Rosha ignored everyone and everyone else ignored her back, she didn't ask for them to speak with her, nor did she expect them to even notice her, she soon began staring out at the sea wondering what would this mission be like, she ventured around the ship on her own silently glancing at the sailors and their equipment, then before she knew it, nightfall came and everyone began eating. Stomach growling, she joined the others in their meal, she drank a bowl of soup before the others began heading to their cots for the night, not feeling tired Rosha decided to meditate once again, but this time it was different, she got into her crossed legged position and closed her eyes feeling an out of body experience something she never felt before as she meditated many times in the past.

She felt locked inside of her own mind, all control of her body was taken from her, something else was acting and she couldn't do anything about it. A heavy hit landed on her head, she couldn't get an idea where it was from with her eyes closed, then she felt as if a couple of people were carrying her before she started falling, as she fell, she hoped that she wasn't going where, she thought, but the moment she felt her entire body submerged she felt it was over for her and she was headed for the void.

But the very moment her eyes opened quickly she found herself on a beach, with a starfish latched to her cheek, she pulled off the small sea creature before shaking any sand from her Gi." I don't get to see the void today." She told herself in a groggy voice, her two steel knuckles were gone, either taken by the sea or taken by who ever threw her overboard. Rosha took a breath, this wasn't the first time she was left on her own and she felt it wouldn't be her last.

@Spriggs27

"No, you won't be seeing the void, and neither will I. Come, let's go look for the others," Fiers whispered, coming up to Rosha once she'd collected herself. The woman was a mystery to Fiers, relatively unacquainted with her as he was. Of course it was plain she wasn't of the same cloth as the innkeeper's daughter, and he didn't even pretend to suspect she'd respond if he tried flirting. The fact was, a goddess of love could walk up out of the surf right this instant and Fiers would probably be more likely to glare at her and ask where his lyre was, rather than even spare her a second look.

He realized then, that he was fortunate, in having come across one of the most no-nonsense women he'd ever met. They might actually stand a chance should some ill fate befall them on this gods-damned beach. Speaking of no-nonsense women... Fiers regarded Rosha, and then the rest of the beach. Where was their sour-tongued healer? Their alchemist? Their fellow bard, and magic-wielder? Even that damned drunk of an orc would be a source of peace of mind in a world full of enemies such as this. And of course, where was Reignald, a battle-tempered rock of a man who unlike Fiers, fool that he was, might actually know what the fuck to do?

Making sure that Rosha was following, Fiers continued creeping along the beach, his eyes still burning, but considerably less than before. As he crept, a melancholy kind of roundabout lullaby started up in his head, and he set to humming softly in his throat. Death seemed close, but with friends, Death could be cast to the way side. He clutched his medallion, rubbing it and humming, feeling very much the prey in a predator's game.

It wasn't all too hard for anyone to drug Malkai if they really needed too; he was doing just fine poisoning himself with cheap grog. If anyone had told him they had “medicine” that could let him sleep through this entire journey, he'd down it before he learned of the side effects. But no one approached him about it, and he eventually got drugged when his drink was spiked. Malkai practically slept like a baby during the entire time he was dragged from bed and tossed overboard.

It was a good thing too, if Malkai had been thrown into the ocean while conscious he would have likely drown in his own panic. For a man who didn't know how to swim and wore heavy armor and equipment, he managed to wash up ashore just fine, sand most of his equipment. When he came to the first thing he did was check on his inventory.

“Axe. Armor. Shield. Gauntlet. Backpack. Nothin’ in my pack… Damn.”

Checking the rest of his pockets Malkai was disappointed to know that he was missing other essential items as well. His anytool must have fallen from his bandolier, he his potions had broken, and all his cigars were soaked. That annoyed him the most. It'd take weeks before these things would dry, and their taste would never be the same. Still he kept them. Maybe when he was pretty desperate he could just chew on them or something.

