Chapter 2 already? Man and I thought that this was going to be a short fic.... oh well I really got a ball rolling with this one and I have just decided what I want to do with it Oh yeah am I ever excited about this one. Anyway here is the beginning of Chapter 2 and I promise everyone things will pick up just bear with me...

Chapter 2 - Kvatch is a Good Place to Visit But...



I distinctly remember myself saying that I would be ready for anything that was thrown at me in Kvatch. I could not be so wrong. In fact, I doubt there would be anything that could brace me for what I would experience. As I traveled the winding path that led to Kvatch I could tell that there was something out of the ordinary happening there today and I was sure it wasn’t a town celebration or holiday.

Usually holidays do not involve the smell of burning…everything. A dark black smoke rose from the city and billowed overhead to the point of making the sky appear later then it actually was. As I continued down the path, I could see some tents and such littered in a clearing not far from town. There was a small fire in the middle and the people around it didn’t look very happy at all.

Looking up the hill I could see that Kvatch itself had seen much better days. From what I could see from my vantage point, the Castle was on its last legs and was probably about ready to crumble. Something was horribly wrong here.

Children crying and mothers weeping it seemed as though no one was very happy at all. There were people that were wounded badly and some that were just barely clinging to life itself. Something was happening in Kvatch indeed and I was about to find out exactly what.

“Dear sir it is not a day to be sightseeing at all. Kvatch is completely destroyed and many are dead. It is a sad time for all indeed.” A man says as he breaks down into tears. I console him for a few moments until he calms down enough for me to find out what is going on.

“They appeared almost out of nowhere. Fiery gates containing evil Daedra that burned our houses and killed all of our loved ones without even an ounce of remorse for our people. We had no time to retaliate at all. They just slaughtered us all before we had any clue.” The man says as he points to his town.

“There are a few soldiers left up there trying to hold them back but I don’t think I can fight anymore. Part of me just wants to walk through one of those gates and be done with it!” He sobs as he walks away.

I broke into a run as I quickly made my way up the hill to what was left of Kvatch. There is no way that Martin is dead. I refused to believe it. I didn’t even take the time to check if he was amongst the people that I had met. I just focused on getting up the hill to help the last soldiers push back the Daedra. I met a few men that were standing on the other side of a wood and rock barricade but they were barely able to keep back the forces of evil.

I ran by them knowing that time was of the essence. I could hear one of the men saying that there were some that hopped into the gate and that exactly was my plan as well. After downing some lesser scamps as I knew them to be called, I leapt through the gate without a second thought

Martin is such a lame name. Shame on your Bethesda! Anyway, keep up the good work, I'm curious to see how Xander will handle the Daedra inside the gate.

Oh, now those Daedra will find a new meaning to the word fear. Let's hope that Xander doesn't run into Taillus. He can't use the distraction at the moment.
Great update like always.

ummmmm... Jack, you did read the Tallius Finally, right? Xander has Tallius' body

This post has been edited by DarkHunter: Apr 30 2006, 04:13 AM

Alrighty, where did we leave off? Oh here we go. This one is going to be a tad long everyone I just wantd to warn you. I will try to take it easy though

It wasn’t until I found myself on my hands and knees on the other side that it hit me. A burst of brain activity that opened a whole new set of fears for me…. Taillus. I knew that there is no way that any of this could be his doing but something told me he would try to take advantage of it. A gate that would give him access to the mortal world once again would be great news for him. A chance to make up where he failed before and I will die in this place before I let him get through.

I got to my feet once again and ran frantically through the carbon-copy image of what I envisioned Oblivion to be. I knew from reading that there were other sectors of Oblivion but I knew there had to be one like this. Molten rock and fire everywhere and populated with the most frightening creatures to ever exist.

This land was not for the feint of heart either. The bodies of men that were not fortunate enough to survive were scattered about. Their armor torn off and their bodies cast into the molten pools of lava, or charred black by the fire magicka of the Daedra. Personally, I tried not to think about it. I knew I had to close this gate anyway I knew how and the black ominous tower in the distance would be my best bet.

