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Raelynn and Alim: Knaves of a Feather
A @Stormflyx & POOHEAD189 collab
Alim shoved his sword into one of the few weak points in the Dwemer armor, and he was relieved to feel his blade sliding into flesh. That, and the cry of pain helped him realized they were indeed mortal and killable. The intensity of their attack and the other worldly weapons had him intensely worried. But if they were of flesh...they could be killed. Even the constructs could be destroyed if hacked enough, though he would need to enchant his sword before he even attempted to do such a thing.
The Dwemer fell to his knees, and the collapsed. Alim faded back into the shadows of the alleyway with a light step, his senses on high alert. If a contingent of the once-extinct mer stumbled upon him, he probably wouldn't survive. He was even loathe to fight one on even terms with their strange arms and armor, though he still felt he had a fighting chance. But caution was key. Remember, stay in the shadows or rooftops. Remain incognito. His resolve solidified. Nothing, not the screams of dying children or the chance of ransacking a hoarde of treasures would have him take any unnecessary risks. Alim was a rock. Unchanging. A solid-
As he turned the corner, he saw the Dwemer construct advanced upon the attractive Breton woman, who was trapped between a wall and death.
He stepped out into the open streets and leaped into the path of the Dwemer machine, his blade locking with the construct's swipe with a loud clang. "I think I have a problem." He said to himself.
With a sudden clash, and a splatter of yet more guts, Raelynn found herself face-to-face with a stranger - a swordsman. She had drawn her own staff, and was midway through conjuring her familiar. She lowered her staff slightly, as she watched the blood droip from the blade of the swordsman. It was thick like a syrup - slick. She'd never seen something like it - this amount of bloodshed.
There had been only one other time she had seen such chaos - and that was when the Dovahkin sacked Windhelm - and she hadn't even been there, just for the aftermath but the scene was the same. Pools of blood.
She returned concentration to her spell - and with a sudden motion of her staff, an ethereal wolf sprung forth at the Dwemer. "SHIT" she cursed as she saw that blood had splattered over the buttons of her cloak. A thing to find annoyance in, of course.
She listened to the boy mutter to himself, amongst the chaos she was able to pick up every word and even gave him a response; "we BOTH have a problem if we stand for one more second here..." she flavoured her tone with deliberately with fear - the tone of a damsel in distress.
Alim ran his free hand gliding along the blade of his sword. From where his skin touched steel, sparks of lightning crackled and zapped, coming alive with the enchantment of the storm. If nothing else, it revealed his dual expertise with both sword and sorcery. The dashing swordsman pivoted his foot and stepped within the guard of the construct, and slammed his blade into its midsection while simultaneously ducking under a clawed swipe.
The Wolf leapt up and pushed down on the claw, pushing it back from the swordsman as he ran his sword once more through the belly of a beast.
The Dwemer creation buckled and weakened under his blow. Behind him, an idea sparkled within the Breton.
Now that the Dwemer was weakened enough, the familiar dove on the crumpled body and finished it, giving both Raelynn and Alim the time they needed to escape.
This nobody could provide her with a meat shield in case she found herself in another unfortunate situation - and he seemed happy to play the part if she just kept batting her eyelashes enough.
"There has to be somewhere we can go, please? Do you know anywhere at all?" she widened her eyes and took a light step towards him, looking him straight in the eyes. She started to wonder if she really was manipulating the situation - or just so desperate for help she would truly do anything.
Either way, Alim had already allowed his obsession with danger and his anatomy get the better of him. He wasn't a stupid man, but, riches, sex, and risks were what life was for, after all. Plus his friends, he reminded himself. He felt a pang of guilt for letting Anifaire leave his side so soon. He truly hoped he didn't see her corpse in the streets, later.
"I have an idea if you'd follow me," he said, holding out his arm for her to take. His smooth voice was only matched by the sly glint in his dark eyes. He had a definite way out, though if he told her what it was, it would ruin the surprise, because it was a somewhat desperate move. "This way."
She had no choice, and so took his arm and stepped over the body, her right arm outstretched with her staff - ready for action. She had noticed in his eyes that he was an easy target for any damsel, clearly. He had that twinkle that would probably work on other women (or men, whatever was his fancy...). It seemed he wasn't aware he'd met someone whom that kind of nonsense wouldn't work on. That said, if the two of them could get out of this sticky situation with their lives - she would be grateful and go her own way once more.
