91 Assembling the Team

[AN]: Thanks for all the advice on the enchantments for the Aetherial crown. There were some pretty awesome ones there which I like a lot. Now I just got to try and pick a favorite... Enough rambling and back to what is important.

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"My lady."

Rictus watched as the Briarheart bowed and discretely handed Moira a note before moving away quickly while clutching his chest and glancing at Rictus fearfully. His behavior was a little strange in Rictus's eyes. Why greet someone while trying to pass off a note discretely? Why didn't he just pass if off, or drop it near them? No one claimed Briarhearts were the brightest folk around though. Maybe it is something about the ritual where one becomes a briarheart which dims their wits. Having your heart ritually replaced with a poisoned seed couldn't be healthy. Something to consider for later.

Moira showed him the simple note which detailed the location of the Smith. Rictus had originally wanted to just run off to the Aetherium forge, but he thought they should have time for a little recruitment. If the Skilled of smithing really was into forging, they would be most intrigued by the Aetherium forge and the chance to use such an ancient and powerful creation. Rictus also thought that having a master smith use it could only improve the products created. Hence why him and Moira were sitting on a shady bench eating some honey nut treats sold by a nearby vendor while they waited for the information of his whereabouts.

The note simply stated how the Smith was located in the bowels of Understone Keep. Moira had thought about leveraging her authority to get an audience, but they had decided against it. If they needed to liberate the Smith, then Rictus didn't want to unduly strain relationships with the Forsworn. Instead, Moira had reached out to some of her trusted followers for the information. It hadn't taken long for them to deliver and now Rictus knew where to look.

They opted for a more discrete way of travel than blatantly walking into the Keep. Markarth was conveniently built into the side of a mountain. Rictus would have no problems delving into the stone with his abilities and making their own path.

Before starting the digging, he got a strange feeling while passing a house that gave him an ominous feeling. He suddenly remembered there being a deadric quest in the city which had something to do with Molag Bal. Instead of investigating the house, Rictus reached out and collapsed/filled the interior with stone. The action put a smile on his face as he whistled a happy tune. Sometimes doing a good deed when no one knows it was you is even more fulfilling than getting the recognition. Especially if that recognition brought the attention of the Daedric Prince of domination and enslavement.

Soon enough, Rictus was burrowing their way through the mountain and towards the Smith. Even though the stone made it more difficult, Rictus could use his detection spells to make sure they were headed in the right direction. As they neared the destination, banging noises could be heard even through the stone. Without wasting any more time, Rictus peeled back the stone and entered the room.

The room was filled with weapons and armor of every type imaginable. This place had it all: leather, iron, steel, elven, dwarven, ebony, even a couple daedric items. It was truly an impressive collection. The room even had a forge built into it and some pipes allowing fresh air circulation. His eyes were drawn to the source of the banging though as he took a good look at the Smith. He was a younger looking man, probably between 18 and 21. All that time smithing had given him a muscular physique, and he stood around 6 foot tall. His pale complexion and blondish hair hinted at his Nordic heritage. It didn't take long before he stopped banging on his anvil and turned around and pointed a sword still red from the forge at them. Suspicious eyes studied them as he backed towards a wall.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?"

A big smile came over Rictus's face.

"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse."

Seeing the surprised look of recognition on his face caused Rictus to smile even more. It was obvious he recognized the famous movie quote.

"Sorry for getting ahead of myself. I am Rictus. What's your name?"

Caught off guard from the suddenness of it all, he replied slightly dazed.

"Smith."

Rictus raised an eyebrow at the name. Smith meanwhile got a bit of a scowl on his face as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I know what you are thinking. I am indeed a smith who is called Smith. Just Smith too. No last name."

Shrugging his shoulders Rictus didn't really dwell on it despite finding it a little humorous.

"It is nice to meet you Smith. I have seen some of your work and must admit I am a big fan. My reasons for searching you out are a bit selfish honestly. I would love for you to accompany me on a little trip. Maybe even join up with me and my group if you want. We could definitely use someone with your Skill."

Hearing the emphasis put on the word Skill and taking into the first words spoken, Smith understood Rictus was someone like him. Still, this did not mean he would immediately trust a stranger.

"And why would I run off with a stranger when all my needs are provided right here?"

At this moment, Moira moved out from behind Rictus. Smith's eyes grew a little large and blushed slightly at the sight of her. Seeing his reaction, she couldn't help but smile at the innocent reaction.

"Is this really how you want to live? Trapped down in a hole and forced to create weapons and armor day in and day out? There is a much bigger world out there than these rocky walls."

Seeing the slight wavering in his eyes, Rictus decided to add some more fuel to the fire.

