CHAPTER SIX: THE CHORROL DILEMMA

Jauffre

The reports Jauffre was reading were troubling, to say the least. Oblivion Gates had been mostly opening in rural areas, excluding the first one outside of Kvatch. Now, according to the information that had arrived earlier that morning, many were starting to open closer and closer to the larger cities, especially in southern Cyrodiil. Bravil was in the most immediate danger with a gate half an hour from its walls. I'll have to send a detachment of Blades to start handling these; Mikhail would be best to lead them, what with him having the most experience in the Deadlands, but he is still collecting the blood of the Daedra.

A light knocking on his office door startled Jauffre. He slid the reports under the heaping pile of papers on his desk and combed down what little hair he had, hoping that he looked at least somewhat professional. "Come in."

The door opened and Martin entered, followed by Kole and the boy's gray pup, which, if he recalled, was named Wolfy. Jauffre expected Baurus to be close behind but he wasn't. This struck Jauffre as odd since he hadn't seen the two of them separated almost at all in the three weeks that Baurus had been back. I hope nothing bad has happened.

Jauffre waved his hand to the chairs in front of his desk, prompting Martin and Kole to sit down. Kole had one of the wooden sparring weapons in his hand; Martin had the Mysterium Xarxes and a staff Jauffre had never seen before in his. "I wasn't expecting any visits so early this morning," Jauffre said. "Is there something wrong."

"No," Martin said. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and thick trousers instead of his normal priest robes. "Quite the contrary, actually. I've uncovered the next step in creating a portal to Camoran's Paradise earlier this morning."

"That's great news," Jauffre said. "We'll find someone to collect whatever needs to be collected. Hopefully Mikhail will return soon with the—"

"Blood of the Daedra?" Martin asked. "He just arrived a few minutes ago with this." He placed the staff on Jauffre's desk. "The Wabbajack, a Daedric artifact created by Sheogorath."

Jauffre scooted his chair back nervously. Years of living in Weynon Prior had strengthened his faith in the Nine Divines, but in turn had made him even more cautious of anything Daedra-related. The Oblivion Crisis hadn't exactly helped with his paranoia about the topic, neither did Martin reading from the book written by the Daedric Prince of Destruction.

"Ahh... well... good." Jauffre cleared his throat, attempting to also clear his nerves. It didn't work. "We'll have to make sure we put it somewhere nice and safe... and out of sight."

"The second item need to open the portal is the counterpart to the first," Martin began, pretending for Jauffre's sake not to notice that the Breton's hands were getting clammy. "The blood of a Divine. I was hoping that you would have an idea about how we could obtain such a thing, as I have none."

Mikhail and Baurus entered the room a second after Martin had stopped talking. Baurus moved to behind the chair that Kole sat in while Mikhail leaned against the wall to Jauffre's left.

"Perhaps the translation is more literal than we think," Jauffre said, an idea forming in his mind as he spoke. "The armor of your ancestor, Tiber Septim, was hidden inside the ancient tombs of Sancre Tor. The Blades thought it an appropriate place, since it was there that he found the Amulet of Kings. I'm sure that, even after all this time, there would be traces of his blood on the armor."

"But would that blood be good?" Mikhail asked. "The blood on that armor would belong to Talos, the mortal. Not Talos, the Ninth Divine."

Jauffre shrugged. "The only other Aedric artifact I can readily think of are the Gauntlets of Stendarr, which are supposedly stuck to the floor of the chapel in Chorrol. They had once belonged to Pelinal Whitestrake, the Shezzarine warrior that fought as Alessia's champion during the human rebellion against the elves. Pilgrims from all across Tamriel have tried to lift them, but known have yet to have been successful. Hopefully the gods will believe now is an acceptable time to allow them to be picked up."

"I've seen those gauntlets before, when we would visit my wife's sister in Chorrol," said Baurus with a small amount of despair in his voice. "Your words are true; they would not budge no matter how hard I pulled. I think we should just go for the armor instead, and not fail with the gauntlets then have to double back to Sancre Tor. Time, as we all know, is not a luxury we can afford."

