Power Corrupts: Surprise Arrivals (ch. 66) (Patreon)

Gods made things way too complicated, I decided, and not for the first time. Akatosh, in his infinite wisdom, decided to make Serana the Dragonborn while she was napping away. Did that mean the original Dragonborn just wasn't the Dragonborn anymore? Did he take away their Dragonborn-ness? Did they still have it? The Dragonborn was meant to be the Last Dragonborn, so there was only meant to be the one.

Still, it was pretty humbling to realize that Akatosh could just… make someone the Dragonborn with a snap of his claws. Was that something he always could do, or was it because of Hestia? Had the Original Dragonborn been the Dragonborn all of their life, or was it only when they woke up on the wagon with Ulfric Stormcloak?

Then I ran into a whole bunch of questions about what criteria Akatosh used to decide who was the Dragonborn. I mean, I turned down the offer, but Serana being the Dragonborn… didn't that cause some serious problems down the road? Like, with the whole Molag Bal situation?

The entire move just had a whole lot of theological implications that left me scratching my head. So, I decided I just wasn't going to think about it.

"Winterhold has changed for the worst, it would seem," Serana remarked from the wagon that I pushed through the ruins of the city. "What happened?"

"A series of storms eroded the mountain that Winterhold and the College stood on. Large parts of Winterhold collapsed, and over a few centuries, people left," Lili explained. For the most part, that's how the trip went as I ran back to Winterhold. Serana had woken up, not believing that she was the Dovahkiin, but still asked questions about what she had missed. Lili answered as much as she could, backed by whatever information that I could give.

The formation of the Empire. Talos. The fall of the empire. The Thalmor. The Stormcloaks. The gods descending, and so on.

"Hm. This mountain range used to be a lot bigger. Wider. It looks like half of the mountain was wiped away. No normal storm could have managed that," Serana observed, peeking out from under her hood to take in the sights. For once, it wasn't snowing in Winterhold. People were out and about, some looking in my direction, but most were content to shovel snow.

"That's why the College is being blamed," Lili answered.

"Makes sense. If mages are anything like they were in my day, it probably is their fault," Serana remarked, sounding wistful. Had the College been around in her time? I knew it was apparently old, but I didn't think it was that old. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Serana perk up as a familiar presence washed over us as we walked by the town hall. "That… is one of the gods, is it not?"

I looked over to see Azura, standing tall on a pile of lumber and steel. Lumber and steel that came out of my pocket, as part of our bargain. You'd think she chopped the wood down and mined the ore herself based on how proud she looked. And you'd think that the people that gathered around her, basking in her presence, would know that she hadn't because most of them were the ones that actually had, but they still treated her like she had toiled in the mines or felled entire forests.

In the end, all it took was me getting permission to open a few mines. Between the Mark and Recall system, I was able to gather up enough food and materials to convince a desperate few to start digging into the nearby ore veins. Between a decent wage and people that were just desperate for opportunities, I ended up becoming the biggest source of work before winter ended. And the demand for workers still wasn't being met.

"Soon I shall travel to the Moot to discuss important matters with the rest of the gods and the Emperor!" Azura announced loudly, her voice carrying over the crowd. It was fairly small, a few dozen people, but that was a noticeable fraction of Winterhold's population. "But, fear not -- I will return." She vowed and the crowd acted like she had just solved world hunger and established everlasting world peace.

Azura… well, she was… popular. In the same way that a high school girl was popular. There were some reservations and some grumblings, but when she showed up with piles of money and my supplies, people almost instantly forgot that she was a Daedra. Honestly, it was a little impressive how she managed to usurp all that goodwill from me despite the fact that it was no secret that I owned the mines.

The Jarl didn’t like her much, nor did his family. But, at the rate things were going, I didn’t think that would matter for very long. His family had ruled Winterhold for generations, but that was the only thing he had going for him. People knew that he cared for Whiterun and his citizens, and that he did whatever he could to make life easier for them. However, people had short memories. There was a saying about that -- people only remember the last good thing that you did for them.

