There was a much more affirmative nod from Gallus. The plan was much clearer in his mind now. He nodded again when they were at the door. "Yep, let's see how this goes," Gallus said. He even brought up his knuckles and gave them a healthy crack before stepping aside to allow the door to be opened.

---

Fendros listened on and looked down at the string of teeth. He could not have expected that the little act of thanks would have such a profound effect on Irenya. He knew that his own family would likely see it as a proof of the Khajiit having rash intelligence. Though, it seemed like it was part of a wider experience that Irenya was having in their travels. Fendros wasn't exactly sure how to react. He didn't know whether he should comfort Irenya, or say something, or do nothing. He took a pause to glance around while he thought.

After a swallow, Fendros started out with words that didn't have a clear direction. "I see. So, you did not expect to be treated with kindness? It sounds like you have been kind in treating people this entire time, it doesn't surprise me that it would be reciprocated."

With how tense Irenya looked, it seemed as if she was on the verge of weeping. Fendros craned his head sympathetically. "Are you alright, Irenya?"

As the three entered the cell, they found the Imperial bound against the wall, much as the Argonian had been. All of the impostor's companions had the scent of lycans, but they did not know for certain how many actually possessed the condition. Regardless, they chained them all as if they were lycanthropes out of caution. The Imperial had been sleeping as they entered, but started to stir as soon as the cell door was closed.

Meesei had questioned the Imperial briefly the previous night, but had only managed to learn his name. "Hiritus, wake up." Meesei ordered.

Hiritus let out a long, exaggerated yawn before looking up at Meesei with disinterest. "Oh, it's the important mongrel..." He began, glancing to Gallus and Ri'vashi. "...and her sycophants. To what do I owe the displeasure?" He said with a sarcastically polite tone.

"You know well what we want. What were your goals here, and who do you report to?" Meesei asked.

"Yeah, yeah, can we just skip the whole interrogation thing? We both know that's not going to work. Let's just skip to the part where you try to torture it out of me, then I can get back to sleep." Hiritus answered dismissively.

---

Irenya did not immediately accept the notion that she had been kind to the Khajiit, nor deserved any kindness from them. "I was just...performing my duties. My role was to ensure the health and well-being of the clan to expedite our journey. I was just doing what I was supposed to do; I did not need nor want gifts or gratitude. I tried explaining it to the girl, but she wouldn't listen. None of them would listen."

Again, there was another pause as Irenya finally finished off the remainder of her meal, after which she looked at him somewhat indirectly. "Are they all like this?"

The Imperial prisoner, Hiritus, was as immediately insufferable as Gallus suspected he would be. Gallus had walked into the room with an unimpressed expression and crossed his arms where he stood.

In order to establish hints to the narrative they would weave, Gallus mumbled to Meesei just loud enough for Hiritus to hear. He took on an impatient tone to act with, "Why are we keeping this one alive? His bloated ego is making the room stuffy." Gallus sniffed, "The others are more likely to talk."

---

Irenya's lack of an answer to whether she was alright went unpursued by Fendros. He just listened to what she had to say. As for her question in return, Fendros just said what he knew. "Actually...well, look, there are no more bad Khajiit in the world than there are bad people. You will find one if you meet enough, but in my experience, most people tend to be kind and thankful. Khajiit are no exception." Fendros peered around the space around them, to the clan members eating their own meals. "Especially to you. Not only are you helping the clan without asking for thanks, you're part of the group that led them to safety. There is no reason that they shouldn't show any gratitude."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Meesei commented to Gallus as she walked around the prisoner. "He will die, yes, but there are worse things than death. If you cooperate with us, Hiritus, I will allow you to die on your own term. Painlessly, with your soul going wherever you like. If you fail to cooperate, however, I will be sure to capture your soul and use it to enchant a cheese knife. Do you know what happens to one's soul when it is used to enchant an item?"

Hiritus gave a single huff. "Oh, that's a tough one. Let's see, does it...go into the item?"

"Yes and no. The soul's energy goes into the item, yes, but the remainder of it, the essence of who you are? It goes to a place called the Soul Cairn, a desolate place of eternal torment for those unfortunate enough to find themselves there." Meesei explain.

"Hmm, doesn't sound much worse than the hunting grounds, or Vile's realm for those who've failed him, so...I'll be fine staying silent, thank you." Hiritus responded defiantly.

