Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-24736819-20141208164428/@comment-5583506-20150106230449

"They were all right about you", hissed Kyrie as she launched another attack against Kashmira. "The daughter of a traitor turned out to be nothing else than a traitor! What a big surprise!" she sarcastically said.

"Don't you dare speak about my father that way!" growled Kashmira and brought down her sword upon Kyrie with all her strength. "I will gut you for that, you little bitch!"

Kyrie managed to deflect the blow, but barely. The force Kashmira had put in her attack was enough to cause her to stagger backwards and into a pillar. Slightly disoriented she had just enough time to avoid Kashmira's mechanical hand.

The young Nord threw herself to the side when the hand of Dwemer construct came flew in from the side and cracked the middle section of the pillar.

''Such strength! ''reflected Kyrie. If she much as get one good swing at me with that thing she will probably pulverize every bone in my body!

"Get up!" growled Kashmira and walked threatingly towards her.

Kyrie tried to swing her sword at Kashmira's shoulder, but the Khajiit was fast. Before Kyrie had noticed her opponent's movement, the Dwemer hand had grabbed her blade before it had even reached her flesh midway through the air.

The cat bit together and hissed something incoherent as she with sheer strength and determination shattered Kyrie's weapon into sharp shards.

Kyrie trembled in shock and awe. How did she...?

Kashmira continued to grab the Nord by her throat with her new hand and lifted her off the ground as if she was lightweight. Kyrie choked and struggled to be free of the disgraced knight's grip, but it was no use. The Khajiit squeezed her throat tighter before she slammed the Nord into the already broken pillar.

The impact affected Kyrie greatly. The pain numbed most of her senses and almost knocked her unconscious. She could feel how she was being tossed to the ground like a ragdoll.

"And now you die!" snarled Kashmira and raised her sword to pin the Nord into place.

Kyrie couldn't really determine what happened after she had heard those words from somewhere afar. All she could remember was that before Kashmira had managed to stick the tip of her blade into her body, something had gotten in the way of her sight.

Then she heard Kashmira scream. However it wasn't a scream of death and rage. It was a cry of sadness and realisation over what she had just done. When Kyrie slowly came to her senses her world stopped spinning and her vision sharpened. She could feel blood drip from the tip of her nose.

She looked up to see Kashmira's face frozen in a grimace of despair. Tears were streaming from the Khajiit's eyes. Then she saw what had caused the sorrow. Ran'Jinro had gotten in the way of the blade in order to save her.

"Why?!" cried Kashmira. "Damn you, Ran! WHY?!"

But the old cat did not answer. He simply grunted and clutched his hands tightly around Kashmira's as they still held the handle of the blade which had pierced his chest. He fell to his knees, still holding her hands in his own.

Kyrie quickly got up from the ground and pushed the shocked Kashmira to the side while she layed her Master's head to rest in her lap.

"Kyr... Kyrie? My child... Are you... safe?" he mumbled.

The young Nord covered her mouth with her hand and tried to hold herself back from crying, but to no use. "I am, Master... I am."

"That's good", he said and smiled.

Kyrie slowly raised her head in frustration and looked at Kashmira. "You!" she growled. "Get out of here."

Kashmira could barely get the words out. "I... I didn't... He... He just..."

"I said: GET OUT OF HERE!" screamed Kyrie in rage.

Kashmira said nothing, still too shocked to utter a word, but she did as she was told and began to run in the other direction, but made sure to cast a glimpse over her shoulder every now and then.

"But I promise you this, you traitorous bitch! I will hunt you down! You hear me?! I will chase you to the ends of the world if I have to, but I will never stop hunting you!"

Kyrie then felt Ran'Jinros hand on her wrist. "No", he sighed. "Let her run. Let her live."

Kyrie shook her head in denial. "She just killed off all the Apprentices and you expect her to just walk out of her like they meant nothing to her? She killed Belinda, who was my friend, and your Apprentice as well! Doesn't she deserve vengeance?!"

"Ah, yes... Vengeance", the old cat said as if the word amused him. "Look at her, Kyrie."

Kyrie stared at the back of Kashmira as the former Knight exited through the gate.

"Look at her", he repeated. "She wanted vengeance as well for something she believed to be unjust. Did it bring her happiness?" He shook his head. "She is truly lost. For years vengeance against this whole unjust society burdened and ached her. It ate her heart until she forgot what purpose it meant to be alive. You too shall face this darkness if vengeance is the path you choose."

The young Nord bit together hard. "I don't care. She will not go unpunished for what she has done."

He sighed. "Then I have failed again. Hate breeds more hate, my child, and hate is not the way of the Jun. Why do you think Kashmira wears the robes of the Vul?"

Kyrie wanted to say something, but she knew deep within that Ran'Jinro spoke the truth. As always...

He nodded slightly. "She will be held responsible for her crimes, of that I can assure you. But that day has not come yet. But I beg of you, my child, do not hate her. Pity her. If you can't pity her for her sake, then pity her for your own. Regard her as a reflection of what you might become if you too harbor hatred and vengeance in your heart."

Kyrie nodded in response and took the Khajiit's hands in her own. Tears were running down her eyes. "I will... try, Master."

"I am glad", he said. "Do not weep for me, my girl. This was meant to be. Dying isn't as bad as it seems", he shrugged. "Even when you have a sword buried in your chest."

"Does it... does it hurt?"

He shook his head slowly. "Not anymore. I am ready. Have been for many years. Finally, I will be able to see them again. Rashka. Shabhira..." He smiled sadly as he mentioned her name and then turned his head to Kyrie. "We shall meet again as well one day, my child. But not yet."

He made a small pause. "You have been a good Apprentice and I have arranged everything..."

"Arranged?"

"Some documents are to be delivered to the other Masters once they return here and find out what has happened. Among them is one of them declaring you to become a true Knight and Keeper of the archives."

She could barely believe him say that. Everything felt so alien. The situation they were in with the slaughtered Apprentices, Ran'Jinro dying, her promotion... Everything seemed to be a bad dream and she was ready to wake up any moment.

"I have but one last request of you, my child."

"Anything", she snivelled. "I will do anything."

"Kashmira", he groaned as he tried to remain conscious. "She is truly lost. Help her find the way."

"How?! I am no match against her! How could I possibly help her?!"

Ran'Jinro's tired gaze seemed to fade away into the distance. "Check those... last pages..."

And those were last words the old cat spoke...