Post by thedarkone on Jan 31, 2021 17:43:34 GMT
Elena's voice sounded distant in his head, until she spoke again and gently rested her hand on his forearm. With a few blinks he snapped back to reality, his hands slowly relaxing, "No...no I'm fine thank you."Lucius responded, still slightly in a daze as he pushed himself up to his feet, "We don't have time to bury the bodies, the smoke will be visible from the castle. Let's gather everyone and make tracks." Following Elena back to the others, he stopped only to retrieve his sword that he had discarded during the chase. Cleaning the mud off as best he could, Lucius sheathed the weapon and retrieved his helmet from the wagon. Helping the remaining villagers with their remaining possessions, they made they way out the western gate and off back in the direction they came. Along the coast they sound found the rest of the villagers, lighting fires to keep warm as well as to smoke the fish they had caught before boarding the Firebird. Joining their camp, they were pleased to see that Gibari and the rest of them had survived the ambush, and they cheered at their small victory. They offered to join them but Lucius politely declined, not forgetting to return Gibari's shawl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just before night fell, a few of the scouts that had set out returned, each soaked through with the rain earlier in the day and pleased to get a chance to rest by the fireside. Lucius and Elena joined them as they gave their report. "So what you're trying to tell me is that every farmstead you came across is abandoned?"
"For the most part yes, there's a small town to the north west that seems to have resisted the bandits and are willing to lend their aid in ridding the land of them." The head scout explained, taking out a small, crude map and pointing to the region the town was in. His finger then moved to south of the Halls, pointing at a particular mountain range that swung around to join those between the Disputed Lands and the Sultanate of Auresia. "One of the men spotted an ore mine here, said it was buzzing with activity. Best guess is that the bandits are using forced labour to harvest the ore."
Lucius pondered it for a moment before thanking Gustav and sending him off to get some food. "Certainly worth checking out, if only to get a grasp on the situation. Just the two of us though, we can't afford to give anything away."
"Morning comes quick, let's get ourselves some rest." Lucius suggested, pushing himself up to his feet and resting a hand on Elena's shoulder. As she took herself off to one of the tents to sleep, Lucius settled down under one near the beach and sat next to the fire, using a stick to stoke the embers to keep things burning. The skys were beginning to clear now, the stars managing to shine through small wisps of cloud. The sound of the tide coming in was soothing, but despite this he could still feel his heart racing from earlier. Something was wrong with him, ever since his father's death he was unable to sleep and although Yuna's magic helped him rest, it wasn't for long. She had voiced her concern before, but there was no use in worrying until it became a real problem. His men needed him, and Elena needed a solid rock to cling to in the storm. Lucius looked out across the waters that were bringing Isabelle and Elias to the Disputed Lands. With their arrival, and if they agreed to join them, they could make their dream of a kingdom a reality. Lying down with his head resting on a sandbank, he watched as the fire slowly faded away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Awaking early, Lucius stretched and yawned as he wiped away the sleep from his eyes. Setting to work he gathered a few water skins as well as some preserved fish for their journey, placing it in the saddlebags of the horses they won back at Camlost, not the powerful and noble horses currently resting below deck of the Firebird, but enough to save them the long walk. He awoke Elena not long after, and the two of them set out towards Ulfton Mine. They kept off the road for the most part to avoid any patrols, and after an hour or two of riding arrived on the outskirts of a mining town. It was no more than a few wooden hovels gathered around the foot of the mountain, the sounds of work being done within. Lucius pulled his horse off to the side and tied it to a fence alongside the treeline to keep put of sight, and guided Elena around to a vantage point. As Elena spoke her displeasure, he grunted in agreement, coming up the side of the mountain until they had a clear view within.
