John
Lady Velvet had not been told she would be paired with another adventurer on this mission. Had she known, she would likely have politely declined for the sake of the fellow adventurer. Now they were venturing into the dwarven mines with only each other for company. She would keep quiet. Lady Velvet would put every ounce of her concentration into not speaking to the fellow traveler. Even hearing the faint pulsating of the mine's many shafts, like veins pumping blood, with a beating heart at the center, she remained stern and unflinching. 

As they neared an elevator that was to take them deep into the main chamber of the mine, she paused for a moment and stared at an empty spot on the ground where her companion would see nothing. There she was, another Lady Velvet, curled up in the fetal position and rocking herself as she mumbled. *"Never getting out, never getting out, never getting out, never getting out..."*

She ignored it and turned her attention back to the elevator. "This will take us deep into its bowels. Are you ready to proceed?"
Annemarie
*Calire knew that this mission would be quite difficult,all her strength would mean nothing if she came here alone.However Calire knew that money is a great motivator so she offered another adventure half the money they'll get from selling the hide/other useful bits of whatever beastie that was running rampant in these mining tunnels like a toddler who was fed sugary snacks.For the time being Calire and this other adventurer would stay silent, but Calire's enhanced sense of smell would pick up a scent that she's smelled many times,the scent of fear,permeating from the tunnels walls,or maybe the smell of fear was coming from her traveling companion?Maybe it's just the fear of those that desperately ran out of the mines that seeped into the walls...*

*Eventually Calire and her traveling companion would reach an elevator which seemed to be still functional.Calire would nod at her fellow adventurer then Calire would * "Yes" *In a rather calm voice,which was slightly odd due to the situation that they found themselves in but that's not the biggest concern right now.*
John
She held the door open for the other adventurer and then went to close it, however she had a curious thought before doing so. For a reason that she could not fully explain, Velvet left the elevator, picked up splintered board that had formed a support fot he entrance tunnel not long ago, and laid it in the doorway for the elevator. As it closed, the mechanism caught and the door was left propped without about a foot of space.

She stood there in uncomfortable silence, without addressing the strange bit of wood and standing at the ready. The woman was clearly on edge and had lost her placid, emotionless demeanor for the first time since meeting Clair. "You should hold onto something," She said, grasping onto one of the metal bars that made up the wall of the elevator and... Waiting.

Suddenly there was a rumbling in the shaft that caused the elevator to lurch and grind against the stone, descending much too fast. There was a loud snap as the steel cable broke on one side, causing the carriage to start sliding down at a crooked angle until it finally caught on a piece of uneven stone so that the elevator was tiltet to the left, but with a faint light coming in through the propped door. 

"Hurry!"
Annemarie
*Claire would walk into the elevator then would say* "Thank you" *While stepping over the piece of wood that velvet placed down between the elevator door.* **"Maybe she's just being extra careful after all we are utilizing a pretty old looking elevator."** *Claire would say to herself in her head.*


*Claire stood uncomfortably in the silence,checking her hunting knife to make sure that it's nice and sharp,as calm as a cucumber in a mine shaft elevator. Then Calire would follow velvets instruction and firmly grasped one of the metal bars that made up this mining elevator and waited... And waited.

*Just then Calire would hear the loud snap of the elevators still cable which caused the elevator to slide down the side of the stony wall like a drunk person leaning against a stone wall.Then as if through some bad luck the elevator would hit an uneven piece of stone which made it lean to the left.. Then the giant light would be seen coming through the propped door.With a grunt Calire would open the propped door slightly wider.Once velvet was through the door safely Calire would get herself through.*
John
After squeezing her way through the elevator, Lady Velvet suddenly seemed to become panicked and grabbed Claire by her back, practically ripping her through the narrow opening. Once they were safely on the other side the entire passage began to shake and there was a loud crashing sound as the elevator shaft collapsed in on the cart they had just been riding, sending it plummeting down to the bottom. Had they still been inside, both of the adventurers would have been crushed to death.

Now they found themselves in a dusty, dank cavern somewhere within the mines, without any way of knowing where they were or if there was even another way of exiting. Lady Velvet began to pace for a few moments and then began to giggle to herself quietly. Quite concerningly, the giggling only seemed to grow louder and louder until she was laughing so manically she nearly hyperventilated.

"Never getting out," She began to say between her fits of laughter, until she was doubled over on the ground and practically wheezing. It was clear that the woman Claire had entered these mines with was not well mentally and now they were trapped, together. Lady Velvet was not going to pull herself together on her own. "Never getting out..."
Annemarie
*Calire would regain her footing from velvets necessary yanking(not the nsfw kind),suddenly the passage would shake then the sound of metal being crushed by rubble would echo through the cavern for a few moments.Good thing they weren't in that cart otherwise they would've been flatten like flap jacks(pancakes)*

*After all that collapsing the two of them would find themselves in a dank dusty part of the mines,they must be in an abandoned/cleared out part of the mineshaft,there best bet would be looking for a way forward...*

*Before Calire could even begin searching for a way out of here she'd her velvets giggling,but this wasn't the giggling you'd expect from someone who just heard a funny joke,this was the giggling of a terrified person.*

*Calire could tell that this woman had a few screws loose in the old noggin,thankfully Calire knew how to get this lady to calm down(no not that,that's for later you dirty dog).Calire would grab velvet by the shoulders,spun her around to face her and proceeded to say* "Lady look at me,we'll get out of this mess,all you got to do for now is take deep breaths and say to yourself "We Will get out" You understand?" *Claire says in a firm but gentle tone. Granted she's not a therapist or psychologist but she does know how to talk to sacred animals, and if the method ain't broke then it don't need fixing... Anyway Calires grip on Velvets shoulders would be gentle but firm,like how one would calm down a loved one in a dire situation.*
John
How could she not laugh? She had already seen all of the signs and yet she had still gotten into the elevator and sealed her own fate. What was even more amusing was that her faint awareness had allowed her to spare herself a quick and painless death only to endure a much longer, more horrifying end. What generosity! It was all so funny to her that she couldn't seem to stop laughing even as it became painful. 

Shaking and on her knees, she suddenly felt two powerful hands on her shoulders, which made her flinch before she was made to look up at Claire. Despite her laughter, the hyena would see that she had tears dotting her eyes and that her already pale skin had gone almost completely white. As she was told that she had to calm down and that they were going to get out, she blinked away her tears and quickly regained her composure. She looked ashamed of herself as she nodded and slowly got back up to her feet.

