***RED MOUNTAIN***
Hashirama, Nicolas, Perenelle and I were mapping out all of the Dwemer structures and using magic to clean and repair them. The main workshop that led into the volcano had already been cleaned, mapped and repaired. "This looks like the perfect place for us to use."
"I think this was the barracks for the Dwemer troops, with a little magic and hard work we can expand and add protections. How many slaves will we be freeing immediately Nicolas?" Nicolas looks over and grins before pulling out a set of slaves bracers.
"All of them, just over a thousand. These are the master set of slave bracers, with these we can alter the magic on every single set of slave bracers all at once." Nicolas hands them over to me and I take a close look at them.
"Can you use this set to turn them all into port keys?" Nicolas looks stunned, opens his mouth to say something and then stops. After a few moments he finally speaks.
"I didn't think about doing it that way, I was going to unlock them all at once." Hashirama sighs and shakes his head.
"That would have ended badly for most of the slaves, I can't see slave owners just letting them go. Especially since wearing these things weakens and wears slaves down." Nicolas blushes and curses under his breath.
"Don't worry about it too much Nicolas, that's why we talk and plan before doing anything. I know you and Perenelle are eager to see the slave trade destroyed." Perenelle steps up behind Nicolas and rubs his back.
"Yes, and it's getting worse the longer we are here. Our overeagerness to see this done almost made everything much worse." Shrugging I grin at Perenelle.
"I've made many mistakes in my journey so far, especially before I realized I didn't have to travel alone. Don't beat yourself up too much over this, after all you talked to us before you did anything. So no harm done." Hashirama claps me on the back and agrees.
"A few more days won't make much of a difference, we can finish our work here and make sure there is enough food ready for them." With that we went back to work and made plans on how to best alter the building to suit our needs.
The next day Nicolas and Perenelle continued working on the plans to rescue and free the slaves in Morrowind. Hashirama stayed on Nomanisan Island to work on the farm and everyone else went to work on the buildings on Red Mountain.
First expanding the building, then creating separate rooms. Each bedroom would have simple furniture and clothing enough to begin with, the plan was for us to spend time helping the slaves become accustomed to freedom.
With everyone working together it didn't take long everything to be set up and ready for people to move in. Since everything was going well I went to Nomanisan Island to talk to Hashirama. "Even though the taint is cleansed from the land I want to continue balancing the natural energy in the region."
"Of course Hashirama, I would be happy to. I can feel the difference not only in the land but also in my understanding of natural energy." Hashirama grins and slaps my back.
"It's a difficult task, both mentally and physically but you've done very well." I stop and bow before him in a show of respect.
"Thank you Hashirama-Sensei, it's been an honour working by your side." I hid a grin as he became flustered and scratched the back of his head and waved me off."We've put some basic wards around the area, mostly intent-based wards but we can add more another time."
***NOMANISAN ISLAND***
After finishing the first set of heavy armour a duplicate of Alexander brought it to the hidden island to begin training in using it. Model after the Imperial steel armour it stood at slightly over six meters tall, after the weight reduction charms were applied it still weighed close to five tons.
Ten separate pieces attached to a frame, each piece enchanted to fortify and enhance the one inside. The duplicate took his time inspecting the finished product before inputting a code in a small remote he was holding.
The chest piece peeled itself back, revealing an expanded area. After getting inside and closing the armour he began practicing. The increase in both strength and speed was greater than predicted. He was thankfully no one was watching until he heard laughing behind him. Quickly turning he put himself off lance and fell, causing more laughter.
It took a few minutes for him to get the armour back up, standing and for him to get himself out. "Glad you found that funny Hashirama, I'll be sure to laugh when I watch you practice." Alexander pouted when Hashirama just laughed even harder.
"I suppose it probably did look funny watching me stagger around, but that's why we will all need to practice before we use them in battle."
"You should have seen Madara the first few times he used his Susanoo, now that was funny." Hashirama got a far away look in his eyes, remembering times long past.
"Speaking of Madara, have you made your decision yet?" Hashirama instantly turned serious and looked me in the eye before answering.
"I suppose it's my fault for bringing him up, I'm still not sure it's worth the risk. However Mito has been urging me to begin, with your help we are both sure it will work." I nod, happy with his decision.
"I would be happy to help, we should just get it done as soon as possible." The two of them walked away from the massive armour, not watching as it closed and went into lockdown. "It will take time to get accustomed and we will need the extra firepower soon."
***SOMEWHERE IN CYRODIIL***
Two young men were meeting in secret, making plans against the group they had been forced to join. Forced by choices made by their fathers to continue slavery for their own selfish gains. "We still don't know who is moving against the slave industry, but that is less important than helping them end it."
"I completely agree, which is why I stole the master set of slaver bracers and replaced them with a set of convincing fakes." The man sitting across from him raised his glass in a toast.
