So the company was reliant on Nasorz, his plan was their only hope for Arilid. They waited a hour in that time they sharpened their weapons. Healed some of their wounds and looted the bandits they found. They came across some arrows which Ralof, Ria and Lydia accepted gladly. Some one handed weapons were found amongst the bandit corpses, they were given to the mages for they will not always have magic to rely on.
When the hour passed Nasorz led the company to the main entrance and around the side entrance of the keep. No guards were posted, they must be inside, waiting for them to wander into their trap. Nasorz led with Lydia on his side. Ria, Brelyna and J'zargo fell behind them. Ralof and Onmund were behind the group, each taking turns carrying Arilid.
"Ria," Lydia whispered to the Imperial woman, "Scout ahead."
"Where to?" The woman asked.
"The main gate closest to us." Nasorz explained "The one closest is the way into the stairs, the other room will be a detour and if any bandit is in. I will remain out here if any try to escape."
Ria snuck quietly, as much as the glass armor will allow her, to the doors of the keep. She pressed her ear to the door hoping to hear a noise, there was two sets of voices one sounding loud and booming much like Nasorz. The other more quiet and a bit nasally. Ria motioned the company to come. They did, Nasorz pulled his battleaxe and went to guard the broken wall. Ralof remained where he was before, under the stone archway that led to the keep, J'zargo was there healing Arilid.
Nasorz nodded signaling he was ready, Ralof too performed the same motion. Ria opened the door and charged in. She went to a khajiit in fur armor, she went behind him, held him with a choke hold and stabbed him in the chest and slit his throat. The other was a orc, that shield bashed Ria away.
Lydia took her place with her own shield. They circled each other, but Lydia did nothing. Brelyna conjured a frost atronach that attacked him from the side, making him stumble back. Brelyna then sent two fireballs at the orc in steel armor. He screamed in agony as his corpse burned to death. From the other room a Breton mage attacked Brelyna with a sparks spell, she was quickly drained of much of her magicka, the frost atronach came and smashed him down, a large crunch was heard. All that was left was a broken corpse of a man.
They were inside now, with a small foothold. Nasorz came in carrying Arilid over his left shoulder and a steel mace in his right hand. Ralof followed with a longbow in his hand and J'zargo with magicka glowing a electric blue in his claws. Nasorz gave Arilid to Lydia, who was struggling to hold the dragonborn. Nasorz led the way, he remained quiet as he led.
A few minutes passed Lydia with the help of Onmund carried Arilid, behind them a frost atronach and Brelyna and the front the rest of the company. They all came to a halt. "The next room will be where we hold up our defense. The kitchen may not be much, but there are many barrels to act as a wall. I will move forward, with any who wish to come." They went into the which was empty, a welcoming surprise. Nasorz continued on, Brelyna followed along with Ralof. J'zrgo was pulling all the barrels into the middle of the room and Ria put some of them in front of the entrance so the bandits can't charge in right away and they are split into two streams. Lydia and Onmund put Arilid by a fire for warmth and put some barrels randomly in the room to act as cover. Lydia put two table on their side in front of Arilid, to act as a wall.
Meanwhile Nasorz led the small scouting group ahead with Brelyna and Ralof. The halls were empty, Brelyna conjured a flame atronach for the lack of mages in the group,. Nasorz expected to meet a new guy to guard the two woman he met. They found himself in the entrance of the torture room. A multitude of voices can be heard. Nasorz took out his dwarven battleaxe, ready for a charge, the group prepared himself as well.
Nasorz ran down the flight of stairs with a shrilling battlecry. He chopped down to men sitting in chairs. Brelyna and the atronach shot at anyone with ranged weapons or heavy armor .Ralof made quick work of any light armored bandits. They may have been outnumbered, but the bandits were killed with haste. Nasorz wasted no time and ran to the cells. In one cell he found nothing, two cells later he found nothing.
The last one had one of the woman. A breton, she had a soft round face. short even for her race. Her crystal colored eyes were close to tears, she had a black eye on her right, and a fresh scar over her forehead. Her body was slim as if she hasn't been eating, her skin was a pale white, starving for sunlight. Her hair was long and blonde and nated all over. Her body was close to naked, she had only her bra and panties. Her body was very abused, bruises, cuts and a long scar from the midsection of her back to the bottom of her stomach.
Nasorz tore the door off its hinges. The breton jumped to the back of the cell visibly shaking. She looked up and smiled and ran to him. She hugged Nasorz, "Oh thank the gods, Nasorz, thank you." She kept on thanking him and began to cry.
Nasorz said nothing, but said "Wheres the other?"
"I… I don't know. They took her up stairs again." The breton looked down.
I think we found her." Ralof spoke up. ", and I don't think you want to see her." If that wasn't ominous. Nasorz had the breton put on some armor, fur armor is what she chose. Nasorz decided to have the breton follow Brelyna upstairs, while he investigates what Ralof said.
In a caged room lied a older woman, breton as well. Her body had various wounds ranging from a cut over the eye to a stab in the stomach. Her floor she lied on was covered in blood. Nasorz grabbed a bedroll and put her in it. He then brought her upstairs. "Stormcloak, grab a bedroll and bring these cravens armor, weapons, potions and anything we use to the kitchen, leave them nothing." Ralof responded quickly. Once that was done they went back to the room.
An hour passed. The breton woman cried, that woman was her mother, she declared revenge against the bandits. It took a while but some tables, cupboards and chest were propped up to act as a defensive wall. Any armor and weapons that were not used were put on a shelf were some empty sacks were. That wall was covered by 4 stacked barrels. The entrance from the torture room was made into a defensible gate, three beds leaned against the entrance. The door was gone to act as a wall. This left two entrances for the bandits to enter, making only one bandit on either side to enter at a time instead of three rushing in. The same was on the other side.
Nasorz ensured them a long fight but a easy victory. He said there are two rooms that need to be raided. He said the same party will come. The breton insisted on coming and Nasorz didn't argue.
The walk was quite which bothered Ralof. So he decided for some small talk. "So I'm sure you don't want to be called breton, so can I have your name?"
"No." She said quietly
"What, why can't I have your name?" Ralof questioned.
"It's my name, you have your own name. You can keep your name." her comment earned some giggling from Brelyna.
Ralof grunted in annoyance "May I know your name?"
"Mirncine Ernamarc, you may call me Mae, that is with an e." Replied the breton. The orc looked over and made a Shush sound, all went silent.
The rest of the walk was silent, except the sound of armor. Nasorz stopped by entrance. He looked into the cavern it was empty, the cave with a stream flowing well in it, a chest and some bridges. "Its good." He continues the walk. Mae slipped from the group and cut through to the chest. No one seemed to notice. Then a man with a warhammer came charging at Nasorz, the orc blocked the attack. The man with a warhammer was followed by a dual-wielding redguard and a altmer mage. They all charged Nasorz couldn't fight the man, he kept on staggering Nasorz. Ralof tried to fight the redguard, but she was to quick. The Altmer drained Brelyna of her magic with lighting spells and her frost atronach was defeated.
The Altmer charged up another spell, that was cut short when a sword went through his back. Mae then charged at the redguard, put a hand over her mouth and slit her throat. The last man didn't notice his friends were dead until he felt something knock out his legs. He saw his fellow bandits dead on the floor and a sharp pain in his stomach. He saw Mae kneeled over him with a bloody sword, half of it buried in his stomach.