EliteCommander

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

The Turian took a few steps back, closer to the weapon locker. She started to shake her head slowly as her hands started to twitch even more violently. "No...no they're not here for me, they're here for you. They actually offered to help us, not...take our land and livelihoods. You're just going to take me as a prisoner...or hostage. They told me what you would do."

Avatar still remained silent as it made note of some of the information the Turian was disclosing. It seemed that the assumption that the local civilians, at least aboard the station, were opposed to the hostile force was incorrect. Based on the Turian's apparent perception of the Council, and her attitude towards the incoming hostiles, she seemed to support them. It was uncertain if the same would hold true for the rest of the population of the planet, but for the moment, this Turian seemed to view the hostile force as potential saviors.

"If you're going to murder me, just...do it!" The Turian shouted, but even as she grew more forceful, tears started to form in her eyes, and her voice became more strained. With her gun still pointed straight ahead, she continued to stare down Raa while sobbing lightly, but not yet pulling the trigger.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Harriet's body went limp, Meesei released her grip on her neck and dropped her to the ground. The end of the fight was met with cheering and praise from her supporters, and silence from Harriet's. She had been arguably the strongest warrior in the clan, someone who her alphas looked up to as a superior; as a leader. But now, she lay at the feet of the Champion, defeated. In front of nearly every alpha in the clan, as well as most of its other warriors, Meesei had proven herself the strongest. The fight had been even, perhaps even weighted towards Harriet due to her ring, but the fact that Meesei had emerged victorious regardless meant that none could reasonably challenge her claim.

Nearly as quickly as she had transformed in the first place, Meesei shifted back into her normal form, with the Ring of Hircine reforming back on her finger. Given that it was the only object capable of remaining with a lycan through a transformation in such a way, the nature of her engraved metallic ring would not be a mystery to those attentive enough to notice. As for the other ring she had been holding under her tongue, Meesei took it in her hand and looked it over for a moment. Even just by observing it in the fight, she could tell that it was no ordinary enchanted ring. Its properties were unusual, and its power quite noteworthy. The charge it carried was greater than any reflection enchantment she had ever seen, so it demanded to be studied. For the moment, however, she simply held on to it, as there were other matters for her to attend to.

Despite her victory, Meesei was quite obviously injured. She was bleeding from the side of her snout, and there were sizable gashes on her arms. With the fight over, the pain would hit her soon, but she still did not prioritize dealing with her own wounds. Instead, she knelt down beside Harriet. Her windpipe was now open, allowing air to pass through once again, but Meesei needed to ensure that she actually started to breathe again. If her breathing resumed quickly, there would be no damage to her mind. In the time that she had spent in her wolf form, Meesei's magicka had recovered enough for it to be used again. She started by placing her hands on her chest, then targeting her restoration magic towards her diaphragm to prompt it to fill and release the lungs once more. Most of the time, the body would be set back to its natural rhythms if magic could be used to start the process. As with any serious injury, there was always a possibility of death, but as long as Harriet was properly monitored, she could live. Meesei stopped the bleeding from her neck and eye, then stood back up and directed her attention to a few of the healers who were present. "Keep her alive, but have her shackled, and make sure she is under guard at all times. It is not yet her time to die."

Finally, Meesei turned to Harriet's alphas. They had supported her, despite the nature of the allegations against her. However, that did not necessarily mean they were all enemies to the clan. If Harried had indeed been corrupted by Clavicus Vile, then it was possible that some of her alphas were corrupted as well, but Meesei doubted that all of them could have been corrupted. With any conspiracy, the more individuals involved, the greater the chance for failure. If even one of them resisted corruption, then that person could reveal the entire plan. More likely was that Harriet had commanded them through respect. They followed her strength and leadership, so they could not imagine that Harriet would betray the clan. But, if that was the case, then Meesei might too gain their loyalty. They respected Harriet's strength, but Meesei had just proven herself the stronger. It would not be immediate, but if she approached them with the same strength and ferocity that Harriet had shown them, they might come to accept their Champion.

"Through the trial of combat, Hircine's will has been shown. Are there any who would challenge this outcome?" Meesei asked the crowd, though her eyes were on Harriet's followers.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

At this point, Harriet was essentially at Meesei's mercy. She had to push through the pain of Harriet's claws thrashing against her arm, but they were weakening with every second that passed. Meesei's grip was restricting her breathing, and her eye socket was filling with blood. Even if Harriet somehow freed herself from Meesei's grasp, her damaged vision would all but guarantee Meesei's victory. Killing Harriet would be easy, but the duel did not necessarily need to end with a death, and she still wanted to keep Harriet alive.

