EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth gave a nod to Janius. She had finished her breakfast, though Newt was still only about halfway through his. Sparring sessions with Janius had been sparse in the desert, due to the sunburn he had to deal with, and the past few days had been spent becoming acclimated to the stronghold. "Okay, I wouldn't mind a fight. Ahnasha, Fendros, would you mind taking care of Newt?"

Ahnasha gave a brief shrug. "Sure, Rhazii here needs to finish his breakfast anyway. He has been good for the past few days, so we're going to have a treat afterwards. Newt can come along too." She answered. Upon the mention of a treat, Newt started to eat notably quicker.

Peiter, meanwhile, looked over and nudged Sabine's elbow. He was much more out of practice in his swordsmanship than Sabine was with her magic, due to the relative difficulty of practicing in the desert. Honestly, he felt that he might need to practice with someone more skilled than himself, like Gallus, but he did not feel like leaving Sabine at the moment. "Do you want to join them? I really feel like I need some training."

Ri'vashi had finished her meal a few minutes prior, so she stood up and gave a nod to Lorag. "This one believes she has time, yes. Let's head to the south training room; it usually is not as crowded at this time of day."

Meesei was concerned when she first heard her name being shouted out from behind. Generally, that meant there was something wrong that required her attention. However, she simply became confused once she saw that it was Tzirret waiving her down. He rarely spoke to her directly, and to her memory, had never actually initiated a conversation with her. Even more strange was his request, but it was not something she was opposed to. "Anatomy? Are you learning to be a healer? Well, I am certainly not one to hold back knowledge. We were taking the body to the kitchen to be butchered, so as long as you do not harm the meat, I would have no problem with you studying it. Soldier, is there anywhere they could dissect the cadaver?"

"Um, well, they could just use the kitchen. Or one of the storage rooms next to it, rather. They're all pretty bloody anyway, so that wouldn't really matter." The Ohmes-raht soldier answered.

Meesei nodded. "Very well. You two follow these soldiers and they will take you to a room you can use. Just let one of the kitchen staff know when you are finished."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

That's fine. It's double worshippers in smite and I'm trying to diamond Ares. I'll respond when I'm able.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once Meesei, Ri'vashi, and Gallus all finished their interrogations, they met back together and exchanged word of their progress before taking their leave of the prison. It was going to take time to get results out of any of them, and while their time was not unlimited, the prisoners had no way of knowing that.

---

It took time to make or distribute, but over the next few days, the Senchal clan was supplied with the water, clothing, and other supplies they needed. As well, the Orcrest clan managed to free up more rooms elsewhere in the stronghold in order to give more of the Senchal clan proper quarters, with less crowding. Of course, that meant that crates, boxes, and miscellaneous supplies were now a more common sight sitting in hallways and common areas, but they were not exceptionally disruptive.

As for the prisoners, Meesei, Gallus, Ri'vashi, and occasionally Lorag had been interrogating the prisoners at different times for the past few days. They had intentionally refrained from setting a definite schedule so that the prisoners would not know when to expect their captors. Today, they had decided to interrogate them at noon, which was still a few hours away. Ri'vashi, Gallus, and Lorag were all at breakfast, while Meesei was away dealing with another matter that had come up. Although, the rest of Meesei's pack, and some of Gallus' were also present, such as Peiter and Irenya.

As most of the group was finishing up their breakfast, Lorag gave a few of the others a curious look. "Say, since we've got some time to kill, anyone up for headin' to the training room?"

Meanwhile, the business Meesei was dealing with involved the prisoners. Specifically, a Suthay-raht woman who had managed to find a way to end her own life, even in her bindings. From Meesei's examination, she determined that the woman had managed to get one of her chains wrapped around her neck to strangle herself to death. They would need to check over the chains of the other prisoners to ensure the same was not possible for them, but there was nothing else they could do for the woman now. As such, Meesei and two soldiers carried her away from the prison, towards the kitchen so her meat could still be used.

Along the way, in the main chamber, Ma'tanza was with Tzirret, relaxing in the garden. The body passed close enough to them that Ma'tanza could clearly see she was dead. While worrying to some extent, it did give Ma'tanza an idea. "Was that one of the enemy prisoners this one heard about? Do you think..." She began, pausing briefly as she turned her head to Tzirret. "...do you think if you asked the Champion, she would let us use the body? Ma'tanza could use it to teach you about anatomy."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think it's about time for me to head to bed. I may do a timeskip in the next one.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hiritus was unable to keep his composure through the pain. He curled up onto himself as much as his shackles would allow. He cringed sharply, and his eyes watered, but even so, it did not stop him from responding, albeit at a higher pitch. "That one...really got to you, didn't it mongrel?"
He taunted, less creatively than before.

However, as soon as Gallus broke his finger, Hiritus could not help but to let out a loud scream. Afterwards, he hung his head low and breathed shakily and gritting his teeth in an attempt to deal with the pain. Closing his eyes, he spoke up once more, seemingly in resignation. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I'll tell it all. First, we were going to poison your clan. Then, we were all going to get out of here and celebrate..." He started, but as his head rose and he locked eyes with Gallus, his defeated expression quickly turned into a grin "...in your mother's bedchamber." He taunted once more, leaning back his head and laughing almost uncontrollably.

