Damn,
where to start… Long story short I fucked up.
I REALLY fucked myself up. Everything that could have gone wrong did.
Ok, almost everything… I managed to not get sexually molested for once, but
that’s about all that went right. Oh, and I could have not gotten the document
to Brutus (that’s the panther’s name turns out), but I somehow managed to do
it. Only now I have the entire Maidenhelm military after me.
I
SHOULD have opened the document fully and made sure I wasn’t taking any
military documents along with the one Brutus wanted. The General had wrapped it
in some military document detailing an upcoming attack on the Bruumweild clan.
When Brutus saw it, he just took the one he wanted, shook his head before
tucking the military document back into my pack. He said he’d find me when he
had another task for me, and suggested I keep low and away from high traffic
areas (no shit sherlock!).
Now,
on to how the army already knows I’m the one with the document. A guard spotted
me when the ledge I was crawling on gave way and I landed (very painfully might
I add) two feet in front of him. It’s far and away the quickest I’ve moved
while in so much pain. Pretty sure multiple bones are either broken or cracked,
but I can’t go to the hospital without risking being arrested (and executed)
for treason. Automatic treason charge, just for accidentally swiping a military
document. FUCK MY LIFE!
Think
it can’t be worse? Guess what was on the other side of the wall where I scaled
out of the manor’s compound? A fucking guard patrol! But no, not just ANY guard
patrol. A guard patrol lead by none other than JULIUS FUCKING BARTHOW! If you
don’t know, that fucking wolf is the Commander of the Guard. I’ve had gods know
how many run-ins with him over petty shit, that the next run-in with him he’s
sworn to find a way to make into a felony and have me incarcerated for life!
It
doesn’t help, that by that time, the General had noticed the documents were
missing and was screaming from a window, “TRAITOR! FIND THE TRAITOR!” A cry that
I’m sure could be heard throughout the whole fucking city. I’m sure the guard
that spotted me was pointing over to where I had scaled the wall.
I’m
sure it didn’t take long for the Commander to figure out I was the “traitor”,
although at this point, I didn’t have a clue I had taken a military document.
But I knew at that point, trying to show the incriminating document to him was
a big mistake, because he would just say I had forged it as a means to slander
the General. He didn’t need proof. I would have to prove that wasn’t my intent,
and no way in hell was I going to come up with anything to prove my side.
So,
instead, I sealed my fate as far as this town is concerned by bolting then and
there. The Commander and his men, of course, gave chase. Despite being in heavy
armor, those guys kept up with me, at least, well enough to frequently be able
to trip me a bit with their halberds. I was finally able to scramble up to the
rooftops, where their gear made them too heavy to follow, but not before one of
them gave me a deep gash in my right thigh.
As
soon as I put enough distance between me and them, I cut off one of the legs of
my shorts and used that as a makeshift bandage to help control the bleeding. I
know I need to get it stitched, but I don’t have what I need for that, and I
can’t go to the hospital because of my legal situation now.
I
laid down on the roof of whatever building I was on and waited until the pain
in my leg died down. Once it finally did, I stood back up and limped my way
over to the ledge and slowly crawled down. It took me awhile, but I finally
made it to where Brutus told me to meet him.
He
was there, but so was some female panther as well. Physically, they couldn’t
have been more different. While Brutus is powerfully built, the female, who
introduced herself as Pantera, was slim and more agile. They both immediately
noticed the makeshift bandage, and she shot him an annoyed glance.
Before
I could do anything, Pantera grabbed me by the collar of my vest, picked me up
and slammed me up against the wall, with a soft snarl. She growled that her
brother may not have made clear how important it was to remain undetected.
Instead, now the entire guard was up in arms and at high alert. They’d have to
delay their plans for at least a month because of me.
Brutus
interrupted her there, saying that he didn’t necessarily expect for me to even
attempt to infiltrate the General’s manor, given how no one had yet to ever
succeed in stealing anything from there. He counted it a win that I was still alive
at that point. He then asked to see the document that I had obtained. I pulled
the roll out of my pack and handed it to him.
His
initial grin at seeing the incriminating document quickly faded as he looked at
the other document. He shook his head, told me to stay low, and returned the
document to my pack for me. When Pantera asked what was it, he just said it was
something that, should I be caught by the guard with, I’d be instantly arrested
and executed for treason. When I stammered out, asking why he didn’t keep it,
he said that for what he and his sister had planned, he couldn’t accept the
liability.
Before
they walked away, Pantera said to meet her by my favorite battlement after dark
tonight and she’d see about getting my leg patched up properly without the
guard getting involved. Until then, I didn’t know them, and they didn’t know
me. She said I should hide in the sewer until then. Brutus nodded at that,
saying that was probably the safest bet for not being found. I think they both
heard my gulp. Then they both walked off in separate directions. I wonder what
their deal is. Guess I’ll find out when I meet them tonight.
Anyway,
my hell of a day wasn’t over yet. I, for lack of a better plan, decided that
the sewer probably was the best bet I had of staying safe until nightfall. I’d
hate to know how much worse any other plan could have been.
The
biggest problem I faced at that moment was just getting to a sewer cover
undetected. The nearest one to where I met the panthers was a couple of blocks away,
and in my condition, I wasn’t going to make it via rooftop. Walking was
becoming more and more difficult as I lost more and more blood. So, until my
open wound finally coagulated, I wasn’t going to make it even that far. So, I
decided to try to briefly hide in that alleyway.
