"The Chim-el Adabal
by Mannimarco
Mannimarco's musings on the Amulet of Kings and its red diamond
The Amulet of the Kings of Glory, pendant of the red diamond Chim-el Adabal, Ayleid relic of Divine investiture. Whatever myths exist concerning its creation, this much is fact: as a vessel of Akatosh's will, it is tied to him in a very real way.
The corruption of the Dragonfire ritual was a taxing endeavor. I spent weeks inscribing the glyphs and preparing the incantations that Aquilarios foolishly believed would change his ancestry and birthright. Trusting simpleton. Nirn now lies adrift in the Mundus, vulnerable to the parasitic Daedra that feast upon the souls of its people.
Tharn once asked me, outright, if the Amulet could be used to repair the damage wrought by the Soulburst. Subtlety was never part of Abnur's repertoire. I could see the scheming machinations behind his eyes even as he pledged his loyalty to me. I think he knew, even then, that he was disposable. Who needs a scheming politician when one aspires to be a god?
The answer to his question is, of course, yes. This is why I must seize the amulet and protect it. It is the vessel through which I will supplant my would-be master and assume dominion over two worlds. Why would a god settle for just one?"
"You shall be set above all mortals, forever."
Cura replayed that line in her mind as she ventured through the blatant hellscape with Savos and Mirabelle.
That was the promise of Mehrunes Dagon to hus followers. A vain promise, to be certain. Being above other mortals in a world ruled by Daedra simply made you chickens in a coop around a worm farm. Certainly, you had the power to consume those below you, but the Daedra would always look at you for their dinner regardless.
How could the mortals not see that? Mehrunes held no love for their kind. None whatsoever. To serve him was to sign a death warrant for all of Tamriel.
She was the Dragonborn. Why should she fear them? Perhaps this was why Mehrunes hated Dragonborns so badly; they were already above other mortals.
Mirabelle gestured towards a large crag nearby, where lava surrounded it. Beyond the crag was a large, horned, black tower that reached up high into the skies. "Ordinarily a Sigil Stone would be found within one of those towers, but this one seems not to have one."
Cura furrowed her brows. "No Sigil Stone? Then how..."
"When you defeated Vonos, the sacrifice, empowered by the Great Welkynd Stone, tore open the Liminal Barrier." Savos explained. "No Sigil Stone is needed."
Cura but her lip as she saw a large horde of Dremora and what appeared to be Spider-like Daedra and Reptilian ones with fanning scaled manes, bipedal crocodiles, Atronachs of all three elemental types, gnarly beige Falmer-esque beings, blue humanoid horned beings, and implike creatures all congregated in a troop. Further off, a large machination with horns and a visible eye moved ever closer, stamping through the lava.
Cura was both awed and terrified by what she'd seen this far. The large machination alone looked as if it could level Skyrim. She turned to Savos Aren. "Wh-what is that thing?"
"A Siege Walker. They bring mass destruction wherever they are lead." the former Arch-Mage said solemnly. "If that enters Skyrim, well... the Eye of Magnus would have been a gentler demise."
"We have to do something!" Cura cried.
Eerily, this whole situation reminded her of the Doom Strider spoken of by Langley months ago. A large, dark entity that moved through the land, bringing death and destruction, and not even the gods could stop it.
"There is nothing we can do." Mirabelle sighed sadly.
"There must be something!" Cura refused to accept that. "What if... what if we defeat those commanders? Who are they?"
"Valkyn Methats and Valkyn Gatanas." Savos Aren pointed at the two leaders of the large troops as he pulled her back. As long as she remained with them, she would be undetected. "They are the heralds of Mehrunes Dagon. They are readying to join their Lord on Nirn to destroy the Empire, and enslave what remains of humanity and elvenkind."
Upon hearing that statement, Cura grew increasingly uneasy. It was all her fault. She killed Vonos; fell right into his trap. Now the portal was open, and these fiends were about to wage war on Tamriel.
"A shame they aren't going to make it!" Cura thoughtlessly declared as she rushed out from behind the crags, Auriel's Bow in hand.
With one Shout, she could scatter the troops and then take out the leaders. She would do it.
"Wait! There's something you must realize!" Savos cried out, but was too late to stop her as Cura had dashed too quickly.
Cura rushed out into the open and lined herself up against the small legion. "FUS RO DAH!" came her Shout.
But nothing happened.
Cura was stunned in silence as they all took notice to her. Hundreds of hateful eyes were set upon her now.
