EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Feel free. I'm not one for attention myself, but I certainly won't stop you.

I can't help but to think of the sheer amount of things that happened in the story. Looking back, I probably would have been more concise, and do a lot of things differently. Also, I would keep a lot better notes. I don't blame myself too much, though, I was younger then and I do a lot of things in general better now.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm not sure, honestly. Part of me keeps wondering if there is something more I should add, but I think that might just be perfectionism. It is satisfying to have the story reach an actual conclusion.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'll leave it up to you. The short of it is that it would be about giving a bit more closure to Lunise and Meesei. We do need to bring it to a conclusion, though, and I do want to make sure it is a satisfying one after all of this, so if you think either the current spot, or that scene would be a good conclusion, I'm okay with either.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The only possible one would be one involving Lunise and the Psijics, but I don't know if it would be as satisfying of a conclusion to end on.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Hmm…” Ahnasha leaned back, supporting herself on her hands as her gaze went up towards the roof of the cavern far above them. The glowing fungus spread throughout Blackreach gave something approaching the appearance of stars above, though Ahnasha was fairly certain it was midday at the moment. One effect of living underground was that day and night tended to be indistinct. As good as their home had been to them all these years, she did still prefer open sky.

“I think any of these ‘common’ threats will be outright relaxing compared to what we’ve just been through. But it has been a while since we’ve been on that sort of a journey, hasn’t it? Well, I suppose the propylons will make it a lot easier to get around than last time, but...it should still make for a nice outing for him. I am curious to see how well he has been learning from his lessons.” There was, for a moment, a light frown across her expression. “We haven’t been as involved with him as we should have been recently. Preparing for the battle took so much from all of us, and we’ve been too distant.”

Despite a few clear regrets, Ahanasha seemed to quickly replace them with more hopeful thoughts. “We can now, though. That’s what matters. I think it’s fair that we give him some of the adventure he’s been missing out on.”

Ahansha went to pick up the glass of wine from beside her, and as she did so, the strangest feeling washed over her for just a moment. It was the quickest chill up her spine, and something she might have simply dismissed if she had not already been familiar with the magic at play. Time had just been interrupted, and there was only one group they knew with that sort of power. She gave a quick look around, and sure enough, Lunise was nowhere to be seen. Given the circumstances, she had hardly been the center of attention. She had been somewhat off on her own, content to simply be present. It would be easy enough for one to think that she had slipped away without notice, but Ahnasha knew better.

“Hmm, I suppose the Psijics still had something to say to her.” Ahnasha remarked softly to Fendros. With just a few moments’ pause, however, she soon smiled and raised a glass to him. “Well, whatever fate-of-the-world business they might have for her, I think I will sit it out for now.” She said, kissing his cheek. “So, where should we go first?”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It seemed there was no need for Ahnasha intervene. As she suspected, Rossarm’s intentions were not quite as he had led on. She doubted he was going to be making a habit of visiting at any point in the future, but there was an understanding now. Between all of them. They did not need to dwell on it. Right now, in the moment, Ahnasha could be happy to just enjoy a glass of wine herself. Another piece of the past had been put to rest. Fendros getting some closure with his father was a...small thing, compared to everything else they had been through, and she knew that he would have been alright no matter how it had gone. While she imagined he probably would have cared if he had been less accepting, she knew he had moved far beyond his father. Just getting the answer, one way or another, would have been enough to put it behind them, which was why she had encouraged him to make the invitation.

There was a bit of a lull in the conversation that followed. For a moment, she looked out across the others, holding on to her glass of wine in silence. With the war over, what were the next few years going to be like for them? Or even just the next few months. The Silent City had been home to them for years, but it was known now. Imperials and Dominion both had been allies with them against Vile, but could they really trust that it would stay that way? Even if the two major powers kept their word, it was now inevitable that word of their location would get out. Too many of their soldiers had been here. Would it be worth it to try to stay, or would a new home be somewhere in their future? Perhaps many new homes? A return to how they had lived before the clans was always on the table.

Even aside from the clan as a whole, the reality of how much was going to change for just their pack had only recently set in for Ahnasha. Understandably, Kaleeth’s mood had been sour recently with her injury, but Ahnasha could already tell that would not last. Now that the situation with Rossarm had settled down, one look at Kaleeth was all she needed to know how well she was going to settle into peace. It was easy to see how happy she was just to be able to spend time with her son again in peace, and that was nothing that an injury would take away, even in the worst case. Kaleeth and Janius still had each other, they had their family, and they had the kind of future they wanted for them. Ahnasha could be happy for them...but that sort of life would never be enough for herself.

