For a while she didn't move. The pain and the shock was too great. She just stared ahead, eyes unblinking and not focusing on anything, just staring. Slowly she saw the table in the flickering candlelight. The first thing she did was start to cry, the knives in her arms causing her agony. Slowly she reached up with her free hand and pulled the knife from her bicep and screamed through the pain. Blood flowed freely from the now open wound. Her arm weakened and the manacle dug deeper into the flesh of her wrist. The second one was more difficult but the intruding steel had to be removed. Fighting against her own body she made slow progress but eventually the second knife came free. The removal of the blade caused more damage than the original wound had since she had to tilt the blade making the wound larger. It clattered on the cold stone and her arm thudded limply next to it. Blood ran profusely down her arm and gathered in her palm for a few moments before reaching the brim of the feeble container and began to pool on the floor.
The pain faded to a dull ache. It hurt terribly but this...this she could at least tolerate. The strain in her chained arm and the limb's elevation slowed the bleeding from that bicep. However there was nothing but the damaged cloth to stem the flow from her free arm. Despite her need to remain alert she felt herself slowly slipping away as blood pumped out of her body. Her eyes slowly closed and she fought every second to keep them open just a little bit longer. She knew it was a losing battle.

OOT: Think it's long over-do for me to jump in with my character found on https://tbrp.rpg-board.net/t152-first-power

Yugi had made camp in the forest in between a thick wall of vine and a small oak tree. For the last hour he had tried to make a fire, but was unsuccessful. He just sat against the stump of the tree and thought 'Wonder what I should do... I can't go back, but I don't know where to go.' as he glanced up and saw a lady coming closer with long brown hair

"Damn it!" Vincent yelled once he was back in the upper area of the house. "What is wrong with you Vincent?" Abiron asked. Vincent ignored him as he searched around the house for something. "What are you looking for?" "A rag. My hands are dirty."

"Your not gonna even bandage her?" "Why should I?" "Because she'll bleed to death if you don't." Vincent stopped looking. "Why do you care? You're a demon. I thought demons got off to this kind of stuff. You don't seem to have a problem with rape and killing but torture is where you draw the line? Strange." Vincent went back to searching for a rag when he clutched his head and felt himself fading. "Abiron! What are you doing!?" Vincent shouted as he collapsed to the ground. He got back up shortly after and grabbed some bandages and food and headed down the trapdoor.

The girl had no expression on her face and tears stained her cheeks. He knelt down in front of her and started to bandage her wounds up. She looked at him for a second and noticed that his eyes were a different color. When he was done dressing her wounds he set the bread down beside her and got up. "Make sure you eat that before I return alright?"
He said his voice slightly different.

The corridor opened into a mighty throne room, with a stained glass window above the throne, letting daylight shine in. On his knees before the large and wizened king was Lavina's father. "Go to your daughter," said the king, and pointed.
The elf king turned, saw Lavina, then ran towards her, arms outstretched. At the same time, Memoire let go and stepped back, letting father and daughter have their reunion.

Riastrad shrugged. "I don't want to go without returning your hospitality. And I suppose absconding with a girl is just gonna add more to my bounty... ah well, more fun I guess," he grinned. "What can I do to repay your family for what you've done for me?"

Lavina looked up at Memoire then to her father. She ran to her father arms Tears stream down her cheek
"Oh father I was so worried"
she was unable to hug him back with the cuffs still being on her wrists
"Are you ok, are you hurt?"
she looked her father up and down
"T-the village, I failed to protect them. I'm so sorry"


H had noticed someone had set up camp in the forest
"Thats a bit odd, who would want to set up camp near this thing"
she slowly approached the man
"Excuse me, but could you tell me where the nearest town is, I would like to find a place for rest for the night, one preferably inside"

Fear gripped her as she stared up at Vincent. He was acting...different. He hadn't stabbed her this time at least. Still, she only just barely nodded in reply to him. He seemed satisfied with her response and went back up the stairs leaving her alone in the near darkness with the small piece of bread. Her head was light and her thoughts didn't really seem to flow. But her suspicions of the bread were too great. She didn't eat it. Her arm was still to damaged to be moved without intense pain. She had found that out when Vincent had bandaged her arm. The damage done when she had tried to remove the knife had really been worse than the wound itself.
Time passed, observable by the candles shrinking in size and eventually most of them went out due to the lack of fuel. Her stomach began to grumble and she stared at the bread. It had probably been poisoned. Eating it would be foolish. Although if she didn't eat she'd die.
Unable to take the discomfort any longer she reached for the bread.
Crying out in pain she let her arm fall back to the floor. Blood began to darken the bandage.
Death it seemed, was her fate.

