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

[Muttonhawk]

"At once!" Fendros pulled on Leaps' reins to turn him around. With Ahnasha on the saddle behind him, he set off back towards the last secure gap between the paths to get across to the Daedric titan's destination. The formation was held with enough of a gap for a senche-raht to fit. However, Fendros had to shout to make way for the width of a wamasu. A few soldiers were brushed or knocked off their feet in the rush.

Fendros glanced behind him once he had enough room. "What's you're idea, Ahna?" he asked.

When Kaleeth's effort gave enough room for Janius' smaller form to slip through the gap, he leapt through to give the defenders a surprise. He barged through a haphazard rank set up against Kaleeth, breaking spear shafts with his affixed axe and tearing a hole in the formation. Like a nail given a drilled hole in a plank, Kaleeth could have an easy time making her way in to cause as much damage as possible.

Janius tried to keep his wits about him in the melee. They had little enough of an idea of what they would be facing beyond the barricade.

Sabine was near the front, though she could not see what they were up against either. She occupied herself striking out with lightning and ice against those still firing arrows and spells down upon their advance.

[EliteCommander]

Despite sitting right behind him in the saddle, Ahnasha had to shout somewhat over the sounds of the battle they were passing by for Fendros to hear her clearly. “I know you’re not going to like any of this, but…I have a spell. Something I’ve been learning from Neesa. I think it will work, I just need a few moments close to it. The first, and probably hardest, step is that we’re going to have to get it to ground. Not sure exactly how; maybe your father can help? After that, I can cast the spell. Once I start it, the titan shouldn’t threaten us anymore, but it’s important that no one attack it while I’m casting. That could break it. I’m not sure how long it will take my spell to finish, and it will take my whole concentration, so you’ll need to protect me too.”

Once the pair did finally arrive on the right flank, they would find the situation much more grim than the other two paths. It seemed that, initially, they had broken through the Daedra’s barricades like the others, but the arrival of the titan had heavily shifted the tides of the battle in the Daedra’s favor. Cold flames had immolated much of the ground that the allied forces had to cross, and anyone who the mages could not protect was subject to the titan’s wrath. Now, the Daedra were counter-charging from the front while the titan was clinging to the cliffs above.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros wished he did not take a pause before responding, but he did. "I trust you. Let's work out the execution when we get there."

If there was any upside to the titan's arrival on the rightmost path, it was the titan's flames likely destroying the traps the other two paths had to face. However, no amount of optimism could make the consequences easier. Fendros went immediately towards their allies to try and spot his father Rossarm. Rossarm was directing his mages to join their wards in a broad barrier against the titan's breath while the other soldiers formed their confused ranks back up against the oncoming counterattack. Every one of the elite mages faced away would threaten their ability to push forward.

"Keep holding!" Rossarm barked out, his head dripping with sweat from exertion but showing no signs of losing his nerve. "The rest of you form for a joint lightning volley! And do not stop until my order!"

"Father!" Fendros edged leaps through the crowd.

Rossarm's crazed eyes snapped over to Fendros and Ahnasha.

"Ahna has a way to deal with the titan!" Fendros continued. "But we need it on the ground where she can reach it!"

Rossarm firmly shook his head. "Nonsense. It would physically tear our formation apart to get away."

Fendros hesitated, grit his teeth, and then decided now was not the time for falling back to old habits. "She'll take care of the rest as long as she can concentrate," he responded calmly. "Can you get the titan down here?"

For a moment, Rossarm's brow subtly loosened as if taken off guard. The way he looked to Ahnasha with questions in his eyes made it hard to tell whether he suspected Ahnasha's intentions or was genuinely surprised at Fendros' professional tone. Either way, he hesitated just long enough for another blast of cold fire to engulf the wards above them. Everyone flinched, but the ward held -- boosted by Fendros' own ward directed up to deflect and absorb the area around him.

Rossarm conceded. "Be ready to act. We shall bring it down for only a moment. Magi!" He raised his voice to his beleaguered subordinates. "New order! Those on lightning volleys form up for a ribbon net! At once and no later!"

"You ready?" Fendros asked Ahnasha behind him.

[EliteCommander]

“I’m ready; just make sure you are.” Ahnasha replied, giving a concerned look towards the frontline. “The Daedra aren’t just going to let this happen. You’re going to have to defend me once it’s down. And maybe help with it until we can get it to the ground.”

