Edited: June 2024
A/N: I apologize in advance for the in-game dialogue included here.
03
When Talia saw the sky, she finally understood why all of them had sounded so desperate. It looked as if it had been ripped open, and the same green glow that emanated from her hand filled the sky. Although it looked horrible, and was something everyone feared, the Arch-Mage in Talia couldn't help but hope that she would be given the chance to study it. She was fairly certain a mere explosion could not have caused that.
The tear emitted a green glow, and a wisp of energy escaped it and zapped down to the earth. At the same time, the mark on her hand flared, and a wave of pain almost sent Talia to her knees. She gritted her teeth to keep herself from crying out and held her hand close to her chest until the pain subsided to a dull throb.
Cassandra looked at her with surprising neutrality. "When we found you, you would not stop writhing in pain. We're not sure what the healer did to help you, but he managed to calm it somewhat. We believe that your mark is tied to the Breach; it flares every time the Breach expands."
Her lips thinned in displeasure, but she did not respond. She shuffled forward, walking a few steps in front of Cassandra. As they passed through tents, the people around jeered and shouted obscenities at her. Keeping her face impassive, she swept her eyes over the people, trying to look for something familiar. But there were no argonians, no khajiit, no altmer, no dunmer, only humans, and these strange bosmers.
"The people are in mourning for our beloved Divine, the Head of our Chantry. She was the only one left who believed that the Mages and Templars could come to an agreement. With her death, the war can only grow even worse."
Talia decided to keep quiet and let Cassandra speak, hoping it might give her an insight into what was happening. They passed by a wooden gate and crossed a stone bridge, all the while, her hands were tied, and the masses looked on with distrust.
One man stepped forward, shaking his fists at her. "Begone, abomination! We want none of your kind here!"
To her surprise, Cassandra stepped in front of her to shield her from the potential assailant. "She is not an abomination."
"Tell that to her blood red eyes! She drinks the blood of innocents she does!"
Like Lavellan, it seemed like everyone around had never seen a dunmer before. The people were already convinced of her guilt, it did not help that she looked different from everyone else.
Cassandra ushered Talia away as the man continued to shout at her. "Your appearance unnerves them. It is easy for them to forget that the Hero of Ferelden was the same as you." She looked slightly guilty, and Talia realized that in her anger, Cassandra had also forgotten.
"Come." She expected the woman to untie her, but Cassandra simply grabbed her by the arm and guided her out the gate into the valley. Talia could hear a few prayers addressed to their god, and she frowned. The Maker? Perhaps they were talking about Akatosh? Still, no one had ever ascribed the creation of the entire Mundus to Akatosh or Auri-El.
As they made their way to the rift, a blast of green light descended on them. Cassandra drew her longsword and shield. When the blast hit the ground, it brought with it some of the strangest creatures Talia had ever seen.
One of them was grey and purplish-black, and it looked like a wraith crossed with a snake. She couldn't determine if the thing had a face, as it was hunched back. But it did have two long arms with sharp nails. Instead of legs, its robes extended past where its feet should be, and it slithered towards them.
The other that appeared was something like the ghost she often encountered in crypts and Ayleid Ruins, but this one was as green as the mark on her hand.
Talia contented herself with watching Cassandra pummel the demons with her sword and shield. It seemed the woman was a seasoned fighter. She held her sword and shield with confidence, and there was no hesitation as she twisted and turned to slash and block against the creatures. Once she was done, Cassandra beckoned to Talia.
They continued their journey and passed by frozen rivers and Cassandra killed many a demon before they reached their destination. Soldiers were spread around as they tried to tackle the creatures around them. Among them was a bosmer mage and—was that an…extremely short human wielding a crossbow? No—he was something else. Another race perhaps?
Where in Oblivion was she?
Talia stayed out of the way as much as possible, but one of the ghosts seemed to think her an interesting target. It sent a bolt of green energy towards her, and she didn't move away fast enough. A part of the spell washed over her, and tiredness suddenly hit her muscles—a basic fatigue spell. She couldn't explain the exact difference, but the magic felt strange, foreign. A small huff of amusement escaped her lips as part of the spell reflected back to the creature and hit it squarely on the chest. The Mundane Ring was very useful, and she was glad she brought it with her.
