EliteCommander

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I'll do what I can to respond tomorrow, in both this and the auxiliary thread, though I will be busy.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I am fine." Meesei answered quickly as the others helped her up, though she said nothing more while in the training room. The group walked back to their rooms silently, doing nothing to attract the attention of any of the cultists they passed. The last thing they needed was another confrontation.

The duel with Neesa certainly shed some light on the vampire's abilities, but Meesei felt that Neesa likely gained more useful information than she did. There was quite a lot to speculate about, but what she knew for sure was that Neesa's power far outstripped her own. Her abilities matched those of wizards from tales thousands of years old. Either she had found a way to learn those ancient forms of magic, or she was simply a remnant of those times. Regardless, the pack's situation had never been more dire; they needed to tread carefully if they were going to survive.

Once back at their rooms, Meesei finally spoke up. "We should not entertain the notion that we can kill these cultists. This cult outnumbers us, and though the majority of them may not necessarily overpower us, their leader does by a large margin, and that isn't even considering her husband. The techniques she used are thousands of years old; I would not even begin to know how to counter them. We have no choice but to appease them...no matter what horrid task they place us on."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei took a few moments to let the potion take effect, then took her spot opposite Hal-Neesa. This time, Neesa was the first to raise her ward, followed by Meesei. As before, both started with a constant stream of lightning to wear down one another's wards, but Neesa did not focus on offense from the beginning. Instead, she started off with a moderately powerful spell. It would take a while to drain her magicka reserves with it, so Meesei matched with a lightning spell just slightly stronger. She was able to use the power from Neesa's spell to help bolster her ward, so it did not weaken quickly. Unfortunately, Neesa's ward showed no signs of diminishing as well.

"You know, I should thank you, Meesei. I do enjoy seeing Vinaremo publicly humbled. Sadly, he is skilled enough that there are few in my court who can match him in a duel, and I cannot be bothered to deal with him. Orskan-Tan seemed to get a laugh out of it." Neesa said loud enough to be heard over the sound of lightning impacting wards. Her tone almost seemed friendly, not that Meesei trusted it to be genuine.

"If you do not like him, then why does he seem to be so important in your court" Meesei questioned.

Neesa's ward still seemed as strong as it had ever been, while Meesei's flickered ever so slightly. Based on their appearances, it did not seem like Neesa had to concentrate near as much to maintain her ward. "Weren't you listening? I said he is skilled. He is a powerful servant; a useful tool. There are few in this place whom I actually like, apart from my husband and a few others. My court consists of those wise enough to recognize true power, who will serve myself and my husband faithfully, and without question. In return, they, over time, gain a portion of our strength by studying alongside us. We do not need to be friends for that arrangement to bear fruit."

"Well, I wish you all luck in that endeavor, but I prefer life with my pack." Meesei commented, refocusing her attention on her ward. Both of them were still maintaining a constant, moderately powerful stream of lightning, and neither of their wards seemed too close to faltering. Meesei's ward pulsed slightly, but was not far separated in strength from Neesa's. "It seems we are closely matched." Meesei observed.

Neesa said nothing in response, and instead gave a worryingly confident grin. Suddenly, the output of Neesa's spell boosted exponentially, while her ward remained perfectly strong. The bolt of lightning she produced was strong enough to break Meesei's ward in an instant, loud enough to feel like it was shaking the room, yet concentrated enough not to harm anyone around them. Meesei was fortunate that it had not been directed into her body, as her heart surely would have stopped.

While Neesa had won the duel, she was not yet finished. Reaching out her hand, she grabbed Meesei with a spell of telekinesis more powerful than any she had seen before, or even thought possible. Like something from tales of mages of eras past, Neesa was able to lift Meesei off the ground and pull her mere inches from her face. The force of the spell constricted Meesei's movement, as well as crushing her windpipe to the point that she could just barely breathe. Even the greatest of modern mages could not sustain such telekinetic force for more than an instant, yet Neesa seemed to be doing so with ease. It was abundantly clear that Neesa had merely been toying with her for the duration of the duel.

