The Heart of a Daedra
By The Grey Knight
Chapter 23:
Sjern awoke in his bed in Proudspire. Getting out of bed and stretching, he recalled the previous day's events. He had almost been corrupted by a Daedra, had been saved by the Ninth Divine and had helped slightly in the destruction of an Oblivion Gate. While his head no longer throbbed, he still felt weak. The Daedra had entered his mind far too easily and had it not been for Talos, he would have listened to the Daedra.
"Blast it anyways!" He roared, punching one of the dressers in front of him.
Hearing someone rush up the stairs, he looked around for his weapons. Not even his Daedric Daggers were in sight.
'Looks like I'll have to Shout him into submission!' Sjern thought, readying himself.
To his surprise, it was Shadowfang who burst in the door, garbed in fine clothes rather than her usual armour. She was a lot more slender than he previously imagined. How such a thin frame could deliver such strong blows he did not yet know.
"Are you alright?" She asked, most likely having heard his exclamation.
Sjern nodded and rubbed his eyes, which were heavy with fatigue.
"Aye, just a rough day yesterday. A brisk walk to the Palace should clear my mind." He replied.
Shadowfang smiled and told him that breakfast was ready.
"Infernus and Zach are waiting for you downstairs."
Sjern was confused. "Who in the blazes is Zach?"
The Khajiit smiled widely.
"Oh that's my name for Knight Zacharias. Bit boring don't you think? Zach suits him much better."
A voice came from downstairs.
"He says he can hear you Ebonyclaw! I'd be careful."
She giggled at Infernus' message.
"Well, can't win 'em all can you?" She said, walking out of his room.
Sjern shook his head, smirking slightly. Walking over to his wardrobe, he flung the doors open. Taking out his white tunic, black vest and beige pants, he quickly got dressed and went downstairs. Sitting at one of the tables was Shadowfang, Infernus and Knight Zacharias. Infernus and Shadowfang were eating cooked fish while the Knight simply had his hands wrapped around an Amulet of Stendarr.
Sjern bade them a good morning, grabbed a piece of bread and told them he was going downstairs. None of the three tried to stop him or go along so he walked down uninterrupted.
"I'm going to need at least a chest plate and boots on me from now on." Sjern decided, looking at the two different sets of armour on the mannequins. One held a complete set of Dragonplate Armour while the other held his set of Blades' Armour.
"Well, what better way to show that I am Dragonborn, than to wear a set of armour made from my fallen foes?" Sjern said aloud to himself.
"You're not going to need armour Dragonborn." A voice said from behind him.
Panicking once again, Sjern seized the Daedric War Axe that had been mounted on the wall and readied himself for a battle. When he turned however, he found himself facing the High King himself. He was still in his Crusader's Armour but he had the Helm tucked underneath his left arm.
"Today we decide on the armour for Skyrim's Army. There are only a few who will not have to wear the standard armour. You are one of them Sjern, however you will be wearing the armour of a General. Come, it is your turn for choosing and fitting."
"My own armour will not do?" Sjern asked, pointing to the set of Dragonplate armour.
Jar'mey shook his head, turned around and clapped thrice. Two young looking Bosmer, an elderly Imperial woman and an Orc in a blacksmith's apron ran down the stairs. The two Bosmer had lengths of rope with them, presumably for measuring Sjern's height and width for the armour. The elderly woman had rolls of paper and sticks of charcoal with her and the Orc had several varieties of ingots with him.
"Greetings Dragonborn" the young Bosmer said simultaneously. "We are here to get your measurements for your armour."
Sjern nodded and stretched his arms out horizontally, allowing for them to measure him with the rope. The measuring took but a minute but still Sjern felt uneasy as they wound the rope around his waist, stretched it vertically up his full height, measured the circumference of his head and took several measurements of the width and length of his arms, legs and torso. Finally, when they were finished, they bowed and ran back up the stairs, measurements in hand. Next, the elderly lady stepped forward.
"Greetings Dragonborn, I am Therel. It is my duty to draw your ideal set of armour, no matter how long it takes. Now, we will start with the helm. Barrel, open with a visor, open without a visor, hooded with protection at the front or masked?"
Sjern thought for a moment. This was indeed the first time he was able to choose how he wanted his armour to look. He knew it should be fearsome to some degree but not distractingly so.
"Masked if you please." He replied, forming an idea in his head.
Therel smiled and nodded, picking up a piece of charcoal, she asked a second question.
"Normal mask or intricate?"
"I don't quite understand?" Sjern said, unsure of what she meant.
Therel showed no sign of impatience with him, which pleased Sjern.
"Intricate means you can have the mask shaped in a way that pleases you Dragonborn. Such as a wolf's head or a Daedra's snarl."
Sjern nodded his head, berating himself for not understanding such a simple concept.
"Apologies Therel, if it would be possible to do so, I would like it to be in the form of horned dragon. As unsurprising as it may seem, I feel it would be fitting to enter the fray wearing a helm in the shape of those whose soul I am akin with."
Therel smiled widely and began sketching quickly. "Very good Dragonborn, very good. I believe your foes will quake in fear at the sight of you."
Sjern stood in silence, watching the elderly woman's hand dance across one of the rolls of paper. She did so for about ten minutes before looking up and smiling at him.
