EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Saras lowered his head. The camp might have been bustling with activity all around them, but the silence between them still felt just as empty as a still night. “I…see.” Saras finally replied. “Our officers have everything well in-hand right now. We are not in any desperate need for leadership. You may rest and recover as much as you need right now, just…be ready. After all has settled, our people will still need their Champion.”

Before taking his leave, Saras gave another look around the others in the pack. Sabine was not among them, but by the way he acted, he already knew she had returned safely. “Oh, one more thing. One of our search parties reported seeing a Nord who matched the description of the one who has been assisting Sabine’s pack, Yerig. He refused to join them, but they said he appeared unharmed, so they left him be.” Saras briefly looked down. “They said he was kneeling over the remains of a Khajiit. I…will allow you to decide how best to tell her. I do not want to unnecessarily burden her at the moment."

Ahnasha stayed silent for a time, doing little more than gripping Fendros’ hand more tightly. She hoped as much as anyone that they would be able to see Meesei again, but she was not so sure that would be possible. Her knowledge of souls was extensive, and even if Meesei’s soul had survived her death, it would likely take some time for it to manifest itself in this realm. The same would be true for any of their losses in this battle. They would likely have no choice but to return to Mundus before that happened.

It was easy to lose track of time, but eventually, there was another, familiar voice that spoke up nearby. With the general noise around them, it was hard to hear what she said at first, but she quickly grabbed the pack’s attention. It was Ma’tanza, or Ko’tanza, as she was now known. She had an empty potion bottle in her hand, and looked to be exhausted overall. She was far from looking upbeat, and she seemed to have a hard time making eye contact with Janius in particular. “You can come see her now. We’ve moved her to another tent, so you can stay with her as long as you want.”

The Cradle

Marae nodded to Wallace. She did not know precisely what was happening, but if there was trouble, she certainly did not mind heading back to the ship. She and Wallace were outside the thickest parts of the crowd, so it did not take much time to get back up the ramp into the ship. Though, given that Wallace had allowed parts of the crowd up into the ship as well, she had to wonder how she was planning on getting them out quickly.

Nirann, meanwhile, weaved between the Humans in his way with singular purpose. He was on his highest alert, so he was scanning every facet of their surroundings for potential danger, from visual scans, to monitoring communications. It was a task to which he was uniquely suited. He was an AI who normally monitored an entire city. He had protocols for identifying potentially dangerous behavior in every known sapient species and their pets, as well as the sensory capabilities of his frame. If his logic could keep vigilant over all of Threria, then just watching his immediate surroundings would be child’s play.

Fortunately, Nirann was able to maneuver between the Humans around him well enough to at least get to Freyr before she ended up somewhere he could not easily reach. Before she could get over the barrier completely, Freyr would feel the pressure of him grabbing the back of her shirt to keep her from getting any farther. “Sorry, goin’ to have to stop you there, doctor. You know I’m the last one who would want to stop a party, but we kinda got to go here. Come on, I promise I’ll make it up to you. I’ve got some good recipes for some drinks I can mix up when we get back. I’m pretty sure we’ve got the materials for the fabricator to synthesize the ingredients.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As more and more wounded were coming in, the healers triaged as best as they could by the severity of the wounds…and by who was likely to survive at all. For Kaleeth, regardless of whose pack she was in, her condition was perilous enough to receive immediate aid. The pack’s assistance was welcomed as far as moving her heavy form into place, as well as getting her out of her armor. With the hits she had taken, some parts had been damaged and bent into place, which took some effort to remove. Without it, the full and terrible extent of the injuries she had sustained throughout the battle became quite evident. Werecrocodiles in particular had powerful regenerative abilities, so there were some deep wounds that had already closed, but with how weakened she had become, that healing had slowed considerably. Her leg in particular had been horribly mangled by the frost atronach, and apart from their earlier attempts to stop the bleeding, in had hardly healed at all. Throughout it all, as the healers started to get to work, Kaleeth was still mostly unresponsive. She said nothing and barely moved, except to bring her gaze to Janius.

After Kaleeth had been moved into place, healers quickly moved in to take over. As much as they might have wanted to stay with her, though, even the Champion’s pack could not be allowed to crowd the infirmary and get in the way of the healers. Aside from Sabine, of course, the rest had no choice but to wait outside.

