Chapter 10: The Hunt
4E 205, 8TH OF SUN'S DUSK. 6:00AM
Umbra and his companions awoke early to prepare their belongings and left Fellburg, heading to their first target, Fort Greymoor. The Fort was commonly overrun by bandits and no matter how many times the Dragonborn seemed to clear them out, they always came back. Jarl Balgruuf paid well for the Fort to be cleared each time, as the bandits would tend to become a problem for travelers and the citizens of Whiterun alike, so Umbra had no problem playing the gruesome maid and taking them all out. They arrived at the entrance of the Fort using Umbra's portal; he'd been there so many times that he'd devised a way to add its location to Lelsor's teleportation matrix. They snuck around behind the wall of the Fort and waited quietly for the proper opportunity.
Umbra yawned quietly and ran his hand over his face; he was not a morning cat. He hated mornings. He despised mornings. However, he wanted to get this out of the way first and foremost; it was the most grueling and time consuming of the requests he had received, and he wanted to spend as much time as he could devoted to the problem presented to him by the College. He looked up to see if the guard had stopped to look out into the horizon again. The guard, a dull looking imperial in fur armour, was slowly trudging his way back to the center of the wall, above the portcullis. Umbra pulled the mask of Ahzidal back onto his face, and quietly moved along the wall of the fort, moving within shadow and taking care not to make a sound. He broke contact with the wall and slipped behind an old tree trunk. He looked again to ensure that the guard was not paying attention; the guard looked bleary and tired, no doubt from taking the night watch.
Umbra grinned wickedly; if rest is what he desired, then rest he shall have. He unshouldered his Stalhrim bow, nocked a Nordic arrow, aimed and let it fly. It buzzed through the air like an angry hornet but for a moment, before embedding itself in the unlucky bandit's forehead, with only a small "uh?" escaping his lips before his bow's enchantments took effect. He simultaneously burned, froze, and was electrocuted, all within the span of a second; his body could not take the effect of all three elements at once, and his structural integrity failed. Umbra watched as the bandit dissolved into a fine ash, carried off by the gentle wind. He looked down at his bow and, as he did so, could feel a black soul gem in his satchel hum to life.
He sighed, whispering to himself, "And the Myst claims yet another." He shouldered the bow, and motioned for his companions to follow closely, and quickly. They dashed through the portcullis, hoping to avoid any other sentries, when a tall and particularly brutish orc came out of the main entrance to the Fort.
The orc squinted at them, swaying slightly. "Engh…? Where's… err… where's… Emry? Emry… No no… Hen… Henry! Where's Hemry?" Umbra froze and, thinking quickly, assumed a non-combative stance and removed his mask.
"Ah, my friend. 'Hemry' is resting at the moment. Having to pull an all night patrol took it out of him, yes?" He clapped the orc on the arm and began walking back towards the entrance with him. Sofia was about to open her mouth when S'vashni elbowed her in the gut.
"Quiet you! Curr'strai is doing a thing…!" She whispered aggressively.
"Ow…! You didn't have to elbow me!" She growled, and elbowed her back.
Umbra quickly turned around, ears flattened and hissed, then resumed his idle chatter with the drunken orc. "You are looking a little gre… a little out of sorts friend. Maybe I should take your shift hm? You could take a nap and sleep it off?"
The orc shoved him off roughly. "Nah. I shoulda… I should… err.. I should take my shift." He grunted. "Boss would have my head iffn'I don't uh… don't patrol." He swayed heavily, tottering dangerously as Umbra pushed him back over to stabilize him.
"Ah, do not worry friend. This one will cover for you. In fact, here." He reached into his bag and pulled out a magenta coloured bottle, handing it to the orc. "You should head back inside and drink this. Hair of the wolf and all that, hmm?"
The orc grabbed the bottle, looked at him, looked back at the bottle and stood for a moment, scowling. Umbra could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead, hidden by his fur as he prepared to unsheathe his dagger, when the orc grinned stupidly and nodded. "Heheh. Yeah. Hair of the wolf. I think I'll…" He burped and continued. "I think I'll uh… take you up on that. Heheh. Hair of the wolf…" He mused. The orc stumbled back into the fort, nearly dropping the bottle, and clumsily closed the door behind him. A faint yet audible "Pop!" could be heard as the orc uncorked the bottle inside.
Umbra sighed heavily and sheathed his dagger as the group moved closer to him.
"So what did ya give him?" Asked Sofia.
Umbra grinned. "Only my strongest frenzy poison. That stuff could drive a mammoth mad with just a bit dabbed onto an arrow. I imagine the greenskin will have quite a good time with the stuff."
As if on cue, a monstrous yell could be heard from inside the fort as wood splintered and metal clashed.
"And," Continued Umbra, "Since orcs have a natural tendency to go berserk in battle, I imagine our friend will do much of the work for us." He turned to both S'vashni and Sofia. "And next time, both of you, read the room, yes? If the orc had not been as drunk, he might have noticed your side commentary. Now, let us get to work. Lajjan, Sofia and Lydia, I want you to enter from above. Here." He handed Lydia a key. "That will open the hatch above the tower over there. It will lead straight into the prison, if they haven't changed the lock, which I doubt. Regardless, I want you three to wait for the bandits inside to engage the orc and, once you are certain all of them have gone to fight, I want you to start slitting throats, firing arrows, what have you, all of it from behind enemy lines. Ensure none leave alive. In the meanwhile," He turned to S'vashni. "You and I will move our way inside from the front. We'll stay behind the orc and engage anyone who's either hiding, firing from pillars or corners, whatever. But we stay together. Our combined Way of the Nine will ensure we remain relatively unscathed. Are we clear?" He waited for questions. Seeing none, he nodded; "Then let's get to work."
