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

[EliteCommander]

Just as before, the automatons were destroyed with minimal injuries across the warband. The spiders had delivered some painful, but non-lethal shocks across the front line, but the warrior who had been hit with the stray bolt in the beginning was the only one with any real visible injury. Sabine was treating him as the rest of the warband was making their way into the room from the chamber behind, and seeing as it was not a silver wound, it would not be difficult to heal. Regardless, they had plenty enough soldiers that there was no reason to rush his recovery. When Hjergir approached to check on his wounds, he pointed to another of the warriors nearby. "Take him back up to camp, then get back in a hurry." He ordered.

Once Sabine was relieved of her healing durty, Meesei's pack formed back together, with Ri'vashi and Hjergir, to continue to lead the way into the next hallway. It was narrower than the chamber, but fortunately, there was also not much resistance apart from the occasional spider. They passed by some partially collapsed walls and rubble, but the hallways were intact enough that there was nothing to impede their progress. Although, it did serve to point out some concerns they would need to deal with once they began to inhabit this place. Dwemer machinery and ruins were amazingly durable, having survived for thousands of years, but they had still been worn down somewhat by time, and their walls could still collapse. They would need to find ways to repair damaged sections of the ruin to ensure they remained structurally sound and safe to live in. Luckily, Dwemer stonework was no more complicated than any other building and would not require any advanced knowledge of Dwemer machines to repair.

As they continued along, they did encounter a set of double doors on the right side of the hallway, but luckily, Saras identified them as the trigger for a spinning blades trap before they attempted to open them. Hjergir decided to leave behind a group to carefully open them and disarm the trap in case it led to another passageway, while the rest of them continued on to investigate the hallway. They continued on for a few more minutes, making their way through a few more chambers before they found a set of stairs leading up to a set of alcoves, along with another set of stairs leading to another hall. The alcoves were all dead ends, but the other hall led to a relatively small, circular room with a single lever at its center and four gears attached to tracks on the sides.

"Hmm, I believe this is a Dwarven lift. Like a pulley operated lift, but much larger, and powered by steam instead of people pulling on a rope. A complicated piece of machinery, but if it works, it should take us down deeper into the ruin." Meesei commented.

Ri'vashi looked around at the lift with an uncertain expression. "Assuming it does work and doesn't collapse with us on it...it still might be dangerous. The lift is pretty small compared to our warband and can only hold so many of us at once. If there is any danger at the bottom, the first group down will have to deal with it alone."

---

Peiter let out a sigh, mostly to himself. "Don't exaggerate. I have helped, but I'm not a great help. It's always going to be a struggle to do basic things. I can't get away from it, and I know that now. I just have to accept it for what it is and do whatever I can."

Once Gallus had retrieved his knives, Peiter took aim at the tree once more. "I guess I can try learning magic. It's one of the few things I can still do. I'm not that good at it, but I guess I have time to practice."

[Muttonhawk]

The spinning blades that sprung from the ground earlier on had put the front line of the warband in two minds regarding the lift in front of them. On one hand, the trap worked after however many hundreds of years since the dwemer disappeared, so the lift was likely to be as reliable. On the other hand, it might kill them anyway.

Fendros itched at the back of his head as he looked at the stone platform. "Is there some way to test it without being on it?"

With more confidence, Janius pointed to a lever in the centre of the platform. "I'm guessing that's what makes it go. We could try it with a rope if someone doesn't mind walking on the thing."

The silence that followed didn't fill Janius with certainty. "I mean, I could do it, but..." He came to a realisation and looked to Meesei. "You can levitate, right alpha?"

---

"Hey," Gallus responded with gruff objection. He took Peiter's shoulder with one gloved hand. "Don't go putting yourself down like that. The truth is that everyone understands that one arm is going to set you back. Despite that, you're still helping out. When you go ahead and put forth the effort, especially when you've got a handicap like this, people notice. It's appreciated." He smiled and let go to step back. He turned to the tree again.

"As for learning magic, that'll be great for you, I think." Gallus tossed another knife with just as much accuracy as before. "It'll keep you busy and focussed." Another knife knocked into the tree. Gallus turned his smiling head back to Peiter again. "But, whatever you end up doing, I'll be here to help you however I can. If there's anything you need, anything at all, don't be afraid to ask."

