Wilhelm Skirts around Rayla and steps in with a snarl as he drives his blade deep into the thing's belly. The brute only has a brief moment to realize that this was the end before his life is snuffed out by the old ranger.
"Damn, hairy bastard." Wilhelm mutters before spitting on the corpse. Seeing Helena free from her bonds, he walks over to her.
"Ye a'right, lass? Nae hurt are ye?"
More than just a bit frustrated that she didn't hit anything at all Rayla watches the bugbear breathe its last. She doesn't sheathe her sword but holds it over one shoulder as she follow Wilhelm to Helena, though she does seem a bit absent as her mind is occupied with her failure and her eyes wander around for clues, or maybe ways deeper into that darkness, which is really more a colourlessnes to her.
"I am still a bit puzzled how this happened - I mean it's not like we weren't keeping watch. And why. And what this place is..." Even though the questions are meant for Helena, Rayla isn't addressing anyone in particular. She reaches the free left out for the remarkably dignified lady's shoulder in order to be able to support her, but doesn't dare touching her without a sign of consent.
Rayla sighs and turns directly to Helena: "It's good we found you relatively fast - I was already afraid we might have to try to track both you and Lady Gweniver. The Lucky Drunk give we find her soon."
"It didn't even wake me," Helena whispers, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself. "It dragged me right out of my tent, and nobody noticed, and I didn't even wake up..." She begins to shake, staring at the corpse, at the slowly-widening pool of blood. After a moment, during which she looks as though she's on the verge of collapsing, she visibly pulls herself together, taking a deep breath and raising her head high once more. She subtly moves her shoulder back from Rayla's hand, as if afraid of the contact.
"Not physically," she mutters in response to Wilhelm's question. "Though I would have preferred that to what took place." Her lip quivers briefly, but she shakes her head again, trying to stay strong. "I'd like to find my robes, now."
"Of course" Rayla returned softly. "Just sit there for a moment, I'll get your robes. You may have my mantle in the mean time - I don't get cold due to my heritage."
She slips her armoured cloak off and puts it beside Helena, careful not to touch her, since she doesn't seem to like that and looks around for Helena's equipment. She doesn't show the slightest hint of shame now that she is hardly dressed at all anymore - a little top and something between a skirt and a loincloth, both made of coarse wool and don with armour plates.
"Either way... we should go on as soon as we can"
Os checks over the fallen goblinoid, patting down its body and checking through its gear, afore waiving his finger towards the dark recesses of the cave:
"Should check this brute lads and lassies... Body and lair... Yes-yes. May have something more... useful than finger trophies and scalps..."
:
Rayla sorts through the gear she's carrying and hands over Helena's stuff as far as she has it. "Did your captor say anything what this was about? I am not sure whether he was connected to that queen we're after in the first place." Whatever happened must have bothered Helena seriously and Rayla doesn't want to be too inquisitive about it. But if she learned something important they must know.
She sighs. "It feels like we're not one step closer to saving - or at least finding Lady Gweniver and stopping those abductions than when we started."
She looks around to make sure there is indeed nothing of a threat around. "I'll give you some privacy to change... Os, you're coming, too? You may steal from the dead later." She says the latter with a wink and a smile. "Then we should get back on track. Unless we find a clue, which does not seem likely."
Rayla gives Helena a bit time to answer and leaves the cave to stand guard by the entrance.
The caves are empty save a moldy, mite infested pile of furs (The bug, not the fey.) The Bugbear has some old, worn leather, a necklace of ears, human, gnome, elf, and even orc, and an iron mace.
Helena works quickly, pulling on her robes, layer by layer. Once every piece of thin grey cloth is in place, she pulls her white leather lamellar over the top, feeling safer at last. When she grips her longspear, she finally feels as if everything can be alright again.
"I see you found someone new in my absence," she notices, nodding at Os. "And he said something about the Queen... How it had been too long since she let him play with any of them. I can only assume that meant others he'd captured." She shudders at the thought.
Os stands slowly at Helena's acknowledgement, joints popping as he stands straight. The whip thin wilds-man bows and introduces himself;
"Osmær Aulderwald M'Lady. Old friend of Wil's...I'll introduce the rest of the lads when we can properly relax!"
At his final comment he taps several stickman effigies that hang from his worn garb.
"Another mention of this Queen. Organizing the goblinoids in the area. Dangerous," Kylar muses. "Likely the focal point of the recent troubles."
Kylar looks into the gloom. "We should see if this cave leads anywhere, or if we must continue the search elsewhere."
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"A pleasure to meet you, Os," Helena replies, forcing a small smile despite her recent predicament. At the mention of the 'rest of the lads', she blinks in confusion, shooting a questioning glance at the others when Os turns away.
After Helena got dressed Rayla comes back in. "We rather stay in motion. All we have is what the Hobgoblin said before he died to go on... Let's just go on looking the way we did yesterday. Whatever this is, we must put a stop to this."
Rayla casts a somewhat concerned look to Helena. "Ready?"
There's nothing else to be found in the bugbear's hideout, and the caves go no deeper.
Another hour brings you to the bandit encampment, as promised, there is a ruined tower and the entrance to a cave. The light is beginning to wan, and clouds from the north promise a night of heavy snow.
"We need ta find a safe place to camp. Somewhere we can start a fire without being seen." Wilhelm whispers to the others.
Despite her limited range of vision, Helena attempts to find a suitable place to camp.
The urge to strike as soon as she becomes aware of the camp and find Lady Gweniver is hard to resist and her hands cling painfully tight around the hilt of her blade. Yet she goes down on her knees to hide behind the undergrowth and take a closer look at it.
She tries to assess how many enemies there may be of what kind - gobloids and bugbears like the ones they've met or others? And how many there are by the amount of fires tents. She also tries to make a reasonable guess who may have build the tower - whether it is goblinoid arcitecture or, for example, the leftovers of some wizard tower and whether its foundation touches the rocks of the cave system, so that there is an indication they might be connected. Are there any guards or patrols?
"There is an enemy encampment straight ahead, Helena" Rayla says with lowered voice, because she's not entirely sure whether she noticed it. "Along with a ruined tower and a cave entrance. We need to find a way in there without being seen... I don't think it's a good idea to camp in the heart of enemy territory. They probably know that we're somewhere in this forest by now, if not that we're right at their doorstep."
Os nods at Rayla's assessment and taps each of the little manikins attached to various points on his person;
" All present and correct! Yes-oh-yes! Right onwards, careful and quiet... shhhhh. We've a Queen to sneak upon..."
The wiry ranger puts a finger against pursed lips and smiles, scowls, then smiles again.
Kylar moves close to Wilhelm and speaks softly, for the man's ears only. "You know this 'Os?' You are certain his eccentricities won't prove dangerous?"
Peering around at the surroundings, not seeing anything entirely suitable, Helena nods at Rayla's words. "Thank you," she responds in a low tone. "My vision doesn't extend that far. We should find a good place to camp - not too close." After a pause, she adds, "How far away is the encampment? And which direction?"
"To the south, around 100 yards south of here... maybe a little more." Rayla looks around the group "I would scout ahead and see whether there are accesses other than the obvious, but it's very likely the guards on that tower would notice me..." She grins and adds a sly: "Subtlety isn't exactly my strong side."
Os scowls at the camp before them, then nods and puts a finger to pursed lips as if encouraging silence.
"Spoke to the lads. We'll not break cover less we have to... best we pep-pep-pepper them from the forest. Draw them to us at best, keep them ducking at worst..."
The lanky ranger draws an imaginary bow and lets loose with a smile.