“It's not as big as I thought,” Aela murmured back. “I can see one by the gate, three more on the battlements. Hit them hard and fast, we can be inside before you know it.”
“Good enough for me. All right, Shield-Siblings, you heard her. Two on each one, Aela with me, Farkas, you're with Avulstein, Vilkas, you're with Ria. Athis and Shevawna, watch each other's backs, Shevawna, be ready with any magic you've got handy.”
“Kill one quick, I might be able to raise them,” Shevawna said, recalling Anise's lessons. There was a definite shiver round the group, only Athis seeming unbothered.
“Where in the name of Talos did you find her?” Avulstein muttered.
“Never you mind,” Skjor told him. “Tactically, not a bad thing to do at all.”
“Just morally repugnant,” Vilkas growled, glaring at her and probably hoping she'd fall first. As if.
“Just don't raise me if I die,” Skjor said, reaching for his weapons. “Are we all ready? Good. To arms, Companions! FOR JORRVASKR AND CLAN GREY-MANE!”
They broke cover, four screaming Nords charging the Thalmor down, Aela moving off to the side to start shooting, while Ria ran after Vilkas, howling as loud as any Nord.
“Ready, n'wah?” Athis asked, producing his bow and taking aim at the nearest Thalmor.
“Always,” Shevawna answered, casting her armour, summoning a flame Atronach, then breaking cover, firing off Ice Spikes at any Altmer within range.
The guards were soon overwhelmed, and then it was inside the Keep, encountering Thalmor in twos and threes, no one really bothering with stealth, but with four big Nord warriors to take the flack, Shevawna found it didn't bother her. So she hung back, casting ranged Destruction spells instead and shouting abuse in Rhanic at them, feeling perversely pleased at the confused look on the faces of various Justiciars as they saw her and tried to work out why a Forsworn warrior was helping a bunch of Nords. That usually proved fatal as Vilkas or Farkas invariably took advantage of the distraction and carved them in two. Damnit but those twins were good, Vilkas in particular darting in and out before they even knew he was there, faster in his heavy armour than the elves were in light.
Damn it. But just because he was skilled didn't mean Shevawna had to like him and she certainly was in no way impressed.
So it was they bloodied their way through the entire Keep until they finally got to the prisons. Off to the right were the cells, various prisoners moaning and groaning.
“Is he in there, do you think?” Ria whispered.
“Don't know but there's only one guard,” Athis murmured.
“Leave him to me,” Aela said quietly, nocking an arrow to her bow and shooting the Thalmor through the throat before anyone else could react. “Right, that's him done, Ria and Athis with me, let's see who's in there. Rest of you watch our backs.”
The three of them had just crept off when a scream of pain echoed from the left hand passage.
“THORALD!” Avulstein roared, recognising his brother anywhere. Skjor cursed but with cover broken, he had no choice but to order Shevawna and the twins to follow him.
The robed Justiciar facing them was rather tougher than previous opponents, flame cloak going and fireballs sending Avulstein and Vilkas staggering back, and even Farkas finding it hard going. Shevawna whispered a prayer to Sithis and dived past the elf's magic with a ward up, going unnoticed until she got close and then she unleashed her own shock magic, and a little surprise of her own. Croen Y Davrha – Skin of the Dragon, the secret weapon that would absorb hostile magic and fuel her own magicka, and while her shock spells weren't the strongest, they'd keep his magicka low while hers just kept on recharging from his spells. The Thalmor fell to his knees, clearly wondering why his fireballs weren't harming her – and then Vilkas had sprung forward and carved the bastard into two, blood and innards flying everywhere as the Thalmor's magic died with him.
Shevawna lowered her hands, stepping away from the pooling blood.
“I had that under control,” she snapped. Vilkas just shrugged.
“Maybe. But it's always best to kill them quickly, hmm? Especially when you have an innocent man to rescue.”
Re: Blood (Magic)'s Honour 4.8
“Good enough for me. All right, Shield-Siblings, you heard her. Two on each one, Aela with me, Farkas, you're with Avulstein, Vilkas, you're with Ria. Athis and Shevawna, watch each other's backs, Shevawna, be ready with any magic you've got handy.”
“Kill one quick, I might be able to raise them,” Shevawna said, recalling Anise's lessons. There was a definite shiver round the group, only Athis seeming unbothered.
“Where in the name of Talos did you find her?” Avulstein muttered.
“Never you mind,” Skjor told him. “Tactically, not a bad thing to do at all.”
“Just morally repugnant,” Vilkas growled, glaring at her and probably hoping she'd fall first. As if.
“Just don't raise me if I die,” Skjor said, reaching for his weapons. “Are we all ready? Good. To arms, Companions! FOR JORRVASKR AND CLAN GREY-MANE!”
They broke cover, four screaming Nords charging the Thalmor down, Aela moving off to the side to start shooting, while Ria ran after Vilkas, howling as loud as any Nord.
“Ready, n'wah?” Athis asked, producing his bow and taking aim at the nearest Thalmor.
“Always,” Shevawna answered, casting her armour, summoning a flame Atronach, then breaking cover, firing off Ice Spikes at any Altmer within range.
The guards were soon overwhelmed, and then it was inside the Keep, encountering Thalmor in twos and threes, no one really bothering with stealth, but with four big Nord warriors to take the flack, Shevawna found it didn't bother her. So she hung back, casting ranged Destruction spells instead and shouting abuse in Rhanic at them, feeling perversely pleased at the confused look on the faces of various Justiciars as they saw her and tried to work out why a Forsworn warrior was helping a bunch of Nords. That usually proved fatal as Vilkas or Farkas invariably took advantage of the distraction and carved them in two. Damnit but those twins were good, Vilkas in particular darting in and out before they even knew he was there, faster in his heavy armour than the elves were in light.
Damn it. But just because he was skilled didn't mean Shevawna had to like him and she certainly was in no way impressed.
So it was they bloodied their way through the entire Keep until they finally got to the prisons. Off to the right were the cells, various prisoners moaning and groaning.
“Is he in there, do you think?” Ria whispered.
“Don't know but there's only one guard,” Athis murmured.
“Leave him to me,” Aela said quietly, nocking an arrow to her bow and shooting the Thalmor through the throat before anyone else could react. “Right, that's him done, Ria and Athis with me, let's see who's in there. Rest of you watch our backs.”
The three of them had just crept off when a scream of pain echoed from the left hand passage.
“THORALD!” Avulstein roared, recognising his brother anywhere. Skjor cursed but with cover broken, he had no choice but to order Shevawna and the twins to follow him.
The robed Justiciar facing them was rather tougher than previous opponents, flame cloak going and fireballs sending Avulstein and Vilkas staggering back, and even Farkas finding it hard going. Shevawna whispered a prayer to Sithis and dived past the elf's magic with a ward up, going unnoticed until she got close and then she unleashed her own shock magic, and a little surprise of her own. Croen Y Davrha – Skin of the Dragon, the secret weapon that would absorb hostile magic and fuel her own magicka, and while her shock spells weren't the strongest, they'd keep his magicka low while hers just kept on recharging from his spells. The Thalmor fell to his knees, clearly wondering why his fireballs weren't harming her – and then Vilkas had sprung forward and carved the bastard into two, blood and innards flying everywhere as the Thalmor's magic died with him.
Shevawna lowered her hands, stepping away from the pooling blood.
“I had that under control,” she snapped. Vilkas just shrugged.
“Maybe. But it's always best to kill them quickly, hmm? Especially when you have an innocent man to rescue.”