EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Before answering, Meesei wrapped her arms around Sabine to hug her as hard as she could, though her muscles were still quite obviously weak. Regardless, her attitude seemed to make her physical weakness irrelevant. "Well, it was a...combination of factors, really. Your potion, Marcaille's my own efforts. After you fell asleep, I had another conversation with Marcaille. We talked about her potion; she went into great detail, mostly to pass the time. But, it gave me an idea. I was able to use my magic to...how to describe it? Bridge the gap between them. Your two potions worked in slightly different ways. One tried to draw out the silver into the blood stream through the blood in the organs, the other simply tried to draw it into the bloodstream through the tissue. I was able to use the effect of the latter to draw the silver into the blood for the former. It did not quite remove all of it, but...it removed enough. Enough to manage.

Meesei lowered her head and brought her hand up to her chest. There was a slight grimace on her face as she allowed a wave of restoration energy to wash through her body. "There is still silver there, it is still hurting me, but the amount is low enough that healing magic can keep up with it. Actually, I was hoping you would be able to help me. A simple healing potion is all that is needed, but a normal potion does not last too long. Do you think you would be able to create a very weak healing potion that could last at least a few days?" She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi gave a brief, subtle nod. "It's always good to have another pair of eyes. You can stop by one of the healers' tents if you need a potion to help you keep awake, if you intend on joining me all night."

Ri'vashi headed straight to the edge of camp, behind one of the barriers she had helped create an hour prior. Altogether, there were over a dozen warriors on watch in a perimeter around the camp, with more soldiers at the ready inside the camp if the alarm was sounded. Beyond that, there were scouts patrolling a relatively wide area surrounding them, but even so, Ri'vashi was not content with anything less than her personal oversight for their defense. She did not even sit, but stood with her gaze cast out into the forest. Her katana was at least sheathed at this point, but she looked ready to fight in an instant. Still, she did not restrict herself from speaking with Gallus. The stress she was under did bleed through into their conversation, despite her professionalism.

---

In the tent with Meesei, Marcaille and Sabine eventually began taking turns between healing and resting. Meesei held the occasional conversation with both, but she could not even keep up a false good mood as her body continued to weaken. Her voice grew more faint, and her muscles more sore. She never stopped her own efforts with her restoration magic, but both of her healers would easily be able to feel that it was waning. In the earliest hours of the morning, when Marcaille took over for Sabine once more to allow her to sleep, even breathing looked like a chore for her.

Day broke only a few hours later, after which there were voices in the tent which would likely awaken Sabine. Whatever fears or expectations she might have held for the morning before falling asleep, they would almost certainly be broken by reality. Marcaille had stepped out, while the Cathay healer, Jo'fasa, had taken over. However, instead of him standing over her at the table, Meesei was actually standing in front of him. In an absolute sense, she still looked terrible. Her legs were quivering to merely keep her standing, and the scars of her wounds were all still plainly visible. But, she was certainly more lively, and her voice stronger, if slightly hoarse.

"Champion, this is all...great, but...you really shouldn't be standing right now." Jo'fasa protested.

Meesei simply smiled. "I should not be alive right now, but you might say that I am disobeying..." She began, her gaze shifting down to Sabine. "...on both accounts."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, Ri'vashi is very much in serious mode. I think I'll skip to morning.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Was there more you wanted to do before skipping ahead to morning?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"We just have to get home now. That's all we have to do." Kaleeth answered. She rested her head against his and ran her hand through his hair. "We don't have to do any more fighting right now; just get back to Orcrest, then probably back home to Bruma. That shouldn't be hard to manage; it will just be a lot of walking. Walking through the forest, then the desert again. It's a terrible place, but...we've managed it before."

Kaleeth kissed Janius' forehead, and for a few seconds, was silent. His fears were quickly rubbing off on her, so she had to convince herself as well as him that they would get away unharmed. "There won't be anymore fighting. We're retreating, away from the enemy, who are hurt just as bad as us. We're not going to be fighting until well after we get back, I know it. You'll be ready to help me through the desert, won't you? That place is just...terrible."

---

Ri'vashi did not make eye contact with Gallus, and even turned her head away slightly. It was difficult for her to even give an answer, though she did regardless. "Ri'vashi lost one of her pride. We will have a memorial for all of our fallen when we have returned home. For now, this one's primary concern is ensuring that there will be no one else for us to mourn when we return. There is nothing more this one can do at this very moment, but she needs to be ready to act on a moment's notice. If there is a counterattack, we will only have a few moments to react. Ri'vashi is not going to rest until we are clear of enemy territory."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth pulled herself closer to Janius, hugging him out of empathy for the worries they both shared. Even to herself, it was not much of a comfort, but she did at least try to say something to calm some of his fears. "I understand; we haven't been able to see him in so long, but I have to just keep reminding myself that it's a lot better he isn't here. All this suffering...he doesn't have to see it. At least he's probably still too young to really understand what is happening. He definitely misses us, but he probably doesn't know that he should be afraid for us. And...at least we're both okay. We'll still all be a family when we get back."

