Chapter 15
Weary from Wounds
Present Day - Stormhold Sewers
Artemis struggled to keep pace as they trekked down one of the long tunnels of Stormhold Sewers. I feel so weak, if I am caught here... She pushed the thoughts away, no use worrying over things she could not control. Ri'shai was helping her keep pace but her wounds were still fresh, her fatigue still upon her.
She realized now how foolish it would of been had she been allowed to leave on her own. She would of probably ran into those shadow-scales and been unable to defend herself. This very moment she could of been at the mercy of those scaled-men who wanted nothing more than to torture and murder her.
Ri'shai and Faradin seemed calm for leaving one of their own behind. That told Artemis a lot about Tolan. He must be strong to take on that many foes. Artemis had caught glimpses of the argonians through Ri'shai web of magic. Followed shortly by the sounds of battle as Ri'shai, Faradin, and herself retreated down the opposite tunnel.
Now she was looking at Faradin's back, trying to ignore the filth marring the walls of the sewer, he moved at a grueling pace. Artemis felt her wounds ignite with pain as she forced herself to keep pace.
"Faradin, we must slow down, Artemis cannot keep this pace." Ri'shai pleaded.
Faradin stopped, turning to face them, "I don't care, leave her in this muck, she's the reason we are in this mess."
Ri'shai gave him a stern frown. Which Artemis was grateful for. She won't leave me, she believes I was saved for some Yffre-knows-what purpose. Faradin scoffed and moved to assist Artemis from her other side.
Soon they were moving more swiftly as Artemis was half-carried down the sewers. She felt so helpless. How could things turn so quickly, and how did those argonians discover that she was the one who had doomed so many to slavery?
She felt no remorse for her actions. All evidence of the Knahaten flu had pointed toward the Argonian people. Perhaps the entire race carried the pathogen that infected her homeland. Artemis believed that may of been the case, but what evidence did she have? A hunch was not good enough to convince all peoples, she would need hard evidence.
The events of the day had pushed her mission from her mind. Survival was her only concern. She had always been a survivor. Ever since her encounter with the Widow's Oak spider as a child. She had spent three span under the care of Hellinzi. Artemis's rage flared anew as her thoughts turned to her old friend. Her friend, now dead these eight years.
Has it really been so long? I can still remember your voice Hellinzi, cautioning me to stifle my anger before it consumed me. She saw now, hobbling down this dank and dreary tunnel, that her rage had gotten her here. It was out of hatred that she had betrayed those scaled-men, hatred, and a need for septims.
"There! We are almost to the gate," Ri'shai said.
Artemis lifted her head light was pouring through a barred gate. Fresh air? Yffre does exist. Faradin left her side and moved to the gate. He unlocked a chain that wrapped around the gate and swung it open.
"Come, I know where we can go" Faradin said.
Ri'shai and Artemis both nodded as they made their way toward the exit. They stepped through the bars, Artemis avoided knocking the bars with her horns. Faradin turned to re-lock the gate.
She stepped out into the fresh swamp air. Then Artemis tried to stop her mind from screaming as she saw the corpse laying a few paces away.
It was a frail bosmer, pale, his throat gashed open. What was left of his blood pouring into the shallow river that flowed from the sewer's entrance. Standing upon the upper bank of either side were ten or more Argonian shadow-scales.
Ri'shai let loose a gasp as she saw the looming scaled-men.
"Okay let's go," Faradin said -- turning from the locked grate.
Then Faradin saw the Assassin's above.
Artemis had no weapons. She had no strength. It was a nice life. Wait who am I kidding? My life was anything but nice.
She looked down to where Ri'shai was holding up upright. She saw the kha'jiit's hands glowing a soft radiant blue. She looked about as the wind picked up slightly.
"We thought this would be more difficult didn't we boys?" One of the argonian's spoke.
"Yessss yesssss much more difficult!" Another chimed.
