Lost Scout

[StarrNico]

Barash followed Mulash to help with the repairs.

 

[Frundette]

Gomez readjusted his hat and brushed his dusty hands on his trousers to get his wits back, he understood that one of the humans who had attacked was captured and being held in Ghegari's cookhouse. As Mulush called to Barash to assist them in the repair job, Gomez replied: "I will go see him."

With only the doorway to provide some light the cookhouse was dim and dreary... this was one place that Gomez didn't particularly like. It was like he could feel the anger and suffering of everything that had died within its walls, it made him uneasy. Perhaps the human man felt the same. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark he was very surprised to recognise the man hunched in the cage, though barely so. He racked his brain for a name but nothing came to mind, he was sure that he had seen this man somewhere though.

"Human man..." He got to the basics first. "What might your name be?"

Mulush looked back at Gomez and said, in the orcish tongue, "He needs his tongue loosened, just yell." Mulush grinned, hoping that his services would be needed.

Aelfric watched the orcish creature enter the smoky cookhouse, wondering what on earth it was. "Does it matter," he answered evenly, eyes not leaving Gomez. "My math says I'm as good as dead already."

 

[Frundette]

Anna followed Gytha until she saw the cliff "Oh, no" She said and turned to face the cave wall, closing her eyes. She had forgotten in the struggle that the cliff was this way. She rested her forehead against the coolness of the cave wall and started muttering a phrase her father had told her to try to help her with this fear.

Gytha had been starting up the path, but glanced back over her shoulder as she heard Anna mutter something. "What?" she asked, having not quite heard the other girl. "Anna, are you hurt!?" she asked fearfully, seeing the way Anna had stopped at the cave entrance ad rested her head against the wall.

 

[StarrNico]

Gytha had been starting up the path, but glanced back over her shoulder as she heard Anna mutter something. "What?" she asked, having not quite heard the other girl. "Anna, are you hurt!?" she asked fearfully, seeing the way Anna had stopped at the cave entrance ad rested her head against the wall.

"Don't stop, keep going" Anna said and looked back into the cave. Keeping her hand on the wall to keep herself oriented she moved towards to cliff, watching the darkness in the cave. She was trying to trick herself into being able to go up the trail, but if she had to see the cliff, she would freeze up again. She was already breathing as if she had been running as she fought her fear to get away.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Mulush looked back at Gomez and said, in the orcish tongue, "He needs his tongue loosened, just yell." Mulush grinned, hoping that his services would be needed.

Aelfric watched the orcish creature enter the smoky cookhouse, wondering what on earth it was. "Does it matter," he answered evenly, eyes not leaving Gomez. "My math says I'm as good as dead already."

Gomez glanced back at Mulush, but didn't reply as Aelfric was within earshot now. Rest assured, you'll be the first one to know...

He slithered closer to the cage, until he was standing about a foot away from the door. "You must have done well in school..." He commented on Aelfric's mathematical calculation. "...but perhaps your teacher never taught you how to cheat. There are ways to cheat death, you know. Even here. If you are willing, I can show you how."

 

[Frundette]

Aelfric didn't answer immediately as his eyes scanned Gomez from head to toe and back to his head, finding the creature almost as repulsive as the orcs, if not more so. The swordsman thought he had the demeanor of someone trying to sell him a lame nag as a prized racehorse. "I've been alive long enough to know cheating ain't free," he answered carefully. "What do you want?"

--

Ragnar kept the pair waiting almost a quarter of an hour before appearing, still tucking his shirt into his pants. A strong whiff of mead following him into the room - remnants of the previous evening's merriment, celebrating the completion of his hall.

"What brings you so early?" he asked gruffly. "Is someone hurt?"

--

As Anna began slowly making her way toward the cliff, Gytha continued up the incline. Even for someone unafraid of heights, the narrow path made her pay extra attention to where she put her hands and feet, for it seemed like it would be all too easy to go tumbling down into the river below, with enough rocks and brush between to make that tumble potentially deadly.

The sounds of a struggle from inside the cave continued, but grew more distant as Gytha moved farther away from the entrance.

 

[StarrNico]

Anna swallowed and kept to her slow pace. Once out of the cave entrance and on the path she stared at the wall of the cliff, both afraid to walk with her eyes closed and afraid to look around and see the dropoff behind her.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

"You are correct. I want to know what made you come here, and who you came with... along with a couple more items. I know that you come from Aberdeen so I'm assuming you came for the scout. You won't find her here, but that's besides the point." He paused, gauging Aelfric's reaction to the information about Gytha, a fellow member of his settlement. He assumed that they knew each other, but wasn't aware of their personal relationship.

From his body language and tone of voice, Gomez knew that Aelfric still didn't trust him. Before the man could answer, he continued. "We have lots of time to chat though. Before we get into the nitty gritty details, can I offer you something to drink? Water? Mead? I imagine you've had a rough couple of hours."

--

Ezra tried not to read too much into Ragnar's appearance and the smell of mead, but it briefly crossed his mind that him and Jasper had just spent the last twenty-four hours trying to rescue one of his people. The least he could do was be a little bit more accommodating. "Lord Ragnar," he addressed him respectfully. "I am Ezra, and this is Jasper. We left yesterday with Aelfric in search of your scout Gytha, and I'm afraid we have some bad news." He held out the token to Ragnar. "I swear on my life that this will not be a waste of your time."

 

[Frundette]

"You are correct. I want to know what made you come here, and who you came with... along with a couple more items. I know that you come from Aberdeen so I'm assuming you came for the scout. You won't find her here, but that's besides the point." He paused, gauging Aelfric's reaction to the information about Gytha, a fellow member of his settlement. He assumed that they knew each other, but wasn't aware of their personal relationship.

From his body language and tone of voice, Gomez knew that Aelfric still didn't trust him. Before the man could answer, he continued. "We have lots of time to chat though. Before we get into the nitty gritty details, can I offer you something to drink? Water? Mead? I imagine you've had a rough couple of hours."

Aelfric's eyes widened slightly as Gomez mentioned the scout, but he erased the expression quickly, hoping the creature wrote it off as nothing more than pain from the swelling on his face. Still, thoughts of her fate raced through his mind. Was she not here because she was dead? Or had Strider been able to free her along with the other slaves? Did they have a second camp somewhere that she was being held?

"Mead or ale if you have it," the man said, hoping that it would help dull the pain. But he reminded himself to go easy, not wanting to lose his wits.

 

[Frundette]

Anna swallowed and kept to her slow pace. Once out of the cave entrance and on the path she stared at the wall of the cliff, both afraid to walk with her eyes closed and afraid to look around and see the dropoff behind her.

Gytha made her way to the top and paused to catch her breath. She looked back down toward the river, astonished to realize she had been in this very location numerous times, but never once knew of the cave entrance below. She looked over the edge, checking on Anna's progress. So far, neither Charles or Laethros had emerged from the cave.