Camilla's body was about to give out, she was young, fit and athletic but no human could continue the pace they had set for long. She had forgotten how long it had been since she had last slept. The fear of the rat men kept her racing though, forcing weary muscles to produce a final and frenetic burst of effort. She cast a concerened look at Cydric, wondering if the big mercenary would have time to climb before the rats overtook him.

Such concerns didn't slow her when she reached the ladder, she leapt onto it at a dead run, allowing her momentum to carry her up the first three rungs before she even needed to use her free hand, somehow she kept the awkward bundle on her shoulder as she raced upwards, legs thrusting powerfully as her hand steadied her ascent. Within a few agonizing seconds she cleared the latter, bursting into morning sunlight that seemed so brilliant that it burned her eyes.

It was pure luck that she managed to stop before she plummeted off the edge of the narrow ledge she found herself standing on. Below her stretched the vast mountain range and beyond that a distant forest. She wind milled comically for a moment and fell backwards against the ledge, maybe six feet wide. Dropping her bundle against the cliff face she turned and screamed down the hole.

[b]"Cydric, hurry!"[/b] Glancing around she picked up a loose rock the size of her fist and peered down into the darkness, ready to brain the first rat man that tried to chase the Imperial up the ladder.