Lydia, Lajjan and Sofia nodded and set off to work on their tasks, worming their way up the side scaffolding of the fort and towards the aforementioned hatch on the roof of the tower, while Umbra and S'vashni approached the door. S'vashni paused, and began to twist her torso from side to side, then leaned from one side to the other. Umbra turned to her, shooting her a quizzical look.
S'vashni returned the look and paused. "What?"
"I could ask the same. What are you doing?"
"I'm stretching, you buffoon. One must be limber and spry before entering battle. A sudden pain is a distraction that could cost you dearly." She continued her exercises for a moment more, shook her arms out, and unsheathed her swords. "This one is ready."
Umbra nodded, rolling his eyes, and held his own sword aloft, prepared for the battle ahead. "Well, here we go." He pulled open the door, only to be met by a flying wooden chair. It struck his chest and face, knocking him down as he flailed. He landed on his back, hard, and groaned angrily. "Damned Orc…" S'vashni looked on, but said nothing, and moved inside.
"Oh no, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Umbra rolled onto his side and shuffled back onto his feet, rubbing the rapidly forming bump on his forehead. He turned back to look at the remains of the chair, hissed, and grabbed his sword before going in after S'vashni.
Lydia moved quietly, with Sofia and Lajjan in tow as they descended into the Fort's prison area. It had taken them longer than expected to get in, as the key that Umbra had provided them with was useless, given that the bandits had changed the lock. Luckily, Sofia was suspiciously good with a lockpick, and had gotten them in without much difficulty. When confronted, she smiled and continued on, to Lydia's annoyance. They moved silently, hugging the wall and sticking to the shadows, doing what they could to prevent themselves from being detected, when Lydia suddenly threw her arm out in front of the other two ladies, halting their progress. She turned to them with a finger held to her lips, then pointed around the corner, where two men were seated at a small table, playing a card game.
"….And I set this beast in side position. Good luck getting through his defence. It's over four thousand." Said the first man, a Breton.
"Yeah and? I use this card of spells. I choose your beast to be eliminated!" Replied the other, a High Elf.
"What!? That's bullshite and you know it! My beast doesn't meet the requirements on that card for it to be eliminated!" The Breton bandit stood, pointing angrily at his opponent's card.
The High Elf stood as well, grabbing the card and waving it in front of his opponent's face. "Read the effect! Not my fault you're illiterate!"
Lydia placed her dragonbone helm on her head, tightened her grip on Spellbreaker, and unsheathed Dawnbreaker; Umbra had chosen to give Lydia possession of these Daedric artifacts as thanks for her years of unwavering loyalty and devotion. She took a steadying breath, turned to Sofia and Lajjan, nodded, and let loose a war cry as she charged the two men, as Lajjan charged in with her own sword and shield, while Sofia hung back and readied her spells. The two men turned, wide eyed and reached for their weapons, though the Breton was too slow and was quickly cut down by Lajjan. The High Elf rolled out of the way and began casting Sparks with one hand while using the other to cast Stoneflesh on himself.
Lydia brought her shield up and, just as the electricity was about to reach her, the ward on her shield fizzled into being, stopping the spell short. Lajjan ran behind the elf and began hacking away at him, attempting to cut him on the shoulders, neck and arms. He yelled as he felt the weight of the blade strike him, though he incurred no cuts as a result of his alteration spell, and leapt away, ducking under Lydia's swing and rolling over the table, knocking it over and using it as a barrier between himself and the two women.
He charged up Chain Lightning spells in his hands and began firing them randomly, yelling incoherent insults and slurs as he did so, while Lajjan ducked behind Lydia as she held her shield up, allowing the ward to take the brunt of the impacts.
"Die you bitches!" Yelled the High Elf, as he shot another Chain Lightning spell at the wall, which ricocheted off and struck Lajjan in the side from behind the shield. She screamed and held her side, falling to the ground.
"Lajjan!" Lydia yelled in panic and brought her shield down and closer to Lajjan, doing her best to avoid the additional blasts and ricochets.
The High Elf ceased his attack for a moment, grabbed two magicka potions, uncorked them and chugged them quickly, then began charging a spell with both hands. He gave a twisted grin as magicka potion dripped from his lips, the glow of the combined spell illuminating his yellow eyes with murderous luster. "Enjoy this, I know I WILL!"
He cackled with malicious glee as electricity arced between his hands and glowed brighter and brighter until the room was filled with a blinding light. With a roar, he held his hands before him and unleashed the full power of his Lightning Storm spell battering Lydia's wards with constant electrical current. Lydia held Lajjan close and could do nothing more than hold the shield up while hoping that the wards would not give out.
