[Krazincharun Dwemer Outpost, Skyrim] An idiot....an idiot in the deep. (closed)

Water dripped from far above the huddled form of young Arla Neerus. She pulled the little candle closer, feeling some of it's warmth on her. High above there was what must have been natural light and the source of the water dripping down on her.

She scribbled a few more words into her ledger and sat up. She had been freezing the night previous but now either she had adjusted or the temperature of the cave had increased. Wiggling around, Arla stood up, still inside the bedroll she had found and shuffled over to the gate.

The heavy bronze metal didn't budge as she tried in vain to push it. She gave up and sat back down, leaning against the gate. The lever she had been warned not to touch still sitting there, inviting the girl to pull it.

A lengthy over dramatic sigh for her benefit escaped her, she started back over to the candle when she heard it. Voices...not creepy ones like she had been hearing over by the tunnel but a nice voice, a familiar one.

She moved back over to the gate, risking a somewhat pathetic "Hello?" Her voice echoed down the corridor beyond the gate. her ears perked up, waiting for a sign.

"Help me open this."

Having arrived at the entrance to the ruin, Amelin searched for whatever mechanism that would open the doors. Of course, her own lack of knowledge regarding Dwemer architecture impeded process.

"I trust you're familiar with...whatever this is."

Asren nodded simply and searched for whatever opened this damn gate. She could hear Arla's whimpering from behind it already, which was a good sign at the least.
'Don't worry, child. We'll get you out of this..."
She murmured.

"what!? Asren!" Arla shuffled over to the gate, almost giddy.

"Asren! You found me?! How did you do that? I thought I was going to be stuck down here!"

She pulled up her sleeping roll garment when she saw the other person. "Who is that?!"

Amelin could now clearly hear Arla's voice on the other side of the gate. At last, they had managed to find her, now if only they could open it.

"We'll talk about that later, is there any lever or switch on the other side that can open this door?"

"Yes, it is. Just sit where you are, and tell us what you see on your end." Asren called out to Arla calmly, tugging a bit at the door roughly.

"There is a lever..."

The door that Asren and Amelin were pushing on gave way, leaving only a portcullis between them. It remained down but the would be rescuers could see Arla at least, her small figure on the other side of the gate.

"Hey! Nine you are through!"

With a chuckle, Asren just gave Arla a reassuring smile.
"Miss me?"
She asked wryly before looking around for a way to get the portcullis down.

Amelin got a glimpse of their quarry, wanting to make sure this was the same Arla they were looking as per Asren's description.

As the huntress searched for the mechanism that controlled the portcullis, she felt this was the time to get some answers, especially how this girl managed to find a Dwemer ruin out here of all places.

"How did you get here anyway?"

"YES!" She reached through with her free hand, the other holding up her sleeping bag. "I'm freezing."

The other woman meandered about the gate thing. She did ask a good question. Arla thought about the memories from last night. Running. Blood. Hunting. It was best to not mention it.

"I fell down some hole. And you know there is a lever back here"

Kennek held up a hand to his group, pausing. "I heard voices."

Creeping up, Kennek held his hammer within his hands as he snuck forward to get a better look. "Nord." He paused. "Talking about... Arla?"

The man blinked, then rushed out of the shadows. "Hey! Whoa, whoa, put the weapons down, I'm friendly. What's this about Arla?" He blinked. "Moreover, what the fuck are you doin' down here?"

Asren heard the trademark hiss of an argonian and glanced towards his way, an eyebrow raised.
'I'll be damned...' she thought. 'same lizard from the inn.'

Cautiously, Asren kept a hand over her sword as she looked at Kennek and his group.
"Long story, I've been looking after her for some time now, and she went missing for a while there."
The nord said cooly, not quite trusting anyone other than Arla and Amelin right now.

Seeks-Many-Secrets, noticing Arsen going for her sword, put up a defensive stance with her spear. "How do we know we can trust her, Kennek? Maybe she's lying and was going to rob and murder the girl. I'd imagine the magic ledgers would fetch a pretty penny at a Mage's Collage."

Kennek held a hand out, preventing Seeks from spearing anybody beyond himself, most likely. "Just treat me on this, Seeks." He looked at her, nodding. "Alright. First of all, how'd Arla get down here anyway? She ain't exactly the adventurin' type."

At the voice of the two Argonians, Amelin turned, immediately readying an arrow to shoot at the two lizards. Seeing that they weren't hostile, for the moment, she lowered her weapon, though her eyes retained an glare of suspicion at the pair.

"She says she fell down here through a hole, though let's let here explain that more after we get this door open, shall we? Though you could also explain what the two of you are doing here in the first place."

She huffed and rolled her eyes, but obeyed nonetheless, returning her spear to the holder on her back. "Fine. But if we die, it's on you."

Nodding gratefully to Kennek, Asren eased up a bit and shrugged.
"I'm not too sure, all I know is that she ended up here and that's it."
She said, glancing at Arla for a moment before looking back at the argonians again.
"Now, I'm not too interested in a fight here. If we work together, chances are we'll have a better shot at getting out of this cave without too much trouble."
The nord indicated Amelin before continuing.
"The bosmer and I got lost here as well, and so far I only see one option; find a way to go in deeper and hope to the Nine there's another way out. Besides, there could be loot..."
The way she drew out that last phrase just said a lot more than Asren could possibly had said up front.

"Loot?! Oh yeah, there is stuff in here. I found this bedroll and I see this lever but you guys said not to pull it."

She hikes the bed roll up further and gestures back "Should I pull it?"

"No you shouldn't pull it!" Kennek shouted, rubbing his forehead. "Bad shit happens when you pull levers in Dwemer ruins! Animunculi, fire traps, Falmer. Who knows down in this damned hole?"

He looked at the two women. "So you two have a plan to get her out of here or what?"

"We're working on it." Amelin said as she continued looking for a way at opening the door.

"From the way you talk, you seem to know more about Dwemer ruins then I. So your assistance would be appreciated."

Asren chuckled a bit as she glanced at the new group.
"Well, I suppose it'd help to have the assistance. And we'll be ready for whatever happens should we pull that lever..."

The argonian woman nodded. "Kennek, do you still have that rope? We could pull the lever from a distance."

"I thought your friend said pulling levers in a Dwarven ruin is a bad thing." Amelin said, still, they were finding no such luck in opening the gate so far.

"We'll keep searching for something, but we should leave the lever as an option if nothing works."

"Hey guys? I think maybe I should pull it now. It looks like it opens the gate
Doesn't it?"

She shuffled over to it, the bronze lever almost mocking her, showing her the way out.

"If something had happens, I can just push it back right?"

She gripped the lever ready to pull.

"Arla if you pull that lever I am punching you so hard."

Kennek glared at the girl. How stupid was she?!