After pausing to throw his last knife again, Gallus spoke up again. "So, about magic. What do you think you'd like to do with it? I don't know much about it, but I know that people tend to specialise."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei shook her head. “I am afraid not. It is a form of magic I would like to know, but it has not been practiced for hundreds of years. We could send it down without any of us having to be on it, but…” Meesei began, looking around with some uncertainty at the elevator shaft around them. “I do not know how we would send it back up without someone being down there. I would guess that the Dwemer would have a way to do so, but I do not know what that would be. I do not see any other levers.”

Ahnasha spoke up, though even she seemed uncomfortable at her own suggestion. “We could just send one volunteer to test it, but we have already seen that this ruin has automatons everywhere. Like Ri’vashi said, whoever goes down there first could be in danger. I…just wish we could figure out how to get the lift back up without anyone on it, but there’s no telling how far down that thing will take us. Too bad we didn’t bring any werevultures from Elsweyr, if they could even get up that shaft.”

---

Peiter stopped throwing his knives for the moment, instead stopping and watching Gallus’ technique. He had never seriously practiced with knives before, so he had never learned the proper way of handling them. Although, he was paying more attention to the conversation than trying to improve his skills. When Gallus started asking about the specifics of his plans with magic, he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know really. I’m not even sure I know all the things that mages can do. I mean, healing is always an option I guess. That’s what Tzirret is doing, and it’s what a lot of other mages do when they don’t know what to learn. Everyone likes a healer, and there will always be a demand for them. I just wonder if there’s something else I can do. Maybe there is some way to use magic to help plants grow better, or…make things. I don’t know, maybe enchanting? I should probably learn something to defend myself with, but I still don’t want to be fighting again.”

[Muttonhawk]

Janius crossed his arms and let out a sigh through nose. The uncomfortable silence that took over amongst the uncomfortable shuffling of the warband made him look around at everyone and start tapping his foot.

The one that ended up showing them all some courage was Sabine. She stepped out onto the platform without giving anyone so much as a glance. It was only once she reached the lever that she looked back at everyone with an expectant look.

The silence was turned into a stunned one, but at least the platform seemed stable. Fendros began to speak, "Uh...Sabine, are you sure you want to be...?"

"It will work," Sabine interrupted.

Janius' impatience finally emerged. "Alright, it's no use worrying. This place's machines are far from dilapidated, anyway," Janius said as he stepped out until he was next to Sabine. "Will we go on our own, or does anyone else feel like joining us."

Fendros was not so enthusiastic. He looked to Ahnasha with one eyebrow raised. He needed some encouragement.

---

Gallus had paused, both to listen to Peiter and to wait for him to throw knives. Halfway through his response, he stepped up to the tree to retrieve the knives again. By the time Peiter was finished, Gallus was ready to throw again, but he instead gestured with the knife that he held by the blade in his right hand, expressing his words in reply. "If you really want to defend yourself, that's fine, but you don't need to specialise in that if you don't want to be fighting."

Gallus turned, raised his knife to aim, and threw. He took the next knife and gesticulated similarly to before, tilting his head and waving the handle in circles. "It's sounding like you want to help others with your magic. Healing, enchanting, growing plants...I'm sure that there's plenty to choose from." Gallus straightened his head and brightened his smile. "Is there anything...in particular that you'd like to be able to do? A task? Something you've seen before or...or imagined?"

[EliteCommander]

Both Meesei and Lorag did not hesitate to step onto the lift at about the same time, following the actions of their packmates. Kaleeth was certainly afraid of the ancient machinery, but she followed Janius' lead all the same. Ahnasha, being the one to suggest a volunteer in the first place, was not going to stay behind while the rest of her pack pressed on, though her form of encouragement to Fendros was to simply grab his hand and pull him onto the lift with her.

Ri'vashi and Hjergir were the next to show their willingness to step forward, but Meesei held out her hand towards them to stop them. "No, we should not send too many of us. You should stay here and divide the warriors into defined groups for the lift. If there is danger at the bottom, we will need reinforcements as soon as possible."

While it was clear that both of the two had objections to Meesei's order, both Ri'vashi and Hjergir also understood it enough that they would not argue it. They stepped back, allowing Meesei's pack alone to be the first to take the lift. They all fit comfortably on the lift without any crowding, so all that remained was for someone to pull the lever.

