Vilkas started circling her.
She laughed and charged straight on.
Vilkas sidestepped and slashed at her. His blade left a small cut on her arm, incomparable to the gaping arrow wound.
She swirled around. Her fingers closed around Vilkas' sword.
He pulled back.
She didn't let go. No blood reddened the steel.
"Starting to get scared, huh?" she violently tugged him forward. "I have these special gauntlets, you see, made just for me."
Vilkas let go of his sword and ducked from a fist flying his way. Since he was so close already, he drew the saex and stabbed.
Blade met flesh.
She didn't even flinch. Instead she hit his head with the pommel of his own sword.
His helmet took some of the damage. But even so, his vision went white for a split of a heartbeat. He wobbled a few steps back.
As his vision started coming back, blurry, he noticed another attack. He dodged on pure instinct.
She was using his longsword like some sort of a mace, pommel forward. Now she had the reach.
Vilkas backed away. He reached for an arrow.
That caused a storm of braying laughter. "Whatcha gonna do with that twig, huh?"
She charged again. Vilkas dodged. As he did, he reached down and grabbed a pile of dirt. He flung it to her face.
Instinctively, she protected her face with her hands, dropping his sword. Vilkas swirled around. He stabbed the arrow in her kidney. She screamed and flailed at him.
He sidestepped, grabbed his sword and ran to put distance between them.
"You LITTLE piece of SHIT!"
She ran after him. Vilkas barely managed to evade the fist set for his ribs. With another step, he regained his footing and slashed.
Right across the belly. The hit sent the saex, so far stuck up in her, flying out. Blood came gushing.
Just a few more.
Hold on a little longer, Vilkas.
She screamed and began swinging madly, without rhyme or reason. Vilkas managed to land a few more hits, one across the inside of the thigh. Bright red blood started pouring out.
That should-
A horrible pain paralyzed his wrist and fingers. She had hit the sword and sent it flying with one mad swing.
He didn't manage to dodge this time.
She slammed him to the ground, breaking air out of his lungs. Next, a massive kick to the ribs. The power of it pushed him quite the distance. And cracked a few ribs.
Vilkas tried to get his bearings.
She roared and charged.
After two steps, she toppled over. Her breathing changed into heavy gasping. And even in this state, she still tried to crawl towards him, gauntleted hands clawing at the ground.
She finally stopped just a knife's length away from him.
Vilkas breathed out, hissing in pain, and laid back down. It was dangerous...but he needed a moment.
He rested, watching the cloudy sky. Just about now, a mystical leopard would be a great addition to the day. He just wanted to curl into the thick fur and sleep for ages.
He sighed. He had to get moving. Who knows if there would be someone coming to check on the little party he crashed. Groaning, he got up.
Right. He should pick as many items as possible for Nevras. And the trinket the madam wanted. Though, if it was this important to her, it hardly could be just a mere trinket.
He set out to salvage what he could.
Slowly and carefully.
XXX
Ysmir's beard, riding a horse with broken ribs was a pain.
Though he should be at the manor soon. Eh. He won't try to rest there. They would rob him blind if he dared to fall asleep.
Fog was setting in with the coming evening.
Something rustled in the underbrush. Really close. Vilkas perked up, moving his eyes around but not the head.
He froze.
It...looked like it might have been fog, but...
He thought he saw a pale feline shape. He blinked.
Nothing.
He rubbed his eyes. Still, the only thing he could see was the darkening underbrush and the fog rising.
A strange feeling settled in his chest. Alongside it, disappointment.
He sighed and continued.
He could see flashes of movement still, very much feline in nature, but every time he looked directly, he saw nothing.
I must be having problems because of that head hit earlier.
He continued riding, hope and disappointment surging one after another. At one moment, he almost fell off the horse.
Gods damnit, I need to pull myself together.
"Oh, it's you!"
Vilkas startled and almost fell again.
A small figure stood in the middle of the road, mists roiling around her.
"Are you alright, mister? You don't look too good."
"Yvaine?"
"That's me," she patted her chest and walked over to him. "Can you get down? I need to look at you."
"No needles this time?" he managed to give a weak smile as he carefully dismounted.
"No needles, I promise," she fluttered her lashes at him. "You really look bad, what have you been doing?"
"My job," he wondered why he's trusting the little witch so much. But...she did save his life once before, or at least was present. "I think my ribs are broken."
"Your head is bleeding," Yvaine commented nonchalantly, "but not enough for me to paint a rune. I'll need to touch your skin for the spell to work."
Before he could protest, she was next to him, moving about and undoing his armor straps. "Can you take the mail off?" she sounded a little impatient.
