EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded in agreement. "I doubt we will need to worry about the guards. In all likelihood, they will simply write off the event as an oddity. There are plenty of innocuous explanations for unusual strength. We should just focus on our business in the city."

After a minute or two, a barmaid came by their table to take their orders for drinks. Not wanting to draw any more unusual attention to themselves, many of the pack at least ordered something to justify their presence in a tavern.

Ahnasha gave a long sigh as the stress from their encounter was finally dying down. She hoped the rest of their stay in Sentinel would not be so confrontational; she had heard the city was an interesting destination to visit, so if they did have to stay for any length of time, it at least would not likely be dull. "It will be such a relief when we finally have a solid location for the axe. Though, I don't know if we should expect to find it quickly. We may end up needing to stay in the city for a while. If nothing else, that will let you and your brother learn more about the Redguards." Ahnasha commented, looking to Rhazii. "You two are probably some of the most wordly children on Tamriel, with as many places as we travel. I wonder if there are any local warrior guilds that would allow you to spar with some of their apprentices? The Redguards do have a warrior culture, so it would not surprise me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The guard gave Julan a few moments more of a stare before focusing his attention back on Janius. "Just give me your account of what happened, step by step, then you all can go on your way."

Since they were the closest to the thief, Janius and Kaleeth gave their recollection of what happened, including the Breton woman approaching Janius. Kaleeth was not sure if she was involved or not, and she was not terribly confident that she would be caught, even if she was. But, Kaleeth was far more concerned with just moving on and getting the attention away from the pack.

Thankfully, the rest of the walk to their destination was uneventful. The altercation had likely caused every pickpocket in the district to lay low until the guards were less on-edge. They made their way into the tavern where they were to meet Saras' agent, which was the same tavern that the Redguard they were tracking was known to frequent. Unfortunately, the pack was unable to see anyone wielding the Rueful Axe among the tavern's patrons, though even the most optimistic among them did not expect to find the axe so easily.

The tavern did not appear to be too seedy of a location, though it was somewhat secluded. It was a small business, located in the basement of another shop, with only a single room open to patrons. The pack found seats for themselves between two of the corner tables and were finally able to take a moment to catch their breath before someone would come around to take their orders for drinks.

"That was more...eventful than I would have preferred, but at least we are here now. Our contact should be here within an hour or two." Meesei said quietly. "Is there anything to be concerned about with that thief? Was anything damaged in your bag, Janius?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan rubbed the side of his head and groaned. "I'm not bleeding or anything, I think. It's not worse than...other things." He answered. In truth, his head felt like it was spinning, but he still felt the need to look strong in front of his family, so he did not let on to how sore his face felt. Kaleeth, naturally, was just as concerned about Julan as Janius, and just as angry at the thief. It was only through years of patience and tempering of her anger that she did not start kicking the thief while he was down. However, she was growing more concerned about the curiosity and confusion of one of the guards. Everything had happened quickly, so few people had time to pay attention, but Julan had inadvertently demonstrated a feat of strength far beyond anything natural to an Argonian of his age.

The thief himself was even more confused, as he had only now begun to process what had happened. He was bewildered that he could have been stopped in his tracks by someone so young. He had given up on resisting by this point; his partner had slipped away as soon as the guards were called, so there would be no one to help him. He allowed the guard to stand him up onto his knees and start tying his hands behind his back, glaring at Julan the entire time. "There's something...not right about that lizard." The thief stated accusingly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

One of the advantages, or disadvantages, depending upon the perspective, of a highly militarized city in wartime was the increased presence of guards. There was a tall Redguard in a city watch armor who had witnessed the entire ordeal. The guards were all heavily armed an armored, so the thief's original plan had relied not upon avoiding being spotted, but simply upon slipping away before the much slower, less agile guards could hope to catch or identify him. However, being delayed, even for only a few seconds, would allow the guard plenty of time to react, and Janius was ensuring that he was going nowhere. Not to mention, the screams of pain from Janius' effortless twisting of his joints made the scene quite obvious to everyone around them.

The guard who had witnessed the attempted robbery quickly grabbed the attention of another nearby guard and hurried over to the scene of the altercation. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword, though it was still in its scabbard. He shouted, not necessarily threateningly, but loudly and firmly enough to clearly be heard over the crowd. "Release him, Imperial. The Sentinel guard will handle this from here." One of the guards commanded.

