Fendros shut his eyes and bowed his head. This was also something that happened every time. A short discussion, then a reassurance to let the issue work itself out. Fendros wasn't sure that he could keep telling himself that, but what else was there to do? Ahnasha was right. Getting to Bruma and finding the other pack before Vile did was more important right now. Fendros decided not to press the issue any further tonight, but he was nearing the edge of his patience. His frustration with his own ineffective inaction and lack of other options would eventually get to him.
"We can be strong, Ahna, I know that much. Against this, though, I don't know how to fight." Fendros looked to Ahnasha and put an arm around her, "We'll keep going until we deal with Bruma, but after that, we have to find a way to deal with this properly. Let's promise that much, at least."
In all honesty, Fendros didn't know whether he would last that long. He remained awake to lull Rhazii back to sleep before he put the cub back and drifted to sleep himself. Hopefully he wouldn't get any dreams either.
Nearby, Sabine lay awake, facing away from Fendros and Ahnasha with her eyes open. She was a light sleeper as-is, but their own behaviour had been especially concerning to her. She went to sleep after it seemed that there was nothing more to eavesdrop on.
Muttonhawk Member
Let Slip the Corgis of War
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Dear Mr Curly,
I have done little travelling lately because I have been so dreadfully weary. Can it be true as the old Ecclesiastes said; that all things lead to weariness? Surely not. Perhaps the opposite is true: that all nothings lead to weariness. I have a peculiar feeling, Curly, that I am worn out from something I haven't yet done and the more I don't do it, the more exhausted I become. How strange. Could it be something I haven't realised? Perhaps it's something I haven't said? Something I haven't finished! It must be very large and true whatever it is and a lively struggle in the doing but I look forward to it immensely. I know I need it. First, however, I must curl up in my chair and sleep deeply with the duck. Perhaps I'll dream of this thing and wake up refreshed and do it. My fond wishes to you Mr. Curly, and to all Curly Flat.
Yours sleepily,
Vasco Pyjama
xxx
P.S. Not having breakfast can make you weary. That's for sure!
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"Ahna? It's okay, it's okay, I'm here," Fendros' tired, but concerned voice spoke up before he sat up and wrapped his arms around her. Just like it was every time, she was drenched with sweat and had a pounding heart. Fendros rocked her in his arms, trying to comfort her. "Another nightmare?" Fendros asked rhetorically, "It was the torture again, wasn't it?"
Ahnasha's scar didn't seem like it was going to fade any further in the week since they had left the xanmeer, but other symptoms of the trauma seemed to only get worse for both of them. Whenever Ahnasha's dreams didn't wake Fendros up, Fendros would have flashbacks of his own, mostly recounting the torture as it happened. However, even if Fendros said he would talk, he either didn't seem to stop the Argonian noble cutting Ahnasha open, or more terrifyingly, his throat closed up completely and he couldn't so much as scream. In those occasions, their roles would be reversed and it would be Fendros weeping in Ahnasha's arms. Ahnasha's recounts of her nightmares seemed to be just as, if not more horrific, and no doubt they were only getting worse. Up until this point Fendros had naively believed that the dreams and the anxiety they were displaying in their day-to-day life would eventually go away, now they were at the point where the scars opened nearly every night.
"Ahna, I don't know what to do, but this can't go on." Fendros stated, as Rhazii began to squirm and make noises in the swaddle next to them both. Fendros released Ahnasha and picked Rhazii up, trying to shush him back to sleep before the disturbance caused him to cry. Fendros whispered from then on, "I can't keep doing this, Ahna. It still hurts. We have to do something. Whether it's finding a safe place to raise Rhazii, away from all this danger, or to talk to the Hist like Sabine did, I don't care, but we have to do something."
Up to that point, Fendros had been even less forthcoming with the events of the torture. He thought that he could eventually forget if he didn't talk about it, but that was wishful thinking as well. The pack had noticed his strange behaviour too, although they were probably asleep right then.
Ahnasha's scar didn't seem like it was going to fade any further in the week since they had left the xanmeer, but other symptoms of the trauma seemed to only get worse for both of them. Whenever Ahnasha's dreams didn't wake Fendros up, Fendros would have flashbacks of his own, mostly recounting the torture as it happened. However, even if Fendros said he would talk, he either didn't seem to stop the Argonian noble cutting Ahnasha open, or more terrifyingly, his throat closed up completely and he couldn't so much as scream. In those occasions, their roles would be reversed and it would be Fendros weeping in Ahnasha's arms. Ahnasha's recounts of her nightmares seemed to be just as, if not more horrific, and no doubt they were only getting worse. Up until this point Fendros had naively believed that the dreams and the anxiety they were displaying in their day-to-day life would eventually go away, now they were at the point where the scars opened nearly every night.