Azura was changing Whiterun in the same way that Hestia had changed Helgen.

The stage was set for her to become Jarl, and the current one knew which way the wind was blowing. He was willing to step down.

Azura looked at me as I pushed the wagon by, a haughty smirk on her face. I just ignored her and brought us to the new bridge that connected Winterhold and the College. The broken and iced over stone was gone, replaced with a rainbow bridge that played a pleasant tune as I pushed the wagon over it.

"I don't wish to alarm you, but I believe you've angered Azura. She's glaring at us," Serana pointed out, sounding somewhat anxious.

"Meh," I shrugged.

"That's… an interesting reaction to incurring the wrath of a Daedra," Serana remarked.

"She'll glare and stomp her feet a bit, but that's about it. Nothing to really worry about. She needs me more than I need her," I answered, crossing the bridge. The tune changed every time I walked across it -- this time it sounded eerily similar to the pokemon theme song. I needed the star, that much was true, but Azura realized she had put herself in a position where if I suddenly decided that I didn't want the star… then she'd be screwed.

I hadn't even planned that. Just a happy coincidence.

"Mr. Jericho treats the gods like annoyances most of the time. Mrs. Serana will get used to it. Eventually," Lili advised as I slowed to a stop once I reached the central courtyard.

"I will take your word for it," Serana said, sounding like she had doubts as she got out of the wagon. I sealed it away, earning a small shake of her head but she didn't comment. I think at this point she was just rolling with the punches. Given the circumstances, that was probably for the best.

I walked towards the front gates and pushed them open. The halls were mostly empty since it was time for class. I walked through them, Lili and Serana following closely behind. Vilkas had returned to Whiterun when he learned of the portal network to report that he had found a lead on getting rid of their Lycanthropy.

"Might I ask what we are doing here?" Serana questioned as I found a staircase that led down into the under crypt of the College. The stone steps were slick with ice, but I didn't slip. The under crypt was an old abandoned section of the College. A labyrinth of tunnels that seemed to continue all the way down what was left of the mountain that supported the College. In several locations, you could find hallways that had collapsed or were simply worn away, exposing the tunnels to the elements.

"Meeting Sheogorath," I answered, easily finding my way through the tunnels thanks to my map. I heard Serana take in a slow breath at that -- I thought it was odd. She was dead, so she didn't need to breathe, did she? "Also, to warn you, she's going to ask for a little bit of blood and a piece of the Elder Scroll. Like a corner piece, of something. Are you okay with that?" I asked, figuring she should get a heads up rather than springing it on her.

Serana's expression was blank as she considered that for a moment. "She?" Serana hedged an answer, choosing to ask a question instead.

"She," I confirmed as I walked. "Sheogorath used to be a hero named the Hero of Kvatch before she became Sheogorath. And… I know how this might sound, but of all the gods I've met, she's been the most helpful."

"I've been asleep for a very, very long time," Serana muttered, clearly caught off guard by just how much things had changed in the years she was asleep. "What do you need my blood for, exactly? And can you even damage an Elder Scroll? I didn't think it was possible," Serana pointed out.

I smiled as we approached the Atronach Forge, and I felt a presence wash over me. Walking down the steps, I saw Sheogorath sitting on the back of Adoring Fan, who was on his hands and knees. The smile on his face told me he was loving every second of it and the smile only diminished when Sheogorath got up.

"Ah! There you are! I've been waiting for absolutely ages! Or about ten minutes. I'm sure it's one of those two," Sheogorath announced, spinning a cane between her fingers as she got up. Adoring Fan faded into specs of light, but that was normal for him. The guy couldn't care less about the comings and goings of the world, only that Sheogorath needed him.

An expression of surprise passed over Serana's face, but I ignored it. A thrill shot through me now that the moment was here. "I have the stuff," I informed, producing the list from my pocket. Everything was crossed out. No matter how absurd it might have appeared on paper.

"Excellent! Nothing motivates people quite like good loot! A man after my own heart, you are!" Sheogorath let out a cackle of laughter before her mismatched eyes slid over to Lili and Serana. "Ello Lili, as adorable as ever I see. And you…" her eyes slid to Serana, her smile growing a fraction.

