EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The woman likely knew that she could not keep up the lie, no matter how much she might have wanted to. Her whole expression was uncertain, and she had a hard time even looking at Fendros, but she did eventually have to answer. "I...I don't have employers, not like that. My husband, he's the one that works for them directly. I'm not a part of that...whatever they are. I really am a carriage driver; that was true. It's just that the people my husband work for usually have me help them move around the area, since they know they can trust me. I don't know that much about them; I don't know what they're called or what they really want. I know that some of them are good, friendly people, and some of them were...strange. Scary. Like that Imperial woman you mentioned. I stayed away from her. I...I do know that they hunt Talos worshiper. But, that's illegal, so my husband was just hunting criminals, right?"

Ahnasha stayed neutral in her expression for now, but she had taken a clean parchment and was taking notes. "That's not a common opinion out here in the Empire. Even outside Skyrim, it is usually just Thalmor and Thalmor sympathizers that think that way. The people who sell out Talos worshipers are usually either desperate or greedy for coin."

Eleninne continued to avoid eye contact. "My husband was just going to do it until he paid off his debt. He used to be a mercenary, but his sword arm was injured and it took months for the healers to be able to restore it enough for him to use. Our savings ran dry, we lost our home, and we had no other way out. My husband had to sell his sword to pay to keep us in shelter for the last month, so he couldn't even work. Then, he found them, and they made an offer. They armed and armored him, and paid him a...reduced rate so he could support us. And they gave me the wagon and horse so I could work too. In exchange, we work for them at least until we can pay off what we owe them. I don't know any more, but my husband might."

Ahnasha was not entirely convinced, but nonetheless nudged Fendros' shoulder. "Well, if that is true, then I suppose it is time for us to bring your husband in here too. Why don't you go get him, while I watch them." She suggested. Once Fendros was up, Ahnasha was quick to pull him aside as he was heading for the door. "If they're all family, this should be easy. Bring the husband in here and we'll get him to say whatever he knows. How about I be the one that does the shouting and the threatening, maybe roughs a few people up, while you be the one that nice and accommodating, and tries to offer them a way out?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha stayed just behind Fendros, looking over her notes and observing the woman and the girl. Both of them wore somewhat dirty, but otherwise well-made dresses that placed them firmly in the middle-class. She looked like she could be a carriage driver, at least. There was still the matter of why the girl was with them, but Ahnasha could think of a few reasonable explanations. The woman had long, dark brown hair and a freckled face, while the girl had pale skin and red hair. Ahnasha had some comments to make, but she stayed quiet until Fendros could get some response from them.

The woman knew she could not go forever without a response, and the time it had taken to travel to the cabin had calmed her at least somewhat. She sad right next to the little girl, with her arm around her for comfort. "I'm...Carine, and this is my daughter Kalena. We don't really need anything, we just want to go. Like I said before, I just drive the wagon. I bring my daughter with me so I can teach her the trade, and because there isn't anyone to watch her. Those people out there, I thought they were just normal clients. I've hauled equipment for mercenaries and adventurers plenty of times before with no problems. You have to believe me; I don't want to cause any trouble. I don't know what you are, and I don't really care about all of that. I just want to go home; I promise I won't tell anyone about you. I just want to put all of this behind me and my daughter and get back to our lives. All I can really tell you about those people is that they paid their fee in full, and all up front. I think the crates they put in my wagon might have had weapons or something in them, but I didn't ask to look inside."

Ahnasha nodded, seemingly sympathetic. "You'll get out of here perfectly safely, but there's no need to rush. Any detail, even the small ones, can be important. You might not think you remember anything, but I have some questions that might guide your memory. Now, are you sure you don't want anything? Perhaps some refreshing water, little Aneitta? We even keep it cold with alchemy." Ahnasha offered, looking specifically to the little girl.

The little girl looked up at Ahnasha upon hearing the name and paused for a few moments in thought before responding timidly. "Y-yes...please. I am thirsty."

Ahnasha maintained a neutral expression, nodding for a moment before returning her attention to the woman. "Of course. But you see, that's interesting, because you didn't call her Aneitta. You called her Kalena. Yet, she responds to Aneitta without question. You see, I have in my notes a description of a man named Jespric; a description that perfectly matches a man in that other room. Jespric has a somewhat short, brown-haired wife with a face full of freckles named Eleninne, and a little, ten-year old red-haired daughter named Aneitta. I see three people, all matching those descriptions, all in the same group, and you can see how I might be suspicious. You are lying to us, Eleninne, and I would very much recommend that you be completely, uncompromisingly honest with us from this point forward. I am not one to tolerate deceit." Ahnasha threatened.

