Private Tales Chance Encounter in a Sandy Land [Violet x Raaji]
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- amol kalit
A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
The clinking of chains rang out through a small valley between dunes, along with the subtle shifting of sand. Several humanoid figures disguised behind multiple sheets of a coarse, brown-dyed cloth were shambling along through the sands along with two large packmules with long necks and lumps on their backs. One of the figures was notably less well-dressed however, and was evidently being dragged along behind one of the packmules by a fairly short length of some sort of metallic chain. This less well-dressed figure nearly tripped several times, stumbling repeatedly as he tried to keep up with the animal that was dragging him along. Sweat poured down his face in small beads, glistening in the intense light of the midday sun. His clothes were almost dry by comparison, with the exception of his sleeves, which were slightly wet with the blood of his chafed wrists.
Between heavy breaths, the chained fellow moaned, "Water..." looking around at the cloth-covered fellows around him desperately. Most of the cloth-covered fellows ignored the comment, but one of them approached while pulling out a coiled leather band, then smacked the poorly-dressed guy on the back of the head with it. The weapon made a sharp SNAP as it impacted the chained fellow's skull, evoking a short, pained yelp from him. "Silence, slave." the aggressor growled, his voice muffled as it left the cloth wraps. The chained guy lowered his head and nodded, still breathing heavily and trying to keep up. A few seconds later, the aggressor headed back to his previous position and put the leather device away.
The group was travelling in a tight formation around the pack mules, three on either side and one at the front to lead them onwards. Although they were covered with cloth, the tell-tale ripple sound of leather emanated from beneath their wrappings as they shuffled through the sands, and some of them had rather large weapons that peaked out from beneath the wrappings. The packmules themselves were covered in various forms of tightly-secured and mostly-full sacks and bags of various things. The only cloth-wrapped humanoid that seemed to be holding anything was the fellow in the front, who was holding a small plate of some sort and a roll of heavily-worn paper.
As they shambled along, only a few events managed to force the cloth-wrapped humanoids to react. One such event occurred whenever the desert wind occasionally whistled past, carrying along with it a thin sheet of sand. Everyone in the small group would shield their faces, with the exception of the chained guy, who could only manage to duck his head between his arms. Another such event was the sight of some sort of desert beast, especially birds and prey. The cloth-wrapped humanoids would draw their ranged weapons and watch them closely for an opportunity to go for a kill, but they rarely got one.
But eventually, the group happened upon an event that evoked a much stronger reaction. As they were shambling along, the sand erupted in four loations several feet away from the group as reptilian creatures darted out of the sand and immediately descended upon the cloth-covered humanoids. They reacted quickly, rapidly drawing out their weapons and yelling to one other such things as, "AMBUSH!", "ON IT!", and "AGH! SHIT!" while scrambling to prepare themselves. Two of the humanoids were unlucky, as the reptilian things lunged out and took a deep bite out of them. One of the reptilian things instead bit one of the pack mules, and the last one bit towards a cloth-covered guy, but he managed to draw out a long, curved sword and catch the thing's jaw on the blade to keep it at bay. As he pushed it back, however, he looked down at his blade only to see a greenish-brown fluid coating the edge. He then yelled out, "They're Rammal Zabal lizards! Don't get bit!" and the others quickly grunted in acknowledgement as they got they began casting and striking back.
Once the initial shock of ambush was over, the pack-mule that the chained guy was chained to turned around and rushed past him, dragging the poor guy along kicking and screaming as it rushed away from the battle. Blood, sand, cloth, scales, bolts, and various types of fire and wind magic began furiously flying around, accompanied by the death throes and screams of several of the combatants. Once the element of surprise from the ambush was lost, the cloth-covered fellows started to fare much better, but they had already taken significant casualties. After only a few seconds of battle, two of the humanoids were collapsed on the ground in a gory mess, the pack mule was writhing around to get a lizard to release it, and one of the lizards was reduced to a headless, convulsing corpse. Everyone left standing was either injured or preoccupied as the brutal melee continued.
As the battle was ongoing, the sand in front of the pack mule which was dragging the chained fellow away erupted as another lizard popped emerged from its burrow. The pack mule tried to slow down and change direction, but its futile efforts led the lizard to clamp its jaws down on the pack mule's neck. The human that was getting dragged along tumbled onto his back as the pack mule suddenly collapsed not 50 feet from the rest of the battle. Once he came to his senses, he let out a shrill cry for help and curled up to shield his head.
Raaji
Between heavy breaths, the chained fellow moaned, "Water..." looking around at the cloth-covered fellows around him desperately. Most of the cloth-covered fellows ignored the comment, but one of them approached while pulling out a coiled leather band, then smacked the poorly-dressed guy on the back of the head with it. The weapon made a sharp SNAP as it impacted the chained fellow's skull, evoking a short, pained yelp from him. "Silence, slave." the aggressor growled, his voice muffled as it left the cloth wraps. The chained guy lowered his head and nodded, still breathing heavily and trying to keep up. A few seconds later, the aggressor headed back to his previous position and put the leather device away.
The group was travelling in a tight formation around the pack mules, three on either side and one at the front to lead them onwards. Although they were covered with cloth, the tell-tale ripple sound of leather emanated from beneath their wrappings as they shuffled through the sands, and some of them had rather large weapons that peaked out from beneath the wrappings. The packmules themselves were covered in various forms of tightly-secured and mostly-full sacks and bags of various things. The only cloth-wrapped humanoid that seemed to be holding anything was the fellow in the front, who was holding a small plate of some sort and a roll of heavily-worn paper.
As they shambled along, only a few events managed to force the cloth-wrapped humanoids to react. One such event occurred whenever the desert wind occasionally whistled past, carrying along with it a thin sheet of sand. Everyone in the small group would shield their faces, with the exception of the chained guy, who could only manage to duck his head between his arms. Another such event was the sight of some sort of desert beast, especially birds and prey. The cloth-wrapped humanoids would draw their ranged weapons and watch them closely for an opportunity to go for a kill, but they rarely got one.
But eventually, the group happened upon an event that evoked a much stronger reaction. As they were shambling along, the sand erupted in four loations several feet away from the group as reptilian creatures darted out of the sand and immediately descended upon the cloth-covered humanoids. They reacted quickly, rapidly drawing out their weapons and yelling to one other such things as, "AMBUSH!", "ON IT!", and "AGH! SHIT!" while scrambling to prepare themselves. Two of the humanoids were unlucky, as the reptilian things lunged out and took a deep bite out of them. One of the reptilian things instead bit one of the pack mules, and the last one bit towards a cloth-covered guy, but he managed to draw out a long, curved sword and catch the thing's jaw on the blade to keep it at bay. As he pushed it back, however, he looked down at his blade only to see a greenish-brown fluid coating the edge. He then yelled out, "They're Rammal Zabal lizards! Don't get bit!" and the others quickly grunted in acknowledgement as they got they began casting and striking back.
Once the initial shock of ambush was over, the pack-mule that the chained guy was chained to turned around and rushed past him, dragging the poor guy along kicking and screaming as it rushed away from the battle. Blood, sand, cloth, scales, bolts, and various types of fire and wind magic began furiously flying around, accompanied by the death throes and screams of several of the combatants. Once the element of surprise from the ambush was lost, the cloth-covered fellows started to fare much better, but they had already taken significant casualties. After only a few seconds of battle, two of the humanoids were collapsed on the ground in a gory mess, the pack mule was writhing around to get a lizard to release it, and one of the lizards was reduced to a headless, convulsing corpse. Everyone left standing was either injured or preoccupied as the brutal melee continued.
As the battle was ongoing, the sand in front of the pack mule which was dragging the chained fellow away erupted as another lizard popped emerged from its burrow. The pack mule tried to slow down and change direction, but its futile efforts led the lizard to clamp its jaws down on the pack mule's neck. The human that was getting dragged along tumbled onto his back as the pack mule suddenly collapsed not 50 feet from the rest of the battle. Once he came to his senses, he let out a shrill cry for help and curled up to shield his head.
Raaji
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Raaji listened to the soft trickle of sand with each step his camel made. His eyes were only half open, peering tiredly out of his headscarf. His face and most of his body were covered by cloth to provide protection from the sand and blazing sun.
He would take a break soon, it was not very advisable to walk in the heat of midday. However, he was still on the lookout for a suitable resting place. Any spot that wasn't all sand, any hill or ravine that could provide shade. He knew that somewhere alongside this way there must be a resting spot but it seemed that he was still too far away from it. If he found nothing like that, he had enough with him to build a small tent. It looked as if he would have to make use of it, because apart from sand dunes there was nothing else to be seen. Or so he thought.
His eyelid lifted a little more as he turned his head to the side, looking and listening for what he has sensed. He thought he heard something behind one of the sand dunes. It sounded somehow like a crash and there seemed to be voices shouting something - but he only heard it softly, didn't understood the words, as if it were in some distance away. As Raaji recognized that there was probably a fight going on, he hesitated. A few thoughts ran through his head within seconds.
He didn't knew who was attacking and who was being attacked or what exactly was actually going on. He didn't know if they might be hostile to him as well. And he neither had time nor the ability to come to any harm. He had to arrive in Annuakat quickly and as unharmed as possible. So the best thing would be to ignore the noise and sneak away while he was still unnoticed.
But Raaji was not inhuman, so he could not ignore it. Back then, as a child, he would have also been grateful for any help their caravan might have received during the raid. Now that he was in the position to be able to help others personally, he could not reconcile with his conscience if he were to ignore it. Raaji sighed and turned his camel around, towards the direction of the noise. He kept his guard up.
