Journey to Volmyr (9)

Davish enters the Foreman's office, shutting the door with haste. The main office consists of what many would consider uninteresting documents and papers on a table and side cabinet. Still, to Davish, it is of the utmost importance to keep the mine operational on a day-to-day basis. He walks past it, to a door to the far right, and into his sleeping chambers. In the corner of this room is a large wooden basin with a rope beside it attached to an intricate system of pulleys, cogs and pipes. Pulling the rope causes the pipes to rotate and extend till they hang over the basin. After a few seconds, hot water flows through the pipes and into the basin, filling it quickly as steam fills the room. Davish undresses, showing how filthy his hands, arms and face are, as his torso is practically a different colour.

Davish grits his teeth as he sinks into the piping-hot water and almost scalds his skin. Grabbing a sponge, he scrubs his skin vigorously as his mind keeps thinking back to the Coldstone room, a true visage of demonic hell. His mind is snapped back to reality when he winces in pain, realising he has shredded some of the skin on his arm as blood slowly trickles down into the tub of dirty brown water.

"Shit...just relax, Davish. There's a perfectly fine reason to explain what I saw down there. That runeguy couldn't do that; there's no way." Davish says this out loud, trying to convince himself that he hasn't got a crazed lunatic in his camp.

"He's unstable." Davish thinks back to Grensyl speaking about Garrick.

"He needs to go." Davish says as he finishes cleaning himself and begins to dry himself and get re-dressed.

Barrelling back out his chambers, then the office, storming across the camp toward the infirmary. The miners take notice of The Foreman's agitated state, with a serious look in his eyes, but none dare say a thing, only whispering amongst themselves.

Inside the infirmary, Grensyl sits with Meetlemire, speaking cordially. They turn their heads toward the door being swung open with great force, seeing Davish with wide eyes, fixated on Meetlemire. Grensyl is the first to speak up, seeing Davish acting abnormally compared to normal behaviour.

"You okay, Davish? You look pissed off."

Davish ignores Grensyl's comment and storms up to Meetlemire, pushing his weight into him and forcing him against the wall.

"Not a single fucking lie from you, Gnome! What the fuck is that guy with the runes all about!?" Davish shouts, spit hitting Meetle's face as he cowers in fear.

"Wh-what?!" Is all Meetle can eke out in fear.

Grensyl tries to defuse the situation.

"Davish, what's going on? Sit down and ask a question. Don't go bullying Meetlemire 'cause something got your pants in a twist."

Again, Davish ignores Grensyl's comment.

"You three are out of here now! I don't even care for the guild to get here and arrest him. I want you lot gone!"

"The other two are still unconscious, Davish. Meetlemire can't look after both of them alone." Grensyl tries once more to get through to Davish.

"What did I do-"

"Not you! Your fucking friend, he walks out that mine with the head of a fucking Kobold saying he cleared the Kobolds, and when I go down there, it's a fucking bloodbath. If he killed those things, then he went way further than any typical mage; bastard must've enjoyed doing that shit!"

Meetlemire's face drops, but he cannot express his thoughts in words.

"You're going crazy over him doing us a favour?" Grensyl, confused at this heated situation.

Davish takes a breath and turns to Grensyl.

"What we saw down there is the aftermath of a slaughter. The room was more blood and guts than Coldstone!" Davish shakily tells him, his adrenaline taking control.

"I'm sorry. Garrick is a good guy, I promise." Meetlemire

Davish scoffs in response.

"I don't trust a word from a friend of 'Garrick'. Grensyl, get them on their carriage and out of here."

Grensyl places a hand on Davish's shoulder.

"This isn't like you, Davish. They'll die if we send them away in their current state. I didn't leave the army and become a doctor just to let innocents die again."

Davish looks with a cold stare into Grensyl's eyes.

"I don't care. If they stay here, we're all in danger. The courtesy I'm giving that Garrick is not going in there and killing him right now." Davish utters the words so coldly and with severity that it shows his honesty that no single lie has left his lips.

Meetlemire and Grensyl look in shock.

"...I'll get them sent on their way, Boss." Grensyl says, deflated.

Meetlemire stammers as he struggles to speak, his emotions getting the better of him.

"Save your words, Gnome. Grensyl, they're gone in ten minutes, or I'll sort this out myself." Davish spits with venom

Grensyl nods in acceptance as Davish relaxes his body and leaves the infirmary.

"I didn't mean to bring trouble here, Grensyl. I don't know how to look after them out there alone." Meetlemire pleads to Grensyl.

"Get to your carriage, Meetlemire. I'll get some men to help move Garrick and Kyra." Grensyl says with sadness.

Meeltemire looks down in disappointment as he slinks off, dejected, towards the door.

Meetlemire struggles to get the horse attached to the reins with only one arm, the stump on the other with a small dried layer of blood on the bandage, but manages nonetheless as he moves it toward the southern gate in the direction of Volmyr, stopping it in the mud. Grensyl and a few miners carry the still unconscious Garrick and Kyra on makeshift stretchers and are loaded into the back of the carriage.

Grensyl looks over, seeing Davish intently watching, waiting for their departure. Grensyl speaks to Meetlemire about how to care for and treat the wounds of his friends. Although second nature to Grensyl, Meetlemire is completely overwhelmed and struggling to remember a thing under the strenuous circumstances but lets out a simple "I think I got it. Thanks, Grensyl." With a hearty smile, tears still in his eyes, he gets ready to leave just as Grensyl stops him.

"Wait for a minute; I'll be back." Grensyl says.

Grensyl quickly jogs over to a fellow miner and speaks to him, although Meetlemire can't make out what he is saying.

Grensyl returns and tells Meetlemire to budge over as he grabs hold of the carriage, pulling himself up and sitting next to Meetle.

"Let's go. I'll get you to Volmyr safely." Grensyl warmly says.

Meetlemire sits bewildered as Grensyl grabs the reins, whipping them and causing the horse to set off.

Davish sees Grensyl leave, and he begins shouting for him to return.

"GRENSYL!!! GET BACK! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING!?"

"Don't you need to stay and care for the miners injured?" Meetlemire asks curiously.

"They'll be fine. It's just recovery for them now; I already did all the hard work. I got someone in there taking care of them. Besides, If you left without my help, I'm sure you'd all die before you reached Volmyr in your current state." Grensyl replies with a truthful response that Meetlemire can't refute. "The road to Volmyr is pretty safe anyway from now. They got to protect their precious Coldstone transport routes." Grensyl adds with a little chuckle.

"I appreciate your help, Grensyl. I want you to know that. I hope it doesn't get you in too much bother." Meetlemire smiles as he wipes snot away from his nose.

"I'll be able to join the next transport wagon back up in Volmyr; it's just a couple weeks away from the job. I'll think of it as a holiday. I never really had one of those." Grensyl heartily chuckles. "Let's get our asses to Volmyr, Meetlemire."

Meetlemire smiles and nods in response.

End Chapter