The other Redguard had something of a suspicious look in his eye, particularly as he looked down at Julan. The young Argonian was not showing as much of a pained reaction as a normal child of his age would to such a heavy strike, due to the fact that his regular transformations gave him a higher than average pain tolerance. "The boy is...much stronger than he looks, isn't he?" The Redguard commented as his partner was moving to arrest the thief.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Breton kept up with Janius, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep his attention. "Oh, but are you sure? I am certain you shall not regret it."

The woman's bold and somewhat rude insistence had caught Kaleeth's attention as well. She doubted that whatever she was selling would be worth it, so she hoped to try to help Janius politely get away from her. However, it was that attention that the woman really wanted, as it provided the brief distraction her partner needed.

With their eyes focused on the woman, another Breton man was able to close in on Janius and quickly snatch one of the bags around his waist; the one most likely to contain a coin-purse. He ended up snapping one of the straps in the process, so it was rather obvious what had happened.

The thief almost would have been clear to run away through the crowd, but Julan had ended up turning back as well, wondering why he was no longer walking alongside his parents. This allowed him to see the man rushing up to his father, and gave him the chance to react, even if it was not the most well-planned reaction. As the man was running past Julan, he reached out and grabbed a hold of the bag as well.

"Hey, that's not yours!" Julan shouted. Being a full grown and fairly strong adult, the Breton expected to be able to just jerk the bag out of the young Argonian's grasp with ease. However, Julan's size was deceptive to his true strength. The Breton found himself halted in his tracks by an Argonian half his size, tugging on a cloth bag. The thief's success relied upon acting quickly, and the few seconds that Julan had delayed him were already dangerous. Panicking, the Breton backhanded Julan across the face to try and force him to let go so he could sprint away.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha laughed quietly for a moment. "Not an uncommon occurrence for Khajiit, I'd say. Though, I suspect the reason is a bit different this time. It's hard to expect anything less in Hammerfell. Dominion spies have to be a legitimate worry for them. Of course, the Thalmor also have one of the most well-developed spy networks in the world, and they can get spies of different races, so singling people out probably isn't going to do much to help them."

The Sentinel markets were, by many visitors accounts, among the most exciting places to visit in Hammerfell. Sentinel itself, being a large port city and the intersection of many trade routes, was a cultural and economic center in the region, and a particularly popular destination for Breton nobility. Although, the war with the Dominion had diminished that splendor somewhat. They had lost many southern trade routes, and of course no longer openly imported goods from Dominion territories, even if they still could be found through black market sources. Regardless, it was ever bit as lively as it had always been, with shopkeepers in outdoor stalls and street performers all vying for the attention of every guest, particularly those who seemed foreign. Janius found himself the target of a Breton woman dressed quite provocatively in an outfit that looked like it was made of ribbons. Every movement she made looked like it was meant to be seductive in some form as she gently touched his arm. "Oh, a handsome Imperial in these lands. I am sure there will be much fortune in your future, but if you want to know for sure, I can, just for you, give you a free palm reading. Who knows what you might discover?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The walls above them looked even larger from Julan's perspective. He reared back his head and pulled back his hood so he could get a better look at the top of them. "I don't know; I can hardly see them from here. How could anything stop an arrow that big? How could anything even get through these walls?"

"Hmph, that's the point." Lorag commented nearby. "If they could set up trebuchets, they would have more range than those ballistas, but even that wouldn't be the best option. Now the docks, that's where the weakness really is. If the Dominion got enough naval superiority and made it to the port, that would open the city's defenses right up."

Although they had not been to Sentinel before, it fortunately did not take too long for Ahnasha to convince the stablemaster to house Leaps. In some cities, they could not convince anyone to deal with the wamasu for any price, but Sentinel was a trading hub that saw many exotic creatures, and the stables were already filled with far more than just horses. It was still expensive to pay for a spot for Leaps, but the Champion's pack was hardly struggling for gold. Soon enough, they were allowed through the gates into the city. Although, there were some unmistakable eyes of suspicion on Ahnasha and Rhazii in particular by a few of the guards. Dominion spies were undoubtedly a large concern for a city that was technically in a war with the Dominion. Any Altmer, Bosmer, or Khajiit would be watched more closely than most guests in the city.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Indeed, the first challenge will be finding him at all." Meesei responded. "If worst comes to worst, we can always steal it. Perhaps leave some coins in its place, if we wish to be kind about it. Of course, no matter how we do it, we will have to get the axe no matter how uncooperative he may or may not be. Everything depends on it."

