[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's reasoning was sound. Given that she didn't confirm whether or not the Orcrest clan was in the hills, Gallus assumed that what he had suggested was true. "Very well. I'll be there in a moment," Gallus said to Meesei with a nod and a small smile.

Gallus' first stop was at Uthri's tent. She was applying balm to her face and shoulders painfully. As it turned out, pale Nord skin did not tan easily and she suffered burns worse than most. Gallus restrained himself from giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder as he ordered her to get ready, despite the amusement that the thought gave him. Gallus collected Irenya as well, who would undoubtedly have appreciated a distraction from the menial tasks she had been undertaking during most of the trek. For a while Gallus thought it might be good to get Tzirret and Peiter out as well, but Meesei didn't seem to want too many people on the party. Instead, he came by their tents and simply informed them of the situation.

After getting equipped himself, Gallus made his way to Meesei's tent and met Uthri and Irenya once more.

Sabine was laying on her side with her eyes open and a frown on her face. She just wanted to sleep for a while, but she was too anxious and the sun was too bright through the tent fabric. In response to Peiter, Sabine flicked his eyes to him, then back to the tent wall. She let out a small groan, curled her legs slightly and brought a hand up to cover one side of her face. She couldn't bring herself to lie to him to get him out of her hair, but she was too nervous to say anything else. Then again, she didn't tell him not to come in either.

[EliteCommander]

Once Meesei had her belongings, she went through the camp collecting those she intended to bring with her. From her own pack, she decided to bring Fendros and Ahnasha. Normally, she would bring Lorag along on such tasks, but being that she was with the clan, she decided it was best to always leave someone behind to represent her in her absence. Being that he was her second, he was the best choice. Fendros and Ahnasha were having breakfast when she approached, and were fortunately nearby to Janius and Kaleeth, so they were able to leave Rhazii in their care right away. Afterwards, Meesei sought out Ri'nakhad and asked for a lieutenant to accompany her. For meeting the Orcrest clan, Ri'nakhad himself would be the ideal representative, but Meesei had to plan for the possibility of danger. As such, he recommended Ra'kalesh, who readily accepted along with Jo'rashaad. All three headed back to Meesei's tent together to join with the others.

Everyone had gathered what they would need to travel by the time they gathered at Meesei's tent, though they would not be going far. "I am guessing everyone knows what it is we are doing? Our destination lies within those tall, rocky hills in the distance. There is a secret entrance that I should be able to find, though from what I understand, they should be able to see us coming."

Sabine's silence gave Peiter pause, further growing his uncertainty. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset her, but without an actual answer, he was not sure what he should do. If there was anything he could do to help, he wanted to at least attempt it. He steeled himself to be shouted at, then climbed into the tent. He carefully looked her over to make sure she was not sunburned, then started to rub her shoulder lightly. "You know I don't like to see you like this. If there's something wrong, I'm sure there is someone who can help you, even if I can't. I do want to help you, though. It couldn't hurt to tell me, could it?"

[Muttonhawk]

Uthri was the first to speak up. She was surprisingly chipper considering her burns, but she was used to the pain by now. "I am actually quite excited to see what this clan has in store," she commented with a smile, "Let's get moving."

"Are we expecting any trouble?" Fendros asked, evidently feeling more cautious than Uthri.

Gallus answered as they began to move as a group. "Ideally not. However, there is still the slim chance that they have been attacked by Vile's forces. We need to tread carefully." Gallus waved a finger up, "At the same time, we don't want to give them a reason to open fire before we see them."

Fendros readjusted the shield over his shoulder. The situation was not as simple as his initial impression.

Sabine did not seem to object to Peiter's words. As for his touch, she had healed herself of burns as usual. A barely audible grumble escaped Sabine's mouth in response, obscured by her wrist. "No one here can help." Despite her cynical tone, Sabine did reach her free hand around to hold onto Peiter's on her shoulder. She let out another low grumble and mumbled on, "Everyone is going to come and ask for balm. We have run out. I have run out of ingredients for them." Sabine sighed, sounding frustrated with herself, "I should have rationed it better. Now everyone is going to be angry."

It was true that the reduced frequency of desert plants had correlated with the dip in Sabine's mood.

