As soon as the pack was up on the battlements, the tides turned drastically in their favour. Without the reach, strength, or agility to deal with them on the narrow wall, each skeleton they faced were knocked aside like twigs. The wall wasn't wide enough for more than Lorag and Janius to stand side by side and fight in their forms, but it was more than enough to deal with their opposition.

Sabine and Fendros stayed between Meesei, and Lorag and Janius. Fendros was still regenerating the damage to his arm, but in this form it was working at a far greater pace. Sabine, on the other hand, kept glancing about and held her head low with her ears flat. Upon seeing the witches wounded and burbling blood as they desperately tried to heal themselves, her movements became sluggish and she had to be pulled forward by the arm by Fendros.

As they approached the tower with the hagraven nest, two of witches appeared on its roof and tossed a couple of large glass flasks down at the pack. The first broke on Lorag's back and the second shattered on the ground next to Fendros. As they shattered, the pack was momentarily enveloped by the purple transforming gas. At first, their beast spirits started to thrash and protest in their mind again, but instead of receding, the beast spirits stayed. Seeing Lorag and Janius' unaffected wolf forms walk out of the gas without batting an eyelid was a demoralising moment for the witches on the roof, who swiftly retreated.

---

Ahnasha's approach was detected by Ariel. She checked one last time at the shape inside the tower. "Probably. She's probably in the tower. Here," Ariel took out her dagger from her sleeve and a paralysis poison from her bag, then handed them to Ahnasha. "There's no one else in there as far as I could tell. I'll try and distract her." With that, Ariel opened the door and walked in, a ward charged in one hand and a lightning spell in the other. As she rounded the corner and crept into the laboratory, a Dunmer witch was frantically rummaging through the piles of scrolls on the tables of the room. She hadn't detected Ariel yet, but something was wrong. This wasn't Lilia.

"Dagmar?" Ariel said, surprised.

Dagmar's shoulders hunched in shock and she snapped around from her search, turning to face Ariel. "Ariel!? What are you doing here? Of all the times- can't you see we're under attack? You were cast out! Go!" Dagmar waved her hand to shoo Ariel away, "Go, before the elders find you!"

Ariel kept her spells charged and stood her ground. "Where's Lilia?"

If it wasn't impatient already, Dagmar's face contorted into a mix of impatience and grief. "Lilia's..." Dagmar let out a quick breath and looked away for a moment, "Lilia was taken, her soul... Clavicus Vile has her. A hostage for this stupid war!"

"Dagmar, we don't have much time. Are you the only one who knows how to make the gas?" Ariel said quickly.

Dagmar looked up at Ariel, "The suppression gas? Yes, that's what I was tasked to do to get Lilia back. I had to go off Lilia's old notes here, but I'm the only one who knows how. Why do you ask?"

Trying not to elude to the situation any further, Ariel nodded affirmatively. Hopefully Ahnasha would know to strike despite the different target.