The advice from the tavern paid off. Fendros was glad that Meesei remembered it -- perhaps he had been distracted by his worries.

Nevertheless, Fendros answered the merchant by following from Sabine. "For some time now, we have been tracking down an item now carried by Cyrus. A unique axe." Fendros clasped his hands behind his back. "This is no regular magical axe. It has compelled its wielders to kill or hurt friends and loved ones in the past. We have means to keep it safely contained." Fendros lifted his chin to play the part of Imperial authority, for all it was worth. "We are willing to compensate Cyrus for the axe, but we must speak with him first."

Sabine chimed in with lighter words. "Thank you for the fish."

Even with Fendros' explanation, Matami looked to be skeptical of them. "You...actually want to try and take Cyrus' axe?"

"Purchase Cyrus' axe." Meesei clarified.

"Right, purchase the axe that he loves so much. Even if I were to help you find him, you do realize how difficult it would be to actually get him to part with it, right? He thinks it is the greatest weapon he has ever wielded, and since a group of strangers are suddenly showing up asking about it, I'm inclined to believe it. Cursed or no, he's been a lot more successful with his bounties since he got that infernal thing." Matami explained, though she started looking once again towards the crowds of people walking past her stand. "I know you want your answers, but I can't afford to stop working during the busiest part of the day. It's already hard enough to..."

Once more, Meesei interrupted. "But you are working. The, uh, driftfish. I would like to buy one of them." She said, placing another few coins down in front of her."

Matami gave a sigh, then crossed her arms. "Why should I trust you?"

Fendros relaxed his shoulders and softened his expression. "Look, the only interest we have here is public safety and scholarly interest," he explained. "Even if grandeur is part of his personality, he could return from a bounty one day a completely different person -- paranoid, maniacal...violent. That axe, when I first heard of it, compelled a father to murder his daughter in a fit of madness. It could be you or anyone else he knows that die by Cyrus' hands." Fendros broke eye contact and turned his palm. "We could try to find another of his friends to direct us to him, but that would only take up more time and increase the likelihood that more blood is spilt."

"The axe does not come from our world," Sabine said. "Something evil made it."

She used Fendros' longer comments to think of other things to come up with, apparently.

While she was wrapping up the next fish that Meesei had purchased, Matami responded with a strong hint of skepticism in her tone. "You are telling me that this powerful axe supposedly has a curse on it that makes it dangerous to own, and you just so happen to care enough to track him down and lock it away. For, what, the 'safety of the people?' Sounds like it could be a noble cause, or it could be that you are trying to con him out of a powerful relic so you can use or sell it yourself."

Matami laid the fish down in front of Meesei and leaned forward onto her stall. "Luckily for the lot of you, I don't care. Whether it is cursed or not, that stupid axe has made Cyrus more foolish than a Crown scholar. He cares more about building his 'legend' than he does his own betrothed. If it brings him home, then I don't care what happens to the axe." Matami took in a deep breath before continuing. "He left to pick up a bounty. A bigger one than usual. He heard from an associate that the East Empire Company itself has been offering hefty bounties from a representative out of a small fishing village to the east. A strange place for a bounty office, I know, but the Empire has some restrictions on how it can operate inside Hammerfell. I don't know which village it is, but it has been a while since he left, and the carriage driver he hired is a friend of ours. If he isn't with her, then she will know where he is. I would say just wait around in the city for a few days, no more than a week, and talk to her when she gets back here."

"I appreciate it, thank you," Fendros said. "What can you tell us about this carriage driver? What is her name and where might we find her when she returns?"

Sabine waited until a lapse in the answer to speak up. "May I purchase a fillet of bass as well, please?" She asked, producing her own coins to put forward. She had been eyeing the bass for some time, and if they were going to have fish for lunch, she wanted to take the opportunity pick one out for herself.

While Matami was wrapping the fish, Sabine asked one more thing. "You say he is engaged to marry. Is he betrothed to you or another?"

"That's not relevant." Matami answered tersely to Sabine, though she did gladly start to wrap up the fish that Sabine requested. If nothing else, she was pleased to be getting some business out of this deal.

