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Elder Scrolls- A run with the Bad //Cheesy
Story Skyrim is in peace. The Empire has been driven out of skyrim for the time being leaving the stormcloaks in charge. Although this does not come without repercussion. The land is war torn, the stormcloak army weakened, and the Dragonborn although succeeded in his quest, the land is still haunted by the remaining dragons. This is the story of two people who got into the criminal jobs of skyrim. Two people from completely different backgrounds found themselves working for a man known as Telrav. A very wise, strong, and Nordic man, but incredibly paranoid. Their base was nestled within the Valtheim Towers. Although there were about fifteen of them living them. What they did not know was one of the fifteen was about to sell information to the guards of Whiterun. Our story takes place just the day before. At night is when the guards plan to attack. |
Life of a mage was both rewarding and challenging. But being born a Breton gave the small framed woman no choice. Among Nords, she was a child. In both size, and with the way she used a sword. It was true the woman could not slash her way from a paper back. But all was made up when it came to her knowledge of destruction and restoration arts. She had been trained at the mage's college. Although how well she was trained was in fact a mystery. How she even became part of the bandit trade was something of a legend. She was robbed blind by another group and left for dead. Still there was a fire in her, quiet literally. The second in command most certainly still has the scars. Telrav and his band of four at the time stumbled across her. She defended herself, quite well. Words were exchanged, and well three years later here she was.
The woman was none other than Alise. A very small Breton woman. She was about five feet tall and just under one hundred pounds. Seven pounds short in fact. But that did not mean she wasn't fit. Alise was average in this aspect. Skinny, and did not have much strength. Her hair was a blazing orange-red. It was tied into two french braids from the front of her face to the back. On her face and neck were very small symbols tattooed in harsh black lines. Her skin was on the lighter side, as were most Bretons. Although unlike most, her ears had an ever so slight point to them. She was still human in appearance, but in this little breton, you could notice the elvish blood coursing threw her veins. Her clothing was different than most mages, but the robes were just something she could not do anymore. Right now Alise was in her little section of the towers. Telrav did not truth her. He was a Nord, and the idea of having a Mage so close upset him. Alise had a feeling it was to do with his pride. But honestly he did accept her healing with open arms. In the towers, Alise was given a small area under the second tower. There was a set of stairs leading down to a basement. In the basement was an alchemy table, an enchanting table, a bed, and a chest. She leaned over the Alchemy table, working on a few potions. |
The Art of War. That was a Nord's way of life. All Nords were warriors by birth, and Tyrvinn was no exception. In fact, he was quite adept at fighting as most of his kinsmen were. He was young and a successful fighter, spending his time raiding and fighting like they all did in these war torn days. The only thing wrong with that was. . . he was an outlaw. A bandit to be precise. Not to mention an orphan like the rest of the group. And now was the second in command to the most famous group of bandits in Skyrim right now. The Wolves. They gained the name after a number of raids in which they had found the wolf armor that the now disbanded companions used to wear. Tyr and Telrav had particularly unique sets though. Telrav's armor was all white with a fur cape to match, obviously made from hide of a white wolf and Tyr's was the opposite. It was an interesting contrast almost mirroring the contrast between the two of them and their personalities, with Tyr's being all black and his lacked a sleeve on the right arm. The Nord never wore his helmet to battle though like some of his companions chose to do. He did not fear death and felt that a helmet was unnecessary, because if the Nine wanted him dead, he would die. So he told himself. It was late morning and Tyr had been wide awake for a while now but since they only did raids at night, he was in no hurry to get up. They had plenty of food and he could cook for himself or he could have Alise do it. The two of them were quite close in comparison to how the other acted around her. She was a bit of an outcast in the group because she was Breton, but what really made her stand out was that she was a mage. Most Nords had a natural aversion to magic which made her seem repulsive in ways but many of the others had warmed up to her and accepted her at the very lease because she'd proven to be a valued asset. Finally deciding to get up, the darker skinned Nord stood to his full height of six feet. He was well built at his height and pure muscle. He had strong facial features with long wavy black hair that fell to his shoulder blades and silver-blue eyes in stark contrast to his hair. Slipping into the lower half of his armor he stood up and walked over the bucket of water at the foot of his bed next to his chest and washed his face. He had shaved a few days ago so he was clean shaven but that had been to help them succeed in one of their raids. His mind wondered to Alise and what she was doing. Likely to be in her tower diving into something magical. Tyrvinn didn't fear magic or think it was evil. This was probably why he got along so well with the Breton. After washing most of the muck from last night off of his face he exited his room and made his way down the corridor toward his Breton friend's tower. |
Alise worked hard to crush down a few of the herbs before setting them in water. They would need time to soak before she would finish them up. It was a morning ritual for Alise. Rarely she went along for raids. Telrav felt she was too unpredictable. And Alise could not carry as much as the Nords. So before they would leave, she would stock them with potions. Or would come into the scene after to burn up what needed to be burned. The Wolves, the scary part, they left no trace. People just disappeared without a trace. It was one of the reasons they were so powerful.