"Yes, I apologize," Lady Velvet said, hugging herself as she did take a few breaths and managed return back to her placid, seemingly emotionless demeanor from earlier. Lighting the small lantern which she had fastened to the belt across her hip, Claire for a moment appeared in the flickering light to have become emaciated to the point where she was skin and bones. Lady Velvet closed her eyes and breathed. "Wh-what wwould you suggest?"
Annemarie
*Calire would see how pale and teary eyed lady velvet was and patted her on the shoulders before speaking* "There's no need to apologize,you were just afraid which happens to us all." Calire would say with a grin of encouragement... Calire wasn't lying when she said they'd get out of here.*

*Calire would look around the cavern,using her heightened sight to look for any way out of this cavern,She'd spot another tunnel in the mine,maybe that would lead them towards their objective... Then an exit.* 

*Calire would turn to face lady velvet and proceeded to speak* "I see a way out of this part of the cavern,are you ready to move?"
John
She hadn't brought much into the caves in terms of supplies, save for her sword. Velvet hadn't anticipated that the mission would take longer than a day at most. She fastened the cute little lantern to her hip and clutched her sword against her chest by the scabbard, willing herself to be calm and ready to move on. Closing her eyes, she nodded. "Yes, I am ready."

For now, she would follow Claire. Her faint awareness was blinding her at the moment, making her doubt herself. Her faint awareness had led her here and was showing a possible outcome, one in which they never left these mines and died of hunger and thirst. There had to be another possibility. For what reason would the faint awareness bring her here if she was to die?

Following behind Claire, the very tall and slender woman continued to grip her sword tight, squeezing it in her hands until Claire could feel it. She appeared to be calm and her face was a blank slate, but now that they were in the heavy silence of the caverns, the hyena would be able to feel it. A dreadful aura of anxiety was pouring off of Lady Velvet and she was fighting against it with every shred of sanity that she had.
Annemarie
*Calire would feel the aura of anxiety leaking out of lady velvet,like water dripping off a roof.Calire wasn't anxious,she was a bit excited to hunt down a cave beast,for the most part Calire has been hunting for sustenance,maybe the beast they were hunting down was edible... Anyway Calire and lady velvet would arrive at a trail of railway tracks, which means they are heading in the right direction.*

*Calire and lady velvet would follow the tracks for about two hours before reaching what appears to be a reinforced storage room which seemed to be emptied of any valuable ores, but even an empty storage room can have its uses.Calire would wipe away some debris and took a seat on the cold stony floor of the storage room.*

"Let's take a quick break before we continue any further."
*Calire would pull out something that was wrapped in cloth,unwrapping the cloth both Claire and lady velvet would see small square shaped bars that had a faint sweet smell.Calire would pat the ground next to her which was her asking lady velvet to sit next to her.*
John
Lady Velvet strided behind Claire at a steady pace. She had a way of carrying herself that was elegant in spite of her armor and mounting dread. One would hardly be able to imagine just what was going through her head looking at her. As they came across tracks, she carefully stepped over the plants and railroad ties and did not say anything.

When they had reached the storage room the simply stood there, aimlessly, looking at the exit and standing guard against... Nothing. It wasn't until Claire said that they should take a break that she seemed to snap out of her thoughts that she made any soft of movement that could register as being human. She behaved more like a porcelain doll when she was focusing her attention.

Going over to Claire, she sat down on her knees and took the offered bar of food. Looking at it for a few awkward moments, she began to munch on it and closed her eyes. "Thank you, it is very... Good," She said. Though she gave no indication of being relieved, she was.

"Should our food run out and our situation become untenable, I can make your ending painless if you would prefer."
Annemarie
"Your welcome" *Claire would say before taking a bite of the second square shaped bar, which was savory but sweet with a hint of smoky gaminess,which tasted great even though it's just an energy food.Calire listened intently to what lady velvet just said,for someone who asks like a fancy doll she was as blunt as an unsharpened knife.Did this lady think they'd perish in this mine?Due a grizzly death at the hands of a beast? Whatever lady velvet was smoking Calire would need some of that.*

"....That won't be necessary I've got more of those pemmican bars if we need them so we should be good on food."
*Claire would then take out a small potion bottle of water and sipped from it to wash down the pemmican... She'd offer some to lady velvet*
John
"Food can run out, but I will respect your wishes," Lady Velvet said, finishing her bar of food. This was uncomfortable. She didn't know how to interect with people beyond asking for basic things that she needed, or fufilling requests. Having to be alone with another person and talk seemed daunting. "Oh, thank you."

She took few gulps of the water and then handed the container back to Claire. What was one supposed to talk about in a situation like this? Something that was on her mind, maybe, but the things on her mind were... Grotesque. "This mine feels alive."

She got onto all fours and ran her hand through the dirt on the floor, her fingers combing through it and leaving a mark for each fingertip. "It feels like I can hear the soul of every person who died and rotted into this dirt breathing. I can feel their heartbeats beneath me. I would like it if we did not become one with them."
Annemarie
*Calire would intently listen to what lady velvet just said,she must have a deep connection or understanding of the undead or souls in order to feel such things.As for the "Mine is alive"
Comment, she may be sensing something or someone who's in one of the other parts of this mineshaft.*

*Claire would again reassure lady velvet with a pat on the back(not on the butt,that'll be for later ;3) and some reassuraning words.*

"Do not worry,we won't become apart of this mine,I promise" *Calire would then flash Calire... A quick smile before taking another sip of water before putting it away.Once they both finished their pemmican Calire would stand and dust herself off*

"Let's get moving, with any luck we should find an exit soon." *Calire said this to put lady velvets mind at ease,they'll probably run into their target before they find an exit,but who knows at this point*
John
She was happy that this stranger had not reacted poorly to her words. She knew that she was a distasteful person. Feeling the pat on her back through the armor, Velvet looked up at Claire and though her expression did not change, she felt lightened by that smile, as if a weight had been lifted.

Dragging her fingers through the dirt more, she began to dig. She began clawing at the dirt as if she were excavating something and Claire would see her move to cradle something. It was a rock. An ordinary rock, but to Lady Velvet it appeared to be something else entirely. She was holding a beating heart, running with blood and throbbing with life.

She looked at the rock in her hands and she smiled, too, seeming to be at peace for the first time since they had stepped out of the elevator. Setting the rock down into the hole with care, she got to her feet and grabbed her sword. "Someone still lives. Straight below us, caked in death is a still beating heart. We must reach them."
Annemarie
*Calire would tilt her head in slight confusion.* **How is she doing this?Is this lady part wizard?Witch?Necromancer?** *She would say to herself in her head.Claire would approach lady velvet, was still cradling a rock like it was a newborn babe.*

"If there is someone still down here we will find them,lead the way."
John
"Oh, I do not know..." She said, clutching her sword and staring down at the floor in consternation. It was quite frustrating, but her faint awareness had only told her that someone was down there. "I mean that I cannot say where they are, but that they are beneath us. I apologize."

Lady Velvet had to do something, though. The idea of leaving anyone to the horrible fate she had seen for the both of them was too horrible to imagine and the faint awareness had brought her here, had shown her this. There had to be a reason to this madness. 

