Garren

"Good lad, Furemn." muttered Garren, standing up and taking the clothes from Furemn, who scampered away just as quickly. Returning to his squatted position, Garren held the garments out to Astra.

"For you. Afraid trousers are in short supply; this ain't no tailorshop. But we've cobbled together a...a skirt of sorts. Hope it fits."

The apologetic look on Garren face, though marred somewhat by his dead right eye, warmed Astra's blood. Smiling radiantly, she took the clothes from his outstretched hand. "I am beyond grateful." she said, and stood carefully to her full height. Stepping into the makeshift skirt, she slid it up her legs and over her hips. It was almost a perfect fit. The shirt was scratchy, and smelled a little musty, but served its purpose.

Garren arose from his crouched position, as did the other three men. "As you may have inferred, I am Garren." he said dryly. "These other three are Wren, Ghent and Poliaun. Wren is our 'resident' healer. Furemn you've met. That leaves.....Raef, Pasfina and Sorlone, but I'm sure you'll see them soon enough. It is good to see another human in this dank place, and a strong, beautiful woman, to boot."

Garren reached out for Astra's hand, and she allowed him to draw it to his lips. He kissed her fingers with grace. Astra smiled once more.

"My name is Astra. It is good to see other men," said Astra in truth. "And strong, honourable men, to boot."

Garren grinned, turning to the rest of his group. "Wren, Ghent, scout out the way back to base. I would speak with Astra some more, and we are not prepared for another encounter with the Tails. Poliaun, see if you can't track the injured one. These scum bear no loyalty to their own kin; they've probably left it to die alone. Do not take unnecessary risks, mind; it's not worth your life."

The three men nodded, Poliaun perhaps more grimly than Wren and Ghent, then plunged into separate tunnels leading away from the cavernous area Garren and Astra were situated in. Garren grasped a fresh torch from an open pack on his back and lit it quickly, bathing the walls in light. An unnerving quiet floated through the stale air. "Walk with me." said Garren, traipsing towards the passage Wren and Ghent had entered a moment ago. Astra followed quickly.

As the two walked, Garren asked many questions of Astra, mainly regarding how she had come to be in this dark place, how long she had been trapped, and what she knew of the magic user (soulreaper). Astra answered his questions as best she could, but her thoughts continued to return to the things that bothered her the most (these also happened to be the things she did not speak to Garren about). Was Frederigo alive? The last she had heard of him was his diabolical scream in the library wing. What did the note in the hole mean? Who was Macedon? What was the crest? And where was Alric?

1. Suddenly, Astra saw light up ahead and Garren relaxed visibly. They had clearly reached 'base camp'.
2. Suddenly, a new foe made itself known to Garren and Astra....
3. Suddenly, Garren did something unexpected....

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