Now was the time to force Harriet's submission. Her surrender would be just as effective at proving Meesei's dominance to the clan as her death, perhaps even moreso. Alternatively, if Harriet refused to give up, Meesei could just continue to constrict her windpipe until she fell unconscious. It would not be immediately lethal, and enough of her magicka had returned that she could probably keep her alive.

"Surrender, and keep your life!" Meesei shouted, her voice echoing through the now-silent chamber.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak's smile was constant as he and Meirin began to walk down the hall, in the direction of their rooms. Technically, they were in a public place, but there was no one else in the hallway at the moment. He had no problem with either strangers or friends knowing about their relationship, and felt no need nor desire to hide it, but he was aware that it was not always acceptable among humans to show one's affections around others. Though, he was not familiar with the specifics of those rules.

"Once again, I believe you are very much correct. I may not sweat, but that does not mean I can avoid bathing. Nor would I wish to. I rather like the water. Strange, I know, considering that I come from a place where lava flows like rivers. It amazed me that places outside my homeland had such large bodies of water as lakes and rivers. I have quite a few stories about my experiences with the water after I left." He commented. "Anyway, I will do all I can to help you, but...I am more accustomed to flying on the wind, not bending it to carry me. Still, there are principles of flight which I imagine are universal. Most likely. Well...I will be there to catch you." He added, mostly jokingly. It was a decent walk for them to reach their rooms, though it did not take too long before they neared them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The tide of the battle was quickly turning in Meesei's favor, though she was not proceeding without injury. Her shield spell was providing resistance, but it could not stand against the strength of a werewolf. Her arm now had several gashes from Harriet's claws, her snout bled from Harriet's desperate retaliation, and she was forced to release the injured arm from her jaw's grasp to keep herself from losing an eye. However, it seemed that Harriet's desperation had clouded her judgement, as it was obvious that her attention was nowhere near Meesei's free arm. Harriet was a strong fighter, in and out of her wolf form, but this mistake could very well be the end of the fight.

Meesei struck diagonally up from below Harriet's line of sight to bury her claws into Harriet's neck, though, her intention was not yet to kill. She intended to stab her claws into her neck, but not into the precious blood vessels that carried the blood to and from her brain. She wanted to leave her claws there for the moment, to keep Harriet mere inches from death, but not yet kill her. Meesei still wanted the chance to interrogate Harriet, and she did not need to kill her to win the fight. Though, she would if it was necessary.

At the same time, Meesei released her grip with her other hand on Harriet's shoulder, then quickly jabbed her claws toward's Harriet's right eye while she was likely distracted by the hand near her throat, fully intent on blinding the eye. It was a highly offensive approach which left Meesei open, but Meesei felt her potentially-fatal attacks would force Harriet to at least attempt to defend.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Though Meesei was unable to pounce Harriet, she was able to sink her teeth into Harriet's arm. She thrashed her head back and forth to tear at the muscles, while also digging the claws in her left hand into Harriet's shoulder and attempting to use the leverage it gave her to force Harriet to the ground. With her right arm, she was ready to counter, which was precisely what she needed to do. With any fight between beasts, lycans included, the throat was often the final goal. If either side could gain a firm grasp on the neck with claws or teeth, it could often end the fight in seconds. As such, a skilled lycan always kept in mind that weakness. Meesei expected that Harriet was ready to defend against such an attack, just as she was. Without releasing her jaws, Meesei quickly brought her free hand up to her own throat with the intent of intercepting and grabbing Harriet's other arm. The longer she could keep Harriet from escaping her grasp, the more chance she would be able to gain the decisive advantage in their grapple. Even if Meesei could not gain a hold over Harriet's arm, she could at least protect her throat, at the expense of some injuries to her arm.

---

Lorag started to laugh after the Argonian gave his rather unimpressive threat. "Really, you think they're going to start a fight over you? Yeah, after you just tried to abandon them and run away from this place, I'm sure they're goin' to just leap to your aid." He commented as he stood to his feet and nodded to Janius. He had not managed to run far before being downed, so Lorag was able to quickly walk over and grab the bag of food. He took the rope that would have been used to keep it tied shut and handed it off to Janius. "Here. I guess we should find somewhere to take him. There's no telling what this snake might try if we bring him back to the duel. Probably best to let Alpha handle him." Lorag suggested.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

I don't think you can whisper at such a volume that everyone but the civilian could hear you. Whispering into the radio would have that effect, though.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

The Turian woman seemed to only become more panicked as more people entered the room. At first, her gun darted back and forth between each newly arriving target, but she finally settled on leveling it at Raa once she started to speak. She looked at each of the people Raa pointed to as she mentioned them, but her gun did not budge. However, she was at least listening to Raa, and willing to respond. "I...I don't trust you!. Stay back! You're...from the Council, right? Why should I trust the Council? You don't care about us, you just want our planet. You'll just...lock me away for the rest of my life for pointing this thing at you. I'd...I'd rather die!"

