18+ The Plain Gate

[fellowknight]

"This on does not relish the thought of letting the lizard roam the streets. Khajiit have a saying: 'once tasted, never wasted.'" Baroth glanced back at the Khajiit, her face twisted in disgust. He faced her as she continued, studying her demeanor hard for a moment. "Like revenge, it has tasted it and now it might crave it. Surely it is still a bandit?" She paused, then continued. "This one would speak to it. Tell it that this is it's home now, that these people are its new clan." She stood and, seemingly at random, asked Baroth what he was planning on doing today.

"Best be cautious on that. The lad's going through something awful, and to be frank, I'm convinced he still wants to end Orvar. It's good sentiment, talking to him, but I'd wait a bit." He looked from the lounging lizard to Khamundar. "Least until he gets his food. No one wants to fight with a mouthful."

He took a couple more sips and leaned on the doorframe, wondering why she'd ask but too exhausted to question it.

"Gotta check in with the lads down at the barracks, make sure they made it through the night all right. If they haven't healed up by now, i'll drop by Arcadia's, or if need be, i'll have to requisition Farengar's services. They're not the brightest out there, but they're tough, and that's all we really need right now." He paused, dragging an index finger under his chin and against the bristles of his patchy under-beard.

He couldn't remember the last time he shaved his beard or, for that matter, trimmed it; he hoped he didn't look too disorderly, though he truly could care less about his appearance unless it was in the face of a formal matter.

"Irileth mentioned, a few days back anyway, that Whitewatch Tower could use a prod, so i'll probably be heading out there. It really depends on how those men are holding up." He took another sip.

"Other than that, I meant to check with Fralia about a stolen necklace, but yesterday was a real doozy." He nudged the mug in her direction. "And you?"

 

[Balomew]

12th of Sun's Height
​

"This one isn't sure, yet," the Suthay replied. "Explore the city, talk to people. This one did not expect to find herself within the city walls." She remember the cold silence there was last night when she had walked through the streets. These Nords had good reason to be suspicious of Khajiit outside of Elsweyr; not many walk out of their homeland willingly.

 

[fellowknight]

"This one isn't sure, yet," the Suthay replied. "Explore the city, talk to people. This one did not expect to find herself within the city walls."

Baroth nodded and took another audible sip. "To be honest, neither did I. Lots of things are changing these days.. Dragons, war, ancient prophecies.. By fate or force, things sure are changing. Hm." he emptied the last few gulps and set the mug down on the dresser. He flashed a soft smile at the Suthay. "Changing, perhaps, for the better."

He peered down at the Argonian, eating the bread and ale he'd ordered and, hopefully, paid for.

"With that said, looks like our lizard friend is sober and quenched. Good news for us, at least. Lad must be feeling a stampede of mammoths now." He glanced back at Khamundar, descending leisurely down the staircase. "Up for some morning bread? It's the freshest, especially with some goat cheese on the side. Damn fine smell to it, the bread at least."

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

Tsee-Keth heard the Nord walking down the staircase, listening to the faint creaks as he put his weight on each step. He was slowly feeling better, and the food and drink helped to calm the pounding in his head, and the roiling of his stomach. Moving into another seat, he set himself up to be able to watch the door and Baroth, giving up his place by the fire for security.

Before he could settle in, though, a guard barged in through the front door to the inn. Immediately, Tsee-Keth was on his feet, fireballs roaring in his palms. If guard is here for Tsee-Keth, he meet Sithis first... he thought to himself.

 

[Balomew]

12th of Sun's Height 4E 201
​

"Bread and cheese," the Suthay murmured. "It will have to do." She had reached the bottom of the stairwell, glancing at the back of Tsee-Keth's neck, when the door opened with a dull bang. A guard ran inside, gasping for air and looking around the inn. Khamundar froze in place, watching him from where she was. Tsee-Keth had bolted up from his chair; from here, she could see and hear him harboring fire in his hands. By the way the guard was acting, she could tell that there was something terribly amiss. His shoulders were high and tense, and when he stopped, he turned to the side to catch his breath. She loosened from her paralyzed stance at the foot of the stairs and turned to look at Baroth.

 

[fellowknight]

Baroth stepped forward to meet the guard and pointed across the room at Tsee-Keth. "Don't." he looked to the guard, huffing and gasping from what was likely a very tiring run. He tried to speak several times, but only succeeded breathless whispers and frantic gestures to the entrance he practically unhinged. He was definitely one of the younger recruits; if his gut and skinny arms didn't give him away, his hoarse voice and crooked helmet surely did.

