EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The display of power from Sabine put an immediate halt to any thoughts of attack. The Argonian was left bleeding on the ground, after having been cut up by his own blade when he was sent tumbling. The Breton escaped with fewer injuries, but even more fear. He was not the greatest among their team to begin with, so even upon seeing Sabine collapsed to her knees after he regained his bearings, he was not brave enough to remain. She was distracted, so he quickly started to take off into the forest at full sprint.

Yerig took a few steps forward, holding his hands up towards Sabine. "Easy, girl, easy. Sabine, that's your name, right? This doesn't have to end in more violence. I think that there's a lot that a lot of us here don't know."

"Don't...listen to her!" A strained voice cried out nearby. The paralysis spell had worn off on Arinette, so she was struggling to regain control of herself and get back to her feet. They lie! Deceive! Manipulate! No one else even sees the threat; we are the only ones standing in their way. Only lord Vile is willing to fight them."

Yerig shook his head. "I haven't believed that since the moment you first said it. Why would a Daedra even care?"

Do'rhajul stepped up beside Yerig with a bit more confidence than before. "I really want to believe you, Arinette. Lycans are destructive creatures. They stole my life from me, and I've heard the countless stories from my men of the lives they've shattered. But...this book, I have to admit that it explains so many of those strange reports over the years. It explains all of the stonewalling I've struggled with for this entire war with you...priests of Vile. All of the secrecy, the restricted meetings. I'm starting to think that...you have something to hide, Arinette."

"Remember your pact, Do'rhajul." Arinette replied with obvious, growing rage. "Remember what will happen to your soul if you fail in your bargain with our lord."

There was a pause as Do'rhajul closed his eyes. "If there is any truth in this book. Any truth in that lycan's words, then this soul is already a lost cause."

Yerig reached up and placed a hand on Do'rhajul's shoulder. "Then how about we listen to her. Listen to what this lycan has to say, and see what kind of truth she can share for ourselves. I think..."

"Silence!" Arinette screamed. Following her enraged shout, she quite suddenly cast a bolt of lightning which Yerig had been entirely unprepared to deal with. It hit him square in the chest, sending him to the ground immediately. She followed through with another bolt, but by that point, Do'rhajul had moved in between them with Spellbreaker raised, entirely absorbing the spell.

"You...you'll pay for that!" Do'rhajul growled, his blade now drawn.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It would not take Sabine long to realize the power she now held in her hands. Her paralysis spell had taken Arinette off-guard, and though Sabine's own magicka was now drained almost entirely, she could feel what seemed to be, upon first impressions, a near limitless well of power within the staff. Regardless of how much magicka the staff actually contained, there was a limit to how much a mage could draw from it at once, but that limit was relative to the mage's own ability. For an average mage, the power they could draw upon was still impressive, but Sabine was far beyond average. As she started to cast spells from the staff, Sabine would soon realize that her potential with it was immense.

Not only could Sabine heal her wounds, but she could essentially erase the pain from many hours of suffering. If she so desired, she could use restoration to enhance her own physical attributes far beyond what was natural, even after being maimed for hours on end. It would be trivial for her to break her manacles, though their enchantment was hardly even relevant at this point.

Sabine's sudden escape was as surprising to Do'rhajul as it was confusing. One of his hands gripped his weapon, but the order that Sabine shouted to him gave him pause. He looked uncertain, and in the back of his eyes, Sabine may have been able to see some fear. Even Yerig had been caught off-guard by Sabine's escape. He had been the only one in the camp so far to speak up on Sabine's behalf, but even he had not planned on her so quickly escaping her binds.

The others in the camp reacted much more decisively. One of the Orcs witnessed the escape, and shouted the order for the camp to come to arms. They were all on their guard after the previous night's events, so it took only moments for each of them to rush through the camp towards her. But, even they showed their fear once they realized that she now wielded the staff. Instead of attacking her immediately, they moved to surround her. The armored warriors, including the Orcs and Nord shield-bearer, took positions in front of her. The Redguard conjured up a storm atronach and stayed behind the warriors, while the Breton male started charging a fireball off to her right. The Argonian, meanwhile, strafed slowly to Sabine's left in search of an opening. They were certainly an impressive force together, but Sabine had little cause to be afraid. She was now capable beyond anything they would expect. Even Meesei would be Sabine's clear inferior in her current state. It was possible that Yerig and Do'rhajul might be willing to aid Sabine, given recent revelations, but she could be quite confident in the fact that she did not even need them to demolish any resistance against her.

