-----------------------

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:41 pm

After a thorough inspection of the door, a hand lifting to test its lock and finding it thoroughly closed, he turned back to the mysterious woman and narrowed his eyes. Still feigning confidence, he demands, "Open the door."

While awaiting her reply he reached for his pistol, letting it sit in its holster but bracing to retrieve it if needed.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:55 pm

The moment his hand touched the lock, the human was likely to notice a dull chill that lingered within the iron clasp, as though there were a small knot of ice worked beneath the metal. The cold was not, perhaps, so noticeable as to arouse suspicion- they were, after all, underground. The woman kept her hand held over her mouth in a mockery of an expression of fear, her eyes still twinkling with mirth (a gesture that, paired with her gaze, seemed more suitable to trying to hold back laughter).

She wouldn't move for the count of a minute, and, unless he tried to force her- likely longer. Even so, the cowled figure would inevitably lift from the seat, swaying into a stand- almost as though she were drunk!

Those eyes never left his.

"Oh, that lock," she chided, hand slowly slipping away from her face to reveal an apologetic smirk. "It can be ever-so-tricky. Here, let me see."

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:00 pm

With a grimace and a brush of the pistol's handle he stepped aside, nodding toward the door and glowering at her. He was not focused enough to realize the unusual cold, let alone think about what it's source was. Instead, the hand simply hovered ever closer to the firearm.

He wanted to speak; to give any number of insults or commands or warnings, but any idiot would realize that such a thing- to push such a dark host- was complete foolishness. The odds, if things got violent, were stacked against him.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:32 pm

As she came closer, her character and shape were more apparent; almost fragile in appearance, and yet shapely. She stepped towards the lock, only reaching for it as she stood right up on the door- ensuring she were as uncomfortably close to the human as she could manage. The womans hips brushed against his as she worked; seemingly unintentional. Her eyes remained locked on to his as she reached to unlock the door, the sound of her fingers scraping the metal of the device prefacing sudden motion.

Too late was it clear that she had planned this well; the hand that had been carried to her lips masked a small blade that she had tucked between her teeth. She grinned, the steel glinting in her smile for a millisecond before she kicked a knee upwards in a sudden jerking motion- and was simply not there anymore. A gust of air slammed overhead as the narrow, almost needle-like length of metal flew in the air towards him-- too small to truly do any damage to the man, even if it struck true- and then she was behind him, the chill of a pistol pressed into the back of his head.

"I really would hate ta' see you go." she intoned, mournfully, the safety of the gun clicking 'off'. "It's not very often we get guests this far down south."

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:31 pm

In the blink of an eye she disappeared from his sight, and though to the small metal glint he shied away, he couldn't quite escape it. The metal bit into his cheek, causing him to grimace and growl, pulling his own pistol from its holster.

It was lifted only slightly before he realized what exactly was pressed to the back of his head. Quite literally, he forgot to breathe for the following seconds, not dropping the weapon though his grip certainly wavered on it. "What did you just do? What was that?"

His empty hand rose to his cheek, brushing at the source of the discomfort and inspecting the blood that lazily slipped from beneath his skin with inadvertently wide eyes.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:33 pm

Albeit delivery of the knaves reply was done far from possible scrutiny, there was a strangely pleased lift to her voice; she was smiling. The gun was pressed firmly into the back of his neck, no tremble or hesitation in the cowled strangers grip. There was the lightest of touches along the length of the mans spine, the sharp cold of the steel barreled gun licking the skin of his neck.

"A little incentive," she began, the leisurely tip-toeing of her fingertips on his back punctuating each word she spoke.

"Actaea Caladium," the woman seemed to have wandering hands, although she hardly seemed distracted by any perverse ulterior motive. "Sometimes known as doll's eyes, or bane-berry. You weren't really going to leave me, were you?" her words were simpering, shifting into a false whine.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:53 pm

Ah, yes, that was right. Not too many rogues made it without their precious poisons. As she was finishing her feigned whining, he felt something tingling near the spot of his recent, tiny wound. As the moments slipped by, he felt his grip on his pistol wavering; it took most of his concentration to keep his grip, and he refused to let go.

