EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Heading through the doorway, they faced only light resistance in the hallway beyond from those enemies who had been unable to retreat in time. Evidently, most of the enemy force had rushed as soon as they were out of sight of the entry chamber. With Lorag and Gallus leading the way, they followed the sounds of echoing footsteps to the end of the hall, where they finally found a staircase leading up to the next floor. It was a spiral staircase, and rather narrow, so they had Uthri and Kaleeth lead the way with shields. Lorag was expecting some kind of ambush, or at least a group at the top to trap them into the staircase, but once they were at the top, there was nothing. Evidently, the enemy had been in too much of a hurry to carry out such plans.

The staircase led into the middle of a hallway that split in two opposite directions, and unfortunately, Lorag could see that there were enemies fleeing in both directions. He did not know why they were splitting up now, and not before, but there was certainly a reason behind it. Neither group looked larger than the other, but to their left, Lorag was sure he had seen the enemy officer that had been directing the soldiers in the previous room.

Once other prides started coming up the staircase behind them, Lorag found one of Ri'vashi's officers and directed him to take charge of pursuing the enemy fleeing to the right. He intended to follow this enemy officer, as he was far more likely to be protecting something important; potentially the General himself. Lorag walked up beside Gallus with an intense look in his eyes. "If they're goin' to lead us to Do'rhajul, we're goin' to be the ones to find him. He's not gettin' away from me. They might try to keep splitting us up ahead, and we can't ignore anyone that might try to flank us, but I want us to stick together on this. I want a pack I can trust at my back to face him."

"Permission to join your packs?" A voice sounded from the stairway behind them. From the steady line of warriors climbing up the staircase, Ra'kalesh emerged and approached them. The leather armor protecting his torso before had been half burned away by the oil, so he had discarded it. As such, the burns on his back, shoulder, and upper arm were plainly visible. Large patches of his fur had been burned away, along with some of the flesh underneath, but the healers had given him their attention. There was no bleeding, and he did not seem to have trouble moving. The look in his eyes showed that he was obviously still in pain, but he was still in fighting shape. "Ra'kalesh has a...vested interest in seeing our enemy's General meet his well-deserved end."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag was occupied in combat with the enemy's frontline, but Ri'vashi could at least speak to Gallus. "We cannot afford to be surrounded, and we cannot abandon our soldiers still in the courtyard. If the enemy has been reinforced, we need to capture the keep and use it to stage our defense. Ri'vashi will take a force and head back to the courtyard to hold our flank. You need to clear the keep as much as possible, and try to capture or kill the General if you can. Try to reunite with Ra'jorr's group...and the Champion, if possible."

With the enemy in the entry chamber retreating, the archers and mages below were able to focus more heavily on those above. As such, the enemy archers were starting to thin in number, either because of injury, or simply retreating themselves. Lorag was finally able to look back in the direction of the horn and noticed Ri'vashi and Gallus. With obvious impatience, he rushed back to them so he could at least be aware of whatever plan they were making.

"The enemy...they're defending somethin' No other reason for them to all go through the same doors like that. Do'rhajul would be tryin' to split us as far apart as possible otherwise. We need to find out what they're protectin'." Lorag said quickly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi did not see Gallus splitting his own force during the battle, else she would have send a messenger to order him to remain at full strength for the fight. Luckily, it would not matter since Gallus' push from the right flank was exactly what was needed to send the enemy into a retreat once more. The enemy still had their archers above, but they also now had their own archers streaming in through the front door, as well as mages to put pressure on the floor above. The enemy archers still had the better position, but they could no longer attack with impunity. It was enough to allow them to press their numerical advantage against the defenders without having to worry about shielding themselves from above as often.

Slowly, Vile's forces began to retreat once more. Interestingly, instead of spreading through the various exits to speed up their retreat, most of the enemy focused on getting through one door at the back of the chamber. Ri'vashi was going to have a force attempt to flank around and cut off their escape when a horn sounded behind them. She knew the signal; it was a warning. They were being flanked, either in the courtyard, or by a an enemy force from outside the walls. At this point in the attack, it was not something they could afford to ignore.