The coordinated spellcasting from Rossarm’s mages was a sight to behold. Bolts of lightning crisscrossed through the air, some striking the Titan to force it to move, while other bolts arced just above it to limit its movement. Strictly speaking, it could have survived a decision to push straight through the net of lightning, it had no reason to subject itself to that kind of injury. It did release its grip on the cliff face and take to the sky, but it would resist coming to ground in every way it could.

For Ahnasha, she did not intend to just stand by and wait for Rossarm’s mages to succeed or fail. Climbing down off of Leaps’ saddle, Ahnasha quickly focused and pooled her magicka, concentrating it as her hands glowed bright violet. It was no token support that she was giving them, for from the two portals she conjured forth came a pair of storm atronachs. They were powerful Daedra, and to command a pair of them required a great deal of Ahnasha’s power. If she was right, though, it would not matter in the end once it came time for her to cast her spell upon the titan.

On Ahnasha’s command, the two beings of stone and energy unleashed sustained streams of lightning up at the titan. She could not command her Daedra with such precision as to have them aid in creating the net, but they could help all the same. They were powerful enough to at least hurt the titan, and more importantly, impede it from fighting back. The titan recoiled from the shock, sending a plume of cold flame just over the heads of some of Rossarm’s mages. The titan was not on the ground yet, but it was being forced down closer to it.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros lent his efforts to the wards keeping the mages from being flash frozen in the coldfire. The air was already frosted with the leftover mist, but even through the wards, the grass under their feet went white with rime. As Fendros caught his breath with steam forming in front of his mouth, he saw the net of lightning tighten above them.

Jolted by arcs against its hide, the titan cringed away and further down from its perch. It tried to keep footing and held on like a cat to the stony structures, but the terrain broke and crumbled under the weight of its claws. It roared and the soldiers nearby scattered back. The impact it made on the ground travelled to everyone's chests. A cloud of dust and dirt billowed up far enough to momentarily obscure the titan's movements.

"Now! Go!" Rossarm shouted to Fendros and Ahnasha.

Fendros rode up with Leaps-On-Elves to rejoin Ahnasha and oversee her defence. He had an arrow nocked and ready, and just in time for the Daedric counterattack to meet their lines.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha could tell when the titan was close to being brought to ground, so she ensured she was ready when it was her time to act. From her satchel, she produced a filled black soul gem. With a deep breath and some concentration, she pulled the soul energy from the gem initially as if she was going to forge an enchantment, though that would not be the fate of this soul. As the gem shattered into pieces, she began to form a carefully constructed spell of conjuration energy: something into which she could weave the soul energy temporarily.

Their own allied forces only scarcely managed to clear out from underneath the titan before it was brought down in an impact that seemed to shake the ground around them. Even still, the titan seemed like it was only momentarily slowed by the attacks as it quickly let out a roar. “Fools!” It bellowed, just before the glow of cold flames appeared in its mouth. However, before it could make its attack, Ahnasha made her presence known. She stepped up just in front of the massive Daedra, violet wisps of energy swirling around her. The magicka in her spell was both greater than she could normally produce, and finely controlled. As the titan was raising up its head, she extended a hand forward and focused onto its eyes. Wisps of energy moved between them and the titan suddenly hesitated, its gaze also transfixed onto Ahnasha.

The Daedric counterattack, meanwhile, was picking up in intensity. War horns signaled their advance, but without the titan for support, their frontline might have been able to halt them with the assistance of Rossarm’s mages. However, there was an explosion of flame down the center that broke through the wards of even Rossarm’s best mages and burned warriors three rows deep into their lines. The source of the attack was not a massive Daedra, nor even a siege weapon, but a single mage. Front and center to the Daedric advance was not a Daedra, but rather a mortal. Or at least, the soul of a mortal. She appeared to be a Breton woman though most of her face was mangled and scarred by what seemed to be rather brutal torture. She had no hair, only a burned scalp. Her left ear had been removed, there was a long scar across her throat, her right eye was blind and glazed over white, and there was a hole where her cheek used to be that revealed the muscles connecting to her jaw. Her clothing was hardly more than the dirty, torn rags of a prisoner, yet it was the object in her hands that was the most exceptional. By its appearance, it almost looked like the Staff of Magnus, though if that was the intention, it was clearly an imitation. Nevertheless, the power she brought through her weapon was easily enough to break through their frontline.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros had almost leapt in front of Ahnasha to raise a ward, but what he saw instead took his breath away. "It's working..." he breathed. "Whatever you're doing, Ahna, we'll help you see it through!"

