Janius just smiled and rolled his eyes at Meesei's feedback. While she was an exceptionally powerful mage, Janius knew that she bantered as much as everyone else. Janius stepped back to Kaleeth and put an arm around her waist while he watched Sabine's attempt, but he forgot that his hands were still very hot from the spell.

On the other hand, Sabine was looking very self-conscious about trying a spell that she had not yet mastered. She took a few moments frowning at Meesei and the tree she pointed out before she gained the confidence to step forward. She assumed a similar posture to Janius' casting, but the spell she charged between her palms glowed with soft white as frost spread up her fingers and arms. More cold mist billowed out from the centre of the spell and spread across the ground below. After a moment spent aiming, with her entire body tense, Sabine pushed the spell out in front of her with a high grunt. She almost tripped over herself launching it.

Janius flinched at what he saw. From Sabine's outstretched hands, a huge icicle materialised in the blink of an eye. It was about as long as Sabine's outstretched arm in full length. The crack that sounded upon its creation was louder than her much smaller ice spikes from earlier.

The icy spear struck the tree with a dull thud and there was a loud snap as its momentum broke off its rear half. The icicle had stuck fast into the tree by about a hand's length, but as Sabine did not quite hit the grain head-on, it bent to the side and broke. Just like her hands when charging the spell, the pieces of the icy spear softly billowed out cool steam that flowed down the trunk of the tree. In the end, it didn't look like the spear went through the tree as Meesei thought, but its force was still indicative of considerable power.

Sabine caught her breath as she looked at the spell's results. She avoided eye contact as there was still clear room for improvement with the spear's strength and force. Still, final judgement was on Meesei's shoulders.

---

Gallus smiled and nodded quickly. "Of course."

It may have been a little more difficult with the quiet bustle of the still awake camp at night, but Gallus tried his best to help Peiter through some simple breathing exercises, supplementing with tensing and relaxing muscles to help with tension. It was all simple techniques that they used as part of controlling their beast spirits but in the end it all helped to relax the body. It took about ten minutes to get Peiter relaxed. Then came the less intuitive part.

"Now that you're comfortable and your heart is slow, let's try Najirra's trick. Let's see, how did..." Gallus clutched his chin and trailed off as he hummed to recall his memories. He had not given Tzirret this treatment for a surprisingly long time. "Ah, right. Let's start with with this: What are you thinking about right now?"

Unless Peiter suddenly had a new worry in his head, Gallus expected that he would still be worrying about Sabine's safety in the battle. What was more important was the answer to the next question.

"Now, answer me honestly. Is that thought useful for you right now?" Gallus asked.

Kaleeth yelped the moment Janius touched her. She grabbed his wrist reflexively and started to pull it away before she registered what happened. "Ah...you can hold me later, love. Just make sure your hands aren't on fire." She chuckled.

After Sabine's spell, Meesei again could not help but to smile. Regardless of how it compared to Janius' spell, Sabine's attempt had been perhaps the most powerful spell she had cast up to that point. While not the first time she had attempted an ice spear, it was the most successful. The spirit of competition, it seemed, was a decent motivator. Stepping up to Sabine, Meesei gave her a congratulatory pat on the back. "Very well done. Your aim might have been slightly off, but that was not the purpose of this round. You successfully cast an expert-level spell. How do you think her spell compared to yours, Janius?"

---

After the time spent coaxing Peiter into a relaxed state, his thoughts had turned in a different direction than Gallus had expected. Instead of dwelling on his worries for Sabine, Peiter had placed his focus on emptying his mind to relax himself. As a result, Gallus' first question did not quite have the intended effect.

"What I'm thinking about? Um, relaxing? Trying to clear my head; to be at peace. So...I think that is useful, yes." He answered.

Once again, Janius flinched. Kaleeth's alarm took him by surprise and he pulled his hand back immediately. Once he processed what had happened he tried laughing it off. "Sorry about that," he laughed while brushing his hands off on his leggings, "it's not often that I cast a spell like that. It slipped my mind that the energy can stay for a while."

Sabine felt better about her spell with Meesei's validation. She had until then forgotten that it was an achievement to even do what she just did. However, she wasn't sure that she bested Janius' efforts. Her smile leveled somewhat when she looked to Janius for his opinion.