It was painful and took twice as long as usual, but he managed.
Yvaine nodded. She put her cloak on the grass. "Sit."
He obeyed.
"Now you're low enough," she smiled. She pulled a little jar from her pocket and took a generous amount of the poultice inside. She gently applied it to his head wound. As she did, her mouth moved soundlessly with some sort of a chant.
Vilkas felt a surge of warmth in his head. As it grew in waves and then died out, the throbbing pain just...went away. He touched the spot.
His fingers still came sticky with blood, but...the touch itself didn't hurt at all.
"Now your shirt!" Yvaine's foot was stomping impatiently. "I told you, I need to touch your skin for it to work."
He found himself reluctant to take the shirt off, but the pain made him bite back his discomfort. He lifted the shirt enough for her to touch his ribs, but left it sitting on his shoulders.
This time she picked a different ointment. It stung coldly on contact. When she put her hands on him and started chanting, he could feel the bones move back to place.
It hurt.
"Stop fidgeting!"
He bit back a remark and stayed as still as possible. With a little crack the bones mended and the pain slowly washed away.
"You can pull your shirt down, no one wants to see your hairy chest." She looked around. "At least no one right here."
She waited for him to examine his ribs and then put his gear back on. When he was done, she hugged her doll and looked up at him. "Can I get a ride?"
Of course.
"Back to Lakeview?"
"Yes," she fluttered her eyelashes and gave what she probably thought was a cute smile. Vilkas found it rather disturbing.
"I thought you would know these woods like the back of your palm," he picked her and put her on the horse, since she didn't seem to want to mount on her own.
"Mori does," Yvaine pouted. "I only walk around home."
"Yet you found yourself lost so far from Lakeview?"
"Things happened, okay?" Yvaine made an even worse face. She relented after a while, her shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.
"For what?" Vilkas looked back. He had been leading the horse and left the saddle all for her.
"...that I barged in your hall like that..."
"You did scare our fine Harbinger, that doesn't happen too often," against his better judgement, Vilkas couldn't help but chuckle.
"But I needed to make sure!"
"That it was me in there?"
Yvaine nodded vigorously while making an affirmative noise.
"Why?"
"Because my sister likes you, silly."
"Is that the only reason you sneaked in? Really?"
"Well of course," Yvaine pouted again. "I love my sister, you know. I want her to be happy. Maybe now I can convince her to stop that hissy fit and go meet with you."
Vilkas decided to ignore that. "What about the heart and the dagger?"
"I like pretty things. I left payment! You can't scold me about that!"
She did leave payment, many more times worth for the dagger. What she left with Kodlak, Vilkas didn't know. "The heart I think I could come up with uses for, but why did you want the dagger?"
Yvaine looked at him. Incredulously.
While maintaining her stare, she stuffed her hand down her satchel. She pulled out a leather string with all sorts of body parts on it - rabbit's paw, wolf fangs, something that looked suspiciously like human fingers, crow's wing and more Vilkas didn't dare identify.
All of the cuts were clean and precise.
"...I see your point."
"Smart man," Yvaine nodded to herself and hid her gory collection. She fidgeted in the saddle for a while. "Do you have more candy with you?"
Vilkas sighed. He pulled a paper packet out of a saddle bag. He had brought it to have something sweet to boost his energy, but...
He offered it to Yvaine.
She beamed.
XXX
"Wait for me here," Vilkas tied the horse in a stall. "I'll pick up my payment and we'll continue to Lakeview."
"It's dark already, are we not sleeping here?"
The corners of Vilkas' mouth drew out a little. "No. Not here."
He left the stable. The bouncers at the entrance to the manor recognised him and let him in. As he walked through the door, he felt a little bit of pressure somewhere back in his brain.
He sighed.
Of course she wouldn't stay.
He couldn't really see her, but because he knew what was happening, he managed to catch a few glimpses.
Ah well. Not his responsibility to herd a young witch.
This time the courtesans left him alone. Good. The dried blood on his temple probably helped. With quiet clinking of chainmail, he followed Deirdre up the tower once more.
The madam looked pleased. "I had my doubts about you returning, Companion. Alone for such a task? But you did."
"No one mentioned the woman was a berserkír," he commented, pulling the item madam requested out of his money pouch. An elegant ring for a lady's thin fingers.
"Was she?" the madam made a face. "Well, had I known I would have shared that information."
Ha. Empty yapping out of her mouth. She just didn't want him to back out, because this quest was time-sensitive.
She reached out for the ring.
Vilkas closed his fingers around it. "The rest of the payment first."
The madam leaned back in her armchair, an unreadable expression on her painted face. Vilkas wasn't sure if she was pleased or angry. Probably a bit of both.
