CHAPTER 3 - Looking Out For Number One.

The partially hidden sun makes its course to the top of the mid morning sky as Taillus again awakens in a foreign town. This was going to be the trend for him as there was nothing about this place that was familiar. The simple fact that people even reside in a place like this perplexes him. Regardless, if it wasn’t for Ald’Ruhn There is no telling where he would be or how living he would still be.

On his way out of the Inn, Taillus stops and knocks on the door where supposedly, Jiub was staying. No response to the knocking again as Taillus eventually gives up and heads towards the exit. On his way out, as Taillus stops to adjust his sack that held part of the bounty from the Caldera incident he is stopped from leaving by the words of the Innkeeper.

“Your Dunmer friend has a message for you my Imperial pal. He says to lose some excess baggage and meet him at the Rat in The Pot Cornerclub.” The man says while curling his nose up at the name of the meeting spot.

“He seems to have a poor taste in location my friend. The scum of Ald”Ruhn meet there and it is not much of a friendly joint. But who am I to judge. I wish you well Imperial. Good luck on your journeys.” The man chimes as Taillus nods while walking out the door.

Taillus quickly trots from building to building looking for a pawnbroker or a tradehouse. He was almost frantic in his search, fearing that another Ash storm would hit. The bare thought of that made Taillus angry, disgusted, fed up and mostly exhausted. He decided that it would be to his advantage to brush up on his Morrowind History, cartography, bestiary and whatever knowledge he could arm himself with. Morrowind was a place you could wind up dead if you relied on the “Learn on the fly” tactic.

Taillus unloads all of his unneeded items and winds up with a very impressive wallet. With the money made from just his half of the loot he could easily go on an equipment shopping spree and wind up with quite the set up. He decided to meet up with Jiub in the Cornerclub to see what the plan was.

At the club, Taillus finds out that the Innkeeper was dead on about the quality of people visiting this place. It reeked of old liquor and skooma but the worst of all were the characters around the place. It make Taillus want to make sure each and everything he owned was tied down to his body in some way considering even the bartender himself looked as if he would rob you blind if there wasn’t a wooden counter in his way.

Taillus spots Jiub in the corner of the cornerclub and shakes the irony from his mind before heading over. He sits at the small table across from his friend who is enjoying stout drink of liquor. Taillus sits across Jiub in the stiff wooden chair and pulls himself closer to the table.

“I see that you made it to Ald’Ruhn Taillus. I didn’t think you’d make it. I am sorry I had to abandon you but you would have done the same thing as I if faced with that scenario. I wouldn’t have been able to carry you along with the weapons we plundered so I took a bag and ran for cover.” Jiub explains between drinks.

“Yes, Jiub that is exactly what I would do, just like I did on that ship in Seyda Neen. You really know how to repay a good deed!” Taillus growls as his eyes give the impression that Taillus was about to reach across the table and strangle Jiub. The old Dunmer simply smiles as he takes another few sips of his drink.

“I took the liberty of talking to a friend of mine that is in tight with the guild of thieves. He made sure that the events that took place in Caldera didn’t happen if you understand me and he also scored us a complete set of House Redoran Gah-Julan Bonemold armor so we can travel with relative ease through the ash storms.”

Taillus heard only one part of that sentence, the part about the Bonemold armor. This made him quiver in fear as he stares blankly at the wall behind Jiub. He felt a flowing tingle as it slid down his spine making him feel cold. He looks up at Jiub with a nervous tone to his voice, hoping he could acquire a different set of armor.

“Well that is very impressive Jiub but is there any armor that I could wear other then that Bonemold stuff. It really gives me a chill and to be perfectly honest. I do not like the idea of wearing old dead bugs.”

Jiub laughs out loud as he almost spills his drink. He pounds his fist on the table as he can barely breathe from laughing so hard. Finally he calms down enough to speak and his face suddenly washes with a look of dire seriousness.

“If wearing armor made from bugs scares you Taillus then I am not sure how we will be able to search for artifacts. Clearly you have never seen a Dremora Lord before. I am telling you Taillus there are things that dwell beneath our feet that could scare you to your grave, and assist you in getting there as well. I will not be able to journey with a man that will turn white when we are in danger. You have to be strong.” Jiub explains as Taillus nods in agreement.

Taillus could not agree more. This childish fear of wearing bug armor is minor compared to the monstrous beings that he will eventually meet. He would have to shake his distaste for the bonemold armor and learn to adapt here in Morrowind. He gets up from the table and goes back to the Ald Skar Inn with Jiub to get suited up in his room. They both equip the Bonemold armor and all of Taillus’ doubts wash away after thinking of how much more protection it will give over his old armor.