The explosion turned his head. Soldiers flailed their limbs as they were thrown to the ground from the blast. Fendros heard his father bellow out an order to reform before briskly walking ahead with a ward ahead of his palm. It was unclear whether he knew anything about the soul of the mage pitched against them, but he did not hesitate to send out a curling red scarf of light from his other hand in an effort to drain her mind temporarily.

Fendros searched his mind for whoever the soul might have been. That staff was Sabine's, that much he knew. As the dark thought ran through his mind that they might have defeated her and taken the Staff of Magnus, he clenched his jaw and fired an arrow. His aim was shaky just at the emotions that threatened to overtake him, but he was still a skilled archer. It was headed straight for the soul's neck.

[EliteCommander]

The Breton had obviously expected retaliation, as she protected herself right away. Her wards were strong enough to stop even Rossarm’s first attack, as well as slowing Fendros’ arrow enough that the ebonyflesh spell protecting her stopped it entirely. She had not yet taken notice of Rossarm nor Fendros specifically. Her focus was on crushing the frontline to allow her Daedra to finish the rest.

While maintaining her ward, the Breton soul focused on her staff. Although it did imitate its appearance, it did not behave like Magnus’ staff. The inner light of the crystal on the end glowed red, instead of blue, and it did not absorb and store the energy of spells as raw magicka like the Staff of Magnus. Rather, it took the magicka she was pouring into it, collected it in the crystal, and after a few seconds of delay, released it in the same form, but many times amplified. In this case the magic she released when she slammed her staff into the ground was hard to identify, though clearly Daedric in origin. Spreading out all around and ahead of her, a glowing red energy formed cracks in the rocks underneath their feet, though the effect of the spell was not immediately obvious. Unfortunately, it did not take long for her to show it.

A few of the Dominon soldiers near the Breton, though burned and wounded, were still alive to face her. One formed a ward in front to protect against her, while a spearman just behind thrust his weapon forward in an attempt to skewer her. However, the Altmer’s ward would not end up being tested against her, as it did not protect against what came from underneath. Raising up her hand, the Breton prompted vines to break through the rocks and ensnare the pair of soldiers. They did not appear to be mere plants, but rather vicious, corrupted flora from Oblivion; like a thorny version of harrada root. Not only did the roots constrict and immobilize the soldiers, but they worked their way into the armor so the thorns could rip and tear into their flesh.

[Muttonhawk]

"This cannot be right," Fendros murmured to himself. "Who is this ghost?"

Through a frustrated roar, Rossarm attempted to order the Dominion soldiers to back down. It was too late. Whatever callous shouts he had to put the soldiers down, they could not be so easily heard through their screams, but Fendros could hear it.

"Numb yourselves, you fools! Do you not see a mage beyond your capabilities?!" He brought up both of his elbows. Purple magic crackled all the way around his arms. "You are all unworthy!" He struck a spell into the ground. A blast of radiant energy shocked out around him and just as quickly sucked its way back into the void they left behind. With it, the plants grasping the ankles of the soldiers blackened and rotted, as did the ankles themselves.

In horror, the soldiers dragged away their wounded, necrosis-inflicted legs and all.

Fendros was agape. "He's hurting our own men..." He said so Ahnasha could hear.

He could hear the cruel justifications of his father after he regained his temper. Probably something along the lines of considering the wounded men as combat ineffective anyway.

"Father!" Fendros called out. "Enough!"

Rossarm did not respond. He poured more power into a narrow white ray of magic that struck the ghost's ward like a battering ram.

All around him, Rossarm's mages rallied and drew up in pairs, one ahead holding a ward in both hands while another behind struck the oncoming Daedra with torrents of lightning.

A small thought died in the back of Fendros' mind as to why Rossarm was concentrating as much power into that particular spell. He pulled another arrow and drew it. His aim slowly edged to Rossarm's neck. If his father would spend more allied lives for his anger, Fendros would make sure to stop him.

