Valleri almost didn't think as she ran to the farmhouse. Instinctively, she covered her nose to protect her lungs from the left-over smoke rising from the burnt-out ruins. Broken glass and ceramic pieces crunched under foot as she searched for any sign of Jalfi or Helgi. Her friends were nowhere to be found.
The rain around her began pouring harder and Valleri almost didn't hear Vilkas striding up from behind.
"Valleri, this isn't the time for some heroic gesture! Whoever did this is probably still here," Vilkas scolded as he grasped onto her shoulder.
Valleri turned to him, panic obvious in her wide eyes, "Vilkas, I knew these people. I knew Jalfi and Helgi. They took me in after I almost died."
Vilkas gulped. "Gods, Val…" Vilkas trailed off as he ran from out of the house and towards the windmill across the way. Valleri put the Nord out of her mind and continued to look for any sign of her friends. The rain was quickly washing away the carnage of the attack. The worst filled her mind and Valleri felt like she was going to choke.
"Valleri!"
The woman turned around to see Vilkas waving her over to the windmill. Valleri almost crashed into him when she ran over. Grasping her shoulder to help her balance, he gestured towards the bottom of windmill. The bricks making up the structure were splattered with sticky red, dripping down onto the dirt as the rain kept falling. Valleri turned to look at her friend, words failing to form as she moved her mouth to speak.
Vilkas shook his head, "I don't think your friends are alive."
"No, no. I've already lost two people. I refuse to believe they're dead; I can't," Valleri's voice went cold and she stared at the blood stain. Her eyes followed the red down to the ground, creating a trail towards the woods. Messy foot prints sunk deep into the mud.
"Valleri, it's hard, I know. But your friends are gone. You've got to accept it."
"Shut up!" Valleri shouted. She glared at him, teeth clenched together. Vilkas stepped back slowly as Valleri gestured back down at the ground, "They were dragged away, see?"
The Nord sighed in frustration. He could see Valleri's eyes begin to water and she was shaking violently; whether from cold or sorrow, her couldn't say. Vilkas swallowed hard before rubbing his face with a free hand. "Valleri, it's raining and the snow on the ground is going to make it hard to track anyone."
Without thinking, Valleri watched as her hand collided with Vilkas' face. There was a look of confusion replaced his previously stern expression, but Valleri felt her back stiffen. "I don't give a shit, Vilkas! I have to make sure that whoever did this doesn't go unpunished!"
"Calm down for a moment; we'll think of something, okay," Vilkas said, tone even and reassuring. "I said it would be hard, not impossible." The woman looked at him with gut wrenching expression, a flicker of hope in her eyes. She rubbed a hand vigorously across her face, smearing ash across her skin. "You've gotta promise me one thing, though. Okay?"
"Yeah," Valleri answered, voice shaky.
"You have to listen to me this time around. I'm not letting you take any unnecessary risks. You're not in the right frame of mind to be going after people." Vilkas watched as Valleri stared hard at the ground beneath her feet. Thoughts visibly raced behind her eyes as she fought against the impulse to run off before him.
Finally, the Imperial breathed out, considerably calmer. "Fine, we'll do things your way."
Vilkas sighed with relief, taking his hand from Valleri, and looked back towards the trail leading into the woods next to him. The scent was faint, but it wasn't completely washed away by the rain. Soon, the smell of mixed blood and smoke would be the only thing he could use to track Valleri's friends. Daylight was almost gone and they couldn't stay here. If they did, there was a good chance that Valleri would freeze during the night.
Vilkas huffed before making his way into the woods, Valleri following him as best she could.
…
Several hours had passed before Vilkas was able to pinpoint where the murderers came from. Valleri had been eerily silent the entire time they spent searching for the camp. The bandit camp was heavily fortified with wooden walls and watch towers, making Vilkas was hesitant to approach. He couldn't hear or smell anybody.
The Nord looked to Valleri next to him. The woman's face was stone, mouth held in a thin-lipped scowl. "This is it then?" she muttered, voice cold.
"Yeah. It has the same smell to it at least. The blood trail ended a bit back but I couldn't be more sure this is the place."
Valleri shot him a glare, "What are we waiting for then?"
"I've got a gut feeling this place is a trap," Vilkas countered, "Look at it. This place is as fortified as Riverwood and there's no one here."
The Imperial shrugged with a sigh, "Listen, you can wait there if you really don't want to go in, but this is personal. I have to go." She stared towards the wooden gate at a fast pace, leaving Vilkas behind. Vilkas felt a hole form in chest before willing himself to follow the woman.
Just as he thought, the place was empty. Valleri led him through a maze of smaller tents and shacks as she proceeded towards the back of the camp. She checked each one thoroughly, halfway expecting her friends to be inside. Each time she failed to find either hide or hair of her friends, the woman began to panic more.