"Can you find us a way to go lower into the mines? I will try to be of assistance," She said, wringing her sword's scabbard in her hands. "Lunacy and death awaits them if we do not hurry."
Annemarie
"Don't worry your cu- I mean don't worry I'll do my best to find a safe way down,follow me" *Calire would use her enhanced sight to see which way they should head... Basically Calire would lead lady velvet to another set of rail tracks that led downward.The both of them would walk for a few minutes before Calire spots something on the ground... A piece of bloody clothing and a footprint... A rather large one at that.Calire would gently pick up the piece of bloody cloth and gave it a sniff,it was fresh.*

"Your "Magical senses" Got us on the right track,this way" *Claire would say as she led the way,following the footprints and the occasional drops of dried blood.*
John
She followed behind Claire obediently, trusting that the hyena could find them a path towards their destination. She was quite submissive in that way. As they walked, her mounting dread seemed to come into focus, shifting from a general sense of foreboding to a location with a fixed point. The dread was drawing near.

As they walked, Lady Velvet wrapped her hand around the handle of her sword and watched as Claire lifted the bloody cloth and smelled it. "That is good, we are getting closer, it is... It... It is... Closer."

Drawing her sword, she suddenly thrusted straight up above her head and there was a ghastly shrieking sound. She shoveled the creature still on her blade to the side and stabbed it several more times. An emaciated thing with pale reddish skin and black seeping from its many wounds lay twitching on the ground.

"They are here. The flesh that has not yet soil but beats with the mine's heart. There are many of them," She said as a chattering, scuttling sound began to fill the shaft on either side of them. "Prepare yourself."
Giuseppe
Calire would turn with incredible speed to catch lady velvet stabbing an emaciated pale Red colored creature like she was a surgeon with anger issues,I guess this was one of these beasts in this cave.Calire would pull out her hand ax ready to fight,suddenly a swarm of those little pale red creatures would charge at the both of them,ready to kills and feed upon them both.Both Calire and lady velvet would slice and dice these creatures as they moved forward,these creatures were fast but they weren't that strong(probably due to them being as skinny as an anorexic piece of paper).One of these creatures was about to pounce on lady velvet, but before it could Calire would throw her hand ax at it,sending it to the ground,twitching for a few seconds before finally passing on.Calrie then would remove the axe from the back of the creatures head.Taking a deep breath Calire would speak*

"Let us keep moving,hopefully we find whoever is down here before the cave beasts do."
John
Within the small confines of the cave, Lady Velvet was quite frightening to watch in action. As a large cluster of the pale red creatures swarmed them, she charged into the thick of them without hesitation. Their swings and slashes were futile against her flawless, quick movements. It seemed as though she knew what they would do before they themselves did and not an ounce of energy was wasted as she stepped and bent and leapt through their limbs.

Her strikes were savage and excessive. She would deliver viscious, swift stabs into opponents until they were riddled with bloody holes. Even when an opponent seemed clearly dead, she would continue to riddle them with wounds until they were a lifeless, bloody sack of flesh. As one of them leapt at her from behind, she calmly turned and took a single step to the left as an axe connected with its back and sent it skidding to the cave floor. 

Her armor was drenched in their blood as she removed a yellow piece of cloth from her hip pouch and ran her blade across it, cleaning the blackened steel before sheathing it again. Lady Velvet did not even seem to be out of breath as she went to Claire's side. "Yes, let us proceed. Lead the way."
Annemarie
*Calire would be slightly impressed at how skilled lady velvet was at fighting... Sure Calire didn't think that lady velvet was defenseless(especially after spotting and stabbing the first red creature they ran into) but she didn't expect such viciousness and savagery from her which was a surprise to be sure but it was a welcome surprise.*

*Claire would lead velvet down the cavern,passing by the bodies of the pale red creatures they just slain.The large footprints would only increase as they got deeper and deeper into the cave... The group would then hear a pained scream followed by a beastly roar from a nearby mineshaft... I guess that's the beast they were hunting for,so they'd start to head down towards that particular mineshaft.*
John
Considering the level of brutality she had unleashed, it was unnerving how indifferent Lady Velvet seemed. It was enough to make one wonder what else - or *Who* Else - she would be willing to kill without hesitation. As they made their way deeper, she grasped her sword as she heard the roar and seemed ready for a fight, however there was no sign of the creature to whom the roar belonged.

She was about to proceed as normal when suddenly something told her that they should proceed... Cautiously. *Thundering footsteps. A cry of pain. The rotted support beam, already creaking. An end quicker than starvation.* Lady Velvet held out her arm to stop Claire in her tracks. "We should proceed quietly. The tunnel is... Not stable. If we alert that thing, it could bring the shaft down on us."
Annemarie
*Calire would pick up the scent of something large,mad,and familiar?In her head she knows that this smells familiar... Anyway the scent of blood would wash over the both of them like a wave of water.Calire was about to proceed forward but lady velvet would stop her.Claire would listen intently on what velvet was saying,taking a quick glance at the nearby shaft(not Claire's) which has clearly seen better days.Once velvet was done talking Claire would nod* "Take the lead"
John
"Okay, I will try to get closer and tell you what I see," Claire said, crouching down and slowly making her way into the tunnel. As she made her way she could hear... Whimpering and a person trying to keep themselves quiet despite being in pain. Getting behind a rock, she peeked out and could see two things. One of them was a cave bear that was savaging the already dead corpse of one of those pale red creatures they had encountered earlier. The other was a dwarf, whose leg was caught underneath one of the tunnel's support beams.

The beam on the other side was already starting to splinter and dust was falling from the ceiling above them. If the bear took out the other beam, or they didn't act fast enough, it looked the entire shaft looked poised to collapse on them. She carefully signaled for Claire to join her and explained the situation before offering her own plan.

"If one of us lures the bear away from the support beam, the other can rescue that person and then, I suppose, we would have no choice but to hope we can make it out of the tunnel before it collapses... What do you think?"
Annemarie
*Claire would stealthy make her way towards velvet,doing her best to stay silent so the large cave bear doesn't make them both its main course. She knew that bear smelled familiar, but it also smelled... Different somehow,like it's not a bear but somehow still is? Anyway Claire would join up with Velvet just in time to hear her plan,which sounded like a gamble but they already took a gamble with coming here so why not add another gamble to the table.*

"It sounds risky but I like it,I'll try and get closer to the bear,then you give me the Signal to distract it,I'll make sure that it's primarily focused on me."
John
While the idea of Claire purposefully provoking the bear worried her, Velvet couldn't think of any other way. The cave bear was right next to the pole and if it even turned the wrong way, it might kill the dwarf, take out the support beam, or both. She nodded solemnly. "Okay, but please, do not do anything too dangerous. I will try to make it as quick as I can."

Velvet crept up behind the bear and squeezed herself against the wall, quietly shuffling by while signaling to the dwarf to stay quiet. Once she was near the dwarf and ready to go, she gave the signal to Claire and got to work, grunting as she lifted up the support beam. She wasn't the strongest, but she managed to finally get it lifted up enough that the dwarf could crawl out from under the beam, but her foot did not look good...