---

For the most part, Peiter simply looked confused with Gallus' question. "Um, not really, I don't think. I did used to be a farmer, so I do know how to properly grow crops. I didn't...enjoy it all that much, but I know how to do it at least. Most other things would probably take more practice, though for the most part, I don't really think I know what all my options are. There are the obvious ones like healing and enchanting, but I don't know what else I can really use magic for. There's all kinds of stories, like mages that can turn iron into gold and such, but I don't really know what is true or not."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros offered no resistance to Ahnasha except a somewhat awkward look of surprise.

Once the pack was loaded on, there was a few moments of pause before Janius spoke up again. "Well, are we all read-"

A ratcheting metallic rip sounded out as Sabine tugged on the lever with all her body weight. It turned with little resistance once she had moved it a short way. The feeling of the lift platform suddenly jolting made everyone bend their knees slightly to keep balance. Whether the lift still worked properly would be known in the next instant.

---

While looking at his target, Gallus nodded his head to one side. "Well, if you learned to do that, no one could even try to claim that you're not pulling weight, heh." Gallus grinned and tossed his second knife again. He stood up straight with a hand on his hip to face Peiter properly. "Have you spoken to Sabine about it? Or one of the clan mages? I would be willing to bet that they could do a demonstration for you or something."

Gallus held up his third knife in one hand. "I just say this because you might find it helpful to see a goal you want to work towards. Inspiration, if you will." He flipped the knife in the air, catching it without trouble. "It's probably not quite comparable to something as big as magic, but I didn't know that I wanted to throw knives with any skill until I saw someone else do it. Now I take these things onto the battlefield." Gallus chuckled.

[EliteCommander]

The pulling of the lever caused the platform beneath them to rumble with the turning of gears within for a few seconds before the four gears attached to the tracks on the walls started to turn, pushing the lift downwards. It was encouraging, at least, that the lift did not immediately collapse upon being activated, and even better that it was taking them deeper into the ruin at a reasonable pace. Although, Kaleeth was practically shaking, and even Lorag looked uncomfortable as he kept his eyes firmly on the gears.

Aside from the ancient, working Dwemer mechanisms, anther detail that Meesei’s pack might find themselves surprised about was the fact that they had taken on another passenger. Without a single sound nor obvious motion, Saras had managed to step onto the lift unnoticed during the confusion as Sabin pulled the lever. His motivation for doing so was unknown, and he spoke not a word until Meesei noticed and addressed him.

“Saras, I ordered you to remain and prepare the soldiers to reinforce us.” Meesei scolded.

Saras gave little in the way of an emotional reaction, and stood in an almost dignified manner with his hands behind his back. “Actually, if I may, you ordered Ri’vashi and Hjergir to stay behind. You made no mention of myself. Besides which, I have been studying these ruins since your first messenger. I would not wish to leave your pack in the dark while you wait on a lift.”

---

"Yeah..." Peiter said simply, though he let out a sigh. Conceptually, he understood that he could still be useful, even in his position. Over the past few months, his self-doubt, while it had not been entirely diminished, had been lessened. He had seen mages like Sabine perform feats that, with the right magical knowledge, Peiter could replicate with just as much ease. The fact that he still had years worth of studying ahead of him was daunting, but he knew it was a possibility. These were concepts he consciously understood, but that did not mean there were not still problems on his mind.

"I just...I don't know. Really, I doubt anyone will question anything I do again. I guess they just don't expect me to do the same quality of work as them, so they just accept whatever I do and fix the problems themselves. I've seen it happen; seen people ignore mistakes that I make. They're probably just trying to be nice, I know, but it makes me feel awful." Peiter explained.

[Muttonhawk]

Seeing Kaleeth getting nervous prompted Janius to slide off his shield and take her shoulder to reassure her. The lift was, all things considered, steady and sure. Nevertheless, even descending slowly was unnerving.

The first reactions to Saras were mild confusion. Janius in particular pointed and looked left and right as if he was at once trying to work out how he did it and was about to ask outright.

Fendros, not being as outwardly confused, blinked and looked to Meesei after Saras answered. "Well..." He rolled a shoulder. "He does have a point."