"Ahna, I don't know what to do, but this can't go on." Fendros stated, as Rhazii began to squirm and make noises in the swaddle next to them both. Fendros released Ahnasha and picked Rhazii up, trying to shush him back to sleep before the disturbance caused him to cry. Fendros whispered from then on, "I can't keep doing this, Ahna. It still hurts. We have to do something. Whether it's finding a safe place to raise Rhazii, away from all this danger, or to talk to the Hist like Sabine did, I don't care, but we have to do something."
Up to that point, Fendros had been even less forthcoming with the events of the torture. He thought that he could eventually forget if he didn't talk about it, but that was wishful thinking as well. The pack had noticed his strange behaviour too, although they were probably asleep right then.
The closing moments of the mission were probably the most confusing. The hectic dogpile on the djinn quickly subdued the creature, and for a few moments it appeared as though it was only a walk back to the dropship before everything was over. That was when Luc spotted movement to one side.
"Ghouls! A shitload, four o'clock!" Luc shouted into his radio before depressing the trigger on his weapon and spraying bullets in their direction in an effort to halt their advance. Anya tried to get into position to assist, but she hardly raised her sights before the roar of rockets reached a crescendo from above and forced her to go to ground. There were two explosions in all, both kicking up large clouds of dust. Once there appeared to be a lull, the twins surveyed the damage and found that not a single ghoul was left alive.
Nearby, some kind of humanoid covered in wires and armour jogged towards them. Anya levelled her weapon to the strange man, but lowered it on central's command. This guy was friendly? As it came closer, the humanoid was revealed to be completely robotic. Anya and Luc were uneasy about this 'J2K' robot, but he seemed keen on doing the heavy lifting. After reloading, the twins covered the squad's withdrawal and strapped themselves in to leave.
"Well, that wasn't edgy or anything," Anya commented to anyone listening.
Luc was in a good mood, for some reason. "Loosen up sis, no one died."
"Deux," Anya said, announcing what she believed to be her kill count.
"Deux," Luc said as well, though his kills were probably easier to confirm.
Back at base, things proceeded as if nothing had happened, apart from a communiqué from centre regarding their new ranks. For now, Anya was certain that she would have to focus more on providing covering fire for her team mates. Had she noticed the sniper before it hit Xue, he might not have been injured. At least in smoking the group she was able to prevent any other casualties. Luc's first stop was the armoury, where he had wanted to satisfy a curiosity that he had, but didn't get the chance beforehand to see. An attachment to his LMG, which he was able to get briefed on by the quartermaster, was a holo-targeting module. Apparently whatever he pointed and shot at would get an outline on any of his team mates' scopes or HUDs. Since pointing and shooting was something of a prerogative for him, it was a no-brainer to pick it up and make use of it.
Anya found herself without all that much to do one she handed her equipment back. She knew her brother would be skulking around the mess, telling stories of his previous exploits, and she wanted a break form dealing with his ego. Wandering around the base was a feast for her eyes in witnessing ParaCom's own in-house manufacturing suites. She was pretty sure that even car factories had less machinery than these guys. In satisfying her own curiosity, she talked to some of the engineers about the hulking exosuits that were being assembled off to one side of the workshop. In testing, they were incredibly strong, seemingly indestructible, and had a plethora of heavy-duty equipment available to them. Anya was at first immediately turned off by the idea of amputating her own limbs in order to pilot one, but she left the workshop feeling as though she had not entirely convinced herself either way.
On the other hand, Luc was quick to proceed to the living quarters with the others. He had read up a little information about his team mates, but apart from their names and specialities, he didn't really know much about them at all. He sought a kindred spirit in the other heavy in the team; the large African-American man, Packston. Luc walked up beside him and nudged his upper arm with the back of his hand. Luc of course spoke with his Belgian-French accent, but tried to be friendly, "Hey there champ. Packston, right? Good shooting out there. Call me Luc." Luc extended a hand to shake, "I was wondering, that shiny railgun you used, what's it like? I didn't get much of a chance to try it out before we lifted, so I stuck with what I knew. What's your opinion of it?"
"Ghouls! A shitload, four o'clock!" Luc shouted into his radio before depressing the trigger on his weapon and spraying bullets in their direction in an effort to halt their advance. Anya tried to get into position to assist, but she hardly raised her sights before the roar of rockets reached a crescendo from above and forced her to go to ground. There were two explosions in all, both kicking up large clouds of dust. Once there appeared to be a lull, the twins surveyed the damage and found that not a single ghoul was left alive.
