We made our way out towards the caves, our band of six providing quite the racket from half our number. Numen would occasionally frown, probably thinking on how she might soundproof plate armour against the forest background, then simply giving a wry smile.

The caves were fairly obvious, dotting the hill that we were coming up towards. Numen and I had scouted it out first, a few guards dotted the hills. Once we got closer we also found a few patrolling the perimeter. Numen gestured to the ones on patrol, I nodded, slowly crawling up behind them.

Numen instead searched for a good spot to take aim at the guards on the hill. She settled into position, bow readied. I stood and wrapped my left hand around the first one’s mouth, jerking him back onto my dagger. The dagger sunk into his chest, and he gurgled as it pierced his lungs and tore his heart. I lay him down before removing the dagger, letting the blood spill onto the earth.

The other sentry had just about turned around, I ran forward, tackling him to the ground. “Who?!” He had the presence to scream out as I drove the dagger into the back of his skull. He spasmed once then was still. I was getting better, less hesitation, my strikes more precise. It unnerved me that I had been so calm, my mind clear of all thoughts but what I needed to do.

I turned to look at the other sentries on the hill, none were left standing. Nice work. I thought, nodding to Numen. We signalled to the others, and they tromped over. Azarint nodded approvingly, then looked to the openings. “I assume we’re entering using the guarded entrance?” He asked, looking to a sentry that seemed to have been guarding one of the entrances.

I looked over. It certainly seemed the logical choice, all the cavern walls were coarse, no smoothing or anything having been done. The guard’s blood slicked the sole of my boots, I looked down at him, his eyes wide in fear, the arrow embedded into his chest. He was dressed in leathers, and had a bow of his own, discarded now onto the rocky ground.

I followed the others into the caves, and the lights dimmed, blocked by cavern walls. The only light filtering in from the entrance, and that rapidly dimmed as we descended. Qent started a dim light, floating it beside us to light the way. “Strange that there aren’t any torches.” Whispered Numen.

“Yes, it’s unlikely they’d be passing out torches to everyone in their little bandit group.” I whispered back, as we rounded a corner to pitch blackness. The path seemed to fork.

“Maybe we used the wrong entrance?” Rince supplied, padding up behind us, his armour not making too much sound against the rocks. We approached the intersection and I slowed down.

I shook my head. “The guards weren’t guarding anything else, the more I think of it the more certain I get. The only other…” I trailed off, as a deep rumbling suddenly sounded as laughter echoed.

“Move!” Azarint bellowed, pushing Frejr and Qent forward as the tunnel started to crumble, I stumbled forward as a falling rock struck my back, threatening to knock me flat. I stumbled to my feet, turning to see Numen and Rince raising their hands against the dust and rock. I slung out a strip of the Liaen I’d bound around my forearm, wrapping it around the two, and jerking them forwards.

More rocks fell to the demented accompaniment of laughter, I ran along the path. Frejr and Qent had taken the other fork and were nowhere to be seen. The dust slid off my faceplate, occasionally worming their way in through the air valves as I was buffeted by air and debris. I gave a hacking cough, leading Numen and Rince forward. Rince shouted behind me, a rock had struck Numen on the head, she fell and was caught by him, he dragged her forward.

I hesitated for only a second, rushing back to help carry her to safety. Rince’s helm and my own protected us as the rocks fell on us, while I shielded Numen with my shield. The tunnel stopped crumbling. “It was a trap.” I said between coughs.

“Yeah, and you fell for it like idiots.” A voice taunted from the shadows. My pick had been knocked free, I drew my sword instead, and faced the five shadowy figures, illuminated by a single torch. “Not surrendering? I’m going to have fun with you when we’re done.” Another said with a laugh.

“Really? I don’t…” I started, then leapt forward in a flash. They involuntarily jerked back, surprised. No one expects you to interrupt yourself. I recalled, more a lesson to learn about dodging telemarketers, but still useful here. My sword swept into their leader, a glancing blow that carved a gouge into his collarbone. The other two tried to strike me, and I rolled diagonally, spinning again to deliver a sharp strike to the back of the left one’s knees.

He screamed, his leg buckling from under him. I blocked the next strike with my shield, deflecting it aside as I drove the sword into the leader’s chest. The leather slowed me for one second, then it tore through, I pushed him into the man on the right. They fell onto the ground as I kicked him to dislodge the blade. Someone grabbed my ankle and pulled, causing me to lose my balance and fall.

I rolled to face up, resting the shield against my right arm in time to stop the axe from splitting my face. The bastard still clung to my foot, I shifted the angle of the shield, letting it slide off, as I shoved my blade up the man’s groin. His screams almost made me feel sorry for him.

