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I sighed, looking back at Kara as I shouldered my blade. “We’re wasting time, we’ve gotta figure out a way to get in there before something bad happens to your sister.”
“I know that! The question is how we’re going to get in there, Trace!”
“Well, maybe we’d be able to get in if you’d focus on making a plan.”
“Why do I have to come up with the plans?? You’re the genius human, you come up with them!”
“Me? Well…that’s easier said then done. Unless we know something about them, there’s no way that we can make a decent plan…”
I ran off while Kara was distracted with thinking, circling around to the side of the fort under cover of the night. As I had figured, the fort was set up tight against the back of the cliff, so that the stone wall melded perfectly with the rocks of the cliff. If handled carefully, I figured that I could climb up, albeit with some difficulty, but I had serious doubts about my chances of making it while carrying the heavy sword with me. I took it off and tossed it to the side casually, glad to be rid of so much dead weight. I jumped in shock when I heard Kara call my name and hurriedly climbed towards the top of the wall, although I had to waste several seconds just trying to keep my balance from all the loose rubble that was in the cracks. By the time I was near the top, my hands were grimy and cut due the fact that I’d kept trying to keep my grip with all the cracks. By then, I was seriously starting to question why I was going so far for Kara and Kitara, who were for all the world nothing more then strangers to me. Surely it wouldn’t have been odd if I’d just kept on my merry way! Yet, for some inane reason, I was here risking my life trying to rescue Kara’s younger sister Kitara. I really needed to reevaluate the values in my life…
In any event, I reached the top and carefully leaped over it to keep from making too much noise. Not that I really needed to bother. A guard had found me despite my attempts at keeping quiet, and immediately shouted an order for me to not move, the spear at his side empathizing his words with a sharp thud.
“Who are you? What are you doing here? What is your purpose?” he barked at me, his tone commanding me to speak quickly or risk the consequences.
“I’m…no one important…” I spoke slowly and softly, my face blank as if from idiocy.
“Really? I’m gonna hafta ask you to come with me.” The tone of his voice left no room for argument, but I had a feeling that I shouldn’t go with him, otherwise I’d wind up getting seriously injured, or possibly even killed. I turned and ran as fast as I could, the armor-laden guard unable to keep up with my swift pace as he fell out of sight around a corner. I couldn’t stop to rest though; even then I could tell that I was being chased by what sounded like a corps of guards, by the sounds of armored footsteps I could hear, coming from in front as well as behind. Just as I turned a corner, I found myself face to face with a trio of guardsman, each wielding spears half again as tall as the men who wielded them.
“You guys know where the cafeteria is?” I asked casually, the tension in the air making it hard to breath, much less stand. I could tell that if things escalated the way I thought they were gonna escalate, I was gonna be wishing that I’d kept my sword…really soon; particularly as the guards behind had caught up, finishing a ring that completely surrounded me with no exits apparent.
Instinct was all that kept me from being killed as I dodged a spear that had been thrusting at the back of my neck. I rolled forward under a slashing sword, then another, before I broke out of the ring, dashing headlong down the hallway. Fortunately, I didn’t get attacked by any more guards. However, as I stopped to rest and catch my breath, I realized suddenly that I was really light headed, and that my side was dripping with with…something. I didn’t bother to look down as the adrenaline faded away and the pain became immediately apparent, bringing me to my knees.
This, this can’t be happening to me! I wailed internally, for I had no strength left to move my jaw. No! This…isn’t…possible…
I looked up, my vision dimming, seeing a familiar girl with a blue tank top and skirt running towards me. She managed to catch me as I slumped, and the last thing I remember is staring up at her worry-stricken, tear-soaked countenance.
Then, all became black…

* * * * * *

I jumped awake, startled, trying to breath the best I could. Something felt odd about me, but it was negligible at best compared to my current dilemma. I couldn’t open my eyes!
I struggled as much as I could, trying to open my eyes, then trying to get my body to move at all, even the slightest, but nothing moved. I could feel myself panicking but forced it down as best I could, trying to get my bearings. Eventually, I realized that I could still feel. As far as I could tell, I was lying on a bed, nice and soft, with a thin sheet draped over me, leaving my head exposed. As I focused more on the sensations, I realized that I could feel something cool and wet on my forehead, and some wet spots on my cheek.
I realized that I could still hear as well only when the door opened, and footsteps walked in.
“Doctor! Is he going to wake up soon!?” I heard a girl ask through her sobs, although I was too dazed from panic to immediately recognize her.
“Hopefully yes. Has there been any change in his condition at all?” a male voice, who I assumed to be the doctor, queried.
“N-no, none…”
“Well, if he doesn’t wake up soon, we’ll have to try to force him awake…otherwise, who knows when he’ll awake from his coma?”
Someone left then, and I heard some shuffling as the remaining person moved to sit down next to the thing I was lying on.
“Please Trace, you have to wake up…” the girl said softly, her voice full of worry. “Don’t die on me…I can’t rescue my sister by myself!” I heard her break into fresh sobs, her tears falling, landing on my immobile face, as I finally recognized the speaker as Kara Bloom.
But, try as I might, I couldn’t move.