Kaleeth slowly nodded. "I know what you mean. It is hard to imagine her with anyone, really. She just never seemed like she wanted to, and for people not in our pack, she is sort of...hard to approach. I guess someone who knows her, like someone on the council, might have been possible. Really, I would have expected her mate to be another lycan, or at least someone not so...bossy." She commented.

The pack was closing in on the city's eastern gate. Tall walls surrounded the city on three sides, with the fourth being the docks. Though the walls themselves were old, there were many new fortifications on them. Looking closely, the pack could see heavily armored soldiers patrolling atop the walls, with even more around the gate they were approaching. They could even see large weapons like catapults and ballista on some parts of the walls. It was a far stronger and more obvious military presence than was present in many of the cities they visited, which was no doubt intentional. While the Dominion and Empire were technically at peace, Hammerfell was independent, and still resisting the Dominion. While most cities had a military to defend them, those in Hammerfell had them on display to show their strength and discourage attacks. Before they approached the gate itself, Ahnasha went with Leaps to the stable to ensure that he would be taken care of while they were in the city.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a nod to Sabine. "That may not be a bad approach. Particularly since the weapon's previous wielder faced an unfortunate end. If we can convince him of that, then it may not be so difficult to convince him to cooperate. Hopefully, the trader who gave it to him as a reward told him of how he acquired it. Although, even if he did not, we still might be able to use that as an explanation for why he was so willing to part with the axe. Nothing that we have learned about this Redguard suggests that he is a scholar of any kind. He is just an adventurer, perhaps a bit more skilled than usual, but not someone who would have any evidence against our story."

"We might want to present ourselves as coming from some sort of magical organization, to explain why we know so much about the axe." Ahnasha added. "Though honestly, I think we should take the curse approach as a backup option. Even a cursed weapon is a one-of-a-kind artifact, and some people might try to take advantage of that. If he gets it in his head that we might have some way to remove the curse, then he will still want to get rid of it, but he might take the chance to charge a higher price for it. We could start out as just being casually interested in buying a unique weapon, then reveal our 'true' intentions if he doesn't want to sell."

Kaleeth leaned in closer to Janius. She was wearing a hood to protect her head from the sun beating down on them, so at his angle, he could only see the end of her snout protruding from its front. Regardless, the tone of her whispers still showed her uncertainty. "I don't know. I always heard the Thalmor just cared about Elves, and were bigoted against everything else. But I mean...you saw everything yesterday. She was hugging and kissing Meesei. Would a Thalmor be willing to do that with an Argonian, even if it was all a lie? And, well, Meesei went back with Lunise last night, so they probably did a lot more than kiss. I do trust Meesei's judgment, though, and she has to know Lunise better than we do."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Yes, yes...of course." Meesei responded. She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. Both of their moods were wonderful, almost to the point of being unbelievable on Lunise's part. It seemed like she was experiencing a part of life that she had never been through before, which could have very well been the case. Much like Meesei, professional concerns had dominated most of her life. For a few moments, it seemed like Meesei was about to get up. She had her hands on the ground on either side of Lunise's head and had pushed herself up somewhat, but then stopped and gave a suggestive grin. "...but, do you plan on waking up in that bed alone? I do recall that the door could be locked..."

---

Regardless of how much time Meesei would have wanted to spend with Lunise, she did have to be back in her camp just after sunrise in order to leave with the others. They were, after all, potentially getting close to their goal.

The sun was barely above the horizon by the time the pack had packed up their camp to start moving. Although they were not exactly in sight of Sentinel, it would not be a terribly far walk. Certainly, it was short enough that there would be no point in trying to teleport them and their supplies closer. Eventually, the tall walls and domed towers of the city started to become apparent over the horizon.

"Our Redguard hero is said to have frequented a particular tavern in the city, a short walk from the markets. I am hoping we can find him there, or at least someone who can point us to him. If we do find him, though, we need to be careful how we approach. I would prefer not to have to do anything risky to acquire the axe, so it would be best to simply buy it. But, if we accidentally let on to how valuable it really is, that might become expensive. We need to approach him subtly, in a way that seems natural. Fortunately, we should not be going in blind this time. Saras has at least one agent in Sentinel right now, and we will be meeting them in that tavern. The agent would have at least had yesterday to look into things, so we will see what they have learned." Meesei explained on their approach.