"Catch your breath, son." Baroth prompted patiently. After a few moments, he addressed the lad again. "Now, what's going?"

"Giant, out near Chillfurrow Farm, sir! Some Khajiit caravan was leaving when he showed up and the monster tore 'em apart! We had to pull back and the bast*rd followed us!"

"...Crud." Baroth grumbled lowly, looking back at Khamundar. Taking on a giant was a very tricky and disorientating experience; one false move and you'd be the definition of a human pancake. Not to mention it was at least a three-man job. Baroth had enough experience that he might have been able to take one on by himself, but there was too much risk in even that.

All things considered, it just might've been the release Tsee-Keth needed. Putting his anger to a useful cause, at least, might diminish it.

"Ok, ok, let's go." He began towards the door, gesturing obviously to Tsee-Keth. Upon reaching the threshold, he looked back and, with slight hesitation, beckoned Khamundar after them.

"We've got some giant toes to step on and we'll need every boot to do it."

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

"Ok, ok, let's go." Baroth said, as he moved to the inn's entrance. He turned back, though, and gestured for Tsee-Keth to follow, and then at the Khajiit.

"We've got some giant toes to step on and we'll need every boot to do it."

Tsee-Keth snorted at the Nord's presumption that he would follow. "Tsee-Keth is not dog, tall one, and you are not Chief. Why help city I owe nothing?" He stopped the flow of magicka, ceasing the fires in his palms, and slumped back into his chair, picking up a stray mug and peering inside in search of alcohol. When it turned out to be empty, he tossed it aside. "Kitty can take care of giant, yes? If yes, you win. If not, Tsee-Keth wins. Is good for all. Bye-bye." He turned toward Hulda and called for more ale.

 

[Balomew]

12th of Sun's Height 4E 201
​

The Suthay's whiskers trembled, a lowkey sign of distress among Khajiit subspecies. Baroth glanced around at her, concerned about the giant. Her thoughts were on the Khajiit caravan the giant had attacked, the one that had been leaving. Ri'saad's caravan traveled between Whiterun and Markarth; they must have been just leaving. '..the monster tore them apart!' the guard's voice echoed to her. When Baroth turned to her a second time, now at the door and hesitantly beckoning, she shook her head. "This.." Tsee-Keth's response interrupted her. She found her worry hardening into anger, an emotion the Suthay rarely felt, even in this land.

She strode up to the Argonian at his chair and made to raise a hand to the underside of his scaled chin, claws facing upwards. Though it was not common knowledge, Khajiit were known in Elsweyr for their dual-sided natures and unpredictability. It made them great frontline fighters, but as Khamundar was not a soldier, what was she then? "'Kitty' will gladly made a scaly hide out of this one, but the lizard is needed. This is the lizard's city now. These idiots are the lizard's clan. Act like it! The city is chief, and it is in danger." she said, her voice trembling slightly, a sway of emotions clear on her face. She moved her hand away and turned to look him full in the face. "Khajiit needs to protect her own tribe. The ex-bandit should understand what that means.. how much it means." She straightened and turned towards Baroth and the guard. "Go. This one will be there as soon as she can." The turned and made to stride upstairs to grab her bow. She meant to go with Baroth, to help from a distance, but the caravan's state was primary in her mind.

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

Tsee-Keth watched as Khamundar climbed up the stairs. How can city be Chief, when Tsee-Keth does not like it? he wondered.

He shook his head, and jabbed a finger in Baroth's direction. "Tall one forget damages for Tsee-Keth's help. Tsee-Keth knows this farm, will meet there. Needs armor." He slammed his tail into the ground in annoyance before moving towards the door, muttering obscure Argonian curses aimed at the city, Baroth, Khamundar (he didn't call her kitty now), and especially Orvar.

"No more than quarter hour, tall one. Tsee-Keth has stash. If Tsee-Keth had it before, Orvar be dead, and Tsee-Keth be away."

 

[fellowknight]

Baroth grimaced as Tsee-Keth slammed his tail on the floor and left to get armor, as per his words, and said he'd meet the others at the farm after. The lad was obviously still sore, on multiple levels, but Baroth figured if a good ole' stomping didn't knock him right, not much else would. Everyone had to move on eventually, whether they wanted to or not.

