Ahnasha shook her head and spoke a bit dismissively to Fendros' fears. "I think you're too worried. Have I ever done anything that would make you think I would murder someone like that? And it's not like we only kill one person at a time. We trap all the souls in one bandit camp, and I'll be prepared for over a decade, once I just need to maintain. The biggest obstacle is getting everything started."

Fendros' question about the white souls almost made Ahnasha regret mentioning it. Now that he knew an alternative existed, she could guess that he was going to try to convince her to pursue it, regardless of how impractical it would be. "Powerful things. Large, strong, and dangerous creatures or Daedra. It can be hard to know, but things like mammoths, strong minotaurs, xivilai, and other beings can have a soul to match the strength of a black soul. Provided we could find, soul trap, and kill any of those things, there is also the fact that a Dwarven centurion requires a grand soul to work. Our hunters have been tasked with obtaining them in the past. If we do manage to fill a grand white soul gem, you just know that it is going to go making one of those machines instead of what I need it for."

Fendros closed his eyes and exhaled in disappointment at Ahnasha's defensiveness. "No Ahna, I know. I..." Fendros tried to speak, but let her finish.

The grand white souls, just as Ahnasha wished it hadn't, appeared to give Fendros more hope. "Not if they don't know about," he replied immediately. "Look, I understand that hunting large beasts will be harder, but there is no reason that we cannot try to use both black and grand souls, is there? A few go missing, who asks further? We take one that we can get away with, that is one less soul that we have to trap by killing an enemy outside of the view of others." Fendros lifted his other hand to gesture with his fingers together. "You said it yourself, this will take a while. Anything that can save time, we should take it."

Fendros turned his head and let his arm fall loose. "If nothing else, if we can fill a grand soul gem instead of running out of black souls when you need to renew it, we won't have to be in a desperate situation."

Ahnasha was far from confident in Fendros' plan, partially because of some legitimate hurdles they would need to overcome, and partially because she knew his proposed methods would take much longer. "Fendros, it isn't that easy. Sure, if I could easily fill a grand soul gem, I would do it in a heartbeat. But...well I know you don't know that much about enchanting, but a grand soul gem is a very valuable thing. Losing one of those would be like, I don't know. losing a suit of plate armor. It's a major resource and not something that someone just forgets about. Sure, we get plenty of soul gems down here, but I just don't think the enchanters are going to be okay with losing track of their most valuable assets." She argued. Although, she was not actually completely confident that Fendros wasn't correct. They did have more grand soul gems than they could fill.

"I'm lucky the enchanters have enough taboos with necromancy that they don't keep close track of the black soul gems we obtain, especially considering they trap grand souls as well..." She continued, immediately regretting her words. A black soul gem could technically be used in all the same capacity as a white soul gem. The difficulty in obtaining gems was not her primary concern with pursuing white souls instead of black souls. In an attempt to recover, she continued her argument quickly. "Look, the gems aren't even the biggest problem. How would we ever have both the manpower and opportunity to capture the soul of one of these beings? Most of them are rare, and even if you do find them, that is a very dangerous fight. Mammoths are always found with giants, usually multiple of them. Minotaurs don't even live in Skyrim, and the Falmer warlords in this cavern are always protected by a village worth of weaker Falmer. And I wouldn't even begin to know how to find a wraith or a xivilai. People are just much more common, much easier targets."

Fendros only had to look out onto the water for a few seconds before giving Ahnasha a determined look. "We get a soul trapping arrow, a gem, the best poison we can find, and a lead on a Falmer warlord, I could get one in the space of three weeks. One shot." Fendros did not even blink. "I would do that twenty times over. Any time we aren't presented with opportunities to find black souls, we can do that much at least."

Ever skeptical, Ahnasha narrowed her eyes as she swam closer to Fendros. "And if that warlord is indoors? In one of the smaller caves or Dwemer buildings, like they usually are? Ever since the Falmer became too nervous to raid us, they've been very closed into their homes. Even before that, the warlords were not usually out in the open. They're smarter than the rest of their kind."

Reaching out her hand, Ahnasha placed it on Fendros' shoulder. "If we happen to have an opportunity to collect a grand soul, then of course I will help trap it right there and then. It would be stupid not to. It's not as if I have a problem with using white souls. What I have a problem with is putting you or me in so much unnecessary danger without any good reason. We need to hunt down Vile's agents and kill them as a part of this war, but we don't need to go hunting powerful Falmer or other monsters. That's the difference. A risk we don't have to take, compared to a risk we have no choice but to take. I understand that you're not entirely comfortable with necromancy, but can't you see how much good it will do for us?"

Fendros' head fidgeted uncomfortably. "Ahnasha, I want this for you as much as you do. Yes, I am still just as uncomfortable about trapping black souls, but I've accepted that it's necessary. This is about getting the souls in the first place." He bowed his head and looked away. "I would be with you for the rest of my life no matter how old you are by the time this is all worked out. You...just have me concerned. The way you spoke was as if we have less time than I thought."