When the fighting was over, she stepped forward, unsure of what they needed from her. The bosmer mage grabbed her hands and pointed them in the direction of the rift.
It felt nothing like closing an Oblivion Gate; this seemed a little more intimate, as if the power was truly coming from her. Her hand and the rift connected with a green electric energy, and she could feel it closing, as if it were being sucked into her hand. She felt a sudden shift in magic, as if her hand had accumulated too much, and she pulled it back.
The rift imploded, and all that was left was some green residue on the stone floor.
Interesting, she thought as she stared at her hand critically.
"It appears my theory was correct," the bald elf spoke from beside her.
"That it was, Chuckles," the man with the crossbow said. When he saw Talia looking at him, he introduced himself with a playful flourish. "Varric Tethras, at your service."
Talia simply nodded at him and said, "Talia Indoril." They wouldn't be able to understand her if she said anything more.
"Say, are you related to the Hero of Ferelden?" Varric asked. When Talia shook her head, he added. "You look a lot like her. But I suppose you lot would look similar in appearance."
There it was again, her strange likeness to this Hero of Ferelden. She hoped she would meet this woman, if only to see another dunmer in this strange land.
"And I am Solas." Talia turned back to the elf as he spoke, and she inclined her head in acknowledgement. "I have never met one of your kind before. Although you could pass for a Qunari if you were taller, it is the eyes that differentiate you. Are they usual for your kind? Or is it only you?" he asked curiously.
Talia kept her expression neutral, but she grew bemused. What? My kind? Qunari? Was this the cover story Leliana had told the others?
"She does not speak often," Cassandra said as Solas raised an eyebrow at her silence. Talia was mildly surprised that Cassandra hadn't asked her to cast a speech spell on the two others. "Solas, does this mean her mark will work on the Breach?"
"Possibly. If it does not kill her first."
Talia sorely wished to glare at him and had to fight to keep her expression neutral.
"Great news! It seems we'll be spending a lot more time together, Red-Eye." Varric winked at her. Talia couldn't tell if it was a slur or a nickname, though given his disposition, she would guess it was the latter.
"Absolutely not!" Cassandra spluttered.
"Have you been in the valley recently, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me." He punctuated the sentence with a smug smile. Talia supposed anyone would have that expression on their face after managing to one-up the grumpy soldier. Cassandra made a disgusted noise at the back of her throat before shaking her head and throwing her arms up in resignation.
"I studied the mark while you slept, but the magic that caused both the Breach and your mark, is unlike anything I've ever seen before." He turned towards Cassandra. "Your prisoner is no mage. Though, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."
At that statement, Talia's eyebrows shot to her hairline. Solas said it so matter-of-factly that she believed he truly thought she had no magical talent at all.
Cassandra pursed her lips, but did not correct Solas. Talia was certain she did not trust the mage. "Understood." Cassandra inclined her head. "Let us head to the forward camp, immediately."
Talia cleared her throat, and all three of them turned to look at her. She raised her bound hands and silently communicated for them to release her bonds.
"You must be joking," Cassandra said flatly as she realized what Talia wanted.
Varric shrugged. "I think it's pretty clear that our friend here isn't likely to run off and hide in the woods."
"And if that is not enough, remember that her life is on the line because of that mark," Solas commented, and this time, Talia could not stop herself from giving him a look of displeasure.
Cassandra sighed and cut off the rope binding her. "Do not make me regret this," she threatened her as she moved forward and led them to the camp.
"Ah, don't worry about the Seeker, Red-Eye. She's just on edge." At Talia's raised eyebrow, he elaborated. "She's what you call The Right Hand of the Divine. Her job is to keep the Divine safe. And well, that Divine died on her watch."
Talia nodded in understanding. At his words, her mind flashed back to the time Uriel Septim died. Baurus looked like he had been a few suggestions away from committing suicide. The Emperor should only fall, when all the Blades have perished. But Baurus seemed more grounded than Cassandra was. She only hoped the woman would realize she couldn't have saved the Divine from an explosion.
