Kay(jiit) Sarah Sara: Part 9 - Hitting the Road
Author’s note: Eb. Never D#.
- Atsie Newt
Middas, 20th of Last Seed
This one is insulted.
With the sun still hiding beyond the horizon, Kay gathered her bedroll, equipment and thoughts and set out for Whiterun. The sooner this one handed over the Dragonstone, the sooner Khajiit could claim her money. With her reward from the Jarl, Kay could finally purchase some new clothes and turn her attention to building this one’s trading post.
The journey to Whiterun, although long, was uneventful, allowing Kay to make good time and arrive before the sun had reached its zenith. Heading straight to Farengar’s study, this one was surprised to see a hooded woman at the wizard’s desk. Her features looked familiar, but Khajiit could not place why. Torn between wanting to offload the Dragonstone and discover what the woman wanted, this one hesitated.
‘This isn’t some theoretical question,’ this one overheard the woman tell Farengar as she pored over some documents. ‘Dragons have come back.’
Although the rumours of dragons were everywhere, the woman spoke with the certainty of an eyewitness. Maybe she was at Helgen, yes? That would explain why this one thought she had seen the woman before.
Noticing Kay in the doorway, the woman turned to Farengar. ‘You have a visitor.’
‘Ah yes,’ Farengar said as Kay approached and handed over the Dragonstone, ‘the jarl’s protégé.’
Impressed by this one’s recovery of the Dragonstone, Farengar and the woman praised Khajiit’s handiwork. Unfortunately, praise does not put food in this one’s belly.
‘You’ll have to see the jarl about that,’ Farengar replied when pressed about the promised reward.
Before this one could ask any further questions, the jarl’s bodyguard burst into the room, demanding Farengar’s presence. A dragon had been sighted.
‘You should come too,’ Irileth said to Khajiit as they hurried from the room.
Following, if only to get the reward this one was promised, Kay marched up the steps behind Farengar and Irileth as they debated the seriousness of a dragon sighting.
Only half-listening as a guard made his report to the Jarl, this one waited for an opportunity to ask for the reward. Imagine Kay’s surprise when the Jarl replied, beaming with pride, and presented Khajiit with a pair of boots from his armoury. All that work for a pair of boots. And men’s boots at that. Was the jarl expecting this one to stuff them with rags to stop them flopping about on Khajiit’s feet, yes?
As Irileth set off to ready the guards and head for the city’s western watchtower, the jarl had the nerve to suggest Kay go with them, being experienced at dealing with dragons. Keeping this one’s opinions to herself, Kay said nothing as she departed. Let the man think Khajiit was going to fight a dragon for him. This one was not about to put her life on the line again for a man who thought a pair of old boots was a worthy reward.
After a brief visit to Arcadia’s cauldron to craft some potions for coin, this one left Whiterun behind and turned east, taking the road to Windhelm and Winterhold. With the sun high in the sky, there was still time, if Khajiit maintained a brisk pace, to make it to Windhelm before nightfall.
Apart from the odd wolf or occasional deer, the road to Windhelm was deserted, allowing Kay to make good time, despite pausing to gather some wild herbs for potions. Following the rise and fall of the mountain path, this one drained her waterskin as the sun beat down. Regretting not purchasing some drink before leaving Whiterun, Kay strayed from the path the next time the road descended close to the river.
Ahead was a pair of towers with a bridge spanning the river. Presumably a watchtower, Kay saw no other route to the tower on the opposite bank. Filling her waterskin in the clear but chilly waters of the river, Khajiit was taken aback when an arrow clattered across the stones not more than two feet from where she crouched. Turning to the tower, this one spied an archer on the bridge and someone running down the road.
Assuming the arrow was not loosed by accident, this one tapped into her magicka and summoned a flickering flame, hurling it at the approaching bandit as she raised her mace. Blinded by the attack, the bandit’s swing went wide, missing Khajiit completely. Stepping back out of her reach, Kay wasted no time despatching the woman.
As the roaring fire died away, this one spotted another bandit closing fast. With shield raised, he charged through the gout of flame that Kay hurled at him, smashing into Khajiit and knocking this one back. Reeling from the blow, this one staggered away from a vicious swing of the bandit’s sword. Again, he swung, pressing his advantage. Ducking the strike, Kay aimed low, engulfing the bandit’s feet in flames. Dancing back from the fire, the bandit lowered his guard. The next blast of fire struck him square in the face.
Looking around for the archer as the bandit’s body fell into the river, extinguishing the flames, this one channelled her magicka to heal the welts and bruises from the bandit’s savage charge. There was no sign of the archer. Thinking the way was clear, and that the archer must have fled after seeing the other bandits vanquished, this one climbed back to the road only to spot the archer emerging from the tower.
Laughing at the archer’s stupidity in surrendering the bridge, this one dropped back down the banking and skirted the edge of the river to a rocky outcrop where the road ascended to the tower. There, Kay waited in ambush, burning the archer to a crisp as she entered range.
Approaching the tower, Kay watched for signs of more bandits. Hearing only the sounds of nature, this one entered the tower. After trying to kill Khajiit for filling her waterskin, it was only fair that the bandits paid compensation for this one’s discomfort, yes?
Clearing the tower of food and drink, Kay proceeded up to the bridge, assuming there would be more food in the other tower. Guided by her rumbling stomach, this one failed to spot the other bandit until she was halfway across the bridge. Crouching behind the arched column, Khajiit waited to see if the bandit had spotted her.
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