[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[EliteCommander]

Meesei found herself happy with the way Sabine described them, even if she wasn't expecting much different. Still, it was interesting to hear exactly how she viewed her pack mates. It made sense that she wouldn't use the terms mother or father to describe them, especially since those terms never really had any meaning for her growing up. Based on what Ariel described, all she ever had were friends and her sister.

Ahnasha stretched out her arms and yawned once more. As much as she hated it, she really couldn't see herself staying up much longer. "I think...I think it is time for me to go to sleep. Or, well, actually, I think it is time for me to stand by the fire for a bit and try to dry off. I want to avoid soaking Fendros, after all." She commented before climbing out of the pool, nearly falling on Ariel in the process due to her fatigue.

"I do think it is around time to go to sleep. We will need rest for tomorrow, after all. I'll join you as well." Meesei said as she climbed out after Ahnasha. Due to her waterproof scales, it wouldn't take nearly as long for her to dry. Really, wiping herself down once with a fur towel or blanket would be enough to dry her completely, but the fire would work just fine.

Lorag put a surprising amount of thought into what he wanted to do next. On the one hand, he did not want to get out of the pool, but on the other, he couldn't let himself be the last to get out. With everyone suddenly leaving, he decided that now was the best time for him to go. "Yeah, I'm done here too." He said simply before getting out and joining the others standing by the fire.

[Muttonhawk]

Everyone getting out of the pool seemed to signal the night's conversations coming to an end. Once Lorag stepped out, both Janius and Ariel exchanged glances for a moment, considering whether they wanted to leave just yet.

"A big day tomorrow." Janius broke the new silence.

"Yes," Ariel replied.

Janius reached an arm over his opposite shoulder and pointed to the fire. "We should probably..."

"Yes," Ariel nodded, before beginning to get up to exit the pool.

Janius followed suit and they sat quietly by the fire for a little longer with everyone else until they were sufficiently dry. Ariel and Janius might have liked to talk some more, but the warm water had made them so tired that they were both looking forward to sleeping. Janius especially, as before they obtained the thrall he had been taking watches. As Ahnasha waited for her fur to dry and everyone else retired, Ariel stayed up with Ahnasha for a little longer to wring out her own hair. By the looks of both of them they were not long out of their bedrolls, but there was a bit of time left to pass.

"Have you thought of any names for the child?" Ariel asked curiously.

[EliteCommander]

After the others had gone to their bedrolls for the night, Ahnasha sat by the fire next to Ariel, still trying to get her fur to dry to at least an acceptable level. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open by this point, but she was glad to stay up and speak with Ariel a little bit longer.

"Not definitively, but we have a few ideas." Ahnasha answered quietly so as not to wake the others if any were already asleep. "If it is a girl, Fendros wants to name her []. It's not a Ta'agra name, but I suppose that wouldn't be the first time that has happened. It's the name of one of his family members, someone he respects. He says she was a strong woman. She wasn't entirely accepted by her family, but she didn't care. She stuck to what she believed in, and was, overall, someone I wouldn't mind naming my daughter after. For me, I don't really have anyone in my family I would want to name our child after. Neither my mother or father had close ties to their own families, so I don't know much about them. I did have an idea, though. If it's a boy, I suggested Rhazii. It means 'ash', which I thought would be appropriate, given his heritage."

Ahnasha looked down and rubbed her stomach, giving a soft smile. She used to be afraid of what was to come, but now, she found herself looking forward to it. There were definitely going to be struggles. For one, their lives were dangerous, and they would need to be constantly vigilant to keep their child safe. They wouldn't be able to fight at their full strength anymore, as someone would always need to watch the child. There were many details to worry about, but Ahnasha no longer regretted it. Perhaps it was her motherly instincts taking over, but it was all exciting to her. "Have you ever thought about having children?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Quite appropriate," Ariel responded happily.

At Ahnasha's question, Ariel paused and her smile lowered, but didn't disappear. "I suppose I have occasionally thought about it. Never in any depth though." Ariel continued to try and get more water out of her hair, angling her head to one side as she did. "I always had it in my mind that I would probably fall in love, get married and find a better place to live first, but such ideal things don't always come. The shop normally keeps me quite busy, and I've never been especially... well..." Ariel's smile faded almost completely and she looked down, "... I've fallen in love before, but it's never been reciprocated." She looked up again, her smile reappearing, "I don't let it bother me, though. It's never been a high priority for me, and even then, I'm sure fate has something in store."