Getting to his feet Malkai surveyed the area. Sure enough for the lightless realm, it was dark. Malkai’s natural dark vision allows him to see just fine aside from the lack of color, but he was concerned for the others. If they washed up under the same condition as he did they probably couldn't see a damn thing. And Malkai imagined lighting a torch was just asking for all sorts of beasties to come out and eat you. Speaking of which Malkai took his axe out in preparation for combat. While he had somehow survived the wash ashore, he doubts that he'll be alone for long.

Malkai took a few steps forward and immediately fell to his knees. The combined cocktail of questionable drink and knock-out drugs, as well as whatever had happened to him in the ocean, made his body feel extremely weak. It wasn't his first time in such a state however, and he shall preserve. But that didn't mean he was in his best shape. "Tch. Cmon, damn feet. Git up!” Malkai had to will himself onto his feet and continue forward. With any luck he'll find the rest of the company. With his luck however, he'll probably be attacked by skeletons or something. Certainly a lot of them here.

The meat had tasted off.

Barely detectable, of course, just a hint of something bitter where it shouldn’t have been. Not that uncommon aboard a large ship that had been at sea for weeks, but still. It had set alarm bells ringing.

Alarm bells that, for all intents and purposes, had been confirmed when she saw the other members of the company, the ones who’d been eating with everyone else at least, with eyelids beginning to droop and postures beginning to slump. The facts were becoming blindingly, painfully, clear, and Elsie was quickly realising what a fool she’d been for not realising sooner.

And now? The food had been drugged. They had been betrayed. They were likely all about to be dumped at the bottom of the ocean and turned to fish food.

She’d stood, not taking another bit of her food after the first, less than pleasant one. She’d left the table, she’d gone back to her quarters alone. The tips of her fingers tingled as she’d worked, feeling more as if she was watching someone else sort deftly through her supplies for anything that might be useful in staving off the future attack, coat her dagger with poison, and tucki another into her belt just in case.

She couldn’t stop them from coming for her, but she’d damned if she was going to let it be easy for the fuckers.

And then, it had happened. A shadowy figure in the night, the irony of which was not lost on Elsie, sneaking into her quarters. An attempt to fight, a blow that knocked her first dagger clean from her fingers, sent it skittering across the floor. Another that had knocked her clean to the floor.

It was done.

A set of hands that wrapped right the way around her arms as if they were twigs. Another set of hands around her legs when they kicked and sunk deep into someone’s fleshy stomach, lifting her bodily off the ground. A rag wrapped around her mouth when she yelled at them to get their filthy fucking hands off her or they’d regret the day they were born.

Dumped on the deck of the ship, briney splinters digging into knees, the familiar cold bite of a blade at her throat to keep her still and quiet. She couldn’t help but shiver, the spray of the sea and the rain seeping through her dress to her skin, chilling her to the bone. Her eyes moved, looking as far to her sides as she dared, trying to meet those of the other company members lined up beside her. Soon enough it would either be over, or they’d be free to seek retribution.

An impact. A nauseous, dizzying sensation that accompanied the aforementioned impact. Hands. Falling. A shock of cold, cold, cold and the terrifying realisation of water, everywhere.
Finally, darkness.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Elsie awoke, the first thing she noticed was that her head was killing her. The second, was that her mouth tasted, pretty much, like what she imagined would happen if the ocean did the deed with a chamberpot. The third, was that she inexplicably soaked, right her through her thin cotton dress to her skin, and she was absolutely fucking freezing because of it.

She took a few moments to assess her surroundings, putting the thoughts of physical discomfort to the side for now. She could tell she was by the sea - the soft swish of the waves grating up against her aching head.

Slowly, she peeled her eyelids open, only to be met by… darkness.

Great.

Groaning, she pushed herself into a sitting position, wet sand slipping between her fingers. She blinked a couple of times, fighting off the fuzzy blocks that swarmed her vision. Once she felt reasonably alert, she scanned her surroundings, or at least what she could see of them. By way of the sea, there was just that. Sea. Stretching out forever. Craning her neck, she looked behind her - the beach was littered with detritus; bones sticking up out of sand dyed black by the darkness, some more organised than others for reasons she didn’t want to think about. Dark cliffs lined the back of the beach, splitting the night sky in two.

