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Valerius was tense, almost holding his breath. For a moment he thought these boys were not going to take the bait and run. He thought he was going to be forced to fight them, maybe kill them. He really didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want the others to fight and kill them either. Then all at once, the mining boys dropped their tools and ran for the far exit, the only clear passage out of this chamber. The Arcanean captain let out a long breath and called for the rest of his party to follow, even as Val took off after the fleeing boys. He needed to stay close enough to them to see which tunnels they took to get out of the mines! This place was a labyrinth, and one wrong turn could have them lost down here for hours, maybe days. With the recent cave-in, the possibility of getting further lost in these tunnels was not a welcome thought.
Val was close enough to the miners that he could hear their arguments about which way to go, for at every expected turn, they found the way blocked by massive stones. The cave-in had been bigger than any of them had initially thought. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. Valerius cursed his fellow captain under his breath; he’d always seen Damocles as a brute that didn’t quite think things through before taking action. This just reaffirmed those long-standing opinions.
Valerius decided it was time to put more distance between himself and the teen boys, so he slowed his pace and fell back to join the rest of his group before he drew more attention to himself. Many more turns, many more arguments between the young miners, and then came the sound of more voices. Val and his band stop to listen to the boys talking to the older men up ahead. A pickaxe is pressed into Val’s hand and he grips it tight, ready to put it to use if that should come. Which he was almost certain it would. They couldn’t quite make out everything being said, but they caught enough of it to know that there seemed to be only one way left open out of the tunnels. Valerius passed a look to Damocles that would easily tell the man that Val blamed him for their lack of options right now. They were going to have to fight their way out if these men came deeper into the tunnel.
Moments later, Phaedra gave the signal that Val had hoped he wouldn’t see. Damocles reported that they were three in number. There was no way around it. The tunnel was too narrow, no hiding places they could duck into or behind. They couldn’t go back. The way out was forward. Though the three unarms men – and they were unarmed; the miners were close enough now for Val to discern that much. ”These men are unarmed. It would not be honorable to kill these men. Knock them out quickly, then leave them.” These were the words he urged his group to adhere to, with a particularly hard look at Damocles. Then he hefted his ax and rushed forward, hitting the closest miner in the gut with the blunt flat middle of the head of the ax. As the man doubled over, Val shifted his grip on the ax and brought the solid wooden handle around to connect with the man’s temple. The miner staggered, but did not go down. Val could leave the man dazed, but he might recover enough to give chase. No… they needed time to be long gone from here. The captain hit the man again, and he crumpled to the ground.
Turning to assess the rest of the group – to see if they managed to dispatch the other two miners without killing them - Val reached a hand to grab Timaeus by the shoulder and push him ahead. Hurry, all of you. We must be far away from this place by the time they wake up to sound the alarm.”[/i]
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Valerius was tense, almost holding his breath. For a moment he thought these boys were not going to take the bait and run. He thought he was going to be forced to fight them, maybe kill them. He really didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want the others to fight and kill them either. Then all at once, the mining boys dropped their tools and ran for the far exit, the only clear passage out of this chamber. The Arcanean captain let out a long breath and called for the rest of his party to follow, even as Val took off after the fleeing boys. He needed to stay close enough to them to see which tunnels they took to get out of the mines! This place was a labyrinth, and one wrong turn could have them lost down here for hours, maybe days. With the recent cave-in, the possibility of getting further lost in these tunnels was not a welcome thought.
Val was close enough to the miners that he could hear their arguments about which way to go, for at every expected turn, they found the way blocked by massive stones. The cave-in had been bigger than any of them had initially thought. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. Valerius cursed his fellow captain under his breath; he’d always seen Damocles as a brute that didn’t quite think things through before taking action. This just reaffirmed those long-standing opinions.
Valerius decided it was time to put more distance between himself and the teen boys, so he slowed his pace and fell back to join the rest of his group before he drew more attention to himself. Many more turns, many more arguments between the young miners, and then came the sound of more voices. Val and his band stop to listen to the boys talking to the older men up ahead. A pickaxe is pressed into Val’s hand and he grips it tight, ready to put it to use if that should come. Which he was almost certain it would. They couldn’t quite make out everything being said, but they caught enough of it to know that there seemed to be only one way left open out of the tunnels. Valerius passed a look to Damocles that would easily tell the man that Val blamed him for their lack of options right now. They were going to have to fight their way out if these men came deeper into the tunnel.
