The morning sun was almost as offensive as the nightmares the waking khajiit so fled, the sudden onslaught of light burning at her eyes with even the rays coming from the distant inferno doing little to alleviate the biting cold of the mountain.
Another standard morning in the land of Skyrim, in other words.
Mia let loose a groan as she pushed herself into a sitting position, her fur unkempt and caked in dirt, only further adding to the stiffness of her joints and the aches in her bones. Little noise arose to meet the woman, just the subtle howl of the wind amidst the ancient stones. The fire had long since burned to nothingness, not even embers remaining amid the ashes. Worse, the new iron plate she wore, while undoubtedly superior in protection, wasn't as good at preventing the creeping cold from assaulting the skin beneath.
She's have hated to have been born a non-bestial race. How did they manage with nothing to cover themselves?
A mystery to be solved… never. For now, she was far more interested in figuring out just where she was to be going next. There was little point remaining in the ruin, surrounded by corpses and waiting for the next band of bandits or wildlife to wander in and finish the job the previous occupants had failed to. Not an outcome she was keen to see play out, not after the hells of oblivion she had been through just to keep breathing in the last day.
She sighed, a deeper and darker potion of her mind proceeding to as: "What's the point?"
What else could a lifelong bandit hope to find? Alone in these wilds, what chance did she have? A few scraps for meals, holes to hide in for desperate warmth, before some man of beast finally finished off what started back at camp? Cast her into the depths, whoever souls such as hers were destined to end up?
But with that last thought, she found her answer. She was not quite ready to face Sovngarde, the Dreamsleeve, Llesw'er, the Plains of Oblivion or wherever the piss else people were meant to go. No, if there was something to be found on Nirn, she wasn't about to give up its pursuit. Family, friends, all be damned.
Damn them all…
Bottling that cheery thought, Mia finally returned her focus to the present. She rose to a standing position, giving her gear a once over to ensure everything was where it was meant to be. Her armour was buckled into place, new and old, and her newly recovered axe sat firmly at her side. An improvement over the mace if she did so say, it split open the skulls of its prior owners well enough.
With the deceased bandits in mind, the khajiit made to do a final check of their camp for valuables and supplies. There wasn't much to speak of, some food she was able to secure in her pack, a few gold septims that might be good down the road. Basic supplies when all was considered, but she was more than happy to take any and all.
Once she had secured everything of relevance, she turned her back on the silent camp and rested a hand on a breach in the ruin's back wall, eyes peering out to the mountain range beyond. There seemed to be a natural route down from there, albeit one with the odd steep slope and jagged boulders to watch for. But if it provided a route through rather than having to go around, as had been her original intent, then she would risk it.
Go south. Find a town. Try to lay low until she could… well, figure something out. Adventuring after all? Maybe she'd just find a job at an inn?
She snorted at the idea of that. She'd be terrible at it.
Mercenary work?
She shook her head free of such thoughts, it didn't matter so long as she remained stuck where she was.
Eyes forward, but head in the present. One step at a time…
She departed the ruin, crafted stone being traded for wild rock and dirt as she started to manoeuvre her way through the wild landscape with the morning sun to guide her path. The terrain was uneven, unpathed, but she nevertheless pressed onwards. The structure was soon lost to her, with no sign of civilisation or life anywhere around her as she continued as best she could.
Seconds turned into minutes. The minutes started to tick up. Ten. Twenty. Forty. And then hours, each one passing on by as the sun continued its rise into the sky before finally reaching its peak. And then it fell, only to rise once more upon day's break.
That night was significantly less comfortable than the last. There wasn't a cave or ruin anywhere to be found, just stray rocks and a single tree. The latter was where she curled up, not knowing whether the elements would worsen and claim her body as she slept.
Fortunately, the snow only elected to begin falling a short while after she had woken.
That proved to be little comfort in the end, her muscles screaming death and the heat in her body diminishing further amidst the gentle white flakes falling from the sky.
Another minute. Two. Ten. Thirty. Sixty.