---

In the aftermath of the battle, the waiting felt almost like more of a torture than the pain itself, though that was far from pleasant. Adrenaline had long since worn off, and they were all feeling the consequences of every hit they had taken. They could all be thankful that they had prepared very well for this moment. They knew what would happen if Vile was defeated, so this chaos had been expected. Teams of non-combatants had been in waiting at the camp to go out in search of the lost and wounded to bring them back. Naturally, as with any battle, they had also stockpiled as many healing supplies as they could. Strong healing potions were being used in tandem with healing magic to help the badly wounded, but cheaper, weaker potions were being distributed around the camp for those who were in waiting for treatment. Since all of this planning had been done ahead of time, Fendros did not need to organize everyone personally. He, and the rest of his pack, finally had a chance to stop and rest.

Ahnasha sat close beside Fendros, still holding the empty bottle of the healing potion she had been allotted in her hand. Her Dragonscale helmet was on the ground next to her, and she occasionally tugged uncomfortably at the armor she wore. She could feel the dried blood in her fur underneath. She had been silent for a while, and occasionally looking over to Janius. As bad as the waiting was for her, she could only imagine how painful it was for him. She had found Fendros after just a few minutes, and he was right here beside her. She could hold his hand, but Janius could not even see Kaleeth until the healers were done. Lorag, by this point, had shifted back to his Orc form. He was occupying himself by cleaning and maintaining the armor scattered around him. Without any tools, it was an effort in vain, but he continued at it regardless while they waited.

For a while, the pack was actually left alone, but eventually they were approached by a familiar face. Ahnasha lifted her head up towards him first as she heard his footsteps off to her right, as soft as they were. It was Saras. At least by his appearance, he seemed no worse for wear after the battle, though he was a man who quite excelled had hiding anything he did not wish to reveal. Regardless, Ahnasha was glad to see him. In the back of her mind, she had been worrying about him, Rossarm, Ri’kalesh, and the others they had left defending the pass. The blast of magical energy Meesei had unleashed had reached far around the tower, but it seemed that it had not reached far enough to harm their allies beyond it.

“Fendros, I was told I would find you all here.” Saras began. “I have been coordinating as best as I can with our search parties. Most of our survivors seem to be making their way back to the camp, but Meesei has not yet been found. Most are just glad for the battle to be over, but there is still considerable confusion. They are going to need their Champion eventually.”

The Cradle

Nirann gave a brief shrug. “Well, strictly speaking, it could help, insofar as it could help facilitate the development and maturation of interpersonal relationships that are vital to the mental well-being of a social species like Humans…” He started, speaking quickly and flatly before shifting to a more usual tone. “…but yeah, I guess I can admit that we have some other things to worry about tonight. Maybe we can still put together a smaller party back at base?”

“We should certainly put something together. She needs friends right now.” Marae remarked.

In any case, Nirann put his focus more sharply onto Freyr as he maneuvered his way closer to her through the crowd. Between the music and the roar of the crowd, the sounds around them were overwhelming, but the closer he came, the more distractions he could filter out until he could hone in on Freyr’s voice alone. “Now, we probably shouldn’t get ourselves thrown out of the party. Come on over here, I’ve got another idea for some real fun. You’ll love it.” Nirann messaged Freyr directly. He knew better than to just try to appeal only to her sense of reason when that sense was very much compromised at the moment. Rather, he went with the approach of dangling temptation in front of her to get her to go along willingly with what they needed her to do. It did not matter if he was being vague as long as he spoke confidently enough about it.

The Cradle

Nirann tilted his head up slightly towards the sky. With his array of sensors, he could perceive the shield in ways most others couldn’t. Indeed, he could get a read on its size, dimensions, and strength from a distance. Wallace, it seemed, was being quite cautious. He wondered if there was a specific reason to think they were in danger, or if she was just leaving nothing to chance. In any case, he had no problem assisting in his own way. It was easy enough for him to have a subroutine always monitoring his sensors for anything potentially worrying.

Crossing his arms, Nirann laughed. “Are you so sure you want to leave so soon? Freyr is finally looking like she’s having a good time.”

