EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I was speaking in absolute terms, not relative." Meesei commented. "Sabine began her training three years ago, approximately. I could not be more proud of your progress within that time. Granted your focus has been solely on magic, while Janius mixes his practice with swordsmanship, but that does not diminish your accomplishment. And we only tested your knowledge of the more destructive forms of magic. You also have extensive training in defensive, utility, and healing magic. I look forward to the day when I can work with you as a peer, instead of as an apprentice. I cannot be completely sure, of course, but a few months is my estimate, provided Janius does not significantly change his training habits."

Meesei placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "And I believe I should mention, I did not cast a spell like that until my fourth year." She added. Of course, she did not mention that she did not actually attempt it until her fourth year, due to the pacing of her father's training, but it was still a true statement.

---

Despite Gallus' attempt to shift the focus of the conversation, Peiter did not abandon his line of questioning so easily. "I understand what you're saying, I think. There will be a point where we'll have to look at what we want, and see if we really want the same thing, but...if you're still wanting to be with someone back home, then why are you mating with someone here?" He asked, flaring his nostrils once more. "I know Sabine, would definitely not appreciate me doing something like that. Did you think you would like one of the soldiers here better, or something?"

Peiter had not quite yet identified whose scent Gallus was carrying, but he was obviously trying. If given enough time to concentrate, he could quite possibly figure it out.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Against such a weak spell, Meesei would not have even noticed the flames if she were not looking at them, so she had no problem maintaining a ward for the full time. The fire did block much of her vision, so she did not notice who had won until Sabine admitted to her spell failing earlier.

"Well, if that is the case, then it seems Janius may have won overall. Likely, your icy spear wall less magicka efficient than his incineration spell, and drained you more fully. You bested him in accuracy, but the remaining two challenges were in his favor, by a small margin. Though, I would certainly not be discouraged. Janius began his destruction training many years before your own. At the rate you learn, I would not be surprised if you end up besting him in only a few months." Meesei said to Sabine.

---

Peiter was essentially at a loss for how to respond. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked away for a few seconds. "I...don't know. I don't know what I should want out of it. I think it will probably be fine though; we should be able to figure out what we want." He answered, though he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable thinking about the long-term prospects of their relationship. To change the subject, he decided to speak up about the scent he had started to notice.

"So have you ever gotten past the point of 'having fun'...say, that scent. Are you still with either of those women back in Bruma?" Peiter asked, crossing his arms.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei chuckled. "Well, I will admit, the terminology is useful for giving an approximation of progress. And 'expert' simply sounds impressive, no? But rest assured, my teaching methods have not changed. Sabine can attest to that. Now, whether you would call that a draw, or if Janius is the victor, there is still the final contest: endurance. You both expended considerable magicka reserves in the last test, so I imagine you are both magically fatigued. Now, it is time to see how long you can go on what you have left. I would like for you both to create a constant stream of your chosen element and maintain it for as long as you can. Well, at least until the other person fails. You can make it as weak as you like, as long as it remains a constant stream of magic. You may both begin at the same time, and Janius, you can cast your spell against my ward again."

---

Peiter was somewhat confused at first as to the point of Gallus' question, but his answer did serve to clarify. Opening his eyes, Peiter looked at Gallus in a still somewhat relaxed state. "I guess...I just need a distraction. I think I just have these worries when my mind is idle. That's why I'm hoping the fight will be enough to keep me from focusing on it. As for our relationship, well, I'm not sure how to describe it really. It has been about the same since we found the Senchal clan. It's going well, certainly. We spend a lot of time together; maybe a bit less now than we did at first, but still. I admit, I'm not sure what to expect from here on out. Have you ever been in a single relationship for this long?" He asked. Noticeably, his nostrils flares as they were continuing on the topic. He had been doing the same periodically for as long as he had been trying to relax his mind, but his focus had kept him distracted. In his close proximity to Gallus, he was starting to notice a scent.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth yelped the moment Janius touched her. She grabbed his wrist reflexively and started to pull it away before she registered what happened. "Ah...you can hold me later, love. Just make sure your hands aren't on fire." She chuckled.