When they had power over Sabine, almost every member of Arinette's team had committed terrible atrocities against Sabine. Some were more reluctant than others, but they had each participated in torturing a helpless woman. Now, Sabine held all of the power over them, and it was entirely up to her what she did with it. They were at Sabine's mercy.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I feel things could get interesting, particularly if the balance of power shifts. Though, I am about to get to bed. I should be able to respond in the morning, if you have by then.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Arinette's gaze jerked back to Sabine as she spoke. "Just give up with your lies, dog. You aren't convincing anyone." She said, further intensifying the pain she was sending into Sabine's body.

"I don't know about that. I think it sounds more credible than you think." Yerig remarked. Stepping up alongside Do'rhajul, he handed the book to him.

"What is that?" Arinette demanded, quickly bringing her attention back to Yerig. Though, her question went entirely ignored.

Yerig opened up the book to one of the early pages as Do'rhajul took it in his hands. "Do you recognize this, Rhajul?"

Do'rhajul took the book, curiously reading through the words in front of him. Curiosity that quite quickly developed into concern. "I...yes, I believe I do. I recognize the handwriting. My head researcher, back in Elsweyr. I must have read thousands of reports from him; it looks like he penned this, but...what am I reading here? This doesn't seem right."

Yerig shook his head lightly. "It doesn't. I read it. All of it. I marked some of the more interesting pages for you. I don't even want to describe the horrible experiments that book contains. But it also sounds like whoever wrote that book was kidnapping people, infecting them with lycanthropy, then just let them loose."

Do'rhajul looked to be at a loss. "What...is this, Arinette? Do you know about this? I don't want to believe this could be...possibly true."

"I don't know where in Oblivion he got that book, but it has to be a forgery. There is no other possibility. What sense would it make for your own researcher to be spreading lycanthropy behind your back?" Arinette asserted.

Do'rhajul continued to stare down at the book. "This would have to be an exceptional forgery, Arinette."

As the argument grew more intense, it also presented an opportunity for Sabine. Arinette was quite thoroughly distracted by Do'rhajul and Yerig, but she still had her staff resting against Sabine's chest. It was resting so close, right within Sabine's reach, and unknown to Arinette, Sabine was perfectly capable of freeing herself. The stake through her palms was not too much wider at its base than at its tip, so though it would be painful, she could pull her hands from the tree. Beyond that, Sabine had also built up enough magicka at this point for a fairly significant spell. If she chose to take it, there was a real opportunity to grab the staff right from Arinette's clutches.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine's defiance resulted in a predictable amount of anger from Arinette. In response to Sabine's shouting, Arinette took her dagger and stabbed it straight into Sabine's mouth, through her tongue, and into her throat. Of course, that only lasted a few moments before she once again mended together the mutilating wound at a seemingly impossible pace until Sabine was back to normal. "You're far too stubborn for your own good. But don't worry, I think a few weeks, or months, will be enough to change your tune. Now, I have other matters to tend to."

Arinette turned her head to the others surrounding them. "Make sure our guest here does not stay comfortable."

With Arinette's orders, the others in her team took over Sabine's torture. They were not even instructed to ask her questions; they were merely ordered to periodically extend her suffering. The first of the Orc twins took the simple, but effective approach of beating her with his fists. He broke her nose, a few ribs, and left her face mostly black and blue. The second Orc was much the same, except he also made occasional use of the whip. Once they left, others from the camp started to take over. The Breton male made use of a particularly refined form of illusory flames, which had the effect of causing all of the pain of being burned, without actually harming her. The Argonian ripped off each and every one of Sabine's fingernails and toenails. The Redguard conjurer preferred lightning, while the Nord archer made many precise cuts across her body. All the while, Do'rhajul did not take part in any of the torture himself, but neither did he stop it. He just stood nearby, standing guard. Arinette was called over occasionally to heal Sabine and make sure she had not lost too much blood, but it was not until hours later that she began to take another turn at causing Sabine yet more pain.

Yerig had not shown his face for any of the hours of torture. However, just as Arinette was stepping up in front of her, Sabine might have been able to notice him emerging from one of the extra tents they had set up, carrying something familiar in his hand. Although, he may have been distracted from that sight when Arinette pressed the end of her staff against Sabine's chest. It was a similar form of torture that the other Breton had used, as her body quickly started to feel like it was ablaze with intense flames.

