In one hand, it held a massive cleaver still slick with dark, half-dried blood. Vyke’s stance lowered, spear angled in readiness. “Godrick’s mongrels?” “Not quite,” Heleina murmured, stepping to his side but making no move to draw a weapon. “This one hunts for sport.” The armored thing gave a low, guttural moan, the sound echoing grotesquely inside its helm. It hissed and growled like the mongrel it truly is, foul and bewitched. Vyke’s voice sharpened. “Then you know to step aside.” “I know,” the maiden huffed, shifting her foot to hide behind the tarnished, already holding his spear as lighting crackled around the golden spear. Vyke’s fingers flexed on his weapon, a faint spark of golden lightning running down its shaft. “And i thought you really was about to follow me anywhere, turns out you arent suicidal..” The armored thing’s laugh came again, this time more deranged, and it lunged forward without further warning. Vyke’s spear shot up in a blinding thrust, meeting steel with steel, sparks flying in the dim light. Heleina stepped back, watching closely but making no move to interfere—her gaze fixed entirely on Vyke, as though judging not just his skill, but something deeper. Each strike rang out like a drumbeat, Vyke’s movements fluid but deliberate, his body twisting with the precision of one who had trained under both mortal and draconic tutelage. The thing pressed hard, cleaver blows shattering stone where Vyke had been standing seconds before. At one point, the enemy’s blade carved a shallow line into Vyke’s pauldron, nearly catching the flesh beneath. Heleina’s voice came, soft yet commanding: “Don’t hesitate.” Vyke’s breath hitched for half a second—then lightning surged across his spear in a violent arc, and with a sudden twist, he drove the weapon deep into the gap beneath the hunter’s helm. The force sent the creature stumbling back, collapsing onto the cracked floor. The metallic echoes faded. Heleina stepped forward, her gaze falling on the body, then lifting to Vyke. “You hesitated.” Vyke pulled his spear free with a sharp jerk. “I didn’t.” “You did.” Her voice was not mocking now—only certain. “And whatever gave you pause… will kill you, if you let it.” Vyke met her gaze through the shadowed slit of his helm, and for a moment, neither spoke. Then, with a faint exhale, Heleina turned toward the open path beyond the archway. “Come, tarnished. There’s much to be done.” Vyke followed, the sound of his boots crunching on the grass again, his mind not on the corpse they left behind, but on her words. And the strange way his heart still beat faster when she was near. The midday sun was veiled behind a pale haze, giving the Lands Between a washed, dreamlike quality as Vyke and Heleina made their way down the worn, grassy path. “I must admit,” Vyke muttered as his spear tip flicked a stray pebble off the trail, “I still don’t understand why we’re looking for… grapes.” “Shabriri grapes,” Heleina corrected, her tone carrying a hint of amusement. “And they are not grapes. At least… not anymore.” “That doesn’t help,” Vyke said flatly. His helmet hid his frown, but the slight edge in his voice betrayed it. “Do they grow on vines or not?” “They can be… found. On people.” Heleina’s voice was calm, but her choice of words was deliberate. Vyke stopped walking for a heartbeat, his helmet turning toward her. “…On people?” “You’ll see,” she said, stepping ahead with the poise of someone who enjoyed keeping secrets. “It’s better if you don’t think too much about it until we find one.” Vyke grumbled under his breath and kept pace, the tip of his spear occasionally swaying behind him like the lazy arc of a dragon’s tail. Every so often, when they passed the tall grass, he would give a sudden flick of the spear to strike down a rabbit or lizard hiding within, pinning it cleanly through the body. The first time he did it, Heleina glanced at him sidelong. “You know, most men use a knife for that.” “Knife’s slower,” Vyke replied, yanking his latest catch free from the spear tip. “It’s not just the speed,” she mused. “You angle the thrust like a tail strike. Dragons hunt like that.” Vyke froze for just a moment, the words brushing close to something he’d never admitted aloud. “…You seem to know a lot about dragons.” “Maidens know many things,” Heleina said with a soft smile under her veil. “We have to, to guide our tarnished.” They walked on, passing under a cluster of broken archways where the stones were choked with creeping moss. From ahead came the muffled roar of some unfortunate brawl—a group of soldiers locked in combat with a half-mad troll, its massive club splintering the ground with each swing. Vyke slowed, watching the chaos unfold. “Should we—” “No,” Heleina cut in. “You’re not here for them. And they’re not here for you.” So they skirted around, watching from a safe distance as the troll crushed one of the soldiers into the dirt with a single, wet crunch. Vyke glanced back once, catching the last tw

