EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Hal-Neesa was indeed alive, Sabine's magic could do nothing to help her if she had intended to try. Being that Neesa was undead, it would require proficiency in necromantic healing to even begin to help her, and Ahnasha was not present. Neesa had been blinded by Meesei's flames, so she could not see Sabine, but her touch was enough to alert her to her presence. Though, incredibly, despite her horrible disfigurement, Neesa's only reaction to Sabine was to bare her blackened teeth threateningly.

Suddenly, Hal-Neesa seemed to disappear right before Sabine's eyes. The two spears fell to the ground in front of her, and her hand passed through the space that she had once occupied. Legends of vampires told that some would turn to ash upon death, but there was no ash to be seen around her. Rather, if Sabine were to look up and around her, she would notice a thick mist had formed above her. It started to move around the room strangely, not with any breeze or draft, but it moved together on its own, as if it were alive. Eventually, the mist stopped near to Llarvan, and after a few moments, it started to form together into a more corporeal entity. Or rather, a swarm of them. The dark mist collected into dozens of shadowy bats that flew together in and around a cloud of red energy. After hardly a minute had passed, the bats reformed into the tall, winged, reptilian form of an Argonian Vampire Lord. In an incredible display of either her own magic, or Molag Bal's power, she was not only alive, but in seemingly good health. She was adorned in the regalia and jewelry of a Vampire Lord, evidently formed from the blood magic itself, considering that her old robes had been incinerated. There were no hints of the burns nor wounds anywhere across her body; although, as she hovered in place, still surrounded by a small swarm of bats, the rage in her expression was still very much present.

"You...insolent dog! I shall...I shall drain the blood from..." Hal-Neesa began, but despite what appeared to be a miraculous resurrection, she could hardly even keep her arm extended forward. Though alive and evidently healed, she had unmistakably been severely weakened in the fight.

Whatever threats that Hal-Neesa intended to deliver when Molag Bal finally made his voice heard. The basin of blood bubbled again with his voice, though at first, it was just a terrifying laugh. "It is the typical arrogance of mortals to think your petty victories mean anything to the Daedra. My minions have slaughtered more accomplished mortal 'heroes' than you, insect. Still, if my servants are so incompetent as to be unable to put down one of Hircine's dogs, then you might be of more use to me than them. I will claim Clavicus Vile's power, and you, mortals, will help me to do it. Place Vile's trinket onto this altar, and I will give it a portion of my power. While you throw away your worthless lives in your 'invasion,' my Daedra shall storm Vile's realm and show him the true meaning of Domination."

"And you, pathetic lizard." Molag Bal continued. His words still could have been referring to Meesei, but Hal-Neesa worryingly turned her eyes towards the altar, knowing they were meant for her. "You have failed me, but I will not crush you to give your soul its earned torment. Not yet. You will make yourself useful to me and go with these dogs back to their den. You will go there and make your preparations to join these dogs in their invasion. You will bring your underlings and personally lead them against Vile, and prove that you still have some small degree of value to me."

For the first time, Hal-Neesa looked to be completely at a loss. "W-what?" She exclaimed, though no response came. Indeed, even Meesei looked almost as alarmed, as she was not particularly keen on the idea of Hal-Neesa returning to their clan with them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei tried to charge a quick lightning bolt to open the fight offensively, but already, Neesa was showing her advantage. The vampire was able to both charge and fire a standard bolt of lightning much quicker than Meesei could accomplish, forcing her to abandon her attack in favor of a ward. It was easy enough for Meesei to resist that attack, but Neesa, of course, did not stop there. She quickly unleashed a brilliant blue pulse of lightning: a sudden burst of energy meant to overwhelm and destroy Meesei’s ward. It was essentially what she had done in their last encounter, but this time, Meesei did not fail so easily. Her ward wavered, the blue restoration energy fading, but it did not break. Nevertheless, Neesa maintained her stream of lightning as Meesei struggled to keep up the strength of her ward through it all.

“Well well, so you have improved. I seem to remember it being over by this point last time. You know, I do appreciate that kind of dedication. It’s always more satisfying when I feel like my opponent is actually trying.” Neesa commented. Slowly, she started to step towards Meesei, grinning. The Vampire Lord seemed to have no trouble dividing her concentration and still maintaining her spell, while Meesei’s hands were shaking as she focused wholly on the ward. “I mean, just look at you. Standing up so bravely against a Daedric Lord, challenging one of your betters to a duel just on the hope that you might accomplish a miracle. You actually remind me a bit of myself in my youth. Back when I was also an idiot. Who knows? Perhaps, in a few hundred or so years, you could actually make something of yourself? Get rid of that self-sacrificial nonsense in your head and put that energy towards something actually helpful to you. It’s almost a shame to kill you, really. I would be curious to see if you could accomplish something of any measurable importance. Oh well, I have killed far more interesting people than you for far less than this, so I think I shall get over it.”

