Iskatti
Iskatti finished gathering himself as he evaluated what surrounded him. He didn't have much time to make his flight from this massive prison complete, and if he delayed too long, the narrow window for escape to his comrades would escape him as well. Spreading his awareness further, he could feel the approach of another keelish and took three deep, calming breaths. Then, with his lungs still burning in recovery from his last shift, he melded with the shadows around himself.
Under the door he darted, the painful burn from fire threatening him as his enemies approached. The strain of maintaining his magic would climb exponentially the more light that shone nearby, and as the ancient prey continued their search, the more light there would be that filled the night. What a frustration that they'd learned this weakness of his people, but he was strong, strong enough to make his escape even so. Iskatti fled faster and farther, looking for any escape window that presented itself. There was no guarantee of safety, no matter where he went, but where he encountered deeper shadows, he went.
In stuttering steps, some only a couple dozen feet, others several hundred feet, he made his approach to the walls. Twice, he came out in a room where a keelish stood. Fortunately, they were alone, and he ripped their throats out in quick, smooth movements. Each dive into the shadows he made brought him closer to escape. On the other hand, every foot closer he drew to the walls also inundated the surroundings with more light. For a clan elder, this would be no problem, dealing with the light as it grew more omnipresent. Even for himself from when he hadn't been imprisoned and kept from using his magic for nearly a year, he wouldn't have felt the burn as he was now.
With a firm warning to himself to refocus on the here and now, he reached his final destination before he confronted the final, most dangerous blockade. For now, he hunched within a warehouse of sorts that currently was entirely devoid of life. Since it was less than 100 feet from the outer wall of the city, it was the perfect staging location for his escape. Inside, stockpiles of what seemed to be ant chitin all piled relatively neatly alongside primitive spears.
"Spears," Iskatti muttered to himself as he grabbed fistfuls of ant corpse and stuffed them in his mouth. He knew to hold himself back somewhat, that if he stuffed himself too much he'd be sick, but he'd been starved for so long. The sensation of a truly full belly was glorious. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised they have more weapons in here, considering they have the stone chains they've been holding us in."
He pulled his attention back to his current situation. The net of searching enemies continued to spread, and Iskatti knew that he needed to move quickly or else be found. Outside and between himself and freedom lay walls full of torches, a barrier effectively impassible to him while maintaining his magic. His magical stores, long since unable to be stretched to their fullest, were already nearing the brink of total exhaustion. With a grunt, he decided on a plan of approach and escape.
***
Nearly a quarter of an hour had passed, but finally, the opportunity presented itself. Regardless of how much technological progress the damned keelish had managed, it was impossible for them to field a magically capable guard at each torch throughout the entirety of the night. The fuel for the light sources would, eventually, need to be replaced. All that Iskatti needed was a single moment where that darkness intruded, a single second where shadow would reign. With that opening, he would make his escape.
A keelish, a particularly large brute, had their torch gutter and sway in the wind, but she didn't realize that it wasn't the wind, but the torch burning out that was the cause. Iskatti held back brayers to the Great Hunter, not wanting to bring anything to his mark's attention, but he needed to begin to move even before the torch died. From 100 feet back, he couldn't guarantee that the flames wouldn't be back before he could make his getaway, and he wouldn't be able to see what was happening from within the shadow anyway. As such, he strode forward, deliberately keeping the majority of his body in shadow to keep his frame hidden.
Looking, watching, Iskatti saw as the flames puffed and winked, and, finally, disappeared. He didn't watch to see how quickly the female turned to deal with the darkness, instead following the feeling of shadow as it spread forward. The walls slipped past in short seconds, and he felt the heat of light scalding his back as soon as he seized that moment. Even as light returned and the prison became impenetrable once more, Iskatti only had to hold back his raucous laughter.
Freedom! He was free! All he had to do now was follow the marks of his people to those who'd come, and then he would, once more, be among his own.
Once he was within the forest, he exited the shadows, gasping and holding his fists high in the air. He could bring so much to his people, and he wouldn't cost them anything. His clan would be proud of him for at least escaping captivity of his own power. He breathed deeply, looking for any sign of shadow magic, and was surprised to see a thread flickering just beside him. Without thinking deeply about it, he tugged on it, allowing the caster to know of his presence. Then, while they knew where he was and he knew nothing, he sat down, hiding himself and waiting for rescue.
Not two minutes later, a vaguely familiar shape appeared before him. He knew who this was, but what was her name? A close aid to the Nyust'taa, he knew.
"You are… Iskatti, correct?" She asked.
"Yes. I've escaped from confinement, and I would appreciate your help in ensuring I stay free." He spoke as casually as he could manage, but as he stood, he squared his shoulders and felt his lips pull back from his teeth in a grin.
"Just you?" She asked again, not seeming to care about his pride in his accomplishment.
"Yes, all the other Misti Hawar fell in the escape," Iskatti said, mentally discounting the traitor. She didn't deserve rescue, not after her cowardice.
"They fell? You're sure?" As the female asked again, Iskatti realized she still hadn't stated her name or said anything. How impolite could she be? Regardless, he gathered his own manners and shook his head.
"I heard them fall. The keelish were taking no prisoners, not again."
"In that case, perfect," the female said, and while Iskatti tried to understand what she meant by that, she flashed forward and buried her claws in his throat. His breath rattled in his throat as her other paw slashed forward and cut open his chest. Pain exploded in his chest as he questioned why she'd done this, but he could only wonder, and he could only do that for a precious few seconds before he fell, dead.
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