EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"The silver is like dust now, in my heart, and a few other organs." Meesei answered. "But do not worry, I am not giving up, Sabine. I did give you my word, and I intend to keep it." She said, smiling, though that expression quickly turned to one of uncertainty. "It is just...there are some things that I feel I should say to you all while I know that I can. Just...in case."

Meesei placed her hand atop one of Sabine's. As much as she wanted to promise Sabine that she would recover, it was simply not something she could do. Meesei was doing the best to hide the constant pain pulsing through her body, and to avoid coughing up blood in front of them. "I know you will not give up, on me, or anything you have set out to do. I know that you will be an exceptional mage, and a brilliant alchemist. You are the model of everything a lycan should be, and I feel safer knowing you will be here to help me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"We saved everyone we could, then. Everyone in the courtyard at least. Good...good." Meesei interrupted as soon as she felt that Sabine had said enough. Then, as much as she wanted to hide it, Meesei felt a sharp pain, then cringed as she clutched her side. After a few quick breaths, her body started to glow with restoration magic.

Even as she was attempting to heal herself, Meesei reached up and placed her hand on Sabine's cheek. "Sabine, I...know it is not easy, but do not blame yourself for anything. Everything you have done, all that you are, all that you have become...I could not be more proud of you. You are my greatest student, my closest family. There is nothing in this word, or any beyond it, that can come close to breaking that bond."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Sabine..." Meesei said weakly. She squeezed Sabine's hand as well, though her grip felt as soft as her voice. "I can promise you, without any doubt, I will not give up. No matter what, I will not give up tonight, you have my word." She held some determination in her tone, though even she did not have any illusions about her chances.

Meesei leaned her head back on her bedroll, then breathed in deeply. "But, for now, I want to know about you. Were you hurt at all? Is everyone else okay? Was everyone in the courtyard able to make it away from the fortress?" She asked. Despite her own condition, it made sense that she would want to know about her pack, and the rest of the warband. After all, her purpose in joining the final fight during their escape was to ensure everyone's survival. If that action ended up sacrificing her life, she wanted to know that the sacrifice would not be in vain.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha was not far behind Sabine, though she allowed her to go in first so as not to crowd Meesei too severely. Kaleeth was behind most of the others, sticking close to Janius. She was already in tears from the news the healer had given, and she was not sure how she was going to handle speaking to Meesei. She was clutching the Ring in her hand so tightly that it was leaving an indentation in her palm. Even though she had not known Meesei nearly as long as any of the others, she still cared for, and deeply respected her.

Lorag was the last to stand, and did so in complete silence. Since they had arrived at the camp, he had shifted between bouts of anger, hints of despair, and long rants about what they should have done differently. Now, since the Cathay's announcement, he had spoken not a word, and his face was entirely devoid of any emotion.

Inside the tent, Meesei was laying on a makeshift bed, consisting of a padded bedroll atop a table, in the center of the tent. All of her wounds had been mended to the point that they were no longer bleeding. There were many scars, though those could be healed easily later. But, the real damage to her body, according to the healer, was internal. She was weak, undoubtedly. It seemed to be an effort for her to even turn her head when Sabine stepped inside. But, despite everything, the first thing that Sabine was greeted with was Meesei's smile.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Cathay healer became increasingly nervous as he approached the pack. When Fendros questioned him, he hesitated, taking in a deep breath. "We performed the procedure, successfully, but...we fear it may not be enough. The potion worked as intended, and we were able to remove some of the silver. Most of it, actually, but what remains is...stubborn, for the lack of a better word. It is not circulating through her blood any more, but it is is caught in her tissues, some of them vital. It is still harming her, and we have reached the end of what we can do."

The healer could not maintain eye contact, and instead kept his gaze firmly at the ground. His hands were clasped together, and his eyes held deep regret. "The...one piece of good news this one has is that, somehow, the Champion has awoken. She is conscious, and seems perfectly lucid. The silver did not make it into her brain, at least. Her body is still weakening, but you can speak to her."

"But...if Meesei is awake, then that means she can help." Ahnasha responded hopefully. "Her magic, she is a skilled healer. She can help with her own magic; add her power to that of the other healers. No one knows her body better than herself. Surely she still has a chance?"

Again, the Cathay hesitated. The uncertainty and fear was obvious in his expression. "The procedure did improve her chances, yes, but...Khajiit does not wish to lie to you; to give false hope. The Champion is in very bad condition. This one does not know of her healing abilities, but even with that, she is still weakening. We do not believe it is likely for her to survive the night. You...may wish to say your goodbyes."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, there are some things in the story that would take some time. Plus, I think it will be interesting to explore the long-term effects of the decisions everyone has been making. See how they develop over time and such.