"Well I do want to grant myself an extended lifespan while I am as young as possible." Ahnasha answered, though she paused to give a moment of thought to how to explain why that was the case. "This magic can both stall aging and reverse its effects, yes, but not without limitation. If I am too old when I start the process, then I won't be able to make myself as comparatively young, if that makes sense. Technically, life extension does not have an upper limit as far as how long one can extend the bounds of their life, but it does start effecting you eventually. My body will still start showing signs of age after enough centuries have passed. Keep myself alive long enough, and insanity might take hold. Of course, if I can start this process soon, then that won't happen until after your natural lifespan ends. And after you pass on, well, there will be no reason for me to continue extending my life."

Ahnasha slowly pulled her arms around Fendros. "Basically, you don't have to worry about that. We just need to get the souls I need. If it makes sense to try to capture a grand soul, I'll do it, but that shouldn't stop me from getting the easier black souls. Just promise me you're not going to put yourself in danger over all of this, alright? No secret Falmer hunts in the middle of the night."

Fendros returned the hug. He gave his answer more consideration than Ahnasha would have perhaps appreciated. He sighed and conceded, nonetheless. "Alright, I won't go behind your back for this." He turned his head to kiss Ahnasha just under the ear. He even managed a smile. "The limitations are something, but if that's the case, I look forward to growing old alongside you." He added, "My lovely wife."

After a short while closing his eyes and enjoying the closeness, Fendros pulled back. "I only have one more question. For now." His voice was far less severe. It even seemed reluctant. "I still think it was a miracle that it happened at all the first time, not to mention it probably isn't going to happen during the war." Fendros rubbed the back of his neck. "This is more out of curiosity than desire for it, anyway. But..." He made eye contact and lowered his arm. "Does the ritual affect your fertility?"

Ahnasha returned both a kiss and a smile to Fendros. "Thank you. I'm of course glad for your help, but I'm also glad that I won't have to worry about you. And I'll make sure you don't have to worry about me."

Predictably, the look Ahnasha gave Fendros after his following question was quite a curious one. Nevertheless, she could give him an actual answer. "Hmm, yes and no. My fertility will be really, significantly reduced, but it's not a bad thing. Obviously, Khajiit and other short lived races are much, much more fertile than Elves. We have all our children in decades, instead of centuries. When I extend my life, I slow down everything about my, uh, development. So, I suppose I'll be about as fertile as an Elf."

Ahnasha poked her finger into Fendros' chest and grinned. "Now, are you sure you don't have any intentions with that question?"

Fendros laughed uneasily. "Well, yes and no," he echoed as he ran a hand down Ahnasha's arm. "Call it keeping options open. I have been thinking today, with all the happy children around, that having another would be appealing. Then reality sets in and I realise that I am not as sure as I would like. That might change."

Moving his hands to Ahnasha's sides, Fendros pulled her closer and grinned. "For now, you're still going to have to get me blind drunk to get another cub with me." He gave her a passionate kiss while they were still alone.

When they finally let each other speak again, Fendros leaned his forehead on Ahnasha's and asked her softly. "How would you feel about having another child, anyway?"

Ahnasha was not terribly concerned if anyone from the group nearby happened to be looking as she and Fendros kissed. It was not as if they were making themselves the center of attention. "I might get you drunk, but not for that reason." She chuckled. Although, Fendros' next question did give her some pause. She tilted her head with an uncertain look in her eyes.

"Um...how about we put a hold on that discussion for another century or so? At least until I have more than a century to spend with you." She finally answered.

---

The next three years was a time of development for the Champion’s pack, and the war effort in general. Meesei and her pack continued to be the spearhead against the enemy’s efforts, at least in the north. They were frequently undertaking missions across Skyrim and its neighboring provinces. They had their failures, but it was word of their successes that spread with greater strength through the clans. Their reputation grew into something that was larger than life, partially because of the tangible impact of some of their missions onto the war, and partially because of a concentrated effort by Saras’ agents to spread the narrative of her pack being heroes. He felt it was best for morale for the people of the clans to believe that they had powerful allies. For those who did not often interact with the Champion’s pack, even many of those in the Silent City began to believe the mythos surrounding them. A fact that was aided by them frequently being away from the city on their missions. Fortunately for Ahnasha, Fendros, Janius, and Kaleeth, that did not mean they were always away from their children. Obviously, they could not join in missions, but depending on the nature of what they were doing, it was reasonable to allow them to stay in camp with Leaps’ protection, or at one of their outposts in the area.

After so much time dedicated to her magic, Ahnasha almost felt lost without the need to practice and learn more, now that she had attained the knowledge she had been seeking. So, she simply continued to research other aspects of necromancy and conjuration. She was quickly becoming a master of her craft, so there was no sense in not further developing those skills. It provided a good distraction from the frustration of gathering souls for her ritual. As she expected, gathering what she needed was a slow process. Thanks to their missions, it was not too difficult to find people to kill, and even one mammoth during one opportunity they had to hunt, but acquiring black soul gems was a challenge. She was set back months when the circumstances of a mission forced her to transform and lose her satchel, and the gems contained within. After that, limited the number she could carry at once so as to limit the potential for loss, but that also slowed her progress. However, despite the delays, she was growing tantalizingly close to having enough souls to carry out her ritual.