* * * * * *

In my ‘comatose’ state, I heard Kara come in to talk to me several times over the next few days, telling about anything that she could, desperate to try to get me to awaken, but for some reason I couldn’t.
I heard Kara open the door and walked in, but then I caught the faint sound of liquid splashing to the ground, thickly. As soon as I heard this, I realized that something wasn’t right, and started to panic. I could tell that she had a limp, from the pause when she walked, and by the thud I realized that she’d had my sword.
“T-Tra…ce…” she muttered with a cough, while people bustled about her, bandaging her wounds, as best as I could guess. “I…failed…they killed her…my sister, Kitara…she’s gone…I couldn’t…I couldn’t save her…why won’t you wake up…You’re…you’re all I have left…please don’t leave me alone…I beg you…WAKE UP!!”
Her last sentence, punctuated by a shriek, broke me of my curse, it seemed, for my eyes flew open and I flew up to a seated position grabbing my ears in pain. Or it would have, if I’d had the strength to sit up. It was all I could to do wince in pain and shift slightly, my eyes opening a little.
“What…happened…” I muttered, looking up at Kara, truly stunned by what I saw. She had several really bad wounds on her arms and legs, and had nearly gotten her jugular sliced open. She’d managed to heal herself somewhat from what I could tell, but her condition was still serious as far as I could see. I felt kind of ashamed…I had fainted because of a slice to my side that barely missed my organs, but she had gotten worse then that, and still maintained consciousness. Before I could apologize for anything though, Kara slumped forward nuzzling against my chest tears in her eyes.
“Thank god you’re safe…” she whispered, before fainting.

Description
I sighed, looking back at Kara as I shouldered my blade. “We’re wasting time, we’ve gotta figure out a way to get in there before something bad happens to your sister.”
“I know that! The question is how we’re going to get in there, Trace!”
“Well, maybe we’d be able to get in if you’d focus on making a plan.”
“Why do I have to come up with the plans?? You’re the genius human, you come up with them!”
“Me? Well…that’s easier said then done. Unless we know something about them, there’s no way that we can make a decent plan…”
I ran off while Kara was distracted with thinking, circling around to the side of the fort under cover of the night. As I had figured, the fort was set up tight against the back of the cliff, so that the stone wall melded perfectly with the rocks of the cliff. If handled carefully, I figured that I could climb up, albeit with some difficulty, but I had serious doubts about my chances of making it while carrying the heavy sword with me. I took it off and tossed it to the side casually, glad to be rid of so much dead weight. I jumped in shock when I heard Kara call my name and hurriedly climbed towards the top of the wall, although I had to waste several seconds just trying to keep my balance from all the loose rubble that was in the cracks. By the time I was near the top, my hands were grimy and cut due the fact that I’d kept trying to keep my grip with all the cracks. By then, I was seriously starting to question why I was going so far for Kara and Kitara, who were for all the world nothing more then strangers to me. Surely it wouldn’t have been odd if I’d just kept on my merry way! Yet, for some inane reason, I was here risking my life trying to rescue Kara’s younger sister Kitara. I really needed to reevaluate the values in my life…
In any event, I reached the top and carefully leaped over it to keep from making too much noise. Not that I really needed to bother. A guard had found me despite my attempts at keeping quiet, and immediately shouted an order for me to not move, the spear at his side empathizing his words with a sharp thud.
“Who are you? What are you doing here? What is your purpose?” he barked at me, his tone commanding me to speak quickly or risk the consequences.
“I’m…no one important…” I spoke slowly and softly, my face blank as if from idiocy.
“Really? I’m gonna hafta ask you to come with me.” The tone of his voice left no room for argument, but I had a feeling that I shouldn’t go with him, otherwise I’d wind up getting seriously injured, or possibly even killed. I turned and ran as fast as I could, the armor-laden guard unable to keep up with my swift pace as he fell out of sight around a corner. I couldn’t stop to rest though; even then I could tell that I was being chased by what sounded like a corps of guards, by the sounds of armored footsteps I could hear, coming from in front as well as behind. Just as I turned a corner, I found myself face to face with a trio of guardsman, each wielding spears half again as tall as the men who wielded them.
“You guys know where the cafeteria is?” I asked casually, the tension in the air making it hard to breath, much less stand. I could tell that if things escalated the way I thought they were gonna escalate, I was gonna be wishing that I’d kept my sword…really soon; particularly as the guards behind had caught up, finishing a ring that completely surrounded me with no exits apparent.
Instinct was all that kept me from being killed as I dodged a spear that had been thrusting at the back of my neck. I rolled forward under a slashing sword, then another, before I broke out of the ring, dashing headlong down the hallway. Fortunately, I didn’t get attacked by any more guards. However, as I stopped to rest and catch my breath, I realized suddenly that I was really light headed, and that my side was dripping with with…something. I didn’t bother to look down as the adrenaline faded away and the pain became immediately apparent, bringing me to my knees.
This, this can’t be happening to me! I wailed internally, for I had no strength left to move my jaw. No! This…isn’t…possible…
I looked up, my vision dimming, seeing a familiar girl with a blue tank top and skirt running towards me. She managed to catch me as I slumped, and the last thing I remember is staring up at her worry-stricken, tear-soaked countenance.
Then, all became black…

