Power Corrupts: The Art of the Deal (ch. 61) (Patreon)

"You want an enchantment… that will make you… weaker?" Sergius questioned, sounding like he thought he misheard me. I guess that was a bit out of the blue after about a week of learning from him.

I nodded, "I know how it sounds, but a god's blessing is a bit of a double-edged sword. I can do things that few others can, push my limits beyond what normal mortals are capable of and so on. But, I need challenges. Things to push me to my limits and then some. And those are in short supply. The best thing I've found is Deathlords, and they're in short supply." I explained, making Sergius blink a few times as I explained myself.

"So, instead of constantly searching for more dangerous and more powerful prey, you wish to limit yourself so every challenge is grander?" He asked for clarification and received it. "It's a novel idea. And a practical one." That almost sounded like a compliment.

I leaned forward a bit on a standing desk that was made just for me. On it was a few notes of my slowly expanding knowledge about Enchanting. "Do you think it's possible?" I questioned -- I had done a little research on the topic myself, so I knew it was possible. I just needed to know if it was possible on the scale that I was looking for.

I essentially needed to cut my stats in half. Ideally including the bonus I received from leveling up as well. I would be severely weakened, but I would still be superhuman compared to everyone else. And that weakness would pay dividends when I took the enchantments off. Not to mention the enchantments that would buff my stats when I put on my good set of armor.

Sergius looked down at my ideas -- basically a wishlist. "I can do it. It would be best to start small then work our way up until we find a point that would satisfy your needs. For the final piece, we could apply it to your armor… but it will be expensive." He added, giving me a pointed look. It sounded like it would, but I'm also guessing that he was going to skim off the top by giving me inflated prices.

The thought of it irritated me a bit, but I'd rather just spend the money, get the gear, and then I could finally make some headway into my stats. Everything had stalled out except for my Intelligence stat, and only because it was the lowest to start with.

"Sounds good. What do we need?" I asked, making Sergius glance down at the piece of paper again.

"I have all the materials I need here. I'll just need an iron band big enough to fit one of your fingers-" in response to that, I pulled out a piece of iron from my inventory, wrapped it around a finger, then pinched it off. "Ah… I see what you mean," Sergius remarked when I took the makeshift ring off and passed it over to him. "Watch closely," he instructed as he gathered the materials.

One thing I had already learned was that there was more to enchanting than leaning over a table and willing the enchantments to appear. The iron band was placed in the center of a pentagram thing, held in place with a vice grip. A petty soul gem that reminded me of a small magic crystal back in Danmachi was placed in a cup over a low blue flame. All the while, a brush was held in one hand while the other held a magnifying glass to his eye.

I watched carefully as he dipped the brush against the soul gem ever so lightly before he began to paint over the iron ring with what seemed to be invisible ink. Then I held the spare magnifying glass to my eye and saw faint blue lines being painted onto the ring. What was being painted was difficult to see, much less understand.

Enchanting was almost like writing in a simplified symbolic language. In a way. Certain lines meant certain things and how you painted them could make them mean different things. It was difficult to tell, but I saw Sergius mark the ring with the inverse of Strength. Meaning the markings became Weakness. A simple enough task.

It was when things became more abstract that Enchanting became more difficult. Take fortifying a skill as an example. For normal people, it wasn't a numbers game that could quantify exactly how good you were at something. It was an abstract idea to make you 'better' at a 'skill.' So, the art became more abstract as well to reflect the nature of the enchantment. And that was where the simplified language came into play.

Abstract art, by its very nature, was abstract. It only had the meaning that was given to it. Which was an issue when it came to communication, so there were what boiled down to a handful of vowels to help convey the meaning. With the right combination of vowels and strokes, a clear picture was made, thus the enchantment was created.

Was that confusing? Yes. Yes, it was.

It was a slow art, but I watched carefully as the lines that meant weakness were painted into the ring again and again and again until the soul gem was gone. That was another thing that stood out. You weren't done when the marks were done. You were done when you ran out of 'paint.' Because how else would you transfer the entirety of a soul inside of a soul gem onto an object without putting it there?

A petty soul took about an hour alone. Greater soul gems could take days.

No wonder enchanters were so rare. The entire art was a huge time sink and tedious as all hell, with a single mistake ruining the piece.

Finally, after an hour of watching in total silence, he passed the ring back to me. "Done. Be careful with it. Tell me how you feel with it on." He said as I looked the ring over. It was impossible to see the markings on it, but if I put the magnifying glass before my eyes, I would be able to see what had changed in it.

