EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While there was no way that Ri'vashi could not have noticed Sabine, she still reacted as if she was seeing her for the first time. Her eyes widened, and she pulled her sword back somewhat when Sabine stepped between them. "'Under your protection'? What madness is this? Why are you with this murderer?"

There was a pause from Ri'vashi. She did not put away her sword as Sabine had requested, but she did lower it. She seemed unwilling to raise it against a friend like Sabine. Even so, the unhindered rage in her expression did not subside; her confusion simply joined it. "We heard the report from the Daggerfall clan that you had returned, and with prisoners. Then you just left right after. The Champion did not believe it, and I thought it made no sense. Ri'vashi does not understand any of this, what is going on, Sabine?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Before Sabine could so much as turn around back towards the stairs, they heard the easily recognizable, and rather alarming sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard. Sabine's shouting had masked the footsteps coming up the stairs, but it was no stranger who had drawn the blade. Rather, it was Ri'vashi, who was currently staring down Do'rhajul with a look of pure, unrestricted hatred. She growled threateningly, though a particularly attentive eye might notice that her hands were shaking.

Ri'vashi spoke only a single word: "You." She did not yell, but even so, it was almost frightening how much anger she could contain within a single, simple word. Ri'vashi had obviously seen Sabine, but it was clear that her attention was solely fixated upon Do'rhajul as she stood with her blade in both hands, pointed towards him. She was not in her armor, but Ri'vashi was never without her weapon.

Even when he heard the sound of the blade being drawn, Do'rhajul did not make any sudden movements. He turned around to face her, but did not make any hint of a motion towards his own sword. As much as he wanted to speak, Sabine had already requested that they allow her to talk for them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Both Do'rhajul and Yerig followed Sabine just as instructed and tried to avoid calling too much attention to themselves. There were some strange looks towards both Sabine and Do'rhajul along the way, but it was difficult to tell exactly what was out of place for them. The High Rock clans had obviously been informed of Sabine's capture, but they did not know if word had spread to other Tamriel clans. The Rueful Axe was quite a unique looking weapon, but the knowledge that they had been looking to obtain it had been a strict secret among the highest ranking members of the clan, so the average member of the clan would not know of its significance, even on the off-chance that they did recognize it.

Eventually, the trio moved away from the more crowded, public sections of the city and towards the quarters for the various, higher ranking members of the clan. It was midday, so most were attending to their duties out in the city and were away from their quarters. They were able to get all the way up the stairs to the highest level of the Dwemer building without running into anyone who recognized Do'rhajul.

Sabine would likely be disappointed to find that Meesei was not in her room, nor were any of the other members of their pack in any of the other rooms. Based on the scents she would be able to pick up in the hall, they had not been there all day. However, Sabine was also likely to be surprised by the state in which they found Meesei's chamber. Between the clutter strewn across the room, broken furniture, and even scorch marks on the walls, it looked almost like a fight had taken place in it. Meesei was not obsessively organized by any means, but this was no state that Meesei would normally have left her room in.

"Is this...normal?" Yerig questioned as he rubbed his hand over one of the black marks on the wall.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As it was not the first time that they had used one of Sabine's portals, there was less hesitation from Do'rhajul and Yerig to step through. Likewise, both Meesei and Sabine had used portals openly in the Silent City enough that they had become mostly desensitized to seeing them. However, there were a few heads to turn once the people in the square saw the first two to step through.

When Sabine stepped through, she would see the near-simultaneous looks of awe come across their expressions. Their eyes were naturally drawn up, to the glowing orb above them, and to the dotted, glowing ceiling of the massive cavern they were in. Then, they went to the mix of restored Dwemer structures surrounding them, and the new additions the clan had been making over the years. Do'rhajul had been well-aware of how organized the lycan clans had become, but even he was left in shock as their home completely surpassed his expectations.

"In all my years...this is in Skyrim?" Yerig said in disbelief.

Likewise, Do'rhajul could not bring himself to stay silent. "This is just...there are no words. I had thought I was so close, but...I was so, so far."

