From Rock Bottom

[Squee]

The color black faded through the vision of an old Kindred knight. His eyes were open, but his vision was broken. What happened? Palms laying heavily on the ground holding his weight off his knees and gasping for air, blood and saliva dripping from his mouth, Sidhe attempted to recall the freshly transpired events. He was guarding a caravan, but how did he end up here.

As his vision focused in and colors filled his eyes, so did memories fill his mind. He was riding along in a wagon, off his feet while the other knight had walked. A resting break from the hot sun beating down on his plate covered gambeson short-lived as a loud crash struck his ears. Yes, his rest never finished despite almost being entirely asleep, that explained the brief amnesia.

Only just noticing the ringing in his ears, a few coughs splattered blood on the grass beneath him, curling his stomach in and arching his back in pain, grunts of displeasure interrupted his thoughts. As Sidhe planted his feet in attempt to defend his caravan, he was able to see a few people, they did not appear to be anything special. It was rather unfortunate that he was late to the fight, as the last memory he had was the ground cracking beneath his feet and falling off the cliff they were standing at.

That's right. He fell. How much time did he sacrifice? 3 days. A well worth it trade for a safe landing. finally able to bring himself together, Sidhe took mental note of every part of his body that was in pain. His helmet was gone, knee was in pain, cuts were on his face, and his right shoulder was dislocated. Overall not too bad for falling off a cliff.

Survival instincts kicked in as he examined the area around him. It was a savannah, warm weather, probably getting closer to nightfall. The dry air meant if water was nearby it was upwind, that was north, the opposite of their original destination. No matter, for now that mission was second priority next to survival. Thinking of survival, Sidhe wondered if there were any others that lived through the fall, and if there were perhaps they would know more. "Anyone alive?" He called out loudly, hoping and praying for a response as he held his stomach, blood still dripping down his lips.

 

[Greenie]

"Me... I think..." The reply to the Kindred's question was more of a mumble than an audible question, barely escaping the mouth of the red-headed elf still crumpled to the ground. In all honestly she had thought she would be dead after that fall off the cliff, yet here she was. In pain? Yes. Littered with cuts and bruises along with sand and dirt? That was another yes. But she was alive, and with some effort, she could move once more. Her palms dug into the grass as she pushed against the ground, arms shaking as as she groaned with the effort. She paused momentarily on her hands and knees, head hanging as she took in quick breaths of air, feeling the strain just from this much action.

Everything had been going so well. Their destination had been so much closer that the fatigue of a long journey had been fading, at least for her, at the thought of finally reaching the Sanctuary and finally being able to relax. And now... this.

Another bout of effort, and the elf named Maylee finally managed to push herself up enough to settle down on her knees. Raising her head up toward the sky, she noted that the sky was getting darker. Where even were they? The dryness reminded her a little of her home in the Begix Territory, though not as barren, seeing there was at least some grass here. That would mean there is a source of water somewhere relatively near... hopefully.

It was time to test her legs. Gritting her teeth. Maylee carefully straightened her legs, supporting herself with her hands to the ground as she lifted her body and at last stood up straight... relatively. Her shoulder were hunched over, head drooping as she tried to catch her breath.

"Me..." she called out, this time a little louder. "Maylee... I'm alive. Somehow." She lifted her head, looking in the direction of Sidhe's voice. "Anyone else?" She looked cautiously, hoping there was at least one other survivor among them.

 

[Spekkun]

Algrim existed in a constant state of mild irritation. While the Berserker noble wasn't usually angry, he always seemed to be annoyed by something, some infinitesimal thing always seemed to leave him cranky and frustrated. He was upset enough that he had to ride with the caravan. He would have sent it as was but he didn't trust the journey to go smoothly without him, another thing that irritated him. If you want something done right, you must do it yourself. So, you can imagine how irritated he was when the caravan suffered its fall over a cliff's edge.

Unlike his companions, the fall wreaked far less havoc on his body than it did the others. It left him scraped, kind of bruised and bleeding a little. When he hit the ground, it hurt, but not like it did the others. The impact with the ground did, however, leave him feeling a little stiff and sore. It would be another thing to add to his foul mood, which had skyrocketed beyond mildly annoyed now.