She scratched her brain to try and figure out where exactly she was. As far as she could remember, they’d been approaching the Darklands, but then… a blank spot. How had she gotten from going about her day to washed up on a beach in the darklands? Who had-

“Wankers.” she hissed, her memory still patchy, but fuzzy images coming through, enough to make what had happened evident, “when I get ahold of them they’re not gonna know what-” she grit her teeth, jagged spikes of pain suddenly splintering through her skull.

“Shit!” she yelled, blood pounding. Of course they had to wack them round the fucking head before tossing them overboard. Because head injuries made great travelling companions.

She took a deep breath. There was no use getting angry. She had a problem to deal with, one that, judging from the dry, saltiness of her lips and the nagging ache in her stomach, was liable to become time-sensitive very quickly. She raised her hand to her head, prodding carefully at the area that felt most tender. The skin hadn’t broken, which was good, it just hurt like a bitch. She allowed her eyes to slip closed for a moment, channelling small amounts of magic to dull the pain and reduce the inflammation.

There. That felt… slightly better. Better enough that she could actually think straight, which was something.

Luckily headaches were common following a blow to the head, and generally not a sign that you were about to drop dead. She have to watch though, if more serious symptoms developed it could be a sign that something more serious was at play. With the other members of the company as well, wherever they were….

She looked around, chest suddenly constricting. Where were the others? She hadn’t seen any sign of the others, and there were plenty rocks about for them to get their brains dashed out on, or they might’ve drowned, or succumbed to their injuries. They couldn’t be- no. She couldn’t go there. She had to keep her wits about her, stay clear headed.

Now, if only she could tell that to the blood rushing in her ears.

No, she had to focus. She couldn’t waste time on being afraid. She had to find water, food, and hopefully, a way off this fucking beach. Everything else could come later. Making sure there was a later had to be a priority. First, she had to check what she was working with.

Her hand flitted to her belt, immediately coming into contact with her dagger, thank goodness. She didn’t bother to check the herbs she had in her pouches - undoubtedly they would have lost all medicinal properties to the harshness of the see - but she did check her other, more practical, tools. Her tweezers, scalpel, and other medical implements were still intact, and she still had a few bandages, although they would have to be washed in clean water before they could be used. Oddly enough, there was also a rag tied around her neck. A second later, and she remembered being gagged. She must have pulled it out of her mouth at some point. Outrage and humiliation bit, hot, at the back of her throat and the corners of her eyes. She reached up, attempting to loosen the knot that held it in place, but it was sodden with salt water, and her fingers were stiff from the cold. Angrily, she gave up. She could get it later.

Everything else was gone, even her boots, a size too large due to their… questionable source, must have slipped off her at some point, stolen by the swell of the ocean.

Again, she reminded herself that there was nothing to be done about it now, before pushing herself, somewhat unsteadily to her feet.

Water. Food. Shelter. A way back.

The fact that she was alone sat in the pit off her stomach. Made her pulse race and her heart twist and squeeze if she let it.

She wouldn’t let it.

The betrayal burned, as surely as if she’d shoved her whole hand into the crackling flames of the fire at The Slaughtered Elk.

At least she was a healer.

She began to walk, legs shaking with exertion, breath loud in her ears. Maybe she should have held back on the magic earlier. She stumbled. She pushed herself back to her feet.

Water. Food. Shelter.

R'Ornn felt a spike of happiness within himself as he looked up at Alya from the coiled rope. His hiding hole wasn't the greatest as she clearly found him, and his body twinged a little as he got attention from her. Even though it was something he would normally detest it felt meaningful from her. He couldn't speak, his lips clamped too tight from fear of making a mistake, and his body wrapped up tight to avoid making a wrong move. R'Ornn merely watched her and gave the tiniest smile, as he enjoyed the caring touch. However it was brought to an end as the Captain gave way to the beginning of their sea-bound journey.

