I started to focus my mind. I was very sure that people
would contact me with tells and whatever. So I began to clear my mind, remove my thoughts. With a
little work, one was able to block their guild line and tells. I never did this much, so it took me a
couple of tries. But eventually, the only people who talk to me would be the people who actually were
talking.
I got a safe distance from Nepeth. I heard Knight
search parties all around me. They weren't focused on stealth, they were focused on finding me. I heard
hounds barking, trying to find me with their sense of smell. I couldn't stand in one place for long. I
ran on the path back to Tantallon.
The sound of the search parties began to fade away. I
was running full speed toward Tantallon gates. Once I reached there, I could plan my next moves.
I was almost in, when the militiaman quickly blocked my
path in.
I didn't need a fight. "What's up?" I asked.
"Your KnightRC, right?" he asked me.
Should I answer? I figured I could. "Yeah, what about
it?"
"Well, I got word from the Knights that I shouldn't let
you in town. They placed a bounty on your head."
"What?" Damn! I couldn't get into town at all. "Hrm,
well, I believe we could reach a...money settlement?"
"Not happening mate, I already been payed off well.
You best run, or they'll find you."
I took his advice and ran back into the woods. I
decided to camp out. I figured the parties were coming back to the castle for rest, and wouldn't start
searching again for a few hours.
I wondered, about basically everything. When I was in
the castle, why Kushana speak to me? Or was that even really her? Was my mind so tormented that I was
beginning to imagine her all the time? And why was this scroll so important, that they would hunt me
down? I would have gladly returned it, but I didn't get a chance to reply. The moment I left, I was
a hunted man.
Other things floated in my mind, in a mess of
thoughts. I decided to sleep it off and rest. My mind quickly shut down once my eyes closed.
"Get up fool!"
The sudden voice broke my peaceful sleep. My mind
started to fear the worst. A knight party? A bounty hunter? I slowly opened my eyes.
The image was blurry at first, but that didn't stop
them from talking.
"Is this what your forced to do? Sleep on the ground,
like a common animal?"
My eyes were still blurred, and I couldn't make out
the voice. "Who's, who's there?"
"You know who this is!" I saw a blurred hand draw back
and then hit my face with tremendous force. My vision was quickly fixed. A painful cure. As the sting
started to hit me, I opened my eyes.
And the person who stood in front of me, Kushana.
After so many months of not seeing her, I think I couldn't take much more of this. One minute evil,
the next good, and then back to evil.
"So..so...I guess, your..the evil one, eh?" The pain
of the slap was breaking my speech. It was very painful.
I saw why. Kushana removed a metal glove from her
hand. "The evil one? Hah! I'm the only one. You still don't get it? You think that I'm any different
from the person you knew? There's no change. Your mind and heart cannot accept the fate that this is
me." Kushana laughed at me. "And look at you! You were strong! You evaded a whole castle full of
Knights. But when one person slaps you, you fall to the ground, at my feet."
"You, you saw that?"
"Of course! I'm always watching you. Watching you make
your next move. But I really don't need to. I'm always ahead of you." Kushana walked over to me.
"Enough with the pleasant chatting. I know what you have. The scroll?"
"The scroll? So you want the scroll?"
"You are smart. I'm amazed." Kushana grabbed me by the
neck and held me up. "Well then, I take it you have it?"
"Yes...." I barely choked out. Her grip was tight.
She threw me to the ground. "Fine! Take it out and give
it to me. The quicker you do, the quicker you can whine to yourself about me." Kushana laughed again.
"Sure sure." I pulled out the scroll. I started to hand
it to her. "Enjoy."
"Oh yes my Knight, I will, I very much will." Her hand
started to grasp the scroll.
In a flash, I pulled out a match, lit it, and started
to burn the scroll. Years of having burned orc corpses for ears have improved the quickness.
The scroll quickly caught fire. Kushana gasped and
dropped the scroll before it burned her hand.
Kushana growled and grabbed me again. "You bastard! Do
you know what you have just done!" She dropped me on the ground and put on her metal glove again.
"You!" Kushana slapped me on the right cheek.
"Stupid!" Kushana slapped me on the left cheek.
"Bastard!" Kushana was about to slap me, but held her
hand in the air. Her breathing was hard.
The two slaps were enough to put me out. My vision was
back to being blurry. I could feel blood running down where she hit me. That metal glove was too
strong. It was meant for protection, not offense. But seemed to do the attack job well.
"Knight. You just made a big mistake. If you survive,
you know where to find me. Back to where it all began." Kushana kicked me in the side. I groaned in
pain.
"Your. Your insane!" I screamed out. The pain was
getting to me.
"Me? Your the one who burned up the scroll, probably
the scroll for the greatest treasure in the world. And you wasted it! Wealth, fame. All gone."
Kushana kicked me in the side again. The pain was greater.
"You want the scroll, that badly? Well, you shouldn't
have woken me up."
"Your getting too smart. Ya know?" Kushana kicked me
yet again. One more groan from me. She dropped the metal glove at my side. "Oh, and bring the glove back
to me. I mean, a maiden is nothing without her glove." Kushana started cackling and walked away, into the
forest depths.
She was right about one thing. If I survive. The pain
was really taken hold of me. I felt like I would pass out. I wasn't sure how long I could keep going
with myself like this.
I heard a sound from behind me. Crushing of leaves.
Someone was coming to me. I prayed that it was a peaceful ally.
The person came to me. Again, my vision was still
blurred.
"Knight? Is that you? My god!" the person said.
"Who...who is there?" I heard the voice, but it wasn't
familiar.
"It's me, Tigerlily. Oh my...what happened to you?
Your bleeding from the face!"
"It's nothing. Why are you here in the middle of
nowhere anyway?"
"I'm supposed to be searching for you."
"Well, I won't put up too much of a fight."
"Still looking for that person?"
"Actually, she found me."
"Oh, so its a she, is it now?"
"Does it matter? I'm bleeding here!"
"Ack! That's right. Did...she do this to you?"
"Yeah. Sadly."
I could slightly see that Tigerlily was starting to
prepare something. Hopefully for healing. "Didn't see it coming?"
"No! She caught me asleep."
"You slept out here? Darn, you were really are in
trouble."
"Yeah well, i've seen worse."
"You need to tell me all about these adventures of
yours sometime. You sound like an interesting person." Tigerlily started to soak my blood with some
sort of pad. Cleric stuff I guess.
"Ah, thanks. Feels better. Yeah well, maybe I should
take you up on that. You sound interesting yourself."
"Nah. I'm just an ordinary cleric."
"Who saved my life."
"Yeah, that's true." I heard a giggle. She started to
bandage my cuts. "Your doing pretty well as a patient."
"I never had such a cute doctor."
"Stop it! I'm married ya know!"
"Really? Shame."
"Like you would be interested in me at all."
"You'd be suprised."
"Anyway, this may hurt. Just stay calm." I could see
a sort of glow come from her cleric symbol. It shined into my eyes, nearly blinding me. Then her hands
touched my face.
Then, the pain came to me. At first, in small bunches,
but it grew in intensity. I didn't want to scream, as I might have alerted other searchers.
But the pain was too much. I passed out. I could feel
my link to the world gone.
I eventually woke up. I don't know how long, since
Tigerlily was gone when I awoke. My face was healed, the bleeding and bruises gone. But the only thing
near me was the glove which has inflicted the pain.
Where it all began? What did that mean? Maybe...I
already knew.
