Chapter 57: The Daedric Trials #2: The Cursed Tribe
Elsewhere, far away from the Mathers Domain, the first thing Sieglinde noticed when she woke up and looked around was many trees around, meaning she was in a forest.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
There was no answer, but she could hear something in the distance that sounded like fighting.
"Better check it out…" Seiglinde quickly made her way to the source of the fighting, and was surprised to come across an Orc Stronghold under attack by a Jotnar.
She didn't know who the right side was, so for now, she just decided to observe. She saw Orcs trying to defend them home, but the Jotnar merely swatted them away with ease.
Sieglinde sighed. "Guess I'm helping the little guys…"
Sieglinde charged forward and used her El Dona spells to shower the Jotnar with rocks, getting the attention of the Orcs, one of them asking, "Huh?! Who are you?!"
"I'm here to help!" Sieglinde replied.
"WRRUUUHHH!" the giant roared, as he swung his arm down.
"Dona!" Sieglinde yelled, touching the ground. The massive spike of earth erupted into the giant's foot, causing him massive pain. One of the Orcs took the opportunity to stab the giant with a greatsword, puncturing many of its organs. The giant fell, and everyone cheered.
"Many thanks for your assistance, stranger," one of the Orcs said. She was wearing mages robes by the looks of it.
"Oh, it was no problem."
Another of the Orcs came up to them, looking less pleased than the mage. "Outsider's are forbidden from entering Largashbur. You will leave at once."
"Uhh… okay?" Before Seiglinde had a chance to explain herself, the mage Orc spoke up.
"Ugor, we need help!" the first one yelled. "The Jotnar come day after day and our walls continue to weaken. If we are to survive, we will need to appease Malacath!"
"So, I'm being ignored, cool…" Sieglinde sighed.
"I apologize," the nicer orc said, bowing. "I am Atub, and our village has become plagued with attacks from Giants for weeks. We believe that Malacath is displeased with us."
"Malacath, you say?" That name did sound familiar…
"That is correct," Atub said, nodding. "One of the Daedric Lords of Oblivion. The God of Curses and Patron of all Orcs. We have grown relaxed as of recent events, and we believe Malacath is angry at this, so he cursed us with constant attacks from the Jotnar."
"So… he's mad at you for chilling?"
"To Orcs, it is a sign of weakness. Orcs are proud warriors who live and breathe for combat. Unless we can find a way to please Malacath, the Jotnar will keep coming. We cannot go on like this." Sigelinde nodded along to what Atub said, but she wasn't entirely sure.
"And you're sure it's him? And maybe not something closer to home?"
"I am positive this is Malacath's will. I just need to be able to contact him…"
"Alright, any idea how?" Sieglinde asked.
"I would need a Daedra Heart and Troll Fat. I don't suppose you would have any with you?"
"Unfortunately, no." Sieglinde sighed, "I'm sure Subaru would…"
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared behind them. Seiglinde turned around to see a Dremora (a lesser Daedra) and Troll angrily roaring at them.
Sieglinde was a bit stunned at two beasts suddenly appearing. "Okay… that's weird."
The Dremora grabbed its sword to the girl and roared, "I WILL FEAST ON YOUR HEART!"
"Uh-huh," the onion knight said. "Heard that one before…"
Atub took a few steps back to give her some space. "It would appear that my tribe is not the only one being tested by Malacath…"
Sieglinde had to agree with Atub's assessment. "Wanna help?"
The mage shook his head. "My apologies, but I believe this is meant to be your trial, not mine. Malacath does not appreciate interference."
"Fair enough," the blonde woman said, as she charged. "HI-YAH!"
Seiglinde charged forward and stabbed the troll in the chest, straight through the heart, which caused it to roar in pain. The massive beast fell, as Sieglinde pulled out her sword, and looked towards the Dremora, charging towards it.
The Dremora pulled out its own Daedric greatsword and charged forward, preparing to swing down on Seiglinde's head.
"AL DONA!" Sieglinde launched an entire boulder from under the ground to crush the Dremora in its tracks. With the monster distracted, the onion knight dashed forward, jumping over the boulder, and slashed its head. The head rolled, and the body stopped moving.
