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Farkas thought aobut it, debating if he really could go and get back. But than the rational, yes there was a rational and logicla part of is brain, said the risk wa st great. though nightfall was many hours away treassre hunting was never an exact science of time.
It ccouldnt be risked.
"Sounds fun but sorry cna't have things to do here but maye next time ya?" He asked getting up after finishing hsi drink. he needed to find Vilkas, they had a lot to tlak aobut and none of it was going to pleasent. "You and ria have a good runf or me and make sure to punch a few people while your at it."

She cared little of his reaosns true or not. "They are mine firs tof, second they are in devleopment and not for you or anyone else." Protection wards, selaing spells all those things she wans't good at was in there. She needed them they were hers the were the only things she had to keep her .. her.
"If your no mage than stay out of my buisness." Se growled trying to not throw a ice shard at him, as good as it would feel. The last thing she needed was to have very carefully crafted proteciton and sealing ward being tampered with becuase someone thought they were helping here.
No one helped er.
the fact he wans't evne hiding th fact h did it made her more angry. Him finding her half made letteres to Zev angered her Zev was a part of her that she kept hidden form al of them inthe sancturary. no out fo shame or love or anythign liek that. she did it becuase if was somehting almost gneuine with no stirngs attached. Thats why she gaurded it so feircly.
"Stay our of my things. Stay out of my space and just stay away form me." She hsised taking her papers back. Whatever game he was palying with her and Astrid she wansted none of it, orm ehtier of htem. She knew poer players and he was one, andif her suspicions were correct a big one at that.

Week Laer

If the last week had been any indication of wat was to come Sonja hadn't seen the signs. If there had been any.
It had spread fast that ciceor had givne her spell books which had caused some isues, she was getting agitation formt he frequancy of it all. Second was the fact that desite her apparnelty designation as Listner the night Motehr had said nothing furhte rthan the phrase to her. Frnakly Sonja was cnviced this was an elaborate joke at her epense.
She HATEd being the butt of a joke.
The strangeness only continued as she had stumbled upon a old man in the woods, clelary a mage givne the magic radiating form him.he had done nothign but be hosptitae to her offering her a place when she was returning form a contract. Much to her anoyance she was ofrced to accpet, he did nothign and treated her poltily enouhg. He was just .. a crazy ofl man int he woods he even complemnte her on her maic s;aying he coudl feel magic like most could taste good food.
Hers appanrley was a good mix.
However whatever semi goo mood she had was rmeoved due to her currnet situaiton. Astrid had givne he a contract, nothing new exapct this time she made a manditory assignment f givne her Ciceor of all people. She didn't need the Clown babysittin her. She reconzied the insutl and the inplecation right away. Astrid wanted them both out to invesitage and evne though Sonja had aided her she was tired of being a scapegoat. If was anyone else she wouldnt have minded evne welcomed the company on a contract to kill a vampire hiding in the woods out of Marhol, however given how little she knew of the clwons ability to fight she wanst relived or reassured. "Please tell me you know hwo to fight a vampire at least." She said as a menas of brekaign the loathed sialnce. She learned he hated silance and which was hwy he talked nonsotp so she opted to remain silent unless she was bred.
Just to annoy him.

"You up for this?" Farkas asked. Zev was told to meet him here, a test if you would. Farkas has his reservaitons not becuase of a lack of skil but inplications and rumors that were going about. Rumrs of Siver Hand activity in proximity to them was makgn any mission now dangeoru to non cicrlce members.
Farkas had little desire to engage them with Zev present however their intel was god neough to where he felt somewhat reassured.
though going into a dark and dank tomb for a peice of wepan wanst exaclty his favoirte pass time.

She regretted talking now, becuase she was now trapped in a whirlwind of insnae bablbing.
'I must not kill him. I must not kill him.'
She repeated the mantra over and over again, even after they found a safe place to teether the horses. In truth she never faced a vampire, it was easy to read about them and how to kill them. Reading and doing were two different things because every hunter always documented that it wans't until you faced your first one you felt true fear.
She wasnt looking forward to this, even with 'back up'. Shed to keep giving him a look at his mentioning tha he was the best at one point. Every member boasted of their prowess it was common place and a way of establishing a form of dominace. But she couldn't evn picture this man being intimdating Brotherhood or no.
He was just weird and unnerving.
She didnt' want to fight a vampire at night, it was the surest way of getting killed. Daylight hurt her as much as them however, maybe that was why Astrid had her with backup. As useless as it was but she kept telling herself people assumed of her all the time and she proved them wrong. Than again two assins against a den of bandits run by a vampire she was feelin a bit nervous. "So mister top assassin what is your all knowing wisdom?" she asked with more snark than she meant.