---

"That...is sensible, yes. It's just...the things I have always been told about the Dunmer and the Khajiit, as well as the Argonians. It feels like it has all been lies. It all seemed true enough in Senchal, with the thieves, outlaws, and skooma users on the streets, but nothing else since then has made sense." Irenya explained.

Irenya looked directly at Fendros, finally seeming somewhat confident in making eye contact. "After thinking on this for so long, I just did not want to leave things between us, and your...mate, as they were last time we spoke."

"See? I told you," Gallus said to Meesei, "I say we cut him up in front of the others and use him as an example. He won't be able to use that smart mouth for anything else but screaming."

Gallus made sure to put a hint of frustration in his words, as if this wasn't the first time he tried to get an idea across that would probably not be taken up.

---

Returning her eye contact, Fendros gave a sympathetic smile. "I understand. I may not have grown up with such a hard line attitude as you, Irenya, but I used to think the same things about Khajiit, Dunmer, and Argonians. I was confronted as you are when I joined my pack. I am glad that you got to see the truth."

Fendros glanced to Ahnasha and Rhazii for a moment and tried to think of a way to pose what he wanted to say without triggering Irenya's pride. "Look, I can't guarantee that Ahnasha will not still be cross with you after the things you said, but if you feel like it...you could talk to her as well, tell her what you told me...I think it would be appreciated. I, at least, appreciate you talking to me."

It was no guarantee that Irenya would outright apologise, but Fendros thought he could coax that out of her if it was still required.

"Hmph, now you know that wouldn't be effective." Meesei responded as she walked around behind Hiritus, scraping her claws roughly across his back. "Now, I know with certainty I could break him. I can cause pain in ways he could never hope to imagine, but I also know he would simply lie to make it stop. If we want the truth, he will need some motivation.

Hiritus leaned his head back to look up at Meesei. "Motivation, eh? I'll take some gold, a few bottles of ale, and an evening with a voluptuous woman. I still won't tell you anything, but it would all be very motivating."

Meesei shook her head. "No, I believe I have something else in mind. Gallus is right about one thing: you are not going to talk...for now. But, I have a suspicion that you will talk for the sake of your friends. Myself and Ri'vashi here are going to have a conversation with a few of them. Gallus, stay here and see if he has a change of heart." Meesei ordered before starting to step out of the room with Ri'vashi.

---

"Yes...the truth." Irenya repeated, once again looking away. Upon the suggestion that she speak to Ahnasha, her expression grew tense and she shifted uncomfortably in place.

After a few more, silent moments, Irenya stood back up to her feet. "I could talk to her...later. I think I've...taken up too much of your time for now. Yes, I should get back to my duties. Good luck in finding a priest." She said, not so much as waiting for a response before turning away.

Gallus breathed in to speak, but didn't respond. He simply stepped out of Meesei's way as she exited the cell.

Now Gallus was alone with Hiritus, still facing him with a frown and crossed arms. Gallus let out a low, quiet grumble and lowered his head, looking towards the door, trying to look indignant. Gallus turned back to Hiritus and strode up to him with a seething gaze. He unfolded his arms and spoke simply. "I'm going to ask you one more time for free, jester. What were your goals here?"

---

"Wait, it doesn't have to be now, just..." Fendros tried to console Irenya, but she was off without stopping. "Thank you!" Fendros managed to say to her back as she walked off. Fendros then sighed and closed his eyes. That was a strange thing to see, but it was at least heartening.

Opening his eyes and looking to Ahnasha and Rhazii, Fendros couldn't help but smile. He decided he would let Ahnasha know at least. Rhazii might not understand now, but he could be taught later. Fendros picked up the remainder of his breakfast and shifted closer to the pair. It seemed like they were almost done anyway.

"So, that was an interesting talk," Fendros mentioned to Ahnasha, glancing in Irenya's direction one last time, "How much of that did you hear?" Fendros took a large bite out of his breakfast in an attempt to catch up.

Hiritus had to pause only briefly to conjure up more creative ways to avoid answering Gallus' question. "Well, I really like Surilie Brothers wine, the classic works of Rythe Lythandas, moonlit walks on the beach, and the color blue. Oh, wait, you asked about my goals. No, I'm afraid I don't have anything to say about that. I'm not going to be giving you any bones to carry back to your master; sorry if that means you don't get a treat." He taunted.