"I have sketched three possibilities for this Dragon Helm. But before you see them, we must decide what you would like your torso piece to be. Would you like it to jut out in places? Perhaps you want a simple plate armour yes? Or maybe plated but with a small design carved in? It is all up to you Dragonborn, how do you want your chestplate to look?"
Now Sjern was truly stumped. Plate armour seemed the best option but not all materials could be smoothed out to make plate armour and he didn't want to go into battle in steel armour. Daedric weapons would cut through it like a knife through a cheese wheel. Turning to the Orc, Sjern voiced his doubts over this.
"I am no ordinary smith, Dragonborn. I am a true master of metals and can forge them to suit any need. Do not take possibility of forging into account but rather take possibility of it saving your life into account."
The Orc's words reassured Sjern who now knew what he wanted.
"I would like plate armour please, but with the emblem of Skyrim's army emblazoned on the front and a black hooded cloak attached to the neck around the back."
Therel nodded, sketching as he spoke.
"Very well, the mask shall be smaller around the back of the head to accommodate the hood of the cloak. Now, onto the final pieces, the boots, gauntlets and greaves. I assume you have no major preference. Though you seem to have an affinity for the dragon look, perhaps the gauntlets could be styled after a Daedric gauntlet, you know, with the sharply tipped fingers but still functional. The boots will be simple plate boots with a tapered tip and the greaves will be reinforced chainmail with leather underneath."
She seemed to be talking to Sjern but it was clear she was merely voicing this out in her own head. Nonetheless, Sjern was happy with the verbal description of his new armour. He only hoped that it would be suitable for battle and not just be ceremonial.
"Thank you very much Dragonborn. I will have our Orc friend here get to work on it right away."
Sjern bowed and thanked Therel who picked up the rolls of paper and scurried away. Finally, the Orc stepped forward.
"Now you will choose the metal in which you want your armour and weapon to be made from Dragonborn."
Sjern immediately cut him off.
"Weapon? I have a weapon my friend."
The Orc smirked, looking at the weapons on the wall.
"I know you do Dragonborn, many you have forged yourself and others that you have found. But as skilled as you are with them, they are not perfect for you. I have seen you sparring with the Companions enough to know this. Do not fret, it is rare that a true hero will find a weapon that is completely perfect. Those who do usually come to me or my brother for this request. I will ensure that you have your mighty blade Dragonborn, as strange as it may seem, I will know just how the handle should settle into your hand, how the blade should be tempered to perfection and how the cross-guard should be weighted so that you will never be carried forward by any attack you make with this weapon."
Sjern was a little uneasy at the idea of a new sword. But if it would allow him to battle to the best of his abilities, he would make the transition.
"On to more pressing matters however, the metal that you would like for your armour. I have with me here Iron, Steel, Dwarven, Moonstone, Corundum, Silver, Quicksilver, Malachite, Ebony, Daedra Hearts and Dragon Bones. The last one really took some getting. Now, as inclined as you might be to go for Daedric or Dragon Bone, allow me to show you a little trick that my grandfather has taught me. Do you mind if I cast a spell in here?"
Sjern shook his head, eager to see what this trick would be. The Orc took an Ebony ingot, a Daedra Heart, a Dragon Bone and a Malachite ingot. Rubbing his hands together, a blue flame engulfed his hands, much like the silver flames engulfed Infernus'. Waving his hands over the different materials in a large circle, Sjern had to shield his eyes when a small explosion went off, bright flames rising from the table.
"By the Nine! What do you think you are doing?" Sjern asked, removing his arm from his face.
To answer his question, the Orc smith merely held up a solitary ingot of black, red and blue.
"Many alchemists have claimed to hold the power to turn coal into gold. I surpass all of them. I hold the knowledge and the skill to create the lightest, most powerful and rarest metal to ever come into existence on Nirn. I hold the ability, Dragonborn, to forge what I call Divine Steel. Myself and mine ancestors are the only ones who know how to create and work this metal. It was a gift from Lord Malacath to my grandfather's grandfather for his wonderful mastery of all metals. He showed him how to create Divine Steel and how to work it. This knowledge was then passed down from generation to generation. Now, it will make its stand as the armour of the High King and of the Dragonborn."
Sjern was amazed by what the Orc had just done. He had taken four materials and crafted something that he could only describe as out of this world and the Orc wanted Sjern to wear armour made of it? Surely he was unworthy of such an honour.
"I take from your silence that this metal is to your liking? I shall create enough for two sets of armour, two shields and one blade. The High King has already found his perfect blade. I bid thee farewell Dragonborn, your armour should be ready within the week."
Sjern bowed once again, bidding the Orc a good day. When he was finally left alone downstairs, he simply shrugged.
"Guess I don't need armour then. Maybe a weapon until my new blade comes however."
Taking the Daedric War Axe from the wall once more, he swung it around a bit. Hooking it onto his belt, he sighed once more before going back up to his companions.
Damned writer's block has struck again my friends. I've taken 3-4 days to write this out and I'm a little disappointed by it to be honest. However, while it covers basically nothing of the main story, at least time has elapsed and we know that preparations for war are going ahead. As always, if you guys see any problems at all don't hesitate to point them out to me. I encourage you to be nit picky with this story guys otherwise the little details that annoy you could resurface. Thanks again for reading guys. Talos guide you all! Peace.