Dragonborn Saga

612 The Mammoth Anchors

Read Early Content on Patre0n. Also consider Commenting and Joining Discord all on this URL: https://linktr.ee/donovel

[Patre0n latest chapter: 622]

The Great Lift of Alftand descended slowly and with every gear rotation, the hearts of the men present in the lift began to squeeze like crazy.

Are we ready for what's about to unfold? Asked Ivar, a young Nord who had followed Jon Dare since the days of Neo Saarthal's establishment.

Ivar was just a young mason when the Battle of Winterhold occurred as he was one of the few who managed to get into the recruitment of the Dare Company Corps and become a Dare Trooper. While it was a hard road to climb, he became a Sergeant in House Dare's security detail and followed Jon and Alina Dare a few times so he was aware of their shenanigans as well as their absolute annihilation mode.

He was also one of the 100 Troopers who descended with Jon in the leading force which opened the road to the ancient Dwarven city of Blackreach. After that, Ivar was promoted to the head of the security in the Blackreach exploration site after slaying a score of Falmer and destroying many Dwemer Animunculi.

But today, Ivar was accompanying Jon and Wulfur along with many other sergeants down to Blackreach and everyone was just silent.

Today is the day after all.

As the lift stopped descending, the whole squad realized that they reached their destination and when the heavy Dwarven Gate was opened, the sight of Blackreach was not what greater them. Instead, it was the sight of a sturdy wall reinforced with Dwarven Metal that blacked their way.

The group walked out slowly throw a doorway in that sturdy wall and what they entered was a courtyard in the middle of a fortified hall filled with many Scholars and Researchers as well as Falmer Corpses that are laid on autopsy tables as well as other workshops working on barely-functional Dwarven Animunculi and a few labs studying minerals and flora.

Ivar always thought that those nerds in robes who would get paid twice his salary are nothing but worthless lab rats kept by the Dares to work on the magic stuff they don't want to waste their time with but after two weeks of establishing this Blackreach station, Ivar couldn't respect anyone as he respects those scholars.

Spending this much time underground made a Nord like Ivar miss the sight of the sky just by the first night thus he would always go above ground every couple of days and instructed his subordinates to do the same in order to keep some sanity in this senseless place.

However, some of those scholars were working here since day one and most of them haven't gone above ground not even once. Even Ivar felt horrible for them.

On the other hand, the construction of the Blackreach Hub was a tedious job that consumed half of his sanity trying to protect the masons from getting attacked by Falmer arrows while facing off whatever Blackreach may throw against them.

Among those horrors was one roaming the ancient city from afar and patrolling it extremely slowly. The thing, which is rumored to be a Mechanical Dwarven God, would make terrifying mechanical grunts and sometimes watch the people of Winterhold while constructing their small fortress without getting close at all.

Still, the horror was beyond anything anyone can take and if not for the emergency escape system which was used too many times during the first week, people would have died just from the sheer worry they were having. That worry made many insist that the secure stronghold should always be monitored from outside by a standing force of troopers in case anything undesirable comes close.

But today is the day where this tense peace was about to end. The one taking initiative is obviously Jon Dare who was putting on his new ebony armor and mysterious Dragon Priest mask before being presented with two sealed chests.

Wulfur, Jon's right hand, opened the first chest and took out two boots.

"Boots of the Apostle with Ebony Plating to fit the Lord's Mail." He described before handing them two Jon's servants who helped Jon to put them on.

"Lastly, the thing you ordered." Wulfur opened the other chests and showed it to Jon first, who had to put up his mask and whistle in surprise.

"This is just an overkill at this point." Jon said.

"I had fun designing it." Wulfur replied and carried out the first gauntlet helping Jon slide his hand into it.

The second was equipped as well and Jon raised them together as the servants tightened their straps.

"Can the chef explain what disaster he cooked this time?" Jon asked.