His camel wasn’t running, but it was still taking quick steps towards and up the dune he had heard the noise from. As he reached the top, he could see the chaos within the ongoing fight. A jumble of people, lizards and pack mules running around. Scattered belongings, cloths, single bits of bodies and blood spread over the sand in between while fire and bolts where throwing and shooting around. They were being attacked by Desert Pickers. Raaji immediately recognized them. They must have been hungry, because they normally didn't attack humans.
He thought about how to help. His diamond daggers could be very sharp but it was a bad idea to go anywhere near the lizards. Luckily, there was plenty of sand around, quartz after all, he could control and form it, and he could fuse it into larger quartz formations. But as this idea came into his mind, one of these pack mules fled from a Lizard directly in his direction and seemed to be dragging something behind him. The ground seemed to rustle deep beneath shortly before one of those Rammal Zabal emerged from within. Raaji quickly turned his camel around and kicked it in the side so that it swerved. Luckily the Desert Picker attacked the pack mule and not his camel. But just as it pulled the animal to the ground, Raaji heard a scream behind it.
He knew the lizard wouldn't attack anyone anymore since he had his prey unless he would try to protect it. But Raaji recognized that the whoever screamed was chained to this animal. Trying to bring the loot to safety, he would surely drag the man with him.
Raaji jumped off of his camel and kneeled down to get in touch with the sand. He didn't needed direct contact but it was much easier and he could reach a little farther this way. He pushed mana into the ground, causing quartz spears to emerge from the ground, stabbing the Lizard from beneath and using its own weight against it, he pierced through scales, skin and flesh. It didn’t work like he planned, because the spears sank into the soft sandy soil, but it was enough to maim the animal, causing it to squeal, shriek, and wriggle, before finally succumbing to its fatal wounds. Raaji gasped and looked over at the startled man.
"Are you alright?", Raaji asked. He was either a prisoner or a slave for being chained.
He would take a break soon, it was not very advisable to walk in the heat of midday. However, he was still on the lookout for a suitable resting place. Any spot that wasn't all sand, any hill or ravine that could provide shade. He knew that somewhere alongside this way there must be a resting spot but it seemed that he was still too far away from it. If he found nothing like that, he had enough with him to build a small tent. It looked as if he would have to make use of it, because apart from sand dunes there was nothing else to be seen. Or so he thought.
His eyelid lifted a little more as he turned his head to the side, looking and listening for what he has sensed. He thought he heard something behind one of the sand dunes. It sounded somehow like a crash and there seemed to be voices shouting something - but he only heard it softly, didn't understood the words, as if it were in some distance away. As Raaji recognized that there was probably a fight going on, he hesitated. A few thoughts ran through his head within seconds.
He didn't knew who was attacking and who was being attacked or what exactly was actually going on. He didn't know if they might be hostile to him as well. And he neither had time nor the ability to come to any harm. He had to arrive in Annuakat quickly and as unharmed as possible. So the best thing would be to ignore the noise and sneak away while he was still unnoticed.
But Raaji was not inhuman, so he could not ignore it. Back then, as a child, he would have also been grateful for any help their caravan might have received during the raid. Now that he was in the position to be able to help others personally, he could not reconcile with his conscience if he were to ignore it. Raaji sighed and turned his camel around, towards the direction of the noise. He kept his guard up.
His camel wasn’t running, but it was still taking quick steps towards and up the dune he had heard the noise from. As he reached the top, he could see the chaos within the ongoing fight. A jumble of people, lizards and pack mules running around. Scattered belongings, cloths, single bits of bodies and blood spread over the sand in between while fire and bolts where throwing and shooting around. They were being attacked by Desert Pickers. Raaji immediately recognized them. They must have been hungry, because they normally didn't attack humans.
He thought about how to help. His diamond daggers could be very sharp but it was a bad idea to go anywhere near the lizards. Luckily, there was plenty of sand around, quartz after all, he could control and form it, and he could fuse it into larger quartz formations. But as this idea came into his mind, one of these pack mules fled from a Lizard directly in his direction and seemed to be dragging something behind him. The ground seemed to rustle deep beneath shortly before one of those Rammal Zabal emerged from within. Raaji quickly turned his camel around and kicked it in the side so that it swerved. Luckily the Desert Picker attacked the pack mule and not his camel. But just as it pulled the animal to the ground, Raaji heard a scream behind it.
He knew the lizard wouldn't attack anyone anymore since he had his prey unless he would try to protect it. But Raaji recognized that the whoever screamed was chained to this animal. Trying to bring the loot to safety, he would surely drag the man with him.
Raaji jumped off of his camel and kneeled down to get in touch with the sand. He didn't needed direct contact but it was much easier and he could reach a little farther this way. He pushed mana into the ground, causing quartz spears to emerge from the ground, stabbing the Lizard from beneath and using its own weight against it, he pierced through scales, skin and flesh. It didn’t work like he planned, because the spears sank into the soft sandy soil, but it was enough to maim the animal, causing it to squeal, shriek, and wriggle, before finally succumbing to its fatal wounds. Raaji gasped and looked over at the startled man.
"Are you alright?", Raaji asked. He was either a prisoner or a slave for being chained.
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As the furious battle waged on not 50’ away, the chained up fellow kept himself curled into a ball. The sounds of screams, grunts, pain, explosions, crackling and metal clatter was especially loud, although it was gradually dying down as the combatants exhausted their energy and numbers. Every now and then, a stray scale would plop away from the battle and land nearby, or a bolt of fire or ice would whiz past or slam into the sand several feet from the chained guy.
But only a few seconds after he first started his cowering, an odd sound came from nearby. THUNK "SCREEEEEEEE" The terrified death throes of the nearby lizard thing caught the fellow by surprise. He peaked his head out from between his arms after the sounds started to weaken, only to see another cloth covered fellow gasping and looking over at him. He looked up at the guy with a worried look, and kept himself firmly balled up against the floor for protection as a stray blast of wind smacked into the ground next to him and coated his exposed side with a fresh layer of sand.
The fellow on the ground opened his mouth urgently, as if to speak, but only a shrill crackling sound came out. He coughed a little after making the sound, rapidly attempting to clear his throat, then hoarsely called out, "Blood! F-Fear!" He held out his arms a little to display the shackles that were clamped around his wrists. Small streaks of blood appeared to have soaked through the sleeves of his tunic, the likes of which the shackles were clamped over. His arms were shaking a little as he did, and he repeated, "Blood!" as he waved his wrists around a little.
Not but a moment after he started holding his arms out, a bolt of energy whizzed past his arms, nicking them and leaving a scorch mark on the fabric, then slammed into the side of the dying pack mule. The chained guy instantly withdrew his arms and went back to shielding himself as he whimpered in pain. The pack mule groaned as it writhed around, too weak to get up, but still lively enough to try to do so.
Meanwhile, over in the battlefield, there seemed to be three people and two lizards left. All of them were injured to some extent, although the people only seemed to have claw scratches, not bite marks, and the lizards appeared to have both slash wounds and signs of magic bolts arrayed across their scaly hides. Perhaps due to their injury and their heavy state of exhaustion, they seemed to be sizing each other up rather than engaging, at least for the moment. The pack mule and the other humanoids and lizards were all more-or-less incapacitated by this point, so the area was somewhat quiet.
As the momentary pause in battle continued, one of the wrapped fellows noticed the new wrapped figure and the camel that he had, and called out, "Hey you! Help us! We need to treat the injured!" Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the lizards closed in again and the battle resumed, with the remaining people calling out curses and expletives as they continued receiving and delivering blows.
Raaji
But only a few seconds after he first started his cowering, an odd sound came from nearby. THUNK "SCREEEEEEEE" The terrified death throes of the nearby lizard thing caught the fellow by surprise. He peaked his head out from between his arms after the sounds started to weaken, only to see another cloth covered fellow gasping and looking over at him. He looked up at the guy with a worried look, and kept himself firmly balled up against the floor for protection as a stray blast of wind smacked into the ground next to him and coated his exposed side with a fresh layer of sand.
The fellow on the ground opened his mouth urgently, as if to speak, but only a shrill crackling sound came out. He coughed a little after making the sound, rapidly attempting to clear his throat, then hoarsely called out, "Blood! F-Fear!" He held out his arms a little to display the shackles that were clamped around his wrists. Small streaks of blood appeared to have soaked through the sleeves of his tunic, the likes of which the shackles were clamped over. His arms were shaking a little as he did, and he repeated, "Blood!" as he waved his wrists around a little.
Not but a moment after he started holding his arms out, a bolt of energy whizzed past his arms, nicking them and leaving a scorch mark on the fabric, then slammed into the side of the dying pack mule. The chained guy instantly withdrew his arms and went back to shielding himself as he whimpered in pain. The pack mule groaned as it writhed around, too weak to get up, but still lively enough to try to do so.
Meanwhile, over in the battlefield, there seemed to be three people and two lizards left. All of them were injured to some extent, although the people only seemed to have claw scratches, not bite marks, and the lizards appeared to have both slash wounds and signs of magic bolts arrayed across their scaly hides. Perhaps due to their injury and their heavy state of exhaustion, they seemed to be sizing each other up rather than engaging, at least for the moment. The pack mule and the other humanoids and lizards were all more-or-less incapacitated by this point, so the area was somewhat quiet.
As the momentary pause in battle continued, one of the wrapped fellows noticed the new wrapped figure and the camel that he had, and called out, "Hey you! Help us! We need to treat the injured!" Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the lizards closed in again and the battle resumed, with the remaining people calling out curses and expletives as they continued receiving and delivering blows.
Raaji
Raaji frowned as the man in front of him first coughed, then cleared his throat before uttering a sound. And then it was just two hoarsely stuttered words. Perhaps his throat was dry, so that he said only the most necessary. But the two words, their meaning and the gesture, with showing the bloody wrists, was really more than enough to arouse his pity. Prisoner or not, he didn't deserve to be treated that way. He didn't even look like a criminal. Maybe he was just a slave.
