Escape By Andrew Strinder The Imperial city, its grandeur is unmistakable. Its spires can be seen for miles, a beacon of light viewable a full days walk away. You have to get close to see its core, real close. The buildings may be pure white, the people certainly aren’t. I have lived here for quite some time, this is where the money is. Everything comes through here, the port is simply to much of a hub and trying to go around will draw to much attention, Imperial attention. Never a good thing to people like me. I've been smuggling skooma for five years now, and other... things long before that. Maybe someday they'll catch me, hopefully not today though. Never today always the day after tomorrow. Only the day after tomorrow will eventually be today, and today is a very special day. My contact at the docks, a Nord who always smells of cheap wine and has a passion for the stuff he trades finally talked to the wrong person, an off duty guard looking for a promotion, about his "business". Fool. So today I have to leave, no time for any belongings or goodbyes, the city guard has already taken the room I rented out by storm. Their not much better than the Nord at their job, thank the gods. Any gods really, I'm not picky when it comes to divine intervention. If the guards hadn't shown their hand when they did I would have walked right into them on my street. As it was they got it in their heads that somehow I knew the game was over and had left town. It never occurred to them that maybe, being a smuggler, I was out all night plying my trade. Not skooma, and thanks to the gods again or I would have been caught with that Orc brained Nord, but a few Khajiit being relocated to Morrowind. Nasty job, but it pays well, even more since they outlawed slaves completely. Good thing to, I'll need the money to set up shop somewhere else. Maybe even Vvardenfell, although I've heard the Morag Tong are something to look out for and in my line of work you make allot of enemies. Skyrim maybe, yeah that will do nicely. Harder to find an angle perhaps, but easier to keep your head. Got to get out of the city first though and that’s looking grim. The sewers would be a great path, would have been being the key. A year back some goblins got in there, to dangerous now. Don't even think the guards know that though, word is they think that their increase of arrests is due to their own hard work. Like I said, fools. To dangerous to use the sewers now so everyone keeps their... activities above ground, where Nords get drunk and talk to guards. Damn, another guard, I don't think that he's looking for me, to much boredom on the face but its not worth the chance. A local bar is right next by so I turn the corner and enter. Its dark inside, a good place to lie low for a few minutes and think of my next move. A coin tossed to the wood elf behind the bar gets me a drink I have no intention of having. I need a clear head, but not buying something at a place like this gets you notice, and I need to keep my head down so I make like I'm nursing the drink. Anywhere else I would wait for nightfall and try to slip out, but the city is surrounded by a large wall to risky to climb and the guards pay more attention to people trying to leave at night, not less. Daytime escape then, no other real choice. Make for a gate and hope that no one recognizes the city’s newest fugitive. No, I need a plan. Start running like a scared deer and they have you. Smart, you have to stay smart. Ironic really, all the smuggling skills in the world don't help you when you have to smuggle yourself. No place on you to hide. The northern most gate is the least guarded, but only because it leads to the prison, I'm not that desperate. Southern gate is next, leads to the university. A lot of ground between the university and the city though, more than enough to get lost in and hide until dark. Then east across the water and south to Copsford. I know a guy there who owes me. Hide out for a week, get a horse and get out of the province. Sounds like a plan. I've already paid for the drink so I just get up and leave. No sign of a guard, so far so good. I'll have to double back to reach the gate, hopefully the guards looking for me have already passed, I'm due a little luck. I turn the corner, still no guards, another still no guards. No one is this lucky. Their are always guards, always. I didn't notice this before, to focused on my own escape. Everyone is talking in whispers, and the beggar on the corner looks like he has seen a ghost. Something’s happened. Not me, an on the run smuggler doesn’t count much to the daily going ons of the city. Something big has gone down, no point in trying to find out what, got to move. An old Redguard women gives me a funny look and my blood freezes. Stupid fool your just as bad as that Nord. In my rush I was hunched over and walking to fast, drawing attention is not what I need right now, especially with the city so obviously on edge over something. I catch myself before I over correct. Got to make it gradual, natural. I straighten out, then slow down my walk. Good, she looked away, put on a neutral face and keep walking, the gates are just around the corner. I turn the corner and catch a single word from a street merchant. Murder. Great, someone is dead, someone important to kick up this much of a vibe. Maybe I should stay in the city, lie low a little longer until it blows over. No, to risky. If they don't catch who ever did it quickly its to likely they might find me looking for him. The gates right there, not thirty meters away and its still open. Whatever's happened, whoever's dead, they haven't locked down the city yet. Good, still a chance to get out of this. Damn, more guards heading straight for the gate and one looks familiar. To late to stop now, got to walk faster, natural though, have to look natural. Ten meters, I'm gonna make it. The reason the gates not closed yet reveals itself, a mage is arguing with the guard captain. Seems the Mage's Guild doesn’t want to be locked out of the city. Lucky me. Got to go through now, those other guards are nearly right on top of me. I slip through. I don't even know if the captain noticed me. Got to get out of sight. Won't be long until.... "Hey you, get back here!" I know its directed to me, no one else on the walkway, no choice, have to be the deer. The water isn't far and the guards in their armor can't follow. I begin to run. Jumping over rocks isn’t my specialty and I didn’t dress last night for a run. No help for it though, my pursuers aren’t far behind, I can hear their armor banging onto itself like some sort of demonic drum. My lungs scream as they cry for breath, the water is so close, then the air smells of sulfur and the ground rushes to meet my face. The mage, the damned chatty bickering mage. I wake up to my nightmare, the inside of a cell and irons strapped to my wrists. I check my limbs, all there. Fingers and toes all accounted for, the spell thrower just knocked me out then. Blast him. Someone is coming, got to get my story straight, probably won't do any good but there is no harm in trying. If only the damned dark elf across from me would just shut up and my head would stop ringing so I could think of something convincing, I might just get out of here. Yeah right, but I can dream.