Moments later, Phaedra gave the signal that Val had hoped he wouldn’t see. Damocles reported that they were three in number. There was no way around it. The tunnel was too narrow, no hiding places they could duck into or behind. They couldn’t go back. The way out was forward. Though the three unarms men – and they were unarmed; the miners were close enough now for Val to discern that much. ”These men are unarmed. It would not be honorable to kill these men. Knock them out quickly, then leave them.” These were the words he urged his group to adhere to, with a particularly hard look at Damocles. Then he hefted his ax and rushed forward, hitting the closest miner in the gut with the blunt flat middle of the head of the ax. As the man doubled over, Val shifted his grip on the ax and brought the solid wooden handle around to connect with the man’s temple. The miner staggered, but did not go down. Val could leave the man dazed, but he might recover enough to give chase. No… they needed time to be long gone from here. The captain hit the man again, and he crumpled to the ground.
Turning to assess the rest of the group – to see if they managed to dispatch the other two miners without killing them - Val reached a hand to grab Timaeus by the shoulder and push him ahead. Hurry, all of you. We must be far away from this place by the time they wake up to sound the alarm.”[/i]
Valerius was tense, almost holding his breath. For a moment he thought these boys were not going to take the bait and run. He thought he was going to be forced to fight them, maybe kill them. He really didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want the others to fight and kill them either. Then all at once, the mining boys dropped their tools and ran for the far exit, the only clear passage out of this chamber. The Arcanean captain let out a long breath and called for the rest of his party to follow, even as Val took off after the fleeing boys. He needed to stay close enough to them to see which tunnels they took to get out of the mines! This place was a labyrinth, and one wrong turn could have them lost down here for hours, maybe days. With the recent cave-in, the possibility of getting further lost in these tunnels was not a welcome thought.
Val was close enough to the miners that he could hear their arguments about which way to go, for at every expected turn, they found the way blocked by massive stones. The cave-in had been bigger than any of them had initially thought. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. Valerius cursed his fellow captain under his breath; he’d always seen Damocles as a brute that didn’t quite think things through before taking action. This just reaffirmed those long-standing opinions.
Valerius decided it was time to put more distance between himself and the teen boys, so he slowed his pace and fell back to join the rest of his group before he drew more attention to himself. Many more turns, many more arguments between the young miners, and then came the sound of more voices. Val and his band stop to listen to the boys talking to the older men up ahead. A pickaxe is pressed into Val’s hand and he grips it tight, ready to put it to use if that should come. Which he was almost certain it would. They couldn’t quite make out everything being said, but they caught enough of it to know that there seemed to be only one way left open out of the tunnels. Valerius passed a look to Damocles that would easily tell the man that Val blamed him for their lack of options right now. They were going to have to fight their way out if these men came deeper into the tunnel.
Moments later, Phaedra gave the signal that Val had hoped he wouldn’t see. Damocles reported that they were three in number. There was no way around it. The tunnel was too narrow, no hiding places they could duck into or behind. They couldn’t go back. The way out was forward. Though the three unarms men – and they were unarmed; the miners were close enough now for Val to discern that much. ”These men are unarmed. It would not be honorable to kill these men. Knock them out quickly, then leave them.” These were the words he urged his group to adhere to, with a particularly hard look at Damocles. Then he hefted his ax and rushed forward, hitting the closest miner in the gut with the blunt flat middle of the head of the ax. As the man doubled over, Val shifted his grip on the ax and brought the solid wooden handle around to connect with the man’s temple. The miner staggered, but did not go down. Val could leave the man dazed, but he might recover enough to give chase. No… they needed time to be long gone from here. The captain hit the man again, and he crumpled to the ground.