Velvet stooped down and lifted up the dwarf up into her arms. Standing, she turned to Claire and yelled. "Claire, hurry!" She didn't run immediately, instead she waited until Claire had reached her and then did something very foolish, but which she had a very good feeling about: she kicked the support beam. It immediately snapped and collapsed, raining down dirt and rocks behind the adventurers.
Annemarie
"Don't worry about me,worry about getting the dwarf out of here." *After speaking with velvet,Claire would sneak off to another part of the mineshaft,giving herself the high ground which if you didn't know,going for the high ground adds a bonus to your stealth stat... Anyway she'd be in position,holding a piece of broken wood she found in the storage area they took a break in.*

*With the signal given,Claire would proceed to jump on the back of the bear then stabbing it in the back with the piece of wood,making the bear roar in pain.Claire would jump off the bears back then decided to throw random objects at it to keep its attention on her for the moment.Seeing that the mine shaft was about to collapse she'd outflank the bear and speedily but safely hit out of the mineshaft just as it was about to collapse behind them.*

*With a simile on her face Claire would take a breath.* "I haven't jumped on a cave bears back since I was ten years old." *She'd say with a smile*
John
The shaft crumbled around them, the magical lanterns along the walls flickering out one by one as the two adventurers ran for it. They could feel rocks and dust kicking at the heels as they made their way down the shaft, eventually emerging out onto some wooden scaffolding in the massive, cavernous central shaft.

The central shaft was deep and circular, extending high above them and deep down below them into blackness. Thinking they were safe, Lady Velvet set the dwarf down and she drew her sword, slowly approaching the pile of rubble where the shaft entrance had once been. Beneath them, the scaffolding creaked and swayed slightly. Then, suddenly, she got another foreboding feeling.

"Claire, I think that -" There was a feral roar and an explosion of wood bits from above their heads as the bear came down on Velvet and slammed her through the wooden planks of the scaffold and onto the level below.
Cheryl
Oh for pete sake...
Annemarie
*Calire would carry the dwarf down to aid velvet,and because she didn't want the dwarf to get eaten by any of those red monsters.Calire would put the dwarf somewhere safe before running to where velvet and bear landed(she couldn't bring the dwarf just in case the bear wanted something to eat).With some momentum she got from running,Claire would hit the cave bear in the nose with her elbow,causing it to let velvet free from its grasp. Calire would pick up velvet and checked her over for any wounds.* "Are you hurt?" *She'd asked in the way that a concerned family member would ask an injured family member if they were ok.*
John
The breaking boards had slowed her fall slightly, but Lady Velvet had hit the floor below hard and felt the breath leave her lungs in a flash of blinding pain. As the bear prepared to rip her throat out with his teeth, she rammed her scabbard into his mouth and moved her head out of the way of an incoming swipe. The bear was poised to maul her until Clair caught its attention and was smacked away. Coughing and sitting up, she shook her head to clear the haze from the heavy blow and gritted her teeth.

"I'm... Fine..." She groaned, shakily climbing up to her feet. The bear was recovering though and as it got up there was a snapping sound and the scaffold shifted, tilting towards the bear and swaying in a concerning way. Was it... Collapsing!? Grabbing onto one of the poles, Lady Velvet started backing away from the bear and looked behind her. She was running out of scaffold. "Claire, can you lure the bear this way? I have an idea."

Her heel was off of the edge and the bear was in front of them, at the bottom of the sloping, splintering scaffold.
Annemarie
*Claire would help velvet to her feet, and nodded her head.She would then yell out to the bear* "Come here you big old ugly bear,show me what you got!" *Which caused the bear to fall for the ruse and charges where velvet wanted it to go,Claire dodging out of the way of the bear,hopefully velvets plan would work*
John
With Claire having the bear's full attention, it was now charging right at the both of them. As Claire dodged out of the way, Lady Velvet knew that she had to stand perfectly still until the very last moment. After narrowly missing Claire and barreling at her, she fell backwards off of the ledge and was narrowly missed by the bear, which ran itself clear off of the scaffolding and began plummeting towards the abyss below. 

Lady Velvet did a little backflip that had her facing the scaffolding again and prayed that she would find something to grab. She tried to grasp some boards but her grip was not strong enough. Finally, a floor further down she managed to tangle her arms in some ropes and stopped herself from falling. "Claire! Are you okay," She called out from down below.
Annemarie
*Claire would look down the ledge to see if she can reach out to velvet* "I'm fine,are you okay Velvet?"

*Claire would say to her in a concerned manner,likewise Calire would look around the ledge to see if there's a way to help velvet make her way back up.*

*For now she couldn't find a thing that could help velvet climb back up,not a single thing,she couldn't reach for the ropes that velvet was holding onto.*
John
"I am okay!"

There were several more sounds of boards splintering and the whole scaffold shifted violently to one side, crashing into another section of scaffolding and stopping it from completely plummeting into the abyss. "Get the dwarf! I'll find a way up to you!"

The entire scaffold was tilted and they could feel it sinking beneath them, shifting slightly with each passing second. Lady Velvet began to climb, the angle of the scaffold making it easier to climb up towards where Claire was. In her position, all she could do was to pray she could reach Claire and the dwarf and that Claire could find a way off of the crumbling scaffold.
Annemarie
*Claire would reach the dwarf,giving him one of her basic healing potions to help his wounds heal.As Claire secured the dwarf she'd keep thinking about Velvet,like how was she going to reach them?Would she be alright? These thoughts would play in the back of her mind as she protected the dwarf from any beasties that may try and rush them*
John
On her end, all that Velvet could do was to continue climbing as fast as she could. Beneath her, the scaffold's supports were making terrible creaking and splintering noises that did not bode well for them. Finally, however, she seemed to be nearing Claire and the dwarf. Hauling herself up onto a platform just below them, the entire scaffold began sliding even further, crashing through the one it was perched against. 

Lady Velvet was thrown and tumbled into this second scaffold, getting up onto her feet and seeing the worst possible thing that could be approaching them. More of the pale red things from before were climbing onto this scaffold, which was itself starting to come undone. "Claire, keep climbing! I am almost to you!"
Annemarie
*Calire would see these pale creatures and kept on climbing like a squirrel that just had its nuts stolen, but she couldn't just do nothing. Once Claire and the dwarf were at a secure position off the scaffolding ,Claire would throw some spare arrows down at the pale beasties to slow them down a bit.* "Keep Climbing velvet,you can do it!"
John
Claire was about to ready her sword when arrows began raining down on the creatures that were threatening to swarm them. Instead of attacking she ran and used one of them to hop up, grabbing onto the platform and hoisting herself up. With Claire covering her with arrows, Lady Velvet was able to reach the same level as the dwarf and her companion. 

