Last memory he had was... dying?  Standing atop a pile of bones?  A weird combination of both and neither, perhaps.  None of it made sense, and that made the pain and nausea and everything all that much worse.

     Slowly opening his eyes, for he is still shocked he has eyes... has enough self determination to choose to open them... Dr. William Buddie is not at all surprised to see a gnome looming above him. Well, as much as a gnome can loom above anything, really.  It helped that Dr. Buddie was prone and unsure that reality was actually a thing.  Oh!  And there is the pile of bones, he thinks to himself as he head lolls to one side.  Seems much bigger from the bottom.  And just how did he get down here anyway?

     He attempts to speak but finds himself coughing and sputtering instead.  Breath in the lungs,  that's a good sign... Isn't it?

     "Wha...  Where...  huh?" he thoughtfully asks of the gnome, or anyone else who may be around to answer.  He tries to sit up and look around and... Oh, good, they're here too.  If that's good...  

     "Huh?" he repeated, impressed by his own succinct brilliance in summing up all the possible questions he has in such a small little sound.

Kari sheaths her sword and offers a helping hand to Ha'liday, still looking wary. I'm not opposed to running still. I wouldn't want to face many more of those just yet! She generally ignores the confused sounds coming from a few feet away.

"Seems like thaat should be the plan"  coughing a little

 Well there's no time like the present. Aftari is willing to support anyone that needs help walking and will start moving out of the bone pit area.

Haliday follows holding his shoulder

Morrow takes the lead, not trusting these idiots to not get themselves killed, keeping an eye open for traps or other enemies. Someone's got to keep them alive.

     Dr. William Buddie rushes along with the rest, taking up a spot in the middle of the pack.  He seems a bit more labored and out of breath but manages.  Not long into the fleeing he looks to Haliday and advises “You best let me take a look at that once we’re able to rest a bit…  if we’re able to rest a bit.”

Haliday nods. Looking forward and back as the follow the passage

Ekaterina will take up a position at the back of the group. Constantly looking over her shoulder, keeping her eyes peeled for more skeletons. 

Your small group follows the filthy gnome through several winding passageways for a few minutes. The wetness of the earth clings to your skin and your clothes, the sweet stench of rotting wood and the sucking and squelching noises of your feet tearing themselves loose from the everpresent muck down here occupy your senses and you're glad to be led by someone who appears to know their way around down here, among these dark and twisting passages.

Eventually, you all emerge into a large circular chamber. Gouge marks mar the floor and walls of this chamber, accompanied by smears of blood leading to a small pile of bones with a large and peculiar weapon stuck in the ground next to it. Two tunnels lead northwest and northeast, though the latter quickly ends in a cave-in. Yejin urges you along to the northwestern passage with quiet handsignals, focussed on the sounds coming from the darkness beyond, barely illuminated by the flickering torches that help the humans among you to follow along.

     "Can we rest here?" Dr. Buddie asks in a whisper.  "We all need a breather... And Halliday needs some medical attention..."

"I can make it if it isnt safe here"  Haliday looks around pistol out

Yejin looks to all, sympathetic. "There's some others like me, not too far away from here. Can you make it for another half hour or so?"

"Ah can most certanly try" he says grimly

Aftari nods, gripping her weapon and staying alert. "Whatever you recommend to be safest."

"None of this is safe...just be quick." Despite his words, Morrow's own injuries also had him wishing for rest, though he would be the last to admit it.

     "Lead on," Dr. Buddie says to Yejin.  He wasn't sure why they were trusting them except that they had no better option...  But truthfully he longed to put more distance between himself and that pile of bones. 

Yejin gives a brief nod: "Just over the old wooden bridge up ahead and we're on the home stretch." Within a few more minutes of moving through winding tunnels, you come to a straight section of the tunnel. A 20- foot wide trench separates this room from the adjacent chamber, steel glinting at its bottom, also littered with bones. Scaffolds made of decaying wood line the walls near the pit, and the farthest wall of the chamber is carved with words. They’re difficult to read from a distance. Yejin quickly scrambles over the scaffolding and onto the other side. YOu all notice the worrying groans of the old planks.

(Did we ever resolve if Shelley, the owl familiar, was here with us or not?  If so she is sent to give Dr. Buddie a closer look at how bad the bridge is and the words on the other side…  but I’m mostly assuming she is unavailable til I can resume on her…)

     “I don’t like the looks of this but I don’t think we’ve got much choice,” Dr. Buddie says to the group.  “If it can’t be avoided then it may as well be tackled head on.”

     With the words of encouragement, as they were, said Dr. Buddie climbs up and does his best to follow the same path that Yejin took.

Haliday follows buddy