“I was also thinking that you could use a new blade as well. Taillus. That Sparkblade helped us back with the slaughterfish but we will need to rely on something a bit more powerful.” Juib states as he passes over a weapon that makes Taillus simply wide eyed.

“This is a long blade that I have had imbued with three minor enchantments. It will cast a fire spell; an ice spell as well as a lightning spell dealing very minor damage alone, but tied together along with the swing of your sword could prove to be quite devastating. I call it the element blade. It was a gift from my friend here but I am afraid that it is not my style in weapon. I think that you will be best suited to it.”

Taillus nods as he grips the sword with both hands. He stares into the blade mesmerized by the enchantment. Three different colors swirl magically about the metal as hues of blue, red, and yellow tint the blade every few seconds. It was beautiful in a deadly sort of way and it made Taillus smile knowing that he had this at his side when times got tough. He looks up as Jiub straps a long, thin blade to his back and also tucks a dagger into the confines of one of his boots. Both men seem to be very well suited and actually well equipped as they pass by the Inn keeper before heading out into the city.

Taillus bids farewell to the city that he promised himself he would never visit again. He enjoyed the hospitality of the Ald Skar Inn but knows that if he ever experienced an ash storm again he would more then likely take his own life. Taillus and Jiub make their way though the city quickly so that they will not be caught in the House Redoran Armor. They make their way through the gates of the city and are soon well on their way to the first temple, cave, or ruin they can find....

Very good Taillus, as I've said I really like the idea of adventuring with Jiub and you have done it very well. Each character has a personality that fits them and that my friend is hard to do, keep up the good work and update soon.

I don't know whether they get along well or not. But I do like the story. Update soon.

A good start to chapter 3. The interplay between Taillus and Jiub is definitely becoming more complex and intriguing. I am looking forward to watching their working relationship develop.

I am sorry for the scare everyone, it seems that things have worked out in my favor and I have come across some downtime. (well if you call two back-to-back 12 hr days at work downtime but it is hard to explain) I have just FINISHED chapter 3 and I will be posting it piece by piece over today and tomorrow. I am so glad that I didn't have to abandon this project.

RL happens. Take whatever time you need; we'll be here when you have time to continue.

I do hope that you plan to continue writing when you have time but I understand work constraints and time issues so I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

The two heroes march through the unforgiving wasteland of the Ashland region once again as they both cover their faces with an arm to try and deflect the swirling ash storm around them. They knew that the House Redoran Bonemold armor would give them all the protection they needed but they still raised a free hand to their faces out of reflex. Taillus was used to these storms at this point but that did not mean that he liked them. The one they were traveling through was so intense that it could have knocked him over.

Taillus realized something as he stomped through the monochromatic scenery of the ashlands. He was relying too much on Jiub and where he was headed as far as direction was concerned. Not to mention that Jiub was beginning to worry Taillus. It seems that Taillus considered them better friends then they actually were.

He had been trying to shake the feeling but could not deter himself from feeling like nothing but a pawn. I guess being left in an ash storm to die gives people ideas like that.

As they begin to see a castle like structure that stood off in the distance, Jiub looks up to see two flying beasts overhead. He quickly slaps at Taillus’ shoulder before drawing his sword. Taillus mimics Jiub, pulling out his elemental blade and looks up at the approaching flying terrors. The sound they emit as they swoop down gave Taillus a rude awakening as to what they were. He was about to experience the joys of a blighted cliff racer.

Blighted beast are much more interesting then their normally healthy kin. They have the exciting added feature of them being insane due to the desease that is in their blood and it makes them more aggressive and much more deadly. The first of the two cliff racers dives from the sky and weaves to avoid the blade of Jiub. Taillus closes his eyes as he was looking directly into the creature’s mouth and he swings hard with his own blade.

Taillus managed to wound the racer quite badly but the momentum of the diving bird knocks him to the ground as the bleeding racer struggles with a broken and deeply injured wing and shoulder. Taillus quickly tosses the large cliff racer off of him as he struggles to get back to his feet. Jiub had made very short work of the other cliffracer and Taillus quickly tackles the one he had been knocked over by as it just barely lifted off the ground. Taillus plunged his elemental blade into the racer’s back as he shrieks in pain before giving up on the ash covered ground at his feet.