"The lift." Sabine spoke, "Did you know that it worked?"

---

Gallus' grin lowered into a sympathetic smile. "You really are too nice, aren't you?" he said with his head angled to one side. Gallus offered his empty hand in a gesture. "Look, it's alright to feel guilty, I won't say that it's not, but..." Gallus twisted his mouth against his right cheek and tsked. "There's a point where you've got to hold your thoughts about helping others and think about how you should be treating yourself. It sounds like you're doing a fine job beating yourself up about all this. It's no wonder that you had trouble getting out of bed. Do you really think that's..." Gallus stopped himself before he used the word helpful. "...Is stopping to feel guilty about what you can't control really what's best for you?"

[EliteCommander]

Saras shook his head lightly. "I had no more specific knowledge than you. But, I do know that these lifts tend to work more often than not. I would guess that the Dwemer viewed them as a priority for maintenance, for obvious reasons."

Meesei's expression remained unchanged as she stared down Saras. "You knew my meaning. We cannot afford to take any more risks than necessary, and I cannot abide..."

Meesei was interrupted when the lift stopped, having reached the bottom of the shaft. The lift had not taken them exceptionally deep, and it had moved at a fair pace, though they still could not see the top of the shaft above them. The gate in front of them was already opened, and beyond it was a massive, darkened chamber. Their eyes had not yet adjusted, so it was difficult to see what was ahead of them. However, what could not be mistaken was the foul odor that permeated the air. It overpowered any other scent, and made it difficult to sense if there was anything else alive in the chamber. Meesei stepped out cautiously onto the stairs leading into the chamber, looking around as alert as possible. Regardless of Saras' actions, they had more pressing matters at the moment.

"We need to hold here, send up the lift, and wait here for reinforcements before doing anything else." Meesei ordered.

---

Peiter let out a sigh. "It's not...it's not about guilt. I don't feel bad about making mistakes, I just don't like how other people have been treating me. I try to do all these tasks, and I know I make mistakes. I might take too long, or make some kind of mistake, but it's like people just pretend it doesn't matter. I know they're fixing my mistakes on their own when I'm not around. I'm not mad because I make mistakes, I'm mad because people won't even acknowledge it. It's like, because I lost my arm, I'm not expected to do anything right. It's like they're not willing or able to criticize my work. It was nice at first; I didn't feel like I was under too much pressure, but...now it just all feels like pity. People pity that I can't do the things they can, so they just accept whatever I do and pretend it's all perfect, even when I know it isn't."

[Muttonhawk]

As soon as the wave of foul air hit the pack, they couldn't help but wrinkle their noses and turn to look through the open gate. Saras' unsanctioned appearance was put to the side immediately.

"What manner of..." Janius murmured as he took the front with Kaleeth so they could lead with their shields. "It must be a cesspit down here."

Fendros stepped up to the lever of the lift. "I'll go back up. If there are more automatons, my arrows aren't going to be especially helpful." He looked specifically to Sabine and nodded his head to one side. "Go on."

After the pack and Saras were off the platform, Fendros pulled the lever with another ratcheting rip and the machinery rumbled it upwards again.

"Saras, while you're here," Janius whispered. "Do you know what is making that smell?"

---

Without stopping to retrieve his daggers, Gallus listened attentively to Peiter, nodding a couple of times. When he was finished, he paused to look at the tree they were throwing at and let out his own sigh, albeit a thoughtful one. The answer to Peiter's problems was not obvious.

"I understand, I think. Mostly." Gallus looked to the ground and itched at the back of his head. It wasn't until he took a short breath and squinted one eye that he had a better answer. "Say, if you just completed a task with someone and you made mistakes because of your arm..." Gallus curled his lips for a moment, selecting his words carefully. "...How would you prefer that they react?"

[EliteCommander]

"Fendros, get back here!" Ahnasha said in frustration, but the lift had already started up by the time she spoke. However, she did not have time to worry about him, as the scurrying in the darkness presented a much more immediate concern.

Saras already had his bow conjured and an arrow nocked, though not drawn. He scanned the chamber as thoroughly as possible as his eyes adjusted. "I cannot know for sure, but...it is not machines that reside in this place."

