“Hircine!” The voice was booming, unnatural, and full of anger. Yet there was a quality that could only be described as human present within it. For a moment, Glade wondered if another Daedra had made its way to Equestria, but she quickly dismissed the notion. A smile spread across her face as she realized what was happening.

“I'd watch out if I were you.” The lycan mare laughed in the Aspect's masked face, she understood the situation. Her chances of survival just skyrocketed with this development, and she was going to milk it for all it was worth. The Daedra retracted its blade from the mare's throat, this wasn't part of its plan, whatever was roaring, it definitely didn't belong in Oblivion or Equestria.

“What is that?” It helped that Hircine understood what lycans said, a psychic bond with the hounds, as it were, but Glade wouldn't betray the knowledge she held. “The Princess wouldn't involve herself, would she?” The Daedra took on a defensive stance, preparing for any assault he perceived possible from the royal ponies. But there was something... familiar about that voice, it wasn't the one typically used in Equestria, even by those familiar with the secrets of the Royal Canterlot Voice. “If anyone interferes, I'll use my full power on this bitch.”

“Good thing I've been in from the start.” The Daedra's head darted back, towards Glade. By the context, the voice's owner implied that he was Reman, but Hircine didn't see the Imperial, no, there wasn't a human standing there at all.

“How did you even manage this?” The Aspect's voice was one of astonishment, in all of his years, the Prince had never seen something so amazing, so profound. There, clad in dark fur, hulking muscle, and razor-sharp teeth, stood Reman in his transformed state. “I ripped lycanthropy right out of you, you were supposed to die back there.”

“I thought Daedra were omnipotent, all knowing, glad to see that I was wrong.” The werewolf started circling the hunter, keeping an eye on his prey at all times. On some primal level, Reman loved this type of situation, the rush of trapping his quarry was intoxicating. “But I suppose that theory was proven wrong by that box.”

“Lycanthropy can only be transferred, or given by me.” Hircine seemed to be at the end of his rope on this. Daedric Princes, despite popular belief, were not omnipotent, there were several holes in their hoard of knowledge, and the Huntsman was no exception. “It can't just happen on its own.” The Aspect's stance turned from defensive, to defiant, he would not accept this outrage from one of his. “How did you break the rules?”

“I didn't break them, Hircine, I didn't have to.” A grin spread across Reman's monstrous features, undoubtedly pleased with himself. “Blame the Gilded One for messing with your favorite toy.”

The changed Imperial had always expected the Daedra to retain some level of civility, however, he was proven wrong. Hircine, for his calm disposition and slow, deliberate way of things, had a very short temper when things didn't go his way. Like right now, for example, the Huntsman didn't like being toyed with, and it showed even through the Prince's mask. With an inarticulate scream of rage, the Aspect of Guile threw itself at the defiler.

Reman dodged the black spear with expert speed, effortlessly evading the bladed tip. A clawed slash was the Imperial's response, and it was well received. If a broken bound sword made a pinprick, then five lycan claws made a decent cut. The Aspect grabbed Reman massive arm, using the lycan's momentum to its advantage, and swung its foot into the Imperial's mouth. Despite his immortal nature, Hircine was a true hunter, and took the slashing injury because it left his prey's face wide open, clever and risky.

Glade didn't like that little kick, not one bit. In defense of her alpha, she swiped at the hunter's back, her wings providing extra speed, and her strange claws tore through flesh like fine paper. Autonomous response force the Huntsman to face the attacking mare, creating a blindspot that anyone would happily exploit. Only too late did Hircine realize his mistake, and by the time he had righted it, a massive, clawed hand was all ready inbound, with the Daedra's face marked as the destination. Even though it managed to bring the spear around to block, the talons still stung into the flesh beneath its headdress, tearing off a sizable chunk of the tribal mask.

A flash of golden skin gave Reman pause, just long enough for the spear's pommel to smash into his cheekbone. Blossoming pain signaled the broken facial bone, but there was something odd about the strange Aspect's body, the Imperial knew that Daedra manifest however they please, but something just struck him as odd about that skin color. A quick slash came across the lycan's chest, burning far worse than silver ever hoped to. Reman barely had time to react before another cut came, then another, each time brought more pain than the previous.

Once again, Glade pulled her alpha's ass out of the fire. Using her incredible speed, she knocked the spear away from the Imperial, while the blade was in a downward arc, with the combo broken, it was a simple matter of countering. Teamwork only werewolves were capable of came into play, Glade flew behind the Aspect's legs, cutting into the muscles and tendons. Two massive hands gripped the side of the Daedra's head, Reman's great jaws spread wide, ready to crush the Huntsman's skull. The agile Aspect of Guile reared its head back before the Imperial could snap his mouth shut, but it failed to save the headdress.