[EliteCommander]

Once everyone was ready, Meesei did not waste time in leading them off towards the large, rocky hill. They had all gathered what clothing or armor they could for this outing, though Ahnasha and Jo'rashaad were still without, apart from their pouches. Regardless, reaching the hills was not a long journey. Being that they were within sight of the hills, they were able to reach the base of them in under half an hour. The rock formations were too small to truly be considered mountains, though they had a similar jagged shape. At the same time, they were tall for hills. At the tallest, they were above the height of the chapel back in Leyawiin.

"From what I recall, the entrance is on the norther side of the hills, and can be difficult to spot. Look fore something like a crevice in the rocks, large enough for a Senche-raht, but hidden behind boulders. This clan makes its home in restored ruins, much like our home back near Bruma. Though, these ruins are obviously not Ayleid. It is an old fortress, built by Khajiit based on its styles. That is the best guess they have, at any rate." Meesei explained.

Peiter sat down beside Sabine and continued rubbing her shoulder and arm. He looked at her sympathetically, though her eyes were not actually looking in his direction. "That's not your fault, Sabine. You can only make so much with the ingredients you have. If you rationed it too much, people still would have ended up being burned for longer than they would have liked. Besides, we're close to Orcrest now, so we have to be getting close to the clan. I don't think anyone other than Meesei knows exactly where it is, but we've made camp much earlier in the day than usual. Maybe that means we're getting close, so they won't have to worry about getting burned anymore?" He suggested.

[Muttonhawk]

"Huh," Gallus noted how the rock faces bounced his voice back at him subtly, "I seem to remember Khajiit buildings being more...conspicuous." Open-mouthed, Gallus angled his head upwards, as if he might spot some towers protruding from the tops of the hills.

"A crevice built to fit a Senche-raht..." Uthri repeated. She was looking more closely at the rock formations nearer to their altitude. "Those are the biggest Khajiit, right? That doesn't sound too hard to spot."

Fendros was carrying his shield in his hand now, prepared to raise it at a moment's notice. He was not particularly worried about an ambush, but he thought it prudent to stay alert. While they walked, he addressed a question to Meesei. "Were there any representatives of this place you met? I mean, there is the ring, but it would help to have someone who could recognise you."

The revealed portion of Sabine's face tightened up, almost defiantly. "I thought we would be with the Orcrest clan by now. I thought I could manage, but I did not," Sabine complained, "I do not know how long it will be before we reach the Orcrest clan. I am just...I do not want to disappoint everyone. I cannot heal everyone like I heal you and myself, Peiter!"

[EliteCommander]

Ra'kalesh nodded in agreement to Gallus. "Yes, underground fortresses are not something that this one's people are really known for. Actually, he is not sure if he has ever heard of any ancient Khajiit strongholds like that in Anequina. The Khajiit here have always been nomadic, using the desert itself as their nearly impassable fortress."

"Indeed, that is one reason they are uncertain." Meesei responded. "I cannot admit to being an expert on Khajiit history, but I did ask the representative from Orcrest about it before. Unfortunately, the ruins are not in terribly good condition, so it has been difficult for them to make out many details, especially since scholarly pursuits have not been their priority. Another idea is that it could have been built by another group, just with influence from Khajiit styles. Most of the carvings are very worn, but some of them have what could potentially be Akaviri symbols. It is possible that it was an old Blades stronghold, which just has influences from the ones that built it."

Meesei took a moment to look up at the tallest of the hills, which was just over half again as tall as the Leyawiin Chapel. Near its peak, the jagged rock formation had near vertical slopes that would be difficult to climb, so using it to get a better view of the area would not be possible. Although, some of the other hills nearby looked scalable. Hopefully, they would be able to find the entrance before needing to go through such efforts. When Fendros spoke up, she looked to him and shook her head. "No one who is currently here, no. The only representative I have met personally from Orcrest is still back in Bruma. But, they should know my description by this point, and the Ring is the mark of my station. Combined with the fact that we can easily prove ourselves to be lycans, and we should not have many issues."

Once they finally made it around to the north side of the rock formations, Meesei began scanning one hill in particular. "The main chamber of the ruin is under the largest of these hills, but the entrance itself is supposed to be at the base of the hill just to the west of it. We may need to search behind the boulders and other rocks to find it."

---

"And you don't have to, Sabine." Peiter responded, attempting to sound reassuring in his tone. "Some people might be uncomfortable for longer than they would want, yes, but you've done everything you were supposed to. Actually, you've done more than that. The burns are painful, but they're not threatening. All of the effort you've put into this for the past few weeks has been purely out of the kindness of your heart. There was nothing saying you had to go out of your way to make everyone more comfortable. Most people probably didn't even know you could do anything for them until you spread the word. Not to mention, the clan has its own alchemists who could also be doing this for them."

