Mesaraih looked down at his hands after Ester wiped some of the blood off them. They were still noticeably smeared a dark red. "A sacrifice, huh?" he asked, feeling contemplative. He wasn't at all sure what she meant by that, but didn't pursue the topic. He was also a bit distracted at his surprise that Ester had used her own robe to clean his hands.<br/><br/>He smiled a bit at her question. "If they're ever to find out, it'll be a whole lot better for all of us if they hear it from you. Besides, what kind of person do you take me for? Just because I talk a lot doesn't mean I blab out other people's secrets. There's plenty of other, less uncomfortable topics of conversation."<br/><br/>He thought for a moment at her next question. "Booby trapped chests, I suppose. I don't see why they wouldn't buy it, considering we'll be coming back with some goodies. Speaking of which," he said, turning to the one remaining chest in the room. "I need to check what's inside of this last one."<br/><br/>He strode over to it and picked at the lock till it clicked open. A set of armor lay inside, and it shimmered in an unnatural way. It was inscribed with runes and was a silver color. He picked it up and held it out to better examine it, then shook his head. "Sadly for us, none of us would fit in this. Dwarven armor," he said. "Shame, that. It looks really nice."<br/><br/>A shifting noise came from a corner of the room, where a bookcase slowly slid to the side. A short, stout figure walked out, twiddling a blade in his hands. "Isn't it?" the dwarf said, smirking.<br/><br/>Mesaraih's eyes narrowed and he drew his other dagger from behind his back.<br/><br/>"Took me quite a while to scavenge those weapons," the dwarf said, nodding towards Mesaraih's dagger and Ester's staff. "The best finds in these parts of the Deep Roads. Going to cost you dearly if you want to keep them. That, plus the food... I'd say four hundred sovereigns sounds about fair."<br/><br/>Mesaraih shook his head. "We were left to die out with the darkspawn not too long ago. We don't have money on us," he said.<br/><br/>The dwarf shook his head sadly. "Shame, that. Looks like you're going to have to give it all back then." He made a tut noise with his mouth. Five other dwarves emerged from the tunnel behind the bookshelf, all heavily armed and armored.<br/><br/>Mesaraih glanced at Ester with a small smile on his lips, then looked back to the dwarves. "Actually, I think we'll be keeping them. And we'd like some information about this place, too, while you're at it. Seems like you might know a thing or two."<br/><br/>The dwarf gave a booming laugh. "You're joking, surely?"<br/><br/>"Or else we'll cut all of you down."<br/><br/>The dwarf fixed him in an icy glare. "No dice, lad. You sure you want to do this?"<br/><br/>Mesaraih looked back at Ester. He could be underestimating the dwarves, but after everything they had just endured, he felt they were a manageable group of opponents. "Go back and fetch the others, yeah?" He tapped his chest where she had healed his wound. "I feel fantastic right now. Think I can keep these guys entertained in the meantime."