EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha looked out the window down at the courtyard for a moment, then shook her head. "No, we will be more useful up here. We can take the souls of the injured if there are any after the fight." She answered. Ahnasha readied her bow and started picking out targets. Although the fog made it more difficult, it wasn't quite as thick as back at the xanmeer, so she was able to pick out the mercenaries' forms. "Aim for the back of the group, at the archers and mages. That will be the most helpful." She advised.

Behind the building Ahnasha and Fendros were using, another group was going unnoticed. They were quiet, cautious, and patiently taking stock of their situation. They were far from unskilled, so until they revealed themselves, they would remain unseen. To them, this...situation was far from ideal, but it was not unsalvagable.

As the fog rolled over the area and the fight broke out, Mirisk looked back to Sabine and shook her head. "No, she is mortal. Just...we need to get to a better vantage point, back upstairs." He suggested, rushing back over to her. "Come on love, can you stand? We don't want to be down here if they rush this building."

Nuulanth was still breathing erratically, but nodded nonetheless. She groaned as Mirisk helped her to her feet and up the ladder. The pain from the wound stung more than she anticipated, so she dropped down and leaned up against a wall as soon as she made it to the second floor. Mirisk was quick to kneel down beside her again, but she shook her head and tried to push him away. "No, get to the window and give them support. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Mirisk asked, reluctant to leave her side in such a state.

"The bandage is stopping the bleeding enough, I'll be fine. Just protect Vinaremo and the others." Though reluctant, Mirisk agreed and dashed over to the second floor window to lend a hand with his own spellfire.

Though they were in chaos for a short duration, the lieutenant was quick to back of from the frontline and rally everyone back into formation. As he shouted out orders, one of his few mages demonstrated that these mercenaries were not incompetent. The Redguard mage cast a spell of turn undead at the skeletons in the middle of their lines, causing each of them to suddenly try to run away. This, of course, allowed the silver wielding warriors fighting them to get in several easy strikes each. Despite their armor, the silver from the weapons allowed them to cut down the undead thralls fairly easily, so the mercenaries were able to focus their efforts. Both Meesei and Vinaremo's group were able to get a few spells into their ranks while they were disorganized, but the shield bearers moved quickly to the front. While not enchanted, each of them bore tower shields to provide as much protection as possible.

Meesei's group was taking on the left flank, while Vinaremo's handled the right. There were a few that rushed to engage Janius and Kaleeth to her left, but she had to focus her attention on the three sword and shield bearing foes advancing on her and Lorag. Meesei opened with a storm of lightning that arced to each one in front of her, but unfortunately, their shields were insulated so that the lightning did not actually pass into them. Meesei was not deterred, however. Even if her opening attack was ineffective, she still had many, many facets of magic to try against them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the main group waited at the meeting place for a few minutes before the mercenaries finally showed themselves...and it was indeed only the mercenaries. They had over twice the number of the main group, but the noble was nowhere in sight. Instead, the one leading the force was a lieutenant in the mercenary organization. To Vinaremo, it was disappointing, but not unexpected. The lieutenant's men had a sort of uniformity about them in that they all had the same symbol on their armor, either painted on or sewn into the cloth, but it was obvious they all bought their own armor. Similarly, the mercs came in all different shapes and sizes, with some being heavy warriors, other archers or rouges, and one or two mages. More threateningly, however, were the weapons Meesei noticed them carrying. The metal some of them were forged from looked like silver, which was deadly to lycans and undead alike. They would need to be cautious.

"You said we would be meeting with your employer." Vinaremo remarked.

"And you said we would be meeting with your leaders, but it looks like we both lied, doesn't it? Now, can we just get down to business? You send over the prisoners, then I'll have my men bring out yours."

"Very well." Vinaremo answered, motioning for Meesei and the others to release the "prisoners." Meesei stepped forward first with her arms on the shoulder of the skeleton, with the others following close behind. To keep up appearances, she told the skeleton to walk straight forward while she and the others released them to join the mercenaries. They then stepped back to rejoin Vinaremo's group as quickly as possible, just to make sure they were not too close to the mercs when their deception was discovered.

"Good, good...now I will give you one chance to surrender. We have you surrounded, we have silver arrows, and as soon as I give the order, you all will..." The lieutenant began before suddenly being interrupted by Vinaremo.

"Yes, yes, you are very intimidating." He said sarcastically as he quickly reached for the scroll his masters had given him. At the same time, one of the mercenaries removed the execution hood on one of the skeletons, causing him to jump back in a sudden, frightened reaction. "Sir, these aren't-"

Before anyone could finish speaking, Vinaremo released the magic in the scroll. It disintegrated in his hands, sending outwards a veritable explosion of fog and wind, just the same as what surrounded the cult's xanmeer. The chaos that it caused sent the mercenaries into temporary disarray and allowed the skeletons to injure or kill a few of the hostiles around them before they started fighting back. Now, the main group had a solid front against the mercs while the skeletons fought from inside their ranks. The mercenaries still outnumbered them by a significant margin, but with the two groups in the vantage points on both sides, they would quickly find themselves surrounded.

