EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I took us out of time only to ensure our neutrality." Meesei responded calmly. In truth, she wondered how Lunise was able to detect that anything had happened at all, unless she had knowledge of the specific kind of magic she used. The Psijics could and had used such magic in the presence of master mages, with them being none the wiser. "It would be foolish of me to try and take sides when half of my clans reside in the Dominion. You know that you are a rational person who would not risk your people by trying to deal with Vile, but how am I to know that? We have only just met. Marod knows you far better, so I asked him. Remember, I have been fighting a war with Vile for nearly a decade. A war in which the slightest leak of information, the smallest missteps when speaking with strangers, can get my people, my brothers and sisters, killed. I have to ask that you forgive my paranoia, for it is what has kept us alive. I apologize for any offense; if you would like to ask me any questions, I would be happy to oblige."

Meesei motioned her hand forward. "And as a token of good faith, I have an offer for the both of you. As Marod alluded to before, both of you could potentially want to integrate lycans into positions in your own militaries and other organizations in the future. However, I doubt you would have the same experience as my people at training lycans to master their beast spirits. I can offer to send instructors to you both to teach your people how to most effectively train newer lycans not only how to control their beast spirit's urges, but to form a connection with it that will strengthen their abilities."

Naturally, Meesei did have another motive for making such an offer. If either of the nations tried to integrate poorly-trained lycans into their militaries, then there would be a strong chance of an incident that could lead to a loss of life for their other soldiers. That would give their governments an impression of lycanthropes that Meesei would like to avoid.

---

Ahnasha took in a deep breath, staring at the crystal in front of her. "Okay. I suppose...everything is ready, then. Nothing is holding me back. I can just start whenever I please."

Despite her anxiety, Ahnasha could not stall herself forever. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to concentrate. "I suppose I can still speak to you during all of this, just, um, don't expect me to concentrate too much on the conversation." She added. Finally, with nothing else left for her to do, she began her ritual. From the first soul gem in the top row, she began to draw in soul energy. The violet tendrils of energy flows first into the crystal, then in a more concentrated form into Ahnasha herself. Ahnasha had not said explicitly how long it would take, but the pace she was going did make it seem like it would take a while.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded. "So you do not believe she will react negatively to the information? Excellent. And do not worry, she will not recognize the magic. She would have to be a Psijic to even understand it. I simply wanted to be sure of my words. You know Lunise far better than I, so it would be foolish of me not to listen to our input before speaking. Now, just act natural."

Just as quickly as it had started, Meesei ended the spell, keeping her eyes on Lunise just as she had before. Without any delay, she continued from where she had left off before speaking to Marod. You see, Vile's agents were hunting Talos worshipers in that area, not lycans. Well, there are lycan hunters in that area, but they also have teams dedicated specifically to hunting Talos worshipers. At first, we worried that the enemy in the area might have made some deal with the local Justicars, but our investigation proved that to be untrue. His agents fight against the Thalmor openly, despite their shared goal. Their reasons for hunting them are a mystery to me. It does not make sense with anything we have learned about Vile over the years; his goals, his methods. We do not know what he stands to gain by hunting Talos worshipers, but it does show that he has goals beyond just Tamriel's lycans. And while it may happen to work in your favor for now, I would not expect that to remain true forever. Vile does not strike me as the type to take a political stance against heretics, so it also tells me that there is something tangible to gain by killing Talos worshipers specifically."

---

"Yeah, it will just help...if it's made right, of course." Ahnasha commented. Uncorking the vial, she poured its contents over the crystal just in front of her. Fendros was not sure of its function, which made since considering that she had not actually taken the time to explain anything yet. She was having a hard time focusing, and had to take a moment to collect herself.

"There are several different ways to go about this kind of ritual. Marcaille said this would be the quickest method I could learn, so it is what I went with. There are methods that require less souls, but require a lot more study, and have a higher chance of failure if the necromancer does something wrong. This crystal will act as a focus to help me channel the soul energy into my body. The oil purifies the crystal to make that a bit easier. I will need to maintain a constant flow of energy from start to finish. To little and the connection to my own soul will break, causing the energy I've already channeled into myself to fade. Too much at once and my soul will sort of...close itself off. In either case, all of the gems I would have used up to that point would be wasted." Ahnasha explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I see. I mention it because High Rock was where myself and my pack were carrying out an investigation when you first contacted Ardan." Meesei began. However, before she finished her statement, she released the spell she had been subtly preparing. All of the sudden, Marod would see the world around him overcome by a washed-out light blue field of energy, with sparkling particles of pure magicka popping in and out of existence all around them. Lunise, and everything else in the room, would look to be frozen in time to him. Although, it would be more accurate to say that Meesei had taken Marod and herself out of time.

