Haa-Rei the Marsh Ranger Options

[hazmick]

Chapter 1.0

I ran from the Merchants Inn as fast as I could. Holding tight to the precious bounty I had wrapped in cloth, ignoring the angry shouts behind me. I dipped into an empty side street and paused to look around before examining my prize, a large loaf of bread covered in melted cheese. Deeh would not believe that I had stolen some food without his help, I couldn't wait to get back to Leyawiin and tell him.

The bread was warm out of the oven and tasted delicious as I hungrily crammed it into my mouth. Before I could finish, I heard a rattle of armour and a wall of iron in the shape of a legionnaire crashed down the alley towards me. My hand found the hilt of my dagger but I decided against fighting this particular soldier. If only I had a bow.

“Stop right there pondscum!” his voice was like thunder and echoed about the grubby walls surrounding me. The only exit was behind me. I made a run for it but the soldier was too fast and grabbed my arm in a bone breaking grip.

“I assume you don’t have 5 septims?” This time his voice was lower but still sounded loud in the cramped alleyway.

I quickly swallowed the bread in my mouth, “I…no,” my mouth was dry and my voice croaked, if I was a man or mer my face would be bright red with embarrassment and fear.

“Come with me,” The soldier secured the irons tightly on my thin wrists, cutting off the circulation. Minutes later we arrived at the imperial prison, it’s walls were darker than those of the other city districts and corpses in various states of decay hung from atop it’s large spire.

Once inside I was lead down a short tunnel, light seemed to fear this place as it grew darker and darker the deeper we descended. One of the rusty cell doors was open, I assumed this was mine.

Sure enough on reaching the cell, an iron clad hand grabbed me by the neck and pulled me closer to the soldier.

“ I hope you rot, criminal scum,” His voice was a low growl with an edge of disgust which most people had when talking to me and the other beggars. The soldier threw me into the cell, my head colliding with something hard. Everything went dark.

This post has been edited by hazmick: Aug 17 2010, 03:56 PM

[hazmick]

@ all: such wonderful praise from such wonderful writers as yourselves.

chapter 1.2


I needed a weapon. Any weapon. The red robed corpses carried nothing but their robes. The Breton! She carried two swords, a curved longsword and a steel shortsword. Both weapons fitted perfectly onto a belt one of the robes was carrying. Now to find an exit.

A search of the room revealed a section of the wall with several bricks missing. I used the shortsword as a lever and the whole wall crumbled, revealing a room with a door at the far end.

On the left hand side of the room I found a pile of bones with some tattered leather armour, some lockpicks, a bow and a quiver with a few arrows.

I had some basic bow and blade skills from hanging around the fighters guild in Leyawiin. At first I went for food but my fighting skills gradually improved. The guild members would always have lots of spare time and I was welcome to spar with them, especially S'kasha. She loved teaching marksmanship skills to me and Amusei. We'd come to the Imperial City to join the thieves guild. I'd been here for ten minutes before I got arrested.

I shook my head. I needed to get out of here first.

After putting on the leather cuirass and securing the best of the arrows on my hip I was ready to proceed. Picking open the locked door at the end of the room I tightened the bow string and crept forward into the darkness.

Eventually I emerged into a large cavern. My eyes scanned the area from the safety of the shadows. Four goblins and some rats.

The closest goblin was to my left and only one arrow was needed. The next goblin was to my right and again fell to my first arrow.
Another goblin was in a large pit in the centre of the cavern, a pen in front of him held three rats prisoner. On closer inspection I found a rock tied to some string above the pit.

Sneaking forward, I pulled the string gently and the door of rat pen swung open. I retreated out of the cave as the goblins and rats began to fight each other. The sounds of claw, tooth, steel and magic echoed through the caves.

When everything was quiet again I crept back into the cave. Only one goblin remained but it was taller than the others and carried a large staff. A shaman. Its back was turned to me and I saw my opportunity.

Remembering my marksman training from S'kasha; I nocked an arrow and drew it to half tension, aiming slightly above the creature I drew it to full tension and released. The arrow struck home but only staggered the shaman.

The goblin spun round, an arrow protruding from its thin chest. The Shaman's staff lowered towards me and a bolt of lightning slammed into my left shoulder. I winced at the pain and the scent of charred flesh. The bow slipped from my grasp.

The goblin lowered the staff again but I was ready. I skipped to the side of the lightning and drew my sword. The beast was relentless in its assault but I kept dodging attacks until the staff stopped, out of charge.

I ran forward at the now unprotected goblin and sank the curved blade of the longsword into the creature’s neck. Warm blood cascaded over the limp green body. I stabbed my sword into its chest to be sure it was dead.

