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Description
Last time, the group managed to grab their bearings after such a fight. On top of that, their captors may have made some success...

Story Continuity:

Previously...
Next Part...
Journal entry on previous events...

-

Janaan felt the energies of Halla's healing spell surge through her leg. The dark shadow energies that crippled her leg slowly but surely began to fade away. It was still a painful process. Normally shroud would dissolve from the body naturally, but forcing it out via magic triggered the nerves unpleasantly.

Janaan grunted in discomfort. She held her leg as if she had woken up from a sudden cramp.

"Easy, easy Janaan. Just a little more," reassured Halla.

"Agh...sorry," Janaan replied.

"The more you stay still, the faster this would go."

Aerie remained vigilant, watching from their hiding space. She glanced back and forth, checking on the progress whenever Janaan let out a loud enough complaint. Saffiya watched and observed the mana glow from the outside of Janaan's leg. Once the shroud appeared to dissipate, Janaan and Saffiya let out a sigh of relief.

"Better?" asked Halla.

"Much, better. Thanks." Janaan replied.

Halla took out a roll of gauze and began to wrap up Janaan's leg.

"Boss, what do we do now from here?" Janaan asked, looking at Saffiya with an expression of that spoke determination. Janaan was probably feeling restless to get back at her captors.

"Now? Well, that depends on your state, Janaan. Can you walk?" Saffiya questioned.

"Of course, I agh..."

"Sorry! Too tight?" Halla squeaked.

"No, no. You're fine. Is it done?"

"Yes, you should be alright," answered Halla.

"Mind helping me up then?" Janaan gestured to Halla and Aerie, who was watching the two. Aerie approached and grabbed Janaan by one shoulder, Halla taking the other.

"Don't you slow down on us now, y'hear? I can't get payback from them on my own," Aerie commented with a smirk.

"Heh, you think this'll stop me, fire girl? Just...let me up to my feet," Janaan responded. As she got back up, she shook her leg, which trembled a little.

Saffiya looked at her team, unsure of what should be the next move.

"Boss?"

"We should go back," Saffiya declared.

"What? What do you mean?" Janaan retorted.

"I mean, we should resurface. We might not be ready for this one."

"Boss, with all due respect, if this is about the leg..."

"It's not just that...we were all clearly unprepared for this group. We didn't expect to run into your peers from the guild this way. They managed to capture us, three to four."

"They just got lucky," Aerie added.

"Indeed, and they took that luck and used it really well. What are the chances we'll manage better, especially now that you're at a weakened state, Janaan?"

"I'll walk it off, boss."

"I won't put you at unnecessary risk."

"It's my fault...I let myself get caught first..." Halla added. She bit her lip and looked down guiltily.

"No no, don't blame yourself, Halla. Nobody expected this, not even Janaan," Aerie consoled, taking Halla by the shoulders.

Janaan furrowed her eyes in frustration. She wasn't wiling to give up just yet.

"Boss, I know you're concerned, but we all joined here knowing the risks. If we let them go forward at this point while we resurface, we might not even have anything left to take for ourselves by the time we get back. Who knows what else is down here that they might take before us."

Saffiya faced Janaan, ready with a stern reply. The two women clearly had different concerns to put forward. Aerie looked at Halla silently. Aerie's face said that she agreed with Janaan, but Halla was still looking unsure.

"I....agree with Janaan," said Halla. Saffiya and Janaan turned to Halla, taken aback. "Saffiya, if I may, I joined you knowing all the risks. It might be my first time away from my temple, but I didn't join to give up so easily either."

Aerie turned to Saffiya as Halla finished. "Me three, Saffiya. I'm ready to take what's ours. And this time, we know better. We'll have a better plan. A better approach. Just...don't count us out yet."

Saffiya looked at the three, scanning their faces. It seemed that she really was outnumbered.

"Heh, well as long as everybody's onboard." Saffiya's eyes lit up a little, feeling empowered by her companions. She approached Janaan one more time and looked at her leg. She looked up at Janaan, who nodded back to her in reassurance.

"We'll need to be careful this time," Saffiya spoke. "Janaan, what more can you tell us about our adversaries?"

--- Meanwhile ---

"What does this even mean, Cain?" Snare prodded as she and Cain faced a stone door covered in inscribed messages unrecognizable.

Cain scanned the language for a bit, trying to find something he could make out.

"We might be out of luck here, Snare. I might as well be reading this blindfolded and it wouldn't make a difference," Cane answered.

"Ugh, we were not told that we'd have to deal with....this...ancient scribble business."

