"Vinaremo, inform your group that you will be leaving tomorrow morning. You may bring some of the thralls as well, but be sure your group is not too large, or our prey will flee on sight. You are dismissed." Hal-Neesa ordered. The pack was quick to leave, as they did not wish to risk angering either of the cult's leaders. Based on the impressions they gave during the meeting, Llarvan was merely accepting the possibility of a truce, instead of advocating for it. Neesa, of all people, seemed to be the one who had argued in favor of their deal. It was difficult to tell from their brief interaction, but Meesei hoped that Neesa held just as much influence as her husband, as she seemed to be their closest ally in the cult, which was not saying much, in all honesty.
On the way back to their rooms, Orskan-Tan parted ways from Vinaremo, then stopped Ahnasha and Fendros in one of the halls. As promised, he intended to explain the terms of his deal. "Now that we have a moment, I can give you my terms. It is a fairly low price, actually, as I will be providing the supplies you need. Mostly, you will just be giving me the convenience of not having to do it myself. You see, I have used my allotted share of souls for this month in my experiments and require more. I could go out and gather more myself, but that is time I could be spending on my experiments. I could also take the souls in our upcoming fight tomorrow, but I prefer to focus on the fight itself, instead of filling soul gems. That is why I am passing off the task to you. I require four black souls; I care not where from. I will give you the gems, you just need to fill them. If you do not know a spell of soul trap, I can give you a dagger with that enchantment."
"Deal, do you have the gems on you?" Ahnasha answered without hesitation. Orskan nodded and unslung a small pouch from his shoulder that contained the gems. He handed it to Ahnasha, to which she glanced to Fendros. "Could you take that, Fendros? My hands are full."
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Hal-Neesa picked up after Llarvan's introduction. "After a brief discussion, we have come to a decision on what to do about your request. We have a task we are going to set you to in order to prove your usefulness. If you succeed, we will discuss a more formal truce."
"Be grateful for this opportunity." Llarvan added. "We do not often offer such leniency to outsiders. Being lycans, your souls are strong, and valuable to us, but my wife believes you will be more useful alive. I would advise you not to disappoint us."
Meesei nodded affirmatively, hiding any emotions she might have been feeling. "Of course. What task are we to perform?"
"Your arrival here has came at an opportune time." Hal-Neesa began. "For the past few months, we have been dealing with an annoyance in the form of the son of a local noble. He fancies himself a vampire hunter, and while he has little skill in that regard, he has the coin to hire people who do. He has a small army of mercenaries at his command that have been annoying us under the blessing of the Gideon city guard. We seek to eliminate this threat. In his little crusade, he has managed to capture a few members of our coven, as we have of his mercenaries. As such, he has arranged for a hostage exchange tomorrow afternoon in the ruins of an old village nearby. Of course, this will obviously be a trap. He has likely already executed his hostages, as we have for his. What we want from you is to help turn this trap against those setting it. They are expecting to fight necromancers and vampires, not lycanthropes. If you are there to fight them, it will be marginally easier to kill them. I want every one of you there, alongside a group led by Vinaremo. Even if the noble himself does not arrive, it will likely be possible to capture one for interrogation, or search their bodies for reference to where they are hiding."
"One of us will need to stay here to watch Rhazii." Ahnasha objected, immediately regretting speaking up without thinking first. She had brought Rhazii with her, as she did not trust the cult enough to leave him alone.
"You need not worry about your child. He will be staying here while you are away." Llarvan explained.
"No..." Ahnasha blurted out quickly before quickly trying to backtrack and add something more. "I mean, I need to make sure all of his needs are met. He is a Khajiit child and..."
"I am sorry, but I do not recall giving you a choice." Llarvan interrupted in a firm tone. "If you think we are being unfair, I can rescind the offer entirely."
"No...no, that...will not be necessary." Ahnasha answered meekly. She lower her head and looked down at her son with worry. Undoubtedly, the reason they wanted to keep him here was so he could be a hostage, but there was nothing Ahnasha could think of to stop it.
"Be grateful for this opportunity." Llarvan added. "We do not often offer such leniency to outsiders. Being lycans, your souls are strong, and valuable to us, but my wife believes you will be more useful alive. I would advise you not to disappoint us."
Meesei nodded affirmatively, hiding any emotions she might have been feeling. "Of course. What task are we to perform?"