Turning to assess the rest of the group – to see if they managed to dispatch the other two miners without killing them - Val reached a hand to grab Timaeus by the shoulder and push him ahead. Hurry, all of you. We must be far away from this place by the time they wake up to sound the alarm.”[/i]
Perhaps, it had not been the most prudent course of action to have wielded such an unwieldy weapon as the hammer he had raised before, but if he had not done so there would have been far more problems to face than that of merely escaping the tunnels of the ground. Besides, even if his strength had failed him, Damocles had successfully led the group through the safest path, recalling his miner's instincts as he traversed amidst rock and stone to safety. He noticed the cross look on Valerius's face, but paid no mind to it, thinking it beneath him to even recognize the wide-eyed expression on the other man's sharp featured visage. For his part the Magnemean had no reason to apologize. Even if his actions had somewhat backfired, the cave-in had been a profitable venture, one that reduced most of their enemy's numbers down to a far more manageable number.
As the group turned towards a safer part of the now mostly collapsed tunnel, Damocles once more noticed the blunt, and unnecessarily angry tone assumed by the other Captain, one that he was not at all too interested in hearing much about. If Valerius was going to whine about what had been, for the most part, an efficient plan that, though unsubtle, had worked, then he could do so for as long as he wanted once they were far away from the underground, preferably in a place where the silver-eyed militant could not hear. This was not some grand strategy to go ahead with, it was a snap-judgement that had spared the group from multiple armed enemies that could have otherwise dealt far more damage to one of their own had said colossal hammer not been picked up and swung.
Regardless of his attitude towards the other senior militant, Damocles felt weakened in this instant, with the extra boast of energy that came in those fight or flight situations now coming to be replaced by the progressive tiredness of a man who had called upon strength that almost no man in Colchis could even imagine mustering up. Moreover, to make matters worse, he was being pontificated by the virtues of honor and civility in this precise moment when such venue had not been spared to them moments prior. He could not care less about the three miners in front of them, and would have been more than glad to snap their necks like twigs if it meant making for an easier and faster exit from this gods-forsaken mine. Still, he had to be careful and not let his impulses get the better of him. If the time demanded for a more chivalrous exercise of strength, then so be it. He would not let this one moment of stress and growing frustration get the better of him.
With an unspoken nod of his head, Damocles acknowledged the smaller man’s argument and made for the miner closest to him, immediately tangling his forearm against the miner’s trachea in an lock before squeezing ever so calculatingly so as to not choke the man to death, but rather knock him out unconscious. As he did so, his freed hand snatched his target’s mouth, silencing it in an effort to prevent his victim from yelling for help as the other’s eyes became heavy and sleepy, the obvious signs that soon it would all be over. Finally, after mentally counting to ten, it was done, and the miner was unconscious, left to drop to the ground like a stumbling fool. It was a quiet move, a quick move, but an efficient move, though it had made Damocles expel the last few reserves of his body.
Exhaustion called to him now, with the typically proud Captain of the Damned collapsing on bent knees as he snarled angrily while his form began to give up on him. His breath was ragged and hard, clearly showing that he had over-exerted himself today. Fortunately, his angry eyes scanned around and noticed an axe, large enough for him to lean on for the time being as he recovered a bit. “You go on ahead, I can take care of myself.” Said Damocles, too stubborn to ask for help from others as he catched his breath and gripped the wooden instrument firmly. There was no danger for the time being, seeing as the last of the miners had been dealt with quietly. And yet, he had to go, leave this accursed place and find safer ground to regroup. Thus, willing himself to move onwards only on sheer determination, the heavy man began to move, using the pickaxe as a cane as sorts while moving slowly, but assuredly towards less antagonistic grounds.
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Check out their information page here.
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Perhaps, it had not been the most prudent course of action to have wielded such an unwieldy weapon as the hammer he had raised before, but if he had not done so there would have been far more problems to face than that of merely escaping the tunnels of the ground. Besides, even if his strength had failed him, Damocles had successfully led the group through the safest path, recalling his miner's instincts as he traversed amidst rock and stone to safety. He noticed the cross look on Valerius's face, but paid no mind to it, thinking it beneath him to even recognize the wide-eyed expression on the other man's sharp featured visage. For his part the Magnemean had no reason to apologize. Even if his actions had somewhat backfired, the cave-in had been a profitable venture, one that reduced most of their enemy's numbers down to a far more manageable number.
