Flash Fiction February 2023 Day 14: Lost To The Sands Of Time (Issy)

A/N: Happy Valentines Day!! Have some more of 'the continuing adventures of Issy and Baurus wander around Hammerfell' enjoy!

Prompt: a very ancient colossus in a very ancient desert

“Remind me exactly what it is we’re doing out here?” I yell to Baurus up ahead as we continue to walk seemingly blindly into the desert sands. “What we always do, intelligence work.” the Blade replies as he stops and waits for me to catch up. I should have expected such an answer from a spy, and a very good spy at that. Everything always routes back to espionage, intelligence, or court intrigue. Baurus had been the primary agent assigned to our task and as a result is the one familiar with the entire briefing. Due to my status as a junior and really unofficial agent of the Blades all I got was grab your gear we’re going to Hammerfell…and all our adventures in Hammerfell end badly.

The desert is almost as unforgiving as the ashlands of Vvardenfell, the only significant difference aside from a lack of disease carrying ash is there are fewer animals trying to kill you out here in the sands. Our journey is long and the weather does not help with our pace as the sun beats down by day and the nights turn frigid as the moons pass overhead. Eventually we come to a small oasis and gather some information and I am finally let in on what it is we’re here for- there seems to be a strange ruin nearby that the locals are curious if somewhat scared about and it eventually reached the ears of some Imperial spymaster stationed somewhere in the country.

A point of interest like that requires at least some investigation, and so why not send two unconventional and otherwise unoccupied blades to investigate? With information, rest, and resupplied food Baurus and I once again head out into the ancient desert, scrambling our way across sand dunes and avoiding the occasional rattlesnake until we reach our destination. The outskirts of the ruin are fascinating, but what truly grabs ahold of our attention is more toward the center, a giant colossus poking out from beneath the sands of time. The statue is cracked and whatever brightly colored paint it originally had adorning it has long since worn away, leaving only a very ancient ruin in an even more ancient desert.