Hello all, and thanks for sticking with me here. As you may or may not have known, my hands are battling a pretty nasty bout of Carpal Tunnel and my typing skills have really gone down the drain. This little comment in blue here has taken me much longer to accomplish than I would like to admit but in wishing I could end this tale for you all and not leave you hanging, I was surprised to see that I already had Chapter 7 completed some time ago. So without further ado....Chapter 7. (The last Full Chapter in the series) Sorry for the long read By the way.
“So you’re telling me that I was actually possessed by a Daedric Prince?” Taillus confirms with an air of utter confusion. I knew it would take him quite some time to understand the bulk of the events of the past. He was trying as hard as he could to absorb as much information as he possibly could until finally Telina grabbed him by the head, grabbed me as well and began to close her eyes. She was going to lend my information to Taillus, instilling it into his mind until it became common knowledge to him. Before long, Taillus’ eyes began to water, finally coming to terms with the damages he has caused.
I watched as more and more information was being fed to him. His eyes welled up, completely crushed by his actions. We told him that no one would blame him for what he had done. He was a prisoner in his own body and was forced to kill and steal the souls of others by a greater power than all of us. I also decided to inform him that it wasn’t too late for him to repent for his evils and become a changed and better man.
I had also planned a trip back to Vvardenfel so that Taillus could see the damages he caused himself. I thought that such a trip would do him well, and that he could start his road to forgiveness there. I also would send my Blue Lions on a clean up mission, allowing us to travel from city to city in that ravaged Province, repairing the mess that the evil Taillus had made.
Telina informed me that she was needed back in Morrowind as well. She had left her duties and responsibilities behind and the sooner we could go back there the better. Finally, the last piece of information that was the deciding factor for me to travel back was that fact that Merin was hiding something from me ever since the Blue Lions had come to my aid. My second in command and secret lover told me when we were alone that we had two young, twin children waiting for me who were now in the care of a close friend. The anger I felt because of Merin hiding this from me was overwhelmed by the joy of me being a father. We embraced, confessing that we had missed each other so much and it was true even though we were so proficient at keeping our relationship such a well guarded secret I had never mentioned it to anyone.
I was excited to travel back to Vvardenfel with the Lions, Telina and Taillus. It would prove to be a very beneficial step for us all. I was looking forward to seeing my children, my twin baby boy and girl. I learned on the boat ride back that my son was named Torin Moorcroft and my daughter, Lilah Moorcroft and that they were just over one and a half years old. It seems that Merin gave birth just after I was sent to the Imperial Prison and she led the fight to have me released even though it did not succeed. I thanked her as well as the rest of my Lions who by now were full aware of the relationship between Merin and I and we shared stories of our adventures, all of us until we hit the docks of Ebonheart.
“This is going to be good for all of us. To be able to repair some damages done, lending a hand where needed is what sets us apart from most other factions. The people here need us more than we could ever imagine and we cannot let them down. We need to bring these cities out of the depression they’re facing and make this the Vvardenfel we all know and love. I will be spending some time with Taillus, showing him some of the sights, letting him see some of the pain he has caused and hopefully we can meet up with each other in Balmora in three day’s time.” I state as the Lions assemble to carry out their mission without me yet again. I knew that they understood that Taillus had to realize the extent of what he had done in the past and in doing so, we could gain a very promising ally.
As Taillus and I traveled by way of Silt Strider, some things were beginning to come back to him. He told me the story of how he landed in Seyda Neen so long ago and how he had instantly disliked the thought of Silt Striders and bonemold armor. We laughed at how different the culture was in Morrowind as compared to the overly Imperial influence of Cyrodiil. Personally I preferred it here in Morrowind. There were so many interesting places to visit and I respect as well as admire the Dunmer culture. Sure they have faults but what race doesn’t? It was the imperfections that made this land what it is and I would call this place home in an instant.
Taillus began telling me that there were too many bad thoughts and memories of this place to count and this is what was keeping him from liking Vvardenfel. He could remember how twisted and polluted he thought it all was and that it was so unforgiving and unfair. I tried telling him that the whole world was unkind and unfair sometimes but he decided to give me a specific example so that I could see where he was going with his thoughts.
“The true reason why I hate this place as much as I do is because of the events that happened as soon as I got off the boat to Seyda Neen. I had made a friend on the lower decks of that boat, a fellow prisoner who was headed somewhere after my stop. He remained below deck as they dragged me off the ship and I could remember the crew members talking about how gruesome their next step was going to be. I decided to try and save my friend, and actually succeeded but in the weeks following I had learned that no one wanted to be my friend. The man whose life I saved only betrayed me, almost killing me in the process and that is where I was ambushed by Molag Bal.” Taillus explains as he watches the ground pass by from his perch atop the silt strider.