Vincent had returned to his sense once Abiron stopped possessing him. "Damn it Abiron! I told you not to do that with my permission!" Vincent was angry at this point. They always worked as a team and it wasn't until today that that changed. "Vince listen to me for a second. You want to learn more powerful magic right? Think back to when she attacked up." Vincent had a look of amazement on his face when he remembered what happened. "Illusion magic. I could use that..." Vincent grabbed a knife and went down the trapdoor again.

He walked up to Kao who was sitting there, blood still pouring from her wounds. "Looks like you screwed up your arm there. Maybe you should have just left the knife in." He said with a smile. He undid the chain on Kao's arm, picked her up and put her on the table, chaining her to it. "Now were gonna play a little game here. I'm gonna ask you a question and your gonna answer it, but if I thing you're lying I'm gonna take this knife here and take one of your pretty little finger nails." He rose the knife to her face the make sure that she could see it and put it near her hand. "First question. Where did you learn that type of magic?"

MateusseDarkslight wrote:

Riastrad shrugged. "I don't want to go without returning your hospitality. And I suppose absconding with a girl is just gonna add more to my bounty... ah well, more fun I guess," he grinned. "What can I do to repay your family for what you've done for me?"

A puzzled expression formed on Xia's face. "I really don't know how to answer that question." She replied.

The laughter echoed in her mind again. Do I always have to hear it every time that bastard laughs at me? Kao thought angrily. Her anger manifested itself as a small dragon hovering over the table. It looked down at her beating its wings and opened its mouth. She screamed as the flame engulfed her.
The knife bit into her flesh bringing her back to reality. A brief glance at her surroundings brought a headache and she groaned softly at the throb. The basement smelled of decay and blood. The man standing over her, a knife penetrating her skin looked angry. He removed the knife and a thin line of blood began to ooze out.
"What?" She asked in confusion, not fully remembering where she was or what was happening.
"Where did you learn your magic?" Vincent repeated and the knife hovered by one of her fingers.
"M-Magic?" The laughter in her head again making the headache worse. "I don't have magic! I'm losing my mind!" She wailed plaintively. The golems were back, surrounding her, staring at her.
"Get away! Leave me alone! Stop following me!" She shouted at their impassive stone faces. Struggling against her restraints got her nowhere and only served to gash and abrade the sin of her wrists.
"Go away! Go away!"
She cried out again as Vincent pushed on her injured bicep. The golems vanished replaced by plain fire lit walls.
"What's happening to me?" She asked him in terror, tears running from her eyes.

Vincent let out a laugh. "Do you take me for a fool Kao?" He said wedging the tip of the knife slowly under her finger nail. "Wrong. Answer." Saying that he let go of the knife and rose his hand, slamming it down on the knife till the nail popped off. "I know you use magic. I remember the golems you made me see. It felt real. So so real when one of them hit me." He moved the knife to one of her other fingers. "Now TELL ME!"

"I don't know!" She cried out in pain. A thought occurred to her and the memory of the man's laughter. "That creature... could he have?" Pain forgotten for the moment as the question consumed her entire attention. She looked at her hand, actually considered it for a moment. The first time she'd done that since awakening in the forest clearing.
Those marks...they weren't there before. Were they? She couldn't seem to remember. had they always been there? The constricting feeling wrapped around her throat and she felt like she was choking as her Second Breath pressed against her body as a large, immovable weight. She couldn't breathe and her eyes bulged with the horror of it. She thrashed more for a few seconds before her movements weakened. Then suddenly the weight lifted and she lay on the table eyes closed gasping. When she opened her eyes she stared at her own body, laying unconscious and bloodied on the forest floor. Slowly she got up and then fell down again. The fox stood over her staring down. The eyes looked up and seemed to gaze into her own maliciously.
"Pathetic fool of a girl." The rasping voice echoed out to her. She watched as the fox changed into the form of a human man...albeit with some differences. The mouth moved but no sound came out. She saw herself get up and stalk towards the being, a large creature slowly appearing out of a fog that had gathered behind her.
What is that? I don't remember it being there. She mused through her relief at being able to breathe again. Just as suddenly as it started to appear the silhouette of the creature vanished and she saw herself fall to her knees, a strained look on her face.
She saw that Vincent's eyes were locked on the scene before them. He could see it too? Then it wasn't just her losing her sanity. Or was it something else he's looking at?
His gaze returned to her. Silent for a few moments to compose himself, he opened his mouth to speak...

