Nothing Fiona had with her could be used against this kind of influence. She found herself getting weaker and weaker and soon enough she lost any strength to even kneel, falling forward with her sword clattering down beside her. It wasn’t painful exactly, that wouldn’t have been the best way to describe it. It was more like all the energy in her body and all the ability she had to go on was being sapped from her. Drained away, flowing from her like a leak that had been punched in a container filled with water.
She curled up on herself as she felt the chill of the evening seep into her bones. It was like a sickness had been forced upon her suddenly. Then as suddenly as it came the sensation started to fade. The world was becoming clear once more. Her body didn’t feel weak anymore and the chill started to fade away from her body. She slowly lifted her head up and looked around. As she did her eyes widened.
Everything had grown seemingly around her. The gate had seemed the yawning of a great beast but it was now a vast thing that she could barely see much of. Looking around there were buildings in front of her and before her, the cobbled streets inside the city were actually rather well maintained compared to the ones leading to it. There was a soft glow of lanterns around from on high. The buildings were vast, huge. Bigger than any castle that Fiona had ever seen. It looked like a city fit for giants really.
Then she looked beside her and realized something rather stark. There was a massive piece of metal that stretched beside her, gleaming in the evening light. She knew what it was but her mind was having trouble catching up to it. It was her sword. The weapon she was used to holding in her hands now was a huge thing, something massive beyond her scope of what a sword could be. She realized it wasn’t the city that was bit, it was her that was now small. How it had happened was up in the air but she had shrunken.
“A-ah…” She swallowed hard as she managed to wobble to her feet.
It had to be some curse. Some ward that was placed around the city. Now it rather made perfect sense why no one had left the city if this had affected everyone that entered. The woman swallowed hard. Her scale was such that she would have been about on par with a large ant. It went without saying that making any progress like this would be a pain. The castle was so much further away now. To say nothing of the idea of facing whatever terrors this city held when the size of an ant.
Then the sound of metal clattering against metal sounded out. It echoed through the night. Like rattling chains. The ground started to quiver slightly, growing stronger every moment. Soon enough a figure stepped into the light of one of the lamps. A vast dark figure that towered far above Fiona ahead. The adventurer felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up at a living landmass of a being, the enormity of the figure something she would have never imagined before.
She was a dark haired woman dressed in rather tattered grey clothes. Her skin was unearthly pale, it almost had a slightly bluish tint to it really. She was rather pretty, though the look in her eyes as she beheld Fiona below on the street was anything but comforting. A smile split her lips as her dark eyes gleamed with malice. A chain was wrapped around one arm like a snake and dangling from it was a small cage.
“More moths to the flame, more scurrying little insects scampering in the shadows, welcome to Istrel! Let's get you squared away with quarters suited for your size.” She let out a rather unhinged giggle as she started stepping toward Fiona, her worn and ragged looking boots shaking the ground beneath Fiona.
She was moving much faster than anything her size should have the right to move, her steps taking her right toward Fiona. It wouldn’t be but a few more moments before she was upon Fiona. She very much doubted she was going to enjoy whatever quarters the woman had in mind!
A-4a: Fiona runs to the right.
A-4b: Fiona runs to the left.
A-4c: Fiona runs in the opposite direction of the Jailor.