After requesting Hulda keep a tab open, Baroth was out behind Tsee-Keth and broke off into a jog, leaving him with a, "Don't be late!". He'd left his shield with Adrianne, for reasons irrelevant, and figured he could use it at the farm.

It wasn't exactly the worst idea, all things considered.

"Hey! Adrianne!" he called her out, closing in.

She looked up, her face tense and a brow perked. "Wha-?"

"Shield! It's kind of urgent!"

"Right!" she fished through the knapsacks of ingots, producing the familiarly infamous steel-trimmed hub-capped shield. With a heave she lifted it up towards Baroth as he darted by, snagging the shield and sprinting for the main gates.

"Thanks!"

"Don't get killed!"

"Not yet!"

and with that, he burst open the gates and flew down the path, towards quaking stomps and guttural roars not too far off.

......
​

"Shor's bones- Shoot it! Gaah-!"

A mangled body, garbed in a bloodied and tattered Whiterun uniform, spiraled backwards into it's former comrades.

"This one suggests more sharp blades! Retreat is probably best suggesstion! Who killed its mammoth!? Shi-!"

Another body, a khajiit merchant, was hopelessly crushed under the tree-log of a club, spraying voluminous amounts of blood and bone fragments.

The monstrous behemoth lifted his crimson-dipped bludgeon and slammed a colossal foot into the ground, temporarily stunning the nearby men.

One said man was a younger fellow, in full-service to Whiterun for a steady week now and, least to say, he was horrifically terrified. So much to the point of physical paralysis.

Which the said behemoth then took advantage of.

Lifting his club riddled with strings of flesh and shards of bone, the giant issued a deafening battle cry and brought the bludgeon down with horrifying speed.

Before the lad could even curse for his life, a bulky figure, garbed in leather and wool-cloth, rammed him out the way. The tree-sized bat met the earth instead, showering the small troop in dirt and causing the giant slight pause.

The guard groaned with immense discomfort as he was dragged by the figure to safety. Though bruised and sore, the lad was thankfully alive, if painfully so.

Baroth dropped the lad by a small bush near the cobbled path and turned back to the monstrous giant, sword drawn and shield raised. He prompted the others to retreat further back towards Whiterun and have the watchmen there set up spiked barricades and front-line sandbags.

Impatient, and more on the lines of aggravated, the giant stomped towards the tiny boulder of a man and stretched out a beefy, wrinkled hand, hoping to crush the human. Baroth, if foolishly issuing a war cry of his own, charged forward to meet the giants footfalls.

"Rrraagghhh!" he cried, hurling his shield up at the giant's forehead, and dropped to slide under him and sliced along his thigh.

 

[Balomew]

12th of Sun's Height 4E 201
​

The Suthay charged back down the stairwell, ears folded back to lay atop her head. A simple steel bow was in her grip, a quiver sparkling with arrows strapped to her back. Though not the fastest of all Khajiit subspecies, Suthays were the lithe of the bipedal species, able to reach speeds rivaled only by native Bosmer. Emotions often acted as fuel for a short period of time. It was because of these facts that the digitigrade Khajiit sped through the streets at such a pace. The only thing that stalled her was the gate.

"Open up!" she demanded of the two guards that stood on the inside section of the gate. She halted and, when they opened the gate some, pushed through the open space and regained speed. She heard a question behind her that was lost to space. There were a few farms outside of the city, mostly to the west from her position coming from the entrance of the city. Like the guard's words had suggested, Ri'saad's caravan tents were missing; her own tent was still laying next to the dead campfire, never having been set or picked up.

As she passed behind an unhitched carriage, she began to faintly hear combat sounds. There were loud booms that sent tremors through the ground, and a war cry issued by one of the warriors. And there it was. Being close enough to properly see it with her own eyes, Khamundar began to slow down. Without permission, she began to calculate where the creature might be vulnerable. Skyrim was known for blizzards, so their sight wasn't probably great and their skin would be particularly protected. As she thought, she considered that their ears might be more sensitive, though how much was up for discussion.

That wouldn't matter much at this time, though. The only way to deal with that level of hearing would either being very quiet (doubtful, given that these Nords didn't seem to be particularly stealthy) or very loud. It didn't matter to her much at the moment, anyway. She paused, bow still drawn, and began walking with a stiff, quick lope, looking around for survivors she could cart to safety.. looking for the caravaneers. Her heart pounded in her chest; she wanted to tear the damn thing out.

