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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 16:44:21 GMT -8
Triana walked around her towns border to get some peace and quiet from her fathers busy bakery. She dusted her flour covered apron off and continued her walk. As she quetly sang a song to herself she heard someone cry out for help. She quickly turned to the voice and hurried over. A young man lay behind a log.
"Miss, could you help me stans, I've seem to have twisted my ankle."
Triana hesitated for a moment before going over and offering a hand. The man took it up, leaning partially on the log. "Thank you, miss." He said. Triana went to turn around after she'd nodded her head when suddenly a sack covered her head.
She franticcally let out a shriek but a hand had covered her mouth. She felt herself being thrown over the man's shoulder. She kicked at him, trying to get away even though she couldn't see due to the sack.
After several minutes of attempted screams and get aways, she slowly started to give in. But that only lasted about five minutes before she began again.
A couple hours later of fighting she was dropped onto the ground, the sack pulled off her head. The kidnapper grinned down at her. "Didn't your parents teach you not to talk to strangers?"
Triana sat silent. There were two other men sitting nearby, both looking a bit like thugs. "So your plan is to hold a girl for ransom? She isn't a princess, clearly." One man said, gesturing to Triana's attire.
"Well it's something, isn't it?" The first man said.
"Or we could sell her." The third said. He looked a bit less friendly - not that the others were nice or anything.
Triana spoke, her voice a bit shakey. "'Oo are you and what do you want?"
"Just money, dear. A large amount." The third man said.
"Well let me go, I'm worth nothing to you."
"No, you're worth something."
Triana felt waves of panic rushing over her. She tried to let out another scream but the first man clapped his hand over her mouth.
"Quiet, or I won't be as gentle."
Triana went silent as her hands were tied together and her ankles.
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 17:19:33 GMT -8
Triana sat there silently. It had grown to be night and a fire was crackling in front of her. She hadn't said anything since she was threatened and she didnt intend to either. But that changed quickly.
"What is your name, girl?" The third man asked.
Triana didn't reply. She didn't want them to know her name.
"I asked you a question ."
"Triana..." Triana replied reluctantly.
The man only growled a bit in return. The first, and youngest, man looked over at her.
"Well, miss Triana, seems like you might be here for a while."
He looked back to the fire but sat straight up a moment later. That made Triana do so as well. Dry grass and leaves could be heard crunching in the distance. The three thugs pulled out knives, listening carefully. But Triana let out a cry for help
"Someone, 'elp me, please! Help!"
The first man went to clap his hand over her mouth again. Triana kept trying to scream and attempted to bite his hand. He pulled back in reaction, leaving Triana to let out another scream. Something came through the bushes - and it was only a small group of large hares. They scattered realizing what they'd entered. The first man turned to Triana with an angry glance.
"You... Are going to regret that..." He backhanded her cheek, making her hurry to the side.
"I- i-..." Triana stammered.
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Post by Vellian on May 11, 2016 17:40:58 GMT -8
Nix'Xel was passing by the location on his pilgrimage, thankfully avoiding contact with other humanoids by keeping to the wilderness. However, he knew that he couldn't stay out of contact forever, and this situation was mere proof. A young female human and three other male bandit captives- and they made the mistake of not muffling her. When he heard the cries for help, he hid, thankfully the dark colors of his clothes and body allowed him to camouflage in the shadows. He used his ice magic to put out the fire, taking advantage of his race's excellent night vision to fight them. Slowly he took his hands out of his robes and took out his crossbow, loading in a singular scarlet steel bolt. He waited for their reaction.
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 19:06:12 GMT -8
The three thugs stood up at the fact the fire went out completely. Triana sat there, a bit petrified herself. She glanced around, trying to see in the dark of the source that put the fire out. The first man dragged Triana up, putting a hand tightly over her mouth and this time his knife to her throat.
"If you make a sound, that is the last one you'll make..." He whispered to her.
The two other men held their daggers at the ready, trying to make their eyes adjust to the sudden darkness quickly. Triana stared ahead, not daring to move. That was, until her capturer dragged her farther into the trees. They forced their way through brambles and bushes, the man's grip feeling like it were bruising her arm.
Triana swallowed hard. Whatever had put out the fire she knew certainly wasn't the wind.
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Post by Vellian on May 11, 2016 19:14:33 GMT -8
Nix'Xel smirked, fangs and all, rather psychopathically, because of the mind games he could play with the bandits, and being in isolation so long didn't help. He snuck around to where the bandit holding Triana hostage was, and started to cool the air around him, attempting to freeze his fingers so that he couldn't do anything with his dagger. He then conjured an ice shard about two feet long and launched it at his throat.
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 19:19:43 GMT -8
The thug's fingers tingled until they were numb and frozen. This froze his grip around Triana's arm. The ice shard, however, missed by inches as he quickly started stepping back (Can't have them die too quickly!)). Triana saw the ice shard out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened at the sight, the urge to let out another cry for help growing in her, but the fact the dagger was still near by stopped her.
The thug let out a hoarse whisper to the other two. "There's something weird going on... some sort of magic."
The second thug glanced around warily. "You mean legends? Kid, you read too many storybooks."
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 19:36:55 GMT -8
Triana stared into the darkness. Her eyes had adjusted a bit more so she could see several feet in front of her, it just wasn't very clear. Her heart was racing with adrenaline as her capturer walked in circles a bit, trying to see what had shot the shard of ice. Seeing how close the shard had come to the thug's neck, Triana was a bit nervous that if there was a second one, it would hit her instead.
