EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei hummed a moment. "Well, I would be remiss if I shared hints as to the location of this place. I suppose I should amend one of my statements from before. It is likely necessary for us to share our secrets except for the location of the exact entrance to this place. That one last secret to keep my people protected, I suppose. With teleportation, knowing the physical entrance to this place is not terribly...necessary."

Meesei gave a grin to match Marod's. "However, making no reference to physical proximity...you never came anywhere close. Particularly since we planted those rumors to guide you to a location of our choosing, after we caught on to you in Solitude."

Wasting little time, Meesei went ahead and started to guide Lunise and Marod up the steps, into the city itself. Its gates were guarded day and night, but one look at Meesei was all it took for the guards to open the gates for her without question, and without a word being spoken. Deep in the cave as they were, there was no real concept of day and night, but they still made an intentional effort to keep the Silent City on the same sort of schedule as other lycan clans across Tamriel, if only for the convenience of it. As such, most of the clan had retired for the night, so it was not as active as it usually was. However, there were still hints as to the city's size in the courtyards they walked through in the form of the structures that the lycans had created on top of the original Dwemer structures. There were fortifications, market stalls, stables, and other signs that this was much closer to being a true town than Marod might have initially assumed. Though, it obviously had its own unique surprises. As they were moving through the first courtyard, an automaton that had been placed on night patrol rolled past. It was a Dwemer sphere, somewhat dusty, but in otherwise pristine condition. It did not react at all to anyone in the group, nor did Meesei give any comment or reaction to it.

"I am sure you have many questions, and I certainly am willing to answer them." Meesei said as they stepped through into the first floor of one of the taller buildings, which contained both the meeting chambers, and many of the dormitories for high ranking members of the clan. She looked around, even going as far as casting a brief detect life spell to check her surroundings before continuing in a quiet tone. "Of course, the reason I have requested you be here is so that we can meet together with my council and discuss our final preparations and planning against Vile, and what role the Empire and Dominion might serve in it. If you wish, I can wake up my council's members, and we can hold the meeting right now. Or, if you would prefer, we can hold the meeting tomorrow morning. Right now, instead, we can go somewhere private and I can answer your questions and catch you up on events to the best of my ability. That might help you be more informed for the meeting, but it is your decision. I can give you the best quarters available, which may be nicer than you think.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei stopped her magic when Marod indicated that he was not ready, and patiently waited for him to be ready. Even when Marod was out of sight, Meesei felt frustrated that she could not use the opportunity to really talk to Lunise. Until they had complete privacy in her clan, they would not have that opportunity. She and Lunise could not be seen being terribly friendly towards one another. Lunise was a person who was hardly ever seen in any professional setting being friendly to her own people, much less anyone else, and Meesei had to maintain a sense of neutrality between her and Marod. Both she and Lunise understood that they needed to put on a convincing act, even if it meant varying degrees of rudeness between them in public.

Regardless, it was not terribly long before Marod said that he was ready, though Meesei did not continue without objection. "I can agree with everything except the uniform. At the current stage, I would rather not be seen in public in my clan with uniformed Imperials, or Thalmor, since our alliances are only known among my people's leadership. We will have to announce it eventually, of course, but I want to get that message out clearly, on our terms, rather than through rumors. Anything else will do, even more proper city clothes. A lot of people in the clans do not bother with them, but it is not an uncommon sight by any means."

After giving Marod time to accommodate her request, Meesei once more stepped into the center of the room and began her spell. "Now, to describe it in short, I have mastered teleportation magic. I am capable of opening a portal between any two locations, provided there is not any significant metaphysical barrier between them. For the vast majority of places on Nirn, that is not an issue. I merely need to be familiar with the destination, or have some other connection to it. It is a difficult spell to cast, and it takes a minute to complete, but this one should be finished just about...now."

As the finished speaking, the spherical, violet portal opened up in front of her and she offered her hands to both Marod and Lunise. "It is best that we all step through at once. Now, come with me."