---

Ahnasha seemed at least moderately frustrated when Fendros grabbed her attention, though it did not seem to be directed at him. Rather, she held an equally annoyed Rhazii in her arms who was staring intently at a sweetroll with a single, small bite taken out of it.

"Oh, sorry, I've kind of had my hands full here. Rhazii has had his eyes set on that sweetroll, but I can smell the moon sugar on it. Getting him to eat a cut of mutton and some leeks with that thing nearby has been like pulling teeth. He managed to get a bite out of it when I wasn't looking. Anyway, I didn't hear too much, just a few bits here and there. Though, I have no idea why she'd want to talk to either of us to begin with. I heard something about a wedding; did she actually manage to find someone who would put up with her or something?"

Gallus seemed to consider Hiritus' answer for a moment, looking down and to one side, clacking his tongue, and bouncing up and down the slightest amount on the balls of his feet. Then, in a sudden change, he pursed his lips and drove a fist right into the centre of Hiritus' abdomen to knock the wind out of him.

With some satisfaction, Gallus spun on his heel and took a couple of paces back, opening and closing the fist that had landed the punch. He only gave Hiritus enough of a break to cough a couple of times before stepping back with a spin and landing a hook on the side of Hiritus' head.

This time, the blow caused Gallus to shake out his hand with the pain on his knuckles, but now Gallus was baring his teeth. "Don't tempt me, jester! I'm not just some lackey. I might even take your bones for myself." Before Gallus let the man answer, he snapped up a boot-covered foot and struck Hiritus square in the chin to get his lip bloody.

---

"Well, it was strange," Fendros began calmly, "She told me this story about how she healed the ankle of a little Khajiit girl in the clan, and the girl gave her this necklace made from teeth in return without any prompt. It was the only thing that the little girl apparently had. It sounded like it really shook her preconceptions about Khajiit. She sounded quite overwhelmed."

While Fendros was talking, Rhazii tried to reach for the sweetroll again and Fendros pulled it out of his reach. Rhazii sat back into Ahnasha's lap with a huff and looked up at his father with a pleading frown.

Fendros looked to Ahnasha as he continued, "I think she might have been trying to apologise for her previous words, but wasn't sure enough. She said she didn't want to leave things as they were between us and her since the last time we spoke." Fendros shrugged, "I do not know whether she'll follow up. I asked her to tell you the same things as well, but I'm not sure..."

"Dada! Can I have the sweetroll?" Rhazii interrupted.

Suppressing a chuckle, Fendros responded. "Now, Rhazii, I need you listen to your mother. Try eating another slice of leek and a bite of mutton first, alright? And remember to say please next time."

Rhazii protested, likely in the same way as he did for Ahnasha. "But dada, I don't want leeks and mutton!"

"Another slice and another bite, son. Otherwise I'll eat the sweetroll myself." Fendros warned. At least Rhazii didn't know about his severe intolerance for moon sugar.

"Dada! No!" Rhazii almost looked like he was going to cry now. All it took was for Fendros to slowly reach for the dessert for Rhazii to swiftly comply. He took in another mouthful, but he made sure to look like he was not enjoying the deal. Only one mouthful was not his entire meal, but it was an easy portion to bargain. The rest of the meal would come later.

Fendros gave Ahnasha an encouraging smile as Rhazii chewed and swallowed. He hoped that she didn't get too much more curious about the wedding details. Fendros wanted to ask her properly in more memorable circumstances.

Despite his confidence, Hiritus reacted to the pain of being beaten just as most others would. He did not take the hits without the accompanying groans or coughs, and his expression easily showed the pain. However, even with that, he was still ever defiant once there was a break in the attacks.

"So, you do have some spirit. Did I hit on a nerve?" He said, pausing to spit out some of the blood pooling in his mouth. "How will your master react to learning her dog is misbehaving? You think she'll put you on a leash as punishment? Heh, or maybe that's exactly what you want? You do strike me as the submissive type..."

---

Ahnasha looked down at Rhazii sternly. "If you're good, Rhazii, I'll find you another sweetroll, but only if you're good. Keep acting up, and you'll be heading straight back to our room after this, are we clear?"