As the creatures attacked, she grabbed one and stabbed its face repeatedly, throwing it down and backing up against Claire. "Do you see any way out of this," She asked, stabbing another red ghoul through its chin and up through its eye socket.
Annemarie
*Calire would look around the area for a moment before seeing some magical lights in the distance.* 

"I see a way forward but it's a little far away so we may need to run for it." *Claire would say this while lodging her hand axe into the head of another red pale creature,keeping them away from the dwarf and off of velvets back.Those danm creatures would make this escape from the mineshaft a little more difficult.*
John
Lady Velvet was preoccupied holding off the horde of red ghouls and as Claire shouted out that she saw a way ahead, she didn't question it at all. "Okay! I will follow your lead!"

She ran after Claire and only paused briefly to dispatch of the creatures that swarmed around them as they made a run for it. The scaffold was starting to give way and levels above them were raining down boards and bits of debris all around them. They had to get off of this scaffold!
Annemarie
*Thankfully for the group the way forward would be secured on a separate set of scaffolding.Claire would pause on occasion to cut up a pale red creature that got too close to her or the dwarf.Once they reached the way forward the red pale beasts would suddenly retreat after hearing a low pitched sound,maybe the red pale creatures found the rabid cave bear remains.Whatever it was the group would goad that they won't have to worry about them red pale beasts.Once the group was safe,the faulty scaffolding would collapse in front of them,surprisingly the scaffolding that they were currently on would remain intact*
John
Now that they were safely on a scaffold that didn't seem to be collapsing out from under them, Lady Velvet lowered herself down onto her side and curled up in the fetal position and just laid there. After nearly dying too many times to actually keep track of, she needed a moment. The trio were out of immediate danger, but they still had to find a way out of the mines and they may have just acquired a companion who could assist them with that.

"Oi, lady, I appreciate ya savin' me, but if yer quite done bawlin' yer eyes out, I'd like ta get off'a this thing before it decide ta shit itself, too," The dwarf said, managing to get himself back up on his feet.
Annemarie
*Calire would grab another potion from her pack and brought it over to a curled up lady velvet.*

"The dwarf is right velvet,we need to keep moving before anything else happens,remember what I said before,we Will get out of here, I promise." *Claire would lightly rub velvet on the head like she was consoling a child,while consoling velvet she'd open a potion for her to drink.*

"This'll help fix any damage you may have sustained,like I said already we Will be finding a way out of here."
John
"I just need... A moment..." She said, staring off into the pitch black central shaft vacantly. As Claire pet her silky soft, slightly damp hair, she closed her eyes and let out the smallest, softest sigh of pleasure. It was quite the enticing noise, even in their current situation. If she were on her own, she would probably be coming undone, but Claire was here to reassure her. "O-Okay, let us proceed."

She shakily got up to her feet and drank down the entire potion and felt her slight injuries healing themselves. She had pushed herself through it, but the cave bear had undoubtedly cracked several of her ribs. Now that she was feeling only a dull ache. 

"Where do we go now?"
Annemarie
*Claire would look around the area for any way forward for a few moments before spotting some more lights.* 

"This way follow me" *Claire would say as she lead the group towards the lights,this underground journey is almost at its end.To keep velvets mind from wandering off Claire would start to speak.*

"Did I ever tell you about the time that I fought a rare Black Sea serpent?" 

*Hopefully this story will help keep Velvets mind on the task at hand.Nothing wrong with a good story,especially since they were almost done with this place.*
John
Lady Velvet followed Claire, wanting to get closer to the other woman. Claire had been kind to her, saved her life, and was about the only person she had ever met who did not seem to see her as just a madwoman or an actual threat. Getting close to the hyena's side, she looked down at her. "A black sea serpent? I have never seen one, are they dangerous?"

"Sounds interestin', I ain't never been to the sea," The dwarf said from behind them, clearly trying to elbow his way into their conversation. 

The story seemed to be working, though, Lady Velvet was calm again and there was a cute, almost childish look of amusement on her face as she waited for the story to continue.
Annemarie
"They are quite dangerous,if you don't know what you're doing,thankfully I've had my fair share of encounters with sea serpents.This story began on the Canary Islands where I was hunting for fish and crabs,that is till I met a nice fisherman who warned me that a large serpent was harassing the fishermen and even ate all the fish and sharks they caught.The fisherman brought me to his village where he introduced me to the village leader,after a bit of discussion I would deal with this sea serpent in exchange for defeating such a serpent I'd be rewarded to five bars of a gold and the serpents meat." *Claire would say all this as they made their way through the mineshafts,getting ever closer towards the exit.*
John
Grumbling, the dwarf realized the the two ladies were having a real moment and decided that he would keep to himself for the time being. As Claire told her story, Lady Velvet seemed to really be hanging off of her every word. Though she didn't seem to be the talkative type, she was more than happy to listen to others.

"That is quite impressive," She said, sounding a bit less monotone than she normally did. Was she actually impressed by the story? She seemed to pause for a moment, putting her hand on her chin and stroking it. "But what *Does* Serpent meat taste like?"
Annemarie
The next day I left to commence the hunt on the crack of dawn,I went to where the Black Sea serpent's lair but I couldn't get into its lair due to its lair being underwater,so I had to lure it out somehow.So I went with a lot of fish chum to use as bait,which was given to me by the villagers. Then all I had to do was wait."
 *Claire would notice the slight change in velvets voice,she seemed to like the story that she was telling.* "I'll explain the serpent meat taste closer to the end of story,but I will tell you that it tasted pretty good." *The group would pass through another mineshaft which seemed to be newly constructed because the wood wasn't rotting and the metal wasn't covered in rush,this means they must be getting a bit closer to the exit... But there would still be plenty of time for Claire to spin her tale of her black serpentine encounter*
John
She continued listening intently to Claire's story as they walked and she was very interested in hearing all of the details of the hunt for the Black Sea Serpent. It was completely fascinating to her and she couldn't get enough of the different details that Claire offered. She hardly even noticed that they were entering a relatively newer, rebuilt section of the mines until the lights started getting slightly brighter.

The glowing rocks that the Dwarves used to keep the mines lit faded over time, so now they were entering a section that was bathed in a bright blue glow almost as bright as daylight. "Oh, we appear to have entered a newly built mineshift. Oh, um, sorry, continue."

"This's a good sign. Means we might actually find a way out," The dwarf commented.
Annemarie
*Once the dwarf pointed out that they were in a newer,recently built mineshaft she'd take a gander at the glowing rock light things,which seemed brighter than the ones they've seen before which is a good sign as the dwarf put it.*
"You are correct,it is quite bright in here,brighter than the other mineshaft's we've been through,thanks" *She would say to the dwarf before continuing her story* 

"Now then let us get back to story shall we? Ah yes the long wait... Well I ended up waiting four hours till the snake emerged to take the bait,when it did finally come out I went right for its head,but before I could deal the killing blow the serpent dived underwater in a futile attempt to rid itself of me.After a struggle I finally brought the serpent down with one powerful strike to the back of the head.Then I had to drag its lifeless corpse out of the water with my bare hands."
John
"Oh, I see that is quite the story. I am surprised that you managed to take down such a massive creature with a single blo - ooof!"