Leaning down, Peiter gave Sabine a kiss on the cheek, then spoke more quietly in her ear. "Besides, we have to be getting close to the clan. Why else would we be stopping now? You have done everything needed of you. Now, you can relax."

[Muttonhawk]

The search continued for perhaps another twenty minutes. Most of the time was spent weaving between the various hills and rocks looking for anything that look remotely like the frame for a passage. There was only one that could be described as what they were looking for, but it was so covered in loose gravel from the slope above that it was not going to be a passage for anything.

After a time, the search appeared rather aimless. They were looking for a big hill amongst many big hills, from the bases of all the big hills. Uthri eventually spoke up with a suggestion, "You know, I could climb up one of these hills myself and shout down what I can see." Uthri pointed her thumb to the rocky hill beside them, "It will probably be easier to judge where the biggest hill is."

Gallus gestured and raised his mouth in an expression that held no objection. "Go ahead. We'll look around here for a bit while you do that. Just stay in view of us."

With a nod and a smile, Uthri began to ascend one of the hills at speed. The way she stepped up the loose stones and clambered up the handholds spoke of some experience with climbing. While the rest of the group poked around below, she would be up there in a few minutes to give them some direction.

---

Sabine at least removed her hand from her face when Peiter kissed her cheek, but she still didn't look very mollified. "I know I do not have to," Sabine conceded, "but...now everyone will expect it. I just want to stay here and hide until we find the clanhome."

With one hand, Sabine grabbed at her cold snake skin. After a moment, she turned herself onto her back to look at Peiter worriedly, "Could you...just tell people that I am not around until we pack up camp again?"

[EliteCommander]

While Uthri climbed the hill, Meesei stopped where she was and attempted to look at the hill as a whole, hoping to be able to pick out a pattern among the rocks. Meanwhile, Ahnasha stopped as well, though she was taking a more detail-oriented approach in her examinations. Uthri would soon be in the best position to see the entrance, so most of the group was simply waiting on her to be in position.

"A Blades fortress? I would wonder how they could ever have found the place to begin with." Ahnasha commented. "The stories I heard about them growing up made them seem almost mythical. Granted, the Empire likes to idolize the Penitus Oculatus more highly, but historians seem to like the Blades. Dragonslayers, spies, people who could be everywhere yet nowhere. They had one temple that wasn't really a secret to the north of Bruma, I think, but they had to have more, with how widely they operated back in the Septim Empire. Though, even if this place wasn't a Blades fortress, I still wonder how they found it. It's so far out of the way of anything, and the entrance isn't exactly obvious. We know it's here, and we still are having trouble finding it."

Meesei, in her search for patterns, had a thought related to the clan's members themselves. If this was the main entrance, then they would be passing through it rather frequently. They would not leave tracks on the rocks, but their feet would likely track sand up onto them. In the places that would be shielded from the wind, she looked closer, and indeed, found some spots with more sand than she would have expected. Following those spots with her eyes, they seemed to end at a spot about halfway up the hill. Looking up at Uthri, she pointed at a boulder near to that point. "Uthri, look there. Do you see the entrance near that rock?" She shouted.

---

Instead of getting up, Peiter laid down beside Sabine and put his arm around her waist, pulling himself close to her. "Honestly, I don't see much of a reason to leave this tent right now. Laying here with you is much better, overall. But, if I do happen to get up, I won't say that I know where to find you. Still, you don't need to worry so much about this. The clan won't expect you to do the impossible. It's not like you can materialize ingredients out of thin air. They would have to be mad to be angry with you. Why do you think that they will be angry at you, anyway? Has anyone said anything to you about it?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Who are the Blades, anyway? Some kind of Imperial Khajiit legend?" Gallus asked while stepping around some boulders.

Fendros gave a short laugh, "No, not specifically Khajiit. They are the Emperor's bodyguards. Well, they used to be. They were disbanded after the Empire made peace with the Dominion." Fendros was covering the ground where Ahnasha wasn't, saving them a bit of time, but he spoke up to communicate with Gallus. "They have quite a bit of history. Some say they're still out there, hidden. They're also known for these special swords and armour, based on Akaviri equipment."

"What? Like those curved swords with the little round guard? What are they, kabanas or-?"