"Of course, I'm alive!" He failed to keep his frustration out of his voice. The large man sat propped up against the side of the cliff they'd fallen over, a hand on his neck as he rolled his right shoulder. "But you look like shit. You worse than her." He looked to the Kindred to the elf. "Definitely worse. But now that you're up."

Algrim stood up, groaning as he did. "We lost a lot of time. Well, they'd lost far more than that. The trip was practically a bust at this point. Whoever had the the...the gall to raid his caravan had a storm of fury coming their way. They would pay in blood for this.

He would see to that.

 

[Squee]

It was hard to stand, but Sidhe managed to wobble himself upright, wincing in pain at his shoulder. He wouldn't be able to pop it back in himself, which would be far more problematic had he been alone. Thankfully, there were 2 other survivors. Examining the wreakage, most of the equipment they had was destroyed in the fall, including his own sword, his favored Kriegsmesser.

Focusing on taking in the observations, Sidhe didn't have much of a response as he glanced at damaged wagon parts and dead bodies strewn about. That is until the Berserker among them started complaining about lost time. Lost time!? It was rather infuriating that the Berserkers largest concern was lost time, as there were clearly far more important things to worry about in the moment. It was difficult to hold a temper, however, as he had his own concerns. "We've lost far more than time. I'm curious as to what it even was we were transporting that warranted an attack of that scale on a guarded caravan." Emphasis on the fact they were meant to be guarding something as bandit attacks were not all that common near the sanctuaries, what with the magic protecting the place seriously narrowing down potential hiding spaces.

"But first..." Swallowing his pride for a moment, he approached the frustrated Berserker and gestured to his arm, "I need some help..."

A dislocated shoulder was not a foreign feeling to this Kindred knight, he knew how it felt to have one lodged back in place prior to this unfortunate event, and he most certainly knew that a shoulder being popped back in place should certainly not hurt this much. True, Berserkers were large and brutish, but they weren't stupid enough to jab a shoulder back into place so violently! A shout of pain which should normally be followed by gasps of relief was instead followed by a struggle for air.

Regardless, now was not the time to be ungrateful. His shoulder was back in place and he could use it again, even if a bit more painfully than should be. "Maylee, the face I remember but your name evaded me," Sidhe spoke, glancing over at her. His gaze shifted over to the larger man, "And you must be Algrim, yes?" It was clear who he was, the 'noble' from Valhalla who was to accompany them. Clearly it didn't do as much justice as their tribal council had hoped. "My name is Sidhe Alvoci Khordre of clan Torydark," Though his clans name probably meant nothing to them, it was a sort of Kindred pride to include it. Technically it would be chivalric to include his knighthood in his title, he chose to omit it. Adding 'Knight of The Circle of Rain' would make it quite a mouthful.

"I suggest we find water before nightfall." A genuine concern that came immediately to mind. They could use wood from the fallen wagon as tinder to start a fire, but to set up a camp with no water would be dangerous. Thankfully, there was grass which meant water. Water that probably ran off the base of the cliff nearby.

 

[Greenie]

Nodding at Sidhe's words, Maylee put a hand to her head, feeling dizzy enough that she thought she might topple over. Thankfully the feeling passed and she stood up straight, letting her hands fall to her side. At least one of them was relatively calm. She looked to the man from Valhalla, wondering whether to address him and this point in time. Even though he had helped the knight with his shoulder, he still seemed irritated, and rightly so. She wasn't one to blow more air into a fire, however, and getting upset would simply make them all hotter and more bothered than they were. Water was their priority, and it would probably help lighten the heated mood of the Northerner.

Maylee herself was used to hot places, and especially deserts... but always with facilities. Eyes narrowing, she let her gaze follow the path of the grass, ignoring the debris as well as the other two for the time being. "Hm..." Deciding it was worth heading that way, she slowly but surely started walking in the direction of the sparse greenery, pausing at intervals to make sure she didn't wander to far away. It wouldn't do to get lost in the wilderness, and especially not alone.

It wasn't too long when she finally came across the source of the green grass, small rivulets trickling down the base of the cliff and heading their separate ways, though not before forming a small pool of water right at the base of the cliff. It was not grand but to weary folk with lives to lose, it was a beautiful sight. Unable to resist, she dipped her hand into the water, gathering a handful and taking a big gulp.