As the group turned towards a safer part of the now mostly collapsed tunnel, Damocles once more noticed the blunt, and unnecessarily angry tone assumed by the other Captain, one that he was not at all too interested in hearing much about. If Valerius was going to whine about what had been, for the most part, an efficient plan that, though unsubtle, had worked, then he could do so for as long as he wanted once they were far away from the underground, preferably in a place where the silver-eyed militant could not hear. This was not some grand strategy to go ahead with, it was a snap-judgement that had spared the group from multiple armed enemies that could have otherwise dealt far more damage to one of their own had said colossal hammer not been picked up and swung.
Regardless of his attitude towards the other senior militant, Damocles felt weakened in this instant, with the extra boast of energy that came in those fight or flight situations now coming to be replaced by the progressive tiredness of a man who had called upon strength that almost no man in Colchis could even imagine mustering up. Moreover, to make matters worse, he was being pontificated by the virtues of honor and civility in this precise moment when such venue had not been spared to them moments prior. He could not care less about the three miners in front of them, and would have been more than glad to snap their necks like twigs if it meant making for an easier and faster exit from this gods-forsaken mine. Still, he had to be careful and not let his impulses get the better of him. If the time demanded for a more chivalrous exercise of strength, then so be it. He would not let this one moment of stress and growing frustration get the better of him.
With an unspoken nod of his head, Damocles acknowledged the smaller man’s argument and made for the miner closest to him, immediately tangling his forearm against the miner’s trachea in an lock before squeezing ever so calculatingly so as to not choke the man to death, but rather knock him out unconscious. As he did so, his freed hand snatched his target’s mouth, silencing it in an effort to prevent his victim from yelling for help as the other’s eyes became heavy and sleepy, the obvious signs that soon it would all be over. Finally, after mentally counting to ten, it was done, and the miner was unconscious, left to drop to the ground like a stumbling fool. It was a quiet move, a quick move, but an efficient move, though it had made Damocles expel the last few reserves of his body.
Exhaustion called to him now, with the typically proud Captain of the Damned collapsing on bent knees as he snarled angrily while his form began to give up on him. His breath was ragged and hard, clearly showing that he had over-exerted himself today. Fortunately, his angry eyes scanned around and noticed an axe, large enough for him to lean on for the time being as he recovered a bit. “You go on ahead, I can take care of myself.” Said Damocles, too stubborn to ask for help from others as he catched his breath and gripped the wooden instrument firmly. There was no danger for the time being, seeing as the last of the miners had been dealt with quietly. And yet, he had to go, leave this accursed place and find safer ground to regroup. Thus, willing himself to move onwards only on sheer determination, the heavy man began to move, using the pickaxe as a cane as sorts while moving slowly, but assuredly towards less antagonistic grounds.
Perhaps, it had not been the most prudent course of action to have wielded such an unwieldy weapon as the hammer he had raised before, but if he had not done so there would have been far more problems to face than that of merely escaping the tunnels of the ground. Besides, even if his strength had failed him, Damocles had successfully led the group through the safest path, recalling his miner's instincts as he traversed amidst rock and stone to safety. He noticed the cross look on Valerius's face, but paid no mind to it, thinking it beneath him to even recognize the wide-eyed expression on the other man's sharp featured visage. For his part the Magnemean had no reason to apologize. Even if his actions had somewhat backfired, the cave-in had been a profitable venture, one that reduced most of their enemy's numbers down to a far more manageable number.
As the group turned towards a safer part of the now mostly collapsed tunnel, Damocles once more noticed the blunt, and unnecessarily angry tone assumed by the other Captain, one that he was not at all too interested in hearing much about. If Valerius was going to whine about what had been, for the most part, an efficient plan that, though unsubtle, had worked, then he could do so for as long as he wanted once they were far away from the underground, preferably in a place where the silver-eyed militant could not hear. This was not some grand strategy to go ahead with, it was a snap-judgement that had spared the group from multiple armed enemies that could have otherwise dealt far more damage to one of their own had said colossal hammer not been picked up and swung.
