EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Then we have taken our enemy by surprise.” Meesei remarked as she stepped forward towards the edge of the plateau. “But they know we are here now. Vile will have felt the breach into his world.”

Reaching her hand out, Meesei pointed a claw towards the mountains off to the right side of the valley. Even from this distance, they could see the shapes of the towers on the mountains. “There are the watchtowers. Once the battle begins, we will need to move quickly to capture or destroy them. The Daedra will have view of all of our troop movements until we do.” She said, though her attention soon went to the largest tower at the far end of the valley. The spiraling pillars of magical energy surrounding it must have contained immense power.

“And that tower must be our goal. All of the power he has been stealing over the years, that must be where it is. Even if Vile himself is not there, we should be able to force him to come to us if we can take that tower. If we capture the tower and use our sigil stone to call Hircine down onto it, then he can simply absorb all of that power for his own unless Vile steps in to stop him. And if Vile steps in, then we can do what we are meant to do.” Meesei reasoned.

Following Meesei’s pack through the portal were contingents of Imperial and Dominion soldiers, who all immediately set to work securing the perimeter around the portal. Aside from one lone scamp, who was promptly slain by a lightning bolt from an Altmer, there were no Daedra in the immediate area around the portal. The others that Sabine had detected were keeping their distance.

With the first wave through and the area temporarily secure, they all cleared away from the area in front of the portal to make room for the second wave. This time, it was lycan spirits making their way through, and compared to the organized movements of the soldiers, this was more of a stampede. Quick and ferocious werewolves and werelions were the first through, most of which were running, howling, and roaring. At the same time, werevultures flew through above them and started spreading out in all directions to search for prey beneath them. If their arrival had somehow gone unnoticed before, they had certainly been detected now. Still, the advantage of their help would hopefully be enough to make up for their lack of subtlety. Right away, the lycan spirits started spreading out into the forest, and running down the hill into the valley below.

Lorag was the first one whose impatience started to show. The sounds of lycan feet sprinting past them were like a drumbeat, and their howls like a horn to signal the start of the hunt. On an instinctual level, his beast spirit had him practically salivating in anticipation of joining in. “How much longer are we goin’ to be waiting here? I want to kill something.”

Once the wave of lycan spirits were through, the next wave of more organized soldiers would join them, including Ri’vashi, gro-Tagnud, Teroiah, and in addition, Vera. She, in conjunction with a few Imperial and Dominion officers, would be commanding the critical task of fortifying their position and solidifying their foothold in Vile’s realm. Vile’s Daedra could not be allowed to make their way into the Hunting grounds. If the sigil stone keeping their portal open was removed, then they would all be transported out of Vile’s realm in an instant.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

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“I took the time to examine the data you sent us on this ‘Death Star’ weapon…” Falul began, pausing a few moments to bring up a holographic display of the battle station on the central display. It showed the Death Star as a whole, as well as sections labeled in as much detail as Erthos had shared with them.

Falul gestured to the display. “With the information we have, I, and my officers, believe this weapon is a horribly inefficient waste of resources, by the measure of this universe. The only exceptional part of this battle station is the superlaser, which is unnecessarily powerful. To entirely destroy a planet has value in intimidation, but is militarily pointless. A weapon with a fraction of the power could still render a planet uninhabitable, as Anubis did with Alderaan. And it would require only a fraction of the resources to create. This very ship we are in right now can destroy a world in any practical, useful sense, albeit over a longer time. The Emperor of your time reminds me of the San’Shyuum. Charismatic liars with venomous tongues, but not military leaders. This Death Star required, what does it convert to in your timekeeping…twenty years to complete. It would be a boon to us if Anubis’ Empire decides to waste such an immense amount of resources on a singular weapon.”

Despite Falul’s obviously-low opinion of the Death Star, he did not completely lack concern about the weapon. “I would not consider the Death Star, as it is presented here, a threat to us. But, I am concerned for what may happen if Anubis re-purposes this project to more practical ends. Weaker, but still devastating superlasers could be completed more quickly, and distributed to a larger number of smaller battle stations, or even warships. Instead of a single concentration of power that could be defeated by a few antimatter charges, we could be facing a fleet that could spread across the galaxy. That is a military threat we should not ignore.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Although nearly everyone’s attention was sole fixated upon the god standing over them, Sabine would find that her fearful show of reverence towards Hircine was not entirely ignored. She would feel a large hand upon her back, then Meesei beside her knelt down, but looking at her instead of Hircine. Even as a dragon-armored werewolf, she could still show a softness to her gaze. “Do not be intimidated. Their power is not dictated by how they choose to appear.” She said calmly. Indeed, it was easy to forget with such an impossibly dominating sight before them, but a Daedric Prince could appear in whatever form they chose. Hircine could just as well approach them as a frail-looking rabbit, while still holding all the same power within.