The little girl looked up to her mother in fear, as she knew she had done something that would get her in trouble, but the woman could hardly take her eyes off of Fendros and Ahnasha, since she was paralyzed with the fear she felt towards her captors in that moment.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha seemed more confused than offended at Fendros' refusal. She shrugged and responded just as quietly. "If we're forced to kill them anyway, what's the difference?" She did not seem to acknowledge the fate of their souls as being important. Being a necromancer, she was quite educated on matters of souls, so her lack of concern did not come out of ignorance. Her research into the dark arts the past few years had forced her to study the ways of very callous individuals, so it was possible that the years of exposure to such ideas had rubbed off on her. Ahnasha was not regularly placed in such morally compromising situations, so it was uncertain for how long she had held such views. In interrogations, she had shown herself to be capable of cruelty in the past, but only towards the enemy.

Regardless of her objection, the fact that there were also enemy captives present meant that Ahnasha did not dwell on the issue. "Well, at any rate, let's get everyone inside."

The cabin was not in great shape, but it was at least not in danger of collapsing anytime soon. They brought the prisoners in first to make sure they were properly bound, then Sabine led in the driver and her daughter, since she was the least outwardly threatening among them. For the sake of not panicking the pair, Kaleeth and Malithus' pack remained outside for the moment.

Ahnasha took the time to collect together the notes and documents she had recovered on her mission. It was a fairly thick stack of parchments, but she had an idea of what information would be useful. "Hmm, I think I recognize two of those men, based on these descriptions." Ahnasha explained quietly to Fendros. "I have some descriptions to put to that list of names, in addition to some interesting facts about some of the hunters. Those two might be a good place to start, but..."

Ahnasha looked closely at the mother and daughter, studying their features in detail for reasons she did not explain. After a few moments, she pointed to them. "I think I want to start with the driver and the girl first. I have a hunch. You want to start us off, try to calm them down?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha had a sympathetic expression as she slowly shook her head. "She killed herself? Zealots, they can never make anything easy, can they? If it's any consolidation, I doubt someone like that would have given up a word to us, no matter what we did to her. At least we still have someone left to question. Several, by the looks of it."

Bringing up her hand, Ahnasha rubbed her chin contemplatively. "But a wagon driver you say? Hmm, you don't think she knows anything? You sure she was telling the truth? It might be safest just to let me take their souls. Never know what they might tell the guards, and besides, I am getting so very, very close to my goal." She suggested, her tone almost casual. Ahnasha was, of course, willing to use the souls of their enemies for her goals, and they had already come to an agreement on that long ago, but this was the first time she had been in a position to suggest using the soul of anyone not provably hostile to them. Not to mention the fact that she was apparently intending to take the soul of a little girl; granted, she was still unaware of the girl's exact age.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

This was an interesting development. Ssarak was by no means an expert on vampires, but he had a basic education from the College. He had never heard of a natural vampiric child, and it was no small matter if one was suddenly born. Even if nothing else happened during their mission, that would certainly be a piece of information of interest to Lucilia.

Ssarak felt little in the way of anxiety when approaching the Baron. He did not come from a place where the leadership were considered unapproachable to the average person, so he could speak with the confidence befitting a diplomat.

”It is a pleasure to be here.”” Ssarak responded, returning the Baron’s polite and pleasant greeting. ”College life has been personally treating me quite well. In times such as these, it is hard for anyone to truly say that all is well, but the College continues to be a place of learning and strength. I can tell you, it is like another world entirely compared to the Scorched Lands, but I would not consider leaving it. Apart from assignments, of course. Lucilia is the one who requested that we attend. I am sure she would have liked to have visited herself, but she has many duties to keep her busy.” Ssarak explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha laughed back at Fendros, raising up her hand to wave back as he approached. "Sorry, I only deal in crazed prisoners of war. But it looks like you have plenty of those, so we might still make a deal."