To avoid calling too much attention to them right away, Meesei teleported them just outside the Silent City, rather than into the middle of it, which did have the affect of making it an even more impressive sight. The tall steps leading upward made the walls and gate above them look even more imposing, and of course, the Dwemer City and the cavern itself were all magnificent sights to behold for anyone with some aesthetic sense. Even with Marod's best scouting and intelligence, he could not have expected what he would witness. "Here we are; welcome to my home."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I did say it was a summary." Meesei clarified. "Of course, I am willing to share all of the details. All of them. About the axe, about myself, about my clans. All of the little secrets we have kept about our capabilities, you both will have to know it all. That is how serious this has become, Marod. I am prepared to lay everything necessary out on the table for you both, if that is what is required to defeat Vile. Our deals and negotiations regarding my clans affects every one of my people living in Tamriel, and could determine our very future, but it is a petty concern compared to stopping our enemy."

Meesei cleared her throat and stood up from the table. "With that being said, yes, I can tell you how we arrived here. In fact, it would be easy enough to just show you. Show you everything." She stepped around the table and into the most open part of the room. She held her hand out in front of her, which started to glow just slightly as the magic began to well up within her. As she started her spell, she looked over to Marod once more. "You are able to leave here right now, yes? I can bring you back here just as quickly should you need to speak to your superiors, but I would plan to be away for a while, regardless. There is much to do."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei took her seat just across from Marod, though it took a few seconds for her to adjust herself so that she was not sitting on her tail. Despite Marod's friendly attitude, Meesei did feel a bit more on-edge, being that they were in the middle of the White-Gold Tower. Although they were alone in the room, she could not be sure who might be listening in, though it was probably no one that Marod would not be reporting to regardless. "Yes, well, I suppose I should start with a summary of recent events, since a great deal has happened. During the course of our hunt for the Axe, we carried out a mission to deal with Do'rhajul and his team. One of my pack members, Sabine, was captured, but she freed herself, convinced Do'rhajul and one other to defect from Vile's side to ours, and captured all of the other members of his former team. With his help, she also recovered the Rueful Axe and killed a Dragon that had been harassing Imperial ships off of the coast of High Rock."

Naturally, everything that Meesei was saying was a great deal for Marod to take in. If he did not know her as well as he did, it was unlikely that he would even believe her, so she allowed a few moments of silence for him to think before she continued. "With all of that having passed, it is time to start preparing for the end of it all. I came to find both you and Lunise for a meeting with my council to determine how we are going to carry out our final assault against Vile. A fair warning, the work ahead is going to be as time-consuming as it is important, so I would...free your schedule as completely as you can." She recommended. Indeed, since Marod did not yet know of her ability to teleport, the notion of meeting with Meesei's council was a mission unto itself. However, like Lunise, it was his primary assignment.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As much as Meesei would have liked to talk about whatever issues might have been troubling her, they needed to be more focused now that they were in the Imperial City. Meesei kept quiet as they headed through the gates to Green Emperor Way, but she did start to speak up softly once they were a safe distance from the guards they had passed. “I will be revealing my ability to teleport to Marod today, so it would probably be wise to act as if you have only learned recently as well, should he ask. I would not want him to think that I am favoring you, or the Dominion.”

Shortly afterwards, the pair approached the steps leading up to the large doors of the White Gold tower itself. There was a palace guard on either side, wearing the traditional, ornate silver and gold armor of their station. Normally, the first few floors of the tower were open to the public, but not after dark, except to those authorized to be there.

Meesei stepped up to one of the guards and spoke a few words quietly, softer than what Lunise would be able to hear. The guard appeared to pause for a moment in thought, then nodded and unlocked the door for them. Their destination was on the third floor of the palace, and Meesei had only been to it once before, but the tower was simple enough to navigate. The hallway for every floor circled around the outside wall of the tower, with the rooms for each floor on the inside of the circle.

The lycan clans had been given a handful of authorization phrases to allow them to identify themselves to the Penitus Oculatus, though the only authorization such phrases provided them was to reach the parts of the palace necessary to contact the Penitus Oculatus. She imagined that anyone who had an official reason to contact them would have such a phrase. A Thalmor diplomat like Lunise would likely have one as well, so it was likely that she was perfectly aware of what was going on, even if she did not have a phrase to enter the palace itself. Meesei had to give her phrase a few move times before they eventually made it to their destination on the third floor.

