Fendros and Janius both murmured thanks under their breath to Lorag. still had their fair share of knocks and bruises as well. Janius' burn had not been completely dealt with in the field and had formed into a scabby sheet of dark red, but his regeneration had begun to close it. Still, a potion couldn't hurt.

Lorag wouldn't take long. In the meantime, Janius found some stacked chairs at the side of the tent, no doubt for the table itself had it not been used for surgery. He took them two by two and let everyone take a seat rather than stand. No one seemed to want to leave any time soon.

"So, Meesei," Fendros asked, reaching to clutch his own shoulder. "What exactly happened in the keep? Did you find the general and Ra'jorr?"

Shortly after Lorag left, the others began to settle in as best as they could. The tent was somewhat cramped, but it was not the lack of space that was making most of the pack uncomfortable. Meesei was not sure what she could say to calm the minds of her family, and was glad when Fendros gave them something to at least converse about.

Meesei nodded. "Yes. The enemy was not expecting me to cross the gap, so it was easy to remain undetected once inside. I fount my way upstairs, and followed the sound of fighting to Ra'jorr, and Do'rhajul. The General was leading the defense himself; he wore Imperial-styled armor, carried a silver longsword, and bore the legendary shield, Spellbreaker. It was the last of those which spelled my defeat. The fight started out well at first. In that chamber, Ra'jorr's forces greatly outnumbered those of the enemy. Do'rhajul commanded his soldiers quite competently, but there was simply no way they could hold against us. We steadily pushed them back, with myself and Ra'jorr fighting the General directly. But, he was an exceptionally skilled opponent. Even with me keeping his attention with a spell, he killed Ra'jorr outright. Even so, we still would have been victorious. We pushed them back to the far end of the chamber, with only a handful of soldiers left to defend the General. Then...the gas arrived."

There was clear discomfort in Meesei's expression from her recollection of the gas. The screams of the unfortunate lycans who had their souls ripped from their bodies were still vivid in Meesei's mind. Even if she did not survive the night, she was thankful she had not shared that fate. "A pair of soldiers brought it up in a barrel. It spread rapidly once Do'rhajul released it. Upon breathing it in, every lycan began to scream in pain. They collapsed to the ground, terrified. It...seemed like their very souls were being ripped from their bodies. All except for myself, and Do'rhajul. He drank a potion before releasing the gas, likely an antidote. As for me, I believe it was Hircine's Ring which protected me. Both the suppression gas and this new weapon target the combined soul of a lycan and their beast spirit. Since the Ring grants complete control over that soul, I believe the Ring's magic overpowers that of the gas."

"As for the fight after the gas was released, the General dismissed the rest of his soldiers. He did not seem to think they would be able to help him against me. I fought him alone, but...he was too strong for me." Meesei explained.

The recount sounded terrifying enough on its own. Everyone silently listened, visibly uncomfortable. Sabine looked up curiously with the mention of an antidote to the gas as she continued healing.

Janius was the first to answer. "That's hard to imagine you being overpowered. I'm glad that you were able to escape at all." He then looked to one side and narrowed his eyes. "You mentioned a shield Spellbreaker? What...is that?"

"The perfect thing to have against a mage," Fendros piped up. "It's a large shield that projects its own ward. A powerful one at that. I remember seeing it in a book, a long time ago."

"I've never heard of such a thing." Janius turned his gaze between Fendros and Meesei a few times. "Where do you suppose he got it? We can't get them ourselves, can we?"

Fendros shook his head, "There is only one. It is an artefact of the Daedric Prince Peryite. I...don't know much else about that one."

Janius sighed through his teeth. "With something like that, as well as a gas that can kill us by breathing it..." Janius didn't want to finish his sentence.

"We have notes." Sabine croaked. She was quiet, but the conversation appeared to have a distracting effect from her previous state of mind. "We took them from a laboratory where they were making it. It can be studied. The antidote could be made."

"Hopefully so." Ahnasha commented, regarding the gas. "With that kind of weapon, this war could become a lot shorter if we can develop no way to fight it. Any clan relying on strength instead of secrecy to defend itself could be wiped out almost without effort...like Bruma."

