EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The explosions of fire and light that Rossarm produced was enough to blind the duel's onlookers to what was happening just as much as it did to Neesa. The capstone of his flurry of spells was, without a doubt, the product of a master mage who was at least a peer of the likes of Teroiah and Meesei. However, they all had to wait a few seconds for the smoke and flames to clear in order to see the results, and as usual, Neesa's magic found new ways to surprise Meesei. She had not seen nor heard a ward at any point during Rosssarm's attack, and indeed, she had not cast one.

Neesa hovered a foot or so off of the ground, her hand outstretched with a blank expression towards her opponent. She was surrounded by a protective barrier, but it was not a ward, and not at all like any spell Meesei had seen. It was a red, somewhat transparent barrier surrounded by a dark energy with the appearance of black smoke. The barrier formed a complete bubble around her, giving off a loud hum until the point that she lowered it herself. Meesei did not have any way to even begin quantifying how much of an affect Rossarm's spell had on the barrier, other than the clear fact that it had not been enough to destroy it.

"Congratulations, I felt it." Neesa remarked just as her feet touched the ground once more. "So you are at least capable of a reasonable offense. There is much more I could test you on, but you look like you just might kill yourself if I try. I doubt throwing spells at each other any longer is going to tell me any more that I need to know. The only thing of value that is left to learn about you is your strategic competence regarding Daedra, but that doesn't require a duel between us. Now, heal yourself. You're much less handsome with internal bleeding." She said, giving a grin that revealed her fangs. "Though, notably more...appetizing."

---

Going into the duel, Julan's first thoughts went into identifying his strengths and weaknesses. He was not using a shield, so Narsi would probably have comparatively more defense, at least theoretically. But, she was using an axe instead of a sword, which he knew gave him certain advantages. The largest of them was reach, which he had painful memories of lacking during his trial back in Black Marsh. But, the fact that he won that duel did prove that he could still lose with a reach advantage. He just had to stick to his training.

Julan's first response was indeed one that was trained. As Narsi rushed at him, Julan launched his fireball high, then quickly stabbed low. It was a simple attack, but it meant that her shield could not defend against both at once. A sword was an agile weapon, especially compared to an axe, and Julan was good enough with it to get it around her first attempt at parrying it. If she did not stop her charge, she would end up just running straight into the blade. Julan did not have near the skill or experience as Lorag, so victory would not seem nearly as out of reach for her, but she still would not find it easy.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hal-Neesa observed the blinding spell through squinted eyes, but unlike every other point in the duel she did not keep up her continuous pressure. Her rapier was still pointed towards him, but she was standing far out of reach of her opponent. With the first lull in their duel, Neesa simply hummed a moment to herself before finally speaking. "Adequate defensive reactions thusfar...but your attacks have been pathetic. Come, hit me with something I can actually feel."

Meesei did not need to see what reaction Rossarm had in mind to realize that the situation was likely becoming more dangerous. She did not interrupt the fight, but she did direct the onlookers to step farther back from the duel. As well, she placed herself between the crowd and the duel in case of any stray magic.

---

At first, Julan was confused at Rhazii's comment. It took him a few moments to realize that he was not hiding his nervousness nearly as completely as he thought he was, though Rhazii did not quite understand the source. Regardless, Julan took a deep breath, then forced himself to smile as he nodded back at Rhazii. "Yeah, right, I know. I was just...thinking about something else, is all."

The training room that the group had entered was not empty, but there was enough room for the pair to spar. Much like during his rite in Black Marsh, Julan selected a single sword as his weapon. The training swords were metal, but blunted and lightweight to limit how dangerous they could be. Standing just opposite Narsi, he raised up his weapon to show that he was ready, though Lorag easily noticed that he was distracted.

"Julan, focus!" Lorag barked at the Argonian, which brought him immediately to attention. "If I see you holding back, you'll be fighting again. Now get started."

"Right..." Julan sighed, focusing his eyes on Narsi. He raised his blade up defensively, while his off-hand erupted in flame. His fire spells would not be delivering intense burns, but they would certainly leave a mark.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Whether or not she was capable of it, Hal-Neesa did not avoid Rossarm's quick parry, nor was she able to raise a ward to guard against his surprise counter-attack. However, she still evidently had no intention of being harmed. Rossarm's lightning bolt had what was likely its intended effect as the crystal shattered in the air beside her, but Neesa's body, her weapon, and everything she wore turned to mist as the fragments passed through her. The mist surrounded Rossarm, passing around him, and reforming into Neesa's corporeal body just in time for her to deliver a kick to the back of the Dunmer's head. It was not as strong of a blow as she could have managed, but it was enough to send most people to the ground.