"Not quite." Hal-Neesa remarked mockingly. With a simple motion of her hand, she tossed Meesei forcefully aside, slamming her into the nearest wall, then turned and calmly exited the room as if nothing had happened. Meesei fell to the ground with a bloody nose, completely out of breath. After a few seconds, Meesei brought her aching body up to her hands and knees and started gasping for air.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Both Meesei and Vinaremo took their positions in an open part of the training room. The Altmer's anger seemed to be masking any other emotions Meesei might have been able to see in his expression, though if he was wise, he would be worried about Meesei's abilities just as well as she was of his. As soon as Meesei put up her ward, Vinaremo followed suit with his, followed by near simultaneous destruction spells. Vinaremo did not seem to be inexperienced, as he selected the same spell as Meesei: a constant stream of lightning, which was generally the preferred spell to use on mages.

While Meesei started out pacing herself, the Altmer was aggressive from the start. Unfortunately, his arrogance was backed up with skill, as he was able to produce quite powerful bolts of lightning. The light of Meesei's ward flickered, but did not yet break, as Meesei had one talent that made her well-suited to maintain a defense. Her meditations and studies into the nature of magicka granted her a strong understanding of how interconnected various forms of magicka really were. As a result, she could take a portion of the magicka from Vinaremo's spell and use it to bolster her ward's strength. It still, of course, weakened over time, but at a much slower rate. When the Altmer concentrated his magicka into a single bolt in the hopes of suddenly overwhelming a weakened ward, he was surprised to find that it was still more than strong enough to hold up.

Now that he had exhausted a large portion of his magicka on offense, it was time for Meesei to retaliate. She heightened the intensity of her storm of electricity, causing the Altmer's ward to begin to flicker and fade. He had to struggle to keep his ward up, to the point that he abandoned his offense entirely. With the pressure off of her, Meesei lashed out with a concentrated bolt, much like the Altmer, but this time, his ward burst in front of him.

Generally, Meesei was not one to gloat, but this Altmer deserved to feel shame. His Argonian friend was already laughing by this point, which drew an annoyed glare from Vinaremo. Meesei would have joined in, were it not for another voice coming from the entrance of the chamber that captured everyone's attention immediately.

"Well done." Hal-Neesa commented as the approached the group. "Perhaps you will be less insufferable from now on, Vinaremo. Your arrogance annoys even me. Go, take a rest and lick your wounded pride. I desire a...friendly duel with our guest." Meesei did not know for how long the cult's leader had been watching, but it was obviously long enough to attract her attention. As much as Meesei wanted to get a sense of Neesa's abilities, she felt a duel with her was a bad idea. If Meesei won, then she might consider her a threat and have her killed. If she lost, Neesa might become confident enough to become more demanding in their negotiations. If at all possible, Meesei wanted to find a way to avoid a duel.

"I would like to duel, of course, but...I feel far too drained from the last duel.. I am afraid it would not be much of a contest at the moment, I need time to rest." Meesei responded, hoping it would be enough to excuse her from the duel. Unfortunately, Neesa simply reached into her pouch and produced a potion bottle. Using telekinesis, she hovered it in front of Meesei as she took her position in the center of the training room.

"That is no problem. Take a moment and drink this magicka potion. You should be ready in moments." Neesa said, somewhat demandingly.

Letting out a sigh, Meesei grabbed the bottle out of the air. She uncorked it and took in the scent of its contents. It at least smelled like a normal magicka potion; not like she had an actual choice in drinking it by this point. Reluctantly, she drank it, wondering if it would have been better to simply lose the first duel.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Vinaremo's expression turned livid. He clenched his fists and began to shout. "Why you little...I'm going to have your soul on..."

"Vinaremo." The Argonian behind him interrupted simply, but firmly.

The Altmer turned his head briefly, and seemed to calm at least slightly, but he was still quite angry. "Ah...but for now, this challenge. You agreed, yes? You said you would serve my every command for a day if I succeed, I know I heard you say it. Such an agreement is binding, and I know our Lady Hal-Neesa will enforce this deal. I look forward to commanding you to my whims; all I have to do is go break a simple..."