After a moment, Hircine spoke, though it did not feel like his voice was actually coming from the massive being looming over them. It seemed more like he was speaking inside each and every one of their heads, even the non-lycans. “Go, my hounds. Claim glory in my name. The Great Hunt of an era begins, and my Champion shall slay the most deadly of prey.”

His words were short, simple, and puctuated by the activation of the great gate. Finally, they had broken through into Clavicus Vile’s realm. The war had been long and hard-fought, and now began the one battle that would decide it all. Meesei stood to her feet and stepped forward, up to the portal, which cast her in a fiery orange glow. Elite contingents of both Legionnaires and Dominion soldiers would be following them through, but it was her and her pack that would lead the way. Meesei took in a breath, reached back to check that the Rueful Axe was firmly secured to her back, then stepped through the portal.

As planned, the other side of the portal rose up from the ground on a rocky plateau in the Fields of Regret. It was an elevated position, just over the valley they would need to cross to reach the source of power on their map. There was a large, steep cliff leading up the mountain just behind it that created a natural wall in that direction, so they only needed to worry about setting up defenses in the direction of the valley.

It seemed that Meesei’s expectations of Vile’s realm were not inaccurate. It was not entirely dissimilar from parts of Tamriel, or even the Hunting Grounds, as the valley before her seemed to be mostly forested countryside. There were, of course, mountains on both sides of the valley, though the left side, from her perspective, of what would become their battlefield was also bounded by a wide, slow-moving river. The trees and other plant life felt familiar, but the landscape did have features that made it seem more bizarre, such as spirals of stone archways floating up into the air, and levitating chunks of what looked like metal ore dispersed among the trees, seemingly at random.

However, it was their goal that stood out most prominently. On the far end of the valley, exactly in the place of the source of power Neesa’s machine had detected, was a massive tower reaching up nearly to the clouds. It had three pillars of brightly glowing, violet light spiraling upwards and meeting at the top. Meesei had wondered if they would need to scout ahead as they went to find Vile, but it seemed to her that their destination was fairly…obvious.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Agreed.” Ri’vashi replied, pointing a claw to some of the marks they had made on their map denoting planned troop positions. “This one thinks she knows how we can adjust our formations to accommodate them. We will have to give them space once we are through to fan out into the surroundings, but they can give us more time to establish a foothold…”

As disruptive as the sudden arrival of an army of disorganized beasts might have been, their military leaders were up to the task of adapting. Meesei still never got to see the full extent of the spirit army with her own eyes, but all types of lycans came pouring in from the forest, and the skies above. Meesei was glad that most of their warriors had already been in formation before the spirits started arriving, else it would have been far more difficult for them to simply move into their positions.

Finally, Meesei’s pack gathered directly in front of the portal. The sigil stone was being kept a safe distance away, but the message was already being sent to activate it. It would just be a short wait now. Naturally, they were also joined by the warriors of Sabine’s fledgling pack, and though he was not a lycan, Do’rhajul’s loyal friend Yerig still stood by his side, still with his ancient sword and tattered robes.

In addition to the equipment and supplies they would normally bring with them, Meesei also entrusted a few other items to some of her packmates. Fendros had been given a Dwemer control rod that could direct the actions of any of their automatons. Although her pack would not have any of the machines with them immediately as they went through, they would be bringing nearly every automaton they had built into this battle. The control rod could not give complex instructions, but it could direct them to follow, guard a position, or attack specific targets. Sabine, meanwhile, had been entrusted with two sigil stones. One was a “gift” from Molag Bal, and one among many that Hal-Neesa had distributed to Imperial, Dominion, and lycan forces alike. When used, it would create a location where Molag Bal could call down a dark anchor and send forth Daedra from Coldharbour to assist them. Understandably, few of their commanders were particularly enthused about the idea of actually using them, but they had agreed to take them as an option “if needed.” The other sigil stone was unique, and critical to their plans. It was specially enchanted to allow Hircine himself to break through and join in battle with Clavicus Vile once they were in a position to confront the Daedric Prince.