The king and Memoire stepped back, watching them.
The king spoke. "Now, about our negotiations?"
"YOU MONSTER!" the elven king snarled, whirling on the human one. "You seek to use my child against me? First my people then my land and now her!? You despicable apes!"
Memoire started talking, and his voice was like that of honey. Lovely to listen to, delicious to indulge in and impossible to refuse.
"Your majesty, all we ask is that you end your foolish seclusion from the human world and allow us to, say, co-exist. We exhausted all other diplomatic options, and had no choice but to force such a meeting. And is this... erm... forced dialogue not preferable to extermination?"
He waited, for the elf to concede the point.
"No..."
"And we are not asking for your resources, or your people as slaves, or anything of your race. Only that you confer with the lord of the kingdom in all national matters concerning your reign for friendly advice."
"You seek to rob me of my authority," the elf said quietly.
"Tis a far sight better than robbing you of your daughter. And your life. And everything you hold dear. We will not ask much of your people. Merely the right to co-exist, as I have said. Do you have any objections?"
"Am I allowed to?" the elf said sarcastically. The king opened his mouth, but Memoire cut across him. "Any concerns you have, we will address, in accordance with your rights. And," Memoire said, with the air of someone laying a trump card, "in any incidents or situations regarding a member of your people, we will give you complete sovereignty over their fate, in total accordance of your laws." The human king shot a look at Memoire that seemed to clearly indicate that little promise was NOT a part of the plan. Memoire resolutely kept his eyes on the elf, who nodded, seeing the lifeline Memoire was trying to throw him.
"To those terms, I gladly accept."
The king made a stifled noise in his throat, like someone who had been offered a treat only to see it snatched away. Memoire looked relieved.

Then, the king got a devious look in his eye. "Ah, but, er, a custom of this kingdom must be observed, I am afraid." He looked at Lavina with an analytical eye, studying her figure, her appearance. "She is of child-bearing age, is she not?"

Riastrad shrugged for a moment, thinking. Then he stood up, and searched in the pocket of his coat. He withdrew a little golden monkey idol, with a mechanism that caused the creature's hands to come together in a clap. He took a flower from a nearby vase, inserted it into the monkey's paws and made it clap. The flower turned to solid gold in his grip, and he left it in that position on Xia's bed. "How's about I make sure your family never want for nothing ever again?"

Lavina quickly looked up at the king when he asked if she was of child baring age
"W-what?"
she looked up at her father then back at the king
"I-I am 18 your majesty but I am not ready to bare a child"
she moved behind her father hoping he would say something
"Father please do something"

Yugi looked up at the lady and said "I have no clue, I came through here this morning trying to get to town but got lost. I've been wandering around here for a while but got tired." Before he stood up and pulled on his coat while he said "If you got any clue which way to go, i'll be glad to escort you."

Memoire and the elf king both looked straight at the human lord.
The elf king looked absolutely mortified. Memoire looked like he'd been shot.
"I will not allow my child -"
"Father it is far too early in the diplomatic stages to talk about such things -"

