Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.
Hello, everyone. I'm back with another chapter of this story. Special thanks to oochya who took some time to do proofreading. Thank you very much. Hope I won't make such mistakes in the future.
So, without further ado, let's continue with our story!
"I hate bears!" That's what Juba thought when a huge brown bear charging to his direction. Sneaking behind the trees, he readied his sword, moving from one bush to another. The bear didn't notice him until it's too late. He lunged at the bear, sticking his blade into its back, severing the spinal cord, killing the animal. But it's not without a price, judged from several lacerations from when the bear smacked him with its paw.
He cut some of its meat for the night's dinner above the water of Lake Arius. The dark finally arrived in Cheydinhal. He took some time to lay on his back, staring at Masser and Secunda high on the heaven. Fireflies flew above the lake, creating reflections of their enigmatic light. He didn't know what would happen the next morning, so he would simply enjoy that moment while he could. He then remembered Maximus, Martin, and everyone else up there and wondered what they were doing, what kind of conversation they were having, or if Martin had enough training he needed. He tried not to worry too much for he knew they're not just anybody, they're the best people he ever knew in his life so he was sure they could handle everything by themselves. He put that matter aside as he closed his eyes and entered the dream world.
The next morning, after he gathered his stuff, he climbed the side of the lake, looking for any entry point, because to be honest the map didn't show much. After searching for a few moments, he saw a rocky formation that looked a bit out of place. He came closer towards it, and found a wooden door built inside it. He pushed the door and found himself in a new area. Carefully, he scanned the cave, looking for any kind of threats. But he locked eyes with a person in a red-robbed garment, a Mythic Dawn agent, obviously. "If I'm supposed to retrieve the amulet, perhaps it would be easier if I play along."
The agent, an Imperial, came to him and gave his greetings, "Dawn is breaking." Juba tried to remember anything from Imperial City, from their crazy books or the Bosmer in the bookshop. "Greet the new day." He replied the salute. The Imperial gave him a smile, "Welcome, brother. The hour is late, but the Master still has need for willing hands. You may pass into the Shrine. Harrow will take you to the Master for your initiation into the service of Lord Dagon. Do not tarry. The time of Preparation is almost over. The time of Cleansing is near."
"Cleansing? What cleansing? I don't like the sound of this." If there's something he learned from his past life, anyone who attempted to do some cleansing was always a pompous maniac. He continued to the next chamber where more agents were guarding it. There were 6 of them, but only one of them met him in person.
"Welcome, brother. I am Harrow, Warden of the Shrine of Dagon. By following the Path of Dawn hidden in the writings of the Master, Mankar Camoran, you have earned a place among the Chosen. You have arrived at an opportune time. You may have the honor to be initiated into the Order by the Master himself. As a member of the Order of the Mythic Dawn, everything you need will be provided for you from the Master's bounty. Give me your possessions, and put on this initiate's robe."
"Now what? Do I have to give him every single gear I got? Then how am I supposed to fight my way back out of here? I don't think Mankar will say, 'You want this shiny little jewel? Oh, I have no use of it anymore, so take it and you can do whatever you want with it. Perhaps you can decorate your house with that rock to bring more luck.' No. But then again, if I stab this guy right here, right now, I have a feeling the chance isn't better inside. There could be many of them, an entire army, considering this is their base of operation." Juba thought hard before deciding, while trying not to reveal too much expression.
Then he smiled, "Um, sure, sir. Can't be too careful, especially these days. I heard the guards are hunting you all across Cyrodiil." He handed the warden, a Dunmer, his twin swords and his leather armor, because he couldn't possibly enter enemy territory with those Blades armor or even iron armor from the guild. He left them with in Cloud Ruler for this secret mission. Harrow took them and gave him a suspicious glare, "So you've heard about us. But what makes you come here after all those nasty news?"
"Because I know who to serve, sir. Daedra are the true gods because they are stronger than the weaklings called Nine Divines. I'm here to offer my true worship to Dagon and repent from my sins." Juba said those words with eloquence. "Dammit, I have to wash my mouth after this. Horse shit would taste better than those craps. I blame Cicero and his extensive knowledge."