Ariel went from wringing her hair to putting her fingers through it to try and work out any knots. Her face occasionally twitched as her hair resisted, but she still payed attention. "From what Janius described, it doesn't sound like your motherhood was a planned event. Was that right?"

[EliteCommander]

Since she held her hands close to the fire, Ahnasha's hands dried more quickly than the rest of her fur. She felt the fur across various parts of her body to see how close to dry it was, but it would still be a few minutes yet before she was ready to sleep. At Ariel's question, she shook her head. "No, it wasn't. It took a fairly unique set of circumstances for this to happen. Under the influence of alcohol, myself and Fendros had a bit of a fun night together, and it might have ended there if it were not for the fact that Meesei too was intoxicated. It's not often you find a drink designed to get around an Argonian's poison resistance, so that is a pretty rare event. I wasn't even thinking about that, since my judgement at the time wasn't too spectacular. With her knowledge of restoration, she can temporarily influence one's fertility, in either direction. However, she ended up getting lost in the night and it took us all day to find her. It was already too late by then...or, well, technically I still could have ended it, but I really didn't want to do that. Perhaps not the most romantic beginning to our relationship, I know, but the past really doesn't matter to me as much as where we are going."

As she was taking a few moments to reflect on the state of her own life, Ahnasha's gaze moved from the fire to Ariel. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of person she was. She seemed talkative, but not precisely social. It was just a guess on Ahnasha's part, but it seemed like she had a hard time bringing herself to take risks. Sure, she was taking part in a dangerous raid on a witches' coven, and she had willingly approached a pack of lycans she did not know, but both of those were for her sister. Family could motivate even the most timid of people. "For you, I think you could make a good mother. Although, you are right on needing to find someone first. That won't happen if you don't take the initiative, though. Talk to people, see if you can find someone you can connect with. Take some risks. I suppose there is nothing wrong with being a shopkeeper, but your life will grow stale if that's all you ever do. Maybe moving to another place would be a good idea...actually, it might be mandatory. It's not as if we are going to be wiping out the coven tomorrow; they will still be around afterwards. Even if we are perfectly stealthy and they never see you, their suspicions might still fall on you. After all, they know you have intricate knowledge of the layout of their keep, and we are going to be making use of that knowledge. Not to mention, if one of them finds a piece of hair or something you leave behind, they might be able to use that same trick you used to find us."

[Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha's recollection of course added up to Janius' version. Ariel found herself grinning at such an extraordinary set of circumstances. That wasn't to say that she held the actions of Fendros and Ahnasha against them both, in fact it had turned out to be fulfilling for them at this point.

The recommendation to move shifted Ariel's mood to apprehension. She was quite comfortable where she had set up. Ahnasha's second point, however, turned her apprehension into a realisation, then fear. When Ahnasha finished speaking, Ariel stared at the fire for a moment, her mouth opening and closing as if she kept losing the words she was going to say. Her face wasn't showing a terrified fear, but somewhat overwhelmed all the same. "Oh, why did I not consider that?" Ariel leaned forward and put the tips of her fingers against her forehead, then curled her fingers into fists against her head and closed her eyes. "I'm so stupid, of course I would be the only one outside of the coven who would know the way in and out." Ariel tried not to raise her voice so she wouldn't disturb anyone, but she was clearly upset. After a silent pause, Ariel's fists opened and she covered her mouth and nose with both hands, looking into the fire with wide eyes. She breathed in quite audibly, then spoke with a tone that sounded hollowed as it emanated from behind her hands, "You're right. I'm doomed if I don't move." She lowered her hands to her knees and tried to take a deep breath in through her nose to try and calm down. "Where would I go? I wouldn't be safe anywhere on Vvardenfell," She said, thinking out loud, "I would have to take a boat somewhere. Sail to the mainland, or around it to somewhere else. Mainland Morrowind might be an option, but it is always under threat from something or another, never enough protection without the legion around now. Black marsh, I would die rather quickly trying to get to a city there. Skyrim, I was never one for the cold, and they hate witches there. I could try Cyrodiil, I don't know how much work there'll be for an alchemist though. Maybe I should look further?" Ariel grunted through her nose frustratedly, she was noticing herself talking faster and faster and she had to stop and close her eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry, this is all a lot to think about at once," Ariel said in a slower, more gathered tone. Albeit it was a gravelly tone, the sudden worry had made her realise just how tired she was, and it was no use fussing over her hair too much longer. She managed a smile towards Ahnasha and began to get up, "I think I should get some sleep before I consider my life turning upside-down." When she stood up, Ariel stayed by Ahnasha for a moment longer, putting her hand on Ahnasha's upper arm, "Thank you for the company, Ahnasha. I'll see you in the morning." With that she strode off to her bedroll.