---

Ahnasha gave a quick, but genuine laugh. "Apologize? Hmm, now you are just speaking of fantasy. I doubt Irenya will be approaching me any time soon, unless it relates to our mission. But don't worry, I'm not going to be starting any problems with her, if for some reason that did actually happen. I can be mature and avoid arguing with her, but as I said, I just intend to stay away from her, and hope no one invites me to her wedding."

The resentment that Ahnasha held towards Irenya was perhaps greater than any emotion that Irenya might have felt towards her. Her mind was not easy to change once it was set, and Irenya had offended her on one of the deepest levels. To Ahnasha, Irenya had tried to make her feel inferior for the simple fact of what she was, and had made it seem as if she was not fit to have her family. It was an insult that Ahnasha would not easily forgive.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite his confidence, Hiritus reacted to the pain of being beaten just as most others would. He did not take the hits without the accompanying groans or coughs, and his expression easily showed the pain. However, even with that, he was still ever defiant once there was a break in the attacks.

"So, you do have some spirit. Did I hit on a nerve?" He said, pausing to spit out some of the blood pooling in his mouth. "How will your master react to learning her dog is misbehaving? You think she'll put you on a leash as punishment? Heh, or maybe that's exactly what you want? You do strike me as the submissive type..."

---

Ahnasha looked down at Rhazii sternly. "If you're good, Rhazii, I'll find you another sweetroll, but only if you're good. Keep acting up, and you'll be heading straight back to our room after this, are we clear?"

Looking back to Fendros, Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. "Really? That's all a bit hard to believe, honestly. I mean, a little girl gives her a necklace and all the sudden she's no longer a hateful bigot? I have a hard time accepting that. There must be some other reason for her to suddenly approach you like that. Maybe she wants something from you? I don't know what it could be, but...there has to be something. Perhaps Gallus forced her to come talk to you? Whatever it is, I'd rather just stay away from her, myself."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Well, Ssarak might be able to help more directly now. The ridge hounds aren't focusing on the Naga, so he is free to step away for a moment and help with their flank.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

At least he neutralized the threat instead of just refusing it. I couldn't think of any way to use the thing without leaving me open to attack from ridge hounds and demons and shit too. I gotta keep firmly pointed in that direction.

@Freeshooter92

The doppelganger was bringing it around behind the shapeshifter, so it would attack the shapeshifter by default, simply because it is closer.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hiritus had to pause only briefly to conjure up more creative ways to avoid answering Gallus' question. "Well, I really like Surilie Brothers wine, the classic works of Rythe Lythandas, moonlit walks on the beach, and the color blue. Oh, wait, you asked about my goals. No, I'm afraid I don't have anything to say about that. I'm not going to be giving you any bones to carry back to your master; sorry if that means you don't get a treat." He taunted.

---

Ahnasha seemed at least moderately frustrated when Fendros grabbed her attention, though it did not seem to be directed at him. Rather, she held an equally annoyed Rhazii in her arms who was staring intently at a sweetroll with a single, small bite taken out of it.

"Oh, sorry, I've kind of had my hands full here. Rhazii has had his eyes set on that sweetroll, but I can smell the moon sugar on it. Getting him to eat a cut of mutton and some leeks with that thing nearby has been like pulling teeth. He managed to get a bite out of it when I wasn't looking. Anyway, I didn't hear too much, just a few bits here and there. Though, I have no idea why she'd want to talk to either of us to begin with. I heard something about a wedding; did she actually manage to find someone who would put up with her or something?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmph, now you know that wouldn't be effective." Meesei responded as she walked around behind Hiritus, scraping her claws roughly across his back. "Now, I know with certainty I could break him. I can cause pain in ways he could never hope to imagine, but I also know he would simply lie to make it stop. If we want the truth, he will need some motivation.

Hiritus leaned his head back to look up at Meesei. "Motivation, eh? I'll take some gold, a few bottles of ale, and an evening with a voluptuous woman. I still won't tell you anything, but it would all be very motivating."

Meesei shook her head. "No, I believe I have something else in mind. Gallus is right about one thing: you are not going to talk...for now. But, I have a suspicion that you will talk for the sake of your friends. Myself and Ri'vashi here are going to have a conversation with a few of them. Gallus, stay here and see if he has a change of heart." Meesei ordered before starting to step out of the room with Ri'vashi.

---

"Yes...the truth." Irenya repeated, once again looking away. Upon the suggestion that she speak to Ahnasha, her expression grew tense and she shifted uncomfortably in place.

After a few more, silent moments, Irenya stood back up to her feet. "I could talk to her...later. I think I've...taken up too much of your time for now. Yes, I should get back to my duties. Good luck in finding a priest." She said, not so much as waiting for a response before turning away.