Aside from the missions and her contributions to decision making in the clan, Meesei dedicated quite a lot of effort to her magical research. With Sabine, they continued practicing together, but Meesei stopped considering it training. In fact, Meesei was glad to inform Sabine that she was no longer her apprentice, but a peer. There was certainly a great deal that Sabine could learn from Meesei, but Meesei was insistent that she could learn from Sabine as well by working together in their research. It had been almost ten years since Sabine had first started her training. Ten years worth of training under a powerful mage and experience fighting a war that demanded perfection from those participating in it.

Much of Meesei’s research centered around Mora’s Black Book. In Apocrypha, she was free to pursue any kind of knowledge, from any place or time in Nirn’s history, or even beyond Nirn in some cases. She was quite eager to share with Sabine stories of the libraries of information she uncovered from the ancient Ayleids and Dwemer, or the magic of the Chimer or Psijics. Her greatest challenge, according to Meesei, was simply to decide down what paths she should dedicate her limited time. Should she pursue the shadow magic of the Second Era nightblades, the Thu’um of the Dragons, the mysterious secrets of the Ayleids, or to shape reality itself with the Elder Ways of the Psijics? Such were discussions she had at length with Sabine. Ultimately, Meesei decided to allow Sabine the unique privilege to make use of the Black Book as well, describing her as the only other person in Tamriel she trusted to make responsible use of it. Whether she accepted the offer or not was entirely up to Sabine, and Meesei would not attempt to influence her one way or another. Although, Meesei herself was becoming more comfortable with the book. She did not increase the number of times per week she restricted herself to using it, but she did allow herself to stay in Apocrypha for longer at a time.

As was often the case, Meesei’s pack was undertaking a mission, but what was unusual was how mundane it seemed. They were carrying out a simple delivery, from the Blackreach clan to another clan in High Rock, near the city of Evermore, but what they were carrying was obviously important. It was the personal project that Meesei had been working on for some time, and that she had been notably silent about to most of the others in the clan. She had spoken to Saras about it, but he was certainly good at keeping secrets. They had taken a covered wagon through the Reach into High Rock and had stopped for rest and supplies and one of their outposts at the southern tail of the Wrothgarian Mountains when that outpost received word from a runner that one of their packs, or rather, a sleuth of werebears, were outnumbered and trapped by a group of the enemy. Meesei was initially reluctant to diverge from their current task, but since the runner claimed that their allies had uncovered some potentially important information about the enemy’s operations in the area, she agreed to have her pack help rescue them.

The werebears had used the mountainous terrain to their advantage to keep themselves alive. They had situated themselves inside a cave with an entrance near the top of a steep hill, allowing them to repel every effort the enemy outside made to attack. However, the enemy had their soul-tearing gas, and their supply of the antidote was limited. All that Vile’s followers needed to do was to wait until their gas was effective once more. There was no other way out of the cave, so the werebears’ defensive position would become their tomb without assistance. Outside the cave, there were twenty or so warriors, archers, and mages that had fortified themselves with rough wooden barricades made from nearby trees facing the cave entrance. They wore no uniform, but the distinct glint of silver could be observed among some of their weapons. They were in a small valley between two steep cliffsides, so there were only two viable directions from which to enter and exit the area, though there were some trees and shrubbery that one could use to conceal themselves.

From the east, the bored looking Breton warrior leaning against the side of a carriage heard the footsteps before he saw the threat, thanks to the spell of invisibility that Meesei had cast upon Kaleeth and Lorag. Neither of them were particularly quiet, but the invisibility was enough to allow Kaleeth to strike the first blow. Her mace struck down upon the Breton’s head hard enough to essentially cause his head to explode, before he could even draw his silver sword. The six nearby soldiers reacted more than quickly enough to draw their weapons, but their numbers were not quite the advantage they were expecting. Long gone was the Kaleeth who was clumsy and uncertain, relying on sheer strength to have any success in a melee. Now, she was a collected and disciplined warrior. The bronzed color of her full plate armor stood out against the relatively lightly armored warriors standing against her. For Lorag, he had taken advantage of the resources afforded to the Champion’s pack to forge himself armor and weapons made from orichalcum in a recognizably Orcish style. They were both skilled and well-armed enough to hold a front line, even when outnumbered, as long as they had protection from ranged threats.

Though she was still an archer much of the time, this particular situation called for a different strategy from Ahnasha. Prior to Kaleeth and Lorag’s approach, she had used her own invisibility to sneak around to the far side of the enemy fortification. When Kaleeth and Lorag successfully gathered all of the enemy’s attention, Ahnasha picked out one of the warriors out of everyone else’s current line of sight and drove a dagger through the back of his neck while bringing her hand up to his mouth to muffle his screams. Before he could even fall to the ground, she reanimated his freshly-killed corpse into one of her thralls. Then, she moved on to the next target to do the exact same thing, as she could maintain multiple simultaneous reanimated thralls. The moment someone noticed her, she would command them to attack.

Meesei had not yet revealed herself, but rather was waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Fendros let out a laugh at Ahnasha's nervousness. "I can wait."

---

The three years that passed held a gradual escalation of importance for the pack. The news of Orcrest falling had hit them all hard, especially having mingled with the people there. That was what started the escalation. Each mission they undertook, each time they set out from the clanhome, they were making more of a tangible difference. Lycans were still on the back foot throughout Tamriel, but they tilted the balance.