While she walked, facing away from the campfire, Ariel's smile turned into a thoughtful frown that lasted right up until she fell asleep. Ariel considered not only what Ahnasha said about moving to escape the coven, but also about taking more risks and getting out into the world. She hadn't considered it before, taking more risks and opportunities. Up until now she had been comfortable with her routine at the shop. She didn't think she was avoiding risks out of fear, but maybe she just didn't know as much until she was told.

[EliteCommander]

"Goodnight. I'm sure we'll find some plan for you." Ahnasha said as Ariel made her way to her bedroll. She didn't particularly like that she had to be the one bringing to light bad news, but it was something that needed to be said. It wouldn't be right to let her go into this thinking everything would be fine afterwards. Even so, Ahnasha did not believe that Ariel would back out of their plan. The gas this coven was producing was a direct threat to her sister's life, and if she did not believe protecting her sister was worth sacrificing her shop in Vos, then Ahnasha had seriously misjudged her. After a few more minutes, Ahnasha's fur had dried enough that she was able to finally get to sleep. She laid down beside Fendros, closed her eyes, and fell asleep within minutes due to her fatigue.

The next morning was fairly normal, though the rest of the day would be anything but. Most of their day would be spent finishing up their preparations for the raid later that night, but for the moment, they were simply having breakfast. This time, Ahnasha decided to start the fire and begin cooking for a change. She still ate her own breakfast raw, of course, but she thought she might as well be helpful and prepare the meals of those that preferred or, in Ariel's case, required them to be cooked. Meesei ate quickly and started straight to work on finishing the enchantments on the weapons they would be using later that night, while most of the others were simply taking a few moments to relax and wake up before getting to work. As the meal she was cooking neared completion, she found herself glancing at Ariel a lot. She felt sympathy for her, considering how much she was going to be giving up for this raid. It only seemed right that they find some way to help her in return, but at the moment, Ahnasha was drawing a blank in terms of ideas.

[Muttonhawk]

If anyone was sleeping by the time breakfast was beginning, they were woken up by the smell of cooking. Ahnasha's movement had woken Fendros and he arose feeling fresh. While Ahnasha was cooking various breakfasts, Fendros wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Good morning, Ahna," He mumbled into her ear.

Looking around, Fendros observed that everyone else was similarly refreshed. This was except for Ariel, who ironically for the one who was not a lycanthrope, had trouble getting to sleep. She was kept awake thinking firstly about the logistics of moving her shop, from what stock she would keep to how she would transporting it. The thoughts had progressed to worrying about the infiltration the following day, whether anyone in the pack might be harmed or whether any witches that she was still fond of would be killed. She couldn't tell the time, but she felt as if she had her eyes open in the early hours of the morning.

Fendros noticed Ariel looking quite tired. "Didn't sleep well?" He asked over Ahnasha's shoulder.

Ariel looked up, looking as if it took her effort to do so. "I'll be fine, I just have to take some time to wake up this morning." Ariel replied, dismissing Fendros with a wave of her hand.

Shrugging, Fendros dropped the issue, oblivious to the more severe topic of conversation from last night. Instead, he turned his head to Lorag, who had recently woken up as well. "Hey Lorag, how are you preparing today? I was wondering if you could supervise some sparring between Janius and I today."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei had gone around the cave collecting the weapons they intended to use for their raid later that night. For the most part, they were blunt weapons, as they would be most appropriate for what they were expecting. On the off chance the enchantments failed, a mace would be much more effective than a sword when it came to dealing with the skeletons. Lorag, of course, was going to use a large warhammer, while everyone else preferred one handed weapons. For herself and Ahnasha, she was enchanting bone necklaces with the proper enchantment, as neither of them preferred to carry physical weapons.

Lorag looked up from his breakfast to Fendros after hearing his name "Huh, oh, yeah, I can do that. I can also spar myself if you don't mind being sore afterwards. Got to be careful though; train too hard and you'll end up wearing yourself out before the main event." Quickly finishing off his breakfast, Lorag got up and walked over to Fendros, looking him over. "This time, I'm thinking...blunt weapons. Yeah, we're gonna be using those tonight, so might as well make sure you got your technique down.