One hour. Two. Four. Six…
The sun rose once again, and as before, as it was always doomed to do, it started to fall again. The light started to tinge orange, the sky reflecting the dusk as the snow thankfully subsided as twilight claimed Skyrim once more.
And it was then, just as she was lamenting having to spend yet another night at the land's mercy, did she see it.
There, far below the at the bottom of the slope…
Buildings.
A town.
It didn't appear large, a collection of basic structures leading to a large stone bridge spanning across a river contained within a chasm. Its archaic stones, the representation of a dragon skull held proudly aloft, she knew just what this place was.
Dragon Bridge, an imperial-held town under the banner of Solitude. She was still very much in dangerous territory, but alone and in her state…
Who was going to recognise one lone khajiit?
With renewed haste, Mia descended the slope and towards the tone. The slope steepened significantly, causing her to slide and barely control her speed at times. She stumbled here and there, scraping elbows and fraying fur, but she paid it little mind. There was potentially a warm bed down there, and that was all that mattered.
She was so close when she finally lost her footing entirely. She'd hit a spot of unstable dirt and rock, the moment she had put her wait down upon it the world had suddenly turned sideways as it all crumbled out beneath her! Any attempt to grab onto something, anything for stabilisation, was all for nought as she rolled and span for what felt like miles, but was likely mere metres before she stopped as quick as she began. The dirt spat her out onto a cobbled path, rolling to a halt as stray pebbles followed on and pelted against her barding in one final insulting gesture.
For several moments she just laid there, breathing steadily in and out as a sharp pain in her side began to fade. She began to rise once again, giving a cursory glance over herself for significant wounds. Much to her relief, the worst of it seemed to be a scrape or two and wounded pride. But it didn't matter, because when she looked up ahead, she could see it. A minutes' walk away, just waiting for her visit.
She walked forwards, smiling despite all the crap Skyrim had seen fit to put her through recently. In a few more steps she would finally be granted a reprieve. Finally! Just a few more steps…
"Halt! In the name of the Jarl!"
Oh, shit.
She stopped as asked, her stomach knotting itself at the sound of blades being drawn and the sight of two town guards rushing in her direction. The commotion of her arrival seemed to have caught the attention of the town's residents, a few nords emerging from their homes and gawking in bewilderment at the dirtied khajiit who had practically fallen into their town.
But they didn't matter, it was those swards that held Mia's attention.
"Agh, is there a problem?" she asked glumly.
"State your business, khajiit! That was quite the mess you caused just now," one of the nords answered.
"Just wandering through, hoping for a bed to spend the night," she explained quickly. "I was… attacked in the mountains. Been lost up there for a few days, that's all. Getting here wasn't easy, so all I want is to rest up, clean up and be out of here at first light."
"By which point you will have pilfered have our residents possessions, right? We know your kind."
She clenched her teeth at that but otherwise didn't answer.
"If she hasn't done anything yet, we can't do anything," the second guard reminded the first. "Just warn the cat and let her be about her business."
"Yes… that would be appreciated," Mia concurred.
"Ugh." The first guard shook his head in disgust. "Fine. But I'm watching you. One step out of line and-"
"Wait," the second suddenly piped up, stepping a little closer and seemingly examining her. "Don't I know you?"
"I wouldn't expect so, no. I don't make a habit of talking to many nords."
"No, I do recognise you… Right, the imperials had a shipment raided a little way north of here not so long ago. Three humans and a khajiit. You match their description."
And this is what she'd feared…
"Trust me, I know nothing about that…" she lied, hand slowly readying to grab her axe.
"No, I know who you are, bandit!" he accused. "You have violated the law, pay for your group's misdeeds, a bounty of fifteen-hundred septims, or come along with us!"
"Look, I've had a really bad few days. I'm not here to hurt anybody, anything I've done in the past… It's done," Mia claimed earnestly, praying she could reason with the pair. "I can't pay that. But is one dirtied, washed up khajiit worth making trouble? You don't want me here, that's fine. I'll go. Forget the bed. You won't see me here again, and you don't need to worry about the bandits either. They're gone."
