The Heart of a Daedra
By The Grey Knight
Chapter 19:
The two Thalmor guards at the front gate of the embassy quickly noticed Sjern's presence from afar. Drawing their weapons, they readied themselves for a battle with the Dragonborn scum. To their surprise however, Sjern walked over, his hands held up in a sign of peaceful intention.
"Don't attack!" He cried, getting closer. "I come peacefully on behalf of the new High King of Skyrim!"
The Thalmor couldn't believe what they were hearing. Skyrim had elected a new High King? Madness, surely the Dragonborn was drunk or on skooma.
"Don't come here with your lies, Dragonborn. If there was a new High King, we would know about it. He cannot be crowned without our co-operation."
Sjern simply smiled. "Oh but there is a new High King. A name all Thalmor should be very familiar with."
As Sjern spoke, a second, even taller figure approached the embassy. He wore the fabled Armour of the Crusader and walked with a strong step. Both guards gulped in fear but stood their ground.
"No one is allowed pass!" They said simultaneously, as the warrior in the Crusader Armour stopped beside Sjern. "We will die before allowing you passage."
Sjern sighed and looked at Jar'mey who simply shrugged.
"Pity" Sjern said before turning back to the Thalmor guards. "FUS RO DAH!"
The powerful Shout threw the two guards back into the gate to the embassy, taking it clean off of its hinges. Drawing BattleSong, Sjern calmly stepped over the bodies of the guards, whose skulls had been crushed on impact with the gate, and walked up towards the second pair of guards, followed closely by Jar'mey. Stopping a few metres away, Sjern stopped, stepped aside and indicated for Jar'mey to go first.
"Champions first!" The Dragonborn quipped.
Jar'mey grunted, drawing the Sword of the Crusader, hefted his Shield and approached the guards, who were now running towards him, Elven Swords drawn. Ducking and weaving to avoid the first slash at his neck, Sjern watched as the powerful Orc reversed his hold on the Crusader's Sword, so that the blade pointed behind him and, without looking back, drove it through the spine of his attacker. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled the Sword out of the guard, flipped his grip on it back to the normal way of wielding and blocked the second guards attack. Bashing him thrice in the face with his Shield, dazing the guard, he lunged forward, burying his Sword in the Elven warrior's chest. When both combatants had fallen, Jar'mey turned around to see Sjern, watching amusedly.
"I suppose it's my turn now is it?" Sjern asked him, earning nothing more than a grunt from the Orc.
Sjern walked up to the front door to the embassy, Jar'mey standing beside him, the Crusader's Sword in his hand. Leaning back slightly, Sjern lifted his foot and kicked the door open. Inside were five more guards who immediately tried to stop the two intruders. Hacking and slashing away with BattleSong, Sjern soon dispatched two of the guards. When he turned to take on another, he found Jar'mey had already killed them and was now walking towards the door behind the bar. Through the door, a Khajiit chef noticed them walk in, swords drawn. Throwing his hands in the air in surrender, he quickly ran out the door, past Sjern and Jar'mey who simply allowed him to escape.
"Come on" Sjern said, leading the way again. "I've been through here before, I know the way."
Walking through the door, Sjern found himself in a familiar room. This time however, there were no Thalmor. Finding this strange, Sjern's mind went on full alert.
'Something isn't right here.' He thought. 'The last time I was here, the Thalmor were like flies to fire on me.'
A few short minutes later, still with no confrontations, Sjern and Jar'mey finally reached the back door out to the courtyard. Once he opened the door, he finally understood why there were no Thalmor inside. About seven Thalmor were being torn to shreds by a very familiar figure. She clawed, kicked and drained the health from them quicker than a Whirlwind Sprint Shout. When she was finished, she looked Sjern dead in the eye. Laughing maniacally, Sunclaw called over to him.
"Well Dragonborn, it seems fate has led you to me once more. What a pity you're all alone, I would have enjoyed tearing my sister's throat out."
Sjern, while still being cautious, chuckled at her last statement.
"Oh no Vampire, not alone."
He moved aside, allowing Jar'mey to step out into the small courtyard. When Sunclaw saw the Champion, she shrieked fearfully.
"YOU!" She roared, extending a finger to point at the Orc.
"Hello Sunclaw, not happy to see me?" Jar'mey asked.
Shrieking again, the Vampire Khajiit began to transform into her Vampire Lord form. To Sjern's surprise, Jar'mey sheathed the Sword of the Crusader and turned around to him.
"Go Dragonborn! I can handle this filth!"