Raaji just opened his mouth to say something, but was also surprised by the sudden blow that shot between them. He instinctively raised his arms in protection and pulled up a magical crystal wall right before him that manifested itself with a clang and sparkled in the sunlight. It crumbled and dissolved right away, just as he noticed that the attack wasn't aimed at them, but the desert picker. Phew.
He glanced to the slave and then down the dune to the other people who where still fighting while he was trying to come up with a good solution. He stood up and approached the slave, squatting in front of him. Raaji would help him first.
"Don't worry.", he spoke, as he carefully placed a hand on the slaves forearm, for a moment soothing the pain the man probably felt right know. "I'll help you out here, you just need to trust me, alright?"
He let go of him again and turned, grabbing the chains that bound the man to the dead animal. A desert picker could still come by and snatch the corpse. In that case, the slave better wasn't still tied to it. The metal appeared to be some kind of iron, which he was able to cut through with some effort, disconnecting the atomic bond. The chain glowed where he separated them as energy was released before the links fell apart. He could have freed the slave's hands right away, but that probably wouldn't have pleased his owners.
Raaji looked up a little caught off guard, but quickly realized that they probably hadn't noticed anything about his action here. They just asked for help. Well, he would probably be more useful fighting the desert picker than treating the injured.
"Coming!", he called back as he stood up. He had assured that he would help the slave, but basically Raaji didn't know exactly how to manage it yet. First they had to get rid of these predators. Raaji hurried to his restlessly prancing camel, quickly picked out a field bottle filled with water from his bags there and threw it at the slave's feet before hurrying down the dune. However, he had no intention of getting too close to the lizards or the projectiles of fire and ice.
He let quartz grids shoot out of the ground around those who lay wounded, growing together above them and forming a cage. It was not to imprison them, but to protect them against attacks from the lizards.
Raaji tried to stab the other desert picker in the same way as the first one. Sometimes they were too fast and he only scratched the top layer of their skin. And once Raaji himself was a little too slow. He felt the sandy ground vibrate beneath his feet as one of the lizards took aim at him. Raaji was already backing away as soon as he felt the tremor and heard the sand rustle. But those damn pickers were fast.
As the lizard jumped out of the sand he thrust a crystal pillar out of the ground, which struck the snapping snout from below, shutting and impaling it right away. But those claws reached him anyway, scraping his flank as he stumbled back. With a pained hiss, Raaji caught himself and held his burning side. It felt warm and moist, he was probably bleeding.
However, the lizard creatures seemed to be gradually retreating overall. Only grabbing and attacking what was within the radius of the battle but not in the core of it. Like Raaji just now who stood aside. And now he heard the suspicious trickle of sand somewhere farther behind him. He was just able to turn around when he saw two lizards pounce on his camel and tear it down. His eyes widened. Wait, no.
Violet
Raaji just opened his mouth to say something, but was also surprised by the sudden blow that shot between them. He instinctively raised his arms in protection and pulled up a magical crystal wall right before him that manifested itself with a clang and sparkled in the sunlight. It crumbled and dissolved right away, just as he noticed that the attack wasn't aimed at them, but the desert picker. Phew.
He glanced to the slave and then down the dune to the other people who where still fighting while he was trying to come up with a good solution. He stood up and approached the slave, squatting in front of him. Raaji would help him first.
"Don't worry.", he spoke, as he carefully placed a hand on the slaves forearm, for a moment soothing the pain the man probably felt right know. "I'll help you out here, you just need to trust me, alright?"
He let go of him again and turned, grabbing the chains that bound the man to the dead animal. A desert picker could still come by and snatch the corpse. In that case, the slave better wasn't still tied to it. The metal appeared to be some kind of iron, which he was able to cut through with some effort, disconnecting the atomic bond. The chain glowed where he separated them as energy was released before the links fell apart. He could have freed the slave's hands right away, but that probably wouldn't have pleased his owners.
Raaji looked up a little caught off guard, but quickly realized that they probably hadn't noticed anything about his action here. They just asked for help. Well, he would probably be more useful fighting the desert picker than treating the injured.
"Coming!", he called back as he stood up. He had assured that he would help the slave, but basically Raaji didn't know exactly how to manage it yet. First they had to get rid of these predators. Raaji hurried to his restlessly prancing camel, quickly picked out a field bottle filled with water from his bags there and threw it at the slave's feet before hurrying down the dune. However, he had no intention of getting too close to the lizards or the projectiles of fire and ice.
He let quartz grids shoot out of the ground around those who lay wounded, growing together above them and forming a cage. It was not to imprison them, but to protect them against attacks from the lizards.
Raaji tried to stab the other desert picker in the same way as the first one. Sometimes they were too fast and he only scratched the top layer of their skin. And once Raaji himself was a little too slow. He felt the sandy ground vibrate beneath his feet as one of the lizards took aim at him. Raaji was already backing away as soon as he felt the tremor and heard the sand rustle. But those damn pickers were fast.
As the lizard jumped out of the sand he thrust a crystal pillar out of the ground, which struck the snapping snout from below, shutting and impaling it right away. But those claws reached him anyway, scraping his flank as he stumbled back. With a pained hiss, Raaji caught himself and held his burning side. It felt warm and moist, he was probably bleeding.
However, the lizard creatures seemed to be gradually retreating overall. Only grabbing and attacking what was within the radius of the battle but not in the core of it. Like Raaji just now who stood aside. And now he heard the suspicious trickle of sand somewhere farther behind him. He was just able to turn around when he saw two lizards pounce on his camel and tear it down. His eyes widened. Wait, no.
Violet
By the time the crystal-maker fellow had approached the chained guy, all signs of the injury that he had acquired mere moments ago seemed to have disappeared. Rather than there being a burnt hole in the fellow's shirt sleeve, the shirt seemed undamaged. However, curled up as he was, the site of the injury on his arm was not especially visible, and neither was his face. As such, he didn't seem to notice as the crystal-maker fellow squatted down next to him.
The chained guy flinched a little as the crystal-maker fellow started talking, and peeked out from behind his arms. He nodded a little as the crystal-maker fellow asked for his trust, and seemed to relax a bit, but he continued to keep himself curled up as the crystal-maker fellow messed around with the chain.
"Hurry up, will yah?" one of the cloth-wrapped guys in the melee shouted out. The three of them seemed to be focusing more on their defenses now, or at very least, the guys that were throwing out magic earlier didn't seem to be using as much. The lizards didn't seem to be landing any significant attacks either, so despite how energetic the melee was, it seemed to have reached a sort of equilibrium since the combatants had some time to feel each other out.
Once the crystal-maker tossed him a bottle of some sort, the guy reached over, grasped the bottle, and clutched it against his chest before curling back up again. He otherwise remained stationary as the rest of the battle took place. The pack mule continued groaning as its struggling got weaker and weaker. The cloth-wrapped fellows over by the melee groaned and stammered out pained pleas for help, but they didn't receive any answer up until the crystal-maker fellow encompassed them in a protective shield of sorts.
Once the crystal-maker started trying to stab the lizards, the melee quickly changed. One of the lizards in the melee turned around to focus on the new threat, whereas the other one seemed to turn its attention over to the nearby pack mule that was bit earlier. The three cloth-covered fellows that were still okay then watched as the crystal-maker guy got slashed, and his camel got gored by lizards. One of them then called out, "Oh, great! Thanks for the help! See yah!" as he turned to run. The other two laughed a bit, seeing how the situation seemed to turn in their favor, and they quickly shouted out similar mocking statements as they turned to follow the guy.
As the chained guy heard the yelling, he peaked out from his curled-up position and spotted the crystal-maker fellow staring back at and past him, a lizard with a spear through it's jaw which was darting over to one of the imprisoned cloth-covered guys, and also spotted the three less-injured cloth-covered fellows running away. He then unwrapped himself a bit and turned back around to see what the crystal-maker fellow was staring at. Almost immediately, he spotted the giant lizards starting to chow down on the new guy's camel, and gasped in surprise. After processing the sight for a bit, he scrambled to his feet. The bottle that the crystal-maker fellow had given him was nowhere to be found, although he was still shackled to the remnant of the chain. Once he got his footing, he started rushing over to the crystal-maker guy.
"Lizards! Many!" he shouted, pointing at them as he approached, "Escape?" He tried to pull the remnants of the chain into his hands as he got close to the guy, so as to keep it from dragging along on the ground. The lizards by the camel and the one by the pack mule of the cloth-covered fellows which was in the middle of the melee seemed to be trying to eat, whereas the other one that was impaled by a crystal spear seemed to be momentarily distracted as it tried to get into one of the crystal cages. The chained guy eyed them nervously as he stopped a few feet away from the crystal-maker fellow.
The chained guy flinched a little as the crystal-maker fellow started talking, and peeked out from behind his arms. He nodded a little as the crystal-maker fellow asked for his trust, and seemed to relax a bit, but he continued to keep himself curled up as the crystal-maker fellow messed around with the chain.
"Hurry up, will yah?" one of the cloth-wrapped guys in the melee shouted out. The three of them seemed to be focusing more on their defenses now, or at very least, the guys that were throwing out magic earlier didn't seem to be using as much. The lizards didn't seem to be landing any significant attacks either, so despite how energetic the melee was, it seemed to have reached a sort of equilibrium since the combatants had some time to feel each other out.
Once the crystal-maker tossed him a bottle of some sort, the guy reached over, grasped the bottle, and clutched it against his chest before curling back up again. He otherwise remained stationary as the rest of the battle took place. The pack mule continued groaning as its struggling got weaker and weaker. The cloth-wrapped fellows over by the melee groaned and stammered out pained pleas for help, but they didn't receive any answer up until the crystal-maker fellow encompassed them in a protective shield of sorts.
