Quincy could be seen in the distance as the group walked towards it. It was the bustling trading hub of the Commonwealth, built over the ruins of the Pre-war town of the same name. There were many buildings and apartments that various settlers stayed in but the highest building remained Quincy Church – which had now been transformed into Sturges’ workshop.
As they walked along the path towards the entrance Bjorn spoke up, “Guys – it just occurred to me with all the Winterhold business going on we never questioned what that creepy old guy said”
San-Kai replied, “Oh yeah! I’d almost forgotten about that, what was it he said? Hi lost aan fin wah dreh?”
“Something like that” Nigel answered. “What language was he speaking in?”
San-Kai shrugged, “I’ve never heard it”
Lucy replied, “It’s the language of the Dragons – Dovahzul”
Everyone looked at her in surprise as San-Kai said, “How do you know?”
Lucy too looked confused, “I don’t know – I just do” She paused and continued. “It feels like there’s something inside me that knows, for some reason, I know what you just said - Hi lost aan fin wah dreh means “You have a part to play”
Nigel stared at her, performing a quick analysis “My scanners pick nothing up on you – I don’t know why you know”
Bjorn ended the conversation, “Well I guess we’ll never know if we don’t get out of this wasteland!”
Then in her mind Lucy heard a voice, “Thee knoweth because I knoweth - I am the father of the Dragons, I am Bormahu” She said nothing about it to the others but continued to ponder why this Bormahu had suddenly become a part of her.
And with that they had arrived at Quincy, the guards at the gate let them in and the four entered the bustling city of traders. Brahmin trotted past them as caravans left and entered to do business with Quincy. Sturges, the mechanic, knew Nigel and Lucy and came out to welcome them.
“Hey! Look who we have here!” Sturges gave Nigel a firm handshake then gave Lucy a friendly hug
Nigel gazed upon his friend, his database told him he was a synth but Sturges didn’t know and Nigel had not the heart to tell him – he would die believing he was human, believing in the loving mother that never existed, the dead siblings that never died.
Nigel returned to reality and spoke, “Hey Sturges – my friends and I are just stopping over on the way to Diamond City”
“Your friends?” Sturges turned around to acknowledge Bjorn and San-Kai, Bjorn was unusual but not uncommon in the wastes but San-Kai was a whole different story.
Sturges paused and stared at the Argonian for what seemed an eternity before Lucy intervened, “He’s a lizard exposed to FEV – totally sentient and completely harmless”
Sturges didn’t notice the confused look from San-Kai as Lucy quickly mouthed ‘Play Along’ and Sturges regained some of his charm, “My apologies, welcome to Quincy folks – any friend of Nigel and Lucy is a friend of mine; make yourself at home”
“Thanks, Sturges – can we stay at your place?” Lucy asked
“Of course, sweetheart” Sturges replied with a smile
Inside the church the place was littered with tools and various mechanical objects – a suit of T-51 power armour stood proudly at the station, one of Sturges’ projects. A few others were inside the Church as well; Mama Murphy and Jun Long had sat down at a table to talk.
Sturges introduced the two of them, “Guys this here is Mama Murphy and Jun Long – Jun runs the chemist and Mama Murphy is our resident seer”
Lucy scoffed a little at this but the others made no noise, seers were a common feature in Tamriel and Nigel could see from his analysis that radiation had expanded the latent physic abilities of the brain, but this wasn’t’ enough to predict the correct events from the future - there was something more but Nigel couldn’t work out what it was.
Mama Murphy nodded at the group and continued talking to Jun, “I’m telling you Jun, the Gunners are attacking!”
“Mama Murphy, they won’t – it’s just the Chems” Jun calmly replied
“The Sight has always been true Jun!” Mama Murphy raised her voice
Sturges diffused the situation, “Mama Murphy – I’ve called the Minutemen, they should be here tomorrow; calm down” The Minutemen were a militia force with outposts all across the Commonwealth – they showed up to deal with raiders, mutants, etc.