I
knew that was risky, given the part of town I was in. This particular alleyway
was a popular detour for various kids to get from block to block without being
seen by nearby patrols. These kids were, while young, already pretty far down
the same road I’ve been forced down. In fact, I know a lot of them, and some
haven’t bothered to hide that they’ve the hots for me.
Anyway,
I nestled myself between a wall and some crates, hoping no one would be able to
see me as they scampered by. And for a while, it worked. That is, until a pair
of young boys, either of which were probably no older than 10 years old, came
running down the alleyway. As they got close to where I was hiding, one of them
shoved the other...right into the crates I was behind. He caused the entire
stack to come down on me and I think I scared the kids with the agonizing
scream I let out when the crates and the kid came down on my injured leg.
When
the other kid came to clear the rubble off his mate, I’m sure he was surprised
to find me under there. As soon as the debris was cleared, the kid that landed
on me immediately got up, and both of them stared at me. Or, more specifically,
at my boobs, which were at that moment only covered by the bra I had on (and
barely at that!), as the vest had come undone during the collision (I think). I
immediately shooed them off and they ran off, both sets of eyes fixated on my
breasts the entire time.
I
immediately refastened my vest and limped my way down the alleyway for a bit,
largely to see if my leg still hurt as bad as before. I figured after that
episode, though, I was better off going ahead and making my way towards the
sewer cover.
But of course, it wasn’t an eventless
undertaking. No sooner did I limp out onto the main thoroughfare did some cat
girl bump into me. She immediately noticed my injury and, because the guard had
already issued a ludicrously large bounty on my head, began calling for the
guards. I yelled some obscenities towards her as I ran as best as I could into
another alleyway, one that I hoped would keep me hidden the rest of the way to
the sewer grate.
I
managed to make it to the grate, but it felt like my leg was going to fall off.
I pulled the grate back over the hole and just stayed on the ladder with my hurt
leg dangling freely. Not having any pressure on it seemed to help it a little.
I
didn’t like this sewer entrance, though. More specifically, I didn’t like the
ladder. It was one of the few wooden ones left that the city hadn’t replaced
with a steel one yet. You can tell it’s an older ladder, too, since each rung
groans loudly as you put your weight on it. I always feel like it’s going to
break while I’m on it.
This
time around, one of the rungs DID break! Right as I put my foot onto it,
this rung groaned for a second, then snapped. I’m shocked the rungs I was
holding with my hands held up. I looked down as I was dangling and I saw that I
would have landed on a leech thing. I let out a long breath as I gently rested
my foot on the nearest rung it could reach. I didn’t move for a good while.
Unfortunately,
neither did the leech. It just sat there, sucking at the air. It probably
smelled my blood and was trying to find it. Regardless, because it wasn’t
moving, I wasn’t going further down. I was only hoping that I was far enough
down to not be seen from anyone above.
After
a while, the light coming through the grate began to fade. A sure sign that I
was running out of daylight. So, I slowly made my way back up towards the
grate.
When
I peeked through, though, all I saw were the guards ordering everyone to go
indoors. They were wearing ridiculous looking sunglasses, which I thought was
odd, since they were generally against the guards’ uniform regulations. Then,
just as they finished clearing the thoroughfare, everything went dark.
It
suddenly got a bit chilly, and I heard a loud screeching. I looked in the
direction it was coming from, but with it being so dark inside the sewer, I
couldn’t see what it was. I glanced back outside the grate then I realized what
was going on: a solar eclipse, during which, the last place anyone wants to be
is in the sewer.
The
screeching was getting louder, so I quickly climbed up and tried to open the
grate. It was locked, like they always are during an eclipse. There is a very
good reason for that. Inside the sewers lives a creature that only becomes
active during a solar eclipse. This creature can, and will, kill anyone who
happens to be down there during the eclipse.
This
creature was the source of the screeching I heard. The temperature continued to
drop rapidly, as the creature no doubt was getting even closer to where I was.
I clung to the ladder, just knowing it was about to do whatever it does to
people, when the grate opened and someone yanked me up.
Whoever
this person was, drug me into the nearby alleyway and placed a slim finger over
my lips. A very minty smelling finger. I opened my eyes and saw it was a guard.
One of the few female guards, at that. It hit me after she left who the fox
girl was. Let’s just say, that I have a few friends in the right places for
now.
Anyway,
under the cover of the eclipse, I slowly began trudging towards the battlement,
since it would take me a bit with my injured leg to get there. I got to the
alleyway that leads to the battlement just as the sky began to brighten again.
I limped along the alleyway until I could see the end of it. I sat behind some
crates and began to wait. I hope this panther really can help me like she said she
could. May end up losing my leg if not, and I’m useless to my friends if that
happens.
I
really don’t want to think about what will happen to me if I lose my leg. I
just want to be done with this hellhole. I just want a good life, but
apparently that isn’t in the cards for me.
For
the record, people who lose limbs and aren’t war heroes are either incarcerated
or killed, pending their criminal history. With mine, I’d be executed. With the
war documents in my possession, not even Alakath could vouch for me to not be
executed. I should return them somehow, I just don’t know how I’d do that.
I
hear some clinking, like a bag of bottles coming by. If I was in any condition
to run, I’d investigate, but I just hope it’s some peddler just trying to shirk
the guards and the likely curfew being enforced (thanks to yours truly).
Although, I smell cinnamon nearby as well…