"Your arrival here has came at an opportune time." Hal-Neesa began. "For the past few months, we have been dealing with an annoyance in the form of the son of a local noble. He fancies himself a vampire hunter, and while he has little skill in that regard, he has the coin to hire people who do. He has a small army of mercenaries at his command that have been annoying us under the blessing of the Gideon city guard. We seek to eliminate this threat. In his little crusade, he has managed to capture a few members of our coven, as we have of his mercenaries. As such, he has arranged for a hostage exchange tomorrow afternoon in the ruins of an old village nearby. Of course, this will obviously be a trap. He has likely already executed his hostages, as we have for his. What we want from you is to help turn this trap against those setting it. They are expecting to fight necromancers and vampires, not lycanthropes. If you are there to fight them, it will be marginally easier to kill them. I want every one of you there, alongside a group led by Vinaremo. Even if the noble himself does not arrive, it will likely be possible to capture one for interrogation, or search their bodies for reference to where they are hiding."
"One of us will need to stay here to watch Rhazii." Ahnasha objected, immediately regretting speaking up without thinking first. She had brought Rhazii with her, as she did not trust the cult enough to leave him alone.
"You need not worry about your child. He will be staying here while you are away." Llarvan explained.
"No..." Ahnasha blurted out quickly before quickly trying to backtrack and add something more. "I mean, I need to make sure all of his needs are met. He is a Khajiit child and..."
"I am sorry, but I do not recall giving you a choice." Llarvan interrupted in a firm tone. "If you think we are being unfair, I can rescind the offer entirely."
"No...no, that...will not be necessary." Ahnasha answered meekly. She lower her head and looked down at her son with worry. Undoubtedly, the reason they wanted to keep him here was so he could be a hostage, but there was nothing Ahnasha could think of to stop it.
Rareth watched Shuo's feed from her own helmet to observe the layout of the next room, and those in it. It wasn't the greatest setup to be walking into, but it definitely could be worse. There were a lot of hostiles, but they still had some room to move. It looked like there was a group of five nearer the door, on the opposite side of a stack of crates and disabled machines, as well as a group of four on the far side of the room, nearer the entrance to the data center. The remaining three were each alone, and the only ones doing any real patrolling.
"Hmm, we should be able to, but I don't think it will be that easy. That group on the far side of the room is too far away to take out quickly from here, not after engaging the group of five closer to the door. Someone will need to get over there to handle them before we engage. Actually, we need to get a few people out there. The three lone hostiles patrolling are going to be the ones to give us the most trouble. They couldn't win the fight if we took out the other two groups, but all it takes is one to raise the alarm. We need people to get out there and get in position before we attack. Everyone else can charge out and gun down the first group when it is time. Who is up for the task?" Rareth asked.
"Hmm, we should be able to, but I don't think it will be that easy. That group on the far side of the room is too far away to take out quickly from here, not after engaging the group of five closer to the door. Someone will need to get over there to handle them before we engage. Actually, we need to get a few people out there. The three lone hostiles patrolling are going to be the ones to give us the most trouble. They couldn't win the fight if we took out the other two groups, but all it takes is one to raise the alarm. We need people to get out there and get in position before we attack. Everyone else can charge out and gun down the first group when it is time. Who is up for the task?" Rareth asked.
Kaleeth's training with blunt weapons went notably better than before, if only because she did not attempt to murder Janius in the process. Using blunt weapons required significantly less agility or grace than a sword, so her strength became a more influential factor. When it came time to test the extent of her strength, she ended up breaking both the mannequin and her wooden training club, which hinted at her potential. However, despite the advantages she had, Kaleeth's technique was still clumsy, and she wasn't quick to react to incoming blows. In a fight, she could indeed overpower most foes, but her weaknesses in defending herself would undoubtedly cause her serious injury, or worse.
After another two days, one of the cultists informed the pack early in the morning that Hal-Neesa's husband had arrived and that they were deliberating on how to respond to their offer. For the next hour or so, they were told nothing. They started to prepare for the day and have breakfast as normal, but there was a strong silent tension in the air. Their fate relied on the opinion of a Molag Bal worshiper whom they had never met. If he decided not to go through with the deal, then they would likely have to fight their way out of the catacombs. Not all of the pack had not even finished their breakfast when Vinaremo and Orskan-Tan showed up once more, telling them to follow them...immediately.