Janius had dealt with the heat on his hands by this point. He was similarly impressed with Sabine's spell as he was before. He brushed the bottom on his chin with scrutiny while looking at the rapidly shrinking ice spear. "Well, I never got to shoot at a tree, but just at face value, that was a damn good casting," Janius offered. "As for whether it was better? Hm..." Janius sucked in a breath through his teeth. "I...can't rightly tell. They both would have done serious damage. I would have to see some more examples." Janius grinned and reached out to ruffle Sabine's hair, to which Sabine flinched her eyes shut and smiled wider. "In any case, Sabine, you're doing better than I ever did at your age. I'll have to step up my own practice or you'll quickly be a greater destructionist than me. Well...with some more battle experience, maybe."

Janius faced Meesei and chuckled. "I'm not sure whether to be more or less baffled that you're using conventional terminology for magic, alpha."

---

Gallus couldn't help but grin with surprise. "Well that's good," he said, leaning forward. "Where ever did those troubled thoughts go, hm? You haven't gone and completed the exercise all on your own, have you?" Gallus straightened and let out a low laugh, "Maybe you just needed space to stop and focus for a while then. Been very busy lately? Anyway, if you ever have those worries troubling you and you can't seem to deal with them, try doing what we've just done again." Gallus gestured a hand forward, "And if the worries are still there after you've relaxed, question whether they are useful. If they aren't, put them to the side for a while. Oh, and a reminder..." Gallus' tone lost some of its casual tone and prodded Peiter on the chest, "Your beast spirit feels your worries as well. Keep that in mind."

As quickly as it came off, Gallus smile reappeared. "So, anything else? We haven't been able to chat properly for a while with everything that's been going on." Gallus tilted his head to one side. "How is your relationship with Sabine going, anyway? Have you both been enjoying yourselves?"

Meesei chuckled. "Well, I will admit, the terminology is useful for giving an approximation of progress. And 'expert' simply sounds impressive, no? But rest assured, my teaching methods have not changed. Sabine can attest to that. Now, whether you would call that a draw, or if Janius is the victor, there is still the final contest: endurance. You both expended considerable magicka reserves in the last test, so I imagine you are both magically fatigued. Now, it is time to see how long you can go on what you have left. I would like for you both to create a constant stream of your chosen element and maintain it for as long as you can. Well, at least until the other person fails. You can make it as weak as you like, as long as it remains a constant stream of magic. You may both begin at the same time, and Janius, you can cast your spell against my ward again."

---

Peiter was somewhat confused at first as to the point of Gallus' question, but his answer did serve to clarify. Opening his eyes, Peiter looked at Gallus in a still somewhat relaxed state. "I guess...I just need a distraction. I think I just have these worries when my mind is idle. That's why I'm hoping the fight will be enough to keep me from focusing on it. As for our relationship, well, I'm not sure how to describe it really. It has been about the same since we found the Senchal clan. It's going well, certainly. We spend a lot of time together; maybe a bit less now than we did at first, but still. I admit, I'm not sure what to expect from here on out. Have you ever been in a single relationship for this long?" He asked. Noticeably, his nostrils flares as they were continuing on the topic. He had been doing the same periodically for as long as he had been trying to relax his mind, but his focus had kept him distracted. In his close proximity to Gallus, he was starting to notice a scent.

"Against your ward again?" Janius asked, "I hope you've not got some kind of ward trick I'm unaware of that drains my magicka."

The two of them took up positions and prepared the spells in their hands. While Janius knew that he could make a stream of fire akin to a candle, he decided to be fair and assume that Meesei meant a basic stream of fire that would engulf an area in front of him.

The signal was heard and the two mages carefully extended a hand each and let loose cones of frost and fire.

The space in front of Sabine glowed white and condensed soft, frigid steam in the humid air. In some places little crystals of snow would appear. The plant life of course became frosted over.

Janius' stream of flames seemed about as powerful, though it was all but completely absorbed or deflected by Meesei's ward. The small amount of detritus and undergrowth between them shrivelled, smoked, and eventually blackened in the heat.

Neither of them seemed particularly strained by their spells. In fact, they even traded glances while they cast. It wasn't for another half a minute that looks of concentration started to harden on their faces. Another half a minute later, there was a gaseous thud as Janius' stream gave a sputter. Janius grit his teeth and his stream stabilised, though he looked to be struggling. Sabine's face was a blank mask as she put all the effort she could into keeping her stream going. Janius held for another ten seconds or so before another sputter sounded, and another, and before long it was mere puffs of flame drawing from magicka that was no longer there.