Looking back to Fendros, Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. "Really? That's all a bit hard to believe, honestly. I mean, a little girl gives her a necklace and all the sudden she's no longer a hateful bigot? I have a hard time accepting that. There must be some other reason for her to suddenly approach you like that. Maybe she wants something from you? I don't know what it could be, but...there has to be something. Perhaps Gallus forced her to come talk to you? Whatever it is, I'd rather just stay away from her, myself."

Gallus followed up with three solid blows in quick succession to the Hiritus' gut. His face was laced with fury now, but underneath, Gallus thought that he might be making it too easy for the prisoner. He would only do a bit more damage before leaving the man alone.

The next strike came from Gallus' foot again, this time striking his heel on Hiritus' groin. "This is only going to get worse for you, jester!" Gallus shouted. The last portion of damage that Gallus inflicted was to grab at one of Hiritus' shackled wrists and bend back his little finger until it made a sickening crack. If that didn't make Hiritus scream loud enough to bring Meesei's attention, Gallus would give one last comment and leave on his own terms.

---

Rhazii was just as unhappy with Ahnasha as he was with Fendros, so despite nodding while chewing, he did not keep his eyes on Ahnasha's.

"Alright, maybe I didn't recount what she said properly," Fendros conceded, "She also mentioned that a lot of things she's been told about Khajiit and Argonians haven't made sense since we reached the Senchal clan. I think it's been a longer process than I made it out to be."

Fendros looked down at Rhazii's food and cycled another breath, "Maybe you're right, though. It could be manipulation or something. Her excuse for being interested in repairing things was that she was 'looking out for my spiritual wellbeing' this whole time," Fendros raised his brow and moved his head from side to side as he quoted her. Still, he gave Ahnasha a hopeful look, "Whatever it might be, we'll stay wary about it, to be sure, but...if she comes up to you to apologise...maybe it would be worth just listening to that? At least she seems to be trying."

Hiritus was unable to keep his composure through the pain. He curled up onto himself as much as his shackles would allow. He cringed sharply, and his eyes watered, but even so, it did not stop him from responding, albeit at a higher pitch. "That one...really got to you, didn't it mongrel?"
He taunted, less creatively than before.

However, as soon as Gallus broke his finger, Hiritus could not help but to let out a loud scream. Afterwards, he hung his head low and breathed shakily and gritting his teeth in an attempt to deal with the pain. Closing his eyes, he spoke up once more, seemingly in resignation. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I'll tell it all. First, we were going to poison your clan. Then, we were all going to get out of here and celebrate..." He started, but as his head rose and he locked eyes with Gallus, his defeated expression quickly turned into a grin "...in your mother's bedchamber." He taunted once more, leaning back his head and laughing almost uncontrollably.

---

Ahnasha gave a quick, but genuine laugh. "Apologize? Hmm, now you are just speaking of fantasy. I doubt Irenya will be approaching me any time soon, unless it relates to our mission. But don't worry, I'm not going to be starting any problems with her, if for some reason that did actually happen. I can be mature and avoid arguing with her, but as I said, I just intend to stay away from her, and hope no one invites me to her wedding."

The resentment that Ahnasha held towards Irenya was perhaps greater than any emotion that Irenya might have felt towards her. Her mind was not easy to change once it was set, and Irenya had offended her on one of the deepest levels. To Ahnasha, Irenya had tried to make her feel inferior for the simple fact of what she was, and had made it seem as if she was not fit to have her family. It was an insult that Ahnasha would not easily forgive.

That would be enough for now. Hiritus' last comment just caused Gallus to frown and shake his head before he turned and left the cell, slamming the door behind him. Hiritus could realign his finger on his own. Once Gallus was out of the cell, his angry demeanour seemed to straighten out as he took in a deep breath and calmed down. With another shake of his punching wrist, he even cracked a small smile. That was a perfect opening act. In the next session, the multi-layered treachery could be weaved properly.

Gallus rolled his shoulders and took moderated paces to stand up to and listen in on the cell Ri'vashi and Meesei were now occupying with the next prisoner. He would wait patiently for them to finish before reporting his progress. All the while, he kept an ear out for Dar-tzesa if she felt like trading information for more relief.

---

"Hm," Fendros found himself looking amused as well, "I doubt she is having a wedding." As if realising the topic, Fendros tried to move on quickly. "Anyway, don't think you have to put up with her or anything, I'm just letting you know, Ahna. Now..."