"FUS RO DAH!" she attempted it again, but to no avail.
Cura's spectral blood ran cold. Why wasn't it working?
Valkyn Methats pointed at her from atop the Daedric Horse he was mounted on. "You, mortal-soul! You are no threat to us. Surrender now and we will make your torment short-lived."
The Legion of Daedra behind him incrementally stepped forward, the lizards, or Clannfears, kicked up dirt in anticipation.
The arachnids seemed to be preparing spells to launch at her.
Cura knew in her heart that she could not allow them to reach the portal, but her Thu'um was unresponsive.
Unable to feel her Dragon Soul, Cura's rage and confusion morphed into vivid terror. She was outnumbered and outmatched.
It was her, versus two high-leveled Dremora, and a Legion of over a hundred Daedra.
Immediately, Cura's eyes darted around, hoping to find something, somewhere, that she could use to her advantage.
Could she take at least a few of them out and escape?
Her eyes looked to the ground before Valkyn Gatanas and his Daedric Horse, adjacent to Valkyn Methats.
There appeared to be a cracked bump in the earth; the starts to a lava geyser.
Maybe?
Without a moment's hesitation, Cura charged a Firebolt and launched it straight towards the ground. Once contact was made, the explosion rippled forth with a burst of lava that began to shoot upwards in a wide plume of molten liquid.
The Daedric Horses began to flail and panic, and the Daedra leapt backwards.
"Get her! Capture that cretin!" Valkyn Methats ordered, swinging his long, black Daedric sword in an aggressive slice, burning the heated air around it in a downwards arc.
It was a storm of rampaging feet, akin to the sound of roaring thunder racing around the lava.
Cura stumbled upon the crags as she utilized Longstride to race faster along the rugged landscape.
The higher she climbed, the better a view she had of the Doom Strider; the Siege Walker unlike any other. It was larger, by two stories, than any of its kind, and smoldered all over with lava. It left a trail of black shadow wherever it roamed.
It was an abomination under the heavens; designed for great destruction.
It hulled under the dark skies and roared viciously before charging a mighty laser blast and aiming it towards Cura.
In a moment's notice, she leapt down off the mount and tucked under the large set of tower walls as the laser was fired.
In mere seconds, the mountain she lay under was decimated, and she cast Ebony flesh to guard against the collapsing rubble.
Methats and Gatanas pulled the reins on their dark horses and caused them to halt. They looked at the rubble and waited for a few seconds before turning to the troops.
"Dig her out." the Dremora commanded and several of the Crocodile Daedra swarmed the pit of rubble.
Other Daedra maintained their positions under Gatanas, lying in wait for an end to the farce.
Unable to use her Thu'um meant she was now forced to rely on her wit. Cura cast an Invisibility spell on herself and began to slowly wriggle through the collapsed debris. She tried to remain as low as possible, slithering like a snake in the hopes of maintaining low movement on the stones above her to not betray her location.
The situation was dire, but she thanked the Divines that, even in such a position, she was distracting the Daedra from their invasion, even if by a few moments.
A stone was upturned above her and one of the Crocodile Daedra, a Daedroth, quickly snapped at her with his jaws.
Cura dashed ahead and was smacked down into the stones by a Frost Atronach's massive fist.
Cura cast a Flame Cloak while pinned down and the Atronach gave way as flames alarmed it.
A strong bolt of lightning struck one of the Daedroths, alarming the others.
Mirabelle Ervine stood atop part of the wall that remained erect and channeled more bolts as mighty winds whirled around her. With a taste of higher magic, she cracked a few others with another set of concentrated bolts, killing them on impact.
"INTRUDERS! ATTACK THEM!" Valkyn Gatanas commanded.
The numerous spider Daedra and imps began to hurl haphazardly-aimed bolts of energy at Mirabelle, but she leapt down from the wall and landed in a Drop zone formed by Savos.
In the confusion, Cura was able to wriggle out from under the collapse and scurried past a few Scamps, cleaving their heads from their shoulders.
Valkyn Methats cast a lightning bolt at Cura, striking her in the lower left hip before she seemingly vanished from view.
When the Daedra caught up they were confounded.
"Where are they?" Valkyn Gatanas asked, astounded as he began to survey all directions.
Cura, Mirabelle and Savos were hidden above the wall now, obscured with Divine light.
"Find them! They will cause disturbance! I will join Lord Dagon in our task of remaking the world." Methats yelled at Gatanas. "The way is open; we will bring the Doom Strider out soon enough when it can resist the air of Mundus. For now, find and crush the interlopers."
