The Commander says, Deal with their supplies as you see fit, when he passes them the rolled map. It had been marked in three places, three camps of largely researchers. Easy targets.
Ellis understands he has been dispatched only to guarantee Marcus the space in which to destroy them. Even in his limited understanding, he is aware that Marcus might have been able to scuttle three small camps on his own.
Admittedly, Granitefall had colored his perception of what Marcus is capable of. Knowing a man can raise a volcano skews the scale in only one direction.
Still, there is enough to keep Ellis busy. The camps are destroyed, and the supplies burned, and what little notes or letters of interest are packed into a saddlebag. It is a straightforward affair. Marcus Rowntree is an easy man to work alongside. They can report a success, whenever it is they manage to wind their way back to Kirkwall.
Whenever only because they were in the air but a few minutes before the heavy clouds that had hung overhead throughout the day open and pour down such a deluge that it forces them from the sky. Butterball crawks his displeasure throughout the entire descent, a bad influence on his fellow, silencing only when freed of saddlebags and permitted to take cover beneath the shield of their wings as Ellis and Marcus make for the network of caverns they'd spotted earlier.
Leaving Marcus to take account of what can be salvaged from their packs and saddle bags, Ellis turns his attention to the low dip in the ground, clearly intentionally made. Someone has stayed here before, perhaps. Soaked through, mud spattered and weary, Ellis crouches to begin the process of striking a small fire. He is dripping. The dusty pile of logs and kindling at the back of the cave was a boon, but only if Ellis can avoid dousing any spark he manages to strike.
no subject
Ellis understands he has been dispatched only to guarantee Marcus the space in which to destroy them. Even in his limited understanding, he is aware that Marcus might have been able to scuttle three small camps on his own.
Admittedly, Granitefall had colored his perception of what Marcus is capable of. Knowing a man can raise a volcano skews the scale in only one direction.
Still, there is enough to keep Ellis busy. The camps are destroyed, and the supplies burned, and what little notes or letters of interest are packed into a saddlebag. It is a straightforward affair. Marcus Rowntree is an easy man to work alongside. They can report a success, whenever it is they manage to wind their way back to Kirkwall.
Whenever only because they were in the air but a few minutes before the heavy clouds that had hung overhead throughout the day open and pour down such a deluge that it forces them from the sky. Butterball crawks his displeasure throughout the entire descent, a bad influence on his fellow, silencing only when freed of saddlebags and permitted to take cover beneath the shield of their wings as Ellis and Marcus make for the network of caverns they'd spotted earlier.
Leaving Marcus to take account of what can be salvaged from their packs and saddle bags, Ellis turns his attention to the low dip in the ground, clearly intentionally made. Someone has stayed here before, perhaps. Soaked through, mud spattered and weary, Ellis crouches to begin the process of striking a small fire. He is dripping. The dusty pile of logs and kindling at the back of the cave was a boon, but only if Ellis can avoid dousing any spark he manages to strike.