Rynn narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said, contempt leaking through her voice. "You will be given an hour to examine the vaults, nothing more, and-" She signaled to the two guards still standing in the doorway. They snapped to attention. "-there will be at least ten guards watching your every movement." Her eyes roamed over the rest of the group. "Two for each of you, and there will be more in hall outside." Her upper lip curled. "So don't even think of trying anything," she hissed.

The guards looked between each other, unsure if this was their cue to round up their fellow officers. Rynn tossed her braid over her shoulder and strode out. "Follow me," she said, her voice bouncing off the high ceiling and stone walls of the dusty corridor.

As the one of the guards left to gather more officers, Rynn led the group through the castle. Many doors were shut and locked, nothing but darkness seeping out of the cracks beneath the doors. After so many years of not being used, the locks had rusted and fallen into disrepair anyway. No one bothered to try and open them.

A dead end. A wall lay before them. Rynn stopped, nodded to the guard beside her. She pulled her dagger free of its sheath and dragged the blade across the pale skin of thumb. Crimson blood welled from the cut, and she pressed it to the cracked and filthy stone. The wall heaved once, twice, before it ground against the floor and swung inward to reveal the iron vault door.

She looked back at the elf, an eyebrow cocked. "Impressed?"

"The guards will bring the key along shortly. Until then, you can marvel all you'd like."