“Well, it would be the responsible thing to do.” Marae remarked.

“Heh, like how responsible you were on our last trip to Anskaria?”

Marae rolled her eyes, then stepped a bit closer to Wallace. “We can join you. Maybe help bring her in without upsetting her.” She offered, though she could not help but to look to the crowd with a bit of temptation. The music, as strange as it was to her, had a beat she was starting to appreciate. The crowd was still as lively as ever, and even for her, it would be easy for her to want to join in. She supposed they would see once they got to Freyr.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael heard and considered the advice of the members of his team. They all had their own expertise, and he could benefit from making use of it. Still, though they had a few options, a decision still needed to be made, especially when there was no clear “best” choice. ”We cannot carry out our ambush and attempt stealth. An infiltrator would be in range of the explosives, if discovered. An ambush is the safer course. Most of their warriors will likely be in those structures on the east side of the platform. There are no guards underneath the platform, so Grikgar, you should be able to plant the charges on the supports underneath them.”

Pausing a moment, Vael started designating positions on the team’s collective HUDs. ”As Yalu suggests, we shall take positions on what will become the high ground. This ridgeline here will give a strong position for most of us. Aviza, Ryker, Yalu, take a position on the western ridge to create a crossfire. When the charges detonate, the Unggoy outside will most likely panic, so they will not be our priority. We will instead focus our fire on the exits to the structures to cut down the rest as they try to reach safety.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For all of her power with manipulating the dead, Ahnasha was not much of a healer to the living. She could cast a few healing spells suitable to minor to moderate flesh wounds, but Kaleeth needed far more than that at the moment. Ahnasha quickly cast what she could, but it did not stop all of the bleeding.

Kaleeth herself was not particularly responsive. She still breathed, her eyes opened and she appeared to be looking around, but she said nothing and did not move on her own. It was all she could do just to stay awake. She could not help walk, and between her own weight and that of her armor, she was difficult to carry even for Fendros. Particularly considering the ordeal they had just been through. Still, it only took a few, difficult steps forward before Fendros would feel some of the weight being lifted off of him. Another had taken Kaleeth’s other arm over his shoulder to take half of the weight on himself. A glance over, and Fendros would see a werewolf, bloody and armored, but immediately recognizable as Lorag.

“My legs ain’t broken, so we’re getting her there, one way or another.” Lorag growled. He seemed to be struggling in more ways than one. His armor hid any injuries, though it seemed that he struggled more against his own mind than his own body. With the battle over, any beast spirit would be more than sated on bloodshed, and their natural tendency was to rest. Even a lycan as old and experienced as Lorag had to fight against his beast to keep himself in his lycan form, but he still pressed on, step-by-step.

Janius, as well as Sabine and her pack, had still not found one another, and the scents in the air were starting to become more mixed and hard to distinguish. The shout of Fendros’ orders might have been enough to draw them to him, but if not, they could find each other once again in their camp. Ahnasha felt she remembered the area well enough to guide them back, so she walked just ahead of them to lead the way.

The Cradle

Marae laughed, crossing her arms as she looked down on Freyr next to her. “But you are a conundrum, aren’t you Dr. Lang? Not but a moment ago, it didn’t seem like you were up for much of any kind of party, much less one of your own making. And here I was thinking we were about to have a quiet evening relaxing over drinks, sharing stories…”

Nirann walked around on Freyr’s other side, holding his arms out as wide has he could in the crowd as he took a few steps back. “Well I don’t know about you, but a party sounds worlds more exiting than…that. And I’ll tell you, I am wonderful at acting drunk. Always the life of the party.”

“But unlike everyone else, you get to cheat. No risks, and you can always just snap yourself out of it.” Marae grunted.

“Oh, you know well how I can handle risks.” Even if he hadn’t been masked, Nirann could not give expressions, but everything about the way he spoke gave the image of him speaking through a wide grin. “What’s something you’ve never done before, Freyr? Something exciting? Something frightening? Both? We’ve got freedom and we’ve got these masks, so no one will be getting on to us later.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Now that she had a chance to simply stop and catch her breath, the reality of the situation started to sink in for Ahnasha as well. Vile himself had been defeated, all of the souls he had stolen throughout this war had been freed to go to their rightful place in the Hunting Grounds, and the fighting was finally over. Not just this battle, but in the war as a whole. Now, the only planning they would need to do would be to transition into peace. She smiled with Fendros’ laughter and, for those few seconds, just let herself enjoy the moment. They had delved through Oblivion itself and come through beaten, but alive. At this point, no matter what else had happened, both of them had made it through alive.

