"We do know several possible locations of the data center, but it would be nice to get something definite. Go ahead and wake him up, just be quick. We do not have a lot of time and we need to get through this fast. Also, someone get something to bind him with. We're going to need to tie him up here to make sure he can't cause us any trouble after we're gone. Make sure to hold him down." Rareth suggested.
Rareth pointed her pistol straight at his head so that the first thing he would see upon opening his eyes would be the barrel of her gun. The team was surrounding him on all sides, so it would be abundantly clear once he awoke that they were in control of the situation. Unfortunately, they did not have time for a protracted interrogation, so they would just have to hope that he was frightened enough to be cooperative.
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Ahnasha shook her head again, unmoved by Fendros' words. "You didn't feel it. You didn't have the pain to burn it into your mind. You can't understand. It wasn't you that you were letting him dissect!" She shouted with sudden anger as she barred her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. Most of her rage was not directed towards him, but he was not immune from it.
"Hmm, you could, but...I don't know." Lorag responded. He wished he could just run in and rescue them right then and there, but even he had to admit that they were far outnumbered. Runt might have been right, and he wanted to do something, but no matter how he acted, he didn't want the others to get hurt. He was already both angry and regretful that he couldn't run in and get Fendros and Ahnasha right away, and he knew he couldn't live with himself if she got herself hurt based on his call.
"It could work, but it might end up getting you caught too. They're coming off of a retreat, so they might be looking for anyone new. They might know the people they're letting in. For me, I want to go in there and take the heads of anyone that gets between me and them, but I think the Alpha would want us to play it safe." He said.
"Hmm, you could, but...I don't know." Lorag responded. He wished he could just run in and rescue them right then and there, but even he had to admit that they were far outnumbered. Runt might have been right, and he wanted to do something, but no matter how he acted, he didn't want the others to get hurt. He was already both angry and regretful that he couldn't run in and get Fendros and Ahnasha right away, and he knew he couldn't live with himself if she got herself hurt based on his call.
"It could work, but it might end up getting you caught too. They're coming off of a retreat, so they might be looking for anyone new. They might know the people they're letting in. For me, I want to go in there and take the heads of anyone that gets between me and them, but I think the Alpha would want us to play it safe." He said.
Ahnasha did not answer immediately, creating an uneasy silence in the air. Slowly, she started shaking her head and breaking up her sobs with her words. "I can't unsee it. I can't unfeel it. I should be dead, I feel like I should be dead. He made sure I felt the pain, all of it. I couldn't block it out, I couldn't scream no matter how hard I tried. I just...I can't get it out of my head! My heart, my lungs, my bones...I just want to forget it. I wish he would kill me so I can stop remembering it."
As Meesei predicted, the search was taking longer than they would have liked. Hours passed with their progress being slow, but at least they were getting somewhere. The scent was faint, but definitely present. Even so, there were many times where they had to spread out to search an area whenever they lost the trail, then regroup and follow it together. They never lost the path, but it took precious time for them to follow it. Night fell and they still continued searching until finally, after a few more hours, they followed the traces of their scents to their final destination.
From the defenses Lorag saw, the settlement they came across certainly looked like an important one to the mercenaries. From their position among the swamp's foliage, he could see walls made from cut logs and mud, complete with small guard towers and patrols near the entrances. From what he could see inside the walls, however, it looked like a bit more than just a camp for soldiers. It looked almost like a town, with proper buildings and the like. It was entirely possible that there were more than just the mercenaries living there, but it was where they had taken Fendros and Ahnasha, so that was where they were going to attack.
"I guess we should get back to the village; see if Alpha got those reinforcements for us." Lorag commented quietly.
As Meesei predicted, the search was taking longer than they would have liked. Hours passed with their progress being slow, but at least they were getting somewhere. The scent was faint, but definitely present. Even so, there were many times where they had to spread out to search an area whenever they lost the trail, then regroup and follow it together. They never lost the path, but it took precious time for them to follow it. Night fell and they still continued searching until finally, after a few more hours, they followed the traces of their scents to their final destination.
