The First Artifact

4E 201, Kagrenzel

Gerron Ironbreaker

Gerron and Grogmar stepped through the jagged stone entrance of Kagrenzel. The moment they passed the threshold, the air around them seemed to shift. 

He had expected it to be cold, especially considering the cold winds from the higher peaks would continue to batter the walls. But instead, it was quite warm inside, with a bit of an eerie silence that set his instincts on edge.

The chamber ahead was dark, save for a single floating orb perched on a pedestal at its center. It pulsed with an otherworldly glow, illuminating the intricate carvings along the walls with each slow pulse of light. It was almost hypnotic, the way it flickered and shone. The closer they enter, the brighter the glow. 

"What in oblivion is that thing?" Grogmar grumbled, shifting uncomfortably as he eyed the glowing sphere.

Gerron followed his gaze, his eyes sharpening as he studied the construct.

[Activation Orb]

A magical equivalent of a motion detector, the activation orb is used to trigger certain effects based motion. Usually used for traps or motion-detected light

His gaze flickered downward, noticing the mechanical gears embedded in the floor beneath them. A thin, almost imperceptible line split the stone into two halves. The trap was obvious if one knew what to look for, but instead of warning Grogmar, a mischievous smirk spread across his lips.

"Come on, Grogmar. Let's get closer."

The orc grunted. "Eh? Sure, whatever."

The moment they stepped into the center of the chamber, the orb above them began to hum, its glow intensifying until it revolved at a rapid pace. A shrill beeping noise filled the air.

"Uh, Gerron? What is–"

Gerron interrupted him by putting a hand on Grogmar's shoulder. "You ready for an adventure?"

"What?"

Before Grogmar could react, Gerron would put one foot forward. The floor beneath them shifted and gave way. The two warriors plummeted into the darkness below.

"FUUUUUUUCK!" Grogmar bellowed as they fell.

Gerron, on the other hand, let out a deep, guttural laugh. The wind rushed past him, his stomach flipping as he caught sight of the water far below. The fall wasn't endless—it ended in an underground lake, the surface of which shattered as they crashed into it.

Water filled his ears, his heavy armor dragging him down momentarily before he kicked hard and surfaced. Grogmar flailed nearby, his plate armor weighing him down. Coughing, Gerron swam toward him, grabbing him by the armpits and hauling him to the shallows.

Grogmar spat out water. "By Malacath's sweaty balls, warn me next time!"

Gerron grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"

They waded out of the lake, shaking off the cold. The tunnel ahead sloped upward, the stone walls lined with brass pipes that occasionally hissed, releasing bursts of steam. Gerron couldn't help but be fascinated—the Dwemer truly were ahead of their time.

The first sound of movement made them freeze.

The rhythmic clinking of metal against stone echoed down the passageway, followed by the high-pitched sound of welding. Gerron peeked around the corner and spotted a cluster of Dwarven Spiders performing maintenance on the pipes.

He and Grogmar exchanged a glance. A quick nod was shared between the two.

The moment they stepped forward, the spiders twitched, their glowing eyes locking onto the intruders before they skittered toward them with a high-pitched whirring.

Gerron swung his warhammer in a wide arc, crushing one of the mechanical constructs instantly. Sparks flew as Grogmar's axe cleaved through another. 

A spider jumped to Gerron from behind, only for him to duck low. The moment the spider went past, he whirled around and smashed it apart with a downward slam of his hammer.

Within moments, the last spider collapsed in a heap of broken metal and leaking oil.

Kneeling, Gerron examined the remains. Each one was powered by a small, dimly glowing soul gem.

"Just as I thought," he murmured. "They use soul gems as a power source."

Further exploration led them into what seemed to be a storage room. Dwarven metal was stacked in organized piles— cogs, gyros, levers, and cores of all kinds. Plenty of soul gems were gathered in a neat pile amongst the shelves. The moment Gerron laid eyes on the materials, his Artificer System flared to life.

[New Schematics Available]

Blueprints unlocked using: Dwarven Metal, Gyros, Dwarven Cores...

