Author's note:
Rirns Uveran was not originally part of Boss Crito's gang in the computer version of Morrowind, but in my universe (DMed by someone who loved the world) when the legion hired a certain party to take out a group of smugglers holed up in a cave called Nissintu, he survived, being more than what he seemed. A lot more, actually, but it didn't save him in the end.
Standard disclaimer: I do not own Morrowind, or any of the other wondrous creations of Bethesda Softworks, however I certainly lay claim to misspellings, mistakes, tweaks and characters of my own creation.
Tallis took a half step back, trying to gauge which angle the dark elf's sword would come down at her. She was watching his chest more than his eyes, so when he suddenly hesitated, she could see the reason for it. The point of sword tip was protruding from the stomach of her foe.
Behind him stood Kroc, the hilt of his nearly four foot weapon held lightly in one taloned hand.
"Rirns Uveran, you are under arrest for smuggling." The Argonian's gravelly voice was solemn, and it echoed among the remains of the long still dwemer mechanisms. "Sentence to be carried out now."
The expression slowly faded from the dunmer's face and he slumped to his knees, sliding forward off of the sword. Blood poured down his legs, soaking the dark wool of his leggings.
Kroc pulled his sword the rest of the way out of the body, and casually knelt and wiped the blade off on the sleeve of the dead dunmer.
"The sentence is death." The last word echoed in the suddenly silent hall.
"You didn't give him a chance to surrender." Tallis said quietly.
A sarcastic voice answered from where Arenea lay on the floor; Gealdol's hands were at work layering a poultice just above her hip. "If it was you he stabbed would you still be so sympathetic?" Tallis knew that Arenea would have normally added a number of choice dunmeri curses, but Gaeldol's efforts to bandage her were occupying most of her attention.
Ignoring Arenea's comment, Kroc said. "He was a smuggler. He knew the penalty for his criminal actions."
Tallis knelt beside the body, which lay face down. "Help me turn him over."
Kroc took a step back, and the crest of spines on the back of his head rose slightly. "Tallis." His tone was a warning.
"Don't help her." Arenea snapped from where she lay. A dark four-legged figure approached her, tail wagging. "Tallis leave that body alone and come and get your dog."
Tallis ignored the comments. She pushed at the dark elf so that he was lying on his back. Scooting forward, she lifted his head, so that when she sat, her right thigh pillowed his head.
The dark elf lay, head on her lap, sightless eyes staring upwards. The flow of blood from his wounds had slowed. Tallis could feel that the warmth was leaving his body.
She put her hands to the side of his face. "Don't go yet." She whispered.
Behind her, Sekou asked. "Do you want me to try and interrupt her spell?" He already had his bow drawn, muscles rippling under his dark skin.
"Yes." Said Kroc, who had backed up to the wall and was standing, sword drawn, crest fully erect.
"No." the shout came simultaneously from both Arenea and Gaeldol.
Arenea added. "Not unless you want to chance that the spell goes completely berserk and raises an arm of angry zombies."
Sekou backed away from Tallis to stand near Kroc. Slowly he let the tension on the string go. "You mean if something goes wrong that could happen?"
Arenea sighed sarcastically. "It's only as likely as my misfire of a cold spell damaging every single damn area on my entire body, that's all."
"Satakal." Sekou muttered.
"Come back." Tallis whispered, and she gently caressed the sides of the dead elf's face. "Come back and talk to me."
The body of the dunmer gave a shudder, and it suddenly took a harsh, gurgling breath. The eyes suddenly focused on Tallis.
Sekou backed rapidly away.
"Outlander." The dunmer's voice was much harsher in death than it had been in life.
"The first thing I have to tell you is that you are dead." Tallis kept stroking the dunmer's cooling cheek as she spoke. "In just a little bit your soul will go where ever you're supposed to go."
The dead dunmer's red eyes narrowed. "Then why are you talking to me?"
"You have been working for a very bad man. Boss Crito is," Tallis struggled to find a suitably evocative description, but gave it up – there wasn't time. "Well, he's evil. So I'm giving you a chance to do a good thing to try and balance that out."
"Also," She said earnestly, "I'm offering you a deal. I'll deliver one message for you. You can have a chance to have your last words go to who you want them to. Tell me something about Boss Crito that will help me fight him. What's his favorite spell? What kind of magics does he work? Tell me something useful and I promise I'll deliver your message."
Sweat was beginning to gather on her forehead and there was a tremble to her fingers as she kept caressing him.
The red eyes gazed speculatively at her for a long moment. She was on the verge of telling him to hurry up when he finally spoke.
"Breton." He said in that harsh, dead voice.
She nodded slightly, wanting him to hurry, but not wanting to interrupt him now that he was actually talking.
"You are her. You are Tallis, aren't you?"
If he'd been alive, she might have been able to tell if he meant to be admiring or insulting, but dead people, especially early on in her spell process, were harder to read, and dunmer could be damn inscrutable even while alive.
"Yes, I'm Tallis." She said, hoping that would be enough to prompt him to go on. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of her face.
The elves eyes tracked the bead of sweat, and then met her gaze again. "So where do you think my spirit will go?"
Tallis frowned in thought. It was certainly a legitimate question for someone in his position. "Well, you are Dunmer. You might stay and protect your family. Or you might go to Oblivion to be with your ancestral Daedra. Or maybe Azura or someone has a job for you." She thought about it. "Or you might be ready for a more peaceful incarnation, so you might come back as a tree or a Kwama Queen."
The dead elf looked speculatively at her. "Interesting."
"Just because you're dead doesn't mean you don't have choices." Said Tallis. "Or responsibilities." A slight shiver went through her.
"Tell Forin Gilneth the sixth gate is open."
"Forin Gilneth." Tallis' voice trailed off. She could feel her cheeks redden as the dead dunmer stared at her.
"I know you'll deliver that message." Dead or not, he sounded smug.
"And Boss Crito?"
"Boss Crito has a companion that is some sort of wind spirit."
Tallis' eyes half closed and a shiver went through her. "Deal." She said softly.
"Goodbye, Breton."
"Goodbye Rirns Uveran." Whispered Tallis. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the dead man's forehead.
A shudder went through the body. Tallis wiped her eyes with her right sleeve and took a long breath. Then she struggled to extricate her from the abruptly stiff corpse.
Sekou and Krock looked at each other and moved a little bit farther away from her.
"It's stiff now." Kroc muttered. "Isn't it a little…" He tightened his grip on the hilt of his weapon. "A little deader than it should be now?"
"Yeah." Tallis shrugged. "I was slowing him down a little, so when he went, he went faster." She got to her feet slowly, and stumbled a little. Kroc took another step away from her. Odin came and pressed gently against her, and she put a hand on his back to balance herself.
"Good boy." She said.
He wagged his tail.
Kroc walked slowly over, crest still erected, and prodded the now stiff corpse with his sword. "The way you talked to him. The way you touched him." His voice was midway between curiosity and disgust. "A dead body."
Tallis sighed. "He is a person. Now he's dead, but he's still himself." She looked up at Kroc. "Boss Crito's brother was a jerk. Dead or alive, he was still a jerk, so I treated him that way." She turned back to the dead Dunmer. "I gave this one a chance, and he chose to help us."
"That's still necromancy." Kroc said.
Tallis closed her eyes. With an effort, she said gently. "No. Necromancers are fixated on warping the natural process of death. I just change the speed of some parts of the cycle – and it's the whole cycle I work with, not just the death part of it."
Kroc grunted.
Well, thought Tallis. At least he didn't take a swing at me this time.