Once again I must apologise for the lengthy update time, but time is not an abundant commodity of late. It'll get better soon I promise.
The morning dew still clung tentatively to the grass as the Rangers swept silently across the glade. Jeroihan halted and crouched to inspect a fresh footprint. It was an Orc track, and he cursed under his breath. Calathorn noticed it too and spoke up. "Orcs don't take prisoners, brother. They're gone." Jeroihan bit back a hateful reply, and pointed to a shallow groove next to the track. "Those are drag marks. Why would they drag bodies back to their camo if they weren't still alive?" Calathorn shrugged and replied "To eat later? I don't know what to tell you, but Ruby is gone." Jeroihan sighed and stood up, replying quietly "Perhaps you're right, tell the men to turn back, we're…" A snapped twig caught Jeroihan's ears, as it did with the rest of the Rangers who swiftly drew their bows and aimed in the direction of the sound. A wheezing dwarf charged through the underground, stopping as he saw the Rangers. He bent over to catch his breath, before spluttering to Jeroihan "Farin… wants to see you… that way." Jeroihan nodded and through the dwarf a water skin, who caught it and nodded in appreciation. The group then moved in the direction the dwarf had pointed in, until they reached the ridge of a large hill where Farin and a company of dwarves were waiting. Farin pointed over the crest of the hill and whispered "Over there laddie. Orcs." Jeroihan stole a look in the direction Farin pointed and ducked back down. The entrance to a Dwarven mine was dug into the ground, a great pit carved into the landscape. Signs of Orcish influence stained the land haphazardly around the entrance. Filthy camps crawling with misshapen forms and piles of carcasses dotted the horizon and dark smoke corrupted the virgin sky. Jeroihan signalled for the Rangers to move and nodded to Farin. He nodded back and the dwarves slunk towards the mine in single file, readying their fierce war axes as they crept forwards. Jeroihan signalled for the Rangers to move as well, slinking like shadows after the Dwarves with drawn bows. The Orcs furthest from the mine were taken down silently with precise bow fire, allowing the Dwarves to close with the entrance and delve into the Orc infested mine with the Rangers in tow.
Jeroihan squinted in the gloom and kept a tight grip on his sword. The Dwarves' natural vision was far more accustomed to the darkness than his own, and he had asked Farin to take point and lead the party through the darkness. He had called for no torches to be lit, to prevent the Orcs from noticing them too early and despite grumbling from a couple of the Rangers, and not a few Dwarves, he still pressed the importance of remaining undetected for as long as possible. As they hurried down another long tunnel, Farin signalled to stop and pulled Jeroihan to the tunnel's exit. A grand hall with a large fire awaited the pair, with Orcs covering every inch of the stone floor. Jeroihan scanned the space and noticed a pair of trolls guarding crude cages. He could hear Lothelawen calling out threats to the Orcs closest to the cage and saw the twins skulking in the shadows. In the other cage was Anarion and a few scraps of flesh and bone. Jeroihan turned back and whispered to Farin, "You and your Dwarves take the trolls, I'll take the chieftain. When he dies, most of the Orcs should panic and run. You'll follow the walls to the left until you reach the cages, when you do we'll move." Farin nodded and the pair returned to their men to relay the plan.
The Rangers crept into place, all taking aim at the largest Orc in the centre of the hall. Jeroihan watched motionless as the Dwarves moved towards the trolls, axes covered in dirt and dust to hide their gleam in the twitching shadows from the fire. He pulled back a little harder on the bowstring as Farin neared the monstrous beasts, waiting for him to sink his axe into tough troll-hide and distracting the Orcs so the Rangers could safely strike. He watched the Dwarves raise their weapons, and the next few seconds passed as a blur. As the trolls bellowed in agony, the Rangers downed the Orc chieftain in a flight of arrows and a new type of anarchy spread throughout the hall. Jeroihan shot blindly into the throng of Orcs, noticing Farin pulling the four captives from their primitive prisons, and called for his men to alter their aim and clear a path for the Dwarves to escape. The deadly arrows formed a small corridor that the Dwarves cleaved their way through, bestial howls and grim war cries filling the air. Farin was the last Dwarf to reach the exit and the Rangers began to pull back down the long dark tunnel to the mine's exit.
"Slow down Ranger!" Jeroihan swore under his breath and turned to see Lothelawen scowling at him. "What now, milady?" Jeroihan tried to hide his contempt but Lothelawen was not fooled and shot back, "You know full well what. We can't move as fast as you. We are used to more civilised activities, not sprinting through the woods like savages." Jeroihan smirked and replied as blankly as he could, "The Dwarves can keep up and they've got shorter legs than we have." Farin raised an eyebrow at Jeroihan and returned his half-smile as Lothelawen stared daggers at them both. "Well my companions and I need to rest. We'll camp…" Lothelawen's speech was cut off as Jeroihan hoisted her onto his shoulder and took off at a light jog. "Put me down this instant! I order you to put me down now!" This is highly undignified and extremely unpleasant!" Jeroihan replied quickly as he leapt a fallen tree "I do beg your pardon milady, I was not built for comfort. Now please shut up, there's still Orcs about."