Lorag had stepped forward in front of most of the others, his hammer gripped tightly in his hands. He stared out towards the source of the sounds, but before any of the group could spot their foe, they made the first attack. From a high angle above them, an arrow flew down and struck Lorag's chestplate. With the angle, the arrow simply deflected off of the steel down into the stonework beneath him, though it still delivered a painful impact. "Gah, what in Oblivion?" He grunted.

By this point, most of the pack could see that there was a series of Dwemer bridges and platforms above them, on which they could see faint humanoid silhouettes looking down upon them. Meanwhile two large, insectoid creatures about the height of the average person were rushing at them directly from their front. They had black shells, and two oversized mandibles that looked as if they could crush any part of a person's body. Behind the insects was a pale, hunched-over humanoid creature wearing simple rags and wielding an axe that looked to be made from the chitin of the same insects it was leading.

---

Peiter looked away, though not out of any particular frustration towards Gallus himself. He simply felt general frustration towards the problems he was describing. "I'd want them to react like they would towards anyone else. Obviously I wouldn't want them shouting at me or anything, but I'm tired of being treated like I'm beyond criticism. I'm just being treated...different. It makes me feel different; it reminds me, constantly, of how different I am now."

Letting out a sigh, Peiter shook his head and looked back to Gallus. "But it doesn't matter, I guess. Even if you somehow managed to convince every single person in the clan to treat me any different, it would just be the same thing every time I meet someone new. I don't see myself getting away from it."

[Muttonhawk]

"I'll be as quick as I can, Ahna," Fendros said dismissively before the lift cut him off from them. All that was apparently left to do was to wait. They did not have to wait long.

When Lorag was struck, the pack scrambled to tighten its small formation. When the arrow clattered to the ground nearby, Sabine noticed that it wasn't like the dwemer metal bolts. It was a shiny grey, barbed, and chitinous arrow. The sheen of sticky liquid on its head -- no doubt poisonous -- only made it look deadlier. The dots connected in Sabine's mind from what Saras had described. She charged an ice spike and a ward and called out. "Falmer!"

"More than that! Look out!" Janius shifted his shield higher to block an incoming glob of some kind of venom spat by one of the giant insects ahead. It splashed onto his shield, but none of it landed on any exposed flesh. It was the last thing he would want in his eyes, he decided.

Sabine raised her ward to try to cover what the shields couldn't. It was hard to aim through the ward's distorted dome, but she tried her best to launch an ice spike back up at the figure that shot at Lorag.

Janius was in the difficult position of trying to fend off arrows from above while defending from the front. He prepared to bring his axe straight down onto the head of the first insect that would reach them, though he had never fought them before.

---

"Hmph, sounds like it matters," Gallus commented. "You know, you're right, I'm afraid. It's not something that you'll be able to get away from, at least not fully. You might be able to make it easier, though." Gallus angled his head back. "Play on your own terms."

Now assuming more of an explanatory tone, Gallus strode to the tree and dislodged his knives yet again. "Before working with someone, mention it quickly; 'Hey, if I mess anything up, just tell me and I'll fix it myself, okay?' Say that and then they know that you're capable of doing things for yourself. They've got no excuse to cover for you. Nords especially are insulted if you try to dote on them in spite of their pride, so the locals, at least, ought to understand fairly quickly."

The third knife was dug in more tightly, so Gallus had to give it a firm tug before he turned back to Peiter. "You don't even have to bring up your arm unless they broach the subject. If they do, they probably would have broached either way." He strode up to Peiter, tilted his head, and tried a sympathetic smile. "It's really about being assertive without making a scene, rather than bottling it all up. Would that be something you're willing to try?"

[EliteCommander]

By this point, the pack's eyes had adjusted enough that they could see the majority of what was threatening them. Closest were the two chaurus and the Falmer immediately behind, but there were more above, beyond just the archer that had fired on Lorag. A mage and another archer had appeared and taken position above on one of the bridges, and there was the echoes of even more movement beyond what they could see. The Falmer were making sounds that seemed like communication, but it did not sound like any organized language. It was more like animal noises that conveyed simple meanings. With so many angles above from which they could be attacked, they were in a terrible position. There was no way of knowing how many more of these Falmer were in the ruin, and how long it would be before they would arrive. However, in the center of the chamber, there was something of a better position. It appeared to be an ancient fountain which had long ago stopped flowing with water, but it was underneath a structure that would provide at least some cover from above. However, there were four more Falmer that had made their way down from a ramp just behind the fountain, and there was no way the pack would be able to reach it before they would have to contend with them.

