Chapter 12: Into the Mine

Upon reaching the mine they found their suspicions confirmed. Half drunken bottles of mead were strewn haphazardly about the entrance. Seems that they had been drinking, but tossed them aside before meeting them in battle. Ralof picked up a bottle and quickly downed what remained. Silva could only gape at him slack jawed.

"What?" Asked Ralof innocently. "I could use the refreshment after that last battle."

"Yeah," Said Kriger after joining him in taking a swig. "You should drink too, it'd help boost your stamina."

Silva just shook her head. "No, I think I'll pass." She wanted to point out the dangers of drinking after the bandits, not knowing if they had any illnesses, but decided against it. 'Tis' not like they'll harken to me.' She thought. She was also impressed by how much her nordic friends liked to drink. 'Do all nords drink this much?' She wondered with a wry smile to herself.

The two nords just picked up another half empty bottle. "Suit yourself." Said Kriger before downing the mead.

Arliss picked up a bottle, and was about to lift it to his lips when Silva stopped him. "Arliss, no!" Immediately he lowered the bottle and looked at her curiously in silent question. "You know not what sorts of ills-" She stopped herself recalling that Arliss was a pawn, and pawns don't ail. "Tis' a nasty habit," She corrected. "And not one I'll have you learn." Arliss seemed confused so she elaborated. "There's naught wrong with drinking and revelry, but with some temperance, and now is not the time for-" She stopped when she noticed the two nords staring at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing much." Kriger snickered. "I'm just wondering if you're his wife or his mother." Ralof apparently found this hilarious as he spit his drink and ended up in a fit of coughs and laughter.

Silva flushed in embarrassment. "Tis' not-" She stuttered. "We're not-" As she thought about it she wasn't sure if she could deny mothering him. Pawns were oft like children and as she traversed Gransys she had taken a role in which she oft felt like a care taker rather than a warrior. She wondered then if she had overstepped her bounds.

Seeing as how she was having difficulty speaking, Arliss decided to help her out. "The Arisen cannot be my mother, I have existed before her." He said simply, his mind going back to his existence in the rift before he was called into a world for the first time. He quickly put those thoughts to a halt; now was not the time to reminisce, although it was strange. Memories usually had little meaning for him unless they contained useful information such as bestiary knowledge, and tactics, yet he was drawn to one that had naught of use to draw from. 'How curious.' He mused to himself.

Ralof chuckled a bit, but Kriger narrowed his eyes. "You always take everything so seriously?" Asked the more spirited of the two nords.

Arliss glanced at his Arisen, and stilled. She seemed even more ill at ease than before. He realized then that there must have been something odd about what he said. He hoped it wasn't too inhuman as to out him. Looking back to the two nords eying him he knew he couldn't just remain silent. Ralof still seemed to have that same air of brevity, but there was something about Kriger's eyes that told him to be cautious with his words. "Is that so strange?"

Ralof scratched his beard. "Well, I guess so." He said. "I've never met anyone who's always taken everything so straight before."

"It makes me wonder what kind of life you've lived up to now." Kriger said abruptly. He had grown tired of getting more questions than answers and had decided that now seemed like a good chance to change that. "Up till now we've only heard Silva speak." He could swear that he saw the two foreigners pale at his words.

Ralof's face lit up. "Come to think of it, he's right." He downed another bottle and leaned against a tree. "I could use a short break before we head into the mine. How about you tell us a bit about yourself?" Out of the corner of his eye he caught a very pleased looking Kriger, and gave his fellow nord a cheeky grin with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Don't get too comfortable kinsman, you're next!"

Kriger mentally cursed his rotten luck, and shot Ralof a nasty glare. He guessed then that maybe the rebel was sharper than he looked, and he wasn't happy about it. He wasn't exactly looking forward to sharing information about himself, but he decided he wouldn't let that ruin this chance to learn more about the inhuman pawn.

