EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a grunt and crossed her arms. "Hmph, I suppose politicians are just as short-sighted in the Dominion as they are everywhere else. To fail against Vile is to fail in the goals they have been working towards for the past two centuries. Regardless, I have done all I can. We will get the support they are willing to give, and we will use it to the greatest effect we can. If Teroiah is as competent of a commander as she is a mage, then she will be an asset. Regardless of what she thinks of me, the Empire, or lycanthropes, she is not going to let herself get killed in Oblivion, so she will carry out her professional duties to the best of her abilities. For, if nothing else, her own sake."

Meesei elected not to share that she had a conversation out of time with Siloune, at least not with Marod present. He was already aware she had such an ability, but there was no advantage with sharing the details of her private conversation with Siloune. If what Meesei had said and done had indeed influenced her, then they would see the benefits regardless of any action by the Empire.

"All that matters now is making our final preparations for the invasion." Meesei continued. "Any other political matters can wait until after Vile's defeat."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Teroiah was ashamed, embarrassed, angry: everything that one might expect from such a defeat." Meesei replied. "I am sure she would put a knife to my throat right now if she could, but I do not expect it will last forever. I made it quite clear through my strength that any other duelist the Thalmor could have chosen would have had no better results. Regardless of how harsh Siloune's words may have been, I would not expect Teroiah's career to be severely impacted, unless her superiors are far more petty than I have judged them to be. She may always hate me, but without further motivation, actually acting against us would be quite a lot of risk for little gain." She reasoned.

Hal-Neesa gave a brief huff as she stepped towards the door of the meeting chamber. "Well, whatever 'goals' you set for yourself, I will at least concede that you managed to make for an entertaining morning. Of course, any day where you get to see a Thalmor squirm is a good one, yes? Now, I am going to go before one of you manages to do something to annoy me and ruin my mood. Good day, and all that nonsense." She said before leaving quite abruptly, and with no attention towards anything the others might have said.

Meesei sighed and gave a passing glance towards Neesa, but tried not to allow her mind to focus on her for too long. Instead, she turned back to Fendros and resumed where she left off. "Do you think you could gather the rest of the pack?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei, of course, did not expect to be left alone at any point, so she started right away on a portal back to the clan. This time, Neesa did not feel the need to accelerate the process, so it was just under a minute before they were ready to return home. Meesei was watching Teroiah periodically as she was casting the spell, but there was not much more she could glean from just her expressions. She was naturally going to be angry and embarrassed from her defeat, but Meesei hoped that she had made enough of an impression on Siloune that it would not be a permanent scar for Teroiah. The clans did not need any more enemies.

Whatever the result of the duel, Meesei had told her pack that she intended to gather and speak to them after it was over, so her portal took them to the meeting chamber directly. Fendros and Ahnasha, at least, were already there waiting in anticipation of their return, and she expected the others would be ready to come quickly.

Ahnasha stood as soon as she saw the portal, and was watching the expressions of every person that stepped through, even though it was nought but a few seconds before Meesei answered the question on her mind. "You need not worry, I was the victor. And I believe I accomplished every goal of today; we will be the ones to bear the axe, and I do not expect there will be any doubt that we are qualified for the task."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Probably a short scene with the pack afterwards. That scene would probably inspire the next ones.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hal-Neesa did not say anything aloud in response to Siloune, though did at least acknowledge her by answering with a slow nod. Meesei, meanwhile, took the chance to walk over to the dress she had discarded before, shift back into her Argonian form, and slip back into the garment. Stepping near the Altmer battlemages, she could feel the combination of anxiety, confusion, and a touch of fear in most of their stares. They were the ones who had previously been assigned to watch her as guards, but now they would be quite aware of the fact that they would have been powerless to stop her if she truly had any ill intent. Whatever they thought of her, they would have to be lying to themselves to attempt to look down on her now.

Meesei was just tightening up the last of her straps when Siloune addressed her once more. "No, I do not believe there are any more matters to discuss for the moment. I have accomplished everything I set out to do today." Meesei replied. Now that the duel was concluded, Meesei stepped out of the arena into the seating of the crowd and requested a magicka potion from Sabine. Though she had not expended as much power as Teroiah, she still needed help recovering enough of her own magicka to make another portal home.

"I can return myself, my witnesses, and representative Lunise to my clan from here. I can come back to the usual location in a few days to discuss such topics. Would Sundas be acceptable? I would also like to bring my military adviser, as she is more directly in control of the clans' soldiers." Meesei added.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei reacted quickly to Siloune's request, having expected her to declare the victor well ahead of time. She released her vice grip on Teroiah's arm, then gently placed her down on her feet on the stone in front of her. Meesei's decision to stop time for Siloune had likely allowed her the ability to hide any surprise that Teroiah's defeat might have given her otherwise, though the same could not be said for any of the other battlemages. Meesei wanted to see Lunise's reaction to her victory, though she felt it would be unwise to give her any special attention in public.