In the center of the town was a large hole with an elevator system being used to bring the ore up from underground for processing by the women and children. The place was surrounded by watchtowers manned by archers, keeping an eye out for anyone trying to escape. He didn't spot any men within, only women moving the rocks to the forge and then taking completed iron and steel to carts for what he assumed were delivery. Children were also working, the older kids turning the great wheel that operated the elevator. They wore little clothes, same as the woman, and dirt and soot covered nearly every available inch. When work slowed, a master was on hand to whip the motivation back into them. Turning away with his back to the rock they were peeking over, he looked at Elena.
"Cant see the men, they must be kept separate because that hole isn't the miners entrance, just for the ore" He said quietly so that his voice wouldn't carry on the wind "We can sneak in to try and get more information but we would stick out like a sore thumb."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just before night fell, a few of the scouts that had set out returned, each soaked through with the rain earlier in the day and pleased to get a chance to rest by the fireside. Lucius and Elena joined them as they gave their report. "So what you're trying to tell me is that every farmstead you came across is abandoned?"
"For the most part yes, there's a small town to the north west that seems to have resisted the bandits and are willing to lend their aid in ridding the land of them." The head scout explained, taking out a small, crude map and pointing to the region the town was in. His finger then moved to south of the Halls, pointing at a particular mountain range that swung around to join those between the Disputed Lands and the Sultanate of Auresia. "One of the men spotted an ore mine here, said it was buzzing with activity. Best guess is that the bandits are using forced labour to harvest the ore."
Lucius pondered it for a moment before thanking Gustav and sending him off to get some food. "Certainly worth checking out, if only to get a grasp on the situation. Just the two of us though, we can't afford to give anything away."
"Morning comes quick, let's get ourselves some rest." Lucius suggested, pushing himself up to his feet and resting a hand on Elena's shoulder. As she took herself off to one of the tents to sleep, Lucius settled down under one near the beach and sat next to the fire, using a stick to stoke the embers to keep things burning. The skys were beginning to clear now, the stars managing to shine through small wisps of cloud. The sound of the tide coming in was soothing, but despite this he could still feel his heart racing from earlier. Something was wrong with him, ever since his father's death he was unable to sleep and although Yuna's magic helped him rest, it wasn't for long. She had voiced her concern before, but there was no use in worrying until it became a real problem. His men needed him, and Elena needed a solid rock to cling to in the storm. Lucius looked out across the waters that were bringing Isabelle and Elias to the Disputed Lands. With their arrival, and if they agreed to join them, they could make their dream of a kingdom a reality. Lying down with his head resting on a sandbank, he watched as the fire slowly faded away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Awaking early, Lucius stretched and yawned as he wiped away the sleep from his eyes. Setting to work he gathered a few water skins as well as some preserved fish for their journey, placing it in the saddlebags of the horses they won back at Camlost, not the powerful and noble horses currently resting below deck of the Firebird, but enough to save them the long walk. He awoke Elena not long after, and the two of them set out towards Ulfton Mine. They kept off the road for the most part to avoid any patrols, and after an hour or two of riding arrived on the outskirts of a mining town. It was no more than a few wooden hovels gathered around the foot of the mountain, the sounds of work being done within. Lucius pulled his horse off to the side and tied it to a fence alongside the treeline to keep put of sight, and guided Elena around to a vantage point. As Elena spoke her displeasure, he grunted in agreement, coming up the side of the mountain until they had a clear view within.
In the center of the town was a large hole with an elevator system being used to bring the ore up from underground for processing by the women and children. The place was surrounded by watchtowers manned by archers, keeping an eye out for anyone trying to escape. He didn't spot any men within, only women moving the rocks to the forge and then taking completed iron and steel to carts for what he assumed were delivery. Children were also working, the older kids turning the great wheel that operated the elevator. They wore little clothes, same as the woman, and dirt and soot covered nearly every available inch. When work slowed, a master was on hand to whip the motivation back into them. Turning away with his back to the rock they were peeking over, he looked at Elena.
"Cant see the men, they must be kept separate because that hole isn't the miners entrance, just for the ore" He said quietly so that his voice wouldn't carry on the wind "We can sneak in to try and get more information but we would stick out like a sore thumb."