As they were walking, and talking, the normally gracefully Lady Velvet who seemed almost omniscient in her ability to predict her opponents moves and read the environment, tripped and fell flat on her face. It was so comically ungraceful that she had no idea what to do other than to blush in absolute embarrassment and awkwardly scramble up to her feet.

On the cave floor was a skeleton that looked much, much older than anything in the cavern with an ancient, rusted blade sticking up out of its chest. Had it been there a second ago? The cavern was so well lit, that it was a surprise neither of them had seen it - or had they been so wrapped up in their stories they failed to notice?
Annemarie
*Calire would ask if velvet is alright after tripping over an old corpse but other than a few mild scrapes she seemed fine,but she'd still ask anyway*

"Are you alright?" *Claire would nonchalantly ask as she removed the rusted sword from the skeletons chest,maybe she could find a use for it,even if that use was to be sold,I wonder what happened to this person?..*
John
Far from being a regular sword blade, the hunk of metal appeared to be the head of a giant, curved pickaxe whose "Pick" Had snapped on one side. Claire was much stronger than Lady Velvet and she would find that this hunk of metal was quite heavy. "I am okay, where did this..."

She covered her hand with her mouth. Whatever this thing was its bones looked enlongated and... Deformed, as if its skeleton has been stretched and twisted, though it appeared to have once been human. Gathering up a few bones, she felt compelled to take them with her even though they made her feel slightly nauseuous. 

"Hmmm, what is this?" Velvet picked up what appeared to be three pieces of brass twisted together in such a way that they could not seem to be pulled apart. "Some sort of puzzle?"
Annemarie
*Claire would stop walking for a moment to examine the old sword she just picked up. It must've been here for a while with the amount of rust coating its blade,maybe this blade,or some parts of it could be remade into something of use,it's better than leaving it here to rust. Seeing velvet fight with a sword earlier made it clear to Claire that this sword would be best suited for velvet.While velvet was looking at what looked like two brass knuckles melted together Claire would lightly tap velvets shoulder and presented the blade to her*

"This weapon would be better in your hands than mine."
John
"Ah, thank you," She said, looking at the tangled pieces of brass and then up at Claire. "Hmmm, and for some reason I think that you should have this."

She held out the small metal trinket for the hyena to take and then lifted the slab of metal from Claire's hands, grunting as it nearly dropped out of her hold. Seeing as the Dwarf was fully healed now, she turned to him with the block of metal and she held it out. "Say, would you mind holding this for me? We did save your life, after all..."
Annemarie
"Thanks" *Claire would accept the tangled pieces of brass,maybe they were once part of a golden armor set... Perhaps she'll find a use for these tangled pieces of metal.*

*As velvet spoke with the dwarf Claire would catch the whiff of something familiar... Was it burning wood? No the wood of the scaffolding wasn't on fire so that rules out fire... Was it the scent of someone cooking some wild game? No that wasn't it... Is it?No freaking way... It's the scent of alcohol,which if you know a thing or two about dwarves they love their alcohol. Claire would turn to the dwarf and velvet.*

"We're heading in the right direction this way." *Claire would point out to them*
John
Lady Velvet's nose wasn't nearly as strong as Claire's so she could not quite pick up the scent that the Hyena was detecting, but she nodded in approval. "That is good news. Perhaps we will not perish horribly after all..."

"She sure is a cheerful one," The dwarf said, grunting as he lugged along the giant slab of metal. "I can see why you brought her along."

As they continued to follow the tunnel it seemed to become angled. They were walking uphill. Was it possible that this shaft actually led to an exit?
Annemarie
*Claire would lightly chuckle at the dwarfs response,this is why she's always enjoyed the company of dwarves,due to the fact that most of them speak plainly and honestly(aka have no filter).*

*Once the group got closer to where the scent was coming from,Claire would see an old looking staircase.The scent of alcohol was strong here so this is most likely the way forward,heck the smell of alcohol is so thick that lady velvet and the dwarf could most likely smell it.*

"Smell that? It's the scent of readily available beer and smoke,this is our best shot of getting outta here."
Cheryl
While this was the final stretch of their journey, there would of course have to be one last ordeal for the group to overcome. As they got closer to the scent, they would find themselves in a large, very well lit room, but not all of the light was blue. At the center of the room was a small, round hole that seemed to have a bit of yellowish-orange light, natural sunlight, filtering in.

Finally, an actual way out of these tunnels! There was only one catch, however, and that was a very rickety looking series of "Stairs", if they could even be called that, which were set up to reach the hole. Made of planks, rods, and even some mining equipment that had been tied together, the makeshift stair barely seemed to reach the hole. 

"If that is to be our way out, we must be careful," Lady Velvet said, stroking her chin in thought. "If we break these stairs, our only way out will be out of reach for good..."
Annemarie
*The scent of cheap alcohol and molten metal would be incredibly strong here,like velvet said this is their way out of this mine,but the stairs did look old,like they haven't had maintenance done on them since the mine was first built.Before heading up the stairs Claire would turn to the group.*

"I've got an idea,to limit the chances of the stairway falling out from underneath us,one of use will have to carry the dwarf,that is if you don't mind one of use carrying you up the stairs?" *Claire would ask the dwarf,as excited as Claire was to get out of here she still wanted to take her time and be careful,since like velvet said "Dem stairs are old"*
John
"Perhaps it should be me who carries the dwarf. No offense to either of you, but I am tallest and it seems as though the hole itself will be difficult to reach," She suggested. "If this is in fact our way out, at least one of us needs to reach the top. Even if the stairs collapse after, we can drop down a rope for you Claire."

Lady Velvet wasn't very excited about a plan that involved leaving her new friend behind while she proceeded, but the hyena was right. If all three of them went up together, it could cause the stairs to collapse entirely. "Is that acceptable?"
Annemarie
*Claire would nod her head in agreement ,she'll let velvet go first with the dwarf,while she will hold up the rear(not literally grabbing velvet by the cheeks,that's for later ;3).*

"Try not to look down while walking up the stairs,just look at the exit and breathe in and out "

*Claire would make sure that she was ready to move,all that velvet has to do it's carry the dwarf and get herself and the dwarf out of here.*
John
Lady Velvet took the dwarf on her back and urged him to hold onto her tightly which he seemed *More* Than happy to do. "H-Hey, be careful where you are grabbing," Lady Velvet snapped as she let him get comfortable and began making her way up the scaffolding.

As they made their way up, she had the unpleasant task of having to walk across narrow beams and ever-so-slowly step over creaking, shaky boards. She seemed laser-focused on the task at hand and even when the dwarf commented on their predicament, she did not acknoledge his words. As they reached the hole, she looked up. "It appears to be some sort of shaft with a ladder inside."

Jumping up, Lady Velvet grabbed the ladder. Her leap sent a tremor through the entire staircase, which quickly collapsed beneath her. "Damn... Okay, we will bring you a rope, Claire!" She climbed up enough that the dwarf could get off of her and climb up just below her. 