"It's good to see old Akatosh playing his old tricks again," Sheogorath announced, stamping her cane to the ground before placing both hands on it as she leaned into Serana's personal space. Serana leaned back, a hint of nervousness in her blood-red eyes. "Knowing Akatosh, the big lizard did it to tweak Molag's nose. Interesting. Very interesting!"

Serana shifted where she stood, her eyes darting to me for a moment. "So it's true then?" She asked, her eyes settling back on Sheogorath's face. "I'm the Dragonborn?"

"That you are, my dear. A special little amalgamation of blessings and curses you seem to be! A Vampire Lord created by Molag Bal himself," Serana flinched, "Blessed with the blood and soul of Akatosh. The Last Dragonborn, a figure of myth and an answer to a question that was asked long before you had even been born… only for your role to be usurped by the man you travel with… oh, us gods do love our little games. That we do."

Serana's lips thinned while Sheogorath chuckled. Then the Prince of Madness dramatically turned around to look to me. "Well, what are you waiting for, you baby giant? Lay everything out! It's time to let the magic happen!"

I turned my attention to the Atronach Forge. It was a fairly simple thing, completely unlike a normal forge simply because it used magic rather than heat. It was a circle, almost like a pentagram, only more complex with intricate designs covering the surface of a platform that rested in the middle of the room. In response, I began undoing my armor and setting it down at the center of the pentagram. Including the Hestia Armor.

Once I was wearing nothing but my clothing, I began unsealing the other ingredients. The Aetherium Seal was heavy. Each piece weighed about four hundred pounds alone, and all together, they weighed closer to a metric ton than not. In the end, I was forced to unseal the shard directly over it's designated spot. I was strong, just not casually carrying two thousand pounds strong.

Next was a Daedra heart. Velehk Sain's. We took care of him awhile ago.

A Dragon Priest Mask, the first that I had slain, which sat on an arrangement of flawless diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

More ingredients were added, each placed under the careful eye of Sheogorath. The first flower of spring was placed next to the Daedra heart. A jarred butterfly, bee, dragonfly, and so on were set in the corners. Dragon bone liberated from one of the dragon burial sites was also added next to the mask.

Some items made more sense than others. Items like the Aetherium Seal clearly had direct purpose, while others were more symbolic.

Lastly, there were only two ingredients left.

Serana watched the proceedings cautiously, but when Sheogorath held out a bowl filled with various void salts mixed together, she hesitated. "Oh, don't be like that. The lug might not be a saint, or a very good person, but he's on the side of the angels at the moment. As am I!"

That stung a little, but it wasn't like it wasn't true.

Serana thought on it for a second more before she offered a slow nod. She raised her wrist to her lips and used her fangs to slit her wrist- "Ah! Just a few drops!" Sheogorath quickly corrected. Serana instead poked her finger with a fang before letting two drops fall into the bowl.

"The Elder Scroll please!" Sheogorath continued, holding out a hand expectantly. Serana hesitated another moment before she unhooked the Elder Scroll from her back. I was surprised she was willing to part with it… but she probably had a much higher opinion of the gods than I did.

To my surprise, Sheogorath immediately unfurled the Elder Scroll and she took a long look at it. Which I didn't really think much of until her eyes caught on fire and began smoking. Sheogorath didn't make a sound beyond a noise of acknowledgment before she simply dropped the Elder Scroll to the ground, skipped to the forge, and promptly gouged out her eyes with magic. A noise of disgust escaped me, but it was lost in the sound of Sheogorath humming a tune as she slung the mixture over my armor, her eyes becoming particles of light…

Then the forge began to glow. Every hair that I had stood on end as I took a step back, nearly bumping into a wall -- the feeling of magic in the room swelled until I could feel it hovering in the air, covering me and entering my lungs with each breath. The air itself grew heavy with it, almost to the point that it became unbreathable. The light from the forge grew and grew until I was forced to raise a hand to protect my eyes.