"Ah, a true believer, I see. Then you come to the right place. The other Daedric cult are just too afraid to take action. They don't want to sacrifice a little peace and stability. Instead they keep on living under the fake Empire who is oppressing us. Please, come in. The ceremony is about to begin." Harrow ushered him deeper into the cave.
Giving his weapons and armor was proved to be hard. Years as a fighter taught him that weapons were the extension of his hands, and armor was his second skin. Juba hesitantly put down his twin swords, a steel dagger and his leather armor, then he put on a piece of red robe with Mythic Dawn insign on the chest. He realized now that violence would do no good. For now, he would have to play along, then see how things went from there.
The cave was really dark. The only source of light were the stationary torches on the side of the wall. But it was enough to shine the way that he could see the path before him. After what seems like ages following Harrow, they arrived at a big room inside the cave. It appeared to be the central hall or something like that. Descending the stairs, he could see many cult followers standing in front of a massive dais, and on top of it, there was a huge statue of a man with four arms. In front of it, a man was speaking. The ceiling was perfect to make his voice reverberated throughout the chamber.
"The Dragon Throne is empty, and we hold the Amulet of Kings! Praise be to your Brothers and Sisters! Great shall be their reward in Paradise!"
"Praise be!" The cultists responded while raising their hands to the air.
Meanwhile, Juba finally get to the bottom of the chamber and joined other cultists. From there he could see the face of their leader, he was an Altmer who wore a fancy blue robe and a piece of jewellery hanging from his neck.
"That must be it, there's no doubt. It's the Amulet of Kings!" He thought. It was a huge four-sided red gem and eventhough it was dark, it reflected the dim light enough to be seen from below the dais. He knew this because Jauffre filled him in with the details of the amulet before he and Cicero were sent out.
"Hear now the words of Lord Dagon." The leader, who he believed to be Mankar Camoran, as the books said, spoke again. "When I walk the earth again, the faithful among you shall receive your reward: to be set above all other Mortals forever. As for the rest: the weak shall be winnowed; the timid shall be cast down; the mighty shall tremble at my feet and pray for pardon. Your reward, Brothers and Sisters! The time of Cleansing draws nigh. I go now to Paradise. I shall return with Lord Dagon at the coming of the Dawn."
After finishing his speech, the Altmer backed away from the pedestal in front of him, a portal opened and he walked into it, bringing the amulet with him.
Juba gritted his teeth in frustration. He thought he had a chance that he would be called into some kind of initiation ritual and took that opportunity to seize the amulet and get away with it. But now that it was gone, along with the leader of this accursed cult, he began to think that his mission already ended up in failure.
His brain was working hard to find a way out when he heard a woman speaking. "Brothers and Sisters, today Lord Dagon has blessed us for he added our number yet again after the sacrifices that we make." Juba laid his eyes to the source of the voice and found an Altmer standing on top of the dais. She turned to him, "Come, Initiate."
Reluctantly he walked up the stairs and stood beside her. "You have come to dedicate yourself to Lord Dagon's service. This pact must be sealed with red-drink, the blood of Lord Dagon's enemies. Take up the dagger and offer Lord Dagon the sacrificial red-drink, as pledge of your own life's blood, which shall be his in the end."
She led him to an altar where an Argonian who seemed unconscious lied on it. "Come on, take the dagger and make yourself his disciple. You must slay the sacrifice to bind yourself fully to Lord Dagon's service." She said with such inpatient aura. Juba took the dagger slowly, then turned back to the Argonian. He was standing two feet away from him, lifting the dagger in his hand. He tried to imagine who was the person in front of him. Perhaps a father, a son, a friend, a hard worker, or just a wanderer. But whoever he was, now he was nothing but a slave, a cattle for Dagon and he must kill him if he wanted to finish this initiation ritual.
Then he remembered himself being dragged away from his family by the slave trader. They took everything from him, even his right to be human. He wasn't allowed to eat, drink, or take a rest if his master didn't say so. The only thing he had was his master's command to obey. That was until he ran away and be recaptured. They beat the shit out of him and sold him to another buyer, Proximo who trained him to be a gladiator. Slavery was something he knew all too well.
The woman barked from his behind and broke the train of thought, "What are you waiting for, Initiate? Lord Dagon thirsts for red-drink. Sate him!"