"It's not completely unexpected, though. It's not as if we had many ruin-diving jobs in the past" Cain continued to scan the walls for something else. A switch or button or anything that he could interact with.

"Caravans are so much simpler. None of this exploring, just waiting for the right moment." Snare shifted her feet restlessly as she sat on the sand, watching Cain survey the area. She spat on the ground, her venom sizzling the sand before it dried.

"And what challenge would that be? You've ravaged dozens of caravans at this point."

"It was a lot more fun when the treasure came directly after the capturing. Speaking of, why couldn't we just wait for them to come out of the ruins before we attacked them?"

"I told you. We can't afford to risk them losing any artifact down there. What if the ruins collapse while we just waited for them and then poof? We've lost our opportunity and our pay."

Snare sighed deeply. "Is it too late to go back to caravans?"

Cain scratched his chin restlessly. Nothing on the wall seemed interactable either. Scanning the room that he and Snare were in, there was nothing worth noting besides the runes on the walls and floors pointing to this door. He exhaled regretfully.

Just as he was about to kick up a stone, Cain grabbed his bow instinctually, taught with an arrow ready. Snare stood up as well, ready to pounce. The two sensed something from the doorway of the room. As soon as it came closer, Cain loosened his bow as he recognized the presence.

"Raji, what are you doing here?"

Raji stumbled inside, grabbing his lower torso in one hand. He was still reeling from Aerie's kick, it seems. Raji's two companions came closer before he fell to his knees.

"Oh wow, you alright big guy?" asked Snare.

"Yeah...urk...actually not really. That really hurts." Raji took his hand off of his torso to reveal that his top had been burned through and that his skin had been slightly scorched.

"Come here. I have something for that," said Cain. He took a jar from his backpack, containing an ointment. He passed it to Snare, who looked at him questioningly.

"Mind if you handle this, Snare?" asked Cain.

"Why should I? I'm not the one who got burned. He can do it himself." Snare snapped.

Cain's expression remained unchanged as he gestured again with the ointment. Snare groaned as she took the ointment.

"Fine...C'mere you big softie." Snare applied the ointment quite aggressively, making Raji wince slightly.

"Ah, geez. Not exactly the delicate type, eh Snare?"

"Shut up. Just be glad I'm doing this."

"So Raji, they managed to escape, huh?" Cain asked, unsurprised.

"Yeah..."

Cain chuckled a little. "Oh sister, you are still as cunning as ever."

"Shoulda just wrapped them into mummies." Snare retorted, placing more ointment on Raji's burn mark.

"Sorry. I lost them too...but they did retreat back away from here. That's all I can be sure of," Raji continued.

"Next time, I'll be the one guarding the captives," remarked Snare.

"I said I'm sorry. Geez."

"Should we go after them?" Snare asked.

"Hmmmm...it might be troubling letting them run loose..."

Raji stood, nodding to Snare as she finished applying the ointment.

"I'm good, thanks."

Snare tossed back the ointment jar to Cain and joined Raji as he approached the door Cain continued to observe.

"Does it, lead somewhere important?" asked Raji.

"Beats us. We've been at this for a while. We can't read the danged inscriptions on the wall, but that should be enough to say that there IS something important there. Unless, you could surprise us both with what you know about this."

Raji scanned the wall quickly and answered without hesitation. "Nope, can't say I know anything."

"How surprising," Snare remarked with enough sarcasm to roll her eyes back.

While the two exchanged banter, Cain pondered quietly on his next move. He looked at the walls one more time, not being able to let go of his curiosity of them. He wished he had some sort of guide to them. He searched his mind for something to grasp on. Anything.

"The archeologist," Cain spoke, suddenly realizing something.

Snare looked up at Cain. "You finally have an idea, Cain?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes. She might definitely be able to work this out...Raji, how long ago since they escaped?" asked Cain.

"Not too long ago. Fifteen, twenty minutes ago I think. They shouldn't be too far. I managed to paralyze Janaan's leg after all. Oh, did I forget to mention that?"

"Find them," Cain commanded.

Snare smiled widely. "Finally! Time to play hide and seek!"

Without hesitation, Snare ran off into the dark, fangs bared, hissing excitedly. Unsettlingly, despite running off, her footsteps barely made a sound.

"She scares me sometimes..." Raji added.

Cain chuckled. "What's wrong, bud? Don't have a thing for dangerous women?"

Raji looked at Cain, unsure of what to say. "And you do?"

"Why not? She's fun."

The two men both disappeared into the dark as they walked off, surrounding themselves in the shadows. Even in the dark, Cain still felt Raji judging his tastes.