* * * * * *

I jumped awake, startled, trying to breath the best I could. Something felt odd about me, but it was negligible at best compared to my current dilemma. I couldn’t open my eyes!
I struggled as much as I could, trying to open my eyes, then trying to get my body to move at all, even the slightest, but nothing moved. I could feel myself panicking but forced it down as best I could, trying to get my bearings. Eventually, I realized that I could still feel. As far as I could tell, I was lying on a bed, nice and soft, with a thin sheet draped over me, leaving my head exposed. As I focused more on the sensations, I realized that I could feel something cool and wet on my forehead, and some wet spots on my cheek.
I realized that I could still hear as well only when the door opened, and footsteps walked in.
“Doctor! Is he going to wake up soon!?” I heard a girl ask through her sobs, although I was too dazed from panic to immediately recognize her.
“Hopefully yes. Has there been any change in his condition at all?” a male voice, who I assumed to be the doctor, queried.
“N-no, none…”
“Well, if he doesn’t wake up soon, we’ll have to try to force him awake…otherwise, who knows when he’ll awake from his coma?”
Someone left then, and I heard some shuffling as the remaining person moved to sit down next to the thing I was lying on.
“Please Trace, you have to wake up…” the girl said softly, her voice full of worry. “Don’t die on me…I can’t rescue my sister by myself!” I heard her break into fresh sobs, her tears falling, landing on my immobile face, as I finally recognized the speaker as Kara Bloom.
But, try as I might, I couldn’t move.

* * * * * *

In my ‘comatose’ state, I heard Kara come in to talk to me several times over the next few days, telling about anything that she could, desperate to try to get me to awaken, but for some reason I couldn’t.
I heard Kara open the door and walked in, but then I caught the faint sound of liquid splashing to the ground, thickly. As soon as I heard this, I realized that something wasn’t right, and started to panic. I could tell that she had a limp, from the pause when she walked, and by the thud I realized that she’d had my sword.
“T-Tra…ce…” she muttered with a cough, while people bustled about her, bandaging her wounds, as best as I could guess. “I…failed…they killed her…my sister, Kitara…she’s gone…I couldn’t…I couldn’t save her…why won’t you wake up…You’re…you’re all I have left…please don’t leave me alone…I beg you…WAKE UP!!”
Her last sentence, punctuated by a shriek, broke me of my curse, it seemed, for my eyes flew open and I flew up to a seated position grabbing my ears in pain. Or it would have, if I’d had the strength to sit up. It was all I could to do wince in pain and shift slightly, my eyes opening a little.
“What…happened…” I muttered, looking up at Kara, truly stunned by what I saw. She had several really bad wounds on her arms and legs, and had nearly gotten her jugular sliced open. She’d managed to heal herself somewhat from what I could tell, but her condition was still serious as far as I could see. I felt kind of ashamed…I had fainted because of a slice to my side that barely missed my organs, but she had gotten worse then that, and still maintained consciousness. Before I could apologize for anything though, Kara slumped forward nuzzling against my chest tears in her eyes.
“Thank god you’re safe…” she whispered, before fainting.