Fendros assisted Ahnasha in any way he could to gather black souls. Despite opening up to further magical training, he continued to struggle with anything beyond elementary magical concepts. He instead had to rely on enchantments to trap souls. Thankfully, both Sabine and Meesei could provide such a thing for his bow. He put it to great use. In fact, learning to use enchanted items and potions was a skill that he developed to make up for his shortcomings.

Sabine had well and truly secured her position as a mature adult in the pack. If Meesei's declaration that she was a peer wasn't enough, she was able to shuffle off many burdensome insecurities that were still present from her adolescence. There were fewer times where nuanced speech and innuendos would go over her head. There were even times where she made them herself, to great effect, if only because they are hardly expected from her. One of the most apparent vestiges that she retained was her tendency to not contract her words and instead speak out every word of her sentences in full.

With Sabine's blooming maturity, her magical power only grew as well. Her progress had slowed since she began to reach Meesei's level, though her place as Meesei's peer was manifest whenever the need for magic was present. She gained her own reputation as a terrific mage on the battlefield, though with a different image to Meesei's lightning and flight. Even so, her passion remained firmly in the realms of alchemy. Blackreach offered near-endless avenues of research, especially with as knowledgeable a research partner as Marcaille. The pair spent much of their time continuing to refine the antidote to the soul-tearing gas, amongst other projects.

In spite of her new found knowledge, Sabine remained far less comfortable with Mora's black book than Meesei was. She politely declined Meesei's offer to use it, explaining that she wanted to be the one anchoring Meesei to reality should she delve too far. Not to mention, Sabine suspected that Mora didn't have a vested interest in keeping her alive and sane, unlike Meesei. Naturally, Sabine was the first to reprimand Meesei whenever she overstayed her schedule in Apocrypha. However, the information that Meesei returned with was not something Sabine was suspicious of enough not to discuss and research with Meesei.

Janius' main concern over the next few years revolved around Julan's education. He was old enough now that Janius brought books to teach him to read, write, count, and other lessons that he received at a similar age. Given that they were often travelling, he knew that Julan would not have a consistent education and would fall behind other children if it was so interrupted. Of course, Rhazii was at least a year ahead of Julan's schooling, but he joined in the lessons as well, for fun.

Between raising a child and his clan responsibilities, Janius lead a busy life. Yet still, he had time to improve his fighting skills with Kaleeth and his skills at magic with the Blackreach clan's battlemages. Most notably, his previously lacking wards were a focus of his training, becoming stronger to better protect the front line that so often included Lorag and Kaleeth unprotected from incoming spells.

Growth came in many forms in the pack, but there were none who grew more physically than Rhazii. Now getting ever closer to ten years old, Rhazii was a child taller than any he knew of his age in the clan. He ate more to feed his growth spurts, he settled into such boyish pursuits as weapons and crafts, and he continued to look out for Julan, his brother. Even if Julan annoyed him at times.

While Rhazii continued to be educated by his parents and teachers, Fendros took time to teach him how to string, maintain, and shoot a bow, as well as teaching him the techniques required to survive in the wilds. He was not taught how to fight just yet -- he was forbidden by Fendros to so much as point an arrow at anything that wasn't a small animal he was hunting. The time spent together was joined more by Ahnasha, now that she was no longer spending much of her time in research. Teaching experiences such as that bonded the family closer.

---

As soon as the alarm was raised amongst the enemy, the first to raise a spell against the pack found himself unable to discharge it due to a chitinous arrow through his neck. Another struck the next most dangerous target, and the next. The chaos caused by Kaleeth and Lorag was perfect for obscuring the grey form of Fendros a distance away, shooting from camouflage with an angular, recurve Dwemer bow. The full suit of light chitin armour he wore was perfect for breaking up his silhouette against the rocks. Short of a life detection spell, he was virtually invisible himself.

A third figure in gleaming Dwemer plate joined the formation beside Kaleeth. Janius' own armour still held the original Dwemer helmet visor, showing a eerily still face in rictus as he brought his yellow-bronze axe down on the shoulder of another swordsman. Together, Lorag's broad swings displaced and unbalanced the enemy. Together, Kaleeth and Janius worked in concert to open their stumbling enemies' defences and disable them. They were an unstoppable force, slowly pacing forward over the bodies they laid on the ground.

When the shock of the attack wore off, the enemy began to organise, levelling their bows and raising their shields. That was when a mist carried on a strong wind billowed forth from behind the plated formation's legs and flowed upwards. Lorag, Janius, and Kaleeth all had the such sudden concealment that any arrows or spells that flew their way were almost impossible to aim while they moved. Nothing could help the last few they were striking down as the rest retreated. As the formation emerged from the artificial fog, a cracking in the air struck at the enemy's shields with flying icicles.

Sabine emerged from the fog behind her packmates, glowing with protective magic. In one hand, she had raised a spell to detect life through the fog. In her other hand, extended in front of her, was an icicle charged with more power than the others. She released it without effort between Lorag and Kaleeth, launching a shard of ice as large as a club straight through the wooden shield of an enemy, pinning the shield to his chest and knocking him back with the weight of it. The struck enemy wheezed in pain, trying to get air into his now punctured lung. The enemy formation was broken for just long enough.

