forum Elemental kingdoms (STILL OPEN 2/4/24) Large group.3/?

Started April 01, 2022 by @CaseyJ group

tune

Ciana slowly woke up, surrounded by complete darkness, all her stored light gone in an effort to wake herself up. She was tied up, her mouth gagged. In another room, she thought, she could hear people talking. She was groggy and didn't understand what was going on. She tried to focus on the voices, but there were too many, it made her head swim.
"This one … light … War" one of the voices said. Two others responded in what sounded like gibberish. Father away, she heard s somewhat familiar voice say something, and another familiar voice respond.

Ciana snapped fully awake, recognizing the farther voices as her companions, the heirs to the other kingdoms. She was taken from a restroom, she remembered, and she was sedated. She bit off her source piece outside of the door they took her in, causing a small amount of blood to drip. She had done her best to rub her head against any nearby walls as she fought the sedative, hoping to leave a trail. It sounded like the other princlings (gender neutral royalty) had found it. She stayed quiet, not only because of the gag in her mouth, but also because she was worried that her captors would move her if she tried.

Her brief spell of lightheadedness had passed, leaving only clear, cold concentration in its wake. Ginger crept forward, her steps softened by the ratty rugs strewn over the scuffed hardwood floorboards. Her breath hissed in her ears, slow and deliberate. Her ears strained over the three sets of muffled footsteps from her and the boys. The trail of few-and-far-between blood drops and occasional stray strand of light hair was difficult to follow, with its faintness and meandering path, zigzagging back and forth along the hallway.
Up ahead, a yellow light slanted out from under a door, but no sound could be heard from this distance. Ginger picked up her pace, sticking to the wall with the lit door. Finally, voices – several – caught her ears. Ginger froze. She glanced over her shoulder to the boys. "You guys hear that?" she breathed.

"Sounds like we found them, shall we attack?" Elias asked eagerly.

"We don't know how many there are, or what they want exactly, although you could stun them with your electricity, if you know how to make it pass through specific people" Devon replied.

"Uh-"

Devon sighed, "I'll do it then, seems the dark kingdom is the only one who still has the knowledge on how to maximize the power of the sources" Elias handed him the source and he stepped forward, the gem on his staff now a swirling yellow and blue color. "On your word, Ginger"

Ginger nodded. A sense of calm with underlying energy fizzed through her limbs. She stepped swiftly past the closed door, her feet throwing shadows through the beam of light that slanted from under the door. She turned so she was prepared to enter the room; facing the boys, they could see the energy in her eyes. The handle of the door was closest to Devon and Elias. Ginger held up three fingers, counted down two, one without lingering overly much. Her grip on her bone-handled knife was tight and sure. Her fingernails were ever so faintly glowing with dull radiance. We're coming, Ciana, she thought.

The men inside went quiet for a moment, before moving and speaking some more, as if nothing had happened.

Devon busted through the door and sent a bolt of electricity through the men, hitting all of them at once, and only them, stunning them. He then stumbled and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. Elias ran into the room and proceeded to kick each of the guys in the head while they were stunned to knock them out, "That was cool as sh*t!"

All of the guys had weapons in them, but only one was able to fling a dart before he got knocked out by the electricity. The dart narrowly missed Ginger's arm, tearing slightly through her shirt, before sticking in the floor behind her. The men were out, barely responding when Elias kicked them.

In the other room, Ciana had managed to get the gag out of her mouth, and tentatively called "Ginger? Elias? Devon? Is that you?"

"Ow– shit, that stings." Ginger clapped a hand over the graze on her upper arm instinctively, but it had barely split the skin. At Ciana's voice calling from behind another door, she forgot all about the little scratch. "Ciana?" she called out. "Yeah, we kicked some ass and we're here to get you! Hang on." She rushed to the door, hauling it open – but it stuck fast. She sighed in more annoyance than anything, but that was when she noticed Devon leaning on a wall as if it was the only thing holding him up.
"Woah dude, you good?" He looked pale – well, paler than usual – and she wondered if he might pass out. "Very impressive move you pulled, zapping everybody. But you didn't go too far right?" Using an unfamiliar Source to channel a magic that wasn't his own seemed like it would take a higher toll. And it had been a pretty cool move he pulled, but probably taxing.

Devon gave her a thumbs up, sinking down to sit on the floor. He had never used another source to that extent, and even if it was his own source, anyone using it to much to quickly could pass out. He had been trained on all the different ways the sources can be used, but never could practice, as that would require the source. He took the mask off of his face, and closed his eyes.

Elias went over to the door, looking to see if it was locked or something. "I can pick locks". He got in a lot of trouble at home, and they would lock him in his room for punishment, didnt take long for him to figure out how to get out.

Ciana struggled in her bonds, trying to get free to help out. "I'm so sorry guys, I was sloppy. Is everyone else all right? Did you find my source piece?" She asked, pulling against the ropes. "Shiiit-" she said as the skin on her wrist tore.

Ginger nodded to Devon and gestured for Elias to go ahead. "No, no, we're fine! We're all fine, are you okay? We found your source piece, I don't think the illusion was down long enough to cause problems."

"I'm fine. Still a bit.. tired. No light in here… I got what feels like a nasty cut trying to get out of these ropes though." Ciana said, stilling. The light outside would allow her to partially heal herself, by making a makeshift bandage to protect from infection, but without light, she couldn't do much.

Elias finished picking the lock and burst through the door between them and Ciana and helped her with the ropes. "Im like your hero, I think I deserve a kiss"

Ciana smiled weakly. "Yeah, I bet you do." She said, teetering as she stood up. "Before anything else though, I need to get outside-" she said subconsciously leaning towards the light from the door.

(when should our new character join the party?)
(I have ideas)

(Ooh)

Ginger grinned at Elias's antics before checking Ciana's wrists. She grimaced sympathetically. "Oof, yeah you scraped the skin off pretty good didn't ya." With a hand lightly on her elbow, Ginger steadied Ciana on her way outside. "Nothin' a little dirt can't help," she smiled at her new friend, wondering at how she'd become so attached to all of them in such a short time.

Ciana smiled, grateful for Ginger's help. She felt better soon after she got outside. "I'm so sorry, I was sloppy. I'm glad you guys are alright."

(when should our new character join the party?)
(I have ideas)

(Ooh)

(like, maybe ya boi also got yoinked, and was being held captive in a separate room from Ciana, cause our kidnappers are trying to capture heirs to make war? or he used to be in on the whole trying-to-make-war scene but realized how messed up that is and now he's trying to stop it while not getting caught? or he saw Ginger while her illusion was down, and saw Devon and Elias running after her, and thought to check it out cause they all looked out of place?)

Elias follows the two outside, still waiting for his kiss.

Devon is still sitting there, resting, knowing that if he gets up to soon, he could pass out, something he couldn't afford to do, after all, this was his 'quest', the others were just willinf to help.

Ciana rolled her eyes at seeing elias follow them outside. She watches him, before motioning him over coyly.