[center]A Collab by [@Scout] and [@MacabreFox]

[h1][i]Meanwhile near the lift...[/i][/h1][/center]


     Unbeknownst to them of the nightmare ensuing in the lower levels of Bthamz, Leif and Elmera were left in a state of oblivion. For Leif, however, this was not so bad, for while he nursed his injured pride in silence, he was relieved to have the Dunmeri woman as a companion. He never quite felt safe within the walls of any Dwemer ruin, and for that matter, he deemed it better to have her, than to be alone altogether. With his back resting against the stone wall, he lifted his hand on occasion to prod at the singed flesh on his face, as well as to peer down his armor and tunic to see a mix of blackened flesh amidst drying iron-coloured blood. For the most part, Leif fared much better than the woman to his right, majorly for the fact that he did not suffer the ill-fate of having a dwemer bolt lodged in his thigh. Thankfully, Roze had been kind enough to fashion a tourniquet around the woman's thigh before departing into the depths of the ruins with the rest of the company.
     
     Elmera's breathing was slightly labored as she lowered herself to rest against the wall beside Leif, wincing until she was settled again.  Her leg throbbed and it was all she could do to hold the muscle and prevent too much blood loss.  If she could just get a moment, she'd rip this bolt out of her leg and try to close the wound, but first she needed to gather herself.  Magic was not something to be performed lightly - especially on oneself.  As she waited, the worst possible happening came to be - someone was approaching.  She reached for her blade, but found herself unable to rise to her feet.
     
     Curiously, the sound of metal gears grinding as the lift behind them rose, Leif scrambled to his feet in nervous anxiety, he would defend Elmera if need be. Were he wielding a one-handed sword, she would have seen his right sword hand shaking in anticipation, however, since it was a two-handed longsword that he held, his left hand helped minimize the trembling. Up it went, and then down it came, and when the gears locked into place, he slid into a defensive stance, knees bent with his legs set wide. He could see through the dwemer metal bars that it was another Dunmer, yet he could not discern who until the doors of the lift opened, and out stepped a familiar figure. Wasn't this the sorceress from Windhelm, the one with the strange hound? 
     
    It appeared that she recognized him as well, though her thoughts were occupied elsewhere as she approached him in a frantic haste, and inquired if Do'Karth had come below with the others, to this he confirmed, and pointed in the general direction that the company had gone, though he wondered if she had caught his warning about the ruins being filled with automatons. Nevertheless, he sat down grumbling to himself, these Dwemer contraptions did not fascinate him, and he would rather have not to deal with this place, yet he did volunteer for this trip.
    
    Thank the Nine, Elmera silently prayed, that the figure was seemingly known.  Leif gave her a direction and some instructions before the woman took off on her own.  Damn the ruins and automatons, she just wanted to get deeper and help the others too.  Elmera could empathize - she wanted to be down there proving herself as well.
     
     For what felt like hours after their encounter with Niernen, which could have only been an hour at the most, in his agitation, Leif decided to break his silence with the woman. His nerves were wound tight like a rusty coil of iron chains, it would do him some good to find something to take his mind off of, and what better than to strike up a conversation? Of course, that being if she was a sporting companion for speech.
     
     Elmera sat quietly.  She was never one to really realize that silence made others uncomfortable.  As a matter of fact, the woman often felt at peace in the quiet and thought far more could be said by a pair who spoke without words.  It was not until Leif spoke that she realized the kind of tension it had placed on him.
     
    "That's a nasty wound there." Ouch, that was awkward, of course it's a nasty wound. Quick, make this better. "I know a few restoration spells," Ok good, keep it going. "If you'd like me too, I can help mend your leg up so the wound doesn't start to fester." There we go, back into the swing of things. While he awaited a response from her, he praised himself on making the poor start to the conversation better. Perhaps it was the fact that after having his heart shattered in two, Leif wasn't up for talking with anyone, and that led him to the current situation, difficulty making conversation that once came so easily to him.