The Imperial's widened as he beheld the unmasked Daedra, he had certainly spent enough time reading ancient tomes to understand what he was seeing. Short, fair hair, golden skin, green eyes, angular features, unusual build for a Daedric creature, but well within believability. But those weren't the features Reman was concerned about, the ears drew his attention like a spotlight. They were pointed, about the same length as a Dunmer's but the skin tone made it all wrong, but that didn't matter, the lycan knew where these attributes were present in history, in a race that had been long dead. Two realizations struck the man as he pondered what he saw.

Hircine was once mortal, but replaced the original Huntsman thousands of years ago, perhaps before humans even reached Tamriel from Atmora. But that wasn't the most incredible revelation, not by a long shot.

Hircine was a Dwemer before he Ascended.

@#@#Bunker@#@#

“What is that?” This creature appeared stranger to Twilight than Reman had originally been. It looked like a human, but some things about it were just wrong. Pointy ears and angular features weren't that unusual, but the skin tone just made it look odd.

“I think that's an elf of some sort.” Everypony looked at Luna, who held a quizzical and studious expression. They knew about her use of Mind's Eye on the lycan, but not what she had learned. “They're like humans, but they live longer.”

“But how many birthday parties do humans have?” That must have been Pinkie's way of asking their usual life expectancy. Despite everything that the Princess of Night had discovered, she had no idea how long humans lived.

“Well, I know that one man Reman knows, Kodlak or some such, is over eighty years old, and he's still doing well.” Luna thought for a moment, trying to find any solid information. “But, he's hardly the norm, from what I can tell.”

@#@#Batlle@#@#

Distraction was the tool of both thieves and hunters, and the Huntsman used it to its full expression. A stout uppercut forced Reman to release the Daedric elf, who followed up with a knee to the groin. Taking advantage of the werewolf's stunned state, Hircine grabbed both sides of Reman's head and pulled, launching the hulking lycan into a nearby tree.

“Bastard!” Glade launched herself at the Daedra's abdomen, she had transformed back into her regular self a few minutes ago, and she was left with only a hoof-full of options about what she could do. The mare slammed her hooves into the relatively soft flesh of the Aspect's stomach and chest, hoping to cause some internal damage. Her attempts were ended by a punch powerful enough to temporarily black out her vision. It would be that moment that would go down in history as the biggest mistake made that fateful day.

There were certain things that one simply did not do to a man from Reman's family.

Laying a curse upon one of the family's number.

Laying one's hands on a lover of a member of the family.

Bringing harm to the family's allies.

Cheating in a duel against a member of the family.

Hircine had done all of that, and more, against Reman, but hurting Glade was the straw that broke the silt-strider's back. The lycan saw red when he heard the mare's small shriek, and something inside him snapped. The Huntsman no longer held control over the Imperial's lycanthropy, he couldn't force the man to return to his normal form.

In layman's terms: Hircine was a dead Daedra walking.

A flurry of claws reached forth to claim the hunter's blood, eagerness matched only by rage. For every swipe, there was a dodge, for every jab, a parry, and there didn't seem to be a break in the pattern. For such a scrawny thing, the Aspect of Guile was incredibly strong, easily matching Reman's unnatural power, pound for pound.

“Humor me, mortal, who is this Gilded One you spoke of?” A curious smile played across the Daedric Dwemer's lips. The Prince wondered about the strange being Reman mentioned, and why he had only been referenced once. But Hircine had his ideas.

“Ask around Oblivion, I'm sure you'll find your answer.” Reman planted a clawed hindpaw in the hunter's chest, sending him back about seven feet. Plenty of breathing room for what he needed. With a brief thought, a slight tug on his mind, the Imperial changed back into his human self. There was no bone-shifting, no pain, no noticeable change, save the obvious. The man's form flickered, a wave seemed to pass over him as he reverted to his regular self, quite similar to Zenammu's method.

“Why sacrifice that much strength?” Hircine wiped some blood off his mouth, one of Reman's attacks had knocked a tooth out, impressive.

“I want to use my own, two hands for this.” The two circled one another, though the Imperial took care to stay between the Huntsman and Glade at all times. It seemed the Prince took notice of this behavior, and decided to pick at some nerves.

“Oh, what's this? Has the prideful Imperial forgotten about his engagement?” The Daedric Dwemer chuckled, the lycan was easy to mess with, especially when it came to things involving his family or loved ones.

