Dungeons & Disappointment

Chapter 47: Deep in the Mines

I filled my canteen up all the way, then slid it in the rucksack as Finana submerged herself, and Ormgaul lapped at the water happily. Just as I thought, the water was near pristine, as was most cave water. I took another handful, then looked around the rest of the cavern, trying to see if there was a way up to the chests. I wasn't usually greedy, but man, we could use some money, and if the dwarves weren't coming back, then hey, it was fair game.

"Hey Ormgaul, give me a hand really quick."

He pulled his face out of the water, and when he saw that I was staring at the chests, he got the idea.

"Yeah, lets get them." He said. "How do you want to do this?"

"Well, there aren't any ladders or anything, so if we climb the cave wall there, we can get onto the tops of the houses and get to two of the chests up there."

He looked where I was pointing, but he looked a little uncertain. "Uhhh, I don't know."

"I mean, you can break the locks on the chests. I'm gonna need you here."

He looked around uncertainly, then leaned in, motioning for me to get closer. I knelt down and leaned in, and he dropped his voice to a whisper.

"I have a fear of heights." He said, staring at the wall. "Short heights. If its too tall, then I'm alright with it, but I don't like climbing."

"Well, look. I'll do you a solid. If you want, you can hold onto my back, and I'll climb the wall."

He looked a little bit less apprehensive about the climbing issue, but he still didn't look exactly okay.

"I mean, I, uh, I don't want to be a burden."

"Oh nonsense." I said. "If anything, it'll be better for me. I need some exercise."

And this time, he gave me a smile, before jumping up and latching on my back. He was heavy, a lot heavier than I thought, but after a few adjustments, he felt like just another rucksack, albeit heavier.

"See?" I said, patting his scaly hand. "Don't worry man. Let's get this going."

I waked over to the wall, and I started scaling the wall, and surprisingly, I was really good at it. Each handhold or foothold stood out like a flare to me, and as I gripped and shimmied my way across the wall, I felt Ormgaul grip onto me a little tighter.

"You alright?" I whispered, trying to respect his privacy.

"Mhmm." He said quickly. "Thank you."

"Not a problem."

I made my way farther across the stone wall, then, when we were close enough to the wooden houses, I lightly stepped off, and Ormgaul dropped off my back. He shook himself a little bit, trying to get rid of whatever fear was coursing through him, and as I was about to make my way across the roof, Ormgaul grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

"Thank you." He said, looking at the ground.

"You got it. Don't worry." I replied. "If you wanna keep doing that, all you have to do is ask."

He nodded frantically. "Please?"

"Anytime you need. And I get a workout as well."

He smiled, and we made our way across the rooftops and to the platform that held two of the chests, our shoes clattering against the wood roof of the homes. When we finally made it to the platform, which was raised above the houses, I felt Ormgaul grab my shoulders, before mounting my back yet again.