"There's the bitch that knifed Sesshii" A third argonian spoke, pointing toward Artemis.
"Take her!"
All at once they came upon them. Artemis had no plan to keep them at bay. She resigned herself to the slow torturous death that inevitably awaited her.
She felt warm around her wait and arm. A strong breeze moving around her. She glanced to see Ri'shai glowing more powerfully, channeling some enormous burst of magic.
She glanced behind, but Faradin was gone. He must of abandoned us. Gone back behind the gate to find another way.
The argonian's were leaping through the air, unsheathing blades as they came down upon them. Everything was moving too quickly. Artemis saw the lizard-men only moments from impact, their blades ready to drive through their prey.
At that moment, Ri'shai fell to her knees. Clapping her hands hard against the ground. Black and Violet light poured out from her hands in waves of formless magic. The magic slammed into the descending argonians. All at once they were suspended in the air. The dome of power continued to expand to encompass the area.
Artemis looked about, she could see the argonians were moving slightly, as if trying to sway through sand. The stasis the argonians were under seemed not to affect Artemis. Then she saw flashes of black fur and shadow.
She watched as throats were cut open -- heads toppled from shoulders -- each as the shadow passed over them. Artemis looked up warily, seeing the blood floating slowly across the air.
Ri'shai seemed to be lost in her magic. The shadow moved quickly but not swiftly enough to defeat all of the scaled-men. One of the argonian shadow-scales -- gold embroidered on his prominent pauldron -- was descending slowly toward Ri'shai.
His eyes shifted about, apparently this annulment field did little to slow the opponents mind. Artemis lifted herself to weary feet. She gathered what will she could, and planted a fist into the argonian's gut. As soon as her fist connected, Ri'shai's magic dissipated. It wisped away, in black and violet strands, ascending skyward.
What descended toward the ground was worse.
A half dozen severed heads and bodies began spraying blood in violent tandem. Dying argonian's fell toward the ground, fumbling with their blades as blood shot from their cut throats. Each clutched their throat as they bled out their life's blood.
Artemis watched as the Argonian she'd punched gathered his wits. He lunged for Ri'shai, blade in hand. Artemis side-stepped in front of Ri'shai, catching the shadow-scale master by the forearm.
They struggled for a moment. However the argonian placed a leg behind Artemis and toppled onto of Artemis. She could smell the creatures foul breath as he used his body weight to drive his blade home.
Artemis panicked as the blade inched closer to her chest. She saw the glee in the Argonian's eye as her end came inevitably closer. He was just too strong, and Artemis too weak.
"You dessserve worse than this sslaver! I should carve you from nose to navel for what you've done." The argonian said, before he spat in her face.
The acidic spittle burned her eyes as she struggled to keep the blade at bay. It fanned Artemis' rage anew. Why did everything have to be so terrible?
The Argonian used all of his strength combined with his body weight, and pushed on the blade hovering over Artemis. The blade touched her skin, and she managed to push it away slightly.
Yffre! I am going to die! She watched the Argonian's face light with joy as he saw her inevitable death.
He leaned in close enough to whisper, "What a frail thing, we wanted to break you, thissss will have to do."
She screamed in anger, rage filling her every pour, she forgot the pain in her limbs, forgot the feeble tension in her arms. She only saw the scaled bastard leaning over her.
"Too late, I'm already broken," Artemis said, head butting the argonian in the face. However, Artemis had horns that sprouted from her head, and one plunged through the Argonian's eye.
The weight of the argonian lifted from Artemis as he gave out an ear piercing shriek. He dropped the dagger, clutching at his broken eye-socket.
Artemis coughed a ragged cough, and took note of her surrounding for the first time in several moments. All around them lay dead argonian. Faradin was helping Ri'shai to her feet. Turning to see the Argonian flailing about. He was the only one left alive.
Faradin kicked the bastard onto his back.
"Time for some answers. Shadow-kin." Faradin said.