Kaleeth shifted uncomfortably as the conversation moved to the gas. She had not seen its effects firsthand, but Meesei's description of it was utterly terrifying to her. "Do you...think they have much more of it with them? There are still a lot of us here to defend the camp, but with that gas...would they really need a lot of soldiers?"

Meesei thought back on her memory of the attack as she considered Kaleeth's concern. "It is possible, but they did use quite a lot of the gas as we were escaping. They attempted to bring down the entire keep and fill it with gas. Then, tried to trap us in the courtyard and gas it as well. If we are fortunate, their supply will be low."

"Hopefully." Ahnasha said once more. It was just another concern to add to their list of worries. "What about that shield? Does it mean that Peryite has sided with Vile?"

"Possibly, but there is no guarantee." Meesei answered. "Peryite could have gifted it to him as a part of an alliance, but there are many other ways he could have come about it. He may have simply performed a one-time task for the Daedra and received it as a reward. Or, he simply could have had it recovered through conventional means. Daedric artifacts do frequently change owners without the intervention, or even knowledge, of the Daedra. While powerful, many of them are still physical items like any other. They can be lost, stolen, sold, and so on."

Shortly afterwards, Lorag returned from outside bearing a small sack. "Okay, so I have potions, but there's one problem. Healing supplies are apparently runnin' a bit thin right now, with all the wounded and such. Healer said that only people who are badly hurt, or have silver wounds should take potions for now. Anyone else'll have to suck it up, deal with the pain, and let their regeneration handle it."

"I'll be fine," Fendros waved off the potions after Lorag's explanation.

"Yeah, I'll live too," Janius said. Although, he gave a look at Kaleeth's abdomen, and then peered up at her eyes. "You ought to have something for that gash there, Kaleeth."

"Either way, I doubt we've seen the last of Do'rhajul, Spellbreaker, or that gas." Fendros sighed deeply. "I just hope that they don't have the gas elsewhere. We've already lost enough friends today." He rubbed at his forehead, remembering. "I'd hate to compound bad news, but it may have slipped Sabine's mind that Do'ajee didn't make it, either. It..." Fendros took a breath as the images came to mind. "It was the burning oil at the entrance to the keep. Ra'kalesh was caught in it as well, but he survived. I can't imagine how he felt."

Sabine spoke up again, trying to ignore her shortfall in her recount. "I can heal you if you want," she said to no one in the pack in particular, though she looked at Ahnasha's arm and Kaleeth's middle with some concern.

Lorag pulled out one of the potions and stepped up to Kaleeth. "Yeah, and from what I remember, some of those cuts came from silver too.' He commented as he handed off one of the potions to her. She was somewhat reluctant to take a potion that someone else might need, but upon the insistence of the others, she accepted it.

Since Kaleeth had a potion, Ahnasha was the one other than Meesei that Sabine would want to help. She rubbed her injured shoulder lightly for a few seconds after Sabine made the offer, then nodded. "I should probably get your help, actually. A Senche trampled, me, dislocated my shoulder. I'd like to be able to use a bow as soon as possible, in case we need to defend the camp."

Meesei did not give much of an outward reaction to the news of Do'ajee's death, though that was mostly because the many other tragedies they had faced in the attack had been dulling her to the pain of the losses.

A few moments later, another individual stepped into the tent, this time a Breton woman. Surprisingly, she did not appear uncomfortable to be walking in on a pack potentially giving their goodbyes to their leader, but she was at least polite. "Forgive me. I am Marcaille, the clan's lead Restorationist. I know I am probably intruding, but I want to stay with the Champion for tonight. Remain with her, try to help her survive as best as I can. Even if the chances aren't good, I would rather try than not." She explained. Oddly, the other healer had described Marcaille as an old Breton, but she appeared to be reasonably young.

Sabine nodded and stood up to get to Ahnasha. The shoulder had been popped back into place earlier, if only to stop the absolute worst of the pain rather than bear it for hours on end, but there were still torn muscles and bruises. Sabine gently went about bringing the right magic to her hands to knit it all back together with a tired expression.

There was some surprise to see the Breton enter the tent, with Fendros, Janius, and Sabine turning to look at her. However, they recognised her name as she introduced herself.