I ran like a chased deer through the disgusting demon land hacking scamps and other lesser Daedra like it was my sole purpose. Nothing really gave me any trouble until I entered the tower. I was then bombarded with the magic of three scamps. I could feel my armor heating up and burning my skin as the flames consumed me. The fireballs knocked me into the door in which I entered but I wasn’t about to die like this so a quick dispel magic turned out to be my saving grace.

After quickly and efficiently dispatching them, I treated myself to a healing potion. It was weak but I could feel it cool my body with only one drink. Level after level of this place was littered with Daedra. Scamps as well as other robed beings that summoned scamps. Almost like out of a terrible nightmare and it seemed to be never-ending.

I tried not to think about what would be waiting for me at the top of this tower but I knew that the gate to this horrible place had to be closed so I could get into Kvatch and hopefully find Martin. Yet again it seems that I am throwing my life on the line for what seems to be a good cause. Hopefully I don’t get thrown behind bars this time….

Soon enough I found myself in a room with a spiraling ramp leading upwards. It seemed to reach quite high but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. There was nowhere to go after this place and if my luck doesn’t completely fail me, this would be my chance to close this gate.

My thought process was quickly interrupted by a pair of flaming blasts of magicka that I wish I could say I managed to quickly and easily block. That was not the case but I did manage to block the second one with my shield a bit. The first blast literally knocked me off my feet and the second one might as well have hit me because I got the brunt of most of it.

It was at this time that I realized that my magicka reserve was just about shot and so were my healing potions. I knew that I would not be able to take too much more abuse and my limbs were failing me. The weight of fatigue was cursing me and the heat in this place was exhausting. I didn’t want to die here but I was beginning to think that I had no choice.

The scamp and the robed Daedra that summoned him began to make their way down the ramp to claim their prize…ME; and there was nothing I could do. I slowly got to my feet and tried my best to meet my maker but something inside me just didn’t want to give up. Even if they cast me down in a hail of magicka I certainly was not going to just lie down and let them fry me to a smoldering heap.

I tossed my shield at the daedra just as he was ready to conjure up another blast of fire, watching over my shoulder as it gave me enough time to escape for the moment. I ran up the ramp with them not too far behind and dodged as best I could. I could feel my body pushing for all it could to get me to the top and that is when I saw it. A black and red sphere that was hovering amongst a red haze.

I reached out and grabbed it before my body gave up and I fell from the top level of the room. The scamp and his friend watched as my lifeless body plummeted from the perch as everything went up in flames. My surroundings faded quickly and miraculously I found myself on the ground, in the mortal realm once again and holding the sphere.

Don’t ask me how I knew what to do back there because I really had no clue. I thought that the sphere was important and frankly it was my only hope. A body will do miraculous things in desperation and I am proof. I had no clue what I was doing in there nor did I have any idea how to get back out but here I am…

The gate behind me fell to pieces and the soldiers cheered as they cleaned up the last of the scamps. What a roller coaster ride. I couldn’t believe that I had just jumped pretty much head first into hell itself. What was I thinking? I had already promised myself that I wasn’t going to put my life on the line for other people but I guess it is just in my nature.

At the very least it looked as though I had impressed the soldiers. They helped me to my feet and dusted off my armor as my head stopped whirling. From what it sounded like, I was getting praised for saving people. It was certainly something that I had believed to be only a fairy tale but they were calling me a hero, amazing....

Yay for Tallius! ummm... Xander Good job as usual.

Haha, 1-0 for Xander! Take that, you stupid Daedra! Great work.

And Darkhunter, Xander has Taillus's body, but Taillus has Xander's body. And knowing Taillus, he won't just roll over and die, no matter which body he has.

Hmmmm... but Xander's body was... well pretty much annilated. W/e
lets just let Tallius write the story.