"So, are you from Cassardis too?" Ralof asked. "How did you two meet?"

Arliss glanced at Silva who was understandably anxious. She knew the potential dangers of letting her oblivious pawn speak, but it didn't look like she had a choice. Their eyes met and she could only give a nervous, but solemn nod. With his permission to speak granted Arliss knew he had to answer carefully. He looked at the two expectant nords and spoke. "No, I'm not." He knew he could have said 'yes' but he also knew the dangers of telling too many lies. "We met at an Encampment not far from Cassardis." He said honestly, while trying his best to not glance at his Arisen. "I had ne'er left it afore, not till after we met and began our travels together." It was all technically true so far.

"An encampment?" Asked Kriger.

"Were you born there?" Asked Ralof. "What was your family like?"

Arliss paused a moment, thinking of how to answer. "I suppose so?" He said awkwardly after a short, uncertain pause. "An encampment is akin to a fort." He explained. "It had been built as a bulwark against monsters; goblins most like. Twas also where men were being gathered to-" He paused momentarily as he realized that he probably shouldn't mention the dragon, he decided to change the course of his words. "The duke was calling for soldiers to join his ranks in order to face dangers such as the growing monster population." He glanced at his Arisen who seemed to be calming down, she must have been gaining trust in his ability to handle a few questions. Feeling a newfound sense of pride Arliss tackled Ralof's questions with surprising confidence. "I had no family, and knew not of the world outside the walls of the encampment till after meeting with the Arisen." Mixing small lies amidst vague truths, Arliss was handling himself well.

Ralof's face softened in empathy. "So you were an orphan?" He asked. "Who raised

you?"

"Yes." Arliss lied, he hoped it would hold up. At the next question though he had to stop. His life or existence was not at all like other beings. As a pawn he didn't age, and as such he had no childhood to speak of. He just was. "We pawns-" He started, then stopped; furrowing his brow in frustration. "Our purpose-" Once more he stopped, trying to find the right words. "We are in a sense; Myrmidons."

Kriger weighed the word carefully in his mind. "Myrmidons?" It felt strange on his tongue, but he at least felt that he was getting more information. Still he couldn't help noticing the Pawn's growing difficulty speaking, along with the lingering pauses. He wondered then if his past was a hard one to visit, or if he was just choosing his words carefully. The normally blank faced mans brows were furrowed and his lips were thin pressed into a tight grimace. He found that he couldn't tell which was more likely; although, he had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that the latter was more likely the truth.

"Essentially a type of subordinate, or sell-swords." Arliss surmised after a bit of internal turmoil. "We pawns aren't raised like most others." In the end he opted for limited truth. "As such I didn't experience a childhood as you would say, but-" He paused again not knowing how he planned to continue.

"It's all right lad." Said Ralof. "You don't need to say anymore." He put a hand on his shoulder and offered a sympathetic smile that looked more grim than he had meant it to.

Arliss was shocked, but he schooled his face as not to let it show. Based on Ralof's reaction he could only assume that he had somehow without realizing it managed to appeal to the nord's sense of empathy. 'Empathy; a most interesting human trait, or ability to understand and share the feelings of another.' He couldn't help but muse at the irony that the nord's empathy was reaching into feelings that he himself didn't actually have. "Thank you?" He spoke unsurely, hoping that his reaction was appropriate. He stepped back, thinking of how useful Ralof's empathy had been. 'Surely I must learn more about this human emotion so that I may continue to make use of it.' A certain memory of a broken Arisen and a rift came to mind. 'Was it empathy that I had lacked then?' He wondered. 'Was that the human trait that could have helped her?'

Silva was grateful when the questions ended. "Alright, I think we've dallied long enough." She looked up at the cloudy afternoon sky wondering how much longer the daylight would last. "We ought head into the mine afore they realize that their guards are dead."