The moment Neesa's feet touched the ground, the red aura around her darkened, and there was a frenzied eruption of flapping wings and shrill screeching all around her. A cloud of bats, formed from her vampiric blood magic, swarmed all around her. Each one that flew close to Rossarm bit at his flesh, transferring a small amount of life force from him into her each time.

---

Julan felt just as anxious as he feared he would after hearing Rhazii's reaction, but with a quick motion of his hand, Lorag was quick to get them all to follow him indoors. Lorag ignored Narsi's comment, and only actually spoke up once Rhazii asked a question pertaining to the only topic he cared about.

"They'll be armed. Whatever weapons they want, whatever form they want. Here that, Julan? I want you using every trick, every technique you've got. No holding back, even if she ends up being way behind you. Same goes for you when you eventually fight her, Rhazii. Right now, I've told her that she needs to get to the point where she can reliably beat the both of you. And you're gonna make sure she has to earn that." Lorag explained.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

While Mevenn was searching her feelings for answers, Kresst took the time to more closely examine the structure before them. As a historian and archaeologist, he had likely spent years of his life in such ruins. He looked for any inscriptions in the stonework, or any tell-tale signs in the construction that would point to its origin. One thing that he was sure of was that it was familiar, and not just in its physical traits. He felt what he presumed Mevenn was feeling through the force. The very stones had a strong light side presence, and yet, it was not alone. There was something else, something darker in its undercurrents. Kresst had a feeling that the structure's ruined state may not have been a product of time alone. Tragedy may once have struck this place.

"I cannot be certain of anything without an extensive exploration of the ruins, but I can say that this place is old indeed. Nature had already reclaimed much of it. Grasses have grown up through the very walkways, and I would be willing to wager that it is the same inside. And I do believe I recognize the architecture. It comes from the era of the Old Republic, and may be thousands of years old. From the strength I feel in the Force here, it may have once been a Jedi outpost or Enclave. Or at least a place that Jedi once resided. Even if there are no surviving records here, I would be able to tell you the nature of the structure if I could examine its layout, though we may not have time for such things. You say you feel the same call you once felt as an initiate? Perhaps that is no accident; perhaps this was once a place for training? If that is so, then maybe we should follow that call? Let us see where it takes us. I will follow you." Kresst suggested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Initially, Meesei had worried that this test would be little more than an anger-inspired duel on the part of Neesa, and would appropriately demonstrate the breadth of Rossarm's ability. However, she had to admit that she could see what Neesa was intending with each new attack. Testing his raw defenses, his agility and speed of casting, and his decision making when faced with a potentially overwhelming frontal attack. Meesei saw no signs of fatigue in the vampire, who was simply smiling as she moved from one spell to the next.

From Meesei's perspective, Neesa's next spell was particularly interesting. She conjured a sword, but it was no Daedric blade. Rather than a usual bound blade, what emerged from the dark violet portal was an actual, physical blade. It was not taken from Oblivion, but rather seemed like it had been taken from some other place in Tamriel, if that were possible. It was a rapier made from material that was mostly black, likely ebony, and was engraved intricately in gold, though the designs were difficult to make out from a distance. It was unnecessarily ornate and likely fantastically expensive, especially if it was enchanted.

A slight, red aura emanated from Hal-Neesa as she suddenly began to levitate just a few feet off of the ground, and as she dropped her ward, she dashed to the side through the air with impressive speed and control. She moved with grace and ease, and seemed able to change her momentum almost in an instant. Her rapier was kept always with its point towards Rossarm, and with her off-hand, she formed more of the dark crystals that followed around her. She did not yet launch any of the crystals, and instead dashed forward through the air for a thrust with her blade.

---

Julan slowly nodded back to Rhazii. "Um, yeah. Kind of. They're tattoos, like my mother's. My grandfather wanted me to complete a rite to join the village. That also meant getting the marks."

For the moment, Julan saw Narsi as an easy way to get the focus of the conversation off of himself, so he ignored her rudeness for now. "I didn't know uncle Lorag had a daughter. But I guess it could be fun to train with someone new."

