Her once-vibrant armour was darkened by blood and soot, scuffed and marred by the marks of war. The sword she held, once-gleaming, was now sullied and tarnished; and her shield, scarred. Her face was streaked by ash and tears, and the midnight-black and wild, bouncy locks of her hair were now ash-streaked and plastered to her head. She looked worn, beaten and exhausted, but her eyes still burned with that twinkling fire.
I don't think I have ever loved her as much before as I did in that moment, watching her usher the last of the refugees from Ald'ruhn passed the barricade.
"You look like a Colovian Badger" I called out from the rear of the throng as they passed through the defensive line into safety of the ashlands beyond. "A beautiful, battered badger."
"Get Vehked, Varo" she poked her tongue out. "You look like a Vvardvark whose scales have been painted every hue of grey and miserable brown in existence. Matches your soul." She chuckled at that last.
It was true, my armour was looking no better than hers, although her verdant glass shell appeared in places through the soot like little spots of hope, or sun-drenched leaves gleaned through ragged fog. My golden Ordinator attire seemed to simply enhance the muck sticking to it. I snorted.
"This is the last of the civilians, Esha. We lost Tavos to a blighted Scamp, Sheo take the fetchers." I planted a swift kiss on her brow as I came up, tasting ash and sweat. "By the Three you still look divine... But you smell like a guar."
She smiled wearily, and now I was there, I saw her fatigue in the sag of her shoulders and the weight of too long without sleep in the blink of her eyes. She let out a deep sigh and sheathed her sword, no energy even for her usual flourish as she did. "Damned little dicks of Dagon. Please tell me Tavos met his end to a big scamp? He was a fine Armiger and a good mer."
"If it makes you feel better, then yes, he died in battle to a huge specimen amongst the Dagon-dicks. The girth of the monster and shear length of it as it splooged fire was enough to make lesser mer run in terror, hands covering their buttocks. I should know, I ran!" I attempted a smile to reassure her, although I'm sure it appeared more like a grimace.
In truth there was very little to smile about. Behind me my home was burning.
"Haha! You'll make for an incredible Buoyant Armiger. You'll see, once we're back in Vivec City and have honoured the fallen, you'll see, and join us as one of Vivec's Swords." She smiled, her teeth glinting in the gloom, lit by the fires of hell.
It was my turn to sigh as I turned to face reality. Ald'ruhn was lost, the number of dead an unknown and feared quantity, and that Oblivion Gate, a fiery portal to the very foulest pits of the Deadlands, was still wide open like the maw of a beast, ready to belch forth more hellish spawn. At least my family was safe, although it had been so many years that I hardly cared beyond the vague pang when blood call for blood. The future, if there was one, did not look good, and I didn't feel much hope as I watched my home get reduced to cinders, one bug-house at a time. It had been a long day, and was sure to be an even longer night. The next, if it dawned for any of us, would likely bring yet more terror, cruelty, and death.
Just then I felt her hand find my own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hey, it'll be okay, you hear? Our duty was to get these people to safety and we did. We died doing it, but we did it! Tomorrow we just need to figure out how to close that thing." She nodded at the gate in the distance, glowing an angry red between us and the mouth of Skar. Somehow the old crab was still standing, its bones seeming to repel the flames which swirled around it. "I don't understand why they aren't attacking. They seem more concerned with the crab shell than they do with us. Not that I'm not grateful "she added quickly, "just I know they could overwhelm the dozen or so guards, handful of armigers, and and one ordinator if they really, really tried.
The morning before we were stationed at the Tower of Dusk in Ghostgate, resting and resupplying after a tour of the Fence. Reports were flooding in from all over Vvardenfell about Gates to Oblivion appearing and the Legion being recalled to Cyrodiil, and so we rode with all haste up the foyada to Ald'ruhn. Almalexia bless her, Esha Idrassi had only gotten a scant few hours sleep before leading us here, her courage never faltering as we cut a path right through the town to the Redoran guards defending their Council Seat. That action was followed until now by falling back as we rescued and defended the councilors and as many civilians as we could on the way out.
"I don't know, Esh. We rolled in and out like the tide, as though we were the very waters Lord Vivec used to crush the Akaviri, but it was too easy. I mean, it was hard! But the sheer numbers spewing forth from that gate should have stymied us. Yet they were more focused on old Skar as if they saw it as the primary threat." I gave her hand a squeeze in return. "You're right, though. We did what we meant to do, and you led us through the hoarde as though your sword was Hopesfire and you were Mother Morrowind in her killing mask. Minus the nudity, alas."
She grinned at me and her eyes sparkled as she giggled. Gods, I loved that sound. "Well, there's a time and a place for flesh, Seryn. I just didn't have the time nor the place to get undressed."
My mental image of that was interrupted by the arrival of a similarly worn-looking armiger who saluted Esha, and an unformed question regarding our goddess' disappearance died on my lips. "Captain Idrassi, a troupe of Ashlanders have arrived and request an audience with the ranking officer. Should I have them driven off?"
"At ease, Ro" Esha sighed wearily again, "you're not some Altmer and this isn't the summer fete for a queen. You may dispense with the rectal rod. No need for more fighting, and they may well be able to help us."
Armiger Rolano laughed, "you've got it Esh. We'll just sing to them until you arrive. Ashlanders always love The Lay of Nerevar. Until the part where he gets laid. You'd better hurry!" He gave me a nod, "Ordinator" before jogging back to the camp outside the walls.
"No rest for the weary, eh? Let's go see what these silt-squatters want."
"Ooh, I wonder if they've brought us a gift!" I quipped, following behind my captain.
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