The Penitus Oculatus headquarters was one of the Imperial organizations that was in operation both day and night. Given the nature of their work, Meesei would not have been surprised if they were even more active after sunset. It also would not surprise her if the office she and Lunise had entered was not actually their headquarters, despite what she had been told. Meesei found it more likely that it was simply a place designated to meet with outsiders to the organization. The agents inside wore the Penitus Oculatus uniform, though compared to the Legion, it was a uniform much more rarely worn. Usually, their organization worked in secret, and in disguise.

Neither of the two were greeted upon entering the relatively small waiting room. There was a uniformed Imperial man behind a desk at the center of the room, who looked up at the pair expectantly. “We are here to meet with agent Marod.” Meesei stated directly before leaning in to give her phrase. The man recognized it much more quickly than the palace guard, and Meesei saw in his expression a brief glimpse of that familiar anxiety that often appeared when a non-lycan realized who, or rather, what they were speaking to. Although, anxiety might not have been the word to describe it for a trained member of the Penitus Oculatus. He was more defensive, on guard. Regardless, he gave a single nod and stood up.

“Wait here.” He instructed.

Like Lunise, Marod’s assignments usually required travel from him, but Meesei expected he would still be in the Imperial City. One of Saras’ agents had given him an update on events that same week, just before their planned mission against Do’rhajul, so it was more likely than not that he had not yet left. They did have a wait of roughly half an hour in the room, but considering the presence of the two other Penitus Oculatus agents in the room, Meesei had no opportunity to speak with Lunise. Fortunately, Marod did indeed arrive to meet them, though he did appear as if he had just woken up, with no time to hide that fact.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Your superiors already know the threat, among themselves. They know that the Towers are not some mere myth, and they know what will happen if they all fall. It is quite fortunate for us that they do not want Vile to destroy them on his terms, else they would likely let it happen. But you are right; I hope to keep the Imperial and Dominion soldiers very…very separate. It would be best if they not even see each other unless absolutely necessary. We can plan our assault to keep them attacking flanks far apart from one another. The challenge I see will be determining who shall carry the Rueful Axe. Considering that the axe is absolutely vital to the plan, I imagine both sides will want to have it. But I need to be the one to carry it.” Meesei began. As Lunise finished changing, Meesei moved around behind her and started to tie the cords, taking care not to make it uncomfortably tight. Though, before releasing her, she wrapped her hands around Lunise’s waist and kissed her neck.

“Aside from all of this business, though, it is wonderful to be able to see you again. If there is any silver lining to all of the work we are going to have to do over the coming months, it will be that we will likely be able to see each other much more often.” She commented, though she did not let her words linger long before releasing her grip on Lunise and beginning to create the portal.

After a minute, Meesei stepped through her portal with Lunise into a completely pitch black room, though it was only a few seconds before Meesei illuminated it with a candlelight spell. It was a basement storage room of a distinctly Imperial style. It was filled with crates and barrels arranged in no particular order. Wordlessly, Meesei took the lead up the stairs, though curiously, she paused for a few moments to cast a spell of detect life before proceeding through the door upstairs.

The home they were in was that of someone with reasonable wealth. Not of a noble, but a merchant, or some other equivalent trade. The Imperial woman sitting in her parlor in her nightclothes looked briefly surprised upon hearing the footsteps, but visibly calmed once she laid her eyes on Meesei. At least, she no longer seemed outright afraid. “Oh, Champion, it’s you. You usually don’t come here in person. I’m guessing there must be something important going on; probably something you can’t talk about?”

Meesei answered with a nod. “I am afraid so. I shall do my best to avoid waking you when we come back through, though I apologize in advance if I do.”

The Imperial raised a hand dismissively. “It is no trouble, Champion.”