Meesei's reaction was simple, and direct. She charged her lightning in both hands, then unleashed it in a constant, rather impressive storm in front of them. It arced between both chaurus and the Falmer for a few seconds, burning their flesh and causing some of their muscles to convulse. It caused the Falmer to collapse immediately, and while the chaurus proved more resilient, it did leave them open to attack. It had been a while since Meesei had been in a battle with her pack outside of a tight formation and was able to use the full range of her magical abilities. At the moment, her spells might seem a bit more powerful than some of her pack remembered.

---

"It feels like I'm constantly dealing with one symptom after another, instead of dealing with the actual problem. Of course, it's not like there's anything I can do about that. There's no magic out there that can regrow an arm; believe me, I have asked. Probably to the point of annoyance. 'Trying things' is about all I can do." Peiter answered.

Peiter walked over past the tree and started picking up his knives from off the ground. "Do you think we can talk about something else? Or do something else, just...something new, maybe. I think at this point, I've learned not to dwell."

[Muttonhawk]

Extra power or not, the pack knew what to do when Meesei let loose. Her spells gave them space to take the initiative. Rather than let the chaurus come to them, Janius charged forwards while they were stunned and chopped his axe between the mandibles of one of them with a shout.

Sabine kept her ward up as best as she could, firing off ice spikes whenever she had the magicka to spare. There only seemed to be more Falmer coming out of nowhere to fight, so she was keen to get into cover as much as anyone else. Seeing the fountain shelter and the Falmer going towards it, Sabine charged an ice storm spell in one hand and threw it out towards them. It lit up the ground that it floated over with snow and ice made from the puddles on the floor and passed through the fountain itself to reach the enemy. "We can get to that shelter!" Sabine shouted, mostly to Meesei. "It is covered from above!"

---

Peiter may have been between cynicism and outright frustration, but Gallus smiled at his agreement to try. He reached out a hand and ruffled his hair. "You never know, it might make for more than you think. Try it for a week, let me know how it goes."

As for wanting to change the subject, Gallus conceded with a nod. "Sure. I think that's enough problem solving for now." He turned his head to the now splintered bark of the tree nearby. "I can help you with your throwing technique if you want." He then shrugged and turned back to Peiter. "Otherwise, one of the labourers told me that there's some wood that needs splitting. It might pass the time."

No matter the answer, Peiter wasn't going to get silence that easily. Gallus asked after a short while. "So, how have you and Sabine been going? You sick of each other yet?" He chuckled.

[EliteCommander]

The placement of Janius' axe was perfect to kill, or at least permanently disable, the chaurus. The chitinous shell was tough to pierce through, but Janius' strike was forceful and direct enough to crack the shell and cleave into the soft flesh within. Meanwhile, Lorag too rushed forward and took a horizontal swing with his hammer. It struck just behind the creature's head and cracked its shell open, but again, it was surprisingly durable. The chaurus rolled over back onto its feet, then lunged at Lorag, locking its mandibles around his torso and attempting to crush him. His armor protected him, and he had time to shift his grip on his hammer and bring it down to crush the head of the creature, but the sound of bending metal gave a strong case for why he should avoid getting caught in a chaurus' grasp again.

Meesei was just as aware as Sabine that they would need to move, and the fountain was their best option. Unfortunately, the number of Famler above them was only growing. Whatever sounds the Falmer had been making was evidently drawing in reinforcements from outside the chamber. Two more archers and another mage had already taken positions above. Meesei could not protect against all angles with wards as they ran across the open, so she decided to provide cover in a different way. She bolted forward into the middle of the chamber, between her pack and the fountain, then began throwing bolts of lightning at all targets above them, as fast as she possibly could. Her concern was not to be particularly accurate, or to make her spells particularly strong. She simply wanted to frighten them with enough spellfire to keep them from accurately targeting her pack as they ran. "Make for the fountain, hurry!"