A second later, almost like a light switch, the light was gone. Lowering my hand, I looked to the forge and saw…

My armor.

The first thing that I noticed was the spikes on the armor -- my helmet stood out the most. Two thick spikes jutted out the forehead before swooping back, ending about the middle of the helmet and swooping up a bit. They looked like horns. The shoulder pauldrons were layered spikes, and there was a small one that jutted out where my elbow would be. It almost looked like daedric armor, in a way. Only… daedric armor was chaos given form.

My armor was organized chaos. The black armor shone with a blueish sheen, the trimming was white -- the Aetherium Seal and dragon bone respectively. The falna that was on the Hestia Armor grew until it covered the entirety of the armor. The chest piece was solid metal, but the torso was layered for maneuverability.

The biggest thing that I noticed was that there were no gaps in the armor. None. There weren't even eye holes, just pitch black spots where the eye holes would be. The gaps behind the knee, the elbows, and so on, each was covered with layered metal.

"A success, I see!" Sheogorath announced while I marveled at my armor. She turned to look at me and I saw that her eyes had been replaced. Somehow. Magic, probably. "A set of armor for slaying Alduin. Add in that Star of yours… and I do believe the sky is the limit," Sheogorath remarked.

She knew, I realized. About my plan. Was that because it fell under the realm of madness?

"Thanks," I said, reaching forward. The armor lurched forward, becoming mist that covered me, much like the Ebony Mail once had. A moment later, I stood encased in my new armor.

It didn't feel like I was wearing anything, I realized, moving to look down at my hand, which I saw was covered in the claw-like gauntlets. I could breathe easily, I could see too even though there weren't any natural gaps in the armor for me to see or breathe through. Rolling my shoulders, it really didn't feel like I was wearing armor. I felt my clothes shift more than anything. Even better, the armor moved soundlessly.

"It's perfect," I decided, a slow smile spreading over my face. This was my armor. The template that I would build off of. Enchantments needed high tier equipment for high tier enchantments… now, I had the highest tier equipment imaginable. Even in other settings, I'm not sure what else could beat out what I was currently wearing. It was the best armor that was further improved beyond mortal perfection.

"Thank you, thank you!" Sheogorath said, offering a deep bow. "Thanks are always appreciated. How about a reward for all of my hard work? Hestia is cooking glazed mutton with giant cheese and I want your share!" Sheogorath decided.

"Lili likes Mr. Jericho's armor. It makes him look kinda intimidating, though…" Lili pointed out, tilting her head as she looked at me. Serana have me a guarded look as if she half expected me to start cackling as I went mad with power or something. Maybe once I got some heavy-duty enchantments on the armor. My heart was still set on going to Dragon Age after this… but it might be nice to have an actual vacation when this mess was done.

Saving the world was a stressful pain in the ass. Cleaning up every mess in the kingdom was a pain in the ass. The whole ‘being a hero’ thing was a pain in the ass. I couldn’t complain much since I did do it to myself… but I was thinking somewhere nice after Skyrim was done and Alduin was dead. Maybe… Mass Effect. Sure, there were the Reapers to worry about, but that didn’t have to be my problem.

I could just take us to some world or another in the universe, kick our feet up and enjoy the futuristic high life for a bit while Shepard did their thing.

“That's the point,” I pointed out, testing my range in the armor. “Scare the shit out of the enemy, and the battle is practically won.” Sure, the spikes were a little edgy, but I’ll take edgy if it meant I looked like a total badass. Reaching down, I touched my toes with little difficulty -- my armor seemed to fold on itself like clothing, but when I poked it, I felt solid metal. If I remember right, since daedric armor was solidified chaos, it ignored the laws of physics. That's why the jagged swords just cut like normal instead of getting caught on flesh and bone.

Rising back up, I took in a deep breath. It was time, wasn’t it? My allotted time was at an end. A month and a half passed by in a blink, and I was wearing the results of it.