Regardless of his attitude towards the other senior militant, Damocles felt weakened in this instant, with the extra boast of energy that came in those fight or flight situations now coming to be replaced by the progressive tiredness of a man who had called upon strength that almost no man in Colchis could even imagine mustering up. Moreover, to make matters worse, he was being pontificated by the virtues of honor and civility in this precise moment when such venue had not been spared to them moments prior. He could not care less about the three miners in front of them, and would have been more than glad to snap their necks like twigs if it meant making for an easier and faster exit from this gods-forsaken mine. Still, he had to be careful and not let his impulses get the better of him. If the time demanded for a more chivalrous exercise of strength, then so be it. He would not let this one moment of stress and growing frustration get the better of him.
With an unspoken nod of his head, Damocles acknowledged the smaller man’s argument and made for the miner closest to him, immediately tangling his forearm against the miner’s trachea in an lock before squeezing ever so calculatingly so as to not choke the man to death, but rather knock him out unconscious. As he did so, his freed hand snatched his target’s mouth, silencing it in an effort to prevent his victim from yelling for help as the other’s eyes became heavy and sleepy, the obvious signs that soon it would all be over. Finally, after mentally counting to ten, it was done, and the miner was unconscious, left to drop to the ground like a stumbling fool. It was a quiet move, a quick move, but an efficient move, though it had made Damocles expel the last few reserves of his body.
Exhaustion called to him now, with the typically proud Captain of the Damned collapsing on bent knees as he snarled angrily while his form began to give up on him. His breath was ragged and hard, clearly showing that he had over-exerted himself today. Fortunately, his angry eyes scanned around and noticed an axe, large enough for him to lean on for the time being as he recovered a bit. “You go on ahead, I can take care of myself.” Said Damocles, too stubborn to ask for help from others as he catched his breath and gripped the wooden instrument firmly. There was no danger for the time being, seeing as the last of the miners had been dealt with quietly. And yet, he had to go, leave this accursed place and find safer ground to regroup. Thus, willing himself to move onwards only on sheer determination, the heavy man began to move, using the pickaxe as a cane as sorts while moving slowly, but assuredly towards less antagonistic grounds.
As the group followed the teens out of the mines, the youngest among them tried to ignore how every step was torture on Timaeus’s battered body. The pain practically screamed out in between every horrible throb within his skull as the men plodded forward, trying to keep pace with the boys who seemed to be just as lost as they were. The youngest of the group tried not to think about how akin they all were to rats scurrying about inside of a maze as they all carefully followed and backtracked, trying not to let the teens know that there was a group following them. Timaeus had to thank their lucky stars that the boys were so panicked in their own quest to find a way out, especially as each possible escape appeared to be blocked off by the cave-in triggered by Damocles. Otherwise had they all been clear of mind, there was no way that this group of five would have ever been able to pull off such a feat. Not when they were all so battered and bruised as they were from being taken captive and needing to fight their way out in the first place. It was a miracle that the creaking stones above them, threatening to give way at any moment, covering the noises of their ragged breath as this group was not prepared to fight again. At least not yet.
However, it seemed to be that the powers that be had decided that the excitement wouldn’t be done just for them. Without much warning, the group ran into another group of miners -- but unlike with the teens, these were not a group of fellows that they could just sneak by. Not with the tunnel being this narrow and offering no nooks or crannies for five people to hide in.
They were going to have to fight their way out.
Gripping his pick-ax a little tighter, Timaeus knew that there was not much of a choice in the matter over whether or not the group was going to get out of this without getting into a fight, Timaeus’s shaky hands grabbed a hold of his pick-ax as he braced himself for what was to come. With the signal from Phaedra, the group rushed forward all at once to confront the enemy. As Timaeus was not as strong as the others and he had a head injury to boot, it was little wonder that he didn’t play as big of a role in the battle as the others. Valerius and Damocles each took one man down through their weapons and their fists. Out of the corner of his eye, Timaeus could see Phaedra and Zosi doing the same to the third guard, but the details were rather fuzzy due to the darkness. All Timaeus could really do was offer the odd punch where he could, though he was unsure of which battle he was stepping in on, before all three had been taken down and knocked unconscious where they stood. Even though some of them were more bloody than they ought to be, the teen could still see the steady rise and fall of each chest, ensuring to the Eubocrisian that they were all still alive. Truthfully, after a harrowing three days of fighting snakes, mountain lions, and miners, this was truly a better outcome than anything else the boy could have asked for given the circumstances.