Once the crystal-maker started trying to stab the lizards, the melee quickly changed. One of the lizards in the melee turned around to focus on the new threat, whereas the other one seemed to turn its attention over to the nearby pack mule that was bit earlier. The three cloth-covered fellows that were still okay then watched as the crystal-maker guy got slashed, and his camel got gored by lizards. One of them then called out, "Oh, great! Thanks for the help! See yah!" as he turned to run. The other two laughed a bit, seeing how the situation seemed to turn in their favor, and they quickly shouted out similar mocking statements as they turned to follow the guy.
As the chained guy heard the yelling, he peaked out from his curled-up position and spotted the crystal-maker fellow staring back at and past him, a lizard with a spear through it's jaw which was darting over to one of the imprisoned cloth-covered guys, and also spotted the three less-injured cloth-covered fellows running away. He then unwrapped himself a bit and turned back around to see what the crystal-maker fellow was staring at. Almost immediately, he spotted the giant lizards starting to chow down on the new guy's camel, and gasped in surprise. After processing the sight for a bit, he scrambled to his feet. The bottle that the crystal-maker fellow had given him was nowhere to be found, although he was still shackled to the remnant of the chain. Once he got his footing, he started rushing over to the crystal-maker guy.
"Lizards! Many!" he shouted, pointing at them as he approached, "Escape?" He tried to pull the remnants of the chain into his hands as he got close to the guy, so as to keep it from dragging along on the ground. The lizards by the camel and the one by the pack mule of the cloth-covered fellows which was in the middle of the melee seemed to be trying to eat, whereas the other one that was impaled by a crystal spear seemed to be momentarily distracted as it tried to get into one of the crystal cages. The chained guy eyed them nervously as he stopped a few feet away from the crystal-maker fellow.
Raaji frowned as the slavers urged him, he felt somewhat provoked by that. Of course those man were in need and therefore stressed. But the voice was somewhat condescending and commanding, that it had sounded less like distress than blaming.
Raaji indeed hurried up to help. He would not turn his back on them now just because he had not liked the tone. Now was not the time to be bothered by such things. Since Raaji could not do much to care for the wounded, he could at least offer them protection from the lizards with his crystallic prison. His next step was to attack the lizards itself. It didn't work as well as he wanted because Raaji wasn't always able to seriously harm them, but at least he had an effect. The desert pickers seemed to be retreating, which in itself was a good sign, if they weren't moving in his direction of all places.
He now became the target of one of these lizards himself and did not react quickly enough to evade its attack. At least he was fast enough to avoid greater injury. But then he could hear the characteristic rustle of sand somewhere farther behind him and just as he turned around Raaji could witness the moment as other lizards rippped his mount. Raaji didn't had much belongings with him anyway, but there were all of his provisons at the back of his camel which those desert picker would drag away. And without a mount at all he would have to walk all the way to the next city by foot.
Raaji could hear the voices of the slavers down the dune and he quickly turned around in surprise. What did they just say? He was still in some disbelieve as the slavers turned away. They wouldn't just leave their own people like that behind, would they? Some were wounded but still alive, how could they leave them to die? But the slavers indeed were running away now, taking their oppurtunity.
For a moment, Raaji was caught between annoyance against himself, helping those damn slavers in his naivity and anger against these very slavers for their inhumanity, just before someone else approached him. The slave. It was comforting to know that his action wasn't completly pointless at least.
Raaji nodded with a sigh. His pulse was still high and his breathing fast due to the shock of the lizard attack. There were indeed still much of them, they could flee now as long as the desert picker were distracted. Some of them have got their prey, for them they weren't attracting anymore, but some of those lizards were still raging around.
"Let's go.", he said as he turned around in to a direction where none of those lizards were. Pain shot through his side as he moved. He needed to take care of his wounds later on, but first they needed to reach a safer zone. Raaji turned his gaze around to get a last glimpse of the wounded slavers. He still felt bad for them, leaving them just like the others did. But he wasn't able to turn the situation anymore, not on his own. The only thing he could do now was to undo some of his crystal bars, so that a human body could fit through, but not those big lizards.
Raaji looked after the slave, making sure that he could keep up with him. But the slave didn't seem to have any trouble, it was rather Raaji who was affected. And he was glad not being alone at all in a situation like this.
"Are you alright? Have you been injured?", he asked on the way. Maybe Raaji just didn't noticed and after all, he didn't knew how exhausted the slave already was.
Raaji indeed hurried up to help. He would not turn his back on them now just because he had not liked the tone. Now was not the time to be bothered by such things. Since Raaji could not do much to care for the wounded, he could at least offer them protection from the lizards with his crystallic prison. His next step was to attack the lizards itself. It didn't work as well as he wanted because Raaji wasn't always able to seriously harm them, but at least he had an effect. The desert pickers seemed to be retreating, which in itself was a good sign, if they weren't moving in his direction of all places.
He now became the target of one of these lizards himself and did not react quickly enough to evade its attack. At least he was fast enough to avoid greater injury. But then he could hear the characteristic rustle of sand somewhere farther behind him and just as he turned around Raaji could witness the moment as other lizards rippped his mount. Raaji didn't had much belongings with him anyway, but there were all of his provisons at the back of his camel which those desert picker would drag away. And without a mount at all he would have to walk all the way to the next city by foot.
Raaji could hear the voices of the slavers down the dune and he quickly turned around in surprise. What did they just say? He was still in some disbelieve as the slavers turned away. They wouldn't just leave their own people like that behind, would they? Some were wounded but still alive, how could they leave them to die? But the slavers indeed were running away now, taking their oppurtunity.
For a moment, Raaji was caught between annoyance against himself, helping those damn slavers in his naivity and anger against these very slavers for their inhumanity, just before someone else approached him. The slave. It was comforting to know that his action wasn't completly pointless at least.
Raaji nodded with a sigh. His pulse was still high and his breathing fast due to the shock of the lizard attack. There were indeed still much of them, they could flee now as long as the desert picker were distracted. Some of them have got their prey, for them they weren't attracting anymore, but some of those lizards were still raging around.
"Let's go.", he said as he turned around in to a direction where none of those lizards were. Pain shot through his side as he moved. He needed to take care of his wounds later on, but first they needed to reach a safer zone. Raaji turned his gaze around to get a last glimpse of the wounded slavers. He still felt bad for them, leaving them just like the others did. But he wasn't able to turn the situation anymore, not on his own. The only thing he could do now was to undo some of his crystal bars, so that a human body could fit through, but not those big lizards.
Raaji looked after the slave, making sure that he could keep up with him. But the slave didn't seem to have any trouble, it was rather Raaji who was affected. And he was glad not being alone at all in a situation like this.
"Are you alright? Have you been injured?", he asked on the way. Maybe Raaji just didn't noticed and after all, he didn't knew how exhausted the slave already was.
As the crystal-maker fellow sighed, the chain guy quickly looked back over at him. The chain guy was visibly anxious, and was breathing rapidly, but he didn't seem as exhausted as he did a minute or so ago. He looked over the crystal-maker quickly, his eyes darting between the fellow's injury and the various distinct pieces of equipment and clothing arrayed about his person. He didn't seem to focus in on anything in particular, and once the crystal-maker started talking, he quickly looked back up at the cloth covering the fellow's face.
The chain guy nodded eagerly, then looked back over at the situation around them. The pack mules and the camels were struggling much less by now, and the lizards appeared to by trying to drag off various chunks of their cargo and bodies down into the sand. The injured lizard that was previously trying to get into one of the crystal cages gave up not too long thereafter, and rushed over to the pack mule to try and get some meat as well. The injured cloth-covered people in the cages were still groaning and softly begging for help, but their cries were quieter and more pained than before. Further, at their current position, there were no lizards or other hazards in the direction opposite to that of the less injured cloth-covered people who had taken advantage of the crystal-maker, the likes of whom had only just made it over the nearest dune, disappearing from view.
After briefly surveying things, he looked over at the crystal-maker and quickly started to scamper across the sand to catch up to him, leaving the snapping and crunching sounds of the lizards' feasting behind him. The chain guy continued staring at the crystal-maker guy, so once the crystal-maker fellow looked back at the crystal cages and the wounded fellows within them, the chain guy followed his gaze. He awkwardly walked backwards for a little bit, nearly tripping over himself as he did, then looked back over at the crystal-maker guy with an expectant look. Once the crystal-maker guy looked over at him, he looked worried all of a sudden, but his expression brightened once he heard the fellow speak.
The chain guy blinked a few times in surprise, still breathing fast, then nodded and held out his arms as he continued trudging along through the soft, hot sand. "Burn...gone!" he gasped, getting the words out between breaths. He waved his arms around a little, as if to gesture to something on his arms. Any trace of the burn mark from the bolt of fire that had grazed him earlier was gone without a trace. Even the hole that was burnt into the cloth on his arm seemed to have repaired itself.
He then held up the shackles, as if to gesture to them, and added, "Blood...sharp." There appeared to be dried blood soaked through the sleeves of his tunic around the shackles, although the bleeding appeared mild. The shackles were haphazardly and very tightly clamped down around his wrists. Any inspection beyond a casual glance would reveal that the shackles were cheaply constructed and were never smoothened, resulting in fairly sharp edges.
He smiled nervously as he then relaxed his arms, resting the shackles against his hip as he added, "Thank!" He then quickly bowed his head a little and awkwardly averted his gaze as he continued scampering along after the crystal-maker fellow. He seemed to be starting to catch his breath after he expressed his gratitude, although he was still quite nervous and energized. He worriedly glanced around at his surroundings now and then as they continued getting further and further from the sandy battlefield.
