Under the Ash|Libourg, Iver, Sicherlein, Nasuada

[Unter]

Iver sighed. They could at least try to move the kid. He thought he could trust Nasuada with this. She was a woman, after all. She should know something of kids. He moved the torch along the party. It would be better to have another one. If another bloody gush of wind came, they would really be helpless. After all, Nasuada only had so much of clothe. Although, the idea of the woman running around naked from the pigs was amusing. He sheathed his knives in his coat. He really smelled awful.

He was a little bit afraid that beasts were going to attack them while they calmed the kid, with words or with a hit to the head. But what he was really afraid of, was how they would exit. They rushed inside, pushed by the promise of money and rescuing the kidnapped, but Iver didn't think they could climb back up without a rope. Well, maybe he could. He had time to have climb training in the circus. Maybe he could even support the kid on his back. Too bad for the others though. 

Iver couldn't do anything useful : Sicherlein would take care of the knight with Ibrahim, and Nasuada would take care of the kid. So, the dwarf was to be on the lookout for ennemies. He trusted his eagle eyes, but the darkness didn't help. He clutched the torch, and waited as patiently as you can be in the warrens.

[rumsztyk]

"Certainly." Ibrahim offered his aid to Sicherlein, albeit unenthusiastically; his attention seemed to be focused elsewhere.

Watching the group split in two, he could not help but sigh at Libourg's impatience - though the reasons for it were not beyond him.

With the last glance at Nasuada, he left her with the boy. His parting words were: "Make sure the boy comes with us..."

"...by all means necessary." He added more quietly as he followed in Iver's wake.

[relentless]

Libourg faded into a medium shade of dark, with the bloom of Ivers torch twinkling behind, though only faintly. Even still, Libourg would remain shrouded. His teeth were gritted, his stare was fearsome and there was no mistake that he had battle written all over his posture. But then the singsong voice of Sicherlein called out from behind him, stopping abruptly in his steps, and huffing. Quickly, he flipped up his faceplate with a flick of the hand, and turned halfway to face her with a dark, neutral expression with bored bloodshot eyes staring back at her, before making a few steps back from whence he came so he could be somewhat more visible, and to see her, and Ibrahim more clearly.

Eventually, Libourgs face would contort into a fixture of suspicious, distrusting the woman after her recent attempt to kill Libourg for a 'joke'.
"We're leaving, are we not? Or are we dead set on waiting around to 'save' this stupid kid? One that resembles a corpse more than anything else?"
Libourg spoke out in rejection, and paranoia. His mace was braced by his side, fingers curling around the grip, as he looked down at her.

"A waste of bloody time, coming down here, slogging in all this shit."
The crusader kicked lazily at the mud beneath his heel, sending it into a wall before he stared back at the woman with utter disgust, and the occultist with equal rejection.
"The only thing that has happened is that youtried to kill me, and that one of those foreigners like the one next to you-"
He waved his hand dismissively to Ibrahim, as if batting away a fly.
"-has no doubt cursed me with blinding thought of the pigmen. Unless you can hear them too? Which I bloody well doubt. And Iver? Who knows what that runt took from my pockets..."
He spat accusingly, the expression of hatred falling short, if but for a moment, with despair falling through as he shrugged and leaned against the stone wall. Emotions had tired him out, minor and extreme ones. He was all but spent, diminished. His drive to fight such feelings cast away like a burnt torch as he succumbed under the pressure of thoughts, both malice and depressing.

"There's no use anymore... s-she... she's already dead, just like Roderick... just like... gods, I can't even remember his name it's been that long..."
He croaked, a glint of a crystal tear forming in his left eye before he brushed it away, and remain steeped in afflicted silence.

[Vanitypirate]

Jack:
Jack wore an expression of absolute terror as the red-eyed demon knelt close to the grate. His eyes followed the bear and lit up with recognition, though he still refrained from scooting forward to claim the toy.

Instead, he looked to Nasuada and demanded,

"Where is she?"

[Vanitypirate]

The Hall:
Beyond the two-meter glow of the torch the dark became significantly oppressive; it was as though the only two states it could be were either fully lit up, or dark as pitch.
It was strangely quiet, down the hall, and the squeals of the pigs were silent. What was beyond was a mystery.

[The Carrying Blade]

Of course he would ask, why wouldn’t he, a terrified kid would want his mommy safe, anyone would. It would be of no use to Nasuada to lie to the kid, after all the corpse of his mom was still on the ground outside his house and she doubted anyone had cleaned it up in the short time they’ve been down here. But how to word it, that was the problem, how to tell him his mom was gone in a way he would be willing to trust her?