Och aye....wonderful Taillus.....I give you the Serene-award

Thanks for the award! Thanks as well to everyone who is sticking with this story. I am probably going to post two updates today but I will wait a while before I add #2. Here is the next installment people I hope you like it

“You must be the craziest man I have ever met but I must thank you from the very bottom of my soul. We thought we were all going to be slaughtered until you came back out of that gate. You saved us all but I am afraid there are still some people that are left in the chapel inside the city gates.” The head soldier explains as he turns me around to show me the burning remnants of the city.

If there were still people inside, I had to get in there. I had to get to Martin Septim if it was the last thing I did. I rallied up the remaining troops which I could count on one hand and motivated them to continue. They believed that if one man could close a gate to Oblivion, then they could bring down the rest of those monsters in the city.

We all charged through the city gate and into the helpless town of Kvatch. The city was in pieces. A complete mess of broken rock and flaming wood was the only sight, coupled with the stench of death, brimstone and evil filling the air around us making it hard to breathe. The bodies of fallen soldiers and some civilians were being feasted on by some Daedra that I knew as being called Clanfear. Their reptile like features coupled with a bony skull and razor sharp fangs and claws made them deadly beings.

The beasts noticed us almost immediately and began to try and overwhelm us. There were a couple more of the robed Daedra spellcasters aiding the Clanfear making us all extra careful. I learned quickly that iron armor was not going to give me what I needed for protection and I felt sorry for the badly armored city guards. Their chainmail offered next to no defense for the monsters and they had a hard time staying alive.

Luckily they were really well trained and brave so they were able to keep their pace as well as hold their own against this evil bunch. I was not so lucky however. My time in prison left me forgetting some training and taking some nasty as well as unnecessary blows. I had to keep focused. Martin wasn’t going to survive unless we cleared this place out.

It took some real determination and more healing magic then I would like to admit but in the end, we came out on top. The city was free for the moment and I was free to run to the chapel and break the news to Martin…



As I entered one chapel door, the other was pounding with the impact of a potential invasion by more daedric beasts. We had to get everyone out quickly and especially, we had to get Martin out. I wasn’t sure who to look for so in my rushed stupor, I climbed atop a bench and started yelling Martin’s name.

It didn’t take any time at all for me to get the attention of one robed Imperial man. He approached me with a very confused look on his face and kindly asked me to keep my voice down and respect this chapel even though it had seen better days.

“Martin, I know this is going to be a complete shock to you but I really need to tell you something. You must come with me immediately. I have been sent from the Late Emperor Uriel Septim and he wished for me to locate you.” I whispered as I hopped off the bench.

I could tell he was having a hard time with this and I didn’t even get to the shocking part. He was probably going to have to sit down for the next part so we shared the bench.

“I couldn’t help but realize that you had said the “Late” Emperor… what is going on here?” Martin asks as the people begin to flood out of the chapel. I look into his eyes as I could tell he was aware that the land was plagued with daedra and anyone could piece it together but he was in shock and refused to accept the truth.

“Martin, the Emperor as well as all of his heirs have been slain in cold blood…except for you my friend. I know this will come as a complete surprise but you are the last remaining living heir and you must come with me so your life can be protected from a band of assassins known as the Mythic Dawn.” I explain as his face grows fearful.

“If so much is true then what makes me believe I am safe going with a lone man that has appeared almost out of nowhere.” Martin asks as he struggles to comprehend what is happening.

I knew that these types of questions would be asked, yet I didn’t prepare for them. What would make him believe that I was here to save him, not just take him out into the woods and kill him off.

“With all due respect your soon-to-be highness, I have thrown my life on the line just to get to you and I will throw my life on the line countless other times from here on out from what I can predict but one thing is certain. I am not leaving here until you agree to come with me to Weynon Priory.” I say softly but with meaning and I could tell that I had won him over.

With that, he got to his feet and nodded in agreement. Within a short time, we were on our way to Jauffre and the awaiting Amulet of Kings. We both decided that we should take the shortest distance even though it meant heading through the wilderness. The risk of running into wildlife seemed to be better then along a well beaten path where we could be easily spotted.