Janius released his held breath and stopped, bringing his hand back. He looked over to Sabine curiously. "Did you beat me? I wasn't paying attention."

Sabine had her eyes to the ground. Her stream had stopped as well, though more quietly than Janius' had. She looked up to him with a disappointed frown and shook her head. "Mine ended first," she said, defeated.

---

"How long have you two been together now? A couple of months?" Gallus looked up thoughtfully, "I've been in relationships for that long, certainly. Though if your asking what to expect from here on out, well...that really depends on you and Sabine." Gallus brushed a hand through the air between them. "If Sabine's not been in a relationship this long, perhaps she doesn't know what to expect either. However, sooner or later at least one of you is going to grow from this 'having fun' phase and question what you want from the relationship. What comes up might be confronting, but it's worth thinking about."

Gallus clasped his hands together. "It might be some heavy thought, but do you know what you want out of it? Just say whatever comes to mind, no bad answers exist here."

Against such a weak spell, Meesei would not have even noticed the flames if she were not looking at them, so she had no problem maintaining a ward for the full time. The fire did block much of her vision, so she did not notice who had won until Sabine admitted to her spell failing earlier.

"Well, if that is the case, then it seems Janius may have won overall. Likely, your icy spear wall less magicka efficient than his incineration spell, and drained you more fully. You bested him in accuracy, but the remaining two challenges were in his favor, by a small margin. Though, I would certainly not be discouraged. Janius began his destruction training many years before your own. At the rate you learn, I would not be surprised if you end up besting him in only a few months." Meesei said to Sabine.

---

Peiter was essentially at a loss for how to respond. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked away for a few seconds. "I...don't know. I don't know what I should want out of it. I think it will probably be fine though; we should be able to figure out what we want." He answered, though he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable thinking about the long-term prospects of their relationship. To change the subject, he decided to speak up about the scent he had started to notice.

"So have you ever gotten past the point of 'having fun'...say, that scent. Are you still with either of those women back in Bruma?" Peiter asked, crossing his arms.

"Actually," Janius interjected, "I didn't start learning much sooner than you did, Sabine. The difference is, I think, that I never had as intimate an instructor as Meesei to fill gaps in my understanding until I joined the pack." He put a hand on his hip. "Even then, I was getting bruises from Lorag much of the time more than you've been taught."

Though Sabine at least attempted to be modest about losing the little challenge, the encouragement did help to lift the unreasonable expectations about herself regarding her skill in magic. With some perspective, she found it a little overwhelming to be so close to Janius' level. She never would have expected that when she started getting taught magic. Even so, she didn't quite believe all of Meesei's claims. "Are you sure that I would only take a few months?" She asked with a small smile, a tilted head, and sceptical eyes, "I have been able to cast the ice spear spell only since recently."

---

The only disturbance to Gallus' expression was his eyes darting down and up, as if he had only just noticed the scent of Ri'vashi and their tryst when it was mentioned. Thankfully there was enough around what Peiter said to give a response as if his observation was inconsequential. "I expect that I may be still be with...at least either with Sephy or Olivia, unless they...you know, decide otherwise." Gallus broke eye contact, looking to the side as he leaned his hand on his chin and reflected. "As for whether I've gotten past having fun...I suppose I have. There was this Breton girl - Carlia. This was back before I found you, I was much younger. Thing is, she reached that point first. She wanted to marry me, you see, but I never really did. In retrospect, I really broke her heart, but I wasn't ready for anything like that." Gallus' eyes glanced to Peiter and away again, "She was the girl I left Uthri for at that time. Ancient history, really."

Gallus took another breath to continue. "Another time was with Renee, an Imperial girl from out west. In that case, we were together for seven months and I sort of fell out of love with her, I guess you could say. The spark went out. Wasn't fun any more. I had been sleeping with Uthri by the time I broke it off with her anyway, so I suppose that was the nail in that relationship's casket." Gallus half-smiled and turned his tone to be lighter of heart. "But listen to me, focussing on all of the destinations rather than the journeys." Gallus peered a sideways look to Peiter. "This's all not to say your prospects are bad, Peiter, just that it isn't always the eternal fantasy. I don't think you're the type to make the same decisions I have."

