Tired and trudging uphill from your most recent Site of Grace, you squinted into the surrounding blizzard to pick out a way forwards. You had barely set out further than a few metres before you spotted a distinctive outline of a familiar sight leaning against a tall rock formation. Searching your memory for a moment, you came up with a name: Yura. The last you had seen him, you had discussed a dangerous dragon in one of the nearby lakes. You had only met him once but he had been friendly enough, had warned you of that danger. You approached without caution to greet him.

You had always presumed that Yura was handsome, with pleasant features, but you did not recognise his expression. Usually, he had worn his helm pulled low over his face. However, this time it was tilted back a little, with confidence. You could just about see his mouth which was upturned at one corner in a smirk which could almost be considered flirtatious. Strangely, his hands were raised to cover both eyes. Before you could contemplate the reasons for such an unusual posture, he spoke. “Finally, we meet. The Tarnished… who would be Lord.” The voice that greeted you was unfamiliar. Though you had not known Yura for very long, you were sure that this was not his usual voice. Mistaking your look of confusion for something else, the voice spoke once more.

“Oh my, why the long face? I fear that you were previously acquainted with this vessel. Well, that is most unfortunate, for he is dead. As for his flesh, he gave it to me… Shabriri. I hope you can make your peace with that.”

His voice was low, downtrodden but soft and peaceful. It was beautiful, a balm for your nerves. You barely listened to the content of his speech, but rather revelled in his velvet tones and the small moment of respite they offered. Had… had he said that Yura was dead? You opened your mouth as if to speak, then closed it again.

He spoke haltingly, almost as though distracted with other matters. Long pauses stilted his speech but this did not bother you. You were not impatient, and his docile mannerisms made you want to give him all the time he required. He had a stillness about him, and you had an odd sense that this was a strictly honed surface of self-control. You spoke with him for a few moments, as he discussed your journey that was yet to come. He knew so many things that he should not, could not know. Yet he knew anyway. Somehow, in the midst of all this chaos, this was comforting. He seemed lucid enough, and the fact that he was seemingly here to speak with you directly, to assist you, was welcome. Maybe a little more than welcome. You hoped that he would stay for a while by your side.

It had been an age since somebody had so immediately stoked such heated desire in the pit of your stomach. You knew you shouldn’t feel this way, but you convinced yourself that Yura had indeed offered his body willingly, not delving any further into what it could mean that Shabriri had no mortal vessel of his own to inhabit, or that he had the power to inhabit another at all. It would be nice to feel safe and warm in the arms of another, and you intended to take full advantage of such potential while you could. After all, you felt as though you were nearing the end of a journey which might spell the end of you. Enjoying such comforts now might be your final opportunity to do so. It was with this rationale that you found the courage to speak your next words.

“I am curious…” you spoke, nervously, words full of implicit meaning. “What would one have to do to allow you to… share their body?”

Yura’s mouth stretched wider, exposing his teeth in a dangerous grin. “The body I inhabit currently was a generous offering, appreciated of course, however… its owner had perished. What are you suggesting..?”

Mustering all the confidence you could grasp, staring at the covered eyes of the man before you, you swallowed hard. “Yu- Shabriri… I am… offering myself to you. As… a temporary companion. If – if… you will have me?” You immediately felt foolish once the sentence had left your lips, feeling heat creeping up your neck and redness spread across your flustered face. You hoped fervently that he at least understood what you were proposing so you didn’t have to stumble through an explanation. There was silence for a moment, and you braced yourself for rejection. Were you insane? Why would he want this, especially from a lowly Tarnished? In the middle of a snowfield of all places, as well… You began sweating and, despite the eyes you were looking at being covered, turned your humiliated gaze down to look at your boots instead. A soft voice responded, a note of surprise and amusement colouring its tone.

“But, of course.”

Hot hands spun you around and pushed you against the large rock where he was leaning moments before. Though the blizzard continued to swirl around you, any flakes of snow that neared Yura’s skin immediately turned to droplets. Despite the cold biting at your flesh, the man was unnaturally warm to the point that you felt as though you could begin shedding armour with no ill-effects. Well, as long as you remained…close. And you would.

