Hey, sorry this was so short. I wanted to have something to bridge my next idea. Also, I actually don't remember what armor the Didact has so far... I haven't typed on it for about four days.
Wasn't it his gloves or something? Damn. Anywho, enjoy!
We are in a territory known as 'The Rift', according to Lydia. How we ended up here, I'll never know. Luckily, the foes we've encountered together proved to be little trouble, easily falling under our precise combat strategies, and always failing to harm us. I am very glad that her new body assist suit serves her well, I would hate to have to stop and take minutes to heal her after every skirmish.
It had been a week of rigorous travel. By the time the Didact and his housecarl Lydia saw the stables of Riften, their bodies were well conditioned, but exhausted. Well, Lydia was exhausted. Her armor wasn't as supportive as the Promethean's; she only had the benefit of effective protection, not the auto stamina restoration system that her thane's had.
"Come Lydia, we shall find a suitable place to rest for the night. I must ask if anyone knows of this thief." He beckoned to her, handing her a stamina potion. Smiling gratefully, she pulled the cork and downed it in two gulps.
"Thank you, Didact. I feel alot better, but what is there here in Riften? I am only familiar with the northwest and northeast regions of Skyrim."
"I will not lie, housecarl. I do not know. Call it... a feeling."
He turned toward the gate guard before she could reply. The helmeted nord wore the purple garb of the rift, and crossed his arms when the two approached.
"Halt, all visitors to Riften must pay the fee. No exceptions, let's make this quick." His attitude made Lydia ball up her fists, but said nothing when she saw the Didact speak.
"Oh? Then tell me the cause that this shall be going towards", he boomed, "For I wish to donate all that I can. Unless... you are lying?" With that, his helmet began to fold slowly, a energy thrumming in response.
The guard hastily corrected himself, waving his hands defensively. "Alright, alright! Just keep it down, will you? Having enough trouble around here as it is." He unlocked the gate with a lever, and the clamp unhinged.
It had been about two weeks since Renay's unexpected encounter with the powerful traveller. The bosmer thief was thrown off by the massive being's might. He had easily overthrown her two most trusted hitmen, men she had known for years. All of their experience, friendship, and hard work had been tossed into the fire in only a matter of minutes. She vowed to herself that she would get him back, even if it meant her death.
For now, Renay had decided to lay low in Riften, busying herself with the facade of a retired bounty hunter that decided to purchase one of the finest homesteads, honeyside. It was a cloudy midday, and the breeze was gentle. She walked to the market, where several vendors had set up jewelry, food, armor and the like. She decided to talk to Madesi, the only Argonian who was making quite a profit selling his finest accessories.
The merchant always had a fine selection, but always shifted the topic elsewhere whenever anyone asked him how he had gotten them. Renay waved, and was confused as to why he hadn't recognized her. With a chuckle, she remembered that she had changed her usual outfit to a set of elven armor, as opposed to the usual leather that she favored.
"Morning Madesi", she began, "How fares your merchandise today?"
The Argonian rubbed his chin in thought, then smiled. "Good renay, thanks. Sorry, I forgot that you bought some of that elven gear since you got here. Say, you know anything about that man over there?"
"Who?" Renay shook her head.
Madesi pointed past her, leaning on his counter. "He just came in recently, and he's already made friends with Brynjolf it seems. I wonder if he'd be interested in-" Renay tuned him out, as she got a better look.
The bosmer suddenly felt a cold, hard knot in the pit of her stomach. The tall stature. The floating plates of armor. The amber lights. It was him, she realized. Why in the eight would he be here? Of all places? He had someone with him this time, she noted.
Renay also took note of the fact that his follower now also wore similar armor, although she didn't have as much lighting, but the steel had been formed to be thicker around her torso and back. She also had what looked like the blade of an axe embedded in her arm. A new weapon? Who was this sorcerer?
She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize that everyone was backing away from Madesi's stand, including the Argonian himself. There the tall being stood, his helmet's eyes glaring coldly into hers. For a minute, no one said anything, until finally he had placed his hand on her shoulder. Strangely, she relaxed immediately.
"I forgive you for your rash action from before. I am a guardian of all that exists, and I will only kill when I must. You were oblivious as to my purpose, and that is...forgivable." The armored being placed his fists on his hips heroically.
The bosmer cleared her throat. She was now sweating, and her instincts screamed at her to slash at them with her honed dagger that sat within a compartment in her elbow. "I-I'm sorry. I-"
The figure held up his hand. "Say no more, for your punishment, rather your transgression, is to venture with Lydia and I on our quest. I shall be known to you henceforth as the Didact. Is that understood?"
