"Ah yes, cannibals." His smile quirked wryly as he waited for her to return with the drinks, contentedly taking a water glass. "Thanks. Now, let's see... I had asked Warder Neron, Halo's ruler, about the rumors of mageglass there, and he suggested that we check an abandoned mine at the edge of the village of Whitebrim - where that ice genie was," he noted. It was the only other time he'd been there, and he suspected he wouldn't be going back anytime soon. "He had warned that they were a dangerous and unsavory folk... he wasn't kidding." The bard grimaced and sipped his water, wetting his throat for the tale. "It looked unused at first, and we took a tunnel that looked like it hadn't gotten much use even when the mine was active. Our first clue that something was wrong was when we had to cross an icy bridge over a small chasm... one that had metal spikes at the bottom. Who puts spikes in a mine?" he asked, the question mostly rhetorical since Melita already knew the answer was: cannibals.
"The path split, and one tunnel led towards light and the sound of voices - not what you'd expect in a supposedly-abandoned mine," he went on with a wry grin. "We'd been warned about the dangerous townsfolk, and we weren't looking for a fight, so we took the other, darker path. A ways down it we found some boxes..." He hesitated, expression shifting to something harder and grimmer. "They were filled with human body parts, stacked and packed into the boxes and tucked away into an ice cave like it was a larder. It was... not a good thing to find down there in the dark," he said softly. He took a breath to steady himself, pulling his smile back into place. "We went a bit farther and spied out some more people down there, but no sign of the mageglass we'd come for, so instead we retreated to report what we'd found to the Warden. I'd like to be part of clearing that nest of scavengers out myself but..." he shrugged ruefully. "If Neron wants my help, he knows where to find me. He has his own people for that job, though, I'm sure."
Dragons could come later, one story at a time. For the moment he tilted his head curiously, eyes gleaming at hearing she'd found another weapon to add to her arsenal. "Short sword or long sword?" he asked curiously. With her quickness he suspected she could do some proper damage with a rapier like his, but with her strength she could batter down an opponent using a heavier blade too. Somehow he suspected the latter of the fiery-headed huntress.
"The path split, and one tunnel led towards light and the sound of voices - not what you'd expect in a supposedly-abandoned mine," he went on with a wry grin. "We'd been warned about the dangerous townsfolk, and we weren't looking for a fight, so we took the other, darker path. A ways down it we found some boxes..." He hesitated, expression shifting to something harder and grimmer. "They were filled with human body parts, stacked and packed into the boxes and tucked away into an ice cave like it was a larder. It was... not a good thing to find down there in the dark," he said softly. He took a breath to steady himself, pulling his smile back into place. "We went a bit farther and spied out some more people down there, but no sign of the mageglass we'd come for, so instead we retreated to report what we'd found to the Warden. I'd like to be part of clearing that nest of scavengers out myself but..." he shrugged ruefully. "If Neron wants my help, he knows where to find me. He has his own people for that job, though, I'm sure."
Dragons could come later, one story at a time. For the moment he tilted his head curiously, eyes gleaming at hearing she'd found another weapon to add to her arsenal. "Short sword or long sword?" he asked curiously. With her quickness he suspected she could do some proper damage with a rapier like his, but with her strength she could batter down an opponent using a heavier blade too. Somehow he suspected the latter of the fiery-headed huntress.
