Single post in Rune Meisters

She sighed and gently rested her head on the pillow. So she wasn’t going anywhere yet. At least it would give her a minute to figure out how she ended up here… and why her head hurt so much. Did she get hit by something? It was so hard to focus with all this buzzing! Where was this stupid bug?! It was so going to die the moment she got loose! She looked from side to side, trying her best to spot it flitting about. Then Shannon blinked. She slowly turned her head and looked around the room. No matter how she shifted her point of view, she couldn’t see any mosquito and the buzzing stayed the same. She frowned. There was no bug? Then what was causing this sound? Did she have a concussion? Inhaling slowly and deeply, she closed her eyes. Exhaling slowly through her lips, she whispered, “What happened to me?” Several moments passed before Shannon recalled the dark warehouse she’d trespassed. That’s right! She had gone after the rune, but that other meister had knocked her out! That explained the headache. Maybe the buzzing too? Shannon sighed, then muttered, “Guess I failed.” Krysta wouldn’t be too happy about that. Actually, Shannon didn’t imagine any of the oracles would be too thrilled with her actions. Losing a rune to another sect wasn’t a good way to show competence as a rookie meister. Well… soon-to-be meister, if given another chance to prove herself. “Does Krysta know I’m here?” “Oracle Krysta,” the man brusquely corrected, “is the one who had you retrieved.” How did she even know where—? Shannon rolled her eyes. Krysta is an oracle for a reason. But if they retrieved her, maybe they also got the rune before that shadow guy! “Th-there was another meister who attacked me!” Shannon stammered. “Don’t know if it was a man or—” “Shut yer yap!” the man interrupted. “Yer s’posed ta be restin’. Keep flappin’ them lips, and I’ll give ya the gas ta make ya sleep.” Shannon sulked. She could almost feel an involuntary pout creep into her lips. But her frustrations soon overrode sulking. If nothing else, she wanted to know what happened to the rune… and that meister. Guaranteed those answers couldn’t be found laid up on a cot here. The old man wasn’t the type to concern himself with matters outside of medicine. And since he wasn’t the most flexible person to deal with, she would have to get free on her own. Shannon sighed. This was one of those times she wished she had an active rune power. She squinted her eyes as the buzzing continued to pester her and the ache in her head throbbed. Was this really how a concussion felt? It sucked horribly. Why did she have to end up like this her first time out in the field as a rune meister? And now, she couldn’t focus completely on slipping out of her restraints. Shannon tried twisting her wrists to get some slack between her skin and the itchy fabric but after a couple attempts, no progress. Grunting in frustration, she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled as hard as she could. Did the buzzing get louder? When she opened her eyes again, the lights in the room seemed dimmer. And now it sounded like wasps flew next to both ears, making them tremble. “Hey, old man! Do something about these bugs! It’s not like I can swat the annoying pests away!” “Ain’t no friggin’—” The man’s words suddenly cut short. A moment passed. She abruptly heard his heavy footsteps stomping across the floor. In the next instance, his face popped back into view, washed with more concern than she expected. He leaned over her, staring into her eyes. His eyes narrowed. What was he looking for? When he pressed his thumb into her cheek, Shannon winced from how much pressure his rough skin caused. It didn’t exactly hurt, but it was very uncomfortable. She started to ask what he was doing, but when he pushed the flesh of her cheek towards her eye, Shannon screamed! A quick, sharp pain cut through her eye! Why was half her vision now covered in red?!