Chapter 88

88 Dragon Armor

*** WARNING: This Chapter Has Gore. Viewer Discretion Is Advised***

The gloves lasted moments; the steam was too intense for the fibers to hold together against the pressure. The seams completely disintegrated, causing what was left of the gloves to fall to the ground. The pain was so intense, Skye could barely focus. She gripped the leather in her hands, unable to move or think of anything other than the flesh that was practically being melted from her hands. It popped and sizzled like cooking meat before attempting to slip from her bones.

Maevis screamed at the sight before her. She didn’t think the steam would peel the flesh from her friend’s hands, but that was exactly what she was seeing. The flash steam had cooked and begun to flay Skye to her bones, but the leather was barely beginning to change. It was darkening, but not nearly as fast as either of them had hoped. The process was going to be both excruciatingly painful, and lengthy.

With panic and utter terror in her voice, Maevis screamed at her friend over and over; “LET GO, SKYE!”

The elder Fae’s voice was gargled and dull to Skye as she struggled to maintain her control. She’d started focusing on healing herself, and directing the steam towards the leather more specifically. However, as soon as she allowed her nerves to heal, the pain would break her concentration. The steam would engulf her hands, and the entire process had to be started again.

Skye didn’t realize that she’d been screaming continuously for the few minutes that the steam had been released. Maevis had begun to close the fissures, but Skye had managed to tell her not to in between her cries of agony. The elder Fae was practically in tears as she began to yell at the headstrong lass before her.

“Ye can’t be serious?! Ima closing them off; if I don’t, you’ll die!”

Skye reeled herself in a bit. She didn’t want Maevis to stop because they’d just have to start all over. The pain was nearly unbearable, but that thought triggered a train of them. All leading to a dangerous decision: Skye would not keep healing the majority of the nerves in her hands. Her grip would suffer slightly for it, but it had to be done, or the armor couldn’t be made.

Concentrating on maintaining her muscles and fingertips; Skye felt a small amount of relief from the decrease in her pain intake. It was enough to bring her screaming under control, and speak clearly to Maevis. The amount of magic she was using to help monitor the leather was stabilizing as well. She gritted her teeth and shifted the leather in her nearly stripped hands as she yelled to her friend over the noise.

.....

“If we stop now, we’ll just have to start all over again! Ima Not fucking doin it!” a massive wave of pain began to radiate from Skye’s fingertips as the leather hardened.

It was so hot; Skye could barely maintain her grip. It felt like the marrow in her bones was boiling.

The leather wasn’t leather anymore; it felt like molten steel in her hands as she bent and curled the sides slightly with her hands and magic. She was sweating so bad, her dress was darkened anywhere her skin had close contact. Her hair stuck and matted to her face and neck; making Skye regret not pulling it back before they’d started.

Maevis felt like she was going to drop dead from a heart attack. Skye was in continuous, unimaginable pain; but she kept working the armor. She cried and bellowed her pain occasionally, but it was no where near as bloodcurdling as it had been when they’d started. She was curious as to how Skye wasn’t screaming in agony, but couldn’t move from her spot to examine her closer. If she did, the steam would overtake the fissures and most likely boil Skye where she stood.

A total of eight minutes had passed by the time Skye fell backwards, and scooted away from the steam. The piece of leather had transformed into dragon scale-like armor, albeit not the smoothest. It had crinkled slightly; giving the armor a more authentic dragon look. The shine it had in the dimming moonlight added to the mystique of it.

Skye smiled as she looked at the armor while healing her hands. She didn’t want to cripple herself due to extensive, continual damage and exposure. After she healed herself; Skye asked Maevis how she was doing. The old fairy laughed sardonically as the princess’ question before replying; “Aside from watching you nearly cook yer self like a chicken; PEACHY...”

Skye chuckled at Maevis’ sarcasm before darkly adding; “I guess I do smell a wee bit delicious..”

“NOT funny! Do you have any idea how Badly that could’ve gone?! A tiny slip up from either of us would’ve Ended You!”

“Ack! It’s fine, Ima fine! See?!” Skye flexed her hands easily and freely; demonstrating that she hadn’t cause herself any lasting damage.

“For now...” Maevis grinned slightly in spite of herself; “But I must say, lass; I’m impressed..”

The elder Fae had never seen a human withstand so much, and still be conscious and breathing. She was seriously starting to think that maybe Skye wasn’t completely human, but knew it to be a preposterous thought. There’d never been a record of a successful human-Fae coupling, and Maevis knew from personal experience that the gap in lifespans was too difficult to overcome..