There was another rift blocking the gates to the forward camp. Talia hung back as demons emerged from it. There were too many for the three of them to dispatch easily, and she was forced to grab a discarded shield to defend herself. When at last all the demons had been destroyed, Talia needed no more prompting from Solas, and she raised her hand to the Rift. It closed with a pop and showered them with that disgusting green sludge.
"What is this?" Varric commented as he tried to scrape the slime off his shoe. "Fade shit?"
"Remnants of the Fade. It is—" Solas began.
"You realize no one actually cares? Right, Chuckles?"
Talia's mouth twitched upwards in amusement.
As they made their way forward, the dunmer spied Leliana standing near a makeshift table at the end of the stone bridge. She was speaking with a man in robes the same color as the old woman's in the Fade.
When Leliana spotted them, she flagged them down. The man beside her grew increasingly upset as they approached. "What is this…this thing doing here?" He turned his accusing glance to Cassandra. "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I order you that you bringthis thingto Val Royeaux to face execution!"
Talia kept her expression neutral, though to her surprise, she could see both Solas and Varric bristling in offense.
"'Order me'?" Cassandra said, her voice rising with anger. "You are a glorified clerk! A bureaucrat!"
"And you are a thug! A thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"
"Uh oh, he's in for it now," Varric muttered. Talia silently concurred. From what little she'd seen of Cassandra, she was most definitely not someone you would call a "thug" and live to tell the tale.
"Your impassioned plea is noted, Chancellor," Leliana interrupted before Cassandra could explode. "But we waste our time speaking when we should be taking action."
"Action?" Roderick said furiously. "You should be calling a retreat! We've lost too many."
Cassandra seemed to have had enough of the man. "Then you leave. We do not have need of flapping mouths here, but able-bodied men who can take arms and fight!"
At Talia's side, Varric hid a grin behind his fist.
As Roderick stomped away in anger, Leliana sighed and turned to the group. "Getting her to the Breach will be difficult."
"What did you have in mind?" Cassandra asked.
"The mountain path. I know." She raised a hand to forestall Cassandra's words. "But we might not survive a frontal assault, and if Talia perishes before we get her to the Breach…"
"Very well." Talia could see that Cassandra wasn't pleased, but she backed down.
"Talia? A word?" Leliana drew her away from the group.
At Talia's questioning glance, she said, "I had a feeling you haven't cast that Translation spell on anyone else besides me and Cassandra. The fewer people to hear about this the better."
Quite astute of her, Talia thought in surprise.
"What are your preferred weapons?" Leliana asked.
Talia pondered her answer. She was far from defenseless—magic was her most powerful weapon—but judging from the way they reacted when she cast a speech spell, she didn't want to know what they'd do if they found out exactly what she could do with magic.
"Daggers, if you have them," she replied quietly, ensuring the others couldn't hear her speak. Since everything she owned had probably been confiscated and inspected by Leliana, Talia couldn't really lie about it. She sincerely hoped nobody would try to steal her Blade of Woe, or there'd be consequences, she thought darkly.
Leliana gave her a nod before handing over a pair of daggers she had with her. Talia dropped the shield she was carrying and took the blades. They were longer than what she was used to, but they were light and well-made. She swung experimentally before Cassandra called for her. Leliana gave her an assessing look before turning away and letting Talia catch up to the rest of the group.
The four of them climbed a number of wooden scaffoldings before managing to enter a part of the old temple. The cold was unforgiving, and Talia wondered how the other three seemed to be completely at ease with the harsh weather. Even the inside of the temple was filled with icy stalactites.
They found a few soldiers fighting against some demons at the end of the path, and she had the opportunity to test out her new weapons. Once she closed the rift, Cassandra gave her a look. "You are quite competent with those daggers." How she managed to make an innocuous comment sound accusatory, Talia had no idea. Instead of answering, the dunmer turned to one of the soldiers on the floor and offered a hand to help her up.
"Thank you if not for you I'd—" the woman fell silent her eyes made contact with Talia's. With a gasp she immediately let go of her hand and it was only due to Talia's reflexes that she managed to bring a dagger up in time to block the soldier's blade.