[EliteCommander]

At first, the Breton mage had focused her gaze on the most obvious target for her attention: Ahnasha. She was still in the midst of casting her spell on the titan, which seemed conspicuously frozen in place instead of aiding the counterattack from above. Everything about the Breton’s expression and reaction was…unsettling, to say the least. Even with her disfigurement, she started to laugh oddly loudly. “Now what are you doing to my titan? What a bad little cat you are…stay there, I’m coming with your punishment.”

Ahnasha was not entirely unaware of her surroundings, though the concentration required for her spell did make it hard to pay attention to much else in detail. She could see, on a basic level, that their soldiers were on the backfoot. The Daedra were pushing hard, and if her plan to turn the tide did not work, they would lose. Ahnasha also heard Fendros’ objections to his father, and saw their source as well. The soul with what seemed to be a Daedric facsimile of the Staff of Magnus had ravaged part of their frontline, and had her sights on the titan.

“Better they lose their legs than their lives. Just kill that mage!” Ahnasha shouted back at Fendros, partially because she needed as much time as they could buy her, and partially because she still had her own callous nature that was not entirely dissimilar to Rossarm’s. Though, she had no concept of what Rossarm intended to do next.

The intense light of Rossarm’s equally intense spell was hard for the Breton soul to miss, so she did have her ward raised in time for the ray of light to hit her. However, her defense did not hold nearly as well as last time. Her ward brightened at first, then started to warp and dim. She started to lose ground, literally and figuratively, as a hint of panic came across her face. As quickly as she could, she charged her magic through her staff, amplifying it and projecting a new ward out in front of her. Only when enhanced by the staff could her ward hold up against Rossarm’s power for more than a few moments. Even still, her frantic spellcasting showed that she took him seriously. Just like with the Dominion soldiers, the red glow of the spell in her free hand matched the red glow of the magic she had imbued into the rocks under their feet. From underneath Rossarm, thorned vines rose from the cracks in the rocks and gnashed at his arms in an attempt to interrupt him.

From there, the Breton cast another spell, enveloping her in a dark violet portal. In an instant, she reappeared from another portal just behind Rossarm. In terms of the type of magic, the portal was quite different to the teleportation that Meesei and Sabine used. It was more similar to a conjuration portal. In any case, while he had not yet stopped her, Rossarm had at least succeeded in grabbing the mage’s attention.

[Muttonhawk]

Rossarm had to dodge his arm away and stop his spell, but his next move was not quite as instinctual. He snapped his arm forward and snatched the vines in his hand. They immediately coiled and tightened around his wrist, but by then his next spell was already coursing through the otherworldly plant. In a dull, sinister light, the vines shrivelled and dried as Rossarm clutched them tighter and tighter. By the time the ghost came from its portal behind him, he spun and tore the desiccated vine from the cracks in the ground, having drained it of its life force. His hand dripped with blood from the thorns piercing his skin.

"You failed in life, you will fail here," Rossarm taunted. "Your little wand is no substitute for discipline." He flicked his eyes over to one side briefly, and then made movements for a powerful fire spell. It was a spell that would clearly take too long to cast before the Breton ghost could retaliate. But no sooner had Rossarm began than an arrow flew straight for the Breton ghost from its side.

Fendros drew another arrow before the previous had even hit. He recognised what his father was doing and made sure to keep up the pressure now that the Breton was in position. He loosed arrow after arrow while pacing forward. Each one was sharp ebony launched from a war bow. Sufferable for the Breton's magic, but impossible to ignore when fired as rapidly.

Fendros' pace quickened as he approached. He needed to keep the ghost occupied, and more if Rossarm's next move did not end the ghost outright.

[EliteCommander]

The Breton had projected a ward through her staff towards Rossarm, but Fendros’ arrow came at enough of an angle that it did not strike it directly. It only had to pierce her shield spell, and with the strength of his bow, that could only provide some resistance. The arrow pierced into her side, nearly causing her to lose her footing as she screamed out in pain. Even as a soul, her body did seem physical enough in this realm, but the injury still did not kill her outright. Whether it be because she sustained damage differently as a spirit, or simply because the arrow did not find a vital target, she still stood.

While the Breton was able to direct her ward towards Fendros for every arrow after the first, she did not have the chance to interrupt Rossarm. While not quite as unique as the decaying spells Rossarm had been using, it was not creativity that would break through the bulwark that was the Breton’s ward: it was power. The explosion of flame against her ward engulfed her completely, but while it did obscure her from being seen, the shattering of her ward could still be clearly heard. The ward had absorbed much of the energy of the spell before breaking, but the flames that were left burned through the rags she wore and immolated large swaths of flesh. No amount of adrenaline could dull that pain.