Matami was a bit more forthcoming towards Fendros' question. "Well, I guess I'd have to tell you. Her name is Daraza. Daraza gra-Nargal. She keeps her horses and carriage in the same stables as all the other carriage drivers, so you'll probably find her there. Only Orc woman whose a carriage driver in the city, so you shouldn't have a problem finding her when she gets back."

After the Redguard handed over the fish they had purchased and double checked the count of her coins, she gave the group another, somewhat hesitant look. "For what it's worth, I...do hope you find what you're looking for. Especially if it ends up with you talking some sense into that fool. He might be making stupid, selfish choices, but he still doesn't deserve to get hurt. He's a better man than that."

Sabine conceded with a nod. She did not wish to press the issue for the sake of curiosity.

"We do not know him well enough, I think, to guarantee that. But we will keep it in mind." Fendros spread a small smile. "Thank you again. We shall be on the lookout for the driver."

Fendros peered to both Meesei and Sabine either side of him. "Is there anything else?"

Sabine took her wrapped fish with one hand and shook her head at Fendros.

That just left Meesei, if she had any further questions.

Since they had received the information they needed from the woman, Meesei simply gave a polite farewell to her and left her fish stand along with the others to return to the pack. It was difficult to listen in to the conversation they had over the noise of the crowd, so as they were leaving the market, Meesei started to explain what had transpired to the others.

"We have received another lead; hopefully the last which will be required before finding Cyrus himself. He has evidently taken to pursuing high-risk bounties, as he has departed the city to meet with an East Empire Company representative to take a new bounty. We do not know exactly where or who this representative is, but we do know that Cyrus hired one of his friends, who is a carriage driver, to take him there. Her name is Daraza gra-Nargal, and she will likely be returning to Sentinel within the week. Unfortunately, this does mean we will have to wait for a time before we can continue our investigation, and we will need to be checking for her arrival every day." Meesei explained.

Janius turned down his eyes and licked the front of his teeth in thought. "I don't imagine this situation being good. We have to wait, we have the end of our lead is murky, and going to a certain village after enough time makes it less than safe." He shook his head. "Is there any further investigation we can do in the meantime?"

In contrast, Fendros appeared more optimistic. "I had been thinking about that. On top of any other friends Cyrus may have had that turn up in the tavern, there may be some East Empire Company presence in Sentinel." He shrugged and turned his head to glance at everyone. "If we're lucky, we might ask and find out which villages have the company within them. There cannot be too many."

"We should check with the other carriage workers if what Matami said is true." Sabine said. "I don't think she lied but she might not know everything."

"Indeed," Fendros agreed. "We aren't at the point of waiting around doing nothing yet. Do we have any other ideas?"

Meesei nodded to the others. "Of course, we can continue searching any leads that might produce information, but if we do not find anything, we need to make sure to watch for the Orc's arrival. If we miss her while she is in the city, then it could set our search back weeks, if not longer. I am certainly as uncomfortable as everyone else about remaining in one place for too long, but at the very least we will be reasonably safe while in the city itself. To attack us here would bring the Sentinel city guard down upon Do'rhajul, and even he would not be able to stand against them in an open fight."

"That does...bring up another point." Ahnasha began, somewhat hesitantly. "If we do have to stay here, we should make sure to take some extra precautions. I know you are not going to like it Rhazii, Julan, but it is going to be too dangerous here for you. This man we are talking about is exceptionally dangerous, and you do not yet have enough training to stand against him. It would be much more...appropriate for you to wait back home. Though, I do not know if we should keep Leaps with us."

Rhazii was apparently distracted by a sound in the distance that was probably a musical street performance. He turned his attention to Ahnasha upon his name being called and his faint smile melted away.

"Oh..." His brow tightened and his ears lowered back. His despondency flooded over his demeanour enough to make him look away and breathe uneasily in an effort to keep his tears back. "But if Do'rhajul won't attack us in the city, we would be safe here, right?"

"Do'rhajul is not just dangerous in a fight, son," Fendros said. "He would recognise you and your brother as young and untrained. That means he will target you to get to us. If we're separated in the city, he might find a way to capture and hurt you two. We cannot risk that."

Rhazii bowed his head. "That's not fair. You said we would get to see the Redguard fighters and military. You said we could help you with the search."