I could pretty much imagine the rest of the story and it made me feel quite sorry for Taillus. It seemed as though he was nothing but a young, pure-hearted adventurer who got caught up in an unfortunate series of events. There is no telling what he could have done with himself if he had only taken another path. What if he didn’t save his prisoner friend? What if he had just minded his own, and left that prisoner to die? Would he have become the evil Taillus I was faced with or would he have just become another adventurer to meet his end trying to acquire some valuable treasure?
It is really too bad that I had to take Taillus on this journey, showing him all the lives he had ruined, all the damages he had caused but I was certain that he would become a better man because of it and I was also confident that I would learn quite a bit about this man in the process.
When we finally arrived in Balmora, we found it to be in worse shape than I remembered. The Lions, who were traveling by boat were a bit late, leaving Taillus and I to arrive first. After explaining to Taillus that he did not cause all of this I began to wonder what did.
We both entered town through the Silt Strider station to see that most of the buildings had not been able to withstand what ever had devastated this place. The entire store district was in ruins and the guard towers had since toppled over onto nearby buildings. It seemed that the whole city had been invaded by sources unknown and I was about to find out what had happened.
Taillus immediately jumped to action without even so much as a slight direction from me. He pulled loose some smoldering debris, kicking blocked doors open and helped what remained of the civilian population escape from their own burning and crumbling homes. I quickly went to work mending wounds and healing those that Taillus pulled from the wreckage as he continued searching through the buildings for more survivors. After only a short while I watched as the rest of the Lions arrived to help us. Merin aided me in healing and mending wounds as the others cleaned up the mess that obviously only happened recently.
Thick smoke billowed from three-quarters of the buildings in Balmora and all of the trees and other foliage were burned black. I could see the remains of some of the town law enforcement, their charred armor and weapons only remain. Their bonemold armor barely withstood whatever assaulted this place and their bodies were now only ashes in their boots. Something or someone was here not even days before us who wielded enough power to decimate a whole city. The only person I could think of that would be able to do this had been my prisoner up until only recently…which gave me nothing to go on.
It was a dire mystery for all of us but luckily and unluckily at the same time, all we had to do was follow the trail of mindless destruction. It seems that what or whoever did this was destroying things without reason in a path that was reminiscent of Taillus’ rampage.
As we finished doing all we could in Balmora, we all had decided to set out on the trail that was laid out for us. I could see a clear path made by the unstoppable force involved and could not fathom for the life of me what had the potency to do this. As if some fiery, violent storm had passed, setting down like a tornado upon Balmora; but this was no storm, no act of nature. Whatever this was, it was as evil as they come and we all had to find it, stopping it before all of Vvardenfel is lain to waste.
It was without a doubt someone under the influence of a higher power had done this and in talking to survivors from Balmora after they had been mended and healed enough to speak, I learned that no one had any warning at all. They could remember a lone figure in the darkness that preached that the souls of the mortals were now the property of the evil one and that the second wave of his lord Molag Bal had begun with Balmora. They expressed their anguish over the fact that their fair town had just finished repairing the damages caused over two years ago and that they wished it would all just go away.
I could see Taillus sinking in his boots with grief. Hearing the survivors talking about the damages he caused them a time ago; I could tell that he was truly heartbroken and he wished so much to right the wrongs he had caused in the past. After leaving Balmora and pursuing the trail of the madman responsible for the rampage I was told by Taillus that he wished to confront this being and slay him as a starting point for his path to salvation.
I congratulated him on his bravery and responsibility but also assured him that he would have the help of myself as well as all of the Blue Lions. I wasn’t about to see this monster terrorize the innocent people of Vvardenfel and it would mark my final battle before settling down. I was beginning to feel the strain of many years of fighting and my body wished so much to be able to rest. I would grant myself that wish, enabling me to raise my new family and leave this hero business for others.
“If only I still had a link to Molag Bal. To be able to communicate with him could give us some insight as to who was causing all of this.” Taillus starts.
“But I guess if I still had ties with Molag Bal…It would be me causing the destruction, would it not?” Taillus finishes as he looks over to me as we all march forward in search of Vvardenfel’s evil enemy. I nod in agreement while also thinking about what we were faced with. If Molag Bal was focusing more on another pet to do his dirty work, then I would think that this new evil would have to be stronger then Taillus. If this is so, then we are all in very grave danger. I also wondered if Telina had heard of this chaos and if so, would she try to confront me? The only thing I was certain of, was that I wasn’t about to leave this place until I defeated whatever on earth this evil was!
