Lendri frowned. "Well, can't really be helped, I guess," he decided at last, and kept walking. "We'll just have to be on guard, and be careful not to run into any other vampires, because that could go bad really quick."
Ralof was momentarily rooted to the spot by the stupidity of the plan. It was difficult to wrap his head around the elf's logic. 'We think we're going to get ambushed, so let's just walk into it carefully?' He took a few deep breaths, because he really didn't think shouting was going to earn him any respect in the elf's book, and caught up to walk alongside his companion.
"The damn thing's right here. We know where it is. Why don't we just kill it now?" He jumped as the elf leaned in close to him, gripping his shoulder, and breathed in his ear,
"Because we're going to give it the slip."
Even barely audible, he could hear the exasperation in the elf's voice. Ralof took another breath, feeling his face heating up in spite of the cold, probably because he was angry, he thought. He ran a hand through his hair.
"But we can have done with it right here," he muttered.
"And probably attract the attention of every other vampire in the forest. Ralof, I said *no*." Lendri released his shoulder, stepped back and kept walking. Ralof stewed in silence for the next few minutes, and almost missed when Lendri left the pathway and turned off into the forest. He rushed to catch up, stumbled over a log that had been hidden under the snow and swore as he crashed through a snowberry bush, the serrated leaves scratching his arms.
Lendri rushed back and dragged him to his feet. "Great, you're bleeding."
They didn't get to say anything else. The brief delay was all the vampire had needed; it loomed out of the shadows, tall, inhumanly so, so much so that it must have been an Altmer. The gold skin had paled to the color of old parchment. Gray lips peeled back in the mockery of a smile.
"Run," said Lendri, grabbing Ralof's wrist and taking off into the trees.
We should stand and fight, Ralof thought. This is stupid. But he couldn't very well stop and argue the point. Luckily, the vampire seemed to be impeded by the long dark robes it wore, and they managed to outdistance it after a few minutes. Hidden behind the outcropping of rock, Ralof promised himself that the very next vampire he saw was going to get killed, stealth be damned.
"Great, now you're bleeding. Leaving you here, is what would be the best choice and learn at you the most lessons. You're the person of the most stupidity that I know! When in the forest it has to be that you turn yourself into a secret."
Ralof tried not to smile, because he knew it would only make things worse, but he found it funny how Lendri seemed to forget Nordic grammar whenever he got really angry. "I'm sorry. Hey, at least I didn't yell victory or Sovngarde."
"This isn't the joke that you make it! Leaving you here is what I should do." Lendri stood, pulling Ralof up with him, and the two continued on into the darkness. By now they were getting close to the forest's edge. Through the thick trunks they could see the bright blue white of the moon gleaming off the broad, smooth snowfields.
Only another small clearing stood between them and the safety of open ground; and in it stood four vampires, crowded around the body of a hunter. His blood steamed on the cold air.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Part 2 (finally continued)
Date: 2013-08-07 07:09 pm (UTC)"It's keeping up with us," he said.
"Probably waiting for a good spot to ambush."
Lendri frowned. "Well, can't really be helped, I guess," he decided at last, and kept walking. "We'll just have to be on guard, and be careful not to run into any other vampires, because that could go bad really quick."
Ralof was momentarily rooted to the spot by the stupidity of the plan. It was difficult to wrap his head around the elf's logic. 'We think we're going to get ambushed, so let's just walk into it carefully?' He took a few deep breaths, because he really didn't think shouting was going to earn him any respect in the elf's book, and caught up to walk alongside his companion.
"The damn thing's right here. We know where it is. Why don't we just kill it now?" He jumped as the elf leaned in close to him, gripping his shoulder, and breathed in his ear,
"Because we're going to give it the slip."
Even barely audible, he could hear the exasperation in the elf's voice. Ralof took another breath, feeling his face heating up in spite of the cold, probably because he was angry, he thought. He ran a hand through his hair.
"But we can have done with it right here," he muttered.
"And probably attract the attention of every other vampire in the forest. Ralof, I said *no*." Lendri released his shoulder, stepped back and kept walking. Ralof stewed in silence for the next few minutes, and almost missed when Lendri left the pathway and turned off into the forest. He rushed to catch up, stumbled over a log that had been hidden under the snow and swore as he crashed through a snowberry bush, the serrated leaves scratching his arms.
Lendri rushed back and dragged him to his feet. "Great, you're bleeding."
They didn't get to say anything else. The brief delay was all the vampire had needed; it loomed out of the shadows, tall, inhumanly so, so much so that it must have been an Altmer. The gold skin had paled to the color of old parchment. Gray lips peeled back in the mockery of a smile.
"Run," said Lendri, grabbing Ralof's wrist and taking off into the trees.
We should stand and fight, Ralof thought. This is stupid. But he couldn't very well stop and argue the point. Luckily, the vampire seemed to be impeded by the long dark robes it wore, and they managed to outdistance it after a few minutes. Hidden behind the outcropping of rock, Ralof promised himself that the very next vampire he saw was going to get killed, stealth be damned.
"Great, now you're bleeding. Leaving you here, is what would be the best choice and learn at you the most lessons. You're the person of the most stupidity that I know! When in the forest it has to be that you turn yourself into a secret."
Ralof tried not to smile, because he knew it would only make things worse, but he found it funny how Lendri seemed to forget Nordic grammar whenever he got really angry. "I'm sorry. Hey, at least I didn't yell victory or Sovngarde."
"This isn't the joke that you make it! Leaving you here is what I should do." Lendri stood, pulling Ralof up with him, and the two continued on into the darkness. By now they were getting close to the forest's edge. Through the thick trunks they could see the bright blue white of the moon gleaming off the broad, smooth snowfields.
Only another small clearing stood between them and the safety of open ground; and in it stood four vampires, crowded around the body of a hunter. His blood steamed on the cold air.