EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha did not need to get inside the tent, and indeed, she did not believe she would be able to even if she tried. The journal did not even need to be hidden too well inside, as long as it was in the tent. Slowly, she reached into her bag and put her hand to the book. Every motion she made had to be precise and deliberate to keep herself from making any mistakes. The sounds of crickets in the air at least overshadowed the faint noise of the book brushing against her leather pouch.

The Orc looked occupied with his snack, but he was still glancing around the camp. Ahnasha kept her eye close on him, waiting for him to look in a different direction. She turned the book on its side and lined it up with the small gap between the tent's flaps. With immense concentration, she applied just the smallest amount of telekinesis to pull apart the tent's flaps so she could slide in the book. Despite only requiring a small amount of magic, the fact that she was having to maintain her invisibility at the same time made it immensely more difficult. He form glimmered and distorted, to the point that she might be noticeable if someone happened to be looking right at her. Nevertheless, she continued to slide the book in until it was finally inside and she could release it. Withdrawing her hand from the tent, her eyes darted around the camp to determine if anyone had noticed. She did not see anything suspicious, even with the Orc, so it seemed likely that she had succeeded. The only task that remained was her escape, which she would need to accomplish quickly. After that exertion, she was feeling magically drained.

Arinette reached her hand back to grab a hold of the staff secured to her back, but with Do'rhajul's claws digging into her throat, she did not attempt to draw it. "Unhand me you...mangy cat. God or no, I'm still more powerful than all of you put together."

"And would that power keep me from bleeding you out right here and now?" Do'rhajul growled.

As he pressed harder against her neck, Arinette started to have to strain more to speak. For all of her apparent confidence, she did not appear to be able to hide some of the fear in her expression. "No...it wouldn't. And would you be able to...stop lord Vile from...punishing you?" She strained to say.

After a tense delay, Do'rhajul relented his grip enough to allow Arinette to take in a deep breath, though he still silently stared down Arinette. After catching her breath, she finally continued more calmly. "We can do it your way for now. If he'll be nothing but a benefit like you say, then we shouldn't have anything to worry about, right?"

With as heated as their argument had become, their voices had naturally raised along with it. For Arinette, their words drowned out Sabine's cough, but it was harder to say if Do'rhajul had been able to make it out distinctly. He was a lycan Khajiit, and therefore had a particularly acute sense of hearing. He did not react as if he had immediately identified what it was, but his ears twitched and he started to look up.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It took some time for the Orc to finally look away from Ahnasha. He had leaned in briefly into another one of the tents to grab a piece of fruit for himself before returning to the campfire. He had burned through some of Ahnasha's time, but at the very least, he had perhaps eliminated one of the tents that Ahnasha would need to check. It was unlikely that he would have ducked into Yerig's tent for a late-night snack.

When the Orc was finally facing away, Ahnasha slowly started to move forward once more. Her toes barely even contacted the ground on each step and her breaths were light. Again, she knelt down in front of the tent to peer inside. It was not easy to make out the details, but much to her own relief, she was confident that she saw the Nord laying in a bedroll, fast asleep. It seemed that their scouts' guesses had been accurate on the location of Yerig's tent. Now, there was just one last hurdle to overcome. She had to get the book into the tent without breaking her own invisibility.

Underneath Sabine's tree, Arinette's anger appeared to match Do'rhajul's. "Power does not care how much you 'deserve' it. Something you should keep in mind. Your usefulness is not limitless, Khajiit, nor is your authority. You are no longer my General; this is my mission now. I have allowed you your command because I have always respected your capabilities, but this man, he is a liability. I'll not have our mission undone by him, and if he interferes with our purpose, I will put him down myself."

