Marianne's shrinking terror
As a healer, Marianne tended to remain towards the back of the formation. But the others had pushed forward in an attempt to end the battle quickly, leaving her behind. Hurrying to catch up, Marianne did not take much notice of her surroundings. She was suddenly ambushed by the enemy, their number far too much for her to handle. Marianne did not dare to unleash her true power, worried she would bring misfortune to friend and foe alike. Marianne felt like she had to surrender.
Marianne's wrists were bound, and she was taken down into the dungeons. She was tied to a rope dangling from the ceiling and left to rot.
She prayed that her allies would soon arrive to rescue her- they had surely noticed she was gone by now. The rope was too tight for her to unfasten, and when she pulled at it she could not break free, no matter how hard she tried. Marianne sighed sadly, resigning herself to her fate.
She had been alone for barely five minutes when she heard footsteps. Marianne stopped, peering towards the door. She watched, hoping she would not be treated too harshly by her captors.
She was surprised to see that it was a lone woman who approached. Her wide smile made her nervous and Marianne could sense something very wrong about this woman. She worried what might happen to her, but found some solace in thinking it was her and not one of her friends who was trapped.
"Oh my, what a charming guest," she purred, "let me take care of you."
Marianne wasn't sure what to make of her words. Nor did she have long to ponder them, before the woman raised her hand with a self-satisfied huff.
A spell or a curse! Marianne's eyes widened, shocked by the sudden attack. A green light bathed her body. Marianne winced and squeezed her eyes shut. Yet, though the hum of magic filled the air, she felt no pain.
Confused, Marianne slowly opened her eyes. The green glare was gone, so she looked up. Cornelia's arms were crossed, like she hadn't moved at all, but Marianne could feel something. Unfamiliar magic tingling all over her body, and her feet lifting off the ground. It looked as though Cornelia was somehow moving too.
"Huh?" Marianne gasped. She couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet. Her legs were somehow kicking in the air. With a cry, she glanced downward to see the ground sinking below her. She didn't register the amused chuckle her captor made.
What's happening!? Marianne panicked. Why am I floating?
To her eyes, it looked as though she was lifting into the air. Or that her legs were getting shorter and shorter. In fact, it felt like she was collapsing into herself somehow, smaller and smaller.
Her spell... she's shrinking me!
Knowing there was nothing she could do, Marianne kicked slower and slower. She realized that she truly was smaller, shrinking by the second. With that dawning on her, she looked up, terrified. With one last feeble grunt, she tugged on her bindings, but it was useless. She was bound, shrinking, and utterly at the mercy of this wretched woman. Marianne wondered if this was always to be her fate. As if reading her thoughts, Cornelia chuckled once more.
Just looking at the woman was too much, so Marianne glanced away. But then she saw the ground below, so much further away than before. Seeing her legs dangling over such a drop caused her to cry out, fearing she would end up falling. The pathetic little noise she made was so high-pitched, it didn't even sound like her own voice. Yet that was the least of her concerns as her body became smaller and smaller, until she was left at a pathetically puny size.
Now reduced to a tiny fraction of her original height, Marianne stared in horror at the huge woman before her. Right when she thought she couldn't be more scared, Cornelia came closer. Her huge hand reached for Marianne's shrunken form.
"Aww, such a shame." Marianne cried out, scrunching her eyes shut and flinching away as much as she could. Part of her hoped that, if she couldn't see the woman, she would somehow vanish, or that she would wake from this nightmare. But then she felt a huge force squeeze her body from all directions, making her cry out.
I'm so little! But, I suppose, if this had to happen to anyone...
Marianne opened her eyes, though she wished she could close them forever. She saw the collosal digits that constricted her form, at the end of an immense limb that looked as though it went on forever. One simple spell had reduced her to the size of a mouse, or perhaps smaller. Marianne could only wonder what would become of her...