Leading up to this day, Meesei imagined what she might say to their collected armies, if she could. Although, it did not seem like there was going to be much of an opportunity for speeches. The vast majority of their forces would not even be able to hear her voice if she tried, but she did not feel too worried. Indeed, now that they were standing before the portal, moments from activation, the atmosphere just felt…strangely calm. For all of the tension and worry that had led up to this day, Meesei was focused, and she felt the same from many of the faces she looked upon around her. They had prepared all they could, down to every last detail they could think of. Now was the time to act; to do what her pack had become such experts at over the course of the past decade of warfare.

Even still, Meesei had some words of encouragement that, if no one else, her own pack could hear. “The Daedra do not fear death, and they think it is their strength. They will fight ferociously, without thought nor care to what damage or pain it might cause them, since they know they cannot truly be destroyed. But their careless aggression will no be enough for them. They are not fighting for the same stakes we are. They are not fighting for anything other than their own glory, or the words of a contract with Vile. They may not know death…” She began, a notable grin forming in her expression. “…but I think we will show them exactly how ferociously we can fight, how indomitable we can be, when we have something to live for.”

Meesei could feel the power begin to swell up in the portal before them. The message must have reached the caretakers of the sigil stone, and the activation was beginning. However, the process was quickly overshadowed by another, immensely powerful presence. The torrent of power around them completely flooded Meesei’s senses in a way that made the greatest displays of magical power she had witnessed in the past feel like a light drizzle in comparison. Above the horizon, Hircine appeared. Towering above even the mountains, his mere presence commanded nearly every lycan to fall to their knees.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul ' Taham - Aboard the Tantive IV

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Falul nodded towards Erthos. “Then I suggest you gather any specific information you might have on this potential weapon. We can discuss it in detail the next time we meet together to form our war plans. If it is a near enough threat, we may need to seek it out and destroy it.”

---

Across the far reaches of the newly-created Empire, and even some places beyond, the attitudes of the people had been dominated by tension and uncertainty. Regardless of whatever feelings they may or may not have had towards Alderaan or its people, Anubis’ show of power was the topic on the tips of everyone’s tongues, or analogous appendage. Palpatine, their former Chancellor turned Emperor by popular support, had been slain and replaced by a usurper claiming to be a god. It was a claim that would perhaps normally be ridiculous, only, as the days went on, it seemed more and more like he was proving it. Just as Anubis had said, Alderaan became an unlivable wasteland before the eyes of the galaxy. Some took it as evidence enough to accept Anubis’ claim to godhood, though many across the Empire were not religious to start with and would not be so quickly swayed to faith. Still, even if it did not immediately convert them all, it was a very real display of power that could potentially paralyze any resistance before it had a chance to begin.

Accompanying the fear came disorder as well. Anubis had proved himself both murderous and vengeful, so there were few figures of authority willing to openly denounce his actions, at least so soon after the event. With silence from their leaders, the majority of the galaxy’s people were left to make their own judgments with only the information they had before them. With the only remaining symbol of authority being Anubis himself.

This was until the live feed broadcasting Alderaan’s slow destruction was suddenly interrupted. The feed cut to black for a few seconds, then was replaced by what was, for many, a familiar face. Thanks to Palpatine’s machinations, the reputation of the Jedi had been severely tarnished, with Anakin Skywalker as the exception. For citizens of the Republic, he had been a popular figure, a war hero, and a “good” Jedi. Bail had assisted him in preparing his speech, though for the sake of his people, he did not yet appear directly on the broadcast. They needed time to recover before risking Anubis’ ire being directed specifically towards them again.

“People of the Galaxy, both members of the Republic and those of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Today we watched a crown jewel of our galaxy be turned into a lifeless husk. And by who other than a being claiming to be a god and demanding that we bend the knee to him? Sheev Palpatine sought to manipulate us all into fighting a bloody war that would leave both sides weakened and susceptible to total take over by his Empire while he swept the remnants of Seperatist and Republic aside with ease. The Jedi discovered this and tried to arrest him, but were already too late to do so, and so our Order was decimated.