“Fine Sturges…” Mama Murphy replied
Sturges ushered the group over to where they were sleeping and then spoke a lot quieter, “Don’t worry about her folks – the Gunner’s won't attack”
“Then why have you called the Minutemen?” Lucy questioned
Sturges faltered and suddenly looked very serious “Because they might”
*********************
In the workshop of Oblivion the pair were still observing the events that unfolded as Kagrenac carefully planned his destruction of all creation as casually as if he were planning a new kitchen extension, he quietly murmured to himself – “I can collide Dimension Doom 2016 with Dimension Dishonored 2012…”
Calcelmo knew not of what he was on about, only that he was referring to the dimensions – the Dwarves had a coding system that consisted of the code name given to it and the date of discovery – others he had heard were Dimension Elder Scrolls 1994 and Dimension Fallout 1997.
Calcelmo had been watching the events and decided to question something, “How is it that the woman, Mama Murphy, can see into the future?”
Kagrenac looked up, “Huh? Oh, the radiation had enhanced the latent physic powers of the human mind and she’s managed to subconsciously link up with the Crossover – hence her ability to see the future as it functions as a time travel device. It’s no threat to our plans and she can only do it if she’s stoned on substances – she dies eventually, or she doesn’t”
“What do you mean she does or she doesn’t?” Calcelmo asked
“The future is always in motion – whether or not she dies will depend on whatever happens in the future”
“Interesting…” Calcelmo replied
“Listen, I’m starting to like you a little and I’m not a harsh man – here’s the remote, watch whatever you wish” Kagrenac tossed the remote that controlled the view of the events before them
Calcelmo had no idea what to change it to and decided to view Understone Keep, where he last was before he was taken, everything was exactly the same as he left it – unsurprisingly. But where was Aincatar? Calcelmo wondered, he would be amongst his old work surely?
Calcelmo looked around the keep and eventually overheard a conversation between the guards –
“I still can’t believe that nerdy elf actually killed his uncle!”
“I know! I can see why, though – the guy always seemed as annoying as a Skeever”
“Still, he’s in Cidhna Mine now anyway – want a pint?”
Cidhna Mine? But Aincatar hadn’t killed him! Calcelmo quickly switched the view over to the mine and saw his nephew tirelessly mining away at the silver, he felt a pang of emotion he didn’t realise he held for his nephew – it wasn’t his fault!
Calcelmo pleaded with Kagrenac, “Is there any way you could get my nephew out of jail, they think he’s murdered me!”
Kagrenac laughed, “Oh that’s a new one! Yeah sure, whatever – who do you hate the most?”
Calcelmo thought for a moment, “That snooty elf – Ondolemar. He always thinks he is far better than me - me!”
Kagrenac quickly typed something in on the Crossover and returned to his plans, “I’ve changed the timeline – they reckon Ondolemar killed you, he’ll be incarcerated for a few months and your nephew is free”
Calcelmo checked the view again and, true enough, Ondolemar was toiling away in the mines and Aincatar was working with his Dwemer Spider. Calcelmo was stunned, “But how? He is protected by the Thalmor!”
“I can change anything – it was simple”
“Thank you, Lord Kagrenac”
“No problem, now be quiet - I need to get back to destroying all of creation”
*********************
Sturges grabbed four mattresses from the corner of the workshop and threw them on the ground, “Well it’s no hotel, but it’s the best I got – sorry guys”
Nigel quickly answered for them, “It’s fine Sturges”
“Alrighty, goodnight guys” Sturges walked off to continue working on his power armour
The group settled down to go to sleep for the night, it was no Bannered Mare but they had all slept on worse. San-Kai could be heard grumbling about how a ‘High Mage of Cyrodiil and High Rock” was sleeping in “this common filth” but nobody paid attention or really cared.
And as they went to sleep, not one of them knew how much chaos and carnage would occur the following day.
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