Tale Untold: Calm Before

The sky was black, periodically lit by bolts of lightning. They were surrounded by a maze of ruined structures and violet pillars of energy stretching to the horizon. Talsi and Nessa's future selves walked the bleak landscape side by side. They stood out like two stars on a cloudy night. From every open doorway the dead things watched them silently.

"They'll kill you if you follow me in," Nessa whispered. "I can feel them waiting for me,"

"They'll try..." Talsi mustered a wane smile and clasped the girl's hand, giving it a squeeze. "If you recall I have fought Gods on more than one occasion."

Nessa nodded and kept her eyes ahead. She didn't smile.

"The Ideal Masters aren't Gods. They aren't even Daedra. They just... are,"

"For now," This time Nessa did smile. "Let's see if we can change that."

-( )-

Everything seemed to slow to a crawl. Her hand going up in a feeble attempt to shield herself, the fireball arcing through the air, her own voice just beginning to scream, it was all happening as though from a great distance. Her doom was nearly upon her by the time she managed to squeeze her eyes shut.

The sound of her body being consumed by flames sounded different than she had imagined it would. A metallic clang and whoosh of fire, but none of the pain Nessa had braced for.

When at last she lowered her arms and looked up she was looking into the crimson eyes of Urzkar standing over her. The Dremora's arm was wrapped around her, his shield between her and the monster. One side of his armor was scorched and dented from the blast. The shield dropped to the ground a smoking ruin.

"Fools," Urzkar growled at the beast and its controller. "You have called down the wrath of those infinitely your betters."

He turned back to Nessa only briefly as he marched forth.

"Serving you has been... educational," Was that a grin? "For that you have my thanks, now run while you can."

-( )-

She sat in her seeing place, though she was a grown woman now, and let her legs dangle over the edge casually. A woman sat beside her that she had never met. The woman wore a black and red set of robes, her fine black hair cut to neck length and braided on the sides. Her eyes glowed orange in the night. A vampire perhaps?

"This is where you were born?" The woman asked. Talsi's future self shrugged and kept her gaze of the ruins below. Time had nearly swallowed the whole of it with ash and plant life. The whole of the world seemed to have moved on...

"It's where I lived when I was a kid. I don't know where I was born."

"It looks a bit on the burnt side," The woman smirked.

"It's no worse than where you live," Talsi's future self shot back. The woman tilted her head at that, glowing eyes amused. "live, stay, you know what I meant."

They sat in silence for a while. The smile bled away from the woman's face.

"I miss her," Talsi whispered. The woman draped an arm over her shoulder and nodded.

"I know," Talsi was looking out at the village, though her eyes were miles away. "If you could talk to her now, what would you tell her?"

"That I loved her,"

"Now that she knew, she always did..."

-Writer's note: This chapter is simply my way of staying involved with the characters I've created, and the story I still wish to see through to its end. Hints of its future, nothing more. My life and the various other projects I am involved in have had me out of touch for a long time, but hopefully some of you still want to walk this road with me. There is no way for me to say this that doesn't sound like fishing for compliments (not my intention) but the truth is how much of my time is spent on any given project is largely dictated by feedback. Be it criticism, comment, review or questions hearing from readers is what keeps me going. I will be taking up this story once more, hope to see you all there.-