EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Gallus did have the advantage in terms of mobility, there was a flaw in his attack that Ri'vashi was quick to exploit. Gallus was attempting to occupy her weapon with his own, but the fact that he was striking at her weapon meant that the blow would not threaten her if the weapon were not there. As such, she had the option to simply ignore it. Instead of trying to resist the force of his hammer, she just turned her wrist and allowed the hammer to push past. From there, she simply rotated her wrist as she swung her arm forward, bringing her weapon into a slash far quicker than Gallus had likely expected. The movement of her arms was not as restricted by her armor as her overall movement, so such reactions were still a threat as long as she was fighting mostly stationary.

Fortunately for Gallus, he still had his shield to protect him, but with her strike coming sooner than he likely anticipated, it was not guaranteed that his shield would be in position in time. If it was not, then her weapon was aimed for his neck, though being only slightly lower would mean the blade would slash harmlessly across his mail.

---

Peiter had intended to, as one might expect, rejoin Sabine, but just as he was climbing out of the water, Tzirret pulled him aside. He seemed nervous, which, while not particularly strange for Tzirret, was in stark contrast to how he had been acting while swimming with them. But, Peiter was not one to refuse to help his brother and gladly stepped out of earshot of the others with him.

"Of course, Tzirret. Is something wrong?" Peiter asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi smiled. "Trust this one, you won't be able to. Not with that, at least."

Ri'vashi held her sword forward, and her shield at an angle in front of her. As usual, her eyes were firmly on Gallus, watching his every move. While Gallus was trying to gauge her mobility, the fact that she was in armor unfortunately made that more difficult, as there was a fundamental shift in how she responded to attacks. Because of her armor, only heavy blows held enough force to do any real damage to her in an actual fight, so she could almost ignore lighter, quicker attacks. As such, she moved only a minimal amount, which obscured how mobile she actually was. The part of her which moved the most drastically was her shield arm, but the movements were still not significant enough to be telling. Ri'vashi was, of course, not as agile in her armor as she was out of it. She could not move as quickly, her reactions would take slightly longer, and some of her joints did not have as extensive of a range of motion. But, it still provided more advantages than disadvantages.

Seeing as Gallus was testing her defenses, Ri'vashi decided to make a sudden attack, and from her position, the quickest one she could make was a shield charge. She rushed forward in an attempt to hit and throw him off balance, then follow through with a sideways slash to his arm. Mail, while it was not as durable as plate, could still stop a blade easily, so her current goal was simply to reduce his ability to fight back.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi started to chuckle. "That's the whole purpose of the armor, don't you think?" She said, pausing to give Gallus a pat on the shoulder before setting down the bag of practice weapons. "Anyway, Ri'vashi didn't design it, exactly. This one could not wear her father's armor, but he always wanted to pass on as much of his legacy to her as possible. So, once the clan had the resources, he had armor made for Ri'vashi that was modeled after his own."

Carefully placing her katana aside, Ri'vashi grabbed one of the practice blades, as well as a hammer, though she simply kept it on her belt for the moment. She walked a few paces away and took her position in the flat area next to the pond to wait for Gallus to be ready. On the far side of the pond, she could see that some of those who were swimming had taken enough interest to start watching the duel.

---

"Yeah...honest." Ahnasha muttered as she returned his embrace. Though she did not admit it, she knew in her own mind that she had been too hard on Irenya. She had made an apology, and Fendros made a good point that she would have nothing to gain by lying. But, she could not bring herself to admit her own error directly, especially after defending her opinion so fervently. Even acknowledging this, however, she was not about to run after Irenya to apologize herself. She just had to hope that her response had been good enough for Irenya.

"Well, I feel like getting some rest. It might get cool soon; you feel like laying down as well?" She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi paused for a moment. She had not planned on anything besides rest for the evening, though that also meant there was nothing stopping her from accepting the offer. "Oh, an armored duel. That would be good practice, this one supposes. Hopefully the practice weapons are not buried under too many bags. We should practice somewhat away from camp, perhaps on the other side of the pond. No doubt there are those already trying to get to sleep, and we will need the space. Ri'vashi will meet you there."

Even considering the head start Gallus had in getting prepared, it took Ri'vashi quite a while to finally make her way over to the opposite side of the pond. Not only did she have to locate the practice weapons, but she also dawn her armor, which, considering it was a full steel plate suit, was quite a chore. It had a dark, shining coat of paint, a unique layered design on the arms and shoulders, and an open-face helm. She carried a simple, circular shield, her katana at her side, as well as a bag with the practice weapons. Interestingly, her armor did not seem to be of Khajiit design, or any other culture in the Dominion. She had previously mentioned that she could not wear her father's armor, but what she did have certainly was not conventional.

