Down to Business

The sky was barely bright as heavy snow drifted down.

Layer upon layer of fresh snow was slowly burying the traces of the night.

Rosie stood by the window, pushing it open just a crack.

A cold wind carrying a few snowflakes squeezed through the gap, brushing against her cheek with a subtle chill.

Gray stone towers and ramparts loomed through the curtain of snow, their spires' banners fluttering in the wind.

Alysia had been gone for several hours now and had yet to return.

If something happened to the elf inside the castle and she couldn't complete the job, wouldn't all her efforts on this trip be for nothing?

“Don't worry. Alysia might be foolish, naive, and weak, but she's lucky. She won't die that easily.”

Vera's voice carried a lazy certainty.

She was using a cloth to wipe down the arms and mechanism of her repeating crossbow.

Rosie closed the window, brushed off a few snowflakes clinging to her shoulder, and walked over to the table holding her pack.

She pulled out a strip of dried meat and tossed it to Vera.

“Thanks.”

Vera caught the jerky, took a bite, and winced. “Your Northern dried meat is remarkably hard.”

“You get used to it.”

Rosie pulled out a strip for herself as well, remarking casually, “It not only gives your teeth a workout, but it helps you lose weight, too.”

Vera's eyes lit up. “Lose weight? Really?”

“Of course it's real,” Rosie spouted nonsense with a deadpan face.

“Because it's so tough, you can't eat very much, so naturally you lose weight.”

Vera fell silent. She looked down at the jerky in her hand, then looked up at Rosie's completely stoic expression, before finally blurting out, “...That actually makes sense.”

Just then, a soft sound came from the window.

Both of them turned their heads at the same time.

The window Rosie had just closed was being gently pushed open from the outside.

Cold wind mixed with snowflakes billowed through the opening as a faint shadow leaped into the room.

Then, as a haze of shimmering light dissipated, Alysia's figure reappeared inside the room.

She reached out to close the window, sealing out the wind and snow once more.

“What took you so long?” Vera scanned her up and down.

Alysia's tone remained calm. “I took a detour to avoid detection.”

Rosie stepped closer. “Find anything?”

Alysia nodded. “I saw Countess Elizabeth.”

She sat down on a nearby chair and picked up a cup to pour herself some water.

“She was with a very dangerous man. His perception is extremely sharp; I was nearly spotted.”

Vera's expression turned a bit more serious. “How are things inside the castle?”

“There are quite a few people, mostly nobles and their entourages,” Alysia said. “Most are human, but some possess an unsettling aura.”

“Did you find the kidnapped captives?” Rosie asked, raising the point she cared about most.

Alysia nodded again. “They are locked in the castle dungeon. Two guards with that same unsettling aura are standing watch. I couldn't get too close, but I could feel their presence.”

Vera set down her repeating crossbow and leaned back against her chair, her tone carrying a reluctant approval.

“I have to hand it to you, Alysia. You actually came back with quite a haul.”

“Too bad you're so timid,” she added. “If it were me, I would've just killed the guards and rescued them right then and there.”

Rosie glanced at her. This girl really operated on another level—talking trash behind someone's back wasn't enough, she had to do it to their face too.

Alysia didn't even raise her head. “Yet you couldn't even manage to get inside.”

Vera opened her mouth, closed it, and then took a vicious bite of her dried meat.

An honest person's counterattack truly struck straight to the soul. Rosie mentally awarded Alysia a point.

To stop the two of them from veering off into weird territory, she quickly cut in:

“What's their fighting strength inside? If the three of us go in together, do we have a chance?”

Alysia shook her head. “Impossible. It's not just a matter of numbers; there are elite guards and those with suspicious aura. They are likely all vampires.”

Rosie looked over at Vera. “Don't we have a specialist right here? Lady Vera, can you handle those vampires?”

Vera didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned to Alysia. “How many vampires?”

“At least one vampire noble and more than five ordinary vampires. And that's only what I managed to detect,” Alysia said.

Vera's brow creased slightly. “The vampires alone are tricky enough, not to mention the human guards. And they're very likely working together.”