Gatanas nodded and gathered his platoon with a mighty blow on a Daedric Warhorn.
"No mortals shall stand in our way." Valkyn Gatanas proclaimed before riding off with thundering steps, followed closely by his army.
As they watched the Daedric Army split, Cura, Mirabelle and Savos collectively sighed with relief. They were all right, for now. The Doom Strider itself pulled away and walked deeper into the black fields.
"Why didn't you tell me my Dragon Soul was gone?" Cura felt sadness clench her heart at the prospect.
"There was hardly any time to explain everything before stumbling upon that unpleasantness." Savos defended themselves as he gentlemanly helped Mirabelle down from the wall.
Cura landed with a clamp of her armour. She feared being heard, but knew they were safe and felt ill at ease with the Divines' protection.
The ember-filled hot air was enough to remind her that she wasn't entirely safe, however. She was still in the Deadlands, after all.
Mirabelle touched her shoulder. "When you perished at the hands of that foul knife, it drew a rift between your human and Dragon blood. Your Dragon Soul is alive, out there somewhere... but you must retrieve it."
"A rift? How is that possible?" Cura questioned.
"The blood of Mehrunes is very powerful. He is the mortal adversary of Akatosh. When you unwittingly performed the sacrifice of Vonos in his name, you lost the Dragon God's protection." Savos said. "The dagger was designed to kill you, but not to divide your soul. Akatosh divided your Dragon before the knife penetrated."
"But I hadn't killed Vonos yet; I struck him after the dagger went in me." Cura was confused.
"The Divines understood that it was going to happen. Do not blame yourself." Savos reassured her.
Cura had to sit down; she felt drained; desolate. She exhaled and looked to the floor between her feet. "Then... I'm sunk. If I can't use the Thu'um, how can I protect anyone?"
"There is more to you than your Dragonblood." Savos Aren assured her. "Remember all that you've learned in Winterhold. You are half-Human, half-Elven. You are gifted in magic. It courses through every piece of you."
"But... I feel so much weaker now." Cura groaned. "What can I do? I want to help..."
Mirabelle closed her eyes and began to meditate, praying to Julianos. Then she nodded and returned to Cura. "You can retrieve your Dragon Soul, but you must prove yourself worthy."
"Really? How?" Cura immediately perked up. "How can I prove myself worthy?"
Savos looked to Mirabelle, who grew intense. After a second's meditation, she spoke up. "By finding the Chim-El Adabal."
At the Thalmor Embassy, Elenwen had just finished stacking up papers and binding them with hem stitches when Rulundil entered with a knock on her open door, gathering her attention.
"What is it, Rulundil?" the Altmer asked curtly. She observed the look of distress written across his face and quickly surmised that something was very, very wrong. "What's happened?"
"I have some grave news, concerning your little friend, the Dragonborn." Rulundil tried to maintain his composure by putting up a cold front, but the news was already in his eyes.
Elenwen shuddered in her seat and clenched her knees with her hands under the desk. Her own anxiousness hid behind her cold exterior. "What about her?"
"She is... dead." Rulundil spat it out nervously. His voice trembled on that last word. As Elenwen's second, he knew the unspoken truth of Cura and the First Emissary.
Elenwen felt a knife plunge into her heart and took a deep breath. She readjusted her seating. "I... I see." In attempt to appear neutral, she pinched herself in the right thigh, to draw her attention there instead. "How... how did it happen?" a deep sadness in her tone betrayed her feelings to her subordinate, who began to struggle to explain.
"We... we aren't entirely certain, but... we believe it to be related to the massive tremors that shook the land." Rulundil interlocked his fingers. "It... it may, if the rumours are true, be linked to... to a resurgence of the Mythic Dawn..."
Elenwen's eyes flared for a second. "The Mythic Dawn? The same buffoons who nearly destroyed the Summerset Isles two-hundred years ago? Did the Dominion not slaughter every last one of those traitors?"
"We believed so."
"We will now!" Elenwen asserted, standing abruptly. "Forget about the Blades - our focus must be placed upon them instead!"
"But what of the Talos-worshippers?"
"The Mythic Dawn is a greater threat, or have you forgotten history?" Elenwen snapped.
"Yes, madam Ambassador, but lest you forget what Talos, that heathen, did to our people as well." Rulundil insisted.
