Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 5: Oblivion Gate
The sun started to set when they reached the border of Skingrad, where Maximus decided to make a camp there. He unloaded a few things from the back of the horse to make sure the beast get a rest he deserved, while Cicero went to the bush to collect firewood and lighted them with his fire spell. After they had a dinner with some roast venison, Cicero went again to find some herbs for potion making. Luckily, he brought some alchemy apparatus with him. He then shared the potions with Maximus, which is the healing and fatigue potions that were very useful for a fighter, while he kept some potions of sorcery to keep his magicka full.
He sat beside Maximus, seeing him staring at the fire. "Are you alright, General?" His question found no answer as Maximus drifted in his thoughts.
"Maximus?" This time, Maximus found himself back to reality. Cicero barely called him with his name, so hearing that surely caught his attention.
"I'm fine, Cicero." He answered with a straight face.
"You're worried. I can see that. There's something on your mind." Cicero said, analyzing the man next to him.
"It's just Claudia and Octavius. It's been a while after the last time I saw them. Back when I was alive, I could go for months without seeing them. But now after experiencing death and be reunited with them, suddenly there's a fear if losing them. Do you feel the same, Cicero?" said Maximus. His time in prison clearly gave him numerous kinds of emotion, the ones he never felt in ages and now, the trees and the stars in the wild made a perfect setting to think about many things.
He came here without any clear idea about anything, but now getting orders to do stuff gave him the sense of responsibility. Well of course, as a member of the fighters guild, he was no stranger to duty and responsibility. But this one felt more important because the fate of the world might depend on his actions.
"I uh... I'm not sure how to answer that, I didn't have family back then. My father left me when I was young, then my mother died a few years later. I lived on the street until you found me. My life here is pretty much the same. Perhaps if there are something precious to me, it's you, your family, our friends. How are they, your family, i mean?" Cicero answered after sharing a bit of his feeling.
"I hope they're fine in Bravil. Claudia is an excellent trader, she runs an honest business and the people like her. And Octavius, he's really a splitting image of his father. He joined the Fighters Guild, although he's still an apprentice, taking jobs like pest exterminations. Sometimes i fear for his safety, but after a couple years, I stop trying to warn him because he's an adult now. I just hope he won't end up on the wrong side of the law." Maximus finished as he taking a sip from a bottle of wine.
Suddenly, Cicero stood up with fire in his eyes. "Don't worry, General. If mages guild ever wants me to harm you or your family, I will gladly leave them. You know where my loyalty is, believe me."
Maximus let out a laugh when he saw his friend doing that. His loyalty never ceased to amuse him.
"No, I don't think they'll do something like that. They're smart people, so it's unlikely they are against us when we tried to restore the empire they live in. But I thank you, Cicero, for being with me. And please, call me Maximus. I'm no longer a general, especially here." Maximus said with a smile, then sighed as he looked up to the night sky.
"Look, it's late already. Let's have some sleep. Tomorrow we won't stop until we reach Kvatch, so let's not waste our strength, Cicero." said Maximus before laid down to rest his head, then Cicero did the same.
They woke up early in the morning and continued heading west to Kvatch. The forest is calm with the occasional sound of birds, but Maximus still made the horse to run for he knew the person he's looking for was in great danger. When they were near the city, they saw people in the tents, some got bruises and burn marks. The women tried to calm their children and the elders were resting. Maximus was started by what he saw. They should not be here in the first place because this was just the outskirt of the city. The city was up on the hill, he knew this from the earlier contracts. He decided to ask one of them when he saw a male Altmer ran towards them.
"Come on! Run while there's still time! The Guard still holds the road, but it's only a matter of time before they're overwhelmed!" He panted after sprinting towards Maximus and Cicero.
"What is going on? Why is everyone here, outside the city?" asked Maximus, getting off the horse, followed by Cicero soon after.
