EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi was the next to attack, and she did so in a flurry. She performed a widely varied mix of slashes, thrusts, and feints to different parts of his body. Lorag was used to fighting aggressive foes just as he was defensive ones, and he would usually be able to find some opening to exploit between their attacks. However, Ri'vashi's defense was solid. With every attack, she seemed to predict his possible counters, and leave herself a way to avoid them. Moving himself to attack, Lorag pushed his blade against hers to catch and control it with his crossguard, then charged forward to use his mass to throw her off balance while attempting to sweep her leg with a kick. With her size, and the strength that came with being a werebear, the attempt was not as successful as he would have liked. Not only did he fail to unbalance her, but she was able to push back against him. The fight was not going as easily for Lorag as he had predicted. Some of his strikes had been close, and he was certainly keeping Ri'vashi on her toes, but Lorag was struggling, and in his duels, that was far from normal.

Stepping into the training room, Peiter and Sabine saw the fight in progress. There was still plenty of space in the room to train on their own, but they would need to do their stretched first regardless, so Peiter was content watching the battle for the moment.

---

Ma'tanza chuckled. "Foodpipe isn't quite the name, but that's what it does. It's actually the same pipe as the windpipe up to a point, then it splits off, with a little flap separating them. In these areas, there's the obvious things, like her lungs, ribs, heart, windpipe, and such, but there's a lot of things in those areas. Arteries and veins are important ones. The largest one in the body comes directly off the heart, and splits into the arms and throat. Those are some of the most dangerous arteries in the body to have cut, so a healer needs to be especially careful of wounds there. I'll show you once we cut her open. There's also a dome-shaped muscle under the lungs that let them expand and contract, and near the side of the neck, there are actually some glands you might not have known about. It won't kill someone immediately if they are damages, but they are something that needs to be healed for the long term."

Moving on, Ma'tanza waves her hand over the corpse's abdomen and groin. There were quite a lot of organs there, and she did not expect him to get close to naming them all, but she was curious to know what he was familiar with.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

No problem. I'll respond when I'm able. Been leveling ares in smite.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag laughed with Gallus comment. "Ha! You know it. When it comes to fighting, I'm like some 'great teacher' for our entire clan. Boring work, honestly, but I know you'd all be flailin' over yourselves tryin' to figure out how to hold a sword without me, so I do what I've got to do. Guess now you can learn how to take on a bigger opponent."

Lorag took his position in the sand pit, directly across from Ri'vashi. They had both picked practice longswords proportional to their size, so Ri'vashi would have the reach advantage in that regard. She did not make any comment on Lorag or his confident statements, as she certainly was not going to doubt one of the Champion's companions. She did not expect she could win this duel, but she might learn something regardless.

As their bout began, the pair approached one another slowly, allowing the very tips of their blades to touch just enough that they could feel the other's movements. Lorag was the first to strike, taking a large step forward to bring himself into range, while pushing his blade diagonally towards her neck to both attack, and keep himself protected from her sword. Her response, however, was instant. She slid her blade along his closer to the tip and used her sword's guard to catch his blade, while turning hers to swing towards his head. He was forced to jump back to avoid the strike, and bring himself back out of her range. "Oh, this'll be interesting." He commented.

Nearby, Kaleeth watched the fight as it began, and gave a quick nod to Janius. "Maybe we should stretch first and do some drills. Last time I didn't I was way more sore than I should've been."

Peiter shook his head as they walked towards the training room. "Not with Tzirret, no. It's been hard to get to training with all the traveling we've been doing. It has all been too exhausting. I do feel like I need to get some practice with Gallus or Lorag. What do you think you want to do? We could spar, if you want, or just exercise and watch the others."