"The Mythic Dawn killed Cura!" Elenwen roared. "I will burn their lairs to the ground!"
Rulundil looked at her with choice suspicion. "You have not forgotten our duty to the High Archon, right? We must-"
"Surely the High Archon could understand that if such a group could kill a being as powerful as a Dragonborn that they would be capable of much greater destruction in the long-term? Perhaps once they've destroyed the Empire, they'd move on to the Dominion if we make no show of strength?" Elenwen coated her words with vinegar.
"Well..."
"I'll hear no more of this. I want every last one of them hunted down like the vermin virus they are. I want this weed pulled out by the roots. Burnt. Gone! Finished!" Elenwen demanded.
They will regret bringing harm to her blood.
Rulundil shivered, and then lowered his head. "Yes, ma'am. It will be done." He hurried out to relay the orders, leaving Elenwen alone to mourn the relationship she never had in her chambers.
Delphine and Esbern were outside at the Sky Haven Temple Training Grounds, overseeing Marcurio, Erik, and Mjoll's training, with other new recruits Stenvar, Anneke, both Nords, Darkeethus the Argonian and Cosnach the Breton.
Since the capture of Odahviing, Mjoll had seen fit to join the Skyguard, impassioned by her desire to see the land protected.
Stenvar had been recruited from the Candlehearth Hall by Erik, who'd worked with him prior.
Annekke Crag-jumper was a once-adventurer-turned-miner from Shor's Stone who'd grown tired of a life without adventure and signed up immediately when given the opportunity, in spite of her husband's worry-laden protests.
Darkeethus was a miner in Darkwater Crossing who'd offered his services to Marcurio and Erik after they'd saved his life from the cavernous ruins below the mining town a year ago.
Cosnach was a haphazard drunk who guarded shipments until a scuffle with the Forsworn in the hills and a trip to Cidhna Mine left a bitter taste in his mouth. Now, he found purpose with the Skyguard.
Inigo, Lucien, Carcette and Vilja pushed outward the doors, allowing the cold air to follow them outside.
Delphine and Esbern turned around upon hearing the sound and noticed the four entourage.
They noticed that something seemed a little off, given the very peculiar absence of their usual leader.
"Where is Cura? Has she finally come to her senses?" came Delphine's snark. She was responded with a silent, dire answer.
The disheartened, gloomy look of the group spoke volumes, and Delphine sighed sadly and brought her index finger and thumb to the center of her brow in a soothing massage. "I knew she'd get herself killed. I just knew it."
Inigo leapt to the defense of his friend. "She died trying to stop the Mythic Dawn. They had a dagger designed to kill Dragonborns, specifically, and they used it on her."
"The... the Mythic Dawn?!" Delphine was stricken with sudden nervousness. She'd heard of that group, naturally. As Grandmaster of the Blades, she'd been relieved to not have been in Grandmaster Jauffre's shoes back in the day.
The time the Blades failed twice. Once with Uriel Septim, twice with his inheritor, Martin.
If Cura, the Last Dragonborn was dead, then this would be the third time her organization has failed a Dragonborn.
Delphine hung her head shamefully. Where did they go wrong? Was she too assertive? Was that it? Was it her fault that Cura kept such a wide distance between them? Why they couldn't be at her side during such a conflict?
The Grandmaster punched the nearby stone wall in her grief, hurting her fist in the process, but releasing her frustration.
"By the gods... I've heard of that. The Dragonscourge; a dagger crafted by the blood of Mehrunes Dagon himself to kill Martin Septim. Its sister blade, the Wyrmrend was used to kill Emperor Uriel Septim at the start of the Oblivion Crisis, under the Imperial city and disappeared once the deed was done. Both blades were lost to time." Esbern was terror-striken at the recollection of documents he'd read. "It was said that a single cut of those knives could prove lethal to one of the Dragonblood."
"The bastard buried it in her neck!" Vilja exclaimed angrily. "If only we were quicker! Maybe... maybe... maybe she wouldn't have died alone..." she wept as a heavy sense of guilt consumed her.
Lucien gently touched her shoulder. "I doubt we could have done much, if they were in that close of a proximity. And, if a single cut could be fatal to her, it... well... it would be out of any of our control."
"Except for the gods-damned Daedra." Delphine finished the sentiment. What were they to do now? The Dragonborn was gone.
Carcette was awfully silent, but she spoke up quickly to that. "It's always the gods-damned Daedra. The Vigil had one job, and we failed."