The enemy force outside the cave had certainly been ready to fight. They were anticipating a counter-attack from the cave, but they had also been planning for the possibility of reinforcements. However, they could not have prepared for the quick, impactful ambush that Meesei's pack were bringing down upon them. They numbered seven against over twenty, but the enemy must have felt like they were being attacked by an army.

As disorganized as the enemy had become, those closest to Kaleeth, Lorag, and Janius at least had a definite enemy right in front of them to focus on. They initially created a coherent formation, but Sabine's magic was quick to sew chaos among them. Immediately after Sabine had pierced through one of their opponents with an icy spear, Lorag swung his hammer sideways into the shield of the man just to the fallen foe's left. His shield was sturdier, but all the same, the force of Lorag's blow was enough to cause him to trip over his fallen ally. He landed straight in front of Kaleeth, who proceeded to bring her mace down onto the back of his head. He was wearing a helmet, but the cracking sound that followed the blow suggested that it did little good. A Khajiit woman with a silver-tipped spear just ahead of Kaleeth tried to jab the spearhead through a gap in Kaleeth's armor, but as those gaps were small, she only had to move by a small amount to ensure that the spear deflected uselessly off of the metal plate. And of course, Lorag was quick to punish the Khajiit's overextended thrust by breaking her arm at the elbow with another swing from his hammer.

Naturally, the pack's ambush did not go unnoticed by their allies within the cave. There had not been any way to communicate with them beforehand, but it did not take much effort for them to realize that it was time to counter-attack. They had been just as prepared to fight as Vile's forces, so two of them came charging out of the cave, with another two in werebear form just behind them. It was at that point when Meesei decided it was time to strike. Sabine's mist had spread far into the center of the enemy's formation. It cut their visibility and made it that much more difficult for the soldiers to find their commanders and re-position themselves to be more useful, but its greatest purpose was yet to come. Amidst the mist and the chaos, Meesei had used her invisibility to make her way to the very center of the enemy's formation. She was surrounded on all sides as she suddenly became visible, but with the thick, humid mist surrounding her, she had the advantage. Letting out a sudden burst of magical energy, she used the mist as a conductor to electrify the air around her, stopping just short of her own allies. The majority of their remaining foes were caught inside the electric mist, and their screams were louder than the lightning itself. From the outside, it was brilliantly bright, which even further obscured what was happening within. It lasted for only a few seconds, and with the wide area of the spell, it was not necessarily lethal to everyone it hit. However, everyone she had hit were at least temporarily, but effectively incapacitated. Between Ahnasha and her thralls from the west, the rest of her pack from the east, and the werebears from the cave, it would be a slaughter when they all closed in.

Nearby to Meesei, a Dunmer mage had used a constant wave of telekinetic energy to push the electric mist away from herself. When the lightning stopped, it struck fear in the core of her being to see Meesei standing before her. Just as the Champion's pack had become legendary among the clans, so too had rumors of them spread through the ranks of the enemy, according to Sara's spies. The enemy had attempted to downplay such rumors, though Saras' agents had also spread them fervently. Regardless, the Dunmer woman, whether out of desperation or simple good training, charged a fireball instead of freezing in fear. Meesei, in turn, did not have trouble stopping her before she could release it. Raising up her hand, it glowed green with a strange magic. Small pseudo-portals from Apocrypha opened up around the Dunmer, from which three black tentacles reached up and wrapped around the woman, pulling her to the ground. The Dunmer was too startled to effectively act in time, and with her arms and legs being held to the ground, there was little she could do to resist as Meesei electrocuted her.

The pack's impression upon the forces surrounding the cave were that of a terrifying, unstoppable force. The three figures in golden armour did not stop moving forward and striking their enemies down. The mages shot through their defences as if they were nothing. Shadows through the mist were shooting them down no matter where their shields faced. Finally, their fallen comrades turned against them from behind their ranks. There was no hope for the commanders to organise their subordinates, despite their shouting to stand fast.

When the werebears struck out from the cave, the enemy broke. Some dropped their weapons as they sprinted off. Others tripped up on the rocky terrain and were mauled by werebears, and the last -- who thought they could live -- were silently shot in the back or run down.

The skirmish was over within another minute.

Those that thought they could take their chances by surrendering had Sabine stride up to them in her light armour and press a spell onto their foreheads, rendering them unconscious as they were gathered up.

When the dust had settled, Sabine charged a spell and raised it into the air with both her hands. As it discharged, a whirlwind blew and dispersed the mist she had created. Or, at least what was left after Meesei had charged it with lightning and vaporised most of it. The clear air revealed Fendros approaching at a brisk walk with his bow nocked with an arrow in his hands. The chitin armour made him look like some kind of humanoid insect.

"I counted them as they ran, we have them all," Fendros announced.

The ambush went much as Meesei had expected. She found it rarer in recent years to be caught off-guard by their enemy. In general, her pack were the ones on the attack against Vile's forces; when they controlled the time and place of engagements, when they were fighting on their terms, her pack could seem unstoppable. Their magic alone was usually enough to demoralize those that they could catch unaware. By the time the werebears had joined in the fray, there was little left for them to actually do other than to cut down the fleeing, disorganized remnants of their enemy.