The pack proceeded to the throne room wordlessly. Each of them were armed as if they were going into a fight, so it was no doubt obvious that they did not trust that the meeting would end without violence. Vinaremo and Orskan made no comment about it, however, as it seemed they were perfectly confident that the pack could pose no threat. The silence of the walk was only broken when Orskan walked alongside Ahnasha and made a quick, quiet comment just before they reached their destination.
"I have determined the price I want for the tome. Once we are done here, I will explain in detail." Orskan quickly explained. For Ahnasha, it was an encouraging statement, as it meant that their masters had decided to at least give them an opportunity to prove themselves...unless Orskan had not yet been told of their decision, and was merely guessing.
This time, when the pack entered the throne room, there were a group of guards on either side of the two thrones, each in finely embroidered black and violet robes, along with an equal number of reanimated skeletons, each with uniform ebony weapons and armor. Given how rare and expensive ebony was, one could only imagine how long it had taken to acquire suits of armor made from it for skeletons, of all things. Meesei supposed it was for intimidation, a purpose which it was serving rather well.
Now, both thrones were occupied, one by Hal-Neesa, and the other by a pale Dunmer man with piercing red eyes and a fine, almost royal looking crimson red and black set of clothes, consisting of a fine shirt and pants instead of a robe. As before, Vinaremo gave a bow and introduced the pack. "These are the representatives of Hircine, my Lord and Lady." He said. The normal venom in his tone when speaking to or about the pack was completely gone, instead replaced by strict formality.
"Ah, yes, my lovely wife has told me much about you. I am Llarvan Samarys, Lord of this court." The Dunmer said, his tone nonthreatening, but nevertheless commanding.
After another two days, one of the cultists informed the pack early in the morning that Hal-Neesa's husband had arrived and that they were deliberating on how to respond to their offer. For the next hour or so, they were told nothing. They started to prepare for the day and have breakfast as normal, but there was a strong silent tension in the air. Their fate relied on the opinion of a Molag Bal worshiper whom they had never met. If he decided not to go through with the deal, then they would likely have to fight their way out of the catacombs. Not all of the pack had not even finished their breakfast when Vinaremo and Orskan-Tan showed up once more, telling them to follow them...immediately.
The pack proceeded to the throne room wordlessly. Each of them were armed as if they were going into a fight, so it was no doubt obvious that they did not trust that the meeting would end without violence. Vinaremo and Orskan made no comment about it, however, as it seemed they were perfectly confident that the pack could pose no threat. The silence of the walk was only broken when Orskan walked alongside Ahnasha and made a quick, quiet comment just before they reached their destination.
"I have determined the price I want for the tome. Once we are done here, I will explain in detail." Orskan quickly explained. For Ahnasha, it was an encouraging statement, as it meant that their masters had decided to at least give them an opportunity to prove themselves...unless Orskan had not yet been told of their decision, and was merely guessing.
This time, when the pack entered the throne room, there were a group of guards on either side of the two thrones, each in finely embroidered black and violet robes, along with an equal number of reanimated skeletons, each with uniform ebony weapons and armor. Given how rare and expensive ebony was, one could only imagine how long it had taken to acquire suits of armor made from it for skeletons, of all things. Meesei supposed it was for intimidation, a purpose which it was serving rather well.
Now, both thrones were occupied, one by Hal-Neesa, and the other by a pale Dunmer man with piercing red eyes and a fine, almost royal looking crimson red and black set of clothes, consisting of a fine shirt and pants instead of a robe. As before, Vinaremo gave a bow and introduced the pack. "These are the representatives of Hircine, my Lord and Lady." He said. The normal venom in his tone when speaking to or about the pack was completely gone, instead replaced by strict formality.
"Ah, yes, my lovely wife has told me much about you. I am Llarvan Samarys, Lord of this court." The Dunmer said, his tone nonthreatening, but nevertheless commanding.
Goodnight.
"A heavier weapon? Like a club, or mace?" Kaleeth questioned. It was hard for her to imagine going out and training again after almost trying to kill Janius, but at least he wanted to try something different, instead of just swords again. "I guess we can try. I have never used anything like that before because I was never really strong enough, but...I guess I am now." She commented, putting her arm around Janius with a very tight grip and pulling him close. "I just...I don't want to hurt you. I don't really know how strong I am; I haven't tried to test it before."