"You could have been a little more blunt." he uttered in both a quiet and angered tone. He looked down, wondering if he should gamble a shot at her, but not moving to suggest if he'd go either way.

It became increasingly apparent to him that if he didn't dispatch this stranger and escape soon, there might not be any escape. In a flash he spun, trying to slap her firearm away while pointing his own shakily. It was a gamble; nothing stated that he wouldn't be shot- perhaps fatally so- before he could fire at all.

And there was an even poorer chance that he'd get the shot that he wanted.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:14 pm

In spite of her words and her tones, the womans attention had been focused keenly on the mans retort- both physical, and otherwise. Her feet were planted sturdily in the ground as she swung her torso and pistol to the right of his shooting arm; squeezing the trigger calmly, and without hesitation.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:26 pm

In seconds there was a flurry of movement, and as triggers were pulled a splash of crimson painted the ground. Their pistols had clashed in the air, and both went off, but Enth wasn't certain of whether or not he had scored a hit. He spent that time falling backward, his ears ringing and the seconds after the booming reports of gunfire lasting forever.

If he did hit her, he'd know he'd have shot the arm- or shoulder- of the hand she didn't have an apparent gun in.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:46 pm

Pain.

There was a fine, high tone reverberating in her ears as the woman fell back from her opponent. One moment they had been facing one another, and then there was nothing save the obnoxiously persistent ringing that drifted over the otherwise silent room. Something fell from beneath the cusp of her hood as it spilled back; some kind of cotton bindings that seemed to have served a greater purpose once, and now found themselves rendered useless.

Drifting idly through her disoriented haze, she realized that maybe it hadn't been the best idea to fire a pistol in such an enclosed area.

Long hands gripped for her weapon, the room spinning faintly as she struggled to regain her bearings. With a groan she couldn't hear, the woman didn't even bother to try and sit- feeling impossibly ill. She was certain that, if she could check, her ears would be bleeding.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:58 pm

The ringing in his ears was not quite so harsh, and it didn't take long to fade away, but something else was there to meet him; he looked down, noticing a rapidly growing stain of red on his shoulder. With a gasp of realization he reached to cup a hand over his wound, eyes widened and face reflecting his frantic reaction.

He couldn't help but yelp, alarmed. The injured shoulder ensured that his arm would refuse to move; yet he felt intense pain. "You... you bitch!" he groaned in quiet agony. He panicked, uttering a single 'I can't,' before resting his head on the ground, squeezing his eyes shut, and trying to stop the blood flow in the only way that he could think of.

He applied pressure to the wound at first, but the poison was still present in his veins, and it was becoming increasingly hard to move. Soon he couldn't will his hand to press hard enough against the injury to make any different; and so he simply curled forward and mumbled the first prayer that came to him.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:59 pm

The strangers voice resounds not far from where she lay, a faint murmur that sounds less like a person, and more like a muffled hum. She lets out a gasp of pain, back arcing as she lifts a hand- warmth spreading across her stomach where her arm now lay. A red stain was rapidly creeping through the white linens of her shirt. The would-be thief emitted a growl of anger and frustration, raising her head to catch sight of the injury. At the sight of the wound- confirming that, yes, she had been shot- she dropped her head back to the ground and clapped a hand over the wound.

There is a sound like a crack, followed by another loud thud, both of which the woman seems only partially aware of. She rolls on her side and slowly sits up, beads of sweat dotting her brow as she turns that inhuman gaze on the fallen man. Two large, strange ears- previously hidden by the hood of her cowl- twitched slightly as she regards him.

There isn't much time for speculation, or conversation, however.

The lock of the door was smashed, nails holding remains of the frosty object loosely in the wood, while other pieces simply fell to the ground with a thump. In the place of the door were three figures, although only one was fully visible at the time. Foot still-extended, and sporting a mess of dark hair, the man scowled.