"Abomination!" she screeched, but before she could bring her blade back down onto Talia, Cassandra was there, blocking her with her shield.
"Enough!" Cassandra bellowed. The soldier scrambled to her feet but did not sheathe her sword.
"But, Seeker, that is—"
"I said enough!" she shouted. "Do you think me a fool that I would not know an Abomination when I see one?"
The soldier blanched. "I meant no disrespect ser, but—"
"She is not an Abomination," Cassandra said firmly.
As Talia watched the display, Solas spoke from her side. "The Seeker had me and Commander Cullen—a former templar—examine you while you were unconscious. Both of us knew you were a person, and not a demon or a spirit—but it was not until you woke up that Seeker Pentaghast was sure you were not an Abomination."
She wished she had cast a speech spell on Solas so she could ask him questions. What were Abominations? Were they human or elf-looking demons with glowing red eyes? By their usage, it seemed to have a deeper meaning than what the term implied.
Talia did not need anyone to point it out when they'd finally reached the Temple of Sacred Ashes. They were surrounded with ash, dust and debris. Rocks that bordered the structure had glowing green lines in their crevices. There were several burned bodies around the area, and Talia averted her eyes; it reminded her too much of another desolate place.
"That is where you walked out of the Fade." Cassandra pointed at a nondescript spot. "They say a woman was in the rift behind you, no one knows who she was."
Talia had a sinking feeling she already knew who the woman was.
They went deeper down into the temple, and when they rounded the corner, Talia finally saw the Breach up close.
Varric whistled. "The Breach is a long way up."
Talia stared at the rift and the glowing energy that snaked its way up to the hole in the sky.
Beside her, Solas too, was observing the rift with interest. "This Rift is the first, if we close this, it will likely seal the Breach."
Talia ignored him in favor of gathering her thoughts about this 'Ferelden'. Sheogorath's portal had displaced her and sent her far—farther than anyone from Tamriel had probably even explored. Briefly, she wondered if this was Akavir, but there were too many humans and not enough beastfolk or mer that it couldn't be where she was. But ending up on a different continent didn't explain the foreign feeling of their magic, or this entire 'Fade' business. She doubted even the Telvanni mages could tell her what was going on.
The Breach didn't seem to be an Oblivion Gate, and the demons that escaped the rift didn't look like any daedra Talia had ever seen. Then there was the strange thing on her hand. She looked down and observed the glowing mark with distaste. The magic on her mark felt invasive, but more than that, it didn't even feel like magic—not like anything that could be cast with magicka, or even by the daedra.
"You're here! Thank the Maker," a voice said from behind them, and Talia saw Leliana jog up to where they were.
"Leliana, have your men position themselves around the temple," Casandra said, and the redhead simply nodded and went to relay the orders to the men. She turned to Talia, "This is your chance to end it, are you ready?"
Talia nodded her assent; it was best to get it over with quickly.
"Then let's find a way down, and everyone: be on your guard."
Talia had to run around the perimeter of the temple to find a way down. As they descended, she noticed a number of glowing red crystals protruding from the ground.
"That's red lyrium," Varric said in horror and disgust. It was the first time Talia saw him unnerved.
"I can see it, Varric," Cassandra replied dryly.
"But what's it doing here?"
"The magic from the explosion may have drawn the lyrium from below the Temple, and corrupted it in the process," Solas commented. The entire conversation flew over Talia's head. What was lyrium? Why was it important? Why did it matter if this one was red and how was it related to magic? She needed answers.
As they were making their way down, a voice resonated in the temple. "Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice."
The sacrifice? Talia scowled.
"What are we hearing?" Cassandra sounded rattled.
"At a guess: the person responsible for the Breach," Solas answered.
As they finally reached the ground, the three of them approached the rift. It was not sealed, but it was not open—strange crystalline formations played around its surface, twisting and turning, continuously changing shape.
"Someone! Help!" A different voice shouted out, and Talia recognized it.
"That is Divine Justinia!" Cassandra exclaimed, and Talia finally acknowledged that the woman she saw in the Fade was the missing Divine.
"What is going on here?" Another familiar voice spoke.