"Gods' blood, you don't know, do you?! Daedra overran Kvatch last night! There were glowing portals outside the walls! Gates to Oblivion itself! There was a huge creature... something out of a nightmare... came right over the walls... blasting fire. They swarmed around it... killing..." the Altmer continued, Maximus could see the fear clearly in his face. This one definitely saw some horror he never saw before. People don't react like that on daily basis, except in extreme situations.
Cicero came up beside Maximus, "That is not possible. Surely the whole city can't be destroyed."
"You don't believe me? Were you here last night? No? Then go and see for yourself! Kvatch is a smoking ruin! We're all that's left, do you understand me? Everyone else is dead!" He shot back at Cicero, feeling more frustrated by the minute.
Maximus looked up at the smoke that rose to the sky. He worried his mission was ended prematurely. "How could you escape from the city along with these people?"
"It was Savlian Matius... some of the other guards... helped some of us escape... they cut their way out, right through the city gates. Savlian says they can hold the road. No... no, I don't believe him. Nothing can stop them. If you'd seen it, you'd know... I'm getting out of here before it's too late! They'll be here any minute, I'm telling you. Run while you can!"
Then the Altmer run away downhill from the two, but Cicero grabbed his tunic. "Wait a minute, what is your name? Perhaps we can help-?
"Why does it matter? There's nothing left here for me. I'm getting out as soon as I can. Help the others if you want," he interrupted Cicero's words, then continued to run away from Kvatch.
With his departure, Maximus and Cicero didn't have another option but to keep going uphill towards the camp. Moaning and grunting soon be heard from all around them. These people need a treatment for the wounds. They started walking for a minute until a Nord woman approached them.
"Are you from the legion? Please help us, there are so many injured people and I've been making healing potion all night, trying to save them. I could use some help here."
Cicero moved to the front to the woman, he wanted to help with his skill, but his heart told otherwise. "I'm sorry, Miss, I want to help you, really. But we are on an urgent matter, to be honest. Do you know a man named Martin?" He asked the woman who felt disappointed of not having help she expected.
"Well, I didn't see him anywhere in this camp, perhaps Savlian Matius could help you more."
She mentioned the name again. "He must be the man in charge of the defense. I must see him right away if I want to see this mission succeeded." Maximus thought to himself.
"Thank you for you information, Miss. But we'll be on our way now. Come now, Cicero. Let's move again." He called Cicero as he waved his hand.
They climbed uphill for some time and then they noticed something strange happening. The weather was acting unnaturally. The sky became red as blood and there were the sound of thunder across the crimson sky. The plant withered, and in place of trees, there were some kind of weird, brown vines coming from the ground. The top of the hill was not far ahead, and then they saw it. A massive and horrible gate that spewing fire, the land around it was dead and had a color like the cold lava. There was also a barricade stood between the gate and Maximus. Some soldiers guarded the gate with their swords unsheathed. One of them walked to Maximus and Cicero.
"Stand back, civilian! This is no place for you. Get back to the encampment at once!"
"What is going on here?" Maximus asked him about the situation.
"We lost the damned city, that's what happened! It was too much, too fast. We were overwhelmed. Couldn't even get everyone out. There are still people trapped in there. Some made it into the Chapel, but others were just run down in the streets. The Count and his men are still holed up in the castle. And now we can't even get back into the city to help them, with that damned Oblivion Gate blocking the way." Savlian told him in frustration.
"Oblivion Gate? So that's what it is, huh? The Emperor really expected me to deal with this? Goblins and trolls are on thing, but this is a demonic realm for gods' sake!" Maximus looked to the gate with grim expression, feeling defeated.
"Maximus, what do we do now? How are we supposed to get inside the city with this infernal structure blocking the way?" Cicero asked him. Maximus was a general in his time on Earth, so asking about strategy was the only sensible thing to do.
"I'm not so sure right now. Perhaps you can give us some advice, Savlian. What's your call?" The answer was uncalled for. It's rare to see someone like him have no idea what to do. But the gate was not something he deal with every day.
"The only thing we can do. We'll try to hold our ground, that's what. If we can't hold this barricade, those beasts could march right down and overrun the encampment. I have to try and protect the few civilians that are left. It's all I can do now." Savlien murmured to the hopeless situation.