My legs started shaking and I sat down on the floor. Before now I had never killed anything with a bow.

The wound on my shoulder throbbed. The flesh was charred and the leather of the cuirass had been completely destroyed.

The Shaman's robe provided the material I needed to cover my shoulder but it was still badly burned so using a bow was out of the question. I would have to make do with the sword. It looked quite valuable, perhaps I could sell it when I escaped. If I escaped.


The tunnel ahead gradually changed from the damp, earthy cave to the grey bricks like the ones in my prison cell. The exit must be near.

I was alerted to voices ahead and crept forward. The emperor and his bodyguards stood in the centre of a small room, surrounded by more red robed corpses. Relief washed over my body. I would be safer with the Emperor.

I dropped down into the room. Ignoring the looks of the bodyguards. The Emperor turned to talk to me, his calm eyes surveying the thin and slightly roasted street beggar before him.

"They cannot understand why I trust you, but you must help us," His voice was still as smooth and welcoming as before.

"How can I help?" I asked.

"Do you know the Nine?" His eyes studied me carefully.

"Well, I'm not really a chapel person," I could tell that he wasn't impressed with my answer but he carried on talking about the gods and his own death.

"Sire," The Redguard interrupted. "We have to keep moving." The Emperor nodded and the group moved on, this time I was allowed to follow if I held the torch. I gladly accepted the burden and took to my role of torch-bearer with vigour and determination. The torchlight glinted off the armour of the Bodyguards, and the assassins.

The assassins posed no threat to me or the Emperor as the two guards were skilled with their blades. One assassin nearly got me but it seems the Emperor isn't too shabby either, his silver shortsword nearly cut the assassin in two!

Soon enough though we reached a dead end.

A door creaked in the room behind us.

"Wait here with the Emperor, guard him with your life!" The Redguard's voice told me that this wasn't a request and the two guards left the room to face the assassins.

The Emperor turned to talk once more, this time his voice was desperate and his eyes wide.

"My guards are strong and true, but even the might of the Blades cannot stand against the Power that rises to destroy us. The Prince of Destruction awakes, born anew in blood and fire. These cutthroats are but his mortal pawns." He pressed something into my hand and closed my fist around it. "Take my Amulet. Give it to Jauffre. I have a secret son, and Jauffre alone knows where to find him." He stepped away from me as I tried to speak.

"But...wh..." My voice shook and my words stopped. The Emperor began to speak again.

"Find the last of my blood, and close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion." He closed his eyes as a section of the wall disappeared, revealing an assassin. The barbed mace struck the Emperor's head with a sickening crack.

The assassin turned to me but was intercepted and dispatched by a figure to my right. One of the bodyguards. The Redguard.

"We've failed...I've failed." The soldier's voice was weak as he held the Emperor in his arms. He turned to me. "The amulet, where's the amulet?" he asked.

"The Emperor gave it to m-me. I have to t-take it to J-Jauffre." My voice still had not recovered from the shock.

"Grandmaster Jauffre. He lives as a monk at Weynon Priory, near Chorrol." He explained. "The amulet will be safe there."

"I'm sorry..." I had no idea what to say to him.

"It wasn't your fault, I'll need you to sign something. We don't want you getting arrested for jail breaking," He took out a quill and ink well from beneath his cuirass and quickly wrote up a document of pardon. "What's your name sir?"

"Haa-Rei," I replied

"What is your class?" The Redguard smiled at my confused look. "Your profession?"

I decided against saying 'Beggar' but that is all I had ever done. I thought of a conversation I had had with Deeh. He spoke of my father in Black Marsh. Before the Dunmer had taken my parents away, my father was a 'Marsh Ranger'. Mercenaries hired by the Empire to patrol Black Marsh and protect merchants.

"Marsh Ranger" I said.

"I wasn't far of. A few goblins and rats won't give you any trouble." His face creased into a wide smile.

"This key opens the door ahead, after that you'll need to go through the sewers. I'll wait with the Emperor's body until help arrives." He motioned towards the hole in the wall. "Good luck, sir."

I handed over the Breton's curved blade in return for the key to the sewers and fifteen gold coins. I set off slowly with the steel shortsword ready. I couldn't believe what had just happened, or if it had happened at all. Marsh Ranger. The words echoed in my head. Sounds dangerous, so do the goblins.

The way out was easy to find and I managed to sneak past two goblins. Even a Marsh Ranger knows when he's outmatched. Within minutes I was outside. Standing before a large lake. Alone again.

This post has been edited by hazmick: Sep 6 2010, 01:51 PM