[IC] Outlaws of Varisia (Pathfinder)

[Omega]

He laughed, a deep laugh, a glorious laugh that this little thing which he considered akin to a toy had stood up to him. Throwing back his head he gave out a great deep chested laugh before returning his attention fully upon Assallya.

"Oh, I have trifled with wizards before I know you can grow to great power, world bending power in fact, but before that you are weak. There are so few great wizards out there precisely because of that fact, a mature wizard is a truly dangerous thing to all things which tread beneath his site. Before that though, before you can bind demons to your will, before you can turn a thousand men and women to dust with a wave of your hand they are weak," standing up Velaeris gave Assallya a menacing smile and began to stride towards her slowly, menacingly, "If you were so great a wizard that I need not fear you, I feel you would need not threaten me for you would not be here. If you are such a great and powerful wizard why have you not turned that wall behind you to glass wizardling? Why do I yet stand before you? Tell me wizardling, why you are within my reach." Towering over her Velaeris placed the palms of his hands on the wall above and to the either side of Assallya's head leaning forward slightly to make him seem even taller to her and to block the very light from shining on her to give her an idea of who he believed had the power here.

[Assallya]

The man's approach sent chills down her spine but she did not relent. Standing proudly, haughtily before her fellow captive she followed his every movement. When his palms kissed the stone, encircling her in his muscular confines- a cell within a cell, she merely glared back at him. She could conjure a spell to place her cellmate to sleep but such would only prove a short reprieve and worse, it likely would spill outwards into other cells and possibly draw the attention of the warden. Such scrutiny would be problematic unless she decided instead to give up and make her stay more comfortable by taking the warden as a lover. She wasn't there yet. She'd had her fill of being imprisoned, had spent her first few decades of life as a slave in a household.

It took nearly everything she had, concealing her cowardice. What she truly wished was to flee but to where? She felt the urge to toy with her long golden tresses, to adjust her ill fitting outfit, to do anything to distract herself from the confrontation hazarding her.

"You assume much," Assallya Kressair stated as she stared the man fully in the eye, as unflinching as the storm before a caravel "I let those that took me assume my magics were spent down to the last circle and what little remains I would reserve for an escape. I would not care to explain your charred corpse to yon guards for surely I would be better searched and my few remaining reagents plundered. How then would I escape?"

[Omega]

"But if you have such reagents then simply use them. Do not take me for a fool little pet," he emphasized the last word as he responded to her, matching her stare trying to shatter her will in this test, "I know of the great wizards, the ones with with a flick of the wrist and a granule of dust could turn that wall behind you to so much rubble. Wizards who could turn invisible or into gas, ones who could simply fly away from any threat. Tell me," he brought his head down closer to hers trying to fill her vision with nothing but his face, "how could such a fearsome wizard as you who could wipe me away in an instant be caught so easily? Where are your minions? Where is your spellbook? Where are these reagents you claim to have hid so well?"

His smile grew broader at this, "surely you do not forget it was only moments ago that I saw you stripped bare to the world? I watched you then and you excited me then, just as you excite me now," At that he took his left hand from the wall and moved to run a single finger down her jawline, "Simply admit your weakness, admit your mistake in opposing me, and when I break free from this place I shall return to you your precious book of spells so you may use them to aid me. If you particularly please me I will even keep you on as a concubine as I bring the glory of Urgathoa to this world for she gives me the power of my spells freely."

[Assallya]

Concubine? Assallya didn't relish the idea of returning to that life. While certainly she had been pampered and fawned over she had been nothing but a prized pet, an investment, a mere object and something shared amongst friends. No she had no yearnings for that. To be able to wander where she willed was something she'd grown to love. It had been worth running away and dancing atop tables in taverns until she'd enough coin to establish a proper profession- or rather, set of professions.

For a moment she considered plain open defiance, considered telling him Urgathoa could go drown in her own blood drenched carcass for all she cared. However, this one sounded somewhat reverent and that lent her pause. One didn't meddle in the beliefs of zealots, at least not without caution and a suitably good disguise with which to impersonate a divine intervention.

Then his hand caressed her jaw and her fingers clenched, and she resisted the urge to slap him. He, from what she gathered, would bear no reluctance towards striking her in return and with far greater efficiency. She considered dazing him, rendering him helpless for but a moment but then... where would she go? If she called for the guards would they do anything? In her estimation, it was as likely they would goad the large zealot on.

"I will not return to that life," she said simply, keeping her cold blue eyes on his, trying to eke out anything beyond total submission. She didn't hold out hope for much but she had to try. "A partnership perhaps?"