Doing as he said, I opened my Status screen while sliding the ring on.

Strength: 133 (-25)(+151= 259)

"Huh," I muttered, looking down at the ring on my finger. I didn't really feel that much weaker, but I did notice a dip. Or, at least I imagined I did. So, a petty ring of weakness took off twenty-five points of strength -- that was better than I had feared, but not as good as I had hoped. To put myself at the stats I wanted, I would need ten of them. And that was just for Strength.

"Do you feel alright?" Sergius questioned with a worried look like he half expected me to just kneel over and die.

I nodded, "I'm fine. I think I need a regular soul gem with a regular soul. Maybe… three of them and another one of these." I answered, making him sputter as I did the math in my head. Assuming each gave me a minus fifty, then all together I would be down two hundred stat points. Which would put me around fifty Strength.

From there, I could work out and earn more stat points again. That was a novel thought after sprinting across the country with a loaded wagon to earn a paltry few stat points.

"I… you… it would just be simpler to use a single greater soul at that point. This was a rush job, so I could make some improvements here and there," Sergius said with a sigh, sounding like he didn't care for my special brand of bullshit. "That one right there will cost you a thousand septims. A greater ring of weakness…? That could cost you… north of a hundred thousand."

And like art dealers, they could assign whatever price they felt their work was worth. The effect was multiplicative if they were a well-known name. Like Sergius was.

"Fine," I muttered distractedly. I had the money. Though at the rate I was spending it, I needed to find another Dragon Priest tomb to loot. "I'll need the same for the others." One for each stat.

Sergius let out a breath, "There goes my free time…" he remarked. "That's quite the order… we do have the greater souls necessary, but if you're willing, we could perhaps look at some outside help. After all, I can hardly teach you if I'm working on your enchantments," he said in a much louder voice. Meaning that I wasn't supposed to hear that first bit.

I considered that -- this was my time to learn and make the most improvements that I could. It was easy to tell that he just didn't want to do the order because that would mean that his own research would be put on hold for weeks. Still, that didn't mean that he didn't have a point. If I wanted my rings any time soon, then I would need him to prioritize them over teaching me.

"Who do you have in mind?" I asked him, making the older man smile.

"An old colleague of mine. He… well, he's been exiled from the College, but I promise you it wasn't on the account of his work!" Sergius explained, and just like that, I was pretty sure I knew exactly who he meant. "His name is Nelacar, an Altmer. And an old one too, so he has a great deal of experience. He's been practicing the art of enchanting for far longer than I have."

I was right. Thinking it over for a moment, I nodded, "Alright. I'll go talk to him about it," I decided, and Sergius proved that time was more valuable than money because he actually looked relieved. "He stays in the inn in town, right?" I asked, and received a nod in response. "Then I'll be right back."

I had other reasons for wanting to meet Nelacar. Right now, the Azura Star was useless to me. And he was one of the two people that could fix it. The plan wasn't to just drop the star into his lap to fix it -- to do that, I would have to kill the guy currently living in the star. Given that he currently resided in his own pocket dimension and he was an extremely old mage… I was a little leery of rushing in half-cocked.

Leaving my teacher behind, I stepped out of the classroom. The halls weren't exactly full, but there were way more than just twelve people living and learning here like there had been in the game. I would put it closer to a few hundred. I'm guessing that number would be higher if the College wasn't located at the edge of the world. With the Mage Guild collapsing, the College was the one place left to study magic as part of an organization.

The students in the hall gave me a wide berth, and I was more than okay with that. I wasn't here to make friends with them. I was here to learn. And that was an interesting change from my last experience in college.

After stepping out of the building, I walked towards the bridge that connected the College to Winterhold. Of all the things to stay true to the game, it was it. The bridge was crumbling -- entire sections had fallen off, leaving behind dangerously narrow ledges to shuffle across. The thing was not safe. Every step I wondered if I would just fall through into the depths below, even if I never did. The last few steps were a sprint and a jump, just in case.

The bridge reflected Winterhold for the most part. Of all the cities I've been to, it was the only one that was perhaps smaller than it had been in the game. Simply because a good half of it was gone. During the collapse, wind and rain had eroded the support for what was once a major city -- when half of it fell, over the half of the population that remained decided to try their luck elsewhere. So it was easy to see which buildings were still occupied, and it made it clear that even centuries after the collapse, most weren't.

Entire buildings had been cleared, used for firewood. There was a core of a handful of buildings that had a gap around it -- the Jarl's house, stores, shops, the inn, and a few houses. That was it. I wasn't even sure this place could be called a city anymore. It was closer to a village. And a small one at that.