"The Vigil of Stendarr fails the Dragonborn and in the process leads to the fall of our civilization? No surprise, there. You lot were nothing but fodder for the Daedra anyway." Delphine rolled her eyes.
Carcette's eye flared with anger and she swiftly punched Delphine in the face.
Delphine staggered backwards and touched her cheek, which was already reddening and swelling. She looked instinctively at her hand to search for blood, and then turned on the enraged Carcette. "You're going to regret doing that!"
"Whoa, Whoa!" Lucien exclaimed in surprise at the sudden outburst of violence.
"Bretons. Is it a surprise?" the drunken Cosnach laughed and shook his head.
"I think it is more the Skyrim effect." Inigo chuckled.
"This is madness! Aren't you going to stop them?" Esbern asked.
Inigo shrugged nonchalantly. "No."
Carcette growled like a saber cat as she shoved Delphine back. She leapt forward and grabbed hold of the other Breton's throat and began to constrict with her fingers.
Delphine grabbed Carcette's arms by the sides and squeezed the interiors of her elbows tightly and dragged her hands away. She then brought her forehead down and collided with her opponent full-on, knocking Carcette backwards.
"You Vigilants talk big game, but you can't fight worth a shit!" Delphine throttled her in a tight grip and then slammed her into the wall.
"You... Blades... were supposed to protect and guide Cura!" Carcette grunted through her teeth. "Where were you?! Where were you when she needed you?!" tears streaked down her cheeks and she wrathfully nailed Delphine in the stomach with her knee. "Augh!"
Delphine doubled over backwards, and was then tackled down the outdoor stone steps. As she and Carcette tumbled down, she managed to gain the upper position and made the former Keeper vulnerable. "Don't... blame us for your own shortcomings. It's not a good look." Delphine slapped her across the face as she loomed over her.
Carcette struggled to free herself at first, but once an opportunity presented itself, she angrily launched Delphine off her, causing her to roll a few feet away.
The angry Paladin drew her Warhammer and clasped it tightly in both hands as she looked over the Grandmaster of the Skyguard. She silently raised it above her head and her back was to the sun, causing shadow to overcast her face.
She intended to kill Delphine!
Esbern and the others drew their weapons and surrounded Carcette. The old man was authoritative. "Drop your weapon. Now! We don't want to kill you, but if you give us no choice..."
Mjoll was hesitant to attack Keeper Carcette, Cura's close friend and guardian and mentor, but she was honour-bound to the Blades.
Delphine then leapt to her feet and drew her dual Akaviri swords. "Stay out of it, Esbern." she commanded. She could see that Carcette was struggling to hold the heavy cudgel over her head and took a gamble. "You're getting too old for this. I get it. I'm not as fast as I used to be, either. But do you want to guess which weapon will connect first?"
She gestured to her swift, thin blades, and then to the heavy maul in Carcette's trembling hands.
"You're upset about Cura. I am too. Do you think I wanted her to die? By the gods!" Delphine exclaimed.
"She... she meant the world to me..." Carcette sniffled, still holding her weapon in place. "And now she's dead! What am I going to do?!" her arms shook profusely. "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!" with that, she dropped the hammer to the ground and wept as before. She collapsed to her knees and broke to pieces there, infront of the horrified Mjoll, Erik, and Marcurio, and the confused others.
She was lost.
Delphine looked at the Warhammer on the floor and exhaled with relief. She sheathed her own swords, ending the fight. She tapped Carcette on the shoulder, insisting she stand up again, offering her hand. "I can't answer that. But I do know that there's some serious trouble afoot, and we could use all the help we can get, now."
Carcette took her hand and was pulled to her feet. She blinked a few stray tears away and returned to Inigo's side, and all who were present entered the Temple.
"You know?" Lucien asked.
"Of course we do. Did you not feel the earthquake that shook the land?" Esbern raised a brow.
"Feel it? We were right under it!" Vilja threw up her arms dramatically to emphasize their presence in such catastrophe.
Lucien nodded sourly. "The Mythic Dawn... Cura killed their leader, seemingly, but then he stuck her with the dagger and then the portal to the Deadlands opened and Mehrunes Dagon is loose on our world... oh, the horror..."
Delphine shivered upon hearing this. The Mythic Dawn, Mehrunes Dagon... these were stories of old. The thought again nagged at her: she'd often counted her blessings to not have been born in Grandmaster Jauffre's time due to the Oblivion Crisis. Now she regretted even sparing the thought. "Well, then. It just keeps getting better and better now, doesn't it?"
