Nimer led the band into the back alleyway behind the Tin. He looked less friendly than moments before and cornered Rin against the wall. "Where did you get that necklace?" he demanded.
"I found it," Rin said, his sunken eyes cold and irritated.
"Show me the necklace. I must confirm that it's not hers," Nimer growled.
Rin pulled the chain out from under his shirt to show the cross medallion. The crude gems on the cross gleamed, sending small dots of light across the outer, tavern walls.
Nimer snatched it up out of his hands to observe it closely. The faint smell of blood loomed from the metal accessory. "This is Annabelle's, alright, and I don't believe you just found it. And your coat, this fur coat is familiar to me. It must be hers too. I will ask again, where did you get it? Tell me, tell me now!"
"What authority do you have bossing me around?" Rin's tone was just as bitter, but he stood his ground.
"Do not ignore my question," Nimer raged.
Rin glowered down at the distraught man and scowled. "Off a dead body in the woods."
Nimer froze and stared up at him, his icy blue eyes wild like a threatened animal. His body shook violently. "You're lying, YOU'RE LYING!" he yelled.
Rin tore the cross from the guide's hands and sneered. "Why would I lie? She had been mauled by an animal and lay dead in the snow. It seemed the body had been there a while. Her skin was ice."
Nimer lashed out, grabbing the collar of Rin's shirt. "Lier!"
"Nimer!" Ray cried and Jex and herself tried pulling the man off of Rin and did so successfully. Nimer shrugged them off, storming from the alleyway with haste, his boots causing loud sloshes in the mud.
Ray and Jex went after him but it was too late. Nimer had already clambered onto the back of his horse and yelled a loud command to Night before darting off down the street.
"Nimer!" Ray called after him, but before they could climb into their saddles, he had disappeared. Ray fell to her knees as tears sprung to her eyes. "He's just going to leave us?" she asked in disbelief.
Jex comforted her. "He'll come back," Jex encouraged and drew her closer to his chest, lightly stroking her hair.
Canin knelt down by them, the bottom of his cloak settling in the mud. "I haven't seen him care bout her in years," Canin commented, staring off in the direction Nimer had disappeared. His nose wiggled a little as he took light sniffs of the air. He could smell which direction he went.
Ray, still clinging to Jex's shirt, sniffled looking over to Canin. "Does he not like Annabelle?"
"Their relationship is complicated," Canin said, looking at her with sad eyes.
Jex asked, "How long have you known him?"
"Since the original trek towards the kingdom," Canin said calmly. "A lot less grumpy then. Time ages people in many ways. He's lost a lot of patience." He offered a hand and helped Jex and Ray to their feet. He waved at the three to follow him.
"Concerning your bounty," Canin said, changing the subject instantly. "We were on the search for him as well. I'm led to believe he has a piece to what you are looking for. He is not just a thief and there has been more than one victim, to my knowledge. Be on the lookout," he said, his eyes turning to the sky and the diminishing light of the afternoon. "A full moon is close and vampires, much like Lycan wolves thrive under the full moon," he uttered.
Jex then swallowed hard. "I'm sure we can handle this, or partially rather," he said to himself.
"Your sword," Canin said, nodding towards Jex's sword on his back. "Nimer has been training with you, hasn't he."
"A little here and there," the farm boy admitted.
"I see," the wolf answered. He waved for the quarry to follow him as he pulled his hood over his head. "We will need to find a wooden stake. Vampires can only be killed that way."
Jex took Ray's hand to comfort her while Rin followed closely behind.
Rin asked bitterly, "Have you dealt with vampires before?"
Canin nodded and looked back at them under the darkness of his hood. "In my time, yes. In fact, some of my pack, before my time, served vampires in the past, a royal family that has since been whipped out due to war.."
"Are all vampires evil?" Ray asked.
"Some, not all," Canin answered, eyeing people as they walked. He hunched over ever so slightly when passing by people as if he was avoiding them.
"Well this one is evil, apparently," Jex said. "He is a bounty after all."
"He may or he may not be," Canin said simply. "I find it more important that we watch our backs at this rate because we don't know. He could be anywhere. Luckily, for us lycans, vampires have a distinct scent they give off. To a werewolf, they smell like the sewers. To us, just a slight nuisance. Then again, every creature has a distinct smell."
He stopped at a shop labeled 'Smithies' and pulled on the iron handle. The door swung open with a loud creak as the party of four entered the dimly lit building.
Weapons of all sizes lined the walls, each blade glittering from the inside torch light; greatswords, shortswords, cutlass, and more. It was a treasure trove of a long variety. Even a large dwarven great ax hung on the wall. Jex appeared as if he had walked into a treasure room, eyes wide with childish delight and overwhelmed by the sight. Ray stayed close to him, just as bewildered.
Rin seemed a little more uncomfortable in the presence of the weapons and scoffed lightly under his breath. The loud noise of an iron hammer colliding with a hot metal blade startled him. "Annoying racket," he mumbled as he covered his ears.
Pulling his cloak tighter around him, Canin turned to Jex and Ray, nodding toward the robust woman behind the counter beating the blade. "Talk with her about a weapon and ask for a stake.."
Jex nodded, unsure what he meant by that. He then squeezed Ray's hand comfortingly before approaching the counter. "Excuse me," he chimed in a friendly manner.
He received a not so friendly response as the large woman looked up from her blade, her violet eyes nearly glowing with fury. Snort like an angry warhorse shot from her nose and she slid the blade she was pounding into a barrel of water, a loud hiss and smoke wailing off its hot surface. "A couple of country folk. What are ya doin in my shop, eh? These are your friends, Canin?" she asked the wolf man. Her voice was booming. It was nerve racking.
"Yes," Canin answered and looked at Jex and Ray. "I brought them here to get a stake. They are joining us to find the bounty."
The woman smirked, "Joining the hunt, are you? Might as well give up now while you're still alive. I don't have any more stakes. Hunting vampires. You are all a joke."
"Well what do you have?" Jex asked curiously.
"Every other weapon besides what you're looking for. I told Canin already not to come back because I don't have what he's looking for," the woman said roughly.
"Do you have a silver weapon?" Ray chimed in.
"I may have a silver weapon, though a silver weapon won't get you far unless you wanna kill his type, ya know," the smith said, nodding toward Canin.
Canin frowned, growling a little in response. The smith's laughter filled the room. "I'm not threatened by you."
Jex frowned and crossed his arms. "Actually, I refuse to kill him. He's been helpful. Though, I would like a silver weapon, please."
The woman eyed him closely, raising a brow. "Don't tell me I didn't tell you otherwise. You're wasting your coin."
"I don't see it as a waste," Jex gloated.
The woman smirked and disappeared into the back and returned with a glittering blade. The hilt appeared bronze with a brilliant red gem in the middle of its handle. She stabbed the blade into the counter so it stuck. "Show me your wears."
Jex began to pat down his sides, looking for his last pouch of gold coins in hopes of obtaining the blade. "Wears, wears, wears," he repeated over and over.
"Ha!" the smith wench barked. "You don't have any, poor farm brat. Get out of my sight."
"Now hold on, " Jex insisted and reached down, pulling off his boot. He patted the bottom and a single gold coin dropped to the ground. He presented the single coin, Jex smirked. "Wears!"
The smith blurted out in laughter. "A single coin? Yar gonna have to do better than tha!"
"Why should I? Perhaps I'll show you a trick," Jex said, raising his eyebrows. He looked to Ray who stared at him shaking her head slowly in disbelief.
The woman snorted and crossed her arms, "Amuse me, clever boy. Maybe I'll give you what you want."