Let the storm rage on

The waters rise above my eyes
I will breathe it in and go out with the tide

The land is my ally. The land the is my ally.

This land is my ally.

The land is my ally.

The land is my ally.

Bring life to it.

Vi’s words etched deeply in Noah’s heart as he moved around the Inner Quarter. With the main part of the Hollowed Grounds as large as it was, Noah wasn’t able to cover it all in one go. But he still moved, little by little, and when he would reach where he wanted, he bent down.

Kneeling in the rain, Noah placed his open hands on the ground, praying upwards to his deity of life and then igniting his magic. A brilliant, shining dome appeared. Vi let it leach into the ground. Let it grow. Let the people thrive. He pleaded, begged, prayed, as he repeated the motions and the prayer. His knees were covered in mud and his cloak nearly soaked through, but still he persisted. Putting healing into the earth. Pushing for the vibrancy and strength of the roots of the plants he touched below, to the resilience and power to the animals he crossed and let his dome cover in different farms and homes.

Noah

And when you think this is the end
You will find me there where I have always been

Oh boy, from Stormbreak to the Hollowed Grounds he'd gone from storm to storm. Tal thought longingly of Halo's weird but calm warmth and the dry skies over King's End as he slogged through the mud to deliver his precious cargo.

Well, the farmer hadn't slammed her door in his face, at least, as she accepted the parcel and given him a curt, damp thanks. Not that the courier could blame her; this weather would make even a saint grumpy after a few weeks! He shook the rain out of his bangs and pulled the cowl of his rainslicker tighter around his chin, glad he could at least keep the rain out of his eyes with his Goggles.

It was the light that caught his eye as he slipped out the farmstead's gate, a holy glow that rose up in spite of the rain, gleaming and clean in spite of the mud that mired every other thing in the Grounds. Boreal, her glacial pale scales currently a dubious brown, caroled happily and splashed towards it, her curious companion following in her wake at a slower and less messy pace.

"Hey, Noah!" he called out, brightening at seeing the Sentinel again. "What're you, uh... doin'? An' d'you need any help?" Remembering his last promise to his friend he looked from his hands to the muddy ground, clearly seeing the distance between their abilities: one mortal and one not.

Through the torrential storms, Noah's resilience mirrored the strength he sought to instill in the land. Vi's teachings served as a guiding light, encouraging him to persist in his efforts. As Noah kneeled in prayer, the brilliant dome expanded, covering farms and homes, touching every corner of the vast terrain. Noah's devotion to the land and his sacred duty echoed through the Inner Quarter as he tirelessly worked to bring life to the Hollowed Grounds. The repeated mantra, "The land is my ally," resonated not just in his words but in the very essence of his actions. His hands, open and reverent, connected with the earth, channeling the magic. He felt his energy waiver some, and he rested his forearms on his knees before standing up.

He turned to head to another area and let the magic well up within him again when he heard his friend call out. Noah's steadfast friend, approached him, witnessing the profound connection between the devoted demigod and the land. Noah, his eyes reflecting both exhaustion and determination, smiled. "Forging an alliance with the land for the prosperity of all who call it home." He said, wiping grimed hands down the sides of his wet cloak. Noah let his glacier eyes fall from the courier and out towards the land again, and asked, "Do you have any items with healing properties?"

Tal didn't really understand what was happening, as was clear from his furrowed brow and the tilt of his head; he knew Noah's dome could both heal and protect, but he'd only ever seen it used against enemies or to encompass allies. Seeing the demigod utilizing his power over empty land - empty of people, at least - was confusing, but the courier figured his friend had good reason for it.

And since he was there, well, if he could help, he would. Understanding wasn't really all that important, if it boiled down to it.

Even so, Noah was kind enough to give him an explanation and Tal chewed his lip, trying to wrap his head around it. He was a delivery boy, not a farmer, and the idea of using magic to heal dirt - or mud - had never occurred to him. "Huh? Oh... oh! Yeah, I do!" Boreal snorted and squelched over to see what the men were up to as the courier raised his hand proudly to show off the gold-chased silver ring glinting on his finger. "I got a Ring o' Mendin' from Frey! Will that help?"

"Vi asked me to use my magic to bring healing to the land. This is my only magic that heals." He said, indicating around him. "I think he would appreciate a friend helping out in bringing life, too." He said, offering the courier a weary smile. This quest had been taxing on Noah, and the last season and a half had brought on a great deal of mental anguish as he fought with himself through it all. He felt it in his bones, and the deepened wrinkles between his eyes, across his forehead, and in the corners of his mouth were testaments to the  roiling.

