Raised From Perdition

Posted on 13 Apr 2021 @ 6:02am by Rogue Cainan Sauvage

1,468 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Lore's Labour's Lost
Location: Jader
Timeline: Cloudreach 18th - Morning

After dealing with Martin at the lift and directing him to Jaslyn, Cainan started into the mine, leaving the dwarf to his own devices now that they had confirmed the mine was secure. He had expected to need to fight his way through narrow corridors, had even spent time on the way down visualising it, but the fighting was clearly all done. He passed a makeshift infirmary where Kalian and a woman who looked strikingly like Sister Elinowy but in far more revealing clothing were assisting the injured. Cainan’s eyes lingered on the good sister for a moment - for the obvious, and then the concern for how she ended up there, before he scanned the room, searching. Not finding either of the faces he was looking for, and seeing the Sister was safe with Kalian, he made his way further down, passing groups of miners assisting the injured, helping them get back to the lift or the makeshift infirmary, as their wounds allowed.

He was a couple of hundred paces into the mine before he found them; both breathing, though Fariweather had obviously taken a proper beating to the head. He’d lost a tooth or two as well, as he grinned dopily at Cainan’s appearance. “Alrigh’, Cainan?” he spat, wheezing. Where he lay, he was obviously a bit punch-drunk, and Cainan could already tell what had happened; a short way away lay a guard who had been beaten severely, beside the door to what looked like a cell, where the obvious tracks of a body being dragged led to Fariweather, who was clearly just coming round.

“Cainan?!” Harlan whirled, looking at him, blinking stupidly. He had clearly been trying to drag his friend to safety after the chaos of the fighting. Cainan let out a sigh of relief at the sight of them, but tried to joke his way passed it as the obvious evidence of what had happened fell into place.

“Let me guess - you started a fight with the first guard, this one tried to take the second and you ended up knocking out two idiots and dragging a third?” he asked, as he leant down to help stand Fariweather and take his place on the other side of the man, Harlan taking the other side to share the weight between them. Cainan was no healer, but neither looked too bad, though not all wounds could be seen; though Harlan grinned tiredly back at him, there was a haunted look to the mans eyes as he did it.

“Pretty much,” he admitted, bringing up his friend. He was making an effort to smile, but his heart obviously wasn't in it. His eyes had a strange mix of anger, fear and hope that was difficult to read, or even watch. “I’m assuming the Cap’n… well, we both know he didn’t send ya, so…”

“No, he didn’t send me.” There was a pause, as they both thought around that wording for a moment. “Did help me find you, though,” Cainan added, half-heartedly, but the subtext was plain as day.

“‘N how long did that take?” Harlan grunted, before spitting into the dirt. “He just watched, Cainan. That cretin killed - murderedJules and he just watched. He kidnapped me n’ Felix, and Cap’n just watched. He… Hells, more ‘n enough has ‘appened as I can’t even recall it all. I take it he’s off hiding somewhere?” he asked, and spat again. “Know what? Never mind, I don’t care. Cassabianca can burn as fars I care, and that bastard aboard n’ all.”

Cainan found himself unable to defend Javert, due in no small part to the lack of appropriate words or inclination. While it was true he would have had to keep looking for the mine if Richelieu had not come round the morning before with directions, it was still too little, too late.

“Shoulda stayed with Kanperry; that woman knows the sea, and can tell which way the wind’s blowing; knew this venture was shady from the off. Shoulda… shoulda listened…” Harlan continued, as they made their way back toward the infirmary. By now, the lift was being loaded with the most injured and raised to the surface, so they waited. Harlan got quiet as they did, shaking slightly; it was only then that Cainan realised the man was crying. Cainan wasn’t sure how to deal with that, so he just let him cry; truth be told, he could hardly blame the man.

“Th… Thanks for coming for us, Cainan. I don’t - I don’t do well in… tight spaces.” His voice cracked, and Cainan gripped the mans should with the arm that was helping support Felix between them.

“We was gonna die down here,” Felix mumbled, starting to come around. He lifted his head as the sound of the creaking mechanism slowly grew louder, and he watched the lift descend towards them, intently. Cainan had taken a fair few hits to the head in his time; he knew that Felix was probably fixed on the lift with tunnel vision from the head injury as he faded in and out of alertness, but suspected it was far more poignant in that moment than any he himself had ever experienced. Felix watched the lift as if it were a descending angel, transfixed by it, and Cainan wondered just how long they had been down here.

Harlan shook as he stepped into the lift; hard enough that Cainan felt it through Felix. Hard enough the lift swayed a little in response. They were silent as the lift doors closed and they ascended into the long darkness, the air quality shifting as they went higher. The darkness held the sobs and sighs of those that had fought for their freedom and were only now, as they finally stopped long enough to just breathe, coming to terms with what they had done, and what this moment in the dark represented; the rest of their lives, and freedom.

As the lift finally crested the lip of the shaft, the light of the early sunrise breached the slats of the wood and bathed them in a sudden warmth against the chill of the dewy morning air. it was as the door opened and they stepped into the light proper that Harlan finally collapsed to his knees, two short steps into the world outside, and openly sobbed, his head held high so all he could see was the sky.

The support from his right side now gone, Felix leaned heavily against Cainan for a moment before he slumped down to comfort Harlan. He awkwardly lifted his arm and heaved it slowly around Harlan's broad shoulders, and looked to the sky as well, before turning his gaze slowly to Cainan.

“First time we’ve been topside in… hells, I dunno,” Felix mumbled, by way of explanation. “We… they had us in that cell when we weren’t working…” He closed his eyes, as tears started streaming down his face, too.

Cainan wanted to offer… something, but he was so far from knowing what would help he didn’t have a word for it. Somehow, sympathy didn’t seem enough. Felix didn’t seem to mind, though; he had lifted his head as the morning breeze came in from the coast, bringing with it the hint of salt on that wind. “Was forgetting what wind felt like,” he mumbled, as he began to sob, smiling, and gripped Harlan harder.

They stayed there for a time, as the Jader Guards worked around them. No one moved the two men or bothered them - at least, not until the lift started coming back up; they just let those who hadn’t seen daylight for over a month allow freedom to wash over them, while Cainan stood by, letting them take it in.

After a time, and when the lift began to move again, Cainan saw that they were both seen to by the guards, and listened to their plans. It felt good that he had helped them; he wasn’t used to selfless acts, but this… this definitely was worth it.

As the sun began to rise higher in the sky, other miners - other survivors took over and made sure Felix and Harlan got some food and water, and promised to help them through whatever debrief the city guards had. After ensuring they had his address and what money he had, Cainan said his goodbyes and joined Jaslyn and the others as they prepared to ride out back to Jader.


OOC: just finishing Cainan's time in the mine so there's no unresolved threads down there.

 

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