Fendros sighed and placed a hand on Rhazii's shoulder, looking more sympathetic. "I know it's disappointing. I wanted to go with you to do all that we said, but this is new information. We have to adapt."

There was little Rhazii could say to retort. He pursed his frowning lips and clenched a fist. He didn't like crying in public.

Janius crossed his arms and looked to Julan. "I hate to fear it, but Ahnasha and Fendros are right. You and Rhazii will have to take care of each other safe at home while we finish this mission."

Meesei added her own input, maintaining a calm, but serious tone. "Do'rhajul is one of the greatest threats we face, aside from Vile himself. Over a decade ago, when you were still a cub, Do'rhajul defeated me in single combat. I only barely survived." She explained. Given what Rhazii knew about her abilities, it was a potentially startling statement for her to make. Julan had been ready to argue right along with Rhazii, but even he was getting nervous about how worried the rest of the pack was about this General.

Nevertheless, Julan was not looking forward to being separated from the pack entirely for the next week, so he decided to, somewhat hesitantly, put forward some of his own thoughts that came to mind. "I...guess he does sound dangerous, but do we really have to stay away all the time? I mean...if he can't attack us when it's crowded, then can we just stay in crowded places? Maybe you can send us back home most of the time, but we can visit you for a just a few hours a day whenever you have time. And you can send us back home when we're done. That way...we can still learn about what you're doing, but not be in danger." He suggested.

Janius looked to the sky to think on Julan's proposal. His first impression was not favourable, turning his face to a concerned tension. However, his brow lifted as a thought came to him. "It really depends. At any rate, we could come home to visit you regularly and give you updates. As for you coming to us..."

He turned to Meesei. "You are the one doing the transporting. One question is how workable it is." He glanced to Kaleeth, Ahnasha, and Fendros. "Another is whether it's worth the risk in the first place."

"I don't like it," Fendros answered. "I would rather have you children away from the general as much as we can."

Rhazii laid his welling eyes up. "I want to help. Aunty, mother, Julan's got a good idea. Can't we at least be around some of the time? We don't know the general is around yet. We can protect ourselves from some kidnappers!"

"I will concede that remaining in crowded places would be reasonably safe, and I can always create a portal in our rooms if we stay in an inn, but I cannot say if it would be worth the risk." Meesei answered. "There will be time beyond just this week for you to learn from us." She pointed out.

Kaleeth did not like to restrict Julan too much, but she also hated the thought of the General being anywhere near him. "I think they should just...wait at home for now. Maybe we can see later in the week if we can do it safely." She said, hoping to placate the children. Ahnasha quickly agreed, which seemed to place the consensus on having the children return home, at least for the moment.

---

Unfortunately for the pack, they did not uncover any more solid leads as to Cyrus' current whereabouts, even after conversing with some of his other acquaintances. Eventually, the pack decided to remain in the city for the week, or until the Orc carriage driver returned to Sentinel.

As planned, the pack returned Rhazii and Julan to the clan out of concerns for their safety. They did not encounter any trace of the General or his men during their week in Sentinel, nor did Saras' agents have any more information to give.

Nearing the end of the week, the pack was expecting the Orc to return soon, if not the same day. It was early in the morning, and the pack was waking up from their beds in the inn. They were not in any particular hurry, so they were all getting up and ready at their own pace. Kaleeth was having her breakfast in the tavern downstairs, and was sitting with Fendros across the table. After taking a bite out of her duneripper steak, she spoke up casually in a somewhat tired voice. "Me and Janius went and visited the children back home yesterday. Both of them still really want to come see us. Rhazii was still talking about those warships."

Fendros had not been as particular about his breakfast. On his plate was some cut of horse meat, no doubt the cheapest on the menu. He took a swig of water and leaned his elbow on the table to rub his eyes. "I'm sure he'll have the opportunity to see them another time."

For a moment, Fendros stared at his food and sighed. "I was expecting him to be more upset, to be honest. He's...been getting mature this last year or so." He huffed a laugh. "I know it's a cliche, but I keep losing track of his growth. Julan's, too." He cut himself another mouthful.

