Mir could also smell them, and they were getting close. He walked back with the rest of the group and got ready to fight.
Q'discraan reappeared out of the gloom. "This area is clear; the others are waiting beyond the bridge," He had checked the rest of the mine entrance whilst the final Draugr were being dispatched.
"Well, let's go then." Fox gripped her sword tighter and ran ahead. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, her companions heard her say "oh, s'wit," followed by an hollow voice shouting "FUS RO DAH!" Like a rag doll thrown by a petulant child, Fox flew backwards out of the darkness and landed heavily on the bridge. "Ow..." she got slowly back to her feet. "I counted ten... ow... six deathlord archers with ebony bows, three deathlords with ebony axes and shields, and an overlord with and enchanted ebony warhammer. Looked like a shock enchantment." She didn't have to tell them how dangerous a draugr death overlord was. Overlords were so named because they were the most powerful draugr in existence. Armed as it was, it wasn't a foe to be taken lightly.
"Hmm, this one now sees why the miners raised the bridge," Q'discraan quipped, looking in the direction of the Draugr thoughtfully. "Q'discraan does not wish for this place to become his tomb, but he has no objection to our shambling foe being interred here." He looked pointedly at the damaged looking roof supports in the Draugr filled tunnel.
Mir noticed it also. "It would be better to lock them up in there than getting killed by them." He said.
Fox realized what the Khajiit had in mind, and shook her head violently in objection. "Do you have any idea what all that ebony gear is worth? There's at least a thousand drakes apiece in there! All we have to do is kill them and take it!"
"Yes, because you have just proved how easy that will be," Q'discraan replied, dryly. "Loot is worth nothing if you do not live to spend it." He looked down the Draugr infested tunnel again; they seemed to be congregating towards the middle. "If we can collapse both ends and trap them," He suggested, "Our fire casting friends should be able to roast them with little risk, and then we simply dig though a small pile of rubble to collect their gear!" He grinned at the genius of his plan. "Of course, someone will have to make their way through the undead to collapse the other end..."
Fox blushed a deep shade of crimson. The Khajiit's words stung more than she cared to admit. Fortunately, his plan offered her a chance for redemption. "I'm on it." She sheathed her sword and ignited her Flame Cloak, then quickly prepared her Incinerate spell using both hands. Wreathed in fire, she resembled a creature of Oblivion, and her pale skin glowed eerily in the light of the flames. Charging forward again, she ran towards the nearest axe-wielding draugr and stood close enough to allow her cloak to burn the creature. It attacked immediately, striking her armored shoulder with its axe. She shrugged off the brutal blow, keeping her spell ready. A split-second later, the overlord shouted again, and this time, Fox was prepared. She rolled out of the way, letting the full unrelenting force of the Shout strike the burning draugr. Fox leapt to her feet and unleashed the spell at the overlord. The powerful undead creature staggered and lurched the side, opening a path for Fox to run past. Several arrows struck her as she covered the final few feet to her goal. Staggering, she tossed a Firebolt from each hand at a pair of support columns, shattering the wood and bringing an avalanche of dirt and rock down between her and the draugr.
"Vaba do’shurh’do," Q'discraan muttered to himself, still grinning, as he watched Fox's reckless charge through the tunnel. His grin faded somewhat as the Draugr's arrows found their target and she disappeared from sight, then vanished entirely as the undead turned their attention back to him and the rest of the group. "Ah." One of the axe-wielding deathlords had left the tunnel and was advancing across the bridge towards them. Before any more could escape their trap, Q'discraan sprinted towards the deathlord, waited until the last moment, dodged the creature's blow, jumped, and kicked off from it's shield. Rolling in the air as he sailed over it's head, he planted both feet on the ageing roof support and then sprung back off, landing in the water below the bridge. He could hear the support cracking, and the roof falling; he should have been worrying about his companions taking down the deathlord, and whether any of them had the fire spells necessary to finish off the trapped Draugr. But instead he was focused on one thing; he had landed in water up to his chest, and was now completely soaked. He hated being wet.
Niza readied her shield as the Khajiit took off and used the Deathlord as a springboard spring before hitting the roof. The Deathlord stumbled a little before charging across the bridge for her. She dug her heels in and prepared her sword for to counter. "I would be PLEASED if you'd cast a DAMN SPELL NOW!" she with some worry in her voice.
Mir sighed. The only spells he knew where restoration spells, but he knew the basic fire spell. He sheated his sword and got ready his fire spell.
Q'discraan thrashed his way out of the water, cursing in Ta'agra. As he made it to the wall, he cast invisibility and climbed his way back up onto the bridge behind the Deathlord. Pulling out his dagger, he dropped into a roll, and slashed the back of the Draugr's knee, causing it to collapse forwards. He then jumped savagely on it's neck, snapping it with a sickening crunch; as the blue light in the Deathlord's eyes faded, a fire burned in Q'discraan's. He really hated being wet. He walked back across the bridge to try and get dry; he knew no spells that would be of use here.
Niza watched in amazement at the speed as her shield and stance drooped a little. She picked herself up as the deathlord dropped before following after Q'discraan. "Er, thanks." she said uneasily, trying to keep a distance from him.
Fox carefully removed the arrows from her body, somehow managing not to cry out from the pain. Dizzy from blood loss, she fumbled through her satchel and pulled out one of her Restore Health potions. Hands shaking, she removed the stopper and lifted the bottle to her lips, spilling some of the precious liquid on the ground in the process. Fox choked down the bitter-tasting liquid and tossed the empty bottle back into her pack. Almost instantly, she felt the elixir go to work, magically forcing her wounds closed and healing the damaged flesh. As soon as she was able to think clearly, she set to work on clearing a hole in the fallen stones, through which she could cast her fire magic. She assumed the others were doing the same thing on the other side.
Mir put away both sword and shield and started making a hole in the fallen rock of their side to cast the fire spell. Once he made it, he got ready the spell in both hands.