"Nice view," He mumbled under his breath as they climbed.
Annemarie
*Thankfully Claire didn't step on those stairs,otherwise she'd be very deep in mine,fighting off who knows what... She was happy to see that velvet and the dwarf were safely climbing out.For now Calire would just wait for the rope,sipping a little mead from a potion bottle*
John
As Lady Velvet and the dwarf reaching the top of the ladder, she started to have a horrible feeling. With each rung of the ladder a pit formed deeper and deeper in her stomach. Something very, very bad was about to happen. By the time they reached a slatted wooden covering at the top of the shaft she was in a panic and began elbowing it with all her might. 

"Claire! Keep your guard up," She screamed down the shaft, smashing through the wood and emerging into the center of the village out of an old well that had been decommissioned and boarded up. "Rope!!! I need a rope, I need a rope NOW!!!"

Down in the mines, Claire would start to hear things skittering around in the dark and the faint hissing sound those red, pale monstrosities from earlier had made.
Annemarie
*Claire would hear the sounds of skittering and faint hisses.Then the foul stench came back... It was those red pale monsters.After putting her flask away Calire would pull out her hand ax,ready to fight off these pale beasts if they reached her before she got out of here*
John
Up above, Lady Velvet appeared to be in a panic. The confusion she had caused bursting out of a well had the dwarves thinking she was a madwoman but, thankfully, her dwarf companion was there to set things straight. The people rushed to get the largest coil of rope that they could find.

Meanwhile, the creatures began creeping out of the shadows and into the well lit room, hissing and shielding their eyes. They couldn't see her in the light, but they could smell her. The things began rushing her, blindly swiping in her general direction, but unable to pinpoint Claire. 

"Hold on, Claire," Lady Velvet called down. Tossing down the rope, it hit the floor with a heavy thud. "Grab the rope and say when! We will pull you up!"
Annemarie
*Calire would begin to slice at these creatures while their sight was impaired,going from one to the other like a morbid game of leapfrog.After cutting back the closet ones Claire would climb up onto the rope* "When! Pull me up before the beasties come back!" *Claire would yell up to velvet and the other dwarves*
John
Once she called up to Lady Velvet, Claire would feel a tug on the rope that dragged her up into the air immediately. Outside of the well, Lady Velvet was pulling the rope and behind her was a crowd of dwarves who were doing the same, all of them pulling with all of their might to lift the hyena as fast as they could. Fortunately, Claire was almost instantly out of the reach of the cave creatures.

As she approached the well's shaft, the hyena continued being pulled up past the ladder and towards the blinding light of the outside. Two arms grabbed Claire and lifted her out of the well before the person fell backwards, with Claire landing on top of her. It was Lady Velvet and she was looking up at the hyena and blushing slightly.

"You're... Okay?"
Annemarie
*Once Claire's eyes adjusted to the sunlight once again. Claire would be laying on something warm,which felt nice after all they have been through in the mines... What was she even laying on?Like a kid not wanting to get out of bed she'd shake her head before rising from whatever she was laying on and to her horror Claire would be laying on top of velvet.Claire would quickly stand up straight,then would go to help velvet get up.*

"I am fine,are you alright?"
John
With the way that she was blushing up at Claire, with her long, lucious lavendar hair splayed out around her and her chest rising and falling with her heavy pants, it would be difficult for the hyena's imagination not to wander. Now that they were both alive, and their ordeal was over, Claire could afford to take a moment to appreciate just how hot her companion was.

"F-Fine," Lady Velvet stammered, quickly getting up and dusting her armor off. Her face returned quicky to being a blank, indifferent slate, but the slight blush lingered. She could control her expression, but she could not make her cheeks stop blooming with heat. Clearing her throat, she looked around at the dwarves and the small town they were in. "It appears we have found ourselves back in Heatherstead."
Annemarie
*Of course Claire would take a moment to appreciate how hot lady velvet looked,with her lavender colored hair,sheer height that would make any mountaineer weak at the knees,purple eyes that were as beautiful and shining like gemstones... Anyway Claire would wipe the dust off her armored chest as she checked herself for wounds.*

"Heatherstead? I didn't expect us to end up here,thank you for pulling me up velvet" *She would then look at the group of dwarfs around them.* "Thank you for assisting us."
John
"Aye. If you ladies find yerselves in need of some new gear, come find me. I'll give ya a special discount, on account of ya savin' my life an' all," He said, looking the two over. The dwarf seemed to be far more astute than either of them gave him credit for. "You two have fun, eh?~"

Smirking he left the two of them to go and collect their gold from the mayor's offices. Their assignment had been to report on the conditions of the mines and now they had a fair amount to report. "What did he... M-mean by that," Lady Velvet asked, clasping her hand in front of her and glancing off to the side sheepishly.
Annemarie
*Claire did like the idea of a discount,she did have something in mind,but before that they needed to head to the mayor's office right away... Claire would then respond to what the dwarf blacksmith said.*

"Don't mind that ,dwarves tend to speak plainly,we should focus on reporting the condition of the mines.Then we'll take that dwarf up on his offer.Once we are doing with that we can head to the tavern, we've earned ourselves some ale and meat.Lets get moving." 
*Claire would slightly extend her hand out for velvet to grab onto,just to make sure that she doesn't fall on Claire again.*
John
"Ah, I see," She said as if she secretly had something else on her mind. Taking the offered hand, she followed Claire towards the mayor's office, following behind her smaller, but stronger companion. As they walked, she found herself thinking how fortunate she was to have met this friend. Finally, somebody who seemed to understand her. Someone who was kind, and trustworthy, and...

Pretty.

She bit her lip as the thought crossed her mind and was thankful she was just behind Claire and out of her sight. When they entered the offices and the mayor asked if it was safe to resume mining, Lady Velvet shook her head. "There appears to be an infestation of some sort of creatures within the mines. They are weak against light. Also, the elevator we used to enter the mines collapsed after we entered and is likely unusable."
Annemarie
*Claire could feel velvet's eyes watching her,Claire would welcome velvets gaze,it felt nice to have someone else to talk to,especially one that is so... Beautiful,kind,(may have a few screws loose but that's ok),and helpful.*

*Claire would wait for velvet to stop talking before giving her two cents on the matter.*
"Also There was a rabid cave bear in the mines where we found the dwarven blacksmith but this smart gal velvet defeated it."
John
"Ah, well, I think it was a group effort, but yes..." She said meekly.

The mayor did not seem pleased with this at all. "So all you're coming back with is bad news? Why should I be paying for you two to tell me I've got a useless mine our miners can't even get into?"

"That is, well..." Velvet didn't know what to say to that, but she needed the money and knew that her companion needed the money, too, especially after they both had almost died.
Annemarie
" You'll still be able to get into the mines" Claire would pull out a map of the mines she found... Somewhere.* "Just avoid here" *Makes an X where they fought the bear* "Here" *Claire makes another X where they fought that larger group of red pale beasties* "Other than that you will need to put up more lights in your mineshafts to keep the beasties away.Without us figuring that out for you would have to have to abandon the whole mine to find a new one or hire more expensive adventures every time a group of pale red beasties come a knocking In your unmaintained shafts?" 