An image of Norman Knights charging under the moonlight flashed through Rosie's mind, prompting her to suggest:

“What if we lure the knights outside into this? The Norman Knights are formidable in combat, and I doubt they'd tolerate vampires.”

Alysia shook her head. “I can't go. Human nobles are extremely hostile toward Harpers.”

“Of course they are,” Vera chimed in instantly. “You Harpers do nothing but cause trouble. The nobility hates your guts.”

Alysia ignored her jab and looked at Vera. “But you can.”

Rosie expected Vera to refuse.

After all, the two of them had done nothing but undermine each other along the way, neither yielding an inch.

Yet Vera surprisingly nodded:

“The Dawnguard name carries weight sometimes. As long as I can confirm there are vampires in the castle, I can convince them to act. After all, this is a Norman city.”

Alysia said, “I swear by Nature, there are definitely vampires inside that castle. If I lie, may vines sprout from my mouth.”

“Tsk, I didn't say you were lying...” Vera stood up. “I'll make the trip.”

“Wait,” Rosie called out to her. “Don't mention that Alysia and I are in the city.”

Vera turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Rosie executed the noble who was trafficking people,” Alysia answered for her.

Vera froze for a moment before giving a look that clearly said, You've got guts.

“You really do have nerve! Even if a noble was trafficking people, it wasn't a commoner's place to execute him.”

Her tone held no accusation, merely stating a cold fact.

When a noble committed a crime, only higher-ranking nobles had the authority to pass judgment.

A commoner taking the law into their own hands to execute a noble would only end up branded a criminal.

“Fine, I won't blab. I'll find a way to convince the knights to handle the vampires, and you two take the opportunity to slip into the castle and rescue the captives. Clear division of labor,” Vera said.

“Thanks,” Rosie said.

Vera sighed, looking at Rosie with a hint of regret:

“I originally wanted to recruit you into the Dawnguard. But now that seems unlikely. We receive funding from nobles across various kingdoms, so... you understand.”

Rosie nodded. “I understand.”

“We'll leave it to you then, Vera,” Alysia offered a slight nod.

Vera waved her hand, saying nothing more.

She picked up her repeating crossbow, slung it across her back, turned toward the window, and pulled it open.

Cold wind mingled with snow poured in once more. Vera deftly slipped out the window, quietly shutting it behind her as she left.

“Why does everyone love using the window...” Rosie muttered under her breath.

“Alysia, you've been busy all night. Get some rest.”

Alysia offered no reply. Sitting upright in her chair with her hands hanging naturally at her sides, she closed her eyes.

Her breathing quickly grew steady and deep as she entered a state of meditation.

Rosie walked over to the window, opening a tiny crack to quietly watch the castle shrouded in snow.

By day, Stratholme appeared even deadlier than at night.

Heavy snow covered everything—houses, streets, fallen road signs, scattered debris.

There was no smoke from chimneys, no human voices, not even the chirping of birds.

The entire city resembled a tomb forgotten by time.

Occasionally, a few feral ghouls scurried through the shadows of the streets, leaving a trail of gray tracks across the white snow before disappearing into another alley's darkness.

And so, they waited for a full day and night.

The next morning, the snowfall eased slightly compared to the day before.

Alysia had already awakened from her meditation, eaten a few rations, and returned to peak condition.

Rosie stood guard at the window, leaning against the frame while nibbling small bites of dry rations as she kept watch.

Suddenly, her gaze froze.

From a street not far away came the clinking of metal armor and the rhythmic sound of marching footsteps.

A squad of about fifty dismounted knights was advancing swiftly along the main avenue toward the castle.

In the center of the squad, a figure clad in a white robe stood out prominently, resembling a priest of the Temple of Light.

Rosie's gaze swept rapidly through the group before locking onto a familiar figure.

Tight leather armor, a tall and slender frame—Vera.

She was speaking to a tall knight beside her while moving at a brisk pace.

Vera seemed to sense something. She turned her head slightly, casting a swift glance toward Rosie's direction before nonchalantly turning back.

“Vera pulled it off.”

Alysia's voice came from behind Rosie.

“Let's follow them.”

Rosie quietly shut the window, turned to pick up her shield resting against the wall, and tightened her sword belt securely at her waist.

Time to get down to business.