[Alternate path] Lux wakes up, bound

Fuzzy thoughts hover in Lux’s mind. Vague recollections of formless pleasure. As she rises from the depths of slumber, those feelings fade – replaced by aches and pains. Her neck protests as she lifts her head up from her chest and tries to blink away the fog of sleep. She wants to wipe her eyes, but her hand – her arm – won’t move…

Sudden adrenaline pulls her back to consciousness. Her arms are raised up and behind her, held in place by…something she can’t pull free from. And her legs – they too are trapped, stretched out, bound together. Instinctively she tries to draw them in towards herself, with growing horror as she realises she’s been stripped naked. But whatever’s clinging to her ankles holds fast.

She twists and struggles in her bonds, craning to see around her. She can make out squat, ugly blue figures – the mites, of course – sleeping on the ground not far away. Rocky outcrops and a few wooden posts mark the outline of a camp of sorts, amid the now familiar misty gloom. How did they— how did she end up…?

Half-formed dream-memories threaten to surface; a shiver runs down her spine. Surely not— she can’t afford to think about it. Trembling, she tries to focus on the only thing that matters now. Escape.

“Minn,” she hisses, “where are you?”

There’s no answer from Minn. But something does react – there’s a faint clicking sound from somewhere behind her.

Lux freezes, heart pounding. She’s tied up, naked, arms and legs outstretched, as if in a hammock – her arms bound above her head, but they’re not what’s supporting her weight. It’s difficult to get a good angle to see, but slowly she realises that what’s holding her is something like a spiderweb – one that would need to have been woven by a very large spider.

She flinches as something brushes against the small of her back. Her skin tingling. No more than a passing contact, and the movement stops. Did she imagine it? No, there is something behind her. And she doesn’t dare to even try and turn to see it.

Of course the mites would have something truly horrible to guard their camp. And now it’s guarding her.

Her eyes dart about, searching. As her vision adjusts, she sees that there are more strands of webbing, around and about – draped between the crags and wooden stakes. Even someone as small as Minn might not be able to fly in here without getting snagged – and the spiders wouldn’t fail to notice.

She tries to breathe slowly, to stay calm. So she’s on her own. That’s fine. Just tied up, naked, unarmed, and at every disadvantage. There has to be a way out…