EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter ran his hand down the side of his face as he returned back to his spot. "Oh, yeah, right...I fold too." He said in embarrassment. It left only Ciinriel and Tzirret to play the hand to completion, of which Tzirret ended up being the winner. Ciinriel took her drink with much less reluctance than before, and only a slight cough. By this point, most of them were becoming at least somewhat used to the taste.

In response to Sabine, Ciinriel laughed. "Yeah, but it didn't do me much good. Lady luck is...not my friend." After setting down the bottle, Ciinriel laid herself down on her back and looked up to the ceiling. "I won't even be able to stand soon."

Peiter laughed. "Ah, who needs to stand? I'll be happy just sitting here with all you." He commented. Although his words seemed to be directed towards everyone, he did not hide the fact that he was staring at Sabine, smiling.

True to Fendros' advice, Kaleeth rushed to tackle her opponent as he was trying to stand to his feet. So far in the fight, he had demonstrated an apparent advantage in a grapple, so the last thing he expected was for her to initiate another one. She forced him down to the deck once more, so naturally, his first reaction was to attempt to overpower her. He locked his arm around hers and tried to force her out of the way, but much to his surprise, she did not budge. Not only that, but the arm he was using to grab her, she grabbed as well and started to twist it, much like her previous opponent. Now, there was some panic in his eyes. He did not know how it was possible, but she was outmatching him in the area in which he should have been superior. His plan had revolved around defeating her in a grapple. Still, he was not without the ability to retaliate. Before Kaleeth could grab his free arm, he managed to deliver a blow to the side of her head strong enough to daze her and allow him to scramble out from underneath her. As he was trying to get back to a standing position, however, Kaleeth managed to kick his feet out from underneath him, causing him to fall flat on his face. She then jumped on his back, eager to get herself into such an advantageous position.

Outside the fight, a few of the others from the packs and the pride had come up onto the deck for fresh air. Among them was Ra'kalesh, who noticed the fight near the bow. He was concerned at first, but as he drew closer, he recognized what was going on. It was no surprise to see Colors among the crowd, but what he did not expect, however, was that one among the Champion's pack would be fighting. He approached Janius, Fendros, and Colors curiously as he observed the bout in front of them. "So, what is happening here? Attempting to earn back some of our fare, this one is guessing?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's rather late and I need to get to bed, so I just gave a quick response for Peiter and Ciinriel. I'll get to Kaleeth tomorrow. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ciinriel was now less hesitant with her drinks, though she still nearly gagged trying to down the liquid. She blinked rapidly and let out a few breaths as she put down the bottle. "Maybe that's it. Don't know why they wouldn't put them back on after though."

Peiter's laugh was not quite as exuberant as Sabine's but it was still much more than he normally would have given. Afterwards, he stared at Tzirret for an awkwardly long time, seemingly deep in thought as he scratched his chin. Slowly, he held out his hand and pointed at the Khajiit. "I'm not sure if it's funny or...just insulting. Probably both. Anyway, don't think you don't have a smell you...furball. Your fur gets all wet, and it makes you like a wet dog. Even if you're a cat."

Suddenly, and without warning, Peiter leaned over towards Tzirret, who was to his left, and gave him a quick hug. "Don't worry though, we're still friends." He said. At that angle, however, he had the perfect opportunity to look at Tzirret's cards. Of course, Peiter had not actually had the presence of mind to notice that he had left his own cards face up on the floor.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter had lost a few rounds already, and the next drink Tzirret picked him for certainly did not help his already-clouded mind. The drink was far stronger than any he was used to, and honestly, not something he actually liked the taste of. But, he could ignore that for the sake of their game. Once he finished his turn with the bottle, Peiter picked up the deck and started to deal. "Yeah, yeah, cloudy-cat. Don't think you'll be sspared for too long."

As they started to play the next round, Ciinriel answered Sabine. "Oh, it's not too hard. I mean, she can't actually talk, but she can write. She's good with...body language. Father does a lot of talking for her. He cares a lot about us both. He teaches me about how to use magic. It's...hard, but useful."

With the end of the hand, Peiter had ended up winning. Although, he did not actually get to select who would drink. Both Tzirret and Ciinriel had folded, so Sabine was to drink by default.

After the hand, Ciinriel actually started to smile. "I like this, it's fun. Better than Colors' card game. He told me about a game he used to play before he turned where they'd play for each other's clothing. Not sure what the point of that would be."