Do'rhajul gave no hesitation in his reaction. With as close as they were, it was trivial for him to grab Arinette by the throat and slam her into the trunk of the very tree Sabine was hiding in. Baring his teeth, he spoke loudly enough that Sabine would hear him plainly. "Touch a hair on his head and I will rip out your throat myself. That stick does not make you a god; you had best keep that in mind."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Arinette was mid-sentence with Do'rhajul when Sabine finally managed to bring her ears close enough to make out their words. "...and it's going to cause problems. You know that as well as I. You are capable, Do'rhajul, I shall not deny it, but I am beginning to question your judgment. For all your years of service, for all your efforts, you have yet been unable to fulfill your end of your bargain with our lord. Now, you are ignoring my advice at every turn. It was a mistake to bring him with us. I know you have history, but he is too short-sighted to do what must be done for the good of everyone."

If Sabine could catch a view of Do'rhajul's face between the leaves, it would be easy to see that he was seething. "And I grow tired of you questioning me. I would not have even considered you for this team before you got that staff. You have no concept of what it means to be a warrior. To earn ones power through blood and toil. He does."

Ahnasha received Sabine's warning in time to turn and see the Orc approaching. She froze in place, holding her breath to keep herself as silent as possible. Her eyes were firmly on his, though his eyes wandered somewhat aimlessly through the forest. Luckily, he did not seem to be the most vigilant watchman at the moment, but that did not mean she was not still in danger. He wandered closer to her, enough that he might see the glimmer of her form through her invisibility if she moved too much. Or, he might simply see her displace the grass. At any rate, she had not yet been detected, but she was also being delayed by him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Would your idea happen to rely upon them being discovered, or not being discovered?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do'rhajul and Arinette took step after step closer to Sabine, but just as it seemed they were going to come right up to her, they stopped short of her tree. Arinette leaned in close, scowling at the towering Cathay-raht. Even while being physically eclipsed by the Khajiit, she still seemed to carry an air of authority. However, she spoke to him in hushed tones so that her words were not completely distinct to Sabine. It was obvious that she was upset about something, but Sabine would have to move ever so slightly closer to make out the words.

Ahnasha was crouched down low, standing rather uncomfortably on her toes to keep as little of herself in contact with the ground as possible. She moved around the first tent as close as she could without touching it. Anything she made contact with had a chance of giving her away, or even breaking her invisibility. When she finally came around the front of the tent, she found that the front flap was closed. It was not tied together or otherwise secured to anything, but even simply pulling it aside was out of the question. To figure out who the tent belonged to, she had to get down on her hands and knees and peer in through the smallest of gaps. In the process, she was unaware of her surroundings, and so did not notice that the Orc was starting to look at the west side of the camp.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha avoided bushes, trees, and anything else that might make noise as she approached. She felt Sabine's signal and turned her head to the north to see its cause. After some searching, she spotted Do'rhajul and Arinette in the middle of their conversation. In response, Ahnasha slowly inched her way farther south and west, placing a tent between her and the pair. From there, she kept herself low to the ground and took step after deliberate step until she was just next to one of the tents on the west side of the camp. The approach was easy, but from here, it would start to get difficult. She was going to have to locate Yerig's tent in order to plant the book with the right person, and they did not know for sure which one it was. She would have to be able to peer into them one at a time without breaking her invisibility. Meanwhile, the Orc stood up and stretched out his arms, then started to look closer to the north side of the camp.

Do'rhajul and Arinette were speaking in hushed tones, but after glancing at the Orc, Arinette motioned for Do'rhajul to follow her. She started walking out of camp...right in the direction of Sabine. It was possible that the zealot just wanted to speak in private to Do'rhajul and had chosen that direction by chance. Or, she could have somehow detected Sabine. If Sabine called in the reinforcements now, Ahnasha would certainly not be able to plant the book, so it was up to Sabine to choose on whether to stay hidden, or abort the mission.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Circumtore

Timana sat at in his podium, unlike most Hutts where his visage was purely repulsive he was physically dominating enough to be even intimidating. Not many Hutts could say that, the scar running down and over his left eye just helped contribute to the horrible visage of the one who was arguably one of the most militant and easy to anger Hutt. He had a reputation in Hutt Space, he controlled the most violent Hutt Faction with various fight arenas in the grounds of his palace alone.