We can do anything needed over the course of the "skip". That's not really a length of time one would simply want to gloss over.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha approached Janius' idea with just as much skepticism as he had. She was one of the most loyal followers of Hircine among the pack, so she had a fair amount of knowledge of his rituals. "I am not too certain that would work. Hircine is powerful, but I have never heard of him healing his worshipers. Even if that is something he is willing to do, he may not even be able. The power of the Daedra to influence Mundus directly is...limited. He can grant his blessing, confer lycanthropy, through ritual, but to heal someone so gravely wounded...I just don't know. If it is possible, it would require a proper ritual on a properly prepared altar. Nothing makeshift would do. We don't have the time to prepare something like that." She said regretfully. Ahnasha was certainly willing to go out and find any sacrifice she could if it would help Meesei, but she had little hope that it would work.

"I'd rip my own heart out and lay it on an altar if it'd help her." Lorag commented in a tone approaching depression. He had not budged from where he was seated, which, given that their camp was still in dangerous territory, was telling of how deeply the situation was affecting him. Normally, he was the first to step forward and deal with any matters of military or defense.

Crossing her arms, Ahnasha let out a sigh. "I just don't know what else to do but...wait."

---

Just as the healer had told the pack before, the procedure did not take long, though it had been frantic. Assistants ran to and from the tent, which glowed from the healing magic within. When the Cathay emerged from the tent, he of course made his way straight for Meesei's pack. Unfortunately, the expression on his face was not encouraging.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, I suspect a lot will happen in camp.

Though, we are nearing the end of this section. The Elsweyr mission was the only one before the next major timeskip. And it is one that would encompass quite some time. Though, I would like to do this skip differently from the last. I feel that a whole decade is too long to just summarize. What I'd like to do is skip between important, individual scenes over the course of those years. I have a few in mind, and you can add some if you wish. The next major section, I think, will be the last. I think it will give us everything we need for the finale.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Meesei was carried away to one of the healers' tents, the others were left to fill the time before they would know of the procedure's success or failure. Kaleeth's gaze did not break from the Ring as Janius gave her his thoughts on it. "I just want Meesei to have it." She answered simply.

Both Ahnasha and Kaleeth joined the others in their embrace. Kaleeth did not hesitate to show her fears through the tears in her eyes, and while Ahnasha was not crying outright, the others would be able to feel her hands shaking. Lorag, meanwhile, kept his seat and stared blankly ahead. A stranger might have seen him as being emotionless, but anyone who knew him would recognize that he expressed most of his emotions, apart from anger, more subtly.

"I...don't know what to do, about any of this." Ahnasha said, not looking at anyone in particular. "I don't like having to just sit here and wait. I know we shouldn't get in the way of the healers, but...there has to be something? I just don't want to be here, sitting on my tail, while Meesei could be dying. Are there any ingredients we could be gathering for some potion...or some kind of spell or ritual we could prepare?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Marcaille has brewed a potion that might help us extract the silver from the Champion's blood." The Cathay answered. "It is a complicated procedure, but one we have performed before. There is not time to explain the details now, but Khajiit is willing to tell you later. This one...must tell you that there are no guarantees. The procedure does not always work, and when it does, it is not always enough, but this one has personally seen it save lives before. It will improve her chances, he is certain."

Walking over to Meesei's bedroll, the Cathay knelt down and carefully picked Meesei up in his arms. Though, he continued to look to Sabine sympathetically. "This one knows you want to help, but...the procedure is delicate, and there is not time to teach it. Khajiit promises we will do everything we possibly can for her."

"You better." Lorag muttered under his breath.

Though Kaleeth wanted to be with Meesei just as much as everyone else, she was just glad to see that Meesei was receiving more attention. Whatever the healers wanted to do, she would just pray to the Hist, Hircine, or whatever being would care that they would be successful. For now, she continued to clutch the Ring in her hands. "I'm thinking this belongs to Meesei, and no one else should ever have it. The way it made me feel...it was perfect control. Absolutely, completely perfect. I don't really have words for it. I could walk around as a werecrocodile as if I had not transformed at all, while my beast spirit simply did everything it could to help me. It was the kind of control that I think every lycan would dream of having, but I never want to wear it again. I want to never be able to wear it, because Meesei is going to get better, then take it from me and wear it herself."