"Forgive me, but I felt that I wanted to give us a chance to speak privately." Meesei explained, not so much as even acknowledging the unique nature of the feat of magic she had performed. Only if Marod was familiar with the magic of the Psijics would he be able to even identify what Meesei had done. Naturally, the spell she was maintaining was rather straining, so she could not keep it up forever. She would need to get to the point quickly. "The information I have from High Rock is that Vile's agents in the region have been hunting down and killing Talos worshipers. And yes, it is as confusing to me as it likely is to you. Had I not seen the evidence with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. I cannot even begin to speculate on why Vile would be hunting Talos worshipers, of all things, but it does confirm that he has plans beyond hunting lycans. At first, we thought he might have an alliance with the Thalmor, but we performed and extensive investigation to find that there is no sort of allegiance between them. Vile's hunters do not consider the Thalmor allies, and have come into open conflict with them. So, whatever reason they have is Vile's will alone. I want to know what you think Lunise will make of this information. It seems that, in this instance, Vile's hunters are working towards the same goal as the Thalmor Justicars. They are certainly not allies with the Dominion, but I do not want Lunise to start to think that there would be some advantage for them to gain by working with them. Vile's plans will not be in the favor of either the Dominion or Empire."

---

"A source of trouble, and a great deal of stress. But, at least it is almost over. Hopefully. I am going to be...beyond angry if I make some kind of mistake and waste all of these souls. It has taken me a lot longer than most necromancers; they simply take the souls of whatever travelers happen to pass by their lairs. They do not need to worry about finding some enemy soldier to kill." Ahnasha commented. Unlike Fendros, she showed not a hint of remorse or doubt over the souls she had taken.

Once the soul gems were arrayed in a few rows in front of her, Ahnasha placed down the white crstal in its holder just in front of the gems. She then sat herself on her knees in front of it, then reached into her bag to pull out the vial she had been looking at back in their room. "The texts say this oil is not strictly necessary, but it could make the process easier. Make it simpler to focus with the crystal. I asked Sabine for advice in helping make it. Though, I don't think she really knew what I was asking her to make. It's a purifying concoction, not exclusive to necromancy."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"With the sheer number of lycans I represent, I can almost guarantee there will be resistance." Meesei answered honestly. "There is simply no way to please everyone, as anyone who works in leadership knows. There will be those who will not accept anything other than complete independence, and unlike the Empire or Dominion, I cannot require them to remain under my command. As with anyone else, they can simply leave their clans. However, I do not expect any large scale resistance. If I survive this war, and we emerge victorious, then there will be no question of my right to rule. Some clan leaders may want to challenge me regardless, but fortunately for you, we have traditions regarding such disputes. If they wish to challenge my decisions, then they must challenge me: a trial by combat to determine who truly has the right to lead. It may sound far from humble, but I do not know of any clan alphas who would be capable of besting me. I am the Champion for a reason."

Meesei had more to say to Marod and Lunise, though she was mentally debating on how to go about it. There was a particular question she wanted to ask Marod privately, without drawing attention to it. Fortunately, she knew a particular spell that would help in that regard, something she had learned in Apocrypha of the Psijics. For now, however, she wanted to learn what, if anything, Lunise already knew. "Now, I too have questions for you." Meesei continued. "Lunise, have you heard any reports of recent events in High Rock, near Evermore? Vile's followers there have come into open conflict with Thalmor Justicars. Do you know what Vile's followers have been doing there?"

---

Ahnasha gave Fendros a curious look. "What smell?" She asked, which also neatly answered his question.

As Ahnasha was clearing out a space in the center of the room, her skeletal servants began to carry out the tasks she gave them, all without any verbal instructions. One picked up a wooden crate from the corner of the room, while the other collected a strange crystal in a modified soul gem stand.

Ahnasha opened up the crate, which contained all of the soul gems she had been collecting over the last few years. All, apart from a few grand soul gems, contained the mortal souls of the people they had killed for her research. One by one, Ahnasha carefully started to pull out each gem and place them side by side in front of her. It would be the first time that Fendros would have seen them all collected together in one place.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei leaned forward onto the table, nodding slowly through the pair's explanations. "So, you are saying you have infiltrators in your governments working to further Vile's goals. And, I imagine that you have certain restrictions investigating ranking members of your own governments. I can understand the problem that creates. We have had to deal with infiltrators before, but I benefit from having absolute rule over my clans. I know there are infiltrators and can institute policies to combat them. I doubt you have the same freedom. I expect that you will shape your reports to discourage any action against us for as long as possible, but I cannot expect you to perform miracles."