Amazement was nothing uncommon among visitors to the Silent City, so neither of the men's behavior was particularly suspicious. However, there were a few attentive eyes on Do'rhajul in particular. Most members of the clan knew of their former enemy, but even a description was not enough to confirm with certainty that he was who they might expect. There were only a handful of people in Blackreach who would be able to recognize Do'rhajul right away.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I have already made my choice." Do'rhajul answered with hardly any hesitation. "I promised my service to you, and I do intend to keep that promise. For my fate, I trust that you will choose whatever you believe is fair for me, and I will abide by your choice no matter what. After all you have done here for your people, I would not say that any of them would have a right to deny you your choice."

Pausing for a moment, Do'rhajul gave another look down towards the axe in his hand. The relic of Clavicus Vile was a potent weapon by itself, and even Do'rhajul's limited magical attunement could feel that it was enchanted. He still could not quite understand how any simple relic, no matter how powerful, could be used to defeat a god, but he doubted that Sabine would have gone through such trouble if it was just a hunch. Holding out the axe in both hands, Do'rhajul offered it to Sabine. "Would you like to be the one to present the axe to your clan? I would not wish to give them the wrong impression about me, or...incite any violence. I would prefer not to be carrying a weapon openly when I step through your portal."

Yerig was not quite hesitant, but he did want to be cautious about returning to Sabine's clan with her. "For me, I think I am going to have to rely on your judgment. All of this about Clavicus Vile, about those Towers, it does sound important. I know I'm not physically what I used to be, and honestly, I should have stopped all this fighting a long time ago, but I devoted myself to helping the good folk of Skyrim. I would be failing them if I let some Daedra absorb all of Skyrim, and everywhere else, into Oblivion. But, I'm also not keen on ending up locked away in a dungeon somewhere. So, if you think that your people will be willing to overlook my association with your enemy and let me help, then I'll stick with you."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Now that they had all settled down, Yerig and Do'rhajul could easily see how shaken Sabine was. Neither of them believed that her nausea was solely because of the smell. Even so, she still offered to try and pull the axe out of the tower. Do'rhajul sheathed his sword and carefully placed his shield on the ground beside him before slowly and cautiously stepping up alongside Sabine. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and did his best to make himself seem compassionate, despite his towering form being naturally imposing. "Sabine...you've done plenty already, don't worry. I can handle this; you just take some time to rest. Besides, magic does not need to be the solution to every problem."

Looking into the watchtower, Do'rhajul took in a long, deep breath, then held his hand over his nose. The corpses inside the tower were foul, but as a lycan, it was not as if he had to worry about disease, and his nose could not pick up the scent if he was not breathing. As Do'rhajul stepped into the tower, Yerig showed his concern for Sabine quite transparently on his face. He placed one of his hands on hers after he noticed how it was trembling. "Are you going to be alright, Sabine? I know a lot has happened in only a little time, but...it's all over now. We can relax, collect ourselves. And if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here to listen."

Do'rhajul did not remain in the watchtower for long at all. The bodies were piled close to the entrance, so it took only a few steps for him to reach what he was looking for. It was less than thirty seconds before he was stepping out of the watchtower with a large, two-handed axe at his side. He made sure to put enough distance between himself and the door before uncovering his nose, but he still ended up gagging when he took in a breath. There was no telling how long the axe had been in the watchtower, and while it was nowhere near as bad as the tower itself, some of the foul scent had still rubbed off on it. "Well, there were a few axes in there, but I believe this is it." Do'rhajul declared as he presented the weapon to Sabine. By appearance, it was a steel, double-headed battle axe with a leather-wrapped haft and an ornate head. The engravings on the head of the axe were symmetric and depicted two wolves. Interestingly, despite the wear on the leather suggesting the weapon had been heavily used, the metal itself was pristine, in terms of damage, and its edge was razor-sharp. There was no mistaking that this was indeed the Rueful Axe.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Paradise

Sirka had ended up heading to the nearest bar to their hanger, with her sister tagging along with her. They had split up from the Mandalorians for now, though she had no doubt they would be meeting back up again when it came time to report to Koren. Sirka was somewhat surprised that Delni had not ran immediately back to their room, considering that she was still wearing that revealing ensemble that Elias had given her, though it was not as if she stood out, considering that they were not exactly visiting the highest-class bar on Paradise.

Sirka took a seat as best as she could next to Delni at the bar, and ordered something for the both of them. They were different types of alcohol, naturally, considering that anything Sirka would normally drink would probably end up giving Delni a repeat of the last debacle. "So, sis, I know everything worked out and all, but, uh, let's avoid any repeats, alright? No more drinking yourself under the table and getting yourself kidnapped."