“I don’t think you want to hear this....I will say it anyway, you deserve to know. Me and a friend, not anyone with me now, were talking to her, finding out what happened to you, she wanted us to find and save you, and we promised as I said. But...there was a masked man, came out of no where.” Nasuada stopped, she was hesitant to finish, afterwards saying her words slowly and choosing them as carefully as possible to lay the truth out for Jack.

“He...he took your mom’s life, she’s...she’s gone. I’m sorry. We did avenge her, I promise, we didn’t let the man escape, we made sure he paid for your mothers...passing. Will you please come with me? I really do want to get you out of this place, out of the dark, to the hospital in the Hamlet. She would want you to live, let me say again that I will not let anymore harm come to you Jack, just please, let us leave together.” She finished, pushing the bear just a little bit more forward, wanting Jack to grab it so he could show he trusts her, so that she wouldn’t have to resort to anything violent or forceful just to get the kid out of here.

[Vanitypirate]

Jack:
The boy said nothing in return.
His arms slacked and he dropped the glass with eyed glazed over and staring at the floor.

Jack surrendered himself to whatever lay ahead and made to crawl outside to follow Nasuada.

[The Carrying Blade]

“There we go, that’s it, here, just keep close and if you can’t walk I’ll hold you, here’s your bear Jack. Tell me if you need anything okay? I can’t say I know how you feel, but I swear your mom will get a proper burial and if you want you can see her...after getting her cleaned up, got it?” Nasuada spoke encouragingly, she let a smile envelop her face as she got the boy out of his dark hole, making sure to get rid of any large clumps of gunk and crap off him, being careful around his wound.

[Bloodtrailkiller]

/Sicherlein/

She chewed her lip anxiously, worried now that Ibrahim trailed off with Iver. They weren't far but a plated man could move quick... And without a lit torch, she sighed, the sharpness of reality slipping away to a vague numbness again.
It didn't matter, Ibrahim or Iver could be right next to her and they'd still be too slow.

Her expression steeled for a moment, and she shut her eyes as she slipped the torch into her belt; opening her predescribed kyanite eyes that glimmered in the distant torchlight with an sharp cunning. But now, it was a touch hazy from her foray with her crystals, and perhaps some bit of genuine kindness. Sicherlein's features had drawn low, smiling but sympathetic to Libourg's plight as she took a careful step towards the Knight making to offer her hand;
"I'm sorry... I had not thought you to fall." She admitted with a little incredulous laugh, she shook her head and glanced off to the group, to Ibrahim... She hadn't been aware the man had been slinging curses. Sicherlein's memory was more on the darkness made manifest... The tangible magicks that threatened to rip apart her mind even now.

She squeezed her eyes shut to refocus her mind, opening them again to peer up at Libourg as she made to circle around so her shadow wouldn't be cast over him from the distant torchlight. She made to beckon him forward now,
"But yes; we're on our way out... But we need you to stick close." She explained with a bit of steel, though her own hope wavered some as the man explained his plight. She had suffered to lose very few, but she knew the pain. It was enlightening to see that the men in steel wept like the rest.

"Once we are free of The Dark, perhaps we can search again for your Celeste... At the very least, we can gather strength, resources and seek vengeance upon them!" She tried her best to sound valiant, remembering the knights that would ride through her Father's coutyard in summer tourneys and melees. She nervously giggled again as she pulled the point of her cap down a touch out of shame and to hide her glance off to Nasuada and the party; if she was to be bludgeoned to death, she would hope at least one of them might see it.

\\

[Unter]

Apparently the kids were being taken care of. Sicherlein took care of hers, with soothing word that had a chance to infuriate the knight even further. Iver didn't really know in fact. He just met the knight. And he didn't know if Nasuada was making progress, but she should hurry. For now, he was the only one with the torch. The torch was the only thing that separated them from pending doom.
They could lost this salvation at any moment, and they were just standing here, exchanging smooth words. Maybe they wanted tea over it ? Faen fools. They should hurry. And now ! He talked, loudly enough so that everyone in the party could hear him.

"Alright. If maybe we are finished here we could get the fuck out of here ? And get those torches burning ! I'm not going first into that hell-hole, i'm telling you. Are you done Nasuada ? Don't you see we're waiting for you !"

He waved the torches around, to exorcise the impatience. Sitting around in a pig's den wasn't healthy for anyone. A pig's den ! What a joke. 

[rumsztyk]

"A 'foreigner' has cursed you." Ibrahim scowled openly, a rare sight. "Is that truly who you have us for? A gaggle of ne'er-do-wells, slinging cursed and uttering hexes to harm a fellow man? Just because our skin is of a shade of brown? Just because we do not share your beliefs? Is this what you think, knight!" His voice steadily rose before abruptly stopping, healthy hand contorting into a fist. His breathing got sharp and quick. "You will do wisely to close your racist mouth." The occultist blurted out with speed.