"What happened to Martin? Do you see him before this happened?" asked Cicero as he remembered the only reason why they were in that place.
"You mean the priest? Last I saw him, he was leading a group towards the Chapel of Akatosh. If he's lucky, he's trapped in there with the rest of them, at least safe for the moment. If he's not..." He stopped his sentence, trying not to think the worst-case scenario.
Maximus was thinking, weighing everything around them. How to get past the gate? How to get inside the city? How to bring Martin alive? Then he said to Savlian, "Let me and my friend go to the city to see if everybody is okay. We'll go around the gate, so we need you and your men to protect us."
"Understood, it seems you can take care of yourself. Our numbers are not many, but we'll do everything to claim our home back. And-"
Before he said anything else, there were a shout coming from behind them. Two men came running from the encampment. Seeing them made Maximus and Cicero's face overcame with joy. They were Juba and Hagen, from the Fighter Guild.
"Halt! Who are you people? What business do you have here?" A guard asked them out, certainly they didn't know them.
"We are from the Fighters Guild. We were not far from Kvatch when we saw the smoke. We come to investigate the source of the smoke." Hagen said to the guard.
"The Fighters Guild is here? This is good! We could use every man capable of fighting to help us defending the city." Savlian asked while running towards Juba and Hagen. But their answer brought his moral back down.
"Not the whole guild, we both are the only members here. But we still can help you out, right?" said Juba, who then smiled and hugged Maximus.
Then they saw the tiny man behind him, it was a face they never saw for a long time. "Hey! What do we have here? It's you, Cicero! It's so good to see you again. How are you?" It was Hagen to speak first, hugging Cicero, and because he was much taller than him, he accidentally lifted Cicero off the ground a few inches.
After being put down, Cicero greeted his friend with a smile drawn across his face, "I'm alright, Hagen. You two look like in a good company, with the Fighters Guild."
"I could say the same about you. You are from Mages Guild, I presume?"
Cicero simply nodded and then Maximus said, "The pleasantries could wait, but we have a trouble at the moment. We're trying to reach inside the city, I want you two to help Savlian here to back us up, while we get around the gate. Do you mind?"
Juba tried to hold a chuckle, then Hagen told Maximus, "Don't worry about us, Maximus. We can face whatever thrown at as from this...thing." He finished when he looked at the fiery gate in front of them.
Savlian led them to their position, as well as his men, in front of the barricade. Maximus and Cicero gathered their inner strength, preparing to run to the city gate. "Are you ready, Cicero?"
"Always, Maximus."
"Alright, then. On my mark, three, two, one, go!" They ran around the gate, then towards the Kvatch gate. As predicted, a horde of daedra poured out from the Oblivion Gate and started charging to them. Then Savlian ordered his men to attack them. Soon, they engaged them in combat. Hagen furiously smashed a stunted scamp in its head with his mithril warhammer, meanwhile Juba busied himself by stabbing another one with his elven shortsword on one hand and protecting himself with a silver shield on another. Some of the daedra who managed to escape from the defender shot a fireball to Maximus. The fire hit the ground not far from Maximus, then Cicero shot back with the fireball of his own. Showing a fined skill in sorcery, he shot multiple times, killing them, until finally, Maximus pushed the city gate and allowed them to get in.
Inside the city was no better than the outside. The buildings were in ruins, the walls became rubble, there were no recognizable structure other than the Chapel of Akatosh who seemingly untouched by the daedra. Moving to the chapel, Maximus and Cicero met another resistance, mostly stunted scamps and several clannfears. Cicero casted lightning spell on a clannfear, then Maximus killed it with a slash of his sword after the creature stunned to move. It was quickly becoming a pattern where Cicero gave the ranged attack and Maximus finished it with melee attack. Finally they made it to the chapel doors, wasting no time, they went inside and found a great numbers of people in there.
A Redguard guard in Kvatch uniform greeted them, "What's it like out there? We were beginning to fear we were the only survivors."