Meesei could not break her focus enough to pay attention to anything that Neesa was saying. The sparks of lightning striking her ward illuminated the room, and were even branching off and striking the stonework around her. Even being near Neesa’s intended target would be dangerous. For Neesa’s entire speech, Meesei’s situation was looking more and more grim. Keeping up her ward was as if she was trying to hold back a dam on the verge of collapse. However, Neesa taking the opportunity to gloat was something that Meesei had been hoping for. The entire time that Neesa had been talking, Meesei had been carrying out her final, desperate plan. There were many mages who could absorb the magicka from enemy spells through a ward, of course, but it was usually little more than a way to power a ward for longer than one would be able to otherwise. The conversion was usually not completely efficient, but recently, Meesei had the opportunity to observe something that was. The had only possessed the Staff of Magnus for a relatively short time, but Meesei had begun the process of studying the relic. The manner in which the staff directed magicka from a ward into the staff was entirely different from any method that Meesei had studied. It was almost bizarre, twisting and shaping the energy of the spells in ways that were frankly confusing, and yet, the staff could absorb most of the magic from incoming spells. Granted, it was an Aedric relic, but the way in which it functioned was still, fundamentally, magic. Meesei could not even begin to hope to match the capabilities of a piece of Magnus himself, but that did not mean she could not learn from it. The method she had intended to try was, up to that point, experimental, and entirely unproven in any real scenario. Meesei had bet her life on a theory, but by the grace of Hircine, the Hist, or whatever other deity might have been watching, it seemed to have worked.

During Neesa’s gloating, Meesei had been absorbing the energy of her lightning far more efficiently than even Neesa was likely capable of doing, thanks to the lessons she had learned studying the Staff. Meesei’s intense concentration was not on her ward as much as it was on retaining the immense amount of magicka she was absorbing. The Staff of Magnus could contain the power of a god, but Meesei had nowhere close to that capacity. Nevertheless, for as much as she seemed to be struggling to even keep herself alive, onlookers with keen magical senses might have been able to notice her power overflowing, if they could look past Neesa’s lightning. In the moments before Meesei acted, Llarvan’s eyes widened in surprise.

True to her plan, Meesei took all of the magicka she could muster, along with Neesa’s magic that she had been struggling to contain, and focused it into perhaps the single most concentrated lightning spell she had ever cast. She had to lower her own ward to even be able to cast it, which allowed Neesa’s lightning to finally strike her. But, by that point, the spell could not be stopped. All of the power she had absorbed was focused into an electrical orb bright enough to momentarily blind anyone in the room. Even if the affects could not be seen, they could certainly be heard. Neesa scrambled to focus what magicka she could into a ward of her own, but even she was not quick enough to form an effective defense against such a concentration of power. Neesa’s ward, as powerful as it was, broke under the sudden burst of magical energy.

Meesei could not see through the light, but she heard the ward break, offering her the one and only opportunity she would have to seize victory. Ignoring the pain of Neesa’s lightning, Meesei bolted forward, enveloped in lightning, straight through Neesa. The electricity discharged into the vampire’s body, stunning her for just long enough for Meesei to turn around behind her. If Meesei wasted even a moment and allowed Neesa to raise another defense, then she knew she would be doomed. She had to devote every last drop of magicka she had remaining to her attacks, as anything else would be a pointless waste of energy. Extending out both hands in front of her, Meesei unleashed a combination of lightning and fire into Neesa’s back. The lightning was intended to stun her and drain her magicka, while the fire was to take advantage of one of Neesa’s few weaknesses. Indeed, vampiric flesh was quite easy to set ablaze.

With how quickly Meesei had acted after stunning Neesa, there was no opportunity for Neesa to defend against Meesei’s relentless assault. Meesei held nothing back, immolating Neesa’s body from head to toe. Neesa’s water-soaked robes had done little to protect against the intensity of Meesei’s flames, and even the ancient and powerful vampire lord could not stop her natural instinct to scream. But, Meesei still did not relent. For as long as Meesei had magicka, she was going to continue delivering her punishment. Meesei could not grip a living being with telekinesis like Neesa, but she could achieve the same effect with a blast of telekinetic energy that slammed Neesa’s charred body against one of the stone walls with easily enough force to break bone. With another wave of her arms, Meesei threw her once more into a stone support column before finally allowing her to fall to the ground and slump to her knees.

