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The Commander of Elites
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Most Recent Posts
I should be able to post now, though I have to go to class first and do a few other things. My computer might be fixed today.
I need to go to bed now. I'll respond tomorrow.
I was rather devious with the scene. I wasn't quite as mean to other characters because I knew how mean I was going to be to Ahnasha. There were many ways that could have turned out, depending on Fendros' response. As for the effects of his choices...time will tell.
I was rather devious with the scene. I wasn't quite as mean to other characters because I knew how mean I was going to be to Ahnasha. There were many ways that could have turned out, depending on Fendros' response. As for the effects of his choices...time will tell.
"No, I don't want to eat anyone again, but I..." Kaleeth began, trying to wrap her head around how to handle the situation. She had a myriad of conflicting thoughts running through her mind, none of which were making her decision easier. "But you are all going to be in danger...and maybe Fendros and Ahnasha too. I can't just hide and let you get hurt. It wouldn't be right. I...I have to help you. I am a monster anyway, what does it matter? I am already a terrible person who committed a terrible crime, so how would it be any worse if I did it again? I will come with you and fight; I just hope the Hist can forgive me."
"Honestly, Janius, I believe so. I know what you want me to do, but I do not know if it is possible. If you have lived for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and have seen as much death as she likely has, then what value would life have to you? If that is her intention, there is little we can do to stop it. All we can hope for is to rescue Ahnasha and Fendros, and hope that the innocents flee during the fight. As near as I can tell, we only need to kill the mercenaries. Just keep Kaleeth close to you; I am concerned about how this will affect her. The fight earlier today already tempted her beast; it will not be easy for her to retain control in yet another fight." Meesei advised. Strangely enough, Kaleeth was now sticking closer to the reanimated corpses than the pack, but Meesei had a feeling she knew why. Her beast spirit hungered for fresh meat, not rotting corpses, so sticking by them was likely making it easier for her to suppress her urges.
The trip back to the village took considerably less time than it took to track the scent, but even so, it was after midnight when they finally arrived back in the village. With how fast things decayed in the marsh, there was a very distinct smell in the air from the corpses leftover from the battle. Not that it seemed to bother the group of necromancers and other cultists who were now waiting near the courtyard. Of course, now a good portion of those corpses were not quite as dead as they used to be. Given how many of the cultists practiced the dark arts, a significant section of their force now consisted of reanimated mercenaries. It made Lorag uneasy, but at least they would take attention away from their living allies, even if they smelled like death.
What Lorag didn't expect to see was one of their leaders, Hal-Neesa, at the head of the force. He didn't think her to be the type to get her hands dirty in a fight. She was right next to Meesei, so there was no avoiding her as they approached. In fact, Neesa was the first to speak to them when they arrived.
"Finally, with how long we have been waiting, I certainly hope you have located our quarry?" Neesa asked, though it was difficult to tell if she was legitimately annoyed.
"Yeah, we did, actually." Lorag answered. "We can take you right to 'em. They're hiding out a little over an hour away to the northwest. It's not a normal outpost, though. It looks more like a settlement than anything, though there are plenty of the mercs there. Still, there might be more than just our enemy in their walls."
"I do not care if it is a camp or a fortress, if the noble's son has decided to make it his home, then we will burn it to the ground. Take the lead; I tire of waiting here." Neesa ordered.
As Lorag complied, Kaleeth followed silently, but she remained distant from the others. She was tired from having been awake for so long, but it wasn't that which was truly bothering her. She wasn't really bothered by fighting the mercenaries, but they were about to attack a town, and Neesa made it seem like they were going to be killing everyone. They had not been able to see clearly inside before, but what if there were hatchlings living there? She could not bear the thought of seeing innocents being slaughtered, and what if, she thought, their fresh blood in the air caused her beast to take control of her? If that happened, she would certainly end up joining in the killing.
What Lorag didn't expect to see was one of their leaders, Hal-Neesa, at the head of the force. He didn't think her to be the type to get her hands dirty in a fight. She was right next to Meesei, so there was no avoiding her as they approached. In fact, Neesa was the first to speak to them when they arrived.
"Finally, with how long we have been waiting, I certainly hope you have located our quarry?" Neesa asked, though it was difficult to tell if she was legitimately annoyed.
"Yeah, we did, actually." Lorag answered. "We can take you right to 'em. They're hiding out a little over an hour away to the northwest. It's not a normal outpost, though. It looks more like a settlement than anything, though there are plenty of the mercs there. Still, there might be more than just our enemy in their walls."
"I do not care if it is a camp or a fortress, if the noble's son has decided to make it his home, then we will burn it to the ground. Take the lead; I tire of waiting here." Neesa ordered.
As Lorag complied, Kaleeth followed silently, but she remained distant from the others. She was tired from having been awake for so long, but it wasn't that which was truly bothering her. She wasn't really bothered by fighting the mercenaries, but they were about to attack a town, and Neesa made it seem like they were going to be killing everyone. They had not been able to see clearly inside before, but what if there were hatchlings living there? She could not bear the thought of seeing innocents being slaughtered, and what if, she thought, their fresh blood in the air caused her beast to take control of her? If that happened, she would certainly end up joining in the killing.
"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.
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.
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."
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