The pair made their way through the cave. Fer making sure his shield was the only thing the sharp edges of sword or axe ever came in contact with instead of his or Cole’s flesh. His arm would reverberate with every collision with either weapon or body part as he covered and bashed. He was thankful for the extra constitution and buffing ability his shield provided. Close quarter combats as an exhausting ordeal and Cole was starting to show a bit of the signs that came from hefting a sword, legendary or not. Inwardly Fer was a bit amazed at how proficient his companion had become at dispatching bad guys. Though he could see the smallest hints of hesitation in each strike. The young Shield could empathize with his counterpart. Taking life should never get easier. One can learn to accept it and even become really good at ending life but only the truly barbaric ever got used to it. The truly evil even came to enjoy it. Thankfully for Cole, some would succumb to their wounds and give up or do the same after seeing the futility of opposing the wielder of one of the Legendary Cardinal Weapons. Bandits and lowlifes they may be but at least not all of them were dumb. He heard and felt more than saw the veteran mercenary and their lovely winged companion behind them as they put those who surrendered in chains. His eyes fixed on the front finally fell on the obvious entrance at the end of the cave. He shot a sideways glance to Cole who answer his unasked question by proceeding forward. The enclosed spaces made the corridor feel more like the throat of a snake ready to devour them as they willingly walked deeper into its bowels. Fer could not help but purse his lips in annoyance as the pair was greeted by a clapping bandit leader. Not really sure what he was expecting, he definitely was not expecting a woman as good looking as the one before him. The face did not match the infamy that accompanied the name of Rayla Winters. The confidence in her voice did not in itself inspire confidence. That much confidence hinted at a very capable and deadly adversary. Fer unconsciously gripped his shield tighter as if trying to find comfort in the fact that he was holding a legendary shield and hoping that such a reputation would be enough to save him and his partners. Fer would have gladly offered his name but it seemed that the bandit leader deemed the pair not even worthy of remembering. What bothered him however was her moniker. He was sure that it was not self proclaimed. One did not tout a name such as the Crimson Witch with out something to back it up. [color=0054a6]“Great, and I was hoping this was going to be over quickly” [/color] He grumbled almost inaudibly. He braced himself looking around at his surroundings. They were in her turf. It was sure that Rayla knew that cave room like the back of her hand. The only way to survive that was to ensure they did not fell into any traps and adapted to the environment.