Alise finished up in a matter of thirty minutes. Her stomach though proved she was hungry. With most of the bandits still sleeping, Alise headed upstairs. Every morning she awoke early, and every night she would not sleep until very late. But she honestly functioned better on just two to four hours of sleep. It was a mystery about the woman. But it just worked. She climbed the ladder out of her little section into one of the bedrooms. It was fairly large and two of the other bandits were sound asleep on their beds. Alise crept out, heading to the staircase to bring her into the larder. There she grabbed an apple, and a knife before heading outside. She began to slice the apple as she took a seat. Overlooking the waterfall and river below. It was a beautiful place they had set up in. Much better than cave systems, or old shacks they used to use for temporary housing. At this time, the pinks in the sky were almost gone, showing it was about eight in the morning. Man was it early. In front of her, the fire flared to life. No movement from Alise at all. It was a bit chilly outside for the Breton's taste. So the little bit of fire would help. up on the long bridge she could see Tyrvinn awake. Like her, the man just seemed to never sleep. She liked his company, although he asked her thousands of questions about her magic. Everything from how it worked, to what kinds there were. Even her time at the college. In truth, Alice was always a bit sketchy about her time at the tower. She did attend, that was true. For six years in fact. Although even before she lived in High Rock. There she was trained as a child. Schooling and such. She went to the college to look at the library, and to learn form some of the best. The original plan was the travel and learn. But visiting Skyrim, and learned to love the land. Found it to be rugged, and excitetly what she needed. Too simple right? While at the college, it came to be the public knowledge that they had found a powerful artifact. That was little over four years ago though. Everyone knew Alise attended while the artifact was there, but did not dare to ask further. Alise had to wonder if having a curiosity in magic was showing a sign of weakness to Nords. Either way, she waved to him from her seat. Wondering if he was coming for personal talk, or if their boss had more housekeeping for her do. Luckily Alise got out of most of the cleaning, since there were about four other women. |
As he exited the door of his tower, he noticed that Alise was sitting outside munching on an apple at the other end of the bridge that connected the two towers. It held a beautiful view of Skyrim's countryside. A waterfall, as well as the plentiful forests that surrounded the keep and kept them hidden from plain view. In fact the outside of the keep was so overrun with vineyard from years of no use that it looked abandoned. It was fortune that had brought them upon this place. They had originally been based in a bear cave not far from Riften but that had gotten them attacked by beasts on many occasions and they ran into other bandits looking to set up camp at night far too often. So when they had been wandering through the forest and mountains and found this place, it had been a "blessing from the Nine" as Kili (one of their female companions) believed. He waved back at Alise as he strode quickly across the area and met up with her. "Morning Alise. An early rise as usual I see." He enjoyed the company of their mage. She was intelligent, and had studied the art of magic for most of her life as far as he could make out from their conversations. It was sort of frowned upon for a Nord to use magic, but if they were masters of battle then Tyrvinn only saw magic as another means to an end. Magic could kill a man just as fast if not faster than any blade if wielded with the same intent and precision. And although they had had many conversations about magic, he still had yet to ask her to teach him a spell. There were a few barriers holding him back. Pulling up a stool next to the small Breton he finally took a seat. "I know I pester you about this subject often, but I have another question about magic. . . If you will humor me again, that is." This was their usual morning conversation. Alise was the only person whom he could talk to about this in the open and even still they had to do it when they were alone, namely early mornings, so not to garner scoffs and stares from their companions who almost all seemed to look down on magic with much contempt. It was the silent bond that they had formed under the radiance of the morning sun while the other Wolves slept. As he glanced over at the little woman, Tyr had to stifle a snicker. If the two of them would look quite the sight in a town. He was about a foot taller than her and at least twice her weight and was full muscle without an ounce of fat. It was an entertaining thought. |
The giant of a man came to join her around the fire. Being small was something she had grown quiet used to. Well, after all it was Skyrim she lived it. It was not like Alise had much of a choice. They had an interesting relationship. Everyone could see that. At first Alise was a bit insulted he would only show interest in magic when they were alone. But soon came to understand why. It was early in her learning of Nord culture. She had lived in towers all her life with other mages. Getting out very seldom. Still, as the second in command he needed to be very strong. Otherwise others may start to ridicule him instead of respect him.
Plus it had it bonus. Alise overheard him defending her multiple times. To everyone, especially new comers. She reached up to push a bit of hair from her face. Really showing the lines of her tattoo marks. The people of skyrim would not know the meaning of them, but each mark stood for her mastery of a certain branch. It was a Breton tradition. Or at least where she was from. It was a fading tradition sadly. "Every morning before the sun touches the sky." Alise said with a smile. She had woken up early that morning to take a bath down in a cave nearby. Not that you could tell by her already dry hair. Plus Alise always tended to stay clean. A habit from once again living in towers. "Only if you leave my size alone." Alise said, noticing his little snicker. Even though he had tried to hide it. She could tell by his eyes. "Go ahead Tyrvinn, you know I love humoring you." |