"Alright." Ralof gripped the wooden door, turning to his friends he asked, "Are you ready?" The others only nod in response, knowing that the time for repose is done. He grins. "Then let's get going." Without another word Ralof opens the gate and heads in, followed by Kriger.

Arliss was about to head in when Silva grasped his sleeve. He turned to her curiously. She offered a pleased smile. "Good work." She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Stepping forward she leaned in. "You did well." She whispered before following the others into the mine.

He couldn't help feeling his pride swell at her praise. As he followed her into the mine he could almost swear that he could feel the corners of his lips tugging up, just a bit. Quietly he spoke, not knowing if she would hear him or not. "I aim to please, Arisen."

Upon entry they quietly shut the wooden door only for parts of the ceiling to come crashing down in front of them. They stiffened and watched with bated breath until the dust eventually settled.

"Are you certain we ought be here?" Asked Arliss.

Ralof hushed him, and hissed for everyone to be quiet.

"You really think they didn't notice that?" Asked Silva in a whisper.

Ralof could only shrug. "Caves collapse all the time."

They remained still for a time. Not speaking, or moving in the hopes that they might remain hidden from whoever might be in the mine. Seeing as how no one came to check the entrance they relaxed, and finally let themselves breathe a bit. Cautiously, they began taking a few timid steps, hoping that they don't make noise, or worse; end up crushed by dirt and rocks.

Silva looked about the mine, taking in the scene. She was surprised to see how well lit it was. There were a few torches on the walls that provided ample visibility. She looked to Arliss who was using his staff as a walking stick to help him navigate the uneven terrain. She was grateful that he had opted not to use the lantern this time. Not only did they need to preserve what little oil they had left, but the light would be a dead give away to their presence.

Kriger shook his head. "Watch out for traps." He hissed. When the others turned to him he motioned to a tripwire, as well as a cart filled with rocks atop a wooden ramp. The others nodded. Honestly Kriger wanted to laugh at the foolish bandits for thinking that their traps laid out in the open would do them any good. 'Amateurs.' He thought, although he knew that he should still be cautious. "Keep your guard up." He warned. "There may be more that are better hidden."

The traps as it turned out wouldn't have been any trouble either way as they were not hidden at all, and were easily avoidable. Arliss and the Arisen hopped effortlessly over them with a practiced movement while the others just walked around them.

They all stiffened when they started hearing voices. They inched cautiously closer till they could see the cave open up. There was a wooden bridge over a body of water. One side was going up into the air, likely as a means to prevent outsiders from passing. The other side led to a small area with slightly lowered elevation; it was here that they could see the two rogues who were in the midst of an argument.

"Aren't you worried someone's going to come in here?" The first bandit asked. "The entrance is not exactly hidden you know."

At these words Kriger and Silva had to stifle a groan, and settled with giving Ralof dirty looks for all the backtracking he made them do. Ralof could only offer a sheepish grin and a shrug in response.

"This again?" The other bandit said exasperatedly. "I told you, we have guards out front, and don't forget those traps we set up."

The first bandit didn't seem very convinced. "I don't know."

The other rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop your worrying and get some rest." He ordered. "Your shift is coming up, and I don't want you falling asleep like last time."

The first reluctantly agreed and laid onto a small patch of fur on the floor. A bedroll as the nords called it. The other walked up onto the bridge.

From the shadows Silva pulled out her bow and aimed an arrow at him. He was walking in their direction, but by some lucky turn of fate he hadn't yet noticed them. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Arliss begin to prepare an incantation. "Arliss, no." She hissed as she lowered her aim. He stopped, allowing the tiny fragments of magical light to vanish, but it was a moment too late.

"Huh?" The man had seen the faint flicker of magical light. "What was that?" He asked aloud. He glanced to his partner, but the man was already asleep. With a frustrated groan he decided to check it out himself. Cautiously he began to approach the darkness where he could have sworn he saw a strange flickering light that vanished as soon as it appeared. His dark eyes squinted as they scanned the shadows.