"I agree," Martin said. "I'd rather put my faith into my ancestor's armor than heavy gloves."

Jauffre sighed, having remembered a small detail that had slipped his mind. "Whoever goes to gather the blood of the Aedra will have to go to Chorrol, one way or another. A key to open the tombs of Sancre Tor has been handed down from one Grandmaster to another. I had brought it with me to Weynon Priory and, in the chaos of the Mythic Dawn attack and the theft of the Amulet of Kings, had left it there. The tomb was enchanted to only unlock with that key, and that key only."

"Could the Mythic Dawn have taken it?" Mikhail asked.

"I have no clue," Jauffre admitted. "I thought the hiding spot I had chosen for the amulet had been secure. All of us being here today proves that wasn't the case. If they were looking for it, I'm sure they would've found it."

"Why not make a new key?" Kole asked innocently, likely having understood very little of the conversation. Had the child been older, Jauffre would have been worried about speaking Blade secrets in front of him. He'll likely forget all of this as he grows older.

Baurus lightly patted his son on the shoulders. "It's not that simple, Kole. The door will open only to the original key, unless we could manage to recreate the magic on a new key." He looked up at Jauffre curiously. "That isn't an option, is it?"

"Sadly, no. We would need to bring a mage to Sancre Tor with a key that would naturally fit in the door. Getting such a key would take a lot of time, as would finding a mage skilled enough to do it."

"Then it looks like Chorrol is our destination," Mikhail said. He managed a small smile. "My destination is probably more accurate."

Baurus shook his head. "I will go with you. I have some business to take care of in Chorrol, as long as you don't need me here, Martin."

"I understand," Martin said. "I'm sure I will be safe considering there are two dozen Blades here at almost all times."

Kole looked up at his father. "Can I go with you, Daddy?"

"You'll need to stay here. The roads aren't safe for a young one."

The boy obviously didn't like the decision, judging by the frown on his face, but Kole didn't argue. Instead, he nodded reluctantly. "I'll train everyday until you and Mommy return."

"Wait, what?" Baurus asked, confused.

"You said Mommy was visiting Aunt Becka in Chorrol," Kole reminded him. "Aren't you going there to bring her here?"

Baurus gulped. Jauffre had advised to the younger Blade that he should tell his son what happened to Constance, so he didn't feel bad that he was now caught in his web of lies. Mikhail, who had agreed with Jauffre, had a more forgiving expression than Jauffre could offer.

"I..." Baurus's voice trailed off. "I'll try to son. I will."

Both Mikhail and Jauffre shook their heads in disappointment. Martin simply looked away.

It was quiet for a while. Eventually Mikhail pushed himself off of the wall and headed for the door. "I'm gonna grab a quick bite to eat. Meet me by the gates when you are ready to head out."

"Wait up," Baurus said. "Kole and I will join you."

The two Blades, the Redguard child, and his dog all left Jauffre's office a moment later. Martin opened his mouth, but he closed it again, deciding that whatever he was going to say to Jauffre wasn't that important. He picked up the Wabbajack—much to Jauffre's relief—and left the office as well.

"Kids..." Jauffre sighed, part of him wishing that he would have spent the last years of his life in Weynon Priory in peace and solitude. The other part, however, enjoyed being back in the game. Life in the Priory might have been safe, but it was dull. It's a shame that there had to be a Daedra invasion to reinvigorate this old man.

With nothing better to do, he pulled the reports back out and began sorting how many Blades would be sent to the cities in the most immediate danger.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A shorter chapter this time. Mostly this was a filler between the Blood of the Daedra and the Blood of the Divines quests, but I also wanted to get Baurus to Chorrol as soon as possible.

Until next time, leave me a review. Perhaps detailing your favorite thing about this chapter, or any of them for that matter.