She waved her hand. Deirdre went to an ornate chest of drawers in the back. Vilkas' kept an eye on her, but on the madam as well.
But when it came to the chest of drawers, he almost jumped from his chair. A little worn doll was seated on top.
"Why so nervous, Companion?"
He turned back to the madam. "I would prefer to leave sooner rather than later."
The madam opened a fan with a snap. "I heard you didn't like my girls. Maybe I could offer some boys?"
"No."
"Perhaps perfume for your special someone?"
"No."
"Room for the night, no strings attached? It is rather late," her eyes pierced him, the rest of her face covered by the fan.
"No," Vilkas reached for the pouch Deirdre brought. He opened it and counted the amount.
"You are no fun, dear Companion."
"Perhaps," satisfied with the payment, Vilkas put the ring down on madam's desk. He noticed two bottles of perfume that stood there when he entered the room disappeared.
His eyes flickered to the chest of drawers. No doll. Instead, a few pieces of some crystal glistened in the shadowed area.
He got up, dropping the pouch into his enchanted satchel. "Pleasure doing business with you, madam."
"And you, Companion," the madam nodded. Deirdre, waiting by the door, motioned for Vilkas to follow.
XXX
"Why were so many people talking about petting kitties in there? I saw no kittens. Or cats."
Vilkas' hands, preparing the fireplace, froze mid movement.
"Ah...no idea. Maybe they wanted to get some?"
Yvaine frowned. "I hope not. Some guy said he was going to eat it." As another wave of freezing dismay passed through Vilkas, Yvaine put her hands on her hips. "Maybe that's why there are no cats. They eat all of them! We should go back and do something about it!"
"No, no need, it...doesn't mean that."
"What else could it mean?" she turned to him, eyebrow arched.
Vilkas covered his face with his hand. "Ehrm...you should ask Farkas about that. My brother. The one you followed to Jorrvaskr."
"Can I come for another visit sometime, then?" Yvaine's face brightened.
"Ah...yes. Yes, you may. But," he raised an index finger, "you must not scare anyone."
"I'm just a little girl, how can I scare anyone?" she pouted. She sat down by the fireplace and conjured several fiery sparks to start the flame.
Vilkas made a face. "It's the witchy things. You made the Harbinger's head feel weird."
"Oh," she saddened. "I did it again? Mori keeps telling me I need to control my aura, but I just don't know how. I try to be sneaky, so that no one sees me, but I can't sneak like she does, so I mask myself with magic. But then anyone more perceptive gets headaches."
She looked so distraught Vilkas gave in. He offered her another candy. "Maybe you're just going about it wrong," he noted as she sucked on the goldy-frost delight. "From what I've felt on the receiving end, you just...hammer into everyone that they don't see you," he hit his palm with his fist.
Yvaine hung on every word.
"Pretty loud, aye? So instead, try it like this," he pushed gently against his fingers. "Quieter and you don't feel the hit of it. Just add a little bit of pressure to make them not see."
"Huh. That makes sense," Yvaine scratched her head. "I'll try it next time!"
She started trying right there. Her presence kept appearing and disappearing around Vilkas, her eyes just...avoiding seeing her. Though when he focused, he could spot her.
He needed to remember that feeling. If one small reach witch can do that, why not the other ones?
Unless it's only something the Daughters can do...
"Why don't you just turn invisible?" he asked as he prepared dinner. He wasn't the best cook yet, but the food quality has already improved drastically.
Yvaine materialised next to him. "Add that," she pointed a herb out, "it will taste better. You know, the thing with invisibility is, if you do anything, it stops working."
"Ah. And then you wouldn't be able to go through other people's things, hm? What did you pocket in the manor?"
"Pretty things!" Yvaine grinned. She started digging through her pockets. "These, they smell nice."
"Those are perfumes."
"And then these things, some powder and sticky stuff, they leave color behind when I touch them."
"Makeup."
"I also found these goat intestines. I will use them for handy spells, but it beats me what the people in the manor wanted them for. They even cleaned them of all the blood!"
Vilkas dropped another batch of vegetables into the pot. "No idea.
XXX
Ever since they got closer to Lakeview, Yvaine grew livelier. She would point out various spots, ask Vilkas to take her off the road a bit to inspect a wildflower patch or to show him a stash she made last year.
At one point she just...pulled a soul gem out of the ground.
"Here, that one's for you," she dropped it off on him and then scurried into the underbrush again.
She grew tired throughout the day. Once evening closed in, she asked Vilkas to put her on the horse again.
She was just chatting his ears off about plant growing when they first spotted Lakeview between the trees.
