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home-of-the-ascended · 2 months ago

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Lost, but Not Forgotten

The guild was quiet for the first time in a while. With the chaos erupting around the realm, whether from negligence or not, death and destruction was still a normal occurrence for the people. Lian has been doing her best to keep the majority of the common folk under control with promises of safety and shelter from the Abyssal threat, word spreading about a lost house was rejoining the Magistrate adding to this. Inara, Imani, and Furia have also been very active as of late, trying to help out the people in their own right. Everyone united to fight against an ever growing threat.

Everyone but the Ascended.

Zhin sighed, exhaling smoke from the pipe he’d sucked on. He watched it form into a feint cloud as it was carried away by the wind. The same wind that carried the smell of abyssal decay and corruption from a once beautiful mountain top. He frowned, his gaze absentmindedly on what used to be Ascension Peak. The mountain top was still aflame in that hellish purple, a reminder of what was lost. How many people died in the explosion? How many were left wandering around aimlessly, looking for a new life? Homelessness can drive one to do drastic things. Zhin knew this too well.

He snuffed out the pipe and retreated back inside his study. Sitting on his desk were a few stacks of papers, mostly just reports from his followers about the status of various locations. Ever since Lian’s sudden promotion to Head Magister, he’s asked his most trusted agents to keep tabs on her progress, this included wherever the Primus and her armies were sent to. With Talus training under Vatu, Zhin knows keeping the Ska’drin safe will help improve the overall look of the Thousand Hands, especially during this trial.

Other sheets were from folks with nowhere left to turn, applications to join the Thousand Hands Guild. They were already warned how dangerous and unforgiving the trials were, how they’ll throw away their life for a life of crime. All the warning signs were there for all to see. Yet some still crawl to their doorstep, begging on their hands and knees for a chance to do something. Anything. Zhin sank into his chair, pulling himself to the table and grabbed a feather pen.

He started off with the reports, reading through them thoroughly. Signed off, paper shifted, next page. Every now and again, his progress would pause by the occasional commotion or a knock at the door, but it was mostly unimpeded. The reconnaissance reports were finished within an hour and a half, nothing too crazy stood out aside from Khan’s usual antics. The attention moved to the recruitment papers. Many of which were denied through Zhin’s scrutiny, but he held onto some of the sheets. There were a few oddballs, some being Tau-Kor monks. Others were people who lost everything after Ascension Peak’s downfall.

Zhin sat back in his chair, running a hand through his tangled hair. He couldn’t allow those people to join his guild. Not because they weren’t cut out for that lifestyle, no, they were faithful to the Ascended. Or, were. These people must’ve lost faith in him, Zhin thought with a slight grimace. Why else would they try their luck here? It was rough, but he still had a job to do. The Tyrant straightened himself up and went back to finishing up the paperwork. Another 2 hours had passed before he could officially say he was finished for the time being. The moonlight pouring into the study was gentle to the eye, a reminder of how late it truly was for Zhin. He rose from his chair, cleaned up a bit, then heading out towards the kitchen.

Whilst heading there, Zhin was surprised to bump into Ying. He expected her to be sleeping, especially with how late it was. According to the elf, she and some of her illusions were running amuck trying to take care of some of the injured that woke up due to pain. The main reason she was still up was due to some tea she intended to make for Jenos to help him out, but got sidetracked when some folks began to complain. Already running herself ragged and the new day hasn’t even begin, Zhin shook his head. “You should try to rest, you’ll make yourself sick and join the rest of them if you let them.”

“But, there’s no one else here to help-” Zhin raised a hand, cutting her off silently.

“Please, go rest. You can tend to them when you’ve taken care of yourself. I’ll ask Buck and Shalin to help out in your place.”

Ying opened her mouth to argue, yawning as a result. She accepted her loss and began to make her way to the bedrooms, thanking Zhin in the process. He wished her a good night, watching her as she left. She was a kind soul, much too kind for someone like him. The pang of guilt he felt as she hovered into the shadows will be a constant reminder for him. He remained in place for another minute or two, making sure she wasn’t coming back before continuing towards the kitchen.

The Tyrant did stop by their makeshift hospital ward to check in on the folks there, true to Ying’s word, some of them were awake and in agony. He fetched clean gauze and bandages, disinfected and stitched up others, even using his sword to help cauterize some of the more severe injuries. When they finally began to calm down and, eventually, fell asleep, Zhin moved towards the kitchen. It was extremely late by the time he entered, grabbing a tea pot and a pair of cups. He searched the cabinets for a specific herbal blend he was taught, snagging it and tucking it away before swiftly retreating.

He made his way through the various hallways, being careful not to wake up anyone. Approaching his room, Zhin knocked on the door to announce his presence. After a few moments, the door opened and Zhin stepped inside, closing it with his foot. Setting the tea supplies onto a small table, he looked up and saw his temporary guest, Jenos, gazing outside. The god had definitely seen better days; he was wearing some clothes Zhin had outgrown, his hair laid limp against his body, the mask resting on a bedside table, and the orb he usually carries was no where to be seen. There were visible bandages loosely hanging off Jenos’ neck, old blood staining them. The Tyrant swallowed, somewhat uncomfortable.

“You’re…awake, for once.” Zhin started, keeping his voice hushed. Jenos didn’t look at him. “I do hope your wounds haven’t caused you too much pain, those wrappings will need to be replaced if you want to keep recovering…” Still no reaction, Zhin’s eyes shifting towards the bed subconsciously looking for any visible blood stains. He awkwardly began to change into something more comfy, seeing as the other wasn’t in the mood to talk. Jenos wasn’t usually a talker to begin with, it was pretty evident within the first week he was brought here.