Ahnasha showed much less doubt than Fendros and instead put one arm around him and smiled. "Don't worry, I am sure we will figure something out that will work just fine. Now, instead of worrying, how about we get back to training?" She suggested, pausing to conjure up a bound bow in her other hand. "Instead of beating each other senseless, let's go for the bow this time. It's about time we start getting into some advanced techniques."
Ahnasha showed much less doubt than Fendros and instead put one arm around him and smiled. "Don't worry, I am sure we will figure something out that will work just fine. Now, instead of worrying, how about we get back to training?" She suggested, pausing to conjure up a bound bow in her other hand. "Instead of beating each other senseless, let's go for the bow this time. It's about time we start getting into some advanced techniques."
Kaleeth was sitting on her bed, not quite in as bad of a state as the day before, but nevertheless distressed. She had expected Janius to follow, so she wasn't going to run out of the room this time. "I understand, but...it was just frustrating. I think my beast spirit made it worse. I know I do not always have to be bad at fighting. I mean, anyone can get better with practice. I am just afraid of how long it will take. I know how to use my spear and dagger, but I mostly only ever used them on animals, and I don't think any of you know how to teach me to fight people with a spear. And it would take so much training for me to become good with a sword. With this war, I am going to die before I can learn."
"Look, I know it sounds bad, but..." Ahnasha began, placing her hand on Fendros' shoulder to try and placate him. "...but I think it is worth it. I mean, it isn't like we have to use the souls of innocents or anything. We come across bandits from time to time; we can take their souls. Or maybe take some souls from Vile's followers. Whatever we do, this is too good of an opportunity to pass up."
Ahnasha noticed that Orskan seemed to be waiting for them to finish their talk, so she gave Fendros a reassuring nod and walked with him back to the Argonian. "We are definitely interested in this tome. What would it take to acquire it?" She asked, trying to ignore Vinaremo's judging gaze. He crossed his arms and gave a quick glance to his Altmer friend before responding. "Well, I am willing to trade, but I still need to come up with an appropriate price. Gold has little value to me, and I would prefer something more useful anyways. You cannot leave this place until the Master gives you a task anyway, so I will take the next few days to come up with an idea. I will make sure to find you when I do. Now, I have an experiment I need to check on. Good luck with your sparring." Orskan explained before taking his leave.
Ahnasha and Fendros quickly left Vinaremo to return to their former sparring area. Ahnasha seemed almost excited, despite the noncommittal answer from Orskan. "Hopefully, his price won't be anything too unreasonable, because this has the potential to be great. Just think, if this works out, we could be together for centuries, instead of decades." She commented, wrapping her arms around him as she pulled him in for a hug.
"Look, I know it sounds bad, but..." Ahnasha began, placing her hand on Fendros' shoulder to try and placate him. "...but I think it is worth it. I mean, it isn't like we have to use the souls of innocents or anything. We come across bandits from time to time; we can take their souls. Or maybe take some souls from Vile's followers. Whatever we do, this is too good of an opportunity to pass up."
Ahnasha noticed that Orskan seemed to be waiting for them to finish their talk, so she gave Fendros a reassuring nod and walked with him back to the Argonian. "We are definitely interested in this tome. What would it take to acquire it?" She asked, trying to ignore Vinaremo's judging gaze. He crossed his arms and gave a quick glance to his Altmer friend before responding. "Well, I am willing to trade, but I still need to come up with an appropriate price. Gold has little value to me, and I would prefer something more useful anyways. You cannot leave this place until the Master gives you a task anyway, so I will take the next few days to come up with an idea. I will make sure to find you when I do. Now, I have an experiment I need to check on. Good luck with your sparring." Orskan explained before taking his leave.
Ahnasha and Fendros quickly left Vinaremo to return to their former sparring area. Ahnasha seemed almost excited, despite the noncommittal answer from Orskan. "Hopefully, his price won't be anything too unreasonable, because this has the potential to be great. Just think, if this works out, we could be together for centuries, instead of decades." She commented, wrapping her arms around him as she pulled him in for a hug.