"That so? Doesn't matter, if you can't pay the fine then it's to jail with you."
"And given what you people have been doing, I wouldn't discount the axe, either!" the first guard remarked with a chuckle.
Well, that last little comment decided it.
"I don't want to hurt you, I'm sick of it. But I'm not dying to you either!"
"Then you'll pay with blood!"
The first guard struck forward, Mia ducking down to one side away from his swing. She retrieved her axe as the second came at her, his blade swinging down towards the khajiit as she just caught the blade with her own! She pushed back, causing the guard to stumble as the original returned for more. He cautiously approached, blade held defensively before him and he sought to close the gap. Mia, choosing to strike first this time, struck out twice with her weapon. The first time, she batted his blade from the side to give her an opening before she raised it and swung down again!
But it never met armour or flesh, instead, the guard struck out with a free hand and caught her wrist in a vice-like grip. Before she could do much to resister this, his helmeted head came forward and struck her in the face! The world swam as she fell onto her back, her senses failing as the world blurred. She had just enough instinct still active to kick out at a blurred shape descending onto her, hearing a faint shout as the blur was knocked back from view.
Practically blinded, she rolled off to the side with a faint feeling of pursuit before the ground beneath her vanished and she fell through the air. Albeit only for a second, however, before she hit the ground again and rolled to a stop with an irritating sense of déjà vu.
She stumbled to her feet, a healing spell lighting up in her left hand as her vision began to clear. Taking a very brief moment to take stock of her surroundings, it looked like she rolled down a small embankment not far from the edge of the river. One of the guards was clambering down after her, retrieving a shield from his back while the other remained above while swapping his sword for a bow.
The former came at her again, shield raised and poised to deflect any blow she attempted to land. He pushed back against her, forcing her towards the edge of the drop-down towards the river. Mia attempted to get by the shield, trying to get the head of the axe around his defences and get at least enough of a strike to force him back. But these guards, unlike the bandits she'd fought recently, were actually trained to fight. And they weren't slouches at it, either.
He batted her axe aside, once again, with ease before swiping with his sword. She moved back, but the blade opened a gash across her thigh that was only stifled because of the adrenaline keeping her from feeling the pain.
Tink.
An arrow just missed Mia, clattering off of the ground next to her. She glanced behind her immediate opponent, seeing the other guard curse aloud and prepare another arrow.
She couldn't stay here.
Glancing to her left, she saw a row of buildings that could provide her decent cover from the archer taking pot-shots at her. It didn't solve the more present problem, but it was better than nothing!
She dashed away, striking out towards the building as she heard another arrow fly through the air after her. It embedded itself into the wood behind her as she passed the threshold, the guard losing sight of her and the one with the shield moved to chase the khajiit.
"Get back!" she shouted, wildly swinging her axe out behind her in an effort to at least delay him.
It worked, the guard faltering to avoid her blade and giving a slight rise to the distance between them. Not much, but more than she'd had before.
She ducked between two buildings, following the alley out back to the main street where a local woman gave a startled shout and quickly retreated back into her home. She then darted left, heading towards the bridge as her most immediate option of retreat. One slight issue, however, was a building adorned in imperial flags not far from it. If there were actual legionnaires in there…
She diverted herself once more, this time heading towards a fenced-in pen of animals that seemed a mixture of surprised or entirely uncaring to her approach. She hopped over the wooden barrier, dashing through the animals and then jumping the other end as well.
She landed on the wild grass behind the town, running a further way away yet before finally slowing her speed. Her ears flicked, though she couldn't hear anybody behind her. A good sign, all things considered. Her jog became a walk, the woman affording a glance behind herself to make doubly sure her pursuers hadn't gone beyond the town's edge.
"Stop!"
"Gah, bastard!" she swore, seeing the shield-wielding guard following after her still.
She turned and resumed her run, though footsteps were rapidly approaching once again from behind. Her muscles and lungs burned, a mix of the fight and the constant exertion they'd suffered during her trek across the mountain. She longed for a rest, a break from the constant toiling. But she couldn't afford to stop, not unless she decided to make that break all too permanent!
