EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hiritus shook his head lightly as he started to chuckle. "Boy, there's a lot I could be complaining about right now. Bruises, broken bones, sore wrists, this itch on my nose I can't scratch. Moving quickly is nowhere even close to being in that list. Just do what you have to, and make sure you grab that ring off her corpse. Though, make sure you bring some other good proof as well; I know that ring could be faked."

The Imperial lowered his head similarly to he had been when Gallus entered. He did not seem interested in continuing the conversation, likely to reduce the risk of someone overhearing.

---

Ma'tanza nodded lightly to Tzirret, though the worry in her expression did not ease until she distracted herself by answering Tzirret's question. She started to speak, but hesitated for a moment as she thought. "Well...Ma'tanza doesn't know, really. We could always try to swim, but there might not be room. There are a lot of people in this stronghold, and only one place for everyone to bathe. Well, only one place deeper than your ankles."

"Yeah, but there has to be something more than that, though." Bheja commented. "I mean, we swam all the time back in the forest. There has to be something here we couldn't do back at the outpost. Maybe we can find some of the people that actually live here and figure out what they do to pass the time?" He suggested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hiritus did not budge in his request, and maintained a stern, serious expression. "I'm sure you can figure it out. You can get close to her, kill her, then get us both out of here before anyone notices. If she trusts you enough to perform these interrogations, then she trusts you enough to get the both of you alone. If you can't do that, then you won't be as useful to my masters as I'm assuming. Bring proof to me that she's dead; real proof, like her head, and I'll bring you to a group that can get you the power and influence you deserve. If you can't or won't do that, then I'm dead anyway, so it doesn't matter to me."

The Imperial attempted to straighten his posture, though that proved to be difficult while hanging from chains. "Go ahead, take as much time as you need. I won't be going anywhere."

===

Ma'tanza looked off to the size with some uncertainty. "This one wishes you could stay out of the fight at all." She commented, though after a few moments, she took in a deep breath and tried to move past it. "Well...there's no point in thinking about it now. Let's just try to relax; we still don't know exactly what is going to happen. They are waiting on some scouts to get back, right Tzirret? Maybe the attack won't even happen?"

By her attitude, it was clear that the thought Ma'tanza had been putting towards the battle to come had made her nervous. Tzirret's previous description of the fighting in Bruma had settled in her mind, and made her frightful for the lives of her friends and family.

Star Wars: Coruscant Underworld [Always accepting!]

@Sep, I believe it would be fine if you had one of the staff look through the contacts and call Tir. She would probably only be able to get there for the tail end of the encounter, but it would let me get involved.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's about time for me to head to bed. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hiritus narrowed his eyes as he looked Gallus over from head to toe. His reaction was obviously suspicious, though perhaps not completely dismissive. "And I'm just supposed to trust you? I tell you what I could offer you: power. Or at least the chance at it. I could offer you a place in an army that will rule Tamriel. I can see you're a pragmatist; you know your doom. But, I'm not going to offer anything to some mutt just because he says he's had a change of heart. No, I need something from you first. Proof. My mission here is over; that's not going to work anymore. But, if I leave here empty handed, I'll just be trading one death for another. That lizard whore you serve, I want her head. She trusts you, so if you want a way to save yourself, then I want you to kill her. Slit her throat in her sleep, find a poison that'll work on her, I don't care. Just kill her and bring me proof, then I'll put you into contact with some people who will be very grateful for that service."

---

S'nishi nodded in agreement with Tzirret and nudged Bheja's shoulder with her sizable paw, which was enough to put him slightly off-balance. Bheja rolled his eyes and looked up to her with a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, you've already made your case, love. I'll just be in the back cheering you along."

