|| Frost bite ||

❄️A Beginning❄️

Naim Lebethron was a Niendúi, and he liked to think that he had seen his amount of failures and last minute disasters. They came with the package, afterall.

But that assumption was now proved wrong as he never, never thought that the damned smuggler could have a dart shooter. And that Niphredil would just happen to be in its way to him.

But now, carrying the lithe, unconscious frame of the younger Niendúi in his arms as he tried his best to go unnoticed, the reality became painfully clear to him.

He hated being wrong.

There had to be something strong in those darts to reduce a poison- resistant ball of energy like Niph into the senseless figure in a matter of a few minutes. Though he had long since removed the dart, she had shown no signs of waking up.

The poison- resistance, of course, wasn't unique to her. Almost all of the Niendúi were immune to poison. Or rather, their systems had grown accustomed to even a few strong ones due to routine daily consumption. Naim was sure that if he had taken the hit, he would still be walking with just a few stumbles.

He gathered the other securely in his arms once more before covering her with his cloak, hoping the darkness would provide enough cover for him. Just then, she decided to come back into something like semi-consciousness.

"Hey, Niph," he greeted, smiling at her squinty eyed gaze, "I got you."

"Feels l'ke 'm 'n a.... bad h'rse," she muttered, words slurring together.

He chuckled. "Why, you never said that before when I used to carry you around as a kid."

"Gr'w up" she replied, closing her eyes again, "I'm se'ing f'refl'es. 'Nd h'rses. L'ts of 'em. 'Nd b'rds. 'Nd f'shes. 'Nd- "

" Okay," Naim interrupted her, trying not to laugh, "but you gotta stay quiet now, there are people. Don't worry, I got ya."

But she was already asleep again. Taking a deep breath, the older Niendúi stepped into the marketplace.

People cast wary glances at him, some staring way too long at the lump in his arms. He met no one's eyes, and walked forward with a purposeful stride, trying to appear confident about whatever he was doing. The diamonds in the pouch hanging under his cloak didn't help his situation.

On a stroke of good luck, he covered almost half the way through the lit place without being interrupted, not daring to go into the alleyways in thought of dead ends. Despite himself, he almost thanked the robbers for inducing such an environment where people didn't question a hooded figure on the street.

He didn't exactly count on two soldiers being sent on patrol through the city.

Having arrived at his daily luck's end, Naim was just about to go back into the darkness when one of them spotted him and called out.

Cursing them silently, he stepped back into the light. One of the gaurds moved forward.

"What's on your arms?" he asked.

"Uh- fruit baskets," the lie sounded so terrible to himself, he almost ran out of there at once.

The other gaurds raised a contemplating eyebrow while the Niendúi tried his best to appear nonchalant.

Then Niphredil chose that moment to stir back into conciousness and swat at the affronting material of the cloak from her face.

Naim just had the time to think bad timing, Niph, before the gaurds advanced at him. Securing her against his chest, he broke into a run towards the edge of the town and the forest. Two normal soldiers would be no match for five Niendúin. To his misfortune, they were damnably fast.