"I was speaking in absolute terms, not relative." Meesei commented. "Sabine began her training three years ago, approximately. I could not be more proud of your progress within that time. Granted your focus has been solely on magic, while Janius mixes his practice with swordsmanship, but that does not diminish your accomplishment. And we only tested your knowledge of the more destructive forms of magic. You also have extensive training in defensive, utility, and healing magic. I look forward to the day when I can work with you as a peer, instead of as an apprentice. I cannot be completely sure, of course, but a few months is my estimate, provided Janius does not significantly change his training habits."

Meesei placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "And I believe I should mention, I did not cast a spell like that until my fourth year." She added. Of course, she did not mention that she did not actually attempt it until her fourth year, due to the pacing of her father's training, but it was still a true statement.

---

Despite Gallus' attempt to shift the focus of the conversation, Peiter did not abandon his line of questioning so easily. "I understand what you're saying, I think. There will be a point where we'll have to look at what we want, and see if we really want the same thing, but...if you're still wanting to be with someone back home, then why are you mating with someone here?" He asked, flaring his nostrils once more. "I know Sabine, would definitely not appreciate me doing something like that. Did you think you would like one of the soldiers here better, or something?"

Peiter had not quite yet identified whose scent Gallus was carrying, but he was obviously trying. If given enough time to concentrate, he could quite possibly figure it out.

"You know I'll be training magic some more from now on," Janius added with crossed arms. He laughed softly through a grin. "Don't think I'll let you surpass me too quickly."

As for Meesei's last comment, Sabine wasn't sure what to make of it at first. She gave Janius an acknowledging glance, but appeared overwhelmed outwardly this time. "I am learning faster than you did?" she asked in disbelief. "How? You are..." Sabine's eyes darted around, "...you know it all better than I do."

---

Gallus lowered his brow and angled his head back. "Hey, I've been doing no such thing, thank you very much. If you-" His eyes widened slightly, "Oh! You think this smell is from me mating?" Gallus smiled and waved a finger in front of himself, "Oh, no-no-no! I was...just assigned by Ri'vashi to be the test subject for an experimental scent mask by the alchemists. It just..." Gallus looked at himself, "...well, the test was something of a failure, you see."

If there was one thing that Gallus unashamedly lied about, it was his mating habits. Even if Gallus appeared confident enough, Peiter had been privy to his lies before and this was a comparatively poor excuse.

Meesei put her arm around Sabine and continued to smile. "Well, I will admit that I have been...teaching you more quickly, so to speak. Moving between lessons faster, and such. But, it is true; you have been reaching milestones faster than I did. You can make of it what you will, but I believe you have wonderful potential as a mage."

Kaleeth, meanwhile, hugged Janius enthusiastically. "Congratulations. You might have only won by a small amount against someone with only a few years of training, but...that doesn't matter. You'll always be impressive to me." She chuckled. "I just hope your...new interest in magic doesn't mean you won't have enough time to practice with me."

---

Peiter narrowed his eyes, obviously skeptical. "That...doesn't sound true in the slightest. How long have I known you, Gallus? That's not even a good lie for you. You should know I'm familiar with the scent. Besides, why would we need to experiment to make a new scent mask if our alchemists can already do that? Who was it? One of the soldiers, I'm guessing. There aren't that many Humans or Elves here, really, so there couldn't be that many options."

Leaning closer to Gallus, Peiter again started to sniff the air to attempt to figure out the scent.

Even though it was a bit rich to take in, Sabine decided to take the compliment anyway. She gave Meesei a tight hug and murmured a "Thank you." Once she pulled back, she looked to Gallus, and then back to Meesei. "Did you want to do any more training? It is late but we have to stay up." She peered around, "And Peiter is probably still with his pack."

Janius' returned the hug with just as much mirth. To Kaleeth's words, he gave a short laugh. "On the contrary, I intend to meld them together. We've not had you trained under spell fire very much." Janius grinned. "Don't worry, I won't use anything dangerous on you unless you learn to raise a ward."

---

Gallus' face suddenly scrunched in frustration and he bowed forward, raising his palm and whispering frantically. "Alright, alright, shh. Do you want everyone to know!? Just..." He released the rest of his breath through his nose and opened his eyes to Peiter. He still spoke quietly, "Alright, nothing gets past you, Peiter, I'll admit that. You know me too well." He chuckled nervously, "Okay, honesty, you deserve that."