The specifics of Julan's answer did not matter to Lorag, so as long as he was willing. Lorag grunted, and continued to focus on Narsi. "Underestimate him all you want, but the boy's still better trained than you. If I'm remembering right what Kaleeth said about her tattoos, they're meant for warriors, and they've gotta be earned. Seems like the boy earned 'em. So what you're goin' to do is spar with Julan here, and he can show you how much you've got left to learn. We'll head inside and use one of those training rooms, since the one out here is taken."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Useful information perhaps...unless she is holding back." Meesei commented after Teroiah. She did have a feeling that this duel might serve to teach them just as much about Neesa as Rossarm. The more capable Rossarm was against her, the more they would learn about the both of them.

Hal-Neesa did not keep up the same pattern for long. She was not making any verbal commentary on his performance, but she evidently learned enough to proceed to a new challenge. She pulled one hand close to her chest as magicka surged into it. Her whole hand seemed to burn with a bright blue flame, all the while, her ward held strong against any response Rossarm might have. After only a second or two, Neesa let loose a wave of blue flames that spread out across the floor in a cone in front of her, overtaking Rossarm's wall of flame. It spread quickly towards him, and unless he could evade quite quickly to the side, he would be left with nowhere safe on the ground to stand.

---

Julan still gave Rhazii nervous glances, holding his arms crossed over one another as if it would somehow hide his tattoos. He slowly nodded to Lorag. "I, um, guess I can help uncle Lorag. I don't think I have anything I have to do."

By this point, Julan finally noticed that Narsi was someone who was there with Lorag and Rhazii, and not someone who just happened to be standing nearby. He did not know her, and given his continued discomfort regarding his tattoos, felt more nervous than usual around stranger. "Oh and, um, hello. I don't recognize you; are you new to the city?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For as fast as Rossarm was in casting his spell, Hal-Neesa was even faster in defending against it. Meesei did not even see her cast her ward, yet it protected her all the same. She wondered if the vampire had somehow imperceptibly prepared it ahead of time, or if she could be as fast as she seemed.

Regardless, Neesa showed no outward strain to her defenses. Granted, Rossarm's attack had been especially quick, rather than especially strong. She held one hand out straight, bolstering a ward to its full strength. At the same time, she formed more of the dark crystals, but did not launch them all immediately. Rather, they floated around her, as if waiting to be used. And indeed, Rossarm did not have to wait long. Instead of a single attack, Neesa now varied her strategy. She struck his ward with a powerful strike from an exploding crystal, then followed it an instant later with a lightning bolt of more modest strength, much like the one Rossarm had attempted on her. After that point, she followed through with another crystal, to be followed by another lightning bolt. All of it alternating and repeating to afford Rossarm little opportunity to recover the strength of his ward. Of course, overwhelming a mage with rapid strikes was hardly a new or unique idea, but Neesa's crystals were powerful. A direct defense would likely be unsustainable.

---

There was another few seconds of silence between the three of them before Lorag finally acknowledged Rhazii's stare. "What?" Lorag replied, evidently unphased by Narsi's brusque response.

Both Lorag and Narsi were perfectly content to wait in silence, but fortunately for Rhazii, Lorag had been correct about the sort of rush that Sabine was in. Through the gate, at the bottom of the stairway outside the city, they could see Sabine's returning portal, and the fact that she was not the only one to step through it. Janius, Kaleeth, and Julan were all right with her.

Once Sabine and the others were through the gate, Lorag was right there to meet them. He approached Janius and Kaleeth first, and did not bother with pleasantries. Despite clearly noticing Julan's tattoos the moment he set his eyes on him, Lorag did not make mention of it. "Janius, Kaleeth, care if I borrow Julan for a while?"

At the same time, Julan found himself caught off-guard by the sudden sight of Rhazii, as he had not expected his brother to be right inside the gate. He was not wearing much more than his loincloth, so Julan's new tattoos were easily on display. He had been going through his head all the while that they had been waiting for Sabine trying to figure out how to explain it to Rhazii, but in the moment, he froze up. He did not recognize Narsi, and did not even notice her at the moment.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry for not replying sooner. On Rossarm's end, it is simply a magic duel. Neesa would be testing him with various spells, attacks, and strategies. Her first spell is simply an attack for him to defend against, and she invited him to attack her. The spell is one I lifted from ESO, so something from the Second Era. It's a dark crystal that explodes, and is fairly heavy hitting.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hal-Neesa entirely ignored Teroiah, instead focusing her attention on Rossarm. She stepped a short distance away, just to the other side of the training area, and faced him. Her formal dress and jewelry did not make her seem particularly prepared for combat, but she proceeded regardless. "I know what qualities to test in a mage, how to test them, and what to look for. I am not going to give you a defined set of tasks or challenges. Part of this is testing your capacity for observation, decision-making, and of course, capability to act on those decisions. You will need to figure out what I am doing, and react appropriately. And all the while, I want you to do your utmost to stop me. Essentially, this will be a magic duel, but with more...structure. At least on my part. Hopefully, our audience will be intelligent enough to figure it all out on their own, so I won't have to bother explaining it later."

