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Lio was vaguely confused about Vuram saying the pass code - he hoped his new friends didn't optics that he'd misunderstood who was supposed to say it!
Through the night he was glad it was only torture on the far side from the furnace. He worked at encouraging his new friend: they'd made up, yeah, and we're totally friends again, and made sure to remind him that, as his friend, he'd never abandon him, 'cause people are important (and maybe a passive-aggressive argument, but it was his friends o it was fine). He also tried to make sure to complement his torturer - difficult in between his screams and hard breathing, but you know, friendship is difficult - and make everything friendly - he had an itch there anyway, or would he mind a little to the left? Friendly! Eventually, he lapsed into unconsciousness - that was nice.
"Leo, I'm sorry about your missing ear, but I saw of the guards put something in your chest." He tells Leo when he wakes up.
Upon a flash of healing, Lio wakes with a snort. Upon Sithiss saying something, Lio squints at him, confused.
"" Lio hisses in a "whisper" that was goofily loud. ""
Lio digs into his flesh to withdraw whatever was stuck into it.
"Mmmm..." he says, withdrawing the thing, "Gonna sleep now."
He drops the note, unread, and curls up. You can actually see his ear growing back.
He begins to snore again.
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Volnar picks up the note covered in Lio bits, and reads it over before passing it around.
"Well, we should probably get Vuram up to strength and then get to work in the mines. I don't think we want the guards to think we're shirkers or troublemakers. I'm pretty sure Lio will be fine. Physically."
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Sithiliss channel heals both up one time, then calls upon a divine blessing for Vuram
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With a pained groan the minotaur's eyes groggily blink open, and the slowly sits up, wincing at the pain in his ribs and lacerated back. Meeting Sithiliss' eyes, he murmurs, "My sincere thanks, priest. Please tell me that the nagaji was able to pull off the trick?"
Prodding gently at his injuries, he mutters, "It's been a while since I've drawn enough attention to warrant that sort of treatment. I can't say I missed it, but if this works it will have been worth it. Though, if it's all the same to the rest of you...I think I'm going to sleep this off." Laying back, and trying hard to lay still to avoid more twinges of pain, the minotaur soon drifts to sleep, his breaths coming deep and slow.
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The morning bells start ringing in the camp towers, and you see various individuals around you start pulling themselves towards their feet and heading down to the mines, stopping to pick up picks and the like on the way. Eventually the humans start sweeping the tents looking for stragglers. A few are met with kicks, and those who don't wake up are inevitably dragged to the incinerator. Corrin peeks his head in your tent, and the goblinoid raises an eyebrow ridge. "Is all ready?"
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"Eh? Huh?" snorts a troll, sitting up groggily. "Uh, yah, sure, I guess." he says, rubbing his eyes.
"Er, what're-we-talkin'-'bout?" he asks.
"POOP!" he exclaims, and begins vigorously shaking his horned colleague.
With that Lio hops up and heads out, helping his new "buddy" as much as he's allowed toward the picks.
With that, Lio picks up his new friend, and carries him - "subtly" (at least as subtly as he can - trying to make it look like he's just sleepy, drunk, or otherwise mildly incapacitated) helping him toward the mines.
On his way to the mines, he grabs two big picks.
"Hi-ho! Hi-ho! It's off to work we go...!" he merrily sings off-key.
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Sithiliss drops an early morning channel. "Rise and shine, everyone!"
"Leo, we need to find torches for the signal today, remember?" He speaks in hushed tones.
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Gehuil quietly growls at the commotion growing in the tent. He rolls himself out of whatever passes for a bed here and shuffles over to a pick ax on his own way out.
Third left... second right... Are you ready Einde?
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Volnar nods to Corrin as he rises up and stretches, mentally readying himself for tasks ahead.
"I'm sure they have torches for the miners. Not everyone here can see in the dark."
Volnar then stepped out of the tent, ready for action.
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Vuram's eyes grow significantly wider as he wakes up to Lio's face inches from his own, and he blinks several times before answering. "I...am alive, and mostly hale thanks to Sithiliss. I am ready. Let us be off, Lio."
Wincing as he lumbers to his feet, he waves off the trolls well-intentioned by clumsy help and limps his way towards the mine. Yes, I have languished long enough. It is indeed time to wake up, Vuram Kalloth. Hefting a reasonably intact pick, the minotaur
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When you get to the cave you realize it's as Volnar said - there are a pile of torches on the way in, and some flint and steel to light them. Greeter scurries up to you all, since it's your first day actually in the mines, and begins to explain it to you. "They don't usually accompany us down there, and we're not allowed to take the torches or picks out. If don't bring back enough ore on way out, they don't let you out at the end of the day. Based on size of digger. Day without food, water, light...few have gone mad down there. Can show you where the untapped lines are, if you want. Always helpful, Greeter."