Instead of attempting another attack, Ri'vashi backed off from the frontline and started to make her way quickly to Lorag, and hopefully Gallus, if they had already eliminated the enemy group they had surrounded. She knew what she was going to do, but she wanted to make sure the other leaders knew what to do as well.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gallus' group was able to open the door without issue, but even so, where it led was inconclusive. It opened into a hallway, which branched into two separate directions. It was possible that there were stairs leading up within, but there was no guarantee. But, the enemy did not simply ignore the movement of soldiers. Seeing as Gallus had led his force away from Ri'vashi's, the enemy tried to make a push between them to separate them from one another, similar to Ri'vashi's tactic outside. Ri'vashi, however, reacted quickly. She gave the order to put pressure on the enemy trying to flank them, then personally opened up a hole in the enemy lines in front of them.

When the enemy attempted to push forward, they thinned their numbers in one part of their lines, which Ri'vashi attacked directly. There was a heavily armored Suthay-raht directly in front against which her katana was useless, but her shield was just as viable of a weapon as her blade. She parried away his spear while striking forth with her shield, bashing its edge against his helmet with a frightening amount of force. She noticed the enemy beside him thrusting a halberd towards her, but was able to turn her body to allow it to deflect harmlessly off of her chestplate. From there, she used her mass to her advantage in barrelling over the mages and spearmen he had been protecting. One advantage was starting to become more prominent for Ri'vashi and the other lycans in that many of the enemy in heavy armor had already been eliminated, so their ability to form a solid frontline was being diminished. Her allies were following through behind her, so they were able to separate the enemy even further.

Despite the warnings of oil, Ahnasha did not hesitate in running inside as soon as there was an opening. Sabine and Fendros were close behind. She intended to regroup with Janius, Kaleeth, and Lorag, since they all worked best when together. Once they started to move from room to room in the keep, she had a feeling that the lines and formations of soldiers would quickly break down. That was a type of warfare that could only really happen in open spaces. Once they moved into fighting in corridors, they would probably end up moving as individual packs and prides. Though, the moment she entered the chamber, she already had her eyes up looking for targets on which to train her bow. Thanks to her transformation, she was now fighting in only her fur, so she had to force herself to be cautious, particularly as they were passing under the overhang above. Luckily, the spellfire from the mages had been enough to damage one of the oil pots, and injure a few of those attempting to refill the other.

---

Regardless of how Do’rhajul came to possess Spellbreaker, Meesei’s primary concern at the moment was with how to kill him. She had made herself known when she burst into the room, so Ra’jorr had already seen her. Without a word, Meesei joined the battle alongside the Pahrmar-raht. His men were already fighting successfully enough against Do’rhajul’s soldiers, so Meesei decided to work with him to focus on the General himself.

With a brief nod to Meesei, Ra’jorr started to circle to the left and swiped at the General’s legs’ though he was forced to jump back by a swing from his sword. At the same time, however, Meesei found the space to hit Do’rhajul in the leg with a lightning bolt. It caused his leg to buckle; an opportunity which Ra’jorr used immediately to pounce on him. He tried to snap his teeth down on the General’s neck, but his reactions were quick enough that he was able to move his shoulder in the way, causing Ra’jorr’s to bite down ineffectually onto an armor plate.

Though a Pahrmar-raht like Ra’jorr was a rather heavy cat, a Cathay-raht werewolf like Do’rhajul was strong enough to keep himself from being staggered, then threw off Ra’jorr quickly. The General stepped back to fall in line with the rest of his soldiers. However, they did not have much farther that they could retreat. Ra’jorr was down to only a few men remaining, and they almost had their backs to the wall. There was a door behind them, but they would not all be able to funnel through it at once. Nevertheless, the General did not lose any measure of confidence in his demeanor.