I tensed as another man seemed to consider doing the same to me with a spear. Rince barrelled into him, his spear catching the man in the throat. Nice save. I thought, letting go of the sword to sit up, I twisted, putting more force behind the kick I sent into the man’s head. It took two before his grip loosened, and I rolled upright, and an axe glanced off my back, I winced and rolled up.

I drew the dagger from its sheath, stepping in close to the second axe wielder, gripping his axe by the haft I twisted it aside, pulling myself closer to sink the dagger into his chest, then drawing it out to plunge it in several more times. I ducked as a rustling came close, then jammed it into the throat of the leader, evidently the sword thrust hadn’t been enough. Rince ended the man crawling on the ground, and we stepped away from the corpses.

“Brail.” He breathed. “You… wow.” I took several deep breaths, my right shoulder was probably bruised from the rubble, as was my back and the side of my head. The axe strike hurt something, though I couldn’t yet tell what. “Numen!” Rince darted back to her side.

Her head wasn’t bleeding, but there were a few cuts, her forearm was broken, one of the bones shattered by the falling rocks, along many bruises. Rince uncorked a healing potion, bringing it to her face. My hand darted out, gripping his arm firmly. He looked at me, startled.

“She’ll choke on it if you do that.” I said. “She’s unconscious, when she breathes it’ll go into her lungs.” I took it from him carefully, then thought for a moment. I drew out a piece of the Liaen, one I’d set aside for bandaging, and tore a small strip. I changed it just a bit, hopefully it’d be like gauze. I poured a little of the potion onto it, letting it soak in, then placed it against her mouth and squeezed it a little, letting it trickle onto the side of her mouth. Hopefully less risky. I thought.

“Don’t use too much of it at once, it will choke her.” I continued, handing him the piece. “I’ll scout ahead and see if I can find Frejr, Qent and maybe Azarint.” He nodded numbly, slowly repeating what I’d done to Numen. I moved onwards, carefully.

I hadn’t taken the torch, the light would give away my position, besides, I could easily use Sense to map out the caverns. Much like a bat really. I thought to myself as I continued, accompanied by naught but the dripping of water and the occasional sound of wind.

Voices began to echo down towards me. “… else was… you?” The voices were indistinct, sometimes too soft to hear. “How… are… going to…” The voice was exasperated, and as I moved closer, rounding a corner, it became distinct. “Tell me who else was with you.” The voice intoned, and I could hear the growl that he used as an undercurrent.

“I’m certain you will meet them soon enough.” Frejr replied, evenly, without rancour. “How did you know we were coming?” She asked, I could imagine her gaze, steely, determined. How had she been captured? I wondered, moving towards the shaft of light now visible from where I was.

It was a hole formed of the rock, too small to crawl through, but through it I could see Frejr, Qent and a few others. Frejr’s helm and gauntlets had been removed, and her sword taken from her, placed a short distance away behind the bandits. Delving told me I could teleport to grab her stuff, but I didn’t have a good point I could exit from to hurt them, and I couldn’t get my whole body through the portals I made. I gritted my teeth, Qent looked unconscious, the tunnel collapse I assumed.

“Why would I tell you that?” The bandit said, arms folded. “Let’s just say we have eyes and ears in places you haven’t thought of.” There was a smugness to his voice, and I imagined he was smiling. “Oh and I know I’ll meet them soon enough, our guys are fetching them, how well do you think they managed against the tunnel collapse? Maybe we won’t even have anyone to grab.”

“I assume you set the trap early, and that your mage is a Sensitive.” She said, looking them in the eyes. “You underestimate the others. You’ll regret that in short order.” Her voice carried conviction I found myself hard pressed to match. She’s very… brave. I thought to myself, quickly moving to continue, hopefully I’d be able to prove her right, before they decided to kill anyone.

“Yeah yeah…” The bandits replied, their tone didn’t match their words though, slightly unsure now. I grinned, she has quite the effect on people. A torch announced the first person in my way, standing around in a small cavern, he sat on a rock in the centre, bored and staring at the walls.

I considered the situation, he was directly facing the tunnel I was in. While he couldn’t see me due to his own torch (rather ironic), once I left the tunnel I would easily be spotted. I turned, grabbing one of the stalactites, wrapping a layer of the Liaen on part of it, I snapped the hanging section. A quick look confirmed that he had heard nothing.

I took several steps to the right, stooping slightly before swinging my arm, angling it so that I could Shift it behind him. It struck against the cavern wall, clattering to the ground. The bandit stood with a jolt, turning to face the sound. I rushed forward, slowing as I came up behind him, I kicked at the back of his knee, and as it buckled I slammed his head against the rock, pinning him against it.

I hadn’t done it hard enough to knock him out. That’s good. I thought to myself, leaning down to place my dagger against the back of his skull. “Don’t shout. Whisper.”