Fendros refocussed to Rhazii. He had finished his mouthful completely, but seemed to not be in any rush to continue. Fendros gave Rhazii a smile firstly. "Good job, Rhazii. Well done," he said sincerely, "Now, another bite and another slice, you can do it. You're almost finished."

Reluctantly, Rhazii kept eating.

Once Meesei, Ri'vashi, and Gallus all finished their interrogations, they met back together and exchanged word of their progress before taking their leave of the prison. It was going to take time to get results out of any of them, and while their time was not unlimited, the prisoners had no way of knowing that.

---

It took time to make or distribute, but over the next few days, the Senchal clan was supplied with the water, clothing, and other supplies they needed. As well, the Orcrest clan managed to free up more rooms elsewhere in the stronghold in order to give more of the Senchal clan proper quarters, with less crowding. Of course, that meant that crates, boxes, and miscellaneous supplies were now a more common sight sitting in hallways and common areas, but they were not exceptionally disruptive.

As for the prisoners, Meesei, Gallus, Ri'vashi, and occasionally Lorag had been interrogating the prisoners at different times for the past few days. They had intentionally refrained from setting a definite schedule so that the prisoners would not know when to expect their captors. Today, they had decided to interrogate them at noon, which was still a few hours away. Ri'vashi, Gallus, and Lorag were all at breakfast, while Meesei was away dealing with another matter that had come up. Although, the rest of Meesei's pack, and some of Gallus' were also present, such as Peiter and Irenya.

As most of the group was finishing up their breakfast, Lorag gave a few of the others a curious look. "Say, since we've got some time to kill, anyone up for headin' to the training room?"

Meanwhile, the business Meesei was dealing with involved the prisoners. Specifically, a Suthay-raht woman who had managed to find a way to end her own life, even in her bindings. From Meesei's examination, she determined that the woman had managed to get one of her chains wrapped around her neck to strangle herself to death. They would need to check over the chains of the other prisoners to ensure the same was not possible for them, but there was nothing else they could do for the woman now. As such, Meesei and two soldiers carried her away from the prison, towards the kitchen so her meat could still be used.

Along the way, in the main chamber, Ma'tanza was with Tzirret, relaxing in the garden. The body passed close enough to them that Ma'tanza could clearly see she was dead. While worrying to some extent, it did give Ma'tanza an idea. "Was that one of the enemy prisoners this one heard about? Do you think..." She began, pausing briefly as she turned her head to Tzirret. "...do you think if you asked the Champion, she would let us use the body? Ma'tanza could use it to teach you about anatomy."

Janius was the first to respond to Lorag. He spoke as if he was still waking up. "Yeah, I could do with some training. I need to make up for all the time I lost on the road. I bet I've gone all sloppy in all this time." Janius then gave Kaleeth a tired smile, "Would you like to relieve some stress, my sweet?"

To the other side of Janius, Sabine was eating her breakfast quietly up against Peiter. She gave him a glance, but kept eating. They hadn't had a sword lesson in a while and she had a feeling that he would bring it up.

Strangely enough, Gallus didn't seem quite as talkative as he usually did. Without looking up from his food, he shrugged and responded, "Got nothing better to do right now."

Over by the garden, Tzirret found the sight of a corpse being carried through to be rather jarring. He had seen dead bodies before, but the grisly spectacle was a bit too much of a contrast with the peaceful scene around them. Tzirret was sitting up and staring at the procession as it walked by, snapped out of his focus by Ma'tanza's question.

"Use it for...? Ah, right," Tzirret didn't sound too enthused, but he looked to Meesei and held one ear down, considering. He stood up to move before they got too far away, "Tzirret will ask."

Tzirret jogged up alongside Meesei, waving her down. "Meesei! Wait." Tzirret slowed down to a brisk walk and looked up to Meesei with some nervousness. "Um, is this body one of the prisoners? I-if it is, then..." Tzirret looked ahead and rubbed an elbow with his hand. He couldn't believe he was asking this. "Would Meesei mind if Tzirret...used the body to learn anatomy? Ma'tanza thought she could help to teach him."

Kaleeth gave a nod to Janius. She had finished her breakfast, though Newt was still only about halfway through his. Sparring sessions with Janius had been sparse in the desert, due to the sunburn he had to deal with, and the past few days had been spent becoming acclimated to the stronghold. "Okay, I wouldn't mind a fight. Ahnasha, Fendros, would you mind taking care of Newt?"