This time, Talia could not help but speak her name. "Lavellan," she said softly. She glanced down at her mark; it seemed to pulse as she grew closer to the rift. A bright light flashed, and a green film descended upon them, melting away their surroundings, and showing them a glimpse of what happened.
A dark shadowy figure—not unlike a wraith—was standing in front of the old woman she saw in the Fade. Her arms were pinned to her sides by an unknown force. Talia heard footsteps at the side, and she saw Lavellan running towards them.
"What's going on here?" she shouted.
"Run! Run while you can! Warn them!" Justinia called to her.
"We have an intruder," the wraith spoke. "Kill her, now!"
At those words, another bright light shone, and the world was back to its original state.
"Who was that woman? I heard you say something when you saw her," Cassandra said.
"Lavellan," Talia murmured remembering the young girl with bright eyes. She kept her voice low so that Cassandra was the only one to hear her.
"How do you know her? And the Divine? Is she…Was the vision true? What are we seeing?" she demanded.
"Echoes of what happened here," Solas explained. "The Fade bleeds into this place. The rift is not sealed, but it is temporarily closed. With the mark, I believe the rift can be opened, then sealed safely and properly. However, opening the rift will likely attract the attention of demons."
"Stand ready, men!" Cassandra rallied the soldiers. Talia waited for them to get into position before raising her hand to open the rift.
It was a different feeling from closing it. It was as if she were pouring her energy into it, little by little until—
The world exploded, and Talia was thrown back its force. As she struggled back up, she saw a large figure stepping out of the rift, and Talia was not surprised it was again something she'd never seen before.
It was larger than an Ogre or a Minotaur Lord, and those were some of the bigger beasts she usually encountered. At her full height, she only barely came up to the demon's knees. It was humanoid—it had a pair of arms and legs—but it seemed to be covered in thick spikes. There seemed to be a magical barrier around the creature, although she believed it was due to the rift.
"Pride Demon!" Cassandra shouted as she banged her sword and shield to rally the men.
Talia raised her hand, and she felt her mark connect to the rift. Once she felt her hand couldn't take any more, she pulled it back and the rift pulsed. The demon fell onto its knees at the loss of the rift's power.
Cassandra gave her a brief glance before continuing her assault on the creature. "Strip it of its defenses! Wear it down!"
Talia was caught unawares by a lightning projectile from the demon, and was now glad more than ever that she was wearing the Mundane Ring. She was thrown off her feet and her back hit the cold stone wall.
To Oblivion with this place, Talia thought angrily.
As discreetly as she could, she threw on every lightning resistant spell she could on herself and made her way to the demon, slashing at its legs with a ferocity that would have made her Mother proud. She stood fast when the demon hit her with a lightning whip, and she didn't stop as it barely had any effect on her. She turned to see the rift back to its crystalline state, and while the demon was preoccupied, she connected her mark with it once again.
The demon became weakened, but as it approached its doom, Talia realized it also became angrier. It lashed out with its arm and caught both Cassandra and Leliana in one swipe. With another, she saw the demon grab Varric with one hand, preparing to pound him to the ground.
She needed to end this, now.
Talia sprinted towards the demon. It was too preoccupied with Solas, who was sending bolt after bolt towards it, to notice her. Using her momentum, she catapulted herself off a tall stone and buried both blades into the demon's face. It roared as it was blinded and dropped Varric in the process. It tried to grab at her, but she hoisted herself on top of its head. Talia hooked her feet at the underside of its head, withdrew her blade, and with a loud roar to rival the demon's, she plunged both of them deeper into the demon's skull. Using the daggers as a medium, she sent the most powerful entropic spell she knew into it.
It thrashed and it twisted and turned, but Talia held fast, and the demon finally fell down, defeated. Talia rolled off it, adrenaline still pumping, and pushed her hand in the direction of rift.
As with the others, she could feel it filling her hand, but this time, she didn't pull it back. When it grew too much for her hand, the rift pulsed, and a blast of hot air spread from the rift. Pain lanced up her arm, and exhaustion took over. As her world slowly grew black, the last thing she heard was Varric's words.
"Holy shit."
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers! I really appreciate your feedback. :-) I'm not particularly good at writing action scenes, so I apologize.