"I promise to leave your height out of it," he said with a lighthearted chuckle. Then as his gaze shifted back to the morning sky, it grew a bit more serious. This question was one that he'd been wanting to ask for a while but for some reason it just wasn't easy, "How do you know if you have an. . . Affinity, for magic?" Honestly he wondered how she would take it. He wasn't going to ask her to teach him but there was a small part of him in the back of his mind that wanted to see if he could learn should he change his mind some day. Then before she had a chance to answer he added, "And you should learn to wield a blade some day. It might save your life." He'd tried to convince the petite woman to at least learn a little sword play just in case but she was adamant that her magic was more than enough to sustain her. Which was something he didn't doubt. He still had a few burn scars from the first time that they'd met. Mage's were frightening creatures if you didn't get them before they started casting. Magic truly is powerful and Alise clearly embodied how powerful it could be, even in that little frame of hers. It had been a routine raid. Probably a little over a year now, back when Soldvac, Tyrvinn's adoptive father, was still alive and the leader of their bandit crew. A group of bandits had raided a small farm on the outer edges of Riften just before they'd gotten there. There had been rumors going around that the family there were hiding a small fortune and some powerful treasure somewhere on the farm. So naturally, they'd gone to check things out. At the time, their numbers were low from another assault they'd done a few days ago and there weren't any new members to fill the gap yet, so Tyr had been tasked to take three people with him and raid the farm. The sight they arrived to wasn't what he'd quite expected. There were dead bodies everywhere outside and the farmhouse door was open, so Tyr ordered the two men to go check it out while he and Kili examined the bodies. It was pretty obvious that most of them had been killed by magic save the three bodies of the farming family. Then suddenly, he heard the screams of his men coming from the house as flames flared across the doorway. Immediately, he jumped up and dashed for the house and commanded that Kili stay put. Having dual swords as his choice of battle gear didn't bode well to him since he had nothing to block with, but despite his size, Tyrvinn was surprisingly fast. He would have to rely on that if this turned into a fight. . . (Feel free to add your own little tidbit to the story if you'd like, but you don't have to ^_^) |
Even at the mention of her lack of height, Alise gave him a face. One that could possibly threaten another man. But not Tyr. He was used to that look. She continued to munch on her breakfast. Slicing a bit of apple off with the knife, and popping it into her mouth. He asked a question than seemed to have more behind it than he let on. Tyr was always curious about magic, but never had he asked her such a question. "Honestly, I'm not quiet sure how to answer that question. For me, it was weird for a Breton to not be able to use magic. But I believe it starts with a small sign. Some hear the thoughts of birds, others light their mother's hair on fire minutes after being born." At that last statement, Alice even pointed to herself. "That's one way. Another is to have a very powerful Mage sense it in you. And from there do small exercises to see if your able to activate it more." Alise said. She was looking at him. Hoping she answered his question.
Alise did not have the age most of the elder Mage's had, but she had felt something inside of Tyr, not something she was going to mention. He brought up her using a sword again, which made Alise scoff and shake her head. "The point is to not let anyone with a sword near me." She crossed one leg over the other. "Tell you what, the day I the art of the sword is the same day you can cast a fire ball right over my head." She smiled. Being surrounded by warriors, Alise had thought of it. But hell, she could not even lift a sword without trouble. Alise was not weak though. Her body was formed in a more spiritual way. Shooting a basic fire ball.. she could describe it as punching a wall sometimes. The shear force of a basic spell sometimes. - Alise had been going threw a rough couple of days. She had left the mages college in the middle of the night. The artifact they had found had begun twisting and playing with the mind of one of the headmaster. In the matter of a few weeks, three murders had taken place. One night there was a huge commotion, and it was found the headmaster was using the artifact to collect mage souls. The rest of the teachers and the students began to fight him. At the cost of two teachers and several more students. Alise followed a lead from a book she had been reading about the artifact, bringing back a weapon with enough power to stop the artifact. She was able to defeat the headmaster. But not without nearly killing herself in the process. Her body was completely black and blue, even most of her bones had problems. The following week, she was offered the position as headmaster of the school. Her training was complete as of that day. But Alise turned it down, leaving that night, even in her condition. After a couple of days on the road, a team of bandits came and stole everything she had. Knocking her out and leaving her. Alise ran. Wolves on her tail. She attacked back, but was quickly draining her mana. There in the woods she collapsed. That was when the farmer family found her. Although she had not known them for more than half a day, they figured her quite strong to be out in the woods by herself. They asked her to retrieve something in a cave. A chest the family owned. The problem was the bear blocking it. Alise did just that, but when she returned found the family slaughtered. The bandits were leaving when Alise attacked them. Killing them right there. It was luck the Wolves happened to stumble across her at that time. She was quiet in the house, but when two of them entered, she attacked. Incinerating them where they stood. The second of the two just barely was able to turn around. Alise downed a mana potion quickly as she noticed another running towards the house. This man larger. Alise honestly wondered if she was about to die. She was still feeling the effects of the battle with the headmaster the week previous. Plus the recent ware. The little mage was having a tricky time. She decided to psych him out. As the large man entered, Fire circled up her arms. She figured this had to be the leader. "Leave, there is nothing more here for you except death." The flames from the most recent dead bandit, the same one in Tyr's group, had just finished burning out. ((Lol, I certainly did!)) |
