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

[Muttonhawk]

"With how fast they're growing up, that hope may be short-lived," Fendros said, keeping his eyes down. He picked up his cutlery and resumed his meal.

Sabine glanced to Kaleeth and Fendros. "Have Rhazii and Julan wanted to do anything else? Where are their interests?"

Fendros tightened the corner of his mouth. "Well, Rhazii is a ravenous reader. He enjoys history. Military history, mostly. But I never see him as enthusiastic as he is when training to fight." He angled his head. "It's what he does the most. If he wanted to apprentice into another profession...well, Ahnasha and myself have never asked him. Perhaps he knows something we don't."

It was about this time that Janius emerged with a plate of lamb and legumes for his own breakfast. He bowed behind Kaleeth to lay a kiss on her cheek by way of good morning before joining the pack at the table.

[EliteCommander]

Eventually, the rest of the pack made their way down to join them at the table. Out of a concern for safety, they tended to stay together when in the city, so those who had already finished their breakfast simply waited and conversed while the others ate. Kaleeth and Fendros continued to talk about their children for some time, with Ahnasha quickly joining in once she arrived.

The tavern was not empty, and there were others around them, but the pack avoided discussing anything particularly suspicious. They spoke mainly about more mundane matters, and references to the "war" could easily be interpreted as referring to the Thalmor. Despite the treaty that technically had ceased the fighting, most in Hammerfell still considered the Thalmor to be the enemy.

However, near the end of their meal, something happened that might draw a sharp eye out of a nearby window. There was a gust of wind, and the brief fluttering of some sizable wings. On the edge of a rooftop across a narrow street outside, there was a rather large raven, looking into the window at them. Most notable was the fact that ravens did not naturally inhabit any areas close to Sentinel.

[Muttonhawk]

The conversation kept most of the pack occupied within the shade of the inn, paying attention one another. The one who noticed the raven out the window first was Sabine. She eyed the creature curiously for a few seconds. Then, not saying a word, she stood up from her chair and slowly paced up towards the window. Her eyes were narrow.

Sabine felt that something was amiss. The bird was out of place.

The others caught on to Sabine's gaze. Fendros craned his head to see what Sabine was looking at. "What is it, Sabine?" He asked.

"The only person I know who can turn into a raven is Marcaille," Sabine commented.

Everyone was quiet. Fendros glanced to Janius, Ahnasha, Kaleeth, and Meesei. "Marcaille is back home, isn't she?" A realisation came over him; their contact mentioned that one of Do'rhajul's specialists was a witch.

[EliteCommander]

It did not take long at all for the pack to put together the pieces to form the same conclusion about the mysterious bird outside their window. They had been forced to stay in one place for a while, and Do'rhajul could have very well tracked them to Sentinel. The raven noticed Sabine looking at it just as easily as Sabine had spotted it watching them, so it quickly started to fly away.

Meesei did not allow for much of a a pause to think. She stood up quickly from the table. "We cannot simply allow ourselves to be tracked, hunted. We have to try to follow it and find Do'rhajul ourselves. I will not allow him the chance to attack us on his own terms."

Meesei was quick to start out of the inn, scanning her eyes across the sky for the bird. She did not necessarily intend to engage the General in a fight at the moment, but she did want to find him. Any advantage that they could remove from Do'rhajul could be valuable. If this raven ended up leading them to wherever the General and his team were hiding, the pack may have been able to use that. Even if they were spotted, it would at least remove the General's preferred hiding spot as an option for them. Not to mention, the pack might be able to learn more about who they were facing. If the raven ended up flying somewhere secluded, where they might be attacked, then Meesei realized she would likely need to end the search.

As the pack was leaving the inn, someone from another table stood up. He was an older Nordic man wearing a similar type of Hammerfell-styled garb as the pack. He had a bald head covered by a hood and a long, greying beard. He started to walk after the pack, seemingly making no effort to hide the fact that he was following them.

[Muttonhawk]

The chairs sung and scraped out from the table as everyone stood, leaving whatever was left of their food and drinks behind. Meesei found her pack following her without question. There was no time to argue, nor was there sense in splitting their numbers.

Nevertheless, there was a sense of unease. All the anxious thoughts about what Do'Rhajul had planned was culminating into this pursuit such that they might be easily trapped. It was distracting, though not distracting enough to hide the Nord following them.