Letting out a long sigh, Meesei stood up straight. "I suppose it would be best for me to tell you. This is information I have not even shared with all of my own clans, but I find it important for all of us here to fully understand the...realities of this situation. That being the purpose for Vile's attacks against us. This is not just a quarrel between Daedric Lords. Hircine did not anger Vile to spark a war, nor do I believe Vile cares much at all about lycans themselves. This war has been all about what Daedra so often crave: power. You see, I am sure you know that lycan populations have expanded drastically over the past decade or so, but it was not our doing. Vile's followers were the ones to start infecting people, to start spreading the condition wider and wider. And they did it for our souls. Souls are a source of power for a Daedric Lord, both those of their willing followers, and those they claim by other means. A lycan soul is particularly potent. Within our bodies, we have both our mortal soul, and the immortal vestige of our Daedric beast spirit. Capturing one of our souls grants more power than that of the average mortal. As you said before, keeping lycans captive is very difficult and dangerous, so instead, they decided to fight us. Vile started a war, encouraged us to group ourselves into nice, contained clans. Then, they developed a weapon: a poison to harvest our souls from a single breath. It is devastatingly effective, and we survived only because we discovered their plan in Elsweyr before they were ready to strike. We delayed them, but we did not stop them."

While Meesei did have reservations about sharing any information at all with either of the diplomats, there was a particular advantage she sought to gain which she felt worth the risk. Besides which, there was not much actual harm that could come from the particular information she was sharing. "I do not know what Vile's final goals are, only that our destruction is not it. He has a plan, and he is using us, lycans, as the means to carry it out. We are just a...resource that he wants to harvest. Imagine the kind of power he would gain from collecting every lycan soul in Tamriel. That is the kind of power that I doubt either of you would want to see a single Daedric Lord possess; particularly one as malicious and self-serving as Vile. I am telling you all of this to make it clear that, if we fail, it does not mean that it is over. It just means that the enemy will now have the means to carry out the next phase of his plan. And we will not be there to help you; it will only be the Empire and Dominion. Likely, he would just drive the two of you at war with one another before finishing his plans unopposed. I do not need to say how trivially easy of a feat that would be to accomplish."

---

Ahnasha shook her head. "No, I have always been careful when coming here. You'll be the first person to step inside aside from me. Well...first living person."

Just as Ahnasha finished speaking, the door to her laboratory opened, and not because Ahnasha was the one to open it. The laboratory itself was contained within a small Dwemer structure built into the side of a rocky cliff. The large, metal doors were opened by a being, or more accurately, a creation of Ahnasha's: a reanimated Falmer skeleton. It was a permanent thrall, made using a filled soul gem instead of a simple, temporary spell. Its bones creaked and clanked together with every movement, and the glowing orbs of magicka that served as its eyes stared ahead at them lifelessly. Naturally, Ahnasha gave no reaction to the thrall. She simply instructed it to step to the side. She needed to speak no words to do so, since its connection to her was telepathic.

The interior of the Dwemer building was fairly small. The hallway in the back was collapsed, so Ahnasha had only a single room to work with. There was a myriad of soul gems, enchanting tools, and other magical trinkets scattered across a few stone tables. There was even alchemy equipment, though Ahnasha had not shown herself to be an alchemist. Of course, there were also a few full skeletons worth of bones, the distinct smell of rotting flesh in the air, and a second skeletal Falmer thrall.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Before they started their detailed discussions on their agreements, Meesei kept her eyes on Orphius. She did not show much of a reaction to Marod's description of Orphius' situation, though she certainly had her own thoughts on it. "Hmm, it is unfortunate that you have been brought into this situation in that manner. Though, we do not make ourselves easy to find, so I understand the need for a good tracker. Regardless, if you do fear me, that is not necessary. As Champion, I serve as the leader to Hircine's followers, and all of his hounds, bears, other creatures. That does not only mean that I command them, but that I have a responsibility to them. Not all choose to follow me, but your well-being is still my concern. If you and your family truly are going to be free after this meeting, then I have an offer for you. Speak to me when you can."

Meesei turned her head back to Marod. "As for lycan legionaries, my clans will of course always have a policy of neutrality between the Empire and Dominion. But, no one in my clans, except those unable to control their beast spirits, are forced to stay. They can make their own choices. There is something on that topic I would like to speak to you both about, but, well, we have these agreements to go over first."