"I see," was all he could muster for a reply as he pried the knife and apple from Alise's little hands. He cut off a quarter of the apple then returned it back to its original owner ignoring the piercing glare he knew he'd be receiving but she would get over it soon enough. That was just another quirky part of their relationship. They were obviously close to each other since Tyrvinn had went out of his way to stand up for Alise on several occasions. He'd had to argue with every member of the of the group at least once, and always has to argue with newcomers regularly for a few days until they see her work. It was tedious but since he was the one who brought her back, he was the one who had to keep her safe. So to speak. Mainly arguing her worth. He laughed at her reply to his offer, knowing that she would refuse, but it was still worth a try. Tyrvinn tried to make it so that he did not limit himself in any way, but with him not being sure whether or not he could use magic then he wasn't sure whether he was limiting himself but that was something he'd chosen to leave alone for the time being. "If you won't wield a sword then why be proficient with a dagger? I can teach you that much. Then I'd feel ever so slightly better and could try to convince Telrav to allow you on raids with us." As Tyrvinn entered the room he looked to the source of this carnage, rage clear in his eyes. He was furious, and he could fight better if he didn't have to worry about Kili getting killed in this mess. He looked down at the two bodies as the flames snuffed out and left nothing but scorched bodies in its wake. "Who are you," he demanded through his teeth. He needed this time to come up with a plan, but blood would be repaid with blood. That was was the one code of the Wolves. If she had been unprepared for his attack, killing her would be no problem but since her flames were already crawling up her arms she was definitely ready for him. She had hunched herself up in a corner leaving him only one direction to attack from. Smart. But it also meant she wouldn't be able to escape if he got in close. He would have to risk it. Or there was another option. . . |
He stole her apple. She could not believe he did such a thing. As quickly as Alise stood up to go get another, and to possibly kill him, He returned it back to her. A quarter of it gone. She was not surprised though. It wasn't like she made breakfast that morning. Which most of the time she did. Then Tyr would eat most of it. Better than going to waste she guessed. Alise sat back down as he continued to harass her about the value of her learning a weapon. "I have yet to see a ball of fire Tyrvinn." She said in response to him. She was looking forward, but watching him out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing his face though made her sigh. He brought the subject up more times than she could count, but each time she refused. "A dagger would be useless in a sword fight. Do nords make short swords?" She asked him out of curiosity. Although that may involve going into town and buying one. Something bandits did very rarely. Since he doubted they had one. "I will try and learn how to use a dagger for the time being." Alise agreed finally. Finishing up the apple she stood up and tossed it into the water fall. Some creature would finish it up. - "A Mage." She said like he hadn't noticed. He backed up one more foot, feeling the wall at her back. All she needed to do was kill him. Or at least get around him to run. Where she would go Alise had no idea. But it was not back to that tower. That was for sure. She suddenly felt a burning shock go up her body. Her none stop casting was catching up with her. Her flames died down a second, but shot right back up. She was not going to die here. |
The Nord simply laughed off her sarcastic response. That was one thing that made him so easy to get along with and why almost all of the members of the Wolves came to talk to him about things. Whether they actually needed something or just wanted to talk. Tyrvinn was really easy to get along with. He was almost always level headed and he had a good sense of humor and playfulness. Though when it was time to get serious he knew how to handle that as well. He was only twenty years old and he was probably the strongest fighter within the Wolves, though that was disputable between him and Telrav, and he was easily the most popular member of the group. Everyone got along with him pretty well, because of his good-natured type attitude. Six months ago when Soldvac had died, most of the group thought that he would succeed his adoptive father, and it had been a shock when he relinquished that throne to Telrav. But he seemed to realize what others didn't. For one, Telrav was roughly fifteen years older than him with much more experience in life even if his personality was lacking in areas. Second, Telrav used to be a Commander for the Markarth guard and had plenty of experience leading whereas he was still learning. Lastly, Telrav could inspire fear in both his opponents as well as his allies. Tyr had always felt that to be a truly impressive leader you needed your followers to respect you more than fear you, but they needed to fear you to some extent to keep them in line. He did not inspire fear in any of his allies, unless it came to warfare. Tyrvinn rivaled the ferocity of a Dremora Lord when he was fighting. To his surprise, Alise actually agreed how to wield a dagger. This revelation brought a big smile to his face as he reached into his boot and pulled out a plain iron dagger. He flipped it so that he was holding the tip and the grip was pointing towards the Breton woman. "It's true for most that they shouldn't bring a dagger to a sword fight but a dagger can be a much more efficient killing tool than any sword if used properly and it will never be your main option. Just a back up," he explained as he waited for her to take the small blade. "The trick to using a dagger is killing your opponent swiftly. You want to make every strike a lethal attack or having it is useless. So for you, having a dagger could mean buying you enough time to finish an opponent off that got too close by stabbing them in the neck. Or maybe thrusting the knife into their kidney. You could even stab them in the foot to create a diversion and create space. The usefulness of this weapon is limited by your imagination," he finished as he tapped his temple several times. ----- This farmhouse was a wooden house. They didn't have anything stone to use as a shield in here so this fight would have to be quick and Tyr would need to close the distance immediately. The mage's smart ass remark only served to piss the Nord off even more. Then suddenly, the woman's flames died down for a second and he threw his left sword at her chest immediately and attempted to eliminate the space between them. Before he knew it the flames had been rekindled but Tyr felt that it had been just enough time for him to make his move. He would cut off the mage's head as soon as it reacted. |
Alise took the weapon as he held it out to her. She had one herself, but that was used for cutting ingredients. Or spells. That was rare though. She looked at the blade. Looking at all the little notches in it. Turning the blade over she realized something. It was melted. This was the same blade that he held up to her neck all those years ago.