From the defenses Lorag saw, the settlement they came across certainly looked like an important one to the mercenaries. From their position among the swamp's foliage, he could see walls made from cut logs and mud, complete with small guard towers and patrols near the entrances. From what he could see inside the walls, however, it looked like a bit more than just a camp for soldiers. It looked almost like a town, with proper buildings and the like. It was entirely possible that there were more than just the mercenaries living there, but it was where they had taken Fendros and Ahnasha, so that was where they were going to attack.
"I guess we should get back to the village; see if Alpha got those reinforcements for us." Lorag commented quietly.
Once the healer confirmed Fendros' honesty, he gave a nod. "Noted, you are being quite helpful." He commented. The Breton had closed up Ahnasha's torso by this point, but there was still a lot of healing to do underneath the skin. The noble had cut through plenty of muscles and blood vessels that needed to be mended. Plus, he still had to repair her damaged vocal cords, which would take a bit longer. The noble simply continued with his questioning, now with a much more relaxed tone. "It doesn't seem like you know any more about the layout, so how about we move on to the kind of opposition we're going to face..."
The interrogation continued for just under an hour longer as the noble went through all of the questions he could think of to ask. Meanwhile, Ahnasha was moved from the table back up to hanging from the ceiling like Fendros. Once the noble had finished with his questions, he motioned for the healers to take their leave as he replaced the torture tools back on the table. "We had a bit of a rough start, but I think we made some progress today. It shouldn't be long before our attack begins. I'll let you know how it goes. From there, we will no longer have any need to keep you locked up down here. Now, get some rest, you've earned it."
The noble left and locked the iron door behind him, but Ahnasha showed no reaction. The experience had left her with scars, such as the noticeable one running straight down the center of her body, but it wasn't the physical scars that hurt her the most. Her mind was broken; fractured from living through a kind of suffering no mortal mind was meant to endure. The noble's torture had taken her beyond death, to a point where only the magic sustained her, as her body would have failed without the Breton's intervention. He had healed her vocal cords, but she did not speak, even though she could now do so freely. Instead, she held her head low, staring at the ground with tears in her eyes, sobbing with a harsh, raspy voice.
The interrogation continued for just under an hour longer as the noble went through all of the questions he could think of to ask. Meanwhile, Ahnasha was moved from the table back up to hanging from the ceiling like Fendros. Once the noble had finished with his questions, he motioned for the healers to take their leave as he replaced the torture tools back on the table. "We had a bit of a rough start, but I think we made some progress today. It shouldn't be long before our attack begins. I'll let you know how it goes. From there, we will no longer have any need to keep you locked up down here. Now, get some rest, you've earned it."
The noble left and locked the iron door behind him, but Ahnasha showed no reaction. The experience had left her with scars, such as the noticeable one running straight down the center of her body, but it wasn't the physical scars that hurt her the most. Her mind was broken; fractured from living through a kind of suffering no mortal mind was meant to endure. The noble's torture had taken her beyond death, to a point where only the magic sustained her, as her body would have failed without the Breton's intervention. He had healed her vocal cords, but she did not speak, even though she could now do so freely. Instead, she held her head low, staring at the ground with tears in her eyes, sobbing with a harsh, raspy voice.
Once the Argonian healer gave a nod clearing Fendros of any lies, the noble removed the hooks from Ahnasha's body and folded her skin back over to its proper place. He prompted the Breton to start closing her back up, then moved over to the other side of the table closer to Fendros. "Now we're getting somewhere. She will be healed back as good as new, perhaps with only a scar or two. Just remember, I can open her up just as easily if you lose your spirit of cooperation. The bedrooms are a good target for my men, and I can assure you they will not be focused on killing a Khajiit infant. Beyond the bedrooms, what is next?"
