EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The fight had been brief, but disturbing for some. Ahnasha ran to Rhazii, dropping down to her knees and picking him up in her arms to comfort him. Kaleeth, as soon as Janius mentioned the name, sprinted back to the water without so much as a word and dove in. However, it was an action that was quickly explained when she walked back out of the lake holding Newt in her arms. She walked back towards Janius, though she seemed more focused on making sure Newt was alright.

Although she had only even known about the attack for under a minute, Meesei had to make several decisions quickly. She had seen much happen over the course of only a few seconds, which had created several problems to address. "Alright...Gallus, Lorag, tie up the survivor, question her when you can. Irenya, help Sabine heal Leaps, if you could. I will chase down the caravan drivers and see if I can calm them. Just stay on alert; we do not know if there are more out there."

Irenya responded only with a simple nod as Meesei turned to follow their caravan drivers. She walked around to Sabine's right side and knelt down beside her. She did not ask Sabine to move or stop her own healing, and instead simply got to work applying her own restoration talents to the wound. Although, it quickly became apparent that Irenya's healing talents were far more developed than Sabine's own. She was, after all, a specialized healer, while Meesei had been giving Sabine more general magical training.

Pieter too knelt down beside Sabine, on her left. He looked over Leaps with an unsure expression, gently placing his hand on the top of the wamasu's head. The arrow was still protruding from the wound, as it seemed that Irenya wanted to get a better handle on the bleeding before removing it. Leaps was breathing heavily, and occasionally letting out a low, pained whine.

There were a few moments of silence before Pieter turned his head to Sabine. He looked unsure at first, but then, it seemed like he was trying to smile. "I...do believe I lost that race, didn't I?" He commented before leaning in and kissing the top of Leaps' head. "I would kiss this lizard a thousand times after what he did for you. He may well have saved your life. After he is healed, I think he deserves a reward."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

So far, it has been pretty much what I expected. Which is to say, I'm really enjoying it. There are a few minor annoyances for me, but plenty of improvements. I find the actual shooting mechanics to be a lot better, like if I aim at something, the bullet might actually go there. The thing that probably bothers me the most is that it doesn't tell me what an object weighs before I pick it up. Random junk is a lot more useful in FO4, so that would be a really, really helpful thing.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I didn't expect it would run at all, but it actually auto-detected for medium.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Tzirret's claws, coupled with his lycan strength, pierced through the bandit's skull with deadly effect. He fell to the ground, motionless, and pouring blood. Meanwhile, Gallus' dagger found its mark in the back of the bandit leader's leg. While not a particularly dangerous wound by itself, it did cause her to trip over one of the shore's many rocks. She kept a hold of her blade, and managed not to harm herself with it in the fall, but looking back make it abundantly clear that she was not getting away. Even if she could get to her feet, there was a lycan werewolf charging straight for her. Briefly, she considered raising her blade for one last-ditch defense, but she knew it would be meaningless. The woman dropped her sword and raised up her hands. "Stop, I surrender!" She shouted, though she had little hope that a werewolf would hold back.

Seeing as Tzirret had handled the bandit threatening Pieter and Sabine, Irenya ran forward to help Janius finish off the Bosmer he was on the ground struggling with. She could not use her fireballs, but since Janius was holding him in place, it was a simple enough matter to conjure a dagger, run up to them, and stab it into the Bosmer's throat.

The rest of the pack had started running as soon as they heard the fight start, but it had only taken a few brief moments for the pack's surprise attack to eliminate every threat. Ahnasha ran down the hill to find Rhazii, while Lorag started to rush to the bandit leader as well. It only took a brief moment for Meesei to gather what had happened, and her first concern was for her pack. "Is anyone hurt?" She asked.

The caravan drivers too had come running over the hill, and while the bandit attack was certainly a surprise, it was, after a few moments, not their greatest concern. When they spotted Tzirret and Fendros in their beast forms, the Nord woman's eyes widen. "What happened here? Wait...is that..." She began, grabbing her son's shoulder. "Run...RUN!" She yelled as she bolted off in the direction of the forest with her son in tow.

After the danger had passed, Pieter turned to Sabine and placed his hands on her shoulders, his expression obviously concerned. "Are you alright, Sabine? Did he hurt you?" He asked. Although, despite the fact that it was Sabine who had been taken hostage, he was perhaps in more need of support than her. He had never been in a situation even close to that dangerous before, so it had left him shaken.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Replying now, sorry for the delay. I've been playing Fallout 4. My computer, surprisingly, runs it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The noise from the fight was easy to hear from camp. Meesei, Lorag, Ahnasha, and even the caravan drivers were all running to investigate, but would take a few seconds to arrive. Even in those few seconds, much could happen in a fight.

