EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig lightly shook his head. "No, I wasn't joking. Reasoning with him is an option, though I can't say what the chances are of actually talking him out of a fight. You said this one has a bounty, right? Been attacking ships out at sea? He might be a violent one. It's in their nature, unfortunately. They're prideful, dominating. I have talked to dragons before, one or two with more restraint. There was one who made his home in the Reach, not terribly far from me. It's the perfect home for a dragon, really. Plenty of mountains, which they like, and which also makes it easy to find places that the locals can't or don't go to. His name was Aarfrinidok; I would call him shy for a dragon, believe it or not. After the defeat of the World-Eater, he just wanted to find a place to be left alone. I climbed his mountain once, gave him some advice on avoiding the locals."

"But, uh, like I said, this dragon doesn't sound that peaceful." Yerig added. "I could imagine some situations where he might have attacked a ship out of self-defense, but there's definitely no guarantee. Your plan is definitely the safer bet."

Do'rhajul was the one leading the group at the moment. He was not a hunter, but he still seemed to be a skilled tracker. He did have a lycan's sense of smell to pick up on the traces that Cyrus' group had left behind, and a sharp eye to spot traces of their tracks. The landscape around them was still forested, but was starting to become more hilly as they drew ever-closer to the mountains at the center of the island.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I...thank you. I will consider your advice." Do'rhajul replied, standing up once Sabine turned away. He walked ashore and over to his belongings, quickly dressing himself, albeit only in a loincloth for the moment. It took longer for a Khajiit to dry himself than a Human, and he did not wish to soak his clothing. Picking up the rest of his belongings carefully in his arms, he turned back to camp, but gave one more look towards Sabine. "Sabine..." He began, though there was a pause as he seemed to consider his words. "...sleep well. And thank you, again. I do appreciate the second chance."

---

The night was mostly uneventful, apart from one or two more distant roars. They never drew closer, though they did serve as a firm reminder of the stakes of their current task. The more Sabine traveled with him, the more it became clear that Do'rhajul still had a strong, military sense of discipline. He was awake before sunrise, and already had breakfast cooking before anyone else was even fully awake. He was much like Lorag in several ways, except less inclined to levity. Yerig, on the other hand, was in no hurry to wake up, and was the last to rise. He preferred to act at his own pace, which was somewhat slow compared to the the others. Being an old hermit, it was likely that he was rarely in a rush for much of anything.

Nevertheless, it did eventually come time for the group to get moving, and Yerig was just as ready as everyone else to focus on the task at hand. They would be following Cyrus' trail deeper into the island in search of the axe. The hope was that they would not need to confront the dragon, but of course, they could not merely assume everything would go to plan.

"So, Sabine." Yerig began. "What exact approach would you want to take if we happen to run into this dragon? Would you rather ambush it, sneak by it, or try to reason with it?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do'rhajul seemed almost more surprised by Sabine's last question than by anything else she had said or done up to that point. He turned his head directly towards her and looked at her almost as if she was insane. It took several seconds for him to actually respond. "Um, that...that will not be necessary. Nor would it be appropriate, I do not think. I am not dressed at the moment." He replied. It appeared that he was far from being accustomed to the average lycan's lack of modesty.

Do'rhajul shifted around in place where he was sitting, but seemed to be reluctant to stand up. "There is quite a lot I wish was different about the past, but it is only painful to dwell on it. I cannot alter history, and my soul may or may not already be doomed. But, I can at least have some confidence, some...peace in the fact that my actions in the rest of my life will at least be for a better cause than what I have done in the past decade. It is something. It will not erase my sins; it may not even atone for them, but it is something worth doing."

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Circumtore

It would be a brief window of opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless. "Hey, uh...other Mandalorian, cover the left flank when I cross." Sirka said over their comms to Sol'id. She waited for Elias to make his throw, then started to lean out just as he took his shot. "Crossing!" Sirka shouted.

The flames, while perhaps not deadly, were certainly startling and painful to the three pirates in the center of their lines. The Devaronian had seen it coming and quickly hit a button on one of the devices on his belt, activating a personal energy shield around himself. He was protected from the fire, though it still burned against the shield in front of him to obscure his vision, while the other two were not even that lucky.

Sirka sprinted at full speed across open ground, trusting Sol'id to cover the left flank while Elias had the attention of the right. She wanted to capture the center. She would take a look at the E-Web if she could, but she doubted the rocket had left it in one piece. Of course, she still had to take the position first.

As Sirka sprinted up towards the center, she was firing her blaster full-auto from the hip at her blinded foes. It was not a particularly stable firing position, but as she rapidly drew closer, accuracy mattered less and less. Several shots hit the Devaronian's shield, while about three or four struck a Human pirate in the torso. The other pirate, a Rodian, did not get hit by a blaster bolt, but by the time he had cleared his vision enough to know what was going on, Sirka was hardly even a meter from him. From a full sprint, she led with a kick to the Rodian's head that carried enough force to split his skull in two as it smashed into the nearest crate.