Mythic Dawn? I thought it was the D. Brotherhood... oh whatever, good writing Talluis

No way, the Brotherhood is in Oblivion but the Mythic Dawn are totally different. Real bada$$es that look creepy. I am sorry for saying so but I had to introduce them sooner or later. If you haven't played the game yet I suggest holding off on my story I can't help but have a couple of spoilers in here... the story wouldn't work without them.

No worries, i've already read most of the spoliers in the Hints & Cheats section... i just thought it was D. B. keep writing

Another nice one. Keep going.

Ohhh aye Mr Taillus.....very nice and descriptive....as usual......what more can I say..You know I love this story!

Here is today's update everyone. I may end up doing two updates today but it all depends on how much progress I make with the story itself. I guess we will have to see.


It was not a long time past when I learned a few things about the missing heir. He had studied his whole life at the Kvatch chapel and was completely oblivious to having the Septim blood running through his veins. I could tell by his character that he would be a great emperor considering his veins seemed to be filled with Septim purity and a fierce dragon-like spirit that could protect the Empire for a vast number of years to come.

He was also quite skilled with a blade. This made me feel so much better about escorting him through the wild. He fearlessly downed more then his share of wolves and goblins and even aided me in dispatching a large bear that had crossed our path.

It took us some time but by the next evening, we were only hours away from Weynon Priory. We had acquired a pair of steel bows from a duo of goblins that were keeping watch over an abandoned mine and we thought that they would prove useful if we were to come up upon more interferences… Seems as though they would prove much more useful then we had imagined.

As we made our way up the hill to where Jauffre was waiting for us, we were met by a frantic Prior. He was sprinting down the trail in our direction and he had a pretty nasty wound to his arm. What shocked me the most is that he was being chased by a familiar figure. The same robed assassins that had gotten the best of me and the Emperor’s blades!

“The Mythic Dawn!” I whisper to Martin as we duck behind some foliage. We wait for the Prior to run by before we stand tall with bows drawn and we both fire a pair of steel arrows through the neck of the evil assassin. With a spray of red Magicka, the Dawn agent falls lifelessly to the ground.

“These are the infamous Mythic Dawn? Why are they here? I thought they were only a cult of mindless daedra worshippers?” Martin says, puzzled.

Martin was right. From what I had learned in my time as a Blue Lion is that the Mythic Dawn, while evil and sometimes deadly, were only interested in daedra worship. But from the gates to Oblivion to the slain Septim blood line, they could be trying to weaken the borders between realms. This is not good news at all but it makes so much sence.

“We have to find Jauffre at once!” I shout as we race up the hill to the settlement. After dispatching another Mythic Dawn agent, we learn from a surviving Prior that Jauffre was last seen in the chapel. As the three of us run to his aid, we are surprised to see a Dawn agent’s lifeless body bound down the steps to the chapel with Jauffre at the top brandishing an impressive Akaviri Katana.

“Men there is no time to explain properly so you must just follow me!” the old man explains as he sheaths his katana on his back on top of his robe. As we ran to follow him, he attempted to explain further.

“Those Agents have taken the Amulet of Kings. We must get it back if it is the last thing we do but on top of everything else, we must get Martin to a safe haven. Each of you please take a horse from the stable and follow me. We have a long ride ahead of us!” Jauffre shouts as we all climb upon our chosen horses.

As we rode through the darkness with nothing but a trio of torches lighting our way we headed for Bruma as fast as we could. I struggled with the reasoning behind us taking Martin to Bruma but in the end, I was the foreigner and there would be no telling where we would end up if it was up to me.

Personally, I thought that any place with a civilian population was unsafe for Martin. We had to be where people could be trusted, and in asking Jauffre was when I found out our true destination. A place called the Cloud Ruler Temple was where the entire Blades members held fort. It was a complex high in the mountains above Bruma and was protected almost better then the Imperial City itself.

