Lost Scout

[LoveThatChick]

Morell flinched as his name was called, and he looked around sharply. Seeing that it was Tobias returning with Judah, he gave his customary glare, "Nowhere, I've been nowhere!" His tone was annoyed and disrespectful, which the man's question didn't call for, but Morell was always on edge, years of being put down does that to a person... "I'm just goin' fetch the horses." He added, slightly less confrontationally.

 

[Frundette]

Anna couldn't help but scream a little at the sudden movement and instinctively pulled to keep them both from falling. She caught his weight and her own, bringing them both to stand against the wall. That caused her to look down the cliff and she stopped breathing for a moment as fear took hold of her. When she did take in a breath it was shaky and quick, and she could not tear her eyes away from the drop below them.

Laethros grunted as the sudden movement jerked his swollen leg. "Errrhhh," he gritted his teeth, sucking in a few pained breaths through his clenched teeth. "Phhewwww, that was a close one," he said after a few moments. "Sorry about that, lass."

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Morell flinched as his name was called, and he looked around sharply. Seeing that it was Tobias returning with Judah, he gave his customary glare, "Nowhere, I've been nowhere!" His tone was annoyed and disrespectful, which the man's question didn't call for, but Morell was always on edge, years of being put down does that to a person... "I'm just goin' fetch the horses." He added, slightly less confrontationally.

"Mmm..." Tobias mumbled, still eyeing him suspiciously. "Judah is looking for some men to assess the damage once the dust clears. You were working in the back of the mine... perhaps you saw something that could prove useful. How bout' you join them once the horses are put away?" He purposely refrained from directly accusing Morell of sabotage, but his wording and tone suggested indirectly that the other man had indeed had something to do with the accident, and that's why Tobias was suggesting he tag along...

 

[StarrNico]

Laethros grunted as the sudden movement jerked his swollen leg. "Errrhhh," he gritted his teeth, sucking in a few pained breaths through his clenched teeth. "Phhewwww, that was a close one," he said after a few moments. "Sorry about that, lass."

Anna swallowed and tightened her grip on his belt, closing her eyes finally. She was trembling yet couldn't make herself turn away from the view of the dropoff now in front of them. Inside she was screaming and cussing, yet she made no sound that could be heard by him. When she didn't see the cliff she could move along it, pretending it was not there, but when she could see it she was frozen in place.

 

[Frundette]

Given the situation, Gomez didn't look frightened or put out at all. He was still grinning wildly despite the knife being pressed into his arm, while making no move to try and pull away from Aelfric, although the laughter was beginning to cease. "The key you say..." He looked at the wall, where the metal object was dangling just within his reach. It only took a couple of half steps until he was pulling firmly against Aelfric for a moment to lengthen his reach, but he did manage to unhook the key from its peg.

It swung precariously on the end of his clawed fingernail as he drew a little bit closer to Aelfric. "You realize that once I pass this to you, I will have no choice but to sound an alarm, drawing all of the orcs remaining in the camp into his very hut where they will likely slaughter you on the spot."

"There's always a choice," Aelfric said, glancing at the key. "And if you pick that one, maybe I'll choose to split you open 'fore they get here. Or maybe if you keep your mouth shut, you can live to show me a safe way out of here."

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

"There's always a choice," Aelfric said, glancing at the key. "And if you pick that one, maybe I'll choose to split you open 'fore they get here. Or maybe if you keep your mouth shut, you can live to show me a safe way out of here."

"Mmm... mister Aelfric, I fear an orc death more than I fear one by your hands. Splitting will be the least of my worries." Finally, he held the key close enough that Aelfric could reach it with his other hand through the bars. "There is no safe way out of here, but I invite you to try. You just never know, right?" He grinned crookedly, enjoying the death threat much more than he should...

 

[LoveThatChick]

"Mmm..." Tobias mumbled, still eyeing him suspiciously. "Judah is looking for some men to assess the damage once the dust clears. You were working in the back of the mine... perhaps you saw something that could prove useful. How bout' you join them once the horses are put away?" He purposely refrained from directly accusing Morell of sabotage, but his wording and tone suggested indirectly that the other man had indeed had something to do with the accident, and that's why Tobias was suggesting he tag along...

Morell didn't reply immediately, but reached the horses and began undoing the buckles that strapped their harnesses to the sleds. "Fine... I'll be back soon, and just so you know, I didn't see anythin'." Morell scowled, he knew exactly what Tobias and the others thought of him, and it didn't help that he frequently ranted and cursed at them. The horses were now free of the sleds, so Morell reached up, grabbing onto the harness of one, and pulled himself onto it's back. Holding the other horses' lead in his right hand, he tugged gentle on the draft's mane, and squeezed it's sides with his legs, stating it forward at a walk.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

"Course you didn't..." Tobias watched him leave, then joined the crowd standing around Judah and Lord Varxis. The chaos was beginning to settle down now that the affected miners had been reunited with family members. Everyone seemed relieved that nobody was seriously injured... or killed. The miners job was a risky one, but one that carried with it high reward as the caves were filled with valuable gems and precious metals.

"Tobias, Morell, Gerald, Manni..." Judah listed the men whom he wanted to join him inside the mine. An hour had past since the collapse and the dust had settled enough to permit breathing inside the tunnels. "Grab yourselves each a torch, it'll be dark inside. Not sure how far we'll make it, the furthest levels are likely sealed with fallen rock by now."

 

[LoveThatChick]

Morell rode to his stepfamily's home at a quick trot, going around the back and sliding from the horse. He quickly took off their harnesses, releasing the large horses out to graze, and put the harnesses into the small barn. Morell went to the house and peered in a window, he could hear his stepmother, Aldreda, in the other room, singing something he didn't recognize.

Morell felt like going and hiding somewhere, but knew that he'd get in big trouble for disappearing twice in one day, especially now that he was expected to be at the mine. He sighed, them turned from the house and started down the hill at a jog, not wanting anyone to think he was shirking his job, again... He arrived back at the mine, and pushed past a few people to where Judah and the others were, glaring at all of them.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Gerald arrived at the same time as Morell and joined the three men already there, standing in front of the rubble with a couple torches already lit. Judah passed a long coil of rope to Morell when he joined them. "Take the rear." He said. The rope was used to string behind them so that they would have something to follow on the way out if their torches were extinguished for any reason. It would also help a rescue team find them should the tunnels still be unstable.