From the corner of the room, Sofia knelt, and, taking a steadying breath, aimed her Nordic bow, calmly waiting. And waiting. And waiting. The glow surrounding the High Elf gradually weakened and eventually vanished as his Stoneflesh spell dissipated. This was what she was waiting for! Sofia held her breath, and let loose her Ebony arrow. It flew through the air with an angry buzz, and struck true, burying itself deep in the High Elf's ribs. He yelped and dropped to a knee, grimacing with pain, though he did not drop his hands and continued to batter Lydia's wards with his spell. He turned to Sofia, face twisted in pure fury. "When I finish roasting these two, I'll make sure to give special attention to you, whore!" He returned his focus to the two women when suddenly the electrical arc began to fizzle. He scowled and flexed his hands to focus more magicka into the spell, though the arc suddenly dissipated. The High elf looked at his hands, at Lydia and then turned to Sofia in horror. "What… What have you done to me!?"
Sofia smiled smugly. "Poison of Damage Magicka and Regen. You won't be casting for a while."
The High Elf did not get a chance to respond, as Lydia rose, dropped her shield and charged him with Dawnbreaker. The High Elf held his hands up in front of his face in horror as Lydia raised her sword over her head with both hands, and brought it down swiftly with a grunt, severing his head and hands at the wrists. The head fell to the ground, blinking; he looked around, eyes swiveling wildly as his mouth moved in silence. After a moment or two, the light in his eyes faded as he locked onto the distant unseen shore, and moved no more. She panted heavily as the body slumped off to the side, while Sofia rushed to Lajjan and began using Healing Hands on her, restoring her health and soothing her burns. Lajjan groaned as her wounds began to slowly close, and her vitality gradually replenished. Once finished, Sofia extended her hand to Lajjan, helping her to stand.
Lajjan looked down at her side, and sighed upon seeing her fur poke out the large hole in the side of her black and red leather armour. "Looks like Umbra missed a spot…"
Lydia leaned over to take a look as well, and shook her head. "I don't think that he missed a spot. I think he could not apply more enchantments to the armour. Mine, for example, does not have a resistance to the cold like yours does.
Lajjan nodded. "Perhaps. But I do not really think he needed to add it. He should have added a shock resistance rather than a cold resistance. I am Khajiit. I am not as sensitive to the cold as your kin."
Lydia raised an eyebrow. "My kin? Nords?"
Lajjan shook her head. "Sorry, no. Humans."
Lydia shrugged, then turned to look at the entryway. "We should probably get moving. I'm sure that they have heard our scuffle. And if not heard, they definitely would have noticed the light from the spells."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from a hallway adjacent to the entryway, and a group of 5 more bandits ran in. "OY!" Said one of them, pointing at the corpses of the Breton and High Elf. "They killed Bernie and Vindil!" Another Bandit, a Redguard with a particularly nasty looking headsman's axe, pointed his weapon at them. "Oh, we're gonna have fun making the three of you squeal." He said, licking his lips.
Sofia turned to Lydia, disgusted. "Guess they heard."
Lydia tightened her grip on her weapons, nodding. "You think?"
Umbra dodged the oncoming blade of another Khajiit, ducking under it, then grabbing her tail and slamming her to the wall. She coughed, gasping for breath while trying to claw at Umbra's eyes. He backpedaled, just out of her reach and raised his sword, aiming it at her chest. As he was about to impale her, an iron warhammer caught him in the chest from the side and sent him stumbling back and into a chair. He clutched his chest, groaning and coughing then looked up in time to see an Argonian raise the warhammer high over his head, a murderous glee in his eyes, when a blade protruded from his chest, coated in blood. The Argonian gasped and gurgled, and tried to turn, when the blade retracted. His warhammer fell limp from his hand as he fell to his knees and was promptly beheaded by S'vashni.
She glared at him, face smeared in blood and gore, before spitting blood off to the side. "Get your head out of your ass, Curr'strai! I-" She was cut short as Umbra leapt to his feet, shoved her aside and thrust his sword into the head of the female Khajiit that was about to stab her from behind. The tip of his blade embedded itself into the wall behind her with a "Clink!", while the Khajiit's arms twitched erratically, then dropped limply to her sides as her dagger slipped from her grasp. She choked and sputtered, twitching while blood poured out of her nose and mouth, until Umbra retracted his blade, allowing her to fall to the floor, dead.
He turned to face S'vashni, who was clearing her nose of blood. "Even?" He asked.
"...Even."
He swung his blade, spraying blood in an arc. "They were better prepared this time. I think they are starting to learn from their predecessor's mistakes, no?" A brutish bellow caused them to turn back towards the hallway, where various bodies and items were sent flying as the orc continued his berserk rage, slashing and killing whoever he could.
"Groz!" Cried one bandit. "What the hell is wrong with you!? Have you lost your-" His sentence was cut short as Groz, the berserk orc grabbed him by the face and threw him down the hall, toward Umbra and S'vashni. They sidestepped nimbly, dodging the flying man, where he crashed into the furthest wall with a fleshy "THUNK!". Another bandit ran up behind Groz struck him over the head with a war axe, lodging it into his skull. The orc stopped, stood to full height and began to slowly turn. The bandit tried repeatedly to dislodge his weapon from the orc's head, before releasing it and backing away quickly. The orc now faced him, axe still lodged in his cranium as his eyes reddened with ballistic fury. The bandit quivered in fear, sputtering apologies as the orc released a great bellow, grabbed the bandit's left arm, and with a great roar, tore it off. The bandit fell on his rump, turning white as blood began to spurt from the wound, though before he could speak, was beat to death with his own arm.
