EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Also can't help but to wonder if Saras will get close with his educated guesswork.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth held her confidence. Since Ahnasha was looking for information on the bodies, Kaleeth focused on what was simply the most valuable. Usually it was their silver weapons, but sometimes they wore jewelry or carried magic items that could bring in gold for the clan. Even with a whole cart at their disposal, they did still have to prioritize what they brought with them. "Have I really been modest, though? I think I always knew my limits. You all found me as a stupid hatchling of nineteen years who could barely hold a spear. You all trained me. You made me like this."

Lorag moved from the body he had been searching to walk up beside Kaleeth and give her a pat on the back. "Think we might've made a monster. Literally. We did give her the ability to just kind of chew through anything in front of her with those crocodile jaws."

---

The Orc gave a nod to Sabine. "There were survivors on both sides. The Thalmor didn't know how many people they were picking a fight with at the time, but, well, say what you like about those damn Elves, but they've got their magic. Fought their way out and took a lot with 'em, even if they lost a lot too. Guess we can't say if Vile's agents have some kind of deal with part of the Dominion that all of it doesn't know about. Usually they'd let their Justicars know about something like that, but if that group had been on an assignment for a while, they might not've heard. Still, we know that Vile's people have been trying to find Talos worshipers. That much we know for certain."

Meesei had removed the bandages to make it easier for her to work, though she could make sure that there was no further bleeding. She gave another healing potion to the Breton woman. It had been brewed by Sabine, so it was likely more potent than anything she had drank thusfar. Fortunately, the silver in her wound was not particularly difficult to extract. Even Sabine could not eliminate all of the pain of the process, but it was not unbearable for her. After that, it would just be a matter of pouring enough strong healing spells into her to prevent any irreversible harm from taking hold in her muscles or joints. "We will need to investigate this. Our delivery is important to make, but when we get to the Evermore clan, we will see what aid they can give us to investigate. After we return to the outpost, I will have a full copy made of your report. You and your sleuth have done well."

---

Saras sat looking at the letter on the table before him. He had his hands in front of him with his fingertips lightly touching together. The initial report from his agent was intriguing, but not immediately worrisome. It was not all too uncommon for a group of bored nobles' sons to take up some foolhardy quest to fight monsters, which would have explained their connections to the Solitude nobility. Of course, the coded letter would be unusual, but it was the insignia he uncovered that truly shifted the nature of the situation. Saras' time in the Dark Brotherhood had given him an appreciation for information, and his experience gave him a certain uncommon expertise in matters of espionage. So, he knew when not to underestimate a foe. The Penitus Oculatus were cunning and ruthless, even if their overall goals were usually predictable. They were not his standard opponent; this would likely prove interesting.

---

For an event of such potential importance, Saras had not taken long to assemble the council. It consisted of all of its usual members, with himself, Vera and her lieutenants, and Ri'vashi. Marcaille was also present, as she could provide a useful perspective on magical matters when Meesei was not present. However, this particular meeting had a different focus.

As he had called the meeting, Saras was quick to open with an explanation for why. He did not tend to be one for pleasantries. "One of my agents had learned of a small group coming from Solitude, three people, who are searching for lycans. I have identified them as members of the Penitus Oculatus, or at minimum, a group that knows how to properly form their insignia. As for the nature of their search, I can identify several possibilities based on one of two assumptions. The first assumption is that they do not know a great deal about our organization. In that case, they may be investigating what they perceive as a potential threat to the Empire. They are certainly aware of the increased lycan activity in Tamriel and may simply want to find groups of lycans to be marked for extermination in order to better secure their territory. That is the most straightforward possibility, and perhaps not the most likely. Another possibility, still based on the first assumption, is that they have caught wind of some of our actions. They know that there are lycan clans, but do not know of our organization or motives. In that case, they are most likely scouting and evaluating the situation to recommend further action to their superiors. Now, the second of the two assumptions would be that the Penitus Oculatus does have a reasonable idea of the extent of our organization and capabilities. They know we have our own methods to gather intelligence, and they know our clans work together. Under this assumption, I can only think one reasonable possibility. The agents want to be found. If they knew that we have our own agents, then they were far too sloppy in Solitude. They asked about us publicly, and made no effort to conceal their intentions. Against a group of wild savages, that would not matter, but if they know of our capabilities, then they would know that we would easily pick up on their inquisitiveness. This possibility is perhaps the most interesting, and dangerous."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, I shall transition into it quickly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Oh, interesting. Though, I suppose I should ask at what point to put my response. I suppose to a debriefing with the council? Or to a different point? I pretty much have his plan in mind.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I may not be able to confirm or deny things, but I am interested in the theories. I think that all of the lore available makes the conclusion possible to reach.