There had been a lot of talk of peace since the war ended, though it had taken a while for Ahnasha to come to understand what it was about that thought which had been unsettling her. It was not that she particularly loved fighting, not like Lorag. He had already felt the need to look for his perfect end once before, and while he had become more patient in that regard, the day he stopped fighting would be the day he died. No, for her, it would not be the fighting, but what that fighting had done for her which would be missing from her life. The war had demanded everything from them, and Ahnasha had been forced to rise to meet that challenge. Out of sheer necessity, she had become greater than she had ever imagined she could be. Her power, what she had accomplished, it was more than enough for her to know that her potential could still go farther. She would not just stop and just let this be enough. That was not who she was, nor anyone who she would ever want to be. Unlike some of the others, she could not just settle down. Rhazii would only be a child for a few more years, and with his upbringing, she had an inkling he would not be content with a safe, boring life either. He had grown up surrounded not just by the stories of adventure and heroism, but by the people who lived them, yet he had never been able to participate himself.

Ahnasha’s wandering eyes caught Fendros’ gaze, and she found herself keeping it for a while. There was just one question left for her: what would he want for them?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha’s expression carried a sly smile. She was always proud of Rhazii and his tenacity. Whether it be against Rossarm, or even herself, he was certainly willing to stand for whatever he felt was right. She was not wholly convinced Rossarm intended to “knock down” Fendros just yet. From everything she had heard about him, Rossarm had a distinctly abrasive manner, even to his friends. Honestly, it was amusing that this well could be him trying to be nice. Perhaps she was wrong and he would be as dismissive of his son as ever, but if that were the case, all that would accomplish would be to make everyone disappointed in Rossarm. He may not have been aware, but he was the one being judged here. He was the only one who stood to fail.

In any case, Ahnasha would not insult Rhazii by stepping in. Not just yet, anyways. What Rhazii would see from her at the moment was simply her grin. She was there, she was ready to support him, but she could let him stand on his own two feet. Not to mention, she wanted to give Rossarm his fair chance to answer.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The tension in the air was easy enough for anyone to notice, but Ahnasha paid it little mind. Whatever Rossarm’s intentions, he would get the same answer. It was certainly a story Ahnasha had no problem telling. “That would be Meesei’s judgment. Especially after all the clans came together for the war, the Champion had to be someone both capable of leading everyone, and who could stand up to challenges from everyone who thinks they could do better. Everyone from all clans in Tamriel. After Lorag retired his position, Meesei saw two people who could do it: Fendros and Sabine.”

Nearby, Lorag chimed in with a chuckle. “Tough competition, too. This was all after Sabine got captured by the enemy. ‘Cept, before we could even find her, she’d ended up recruiting the enemy general, recovering the Staff of Magnus, and killing a dragon. Came back to us all on her own. Plenty of people would be happy to fall in line behind the Dragonslayer.”

“Probably.” Ahanasha remarked with a shrug. “People like heroic tales and titles.” She put one arm around Fendros, glancing at him with a smile. “Good leaders aren’t made through dramatic stories, though. Meesei saw the potential in him through a decade of war at his side. Every little success and failure. I’m sure you know how difficult it can be to teach magic to someone born under the sign of the Atronach. It can be crippling not to be able to replenish your own magicka, but there is power in it too. They have the innate power to absorb magic, and Meesei taught him how to harness that potential into his own defense. He is a warrior that no mage can touch, a fighter that no one in the clans can best.”

Ahnasha’s gaze went back to Rossarm directly. “He’s certainly taught me how different power can look, from what I used to think.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was a pause from Lorag, along with a mildly amused grunt. “You could say that. I was her second, back ‘fore I got too old for that job.”

“You weren’t too old then, and you still aren’t too old now.” Kaleeth chimed in. She started to try to stand to shake Rossarm’s hand, but after reflexively trying to put her weight on a leg that was no longer there, she frowned and stayed where she was. “I’m Kaleeth.” She introduced herself. Her downtrodden attitude seemed to diminish as she started to smile, though it was hard to tell from the outside if it was an act. “I’m just glad so many of us could get back alive.”

Now that he had introduced himself, Lorag returned to where he had been seated. “Yeah, I could do it, but it’s not really about bein’ too slow to do it now. It’s an important job; better to give it to someone who can keep it for more than a few years.” He tilted his head towards Fendros. “He earned it.”

With a shrug, Lorag returned his attention more directly to Rossarm. “Anyways, Sabine’s bein’ modest. We were all family, but she was everything to our old Alpha. Student, yeah, and a lot more than that. No one else could’ve learned all that magic stuff Meesei liked better than Sabine.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

The arms raised from the water, looming over those unfortunate enough to be caught underneath. However, amid the chaos, not all were unable to act. The thump of heavy metal footsteps sounded out behind Mallory. Recently freed from the clutches of some of the other creatures, Eva’s mech was now back in action, and being a suit intended for hostile environments, a bit of water was no deterrent.

The sheer weight of the mech landing on the bridge cracked the stone underneath. The metal hands dug into the huge stone arms, crushing the rock into gravel under the mech’s iron grip. Eva stopped her feet into the bridge to become an immovable wall against the arms...then pushed back. Whatever power was animating this stone, it was entirely insufficient to resist her. As the arms were being pushed back into the water, the whole bridge seemed to start to go with it. Unless they intended to go for a swim, anyone still on it needed to be quick.

As this was happening, a sharp eye might notice movement among the trees on the far side of the river. It was hard to see through the thick foliage, but there were at least two indistinct silhouettes that may have been moving closer.