The Forgotten Zodiac

Werr grunted, trying to get more words out. "I...dunno." He closed his eyes briefly, his mind slowly trying to process what was going on and what he could do to get out of this ridiculously dangerous situation. "I really don't know...I don't kn-know where we are, I...don't know how we're going to get out of this place, I-I...don't know. And that's really, really not good." Werr groaned.

At least it wasn't as bad as Airlia's situation. Werr didn't know it, but the poor girl was caged in the front room, the people around her throwing bets at each other as to how much food they could throw at her before she showed signs of being angry. Airlia didn't seem to care about it at all. She just sat there, curled up with her wings around herself protectively.

Nate, the lackey from before, crept into the room that Cynyr was in and closed the door quietly behind him. "That poor girl..." He sighed, shaking his head as he approached. "Okay, uh...don't freak out or anything, I'm trying to help..." He murmured, warily moving his hands behind Cynyr's head to remove the blindfold. "Sorry about earlier..."

((Yah, changed it on yah. Bwahaha.

I notice how messy these separations are in your other roleplays. In my opinion, it should be separated so that it's Cynyr and Nate until they leave the room, then rewind and switch to Welk and Werr.

That might be confusing, though. So maybe just switch between the two every...five posts with the division?))

((Yay, I liked Nate. *dances*

And that works for me.))

Cynyr snarled as soon as he felt Nate's fingers get near his head. He jerked his head away from Nate's hands before he could touch the blindfold and growled "If you touch me I swear I'll bite your fingers off. Somehow." He strained against the ropes holding him, trying to loosen his bonds enough to get free, but it was utimately a failure. He soon stopped, his head lowered weakly. He hadn't wanted to show it, but he was exhausted. He tried to transform into a panther, but the ropes holding him wouldn't give enough for him to change all the way. He was forced to stay in human form. He clenched his teeth together in his mouth, hating his whole situation. He had no idea where any of the others were and he was extremely worried about them all, he was having to battle his internal fears every ten seconds, he could feel that his mask was slightly askew on his face (not enough to show anything), his broken tail was throbbing, he was bound in a way that he couldn't get loose from, and there was a person he didn't know in the room with him. Fabulous.

((Haha. I like him, too.))

Nate jerked his hands back, letting out a sigh. "Look, I get it, you're mad. Knocking you out was nothing personal, I...I was just following orders. People get killed for not following orders, around here...a-anyways, I sent out a letter to a friend of mine about getting you out of here. I don't know how he'll do it, but he does owe me...he'll find a way. He'd better, or..." Nate trailed off, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he wondered if he should just say it. "If my friend can't get you out of here, you'll be dragged off to fight in the war for Storaph." In other words, not only would Cynyr most likely die if he didn't fight, but if he fought, he'd be fighting for the wrong side. Such a cruel fate...

((He needs to stay with them.))

"What?!" Cynyr said, shocked by what he was hearing for two reasons. The first was that he had always had no intention of fighting in the war, and the second was that he realize that if he wanted to survive and get away…he would have to trust Nate. Wonderful. Cynyr growled and argued silently with himself for several long seconds, debating and fighting with himself over if he could do this on his own or not. He snarled when he realized that he couldn't do it without help. Finally, he spoke. "Okay, fine. I'll give you a chance, but let me warn you right now that I do not take kindly to people like you. At all. If you mess up at all or you backstab me or my friends in anyway, I swear I'll kill you where you stand. You have one shot at this, and if you mess up, it'll be your death." He then held still, prepared to let Nate untie his bonds.

((Maybe. He would be better fighter than Werr is, that's for sure. Actually, the only reason Cynyr would be able to beat him is 'cuz of his mage powers. Nate would be a really good fighter, if he's an actual character. I regret naming him Nate in that case, though. Nate is one of my many expendable names. Haha.))

