"That's a pretty name." Ille said.
"For a pretty lass." Said one of the other miners. Another elbowed him in the ribs.
"So... how'd you manage to get yourself down here?" Ille asked, ignoring his companions.
Instinctually, Elya reached for the rope. Even just grasping it made her fingers shake and burn, though; and giving it a tug strained her arm.
"Umm..."
There wasn't any way he possibly could've held her that'd avoid any more pain, but a breath still caught as he picked her up. The next few breaths were through gritted teeth, until she had to turn her head aside and spit out a few drops of blood.
Somehow, she wondered how long it would take to clean her jacket of all this.
"We need... to get--"
Elya stumbled, shouted, and almost fell. Her grip on Ji kept her somewhat upright, but blood fell--almost sloshed--itself off her face, splattering into a small puddle on the road.
Her arms and legs shook. None of that seemed particularly feasible at the moment.
"We just need to get there..." She muttered, both to the new person and herself.
"How far is it?" Elya asked, somewhat weakly. Her steps were growing heavier and more inconsistent, each one sending a jet of pain through the bloody marks across her face and arms. Blood still ran down each one--slower, now, but still.
"You're new here, aren'tcha?" One of the other two asked.
The third--shorter, younger, and a bit darker-skinned than the others--shrugged. "We all just stopped counting after awhile."
"Whoa."
"Uhh--"
"Hello?"
A few miners glanced over at the lovely maiden who'd just appeared out of nowhere. Two of them glanced at each other, unsure, while the third lowered his pickaxe.
"You okay, miss?" He asked.
Elya felt a drop of blood slide off her face. She glanced down at the red-crusted palms of her hands.
"We made a bit of a scene," Elya replied. "I don't care where you go, but the hospital isn't safe anymore."