"We are going to the Aetherium forge right now, and I figured someone with your Skill would be very interested in the most famous forge of the dwemer. Not only that, but I also notice a lack of dragon bone weapons and armor. I have quite a bit of dragon bones and scales which I would gladly give as payment. We also have an abundance of all types of crafting materials. You could have your pick if you want them and experiment to your heart's desire."

Hearing the words dragon bone, something shifted in the man's gaze. Rictus recognized it as desire. Not necessarily of greed, but a desire for a chance to go beyond your limits while working to improve your own craft. He was pretty sure he sometimes got that same look while experimenting and pushing his magic. Rictus knew he had him now. One more stop and then they would go to the forge and see what wonderous items they could create.

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(Smith's POV)

I don't know why, but I felt Rictus was a trustworthy sort. The kind of man who would go to great lengths for those he called friend. Not sure why I felt that way, but I did. His sudden entrance had surprised me but hearing someone quote the Godfather had been what actually stopped me from pulling the lever and activating my traps. The aetherium forge was extremely tempting, but I was even more tempted by his offer of dragon bones. Despite having all these materials, I still haven't had a chance to work with the most prestigious of crafting materials from the game. I yearned for it and a chance to make a masterpiece. This was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, even if the unconscious Altmer floating behind him was kind of off putting. No one acknowledged it though, so I sure wasn't going to say anything first.

Madanach would be mad at me leaving, but the beautiful Hagraven put my mind at ease. After finding out who she was, it was an easy decision to follow the leader of the Great Coven. She would be more than capable of calming Madanach. I have been working tirelessly for the forsworn since the old man had helped me in Cidhna Mine. Madanach had helped me pull myself away from a mental breakdown so for that I am thankful. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to go see the world. Maybe even do some quests or something.

Besides, there was no reason I couldn't return here after seeing what all Rictus had to offer me. If I could meet more beautiful women like Moira, that would just be a bonus. These forsworn were not known for being the most attractive, or cleanest. Maybe it was finally time I stopped being a scared little bitch hiding in my cave and started acting like the Giga Chad I knew I could be. I am the Skilled of Smithing after all. My 'Sword' is the mightiest. None could even compare.

I couldn't help but sneak a look at the imposingly large form of Rictus and the massive ax on his back…maybe some could compare…

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(Morthal – Morrigan's POV)

Morrigan let out a tired sigh as she slumped down on the throne in Highmoon Hall. It had been an exhausting past few days. First was the traveling from the College. She had gotten spoiled sitting in her ivory tower instead of adventuring like she did before becoming the archmage. Then, all the preparation for the march and the eventual investigation in Morthal had taken a lot of work and patience. Marching with such a large force through a war-torn providence as well constantly being on the lookout for dragon attacks was no walk in the park. Enchanting as many weapons and armor during the trip definitely hadn't made her a pleasant traveling companion either. Finally, there was what happened when they got to Morthal.

It was a nightmare.

She was glad Dante was leading the group, or it would have been a lot worse. He had stopped before entering the city proper while doing some ritual of Stendarr. Something about detecting undead by Stendarr's guiding light or something like that. Morrigan suspected it was just a fancy detect undead spell which could expand to other people, and that Dante used it more as a morale booster. Regardless, the result was not very heartening.

The city was practically crawling with undead. Morthal was not the most populus hold by far, but it was still one of the major holds of Skyrim. So, it had quite a large population, especially compared to the game. Seeing signatures of hundreds of undead just on the edge of the city showed how far it had fallen. Morrigan had been surprised when the sight had only bolstered the resolve of all the Vigilants of Stendarr and Dawnstar soldiers. They seemed to gain strength from the abundance of opposition. The mages she had brought were not nearly as confident.

Dante had looked magnificent though. Standing at the forefront of hundreds of soldiers in his majestic crusader armor, he made everyone stand a little taller and feel a little braver. There was no grandiose or rousing speech. Only a single nod of his head. Like all this was just business as usual and not some fight to the death with an unknown amount of undead.

Things became a blur after that. Spells were exploding all over the place as the soldiers of light clashed with the forces of darkness. Blades met claws and blood had been shed. The silver weapons they had received from Rictus played a huge part in their victory. How he had possessed enough silver weapons to outfit hundreds of soldiers with blades and arrows was beyond her. Those silver weapons reaped the vampires and their undead minions like grain before a scythe. The ones she had time to enchant were even more powerful and greatly multiplied the wielder's deadliness.

