Afraid of the Dark

[Cosmik 220]

"Where does it hurt?"

".....Everywhere."

Ashur groaned in pain as the man touched the bandage on his right arm. "Sorry, but you need help. Drink this." The man offered him a bowl of soup that he was holding when he had approached. Ashur took it with his good arm, tilting it to his mouth and downing it with one draught. He wipes his mouth and mumbles absentmindedly.

"Funny...how ALL my problems...start with...Pok..."

The stranger gave Ashur a quizzical look and fully examined the elf. No clothing above the waist, covered in bruises, and what looks like part of a piece of clothing bound around a nasty swipe along his right arm. What in the world had happened to him...?

Ashur slowly surveyed the area around him from where he sits, vision blurred with pain. He saw a small group of people watching him with mixed expressions ranging from worry to disgust, he smelled the stale stench of ale from the nearby tavern, he heard the usual commotion and bustle that constantly enveloped the human city of Al'Khazar. He also heard a roar that echoed through the streets and into the air.

"TWIGGYYY! I'LL FIIIND YOUUU!"

Ashur rolled his eyes. How could Pok still be hunting that woman? You'd think that after nearly being killed by the girl and her diamond dagger, he'd have sobered up and decided not to pick a fight with her again. Had Ashur not stepped in and broke up the fight the orc would probably be dead. But then again, we're talking about Pok here. This would amount to the second time that Ashur had saved Pok from death.

Suddenly he focused on one person trying to weed his way through the group. Somewhat small in stature, a rushed expression and garbed in dark robes with a blue trim.

That's him.

With a roar of anger Ashur leapt up from his seat and tackled the screaming man, in the process nearly knocking down the man who had found Ashur in a heap by the jail in the first place. The robed man yelled and clawed at the snow in front of him, but Ashur was on top of him securing his arms together with an old pair of Warden cuffs. The wood elf then groaned and rolled off of the squirming man, racked with an immense bout of pain. You don't just perform a leaping jump and restrain a full-grown man -while wounded, no less - without consequences. Suddenly, Ashur's shoulders are grabbed and he is thrown away from the now-calmer Undead footsoldier. He looked up from the ground to see a man in shining armor scowling at him.

"What are you doing to this man?! You have no authority to detain him! Where did you get those cuffs anyway?!"

With another moan of pain, Ashur stumbled to his feet. He grabbed the shoulders of the man before him and leaned in close, using him to support his tall frame. Ashur leaned into the man's face, both with furious expressions painted on their faces. The elf speaks, his voice broken but understandable, nearly a growl of rage.

"This...monster...was at the Undead keep I helped raid last night. We spared him only because he begged for mercy and we need his knowledge. He only just now escaped my grasp outside the jail and the boy over there found me." Ashur leaned back a bit and then spat at the man's armor. "...And if you would excuse me, I'm bringing him back to where he belongs."

The shining man's expression gave way to a quick flash of fear but he regained his haughty composure. Ashur pushed him aside, and with another yelp of pain, dragged the minion through the snow towards the city slums where the jail resided. The crowd just watched him leave.

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Ashur gave the iron doors a sharp kick and instantly regretted it, judging by the pained expression that found itself on his face.

"Since when...hhh...do they lock the doors to the jail...hhahh...without even leaving anybody behind?"

Ashur grabbed his stomach with his good arm, doubled over with lack of energy. The Undead minion only sat down by the wall and watched him hack and cough. After their castle being taken and him being within inches of dying a second time, the young man in robes only wanted to get away from the furious elf with a wounded arm. Ashur turned to his prisoner and hissed "If I had half a mind, I'd kill you right here and be done with all of this..." A mocking laugh echoed down the hall and both turned to see an armored man standing at the top of the stairs. The minion breathed a sigh of relief. The man mocked Ashur:

"It's too bad you only have a quarter of a mind, then!"

Ashur gave the newcomer a glare that could've turned flesh to stone had he been a mage or a god. He took in another rasp of a breath and addressed the stranger. "Shut up and...go find a bloody...hhffhh...guard...". The man spoke again, his voice sweet but laced with mockery and malice.

"Say, I know of a prison nearby. How about I take him off your hands and I'll come notify you later...?"

Ashur hacked up blood and gave the armored man another glare. "I fought long and hard for this scum. Go find a guard." An annoyed breath escaped from the armor, and the voice spoke again. There was no false joy or sweetness this time. "Hhh, perhaps you have a third of a mind instead...". The minion hesitantly spoke up again. "Say, we can trust this ma--"

Ashur whipped around and snapped at the prisoner, telling him to shut up. At this point, the Undead began kicking at Ashur, landing a few blows. The elf quickly grabbed at a leg and stomped with his own, snapping the bone like a twig. The robed man screamed in pain and kicked with his other leg. Catch, stomp, crack went the other leg. Ashur turned around to see that the newcomer had descended the stairs and was holding a blade to his neck. From this close, Ashur saw similar Undead robes under the helmet - but with a silver trim instead of blue.

"Release him. NOW!"

Ashur grinned and responded with a thrust of the knee to the other Undead's stomach. The attacked wheezed and stumbled backwards as Ashur closed in with an intent to land a crippling blow to the armored man's crotch. But karma had remembered it's dealings, and with a flash of crippling pain Ashur fell to his knees. He looked up just in time to see the hilt of a blade come crashing down into his face.

*CHNCH*

As Ashur crumpled backwards, the world quickly filling in with blackness, he heard laughing. He had a ***** thought that the laughter didn't sound like either man.....but he succumbed to unconsciousness midthought.

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Swimming through darkness, the world slowly faded back into view. Ashur saw an armored man standing over him and began to panic, but relaxed when he saw that it was just a guard. The guard stood over him, flinging insults and threats of arrest over trespassing in the jail. Ashur paid no heed. His entire body was numb with pain, and the events of 2 days ago slowly filtered back into his mind. He stumbled to his feet, using his hand against the wall to support him, and he slowly began ascending the stairs out of the jail. The guard scoffed with one final insult and turned to enter the jail, pulling a key out of his armor.

The guard unlocked the door absentmindedly but stopped to notice something by the door. Scraps of what looked like pieces of a glove and other strips of green clothing were in a heap by the floor. All of it was ripped into pieces, the remains stretched thin like a overinflated balloon. He mumbled about hooligans and trash and stuffed the things into a pocket, later to toss them into a fire and think no more of the strange elf.

Only much later, under the leaves of Laurelin, did Ashur notice two things. First: his right glove, in perfect condition before, had completely vanished. His bandage was gone also.

But the other discovery filled him with a mixture of wonder and dread: his wound - which had been created when he fell into a trap during the Undead castle raid - which had caused him so much pain in the human city - which at the very least should have left a scar....

...was completely gone.

[Saviordude 133]

That was a very good read! You should write more!

[Briamoth 41]

Pure brilliance. You should definitely write more because this was a very interesting read.

[bungo 3965]

I enjoyed this a lot. Great job.

[Hu'Ganosh Shaklug 3]

Keep it up elf! You have got talent!

[Danny 2232]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.