Nate hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I-I understand. Don't worry, I'll do everything in my power to get you and your friends away from here. Or...I can't believe I'm saying this...or I'll die trying." He said, then moved to untie Cynyr. "You should stay in here until my friend shows up, though, or things will get messy. He'd better show up soon, though, it won't be too long until people start making offers to buy that winged girl. And I can't say they'll be very nice to her, whoever places the biggest bet. The richer ones are the worst ones around here..." Nate sat down, scooting back so he was leaning against the wall. "They're all wrapped up with her, though, so I suppose there's nothing to do but wait. Maybe talk, if you want to talk to me. I don't blame you if you don't, I guess..."

((Yes yes yes. And no, I like his name being Nate. It's a good name. ))

As soon as his bonds loosened, Cynyr bolted upright and ripped his blindfold off, his shoulders tense and his ears back. He glared ferociously at Nate, growled softly in the back of his throat, then said "Trust me when I saw I don’t want to talk to you. And you better pray that your friend shows up soon, because I’m not a very patient person when it comes to be held captive and separated from my friends." He refused to sit down, and instead took a standing position near the door, never taking his eyes off of Nate. Hatred was seething off of his body, and if it was any other situation, Nate would already be dead. It was only the fact that Cynyr needed Nate to help the half-cat get out that was keeping the young man alive now.

((It'll be short for something, then. Nataelius? HMM. -thinks-))

Nate avoided looking at Cynyr, keeping his green eyes locked on the ground in front of him. He sat with his back straight and somewhat rigid, his hands on his knees, his legs folded neatly underneath him. Now that Cynyr was getting a very good look at him, Nate didn't look much like a brainless lackey or goon. He knew when to sit still and shut up, that was for certain. His black hair was tied back in a small ponytail with a red bow, kept well out of the way of his ever-observant eyes. Behind the dull emotionless cover over his eyes, there was a bit of fear mingled with determination; he was doing this to help those he had wronged, and to save that innocent girl who would be sold off like a toy. But he could definitely die, doing all this, and he knew it.

Nate was solemn and silent, still not looking up at the one who was glaring at him so coldly.

"Maybe we should start yelling or something? Maybe someone will hear us..." Werr said, though he wasn't all too sure that he'd like whoever would hear them. What time was it? What was going on outside? And where were they? Too many questions, Werr thought, pushing them away. Thinking made his head throb even worse. Which was bad, because Werr wasn't the type to just clear his thoughts and be done with it.

"I don't think yelling would be that best option." Welk said, shaking his head slightly to clear it. "Besides, of someone comes in, they might hit us again to make us be quiet, and I already feel like my head is going to explode. Another hit might just do it." He had already tried to transform into a cat, but the attempt had been a failure. "Too bad I can't reach my ropes. I could bite through them if I worked hard enough at it. Oh well." he commented, then glanced up at Werr. "I'm scared." he said, flicking his ears.

Werr groaned. "Yeah, I feel your pain...literally." He said, then nodded a bit. "I know. I'm scared too..." He bit his lip, looking down. What to do...he jumped as much as he could when the door suddenly slammed open.

The leader of the goons stomped in, dragging some small box with wires sticking out of it behind him. "Hey, slaves-to-be, guess what? Before you can be sold, your buyers insist upon a little test I like to call the 'pain tolerance test'. You two should be used to tests, you do look like you're still the school-age sort of brats. It's quite simple; whoever screams first gets their throats cut open. The other one gets to be dragged off to scrub some palace floors or something. It's nothing personal, really, just quality testing. Do a good job as a slave, you might actually have a pretty good life, or so I hear. I mean, you'll die eventually, but not as soon as the person who screamed first. Before we start, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Kolo. And you two are?"
 

Welk gaped at him, then flared up. "You can't do that!" he shouted, which was probably a mistake. If Werr hadn't figured it out already, Welk wasn't the quietest person around. "You can't just pick one of us based on pain tolerance alone! That's dumb, and that was the worst name I've ever heard for a test! You're stupid, and your name is stupid too!" Welk didn't stop to think that his words might have a bad effect on the man, but that was because he was trying to not show that he was very scared. He missed Cynyr badly, and he was extremely worried for Airlia and Werr. Right now though, he was worried for himself as well, as he had never been able to stay quiet for long during periods of pain. The time when he had broken his arm when he was ten came up, and he remember how badly he had cried and bawled and sobbed over a small broken bone. Cynyr had fixed the limb up for him, and had shown him that it didn't really hurt as bad as Welk had thought it did.