Sielginde removed her helmet and wiped the sweat off her brow. "Phew…"
"Well done," Atub said, as she approached and inspected the kill. "I will collect the necessary ingredients."
"Glad I could help."
After a few minutes, Atub collected the Troll Fat and Daedra Heart she required, as she took Sielgine's hand. "Now, we must speak with Yamarz, our tribe's Chief."
"And where is he?" the female onion knight asked.
"Follow me. You have proven your worth, so you will be allowed entry into our tribe. So long as you respect our customs."
"Alright. What are your customs?"
"They are…" Atub trailed off, before shaking her head. "Actually, it would be far too great to get into at the moment. In the meantime, follow me and stay close."
"Sure thing."
Sieglinde followed Atub into the tribe, and the orc mage knocked on one of the houses, which caused an orc wearing full orcish armor to come out. "It is time, Yamarz."
The orc, named Yamarz, groaned. "You bring an outsider here, and continue to insist I call on Malacath for help, when he has clearly forsaken me? You try my patience, Atub."
"Doing nothing will not grant our tribe relief from this curse. We must try."
"Grrr…" Yamarz growled, but relented, unable to argue with her logic. "Fine, let's get this over with."
Sieglinde snorted. "Well, he seems charming."
Yamarz growled at the sarcasm. "Watch your mouth, outsider."
Sieglinde frowned. And you better watch your ass.
With the necessary materials, they went to the middle of the village where a shrine to Malacath was. Setting up the ingredients, Atub got on her knees, almost as if praying. "Now, we begin the ritual... Oh, Great Malacath, we beseech you. Aid us in our time of need…"
Yamarz rolled his eyes. "Why are we bothering with this?"
Sieglinde shrugged. "It's worth a shot?"
"YAMARZ! YOU PATHETIC WEAKLING! YOU DARE TO CALL ME?!" A booming voice was instantly heard throughout the village, clearly originating from the shrine. Everyone flinched from the sudden booming voice, but Atub was the first to recover.
"Malacath has heard my pleas!" Atub called out. "He speaks to us!"
"INDEED I DO, ATUB." Malacath then spoke directly to Sieglinde. "YOU, ONION KNIGHT, I SUMMONED YOU HERE BECAUSE YAMARZ'S "LEADERSHIP" HAS LED THIS TRIBE TO THE PATHETIC STATE YOU SEE NOW. YOU ARE A WARRIOR, LIKE YOUR FATHER, BUT YOU POSSESS A FIGHTING SPIRIT GREATER THAN HIM. COMPLETE MY TRIAL AND PROVE YOURSELF WORTHY AS A WARRIOR, AND THOSE THAT AID HER SHALL ALSO BE GREATLY REWARDED."
"Ahh… as you desire, great Malacath!" Atub bowed.
Malacath then turned his attention to the chief. "AS FOR YOU, YAMARZ, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO CALL YOURSELF AN ORC! YOU'RE WEAK, YOU'RE SMALL, AND YOU'RE AN EMBARRASSMENT! YOU LET GIANTS... GIANTS!... OVERRUN MY SHRINE! BRING ME THEIR LEADER'S CLUB AS AN OFFERING, AND I MIGHT RELEASE YOU FROM THIS CURSE!"
Yamarz gulped. "Y-y-yes! Of course!"
"SIEGLINDE OF CATARINA, YOU WILL ACCOMPANY YAMARZ AND ENSURES HE CARRIES OUT HIS TASK!" the booming voice of Malacath roared. "SHOULD HE FALL, IT WILL BE UP TO YOU TO FINISH HIS TRIAL!"
"Me?" Sieglinde repeated. "But I'm an outsider… Not even an Orc."
"YOUR ORIGIN IS IRRELEVANT TO ME! THIS IS YOUR TRIAL AS WELL TO SEE IF YOU ARE WORTHY TO CALL YOURSELF A WARRIOR! I HAVE SPOKEN!" That was the last thing Malacath said before his voice vanished.
