Marcurio woke up stiff and upright. He opened his eyes to find himself tied to a training dummy.
"What the hell?" He muttered. He looked up and saw Esil in a cell. "So why am I out here?"
"Because we need target practice, and that one will be more fun to chase down." A Nord bandit appeared at his side, pulling out a bow.
Esil woke up on a rocky floor. She got up and saw bars.
"Shit." She said. She walked over and saw the blurred form of someone in yellow robes, and a brown figure pulling out a bow. "Oi! What's going on?"
"Bandits!" Marcurio shouted.
"Why are you down there?" Esil called.
"Target practice." Marcurio said.
"Yeah, but why are you… oh." Esil said quietly. "Oh." Her eyes widened. "Let him go!" She shouted, leaping up and climbing the bars.
"Get down from there!" Someone shouted and she felt a sword hit the bars. She held on, glaring.
"No! You can't make me!" She shouted. She heard an arrow hit wood. "Let him go!"
"Or what?" The bandit with the bow asked.
"Or I'll kill you all!" She yelled. She heard laughing, and another arrow hit wood.
—
Marcurio flinched as an arrow imbedded itself in the wooden planks next to him. He watched as the bandit swore and took aim again.
"All right, that's enough." A woman said. Marcurio looked up as a Bosmer woman walked down the rocky hill towards them.
"Yes, ma'am." The bandit said and put his bow away.
"Dunmer!" The woman shouted. Esil ignored her, continuing to climb the bars even as she was knocked off by the other bandit. "I'll give you a chance to go free. Would you like that?" Esil stopped climbing and looked at her.
"By doing what?" She asked.
"Come down here." The woman said. The door to the cell was opened and Esil dropped down off of the bars. She walked out and over to the woman.
"Well?" She asked. The bandit woman handed her a bow and a quiver of arrows.
"You're an archer, yes?" Esil nodded. "But also blind. I've heard of you. Other bandit clans are terrified that you'll appear to wipe them out. Tell you what—I'm in need of entertainment. If you can free your friend using your prowess with a bow, I'll let you go free."
"What's the catch?" Esil asked.
"You need to cut his bonds using arrows. Even someone with perfect vision would have trouble."
"No." Esil said.
"If you don't, my bandits will use him for target practice, and you will watch."
"Fine. Go away." Esil slung the quiver on her back and gripped the bow. The woman walked up the hill and sat down, watching them.
"Marcurio, where are you tied?" She asked, notching an arrow.
"You're not serious."
"It's a chance at getting out or certain death."
"It's certain death for me either way!" Marcurio told her.
"Shut up. Where are you tied?"
"My wrists, my shoulders and my chest."
"So your legs are free."
"Yeah."
"Good. Hold absolutely still." Esil said, drawing back her string. She saw the cords around his left wrist and shot just above them. With a thud, the arrow cut the rope. She notched another arrow, aiming for the right wrist. With another thud, she hit just above where she needed to. The rope was intact. She felt the eyes of bandits watching her, and shot another arrow. This one was too low, and sliced Marcurio's wrist as she cut the rope.
"Ow! Be careful!" He shouted.
"I am!" Esil fired the next arrow without thinking and it hit just by Marcurio's ear. "Oops."
"Please be careful. I don't feel like dying this way." The next arrow hit the rope. Marcurio watched it as it fell and his right arm was free.
"Don't move that arm." Esil told him quietly.
"I think we need to stop now." Marcurio said.
"I think we need to keep going." Esil replied.
"I think we're going to die."
"I think we're going to live." Esil told him firmly. She shot another arrow, slicing the ropes around his shoulder. Marcurio held onto the arms of the dummy and nervously watched Esil draw her bow again.
"What's your chest width?" She asked.
"My what?"
"Chest width! Taking into account your robes and however loose they are."
"What kind of question is that?"
"I could see where the ropes were on your arms. I can't hit the ones on your chest because there's more of them, and tighter.
"About a foot and a half."
"How loose are your robes?"
"Not very." Marcurio watched her take aim and then shut his eyes as she loosed the arrow. He felt the arrow slice his chest and let out a shout.
"Damn. I thought I'd aimed right." Esil said.
"I think I'm bleeding." Marcurio tried to look down at his side.
"We'll deal with that soon. I have the aim right this time."
"You better." Marcurio told her.
"This has actually gone pretty well." Esil told him.
"I've been hit twice!"
"Better than dead." Esil shot at him again, slicing the ropes a little more. "One more." She said, taking aim again. She grinned as she loosed the final arrow, slicing through the ropes and hitting the wooden planks behind Marcurio hard. Marcurio fell down, clutching his side.
"Good job, elf." The Bosmer woman looked down at her. "But only one of you can leave. Kill him and you'll be free."
"What?" Marcurio looked up as Esil drew her bow again, pointing an arrow at his head. "Now? Esil, why?"
"I'm getting out of here, Marcurio." Esil said. Marcurio tried to see any emotion in her face, but she was blank. Her eyes were unfeeling. Marcurio closed his eyes and looked down and the ground. He heard the twang of the bow.