Gallus paused and looked around the immediate area, making sure that no one was in earshot. He then leaned in to murmur to Peiter surreptitiously and quickly. "So, I was offered to share a bottle of strong wine today. Strong wine that was full of moon sugar. I won't say who it was that offered me, but I will say that I laid with her with some impaired judgement. I would not have done so otherwise." Gallus' voice then became more severe, "But this time, Peiter, it's important that this isn't spread around. Not because of Sephy or Olivia, but because...it would have implications for these clans. It's a sensitive matter. That's deadly truth, you understand?" Gallus looked straight into Peiter's eyes with an expression as serious as his words. Up this close, the smell of his breath appeared to line up with his new story. "I need you to keep quiet for me," he added.

Peiter held a confused expression. "I didn't think it would be that important." He said, holding up his hands almost defensively. "Don't worry, there's no way I'm going to stir up trouble this close to the attack."

---

As planned, the majority of the warband stayed up through most of the night, and apart from a few sentries that slept in shifts, slept through the day. By late afternoon, they had packed up their camp, established a forward position for their healers, and began preparing Meesei's ritual. Every movement the warband took was preceded by a dozen teams of scouts scanning every area through which they moved. They covertly disabled both magical and physical traps, and ensured that no enemy patrol would discover their presence. The soul gems were arrayed in specific positions just beyond the tree line, with all the mages who would be participating hiding among the foliage around them. The soldiers were split into three main attack groups, with the primary force lead by Ri'vashi in the center, and two smaller forces on either side that would assault with ladders when the time came.

With the main force, Ri'vashi was near the fronline, and Gallus' pack was directly behind her. The majority of Ri'vashi's pride were not warriors, so only two were with her now: a Bosmer mage and a Pahmar-raht warrior. They were not officers, so they did not attend meetings as she did, but they showed no lack of confidence, even at the front of their forces. Given that all of their forces were hiding, they were not in a formation at the moment, but they were all ready to form up in an instant. Most of the soldiers around them were just as heavily armed and armored as any professional military. They did not have a uniform, but plate and mail were common among their ranks, and almost everyone with hands was wielding some kind of polearm. Peiter was clutching his halberd tightly to his chest as he stood next to Gallus. While they did not normally wear thick armor, both he and Irenya had taken thick cloth gambesons from the armory. In the heat and humidity, they were excessively uncomfortable, but definitely preferable to being unarmored. Everything around them was quiet, which left Peiter with the time to worry about Sabine.

On the right flank, Meesei's was temporarily split in two. Ahnasha and Fendros were with a forward team consisting mostly of archers and mages. They were in hiding at the very edge of the forest, as close as possible to the clearing. As soon as the gates were open, their role was to rush forward and provide covering fire for the werevultures' escape. It would be dangerous, but they were equipped with an array of scrolls and potions to help them get to safety. Meanwhile, Meesei and the rest of her pack were positioned next to one of the soul gems in preparation for the ritual, which Meesei would be leading. The rest of the soldiers she would be leading were in hiding, similarly to Ri'vashi's group, though it was perhaps not a necessary precaution. Their sentries would warn them of any incoming hostiles.

Miranor and the rest of her werevultures were also with Meesei's group, and they were already preparing to take off. All of them were transformed, and having pouches with their supplies strapped around their necks and torsos. As soon as they took off, Meesei would begin the ritual. All of the mages positioned at each of the soul gems would begin to pour their energy into the gems. Since they were all linked, Meesei would be able to manipulate it all at once. As soon as the gates were open, she would be able to use it to create the mist.

Miranor was the first to be ready, so she approached Meesei and her pack. Her head had light white feathers fine enough to almost look like fur, while the rest of the feathers on her body were near solid black. Even without the ability to show her emotions facially, there was some nervousness to her movements. "It is almost time. I would ask you to wish us luck, but I'm...hoping we will not need it. May the lord of the hunt guide us all." She said. With their avian features, it was often difficult for werevultures to speak, but Miranor had plenty of experience with her beast form.

