Arkash's supreme confidence had seemed well placed... Right up until the Elf began his charge toward Arkash. His features dropped their satisfied, cocky expression, and his eyes widened as the behemoth came rushing toward him at unreal speeds. He hadn't time to formulate a plan, as the monstrously-sized elf began his wild charge. Who wouldn't freak out over the sight of someone so much bigger than them, rushing toward them at full speed?
As Ellasir closed in, Arkash realized that the man had no intention of stopping; he was going to barrel straight through him. A frantic dive to the right saw him roll across the sand and shut one eye in time to avoid the spray caused by Ellasir's feet, the other was not so lucky.
He spat and sputtered to try and clear his palette as the elf changed course, and rushed toward him again. Just like that, the Rathor was on the run. He sprang from the ground with a lean so drastic he might as well have been climbing the floor, as he bolted from the spot like a tensed spring, and tried to wipe the mess from his one tightly-shut eye, but only found more sand on his hand.
While running from the elf, he gave a glance over his shoulder and found naught but the sight of the man on his heels. Arkash was fast for sure, but his legs were just a touch shorter than Ellasir's, and that meant all the difference in the world, to his surprise.
Perhaps he just wasn't accustomed to running on sand? It was quite exhausting. None of the plans he could formulate while all his blood worked to sustain his heart and leg muscles did him a lick of good. The best he could think of was to Lead Ellasir to some sort of elevation and gain the high ground from there, but there was no such space to run to... Except a small cove in the cliff face of the foundation for the Fortress Arkash belonged to. With widened eyes, he bee-lined for the cliff face, then looked over his shoulder to see if the Elf was still there.
Quickly, he drove full speed toward the cove, running current to his left, and the town of Valtoria to his right. The formation in the rock was a sort of jagged scar, almost an arch with one part of the river running through into the cave, crashing upon it like the waves of the ocean, even though they were running along a Nile-scale river. One part of the cliff, after the cove, stood from the rushing waters, and supported the rest of the military fortress at the top of the structure.
Only, one thing put his teeth on edge as he neared the cove... The smell of death, wafting from inside. Salt, brine, seaweed, and decay... Something had died within the cove, but it wasn't obvious to anyone that didn't have a Dranoch's sense of smell.
Instinct urged him to halt before diving face-first into the cove, but how could he with Ellasir hot on his heels? "Wait!" he called just a few feet from the entrance, slowed to a halt, tried to turn, and held up his hands to form a T. "Time out! Hold on!" he called desperately and tried to catch his breath if Ellasir managed to stop himself in time. His one good eye locked on the elf as he closed in...
