The Ebony Renegades (Skyrim)

chapter forty eight

(Yamma pov)

As I rode up towards the orc's stronghold of Nazulbur I made careful certain to make sure that I didn't lead any unwanted dangers to the stronghold whether it be wolves, ice wraiths, or bandits I didn't want to take any chances and endanger my kinsman. As I rolled up closer I was able to see a watchtower on the left-hand side outside the gate and another one just inside the gate where an orc female wearing fur armor called out to me. "Hail champion of Malacath your kin bid you welcome to our stronghold." The orc woman said as she opened the gate to let me inside. As I entered on my horse she walked alongside me I saw the butchery where a dead deer was lying on a table next to the alchemist who was saying something about the chief's wives having tragedies which caught my attention. Making a mental note to ask about that later I got off of my horse before picking up the large bag off of his back slinging it over my shoulder and walking along the path up to the Chief's longhouse. Approaching there was another orc woman in fur armor who was practicing against a dummy using an orcish war axe. And sitting next to the house was none other than the chief himself, Chief Mauhulakh He was wearing a set of studded armor with a single orcish battle axe. "Champion of Malacath, I'm Chief Mauhulakh I bid you welcome to my stronghold what brings you here?" Chief Mauhulakh asked as I took off the bag from my shoulder and laid it down in front of him. "Honorable Chief Mauhulakh I have come bringing gifts for you and your tribe." I spoke as I unrolled the bag revealing multiple sets of orcish armor, orcish plate, and orcish scale armor as well as weapons and shields. "By Malacath, these items are truly extraordinarily well made I must ask who is the blacksmith responsible for creating these?" Hearing him praise the items that I made and that Gentu enhanced made me smile. "That would be mine and my smith brother's handiwork." I said as Chief Mauhulakh smiled and summoned the other members of his tribe. The orc woman who met me at the gate whose name I learned was Yatul, the alchemist whose name was Bolar, the one who was training against the dummy with the orcish war axe was named Urag, and the blacksmith was called Dushnamub. "Where is Fiona?" Chief Mauhulakh asked as Dushnamub answered. "Last I saw of her Chief she was in Gloombound mine harvesting ebony and other ores for us." He said before I spoke up. "Chief Mauhulakh please permit me to go get her for you, take this time to equip your tribe this way they can be ready in the event of an attack." I suggested as the chief gave me a nod giving his permission to go. I smiled as I walked towards the entrance to the Gloombound mine I had to cross a rope bridge across a thirty-foot drop as I crossed the bridge I saw a single wagon with a bucket, a pickaxe, and a shovel in it as well as the blacksmith's workstation with a smelter right next to it. I walked up the path that led up to the Gloombound mine standing in front of the doors to the entrance of the mine I entered. As I walked down into the mine I looked to the left and saw a miner mining an ebony ore vein on my left however as I looked through I couldn't help but notice a gas-like vapor radiating on the one end so I backed off and looked for the one called Fiona I went up the middle path which led up into a 'T' section with more ebony ore I took an immediate right went through a tunnel where I met three more miners before coming out into another chamber where there was a wagon with three chunks of ebony ore inside. After a little while looking I couldn't find her however with all this gas down here I couldn't tell if it was dangerous or not so I made haste I walked back down and then took the path on the right where I found a female orc laying face down with a few rocks piled down on top of her. I quickly rushed over pulling the volendrung off of my back and smashing the rocks off of her causing the solid chunks of the earth the crumble into dust as I carefully dragged her out I looked up to one of the miners who in turn picked her up by her arms while the other one picked her up by her legs and led her outside to get some fresh air. Once we got outside I took her from the miner's grasp and carefully carried her back down over to where Chief Mauhulakh was when he saw who I was carrying the tribe's alchemist was summoned to check her out as I carefully took her inside the longhouse accompanied by the others as I carefully laid her on the bed on the left side of the longhouse and the first bed on the right-hand side and allowed Bolar look after her as Chief Mauhulakh invited me to sit in the main room and talk with him. "So who is she? She looks familiar to me somehow but yet I can't place her face." I said as Chief Mauhulakh smiled before crossing his arms over his orcish plate armor that I had made it made me happy seeing the chief of Nazulbur wearing something me and my smith brother made I felt a surge of pride rise in my chest. "Her family used to live in Largashbur about nine years ago, then after the incident with Chief Yamarz, she moved here, turns out the former Chief backstabbed her family and left them for dead and lied to her saying that they died in battle." I nodded in understanding as I knew first-hand how treacherous the former Chief of Largashbur was, considering he attempted to try the same thing with me back at Giant's Grove. That's when I remembered her, she was the one hiding around the corner by the longhouse during the whole thing. "I will tell you champion of Malacath, Fiona holds no ill will towards you that is why she has been pushing