"Ma'randru-jo!" The old, weather-worn Khajiit lay bleached in black, heavy blood on the grass. Khamundar ran up to him and crouched beside him. "Ma'randru-jo," she repeated, "what has.. Khajiit will.. where are the others?"
"Khajiit does not know. This one saw Atahbah run off just as.." he winced. By the blood surrounding him and that strange angle his legs were at, he was bleeding out and, perhaps, injured beyond help - but Khamundar would not accept such thoughts. He winced, whether at pain or his own words, and completed his sentence. "Ri'saad was hit first. We didn't see the club. He is.. he is dead." He closed his eyes. "He is dead."
She struggled with her words. "But Khajiit does not know that yet. This one is in a safe place, considering. Khamundar would bring medical help, but she must help defend." Her ears were folded back over her skull again, and her whiskers hung low.
"Leave this one. Ma'randru-jo may not be alive when Khamundar returns. No," she said quickly, opening his eyes to see the Suthay open her mouth to argue, eyes glistening with anger and fear. "This one will stay here. Khajiit came here of free will. Not many of our kind can say that they came to Skyrim."
"Not many can say that they survived a giant attack." She rose to her feet. "So live. Khamundar will haunt this one in the afterlife if he dies." She turned and trotted towards the giant, drawing an arrow from her quiver and setting in firmly in place.

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

Tsee-Keth had run past the giant while he headed for his stash. He was a skilled swordsman, when sober, and could readily cast a couple of fireballs, but he would have been at a disadvantage against a giant even at the best of times. As he'd sprinted past the fighters, they'd called for help, but he could do nothing. Instead, he'd run on, trying to get to his armor and weapons as fast as possible.

He told himself it was to erase any debt he had to Baroth, but deep down, he knew he was doing it to prove to himself that he could keep a promise he made.

 

[fellowknight]

The giant was absolutely boiling with fury. That, and he'd have one hell of a headache in the morning. Baroth slid into a kneel, leather squeaking softly, and brandished his sword at the giants backside. He spotted Khamundar, out of his peripheral, kneeling besides someone, talking to them.

He risked a quick glance and saw she was by one of the Khajiit merchants, probably a friend, whom had twisted legs was soaked in what looked like his blood.

He would've offered sentiment, or even better, got the Suthay's attention, but she needed a moment to tend to her friend, he understood. And the monstrous club, and it's equally freakish wielder disagreed. He looked back in time to evade the giant's retaliation, and once again, his makeshift mace bit hard into the cobbled earth, cracking stones and dispersing moist dirt.

Mid-roll, Baroth managed to get a hold of his shield again and maintained his semi-crouched posture, sword angled on the top-rim. As the giant turned to face the stout little nordsman, Baroth heard the creak of a bowstring and the silent slap as an arrow was loosed, meeting its mark just above the giants ear.

Something about the creatures made them thick-skulled and, quite literally, big-boned; likely a combination of small-brain syndrome and over-ingestion of cow-fat. That would certainly explain a lot, especially since the giant only looked more and more annoyed.

He noted Khamundar was probably aiming for his inner-ear and moved to give her a clear shot, drawing the giant's attention to the right.

Out of his peripheral, he caught Tsee-Keth sprinting past everyone, hopefully to the stash he mentioned and not the carriage driver. Steeled as the lad was, not everyone fought a giant and lived to tell the tale.

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

After a few more minutes of travel, Tsee-Keth finally arrived at his stash. An old trunk, hollowed out by nature, man, mer or beast. It didn't matter. It was well hidden, and Tsee-Keth had hidden it further. He dug around inside and pulled out what he was looking for. The only gifts his chief had given him, that hadn't been stolen by the other bandits. A set of bonemold armor, worn but still tough, and a strong dwarven blade, sharp and strong as the day it was made.

The armor was actually in better shape than when he'd first gotten it. The chief had told him how to work the material, to make it stronger, and protect him more. Each week after, Tsee-Keth would spend an hour every Morndas working on it, lovingly polishing and refining it, until it had become a part of him. Whether out of respect, or fear of the consequences, the other bandits had never tried to steal either the armor or the blade, and had even left him alone to work on them.

Tsee-Keth gazed at the armor for a moment, and then proceeded to strap it on. Cuirass, greaves, boots and gauntlets. Then he unsheathed his sword, tested the edge with his finger (something the chief had told him was unnecessary, given the craftsmanship of the blade), and headed back towards the fight with the giant.