Ahnasha turned her head and gave Fendros a quick kiss and a smile before putting her focus back on the meal she was cooking, as it was nearly finished. Even if she always ate her food raw, she remembered how to cook, though she didn't have quite the same ingredients as she was used to in Leyawiin. The city contained influences from Imperials, Argonians, and Khajiit, so she had seen examples of all three styles of cooking. Perhaps it was due to her heritage, but she actually found she preferred Khajiit cuisine. Even if they did not always have access to moon sugar, most dishes tended to be sweet. Ahnasha did not have any moon sugar at the moment, nor would she have used it given who would be eating it, but she had made sure to sweeten it with the proper spices all the same. The Guar meat she prepared didn't taste terribly different from some of the creatures found in Elsweyr, so she was confident it would taste right. After a few minutes, she took the meat off of the fire and set it out for anyone who wanted it to have, most likely Janius, and perhaps Fendros. For Ariel, she decided to prepare her breakfast for her. In the pack, they never tended to use plates, bowls, or any kind of cutlery, but she was able to find a plate laying around for Ariel. She cut off a piece of the sweetened meat, gathered a few vegetables, walked over to Ariel, and offered it to her.

"Here you go, I thought you might be hungry." Ahnasha said as she handed her the plate. She then sat down beside her with a worried expression. Ahnasha's concern for her was twofold. On a practical level, Ariel needed to be alert and ready for their infiltration later that night. If she was distracted or tired, then she could make a mistake that might cost both of them their lives. It was important to make sure her mind was focused when they were finally ready to begin. Beyond that, Ahnasha also felt bad that she was being forced to give up her shop over this. Even if Ahnasha did not particularly like life in the city, she could understand how Ariel would be upset about giving up what had been her life for years. Since she was helping the pack, Ahnasha felt it would only be right to give her help in return.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ahnasha asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking at her empathetically. "I know this is hard, but...you have a skill, a very useful skill. No matter where you go, a good alchemist will always be in demand. It might take a while, but I know you can be successful after Vos. If there is anything we can do to help, anything I can do to help, just ask."

[Muttonhawk]

"Thanks for breakfast, Ahna," Fendros said in reply to Ahnasha's kiss. He nodded back to Lorag and sat down properly next to the fire once Ahnasha had gotten up to serve Ariel. He carefully took one of the pieces that Ahnasha had prepared and took a bite. So that's what that smell was, Fendros thought immediately. The meat was sweetened, very sweetened. While he didn't think he would be able to eat more than just his portion without starting to feel slightly sickened by it, it was a tasty and interesting change.

Ariel looked up at Ahnasha from where she sat and took the meal gratefully. Her chewing was slow while Ahnasha tried to cheer her up. Her words were appreciated. "Thank you, Ahnasha, I think I'll be alright," Ariel reassured, smiling and nodding in lieu of her worries, "I just..." She looked forward, "I worry too much sometimes. There's a lot going through my head at the moment and..." Ariel's sentence fell into a chuckle that quickly choked up and cause her eyes to go red. She stopped and sniffed.

Janius came by, having finished donning his armour, and took up the other cooked guar cut and furrowed his brow with an "Ooh," on his first bite. He looked at Ahnasha with a half-smile, "Haven't had Khajiit style cooking for a while, thanks Ahnasha!" Janius took a seat and continued eating, but cocked his head at Ariel, who appeared to be on the brink of crying. "You alright there, Ariel?" He asked, drawing the attention of everyone else by the campfire towards her. Both Janius and Fendros held expressions of concern.

"I- I'm fine, I'm fine," Ariel tried to say to everyone, overwhelmed by the attention towards her less composed self. Janius turned his head slightly while looking at her, clearly showing his disbelief. "It's just," She paused and tried to keep herself together, "I'm going to be moving my shop after tonight. The coven might come looking for me after all this. I've been worrying about where to go."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha moved a bit closer to Ariel, keeping her hand on her shoulder as well as the empathetic expression on her face. "For what it's worth, we really appreciate what you are doing here. I know you are probably doing it mostly for the safety of your sister, but you're helping us as well. Personally, I think city life is incredibly boring and I can't understand why anyone would choose it...but I understand that others don't feel the same way I do. I can see how giving up the life you've known for so long would be hard. I don't think you need to be as afraid as you are, though. You are a talented alchemist, with knowledge that most others in the profession do not have. From what I know of business, that makes you particularly valuable. You could go to any city and be successful, given enough time an patience. It might take a few years; buildings are expensive, after all, but you can get back up to where you are now.