I could also tell that Taillus himself was feeling as determined as I was. Together we made an excellent team and when also aided by my Blue Lions we were really a force to be reckoned with. It is just too bad that this wasn’t exactly the case.
Days passed as we all traveled by foot. Passing by villages and cities as we tracked the trail of destruction leading us to an evil the likes we all have probably never witnessed in our entire lives. Each stop in each city as we progressed had different tales of how they just barely survived the single man that passed through their town. A young girl that we found in Caldera told a tale of how a dark man with glowing red eyes stepped foot in their town with a dark robe the color of the night sky holding a book bound with evil. His voice echoed, passing through each building as if it was being spoken in their minds. She was told to take cover in a secret cubby deep beneath her home and she saw her father run outside, pickaxe in hand to help the law officials fight off the invader. She could hear their screams as her mother ushered her into the cubby and she closed her eyes and covered her ears until we found her.
The stories were similar every town we made our way to. Each time, no one was able to stop the death and destruction caused by this one man. We were still oblivious as to who could create such chaos but something was sparked in Taillus at our next stop. After sifting through the debris in Ald’ruhn, Taillus stood wide-eyed at a painting on the remnants of a building wall made of a paste mixed with Ashland dust and water.
We all could see the painting as it stood near life size to us. The painter of the horrid image was cold and had his life removed from him. His fingers and clothing were soiled with the different crude paints but luckily he had remained among the living long enough to heed a warning to anyone who had passed through this spot. The large chunk of wall remained untouched almost as if the one who had destroyed this city wanted us to see it. The whole building was rubble at our feet except for this piece.
Along its decorated surface, a story of sorts as our eyes followed the painting from left to right. A lone city with a large, black, human-like shadow cast over it. Next came the city, now on fire with little black charred bodies in the streets. Lastly, the final image was that of a dunmer face with a deep scar across his eye. Just as my eyes met those of the Dunmer in the painting, a sound from behind us caught everyone’s attention. As I looked over my shoulder, I could see a cloaked figure standing not even twenty feet from my own position.
The figure stood still, until he saw that we were all turned to face him. The Blue Lions had already had their weapons drawn at the sound behind them, and I had readied a fire spell as I was turning myself. Before us was a slender, grey skinned dunmer that looked identical to the painting we had viewed not even seconds ago. The man had yet to move but rather waited for one of us to instead.
“Jiub! What is this!?” Taillus booms as he clenches his fists in anger. I look to my new ally, realizing that he knows this man from somewhere and I hoped to the divines that he wasn’t more powerful than us.
Without even saying a word, the Dunmer I now know as Jiub, raised a clawed hand and extended his fingers. With his gaze fixed on Taillus, I watched as the newly reformed Taillus was cast backwards through the wall decorated with the painting, reducing it to dust in a mere instant.
“Who are you, Jiub?!” I shout as my fire magicka wells up in my hand. The Dunmer looks uninterested, his gaze still fixed on where Taillus had stood. I was beginning to grow impatient at this man’s lack of interest and wished to make sure he was hearing me as best he could. Like a poised mountain lion I darted forward, pressed my opened palm to his chest and released a fire magic I could only wish to have conjured when I was fighting evil Taillus.
Flames seemed to spew from my opened hand as they engulfed the Dark Elf, vaporizing his hooded cloak in a fraction of a second. Before the spell had even wore off, I reached to my left, drew my katana and let it dance across the Dunmer’s exposed chest leaving deep lacerations all over his torso. Too bad though, it was like fighting with a shadow…
From the deep gashes that littered Jiub’s torso flowed a black, red and charcoal colored liquid. It trickled down his body before consuming him in what looked like a living set of Daedric armor. Constantly shifting and adjusting itself on his body, it looked like some sort of animated metal, not unlike mercury that hardened at his own will. The armor trickled down his still extended arm before replacing his bare hand with a clawed demon hand that was clad in the same living metal as the rest of his body.
“Yes, I am the one Taillus knows as Jiub but that is not my real identity. I am the true servant of Molag Bal and am here to right the wrongs done by the failure. The failure, or Taillus, was growing in strength just as Molag Bal was anticipating but he still had human emotions interfering with his progress. I was sent here to aid him in his quest for true power and thought I had succeeded in doing so. He had even destroyed my previous body in an altercation, making me certain that he was ready to do Molag Bal’s bidding but he was cast out of this world by you!” Jiub explains in a raspy voice that sounded as if his words were being spoken by a large number of people. His voice, or voices echoed in my head as he spoke, sending chills down my spine.