The chain guy nodded eagerly, then looked back over at the situation around them. The pack mules and the camels were struggling much less by now, and the lizards appeared to by trying to drag off various chunks of their cargo and bodies down into the sand. The injured lizard that was previously trying to get into one of the crystal cages gave up not too long thereafter, and rushed over to the pack mule to try and get some meat as well. The injured cloth-covered people in the cages were still groaning and softly begging for help, but their cries were quieter and more pained than before. Further, at their current position, there were no lizards or other hazards in the direction opposite to that of the less injured cloth-covered people who had taken advantage of the crystal-maker, the likes of whom had only just made it over the nearest dune, disappearing from view.
After briefly surveying things, he looked over at the crystal-maker and quickly started to scamper across the sand to catch up to him, leaving the snapping and crunching sounds of the lizards' feasting behind him. The chain guy continued staring at the crystal-maker guy, so once the crystal-maker fellow looked back at the crystal cages and the wounded fellows within them, the chain guy followed his gaze. He awkwardly walked backwards for a little bit, nearly tripping over himself as he did, then looked back over at the crystal-maker guy with an expectant look. Once the crystal-maker guy looked over at him, he looked worried all of a sudden, but his expression brightened once he heard the fellow speak.
The chain guy blinked a few times in surprise, still breathing fast, then nodded and held out his arms as he continued trudging along through the soft, hot sand. "Burn...gone!" he gasped, getting the words out between breaths. He waved his arms around a little, as if to gesture to something on his arms. Any trace of the burn mark from the bolt of fire that had grazed him earlier was gone without a trace. Even the hole that was burnt into the cloth on his arm seemed to have repaired itself.
He then held up the shackles, as if to gesture to them, and added, "Blood...sharp." There appeared to be dried blood soaked through the sleeves of his tunic around the shackles, although the bleeding appeared mild. The shackles were haphazardly and very tightly clamped down around his wrists. Any inspection beyond a casual glance would reveal that the shackles were cheaply constructed and were never smoothened, resulting in fairly sharp edges.
He smiled nervously as he then relaxed his arms, resting the shackles against his hip as he added, "Thank!" He then quickly bowed his head a little and awkwardly averted his gaze as he continued scampering along after the crystal-maker fellow. He seemed to be starting to catch his breath after he expressed his gratitude, although he was still quite nervous and energized. He worriedly glanced around at his surroundings now and then as they continued getting further and further from the sandy battlefield.
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Raaji noticed how the slave somehow inspected him, but he didn't wondered about this. Maybe the slave looked like that at him because Raaji was wounded and the ripped and blood-soaked fabric attracted his gaze. He didn't knew but also didn't think about it, there were more urgent things occupying his attention at the moment. How to deal with their situation, for example. The slave suggested escape and Raaji agreed. They unanimously decided to flee and made a hasty getaway, there were no time to lose.
Raaji was far from pleased with this decision. It was not easy for him to reconcile his conscience with leaving injured people to die who could no longer defend or treat themselves. He felt like a coward no matter how much his mind tried to appeal to his feelings that this was the best decision, at least if he wanted to get out of here alive. He tried to think of how shitty the escaped slavers had behaved and tried to imagine that the wounded ones had the same attitude. It made it a bit easier to leave them behind. Nevertheless, Raaji turned around one last time and let some of these crystal bars crumble so the slavers inside his cage could slip through. If someone of them could gather the strength to survive, it should not fail because he had trapped them.
Then he turned his gaze around to see if the slave could keep up with him. Raaji was used to walk through sand, but his companion did not look like someone from Amol'Kalit. The slave was perhaps not familiar with an environment like this. While they were still on his way to leave the battlefield behind, Raaji asked his new fellow if he was alright.
The slave reacted with a surprised glance, as if he hadn't expected a question like this. But he nodded then, telling him with simple words, that the burn was gone. Raaji wondered if he could not speak the language well, because he only used such simple statements. His whole appearance, his behaviour and his lively features somehow reminded him of those of a child. As if he were one, but only in the body of an adult.
As the slave lifted his arms to show what he just told him, Raaji frowned a little. The burn was really gone. Raaji questioned his eyes. Hadn't he seen a hole there earlier? Had he imagined it? At least it was good to hear that the slave did not seem to be seriously injured, just a bit agitated and out of breath. But so was Raaji, even if he appeared calmer on the outside.
The slave then demonstratively raised his hands to draw attention to his shackles, mentioning blood and sharpness. Ah, yes, he had almost forgotten that. Raaji understood and nodded.
"I'll help you out as soon as we reach a safe place, okay?.", he promised. The slave smiled, albeit in a somewhat insecure way. He thanked Raaji and then even bowed. Now it was up to the assassin to smile. And his smile was warm and came straight from the heart. It was neither the words nor the gesture itself, but the gratitude that the slave must have felt. It was neither the words nor the gesture itself, but the gratitude that the slave must have felt, which was like a reward and confirmation for Raaji that he had done the right thing.
"No need to thank me.", he responded. "Everything you do comes back to you at some point. And everything that is done to you comes back to those who did it.", Raaji added. He was only the one who had just been there and carried it out. Raaji was convinced that a higher might was keeping things in balance.
Somewhere on their way he briefly looked back, checking whether one of the lizards was following them after all. It didn't seem like that. As he turned around, his side ached a little more than before and he impulsively touched his wounds. He had avoided this until now, his hands were sweaty and dirty from holding the harness of his camel. He also immediately regretted it as touching the wound only increased the pain. Raaji sighed.
"You didn't happen to catch the bottle I threw to you?", he wondered. The slave didn't seem to have the bottle with him, but perhaps he had been able to take a sip. Not very likely in the flurry of a battle, but Raaji wondered what had happened to the bottle at all.
"Oh", he uttered and then glanced at the slave, "I'm Raaji by the way. What's your name?", he asked.
Raaji was far from pleased with this decision. It was not easy for him to reconcile his conscience with leaving injured people to die who could no longer defend or treat themselves. He felt like a coward no matter how much his mind tried to appeal to his feelings that this was the best decision, at least if he wanted to get out of here alive. He tried to think of how shitty the escaped slavers had behaved and tried to imagine that the wounded ones had the same attitude. It made it a bit easier to leave them behind. Nevertheless, Raaji turned around one last time and let some of these crystal bars crumble so the slavers inside his cage could slip through. If someone of them could gather the strength to survive, it should not fail because he had trapped them.
Then he turned his gaze around to see if the slave could keep up with him. Raaji was used to walk through sand, but his companion did not look like someone from Amol'Kalit. The slave was perhaps not familiar with an environment like this. While they were still on his way to leave the battlefield behind, Raaji asked his new fellow if he was alright.
The slave reacted with a surprised glance, as if he hadn't expected a question like this. But he nodded then, telling him with simple words, that the burn was gone. Raaji wondered if he could not speak the language well, because he only used such simple statements. His whole appearance, his behaviour and his lively features somehow reminded him of those of a child. As if he were one, but only in the body of an adult.
As the slave lifted his arms to show what he just told him, Raaji frowned a little. The burn was really gone. Raaji questioned his eyes. Hadn't he seen a hole there earlier? Had he imagined it? At least it was good to hear that the slave did not seem to be seriously injured, just a bit agitated and out of breath. But so was Raaji, even if he appeared calmer on the outside.
The slave then demonstratively raised his hands to draw attention to his shackles, mentioning blood and sharpness. Ah, yes, he had almost forgotten that. Raaji understood and nodded.
"I'll help you out as soon as we reach a safe place, okay?.", he promised. The slave smiled, albeit in a somewhat insecure way. He thanked Raaji and then even bowed. Now it was up to the assassin to smile. And his smile was warm and came straight from the heart. It was neither the words nor the gesture itself, but the gratitude that the slave must have felt. It was neither the words nor the gesture itself, but the gratitude that the slave must have felt, which was like a reward and confirmation for Raaji that he had done the right thing.
"No need to thank me.", he responded. "Everything you do comes back to you at some point. And everything that is done to you comes back to those who did it.", Raaji added. He was only the one who had just been there and carried it out. Raaji was convinced that a higher might was keeping things in balance.
~
Somewhere on their way he briefly looked back, checking whether one of the lizards was following them after all. It didn't seem like that. As he turned around, his side ached a little more than before and he impulsively touched his wounds. He had avoided this until now, his hands were sweaty and dirty from holding the harness of his camel. He also immediately regretted it as touching the wound only increased the pain. Raaji sighed.
"You didn't happen to catch the bottle I threw to you?", he wondered. The slave didn't seem to have the bottle with him, but perhaps he had been able to take a sip. Not very likely in the flurry of a battle, but Raaji wondered what had happened to the bottle at all.
"Oh", he uttered and then glanced at the slave, "I'm Raaji by the way. What's your name?", he asked.
Almost as soon as the chained guy averted his gaze and glanced to the side nervously, the crystal-maker fellow started talking, which drew the chained guy's attention back over to the crystal-maker fellow's cloth-covered head - and presumably, by extension, his face.
The chained guy looked somewhat confused as the other fellow spoke, but hesitantly nodded in response. He didn't say anything thereafter, rather, he awkwardly averted his gaze again, and went back to worriedly looking around for other signs of danger. They climbed over a few hills and fought their way through a few gusts of wind as they continued quickly hobbling away from the battlefield that they had left.
Their rather short, fairly aimless journey came to an end before too long, although the awkward silence was broken by a pained sigh rather than a relieved one. This quickly caught the attention of the chained guy, leading him to look over at the crystal-maker guy just in time to hear him start speaking.
The chained guy quickly nodded and held out his hands, as if he were expecting something. However, the cloth-covered crystal-maker guy started talking again right as he did.
