It was a few weeks before Meesei's pack was ready to start their search for the Rueful axe, though they did not spend the entire time relaxing. Sabine's training with Fendros continued every single day, with Meesei joining in to help at least half the time. As often as she could, Meesei would also take the time to teach Sabine about some of the more advanced forms of magic she had developed over the years, portals in particular. For short term, practical purposes, the ability to create portals would allow Sabine to travel anywhere in Tamriel she liked, any time she liked. It would make it particularly easy for Sabine to maintain any relationship she might want to enter into, but Meesei did have another motivation behind dedicating all of that time to that particular form of training. Meesei was uneasy with the fact that the propylon chambers, which the clans had come to rely upon to communicate and operate as efficiently as they were, could only be created and maintained solely by Meesei herself. She wanted to train others whom she trusted to be proficient in the same ability. If Sabine could learn the secrets of teleportation, then she too could maintain the infrastructure they had created.
Whenever her spare time allowed it, Meesei also attempted to meet with Lunise. She knew it would not always be convenient, but for the moment, Lunise was still traveling back Alinor from Bravil, which was a journey that took some time. Meesei would have liked to simply take Lunise to her destination immediately, but Lunise arriving so quickly would certainly raised some questions. Nevertheless, since Lunise was simply traveling, they had plenty of opportunities to be together. Meesei even brought Lunise back through a portal into her own chamber on one occasion, though Lunise did not leave that one room.
Although tensions were high among Meesei's pack regarding the threat they were preparing to face, the search itself somewhat diminished that sense of urgency. Despite the leads they started with, the pack's search for the Rueful Axe turned out to be quite a long and dull process. Their mission entailed tracking down people who were rumored to have seen the axe and questioning them, then finding the next person that they would inevitably be told to speak to. Occasionally, they would be directed to an old abandoned ruin, which would usually contain little more than sand. The most exciting event that happened for months was when the pack were able to make a meal out of a group of highwaymen that were inhabiting one of the ruined military forts.
At the very least, traversing Hammerfell's generally arid landscape was not as unpleasant as it had been in the past for the pack. The pack were almost exclusively wearing long robes made from breathable fabric that protected well against both the sun and sand. While bulkier than their usual garb, it was far more comfortable in the Alik'r than any alternative. They could also carry ample food and water supplies at all times, by virtue of Meesei being able to return to Blackreach at will. Meesei, Kaleeth, Julan and Leaps in particular benefited from being able to bathe whenever they needed in order to avoid the discomfort of the dry air.
Despite their lack of success in the search so far, Meesei did not believe that it was hopeless, as the lead they were currently following was far more promising than any they had tried thusfar. From the story they had gathered so far, a local adventurer and self-styled hero had acquired the Rueful axe after it had been brought to Hammerfell by another, Nord adventurer from Skyrim, who had reportedly won the axe in a wager. The Nord had died from either dehydration or overheating in the desert, and the weapon was then acquired by a trader who found the corpse along the road. From there, the trader's caravan was saved by the Redguard adventurer, and he was given the axe as a reward, since the trader likely did not know its true value. The Redguard gained some measure of fame in the area around Sentinel for his exploits with the axe, and indeed, the pack had found some evidence to support that in the last ruined fort they had explored. The bandits that had once inhabited the place had been killed, with wounds that would match those such a weapon would deliver. They had also spotted a few marks in the stone walls where an errant swing or two could have hit the stonework, and the weapon which had made the marks was certainly the stronger of the two materials. Given that the Rueful axe was exceptionally more durable than the steel that it appeared to be made of, it was also a good match to be the weapon that made the marks.
It was the middle of the night, so Meesei's pack decided to wait until morning to head into Sentinel proper. For the moment, they had made camp at an oasis a fairly short distance from the city. There was plenty of grass, trees, and even water, and since it was after dark, they did not need to worry about protecting themselves from the sun. In fact, they had a few campfires going to make sure they stayed warm as once the air cooled.
It had not been a particularly long day for the pack at this point, so it would likely be a few hours yet before anyone would be ready to get to sleep, and they all had their ways of passing the time. Currently, Julan was playing with Leaps near the edge of the water, and was also practicing his magic at the same time. He had the ability now to pick up small to moderate sized objects with telekinesis, and to throw them around at a little less than his own strength. He was using that ability to move around a stick that Leaps was chasing. Although, Kaleeth was keeping a sharp eye on the both of them the entire time, as Leaps was now a creature that, while well-trained, could accidentally harm them. While still technically a juvenile, Leaps was quite close to being an adult. He was now more massive than Kaleeth in here werecrocodile form, by at least a small degree, and about as tall as the average adult Human in his normal posture. With his size, horns, spikes, and penchant for discharging electricity, one needed to treat him with respect.
Meesei, meanwhile, was sitting by the fire, looking down at her hand as she charged a small amount of magic through her gold ring. It had been a few weeks since Lunise had been available, and she hoped that she would have the opportunity this night.
