Day 4: On the hunt (James & Moira)
May. 23rd, 2014 10:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
James isn't okay. He is bleeding. His head hurts again, and his leg is throbbing near his ankle, like he ran through some barbed wire. Danger, I'm in danger is the first thing he thinks when he opens his eyes, blinking back the blurriness in front of his face. It feels like he's been drugged, but it may just be that his body is overcompensating for the massive pain he has in his left ankle and his chin is now bruised from where he hit it on the ground while being dragged away. The last thing he remembers, from being taken, he remembers the anger, fear on Moira's face, but she couldn't reach him.
If that wasn't bad enough. James attempts to move now that he's awake, but he finds that he is tied up, both hands bound behind his back with rope that digs into his skin. There's a wall to his back, keeping him from falling over. Slowly, he takes in his surrounds, licking at his bottom lip, it's swollen and crusted with dried blood.
All the lights are dimmed enough that he can't make out much of his surroundings, but he knows he is alone. Who knows when whatever took him will return to finish what it started...
If that wasn't bad enough. James attempts to move now that he's awake, but he finds that he is tied up, both hands bound behind his back with rope that digs into his skin. There's a wall to his back, keeping him from falling over. Slowly, he takes in his surrounds, licking at his bottom lip, it's swollen and crusted with dried blood.
All the lights are dimmed enough that he can't make out much of his surroundings, but he knows he is alone. Who knows when whatever took him will return to finish what it started...
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Date: 2014-05-24 10:41 am (UTC)She curses when they reach a room at the end of a tunnel, a small one that she doesn't know how they all squeeze inside. She hates that she has to bide her time and wait, but she doesn't want to make any sudden movements; she's no good to James injured herself.
After what feels like hours, which she doesn't know for sure because she's lost all sense of time down here, the trolls finally march past her, grumbling in a language she can't understand but making crude, obvious enough gestures to inform her that they definitely plan on eating James. So she has to move fast.
She enters into the dim room and finds it eerily quiet. She thinks, perhaps, the trolls have gone to hunt for seasonings for their new prize, and she shudders. She turns until she finds James, tied up and pressed against the wall like the meal he is about to become. She hurries over.
"James, can you hear me?" She asks, working instantly on the ropes around his hands, sending out little flickers of embers from her hands to eat away at the bindings. "We have to get you out of here, they're most likely going to eat you."
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Date: 2014-05-24 11:33 am (UTC)But they can get out of here. They can make it home. Somehow they are getting home.
James doesn't understand. He knows something took him, but he never got a good look at it. "Who is they?" he asks, letting her go. He tries to stand up on his hurt ankle, hopping just a little so he doesn't press down too much weight. "Nevermind. Let's just go."
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Date: 2014-05-24 11:49 am (UTC)"They are actual trolls, drooling chins and clubs and all," she says, "and you are not walking on that ankle, come here."
She reaches over and leans an arm under his shoulder to help keep him upright.
"Ready?" She asks.
Of course, that is when she hears the sound of loud, returning footsteps.
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Date: 2014-05-24 11:01 pm (UTC)"Yeah. Let's go--" He says, knowing that his injury is going to slow them down. It's unfortunate that snarling, growling sound he remembers when he was dragged away, comes back, filling the entire room. He wraps his hand around Moira's arm tighter, because they should move. "What the hell..." James has a good look at the creatures, ugly and nightmarish, but he tries to walk anyway.
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Date: 2014-05-25 12:04 am (UTC)She tightens her own hold under James' arms as she feels his own hand tighten. They can never actually have even a few moments to themselves without something wanting to kill them.
"You idiot, are you actually trying to walk right now?" Moira scowls at him just as the trolls make their grand appearance. There's about four of them, ugly, large things with even nastier looking clubs. But Moira is a witch, and she is damn tired of running and having to fear for her life.
"Okay, stay here," she commands, helping James to sit against the wall before rushing in front of him, arms out as she calls upon every bit of magic she has within her.
"Hey assholes," she calls out to the trolls as flames start to form in her fists. "Nice try, but we're not for eating!"
She hurls both flames at the group of them before lunging in after them. She thinks she might have lost her goddamn mind.
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Date: 2014-05-25 12:24 am (UTC)"Moira....!" James is shouting just as she hurls fire, or something like it, from her hands, her goddamn hands, and he's never really seen that much magic this up-close. He shields his face from the brightness of the flames hitting the group of trolls, feeling the heat from her attack.