However, this wasn’t the moment to celebrate this victory. That was something that Valerius made clear as he placed a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder and pushed him ahead, making sure that Timaeus was the first out of this horrible mineshaft. The grim words the elder man said rung true, they might have won for now, but there was no telling what could happen once the men woke up and this party would have a long way to go to make it back to where they had started on this journey. Even though they had failed to take care of the bear itself, the mere fact that they had found the cause of the problem was more than enough to justify heading home in order to rally the Lyncaea troops. They could come back here and root out every miner root and stem from this illegal settlement that had done so much damage to these woods. Plus not to mention find Prince Vangelis who was god knows where in this forest.
Timaeus knew by only taking one glance at this battered party, they were going to need all the extra time they could get if they all wanted to make it out in one piece in order to sound the alarm. Everything else could come later, they just had to focus on making it home now. “Let’s go.” Timaeus said to the group as a whole as they hurried up the mineshaft and into the sunlight once more after spending what felt like a century underground. However, he didn’t pause for long to take in the sunlight but instead directing the group towards the path that the first group of questors had taken to find the town in the first place, just so this new group could get out of this situation as fast as possible.
After all, this journey might be over, but there was still plenty left to do in these woods.
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As the group followed the teens out of the mines, the youngest among them tried to ignore how every step was torture on Timaeus’s battered body. The pain practically screamed out in between every horrible throb within his skull as the men plodded forward, trying to keep pace with the boys who seemed to be just as lost as they were. The youngest of the group tried not to think about how akin they all were to rats scurrying about inside of a maze as they all carefully followed and backtracked, trying not to let the teens know that there was a group following them. Timaeus had to thank their lucky stars that the boys were so panicked in their own quest to find a way out, especially as each possible escape appeared to be blocked off by the cave-in triggered by Damocles. Otherwise had they all been clear of mind, there was no way that this group of five would have ever been able to pull off such a feat. Not when they were all so battered and bruised as they were from being taken captive and needing to fight their way out in the first place. It was a miracle that the creaking stones above them, threatening to give way at any moment, covering the noises of their ragged breath as this group was not prepared to fight again. At least not yet.
However, it seemed to be that the powers that be had decided that the excitement wouldn’t be done just for them. Without much warning, the group ran into another group of miners -- but unlike with the teens, these were not a group of fellows that they could just sneak by. Not with the tunnel being this narrow and offering no nooks or crannies for five people to hide in.
They were going to have to fight their way out.
Gripping his pick-ax a little tighter, Timaeus knew that there was not much of a choice in the matter over whether or not the group was going to get out of this without getting into a fight, Timaeus’s shaky hands grabbed a hold of his pick-ax as he braced himself for what was to come. With the signal from Phaedra, the group rushed forward all at once to confront the enemy. As Timaeus was not as strong as the others and he had a head injury to boot, it was little wonder that he didn’t play as big of a role in the battle as the others. Valerius and Damocles each took one man down through their weapons and their fists. Out of the corner of his eye, Timaeus could see Phaedra and Zosi doing the same to the third guard, but the details were rather fuzzy due to the darkness. All Timaeus could really do was offer the odd punch where he could, though he was unsure of which battle he was stepping in on, before all three had been taken down and knocked unconscious where they stood. Even though some of them were more bloody than they ought to be, the teen could still see the steady rise and fall of each chest, ensuring to the Eubocrisian that they were all still alive. Truthfully, after a harrowing three days of fighting snakes, mountain lions, and miners, this was truly a better outcome than anything else the boy could have asked for given the circumstances.
However, this wasn’t the moment to celebrate this victory. That was something that Valerius made clear as he placed a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder and pushed him ahead, making sure that Timaeus was the first out of this horrible mineshaft. The grim words the elder man said rung true, they might have won for now, but there was no telling what could happen once the men woke up and this party would have a long way to go to make it back to where they had started on this journey. Even though they had failed to take care of the bear itself, the mere fact that they had found the cause of the problem was more than enough to justify heading home in order to rally the Lyncaea troops. They could come back here and root out every miner root and stem from this illegal settlement that had done so much damage to these woods. Plus not to mention find Prince Vangelis who was god knows where in this forest.