The night went on with various degrees of ease for all. It was at the same time difficult to get to sleep as it was to stay awake as the impending threat of being found and attacked hung in the air with almost material levels of anxiety. Sabine was mostly fine, having been in such threatening situations before, although even she had a bit of Peiter's worry rub off on her. Gallus never ended up catching up with Ri'vashi before heading to his bed for fear of -- as Peiter had put it so aptly -- stirring up trouble this close to the attack. Tzirret couldn't sleep if he wanted to until he mustered up the courage to speak to Ma'tanza again, only to find that the situation was not nearly as severe as he thought. Of everyone, it was perhaps Ahnasha, Fendros, Janius, and Kaleeth that all slept most soundly. Ahnasha and Fendros' little competition resulted in Ahnasha being the clear victor, though not without effort. Meanwhile, Kaleeth and Janius just ended up enjoying a night to themselves. The time since a proper hunt made the rope a necessity.

And now, after all this time marching and drilling, they all stood with the gathered strength of two lycan clans. Before them, beyond the tree line, was the stronghold they had anticipating an attack upon for weeks.

Gallus and Uthri stood either side of Peiter. Gallus was trying to observe ahead and see how the werevultures fared. He was unconsciously clenching his teeth in worry about that one pivotal part, though that was not obvious behind his helmet's visor. Just as he had mentioned before, he was equipped with a shield and a spear, while his hammer hung from his belt and his other daggers were hidden about him. He was armoured the same as his duel with Ri'vashi, and as such was sweating like the rest of them. Otherwise, Uthri was armoured in a gambeson like her comrades, but had also snatched a few plates of boiled leather for her arms. She was armed with a hatchet and a small shield, with a few other weapons arrayed on her person. She noticed Peiter's nerves in his posture and gave him a nudge with her fist. "Buck up," she whispered with a grin, "It's almost time."

Sabine was part of the ritual team, so she had a lot more to think about in the short term than Peiter did. She watched on as the werevultures were equipped. It was strange to watch them speak through their beaks, but it did little to lessen the gravity of the situation. Sabine gave a worried expression as they prepared to go into danger.

The rest of Miranor's team was ready in only a few moments. She looked to the side towards them, then exchanged a brief nod. Closing her eyes, she gave something akin to a sigh. "We are ready." She said.

"May Hircine watch over you." Meesei responded briefly, but with an air of confidence about her demeanor. The werevultures positioned themselves in a circle underneath an opening in the canopy above them while the warriors assisting them readied five potions of invisibility. In as close of timing as they could manage, the warriors poured the potions down each of their throats, causing each of the werevultures to disappear before their eyes. Immediately, everyone cleared out from around them to give them the space to take off. With near-perfect invisibility, the only sign of their departure was the wind kicked up by their wings, along with a few disturbances to the leaves above them.

Starting the next part of the plan, Meesei fed a burst of energy into the soul gem on the pedestal in front of her, which would be detectable from each of the soul gems linked to it. It was the signal for the mages to begin the ritual. For the others, they needed only to feed their raw magical energy into their gems; it would be Meesei performing the actual spell. She sat down, cross-legged in front of the pedestal and closed her eyes. She had instructed the others that she was not to be disturbed for the duration of the ritual, as her part in it required significant concentration. Already, she was beginning to glow with a faint white aura.

For Ahnasha and Fendros, they were far enough in front of Meesei and the werevultures that they did not actually have confirmation that they had taken off, but Ahnasha knew the timing was right. She had actually moved up, along with Fendros and a few of the others, beyond the treeline and was laying prone in a field of tall grass. It was well-past sundown, so darkness had already shrouded the area. As lycans, they could see quite well in the dark, which normally gave them an advantage when fighting at night. However, many of their opponents would be Khajiit, so that advantage was somewhat nullified. They would have to assume that the guards would be able to see them easily if they came out of hiding.

Ahnasha's team was meant to engage the enemy on the walls as soon as they saw the gate start to open. She did not see the werevultures fly into the fortress, but when she saw the commotion among some of the archers just above the front gate, she knew they had arrived. If they had been seen, that meant they were right on top of the gatehouse. She expected it to be any second before the gates started to open, but as each of those long seconds passed, she became increasingly worried. If they had made it into the gatehouse then they would be able to open it immediately, but if they had not...

"This is taking too long." Ahnasha whispered to Fendros.

Laying with his front on the grass, Fendros had his eyes fixed on the gatehouse. He turned his head slightly to Ahnasha but did not turn his eyes to her. If the timing was as it should have been the gate should have been opening by then, but it wasn't. Not yet. "Wait for it," Fendros whispered back. He would give it another few seconds. If there was no sign of the gate opening, he would try sniping the men on the walls to distract them from whatever troubles the werevultures might be having.

