Fisel moved forward, slowly at first, each step thoughtful and still wary of hidden traps. If she was delicate, she could typically sense the formation of magic before it took hold of her, and she was generally nimble enough to avoid simple snares or cages. The dormant enchantments that adorned the mansion smelled like a campfire, very recently put out. For all of her defenses against magic, not being able to use it seemed like a cruel trick of ancestry.
Pulling her lock-picking kit out of her boot, she unrolled the tools as she approached a time-worn looking bureau. It could have been less conspicuous, honestly. Even without the steady thrum of magic, the ornate serpentine gilding was a bit much. Gaudy, even. Kneeling to eye-level with the lock, Fisel tucked her feet beneath her bottom and tried to peer through the keyhole. Unsurprisingly, she couldn’t see a damn thing, so she sat back a replaced her face with the first of her tools. Since, nothing terrible happened immediately, she hummed her approval softly, before inserting the pick into the lock.
That was when everything went horribly wrong.
It was as if the entirely of the manor had come alive at once. The window she had snuck through, slammed shut, causing her to startle, and Fisel could hear others echoing down the hall as they followed suit. The stone flooring now glittered with activated runes, the edges of which were illuminated in a feint light.
It was very possible she had outstayed her welcome.
The thief removed her tools from the lock, shoving them hastily into their pouch that disappeared once more into her boot. When she moved to stand, she found that she was unable to do so, her hand seemed to be affixed to the padlock she had been toying with. An annoyed rumbled in her throat as she pulled and wiggled, only to have the lock do the same as if she was glued to it.
Okay, okay, just a basic adherent charm, she could totally handle this. Totally. Yes. So, so easy. Or at least it would be if she could reach the appropriate pouch on her belt with the hand that was free. It took all but dislocating her shoulder to get the smallest pinch of a willow ash to nullify the spells hold on her.
Regardless, it was too much time wasted. Fisel didn’t know how long she had until the Baron found her, if any at all. She didn’t even know if she could get past the traps on the floor, or out of the window for fuck’s sake.
She focused on the lines of the floor to get a better picture of where one trap ended, and another began, to make some sense of the pattern. With the toe of her boot she tested sensitivity, quickly breaching the line before snatching her foot back again.
There was a bit of a delay. Enough that she could possibly make it to the window if she was fast.
“Okay, okay. You can do this,” she mumbled, talking herself up as she bounced on her feet, preparing to sprint to the window that she didn’t even know if she could get open.
Fisel stepped into the first circle, because she knew she could get out of it, escaping just before it activated. She did not, however, take into account that the Baron was smart.
Possibly too smart.
Definitely smarter than she was, not that she would ever admit it. Or at least very paranoid.
The idea that the traps would react to different pressures had not occurred to her. Therefore, when she was only two big steps away from the window, something dark and clinging wrapped around her ankle, and pulled her back into the ground. A small yelp of surprised followed her down, as this tendril of a shadow pulled her back into the circle from which it had originated. Fingers reached for something to hold onto, not that it would have done her any good.
This was… probably bad.
Pulling her lock-picking kit out of her boot, she unrolled the tools as she approached a time-worn looking bureau. It could have been less conspicuous, honestly. Even without the steady thrum of magic, the ornate serpentine gilding was a bit much. Gaudy, even. Kneeling to eye-level with the lock, Fisel tucked her feet beneath her bottom and tried to peer through the keyhole. Unsurprisingly, she couldn’t see a damn thing, so she sat back a replaced her face with the first of her tools. Since, nothing terrible happened immediately, she hummed her approval softly, before inserting the pick into the lock.
That was when everything went horribly wrong.
It was as if the entirely of the manor had come alive at once. The window she had snuck through, slammed shut, causing her to startle, and Fisel could hear others echoing down the hall as they followed suit. The stone flooring now glittered with activated runes, the edges of which were illuminated in a feint light.
It was very possible she had outstayed her welcome.
The thief removed her tools from the lock, shoving them hastily into their pouch that disappeared once more into her boot. When she moved to stand, she found that she was unable to do so, her hand seemed to be affixed to the padlock she had been toying with. An annoyed rumbled in her throat as she pulled and wiggled, only to have the lock do the same as if she was glued to it.
Okay, okay, just a basic adherent charm, she could totally handle this. Totally. Yes. So, so easy. Or at least it would be if she could reach the appropriate pouch on her belt with the hand that was free. It took all but dislocating her shoulder to get the smallest pinch of a willow ash to nullify the spells hold on her.
Regardless, it was too much time wasted. Fisel didn’t know how long she had until the Baron found her, if any at all. She didn’t even know if she could get past the traps on the floor, or out of the window for fuck’s sake.
She focused on the lines of the floor to get a better picture of where one trap ended, and another began, to make some sense of the pattern. With the toe of her boot she tested sensitivity, quickly breaching the line before snatching her foot back again.
There was a bit of a delay. Enough that she could possibly make it to the window if she was fast.
“Okay, okay. You can do this,” she mumbled, talking herself up as she bounced on her feet, preparing to sprint to the window that she didn’t even know if she could get open.
Fisel stepped into the first circle, because she knew she could get out of it, escaping just before it activated. She did not, however, take into account that the Baron was smart.
Possibly too smart.
Definitely smarter than she was, not that she would ever admit it. Or at least very paranoid.
The idea that the traps would react to different pressures had not occurred to her. Therefore, when she was only two big steps away from the window, something dark and clinging wrapped around her ankle, and pulled her back into the ground. A small yelp of surprised followed her down, as this tendril of a shadow pulled her back into the circle from which it had originated. Fingers reached for something to hold onto, not that it would have done her any good.
This was… probably bad.
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Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-27-2016, 10:44 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-27-2016, 10:47 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 02-14-2016, 02:43 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 02-28-2016, 04:22 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-01-2016, 12:31 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-05-2016, 12:49 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-05-2016, 07:33 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-08-2016, 04:33 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-09-2016, 01:05 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-09-2016, 07:41 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-10-2016, 05:03 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-10-2016, 08:38 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-11-2016, 04:29 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-12-2016, 05:13 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-13-2016, 02:25 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-14-2016, 10:41 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-14-2016, 01:31 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-15-2016, 11:55 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 03-16-2016, 10:03 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-17-2016, 11:40 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 05-02-2016, 02:36 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 06-28-2016, 02:39 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 06-28-2016, 11:30 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 08-30-2016, 01:49 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 09-04-2016, 11:36 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 03-14-2017, 01:20 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 04-09-2017, 02:25 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 04-14-2017, 11:05 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 05-13-2017, 03:13 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 11-26-2018, 12:37 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 10-19-2019, 03:40 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 11-17-2019, 08:27 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 11-17-2019, 02:18 PM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-31-2020, 10:18 AM
RE: Luminalia [Closed] - by megs - 04-30-2020, 01:27 PM