He could make out the shapes of their supply barrels. After staring hard for a bit he blinked and shook his head. "It must be my imagination." No sooner than he said that an arrow shot out from the darkness. It lodged itself in his throat with a heavy force. He fell on his back with a thud that unfortunately for him wasn't heard by any of his comrades. His blood gurgled in his throat as he attempted to breathe or let out any sounds in an attempt to warn the others. He glanced out of the corner of his eye towards his sleeping partner hoping that he might wake him, but try as he might he couldn't bring himself to scream. It was then that he heard the light taps of footsteps approaching.

The dying bandit looked up to see a woman in strange dark armour looking down at him. Flickering torchlight caught in her hazel eyes; making them almost appear to be glowing. Feeling anger he tried to curse but only ended up sputtering. The woman watched him blankly a moment before pulling out a dagger and leaning in close. "Forgive me Sir." She whispered with a foreign accent before swiftly thrusting her dagger into him. He was dead.

She pulled the blade out slowly, hoping not to make the blood spatter too much. She attempted the same when retrieving her arrow, but it turned out to be a bit more difficult. After a short time she managed to pull it out, but to her dismay the arrowhead didn't come with it. She looked at the broken end with a sigh. She still had a decent amount of arrows, but it was clear that she'd need more. Since this one was no longer of any use she tossed it over her shoulder. Arliss was about to pick it up, but she told him to leave it. It was then that she heard muffled cries and whimpers coming from the man who had been asleep a moment ago, followed swiftly by a loud squelching sound, then it was quiet. She looked to see that the two nords had taken care of it.

They once more joined up and quietly headed further into the cave. Down in one end they came upon a skeleton that was partially covered by large rocks. Strewn near the body was an empty bottle of mead, and a tattered journal.

"Crushed when the tunnel collapsed no doubt." Said Arliss when he saw the body.

Ralof picked up the tattered journal and flipped to the final entry. He looked down at the words solemnly; an uncharacteristically serious, and grim expression on his face.

"Pray tell," Said Silva. "What does it say?"

Ralof shook his head. "Arliss was right." Seeing as how the others looked on curiously he began to read.

"They've had me working down here for days now. It's not the time that's getting to me though, it's these tunnels. I've told them countless times now to add extra supports to the weak sections of tunnel."

The others listened quietly, to the final words that would ever be shared by this unfortunate soul.

"If only we had more of those wooden beams that we reinforced with bronze bottoms. Honestly, if I hear the earth shift one more time above my head I'll be so stressed I may stop drinking for good. I mean, what's a Nord without his mead?" Ralof let out a soft chortle at the end; a small moment of disport amidst the forlorn atmosphere. "That's it." He said. "That was the last thing he wrote."

Kriger observed the dead man curiously. What little tattered scraps of his attire that was left on his bony remains were so nondescript that he couldn't even make out whether they had been clothes or armor. "You think this guy was someone they took hostage?" He asked. "Or was he just the unlucky runt of the bandit pack?"

Ralof ran his thumb along the journal's edge letting the pages flip rapidly. "I don't know." He said after stopping and skimming a bit. He decided then that enough was enough and shut the book. "Let's just leave it like that." Carefully he placed the tattered journal back where he found it. "This belongs to you kinsman."

After saying a short rite for someone they didn't know they continued to the next room. There was a large hole that acted as a window; through which they could see the bridge that they had crossed earlier. There was also quite a bit of loot, a chest, and a lever.

Arliss looked at the chest. "I wonder what's inside?" Before he could open it he was stopped by Ralof.

"Don't get distracted just yet." He said. "We should make sure we completely clear the mine of bandits first."

Kriger snickered "You were the one who decided to stop and read the journal entry."

Ralof flushed. "That was different. I was sparing a moment of respect for a fallen kinsman." He coughed in his fist. "And it's not like it took long, but anyway if we're constantly trying to divide things then the bandits will sneak up on us before we can sneak up on them."