"I'll take that as the signal." Ahnasha remarked, summoning up her bow and moving over to the window. As fortune would have it, there seemed to be only two archers on the neighboring building. The fog did not reach all the way up to their roof, but they still had to take a few moments to find their targets through it, which allowed them the time they needed to finish them off. Ahnasha's first arrow was a complete surprise to the Bosmer archer. He was lucky enough to protect his head with an accidental movement of his arm, but when the glowing arrow pierced through his flesh, the shock still knocked him down regardless. Before he could regain his bearings, however, she was easily able to follow through with a second shot, this time straight through his chest.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Mirisk walked over to the edge, near the ladder as he took one of his magicka potions from his satchel. After seeing what state Nuulanth was in, he immediately downed the potion, then climbed down and knelt beside her. While Sabine was grabbing her potions, Mirisk put his hands on either side of her face and looked into her tear-filled eyes, trying his best to appear calm.

"Listen, dear, try to stay calm. It doesn't look that bad. Hurry with that potion!" He whispered forcefully. Keeping her eyes locked on him, she nodded slowly and placed one of her hands over his. "If you don't have any bandages, cut off a part of her robe. Just don't try to remove the arrow until you're ready with...oh xhuth!" He exclaimed, quickly ducking down by the window. At first, he thought it was the mercenaries he saw, but when he peered outside again, he saw that it was Vinaremo and the others. Still, if they were now at the meeting place, then the mercenaries probably wouldn't be long. "We need to hurry, the mercenaries will be here any minute." He warned.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As soon as he heard Sabine's potion smash above him, Mirisk was the first one up. He jumped while using a burst of telekinetic energy to propel him upwards enough for him to reach the second floor. It was a very primitive form of levitation, something he had learned from Lady Neesa, along with the spell in his other hand. Silence was usually meant to prevent spellcasting, but in this case, its more...literal effects were what he was after. Overall, it was a rather draining spell, especially since he needed it to cover a wide enough area to encompass all of the mercenaries. He had to put most of his magicka into it, but it was successful, and each of the four mercenaries suddenly found themselves surrounded in a glowing green energy. Since Sabine had attacked from the opposite direction, all of the hostiles had turned their heads away from him, providing him the ample opportunity to strike. Once more, he drew his dwemer dagger and brought it up to the neck of the nearest mercenary on his left. When he activated its mechanism, the blade shot out straight into his neck.

At the same time, Nuulanth climbed up the ladder and set her sights on the nearest foe to her. Before she even brought herself completely up to her feet, she launched an ice spike into his chest for a clean kill. Vinaremo had not been lying about her ability to stay hidden, as her spellcasting was particularly silent. Given that there were four hostiles, she stood up and quickly tried to find the last, but what she saw caused her eyes to widen with sudden fear. Instead of looking up to Sabine, one of the archers, whether out of foresight or simple confusion as to where the attack came from, had looked to the ladder. His bow was drawn and aimed square at her head. She was saved only by the swift action of Mirisk, who put the last of his magicka into a burst of telekinetic energy that stumbled the archer back, directly under Sabine. It did not stop the bow from firing its arrow, but it did change its course. Instead of penetrating through her skull, it pierced through her right shoulder. She was knocked back to the floor and had to hold her hands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming out in pain.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

It was a few hours before their target was ready to set sail, and Sharee had a close eye on them the entire time. Her navigator, the big pink-scaled Argonian was on deck waiting to observe their bearing once they left. Despite his cowardly personality, Sharee found that he actually knew what he was doing when it came to his job, so they would be able to follow along their target's course exactly.

Eventually their target finished its preparations and set out to sea, but for as long as it was in Mistral's harbor, Sharee kept her own ship in dock. She could not afford to let them know they were being followed, else they would just turn back around and use the Thalmor naval vessels to protect them. Instead, they would need to wait until they were out of sight, then use every ounce of speed they could squeeze out of their ship to catch up. Once the ship was near to being out of visual range, Sharee marched over to the navigator with a demanding expression. "You know where they are going?"

"Oh, um, yes. I know their heading, but...we should head ten degrees north of it." He recommended with a nervous gulp.

"And why might that be?" Sharee questioned accusingly.

"B-because I think they are trying to throw off anyone wanting to follow. They current heading goes nowhere interesting, but...ten degrees north of it goes straight to Senchal. It...might even help us catch up quicker." He explained in his usual nervous tone.

Sharee gave him a nod and a pat on the shoulder. "Good job." She commented, taking a few steps to walk past him before grabbing him by his collar and pulling him closer. "As long as you are right, that is." She threatened. "Now, go give the bearing to the helmsman."

Once the navigator set out on his task, Sharee walked across the center of the deck shouting the order the crew had been waiting for. "Alright, it's time to get moving. We need to be out of this harbor five minutes ago!"