Eventually, Ahnasha’s focus was brought back to more immediate concerns once Fendros asked about the others. There was no one else in view of them, but the forest was thick enough that they could not see far. Indeed, if they took a moment to listen, there were many more footsteps and voices becoming clear in the area around them. Far more than could just belong to their own pack. “Well, I imagine it brought us back near our Oblivion gate, so…we’re probably somewhere in the forest near our camp. We might be spread out a bit; I think there’s more than just our pack nearby. I didn’t find any of the others on the way here, but it was your scent I was looking for first.”

Ahnasha was slower to get up than she had been to approach him. Now that she had calmed somewhat, it was getting easier for her to feel the pain of her injuries. The ruinach had not killed her, but she had taken a few hits from it after Fendros had pressed forward. She groaned, stumbling somewhat as she pushed herself up to her feet. She winced when she put weight on her leg, though she did not think it was broken, at least. There was little doubt of how bruised and battered she must have been under her armor, but it was nothing a lycan could not recover from. With a quick look around, Ahnasha guessed that they might be nearby, as both Spellbreaker and the Rueful Axe had been brought back close by as well. She carefully helped Fendros up to his feet, then grabbed Spellbreaker to carry it for him.

The pair did not need to walk far to start finding others. It seemed like all of their soldiers, regardless of where they were on the battlefield, had been brought back somewhere in the vicinity of their now-dormant Great Oblivion Gate. Lycans, Imperials, and Dominion soldiers all looked around with varying degrees of confusion as they tried to get their bearings. It did not take long before they started to hear the shouts of Imperial and Dominion officers giving orders to try and regroup their scattered forces. Not all likely understood that the battle was over, though Ahnasha doubted it would be long before they had reorganized. Beyond that, it was the healers that were desperately trying to deal with the chaos around them. Wounded and dead both littered the forest, and it was going to be a task to sort between them. For the pair of them, it was the scents of their friends they were trying to find, and fortunately, they did not need to go to far to catch one on the wind.

Even laying on the ground, Kaleeth stood out easily in the forest. They found her on the ground as Fendros had been, but she was much worse off than being merely dazed. Blood was already starting to stain the grass underneath her, mostly from her mangled leg. She had spent so much of the fight at the very front that even her dragonbone armor was showing as much damage as Kaleeth herself. The blood flowing down from joints and gaps in her armor stained the plate red, and it was uncertain exactly how much she had lost by this point. Fortunately, she was still breathing, and still conscious by the way she looked up at them, but she was weak. Very weak.

A few other warriors had already found Kaleeth before the pair arrived, but there had not yet been enough time for anyone to meaningfully help her. “Kaleeth!” Ahnasha shouted. Pain shot through her leg with every step as she rushed over, but she was not concerned about herself at the moment. “We need to stop this bleeding, and…our camp. We need to get her back to the camp! They can treat her at the infirmary.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a moment, Ahnasha appeared to ignore any of Fendros’ urgency. Instead, she put her arms around him, hugging his neck as tightly as she could. “Just calm down. Breathe. You already did. What do you think it was that knocked you on your tail? I saw it all myself. With what I know of Daedra, I think I can take a good guess on what happened. Vile, well…a Daedric Prince can’t die, but you put him through the closest he can get to death. It looked like the power left in the axe destabilized his essence, and probably the rest of his realm along with him. Our Oblivion gate closed, and when a gate closes, it sends everyone back to where they came from.”

Ahnasha pulled back away from him somewhat to allow him to look around more easily. As Fendros’ vision cleared, their surroundings came into view for him. They were now in quite a different forest from what they had seen in the Fields of Regret. “We’re back in the Hunting Grounds. I imagine Hircine took that chance after Vile was defeated to take as much of his stolen power as he could, like all the lycan souls he’s taken from us. We’re here, and...I wouldn’t be aching this much if I were dead, so…it’s over. The war is over.”