Chapter Two: Imperial Dungeons

Khali walked around the misty trees, not sure where she was. Nothing was familiar. Was that the big oak near the Palace? No. It's branches were too low, and the stone path was missing. The white mist billowed around her legs as she walked around, trying to find any sort of landmark she knew of. Her tail twitched irritably. She didn't have time to be lost! The Emperor was a fake, and the real one, her friend, was probably in danger—possibly dead!

The Khajiit pricked her ears as she found a path. Finally! she thought, running down it. She wasn't sure which way the path was leading her, but it would eventually lead to someone she could talk to, right?

Khali slowed to a stop as the path ended at a lake. She squinted across the water. The Imperial Palace was on an island in the middle of Lake Rumare. If she could figure out if this was Lake Rumare, she could reach the palace quickest by swimming, even if it wasn't her favorite task. She whipped around to look behind her as a cold wind billowed through her whiskers. She reached for her boot knife just in case when she realised she was not wearing boots. She was clothed in what looked to be prisoner's rags.

She flexed her claws on her hands as a figure came into view, but she relaxed as they came closer. "Ria?" she asked, recognizing the long dark hair of the Imperial woman. She was tall, with dark brown eyes and wearing wispy white robes that danced in the breeze as she approached Khali.

"Do not fear," the figure said, her voice light and soft. "For it is I, Ria Silmane"

"Ria!" Khali exclaimed, running towards her and reaching out a hand. "I've been looking all over for…" She paused, realizing her clawed hand had gone straight through Ria's arm. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Ria's entire body was transparent; she could make out the shapes of trees behind her. "Ria?" she asked, confused.

Ria shook her head. "Khali, listen to me. There are no others left to carry on this fight. You have been left in this cell to die."

"What?!" Khali yelped. "What do you mean? I was in the Emperor's chambers. Someone has been impersonating Uriel. That's not him!"

Ria held up a hand. "I know. Jagar Tharn, Imperial Battlemage of Tamriel, has taken on the guise of the true Emperor."

Khali felt her blood run cold. "It is Jagar Tharn? He's the traitor. Where's Uriel?" she asked in a panic.

"Listen," Ria said again, almost pleading. "Tharn does not see you as a threat, being only a minor part of the Imperial Court. In that act of arrogance, he has made his first mistake. His second mistake is turning you into a scapegoat. He, as Emperor, has blamed you for my death, and Jagar Tharn's." Khali opened her mouth to speak, but Ria cut her off. "When you wake up, look to the north wall of this cell. Using my fading magic, I have placed there a ruby key which will unlock the door. Take it, and make your swift escape. The passages here were once used by Tharn to hide treasures he had stolen from the Emperor's coffers, and there is an exit. Be careful though, as there are many creatures that inhabit the sewers now; vile rats and goblins."

"You're dead?" Khali blurted out, not entirely sure what was happening. "You can't be dead! I saw you yesterday. We had lunch together!"

Ria smiled sadly. "It is too late for me. I am already gone, slain by my mentor. Only my powers as a sorceress keep me between this life and the next. However, that power is waning. I do not know how long I can remain in this state."

Khali's ears and tail drooped. "Ria… There has to be some way I can help you."

"Do not dwell on me, or these tunnels may become your final resting place as well," Ria warned. Khali nodded, stifling a few tears. "I can still work my magic to a certain extent," Ria went on. "If you survive these sewers, you will see me again. Remember, Khali, Tharn has taken on the guise of the Emperor. No one will take your word over his. Be safe, and be quiet."

"But how do I stop Tharn then?" Khali asked. "If no one will listen to me, what can I do?"

"I will tell you more once you escape the Imperial Palace," she reassured her. "I can still communicate to you in dreams, and I will speak to you when you rest again." She shook her head. "I do not envy your role, my friend. It will be extremely dangerous, but I believe there is a power in you that is yet untapped. Good luck, Khali. You are my last and best hope."

Khali woke with a start, toppling off the stone slab she had been sleeping on. She scrambled to her feet, squinting in the dim light. She was lucky Khajiit had night vision, or she might not have been able to see anything. She sniffed the air and checked herself over. Just as she had in the dream, she was wearing prison rags, With her claws as her only weapons. The place she was in smelled of sewage and stagnant water, which meant she was truely in the sewers.

She sat down roughly. If she was in the sewers, that meant what Ria had told her was true. Ria was dead, and Jagar Tharn had stolen the throne without anyone noticing. Trying to control her panicked breathing, she racked her brain to remember the rest of the dream. Was Uriel dead? Ria hadn't said anything about Tharn killing him, but Ria hadn't said where he was.

