The Sheriff claps you on the back appreciatively as you move up to stand beside him on the front lines. "Stay ten feet back from the mercs," he says. "The Tremere may have trapped the areas closest to their hideout—watch the floor and walls for patterns of dried Blood." He steps away from you and raises his voice to address the hunters. "Let's move out, people!"
There's something unnatural about the quiet surrounding your group of heavily armed mortals and vampires roaming through the tunnels. No rhythmic splashing as heavy boots tread through muck and puddles of filth, no grunts of breath or clatter of buckles and ammo pouches. Sounds from further down the tunnel ring out with clarity—the babbling of a small waterfall between pipes, the war-squeaks of two rats fighting somewhere in the walls—but no one in your party is making a sound. It takes several minutes before you're able to puzzle out what's causing it: Kashif. The closer the vizier gets to you, the heavier the silence, like your ears have been clogged with cotton. Maybe Arundel was onto something when he sought an alliance with the Banu Haqim.
The party rounds a particularly tight bend in the tunnel, forcing the mercenaries to bunch up in the front while you and Lucca fall back beside Qui. The mortals seem nervous, shifting uncomfortably and shivering from a chill your dead skin can't quite feel. Their movements grow sluggish as their eyes dart this way and that, trying to pierce shadows which could be hiding unseen phantoms.
At first, you think you stepped into the jaws of a bear trap as pain shoots up your leg, bringing a gurgling scream to your lips. You collapse in agony, curling up into a wretched ball and kicking backward, away from the small section of floor. You've felt this once before during your early training with your sire. It's a ward! Blood Sorcery!
Lucca kneels down beside you and says something—you don't know if it's the ringing in your ears or the unnatural silence, but you can't make out a word of it. She looks concerned, but she has no idea what's just happened.
Above you, Qui signals to Kashif and suddenly you can hear again. "Everyone step back," he says. "Carefully. Watch the floor for Blood runes, wards, anything that looks out of place on a sewer floor." He leans down and helps you up to your knees. Your limbs feel like they're on fire and all you want is to run and hide, but you push through it. You'll be okay, but mending this kind of damage will take several painful nights. "Steady yourself," the Sheriff says calmly. "And don't cry out."
When you're finally able to unclench your jaw, you force a response out. "I'm good," you say. "I just need…I just need a few minutes." Now that the shock has worn off, you're thinking straight. While your body aches to its core, you're pretty sure you'll be able to function for the remainder of the Hunt. But once the sun rises, you'll be sleeping like the dead. Well…even more dead than usual.
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