The whole trip from what I could tell from my handy map, would take more then three days and that was counting on the fact that we wouldn’t stop for a break. We would have to eat atop our horses and will ourselves not to sleep. I was up for the challenge, but Jauffre insisted that we set up camp for the night.

It was about the mid way point of our journey that Jauffre steered his chestnut horse off of the beaten path. I was curious as to where we were headed but it seemed that we were going to take refuge in a small, abandoned mine for the night. Now I am not a very easily scared person and I would take something major to make my skin crawl but something about this cave gave me the creeps.

good update! so a creepy cave, a scared Talli... Xander this is going to be good

I'm playing catchup today Taillus, for some reason I still don't realise when I see this one in the fan fiction section that it is the story of Xander so stick with me here and be patient when it comes to my comments. I'll try and do better in the future. Anyways you've updated pretty quickly on this story and there is lots of content that I've yet to read so I'm gonna get back to it...until then mate.

I apollogise if I am moving quickly on this story but I feel it is lacking compared to the Taillus story. Maybe because it is that I am not used to a first person standpoint or maybe Taillus is more interesting but things get so much better in this chapter and into chapter 3.



Martin was a tad skeptical himself and I could see in his eyes that he would have rather continued on our way but Jauffre was in charge for the time being and would like to believe that he was a man of great intelligence. Nevertheless, we found ourselves clearing out the first landing of the cave which consisted of a pair of goblins which were dismissed quite quickly. One thing that I was never very fond of in Morrowind was cave crawling. I would much rather battle hordes of enemies above ground then take on a handful of sneaky little critters that were hiding in the nooks and crannys of a cave or mine. Everything about this place gave me the feeling that I wasn’t getting a wink of sleep during this stop.

The dripping water, the shadows, the sounds that echoed down the tunnels made me shiver every time. I decided that for my own good, I would rather leave Jauffre and Martin by the doors and clear this place out. At least then, we would only have to be cautious of bandits coming in the main door to find a place to sleep.

As I slowly and carefully made my way through the mine with nothing but my armor and sword to aid me, I realized my serious lack of lighting would make this venture quite difficult. My torch was abandoned and left with Martin so I could hold a sword and shield which seemed like a great idea at the time. Too bad my lack of vision would prove to be a far larger disadvantage then I thought.

I walked down the basically pitch black passage in search of the rest of the goblins that were taking residence in the abandoned mine. Like I said earlier, it would prove useful to have the inhabitants of the cave dealt with for the night so whoever stayed awake wouldn’t have to worry about covering two areas.

After navigating my way around and marking my path at intersections via bones that I laid in the paths I came from I could tell that I was entering the main chamber of the mine. I could hear the commotion of some goblins chattering and fighting over some rat meat. A small fire in the distance gave away their location but to my surprise, they could tell I was approaching a mile away.

Most people give far less credit to Goblins then they should. Fact-of-the-matter is that Goblins, when in packs can kill more efficiently then your professional hired assassin. They actually can think for themselves and when accompanied by a Goblin Shaman makes for a quick demise of anyone not ready to take them on… Like me.

As I was running strategies in my mind, thinking of my best course of action for taking this colony down single handedly I was completely caught unawares by a rogue arrow that wedged itself beneath the plates of my armor in my right side. The impact staggered me and when I went to pull it out was when I realized the full extent of their intelligence.

The arrow was obviously poisoned by a crude paralysis poison that caused me to lose my footing as I landed hard, hitting my head on a rock as I collided with the lower level of the cave. I could still hear them rustling and scurrying around me before the pain of another arrow contacts my skin.

Hard to believe that I had just fought my way through the pits of hell only a day previous and now because of my stupidity, I was going to become victim to a band of goblins. I had to give these little beasts credit though, they really knew how to reduce a prey’s options. The last arrow that pieced my back was that of the damaging strength effect making it almost impossible for me to get up under the weight of my own armor.

Uh oh, Xander/Tallius is in trouble... Sweet!