---

R'Ornn could feel it, the sway of the ocean, the bucking of the ship, the winds slamming into the sails and shoving the ship forward. He could also feel the looming presence, the sign air of stillness as the cabins grew quiet. Something was wrong, Fiers wasn't rowdy, music was playing, everything was.. silent. The sea-spray slammed against the walls of R'Ornn's cabin before a body slammed through his door and put the tiny Savolin on edge. He had little time to react, but R'Ornn managed to slid under the taller deckhand and then out his door. The small being flew quickly and burst through the hold-doors to their cabins, his hovering shape above the heads of the crew and staring down at all of the captured company folk. The Savolin was out-raged, his body shuttering with anger as all of these people, even the ones he didn't truly know, lay on their knees with blades to their throats.

"You cowards! Betraying us like this! I will have your corpses!" R'Ornn's body shuttered even heavier as the angry flowed outwardly, his form emitting a powerful bluish-purple glow, and the sky shuttering with a thunderous roar. The Savolin flew a few feet higher while concentrating his power, his arms tucked together as his palms gathered energy. Finally he flung his hands above his head and a brilliant bolt of purple lightning flew into the heavens, piercing the lightless sky. The bolt was heralding what appeared to be the tip of a giant crystal from the clouds, sparking bolts of electricity from it across the clouds, however.. it quickly vanished.

"You bastards! Arrrgh!" R'Ornn was falling from the sky, entangled in a large net that had been fired from a cannon below him, his flying was pointless, only slowing his fall a small degree. The Savolin struck the deck a moment later, the impact powerful and felt through the wood. R'Ornn's eyes peered to the midnight sky to see a receding purple gem, the last hope he had of saving the company from this betrayal disappeared into the darkness as R'Ornn was knocked unconscious by a large boot to the face.

---

R'Ornn heard a voice, a somber one full of hope and kindness, as it pleaded for him to come closer. It begged him to step forward and take it's hand. "Did the voice have a hand..?" He thought to himself as it spoke to him more. It urged him to continue, to let the voice guide him. The voice grew louder, or closer perhaps, as it spoke. He couldn't shake the voice so it must have been real. It spoke to him of great things, of joy, of happiness, of his family. It spoke of how they were proud of him and how they wished to see him and how he could be returned home to his family if he took the voice's hand. "My family.. home.. Fa.. Ma.." His mind thought of the voices words, his body felt weightless and he couldn't seem to move much at all, but he could feel the hand reaching for him, his mind slowly closing it's thoughts off and letting the voice in, before the tiny Savolin's mind came to a realization. "My family... is dead!" His scrambled to a waking state and his body felt heavier, submerged, surrounded by a thick liquid. The voice screeched at him and it told him that he would never escape. R'Ornn never cared much for people telling him what he could and couldn't do though, and within minutes his mind broke free of the grips of darkness. His body reacting to the freedom as he surged to the surface of the water and he paddled himself quickly a few feet to shore. His tiny form drug itself onto the sandy ground and he began coughing up cups of water, one lung full at a time.

His body was weak, trembling, as he collapsed against the black sand and stared at the dark clouds overhead. The lightless realm was truly lightless, to those who felt one's surroundings held power. R'Ornn felt it was necessary to not let such a land hold power over him, to the waking world that was R'Ornn, the voice of death from the depths of the ocean was a scarier thought than the lightless realm for the moment. This is what pushed R'Ornn to stand, as best as he could, and wobble his way along the shore before spotting a cave entrance which he only managed to see due to a crack of lightning. He felt that it would be best to try and find the others, before settling inward towards the cave. R'Ornn took his remaining magical power and focused it into his gauntlets or more specifically the crystals in them and allowed them to gather a marvelous blue glow which illuminated the immediate area around R'Ornn for several feet.

Rosha silently walked after Fiers, part of her wondered if they were even near or at the place they needed to be, or if this was a part of everything they needed to do or had to do in order to complete the mission, despite Fiers being the captain or leader, Rosha was starting to get the impression that he didn't seem like he was up for it."We should find the others." She spoke up as he was rubbing his medallion. She figured speak might help him focus more.

