Vax & Keyleth - Critical Role One Shots

2

- Shadow Lover -
Lord Huron - Time To Run
Loosely based on episode 33 of Campaign one,
"Y'know, we can tell when you sneak off like that"
"No you can't, - but I'm not going anywhere"

Keyleth skidded around the corner, putting her staff into the cobbled streets to stop her falling over. She was running, legs propelling her forward as the voices of half a dozen guards echo behind her. Her red hair tossed behind her like dancing flames as Markett's beautiful sun hits it just right. Keyleth ducked into an alley, seeing it open on the other end to the busy market streets filled with people. It was noon and crowds were bustling. Good time to get lost, she heard the guard's voice grow louder, echoing in the small winding gaps between the buildings. She caught her breath and ignore the pain in her chest, surges to the exit and back into the sun. It hits her instantly, warming her skin and making her sweat all the more. Today had been a disaster and was only getting worse as seconds past and she hightailed down a busy street. Trying to ascertain information about the person who you want to kill but also has a city filled with loyalists is harder than was originally thought. That, was what got them all in this mess. What was at the beginning a civilised conversation to a street vender ended with guards being called over and the party scattering like rats. She was originally running alongside Scanlan but he'd dodged a knife being thrown at him and that was the last she'd seen of her musical friend. Grog had Pike on his shoulders and she had transported them instantly to a nearby rooftop where the ducked and hid. Percy and the twin took off in the opposite direction she had, shouting over his shoulder about meeting at the old ruins outside the city walls. Easier said than done Percival. So now she was running, sticking out like a sore thumb with her antlers and bright green attire. She had the urge to turn into her favoured sabre tooth tiger form and fight back but didn't have the courage to look back and see how many was actually now behind her. By the noise of their voices, it was a lot.
Keyleth scanned her eyes over the streets as she slowed getting into the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Lowering her staff so it pressed to her chest, she lowered her head slight. She raised her hand to the earring -the groups main chord of communication.
"Is anyone there?"
"Keyleth?" Pike's worrried voice answered first. "Where are you?"
"I don't know, some market- I've never seen any of this before" She replied, unable to hide the worry in her voice. Anybody could be amongst the people, ready to grab her and shackle her up.
"Just -wait Grog, no don't drink that-" Pike's voice flickered away as the connection is served. She's too far away from them now. Not far behind, she can hear the guards go into the street like she had, making her legs pick up the pace from casual to a speed walk.
"Okay don't panic, just think, look around, don't panic" She mutters to herself, trying to soothe the stress swallowing her whole. "Is anyone there?" She tries the earring again.
A shakey reply of a discombobulated voice goes to her ear but she can't understand a thing. Frustration and anxiety burns into her blood and soon there's a opening that arises and she takes a chance. Not far ahead theres a small tent stall filled with fabrics and leathers, the back flap is opened reveal a dark alley. She calmly cuts through the sea of busy people making her apologies as she does. Pushing through till she reaches the stalls, she ducks into the gap, untying the tied up flap and completely hiding her from the streets and out behind the stalls were the venders are either resting or waiting patiently for a buyer. The one she hides behind belongs to a rotund man, snoring in the sunshine as a miserable young boy sits looking out at the people with his chin in his hands. Keyleth watches carefully, stepping backward into the dark alley. The guards voices raise above the human traffic and call out for a search, they split off ahead and go into different directions. She's stuck in place. One guard however starts to peer into all the stalls, demanding of the venders if they'd seen her. She presses against the cool brick of the building beside her and feet's her pulse race in her throat. A few empty barrels sit opposite her, so waiting for the right moment when nobody is looking, she dashes behind them, lowering her staff to rest on the floor and out of sight. Keyleth peeks up, only to duck down immediately seeing the guard now question the once sleeping vender and the boy in front of her. Heart racing, breath shakey she tries to think of something to do. Looking down to gather ideas only to find a mange covered rat crawling over her staff heading toward her boot with curiosity. It was bigger than any rat she'd ever seen and it looked like it seen battle and barely survived it. Not so much our of disgust but surprise from its sudden appearance, Keyleth gasps dropping her staff for a second so it clatters gently on the ground. She picks it up as soon as she does but the voices at the stall die down and she can't help but feel eyes burning down toward her. The flap that she's escaped in is flung open the thick fabric whipping as the person descends down the alley. Keyleth's stomach twists, now her back is completely pressed against the wall, chest rising and falling far too quickly. A sword is unsheathed. The sound of the metal rattling and echoing in the empty space. Keyleth feels sweat fall, trickling down her neck and back and by the sheer suspense she could crumble.
"Oi!" A voice cries out suddenly and the noise of a crowd being shoved aside grabs both she and the other guard's attention. "Captain, we've seen one down this way!" The sword is put back into it's place and his footsteps echo down the alley. She waits till the fabric of the tent is flown open and dropped again, till she breathes again. Engulfing air, her legs feel like jelly. There's a ruckus happening in the street that is heading downtown and listens carefully letting her head slowly fall down and rest against the wall. Now what? She thought.
"Keyleth?" Vex's voice came through the earing. "Are you there dear?" She sounded as though she was running, panting between words.
"Am here" She breathed out.
"Good, there's a ladder not far from you, climb up it and down the other side darling, follow the left road all the way up. Should take you straight to the Kirk-yard, we're re-convening there." Vex is no doubt smiling as she explaining.
"I thought we were leaving" Keyleth whispered, head turning to see the metal ladder on that lead to the roof.
"Plan has changed..seems our reputation proceeds us" Vex laughs. "Meet you there, let us know if you get lost dear, we'll come and save you"
Keyleth rolls her eyes and checks her surroundings before getting up and dashing to the ladder, climbing up it as fast as she could. The day's sun had heated the metal, so as she grew nearer to the top her hands struggled to hold on. She gets to the roof, the scorching summers day hitting her like a ton of bricks and she raises her hand blocking it the best she can so she can see. In the far off distance, back down on the street she sees what all the ruckus is, Scanlan. Bigby's hand is carrying him up and up as he surfs through the air with music blasting from his lute and his voice carried on the breeze. Unable to stop a laugh, Keyleth shakes her head and listens to her instructions, running almost crouching down to not gather attention, to the other side of the long roof and reaches the next ladder and begins the climb. She jumps from the second wrung from the bottom and lands with a soft thud on the cobble stone once again.
"Still with us Keyleth?" It's Percival this time and he too sounds as though he's on the run.
"Yeah, I'm heading down the road Vex told me," She replies, adapting the wavy street and almost catches herself as a sharp turn takes her by surprise.
"Good, look for signs of the Kirk yard it should be coming up soon- you might actually arrive before us, if you do just stay put." He says in his brotherly way. In the distance Scanlan begins another crescendo.
"Just be careful, all of you" she sighed out.
"That's always the plan, wither it goes right well- that's another story" Percy said before disappearing out of the ear piece. She draws further and further away from the city, the sun disappearing and she's in more shade than she'd expected. As she turns a corner a small wooden sign is pegged into the ground, painted with an arrow pointing straight on and a small temple next to it. It was the sign Percy had told her about and it boosted her courage. So in despite the feeling of her bones feeling rusted over and chest burning with sore in takes of breath, she presses onwards.