Standing up from her chair, Ahnasha stepped down from the porch and met Fendros halfway to the cabin. She was indeed dressed as if she were a local hunter, with rugged leather pants and a leather vest, in order to help her blend. As soon as she was close enough, Ahnasha leaned in and gave Fendros a quick peck on the lips in greeting, along with a pleasant smile. "Well, I take it from your mood that your mission was fairly successful? I have some information as well, hopefully that will be useful. So, anything unexpected happen, or do we need to just get to the interrogating?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros' threats were enough to silence the woman and child completely, apart from whimpers and cries. The wounded Talos hunters, despite their injuries, were still tied up and put into the back of the wagon, while those that had surrendered were made to walk alongside under the guard of Malithus' pack. They were all in lycan form, so there was not the slightest chance of them escaping. Altogether, four of the hunters were deemed worth the effort to take with them. The rest of those that had survived the fight were too injured to reasonably be able to heal without better resources, so they were given quick deaths before the group departed.

Between Kaleeth and Malithus' pack, the majority of the group was in lycan form. Fortunately, there was no need to go near the roads. Bankorai did not have nearly thick forests to hinder their progress, and Kaleeth was more than strong enough to pull the cart over rough terrain. He was not nearly as fast as a horse, but she could easily pull a far greater load. They had picked their meeting spot as a place that was not too far from Viper's planned path, which they had closely followed, so it did not take them too long to reach it. Based on Malithus' maps of the area, they had decided to meet at an old cabin that had been abandoned for many years after its owner died. It was a small, two room abode on the edge of a small lake, which nature had been steadily reclaiming for years. The grass was overgrown, with the remnants of a garden inside a few mostly collapsed fences that was now filled with weeds. Vines and moss were growing on the cabin itself, and it likely had only a few years left before it too would collapse from the years of neglect. There was nothing significant about the cabin, aside from the fact that it was an isolated, but easy-to-find landmark.

As they approached, Fendros would be able to see that Ahnasha was already present and waiting. She was there alone, sitting on an old chair on the porch, looking out over the lake.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I don't know anything!" The woman repeated, this time shouting in her defense. "They just paid me to take them here; to drive the cart. That's all I did; just drove the cart. They hired me before and nothing happened. I just want to go, please! Just take anything you want and let us go!"

Malithus had not yet looked into the wagon at the Bretons, but he was easily able to hear what was happening. While he still had time to do so, he made a wise decision. He ordered Nelise and Rolaan to remain werewolves, and for the rest of his pack to transform as well after packing away their belongings. Then, he transformed himself. He stepped up behind Fendros, though tried to keep himself out of the line of sight of the pair of Bretons.

"We will probably need to get to the meeting place soon. Maybe we can just take them there? Until they can calm down." Malithus suggested. Although, he had not yet communicated why him and his pack had transformed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was very little that Kaleeth would be able to do to stop the woman, and especially the little girl, from panicking. She was a giant, blood-soaked monster in their eyes, and there were no rational words that were going to change that image. But, since the pair were hiding in the back of the wagon, Kaleeth was able to slink away out of their sight to allow them to focus solely on Fendros. He was a much less threatening sight, so they would accomplish more if Kaleeth stayed back.

Even after Kaleeth stepped back, it was another minute before the pair gave anything resembling a coherent response. For much of that time, the little girl was turned away crying while the woman held her protectively in her arms, though she too was horribly frightened.

Eventually, after a while of not being harmed, the woman mustered up the courage to speak between her cries. "I don't...what viper? I don't know what you're talking about. I just drive the cart. They paid me to drive the cart; I don't know anything else."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros would find little of use on the charred Imperial corpse. The spell she had immolated herself with had been a fairly powerful one that had burned her inside and out. Even if Sabine had been able to act quickly enough, it was unlikely that she would have been able to stop her from killing herself. Obviously, she had been a dedicated zealot to Vile's cause, but hopefully, the rest of their hostages would not share her conviction. For the ones that surrendered in particular, it did not seem likely.

In inspecting the wagon, there was one more interesting discovery to make. In the midst of the fighting, a Breton woman and a Breton girl about ten years of age had hidden themselves away behind a crate in the back. The woman had covered them with a cloth tarp to keep themselves effectively out of sight. The horses had been scared away in the fighting, so Kaleeth remained in her werecrocodile form to help pull the cart. However, as she walked past the cart after her meal, she caught a scent, then pulled away the tarp out of curiosity. Immediately, there was a shrill scream as the Bretons laid her eyes on the monster towering over her. Unlike the others in the camp, they were not armed or armored, and the older woman did not move to defend herself with magic.

"Fendros." Kaleeth said to get his attention, though the screaming had likely already done so.