 

[Balomew]

12th of Sun's Height 4E 201
​

The behemoth's movement made for a vast but moving target. Just as she fired her first arrow, it made a slight movement and the arrow that was aimed for its inner ear hit just above the mark. It seemed to have dug into the skin, until it moved against and the fragile weapon fell. The giant turned toward her; she could see a look in its eyes, intelligence and a deep anger the likes of which she rarely encountered. It started moving towards her, and she began to hope that it would try to stomp her or bring down its club - perhaps she would be able to get closer to one of the ears somehow. It would be easiest if it could be tripped. Instead, it seemed to have learned its lesson, reaching a hand down to scoop or swat. Her mind went blank and her body took over.

She scrambled toward the giant rather than away or to the side, tucking her bow close to her side, effectively running straight past the huge outstretched hand as the giant continued forward. Then there were its feet, moving straight forward and causing the ground under her feet to quiver terribly. She ran straight forward still, halting for a moment each time it stepped. It seemed to have halted. A few steps behind the giant, she turned around and looked up at it, and slowly it turned around, scanning at the ground with squinted black eyes, and looked back at her.

The creature roared, Khamundar's fur at the back of her neck standing on end at the bestial war cry. She turned and just ran from the giant, turning around a corner of the farmhouse. It lost interest in the chase and stomped its foot on the ground. The Suthay peered out from the corner and then ran back into the area of combat. Guard archers surrounded the giant at a wide berth, shifting their positions constantly. "Aim for the ear," she told one, moving on before the lad could complain about the small and moving target. At the least, they would have the giant running around trying to attack various archers. Again, the easiest way to bring out down would be getting it on its back or stomach. They weren't capable of causing a creature this large to topple over, though, she was certain of; they were small compared to a giant.

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

Tsee-Keth came around the final bend, and watched as Khamundar ran directly towards the giant. A bold move, and stupid. But luck was on her side this day, and the giant didn't try to stomp on her as she ran beneath it's grasping hand.

As she escaped, an idea came to him. If he could somehow make a much stronger fireball, perhaps he could stagger it long enough to let the archers (who seemed to be taking extra time with their shots) get in a good hit. He'd never tried this before, as he always held a sword in one hand, but decided it was worth a shot.

"This for Chief..." he said, solemnly.

He stabbed his blade into the ground, rooting it in place for the moment, and called fireballs to each hand. As they grew, he pushed his hands closer and closer together. At first it seemed to work, but as they got nearer and nearer, his hands began to shake, and he felt his soul straining, along with his muscles. However, he pushed through it, giving more and more effort to this one task, losing interest in his surroundings. When his twin fireballs were touching, the resistance became immense, and he screamed at the top of his lungs before they finally began to meld. As soon as they started to, the resistance ceased, and they seemed to want to join then. Finally, he was holding a single fireball in his hands, one more powerful than any he'd seen.

He raised his hands above his head, and gave a mighty overhead throw, sending the massive fireball straight for the giant. After it left his hands, though, the strain was too much. Tsee-Keth fell to one knee, his vision darkening. The last sight he had, was the fireball slamming into the giant's chest, who had turned towards his scream. He smiled a grim smile, and fell into unconsciousness.

 

[Balomew]

12th of Sun's Height 4E 201
​

"What is he doing?" one of the guards asked Khamundar as she passed through the marksmen's positions. She followed his pointed finger to a faraway figure with a fireball summoned in each hand. It must have been Tsee-Keth, she knew. "Focus on the giant," she told the archer, giving the Argonian one last look. Whatever he was doing, it didn't look like ordinary magic, what with him rooted in place with a giant around. She turned her attention to the giant, readying another arrow and sidestepping a few paces to get into a better position.

A cry came from Tsee-Keth's direction. She glanced over at him again; a large fireball was hurtling towards the giant. It struck it in the chest as it turned toward the sound. It stumbled at the force of magic and, having lost balance for the moment, staggered in place, covering its chest and groaning in protest. Whatever the Argonian had done, it was enough to stun it. She wouldn't let this opportunity pass. "Go, go!" she yelled. She and the man beside her fired. A small group of arrows dug into the center of the giant's ear where she could see it. From what she could tell, the others on the other side had done the same.

The creature howled, the sound quaking the ground, carrying through the air. It bent its head and put its hands over its ears, splitting the lodged arrows. It doubled over itself and, Khamundar not expecting it to fall this soon and not even sure if they should have targeted its ears, fell curled on its side. She could still hear it breathing, a heavy, winding sound, almost wheezing. It was curled away from her; she could see smoke coming from its chest.