The flames burned through skin and muscle all the way from the Breton’s stomach, up to the right side of her head, leaving behind grisly and disfiguring marks to accompany her blood-curdling scream. For nearly any mortal opponent, it would have been a crippling injury, if not lethal in short order. Yet, whether it was because of the strength of her soul, or just through sheer force of will, she still stood.

The Breton’s body started to give off the glow of Restoration magic, though there was no amount of healing that would allow her to recover from such extensive injuries. The best she could hope for was to stave off a second death in the short term. However, her retaliation still came quickly. As she slammed the end of her staff against the ground, she sent forth a massive wave of telekinetic force out in an arc in front of her, launching mortals and Daedra alike off of their feet. There was no way Fendros could avoid being thrown off of his saddle, and even Leaps ended up being rolled onto his side. Granted, being as large as he was meant that he took more of the force than more Human-sized beings.

The point of the telekinetic attack was primarily to buy the Breton time for something more decisive. Though her staff, one could easily see an immense amount of lightning being charged and amplified.

Fortunately for Ahnasha, the Breton had been facing away from her, so she had avoided being interrupted. For the moment, her gaze was fixated into the eyes of the beast in front of her. She slowly stepped closer and closer as the titan’s body twitched and its mind struggled against her spell.

The titan spoke with a deep, booming voice, though nothing about its words themselves carried the confidence that would normally be associated with it. “I cannot…will not…my compact cannot be broken.” Its claws gripped the ground, it spread its massive wings, and let out a roar. “My contract is absolute! I will not betray lord Vile!”

Ignoring the Daedra’s words entirely, Ahnasha continued to step, slowly and calmly, closer to it. Violet tendrils of magicka danced between her hands and the titan, leashed to the very essence of its being. “You already have, beast.” She spoke firmly. Finally, she was close enough as to be able to touch the titan directly. She took a strong hold of one of the titan’s horns and pulled its head downwards. All at once, the rage in the Daedra’s eyes all but vanished and an unnatural calm came over it. It retracted its wings, lowered its body, and bowed its head at her feet.

“Because you. Are. Mine.”

[Muttonhawk]

The telekinetic wave sent Fendros and Leaps tumbling. He had only just processed Rossarm flying off in another direction. They landed hard, Fendros especially so coming down from a saddle height. It was fortunate his armour did not buckle under Leaps' immense weight on his legs, even when the panicked beast wriggled up and off Fendros in short order.

"Leaps! Back!" Fendros shouted not long after he angled his head up to see the Breton. Seeing the lightning spell take shape even as the ethereal flesh making up her body steamed and boiled was something of a nightmare. Still, through winded lungs, he rolled up to his feet and broke into a run that made his chest ache. He pulled out his sword for the first time in the battle -- the dragonbone longsword specially crafted for him -- and with his other hand he cast aside his bow to form a ward. With a roar, he sprinted to keep the Breton's attention. He did not need his ward to hold forever, even as it absorbed what it received. He just needed to close the distance.

Nearby, Rossarm struggled up dizzily. He had been flung into a spin, being as close as he was to the spell. As he had numbed his pain back when the vines wrapped around his arm, it was with his eyes that he noticed that same arm was broken.

[EliteCommander]

Fendros was able to act more quickly than the Breton might have expected. His battle cry certainly grabbed her attention right away, and he forced her to act. She unleashed a stream of lightning early, though amplified as it was, it still held substantial power. Lightning cracked against his ward as he sprinted forward, bathing them both in a bright blue glow. His birthsign allowed him to absorb magicka with even greater efficiency than Meesei, so he was not in danger of being drained of his magical strength. However, the structure of the ward itself still needed to hold against the power assaulting it.

A scream from the Breton accompanied a final burst of electricity that did crack Fendros’ ward, but by that point, he had already closed the gap. She had the power to deliver a quick, lethal shock, but not through the protective enchantments of Fendros’ armor. As Fendros made his swing, he would finally see some fear in her eyes.

As a last, desperate defense, the Breton blocked Fendros’ strike with the haft of her staff. However, she was clearly more of a mage than a fighter, as she did nothing to parry or redirect the force of the blow. Between the dragonbone sword and a lycan’s strength, her staff was split clean in two. Breaking the staff did take enough force from the strike that her ebonyflesh spell protected her body. She survived, but the source of much of her power did not.