    Elmera gave him a bit of an awkward smile, watching from the corner of her eye as she nodded.  "Yeah...  It's uh...  I think I'm just about used to it, actually," She said, trying to joke back.  The Dunmeri laughed softly, "I'm pretty versed myself, actually.  It was my second most studied school...  Had I more space, I probably would have been able to flash my magic a little more helpfully."  She sighed, "Unfortunately, I didn't [I]stand[/I] a chance," The woman joked, pointing to her thigh.  There ya go, see? You can make a joke.
    
    Leif felt a huge weight off his chest lift as the Dunmer woman responded to him, there, awkward silence broken, mission accomplished, well...more or less. While she reassured him that she was feeling better, he actually doubted her words, his eyes glanced to the wound in her leg and took note of the darkened fabric where the bolt had torn through.
    
    "If you'd really like to assist in the healing process..."  The woman started, "You could tear off a chunk of shirt or find me something to bite on, give me a second to prepare, and then yank this bolt out of my goddamn leg.  I think I've recovered enough energy to stop the bleeding...  And then, with a bit more time, I can help you out.  Deal?"  She offered, actually turning her head to look at the Nord beside her.

    "Deal." Leif said with a half smile, he extended his hand to her to shake, "By the way... I didn't catch your name? I know you're new here to the company. My name is Leif Raven-Stone."

    "Well met," She replied, shaking his large, meaty hand.  "Elmera, no fancy last name," The Dunmeri introduced herself, releasing her grip.
    
    After their introduction, Leif turned away from her to ruffle through his rucksack that he had carried with him. Years in the war had taught him to never go anywhere empty handed, in case of situations like this. As he sifted through the leather bag, he clucked his tongue disapprovingly for the fact that he didn't have any suitable piece of cloth to give her. Then, as he sat back on his haunches, he glanced down at his chest, and noticed his tunic. With a reach around of his right hand, Leif fumbled for the lacings on his leather armor, working it loose with a tug here and there until he could pull it off, careful to avoid the burn on his face. It was awkward to work around the burn on his left shoulder, but he managed nonetheless. Once free of his armor, Leif held firm the blue linen cloth in one hand, and reached for one of the daggers at his hip. There, he made a small nick in the fabric, and began to tear off the hem as wide as his palm. Laying it aside on top of the rucksack, so as not to dirty it further, Leif undid his belt.
    
    "Whoa, whoa," Elmera said, putting up her hands.  "You're definitely going to have to buy me dinner first, Mr. Raven-Stone," She teased, shaking her head with a joking grin before accepting the leather. A tense smile crossed his own lips at her words, it sounded odd to hear a joke in a situation like this, but it had been a while since he last smiled so willingly, no matter how tense it was. "Alright, when I give the signal, just yank...  It's not gonna wanna come out - but remember, the more times you pull or the longer you have to, the worse it's gonna hurt, so... all at once is best."

"That should serve right proper for you to sink your teeth in, and this," he gestured to the torn linen, "can serve as the bandage." Then, he knelt close to her, and waited for her to give him the signal. The barb on the bolt concerned him, it would be more difficult to pull it up through her leg, and there was the possibility of nerve damage. The shaft was short, and there were feathers attached, those would have to go first. He set to work on shaving the feathers off with the edge of his steel dagger, and when those were completely removed, he broke the remainder of the bolt protruding from the top of her thigh.

    Elmera nodded and placed the leather strap between her teeth, readying her hands as she bit down hard.  She looked to Leif and gave him a nod to say that she was ready, her hands already beginning to glow slightly, her magic prepared.
    
    With a slow inhale to steel his nerves, Leif's blue gaze flickered to Elmera, and nodded in return. One hand slipped behind her knee, while the other curled around the barbed arrowhead. Ripping out arrows was never an easy task, there would be some pain involved as the shaft would tear through the muscle around it. Then, he pulled as quickly as he could manage. The points of the barb pierced his hand, yet he gritted his teeth, putting all the strength to remove it as smoothly as possible. What seemed like minutes instead of very tense seconds, the bolt lodged in her thigh came free. Holding the blood-soaked arrow shaft in his hand, Leif grimaced at the sight of bits of flesh clinging to it, albeit small, but flesh nonetheless. 
    