"Savlian Matius is holding the line, keeping the daedra from storming the refugee camp." Maximus told her.
"Oh, thank The Divines. It all happened so fast. It was all we could do to round up the survivors and try and get them to safety. We've failed them miserably. How did you get in the city?"
"We got some help to allow us pass the gate. Now, do you know someone named Martin here? Savlian told me I could find him in the chapel." Maximus asked the guard.
"You mean Brother Martin? He is right there, next to the altar."
"Thank you. May the Nine help us." He finished while going to the altar. The man she pointed to was appeared to be in his 40's, wearing a dark grey robe, with a shoulder long hair. He was talking to a female refugee.
Maximus approached him, while Cicero tried to catch his breath by sitting on the bench. The constant use of magic almost drained his magicka, so he took a gulp of one potion of sorcery.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, but I need to talk to the priest. It's important, sorry." The woman only nodded with a slight annoyed look on her face.
Maximus then faced the priest, "Are you Brother Martin?"
"Yes. I'm a priest. Do you need a priest? I don't think I'll be much help to you. I'm having trouble understanding the gods right now. If all this is part of a divine plan, I'm not sure I want to have anything to do with it." He replied with such a pessimistic attitude, turning his head a little bit.
"I'm not so sure about the so-called divine plan, but a friend told me to find you and get you out of here. You are in great danger." Maximus said, attempting to bring Martin with him.
"Of course I'm in danger. But I'm needed here. I can't leave. I assume you didn't risk your own life to come here to tell me something I already know. Who are you and what do you want?" Martin shot back, mocking Maximus' analysis.
Maximus' patience was running dry, he pushed Martin to a pillar, "Look, I have friends out there, defending against the daedra and I don't have a plan to lose any of my friends today. So you better listen to me very carefully. We have a plan to get these people out to safety. You must come with us."
Maximus scolded him, looking straight to his eyes. The other refugees started to look at them, wondering why was their priest being pinned by a stranger. The guards tried to intervene, but Cicero was quick enough to calm them down, telling that Maximus was just tired after going through all the danger outside.
"What plan? What are you talking about? I prayed to Akatosh all through that terrible night, but no help came. Only more daedra. What can you possibly know that would help me make sense of this? If you came to me for help, you're more of a fool than you look. Look around. What good is a priest?" Martin retorted quickly, which was not a good move because now, he really tried Maximus' patience.
Maximus closed his eyes for a second, trying not to shout at this man. "Let me explain it to you slowly so you understand." He took a deep breath to calm himself, "You are Emperor Uriel Septim's son. He was assassinated along with his other sons, and you are the only one remaining. That gate outside the city was opened to get you. So you have to come with us." He finished explaining the plan, trying to talk with the volume as low as possible to avoid unwanted attention.
"Emperor Uriel Septim? You think the emperor is my father? No, you must have the wrong man. I am a priest of Akatosh. My father was a farmer."
"No, the farmer was your adopted father. The emperor is your birth father."
"And the entire city is destroyed to get at me? Why? Because I'm the emperor's son?"
Maximus simply say "yes" to his question, making him very confused. He was not to blame, though. It was a lot of information to take, considering he lived his life, believing he was a simple priest, raised by a simple farmer.
Martin took a seat, scratching his un-itchy hair. His whole life was a lie, designed by somebody for some reason. Yesterday, he was just a priest who serve the people of Kvatch, spending his days praying to Akatosh, then the Oblivion Gate opened, and suddenly he was an heir to the Empire throne
He rose from the bench to meet Maximus again, "This is too much for me, but even if what you say is true, I won't abandon these people to their fate. I'll go with you when we can all leave here together."
Sure there were a lot of people in the chapel, and if they just went with Martin, it was unlikely the gate would close by itself. The refugee on the city outskirt and the guards at the barricade would be soon overwhelmed.
"I guess you're right, I have to do something about the gate. I'll be back soon, and when I do, you better choose wisely. Cicero, we're leaving." Maximus called him, as he went to the doors.