Jiub simply shrugs as he sheaths his sword and they continue on their way. Taillus though to himself as they walked wondering how blighted monsters managed to get through ghostfence. He had always heard that the cursed creatures were contained within it and the though of them encountering blighted monsters worried him.

They continue past Fort Moonmoth which they can see off in the distance and Jiub points in their desired direction. Taillus thought he could hear Jiub say something but he had great trouble hearing because of the storm. As Taillus feels his legs begin to buckle under the stress of walking, Jiub grabs his shoulder and points to the horizon up ahead. What they saw was a tall, oddly designed structure that looked as if it was made up of otherworldly materials. The architecture was unlike anything Taillus had ever seen and the very sight of it sent a deep chill down his spine.

So they have finally encountered the evil cliff racer. In an ashstorm no less. What a rude awakening to Red Mountain.

I'm becoming concerned about what will happen between Taillus and Jiub. I can't see that it will have a happy ending.

Thanks for the great update.

Ah, another fine update. Oh boy, and here I was thinking that everyone's complaints about the cliffracers was exagerated when I first launched the game. But these horrors are everywhere. And nothing worse than fighting a couple of them in the middle of an ash storm. Great job on that part though.

I also like how you further worked out the relation between Jiub and Taillus. So he's beginning to doubt the Dunmer. I can sense an interesting plot developing. Keep it up.

They both head to where the entrance of the building seemed to be and they arrive at the bottom of a fairly large set of steps. By this time, the ash storm had let up just barely and it was mostly blocked by the hill to their right. Jiub lifts his helmet off and fastens it to his side opposite his short sword. Taillus follows soon after with the same procedure.

“This is a Daedric ruin Taillus. It is probably filled to the brim with worshippers and lesser daedra. It will be dangerous but the spoils can be great if we look hard enough. Don’t expect riches beyond compare but this is as good a start as any.” Jiub yells as he tries to be heard over the weakening but still fierce ash storm.

Both men fight exhaustion as they ascend the dark colored stone stairs leading to the entrance of the Daedric ruin. As they reach the final steps they are greeted by a doorman of sorts. A large flaming being stands at the top of the stairs almost waiting for our hero’s arrival. This massive being stood well over six feet tall and was engulfed in a flowing fiery magma that was contained in a human-like form. It had dark black boots and gloves that were evil and sharp as well as a dark black mask that would make the most fearless warrior orc cry in fear.

The Flame Antronach roared as a ball of fire quickly formed in its hands. It hurled it at the surprised men and they both dive to the side to avoid the magicka. The ball of fire explodes as it hits the stairs sending a shower of hot molten liquid down the stairs. Taillus looks over to Juib as they both wish they kept their helmets on and Taillus draws his sword as well as a Redoran Bonemold shield that he had strapped to his back.

“You get behind that thing while I keep it occupied. I will draw its attention away and you bury that sword in its back!” Taillus yells as the monster quickly bounds down the stairs after them. Jiub nods as he ducks under the Antronach’s arm while Taillus takes a mad swing at the demon.

The flame antronach quickly blocks the elemental blade with its black, claw filled hand and it growls as it takes a step backward while charging another fiery attack. Taillus quickly raises his shield as the flame magicka consumes it. Taillus can see the flames as they flow on either side of him. His hand gets increasingly hot due to the shield receiving the brunt of the attack.

He decides that enough is enough and as soon as the magicka dies out he charges, dropping his shield and takes a mad swing at the flame demon. The charge of the three enchantments expel as he hits the antronach in the helmet producing a flash of red, yellow and blue. The monster falls from the uneven surface of the steps and the force of Taillus’ attack.

Taillus looks to the top of the stairs to see Jiub standing with both arms crossed as he just watches the action. Taillus fills with anger seeing how he is always forced to do the dirty work. The monster gets back to its feet and begins charging another magicka attack but Taillus swings one more time in a fit of rage and drops the beast with one final attack. The Flame antronach howls as its body loses its ability to contain itself and it spills over the side of the steps to the ground below. The black mask bounces down the steps making a distinct sound as it hits each one before finally settling on the ground.

“Thanks for the assistance Jiu…” Taillus says as he realizes mid sentence that Jiub is gone. He pounds his fists into the stairs in anger before picking up his sword and running into the Daedric ruin.

And so the rift between Jiub and Taillus grows wider yet. Unless he was taken captive by the worshippers in the shrine, Jiub is not going to receive a welcome greeting from Taillus once Taillus gets inside the shrine.

