Lost Scout

[Frundette]

After Barash had given the captive some of the orc stew, the man lowered himself down again to the floor, trying to find a position where breathing did not hurt. For a short while, he experimented with the bonds around his wrists when it seemed Barash was not looking too closely at him, but the leather whip the orc had used might as well have been iron bands and he soon gave up the effort.

The smoky room was growing steadily darker as the sun sank behind the trees and Aelfric closed his eyes and just listened. There was a great deal of noise about the camp as orcs came and went, often yelling loudly to each other in the harsh-sounding orcish tongue.

Eventually Mulush returned. "You seen Gomez?" he asked Barash, wanting him to question their prisoner.

--

Inside the cave, a single tunnel lead away from the entrance, floor sloping steadily downward. Many boot tracks adorned the sandy floor, showing signs of frequent visitors.

"Where do you want to put her?" Charles asked, not bothering to hold onto Raven's arm now, not imagining she'd voluntarily be heading back toward the cave entrance after seeing the state it had reduced her to moments before.

"That little room the orcs don't use much should work," the older man answered.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

(pillion means riding behind another person)
Strider waited for her to mount up then turned the horse to get out of the ravine then head north to head towards the road and the settlement

(Sorry, I'm not a horse person

that vocabulary goes completely over my head lol)

Danielle felt a tiny bit awkward riding behind Strider, but held on tightly as they left the ravine.

 

[StarrNico]

"No Gomez" Barash answered, shaking his head. He glanced back at the man then to Mulash again.

~~
Raven had regained her composure and walked quietly. She listened to the two men speaking behind her, taking in the information. They are helping the orcs? Why? She thought

 

[StarrNico]

(Sorry, I'm not a horse person

that vocabulary goes completely over my head lol)

Danielle felt a tiny bit awkward riding behind Strider, but held on tightly as they left the ravine.

(lol, ok)
On the horses the small group was able to catch up to the other people on the road. He slowed the horses to look over the people.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

After Barash had given the captive some of the orc stew, the man lowered himself down again to the floor, trying to find a position where breathing did not hurt. For a short while, he experimented with the bonds around his wrists when it seemed Barash was not looking too closely at him, but the leather whip the orc had used might as well have been iron bands and he soon gave up the effort.

The smoky room was growing steadily darker as the sun sank behind the trees and Aelfric closed his eyes and just listened. There was a great deal of noise about the camp as orcs came and went, often yelling loudly to each other in the harsh-sounding orcish tongue.

Eventually Mulush returned. "You seen Gomez?" he asked Barash, wanting him to question their prisoner.

Shortly after the return of Mulush, Ghegari stepped into the doorway of the cookhouse, momentarily plunging the hut into darkness. She looked distressed and very angry at having been chased out of her own house by Strider. Upon seeing Aelfric in the cage, she stalked over to the door and rapped loudly on it with the skillet that she had retrieved from the floor. "You bring me an old man?" She directed her anger towards Barash and Mulush, as if they were responsible for letting Strider walk into the camp and get out with the girls. "Where are the slaves that you let walk right out of the camp? I make you food everyday, and this is all you can bring me!" She began grumbling under her breath, muttering the word "incompetent".

 

[Frundette]

Gomez looked back for a moment to make sure that the splash hadn't been Gytha actually falling into the river. When he seen that it was only her boot he shrugged casually and gestured towards the water with his hand, indicating that the sound likely blended in with the gurgling river. Once she had regained her balance he stepped onto the next rock and continued in a west, northwest direction following the river.

Knowing that he was leading Gytha towards trouble, Gomez didn't feel particularly sympathetic towards her cause. For some odd reason the plague which had wiped out so many of his kin had left him without empathy, and nearly empty inside--leaving room for the orcs to fill the empty space with hatred, distrust, and cruelty.

As it grew darker, Gytha was having more and more trouble navigating the slippery rocks and before long had managed to get both feet wet. She did not complain, believing Gomez had her best interests at heart. But she did hope that it wasn't much farther to their destination. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to manage the river path at all once the last of the sun's rays were gone.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

(lol, ok)
On the horses the small group was able to catch up to the other people on the road. He slowed the horses to look over the people.

The group of four had been reduced to three when Strider caught up to them as one of the women was no longer with them. For a moment they started running when they heard the horses, thinking that it was more orcs on their trail, but slowed as the riders came into view. The woman named Bagira stopped and looked at Strider, recognising him as the one who had set them loose from the cage. "Where are you headed?" She asked, eyeing the remaining horse. "We are from Wedmor."

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

As it grew darker, Gytha was having more and more trouble navigating the slippery rocks and before long had managed to get both feet wet. She did not complain, believing Gomez had her best interests at heart. But she did hope that it wasn't much farther to their destination. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to manage the river path at all once the last of the sun's rays were gone.

Fortunately for both Gytha and Gomez, as the man's feet were getting wet and sore as well, the cave in which they were headed to was not far away now. Gradually, the gentle banks of the river had been giving way to steeper and rockier cliffs. In order to maintain their track, they were forced to begin climbing the rock formations as the river dropped lower below them. After about twenty minutes of climbing the slippery rocks, Gomez emerged onto a narrow path, the same one which Laethros, Charles and Raven had crossed only an hour before. "At the bottom of this path lies a cave," Gomez explained to Gytha. "The cave leads under the river, and will make our journey much shorter as the road is miles further downstream. It will also provide shelter for the night, unless you want to carry on in the dark."

 

[StarrNico]

"(Is that the name of the settlement?)
Strider answered her and glanced back to see that Aefric's horse had followed them. He made a motion to Aelfrick's and Ruby's horses. "If you ride double we can get there quicker."


Barash looked to Ghegari "Humie for Gomez to question, not to eat, yet"

 

[Frundette]

Raven had regained her composure and walked quietly. She listened to the two men speaking behind her, taking in the information. They are helping the orcs? Why? She thought

Charles nodded, taking Raven's arm in his grasp again, leading her farther down the tunnel until there was a door on their right. The door itself was heavy oak, put there long before Charles ever came to the cave and he had often wondered why, for it did not appear to be made by orcs. It was set into a natural opening the cave, which had been further chiseled out to make the door fit better.

Laethros opened it and it protested loudly on it's heavy hinges as it swung open. The room was not large might have one been used to store supplies, for a few broken barrels sat in the corner. "I'll.. ah, bring you a blanket," Charles said as way of apology as he pushed Raven into the room.