Avatar remained silent as the others spoke, as it knew it was the least qualified among them to negotiate with an emotionally compromised individual. It was aware that, when influenced by emotion, organics could behave irrationally, even when faced with undeniable evidence to an error in their actions. If the Turian were to engage in a firefight with their team at its current strength, the probability of her survival was negligible. However, if it presented her with that probability, she was still not likely to be dissuaded. Avatar did not understand how to appeal to emotion, so the task of calming the Turian fell to the others. Internally, however, it was calculating the probability as time passed of hostile forces arriving at the security station.

Once again using the radio, Avatar communicated with the others without speaking aloud. "The probability of hostile forces arriving within ten seconds is approximately 12%, increasing by 0.38% per second." It warned.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak lightly scratched his chin for a moment when Meirin pointed out the complication that Alaira might present. "Hmm, I think you may be right. Alaria may not allow Lyn to leave her right now, regardless of what Lyn actually wants. Alaira could probably find some way to justify it to herself. Perhaps I will get a chance in a few hours to facilitate Lyn's conversation, once Alaira has finally returned her." He reasoned, pausing a moment as he looked down to the basket he was still carrying. It contained a few gifts from Lucilia, and no matter how Ssarak felt about Lucilia, Lyn would still likely want to have her presents.

"Still, I would at least like to give Lyn her basket. There is nothing a child likes more than presents, and nothing that will ruin their day faster than having them taken away. If we just drop off the basket, then leave, I doubt even Alaira will cause any problems. Or maybe she will try to claw out my eyes just for looking at her; it seems just as likely." Ssarak said in a lighthearted tone. Even if Alaira could get away without punishment, they could at least take solace in the fact that they now had an opportunity to turn her into a running joke.

Ssarak looked to her with a smile as he began to walk alongside her. "Anyways, I am always ready to take to the skies, especially with you. I have found a few more rooftops and other perches which make for scenic places to relax, especially near dawn and dusk. Sunsets are simply sublime in this area. You should be able to get to them all with your magic, though if you do not want to fatigue yourself, I could always fly you around. My wings are always at your disposal." Ssarak commented, reaching out with his wing and wrapping it partially around her.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once Meesei had shoved Harriet back, she was quick to grab the ring. For a lycan, she had quite fine motor control, though even with the Ring, there was only so much she could do with such large, cumbersome hands. As the ring was the source of Harriet's primary protection against her, it was imperative that she not get it back. Obviously, Meesei could not wear it, she had no pouches in which to store it, and if she threw it, then one of her pack might retrieve it. As such, she settled on method of disposal that might have surprised some of the onlookers: she ate it. Or at least, that was how it appeared to those watching. In reality, she was simply holding it under her tongue. In any case, Harriet would not have an easy way of recovering it in the event that she transformed back.

Once Harriet started her attack, Meesei retaliated with her own. No longer was she going to be forced on the defensive by more skilled opponent; now, she was going to press her advantage. Instead of retreating to evade, as she had been doing for the duration of the fight so far, Meesei leaped forward to both get out of the path of Harriet's claws, and to pounce onto her. Whether Harriet's attack was successful or not, Meesei intended to deal far more damage. If she could grapple her, then she could make use her newfound strength advantage, something Harriet did not likely have to face very often. Still, Harriet's skill was not to be underestimated, and she could likely protect her head and neck, so Meesei decided to start by simply tearing into her arms to reduce her ability to fight back.

---

"Hmph, what I think we should do is probably a lot different from what Alpha would say we should do." Lorag commented as he retrieved his hammer and knelt down next to the Argonian. He wasn't that impressive for a lycan, and he certainly seemed to be a coward, but Lorag was going to keep a close eye on him regardless. He certainly wouldn't put it past the lizard to try something underhanded.

"You tried sneakin' away from the crowd, then started snatching up as many supplies as you could. You know what? That sounds real suspicious to me. Question is, where are you tryin' to go? Why are you trying to go? Seems to me like you're not confident in your Alpha actually winning this thing. Maybe I ought to tell her that if Meesei lets her live? Anyway, you've made yourself a...suspect, so why don't you make things easy and just tell us why the snake tried to slither away?" Lorag asked forcefully.