"She's been hurt." a small voice called out from behind the man, clearly masculine, and yet seeming somehow uncomfortable with speaking aloud; understandable, given the situation they had walked into.

"No shit, kid." Mocked the big-guy, lowering his foot with all the grace of an elephant. He stepped into the room, followed shortly by a fair haired man with impassive eyes, and a tall and slender individual- his expression unreadable behind a pair of thick goggles.

The woman had sat up by then, her legs stretched out before her across the carpet, and crossed. She tosses the men a crooked grin, pearly-whites gleaming in spite of the pain. The expression doesn't last much longer than it appears, however, her gaze suddenly flat.

"Grab him. He has the map."

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:09 am

Enth barely registered the entrance of the others; upon hearing her words, he tried willing his uninjured arm for his knife, but all it did was twitch, fingers stiffly hitting the floor. He hissed in further pain and inadvertently knocked his head against the floor.

As attention was shifted to him, he grew silent, his eyes still shut as he awaited his fate; something he felt was closer now that he stupidly defied her. How did he ever figure he'd get away with that?

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:45 pm

Enthlyi's last thought was punctuated by a cacophony of movement and sound.

Thud. Thud. Thud. A single large hand grabbed for the front of the explorers tunic, pulling him up an inch off of the ground, accompanied with the strain of material. Head turned away, and reclining almost elegantly where she lay, the female Surge Elf gradually lifted a hand to her ear.

The blonde man approached Leonie and knelt down to offer her a hand, smiling almost warmly at her. The womans ears continued to ring. The fingers pulled away from her ear were slicked lightly with blood, and she accepted the hand that was extended to her.

One, two, three: Seconds, ticking by rapidly. Heavy handed gestures yanked at the packs the explorer wore, searching him for the map. The woman remained turned away, slowly fixing her hood as the others turned to look at the injured man.

There was a low, satisfied sound as the man drew a scroll of paper from his person. "This looks like it." the man sneered, his tone jeering and crude. "Now, now..what do we do with you?"

Leonie lifted a hand, slicing through the air with a quick, final motion.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:58 pm

He blurted a whimpering, "No!" before lowering his voice to the slightest of whispers, "Sir, sir come here..." he couldn't move, or intimidate, but he had a final plan in mind. "The map. Take my hand, and use it to open it."

He stifled a sound of pain, "...Then pull it away, and read again." Enth didn't want to inform them of his trick immediately; seeing was believing. Hopefully the brute of a man listened, and found that, without his touch, they wouldn't be able to read the map at all.

Nearby, the man with goggles blankly stared, fingertips rising to adjust the goggles before focusing on the map. He didn't know what was going on, but already he had suspicions.

From behind crawled a tiny, repulsive creature; a centipede, scanning its surroundings with its antennae and chattering softly into his ear and crawling out of sight.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:40 pm

The tremendous man yanked him higher in the air, baring his teeth at the explorer in a snarl; revealing a sizable gap between his front two incisors. The soft cry of leather and fabric slipped from between Enthlyi's captors tightly clenched fingers as his grip tightened like a vice. It was seeming less and less likely that anyone was going to grant him his request.

"Wait."

A quiet, hesitant voice appeared at the dangling mans left- practically a godsend. There was a tap of fingers on paper, and with a grunt, the map was handed to the bandit. His savior stepped into view, white-blonde hair hanging messily in his face and spilling over almost femininely narrow shoulders. Seth looked up at Enthlyi with sedate azure eyes, fulfilling the explorers request with nimble hands. He made sure to show everyone the results once, then twice; the attention of much of the room turning towards the map.

Silence. "What the shit?" "Do that again." Seth repeated the gesture as many times as they were requested, which happened to be quite a few times. A more sympathetic individual might wonder that the lads hand had not yet fallen off. Leonie D'Cordria turned and watched with somewhat narrowed eyes, one hand holding down a small scarf over her injury as she bound it.

