My head was spinning and I felt nauseous as my eyelids fluttered open. I felt groggy and extremely sore as I tried turning my head to see where the heck I was. The room smelt of metal and antiseptic and my body covered in bandages. My eyes slowly shift around to my surroundings, there was a large curtain wrapped around my bed and I was hooked up to machines. My heart was steadily ticking on the monitor next to me as well as some other odd numbers I could not discern.
I was in a …hospital? How the heck did I get here? The last thing I remember is:
Oh god, Kenrick’s son!
My dagger, his blood.
Those elves…
Demon me…
I heard a small knock on the door and I harshly whispered, “Come in.” The handle slowly turned and a Khazad nurse waltzed into the room. She had short cropped hair and sasuage like fingers.
“Oh! Good to see your awake, dear. We were starting to get worried about you” She had a warm tone to her voice, “How are you feeling?”
My eyes blinked several times as I thought about her questions. All the muscles in my body spoke as I moved, my head was throbbing and my heart was…broken. “Alive, it seems.” I grimaced as I shuffled up to a sitting position in my bed. “How did I get here and long have I been out?”
The nurse was checking my vitals and scribbling on her notepad, “Oh, about 3 days. Your little friend was practically dragging you in here! Seems too many drinks and you missy get into a whole lot of trouble!” She let of a small chuckle as she continued her examination on me.
Too many drinks? Did Kenrick drop me off here and use an excuse that I was in a bar fight? My head started to spin as I tried to remember what happened. But I only got flashes of bodies and blood in my vision and I could hear my heart rate accelerate. “Was my friend….okay?”
“Now calm down, miss. No need to be concerned. He was a little beaten up himself, but he refused to stay. Said he had somewhere to be and sculled off. He did however, leave you this.” She pointed to a large package with a note on the nightstand next to my bed. “Told me to tell you to open it when you woke up.” She pushed some fluids in my IV and flashed me a warm smile before heading off. “ Just buzz if you need anything, dear.” And with that, she closed the door behind her.
My hands shakily reached for the small note on top of the package he left me and I opened it:
Dear Lilith,
By the time you are reading this, I will be long gone. Do not look for me or try and find me. I need some time to be alone and think about the things that happened with you and me. I just keep playing everything in my head, trying to understand why you…did what you did. When your blade sunk into my boy’s chest, it was as if you did it to me instead.
While I thank you for getting me out of the mines, I would have preferred if you left me there to die with him. But your…’other self’ pretty much dragged me through to the exit. I do not know what happened in there with you , it was as if you were a different person once those…eyes came out.. Something…dark lives inside you, lass. Perhaps that is why you chose the way you did, I do not know. I do know that I need to be as far from you as possible right now.
I know you care for me and I do for you, but it is better this way. I need time to sort out my thoughts and you need to come to terms with what lives inside of you. I don’t know if you remember our escape, but trust me, that will be better for you in the long end. Just promise me that you will take of yourself, alright? Should we run into paths again, maybe we can sit down and talk about it if enough time has passed. Perhaps that will allow me to understand.
Kenrick
PS: The package beside you is your payment for your services as promised. Take care, elf.
Tears landed on the page and smeared some of his writing, my fingers shook as I re-read his letter over and over again.
Other me? So, it all wasn’t a dream.
Kenrick is gone and I cannot blame him. I looked him in the eye after he begged me to pick him over his son, and I plunged the dagger into him anyway. What kind of monster am I?
I crumbled up his letter and threw it on the ground as I felt the tears fall. I should have died down there. Did I make the right choice? Was killing that boy really the right thing to do? My head spun and I slammed my fists into my skull, trying to understand my choice at the time. I always seem to choose wrong…
My arms brushed against the smooth brown package and my gaze fell down onto the large payment. I gently picked it up and felt the weight in my hands. My fingers slowly etched along the paper, opening up the edge and my breath caught. The black and red limbs outstretched before me, solid iron and beautiful. It was a machine compound bow that I could only imagine I would own in my dreams. My fingers traced along the smooth finish and I saw droplets of water hit on the cradle.
It was…my bow. The one I was eyeing in Bow’s and More shop. My eyes overflowed with tears as I looked at the masterpiece of craftsmanship that lay in my lap. I did not deserve this! What was he thinking? I small note fell out of the corners of the paper, my fingers opened it and read inside.
Don’t go saying you don’t deserve this, Elf! You did get me in and out of those mines and I am a man of my word. Do what you want with it, but my debt is now paid to you.
Kenrick.
My heart dropped to the floor and I felt sadness over take me again. I laid back onto the bed and held my bow close to my chest. I cried until darkness slowly started to creep into my vision and my chest ached from the emotions I had put it through.
You may think your debt is paid to me, Dwarf. But I promise you I will hunt down every dark elf in this place until they all pay for what they did to us. I won’t rest until I see them dead. You have my word on that.
With that thought, I closed my eyes and allowed the darkness to consume me.
Visions of corpses, blood and black eyes danced around my dreams as the vines of darkness that I have been hiding finally bloomed. I knew that this adventure possibly changed me forever when I allowed ‘her’ in.
The consequences from that were only just beginning.
OOC: View of the bow: http://www.designcot.com/wp-content/...ew-660x400.jpg