The chained guy paused for a moment, slowing down his walking pace as the fellow asked the question. He seemed to ponder it for a moment, and withdrew his hands, resting the shackles against his hip once again as he thought. By then, the chained guy seemed to have caught his breath, and his breathing didn't seem to be as dry or as labored as before. He looked over at the fellow and asserted, "Bottle!"
He then held out his hands again, and the bottle from earlier emerged from the palm of the chained guy's hands, as if it were surfacing from a body of water. The bottle appeared, still full of lukewarm water that was sloshing around inside. Evidently, it was in the same state it was in prior to being tossed over to the slave, with the cork still in place, and the scratches around the neck of the bottle still bearing the same pattern.
With the bottle in his outstretched hands, the chained guy held it out to the crystal-maker guy, as if offering it to him, and he lowered his head a little complacently. He meekly added, "B-bottle..." as he did, looking somewhat worried.
Once the bottle was out of his hands, he retracted his hands and rested them against his hip. He still seemed to be thinking about something, but he kept quiet, and just glanced at the crystal-maker every now and then out of the corner of his eye.
The chained guy looked somewhat confused as the other fellow spoke, but hesitantly nodded in response. He didn't say anything thereafter, rather, he awkwardly averted his gaze again, and went back to worriedly looking around for other signs of danger. They climbed over a few hills and fought their way through a few gusts of wind as they continued quickly hobbling away from the battlefield that they had left.
Their rather short, fairly aimless journey came to an end before too long, although the awkward silence was broken by a pained sigh rather than a relieved one. This quickly caught the attention of the chained guy, leading him to look over at the crystal-maker guy just in time to hear him start speaking.
The chained guy quickly nodded and held out his hands, as if he were expecting something. However, the cloth-covered crystal-maker guy started talking again right as he did.
The chained guy paused for a moment, slowing down his walking pace as the fellow asked the question. He seemed to ponder it for a moment, and withdrew his hands, resting the shackles against his hip once again as he thought. By then, the chained guy seemed to have caught his breath, and his breathing didn't seem to be as dry or as labored as before. He looked over at the fellow and asserted, "Bottle!"
He then held out his hands again, and the bottle from earlier emerged from the palm of the chained guy's hands, as if it were surfacing from a body of water. The bottle appeared, still full of lukewarm water that was sloshing around inside. Evidently, it was in the same state it was in prior to being tossed over to the slave, with the cork still in place, and the scratches around the neck of the bottle still bearing the same pattern.
With the bottle in his outstretched hands, the chained guy held it out to the crystal-maker guy, as if offering it to him, and he lowered his head a little complacently. He meekly added, "B-bottle..." as he did, looking somewhat worried.
Once the bottle was out of his hands, he retracted his hands and rested them against his hip. He still seemed to be thinking about something, but he kept quiet, and just glanced at the crystal-maker every now and then out of the corner of his eye.
Raaji seemed to have confused the other man with his words. Even though the slave nodded, his facial features spoke a different language. Raaji's gaze remained a bit longer on his fellow, while the slave already averted his. Maybe his new companion even felt uncomfortable now? Raaji didn't add a word but also looked ahead again at the path.
While they were wandering, distancing more and more from the battlefield, which was soon no longer to be seen, Raaji had a few thoughts running through his head. One of them referred to the bottle. And he wondered what had happened at all to the bottle he had thrown to the slave.
His companion nodded, but for some reason he also stretched out his hands just as Raaji introduced himself and asked for the slaves name. He looked down at the outstretched hands, which were now slowly sinking again. Perhaps his fellow had misunderstood him? Maybe he thought that Raaji was offering him a bottle of water instead of asking for it.
The slave slowed down his walking pace and so did Raaji. He looked at the slave curiously and waiting. And the slave somehow ... changed. He couldn't say exactly what it was, but the man seemed more rested and fit.
Raaji frowned confused, not sure what the slave wanted to express. Yes, it was the bottle he had asked for but he couldn't do much with the answer. His fellow then stretched out his hands again, as if he wanted to show him something or as if he was waiting for him to put something in his palms.
But when Raaji then saw something growing out of his palm, he became curious. And then when he recognised the bottle, his bottle, he widened his eyes and came to a halt. What was he doing? And how did he do that? Raaji had seen some magic in his life, magic that could create, magic that could transform, magic that could manipulate space, but for sure no magic with which one could absorb objects with his own body and spit them out again true to the original.
"Wow...", he expressed in surprise and looked up from the bottle to the slave. "That's an interesting skill you have.", Raaji added. He wasn't sure if he could just take the bottle, so he hesitated a bit. But the one who was more unsure seemed to be the slave itself, the way he repeated the word bottle, so he finally took this.
"Thank you", he said and had to smile a bit, because he had to think about how he just told the slave that it was not necessary for Raaji to thank him, but was now the one who thanked his fellow. He took a sip from the bottle, offering it also to his new companion, before attaching the bottle to his belt and walking on.
"Let's find a place to rest. I need to take care of my wounds and then we can also get rid of your shackles.", Raaji suggested. After he had seen what his fellow was able to do with this bottle, he wasn't sure if he actually did need his help to free his arms. Couldn't he just pass the metal through his body, just like the bottle somehow passed through?
"I guess 'Bottle' isn't your name, but it's okay with me if you don't want to reveal your name.", Raaji said while looking for a shady spot.
While they were wandering, distancing more and more from the battlefield, which was soon no longer to be seen, Raaji had a few thoughts running through his head. One of them referred to the bottle. And he wondered what had happened at all to the bottle he had thrown to the slave.
His companion nodded, but for some reason he also stretched out his hands just as Raaji introduced himself and asked for the slaves name. He looked down at the outstretched hands, which were now slowly sinking again. Perhaps his fellow had misunderstood him? Maybe he thought that Raaji was offering him a bottle of water instead of asking for it.
The slave slowed down his walking pace and so did Raaji. He looked at the slave curiously and waiting. And the slave somehow ... changed. He couldn't say exactly what it was, but the man seemed more rested and fit.
Raaji frowned confused, not sure what the slave wanted to express. Yes, it was the bottle he had asked for but he couldn't do much with the answer. His fellow then stretched out his hands again, as if he wanted to show him something or as if he was waiting for him to put something in his palms.
But when Raaji then saw something growing out of his palm, he became curious. And then when he recognised the bottle, his bottle, he widened his eyes and came to a halt. What was he doing? And how did he do that? Raaji had seen some magic in his life, magic that could create, magic that could transform, magic that could manipulate space, but for sure no magic with which one could absorb objects with his own body and spit them out again true to the original.
"Wow...", he expressed in surprise and looked up from the bottle to the slave. "That's an interesting skill you have.", Raaji added. He wasn't sure if he could just take the bottle, so he hesitated a bit. But the one who was more unsure seemed to be the slave itself, the way he repeated the word bottle, so he finally took this.
"Thank you", he said and had to smile a bit, because he had to think about how he just told the slave that it was not necessary for Raaji to thank him, but was now the one who thanked his fellow. He took a sip from the bottle, offering it also to his new companion, before attaching the bottle to his belt and walking on.
"Let's find a place to rest. I need to take care of my wounds and then we can also get rid of your shackles.", Raaji suggested. After he had seen what his fellow was able to do with this bottle, he wasn't sure if he actually did need his help to free his arms. Couldn't he just pass the metal through his body, just like the bottle somehow passed through?
"I guess 'Bottle' isn't your name, but it's okay with me if you don't want to reveal your name.", Raaji said while looking for a shady spot.
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The chained guy nodded as the crystal-maker fellow took the bottle out of his hands.
He glanced over at the crystal-maker fellow as he spoke, but he didn't say anything in response. Rather, he nodded a little, with the same worried, confused expression he had earlier. But once the crystal-maker fellow started to smile, the chained guy's eyes widened a bit, and he looked a bit less nervous, if still a bit confused.
After being offered the bottle again, he shook his head and pointed back to the crystal-maker guy. "You" he commented, then he held out the palms of his hands, as if pushing away the bottle, but from a distance. He watched the crystal-maker fellow intently as he attached the bottle to something on his belt, then quickly resumed his efforts at stumbling through the sand as the crystal-maker fellow resumed their journey.
The chained guy continued nervously looking around while the crystal-maker fellow talked for a bit. He nodded a bit whenever the other guy paused, but otherwise didn't say anything in response, up until the fellow mentioned a 'bottle' again. This word seemed to catch the chained guy's attention, so he looked over at the crystal-maker again, only to regain his confused expression after hearing the rest of what the crystal-maker guy had to say.
Once the crystal-maker fellow started looking around, the chained guy silently followed along. He kept sweating in the blistering heat of the desert sun, but the wind and the dryness of the air kept his clothes more-or-less dry. They continued along for a while before finally finding something resembling a resting spot - a rocky cliff face against a relatively short plateau with a few cracks about its closest face.
The chained guy looked over at the crystal-maker guy expectantly as they started approaching it, but he quickly looked away and appeared more nervous as the guy looked over at him. Once they got over to the rock face and finally received some protection from the sun and wind, he meekly asked the other guy, "Nay...muh?" He still looked nervous and quite confused as he asked the pseudo-question, but he also looked inquisitive.
He glanced over at the crystal-maker fellow as he spoke, but he didn't say anything in response. Rather, he nodded a little, with the same worried, confused expression he had earlier. But once the crystal-maker fellow started to smile, the chained guy's eyes widened a bit, and he looked a bit less nervous, if still a bit confused.
After being offered the bottle again, he shook his head and pointed back to the crystal-maker guy. "You" he commented, then he held out the palms of his hands, as if pushing away the bottle, but from a distance. He watched the crystal-maker fellow intently as he attached the bottle to something on his belt, then quickly resumed his efforts at stumbling through the sand as the crystal-maker fellow resumed their journey.