"Ri'vashi apologizes. She probably should have mentioned that it would take a while." She said as she approached.

---

Ahnasha, while not angry, was not exactly in the best mood. "I feel like...I shouldn't let that woman affect me so much, honest or not. If she has really changed her mind, then that is fine. Good, even. But, I can't let myself get caught up on everyone that insults me. I'm used to it, and have been used to it for a long time. Even in Leyawiin, there were insufferable people like Irenya, and I would have gone insane had I cared about them. I don't understand what was so important to Irenya about apologizing to me, but for what it's worth, I do at least hope she got what she needed."

Following Ahnasha's answer, there was more silence, and more discomfort from Ahnasha. She looked down at the ground, running her claws lightly through the sand. "Do you...think I said the right thing?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With Gallus' question, Ri'vashi appeared immediately surprised. "What? No, of course this one trusts her soldiers. Ri'vashi has been overseeing their training since even before she became clan leader. Even Dro'cahi has commended this one's training, and their effectiveness. No, Ri'vashi just meant that she trusts you...specifically. Well, um, not that she trusts them significantly less than you; Ri'vashi still trusts them with her life. You're just a...kind person, you can fight well, and...you know. Is...Ri'vashi making any sense?" She answered rather incoherently. By this point, she was rubbing her neck and had lost concentration on where she was walking.

---

There was enough of a silence after Fendros' response to quickly become awkward. Even if Ahnasha was not as hostile as before, she still did not seem to be in a mood to talk. Inenya breathed deeply, then stood up in front of them. "Well. I should not disturb you any further. I really should get some rest; I need to awaken early to make sure the assistants are performing their duties adequately. We are having them work hard now to make sure they are well-practiced for when it truly matters."

After their farewells, Ahnasha waited until Irenya was entirely out of sight to say another word. "So did she do that on her own, or did you convince her to?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi started to chuckle. "Gallus, you do know that about a quarter of this one's own clan are werewolves, right? They are quite common throughout Tamriel, relatively speaking." She explained. "Regardless, this one does have to admit that she would feel safer with you watching her back. You have done much for Ri'vashi since we first met, and she feels she can trust you. Though, the Champion may want you to serve under her command, since you have been working together with her pack for some time. This one would not want to counter the Champion's orders, of course."

---

"Well, she could..." Ahnasha started, but by the expression on her face, she had nowhere to go with her thought. She was filled with frustration, but after a few seconds, a hint of regret appeared. It lasted only briefly, but she turned her gaze to Irenya with some uncertainty in her eyes. It was the first reaction she had given to Irenya which did not consist of anger, skepticism, or outright denial. However, Ahnasha was still far too prideful to simply give up on her convictions, at least openly.

"Look, I don't know if I should trust you, but I don't have to. You know if you're lying or not. You know if you have some other motive. If you aren't lying, and you really have had this change of heart, then you don't have to worry about me. You've said what you needed to say; you've given your apology, and...I'll remember it." Ahnasha finally answered.

Although not the ideal answer, Irenya, quite surprisingly, did not appear disappointed by it. "Very well, I...just hope for us to remain civil, at least."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shook her head. "No, I do not believe there is any more we can do for now. We will need to divide up our forces and deal with personnel assignments, but those will be discussions between the warriors and their commanders. This meeting is dismissed. Once you finish what you can for the night, you should all be sure to get some rest. I have some experience in overworking myself, and I can say with confidence that it does not help one's judgment."

With the meeting over, the warband's leaders began to disperse and head for their own tasks, or in Lorag's case, his bedroll. As they were leaving the tent, Ri'vashi caught up with Gallus and walked alongside him. "It is not the most...confident this one has been in a plan, but she supposes we do not have much choice. No one claimed this assault would be easy. Anyway, what role do you think you'll be serving in the attack? Who will your pack be following?"

---

Though Fendros' opinions held a lot of weight with Ahnasha, her innate stubbornness was also showing through quite clearly. Overall, she was not an easy person to persuade. "So you trust her too? With all that happened, I could believe your change, but this just seems like too much for me. I've never known anyone to change so much for no apparent reason. Why would you think she is being honest?" Ahnasha asked. Meanwhile, Irenya had broken eye contact once more and was looking down, rubbing her arm lightly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Without more knowledge of the enemy or their stronghold, there is little else we can do as far as our overall strategy." Meesei said. "The keep will be an unknown until we are physically inside. Our goal will be to capture or kill the General, and secure any information, or other items of value, that may be inside. The only detail that left to discuss for this meeting is our command structure for the attack itself. If we can get into the courtyard, we will need to split our forces into split our forces into three groups to attack the keep from its three entryways. Ri'vashi, as the commander of our largest force, I believe you should lead the assault on the main gate. Ra'jorr and I can lead the attacks on the upper entrances. I will need some of your warriors to comprise my force."