Moving farther to the right, Meesei attempted to force the General’s attention away from Ra’jorr. She let out a constant stream of lightning towards him. Predictably, he was able to move his shield to defend against the spell, and the ward it produced showed no signs of weakening. However, it forced him to face her to keep his shield in position as she readjusted her aim, and allowed Ra’jorr an opportunity to attack. Sprinting forward, he pounced once more, but this time, Do’rhajul’s reaction was far deadlier. Even without his eyes being focused on him, the General thrust his blade at Ra’jorr with impeccable accuracy. Ra’jorr was armored in metal plates, but there was a gap his in armor where the plate on his chest met the plate over his shoulderblade, and that was exactly where the General aimed. Thanks to the momentum of Ra’jorr’s leap, and the sheer force the Cathay-raht was able to produce, Ra’jorr was fully impaled on his blade.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Both sides of the fighting were becoming more organized within the keep. Ri'vashi directed her forces to form up a shield wall once more to protect against the enemy archers, though that gave the enemy more of a chance to do the same. The greatest threat to them at the moment was the oil, so Ri'vashi was naturally focused on eliminating it. Looking around the chamber, there were no obvious stairways leading up to the second level, so the way up was likely found behind one of the many doors leading out of the room. From what she could see, there were at least six exits, not counting the main entrance, and there was no way to know which one would lead up to the higher levels. They would need to do the best they could from where they were.

Ri'vashi backed away from the front to give orders to the mages nearest to her, including Janius. "Put pressure on the oil! Keep them from using it." She ordered. Though Ahnasha was outside, she had sent her atronach into the keep with the others, and had directed it to perform the same tasks as the mages. It had actually been caught in the burning oil, but heat did not tend to be an effective weapon against a flame atronach. With the directive Ahnasha had given it, the atronach started launching fireballs up towards the oil pots and those operating them as soon as the order was given to the mages.

Outside, Ra'kalesh was obviously quite distracted by his pain, but the numbing sensation of Sabine's healing helped him to start regaining focus. "Yes, it's...above the door inside. Be alert when you go in; Do'ajee, she..." He warned, his voice trailing off over the pain he was feeling at the loss.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite the enemy's attempted preparations, the combined efforts of their mages was more than enough to break the wards protecting the enemy frontline, and the volley of fire, ice, and electricity that followed broke any semblance of cohesion among the first few rows of soldiers at the doors. Some were killed outright by shards of ice, while the fire maimed others, and the electricity stunned many more. The charge of allied soldiers that followed immediately afterwards was almost unopposed for a few seconds.

Both Ri'vashi and Lorag hit the enemy like battering rams. Even once they reached the point where the enemy was organized enough to fight back, the momentum they carried with them inspired many of the soldiers around them. The shield wall they had been facing had broken, so the enemy was now more vulnerable. Lorag picked out the most imposing opponent in his immediate line of sight: a greatsword-wielding Cathay, and took a swing directly for her head. She could not swing quickly enough to parry entirely, and only succeeded in moving his hammer just enough to make him slam his weapon into her shoulder instead. There was a loud crack and a scream of pain due to her now-shattered shoulderblade. Even for a Khajitt of a Cathay's stature, Lorag was not a force to be ignored. He would have finished her off, but one his soldiers stuck a spear into her side, then her wounded shoulder, then her neck in three rapid thrusts. With only one arm to fight with, she simply could not parry effectively.

The push past the gate allowed the lycan forces to start fanning out to use their numbers more effectively, but it also lead them into one of the enemy's traps. The room they had charged into was rather large, with a second level above them that allowed the enemy to attack them from above. Not only were there archers around the perimeter above them, but there were two oil pots positioned directly above. As soon as they had advanced far enough, the enemy dropped boiling oil straight into their ranks, one to their far left flank, and another closer to Meesei's pack. Most of their frontline was unharmed, but those that were affected were horrendously injured. Some of the oil splashed onto Ra'kalesh's back, and burned intensely enough that even he could not stop himself from dropping to the ground with a scream. For the Bosmer member of Ri'vashi's pride, Do'ajee, and several other soldiers, however, it was much worse. They had most of their bodies covered, and for them, there would be no hope.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I need to make sure the two different scenes are lining up properly, so I won't be posting for Meesei every time.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I need to make sure the two different scenes are lining up properly, so I won't be posting for Meesei every time.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Upon Ri'vashi's order, every mage who was able made their way near the front, or anywhere else they could get a clear line of sight on the enemy. Vile's soldiers did not fail to notice the movement of the mages before them, so their leaders were able to determine what was about to happen. They positioned their own mages to be able to ward their entire front, but it did not matter that they were aware. Ri'vashi was hoping that the sheer concentrated power of their mages would be enough to break through, regardless of the enemy's preparations.