Since they had been preparing all morning, it did not take long at all to set out on a heading towards Senchal. They were heading at full sail with the best speed they could get out of the current weather, but even so, it took a while to catch up to their target. However, it didn't take as long as it could have, as the navigator had been correct. Their target's path had been an indirect one.

The lookout shouted out from the crow's nest as soon as she spotted their prey. "Captain, ship on the horizon, starboard side!"

"There she is." Sharee said with a smirk from her place on the bow. She turned around and walked towards the stern, shouting to the crew as she walked. "It's time to earn your fortunes. Get these ballistas armed, and your bows and spells at the ready. We'll give them a barrage or two at a distance, then board on my command." She ordered. She stopped next to the helmsman and spoke to him more specifically. "See if you can line us up behind them, in the blind spot of their own ballistas."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Mirisk shook his head. "No, this plan is sensible. If you are up on the wall, you can jump down after your throw to help eliminate the rest, while we come up from below. Let's get into position. We will attack the moment you strike."

With their plan set, Mirisk and Nuulanth slowly crept into the first floor of the building, over to the ladder the mercenaries had set up to reach the second floor. As planned, Nuulanth climbed partially up the ladder, completely silently thanks to her spell of muffle, while Mirisk took a position just beside the ladder where he could see the ledge above him. He readied a spell of silence in his left hand, as well as a certain telekinetic spell in his right. While he wasn't as skilled with it as his Masters, it would suffice to get him to where he needed to go.

The main group waited as long as they could to allow the others to get into position, but eventually had to start their walk into town. Vinaremo and his group took the lead, while Meesei, Lorag, Janius, and Kaleeth guided the disguised skeletons just behind him. As they neared the courtyard, their angle did not allow them to see if the others had yet succeeded, but since the rest of the mercenaries had not yet revealed themselves, they might have a few minutes yet.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

I'll make a post today when I can.

Not that anyone else should delay theirs if they want to post. It might be a bit.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright. I don't technically have to go bed, but I'm tired anyway.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha dispelled the daggers in her hands and quickly moved the bodies away from any windows that might be visible to the building next door. Keeping low, she moved over to Fendros as she took stock of their surroundings. "If I didn't need to stay hidden, I might have tried to trap those two." She commented. Ahnasha remembered learning soul trap when she first started studying conjuration...though it had been many years since she attempted to cast it. Regardless, they would have time to take souls. For now, they needed to make sure they were ready for the ambush.

Ahnasha pointed out of the building to the courtyard below. "That is where the meeting is going to take place. We have a good angle from here, but we have to make sure to shoot down the archers on the next building over first. They are hiding out on the roof, or I would suggest taking them now. You can take a look at them through the window to make sure you know where they are, but be careful not to be spotted.

"Now, that sounds a bit better." Nuulanth responded. She turned to the other cultist and gave a nod. "Mirisk?"

The vampiric male, Mirisk-Kei, held out his hand and produced a faint green glow. "I believe a spell of silence might work here. It does more than just block magic, and I doubt these mercenaries are magically inclined enough to resist it. Still, we need to be quick. Nuulanth can take the ladder, and I can get another way up. Can you climb up the side after you take out the one on the wall?" He asked. As he spoke, he reached down to a pouch on his belt and produced what looked like the hilt of a blade. It was obviously dwemer in origin and appeared to be quite old, like something one would find in a museum. With the press of a button, a blade sprang out of it, turning it into a decently sized dagger.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Fendros crept up the stairs, Ahnasha took another path. Just as she had a moment ago, she quietly and carefully climbed up the side of the building, then shimmied along a narrow ledge around the building, taking care not to come within view of the neighboring building, which also contained archers. A large section of the wall facing the courtyard on the second floor had collapsed so she was able to, under the cover of invisibility, climb inside.

Ahnasha's footsteps were near completely silent as she walked straight up on the pair of archers in their makeshift chairs in the corner. One of them leaned forward and squinted his eyes at the shimmering in the air in front of him, but by the time he realized what it was, it was too late. In a single motion, Ahnasha conjured up a bound dagger in each hand and thrust them into the throats of the two Argonians seated before her. The blades severed their vocal cords, eliminating their screams before they could escape their mouths. Her invisibility had dissipated as soon as the daggers formed in her hands, so the last mercenary in the room could no doubt see her, but that was where Fendros came in.

As soon as Sabine mentioned the noise, both cultists cast muffle on themselves, which made each step completely and utterly silent, regardless of how clumsy they might be. The concept of taking orders from an outsider, let alone a little girl, was offensive to them, but she was at the least agile enough to scout out the second floor without being seen. Once Sabine returned and explained her plan, the Argonian female, Nuulanth, did not seem entirely convinced. She gave her response in as low of a whisper as she could muster. "Yes, but how do you plan to lure them out without raising the alarm? If you are spotted, they will no doubt shout out about intruders as they chase after you. You heard what Vinaremo said about losing our element of surprise."