Thread Closed
The Price of Success; Gridania, Mih Khetto’s Amphitheatre
Immediately following the event: A-Tonic Warfare
Nihka sighed. Not the sigh of the depressed, or the sad, but the sigh of the accomplished. The sigh that came with a smile. Specifically, the sigh of someone who has succeeded at something important, something they weren’t sure they could manage.
In this case, it was the dismantling of the stage for the Tournament of Liniments. Well, that and directly causing the arrest and capture of one of the void corrupted individuals who had been terrorizing the Shroud for the past several moons and causing a significant portion of the populous to become addicted to a horribly corrupting drug. But it was probably just the pride of cleaning up that had her feeling accomplished.
Slowly the crowd began to disperse, now that Verad had run out of the reformulated Bronco Grease. There was more back home, thankfully, and she could make as much as they needed. They’d need a lot of it, too, since for some reason it seemed to purge the void taint from the addicted.
That was a little odd, but such was the case with alchemy.
As more people left, her attention was brought to the odd individual that didn’t disperse with the rest of the crowd. She hadn’t noticed him before, a wood wailer in full armor and mask, standing right at the edge of the stage and watching her. The fur on her tail stood on end, the way he was watching her made her uneasy. More so when he looked to the side and nodded.
She looked that way, and saw another wailer.
They were the gruff, weathered sort. The kind that went on long patrols and didn’t talk to many folk while they were in town. The sort of wailers she’d seen drinking at the Boar. Her ears lowered, and very slowly she set down the banner she’d been folding. The last few people hoping for a fix left, and she saw them bump against two more wailers who had been hiding in the crowd.
The one closest to the center of the stage hopped up while the other three took flanking positions, barring any easy escape route as they approached. Nihka took a few steps back, until her heel reached the back end of the stage.
“Nihka Mioni. You are hereby under arrest for the crime of poaching in the Twelveswood.â€
Behind her someone spoke, and she turned with a startled squeak, eyes wide and blood draining from her face. She knew that voice.The four wailers came closer, their heavy boots thudding against the stage.Nihka reached for the pearl on her ear, but one of the men near her snagged her wrist before she could touch it. He squeezed, hard.
“Oh,†Weylan said with a smirk, “and don’t worry about being gentle, boys. She doesn’t bruise.â€
She twisted and brought up her knee, slamming it into the first man’s crotch. His grip on her wrist laxed as he staggered back with a grunt. She grabbed her own hand, and pulled, yanking her arm free and turning it into an elbow to one of the wailers behind her. Her tail lashed wildly, trying to keep it moving too fast for anyone to grab it.
Surrounded as she was she fought back, trying to find an opening between them she could bolt through, but there were too many of them. One brought the haft of his spear into Nihka’s leg, just behind the knee. The leg collapsed, and she fell to the stage. Another grabbed her arms and yanked her back up to her feet. She kicked and squirmed as her wrists were twisted behind her back and quickly lashed together.
“..No! S-s-stop!†She gasped, cried out. “Help!â€
A few passers by paused to look. They saw a dark skinned miqo’te being arrested by wood wailers, and kept on walking.
“You’ll shut up if you know what’s good for you, cat.†Weylan sneered, stepping up to the stage to stand in front of her. She tried to kick, even though her leg was numb, but the wailers holding her yanked back almost hard enough to tear her shoulder. “And here I thought today was going to be dull. Then what do I see on stage but my favorite poacher pussy?â€
Weylan drew a fist back, and slammed it into her belly. She tried to double over, but they were holding her too tightly. She tried to scream in pain, but had no breath left. Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt her earrings removed, one by one, and placed into a pouch on his belt.
“By Gridanian law, all linkpearls are to be confiscated upon arrest.†He looked up to the men holding her. “We’ll have to search her more thoroughly later. For now, let’s find somewhere to put her.â€
Immediately following the event: A-Tonic Warfare
Nihka sighed. Not the sigh of the depressed, or the sad, but the sigh of the accomplished. The sigh that came with a smile. Specifically, the sigh of someone who has succeeded at something important, something they weren’t sure they could manage.
In this case, it was the dismantling of the stage for the Tournament of Liniments. Well, that and directly causing the arrest and capture of one of the void corrupted individuals who had been terrorizing the Shroud for the past several moons and causing a significant portion of the populous to become addicted to a horribly corrupting drug. But it was probably just the pride of cleaning up that had her feeling accomplished.
Slowly the crowd began to disperse, now that Verad had run out of the reformulated Bronco Grease. There was more back home, thankfully, and she could make as much as they needed. They’d need a lot of it, too, since for some reason it seemed to purge the void taint from the addicted.
That was a little odd, but such was the case with alchemy.
As more people left, her attention was brought to the odd individual that didn’t disperse with the rest of the crowd. She hadn’t noticed him before, a wood wailer in full armor and mask, standing right at the edge of the stage and watching her. The fur on her tail stood on end, the way he was watching her made her uneasy. More so when he looked to the side and nodded.
She looked that way, and saw another wailer.
They were the gruff, weathered sort. The kind that went on long patrols and didn’t talk to many folk while they were in town. The sort of wailers she’d seen drinking at the Boar. Her ears lowered, and very slowly she set down the banner she’d been folding. The last few people hoping for a fix left, and she saw them bump against two more wailers who had been hiding in the crowd.
The one closest to the center of the stage hopped up while the other three took flanking positions, barring any easy escape route as they approached. Nihka took a few steps back, until her heel reached the back end of the stage.
“Nihka Mioni. You are hereby under arrest for the crime of poaching in the Twelveswood.â€
Behind her someone spoke, and she turned with a startled squeak, eyes wide and blood draining from her face. She knew that voice.The four wailers came closer, their heavy boots thudding against the stage.Nihka reached for the pearl on her ear, but one of the men near her snagged her wrist before she could touch it. He squeezed, hard.
“Oh,†Weylan said with a smirk, “and don’t worry about being gentle, boys. She doesn’t bruise.â€
She twisted and brought up her knee, slamming it into the first man’s crotch. His grip on her wrist laxed as he staggered back with a grunt. She grabbed her own hand, and pulled, yanking her arm free and turning it into an elbow to one of the wailers behind her. Her tail lashed wildly, trying to keep it moving too fast for anyone to grab it.
Surrounded as she was she fought back, trying to find an opening between them she could bolt through, but there were too many of them. One brought the haft of his spear into Nihka’s leg, just behind the knee. The leg collapsed, and she fell to the stage. Another grabbed her arms and yanked her back up to her feet. She kicked and squirmed as her wrists were twisted behind her back and quickly lashed together.
“..No! S-s-stop!†She gasped, cried out. “Help!â€
A few passers by paused to look. They saw a dark skinned miqo’te being arrested by wood wailers, and kept on walking.
“You’ll shut up if you know what’s good for you, cat.†Weylan sneered, stepping up to the stage to stand in front of her. She tried to kick, even though her leg was numb, but the wailers holding her yanked back almost hard enough to tear her shoulder. “And here I thought today was going to be dull. Then what do I see on stage but my favorite poacher pussy?â€
Weylan drew a fist back, and slammed it into her belly. She tried to double over, but they were holding her too tightly. She tried to scream in pain, but had no breath left. Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt her earrings removed, one by one, and placed into a pouch on his belt.
“By Gridanian law, all linkpearls are to be confiscated upon arrest.†He looked up to the men holding her. “We’ll have to search her more thoroughly later. For now, let’s find somewhere to put her.â€