Apathetic (Project Nemesis)

{4}

Middas, 1st day of Sun's Dusk, 4E 200
...

"What in merciful Mara's name were you thinking? Leaving without telling me?" Vex snaps, jabbing a finger at Brynjolf's chest. Forcing him to step back as the fuming imperial leans towards him, eyes unmoving.

"You could've been killed for all I know!" Vex's breathing quickens, almost suffocating. Raven grimaced and pulled them out of the tavern, away from curious eyes.

"Hey, take it easy. I was just with Enthir, I'm sure he wouldn't kill me on sight." Brynjolf sneered. He don't get why Vex is overreacting. It's not like he couldn't defend himself. And who is stupid enough to attack him in a tavern?

"Eros would." Raven scoffed, making him jump a bit. Before he could ask if she read his mind, a group of hunters saunters into town. Two of them were equipped with heavy armor, greatswords strapped to their backs. The rest are on light leather armor, but deadly weapons covered every inch of them nonetheless.

"Heads up. He sends one of his best. You two go back to the camp. And for Mara's sake, do as I say and you'll live to see another day." She hissed, shoving them into a shrouded alley.

"Go! Now! I'll buy you some time." Raven unsheathes her daggers, pulled two green bottles and poured poison on the weapons. When the thieves didn't move, she glares and grabs their collars, pushing them farther into the shrubs.

"Let us help." Brynjolf insists, hand gripping back. She pulls back immediately, face scrunching with disgust under her mask, he's sure of it.

"You can barely struggle against me, you don't have any hope of facing them. Go, now. Before I feed you to the wolves myself." She kicks them on the chest, sending them stumbling into a portal she created under them.

"Wh, where are we?" Vex stood hesitantly, patting snow off her armor. Brynjolf gasps and looks around, stammering onto his feet.

"Just outside Winterhold. Come on, I still remember the way to the camp."

"I hope she's okay." She croaks. He silently agrees with her. If there's anyone who knows what is really happening right now, it is her. And if they lost her, might as well waltz into Riften without weapons.

- - - - -
~~~

"Raven. So good to see you again." One hunter grins, arms spread wide like he is going to give her a hug.

The hunter wore a simple steel armor with leather cuffs and black leather trousers. However, he got better the more you looked. His messy blond hair, his eyes - a vivid baby blue. He had distinct cheekbones and an angular jaw, his pale skin made him look devilishly handsome.

"Thanks, Lysander. The feeling's not mutual." She sneers, clenching her fists so hard it turned her knuckles pale white. The so-called Lysander grins widely, pulling steels from his belt. As the citizens steered away, other hunters unsheathes their weapons. All the city's guards shuffles awkwardly on their posts. if they wanted to prevent the fight from breaking out, they must overpower these lethal warriors. And there's not enough guards in the hold to handle even one of them.

"Go. Get the towns people to safety." Raven turns, sensing the tense guards. They nods and quickly disperse. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past her ear. A crossbow bolt painfully pierces her palm as she stopped another dart barely inches away from her eye. The huntress that attempted the shot smirks maliciously, lowering her crossbow. A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout Raven's body. Her stomach ached, her arms lost tension and her legs began to weaken.

"Really? Dead's blood? That's low, even for you." Raven can almost feel the poison flowing through her veins, focusing on her unbeating heart to help slow the spreading. The hunters began marching towards her. She snatches a healing potion from her pocket and chugged it swiftly. With renewed vigor, she slashes her blade back and forth. Her wound began bleeding openly. Lysander laughs and nods, signaling his hunters to grab her.

With the poison in her body, her agile movement is far too slow. Six pairs of rough hands tried to seize her. Raven's left hand shot out. With a little gurgle, a hunter staggered backward to crumple down on the floor, grabbing his gaping throat with a blade deep embedded in it. When it comes to fight there's no honor, no code. One huntress threw the woman's weapons away. The sight of her daggers meters away, under Lysander's feet, is enough to summon the anger deep inside her. The nasty cracking of claws sprouting from her fingers surprised the poor hunters, having little time to evade the bloody talons from ripping their throats apart. The fight turned into a bloodbath, severed limbs are everywhere. Some of the smarter warriors backed off and healed their wounds, pausing to prevent dying from blood loss.

In that frozen second between stand off and fighting, their eyes flick from the horrifying beast to Lysander. He smiled meaningfully, and pulled his hunters back. Few who are dying stares at the monstrosity in front of them with unexplainable terror.

When she gets a hold of herself, it is too late. Looking at those fear in their eyes, brings back awful memories. Retracting her claws quickly, she shuffled and strode towards Lysander, yanking her blades under him and snatched the one thats on someone's throat.

"Tell your Lord to stay away from me." She scoffed, cleaning blood off them with a nearby dead hunter's armor. Lysander grins, kicking the dead person under him.

"Its not you he wanted."

"I know. But they're under my protection."

"Oh really? Do they know what you're really planning to do with them?" He taunts, smiling triumphantly as Raven nervously sheathed her weapons. She looks up, wiping her bloody gold mask.

"The next time I see you and your pathetic gang of hunters, I wont hesitate."

"As you wish, m'lady." Lysander gave a short mocking bow, moved off her path. She nods and casts a portal spell to catch up with her companions.

"You... you're really going to let her go like that? That's stupid." Tawni, the bold marksman declared harshly. He chuckled, snapped his fingers, and magically cleaned all the bloody mess. What was an evidence of a brutal massacre, now is spotless. There is no single red flake on the street. Lysander hums, staring at the untouched snow pile in front of him.

"Well surprisingly, I still want to live even after a few hundred years on this Gods forsaken Nirn. You know the rules and so do I. She's too powerful, even for us." He shrugs. Tawni sniffs, silently agreeing with him. Even with both might combined, in the end, she was still just a hunter and he's the janitor.

They both entered the inn, eyeing a traveler who is busy stocking her large bag with food. Pausing to choose between goat cheese and cow's cheese. The inkeeper is just happy there's finally a traveler stopping by and stocks a lot of food. Genuinely helping her to choose between the cheeses.

"Would you like a snack, Tawni?" Lysander offered. The huntress sighed.

"I suppose there's no harm." The huntress grins, approaching the increasingly confused traveler.

"Hello, dear traveler. I sense you are about to embark on a long journey, mind if we tag along?" Lysander smiled a toothy grin, showing off a row of pale white teeth that glints under the torch's light. Seemingly a little bit too spotless and a little bit too sharp.