"Oh, you're Marcaille?" Janius asked. He looked to the others for confirmation and spoke given there was no protest. "That's quite alright. Thank you for your help so far."

Fendros narrowed one eye, remembering what the healer said to them before. "Pardon me if I'm prying, madam, but could you tell me how old that Cathay aide that spoke to us is? He spoke of you as if he was more...junior than he looked."

Marcaille weaved her way between everyone in the tent, careful not to accidentally bump into anyone who looked injured, and pulled up a chair on the other side of the table next to Meesei. She placed her hand on Meesei's side, which began to glow faintly. For the moment, she was merely examining Meesei's body to determine the best way to continue treatment. She raised her eyebrow at Fendros' question, though she did not quite understand what he was intending to ask about.

"Who, Jo'fasa? Oh, you don't need to worry about him. He is no apprentice, not anymore at least. He may not be the most experienced healer among us, but he is perfectly capable. He is nearing his thirtieth year, and has been studying Restoration for about fifteen of those. He still has quite a way to go to catch up to me, though. I have been healing for, oh...fifty-five, fifty-six years by this point. I do not like to brag, but in this case, I hope it comforts you to know that your Alpha is in the best hands we have." Marcaille answered, generating even more questions about her age in the process. Ahnasha was particularly intrigued. If she had been studying restoration for fifty-five years, then she would at least be in her sixties or seventies, and she certainly did not look to be that old.

Sabine threw glances at the woman while she treated Meesei. She did not show any immediate reaction to her age, intriguing as it was, but was more likely trying to concentrate on Ahnasha's shoulder while keeping track of what Marcaille was doing.

"That would make you...how old, then?" Fendros said, failing to come up with a way to ask more politely in that moment. "You probably get asked this a lot, but how did you manage to look nearer to our age than most Bretons with that much experience?"

Janius lifted himself to his feet. "I'll find the others if they want to visit," he said quietly. He was curious about Marcaille as well, but he knew that it was likely going to involve an area of magic that he would be completely lost in. He thought that he may as well make use of himself during this part of the conversation.

While Fendros spoke, there was a mild worry that niggled at the back of his skull. He couldn't put his finger on why.

Marcaille chuckled. "Oh, you probably don't want to hear all of the little details of that. Would take too long, anyway. Regardless, it's an effect of the old magic. I'm from High Rock, originally; the mountains near Skyrim. I've been in this clan since it was founded by Ennond. I was born into a coven, or stolen as an infant, more likely. They raised me for most of my childhood, taught me of magic and alchemy. Until they decided it was time to make a sacrifice to lord Hircine, and I was chosen for that honor. Luckily, our lord decided it was more sporting to turn it into a hunt. Old hag probably didn't expect she'd be the prey, though. Ah, anyway, I'm rambling. I've still been keeping their traditions alive. Magically, at least."

While the others were talking, Meesei closed her eyes, letting out a long, deep breath. She felt weak, more frail than she had ever been. And, at the same time, there were constant pains scattered across her body. She did not wish to trouble the others at the moment, but she felt worse than she looked. All she could do for the moment was to keep her magic flowing through her body, and do her best to at least attempt to extract what silver she could. Unfortunately, that effort was slow. Worryingly slow.

Repairing Ahnasha's shoulder was not especially time-consuming, even with shoulders being a comparatively complex set of tissues to deal with. Sabine finished up her healing, manually moved Ahnasha's arm this way and that to make sure that there were no residual problems, and then strode back to her seat without a word. She seemed wholly interested in what Marcaille was doing, looking at her hands and never her face. A few moments passed before Sabine began to join in on inspecting Meesei's body with her magic.

"The 'old magic'?" Fendros repeated, tilting his head and softening his expression. "They have means of extending one's lifespan in a witches coven?" Fendros turned his head to Sabine and asked, "Did they have anything like that when you were a child, Sabine?"

Sabine shot her head towards Fendros as her concentration was broken. Her eyes wandered away quickly. "I do not know," she mumbled, "Not all covens are the same."

Janius almost remarked the similarities between Sabine and Marcaille's stories, but he refrained. He knew that it was a sensitive matter for Sabine, even if it was so long ago.