Yvaine perked up.
Vilkas noticed one of the archers running back to the manor once they were spotted.
This time the welcome ought to be less frosty.
"Miss Yvaine!" the guard almost dropped his spear.
"Hi Erdan!"
Vilkas helped her down. After he just put her on the ground, both thane Bjorn and Falco came running.
"Yvaine!"
She giggled and ran into Falco's open arms. "I missed you, Falco!" Then she looked at Bjorn and grinned. "I missed you too."
"Where's Mori?" Falco asked, looking past Vilkas into the forest.
"She's still angry," Yvaine fidgeted a little. "She wanted to spend more time out. I wanted to go home, though." She sighed. "Just give her some time. She'll come back soon enough. There's no honey cake out there."
A sly smile spread across her face. "Also, I brought him," she pointed to Vilkas.
He groaned internally. Not this again.
Both Bjorn and Falco turned their eyes to him. Bjorn's gaze was suspicious, Falco's intrigued.
"I have no idea what that is about," he raised both his hands. "I only wanted to ask for permission to stay for the night before I return to Whiterun."
"If there's no space he can have Mori's room," Yvaine interjected. "Or mine, I'll sleep in Mori's. He's my new friend."
Falco turned to him. "There is free space in the guesthouse, you are welcome to it." He silently continued mouthing don't go to Yvaine's room.
Vilkas could imagine the bizarreness awaiting there. "Thank you."
As he turned to lead his horse to the stables, he could hear Yvaine asking: "Falco, look, I found these at the Grim manor. Why would they have intestines everywhere inside?"
Vilkas quickened his pace.
XXX
After dinner, Bjorn stopped by. His stance was still distrustful, but much less so.
"I wanted to ask about someone," he dropped into the chair in the room and shot without any pleasantries. "A friend of mine joined Companions a long time ago. Is Hrakni still with you lot?"
Hrakni again? Interesting.
Vilkas closed his book. "No. He died four years ago."
"Damn," Bjorn blinked. "That's...unexpected." He leaned back, his grip on the armrest tightening. "Did you know him?"
"He was my mentor."
"Ha. What a coincidence," Bjorn smiled bitterly. "Too bad. World is poorer without Hrakni. How did he die?"
"Underestimated a job in the Reach. A band of angry Forsworn cut him to pieces and then ripped his throat apart," Vilkas' voice grew hoarse. "How did you know him?"
"Aren't you a tad too curious," Bjorn grimaced and got up.
"You were as well, thane Bjorn," Vilkas gave him a judging look.
The man stopped in the doorway. After a while, he said: "Hrakni pulled me out of personal oblivion in Bruma."
With that, he left.
XXX
Whiterun, several days later
He needed a break. Every time he returned from a job, Kodlak would seat him at a desk buried under paperwork.
This time, he would interrogate him too. "Did you find out anything about the witches?"
Vilkas finished the line he was doing and then looked up. "As a matter of fact, I did. Apparently Yvaine came here to make sure if I am the man her sister has a crush on."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Could she be fooling you?"
"I don't believe so," Vilkas turned back to accounting, "her mouth runs wilder than any horse when she gets candy."
"No one questioned you about our secret?"
"No. They were worried I came to hunt the witches, though. Something happened and they both left Lakeview for more than two months. Yvaine seemed reluctant to talk about it. Makes me think it had something to do with us."
"Probably the fact her sister figured out we have werewolves in our midst," Kodlak tapped the table. "She knew the moment she saw me, I'm sure of it."
"I wouldn't be worried about them, master," Vilkas put the paper aside and picked a new one. "They don't want trouble. They want to live in peace and not have to fight for their lives every day. If we need to worry about someone, it is the mysterious organisation Embla and Skjor are obsessed with."
"Did you eavesdrop?"
"They talk loudly," Vilkas shrugged. "Especially Embla. She also likes to speak her mind under her breath while hunting."
The room turned quiet.
"I will trust your judgement," Kodlak relented in the end.
"I'm taking some rest time after I'm done with this," Vilkas motioned towards the mountain of papers. "I got a nasty hit to the head on the last job. The one I had to do alone. From a berserkír no one warned me about."
XXX
Few days later
Erika and Farkas were both out on jobs. Both had one or two recruits with them - Vilkas felt somewhat bitter about it.
Since there was no one around he'd like to spend the time with, he decided to go out. Somewhere nice. Like Bleak Falls mountains.
Skjor tried to stop him on his way out. "Vilkas, I need you to-"
"No. I have time off. Everyone needs time to heal," Vilkas made a dismissive gesture. "Ask someone else."
He ignored Skjor's scoffing and walked out into the sunny day.