The Ascended, along with panicked familiar faces, were brought to the Thousand Hands guild as a last ditch effort to get Omen off of Jenos’ ass. It worked so far, but Zhin fears it’ll only be a matter of time before the Abyss realizes where the god’s been hiding. Jenos was pretty fucked up when they brought him in, barely conscious enough to respond before feinting from blood loss. Buck looked ready to take on the Abyss himself for the damage that faction’s caused, Ying and Furia were doing all they could to keep Jenos alive while Shalin, Talus, and Koga scrambled to get a room ready for the god to rest in. Unsurprisingly they thought the best place for god to rest in was Zhin’s room, which was mildly annoying at first until the Tyrant learned to live with the decision.

It was a bit of whiplash seeing all these people here, especially after everything that’s happened between them all. Koga’s still bitter about his exile, Buck and Shalin give Zhin cold glares occasionally, Talus was getting along with Vatu surprisingly well, but Ying was the first to notice Zhin actively trying to help. It was almost painful to the man when she smiled at him for the first time in who knows how long. They were all working together under the same roof once more, for a different purpose this time. The Ascended’s life was in danger and they were the last line of defense.

A cough caught Zhin’s attention, he glanced over at the god and froze. Jenos’ pupil-less eyes were locked onto him, not so blinding in his current state. The Tyrant couldn’t help but meet his gaze, unable to try and brake eye contact. An agonizing minute of silence passes before the Ascended sighs, shifting his attention back towards the world outside the window. Zhin let out a long shaky breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Whatever Jenos wanted to say wasn’t important, he thought, reaching for the tea pot with a slight tremble in his hand.

Zhin grabbed the tea pot and was ready to begin to prepare the pot, but quickly excusing himself to leave temporarily due to forgetting the water. After returning, nearly spilling the water after a freak scream pierced the silence and causing a scare, the Tyrant returned to his room and set the pot up onto a metal frame. He lit his sword ablaze and propped it underneath the pot to boil the water as he added the herbal mix into it. After a while, the water began to boil, Zhin sheathed the weapon and poured them both a cup. Getting a whiff of the tea, the aroma was nice and soothing enough, Zhin hummed. It wasn’t his preferred flavor, but according to Buck, this was the blend Jenos usual made himself. He got up and went to hand Jenos the first cup.

“I don’t know if I made it exactly how you’d like it, but Buck told me this was your, er, favorite blend?” He was genuinely surprised when Jenos took the cup and gave it a taste. His heart sank when the other furrowed his brows. A scowl. “Do…you not like it?” Zhin asked, legitimately worried. He was trying to help the god feel better, why was this so nerve wracking? His heart was racing and all he did was give Jenos bad tea! The Tyrant’s heart leapt into his throat when those eyes were locked onto him again. He could see the god trying to think about his words, considering the circumstances, but it still worried him.

“…try not to hold the sword so close to the pot next time.” Jenos’ voice was unlike the voice Zhin was used to hearing. It was powerful and resonant, with different tones, you couldn’t really hear what the god sounded like before ascending. But now? He definitely sounded mortal, the god’s true voice. The Tyrant didn’t even process what he’d said until a few seconds passed.

“…OH, oh. Ok, yeah, right I’ll get it better next time. Sorry…is, is it not-”

“I’ll drink it, just cook it slower next time. These herbs need time to sit in the water before it becomes a boil.”

Zhin gave a nod, he should’ve listened to Buck when he offered to teach him how to properly brew this tea. He heard a soft chuckle and saw the faintest smile on Jenos’ face before he went back to looking outside, taking another drink. “I think I was wrong about you Zhin. You may have been a Tyrant in the past, but you’re actively changing your fate in a more positive light.” Jenos’s comment caught him off guard. The god continued, “I do appreciate all you and the Guild are doing for my followers, they deserve better than what I can do for them currently. Though, I also apologize for being stationed in your private chamber for the time being.” Zhin batted a hand, downing his cup entirely before setting it aside.

“Oh please, it’s nothing. My people were already deployed to look over your followers and the mountain, some of the monks paid quite nicely for our protective services. It’s a shame it wasn’t enough to prevent, well, that.” Zhin gestured to the ruined mountain. He knew his words meant very little to the god, but it seemed Jenos appreciated hearing the truth. “We’ll do what we can to help, really, it’ll just take a lot of time. Hopefully Lian doesn’t fuck around and cause more issues, we’ve got more than plenty on our plate.”

“…thank you, Zhin Aico…” Zhin barely reacted in time, catching Jenos just before he fell off the bed. Zhin immediately checked him for any issues and found the god was running a fever. The Tyrant tucked Jenos back into his bed, sprinting to the closest water source with a cloth. He came back swiftly, putting the cold rag on the God’s forehead and unwrapping the bloodied bandages around his neck to clean the wounds. Some of the wounds had reopened due to the head movements, Zhin figured as he disinfected and wrapped Jenos’ neck in new wrappings. He sank to the floor, nearly knocking over the tea pot stand. He closed his eyes, the exhaustion finally catching up to him. Jenos can have the bed to himself tonight, Zhin thought with a smile before finally falling asleep.

#paladins champions of the realm #paladins jenos #paladins zhin #pcotr #I’m back but not really #i haven’t posted anything in such a long time #i only did this because they haven’t dropped a new lore story yet #this is my little headcanon about Jenos and Zhin’s current situation since HiRez won’t give me more story bits #lowkey zhinos but not really #i just like them a lot

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