But whereas she was tired, the guard was not.
"I said to STOP!"
She barely even grunted as she felt the shield impact her side, the all too familiar sight of the ground coming to met her before she rolled onto her back. Her axe fell from her grasp, the Nord looming over her as he wordlessly pressed a knee into her stomach and raised his blade to finish the job.
The weapon plunged downwards, Mia reaching out with both hands in some desperate attempt to stop it. One of her palms wrapped across the man's fist, while the other foolishly found itself clenching around the blade itself and slicing open as a knife would a fruit upon a cutting board. Still, despite the sharp pain shooting through her arm despite the remaining adrenaline, she called forth whatever strength she had left to hold the blade from its target.
The guard faltered, seemingly caught off guard by her desperate defiance. If that was true, then he was all the more so when she popped her claws straight into his hand! He shouted in pain, hand opening up impulsively and dropping the blade aside. Her left hand, wounded though it may be, now free and able, grasped at a stray rock close by and swing as HARD as she could into his helmeted head. The force of the blow was enough to send him rolling off of her, his helmet being driven from his head as he hit the ground. The sudden second wind caused the khajiit to scramble for her axe, bringing it up in one swift movement and bringing it down onto the stricken Nord's skull!
"No!" another shout came from her left, Mia glancing off to see the other guard rushing forward with his bow drawn. "Die, beast! To Oblivion with you!"
Faced with the prospect of an incoming arrow, Mia snatched up the fallen Nord's shield and planted it between herself and the second guard.
Thunk.
The arrow hit, the head driving through the shield close enough to Mia that she truly thought that her luck had run out! Alas, she rose with the shield still outstretched while rushing towards her adversary with as much a burst of speed as she could manage!
Another arrow embedded itself into the shield, the wooden disk barely stopping it once again as the distance between the two closed rapidly.
"Damn it!"
The Nord, forced to choose between attempting one final arrow or swapping back to his blade, ultimately chose the latter as he dropped his bow and made to draw his weapon free.
It proved to be a fatal error, Mia closing the gap and striking out with the shield just as he finished drawing it. The blade was sent flying from his grasp, clattering a short distance away with its owner's eyes followings its journey before they then, in a state of shock, turned towards the khajiit right as her axe was stuck into his neck.
He went down to his knees immediately. Their eyes remained locked, a moment of time preserved as two foes engaged in what, for one, was the last of their life.
In hers, he found a fierceness, a ferocity born of desperation and constant fear, devastation and disappointment. But also… a regret. Sorrow. Even sympathy.
In his, she found unbridled terror soon give way to acceptance. A certainty. After all, it was now his turn to visit Shor's great hall.
Mia extracted the axe, one final gasp of air being forced from the man's lungs as he collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.
The silence returned.
The khajiit took in the scene she had created. Two more corpses. Two more names she didn't know. Only this time, they hadn't even been bandits. They'd just been two town guards doing their job. Hunting outlaws. Hunting people like her.
This… This was not how she wanted it to go. Not how she wanted to begin a new life. They hadn't given her much of a choice, had they? But… could she have done something more? If she'd been faster… Escaped, perhaps.
Maybe she deserved to be alone.
She didn't know what was going on in the town, nor did she care. She dropped the shield by the body, giving him a look over. She found little on him, and neither did she take what she found, with the exception of one small potion of healing. Exhausted as she was, she dared not attempt another spell.
Taking in the potion, she began to limp off towards the bridge. She skirted around the town, avoiding further prying eyes until she was across the other side.
Another night in the cold, then…
Still, the snows of the north were already beginning to give way to the greener pastures of the south. She knew she had to get away from Solitude, beyond the reach of the bounty upon her head. Somewhere warmer, far from danger…
Somewhere she could vanish in peace.
So she continued her walk, leaving Dragon Bridge and its warm beds behind, making all haste towards the hold of Whiterun.