Alise moved quickly to avoid the sword coming for her. But she did not move quick enough. The sword grazed her shoulder, cutting about two inches deep. It stuck into the wall with her attached. She Pulled down, freeing herself, but not before she noticed Tyrvinn running towards her with his other sword. Quickly she summoned her most powerful spell. Firestorm, it was interrupted by Tyr as his sword struck the wall behind her. Alise luckily had dodged this time. Avoiding the attack to cut off her head. His sword had gotten cut in the wooden walls of the house. Before Alise could get away from the man though had pinned her to the wall with a dagger to her throat. Her feet were lifted from the ground as several items fell from her pockets. Gold coins and even a very decorated necklace hit the ground. They included the valuables the bandits had been looking for her. Alise had her hand on the dagger, attempting to melt the dagger. She had stolen the valuables in the end. Attempting to flee before she had been stopped. The man holding her against the wall appeared to have something to say. She appeared to have not heard a word he had just said. "This is the dagger you almost killed me with." She said, looking down at it before looking back up at Tyrvinn. She still had the scars from their battle. The one on her shoulder, and one across her fingers from where she gripped the dagger herself. |
Tyr looked at the dagger then back at Alise, no emotion showing and replied, "Yes it is. I always keep it with me." He said that as if it was just supposed to have been a known fact, like the sky was blue or that he was a Nord. There was nothing sentimental about it. Or maybe there was but he didn't know the significance that it held to him. Then with an eyebrow arched he asked, "Does it bother you that I still have it?" He remembered the scars he still carried from that meeting. . . ----- After cornering the woman through tactics and probably saving his own skin from an extremely frightening spell, Tyrvinn held his knife up to the woman's neck. "Where did you get all of this? And how?" The Nord was strong. Abnormally so, but it was his unsightly speed and agility couple with his freakish strength and ability to create tactics on the fly that made him seem God-like on the battlefield. It was rare that he even got touched in battle, and here he was right now feeling the effects of some burns. When she'd attempted that spell earlier, it was his quick thinking that had saved him. If he hadn't thrown his sword, she would have unleashed that spell on him and likely left him for dead. And for some reason, it excited him rather than mortifying him. Noticing that the woman was trying to melt the dagger he pressed it into her finger, "Cut the magic before you lose your fingers. Now answer my question," he asked with a deadly calm. His eyes were wide and had a feral look, almost resembling that of a wild animal. It was because of this that so many men seemed scared to fight him even before they crossed blades. A blessing of his. "If you give me an honest answer, I'll let you live woman. Oh, and you only get one chance. If I see that you're lying, and trust me I can tell, then I'll kill you here and take your treasures. But, like I said, if you can give me the truth I will honor my word and let you live." ----- "That dagger also saved your life. If I had no weapons left by the time I got to you then I would have just killed you instead of speaking with you. So you can thank that dagger at some point for keeping you alive," he said with a small grin. |
"No, its doesn't bother me. I just was surprised. Its dull on one side now." It made Alise think this probably was not his only back up weapon now after their fight. He probably had a few more on his body now at all times. Just in case he was ever in a situation like that again. But it was only an assumption. Tyrvinn would also never give her a straight answer. His entire demeanor changed as she mentioned the dagger, he seemed a bit more distant. But not so far away. One thing Alise brought out of that battle was the large scar on her shoulder. It was actually her first real sword wound. One that left a scar so ugly. She surprisingly liked it now though. It had history.
- Alise was struggling to breath under the might of the man. He was crushing her already bruised body. Her magic cut completely when he threatened to cut off her finger. Well, if she was to die, now would be the time. She looked into his eyes. Pausing a moment before she answered. "There is a cave just up the road. Within it was a chest with the family's treasures. I cleared out the bears that infested the place and took the jewels. I also found many skeletons. I was on my way back to end their lives for sending me to my death in my current state. Pleading me with a sob story to match. I was going to take everything. When your group got (The first group) to them first. They attacked me on sight. Then you and the reinforcements came. And here we are now." She felt the dagger being pressed into her neck slightly, but her hand was blocking it from going in further. "I was going to sell them for what was beaten out of me days ago. After I found what every else they were hiding in this shack." - "In that case, thank you dagger." She said with a small smile. "Where and when would you like to train me?" Alise asked him. Wondering if it was alright to do it out in the open. Tyrvinn would need to prepare for the night to come. He overheard something important was coming up. Although ever since Telrav came to lead the group, she was obviously left out those details. Their old leader did not seem to mind the mage. And would in fact bring her on raids. But Telrav did not see her use. Found her to be too... unstable. Instead she was ordered to make potions, heal their wounds, and whatever else she was told to do. But instead of fighting the man, Alise just took it. It became an inner battle within herself. |
"That's what tends to happen to low grade metals when you put a good fire to them," he replied with a small grin. ----- Tyrvinn stared deep into her eyes as she answered probing for any sign that she would be lying and even pressed his dagger a little deeper towards her throat. No hesitation. No fear. No deception. It was all true. He could tell. People always gave themselves away if they were lying. He was surprised. Not that she didn't lie, but the fearlessness that she exhibited in the face of death. She was a Breton, but it seemed in that instant that she had the soul of a Nord. It honestly impressed him. Pulling his dagger away and lowering the woman to her feet, he pulled both of his weapons from their respective places on the wall and sheathed them. "The men who got here first weren't with us. We don't wear the same armor, and they were no more than common bandits," he told the woman. "What's your name Breton?" She had proven she deserved to live. More so than the men who died screaming like women when she attacked them. "Come with us. We'll clean you up and give you a roof over your head and food." He didn't wait for her to reply before he had turned around and headed out. . . ----- "We can use our free time during the mornings and I can instruct you wherever you are comfortable to learn. You state the place as now is the time." Standing up, the large male stretched. Maybe this little would be enough to get Telrav to open up a little. He'd tried speaking with him about allowing Alise to go with them on raids but for some reason he wouldn't budge. He had been on raids with her under Soldvac and had seen her power in action so it was hard to fathom why he was so sold on her not going. She was obviously a help to their cause but Tyr somehow felt that the only reason that she was still here was because of his presence. It was a sadly disturbing thought. |
Alise did not seem to hesitate when told the men were not from the same group. They were dead, therefore it did not matter. But when she was lowered to her feet, the effects of everything set in. But still she was able to walk. Tested after taking a few steps forward. Casting a bit of restoration magic on herself to give her just that strength she needed. "I am Alise from High Rock." She said to the nord while casting her little spell. It stopped though as she followed him out. She was brought back to the camp where the wolves were located at the time. Alise pushed away help for the first few days. Not wanting to show weakness in the eyes of everyone. She soon learned otherwise.