"I call them the Mammoth Anchors. Each of the gauntlets is made from an entire cold ebony plating and orichalcum mail. The plating covers a mechanism of enchanted slings made from the tempered mammoth tendons. On top of each gauntlet is a Convertible Anchor that you can release or keep suppressed. Each of the anchors is held by two chains of cold ebony that are enchanted to extend with range. Alteration at its best if you ask me. Finally, I added a little extra to the anchors. If you convert them on without releasing them at something, you can use the incredible tension of the mammoth tendons to make them incredibly tense then link their two ends with the chain and BAM… you have yourself an equipped crossbow over your arms."

Jon kept looking between Wulfur and the monster he made with a half funny face and a half confused one.

"Alright… that's too wild… even for me." Jon sighed.

"Keep up with the trend, man. You have a gauntlet that can launch projectiles, launch anchors, and extend with chains. Also, it is too heavy that it would back an incredible punch. And that's just the beta." Wulfur made excuses.

"Alright. Let's end it here. I feel like I am winning already." Jon said and put back his mask before playing with the gauntlets for a bit.

——————————

[ Mammoth Anchors ] <Mammoth Tusk & Cold Ebony Gauntlets>

- Launch/Retract Anchors

- Artillery Mode

——————————

"So, you never revealed what the Lord's Mail is actually capable of." Wulfur asked.

"Let's just say that one Divine Artifact can put all the Daedric Artifact we knew to shame." Jon replied.

——————————

[ Lord's Mail ] <Ebony Muscle Armor>

- Health Regen

- Stamina Regen

- Resist Magic

- Resist Poison

——————————

Four functions are just something so game-breaking that would normally surpass the Daedric Artifacts which usually come with up to 3 functions and even Jon fused artifacts which can be combined to make 3 functions at max.

Aside from that, Jon had his Krilon Mask which fortifies and resists all the Destruction Elements as well as the Boots of the Apostle which makes him fly effortlessly. Aside from the accessories, Jon was heading into battle with his new favorite toy in hand.

"Ivar." Jon finally called, "Bring it."

The sturdiest and heaviest weapon he had was to be used in this battle. A weapon made entirely of metal that two men had to carry just to get it to Jon.

Ivar and his lieutenant brought over an oversized polearm with a hammer on one side, an axe's blade on another, and a spearhead on top of them. Jon's Cliffhanger. A durable lump of metal shaped into a weapon just to give Jon the satisfaction of the weight.

Jon held it up without much bother and rested it on his shoulder while looking at the people around him.

"I know you guys have been tense the past few days and overworked as well but today is the final push. Everyone is getting a raise and a vacation after this so make sure not to die."

"""AYE!"""

"That's the spirit." Jon laughed and looked forward, "Open the gate."

Ivar and other sergeants ran to the gate of the Blackreach Hub and dragged them back to clear the way to the overgeared Jon. He slowly walked out with his armor making an incredible noise and his squad followed him like a pack of hungry wolves.

The outside was just to be expected, beautiful yet dark. While it is still morning on the surface, Blackreach was a place of an ever night that was only illuminated by an array of stars on the roof of this ginormous cave. Millions upon millions of illuminating plants filled the roof with an incredible color that felt beautiful and sickening at the same time.

On the ground was a city of marvelous craftsmanship. Marvelous yet abandoned and dead. What filled it were the cold machines, the hot steam pipes, and the warmongering Falmer.

At the doorstep of the Blackreach Hub which was stationed in front of Alftand's Great Lift was a barricade of vicious defenses which turned both the Falmer and the Dwarven Animunculi into shreds as the defenders obliterated whatever came near them.

Currently, the Force of the Dare Trooper followed Jon again to battle and their presence alerted all the machines and the Falmer in Blackreach.

The Invasion of the Dwarven City in Blackreach was about to unfold.

——————————

[ Krilon ] <Ebony Dragon Priest mask>

- Fortify Flame, Frost, Shock

- Resist Flame, Frost, Shock

——————————

[ Lord's Mail ] <Ebony Muscle Armor>

- Health Regen

- Stamina Regen

- Resist Magic

- Resist Poison