Cynyr wasn't here to help him now.

Kolo took two steps forward and grabbed Welk by the face, smiling cruelly. "I don't think you quite understand. You can talk all you want, but if you scream, I'll cut your throat and that'll be that. I CAN do it, and I WILL do it, whether you like it or not." He grabbed Welk's tied hand, grabbing a metal tool off the side of the box. A wire led from the box to the tool, the handle wrapped tightly with leather. Werr guessed what it was. Electricity. Crude and painful.

"Welk! Don't scream, whatever you do! Close your eyes, f-forget about what's going on here, remember when we met or something!" Werr shouted, struggling uselessly against his bindings.

Kolo jabbed the tool onto Welk's hand, sending a fairly large amount of volts into Welk's body.

As soon as the first volt of electricity hit him, Welk nearly screamed. He quickly bit down on it as firmly as he could, trying his utmost hardest to withstand the painful volts of what felt like lightening coursing down his entire body. It wasn't easy for him, and he found that he couldn't move or think or do anything to stop the onslaught of pain. He wished so badly that he was back at he and Cynyr's home, or back in the forest, or even back with that giant bear that had attacked them. Anywhere but here. His whole body was jerking and twitching violently as the electricity surged through him, and he soon found that he couldn't hold his head up. The pain was driving him towards unconsciousness, and he almost screamed. The torture was pure agony, and he couldn't hold back his cries of pain much longer.

Kolo finally removed the tool, frowning slightly. He had expected the boy to scream. The younger ones were usually the first to go. No matter, it was the other one's turn now. Kolo stepped towards Werr, smirking a bit. Werr looked sadly at Welk; he knew the half-cat would be unable to take anymore. Werr looked down, pondering what to do. He jerked up again as the device was dropped onto his hand. Werr felt every particle of his being screaming, and it took him a second to realize he was screaming with it. He jerked and struggled against his bonds. The device was removed, and Werr slumped back into the seat. "I-I wa-was-wasn't ready..." He spat around tingling lips. His entire body felt like it was spasming, but he could see that he was quite still. A lie. He had been quite prepared.

He couldn't just let Welk die. Werr had thrown this twisted game in a sad attempt to preserve his friend's life.

"Oh? You want another chance?" Kolo sneered, stooping down to turn a dial on the machine. "Rules are rules, but maybe I'll make an exception..." He dropped the end of the device onto Werr's shoulder. Even with his clothing partially protecting him, Kolo had turned the torture device up a notch. Werr was screaming his head off immediately, jerking and spasming as much as possible as the bonds. Kolo left the device there, turning to smile at Welk. "Be glad, you get to be a slave!" He shouted between Werr's screams of pure agony.

((And here is where Cynyr heard Werr screaming and couldn't take it anymore, as half-cats have much better hearing than normal humans. Yes.))

Welk screamed right then at those words, hanging his head and sobbing. "N-no!" he stammered, his body hurting badly. "D-d-don't h-hurt him! S-stop!" He couldn't stop crying. Not Werr. Not his friend. "Somebody help us...please..." he pleaded softly, his voice strained and hurting, before losing consciousness and slumping in his chair.

It was at that moment when the door suddenly slammed open, shattering under the pressure of a large black panther busting through it.

Cynyr roared ferociously, slamming into Kolo and knocking the man to the ground. The half-cat then turned and ripped the electric device off of Werr, halting the torture in an instant. He sliced his black claws down through Werr's ropes, setting the boy free, then turned and dug his claws into Kolo's leg, the sharp digits tearing down through clothes, skin and flesh. "You're going to pay for hurting them." the panther growled dangerously, snarling violently at the man.