The group was very caring for each other. They all watched out for one another. Even the leader, Soldvac seemed excited to have the little mage. Even at the lives of two of his men. It was days before Alise finally accepted to be cleaned up. And after that it was a blur for the woman. She was sure she was given something that would fore her to sleep, but no one confirmed it. And honestly now, she did not mind. "How about just the training yard we have in the woods?" Alise asked. It was not too far away, but it was a great place for them to just disappear to. Mainly because it was so quiet. Maybe of them retreated there when they needed some times alone. Alise included. Although she found down the river to be far better for her magic. Since she could just cast it into the water. |
Tyr nodded, "That's as good a place as any. I'll meet you there in a bit. I need to go grab some food from the room," he stated as his stomach let out a ceremonious howl. Standing up and casting a large shadow over the much smaller female, the Nord went back to his room quickly and grabbed a piece of venison and an apple and orange. Once he had scarfed down the apple within mere moments he went ahead and grabbed his swords so that he could practice his swordplay after he trained her with the knife. Had to stay sharp for their raid tonight. They had a meeting at dusk to discuss their strategy tonight, but Tyrvinn would worry about that when the time came. As he headed out to the clearing he could tell that the others were stirring a bit, but they still wouldn't get up until about midday at earliest. It was rare for anyone else save Telrav to wake up any earlier than that. They had pretty easy lives with all things considered They could hunt freely. They didn't have to work or worry about providing for anyone other than themselves necessarily but because they treated each other with such respect everyone sort of functioned like a family. When they lost a member, everyone mourned that loss but they knew they had to move on. Some members even left after they'd collected enough gold and the only reason that was allowed was because it was made clear that if they were ratted out. The rat would be exterminated. Swiftly. And so far it had worked. Moving on from those thoughts as the raven haired man reached his destination where the mage was already waiting on him, he leaned his Orc-made blades against a nearby tree. "Did I make you wait long?" |
"Alright, sounds good." Alise said as she got up. Stretching a bit. Tyrvinn headed back into the two towers and across the bridge. Alise on the other hand started into the forest. Soon coming across the clearing with just a few minutes. In the clearing there were about four straw dummies, and three targets. Alise knew she would need to wait a little while before Tyrvinn joined her. In the time Alise decided to do a brain exercise. Grabbing a leaf, she set the middle on fire and sat down, holing the leaf. The point was to make sure the fire would not reach the outside. Which was easier said than done. It took a lot of concentration in order to keep it up. Once she had the one under control, Alise started another leaf. Then another, and another. In no time she had seven going at once.
While brain training, her mind wondered to another of their bandit friends. A new guy had shone up not too long ago. Someone Telrav seemed excited for. He was a tall skinny man by the nickname of Bone. He was not particularly good at anything, but had left just two days ago due to an emergency at home with his wife and child. Or so he said. Alise did not like the man very much, and since his coming she and him really got into it a few times. Alise nearly killed him from refusing to heal him after one of their fights. She was threatened by Telrav though.. of coarse. The brushed behind her rustled, but Alise noticed the sound of footsteps. After living together she came to recognize them. The leaves burst into flames as she got up. but the fire was small and controlled. "Not too long." She said. Noticing he brought his swords. She had practiced with him in the past. Mainly casting wards as he attacked her. Her wards were far stronger than most mages he would come across, so it helped for Tyrvinn to know how to get around them, and understand the ward. "I was not sure what to do, so I did a few exercises of my own." Alise told him. She still had the dagger Tyrvinn had given to her eariler which she took out. Ready for the first instruction. |
"Well I apologize for making you wait," he replied calmly. "Now, lets begin." Naturally, Tyrvinn started with the basics. He explained the strong and weak points of a dagger such as its piercing capabilities as well as its short length. He lectured her on where to strike her opponents, explaining that exposed areas around vitals were the best targets for a quick dagger thrust. He told her that since she was small it would be easy to act as if she was unarmed or fragile and catch people off guard for a quick kill. Aiming for the neck, wrist, or Achilles were her best bet if she wanted to end a fight quickly. He also went so far as to encourage her to use her imagination. If she were to come up against a man who was fully armored but his eyes were exposed then she should stab the bastard in the eye. Do anything to survive. It was the way of the dagger as he had been taught. As he explained things he made sure to show Alise the proper motions that went along with each strike. He showed her the various ways to grip a dagger and what each hold was for all the while having her mimic his motions and correcting her along the way. For example, he explained how a normal grip, or holding it like you would a sword or axe, was more effective at slicing than a reverse grip which was an effective way for a fatal jabbing thrust. As he had her practice, Tyr critiqued her hard, and the Breton was a smart woman. She caught onto the motions and the Nord even allowed her to practice her attacks on him- sitting down and without actual contact- where he placed the blade on the areas where she should aim so that she could connect the two. To say the least it was a very hands on training exercise. Tyrvinn was what most would see as an exceptional swordsman, and he was equally dangerous with two daggers in hand as he was with two swords. And he was very good at killing. It was an art to him, something that should be done beautifully and masterfully. He made sure to show that to Alise as he went over everything. Not that he was surprised but Ali had picked up everything fairly quickly. She would still need real experience before she was a stone cold killer with a dagger but the basics came to her quickly. By the time they had finished practicing, the sun was almost at its peak in the sky. Everyone would be waking up soon. Tyr did have to say he was impressed. He had given the woman quite a bit of information in one go and she had soaked it all up like a sponge. He supposed that was a natural trait of mages. They had to be able to pick up on simple logic and concepts then expand upon them at a moments notice. If that was how magic worked, it was no wonder that Ali was such a powerful mage. He still wondered just how powerful she was. "Good job. We're done. The rest is mainly experience and imagination. I think you understand that killing is done with your mind first then talent and execution following it. So there's really nothing more for me to teach you. You just have to practice and put it to use. Once you've killed a few people with the dagger it'll all come together instantly." His piercing blue eyes met hers and he gave her a big childish smile, "I'm impressed with you. I'll be your practice dummy from here on out while you need one. I was thinking tomorrow we could run some live situations to kind of help you get a feel for things. Think you can handle it?" |
Alice had expected the training to be tricky, after all magic came easy, but holding a weapon properly was the hard bit. She grew tired quite fast. There was a ton of movement after all. Making it very tricky for her. Luckily Tyrvinn was very patient. Offering her tips, making her improve as the day drew on. He taught her many ways to survive, including stabbing someone in the eye if necessary . Anything to knock them off balance. GIving her the moment of an edge she would need to eliminate the target. At first it honestly made Alice very comfortable to be stabbing a dummy. It made her uncomfortable period. She had no problem with killing. But all of her kills were always clean. No blood. Although burned bodies was now very clean. Alice did have to admit she was not too happy to being covered in blood. Along with being by herself for very long, it had just never happened.