Your description of the flame atronach was quite intriguing; it was definitely the best part of this installment.

I'm glad you had a bit of time to spare Taillus, very good to see this bit posted. It seems that there is growing tension between Taillus and Jiub and I'm dying to find out the way things will play out. Please continue.

** Yeah sorry for the scare earlier but it seemed that whenever I would sit down to tackle a big chunk, something would come up. But I am back in business and catching up on everyone else's stories as well! **

Taillus trudges down the oddly shaped and winding hallway inside the ruin as he breathes heavily from the battle outside. His feelings toward Jiub had changed over the past two days. When he was a labor prisoner working for the imperial legion building their outposts and various other buildings, he felt badly for Jiub. He was beaten constantly and would often times drop from pain or exhaustion. He rescued Jiub so that he could have a second chance, but it seems that Taillus had to look out for both of them.

“I have only one person to worry about and I should have realized that from the start. There is only one person I can trust in this place and that is myself. I am not a brave leader and I do not need to be concerned about another person’s safety and wellbeing. Jiub may know Morrowind well but not well enough to justify him letting me be the only one to get my hands dirty!” Taillus says aloud to himself as he progressed further down into the depths of the Daedric ruin.

Taillus is so busy being angry at his slacker comrade that he walks directly into a room with an unsuspecting man. They both jump in surprise as they scare each other and in reflex, Taillus plants an armor plated gauntlet into the face of the surprised Dunmer.

“That’s for not helping me back there you worthless guar!” Taillus shouts as the Dark Elf drops to the floor by his feet. Taillus gives him a kick in the ribcage as he rolls over, unconscious. It was at this point that he realized that he didn’t sucker punch Jiub at all. Taillus bites his lip as he looks down at the man that was on the floor out cold before him.

He couldn’t help but laugh as the poor man didn’t even have time to realize what was going on. He just saw an incoming bonemold covered fist ready to send him to the stars. Taillus looks at the man and notices that he was a tad out of the ordinary. It looked as if he hadn’t had anything to eat for weeks and his face was void of life. Is this what happens to those that choose to worship the Daedra?

Taillus takes the opportunity to check out the room he had stumbled into and he finds nothing but clothes and a few measly gold septims. It was looking as if this was a wasted trip. He goes to exit the room and continue his search for Jiub when he steps on a rock tile on the floor that opens a stairwell across the hall.

Heading downward with sword in hand, Taillus tries to see in the almost pitch darkness of the hidden stairwell. He looks around him as he touches the wall with his armor clad hand to make sure he didn’t fall down the ill constructed stairwell. This seemed to be an addition that wasn’t planned considering it was made of really badly constructed rock and wood. The wooden planks were heavily rotted from the damp, dank atmosphere and the rock was falling out of place making it very hard to descend into the darkness. Taillus had to rely on his sense of hearing only as his other senses were robbed.

As he makes his way to the solid ground below, he realized that it was exactly ground. Just a hole in the earth that was crudely chiseled out by someone that obviously wanted to hide something. He could see up ahead a room that was illuminated by strategically placed torches that revealed a rock podium with a simple statue.

As Taillus got closer, he saw that this must be a shrine to one of the Daedric Princes. He quickly ran over to the carving and tried to read a text that was etched into the wall behind it.

“The text is far too worn for me to read.” Taillus says quietly to himself before kneeling before the statue. A small chest lay at its feet that looked to be locked by magic. Taillus had become quite adept at picking locks from his time in the imperial labor camps. He pulled a thin piece of metal from his boot and began trying to open the chest.

One thing that he had yet to encounter was a trapped lock. A nauseating feeling washed over him as he dropped to his knees. A cloud of poisonous gas seeped from within the chest and washed over him. He stumbled backward and landed on his back facing the ceiling of the carved out room.

He breathed heavily as his heart was stinging with every beat and his body tingled with numbness from the poison. Luckily for him, it was only a minor trap. Anything more would have killed him but to his disadvantage, he was beginning to lose consciousness. He fights to keep his eyes open as his surroundings fade from view.

Hehe...great job with this part, I thought he'd really hit Jiub and nocked him out for a moment there. Anyways the part with the trapped chest was done very well and luckily you stated that it was a minor trap and it wouldn't kill him or I might be worried about this story ending. Keep up the great work and update when you can.

What Kiln said.

Three updates in one day? Perhaps it is time for another award. How about the "planty award for cheetah fingers." Please be careful that your fingers don't run away and leave you behind.

