EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, I would not say I was always terribly curious, though only because I did not know how much there was to know." Meesei answered. "It is easy to become complacent when you are trapped in your own experiences. I perhaps could have become curious had there not been magic to occupy my mind. In the arcane lies a world of mysteries accessible from anywhere in Mundus."

"You do make it sound amazing. Magic, that is." Rukeewei commented. "I could never wrap my head around it myself. Not that I, uh, exactly had tutors, mind you. Quite the opposite, really. I remember growing up, my brother managed to figure out how to cast the smallest of fire spells from this book he 'found'. It was a weak little thing, could hardly start a campfire with it. But, he somehow managed to, in the middle of the rainy season, managed to start a fire in the middle of the house. Burned up half of our room before we got it under control. Father whipped his tail bloody after that one, and our parents forbade us from doing anything having to do with magic after it. That incident might have been what caused him to start being so cautious, honestly."

After finishing his story, Rukeewei also finished off the last of his wine, and since the bottle on the table was also empty, he stood up to grab another. "Would anyone like more wine?" He asked. "Oh, and we do have dessert as well, if anyone would like some. Though, I understand if you need to wait a few minutes."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, well, I have to assume they are." Rukeewei answered, showing at least somewhat less nervousness. "You never really know if children are telling you the whole story, but I think they are fitting in now. It's not as bad as it probably would be if we weren't in a big city. They aren't the only non-Argonians. And it's not as expensive as it could be. The An-Xileel funds part of it in the city, for their own reasons, no doubt. Still, they are able to learn more than I would be able to teach them."

Rukeewei placed his hand lightly on Ariel's. "I think you would be smart enough to teach them just as much, dear." He smiled, looking back towards Karl. "But there would hardly be time, with how much she needs to put into her store."

"Had I known what I was missing as a hatchling, I might have tried to run away to a city." Meesei chuckled. My education in a remote Argonian village was strictly limited to magic, the history of the clan, and some scattered Argonian folklore. Everything I know about the world, and other worlds, I had to learn on my own later in life. Aside from some books, I suppose, though few written in Jel actually pertained to the world outside Black Marsh."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei chuckled lightly to herself. "Ariel, I need not wait to tell you that you are safe. Saras closed the investigation months ago. You do not have to be suspicious about any strangers...well, no more than you usually would. The world is not a safe place, but you are in no more danger than anyone else. And, as Sabine said, hopefully the same will be true for us soon enough."

Rukeewei listened on, absentmindedly tapping a finger against one of the small horns above his eye. "You said we are safe here, though? I mean...I guess that's the important part, at least. Still would've liked to know, but I guess Saras is like one of those spies that like to keep every single thing a secret. I guess that's what they're supposed to do...or at least that is what it's like in those novels, and I think they're 'real' enough...I think..." He said, hesitating and stammering more and more as he went on. After a moment, he looked hesitantly at Ariel and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm...going to stop talking now."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei simply nodded. "Apologies. That was my sentiment as well, but I was, how should I put it, strongly advised by my..." She began, her eyes drifting again towards the young girls. "...expert advisor to avoid mentioning it to a soul. Not even my own, um...family. I had to pester him for months to get him to agree to let me tell you now. I may be in charge, but I chose them to aid me for a reason, and I have to be willing to trust their advice when I know I am dealing in their area of expertise. As I said, though, you were never in any danger. Their investigations over the past few years have pretty much confirmed it. You and your family are safe here, and if you ever find yourself in danger from something else, you will have our protection."

Pausing a moment for a drink of wine, Meesei continued, just as friendly as she had been the entire night. "In the name of transparency, if you wish to know your secret protector, I am free to tell you."

Rukeewei certainly had his own thoughts on the matter. He was not necessarily uncomfortable, but for the moment, he wanted to let Ariel be the one to speak. He supposed it pertained a bit more directly to her.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst was momentarily stunned by the lighting, though it was not powerful enough to be particularly dangerous, even to one of his size. Regardless, it came as a surprise to Kresst. He had not felt the force before within the captain, likely due to how much stronger the dark side presence of the environment was compared to him. Indeed, he seemed to be a fledgling dark side user; one that was either new to the practice, or lacked any real training. Even with that explanation for the betrayal in his mind, Kresst was currently having a much more difficult time suppressing the more intense extremes of his emotions than usual. He was usually not one who liked to delve too far into the light or dark.