"Is that really necessary?" Asked Kriger. "I'm feeling pretty good about our odds."

"I thought we agreed to do this cautiously."

Silva stepped between the two nords. "Hold a moment friends, now is not the time for this."

While they were arguing they didn't notice Arliss approaching the lever. "This must lower the drawbridge." He audibly concluded as he pulled it. As expected the raised portion of the bridge began to lower so that they could cross.

The others stopped arguing immediately. "Arliss, what did you do?" Silva asked in disbelief. "Why did you-" She was more surprised that he had acted at his own discretion. Normally when it came to levers and buttons she either had to do it herself or tell him to take care of it.

Before Arliss or one of the two nords who were arguing a moment ago could say something they heard voices. "The bridge went down!" One of the bandits yelled to the others who quickly came to follow him onto the recently lowered bridge. He noticed the bandit bodies and hurried to check the nearest one on the bridge. Standing over the man that Silva had killed he grit his teeth and clenched his fist. "I'm going to find whoever did this!" Drawing his blade he turned to the others. "Looks like we're not alone." He turned to see the window to the room where whoever was responsible likely was. "The lever is this way. C'mon let's check it out." The others drew their weapons and began to follow him. "Keep your eyes peeled."

"Tch!" Ralof clicked his tongue. "They're coming!"

Kriger readied his blade. "Looks like we're doing this the fun way."

"Arliss, cast spellscreen now!" Silva hissed.

No sooner than the spell was cast did they rush forward into battle. Loud clangs echoed through the mine as blade against blade, and iron against iron clashed ferociously against each other. Arliss watched from the shadows as his Arisen and their two nordic companions were each met with an opponent of their own. Observing the battle he couldn't help but notice how cautious and calculated each movement seemed to be. Battles were usually much more chaotic, but this space left no room for error. While the wooden bridge they stood on wasn't at all narrow, it had not been built with the intention that so many people should fight on it.

They had become entangled in tight combat where they had to be just as cautious of the movements of their allies as they were of their enemies. Their lives hung in a delicate balance as they all regarded each other in an uncertain stalemate. Some eyes darted frantically between friend and foe while others remained steady and focused.

In a sudden flash of movement one bandit lunged forward with his sword, only to be intercepted by Kriger; who redirected his blade towards another bandit; who promptly blocked the attack with his shield.

Silva attempted to cut down the one Kriger had a hold on, but a woman wielding a large, two-handed blade stepped in between them; swinging the large sword downwards on top of her. Silva raised her daggers and managed to block the attack, but the woman was strong, and she knew not how long she could hold.

While Kriger was keeping the first rogue in a weapon lock, the one with the shield readied his mace. Kriger grit his teeth as he saw it hurtling towards him, luckily Ralof was there to stop it.

With locked blades they seemed to be at an impasse, but there was another who's appearance would change the tide of the entire battle.

Arliss held his staff uncertainly as he watched from the shadows. His mind was whirling as he quickly tried to think of which spell he should cast. He had to stop himself from casting his usual fire spells for fear of hitting his comrades, and burning the bridge. 'Should I use Sparks again?' He wondered. The new spell had been useful earlier with it's instant cast time, but he noticed that it also had it's limits. For one it took a different kind of energy to use; an energy of which he didn't have much of, so he couldn't rely on it to last. It also didn't seem to have much range or do much damage based on it's last use, and he wasn't sure using it again here was wise. Of course that wasn't all he had in his arsenal. It might be a gamble as it would take some time to cast, and he'd have to be careful with it, but right now it seemed to be the best option. With his mind set he cautiously approached while whispering an incantation.