LOL that happened once.... scary part is that I JUST finished Chapter 4 in my series but I need to give everyone a Taillus break.

Taillus opens his eyes an unknown amount of time later and things begin to slowly come to view. His head throbs with pain as the effects of the poison are just starting to lose strength. He notices right away a figure filling the now opened chest with gold and other items.

“J..Jiub you fil..filthy scoundrel. You are not going to take what I have earned.” Taillus says slowly and groggily as he tries to get to his feet. He stumbles and is forced to brace himself against a wall to prevent falling down again.

“You just stood there and watched me fight that monster outside. You left me to die in the ash storm and all in thanks for me saving your life!” Taillus yells as his strength slowly comes back to him. He stands under his own power as he feels fueled by rage.

Jiub stops stuffing loot into his travel sack and looks at Taillus who seems to be getting quite upset at this point. Taillus looked tired and quite sick. His skin was pale from lack of sunlight and his eyes were red and bloodshot from the poison trap on the chest. He was also having trouble breathing from being down in this dank and musty room for so long.

“You did nothing to deserve whatever is in that chest Jiub! You left me to die twice! I should spill your blood all over this place. And to think I trusted you, you slimy crook!” Taillus shouts again as he kicks the downed Jiub. The older Dunmer man gasps for air as he feels the sting of a well armored boot to the ribcage. He struggles to get to his feet so that he could properly defend himself but gets put to the ground time after time by the force of anger that was flowing through Taillus.

“You STUPID fool Taillus. You have been down here for far too long and the after-effects of that trap have made you mad. You are not yourself. You have to calm down.” Jiub shouts between blows.

“I am forced to not believe that Jiub. You are trying to con me once again. I am just trying to look out for myself because there is no one I can trust. If I don’t watch my back no one else will and I will not let you stab me in the back once I get you what you want!” Taillus yells once again as he reaches for his sword.

“Of course, it all makes sense to me now. Taillus, you have contracted something from those blighted Cliffracers outside. It got too close to you and you had its blood on you as well. You must have picked up the Ash Chancre disease from that cursed thing. Don’t you understand? This affects your behavour and your mood. It is driving you to insanity!” Jiub yells as he draws his sword to defend against Taillus.

“More lies! If that was the case then why are you drawing your sword? You are going to kill me and take this treasure for yourself!” Taillus booms as he steps toward Jiub with sword in hand.

“This measly box of useless trinkets is what you think this is about? There is barely anything of worth in there. You take it if you want it so bad!” Jiub yells but is interrupted by the oncoming danger of Taillus’ sword. Jiub is barely able to block it but is lucky in the sense that Taillus' elemental sword has expended just about all of its charge meaning that the magical enchantments were just about worthless, nevertheless he found it difficult to overcome the young imperial man's superior strength and raw power he was his putting into each swing.

“Fine Taillus if this is how you want it to be then so be it! If only one of us can leave this dank hole in the earth I will make sure it is me!” Jiub yells in between swings.

The two men battle it out in the dim light of the small room. Their swords clashing together making loud clanging noises that cut through the otherwise dead silence. Taillus quickly gains the upper hand as he hits Jiub in the face with his free hand sending him into the chiseled wall behind him. Taillus follows the underhanded tactic with an armored elbow to the side of Jiub’s head making the dunmer drop his blade to the ground.

“Taillus, I can cure you of that disease if you would just calm down!” Jiub begs as he feels blood trickle down the side of his face. He looks at Taillus who is still weak from the poison and is breathing heavily.

“I have a cure potion in my sack that will make you as good as new! Just let me get it for you.” Jiub pleads as he watches Taillus hoping he wouldn’t swing again. Taillus stands still watching Jiub as he nods slowly. Jiub carefully takes off one of his traveler’s packs and rummages through it for the potion. He can feel the eyes of his friend on him, burning him like hot coals.

Suddenly and quickly, Jiub pulls out a bundled scroll and reads it before Taillus could understand what was happening. He smiles as the scroll explodes into a ball of flame that hurtles towards Taillus who gasps and covers his face with his hands before being tossed into the statue and the wall behind it due to the force of the blast.

The wall behind the now crumbled statue, as well as the two walls that are attached to it crumble away from the weight of Taillus and his armor revealing a seemingly bottomless pit around them. Taillus holds on for dear life to the edge of the rock floor that once belonged to a room now transformed into a mere platform or balcony that stands above the darkness below.