He smiles, and waves a hand friendly-like.
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When you get down into the darkness of the mines itself, there are no more guards. It seems the threat of staying "in the dark" is the main way they keep people cooperating down there.
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Scratching his chest, Vuram considers the kobold--nearly as scarred as he--and dark thoughts start bubbling up in the recesses of his mind. He's a risk, a threat, he'd sell us out in a heartbeat, I've seen a thousand others just like him. Kill him. It would be the work of a moment to wring his neck and dump his corpse in a ravine, some ugly, scarred part of him urged.
Before yesterday, he'd have probably done it, but the tantalizing chance of escape had breathed new life into parts of him he'd thought long dead. Like a breeze blowing aside the ash from last night's fire, hope stirred to life the embers of the person Vuram had been before the camps--especially the small, iron core of his sense of honor. No. There are too many variables, killing him may prove as dangerous as leaving him alive. My enemy is not the kobold, rat or not, but the humans who put us both here. Heed this mercy, Greeter, and don't interfere.
Hefting his pick, the minotaur offers Greeter a slow nod. "Yes, the best ore veins. I would appreciate your guidance, Greeter. A lot of work ahead of us, lead on."
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Sure, let us continue. We should prove ourselves worth keeping around. I have already seen how dead weight is responded to. I would never want to get in someone's way. Do you agree? Gehuil walks closely behind Greeter, pick ax at rest.
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Listening to Greeter, Volnar realizes that they maybe should have split up Lio and Vuram before entering the mines. Hoping that the sound of their shared native language will lull the kobold a bit, he calls out to him in draconic,
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Sithtiliss wordlessly picks up his pick and a torch and follows Greeter down to the mines.He does not speak, not trusting his tongue not to betray his innermost thoughts.
'Someone that who would betray us in a heartbeat...if I can arrange for an "accident" to happen when no one is looking, so much the better.'
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Vuram's eyes grow significantly wider as he wakes up to Lio's face inches from his own, and he blinks several times before answering. "I...am alive, and mostly hale thanks to Sithiliss. I am ready. Let us be off, Lio."
Wincing as he lumbers to his feet, he waves off the trolls well-intentioned by clumsy help and limps his way towards the mine. Yes, I have languished long enough. It is indeed time to wake up, Vuram Kalloth. Hefting a reasonably intact pick, the minotaur
Friend.
It was certain, now - actually saying the word wasn't necessary. He'd greeted him. By name! Who would ever do that, but a friend?!
Lio... had made a friend.
He didn't cry. That would be rude.
"*SSSSNNNNNNIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFF*" he says, then chokily, "Hhhhh-hi-ho~! *sniff* Hhhccchhh-hooooooo~!" he drifts off.
"Leo, we need to find torches for the signal today, remember?" He speaks in hushed tones.
"Oh! No, I totally forgot about that! Sorry, lizard!" he says.
Oh, roasted carp on a stick (the thought gives him shudders)!
He hoped he wasn't being rude to a potential friend. He didn't know if they were friends or not - the lizard seemed not to like most of the things Lio did.
Maybe he should fight him, too, and get tortured together. That seemed to work wonders!
How do you go about asking someone like that, though. If only they had some point of mutual interests to talk about.
"Get y'r head in th' game, Lio. Gotta remember th' signal. Yeah. I, uh... I totally remember it." he says, nervously.
When you get to the cave you realize it's as Volnar said - there are a pile of torches on the way in, and some flint and steel to light them. Greeter scurries up to you all, since it's your first day actually in the mines, and begins to explain it to you. "They don't usually accompany us down there, and we're not allowed to take the torches or picks out. If don't bring back enough ore on way out, they don't let you out at the end of the day. Based on size of digger. Day without food, water, light...few have gone mad down there. Can show you where the untapped lines are, if you want. Always helpful, Greeter."
"KOBOLD~!" Lio shouts at the sight of Greeter.
All of his teeth show. It's... a... smile.
He flexes his claws reflexively. Another potential friend! How delightful! Now this was a potential friend, for sure! He was helpful, eager, and ready to please. Definitely an awesome guy.
He should be let in on the plan!