Ahnasha thought for a moment on what other advice she could provide. "You may want to pick a city outside Morrowind, but otherwise, anywhere should be open to you. You can pick a place with an open market and set up a stall with some of your more unique potions. You might want to check around the alchemy shops in town first and see what they sell to make sure you're offering something they're not. Serve a market that isn't being reached. Plus, if you directly compete with them, some business owners might try to bully you out of town. You could give demonstrations to show people what your potions can do, maybe talk to them and get to know the locals. Really win over their hearts and minds. After a while, you start selling better versions of what the other alchemists are selling, and you'll be too well-known for them to directly bully. You could have your own shop again in just a year or two, if you do it right." Ahnasha said optimistically, finally making use of some of the knowledge her merchant parents had given her. "Anyway, I personally want to help you in any way I can. It only seems right."

[Muttonhawk]

Not at any point thinking it odd that a lycan that lived in the wilds would speak so confidently of business, Ariel found the structure calming. The whirlwind of anxiety-inducing possibilities started to calm and fall into something resembling a set of goals. The instructions helped in no small part for Ariel to properly compose herself in front of everyone. Ariel wiped her eyes and continued to look into the fire. "That... makes a lot of sense actually," she said in a more even tone, "I didn't think about it like that." Ariel looked at Ahnasha and smiled gratefully. She put her plate of breakfast down for a moment, then moved forward toward Ahnasha and brought up her arms. "Oh, Ahnasha, thank you," she gave Ahnasha a brief hug, then pulled away, "I think that was what I needed to hear."

"One more thing, Ariel," Fendros chimed in, "I don't know about other cities, but in Cheydinhal, the count occasionally gave out loans with which to purchase shops and pay him back over time, if the prospective shopkeeper proved to be building a business that could do so. Ahna is right about you having a valued skill. Wherever you end up heading to, it might be worth asking about such an arrangement."

Ariel nodded, "I'll do that." She reached down to pick up her plate and begin on her breakfast. Before she took her first mouthful, she smiled as she looked around at the pack. They had been nothing but generous, caring and hospitable once they had gotten over their initial suspicions. Ariel hadn't felt this warmed in the heart for a long time. "As for help, Ahnasha," Ariel looked to Ahnasha again, this time with a less wide, but still warm smile, "Thank you for the offer, but I've already imposed so much on you and your pack. I'll take the next ship to the mainland tomorrow and maybe accompany a caravan somewhere. I don't know where exactly I'll end up, but I'll find another city."

Silently, Sabine had been at the fire with them all and didn't seem to be reacting to the conversation, but she hung her head and stared at the base of the fire as if she was bothered by the prospect of her sister leaving.

After Janius and Fendros finished up with their breakfast, licking the sweet spice from their teeth, one gestured with his head to the door and they proceeded outside with Lorag. They brought their shields with them, but it seemed like Lorag had picked out a couple of maces for them both.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha smiled, glad to see that Ariel was in a bit better of a mood. "I'm glad to help. As I mentioned, pretty much any city is open to you. As Fendros suggested, you could try Cheydinhal. I've never actually been inside its walls, but it sounds nice from what he has described. Both his and Lorag's parents live there, which...could be awkward at times, given that you know we're not dead, but I can say with confidence that they make some very fine wine there. Leyawiin is where I grew up; it's a sort of melting pot of cultures between the Khajiit, Argonians, and Imperials. Those groups don't always get along fantastically, but it's peaceful enough. It's an important port city, so there is plenty of trade there. As for us, the next city we will likely be passing by is Thorn, in northeast Black Marsh. It is known as the Jewel of the East and is meant to be one of the most beautiful cities in Tamriel, so I'm rather excited to see it. It's the only city in Black Marsh I actually really know anything about. It is in the marsh, so you have the heat and humidity to deal with, but it is a city that is used to visitors."

Meanwhile, Meesei finished up the first of her enchantments, the one on her bone necklace. She could feel the magicka pulsing through it, ready to be unleashed. It would be a lot of work to enchant all of the weapons only to have them not work, so now was the perfect time for a test. She stood up, somewhat near the fire, and called her thrall over to her. The skeleton obediently moved from its place near the chamber's entrance and stood in front of her, patiently awaiting its next command. Meesei held out her necklace in front of her and charged just a small amount of magicka into it to activate the enchantment stored within. Suddenly, a wave of violet conjuration energy burst forth from the enchanted necklace, rending the thrall's soul from its bones as soon as it passed through it. The formerly animated sentinel collapsed into a lifeless and irrepairable pile of bones before her. "Excellent, that worked." Meesei commented aloud.

