The Ebony Renegades BOOK ONE

chapter seventy five

As Tully, Sabrina, Serana, and Myra were heading towards the bandit stronghold of Mistmatch to wipe them out due to the a few of them and getting a little too close to the base it was a risk they couldn't take so the four of them were dispatched to wipe them out. Vladbram, Bowen, and Zed had also been brought with them in order to break them in and give them a hands-on experience regarding the job since it wouldn't be just Thalmor and monsters they would be up against but everyday bandits so they would have to get used to taking a life. "Listen close you three, these people are your enemy, they are not your friend, if you give them the opportunity they will kill you. Sometimes to survive you have to kill it's cruel and hard but that is the way this world works." Tully said to them as they rushed in branching off Tully, Serana, going one way, Bowen and Vladbram going another way with Myra and Zed hanging back taking out the archers using their silver crossbow and zephyr respectfully. They rushed forward as a unit moving swiftly and efficiently taking out each bandit at a time although Bowen seemed to be holding back not wanting to kill them too painfully opting to go for the more quick and painless methods meanwhile Vladbram switch between using his dawnguard rune axe in conjunction with his crossbow in his other hand going for headshots and decapitations since his quarry was ninety nine percent of the time vampires he was using the methods he was most familiar with. After clearing out the bandits in the courtyard they made their way up to a tower and flipped a lever causing a drawbridge to come down as they crossed it they moved in a formation called the scorpion, the melee attackers in the front while The archers or rather the ones with ranged weapons in the back as they entered the northern Mistwatch Tower. As they entered the moldy Nordic Tower they walked through the hallway before hearing a man calling out and they immediately honed in on it with Sabrina rushing forward running the corner with one of her flintlocks trained on the man's head ready to deliver a headshot at any moment. "Over here!" Sabrina called out informing the others that she found the one calling out. As the rest of the group rushed over Sabrina grabbed the man by the arm and put him up against the door not taking her weapon off of him as she slowly backed up. "Please you have to help me, my name is Christer, Stendarr's mercy you're not one of them." The man now identified as Christer spoke as Bowen approached placing Stendarr's hammer on his back and spoke. "What is going on child, what can The Mercy of Stendarr do for you?" Bowen asked in a sleek yet honorable manner which instantly caught the man's attention recognizing his armor as Vigilant armor. "It's my wife Fjola! I think she's being held in this tower." Christer spoke in a panicked manner putting his hand over his heart almost like he was having heart problems before Bowen walked over picking up a chair from one of the tables and bring me over to him so he could sit down. "All right calm down just tell me what happened."Bowen said in a calm yet tactful manner as Christer took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before speaking much more calmly thanks to Bowens soothing. " Fjola my wife, left the farm on errands and never came back. It's been months, and I've been searching for her since. I heard a rumor that those bandits were Ransom and captives, so I thought she may be here. I managed to sneak past the guards and get this far, but I don't think I can go on. I'm no warrior please, can you look for her?." Christer asked with a desperate look in his eyes it was clear he loved his wife very much but he also recognized the limits of his capabilities and was wise to ask for help. "Are you sure she is here?" Sabrina asked crossing her arms skeptically eyeing the man before he trembled a little before speaking up. "I have no idea. But I've looked all over and the kidnappings here started around when she disappeared. So I have to hope." Christer spoke handing over the key to the door but he managed to snag off one of the bandits. They instructed the man to hide and remain there while they went into the tower to look for his wife while also wiping out the rest of the bandits while they were here killing two birds with one stone. As they went through they took careful inventory of their surroundings walking into a large room with a small pile of hay in the middle of the room along with a couple of sleeping mats and a dresser facing the western wall. On the other side of the room looked to be what appeared to be a butcher station with a couple pieces of pheasant breasts on the table along with an axe and a whole pheasant that was yet to be butchered. Making their way through the doorway and up the staircase that led to the left carefully walking up the stairs quickly and quietly with Zed with a dwarven arrow notched in his bow string as he quickly rounded the corner. Quickly losing the dwarven arrow into the back of one of the bandits who had her back turned to them while Vladbram fired has crossbow at the bandit wearing a full set of carved nordic armor striking him right between the eyes causing him to slump against the wall as they quickly retrieve to their dwarven arrow and steel crossbow bolt respectfully they continued moving forward planning on looting the bodies on the way back out. Making their way further up carefully avoiding the bear traps that the bandits had laid out for intruders as they walked into another large room with a couple of shelves, there was a table against the wall with a built-in alchemy lab into it, a chest. They found a single letter in the trapdoor which they climbed up bringing them up to the upper balcony overlooking where they were on the bottom floor and had a clear view of the natural hot springs of Eastmarch carefully they made their way inside spotting a bunch of beds hugging the walls and more bandits which Tully wiped out with a single swing of his bloodskal blade causing the shockwave to emit from The sword and cleave the bandits clean in two leaving a big pile of bloody mush on the floor as Tully twirled the sword in his hand before putting it back on his back as he gave a sharp vampire smirk. As they walked forward they found a dead imperial woman in a cage with blood splattered on the wall as they went into investigate Myra picked up the note that was sitting on the table and read it