Ri'vashi nodded. "Without question, Champion. Ri'vashi thinks there will be many eager to follow your lead. We have our strategy, for now. Let us just take heed to avoid dedicating ourselves to it too completely. It is rare that a tactic survives contact with the enemy fully intact."

---

Fendros' words only seemed to confuse Irenya. "I...don't understand. I know that I was wrong; I'm telling you that I was wrong. With how I lived before, with where I'm from, I never understood. I couldn't understand. All I ever saw were beasts that paraded my father out into the middle of the street and cut off his head, or animals that drove me from the only home I ever knew while we were too weak to fight back. Without coming here, how could I understand? I am sorry for all of it."

Ahnasha's anger and skepticism seemed to be unwavering. Her expression did not change at all, though this time, she did at least respond. "Why should I believe you? You've been insufferable towards me since the day we met, but now, all of the sudden, now that you're surrounded by Khajiit, you've had a change of heart? What reason do I have to trust you? Maybe all of the Khajiit make you feel threatened, so you just want to put on an act until we're back in Cyrodiil? Maybe you just want to put on a show to fit in until you're 'safe?' I don't know your motivations, but I know not to trust them." She responded. Ahnasha, quite obviously, did not trust Irenya's words...perhaps unreasonably so.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It would not be too difficult to organize, no...if it is the best course of action." Miranor answered, turning her attention to the others for confirmation.

Ri'vashi did not seem entirely certain, though she did not necessarily see it as a bad idea. "Ri'vashi does see how it could be helpful, but timing would be everything. If the other group attacks early, or is detected early, it would give more time for the enemy to respond. Such a diversion could tie up some of their forces, but there is no question that the majority of the enemy's focus will be on the group sabotaging the gate. They will realize fairly quickly what we are doing. It may provide some help to our saboteurs, but this one would not expect it to be drastic. All of them will be in considerable danger, so we will have to decide if the benefit is worth the risk to their lives. Ri'vashi suggests we ask the werevultures themselves. They will be the ones taking the risk, and if not enough of them agree to it, this one will not order them to."

---

Irenya sighed, breaking eye contact with the pair. "Nothing that I have not already told you. All of this has given me...perspective. I have experienced a lot of things that made no sense to me, with the way I saw the world. I kept making excuses for them, but that could not go on forever. This place is nothing like I expected, and I could not just be blind to the reality of it. I know you have forgiven me Fendros, but..." Irenya began, finally looking back directly to Ahnasha. "I did not want to just leave everything as it was. Like he said, I said some hurtful things. As much as I do not like to admit it, I was wrong." She explained, but even so, Ahnasha remained sitting with her arms crossed in what was, to Irenya, agonizing silence.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ra'jorr shook his head. "Without knowing what mechanism the gate uses, it is difficult to say. Though, we could, perhaps, find a general solution. Champion, this one is familiar with spells that can paralyze a person, as if they were stone. Is it possible for a spell to do the same to something non-living?"

Initially, Meesei's response was not encouraging. "Unfortunately, paralysis is not a spell that works on objects. I know there is other magic that can achieve that effect, but those are enchantments, not spells. You would need a soul gem, and the knowledge to apply it. But...there may be another way for us to attain the same effect. We could simply freeze the mechanism. We would likely only need a quick, concentrated burst of frost magic on the mechanism to render it immobile, for a time, at least. It would not last too long, but we do not need it to. As long as it lasts until we can get our warriors through the gate, it will be sufficient. We can give several scrolls to the werevultures to ensure they can sabotage it. As for our werevultures themselves, we could make all of them invisible if we needed to. However, if there are too many flying together, even invisibility may not keep them hidden. The sound of their wings could give them away."

---

Ahnasha's skepticism of Irenya had not diminished, and with Fendros' description of their own past, Ahnasha saw a way to give her a sort of test. She was being kind and polite, but Ahnasha was curious to see if that would hold true once she learned that they were not so perfect. "That is...mostly what happened, except for the part where we were both very drunk and he impregnated me essentially on the day we met. That inspired pretty well to get to know each other, I think."

Irenya's expression was, as Ahnasha expected, obviously surprised. However, she returned to normal fairly quickly. "Oh, well, I would imagine so. I think there is a reason I do not tend to drink. Regardless, it is good everything is still going well now."