The second and third men stayed closer to their campsite. They started edging toward their companion, one facing north, the other watching the south. The first whispered to the others.
"Something can shoot ice... I don't know what though."
"You sure it wasn't a stick?" the second asked.
"A stick doesn't reflect off sources of light."
"Then you're going mad."
Triana kept thinking of all the possibilities that could have shot the ice shard: a sorcerer, a mage, an ice fairy, an ice lizard... anything else that can form ice. But she didn't know of Aranids and so didn't expect one. She was in for a surprise.
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Post by Vellian on May 11, 2016 20:27:24 GMT -8
Nix narrowed his chitinous eyebrows when the ice shard missed. But, then he smirked yet again, still hiding in the shadows, as he summoned a block of solid ice next to the two other bandits that weren't holding Triana hostage. He then started to freeze the moisture in the air, letting the area around them become unnaturally cool, maniacally enjoying the bandit's overreactions. Still wielding his crossbow with one hand, he kept a close eye on their activities.
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 20:35:09 GMT -8
The second and third men gave each other wary glances, staring a bit in disbelief at the block of ice, and they began creeping closer to the first thug. Triana swallowed again, noting the uneasy faces of the others. Daring to speak, she spoke quietly to her capturer.
"Please, monsieur, let me go..."
The reply she got was a sharp edge of a blade to her throat - though the man's grip on it was looser because of his freezing fingers. "Silence yourself."
Triana did just that. She didn't want to move either, with the sharp blade feeling like it were about to dig into her skin.
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Post by Vellian on May 11, 2016 21:13:21 GMT -8
He was about done with torturing them. He sent several shards of ice flying in the direction of the two thugs before they could group up with the first one, and fired off the powerful scarlet steel bolt at the cranium of the first one. Finally, he decided to reveal himself, walking into view slowly with a grin.
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 21:18:27 GMT -8
The second and third thugs ducked out of the way, the arrow striking the head of the first. He collapsed, his blade grazing Triana's chin. She turned around to see the dead thug and let out a startled cry. She turned to see the Aranid and let out another startled cry.
"Oh, étoiles!" Triana yelped, clapping a hand over her mouth.
The last two thugs stood up, a bit startled themselves at the sight. Clearly none of them had seen, or heard much, of an Aranid.
"What do you want?" the second thug asked, holding his dagger up.
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Post by Vellian on May 11, 2016 21:46:30 GMT -8
Nix chuckled ominously as he looked up at them, his purple pupil circling around each eye to inspect his foes closely. He spoke while reloading his crossbow.
"For you to run, and leave this one alone."
He jerked his thumb-claw at Triana, an ice shard floating about in one hand.
"And if you do not comply? Consider yourself destroyed."
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 21:51:09 GMT -8
Triana didn't know whether to trust the Aranid or be just as much frightened of him as she was the thugs. But considering she was jumpy and had never seen an Aranid, she was just about as terrified. The two thugs exchanged glances. The second thug grabbed Triana from behind, putting his dagger to her throat. The third thug scolded him in a hoarse whisper.
"Fool, what are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed."
"This thing already killed one of us..." the second replied. He looked to the Aranid. "Alright, make it fair. You killed one of ours, and we'll kill this one in return if you don't let us be."
Triana almost tried to pry the blade away from her neck with bare fingers, becoming rather desperate. Tears stung her eyes as she tried to lift a shaking hand to rest between the blade and her neck.
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Post by Vellian on May 11, 2016 21:53:19 GMT -8
Finally, the Aranid stopped acting mysterious. He let the crystal in one of his hands dissipate into steam. With solemn words and an intimidating gaze, he said.
"Let her go, and I will let you go."
His gaze looked upon Triana for a few seconds, and then back to the bandits.
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 22:01:31 GMT -8
Triana made eye contact with the aranid for only a split second. The third thug gave a warning glance yo the second, but the second didn't heed the aranids warning. He pressed the blade against Trianas throat a bit more.
"You heard my deal."
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Post by Vellian on May 11, 2016 22:04:45 GMT -8
Suddenly, without any further warning, Nix'Xel glanced up and glared at the two of them, laughing maniacally and shooting his crossbow at the third one. However, secretly, he planted solid ice armor in between the blade and Triana's neck, so she wouldn't have her throat cut.
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Post by Paldonna on May 11, 2016 22:11:02 GMT -8
The thirds shoulder was hit and he cried out.
"You're on your own!" He shouted, turning around and running off.
The second stood motionless. He didnt know if the aranid would hold his deal, and kept his knife at Trianas throat, not knowing about the ice between the blade and her.
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Post by Vellian on May 12, 2016 15:07:30 GMT -8
Nix walked slowly towards the second one, looking at him menacingly. Grinning with his two fangs, he looked up at the thug in front of him, putting his crossbow away. He pulled out both hands and ice shards formed in either one, however using his gaze alone he was able to make the air around his foe a low temperature, hoping the cold would help scare and intimidate them.
"Run, or face death."
He chuckled, the Aranid obviously showing his dark, morbid personality at the time. The bandits probably never seen magic, or an Aranid before.
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Post by Paldonna on May 12, 2016 15:15:12 GMT -8
The second thug stood motionless, his blade still at Trianas throat.
"And how do I know you won't kill me anyway?"
The thug was definitely terrified of the Aranid himself, but the floating ice made it worse. Triana was starting to debate who shed rather be stuck with: a seemingly bloodthirsty spider person or a murderous thug.
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Post by Paldonna on May 12, 2016 15:18:05 GMT -8
Trianas ankles were unroped earlier as well because the typer forgot to type that!
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