Now that his hands were upon you and not placed atop his eyes, you could see a blazing yellow glow emanating from the carved out pattern in the large metal helm. It was as though miniscule angry suns dwelled within his sockets and the very sight of it, shielded though it was, robbed you of words. Your breath caught in your throat and you felt a raw flicker of fear singe your gut. You stared mutely at the burning orbs until sun-spots danced blurrily across your vision, forgetting to breathe in your frightened captivation. Closing your eyes briefly, you attempted to centre yourself again. When you opened them again, you were quietly met with Shabriri’s quirked smile. Emboldened by his wordless approval and trying not to look upwards, you moved a trembling hand to the side of his face, tilting his helm up further to allow you to place your lips on his own.

His lips were hot, incomparable with anything you had felt before, but not unpleasant. In a surge of boldness, you ran your tongue along the heat of his bottom lip, enjoying the sensation. Feeling him grin again, he responded in kind. Although Yura’s tongue was wet as it pried open your lips, the moment it plunged inside you felt as though you had swallowed a mouthful of ashes. Sheer dry heat, unnerving and sudden, caused you to pull away, spluttering. Shabriri gave an absentminded chuckle. “Oh… I do apologise. It has been quite the time since I had… relations… such as these.”

He did not make any move to continue, preferring to watch you wrestle with your mixed emotions before you finally leaned in once again. This time you expected it, but it was still an unusual sensory experience and you swallowed hard to try and make up for the dryness in the back of your throat. He smelled like wood smoke, and a dark scent you couldn’t quite place. His tongue easily fought yours for dominance, and you suppressed a groan. Despite his claim of a supposed lack of experience in recent memory, you were feeling excruciatingly heated. You felt his gloved hands trail up your sides, and you were finding it hard to keep track of where you were flushed versus where his fingers had crept, leaving enigmatic warmth in their scorching wake.

He brought one hand over your chest and, despite being fully clothed, you could feel his heated touch through the layers. You supposed it was some sort of magic, but before you could think too deeply on it, scorching fingers thumbed over your nipples, teasing them in turn. Sighing in delight, you pressed yourself into his touch, bringing one knee up between his legs. Warm rain flecked your face as Shabriri heated the flurries swirling around you both. He shuddered in response to your retaliatory teasing and grasped your shoulders, spinning you to face the rock. Pressing you to the rock face, he began to grasp hurriedly at your belt. Startled by how swiftly he was progressing, you reached behind you to caress him and try to slow things down.

He gratefully allowed you to palm at his hardness, though you could barely get a proper grip from this backwards angle. “Shabriri…” you mumbled impatiently, aching for his touch. In response, you felt several strange fingers of flame lick tenderly up your sides underneath your clothes, and your skin tingled with anticipation. They did not burn you, merely warmed and brushed at your sensitive flesh, but this was clearly by design. He waved his hand in a sweeping motion and the flames flickered once again across your chest, laving a nipple, licking ravenously up the inside of your thighs. Your breath hitched audibly and you gave a little mewl as they curled around your most sensitive parts with a flourish. Your knees trembled and you leaned bodily against the rock face, breathing heavily.

“Shabriri…” you uttered again, but this time it was a word of thanks, trailing off into a low moan as you struggled to remain standing under his torturous ministrations. The fingers curled hotly, flickering and teasing relentlessly. Their rhythms were highly erratic, but to your surprise this did not seem to be a detriment. Your body was responding eagerly. Satisfied that you were no longer complaining, Shabriri grasped again at your belt, loosening it in order to slip one of Yura’s hands inside. You jumped as soon as you felt his scorching hand play around your opening with no hesitation. Wasting no time, he began to work you open, to the sound of your desperate gasps and shameless panting. Feeling one heated digit breach you, you moaned a garbled plea, rocking back against him for more.
Shabriri obliged you, smirking ruthlessly now, as he plunged a second finger inside your eager entrance. You clenched around him, moving your hips to grind against his generous hand. His tormenting flames still undulated along your thighs, brushing against your swollen nerves and drawing desperate pleas for more… just… more… from your lips. He obliged, freeing Yura’s hardened length and removing his fingers from your quivering body. You weren’t left to mourn this loss for long, and you quickly felt him eagerly press himself inside you with a low groan. With how wet you both were from the constant dripping of the melted snowflakes and your combined arousal, you slid against one another easily. As he sheathed himself to the hilt inside you, you saw a flash of bright yellow light reflected on the wet rock. Feeling a few sizzling sparks hit your exposed neck, you hissed in shock and tightened around him. What was that?