They remained in a deadlock; sweaty hands gripping tightly to their locked weapons. Silva looked into the rogue woman's hungry and crazed blue eyes as she struggled to hold her blade back. The sharp edge inched ever closer to her. Gathering whatever strength she could; Silva sent a hard kick to her stomach, and pushed her away. At once the two women were sent back to the edge of the bridge, nearly falling into the water below. Catching their footing at the last minute they once more regarded each other cautiously. Silva couldn't help but glance at her comrades who were still locking blades in their own four way stand off. Her eyes flickered back to her opponent who did the same. As their eyes once more met a smile graced her lips which made Silva uneasy. She watched with ever growing dread as the woman's eyes rapidly flicked between her and her friends, then in one swift movement the woman rushed forward sword in hand.

Silva quickly jumped into action; using what stamina she had for shearing wind. She dashed past the woman once before quickly pivoting and doing it again, and again, ever careful not to go over the edge. Feeling the familiar sting of tiredness she knew she had to stop before she completely exhausted her stamina. It wouldn't do to become winded here. The woman glared angrily at her, a few new cuts on her person, but nothing serious. Silva stepped back away from the others, hard eyes not leaving her opponent. She had known that her attack might not be that effective, but still she was glad that she had stopped her from attacking her friends, now she needed only to ensure that the woman would focus on her. "Your opponent is me." Silva's voice was thick with her Cassardi accent. "Unless of course you're too craven to face an opponent head on."

The other woman's lips curled into a disgusted snarl. "A milk drinker like yourself should know when to keep her mouth shut!"

Silva made a derisive snort. "What? Is that all?" She goaded. "I've heard worse from beef witted goblins." The other woman halted confused a moment as Silva continued. "Pathetic little creatures, but still-" She gave the woman the most smug smile she could. "They can at least offer much greater challenge than a scurvy pismire such as yourself."

No other words were necessary as the woman charged angrily with a war cry. It was not a normal war cry. An inhuman roar reverberated through Silva's being that shook her to her core. Suddenly she wasn't feeling as confident as before. A chill ran up her spine, her face paled, and she felt shaky on her feet. As she dodged she couldn't help but let out a fearful yelp. The Nord woman laughed. "Now who's the coward‽" She taunted.

Understanding dawned on Silva then. 'This is the power of the Nords that Ralof and Kriger spoke of!' Her brow furrowed as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She knew it as an ability to inflict fear, but despite knowing what it was didn't change how she felt one bit. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, but she knew she couldn't. Fearfully she lifted her blades.

Chapter 12: Into the Mine End

Author's Note: Apologies for the cliffhanger. It wasn't my intention to end the chapter this way, but I'm trying to keep my chapters at more reasonable lengths because long chapters are a huge pain to edit. At least you won't have to wait long for the resolution since I've already finished the fight and it'll be up soon. Look forward to it as something interesting will happen.

Anyway how are you liking the fights so far? I'm experimenting a bit with them and would love to know which fights you enjoy most. Do you like when they're longer like this, and very detailed? Or do you prefer something more quick and concise? Getting some feedback on this will let me know what seems to be most preferable for most of you so I can try to make sure my fight scenes feel more exciting rather than something you feel like you have to slog through. Please let me know your thoughts so I can take them into consideration as I continue to write further chapters!

Also in regards to the fights it dawned on me that I really like catfights apparently because Silva seems to get into quite a few of them. And one of my favorite future plot scenes that I can't wait to write is going to be a catfight and it will be glorious! Oh my! I'm so excited! Although it'll probably take me awhile to get to. Anyway what are your thoughts on that? Should I try to dial it back a bit? Maybe I should try to reign it in so it'll be more exciting in the future? Or do you like it, and think I should lean into it more?

Off topic, but I also wrote a Dragon's Dogma One Shot Crack fic featuring Julian called Festival Pies. It starts out kind of normal and slowly gets more ridiculous. If you think you might be interested feel free to check it out. It's not serious at all, I wrote it for fun, and to get a certain idea out of my head.

Thanks for reading. I'm super grateful to have you beautiful and wonderful readers! I hope you enjoyed! ;3