Umbra chuckled, and S'vashni turned to look at him. "What are you laughing at?" She asked. He turned to look at her, and with a chuckle, proclaimed, "Look, the bandit's been disarmed!" He pointed at his own arm, then at the bandit, and continued to chuckle while she rolled her eyes in disgust.
Three more bandits broke from the group and charged at S'vashni and Umbra, weapons raised high. Umbra turned to S'vashni, returning the mask of Ahzidal to his face and raising his sword. "Kynareth and Julianos?"
She nodded. "Kynareth and Julianos. I'll go high."
"And I'll go low." He assumed the stance of Julianos keeping his sword and body low, while S'vashni assumed the stance of Kynareth, pointing both her blades to the roof. Both Khajiit took a deep breath, and calmed themselves, keeping their focus locked on the rapidly approaching bandits. Umbra allowed his elbow to gently touch the center of S'vashni's stomach, feeling for her breaths. As he did, from her stomach, S'vashni felt for Umbra's pulse, and they began to synchronize their breaths and heartbeats. With every breath and every beat, they could feel themselves becoming more and more in tune with each other, until the first of the three bandits entered their striking range. In unison, they stepped forth, and Umbra's blade flashed red, severing the bandit's left leg at the knee. The bandit could utter nothing more than a choked cry as S'vashni's right arm suddenly whipped down, catching the bandit on the neck, severing his head.
The second bandit gave a yell and swung his massive elven warhammer down on Umbra's head, though before it could strike, S'vashni switched her stance to Zenithar and crossed her blades, catching the head of the hammer in between her blades. As she did, Umbra switched his stance as well, ducking under the bandit and, with a quick flourish of his blade, returned it to its sheath before calmly walking forward. S'vashni unhooked her blades, allowing the weight of the hammer to fall through, and walked past the confused bandit to accompany Umbra.
"Wuh…? Hey, HEY GET BACK HERE!" Roared the bandit, turning quickly, before falling to his knees, grasping at his throat. He pulled his hand back and could see it was slick with blood. "Wuh.. What did you…" He coughed, more blood spilling onto his front and onto the floor.
Umbra turned, and bowed. "Stendarr's Mercy be upon you." Turning his back to the bandit and continuing forward, the bandit coughed once more, before falling forward, as his head detached from his body.
The final bandit, a Dunmer, did not charge, and instead chose to use his innate magical ability, encircling himself in a vortex of flames. "You'll not take me, filthy fetchers! Feel the wrath of Ancestors, and burn within its flames!" The vortex intensified, as if bolstered by the Dunmer's words. Umbra paused before the dark elf, and turned to S'vashni. "Any suggestions?"
S'vashni grimaced. "Just one." She unsheathed her Wazikashi. "Catch, slaver!" She threw the blade and, before it reached the Dunmer's head, it stopped, floating gently before him. The Dunmer cackled cruelly, lifting his hand, which was encircled by a brown miasma. Umbra raised an eyebrow, and recognized it as a telekinesis spell.
"Ha! Is that the best you have, filthy cat? You can throw anything you want at me, it will do nothing! I can control the very gravity of any obj-" Before he could continue however, Umbra filled his lungs, and unleashed the full power of his Thu'um.
"Fus… ROH-DAH!" The blast of kinetic energy traveled quickly toward the Dunmer, sending him flying back, extinguishing his flames. He slammed his back hard into a nearby cupboard, nearly tipping it over, and fell into a crouch.
"Not… Not enough cat. Not enough to-" As he looked up, the Wazikashi flew through the air and embedded itself to the hilt into the Dunmer's right eye, pinning his head to the wood behind him. He scrabbled at the sword's hilt for a moment or two, thrashed his legs, and fell limp.
Umbra and S'vashni strode forward, following the path of carnage that the orc was leaving behind, when S'vashni paused before the elf. She looked at her Wazikashi, at the dark elf, and spit on his corpse, then continued forward. "Are you not going to retrieve your blade?" He asked.
"No." She replied. "It's covered in dark elf blood. I'll not touch a weapon sullied by that kind of filth."
He shrugged. "I suppose I'll have to forge you a new one."
They continued down the hallway, then went up the flight of stairs when they stopped. A door off to the left was rattling, and being pounded on from the other side. Cautious, both Umbra and S'vashni unsheathed their blades and moved forward. They exchanged looks, then Umbra reached forward and undid the door bar that was keeping it shut, then stumbled back as Sofia tumbled forward out into the stairs.
"Ow! Finally that stupid-" She looked up from the floor to see Umbra standing over her. "Oh. Hi Umbra!" She picked herself up off the stairs and dusted herself off. "Prison area's clear!" She grinned.
Umbra looked her over; her armour was very damaged, covered in cuts, scuffs, and burns. Her hair was messy and she had what looked like soot on her face and hands. Upon closer inspection, he could see that part of her armour in the left shoulder and right hip was, in fact, missing. "Clearly. Any trouble?" He asked.