His hands twitched with excitement. Though there were also plenty of chemical components and agents, they had all long since expired and gone useless.

But it was at the far end of the room that he saw it.

[Centurion Dynamo Core]

A powerful core ordinarily used by the Dwemer to power their Dwarven Centurions. It contains immense stored energy and could serve as a potent power source for a crafted artifact.

The core pulsed with a deep crimson glow, the energy within almost palpable. The central sphere rotated continuously, as if waiting to be put to use.

Gerron grinned. "Jackpot."

…

Further down, they encountered more defenses, Dwarven Spheres and wall-mounted crossbows that fired bolts at rapid speed. Gerron ignored them and charged ahead, the bolts and arrows from the spheres pinging on his ebony breastplate as he swung his hammer with devastating force. They collapsed under their assault, and soon they pressed on.

The sounds of battle ahead made them pause.

Peering into the next chamber, they saw a skirmish underway. More of the dwarven constructs were fighting against a group of strange creatures. They were pale, hunched, and grotesque looking — wielding crude, chitinous weapons, their armor fashioned from the hardened shells of some subterranean creature.

The moment Gerron saw the armor, more of the words appeared in front of him.

[Falmer armor]

Modern falmer armor made from the chitin of the Chaurus, resistant to piercing and slashing.

"What in Oblivion are they?" Grogmar asked.

"Falmer," Gerron murmured. "Or what's left of them."

"Ugly looking buggers." Grogmar commented.

"I've read about them." Gerron continued. "An ancient race of Mer that existed in Skyrim since the Merethic Era. Last I remembered, they were slaves of the Dwemer."

From what they can tell, the dwarven creations were protecting a set of double doors from the Falmer, who desperately wanted to go inside. The battle was relatively even, until one of the falmer lifted a palm, firing a continuous stream of frost at a dwarven spider. 

The spider's joints would freeze up, giving the rest of the falmer an opportunity to surround it and take it down.

"The buggers can use magic? That's annoying."

He and Grogmar charged in, taking advantage of the chaos. However, the falmer all twitched and turned, facing them immediately.

'They must have some kind of enhanced hearing.' Gerron mused.

Grogmar rushed the scattering of falmer who were busy fighting the dwarven spiders. His axe met an unprotected neck of one of the falmers as blood burst out of the vein. The rest immediately swung their swords that Grogmar held back with his shield.

Gerron swung his hammer down, crushing a falmer beneath it. He continued with another swing to the side, breaking the knee of another falmer before breaking its neck with a follow up swing using the handle.

A sudden jerk found himself grabbed by a Falmer, its clawed fingers pulling his horned helmet before a blast of frost magic engulfed his face.

Pain flared across his skin. "Damn you!" He roared, fury overriding agony as he slammed his head forward, breaking the Falmer's nose as its head jerked back.

He then swung his hammer down, caving in the Falmer's skull.

The skirmish lasted for minutes. When the battle ended, the ground was littered with the bodies of the falmer and the broken dwemer constructs. 

"You alright?" Gerron asked, seeing Grogmar bandage his right arm.

"I'll live. Bastard managed to cut me with his sword." Grogmar scoffed. "Whatever is behind this door better be worth it."

'True enough.' Gerron thought as they entered through the doors.

Gerron immediately knew that the room was some kind of workshop. It was filled with contraptions of all kinds, tools and machinery that the Dwemer would use to create whatever it is they needed to do.

'This must be their working room.' He said, eyeing the strange contraptions and materials that dot the room. Gerron's eyes gleamed. 'Oh yes, this will work.'

Spotting what looks to be a workbench, Gerron gathered all the collected components and began to modify his hammer. 

Dwarven cores and gyros were attached as he connected it to the central soul gem, which he used to enchant the hammer with a lightning enchantment using a nearby enchanting table.

Once that was done, he grabbed a pair of tongs and placed the Centurion Dynamo Core within. The weapon thrummed with power, blue lines running through the black ebony as the brass dwarven metals shifted, signaling the magicka coursing through it.

[Image]

Grogmar whistled. "Damn."