After Sabine's spell, Meesei again could not help but to smile. Regardless of how it compared to Janius' spell, Sabine's attempt had been perhaps the most powerful spell she had cast up to that point. While not the first time she had attempted an ice spear, it was the most successful. The spirit of competition, it seemed, was a decent motivator. Stepping up to Sabine, Meesei gave her a congratulatory pat on the back. "Very well done. Your aim might have been slightly off, but that was not the purpose of this round. You successfully cast an expert-level spell. How do you think her spell compared to yours, Janius?"

---

After the time spent coaxing Peiter into a relaxed state, his thoughts had turned in a different direction than Gallus had expected. Instead of dwelling on his worries for Sabine, Peiter had placed his focus on emptying his mind to relax himself. As a result, Gallus' first question did not quite have the intended effect.

"What I'm thinking about? Um, relaxing? Trying to clear my head; to be at peace. So...I think that is useful, yes." He answered.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While perhaps not as flashy as a wide-area fireball, any destruction mage would recognize the skill and energy required to create a concentrated incinerate spell. It was an intensely hot and impactful spell, though Meesei's ward rendered it entirely ineffective. She stood stalwart, without so much as flinching. Though, she did have time to prepare herself mentally for the spell to temper any involuntary reactions. With his spell, Janius had set a high bar for Sabine to follow. Meesei was not entirely confident that Sabine could surpass it, but matching it was certainly possible.

Meesei avoided conventional words of encouragement for Sabine. Instead, she wanted to raise her spirits by simply showing confidence in her abilities. "Well done, quite a strong burst of energy. I almost felt it against my ward." Meesei joked, obviously exaggerating. "It will take a strong spell to match it. Sabine, you recall during one of our more recent lessons, you studied an icy spear spell; a stronger, more concentrated version of ice spike. An expert-level spell, it could probably put a hole through one of these trees. Do that." Meesei said with complete and utter confidence. Sabine was not yet an expert, by any means, but Meesei had introduced her to the spell. In general, Meesei had her work on higher-level spells to help push the boundaries of her current skill level, and while it certainly would not be magicka efficient, Meesei hoped Sabine could cast it with some motivation.

---

After another, lengthy delay, Peiter finally made eye contact with Gallus. "Okay...okay, I can try. But, maybe you could help guide me through it?" He asked. With the stories he heard about Najirra, and how notoriously anxious Tzirret had been prior to leaving Bruma, he honestly believed whatever Gallus had in mind might work for him as well.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could not help but to be proud of Sabine's performance thusfar. Accuracy had been a problem for her, so they had been drilling it consistently. Hopefully, the competition was turning out to be just as much of an affirmation to Sabine herself of her abilities as it was to the others. Of course, the contest was not yet over; accuracy was only one aspect of being a destruction mage.

"You both did well, but I believe Sabine was the clear victor of this round. Next, we can test the strength of your spells. The winner may not be as definitive for this contest, since it is more...qualitative than quantitative, but if you are too close, we can simply declare it a draw. I would like for you to cast the strongest, highest-level spell you are capable of. You need only do it once, so you do not need to be conservative with your magicka." Meesei explained as she stepped out into the clearing.

Looking to Janius specifically, Meesei held out her hand in front of her. This time, she would allow him to go first to set the bar. "Seeing as I would prefer you not ignite the forest, you can cast your spell against my ward." She said. Once Janius gave his spell, she would have a few words of encouragement for Sabine.

Kaleeth, meanwhile, simply smiled and gave Janius a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm sure you'll impress. I believe in you."

---

Peiter hesitated for a few seconds, his body language showing a distinct lack of confidence. "I...don't know, I just...I don't think there are any words that can make me stop worrying. Right now, I have all the time in the world to think about her, and what might happen. I know you're right, I know she can take care of herself, and her pack can take care of her. I know my fear isn't completely rational, but it's still there. Once we get into the fight, once my mind starts working on training and orders, I'm thinking I'll be able to focus in the moment. I don't really know, but I think so."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Rtron said to have the knight die, so I did. What exactly is the situation with the knight's brother? I know he's manipulating trees; who is being attacked by him?

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

The incoming shield flying towards Ssarak deflected at an angle off of his own shield, just as planned. Although, his attempt to cripple the knight was not quite as successful. The knight’s reactions were quick, and Ssarak could not redirect his mace quite fast enough to meet his fist head-on. The knight delivered a heavy blow to Ssarak’s stomach, though so too did Ssarak’s mace slam at full force into the knight’s chestplate. Ssarak was knocked out of breath, and he expected the knight to at least have a broken rib or two.