Finalizing their agreements was a long, detail-oriented process, but there were no surprises at any point in their deliberations. As Marod requested, she had Saras take her copies of the documents while she remained to speak with him and Lunise. She was not sure what exactly they wanted to discuss, but she expected there would be more agreements to make. Certainly, she had matters she wished to discuss with them. It did not bother her to be alone with them, as she was confident in her ability to look after herself in the unlikely event that something went wrong. "I am sure you two have something specific to speak of, so I will allow you to start." Meesei commented once they were alone.

---

Ahnasha collected her clothing and other belongings before heading out of their room with Fendros. She did not need to carry too much with her, as most of what she needed was already in her laboratory. Most of the clan was still asleep, so for the most part, only the members of the guard on night watch were in the streets of the city. Fortunately, there were few in the city who would question the actions of two members of the Champion's pack, so they were able to leave the Silent City undisturbed.

Ahnasha had picked a location for her laboratory that was far enough from the city or any of their normal patrol routes that she would not be disturbed, but still close enough that using it would not be too inconvenient. She did not appear to become any less nervous as they made the walk. "I don't think I'll need you to do anything. I just...well I'll be glad to have you there."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There we go, edited.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, forgot to write for Ahnasha before hitting submit.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei felt that Lunise had misunderstood what she was actually asking, but it was irrelevant. They had more serious business to tend to. Saras handed Meesei his own copy of their agreement, which she placed in front of her as she took her seat. "If I had known that you would want to go through the trouble of moving the townsfolk, I would have said we could simply meet in the wilderness somewhere. Though, I suppose it is somewhat more necessary for me to avoid disturbing the locals than you. I lack a certain...official authority that you possess."

Scanning through the documents, Meesei did not see any changes to the wording that were meaningfully different from what she had already read. At least, not yet. "Ardan has informed me of all of the terms you previously deliberated together, and I agree with his judgment. We do not, have never, nor ever will desire war with the Empire or Dominion. And your requests are reasonable. Anything to bring about the end of Vile's aggression is something I can support. You can be assured that I would much prefer your taxes to Vile killing my people. This struggle has gone on for years, and I grow tired of it. You will not have to fear any trouble from my people after this is over. Most of us have had enough war for a lifetime. For any who have not, well, they can go find a dragon to hunt if they still crave a challenge. In short, I agree to the terms as they are written, but I am curious about some details of how we might be...interacting in the future."

Meesei turned her head to the other table, towards Orphius, and sniffed the air a few times. "You have a lycan among you: a werebear. Please, tell me of yourself. Are lycans and other...abnormal beings common among your organization?"

---

Ahnasha leaned her head back and relaxed her shoulders as Fendros began to rub her back. "It will be exciting, as long as I do it right." She responded. "There's always the possibility of error. No matter how much I've prepared, how much I've practiced the spells, or cleaned the tools, there is always a chance I could do something wrong. And I would really, really hate to have to gather all of those souls again. I'd have to if I don't do it right, and the worst part is, I won't know for a while after the ritual if it has been performed correctly. From what I've read, I won't feel any different. I'll have to wait for my soul to settle for a few days before I can accurately test how strongly it is bonded to my body. A few days straight of just not knowing."

Again, Ahnasha sighed. "But there's no sense in sitting here and doing nothing. I'd like for you to come with me, to my laboratory out of the city. That is where I have been setting everything up." She requested. Fendros knew of the fact that Ahnasha had created another hidden lair for herself in which she could conduct her experiments, but she had not actually invited him to it before.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gladly shook Marod's hand to reinforce the sense of polite professionalism she wanted to bring to this meeting. Even towards Lunise she kept up an air of friendliness, despite her thickly sarcastic greeting. Although, Meesei also took care not to in any way seem subservient. She did not want to give any impression that the Empire or Dominion were able to force her into this deal. Her attitude was more similar to that of a polite diplomat.

"I am simply glad that we have been able to come to a peaceful agreement. It is something of a rarity for my kind to find any measure of acceptance among Tamriel's citizens. This kind of rationality is...refreshing." Meesei responded. After a moment, she shifted her attention back to Lunise. "Yes, I do recognize you. It is good to see you made it back to civilization alive. Did everyone else make it back to Orcrest without issue?"

---

Ahnasha heard Fendros get up, so she was not surprised when he came up behind her. Usually, her body relaxed when he showed such affection towards her, but this time, she remained just as tense. "I think it is more early than late, actually. It's hard to tell down here. I just woke up an hour ago. I'm not actually doing much right now, just looking through my things. Making sure everything is right as it should be."

Closing her eyes a moment, Ahnasha let out a long sigh. "Nothing looks to be wrong, and...I don't think I have any more reason to delay. Nothing to wait for, nothing to perfect. I have the souls, the skill, everything. I...Fendros, I think it is time for me to carry out the ritual. Today."