After a night's rest, Sharee went to work on the penultimate step in her plan. She purchased a few missing ingredients in town, then got to work on brewing the poison Kahl would use on the food in his master's ship. A concentrated dose of the brew she concocted would not take long to kill, but unfortunately, mixing it into the food or drink for an entire ship would dilute it to the point that it would not longer be lethal. It would, however, make anyone who consumed it weak and sickly for the better part of a day. Once it was finished, she gave the poison to Kahl, taught him how to conceal it, then sent him off with a bribe to his master in the form of a crate of skooma with instructions to poison their food the morning of their departure. There were, of course, plenty of places where the plan might fail, but it wasn't absolutely necessary for Kahl to succeed in order for their attack overall to be a success. It would just serve to make their job easier.
Two days after sending Kahl back to his master, one of the lookouts noted some activity on the top deck of their target ship. Sharee gave it a look herself, confirming that they seemed to be readying their ship to set sail. Immediately, she gathered up a group of the sailors around her to serve as messengers to the rest of the crew. "Alright, it's time. Send the word around that I want everyone to their stations, but not too quickly. We don't want to clue in our target to the fact that we're following them in case they're watching us as well. Regardless, if anyone is ashore, I want them on the ship within the hour. If they're not onboard when it comes time to leave, then they're getting left behind. Also, make sure to get the navigator and have him keep an eye on our mark. When they set sail, I want him to tell me where they're going. Now, get a move on." She ordered.
As the ship sprang to life around her, with her sailors scrambling to get to their stations, Sharee stood on the bow, looking out over the sea...which a special focus on their target. If Kahl succeeded, then their raid would be quick and painless. If not, then it would take longer and be much more painful, but she was reasonably confident that it would be her and her crew dealing said pain.
Two days after sending Kahl back to his master, one of the lookouts noted some activity on the top deck of their target ship. Sharee gave it a look herself, confirming that they seemed to be readying their ship to set sail. Immediately, she gathered up a group of the sailors around her to serve as messengers to the rest of the crew. "Alright, it's time. Send the word around that I want everyone to their stations, but not too quickly. We don't want to clue in our target to the fact that we're following them in case they're watching us as well. Regardless, if anyone is ashore, I want them on the ship within the hour. If they're not onboard when it comes time to leave, then they're getting left behind. Also, make sure to get the navigator and have him keep an eye on our mark. When they set sail, I want him to tell me where they're going. Now, get a move on." She ordered.
As the ship sprang to life around her, with her sailors scrambling to get to their stations, Sharee stood on the bow, looking out over the sea...which a special focus on their target. If Kahl succeeded, then their raid would be quick and painless. If not, then it would take longer and be much more painful, but she was reasonably confident that it would be her and her crew dealing said pain.
Lorag rubbed the back of his neck, not really sure what advice to provide. "Well, uh..." He began. He had never dealt with an issue such as this before. Sure, when he first became a lycan, he was often filled with anger and frustration, but he was already well trained by that point. Most of his episodes of anger had come from failing on his early hunts, but whenever that happened, his beast spirit took over, and it was perfectly competent at hunting. He didn't really know what Janius could try other than removing the source of her frustration, but they couldn't stop training her. The girl wasn't near as skilled in a fight as most of the pack, except for maybe Sabine.
"She got frustrated by failing, right? Maybe...you can have her do something she would be good at? Just...what has she got going for her? I haven't trained with her as much as you, so you would know more than me. I'd pick something that suits her natural abilities. If that don't work, then I don't know." Lorag suggested.
Upon Fendros' interruption, Ahnasha looked at him with an almost confused expression, then glanced back to Orskan. The Argonian shrugged his shoulders, then motioned her away. "Go ahead. I need to determine a price anyway." He remarked before walking over to talk to Vinaremo.
Ahnasha walked with Fendros away from the pair of cultists with an expression that was actually mildly annoyed. "What is this about Fendros? This could be our chance; I could live beyond just a tenth of your life if I can just study that tome he is offering."
"She got frustrated by failing, right? Maybe...you can have her do something she would be good at? Just...what has she got going for her? I haven't trained with her as much as you, so you would know more than me. I'd pick something that suits her natural abilities. If that don't work, then I don't know." Lorag suggested.
Upon Fendros' interruption, Ahnasha looked at him with an almost confused expression, then glanced back to Orskan. The Argonian shrugged his shoulders, then motioned her away. "Go ahead. I need to determine a price anyway." He remarked before walking over to talk to Vinaremo.