Nearby, some kind of humanoid covered in wires and armour jogged towards them. Anya levelled her weapon to the strange man, but lowered it on central's command. This guy was friendly? As it came closer, the humanoid was revealed to be completely robotic. Anya and Luc were uneasy about this 'J2K' robot, but he seemed keen on doing the heavy lifting. After reloading, the twins covered the squad's withdrawal and strapped themselves in to leave.
"Well, that wasn't edgy or anything," Anya commented to anyone listening.
Luc was in a good mood, for some reason. "Loosen up sis, no one died."
"Deux," Anya said, announcing what she believed to be her kill count.
"Deux," Luc said as well, though his kills were probably easier to confirm.
Back at base, things proceeded as if nothing had happened, apart from a communiqué from centre regarding their new ranks. For now, Anya was certain that she would have to focus more on providing covering fire for her team mates. Had she noticed the sniper before it hit Xue, he might not have been injured. At least in smoking the group she was able to prevent any other casualties. Luc's first stop was the armoury, where he had wanted to satisfy a curiosity that he had, but didn't get the chance beforehand to see. An attachment to his LMG, which he was able to get briefed on by the quartermaster, was a holo-targeting module. Apparently whatever he pointed and shot at would get an outline on any of his team mates' scopes or HUDs. Since pointing and shooting was something of a prerogative for him, it was a no-brainer to pick it up and make use of it.
Anya found herself without all that much to do one she handed her equipment back. She knew her brother would be skulking around the mess, telling stories of his previous exploits, and she wanted a break form dealing with his ego. Wandering around the base was a feast for her eyes in witnessing ParaCom's own in-house manufacturing suites. She was pretty sure that even car factories had less machinery than these guys. In satisfying her own curiosity, she talked to some of the engineers about the hulking exosuits that were being assembled off to one side of the workshop. In testing, they were incredibly strong, seemingly indestructible, and had a plethora of heavy-duty equipment available to them. Anya was at first immediately turned off by the idea of amputating her own limbs in order to pilot one, but she left the workshop feeling as though she had not entirely convinced herself either way.
On the other hand, Luc was quick to proceed to the living quarters with the others. He had read up a little information about his team mates, but apart from their names and specialities, he didn't really know much about them at all. He sought a kindred spirit in the other heavy in the team; the large African-American man, Packston. Luc walked up beside him and nudged his upper arm with the back of his hand. Luc of course spoke with his Belgian-French accent, but tried to be friendly, "Hey there champ. Packston, right? Good shooting out there. Call me Luc." Luc extended a hand to shake, "I was wondering, that shiny railgun you used, what's it like? I didn't get much of a chance to try it out before we lifted, so I stuck with what I knew. What's your opinion of it?"
Sure, if you like.
There was little Fendros could do to convince Orskan otherwise, it seemed. After wishing him farewell, the pack left the xanmeer. None of them really had a desire to ever see it again.
Once on solid ground after climbing down the xanmeer's steps, Fendros presented the tome to Ahnasha. He didn't think he would he would leave this place with a smile on his face, but in the end, their stint with the cult of Molag Bal had not been a complete loss. "Orskan mentioned that it would be a long path, but now at least we have a path now," Fendros said, "For now, we can go back to taking care of ourselves."
Nearby, Janius responded to Kaleeth with a half-smile. "That's right. We'll be heading to Cyrodiil eventually, but not before heading to Thorn and sailing over the ocean. Thorn is a very beautiful city, at least when we were there. That was during a festival, though." Janius hadn't realised it before, but with Kaleeth's life up to the point where they met, she had probably never even been near the edge of the marsh. Janius looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Say, have you ever seen the ocean before?"
Once on solid ground after climbing down the xanmeer's steps, Fendros presented the tome to Ahnasha. He didn't think he would he would leave this place with a smile on his face, but in the end, their stint with the cult of Molag Bal had not been a complete loss. "Orskan mentioned that it would be a long path, but now at least we have a path now," Fendros said, "For now, we can go back to taking care of ourselves."
Nearby, Janius responded to Kaleeth with a half-smile. "That's right. We'll be heading to Cyrodiil eventually, but not before heading to Thorn and sailing over the ocean. Thorn is a very beautiful city, at least when we were there. That was during a festival, though." Janius hadn't realised it before, but with Kaleeth's life up to the point where they met, she had probably never even been near the edge of the marsh. Janius looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Say, have you ever seen the ocean before?"
