EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Since they now knew exactly where they were going, it was not long before they neared the settlement. Lorag stopped them, informing them that they were about as close as they could get without being detected with all the undead soldiers they had. Meesei spoke up to ask Hal-Neesa about whatever plan she might have. "How should we approach this? From what Lorag has said, the mercenaries have -" She began, but Neesa cut her off with a dismissive wave.

"Just follow me and kill." Neesa said simply as she walked off with her undead soldiers following. Most of her thralls were the mercenaries her cultists had risen, which she now controlled, but the four closest to her were the ebony-clad skeletons they first saw in the throne room. The creaking of bones and clanging of armor made it easy to tell that they were approaching, but even so, the mercenaries could hardly be prepared for what they saw. The mass of undead was met with a minor volley of arrows from the few archers that had managed to get into position, but with seemingly little effort, Neesa deflected them with an impressive wave of telekinetic energy. Her own archers fired back at those in the guard towers and forced them to retreat back within the walls. The mercenaries closed the gate to attempt to slow their advance, but with a fiery explosion, Neesa blasted open the gate and allowed her undead to pour in. To their credit, the mercenaries were able to form up on their leaders quickly to create a defensive line at the gate, but upon seeing them, Neesa simply stared...and smiled.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I can bring us to the place in my next one.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth did not so much as blink when she gave a nod in response to Janius' concerned question. "I am sure. I will have to deal with it eventually. I know you don't want me thinking this way, but I am already a monster. I just have to...accept it now. Ahnasha and Fendros have been captured. What if they are hurting them? What if they are going to die if we can't get them? We are going to have to attack a town to save them; we might hurt people who are innocent. We are going to be monsters whether I eat them or not, so I might as well do all I can to help save them. At least, that way, something good might come from it." She reasoned. Even if she hated herself for what she was about to do, she was fairly resolute in her decision.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Or wait, rereading the last one, did Meirin make it back inside, or will Fallen still need to post for that?

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

My computer was indeed fixed and currently is functional. I can post now, though I still have a few giant collabs to read. I'll be sure to post first though, since they don't take place on the caravan mission.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

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.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

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.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"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."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"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.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

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.