While the betting was taking place, Kaleeth took a moment to prepare for the next fight. She was going to have to display more of her strength than the crowd would be expecting. There would be no avoiding it if she wanted to win, but she could at least try to make it believable. Nearby in an open crate was some of the cloth that the Altmer had tied around her chest, so Kaleeth decided to do the same. She gave her shirt to Janius, then took some of the cloth for herself. She never actually asked anyone for it, but no one actually bothered her about it. Now, her rather exceptionally muscular build was easier for the crowd to notice, and hopefully, her strength easier to accept. As long as she did not overdo it.

The Suthay-raht was actually briefly surprised to see the build of his opponent, but he maintained a level head. Once they were both ready, and the bets were placed, the word to start was given. However, unlike the last match, Kaleeth's opponent did not immediately charge her. Instead, he waited and stepped forward cautiously. Kaleeth mirrored his movements until they were both within one step of being able to hit each other. Suddenly, Kaleeth struck, trying to catch him in the stomach. He was able to block, but similarly to the Altmer, Kaleeth tried to follow through with a strike at his head. Unfortunately, Kaleeth was not quite so quick, so he was able to swat away her arm before the his could connect, then deliver his own punch to her stomach. Then, while she was off-balance, he rushed forward and grabbed her, trying to force her to the ground. She could have resisted, but being that she was already off balance from his strike, she did not want to show too much of her capabilities. As such, she allowed herself to be thrown to the deck and instead tried to retaliate once he jumped onto her. She landed a good, solid strike to his jaw, but he was able to respond in kind with a punch to the side of her head. He could hit much harder than the Altmer, so she was actually dazed for a moment after the strike. She tried to bring up her arms to defend, but he was able to land another hit before she could finally protect herself.

Kaleeth was not in a good position, so she had no choice but to force her opponent away. With a single shove and a kick, she was able to throw him, rather violently, onto his back, then scramble up to her feet. It was a greater show of strength than she had intended to give, but to win this fight, she could not go easy on him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once they had their drink, the four headed back down to the bottom deck, where they had previously been playing their game. Peiter was not sure how he felt about trading that much gold for only one bottle, though it was a rather large one. He just hoped it ended up being worth it. They all sat back down in a circle as they had before.

"I have no idea what this is, but I hope it is something good. I guess we should teach Ciinriel the rules, then get started." Peiter commented. While Tzirret was reshuffling the cards, Peiter uncorked the bottle and sniffed of its contents. Immediately, his eyes widened and his head recoiled back. It was definitely stronger than ale. "Well, I think our game just became higher stakes."

Colors laughed. "All of it, my friend. Well, all of my winnings. It wasn't all that much, really, but with how many people bet against Kaleeth? That payout was great."

At that point, the betting on the next round was called to start, and when Colors turned around, he saw that Kaleeth was stepping into the circle once again. "Ah, another fight. How much coin am I going to end up making today?" He commented, though when he got a look at Kaleeth's opponent, it did temper his enthusiasm somewhat. He did not have a complete idea of exactly how strong a werecrocodile was, even out of lycan form. His perspective was that of a werelion, who were not the strongest of lycanthropes.

"Eh, maybe I'll go in with half." Colors said before he put in his bet on Kaleeth. Walking back to the others, he put a hand on Janius' shoulder. "You confident enough in her to put some gold down this time?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter looked back at the gold in Sabine and Tzirret's hands. It was more than the value of two bottles of wine, or twice the number of bottles of cheap ale. And, for what they wanted to do, having more alcohol was preferred. Of course, they would need to leave some margin as a bribe for the quartermaster. He did not want to spend more gold than was necessary, so while he could add more gold to the pile, he decided just to add a bit and offer an even number.

"I think we have enough to purchase three bottles of ale, with a good 'donation' for our most gracious quartermaster. Thirty gold is how much we have, all for you." Peiter offered. Considering that amount would purchase five or so bottles normally, he supposed the extra coin would make for a good bribe.

The outcome of the fight created quite a bit of surprise and disappointment among the crowd. Almost everyone present had placed their bets on the Altmer, with only Fendros, Colors, and a single crew member putting their money on Kaleeth. As such, their payout was quite high. In absolute terms, Fendros did not receive that much gold, but he did quadruple his money. Colors, meanwhile, received a bag of gold. Kaleeth, being the winner, even received a cut of the total bets. She had not even really wanted the gold, but it was a nice bonus.

When Janius approached, Kaleeth smiled and gave him a quick kiss after wiping the blood from her snout. "It was satisfying. My arms and...face are going to be sore, but I think I needed that."