Marcaille continued examining Meesei for a short while longer until she finally found a place to target her magic within Meesei's heart. Naturally, working on a beating heart was a delicate procedure, so extracting the silver she could find was painfully slow. Regardless, she could keep up the conversation, with a few pauses to focus on her healing. "Yes, there is a great deal of ancient magic that has been lost in Tamriel. You should know that, considering your Alpha. Your ritual earlier today, Champion, was not like any I have witnessed before. I almost wish I could have been there to see it. Of course, many of those in my coven just made themselves into vampires. When it comes to life extension, I think that's just cheating. The old magics may not be pleasant, but at least you have to earn it."

Marcaille took interest when Fendros started to question Sabine about her upbringing, and she mentioned her coven. She was not using her sight to heal Meesei, so she looked to Sabine curiously. "Oh, so you were raised a witch as well? It has been quite a while since I have come across another woman of the wilds. Which coven did you belong to? The Beldama, Wroth, Kykos, Glenmoril like myself? Some covens have always been more in touch with the old ways than others."

Sabine kept her attention on her magic for a short while, trying to think at the same time. "Vos," she said simply. Her eyes flicked up to Marcaille and down again. "They moved there from the west a long time before I was brought there. I cannot remember if they came from another coven. I was young when I turned."

The conversation seemed to turn away from Fendros in short order, but it was no real matter. He just wanted to confirm that Marcaille was extending her life with magic. The details would likely pass over his head after that. He turned his head to Ahnasha and murmured, "You might find something useful here. Perhaps you should speak with her later."

Once more, Marcaille raised her brow at Sabine. She seemed confused at first, and it took a few moments of thought before she could respond. "Vos? On Vvardenfell; that Vos? What in Oblivion is a Breton coven doing in Morrowind? Skyrim I can understand, but Vos? Well, they might have come from the Glenmoril witches if they worshiped lord Hircine. Otherwise, it's a mystery to me."

Ahnasha did not acknowledge Fendros' suggestion. The same idea had occurred to her, but magic was the last subject on her mind at the moment. She was sitting in her chair, hunched forward with her hands clasped together in her lap. She was making an effort not to stare at Meesei too much, but she was doing a poor job of it. Lorag, meanwhile, took one of the potions from his bag and silently placed it down on the table, next to Meesei. She was no doubt already under the effects of multiple potions, but he wanted her to have another at the ready regardless.

Meesei gave a nod of acknowledgement to Lorag without breaking in her healing. Her body had been numbed almost entirely by the combination of spells flowing through her body, so she was at least not suffering at the moment. Still, it was staring to seem more like a miracle would be required for her to be able to be healed enough that she could survive. She gave no indication to the others of it, but she was afraid.

"Not everyone there was a Breton," Sabine said. By the curtness her tone, she neither wanted to shed more light on her old coven's nature, nor really wanted to talk at all.

Upon seeing Ahnasha's demeanour and hearing Sabine, Fendros decided to quiet himself for now. He hadn't even noticed Meesei slipping into a sort of meditation. That brought the reality of the situation right back to his mind.

Sabine's magic had shifted from scanning Meesei's body to trying to do something about the traces of silver in her blood. There was a worried crease to her brow. "Meesei, Marcaille." Sabine spoke with difficulty, trying and failing to hide her own fear. "My sister once made a potion that could spread silver around the blood instead of allowing it to settle in organs. I could make that potion, I would just need the ingredients and an hour."

Sabine deliberately didn't ask whether the potion would help, even if someone would answer anyway.

Marcaille gave a light sigh. "I made that same potion for our last attempt. Or at least, one very similar. It worked to an extent, but...not enough. It worked the same way, moving the silver into the blood so we could contend with it. But, what is left behind is trapped rather stubbornly in her organs. Certainly try it if you like, though. Your formula could be more efficient than mine, but...be aware that it may not work."

Meesei opened her eyes, appearing more attentive while Marcaille was explaining her potion. She did not openly react too strongly; however, their conversation did at least inspire her with some ideas. They were faint, distant hopes, but something she could pursue. Meesei's voice sounded even weaker than before, though that was simply due to her numbness. "Marcaille...that potion, do you think you could describe it to me? How does it function? Its specific interactions with the body, that is." She asked.