The Falmer ahead of them had to scramble to avoid Sabine's ice storm, and even then, one was caught in the middle of it. It did not die immediately, but it did start to limp away bleeding and in pain. The pack would have to fight the remaining three at the fountain, but they would at least be protected from above. Unfortunately, there were more Falmer and chaurus making their way around the path, down the ramp ahead of them. They were going to be outnumbered soon.

---

"Might as well just stay here." Peiter said with a shrug. In truth, he felt like having a drink, but he had not yet acclimated himself to how the Riften clan went about distributing extra food and drinks. Although, the Nords were known for their affinity for mead, so he doubted he would have too much trouble. For the moment, however, he was content just talking and practicing.

"Maybe we would be, if we hadn't been separated. Who knows how long it's going to take to clear that ruin? Before that, everything was going fine, I guess. I don't really know how it's 'supposed' to be going at this point. Neither of us do, really. We are just doing whatever we feel is right, I guess." Peiter answered.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius wrenched out his axe from the chaurus with a sickening sound. The chitin had given way to a sticky ichor that stretched in wet strings from the wound to the blade. He did not have time to so much as grimace before the order came to get to cover. Janius held his shield overhead against the coming arrows as the pack moved to the fountain as fast as they could.

As they closed in, the Falmer ahead were already in position to keep them out. Sabine lead the effort to repel them by launching a pair of ice spikes at once while Meesei suppressed those above.

Janius took advantage by charging ahead and trying to bash one of the squat creatures onto the floor. "Saras!" Janius shouted behind himself. "Is there anything these things are afraid of?!"

---

"Very well," Gallus casually said. "If it feels right, I'd say that you're doing fine."

At this point, Gallus stepped back and gestured to the tree. "Have another throw. Don't let all this talking keep you still."

This time, Gallus kept an eye on Peiter's technique, but it didn't keep him silent. "What about Tzirret? Has he spoken to you much? I've noticed him being quiet around you."

[EliteCommander]

"They are animals!" Saras answered back to Janius. He moved just behind the pack's more frontline warriors, aiming his bow as he ran. As they neared the fountain, he saw that one of the Falmer had been struck in the stomach by one of Sabine's ice spikes. The wound stopped the Falmer long enough for Saras to land a precise shot through its chest. "But they do not fear as we do. Only pain and death will give them cause to retreat."

As for Janius' opponent, the Falmer proved itself equal parts strong and ferocious. It avoided Sabine's ice spike, then avoided the brunt of the force from Janius by knocking the strike aside with its shield. Now that he had closed in, Janius could see up close the Falmer's pale, wrinkled skin, and seeming lack of eyes. What the Falmer did not lack, however, was strength. It could not match the power of a lycan, but it did have enough strength that Janius could not overpower it with ease. It responded with a direct, powerful swing from its rough, poison-coated blade towards Janius' chest. As one might expect, it used no kind of formal technique, and simply relied on ferocity. Kaleeth, meanwhile, was slower to get into position, as she had been keeping an eye on the archers above them, but she started to maneuver around to flank Janius' opponent.

---

Somewhat apathetically, Peiter threw one of the knives upon Gallus' request. His technique was poor, though he did happen to hit the tree on this particular throw. He had, in the past, learned some of Gallus techniques in previous practice sessions, but he was obviously distracted in the conversation.

Peiter gave a shrug. "I...guess everything is fine, I suppose. Tzirret hasn't said anything unusual, but...I guess you did say he was being quiet. If there is something wrong with him, I wouldn't really know what it is. Honestly, I still say he is a lot better off now than he used to be."

[Muttonhawk]

The Falmer's strength took Janius by surprise. It took him a moment to regain his balance after his attack was deflected, allowing the creature's chitin sword to crash against his cuirass and force him to take a further step back. Once Janius regained his footing, he regained control, parrying the next swing with his shield and counter-attacking by thrusting the blade of his axe to cut at the Falmer's throat.

Sabine moved with the frontline, not daring to stray. In the moment where they were halted in fighting for the fountain, she charged a larger icy spear spell in one hand and aimed carefully at the one that appeared to be charging magic itself. Sabine didn't even know if the creature was capable of raising a ward, but even if it did, the spell would make it stumble back. She let the spell fly, shooting out an arm length icicle from her palm.

"What's taking Fendros so blasted long!?" Janius shouted. "There are too many of them to clear out here! Would a lycan's roar at least discourage them?!"