Timaeus knew by only taking one glance at this battered party, they were going to need all the extra time they could get if they all wanted to make it out in one piece in order to sound the alarm. Everything else could come later, they just had to focus on making it home now. “Let’s go.” Timaeus said to the group as a whole as they hurried up the mineshaft and into the sunlight once more after spending what felt like a century underground. However, he didn’t pause for long to take in the sunlight but instead directing the group towards the path that the first group of questors had taken to find the town in the first place, just so this new group could get out of this situation as fast as possible.
After all, this journey might be over, but there was still plenty left to do in these woods.
As the group followed the teens out of the mines, the youngest among them tried to ignore how every step was torture on Timaeus’s battered body. The pain practically screamed out in between every horrible throb within his skull as the men plodded forward, trying to keep pace with the boys who seemed to be just as lost as they were. The youngest of the group tried not to think about how akin they all were to rats scurrying about inside of a maze as they all carefully followed and backtracked, trying not to let the teens know that there was a group following them. Timaeus had to thank their lucky stars that the boys were so panicked in their own quest to find a way out, especially as each possible escape appeared to be blocked off by the cave-in triggered by Damocles. Otherwise had they all been clear of mind, there was no way that this group of five would have ever been able to pull off such a feat. Not when they were all so battered and bruised as they were from being taken captive and needing to fight their way out in the first place. It was a miracle that the creaking stones above them, threatening to give way at any moment, covering the noises of their ragged breath as this group was not prepared to fight again. At least not yet.
However, it seemed to be that the powers that be had decided that the excitement wouldn’t be done just for them. Without much warning, the group ran into another group of miners -- but unlike with the teens, these were not a group of fellows that they could just sneak by. Not with the tunnel being this narrow and offering no nooks or crannies for five people to hide in.
They were going to have to fight their way out.
Gripping his pick-ax a little tighter, Timaeus knew that there was not much of a choice in the matter over whether or not the group was going to get out of this without getting into a fight, Timaeus’s shaky hands grabbed a hold of his pick-ax as he braced himself for what was to come. With the signal from Phaedra, the group rushed forward all at once to confront the enemy. As Timaeus was not as strong as the others and he had a head injury to boot, it was little wonder that he didn’t play as big of a role in the battle as the others. Valerius and Damocles each took one man down through their weapons and their fists. Out of the corner of his eye, Timaeus could see Phaedra and Zosi doing the same to the third guard, but the details were rather fuzzy due to the darkness. All Timaeus could really do was offer the odd punch where he could, though he was unsure of which battle he was stepping in on, before all three had been taken down and knocked unconscious where they stood. Even though some of them were more bloody than they ought to be, the teen could still see the steady rise and fall of each chest, ensuring to the Eubocrisian that they were all still alive. Truthfully, after a harrowing three days of fighting snakes, mountain lions, and miners, this was truly a better outcome than anything else the boy could have asked for given the circumstances.
However, this wasn’t the moment to celebrate this victory. That was something that Valerius made clear as he placed a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder and pushed him ahead, making sure that Timaeus was the first out of this horrible mineshaft. The grim words the elder man said rung true, they might have won for now, but there was no telling what could happen once the men woke up and this party would have a long way to go to make it back to where they had started on this journey. Even though they had failed to take care of the bear itself, the mere fact that they had found the cause of the problem was more than enough to justify heading home in order to rally the Lyncaea troops. They could come back here and root out every miner root and stem from this illegal settlement that had done so much damage to these woods. Plus not to mention find Prince Vangelis who was god knows where in this forest.
Timaeus knew by only taking one glance at this battered party, they were going to need all the extra time they could get if they all wanted to make it out in one piece in order to sound the alarm. Everything else could come later, they just had to focus on making it home now. “Let’s go.” Timaeus said to the group as a whole as they hurried up the mineshaft and into the sunlight once more after spending what felt like a century underground. However, he didn’t pause for long to take in the sunlight but instead directing the group towards the path that the first group of questors had taken to find the town in the first place, just so this new group could get out of this situation as fast as possible.
After all, this journey might be over, but there was still plenty left to do in these woods.