Back with the ritual, Sabine had poured her magical energies into the soul gems in front of her just as well as she could. The power glowing from Meesei was beyond anything she had witnessed being channelled before. Sabine thought that it must be taking immense levels of control to make anything stable from it. Though, she still had faith that it would work. Meesei was the only person she knew would would even possibly be able to do it. Apart from maybe those people from Molag Bal's cult, but Sabine put those memories out of her mind as quickly as they came.

Ahnasha's heart was pounding as she was inching closer to the walls in the tall grass. Her orders were to wait until the gate began to open to give the distraction, but something was obviously going wrong. She could hear distant shouts from within the fortress, but the gate was still holding shut. However, if they were to reveal themselves without the mist to quickly follow, they could be cut down from the walls, and if they forced the mist to be cast early, it could compromise the entire assault.

Before Ahnasha even had time to make a decision, her worst fears were confirmed. From within the fortress, a group of the defenders stepped up onto the walls, obviously intending to make themselves seen. With them, in their normal forms, were Miranor, and one of the Khajiit on her team. Both of them were bloody, and being dragged with knives pressed to their throats. An Altmer wearing what appeared to be an officer's garb stood alongside Miranor while two of her men restrained her. "We know you are out there!" She shouted. "What, did you think you would be able to mount such a petty attack against our defenses, beasts? Surrender yourselves, or your these rotten birds shall meet their end!"

Ahnasha clutched her fists almost tightly enough for her claws to break her own skin, baring her teeth as she glared up to the Altmer on the wall. Miranor's team had failed in there mission; there was no denying that now, and no changing it. The defenders were aware of their presence, but also...distracted.

"I can do something about this." Ahnasha whispered to Fendros. "From that scaffolding, I can make the jump to the wall, and I can be invisible. This doesn't have to be like this; I can do something about it."

Fendros' eyes widened upon seeing Miranor and her team member. If they were transformed back, that could mean they used the gas on them. At this point the plan was to either withdraw or make the assault with just the ladders. But had they been expected?

As for Ahnasha's suggestion, Fendros' immediate reaction was to shake his head. "We're meant to wait for-" he cut himself off. Seeing the situation made him try to think of alternatives but there didn't appear to be any. Still, the danger Ahnasha would be in would be immense. He couldn't come along with her; he couldn't turn invisible.

Fendros looked directly at Ahnasha and grabbed her forearm. "You'll be alone up there," he said with discomfort, "you need to get that gate open. Be careful."

Back behind the treeline, Gallus sighed quietly, hiding all other signs of his sudden feelings of dread. The weak point of their plan had been broken. While he was worried for Miranor's life, he was interested in what Ri'vashi had to say about it.

In all honesty, Ahnasha had not actually expected Fendros to agree with her, but she had planned on going ahead regardless. No one in their right mind would attempt an infiltration mere seconds after another failed sabotage, but if there was anything they knew about the fortress' commander, it was that conventional strategy would not work on him. "Fendros, you're in charge. When the time is right, give me my distraction." She said. Ahnasha cast upon herself a muffling spell to make her movements entirely silent, then a spell of invisibility to follow.

As quickly as she could, Ahnasha began her transformation. Her magic muffled the sounds of her transformation, so the only evidence that it was even taking place was her clothing suddenly becoming visible as it fell to the ground beside her. Fendros would see a few footsteps in the tall grass, but as she ran beyond it, there would be almost no way for him to track her movements. He might spot the scaffolding slightly buckle as she climbed atop it, but otherwise, the only way to determine her success or failure would be to watch the gate, and the reactions of the defenders on the walls.

Though concentrating on the ritual with her eyes closed, Meesei was perhaps the most knowledgeable of the current situation. She, like most of her allies, heard the shouting and threats of the enemy officer, but the ritual she was performing also had other side-effects. Both herself, and every soul gem they had placed, were surrounded with an invisible, but powerful magical aura. Her spell was rooted in old forms of magic, often said to be connected with nature itself. As such, she could feel the energy of every living thing within the aura, and she could feel one closing in on the fortress. "Just...hold. Continue to maintain the spell for a little while longer." Meesei instructed.