Description
Last time, the group managed to grab their bearings after such a fight. On top of that, their captors may have made some success...

Story Continuity:

Previously...
Next Part...
Journal entry on previous events...

-

Janaan felt the energies of Halla's healing spell surge through her leg. The dark shadow energies that crippled her leg slowly but surely began to fade away. It was still a painful process. Normally shroud would dissolve from the body naturally, but forcing it out via magic triggered the nerves unpleasantly.

Janaan grunted in discomfort. She held her leg as if she had woken up from a sudden cramp.

"Easy, easy Janaan. Just a little more," reassured Halla.

"Agh...sorry," Janaan replied.

"The more you stay still, the faster this would go."

Aerie remained vigilant, watching from their hiding space. She glanced back and forth, checking on the progress whenever Janaan let out a loud enough complaint. Saffiya watched and observed the mana glow from the outside of Janaan's leg. Once the shroud appeared to dissipate, Janaan and Saffiya let out a sigh of relief.

"Better?" asked Halla.

"Much, better. Thanks." Janaan replied.

Halla took out a roll of gauze and began to wrap up Janaan's leg.

"Boss, what do we do now from here?" Janaan asked, looking at Saffiya with an expression of that spoke determination. Janaan was probably feeling restless to get back at her captors.

"Now? Well, that depends on your state, Janaan. Can you walk?" Saffiya questioned.

"Of course, I agh..."

"Sorry! Too tight?" Halla squeaked.

"No, no. You're fine. Is it done?"

"Yes, you should be alright," answered Halla.

"Mind helping me up then?" Janaan gestured to Halla and Aerie, who was watching the two. Aerie approached and grabbed Janaan by one shoulder, Halla taking the other.

"Don't you slow down on us now, y'hear? I can't get payback from them on my own," Aerie commented with a smirk.

"Heh, you think this'll stop me, fire girl? Just...let me up to my feet," Janaan responded. As she got back up, she shook her leg, which trembled a little.

Saffiya looked at her team, unsure of what should be the next move.

"Boss?"

"We should go back," Saffiya declared.

"What? What do you mean?" Janaan retorted.

"I mean, we should resurface. We might not be ready for this one."

"Boss, with all due respect, if this is about the leg..."

"It's not just that...we were all clearly unprepared for this group. We didn't expect to run into your peers from the guild this way. They managed to capture us, three to four."

"They just got lucky," Aerie added.

"Indeed, and they took that luck and used it really well. What are the chances we'll manage better, especially now that you're at a weakened state, Janaan?"

"I'll walk it off, boss."

"I won't put you at unnecessary risk."

"It's my fault...I let myself get caught first..." Halla added. She bit her lip and looked down guiltily.

"No no, don't blame yourself, Halla. Nobody expected this, not even Janaan," Aerie consoled, taking Halla by the shoulders.

Janaan furrowed her eyes in frustration. She wasn't wiling to give up just yet.

"Boss, I know you're concerned, but we all joined here knowing the risks. If we let them go forward at this point while we resurface, we might not even have anything left to take for ourselves by the time we get back. Who knows what else is down here that they might take before us."

Saffiya faced Janaan, ready with a stern reply. The two women clearly had different concerns to put forward. Aerie looked at Halla silently. Aerie's face said that she agreed with Janaan, but Halla was still looking unsure.

"I....agree with Janaan," said Halla. Saffiya and Janaan turned to Halla, taken aback. "Saffiya, if I may, I joined you knowing all the risks. It might be my first time away from my temple, but I didn't join to give up so easily either."

Aerie turned to Saffiya as Halla finished. "Me three, Saffiya. I'm ready to take what's ours. And this time, we know better. We'll have a better plan. A better approach. Just...don't count us out yet."

Saffiya looked at the three, scanning their faces. It seemed that she really was outnumbered.

"Heh, well as long as everybody's onboard." Saffiya's eyes lit up a little, feeling empowered by her companions. She approached Janaan one more time and looked at her leg. She looked up at Janaan, who nodded back to her in reassurance.

"We'll need to be careful this time," Saffiya spoke. "Janaan, what more can you tell us about our adversaries?"

--- Meanwhile ---

"What does this even mean, Cain?" Snare prodded as she and Cain faced a stone door covered in inscribed messages unrecognizable.

Cain scanned the language for a bit, trying to find something he could make out.

"We might be out of luck here, Snare. I might as well be reading this blindfolded and it wouldn't make a difference," Cane answered.

"Ugh, we were not told that we'd have to deal with....this...ancient scribble business."