Despite his lack of breath, Ssarak had h is guard up in an instant, and was starting to bring his mace around for another blow when he noticed that his opponent was oddly…still. He did not raise his guard, nor push the attack, but rather just stood, almost as if in shock. He coughed, then collapsed down to his knees. Slowly, blood started to pour from a razor-thin line at his neck before his seemingly lifeless body collapsed entirely to the ground.

Ssarak was not certain of what Meirin had done exactly, but it had evidently pierced through the weaker armor at his neck and slit his throat, or even partially beheaded him. With that threat eliminated, Ssarak wanted to just stop and embrace Meirin. To check on her well-being, and confirm to himself that she was safe, but unfortunately, the fight was not entirely over. Nearby, he could easily see that some of the others were still in trouble. A mage, evidently an herbamancer, was manipulating the trees themselves to attack them. He needed to give them help, and the best way he could see to do that quickly was to grab and keep the mage’s focus on himself. Ssarak turned to the herbamancer and let out a loud, animalistic roar to hopefully capture his attention. He stood in an aggressive, slightly hunched over posture with his boot pressed against the helmet of the herbamancer’s dead ally. At the same time, Ssarak telepathically probed into the mage’s mind to see if he had any wards to speak of.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei stepped out into the clearing and began looking around for options. "Well, some of the defining metrics for a destruction mage are their power, accuracy, and endurance. Accuracy should be easy enough to test, I have a few ideas for power, and the competition itself can be a test of endurance. The only question is which you wish to start with."

After a moment, Meesei found something of use on the ground. It was a simple rock of decent enough size to serve as a target, at least for as long as it held together. Meesei extended her magicka-charged hand, then lifted up the stone telekinetically. "Accuracy may be the best to start with, so that the magicka intensive trials are saved for the end. Weak fireballs and ice spikes will be sufficient to test your aim."

Meesei pushed the rock away from herself and held it still in the air. To start, they could try to hit a stationary target, then she could start moving it in regular patterns. "In this case, I suppose it is fortunate neither of you intend to use lightning. It is far easier to aim than either fire or frost. Still, it would not hurt for both of you to practice with it more. Lightning is good for those situations where accuracy is essential."

---

Peiter took in a deep breath. "I'll be fine, I just...I need to get my mind off of it. I'm sure once all this starts, the fight will be enough to keep my mind occupied."

For Irenya, Gallus' answer was actually not what she had expected, but she did not argue it. She had taken the focus off of Peiter, which was her only real intent in asking. Even if she had never personally been in a battle of this scale, she had certainly seen them before. During the Oblivion Crisis, and later during the Great War, she had witnessed all manner of engagements, large and small. She knew, perhaps more than most in the clan, what to expect from the attack.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Why not do all of those?" Kaleeth suggested, giving a shrug. "Or at least some. You can show all of your skills."

Meesei nodded in agreement. "We can find a clearing to carry out a few trials. Let us just be careful not to range too close to the other competition between Fendros and Ahnasha. From what I can see, it looks like they are practicing against moving targets. Though, since we are intending to test your destruction skills, it would be best not to involve your wards."

As Meesei started to walk towards a clearing at the edge of camp, she gave a grin towards Janius. "I would not want to give Sabine an advantage, after all."

---

Peiter answered with an unemotional "Yes sir." to Gallus' explanation. Logically, he understood Gallus' decision. Given his feelings for Sabine, it made sense that she would distract him in combat, or impede his judgment. But, he knew he was going to worry regardless, and he feared that worry would distract him just as much. He did not have any more he could think of to say, so he simply sat in silence.

Irenya spoke up suddenly, seemingly without care for Peiter's current struggle. "Well...alpha, you mentioned before that we would be staying with you except by your order. What if we are ordered to do otherwise by someone higher in the chain of command, like Ri'vashi or the Champion? You are our alpha, and we have always followed your orders, but...a battle between what is essentially two armies is not an environment that meshes well with the command structure to which we are accustomed." Although it might not have been immediately obvious, Irenya's question was intended to be a mercy to Peiter. She could already guess what Gallus would answer; the purpose in her asking was simply to fill the silence so that Peiter did not feel that all of the attention was on him.