Ahnasha breathed a sigh of relief when the Breton finally numbed her pain. Even though the healer was working on healing her, she still tried to avoid looking down, or thinking about the state she was in. As long as Fendros remained cooperative, she wouldn't have to go back to that suffering. She would have answered the questions herself, were she capable of it. The hallways beyond the bedrooms passed underneath the entrance to the xanmeer, then continued on past a few storage rooms to the throne room itself. There was also another exit in the throne room that led to another hall, but Ahnasha was uncertain of where it led. The pack had not been allowed past that point.
Upon returning to the xanmeer, Meesei, Vinaremo, and Orskan split off from the rest of the group and went straight to the throne room to meet with Hal-Neesa and Llarvan. They had expected their return, so there was no delay before they could speak to them.
"So, you have returned. Since you are still alive, may I assume the battle was a success? Did the noble's son show his cowardly face?" Llarvan asked as they were stepping up to the thrones.
"The battle was indeed a success, my lord. Unfortunately, the noble was not present, but there has been another development. I will let her explain." Vinaremo answered, opening up Meesei to respond.
Meesei tried to remain respectful, but her haste was evident in her tone. "After the end of the battle, I went to check on two of my pack. I found that they had most likely been captured in the middle of the fight and dragged off by wagon out of the ruined town. Their tracks end after a short distance, but I could still catch their scent. I left the remainder of my pack behind to search that area of the swamp for what we assume to be their headquarters. We are skilled trackers, so I have no doubt we will find it, though it may take a few hours. I would like to request more forces to rescue my friends and eliminate the last of the mercenaries."
"Hmm, it is not what I hoped for...but it is better than I expected." Llarvan commented, more to his wife than anyone. "The noble's son is not in Gideon, so he must be with his ilk in their headquarters. We can end this annoyance here and now."
Neesa nodded in response. "Agreed. These mercenaries have so far proven skilled at, quite literally, covering their tracks, but if our lycanthropic guests can locate them, then we can finally rid ourselves of these pests."
"Then it is settled, we will send with you sufficient forces to eliminate the last of the mercenaries. Again, Vinaremo will be in command of-" Llarvan began, but Neesa quickly held up a hand to him and interrupted.
"Actually, I will take charge personally." Neesa said.
Llarvan turned his head to her curiously. "Are you certain, my dear? Our underlings should more than be able to handle a few warriors-for-hire on their own."
"Yes, I am sure. This noble has been annoying us for years, and I do not want to leave this to chance. Besides, it has been quite a while since I have been able to...let loose my abilities." She answered.
"Very well, I will remain and hold together our court while you are gone, my love." Llarvan commented before looking back to Meesei. "My wife will take command of this attack. Make whatever preparations you need while you can, and be ready to move in about an hour."
Ahnasha breathed a sigh of relief when the Breton finally numbed her pain. Even though the healer was working on healing her, she still tried to avoid looking down, or thinking about the state she was in. As long as Fendros remained cooperative, she wouldn't have to go back to that suffering. She would have answered the questions herself, were she capable of it. The hallways beyond the bedrooms passed underneath the entrance to the xanmeer, then continued on past a few storage rooms to the throne room itself. There was also another exit in the throne room that led to another hall, but Ahnasha was uncertain of where it led. The pack had not been allowed past that point.
Upon returning to the xanmeer, Meesei, Vinaremo, and Orskan split off from the rest of the group and went straight to the throne room to meet with Hal-Neesa and Llarvan. They had expected their return, so there was no delay before they could speak to them.
"So, you have returned. Since you are still alive, may I assume the battle was a success? Did the noble's son show his cowardly face?" Llarvan asked as they were stepping up to the thrones.
"The battle was indeed a success, my lord. Unfortunately, the noble was not present, but there has been another development. I will let her explain." Vinaremo answered, opening up Meesei to respond.
Meesei tried to remain respectful, but her haste was evident in her tone. "After the end of the battle, I went to check on two of my pack. I found that they had most likely been captured in the middle of the fight and dragged off by wagon out of the ruined town. Their tracks end after a short distance, but I could still catch their scent. I left the remainder of my pack behind to search that area of the swamp for what we assume to be their headquarters. We are skilled trackers, so I have no doubt we will find it, though it may take a few hours. I would like to request more forces to rescue my friends and eliminate the last of the mercenaries."
