Into Oblivion

25

She stumbled clumsily down the ramps with a heart which was smoldering beneath her breasts. Sweat burdened her body causing the fabric of the tunic to become rather irritated to her porcelain skin. Her feet scarcely skimmed across the frozen limestone as she sprinted down the steeple's gigantic spiraling ramps. The dimness enveloped her and caused her mind to be blind to the objects around her. With one inaccurate bound she could plummet through the darkness of the tower and find herself pinned like a moth upon the jagged wicked crimson spikes of the body smasher. Her lips sealed as she dashed more rapidly. Her chest was burning and her legs were becoming anesthetized. How long could she carry on like this, she hadn't known.

Broga's black façade had blended flawlessly into the darkness that encumbered the tower. Even if he was truly following her he would only be a shadow in the rare amount of torchlight. The Altmer's breath was rushed as she inhaled profoundly then forced it out of her as if it were toxic. Her mouth hung agar as she rounded the final ramp. Her head pivoted as she looked behind her and only saw the shades of the tower. She swallowed a very sodden lump in her throat as she forced open the doors that led out upon the plane of Oblivion. As she cracked it open the light flooded into the tower causing the shadows to shriek in fear and retreat further away.

Elizabeth slipped out and allowed the arctic bustling airstreams to caress pass her brow. It made her freeze as it cooled the perspiration upon her body. The tunic pulled against her figure and her hair tossed wildly in the wind like silver fire. Her eyes widened and fell far beyond the path to see the Hero standing in front of the primary tower. His structure was heavy and he stood with the claymore clutched ever so tightly in his grasp. He tossed his eyes over and watched as she made her way to him. She just jogged over which allowed her body to lose the fatigue and regain some abandoned energy. The maiden lowered her eyebrows over her eyes as she inquired of the Hero, "How long will it take you to reach the Sigil keep?"

"If this is anything like Kvatch," the Hero deduced while pitching his dark eyes up the grand structure; a grimace upon his face. "... perhaps five or ten minutes."

"No, I need you to move even faster. Do not quarrel with any Daedra. Your only goal is to get to the keep and get that stone, do you understand?" Elizabeth told him while swiping the claymore from his hands. She turned and looked back the way she came. She feared Broga and hoped that she would not, yet again, succumb to his will.

"What about you?" inquired the Hero as he stepped forward and placed his firm gloved hand upon her tensed shoulder that was dampened with a mixture of sweat and forgotten tears. "I won't leave you here alone!"

Her head pivoted back to him as she was to reply. Her gaze had hardened and she did not burden herself with the grief of Xilivicus' death. There were more important things then that. Her head shook lightly as she told him, "I am not alone... Dibella and Mara are with me."

The Hero stared at her in stupefaction. Her faith, even through these difficult times, had not faltered. She was steadfast to her beliefs and this brought respect to the image of Elizabeth that danced within the Hero's mind. He lowered his gaze for a moment and a thought appeared in his buzzing head. His hand lifted and dug beneath his chest plate. He gripped his necklace and pulled it over his head. His coils lifted with the necklace as if not wanting to let it go. When they fell, they had recoiled and soon shaped back into their customary order. "Here," the Hero wheezed as he placed the necklace over the maiden's head; minding her long curved ears. The necklace gleamed in the luminosity of the magma soon emitting a golden aura. "I believe... he wanted you to have this."

Elizabeth's eyes fell to the necklace and her heart swelled with excitement as she saw the beautiful blossom of Dibella and the magnificent golden rope of Mara. Her hand lifted and caressed past the solidified petals feeling a twinge of pain in her heart. Her smile was weak; however, it gave off much appreciation. Her hazy eyes lifted from the bullion adornment and turned back to the Hero, "... you haven't much time, knight... go." She nodded her head towards the door and insisted benevolently, "Go!"