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

[unprophesied_of_ages]

Without any indication of whether or not it hurts him, the Lord Ruler pulls a pewter spike about an inch long out of his own arm. Two or three forms of magic conspire to make this only mostly as unsanitary as it ought to be.

He points out precisely where, and the obligator presses it in to Promise's arm just below the shoulder, deep enough to pierce through the layers of skin.

"Does the tin feel any different? If it works the same way on fairies, you should have the ability now."

[imeanforever]

"Yes."

Promise attempts the anaesthetic use of the tin. This isn't that bad compared to being creatively tortured, anyway, but she's glad of it regardless.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

Two thirds of the pain from being spiked must be pretty uncomfortable. Normally someone in her position would be under the effect of magic making them not mind the pain, but Alendi thought she might react badly to that information. Besides, he's not going to go out of his way to comfort her. She's been giving him orders.

Rather than stick the spike further in immediately, he and the obligator instead pierce the skin with a second one, doubling Promise's Feruchemical ability. While he holds those two in place, his minion inserts the third on the other arm. If Promise is still filling the tinmind as quickly as she can, she's feeling only a small fraction of the pain. Now the minion presses the spikes deeper. And with the addition of the fourth, Promise has fully gained her new superpower.

This stops being relevant very soon, because seconds after the spikes are secure her arms heal around them.

[imeanforever]

She relaxes when the healing is over.

"Thank you," she says politely to the obligator.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

She responds only with a small bow, almost a nod, and then leaves.

"Obligators are careful with words," Alendi explains. "A laudable habit in people who speak for the Empire while on the job.

Do you want to test that the order prevention works?"

[imeanforever]

"Maybe. How much did you let yourself hear of my first order?"

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"Only that I cannot give you any order you don't request."

[imeanforever]

"Revision: 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. ...The original had an exception to let you give me the same one but I don't think I'd better add that at this time. Please try ordering me to unfold my wings."

She is poised to put her hearing away as soon as she hears the first syllable of that order.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"Unfold your wings."

He resists the temptation to insult her to her face. She might ask him what the extra syllables were.

[imeanforever]

She doesn't hear past the first sound. Her wings stay rolled up in their leafy way behind her back. When his lips have stopped moving she hears again.

"Brilliant."

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"Perfect. Each piece of tin can only store so much before it's full; it's a lot but it's finite. I can make sure you have a supply.

And now that you can turn your senses up or down when you like, do you want to try mortal food?"

[imeanforever]

"Sure."

[unprophesied_of_ages]

There's always food available; the people who run the kitchens are used to him eating at unpredictable times.
"Wait, you've still got the wings. Do you want to go invisible, or should I just bring food here?"

[imeanforever]

"Is there anyone who'll see the spikes between here and wherever we'd be going?"

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"Probably not. The Inquisitors' headquarters is nearby, but they usually have little reason to come inside the palace. And I can detect them with Allomancy."

[imeanforever]

"Then I will not ask you to fetch me food." Promise goes into the inner chamber, which she's more familiar with, and turns invisible, and comes out.

[unprophesied_of_ages]

When he's pretty sure she's out he closes the secret door and reengages the lock. He has to use Allomancy to do it, but apparently it's permitted by the order about minimizing possible future suspicion.

"I'm already known to ask for food in my study at unpredictable times, so that'll be the easiest place to eat in privacy." He tries and fails to use magic to ring a small bell in the kitchens for exactly this purpose. "It'll be there in minutes if I can burn steel."

[imeanforever]

"How will that help?"

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"A bell in the kitchens. Having one's own palace is awfully convenient sometimes.
And I'd have to be burning either iron or steel anyway to sense Inquisitors effectively."

[imeanforever]

"You may ring the bell and sense Inquisitors."

[unprophesied_of_ages]

He does both.
"There aren't any in Kredik Shaw as of right now. Your invisibility is safe."

[imeanforever]

"Good. Lead the way."

[unprophesied_of_ages]

He does.

They arrive at a high-ceilinged room with bookcases along two walls and a large fireplace (currently with live embers but no flames) in another. The window has a latticed screen that keeps the ash out. The chairs are purple velvet, and there are marble busts of old mythological figures.

[imeanforever]

"It's very ashy out there," Promise remarks. "Is it like that everywhere?"

[unprophesied_of_ages]

"Everywhere habitable. The planet is closer to its star than it's supposed to be, so the ashmounts are designed to block some of the light. They only cover the area around the North Pole, where we are, and there's another set at the South. Everywhere else is unprotected from the sun and is descriptively called the burnlands."