"Sidhe! Algrim! Over here!" She turned away, blue eyes seeming to brighten as she beckoned at them, water droplets flinging off her wet hands. "Water over here!" With that said, she turned back to the small pool and carefully knelt down to drink some more.​

 

[Spekkun]

"So, you didn't hit your head too hard in the fall after all," Algrim confirmed that his name was correct. "Water sounds like a grand idea. My throat is as dry as the land we walk on." Truth be told he meant it as a compliment. He'd not been nearly as hurt as the other two yet they were the first to think about survival more so than revenge. But he didn't hold it against himself, it was a bad day after all.

"Don't worry too much about what we were escorting. Just know it was important enough that we're getting it back." He gave Sidhe's back a slap, eyebrows deeply furrowed. The look on his face was one of anger and concern, but it wasn't aimed at the Kindred. "So make sure you take care of that shoulder. Yer' gonna need it pretty soon."

When Maylee called out that she'd found water, the Berserker gathered himself pieces of wood from the broken wagon before he started in her direction. Despite the amount of grump he was exhibiting, he'd come to the same conclusion that Sidhe had, it would be best to use the wagon remains as firewood. Despite the desert heat during the day, he was smart enough to know that it'd get much colder during the night, and even though he could handle the temperature change himself he knew it'd be better for his company to have the heat of the fire among its other benefits.

"We'll burn this while we get our bearings and figure out our next move." He grunted to Sidhe before heading in the direction of Maylee's voice. He was sure of what needed to be done, they needed to get their hands around the necks of those damn highway robbers and wring the life out of them like water out of a wet cloth. But how they were going go about it was what needed thinking. Ironically, thinking more about the whole thing is what cooled him down some.

The moment he was a close but comfortable distance from the water, he dropped the pile of wood on the ground, pushing the pieces into something of an organized bunch with his booted foot before stomping his way over to the water. He dropped to his knees and stuck both his hands in the water, swishing them around a bit before cupping and pressing them together, scooping up water in his hands and drinking from it.

He wasn't as bothered by the hot temperature as one would think but damn, did this water feel good right now.

 

[Squee]

Maylee was quick to earn Sidhe's attention as she shouted about the water she'd found. Perhaps it was luck that found them close enough to avoid a long travel, however luck had not been so kind to them on this day. Algrim had taken initiative and began collecting wood to burn, making Sidhe feel ever so slightly like a slacker. Instead, he took the time he did have to look for usable equipment as his own sword had been lost in the fall. All he was able to find for usage was a dagger, small but in decent condition considering.

Ignoring the discomfort he found his joints to be in, the old Kindred knight joined Algrim and Maylee, walking rather sluggishly. The problem with old age is that past injuries come back to haunt you like phantoms from ones memories. A fall like this only amplified his nightly pain, his knees shook and his ribs ached. Had Algrim only been more gentle with his shoulder perhaps his elbow would even feel better, a previous tussle with a local beast he'd hunted once rendered his arm broken, and he was being reminded of that pain.

"Thank you," he said, letting the words slide out slowly and silently. He'd done what he could to help them, but he was not the greatest ally to have here. All he could offer for survival was experience, he was not well versed in any magics that would let them survive and only vaguely knew of their area. Approaching the pile of tinder Algrim had left, Sidhe lit it ablaze with but a motion of his hand. A simple fire magic used on the wood, nothing a kindred couldn't handle.

At this point the sun was hidden behind the horizon, though the sky was not totally dark yet. There was no real point in wearing this armor anymore, but as he removed it he was noticing just how many pieces were damaged in the fall. His breastplate rivets were almost completely torn, something he'd not seen due to his tunic. The right gauntlet of his shared a similar story, but more along the lines of it breaking once removed. The steel used to make it was inferior to most alternatives, though this was by design as it took much less stress in combat.

Thankfully, his riveted mail remained fully intact, though there were some few tears on his gambeson. Removing both, Sidhe was in just his trousers, showing a toned chest and a back with scars from being lashed in the past. Proof of his history as a prisoner of war before his time as a knight. His partial nudity was short lived, however, as he replaced his tunic, but washed his gambeson in the water and set it on a rock to dry next to what armor he had left. "I'm under your employment, Algrim," Sidhe spoke, "But don't think that means I will obey just any order. You don't need to tell me what it was we had, but you'd better tell me how you plan on finding them. I'll not waste our time with a wild goose chase." Pausing for a short moment to glance at Maylee, "Are all of us even able to fight after that?"