"The Sigil Stone is broken, so the portal seemingly can't be closed." Lucien dragged his foot across the stone floor.
"Are you fucking serious?" Marcurio's voice dropped and he stamped his foot down.
His use of profanity surprised all around him, but nobody could argue the sentiment under the circumstances.
"I am." Lucien stated.
"So, what do we do now?" Darkeethus asked.
"Let's all get sloshed before the world comes crashin' down on us." Cosnach raised his Ale Mug.
"No. We have to go down fighting! Skyrim needs us!" Mjoll insisted and Stenvar silently nodded with approval. Erik also signalled his solidarity with a raise of his sword.
"Where is Mehrunes now? Where did he come from?" Esbern asked.
"The Velothi Mountains, further east of Shor's Stone." Inigo shuddered.
Annekke Crag-Jumper immediately dropped her sword and gasped with shock and terror. "By the gods! My daughter Sylgia lives there! I have to save her!" the Nord woman was near to panic as the thoughts of the unthinkable consumed her.
"Hey, hey - we have to keep orderly. We can't just go jumping into action without - " before Delphine could continue, Carcette got in her way, standing by Annekke.
"I say you should help her save her daughter, and all those poor people." Carcette insisted. She understood that fear all too well.
Inigo nodded in agreement. "Yes! I agree, too! If there is danger lurking there we should try to save those townspeople! Even if we cannot defeat Mehrunes, we can still preserve innocent life!"
Delphine looked to Carcette, who was in a simple Belted Tunic. "And what do you hope to do without armour? If you want to see Cura again, I guess that's the easy way to do it, but still. I think she'd rather you continue to fight."
Inigo stepped forward. "Then give her a Blades armour. Problem solved."
"Uh-uh." Dellphine shook her head. "Only way someone gets to wear this armour is if they're a member."
"And I'd rather work for a Daedra than you." Carcette hissed. Fatigue overcame her and she began to feel woozy. "Gods... I feel... so worn out. I don't..." she'd worn herself thin mourning for Cura and battling. She wasn't alone; the entire group had fallen to exhaustion as well.
"Mehrunss was defied by Meridia, right? There are more forces at work than we realize, and they seem to be on our side." Lucien recalled as he took a seat at the long stone table.
"Yes." Inigo informed him. "We may have some time to make a proper plan. Let's put our feet up for a while and prepare before jumping into the jaws of death."
Carcette turned her face to Delphine and Esbern. "Is there somewhere I can lie down?"
Delphine sighed. "You've been through hell, so I'll let you rest here. Consider it a kind of charity." she gestured towards the door on the western side of their grand hall. "Erik, show her to the bunks."
Erik was more than accommodating. He allowed the overtaxed Carcette to lean on his arm and he brought her to the main sleeping chambers. "You know... I'm sorry about Cura. She was a good person. We all lost a good friend. I...I know there isn't much I can say that would make things hurt less, but... I owe my life to Cura. If it wasn't for her I'd be stuck in Rorikstead, withering away right now. Her compassion gave me a chance at a life... I only wish I could have returned the favour."
As Carcette slowly sat on one of the hard beds, she looked up at the young lad. "She was sweet. She was good. The world kept on beating her down, over and over again and she always came back up with a smile on her face in the end. But she was always prone to trouble; to danger. There was no stopping her. I tried for years."
Erik laughed somberly. "Just like my dad, Mralki. Some things can't be stopped, I guess." he gave the older Breton a compassionate smile. "Don't blame yourself. You had no way of preventing it; just focus on what can be done now. Keep her memory close to your heart; you'll never feel truly alone."
Erik dismissed himself there and headed to the door when Carcette asked him one final question. "By the way you talk, have you lost someone close to you, as well?"
Erik nodded with a sadder smile. "My mother, a long time ago. She died when I was young. But I never forgot her face, or her voice. The gods gave us the ability to remember things for a reason." with a gentle brush of his hand off the door, he departed the room.
Memories were a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they were a source of joy and comfort; but also a bitter reminder of what no longer is.
Exhausted, unarmoured and defeated, Carcette as she was now would be no good for use in the coming mission. Though, she knew that Inigo had it under control. Cura trusted his judgment; so too would she.
In her haste, she'd abandoned her station as the Keeper of the Vigil and forfeited her armour. It was a regrettable decision, but it felt necessary for what was to come.
Chaos.
All was falling into chaos.
And there was nothing that could be done.