Sieglinde nodded, realizing she didn't have much of a choice. Guess I have to…
"So it will be," Atub said, standing. "Malacath has spoken, Yamarz. Your path is clear."
Yamarz grumbled. "Mmm…"
So, under the orders of the god that most likely brought her here, Seiglinde and Yamarz started to make their way to the Shrine of Malacath. It took quite a while to get there, and a great deal of hiking, but they arrived at the cave entrance to where the Shrine was located.
"Will you be fine on your own?" Sieglinde asked.
"My own? You're coming in with me to make sure I get to that Jotnar."
"I know. I am just asking if you will be needing any help from me, and such."
"Let me make this clear. The only reason I'm accepting help from an outsider is because I'm being forced by Malacath himself. Just help me get to the Jotnar leader and stay out of my way."
Sieglinde glared at the orc. "Hmph. Fine."
The two made their way into the cave, and it was much bigger than Seiglinde expected, as it had a waterfall inside. They made their way through the cave, avoiding whatever Jotnar they ran into, until finally, they reached Malacath's Shrine where the Jotnar leader was hanging around.
"Alright, I'll go kill this Jotnar. Unless, of course, you'd like to make some gold." Yamarz gave a sleazy grin as he tried to make an offer.
Sieglinde shook her head. "No, this is your redemption quest. I'll only fight if you need my help."
"Fine, then wait here," Yamarz said. "This should only take a second."
"Works for me."
Yamarz made his way to the Jotnar and tried to fight it, but not even ten seconds later, the Jotnar hit him so hard that the force from the attack sent Yamarz straight up in the air by hundreds of meters. About twenty seconds later, Yamarz landed back on the ground, dead.
"Oh. Shit." Realizing it was up to her, Seiglinde pulled out her sword as readied herself for the fight of her life. "BRING IT ON, BEAST!"
The Jotnar noticed Sieglinde and charged at her, preparing to bring its club down on her. The onion knight did a barrel roll to the side, as she then slashed the giant's ankle. The Jotnar roared in pain as it prepared to attack again, but Seiglinde used a Dona Spell to knock it off balance.
"Dona!" With the eruption of the ground beneath it, the giant fell on its back, as the onion knight jumped up to its stomach, as she stabbed her sword directly into the giant's heart.
"Well, let's hope that worked…"
Fortunately, the monster was dead. Unfortunately, however, Seiglinde was unable to pull her sword back out. She kept trying to pull more and more... until it broke.
CLANK!
"…Shit."
Suddenly, Malacath's voice was heard from his shrine. "YAMARZ WAS A FOOL. ALWAYS TRYING TO SCHEME HIS WAY OUT OF RESPONSIBILITY. BUT THE JOTNAR TOOK CARE OF HIM, AND YOU TOOK CARE OF THE JOTNAR. TWO PROBLEMS SOLVED AT ONCE. NOW, TAKE THE CLUB BACK TO LARGASHBUR, AND I'LL SEE ABOUT WHIPPING THE REST OF THEM INTO SHAPE."
"Wait, what about my sword?!" Sieglinde asked.
"YOU WILL NOT NEED IT ANY LONGER. YOUR PRIZE WILL BE MUCH BETTER THAN THAT SWORD WOULD HAVE EVER SERVED YOU."
"Alright, I guess…"
Seiglinde took the club and made her way back to the stronghold. Atub was the first to greet her when she got there.
Atub only needed one glance to know what must've happened. "I see that Yamarz didn't make it…"
"...The Jotnar overwhelmed him," Sieglinde said.
"I see." Atub nodded in understanding. "How unfortunate."
"YAMARZ WAS A COWARD AND A WEAKLING. HIS DECEITFUL WAYS HAVE COST YOU ALL GREATLY." Malacath's voice rang out once again.
Atub nodded her head, still somewhat somber. "Still, he was given a warrior's death. That is a gift in and of itself."
"IN THE MEANTIME, YOU'LL HAVE TO PROVE YOURSELVES, BUT I'M WILLING TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE. GULARZOB'S IN CHARGE NOW. LET'S HOPE HE MAKES A BETTER CHIEF."
"What do I do with the club?" Sieglinde asked.
