Ten hours earlier…
Too soon I realized that leaving via the Asuran gates was a bad idea. There were Lion Guard patrol at every corner. The main entrance was already blocked off, with guards checking each traveler in and out of the city, searching for bombs. The gates were too difficult to monitor, and had been shut off completely. The Asurans who ran the gate were naturally peeved, and an argument broke out between an aggravated Non Lionguard, and irritated Asura. Sadly, the Norn won the argument when he picked up the Asura by the ears and chucked the poor thing into the sea.
I shut my eyes and sighed in annoyance, trying to ignore the cries of outbreak amidst the gateway plaza. How was I to get out now? The Lionguard kept informing the citizens that there was no need for evacuations, and everything was just a precaution. This only made it more difficult…nervous people got rowdy. Rowdy people attracted more guards. More guards meant less chance to escape.
I snuck along the edge of the walls, dropping down to the harbor. My best bet now was to find an abandoned rowboat and…row out in the night.
It’ll be all worth it…I sank to the sand, concealed underneath the boardwalk. Home…finally going home. I just hoped my mother didn’t build a net turret to trap me at the door, the same way she did my dad. Then again, if she did, I couldn’t really blame her.
“Did you hear? We got a Mersuran!” I glanced up at the sailors above the boardwalk. Mersuran…?
“A…what?” another sailor asked in confusion.
“A mersuran! A mermaid asuran!”
“Oh come on. I think we’ve had enough of this whole mermaid fiasco to last us a lifetime.”
I rolled my eyes. I had enough mermaid madness to last me three lifetimes.
After a short rest, I searched the bay for an abandoned rowboat. Thankfully, it did not take me too long to find one. Rowboats were one thing Lion’s Arch had in abundance, aside from thieves and brigands. I climbed in and set off, being extra careful to keep close to the cliff sides to avoid the guards.
I was pleasantly surprised to find not many patrol boats within the water. Most of the Lionguard must have been focused within the city. The few that did guard the harbor entrance were easily avoided with a few stealthy skills. They didn’t pay much attention to an empty rowboat drifting out of the harbor.
I rowed for awhile, using the oars to navigate around the rocky cliffs that surrounded the harbor. By the time I reached the other side, my arms were sore and tired. I left the rowboat by the side of a beach, trudging up toward the jungle. IT was going to be a long trip back home, but at least I could avoid most of the nighttime wildlife with my shadow arts. When morning came, I could find a safe place to rest before figuring out my next plan.
“You foolss!!!”
I froze, recognizing that high pitched shriek all too well. I ducked under a mossy outcropping, peering over just enough to see what was going on. OF all luck…the krait priestess….and pirates.
And the krait didn’t look to happy.
I watched silently, realization of their ploy slowly dawning. I watched in surprise as the cannon went off, killing the priestess, and the pirate captain gloating over his near victory. I sank back below the rocks. There was no denying it…Lion’s Arch was going to be in a lot of trouble.
The sneaky self-preservation side of my brain kicked in. I could easily escape…amidst the distraction of pirates and bombs. I just had to remain hidden until the attack. No one would bat an eye at someone fleeing the city.
But could I allow myself to do it? I might have been a thieving bounty hunter, but I couldn’t just run away and condemn people to their fate.
What did these people ever do for me? I thought bitterly. I would never have come here if Kristie never lost her eyesight. No one gave two bottles of bilgewater for me, or her, or my mother. No one. Centaurs come, kill, and leave. Bandits raided and ran. And pirates just plundered and murdered. No act of charity or kindness came along to help Kristie when she lost her eyesight. No one gave a centaur’s behind when my father died. I was forced to find work among the seedy crowd of Lion’s Arch, and why? So I could hopefully pay the ridiculous amount of gold needed for Kristie’s surgery. That krewe of Asuran did not care how she lost her sight. The people that hired me didn’t care what happened to their victims. And the Lionguard? All they cared about was how many thugs could they get into the gauntlet arena. No one bloody cared.
I don’t owe this city anything…I crept off, slipping into the dark overgrowth of the jungle. And even if I did go back, no one would believe me anyway. They’d just throw me in prison…and I’d die there when the bombs go off.
As far as I was concerned, Lion’s Arch brought this onto itself.