"We're leaving? How about Martin? He's not going with us?" Cicero asked.
"No, he can't leave those people alone while the gate is still opened. Let's head back to Savlian. Ready?"
The daedra had been spawned back from the Oblivion Gate. They were quickly replacing their fallen comrades, so Maximus and Cicero had to fight them again to reach the city gate. The fight was rather short after they rested for a while. When they reached the barricade, they could see Savlian and his men were wearing out from the battle. Some of his men were dead, others injured.
"How goes it? Did you find the priest? Is he alive?" asked Savlian.
"He is well, along with some refugees and guards. But they won't last much longer. The chapel will be breached by the incoming daedra. Is there any way to close this thing?" Maximus said, panted a little bit.
"I don't know how to close this Gate, but it must be possible, because the enemy closed the ones they opened during the initial attack. You can see the marks on the ground where they were, with the Great Gate right in the middle. I sent men into the Gate, to see if they could find a way to shut it. They haven't come back."
"So the only way to close it is from the inside? I think we have no choice. I'll go in there. Juba, you come with me, I don't know what I will encounter in there, so you will back me up. Cicero, stay here and help these men. Heal them and fight with them if you have to. Hagen, help Savlian defending their city as long as possible. If we don't come back, you must report this to the guild to bring reinforcement. Let's do this." Maximus finished gave them orders. Savlian look at the man with a newfound wonder. He commanded his friend with such authority, he must a veteran in the guild because leadership could only be learned through time in the battlefield.
Maximus was about to jump into the gate when Savlien called him, "Wait! One more thing, if you can, find out what happened to them. If they're alive, help them finish the job. If not, see what you can do on your own. The best I can say is, good luck. If you make it back alive, we'll be waiting for you."
Replying him, Maximus gave a simple nod before steeling himself as he and Juba walked into the fiery gate. The moment passed it, he felt the whoosh of fire swirling in his ear, then he fell to his knees. He felt like he's burning from the inside. The experience was even worse than when he travelled through Pluto's portal. On his left, Juba was screaming from the exact same feeling. They began to stand up after the sensation subsided.
All around them was a barren wasteland, not like those in Africa, because the soil beneath their feet felt so hot like the air and next to them, there was a lake that contained lava, instead of water. The sky was the same like the one in Kvatch, red like blood with screaming lightning, striking terror to anybody who heard it.
"I guess it's safe to say, we're not in Cyrodiil anymore." Juba murmured.
"We're not even in Tamriel anymore." Maximus replied plainly.
"Before coming the Kvatch, I was told by the emperor to close shut the jaws of Oblivion. I think we're in one. Mehrunes Dagon's to be exact. The Daedric Prince of Destruction," he continued.
"From what I've heard about the daedric cult, the Oblivion realm is the extension of its prince. So this one must be full of destruction-" Juba tried to speak, but interrupted by incoming fire by one of the scamp. The fire missed him, and they started to run to the direction of the attack. The scamp fired once again, but its attack was blocked with Juba's shield. Then Maximus lunged to separate its head from its body.
"And trying to kill us, too." Maximus added Juba's last sentence.
They continued to walk when they heard a sound of metal clashing. Not too far from them, a guard fought for his life against a clannfear. The creature pushed him hard, causing him to fall and release his sword. When it tried to finish him, Juba threw one of his daggers to its head, killing it instantly.
"Thank the Nine! I never thought I'd see another friendly face" The guard said to them, after Juba helped him get up.
"What's your name? What happened here? Where are the others?" Maximus asked.
"I'm Ilend Vonius. The others... taken... they were taken to the tower! Captain Matius sent us in to try and close the gate. We were ambushed, trapped, and picked off. I managed to escape, but the others are strewn across that bridge. They took Menien off to the big tower. You've got to save him! I'm getting out of here!"
"Get back to the gate, Captain Savlian is still there, guarding the barricade. Leave the rest to us."