Meesei allowed herself only a moment to breathe as she cast her eyes up to the stone wall, noting a pair of spears crossed over a weapon rack. They were not silver, unfortunately, but since Meesei still had magicka remaining, she extended a hand to grab onto one, pull it from the rack, and guide it through the air and straight through Hal-Neesa’s stomach from behind. Neesa’s head lowered, and her burnt hands grasped at the now-bloody haft of the weapon that had penetrated through her. With that angle, Neesa was also witness to the second spear that Meesei pulled through her chest seconds later.

By this point, many of the cultists were confused, worried, or even outright afraid. Llarvan was enraged, his hands enveloped in flames, while both Lorag and Kaleeth had their weapons in hand, staring him down and waiting to act if he interfered.

Meesei was almost completely drained of magicka by this point, put with the last bits she had remaining, she pulled the Staff of Magnus from Sabine’s hands into her own. It had been charged with quite a few soul gems before they left, so with it, even after the fight, Meesei had access to more magicka than she had started with.

Meesei appeared in almost as much of a rage as Llarvan. She growled at him with an intense, threatening glare as the Staff of Magnus began to glow with a bright blue energy in her hand. Meesei’s own magical weakness from the fight was irrelevant with the Staff; the stonework of the floor itself cracked when the energized staff just tapped against it. “Is that worthy enough for you, Molag Bal?” Meesei shouted. “I will slaughter every single one of your minions if I have to. I will tear off their limbs, grind up their bones, and feast on their flesh myself! They are nothing to me, do you understand? I do not care how many centuries they have to their lives, I will kill them all the same. Because I have my mission, I have a god to kill, and if you and your pathetic servants cannot be of use to me, then I need to stop wasting my time here and find a Daedra who will. You hear me? Answer me, demon!”

The sheer ferocity in Meesei’s voice made it difficult for even those who knew her well to be certain whether or not she was exaggerating her anger as an act, or was actually, truly so enraged. Such raw, unrestricted anger was not characteristic of the Meesei they knew, but it was certainly as convincing as it was frightening. As for Hal-Neesa, there was hardly an inch of her body that was not burned through to the muscle and bone. Her form was now a grotesque, charred mass of flesh. Her eyes had practically boiled from the heat, her ribs had been broken, and two were now snapped and protruding out of her chest. If not for her tail and muzzle, she would not be recognizable as Argonian, and that was not even to mention the blood-soaked spears impaled through her. Any sane individual would have expected her to be dead, but whether it was a result of some magic, or just a testament to the durability of a vampire lord, she was still clinging to life. For now.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

I'm trying to make sure everyone has things to do. If you need some events, you can message me about it.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

My apologies for not being too available yesterday. As Zarkun said, no one can really establish much of a foothold on Paradise. The Believers in particular are wary of Koren's ability to monitor the ship. That said, there are plenty of other locations we could use for such an event.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I apologize if I didn't give you too much to reply to, but I do need to get to bed. I may just add on the rest of the fight to the post, if I'm up before you're back.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was hardly able to extend a hand towards the staff before Hal-Neesa's irritatingly arrogant voice chimed in. "Come now, you intend to bring an Aedric relic into a duel? Do you think me that much of a fool? I would advise against cheating; trust me, you do not want me to cheat." She said, waving a hand towards the other cultist onlookers.

Releasing a sigh, Meesei clenched her fist closed and withdrew her hand away from Sabine. Her plan did not necessarily rely on the Staff of Magnus, but she was certainly much less confident without it. She supposed it had been too hopeful to expect Hal-Neesa not to recognize the weapon, though even if she had not, Molag Bal might not respect a duel won only through the power of an artifact.

As Hal-Neesa stepped forward with growing impatience, Meesei turned her head back briefly to meet Lunise's gaze. "Please, trust me."

