The Hero in Disguise, Chapter 3 Options

[Taillus]

Ah Chapter 3. It starts getting alot better from this point on in my opinion but I will let you all decide for yourselves. I am also thinking of doing a double post tonight so I can make up for not being able to post tomorrow. Enjoy everyone!

Chapter 3 - Don't forget about the amulet!


As my demanding training regiment slowed down and I could feel as though my combat skills were back where they should be I decided that I would check in on Jauffre and Martin. I am afraid that I may have neglected them a tad but I knew that it was for the better. I would be of no use to anyone without my skills sharpened.

I was quickly told that I should go see Baurus in the Elven Gardens of the Imperial City. I knew him as the Redguard Blades member that was with me at the time the Emperor died. I was to go visit him in hopes that he had found any small piece of information on the whereabouts of the Mythic Dawn.

I agreed to pay Baurus a visit and see what he has turned up. Hopping on to my horse once again and setting off along the roads made me realize why Silt Striders were so popular in Vvardenfel. It would be another long ride to the Imperial City but I would be able to run without worrying about people to protect.

I managed to track down my friend in question and at first glance, he angered me. Not very convinced that he was looking too hard because he had his redguard boat plopped down on a barstool having a drink but I thought that it wasn’t up to me to keep tabs with him and as far as I could tell, he was off duty.

I sat down on the stool beside him and smiled. I knew he remembered me and something told me he was expecting me but something was on his mind. He seemed to be preoccupied but he let me in on what was happening…well he kind of let me in on it.

“I am going to get to my feet and walk away. The man behind me will do the same. I want you to follow him following me so we can see what he is up to.” Baurus said quietly before getting up off his stool and walking down into the basement of the Tavern.

I watched as the man did exactly as the Redguard predicted and followed him beyond the door. I decided to wait a second before getting to my feet. I had a nod of approval from the bartender or owner of the tavern as he agreed to watching my bag full of equipment for me without saying a word.

I rushed into the basement and to my amazement, I saw Baurus trying his best to fight off a Mythic Dawn agent. The Redguard Blade member’s akavari katana was on the floor feet away and the Mythic Dawn agent had a short blade to his throat. I figured that enough was enough as I grabbed the robed oaf by the hood and pulled him from Baurus. He swung madly at me but was quickly stopped by a jolt of crippling shock magicka from my fingertips.

I could feel his body convulsing before he fell to the ground before us as the shock effects still crackled around his body. I then used a touch magic that increased the poor fool’s weakness to magicka greatly. He yelped in pain before giving up completely and expiring.

“I knew he was Mythic Dawn! I knew it!” Baurus said as he checked the body. He managed to pull a book from the Agent’s robes and asked me to take it to a contact he had in the Arcane University. An Argonian woman who had a great deal of experience with the Dawn and would prove quite useful in figuring out the contents of the book in question, as well as a possible use for it as well.

[Taillus]

I am finished the third chapter after realizing that I lost my entire story due to a very bad computer. Thankfully I remember what parts I wanted to keep and what ones I wished to change. I hope you like it and have as much fun reading as I did writing!

The sun greets me as it barely finishes taking its seat at the crest of the horizon. Another day, another terror is the thought of the moment for me as I double check my equipment as my loyal paint horse speeds towards Bravil. The Blades as well as most of the city guards know me now as the “Gate Closer” a name fitting but the glory associated is sadly nowhere near as great as the dangers that come with the title. I can see the city in need slowly slipping from the morning fog to greet me as my horse and I jolt down the mountain path separating the Cloud Ruler Temple from Bravil and I can feel a scowl cross my face as I can imagine the task at hand.

As I abandon my horse, leaving him in the care of an armed guard at the city’s rear gate the smell of burning…well burning everything invades my senses. The heat given off by the fiery gate can be felt even at the other end of town. I look quickly at the panicked locals as they scurry to board up their houses, leaving men and older male children with whatever weapons they could borrow from the nearby adventurer’s shops. Thankfully for all the vendors gave up their weapons to all who could wield them and were not looking to make money in this time of need.

The front gates to Bravil opened to reveal to me that the majority of Bravil’s men were bravely fending off the hoards of demonic daedra that seemed to pour from the opened Oblivion gate. They were faring well but their lack of solid armor made even a swipe from a scamp deadly. I ran to the man shouting orders to inform him that I have arrived.