We cannot let this stand, just as the Confederacy fought for their beliefs the Republic was corrupt and we of the Republic fought to protect a union of systems that, while it had its issues, was a united front against tyranny and oppression from all sources. And we should now all turn to face this Anubis and show him that he cannot simply walk in and claim dominion over any being! Set aside your grievances and fight to protect our freedoms as a one Galaxy! Not as a Republic or a Confederacy, but as one united peoples to defend what is ours! Stand with me, stand with Master Yoda and help us send this tyrant to join the Force!”

Anakin stepped to the side enough to show to the galaxy the view from the bridge of the stolen Assimilator-class Star Destroyer from which he was broadcasting. "His Empire isn't as unbeatable as he wants you to think."

---

Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

---

For the fleet, the ships they had brought to Alderaan did not immediately return to their hidden shipyard, but instead joined their new allies over Mantor VII. They had not yet come to a consensus on whether they should reveal the location of their base of operations to any of their allies, and if so, who they should trust. Of course, they still had access to near-instant superluminal communication to their base, so they could still communicate with their shipyard.

It had been only a day since the destruction of Alderaan came to completion, so its impact on the galaxy as a whole was still uncertain. Still, the fleet could not just wait and see what was going to happen. They were at a pivotal moment, where an effective resistance could either be forged, or crushed, so they needed to act quickly and decisively.

While the majority of their ships’ crew members would have some time to catch their breath, their leadership was under more pressure than they had ever been. They could not delay any longer; they needed to make decisions about the structure and direction of their fleet and its goals that could shape their approach to the war. The Aegis would be hosting their meeting to make use of a secure slipspace communications node, so they could still communicate back to the shipyard.

On Falul’s part, he had spent every waking hour since they left Alderaan preparing himself as best as he could. For the situation they were in, he recognized his own shortcomings in personal experience, but he took the time to seek the counsel of trusted members of his crew, as well as to review historical data from the Human-Covenant war. In many ways, the challenges that Humanity faced against the Covenant during the war would be similar to what their fleet would bear similarities to what they would have to face against the Empire, at least in a broad sense. If he could learn from his former enemy, then he might be better prepared for such a different sort of war.

The room they would be using was fairly isolated deep within the Aegis so they would not be disturbed during their deliberations. It was a simple, mostly featureless chamber, apart from a holographic display table at the center of the room. For this meeting, the leaders of their ships could, of course, include anyone else they deemed necessary from their respective crews. Falul himself had not come alone, as he was accompanied by, curiously enough, a Kig-Yar. A T’vaoan, specifically. She was not dressed in armor, like almost everyone else on the Aegis but instead wore a garment consisting of separate pieces of fine, colorful, silk-like cloth, in stark contrast to the solid black feathers on her head and forearms. She also wore a fairly excessive amount of jewelry: rings, bracelets, necklaces, and even a few jewels embroidered into her clothes. There was no unifying “style” among her jewelry, suggesting it all might have been collected from many cultures. Not all of the metals were even particularly valuable; the only thing they all seemed to have in common were that they were shiny.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Vykosa snapped her gaze onto Teroiah. “Hircine is not changing your precious plans. He will be saving his strength for the final battle with Vile himself. It is our role to crush his minions within our claws.”

Shortly afterwards, there was movement in the sky that drew eyes upwards. Werevultures and werebats, just a few at first, but their numbers were steadily growing. Some of the smaller and lighter ones landed in trees, while others moved to any open space on the ground they could find. The lycan spirits were quickly filling up any space they happened to be able to find in view of the portal, landing in between formations, perhaps uncomfortably close to the Legionnaires and Dominion soldiers. And this was just the flying werecreatures. “Every lycan that has ever lived and died” was not a precise number, but already, its scale was coming into view. They were in a largely forested area, beyond their clearing, so they could not see off to the horizon. How many lycan spirits were converging onto their portal?

“It seems our hunters are nearly here. You may choose when we advance through your portal, but do not keep these lycans waiting too long. They thirst for blood, and may not appreciate having to be idle for too long.” Vykosa remarked.

Ri’vashi saw their new arrivals, but she kept her eyes on the map between her and the other commanders. This was a surprise, a last-minute disruption to their plans, but at least it was a good surprise. “There are places we can use this.” Ri’vashi began, glancing up to Teroiah and gro-Tagnud. “Between the first and second waves, after we clear the area around the portal, but before we start constructing our fortifications, we can send in a wave of lycan spirits. They will spread out, engage the enemy, disrupt them from forming ranks, and slow down their response. They do not need to have organization or training to accomplish that much. We can treat them as skirmishers.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Vykosa scoffed at Fendros. “Do you always bend so easily in the face of resistance? It is good that it is not you this one seeks.”