Gallus' wild guesses were cut off by Uthri's shouted response from the top of the hill she had scaled. "I see what could be it! Right there! Around the bend! This looks like that's the biggest hill!" Everyone looked up to Uthri then to area she was pointing to. After another moment of looking around, Uthri added, shouting, "I do not see any bigger hill! Check that spot!" Uthri squat down and carefully began lowering herself down the slopes, "I will be with you in a moment!"

---

"No, I am just..." With her back to him, Sabine wrapped her hands around Peiter's. She took a deep breath and tried to enjoy the closeness, but it wasn't ridding her anxiety. "I am just worried," Sabine mumbled, "I know I should not be, I just am."

After a moment, Sabine began to mumble back at Peiter. "Do you not ever get worried about how people will react if you do not do something for them? Even if they are nice people?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei began walking up the hill, following the path of sand she had spotted. Conveniently, the sand seemed to follow the lowest effort path up to the boulder. It was only once she was close that she was able to see clearly that the rock placed in shadow what appeared to be a cave or crevice leading further into the hill. "Yes, this seems to be it. Come, we should head inside." She yelled to the others.

After allowing a minute or two for Uthri to climb down, and everyone else to walk up to her on the hill, Meesei cast a spell of magelight on herself. Their night eye would have given them acceptable vision inside, but she did not want to risk surprising the clan's lookouts. "Let us move slowly, and keep our hands away from our weapons. With how long the Senchal clan has been out of contact, this clan may be even more alert than usual." Meesei warned before leading the way inside.

The cave was fairly tall, but otherwise not much different from the entrance to the ruin back home, apart from being much warmer. Although, since they were out of the sun, the air was becoming cooler the deeper they went. There was nothing to distinguish the cave from any natural formation, but just like outside, Meesei noticed an unusual amount of sand on the floor of the cave beneath them. At least, there was nothing else that seemed unusual until they started getting deeper into the cave. After a minute or so, the air started becoming unmistakably humid, which was something none of them had felt for weeks.

---

Peiter tightened his grip around Sabine as he answered. "I won't say I never worry about what others think, but not with things like that. I do what I can for people, but if something just isn't possible for me, then I can't make myself feel bad over it. If I help someone, I can feel good knowing that I did something for them, but I don't try to make myself think that I always need to. If someone is going to get mad at me for not doing the impossible, then they're the one who is being unreasonable. My conscious would be clean."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus peered up at the ceiling while they walked. "While the colour of the rocks might be different, this is beginning to feel more like home with every step," he murmured. His voice carried easily in the wide cave, even as he spoke quietly.

"Not quite," Fendros added, "I don't smell any lycans."

A light breeze passed the group from behind them, indicating that there may be openings further into the cave.

"I think we're just heading down wind. Give it a moment." Gallus tried to look ahead into the dark that Meesei's light couldn't pierce. It was hard to see further into the dark with it present.

"I would think we could have been confronted by now," Uthri commented as she peered around, "We would never have allowed outsiders this close back home. Perhaps they want to surround us in case the people we left outside mean harm."

---

Sabine quietly frowned for a while in Peiter's arms. What he said made sense, so why was she worried at all? Was it a learned thing? Was something wrong with her?

"I still do not know," Sabine mumbled, "It has been a long time since I made so much of something that I ran out of ingredients before finishing. I am just not used to it."

Perhaps it took talking with Peiter to realise it, but Sabine found her thoughts at that moment unhelpful. She shuffled around until she was facing Peiter and kissed him on the collarbone, before curling and bringing her forehead to his chest. She took a deep breath of his scent to calm down and let the thoughts go, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Her muffled voice grumbled from below Peiter's chin, "Could you hold onto me for a while longer? I want to nap."

[EliteCommander]

"Perhaps, or this cave could go deeper than ours at home." Meesei suggested. "Though, you may yet be right. The cave should split somewhere ahead. We need to keep to the left path." She explained. While she knew enough to get to the clan's stronghold, she did not know the details of their defenses. However, the fact that the cave split would allow for them to flank intruders, as Uthri suggested. If the clan was as capable of spotting intruders as Meesei had been told, they likely already knew they were there.

Just as Meesei had said, the path forked ahead, so they continued down the left path. Strangely, however, instead of sloping down as it had been, the cave started to slope back upwards. They again started to pick up a breeze, but this time, it was coming from ahead of them. The breeze came to be a relief, as it gave them the first evidence of the actual members of the clan, since the scent of lycans was now unmistakable in the air.