He spoke in a thick Huttese accent, a droid translating in a mechanical voice. [It is said that you have brought great Timana a gift. Timana demands you tell him what it is.]

Being that Sirka was not part of the conversation, her concentration fell off of the Hutt and onto the more dangerous guards around them. Her eyes watched their movements, while her nose gauged their intentions. Right now, most everyone was fairly calm, apart from Boqo. Even the Hutt himself, as disgusting as he was smell, was not in the worst of moods. That, she imagined, would change quickly, and in short order. It was her job to figure out a way of the mess if something went wrong, which would be a tall order for basically anyone. They were surrounded, after all. Part of her wondered if she had been hired just to give Boqo a false sense of security to get him to accept the job in the first place. Few mercenaries would be able to do anything at all against such odds, but fortunately for Boqo, she was one of those few who might actually be able to do something. She could take more shots than they would expect, and she could get up to surprising speeds in a sprint.

Sirka paid more attention to Timana directly as Boqo started to speak. “This gift comes from my employer: The Golden Exchange.” He said simply before pressing the button to automatically open the box.

Timana roared a little, pushing a nearby slave off his podium as he moved forward. He was surprised to see one of his most trusted spies lying on the ground, at Timanas obvious outburst of rage the guards around the room all raised their weapons at the two individuals. The droid spoke up translated Timanas speech as soon as he had finished speaking. [Timana demands to know how the Golden Exchange found out about his most trusted agent? And what right Koren Graeff has in killing an agent of the Great Timana? Koren was the one who refused payment to assassinate, the Great Timana had to take matters into his own hands.]

Again, Sirka flicked out her tongues. The reveal had the predictable effect on the Hutt, which meant that Sirka had to be on guard. Being that she grew up on Nar Shaddaa, she understood Huttese, so she would not need to wait for a translation to know what orders he gave. Boqo remained both professional and confident in his outward demeanor. “We are just the couriers for this message. There is little that escapes Koren’s eye, and he feels this message is self-evident.”

By virtue of their scents, Sirka could feel how both the Hutt and his guards were reacting to the developing scene. Anger, confidence, worry. Everyone was on a blade’s edge, but she had a feeling the Hutt was hesitating to lash out at them for a reason. The Golden Exchange was a capable and frankly frightening entity to face. That was not to say that others, even Timana, could not stand against it with sheer might, but the balance of power in the region was so divided that no one could truly afford to make an enemy of them. That was a fact of which Sirka suspected the Hutt might need to be reminded. She had not been specifically told to speak, but she also had not been instructed not to speak. She could read a situation, and she felt that threat could be just what was needed to force a peaceful resolution. “It’s wise to...respect the Golden Exchange’s neutrality.”

Timana had a long inhale of breath before laughing in the age old Hutt obnoxious laugh ‘Oooooooh, ho, ho, hoooo.’ The guards all lowered their weapons, all most likely used to this form of trading in the Hutts domain. Timana began to speak closely followed by that of his translator. [Koren is a brash one. The great Timana advises that you take this time to leave, now and relay a message to the great Koren Graeff. He should be careful of whom he threatens.]

The guards relaxing was not enough to take Sirka off her guard, though she did try to avoid looking any more directly threatening than usual. Until they were out of Timana’s compound, or really, off the planetoid, they would not be truly safe. Still she took it to be a good sign, particularly since, as Boqo’s response indicated, they would be leaving shortly. “We will take our leave. Koren is always willing to do business, as long as conflict is kept away from his property.”