Ahnasha gave a brief shrug. "Sure, Rhazii here needs to finish his breakfast anyway. He has been good for the past few days, so we're going to have a treat afterwards. Newt can come along too." She answered. Upon the mention of a treat, Newt started to eat notably quicker.

Peiter, meanwhile, looked over and nudged Sabine's elbow. He was much more out of practice in his swordsmanship than Sabine was with her magic, due to the relative difficulty of practicing in the desert. Honestly, he felt that he might need to practice with someone more skilled than himself, like Gallus, but he did not feel like leaving Sabine at the moment. "Do you want to join them? I really feel like I need some training."

Ri'vashi had finished her meal a few minutes prior, so she stood up and gave a nod to Lorag. "This one believes she has time, yes. Let's head to the south training room; it usually is not as crowded at this time of day."

Meesei was concerned when she first heard her name being shouted out from behind. Generally, that meant there was something wrong that required her attention. However, she simply became confused once she saw that it was Tzirret waiving her down. He rarely spoke to her directly, and to her memory, had never actually initiated a conversation with her. Even more strange was his request, but it was not something she was opposed to. "Anatomy? Are you learning to be a healer? Well, I am certainly not one to hold back knowledge. We were taking the body to the kitchen to be butchered, so as long as you do not harm the meat, I would have no problem with you studying it. Soldier, is there anywhere they could dissect the cadaver?"

"Um, well, they could just use the kitchen. Or one of the storage rooms next to it, rather. They're all pretty bloody anyway, so that wouldn't really matter." The Ohmes-raht soldier answered.

Meesei nodded. "Very well. You two follow these soldiers and they will take you to a room you can use. Just let one of the kitchen staff know when you are finished."

"A treat?" Rhazii's eyes lit up and he paused in his eating to confirm with his mother.

Newt felt a hand on his shoulder as Janius chuckled in response to his reaction. "Easy now, Newt. Don't eat too quickly or you'll feel sick." Janius then looked to Ahnasha and Fendros, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Fendros said with a smile, "I would train as well, but I've been asked to help adjust some of the new clothes that have been handed out. There's so much work that they need all the help they can get." Fendros glanced down to Rhazii, "But not before the treat."

Sabine gave Peiter a small smile. "Okay. After I finish eating." By the looks of things, it would only be a minute or two of waiting.

While Tzirret had been around Meesei for long enough to know her temperament and heard that she was nice from Sabine, her answer was still a relief. His shoulders lowered with a release of tension and he gave her a clear nod. "This one just took an interest in healing, that's all. Thank you, Meesei," Tzirret said before turning to where he left Ma'tanza. With a smile, he beckoned her over so they could both follow the soldiers and the body.

After a minute or so, most of the group got up and started to head for the training room. Peiter and Sabine would be a minute or two behind, but Peiter knew roughly were they could find the training room, based on the walks around the stronghold he had taken. For the others, it was a mostly silent walk to the training room, apart from some small talk between Kaleeth and Janius.

Just as Ri'vashi had said, the training room was far from crowded. The only others present were two of the clan's warriors exercising in the far corner of the room. The rest was perfectly open for their use. Given that he was the one to suggest it, Lorag wasted no time in walking straight to the back to grab a training sword. He held it casually over his shoulder as he looked over the others. Eventually, his eyes settled on Ri'vashi, who was finding a place to set aside her blade, pouches, and other belongings. "Hey, clan leader, you up to spar first? Always nice to fight someone new.

"Ri'vashi is not opposed, just give her one moment." She answered as she discarded her cloak and headed to the weapon racks. There were two sandpits in the room, so if any of the others felt like training instead of watching, the option was open to them.

As she was no longer needed, Meesei headed on to the next matter of business that required her attention, while Ma'tanza and Tzirret followed the soldiers to the kitchen. It took a brief explanation from the soldiers as to what was happening, but the kitchen staff granted them the use of a storage room nearby for their experiments. It was likely the place where the meat was to be stored anyway, so they would not need to move it once it came time to butcher the corpse.

The room itself was somewhat cramped with crated and barrels, but there was enough room in the center for them to lay down the body, and leave them with enough space to sit reasonably comfortably. The soldiers left as soon as their task was completed, leaving Ma'tanza and Tzirret alone with the body.

