A cloaked figure ran through the dark forest, faster than many others could. Crashing through the underbrush, never losing speed.
A ways behind it, a crossbow fired.
The figure jumped over a log and dropped to the ground, rolling ten feet.
The bolt flew inches above the rolling figure's head.
As soon as the bolt had passed over it, the figure stopped rolling and jumped up and forward, fleeing further into the night.
Another shot.
The figure dodged just in time, the bolt smashing into a tree not three inches from it's head. As the bolt passed through, the tree seemed to explode into a million splinters.
The figure caught most of the flying wood shards in the back, a few narrowly missing it's neck.
Staggering, the figure did it's best to keep running, but felt the extreme pain taking over it's senses. Suddenly, a dart flew out of nowhere and buried it's needle head into the figure's left thigh, disabling the leg almost instantly.
With it's current forward momentum, this brought much more pain to the figure as it was halted by a low treebranch, about head level. Everything was suddenly darkness.
"Twenty drakes, that was the wager!"
"Well I say it was fifty! We took 'er down in no more than ten minutes, and you wagered it'd be atleast fifteen!"
"I'll not be cheated out of more money than I allready owe! You can shove fifty up your arse, I'll pay twenty and not a single one more!"
"And I'll not tolerate your foul talk towards me! I'm in charge while Todd's gone!"
"Self appointed you mean! I say if anyone ought to be second it oughta' be me!"
"Really? Well I think our prisoner in there'll be second before you! Har-har!"
"You N'wah! I'll have your eyes hanging from my ears for that!"
"S'wit! Take that ye' great waste of flesh!"
There were sounds of swords being drawn in the next room. Ra'Shanti couldn't see anything in the darkness of the room, but the light from the next cast shadows on the wall. Two figures, looked like Elvish types, were smashing swords together.
Clash after clash took place between the two fighters, they seemed evenly matched, atleast from their shadowy counterparts.
Finally, one of the figures saw his chance and took it. He lashed out at the other with his sword, his thrust almost reaching the other figure when he dodged to the side, pinning the first to the wall with his sword.
"Ye' really should have paid the fifty drakes, friend" sneered the winner, pulling his sword out of the other man.
"Todd'll have y- Ungh... guts for this, you... ugly bugger!". The dying figure threw up on the man's boots.
The man looked down at the dying one, spat on his head, and promtly sliced it off.
Viewing all this had made Ra'Shanti feel the need to throw up as well, but she didn't have the strength even for that. at the sight of the dead man's head's shadow rolling onto the floor, she fell into total darkness once again.
When she woke again, it was light outside, someone had opened the shutters covering the windows. Still with little or no idea what had happened to her, she tested her finger movement, pain shooting quickly up her arm. She winced at the feeling, but tried again, not as much pain this time.
She flexed her handpaws a few more times untill the pain was barley noticable. She then did the same with her footpaws. After the pain had subsided, she turned her head about, taking in her surroundings.
The windows were fairly thin, she may have been able to squeeze through, had they not been barred. She look around several times more untill she was sure. No way out except the door, into the room where the fight had taken place last night.
She didn't like the idea of going in there, not at all.
There is more to worry about than that right now, she thought.
After making sure she could move all limbs without too much pain, she tried getting up off the bed. She woke up a few moments later, her face aching from connecting with the bedside table. She sniffed, smelling blood. She touched her nose with her paw.
Fresh blood.
"Damn... This hurts Ra'Shanti." she mumbled. Looking for a cloth for her nose, she carefully lifted herself up onto all four legs. She quivered a bit, but did not fall. Slowly, she sat back, then raised herself to a standing position once again, holding onto the bed for support.
She felt dizzy again, but did not collapse. Still grasping the bed post firmly. As her vision returned, she glanced at the table and saw a folded cloth. Once she had steadied herself well enoguh, she took the cloth and held it to her nose, letting it soak up the blood.
As Khajiit have naturaly rapid healing, her nose stopped bleeding within a minute or so.
She tossed the cloth away and swaggered over to the window. The view nearly made her sick. The room was on the edge of a very high cliff, her window looking out towards the ocean. "Where is Ra'Shanti?" she muttered to herself.
As she looked out to the ocean, she thought she heard someone whispering.
"Ra'Shanti? Is sister Ra'Shanti up there?"
"Prrrght?" Ra'Shanti purred inquisitively.
"Who speaks?" she asked, then sniffed the air. "Ra'Kim! Ra'Kim! Ra'Kim has come to save Ra'Shanti?"