The king raised his hand. "Enough. I have decided that, in order to secure our alliance, like we have done with the Filth-born, the Stone-kin and the Deserters, your daughter shall wed my youngest child, Fourth Wilhelm, Wielder of the Fourth Power and direct in line to the Yushen throne."
If one looked close enough, it was almost possible to see the wheels in Memoire's head whirling as he looked for any way, any way at all, out of this.
"Father, I beg you to reconsider -"
Then he hit upon a way out. It was temporary, but perhaps it was all he would need. "Father, Wilhelm is not old enough to be married under our laws! For him to take a bride would be in direct violation of the Serviture Doctrine!"
"A legal trifle," the king said, now openly glaring at Memoire, "and one that only those seeking to obstruct peace relations would see fit to raise."
"Upholding the law is not obstruction!" Memoire shot back. "If you insist upon this wedding, father, what good will it do for relations if doing so in itself proves we are willing to disobey our own laws? What allies would we be considered then? Liars and corner-cutters us all."
The king's glare would have turned a normal man's legs to gelatin, but he rose up. "Assemble the Court of Words," he said to a guard. "We will have this minor detail subdued in less than a day. Take the future princess to a room, Memoire, and, as another thing, do not seek to disrupt court business again, or I will see to it you will not be allowed outside the castle walls until you learn your place!" Memoire didn't respond, but took Lavina to her room, alone - her father, despite protests, was returned to the forest along with the rest of the elven captives.
The room was luxurious, beautiful and cost more than most houses did, but that was little comfort to Memoire as he placed Lavina on the bed and began, furiously, to think.

Lavina just sat in the bed speechless. Tears started to well up in her eyes when she realized what was happening. She looked up at Memoire
"Please tell me there is a way out of this"
She shook her head
"I-I can't marry someone I don't know, please help me"
she sat when her hands resting on her lap not having any other place to put them with them still being cuffed together. She looked around the room, the tears started to stream down her cheeks. Even with the luxury of the room it felt like a prison to her. It needed more life, more color, more plants.




H. looked off in a distance
"Well I was heading in that direction"
she pointed off in the north
"I figured I would run into a town sooner or later"

Vincent was taken aback by what was going on in front of him. He saw the golems that "attacked" him along with a strange looking man. Was this really happening or was it another illusion brought on by Kao? He looked at her and saw that the tattoo on her body was moving oddly. Maybe that has something to do with her magic? The strange man was looking at Kao and was laughing. Vincent wanted to get a closer look but was unable to move his legs for some reason or other. Kao looked to be choking. Wait I know who that is... Vincent thought. "That's Ravasz Ember Vince. He's a contractor. I think he might be as insane as you." "Interesting..." Vincent said and plunged the knife down into Kao's arm, hoping to stop the magic.

Kao let out a scream and the scene vanished immediately ash er attention focused on the steel in her flesh.
"Why?" She cried her eyes locked on Vincent. "Please. Stop!"
The pain was causing stars to appear in her vision.
You've lost a lot of blood, some part of her mind informed her. She didn't really understand at the moment. Slowly the pulsing at the edge of her vision settled back into it's usual solid line. The pain faded as her body acclimated to the damaged nerves. There was a throb, but at least it wasn't fire anymore.
"I'll-I'll tell you whatever I can. Just please stop!"

Vincent pulled the knife out of her arm. "Ask you anything? I already have my answers from that little scene you showed me." Vincent undid the bindings on her and picked her up from the table. He was holding her as one would hold a child and he went up the stairs and out of the dungeon they were in. "If I don't do something about your wounds you'll bleed to death. I still have plans for you so I can't have you dying on me yet." He said. He put her on a table and wrapped a cloth around her wound and grabbed a knife and jammed it into the top of his hand. He let out a small yell as he pulled the knife out and began to cut up his arms. After he bandaged they're wounds up, he picked her up again and left the house. "I'm taking you to a doctor in a near by village. The story is that you're my adopted daughter and we were attacked by bandits. If there is any changes to the story or he suspects anything.... well you know..." He finished grinning at her. "We should be there within an hour. Think you can hold on that long?"

"Yes, Master." She said, her body resting heavily in Vincent's arms. It would have been comforting, if she hadn't been so afraid of him.
"What's happening to me?" She asked, terrified by her predicament.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders before packing up his things and said "Well guess i'll join you, better then camping here for the night. My name is Yugi by the way, Yugi Grey."

MateusseDarkslight wrote:

Riastrad shrugged for a moment, thinking. Then he stood up, and searched in the pocket of his coat. He withdrew a little golden monkey idol, with a mechanism that caused the creature's hands to come together in a clap. He took a flower from a nearby vase, inserted it into the monkey's paws and made it clap. The flower turned to solid gold in his grip, and he left it in that position on Xia's bed. "How's about I make sure your family never want for nothing ever again?"