"Go ahead and just put your ring to the earth and channel whatever mending properties Frey breathed into it." Noah said. He crouched and showed Talyson what he meant, taking on the position he had just stood up from. While he couldn't conjure his magic to join the Halovian just yet, he could already feel it starting to well and strengthen within him.

the forsaken

"Ooooh, yeah, I get it now." Tal nodded, damp bangs flinging more droplets out into the rain before sticking fast to his forehead again. "I dunno how much help my ring'll be, but I'll try!" If nothing else maybe it would give the Sentinel a break. The courier didn't miss how tired his friend's smile was, or how, despite being a demigod, he looked a little older than he had the year before. He might not have been able to take care of Noah's family, but he could maybe ease the man's burdens a little bit so he could get back to them himself a little sooner.

"Just... stick it in the mud?" He might have been a little dubious about the effectiveness of the plan, and not crazy about getting down and dirty in the fields, but if Noah could do it, Tal figured he had no right to be too proud about it. And it wasn't like he had ever worried too much about getting dirty before.

He crouched down and laid his hand flat into the mud, then pressed down so it oozed up between his fingers. He grimaced at the sensation, repressing a shiver that ran down his spine beneath his rain poncho, then focused his intention on the ring. "First time I've used it so, uh... here goes nothin'?" With an exhalation that was half-prayer for it to work, he called up the ring's Mastered Healing and directed it into the earth... however weird it felt. "Dunno how much good healin' the stuff is gonna do if it all just washes away," he admitted, glancing up at Noah with a worried crease between his brows. "Any chance Vi might, y'know, step in an' stop the rain for awhile?"

Noah's tired eyes sparked with gratitude as Talyson, despite the rain, embraced the call to aid. The demigod's weary smile deepened, touched by the genuine willingness of his friend to share in the burden. "You're doing great, Tal," Noah reassured, his voice carrying the weight of appreciation. As Talyson pressed his hand into the mud, Noah's moved his body to help shield him from the onslaught of rain.

At Talyson's suggestion about Vi controlling the rain, Noah's eyes softened with warmth, but there was a hitch in his voice that he wasn't sure the courier would be able to place--but Noah knew it was the shadow of his own shame. "I don't know if I'll be getting anything from Vi for a while. I'll only be giving." he confessed, finding no solace in the words that rivaled not only the storm above but mirrored the internal struggles within.

Once Tal had used his ring for what Noah thought was an appropriate amount of time, he offered to help the courier up. Together, they would walk on to the next place. "I think I've found somewhere we can put your station." He said, adjusting his hood to keep the rain off his forehead.

the forsaken

With the rain pouring down Tal couldn't exactly light up at the praise, but for a few moments, at least, he barely seemed to notice the storm around them as he basked in the warmth of Noah's approval while directing his ring's energy into the soggy earth. If he'd had a tail it would have been wagging, and Boreal's did as the dragon slogged back over to join the men, slurping down something that looked suspiciously like a very large worm with apparent gusto.

As Tal finished his own bout of healing he looked up to catch the odd look on his friend's face. He still didn't know the specifics - or even the generalities - but he gave a slow nod at Noah's statement. "Yeah... Guess it's a lot harder, servin' one o' the Big Three, huh?" He couldn't really understand, but he could try to guess at the extra responsibility and stress it must put Noah under.

He accepted Noah's help up and reached out to scratch Boreal's head as they walked along together. Hearing about his courier station perked the young man right up, and he shot Noah an eager glance from beneath his hood. "Oh yeah? Where'd y'find it?" Not even the endless rain could dampen the excitement in his voice.

Noah simply nodded, jaw feathering beneath the cover of his hood. With darkened eyes, Noah contemplated the question. It seemed true enough — that serving one of the Big Three was harder than serving a herald. Perhaps that was because the Big Three had the same expectations on their demigods as the did their heralds.

As they walked, the Forsaken could feel his power welling up inside of him again. When they had walked far enough that Noah could see there was more farmland to reach, he paused briefly. Bending down again to touch the soaked earth, Noah closed his eyes and repeated the mantra in his head: the land is my ally. Then, the demigod ignited his Divine Opposition once more to bring healing and life and light.

Tal, in this proximity, would feel his strength and vigor return to him, had it been depleted from any of the traveling or even the enduring of this weather. Standing back up, Noah detailed the specs of the abandoned building he had found for the courier. ”It’s got really good bones. I think there might even be some metal in the foundation.”

the forsaken

The courier accompanied the Sentinel, tugging his cowl further forward as they walked to try and keep the rain out of his face. It was a losing battle, but he tried anyways. Maybe he could ask Frey to add something about rain protection to his Cuff the next time he prayed to them...

Carried by the glow of Noah's approval and his own thoughts, Tal was quiet until they reached their next stop. Noah activated his diving healing first and the Messenger drew in a deeper breath, straightening a little as strength flowed back into him from the wash of his friend's power. It made it easier, when Noah stood, to go down to one knee and press his muddy hand back into the earth. It was his turn now, and he focused his intention and sent another pulse of healing from his ring down and into the ground as he listened to the place that had been found. "That sounds perfect. Hail, it sounds like it'll take a lot less work than some o' my other stations've needed!" He stood, shaking the mud from his hand, and flashed the older man a shy grin. "Thanks, Noah. We'll be gettin' more 'menities in here before y'know it! What other plans for th'place have y'come up with?" If Tal was in the area, he'd definitely lend a hand!