The chained guy continued nervously looking around while the crystal-maker fellow talked for a bit. He nodded a bit whenever the other guy paused, but otherwise didn't say anything in response, up until the fellow mentioned a 'bottle' again. This word seemed to catch the chained guy's attention, so he looked over at the crystal-maker again, only to regain his confused expression after hearing the rest of what the crystal-maker guy had to say.
Once the crystal-maker fellow started looking around, the chained guy silently followed along. He kept sweating in the blistering heat of the desert sun, but the wind and the dryness of the air kept his clothes more-or-less dry. They continued along for a while before finally finding something resembling a resting spot - a rocky cliff face against a relatively short plateau with a few cracks about its closest face.
The chained guy looked over at the crystal-maker guy expectantly as they started approaching it, but he quickly looked away and appeared more nervous as the guy looked over at him. Once they got over to the rock face and finally received some protection from the sun and wind, he meekly asked the other guy, "Nay...muh?" He still looked nervous and quite confused as he asked the pseudo-question, but he also looked inquisitive.
His companion refused the offered bottle, pointing back to Raaji, moving his hands like he would push the bottle with an invicible force away, gesturing that the bottle should be with Raaji. Well, maybe his fellow had already taken a sip. After Raaji attached the bottle to his belt, they continued.
Raaji mentioned that they needed to find a place to rest so that he could treat his wounds, but also promised to help the slave with the shackles then. Waiting for a reaction, he looked over at his fellow. But he just nodded and didn't respond anything verbally. Instead, the slave looked around nervously. Was he worried that they might still be attacked?
Raaji picked up on the unanswered question about the slaves name. He suspected that the bottle might not have been his name, even if that was what the slave had said in response to his question. However, Raaji didn't wanted to put the slave on the spot, so he added that the slave did not have to reveal his name to him if he didn't wanted to.
Raaji did not assume that the question could be confusing in any way. So his mind blocked this as a possible option and so he interpreted the look the slave gave him as unsettled rather than confused. Maybe even as anxious. The slave did not answer. Somehow Raaji hadn't expected that he really wouldn't tell him his name. But Raaji did not inquire further.
They finally found something that could give them protection from the sun and wind. Raaji's lips left a relieved sigh and he pulled the bandana off his face to get better air while he took a seat on a boulder in the next best place.
Raaji looked up questioningly and regarded the slave. He still seemed somehow tense, nervous. The assassin blinked in an attempt to comprehend what the man before him just uttered. Had he tried to articulate the word 'name'?
Raaji looked at him silently for a little longer than was probably appropriate, while he gradually began to suspect something. Did the slave possibly just not know what the word 'name' meant? Even if he couldn't speak the language well, the slave seemed to understand him well so far, and a word like 'name' was surely one of the first to be learned in a foreign language? Raaji slowly nodded.
"Name.", he repeated, but now pronouncing the word more slowly and clearly. "Things, Feelings, People, they all have names.", he pointed at a chunk of stone in front of him.
"Stone.", he lifted his hand and pointed upwards.
"Sky.", now he lowered his hand and bent his body over slightly, taking some of the sand in his palm.
"Sand.", he said, as he let the sand dissolve between his fingers. Then he lifted this very hand and placed it on his chest as he looked up to the slave.
"Raaji ... that's my name. If you say this word, I know, that you are calling me or referring to me.", he tried to explain. Now the slave surely did know what this word meant in his native language? Raaji smiled now and pointed towards the slave.
"How can I call you?", he asked then.
Raaji mentioned that they needed to find a place to rest so that he could treat his wounds, but also promised to help the slave with the shackles then. Waiting for a reaction, he looked over at his fellow. But he just nodded and didn't respond anything verbally. Instead, the slave looked around nervously. Was he worried that they might still be attacked?
Raaji picked up on the unanswered question about the slaves name. He suspected that the bottle might not have been his name, even if that was what the slave had said in response to his question. However, Raaji didn't wanted to put the slave on the spot, so he added that the slave did not have to reveal his name to him if he didn't wanted to.
Raaji did not assume that the question could be confusing in any way. So his mind blocked this as a possible option and so he interpreted the look the slave gave him as unsettled rather than confused. Maybe even as anxious. The slave did not answer. Somehow Raaji hadn't expected that he really wouldn't tell him his name. But Raaji did not inquire further.
They finally found something that could give them protection from the sun and wind. Raaji's lips left a relieved sigh and he pulled the bandana off his face to get better air while he took a seat on a boulder in the next best place.
Raaji looked up questioningly and regarded the slave. He still seemed somehow tense, nervous. The assassin blinked in an attempt to comprehend what the man before him just uttered. Had he tried to articulate the word 'name'?
Raaji looked at him silently for a little longer than was probably appropriate, while he gradually began to suspect something. Did the slave possibly just not know what the word 'name' meant? Even if he couldn't speak the language well, the slave seemed to understand him well so far, and a word like 'name' was surely one of the first to be learned in a foreign language? Raaji slowly nodded.
"Name.", he repeated, but now pronouncing the word more slowly and clearly. "Things, Feelings, People, they all have names.", he pointed at a chunk of stone in front of him.
"Stone.", he lifted his hand and pointed upwards.
"Sky.", now he lowered his hand and bent his body over slightly, taking some of the sand in his palm.
"Sand.", he said, as he let the sand dissolve between his fingers. Then he lifted this very hand and placed it on his chest as he looked up to the slave.
"Raaji ... that's my name. If you say this word, I know, that you are calling me or referring to me.", he tried to explain. Now the slave surely did know what this word meant in his native language? Raaji smiled now and pointed towards the slave.
"How can I call you?", he asked then.
After the crystal-maker fellow stepped in to the little alcove in the stone cliff face, the chained guy followed him over. The alcove was pretty small, just about 10' deep and 5' wide at the entrance, but it was shaded, and the sand blowing around outside didn't buffet them while they were inside of it. The chained guy sat fairly close to the entrance of the small alcove and crossed his legs once he was stable on the ground. He then looked up only to see the crystal-maker's inquisitive expression.
As if in response, the chained guy started looking even more nervous, and he lowered his head anxiously. "N-Naymuh?" He quietly repeated. Once the crystal-maker fellow nodded, the chained guy looked a bit relieved. He listened intently as the crystal-maker fellow started talking thereafter.
The chain guy mumbled, "Na...Name" and the nervousness in his expression seemed to fade rapidly, making way for a newer, more inquisitive look. He rested his hands, and the shackles which remained around his wrist, in his lap, and focused his gaze in on the crystal-maker dude.
The chain guy looked down at the floor in front of him, following the crystal-maker's finger as he pointed down at the rock on the ground. The chain guy then mumbled, "...stone..." as he looked back up at the crystal-maker fellow.
The chain guy looked up at where the fellow was pointing, and repeated what the fellow said, mumbling, "...sky..." as he looked back at him, now looking intrigued.
The chain guy watched the crystal-maker fellow grasp the sand and mutter something, then stared at the grains falling from his hand as he mumbled, "...sand..."
The chain guy watched the crystal-maker gesture to his chest and, after the fellow spoke for a bit, he pointed over at his chest. "...Ra-Raaa...Raaji?...Raaji!" He smiled meekly as he said the word a bit more confidently. He then returned his hands to his lap.
After the crystal-maker fellow spoke, the chained guy blinked a few times. He then pointed down at the bottle at the guy's hip. "Bottle! Water!" He then pointed at his wrists. "Blood!" He held out his hands and beckoned, saying, "Come!" but he quickly turned his hands around, holding out his palms, and said, "Stop!" He then thought for a few seconds, then pointed behind himself, back over at the desert. "Lizards...food...Escape!" He then pointed at himself with a concerned look, commenting, "Fear", but his expression then brightened as he then pointed over to the crystal-maker and commented, "Raaji...Help." Then, he nodded with a meek, grateful smile and added, "Thanks...many!"
He then went about repeating 'stone', 'sand', 'sky', and 'Raaji' that the crystal-maker had just taught him for a few seconds. He seemed to be enjoying himself, up until the chain that was wrapped around his shackles came undone and lightly slapped him in the shin. He yelped in surprise at the sudden unexpected noise, then quickly looked down at the chains and lowered his wrists. However, he then looked back up at the crystal-maker as he pointed at them expectantly, asking, "Name?"
And, after the crystal maker finished responding to his query, the chained guy then pointed to his own chest and asked, "Name?"
As if in response, the chained guy started looking even more nervous, and he lowered his head anxiously. "N-Naymuh?" He quietly repeated. Once the crystal-maker fellow nodded, the chained guy looked a bit relieved. He listened intently as the crystal-maker fellow started talking thereafter.
The chain guy mumbled, "Na...Name" and the nervousness in his expression seemed to fade rapidly, making way for a newer, more inquisitive look. He rested his hands, and the shackles which remained around his wrist, in his lap, and focused his gaze in on the crystal-maker dude.
The chain guy looked down at the floor in front of him, following the crystal-maker's finger as he pointed down at the rock on the ground. The chain guy then mumbled, "...stone..." as he looked back up at the crystal-maker fellow.
The chain guy looked up at where the fellow was pointing, and repeated what the fellow said, mumbling, "...sky..." as he looked back at him, now looking intrigued.
The chain guy watched the crystal-maker fellow grasp the sand and mutter something, then stared at the grains falling from his hand as he mumbled, "...sand..."
The chain guy watched the crystal-maker gesture to his chest and, after the fellow spoke for a bit, he pointed over at his chest. "...Ra-Raaa...Raaji?...Raaji!" He smiled meekly as he said the word a bit more confidently. He then returned his hands to his lap.
