-----Sol continues on without word.
-----"Don't you dare!" Sarah says as quietly as she can. "I will not let you put yourself in danger, Caranip!" Her tone softens, "Thank you for the offer though."
-----Raven puts away the bow and draws his swords. Raven silently moves down the stairs.
-----Caranip pushes out her bottom lip, but smiles when Sarah thanks her. She still clings to the scroll.
-----The trip down the steps seems agonizingly long and it is tempting to remain silent. However, the closer they get to the bottom the more the sound of rough voices filters up to them. Below and before them, the outline of the end of the descending passage is seen. There an arching open portal admits entrance into a chamber just beyond.
-----"Grab what good stuff ye can," says a sniveling orcish voice, "we'll need enough to reach one of the villages!"
-----Just then Raven and Sol touch down on the stone floor of the dungeon level. They lead the others into a square shaped chamber twenty feet on each wall with torches supported in sconces.
-----"Enemies!" shouts one of four orcs who looks up to see the Gorian and the Hunter facing them. The humanoids stand only ten feet away where they had been ransacking barrels of food goods stacked by the wall to the right.
-----Lovan rears back with his right arm preparing to throw his torch at the orcs.
-----Moving his armoured bulk forward, Sol engages the four orcs, his Lathanian blade flashing in the torchlight as the blade sweeps towards the lead foe.
-----"You see! If you had run down there those orcs would have chopped you up!" Sarah says to Caranip. "I am not going to lose my first and only apprentice to orcs." She says firmly, as she steps back and waits for the demise of said creatures.
-----Raven bounds forth and rips one blade across the first orc that tries to advance. Its body immediately slumps against the barrels and falls dead.
-----Just a heartbeat behind the Hunter, Sol slices into the next orc, burying the Lathanian blade deep into the humanoid's chest. The young warrior then throws it off his blade.
-----Lovan's torch hurdles end over end as it leaves the storm priest's hand, sailing past the two heroes in front of him. It hits a third orc on a right arm drawing a squawk from the orc and a smile from Lovan.
-----"Deliver your rage upon him," Lovan snarls as the torch hits the floor. Suddenly Sol is there in the humanoid's face and the young warrior swiftly disembowels the orc before it can make another sound.
-----Raven takes the last orc as he first rams his left sword into its chest followed by his right sword. The creature gasps, straightens and then collapses.
-----"No, Mistress!" Caranip protests, "I'm really good at moving quietly! They would have never known I was there. If they were drunk, I could have taken their swords and carried them up the stairs to you."
-----Garrison gives off a frustrated gasp seeing the orcs dead before he could maneuver around from the back to help out. Seeing Sol's new armor picking up the light of the torches, he says to Sarah, "It doesn't look like that armor's going to slow him down."
-----"All right," Rinda says sternly, moving apart from everyone in the chamber, "Everyone breathe quietly for a moment." The Huntress then casts a critical eye about as she looks at everyone's condition. Seeing that Raven and Garrison are no more hurt than they already were and Lovan was bearing his scorches well, she relaxes.
-----In the wall opposite that of the stairs is an arched open that leads into a dark passage.
-----"We'll see, Caranip. We'll see." Sarah says, not sure about letting her apprentice wander off, but not wanting to hold her back either. "But you aren't wandering off in a castle full of orcs, do I make myself clear?"
-----"Besides . . . " Sol drawls as he turns and eyes Caranip, " . . . if ye removed their swords, ye would've taken all th' fun out of it." The Gorian points to one of the sconces and orders to the Storm Priest, "Lovan, take one o' them, an' let's get going."
-----A moment later, Sol is headed towards the arched, dark passage.
-----Raven nods and heads towards the dark passage.
-----Caranip puffs out her cheeks, but then smiles when Sol speaks. "Yes, Master Sol," she says as the group starts to move again.
-----As Lovan grabs a torch, Garrison moves in behind the two in the lead.
-----The passage heads straight for only about thirty feet and then widens out into a bigger chamber. Up ahead more torchlight illuminates the area and an orcish voice is heard barking out orders. "Arm yerselfs, you dogs! If the enemy's still in the castle, we'll fight our way out!"