She frowned. "Ehm. Define trouble." She pointed back toward the door and, as she did so, Lydia, supported by Lajjan, limped out and sat at the base of one of the stairs, panting, blackened by soot, and bleeding. "By the gods!" He sheathed his sword, rushed over to Lydia's side and leaned her against the wall. "She's badly wounded. Why have you not healed her!?"
"I tried! I'm all out of magicka and haven't been able to regenerate!" She cried.
"What? How is that possible?" He removed his bracers and set his hands on Lydia's torso, calling forth his magicka and casting Healing Hands on her.
Sofia twiddled her thumbs. "Wellll… I might have accidentally poisoned myself."
Umbra looked up from his work and stared at Sofia. "Accidentally… poisoned yourself. How."
Sofia sighed and let her arms hang limp. "I cut myself applying the poison you gave me to another set of my arrows…" She pulled on the collar of her armour, exposing her neck. On it, a dark crisscross of dark veins throbbed faintly, leading further down into the rest of her body. "I haven't been able to regenerate my magicka for about… 30 minutes."
This time, it was Umbra who sighed. He turned to Lajjan. "And you? Are you alright?"
She nodded. "Sofia healed me before she cut herself. I'm slightly worse for wear, but whole. Lydia took the brunt of the damage for us. There were more in the prison area than we anticipated." She turned to look down at Lydia. "Were it not for Lydia and her shield, I don't know if Sofia and I would have lived, much less been able to clear them out.
Umbra turned back to Sofia. "You need to be more careful. Lajjan and Lydia are not skilled in healing arts. You are. What if Lydia had not been able to hold out?"
Sofia looked down, red-faced and flustered. "I know! I screwed up I get it. I'm sorry." She turned to look at Lydia. "I'm sorry. You could have died and it would have been my fault."
Lydia reached up and gripped her hand. "But I didn't. And we're alive. That's all that matters. What you did was an accident. Nothing more. So stop beating yourself over this." Sofia squeezed back, smiling sadly.
Umbra finished his healing and stood. "Enough." He turned to Sofia. "You and I will continue this discussion later." He grasped Lydia's arm and with a grunt, helped her to her feet. "And you? How do you feel now?"
Lydia rotated her left shoulder, then her right, and felt around her mid-section, where most of the cuts had been concentrated. "I feel fine, thanks."
Umbra nodded, then turned to the group. "Alright. I think we're almost done. Let's go and deal with the bandit commander, and with our friendly greenskin friend, then put an end to all this. Oh, by the by." He pulled open his satchel, pulled out a 'Potion of Cure Poison' and a 'Potion of Plentiful Magicka' and handed them to Sofia. "Drink these. The faster you regenerate, the better."
Sofia took them and nodded, uncorking the poison cure first. She smelled it and scrunched her nose. It smelled bitter and foul. She closed her eyes, pinched her nose and gulped it down, gagging at the flavour. It was bitter, and tasted like old cabbage. She quickly uncorked the magicka potion and gulped it down, relishing at the sweetness of it and letting it sit in her mouth for a bit, trying to wash away the flavour of the poison cure.
Umbra led them up the flight of stairs, where the cacophony of battle greeted them, along with the stench of blood, sweat and fear. As they rounded the final corner, they saw the orc lift the bandit commander, clad in Nordic armour, off his feet by the neck; a group of dead bandits at his feet while another smaller group ran down another flight of stairs, away from the murderous orc. The bandit commander flailed his legs, and pounded his fists against the orc's arms futilely; the orc glared then squeezed until an audible "Crack!" was heard, and the bandit's head lolled to the side. Upon seeing them, the orc threw the deceased commander at their feet, grinning, drooling and swaying erratically with an occasional tick in his eye.
Umbra frowned. "This is not good. I never suspected he would still live. That high of a dose should have killed him already." He took a deep breath, filling his lungs and focusing the power of the Thu'um and… Nothing. "...Shit". He backed away, turning sideways to look at the group. "Ladies, I've bad news and good news."
Lajjan unsheathed her sword and shield, moving backward and following Umbra, keeping her eyes on the orc, who was now lumbering toward them, a crazed look in his eyes. "The bad news?"
"I used a shout very recently. I am unable to shout for a while more." He unsheathed his own sword, cast Ironflesh on himself, then switched spells and cast Rally, bolstering his companions.
Sofia and Lydia followed suit, backing away slowly, readying their own spells and weapons in turn. "And the good news?" Asked Lydia, nervously.
Umbra gulped. "That was all the bad news I had."
"Wonderful." Replied S'vashni, drawing her sword.
The orc charged with a roar, grabbing the steel warhammer from the floor that the bandit commander had been wielding before his demise, and rapidly closed the distance between them. He swung for Umbra first, being the closest; Umbra leapt away, ducking into a roll as the orc smashed the hammer into the stone wall, shaking the room and knocking loose a few stones. "Hellfire! This one is not to be taken lightly!" He turned to S'vashni, calling to her. "Oy! Take my sword, use whatever stances you deem appropriate!" He unbelted his sheath and threw it to her, and dodged another oncoming swing from the orc. He uttered a curse in Ta'agra, and poured magicka into his palms, focusing a conjuration spell into one, and readying a frost spell in the other. "Sofia, once you're done with your magic, empty every arrow and poison you've got into him! We have to bring him to his knees, and quickly! He-" Umbra was cut off as the orc swung at him again, bellowing in rage. He leapt nimbly over the hammer and rolled again, as Lajjan and Lydia charged in from behind and slashed at the orc's back and legs, eliciting another roar from the brute.