"We have to clean the wound to prevent infection," Leif said, turning away from her to rifle through his rucksack again, where he removed the water skin tethered to the side, and a small bottle of unopened whiskey, something he had found in the galley on the ship. Returning to her side, he peered up at her, unsure of whether she could even handle rolling up her pant leg, or if she wanted to drop her trousers, but he would have to clean both sides of the wound.

    Elmera bit down hard, but her groan, near-scream of agony was only slightly stifled by the leather strip as her restoration magic completely left her hands.  She would have to re-prepare the spell after it was time to cast it again.  Her eyes rolled back in her head slightly as she pressed the back of her skull into the wall behind.  Finally, it was free and she panted, dropping the leather.  The wound seared with pain as Leif mentioned needing to clean it.  She supposed that it wouldn't hurt to take the precatuion before closing the flesh.  Unable to reach her pant leg, the woman grimaced, pushing her waistband down just past her thigh.
    
"Do it quick..." She muttered, readying her hands.  He was hurt too, so she wouldn't expend all of her energy fixing this one problem, but rather she would just do what was necessary to prevent further breaching or re-opening; the rest would repair itself in time.  "I'll close this up, then we'll take a look at you, alright?"
    
    He offered her a gentle smile, and for once, reserved himself to focusing on the wound. Carefully, he poured water from the skin he held in his hand. The tourniquet had proved useful in slowing the bleeding, but with it gone and the bolt free, there was more blood to account for. "You might let me do the healing." Leif protested, shaking his head as he lifted her leg up as gingerly as possible to wash the underside of her thigh. "Too much blood loss, with a wound like this will knock you out." He warned in a soft tone. Then, he reached for the linen he had set aside earlier, tore it in half, and dabbed at the wound, knowing full well she would feel some pain at that. After cleaning what dirt and muck could have possibly been on the bolt, he reached for the whiskey. It would help disinfect the wound at least. Biting into the wooden cork of the bottle, Leif tore it out, the stopper rolling across the floor. 
    
    "I've suffered worse, bud," She reassured him with a nod, giving him a half-hearted smirk.  As he lifted the whiskey, the woman took a breath in and held it, waiting for the inevitable.  "I won't be expending everything I have - but I'll be able to close the hole in my leg so I can limp, even if the inside is still in a bad place."
    
"This might sting a bit." He said, his eyes flickering to hers before pouring the alcohol on top of the wound. A sudden wave of nostalgia hit him, as he was brought back to the distant memories of the war, and how he had cared for Sevine many times when she became injured on the field. Alcohol in a flesh wound always hurt, they both knew that. 

    With the underside of her thigh taken care of as well, properly disinfected, Leif proceeded to wrap the linen around the wound, not too tight to serve as a tourniquet, but tight enough that it wouldn't fall down if she wanted to hobble around on her own. "It would be best to make certain that the wound isn't infected, I'd advise against healing it now. Maybe tomorrow morning, if it doesn't show any sign of infection, then we could give it a go at closing the wound." He rolled back onto his haunches and watched her with a concerned gaze. Even though his own wounds still itched from the lightning attack, he knew that the pain he felt was nothing similar to what the Dunmeri woman before him was experiencing, and for the moment, that was a bit relieving in the pain department.
    
    She rolled her eyes, "Fine.  Then I'm gonna find something to prop me up while we walk.  C'mere," She muttered, not waiting to turn his head to face her, lighting it under a torch on the wall.  The Dunmeri woman furrowed her brow, "By the Nine, that's a nasty big of burn you have here.  It's gonna take a couple weeks to heal over...  I wouldn't be surprised if you were left with some scarring, to be honest, but I can at least start the process."  A golden glow emanated from her hand as she applied a weak spell of restoration to the side of Leif's face.  The mark from the burns and electricity was still quite prominent by the time she drew her hand away a moment later.
    
    She sat down again and shook her head, "Sorry...  That's the best I can do for now.  I can take a closer look after we both get some rest."  With a sigh, Elmera looked down the hall, finally hearing a few voices.  "That must be the others...  Let's get in the lift and wait for them," She suggested, gradually rising to her feet, giving the returning party a brief wave.  She was pretty sure that it wasn't quite everybody, though who was she to know where the entire group was?  She'd been crippled from the get-go.