A swell of worry filled her. With her hands bound above her head and her feet dangling above the ground, she was helpless and defenseless, left at the mercy of bloodthirsty orcs who threatened death upon her in the most horrific ways. Their hulking leader nodded thoughtfully at each terrible suggestion, seemingly pleased with every call to peel her skin like grape and yank her teeth out with sharpened tools. His booming voice called out to them, causing them to draw near as he finally decided how best to dispose of her, which one of their sick little proposals he would enact. Atalia’s heart beat quickened as he unsheathed a dagger, beckoning his ranks to carve her flesh when a thick plumes of smoke billowed up from the ground to fill the room. A symphony of throaty coughs rang out as the vicious orcs’ lungs were invaded with the heatless smolder. Even the bound mercenary was stifling coughs when a she heard a pronounced whistle.<br/><br/>The tension in the rope she was suspended from broke suddenly, sending her to the floor where she landed with a thud. With no means to catch herself, the fall was a bit harsh, but she wasted no time.  Atalia pushed herself up quickly, taking advantage of the distraction to untie her ankles and wiggle out of the binds wrapped around her wrists. She had hoped she would have freed herself by the time the orcs remembered that she was to be their delicious morsel to torture before devouring. When a small orc kneeled beside her she nearly lashed out to defend herself from being recaptured, but beyond the haze of smoke and beneath the orc’s helmet were a pair of familiar eyes. “Erdan . . . So good to see you. Did you sleep well?” She purred coolly, still twisting against the ropes until the finally loosened and fell to the ground. Understandably, he was none too pleased with her.<br/><br/>Atalia ignored his complaints, all valid and well-deserved admonishments, but not productive. She got to her feet and watched as the orcs frantically searched for the source of the magic, soon to wear off. “I need to find my weapons, and we can’t exactly leave so we need to come up with a plan to get that artifact. If we give them the opportunity to bolster their defenses we’ll never get in there.” She explained, indicating to the platform where a door would lead to the vault containing the artifact. Her deep green eyes stared at him closely as she thought. “You’re dressed like one of them . . . You can sneak passed them.” She suggested in a hushed tone. “I can distract them and lure them away to give you a chance to get in there. Come on, I’ll owe you a drink.” Atalia offered temptingly, like a pint of ale would somehow erase the impulsiveness that got them into such danger.