Re: Chapter 27: An Equal Share of the Bone
Magnus knows the dangers of setting out as they are, exhausted from fighting and spell casting. Still, the risks of staying are even more stark. Holed away in a cave, with only one way out, it would be easy to storm their locations in number, or even simply trap them where they are and leave them to starve. Magnus is confident in his men and women, though he has the nagging feeling that their luck has played on past its time. Now it's simply time to go.
So the last preparations are made. Lisa casts a healing spell on Rolf, and Rolf does the last of the healing on his own, to the point where the gash in his leg isn't even visible anymore and his leg is working as good as new. Runt untiles the ropes around their captives legs, and jabs his knife threateningly at his chest, forcing him up and into their midst to walk out with them, the look on the boy's face quite serious in he task, despite his captive being nearly twice his height and possibly three or four times his weight.
The caravan moves onward, slow as it is.
Out in the ravine Lisa and Sajaa post guard at the base of the path, their eyes keen on the other cave where they had earlier seen the guard. However, from the time when they first set their eyes out upon the daylight, to when the last of the injured safely stumble down to the base of the ravine, they do not see so much as a single guard or scout.
A stone's throw away, the animals still wait. A few of them pull the rough and sinewy leaves off of river shrubs, other stare blankly at the slowly approaching mass of humans.
Above, the sky has now cleared to a crystal blue, the sun washing off the rocks and dispelling the chill of the midwinter morning.
Runt's prisoner stumbles ahead, his head cast low as he glances feverishly in all directions. For a moment it seems like he might make a break, though a quick shout and a jab from the boy alerts the others who close in at his sides. For his part, the prisoner pleads innocence, and Runt does not notice any other attempts to flee.
Only two hundred yards ahead, the end of the canyon beckons. Beyond the shrubs and the cliff, it leads towards the road ahead and beyond that, home.
OOC: Congrats everyone on the successful mission! The captives have all been rescued (for one of the miners who was taken will tell of a man who came by the cells every morning to take out one or two to be moved elsewhere, out of the caves) and despite the injuries, somehow everyone made it through. Runt also opens the coin bags as they are leaving and notes that most of the 10 are laden with only copper and silver, though one of them in particular is bulging with gold, leaving a total of about $2600 in hard currency (marked in group loot).
Everyone can post a wrap up thread here before I close the thread. Feel free to manage treasure split OOC in the group loot thread as needed. CPs will be given by PM within a few days.