With no further delay, the pair left the home and stepped out into the Imperial City’s Elven Gardens District. It was firmly after dark by this point, so the streets were illuminated only by magically-lit torches, and the moons and stars above them. Likewise, they were currently the only ones they could see on the streets, aside from the night watch. Anyone who was out at such an hour would naturally gain some measure of suspicion from the guards, but it was not illegal to simply be out after dark. “We need to make our way to the White Gold Tower.” Meesei commented, casting her gaze upwards at the structure towering above the whole of the city. “Such a beautiful place this is.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I understand, and I will not blame you if we fail, of course, but no effort is too much for what we face. I do not think we will get open cooperation so easily, but I think we can be creative in our strategy. Some cleverness on our part may make it easier than you expect. Ironically, I believe the Dominion will be easier to persuade, but we can get into that later with Marod." Meesei replied.

Meesei cleared her throat briefly. "And speaking of Marod, we should probably go collect him. I have a safe place to teleport to in the Imperial City, and he gave me procedures to contact him at the Penitus Oculatus headquarters. You should probably dress discretely, particularly since we will be returning to my clan. I just..." She began, running a hand down Lunise's side, gently. "...I promise that I will do everything I can to make sure this does not disrupt your standing in the Dominion, for both professional and personal reasons. We can control how we present this to your superiors."

Meesei stood up. "Now, shall I start on the portal?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei did not appear to be shaken at all by Lunise's objections. Indeed, she had expected them almost verbatim. As such, there was little hesitation for her response. "I know well how insane it sounds, but you know just as well as I how important it is that this invasion succeed. It is not just about winning wars, or political gain, it is the protection of our very world from existential danger. That is a cause that transcends any political boundaries. Even your superiors have no desire for Vile to end the world on his terms. As confident as I am in my people's capabilities, I know this is no time to take chances. I know how impossible it sounds, but we have done the impossible before, and there is no one I would trust more than you to help make it happen."

Meesei started to squeeze Lunise's hand slightly. "I know there are going to be challenges, but I think if we all put our heads together, we can start thinking of solutions. At the very least, we have to try. At this stage, with what we have ahead of us, we cannot be too afraid to try."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"That will not be required." Meesei replied. "I will take you and Marod back to the clan myself. We are no longer going to be able to afford the cautious approach. My clan is going to have to become more willing to confide some of its secrets into our allies in the final months of preparation, out of necessity. I know that your leaders do still give you other tasks, since matters concerning our clans rarely take up most of your time, but I do remember you saying that your role as the agent in charge of relations between the lycans and the Thalmor was still your primary assignment. You may have to start delegating your other tasks, because I believe your primary assignment is going to start demanding your attention full-time soon. And the same for Marod, hopefully. We are going to have a great deal of work to do if we are going to stand a chance attacking Vile."

Despite the fact that she was affectionately holding Lunise's hand with a soft grip, Meesei's tone was serious, and carried some anxiety along with it. Meesei did not doubt that Lunise and Marod would be willing to do what was necessary to stop Vile from threatening Tamriel, but that did not mean that the path ahead would be easy. "What we plan on discussing is how to convince the Empire and Dominion to support us in our attack with as many soldiers and resources as possible."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei took Lunise's hand, squeezing it tightly. At this point, there were a few tears visible in her eyes. "It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. It only took a few days for her to come back to us, but I was terrified for all of it. I did not sleep, I could hardly think. And it makes me just...sick to my stomach to know that, no matter how much pain I was going through, it was worse for Sabine."

Taking in a deep breath, Meesei did the best she could to calm herself. "But, I am trying to do the best I can to move past it all, and focus on what is ahead. I would prefer not to...dwell on it, if that is alright. I am grateful to have you for support, but unfortunately, I am not just here for personal reasons. We now have the Rueful Axe, and Vile's opposition to us in Tamriel has been diminished. But that means it is time for us to move to the final part of our plan. We now have to be serious about planning an invasion of Oblivion. I conferred with my council, and we all agreed that it was time to bring you and Marod in to meet with my council and discuss how we are going to move forward. The end is coming soon, and we are going to have to throw everything we have, everything we are, at it. I have tried to remain inspiring to my people, but speaking in confidence with you, the thought of what we are going to have to do terrifies me."