"What sorta' game you playin', punk?" The monstrous individual bellowed, his face pressed close to Enthlyi's. His breath was rank with the scent of alcohol and pork bits; any closer, and the poor man would be inside of his mouth.

"Hold up." The fist of the man clenched further on the Explorers tunic, clothes puckering like the cinch of a drawstring purse. Seth stepped away with the map, rolling it back into a scroll and making room for the elvish woman. Leo didn't repeat her order, nor did she reach out to stop the big man from jostling the younger one briefly in the air.

Gradually, however, he was lowered back to the ground- never quite being released. The woman released her arm, the bandage showing briefly along the forearm before it was concealed by the sweep of the dark cloak. "Turn. Let me get a better look at you.."

A leather-clad hand struck out with all the speed of a deadly viper, and without any of the force; gripping the mans jaw and turning him to face her.

"Start talking." She crooned, in a voice like honey.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:52 pm

Despite the seconds of triumph Enth felt fear that these thugs might end up just killing him anyway. The man in goggles stepped closer, but he did not loom over the lad like the others did, simply waiting for something to happen in complete (apparent) apathy.

The explorer uttered in a quivering voice, "I've done this with all of my maps... if you kill me, you'll never be able to read them. It's not a trick that can be remedied by any one object, either..." he cut himself off as pain seeped into his voice, "...I-I barely was able to buy this map, and the m-merchant who sold it is long... long gone..."

With a groan he turned his eyes as far toward his injured arm as possible. Pain was dying away into an unnerving numbness, and he felt as though he should start begging. His sight was already growing a tad blurry; or was that out of fear?

The man in goggles lifted his head, tilting it to the side as he listened, but not commenting. Pulling a long coat further over his shoulders, he observed while toying with a knife that seemed to- almost instantly- appear in his left hand.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:59 pm

Leonie smiled sweetly, the same manic glee lurking in the depths of her eyes as she peered up at the man. She cleared the distance between them with slow, practiced steps, pressing her body against his. The lightest of touches whispered across his abdomen, the origin hidden by the sweep of her cloak across their briefly connected forms. The elf leans forward, red lips resting mere inches from the poor mans ear as she utters a single warning:

"You'd best not be lying."

Warmth was replaced by the chill of the underground as she turned from him, silver glinting briefly in the dim light before finding it's place in a holster at her hip.

"Bind him. Knock him unconscious if you have to. He's coming with us."

There was a grunt of agreement, followed by the nearly shouted words: "Aye, boss!" Leonie cringed very slightly at the volume, touching a hand to the side of her head as she moved away from them.

A single fist swung through the air, cracking down on Enthlyi's skull.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:01 pm

As the fist descended he was unable to avoid it, his body growing even more limp than before as darkness clouded his vision and the numbness and tense feeling faded into shadows and dreams.

The man in goggles straightened himself as the injured lad lost consciousness, producing a single, tiny orb of candy and popping it into his mouth. Finally, he spoke, in a gentle yet deep voice, "...And now we have to feed him. You aren't the diplomat you so claim to be, you know."

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:57 pm

As his body fell limp, Enthlyi was scooped up like a rag-doll into the enormous thieves arms. Limbs dangled and packs swayed, the smaller mans head finding itself smacking repeatedly against the largest of his captors back. The cowled woman kept a hand on her arm, concealed well beneath the dark cloak when they moved out the shattered doorway; one foot pressing the remains of the lock further into the carpet.

"If you're so keen on it, you can do the talking next time!" she called back, laughter dancing along every line uttered. D'Cordria didn't bother to turn her head when she spoke, instead stepping out into the hall with an almost girlish flourish.

A trill of laughter bubbled up in her chest, and Seth brought a hand to rub the back of his neck nervously.

The elvish woman crooned and snickered. "This is getting exciting! Wouldn't you say so? Now.. lets get this show on the road, shall we?"

