A forest that was not there yesterday

[unprophesied_of_ages]

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.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

The fairy does not answer his question. The fairy grins very big and with very sharp teeth.

"Tell me your name," he suggests. Forcefully.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

Ruin take everything if that's happening. The Lord Ruler hasn't even used a name in centuries, and before that it was a fake one.

"Rashek," he answers.

Ruin take everything.

[alicornucopia]

"Lovely. Don't tell anyone else that. Follow me," giggles Extremely Yellow Haired Winged Person, and he flutters off through the forest.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

Rashek follows without thinking twice. Or for that matter, once. When he figures out what's going on, this yellow coward is going to regret this.

[alicornucopia]

It's a longish trip. The fairy doesn't start a conversation while they travel.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

Neither does the human. Convincing his captor that he needs to get back or he'll die in months can wait until he has some idea of what the yellow man has in mind and whether it'll even matter to him. Besides, this way he gets to imagine in great detail how he'll retaliate when he gets a chance.

He does start storing weight in one of his ironminds. It's not a revenge plot, it's just easier to walk while only weighing two thirds of the usual.

[alicornucopia]

His captor does not notice.

Eventually they reach a picturesque stone cottage built on the shore of a lake. In they go.

"I don't even know what I want to do with you," laughs the fairy. "Hmm, first - did you eat more than one different thing, and did you tell anyone else your name?"

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"No to both.
As for what to do with me, send me back of course. There are hundreds of thousands of lives depending on it; it's kind of unimaginably important."

[alicornucopia]

"Ooh, I caught an egotistical mortal. I can't even send you back," laughs the fairy. "Well, I could arrange it, but why?"

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"Because if you don't then unless it gets extraordinarily lucky my universe will stop existing in three hundred years."

He taps zinc to draw on his supply of stored mental speed. After what is probably no pause at all, "You seem pretty happy to acquire a mortal even for no particular reason. Send me back and I can send you as many mortals as you like and I will consider it a favorable trade."

[alicornucopia]

"Hmmm," laughs Yellow. "Mmm... never lie to me."

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"I'm not. On my world people call me the Lord Ruler, I got that way by saving the universe and I intend to do it again, and my title is used as an interjection.
If I tell some of my subjects to serve you, they will."

[alicornucopia]

"You're probably slippery. Or deluded! If I had my other vassal make you a gate to the mortal world you'd find some loophole halfway through and never send me any mortals at all," says the fairy, waving a hand negligently.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

So gates are common enough that the first person-who-needs-destroying he finds happens to have a vassal who can make one. Good.

"I have no intention of doing that. And that intention would not be changed merely by returning to my world. I don't exactly have a shortage of subjects."

[alicornucopia]

"Leaning towards 'deluded'," sighs the fairy. "Maybe I'll sell you to somebody. In the meantime, don't leave the house, don't drink the lakewater, tell me if you get hungry, if you get thirsty you may take water from that basin over there, don't go swimming or break anything or make a racket..." He taps his chin. "Don't get creative with anything missing from that list," he finishes, and he goes into another room of the house.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

If the yellow man is stupid enough to pass up that offer, maybe the next person-who-needs-destroying won't be. Demonstrating powers beyond the human is probably a bad idea, and wouldn't prove world rulership anyway.

He drinks from the basin.

[alicornucopia]

The fairy leans out of the room. "Do try to get along with my other vassal when she gets home, by the way," and then he's behind closed doors again.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

With the person who can make gates back to Scadrial? Rashek is very definitely going to try. The slaver, on the other hand, he has no desire to talk to.

[imeanforever]

Eventually she comes home.

When he hears the door open, Yellow emerges from his room. "Promise! I've caught this mortal - mortal, pick a nickname."

[unprophesied_of_ages]

He can't very well go by "The Lord Ruler" here.
"You're Promise? Alendi."

[imeanforever]

"Hello," says Promise.

"I'm probably going to sell him but it'll take me a while to find a buyer, probably," says Yellow negligently. "Keep an eye on him. Alendi, don't do anything Promise tells you not to."

And then Yellow goes out.

Promise looks assessingly at Rashek and goes to put her bag down in a different room of the house, then comes back out and sits and peers at him thoughtfully.

[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?"

[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?"

[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?"

[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?"