"It's not completely unexpected, though. It's not as if we had many ruin-diving jobs in the past" Cain continued to scan the walls for something else. A switch or button or anything that he could interact with.

"Caravans are so much simpler. None of this exploring, just waiting for the right moment." Snare shifted her feet restlessly as she sat on the sand, watching Cain survey the area. She spat on the ground, her venom sizzling the sand before it dried.

"And what challenge would that be? You've ravaged dozens of caravans at this point."

"It was a lot more fun when the treasure came directly after the capturing. Speaking of, why couldn't we just wait for them to come out of the ruins before we attacked them?"

"I told you. We can't afford to risk them losing any artifact down there. What if the ruins collapse while we just waited for them and then poof? We've lost our opportunity and our pay."

Snare sighed deeply. "Is it too late to go back to caravans?"

Cain scratched his chin restlessly. Nothing on the wall seemed interactable either. Scanning the room that he and Snare were in, there was nothing worth noting besides the runes on the walls and floors pointing to this door. He exhaled regretfully.

Just as he was about to kick up a stone, Cain grabbed his bow instinctually, taught with an arrow ready. Snare stood up as well, ready to pounce. The two sensed something from the doorway of the room. As soon as it came closer, Cain loosened his bow as he recognized the presence.

"Raji, what are you doing here?"

Raji stumbled inside, grabbing his lower torso in one hand. He was still reeling from Aerie's kick, it seems. Raji's two companions came closer before he fell to his knees.

"Oh wow, you alright big guy?" asked Snare.

"Yeah...urk...actually not really. That really hurts." Raji took his hand off of his torso to reveal that his top had been burned through and that his skin had been slightly scorched.

"Come here. I have something for that," said Cain. He took a jar from his backpack, containing an ointment. He passed it to Snare, who looked at him questioningly.

"Mind if you handle this, Snare?" asked Cain.

"Why should I? I'm not the one who got burned. He can do it himself." Snare snapped.

Cain's expression remained unchanged as he gestured again with the ointment. Snare groaned as she took the ointment.

"Fine...C'mere you big softie." Snare applied the ointment quite aggressively, making Raji wince slightly.

"Ah, geez. Not exactly the delicate type, eh Snare?"

"Shut up. Just be glad I'm doing this."

"So Raji, they managed to escape, huh?" Cain asked, unsurprised.

"Yeah..."

Cain chuckled a little. "Oh sister, you are still as cunning as ever."

"Shoulda just wrapped them into mummies." Snare retorted, placing more ointment on Raji's burn mark.

"Sorry. I lost them too...but they did retreat back away from here. That's all I can be sure of," Raji continued.

"Next time, I'll be the one guarding the captives," remarked Snare.

"I said I'm sorry. Geez."

"Should we go after them?" Snare asked.

"Hmmmm...it might be troubling letting them run loose..."

Raji stood, nodding to Snare as she finished applying the ointment.

"I'm good, thanks."

Snare tossed back the ointment jar to Cain and joined Raji as he approached the door Cain continued to observe.

"Does it, lead somewhere important?" asked Raji.

"Beats us. We've been at this for a while. We can't read the danged inscriptions on the wall, but that should be enough to say that there IS something important there. Unless, you could surprise us both with what you know about this."

Raji scanned the wall quickly and answered without hesitation. "Nope, can't say I know anything."

"How surprising," Snare remarked with enough sarcasm to roll her eyes back.

While the two exchanged banter, Cain pondered quietly on his next move. He looked at the walls one more time, not being able to let go of his curiosity of them. He wished he had some sort of guide to them. He searched his mind for something to grasp on. Anything.

"The archeologist," Cain spoke, suddenly realizing something.

Snare looked up at Cain. "You finally have an idea, Cain?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes. She might definitely be able to work this out...Raji, how long ago since they escaped?" asked Cain.

"Not too long ago. Fifteen, twenty minutes ago I think. They shouldn't be too far. I managed to paralyze Janaan's leg after all. Oh, did I forget to mention that?"

"Find them," Cain commanded.

Snare smiled widely. "Finally! Time to play hide and seek!"

Without hesitation, Snare ran off into the dark, fangs bared, hissing excitedly. Unsettlingly, despite running off, her footsteps barely made a sound.

"She scares me sometimes..." Raji added.

Cain chuckled. "What's wrong, bud? Don't have a thing for dangerous women?"

Raji looked at Cain, unsure of what to say. "And you do?"

"Why not? She's fun."

The two men both disappeared into the dark as they walked off, surrounding themselves in the shadows. Even in the dark, Cain still felt Raji judging his tastes.