The day drew on, and Alise did improve. Her movements became more fluid, and soon Tyrvinn had her practicing with two daggers. But the sun was high in sky, showing it was the rising time for the rest of the bandits. Their morning per say. Alice have to finish up her potions for the night to come. Tyrvinn claimed they were done for the day. Which then Alice fell back on the ground. She was truly fine. Worn out, but fine. Plus she was just being silly. Her chest rose and fell as she slowed her breathing back to normal. "It was fun." Alice said to him. Meeting his blue eyes with her own green. "Practice on you? that sounds like fun." Alise said with a smile. With the help of Tyrvinn she got back up. Dusting her outfit off. The two of them began to walk back. After they heard the low voice of Telrav calling for his second in command from just over the tree line. |
As the two of them started heading back, Tyrvinn could hear the sound of their Commander calling for him. "Seems Telrav is in need of my services already. Fancy that," he said with a smile and a wink. Going on ahead of Alise he was surprised to see their commander, who was fully dressed already, heading towards them as soon as he emerged from the edge of the forest. Telrav was a large man. Bigger than Tyrvinn when it came to muscle size though he was an inch or two shorter. He had long chestnut colored hair with feral dark brown eyes. He had a large and wild brown beard growing like a forest from his face. He also had a long scar going across his forehead from a battle long ago that no one save Soldvac knew anything about and a plenty of others along his body. All in all he was a pretty intimidating looking figure. "Tyrvinn. Have you already come up with our strategy for tonight? And where is that mage? She had better have all of our potions ready for tonight." The younger male smiled and gave the older a pat on the shoulder, "And a good morning to you too friend. Yes, I've already thought up a good strategy for tonight." Just as he was about to mention Ali she appeared from the brush, "Ah, and there is our mage. I was teaching her some of the nuances of a dagger in hopes that she might be more use to us than simply clean up duty and making potions." Telrav gave Tyr a deathly stare, "She will never go with us on a raid. That thing is too dangerous! And I refuse to trust anything that uses magic. Their minds work in ways normal folk could never fathom. So remove that nonsense from your head and meet me in my office. We have more to discuss." And with that he locked eyes with Alise, showing almost hatred towards her, before he turned around and walked away. Tyr let out a sigh as he glanced at Ali and gave her an apologetic shrug. It was well known to all that Telrav didn't hold any love for Ali or mages in general. He seemed to have a deeper rooted hatred for them than any of the rest of the members but what could they do? He was their leader. His rules were absolute. There was no democracy in the hierarchy. The two of them began making their way back to the fort together, "He will come around. Of this I have no doubt. He simply stubborn in ways that no one can understand," he told her. |
Alise slowed her steps as she could hear Telrav calling for Tyrvinn up ahead. She planned to come out of the forest just as Telrav was leaving. But she came out just as her friend mentioned training her. He was outraged. As expected. The idea of iving Alise more ways to killed a man seemed to make Telrav nerous. But once again se had pissed Alise off. He could not even look at her like a human. Well, to be fair she did have the ever so slight point to her ears from the elfish blood all Breton's carried. She also knew most nords hated elves. Making Alise public enemy number one to the leader. Still, she knew better than to speak up or anger the fearless leader. It would end with a fight. Something Tyrvinn would get in the middle of.