 

[Greenie]

Maylee had been busy scouring the area as she looked around for what may be some source of food, though her sharp ears followed the conversation between the Sidhe and Algrim. She was slightly worried about the gruffness of the man from Valhalla, though she quite understood the why. Obviously whatever they had been transporting was of the utmost value.

Her blue eyes paused in their search, looking from Algrim to Sidhe, especially after the latter's question. An easy smile graced her face. She knew that her willowy frame wasn't really a confident booster, but she had spent her whole life in harsher climates and had been travelling even before she had decided to join this expedition.

"Don't worry about me, Sidhe," she started, hoping her voice sounded reassuring. "I don't enjoy fighting, it's true, but I'm not the sort who will shy away from it when it's necessary. You can count on me to be of help."

With that said, she looked over to Algrim, head tilted and a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "I mean, I can't force you to tell us what was stolen either... but I don't see the harm in it. It would also be useful to know why, if you have any idea. I'm expecting the more information we have, the clearer our objective... after finding food, of course."​

 

[PoetLore]

Indess Strongblade groaned softly as her brown eyes squinted against the glare of the setting sun. Fighting the haze of unconsciousness that had enveloped her for who knew how long she tried to push herself up from the ground only to find that she was buried beneath some sort of rubble. That failure to move forced her mind to register the weight of the debris that was holding her captive and bring the attack and subsequent fall from the cliff's edge to memory. Her golden tresses were caked with a tint of red where a bump on her head had bled giving it an odd kind of highlighted glimmer in the fading sunlight.

Panicked, she began to struggle against the debris only to realize that the more she struggled, the more rubble fell atop her. Her body instantly stilled as she took inventory of her situation. "Calm down," she whispered to herself. Everything seemed eerily silent and she began to fear that she alone had survived the fall, but then she heard the sound of something being dropped and a voice. She hoped it was a voice, but it seemed to be faint and carried away from her on the wind. Whoever was speaking was calling to ones away from her location. her throat was dry and it was difficult to get a deep enough breath to create much volume but she tried. "HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

She waited to see if there was a response, not sure is the same wind would flutter her call in the wrong direction or not. It was then she realized that she could not feel her left arm. Was the weight of the rocks and dirt causing that or was it gone? She felt pain in most other areas but not her arm. Normally she would try to call to an animal friend but her voice was so weak she doubted even they could find her or be of help. Thankfully the sun began to set behind the trees in the distance and give at least relief from the glare that had been nearly blinding her, as well as relief from the heat.

 

[Spekkun]

Algrim completely understood why they would want to know what was being transported. In fact, in a way, they had a right to know. They'd almost died transporting it and now he was going to demand that they risk their lives to assist him in getting it back. They seemed loyal enough that it would be okay, but he was apprehensive about informing them of the item and his apprehension showed itself as a rather frightening sneer on his face

What's more, he wasn't quite sure he actually had a plan. At the moment, the only thing on his mind was climbing back up that cliff somehow, catching the trail of their attackers and killing them all before securing the object and finishing the journey. To him, it seemed like a simple but sound plan. But something was telling him that might not go over well with the other two. "Well..." He started only to stop.

"HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

The cry came from the direction the trio had just come from. It was weak, but loud enough for him to hear. For a moment, he thought it could be a trap, but whoever attacked them already had what they wanted. He doubted they even believed they were alive. So it had to be another member of his crew, and that meant that this member was probably in just as bad a shape as Sidhe was, if not worse.

His sneer was vanquished by the sudden cry, replaced by a smirk. Ah, good news! "Looks like someone else survived. Good. Makes our job a lot easier." He slapped his knee, spirits obviously lifted by the news. "I'll tell you what you need to know once this last survivor is sitting amongst us." He told Maylee and Sidhe as he stood up, heading back to the crash site. He didn't expect them to follow, though he suspected they might. They were more banged up than he was by far (The fall had given him a pretty nasty crick in his neck) but they were resilient and tough, the reason he hired them.

