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]

.:. Here is another update for everyone to read. I think I am going to take tonight and just relax so I can read, catching up on everyone's works. Enjoy all!

Oh and I am sorry for the confusion but the large ball of spikes is not quite a mace By the way...You will see in this update, hopefully it is more clear Think massive spiked rolling ball, put in motion by pulling the chain. .:.



The trap was large enough to envelop the entire breadth of the small catwalk and beyond so avoiding it would be impossible and much to our horror, the door behind us was only a one way passage! It looked as though we were quite literally trapped between a rolling spiked wheel of doom and a hard place. Thinking quickly, even quicker than myself, the leader of the Bruma troops, the hardy Nord that he is, reaches into his Bruma crested platemail and pulls out a small amulet engraved with a fist. I watched as his whole body glowed red briefly and he growled at the incoming trap.

“A gift from me father boys! Watch and learn how we do it up north!” The larger man hollers before bracing himself and extending his opened palms in the direction of our impeding doom. Myself and the young archer gasp in amazement as the Nord shifts his weight and pushes back at the rolling device careful to avoid the sharp spines. With a rock of his waist and a powerful flex of just about every muscle in his body, another shimmer of red orbits his body allowing him to toss the trap over the edge of the catwalk with relative ease.

The archer decides to take on the robed daedra and with a quick and precise shot, he did just that. The arrow almost moved in slow motion as I watched it arc before landing squarely into the Daedra’s shoulder by his neck. A thick, dark red blood stained his robe and he clutched the wound before falling first to his knees, then off the edge of the thin bridge.

I congratulate both men on a job well done and I almost feel bad that they did all of the dirty work. This may just be the first time that I didn’t have to take on everything myself. I really have to learn to give others a moment in the spotlight. Maybe it is just me biting off more than I can chew most times. I chuckle to myself at my lack of effort this time and extend a hand allowing them to take the lead. I was beginning to feel more confident that these men could actually close this gate without my help but considering that the last door we passed was one way only, I was forced to go along for the ride regardless.

It took us really no time at all to clear the middle tower and again I watched as my friends cleared room after room of lesser daedra. I did my share of slayings but a certain level of comfort engulfed me knowing that my back was covered giving me a sense of security that I had not felt since I was surrounded by my greatest friends, The Blue Lions.

Finally we were standing in the last room of the middle tower and faced with a crucial decision. It seemed that this tower had three different doors leading to three different potential one way paths. It was oddly ironic that there was one door for each of us but with the possibility of the door locking behind us, it made our decision a very difficult one.

We soon found out that the burly Nord hadn’t dealt with the trap as well as we had thought when he began favoring his right arm. It seemed that one of the spines had pierced his armor leaving a deep gash just below his shoulder. He seemed to be doing quite well considering his situation but I knew that if we spent too much time here, we would find him bled dry. The wound was dripping blood quite badly and even with applied pressure from a torn piece of his Bruma attire wrapped tightly around the site, he would be in trouble if we were here for more than a few hours.

The Nord was beginning to feel slightly faint and with good reason. I insisted that he take a break and sit down but he was adamant that we continue. In all fairness, he was exactly right. We would save no one taking breaks of any kind for any reason. I made sure to cast a healing over time spell on his arm to make sure the pain didn’t increase and hopefully would start the healing process early.

Each of us decided on a door and collectively took a deep, nervous breath before opening the door and stepping on to the three separate catwalks. At first it looked promising, all three paths did lead to the last tower. There were no traps that we could see waiting for us at the other side, maybe each path just led us somewhere once we entered the final tower but we all remained cautious.

The young archer took careful steps forward, the Nord kept his thick blade drawn, slung over his left shoulder ready to swing at a moment’s notice. I decided on a totally different tactic. I thought it best to keep my weapon sheathed, keeping my bare hands ready for some sort of trap. Who knows, maybe I will have to grab a ledge with both hands. If all else fails, I do have magic to use if my weapons find themselves too far away.

Just as I thought the coast was clear for all of us, A loud, gravely noise caused me to look to my left just in time to see our young archer friend clamoring to find solid ground. The catwalk was falling under his feet and before I could even blink, he plummeted downward, through thick, dense fog leaving only his screams trailing behind.

“There is nothing we can do lad. He came here under his own power and he died a true soldier of Bruma. I could only hope to die with such honor as him. He was a valiant man with a heart of gold. Now we must do him the ultimate favor and close this gate to hell so we can give his body a proper burial.” The Nord says as he clutches his injured shoulder.

As much as I was angered by the death of such a talented young man, I had no choice but to agree. It was trivial to mourn when there are still countless lives to save. His death contributed to the possible salvation of hundreds, thousands even. A true soldier could only wish as much...