The orc turned and swung the hammer, catching Lydia on the shield with a thundering "CLANG!", sending her flying backward from the force of his impact. He then quickly turned to Lajjan and drove his fist into her chest, the muscles on his arms bulging as a sickening "CRACK!" echoed throughout the room. She was sent flying back toward the wall and crashed, bouncing off of it and falling forward, eyes wide in fear as she coughed, blood spattering onto the floor. Her sword and shield clattered onto the floor as they fell from her grip, as she landed face first, unresponsive.
A sudden silence seemed to envelop the room as Umbra's eyes widened in fear. "No...No...NO!" Time seemed to move slowly once more, just as when he faced the Imperial captain the day before. He saw Sofia's horrified expression, eyes bulging at the sight of her companion and friend bleeding on the floor. He saw Lydia, sliding down the wall, eyes scrunched shut. He saw S'vashni, ears flattened against her skull, hatred in her eyes as she charged the orc, slashing and dancing around him, only to be caught on the shoulder by the back swing of the warhammer. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his blood boiled, and an all consuming thought reverberated throughout his mind: "Kill. Kill. Kill! KILL!" He screamed in fury, a terrible yell entwined with the roar of a dragon as he felt his Thu'um unleash. Flames, blue and scorching erupted from his mouth, enveloping the orc in pure, blinding white. The orc screamed, flailing as he was consumed by the unyielding dragonfire, but this was not enough for Umbra. He wanted to destroy this beast. He wanted to erase him. He wanted to obliterate him.
As the flames erupted from his maw, Umbra thrust his hands forward, and poured every ounce of magicka into his palms, unleashing a constant Ice Storm spell in one hand, and a Lightning Storm spell in another.
Sofia dropped her bow and rushed to Lajjan's side, gently turning her over. "Lajjan, Lajjan please, don't leave us! Not yet!" She ripped off her gloves and cast Healing Hands on her dying friend, using her last reserves of magicka in an effort to keep her alive. Sofia cursed as she felt her magicka drain. "Damnit, I must still be weakened from the poison. The cure wasn't enough!" She panicked and ripped open her satchel, quickly looking through various potions, until she found one she had created herself earlier in the week. It was a failed potion, by all accounts, as it restored half of the drinker's total magicka, but would also drain them of half their vitality. She figured she would sell the potion to some shopkeep or alchemist, but now it was her only hope to save her friend. She ripped off the cork and downed the potion; it burned as it went down her throat and into her belly. Instantly she felt her magicka return, but her vision flickered and her arms felt heavy and sluggish. She coughed, a bit of blood leaving her lips. She cleared her throat and shook her head, refocusing her efforts on Lajjan, once more casting Healing Hands on her. "Come on… Come on… Come on…!" She thought urgently, panicking once more as her magicka began to fail her. She looked up briefly to see S'vashni getting back up, holding her injured shoulder and Lydia dragging herself across the wall in an effort to get back on her feet, as Umbra lay waste to the orc. She glanced back down to Lajjan's face; it was calm and unmoving, with dried blood caking her mouth and nose. As the last of her magicka drained, Lajjan suddenly opened her eyes, coughing and gasping. Sofia released the breath she had been holding and cried in relief, letting a smile cross her face. "Oh, thank the Nine. I thought I was about to have to bury a friend…!"
Lajjan turned to the side and coughed again, a bit of blood escaping her lips. "Not… Not yet, you will not have to." She croaked, her voice hoarse.
Umbra's lungs, chest and arms burned, as if molten lead were coursing through his veins. His head hurt, his eyes watered, but regardless he continued his onslaught, wanting nothing more than to see the beast that had harmed his friends reduced to cinders. Hatred, venom and bile raced through his mind as he cursed the orc in Ta'agra, Cyrodilic no longer conveying his fury adequately enough. "Sallidith! Sallidith an zrege, lafana!"
S'vashni limped toward Umbra and grabbed his shoulder, squinting as she yelled into his ear. "ENOUGH! YOU WILL BLIND US ALL, FOOL!"
Umbra blinked, closed his mouth and fell to his knees, panting, ending his spells and cutting off the power of the Thu'um. He turned to S'vashni. "Lajjan… Lajjan is she…?"
"Yes. Sofia managed to heal her in time." She snorted, and spat another glob of blood to the floor.
"And Lydia…?"
"I'm fine, my Thane." Lydia walked over to Umbra, looking battered, but alive. "The orc only managed to hit my shield. The landing hurt, I'll admit, but…" She removed her helm, and rubbed the back of her head. "Other than that, I am whole."
Umbra said nothing, but nodded, panting as he rested his hand on his knee. He looked up, and his exhaustion turned to horror as he saw the orc shift, slowly raising his head. The orc's face was half gone, burnt to the bone, along with other, now blackened portions of his body. Blood oozed freely from his eye and broken, unhinged jaw as he got to his knees, when suddenly S'vashni leapt forward and, with the warhammer the orc had been using, brought it down upon the war axe that was still lodged in the back of his cranium. Again and again she brought the hammer down, filling the room with a horrible metal ringing, the orc's body twitching and spasming until his head was cleft in twain. S'vashni lifted the hammer, gore and viscera dripping from the head, and threw it next to the orc's corpse.