---

"Good throw," Gallus commented. "Your spin is off by just a touch, though. Try to let go an instant later. Your aim's good."

After Peiter's answer, Gallus spoke in an easy tone. "Oh, most certainly. He's been trying new things more than usual and he's much...more open now. But..." Gallus itched at the back of his head. "I've just noticed that he seems a little lost while you're around. It might be that he's worried and doesn't know what to say." Gallus shrugged. "It might be nothing. It could be nice to have a quick chat to him, just to let him know that he doesn't have to behave that way. It's no good for brothers to avoid one another."

[EliteCommander]

Janius’ practiced techniques turned out to be much quicker and more precise than the Falmer’s rough, direct attacks, as his parry and counter-attack was quicker than the Falmer could react to. His axe found its mark, and soon after, Kaleeth circled around and thrust her blade into the creature’s spine. Her attack may not have been entirely necessary, but it did guarantee that the Falmer fell immediately.

Lorag had set his sights on one of the more heavily armored Falmer, since the chitin would do little against his hammer. The creature was wielding a large shield, and a double-sided axe crafted from a chaurus’ mandibles. As Lorag charged forward, Ahnasha found her own opportunity to help. Sabine and Saras had slain one of the Falmer at range, so Ahnasha cast a spell of reanimation on to its corpse. While Lorag delivered a blow to the Falmer’s shield strong enough to cause it to crack, Ahnasha’s magic raised the corpse to its feet. Lorag’s opponent was staggered back, potentially with a broken arm, only to be met with an axe to the back of its head from Ahnasha’s thrall. Falmer helmets did not protect the back of the skull, so its death was fairly immediate.

Sabine’s opponent did indeed attempt to raise a ward, but it did so too late to fully block the effect of the spell. The icy spear shattered on the ward, but it broke so quickly that many of the shards still found their way through into the Falmer shaman’s flesh. It wore only basic clothing, so there was no armor to resist the shards. The shaman’s body was punctured in at least five places along the chest, arms, and abdomen, causing blood to pour from each. It was not dead, but would not be able to mount much resistance to Sabine’s following attacks.

The four Falmer near the fountain had been dispatched easily enough, but there were already more coming down the ramp; enough that the pack would be outnumbered. Saras was already picking a target when Janius shouted. “I do not know if they will fear them, but our lycan forms may be more effective against these creatures.” He answered.

Seeing the incoming Falmer and chaurus, Kaleeth took only a few moments to make her decision. Hiding behind Janius, she dropped her weapons and began her own transformation.

---

Peiter followed Gallus’ advice with his next throw, though this time he missed by a small margin. Correcting one flaw in his technique revealed another with how he was aiming. He was undeniably awkward with his left hand.

In regards to Tzirret, Peiter mostly looked uncertain. “I don’t know. Tzirret has always kept to himself. He has changed a bit now, but it’s still hard to tell what goes on in his mind. He…does worry about some unusual things, sometimes.”

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine took a moment to throw one last ice spike at the mage above to disable it, but she regretted hesitating to speak instead. "There is poison!" She shouted. It was meant to be a warning against foregoing armour to transform, but it was too late to stop Kaleeth.

Janius turned to focus on blocking incoming arrows now that the way to the fountain was clear, though Saras and Sabine's conflicting advice put him at a loss. "Alpha? What should we do?!" he asked. The encroaching reinforcements the Falmer were bringing forth only further diminished his making an independent decision.

---

"Almost there, visualise it," Gallus offered after Peiter's next throw. "Mmm, that much hasn't changed about Tzirret, at least not completely." Gallus looked sideways at Peiter and shrugged one shoulder. "Look, it might just be the case that he wants to help but doesn't want to make you cross. Now that Sabine's away for a while, try catching up with him at some point."

After Peiter's final knife was thrown, Gallus shook his head slightly. "Anyway, I trust you to do what you need. Don't let my nagging get to you, hmhm."

For what it was worth, the rest of the session had Peiter at least improve a little with his throwing technique. The rest of the topics of conversation were limited to small talk and catching up. At least there was still plenty to talk about in this new place. The pair eventually finished up to complete other tasks for the day, but Gallus made sure that Peiter at least had something to do.