"Break my ward instead." Meesei interrupted. Even if Sabine had never made any wager, it was likely that Neesa would believe him over her, and though the ward in question did appear strong, it was entirely possible that the Altmer could break it. Meesei, however, could create a ward much stronger than what could be made with a single soul gem. "More specifically, I challenge you to break my ward before I can break yours. If I win, you leave all of us alone and do not speak to anyone in my pack unless we want to speak to you. if you win...I will take her place."

Vinaremo paused, looking Meesei over from head to toe, as if examining a horse or piece of livestock for imperfections. "Hmm...yes, I could have a use for you. Fine, I will break your ward, then we will have a wonderful time together."

As Vinaremo took his position, Meesei glanced to Sabine. At least she was now absolved from any danger; it was anyone's guess what the Altmer might have done with her if given a day to command her. It worried her that she had no reference to how much magical strength the Altmer might have, but he would have to be quite skilled in order to outmatch her. Honestly, she wished Sabine would not have spoken up, but this could at least be a chance to stop him from harassing the pack.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Being undead, I would say so.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine's words caused a dark smile to form on Vinaremo's face, as well as an audible sigh from the Argonian behind him. "You had to tempt him." He muttered under his breath.

Vinaremo took a few steps forward a bit closer than was comfortable to Sabine, then leaned down with an expression that was both confident and threatening. "Oh, a challenge is it? And what, may I ask, will I get out of this challenge? What wager would you make on your...assessment of my abilities, hmm? Perhaps something valuable to you, or better yet, something valuable to me. Perhaps you would like to be the subject of one of my exciting experiments, or pledge a day of servitude to me? The possibilities are endless. I suppose you could also ask for something in the event that I...fail." The Altmer said with an almost menacing laugh. As if Meesei needed any more of a reason to despise him, she was almost ready to strike out at him if he laid a hand on Sabine. Since he was just talking for the moment, however, she stayed her hand, even if magicka was coursing through it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Though her mood did not change, Kaleeth did nevertheless concede to follow along with Meesei and Sabine. She seemed to sulk behind them, speaking to no one with her head hung low. Every time she caught one of the cultists looking at her, she felt a bit more afraid. This was not a place she had ever wanted to end up. Her curiosity for the old Argonian catacombs was far exceeded by the fear she felt for her own life. There were so many of these cultists, and by the way that most of them were acting, they did not like that the pack was there.

Meesei too felt the judging stares of the cultists as they explored. If nothing else, they looked down on the pack as lesser beings, or perhaps potential subjects for their profane experiments. Nevertheless, they were not disturbed by anything more than glares as they explored the halls of this subterranean castle. At first, they searched for places that would be important to them during their stay, namely the dining room and kitchen. As long as the pack was eating the same food as the mortal members of the cult, Meesei would feel reasonably safe partaking in the cult's meals. After moving on from the dining room, they eventually found what looked like a training room. It was in one of the larger chambers they had seen. Most of the room was dedicated to magical training, with soul gems powering magic wards that mages could practice breaking, while some simply practiced on each other. More disturbingly, there were also literal piles of corpses, some mortal, some simple creatures, presumably that necromancers could practice their skills on. Meesei was at least somewhat impressed that they had managed to find a way to keep the bodies from producing any kind of odor. Additionally, there was a smaller section of the room dedicated to the practice of martial combat, but it seemed to be receiving less use.

As they were about to leave the training room, they found the exit blocked by about the last person Meesei wanted to see. Evidently, the group with Janius had returned, as the vampiric Altmer, Vinaremo, had made his way to the training room as well. With him was the same Argonian he had been speaking to when they first saw him, though he was leaned up against a wall near the door, not nearly as interested in Meesei and the others as the Altmer seemed to be.

"Well, look who it is, the leader of Hircine's mongrels. Come to catch a glimpse real mages as work, have you? Are you hoping some of our skill will rub off on you?" Vinaremo taunted. Even the Altmer's Argonian friend rolled his eyes at the comment, muttering his annoyance under his breath. It seemed like more than just the pack acknowledged how arrogant the Altmer was; perhaps some of them were a bit more reasonable than appearances would suggest?

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak made full use of the wagon's footholds whenever possible to ease his burden on the journey. Even the most well-conditioned individual would grow tired after long enough of walking in full gear, and they needed to cover as much ground as they could as quickly as possible. Not to mention that each of them needed to be in as good of a condition as possible in the event that they ran across trouble, which, unfortunately, they did as they came across a bridge over a river.