She panted from exhaustion, looked down at the corpse, and grimaced. "This time," she spat, "stay dead." She turned to Umbra, "And the next time you consider using a damned frenzy poison on someone, don't. Otherwise," She pointed at the orc's corpse. "You're next."
Umbra sat, wiping the sweat and grime from his brow. "Fair enough."
A Nord charged Umbra, a Steel Battleaxe raised over his head, seeking to rid the latter of the same. He barely dodged the incoming swing in time and felt a few hairs fall from his head, then dodged another swing focused on his abdomen. After the third swing, Umbra leapt toward the Nord, tackling and wrestling him to the ground. From the corner of his eye, he could see two more bandits sprinting towards them down from the hallway.
"Lajjan, Sofia, Lydia! Bandits from the left hallway! Take..!" His sentence was interrupted by the Nord punching him in the jaw, however, it seemed they understood the general idea as they drew their bows and began firing towards the oncoming bandits from behind the corners of the room while S'vashni charged towards them with a hiss. Muffled thumps and screams indicated that they were hitting their targets, which allowed Umbra to focus on the task at hand. Unsheathing his claws, he began swiping at the Nord's face, cutting bloody furrows down his cheeks and across his forehead. The man under him screamed in pain and swung blindly, missing several times and finally hitting his mark, sending Umbra sprawling to the floor.
"Kill... I'll kill you... I'll murder you Khajiit!" He crawled and felt blindly around the floor for his axe, picked it up, then stood and turned back around only to have Umbra's dagger be driven deeply up through his chin.
"No. I'm afraid you won't." Replied Umbra with a tired grin. The man dropped his weapon, shuddered once and fell, unmoving. Pulling the dagger from the bandit's chin and wiping it on his armour, Umbra turned and watched as the last bandit in the hallway fell, several arrows jutting from his corpse.
After thoroughly looting the bodies, Umbra sighed tiredly, rose from his kneeling position and began walking down the hall. "That's it, I think. That's the last one. Let us put an end to this tedious task." They all nodded in agreement, tiredly muttering assent and followed him; Lajjan put her arm around Lydia, using her as a crutch, while S'vashni tiredly sheathed her and Umbra's sword, limping after them. Sofia split from the group and caught up, poking his side.
"What? Killing bandits getting boring?" She grinned as Umbra rolled his eyes.
"Yes, actually. This one wants to move on and get these bounties over with. If this one is honest, however, the Dunlain's request has my interest piqued. What could be so powerful as to disrupt the fabric of our world?" He frowned. "Ever since Alduin fell, I've not felt very needed. These missions... These jobs... They do not really hold my attention. My job as the Dragonborn is done. Now I am simply a well known mercenary. Not quite the reputation I want." He pushed open the exit and relished at the feeling of the cold breeze washing over his face. He closed his eyes, breathing it in, then exhaling.
Sofia took Lajjan from Lydia's arms, and helped her walk, giving Lydia a chance to stretch. She sat Lajjan down on a nearby stump, wincing at her own injuries. She sat next to her, resting her head against Lajjan's knee, and watched Umbra from behind. She still felt slightly guilty about her error in the Fort; it could have cost Lydia her life. She brushed some hair out of her face and grabbed the stalk of a reed, absentmindedly twisting it into knots. "At least I think I made up for it with Lajjan." She continued toying with her reed, then stopped, feeling a sharp pain in her stomach and chest. "Ugh." She groaned. Lajjan leaned over slightly, glancing down at her. "Are you well?" Sofia shook her head. "No. I think that potion I used to restore my magicka is coming back to bite me."
She stood, dusting her lap off, then carefully focused magicka into her palms, making sure that the flow did not feel odd or out of place. She raised her hands and began casting Healing on herself; slowly the pains in her chest and stomach began to fade, and after a moment was awash with a sense of renewed vigor and well being. "Umbra." He turned to look at her. "Do you have any more potions that restore magicka?" He wordlessly pulled open his satchel, pulled out two bottles and tossed them to her. She caught them, thanked him, and uncorked them, drinking the contents. Upon feeling her magicka replenish, she turned to Lajjan and knelt in front of her, pulling off her bracers and gloves once more. "I'll finish healing you now, okay?" Lajjan nodded, and sat upright. Sofia raised her hands, and paused. "Do you mind undoing the front portion of your armour? If I can keep my hands as close to you as possible, you'll heal more efficiently." Lajjan nodded once more, and undid the various straps and loops that kept her armour tight against her body.
With a groan, she unfastened the last strap, and removed her armour. Sofia was surprised to see she was wearing nothing underneath the armour, and positioned herself in front of Lajjan, to obstruct the view from anyone else, then proceeded with the healing. She paid close attention to the area in need of the most healing, where the orc had struck her, and frowned upon seeing that part of her chest had caved in slightly. As she healed with one hand, she gently felt around the contusion with the other. Lajjan hissed in pain as Sofia brushed over a tender spot. "Sorry!" She whispered, and continued evaluating. From the look of it, Lajjan had several broken ribs, and her sternum might also be cracked, if not broken as well. She looked up at Lajjan. "I'm sorry. I'm going to focus the healing more intensely, and pop those bones back into place. It's likely going to hurt."