A number in the pack noticed the Nord. Janius was the first to act upon it. He caught up with Meesei and murmured to her above the din of the bustling street. "I think the man behind us might be another of them. Should we deal with him?"

Fendros picked up on the suggestion and jogged to join the exchange. "If we do that, we either lose the bird or split up."

[EliteCommander]

"And how could we 'deal' with him anyway?" Lorag added, looking at Janius. "Can't attack him here; the whole city guard would be on us." He pointed out. Even as they moved out of the tavern, they were just rushing into the crowded city streets. That alone would make it even more difficult to follow the raven.

"We cannot split up, and we cannot leave the sight of the crowds." Meesei said firmly. "Not all of us are armed for a fight, and there is no guarantee it would not be a trap. We can't do anything about that Nord, and he knows it. But the same applies to them. Just keep following the raven as best we can, but if it leads us somewhere isolated, we will stop."

Even with there only being a single raven in the entire city, the raven was far from easy to follow. It could fly in a straight line over the buildings, while the pack was limited by both structures, and the people in the streets. They were already getting strange looks from the people they were rushing past. It was difficult to get more than an occasional glimpse of the bird to keep them going in the right direction.

"Don't suppose you know how to turn into one and fly after it?" Ahnasha commented towards Sabine in her growing frustration at the crowd slowing them down.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine hummed with a similar frustration to Ahnasha, though she didn't answer Ahnasha. She walked on with the rest of them for a short distance, eyes darting and distracted as if looking for something in the buildings around them.

She stepped away and dashed into a small stable in an alley, out of sight.

"Sabine, where are you going?!" Fendros demanded. He filed around and between the people between the pack and the stable to catch up. As soon as he rounded the corner obscuring Sabine, there was a purple glow and another raven fluttered out, nearly striking Fendros with its talons. It cawed twice and flew up to perch on a building. Fendros followed it with his eyes, incredulous.

There was no use wondering how long Sabine had been able to pull off such a magical feat. It had been many years since anyone had brought it up. For now, though, Sabine pointed the way and flew, landing regularly to allow the pack to catch up. Her flight drew curious eyes.

[EliteCommander]

From her vantage point in the sky, Sabine was able to lead the pack far more reliably than they could have from the ground. The birds flying through the sky certainly drew eyes from the ground since they were not a common sight in this part of Hammerfell, but it was unlikely that many, if any at all, of the city's citizens recognized what was truly taking place.

The chase eventually led the pack towards the market, which Sabine would have saw the raven fly into from above before going out of sight. The rest of the pack as quickly as they could get through the crowds, which, while they were not at their thickest at this time of day, were still something of a hindrance. All the while, the Nord from the inn was still following behind them, and still making seemingly no effort to hide that fact.

Regardless, the pack was not in the market long before they spotted something that caused them to halt in their tracks. Among all of the early-risers, shopkeepers, and stall owners starting out their day, there was a rather conspicuous individual sitting on a bench around the market's center fountain. He was dressed in local garb, but there was no hiding the fact that he towered over everyone else around him. He was a Cathay-raht: Do'rhajul. He had the appearance of not being armed or armored, but there was no way to know for certain if that was true. And he noticed the pack just as quickly. He stood up, stared at them from only a short distance away, but did not move himself. Around him, there were several individuals, but it was hard to tell which ones were actually associated with him, and which were just citizens who happened to be sitting at the fountain. The only ones who were distinctive were the twin Orcs at a nearby bench.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros felt a tingle run over the top and back of his skull when he processed the sight of the Cathay-Raht in front of him. His first reactions were called from shock; his heart quickened, his eyes darted to inspect the faces around them, and he double-checked that the rest of the pack was with him.

There was no way to know who was part of Do-Rhajul's group. Anyone around them could pull a silver knife and rush them. Sabine flapped to a stop, perching atop a tall market stall overlooking the two groups. She preened at the feathers of her right wing and darted her head around. She couldn't stay still either.

Any indication of rational sense only flowed as Fendros' unconscious grip around his sword's pommel tightened to the point of pain. Several moments of silence had passed already, stirred around with the murmurs and shuffles of the early market.

"Meesei, I think we should take our doses against gas before taking a step further," Fendros murmured. He was already fishing out the flask from a belt pouch. "This isn't right."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei held her hand out to her side, halting her pack behind her. "Be ready with the antidote if needed, but do not draw a weapon unless attacked. Anyone who starts a fight here will have all of the Sentinel guard upon them. Just watch, do not let anyone too close to you, and try to identify his associates."