"PLACE IT ON THE SHRINE. YOU'VE PROVEN YOURSELF AS A TRUE WARRIOR OF STRENGTH AND HONOR."
"You're the boss." Sieglinde placed the club on the shrine, and a bright light flash before it was replaced by a vicious looking warhammer with spikes on both sides of the hammer and a green, glowing energy coursing through it.
"BEHOLD, MY ARTIFACT, VOLENDRUNG, THE GREATEST AND MOST POWERFUL WARHAMMER EVER CREATED IN YOUR REALM!"
"Uhh… thanks," Sieglinde awkwardly said, inspecting the weapon. She couldn't deny it looked more menacing than any warhammer she had ever seen.
"I SHALL ALLOW YOU TO KEEP VOLENDRUNG UNTIL THE DAY OF YOUR DEATH. USE IT WITH RESPECT."
The onion knight gave the voice a salute. "Will do!"
"NOW, YOUR TRIAL IS COMPLETE. RETURN HOME AND DESTROY ALL IN YOUR PATH!"
That was all Malacath said before Sieglinde disappeared…
…and was sent back to the mansion, in a flash of light.
Frederica, sputtered at the sight before her. "Sieglinde?!"
Sieglinde turned to see the beast woman. "Eh? Frederica? I'm back?"
"Mr. Siegmeyer! Your daughter —"
Oh, no. Sieglinde could hear the sound of thunder and her father ran through the corridor. She knew how heavy her father was, even without his armor. "Wait, Father, slow do-!"
"MY BAAABYYYYY!"
Despite wearing the same armor as her father, she felt like she was getting crushed by his hug.
Sieglinde groaned, as she just hugged her old man back. "Yes, I'm back…"
To make matters worse, Patches walked in, smiling. "Ey, you're back too!"
A few others followed suit, as Beatrice asked, "What exactly happened?"
Sieglinde then explained what she just went through. "Well, an Orc tribe got cursed by Malacath, and I had to go with a really rude orc chief to get a club back from a giant that overran Malacath's shrine, and the chief died trying to fight the Orc and I fought it and killed it and got this." She then finished up by pulling out Volendrung.
Roswaal let out a low whistle, as Erik whispered, "Volendrung…"
"Heh," Patches chuckled. "Mine's better."
"What did you get?" Sieglinde asked.
Patches smiled as he pulled out Wabbajack. "Chaos in a staff."
"Hah," Ram let out a small laugh.
"Jealous?"
"Just pity that yours is smaller than her's."
Both Otto and Frederica instantly gasped at the burn. "OOOOOHHHHH!"
As the others either laughed at the bald man's misfortune or consoled him, the female onion knight looked around to see that not everyone was here. "Are the others not back yet?"
Garfiel shook his head. "Not yet."
"I hope everyone's okay…"
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Rem said, smiling softly.
Author's Note: WHOO! We started editing this chapter late in the afternoon, and frankly, I'm too tired to even bother checking for errors. Let's just get this over with…
(The next Daedric Artifact has been acquired by the Party: Volendrung. Fun fact, the province of Hammerfell was named by a Dwemer Chieftain had Volendrung fall down in whichever direction they would migrate to, and Hammerfell was the lucky place.)
5queso: Yeah, between Subaru, Patches and Pandora, ready for an increase in memes and pop culture references. Also, it wasn't a pipe bomb inside the package, Subaru was just making a dark joke. Hope your head feels better when this chapter comes out…
Gwynx: I don't know what to say here. (You got good benefits until you serve no more use to him. Also, I'm pretty sure he can make you immortal, or at least ageless, so… at least Echidna may have achieved her dream of Immortality before her death.)
Kifhjoofff: Yeah, Infinite's been looking forward to this arc.
Just fan (Guest): Ehh, I think Alduin is too serious to bother with fourth-wall breaks, or even bother eating Regulus. Pandora breaking the fourth-wall, on the other hand…
Anyways, back to the regular old shilling…
I'm pretty sure as you all know now, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, /ErnaloreProf is the link.
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Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!
- Ernalore & Infinite the Celestian