After the crystal-maker fellow spoke, the chained guy blinked a few times. He then pointed down at the bottle at the guy's hip. "Bottle! Water!" He then pointed at his wrists. "Blood!" He held out his hands and beckoned, saying, "Come!" but he quickly turned his hands around, holding out his palms, and said, "Stop!" He then thought for a few seconds, then pointed behind himself, back over at the desert. "Lizards...food...Escape!" He then pointed at himself with a concerned look, commenting, "Fear", but his expression then brightened as he then pointed over to the crystal-maker and commented, "Raaji...Help." Then, he nodded with a meek, grateful smile and added, "Thanks...many!"
He then went about repeating 'stone', 'sand', 'sky', and 'Raaji' that the crystal-maker had just taught him for a few seconds. He seemed to be enjoying himself, up until the chain that was wrapped around his shackles came undone and lightly slapped him in the shin. He yelped in surprise at the sudden unexpected noise, then quickly looked down at the chains and lowered his wrists. However, he then looked back up at the crystal-maker as he pointed at them expectantly, asking, "Name?"
And, after the crystal maker finished responding to his query, the chained guy then pointed to his own chest and asked, "Name?"
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Once they entered the alcove and sat down, Raaji's inspecting stare seemed to unsettle his companion. But Raaji then nodded confirmingly and repeated the word the slave was trying to pronounce. Name. He pronounced the word slower and clearer, so his new fellow had a better understanding of how to articulate. His companion then repeated it, stuttering but correctly now.
Raaji wondered how the slave seemed to understand him so far but at the same time didn't knew a word like 'name'. The assassin pointed out to different subjects in his surroundings, mentioning the names to what he was referring to. It was adorable how the slave reacted to all of this, how he attentively listened to Raaji, really somehow behaving like a kid. At first the slave seemed merely curious, then genuinely fascinated. Raaji smiled meekly.
At the end, he put his hand on his own chest and naming his own name, Raaji. The slave also tried to repeat this like the words before. After a few attempts, he managed it. Raaji smiled a little more and nodded with a sound of approval. And then he gestured at the slave, asking what his name was.
The slave blinked and reacted in a way Raaji hadn't expected. Instead of giving his name, he pointed to the bottle, mentioning terms in the context like bottle and water. As he then pointed at his wrists mentioning blood, Raaji began to suspect, that the slave probably just enumerate all words he already knew.
Despite his suspicions that the slave was only reciting words, he was briefly tempted by his call. But then he understood that he was only giving examples again. Raaji was now the one who was attentively listening and watching.
While the slave talked so animatedly, Raaji unconsciously mirrored his facial expressions a little. First frowning a little concernd, then brightening again as his companion did so. And then he had to smile again, seing how grateful the slave looked. However, the smile disappeared as the chains slipped down accidentally and surprised his companion.
"Shakles", Raaji answered right away. Then he slid forward a little, off the stone and onto the ground closer to the slave. He held out his hands offering. "Let me help you to get rid of them."
His side still ached, but the blood had already dried. Whether he took care of the wound immediately or in two minutes made no difference now. He could help the slave first.
Raaji lowered his hands and tilted his head questioningly.
"Dont you ... have a name?", he asked after a moment. Now that was strange. Raaji then smiled encouragingly.
"We can just give you one, hmm ... let me think.", he added, as he raised his hand again in offer to free him from the chains. He would first take one shakle in his hand if the slave would held his hands out to him.
"What about Shayad? It means something like drinking bottle. The word comes from a nomadic minority and is in dialect. So I think most people won't even understand what it means.", Raaji pondered aloud. It was the language of the nomads to whom he himself had once belonged. He wondered if the slave knew anything at all about terms like language and dialect.
Raaji wondered how the slave seemed to understand him so far but at the same time didn't knew a word like 'name'. The assassin pointed out to different subjects in his surroundings, mentioning the names to what he was referring to. It was adorable how the slave reacted to all of this, how he attentively listened to Raaji, really somehow behaving like a kid. At first the slave seemed merely curious, then genuinely fascinated. Raaji smiled meekly.
At the end, he put his hand on his own chest and naming his own name, Raaji. The slave also tried to repeat this like the words before. After a few attempts, he managed it. Raaji smiled a little more and nodded with a sound of approval. And then he gestured at the slave, asking what his name was.
The slave blinked and reacted in a way Raaji hadn't expected. Instead of giving his name, he pointed to the bottle, mentioning terms in the context like bottle and water. As he then pointed at his wrists mentioning blood, Raaji began to suspect, that the slave probably just enumerate all words he already knew.
Despite his suspicions that the slave was only reciting words, he was briefly tempted by his call. But then he understood that he was only giving examples again. Raaji was now the one who was attentively listening and watching.
While the slave talked so animatedly, Raaji unconsciously mirrored his facial expressions a little. First frowning a little concernd, then brightening again as his companion did so. And then he had to smile again, seing how grateful the slave looked. However, the smile disappeared as the chains slipped down accidentally and surprised his companion.
"Shakles", Raaji answered right away. Then he slid forward a little, off the stone and onto the ground closer to the slave. He held out his hands offering. "Let me help you to get rid of them."
His side still ached, but the blood had already dried. Whether he took care of the wound immediately or in two minutes made no difference now. He could help the slave first.
Raaji lowered his hands and tilted his head questioningly.
"Dont you ... have a name?", he asked after a moment. Now that was strange. Raaji then smiled encouragingly.
"We can just give you one, hmm ... let me think.", he added, as he raised his hand again in offer to free him from the chains. He would first take one shakle in his hand if the slave would held his hands out to him.
"What about Shayad? It means something like drinking bottle. The word comes from a nomadic minority and is in dialect. So I think most people won't even understand what it means.", Raaji pondered aloud. It was the language of the nomads to whom he himself had once belonged. He wondered if the slave knew anything at all about terms like language and dialect.
The crystal-maker fellow answered almost immediately after the chained-guy's request for the metallic assembly around his wrist.
The chained guy nodded and looked down at the metallic things, mumbling, "Shak...shakel...shackles...shackles!" Once he got the pronunciation just about right, he looked back up at the fellow and matched his smile. He then pointed to his chest and repeated the word while doing so, eagerly looking over at the crystal-maker fellow as he started to speak.
As the crystal-maker spoke, the chained guy's excitement gradually faded into confusion. He tilted his head a little as he watched the guy reach his hand out, and stared down at the hand, but looked up at the fellow with an even more confused face. He started to reach out his hands towards the fellow's outstretched hand, but seemed surprised when the fellow then grasped hold of part of the metal thing.
The chained guy looked between the metal thing around his wrists and the fellow's face as he started speaking. His confusion quickly gave way to a sort of meek acceptance as the fellow spoke and did something to the metal thing around his wrists. Once he was done speaking, the chain guy lowered his head a little more and quietly focused his gaze down at his wrists.
Once the crystal-maker guy got the thing off of his first wrist, he quickly pulled his wrist back against his chest. For a few moments, his wrist still bore the imprint of sharp marks from the hard edge of the metallic shackle which had born down against his skin, in addition to the blood that it had drawn. However, the markings and the blood quickly seemed to fade, as if they were no more than an illusion. Within seconds, his sleeve seemed completely normal, and all traces of blood were gone.
The slave kept his freed hand withdrawn away from the fellow as he kept doing something with the rest of the shackles. Once the other shackle was removed, he grasped the freshly-freed wrist and, much like with his other wrist, the injury faded to nothing within seconds. While that was happening, he looked back up at the crystal-maker fellow and meekly commented, "Th-Thanks!"
He then let go of his newly-released wrist and spent a few moments stretching his arms while the crystal-maker responded. Once again, the lightly-clothed guy looked a bit confused. He pointed to his own chest and, seeming more than a little puzzled, he asked, "Name...R-Raaji?"
The chained guy nodded and looked down at the metallic things, mumbling, "Shak...shakel...shackles...shackles!" Once he got the pronunciation just about right, he looked back up at the fellow and matched his smile. He then pointed to his chest and repeated the word while doing so, eagerly looking over at the crystal-maker fellow as he started to speak.
As the crystal-maker spoke, the chained guy's excitement gradually faded into confusion. He tilted his head a little as he watched the guy reach his hand out, and stared down at the hand, but looked up at the fellow with an even more confused face. He started to reach out his hands towards the fellow's outstretched hand, but seemed surprised when the fellow then grasped hold of part of the metal thing.
The chained guy looked between the metal thing around his wrists and the fellow's face as he started speaking. His confusion quickly gave way to a sort of meek acceptance as the fellow spoke and did something to the metal thing around his wrists. Once he was done speaking, the chain guy lowered his head a little more and quietly focused his gaze down at his wrists.
Once the crystal-maker guy got the thing off of his first wrist, he quickly pulled his wrist back against his chest. For a few moments, his wrist still bore the imprint of sharp marks from the hard edge of the metallic shackle which had born down against his skin, in addition to the blood that it had drawn. However, the markings and the blood quickly seemed to fade, as if they were no more than an illusion. Within seconds, his sleeve seemed completely normal, and all traces of blood were gone.
The slave kept his freed hand withdrawn away from the fellow as he kept doing something with the rest of the shackles. Once the other shackle was removed, he grasped the freshly-freed wrist and, much like with his other wrist, the injury faded to nothing within seconds. While that was happening, he looked back up at the crystal-maker fellow and meekly commented, "Th-Thanks!"
He then let go of his newly-released wrist and spent a few moments stretching his arms while the crystal-maker responded. Once again, the lightly-clothed guy looked a bit confused. He pointed to his own chest and, seeming more than a little puzzled, he asked, "Name...R-Raaji?"