Vilkas followed her further, checking to make sure they were in fact alone. Each time he turned a corner or passed by an open tent, the Nord's heart would quicken as he expected someone to jump out at him. When no one did, Vilkas would breathe a sigh of relief. He wasn't keen on fighting in this dark, rainy weather.
Valleri paused when she got to the last portion of the camp. It was empty; no tents or awnings for a person to hide in meant that bodies would have been left out in the open. With a single, wide glance, Valleri's legs almost buckled underneath her. There was still no sign of Jalfi or Helgi.
Vilkas finally emerged from the behind the fence. He looked at her with a questioning expression. The Imperial woman couldn't bring her self to speak; the lump in her throat made it hard to breathe, let alone say anything. She only shook her head in response. It was all Vilkas needed to know that their search was almost over.
Valleri glanced around the fenced area once more. Finally, her eyes landed on a hidden door built into the rock face behind her. It was well hidden, tendrils of moss dangled low in front of the dark wood. She waited for Vilkas to catch up to her before looking up at him with a pleading look. "Please, it's just one last place. Then I'll be done," she whispered, tugging lightly on his sleeve. "Please."
The Nord sighed wearily. With a quiet nod, Valleri heard him mumble a response before walking towards the door. It opened with a creek, pale yellow light illuminating the outside fog. Valleri wanted to rush in, but her legs only trudged along.
It took several moments for the woman's eyes to adjust to the sudden light. Soon she could see a narrow mine shaft leading further downwards into the cave. A myriad of smells hit Valleri like a boulder and she found herself wanting to vomit. The woman held onto the cave wall for balance as she continued forward. The path was straightforward; any diverging tunnels had been blocked off or destroyed by previous cave ins, making a singular tunnel for any miners who may have worked their way down. Valleri slowed as there was suddenly steep incline down and torches became more frequent. Pausing, Valleri could see they had come across a final, cavernous chamber. Both she and Vilkas stopped on an elevated deck over looking the bottom of the cavern. In the distance was another deck with a house was built across from them.
Nearing the edge, Valleri looked down to scan the dirt floor. She looked around slowly, trying to take in the entirety of the room. Valleri gasped when she spotted the faint splash of red on a table pushed towards a corner before running full speed down the ramp next to her.
Out of breath, Valleri blindly made her way towards the table. She could hear Vilkas shout towards her as he followed. She didn't care though, not when she was this close. Her gait slowed to a tired walk as she saw the mangled body of a man laying half off the table top. Valleri covered her nose to block out the scent of decay as she went to touch the body. Grasping the shoulder, Valleri gently pulled the body towards her. The pit in her stomach deepened as the body landed with a thud. Her mind went blank as Valleri was able to get a good look at the man's face.
Staring back at her through glassy, emotionless eyes was Jalfi. Dark purple bruises colored his skin underneath smears of old blood.
Valleri jolted back, sending Jalfi's corpse fully off the table. Hot tears finally broke free and Valleri almost fell to the floor. Vilkas caught her before she could fall, hugging her from behind to keep her up. Valleri found Jalfi in the worst state she imagined, though not entirely unexpected. This only left Helgi unaccounted for and Valleri didn't want to think about what may have happened to the woman.
Vilkas' grip around Valleri tightened considerably before she heard a voice from above, "Shit! How'd you two get in here?"
Valleri went cold and any sorrow she felt drained in a moment only to be replaced with fiery rage. She looked up, locking eyes with a scruffy Nord. His eyes widened when he saw Valleri snarl at him. The bandit cursed to himself as he stepped back in fright and Valleri could hear another voice behind him.
"Is everything all right?"
"No! Two milk drinkers wandered in. Fuck! Fuck; the boss is gonna loose his shit!"
Their conversation paused and Valleri heard the familiar, throaty cackle of an Argonian. Further enraged, Valleri elbowed Vilkas in the side as hard as she could to loosen his grip on her. Her friend groaned and hung his head low. Finally, free, Valleri ran off to find her way up to the bandits above her.
The first bandit, a shorter, darker man, could only stare in horror as he met Valleri at the ramp leading up. He was dressed down, completely taken off guard and not ready for a fight. Valleri didn't hesitate; drawing her blade, she swung down as hard as she could across the man's bare chest. He fell to the floor with a gurgling scream. The Argonian past him was visibly terrified, eyes wide and arms flailing about in the air. He was begging for mercy and Valleri didn't immediately cut him down.
"Where's the third one?" Valleri yelled. The Argonian fumbled with his words, still worried for his life. Valleri's patience wore thin, "Where's the man that killed my friends?" Her voice cracked as she screamed at the beast man and her sword hung low at her side.