Ma'tanza already had a look of worry in her eyes from the topic they were discussing, and while she gave a slight chuckle at Bheja, she looked over nervously at Tzirret. She put her arm around him as well, then leaned into him. "Tzirret, you're, um, not going to actually go into the fight, are you?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I need to do something for a bit, but I'll respond once I'm done.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, now I really hit a nerve there, didn't I?" Hiritus commented with a hint of satisfaction. "Though, you do have a certain fire in you, I'll admit. The right kind of ambition. I've heard about your 'Champion', tends to play everything safe and proper. Intelligent in her tactics, but...unmotivated. She's pushed us back before, but she never takes the risk to do what needs to be done to finish the job. It's a shame that you'll be spending the rest of your life under her boot. Certainly, you're never going to best her. If your 'lord' actually valued a competent mind over raw combat talent, you lycans might actually be a threat to our overall designs. If you want my, uh, advice, I'd say you should go ahead and flee Tamriel if you feel like living a bit longer. Things are getting close to their end, and your leaders are blind to what is coming."

---

Almost all around, the group shook their heads. Only S'nishi gave a brief nod. Bheja rubbed the back of his neck with a hint of awkwardness as he tried to think of an excuse to make himself look better. "Well, um, I've only recently gotten enough training to actually go into a fight. I would have helped during the attack before, but I was told to retreat with the others."

Bheja again glanced briefly up to S'nishi. "She, however, helped defend us all during the attack. Not to mention, she had been out on patrols nearly every day. There haven't really been any actual battles since the attack, but S'nishi here has been working to keep us all safe every day since then. With her on the frontlines, this attack will be easy."

S'nishi reached her head down and nuzzled Bheja, but the expression on her face was decidedly less confident than his. There was no mistaking her worry as she thought on the fight ahead of them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's also time for me to get to bed. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hiritus raised up his head and gave a somewhat unenthused sigh. "Well, I see you're starting off insulting yourself this time around. You aren't trying to take my job from me, are you?" He said with a brief, forced chuckle. There was a few seconds of silence, and a mutual glare between the two before he continued.

"Look, we do this song and dance every day, or every other day, or however frequently this happens. You question me, I give you the answers you deserve, then you slap me around. At this point, I think we both know that you're just doing this for fun. Or maybe it's anger, frustration? By the look on your face, I'd say my words have left more bruises on you than you have on me. Sure, I'm chained up in here, but you're the one I pity." Hiritus observed.

---

Though Tzirret was looking at Ma'tanza, Bheja spoke up first. "I'll be joining in the fight. I'm not one of our proper warriors, so it's not mandatory, but there's no way I'm letting my sweet little kitten head into the fight without me." He answered, leaning his head back to look up at S'nishi towering over him just behind him. Although, her response was to look down and glare at him with obvious frustration.

"Well, she might not agree with the decision, but she did convince me not to volunteer for the front lines." Bheja added.

Qa'habi shook his head. "This one does not feel he is ready to head out into such a fight. He is trained to hunt creatures, not people. He has tried convincing Bheja here to stay, but...you know that is useless."

Ma'tanza nodded in agreement. "Nothing on Nirn or Aetherius can change his mind. At least M'ibasa will be able to stay here with you, Qa'habi. Ma'tanza will be with the healers, so she will be coming along, but she will not be going into the fight itself."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei walked with Gallus towards Hiritus' cell, speaking quietly. "Yes, it would be too dangerous to keep them alive, and I have made them no promises otherwise. It is still possible that Vile's forces as a whole do not know the clan's exact location, but they certainly would if we released any of them. Provided they cooperate, we will kill them quickly, and leave them to whatever fate awaits their souls."

The three stopped outside Hiritus' cell, though Meesei kept her distance for a moment and dropped her voice to a whisper. "We will stay outside and listen in. Say whatever you need to make your story convincing. Make yourself seem like a power-hungry subordinate. Do not be afraid to insult me if you need to; I promise I will not hold it against you...mostly." She said with a slight grin, though her expression quickly returned to a serious one.

Inside, Hiritus was awake, but trying to force himself to sleep to pass the time. He had not been outside of his windowless cell since he was first placed in it, so he had nothing but his own thoughts most of the time. The only thing that broke up the monotony of his imprisonment was interrogation, but that almost always ended in beatings.