That last two sentences just set loose the angry wild horse inside him. He turned with a fury and planted the dagger in her neck, making her choke by her old blood, unable to scream.
He pulled her by the collar, bringing his face closer to hers. "You like that, bitch? I bet Dagon was pleased by your blood. It's red too, isn't it? I don't think he likes Argonian blood."
He let her body slumped to the floor, then he heard angry insults all around him. Yep, the other followers were mad, really mad. He get to the Argonian and cut the rope that binded him quickly. "Wake up, let's get out of here. Come on."
The lizardman tried to speak, but closed his mouth two seconds after that. Standing wobbly, he tried to make a run for it. But Juba stopped him. "Wait!" The gladiator looked at the pedestal and saw a large book with strange symbol on the cover. He grabbed it without thinking and climb down the dais with the Argonian. That's when a loud boom was heard. The statue just fell on top of the altar and the pedestal, if he was too late for just a second, they both would have been dead.
In the bottom, they were greeted by oncoming shock spell. He managed to dodge it in time, but the Argonian wasn't so lucky. He got shot in the shoulder. Juba then started fighting. Armed with only the dagger, he cut down several mages, while defending the Argonian.
Another mage came to him, ready with fire in his hands. He chose to disable him by throwing the dagger that landed perfectly in his eye. The mage was screaming in pain and Juba took the chance to close the distance, he took back the dagger and plunged it into his chest, killing him quickly. But he felt someone pulled him violently to the ground. A Mythic Dawn warrior in full armor raised his axe to bury it in his face. He waited for the blow, but it never came. Instead, the warrior grunted from pain. The Argonian was punching and scratching him with his claws. Even with his armor, the strikes managed to hurt him.
Juba the leap forward to help him, by stabbing the man multiple times in the neck, where the body was less protected. After making sure he was dead, the two started to run out of the chamber and headed to the tunnel from where they came. Room after room they visited, and they annihilated any resistance, Juba was leading using the mace from the previous opponent and the Argonian was using the silver dagger from before. Blood was flowing like a river on the ground and on their bodies. The smell of death was everywhere, it was a massacre, one that Juba didn't regret of. These people knew the risk from the day they joined this organization, they had it coming.
Only one door left standing before them before they were back to the forrest. Juba pushed it opened and a cool breeze of Lake Arius hit their face. He was panting heavily, his sweat was gleaming beneath the sunlight.
"Are you okay?" He asked the former slave. "I am well, friend. Thank you for saving me. I don't know who you are, but it is clear that Akatosh guides you."
"Who are you, by the way? Why did they catch you?" Juba asked him while they were walking downhill.
"My name is Jeelius. I am a priest in the Temple of the One in the Imperial City. I was on a pilgrim one day. They must have ambushed me." He explained. "Do you know who they are?" He asked.
Juba stopped and faced him, "They are a Daedric cult called Mythic Dawn, Mehrunes Dagon worshipers. They were the one who killed the Emperor."
Jeelius' eyes widened in shock, "Is that who they were? All I know is that they intended to sacrifice me to their dark god. Oh, I think I should go back to Imperial City. If only I could erase the memory of that hellish place."
"I couldn't agree more, friend." Juba murmured to him. They resumed walking for eight hours into the night, getting to know each other and stopping to have a short rest and nibble some berries. Until they reached the edge of the forrest. They stopped just before they stepped on the road.
"I think this is it. You said you're going to Bruma, then this is a goodbye. I thank you again for saving my life." Jeelius smiled, showing the rows of his teeth.
"Likewise, Jeelius. If it wasn't for you, I'd be a goner back there." They shook their hands.
"You're a good friend. Perhaps our path will cross again someday. May Akatosh be with you always." Jeelius tucked his hood, then headed south towards Lake Rumare.
Baurus took a last glance at him, then he turned his head to Jerral Mountain where Martin and the rest of his friends were waiting.
How do you like it? Juba can be quite badass some time, huh? To be honest, I didn't do it like this during my play, I just went in there and sent them down to Oblivion. Don't you dare to take my stuff! Next, we will see some investigating job back with our pal up there.
Until next time, everyone.