Still not focusing on my main fic, it's terminal, I'm afraid. Also started working on something new today, because I was... convinced. We're never getting to the end of the first arc at this pace. 😆
“Up ahead,” Ralof said suddenly, his tone shifting, lighter now. “You’ll want to see this.”
Talisse glanced up and followed his gaze. The forest had opened into a small clearing, sunlight spilling over a cluster of ancient stones standing tall against the mossy crags. Three of them, arranged in a rough arc, each one etched with swirling runes that seemed to shimmer faintly in the light.
She felt drawn forward almost instantly. Her pace quickened before she realized she’d even decided to move.
“These are the Guardian Stones,” Ralof said as she approached, his voice carrying a touch of reverence. “Three of the thirteen ancient standing stones that dot Skyrim’s landscape. Go ahead, see for yourself.”
As Talisse approached, the air itself seemed to change.
At first, it was faint—barely more than a suggestion at the edge of her hearing. But with each step closer, it grew clearer, until she could almost make it out: a low, constant buzz, like countless bees swarming just beyond sight. It wasn’t loud, not truly, but it filled the space around her, pressing in from all sides.
She slowed.
The fine hairs along the back of her neck lifted, a prickling awareness spreading down her spine. There was power here—old, steady, and watching. She could feel it now, not just around her, but beneath her skin, a quiet hum threading through her veins, growing stronger the nearer she drew to the stones. Her gaze was fixed on the nearest stone, towering above her, its carved surface etched with symbols that glowed faintly from within. The light pulsed softly, in time with that strange, thrumming sensation she could feel in her chest.
She hesitated.
For the first time since stepping into its presence, uncertainty crept in—not fear, exactly, but something close enough to make her pause. The hum deepened, resonating through her, and for a fleeting, absurd moment, she had the strangest impression—
—as if the stone might take her.
Carry her somewhere else entirely… Or somewhen?
She exhaled softly through her nose, almost scoffing at herself, and lifted her hand anyway.
Her fingers brushed the surface.
Warm.
Not the warmth of sunlit stone, but something deeper—alive, almost.
“They’re…” she started. The moment her skin met it, the hum sharpened, surging up her arm in a steady pulse. “…incredible.”
No pressure tagging, with a soft kiss on the forehead @skyrim-forever @labskeever @theoneandonlysemla @dirty-bosmer @hircines-hunter @umbracirrus @sulphuricgrin @pocket-vvardvark @sanzas-reverie @captain-of-silvenar @artaeums @tobianidiot @tigerlily340 @red-mountain-flower @heavy-metal-dick @intyaliel @silly-little-diary @sunlightpassingthroughthewater @kuurankaiho @anilliscarts @oblivions-dawn @caz-the-yarncromancer and YOU!!