The inn was a rundown looking building, and based on how everyone looked up when I entered, it was clear to see that it was one that wasn't used to receiving guests. My eyes scanned the few faces inside before they zeroed in on the one hooded man sitting in a corner. Walking over him, I towered over him as he sat, angling his head up to look at me to reveal a skin tone with a hint of yellow to it. "Are you Nelacar?"

There was a small silence as he considered how to answer, "That entirely depends on what you want." He hedged, as good as confirming that it was him.

"I was hoping to hire you to make some enchantments for me," I said, and he perked up at that.

"In that case, yes, I am indeed Nelacar," he introduced himself with a nod. He glanced around at those that were undoubtedly listening in. "Perhaps we should take this discussion somewhere more private," he decided, before standing. I thought he meant his room, but I was surprised when he headed towards the door. Once again, I was hit in the face with a bitterly cold chill when the door closed behind us.

I followed him into what looked like an abandoned building -- when I stepped through, I found it was still cold, but the walls protected us from the wind. "My apologies -- the locals do not look kindly to mages, much less me earning more in an hour than they do in a lifetime."

This entire event screamed shady to me, but the excuse was good enough that I could buy it. "Fair enough," I agreed before I relayed my order. Nelacar didn't question me about the enchantments, or even why I wanted them. A true no questions asked kind of guy. And in return, I received my estimate and materials needed.

Since I was going with rings to start with, I needed high purity gold, diamonds, and other precious jewels to house the soul of a greater soul. Each ring would take a week to make and that was the assumption of twelve-hour days. And that was for a simple enchantment.

But, once business was concluded and I handed over a deposit of an epic fuckton of money, I brought up my second reason to see him. "Sergius said that you were an expert when it came to soul gems. I was wondering what you could tell me about Azura’s Star?” I started, easing into the subject. Nelacar glanced at me with a cocked eyebrow before he offered a small shrug.

“It’s the ultimate prize for any enchanter -- a limitless soul gem that can be reused endlessly,” he started, and that caught my attention. Limitless.

“Limitless how?” I interjected with a frown. Limitless as in it could store human souls? Was that just a game limitation then?

“Limitless as in you can store however many white souls inside of it as you want,” he answered with a shrug. That was disappointing, but I guess that was still better than being stuck with one soul per soul gem. “Of any size. A million greater souls, a trillion petty souls, or both. Soul gems themselves are rare enough to come by, and gems that can house larger souls are rarer. Because of the costs of being an enchanter, there’s a saying that an enchanter only gets paid on his hundredth piece of work. All priors were spent digging themselves out of debt.”

Then Nelacar’s eyes narrowed at me, “Why the interest in the Star?” He asked, and I could only guess what tipped my hand. A lie was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it down. In the end, I would likely need his help.

"Because I have it. And it's currently inhabited by an asshole named Malyn Varen." I answered, watching the man blink as he processed that. "I was hoping for a quick and easy solution. Like, since his soul is already in the thing -- could I just enchant something with it to get rid of him?"

That got me a dumbfounded look. "I… if he's conscious inside of it, as you say, then I can't imagine that Mayln would leave himself exposed to such a tactic. It would defeat the purpose of his quest for immortality. He might have gone mad when he left the College, but madness doesn't mean incompetence." Nelacar responded thoughtfully. "And you have the Star? Truly?"

It was kind of annoying that I would actually have to go in and kill the guy, but I didn't really expect anything different. Looking down at the high elf, I shrugged my shoulders before a hand dipped into a pouch that I used to make it look like I was keeping the Star in there. Call it a test of honesty. If he tried to steal the Star, then he would do it after making my rings. And if he did, then I would be taking my money back.

However, the moment that I presented the Star to him, a presence washed over me. One that belonged to a god. My spine stiffened as a hand was placed over my wrist, and when I glanced over, I saw it was a woman. I was taken back by her appearance more than anything -- she was beautiful, but in a striking kind of way. Her hair was long, brushing past her shoulders. It was a silverish white, and that same color almost matched her pale skin.

Yet, her eyes were a glowing gold color. Like I was staring into the sun. The only other color was her painted red lips, which stood out against the paleness of her skin. The sight was a little undercut by the fact that she seemed to be wearing enough furs that I doubt that she could place her hands at her sides.

"Finally. I had wondered when you would attempt to purge my star," the woman spoke. And with that sentence, there was no question in my mind as to who she was. Azura, goddess of the night sky. "Oh, don't look so shocked. It twas I who penned this prophecy after all. Of course I would find you."