The Khajiit stepped up closer to Meesei, though she did not make any moves that would necessarily be considered “aggressive”. To any onlookers, Meesei, in her werewolf form clad in dragon armor, was the more imposing figure between the two, though Vykosa, of course, did not show any signs of being intimidated. “Vykosa has no interest in being ‘led’ by you, lizard. You have your warriors dressing up in armor and playing soldier like these weak mortals.” She growled, gesturing a hand towards Teroiah and gro-Tagnud. “…but we will not interfere with you. If you want to line up in formations and pretend to be soldiers, you may, but we will storm Vile’s realm and lay waste to any resistance he dares to throw at us.”

“On one condition.” A voice sounded out nearby, though it was not Meesei. Ri’vashi turned away from the map and set her stern gaze upon Vykosa. She wore newly-forged and enchanted ebony armor, with an ebony sword on her hip in the same Akaviri style as her father’s blade. “You and your warriors can do whatever you want once you are through the portal, but our plans require timing, and only so many can pass through the portal at once. We will decide when you go through.”

Fortunately, Vykosa did not seem to take offense at the demand. “Very well. You have created this portal, so Vykosa will grant you that much.”

Ri’vashi returned her attention to the map. “How many lycans will we be sending through?”

“All of them.” Vykosa replied.

Ri’vashi grunted in annoyance. “I mean, what is the size of your pack?”

“I mean all lycans.” Vykosa answered again. “The Moon Hunter pack is the strongest, but every lycanthrope that has ever lived and died will be joining Hircine on this hunt.”

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Falul 'Taham - Aboard the Tantive IV

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While many of those present, especially the Alderaanians on the ship, were still focused on the devastation of the planet, Falul’s thoughts pushed forward to the war ahead of them. In the immediate future, the message that Anakin was soon to deliver to the galaxy could have an impact on how much resistance they could inspire against the Empire, but there would still be a war to fight beyond the inspirational words. However, Falul could not help but to feel out of his element. Without question, he could lead in battle and was confident in doing so. He knew how to arrange and deploy fleets, devise strategies in ship-to-ship combat, and exploit the mistakes of his enemies, but the grand strategy of this sort of war was different from anything he had done before. During the Human-Covenant war, he had been in a position more comparable to the Imperials. The Covenant was the dominant, near-unstoppable force in the galaxy. Even since the end of the war, Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant has not been stronger than the Swords of Sanghelios. In this war, though, they would have to face an opponent with a far larger military force, and far greater manufacturing capabilities. Still…Falul was not without resources. There were those in his crew with potentially more relevant experience, and with whom he could take counsel. He also had access to extensive historical records from the Human-Covenant war, which he could study to his hearts’ content.

Of course, his own preparations would have to come later. For now, Falul focused his attention on Jason. “I can think of many more than one. Once we are back to our fleet, we will need to gather everything we know about our capabilities, and those of our allies, and everything we know about our enemy. Then we will need to decide, conclusively, what strategy we indent to take in this war. Now what are the concerns that you have?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As much time as they had to prepare for it, the moment ended up being a painful one for many in the pack. They had the time to show their children all the affection they wanted, but ultimately, they still had to get to the portal and get into position to start the final battle of the war. Despite her confident attitude, Ahnasha hugged Rhazii for about a minute longer than it took to become awkward, and Kaleeth almost forgot her own strength when embracing Julan. Lorag, while he did not show any physical affection, did actually give Narsi a look that betrayed his pride in her before they all finally had to leave.

Once they did finally part ways, there was no one who immediately demanded that they head back to Tamriel, but they were all certainly aware that they would be shepherded back if they did not do so on their own soon enough. Still, for Julan, it was a hard step to take. Heading back through the portal made their departure seem all the more...final, and in his current form, emotion held a much stronger weight within his mind. At the very least, it was not anger and rage being pushed to the forefront of his mind, which would have agitated his beast in a way he might not have been able to control. As it stood, it was just his tears that he could not control.

Julan stepped up between Rhazii and Narsi. He could not think of what he could or should say, and even if he had, he was not sure he would be able to articulate it. Finally, he decided to reach his arms out around them and pull both of them in close. In his current form, neither of them were particularly able to resist.