Hmm." Was all Farkas said as they descent once he lit a torch for light. The spiders were fortunatly small but tha t wasnt what he was concerned about. Tere was evidance that someone was diggng and recnelty. He hoped for tomb robbers becuase than theyd have enough sense to run. The ther option was far less appealing and would have zev dragged into a fight he was unaware of.
He did his best to not let his cocnern show, inwarldy he was brislting and baring his teeth. The blood told him there was soemthing wrong here, the growling was gettign loudr the furhter in they went.
He had to remind himself it was in his head and Zev couldnt hear the wolf snarling but it was loud enough to were he felt worried.
He could smell the tindge of silver and it made him more uneasy. Silver weaons harmed the undead and werewolves but were not uncommon in the use of Draguer weilding them. Silver didnt' rust like steel so though rare the would have them, esciaplly if the one barried was highly reveeered.
The large room they came into was litered with drauger corpses but no one else was around, and the way forward was gated. "Be careful." Was al he said as he jumped down from the lege, the only way intot he room, and began carfully moving along the outskirts of the chamber, never going to the center.

The head severing was her cue to act. ushing forward with just enough magic she caught the last two guards in a paralyze rune. Sound and movment halted before they could raise an alarm.With her other hand she stuck out with ice causing two shards to inpale boht into the wall, both died in silance. If she was honest she hated the ousnds they made, the gurggling and the dying just got to her but becuase she had another present she did her bes tot hide it. She hated messy kills, like quick and clena and above all pinpoint. Not what she just made. She blamedit becuase she wans't used ot having someone watch her, not inthe fashion Cicero was doing anyway.
The only thing Detect Lif eowuld do wa alert them to the bandits, useful but the real prize would be harder to find. As they crept intot he cave they were met with an odd splitting of paths, odd becuase most caves lacked such elaborate tunnels. Chilly wind at her band and dank air to the front she let out what was aking to a whispering hisss, Dectect ift would let her find them faster though. She saw it than, red glowingblobs menaing life, she carefully moved to the left tunnel her hands moving to her feet as she moved as she extended silance to herself.
That always took a bit more out of her.

Her foot stepped into something slipper and wet but sitll solid. It caused her to almost yell out and fallback, which she did in a rather spectacular fashion backwards. The bakc of her head hit something solid and warm and she was reminded htan that Ciceor had been fallowing her, which menat she had fallen bakc into him. It was only than she saw what her foot was in, a ripped aprt corpse still freahs enough to were blood was slowly drying. Her foat had found a gapping hole in the rib or what hsould hav eben where the ribcage was. The body was a young girl her eyes were still shinning, dead but shinning. She was about the same age as her and as her eyes become more accusomed she saw .. she saw ahat the had done.. theyd taken .. things form her out of her.
She felt her heartrate getting faster as she tried to move back and disloadge her foot making a sickening sound that made her snap her eyes shut. She pushed herself back thso fast she crahsed agaisnt into Cicero forcign herself ot be so upgainst him as she tried to get awya formt e body.

s**t!
The word barey left Faraks mouth beofre ti happened. The cage had come down a fraction of an inch befhind hima nd inf rotn of Zev.
It was meant for him not Zev.
"Don't touch anything!" He barked suddnely, these traps always had more to them. It was htan he heard bowstring and unsheathing of swords. they were surronded and despite having his blade drawn not one of their enimies looked intimidated by him.
"It was supposed to get obht of them!" He heard one fo them whisper.
"Its fine. Kill the bigger one and th esmaller one can be skinned easier."
"One chance is all you get to walk out of here. Take it!" Farkas growled out. Of all the times! He could tkae them yes but it would cost him a lot and may evne push him to ahlimit.
"Your not in a positon to make threats dog!Your boht dying here regardless but you get to at least chose how painful!"
He could get the archers on his left than hopeuflly with the distraction use them as shields, use teir wepaons kill the rest and get Zev out.

Butchery and mutilation were expecte yet it stil got to her. She kept tleling herself it shouldn'tthat this was normal that it should be normal in her work. but there was a differance she killed for buisness quick and clean. This wasn't this was butchering fo rfun, this was what she hate. She was enbarassed and ashamed of herself evne more so when ciceor took the lead and she trailed hebind himwithout resistance or evne a word.
Some Listner if that was evne what sh ewas.
The smell was awful but as he promsed she didn't step in anymore of them. She defeated the World Eater, she kept reating, a vampire shouldnt frighten her. Alduins emple had shownfar worse and she simply looked at it all in interested.
becuase it was ancient and didn't have freash bodies eveyrwhere.
She was sitll stunned to where she'd bump into him everyone and awhile. He siad nothing but she could tell her was growing annoyed with her, she was annoyed with herself. It was at the bottom of the sitras that she took an extra step that wans't here and nealry ended up on to of him from behind, she heard what could only be akin to a growl form him. The first ever sigh of his actualy feelings of the situaitona nd she didn't blame him.
If situations were reversed she'd probalby have thrown him.
"Sorry." Was the only pitiful answer she came up wiht. To think she'd given him a lashing aobut not being dead weight and here she was stumbling in the dark and practically falling all over him. Despite it though she was finding his presence reassuring in that maybe she wouldnt be killed to uickly.

with the disarming shout removing the threat of siler Farks charged forward with his sword out and two dead men feel behind him. Despite the gorund the enimy had he wa on them so fast they werne't able to get their weapons up. One archer knicked im with an arrow and he was relived to find it just gravzed him.
"s**t." He swore seing and feeling the burn. He could feel the burning already starting and though it was a small kick the effect was there and immedate. s**t at least it didn't peicre his arm that was somehting to be thankful for.