Peering out from behind her tree, Ri'vashi watched the scene before them unfold in horror. Not only was the plan itself in jeopardy, but the surviving infiltrators, those who had volunteered to take on such a dangerous and important mission, were only a flick of their captors' wrists from death. They deserved to live, and she wanted to save them, but she could see no options she had which would not make matters much worse. "Until the mist is in place...we hold here."

Fendros gave Ahnasha a determined nod. "You'll have it," he said, letting her arm go.

It wasn't until Fendros saw Ahnasha disappear with her magic that he showed his full worry. He held his bow so tightly that his knuckles turned pink under his grey skin. With a pinched brow and clenched teeth, he stared up at the fortress. Every second was agonising. Don't you dare get caught, Ahna.

Gallus was saddened behind his visor. He, too, wished he could do something for Miranor and her team, but they knew the risks. They would have to fight this the hard way. He slowly raised his fist to signal Ri'vashi's orders to the men behind him. They were to stay put.

The area where the new addition to the fortress was being constructed was, as they had predicted, quite empty at such a late hour. Ahnasha did not smell nor see anyone as she sprinted through. She ran up the scaffolding on the wall as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself. Too much movement, and the eyes of one of the archers might be drawn towards her. Once at the top of the scaffolding, she took a running leap towards the wall itself, and even in her lycan form, was only barely able to grab a hold of its edge and pull herself up. Were it not for her muffle spell, the noise would certainly have drawn the attention of the archer only a few feet to her left. Luckily, he was too focused on watching for attackers outside the stronghold to notice the few loose stones she displaced.

Outside the fortress, there was no one who would be able to tell how Ahnasha was faring. Even Meesei could not sense her any longer at that distance. All they could do was wait. Not wanting to stay on the wall, Ahnasha dropped down into the fortress as soon as she could. As she feared, there was not a bustle of activity in the courtyard of soldiers either running to get in defensive positions, or grab their weapons and armor. If she was successful, their attack would still be more difficult than before, thanks to the delay. All of the defenders on the walls were watching the forest like hawks for signs of movement, but there was no one scanning inside the fortress for intruders. To them, they had already eliminated the potential saboteurs as a threat.

Luckily, the gatehouse was easy to pick out at a glance. It was located directly next to the gate, built into the wall itself. Surrounding it was the aftermath of Miranor's attempt. Along with the burned and mangled corpses of a few defenders, two werevultures were dead in their lycan forms, and had been shoved up against one of the nearby walls. Another looked as if he had tried, or had been forced, to shift back, but was killed mid-transformation. It left him in a grossly disfigured state that Ahnasha had never seen before, and hoped to never see again. Thankfully, the door to the gatehouse was already open, so Ahnasha did not have to break her invisibility to get inside. There was a body in the far corner of who Ahnasha assumed to be the former gate operator, along with a living Khajiit soldier who had evidently taken up that role for the time being. With the silence of her approach, however, he did not have any time to react before Ahnasha was upon him. She grabbed his head in her hand, breaking her invisibility, then smashed it against the stone wall with all her strength. Needless to say, he did not get a chance to scream.

Ahnasha began to crank open the gate, which, due to her current level of strength, did not take long at all. As well, fortune seemed to smile upon her, because she was also able to rip the crank out of the wall without it closing again. It meant she would not be forced to remain and defend it, but she still had to escape. Now, she was visible, and the defenders knew she was there, and exactly where she was. Just above her, on top of the wall, the Altmer officer momentarily shouted in confusion to get the gate closed, but once she realized what was happening, she gave a quick nod to the soldiers beside her. Without any chance for resistance, they slit the throats of Miranor and the other werevulture. If there were any among the archers with Fendros who had been uncertain when Ahnasha left, it was now clear that she had not intended to rescue them. It might have been possible for her to do so, but instead, she allowed them to die so that the attack could continue.

The moment Meesei heard the gate start to open, she stood up and extended her hands in front of her. Energy pooled around her into an intense aura, so much so that her eyes were glowing white when she opened them. She was obviously struggling at this point to maintain the spell, as manipulating so much power at once was difficult for any one person, even Meesei. She let out a burst of energy all around her, which repeated across every soul gem they had placed. Immediately, a thick fog materialized all across the forest. Then, with a wave of Meesei's hand, it started rolling towards the fortress.

Seeing the mist was all Ri'vashi needed. Motioning to a soldier nearby, she signaled the war horn, and with it, the beginning of their assault.