The Argonian still couldn't speak. He stared back at Valleri as he knees buckled underneath him. Valleri shook her head and raised the sword above her head. She didn't think as she watched a flash of silver fly downward and all she saw was red. Staring down, Valleri allowed herself to catch her breath. The sabre dropped from her hand as Valleri tried to recollect herself. She stood there for several minutes before hearing a commotion behind her.
Vilkas shouted a curse as his great sword made contact with the third bandit. The bandit, long blonde braids swinging wildly, fell to the ground quickly after Vilkas' counter attack.
He laughed as he glanced back to Valleri. The Imperial woman felt sick when he smiled that same, sadistic smile. Vivid memories of the knife breaking through the skin on her cheek came flooding back. The bandit began to speak, his heavily accented voice made her cringe internally, "You were supposed to be dead, you bitch."
Vilkas looked between the monster on the ground and Valleri staring blankly at him. A look of concerned confusion was plastered on his face as dark, damp hair hung in his face. "Valleri, who were these people? Are they the ones you were looking for?"
Valleri nodded. She stared down at the bandit, "Where's Helgi?"
"How the fuck is Helgi?" the bandit questioned before he made the realization, "Oh! You mean the woman from the farm! Yeah, she was a wild ride, that one!" He paused, making sure not to break his stare on Valleri. "Just like your Redguard friend. Fit like a glove if you know what I mean."
Valleri reached for the dagger Jalfi had given her months before, knelt down, and pressed the blade to his throat. "You have no right to talk about my brother," Valleri spat. The bandit only laughed again before Valleri pressed the blade deeper. Small droplets of blood swelled around the edge of the dagger. "Not after what you did to him."
"I should have brought you back with them." The bandit glanced up at Vilkas with a sick grin, "But, brother, you of all people should know that Imperials scream too much. It's shame she didn't just die."
Vilkas didn't say anything, but Valleri could see that he was close to beating the bandit to death. Valleri breathed out, releasing much of the pressure off the man's neck. Slowly, Valleri addressed the bandit again, "Why didn't you just kill me and be done with it?"
"Just be glad you're alive," the bandit retorted. Valleri stood up and gave the bandit a swift, hard kick to the ribs.
"Answer the damn question, you worthless piece of shit," Valleri ordered, staring down at the man kneeling in front of her. Her stomach churned as he laughed with a guttural, spurting noise.
"Women like you don't fetch a good price on the market. Elves and able-bodied men certainly get enough coin though."
Valleri backed up a step, running into Vilkas' chest. A look of horror washed over her face and Valleri could feel her chest tighten up, making it difficult to breathe again. She couldn't care anymore; just looking at the smug bastard was almost too much. The room began to spin and Valleri clung onto Vilkas' arm for support. The cavern was warm, almost sweltering, but Valleri could see her handing shaking violently.
Vilkas then addressed the bandit, Valleri picking up on the slight hesitance in his voice. "You sold them?"
"Like you wouldn't?" the bandit tilted his head, "A man runs about two hundred spetims on the market. One of those prancy elves is about a hundred more, even if it's an era old!"
Valleri walked off, Vilkas assuming she couldn't listen to the bandit any longer, allowing the Nord to come face to face with him. Crazed brown eyes bore into him and Vilkas could feel chills running up his spine. "Who was the buyer?"
There was a long, drawn out pause before the bandit answered, "It was a group of mages. They wanted live test subjects or some shit like that."
Vilkas could hear Valleri perk up behind them. "Lexius and Alastaros are alive then? How long ago did they leave?"
"Not long, though they're probably dead now. Mages don't know how to take care of their pets," the bandit said, grin growing larger. Both men could hear Valleri muttering quietly to herself, still in stark disbelief of what the bandit said. Vilkas slapped the bandit hard across the face when he started leering at Valleri. He watched as a trickle of blood ran down from the man's nostrils. "There's no need to hit me again. It's not as though I'm going anywhere."
"I don't care," Vilkas barked, voice almost cracking, "Where did the mages come from?"
The bandit didn't answer, only stared back at Vilkas with tired, arrogant eyes. He licked the blood off his lips with an extravagant flick of his tongue. Repulsed, Vilkas leaned back with a grimace. "Hey, since I'm gonna die anyways, why not just indulge a doomed man for a bit? I bet you're like the Redgaurd; you'd probably scream the same way."
There was no hesitation when Vilkas jumped to his feet, backing up as quickly as possible. Valleri ran past him, silver sabre in her hand again. She swung down hard on the man's neck and his head rolled away on the ground. Valleri paused finally, breathing heavily. Vilkas couldn't move as he watched her; the Imperial's back shook as he heard Valleri begin to sob.
Nerves calmed, Vilkas made his way to Valleri's side and reached out a hand. The sabre dropped from her grip as she turned back to Vilkas. He wrapped an arm around Valleri's shoulders and rubbed her back in slow, rhythmic circles.
"We'll find your friends, I promise."