There was a complete still and silence between the two groups before the Nord following them walked, just as boldly as ever, past the pack and straight up to Do'rhajul. The Nord finally broke the silence as he stopped near him. "So these are the monsters you brought me along to hunt?"

Do'rhajul appeared irritated as he looked down at the Nord. "You were meant to remain inconspicuous, Yerig."

"Wasn't me that gave it away. It was your bird that was too damn impatient. Sat right outside the window, despite what you told 'er." The Nord remarked.

The Cathay-raht gave an annoyed grunt. "Now is not the time for this. You can give your report later."

The Nord, Yerig, crossed his arms. "I can give it now; it isn't much of one. They just sat around...talkin' about their children." The Nord's tone, along with his stare, was almost accusatory.

"Now is not the time." Do'rhajul repeated, now obviously angry. "Just trust me on his, Yerig. You know me."

Yerig sighed. "Fine." He responded before stepping back behind Do'rhajul.

Though it was out of most of the pack's line of sight, Sabine's acute eyes may have been able to spot movement on one of the rooftops to the left of and slightly behind the pack. The other raven walked into view on the rooftop, focused on the pack beneath it.

[Muttonhawk]

None spoke an obvious answer. No one in the pack could come up with one on the spot, especially while distracted trying to spot any more people in the market that might be with Do'Rhajul. Even Sabine flicked her beady eyes between the followed raven and anyone else on the ground that didn't fit the pattern of the crowd.

Fendros noticed something odd about the way the Nord, Yerig, was speaking. At first, his anger appeared to be derived from the raven exposing their surveillance. However, Fendros suspected that Yerig may have been referring to their topic of conversation. Perhaps Do'Rhajul's specialist team were not as united as his prodigious military experience would have inferred.

All the same, this encounter served no offensive purpose that Fendros could fathom. His best guess made his shoulders relax. His patience eventually gave out against his better judgement. He took a step forward and breathed in.

He couldn't think of anything to say. Nothing that came to mind seemed appropriate or useful. Just as well; Meesei was the one that had any experience at all with the general. It only occurred to Fendros in the moment that this Cathay-Raht could have been a different individual altogether.

[EliteCommander]

It seemed that the General's team, with perhaps the exception of the Nord, were skilled at blending in. Had Saras' agent not described the Orcs to them beforehand, Meesei would not have been able to determine with certainty that they were associated with Do'rhajul either. Regardless, Meesei made every effort she could to remember the faces of those around her. If she saw any of them in the future in the presence of Do'rhajul, then the chances would be high that they were affiliated with him. That was at least some value they could derive from tracking the General to this place. Meesei had a feeling that neither of them were going to risk open hostilities in a public place.

Do'rhajul stared down Meesei, showing some small hints of frustration in his expression. Unless this was an elaborate ruse, he had not intended to confront the pack here. This encounter served much more to the pack's advantage than his, as it confirmed beyond any doubt that Do'rhajul was tracking them.

The General finally spoke up in a heavy, firm tone. "This can all end much easier if you surrender. You will be stopped regardless, but you can prevent anyone else from dying. Any more lives from being ruined."

[Muttonhawk]

Do'Rhajul's comment may have implied that their meeting was unintentional. Fendros remained on guard. He allowed a few seconds to pass without Meesei answering. The anxiety of doing so himself still pressed on his mind.

At least he had something to say now.

"If we did surrender, would you hear what our mission is here?" Fendros said. He could not match the assertiveness of the general's voice, but he spoke as clearly as he could. "I do not think you know what it is. Else you have been lied to."

Janius quietly hissed a protest. "Fendros, what do you think you're doing?"

[EliteCommander]

Do'rhajul grunted. "I think you shall not resist saying your words regardless of what you do."

Meesei doubted that anything her or her pack could say would influence Do'rhajul's thinking. However, drawing out a conversation might give her time to pay attention to any bystanders to watch their reactions, and determine which of them might have a vested interest in the conversation.

"We have learned much about you over the years, Do'rhajul. We have learned that you are just as much of a victim in this as the rest of us. You have been lied to; tricked into serving a master that intends to bring an end to anything you may care about. You joined this war because of your desire to fight...my kind, yes? Your master plans to destroy the Tamriel we know; we are the ones trying to protect it." Meesei asserted, all the while paying attention to the reactions of anyone nearby.