[Muttonhawk]

"Hm, those all sound like wonderful options," Ariel agreed, "Thorn does sound like a beautiful place, and I suppose I don't much mind the weather, it's more to do with whether there will be a place to set up. I can't really know that without going to one of the cities, but I'm just concerned that I might catch something in Black Marsh-" Ariel was starting to talk faster again, but she was interrupted by a sound behind her before she could overwhelm herself.

Ariel looked over to the clattering sound of bones hitting the ground. Meesei proudly held up a necklace that was still glowing with conjuration magic. "Ah, brilliant!" Ariel said, glancing to what used to be the thrall. She stood up, now completely distracted and walked over to the bones, kneeling down to inspect them. There was nothing left of the souls bound to it, "Amazing. To think that the enchantment could be broken so easily." Ariel looked up at Meesei with an entertained grin, "They'll not see this coming, Meesei."

---

Fendros, Janius and Lorag emerged into one of the larger chambers in the cave and stopped. After handing out weapons, they were ready to spar for a time.

As Lorag was supervising, and likely going to be coaching them, Fendros and Janius stepped up first. "Remember, try not to give an injury that'll take us out for too long." Janius reminded Fendros, pointing his mace at him. Fendros nodded in acknowledgement, then it began. They started in fighting stances, their shields ahead and their maces back, ready to swing. As they made tiny feints towards each other, Fendros tried to adjust to the weight of the mace. They were used to each others' movements from sparring previously, but not with their weight distributed as such.

Fendros swung first, stepping up and going for Janius' right shoulder with an overhead swing. Janius raised his shield and blocked the blow, and Fendros reared to follow up with a swing around and to his left. Janius took the opportunity and thrust his mace toward's Fendros' centre, forcing him to stop his planned swing and deflect Janius' blow with his shield. Janius spun his mace and put his weight into a swing on Fendros' left and Fendros responded by jumping back, the mace only swung through air.

And just like that they were back where they started, circling and feinting. "These things are harder to control than I thought," Fendros commented. Janius seemed more comfortable with the mace than he was, probably because his regular weapon was an axe with a similar distribution of weight. Fendros, however, had little experience with such weapons. As such, his form suffered.

[EliteCommander]

"Indeed, I doubt they suspect their missing sentinel could be used for such a purpose." Meesei said with a grin. I have enough soul gems to make one for all of us; I'll be giving you a necklace like mine, Ahnasha. If everything goes to plan, you will not need it, but you can never be too careful. Everyone else will get weapons. Do you think you will need one, Ariel? I can enchant the effect into any weapon or piece of jewelry, though it is unlikely that both of you will need one. Regardless, I can provide one for you. If not...I could use the gem later to make you an amulet or ring of disease resistance, should you ever decide you want to go to Black Marsh. It will not make you immune, but it would help." She asked. Even giving everyone in her group, who were going to be fighting the skeletons directly, was probably unnecessary, but she saw no reason to take chances.

---

Lorag was practically hovering over the fight, critiquing every movement they made, though mostly he focused on Fendros. He already knew in what ways Janius tended to mess up. The combat experience and training Fendros had been receiving made him better than if the average person were to pick up a mace, but he still had obvious flaws in his form. "Remember, maces don't behave like swords, their weight distribution is all different.They take just as much skill as swords, just different kinds of skills. For one, they are overall heavier. You can't change the way they are moving near as easy as you can a blade. Once you start a swing, you're pretty much committed to it. Think about that before going for any attack. Your stance and swing is also wrong. Hold it so the head of the mace is at shoulder height, and when you swing, lead with your elbow, then snap your forearm forward mid-swing to give that extra momentum. Like this." He instructed, having no problem interrupting the fight to snatch the mace from Fendros' hand. He held the mace in proper form, then demonstrated the swing a few times so he could see it before giving the weapon back. "Of course, there are a lot more advance tactics than that, and that won't be the only way you'll ever swing, but you got to get the basics down before moving on to that."