Kaleeth laughed. "If I didn't remember when he was first born, I would never remember how old Rhazii actually is. He is just so...big. I can kind of understand why he is so confident that he can protect himself and Julan, since he just towers over everyone. He has always been the biggest and strongest of his friends. Even with his scars, I don't remember any of the other children his age ever being mean to him about them, and that is probably why."

After another few moments to focus on her breakfast, Kaleeth gave a sigh. "Of course, we both know that size and strength can only take you so far. We would have easily defeated all of our enemies if that was all we needed. I'm worried about what Do'rhajul has planned. I was thinking about it before, and since we have been working against him for so long, he has to know what we are all able to do. I'm sure his people has just as many agents and spies as ours, and anyone who survived an attack from us could report on how we were fighting. So, if he's had all this time to plan, then he's surely planned on how to fight all of us."

Fendros glanced up and down from his plate. "I know what you mean. It's concerning to think that potentially any way we've fought before could be used against us. It makes me second-guess myself. I can't decide what's scarier; that we don't know what he's going to try or that we don't know when he's going to do it."

Perhaps it was the thought lingering or perhaps it was him trying to avoid fearful chatter about Do'rhajul, but Fendros switched his tone. "You know, Julan has been kind to Rhazii in the past. He's come to me before to say that playing with friends his age was difficult. He was at an unfair advantage and...while they weren't mean to him, they tended to leave him out. Julan made sure he got to play, though. He's been a good brother." Fendros put down his fork and knife. "Between you and me, before we found the Bruma clan, I was concerned that Ahna and I would have to try for another child so Rhazii wouldn't grow up too lonely. Now, you and Janius have still always been like family, do not mistake, but it was lucky for us that you decided to have Julan."

Kaleeth grinned. "Hmm, you would not believe how difficult it was to convince Janius of it. He seemed so afraid of starting a family back then. Though if I'm being honest, I don't know if I was really thinking everything through back then either. I have to admit that having hatchlings, at that time, was a really big risk. We didn't really know how the war was going to go, or if we were going to be able to take care of a child. But, obviously, I'm really glad we did it, and I'm really glad it worked. Can't be afraid to take risks, I guess. And I'm glad that he had a brother to grow up with. I know I would have hated to grow up alone as a hatchling. Rhazii has always looked out for Julan too, and not to mention been a good challenge for him. Julan's the little brother, so that means he always has to try to be better than his big brother at something. Right now, it's magic. He's practically been begging Janius to train him whenever he can. I just like seeing him so motivated."

It was not long before a few other members of the pack started to make their way downstairs. Meesei and Sabine soon joined Kaleeth and Fendros at the table. Their plan for the day was the same as it had been for much of the previous week, so they would check to see if the Orc had returned to Sentinel after their breakfast.

"I've noticed their little rivalries, too," Fendros chuckled. "I don't expect them to ever stop as long as they are living as close as they are. I think Rhazii's eyes are casting themselves out, though-" His eyes were caught by Sabine and Meesei. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Sabine responded.

Fendros leaned his chin on his fists. He continued as Meesei and Sabine sat down. "Rhazii's been casting his eyes out. He's been wanting to help more lately. I think he wants to start being like us. Doing what we do."

Sabine picked up on the topic. "He was upset about that when you told him he had to go home," she commented before cutting an apple.

"Yes, I saw that, too." Fendros frowned. "It isn't as if we haven't been training him. I just fear he's overconfident."

Meesei nodded in agreement. "He means well, but I feel that he does not truly grasp the severity of the situation we are in. It is understandable, considering his limited experience. I cannot say that I did not feel the same way at one point in my life. If you will allow me to forego humility, he has exceptional teachers, but that may only contribute to his confidence."

Kaleeth let out a sigh, staring at the last remnants of the duneripper steak. "Honestly, I don't know if I want them to be like us. I mean...I don't want to tell you how you should raise Rhazii or anything, but for Julan at least...him wanting to be like us really scares me. We've been in this war so long, and they were born into it. I don't want Julan to have to risk himself like us, or go kill people. I doubt he'll ever be satisfied just staying at home, but there's a lot of a difference between hunting animals and killing people. We didn't choose to have this war in the first place, but...I'm just really hoping we can end it all before they get old enough to be able to help."