In a panic, the mage tried again to blast Fendros back with another telekinetic burst, though under her own power, it could not do more than stagger him. Raising up her hand, she once again commanded the thorny roots from the ground to try and entangle Fendros, as it was the last advantage she had left.

Before either could act, a massive gust of wind threatened to knock both off of their feet. The Daedric titan had returned to the battle and landed right next to them. For just a moment, its gaze went to Fendros and the Breton shouted up at it. “Kill him! Quickly!” She ordered. However, it was not her command that the beast obeyed. It looked straight past Fendros and directly to her. As its maw filled with the glow of cold flames, she looked down at broken half of the staff in her hand, then, with an enraged scream, teleported herself away before the flames could envelop her.

Ahnasha stepped around from behind the Daedric titan, running her fingertips gently along the scales on its side. There was a familiar sort of satisfaction in her expression that Fendros would have seen on her before after her various magical accomplishment, though the pride she felt now eclipsed even her mastery of life extension. By most measures, Ahnasha had been a master of conjuration for years, but this…to command the will of among the most powerful Daedra in existence short of a Prince, was a feat worthy of a true master in Ahnasha’s mind. Even master conjurers in many Tamrielic mage guilds would not think it possible to command something like a titan. It had taken all of her focus, magicka, and a black soul gem, but if she had the power to conquer a titan, then there was nothing that was beyond her. As long as she had the will to work and do what was necessary, she felt she could grasp any power.

After a moment, Ahnasha took notice of Rossarm. Fendros might have received a shock from the Breton, but he had the protection of his armor. Rossarm was quite clearly injured. As she approached, the titan followed in tow with steps that seemed to shake the very stone beneath them. Its massive stature towered over her, yet it kept its head bowed low at her feet.

“That arm doesn’t look so good.” Ahnasha remarked on her approach. She paused and glanced back at the titan behind her. With a nod of her head and a mental command, she gave it her order to take off and deal with the Daedra’s frontline. From there, she reached into her satchel and took two potions in hand, one red and one blue. The magicka potion she kept for herself, while the other she offered to Rossarm. “Here. Sabine made this one, so it’s probably better than whatever you have.”

[Muttonhawk]

Rossarm sat clutching his broken limb, hoisting himself up to one knee. His reaction upon looking up at Ahnasha's new achievement was at first a hint of fear. But as he looked and saw Fendros relatively safe and the titan taking off to assist the fight, his jaw was slack with disbelief.

He did not respond to Ahnasha immediately. He took the potion with his good hand in a floating way, as if by habit, before biting off the stopper and downing its contents. "Gah...what on Nirn did you do?" he growled. "You do not seriously think you can take control of a Daedric titan so casually. Why did you not kill it?"

"Father," Fendros said with just a touch of warning in his voice. "We can quibble or we can fight the enemy. The others are depending on us."

Rossarm looked as he rolled his wrist. His broken arm took some of his own magical healing to get in shape, but the potion worked better than any he had taken before. He regarded Fendros with a high chin. There was nothing he could say to refute him that would preserve his pride. He sighed. "You thought quickly, both of you. You hold some skills. You saved our lives." He bitterly curled his lips in and turned away. "Let us recover, we advance onwards."

Fendros lifted the visor of his helmet and peered across at Ahnasha. "Looks like that's all we'll get for now," he remarked. "But I must ask as well for pure curiosity, what did you do? Some kind of illusion magic?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha quickly downed her magicka potion, then took a few moments to catch her breath. As she started to answer Fendros, she turned her gaze towards the frontline to watch the handiwork of her new thrall. “It’s more Conjuration than Illusion, though I see the comparison. In simple terms, it’s…sort of like I summoned it, except I didn’t even need to make a portal to bring it to me, since it was already here. A large part of the school of Conjuration is commanding the wills of Daedra, and while it is a titan, it is still a Daedra. Its will can be commanded like any other. It just takes power, and skill.”

It did not take long for the titan to show its worth. As the beast flew over the the Daedric frontline, it let loose a wall of cold flame that cut through the Daedra’s ranks. Some mages and archers tried to return fire, but as the mortal armies had been experiencing up to this point, the titan was quite a durable beast. Within just a few passes, the Daedric attack had stalled, and despite the heavy losses they had taken on this flank, there was a good opportunity to counterattack.