Also, I have no idea what you have in mind for Saras and that other event, so looking forward to that.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Talos worshiper thing may seem non-sequitur, but...well, it makes sense.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I am curious if you'll guess anything I have in mind. I won't give it away, but I am curious.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha joined Fendros in searching the bodies, looking first for their commanders. Silver and other metals were valuable, but the most helpful salvage they could find was usually information. Letters, maps, orders, and anything else that they could use to learn more about the enemy was always a priority. Granted, the enemy was generally intelligent about protecting sensitive information, but they were sometimes lucky enough to encounter commanders who were too overconfident to bother with such measures. Ahnasha, unlike Fendros, still did not wear armor, despite the availability of light chitin plates. She preferred to wear the least amount of bulk as possible, so she had never moved away from wearing furs. However, her magical abilities offered her some quite effective means of keeping herself protected.

"Mine too." Ahnasha answered. "Not many left now. Hircine willing, we'll get the last of them on this mission. Wasn't expecting to get anything at all, but I'm glad I brought them. This turned out to be more interesting than a simple delivery."

Kaleeth removed her helmet and hooked it onto her belt on her side. She could tolerate wearing it, but she could never really find it comfortable. It was unavoidable for her fins to be pressed against her head, which was a persistent irritant whenever she needed to wear it. As she approached Ahnasha and Fendros to help with the bodies, she continued with the banter she had overheard moments before. "Oh, there's no need for you two to compete. I'm sure you're both doing just fine...from a distance, away from all the swords and pointy spears." She chuckled.

Inside the cave, after allowing a few moments for their injured ally to dispense with her surprise and awe at meeting the Champion, Meesei and Sabine began their work on treating her injury. They had bandaged her up and treated her to he best of their ability, but a simple healing potion was not enough for her wounds. Working under a hovering magelight spell, Meesei first focused on removing any silver dust or shards that might remain in her arm. Fortunately, it was a task that she and Sabine has plenty of experience with.

Meesei was focused, but she did not need to focus to such an extent that she could not question the werebears' leader about what they had learned. "Your runner said that you had learned 'surprising' information about our enemy's operations in the area. I would appreciate you elaborating on that, while we are here." She requested.

"Yeah, just give me a moment..." The Orc started before rummaging through one of his bags to produce a small stack of parchments. "So he said...yeah. The short answer is that the enemy is doing things that make no kind of sense. I didn't believe it at first, but we saw the evidence with our own eyes. It's like some of Vile's agents have become aspiring Justicars, because now, all of the sudden, they're going after Talos worshippers as well as lycans. Got whole teams dedicated to it, and have been sending coin and information to Thalmor Justicars."

Meesei's eyes widened. "That is...alarming. Has Vile forged some kind of alliance with the Aldmeri Dominion? They may be fulfilling their part of whatever bargain they have made."

"That's the thing, we haven't seen anything pointing to them actually working with the Thalmor in any other way. In fact, some Justicars happened upon one of the enemy's outposts a few weeks back and got into a skirmish once they spotted a shrine to the Daedra. It was a bloodbath between the both of them, saved us some work. But, they still both keep going after Talos worshippers." He explained.

Meesei was silent for a few moments in thought, but even she could not find any pattern or reason in the information she had been given. "Well, you are certainly correct that it does not make sense."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The ambush went much as Meesei had expected. She found it rarer in recent years to be caught off-guard by their enemy. In general, her pack were the ones on the attack against Vile's forces; when they controlled the time and place of engagements, when they were fighting on their terms, her pack could seem unstoppable. Their magic alone was usually enough to demoralize those that they could catch unaware. By the time the werebears had joined in the fray, there was little left for them to actually do other than to cut down the fleeing, disorganized remnants of their enemy.

As was also becoming more common, they had a few prisoners in the aftermath of the battle. Ahnasha allowed her thralls to disintegrate before rejoining the others. She looked over their prisoners with only mild annoyance, since it meant they would be having to deal with them all the way back to the outpost. She had already filled the black soul gems she had on her person, so they did not have any other uses to her.

After ensuring their captives were properly tied, gagged, and blindfolded, Meesei approached who she assumed to be the leader of the sleuth. They had no markings of rank, of course, but she was generally able to pick out an alpha by the way they acted or otherwise carried themselves. Meesei was not wearing as thick of a coat as she would in Skyrim, but for the part of High Rock that they were in right now, she was well-covered in furs to deal with the cool air. The leader of the werebears, meanwhile was an Orc wearing steel armor, though not a full plate suit. He was a naturally large and imposing man, but even he looked down at Meesei with a look of shock and a slight hint of fear. The chaos of the sudden ambush had left him little time to examine and judge the situation, but now there was little question in his mind of who he was standing before.

"You're...by Hircine, you're the Champion!" He exclaimed. The three of his allies with him were equally as surprised and nervous. One of the transformed werebears, through a combination of shock and a bit of social awkwardness, actually went as far as to try to bow, which produced a chuckle from Lorag.

The Orc continued. "Never thought this would be how he answered my prayers. You...you all were like a force of nature. I thought for a moment that Hircine himself had come down to Tamriel to smite those bastards. You saved us; no other way about it. We were practically writing our own eulogies before you showed up."