The pirates had arranged the crates around the E-Web in a semi-circle to offer protection from multiple sides, so Sirka would have decent cover if she could keep the position. Of course, she did have enemies on opposite sides of her, but she hoped that the Mandalorians would be enough of a threat to them to keep them from pushing her location. From where she was, she could take shots at the rest of the pirates against which they would have no cover. Now under much more immediate threat from Sirka, the Devaronian ducked behind several of the stacked crates on the left flank, potentially within view of Sol'id.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Ocrest..." Do'rhajul repeated. His mind turned back towards the past, and his face turned grim. Again, he started to look away from Sabine as he spoke. "I remember what happened. It was an order that came down from the priests. I did not understand it at the time; I thought it was too aggressive. We launched simultaneous attacks against multiple clans, every one of which we knew the location. It was a short term victory for us to destroy so many clans, but ultimately a long term loss in the war effort. Your people learned, adapted, and retaliated effectively."

Do'rhajul took in a deep breath, the reminder of the clans he had attacked not doing much to improve his mood. "I did not understand it then, but it was because Vile had already given up on you. He had already deemed the war not to be worthwhile, so attacking at that time made sense just to claim what souls he could before abandoning the war. I was a fool not to see it, and to keep following those orders. Thinking about it now, I would wager that my task to hunt down and kill the Champion was meant as a way to be rid of me. I doubt Vile would have any issues sacrificing a loyal zealot like Arinette if it meant tying up a loose end like myself. Perhaps that shall happen still; this Ri'vashi's rage against me is completely justified. It would be wrong of me to raise a finger against her, no matter what she does to me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, that is not a name I know." Do'rhajul replied. "I do recall the presence of a Cathay commander at the fortress in Elsweyr, from the reports afterwards. But, getting specifics on your command structure has always been difficult with the hidden nature of your clans. We had to generalize based on the average structure of the clans we did know about. If this Ri'vashi wishes to see me dead, well, then I am afraid you will have to be the one to argue against her. I have no right to disagree with her if I have wronged her. Even if I did, I doubt my word would matter."

Do'rhajul laid himself back in the water, staring up at the steadily-darkening sky above them. It would not be long before the sun set over the horizon. "Whether or not your allies are willing to listen to me in terms of strategy, I do hope that I can at least lead you to something useful. Gold, weapons, powerful artifacts; I know where caches of such resources were being held that could be useful for your clans. Though, I suspect that, once they realize I am helping you, they will move as much as they can, and shift their operational tactics from the ones I created. Even that alone will be disruptive to them."

After a moment, Do'rhajul's expression became curious towards Sabine. "Would it be necessary to convince the other leaders of your clan? You are a member of the Champion's pack and one of the highest ranking lycans in Tamriel, are you not? Could you command a force of warriors yourself?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do'rhajul had been just as alert to the dragon's roar, but like Sabine, had calmed when it was clear that it was not approaching. Being a Khajiit werewolf, he would have certainly heard Sabine step up on the beach and cast her spell, but he did seem to pay her too much attention. It was only once she started to walk out onto the water that he turned his head to look at her. He observed the glow on her feet with something of an uncertain expression, but did not say anything to protest her approaching him.

Do'rhajul did not seem like he was going to speak at all until Sabine directly questioned him. "I have? Hmm, how long has it been? I must have become distracted. Forgive me, if you want to bathe yourself and finally wash away that blood, I can give you some privacy." He offered.

Taking his eyes off of Sabine, Do'rhajul returned his gaze out to the waves. "I would not call my thoughts complex. Well, they may be somewhat complicated, but the goal is straightforward. I am merely trying to determine the most effective ways you can allocate your resources to damage Clavicus Vile. I know you said that you intend to invade his realm, but it may still be valuable to cripple his efforts in Tamriel in the meantime. I know a great deal about their operations, and while that information will become increasingly out-of-date as time goes on, it still could be useful. You merely need to decide what strikes would be the most valuable to you. For instance, part of our organization devoted themselves to recovering artifacts of great power to help turn the tide in the war. At first, they sought artifacts directly related to Hircine in the hopes of being able to study them to gain some sort of advantage over Hircine. As far as I know, they were never successful in learning anything of value, but we did recover a few relics, like the Spear of Bitter Mercy and the Savior's Hide. I know where they are holding them."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

As the thieves started to make their escape, Ssarak’s priorities shifted. The fire was a serious concern, and not one he was going to take lightly. They needed to get out of the warehouse just as quickly as the thieves were. As quickly as he could, Ssarak sent a telepathic message to all of his allies. ”A fire is spreading; secure that package and evacuate the warehouse as quickly as you can!”