"Hmm, it is not what I hoped for...but it is better than I expected." Llarvan commented, more to his wife than anyone. "The noble's son is not in Gideon, so he must be with his ilk in their headquarters. We can end this annoyance here and now."
Neesa nodded in response. "Agreed. These mercenaries have so far proven skilled at, quite literally, covering their tracks, but if our lycanthropic guests can locate them, then we can finally rid ourselves of these pests."
"Then it is settled, we will send with you sufficient forces to eliminate the last of the mercenaries. Again, Vinaremo will be in command of-" Llarvan began, but Neesa quickly held up a hand to him and interrupted.
"Actually, I will take charge personally." Neesa said.
Llarvan turned his head to her curiously. "Are you certain, my dear? Our underlings should more than be able to handle a few warriors-for-hire on their own."
"Yes, I am sure. This noble has been annoying us for years, and I do not want to leave this to chance. Besides, it has been quite a while since I have been able to...let loose my abilities." She answered.
"Very well, I will remain and hold together our court while you are gone, my love." Llarvan commented before looking back to Meesei. "My wife will take command of this attack. Make whatever preparations you need while you can, and be ready to move in about an hour."
Ahnasha did not know what the noble would do next, but the pain and horror she felt was such that it erased any semblance of rational thought she had. She did not care about anything other than stopping the pain, not their deal with the cultists, not the pack, not even Rhazii. If she could have screamed, the sound would have been deafening. Fortunately for her, Fendros' submission halted the pain for at least a moment, for as soon as he agreed to talk, the noble signaled the Breton to numb her pain. The Argonian healer returned to Fendros' side to ensure his honesty, while the noble set down his knife. Ahnasha's organs were still exposed, but for now, at least, she was not suffering.
"Good to hear you have come to your senses. You start answering questions, and I'll start closing her up. Our tunnel will break through into the far east of the underground catacombs. What room will we be entering into?" The noble asked.
Ahnasha had enough of her senses to understand what the noble was asking, but it was not encouraging. The far east room was the training room, and there were only two exits from there. One led to the kitchen, which would not be very interesting to an attacking force, while the other led straight to the guest rooms. Beyond the guest rooms were the cultists' quarters, which was likely where they would want to strike first in their attack. It would place Rhazii right in their way, but with the dreadful suffering she had just experienced, Ahnasha just wanted him to say anything he could to end it for her.
"Good to hear you have come to your senses. You start answering questions, and I'll start closing her up. Our tunnel will break through into the far east of the underground catacombs. What room will we be entering into?" The noble asked.
Ahnasha had enough of her senses to understand what the noble was asking, but it was not encouraging. The far east room was the training room, and there were only two exits from there. One led to the kitchen, which would not be very interesting to an attacking force, while the other led straight to the guest rooms. Beyond the guest rooms were the cultists' quarters, which was likely where they would want to strike first in their attack. It would place Rhazii right in their way, but with the dreadful suffering she had just experienced, Ahnasha just wanted him to say anything he could to end it for her.
Ah, didn't notice you had posted. I'll respond now.
Instead of going straight for the group of five by the door, Rareth noticed that Shuo fired upon the patrol that Rareth was shooting, for whatever reason. Regardless, they dropped the patrol quickly with combined fire, then shifted over to the final group. They scrambled to ready their weapons, but realistically, they had no chance. They were surrounded on all sides, including from above, so none of them could find cover that would protect them completely. It did not take long for the team to overwhelm them, as they were riddled with shots from all sides, but Rareth feared that it still took too long.