“Shut up.” Reman knew what Hircine was up to, it was an old trick and tradition in Cyrodiil. It dated back to the time of Saint Alessia, the Slave Queen who led the rebellion against the ancient Ayleids. When two enemies, both powerful, are at an impasse or resting during a battle, they must engage in taunting or polite conversation. “Is now really the time for smalltalk?”

“I'm just wondering, you've never done anything like this before.” The Prince had a point, he'd been keeping tabs in the lycan as he progressed through Tamriel, and Reman hadn't so much as visited a whore, much less pursued romantic interests. “I was worried you were getting lonely.”

“Leave it to a Daedra to be too stupid to understand the concept of companionship, I didn't need a lover.” The Imperial lunged and jabbed at the Huntsman, who dodged and swung in response. The two ceased actually fighting, adopting for the use of sparring techniques, instead. The blows could still do considerable harm, but they were much slower than they would be in a regular melee.

“We think the same of the mortal world, Reman.” Daedra found mortals to be incredibly confusing, just as much as mortals found the Daedra to be. “Nice kick.” Hircine caught the offending leg under his arm, and used the limb as a guide rail to run into the Imperial's front. The Huntsman launched a right hook against the man's face, only to be blocked and tossed to the ground. As the Aspect righted itself, Reman stomped on its foot and gave an uppercut, wrapped his arm around the Daedra's head, and flipped it over his shoulder.

“Most Conjuration spells would have ended quite a while ago.” The Imperial had taken to the classic bob and weave, a decent strategy for dodging fists. During moments like this, thinking was easy, the origin of this combat tradition of speaking to one's enemy may have begun as a way to give both sides a chance to plan ahead.

“Well, this body will only unsummon itself if it gets damaged too severely, or you die.” That was quite the loophole, even if Hircine won, his Aspect was sent back to Oblivion. But, the revelation gave Reman an idea, which was just crazy enough to work. All he had to do was keep the Daedra distracted. “Even a Banish Daedra spell would be useless against this enchantment.”

With a smile, Reman slammed a fist into the Aspect's kidney, then its throat, before finally punching Hircine's sternum. It was time to put his plan into action, but he needed to get back to the plains, first. The Imperial bolted towards the summoning circle, eager to finish the fight. He had a ten second head start, at best, he didn't have any extra time at worst. Not that he needed it, but some breathing room would be appreciated.

Alteration magic had a spell, Equilibrium, which converted the caster's life force into magicka. But Reman didn't need the extra energy, he needed power for this plan, lots of power. As Hircine said, a regular Banish Daedra spell would be useless, but Conjurer's Folly would suffice, even at its high cost.

The plains were in view, now, but footsteps indicated that the Huntsman was in hot pursuit. The spear's blade nicked at the Imperial's legs, trying to cripple the running man before he could reach the magicka-filled boulders. Reman spun around a runed stone, dodging the weapon that so zealously sought his blood. There was no fear in the Imperial's mind, there was no room for it. For the first time in four years, the end was in sight, and Reman was reminded of an old saying, in untranslated Cyrodiilic.

Carpe Diem.

The Imperial would seize this day, and he would be the victor. He dared he would come out on top, and Kvatch was in sight. Reman's smile was genuine, one usually found on a wise, old man's face, after he had found some wonderful meaning in his life. All he had to do was dodge the hunter's spear a little longer.

“I thought you wanted this battle. Why are you running?” With each syllable came another slash or thrust, though the blade never touched the Imperial's skin. Reman had no doubt that Hircine knew what he was planning, not that he cared.

The lycan hit the dirt and swung his feet around, taking out his opponent's legs. Reman rolled to the side to avoid the falling spear, before throwing himself onto the Huntsman, employing an old Imperial fighting technique. Of course, it only consisted of holding one's enemy down while repeatedly punching him or her in the face until he or she goes limp. Even when in human form, Reman had quite the arm, and each hit bought a split-second to attack again before Hircine could retaliate. As it turned out, one doesn't need to use their upper body to remove an attacker from their torso.

Using its superior flexibility, the Aspect slammed its foot into the back of Reman's head. The force caused the Imperial to falter for a moment, allowing Hircine the chance to throw him off. The two combatants rolled around on the ground, grappling without actively attacking each other. The lycan cracked his skull against the Daedra's, having exhausted every other option, it seemed like a wonderful idea. The Ascended Dwarf yelped at the impact, Reman probably broke Hircine's nose.

@#@#Bunker@#@#

“Where's Glade?” Rarity's keen eyes were scanning for any sign of the lycan mare. The Pegasus had flown away, Hircine followed, then that wolf melted into Reman, and then he ran after the Huntsman. The Element of Generosity had heard the lycanthropic pony yelp, then... nothing.