"Oy! You wanna be a friend o' mine too?!" he asks, sincerely.
The people here had really strange customs, but he knew for sure, now, that his new minotaur friend didn't need help being patched up, and that meant that Lio was perfectly capable of properly measuring his punches and claw-rakes.
"So, how do you wanna do this? I think the best thing is to find something that really ticks me off. That way, I'll get really mad! That means I can hurt you real good! You been around, right? That means you can hurt me real good, too! That way we can be friends, too!"
Rows of endless teeth. Still a smile.
"Don't worry," he adds, enthusiastically, "my claws are still real sharp!"
He flexes his claws to show his new friend.
"But, yeah, ya gotta make me real mad first. My tendency is just to like people, ya know? Hard to make friends that way. Ya gotta claw 'em real good first."
While he's convincing, he supposes he should make sure everyone else knows the offer is open to them, too. He smiles winningly at the rest of the group.
Flawless! It was absolutely certain they'd all take him up on his offer and be his friends in no time. He'd have too many requested brawls, and they'd have to start standing in line!
Lio stares vaguely off into space absently, his hand weirdly moving through the air with fingers softly wiggling.
Teeth show and claws stretch.
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Lettu follows silently, feeling blessed by that opportunity. He certainly couldn't wish for better meat shields than this troll, for example. The most loquacious creature he's ever seen!
Not particularly trusting anyone, Lettu tries to conceive himself around the middle of the group, by times smiling friendly - in truth, he didn't feel any friendship, but in his core, he felt these people would be the ones to help him achieve his goals and, therefore, he'd give them his loyalty.
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The eager kobold grins at your positive affirmation, but then grows wary at Lio's "friendship offer" and clenches his teeth and backs away. "Um...you...uh...that...wait, what?" He pauses and raises a brow ridge. "So, you're...saying you're friends with..." He pauses, nods to himself, and then picks up moving down the mine's shaft. "I understand now. Anyway, come this way." He begins to skitter down the tunnels away from you - quite a bit faster than he was before Lio's "friendship offer" - and at the first tunnel branch, starts to head to the right, waving you on.
Lio slumps in disappointment.
What did I do wrong, here...? he wonders to himself. At least I've made a good buddy of Vuram. he comforts himself. Oh! Teeth! At least the kobold is smiling... hope remains!
Nodding at Vuram (friend!), he quickly heads down the same tunnel as the kobold hefting his two picks.
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"He thinks he's friends with everyone." Sithiliss rolls his eyes upwards."What an ass."Sithiliss scoffs, as he shakes his head.'I'm sorry, Leo. It was necessary. I'll explain later.' He thinks to himself.
'That's not good, Lio. Greeter might be able to put 2 and 2 together and figure both planned the fight. I'd like to get rid of Greeter, but is this the time or place?' Sithiliss thinks to himself as he heads down the right fork.
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As the group continues, Einde slips out from behind his master, before Greeter turns around if possible. The scorpion makes himself scarce, following the directions to the room laid out in the map without being spotted.
Gehuil leaves himself in his thoughts, following the group for the while. This group likes to talk more than the people back home. Except one. Interesting. He has that particular look about him. A killer. Isn't he? I hope the troll turns out more reliable than this during delicate moments. We clearly need an excuse to get rid of the kobold. Perhaps "Wings" would be willing to oblige. "Leo" as it were, well, I'd hate to waste good labor.
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Volnar wondered to himself how far the little kobold was going to take them down this tunnel. They needed to go the other way, and he was anxious to get to the spot Schwartz had sent them to. He felt his fingers idly stroking the handle of the pick as he contemplated just killing Greeter. He'd never killed a person before, but he doubted it would be much different than slaughtering any other animal. He eyed his companions, wondering how they'd react if he just attacked their guide.
Vuram, I think, would immediately understand what was happening. He might even approve. Lio would probably think I'd decided to make friends with Greeter and join in. Sithiliss, I have no idea. I wonder if all lizard folk are so... emotional. Gehuil, well, he seems like one willing and able to do what's necessary. Wings I haven't been able to get a read on. But if he's anything like the crows he resembles, gods help any that cross him. Ugh, no, better to wait. Let Greeter take us to wherever, then we can head back to our real destination.
Volnar plodded along, seemingly lost in thought. Fingers caressing the handle of his pick.
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With a shrug Vuram follows the kobold, being careful to keep close small creature, but he doesn't speak. He's on to us. Maybe not the overall details, but he definitely knows something is up. That means he doesn't get out of my sight.