“Let’s go!” Sheogorath shouted, getting behind me and pushing me forward. The prince of madness had some serious strength to her -- I would have fallen flat on my face if I hadn’t started walking. “I’m hungry!” She added impatiently.

Serana continued to watch me cautiously, and I used my expanded vision to watch her as I passed her by. She looked back at the forge for a moment, the Elder Scroll once again in her hands. I… felt like I should have a talk with her when I got the chance. Hopefully before the Moot. She was rolling with the punches pretty well, way better than I expected, but a whole lot was being thrown at her one after another.

We made our way up the staircase and found ourselves back in the Archmage's Quarters. I would say Sheogorath’s, but that wasn’t true anymore. She had given up the title and bequeathed it to the mudcrab that had once been Savos. Who still wore the hat and robes of the Arch Mage. I could feel Serana radiating confusion, but that was a long story.

“Are the mages ready?” I asked as I spotted the Mark that glowed where Helgen was on the map.

“As they can be. The firebrands are ready for action! Most aren’t going to do a thing until the king tells them to,” Sheogorath answered easily, still pushing me to the Mark. The answer was a little annoying, but it was expected. The College was apolitical, but it would be really stupid of them to ignore a direct order from the king. Or the Emperor.

Things were coming together, I decided, stepping onto the Mark. My vision went white for a moment before I found myself falling. Reacting instantly, I twisted in midair, landing on my feet before I stuck my arms out and caught Sheogorath. Setting her down, I caught Lili. Last was Seana, who no one had apparently warned that Sheogorath decided the best place for the Mark was on the ceiling.

She flailed for a moment before I caught her. Through the armor, I could feel her grow still in my hands -- a kind of unnatural stillness that told me her blood had frozen in her veins. I quickly set her down, and she moved away from me quickly, her eyes darting around the kitchen that we were in. “What…?”

“Welcome to the Hestia Familia manor,” I welcomed Serana while Shegorath skipped off like she owned the place. “Sorry about that. Sheogorath decided the Mark would bring out the color of the kitchen, so she put it on the ceiling,” I explained, earning a stiff nod from Serana, who accepted the answer easily enough. Mostly because it did sound like something Sheogorath would do.

Right. I really did need to have a talk with her to see how she was adjusting. But, for now, I needed to find Hestia. I looked over the kitchen -- it hadn’t changed much in the past few months. A little more cluttered, a little messier, but overall the same. The same could be said for the living room. Now, it just looked lived in. A fire was going in the fireplace, books were stacked up on the couch…

It didn’t seem like she was here. Walking out of the house that I built what felt like a lifetime ago, I pushed the front door open, intent on following Sheogorath since she apparently knew exactly where Hestia was.

Helgen had changed a great deal, I thought as I stepped outside.

A handful of months ago, Helgen had been a town on the verge of becoming a city. Now, of all the cities I’ve seen so far, Helgen had become the grandest of them all. The buildings were made of neatly cut gray stone, each several stories tall, with sloped roofs to help with the snow that built up. The streets were made of stone as well, more perfectly cut granite stone, gently sloped with drainage flanking the walkways.

Most noticeably, they were clean. Snow gently fell from the sky, but it couldn’t gather on the streets. A piece of magic courtesy of Sheogorath. Even the snow that gathered on the buildings and railing was solely for aesthetic purposes. Or so I understood. The place was a sight to see, nestled between the mountains. As far as I was aware, Helgen had more than doubled in size and more than quadrupled in population.

They had worked through the winter, forced to accommodate everyone that came. The city itself was a work of art. It had to be. It was just a damn shame that Alduin was going to end up wrecking the place.

My eyes drifted over to the walls as I walked down the street. The walls were utterly massive. So massive, that I honestly had no clue how Hestia had gotten her hands on it all. Along the ridge was a tower flanked by smaller towers. Most would think they were simply guard towers, and for the most part, that’s all they would be. But, when the moment came…

The city was a trap for Alduin and it was a good one.

Just a damn shame that Helgen was going to end up on fire.