Leaps' charge ended with him pouncing straight onto the Imperial who had grabbed Sabine. He had tried to find his dagger on the ground as he was recovering from the lightning, but he was nowhere near fast enough to defend against the enraged wamasu. Leaps tore viciously into him with claws and teeth, tearing him apart as he tried in vain to struggle.

Kaleeth was rushing at the crossbowman when she saw that he was struck by an ice spike. It did not hit a vital location, but it pierced through him like an arrow, the shock of which caused him to fire his crossbow harmlessly into the water. It was a weapon that would take a while to reload, and Janius was rushing straight at him, so at the last moment, Kaleeth broke off and ran at the other bowman instead. Her new target had been briefly blinded by Sabine's flames, but after a moment, had found his target. Unfortunately, Kaleeth could not reach him in time to stop him from loosing his arrow, which struck Leaps' side. He was too late to save the bandit Leaps had mauled, but his scales were not yet thick enough to sufficiently resist an arrow, so the pain of being hit caused him to collapse to the ground. Kaleeth was upon the archer only a moment later, tackling him to the ground. He tried to reach for the blade on his hip, but Kaleeth's attack was relentless. She clawed at his neck, then delivered blow after blow to his head. With her strength, each punch was like getting his by a hammer, and she could hear his skull crack under the force.

The Imperial with the shortsword was stopped in his tracks by Sabine's flames, though they had more of a frightening effect than an actual one. He faced some minor burns, but once he realized he had not been melted by the heat, he still intended to finish her. The flames, however, had given Pieter enough time to reach Sabine. He tried to run in and grapple the bandit, but he had regained his bearings enough to defend himself. He swung at Pieter, forcing him to jump back to evade. Even still, the blade seemed to pass only a hair's breath in front of Pieter's neck. It was at that point that the reality set in of how defenseless he was at the moment. Sure, he could outmatch the bandit in a grapple, but that blade could end him in only a single swing. He was not going to abandon Sabine, but he did not know what to do next. Behind them, Irenya had two fireballs charged in her hands and was trying to help, but she had to get to an angle where she would not accidentally hit Pieter or Sabine.

The leader of the bandits was at first rushing forward to meet Janius, but Tzirret's tranformation behind him immediately grabbed all of her attention. In just one, panicked moment, she did not have the thought that all of this group of travelers might be lycans, but even so, just one werewolf was enough to make her instantly re=evaluate this fight. Without hesitation, the Imperial woman turned and began to run away, intent on leaving her allies for dead.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Nice. I still have much work to do with my projects, but I should be finished with them in time.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth, from her position under the water, could see what was happening. She saw that Sabine had been grabbed by one of the bandits, she saw them backing towards the camp, and she saw Leaps crest the hill. There was little question about what was about to happen, and there was no way she would be able to just do nothing. She wondered if she should transform, or if she would even have time. The bandits did not know she was there, so even in this form, she could still do something.

Looking down, Kaleeth rubbed Newt's head once more. "I need you to listen to me, little one. Stay right here under the water, and don't go anywhere, or make any noise. Okay? Don't do anything until mommy comes back to get you."

Obviously, Leaps did not have the capacity to fully understand the situation, so his actions were based on instinct. He saw that Sabine was in danger, so he acted immediately. Lightning pulsed through his body, which he quickly shot out at the bandit holding Sabine. The electricity coursed through his body, and into Sabine as well, to a lesser extent. It was not lethal to either of them, but rather importantly, it did cause the bandit to drop his dagger without cutting her throat. If she was able to overcome the effects of the shock, she could fight back against him. If not, Leaps was presently in the middle of pouncing at her attacker.

As the attack had been sudden, and from an unexpected direction, the Bosmer crossbowman glanced off to his right towards Leaps, which delayed his shot. Immediately as Leaps shocked the bandit, Kaleeth emerged sprinting out of the water, screaming at the top of her lungs to grab the attention of the crossbowman she was charging towards. She just wanted to keep him from shooting any of her family, regardless of the danger to herself. Her hope was that she could reach the Bosmer before he could swing his crossbow around.

Pieter was afraid, more than he ever thought he had been, so there was not much rational thought going into his reactions. He had a soldier's training and knew he should help, even though he had no exact plan for how to do that. As soon as the bandit was shocked and their enemy distracted, Pieter ran forward to try and help Sabine. His lack of anything to actually fight with was not a detail that registered too strongly in his mind.

While the bandit holding Sabine had been briefly incapacitated, his allies' reactions were varied. The leader, being the most disciplined, brought her weapon to bear against the most present threat. Leaps was charging towards them, and she intended on meeting him with her blade. The crossbowman was trying to level his weapon at Kaleeth, while the other archer had an arrow drawn, but seemed to be caught briefly trying to decide what to shoot. The last bandit, another Imperial with a shortblade and a buckler, looked like he was going to try to cut down Sabine.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The air was entirely silent while two of the bandits scoured through the group’s pile of belongings. Although, there was little that they did not take. Even furs and clothing was valuable. Even so, the looks on the bandits’ faces were distinctly disappointed. They packed away what they wanted into their packs, grabbed the weapons, like Pieter’s halberd, then approached their leader.