"Ra'Shanti!" came the voice, still in a whisper, "Yes, hero Ra'Kim is here to save sister Ra'Shanti!"
"Ah, but how will Ra'Kim do this?"
"Do not worry sister Ra'Shanti, for brother Ra'Kim knows what to do. Wait for Ra'Kim to come back, do not leave room."
"Yes Ra'Kim, Ra'Shanti stays."
There was a silence from outside the window, except for the crashing of the waves against the rocks far below. Suddenly, Ra'Shanti heard voices from another building not far away.
"Hey! What do you think you're d-" The voice was cut short before it got loud enough for anyone else to hear. She heard the sound of a limp body slump against the wall, onto the floor. While this was happening, what Ra'Shanti did not hear was two gaurds outside conversing, saying that their leader, Todd, was not more than 10 minutes away.
"Sister Ra'Shanti!" Came Ra'Kim's voice. "Brother Ra'Kim has returned, he brings sister Ra'Shanti her nice clothes and staff." He pushed her lavander robe, shirt and pants through the bars in the window.
It was then that Ra'Shanti realized that she had been stripped down to her fur.
"Do not worry sister." Came Ra'Kims voice agian. "Ra'Kim watched from the cliffs, nothing was done to you. They just say you... do... not deserve the priv-il-age of clothes, and such nice ones at that!" Ra'Shanti glanced up at her brother's face, a picture of honesty, and fury at the thought of his siter being treated in this way.
"Thank you brother Ra'Kim" She said, reaching between the bars to stroke her brothers face. "Ra'Shanti thanks you very much, but you must now help Ra'Shanti to escape!"
Ra'Kim's face changed to a picture of pride. "Ra'Kim has allready thought of that, sister. Here, Ra'Kim has brought you staff!" He passed a long lavander staff through the bars of the window. The claws on the end, which held an faintly glowing orb, barely fit through. "Yes! Ra'Kim has done well for his sister!" Ra'Shanti said. "Ra'Kim, move away from window. Get out of sight. We not have long to get away after this, understand?" she said.
"Yes sister, Ra'Kim understands." he said, a wide, sharp toothed grin on his face. Ra'Kim moved quickly to a shadowy area about 20 from the window. He heard his sister pull at the strings of magicka floating in the air.
There was a sudden yet surprisingly quiet explosion, and the wall was blown away, crumbling down the cliffside.
The sound of falling stone and wall crashing against a cliffside, on the other hand, was quite loud.
An alarm bell sounded instantly.
"Escape! Escape! The prisoner is trying to escape!"
"All men to arms! Don't let her get away!"
Several men and a few women were running around, shouting orders at each other. Obviously these people were the muscle, Their leader Todd must be the brains. All the brains.
"Come sister!" said Ra'Kim. "We must make our escape, they heard your wall I fear." he grinned at her, holding his handpaw out to her.
"Yes brother, haste is good now." said Ra'Shanti.
She leaned out of the opening in what was left of the wall. Grasping her brother's hand, she climbed down the cliff side next to him. She saw that Ra'kim had been standing on a very thin shelf of rock. She steadied herself on the shelf, looked at his grinning face, and asked him, "Ra'Kim, how do we get away now?"
At this his grin wavered for a moment, and then grew larger. "Ra'Shanti will not like this part." he siad.
"Why? Where are we go-" she stopped suddenly. A gaurd had heard them talking and rushed over, she now stood over them on the edge of the cliff. The gaurd thrust her spear head under Ra'Kim's neck. "Ha! I've got you now!"
Ra'Shanti raised her staff hard and fast, smashing the gaurd's jaw and knocking her away. Ra'Kim swatted the spear head away from his throat the moment he heard the gaurd's jaw break.
"You should warn Ra'Kim next time, Ra'Shanti." he said.
"Ra'Shanti knew you would be allright." she said, matter-of-factly.
Ra'Kim looked at his sister, then smiled. "Ok sister, now we go."
"How are we to go, brother?" she asked. "We are stuck here."
"Ah, Ra'Shanti does not see our escape? he purred, amused.
She glanced around them, looking for a small path or something that would make it possible for them to escape. She saw none.
"No Ra'Kim, sister does not see it." she said bluntly.
Ra'Kim smiled at her. He turned to look down at the sea, indicating it with his eyes.
"Oh dear..." she said.
- END -
Story written by Ian McUmber-House © 2004