Damn it! Kintaabi cursed herself for her stupidity - she had made many mistakes since pilfering the mercenaries' belongings. Mistake number one was that she didn't thoroughly check if she was being watched while she took the bags of such a tough, hardy, and large group of... what she assumed mercenaries. Mistake number two was underestimating their abilities. Mistake number three was inaccurately caculating the distance between herself and the opponent, causing what could possibly be a broken arm. Mistake number three was allowing this to drag on for so long. She had not thought of the possibility that with such a large group that when the current chasers retired, they'd somehow communicate with those who had tired before them, and slightly refreshened, would come and take lead. Of course, they did everything somewhat early, to correctly time themsleves and make their performance flawless of alternating people, keeping the group strong. They were professionals, afterall. This wasn't child's play.
It was too late to think of handing over what they stole. They'd be killed for sure - and what could be this important anyway? That was the only particular thought that made this chase even seem slightly hopeful. Both girls were fatigued from the chase - Kintaabi could hear Chisukara's laborious breathing behind her, and her own ragged gasps. At most she had five spells. She had to finish it before she tired too much. And Chisukara? The girl had, possibly five weak spells - such as a three minute binding. Kintaabi realized how she sorely miscaculated the entire situatioin. But there was no turning back now.
She had to think - they were driving her into a mental corner. By making her grow impatient and tired, they were swaying her perception, skewing it so every judgement she made would be the wrong one. And two lives depended on her - her own and Chisukara's. Chisu was too terrified to think straight - she could do nothing but follow, as she always did.
It was possible that when she had turned down this alley that they were herding her into a trap. There were those behind her - and it was possible that their could be those coming from the left and right. The right would be slightly delayed - a slim chance. Mistake number four was that she didn't know this city very well. Most of it was blind running. She had been lucky. Too lucky.
She saw it. The opening was ahead but she was almost certain that there were two openings on either side - and dead ahead was a wall. It was a trap afterall. They weren't randomly herding, they were aiming for this particular spot. She narrowed her eyes, thinking. They could go up - but she wasn't sure how much energy she'd need. Misjudging that would certainly prove fatal. Below? She didn't know where else to go. It seemed the only answer was to go straight ahead. A stone wall was a wall - it either lead inside a room or to another street.
Kintaabi tossed her bag at the wall, allowing her right arm to dangle uselessly at her side as she folded her left-hand pinky and thumb down, her index, middle, and ring fingertips ignited with a blue fire. She continued her onward run, slowing enough so her collision with the wall wasn't too serious. They were all closing in on her fast.
"Chisu! Bind them!" She coughed as she pressed her blue ignited fingertips to the stone wall.
Chisu gasped, dropping her stolen luggage and wide-eyed with terror fumbled for the correct words to bind someone. She only had two hands! How could she perform the third bind she'd need? Each side and behind... How could she do it? Ah... Eyes.. wasn't that another way? And mouth to propel forwards?
Kintaabi gasped as blue energy clung to every nook of the stone wall, a thin layer of blue veins stretching across it as the unbalanced spell began to take effect.
Chisu held them - but as the explosion spell moved quickly, the time she could hold them seemed to pull more energy far more quickly. She staggered against the fatigue, and when Kintaabi grabbed her she cried out, her concentration breaking... When did Kintaabi manage to get both bags?
Kintaabi barely managed the shield before the explosion erupted - they were only protected by a trembling diamond-shaped translucent blue shield. But Kintaabi didn't waste anytime.
Some luck - street on the other side. She had to finish it.
"Chisu... I know where we are! Lead them right, then come back left, waste as much time as you can, I'll set up a trap. Then.. Then we're leaving," Kintaabi said and disappeared, handing Chisu the lightest of the bags.
Deciding to waste as little time as possible, she found her place - around the corner where Chisu would ultimately lead them. They WOULD fall into her trap. She found her place, thinking of the spell. She stood in the middle and focused, drawing in a deep breath.
She gasped outfelt herself grow weak, tired, but used her hands to project the spells out from her, a symbol then planting 9 feet ahead of her, and three similar symbols 9 feet on either side and then behind. They wavered, but held as then the trenches formed, connecting and making it a diamond embedded in the earth.
She panted - but she knew she didn't have much time left. She bite each fingertip of her left hand until each bite bled. She stared at the ground directly below her.
She paused, gritting her teeth against the pain in her right arm, pushing her fingertips against the ground and staggering away as a symbol formed, tinted red, trenches forming away from it to join with the other symbols, lacing it all red.
Then, to conceal her trap, she beckoned the air, shielding her eyes from the dust and wind that kicked up around her, settling on the trap lightly.
Not a moment too soon, Chisu darted through the trap, narrowly avoiding the Capturer symbol. Then, they were collected inside the trap, and Kintaabi breathed outwards as from the outside trenches rose bars, pillars from the four outside symbols. Chisu and Kinta held their breath - the capturer was what made it true. Kinta clenched her hand used to create the spell, and a whispery, translucent symbol floated above it's twin on the ground. Above the heads of it's prisoners, the bars connected, forming a very large birdcage the faintest color of blood.
Kinta wasted no time as she grabbed Chisu, and the bag and dragged her away.
"Why was it red?" Chisu simpered, glancing back.
"I used my blood. So my will would help the capturer."
"Why?"
"The capturer supports all the rest. If it fails, the entire thing fails. If the owner leaves the dog unclipped, or the cage door open, the animal is released," Kinta panted, then asking Chisu to use a disguise spell who complied.
It only took them a few minutes to find a tavern, sit down tiredly and clutch the bags. They weren't that old, at most 16. Kinta rested her forehead against the table, resorting everything from the past hour. Had it really been that long? They'd come looking for them if what they had was that important. But they couldn't afford to go around. They'd have to sift through the belongings and take what they needed, disposed of the evidence to lighten themselves and disappear. When they had the strength...