It was not long after catching the scent that the group was finally confronted. Soon after rounding a corner, they were met with a line of Khajiit with spears facing them, and, just as Uthri had predicted, footsteps approaching behind them. The Suthay-raht at the head of the group, like his companions, was armored fully in a suit made of a golden-colored moonstone alloy, similar to the Dominion soldiers that had accompanied them during their journey. Although, their scents were certainly those of lycans. "Stop, and put down your weapons!" He shouted.

---

With a relieved smile, Peiter kissed the top of Sabine's head. "I'll hold you for however long, and whatever way you want. Just try to relax, and don't think so much about everyone else." He suggested before closing his eyes himself.

[Muttonhawk]

Tension rose between the silence of the group and the rocky walls of the dark cave they had wandered into. The possibility of the Orcrest clan being destroyed was unlikely, but it gradually weighed on them more with every step. The smell of lycans presented some relief, up until they remembered Vile's new tactic of emulating the scent for ambushes just like one they might be walking into.

Confronting the wall of shields and spears was a jolting shock at first; Gallus thought for a moment that the Dominion soldiers had tricked them all along. It was the last thing he expected. The seconds that followed were a mix of relief and caution. These people smelled of lycans.

"Ah-ah-hold on, hold on," Gallus stepped back and showed his hands. "Alright, we're putting our weapons down. No trouble." As Gallus carefully reached down to his hammer with one hand, he gave the others a nod. Uthri followed suit with slowly pulling out their weapons and dropping them onto the sandy floor with dull thuds. As for Irenya, she did not always bring weapons with her, but Gallus trusted her to disarm herself. In the action, Gallus even discarded the daggers from his belt and sleeve, but kept the one in his boot.

Fendros unbuckled his scabbard and let his sword and shield fall to the ground. He didn't say a word, but he knew that Meesei as capable of defending them for long enough to retrieve their weapons if these spearmen weren't genuine.

Gallus kept up the dialogue. "Thank Hircine we found you. In such tumultuous times as these, there was no guarantee that the Orcrest clan yet lived." Gallus forced a grin and tilted his head to Meesei, "Perhaps I had best let Meesei here put your fears to rest."

[EliteCommander]

When the group began to disarm, it at least prevented the lycan warriors from growing more hostile. Soon enough, the footsteps behind them revealed themselves to be another group moving behind to flank them. While they were disarming, an Ohmes Khajiit beside their leader glanced to him briefly. "Sir, they're lycans." He observed. Although, the leader remained just as skeptical.

"They smell like lycans. You know the enemy can fake that." He responded just before Gallus started to speak up again. "This one needs you all to...wait, Meesei?" He started to interrupt, but stopped himself as soon as he heard what Gallus was saying. He recognized the name, and as soon as Meesei lowered her hood, his eyes widened in surprise. However, how he, and the other warriors around him, reacted afterwards was not quite usual. A few of them looked to each other, much more in confusion than awe. The leader was speechless, but kept his spear raised, and now firmly pointed at Meesei.

Assuming his reaction to be one of fear related to the recent aggression of Vile's forces, Meesei spoke calmly. "You need not fear us, soldier. I am Hircine's Champion." She said, holding out her hand to show her ring. "I need to speak to the clan's leader as soon as possible."

Again, the soldier's reaction was far from what Meesei expected. Usually, anyone in the service of Hircine would defer to her orders once she identified herself, but he held his weapon firm, and just seemed more confused. "What...what is the meaning of this? The Champion? That's...impossible! This one just passed by you in the dining hall a few minutes ago. How could you be here, with these people? And...no, no you don't look like her." He exclaimed.

Whatever was going on, it was certainly going to complicate matters.

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus' grin faded and he narrowed his eyes. He had thought that seeing dominion soldiers in this place would be the last thing he expected, but finding an impostor of Meesei got close to surpassing it.

"You have a Meesei inside?" Gallus asked to confirm, tilting his head and eyeing the leader suspiciously. Gallus then looked to Meesei, then back to the leader, "If that is the case, then one of these Meeseis are lying. But, since I would rather have trust pervade..." Gallus stood up straight, undressed as swiftly as he could, and doubled over, baring his teeth.

Gallus' body shifted and warped into his beast form in a few moments longer than usual. The Imperial he was sprouted thick grey and black fur and grew greater than twice his original size. As Gallus was an alpha himself, he raised himself up and towered over all figures present, barring any Senche-rahts at best. He growled softly while looking in the direction of the militia leader. "I am Gallus Oswallson, of the Bruma clan. I would see this impostor myself," he said with a slow lisp through his sharp teeth.