*Claire would say this in an incredibly serious tone and serous look in her eyes.Her clawed hands still on the map* "Now tell me this mayor,does adding some more lights and blocking off some shafts and of course compensating us for our work sound cheaper than having to find land suitable for mining ,hiring new workers to dig out the mineshafts,spending your money on the materials needed to make completely new mineshafts with the small possibly that there will be ore underground for you to harvest?"

*If looks could kill this mayor would've been left for the crows by now*
John
Lady Velvet was impressed with how confident Claire seemed challenging the mayor and suggesting an alternate plan to deal with the creatures in the mines. "They are sensitive to light? Ah, that would make sense! Once we entered the newer portions of the mines the creatures seemed reluctant to follow."

"It is possible that failing to replace the bulbs in the older sections encouraged the creatures to spread. Also, had we not tested your elevator for you you could have lost all of your miners in an accident..."

The mayor grumbled and rolled his eyes, reluctantly weighing out a satchel of coins for each of the women and setting them down. "Fine, have your payment. This whole thing has been nothing but a headache..."
Annemarie
"Thank you"
*Claire would claim her satchel of coins,then velvet would claim her satchel of coins,then the both of them would exit the mayor's office,leaving him to grumble about his headache and the large amount of paperwork they'll have to do before getting everything fixed/adding more lights to the mineshafts.*

*Once they exited the office Claire would suggest something*

"Let us go speak with that dwarf blacksmith to see what they'll offer us,then I've got something planned for the both of us afterwards." *Claire would say with a smile on her face*
John
Taking her bag of gold, she didn't seem to know quite what to day and so after mumbling an awkward apology she followed Claire out. "Yes, the blacksmith still has the broken pickaxe I gave him. That would be prudent."

At the mention of something "Special", however, Lady Velvet cocked her head to one side in confusion. "Something special. Is our quest not yet finished?"

There was something very endearing about how awkward Lady Velvet was to interact with. It were as if she was learning how to communicate with another human for the very first time.
Annemarie
"No our main quest is finished,this is more of a "Side quest" That'll start once we speak with the dwarf." 

*Not wanting to spoil the surprise Claire would keep the details of this "Mini quest " Close to her chest. So it's best to keep it vague for the time being.The dwarves blacksmith shop wouldn't be too far from the mayor's office.*
John
"Oh, a side quest? I will do my best to be of assistance to you," Lady Velvet said, leading the way to the blacksmiths. With her impressive focus, she always made sure to learn the layout of any town that she happened to find herself in. 

When they arrived at the blacksmiths, he was quick to greet the pair. "Aye, was wonderin' when I'd see you ladies. Come in, have a drink," He said, pulling out a dusty brown bottle and pouring each of them a shot of aged mountaingrass draught. 

"I been lookin' at that hunk o' metal ya left me and it ain't no ordinary iron pickaxe. Ta be honest, I can't tell exactly what its made of."
Annemarie
*Claire would nod lightly, but as they walked Claire would think about what she exactly wanted from the dwarf... Maybe some armor? A new knife maybe?A shield perhaps? But before she could think any further they'd be greeted by the dwarf,who offered them a drink which Claire would readily accept* 

"I'm sure you'll find a use for that old metal,I've met my fair share of dwarves that crafted such elegant weapons of war from weapons long forgotten in caves."
John
Lady Velvet took the drink that was offered and smelled it, wrinkling her nose and then having a sip of it. She sputtered a little, but then after taking a moment to get used to the flavor she had another sip. "I have an idea for it, if you do not mind..."

Pulling out a yellow notebook, she pulled out an old ink drawing, a schematic for a sword that could be converted into a scythe and gave it to the dwarf. "It just came to me a while ago. I am not sure why."

The dwarf studied the drawing and stroked his beard. "Hmmm, this is a pretty solid design. What material are we usin' for the scythe handle? A hardwood?"
Annemarie
*Claire would finish her drink then would metaphorically throw her hat into the ring* 

"I'd go with hardwood with some leather on the handle to provide you with better grip." 

*Claire would then get back to thinking about what she wanted from the dwarf,which brought back some memories from her childhood*
John
"Leather would be good, but actually, I had something else in mind. It is... Important," Lady Velvet said, removing some of the bones she had found in the cave from her bag. "Could these be used?"

"The hell are these, bones? Why're they... Shaped this way," He asked, running his hands over them. "And they're heavy... Too heavy ta be normal bone. Never gotten a request like this, but... Yeah, I think I could make it work with a leather wrap. It'll take some time."

"That is fine, I appreciate your being so accomodating," Lady Velvet said, finishing her own drink. "Claire, you wanted something, too, correct?"
Annemarie
*As they spoke Claire would be sketching something in her notebook,something from a past memory of hers... Anyway Claire would finish drawing as lady velvet addressed her* "What? Oh yes I do, I was wondering if you could make me this."
*Claire would place the piece of paper on the table,the image would depict a hammer of sorts,not a hammer to be used for building,rather a hammer that would be use to break those deserving of it, and to help those who need saving.*

"My father's father wielded such a hammer,it was said to be incredibly durable and would come back to his hand after throwing it.Unfortunately the hammer was lost,but I managed to draw a schematic of it"
John
The dwarf took the drawing and laughed a little, looking at the drawing and stroking his beard again. "Yes! Now this is more in my wheelhouse. I can do it and we'll make it out of folded, spring cooled dwarven steel. It'll be heavy, just so ya know. The handle will be oiled redpine, a gold inlay ta give it a lil' class..."

Smiling at the two ladies, he finished his own drink and held up both of their schematics. "I gotta say, you girls don't disappoint! A man get tired of makin' iron swords and pickaxes all day. I'll get right ta work."
Annemarie
"Great,how long will it take you to finish crafting these weapons? Not to rush you but me and velvet got a side quest together once the weapons are complete.Also how much would my hammer cost?"

*Claire would say,but she wouldn't reveal any details of this so called "Side quest" That she was planning... Maybe she'll spill the beans with a little temptation from velvet..*
John
"Well, if ya want em' made right... A week's about the fastest I could have em' done. As fer' the price, eh, lets say ten gold apiece," The dwarf said, smiling at the two laides. "Looks like the two of ya have plenty o' time to relax and enjoy the scenery together~"

Nodding, Lady Velvet produced ten of the gold pieces she had been paid with and then turned to Claire. "That is a shame, it looks as though we will not be able to start our side quest for a while," She said, not realizing that for this "Quest" The only weapon they would be needing was between the hyena's legs.
Mary
*Once the both of them paid ,lady velvet and Claire would wish the dwarf well then would make there way to  to clean up and take in the sights of this pretty region of Eluaria*