Though not a warrior by trade, Kresst still had his full Jedi training for his reactions to draw from, and even without the force, the captain's movements were quite telegraphed. His size granted him strength, but not agility. With a force-assisted jump, Kresst leaped almost directly forwards, rather than up or backwards, to send him through the captain's legs and end up behind him faster than his lumbering body could react.

"Oh, I understand now." Kresst remarked as he turned back towards the captain. "You are not merely a selfish warlord...you are seeking the darkness, and I doubt you are doing so responsibly. Well, if you want to feel the dark side so strongly, then here...take it." Extending forth his hand once more, Kresst poured his anger into a stream of lightning towards the captain, with no intention of holding back.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

The weight of darkness bearing down upon Kresst's mind had, without a doubt, made him momentarily vulnerable. With his mind opened up to the rest of the galaxy, it was filled with pain, death, and betrayal. However, his senses only remained in the stars for a brief moment. While the captain was knocking out Mach, Kresst's mind pulled back to their planet. Upon Mevann, he felt the same darkness that was echoing throughout the galaxy, and then, he felt the danger in his very room.

Just as the captain's blade was about to be upon Kresst he unleashed the power of the Force that had swelled up within him. Though it lacked elegance, Kresst's telekinetic push hit the captain with a force that would certainly surprise him, in addition to knocking him back into the nearest stone wall. As Kresst slowly stood up to his feet, his eyes were locked upon the captain and filled with a burning rage entirely uncharacteristic for the average Jedi. While not normally so quick to anger, Kresst was more open to his emotions than other Jedi, and his heart had been wrought with the pain of every single Jedi that his senses had just touched. "Did you think...to betray me? To kill me over just some ancient carved stones? Did you think your size would just intimidate or...overpower me? No, you are the one who should be afraid."

Reaching out his hand towards the captain, Kresst gripped at his throat with the force and began to constrict his airway while lifting him up into the air. Right now, the captain was becoming the unfortunate recipient of all of the rage that Kresst's meditation had forced upon him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Indeed, I would hope you would be safe here. That is one of the greatest advantages of living in a city, I will admit. Though most cities do have their dangerous elements, I suppose you know how to avoid them. And it is also a relief to know that no other outside dangers have made their way to you. I...well I do suppose you have a right to know about this. Since the last time you helped us, I had someone keep an eye on you, just to guarantee your safety." Meesei explained, pausing for just a moment as her eyes glanced to the young girls nearby. She still needed to avoid being too specific. "I did not have too much or a reason to believe that you would be in any danger, but I would not have felt right just leaving you alone. Someone from one of the local clans has been checking up on you, watching out for suspicious activity. I can happily report that our...adversary does not even so much as knows about your connection to us, much less has any actual knowledge of where you are. If it was something you were worrying about, I believe you can dispel any of those fears."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Oh, yeah, I have nothing more to add there.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled. "If distance was not such an easy problem for me to solve, then I would not, but fortunately, it is only time that I have to worry about for now. I would say we have enough time together, considering the circumstances."

Rukeewei spent a few moments in thought as he started on his stew. "I can hardly even imagine what it would be like to have to worry about those kinds of things. Politics, a public image...I don't envy that part of your position. Or many other parts of it, if I am being honest. I do hope things calm down for you once everything you are doing is over."

Meesei nodded. "I believe you echo all of our sentiment. Though, I do sometimes wonder what I would do with my skills if I did not have such worries. Or if I was not part of my clans? I suppose most mages join various conclaves or guilds. I am curious, have you had any reason to use your non-alchemical magical talents, Ariel? I do not think I could bring myself to not at least keep myself in good practice."

