A Dance for My Enemies

True to Myself

At least a day has passed. I can feel the hunger begin to bother me. The way the soldier's treat the prisoners is also quite pitiful.

I know I can survive. If a rat could, so can anyone from "that island".

Bilgewater taught me to be a rat, but really all of the people there are out to protect their own skin.

I get snapped out as another prisoner gets my attention. It was a woman.

"H-hey, have you seen my daughter anywhere? A little girl with dark brown hair, like mine" she mumbled faintly. I could tell the strength was leaving her body. She looked much older than the other townfolk and whoever was caught by the soldiers.

She takes my extended silence as the answer she expected to come from my mouth.

Hope is running low quickly, back home if you crossed a person, you died or were quickly punished. This is cruel. Keeping us safe in their camp but barely alive.

The only thing that could save us is a miracle.

A soldier walks up to me.

"Hey! You look healthy to me. You're gonna unload the grain from the cart for us got it." He orders.

I grit my teeth. I was always the anarchist, defying the superior force was my preferred method.

Something tells me it wouldn't end well for me this time.

"Fine" I quietly speak out.

Another soldier type unties me and escorts me to the wagons. This looks like the grain from the caravan I was shadowing.

It really ticks me off that there's no one to put these guys in check. But that would be hypocritical would it not? The anarchist longing for order.

I get shoved towards the cart, the soldier's obviously not entertained by the babysitting session.

"Go on, if you work quick you might get a small portion of soup for yourself." He encourages.

They start conversing about their own problems. People are the same everywhere. In Bilgewater and in Noxus. Just people acting like their decisions have an impact on the world. Chasing false promises over and over. Butting their head into the same wall after seeing a sign saying not to butt ones head into the wall.

I've only ever had to look out for myself. I liked it this way.

I finish up my work and the men satisfied enough. They hand me a small bowl of soup, likely made from local crops. I had no idea how hungry I was because I moved for it instantly and cleaned the bowl out.

The taste of anything brought satisfaction to my whole body.

Being escorted back to the pole, I get tied up.

After a other day passes, the others look really unhealthy.  Not everyone got food so some famished looked pale and skinny.

There isn't much to eat normally with the amount of money folk get so some were hungry even before thet got captured.

I know I can't keep going like this much longer either.

Besides the hunger was the awful conditions. Throughout the day you could hear screams and the sounds of women getting abused. The soldiers using the situation for their own pleasures. The men who normally could fight were too weak and only growing insane from the lack of action.

A lot of them cried. Men who were subject to harsh environments with little to get by were crying and doing nothing because they couldn't do anything. I don't blame them. I had heard rape and pillaging was normal in wartime and conquest. But I had never seen or experienced it.

Through it all I am fortunate. I am just a rat after all.

After a few days I had lost count. Now at this point people were slowly dying off.

That miracle needed to happen. I was giving into it too now. Reaching the point where a tear almost ran down my cheek.

Can these guys really be human?

That tear never dropped. It probably stopped being a normal function in my body after all the beating I endured in my youth.

I've never been so hopeless.

My sorrowful heart to heart with myself is quickly interrupted by a sudden crack of lightning.

I had noticed the dark clouds looming over us. The rain quickly followed and poured down on us.

In no time, the soldier's huddled under their tent's. We sat struggling in the dense rain.

My eyes widen as I see blood splash from the soldier's location. A red stream followed by a volley of blades harmoniously cutting through the air. It looked breathtaking.

The blades traveled in perfect rhythm to the soldiers and back to a figure I couldn't quite make out.

Long dark hair ran down it's back. A ornate design lining it's posture. What captivated me even more was the unique movement of the silouette. It looked like a dance but seemed to be attacking the soldiers.

The storm raged on as more and more soldiers fell to the ground. The thunder masking their screams. It felt almost surreal. Was I hallucinating?

A soldier's corpse was flung in my direction. His blade laying ideally next to me. I hoist the blade with my legs. A difficult maneuver but possible.

Getting the blade behind me I move my hands up and down the pole slowly hacking away at the rope.

Yes! I smile as the rope falls to the ground. Finally free, I stand up. Which is much more difficult than I expected. My legs have no circulation but the thought of getting out of here strengthens my body.

I walk towards the forest hoping to get out of the rain.

I hesitate and look back, the silouette still dancing in the night. To the side I see the others still tied up.

I can't think about them now.

I won't make it out of here without only myself in mind.

Propping myself against a tree I get my legs used to standing. After a moment I get a move on.

If the noxians soldiers are here, it means they've hit all the big targets nearby.

Which means I gotta stay in the woods and gather my bearings.

Walking for a while I find a hole in a Clif wall. Practically throwing myself in, I wait out the storm.

It only storms for an hour longer.

Damnit, the rain was useful for escaping but how am I gonna make a fire with everything wet.

My hunger is also out of this world.

I don't know when but I fall somewhere on the ground. Too tired to catch myself. Except. I don't ever hit the ground.

"You look like shit" I hear faintly before passing out.