Private Tales The Fifth Word

[Magdalena Elbion]

Well, there wasn't anything to be done for it. With all the effort required to get him through, Mags wasn't sure she trusted the slab to get him back out again. With any luck, they would find another way out. These sorts of places always had more than one entrance, she just hoped they'd be able to get through to another. There was no telling what all the quaking had done to the rest of the mountain complex.

"Two more," she replied, "unlit."

Wouldn't do to burn through them all at once. At least not so soon.

Esmond was grumbling on the other side. He shoved Mack's boots through with the laces knotted together, obviously in an attempt to express how delighted he was that Mack was over there and not him. His other things flung through shortly after with no particular order or care.

Magda's pack was gently nudged over with the utmost respect, and then two more unlit torches.

"Two hours," Esmond said to them, "if you aren't back in two hours, I'm coming in after you."

Magi took up her back and slung the straps over her shoulders, "You have the team lead, Esmond. Stay with them. We'll be fine. Promise."

"You know I don't like it when you make promises from the other side of stone slabs."

A endearing sort of smile wedged its way on to Magda's face, "Oh come now. It's only the second time."

"Mack," Esmond had stooped down by the opening to ensure his next words were loud and clear, "you take care of Miss Elbion. You treat her like the Lady she is! No funny business!"

And that got a roll of her eyes.

 

[Mackenzie Erris]

One look at his boots and his eyes shot up to Magdalena and he smiled quite broadly, saying, "he is a sweetheart, isn't he."

He really didn't fault Esmond, and only saw the humour in it despite how inconvenient it was. He could tie the hell out of a knot, that was for sure. As for his other things, they passed idly by him as he wrestled to get the laces undone. What did catch his attention, however, was the pack so nicely pushed through.

"Hey, hey," he hollered, insinuating a lack of care.

He'd have looked to see Magdalena's approval, joining in his sense of humour, were it not for the distinct feeling of two burning holes in the back of his head. I'm just going to put my boots on, he thought to himself as the other two began devising their plan. It didn't take him more than a couple minutes to get ready once he'd dealt with his laces.

"Mack...you take care of Miss Elbion. You treat her like the Lady she is! No funny business!"
​

He shot her another glance, and though he wanted so badly to quip back, there was something in the expression of her reaction that quieted him. He turned on his heel and knelt by the opening again.

"No problem, Esmond."

Then he turned away for the last time and took the unlit torches under his off arm, ready to depart.

"Well, how do you like our chances?"

More like, what were they? Were there any? He knew enough to know that she was hardly clairvoyant, but she had way more experience in these types of places than he did. It'd be nice to have some kind of idea.

---

Magdalena Elbion ​

 

[Magdalena Elbion]

"Our chances?" Magda echoed as she lead the way down the narrow corridor, pushing cobwebs out of the way and carefully checking every few steps for any further traps, "Of getting out of here or survival?"

She took a deep breath, brow furrowing at the topic of conversation, "I don't like to jinx myself, but right now we still have a way out, so long as that stone holds and we don't trigger any further disturbances of the foundations."

"But these sort of places are designed for security, and if there's anyone better at such machinations than the dwarves I do not know of them. The better question is ... are the traps here to keep us out, or keep whatever's down here, in?"

 

[Mackenzie Erris]

He sniffed at the air. Nothing more than dust, and thankfully he wasn't one to sneeze easily. But like this, it garnered him little more understanding than it would anyone else. It just smelled... old.

He thought about her question, and he cast his eye behind him.

"Well," he thought it was obvious, but in the last second something crossed his mind, "maybe its both."

He wasn't one to pay much attention to old stories and myths, but he'd heard enough of them to fathom an idea or two of what kinds of things might be lurking in the dark. He pursed his lips some, and a look of casual defiance splayed across his face. Yeah, well...

As he stepped, he was also sure to be a little more careful than he had been earlier. Twice now he'd been the ill-fated fellow, and gods be damned if he be it a third.

"Does this look like the work of dwarves to you?" he asked as he looked here and there. Hell if he knew.

 

[Magdalena Elbion]

"Without question," Magda replied promptly, "I've excavated several Dwarven sites over the years and this fits the ticket to the tee."

Her brows pinched together in consideration over a thoughtful hum, "But none of the sites were quite like this. Everything before was a city or community center. This ... is either some kind of tomb or burial chamber."

 

[Mackenzie Erris]

He trusted her assessment. Like he had any choice, but really he did. She knew her stuff, he'd figured out that much. Hell even some of the words she said, he knew they were common but he didn't know what they meant.

What the hell is a Kresscross.

Her choice of company however... well, it was getting better. He'd give her that.

He let out a bit of a prolonged puff, and then said, "well, we barely made it in the door and they were trying to keep us out. Must be something important, whatever it is..."

He moved the torch a little closer to the corridor's walls, careful of any cobwebs, but curious of the etchings all the same. And, to his surprise, he didn't understand them.

 

[Magdalena Elbion]

Magda raised her brows at his logical assessment, "For once, I agree with you," and that was nearly as shocking as the fact that she was quite possibly walking into death next to him of all people.

The tunnel continued, then dropped into a steep stairwell that lead into the darkness.

"It's strange," Magda furrowed her brow as she carefully began her descent just a step or two ahead of Mack, "I was expecting this to be a mine. The mountains surrounding Elbion are ripe with all sorts of ore and gems...we're still finding untapped veins and deposits hundreds and thousands of years after the dwarves, and they seldom left anything behind. But there weren't any signs at all of mining here that I could see."

"The nearest major dwarven city ruin isn't all that far from here... logistically speaking. It's the appropriate distance and area for a mine."

 

[Mackenzie Erris]

It wasn't like him to be all to curious about things like these, but here he was, and so he found that if nothing else he could use it as an opportunity to learn a lil' something. If all that ended up being was having Magdalena actually agree with something he said then that was victory enough for him.

His smug expression faded away as the darkened path descended before them. They lingered only a moment before she started down, and he followed after.

"Maybe it was supposed to start out that way and they changed their minds? I don't know many dwarves, do they worship gods of any kind?"

As they crept deeper and deeper into the dark, Mack sniffed at the air as it became cooler. His back stiffened a bit. It felt somewhat eerie, and though he did his best to hide it, he did find himself becoming a bit uneasy.