“While waiting for a new host body that would enable me to go back to Vvardenfel, I was surprised to find that Taillus had become so powerful, he was able to bring Molag Bal to his knees. Molag Bal gave him a portal to Mehrunes Dagon’s realm and acted as though he had severed his link to our little project but it was all just another phase in our test. We freed Taillus in hopes that he would gather more souls and he did just that. Taillus was able to conquer the souls of hundreds of Daedra, fueling him even further but he was still defeated by you!” Jiub shouts as his gaze now turns to me.
“Time and time again, Taillus was defeated by you so finally, my master Molag Bal severed his link with the failure and averted his attention back to me, where it belonged. Now I will succeed where Taillus had failed. I will kill you Xander, and take all of the souls of this pathetic Province in the name of Molag Bal!” The Dunmer explodes before bursting into a fit of maniacal laughter.
I watch as the living armor continues to swirl and shift around Jiub’s body. I had to discover a weakness or a flaw in it if anyone was to bring the Dunmer down. Around me stood my entire team of Lions who I was blessed to have at my side but I knew, and they all knew that we were all outclassed by this man…Greatly outclassed. Jiub looks to his right hand as the liquid armor begins to trickle down from his knuckles forming the blade of a daedric sword. It seemed to respond to his thoughts, being able to shape itself into anything Jiub desired which made it the most powerful weapon on the planet. I wondered about its limits. What it was and wasn’t able to create and how far it could be manipulated. Learning as much as I could about this weapon would be the key to all of our survival.
The evil, cackling maniac began walking towards me as the blade finished forming from his knuckles. He didn’t want to waste any time with my comrades, instead focusing on myself for the moment. I gripped my blade tightly as Jiub approached and I wished I still had another arm so that I could ready a spell as well. How was I going to defeat a man who could generate four extra arms if he wished where I had only one…No, I am not going to think like that! Jiub is not going to survive no matter how alive his armor is!
Just as I held my blade and braced myself for Jiub’s first attack, I was astounded to find that he had been bluffing me badly. I watched as his hand, with the newly created blade went from its position over my head to down at his side, seconds before his other hand was brought forward, lightly tapping my chest. As if he was moving like liquid, he quickly scraped a leg across the ground and beside me, knocking my own feet out from under me. I then realized that the light tap from his free hand was a paralyze spell.
I landed hard on my side, unable to move as my blade fell from my opened hand. My head ricocheted off the ground but my mouth wasn’t able to produce a sound of pain. I could only watch as Jiub seemed to spin around inside his armor, letting it re-form around his body once again. It was like seeing someone molding clay. A thick, oily, black clay that could solidify on command. I watched helplessly as Jiub sketched forward in the direction of my Blue Lions as another blade formed in his left hand to match the one on his right.
Lance stepped in front of his comrades, first in line to square off against Jiub who simply smiled at my best swordfighter. Lance pulled a long halberd from his back and quickly jumped back a step, allowing the tip of his pole-arm to touch Jiub’s neck.
“One more step pal, I dare you!” Shouts Lance, ready to defend his friends at a moment’s notice as my two twin High Elf archers, Sara and Tara draw their heavenly elven bows from their backs before loading shimmering gold arrows into their hands. Jiub seems unimpressed at my team’s dedication to each other and his cold, red gaze remains fixed on Lance. He grins as the tip of the pole-arm digs into his armored neck, even leaning forward letting the sharp point dig into his armor even more.
I watch as Jiub opens his foul mouth, letting a black tongue slither out. I watch as it twirls around the length of Lance’s Halberd. Lance curls his nose in disgust and lets go as Jiub’s tongue reaches the end of the weapon before constricting and breaking it into splinters. Lance reacts by pulling a pair of short blades from his sides before dropping to his knees and burying the weapons into Jiub’s abdomen. My archers perform as if scripted to do so by releasing their arrows into the neck of our enemy.
Without warning, Gorag-Go’Tragurg, my finest blunt weapons expert leaps over all of the other Lions, landing before the feet of the gargling Jiub. The powerful Orc swings a mighty warhammer into Jiub’s waistline, sending him to the dusty ground at his own feet. I could feel the paralyze spell wearing off, giving me a small amount of mobility but I wanted to keep my eye on the fallen Jiub. There was no way he was defeated that quickly, no matter how well my team had performed.