She stayed quiet. Even keeping her hands in plain view. He had called her out for that before. Claiming she was turning him into a frog or something. His eyes locked with her own. Alice held it until he finally turned away. Gods.. She wanted that man out of her life. Their previous leader had been much easier to work with. Tyrvinn joined her once Telrav went back inside. "Of that, you are right." Alise said. Saying no more on the subject. She had actually saved Telrav's life at least three times in the past. The last being just two months ago. He almost died from injuries. But Alice stayed up. Healing him for hours, being sure he was to live. It that did not wake the man up, she was not sure what would. maybe more time. "I should go finish up the potions for tonight. They should be almost ready." Alice said to Tyrvinn. "Thank you again for training me." She said, knowing he had to go and prepare for that night. |
The night came swiftly, and so did the time for the raid. Everything went as planned. It always did. They decided to raid Faldar's Tooth, a castle set upon a waterfall that had long seemed abandoned. Weeks prior to the raid, Tyr had sent Kili and several other scouts ahead to check the place out as it seemed that another bandit group had decided to move in and take up refuge there. The entire southeast around Riften belonged to the Wolves, and they intended to keep it that way. The raid went smoothly. Turned out Faldar's Tooth was an old prison, so they actually caught most of their enemies by surprise and killed them in masses. It was fairly easy, but there were a large number of them now. There were only ten Wolves to about thirty or so of their enemies. They were easily outnumbered but not outmatched. Once the fighting erupted, bodies dropped like flies. Those bandits were no match for them. They weren't very strong but they fought to the death brilliantly. That much about them was respectable. Once they had killed them all and loaded up all the plunder they could into their carriage outside, it was time to head back. The Wolves all laughed and talked about the raid carrying on merrily as they always did. Telrav, Tyrvinn and Kili were all deep in conversation about strategy and such when they simultaneously noticed. There were screams. Smoke. . . rising from the direction of the keep. Metal on metal. The clashing of blades. Telrav rallied them immediately, "Leave the plunder! Get back to the Towers now!" They obeyed. When the alpha wolf gave a command the rest followed its order without question. Tyrvinn ran ahead. He was faster than all of them. Kili was close behind. She was almost a fast as him. It had always been that way. They were the first two to arrive on the scene and notice Riften's town guard assaulting the towers. "Bastards! Kill them all," he growled instinctively. And as if in unison the howls of the Wolves could be heard far off in the distance. (Decided to leave you some room to say something before we jumped into the fray lol) |
After handing over the potions for the night, Alise had retired to her room. She was not sleeping, but more so hiding from the remaining recruits. She was not much in the mood to speak with them. At least for that night. Instead she had a magic book in her hand as she read over the pages. It was a book on illusion. Her second strongest school. Although that was lesser known to the bandits. Turning herself invisible was not needed very often. The bulk of the wolves had been gone for about three hours. Suddenly though she noticed something was off. Getting up, Alise headed upstairs. Looking over at the second tower, a group of guards came running out, slaughtering the night watch.
"Shit." Alise said as she saw the group heading over the bridge. She caste an illusion spell over herself. Making herself invisible. She needed to find the rest of the group. They were better in numbers. And as far as Alise could tell, the other four were over in the first tower. Opening the door, Alise avoided the first group as they headed into the second tower. The room they were inside, Alise lit ablaze. Cooking the guards and locking them inside of the room. Her attack though alerted the guards there was a mage present. As Alise crossed the bridge, Her spell wore off. A large group began to cross the bridge, and the group behind her amerged from the second tower. They were burned, but ready to fight to the death. Alise summoned forth her master spell, the same one she attempted on Tyrvinn years ago. Only this time, there was not inturruption. The storm of blaze circled out from her body. Spreading out and into the lines of guards. Pressing them off the side of the bridge and over the water fall. The remaining guards outside were cooked alive. Their bodies fell motionless to the ground. Alise held control of the spell for as long as she could, but the strain forced her to stop. That was when she saw the guard's hidden weapon. The Riften city mage. Normally city mages were nothing but researchers, but this man stepping out right away began to cast an adept level ice spell. Alise opposed him by casting a similar spell in fire. The two elements hit as the mages fought hard. The enemy lifted his second hand, dual casting. Just enough to knock Alise back. Once the spell hit Alise though, her body seemed to glow as her Breton trait kicked in. She absorbed the spell, firing incinerate back towards the mage. Knocking him back. She noticed a large group running back up the hill. It was the rest of the wolves. The distraction though earned her an ice spear shooting by her head. Just barely missing. On her other side she could see more guards. It seemed they had sent a large platoon to wipe them out. |
There was no time to think. It was time to act. Though in his mind Tyrvinn knew someone had sold them out. That would have to be taken care of after though. It looked like there was a whole platoon from the Riften guards here. They had only left ten men here to guard the towers, so the numbers were not in their favor. He wondered if any of them were alive. And where was Ali? Forcing all thought from his mind as he and Kili were the first to clash with the guards, in two strokes, two men were dead. He was furious. Outraged that these men had found them and been sent there to attack them lit a fire in his heart. Blood would be repaid in blood. The initial wave of guards were easily dispatched by them but he could only imagine how many more were in the towers. Telrav after catching up lead the charge. The towers were burning and there were dead bodies of allies and guards both on the ground. But to their dismay, there were at least twice as many guards as them and they had been waiting for them. The trap had been sprung. Now all they could do is fight or die. Tyrvinn dove into the fray. He clashed steel with the first guard he met then cut him down with his second swing. Ducking under the wide arc from a greataxe, he impaled the guard through the gut. Peeling his blade from the man's stomach with his foot. The next man was an experienced fighter. The two of them had a go for a few moments. He was an expert shieldsman. Going so far as to push Tyrvinn back a bit before losing his balance on a body and quickly being killed. Though, Tyr didn't notice at the time, the Wolves around him were dying slowly. They were killing off the guards simultaneously but all the people around him were dying, friend and foe alike. Once he had killed two more men, the fight seemed to be over. He still had no idea where Alise was or anyone else but he had to get out of the tower. It was about to collapse. When he got outside, the only one's he saw were Telrav and Kili. They were still alive. . . and covered in blood just as he was. Panting from exhaustion and barely being able to breathe in all that smoke, the young Nord dropped his swords as he fell to his knees. Everyone had died. It was a victory that no one would celebrate. Telrav had a grave look on his face, showing the fury that raged on in his heart. Turning around to look, the towers finally gave. They started to collapse inward. It would be the burial ground for one of the most famous groups of bandits to ever exist in Skyrim's history. And all that it took to down them was a platoon of guards and an invisible snake. "Blood will be repayed with blood. . ." |
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