Already much smaller than normal, the miniaturized mage had to work hard to free herself from her clothing. Linde stepped over the metal circlet that had fallen off her head, only to trip on her dress. The over-sized garment covered the entire length of her little legs, spilling over onto the floor behind her. The width of the neck of the dress exceeded the width of her body, enabling her slender figure to slip free. Though naked, Linde had no time to feel shame, her every thought consumed by the blue paper just out of reach.
I have to stop the spell! Before I get any smaller!
Free from her clothing, her only remaining obstacle was the now massive form of her tome. Deciding it would be faster to go over the book, Linde lept atop Aura before scurrying towards the spell. The ornate markings on the cover of the tome made for tricky terrain, but Linde did not dare slow down.
By the time Linde reached the other side of the book, it had become more of a drop than a simple step. The mini mage jumped from the tome, rolling as she touched the ground. She scuttled towards the vast blue plain that was her salvation. The edges of the page fluttered slightly, stirred by a gust of wind. Fearing that the page would blow away, Linde quickly pinned it down with her entire body. What remained of her weight was enough to prevent the parchment from moving.
How do I cancel this spell?!
Scanning the inscribed text proved difficult for the downsized woman. The text was clearer, but the sheer size of the characters meant that it took more time for her to search through the writing for what she needed. Worse, she was constantly aware of her diminishing size, her shrinking making it harder for the miniature mage to focus.
As her size and weight decreased further, more of the page started to move in the wind. Linde paid the movement no mind, trying to maintain her focus on finding what she needed.
"Here!" She pointed to the promising text she had found. She quickly read the text over again, two or three times. She had to be sure that this was the passage she needed. If she was wrong, she might not get another attempt...
This has to be it! I just hope this works...
Linde read out her chosen fragment of text. Finishing her incantation she could only pray to Naga that she had found what she was looking for...
She wasn't kept waiting for long. Linde felt the strange magic fade. She waited for a few moments.
I don't think I'm getting any smaller... she thought with a sigh. Though I'm not getting any bigger either...
She gulped when she realized she had become smaller than even a doll. Finding help was going to be difficult...
There was a sudden crash from the other room. It was incredibly loud to the mini mage, but Linde thought she knew what it was.
The bandits! They've broken in!
She glanced around, searching for a place to hide.
Turning myself back to normal will have to wait. I can't be caught!
On the floor there was a wooden box, next to the counter. Uncertain how long she had, Linde ran towards the huge structure. As she passed over what was once her clothing, she grabbed her hair tie, dragging it behind her. Hidden behind the box, she twisted the hair tie into a makeshift garment. It left little to the imagination, but covered what was needed to preserve her dignity.
Thudding footsteps betrayed the presence of a bandit. Linde peered out from behind the box when he stomped into the room.
"Wa-hey! Look at this!" He roared. "This here's a shop! Get a load of this!"
A second giant thundered in behind him.
"You're right! Seems like we've got a big haul here!" his friend cheered.
There's two of them! Linde thought with dread. Her chances of escaping just halved.
"Fill yer boots! Let's grab what we can and get out of here!" The first ruffian said.
"No need to hurry!" His friend reminded him. "There's a war on, we've got loads of time before anyone bothers trying to save this place!"
"Yer right!" The other bandit agreed with a roar. "Let's grab everything, then!"
Linde shuddered. It sounded like they were going to search the whole building. If she stayed put, it seemed likely they would discover her sooner or later.
"Hmm?" The second bandit turned towards the counter. Linde retreated a little bit, trying to stay hidden but wanting to keep an eye on the movements of the men.
"What's all this?" The man crouched down where Linde's dress and tome lay. With a confused look on his huge face, he picked up the tome. Linde fought the urge to sprint out and reprimand the brute for daring to lay his hands on the sacred tome, but thankfully stopped herself. He grabbed at the dress with his free hand, lifting it up.
"That book looks like it's worth a fair bit of gold!" his friend commented, peering over his shoulder.
"Yeah, but why is this here?" He lifted the dress higher, showing it to the other bandit. "Doesn't look like it was bein' sold."
The other man whistled. "That dress sure looks fancy. Think its owner is still around?"
"Doesn't matter, let's take it. You start with the rest of the stuff." The man said.
One bandit moved away, but the other moved in Linde's direction. She realized she had chosen to hide in a dead end, with no obvious way out...
Massive hands reached for the wooden box. Linde panicked. She would surely be seen if the box were moved. She needed to get away. Perhaps she could simply run past the man. The bandits seemed quite dim witted, and certainly wouldn't expect to see a woman the size of a mouse sprint past. There could also be a way through the counter, a gap or hole that she hadn't noticed hidden in the shadows. Or maybe she could stay near the box, and hope she wasn't seen?
What do I do?!
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