Anethandez Adventure

Tyrin

I gazed out of the trees, looking upon the commotion. I quickly grabbed my bow and stepped into camp.

"Stop! Everyone just stop!!!" I yelled, and they all quieted down. "Ryouku, Luna, and Seeker; each of us will be stationed at a corner of the camp, hidden or out of sight. You two," I said, pointing at Ryouku and Seeker," fly above the clouds, and you, Luna, can do whatever you want. The rest of you, back in your beds with weapons drawn. As soon as the zombis come into camp, jump up and start hacking. Ryouku and Seeker can dive out of the clouds, and Luna and I can attack from the sides."

"Now make haste, for I sense they are near."

Warren was still sitting there, thinking. He had been awake when Julia had her 'vision' and he was still recuperating from the sight of someone in that much pain. He soon came back to his senses. He drew a sword from his back, and started looking around, for any sign of zombies.

**sorry, thats all i got**

Julia

I slowly eased myself back to the ground and clutched my daggers so tightly that I could feel the carvings upon the hilt of the daggers embedding themselves into my skin. The raw pain that convulsed through my body was hard to push aside and when I saw the first zombie, I couldn't force myself to my feet. The creature approached the camp and then others came into my line of sight and all around me, I heard or saw my companions leaping to their feet to charge at the zombies.

With a deep breath, I dragged myself to my knees and two breaths later I was on my feet, just in time to raise a dagger to defend against one of the fowl, decaying corpses.

Karana

I had no true weapon still with me. The only thing I owned was a dull scimitar that had been used to cut limbs in the past...

But if I swing hard enough, it could work! The thought of venting my anger on such foul creatures was too much to resist.

I swung as hard as I could, and after a few blows, my first target fell to the ground, severed into several pieces and sizzling as if someone had set a fire to the places I had struck. Why is it doing that?

Tyrin

I morphed quickly, palming my bow. The zombis were too preoccupied with the people at the camp to notice me yet...and my skin did blend well with the bark around me. I notched a long arrow and stretched the string back until I pressed it against my cheek. I let my fingers slip off of the taught chord and the arrow slammed into my target. The zombi was flung to the ground. Smoke rose from the squired corpse.

I drew forth an arrow and sent it straight toward another zombi. This one too fell, but got back up, my arrow protruding from his shoulder. He came towards me, followed by two of his friends. I quickly stepped into the shadows. The zombis passed me and I hit one with my now unstrung bow from behind. He smashed into a tree and lay limp. The other two turned on me, and one hit me with his club, numming my hand. I smashed that zombis head in with a blow from my bowstaff and barely managed to block an attack from my remaining foe. I kicked his feet out from under him and wrapped my roots around his chest, crushing him.

Quickly I transformed back into human form and ran to the edge of camp to see how the others fared. There were many zombis left, but a group of them caught my eye.

They were surrounding someone, encroching quickly upon him. I ran forward a saw someone hacking at the mass of zombis. Around his feet were piles of their rotten corpses, but he would not last much longer.

I charged forward. My staff knocked a bunch of them aside, and I knocked another over with my shoulder. Then I was in the circle, back to back with someone and surrounded by zombis. I glanced to see who it was. It was the guard, Ralo!

I turned towards the approaching zombis.

Julia

I was a reluctant participation in the dance of death but the creatures gave me no choice. The first went down soon enough, his head rolling into the distance, but two more came to take his place and my body pulsed with andrenaline but not the strength to contain it and I thought my beating heart would burst from my chest.

Instinctively, I ducked one grey fist and even as it passed my face, coils of old flesh were ripped away by the air and crumbled to dust to be swept away by the wind. With a grimace of distaste, I thrust my dagger through him and then skipped back a step when the other, a female, struck out with a mace.

"Some of you have weapons?" I raised an eyebrow, not expecting an answer and neither did I receive one. Instead, the male zombie gazed down at his wound and then advanced again. I whirled and sliced at them, avoiding flying flesh just as carefully as I avoided fists and metal but when they fell, three more took their places and the numbers kept building until I was overwhelmed.

The andrenaline in my body was all that kept me standing, making movements a fraction of a second too late until I knew that it was time to pay for my mistakes. I ducked the wide sweep of a blade and felt it graze my back and only then did I see the dagger arching towards my chest. I no longer cared. My strength was sapped, the pain from my vision, fueled by exhaustion, burnt more fiercely than before and I was ready to give in. Or at least I would have been if not for what happened next.

Karana

I saw them overpowering Julia. I knew she was weakening; how I knew this, I wasn't sure. But it was time to act, to show where my heart lies.

I dove at the group of zombies surrounding her, scimitar swinging wildly. I was fortunate to down a few, but several more took their places. How long would this last?

A knife glinted. I gasped when I saw Julia duck from a lethal blow and double over in pain. Her expression was enough to tell me she couldn't go on, she couldn't fight, she couldn't keep up. And that dagger, which was as long as my forearm, was flying for her chest...

It may have been foolish, but I did what I had to. I rammed into her, knocking her aside as I swung my blade at the attacker. I bit my lip when my shoulder seemed to light on fire, but I didn't care. We couldn't stop; we had to keep going.

"If you can't fight," I screamed at her, trying not to show my pain, "then get out of here!"

I saw the blade hit Karana, and i ran to her side, fighting of the ravenous creatures. I move with lethal swiftness as any elf would. Julia was backing into the safe end of the fight, when a group headed her way. Karana and I jumped into action cutting them down in moments, we seemed the unbeatable team.