"Of course, of course," Fendros nodded attentively to Orskan's words as he handed the dagger and the satchel back to him. Once Fendros had the tome in his hands, he opened it up to a page near the middle and confirmed for himself the language. It would be no problem for him, at least. Dunmeris was written in daedric script after all. Fendros closed the book and looked up to Orskan, taking a breath in through his mouth and nodding one last time. "Orskan, for all the experiments that go on in this place, all the reputation Molag Bal has, you've truly done us a kindness." Fendros put a hand on his shoulder and held onto him gratefully, "I cannot thank you enough, and I wish you all the best." Fendros lips formed a pursed smile, and he patted the cultist on the back, "Come, I'm sure Ahnasha would like to express her gratitude as well before we leave."
It's fine. I have to bake a cake today anyway.
Shiva wasn't exactly quick on the draw in comparison to her team mates. By the time she levelled her weapon and fired off bolts of plasma into the enemies by the door, they had already been shot to pieces by the rest. The thing to do then was to find cover, and Shiva was quick to sprint across to the opposite wall of the corridor and hide behind an open-seated parked lifting vehicle.
The volume of fire was the most it had been in the entire mission. Shiva barely managed to find even a chance to peek, but Shuo presented opportunities via catching the enemies' attention. He was a big target, but also a tough one. The call to push the left side of the corridor from where they were facing put Shiva in a fortunate position. She flicked out the bipod attachment of her weapon, brought it up to the seat of the vehicle she was hiding behind such that she was looking across to the enemy positions, and sustained covering fire over any she spotted poking their little heads out. Trying to keep them suppressed sent a couple of bullets her way which were easily deflected by her shield, but any bullet that wasn't coming her way was going Shuo's. It looked like he took a hit, but he seemed fine.
The combination of Shiva's suppressing fire and Shuo's assault would give the rest of the team a good opportunity to move up. Shiva just hoped they would take it before her weapon overheated.
The volume of fire was the most it had been in the entire mission. Shiva barely managed to find even a chance to peek, but Shuo presented opportunities via catching the enemies' attention. He was a big target, but also a tough one. The call to push the left side of the corridor from where they were facing put Shiva in a fortunate position. She flicked out the bipod attachment of her weapon, brought it up to the seat of the vehicle she was hiding behind such that she was looking across to the enemy positions, and sustained covering fire over any she spotted poking their little heads out. Trying to keep them suppressed sent a couple of bullets her way which were easily deflected by her shield, but any bullet that wasn't coming her way was going Shuo's. It looked like he took a hit, but he seemed fine.
The combination of Shiva's suppressing fire and Shuo's assault would give the rest of the team a good opportunity to move up. Shiva just hoped they would take it before her weapon overheated.
Fendros nodded understandingly to Orskan and joined the rest of the pack when Neesa arrived. The air was slightly tense before she spoke, but her answer turned out to be all the pack had set out to do. Fendros had not expected the followers of Molag-Bal to have the honour to live up to their agreement, but he was proven wrong.
When Neesa walked away, Sabine was the only one to speak up and say "Goodbye." No one else seemed to feel the need.
The information about the movements of Vile's servants was interesting, however. Mostly because it involved the possibility of meeting another pack. As far as Fendros knew, the pack had never done such a thing. He wondered whether they would be similar to the other pack, and under what terms they would be meeting each other. Hopefully it would be amiable.
"The Imperial city, eh? It's been a long time since I've laid eyes on the white-gold tower." Janius commented. Fendros nodded in concurrence.
Sabine's face was lit up for different reasons. "Thorn? Does that mean we will see Ariel again?" Sabine's voice was particularly excited at this prospect.
When Neesa walked away, Sabine was the only one to speak up and say "Goodbye." No one else seemed to feel the need.
The information about the movements of Vile's servants was interesting, however. Mostly because it involved the possibility of meeting another pack. As far as Fendros knew, the pack had never done such a thing. He wondered whether they would be similar to the other pack, and under what terms they would be meeting each other. Hopefully it would be amiable.
"The Imperial city, eh? It's been a long time since I've laid eyes on the white-gold tower." Janius commented. Fendros nodded in concurrence.
Sabine's face was lit up for different reasons. "Thorn? Does that mean we will see Ariel again?" Sabine's voice was particularly excited at this prospect.
I thought I had one more, but that turned out not to be the case. Now I'm technically in holidays so long as I don't get a supplementary exam, and I doubt that's going to happen.
Getting a post up, just a sec.
Getting a post up, just a sec.
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