As was also becoming more common, they had a few prisoners in the aftermath of the battle. Ahnasha allowed her thralls to disintegrate before rejoining the others. She looked over their prisoners with only mild annoyance, since it meant they would be having to deal with them all the way back to the outpost. She had already filled the black soul gems she had on her person, so they did not have any other uses to her.

After ensuring their captives were properly tied, gagged, and blindfolded, Meesei approached who she assumed to be the leader of the sleuth. They had no markings of rank, of course, but she was generally able to pick out an alpha by the way they acted or otherwise carried themselves. Meesei was not wearing as thick of a coat as she would in Skyrim, but for the part of High Rock that they were in right now, she was well-covered in furs to deal with the cool air. The leader of the werebears, meanwhile was an Orc wearing steel armor, though not a full plate suit. He was a naturally large and imposing man, but even he looked down at Meesei with a look of shock and a slight hint of fear. The chaos of the sudden ambush had left him little time to examine and judge the situation, but now there was little question in his mind of who he was standing before.

"You're...by Hircine, you're the Champion!" He exclaimed. The three of his allies with him were equally as surprised and nervous. One of the transformed werebears, through a combination of shock and a bit of social awkwardness, actually went as far as to try to bow, which produced a chuckle from Lorag.

The Orc continued. "Never thought this would be how he answered my prayers. You...you all were like a force of nature. I thought for a moment that Hircine himself had come down to Tamriel to smite those bastards. You saved us; no other way about it. We were practically writing our own eulogies before you showed up."

As much as Meesei appreciated respect and praise, she had heard all of it before; all of her pack had. And more importantly, they were not in a position to know if the enemy would be receiving any reinforcements. So, Meesei was quick to get to business. "We are glad to help, but for safety, we need to get everyone back to the outpost. Do you have any wounded among you?"

"Right, uh..." The Orc began, tilting his head down. "Aye, one of our number's hurt pretty bad. Not life threatening exactly, but she's got a nasty silver wound all up her arm. Might lose the arm if she can't get help."

"I see." Meesei answered with a brief, understanding nod. "Then I will help her. The remote chance of another enemy attack is not sufficient to allow her to lose a limb. Take me to her. Everyone else, search the bodies for anything useful. Our enemy was kind enough to leave us a carriage, so we should be able to recover quite a lot of supplies and other valuables. Fill the cart as much as possible; the prisoners can walk when we wake them. Sabine, I would appreciate your help with healing."

Meesei gave another look to the Orc. "And I would also be very interested to hear about this information you have uncovered on our enemy."

While Ahnasha was not particularly looking forward to loading up a carriage with bunch of silver, she still took the time to step up alongside Fendros with a sly look. "Hmm, I believe I counted two less kills for you this time around compared to our last ambush. Sure you're not starting to get slow, husband?" She teased.

"Of course," Sabine said with a nod to Meesei. While she walked with the werebears that were leading Meesei into the cave, but looked over her shoulder to speak kindly, even after the recent killing. "Janius? Could you tie them up, please?"

Janius lifted the unsettling visage that was his visor to reveal his far more appealing, if sweaty, face. "Sure thing, Sabine." He dropped his axe through a loop on his belt and got to work. Rope was always useful in the mountains; there was no shortage of it to bind the prisoners.

Half of Fendros' mouth opened into an amused grin at Ahnasha. He spoke as he squat down to pull out one of his arrows. "In our last ambush, Ahna, there wasn't a pack of werebears stealing my marks." He yanked the arrow out, turned it in his hand and used the bloody point to gesture at Ahnasha. "Even if I were getting slow, at least I didn't raise the alarm too early, like a certain wife I know the ambush before last." Fendros squat down again to rifle through the equipment on the body. He wasn't going to let Ahnasha live down her occasional mistakes either.

"Oh," Fendros realised. His tone lost its humour for a moment. "The, uh...special arrow worked. That's the last of mine filled."

Ahnasha joined Fendros in searching the bodies, looking first for their commanders. Silver and other metals were valuable, but the most helpful salvage they could find was usually information. Letters, maps, orders, and anything else that they could use to learn more about the enemy was always a priority. Granted, the enemy was generally intelligent about protecting sensitive information, but they were sometimes lucky enough to encounter commanders who were too overconfident to bother with such measures. Ahnasha, unlike Fendros, still did not wear armor, despite the availability of light chitin plates. She preferred to wear the least amount of bulk as possible, so she had never moved away from wearing furs. However, her magical abilities offered her some quite effective means of keeping herself protected.

"Mine too." Ahnasha answered. "Not many left now. Hircine willing, we'll get the last of them on this mission. Wasn't expecting to get anything at all, but I'm glad I brought them. This turned out to be more interesting than a simple delivery."

Kaleeth removed her helmet and hooked it onto her belt on her side. She could tolerate wearing it, but she could never really find it comfortable. It was unavoidable for her fins to be pressed against her head, which was a persistent irritant whenever she needed to wear it. As she approached Ahnasha and Fendros to help with the bodies, she continued with the banter she had overheard moments before. "Oh, there's no need for you two to compete. I'm sure you're both doing just fine...from a distance, away from all the swords and pointy spears." She chuckled.