Sjern was about to protest when Jar'mey flicked his wrists and a large dome of energy surrounded him and Sunclaw. Sjern tried to get through but the dome was pure energy and began sapping his magicka. Seeing no other option than to continue on, he wished the Orc well and jogged across to the next door.
*Jar'mey's POV*
"Divines protect me. Help me slay this ungodly beast."
Jar'mey still had his back to the Beast-Vampire hybrid when she lunged at him. Time seemed to slow as she did as Jar'mey reached up, seizing Warmonger by the hilt. Spinning on the spot, drawing his mighty blade as he did, he snarled loudly from within the Crusader's Helm, his blade slashing diagonally across Sunclaw's chest eliciting a scream from the Vampire. Knowing how powerful this particular creature could be, Jar'mey raised his shield and waited for her to strike. Instead, Sunclaw floated back towards the other side of the dome.
"Blast you Jar'mey! You could have been a God! You could have joined us and received far greater reward than any you could possibly imagine!" She screamed angrily.
Jar'mey shook his head solemnly.
"I could not stand idly by while you and your Master tore this realm to pieces, Sunclaw. Tell me, why are you so angry at Tamriel? What have these innocents done to you to make you like this?"
The Vampire-Khajiit said nothing but merely glared at him.
"Ah, I understand now. You are in this for power and glory. But there is no glory to be won from the slaughter of innocents Sunclaw! True power and glory is earned, not taken! But if you intend to pursue this path, then I must cut you down!"
He raised Warmonger high, the tip scraping off of the top of the dome, and rushed at Sunclaw, who had already rushed at him a mere moment before. The two powerful creatures clashed, claws bouncing off of his Shield, Warmonger slashing through the air and shrieks of pain coming from the Vampire Lord. As powerful as she was, Jar'mey was just as, if not slightly more powerful than her. His two centuries of training and meditation had given him almost perfect prowess in battle and quick reactions with which he could evade or block almost any attack.
Forcing Sunclaw back towards the end of the dome of energy, Jar'mey relentlessly sliced and stabbed at his foe. While she dodged and blocked numerous attacks, he did manage to pierce a hole through her left wing as well as cut her deeply on the arm of the same side. Eventually, he had her pushed up against the back end of the dome, her undamaged arm pinned by his shield and sharp edge of Warmonger pressed against her neck.
"You won't kill me, Champion." Sunclaw jeered, looking him dead in the eye.
Snarling, Jar'mey pressed Warmonger even tighter against her neck.
"Don't test me, Vampire. You wouldn't enjoy the result!"
Laughing maliciously, Sunclaw played her trump card. Beating both her wings powerfully, she dissipated into a cloud of bats and flew past Jar'mey. Spinning on the spot, the Champion of Cyrodil barely had enough time to swing Warmonger as Sunclaw materialised right in front of his, her good arm outstretched, trying to seize him by the neck. There was a sickening sound of blade on bone, a quick spurt of blood and an inhuman shriek of pain from Sunclaw as Jar'mey's fabled blade sliced her right arm clean off just below the elbow joint. Her severed arm fell at his feet before turning into a pile of dust at his feet.
Clutching at the stump she now had for an arm, Sunclaw wailed in pain. Looking at Jar'mey with her eyes full of both tears and hate, she cursed him. Then, just as he was going in for the final blow, a staggering blast of energy launched him backwards, destroying the dome he had created. Unfazed, the Orc jumped to his feet and looked over at where Sunclaw had been hovering. Somehow, she had teleported away from the courtyard to safety. Deciding to be cautious, Jar'mey closed his eyes and, using a technique the Moth Priests had taught him, he tuned in to his surroundings. When he was sure that he was alone in the courtyard, he sheathed Warmonger and proceeded to follow the path that Sjern had taken minutes earlier.
*Sjern's POV*
Meanwhile, the Dragonborn was making his way past the fallen bodies of Thalmor who had been brutally torn apart by Sunclaw. Climbing the wooden staircase however, he could hear raised voices coming from one of the offices of the Thalmor.
"Your guards are all dead Elenwen, it would be wise to surrender before she gets here."
The voice sounded oddly familiar to Sjern, yet he couldn't quite place it. The second voice, he knew well however.
"I…. very well then. I surrender myself, and the forces of all the Thalmor to your cause."
Not waiting for the first voice to speak again, Sjern rushed towards the door and kicked it open.
"FUS RO DAH!"