"I hear ya, I hear ya!" The Berserker called out as he approached the direction of the voice. "If you can hear me, call out again so I can find ya!" He called back, eyes scanning the area for any signs of the person calling for help as he started to search through the wreckage and rubble.​

 

[Squee]

It made Sidhe happy that Maylee was willing to fight, but the fact remains that there were only 3 of them, none of which seemed fit for stealth, meaning the likely strategy would be storming the gates. Algrim and Sidhe would make good enough front liners for this, but even still it would likely be considerably challenging to land such an assault and survive. Whatever they were meant to be caring for was clearly important enough to make Algrim think such actions were not only justifiable, but also necessary.

Though deep in thought about the various implications, his train of thought was thrown off track as the call for help came from what seemed to be a pile of stone. It was surprising there was another survivor. Admittedly Sidhe was surprised as Algrim was the first to jump to the strangers aid, such an act seemed to show something in Algrim that Sidhe had begun to think absent. A little slower to move, the old knight made his way to help in moving the loose stones, gritting his teeth through the pain his shoulder was causing him.

"We're here, we're here!" shouted Sidhe, another survivor was nothing but good news, but before he could celebrate this victory he'd have to see just what kind of condition the source of the voice was in. Burried in stone was not a very good sign, who knows what injuries they may have sustained. glancing briefly towards Algrim he spoke much quieter, "let's first tend to her wounds, this could be bad."

 

[Greenie]

Maylee frowned a little at the sound of another survivor, though not out of displeasure. No, she was concerned. Whoever it was had to have been badly hit to only come back into consciousness now. Who could it have been? She had been friendly with everyone on the journey so far, including Algrim and Sidhe...

Her mind churned information as she hurried after Algrim and Sidhe, heading in the direction of a pile of rubble and rocks and dirt. Hoping this was the last survivor and no one else was stuck in such a precarious situation, she grabbed onto the nearest stone and began tossing them behind her, trying to find the woman beneath the rubble.

"Don't worry," she called, voice calm and comforting, hiding her true worry. "We're here and we'll take care of you. I don't know if you remember, but I'm Maylee. My companions here are Sidhe and Algrim." Hopefully the talk would keep the woman from panicking. "Please stay as you are and try not to move, we'll get you free. Would you mind calling out once more?" If they knew her precise location, it would be easier to get her out of this mess of rock and stone and back to her camp.
​

 

[PoetLore]

Indess heard other voices, though they were muffled by the layers of rubble covering her. She could feel the pressure on her left leg lessening and let out a soft sigh of relief. "YOU ARE CLOSE..." she called out as loud as she could to let them know. It wasn't long however before she realized that the lessening of the pressure brought along with it the awakening of pain.

She was grateful for their efforts but the closer she came to being free, the more her current state of health became clear to her. The bright light of the sun finally shone on her face which was a bit of a scratched and filthy mess and she was able to take a normal breath that filled her lungs. The first face she saw was Maylee's and she attempted to smile, "I do remember you...." she said before a wave of pain sliced through her and stole consciousness from her once again.

Unearthing her they would see that her right leg was twisted under her at an odd, unnatural angle and that the smaller bones of her shin were poking through the skin where her armor had been bent. Her right arm had been gashed open and there was dried blood that could be seen near her elbow. Otherwise, it looked as if her armor had saved her life for there were no other visible injuries aside from bruises and minor scrapes here and there.

 

[Spekkun]

"Aye, good idea. The fall really messed her up." Algrim grunted. His tone implied that it shouldn't have, but that was neither here nor there. He lowered himself before Indess, looking over her wounds, a grimace arising every so often. "I'm going to start with her leg. I'll twist that back into place, and then we can probably move her closer to the water. We'll need something to dress her wounds and maybe make a splint out of too. You two should look for something like that."

"This is gonna be terrible..." He glanced back at Maylee and Sidhe for a moment, a look of uncertainty on his face before turning back to Indess and taking her leg into his hand, using the other to hold the upper half in place, "Well...for her anyway. Good thing she's unconscious." Now he wouldn't have to worry about her bracing herself, or maybe even waking up screaming in pain.

In one swift and fluid motion, the berserker twisted her leg back into its original, God-intended position. "Done." He didn't wait a moment for any reaction from Indess. The moment her leg was in place he scooped her up, careful not to aggravate any more of her injuries than he had to. He started his way towards the water Maylee had found before.