Once all hostiles in the room were eliminated, Rareth checked her device and saw that her suit's sensors had indeed picked up a radio signal, and therefore had activated the station's jammer. She tried to use her radio and confirmed that it no longer functioned. As well, she could no longer bring up their drones' video feeds. Certainly, this wasn't a positive development, but it also wasn't the end of the mission. Rareth teleported down to the ground level and addressed her team, this time with her voice directly instead of the radio. "Bad news, we were too slow. We took them all out, but one of them had a chance to activate their radio before we finished them off. That means all remote communications on the station are now jammed, so we are now on a time limit. As soon as the rebels figure it out, they are going to do whatever they can to bring their communications back online. We don't know how long that is going to take, so we need to hurry. Though, that at least means that we can now go in fast and loud." Rareth explained.
Once all hostiles in the room were eliminated, Rareth checked her device and saw that her suit's sensors had indeed picked up a radio signal, and therefore had activated the station's jammer. She tried to use her radio and confirmed that it no longer functioned. As well, she could no longer bring up their drones' video feeds. Certainly, this wasn't a positive development, but it also wasn't the end of the mission. Rareth teleported down to the ground level and addressed her team, this time with her voice directly instead of the radio. "Bad news, we were too slow. We took them all out, but one of them had a chance to activate their radio before we finished them off. That means all remote communications on the station are now jammed, so we are now on a time limit. As soon as the rebels figure it out, they are going to do whatever they can to bring their communications back online. We don't know how long that is going to take, so we need to hurry. Though, that at least means that we can now go in fast and loud." Rareth explained.
I just noticed an issue with your post, cqb. In my post, I said Rareth shot the 3rd patrolling guard from her position as she dropped the grenade on the group beneath her. You also had Shuo shoot the 3rd patrolling guard, but I described him as male, while you said it was a tempu female.
The noble gave a macabre smile as he set down his knife and picked up a different tool, which looked like a sort of hook. "As you wish. Just remember, it is by your word that she suffers."
Instead of making another cut, the noble did something else entirely. He placed his hook into the first verticle cut he made, then started to pry open her flesh as if she was a cadaver whose insides he wanted to examine.
The expression on Ahnasha's face was nothing short of sheer panic. What was he doing? Was he going to open her up while she was still alive and awake? That would surely kill her, would it not? All she knew was that it was the single most painful experience of her life. As the noble continued to cut her open, the Breton motioned for the Argonian healer to move away from Fendros to aid him in keeping her alive. Together, they were able to keep her bleeding to a minimum, as well as paralyzing her control of most of her body except for her head, likely so Fendros could continue to see the panic in her expression. Of course, they still did nothing to stop the pain.
When Ahnasha finally looked down at what her torturers were doing, what she saw was something no living person should ever have to witness. The noble had pulled apart her flesh and secured it with hooks, exposing the majority of her internal organs to her view. She saw her blood covered ribs, her lungs rapidly rising and falling with her panicked breaths, and a portion of her beating heart behind them. The horror of the sight was even worse than the pain, which was in itself immense.
"You can stop this at any time." The noble commented, pausing for a moment to await Fendros' response.
Instead of making another cut, the noble did something else entirely. He placed his hook into the first verticle cut he made, then started to pry open her flesh as if she was a cadaver whose insides he wanted to examine.
The expression on Ahnasha's face was nothing short of sheer panic. What was he doing? Was he going to open her up while she was still alive and awake? That would surely kill her, would it not? All she knew was that it was the single most painful experience of her life. As the noble continued to cut her open, the Breton motioned for the Argonian healer to move away from Fendros to aid him in keeping her alive. Together, they were able to keep her bleeding to a minimum, as well as paralyzing her control of most of her body except for her head, likely so Fendros could continue to see the panic in her expression. Of course, they still did nothing to stop the pain.
When Ahnasha finally looked down at what her torturers were doing, what she saw was something no living person should ever have to witness. The noble had pulled apart her flesh and secured it with hooks, exposing the majority of her internal organs to her view. She saw her blood covered ribs, her lungs rapidly rising and falling with her panicked breaths, and a portion of her beating heart behind them. The horror of the sight was even worse than the pain, which was in itself immense.
"You can stop this at any time." The noble commented, pausing for a moment to await Fendros' response.
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