[Muttonhawk]

"Well, I'm, um, I'm really not sure." Ariel stumbled with her words for a moment. If she was honest, she was rather scared of going to Black Marsh for all the dangers it presented, not just the diseases. Then again, she believed that probably wouldn't need a way of dispatching the thralls if she and Ahnasha were only going to be employing stealth, and Ariel wasn't much of a fighter in the first place. Her mind went over to what Ahnasha had mentioned the previous night. Maybe I should take more risks, Ariel thought to herself. Looking to Meesei with a more decided expression, Ariel answered. "I think the disease resistance would be very useful, Meesei. Thank you."

Feeling quite humbled by the assistance, Ariel stood up and held one of her hands in the other in front of herself. "Is there any way I can assist you today? I might be able to brew you something if we have the right ingredients on hand."

---

Fendros nodded patiently as he took the mace back. After taking a moment to slowly try out the movement Lorag had demonstrated a couple of times, he lowered himself into a fighting stance again to face Janius.

Janius took the first swing this time, bringing his arm over his head and striking high at Fendros' right. Fendros ducked the blow, turning to raise his shield just in case. The mace hit the top of his shield, but swung over his head. Fendros came up and attempted to swing as Lorag instructed. It felt uncomfortable, but far more effective. The blow caused Janius to raise his shield and block it directly. The mace rebounded and Janius wasn't put off balance, but the force it produced was more pronounced. Fendros followed up with a similar swing, this time it wasn't quite so well formed. Janius deflected the blow and pushed forward, bashing his shield into Fendros and forcing him back.

At the end of that quick bout, Fendros put the mace under his shield arm for a moment to shake the soreness from his wrist. He winced, those swings were really quite jarring, perhaps his wrist was too tense in trying to control the mace.

[EliteCommander]

"Not unless you and Ahnasha need any more, but on the subject of potions, there is something I was thinking about." Meesei responded. "That potion you gave me, the one that reflects magic, I am not certain how I am going to get it to the tower with the hagravens. We are going to be fighting outside the walls for some time until they stop sending skeletons after us. After that, though, we will be transforming to scale the broken tower. Because of my ring, I can transform back and forth at will, so I will be able to take on my normal form again, but I will not be able to just carry the potion with me. I'll need both hands to fight. My necklace would be easy enough, since is it small, I can grab it before I scale the tower, then wear it around my neck afterward. Unless there is a way to make the potion smaller, perhaps make it more concentrated and put it in a vial, I don't know if I will be able to use it. I would say I could just carry my satchel up with me to bring it along, and I will try that if there is no way to condense the potion, but I don't know what kind of a rush I will be in when it comes time to scale the wall. I may not have time to fumble around with my equipment."

---

Lorag continued observing the fight. "Pleased" wouldn't exactly be the word for his expression, but it did show that he saw progress in Fendros' form. "Make sure to watch the recoil on that swing. Don't tense up and try to absorb it yourself; just go with the flow. Instead of trying to resist it, use that backwards momentum to help bring you back into a fighting stance." He advised.

[Muttonhawk]

Ariel curled her lips in thought, looking down and to the side for a moment while considering. "I could do that. It would be more difficult to handle, and it might take a while, but it's possible." Ariel looked at Meesei properly with her confident explanation face on, "The effect is such that getting a more concentrated liquid would provide diminishing returns. It's difficult enough to get it down to the volume that I have it now. But!" -Ariel raised her index finger- "What I can do is make into sort of..." Ariel spun her hands, trying to find the word, "... a vapour. Except, not quite like you'd think. More similar to the transforming gas that we'll be destroying. It would be much smaller though," Ariel held her hand up with her finger and her thumb holding an imaginary small object, "It could fit into a smaller vial, one could wear around your neck with a cord. The downside, of course, would be that you would have to breath in the whole thing at once. You can't open the vial without the gas escaping. So, for example, you won't be able to drink half of it for a partial effect. I shouldn't think that'll be too much of a problem in this case though. With Sabine helping me, it should take a few of hours I think."

---

"Okay," Fendros said, dipping his head in understanding. He hadn't thought of that. Grabbing his mace again, he lowered for the next bout.