The man neglects to give his name but he shook my armored gauntlet and welcomed me aboard. He knew instantly by my blade’s gear that I was the esteemed “Gate Closer” and began telling me about the situation.

“It is a nightmare here my friend! We are trying to stay on top of these fiends but they just keep coming. I want to follow you in so that I can help Bravil next time. You seem like a busy man and frankly, the more men that know how to shut these portals the better!” The man shouts above the screaming and clashing metal. I motion for him to follow me and he grabs an experienced archer for backup before meeting me on the other side.

No matter how many times I visit Oblivion, I will never get used to it. The twisted and evil looking scenery, the deadly plants, the smell of molten rock and burning flesh will always send chills down my spine. I could tell that my comrades were almost scared stiff but could you blame a man? The sights in Oblivion should never be viewed by any man. I assured them that I knew what I was doing here and it would be best if we made double time to avoid attracting more unwanted attention then necessary. Let’s just say that I didn’t have to tell them twice.
Oddly, we walked through the winding maze of this certain part of Oblivion without so much as a clanfear interrupting us. It seemed like we had actually flushed this place out. The men of Bravil might have bled this portal dry but dropping our guard would mean certain death so we left our weapons in hand just in case. After a few minutes of walking and navigating the mind-wracking twists and turns we stopped for a rest on a large rock jutting out of the side of the path that gave us a good look of what was to come.

It seemed that there were three towers that stretched high into the blood red sky. Small paths connected each tower to each other at varying points and from what I could tell, the smallest tower unlocked the next largest and so on. The highest tower was tall enough that none of us could see the top which worried me but in letting on would frighten the others so I decided to keep my mouth shut and carry on.

The towers were as dark as the midnight sky. Twisted pieces of architecture that looked as though they were carved by Mehrunes Dagon himself. Evil looking, multi-edged spikes jutted out of the towers topped off with a sticky reddish colored liquid seeping from what seemed like pores made the towers seem alive as oddly as that sounds.

Entering the first tower proved near fatal when the edge of a large daedric battle axe met our heads just as the tower door opened. Thankfully our archer friend was quick enough on his toes and fired a previously loaded arrow into the face of an unsuspecting daedra warrior. The three of us laughed nervously, making light of our near death experience but if it hadn’t been for the young archer, Myself and the leader of the Bravil militia would have been searching for our heads.

The next few minutes was spent climbing what seemed like an infinite spiral ramp that was perfectly fitting for the décor. With large teeth-like razors sticking outward from the curved ramp before curling upward, it made every step potentially fatal. If one were to lose footing, these teeth would dice you into scrib meat in mere moments. I decided not to think about it and continued climbing upward with my team. The leader of the Bravil was quite thankful for me allowing him to come along which made me smile slightly. He is definitely a brave soul as well as his archer soldier as well. They both stepped along side of me as though this was common for them. It was nice to know that not everyone was hoping I would just save the world by myself.

Once we made our way to the top of the twisting ramp, a large circular door was all that stood on top of the smallest tower, the first of three towers. I was almost expecting some resistance but this Oblivion gate was making my stomach turn a different way. The air was quiet, the familiar sounds of Oblivion were not present this time and it seemed almost too quiet to ignore. This Gate should be filled to the brim with creatures considering the one that I had fought through not even months before was teeming with evil. I scratched my chin in concern but carried on none the less. I looked over my shoulder at my teammates and smiled reassuringly before sliding the large door before us open with moderate effort.

We found ourselves atop one of the tower’s small, uninviting catwalks that led to the next tallest tower and it seemed that our luck was going to start running dry from now and beyond. At the other end of the catwalk stood a daedra clothed in a deep grey hooded robe holding a thick chain. Making things worse was what the chain was leading to. Atop the other end of the chain and wrapped around it to a degree was a huge black and red ball littered with large, razor sharp blades similar to those that decorated the towers and before I could even hint as to what the setup was for, the cloaked daedra pulled hard on the chain, releasing the ball of serrated happiness on a one-way trip to my crew and I.

This post has been edited by Taillus: Oct 31 2006, 10:25 PM