"Oh, enough of this. I am not going to wait around while you say your goodbyes. I have already wasted enough of my evening as it is." Neesa interrupted. Neesa preparing herself to fight brought a magical charge to the air that could likely be felt several rooms away. She was every bit as terrifying of an opponent as Meesei remembered. During their first duel, Neesa had broken through her ward almost immediately, then quite literally tossed her around the room. Even with all the time that had passed; all of the strength, knowledge, and experience that Meesei had accumulated over the years, Meesei still did not believe she was stronger than Hal-Neesa. Meesei had studied ancient and forgotten magic in Apocrypha, but Neesa had possibly lived through those times herself. There was only one advantage that Meesei felt she could possibly have, which stemmed from Neesa's arrogance. Meesei did not expect that Neesa could even imagine that someone as young and inexperienced as Meesei could even approach Neesa's level of power. She would not expect it to be much of a contest. However, Meesei was hoping that she was just close enough. Even if she was not stronger, just being powerful enough to challenge her might allow her to use surprise to her advantage. In any case, it would have to be a quick duel. This would not be an extended magic duel, because that was not a duel that Meesei could win. Victory or defeat, Meesei would have to make sure to put everything she could into it quickly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Even Meesei could not maintain complete composure in Molag Bal's presence. She jumped slightly upon being startled by his voice, and her breathing was somewhat irregular. Regardless, she held more confidence than most could in her position. "I seek to prove no one's worthiness, Molag Bal. My sole goal is the defeat of our mutual enemy, and it is the only reason I have summoned you."

Even though it was more expected this time, there was nothing that could quite prepare one completely to hear the Daedra's voice. "My thralls have already given their services to fighting the whelp Vile. What more would you have the gall to ask of me?"

Meesei motioned her hand towards the axe in Kaleeth's hands. "This axe was forged from Vile's own essence. It is one of his relics, and I am sure you know what power that can hold over him, if applied correctly. If empowered by another Daedra, this axe could drain him of all of the power he has stolen from Mundus. That is what I ask of you, Molag Bal."

The voice of an angry Daedric Prince was not something that one would particularly want to hear at any point in their lifetime, but it was now booming through the entire chamber. "Insolent mortal. You dare to demand power from the Lord of Domination? Clavicus Vile is an irritant and a fool, but he is of no threat to me. Your world means nothing to me; I allow my thralls to help you because watching them fight amuses me. You want my power, but what are you willing to...sacrifice for it?"

There was a pause from Meesei, and several looks of worry from the pack. This was what many of them, at least in the back of their minds, had been fearing. It was what the council feared when Meesei had suggested using Molag Bal to empower the axe. They were asking for a great deal, and Molag Bal could demand a high price for it. However, Meesei had also been thinking, researching, planning. She had poured over every bit of knowledge they had on the subject in preparation for this moment, and she replied in a way that even her own pack would not have expected. She was calling his bluff.

"Nothing." Meesei replied sharply, with a firm demeanor. "There will be no sacrifice, Molag Bal. Because you cannot afford a victory from Vile any more than we can. There is a reason far greater than pride and ambition that Daedric Princes, yourself included, have sought to conquer Nirn countless times through the ages. There is power here: the power of every Aedra involved in its creation. A Daedra absorbing the power of Nirn would grant that Daedra a kind of power unmatched by any other being in all of Aurbis. Aetherius and Oblivion would all eventually belong to Vile, should he gain that power. And...I happen to know that defeating Vile in his realm will offer any other Daedra with a presence in his realm the opportunity to steal some of his power. My master will undoubtedly claim some, as will the Daedra that empowers this axe. If you are too afraid of taking the risk required to claim Vile's power, then I will find another Daedra who will. Perhaps Meridia will enjoy having even more leverage over you?"

It could not be overstated how terrifying the roar that filled the chamber was after Meesei's response, particularly after invoking the name of one of Molag Bal's greatest rivals. There was one cultist onlooker that took the chance to slip out of the exit while no one was paying attention to him. "Worthless insect! I will crush you! I will grind your bones to dust and cast your soul into the pits of Coldharbour! Your pathetic mind cannot begin to grasp the nature of the Daedra. You think yourself worthy of wielding my power against Vile when you cannot even best one of my servants. After she crushes you, they will claim Vile's trinket, and I shall have his power for my own."

For the pack, it seemed to be that the worst outcome was unfolding. Lorag had his hammer in his hands before Molag Bal had even finished speaking, and Kaleeth brought the Rueful Axe into a defensive stance. However, Meesei took a step forward, in front of her pack, and held her hand out to motion for them to stop. "Wait." She ordered. Hal-Neesa, hearing her master's demand, had stepped to the center of the chamber, but she was the only one. The rest, even Llarvan, were still standing back near the walls, observing. Meesei had heard Molag Bal's words clearly, and she saw only one way remaining to still possibly gain Molag Bal's assistance.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Clenching the dagger tightly in her hand, Meesei took a step forward and stared into the man's eyes. The silence was, at least for those in the pack, tense. The Argonian was even more emotionless than Meesei, but after a few seconds, whatever Meesei found by staring into his blank, orange eyes caused her own expression to soften just slightly. Letting out a long breath, Meesei grabbed the Argonian's arm and pulled him up to the altar, turning him to face it. She gave him no more than a light push, as he offered no resistance whatsoever to anything she did, even when she leaned his head over the basin and pressed the dagger to his throat.