By this point, Merin had run to my aid, helping me to my feet as the others gathered by the fallen Jiub to strike at the first sign of him moving. Merin and I watched as Jiub sprung to life, leaping high into the air as his armor re-calibrated itself. The Lions stepped back to allow the twin archers room to fire as they released another pair of golden arrows into Jiub’s upper torso but like all of the previous attacks, they really didn’t matter. The liquid, living armor just seemed to consume them, breaking them into splinters and leaving nothing behind. It was like weapons could pass through the armor as if it was made of scrib jelly but there seemed to be nothing to hit on the inside.
Jiub landed hard in the middle of the remaining Lions as a long, two ended pike formed in his hands from the animated armor. He was able to generate an endless supply of creative and unique weapons to aid him in claiming souls for Molag Bal. This weapon that consumed his body was epic! Unlike anything I have ever encountered before and unless we could get it off of Jiub, he would be unstoppable!
Not waiting for him to strike, I dashed into the middle of the circle formed by my Lions to meet Jiub. I would never be able to live with myself if one of my dear friends died protecting me. Without thinking, I rattled off the first spell I thought would work, blinding Jiub with a spell of light. The Lions covered their faces as an immense burst of light energy lit up the mid-day sky. Jiub chuckled as the living armor covered his eyes for him. It was as though the armor was thinking for him and he was just along for the ride. This was ridiculous! How were we going to even make a scratch on Jiub with this armor? All of my faith was quickly fading and my will to fight was all but gone. This was hopeless!
“Discouraged, Xander? You should be! I am Molag Bal’s greatest weapon and no mortal will get in my way of conquering this realm for my master! You pathetic fools have not the means nor do you have the wits to destroy me and I will take great pleasure in ripping the life from each of your friends before finally ending with you!” Jiub growls as he swings his double pike artfully before pointing it at my face.
“You’re forgetting someone you crooked honoured user!” A voice hisses as Taillus materializes out of almost nowhere, catching Jiub with an armored fist. Jiub staggers sideways from the force of the attack making the living armor splash from his face from the force of the impact, leaving Jiub only a fraction of a second to react before Taillus catches him in the mouth with another fierce fist.
As Taillus boxes our foe, I can sense the voice of Telina who explained in my head that she had teleported Taillus to safety allowing him to suit up and get ready for battle. She then brought him back as good as new, ready to repent for his once murderous ways.
“He was always a truly pure soul behind the clouds made by Molag Bal.” Telina adds as she appears beside me as we watch Taillus manhandle Jiub with his bare hands.
“I peered into his mind for a while as he was getting ready and he truly wants to make up for what he has done. He also feels deeply sorry for the pain he has caused you, Xander. He seeks your forgiveness, and would die in your place any day. He is not like the Taillus you used to know, I hope you realize this. He is now, the real Taillus. The Taillus everyone should have known and he is for once, on your side.” Telina finishes as she places an arm on my shoulder.
After watching Taillus exchange blows with Jiub, and noticing that Jiub was not even the least bit fazed by Taillus’ attacks, I asked a favor of Telina. I wanted her to take the Lions away. I appreciated their help but I wanted them all safe, especially Merin. I thanked Telina for everything she has done for me, Taillus and the rest of the Lions before gripping her in a one-armed hug. Telina smiled, thanking me for finally becoming a hero and digs into her robes for a final gift.
“This is a gift from Aeriandala and her colleagues. She wanted me to give this to you before we parted ways.” Telina explains before handing me the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. She instructs me to put it on right away seeing as how she was direly excited as to what it was.
I had to admit, it had me wondering as well so I quickly fumbled with it until I finally slid the ring down the length of my right thumb. A magical aura fluttered around my body, making me feel quite queasy but the result was well worth any sickness that I could ever feel. As the magicka dissipated, we were all blown away to see my left arm, clad in the most intricate armor I have ever laid my eyes on. Accompanying my newly restored arm was a full suit of shining armor similar to what I had imagined inside of Taillus’ mind.
The loud applause from my friends was interrupted by a vision of Aeriandala as she faded into view beside Telina.
“This is my gift to you, Xander. The ring gives you a full suit of armor fit for a king; and while you wear it, a bound left pauldron and gauntlet will act as naturally as any real arm would. Any man who has been holding the weight of the world on his shoulders deserves no less my child. Now go help your friend and beat that fiend senseless!” Aeriandala shouts before Telina casts her potent magicka on my dear friends fulfilling my final wish from her.
I watch as the Lions, with Telina lift into the air as if they could all levitate by themselves and soar out of sight, leaving me and Taillus to clean up the mess left by Molag Bal….