Ahnasha herself stayed with Fendros, closer to the back of their pack. Given that her bound arrows were limitless, she could fire into the keep without consequence, though she had no idea if she was actually hitting anything. She had directed her atronach to a position close to the front. While it was not exactly a comfortable creature to be around for multiple reasons, her allies could at least accept its help a bit more readily than an undead thrall. Being that Janius was a mage, Kaleeth had to allow him in front of her, but she still stuck as close to him as possible. As soon as the mages cast their spell, they would need to rush forward to break through. Ra'kalesh and Do'ajee had already moved up beside Lorag, while Ri'vashi and her pride were closer to the center. Though, given that they were converging on the keep doors, they were all fairly close to one another. Peiter, though he stayed with his pack, was sure to remain within sight of Sabine.

A Dagi-raht mage, one of Ri'vashi's officers, was the one in command of her mages, so he was the one to give the order. "Ready!" He shouted, allowing the mages time to charge their spells. "Fire!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter, in contrast to his usual behavior around Sabine, was rather quick in trying to pull himself away from her. "I'm fine, but..." He began, looking up towards the keep's balconies nervously. "We need to...focus, right now." He said, though inwardly, he was glad she was there, and obviously unharmed.

Lorag, meanwhile, looked almost impatient as his gaze focused on the frontline itself. "Yeah, don't need to tell me twice. Anyone who can cast a spell, join up with the Clan Leader's mages and do whatever they ask you. Get some messengers to spread the word. Move it!" He ordered in an almost aggressive tone, very much reminiscent of a Legion commander. "Everyone else, form up and get ready to push into the keep."

Lorag wasted no time in moving as close to the front as he could, and almost seemed disappointed that he could not join in the fray immediately. Fighting at the keep's door meant that only a limited number of their own forces could fight against the enemy at once, and with the mages needing to get close behind the frontline, there simply was not room for him to move closer. But, he would be in the front as soon as possible.

Ahnasha could not cast any spells herself that were worthwhile in trying to break wards, but there was still one way she could help. She found an open area nearby, then conjured up a flame atronach. She could not break a ward, but her daedra could. Unfortunately, there was not much else she could do for the moment, other than fire arrows randomly into the keep, as the enemy soldiers she could actually see were too close to her allies for her to be able to fire over their heads and still hit her targets.

---

Under the cloak of invisibility, Meesei made her way through the halls of keep. Without knowing its layout, she did not know exactly where to go, but she could make a guess. Ra’jorr would want to eliminate the General Do’rhajul first and foremost, and the balcony they had spotted him on was a few floors above her. It would be the first place Ra’jorr would look, so Meesei would not be far behind.

Once she found the stairs, Meesei rushed up the spiral staircase as quickly as possible until she felt that she was on the same level as that balcony. Fortunately, it did not take much searching to hone in on Ra’jorr’s position, as she could hear the sounds of battle echoing down the halls. Continuing at a full sprint, Meesei made her way towards the sound’s source. It grew louder and louder, until it finally led her to the proper room.

With a heavy kick, Meesei burst through a wooden door into a rather expansive chamber. It was wide, with an even taller cealing, and overall, was large enough to be a monarch’s throne room. Though mostly empty, the decor suggested it could be used for large meetings or announcements to a crowd. Inside, a battle was already raging, and it was not going poorly. Ra’jorr’s men had not only a numerical advantage, but considerable momentum. The enemy soldiers that were not being killed were being pushed back, but that did not remove Meesei’s worry. In fact, the sight of the person leading the defense only caused it to increase. At the center of the defensive line was an imposing Cathay-raht: Do’rhajul. Aside from his open-face helmet, the majority of his body was protected by plate armor in a distinctly Imperial style. He wielded in one hand a silver sword that would have been considered a greatsword for most soldiers. But, what was most interesting was his Dwarven shield. Meesei recognized it to be Spellbreaker, the legendary artifact of Peryite, which was said to be able to absorb any amount of magical power. At the moment, Meesei was not certain of the implications of him having it. There was a possibility that Peryite had allied with Vile, or his organization simply could have recovered the artifact. There were those who wielded Daedric artifacts without any affiliation with the Daedra who created them.