Tales of Faerun

[AurianaValoria1]

"Would've helped if he said that, then," Zorica remarked dryly, staring daggers through Tannin's back, "Instead of trying to act 'professional.' There's a difference between that and acting like a-"

 

"Enough!" Conall snapped, noticing Nawen's expression, "This is getting us nowhere! We should be thankful we're still alive instead of tempting fate even further right now. We need to think before we do anything rash."

 

"Aye," Dagny agreed with a nod, "There's nothin' wrong in takin' a ponder or two about things."

 

"I, for one, am not too eager to involve myself so intimately with rock again," Argyros rumbled, all the while yearning for the sky and open air. His kind was not made for cramped underground living.

 

"Would everyone...just...calm...down..."

 

Rhaine at last stirred, having been finally wakened by the heated discussion between Azuris and Tannin. She'd lain there with her eyes shut while listening to the conversation; it, on top of her incessantly throbbing head, only served to make it more difficult for her to focus on their next move. As she rolled over and stiffly pushed herself to her feet, Tak'we's loss suddenly hit her again, and she found her anger diminishing as grief took its place.

 

"Conall is right. We need to take time to think this through. Tannin, if you're so eager to get started, feel free to hack away at those broken bricks with that damned blade of yours," she smirked, "As for the rest of us, I think we need to recuperate before attempting to move anything of structural importance. Otherwise," she paused, sadness flickering across her face, "We might end up like our friend, Tak'we."

[Flipout6]

Amendale, exhausted, stood before the border to the rubble surrounding them and, using most of what little power he had left, scanned the ruins for any signs of life- specifically, Tak'We's. The Moon Elf sincerely hoped that he found nothing; after all, he wasn't sure he'd have the heart to magically euthanize Tak'We should he be found. Dreading what he might find in every new inch he scanned, Amendale scanned the entire ruin and found nothing. His arms dropped to his sides, adding to the beaten-down posture that his hunched shoulders began.

 

"At least he died quickly." He announced. "There's nothing alive down here except us. No life signs under the rubble."

 

Weyland let out a deep sigh of relief and rested himself completely, cradling Dri in his arms and keeping her as comfortable as he could. He quickly dozed off, falling into an extremely deep and dreamless sleep.

 

When the argument flared up, Amendale told the two of them, "I'd imagine Tak'We wouldn't want us grieving for him while trapped. He'd probably want us to wait until we were safe. That said, we ought to grieve now however much we need to and rest before we begin forging our pathway out. Once we are free, then we shall pay our proper respects. We all need rest...." He paled, shaking with weariness. Already he was beginning to form dark bags under his eyes. He removed his cloak and set it in the dirt to use as a pillow before he laid himself down and fell asleep almost instantly, utterly exhausted from the mental strain of the battle and the healing.

 

When Rhaine awoke, Arland started and looked at her.

 

"You're up. Feeling okay? Annette said something complicated about spine damage and neck movement." When her head turned, he caught a glance of her hair, blood congealing in the red locks. "Your head's all bloody. You aren't bleeding, are you?"

 

"I still have the odd potion if you're feeling too strained for healing, My Lady." Annette offered, holding out a bottle.

 

With all the yelling and raised voices, Marie clutched her head painfully, massaging her temples and groaning. Arland looked over at her, concerned, and then asked Annette, "Hey, is she doing alright?"

 

"Concussion's gone, but the head is still going to hurt." She answered matter-of-factly.

 

"You should get some sleep then, Marie. Make yourself feel better." Marie didn't say anything, merely leaned back against Argyros and closed her eyes.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Flipout6

[josh900]

Not wanting to continue the argument, Azuris simply grumbled and walked away to sit in a corner, while Tannin took a seat near the wall and started to chip away at it with Blackrazor which was now shaped as (what else?) a small pickax.

 

Lucas meanwhile sat with his arms wrapped around his knees in fetal position, slightly rocking back and forth, his eyes bulged out wide and his breathing erratic. "We have a way out though right?" He asked, panic evident in his voice. "We're not... not going to be trapped in here right?"