---

Ri'vashi stopped in place when she heard Gallus' voice sound out behind her. She had done all she could do for the night, so she did at least have the time to talk. At this point, the rush to fortify the camp's defenses were over, so many of those who could were rushing to check on their friends and loved ones, with Gallus being no exception. "From what Ri'vashi knows, there are three Senche-raht survivors, but all are badly wounded. This one has as many healers as possible treating them. The Senche fared better than the Senche-raht, being lower-priority targets, so we still should be able to move all of our carts. But, we cannot move until the Senche-raht are able to move. We cannot carry them, so if a Senche-raht cannot move on their own...we will be forced to leave them behind. As for S'nishi, Ri'vashi does not know anyone by that name. She is assuming that S'nishi is from the Senchal clan, yes? One of the survivors is from that clan, and she is not in the worst condition among the three. You will have to check yourself to see if she is the same Senche-raht you know, though. Ri'vashi apologizes. Just be cautious not to crowd the healers."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I was." Kaleeth groaned, letting out a yawn. The numbing effect of the potion had helped her to get to sleep, though it did not stop the more intense pain caused by Janius prodding her wounds. She carefully turned herself towards him, then remained as still as she could to let her pain settle.

"You having trouble sleeping? I know there's a lot to worry about; I just feel tired enough to fall asleep anyway. Um, what's bothering you right now?" Kaleeth asked, already knowing the answer.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei wished she could sit up to speak with Gallus, but even if she were not in the middle of being healed, what muscles she could actually feel at the moment were weak. "You have done more for us than I could have ever asked for, Gallus. You and your pack deserve the highest honors. When you agreed to this task back in Bruma, you were not agreeing to fight a war in Elsweyr. You have done far more than was required of you."

There was more hesitation from Meesei, which she masked by focusing another spell through her body to keep it numb to the pain. There was something more she wanted to say to Gallus, but it was a promise which she did not know if she would be able to honor. Even so, she ultimately decided to, for the moment, embrace at least some optimism. She decided to speak confidently, even though her own future was very much an unknown to her.

"When I...return to Bruma, I will be sure to mention your contributions to your father." Meesei grinned, trying to generate some measure of good humor, despite the situation. "You did have some flaws, of course, but I believe your father will be proud of all you have done. And...we will find some way to honor everyone who will not be returning from this battlefield."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi stood, arms crossed and in deep thought. She lightly shook her head as she let out a sigh. "At this point, this one is going to assume that every enemy force we meet has access to this gas. As powerful of a weapon as it is, it would be too dangerous not to. Our focus needs to be on getting home, learning more about this gas, and trying to work out an antidote. Until we do that, nothing we do could stop Vile from turning this war in his favor. We will not be able to defend our clans, or attack their strongholds...we will be at their mercy."

"Marcaille, is it safe for Ri'vashi to assume that our alchemists are busy with the wounded?" Ri'vashi asked.

Marcaille nodded. "Afraid so, ma'am."

"Well, then we need to focus on getting our wounded well enough to move. We can move some of our supplies out of the carts, but we have nothing that can move a Senche-raht. Ri'vashi will go make sure the healers are tending to the Senche, and find a scout willing to return to the fortress." Ri'vashi said before turning to leave.

---

Ahnasha huffed, then slowly brought herself back to laying down on the bedroll. "And how many necromancers have you known, personally? That cult in Black Marsh was a cult of Molag Bal. You know, the lord of domination, rape, enslavement, and any number of other atrocities? Do you really expect that anyone in that place was going to be anything remotely good, necromancer or no? Mages in general get a bad reputation in a lot of places in Tamriel. People fear what they don't understand. From what I understand based on what I've learned so far, all I'll need for the actual process of extending my life are strong souls. Maybe some alchemy ingredients as well, but I doubt that's going to cause you any ethical problems. I just need to learn enough to be able to actually be able to perform the rituals. Nothing about that is going to make me into some sort of power-hungry madwoman. Have I done anything of that sort yet?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It is true that they likely used the majority of their supply of the gas in forcing our retreat." Meesei conceded. "But, even a single barrel could inflict terrible casualties on a formation. Granted, it would not be as effective outside, but from what I witnessed, it does not take much to kill. I...personally would feel more comfortable getting everyone to safety as quickly as possible. Especially since we know enemy reinforcements will be returning to their fortress at some point in the future."

Ri'vashi's approach to the situation did not outright dismiss Gallus' idea, but she was cautious. "Perhaps we should try to learn more about this gas before we make the decision to head back in? We recovered notes from their alchemy laboratory, correct? We should have our own alchemists read over those notes to try and learn more about what we will be dealing with."

---

Ahnasha was not one to quickly back down from defending her own position, but the argument was at least not escalating at the moment. She crossed her arms and maintained eye contact with Fendros, not showing any sort of doubt in her expression. "I can't promise anything like that when I don't really know what you're talking about. What does a 'dark path' mean to you? You can't just give me some vague warning, then get angry when I do something you don't like. Be specific; what did Meesei's warning mean to you? Because to me, using corpses to protect our allies is not what I would call dark."