As they were talking, another of the crew approached, this time a Suthay-raht male. He stood with his arms crossed, though his expression was not necessarily angry. He was more intrigued by the surprisingly tough Argonian. "A good fight, and a bit upset for many. It lost this one a good amount of gold, and he would like the chance to win some of it back. How would you like to fight a more worthy foe? This one challenges you to a match, Argonian." He stated. He appeared to be just as much of a fighter as the Altmer. While not spectacularly muscular or anything, he had the build of a soldier, and would obviously be much stronger than the Altmer. Of course, that would not matter against a werecrocodile, but the rest of the crew would be expecting him to be able to overpower her. Despite this, the thrill of the first fight was still coursing through Kaleeth's body, and from her expression, it seemed like she wanted to accept this challenge.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter rolled his eyes once everyone started to look at him. "Oh fine, fine. I'll talk to him. Let's pool our coin and I'll head up there." Once they had collected together the coin they had on them, Peiter stood up and started up the stairs. Ciinriel, after looking around nervously for a moment, decided to follow. She did not particularly want to talk to the Cathay, but she did want to watch to make sure everything went alright.

On the next deck up, Peiter headed towards the stern of the ship. He passed a few of the crew on the way back, but it seemed to be much less crowded than usual in the ship. He supposed that a large portion of the crew must have been above decks. As he approached the Cathay quartermaster, he decided to be simple and direct. With the Cathay's personality, he supposed that approach would be one he would appreciate, or at least not be annoyed by. "Hello, I'd like to buy something from you. Wine, specifically. Or any alcohol, really."

Whether from the encouragement of her friends, or just her own determination, Kaleeth let out a scream as she charged forward at the Altmer. She kept her arms raised to protect her head, which did allow the Altmer to land a solid blow on her ribs, but Kaleeth did not care. Since the Altmer had gone for a strike instead of dodging, Kaleeth was able to tackle her to the deck. The force from her charge was, again, more than the woman had been expecting, so she did not react quickly enough to Kaleeth's next move.

Once on the ground, Kaleeth brought herself up to her knees on top of the Altmer and delivered a swift punch to her jaw. It was not as hard as she could have struck, but it was certainly enough to leave a mark. The woman tried to shove her off, but Kaleeth was able to hold her down with surprising ease. After Kaleeth delivered another blow to her stomach, the Altmer started to hit back once more. Even while in this less-than-advantageous position, she was still quick enough to give another solid blow to Kaleeth's snout before she could raise her guard.

Not intent on just trading blows, Kaleeth grabbed a hold of both of her opponent's arms. One she simply held down against the deck, but the other she started to twist backwards. The Altmer struggled in every way she could, but she simply didn't have the strength to resist her. Kaleeth did not twist her arm far enough to break it, but she kept it at a constantly painful point, until the woman realized her struggles were in vain. "Ahhrg, fine, you win!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ciinriel shrugged. "Just, whatever we have that is valuable. Gold, usually. But, I don't have any gold right now, and there really wouldn't be much of a point in betting something we all share anyway. Playing for drinks does sound like it could be fun, if it is what I think you mean. We could try to see if we can buy something from their messdeck, if you want?"

The Khajiit huffed at Fendros after he placed his bet. "Five gold? Not much of a fan of risk, are ya?" He said as he made a note of Fendros' wager on a parchment.

Colors leaned in and spoke quietly to Janius as he sized up the Altmer. "Well, I only saw her fight once. She won, obviously. Pretty tough, very confident, and rather beautiful. From the way she acts, she must be one of the best, at least among the women here. She fights a lot with strikes, and I think a lot of the men can outgrapple her, but that's to be expected. She won't expect Kaleeth, though."

Kaleeth stepped into the circle, opposite of the Altmer while she waited for the betting to finish. The Altmer had a strong air of confidence about her in general, and passed a few threatening glances at Kaleeth. She was obviously expecting an easy victory, and certainly didn't expect to be as heavily physically outclassed as she was. Of course, Kaleeth didn't expect to be better at everything than her. She had received unarmed combat training from Lorag, and a few other instructors in the clan, but she still wasn't especially agile. The Altmer could well be faster, but if that became a problem, she could just run in and grab her. Once the Altmer was in Kaleeth's grasp, there would be no escape. However, as that would possibly demonstrate too much of her strength, she would try to just use strikes at first.

After a few minutes, the Khajiit managing the fights closed the bets. "Alright. Only rule is that you not maim your opponent...intentionally. Fight ends when one of you either gives up, or can't keep goin'. Now, begin!"