Sabine may have noticed that the other raven gave a particular reaction to Meesei's last statement. It fluttered its wings, then flew down and retreated into a narrow alleyway, from which a soft violet glow started to emanate.

Predictably, Do'rhajul was not swayed by an as-of-yet unsubstantiated claim. "Is that the greatest lie you could produce? I expected more. Perhaps it is your master that has lied to you? Or do you truly think that spreading your vile curse will 'help' Tamriel?"

[Muttonhawk]

"We are not here to spread anything," Fendros retorted. He angled his head forward to turn to a plead. "And we have no reason to lie to you about this. Even if you do not believe us, look to what Vile's cult is doing. Why did they manually infect innocent people? Why would they be discarding the war against us in spite of their previous advantage? And why would they be hunting Talos worshippers now? Hate us all you want, Do'Rhajul, you are blinded to the forest for the trees."

Sabine acted upon the other raven flying off. She leapt off the top of her market stall and flapped up on top of the roof overlooking the alley. She needed to take a closer look to see exactly what was going on and the rooftop cover would allow her to pull away if there was a trap involved.

[EliteCommander]

Do'rhajul briefly eyed the crowds of the market. "I know not what 'cult' you are referencing, but it seems you do not either. Infecting people? Killing Talos worshipers? Our people have done nothing of the sort. Do you think me so daft that you can convince me I am committing your crimes? My sole purpose is to punish the one who destroyed my life, and the lives of so many others. The one whose will you perpetuate, and the one who is threatening Tamriel with his curse."

Meesei actually found herself confused by what Do'rhajul was saying, almost all of it was obviously and provably false based on the information that each of them knew the other had available to them. Just on this conversation alone, Do'rhajul would be able to tell that her pack had discerned Vile's true purpose and learned what his cultists had been doing. It seemed pointless to not only try to deny it, but claim that it was Hircine's doing when there was no one else present for him to persuade. Unless, of course, there actually was. The Nord had made it clear that Do'rhajul's team was not entirely united. He could have been trying to convince his own team that their cause was a righteous one. It was even possible that Do'rhajul himself was in the dark on Vile's true goals, though it did seem hard to believe that they could keep their goals secret from their highest-ranking general. However, it was not quite impossible.

Lorag had his glare firmly on the general from the moment they saw him. He was seething in anger, which only grew stronger as their conversation continued, but it was also mixed with disbelief at what he was hearing. "What have you become, Do'rhajul? You used to be the best commander I'd ever seen, and the only one I'd have chosen to serve under. Now look at you; you sound like some kind of puppet!"

"So, it is really you." Do'rhajul said, letting out a sigh as he looked to Lorag. "I had hoped the reports were false. That I was mistaken in what I saw all those years ago. You had your life ripped away just as I did, and yet instead of fighting it, instead of trying to claim back what you had earned, you became a dog to your new master. You were a promising soldier, Lorag, but you were corrupted like so many others. There is still a chance, you know. To reclaim what time you have left for yourself. There is a...solution, a cure. I have seen it work myself. Work with me, fulfill your duties, and it can be yours. Any of you could be saved from your current path. I may not completely agree with the one whom employs my services, but he will fulfill the bargains he makes. And in this case, his desires happen to align with the interests of Tamriel."

Lorag grunted. "I think you've got it mixed up on which of us has been corrupted."

"Indeed." Meesei added, focusing her attention on the Nord and twin Orcs. "Has your general told you of how it was your master, not us, who started the war? Or of all the families his people have slaughtered, and how their souls were harvested? Or how it was your master that spread the so-called 'curse' for all those years? Do you know your master's true goals, and why they are now killing innocent Talos worshipers? Has he given you any actual proof of anything he has told you, or have you just been taking him at his word?"

"Enough!" A female voice sounded out nearby. From the alley that Sabine had been watching, a Breton woman emerged. She was dressed in local-styled robes, but clearly matched the description of the zealot that had been described to them. Out of all of Do'rhajul's team, she was the most likely to be a completely loyal servant of Vile. She marched up to the group nearby and took her place next to Do'rhajul. "Why are we still listening to this drivel? It is clearly pointless. These monsters are as deceptive as they are dangerous. We may not be able to act here and now, but know that your days are numbered, beasts. Now, let us leave this place. And watch the raven on that roof; it is her."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine remained on the roof to overlook the scene. She flinched at the woman pointing her out, though she knew she was not inconspicuous in this market in the first place.

