Artemis Stones (The Chronicles of Daven)

The Cost of a Rock

Firelight accompanies the warmth of a homey setting amongst lush couches and elegant tables. Located within one of the well-guarded secret hideouts of the Thieves’ Guild, this relaxing environment is one of many dens set aside as sanctuary for the thieves of the Uprising. A quiet place, designed for members to sit and relax after a long days work, and a haven free from the hassles of the world outside. Rested amongst the richly wares sat Artemi, quietly staring into the pages of a book over a glass of brandy. She had been coming here more often instead of the bustle of the other taverns lately, to pine away the time in a more peaceful manner. The hour was late however and before long the pages in front of her began to blur. Slowly at first until they meshed enough so that the warm glow surrounding her faded into the darkness of the ink, and began to change.

Soon the echo of her footsteps rang out in a fast paced thumping rhythm as it traveled through the unforgiving stonewalls of a secluded alleyway on the outskirts of Shadowblade. Like a canyon of unforgiving darkness the buildings on both sides of the alley jut upward from the cobblestone corridor, forcing any traveler passing through to head in only one of two directions. She recognized this place and wondered how long ago it had been since she had traveled here. Almost immediately after the racing footsteps and surfacing thoughts had entered the alley, so did the sound of voices. Loud and unforgiving they told her that they would not be friendly if she stopped running.

“She turned down that alley there! Cut her off.”

Heavy breaths and a heartbeat pulsing so loudly that it threatened to drown out all other sounds, she wondered how long she had been running from the guards. This was all so familiar somehow, as if a splinter in the back of her mind she could not quite place. A splash of heavyset feet into a small puddle at the entrance to the corridor let it be known that the guards were not far behind her, the clamber of their metal armor ringing out in a methodic march that suggested they were well-practiced runners and would not give up. What had she done?

Ahead the alley sloped downward, a result of the uneven cavern floor the city was built on and the angle almost tripped her up as it provided a little bit more speed to her step. Ahead and at the bottom of the hill was another street lit up by the familiar green light of the city, and the promise of another chance to lose the guards. She didn’t know why but she had to escape and a sly smile came across her face as she felt that possibility possible. That was until the hulking form of two more guards brought the exit to a choking closure. Without the ability to challenge the orcish militia in any sort of fight what so ever, she quickly searched for other options as she ran towards them. Why was this all so familiar?

Along the left side of the alley ran a length of clothesline that traveled a straight distance above the sloping alley to a point well in front of the waiting guards ahead. Without hesitation she leapt up, grabbed hold of the line, sending clothes everywhere as she began to slide down the cord. A flashing reflection of dagger steel quickly appeared from within the folds of her cloak, she did not intend to get caught and had realized a new escape plan. An increased sense of déjà vu came over her as she did so. Had she tried this somewhere before?

Waiting until just the right spot before doing so she sliced the line, causing a rush of scattered clothing to flail out while the cord made a whipping snap behind her. Instantly she was brought into a quickening swing that narrowly skirted the nearby wall, almost grazing her shoulder against the uncompromising stone. As the cord wrapped around the posting it was fastened to, she brought her feet up to hasten the swing, and bring more momentum into her attempted escape. With catlike precision she let go of the cord just as it began to bring her upwards, sending her in a flip towards the roof ledge above. It had been ages since she had even tried something like this and waited until just the right moment before opening up her spin. Where was it she had learned this?