“I used a trick Neesa taught me to make sure I had the power I needed, and you know I have the skill.” Ahnasha grinned. “But I think I’m going to…hang back a bit. Where’s Leaps? I’ll ride up on the saddle with you. I would rather not lose my focus too much right now.”

Back at the portal, reinforcements had been coming in as quickly as they could bring them through. There was a great deal to organize aside from just their strategy. Their siege weapons had initially started out being assembled on the mountain near the portal, but as the frontline had pushed forward, so too had they needed to move the weapons forward. Supplies, as well as soldiers, were constantly moving out the portal and down into the valley. Though, at this point, they did not have many soldiers remaining in reserve.

Ri’vashi had been coordinating with the other two commanders for the entire duration of the battle, but the more scouts’ reports they had received, particularly from the battle in the pass, the more obviously concerned she had grown. The most recent group through was a company of lycan warriors, and as they were starting to organize themselves, Ri’vashi grabbed her helmet and placed it on her head before returning to the map to rejoin the other two commanders.

“We have not heard a direct report from the Champion since they started their push against the Daedra’s defenses, but from the scout reports, this one thinks they are going to need reinforcements. Ri’vashi intends to lead them herself. She would like to request a contingent of cavalry from one of you.” Ri’vashi asked.

[Muttonhawk]

In response to Ri'vashi, Teroiah gave Gro-Tagnud a sideways look, one eyebrow up. "We both have plenty that are eager to catch up with our bogged down soldiers in those narrow passages." she asked. "Yours or mine, Legate-General?"

"Yours," Gro-Tagnud answered immediately. "Legion cavalry are more effective in the open. I'm reserving them for the front line in case Hal-Neesa's anchors get too greedy. Your cavalry are used to deserts and heavy forest."

"As you say." Teroiah nodded upwards to a nearby messenger to bring them over. "You legionnaires are so adverse to adapting," she continued sarcastically. "But at least we are not acting with any lack of boldness...Messenger? Gather Captain Loren's company, they are under General Ri'vashi's command now." She flicked her head across to line of wordless guards she had kept along the entire time. "Welgren, Titania, I order you to ensure the General's safety. Summon mounts and attach yourselves to the company."

The two guards nodded and spoke in unison. "Yes, commander." They immediately went about casting spells to conjure each an ethereal horse to ride along with the sally.

Teroiah smiled hospitably, though with narrow, smug eyes. "You have my best bodyguard. Now go along and do not think you have any excuse to die or demote yourself from your role here, Ri'vashi."

[EliteCommander]

“Ri’vashi has no plan to die, but she will certainly not be coming back here before the battle’s end. The push through the pass, getting the Champion to Vile…it’s all that really matters. Everything else is just a distraction. You may command Ri’vashi’s warriors for the time that is left. You have earned that trust.” She replied before moving towards her company with Teroiah’s bodyguards in tow. “You can trust that Ri’vashi will get our Champion to that tower.”

---

Back in the pass, Ahnasha’s command of the titan had rather decisively turned the favor of the battle against the Daedra. Plumes of cold flames swept across the Daedric ranks on the right flank at first, then soon enough it spread its attacks to the others. Meesei and Sabine’s forces both had pushed the Daedra back to their final barricades keeping them in the chokepoints. The Daedra had been fighting hard, and when the titan came flying overhead, it might have been seen for a moment as a turning point to push back the mortal armies, but all that came was a swift end to any of the Daedra’s hopes of winning the fight. On all three flanks, the mortal frontline pushed forward, lycan shock troops broke into the enemy ranks, and their Senche cavalry moved around the flanks to strike down opponents that were seemingly routing. Indeed, it was strange to see any form of retreat from Daedra, but whatever leader was commanding them seemed to value saving at least some of their number for a future fight, rather than allow them to fight to the death.

In the wake of the fight, Meesei’s pack reunited with one another, as well as the other leaders, in front of their regrouping forces. Even Meesei herself was giving uncertain glances up to the titan circling above them, but its attacks on the Daedra had made rather obvious its current allegiance. “Just…keep an eye on that thing.” Meesei remarked with a look towards Sabine in particular. Should it turn on them, she and her staff would be the one most able to protect them all. “I suppose this is what you had in mind when you said you knew how to deal with the titan, Ahnasha?”