People looked at us as we walked through the streets, most more cautious than not. However, the old guard seemed to recognize me by my size. Or the fact that Lili was traveling with me. As we walked I took in the sights of people going about their day, a stream of traffic coming and going in every direction. At the heart of the city was the market, which had once been a few blocky buildings and stalls -- now it was a thriving plaza, almost too packed with people. Stores lined the buildings around the market, each three stories tall, and each filled with stores while others set up stalls on the ground.

I felt Hestia’s presence before I saw her. And I saw Lydia standing at a stall before I saw her too. However, as the crowd cleared, I spotted Hestia looking between two perfume bottles while a Khajiit trying to convince her to buy both. She wore a white parka with fuzzy blue lining, white gloves, and her bells in her hair. Lydia narrowed her eyes at me for a moment, and… fair.

So, I let the armor dissipate. The Hestia Armor didn’t cling to my arm, but… I still felt my armor there. Like an itch on the back of my neck that I could restore with a thought. With my face revealed, Lydia’s eyes widened dramatically-”

“JERICHO!” Hestia shouted, dropping both perfume bottles as she took off sprinting towards me. She leaped up, intent on wrapping her arms around my neck regardless of the height distance, so I helped her out by dipping down to meet her in the middle. She slammed into me like a bullet, not dissimilar to how Lili had greeted me. “I missed you!” She shouted, thoroughly uncaring of who heard her as she squeezed me tightly.

I was lucky I was an adventurer, because otherwise, she might have choked me out.

“Missed you too,” I returned, offering an arm to support her so she wouldn’t be dangling from my neck. I felt her hum contently, letting up just enough so she could aim a megawatt smile in my direction. “Everything is ready to go. Sheogorath is around here somewhere.” I said.

“Dibella is too. Everyone’s getting ready for the Moot,” Hestia added. I offered a smile and a nod to greet her, while she looked faintly amused by the sight. I guess I couldn’t blame her.

“Speaking of getting ready,” I began before I turned to Serana, who took in the scene with the air of someone that had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore, and couldn’t be bothered to find out. “This is Serana,” I introduced her. It was tempting to add all the other things like Vampire Lord, or the Dragonborn, but there wasn’t a point in drawing that kind of attention to her. “She’s agreed to help us with our issue.”

“Another woman?” Hestia muttered to herself, before she smiled warmly at Serana, “Hello! Welcome to Helgen, I’m Hestia.”

Serana shifted, glancing around us at the crowd that pretended like they weren’t paying attention. I could see her swallow a few questions at that, but there was one she failed to. “It’s nice to meet you… You… are a god, are you not?” She asked, and I knew that Lili had told her about Hestia, but I guess seeing was believing.

“I am! I’m technically a Daedra since I came from out of town, but the Aedra let me join their pantheon,” Hestia informed. “I’m the Goddess of Home and Hearth.”

Serana searched Hestia’s face for a moment, her expression unreadable, before she offered a small smile. “It is nice to meet you, Divine Hestia,” Serana offered, with a dignified curtsy.

The crowd began to stir, and for a moment, I thought that they had somehow realized Serana was a vampire. That thought was quickly put to rest when I saw the crowd in the distance begin to shift, drifting towards something. A frown tugged at my lips as I saw more and more people move away from the market.

“I think Sheograth might have done something,” I remarked. No one was really saying anything beyond a growing curiosity of what was catching so many people's attention.

Hestia sighed, “She might have run into Dibella. We should go before Sheo turns her into a frog or something,” Hestia said, and I started to move. The crowd parted easily around me, if not because of me then because of Hestia.

Hestia managed what Azura was trying to, only on a much grander scale. She turned Helgen into something fantastic and beautiful. A city designed by the Goddess of Architecture. If there was such a thing as perfection, then Helgen had achieved it.

It was when I reached a grand staircase that separates a higher market from the lower market that I saw what all the fuss was about. With Hestia in my arms, I stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at the forced gap in the crowd.

And there, I saw a man in his mid-sixties or so, a closely shaven head surrounded by guards. A few others were with him, but I barely saw them. Not when I recognized those robes.

The Emperor was in Helgen.