It had to have been his eyes… You had been trying to put them from your mind, as something about them made you feel slightly nauseated, and deeply uncomfortable. You supposed they were simply a magical enhancement, but their existence made you feel deeply wrong, as though you might crawl out of your own skin if you stared at them unguarded for too long. Despite leaning in to his unnatural warmth, you began to shiver uncontrollably. As he thrust mercilessly into you, strange whisperings crept along the edge of your hearing. Distracted, you strained to listen but couldn’t quite catch what they said. Madness was creeping in, searingly, with the fingers of flame that had so pleased you earlier now reaching to curl about your brain. Sweating and panting, you trembled with the exertion of remaining standing and conscious.

Amidst the chaos which seemed to be unfolding, your tormented body came harshly, with a short orgasm that left you overstimulated and extremely sensitive. Shabriri began raking harshly at your back, and you were relieved that he was not scratching at your bared flesh. You could feel the thrum of feverish energy in his limbs, and he began to rapidly lose his remaining composure. Manic laughter spilled from his open mouth as he spasmed frenetically against you. Gripping you in a frenzied grasp, his violent thrusts became painful. You grit your teeth and closed your eyes.

“Aaaaah! May chaos…take…the world… May chaos… take… the world!” Shabriri cried out, sparks and volleys of yellow flame leaping from his eye sockets as he threw Yura’s head back in blind ecstasy. His voice cracked as he roared to the golden skies, rapidly approaching his peak and hurling himself into oblivion. Your mind raced as you wondered what in the Lands Between he was talking about, he was babbling as though he had completely lost his mind. You were sore from the friction of his unyielding thrusts and tried to control your breathing to manage the pain. He smelled acrid now, less like wood smoke and more like burning hair. You wrinkled your nose and tried your best not to breathe it in.

As he finished, with one last surge into your abused opening, you screamed in unexpected pain as his white-hot fluid coated your insides. It burned, oh it burned, and shocked tears sprung immediately to your eyes. Making no move to cover your mouth, Shabriri let out a shaken frenzied laugh in harmony with your cries. Your fingers scrabbled frantically against the rock and he grasped a fistful of your hair, not to quiet your agonised motions but to add to the overwhelming sensation.

Without fanfare, seemingly needing very little recovery time, he pulled out of your aching body and tucked Yura’s now-limp length away from the elements. You shivered with discomfort, his seed still burning dimly within you. You moved one hand unconsciously to rub across your abdomen, self-soothing, as you no longer felt as though this man could offer you any safety or comfort.

Still with one hand threaded in your hair, he twisted you by the head to turn you around to face him. Crowding you, his grinning face was inches from your own as your back pressed against the cold rock. His scent now was positively caustic, and the sudden powerful scent of melting human flesh seared your nostrils and filled your lungs as you gasped in horror. Staring up at him, your frightened eyes met his sizzling eyeholes, and sparks spat at you from their ferocious depths. You could hear those whispers again, too distant to understand with any clarity, but too close for comfort. Far too close. With great effort, you tore your gaze away. The whispers retreated, just barely. You screwed your eyes closed in desperation and Shabriri’s blistering breath was suddenly at your ear.

“I must leave now, I have other matters to attend to. Chosen Tarnished, and would-be Lord, descend into the depths far below the Erdtree Capital. Seek audience with the Three Fingers and the Flame of Frenzy… I do not doubt that you can be the one to follow this path.” As he whispered this, you tried to make sense of what he was asking. The Flame of Frenzy? Your mind was still too frazzled from your encounter, and you missed segments of his chaotic muttering trying to process what he wanted from you. Still rubbing your abdomen gently, you mulled over his words. After a moment, you felt you had sensible questions formulated. You could still feel the tendrils of flame flickering along the edges of your mind. They felt as though they were growing hotter.

“You would have me go to the–” midway through the sentence, you opened your eyes. Oh. Shabriri was gone. Yura lay crumpled on the ground, snowflakes falling to rest on his upturned face as he gazed sightlessly up into the pale sky. His helm had fallen back completely, lying on the ground behind his head. You gently reached out and used two fingers to close the man’s eyes. Pulling his cloak about him, you muttered a quiet apology. Using a quick spell, you managed to move his body to rest somewhere slightly more secluded. The whispers in the back of your mind were almost comprehensible now.

Looking upwards, setting your sights on the great Erdtree towering above you, you re-oriented yourself and began walking again with purpose.