Lost Scout

[StarrNico]

Ruby was trying not to move too much since the knock to her head was already making her dizzy and sick. Being held over the ork's shoulder was not helping much either. The pain from the arrow wound and where the rock had hit her head, in addition to the whip marks and other bruises had sapped her streangth and her moral. She was nearly to the point of just giving up and giving in.

 

[Frundette]

Laethros, having his feet solidly back on the trail, tightened his grip on Anna's waist while his other hand grabbed for the girl's hand, intending to pry her grip from the rock.


---


Jasper nodded in agreement at Ezra's assessment of numbers.

Ragnar sighed, considering the implications of the grave news Ezra had brought. "I wish to consult with my men," he said, looking back to the farmer. "You are welcome to stay if you desire."


--

(OOC: You mean about Ragnar and Gomez meeting before? I think that adds a really cool twist! )

"Request?" Aefric asked slowly, the orcish ale beginning to have a greater effect on him than he anticipated, but he still managed to find a lie that, at least to him, seemed plausible and might sow a seed of doubt in this creature's mind. "No request. The plan was to drag your sorry *** back to Aberdeen." The swordsman took another gulp of the ale as his speech started to slurr slightly. " 'course, that dinnit work out so well," he said, holding up his bound wrists and giving them a small tug.


--


Grishkah, still pleased to have a slave of her very own, carried Ruby straight to her small leanto, where she laid her prize down carefully on a deerhide. Leaving the human girl, Grishkah got to work building a fire right outside the leanto, knowing she would need to cauterize the wounds if she didn't want her new slave to die from infection.

 

[StarrNico]

Anna shook her head and closed her eyes as he pulled one hand loose from the rock. She dropped her hand to grab his wrist around her waist, holding that instead.

~~~
Ruby lay still after being put down, just trying to stop the dizzy feeling. She didn't know what Grishkah was planning to do yet.

 

[Frundette]

"You trying to knock us both off 'a here?" Laethros asked as Anna grabbed his wrist. He lifted her by the waist, pivoting on his right leg to try to push her closer to the ledge.

--


Grishkah got down on her hands and knees to blow on her small fire and the flames grew quickly until it was popping and cracking. Pleased, she placed the end of a short sword into the hottest part of the fire and kept it there for almost a minute before taking the blade and bringing it quickly toward where Ruby was resting, intending to press the burning metal onto the wound the arrow had left.

 

[StarrNico]

" No" Anna said " don't want to fall" she said as her other hand lost it's hold on the cliff and fell to grasp his arm, next to to her other hand. She swallowed, tightening her grip on him. If he tried to throw her, he was going with her.


Ruby had her eyes closed , but opened them when she heard steps coming closer. Her eyes widenedas she saw the heated sword I the orcs grip.

 

[Frundette]

Grishhak didn't want to give the girl any time or room to squirm away, so straddled Ruby and crouched down over her, using her weight to hold the girl in place. "Lak'tuk!" she growled something in orcish to the girl, then brought the heated blade quickly toward the wound. If she could keep Ruby still enough, she'd only have to do this once...


---



Gytha watched with bated breath, feeling completely helpless, as Laethros pushed the younger girl toward the edge, as if to throw her toward the river below. It seemed he underestimated the strength in her grip, though, for as her feet moved over the edge, her weight pulled Laethros over too and then they were both gone from Gytha's view.

The scout's hand went over her mouth, but no scream came forth as she stared, horror-stricken, for several long seconds, at the spot where her friend had been.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Jasper nodded in agreement at Ezra's assessment of numbers.

Ragnar sighed, considering the implications of the grave news Ezra had brought. "I wish to consult with my men," he said, looking back to the farmer. "You are welcome to stay if you desire."

"I do, thank you sir." He felt relieved that Ragnar had made the offer as he couldn't imagine not sitting in on the meeting. As desperate as he was to find Emma he knew that he first had to made sure they knew what they were dealing with.

(OOC: You mean about Ragnar and Gomez meeting before? I think that adds a really cool twist! )

"Request?" Aefric asked slowly, the orcish ale beginning to have a greater effect on him than he anticipated, but he still managed to find a lie that, at least to him, seemed plausible and might sow a seed of doubt in this creature's mind. "No request. The plan was to drag your sorry *** back to Aberdeen." The swordsman took another gulp of the ale as his speech started to slurr slightly. " 'course, that dinnit work out so well," he said, holding up his bound wrists and giving them a small tug.

(That, and you're use of the word "you" I assumed it meant Gomez only... sorry! I don't know where we could stick in a previous meeting, but perhaps we could use it to explain why Gomez hates the humans so much... they rejected him.)

Gomez laughed, the ale was making him giddy even though his words weren't yet beginning to slur. He left the cup by his feet instead of taking another gulp... he'd had quite enough already.

"I'd say you--" He broke off mid-sentence when he heard Orkhan, Draugnot and Grishkah return to the camp. From the sound of their footsteps he could tell that a couple of slaves accompanied them, although he didn't know how many. "Sounds like your friends have been re-captured. Its really too bad that you won't have anything to return home with... if you make it back at all."

The cookhouse momentarily darkened as Orkhan stepped through the doorway. In one hand he carried his sword, still red with blood, and in the other he carried the severed head of Strider. Ignoring Gomez he strode to the edge of the cage and tossed the head towards Aelfric. With a devilish grin he growled, "you next."

--

As Orkhan left for the cookhouse, Draugnot returned Luella and Danielle to the slave cage and locked the door firmly behind him. The cage looked empty compared to a day ago, they would need more if the work on the wall was to be completed on time. Kagan would not be pleased...

 

[StarrNico]

Grishhak didn't want to give the girl any time or room to squirm away, so straddled Ruby and crouched down over her, using her weight to hold the girl in place. "Lak'tuk!" she growled something in orcish to the girl, then brought the heated blade quickly toward the wound. If she could keep Ruby still enough, she'd only have to do this once...


---



Gytha watched with bated breath, feeling completely helpless, as Laethros pushed the younger girl toward the edge, as if to throw her toward the river below. It seemed he underestimated the strength in her grip, though, for as her feet moved over the edge, her weight pulled Laethros over too and then they were both gone from Gytha's view.

The scout's hand went over her mouth, but no scream came forth as she stared, horror-stricken, for several long seconds, at the spot where her friend had been.

Ruby stilled under the weight of the orc. She stared at the blade a moment longer then turned her head away, giving her access. She didn't understand why she was still alive, but she had seen something similar done to a man under her father's care, so she understood that the orc was going to cauterize the arrow wound, and that it was going to hurt a lot. She held herself as still as she could when the sword touched the wound, screaming through the gag she still wore.