" We need to find the others and complete the mission, right?" She asked him.

She stared at him, hoping that he'd stop humming and rubbing his medallion, it wasn't freaking her out or annoying her, but his humming did seem distracting like the crabs that were scuttling around the beach." Calm down." She told him simply." The others should have washed up on the beach if they were thrown off the boat as well, there's no need to worry." She spoke the most she usually would.

" Maybe you should sit down and calm down, right? I'll go look for the others if you need a moment, shouldn't I?." She began walking off on her own without the guy, she felt lucky keeping her bracers, but it would pretty hard for the sea to wash away something strapped tight to her forearms and wrist. She began moving a little further inland towards the cliffs, she could climb them, but she'd be leaving Fiers behind on the beach, if anyone washed up they'd be on the beach or somewhere close by.

Rosha began walking along the beach before noticing small tracks in the sand, following after them the best she could she, but soon her eyes were drawn to a blue glowing light, she slowly moved towards it cautiously taking slow steps before noticing it was a member of the crew, they were doing something with a number of crystals around them. Rosha slowly approached before a thunder crack lit up the sky and her shadow appeared in the cave.

Dragging his feet through the sand, Malkai's axe turned into a cane. He grumbled and cursed as he struggled to move up the beach. He's been sluggish before but this was almost too much for him. This was less like being tired, and more like getting his legs broken. And he's had his legs broken before. Even without most of the equipment in his backpack, he felt as if someone put half a ton on his back. It didn't help that occasionally he jumped at shadows, mostly skeletons. Malkai should've walked around this graveyard instead of through it, but he was hardly thinking about the most optimal options. Glancing down at these corpses he could tell they were a mix of barbarians and innocents. He could tell from their equipment; primitive stone weapons, rusted, broken daggers, staffs snapped in half. Not the weapon of real warriors, or at least not ones who'd be so easily killed with sticks and stones.

Malkai paused to catch his breath and curse some more. "Damn fetchers an' dere traitorous arses. When I find em again I'm going to gut em alive, make em shark bait. Fuckin' eat their ears and make em swallow dere own cocks!" Malkai tried to stay on his feet, but he was just feeling weighed down. He thought maybe... Maybe if he just rested for a second, he could get his strength back. Surely there was nothing here at the lightless realm that would come get him now, not while he was awake. Right?

At least that's what Malkai thought, until he saw something coming towards him. A shadowy figure beyond the range of his darkvision, making their body obscured by darkness. But Malkai didn't panic. He knew when he accepted this job that things like this could happen. He couldn't be prepared for it but he knew stuff like this would occur. And while Malkai was not the most disciplined man he was certain enough that once it finally came down to it, Malkai would do what he must and fight.

Whatever was coming, it was moving slowly. For a moment Malkai hoped that perhaps it was one of the others from the Company. If he had to guess only the Virtuous Company had the pleasure of being ejected from the ship. No doubt many died when they were tossed overboard. Malkai still couldn't believe he was one of the survivors. Perhaps he had the devil's own luck. Still, just because they were tossed overboard doesn't mean that this figure was one of them. Something had to have killed all these skeletons after all. Perhaps this was a scavenger looking for easy prey. Or perhaps it was one of the many monsters said to inhabit the forsaken place, here to play tricks on him before snapping his neck. "Positive thoughts, Malkie. Dey all ya got now." The figure grew closer but Malkai held his ground until eventually he was able to discern more details.

It was a Woman. Almost too good to be true, which made Malkai on edge. However he recognized her. They haven't formally introduced one another to each other, but he knew she was part of the Virtuous Company. Or at least she was with them when they boarded, frankly Malkai's senses were shot to hell due to all the booze he had imbibed. He only remembered her since he had humored the thought of flirting and bedding her on the boat trip. However such carnal pleasures were the least of Malkai's concerns right now. And he still didn't discount the idea that this could all just be a trap by some witch or man-eater, preying on Malkai's weaken state to make a meal of him. The half-orc couldn't muster the strength to charge but he could at least hold his axe with both hands, ready for hostilities. When the figure came closer he called out to her.