"Should we shift as well, Gallus?" Uthri asked.

Gallus' eyes did not leave the militia leader. "Not unless this one needs you to."

---

The early stop for the day gave Tzirret time to sit on his own for a while to try and concentrate. He had wanted to finish carving a new sewing needle out of some discarded bone as requested by one of the clan clothiers. Tzirret had borrowed the previous one and accidentally snapped it. After a short time alone in his tent, he emerged with the finished product and dropped it off, but afterwards found himself at a loss.

Irenya wasn't around for lessons, he had been practising simple magic all day on the road, and he wasn't hungry. It was natural that he gravitated toward the regular group of friends he had frequented throughout the trip. Although he hoped that he could catch Ma'tanza on her own, he knew that was unlikely. He didn't know exactly what he wanted to do when he found her, he just wanted to be around her.

[EliteCommander]

As soon as Gallus started to transform, the warriors went even more on guard, and two of the unarmored warriors in the back of their line started to transform as well. What Gallus intended as a proof of identity, the warriors took as a threat.

"Stay back! We have you surrounded, and won't hesitate to kill you." The warrior threatened. "There is definitely an impostor here, but...how does this one know it isn't you?"

Meesei held up her hand to Gallus and the others. "Be calm, we will bring to light whatever deception is occurring here." She said before turning back to the warriors with her still-calm expression. "Regardless of whether you think that I, or the other, is the impostor, I am sure that your clan leader would want to see us both, yes? We are unarmed, and you can escort us. I too would like to see this impostor."

There was a pause from the warriors, one that hung in the air for what seemed like minutes, though it was only seconds. The same Ohmes that spoke before turned nervously to his superior. “Sir?” He asked, unsure what to do.

“Yes, yes, I am sure she would. Move slowly, leave your weapons behind, and don’t try getting close to us.” The Suthay-raht instructed.

Meesei complied and followed the lead of the warriors ahead of them. As the group moved forward, the warriors behind them collected their weapons, while making sure that none in the group moved too slowly forward. It was not far until they reached the main chamber, and under any other circumstances, it would have been quite the sight to behold. The main chamber was not under the largest of the hills, it was inside of it. The entirety of the hill was hollow, with a sizable hole at the top that let sunlight into the chamber. The floor and walls were made of carved sandstone, though all of the carvings on them were too worn to be recognizable. To the left and right of them, on the far sides of the room, there were small waterfalls flowing down from the walls on either side of the passageways that appeared to lead down deeper into the ruin. The waters flowed into small streams of water that ran towards the center of the room, then in a circle around it. The water drained into openings around the outside of the central island, on which there was a decently sized tree with bright blue blossums. Indeed, all around the chamber were various flowers, bushes, and vines running up the sides of the walls. It had more plant life in one room than the clan had seen for weeks. Above them, there was wooden scaffolding leading all the way up to the hole in the top of the hill.

“Stay here, and keep them under guard. This one will go find Ri’vashi and the Champion…or whoever she is.” The Suthay-raht commanded to one of his subordinates before setting off down one of the passageways.

----

As usual, Ma’tanza was with her friends, as well as S’nishi and M’ibasa. To protect themselves from the sun, they had arranged their tents in a circle, and were all, apart from S’nishi, sitting underneath them with their entrances untied. Ma’tanza had not yet seen Tzirret, but she had a rather obviously embarrassed expression, while Bheja was laughing.

[Muttonhawk]

In this form, Gallus couldn't help but bare his teeth and growl with flattened ears at the leader. There was no intention of violence in his mind, but his beast spirit took slights against his personal pride badly. When they got moving, the guards had to pick up all of Gallus' belongings as well as his weapons.

The main chamber was as impressive as it was beautiful. It felt more like some kind of place of worship than a home. The light coming in from the ceiling made it even seem more open than the main chamber at Bruma.

"It seems...surprisingly cool in here," Uthri noted. Her eyes explored the upper reaches of the chamber, as well as the waterfalls. "There is so much water. Where did it all come from?" She asked no one in particular.

Gallus sniffed the air, but seemed less amazed than Uthri. "An imposter," he said with an angered grunt, "To think what damage could have been done had we not arrived sooner. To think what might already have been done..." He fidgeted in place, uneasy with all the spears around him and growled, "I have half a mind to challenge this s'wit on the spot. Then I could become the fake champion and tell these people the truth while ripping the interloper to shreds."

