"Stop her!" a gruff voice roared from behind me as I ran down an extravagant hallway.
My eyes scanned the situation caused by the uproar. Soldiers scale the narrow corridor in front of me, taken aback by my presence.
"Guards, stop her! She must be captured at once!" the same deep-throated voice alerted again.
My pace quickened and I soon became out of breath. Frantically , I pulled the hood of my worn out cloak down to mask my face. Letting them discover me was one thing, but showing my face to the persistent Imperial guards would be a fatal mistake. Dashing past the paper doors and the statues of the royal family, I started to rewind and recollect my thoughts. Why were they after me again?
"Condemn her! We mustn't let her escape! She stabbed and injured the First Imperial Prince!"
Is that what had happened?, I thought, looking down at my moving appearance. My hand was covered with blood; my brown cloak was decorated with crimson red dots. Realizing that my entire figure was seemly soaked in conspicuous red fluid, my five senses became sharper. The smell of iron and sweat wrapped around my nose like a snug blanket. The clang of metal brought me back to reality. Within a second, an army had successfully blocked the narrow path In front of me, my only exit.
"How annoying, I can't be caught here," I mumbled, clicking my tongue in irritation. From my waist, I pulled out two rusty daggers. "Tch."
As if they were animals, all guards simultaneously charged towards me, blood lust evident in their eyes. Sighing with frustration, I stepped back, took a stance, and then ran directly into the herd of soldiers. The first guard swung his long sword at me, aiming for my neck. At reflex, I ducked and swiped my foot underneath him. He yelped as he landed with a loud thump onto the floor on his bottom. The surrounding soldiers did not waver the slightest bit, and continued to aim their weapons at my vital areas. To escape them, I launched myself into the air, evading all incoming spears. As soon as I was suspended in the air, I realized my error. In the air, I was vulnerable to the mass amount of swords and daggers that were currently positioned upwards. From my perspective, they were just waiting for me to puncture my own body when I fall, as if I was a frail piece of paper. This dilemma made me appear like a mouse in a maze.
Narrowing my eyes, I swung my trusty daggers at the swords stationed on my landing space. Using force against their weapons, the grips of the soldiers on their swords gradually weakened, causing weapons to be dropped to the ground. Affirming the safety of the situation, I front flipped and landed gracefully in the now-cleared space.
Immediately, soldiers from all sides swung their swords mercilessly at me.
Out of the pot and into the fire, huh. I thought to myself, as the soldiers closed in on me.
I managed to dodge with ease thanks to my superb reflexes. However, there were limits to everything; one soldier was able to pierce my left shoulder. I silently cursed at the throbbing wound and bit by lip hard, tasting the iron that was attacking my taste buds. Painfully, I pulled the sword out of my shoulder, blood splattering onto the same perpetrator. Weakened by the gashing wound, my vision slightly blurred and my movements losing its momentum fast. My figure wobbled from left to right, unable to maintain balance. The pain was overwhelming; my previous slow-paced breathing was replaced with continuous sharp intakes of air. Sweat rolled down my cheek as I took a very brief break.
Crap. Not only did I fail to kill the prince, I also carelessly injured. Life is not looking up for me.
Evaluating my critical state, I soon became desperate. As it is, there was no chance of me overpowering the barbarous group. I had to find a way to get out of the palace before my body gives out. No way in hell was I going to be imprisoned, especially by the hands of royals. My future was already evidently bleak; I didn't really have anything to risk. With new-found determination, I stood up and grabbed a soldier's shoulders. Using it as a leverage, I propelled myself upwards and and safely landed at the end of the hallway. Before the soldiers could register what had transpired, I ran to the side as fast as I could, stepping off of a platform. Like a mad man, I charged through the garden full of lush bushes and beautiful flowers. Luckily for me, there were various items near the outer walls for me to climb. I vaulted a crate and jumped, grabbing the edges of the towering wall. I willed my aching shoulder to draw out its last strength. Miraculously, I was able to drag myself over the wall and slide down onto the other side. I was safe... for the time being.
With my right hand, I clutched my left shoulder in order to stop blood from rapidly pouring out of the wound. The sting of the injury made me grunt. The pain was still pounding against my skin, though it was not as bad initially. My head was throbbing and I felt my legs weakening as minutes go by. This wasn't the first time I felt like I was dying. This sensation no longer surprised me anymore. In fact, my current condition seemed like de ja vu rather than reality. It was like a memory being repeated again and again.
I stabilized my movements and took one more look behind me at the palace of one the most prominent country in this desolate world. The golden dragon figures that appeared to be guarding the barrier of the palace seemed to be staring intently at me, as if jeering at my failure. The sting of my shoulder caused me to cringe. Wearily, I turned around and walked away from the Kou establishment. The background was auditory torture: screams and commands of rage were ferociously being enforced. Along the lines, I heard a man bark,"Kill her!" I sighed at their malicious intent and continued to walk away from the Imperial palace.
Eyeing my wound one last time, I scoffed,"This injury is the least of my worries."
Soon, the silhouette of the palace could be seen in the distance.
I chuckled dryly,"Fate is such a cruel thing."