 

"Nnnooope." Responded Tannin. "Don't you worry, we'll be out of here in no time." He said in a casual manner.

 

"How do you know?" Lucas asked.

 

"Done this before." Tannin shrugged.

 

"How do we know? You could be lying about that, you lie a lot anyways, why's this any different?" Lucas said, his voice rising higher and higher as his state of unease grew.

 

"Well look at it this way..... You really really don't want me to be lying right now. So do yourself a favor and don't assume I am." He said before getting back to work.

 

"I can't help it." Lucas said, tightening his hold on his legs. "Usually I'm good with closed spaces but... but not here. We're buried too deep, we don't have a way out, Tak'we's.... dead...And no one's looking for us. I just wanted.. to at least do something good with my life before I died." He said hopelessly, trying to wipe away the tears streaking down his face.

 

"And this is why I don't work with amateurs, they aaaalllways think things will go wrong." Tannin half spoke to himself.

[Deleted6317247User]

"Well then," Shalena said as she leaned against Argyros's scaly back, "I'll just rest for a while. Don't suppose anyone carries around a deck of cards." She shifted in her seat a little while trying to find a comfortable position. "Anyway, wake me up when something miraculous happens."

 

Nawen on the other hand didn't feel like resting at all. She just couldn't relax to even try to get some rest knowing that they don't have a solution on how to get out. So instead she walked up to Tannin and sat down beside him. "How's that going?" She asked. While she was clearly worried because of what she heard him saying before walking as far away as he could but figured it would be better not to pester him about it. She reached out and touched the wall he was chipping away at.

 

"Would have said that if we get desperate enough we could try and dig with our hands," she said, "not that we could through this wall or the floor, though." She said with the frown on her face.

 

"Dig with our hands," Shalena said, "what a wonderful idea." The piratess said sarcastically.

 

"I didn't say we should do it," Nawen replied, "just that it's not impossible. Had to dig my way out of a-" she paused for a moment, "-a collapsed mine. Wasn't easy but not impossible."

 

"I'll leave the digging to you then," Shalena said, "you like nature, dirt and all that. It would be fun for you."

 

"Or we could try and bash our way through this wall with your head," Nawen said, "it's probably thick enough for that."

 

Shalena laughed at her response. "Isn't she just adorable?"

Edited July 18, 2014 by Guest

[AurianaValoria1]

Zorica glanced at Nawen, "Her tongue's sharp enough...could use it too."

 

Conall snorted as he took Tak'we's amulet from Aodh's mouth and patted the pseudodragon's head absentmindedly, "As another pickaxe or to lick our way out?"

 

Dagny guffawed heartily, "Which do you think, werewolf?"

 

"I'm not sure I want to know," he replied with a smirk.

 

Argyros visibly shook as he tried to keep his laughter contained in an attempt not to toss off everyone who was leaning against him.

 

At Arland's words, Rhaine's brow furrowed and she ran her gloved fingers through her hair. They came away with bits of scab, and her irritation returned with a heavy sigh. As she took her ivory comb from her pack, she looked to both Arland and Annette, "No, it's quite all right...the bleeding has stopped. I'm fine, thank you. My head is throbbing, but it will ease up soon enough." The Doomguide paused and spied Marie and Amendale, both exhausted and quite possibly still in great pain. Quietly approaching them and careful not to disturb them, she cast Restoration spells upon both of them in an attempt to ease their discomfort.

 

Afterwards, she began combing out her hair, pulling chunks of dried blood away and frowning in disgust each time until it stopped.Then, pulling the scarlet locks up into a high ponytail, she sighed heavily again and put her comb away right as she noticed Lucas in a state of near-panic. Her expression melted into one of sympathy, and she knelt beside him, placing one hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "Tannin is right...everything is going to be fine, squire. We just need a little time." She then pulled him into a gentle embrace, whispering, "It's all right to be afraid; only a fool is never afraid."

 

Zorica's eyes suddenly widened, and she scrambled over to the wall of rocks. The half-drow then squinted as she strained her ears to hear past the noises of her companions. A few seconds passed, and then she cried aloud with excitement in her voice, "Someone's out there! There's talking out there!"