Inside the cave, after allowing a few moments for their injured ally to dispense with her surprise and awe at meeting the Champion, Meesei and Sabine began their work on treating her injury. They had bandaged her up and treated her to he best of their ability, but a simple healing potion was not enough for her wounds. Working under a hovering magelight spell, Meesei first focused on removing any silver dust or shards that might remain in her arm. Fortunately, it was a task that she and Sabine has plenty of experience with.

Meesei was focused, but she did not need to focus to such an extent that she could not question the werebears' leader about what they had learned. "Your runner said that you had learned 'surprising' information about our enemy's operations in the area. I would appreciate you elaborating on that, while we are here." She requested.

"Yeah, just give me a moment..." The Orc started before rummaging through one of his bags to produce a small stack of parchments. "So he said...yeah. The short answer is that the enemy is doing things that make no kind of sense. I didn't believe it at first, but we saw the evidence with our own eyes. It's like some of Vile's agents have become aspiring Justicars, because now, all of the sudden, they're going after Talos worshippers as well as lycans. Got whole teams dedicated to it, and have been sending coin and information to Thalmor Justicars."

Meesei's eyes widened. "That is...alarming. Has Vile forged some kind of alliance with the Aldmeri Dominion? They may be fulfilling their part of whatever bargain they have made."

"That's the thing, we haven't seen anything pointing to them actually working with the Thalmor in any other way. In fact, some Justicars happened upon one of the enemy's outposts a few weeks back and got into a skirmish once they spotted a shrine to the Daedra. It was a bloodbath between the both of them, saved us some work. But, they still both keep going after Talos worshippers." He explained.

Meesei was silent for a few moments in thought, but even she could not find any pattern or reason in the information she had been given. "Well, you are certainly correct that it does not make sense."

Kaleeth's banter was a relatively new phenomenon. However, it was not the first time that she had called Fendros and Ahnasha out over the prevailing years.

"You know what, Kaleeth?" Fendros said, turning his head to grin at her. "I think I preferred you when you were more modest about your strength." He turned slightly in his squat over the corpse he was searching and held a hand out to one side. "I'm sure you would do fine when those swords and spears are joined with magic and arrows."

Janius called out from a short distance away, still tying up the captives. "Don't get too cocky, dear. They're gaining on us."

---

"That skirmish," Sabine's question cut through both of them. She did not look up while she ground up a mixture to sooth the wounded werebear's pain. "Did the Thalmor survive? It might not be the whole Dominion."

---

Back in Blackreach, missives and updates came in every day through the door. They were all coded, as Saras had specified, though one in the sea of parchment arrived with an attachment. Unscrolling the first letter revealed an older piece sealed with it. The fresher parchment was from a long standing and trusted informant. After decoding, it read:

S
Some disguised figures are looking for wolves in Solitude. Team of three Imperials. Names and appearances aren't familiar with those working for Vile. Could be new ones. They stay in the city, so can't end them just yet. Thing is, they're acting more openly. They aren't trying to make inroads with the Jarl or anything like that. They're just asking around about beast sightings or attacks. Nothing more than investigation. Seems they have authority over the Jarl's men, though. They were let in the castle and got to have some long chats with all the important people. Guard captain, Jarl's family, Thalmor emissary, the lot. No one on Vile's pay has that kind of access. Gets stranger when I filched a letter they tried to send. Find it attached. It's written in code like nothing Vile has either. Nothing I've seen of anyone before. The seal is still clear, though. Does that symbol mean anything to you?
-W
P.S. Just got a report. They're going to be scouring local caves and ruins. They might stop by Raldbthar soon. Let me know if you want them to be attacked by trolls on the way back.

The older parchment attached was indeed written in a gibberish code that was rare to see in Saras' investigations. To decode it would take a while, but there were a few techniques that might be candidates, including one that he did not expect to find at all. His suspicions were confirmed when he held the two halves of the broken wax seal from the old parchment together. It was an eye in a circle, joined to the top edge with three straight lines. The insignia of the Penitus Oculatus; the highest security organisation in Cyrodiil.

Kaleeth held her confidence. Since Ahnasha was looking for information on the bodies, Kaleeth focused on what was simply the most valuable. Usually it was their silver weapons, but sometimes they wore jewelry or carried magic items that could bring in gold for the clan. Even with a whole cart at their disposal, they did still have to prioritize what they brought with them. "Have I really been modest, though? I think I always knew my limits. You all found me as a stupid hatchling of nineteen years who could barely hold a spear. You all trained me. You made me like this."

Lorag moved from the body he had been searching to walk up beside Kaleeth and give her a pat on the back. "Think we might've made a monster. Literally. We did give her the ability to just kind of chew through anything in front of her with those crocodile jaws."

---

The Orc gave a nod to Sabine. "There were survivors on both sides. The Thalmor didn't know how many people they were picking a fight with at the time, but, well, say what you like about those damn Elves, but they've got their magic. Fought their way out and took a lot with 'em, even if they lost a lot too. Guess we can't say if Vile's agents have some kind of deal with part of the Dominion that all of it doesn't know about. Usually they'd let their Justicars know about something like that, but if that group had been on an assignment for a while, they might not've heard. Still, we know that Vile's people have been trying to find Talos worshipers. That much we know for certain."