"The Captain is still holding the barricade? I figured I was the last one left alive. Alright. I'll try to get out of here and let the Captain know what's going on."
After he ran back, Maximus and Juba continued walking towards the said tower. It was a massive tower, soaring in the center of the island. A few daedras later, they reached the door. They walked inside and saw a big fire pit in the center of the room, shooting the fire upward. Another scamp attacked them, Maximus jumped to avoid getting hit by the fire, then slashed its head open. Another daedra came charging to him, this time was a humanoid. He wore a red and black armor with a big longsword. This daedra, called dremora, let out a guttural noise when he swung his blade. Juba and Maximus fought him, then finished him when they push their respective sword into his neck and stomach.
Juba sheathed his elven longsword and took the longsword from the dremora. They went through the door leading upstairs. There, they were welcomed by a daedra sorcerer who summon a scamp to attack them. But after watching it dead easily, he ran from Juba who killed him with an arrow that struck him in his back. They push forward and upward, slaying more daedra as they went and avoiding traps here and there.
After crossing a bridge to another tower, they went up to the upper level and found a cage with a living man inside it. Seeing two fighter on the way up, he shouted for help, "Over here! Quickly!"Maximus rushed to the cage when a dremora made his move to attack him.
"You should not be here, mortal. Your blood is forfeit, your flesh is mine!" The dremora taunted Maximus as he swung his mace. It hit Maximus' arm, drawing blood from the wound, then Juba covered him by attacking the dremora. He showed his skilled in blades when he took a dagger to be the companion of his sword. Parrying and striking with his dual-blade, he pushed back the dremora to the edge of the platform before the creature fell to his death. Maximus got back on his feet after taking a potion of healing. He tried to free the man inside the cage.
"Quickly, quickly! There's no time! You must get to the top of the large tower. The Sigil Keep, they call it. That's what keeps the Oblivion Gate open! Find the Sigil Stone. Remove it, and the Gate will close! Hurry! The Keeper has the key- you must get the key!". The prisoner said frantically.
Then Juba headed downstairs to the dremora's corpse and took the key from his body. He run back up to show it to the prisoner.
"Get to the Sigil Keep, and find the Sigil Stone. It's the only way."
"You must be Menien. How about you? How to open this door?" asked Maximus.
"Don't worry about me, there's no time! Anything from outside the gate will be back in Tamriel when the gate's closed. Get moving!"
They headed back to the previous tower and finally, they were on the last level of the tower. Pushing it, they found themselves in another room where the floor was squishing when they stepped on it. A fountain allowed them to replenish their health, healing their wounds. Then they went inside the main chamber, and looking up, they could see the glowing stone on the top of the room where the shooting fire ended on it. There was two sets of stairs to the next level. They climbed the stairs only to be greeted by two daedras, which quite strong since they guarded the most important room in the tower. Then they move up one more time to the platform where the stone rested in the anchor.
"So this is it, huh? You just have to take the stone, and the gate will close." Maximus said to himself.
Then three more daedras came rushing to the scene and the fight ensued. Juba was struggling to keep two dremoras from getting near the stone, while Maximus was busy trying to defeat a dremora. The victory was near when the dremora slashed Maximus' leg. He screamed in pain, but he bashed his shield to the dremora's face, making him staggered, then slashed his neck. The dremora was finally dead, but Juba still got his hands full by the other ones. Feeling exhausted, Maximus walked limpingly to the stone, his hand was over it, and he could feel a strange energy coming out if that thing.
:Take it! Grab the stone, Maximus! Now!" Juba hollered from across the platform, feeling overwhelmed his opponents.
Maximus let out a roar as he grabbed and yanked it from its place, sending a massive flame everywhere. He fell on his back with the sigil stone still in his grasp. The dremora who were fighting Juba suddenly flee in terror when they saw a white light filling the room. Juba slowly crawled to his friend, then the whole world became white and silent.
So that's chapter 5. The next chapter will cover the journey back to Weynon Priory and to Cloud Ruler Temple. As usual, send me your reviews!
Until next time,
haljordan123