"Why.. yes! Of course! Um, allow me to gather my trifles? My home is right over here." She pointed to the wooden home in the corner of the courtyard. "I'd only be a minute, I haven't got much."
The Didact nodded to his housecarl, then waved her off with his gauntlet. "We await your return by the gate. First however, I must inquire about items, items that I have lost and am in much need of."
"What do they look like?"
"Armor. My armor." He pointed to It was taken from me upon my unprecedented arrival. I aim to reclaim that of which I hold sacred. You, as well as other allies I may find along the way, are going to assist, as well as save your planet."
"Wait, you mentioned your armor. What exactly did it look like?" She crossed her arms, satisfied that she wouldn't have to die at his hands.
"It gleams unlike any other material known to you, but has the same golden energy coursing through it, such as you see now. Tell me, have you seen anything?"
Renay stared at the ground, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Actually, I do remember seeing something. Boots? If your kind wears boots...", she motioned at his clawed feet, "That may be what you're looking for."
The Didact's helmet unfolded, revealing his face to her. "Where? Can you lead me to them?"
"Last I heard, a few stormcloaks spoke of a woman and her wagon. Said that she only contained valuables, nothing more based on what their search had yielded."
"Then there is no need to dither about in Riften any longer. Although, we may have to stop here more than once. Lydia."
The nord woman stood at attention. "Yes, Didact?"
"Stand guard outside of her door. I will see if I can receive any more information. When I catch this woman..."
The trio left Riften without resting, and the sun had settled. Luckily for Renay, Lydia and the Didact were pretty easy to see, thanks to their illuminated joints. She was beginning to feel a small pang of jealousy. It was like she was being kept out of a secret type of cult, and she definitely wanted in.
She was walking behind them on the dirt road, clanking in her elven gear. Her crossbow was slung across her back, and she felt satisfied knowing she had an ample supply of bolts.
She decided to start up a conversation to keep herself from growing bored, "So... when do I get my own set of armor? Like that, I mean?"
Lydia said nothing as they continued, but the Didact replied over his shoulder, "Not now, at least for the moment. The materials your armor is composed of would not be enough to cover you effectively. It would be too light."
"But this is light armor. It's what I'm adept in wearing. So, if you would kindly...?"
Didact stopped, and Lydia followed suit. She silently watched the exchange between the two.
The Didact shook his head. "When we have the time, and when the opportunity presents itself, then we shall see. For now, we keep moving." He craned his head to his companion. "Lydia, where are we?"
The housecarl pulled out her map, and studied it for a moment. "We are almost heading north, almost half way through the Eastmarch Didact. Should we stop to make a camp?"
The Promethean scanned the skies before replying, "Yes. I shall set up the tents. I only require wood. Nothing more. Renay, Lydia, see to it. Time is short. I will remain here, and consider our next plan." He sat down, and bowed his head in a silent contemplation.
Lydia and Renay slowly gathered their own axes, and moved over to the cluster of trees. They silently agreed on one tree, and began hacking at its base. Lydia decided to start her own conservation.
"So, how exactly did you encounter the Didact?" She stood back a little to allow Renay to swing.
"I wasn't really being my usual bright self, and saw him. He was tall, I thought. That didn't mean I couldn't bring him down, though. Or, so I thought. Gods, I really payed for that mistake."
"Hey, at least he decided not to crush you. I'm glad you're with us, we could use as much help as possible." She swung on her turn once more, causing the mighty oak to fall. Luckily, it wasn't very tall, so it wasn't a great safety hazard.
The bosmer pointed at her armor. "How is that by the way?"
Lydia pointed at her chassis. "This? Oh, it's like a second skin. It's definitely unlike anything I've ever worn before, I can tell you that much. It's like... it's like it's not there, but then you realize it is when you look at it. It's surprisingly protective, despite most of it covering around my upper body.
"I like it, really comfortable and easy to get around in."
Renay leaned on her axes' handle. "Steel?"
"Yep. Don't worry, the Didact can make you a set too. Even he has a few bits of elven armor here and there." Lydia smiled.
"How does he do it? Make it, I mean?"
"It's really something magical. I can't describe it. Anyway, we should continue. A few more should be alright."
"Oh, right. Thanks for accepting me." She approached Lydia, and hugged her, despite their armor clanking together.
She returned it. "You're welcome."