That was a loaded queshtion.Se'd never be read for her first vampire. She had to make herself breath normally, clam her heartrate before once more sliding her hands down and making herself muffled. "As I"ll ever be." Was her go ahead sign.
Than again if she had to pick a way to die this wans't what she'd want. Vampries never killed quickly and it owuld be her luck to get grabbed by one. The room they entered revealed, much to her relife, the bandits al passed out. Snoring loudly clelary durnk, which made them easier to deal with.
Onnce they were all dispatched there was another room at ht eend of the large hallway, most liely wehre her targt resided. She kept telling herself her size was her advantage not her weakness, even a vampire would underestimate her making him vonerable.
Everything ahppend so fast.
Te only wanrigns he had was the subtle shift of air at her left she moved and an axe went into the gorund where she'd been stnaidng. In the same motion as she pulled back she braught herright arm forward in an upward sweaping motion causing a gust of flame to shoot at the vampire. Taking two steps back readied with ehr left hand a summoning.

"Arrows was poisoned knicked me is all." Farkas lied. Chances were there'd be more of them but nothings was oging to change what htey had to do. "Well they know we're here and they us so guess subtly just went out off the window." He pushed himself up from kneeling and gave his arm another quick check, it would bleed but it wouldnt kill him.
Fortuantly.
He cuahgt the look the wanting to know look. "Finding the fragment is a bit more inportnat now I guess. Wouldn't want our heritage to be int he hands of these skeevers."

God damned undead piece of s**t!
the thought flashed threw her mind as the vampire came at her despie having ahlf its face scortched off. the few seconds she had ahead of it made her jump back fire a small spit of fire at the things legs, the fire began eating and fizzingly the clothing the decarying skin. ad thing she couldnt risk getting near it with that damned axe swinging at her, she needed to helat it just long enough.
Shouting in confined spaces wans't her favoirte but she didn't need ot be loud this time she just needed to get close and make it count. She waited till came at her again before the words came out right as the axe came down on her. te Etheral Shout worked wonders to let her slip otu of danger and evne though there was an axe assumign burried in her she felt nothing.
It was in tha tsplit seocnd of confusion she was suddnely on ither dagger in the things heart and her other hand on its face causing it to erupt in fire and screams. She only let go when the body dropped on it own in smoldering ashes. "Think that counts?" Se asked after taking several huge intakes of breath.

Farkas preyed for undead prayed hard. But like all Gods htey ignored it and they kept encoutnering Silver Hand and Slver Hand. they went through the Drauger easily and though he'd like to think they were tired form them they weren't. The whole tomb was crawling with them and it ddnt seem to amtter how manythey killed the were everywhere.
It was only when they reached the fianl burial chamber than it was blessedly empty for the time bieng. "This place is givng even me a run for my money." he breahted deeply, severl silver arrows had knicked him which made the fightening harder on his end. Zev forutanlty was able to pick up the slack with no effort. "You mind chekcing up there need a breahter." He hated tis he could fele his blood fightneing the infections off but it was makign him near feverish in the process.

She didn't even want to tink about food right now, or for the net few days. She had killed enough drauger but somehow they didn't seem as revolting as a ampire, maybe ti was the hwole preserved by magic thing. "Please dont mention food." Was all she got out as she effectivly lost her lunc, and brekafast and last nights dinner. The smell if possible had gotten worse makin her odubt food would be appetiving again.

Later

It proved to late to head back, that and maybe she was a tad jumpy still. The small camp would work for the night and hopefully Astrid wouldnt view this as lazness on her part. "I'm getting some water." Was her departure words as she left with a waterskin, the smell was in her nose still.

Leaving the tomb behind was a mixed bag for Farkas. The Silver Hands presence left him on edge and uneasy but he kept it hidden forutnalty. the arrows though not acutlaly painful were still getting to him, which was maing the trip worse than it needed to be, again he hid it. Nearing the r one of the rivers that ran threw the llans asrtange sent cmae ot him, though he also knew they were still a good ways awya form the city.
Hehalted his horse, the scent was odd to him ver odd. It wans't one he reconzied but it smelled like death or that somehting had rolled in it recnlty. "Hold on." He said quitly the scent was upwind of them a bit, which menat whatever or whoever it was wouldn be aware of them.
The smell was recozniable once he set to it which made his blood go cold. It was a few things, a newly awakened campire, a thrall or someone recnelty infected or a recent kill.
Any of those wans't pleasent. Even in the growing dark he could make somehting up a ways a head of them at the river, it was small and moved quitly like it didn't want to be heard. He could make out a hood on it which made anything on the face inpossible to see. He kpet his horse steady and motioned for Zev to look in the general direction. "Over there it just creeped behidn the rocks." he said qutily.