---

Neesa answered quickly. "Daedra will never fear nor rout, but they are just as able to be confused and disorganized as anything else. Moreso, really. The Skaafin will not be as effective without their leaders to react to your tactics. As long as you all are acceptably competent commanders yourselves, you should have the advantage. And perhaps it might do something for your soldiers' morale to see their allies slaughtering the enemy elite. Should Hircine's most important dog die, then you can just pick up the axe." She said, looking directly to Teroiah. "And if you all fail, then I guess I will just do it myself. But please, do not take that as an invitation to go jump onto a Skaafin sword. I would rather not have to go deal with a Daedric Prince myself."

Ri'vashi was becoming more adept at hiding her irritation with Neesa, despite the continued offenses she liked to make. She realized that she needed to ignore any personal feelings on the matter and focus purely on strategy. "Provided we make sure the ritual is not interrupted in each case, there are many options open to us for how to use the anchors. We could use them to augment defenses, force the enemy to attack away from their own defenses, surprise attacks, and the like. Ri'vashi would suggest, perhaps, that we vary our approach on how we use them, so as to avoid becoming predictable to the enemy."

"Hmph, use them however you like, as long as you use them." Hal-Neesa commented. "At the core of it all, we still have to make sure your armies are actually going to be competent enough to fight against Daedra at all. Your normal formations, tactics, and all that aren't going to work like usual. Let's go over some troop formations..."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei had to stop for a few moments to think on precisely how to word her response. She took a bite out of the snake, then another drink of wine to buy a few seconds to collect her thoughts. "Hmm...I can say that the secrecy was not just because of the lack of security with the letters. There are some other reasons that I have to keep my personal relationships more private than most. You know how my position places rather high expectations upon me, which can complicate matters at times. I have to avoid showing undue favoritism between clans, or even the perception of favoritism. I have found someone, yes, but knowledge of that relationship could cause issues between certain groups." She explained. Strictly speaking, Meesei's words were not a complete lie, as her relationship with Lunise would certainly raise some questions about Meesei's connections with the Dominion, and Dominion clans, but that was far from the greatest of reasons they needed to remain secretive.

"What I can say is that she is a beautiful Altmer. Someone who can be difficult to get to know, but who is definitely worth the effort. She filled a void in my life that I did not know I had." Meesei added.

---

"Well, make sure your men are competent enough not to make mistakes, and you can cut that down to ten minutes." Hal-Neesa remarked. If there was one trait that she had in common with both the Legate General and Teroiah, it was that they had no desire to temper their words for the sake of diplomacy. "If you don't think your armies are skilled enough to even hold off for that long against the enemy, then you may as well resign yourself to death here and now. What you get out of bringing down a dark anchor is basically an entire extra army. Do I really need to explain the value of teleporting in an army of reinforcements right into the middle of a fight. Moving around your army is going to take time regardless; if we can shape up your frontline to be decently competent, then we can bring down an anchor by the time the rear of your force has caught up to the position. Risky? Sure, but if you want guarantees, then you're joining the wrong invasion."

Without skipping a beat, Neesa continued on with something of a satisfied smirk towards Teroiah. "Now, as for dealing with their commanders, I would have thought the same about the Elves we fought. They were supposed to be the 'superior' race of intelligent wizards, yet they fell for the same trick every time. Helped that our champion never left any survivors to report on what happened. And that Morihaus was an exceptionally better leader than any of their lesser commanders. Our victories were...decisive. Obviously, I do not mean that we should start shouting at the Skaafin commanders to take a duel with our champion, but they are Daedra, so they will be leading from the frontlines. I think we can just send in Hircine's Champion eliminate any commanders we find, and they will not even consider retreating from that fight. I judge her to be acceptably competent for that role. Aside from myself, she is obviously the strongest that any of you three have available to you. Best of all, she and her minions have that irritating 'hero' mentality that will, at least, make them just eager to agree to it."

Ri'vashi hid her suspicion and anger towards Hal-Neesa for now. Aside from her suggestion to use these portals to Coldharbour, Ri'vashi did not find herself disagreeing with her plan. "There is some merit to what the vampire says. Any Daedra will drastically underestimate our Champion and her pack. They are a small team that can move quickly, and with deadly purpose. Ri'vashi doubts that the Daedra would ever become outright demoralized, but they seem to place great focus on powerful, elite units, which, in Ri'vashi's opinion, will still not be able to stand against the Champion's pack."