The moment they started, the Altmer rushed forward swinging. She was an aggressive fighter who barely gave Kaleeth time to raise her arms in defense before she was upon her. As expected, she went straight for Kaleeth's head, though her strikes only ended up hitting Kaleeth's arms. It was better than being struck in the head, but Kaleeth would probably have some bruised arms by the time the fight was over. The Altmer continued her flurry of blows in the hopes that one would connect with something sensitive. Kaleeth, remembering her training, instead waited for an opening, which she found when the Altmer stepped a bit too far forward in one of her strikes. Kaleeth delivered a startlingly heavy punch straight to the Atlmer's chest, which staggered her back and knocked the breath out of her briefly.

The Altmer was surprised and confused at the sudden, forceful attack, but was far from deterred from the fight. It was just going to motivate her to fight harder. With impressive speed, the Altmer struck three times, first to Kaleeth's shoulder, then her head, then her stomach. The first was easily blocked, and her arms were already in position to defend against the second, but the third was quick, and far out of the way. Her fist hit Kaleeth's stomach cleanly, causing her to curl forward on reflex. Following up quickly, the Altmer then managed to land a punch across her snout, then an uppercut to her lower jaw.

This time, it was Kaleeth that was staggered back with a sore jaw and a bleeding nose. Just like the Altmer, however, she was not deterred. Instead, she just became angry. She wanted her paypack, end did not mind using some of her strength to get it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ciinriel looked down, pulling back her sleeve slightly to look at the remnants of one of the scars on her arm. "My body has been healing. Your healer does good work. And it has been nice to be able to eat again; our captors barely fed us enough to survive while they held us, and it was usually old or rotten. If we weren't immune to disease, we probably would not all have made it."

Closing her eyes, Ciinriel let out a long, uncomfortable sigh. She decided to move to another topic quickly. "I don't think we have any drinks left. I think the crew of this ship has plenty, but you would need to find a way to get it from them."

Kaleeth approached the bow of the ship eagerly, but with some uncertainty. She was not entirely sure how to actually get involved in one of these fights, but fortunately, the current fight seemed to be nearing its end. The two bruised, bloody Khajiit in the center had nearly beaten each other senseless. After another minute, one of them managed to grapple the other and force him to the ground. He started to twist his arm until the one on the ground shouted out end the fight.

There was a mix of cheering and groans from the crowd in the aftermath of the fight, after which Kaleeth noticed that most of them headed over to a specific brown-striped Khajiit sitting on a crate nearby. He seemed to be the one managing their bets, and the one who Kaleeth guessed she would talk to about actually joining in a fight herself. She walked up to him at about the time Colors was receiving his payout from the last bet. He had won, but evidently, he had not bet that much since the payout was not all that large.

The Khajiit looked up to Kaleeth briefly as she approached, then waved his hand to shoo her away. "Ya' didn't bet on this fight, lizard. Wait 'till the next round to put down your coins."

"Actually, I don't want to bet. I want to join in a fight myself." Kaleeth answered, which was met with a laugh from the Khajiit.

"Ha, you want to fight? This one saw all've ya fancy Cyrodilic clothes and all that. This isn't some sparring match between nobles. This is a fight, with real gold, and real blood." He answered, but before he could go on, another voice sounded out nearby.

"If the lizard wants to fight, let her. I'll kick her tail myself." An Altmer woman taunted. She was tall, even for one of her race, and certainly had the build of a fighter. She had a collection of nicks and scars along her arms and face. She wore a pair of rough, sack cloth pants with thick cloth tied tightly around her chest. She had a few bruises suggesting she had already fought today, but since she was still mostly unharmed, that fight had likely gone well for her.

The Khajiit gave another laugh. "Alright, looks like we've got our next fight. Bettin's opening now."

Colors eagerly put in his next bet, then turned around when he noticed Janius and Fendros watching. "I'm surprised you let her fight. You two getting in on this? It's basically free money."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ciinriel sat down cross-legged in the circle as she looted to Tzirret, who currently had the cards. She scratched her head in thought, and briefly wondered if she should just watch them instead. However, she knew that was probably not what they wanted. "Well, it would probably take me longer to teach all of you a game than to just teach me what you're playing. What kind of things do you play for?"

Kaleeth shrugged her shoulders. "Well, that 'anyone' could just try to fight the women in the group, if that would be more 'believable'. Maybe try not to use her full strength? Though, if they saw the muscles I have under this shirt, they might honestly believe that kind of strength. Come on, I don't like being trapped down there in the ship doing nothing. Or, well, the...other part of me really doesn't like it. It has been very tense for the past day; it's one reason that I train so much. If I joined them, then you could even make some coin off of it. So, do you think it's safe enough?" She asked.