I blinked at that, my mind racing a mile a minute. "Azura… where did you come from?" I asked, puzzled -- as far as I was aware, only Sheogorath showed any aptitude for any kind of teleportation ability. Had she teleported here? Was she hiding in the room the entire time, having known that her star would be taken here, so she just had to wait for it to arrive?

"Questions… that is the thing that catches me most by surprise. Before, a mortal would never dare question me. Now it seems to be the only thing that you do," she remarked lightly, her tone making it impossible to tell if she was annoyed by that or not. She also didn't answer the question.

Okay. This changed things pretty drastically. I glanced at Nelacar, who stared at Azura with a gaping expression. There was naked awe on his face that couldn't be hidden behind a stoic mask of indifference. He wouldn't be any help here.

I shifted where I stood, "I'm guessing that you're taking the star back then?" I questioned, my grip tightening on it for a moment… only to present it to her a second later.

The Star was one of my main reasons for coming to Skyrim,but I wasn't sure if I was willing to risk the wrath of a god to keep it. With how the Hestia Armor had consumed the Ebony Mail, I had already put myself on the shit list of the Daedra Lord of Betrayal and Murder. Digging in my heels now could end up costing me a lot more than just the Star.

Pissing off one god was an accident. A second was a coincidence. By the time I stepped on the toes of a third god, then that would be enemy action. With me being the enemy.

Azura ran a finger over the star, looking down at it with an indifferent expression. "It is mine. And by right, it does belong to my familia," she started, before her glowing gold eyes glanced up at me. "But I do find myself curious what you intend to do with my Star. You are here to learn enchanting -- is it because you found the ultimate tool for it, or something else, I wonder?"

Looking down at her, I felt myself grow a little uneasy. Out of all of the gods I've encountered so far, she was the most… uncanny valley. Dibella was a party girl. Nocturnal, for being the literal embodiment of mystery, was pretty down to earth all things considered. Sheogorath was mad as a hatter, but she was once human. The same with Talos. Azura, on the other hand, radiated an aura of… otherworldliness as if she knew every word that was going to come out of my mouth months before I did. Maybe it was just that she really caught me off guard, but if it was bullshit she was selling, she had convinced me it was gold.

So, I told her what I planned with the Star. Her star.

Azura smiled ever so slightly, "I suspected as much." And I believed her. "But, there are some difficulties with that plan of yours. As it is, my Star is not capable of the task that you wish. For it to be even remotely possible, it would need to be blackened. Tainted."

My lips thinned, "Is there any other way?"

"No," Azura answered shortly. "But, the cause is a worthy one. I will allow it on certain terms of agreement," she told me. I had expected to receive a flat no, just before she yanked the star out of my hands.

"Name them," I told her, my grip tightening on the star. It would seem that I might not be losing it today. I only realized that I overplayed my hand when her slight grin grew into a smirk. I had all but told her she had me by the balls, didn't I?

Azura pretended that she was thinking about it for a moment, "First I will need a vow that you will never use it to capture a mortal soul. For as long as it is in your hands -- not by you, or anyone." Her tone was as sharp and harsh as the crack of a whip.

I had been entertaining the idea of using the Star to get easy and powerful souls. Black soul gems had been the best in the game. Admittedly, there were some pretty heavy religious implications in such an act now. So, while it was a loss, I nodded all the same.

"That is the price for you to taint my Star. The price for you to maintain possession of it… I will require a few things from you," Azura decided. She glanced at Nelacar before reaching out and closing his mouth with a finger, making him gulp as he stared at the two of us. At first, it had been at her presence. Now he gaped at me for my plans for the Star. Looking back at me, her gaze roamed me before settling on my face.

"Your goddess, Hestia -- she has built something wonderful in Helgen. Sheogorath had a small part in it, but what Helgen will become is because of her," Azura praised. I stood a bit taller at that, knowing Hestia was doing good work in Helgen, even if it was just a trap for Alduin. "I have watched her as well as the others. As such, I will not repeat their mistakes. The first thing that I require of you, Jericho of Helgen, is supplies."

Hold up. "Huh?" I muttered, not sure if I had heard right. "Supplies? For what?"

"For Winterhold," Azura answered as if it should be obvious. "Your company will supply whatever I need to rebuild Winterhold -- wood, stone, and nails. As well as shipping it here by land or boat, I care not. This will be done free of charge until I have seen fit to free you of this obligation."

Huh… "So… never?" I figured as I mulled it over in my head. This wasn't what I expected at all. I… this came so far out of left field, I didn't even know what to think.