"Molag Bal, I would speak to you. Here is your sacrifice." Meesei said aloud, her tone firm and her words concise. She was quick and efficient in her kill, pushing the knife deep into his throat to ensure that he bled as quickly as possible. Nearly every drop that was spilled landed into the basin, and once it ceased, she allowed his corpse to fall to the side of the altar.

When Meesei dropped the dagger to the ground, the sound of the metal hitting stone echoed through the large chamber for what seemed like ages. She could not even hear her own breath for the silence that she held in waiting of Molag Bal's response. After the eternity that was the next few seconds, it appeared that Molag Bal might decide to ignore the sacrifice entirely, but then there was a change in the basin. The blood flowing from Molag Bal's sculpture ceased entirely. The rest of the blood in the basin began to bubble as if it were boiling, though there was no heat.

Molag Bal made no apparition of his form, but what did follow was his loud, omnipresent voice. It did not emanate from the shrine, but rather seemed to originate from all around them at once. "So, Hircine's favored dog desires an audience with the Lord of Domination. Do you think being the Hunter's pet makes you worthy to summon me?"

Along with the words came a feeling, almost like a sickness in Meesei's stomach, along with everyone else in the room. There was not a shred of doubt as to who was speaking; it was no trick. Even the vampire lords Hal-Neesa and Llarvan seemed to lose some of their confidence in the presence of Molag Bal.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"No, of course not. Until you phrase it like that." Neesa replied with a brief, passing glance to Janius, though her gaze quickly settled back onto Lunise. Her stare was intense, along with the agonizingly long moments of silence that accompanied it before she finally spoke again. "Whether you are truthful or not, you make sure to stay on your best behavior, child. You are new to my home, so I will give you the fair warning that I do not take kindly to troublemakers."

Following her threat, Neesa abruptly disengaged from the conversation, or any real interest at all in the pack. She left them standing in silence as she finished up the large bottle of blood she had been drinking. She took her time, and ended up finishing the last drop just moments before her husband returned to the chamber. He said nothing, as merely being present was enough to alert Neesa that the altar was ready. "There we are, it looks like we are ready. Soon enough, you will finally be able to say that you have spoken to an actual, powerful Daedra. Or you will be dead; it is really all in Molag Bal's hands at that point."

The location that Hal-Neesa and Llarvan guided the pack to was far down, deep into the xanmeer. Meesei did not know the structure's layout, but she would not have been surprised if they were being taken to the absolute lowest floors in the underground complex. Although, it was also one of the larger ones. Meesei could not so much as guess its original purpose, as the cultists looked to have repurposed it beyond any recognition. The walls were smooth, and any carvings they once held had been removed. Instead, the walls were decorated with paintings depicting all forms of violence and suffering, including one, rather graphic painting at the back of the chamber that depicted the corruption of Lamae Bal. There were also a variety of ornate spears, blades, and maces hanging on the wall, all with strange, spiky designs. They all appeared to be inspired by what Meesei recognized as descriptions of the Mace of Molag Bal, though none appeared to be the mace itself.

In the middle of the chamber, near the back wall was the altar. It was near completely black and had a sculpture of Molag Bal's head with blood pouring from the mouth into a spiky basin below. There were a few other, robed cultists in the room, along with one near the altar with an Argonian standing beside him. Unlike the rest, the Argonian was wearing little more than rags. His scales were pale, though was far too gaunt and weak to be a vampire. His hands were not bound like a prisoner, but he made no effort to move anywhere. The robed man next to him wordlessly held out a curved dagger to Meesei as they approached the altar.

Despite their surroundings Hal-Neesa still carried a smile. "And here we are; it looks like everything is ready for you. Just make the sacrifice on the altar, and we shall see if lord Molag Bal decides you are worth his time. Make sure plenty of blood gets into the basin."

While Meesei did take the dagger in her hand, she froze in place in silence, and with a blank expression. Slowly, her eyes moved between the members of her pack, and to Lunise.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei found it curious that Neesa had singled out Lunise from their group to focus her attention on, especially considering that Meesei doubted that Neesa remembered which of them had or had not been present over ten years prior. She had hardly even remembered Meesei's face. Regardless, that mystery did not remain for long as Neesa continued.

"Hmm, a shame." Neesa replied, dropping the heart back down on a plate. She took a sniff of the air, then clasped her hands together in front of her. "But I am curious, what is it that a plain, regular mortal is doing with a pack of dogs? Are you their handler?" She grinned.