Adelana, Duval and Fennington swept out the barn while Attelus slipped back outside and scouted in silence through the forest. The only sound was their brooms slurping and swishing on the rotten boards. Attelus had ordered them to be silent, so they could more effectively listen out for anything moving outside.

She couldn't help worry, the image of Attelus having his throat cut from behind and left to gurgle out blood on the dirt, rewound through her thoughts numerously.

She couldn't help smile as her use of 'okay,' it was a term from Velrosia a small country on the world of Elbyra which both Attelus' and her best friend, Seleen hailed from.

Since she'd joined the Inquisition she had travelled to numerous different planets of varying cultures, economic power and government types, but they had never been to Elbyra. But she'd heard on countless occasions how beautiful the place was. But neither Attelus or Seleen had any wish to visit the place again. They'd both survived a horrid war there eight years ago, they must've had painful, traumatic memories from there so Adelana couldn't blame them. She never wanted to go anywhere near Omnartus ether.

Adelana pushed that thought away, as she had so many times over the last two years.

It took about twenty minutes for them to sweep out the barn, all the while Adelana didn't hear anything from Attelus. Once done Adelana tapped the vox three times and waited, her heart smashing in her chest for his response. The time it took for him to reply must've been less than a second, but felt like it was an hour.

Two taps in return, meaning all was clear and he was coming.

Adelana barely held back a sigh of relief and tapped once back in acknowledgement.

About a minute later Attelus stepped back in via his hole in the wall.

He glanced about the now free of straw floor and nodded.

"Thanks for that, would've helped you guys, but had to guard the outside."

"Sure ya did," said Duval the sarcasm distinct even through his breathlessness.

Attelus just shrugged.

Adelana had thought the same thing, not that Attelus had lied about the twig snapping so he didn't have to help sweep out that barn but that he might not have heard it, it could've been in his head.

She wasn't sure which was worse.

"Why did you get us to sweep out the place?" said Duval.

Attelus didn't answer at first instead electing to stroll past, finger and thumb on his chin as he studied the floor boards.

"I read the report but I have to ask you, this was once a Bovine barn, right?"

Adelana, Duval and Fennington exchanged looks, while Attelus seemed to test the boards with the tip of his toe.

"Yeah," said Duval and Adelana nodded in agreement, having no idea where this was going.

"Well, I'm sure you and Fennington couldn't care less and agent Helgen already knew this, but I grew up on an agri world."

"Uh huh," said Fennington.

He jumped and tested another floor board.

"Hmm, they're surprisingly sturdy for such an old, rotten barn, don't you think?"

"Just get to the point, I beg you, Attelus," said Adelana.

"Well, in all honesty, I'd lived mostly in one of the main cities in my country. But I did live a long time as a child in the north, near where there were farms and I visited perhaps one or two. We didn't have grox, we had our own species, the Culdath from what I understand you too have a similar type of creature so, essentially the set ups for bovine barns should be the same."

He paused, looking at Duval and Fennington as if expecting they'd know, but they just stood, dumbfounded.

Attelus sighed and activated his sword again.

"Bovine barns don't have floor boards," said Attelus as he slashed downward.

While Attelus and Adelana slashed through the edges of the boards, Duval and Fennington worked together to gather them and carry them outside. Adelana struggled considerably more than Attelus with her monomolecular blade to his master worked power sword.

About the third of the way Attelus stopped and handed Adelana his sword.

"You use mine, it'll be easier for you," he said.

Adelana hesitated, taken off guard.

"You don't have my enhanced strength and my skill," he said. "Let's swap."

Her first instinct was to tell him to frig off, that she can handle it with just her mono blade, but this was his prized weapon. His most precious possession. He'd told her that it was, again, from his homeworld. It was owned by a family of nobility, a family that was wiped out during that war. Adelana had no idea how he managed to get his hands on it. It was of simple looking make but after earning much experience at the blade over the past two years it was obvious now how expertly made and balanced it was, even though she never touched it. This was an honour, a great honour indeed

She couldn't help let a smile spread and met his gaze as she reached out and took the hilt.

"Thank you," she said and he hissed and looked away as their eyes held for a few seconds after they'd swapped swords. He turned away and began cutting again.

"Get a frigging room," Adelana over heard Duval mutter, but she and Attelus ignored him.

It was about half way when Fennington cried out, "Found something!"

Attelus and Adelana stopped and slipped to stand beside the constable as he knelt and swiped the dirt aside, revealing the edge of something metal.

"Hmm," said Attelus. "Just as I thought."

"God-Emperor," said Duval. "Is that a frigging door?"

"Looks like it," said Attelus. "And now we know how it managed to get that thing in here."

"'It?'" stammered Fennington. "What in the god-Emperor's name do you mean by that?"

Attelus shrugged. "In all honesty, I don't know," he said, giving Fennington a pat on the shoulder. "But we might soon find out."