Coming upon the scene of the two duelists, there were countless possibilities that could have brought the two into their confrontation, which is why Ssarak was careful not to guess or speculate on any of them. He intended to make no assumptions based on anything but evidence. He knew that they were engaged in a duel, and that they appeared to be adept in combat. In his mind, he went over the potential advantages and disadvantages they had over the duelists. For himself, he noticed that they seemed to be using strictly blades, which would not piece his armor. It was technically possible for a blade to be forced through gaps in joints, but the overlapping plates Ssarak used did minimize those areas as much as possible, and he was no novice in the use of his armor. That being said, the duelists appeared skilled, and he was not going to make the mistake of underestimating them. Beyond himself, there was Meirin, Darius, and Alaira, all of whom were skilled in their own styles. Of course, the ideal situation for Ssarak would be to avoid entering a fight at all, and instead settle the issue with words alone. Between Darius and Alaira, however, he worried that wouldn't be possible. They did outnumber the pair of duelists, but there were still factors working against them, the largest of which was lack of information. They knew nothing of these duelists' abilities beyond what they could see, and there was always the possibility that it was a ruse, something to draw them out so hidden attackers could strike while they did not expect it. As well, they were obviously far more agile than Ssarak, but as long as he was with his friends and allies, they could make up for his weakness.

Ssarak walked alongside the wagon, fully armed and armored, but did not yet step any further. Instead, he observed from a distance, intending to plan with the others. "What approach do you all believe would be best. I would like to avoid a fight, if at all possible. Perhaps we should attempt to speak to them from a distance? They are engaged in combat, so there is a good chance we will not receive a response, but it could be a good opening strategy." He suggested.

The Depths of Deception

"It likely would be a good idea to have a few of us stay back to defend our escape, in the event that it is discovered." Rareth responded just as Ashley finished up the pre-flight checks. With the ship in perfect condition, they were ready to take off. Ashey announced such to everyone in the hold, then possessed the ship and took off. Once they were out of the hanger, the crew of the Tares'Synkuur, Boundless Light, immediately started preparing the hanger to send out boarders. As soon as their team gave the word, the Boundless would be at the head of the charge to neutralize the threat aboard the station.

"Telmeck, Srath, and Ashley will stay with the Hummingbird to protect it. In the event that it is discovered, we will need to activate the communications jammer immediately. If the force that locates the ship is too large, the Hummingbird may be forced to leave the station, which means we would have to survive until the fleet arrives to attack the station. As for the rest of us, as long as we can evade or eliminate any rebel patrols before our position can be reported, then we will be fine." Rareth commented.

With the IFF transmitter given to them by the creators of the station, the Hummingbird was able to move within the station's sensor range without being noticed by the rebels. They kept up a steady trajectory and speed, approaching from well-below the station, partially within the planet's atmosphere, to keep them hidden on the off-chance that one of the rebels onboard the station looked out of a window once they were close enough to see visually. Once they were directly beneath the station, brought them closer to the station at an angle at which they could not easily be detected in any form. They were well-within the range of the station's automated defenses, so there was now no question that the IFF transmitter was working as intended.

As planned, Ashley brought the ship quietly into one of the unused hangers near the bottom of the station. It was a small landing bay designed for dropships that was filled haphazardly with old, dusty crates, so there was scarcely enough room for the ship to land. Even being as talented of a pilot as she was, Ashley still had to crush a few of the crates when the vessel landed. Once stationary, Ashley wasted no time in lowering the ramp for the team to exit.

After Telmeck and Srath left the ship to establish somewhat of a perimeter, Rareth stepped down the loading ramp with her pistol in one hand, and blade in the other. By the looks of things, this hanger had been out of use well before the rebels had even arrived. Judging by the schematics of the station, it was far removed from the high traffic areas. That meant they would have to travel farther to get anywhere important, but at least it would reduce the odds of their ship being discovered.

"Looks clear for the moment.' Rareth said through the team's comms. "Shuo, since you have that neural link, have one or two drones scouting ahead of us as we move. Just make sure to keep them to the edges of corridors to avoid detection."