It was never in a diplomatically sensitive situation like this that Gallus assumed his beast form. His tact was obviously suffering under its influence.

---

It wasn't hard to find Bheja's laugh, at least. Tzirret approached the circle of tents with a smile and a wave. "Hello," Tzirret said as he stopped, standing and looking with confusion at the mix of expressions. The looks that Ma'tanza and Bheja had only lent suspicion to what might have happened.

"Is something wrong? What did this one just miss?" Tzirret asked, looking a bit aimless.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei, while she understood Gallus' anger, had little patience for it. The situation they were in at the moment was a delicate one, and she could not afford to allow his temperament to compromise their safety. She turned to him and stared into his eyes sternly. "Gallus, calm yourself, immediately. This is neither the time nor place for any outbursts. These people do not know who you are, and may not care. But, when this is over, there will be no denying who I am. This impostor will not make it past this day, but I will be the one to deal with her. Understood?"

Near to Uthri, Ra'kalesh appeared equally as impressed with the chamber. He still had all of his belongings, as he had not been armed with any conventional weapons when they entered. All he was carrying, aside from the scraps of clothing he was wearing and a few pouches, were two steel bracers that covered his forearms. "This place does feel...alive. It is far different from the barren wasteland surrounding this place. It reminds Ra'kalesh of the forests he calls home. And all of this water...this one doubts it is being wasted. Even in the most fertile of Oases, it is best to save water. These streams probably flow in a a loop through the ruin, though for what purpose this one cannot say. Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy it all as guests soon."

---

"Nothing...important. Nothing important." Ma'tanza repeated with surprise and nervousness upon hearing Tzirret's voice. "Bheja...just told a joke, but only he finds it funny."

Bheja began to laugh even louder. "Yeah, that's what happened. No question. Nothing at all happened; nothing at all." He said with a voice that practically oozed sarcasm.

Throughout the exchange, M'ibasa was looking around in confusion. "M'ibasa doesn't understand what Bheja meant. Why would sister want to..."

Before M'ibasa could finish his sentence, Ma'tanza quickly leaned over and covered his mouth with her hand. "Those were words not meant for you, little brother. Just...forget he said them."

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's reprimand was all that it took for Gallus to fall into a moderated, military tone. He sometimes forgot how hard it was to keep calm in this form. "Yes, champion," he said, bowing a little. It was removed from his regular nonchalant attitude, understandably.

"In a loop?" Uthri asked, looking to Ra'kalesh with a raised eyebrow. "How does that work? The water just flows from the snow and ice at home."

---

Tzirret wasn't entirely sure how to react. He was curious, but at the same time it was probably just a crude joke. Tzirret seated himself down next to Ma'tanza rather than give an immediate answer.

"This one is unsure if it is a comfort that he is not the butt of the joke this time," Tzirret commented, if only just to say something. After a silent pause glancing between Bheja and Ma'tanza, the more curious side of Tzirret's judgement prevailed. "Okay, what was it?"

[EliteCommander]

"Good. Be alert, in case the impostor has allies, but do not act with aggression, even towards the impostor. I will challenge her if she does not surrender immediately, but I would still prefer to keep her alive for questioning." Meesei commented. The spearmen and other warriors around them were of course listening to the conversation, but none of them made any comment. They were almost all carrying looks of confusion and uncertainty. As stressful as this was for Meesei and her group, these warriors were faced with the knowledge that one of those claiming to be Champion in the clan was an impostor, and as of yet had no way to know which was the liar.

Ra'kalesh looked towards the tree at the center of the chamber, then to the streams surrounding it. "Well, this one does not know of course, but it could be like a fountain. It could use magic, or something else to push water up from below. Once it's up here, it can flow back down."

---

Ma'tanza raised up her hands and shook her head. "Oh, no no, that isn't necessary. This one is sure you don't want to hear..."

Before Ma'tanza could finish her statement, Bheja spoke up through his laughter. "Ma'tanza here, in her endless curiosity, decided to ask how I, at my size, could possibly give S'nishi the more...carnal pleasures of our relationship."

Ma'tanza glared at Bheja angrily. "Ma'tanza did NOT ask that, and you know it Bheja!"

Bheja shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, maybe, but that's what you meant. Well, let's just say I answered." He said with a grin.