With that, there was nothing more left to say. The message had been delivered, and it would be hard for Timana not to understand it, even if they had said nothing at all. It was abundantly clear that the angry slug wanted them out of his sight, and for Sirka, the feeling was mutual. The pair started to make their way out of the chamber, though just in case, Sirka kept herself between Boqo and the guards.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

From where Ahnasha was hiding, Sabine should have been able to see her at the moment. It was important that Sabine know where she was from the beginning, as she would have to remain particularly perceptive in order to keep track of Ahnasha through her infiltration. She was going to be invisible as she went into camp, so the enemy and Sabine alike would not be able to see her directly. To know where Ahnasha was, Sabine would have to pay attention to how she affected her surroundings as she moved, which would at least be possible since Sabine knew roughly where to look. If, at any point, Sabine lost track of Ahnasha, it would be much harder for her to give precise directions as she infiltrated the camp. Several of the signals they had devised involved a direction from Ahnasha's perspective.

As soon as Ahnasha received Sabine's signal, she paused a moment, did her best to keep her mind clear and focused, and cast the invisibility spell upon herself. Her steps towards the camp were light and deliberate, her presence almost imperceptible to one who did not know exactly where to look. Even Sabine would have to use some educated guesses to approximately guess her location.

In the camp, Sabine would be able to see that the Orc currently had his eye on the east side of camp, rather than the south with Ahnasha. The Breton Zealot had also emerged from one of the tents and had stopped Do'rhajul, apparently for a conversation. Otherwise, there was not any activity of note. Thusfar, their enemy did not seem to suspect anything was wrong.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It seemed odd watching the automatons leave with Sabine. They had come to life with grinding gears and bursts of steam, but not a sound to accompany them. At the moment, Ahnasha's task was fairly straightforward. She just needed to get as close to the camp as she could, quietly, so that she would be ready to move in once Sabine was in position. She cast her spell upon herself to conceal her from the detection enchantments, then moved forward towards the camp.

Ahnasha was moving in from the south, and at the moment, was just using trees and foliage to obscure herself. Another challenge of her task would be not only to stay out of sight, but to complete the task before she exhausted her magicka. Once she was close enough, it would essentially be required for her to use invisibility to get into the right tent, but that could be draining. And if she accidentally allowed her magicka to drain too much, then she could lose her protection against the detection enchantments.

Getting closer and closer, Ahnasha could see into the camp more clearly, though since she was not approaching from elevation, it was only one side of the camp that she could actually observe. Do'rhajul was taller than most of the tents, so it was easy to keep track of his position, but she could not see the Orc Sabine had mentioned from her angle. Ahnasha's bare feet made virtually no sound against the grass, and she could deftly avoid snapping any twigs or rustling any leaves. Her breathing was slow and deliberate, and she was able to plan her path to keep as much between her and the camp as possible for concealment on approach. Eventually, she reached the closest point at which she was comfortable waiting without invisibility and hid herself behind the trunk of a large tree. Sabine would have to get each automaton in position individually, which was going to take time. If they were discovered, Ahnasha was going to do everything she possibly could to make sure that both of them escaped. The kind of torment they would likely experience if they were captured was terrifying to consider.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Although she was limited in the time she could spend above it, Sabine would get a better look at the camp than any of the scouts. The maps that the scouts had drawn up about the surrounding forest were largely accurate, though the camp itself had evidently been shifted around somewhat. Another tent had been put up in one spot, and another two had been taken down. As well, the camp was, unfortunately, not entirely asleep. They still had a campfire going, and a few of them were still walking around, Do'rhajul himself among them. Aside from him, Sabine would clearly be able to see one of the Orcs on watch, and if she looked closely, she may be able to discern that he still showed signs of the injury Janius gave him. Being that most of the group were non-lycans, it did take them longer to recover from such wounds.

Meanwhile, Ahnasha waited just on the threshold of their enemy's detection enchantments. Not only would she need to sneak into the camp out of sight, but she was going to have to hide her presence from the enchantments as well. Her approach used her knowledge of necromancy to fool the life detection enchantments, which would take some effort to maintain. It was all the more reason that she wanted to get the journal planted sooner rather than later.