Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, thankfully my job can be worked from home and my partner has been living with me for a while, so I'm not as screwed as a lot of other folks. To tell the truth, living with my partner has been the main cause of going multiple days without posting.

My family is healthy and safe as well. My partner lost their job, though, so that sucks.

Everything is really quiet in town here. Just chugging along, really.

How about you? Staying sane and healthy?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The pack closed as safely as they could around Meesei to protect her. Fendros loosed arrow after arrow, each one punching an arrow halfway through a twilight's body and tumbling them to the ground. Janius coordinated with Kaleeth to boost his jumps into the air to snatch at twilight legs and tails in his mouth, pulling them down with his weight and tearing them apart.

Sabine was the one capable of taking the broadest approach as she gathered her own power and whirled her arms in a magical pull. The air around them blew into a tornado-like gust a ways above the ground, throwing the smaller of the flying creatures out of control in Meesei's vicinity. Fendros pushed through the gale towards Sabine to cover her with his own ward should any of their enemies notice the source of the effect.

During the commotion, Janius finished up catching another twilight from a surprising altitude. It gave him a terrible idea. "Pull that big one further down," he snarled, hefting the affixed axe blade on his hand, "and I could cut its wing open!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

A bit delayed on my responses. I'll get one in tomorrow.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The response to the Daedric Titan above demonstrated the specialised nature of the formations coming through the portal. A few callouts by the sergeants were unintelligible for all who did not have the reflex training to lock shields, raise wards, and keep together. The coldfire washed over their defences, though some broke down under its sheer power. Those clear enough from the sweeping flames started launching arrows and spells as ordered.

Fendros defaulted to his well-practiced ward. He, too, moved to cover as much of the pack as he could, but his work was not quite enough. Janius, Kaleeth, and Lorag's forms were difficult to cover at the best of times. Against the titan's breath, they could probably survive, though they would not be unaffected. It was Sabine who stepped up and projected a ward large enough to cover them all -- impossibly large, some would say, but the power in the Staff of Magnus was immediately familiar in her hands, and she made full use of it.

Off to one side, a recognisably incensed voice shouted out some cursing taunt before gathering a noticeable amount of power. Teroiah, shortly after coming through the portal, took matters into her own hands against the great beast above their command centre. A whirling spiral of ward-like ethereal chains cast out in a drilling pattern from her towards the titan, seemingly deflecting the fire off her in a cone of safety. Then, through the middle of the spiral, a more brutish form of magic charged and released a line of crackling lightning directly towards the titan's chest in retaliation. The display lit up the entire plateau in bright white.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

Thank you, Capy. That was a gratifying read.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I can topple a watch tower if we get close enough!" Sabine said over the calls and thunderous feet of rushing lycan spirits. "If we move now we can get to at least one before they can defend it!"

Already, the turf below their feet was getting torn up and replaced by mud and dirt from the advancing numbers of allies. Legionnaires and Dominion troops set up in blocks of soldiers ready to be deployed. Dominion battlemages deployed runes at the edges of the cliffs to ward off and warn of climbing enemies. Legion engineers brought through pieces of artillery to put together on the high ground to rain bolts and stones at range.

Over the sounds, the shouts and yells of officers held traces of Vera signalling the stages of fortification. Ditches, stake barriers, and eventually raised observation platforms would join their invasion. The Dominion would take a little more time to set up their machines of war, but the magic they would bring to bear had the potential to be devastating.

"No use us being the tip of the spear if we fall behind the front!" Fendros announced. "What is our next move, Meesei!?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was no holding their breath. Come curses or floods, the pack surged forward without hesitation. The sound of their armour clicking and scraping as they moved was quickly drowned out by the formation behind them marching their feet at double-time behind them to rush their assault through.

They had been instructed on what to expect, though the apparent similarity between their origin and destination planes was unnerving. The true differences did not show themselves on those green fields.

Everyone who knew the spell used magic to detect life around them. Sabine stretched her view out the furthest in search for distant hazy traces of life force. To be sure, she detected traces of undeath in the area as well.

As soon as it was apparent that their immediate surroundings were clear, Fendros clutched the control rod at his hip to send Dwemer spiders out to the peripheries of the portal, even at the cliffs, to spring any ambushes that might be waiting for them out of sight.

"Anything, Sabine?" Fendros asked.

"Nothing of size." She noted loud enough for them to hear. "No formations I can find. Not nearby. Just individuals."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei's speech would have done the trick for exciting the immediate forces, but to most her words were completely forgotten before the mighty presence of a Daedric Prince in his own domain.

Fendros, somehow having convinced himself that he would never see Hircine in the flesh while he lived, let alone on this battlefield, froze up as if staring down a predator. It was easy for his mind to work out why. He saw Ahnasha's reaction and knelt. His mind was blank on any other course of action.

Janius was exhilarated, but his beast spirit held the most sway, and it compelled him to kneel.

Finally, Sabine, clutching the Staff of Magnus in both hands, felt for the first time that such an implement would do her no good in the face of such power. She knelt with shivering knees, suddenly less sure that Clavicus Vile could be held back by her capabilities with the staff.

The reactions from the Legionnaires and Dominion troops was more or less unified. They were on edge since the lycan spirits around them had appeared to join them. They remained standing fast beside one another with hearts racing and breath quickened. They were elite soldiers, made to stand against fear. In comparison to this, however, the other side of the portal did not seem so terrifying anymore.

Teroiah and Gro-Tagnud stood staring with Ri'vashi, in competition to keep their emotions held together.

"Akatosh slay me," Gro-Tagnud betrayed in a monotone.

"Look sharp, Legate General," Teroiah shakily responded. "This one is on our side. For today."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Teroiah and Gro-Tagnud exchanged a glance.

Naturally, Teroiah spoke up first. "At least we will have force enough to hold the line. Pushing them all through could give us a shield to set up and advance with impunity."

"Not all of 'em," Gro-Tagnud countered. "We've both been working on moving boots at a large scale. There are too many to move quickly through the one portal. By the time all of them are through, Vile will have had time to rally and alert all forces. We need to have a foothold before that happens or we're just setting up a mill grinder for troops."

"We will be more likely ground to dust without their support," Fendros commented.

Gro-Tagnud frowned. "I never said they weren't supporting us. We're just goin' to have to ride in the second wave in two columns: standing soldiers on one side, hunters on the other. We set up as planned with plenty of reinforcements."

"To consolidate," Teroiah said.

"Exactly." He pointed to Teroiah in agreement. "We secure the ground we can take. Skirmishers stick to their own roles."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros knew Vykosa had not come to pick a fight. He did not take the bait. Whether Gro-Tagnud and Teroiah were silent for the same reasons was hard to tell.

And just as well they heard her out. Vykosa's offer took everyone by surprise. Not just for the scale of support, but the last detail in particular.

Teroiah spoke up to clarify, showing only enough pretentiousness in her tone to mark her as uncowed. "When you say joining Hircine in this hunt, do you speak metaphorically? Of all his lycans running forth? Or does the Prince of the Hunt wish to attend in person?"