Lajjan sighed shakily. "Do what you must. This one is just happy to still be living."
Sofia nodded, then dual cast Healing on Lajjan's chest. She groaned in pain, grasping Sofia's shoulder and squeezing tightly, a series of pops and cracks emanated from her chest as the bones mended and pushed themselves back into place. Her sternum suddenly cracked very loudly, eliciting a pained gasp from her, as the caved in section of her chest suddenly popped back out, restored to its original state.
S'vashni approached Umbra, nudging the back of his shoulder with his scabbard. "Here." She handed the sword to him. He nodded in thanks, belting it once more. He turned to look at her, and noticed she was still grasping her shoulder. "Is it broken?"
"Perhaps. This one is not sure." She replied, huffing at the cold.
He pulled off his gauntlet and readied his healing spell, when she pulled away slightly. "This will heal on its own. I don't need your magicks." Umbra frowned. "And if it is broken, it will impede your ability to fight correctly, and distract you if and when we enter battle again. It will not set and you will not be able to attain a full range of motion. Was it not you who said 'A sudden pain is a distraction that could cost you dearly'? Now stop being stubborn and allow me to heal you." S'vashni muttered something, which Umbra could have sworn was: "Mate with them one time and suddenly…" He reached for her shoulder and began to undo the bindings, until finally pulling off the leather pauldron, exposing her shoulder. He caressed it tenderly, earning a pointed glare from S'vashni. "I'm checking to see if the socket is broken, calm yourself." He smiled devilishly. "It could be so, if you desire it once I'm done." S'vashni said nothing, looking away, then suddenly raised her heel and brought it down on Umbra's toes, hard. He winced, but grinned and continued his ministrations. After a couple of minutes, he brought his palm over her shoulder, focused his magicka and cast Healing Hands on her. She grunted slightly as the spell went to work, popping various fragments of her shoulder socket back into place and repairing the damage done by the warhammer. He pulled his hand away, finished, and handed her the leather pauldron. "Here. It is done."
She took the pauldron and leaned against a nearby tree, fastening it back on. Umbra chuckled, then walked over to Lydia, who was seated on a piece of wall that had come loose from the fort. She was busy unbuckling various pieces of her dragonbone armour, setting them on the ground and cleaning them. She looked up and gave him a tired smile. "Yes, my Thane?" He sat with a groan next to her, watching S'vashni pull out a whetstone and sharpen her sword. "And you, Lydia? Are you well? Have you healed sufficiently?"
She nodded. "Enough. I'm not in as bad of a shape as I was before, and certainly not as bad as poor Lajjan." She turned to look at her, eyes saddened. "We nearly lost her today." Umbra nodded. "Aye. That we did. But we did not. Sofia came through." She turned back toward Umbra. "What happened earlier was an accident. You know she did not intend it." He sighed, watching as the vapor rose from his lips and faded into the sky. "Of course I know she did not intend it. But it was careless of her. Had I not been around, or too injured to heal you, we could have had a fatality today." He shook his head, frustration raising his hackles. "Carelessness is inexcusable in a fight. Especially when others are relying on you." She gently placed a hand on his, squeezing it. "My Thane." He continued to look down. She placed her other hand on his cheek and turned it to face her. "Umbra. Not one of us here is perfect. Not even you. Accidents happen, and they can happen anywhere, not just in battle." He smiled sadly. "All of you are too precious to me. When I saw Lajjan fall I…" He stopped and looked away, fighting back the surge of emotions that threatened to overtake him. He took a deep, calming breath and continued. "When I saw Lajjan fall, when I saw you battered and bloodied, it made me realize just how much I have come to care for all of you. Even S'vashni. The four of you are the closest… No, the four of you are my family." He squeezed her hand in return. "I'll not be too harsh on her." Lydia nodded with a soft smile. "Good."
Umbra and company settled for a while longer, allowing themselves to heal fully and regain their vigor. They re-equipped their armour, gathered their belongings and loot, and left Fort Greymoor behind. After several miles of hiking and light jogging, they made it to the Giant's lair; minutes after going in however, they all ran out, being chased by a very naked, and very angry Redguard woman.
"I've heard of some women having kinky fantasies, but that's too much for even me!" Yelped Sofia as she dodged an oncoming rock from the Redguard. Umbra only gulped and nodded with wide eyes as he sprinted, unable to unsee what was witnessed in there, and feeling very inadequate, compared to the Giant's "club".
They continued along their path, stopping by the Redguard woman's husband's farm to express their condolences, to which the farmer began sobbing, believing her to be dead.
"It's better, I think, if he believes her dead. If he learned the truth, well..." Explained Umbra as they walked down the dirt path, away from the farm. Lydia shook her head silently, still trying to process what she witnessed; S'vashni shrugged, Sofia snorted and cackled while Lajjan simply stared.
Finally, after several more hours of running, hiking, weaving in and out of forests, taking down a dragon along the way and a pit stop to fence their goods in Falkreath, they arrived at their destination; the southern gates of Skyrim, just beyond Southfringe sanctum. It is here that the fate of Skyrim, the fate of Umbra, and the fate of his companions would be changed forever.