The Shout echoed throughout the small office room and the two figures inside were thrown against the back wall. Looking at their faces, Sjern instantly recognised both of them. The first, of course, was Elenwen, ambassador of the Thalmor. Her face was slightly bloodied, as if she had been struck multiple times. What really stood out for Sjern however, was the fact that she was not wearing her Thalmor robes. Instead, she looked like she had been roughly stripped by the second figure, down to her undershirt and silken night shorts.
'The sick bastard must have tried to rape her!' Sjern realised quickly.
Looking down at the second figure, Sjern quickly recognised the features of Falenth Sdran, follower of Mehrunes Dagon. For some reason, he felt it necessary to try and win over the Thalmor to Dagon's side. Not wanting to be surprised by him again, Sjern quickly bound him using a Paralysis spell, before taking pity on the Altmer female and healing her facial wounds.
Elenwen woke with a start to find the Dragonborn with his hands hovering over her, healing her. Despite this, she still tried to kick him away from her vulnerable form.
"Get back you Nordic filth! Don't dare touch me!"
Sjern knew there was no point in arguing and stopped his healing. Stepping back, he looked down on the thin frame of the Altmer.
"What did he want with you?" Sjern asked.
Elenwen simply spat at him before trying to stand. Not in the mood for games, Sjern drew BattleSong and held the tip of its blade at her throat.
"Just because I healed you Thalmor, does not mean I am letting you go. You will do exactly as I say and then, and only then, will you be free to leave."
The fear in the Thalmor Ambassador's eyes was palpable.
"W-what do you want, D-Dragonborn?" She asked, her voice trembling.
"First, you will tell me why this scum is in one of your offices. After that, you will formally surrender to the High King of a United Skyrim and tell your superiors to withdraw the Thalmor from this land."
From the look on her face, Sjern knew the Thalmor took him seriously. She quickly explained that Sdran and some strange Khajiit female had stormed in, killed all of her guards around the back and forced her into this small office. From there, the Dunmer had torn off her robes in order to place her in a more vulnerable position. He demanded that she surrender the Thalmor of Skyrim to Mehrunes Dagon. When she refused, he struck her repeatedly. Then asked again, this time getting a more 'positive' response. That was when the Sjern burst in.
"As for this new High King, who is he? When on earth did the Moot meet to elect him?" She asked.
"They didn't" came a gruff voice from behind Sjern. "I was elected due to my status around Tamriel and my neutrality in the Civil War."
Jar'mey stepped into the office, looking down, first at the paralysed Sdran, then at Elenwen.
"The people of Skyrim should be allowed to live in prosperity, not fear. As the High King, and yes it is official, I hereby banish the Thalmor from these lands! If you're superiors wish to march on Skyrim, if they wish to engage in war with us, know this Thalmor. I am the one who stopped Mehrunes Dagon, two hundred years ago. I defeated the Prince of Order, Jyggalag and defeated Umaril the Unfeathered by gathering the Crusader's Relics. This man here, as I'm sure you know, is the Dragonborn. Bane of Vampires, saviour of Skyrim and Solstheim and master of the Thu'um. Two of the greatest warriors and heroes to exist in Tamrielic history leading an army of Imperials and Stormcloaks against you. I wouldn't really think you could win."
And with that, the new High King of Skyrim turned and walked out of the office. Sjern took one last look at Elenwen before raising BattleSong. The Altmer flinched and tried to shield her head, waiting for the death blow, but it never came. There was a swish of a blade, a slight thump and then silence. Opening her eyes, she looked over at the Dragonborn, who had just severed the head of Falenth Sdran right there and then. As he walked away, he left her with one final message.
"Heed the Orc's words Elenwen. It would be for the best."
Phew, finally got this chapter done! The fight between Sunclaw and Jar'mey must have been rewritten at least six times until I was happy with it. While Jar'mey makes Sunclaw seem feeble and weak you must remember, she did defeat Sjern, Infernus, Serana and Shadowfang alone. I just wanted to highlight the power Jar'mey has. Also, her flight ability was limited by the dome so she was restricted. Once again, I want to thank Romancehowler for that character as well as her Daedra submission. I'd also like to thank WolFang1011 for his Daedra submission.
I've made an executive decision (basically I was too flabbergasted by both these submissions). I will be using both these Daedra OC's, giving them their own Planes of Oblivion. As stupid as this sounds, they will be main villains for Sjern's friends or something. Sjern and maybe one of the group will take on a Daedric Prince of my own creation. So, apologies to those who may have wished to send in their Daedra, but the request ends here guys. I'm 100% positive anything you guys had planned was amazing but I don't want to have to choose between three or four excellent Daedra so I'm gonna have to stop it.
Thanks for reading guys! Talos guide you all! Peace