While it's incredible seeing someone throw fire, all it appears to do is piss them off. Suddenly they lunge for Moira, roaring in anger. James doesn't know what to do; he's afraid for her, for himself, judging the way his heart is racing in his chest. He just hopes that Moira knows what the hell she's doing.
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Date: 2014-05-25 01:16 am (UTC)"Shit," she mutters to herself when her fire doesn't work exactly as planned. No matter; she has other tricks up her sleeve.
Of course, she realizes this the moment the trolls lunge for her.
Well, fuck that, she thinks, using her boiling anger and concentrating it into her magic. She thinks about the fact that both she and James were taken from their lives into this hellhole to fend for themselves. She thinks about the fact that they have already faced so many goddamn monsters. She thinks about how these nasty trolls took James and almost ate him. She snarls. She closes her eyes as the trolls descend upon her, and before they can even land a single blow, she's shot them all back with a sudden burst of turquoise light.
Luckily, none of them manage to hit James. The light only stuns them, however, and she needs to act fast if she wants to end this permanently.
Drawing on a significant amount of magical energy, Moira quickly spins what looks to be a web of silver between her palms. She hurries as she spins it in her hands, molding the shapes from thin air, or so it appears to the casual observer. When she finishes, she has a bow and several arrows, one for each of the trolls.
She wastes no time, launching the first arrow at the nearest troll; it strikes him directly through the heart, The second tears through the troll's throat; the third finds himself with an arrow through his forehead. Finally, with a graceful spin, she strikes the last troll in the eye.
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Date: 2014-05-25 01:39 am (UTC)Part of him is impressed because he's never seen anything like that, ever. The other part of him is suddenly exhausted, his brain no longer up to the task of living through these life-or-death situations. After awhile it becomes more trouble to fight than anything else, but for now, once again, they have survived.
He leans his head back against the wall and eases himself back down to the ground now that there's no need to leave because really his leg is killing him. "I don't know what the hell that was..." James says, unsure how to say good job on the magic without choking on the words. He does the best he can. "But thanks for coming back for me."
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Date: 2014-05-25 02:26 am (UTC)She catches sight of him wincing and makes up her mind.
"Come on, I'll carry you," she informs him, leaning down to speak with him. "We need to see if we can get out of here. In the mean time, here."
She blows a dusting of pink across James' leg. It won't cure him, but it should ease the pain and discomfort, even just a little bit.
"Now, you get a choice: bridal style or sack of potatoes?"
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Date: 2014-05-26 02:44 am (UTC)Especially after she offers to carry him, like, literally. "What if you just leave me here and send a rescue crew," he counters, reaching down for his leg, after she does something to it, which he would've protested if the pain hadn't eased.
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Date: 2014-05-26 03:01 am (UTC)"What if you shut up and let me take care of you so you don't get eaten by extra trolls?" She counters, raising an eyebrow that dares him to argue with her. Like hell she's leaving him alone in this place. Either they remain where they are or they try to find an escape. Moira's not letting James go through any sort of hell on his own.
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Date: 2014-05-26 03:13 am (UTC)"Just--" James shakes his head and sighs. "Okay. Help me up," he says.
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Date: 2014-05-26 10:49 am (UTC)"Well, now I know you're in pain because you're not arguing," she says, leaning down and all but sweeping him up into her arms, tossing him over her shoulder because it's easier that way. "Let me know if I jostle you or anything hurts, okay?"
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Date: 2014-05-26 10:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-26 11:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-26 11:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-26 11:36 am (UTC)When James finally quiets down, she thinks she hears a faint buzzing.
"Oh fuck no," she groans.
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Date: 2014-05-26 01:04 pm (UTC)"Look, we need to get out of here," he says, shifting so that Moira will put him back down on the ground. "Before the trolls, you said you may be able too..."
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Date: 2014-05-26 03:08 pm (UTC)She loops an arm under his shoulder, hoping he can keep up with the pace she's setting, brisk while trying not to cause him more pain. This is beyond ridiculous, she thinks, weary, in desperate need to see her family and friends, to have a goddamn beer without having to think if it's poisoned. And she's tired of this place hurting her and James. She's tired of having to fight for her life because of the asshole that sent her here.
"I know," she says, recalling what she said about finding a way out. "But first we need to, oh holy shit."
She brings them to an abrupt halt at the sight before them: thousands of beautiful, seemingly cute pink birds swarm around the empty bones of another troll. The buzzing is coming from the clash of their minuscule teeth against their beaks. Moira feels the remaining color draining out of her face.