Ahnasha walked with Fendros away from the pair of cultists with an expression that was actually mildly annoyed. "What is this about Fendros? This could be our chance; I could live beyond just a tenth of your life if I can just study that tome he is offering."
Lorag gave Janius a nod. "Yeah, I have, but how about instead of tryin' to make sense of analogies or something, we just get straight to the point? It's about the girl, isn't it? She has a mental breakdown about twice a week by this point. What happened this time?" He asked directly. Lorag did not really think he would be good at dealing with whatever issues Kaleeth had, but getting his advice was one of the few things Janius hadn't tried. Besides, it wasn't as if he could make it worse...probably.
"Hmm, an interesting question. If you are wanting me to extend your life, then no, that is not possible, even if I wanted to. You would need to have the prerequisite skills. If you are wanting me to teach you to do it, then no, at least not the entire process. It takes quite a lot of study to come close to extending one's life, and that is far more time and effort than I would be willing to give to an outsider, no matter what you gave me in return. But to explain the process, and perhaps get you started on the path...I might be persuaded to lend you my knowledge. How much knowledge of conjuration do you have? Or can you even cast magic?" Orskan questioned.
Ahnasha nodded. "I can, actually. I am actually rather skilled in illusion...but I have only a little knowledge of conjuration. Enough for a few bound weapons, and maybe a simple familiar or something."
Orskan seemed a bit displeased about her lack of knowledge, but continued nonetheless. "Better than nothing, I suppose. I will tell you for free an overview of what it involves. You'll need a number of black souls to begin the process; the exact number varies from person to person. The process uses tenants of reanimation and enchanting by using the souls' energy to keep your own soul bound more strongly to your own body. This, in turn, prevents your body from decaying. Of course, just explaining it is not nearly as easy as actually doing it. It requires a very strong understanding of how souls are bound to flesh, and how to recreate that binding. As well, the effect will wear down over time, so you also have to keep strengthening the bonds with more black souls every fifty to a hundred years, depending on how good you are at it. I have some old tomes that could get you started, but you will not get them from me for free. I will require payment for this gift, in some form or another."
The essence of what Orskan describe was that Ahnasha would have to kill other mortals, take their souls, then use them on her own body to keep herself alive. It would require dooming others to a fate worse than just death...but Ahnasha still did not hesitate. The allure of an extended life was powerful enough that she could find a way to justify destroying souls for it. "What is your price?" She asked, her expression frighteningly cold and serious.
"Hmm, an interesting question. If you are wanting me to extend your life, then no, that is not possible, even if I wanted to. You would need to have the prerequisite skills. If you are wanting me to teach you to do it, then no, at least not the entire process. It takes quite a lot of study to come close to extending one's life, and that is far more time and effort than I would be willing to give to an outsider, no matter what you gave me in return. But to explain the process, and perhaps get you started on the path...I might be persuaded to lend you my knowledge. How much knowledge of conjuration do you have? Or can you even cast magic?" Orskan questioned.
Ahnasha nodded. "I can, actually. I am actually rather skilled in illusion...but I have only a little knowledge of conjuration. Enough for a few bound weapons, and maybe a simple familiar or something."
Orskan seemed a bit displeased about her lack of knowledge, but continued nonetheless. "Better than nothing, I suppose. I will tell you for free an overview of what it involves. You'll need a number of black souls to begin the process; the exact number varies from person to person. The process uses tenants of reanimation and enchanting by using the souls' energy to keep your own soul bound more strongly to your own body. This, in turn, prevents your body from decaying. Of course, just explaining it is not nearly as easy as actually doing it. It requires a very strong understanding of how souls are bound to flesh, and how to recreate that binding. As well, the effect will wear down over time, so you also have to keep strengthening the bonds with more black souls every fifty to a hundred years, depending on how good you are at it. I have some old tomes that could get you started, but you will not get them from me for free. I will require payment for this gift, in some form or another."
The essence of what Orskan describe was that Ahnasha would have to kill other mortals, take their souls, then use them on her own body to keep herself alive. It would require dooming others to a fate worse than just death...but Ahnasha still did not hesitate. The allure of an extended life was powerful enough that she could find a way to justify destroying souls for it. "What is your price?" She asked, her expression frighteningly cold and serious.
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