“It’s not looking that good, ma’am. There were a few weapons, a few coins, but I reckon most of it is still up in their main camp. A lot more of them up there…” One of the bandits explained quietly.

The leader, whose blade was still held out towards the group, did not take her eyes off of them as she answered. “Thought that might be the case. Well, we planned for this. We’re heading up there, then. Grab one of them for…compliance.” She ordered.

“With pleasure.” The mace-wielding Imperial answered, drawing a dagger from his belt. While the archers kept their weapons at the ready, aimed at the most seemingly defenseless members of the pack, the Imperial took a few steps forward. His eyes gravitated towards Sabine, looking her over from head to toe. It was a gaze that was unsettling in more ways than one.

The man walked up to Sabine and lightly brushed his knife across her cheek. “Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing? You’re going to be coming with us for a while. Now, make any noise and I’ll slit your throat.” He threatened. Grabbing a hold of her, he pulled her to him, facing away, and put his blade to her neck. Slowly, he started to walk backwards towards the rest of the bandits with her.

As the Imperial grabbed their hostage, the leader watched the rest of the pack like a hawk. “Don’t even think about trying anything. Remember, we want your things, not your lives. We’ll even send your girl back to you once we’re…assured of your compliance. Stay here, stay quiet, and don’t even think about following.”

As the bandit was making her threats and the rest of her men were keeping the pack under control, a silhouette appeared on the hill above and behind them. The actions of the bandits, it seemed, had not gone entirely unnoticed. It was uncertain exactly what had alerted him, but looking down on the bandits from above was Leaps, and he was most certainly angry. A simple beast he might have been, but even a beast could recognize when his masters were being threatened.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Irenya raised an eyebrow towards Janius. "Nicknames? Hmm, no, I have no nicknames. I simply refer to people with efficiency. Although, I do suppose there are now more than one Khajiit and Breton among our group. And...Dunmer, as well." She said, shooting a glance in Fendros' direction. Just by looking at her, it was difficult to discern her thoughts just from the gaze. It was hardly a polite stare, but she was not being overtly hostile.

For a moment, Pieter was surprised. He had been expecting a fight, not a race. Nevertheless, it was not as if he could deny the challenge. He had some muscular strength behind him, but both Tzirret and Sabine were fast in their own right. He had long known Tzirret to be fleet footed and agile, and evidently, all of the time spent swimming with Argonians had taught Sabine proper form in the water. Pieter was behind, but only barely. He was actually starting to gain slightly on Sabine, but his transition from the water to the land was sloppy and lost him a few valuable moment. The race overall lasted only a few dozen seconds, but at its end, Pieter was the last to the rock. He stood leaned forward with his hands on his knees, panting for breath.

"That...was hardly fair. You...called it too quick. You had...a...head..." Pieter began, but his voice trailed off when he stood up and his gaze turned just to their right. Just a few feet in front of the trio were five individuals, all armed and armored with various mixes of leather, fur, and chainmail. Their weapons were raised, two of which were ranged: a crossbow and a shortbow. By their appearance, they were bandits or highwaymen. Of that, there was no mistaking them. But, thoughts raced through Pieter's mind on how they could even be there. There was always at least one lookout in camp, though they were out of sight of it. They had not caught their scent, or even just seen them coming. When it came to stealth, at least, these bandits must have been a cut above average.

The apparent leader, an Imperial woman in chainmail wielding a longsword, spoke up in a firm, but hushed voice. "Nobody make any sudden moves; nobody make a sound, understand? Anyone yells or screams and I'll have my friend here put a bolt straight through you, got it?"

The Imperial looked out into the water and pointed her sword at Janius, Irenya, and Fendros. "All of you in the water, get out and stand with the others. And don't try anything; it will only take a second to kill any of you." She demanded. One of her allies, a young Bosmer, had his crossbow trained squarely on Rhazii, likely for intimidation.

"We've been tracking you for a while, travelers. A lot of supplies in those carriages of yours. How nice of you all to put yourselves in such a...compromising position. Naked, unarmed. Couldn't ask for any more." The leader said, glancing to a mace-wielding Imperial beside her. "Go through their things, see what they brought down with them."

In the water, Kaleeth could both see and hear what was going on above the surface, so she grabbed up Newt in her arms and remained out of sight under the waters. She was at a loss for what to do, but she had to do something. Most of the people she cared about were in danger, and the bandits didn't know she was there. But, she had Newt to be worried about, and the frightened hatchling was holding on tightly to her. Looking down, she ran her hand across his head and spoke softly. Even underwater, Argonian ears could make out a voice clearly. "Be calm, little one. You're safe with me."