“Hopefully it will be a good place.” Noah hadn’t been inside the building yet, but from the outside it checked a lot of boxes. It was in a good location between the domiciles and the Jack Tar Landing, easy for people to get to even if they had limitations that kept them from going as far as the port.

When Noah and Tal shifted places, the Forsaken rubbed his hands some on the sides of his coat to wipe away some of the grime. He knew it was futile, for he would only sink his hands into the mud again, but between sessions of imbuing the earth with his magic it felt better.

“I asked people to help renovate and clean up the medical wing of the Temple, but the first endeavor didn’t end well.” Noah flinched thinking about. Between the tension with Bart, the dog running around, and the bay infestation? Not ending well was an understatement. “I’d like to finish that, and I’d like to ferry in some more medical supplies from Halo. Can you bring them?”

the forsaken

Tal nodded at the optimism they both had for the new waystation, exhaling as he felt the ring's magic wan again as another healing charge energized the land beneath his hand. He stood and shook as much of the mud from his hand as he could, trying not to grimace too obviously at the unpleasantly sticky, gooey sensation. Boreal clearly didn't mind at all, seeming to revel in the way the mud squished between her talons and the rain streamed off her scales as she nosed around them for interesting scents.

"Oh the, uh... the Temple, huh?" He started to reach up to scratch his nose and stopped himself just shy of smearing muck on his face. "That Danta guy seems keen on doin' Dygra stuff in there..." He wrinkled his nose at the memory of the blood bowl that had gone in. "But yeah, o' course I can bring supplies! I'll be headin' back t'Halo by way o' the Greatwood after this, so I can pick 'em up then. Got anythin' y'want delivered to 'Delia while I'm at it?"

"Vi asked me to make his presence known in the Temple, but he didn't tell me to take away the presence of Dygra." He said, shrugging some. "About a year after the war Safrin called her followers, and I was called as well as the demigod of her patron. She said that Dygra was not the enemy and I believe her. Even though the Voice brought her back, she's not....she's not the same. Her followers are not the same." Noah trailed off as thunder roared overhead. "There is reason for me to believe that Dygra is on some of the same plane as Caido themselves, with the way Safrin spoke about her." He finished, rolling his shoulders to snug up his coat. It was heavy with rain.

"But there are a lot of ways I am learning that her people...and her...do not have the same goals as Vi. He's the god of life whereas they," Noah lifted his eyebrows at the courier and shrugged again some, letting the younger man fill in the blank. They were too fueled by blood to honor Vi. Noah could at least be confident in that. So whether or not they were enemies, they certainly weren't gaining any approval of the mercurial god of life.

Hopefully one more would do it.

Noah knelt after another time of walking, thunder roaring overhead. He couldn't even tell the time of day at this point. "The weather is prohibiting a lot of growth of them here, but if you can get your hands on a big huge bouquet she could like that for the table." Noah said. "I can pay you with whatever you think is fair." Though, he wasn't entirely suer that the courier would accept payment for something such as this -- not with the way that Noah had invited him into their family in a way, just weeks ago.

He ignited the dome again, repeating mentally: the land is my ally.

the forsaken

Tal hunched his shoulders against the thunder, but not even the loud rumbling could tear his fascinated attention away from the Sentinel's words. He knew so little about the Ancient's goddess - and the Ancients themselves - that every scrap of information was interesting.

"Yeah," Tal agreed, quietly but fervently to Noah's unspoken words as he chewed his lip. "I mean, most of 'em I've met seem alright? 'Cept for the blood thing. Not a big fan of that." He shrugged uncomfortably and then winced as a trickle of water slipped down inside his poncho. "Thanks for the heads up, though. I haven't really been sure what t'think o' her."

Lightning flashed across the clouds overhead and Tal gave it a brief scowl as they came to their next stop. He wasn't sure how Noah could stand it day after day, and his respect for the Sentinel's fortitude and steadfast loyalty to Vi went up another notch, oblivious as to why his friend had no choice in the matter. The distraction of his new station and the supplies Noah needed were welcome, and the mention of a bouquet had his expression lightening back to thoughtful. "Should be plenty o' wildflowers in th'Greatwood. An' I can get someone there t'put a healin' charm on 'em t'keep 'em fresh for th'run t'Halo from there."

Squaring his shoulders, he went down again, pressing hand and ring to the earth and sending his Mastered healing in a burst through the land. In spite of the mud he managed to flash Noah a grin. "An' y'already paid me in plenty with all this extra healin'! I bet I won't catch a cold for th'rest o' the season now!"