"Dangerous, but fortune favours the bold. Do you know where the master set is?" The man sitting across from him shook his head"
"No, but I'm sure they got them. I was monitoring the cave where I left them and it was an impossibly old man and woman that retrieved them." The two of them sat and talked for a couple of hours before leaving, secure in their decision to help free the slaves. Even if it were to end badly for them, their honour would be satisfied.
***RED MOUNTAIN***
It took several days to modify the port key spell to work the way they wanted, and a few more to finish preparations. The inside of the barracks looked much different than before, it was all renovated to keep the Dwemer look but it was much larger inside. There was enough area for tens of thousands within, each room came with its own master bedroom, a spare bedroom, a kitchen, an extra room and a small simulated outside area.
There was a massive kitchen and dining area for those who would rather eat and spend time with other people. There were indoor garden areas and places to raise livestock, in short it was a self contained community. Both Nicholas and Perenelle were satisfied, after a short discussion preparing everyone they activated their plan.
Within each of bedrooms a slave would appear and the slave bracers would release themselves and disappear. In an attempt to calm them a recording was being played for them, explaining what had happened and what would be happening should they wish it.
The group duplicated themselves and also made clones, quickly heading out towards the people that were in the worst shape. Phoenix was bringing those at the most risk to the Phoenix Tree Grove, where the other phoenixes were waiting to help. Due to the relatively low amount and growth times few Phoenix Tree Apples were used, only the oldest and most fragile were given them.
It would take months for the group to get the former slaves back into good health, even with the first of them that had recovered their health to join them and help the rest. It was a long, gruelling process for everyone involved. There were no complaints though, Bob and Min were ecstatic to have so much work.
Even though they were able to leave at any time all of the former slaves chose to stay, eventually choosing roles for themselves with their community. All of the former slaves would remain scarred in some way for the rest of their lives, they had truly begun healing and moving away from that time.
***NOMANISAN ISLAND***
A set of duplicates were in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, in front of them were what looked like nine massive suits of heavy imperial armour. "The original plan was to build heavy armour only slightly bigger than ourselves, but Perenelle and I found that enchanting would best with more mass. Today we will be securing them by blood binding them and attuning them to magical signatures."
Perenelle walked over to stand beside one of the sets of armours furthest from Alexander. "After we are finished securing everyone to a set of armour we will be showing you how to use them." Bob nervously raised his hand.
"Min and I would rather not take part in this." Alexander turned with a neutral expression on his face.
"Are you sure?" Both Bob and Min nodded their heads enthusiastically. "Alright then, the two of you can stay if you like or go if you would rather."
The pair was gone with a soft pop. "Disappointing, but not unexpected. That leaves the seven of us as our main defence against the excursions."
Alexander turned and a moment later the chest piece of one of the armours peeled back revealing a chamber. In the middle of the chamber was a raised dais and beside it a mannequin with clothes and a set of goggles. "Each set of armour is set up the same way, they are linked to the set of clothing and goggles you will find inside."
Setting up the security on the sets of armours took around an hour each, Perenelle was in charge of this part. Alexander would then guide each person through the basics of controlling the armour. "As long as you stand on the raised dais with the intention of using the armour it will reflect anything you do. The goggles will show you what the armour sees and the condition of the armour as well."
"It will take a bit of work to get used to the interface, but that's why I had these made ahead of time. We all need to get used to using the armour as an extension of ourselves, once that is finished we will begin sparring."
Everyone went through an awkward period of adjusting to controlling the armour, which is why they chose the largest area in the HTC to train. "Once everyone adjusts to the basic uses of the armour in accelerated time we will start training with the training weapons and shield we created for them."
"What kind of weapons did you make for the armour?" Alexander smirked and got into his set of armour before answering.
A couple of seconds after the armour closed it started moving, a compartment opened between the armours shoulders in the back and he pulled out a large shield with the left arm. The shield itself was rectangular in shape that covered the head, chest and part of the armour's legs.
"Aren't you just blocking your own line of sight?" Before answering Alexander put the shield back.
"That's a good question Luna, but from the point of view of the wielded the shield is see through. It keeps you protected and blocks anyone from seeing you." Lifting his right arm palm up and pointing it away from everyone he continued.
"This is our long range option at the moment." Without warning the forearm of the armour peeled back and a massive crossbow raised itself up. "I won't fire this in here, suffice to say it is not a toy. I don't think it can penetrate the armour, but I don't want to take any chances."
Utilizing accelerated time training in the armour gave everyone a firm understanding of the basics of movement, by the second time through they were ready to advance to something slightly more complicated. Unfortunately the next level of training required them to work in real-time.
"You've gotten a handle on the basics of using and moving the armour, next is what's known as jump jets. They are used to assist you in jumping higher and also landing, once everyone has gotten a handle on that we will move on to flight."
"Why not move straight to flying? We've all done it and are experienced, I'm sure it's not much different than using the flight harnesses we've been using." I smirk as I look over at Albus.
"It is similar, but the armour has been enchanted to increase speed to a large degree. Not only that the armour itself is large and heavy, one mistake on the wrong place could cause massive damage and death." Looking at everyone to make sure they were paying attention and hopefully understanding, once I was satisfied I continued.