The group departed into the tunnels beyond the small chamber.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:13 pm

Time passed as quickly as Enth feared; the source of his awakening the pinpricks of pain as someone- a blurred figure, at the time- tended to his wound. They certainly did not act as though they actually cared, and he wondered if they even tried to clean it out or if they were just covering it with bandages and calling it a job.

Lingering upon the edge of sleep he strained to observe, or listen to anything in the new, unusual surroundings. It was darker than the halls he was shot in, but there was light nearby. There was dust in the air, which made it uncomfortable to breathe and smell. He vaguely recalled coughing once or twice.

A figure knelt near him once the tending was done, asking him with a voice that rang like bells despite the fact that it was deep, "Your animals. How do we retrieve them."

The explorer was not capable of an immediate reply, but the figure was patient. Eventually he murmured, "The dog will bite you if you feed him beef or pork... give him a piece of chicken and he'll follow you. The horse is... neutral, and you can just... ride him."

Reality was beginning to flicker, in and out, again. The figure gave no confirmation that he had heard, simply standing up and walking away. Or at least that's what Enth thought he did.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Sat Mar 03, 2012 12:52 am

Faint, muffled conversation could be heard somewhere in the room; close, but far enough away to be out of earshot. Leather soles click along the ground, growing closer, and then further away- someone was pacing.

For a brief moment, an unfamiliar voice rose to a higher volume;

"--out of time! Julian is not a patient man. You know this, Cordria."

Whatever reply the woman had for him, it was too low to be heard clearly, and was quickly followed by rapid footsteps that ended with a slammed door. There were several other conversations held; likely drifting in and out of the Explorers focus.

However much time passed, however, was unclear.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

From none-too-far, the lick of water at the edges of a wooden bucket could be heard. Drops spilled down through the cracks at the bottom and splattered on the floor, soaking the wielders boots. Then, suddenly..

SPLASH!

The bucket of water was unceremoniously dumped on the likely unconscious, injured man. Standing at the side of the cot, bucket tucked under her arm and a toothpick hanging from her lips, was none other than Leonie D'Cordria. The rogues face split into an enormous, devillish grin.

"Rise and shine, pretty boy. We got work to do."

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:01 am

What would seem an unceremonious, predictable means of awakening the injured man was to him something akin to being punched in the face by a massive fist of rampant frost and water. If that made any sense, the explorer knew not.

It was the source of seconds of confusion followed by a new awareness and a splitting headache. Enth bit his lower lip to stifle a pained groan, looking around to further gather his surroundings.

They were in a room inside of an old structure; he could tell it was old immediately because of the stench and the rot that gnawed at the wood all around them. The light he was unable to make out clearly was that of a candle, and it seemed even dimmer now that his eyes focused on it.

"This isn't seriously happening... I need to go back- I need to get the others...!"

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:34 am

"You're absolutely right!" The dark haired woman lifted a hand over her heart, mouth forming a perfect 'o'. She dropped the bucket, which fell to the ground with an almost jarringly loud bang; either the gunshots from earlier had damaged her hearing, or she was wearing some kind of muffler beneath her hood. "What ever were we thinking. Here, let me help you up. We'll just dry you off, and you can be on your way."

Whether it was the simpering, or the general suspicious (mad?) demeanor of the woman, any words spoken from those lips seemed highly dubious.

Ah, sarcasm.

With surprising strength, the elvish rogue snatched Enth by the front of his tunic and attempted to haul the injured man to his feet. At some point during the night, the adventurers hands and legs had been bound, a state which would most likely cause the human to fall to his knees in front of the strange woman.

Subject: Re: ----------------------- Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:09 pm

As he was lifted by the elf he let a wordless noise of protest; realizing that his bonds prevented balance, the explorer struggled to stay on his feet- but to no avail, instead of simply falling to his knees he began to topple forward entirely.

This series of motions was accompanied by several swear words- recognizable and unrecognizable alike; after all, he was pretty much flailing around.