Kidnapped Lout

15 (2)/Golden Daffodil

Why did running have to be so fucking difficult?

'Mountains are pretty challenging to navigate, but it shouldn't be this hard.'

Guess who was running from not one, but two different sets of kidnappers?

Apparently Cale was a magnet for them, since in the middle of escaping from the gangster from earlier, a second handful of Kidnappers had joined in, hungry for a shiny reward.

Everything had been going smoothly, as the gangster and his mage companion were incapable morons who couldn't hold more than a mug of beer.

All he did to escape was to propose a drinking competition, with the loser having to grant the winner a wish.

Apparently they thought that since he was still a kid it would be as easy as digging a hole.

...

Cale's wish was to have his spatial pouch returned to him because there were 'snacks and higher quality alcohol, and he was getting hungry'. After promising to share some with the tipsy bastards, he slipped paralysis poison into their glasses.

They both happily downed the drinks. Since they were already at the threshold of drunkness, this would easily tip the scale.

Cale's anticipation was keeping his adrenaline pumping enough to stay alert of any changes in their facial expressions, as well as the overall mood of the room.

Thanks to his monstrous metabolism, the three mugs of beer from earlier felt like nothing more than a single glass of wine.

Watching as the their faces and bodies rapidly stiffened, Cale stood up and started to easily break out of his confinement with the assortment of tools and weapons included in the bag.

Afterwards, he took a few seconds to stretch his cold limbs. The floor was way too frigid for his liking.

'Haaah, I'm gonna have to run again.'
"Ugh-"

Unfortunately, the structure that he was trapped in was like a maze, so by the time Cale had found the way out, the paralysis poison for the gangster had worn off.

Since the mage was a lot less muscular, his paralysis poison wouldn't wear off for at least another couple hours.

_____

Knowing the pathways by heart must've greatly aided in the gangster's pursuit, since by the time Cale had exited the fence line, he was right on his heels.

Around that time was when another group of five had joined the scene, willing to help catch him for a slice of the ransom.

All of them were fit and young enough for even a single one to be able to make Cale nervous. Could he evade this many people? He didn't know.

Although quick and light on his feet, hiding from six people wasn't going to work for long. Climbing a tree or ducking behind a rock for just long enough to barely catch his breath was all Cale could do.

His prime objective was to escape far away from them. He knew he was at least a three hour carriage ride away from home based on what the mage had accidentally let slip before he was poisoned, so that meant that going directly home right away was impossible.

Walking for twelve hours when it was already night time, and when he didn't know which way home was, was not a good idea.

Still, Cale had to find someone or something to help lose his annoying tail. Racing to come up with a game plan, the sound of flowing water didn't fully register in his brain until it was right beneath him.