“Jiub, help me! I have the bag of treasure but I can’t hold on for long. Help me for once so we can get the hell out of here!” Taillus yells as he looks up to see the bloody face of Jiub.

“I can’t lift you and the treasure so you will have to pass it up to me.” Jiub says as he extends a hand to Taillus. Taillus shakes his head and looks back up at Jiub. He knew that he would leave if he had the treasure and he wasn’t about to be a pawn again.

“Lift me and the treasure up or I drop it Jiub! Either we both leave with treasure or no one does!” Taillus yells.

Jiub shakes his head as his arm still remains extended. He looks down at Taillus as he lets out a deep sigh.

“Just drop the treasure you fool. It isn’t worth anything anyway remember? I will lift you up and we can cure you of that ash disease. Just drop the bag and give me your hand!” Jiub yells.

Taillus lets the heavy loot bag go and he lifts his hand to Jiub. After some struggle, he manages to lift him from the ledge and they both sit on the cold ground trying to catch their breath.

“Thank you for saving me Jiub. I am sorry I went mad earlier on it must be that ash chancre you were telling me about. I guess I still have more to learn about this place don’t I?” Taillus says as he looks down at his quivering hands.

“Take off your armor Taillus. There is blighted blood on it from that forsaken creature and I won’t be able to cure you of that disease until you are away from it.” Jiub says as he gets a bottle from his travel pack.

Taillus nods in agreement as he begins to remove his armor. He drops all of the pieces at his feet before rotating his arm in circles trying to rid himself of the stretched feeling from holding on to the ledge for so long.

“It is true that you have much to learn about Morrowind. You are on the correct track though. I would not be so ready to trust others. You see, Morrowind is a place that one must kill or be killed, a sort of survival of the strongest. You must be weary of people that gain money from conning it out of honest folk or the people that must steal just to feed themselves.” Jiub states as he opens the bottle and walks towards Taillus.

“Yes my friend. It is a very cruel place we are in. But I am sure things will work out perfectly fine....for me!” Jiub snarls as he downs the bottle before Taillus.

“Mmmm, Greef. Not quite my favorite drink but it really hits the spot!” Jiub says as he wipes his mouth and an evil smile crosses his face.

"You must have thought that this was the cure for your blight disease. The look on your face is quite priceless I must say." Jiub chuckles.

“I may have lost that beautiful treasure but at least I can get quite a sum of gold from your armor over there.” Jiub laughs as he watches the surprise grow across Taillus’ face. As Taillus opens his mouth to speak, Jiub swings a kick at his legs taking them out from under him and knocking him to the ground. Taillus lands hard on his arm and winces in pain as he looks up at Jiub.

“There is no shame in being swindled Taillus, your mind is young and impressionable. It is too bad however that a young man as strong and talented as you will not get a second chance to learn from his mistake. This is the end of the road my friend. I have a recall spell waiting for me!” Jiub growls as he kicks Taillus in the ribcage.

“And that is for kicking me when I was down!” Jiub yells before giving Taillus one more kick sending him off the ledge that he was previously holding on to and proceeds to watch him fall into the consuming darkness below….

**That ends Chapter 3 I will post the next installment as soon as it is cleaned up and proofread about a thousand more times. **

Well Taillus I must say that this story truly stands among the best I've read here at W4O. Definately a must read, a unique beginning and twists and turns throughout it keep readers guessing. I never know what to expect and I'm never dissappointed by this one. That said, this chapter was pure gold and I'm looking forward to the next so update soon.

Oh, the evil thruth is finally revealed. If I didn't knew about your excelent fight between Taillus and Xander, I would be worried about the fall. Now I'm only worried about whether or not he really has a disease from the Cliffracer. And I'm worried about how long that proofreading will take.

Ps: I should've seen it coming though. Cause how else did Jiub get all the nice goodies like that elemental sword? Things just went too well for the treacherous Dunmer.

hey thanks everyone for all of the praise on this chapter I had almost as much fun writing this chapter as I did with the fight between Taillus and Xander. But I have to say I am so excited to post Chapter 4 it is my pride and joy so far. It will be a major piece on the storyline and it is ready to hit the forums. Just one more read and it will be up...... like in the next handful of minutes!

I'm glad to know that the next bit will be up soon, I can hardly wait.

So Jiub turns out to be an evil swindler. Since we do have a good bit of foreshadowing, we know that somehow Taillus emerges from his nightmare, so I'm looking forward to seeing Jiub get what is coming to him. I'm definitely looking forward to chapter 4 of this increasingly amazing story.