As much as he found Sicherlein repulsive after what she did to the knight, he had to nod at her words. "Let us begone from this pit. The sooner the better."

He even forgot about the boy, entrusting him fully to Nasuada. His steps got faster and he made his way forward with renewed 'enthusiasm'.

[Vanitypirate]

The exit:
Evidently, it existed.

It would be significantly more detectable by those who made a habit of exploring tunnels and ruins. Like the world's breath, fresh air billowed down from a friendlier-looking tunnel with a less impossible incline. It was about wide enough to accomodate two people walking side-by-side.
The end was near.

Jack:
Numbly he took the bear and held it in the crook of his elbow after looking it over with some mild disinterest.
He stayed quiet as he followed Nasuada outwards.

[relentless]

Libourg didn't want to face her directly, his eyes stooped low to stare at her feet, though he nodded a few times in recognition of her attempts at kindness. Somewhat, the anger was subdued, but most importantly, the curse seemed to had worn off. Either the unsusual rogues soft and sweet words removed them from his mind, or perhaps it merely wore off. Eventually, the broken Crusader looked up at her, and gave her a reluctant nod of appreciation.

"-i... thank you, Miss Sicherlein... compassion is a rarity, even in such desperate despair."
Libourg replied, giving no semblance of compassion in his facial expression, only a brief tremor of sadness and gratefulness in his voice as he turned back around, to face the tower of shadow once more than enshrouded them.
"Let us make haste... perhaps we scared the rest of them off, deeper into the burrows when we slew their champion. But for the boys safety, I would rather not put that under chance after it let out its last, dying breath."
Libourg suggested, his tone hushed, yet recovering somewhat. Though it was clear the man was on the verge of snapping, his boiling point was just cooled down. With a slow breath, he glanced up toward the darkness, before he sniffled and shut his faceplate down; only his eyes could be perceived through the visor, bloodshot but in some sense, fearsome.

Though, his words of sincerity were silenced as the occultist spoke out, his helm turning toward him with a glare. But, the glare was not normal. It held a malice, a vicious, almost insane tint of crimson inside his blue iris. He turned to face the man fully, taking a step back toward the exit that was in sight.
"Pah, the words of an infidel have no place in my ears. Keep your incantations at bay, slug."
Libourg spat at him with a deliberate disrespectful tone, eyes furrowed and boring down at Ibrahim as if he were nothing. Unable to stand the sight of the witch, he turned his back to him, and began to move toward the exit with purpose, a hand grappled around Ibrahims shoulder and shoving him back with no care for safety upon the rocky climb toward the exit.

"If you were the bewitcher, do not think to curse me again, else thy should pray I don't burn you at the stake."
Libourg snapped at him, a parting glint of a harsh, utterly unforgivable glare as he disappeared up the tunnel, helm now facing the sweet fresh air that promised escape from this hell hole.

/Libourg has exited the Warrens/

[Bloodtrailkiller]

/Sicherlein/

She winced at the biting exchange the Occultist slung, the small slurs were no doubt born from the stress and trials of this expedition but they stung all the same. Sicherlein wasn't opposed to them, and it seemed there were some deeply rooted offenses in Ibrahim.
"Let's not make this any larger than it is, mein kamarad. Once we are out, then we can say how vile we all are, ja?" she proposed quickly, as her attentions shifted to Libourg again with a sigh.

She hoped he'd be alright, sincerely. She didn't know much of the faith, but she respected it, and hated to see it driven out of a man who'd been virtuous.
Still, her moment of sympathy passed and she took an emboldening breath, as deep as she dared with the foul odour of the Warrens haunting their every inhale.

Though his sudden outburst towards Ibrahim caught her off guard, she didn't move to stop either of them. At this point, as she made to follow Libourg's ascent, Sicherlein just wanted some measure of profit to be had.
She'd spared Lekalis enough time.

\Sicherlein makes to exit the Warrens\

[Unter]

Ah, finally ! An exit ! Iver didn't even bother to hear the Knight's rant. He approached the beginning of the exit. But before that, he had to stop and talk to Nasuada.

"Are you coming Nasuada ?" He smiled at her. A cold, cold smile.
"Oh, maybe you want to go back for that monolith that we passed nearby. Too bad you need to check on this kid... really, that's a bummer. Oh well, plenty of fish in the sea right ?" He smiled again, face bleaming in the Torche's light, and pushed onward to the exit.

|Iver leaves the Warrens|