"Your better than i would have thought!" i yelled to her.

"Why? Just because i am a girl, you think more lowly of my abilities?"

"I dont mean it like that... oof." A zombie had struck me in the stomach, and i stopped for a moment, out of breath.

Julia

I hit the ground hard and almost wished for the peace that dagger would have granted me but, looking at Karana, I knew I couldn't give up. I had to live, if only long enough to thank her.

"If you can't fight," Karana screamed, her body pulsing with pain, "then get out of here!" The only sensible thing to do was to back away and regain my strength but the zombies saw my weakness and seemed eager to destroy me. Then Warren joined the fight and both he and Karana followed, cutting down the vile creatures.

"You're better than I would have thought!" Warren yelled to Karana.


"Why? Just because I am a girl, you think more lowly of my abilities?"

"I dont mean it like that... oof," Warren groaned and faltered as a Zombie struck him in the stomach. He straightened in a moment and resumed the fight, flowing just as quick and graceful as before but I knew that the wound was more lethal than it looked and launched myself to my feet.

I did not need my visions to tell me that Karana would hate me forever if I was the one to save Warren. A brief glance showed that she was surrounded but I rushed over and began swinging my blades.

"Karana, you have to help Warren. That wound's more dangerous than it looks. Don't ask questions, just get him out of the battle."

Karana

"I know!" I screamed back. "He shouldn't even be moving thanks to those ribs!"

As I said it, Warren seemed to freeze from the pain. Could he have broken some more? I had to help him, but what about Julia? What would happen to her if she was still weak?

Ryouku! We need help! I screamed in my head. I doubted he could hear me...I didn't know a thing about magic!

"Warren!" I called as I fought through the ranks of corpses and walking dead. It seemed that this fight would never end. How many more were there?

Ignoring his protests, I took him by the arm and led him, still fighting off the zombies, away from the entire battle and into the shelter of a cave nearby. I prayed they did not follow us.

"What did you...do that...for?" Warren was out of breath, clutching his side.

"You're not fit to fight. Any movement could finish breaking those ribs, and we don't need that!"

Karana could hear the starved moans of the zombies as they approached. She knew she couldn't fight them all off, and now that they were in a cave they were cornered. It all seemed so hopeless.

A thundering roar erupted from above as Ryouku landed in front of the cave, smashing a few of the zombies with his tail.

"Ryouku!" Karana couldn't be more happy to see anyone else right now.

Ryouku looked over his shoulder. "You've done the best you can. Leave the rest to me, I'll protect you both." He turned back to the zombies. Even more were pouring out of the woods than before. Ryouku took a deep breath and exhaled a giant wave of fire.

The fire seemed to dance in the proximity of the attack, touching nothing but the zombies and leaving the trees and plants untouched. When all the zombies had burned away Ryouku tilted his head and the fire disappeared.

Ryouku faced Karana and Warren. "Are you two OK?"

"We'll live. What about the others?"

"Seeker is helping them fight. Luna transformed into a dragon to help as well. Until we know it is safe, I'll be here to protect you both."

Julia

My heart felt lighter once Karana and Warren were out of the battle and I fought on almost absently, a faint smile upon my face. I drew backwards, within myself and watched distantly as my own body spun and dodged, blades whirling and that faint smile still etched across the lips. I think that if there had been many more zombies, I would not have survived but soon the bodies all lay on the ground.

For a moment my body hovered over the corpses, an arm still raised mid strike but then it fell to join the dead.

"Hold still, Warren!" Karana's voice rang in my ears and I lay still for a moment, listening to the commotion about me.

"I think that's the last one but why are we cremating them all?" Luna queried.

"To make sure they're dead," Ryouku answered.

Warren saw all of the corpses go up in flames. It was such a horrific scene, seeing all those zombies dying. I know they were evil, but they still had the appearance of humans, and it made it all the worse.

"Warren, hold still!"Said Karana.

"What are you doing?"

"Im checking your ribs to see if any more damage was done."

"I'll be fine, i can go."I said in defiance.

"Stop, i need to see those now, if they get worse, you'll end up getting killed in another battle like that."

Warren surrendered to Karanas will, and waited for her to say it was ok. To Warrens annoyence(?) she said.

"Youve broken two more ribs! Your crazy, you know that? You could have killed yourself out there!"

'Aww crap, what am i going to do now? Im getting hurt or falling of a dragon everyday!' Thought Warren.

Karana

I knew he was upset, but it was the truth. If he kept fighting, he'd puncture a lung...or worse.

"We'll have to bind them, just to make sure you don't move them anymore," I added a few minutes later.

He did not seem thrilled.

I was glad I kept an extra roll of linen, for that was all that seemed available as bandages at that point. I wrapped his ribs and made sure he was still before tending to my own wounds.

The knife I had taken to protect Julia had done a considerable amount of damage. I was surprised I had managed to stay conscious as long as I did, seeing as it was a deep, long wound that passed over my collar bone near my neck.

"And you said my wound was bad, your the one that needs to sit down." I jumped to my feet so that Karana could take my place.

"No, I'll be fine, you need some rest." She said, attempting to keep her voice from cracking. I new she must be in very much pain.

"No, i tried to say that, but you wouldnt take no for an answer. Its my turn to help you." i said, starting to become frustrated that she wouldnt just lye down. Well, at least i know she is more strong willed than just about anyone else in our little misfit adventurers group.