"Yeah, yeah." Delni replied, rolling her eyes as she took a drink. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

Sirka gave a low, rumbling laugh. "Oh, how could I ever? You've given me enough ammunition to last for years."

Delni grunted. "Sure, yeah. That's fair, perfectly fair. But, uh, I can fight fair too, you know?" A sly grin crept across Delni's face as she took a small sip of her drink and looked to Sirka out of the corner of her eyes. "Because, you know, I happened to learn about a certain, what might you call it...event, that happened last year in that little club...with that pair of Gungans..."

Sirka coughed for a few seconds after accidentally inhaling some of her drink. "Say what? How in the blazes did you learn about that?"

There was a definite, smug expression on Delni's face while she continued to sip her drink. "I have my ways. I've been just dying to share the story of how my sister lost a few thousand credits, and her favorite blaster. The details are just so...interesting. Why, I especially think people will like the part where..."

"Fine, fine, I get your point." Sirka relented. "We'll call it even."

There was something of an extended silence between the two after they returned to their drinks, and into their own thoughts. Sirka had to admit that she was genuinely worried about meeting Koren again. She had performed not one, but essentially two jobs for him on Circumtore, but she could not admit to knowing exactly how he would take it. Some employers liked a hire who could use their own judgement and initiative, while others demanded blind obedience. Koren did not seem like the kind of man who would be so stubborn, but she did not really "know" for sure. In the moment, Sirka just wanted to get her mind off of it. She flicked out her nose tongues to take in the veritable sea of scents around her. Most were too mixed and indistinct to have much meaning to her, but there was the stronger scent of a Weequay right next to her, who had sat down on the seat just to her left. She had the feeling he was a bit curious, based on his scent, though she could have been mistaken.

Sirka gave a slight, brief nod towards the Weequay. "Hey." She said simply, without any real positivity or negativity to her tone.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do'rhajul and Yerig soon joined Sabine in searching through the crates and piles of other goods. Some of what they found were reasonably valuable East Empire Company trade goods, like textiles, spices, and alchemical ingredients. There were crates of weapons, like crossbows, swords, and even enchanted staves. Yerig found a crate full of soul gems, of various sizes, which might have been a more exciting find before the clan established themselves in Blackreach.

While most of what was present did seem to come from the East Empire Company, it did also appear that the dragon had been hoarding goods from any other source he could find. There were several mismatched chests and crates, along with some loose items simply scattered on the ground. Some were quite valuable, like gold and jewels. Do'rhajul broke open a crate with an insignia depicting a ram, and found it packed full with bars of silver. He stopped for a few silent moment, staring down into the crate contemplatively. "To think, this would have been such a wonderful find for me naught but a few days ago. Do you know how many weapons could be forged from this silver? I suppose it could still be useful to you as a resource, if nothing else. All of this that the dragon had collected...and you said there was a bounty on the dragon's head, yes? I cannot imagine it would be a small one. It seems like this will be quite the windfall for your clan."

Yerig, meanwhile, walked up to the watchtower itself, after finding no trace of the axe in the area he had searched. It was a tall, circular structure made mostly from stone, but its entrance was a simple wooden door. It looked like its purpose was simply to provide a good vantage point on the surrounding seas, rather than to actually be defensible. Yerig opened up the door to the watchtower, only to immediately cough and turn away, holding his hand over his nose. "I...think I found the bodies." He said aloud, while looking as if he was only barely holding down his lunch. The floor just inside the watchtower was covered in corpses strewn haphazardly on top of one another, in various stages of decay. The smell was truly something awful, but he still managed to steel himself enough to hazard another glance into the room. Flies were swarming inside over the bodies, some of which were blackened, bloated, and maggot-ridden, while others were almost skeletal. It appeared that not everyone inside had been killed at the same time, but rather, it was simply where the dragon had been piling the bodies. Yerig was not quite sure how the massive dragon managed to get the door closed, but he certainly understood why he went through the effort.

On the far side of the room, in the stiffened hands of one of the corpses, Yerig thought that he could see an auspicious weapon. "I...think the axe might be in there. I think I see it, but it's hard to tell from this angle."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With Sabine's well-aimed spell, the dragon did not have the chance to understand what happened before his head suddenly dropped to the ground just in front of Sabine, lifeless. Sabine had guessed the dragon's weakness accurately, so his death had been fairly immediate. Do'rhajul was not entirely convinced that it was dead until he cautiously stepped up closer to Sabine and looked into the beast's unmoving eyes.