Alim took them across them street at a quick pace, guiding her through the alleyways. A few times they had to step over corpses; mutilated and shorn through bodies of Imperial citizens. Alim was used to death, but to see civilians treated in such a manner was still an unpleasant sight. He guided her toward the next street, before yanking her back into the alley as a patrol of Dwemer prowled by, alien eyes scanning ever crevice.
The spellthief hugged the wall, and though he seemed wary, he didn't seem entirely afraid or unhappy. As if he were born for this sort of thing.
Once the coast was clear, he motioned for her to follow and he led her across the street toward the very edge of the Imperial city.
"Just where are we going?" she asked as she was ushered through the paved streets - the once clean and pristine paved streets ran with blood now. It seemed to seep between every cobblestone and stain into it's setting. Up until now, she hadn't really put thought to just why the Dwemer were back. It had been adrenaline up until now - and while her heart still raced in her chest, her brain began to tick too.
At any minute, it could be her being skewered at the end of a sword, and bleeding into the street. She wouldn't know why, or how. She would just be another crumpled body to be burnt by the survivors. She had been in scrapes before, but nothing on this scale. It was a stark reminder of how alone she was. If she did end up being one of those bodies in the pile, she would become just a face - just a victim. Just a fair maiden slain on an unusual day. Death overshadowed by catastrophic events.
No. That would not be her, she was going to get out of here - and with such a thought she gained second wind to move faster - she didn't have time to wait for his response before she was suddenly the one dragging him along - and she was heading toward a manor-like home, away from the screams. To find shelter - and a way out of this nightmare.
Alim felt her hand grab his arm and begin to essentially guide him towards a manor he had seen. It wasn't where he was going to lead her, but it was a long journey to the walls, and they needed shelter. Perhaps they could rest there and then pass through the building after a short while? The thought of valuables in there also piqued his interest. He decided to not fight against her urging and go with her, though his eyes were keen and his sword was out. The street seemed clear for the moment, however.
The manor was three stories and made of good Imperial stone by its foundation. The door was oak and heavy looking, though it looked locked. Alim reached into his pocket and withdrew a lockpick in his nimble fingers, inserting it into the knob. For a few brief moments he worked at it while the sounds of weapon fire and screams drew nearer, until a telltale 'click' and the door unlocked. He pulled her inside.
She followed in after him, taking a mental note of his lockpicking. He had looked every bit the thief when he had appeared before her; but this was a little bit of proof of it indeed. She raised an eyebrow and smirked behind him, out of his sight. She could hear talking inside the manor; panicked voices just up ahead.
“Alright, we’ll find a few packs -" came the soft voice of a female, with a pause hanging at the end - “who knows - place again.” Some of the words got lost to her ears, drowned out by the noises outside. She couldn't really make sense of it. But then came a voice much clearer to her, followed by the arrival of a.... Was it really? A Khajit! She couldn't quite make it out in the distance. She pinched at Alim's arm, and pointed to the shadowy figure in the distance. She could make out a tail and and distinguishable ears...
“You three go on. I’ll wait down here, see if someone else arrives.”
"I... I don't feel so good..." she feigned, letting go of the rogue's arm and stumbling forwards. She was suddenly surrounded by people who were going to be hightailing it by the sounds of it. She wanted to join them - but she knew what people could be like in these parts - at a time like this. She had to do something desperate to make herself less of a potential threat to them.
So she staggered forward just a few steps, twisting on the ball of her right foot, tripping herself up from the left until she fell to the ground - letting out a dramatic, but yet soft sigh. A "faint". A technique she'd used many times before, but never in such a situation as this...
"W-..." Alim didn't have the time to express any emotion before she was falling. Of course he was quick with his hands and caught her so as to lighten her fall. Once he patted her cheek for a moment, he sighed. "Come on," he whispered to her, and lifted her up in his arms. If he was a lesser man he would have taken advantage of such a beauty in such a state, but despite his weakness for women, he also had a streak of manners and good nature that he found annoying at times.
"Well, time to introduce you to the team." He said aloud with a helpless grin.