Lydia put her hair up in a bun, and rubbed her neck. It was when they had at least seven trees, that they realized one thing: They had no way of moving the lumber. She watched her thane, studying the gyrating pieces of metal gently gliding back and forth along his shoulders.
The Promethean opened his eyes, and his suit lit up once more. he turned to look at his two followers, and smiled. "What is it, Lydia? Renay?"
His housecarl cleared her throat, looking at the ground with an embarrassed look on her face. "We can't move the trees."
"Ha! Allow me." He stood, stretching his recently inert muscles. he immediately spotted where they had cut the lumber, and promptly waved his hand over them. The bark on every cord began to glow with the ever familiar amber energy. They soon began to creak, forming a small hut of Forerunner design, although this was made of wood instead of the usual metal.
"Make yourselves comfortable. It's going to be a cold night."
The Didact was the first to awake. He had to help Lydia disassemble her suit, showing her where she only needed to apply pressure, and the pieces would fold up into a compact that was the size of a satchel. Renay had no trouble, seeing how she wore armor of a number three rating. He silently willed his own plating over his body, and looked at his companions. Lydia was soundly sleeping in a cot, wearing her armor's undersuit.
The bosmer sported her simple clothing, a shirt and a pair of cloth pants. Unexpectedly, there was a knock at the door. Curious, the Promethean approached it, leaving his face uncovered. Once more the knocking sounded. It sounded adamant, and impatient. Just the kind of being he hated dealing with. He would have thought that he would have needed more sleep, since he thought he was seeing three copies of Renay standing at the door.
After doing a double take, he realized that they were not his follower. They were elves, but they didn't seem glad to see him. The one who spoke first wore a black hooded robe, laced with golden trim.
"You there, Orismer. We are here on behalf of the Thalmor Embassy regarding a wanted Bosmer. Have you seen her around here?" She crossed her arms impatiently.
The Didact scowled. "In what way do you see me as this 'Orismer'? Do I truly look like one to you?" He stepped forward, and instinctively, they backed away cautiously. He was beginning to enjoy that reaction. "What would you do with her?"
The Justicar shook her head. "That is none of your concern."
"Then be on your way. I will not waste my energy on beings so petty. You aggravate your superior race."
The Justicar broke into a fit of laughter, her golden skin flushing a bright pink as she finally caught her breath. "You? Superior? An Orc! Auriel, shoot me now!" She quickly regained her composure, and pointed a finger at the Promethean. "You wouldn't know the meaning of the word if it struck you in the face!"
"Perhaps I should show you, then." The Didact stepped forward once more, shutting the door behind him. Grinning, he waved his gauntlet over her followers. At first, they were confused as though nothing had happened.
The Justicar scoffed, shaking her head. "Arrest him."
Silence.
She grew irate, and turned toward her guards. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw what he had done to them. Their armor had amber lights running along their joints, and their panicked faces told what was about to happen.
One younger thalmor winced, "M'lady! I cannot move! Gah!" He leapt forward, swinging his axe. She realized it was not of his own will, but she still had to defend herself. The Justicar leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the elven war axe that nearly cleaved her head in two. It thudded into the dirt, but she had forgotten to move her foot out of the way. It sliced through as though it were cutting hot butter.
The second guard, who wielded a glass blade, stumbled forward. She swung her blade, and it connected into the crook of the other's neck. To her horror, he dropped without a sound. She then began to panic, as her armor started to compress her body. The Didact closed his hand into a fist, effectively crunching her up into a bloody mess.
He stepped up to the Justicar, who was whimpering in agony. She was desperately grasping for a healing potion. "And now you see what fate awaits you, when arrogance is your only weapon." He picked her up by her robe's collar, and scrutinized her with a hateful expression.
"Never again, I swear! Please, just- just put me down and heal me."
"No. Now begone from my sight, and pray to your gods that we do not meet again." He released his grip, and waved his free hand over the bodies. They dissolved into a brilliant golden light, and any signs of their existence faded away forever. The Justicar limped over to her steed, and rode off without another word.
The Didact huffed, and snapped his fingers at his temporary base. The wood creaked, slowly unfolding like an envelope. It rearranged itself, and contorted into a small tower of pine. He chuckled as he saw Lydia and Renay now laying on the ground, with their equipment by their sides. He shook them both awake, waiting expectedly with his fists on his hips.
"Rise, the both of you. We have two days worth of travelling to do, and it won't go any further with you two dithering about."
It'll get better, you'll see!