"Is it dead?" the guard next to her asked. Khamundar glanced at Tsee-Keth's form, also curled on the ground. She drew another arrow and moved closer to the giant.

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

Tsee-Keth awoke a minute later, still drained, but able to move. He picked himself back up, and after sheathing his sword, walked over to Khamundar and Baroth. As he got nearer, he could hear the giant moaning, and watched as Khamundar walked over to the fallen giant, arrow notched. Instead of going over to help finish it off, he went around the battlefield, giving what little aid he could to the wounded, and looting the dead.

Ooh, he thought, guard does not need this... or this, oh and definitely not this. It is in good hands, guard man. And soon, will be gold for Tsee-Keth.

 

[fellowknight]

Baroth could see little past the giant's quaking stomps and deafening war cries.

Tsee-Keth had returned in a weathered bone-mold armor and Khamundar successfully flanked the oaf, drawing him into the semi circle of archers. His main concern now was making sure they didnt get squashed and no other bystanders had the incentive to go hero.

The circle continued to shift and seemed more bent on getting any shots they could than their actual position. Usually a good tactic, had their target been smaller and less durable. Any arrows that seemed to meet their mark didn't stay rooted for long at all, leaving little more than a paper cut in their wake.

Baroth soon realized arrows wouldn't get it done, and being the giant was adorned with a second skin of arrow shafts, he opted to try his hand at killing the behemoth. But not before he heard an intense scream and turned in time to see Tsee-Keth wielding a broiling fireball, just before he loosed it.

The giant, prior to this insane attack, had a cluster of achers by surprise and slammed his hammer right through them. Bodies flew and blood splashed, littering the road like the aftermath of a gory battle. Baroth, being close enough, had only time to dive for a guardsman and raise his shield to catch the hammer head.

The stonehead smashed into the wood part of the shield, the incredible momentum shifting to Baroth and throwing them both a good distance back. Baroth, unfortunately, broke their fall but somehow found his footing in time to see the fireball collide with the giant.

He winced at the flash of heat and light and watched as the giant howled with immense pain and frustration and crumbled to the ground. He gave a hand to the grumbling guard and scanned the ruins for the others.

Tsee-Keth had taken to tending the wounded, which was a satisfying surprise, and looting the corpses, which is what Baroth saw red. He hobbled over to the hunched Argonian, not even bothering to sheath his sword.

"Put it back." he said sternly. "If they give their lives, they deserve to be buried with their possessions. That isn't an order, but theif to thief, i expect you to know your limits."

"Now, Tsee-Keth, put it back. All of it."

He lingered for a moment, his look wary and strained but steady and stubborn, not budging until the reptile obliged.

The dead were disrespected as it was, rising from their tombs and being pricked at by curious wanderers; he was convinced necromancy was afoot but hoped it wasn't. He'd dealt with such things in the past and didn't relish the thought of facing it again.

After he was convinced the lad would oblidge, he turned to the fallen giant and approached, watching as Khamundar crept towards the weak creature with her bow drawn.

"Wait.." he mumbled, stepping towards Khamundar. He flipped his blade handle-out and held it out towards the Suthay, a silent gesture with a stern expression.

"End it quickly. Then tend to your friend." he elaborated, eyes glued to charred behemoth. He'd caused plenty of damage and likely killed many good people, but he still deserved a painless death. The two were distantly related, in any case.

 

[Wauten Dayhil]

(OOC Damn... Can't catch a break.)

Tsee-Keth would have paid Baroth no mind, and would have continued to loot the corpses (albeit more stealthily), but Baroth had cut him deep with the "thief to thief" bit. He'd only looted a few bodies, but he'd found enough items to make returning them to their respective owners a bit of a challenge, especially for him. After some deliberation, he simply took a helmet, and dropped all of the items into it, placing the filled helmet in the care of a crippled guard.

"Guard give these back, Tsee-Keth... helped to gather other guard's stuff... who could not get it on their own. Yes. Bye, now!" leaving the baffled guard, Tsee-Keth strode over to Baroth and Khamundar.

He stopped a number of paces away, though, when he saw Baroth holding his blade out to the Khajiit. He could tell it was personal, so he scratched his snout, and made himself look busy, intent on not being a part of an awkward, emotional moment.