Dina hiji hiji, éta ngalaksanakeun campuran anu mengabtif ngench sareng gelo, getih garing. Jaksa Vyke diturunkeun, tumbak dikedalkeun dina kesiapan. "Mongrels Godrick?" "Teu cukup," Heleina rajapati, ngaléngkahna tapi henteu aya anu mindahkeun pikeun ngagambar senjata. "Ieu hiji moro pikeun olahraga." Hal-hal maéhan masihan lemah, guttals wors, sora gecoing dirékamna di jerona. Éta dibasmi sareng diarahkeun sapertos mongrel éta leres, ngintip sareng beewitched. Sora Vyee diasah. "Teras anjeun terang ngaléngkah." "Kuring terang," Mancana dihidup, mindahkeun suku pikeun nyumput di tukangeun ta tarned, parantos nangtung soré salaku cahaya anu retak di sakuriling emas. Jaringan Vyee Fleksibed dina senjata-senjata na, spark off off "Sareng panginten anjeun leres-leres dugi ka nuturkeun kuring di mana waé, tétéla anjeun arous bunicidal .." Sieun Horlored pas sumping deui, waktos ieu langkung seueur, sareng éta lungung teras maju tanpa perbaikan salajengna. Speak Vyee ditembak dina dorong buta, rapat baja sareng baja, sparks ngalayang dina lampu taram. Heleinina ngaléngkah deui, ningali raket tapi henteu ngalih pikeun ngaganggu ngaleungitkeun dirina tetep leres dina vyek, saéna henteu langkunging skillna, sabab anu langkung jero.Unggal mogokna kéngingkeun sapertos drumbeeat, vykeets cairan tapi ngahaja, awakna ngabantosan présasi anu parantos dilatih dina uutelage dua sareng dacconic. Hal hal anu dicersas, angin dileungitkeun batu tempat dimana vyke parantos ngadeg diaktipkeun sateuacanna. Dina hiji titik, sabeulah musuh ngukir garis deet kana pira dina vyeak, ampir nyekel daging di handapeun. Sora Heleina sumping, lemes Tanggapan: "Henteu ragu." Suleur Vyke Indite kanggo satengah kadua-teras kéngingkeun tumbakna di ARC anu teleng, sareng ngiringan senjata anu langkung jero kana jurang handapeun jiwa. Kakuatan anu ngintun mahluk anu nyimpang deui, rubuh kana lantai retak. Echoes logam luntur. Heleina ngaléngkah payun, gave na ragrag dina awak, teras angkat ka vyke. "Anjeun ragu." Vyke narik tumbak anjeunna gratis sareng jerk seukeut. "Abdi henteu." "Anjeun." Sora na henteu ngagoda ayeuna-hijina. "Sareng naon anu masihan anjeun ngareureuhkeun ... bakal maéhan anjeun, upami anjeun ngantepkeun." Vyee patepung dirina gelembung ngalangkungan sulukan anu laun, sareng sakedap, ngokok. Lajeng, kalayan empang helang, Heleiina ngancik arah jalan kabuka saluareun jalan. "Datang, tarnished.Aya seueur anu dilakukeun. " Vyeke dituturkeun, sora sapatu na crunching dina jukut deui, pikiran na henteu aya dina mayit anu aranjeunna tinggaleun, tapi dina kecap-kecap. Sareng anu anéh haténa masih kénéh ngéléhkeun gancang nalika anjeunna caket. Kulawarga basa tengahna di tukangeun baju anu paled, méré lahan antawisna "Kuring kedah ngaku," Vyeeethed salaku tip bola na nyilak parobél anu ketat, "Kuring masih henteu ngartos naha urang milarian ... "Buuk shabrira," Heleiina ngoréksi, nada sapertos nyandak + hiburan hiburan. "Sareng henteu buah anggur. Sahenteuna ... henteu deui." "Éta henteu nulungan," Vyke nyarios datar. Helmangna hid nyerahna, tapi sakedik dina lampu dina sorana berhut. "Naha aranjeunna tumuwuh dina anggur atanapi henteu?" "Aranjeunna tiasa ... kapanggih. Dina jalma." Sora heleina tenang, tapi milih kecap-kecap anu ngahaja. Vyke lirén leumpang kanggo jantung, helm pérak na. "... ka jalma?" "Anjeun bakal ningali," saur anjeunna, ngiringan sateuacanna pojuhan batur anu resep tetep ngajaga rusiah."Langkung saé upami anjeun henteu nyangka teuing dugi ka urang milarian." Vyke grumbled handapeun napas na teras dibenerkeun, ujung spear na kaduruk di tukangeun anjeunna sapertos buntut anu puguh. Reatif sering, nalika parantos nembongkeun jukut jangkung, anjeunna bakal masihan seukeut jinis gelem ngadadak pikeun ngarékakeun kelenci atanapi kadries nyumput, pinnard nyumput dina awak. Mimiti anjeunna ngalakukeun, Cueina glanced di anjeunna Suku. "Anjeun terang, kalolobaan lalaki nganggo péso pikeun éta." "Pesin Hideung," Vypex ngawaler, yanking shoek pangsaéna bébas tina tip gigir. "Éta sanés ngan ukur gancang," anjeunna musak. "Anjeun sudut dorong sapertos mogok buntut. Neton moro sapertos kitu." Vyke Froze ngan sakedap, kecap-kecap ngabasmi caket kana hal anu anjeunna henteu pernah ngaku. "... Anjeun sigana terang seueur ngeunaan komodo." "Pamorang terang seueur hal," saur Cueina sareng seuri lemes handapeun jilbab. "Kami kedah, pikeun nransbir kami tarnished." Aranjeunna dini, ngaliwat dina klaster pegat anu rusak dimana batu éta diropéa kalayan lukut ngarayap. Ti payuneun Raar Melefled ngeunaan sababaraha pangabungen Brawl-jomblo Vyke kalem, ningali kekacauan bentang."Kedah urang-" "Henteu," Heleina dipotong. "Anjeun henteu di dieu pikeun aranjeunna. Sareng aranjeunna henteu di dieu pikeun anjeun." Ku kituna di bunding, ningali tina jarak anu aman salaku trolat parangki salah saurang prajur sareng crunch tunggal, crunch baseuh. Vyke glanced deui sakali, nangkep dua