"This goes beyond the lives of you and the ones you know, Do'Rhajul!" Fendros tried to speak over the fanatic running into the conversation. "Don't let people to manipulate you with what you want to hear. The gas takes souls! Daedra feed on souls. Vile wanted more to feed on them! Think about what he wants next." He flung out an arm. "It does not serve us to spread any curse. Even if we did want to subject it upon unwilling people, it is only more people to hide -- more people to feed and take care of. Look again at the patterns of its spread and tell me honestly as a military commander that it was done with consideration to conquer."

Janius decided to speak up at this point. "If the price is paid to Vile, Do'rhajul, we do not want your cure."

[EliteCommander]

The Breton woman remained just as firm and angered in her speech. "As I said, this is pointless. Try to follow us if you like, dogs, but you shall not find a place to attack us in this city."

It seemed that the Breton woman was eager to get the General's team away from the pack. If Meesei was being optimistic, she would think that the Breton was perhaps afraid of what they had to say to her allies. If they were not operating on the truth, then exposing that truth to them could end up affecting their allegiances. Do'rhajul stared down Fendros for a good few seconds with an immutable, unreadable expression before giving a grunt and a quick motion towards his men before he started to walk away from the pack.

If there was any questions as to which of the bystanders were associated with the General, they were answered quickly. There was little they could do to hide themselves while following the Cathay-raht away from them. In addition to the Breton, twin Orcs, and Nord they had already identified, there was another Nord and Breton, both male, a Redguard woman, and an Argonian man. Seeing them now would help greatly in identifying threats in the future. With luck, there would be no more of them to worry about aside from those they could see.

Meesei looked quickly to the members of her pack closest to her. "It is too risky to follow. They may involve the guard if they can frame it as harassment. Just stay alert, and remember their faces."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros would be lying to claim that Do'Rhajul's stare was not unnerving. He stared right back, not giving a twitch on his face. All he said was the truth after all. When the general's group motioned to depart, Fendros broke his stare to try desperately to commit the faces to memory. His heart was racing and had been for the past few minutes, he realised.

"It was risky to talk like that," Janius quietly remarked. He kept his eyes on the departing faces. "But that raven woman seemed eager to get going when you two got into truths. Something about Do'Rhajul's eyes seemed to me that he was thinking. Maybe that's something."

Once the coast was apparently clear, Sabine leapt from the rooftop and glided down to the pack, settling gracefully on Meesei's forearm. Her head twitched to briefly eye everyone. She did not transform back, whether she was capable or not.

In response to Janius, Fendros shook his head. "We can't say. It's not a good idea to assume they'll change their minds. We ought to stay vigilant." He looked to Meesei with an unsure glance. "What should we do now?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei held her arm close to herself, being sure to keep it stable for Sabine. "You did well, thank you." She said softly before turning her attention back to the rest of the pack. "We should find somewhere private to discuss this. I feel we have some decisions to make."

The pack paused their discussion as they cautiously made their way back to the inn. It would be wise for them to find a different place to stay, if they had to remain in Sentinel any longer, but they would at least need to gather their belongings before moving from the inn. They kept a sharp eye out for anyone that might have been following them, in the event that there were more members of Do'rhajul's team than had been present in the market. Meesei drew some eyes carrying a raven on her arm, but otherwise they were able to get through the streets without issue.

Once back in the inn, Meesei was quick to gather everyone in her room and lock the door behind them. The room was too small to hold everyone comfortably, but at the moment, the need to make a plan quickly superseded any desire for comfort. Meesei grabbed a parchment and quill from her bag, sat down at the small, sole table in the room, and started to write out the descriptions of each of Ro'rhajul's team from memory as quickly as she could before that memory started to fade.

"So...I don't think we should stick around here long. No telling what they might be able to do now that they know where we are." Ahnasha commented.

"Agreed." Meesei responded. "But we still need to make a plan of dealing with them more long-term. With them being this close, I doubt we will escape them for long. At least, not while still tracking our quarry. It would be easy enough to return home, but abandoning, or even delaying our mission is not an option. That said, they did not seem to be as united as I had expected. It may be that Vile is not supporting Do'rhajul with the loyalists he needed, so he may have needed to look elsewhere for specialists. Or perhaps they did not have loyalists with the skills he required. In any event, their loyalties may be a point of weakness for them."