Meesei had removed the bandages to make it easier for her to work, though she could make sure that there was no further bleeding. She gave another healing potion to the Breton woman. It had been brewed by Sabine, so it was likely more potent than anything she had drank thusfar. Fortunately, the silver in her wound was not particularly difficult to extract. Even Sabine could not eliminate all of the pain of the process, but it was not unbearable for her. After that, it would just be a matter of pouring enough strong healing spells into her to prevent any irreversible harm from taking hold in her muscles or joints. "We will need to investigate this. Our delivery is important to make, but when we get to the Evermore clan, we will see what aid they can give us to investigate. After we return to the outpost, I will have a full copy made of your report. You and your sleuth have done well."

---

Saras sat looking at the letter on the table before him. He had his hands in front of him with his fingertips lightly touching together. The initial report from his agent was intriguing, but not immediately worrisome. It was not all too uncommon for a group of bored nobles' sons to take up some foolhardy quest to fight monsters, which would have explained their connections to the Solitude nobility. Of course, the coded letter would be unusual, but it was the insignia he uncovered that truly shifted the nature of the situation. Saras' time in the Dark Brotherhood had given him an appreciation for information, and his experience gave him a certain uncommon expertise in matters of espionage. So, he knew when not to underestimate a foe. The Penitus Oculatus were cunning and ruthless, even if their overall goals were usually predictable. They were not his standard opponent; this would likely prove interesting.

---

For an event of such potential importance, Saras had not taken long to assemble the council. It consisted of all of its usual members, with himself, Vera and her lieutenants, and Ri'vashi. Marcaille was also present, as she could provide a useful perspective on magical matters when Meesei was not present. However, this particular meeting had a different focus.

As he had called the meeting, Saras was quick to open with an explanation for why. He did not tend to be one for pleasantries. "One of my agents had learned of a small group coming from Solitude, three people, who are searching for lycans. I have identified them as members of the Penitus Oculatus, or at minimum, a group that knows how to properly form their insignia. As for the nature of their search, I can identify several possibilities based on one of two assumptions. The first assumption is that they do not know a great deal about our organization. In that case, they may be investigating what they perceive as a potential threat to the Empire. They are certainly aware of the increased lycan activity in Tamriel and may simply want to find groups of lycans to be marked for extermination in order to better secure their territory. That is the most straightforward possibility, and perhaps not the most likely. Another possibility, still based on the first assumption, is that they have caught wind of some of our actions. They know that there are lycan clans, but do not know of our organization or motives. In that case, they are most likely scouting and evaluating the situation to recommend further action to their superiors. Now, the second of the two assumptions would be that the Penitus Oculatus does have a reasonable idea of the extent of our organization and capabilities. They know we have our own methods to gather intelligence, and they know our clans work together. Under this assumption, I can only think one reasonable possibility. The agents want to be found. If they knew that we have our own agents, then they were far too sloppy in Solitude. They asked about us publicly, and made no effort to conceal their intentions. Against a group of wild savages, that would not matter, but if they know of our capabilities, then they would know that we would easily pick up on their inquisitiveness. This possibility is perhaps the most interesting, and dangerous."

Fendros jerked his head towards Lorag in agreement. "I don't think we can take credit for the jaws, but for chewing anything in front of you? Lorag's right, we created a monster."

"A lovely and kind monster, thank you very much," Janius called out. He was in probably the best position to say so, not for his relationship, but because he was Kaleeth's primary mentor for the longest time.

Fendros laughed. "She doesn't need you defending her, Janius. We're just messing around." Fendros stood up with a sheathed silver dagger and a coinpurse in one hand. "I take it none of you were hurt on the frontline again? I know the armour is a great help, but it's beginning to seem a bit too easy. I remember when an attack like this would take at least a day of planning and the use of our beast forms."

---

Once Sabine had administered her newly ground alchemical salve, she focussed on treating the silver wound. Meesei had put a close to the conversation, prompting Sabine to not continue it. It was a sensitive matter, after all. She spent her time thinking about it while treating.

After a while, Sabine gave the Breton woman a kind smile. "What is your name?" She asked. After answering, Sabine declared. "You will not lose your arm. It will hurt for a few weeks, though."

---

The council was quiet for several seconds. All of them knew about the Penitus Oculatus to some degree, whether it be rumours or real accounts of their actions.

Vera was the first to speak up. "This is concerning either way we put it. We made pains to keep the clans a secret from major governments, not just for the land we hold, but for what they would do if they found out about our nature. It seems they know the latter, at least."

"Sounds like bait to me," Oswall said in his gruff manner. "They want our attention? That means they probably don't know we're here. However, being that this is our headquarters, perhaps that isn't a safe assumption. If I were them, confronted with a threat that I don't know the full spread or strength of, you know how I would handle this from a military viewpoint?"

The council exchanged glances.

"I would enter diplomacy. That's what."

Darahil gave his opinion. "They are not a threat unless they take our information. 'Diplomacy' is one way to try and take that." The High-Elf's eyes wandered to Saras. "Can they reasonably find Blackreach, Saras?"