"This is...this is just...barbaric. I can't take this anymore! That girl...what could she possibly have done in her life to deserve this?" Yerig shouted. "Rhajul, how can you stand for this? The man I knew all those years ago would never have allowed this to happen, and he certainly wouldn't have tried to get me to help with his madness. You brought me here to kill monsters, not...this." Yerig shouted.

Arinette turned her head and glared at the Nord. She looked almost like she was ready to turn her staff on him, but a quick glance to Do'rhajul tempered her anger. "You are, Yerig. This isn't a 'girl,' this is a monster. An abomination to everything that is good in the world. If it wasn't for our numbers, she'd be just as quick to tear you to pieces and eat you for dinner. You saw what happened last night, how ferocious these beasts are. What you see here is a monster."

Yerig clenched his hand into a fist. "Oh, I see plenty of monsters, but none of them are nailed to a damn tree!"

After Yerig's shouting, Do'rhajul did his best to speak in a more calming tone. "Yerig, my friend, I understand. Believe me, I understand. I never wanted this either, but you have to understand that this is for the greater good. If we don't succeed, the whole of Tamriel could be corrupted by these beasts."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I have an idea in mind for something that can happen after a few hours IC. With the plan they carried out, I don't think it would make sense for it to go on for days.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm guessing Sabine will continue to refuse information? I think I could summarize what each of them do over the next few hours.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Arinette practically growled in frustration. She slid the knife out of her, only to quickly and violently stab her another three times. Blood poured from the wounds, but just as quickly as she had created them, she was able to use the staff's power to close them shut. Physically, it was as if the wounds had never happened, but all of the pain was still there, and would linger for a while yet.

"You don't want to answer? Well, time to be punished, then." Arinette said, as if Sabine had not been suffering already. "Grab the whip." She ordered to one of the Orcs.

Arinette grabbed one of Sabine's shoulders and twisted her body to one side so as to expose her back, then allowed the Orc to move behind her. She did not say another word, nor ask any more questions of Sabine. Instead, she just gave a nod to the Orc to begin. The whip cracked across her back, cutting a long gash through her back. Then, he did it again, and again, and again. Arinette allowed him to land a total of twenty lashes before finally telling him to stop. Arinette used her staff again, but only to cut off any excess bleeding. She decided to leave the wounds open to the air just to prolong the pain.

When it was all over, Arinette grabbed Sabine's face in her hand and forced her to look her in the eye. "Just so you know, we already know where your clan is, in a cavern underneath Skyrim. The entrance shall not elude us for long. I was just testing your...honesty. To think, all of that pain for...nothing. I do not even know why you want to bother protecting your so-called friends when they could not even protect you. Do you think your 'mother' would be willing to do the same. Do you really think she would endure all of this just for you? No, you lycans are selfish beasts; just look at your 'traditions.' The strongest are supposed to rise to the top, because I'm sure that having a leader who is decided by who can best win in a fight will have the most strategic acumen. Just give up. All I want is your Champion. If I get her, then all of this pain ends. You could just walk away."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Arinette's response was as quick as it was brutal. She stabbed her knife into Sabine's stomach and started to twist it slowly. "Tell. Me. NOW!" She yelled into Sabine's ear.

"Give me step-by-step directions for how, exactly, I can find your clan. Make them clear, make them accurate. I warn you that the punishment for lying is much worse than this." Arinette said before twisting the knife even further.

The Orcs nearby did not seem to react at all to the horrific scene before them, though Do'rhajul could not help but to turn away from them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do'rhajul was not looking directly at Sabine, though he did raise his brow at what she shouted. Regardless, Arinette did not waste a moment in addressing the claim. "Oh please, do you think you are going to be able to stand there and lie right to our faces? We have been in this fight from the beginning; we know the truth."

Arinette held her staff up to Sabine's hands and cast a healing spell upon them. It closed up the wounds around the stakes to stop the bleeding, but of course, Arinette went out of her way to make sure that it would do nothing for the pain. Once she was finished, she drew a knife from her belt and stepped up close to Sabine, bringing her face mere inches from hers. At the same time, she pressed her knife into Sabine's stomach just enough that she could feel its point, but not enough to break the skin.

Arinette spoke softly, but still just as threateningly. "I am going to ask you questions, and you are going to answer them. And only them. You refuse, you say anything besides the answer, or you say something we know is a lie, and you will. Be. Punished. Understood? Now, first question. Where exactly is your...oh what do you call it again? Clan. Where is your clan located? And do not merely say 'Skyrim', or 'in a cave.' That is not enough. Tell us where we can find it." She demanded.