As much as Meesei appreciated respect and praise, she had heard all of it before; all of her pack had. And more importantly, they were not in a position to know if the enemy would be receiving any reinforcements. So, Meesei was quick to get to business. "We are glad to help, but for safety, we need to get everyone back to the outpost. Do you have any wounded among you?"

"Right, uh..." The Orc began, tilting his head down. "Aye, one of our number's hurt pretty bad. Not life threatening exactly, but she's got a nasty silver wound all up her arm. Might lose the arm if she can't get help."

"I see." Meesei answered with a brief, understanding nod. "Then I will help her. The remote chance of another enemy attack is not sufficient to allow her to lose a limb. Take me to her. Everyone else, search the bodies for anything useful. Our enemy was kind enough to leave us a carriage, so we should be able to recover quite a lot of supplies and other valuables. Fill the cart as much as possible; the prisoners can walk when we wake them. Sabine, I would appreciate your help with healing."

Meesei gave another look to the Orc. "And I would also be very interested to hear about this information you have uncovered on our enemy."

While Ahnasha was not particularly looking forward to loading up a carriage with bunch of silver, she still took the time to step up alongside Fendros with a sly look. "Hmm, I believe I counted two less kills for you this time around compared to our last ambush. Sure you're not starting to get slow, husband?" She teased.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The enemy force outside the cave had certainly been ready to fight. They were anticipating a counter-attack from the cave, but they had also been planning for the possibility of reinforcements. However, they could not have prepared for the quick, impactful ambush that Meesei's pack were bringing down upon them. They numbered seven against over twenty, but the enemy must have felt like they were being attacked by an army.

As disorganized as the enemy had become, those closest to Kaleeth, Lorag, and Janius at least had a definite enemy right in front of them to focus on. They initially created a coherent formation, but Sabine's magic was quick to sew chaos among them. Immediately after Sabine had pierced through one of their opponents with an icy spear, Lorag swung his hammer sideways into the shield of the man just to the fallen foe's left. His shield was sturdier, but all the same, the force of Lorag's blow was enough to cause him to trip over his fallen ally. He landed straight in front of Kaleeth, who proceeded to bring her mace down onto the back of his head. He was wearing a helmet, but the cracking sound that followed the blow suggested that it did little good. A Khajiit woman with a silver-tipped spear just ahead of Kaleeth tried to jab the spearhead through a gap in Kaleeth's armor, but as those gaps were small, she only had to move by a small amount to ensure that the spear deflected uselessly off of the metal plate. And of course, Lorag was quick to punish the Khajiit's overextended thrust by breaking her arm at the elbow with another swing from his hammer.

Naturally, the pack's ambush did not go unnoticed by their allies within the cave. There had not been any way to communicate with them beforehand, but it did not take much effort for them to realize that it was time to counter-attack. They had been just as prepared to fight as Vile's forces, so two of them came charging out of the cave, with another two in werebear form just behind them. It was at that point when Meesei decided it was time to strike. Sabine's mist had spread far into the center of the enemy's formation. It cut their visibility and made it that much more difficult for the soldiers to find their commanders and re-position themselves to be more useful, but its greatest purpose was yet to come. Amidst the mist and the chaos, Meesei had used her invisibility to make her way to the very center of the enemy's formation. She was surrounded on all sides as she suddenly became visible, but with the thick, humid mist surrounding her, she had the advantage. Letting out a sudden burst of magical energy, she used the mist as a conductor to electrify the air around her, stopping just short of her own allies. The majority of their remaining foes were caught inside the electric mist, and their screams were louder than the lightning itself. From the outside, it was brilliantly bright, which even further obscured what was happening within. It lasted for only a few seconds, and with the wide area of the spell, it was not necessarily lethal to everyone it hit. However, everyone she had hit were at least temporarily, but effectively incapacitated. Between Ahnasha and her thralls from the west, the rest of her pack from the east, and the werebears from the cave, it would be a slaughter when they all closed in.

Nearby to Meesei, a Dunmer mage had used a constant wave of telekinetic energy to push the electric mist away from herself. When the lightning stopped, it struck fear in the core of her being to see Meesei standing before her. Just as the Champion's pack had become legendary among the clans, so too had rumors of them spread through the ranks of the enemy, according to Sara's spies. The enemy had attempted to downplay such rumors, though Saras' agents had also spread them fervently. Regardless, the Dunmer woman, whether out of desperation or simple good training, charged a fireball instead of freezing in fear. Meesei, in turn, did not have trouble stopping her before she could release it. Raising up her hand, it glowed green with a strange magic. Small pseudo-portals from Apocrypha opened up around the Dunmer, from which three black tentacles reached up and wrapped around the woman, pulling her to the ground. The Dunmer was too startled to effectively act in time, and with her arms and legs being held to the ground, there was little she could do to resist as Meesei electrocuted her.