A god… was trying to be… helpful?

Azura smirked dangerously at that, telling me I was right on the mark. "Secondly, I will need you to speak up in favor of me during this Moot that Akatosh has commanded that we attend. There, I shall announce my candidacy for becoming Jarl of Winterhold. Do this, and I will name you Thane of Winterhold to add to your collection."

She was trying to be helpful. By fucking me. In the very unfun way.

"Okay… but, as a heads up -- with the civil war brewing, people are going to demand that you pick a side. Empire or Stormcloak," I warned, trying to understand the implications and ramifications of helping her become Jarl. This was new. I didn't know how to handle this. I was used to the gods making a mess and me cleaning it up.

This was different. Maybe a good kind of different, but it was different all the same.

"I care not for the petty squabbles of mortals. As such, I shall join your political block of neutrality alongside Jarl Balgruuf," Azura decided. And it was starting to sound like she was starting to come up with demands by the seat of her pants. But I wasn't going to refuse that demand. Winterhold was a Stormcloak city. It becoming neutral was a good thing.

It was just the fact that a god was leading them. As a Jarl. It was circumventing the natural conflict of what amounted to Church and State. Which should be a good thing. It was a good thing. Azura planned to rebuild the city. At my expense, admittedly, but these were all good things.

So why in the hell did all of this make me so nervous?

"I'll have to talk to him about that, but I can't imagine that he would say no," I tentatively agreed. "And, not to stop your roll, but can I ask… why? Why are you trying to rebuild Winterhold?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

Azura seemed faintly annoyed, but she answered all the same. "Practice," she said, as if that's all that she had to say.

"Practice?" I echoed, still confused as all hell.

"Practice," Azura confirmed. "Winterhold is barely more than a village at this point. I am a goddess of Dawn and Dusk, not Civil Engineering and Politics. So, I wish to practice and learn how to best lead mortals here, in this desolate village. Once I have turned it into a prosperous Hold and the events of Alduin are decided, I shall go to Elsweyr." Okay. That was… a little more in line with what I had learned to expect of the gods.

Winterhold was just practice. It was the equivalent of playing civilization to her, I guess. The tutorial phase.

"Huh," I muttered. Well… I guess it was better than her just rolling up to Elsyweyr, declaring herself Queen, and running the place into the ground. There was some actual thought put into this.

Azura let out a small indignant huff, "I'm not like other gods. I am not so drunk on my own freedom that I have forgotten my responsibilities." I'm guessing that was a jab at Dibella. "And you have not heard of all of my demands! Stay silent until I am finished, mortal!" She snapped haughtily at me without any real heat. I shut my mouth all the same, though.

There was a small beat of silence as Azura seemed to find where she left off at. When she found it, her face perked up a bit, "In addition, our familias have a formal alliance. Any attack on me is an attack on you. As such, your familia shall deal with the dangers of this Hold for me." With her getting the credit, I bet. "The formal alliance will be discussed with your goddess. There are smaller concessions as well -- such as I demand favorable trade deals with Helgen, including a Mark to connect our two cities, as well as trade deals with the College."

She… really was trying to get everything that she could from me. "I can't promise anything with the latter, but I'll throw my weight around if I can. It'll be up to Sheogorath, for the most part."

Azura frowned, seemingly unhappy. "Sheogorath?" She questioned, sounding like she had no clue why I was bringing her up.

"She's the Archmage. Turned the old one into a mudcrab," I explained, making Azura blink.

"...She?" Azura questioned, earning a small sigh from me.

"That's a long story," I answered, "is there anything else that you would like?" Like one of my kidneys, for example?

"Of course. I will also require initial funding from you to kickstart the initial restoration efforts," Azura said as if it should be obvious. And… how in the hell was she supposed to learn anything when she was using my wallet as a goddamn cheatcode? "That will be all. For now." And never before have two words inspired such fear. "Do we have an accord?"

I hesitated as I looked down at the Star. I saw what it could become and what I could use it for. No matter how I looked at it, more than anything else, the Star was my ticket to damn near unlimited power. It wouldn't happen overnight. It would be something that I had to build towards, but the Star would be my foundation.

With it, I could go to other worlds and claim the souls of monsters and beasts. The final bosses. Those just like Alduin. Each time I did it, I could enchant a piece of armor with the most powerful enchantment I could possibly make.

A petty soul took away twenty-five stat points. How many points would a soul like… the Archdemon from Dragon Age give me?

I could become utterly unstoppable. I could become a goddamn god.

"...Yeah. you have yourself a deal."