The man groaned. Suddenly he snapped awake, inhaling sharply and opening his eyes wide,
as a giggling gnome leaned away, stoppering a small vial of smelling salts.
"W-wakey-wakey!" said the gnome. "You are m-missing it! Hee!" She pocketed the vial,
then bent over, grabbing ahold of two thin leather cords. She held them up by the knots.
Looking down, the man could see the cords were threaded through....ankles. On feet. Her
feet, in their little boots, were atop the threaded ankle feet. She stomped around a bit,
pulling up on a leather cord with each step, to keep the feet flush with the bottom of her
feet. His feet. A flash of the previous night-
Alone, on the coast. Playing with seashells. Talking to seashells. The easiest mark of
his life. A bag of gold coins right there, on the ground. She was stuffing coins into
shells, flipping them around, babbling like an idiot. He'd grabbed her, from behind, one
hand over her mouth....but she didn't scream, or struggle.....just....giggled. Just as it
was dawning upon him that something might be amiss, white ringing pain exploded in his
head-
"D-don't f-fall asleep!" He blinked, blearily eyeing the gnome as she walked back
towards him on his feet. "We're not done p-playing, yet." She pulled a filthy syringe from
her pocket and hopped off the feet, jabbing him in the neck and pushing the plunger. His
heart began to beat faster. The ends of his legs, throbbing dully. His shoulders
hurt.....he went to shove the gnome away. Nothing happened. He went to bring his hands up,
see why they weren't....."Hee. Hehehe. N-noticed now, have you?" The gnome pointed to the
rock wall nearby. Lying against it were two arm-length...linen-wrapped....
He screamed....? No....he tried again. The gnome aped him, flailing her arms and
soundlessly opening her mouth. Neck....throat sore, as well. She winked at him, then
giggled, her head twitching. She held up a whitish, cartilaginous...something, holding it
near her own throat and then whipping it away with a flourish and a popping noise. She put
the thing in her pocket, then strolled over to a nearby pack, removing a small roll of
leather. Unrolling it. Metal. Rust.
"B-bad bad c-cutpurse! B-brigand! Probab-bly w-worse, too....I f-felt h-how you grabbed
me..." She approached him then, waving a straight razor in one hand and a small....dental
tool? In the other. "S-stump taps, I think...Left means....something, and r-right means
something else....we w-will figure it out..."
Eyes bulging, he looked around frantically. Rock wall....support beam? A mine? Someone!
Anyone! A kobold...anything! Someone had to- Pain!
"Now.... which is better, n-number one, or number t-two? One.....or t-two?" Stumped legs
flailed, thudding on the ground. "One.....or two? One.....two......one......and t-
two.....here's one.....and h-here's t-two...."
as a giggling gnome leaned away, stoppering a small vial of smelling salts.
"W-wakey-wakey!" said the gnome. "You are m-missing it! Hee!" She pocketed the vial,
then bent over, grabbing ahold of two thin leather cords. She held them up by the knots.
Looking down, the man could see the cords were threaded through....ankles. On feet. Her
feet, in their little boots, were atop the threaded ankle feet. She stomped around a bit,
pulling up on a leather cord with each step, to keep the feet flush with the bottom of her
feet. His feet. A flash of the previous night-
Alone, on the coast. Playing with seashells. Talking to seashells. The easiest mark of
his life. A bag of gold coins right there, on the ground. She was stuffing coins into
shells, flipping them around, babbling like an idiot. He'd grabbed her, from behind, one
hand over her mouth....but she didn't scream, or struggle.....just....giggled. Just as it
was dawning upon him that something might be amiss, white ringing pain exploded in his
head-
"D-don't f-fall asleep!" He blinked, blearily eyeing the gnome as she walked back
towards him on his feet. "We're not done p-playing, yet." She pulled a filthy syringe from
her pocket and hopped off the feet, jabbing him in the neck and pushing the plunger. His
heart began to beat faster. The ends of his legs, throbbing dully. His shoulders
hurt.....he went to shove the gnome away. Nothing happened. He went to bring his hands up,
see why they weren't....."Hee. Hehehe. N-noticed now, have you?" The gnome pointed to the
rock wall nearby. Lying against it were two arm-length...linen-wrapped....
He screamed....? No....he tried again. The gnome aped him, flailing her arms and
soundlessly opening her mouth. Neck....throat sore, as well. She winked at him, then
giggled, her head twitching. She held up a whitish, cartilaginous...something, holding it
near her own throat and then whipping it away with a flourish and a popping noise. She put
the thing in her pocket, then strolled over to a nearby pack, removing a small roll of
leather. Unrolling it. Metal. Rust.
"B-bad bad c-cutpurse! B-brigand! Probab-bly w-worse, too....I f-felt h-how you grabbed
me..." She approached him then, waving a straight razor in one hand and a small....dental
tool? In the other. "S-stump taps, I think...Left means....something, and r-right means
something else....we w-will figure it out..."
Eyes bulging, he looked around frantically. Rock wall....support beam? A mine? Someone!
Anyone! A kobold...anything! Someone had to- Pain!
"Now.... which is better, n-number one, or number t-two? One.....or t-two?" Stumped legs
flailed, thudding on the ground. "One.....or two? One.....two......one......and t-
two.....here's one.....and h-here's t-two...."