Khali studied the claws on her toes. But she did say she would tell me once I got out of here, she thought. Standing up, Khali felt along the wall of the cell. Ria had said there was a key at the north wall, but the problem was Khali didn't know which way was north. She needed the sun or the stars to guide her. Neither were down here in the cold, musty cell.

Walking along, Khali spotted the key with her sharp eyes. She picked it up. The key was red and had a ruby gemstone embedded in it. It was quite fancy for a prison key. Walking over to the cell door, Khali reached her hands through the bars and jabbed the key into the lock. It took some moving around, but she managed to unlock the door backwards.

The iron cell door opened with a creaking squeal that reverberated on the stone walls and floors of the sewers. Pricking her ears, Khali picked up the squeak of rats and the slapping of bare feet and paws on the wet ground.

Sniffing the air, and using her whiskers to feel for any possible breeze, Khali made her way down the corridor, keeping as quiet as possible. She had never been in the sewers before, but Ria's warnings rang loud and clear in her mind. There was danger beneath the city, and it would kill her as soon as Tharn would if he found her escaping her cell.

Khali reached an intersection and paused, listening and feeling. She didn't want to wind up deeper in the darkness beneath the Imperial Province. After waiting for a while, she picked up a slight tug on her whiskers. She followed the draft, leaping over a channel of murky water, making more noise than she liked when she landed.

She continued on in the dark, pausing when potentially hostile noises came close. During one of these pauses, the Khajiit noticed another cell on the other side of the tunnel, a little ways further down. She waited until the noises subsided and leaped over the water channel again, once more making a wet slapping sound when she landed that was too loud for her liking.

Khali peered through the bars. She wasn't going to leave another prisoner behind if she could help it. An ally would always be welcome to her. "Hello?" she called softly into the cell. There wasn't an answer, and Khali squinted to the far wall. "Oh no…" she whispered. There was a body in the cell, and the black hair and long white robes were unmistakable. "Ria…"

She jumped as she heard a growl nearby. Moving her ears, she pinpointed the source to be from something to the right of the next intersection. Leaping over the water again, she carefully and quickly prowled closer to the intersection. An unpleasant smell found its way into her already crying nostrils; a scent of rot and decay.

Crouching, Khali waited until the creature rounded the corner, then leaped onto it. The small monster cried out in pain as she clawed at its sickly yellow skin, swinging a small dagger made of stone at the feline. It managed to tag her on the arm as she swiped at its throat. Green blood oozed from its wounds, and the wrinkly goblin croaked before falling onto its back, dead.

Khali bit back her disgust at the ugly creature, its red eyes staring up at her lifelessly. Picking up the dagger, she walked over the corpse and continued on. She didn't know how much longer she had gone on, dodging more goblins and giant rats, but feeling safer with the measly weapon clutched in her hands. Her nose twitched suddenly, smelling something other than death and sewage. It was fresh air. Excitedly, Khali quickened her pace. The tunnel seemed to be getting lighter, and the air cleaner.

Khali rounded a corner and leaped back. She had found the exit, but a giant rat was blocking the way, and the escape was barred. She might still be able to squeeze through, but the rat was still a problem.

The large brown creature snarled as it caught her scent, and its paws started smacking against the stone floor as it ran at her. Reusing her old sneak attack, Khali crouched down to be at level with the rat. When it rounded the corner, she twisted, driving the dagger into its neck. Her eyes widened as she saw the rat's fur and skin filled with mange and kicked its body away, where it fell into the water and died, giving the murky green water a slight red tinge.

"No, no, no!" Khali said, checking her hand. "I cannot get mange!" She checked her fur, hoping that no fleas had jumped onto her from the rat. She didn't feel itchy, so that was a good sign, but she still wanted to leave as soon as possible. Going around the corner to the barred exit, Khali looked out into the world. This spot looked to be a rain runoff drain for a town just outside of the Imperial Province, not quite as dirty, but still pretty disgusting.

Khali grimaced, looking at the water that was flowing in, and measured her head against the bars. "Plenty of room," she whispered. Reluctantly, she stepped into the flowing water and pushed her head through the bars. Wiggling around, she managed to get her shoulders through, then her torso, and finally, her legs.

Dripping wet and smelling awful, she crawled away from the sewer grate, fighting the urge to vomit.

"SEWER MONSTER!"

She looked up. An Imperial boy wearing a blue tunic was pointing at her. "HELP! SEWER MONSTER!" he screamed again, running away.

Not waiting for any guards to show up, she charged off down the street, running into the woods as soon as she spotted the treeline.