Their clash started with Janius baiting Fendros to swing by holding a lower guard. Fendros hated when he did this, but he knew their wasn't much he could do but try and spring the trap before he was caught in it. With a sword, this wouldn't be difficult, but he was holding a mace. Momentum was the name of the game here. As if he was reading Fendros' annoyance in his hesitation, Janius pulled a smirk. Perhaps if I... Fendros attempted a swing at Janius' right, but didn't step up so far as to be able to hit him cleanly. Fendros didn't try to redirect his swing like he would if he was trying to get past Janius' trap, so Janius brought his shield sweeping up to cleanly deflect the blow upwards and retaliate. With the extra distance that Fendros had given himself, he was able to pull back his stomach and hop back to dodge the swinging mace. Janius seemed to inadvertantly give Fendros a slice of extra time as he followed up by circling his mace around to swing down on Fendros' left shoulder. Fendros was surprised that Janius would try such a forewarned move against him, especially with how much of Fendros' more agile fighting style he should have been familiar with. Nevertheless Fendros didn't pass up the opportunity to exploit his mistake. He ducked and weaved to the left, bringing his mace back with him. Then he swung into the side of Janius' back, slowing down the force put into his weapon at the last moment as they were wont to do in a sparring match. The mace collided with the armour with a clank and even the slowed blow was enough to make Janius stumble in surprise.

Regaining his balance, Janius looked over to Fendros. "You and your bloody slippery moves," he said, speaking in a tone that mixed laughter and frustration, showing their sense of friendly competition as they did, "Be fair and wear some armour like I am!"

Fendros laughed in return. "Come now, I saw that swing coming a mile away."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded and thanked Ariel for the assistance before returning to her enchantments. She still had quite a few to make, and needed to make sure they were all identical to the first. Outside, Lorag continued to preside over the duel, offering advice, as well as snide sarcastic remarks, whenever needed.

---

The pack continued preparations and planning for most of the day, trying to eliminate any problems they could foresee in their plan. Ariel and Sabine had successfully turned the magic reflection potion into a vapor form that could be contained in a vial, which Meesei now wore around her neck. Meesei had managed to enchant a necklace for Ahnasha, and weapons for everyone else apart from Ariel. The sun was still in the sky, but by the time they equipped themselves and made the walk to the keep, it would be well after dark. Each of them were standing by the smouldering ashes of their fire equipping themselves to leave. Meesei and Ahnasha wore only their very basic clothing and equipment, taking nothing they were not prepared to lose.The only exception was Meesei's ring, which could remain with her through her transformations. Ahnasha had a few of Ariel's potions, while Meesei carried only a single magicka potion that she planned to drink just before turning the first time. Everyone else who would be fighting in Meesei's group was using equipment taken from the hunters, as it was essentially guaranteed that they would be losing everything they carried with them.

"I do not believe there is any more preparation remaining. Unless anyone has any other concerns, we should depart." Meesei said to the others.

[Muttonhawk]

Similarly to the rest of the pack, Fendros, Janius and Sabine all wore equipment and clothing scavenged from the hunters. Fendros and Janius both managed to find shields for themselves as well as their enchanted maces, but the only other armour they wore was a helmet that Janius had found. Not much of what the hunters had was fitted to their size, and most of what was had some sort of silver feature. While Janius would have preferred to have more armour on, he made do with what he had. In a small pouch that he was not too attached to, Janius carried a health potion and a magicka potion. Being one of the spellcasters in the group, he figured that he would have to do his part in suppressing the spells coming down from the walls while they made their approach. Fendros carried a health potion for himself, but knew that he probably wouldn't be using any more before scaling the wall. Sabine carried with her a hammer that she could use in one hand. She didn't quite have the time for training with a mace like the others did, but she could still be quick and assist her packmates with stealthy strikes. With the enchantment upon the hammer, it should only take a single hit to take down a sentinel. To help, she carried along one of her sister's invisibility potions.

Ariel made sure to hand out a suppression gas resisting potion to everyone in the pack before they set out. As for her own equipment, she brought along the potions that would help her spellcasting, two of her invisibility potions in the event that her own illusion magic failed, as well as three of each the magicka potions and the healing potions. The only thing that could be described as a physical weapon on Ariel's person was her dagger, but she intended to make use of her magic if it came to fighting.

With no protest from the group, they left the hunters' cave and set out for the coven. Janius held his mace over his shoulder and gave off a distinct air of confidence as they proceeded, while Fendros held himself a little more cautiously, even after spending the day refining their mace techniques. Ariel had a sort of tense excitement about her, though she couldn't tell whether it was because she was scared or not. Sabine hid her emotions as she normally did, except for any keen eyes noticing her clenching her jaw every now and then. Her most common nightmares were set in the coven, anyone in her position would hope that they would not come true tonight.