A grin crept across Neesa's visage and a distinct, though not exceptional magical charge could be felt around her. "Just be aware that I am not going to be as kind nor careful with my approach as the Thalmor would have been. I am not going to be trying to kill you, so if you somehow manage to get yourself killed despite that, then I doubt you would have been too useful to us anyway. Oh, and don't worry about holding back..." Neesa said, bringing up her hand in front of herself and forming a dark sphere of magicka just above it. "...you won't hurt me."

Neesa started simply enough, though the actual spell that Neesa cast was not one that Meesei had seen nor heard of before. It was as if she formed a dark, solid crystal of pure magicka, which she launched straight at Rossarm.

---

"The girl's my daughter, and you're going to help train her." Lorag answered without skipping a beat, nor with any particular emphasis or weight on the fact that he had a daughter who was suddenly among them in the city. He also did not give Rhazii too much time to process the answer before continuing with his explanation. "We're just going to wait here a bit to see if your brother ends up coming back from Black Marsh today. Sabine teleported down to her sister's place to see if Janius and them had got back to Thorn yet. Apparently Sabine's pretty busy today, something having to do with that vampire, so she's not going to be sticking around down there to visit."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

At first, Neesa's only reply was a brief few seconds of laughter, followed by an almost friendly pat on Fendros' shoulder. "Oh, don't worry, mutt. I'm not going to smite him for his insolence, or some such overly-dramatic nonsense. No, you really do have no idea how much I enjoy this. Besides, you have all taken the time to gather here, and clearly you think that this is important enough to delay my work..."

In an instant, Hal-Neesa's entire demeanor shifted. She grabbed a hold of Fendros' collar and yanked him close, her glowing eyes piercing straight into his with the most direct display of rage that she had shown so far. "...so I will be merciful enough to overlook the fact that you neglected to inform me sooner."

Neesa shoved Fendros away and regained her composure just as quickly as she had lost it. "We might be able to use him, but that is far from being able to say that we need him. One mortal will not decide the war; the greatest advantage I see to having him here is that he is rather handsome." She grinned.

Despite the rather bizarre turn of Neesa's statement, Meesei kept her focus. "Whether we can or cannot succeed without him, it is a simple fact that exceptional individuals can turn the tides of a battle through their own influence. I seem to recall you, during one of your last meetings, regaling us with a tale of how your commanders would personally challenge important enemy targets and decide the outcome of your battles almost by themselves."

Hal-Neesa gave a different sort of grin towards Meesei. Her feelings were hard to decipher, but she at least had not turned to anger again. "Hmm, using my own words against me? Bold."

The vampire strode up to the center of the training area, rather close to both Rossarm and Teroiah. "I am certain you will not measure up to them, but I suppose you may at least be tested. I am guessing that the Altmer was about to perform that task? That will no longer be necessary, Thalmor. You may have a seat."

---

Lorag was out in the courtyard of the Silent City. He had planned on using the training area outside, but even through the crowd that was gathering, he could see that the Champion and some of the others had appropriated it. On most days, he would have wanted to see what was going on, but now, he was not in the mood to deal with it. He had other concerns on his mind. As soon as he had learned that Fendros and Ahnasha had returned, he took the time to find not them, but rather Rhazii. As soon as he had tracked down the young Cathay, he "politely" insisted that he follow Lorag for reasons that he left vague and likely confusing.

Nevertheless, Lorag headed across the courtyard with Rhazii in tow, towards an area close to the front gate, where Narsi was waiting. The moment he reached the girl, he gestured to the Khajiit beside him. Being that he was as large or larger than many of the adults in the city, Rhazii hardly appeared to be a child to anyone unfamiliar with Cathay. "Okay, this is one of the boys I told you about. His name's Rhazii, and I expect it'll take you longer to best him than it will his brother." Lorag explained, though he offered no explanation to Rhazii for who the Orc girl was or what he was talking about.