"Okay, so...how about we start with what you do know. Ma'tanza will point to parts of the body, and you tell her whatever you can think of that's at that spot." Ma'tanza instructed. She started off easily, as she simply pointed to the corpse's head.

Knowing Lorag's quiet pride, Gallus' mouth curled into a smile and then a grin. "Now this'll be a show..." He assumed a spot adjacent to the sand pit they occupied and began to limber up, but faced them to watch. "Perhaps I can learn a thing or two from seeing how this ends up," Gallus said to them.

A few paces behind, Kaleeth and Janius took up weapons and shields, with Janius curiously looking at Ri'vashi. He spoke to Kaleeth before Lorag and the clan leader began their sparring. "Would you like to do some drills first or get straight into sparring?"

After Sabine had finished eating, she wiped her hands and took one of Peiter's hands to move to the training area. "Now that we are out of the desert, Lorag will start training you again soon, right?" Sabine asked to make conversation, "I know I have been with you most of the time, but have you and Tzirret been able to practice on your own?"

---

Tzirret was somewhat quiet while they followed the corpse as it was carried to the kitchens. He was nervously anticipating the gore and the smells that would come from the corpse. He hoped it wouldn't be any worse than the first time he saw Ciinriel, flesh hooks and all. Even the brief image of that memory caused bile to poke up his chest.

When the body was finally laid out, Ma'tanza started with a tone that reminded Tzirret of when he was first learning to read. It seemed so out of place with the body in front of them. Instead of pointing to letters or words, Ma'tanza would point out body parts.

It wasn't until Ma'tanza drew attention to the corpse's head that Tzirret noticed something strange. His face became a little tense and he angled his head back a little as he tried to process it. The head seemed slightly swollen. Perhaps it has something to do with how this woman died. There didn't appear to be any noticeable wounds otherwise. Tzirret reserved the question for later.

"Um, it's the head, so..." Tzirret angled his ears halfway up and tried to think about what Ma'tanza was pointing to. She wasn't being too specific. "Skull, brain, teeth, some muscles and arteries...tongue, nose...ears? Eyes?"

Lorag laughed with Gallus comment. "Ha! You know it. When it comes to fighting, I'm like some 'great teacher' for our entire clan. Boring work, honestly, but I know you'd all be flailin' over yourselves tryin' to figure out how to hold a sword without me, so I do what I've got to do. Guess now you can learn how to take on a bigger opponent."

Lorag took his position in the sand pit, directly across from Ri'vashi. They had both picked practice longswords proportional to their size, so Ri'vashi would have the reach advantage in that regard. She did not make any comment on Lorag or his confident statements, as she certainly was not going to doubt one of the Champion's companions. She did not expect she could win this duel, but she might learn something regardless.

As their bout began, the pair approached one another slowly, allowing the very tips of their blades to touch just enough that they could feel the other's movements. Lorag was the first to strike, taking a large step forward to bring himself into range, while pushing his blade diagonally towards her neck to both attack, and keep himself protected from her sword. Her response, however, was instant. She slid her blade along his closer to the tip and used her sword's guard to catch his blade, while turning hers to swing towards his head. He was forced to jump back to avoid the strike, and bring himself back out of her range. "Oh, this'll be interesting." He commented.

Nearby, Kaleeth watched the fight as it began, and gave a quick nod to Janius. "Maybe we should stretch first and do some drills. Last time I didn't I was way more sore than I should've been."

Peiter shook his head as they walked towards the training room. "Not with Tzirret, no. It's been hard to get to training with all the traveling we've been doing. It has all been too exhausting. I do feel like I need to get some practice with Gallus or Lorag. What do you think you want to do? We could spar, if you want, or just exercise and watch the others."

---

Ma'tanza nodded. "Good, good. Most people know about the head. It's not really right to say that any one part of the body is the most important. Kind of like how food and water are both important, but not having water will kill you faster. The brain is like water, in that damage to it can kill faster than most other things. It's scary, really. Some people who survive damage to the brain become entirely different people, and sometimes can barely even take care of themselves. In a fight, the head is usually what people will target first, so it's something healers have to deal with a lot."

Moving on from the head, Ma'tanza pointed first to the corpse's neck, then to her chest. Looking closely, one could see the imprint of the chain that had strangled her around her neck.