((So I'm gussing that they try and get out but get cornered somewhere and then Nightlash swoops in for the rescue, as I'm assuming that NL is the friend Nate was talking about.))

((Oh. Hm. Nightlash was going to pop in this post, but I guess that's delayed. No matter. xP

Yeah, you guessed right. And that sounds good. ouo))

Werr numbly felt himself fall to the floor, barely feeling the cold carpeting under his face. He couldn't feel his body. First tingling, now this...Werr saw himself blink, and that was it. He sunk back into unconsciousness, grateful for the relief from the pain.

Kolo was the one screaming now, though more in anger than in pain. "Get off me!" He snarled right back, attempting to kick Cynyr off of himself. "Who freed you?!" Nate followed Cynyr into the room, looking at the fallen door to his 'leader', then to Welk and Werr. He was also taking note of the silence behind him; the jeers and bets on the girl had come to a halt at the noise. They were about to be in a lot of trouble...

"Nate! Get him off!" Kolo roared. Nate didn't say a word. He just shrugged and walked over to Werr, pulling him into a corner where he would be a bit safer. He then moved to free Welk, to do the same. "NATE!" Kolo screeched with rage. "You traitor!"

((Yay!))

Cynyr snarled as Kolo kicked him, then the panther reared up onto his hind legs and threw his weight forward, slamming down onto the man below him. He felt several ribs crack under the pressure, then, before Kolo could react, Cynyr chomped down into his left arm, cracking the bone as easily as a hot knife through butter. "You are relieved of your post, you disgusting freak." Cynyr growled, his bared fangs inches from the man's face.

Welk stirred slightly when Nate freed him. He moaned softly, then blinked his eyes open a bit. "Cynyr...?" he called weakly, hearing the familiar growls and snarls. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer than that, however, and was soon unconscious again.

Kolo snarled with rage as his bones were broken, still trying to somehow pry Cynyr away from himself. Nate managed to get Welk into the corner with Werr before the others started pouring in, very angry as to what was happening. Cynyr was seized by the hind legs and thrown off of Kolo, who was dragged back through the crowd and into safety.

"Kill Nate! Traitor!" Kolo's screeches could be heard still. "Kill them all! Money, shmoney, I want their heads on the tables as centerpieces!" The three men in the front of the surge of people drew swords, ready to attack.

((One moah post, then NL shows up. :I))

Cynyr snarled as he was torn off of Kolo, then stood defensively near Nate, his black fur bristled and his ears back. He had no idea how he or any of the others would get out of this alive, but he was going to do the best that he could to help the others get out, even if it meant sacrificing his own life, which, at this point, seemed like the only option. Even though it looked like they were all going to die right now anyways. Cynyr flicked a glance over at Nate, then glared back at the soldiers and roared at them.

((And then I had the nice little scene in mind for Cynyr going and getting Airlia. Jumping on and being all heroic and scooping her up into his arms.))

Nate drew his own sword, ready to fight back to the death. In the silence as the tension reached its peak, there was a sudden knock on the front door. A moment later, and the front door was on the floor in a similar fasion to the door Cynyr had crashed through. A burly armored man straightened up, brushing himself off.

Nightlash entered behind him, carrying a decorative sword, though wearing no armor but his usual garb. "Am I interrupting something? Pardon me, I don't mean to be rude, but...actually, scratch that. I do mean to be rude. En guarde, I suppose?" He chuckled, several other soldiers entering behind him. "More like, surrender now, or you'll face a very long period of time in prison. If you don't get yourselves killed here, that is."

((Aww. xD

Oh, and soldiers = NPCs, though I'm sure you know that. Do with them as you will.))

Cynyr blinked in shock, wondering who this nutcase was. He was quiet for several seconds, simply blinking at the young man, then finally found his voice and said "Who are you? What are you doing?" A growl rumbled in his throat, and he unsheathed his claws threateningly. "You better not be talking to me, because I'm not surrendering for nothing." He backed up a pace, his ears back and his fangs bared in a snarl.

((Okey-dokey.))