The battle had come to a crescendo when the master vampire revealed himself. Movarth Piquine was an absolute monster. He wasn't like some of the vampire lords they had already fought. The vampire lords of the Volkihar bloodline exceled in raw power. Morvarth wasn't one of them though. He was from a bloodline originating in Cyrodiil. They were nearly indistinguishable from the living and masters of concealment. Movarth had actually once been a famed vampire hunter and unarmed specialist of the fighters' guild. The only reason they actually detected him was because one of the men he killed had been wearing some of the more powerfully enchanted armor and had a moment where he screamed in pain. The scream had drew their attention to the shadowy figure that was Morvath. After being discovered, he had forgone stealth and went on the offensive. He had centuries of fighting experience, and it showed when her and Dante fought him.

Movarth was extremely skilled and knew his way around a battlefield. While he lacked the pure power Arcano had, Morrigan found the vampire a much more challenging fight, especially since there were other people around which limited her attacks. Burning down the entire city to kill one vampire was frowned upon after all. In the end, Dante had delivered the final blow after a long and drawn-out fight. With the death of Movarth, the undead became more disorganized and more easily defeated.

Morrigan let out a sigh as she heard some fighting off in the distance. While they had defeated the vampires and other undead, it didn't mean they were safe. There were still plenty of undead hiding in small pockets throughout the city. Not only them, but their blood thralls were proving a nuisance since they were not so easily detected. There was no telling how long it would take for the fighting to truly stop. It would be years before the city could recover from such a disaster. With the death of so many citizens as well as most of the remaining living recovering from being vampire cattle, things would be rough for the city. The Vigilants and the Dawnguard would be here for the unforeseen future as they ensured the vampire threat was no more.

She raised her head as she felt a familiar presence making their way towards her. Morrigan rubbed her temples as she tried relieving the building headache as the door was casually opened and a group of people were led in by their strutting leader.

"Hey Morrigan. Fancy meeting you here."

She stared at the annoying man across from her.

"What are you doing here Rictus?"

His bright smile only made her more frustrated. She didn't actually dislike him, but something about him frustrated her for some reason.

"Aww did someone miss me?"

That was it. The way he would completely ignore her words and treated her without any kind of respect just grated her nerves. She was the Archmage of the College of Winterhold dammit! She deserved to be treated like it and not like some little girl. 'He acts just like my older brother…' The thought made her pause for just a moment. Could that be the reason she acted so differently around him, and he could so easily throw her off? Could he actually be her brother??? 'No way. That would just be too much of a coincidence.' She shook herself out of her thoughts as she looked back to the smiling man.

"You and the Restored would have been very useful during the battle. If that counts as missing, then yes."

She watched in satisfaction as Rictus's smile dropped from his face. He was obviously thinking about all the death and destruction he must have seen on his way here.

"Had I known how bad things had gotten here, I would have acted sooner. I am just glad you and Dante were able to handle it all. For that, I am thankful."

And he had to take away her satisfaction by acting like a good guy and showing true remorse. Now she just felt like a bitch. This was exactly why she didn't like interacting with him.

"It was a task needing done so I am glad we could fix it. Still, I am curious why you are here now."

Rictus got back a small smile on his face when she said that.

"Well, I have recently come across some information about some extremely powerful enchanted items and thought you would be interested in joining me in investigating it."

This did intrigue her. She was always on the lookout for more and different enchantments, and this recent outing had rekindled her love of travel, even if this outing was not the best.

"What is it exactly?"

His annoying smile only got bigger at that.

"Have you heard of the Aetherium forge before?"

Her eyes got a faraway look. She had indeed heard about it and discussed it at length with both Sergius and Urag. The legendary enchantments of the dwemer were widely known, even though the specifics weren't known. As if he could tell she was wavering, Rictus added more fuel to the fire.

"If you are worried about things here, a group of Restored will be here soon and provide some extra support and supplies. Not only that, I have found a very Skilled Smith which should make working the forge even more interesting."

Morrigan finally took notice of the people with Rictus. One drew her attention more than the other two.

"Umm why is there an unconscious man floating behind you?"

Rictus simply shrugged at her answer.

"Calcelmo wanted to come with us and didn't want to experience the rigors of travel in his old age. This was the compromise."

Ignoring that nonsense, Morrigan really considered the offer. With her Skill in enchanting, and the Smith here, what wonders could they create? In the end, her answer was obvious.

"I need to speak with Dante first, but then we can go."

Rictus's satisfied smile showed how he knew this would be her answer.

"Excellent. Let's get going then. We have ancient and powerful magics to rediscover."

Morrigan couldn't help the excitement building within her at the prospect. She was looking forward to what they would discover.

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[AN]: Someone had provided an excellent comment about how having the Smith and Morrigan working on the aetherium forge could make some truly powerful items. I thought it was a great idea and so did Rictus as he decided to go pick them up. This is just another example of why I love the comments. They help make the story better in my opinion, so thank you.