---

Even for Meesei, being gathered by the portal was getting her heart beating just a bit faster. All of the armies had their troops gathered and arranged into the formations they would take through the portal. Even with such a large gate, it would take time to move their armies through, so they would have to send in troops to clear the area around the destination portal, then send supplies to build fortifications for a defensive perimeter while they moved in the bulk of their armies. It was the stage of their invasion where they would probably be the most vulnerable, but thanks to Hal-Neesa's work on the Dwemer device, they were not going in blind. They would have the element of surprise, so there likely would not be much resistance around the portal, and they had been able to select a defensible position as their destination for their great gate. Meesei's pack would be the first ones through the portal, but they would not be alone, and it would not be the most difficult task ahead of them.

While the portal was having varla stones, and other sources of magical energy, arranged around it to power its activation, Meesei's pack was gathered with the rest of their leadership around their best map of Vile's realm to go over their plans one last time. Legate General gro-Tagnud and Teroiah were, of course, present, as well as Hal-Neesa and Ri'vashi. Once they had their foothold, the majority of their forces would take a direct path towards the source of power their map had revealed, including Hal-Neesa. Meesei's pack, meanwhile, would move with a smaller force through a mountain pass along the northern side of the battlefield, with the support of some of their more elite warriors. Not only were there watchtowers in the mountains that would be beneficial to capture, or at least deny to Vile's forces, but the vampire lord insisted that her power would overshadow the real threat of the empowered Rueful Axe, and Vile would not sense it until it was too late. If all went to plan, the majority of Vile's forces would be distracted fighting the main bulk of their combined army, leaving less resistance for Meesei's force. Even if Hal-Neesa and the others were held up in the center, the mountain pass would bring Meesei's pack into striking distance of the source of power, and hopefully Vile himself. They would also be deploying part of their forces along the southern edge of the battlefield, though their purpose would mostly just be to prevent flanking attempts to the center. Of course, they all had to be ready to improvise if events did not quite proceed according to plan.

The final meeting of their leadership was interrupted by a brief commotion nearby, followed by a tall, black-furred Khajiit shoving past two Aldmeri soldiers. It was the lycan who had confronted them upon their first arrival, Vykosa "the Ascendant". She slammed her staff down against the ground, keeping her eyes firmly on Meesei, though seemingly speaking to them all. "So you seek to make your plans without Vykosa. Do you intend to force them upon the Moon Hunter Pack as well?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha tried to hide her tears as best as she could, again putting her focus on staying positive and keeping their parting words lighthearted. “Yes…the hunt of an era, isn’t it? And while we are hunting with Hircine himself, I think I will task you, son, with finding a good spot on the wall to mount the head of a god.”

For Julan, he felt almost desperate to avoid separating from his parents. He was old enough to understand the kind of danger they would be in, but not quite old enough to be completely rational about why he could not join them. He just wanted to be able to know what was happening with them, so he would not be spending the entire time during the battle worrying about them. In his werecrocodile form, he felt powerful, almost invincible. He was already as big as a werewolf, though Kaleeth’s approach did give perspective on how much more growing he had left to do. Especially in this armor, she was imposing enough to make him feel small.

For a brief moment, Julan instinctively recoiled at Janius’ touch, but he quickly wrestled back control of his mind. Kaleeth, meanwhile, moved up alongside Janius and put her arm around his back, pulling him in close to her. Her words came much more clearly than Julan’s, and she seemed even more comfortable speaking in this form than usual. “Your day will come eventually, Julan, but right now, you have to keep yourself safe. The war against Vile is the battle we’ve been fighting, and the one we are supposed to finish. Your challenges are still ahead of you.”

Julan was silent and contemplative before Narsi’s display quickly grabbed everyone’s attention. Like her, Lorag paid little attention to the others. There was something to be proud of in her spirit, he supposed. Relative to his total strength, it hardly took any effort for him to interrupt her striking by simply reaching a hand out and pushing her, knocking her onto her rear. “Bold words. I expect you to live up to them.” He replied, though soon enough, he ended up kneeling down in front of her and letting out a sigh. “There’s a lot of ways things could have been different in your life. Different for you, different for me…but the past doesn’t change. No point in dreaming that it will. The future can change, though, and right now, you have a chance to do something with yours. To be better, and stronger, than most Orcs could ever hope to be. Even if I failed to be a father, I at least want to give you that chance. If I die, then that’s what I’ll be leaving you with, so don’t waste it.”