As he scanned the minds of his allies to get a sense of their status, Ssarak heard Lyn’s thoughts, and the apparent danger that “they” were in. Whoever “they” might be; he seemed to remember both he and Keri leaving the roof.

Getting as much of a run up as he could, Ssarak ran forward, jumped, and flapped his wings as hard as he could to get as much distance off of the ground as he could. The interior of the warehouse was cluttered, so an actual “flight” was not possible, but he was able to use his wings to essentially jump to the top of some of the higher stacked crates, then jump again to the roof hatch he had dropped through initially.

Ssarak climbed up through the hatch as quickly as he could, but his general bulk still made that take a few moments. In that time, he saw a large Orc woman throw another stranger to the ground, then flee off of the roof. Lyn, meanwhile, looked drained from the all-too-recognizable signs of blood sickness. Ssarak himself was feeling fatigued from his own magical exertions, so if she had been fighting someone, he could only imagine that she had pushed herself to her limits.

Quickly, Ssarak peered into the surface thoughts of the stranger on the ground. Naturally, there was aggression towards the Orc he had just been fighting, but none of the thoughts towards Lyn were similarly hostile. Whoever he was, he was obviously not with the thieves, so Ssarak set his sights back on the Orc.

Once again, Ssarak took to the skies, leaping off of the roof in the same direction as the Orc. He needed to act quickly, but he could not risk using his magic for any significant spells. He had exerted himself heavily during the fight in the warehouse, so trying to use more magic now could just end up debilitating him. But, he was still more than capable of fighting through more traditional means, and he wanted a prisoner. If he could spot the Orc, he would swoop down upon her full force with his mace. He intended to disable her, even if it meant breaking some bones, but more than that, he wanted to see if he could quickly find and remove her rune as well so that she did not also burst into flames.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yerig climbed into his tent while Sabine went around the area to forage. The flora on the island did not seem to be terribly different from that on the mainland of High Rock, so Sabine would know roughly what she could expect to find. She would eventually spot Do'rhajul, who had simply gone to bathe himself in the sea. From a distance, he did not seem to be doing much more than sitting in the water, staring absently out over the waves. Without knowing his thoughts, it would be difficult for Sabine to tell how much her advice and encouragement had been affecting him. He was obviously deep in thought, but whether those thoughts were constructive or destructive to himself, she could not determine.

Shortly afterwards, Sabine would be able to hear a distant echo of an unmistakable sound: a dragon's roar. It was distinct and easy for her ears to detect, but the source was obviously far from their location. It sounded like it could be near the center of the island. It placed their group in no immediate danger, but it did confirm both that they were in the right place, and the dragon was not yet dead. If the axe's wielder was still alive, he had certainly not collected his bounty.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Circumtore

Sirka growled under her breath following Sol’id quite thoroughly ruining her plan with what she saw as an impatient attack. Though, she supposed that she should not have expected anything different when fighting with Mandalorians.

The pirates had arranged as many crates and other object as they could into makeshift defensive fortifications, so most of those around the E-Web had been covered from the blast. In particular, a Devaronian man was quick to start rallying his allies after the rocket strike. “Spread out! Watch those wrist rockets!”

The pirates had not been too clustered to begin with, but several of them quickly dashed for other cover, while still maintaining a distinct defensive line. Those in the middle were still suppressed by Sol’id, but others could still return fire. Regardless, Sirka sprinted in through the entryway as quickly as her legs could carry her. Although, she still could not move too close to the enemy. The best she could do was to sprint across diagonally across the entryway and into cover behind a piece of lifting machinery just to the left of the entrance. She took a shot to her thigh on the way and stumbled, but still made it into cover. From there, she propped her weapon up on the machine and began joining Sol’id in trying to keep the enemy suppressed. Unfortunately, that was not nearly as effective as they would have liked. Even with both her and Sol’id firing as fast as they could, it was still just two sources of blaster fire. The pirates had many more, and they were too spread out to threaten many of them at once.

Sirka kept up fire on the enemies closest to Elias for as long as she could, but she suddenly had to jerk back into cover as a blaster bolt struck her in the hand. She growled curses under her breath and started shaking her hand in the air. That one hurt. The heat burned some of the flesh in at least one finger, having found its way past her scales through her claw. “I’ve got too many angles to cover here. We need something better here than just ‘charge the gates’. Anyone have smoke grenades?”

The Devaronian officer was effectively coordinating his men, directing their fire on both Sol’id and Elias. As for himself, he was in full combat armor, though they could not determine the material just by looking. He had several devices on his belt, and a full-looking backpack. He carried only a small blaster pistol, but he was not a bad shot. It fired in quick, four round bursts, and at least one of the shots found its mark on Elias’ armor while he was moving. The Devaronian was keeping himself in as good of cover as he was able, and was constantly checking on Sol’id and Sirka’s positions between firing bursts at Elias.