“You don't think she's... ?” Rainbow Dash's voice faded before she could say the final word. Everypony was thinking it, but they didn't want to speak of it, for fear of cementing the possibility into fact. Even the two oldest Princesses were worried about the former guardspony, but there was one mare that didn't share their apprehensions

“No, Glade's alive, Reman wouldn't let her die, not as long as he can still fight.” A fire burned in Fluttershy's eyes, a stark transformation from her usually timid self. Passion wasn't something associated with the shy Element, but that judgment couldn't be further from the truth.

“I hope you're right, I really do.” Shining Armor might not have liked Reman, but Glade was one of his, they had a certain kinship.

@#@#Battle@#@#

Sparks erupted from the clashing weapons. The Imperial's bound sword, and Hircine's spear, the two fighters appeared to be on even ground. Knocking the stabbing blade aside, Reman slashed across the hunter's chest, and was rewarded with the noxious smell of Daedric blood. The scent awakened something primal within the Imperial, a lust for battle that was unheard of in this modern age. Using strength he hadn't possessed before, Reman bashed the Huntsman's weapon away, intent on having his fill of combat.

With wild abandon, the lycan mercilessly slashed and hacked at the Daedra's tough hide, splitting the armored flesh with relative ease. Each cut spilled more blood, encouraging more attacks, and further clouding the man's thoughts. Utilizing the distraction, Hircine smashed the spear's pommel against the Imperial's throat. A choked gasp showed just how much pain Reman was in, his windpipe bruised and nearly crushed. The Aspect kicked the lycan's chest, knocking him back, though he only stumbled a few feet.

“I thought you were an Imperial, not an Orc.” The Ascendant Dwemer grinned at the coughing man, poking fun at the strange rush of power. In truth, the outburst had been wholly unexpected, it was curiously similar to the Adrenaline Rush ability the Redguards used, fascinating.

“I'm getting tired of your mouth.” Reman nothing more, and focused solely on killing the Aspect that stood before him. On some level, the man enjoyed fighting the Daedra, it was his joy, he only hoped he didn't get too happy. But, all good things must come to an end, and this battle was dragging on, better to finish things now.

The Imperial began gathering ever ounce of magicka he had, which was no small amount. There were no runes drawn on him, no words spoken, but magic was being wrought. Pale, blue flames erupted on Reman's arms, chest, neck, and face, making him appear more like a fiery specter than a man. Hircine felt the air crackle with energy, the Prince hadn't followed the Imperial's studies into the arcane arts, but the Daedra was well aware of this spell's power. Despite the lack of familiarity with mortal magic, the Huntsman could safely assume that touching the Imperial was counterproductive at the moment.

With a roar that gave Hircine pause, Reman launched himself at the hunter. The lycan found extra speed somewhere, but the Daedra had no idea of the origin, perhaps he was truly serious. The Imperial's hands burned the Aspect's skin on contact, and the searing flames seemed to have a similar effect on Reman. There was a quick jab, a stomp on a calf, and Hircine was slammed against a boulder. The Imperial raised his sword, intent on stabbing his prey to the etched stone.

As one weapon descended, its counterpart rose, and the hunter's spear penetrated the lycan's abdomen. Reman's bound sword pierced Hircine's hide, nailing the Daedra to the magicka store. Placing a palm against the Huntsman's chest, and forced energy through the two nexuses. Magicka flowing through the sword would serve as a key, and what flowed into the Daedra, a catalyst. The store's membrane ruptured, blasting magicka into Reman's inner reservoir, before being converted into fuel for the spell.

Hircine howled and cursed in anger, this was not the set course of events. The Daedra tried to retaliate, but the Aspect's body refused to move, its summoner had commanded it to be still. Pain that was felt throughout the Hunting Grounds lanced through the Aspect, and Hircine beyond, severing and binding the Daedra's power to Equestria. The magicka store only served to worsen the agony, to fan the magical flames that burned the Prince's very core. There was a limit placed on the Aspect of Guile's power, it was set in stone, and Reman overwhelmed it.

Just as the spell resolved and completed, both the Imperial's and the Huntsman's vision whited out, ending their pain, for a time. But Reman would awaken, and Hircine would regain control of the Aspect, and things would be made clear at that time. The lycan would pay for the mistakes he had made in Equestria, decisions that would have resounding effects throughout his life.

But, in the end, that is the Conjurer's Folly.

@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#

I'm aware that there may be a number of questions that are unanswered, and the epilogue will address as many of them as I can make it.