Bass, what was that?! You yell mentally at your favourite minion, refusing to slow your stride until you know whether or not Diana needs your help.
Nothing Boss-man. Diana just slipped a little, Lucas caught her, it's all good. Bass reassures you quickly, adding a flash of memory to the end of his communication.
You watch Diana edging close to the end of the makeshift rope bridge when her foot slips off the crystal links of the chain. A replay of the short terrified scream you heard fills your head as Diana loses her balance and starts to fall. Luckily for her she's practically over solid ground and Lucas is right at the end of the chain. He grabs her wrist and pulls her onto solid ground, safe and sound.
You sigh.
Thanks Bass, give her a hug from me.
Can do Boss-man! It's too easy to imagine Bass saluting the air. Relief eases a little tension and worry from where it's settled in your chest. One damsel in distress down one to go.
You emerge from this tunnel into a huge open cave, large as a lord's hall with cracks in the ceiling to let in golden shafts of light. This chamber looks very, very lived in. Several fires flicker and spit around the edges of the cave while a huge central bonfire burns brightly in the centre. Pots, pans, spits, chests and rugs litter the ground, grouped up around fires and small humps of fabric that are probably beds or the like.
A nodule of a shiny rock, most likely a kind of metal ore you think, rises to one side of the bonfire. It reminds you of Pride Rock in how it stands proud and slopes to something of a pinnacle overlooking everything in the cave below it. Standing on the rock is a goblin, red painted markings striping its face, bones clattering from strings hanging off each joint and holding a staff topped by a skull. You have a sneaking suspicion that's the shaman for this tribe of goblins.
Morlia is surrounded by goblins with weapons of all kinds and being urged up the sloping rock on pain of being stabbed. There's a streak of damp red in her blonde hair and down one side of her face.
There are a lot of other goblins here. Too many to count at a glance. You'd estimate about a dozen menacing Morlia and more than forty others watching the shaman and the elf.
[ ] Sneak around and try and get to Morlia before letting all hell loose
[ ] Wait, if they hurt her you can leap into action but backup is coming soon and a proper plan will help
[ ] You took my Morlia, give her back! (CHARGE)
[ ] Do something else
Apologies for lateness, have an update for being patient and sticking around!