CronicCrystalis

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

The other bandit would soon find himself falling off to the side before he could call for help, or even be in a position to take a swing at Aria, as an arrow pierced his skull, weapon half-drawn as he hit the ground, Serena having since gone back to the quiver to fix the remainder to her back, stepping back into view as she affixed the bow to her shoulder, giving Aria a thumbs up before surveying the immediate area for any other threats. Last thing they need is a horde of angry bandits swarming them.

Taking a cautious approach, Serena crouched down and began to creep over to Aria, taking care not to make any sudden noises, keeping a firm hand on her sword to keep it from scraping against the floor, as well as be able to draw it quickly should the need arise.

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

Taking that as her cue to dispatch the guard watching the road from Aria, Serena crept over to her unsuspecting victim. As she didn't carry a dagger of her own, and her greatsword would make too much noise, Serena opted for a more hands on approach; Taking a deep breath, she slipped up behind the woman, and in one swift motion, would place one hand over the guard's mouth, and then promptly, but quietly snap her neck with the other. Hiding the body from sight, she then turned to glance at the Bosmer pair, then to the bow and arrow, and a plan began to form. Taking hold of the bow, pulling an arrow from the quiver, she took aim at one of them, making sure her shot would strike the unlucky soul in the head. From there, she would wait for Aria to make her move, and then let the arrow fly.

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

Without saying a word, Serena took hold of the dagger, and immediately dropped off the wall, landing on top of the Bandit, and as if with practiced ease, slammed one hand onto the Bandit's mouth as she landed, muffling any noise they might've made, driving the dagger through the throat shortly after, keeping herself steady as they writhed beneath her, until the Bandit's life was spent. Wiping the dagger off on what could essentially be considered the bandit's clothes, she took hold of the handle with her teeth and dragged the body out of plain sight, before sneaking back up to Aria, retrieving her greatsword and passing the dagger back to it's owner.

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

Once Serena had took hold of Aria's hand and been pulled up to the wall, leaving the greatsword where it lay, she promptly took notice of the sleeping bandit below, and, turning to look at Aria, the Odd Jobs boss could see the gears turning in the swordwoman's head as she calculated how best to handle this situation without waking up the entire fortress.

"The best approach would be a silent one. We rouse the whole fortress, even half asleep, they still have weight of numbers, and even the best of warriors can buckle under those odds... To that end, I need a dagger. My own blade would make too much noise for what I plan to do." Serena whispered to Aria, perching herself on the edge of the wall, waiting for Aria to hand her the aforementioned weapon, staring down at the bandit, blissfully unaware of what was about to transpire.

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

"Some semblance of a plan is better than none." Serena said, fixing her greatsword into place on her back, creeping over to the walls, taking care not to make too much of a ruckus. Thankfully her travelling clothes allowed for that part to be easy, save the massive sword strapped to her back. Once she'd reached the walls, she knelt down beside it and held her hands together, ready to give Aria a boost.

"You first, then I pass the sword, then climb up. If I try to climb up with it, it's going to make an unwelcome racket." Serena said, nodding at Aria, ready for her to make the climb.

"Push comes to shove, I'll call out an Atronach, but here's hoping it doesn't come to that."

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

"Just make sure to keep the cart out of sight of the Fort. If things go south we might need to make a hasty escape." Serena said, setting her sword against her shoulder and calmly waiting, trying to still her mind in preparation for the coming battle.

"The inner beast grows restless. There will be bloodshed tonight, and it knows it. Here's hoping this stays it's hunger, if only for a short time..." Serena thought to herself, closing her eyes to meditate.

----------------

Time passes, and the Cart reached it's destination, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon, Serena immediately hopping out to seek a vantage point and survey the area.

"Now then... What are we working with here in terms of force distribution...? Since it's dark out, some folks will be calling it a night." Serena muttered to herself, her eyes sweeping the walls and such to see who was where, crouching down to minimize her visibility.

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

"So we take this place out of commission, it basically hinders all bandit activity across the holds. Naturally that'd mean, since it's essentially a vital point of their operations... It's going to be crawling with Bandits." Serena said, sharpening her sword once Aria had explained the lowdown on the place they were going.

"A literal hive of villainy. Full of scumbags that won't be missed if someone left them as fodder for the birds. Guaranteed to be a hell of a fight with just the two of us." Serena said, gazing up at Aria for a moment, and for a moment she could see a flash of anger in her eyes.

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

"I'd be more worried about Arcadia's place if I were you. If anything's likely to burn down, it'd be that because of one errant mixture." Cronic said before Aria left, returning to his book.

---------

Serena said nothing in response to that, simply letting out a yawn as she tries to wake herself up, lazily hauling herself into the carriage. Once she'd settled down, she slapped her cheeks a few times, before running an inspection on her gear.

"I'd be more worried if I haven't woken up fully in time, if I were you... I'm more likely to put an arrow in your butt than I am to actually be of use."

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

Soon after, Serena stepped down the stairs sleepily yawning, greatsword and bow strapped to her back, with Cronic following behind her, the latter taking up a spot by Aria's desk, the former raiding the pantry for a morning snack.

"Try not to have too much fun you two." Cronic said, pulling up a chair and grabbing a nearby book from the shelf, and began to read, taking an apple in his free hand.

"Alright... Lead the way." Serena said, scarfing down a few slices of bread immediately after.

The Elder Scrolls: Souls of Many Shades [Jake & Cronic]

"...Do I have to get up...? I was having such a nice dream..." Serena said through a mix of groans and grumbling, clearly not in any mood to get up, much to Cronic's dismay as she shifted around to get cosy again.

"...As much as I'd like to serve as your pillow all day, someone's gotta man the fort while you two are gone." Cronic said, clearly fully awake from Aria's perspective, looking at Aria with a silent plea for help.

"...Uuuugh... Fine..." Serena said, reluctantly pulling herself off of Cronic, yawning as she did so, before rolling off the bed and onto the floor.

"...Oh geez..." Cronic said, bringing one hand to his forehead as he finally got off the bed and started to stretch his legs.