"Oi! You dere! Ye... Ye from the company, ain't ya?" Not really the most intimidating nor convincing voice, Malkai had to admit. He was in a bad spot though so anything that could put him at an advantage, be it false bravado or fear. 'It's Malkai. Dat half-orc who was boozin up da 'ole trip. If ye one of dem sailors, ya better start runnin'. An if you ain't part of da company, then ya best not mess wif me. Cuz I'm tired, 'ungry, an itchin for a scrap. An when I get my hands on ya, I'll turn yer guts inna a sack!" The Half-orc chuckled at his poor humor. It was the only thing he could do to ignore this pain.

As Malkai faced this possible foe, he noticed a blue light in the distance. He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing though; he didn't get a chance to learn about his allies powers to know if any of them were capable of producing light like that. Still, if he survives this encounter, it was something worth investigating.

@2plus2isnot5

In the back of her mind, she was glad that R'Ornn wasn't getting upset at her for her actions. The songstress gave him a warm smile in return as she continued to pat him on the head. Most people would find this rather demeaning but she was glad that he didn't seem to think so. The booming voice of the Captain rang out so loudly that Alya almost had to cup her sensitive ears. There were perks to having sensitive hearing, but sometimes it was just downright unhelpful. As the group made their way onto the ship and around it, Alya felt the sea breeze as the ship left the dock. Getting up and leaning on the ship rail, she watched as the ship cut through the water, the waves splashing against the hull. This was her first time crossing the ocean, it's waters were nothing like the serene lakes back home. She likened the tides of the ocean to the energetic drum beats of the forest elves, whom she had the honor to perform for only a few moons ago.. But for now, she wanted to play something to calm her quickened heart, the excitement of the voyage was a little too much for her naturally weak body. An exaggeration for sure.

As the light of day became shrouded by the black clouds, Alya shivered slightly as she played. The skies of the Lightless realm seemed more like a never-ending storm. For now, she decided to stop playing and seek refuge below deck. By that time, she, along with the others had eaten their meals or had retired somewhere else. Seemingly like a nightly ritual, Alya would clean and maintain her instrument to make sure it wasn't warped or cracked. Of course, a flute made of enchanted wood would never do such a thing, but it had been a habit of hers since she was young. As she brought out the flute, she suddenly lost all control of her body, her muscles becoming slack. Her small body fell from the chair, making a 'thud' sound against the wooden floor. Everything faded to black.

---

The waves soaked her legs as it lapped the shore. A cold, lonesome feeling washed over her as she regained consciousness. She slowly sat up, the wet sand clinging to her. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness, but the lack of light of the least of her worries. In a panic, she patted herself down searching for her flute. Her hand felt the warhorn that dangled from her hip, but she couldn't find the flute. Her gaze darted around the beach frantically, her breath becoming short. She couldn't afford to lose something so important. Unclipping the horn from her belt, she quickly cleaned the sand out of it and blew into it. The warhorn bellowed loudly, it's sound echoing across the beach.

Something began to glow a few yards away from her. The songstress smiled as she quickly stood up, starting towards the glow. The wet sand hindered her movement as did the remaining sedative that coursed through her body, but she made it to what looked like a glowing stick poking out of the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief as she plucked her flute out of the sand, cleaning it with the small waves that came in. With a rough blow, the remaining sand flew out of the instrument. Alya looked at her surroundings once more, realizing that she had lost all of her belongings outside of her instruments, but such things weren't as important. She wondered if the others had also survived. She hoped so.

She listened intently. Voices were being carried in the wind. Perhaps they had heard her horn? Should she stay put in that case..? She didn't really have much choice in the matter as her panic attack subsided, the drug still quite strong. Her legs slowly gave in, forcing her to sit on the sand once more. Hopefully someone heard her. Maybe. If not, she'll just have to wait for her body to have the strength to move once more.