Shaking the past from her mind; Maevis returned to completely focusing on the task at hand. The water was still being generally controlled by Skye, but Maevis still had to maintain the cave system, the nearly molten rock that they used to heat the water, and the size and integrity of the fissures. The pressure from the hot steam made it arduous; causing her to continuously pour her magic into the ground. Anyone else, Fae or human; would’ve ran out of magic by now.

Only the Queen, the Empress, and a select few others; had a higher magic capacity than Maevis. She was one of the strongest Fae alive, and Skye wasn’t even aware of it. The lass knew that her friend was stronger than most, but she didn’t technically know the whole of it. Then again; Skye didn’t realize that her capacity was nearly equal with Maevis’ already.

Everything Skye had done at Dragonhorn had boosted her capabilities to nearly inhuman proportions. Her rate of growth was beyond purely human, but Maevis knew the mostly likely reason: Skye was the Catalyst. In the legend; the fated person wields all forms of magic. The human capable of being the Catalyst would have to have a boundless aptitude for magic. And Skye was the only being she thought capable of handling such a powerful and unrelenting burden.

“Thank you, Mae. I guess we best start on the other pieces before we both run out of magic,” Skye stated as she pushed herself up, onto her feet.

Ripping herself from her thought; Maevis simply replied, “Aye..”

“Don’t worry, Mae! Ima gonna be alright, I promise.. We’ve got too much to do! We made the back plate, now we need the chest plate, the removable shoulder guards, and the forearm guards,” Skye had counted on her fingers as she named off the total they would need.

Maevis gave Skye an incredulous look before saying; “I thought we were only making torso armor? What’s with the Four other pieces?!”

Skye shrugged her shoulders before replying; “Technically, they still are part of-”

“Don’t ye give me bullshit and call it a gift, child! I’m strong, but I can’t keep this up for an hour! The other bits, you can do on another day! Just do the chest plate, so we can be done with this!” Maevis’ strained voice echoed through the trees and darkness.

“Chest and forearms,” Skye countered, like she was negotiating.

“For the love of the Gods, lass! Fine! We’ll do what we can! Just get started already!” Maevis yelled as beads of sweat began to gather on her forehead.

Without another word; Skye grabbed the next pre-cut piece of leather that was meant for the chest plate. Because Tidas had a broad chest and shoulders, she wanted as close to a complete set as possible. By the time they’d finished the chest plate and one guard, however; both were exhausted.

The leather Skye had picked for his chest plate had been the thickest strip of hide out of all the pieces. She’d done it intentionally; wanting his most vital areas to have the most protection. But it had taken an additional three minutes for the leather to change. By the time Skye began the second forearm guard, Maevis was nearly at her limit.

“That’s it, Skye.. My magic is nearly gone; I need to collapse the caves before I don’t have the magic to do it any longer!” Maevis was breathing hard, and nearly sweating as much as Skye was.

“Another minute, Mae! Ima almost done!” Skye yelled as another wave of pain nearly caused her to drop the guard.

The chest and back plates were large and wide. The steam had hit them easily, and kept a decent amount away from her hands. It’d still stripped her flesh away, but not nearly as bad as now. The forearm guards were much smaller, and the steam hit more of her hands due to it. She screamed more often, and it frightened Maevis greatly.

The truth was that Maevis still had enough magic to create the other pieces, and still collapse the steam system. The ear-piercing shrieks of pain Skye had belted out had unnerved her. She couldn’t take hearing her friend cry out in pain any longer. The smell of her cooking flesh made the fairy’s stomach twist into a knot. If she would’ve had any food in it, then she would’ve puked it up ten times over by now.

“Done! It’s done! Hahahahaha!” Skye’s hysterical laughter masked the unbelievable pain she was in as she fell back with the completed forearm guard still in her smoking hands.

Maevis quickly deconstructed the steam system, and returned the hot spring to it’s original state. She then rushed over to the princess to check her. Skye was shaking from the pain and experience, but smiling due to her triumph. The sky was beginning to take on the faintest tint of light blue as the princess looked up at it.

Turning to her wee friend, Skye said with a strained smile; “I think we better head back soon... Don’t want the search parties out after us.”

Maevis smiled curtly at the princess before saying; “Oh, if your husband found out you were missing.. Bet your arse, they’ll be out looking for us...”

Skye chortled nervously as she finished healing herself and replied; “Oh shit, I didn’t think of that... I don’t feel like getting bitched at after all the work we just did. I hope he’s still sleeping...”