Xia confused, yet surprised expression formed on her face as he placed the golden flower on her bed. "I think they'll be surprised, just as I am." She looked at Riastrad. "I did not know anyone had that kind of power."

"Well I'd say your contractor is just screwing around with you. You just need to remind him who's the master." Vincent said calmly. It was odd hearing him use that tone of voice. He was either yelling something or had an angry tone. The rest of the way there they didn't say a word to one another. Vincent walked up to the doctors house and saw that the doctor was starting to lock the place up. Vincent put a worried look on his face and ran shouting. "Hey wait!" The doctor looked at the two of them as he a man running too him with what looked like a child in his arms. "What's the problem." He asked and looked at the girl in Vincent's arms. "My God. What happened. No, that can wait. She needs medical attention right now." He said, opening the door. "Thank you sir." Vincent said as he rushed inside and put her on a table. "My daughter and I were attacked by bandits not to far from here." Vincent said, stroking Kao's head and wearing a reassuring smile on his face. "I tried everything I could to stop her bleeding." The doctor looked at Vincent. "She'll be fine. I just need to clean the wounds and stitch them up. She'll be fine in a day or two." Vincent sighed at his words. "Thank you sir. I promise I'll pay you all that you want." Once the doctor was done working on the two of them he pulled Vincent into a side room to talk. "Look sir, if it's about money I-"

"What did you say happened again? You were attacked by..." The doctor said, cutting Vincent off. "We were attacked by bandits sir." The doctor looked up worriedly. "That's what I thought you said... Sir I'll have you know that there are no bandit camps out here for miles upon miles, and with how bad her wounds are she wouldn't have lasted two days." Vincent looked on, shocked at the doctors words. "Come to think of it, I've never even seen you around here." The doctor looked at Vincent. "What really happened here sir?" Vincent looked down and started to laugh. The doctor had a puzzled look on his face and suddenly felt a sharp pain on his neck. Blood sprayed out of the wound Vincent inflicted on him and the doctor fell to the ground, eyes wide open. "If you really must know I was the one who did that to her. I didn't want her to die just yet so I thought I'd come here and help you a bit. Guess I should have done more research." Vincent said laughing, leaving the room. He sat down in front of Koa's bed and waited for her to wake up.

Memoire's mind was working at top speed, trying to calculate any possible way out. At most, his allies would be able to stall his father for a day, two at most. He worked through all his options as quickly as he could. Any option that removed her from the equation would be used as a declaration for war, and his father knew it. He had to find a way to play his father against himself, do something so cunning no-one would ever notice it, only to get bitten in the heel by not noticing it.
He sat on the bed, momentarily oblivious to Lavina's sobbing, deep in thought.
"There's got to be a way... there has to be, there has to -" Then he stiffened. His eyes lit brightly, the makings of a devious and cunning scheme bubbling up in their depths.
"But... yes... yes.... regrettable losses... reactions and concepts, urges... schemes... broke..." he muttered, the building blocks of a plan flying together. "It could work. It should work. It will work. But the long-term effects..."
Deciding to go with it, he leaped to his feet, and took a rat out of his pocket. It was a very old and wizened rat, and it peered at him through tiny wrinkled eyes. "Got a task for you Grandfather. Get a message to my allies in the conference." He scribbled a quick note and tied it to the rat's leg, and watched it scamper off through a crack in the wall.
Then he seemed to register Lavina, and gave her a hug.
"Don't worry. I promise you won't have to marry my brother. Tolerate him, at most, but you will be alright. I promise."

Riastrad shrugged. "Not me, the monkey. Picked it up from a friend, don't think we'll be needing it."
He looked back at her. "Anything else you need from here?"

Kao let out a pleasant sound as she woke up. A nice soft bed underneath her, no blood in the air or dank dungeon with a crazy man hurting her. No weird fox-man or any delusional visions. Just her in her own bed back in her normal life with her parents...and then she opened her eyes.
Vincent sat there watching her.
"Oh." Was all she said in a deflated tone.
The small room they were in was cozy but felt a bit off. It wasn't as bizarre as the dungeon basement Vincent had her in before but this didn't seem like a place for permanent occupancy.
She checked herself over as best she could. Her injuries were professionally bandaged now and she felt better than before. The marks on her flesh seemed to burn slightly but other than that everything was fine.
"Where are we?"