Once the thunder strike came down it lit up just enough for Rosha to notice that the glowing being was R'Ornn the small furry creature that was rolling around the ship giggling like a fool, he wasn't doing the same in the sand right now, probably more than likely because of the situation. Rosha slowly approached the small furry being with her hands out to show that she wasn't hostile to the tiny guy as she took each step into black sand and nearly stepped on a crab matching the sand's color, once she gotten closer to the small being, the first thing that she noticed was that he wasn't doing so well, it almost reminded her of Fiers who she thought back to being curled up on the beach and probably panicking because he was on his own.

Moving in closer to R'Ornn she spoke first before anything to not startle him just in case he didn't see her." You are one of the crew correct? There is another member of the crew a bit further out on the beach, he isn't doing well." She told him before noticing she might sound as if he was wounded." He's panicking about the situation we're in, I left him out on the beach to calm down, are you going to be okay?" She asked him. All he would need to do is say "Yes" and she'd be off to get Fiers from where she left him, it would've taken her a bit to get back, but if he was in the same place where she told him to calm down, then she'd find him a little faster, part of her wondered if he wandered off, but she pushed the doubt from her mind.

@ManoftheNorth

-

---

Ambience.

Perhaps 100 feet down in the cave huddled a solitary figure. Clad it dirty torn clothes stolen from the beaches, this person was familiar with the dumping cycle. Slaves, bandits, exiles, killers, anything the high cities deemed as trash were thrown into the waters off the coast of the Island. From there it was a coin toss; Did the deep ones claim the body or would they see you to your new hell?

Adrian Levis was one of the unfortunate not to be sacrificed. instead it had been a death sentence that would see him well over ten years of suffering without a proper end in sight. Perhaps one of the lower cavern crawlers would find him asleep in the dark of the cavemouth one night. End it all then and there..
Or maybe one of the thugs washing up on the beach would give in to their nature and slit Adrians throat.

No matter how he thought on the subject the end was always the same. His had been a life of reckless abandon coupled with that delicious taste of power that came from taking lives. This place had broken him. Ruined the steady hand of a killer and soldier, and robbed him of everything that could even be considered of worth. Nothing to his name but the tattered clothes of the washed up dead and a well worn dagger sharpened on the rocks..

Slowly, cautiously, Adrian made his way to the mouth of the cave.

---

Location: Upper cliffs, overlooking the Beach

Two sentries patrolled the cliffs when the 'night' was on in full. From the cliffs you could see sunlight on some days far in the distance where the black clouds had failed to spread. Failing that, the islanders had developed a sense of time based on the wildlife that came and went. When the big ones came out it was the witching hour. Everything in the center of the island was a warzone then..
The smarter folk clung to the cliffs.

From below they could see it, shining in the darkness like the sun to their sensitive sight. R'Ornns beacon.

"Wake up the boys. Theres magic on the beach tonight!" The bigger sentry smiled, revealing blackened teeth dripping with drool.

The smaller sentry took a horn from his waist and raised it to his lips, blowing a mournful note into the nights air. Two quick notes followed by a long low rumble.
Only a few moments later, half a dozen similar responses echoed from beyond the cliffs.

---

Adrian heard the notes same as everyone and nearly screamed his way back into the cave. It was the only way to escape! To fight was an execution for anyone, the numbers alone would overwhelm these people..

From his kneeling position, partially hidden behind the sharp pointed rocks that served as 'teeth' to the cave, he waved desperately at the forming group.

"Tch." The orc grumbled when he started hearing war horns. Not even a moment to rest for this washed up warrior. Malkai knew however that right now, he wasn't in any shape for a direct confrontation, even if he managed to reach the mouth of the cave. No, he needed to be a bit more cunning then that. He needed to set up an ambush of his own. No doubt that whoever blew those horns were going to rush the cave, so heading over there would be a death sentence. But the forest wasn't too far away, and there were plenty of corpses on the beach to hide among. For this orc didn't survive so long solely through his skills in battle, but through underhanded trickery as well. Still however, this island would not be kind to him for long. Malkai would have to meet up with the rest of the Company soon enough. Mustering what strength he could Malkai proceeded towards the cave entrance, hidden in his approach.