The Story of Taillus, Chapter 5 Options

[Taillus]

Chapter 5 - Two Is Not Better Then One.

Taillus wakes up to the sound of someone trying to gain access to the top of the guard tower. He rolls over as he opens his eyes before frantically scooting over to sit on the hatch. He can hear the annoyed grumbles of an Imperial Legion guard as he knocks on the wooden hatch.

“By the gods if you do not let me up there intruder we will go outside and ventilate you with a volley of arrows!” An angry imperial shouts as he raps on the door impatiently. Taillus bites his lip as he looks at the hatch between his legs. He quickly thinks about his best course of action. The tower is quite high, but he has had really good luck with falling and not breaking any bones.

He could scale the wall like he did on the lighthouse in Seyda Neen, but the surface of this tower seems much more smooth and he would probably land on his face anyhow. Not to mention he runs the risk of being caught.

“You could kill him my boy. One solitary guard is no match for my harvester of souls! Use the Mace that I have entrusted in you to rearrange that mouthy guard’s facial features. It will get you started on my army of souls!” The evil Molag Bal whispers in Taillus’ head.

“Do you not have any godly duties you should be concerning yourself with? I agreed to your demands but you did not tell me when I had to start.” Taillus growls as he looks again at the wooden hatch. The guard begins chipping away at it with his sword making Taillus panic.

Suddenly it comes to Taillus as if he had read it in a book of things to do in a situation such as this. Taillus clears his throat and kneels on the hatch, lowering his face to the wooden surface so that the guard below can hear him better.

“Could you leave me to my job my imperial friend?” Taillus shouts at the hatch trying to get the attention of the guard.

“I have been paid to clean the leaves and rain water out up here and I cannot do my job when I have guards threatening my life!” Taillus shouts again. He can hear some guards below him conversing quietly with one another and he looks down between his legs hoping that they fell for it.

“Terribly sorry friend. I will leave you to your business but hurry and be on your way.” The guard says as Taillus can hear him descend the wooden ladder and walk away. Taillus has to cover his mouth to contain his laughter as he gathers his things and opens the latch with his foot.

Taillus finds himself once again in the bustling city of Balmora. It seemed that the people had forgotten about his little spat with Molag Bal in the streets yesterday and he decided to check out the local merchants.

[Taillus]

Taillus was slowly coming to terms that he was the official property of a Daedric prince. He realized that he had very little choice in the matter and that he would eventually have to get better at fighting. He would have to find someone that could teach him the ways of the sword and he was going to have to pick up some armor to aid him on his quest.

“I don’t even know how to be a killing machine. I am just getting over my fear of Bonemold armor for crying out loud! This has to be some sort of mistake, I can’t be the ambassador for Morrowind and there is no way that I can kill for a Daedric Prince.” Taillus whispers to himself as he treads through the streets of Balmora. He looks at the civilians as he passes them by, shaking his head at their ignorance.

“They have no idea that I am the right-hand man to Molag Bal. How could they? But here I am, the man fated to kill everyone I see all in the name of the Daedra, standing in the middle of a busy town. The sheer idea of it is nonsense! There must be a small chance that I still have the Ash Chancre disease like Jiub said.” Taillus rants as he scans the shop signs for a place he could buy a modest set of armor.

After a day of shopping, bartering, trading and all other sorts of mercantilism, Taillus walked to the closest inn he could find sporting bits and pieces of various armor types, mostly iron but also some steel to make up the difference. He also picked up a steel long sword just in case Molag Bal’s mace wasn’t his cup of tea.

Taillus dumps his armor and weapons at the foot of his bed and plops himself down staring at the ceiling. He was quite tired indeed and not because of all of his shopping. It seemed that all of the events making up the past few nights had caught up with him once and for all. It was nice knowing that he was going to be able to get a solid few nights rest and not have to worry about what will hurt when he wakes up.

“Resting is for the weak my young ambassador. There are many things you must do and we do not have very much time! We need to train you and condition your body for the power you will so very soon have coursing through your veins. We need to make you blood thirsty and full of rage. I suggest that to get you in the killing mood we track down your old friend. Jiub has yet to leave this town. He is busy selling your armor and making himself a profit from your suspected death. He would be a wonderful start and I would enjoy torturing his soul for you.” Molag Bal whispers.

“Do you not knock before going up there?” Taillus says as he grips his head and lies back on his pillow.

“My patience is wearing thin boy! I will only allow you to procrastinate for a small while longer. It would be nothing at all for me to set loose those two Daedroths at your door and they will make short work of you. I need souls to fuel me and I am growing impatient!” Molag booms as Taillus grips his head hard and writhes on the bed.

“You WILL journey to Vivec upon the rise of the sun and you WILL join the arena. You WILL train yourself to become a better fighter and gain some much needed experience. Once you become the champion, I will give you direction on my orders from there! I will not tolerate disobedience any longer and this will let you know how serious I am!” Molag shouts from within Taillus’ brain again.