Despite Meesei's clear and undeniable victory, she remained respectful, particularly towards Teroiah herself. As Meesei was pulling her hands back from Teroiah, she briefly bowed her head. "You fought well, Teroiah. Your skill and experience was everything I had hoped it would be. Even when faced with a superior opponent, you put up far more of a fight than most could have managed. You challenged and strengthened me, and I do look forward to working with you on the difficult road ahead of us."

In the moments since the end of the fight, Neesa's eyes had not been on the duelists, like everyone else, but rather, her gaze was wandering through the air seemingly at nothing. She concentrated, feeling the energy of the air around her until her attention settled back onto Meesei with a knowing gaze. She was silent for a few moments before giving a glance towards Marod. "Yeah, maybe. But not much of a contest, really." She muttered somewhat softly.

After another few seconds, Neesa gave a look towards the nearest Altmer battlemage and grinned. "Still, definitely entertaining enough to be worth the trip."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“My concern for my clans’ safety is, of course, second only to my concern for Mundus as a whole. Vile’s plans must be stopped, and there is no cost too high to ensure it. Not for myself, my clans, the Empire, or the Dominion.” Meesei answered firmly. “Of course, I still intend to protect my people however I can. I have long known the consequences of having the power I wield. I knew what it would mean to show my hand to the Empire and Dominion, but for all of our sakes, it was necessary. I understand what this will mean for me, and if I have to leave my clans for their benefit, then so be it. I may be exceptional, but I am the only one in my clans that possesses that kind of knowledge. If I am to be a target, then I am willing to separate myself from them. Although, if none of that is possible, then as I said, Mundus’ security is the highest priority. As for the Psijiics, well, we can only guess at their actions. They do have a talent for future-seeing, so perhaps they have not acted because they already know what will happen? I can only speculate.”

Turning her head back towards Teroiah, Meesei observed her with a soft hum. “Again, I do have to complement Teroiah’s skill. Even when faced with a superior opponent, she has put forth a worthy fight. I do see what you are referring to; she can charge those chains quite quickly. I will likely need to spend some time practicing the spell to match her proficiency with it. My chains were quite magicka inefficient to reach the same level of power as hers. But, it would not have been enough, regardless. I suppose I should get to ending this now, as this spell is becoming costly to maintain. I know Teroiah is obviously not going to be happy with this defeat, but hopefully she does not blame herself too severely.”

As the world began to move once more, Meesei’s following actions were near instantaneous. The remainder of the power that Meesei had absorbed from Teroiah’s spell, which had not gone into taking herself out of time, went into immediately powering another teleportation spell far more quickly than Teroiah could have anticipated. Once more, she disappeared into a black mist, but this time, the place she re-appeared was far more immediately threatening to Teroiah. Throughout the duel, Meesei had not teleported too aggressively, and not appeared too close to her opponent. The way she had been fighting made it seem as if there was a reason she could not appear too close to Teroiah. However, the reality was that Meesei had chose to keep her distance. This time, she appeared immediately behind Teroiah. From Teroiah’s perspective, Meesei had disappeared in front of her, then she was suddenly being hoisted off of the ground from behind in a werewolf’s grasp an instant later.

Along with lifting Teroiah off of the ground, Meesei’s hand was glowing bright red with a particular destruction spell that was flowing into Teroiah’s body, though not one that was physically harmful. It was a spell of damage magicka, and in terms of raw magical power, it was the strongest spell she had cast so far in this duel. Whatever gap existed in their magicka reserves, Meesei intended to turn into a chasm.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I shall not lie to you, Siloune, nor attempt to hide it. I gained much, though not all, of my more esoteric knowledge through forays into Apocrypha over the span of a few years." Meesei answered openly. "Although, it is not a measure I would recommend to anyone else. Even for all of my strength and willpower, the experience still nearly destroyed me. Regardless, I still stand here now with that power at my fingertips, ready to use it against Clavicus Vile."