Though curious as to why Meesei would want to hear an alchemical lecture at this point, she nevertheless started to respond with a detailed explanation of her potion's creation and function. With the detail Meesei requested, it would take some time.

"I will make mine strong," Sabine said. "It might cause..." Sabine paused, but waved away possible complications implied by it. "I will make mine strong," she repeated with a resolute resistance to her fear.

While Marcaille explained her potion, Sabine crept about the tent, gathering up ingredients and equipment to make what was being explained. While she did so, she continually found herself moving around those seated. She didn't complain, or even make contact with her exhausted eyes, but it was slowing her down.

Eventually, Janius returned, poking his head into the tent. He gave his words gently. "I've told Gallus, his pack, and Ri'vashi. Ra'kalesh is too badly burnt to move, he's resting." Janius turned his head behind him and then poked it back into the tent. "Gallus said he'd try to convince Ri'vashi to visit now. He seemed very 'business first'. Uthri and Tzirret don't want to leave Peiter alone. They might come by one at a time."

Fendros felt himself become an obstacle already. He didn't want to stifle the healers by being part of the crowd that would form in the tent. He spoke to Sabine and Marcaille, "Should we...give you both some space to work?"

Marcaille hesitated to answer Fendros. It was obvious that the crowding in the tent was getting in the way of their efforts, so there would be no point in trying to deny it. But, she did not seem comfortable in asking everyone to leave. "You can all go if you want, but I'm certainly not going to make you."

Though it did not take too long, it was difficult for Ahnasha to decide what to do about the dilemma. This was possibly the last bit of time that she, or any of the others, would get to spend with Meesei, but ultimately, she cared more about giving Meesei a better chance of living than spending a few more hours in her presence. "I think I need some rest as well. I am going to go find somewhere to lay down."

"Yeah...and I should probably make sure our defense is solid." Lorag added. "Nothing we do here has any point if the enemy ends up overrunin' us."

Kaleeth, meanwhile, was gripped with uncertainty for most aspects of the situation. She did not stand or speak, but looked up to Janius to see what decision he would make.

Janius stayed at the entrance to the tent while everyone rose up to leave. He returned Kaleeth's look with nearly as much uncertainty.

Fendros put his and Ahnasha's chairs out of the way and then approached Sabine. He carefully pat her on the shoulder. "Good luck, do your best." He then turned to Meesei and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Stay strong, Meesei," he said. "You are more to us than any can describe."

With that, Fendros made his way out of the tent to join Ahnasha.

After observing the work within, Janius shuffled in and put a hand on Kaleeth's shoulder. "I don't want to get in the way either, but stay if you want to, love." To Meesei, Janius then picked some words that were in contrast to his tired voice and worried look. "We'll see you in the morning, alpha."

---

True to what he had said to Janius, Gallus was on his way to Ri'vashi's tent, or wherever else she was. He had left whatever command was required to a subordinate who was likely thankful that he didn't have to take over before the chaos died down.

The way that Gallus moved was tense and almost rushed. He had displayed nothing but a stern frown for the entire evening.

"Ri'vashi," Gallus said when he found her. "You have heard the news?"

Kaleeth, after a short internal deliberation, decided to follow Janius, leaving Meesei in the company of only her healers. Outside, the mood in the camp was nothing short of grim. Most who were not still on orders to be on watch for an enemy attack were tending to the wounds of themselves or their friends, or simply sulking in grief for those they had lost. There was fear among the warriors of a possible enemy counterattack, even moreso once rumors of the gas began to spread around from those who had overheard their leaders discussing it.

Ri'vashi was at the edge of the camp, along with a group of warriors making simple barricades. She was still in her full armor and held her sword unsheathed as if an enemy attack was imminent, though the forest was silent, save for their own camp. She did not break her watch on the forest when Gallus approached, though she did acknowledge him with a nod. "Depends on what news you are speaking of. Ri'vashi has heard word from the healers that the Champion is still alive, and they have given her treatment. They have also given this one their...opinions on her chances. Otherwise, our scouts have reported no signs of an enemy counterattack. Vile's forces may have been too disorganized, or too busy licking their wounds to give chase as we fled. We...did deal them a significant blow today." She commented, but with no joy in her voice as she spoke the words.