Val's fierce visage drops suddenly as the icy-rage dissipates in the quiet stillness of the cavern, only interrupted by the sounds of Brundir vomiting. She turns towards the newcomer, with blood still dropping from his sword and steps up protectively between him and her companions. "Are you from the elven city here to help recover your people? Answer quickly as we still have more enemies further in to dispatch."

The newcomer takes a step back, stowing his blade and extending his open palms in a gesture of peace.

"I was sent here, but not by the elves. My intent was to end this cult, but when I arrived, it was a little larger than I had anticipated. I had to hide in their midst, waiting for a chance at the leader which you kindly provided and for which I am grateful. Though I fear you have allowed an important person to escape, I'm sure my, err, patron, will not be pleased. As you say though, time is short and we must prevent any more from making their exit, though I believe those who were here are now dead aside from the one who fled. Though please feel free to see for yourself."

He grins and gestures onward into the tunnels

Val looks passed at the tunnel the dragonborn had fled into with a curious glance. "Does that tunnel lead to another exit? If so, let us move now. We can still catch the dragonborn!"

"It does."

He looks up the tunnel

"We can try, though I expect she is long gone. She was in too much of a hurry to stop to kill you after all. Do you have horses?"

Val shakes her head no in response to the elf, hefts her hammer over her shoulder, and immediately begins heading towards the tunnel she saw the dragonborn flee into. "Let's go! She only has a few moments head start on us!"

"After you.." 

He chuckles as he runs up the passage before anyone else has a chance to react.

Vark waits for Thurston and Brundir to run ahead before joining the chase.

The tunnel runs on for about sixty feet, before opening up into a larger cavern. A stable has been set up here, converted out of a makeshift shack. It has four bays, one of which is empty. In the other three lie dead horses, covered in fresh blood. Beyond the stable natural light shines through a tall, narrow crevice.

“Can you turn into a feline and give chase to her Dorno? Just take her horse so we can track her and kill her... “ 

Says Thurston to his friend. 

Bründir rushes across the cavern to the opening in the back, "Damn th'scaly witch!"

(If the rider is out of sight) Bründir returns to the makeshift stable to give it a look over or remaining goods, "No sense leavin' this shithole filled. Votin' we take what can be carried and head back with word."

"What... what were they even doing here... that smoke it- it binded to her. I don't feel good about this..." Vark almost looks nauseous, leaning against a wall as he processes everything that's happened. Suddenly a look of surprise comes across his face. "The elves!" he exclaims before rushing off back into the previous chamber to see if the elves are still alive. If either of them are, he will pour a healing potion into their mouth.

The elves lie limp upon the stone slab tables of the ritual site. One is draped in the folds of a fine dark blue cloak, the other wears a ruffled cream shirt and leather pants. The former is cold to the touch and when Vark rolls him around he sees that it is indeed Irithiel. The other still barely clings to life and jerks abruptly with a sputtering cough as Vark tips the potion down his throat. He glances about with wild eyes, clearly trying to sit up and react, but clutches at his stomach. He is still greviously wounded.

"Mani marte? Ya naa lle?" He asks with a wary expression.

Jex shrugs. Idly chatting as they walk doen the tunnel. 

"Well she isn't stupid. Now we know something about her. She knows nothing of us. Whatever ritual was performed upon her here I doubt she is going to use it in a quiet way, therefore she can be found, even if not immediately. I intend to finish what I started here, if you also intend to find her, I would be glad of the company. It has been a while since I had travelling companions."

Bründir storms in after Vark. When he notices the wounded elf, he starts barking orders as though the room is still full of fighting, "Vark! D'ye 'ave cloth? Th'man needs bindin'. Dorno! Get in'ere with yer herbs an' such!" Bründir withdraws a flask from his belt and approaches the man, holding it high to see. He splashed a little of the liquor on his hand, then took a drink before setting on the slab next to the wounded elf.

(Looking for either a translator or a consent from the elf to use Cure Wounds a la Bründir)

Jex looks confused for a second. 

"Oh, you would like to help this man? He wants to know who you are and why you are here." 

Dorno looks over the elves and then looks a bit confused.  "That's not exactly what he said..."  He shrugs and then looks at the badly wounded elf, giving him a big smile.  "I'm Dorno!  Well, I was up on the mountain to watch the sunset.  Then I made new friends.  Then we met a very nice elf lady in a pretty city.  Then we had to fight some people, which made me sad.  But we came to help you.  Now we can be friends!  That's pretty much what happened.  You don't look so good."

All the while Dorno is fussing with his herb and medicine kit again.  He pulls out a large pinch of herbs and makes them into a ball with his palms, smells them and makes a disgusted face, then places them on a small, slightly curved piece of tree bark.  The druid passes his hand over the herbs and a tiny flame ignites them, sending a rather stinky stream of smoke right into the elf's face as Dorno holds it up to him.  With his other large, thick hand the firbolg grabs the elf by the shoulder and neck and forces him to breath in the potent fumes, swatting away any attempt to stop the process.  After thirty seconds or so Dorno says "ok, your head will feel better now."  "Chew this, too."  At that he forces a chunk of a familiar root into the elf's mouth.

"Can we go soon?  I don't like this place," adds Dorno.

Thurston offers his arm to the wounded elf to help him walk if he needed it. 

“What are we going to do with him?” He says looking at the elf they were trying to rescue. “ It doesn’t seems right to left him here. I would carry him to their people. IF they cared so much for him to send us looking for him, I think they will appreciate that we bring him home for them to say their last goodbye.” 

 The elf grimaces in response to Dorno's treatments, but some colour does return to his cheeks to match his unruly mess of ruddy hair.

"Thank you," he responds, this time in Breannian. Slowly awareness of his surroundings is returning to him and he takes several deep breaths.

"Who did you say sent you?"

Bründir gives a shrug and shoulders his discarded crossbow from the tunnel leading to the ritual chamber, "If ye mean from th'start, it'd be 'im," he nods to the sacrificial corpse opposite the injured elf.

Val lets out an angry sigh as they realize the dragonborn had eluded them and that there apparently had been a rear entrance of which they had been unawares. She joins the others in retreating back into the caves to take care of the sole remaining captive elf. While Dorno handles the healing and Brundir handles the speaking, Val will begin dragging the cultist corpses out to the courtyard and removing anything of value from their bodies, putting it into a pile near the storage shed. During one such trip back and forth she leans over to Thurston. "We should burn this place and the bodies."