Yerig stepped around from the other side of the dragon with his arm held in front of his face to keep the wind from the torrential rainstorm out of his eyes. The dragon's death had not ended the effects of his Thu'um, so the lightning was still a threat. Lorig concentrated for a moment and took in a deep breath as he looked up to the sky. "Lok-Vah-Koor"

With Yerig's shout at the sky, not only did the rain and lightning stop, but the clouds themselves parted above them to reveal the sun once more. Even though the fight had not drawn on for too long, Yerig looked tired and sore. The rainstorm had soaked his robes, but his attention was more on the dragon itself. Yerig had never seen the kind of magic that Sabine had used to trap him. The large spikes of ice pressed against his body, and ripped into his wings in places. He did not doubt that the dragon would have had the strength to break the ice, but the way it surrounded him removed most of the leverage he could have had on it. But, even with all of the power she had over the dragon, Yerig had the feeling that Sabine had not wanted to kill him until the dragon gave her no other option.

"So it's over then." Yerig stated as he looked over the body. Now that he had a chance to look closely, he could see the scars on the dragon from a long life of fighting. His pride and stubbornness, even in the face of death, was perhaps not surprising considering the pieces of his history that he had revealed to them. "And another Dovah falls. It's a shame he didn't give you a choice. I suppose it was necessary, though; who knows how many he killed trying to lure the Dovahkiin here? High Rock will be safer, at least. Hopefully this axe you're after is here somewhere."

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

Fa-Val-Kuul

~|Strike Team Base of Operations, Feena

Day 2 ATC, 13th hour|~

There was another pause, with more silent contemplation from Fa. This was quite a lot to suddenly take in; the ramifications of the Jedi Temple being sacked were potentially terrible, and far-reaching. How many Jedi had been killed? How many friends had Fa lost without even knowing? And Gar had mentioned something about a treaty as well. Even without knowing the specifics, Fa did not think it sounded good by any means. It could potentially interfere with her mission, but treaty or no, Fa did not intend to allow Darth Nyiss to escape justice, especially with captive Jedi.

“Hmm, my mission is to stop Darth Nyiss. She is a threat to the whole of the galaxy, even moreso than most Sith. Allowing her to continue unopposed could have dire consequences for countless innocents, so I cannot abandon my mission.” Fa stated firmly as she leaned herself forward onto the table between them. “But…that does not mean our missions are mutually exclusive to one another. I do not wish for our fellow Jedi to remain in her clutches any more than you do. Freeing them could go to our advantage. If they have prisoners in that base, then that means we already have allies in that base. I believe I can allow this; we can coordinate to stop Nyiss, and I certainly do not want to turn down the help. However, I cannot have any more surprises. If there are going to be more ships arriving, I need to know where and when. Having ships coming and going from the planet is incredibly dangerous, and could easily reveal our presence to the enemy. We have to be able to plan out these arrivals. I believe we should take some time to…”

Fa stopped several seconds before the sound of the first blaster shot reached the cave. There was danger, fighting nearby. She hardly even moved her hands before pulling two of her lightsabers from her belt into her hands. “We’re under attack.” She said quickly with a calm, focused demeanor. Her soldiers would already be moving to the defense; they did not need orders to act on their training.

Fa darted away from Gar at full-sprint towards the exit of the cave, and at blistering speed. She moved with the aid of the force, but even without it, her physical capabilities were clearly beyond human. Unlike Gar, her body did not show her age. Her physique was that of a seasoned warrior…or a dangerous predator, depending on the perspective.

Once out of the cave, Fa was able to get a better sense of what was happening. They were not under attack by the Sith, thankfully, but she could see quick movements in the forests just outside of camp, and blaster fire from her men towards them. Fa activated her lightsabers: one green blade, and another, shorter orange blade in her left hand. There was not a great deal of time for decision-making, so Fa had to scan the area quickly as she sprinted forward. She spotted wounded on the ground among the foliage, which made them her immediate priority. Setting her sights on one of the creatures nearest to a wounded soldier, she threw her lightsaber shoto ahead of herself towards the beast.