Edited July 18, 2014 by AurianaValoria1

[Flipout6]

Arland stood up. "I can't hear it. Can you tell what they're saying, whether they're alive or undead, common or something else? For all we know the dead might not be dead yet. Or something else survived.

 

"No sense in not being cautious." Sybille said, grabbing her maul from the ground.

"Hey, I think I can hear it." Annette said, being the closest to the rubble of the three of then. "Sounds...high-pitched? Squeaky..."

 

"Hexol?" Arland thought aloud. "Wait, Hexol?!?!"

 

"Hexol! That you?!?!" Sybille shouted. "We're trapped in here until we can blast our way out! You have anyone with you?"

 

She received her answer several minutes later when a massive scorpion cleared a path through the rubble.

 

"Well....I guess rescue's here!" Arland declared. "Hey look, Thri'Kreen. They're not dead this time, either." He gently shook Marie awake while Sybille saw to Weyland, Dri, and Amendale...the latter with pitying regret, seeing how tired he was.

[AurianaValoria1]

Conall jumped to his feet at Zorica's words, and his face split into a grin when Hexol's name was mentioned, "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

 

Dagny hopped off of Argyros's foot in excitement, "Neither am I, and I've never been so glad to see him!"

 

Rhaine, too, grinned widely, patting Lucas's shoulder, "See? Look there...we're almost out already!"

 

The scorpion continued carefully punching through the rubble with its massive claws and stinger, lifting and moving pieces when necessary, until a tunnel large enough for them to crawl through was carved cleanly through. Argyros grumbled, "Mmmhmmm....this form will not do..."

 

With flash of light, the dragon returned to his elven form. He was one of the first to leave the air pocket, his eyes squinting against the brightness of the sun to behold the tiny Hexol standing with a pair of very large Thri-kreen, who, like Arland said, were very much alive. Zorica, Dagny and Conall followed suit, and Rhaine, at last, brought up the rear of the group. They found themselves standing on a rocky outcrop, where what appeared to be the outer wall of the fortress had once risen out of the mountainside.

[josh900]

At the sight of his friends climbing out of what should have been a rocky tomb, Hexol stared at them for a short while before finally speaking. "What were you guys doing down there?" He asked in a painfully confused tone. "I was just here because I found something neat in here a day or two ago and wanted to show my new friends here... But now it's all messed up." He said looking around. "What did you guys do in here?"

 

"See?" Tannin said with a smirk. "I told you all we'd be fine."

 

"Oh don't even start to act like you know that would happen." Azuris growled at the rogue.

 

"No no, I.. can't really say I say that coming. Was positive that we'd have to dig our way out or something. Glad we didn't though." Said Tannin as he crawled out with the rest of the group.

[mythicdawnmaster]

Xallistine and Aurora found their spirits lifted to the heavens as mention of Hexol reached them; could it be that the tiny creature was to be their saviour that day? Rising to their feet with the others and rejoicing with differing levels of elation (the former displaying nothing physcially, the latter jumping up and down despite her heels, cheering and clapping like an excited child) and followed their companions above ground to face the holy radiance of the sun, greeting them with mirth for their triumph over the forces of darkness.

 

"I never thought I would see the day Hexol proved to be our saviour." Xallistine remarked with a chuckle, brushing off his robes and adjusting to the sun with a squint.

 

"Neither did I, but here it is! Rejoice in our saviour, Hexol!" Aurora ran over to embrace the small creature with a potentially crushing hug, stepping back after she had delivered her thanks to survey the rocky outcrop they now stood atop. "Where are we?"

[Deleted6317247User]

Both Nawen and Shalena felt relieved when they got back to the surface. The pirate picked up Hexol and hugged him tightly. "You did great, little guy!" She exclaimed. "I'll buy you a drink once we get to the nearest tavern." Nawen on the other hand simply thanked the kender in her usual not very expressive way.

 

"So where to now?" The piratess asked. "Someplace that has drinks and comfortable beds, I hope." She added.

 

"Can't believe I'm going to say this," Nawen said, "but I agree with Shalena. For the beds part."