With no small exertion of magicka, Meesei was able to move aside just enough of the ice between them for Meesei to see Siloune clearly. Attempting to do anything significant to the world in this state was prohibitively difficult. "You need to vouch for me because of the common enemy we share. You want Vile to succeed no more than I, and I have shown today, beyond any remote hint of doubt, that I am the most qualified candidate to take on the most dangerous aspect of this invasion. And with my pack at my side, our effectiveness is multiplied. Perhaps there are other, stronger individuals in, and outside of, Tamriel; I am sure the Psijics themselves have stronger mages, but I am sure you know how frustratingly absent they are when the world is in need. What I am is the most capable individual who is willing and able to take up the responsibility of putting a stop to this Daedric threat. Whatever...political concerns surround our alliance are meaningless next to the task of stopping Vile. Perhaps there will be problems after this is over. Perhaps I will be forced to flee the clans and become a fugitive from the Thalmor for my knowledge, but it will have been worth it to stop Vile." Meesei let out a sigh, her expression becoming more solemn. "Or perhaps there will be no problem at all. I am, after all, volunteering to face down a Daedric Prince in person. It needs not be said that my survival is not...guaranteed, even if we still succeed overall. And if I die in the invasion, then there is no problem, yes? Whatever happens in the future, I can see that you are a professional, and you understand the situation's gravity. Let the politicians worry about me later, we have a Daedric Prince to defeat, together."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could appreciate the power that Teroiah had poured into her final spell, and the intent behind it, but she could also see the desperation. That had been exactly what Meesei had been hoping for by showing some of her more impressive magical feats, as it had given her something to exploit. The dispelling chains were ingeniously designed for ward breaking. While a normal ranged dispel attack could stress a ward, it was no more efficient at the task as any fireball or other spell. The chains, however, seemed to rip apart the ward piece by piece in a way that Meesei had not expected. It would certainly be a useful spell for Meesei to practice in the future. For now, though, Teroiah had made a mistake by using a different sort of spell, though she had no way of knowing it. Unlike the chains, Meesei could absorb magicka from Teroiah’s freezing wind. And absorb she did.

Now was the time for Meesei to end the duel, though with the amount of power she had been able to absorb, she had the chance to make one more statement. Suddenly, the color of the surroundings faded, and strange points of magical light moved by as if blown by the wind, though they interacted with nothing. The frozen wind stopped in place, along with its roaring sound, and all of the people around them froze as time seemed to stop. Although, it was not Teroiah who was experiencing it with Meesei, but rather, Siloune.

“You know, Teroiah is truly an impressive battlemage. I must complement your choice of champions.” Meesei commented. It was somewhat difficult to see her through the cloud of ice, but without the roaring sound, she could be easily heard. “You need not worry, I have merely taken us out of time for a moment. I just wanted to thank you for giving me such a powerful opponent, invigilator. That is your title, yes? She has strengthened me, and has made me into an even more worthy champion to bear the Axe. Unfortunately, I will need to end this duel shortly, but I will be sure not to seriously harm her. I simply hope that Teroiah does not bear any resentment from the results of this duel; I recognize that I have likely harmed her pride, but there is no shame in losing to me. This duel was never a fair match.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Much like Teroiah, Meesei was not one to be affected by goading, though she did take note of how emotional the Altmer seemed to be becoming. Regardless, Meesei showed a level of calm that was almost bizarre to see in a transformed lycanthrope. She did not seem concerned with her weakening ward, and indeed, was not much concerned if it broke entirely. She just kept attempting whatever strange spell it was she was trying to cast. Another two times it failed, but on the third, she corrected her mistakes. In the instant before Meesei succeeded in her spell, Teroiah would likely find it hard to believe the energy she felt from it.

Now that she knew Teroiah’s approximate location, Meesei focused her ward in that direction, instead of all around her, which also allowed her to strike back instead of focusing solely on defense. Then, from Meesei’s free hand, she shot out a spell that would likely make any of Teroiah’s battlemages speechless. She launched forth a magical chain, cloaked in powerful dispelling magic: it was Teroiah’s technique. Meesei’s version was not quite as refined, not quite as magically efficient, but it carried all the same raw magical power.

For anyone with formal magical training, such a rapid adaptation to Teroiah’s techniques should not have been possible. A skilled mage could certainly learn through experience from an opponent’s techniques, but that was a task that was carried out after the battle, across days, or at least hours of practice depending on the complexity of the spell. For Meesei to have created a workable spell in minutes was simply unthinkable. Granted, it was not something Meesei could do universally for any unfamiliar spell she encountered. If Meesei was not already experienced with dispelling magic, and forming magicka into precise, coherent shapes, then it would not have been possible for her. However, the feat certainly showed that she had a deep and abstract understanding of magic that was quite a bit different than most formal magical training.

As for the duel itself, Meesei did not need to know Teroiah’s exact location, as her dispelling chain was cutting a wide swath across the approximate area Meesei had narrowed down. Meesei’s chain, while unrefined, was every bit as dangerous to magical defenses as Teroiah’s, due to the power she poured into it. Teroiah’s dispelling chains were something unique, and something she had possibly developed herself, so Meesei suspected that she had never planned on having them used against her.