Cat's Pounce
The 2 Renrijra Krin thugs had been hanging out on a street corner passing a jug of Mazte between them, stopping every now and again to check that the Kiragutii toughs were patrolling the perimeter of Sugar's Milk, before returning to their loitering spot. An hour before dawn they were bored and decided they had waited enough. Poking his head around the street corner the skinny Suthay peered down to the street to the curtained entrance of the Cantina.
"It's clear." Said the Suthay waving,
They both scurried goofily down the street, flying past empty alleys, pushing through the curtains, and all too quickly bursting into the Cantina. Everything of value was locked up the entire place was dead silent but for a few gentle snores from upstairs, the pair of Khajiit snuck around the garbage on the floor, going up the stairs, wincing as the floor boards creaked under the heavy foot-paws of the Cathay-raht. Finally upstairs they could make out three foreigners and a few Khajiit sleeping blissfully ignorant from hammocks. The Suthay paused and whispered harshly,
"Wait here in case one wakes up; leave it to this one for now." Said the Suthay patting his chest,
Walking with slow graceful steps, he drew a crude, long, narrow dagger as he approached the nearest sleeping figure, and halted. This wasn't any of the ones he wanted it was small middle aged man, a Breton man. Where was the big red guy?
Things then got ugly at an incredible rate. Elgard, the only other human in the building had been in the lower levels using the "facilities". However now very much finished, he had walked up the stairs groggily, bumping into the very large Cathay-raht standing at the top.
"Excuse me."
"No problem"
Then he met eyes with the Suthay holding a knife over Ferdain's friend's sleeping figure,
Elgard howled like a bear
"Murder! Murdererrrrrr!"
Everyone woke up at once; several of the Khajiit sleeping off Skooma fell off their hammocks face first, scrambling away in a terrified race. The enormous Cathay-raht pounced on Elgard's back, crushing him into the floor, the Khajiit raked his claws into the Nords especially sensitive burnt skin; if the Elgard yelled like a bear before, he now bellowed like a dragon getting a nail driven into its skull.
The Suthay was running to his friend, knife in hand as Novena clambered out of her hammock; she made a gesture launching a gelatinous looking, glowing orb in his direction. Leaning back the Suthay snickered as it whizzed by his face, but distracted he stubbed is left foot-paw on a broken piece of something, and tripped forward landing eye first onto his own dagger. He died instantly, all too quick for him to remember his mothers advice about running with sharp objects.
Meanwhile little Ferdain had charged the Cathay-raht, beating it with a skooma pipe he had found on the floor. Twisting off its victim the hulking cat-man smacked Ferdain with a massive backhand, sending him tumbling down the staircase. Enjoying time without a 300 pound cat ripping his back into ribbons, Elgard decided to take advantage of the distraction, leaping onto the Khajiit and locking his arms around its neck.
"Errgh…. Uhhh… get off of Rajar!" Called the indignant Cathay-raht
"No way!" Yelled Elgard very wisely
This went on for quite a while, several moments actually. With the Khajiit swinging around being partially choking, and Nord holding on for dear life, barely keeping his toes on the ground, everyone else made an uncomfortable semi-circle around them, unable to help Elgard for fear of hitting him instead of the Khajiit as they spun. The Renrijra Krin thug had had enough and knew he couldn't win when this outnumbered decided to make a break for it,
"Urggggg…fine you won't let Rajar go, then he takes you with him" said the Cathay-raht beginning an awkward run out of the cantina. Elgard simply let go and dropped to his knees. Everyone watched the thug run out the curtains door.
Ferdain came hobbling up the stairs, rubbing his back; he and Novena kneeled beside the bleeding Nord, making Elgard lay on his stomach. Novena used a spell of healing which dulled the pain, but confessed that was all she could do.
Albert stepped forward unbothered by the dead Khajiit and Bloodied Nord. He stood laughing, as if re-infused with life,
"By the Gods… you… you stopped the assassins!" He pointed a quivering finger to them as if they had just won an award, "Thank you, thank you! I can now deliver my report directly to the Elder Council themselves! I'm going to leave before that brute comes back with friends, you all should too." And with that he walked out (in actuality it was more of a skip), lifting the curtains that served as a front door aside he left.
It is an arguable but mute point whether or not the Blade was about to return exclaiming "Ha! I nearly forgot my journal in that hammock, that sure will be handy in exposing those criminals!" or he simply would have vanished into the dawn.
It is mute because on the Breton's second step outside 5 spears simultaneously punctured both of his lungs, liver, a vital neck artery, and his abdominal cavity which he could have survived on its own! As the Blade's corpse fell to its knees the leader of his assassins stepped out of a dark alley,
"Leave the body; bag the head…"