"That's why we're going to get used to taking off and landing with the jump jets first, once you've mastered that you can use them to ease flight. There was a lot of work put into the armour, even before building them."
Seeing that Albus was listening and thinking about what I said I elaborated. "Landing too fast with too much momentum could potentially override all the safety measures. Given the size and weight of these this could lead to catastrophic failure and destruction, at best the person inside would die."
"That doesn't seem like a best case scenario." I shrug and exchange a quick glance with Perenelle.
"Considering the amount of magical power used in enchanting each piece of armour and the amount stored for use in the control area?" Perenelle interrupts me to add to the point I was making.
"Worst case scenario would be a cascading explosion that damages all our suits. I don't even want to consider that outcome." It was my turn to interrupt.
"My best calculations are that each suit could potentially cause as much damage as a ten kiloton bomb." Albus looked horrified as we revealed that information.
"Why in the world would you create them if they are that dangerous?" Rolling my eyes I answered as calmly as I could.
"Perenelle and I worked together to ensure that they were as safe as possible. We deemed it worth the risk because of what we are facing here. I fully intend to not only turn back the tide of this invasion, but to also make the invader pay as a warning to the rest to back off."
"Why not just leave if it's that dangerous? Or better yet ensure the invasion never happens." This time it was Hashirama that answered, anger barely held back.
"Either choice would just leave the problem for other people, Albus. This way we can at least use our power to mitigate the damage the invasion will cost. Perhaps even make the invaders pay more than the ones being invaded, sending a message to any potential invaders." Perenelle nods with a grim look on her face.
"Beside which Alexander, Nicolas and I have been working on a ritual to either fortify or replace the defences in place at the moment. We won't go into detail, but this invasion is necessary. You need to learn that you're not in charge here Albus, and if that bothers you as much as it seems to you don't have to continue."
Albus looks shocked and he slowly pulls himself together. "That's true, but I would be remiss not to offer my opinions and advice." In an attempt to de-escalate the situation I stand up.
"I agree with you Albus, but let's put a pin in this and focus on the matter at hand. While it seems like we have time before the invasion everyone needs to master both the armour and the weapons we've made."
***IMPERIAL CITY, CYRODIIL***
We had been keeping watch on the ruling family for years by now, taking the time to study the Amulet of Kings. So when it came to pass that the royal family was being attacked by the Red Dawn fanatics we were able to move fast. Luck was on our side as we were able to respond fast enough to save the lives of three of the four sons of the Emperor.
They were brought back to Nomanisan Island, healed and then put into magical sleep with the Draught of Living Death. When the emperor was assassinated and his body left behind we took it and the Amulet of Kings and left a convincing fake behind. Once his body was healed and we revived him he was put into magical sleep.
Immediately after that was done we got into our suits of armour to prepare for the inevitable. I didn't know how long it would take for portals to appear so I wanted us ready.
Meanwhile all of the scout ships being controlled by Athena went from monitoring to retribution mode as they tore through any and all Red Dawn members they could find.
Fleur flew high into the sky and sent duplicates outside of the armour to help her watch for portals, he macroscopic vision giving her a massive range to work with. It wasn't long before one began opening in Cyrodiil, even as the duplicates rejoined her inside she opened a portal for us to use.
The armoured group descended upon the portal and the small army of invaders at top speed, buzzing them at low altitude and high speed. Landing nearby in a rough circle around the portal we began the counter assault.
If the armour and weapons wielded by the rest of the group were Master works of blacksmithing, mine would be Grandmaster level. Not only did I make mine last I utilized my connection to Hephaestus to obtain his help in its creation, afterwards turning them into fiat backed pieces.
Even though the portal was only open for roughly an hour it felt like much longer than that, then suddenly the portal was gone. Leaping into the air we began looking for another, and that's how we spent the first days of the Oblivion Crisis. Hundreds upon hundreds of Daedra were destroyed like lambs to the slaughter, everyone that died upon my sword feeding it and my armour.
As the pilot of the armour grew tired another duplicate would take over and the other would rat and eat. This allowed us to keep alert and ready to protect Nirn, we fought for six days and six nights straight before we noticed the portals weren't forming as fast anymore.
So on the seventh day we decided to take a break, we flew back to Nomanisan Island to rest and recuperation. Even with swapping out we were pushing ourselves, we knew we had to pace ourselves but we wanted to make Mehrunes Dagon pay. We wanted this to be an object lesson for the rest of the Daedric Princes.
Mito had just gotten out of her armour when a large portal suddenly opened behind her, a giant chain came flying out and pierced her through the chest. I could see blood pour out of her mouth as she slumped forward, dead. I could feel a tremendous build up and release of power followed by an inarticulate cream of rage and sorrow.
Turning I looked towards the heavy armour that Hashirama sat in, only now it was surrounded by a green avatar. Tree began growing in front of the portal, breaking the chain at the same time as forcing the portal to stay open. Slowly the trees started forcing the portal to grow larger.
When a good man goes to war