~~~~
Anna had to open her eyes as they both went over the edge. For a moment she was seven again, on a much smaller cliff yet still falling down it uncontrollably. She had been out with her mother and father on a picnic and had gotten too close to the edge, wanting to see the view better. That cliff had crumbled under her slight weight and she fell, breaking a leg before she came to a stop at the bottom. She had been terrified of heights ever since.
Her voice was locked in her throat as she released her grip on his arm, twisting to grab anything to stop her fall. Her mind kept wanting to return to that day but she fought it to stay in the present. She managed to grab and hold on to a tree branch, barely noticing as Leanthros continued to fall when she stopped. She made a small whimpering sound as she tried to get a more secure grip on the branch, only to have it start to break off. Risking everything she reached for another branch, swinging onto it just as the branch she had first caught broke off completely and fell down the rest of the cliff.
Anna wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and rest, but knew this tree wasn't safe to stay in for too long. Breathing heavily she glanced up then straight at the wall, assessing as much as she could in the swift glance. She had come to a stop within 20 feet of the bottom of the cliff, but couldn't force herself to look down to see that. Anna didn't want to move but the sounds from the tree she sat in convinced her she would be finishing her downward trip one way or another. She reached out shakily to get a grip on the cliff wall, then when that was secure, she made her feet find a grip, slowly making her way down and doing her best not to look until she reached solid ground. Once at the bottom she collapsed in a faint, unable to keep herself awake any longer.

 

[Frundette]

(OOC: If anyone wants to claim one of Ragnar's sworn men as a player-character, please feel free. Also, I know I owe a few responses, working on them as I get time!)

Ragnar's men began to trickle in to the lord's home slowly over the course of the next hour, many of them smelling strongly of mead from the night before, until the room grew crowded with nearly a dozen men. Some of them looked questioningly at Ezra and Jasper, but kept quiet as Ragnar had not spoken yet. The lord looked impatiently out the open door. "Where are Charles and Laethros?"

"I didn't see 'em last night, lord," one of them men volunteered.

Ragnar narrowed his eyes in irritation, not yet suspecting the treachery of the men, but annoyed that they would disappear without informing him. But he'd deal with them later. He scanned the gathered crowd and each seemed to straighten up a little under their lord's gaze. "Men, we face a grave threat. Orcs have returned to the Greywoods. Ezra, please tell them of what you saw..."

 

[Frundette]

Grishkah had expected the girl to object to the excruciatingly painful treatment, but was quick to take advantage when Ruby turned her head away to give her easier access to the wound. She placed the heated blade quickly to the arrow wound, keeping the girl still with her weight pinning her torso to the ground. She kept the blade in place for only a few seconds while Ruby screamed through the gag before removing it, the smell of burnt flesh touching her nostrils.

She looked down at the wound, pleased to see that the bleeding had stopped. "Lak'tuk!" Grishkah growled again at Ruby. She stood then, removing her weight from the girl, leaving her there while she went to get some salve to put on the burn.