head before standing up. "Might as well introduce myself properly. I'm Patches. Patches the Untethered. Tarnished, like you—only, free-spirited. Nomadic, you might say. Only for now, those retired-soldiers-turned-bandits are paying for my gruel."

Tarnished held up a hand, cutting him off. "Yeah, yeah, don't care. Just hand over the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foots, the Shackle, and the Cookbook."

Patches frowned. "How in the hell do you even know I have those?!"

Tarnished just stared at him.

Patches shifted uncomfortably before sighing in defeat. "Right, right. Doesn't matter, does it?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Well, I could just refuse." Patches muttered under his breath.

Tarnished cracked his knuckles again, "And I could just beat your ass again."

Patches instantly caved. "Fine, fine! You win, damn it!"

After a moment of grumbling, he handed over the items as Tarnished deposited 2,000 Runes into his hand.

[Item Acquired: Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot x3]

[Item Acquired: Margit's Shackle]

[Item Acquired: Missionary's Cookbook (2)]

Tarnished grinned, storing the items away. "Pleasure doing business, Baldy."

Patches scowled but held his tongue as the Tarnished turned to leave but just before warping away, Tarnished glanced back with a smirk. "Don't die too soon, and don't you dare go Hollow."

And then, in a flash of golden light, Tarnished was gone.

Patches blinked, his expression shifting slightly as he felt a headache slowly form in his head which he assumed to be from the Tarnished's noogie. "...'Don't you dare go Hollow,' huh?"

The words lingered for a moment. For some reason, they sounded oddly familiar.

"...Where have I heard that before?"

…

Tarnished reappeared at the Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace, golden light dissipating around him as his feet met the grass once more. He barely took a breath before raising his left hand, whistling sharply through Torrent's Ring. 

A heartbeat later, the spectral steed materialized in a burst of pale blue mist, snorting as he lowered himself slightly to let his rider mount. Tarnished wasted no time, swinging himself atop Torrent's back before clicking his heels against the steed's sides, urging him into a steady walk toward the looming Stormgate.

But as the wind whistled through the valley and the faint clatter of distant patrols echoed around him, he noticed something unusual.

Marika was silent.

She had not made a smug remark about his reckless antics, nor had she teased him about Patches or mocked him for wasting Runes on something 'useless.'

Nothing.

It was strange.

Too strange.

Tarnished furrowed his brow and slowed Torrent's pace, his mind reaching out through the tether between them. 'Hey… You good?'

For a moment, there was no response.

Then, after a few seconds, her voice finally surfaced—muted, distant. "…Naught is amiss."

But there was a hesitation in her words, a pause that was too heavy for mere disinterest.

Something was wrong.

Tarnished's fingers curled slightly against the reins as he let the moment stretch. He thought for a second, running over the last few things they had done before realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

'...This is about the shackle, isn't it?'

Silence.

Then, a barely audible "...Aye."

He exhaled through his nose, his grip tightening ever so slightly. With a small tap to Torrent's side, he urged the steed forward again, keeping his thoughts level.

'Do you know what the Shackle actually is?' He asked as they rode past a patrolling Godrick soldier, who barely glanced at him before resuming his post.

Marika took a moment before answering. "…'Tis a binding of ancient design. …To leash and restrain an Omen, that they might never rise above their station."

Tarnished's azure eyes narrowed slightly as he passed through the ruined bulwark of Stormgate, riding beneath the crumbling stone archway. He barely registered the soldiers manning the upper battlements as Torrent sprinted past them, his focus was solely on the weight in Marika's voice.

'You know that's not what I meant.'

Another pause.

Then, a sigh—small, nearly imperceptible. "…Of course I do… 'Twas by mine own decree that the filth of Omen-kind, of Hornsent-kind, be shackled and cast below."

For the first time since meeting her, Marika's voice lacked its usual smugness and mirth, although her words twisted with an undeniable disgust for a moment when she spoke of the 'Hornsent'.

There was no smugness. No arrogance. Just something ancient, something deeply buried beneath millennia of rulership and war. Tarnished let the silence settle for a moment before pressing further.

As Stormgate passed behind him, he asked, 'Then that means you locked up Morgott and Mohg too, didn't you?'

"…Aye."

She manifested then, hovering just behind him, her arms crossed beneath her chest, golden hair swaying gently in the wind.

But her gaze did not meet his.

Instead, she turned away, as though the answer had left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Morgott and Mohg were born accursed—vile Omens, marked from birth as defilers of mine Order. And so, they were bound and sealed beneath the Capital… As was necessary."

'Necessary, huh?' Tarnished's jaw tensed as he spurred Torrent into a faster gallop. The distant ruins of Stormhill Shack came into view, but his mind barely registered them. 'Sure didn't stop Morgott from being the only one who stayed loyal to you.'

A sharp exhale left Marika's lips, and for the briefest moment, her voice faltered. She wanted to say something, but she didn't.

Instead, she only muttered quietly to herself, "Ah… Morgott… 'Tis a cruel fate indeed..."

The wind howled between them for a long moment, neither spoke. Then, as if snapping herself back to reality, Marika's tone shifted.

She turned her back on him fully, flicking her wrist toward a root protruding from the ground ahead. "I see no further reason to continue this discourse. Look ahead, mine Champion, a root of the Erdtree remains—there, thou shalt find something of interest."

Tarnished saw straight through her deflection, he wanted to push, wanted to press deeper. But instead, he exhaled and let it be—for now. 

'This conversation isn't over.' He warned, earning a quiet scoff from the Goddess.

As he rode closer to the golden root, he felt the presence of something lingering. His sharp eyes caught the faint shimmer of gold buried within its twisted bark.

Dismounting from Torrent, he strode toward the root, crouching slightly as he reached for the object. The moment his fingers brushed against it, golden energy surged through his palm.

[Acquired: Golden Seed]

He held it up for a moment, watching as its faint, pulsing light flickered in the dim afternoon sun.

"A gift from the Erdtree." Marika mused beside him. "These seeds, remnants of its great power, may yet strengthen thy Flask. They are scarce, yet vital—hoard them well."

Tarnished rolled the golden seed between his fingers before slipping it into his inventory for later use, 'Yeah, I know. I'll make good use of it, don't worry.'

Marika nodded before her voice took on a sharper edge, "Thou must hurry, mine Champion. The Erdtree weakens with every passing age it lacks a Lord—should it fall, all shall crumble with it."

Tarnished glanced at her, his expression unreadable. Then, after a moment, he simply chuckled, shaking his head.

'Yeah, yeah. That's the plan.'

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Author's Note:

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Next Chapter Title: Fear isn't Cowardice.

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