---

Ma'tanza nodded. "Good, good. Most people know about the head. It's not really right to say that any one part of the body is the most important. Kind of like how food and water are both important, but not having water will kill you faster. The brain is like water, in that damage to it can kill faster than most other things. It's scary, really. Some people who survive damage to the brain become entirely different people, and sometimes can barely even take care of themselves. In a fight, the head is usually what people will target first, so it's something healers have to deal with a lot."

Moving on from the head, Ma'tanza pointed first to the corpse's neck, then to her chest. Looking closely, one could see the imprint of the chain that had strangled her around her neck.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

After a minute or so, most of the group got up and started to head for the training room. Peiter and Sabine would be a minute or two behind, but Peiter knew roughly were they could find the training room, based on the walks around the stronghold he had taken. For the others, it was a mostly silent walk to the training room, apart from some small talk between Kaleeth and Janius.

Just as Ri'vashi had said, the training room was far from crowded. The only others present were two of the clan's warriors exercising in the far corner of the room. The rest was perfectly open for their use. Given that he was the one to suggest it, Lorag wasted no time in walking straight to the back to grab a training sword. He held it casually over his shoulder as he looked over the others. Eventually, his eyes settled on Ri'vashi, who was finding a place to set aside her blade, pouches, and other belongings. "Hey, clan leader, you up to spar first? Always nice to fight someone new.

"Ri'vashi is not opposed, just give her one moment." She answered as she discarded her cloak and headed to the weapon racks. There were two sandpits in the room, so if any of the others felt like training instead of watching, the option was open to them.

As she was no longer needed, Meesei headed on to the next matter of business that required her attention, while Ma'tanza and Tzirret followed the soldiers to the kitchen. It took a brief explanation from the soldiers as to what was happening, but the kitchen staff granted them the use of a storage room nearby for their experiments. It was likely the place where the meat was to be stored anyway, so they would not need to move it once it came time to butcher the corpse.

The room itself was somewhat cramped with crated and barrels, but there was enough room in the center for them to lay down the body, and leave them with enough space to sit reasonably comfortably. The soldiers left as soon as their task was completed, leaving Ma'tanza and Tzirret alone with the body.

"Okay, so...how about we start with what you do know. Ma'tanza will point to parts of the body, and you tell her whatever you can think of that's at that spot." Ma'tanza instructed. She started off easily, as she simply pointed to the corpse's head.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose - Catacombs

---

From the thoughts Ssarak could hear behind him, Grey was not quite clear on the plan. The doppelganger was meant to bring the Naga behind the shapeshifter, which would guarantee that it would be the Naga’s first target. However, Grey seemed to think he would be fighting it. ”Wait, the the Naga will flank the shapeshifter. My illusion will bring it…” He began telepathically, but it was already too late. A quick glance back revealed Grey beheading the malice Naga, eliminating the possibility of using it as a distraction.

Fortunately, Ssarak was not without options. There was significantly reduced pressure from the ridge hounds. Their numbers had been thinned considerably, and the ones remaining were not focusing on the Naga. As of the moment, the shapeshifter behind them was a more present threat. The Naga were trained warriors in a position to flank the remainder of the ridge hounds, so Ssarak was free to finally provide more direct aid to Grey.

Ssarak sent a telepathic message to the Matriarch, in response to some thoughts he had picked up from her mind. ”Of course, Matriarch. But first, this fight needs to end.”

At the same time as Ssarak brought his doppelganger to the front to distract any ridge hounds that might attack the Naga, Ssarak sprinted back towards their flank. Raising his shield, he slammed into the side of the shapeshifter, adding his own considerable strength, and perhaps more importantly, the momentum behind him to the struggle. With both he and Grey together, they would likely be able to overtake even a copy of Tyrael for the force they could produce. Although, Ssarak did not intend to stay at the shapeshifter’s front. Instead, he moved around behind and began to aggressively cut and thrust towards their opponent’s head, neck, and spine. He wanted to end it as quickly as possible, and if the shapeshifter turned to focus on him, he would go on the defensive and allow Grey to take advantage instead.

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.