herself so hard for the last few years because she wants to make herself worthy of her parent's legacy, and she reveres you." Chief Mauhulakh spoke with a smile as Bolar exited. "She will be fine she has a sore leg but other than that she'll be back on her feet after a few hours of rest." Bolar said as she left the longhouse and went back to her shack where she had her alchemy table. After about a half hour of talking with him, we heard Fiona stirring in the room directly next to us as Chief Mauhulakh was about to get up to address her I put my hand on his shoulder silently telling him that I would do it. I rose to my feet and walked into the room as Fiona was attempting to sit up I carefully put my hand on her shoulder forcing her back down. "Easy there Fiona, just rest your well-being is more important than anything." I spoke as his eyes met mine as she spoke. "It's great to see you again champion of Malacath, I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help back in Largashbur I feel so ashamed of my cowardice." Fiona said as I shook my head and sat on the bed across from her. "You were young, you have nothing to be ashamed of but if you wish, I will train you a little bit." I offered as her eyes widened and she eagerly nodded. "I would be honored to have a duel against the champion of Malacath but in my current condition I fear I would only waste your time, give me a few minutes to get feeling back in my leg." Fiona said as she laid her head down on her pillow while exercising her leg to get feeling back in it for a few minutes then like a rabbit sprung up to her feet. "Alright I'm ready, I hope you're ready champion of Malacath because I'm going to give you a run for your septims!" Fiona declared as Chief Mauhulakh chuckled and spoke in an almost teasing manner. "Better watch yourself there, Fiona is a fierce fighter who clobbers bears for breakfast." Chief Mauhulakh warned as I smiled as the two of us went outside to have a dual. Fiona was a formidable adversary her orcish armor was that of her mother's as well as her orcish shield and orcish mace but it was her warhammer that caught my attention the most, more accurately how she maneuvered the warhammer as if it was but a toddlers toy. It looked like a normal orcish warhammer although I couldn't see any discernible differences from face value with how she maneuvered it with only one hand told me that this one was unique among other orcish warhammers. Deciding to shake those thoughts from my head and focus on the task at hand I took a stance pulling volendrung off of my back and prepared as I and Fiona circled each other gathering a crowd of the tribe to witness it I was caught off guard admittedly at the sheer speed she swung the warhammer at me. I barely managed to block it with the shaft of volendrung only to bash forward and attempt to take her legs out only for her to jump flipping backward using the head of the hammer as a push-off before landing on her feet about five feet away with an incredible display of agility. Putting her Hammer onto her back she switched to orcish shield and mace charging forward as I in turn put volendrung back over my shoulder and pulled out scourge and my dragonscale shield we exchanged blows blocking the other mace with our shields before parrying with our mace and so forth. Before I utilized a tactic that I picked up from the boss, I waited for her to bring her mace down as I caught it with the claw of scourge before twisting it disarming her and myself and causing our maces to fall to the ground before shield bashing her causing her to drop her orcish shield before I charged forward putting her into a headlock and then body slamming her and then putting the head of volendrung on her chest only for her to swing her legs upwards and roll onto her back and her feet and in one fluid motion twirled her orcish warhammer in her hand and did an uppercut which smashed into the torso of my dragonbone armor which I felt the impact from even through the thick bones. Then while I was stunned she took the time to throw the hammer at me causing it to collide with my helmet while I was dazed she rushed to recollect her orcish mace as well as scourge before dual-wielding them in a relentless flurry of strikes. However, I saw a way through her defense by utilizing a similar tactic that she used on me I jumped backward just as she was about to hit me before throwing volendrung at her but not at her head but rather at her legs the shaft of my hammer snatching her legs out from underneath her causing her to throw both maces up in the air in surprise which I quickly caught while she was on one knee and across to them both over her neck. "That is enough, as chief of Nazulbur I declare Yamma the victor." Chief Mauhulakh spoke as I returned Fiona's mace to her which she took putting it back on her hip and recollecting her shield and hammer. "You are very good Fiona, I see your Chief's praise of you was not exaggerated. You are truly excellent but you leave yourself open too much if you want something to work on." I said as I clamped scourge back onto my hip and volendrung back on my back. Fiona smiled before elegantly twirling her orcish warhammer and her hand before putting it back on her back. Just before I left to head back to base I asked her about the warhammer and about how she was able to wield it with such agility and accuracy. I learned it was called 'The Longhammer' and it was one of a kind because of the material it was made with along with the usual tricalcium which made it half the weight of a usual orcish warhammer. Bidding farewell to my fellow kinsman I rode back towards our main base with the rest of the crew.