Gerron grinned. "This, my friend, is what I was working on."

…

Gerron and Grogmar ascended the grand stairway, heading back towards the entrance of Kagrenzel. 

By the time they reached the top, the cold immediately intensified as the open gates that they didn't bother closing last time let in the cold winds from the mountain.

They were back where they came from, and Grogmar grumbled as they eyed the glowing orb once more. Only this time, they made sure to circle the activation orb instead of walking to the center.

Just as they exited through the gates, a deep, guttural growl cut through the air.

Six massive shapes loomed ahead. Hulking, white-furred figures stepped from behind jagged rocks and icy ridges, their beady eyes locked onto them both.

"Frost trolls." Grogmar gritted his teeth, shifting into a defensive stance as he gripped his axe and raised his shield. "Damned things must've followed us on our climb and waited here."

Gerron cracked his neck and let out a low chuckle, shifting the weight of the Mercury Hammer across his shoulder. "Perfect," he said, rolling his shoulders in anticipation. "They're exactly what I needed to test this thing."

Grogmar snorted. "You're a crazy bastard, Ironbreaker."

"Just watch and learn, Grogmar."

The trolls let out a series of deep, grating roars before charging. Their massive arms strong enough to shatter bone in one strike. Gerron wasted no time.

He lunged forward, gripping the Mercury Hammer's haft with both hands. As he swung, the thrusters on the back of the hammer erupted with a burst of flame, propelling the strike forward with explosive force. The lead troll barely had time to react before the hammer's head connected with its chest.

CRACK!

The force sent the troll flying backward meters into the air, its ribcage collapsing inward as arcs of lightning erupted from the point of impact, searing through its thick hide. The beast let out a pained screech before crumpling into the snow, dead before it even hit the ground.

The remaining trolls hesitated for a moment, their primal minds processing what had just happened. Then, with enraged bellows, they lunged at him from all sides.

Gerron twisted the handle of the Mercury Hammer, engaging its transformation. The mechanism whirred, gears shifting and locking into place. The hammer's bulk split apart, unfolding into a massive crossbow-like weapon, its frame lined with golden-brass Dwemer components. The dynamo core in its center pulsed, feeding raw magicka into the weapon's systems.

He braced himself, gripping the newly formed crossbow like a siege weapon. With a click of the trigger, a brilliant bolt of condensed magicka surged forward, striking the nearest troll in the chest. The explosion of energy sent it hurtling backward, crashing into a boulder with a sickening crunch.

Two more trolls rushed in, flanking him. Gerron shot another blast that sent one flying back. 

He then shifted his stance, twisting the hammer back into melee mode in a single fluid motion. As the other troll swung its massive claws, he ducked under the blow and slammed the hammer into its knee. The thrusters ignited again, amplifying the impact and shattering the beast's leg in an explosion of bone and lightning. It collapsed, howling in agony. Another swing to its head had brain matter exploding outwards.

The final troll roared, barreling toward him. Gerron reacted in an instant—switching back to crossbow mode, he fired another blast of magicka straight into its face. The troll's skull practically disintegrated from the force, its lifeless body slumping into the snow.

Grogmar let out a slow whistle, surveying the carnage. "Damn."

Gerron exhaled, resting the Mercury Hammer against the ground, its thrusters cooling down with a faint hiss of steam. He stared at the weapon, marveling at its power. He knew theoretically what it was capable of, but seeing it with his own eyes was another thing entirely.

He remembered the words that accompanied the flash of the blue star. This was a blessing from the divines, a gift of sorts. He was damn sure going to use it.

With one last glance at the fallen trolls, he turned to Grogmar and grinned.

"Come on, we've got a long walk back."

The two warriors left Kagrenzel behind, their figures vanishing into the blizzard.

…

AN: The Mercury Hammer has two forms, warhammer and crossbow form. The warhammer is capable of sending powerful attacks due to the thrusters on its back as well as sparks of lightning that can be emitted through impact.

The crossbow form can send blasts of magicka, with the only limitation being its relatively small range.

This is only the first of many creations he'll make in the future. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, guys! Cheers!