Ahnasha’s pride easily came through most every aspect of her attitude. “Yes, I command its will now. The titan was the Daedra’s weapon to show their supposed dominance over us, and now it’s mine. I say we hurry and use it to crush them before they can regroup. As tough as it is, I’d rather not give them the chance to come up with a response.”

As Ahnasha had been speaking, Lorag was looking over their forces regrouping behind them, and he grimaced at seeing their numbers. “I don’t know. Looks like we lost a lot more people in that fight than I’d have liked.”

[Muttonhawk]

"Good hunting, General," Gro-Tagnud offered on Ri'vashi's way out.

As they watched her leave, the two remaining commanders on the bluff found themselves wordless for a moment. Gro-Tagnud, uncharacteristically, said something candid. "Hmph. Between you and I, commander, watching our ally get into the thick of it on a whim...I'm jealous."

Teroiah snorted and laughed darkly. "What's stopping you? Discipline? Rules?"

"Age," Gro-Tagnud responded, stone-faced.

Teroiah's smile disappeared. She sniffed and looked ahead again. She decided to leave the conversation there. There was still a battle to win.

---

Sabine gave Meesei a nod in response to her. They had both been looking at the swooping titan nearby with equal concern. Sabine reflected, impressed and overwhelmed, at Ahnasha's achievement. Her pride was well earned.

Sabine wondered what Ahnasha could do with the Staff of Magnus.

The tactical conversation involved Fendros' interest as well. Janius lurked nearby but was more focussed on sniffing at the wind.

"That's right," Fendros agreed. "Between the titan and the ghost of that woman with the staff, the push through suffered many casualties in the right-most passage. And I don't like their retreat. It suggests they have another layer of surprise defences."

"A ghost of a woman with a staff?" Sabine said, finding her attention drawn. "How do you mean?"

Fendros lowered his brow and sighed. "Just that. She was burnt all over and carried a staff like yours, but it seemed like it worked differently."

Sabine cast her eyes down, worried.

"Do you know something about it?" Fendros asked.

"No," Sabine immediately caught her tongue. "I-I mean to say...I cannot confirm. But I wonder how many others Vile has in reserve. We are not unique in having allied souls from the Hunting Grounds assisting in the battle."

[EliteCommander]

“No Daedra would ever retreat on their own accord.” Meesei agreed with Fendros. “For them to retreat means they are following the strategy of a superior. You said there was a ghost of a mortal woman among them…these kinds of tactics would be much more likely from a mortal than another Daedra.” She reasoned.

“There is no question from me that she was some ranking member of Vile’s cult.” Ahnasha commented, though she did pause for a moment as she focused her mind on her titan above, ensuring she did not lose her control over it. “That staff she was using, it felt like Daedric magic to me. And as powerful as it was, I have to imagine Vile created it as a weapon for one of his more loyal followers. I can’t say I know why he would have made a Daedric imitation of the Staff of Magnus, specifically, though. It did look pretty much the same. The soul herself did teleport away before we could destroy her, but Fendros did break her staff, at least.”

Meesei looked back up at the tower at the far end of the valley, though it did not seem all that far anymore. They were near to the exit of the pass, and from there, it was just a short march up to their final destination. “Regardless of who leads them, this next fight will likely be our last before we reach Vile. As long as we move quickly afterwards, the Daedra from main battlefield will not be able to fall back and defend in time. But Lorag is right, we lost a lot of people in that fight. We could wait for reinforcements, but the longer we wait, the more they will be able to harden their own defenses. Wait too long, and we may not be able to push through regardless.”

“I say we just go in now.” Ahnasha said rather quickly. “It can burn, or rather freeze, its way through any ambush they try to set up. There’s simply no way the Daedra, or any of Vile’s minions, planned on me turning their strongest weapon against them. We’ll catch them unprepared, for sure. If we wait too long, though, we might actually give them enough time to bring in some kind of siege weapon, or something else that can stop a titan.”

Lorag grunted, craning his head up to look at the Daedric corruption of a Dragon she had tamed. “Maybe, but if they do already have a way to deal with it, then we might just end up overwhelmed.”

Ahnasha crossed her arms, shaking her head. “Sure, if. Maybe they have some kind of miracle defense on-hand, but the chances of that are less than the chances of us giving up our advantage by waiting too long.”